Healthy diners, rejoice! A recent study released in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior proves that with a little education and a mindful approach, it is possible to maintain and even lose weight while eating out.

35 healthy women who ate out often were assigned to one of two groups: one that offered weekly sessions on education and mindful eating meditations, or one without any counseling. The first group learned about portion sizes, strategies to prevent weight gain in various types of restaurants, setting personal goals, and meditating to increase awareness of feeling hungry or full.

At the end of the six-week period, the women in the first group felt confident about achieving their goal to prevent weight gain, and many lost weight - an average of 3.7 pounds! The women even made some serious caloric cutbacks at home as well, proving that the education from the counseling sessions transformed their eating habits at every meal, not just the ones eaten out.

This study just further proves what we already know about the effectiveness of health coaching. Yet this issue remains a challenge for many, and we live in a culture where dining out is routine. We celebrate special occasions at fancy restaurants, the paper’s latest review urges us to try the pizza joint that just opened up, and business clients would prefer a nice dinner out rather than leftovers at your place.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In those seven simple words, celebrated writer and activist Michael Pollan cuts through all the confusion surrounding nutrition and sums up almost everything you need to know about healthy eating.

The premise of Pollan’s mantra is simple: until recently, people relied on food traditions instead of nutrition facts to guide their eating habits. All meals were home-cooked, made from fresh seasonal ingredients, and families and friends enjoyed them together sitting down at the table.

Fast forward to today, when the world has become dependent on what Pollan calls “edible food-like substances” – highly processed food that is produced not by nature, but in a lab – and eating meals has been replaced by scarfing down pre-packaged snacks on the go. The paradox is that the more we worry about nutrition and dieting, the less healthy we seem to become.

In Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, Pollan gives solid bits of wisdom and advice on how to adopt a saner approach towards food. This handbook of sorts provides simple common-sense rules, one on each page, that include such pearls as: 

If you’re like the millions of American traveling today to family or friends, you might be stuck in traffic, delayed at the airport, or cramped on a crowded train. Even if you’re lucky enough to be at home on the busiest travel day of the year, preparing for houseguests and standing in line for last-minute ingredients at the grocery store can be trying.

If you find yourself getting stressed out today, pause for a moment. Remember what Thanksgiving is all about: literally, giving thanks. Days like today give us all the opportunity to notice and appreciate what we have. A loving partner to sit in traffic with, a family to travel to, the money to buy a plane ticket, a healthy body to digest turkey and mashed potatoes … at the end of the day, these are things that matter.

With the crisp autumn air and brilliant shades of red and orange in the trees comes a less pleasurable side of fall: the beginning of flu season. Though there are different theories as to why we’re more vulnerable to contagious viruses in the cold weather, it can sometimes seem inevitable that we’ll catch a cough, sore throat or the sniffles come wintertime.

In an effort to stave off sickness, many people choose to take supplements of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that are known to help the body fight disease. Though supplements can be literally life saving for people with nutritional deficiencies, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition cautions against the overuse of dietary supplements.

According to the study, people who take multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplements are a health-conscious crowd that tends to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. These people are getting enough nutrients from their food, and by taking additional dietary supplements, they may actually be overloading on vitamins and minerals that can cause potentially serious health problems. “We always would hope that the people who are taking dietary supplements are the ones who need it the most, but it doesn’t seem to be true,” says Cheryl Rock, a nutrition researcher at the University of California, San Diego.

The news is abuzz with Denmark’s latest health initiative: a new tax on foods that have a saturated fat content of 2.3% or more. This “fat tax” is 16 Danish kroner per kilogram of saturated fat, or in American terms, $1.29 per pound. In effect, this will make a package of butter $0.40 more expensive and will raise the price of a burger by about $0.15.

This tax isn’t designed to promote weight loss – the obesity rate in Denmark is only 13.4%, lower the European average of 15.5% (and far below the USA’s 30.6%!). Instead, Denmark’s government hopes that by discouraging the consumption of saturated fats, they can reduce the incidence of heart disease and cancer and increase the average Danish lifespan.

Despite the stir it’s causing in the US news, this fat tax is not raising eyebrows in Denmark, where trans fats are banned and Danes already pay higher “sin taxes” for sugar, sodas, and candy. Other countries are taking note, though, and Finland and Romania may soon follow Denmark’s example. Yesterday British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he’s also considering implementing a “fat tax” in the UK to combat Britain’s growing obesity problem.

1.    Our resident raw food guru and Integrative Nutrition guest teacher David Wolfe talks about getting started with detox in this short but super informative video.

2.    When detoxing your diet, food really matters. The film Food Matters offers a Detox and Rejuvenation Guide e-book that helps you apply the principals in the movie to remove processed, illness-causing foods from your diet.

3.    Integrative Nutrition guest teacher Dr. Mark Hyman gives you everything you need to complete a safe, effective, and medically informed detoxification program at home in The Detox Box.

4.    Find the right moves to twist and detox yourself into healthy bliss with Yoga Journal’s Go Podcast: Twist and Detox.

5.  Revamp and detox your current routine with the “Reinvent Yourself 21 Day Detox eProgram” by Find Your Balance Health (Michelle Pfennighaus—an Integrative Nutrition graduate).

6.    To prepare for a successful spring detox, check out this jam-packed foods and shopping list. 

7.    Take this quiz to see if you are a Detox Diva and get all the facts, even if you’re not quite the Aretha Franklin of detoxing yet.

8.    Serious about detoxing your home? Many toxins, especially indoors, are within our control to regulate. PlanetGreen gives a comprehensive Room-by-Room Guide to creating a chemical free home.

