Many of you have probably heard of nutrition expert and IIN guest speaker, Dr. David Katz; but have you heard about his involvement with the social health company for women, EmpowHER?

EmpowHER is a social company dedicated to women’s health. The company’s primary website, EmpowHER.com, is the third most visited site for women’s health and wellness information. The site offers a space where women can not only read health information from experts in the field, but also seek advice from other EmpowHER users. On the other side of the spectrum, health care professionals, brands and agencies utilize EmpowHER to reach their target internet consumer: women.

The importance of healthy school lunches for our children continues to be a hot topic in the news. We’ve touched on the debate several times, and many of our graduates, like Amy Kalafa, author of Lunch Wars, are fighting hard to bring healthier options to the lunchroom. What we’ve touched on less is a meal equally as important to the health of our children: breakfast.

Mornings can be quite hectic. It’s often tough to find time to get ready for your busy day and get your kids ready for school – but that isn’t an excuse to cut out breakfast. Like adults, children who eat a healthy, filling breakfast are more likely to be successful during their school day.

March is here, but with this chilly weather you wouldn’t know that spring is just weeks away. Now is the perfect opportunity to sneak in some warming, winter vegetable dishes before the temperature starts to rise and spring comes into full bloom! This recipe from Integrative Nutrition graduate Terry Walters for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Shiitake Mushrooms is perfect for late winter when Brussels sprouts and fennel are at the peak of their growing season. Serve this dish as a side with roasted chicken, or over quinoa for a warm, vegetarian dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Shiitake Mushrooms

Today is Leap Day - it’s like a 24-hour bonus to your busy schedule. An extra day that only shows up once every four years.

You could stick to your usual schedule: get up, go to work, take care of the kids, do some chores, work out, eat dinner, and go to sleep. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Or, you could take the extra day to do something for yourself. Why not feed your body the primary food that it is hungry for by spending time with your family? Or take the day to pamper yourself with a massage or pedicure? Here are a few Leap Day activity ideas that you could do to celebrate this extra day!

Show Yourself Some Love

Schedule an appointment for a massage, a pedicure, a facial – anything that will bring you the relaxation that you have trouble finding time for during the other 365 days of the year!

Welcome to Long Beach California! Home to beautiful beaches, unmatched views of the Pacific, and of course, the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference! We couldn’t be more excited to be in Long Beach this week, and can’t wait to meet all of you at the conference this weekend. Long Beach is truly a beautiful port town, and a healthy one at that! We’ve put together a list of our favorite healthy restaurants and activities in the area for you, so way not call up a few of your fellow IINers and set a dinner date while you’re in town?

Can’t join us for the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference? We’ll miss you! But not to fear, we’ve got healthy options in your town too!

Restaurants

	Au Lac 16563 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley This cozy restaurant specializes in “Humanese” food – a term coined by Au Lac’s chef himself. Humanese is the belief that everyone is created equal and we must have respect for all animals, plants, and each other. Au Lac has a Humanese-friendly, vegan and raw menu.
	Green Temple 1700 South Catalina Avenue, Redondo Beach This vegetarian restaurant is just outside of Long Beach, in Redondo Beach, but it’s worth the drive out of town. The serene atmosphere and delicious, vegetarian menu makes for a delightful dining experience. Even if you aren’t vegetarian, we are willing to bet you’ll want to come back to Green Temple time and time again!

My all time favorite awards show of the season is on this weekend: The 84^th Academy Awards. What’s not to love about the Oscars? From the dresses on the red carpet, right down to the Best Picture award, I’m hooked.

If you’re anything like me you’ve been thinking, not only about how much you want War Horse to win Best Picture (is there a best movie of all time award?!), but also about what glitzy, star-worthy appetizers you will be serving your friends during your annual Oscar watching party.

Here are a few healthy, Best Picture-themed snack options that I know I’ll be whipping up this Sunday!

Start the evening with some tropical Carrot Punch and imagine that you are on the beaches of Hawaii with George Clooney in The Descendants.

