Summer is coming to an end and parents and kids are gearing up for the coming school year.   So how we can give them the most nourishing environment and the healthiest meals while they’re at school?  The Child Nutrition Act made its way through Congress and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution recently won an Emmy.   School food advocates everywhere applauded.  Our efforts to transform the system are being noticed by the mainstream. 

Integrative Nutrition is dedicated to improving the health of children everywhere.  We offer a scholarship to school administrators and school food directors with the intention of spreading our mission to change the future of nutrition, starting with our children.

Kimberly Daniels is a scholarship winner and guidance counselor at PS 64 in New York City.  Kimberly wants to make major changes in her school.  With Kimberly’s help we hope to improve health and wellness at PS 64 and create a ripple effect that will transform the lives of thousands of kids in New York City. 

Kimberly shared her intentions with us in her first video blog.  

Kimberly will continue to update us on her experience in Integrative Nutrition’s Professional Training Program and how she is working to make changes in her school.  We are excited to share Kimberly’s journey with you. Stay tuned….

Elly got rave reviews for her Asian-Style Lettuce Wraps in our "What's on your plate?" contest.  Simple and easy to prepare; a beautiful healthy dish!

Romaine lettuce leaves with a customizable selection of fillings including:

• hulled barley seasoned with soy sauce, brown rice syrup and garlic chili oil

• shredded raw beets, diakon radish and carrots

• thinly sliced cucumbers, red peppers, mushrooms and purple cabbage

• sliced raw turnips marinated in cider vinegar topped with a lime-ginger sauce and toasted sesame seeds

• fresh tomatoes on the side

Elly Haddad is a certified holistic health coach and founder of Elemental Fit, a health coaching practice devoted to educating and equipping women to create balanced lives for themselves and their families. Through improving overall health, her clients find success in conquering cravings, developing healthy eating habits, weight-loss, stress reduction and more.

Integrative Nutrition asked our community "What's on Your Plate?"  We had an amazing response to this contest with photos of mouth-watering delights.  Frank Giglio was the top vote getter with his photo "Kitchen Sessions".  Frank kindly shared his recipe with us so we can all enjoy his yummy creation. 

Seared Scallops with Cucumber Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons coconut oil
4-8 Large scallops (U-10)
A sprinkle of Frank's Finest Lemon-Pepper Blend
1 large English cucumber
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1 cup snap peas, cut into 3rds
1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Freshly cracked black peppercorns
1/2 lemon for drizzling
1 green onion, tops sliced thin

Directions:

With a Japanese mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice the cucumber.  Place into a large bowl, mix in the snap peas, onions, and dill.  Drizzle in the olive oil and vinegar, then season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Toss well and allow flavors to meld.

Place the scallops on a dish and season with Lemon-Pepper blend

Heat a large heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat.  Melt the coconut oil and when a light amount of smoke is visual, add the scallops.  Cook on one side until well browned, then flip each scallop, turn off the heat and allow to rest in the pan for 1-2 minutes before removing.

Place a small amount of cucumber salad onto 2 plates.  Place 4 scallops around each salad.  Drizzle the plate with lemon juice and sliced green onions. Serve and enjoy!

Frank Giglio is the owner of Frank's Finest.  Frank is also the Executive Chef and Contributing Editor to The Best Day Ever.  You can find out more about Frank at www.frankgiglio.com.

A recent analysis by the USDA on what American’s are eating showed that on the whole, we are consuming more meat and grains than the dietary guidelines in MyPyramid suggest, and less vegetables, fruit and dairy.  It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that out that there are problems with the Standard American Diet.  We can see that diet and health are directly correlated, as rates in chronic health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer continue to rise and the food American eat gets worse.

The Integrative Nutrition Food Pyramid, adapted from the USDA Pyramid, emphasizes the importance of high-quality vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats and water.  And to complete the picture, the pyramid is surrounded with lifestyle factors, considered primary food, that create optimal health:  relationship, career, physical activity and spirituality.

