At Integrative Nutrition we certainly believe in having a career that you love and feeling energized by the work that you do. However, no matter how much you love your job, we all need vacation time to reboot! In a recent Huffington Post article, they suggest that most people go on vacation but don’t actually end up resting their body and mind in the ways that they need to.

Relaxation is a critical part of being a successful and productive person. Generally when people are overloaded with work and family obligations they are not able to perform to their highest potential. Here are some of our tips on how to really relax on your next vacation (even if it is a “stay-cation”).

1.      Stop checking. This includes, but is not limited to: watches, cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, emails, your favorite blogs, even the news! The world will go on without you and that’s okay. Set your out of office reply and let everyone know that you are taking time (even just a day) to yourself.

2.      Sleep. As much as you want to see and do on your vacation, take this precious ooportunity to add rest to your relaxation time. 

3.      Start moving. For many of us, work includes staying in one place for a long period of time. When on vacation try to get your body moving in ways it isn’t used to. Go dancing, biking, hiking, sky diving, and walking.

4.      Engage yourself in your new surroundings. Even if you are just staying home, go somewhere in your area that you’ve never been. Don’t try to see every single tourist attraction, but when you do see something new, appreciate it.

How do you relax on vacation?

                                                                                                                                                                                           One of the major health problems facing our country today is the epidemic of obesity. Unfortunately, experts on obesity are turning toward an unsustainable and potentially dangerous solution to this problem.  According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, citing the June issue of the medical journal Obesity, doctors are recommending a “minimally invasive weight loss surgery” to combat the obesity problem.

This is disappointing news; not only because the number of overweight children in the United States has tripled in the last 30 years.

Since obesity has hit alarming rates, physicians are scrambling for a quick fix.  The solution is actually very simple: start in the early years and create a diet for your child that is full of whole foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals.  Make sure they get physical activity everyday and diversify your meal choices.  Instead of white rice or other refined grains choose quinoa, bulgur, or buckwheat.  Processed foods that contain additives, like high fructose corn syrup, will only perpetuate the obesity problem in our country.

Remember that quick fix solutions do not generally result in long-term success. If you fix the problem at its source, you are more likely to create a lasting change. In this case, the diets of children in the US must be changed or an entire generation will remain at risk of diabetes, heart disease, and countless other problems. 

What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery as a soulution to the obesity problem?

Do you use public transportation to get around your city or town?  If you do, a new study suggests that the extra bit of walking to and from your rail or bus stop will help you lose weight. 

John M. MacDonald, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studied the effects of a new light-rail line in Charlotte, N.C says that using the subway or bus increased the physical activity, and therefore the body-mass index, of people who started using it.The New York Times reported that those Charlotte residents surveyed who began to walk to the light rail instead of driving to work walked on average 1.2 miles total on their commutes to and from work.  The average weight reduction found was 1.18 B.M.I. point.

If you commute by public transportation, you can increase your daily physical activity by getting off a stop earlier.  Everyone else can incorporate more exercise into their daily routine by using the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, walking or biking short distances instead of using the car, or parking far away from the entrance of a store where you are shopping.

What are other ways to incorporate more movement into your life?

Many children in our country start off Saturday morning with their favorite cartoon or television show. This is prime time for advertisers to sell the latest trend in children’s toys and foods. The problem is that the latest trend in food is generally an alarmingly unhealthy choice for children. A debate has sparked between the food industry and the federal government about what qualifies as an appropriate and healthy food to advertise to children. According to a recent New York Times article, the food industry began an initiative in 2007, to fight childhood obesity, and are trying to advertise and sell healthier choices for kids.

Unfortunately, the food industry has an odd conception of what is healthy for a child to eat and what is not; Froot Loops with 12 grams of sugar per serving are deemed healthy by their standard. While that amount of sugar is clearly a less than healthy choice for kids, the battle between the food industry giants and the federal government will continue to rage on. 

Although it is tough to fight such a big industry on a topic like this, we can all take our own steps to raise happy and healthy children.

Since sugar-filled breakfast foods are one of the largest culprits of target advertising, we came up with a few healthier options to feed your children first thing in the morning:

• Avocado on an Ezekiel muffin or whole grain toast sprinkled with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil
• Raw muesli with fresh berries
• Oatmeal with organic raisins and a touch of maple syrup
• Baked apples or pears sprinkled with oats and/or chopped nuts drizzled with honey or maple syrup
• Fresh fruit smoothies
• Almond butter and banana sandwiches on whole grain toast
• Breakfast egg sandwich with a whole grain muffin, turkey bacon and organic cheese
• Red quinoa with berries and/or bananas, warm milk and honey or maple syrup

What do you serve for your kids in the morning?

Choosing foods for you and your family that are made from quality ingredients can sometimes be a daunting task.  Many people depend on stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to make quick decisions on what foods are healthy, nourishing, and not filled with harmful chemicals or treated with pesticides.  Although it may seem difficult to avoid foods that are possibly harmful to your body, it is often even harder to figure out what health and beauty products do not contain similar toxins.

Often we forget that not only what we put in our body but what we put on our body can affect our health. Everything from lotion to perfume, nail polish to shampoo can greatly affect the natural chemistry of our bodies. These products are often ridden with chemicals that contain carcinogens and toxins that can have negative effects on our health.

The ingredients of these products are so important that according to a recent New York Times article Whole Foods has recently announced a strict regulation of the products they sell in their stores.  While many products will claim that they are made from “natural” ingredients, starting in June 2011, Whole Foods will only sell products that are certified as organic by either the Agriculture Department’s National Organic Program or NSF International.  They will continue to sell other products that are not organic, as long as they do not claim to be organic. 