Next, serve a salad that even the four-legged star of War Horse, would enjoy: Radish, Celery and Apple Salad

From the New York Skyline to the to the San Francisco Bay, we’ve come a long way since we started our healthy living guides. This week, we’re finally arriving in sunny Los Angeles, California! With its palm tree lined streets, pristine beaches and Louis Vuitton clad celebs, there really is no other city like LA. Once you get off the beaten path (and out of the traffic on the 101) you will find that Los Angeles is so much more than just Hollywood. The city has so many outdoor activities, beautiful year-round farmers markets, and healthy restaurants to offer. Here are a few of our favorite hangouts in LA.

Not in the LA area? Check out our Healthy Living series for options in your area.

Restaurants

	Pressed Juicery Multiple locations Created by IIN graduate, Carly Brien, Pressed Juicery is the best place in all of LA to get fresh pressed, organic juice. Stop into one of their 3 locations for a delicious green juice, or if you're in need of a serious detox, participate in one of their juice cleanses - 6 fresh juices, plus 2 supplemental beverages delivered to you daily!
	True Food Kitchen 395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 172, Santa Monica At True Food Kitchen, the entire menu is centered on the principals of IIN Nutrition Expert, Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Food Pyramid. The menu is packed with healthy whole grains, proteins, and nutrient rich vegetables – you can’t go wrong, no matter what dish you choose!

In 1994, The Center for Science in the Public Interest published a report bashing coconut oil, blaming the oil for packing as much saturated fat into a large, no-butter movie theater popcorn as six Big Mac Burgers. Not surprisingly, this study left coconut oil with a bad name and sales plummeted violently. Over the following decade, the truth started to leak out into the health community – the movie theater offender had actually been partially hydrogenated, a process that takes the nutritional benefit out of any heart-healthy oil.

As it would turn out, virgin coconut oil is extremely good for you, both when eaten and used externally. Some may say that it is even a natural miracle worker! Now you may be asking, what can coconut oil really do for my health? Let me tell you:

Cooking with Coconut Oil

When ingested, virgin coconut oil has several health benefits. When used as a cooking oil, it can help with digestion. The saturated fats in virgin coconut oil have anti-microbial properties that help your body fight bacteria, fungi or parasites that can cause indigestion.

Mardi Gras is this Tuesday, which means it’s time to celebrate with some gold ol’ Southern cooking! The holiday, also known as Fat Tuesday, is all about indulging in many of the traditional dishes are not very good for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a lighter, healthier version of these dishes! This recipe, from the blog Running, Loving, Living is a healthy version of a classic New Orleans dish – jambalaya! I love that this dish has all of the classic Creole flavoring without the guilt, so you can feel good about serving this dish to your family and friends at your Mardi Gras celebration!

Remember, you can also alter this dish to your taste. Are you a vegetarian? No problem – just replace the chicken and shrimp with a red bell pepper, green beans, or eggplant, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken!  You could also add some kale or spinach for added greens. 

Located in the southern most tip of California, San Diego is one of the most desirable locations to live in America.  And it’s no surprise; just one look at the pristine beaches, palm trees, and carefree residences soaking up the sun is enough to convince anyone to call San Diego home! The city also has a strong health and wellness movement, with dozens of yoga studios, state parks, surf beaches, and health food cafes! If you are in need of a little R&R, San Diego is the perfect spot to kick back and relax on the beach, green juice in hand!

If you’re planning a trip to San Diego - and you should - here is a list of our favorite healthy hang-outs in the area, along with some beautiful state parks that capture all of the beauty of Southern California!

Not able to make it down to San Diego? Check out the healthy options a little closer to home in our Healthy Living Guide series! 

Restaurants

	Café Gratitude Multiple Locations Café Gratitude has several locations throughout California, each serving 100% local, organic, and vegan fare. The food is free of refined sugar, flour, and additives. They also have several raw options on their menu.
	Casa De Luz 2920 University Avenue This Macrobiotics restaurant was founded on the philosophy of living the best life you can by feeding your body the best possible foods. The chef creates balanced and organic meals for optimal health. For a delicious, always vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-free meal, head over to Casa De Luz. They also have a location in Austin, TX!