Integrative Nutrition’s Food Pyramid encourages people to look at these aspects of life as a form of nutrition a way to feed themselves at a much deeper level than food.  The food you eat plays a critical role in your health and happiness, and discovering the right foods for you is very important.  But the four forms of primary food truly nourish you and make your life extraordinary. 

What changes would you make to the USDA’s dietary guidelines in MYPyramid? 

2005 Integrative Nutrition Graduate Christian Fischer, corporate executive chef of Lackmann Culinary Services, has won the Top Chef honor of 2009 named by the Chef2Chef.net Culinary Community.  Other top chefs include Food Network favorites Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Ming Tsai, and Wolfgang Puck.

By winning the Top Chef award, Chef Fischer proves that great taste is not sacrificed when eating a nutritious well balanced meal.  Lackmann encourages their “guests to make healthy choices from every food group, find a balance between physical activity and food, and get the most nutrition out of their meals. [They] also create meals with every dietary need in mind; …Kosher, Halal, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low sugar, organic, fat free and peanut free.”

Lackmann also offers the Eat Right Live Well program that encourages guests to make small changes for lasting results.  They implement healthy eating in all aspects of their operations, for example, their Under3 Program, offers grab and go meals, snacks and desserts under 300 calories for under $3.

Congratulations to Chef Fischer for winning Top Chef Honors and to Lackmann Culinary Services for producing high quality-and nutritious meals for their guests.

How do you incorporate healthy and delicious cooking in your life?  Do you have a favorite recipe you feel is Top Chef worthy?  Share it!

This March, Integrative Nutrition is teaming up with Wellness in the Schools, in honor of National Nutrition Month. For every student who embarks on a new career path at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in March, we’ll donate $100 to Wellness in the Schools.

Wellness in the Schools is a nonprofit, grassroots organization manned by concerned New York City public school parents who believe healthier bodies make healthier minds, and conversely, unhealthy school environments interfere with student health, school attendance and academic achievement. During the 2005-06 school year Wellness in the Schools launched several pilot programs, including “Chef-in-Residence” and “Clean, Green Schools” to promote healthier places of learning for students. Now, Wellness in the Schools offers its program as a model for other classrooms and schools.

Nancy Easton, co-founder of Wellness in the Schools, is an IIN graduate, a Health Coach, a former New York City public school teacher, mentor and principal. She founded Wellness in the Schools with the goal of providing children with the best possible learning environment. Students at Integrative Nutrition are committed to making a difference by improving the health and happiness of their friends, families and communities. We’re so honored and excited to be able to give back in this way.

Dear Students and Graduates,

One of our graduates has some great news. Seema Dasani has been working with Whole Foods to help launch a project to help shoppers and Whole Foods Staff improve their health and happiness.

Seema is the founder of Eat Right America, which is one of two organizations helping carry out this initiative!  www.eatrightamerica.com/wfm

This presents a wonderful opportunity for our graduates!!  Many Whole Foods locations will be hiring Healthy Eating Specialists. To find out more, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere

To be hired, visit your local Whole Foods Market as soon as possible and ask to be interviewed as a Healthy Eating Specialist and inquire about all positions they may have.

Thank you for your passion and commitment.
Step by step we continue our ripple effect.

Joshua

Arielle Fierman is a graduate of Integrative Nutrition and now works as a health counselor and jeWELLry designer.   Arielle’s signature accessory- the “iloveme” ring -inspires us to love and care for ourselves which will in turn open our hearts so that we can share that love with others.  How appropriate for a truly Happy Valentine’s Day!

What were you doing before IIN?

Before IIN, I worked in special events and public relations for a large cosmetics company in NYC.

What led you to explore IIN's program?

Growing up, I was surrounded by the concept of quick-fix diets and the idea that attaining outer beauty came from spending lots of money on the best creams and perfect shades of lipstick.  I wanted to design and live a life where I could learn how to achieve beauty and health from within.  I attended an IIN information session and decided that it was not only time to learn from the experts, but also a chance to align myself with like-minded friends.