With Whole Foods taking this regulatory step, most truly organic cosmetic labels will do what they have to and get certified by these agencies. In the future when buying cosmetics you should:

1. Purchase from a store that you trust to carry quality, safe, and healthy products
2. Check for a certified organic label
3. Remember that your health can be affected

What are your favorite organic health and beauty products?

Lately, the weather in many areas across the country has pushed the envelope of what’s comfortable.  The heat has reached levels that are dangerous for many individuals.  Taking special care of ourselves is very important, and worth the extra effort; as temperatures soar near 100 and over, in some regions. 

Some tips for staying cool in the sizzle of summer:

1. Drink more (and more) water…The body is 75% water and needs to be replenished continually.  When we are sweating and losing fluids through our skin, it’s even more essential to add more water to your diet.


2. Drink cold water in very hot temps to cool your body down from the inside out.


3. Avoid sugary sports drinks, sodas, and juices that can make you even thirstier and add extra calories.


4. Limit your exercise to early morning or late evening to avoid the excessive heat of midday sun.

This New York Times article explains that “people who drink lots of high-calorie beverages rarely compensate by eating less, and they can end up with a caloric overload.  And if people who try to limit calories fill their daily quota with high-calorie drinks, they can easily shortchange themselves on foods that supply essential, health-promoting nutrients: fruits and vegetables…”

A large majority of American people are dehydrated, which contributes significantly to a poor state of health.  Maintaining hydration can prevent premature aging, eliminate pain and headaches, lessen hypertension and promote weight loss.  Symptoms of dehydration include fatigue, irritability, headache and muscle cramps. 

Try adding a squeeze of lemon or orange, a slice of cucumber, some mint, or anything that creates an appealing flavor. 

What’s your favorite way to stay cool in sweltering temps?

 It’s no secret that if you eat a diet that is packed full of fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid processed foods, your health may improve.  That is unless those fruits and veggies are conventionally grown using pesticides which keep the bugs and weeds away, but also leave harmful chemicals that end up in our bodies. 

A new report by the Environmental Working Group and highlighted by Sanjay Gupta, MD on CNN, gives insight into the debate on whether eating organic is really better for you.   The reports states that if you are eating conventional celery, you may be ingesting up to 67 pesticides with it.  These chemicals are designed to kill things.  Do we really want to save the few cents that buying conventionally grown produce offers us? 

There are many ways to save money and your health.  Try shopping at the local farmers market.  You can buy fresh off the farm produce, cultivate relationships with the farmers and have a discussion about their growing practices.  If you live in an area that allows, you can also grow some of your own food.  Finally, with knowledge of the harmful effects of toxic chemicals in our environment, finding ways to avoid non-organic food is of vital importance. 

Are you spending the extra money for organic foods?  What are your suggestions for saving money on an organic diet?

How would you like fresh organic produce as a perk at your office?  Would you spend your break weeding and harvesting a garden so that you could enjoy the delicious bounty during an afternoon meeting or even bring it home for dinner?  Many big corporations are trending toward offering an organic garden to employees.  In the face of a bad economy, companies have less to spend on raises so they are giving away the green in other ways.  A recent New York Times article concludes, “these corporate plots of dirt spring from growing attention to sustainability and a rising interest in gardening. But they also reflect an economy that calls for creative ways to build workers’ morale and health.”

Talk to any gardener and you will find that it is a great way to de-stress.  Many people find tending a garden very relaxing and they experience a great deal of accomplishment when they harvest their crops.  Not only do workers have a great way to spend their break, they are saving money, bonding with co-workers and promoting good health by eating fresh organic produce they had a hand in growing. 

There should be a garden at every office, school, church and hospital.  Can you imagine the impact that would make on the lives of Americans?

What are some of the things your company is doing to build a more sustainable place of work?

We know there are certain behaviors that will reduce our life span. Our bad habits affect our health in many ways. Smoking, excessive drinking, eating unhealthy processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles all take their toll.  New research states that when all four of these bad habits come together they can prematurely age someone by 12 years!

Integrative Nutrition guest speaker Dr. Walter Willett, the chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, was quoted by Time magazine saying, "conclusions are profoundly important and worth replicating: healthy lifestyle practices that are modest and simple—specifically, not smoking, getting regular physical activity, eating a good diet and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption—can profoundly affect our chances of living to an old age."

Whether you have one or all four of these bad habits, you can make simple lifestyle changes now that will impact your health immediately and increase your chances of living longer.  One of the unique dietary theories Integrative Nutrition teaches is crowding out.  Instead of avoiding or removing certain foods (or bad habits) from your life, you are encouraged to add in a healthy alternative.  The body can only take so much food.  If you fill your body with healthy, nutrient-dense foods, it is only natural that cravings for unhealthy foods will lessen substantially. 

Crowding out not only works with unhealthy foods; it works with unhealthy relationships when we surround our self with nourishing friends and with exercise. How has crowding out improved your health and your life?

 Being thin doesn’t always equate with being healthy.  Living in a society that is hyper focused on media generated perceptions of beauty, can be counterintuitive to what being truly healthy really means.  Eating a balanced diet that is comprised of whole grains, a variety of proteins, vegetables (lots of green leafy ones), water and fruit is important.  However, it should be combined with regular physical activity, a connection with others through meaningful relationships, and a fulfilling career as main ingredients for a healthy body and life. 

There’s no doubt that obesity is a serious problem causing the increase of chronic health issues like diabetes and heart disease.  However, there is a difference between carrying a little extra weight and being obese.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal states that researchers and doctors “are starting to understand that eating healthy foods and getting exercise can matter more than the number that appears when you step on the scale.”

How about using how you feel as the gauge for good health?  Your body is intelligent and wise, it can express when it needs rest, when it has eaten too much or too little or the wrong thing.  Do you listen when your body speaks to you?