What did you learn at IIN?

Aside from switching my attention away from bad foods and toxic people, I learned that health isn’t just about nourishing your body through food. – it’s a healthy combination of practices that are critical in looking great and feeling fantastic – these may include (and are by no means restricted to) nurturing good relationships, engaging in positive thinking, practicing self-care and exercising on a daily basis!

What do you love about the school?

I love IIN because it continues to encourage me to find my niche and mesh both of my passions- wellness and jewelry.  My work as a Holistic Health Counselor and JeWELLry Designer has given me the opportunity to use my education and creativity to shine my light and inspire others.  I now have a successful business doing what I love.  I feel accomplished everyday when I go to sleep and revved up each day when I wake up!

Your studies led you to start a business. What's the name of your business?  Tell us about your practice.

In 2009, I founded Be Well with Arielle health counseling and jeWELLry company that celebrates inner and outer beauty.  I am devoted to inspiring women to look and feel beautiful, inside and out…one iloveme ring and kale chip at a time!  All of my jeWELLry is designed with the intention of uplifting the chakras (energy centers within the body) which reflect inner beauty and balance the body’s physical, emotional and spiritual energies.  I use reclaimed materials and infuse each piece with energy healing Reiki. Every piece is handmade in New York City with love.

Dear Friends,

We know that the IIN community is a group of people dedicated to making a difference in the world, but we were blown away by the overwhelming response we received! 

So many of you responded to our call to action and made generous donations—thank you.  Because of your incredible generosity, we collected $25,000 in donations from our community and will match that sum for a combined donation of $50,000 to the Red Cross.  On behalf of each new student who enrolled between January 14 and January 22, we also donated $100 to the Red Cross.

We were inspired by how our graduates mobilized to help the Haiti relief effort:

•    IIN alumni Colleen DeCesare ran a special at her breakfast café in Philadelphia where she collected donations for the Haiti Relief Effort. 

•    Jenny Choi-Fitzpatrick, a 2007 graduate, is working with San Diego-based international humanitarian organization called Project Concern International that is partnering with several aide groups in Haiti to provide immediate rescue and relief services.

•    Dr. Marino, a 2007 graduate, spent one week in Haiti on a medical relief mission with Mt. Sinai Hospital.  As an anesthesiologist, he provided compassionate pain relief & anesthesia to those that suffered traumatic bodily injuries at the National Public Hospital in Port au Prince.

Your generosity will support crucial humanitarian efforts that will aid untold numbers of people affected by the earthquake.  To learn more about how you can help Haiti, visit www.redcross.org or check out this comprehensive list of charities providing aid.  You can keep up-to-date on the crisis in Haiti by following IIN guest speaker Dr. Mark Hyman’s blog while he works to aid the victims there.

Thank you for your heartfelt giving and helping us send relief to the victims in Haiti.

Sincerely,

Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Are you someone who knows what you should be doing for better health, but you’re just not doing it?  Do you set lofty goals for yourself that you know you’ll never reach?  Do you eat foods that you know are hard to digest or give you an allergic reaction?  You aren’t alone.  Many people are well aware of the steps they need to take to feel better and live a life that is free of chronic health issues.  Quite often we sabotage ourselves and complain that a healthy lifestyle is out of reach.  That’s where a support system is very useful.  Take this quiz with Christi Collins, The Boston Health Coach, to help you identify any areas where you may be sabotaging your health (either intentionally or subconsciously) and provide you with easy changes you can make immediately to start improving your health. 

Christi is an Integrative Nutrition graduate.  She suffered with severe stomach pain that couldn’t be explained by any doctors or specialists, throughout her college years.  After being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Christi spent 8 years trying desperately to get rid of it.

Christi now lives almost completely symptom-free. She is an author, speaker, mother and a health counselor. As the Boston Health Coach, Christi guides others on their journey to vibrant health and happiness. Join us on Thursday to hear about Christi’s incredible journey.