9.    Dr. Furhman’s Five-Day Super-Diet Challenge offers the chance to give your body a real cleanse with high-quality foods.

10.  Striving for health, but pressed for time? Check out Pressed Juicery, a juice company with a cult following of celebrities started by an Integrative Nutrition grad. Check out their shippable menu and cleanse programs.

11.   Ready to detox the meat out of your diet? Try Neal Barnard’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart will get motivated.

12.   Feel like you can’t seem to find your life amongst all of the clutter? Check out this helpful guide to clear your clutter and find your life.

13.   Lemons & Loafers, a fashion and health blog Integrative Nutrition grad Julia Argenti, helps others look and feel great, and also offers guided cleanses through out the year. 

14.   Skin brushing can detox the largest organ of the body. Organic Passion’s “How to detox your skin” is a complete guide on how to use skin brushing for detoxification.

15.   Make your own. Since many cleaning products are full of harmful chemicals, Eco-cycle gives easy recipes for making your own cleaning products. 

16.   Need some ideas to get started on the whole decluttering process? Zen Habits shares its 15 Great Decluttering Tips.

17.   Debunk myths to clear out the space for decluttering! The Happiness Project reveals 11 myths of decluttering to help in your efforts!

18.   The skin is one of our biggest organs, so tea drinkers, try pairing Yogi Tea’s “Skin Detox” with an easy weekend skin detox from Natural Health Magazine.

19.   Detox the SAD (Standard American Diet) out of your life. Integrative Nutrition grad and author, Alex Jamieson, who also appeared in the film Super Size Me, gives us The great American Detox Diet.

20.   Crazy Sexy detox this spring with wellness warrior Kris Carr’s new book Crazy Sexy Diet for the ultimate guide to cleaning up your body and your mind.

21.   Integrative Nutrition guest teacher John Douillard shows you how the ancient science of Ayurveda provides a healthy daily routine and eating plan that will detoxify your body naturally on his Ayurveda for Detox DVD.

22.   We’ve all heard of detoxing your body, but what about detoxing your day?

23.   Top ten list on how to detox your home for babies and kids from author Alexandra Zissu of The Complete Organic Pregnancy. These tips go well beyond the standard advice.

24.   Easy-to-follow detox ideas from Frank Lipman's checklist of 20 Ways to 'Detox' Your Home.

25.   You say Juice, some say Joos. Joos To Your Health! is a juice company started by an Integrative Nutrition grad that helps properly support you through juice cleanses. 

26.     BONUS: Need to get rid of stuff? Recycle with Freecycle their mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills.

How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution?

Every year millions of Americans make resolutions on January 1st. Many of them have something to do with improving health and wellness. But by February 1st a majority of those resolutions have gone right out the window.

Since 1980 the American Dietetic Associate has been providing a gentle springtime reminder by celebrating National Nutrition Month in March. Each year there is a theme to help us eat better and be healthier. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color.”

So how does it work?

Think back to your last meal. How many colors were on your plate? If you answered 4 or 5, then congrats! You are eating right with color.

If you answered 1 or 2, then let’s talk:

Mother Nature has a habit of putting lots of healthy vitamins and minerals into foods that grow in the dirt, but did you know she took the trouble to color-code them for our convenience?

• green foods contain antioxidants and nutrients that promote healthy vision
• orange and deep yellow foods also help promote healthy vision, plus they contain vitamins that boost your immune system
• purple and blue foods contain antioxidants that provide anti-aging benefits, plus they help with memory, and urinary tract health
• red foods are good for heart health, vision, and your immune system
• some white, tan, and brown foods have nutrients that promote heart health
• bonus: each of these colors also help reduce your risk of cancer!

Of course, these aren’t the only benefits to eating a more colorful, plant-based diet. These kinds of foods also provide a good source of fiber, a boost in mental function, and tons of other feel-good perks.

So load up those plates with color and let’s celebrate good nutrition all year long!

How are you going to eat more colors this month?

Do you try to be compassionate towards others? What about towards yourself?

A new area of psychological research that looks at how kindly people view themselves has been finding that many individuals who find it easy to be compassionate towards others often score low on self-compassion tests.

“Self-compassion is the missing ingredient in every diet and weight-loss plan,” says author and Harvard psychotherapist Jean Fain. Her new book, The Self-Compassion Diet proposes this idea and a recent New York Times article discusses the new wave of research behind the concept.

So, why aren’t more of us practicing self-compassion? Some researchers found that one of the biggest reasons is that individuals are afraid of being self-indulgent. Self-compassion should not be confused with self-indulgence or keeping low standards for yourself.

It’s also difficult to unlearn habits that you have learned over a lifetime. Self-compassion can only have room to develop from active and conscious practice.

Our culture conveys to us from an early age that being self-critical and hard on ourselves is the way to be. From that stems the common advice that many doctors and self-help books provide about self-discipline and willpower being the keys to better health. However, experts are finding that self-compassion actually creates motivation.

A majority of common diet plans revolve around self-discipline, deprivation and neglect, however new data suggests that self-compassion can impact how much we eat, what kind of things we eat and even help some people lose weight. Perhaps even more noteworthy is that people who practice self-compassion have lower levels of depression and anxiety and are happier and more optimistic, overall.

Do you think there is room for you to be more self-compassionate?

If you feel that little scratch in your throat, or have caught the cold that’s being passed around this winter season, here are some tips for keeping it away or kicking the symptoms quick!

 -Push those liquids. Do whatever it takes to get yourself to really stay hydrated. If you’re more likely to drink tea, tap water, ice water, natural juice, whatever it may be, do it. Liquids will help flush out your system and keep all of your best immunity armor in tip top shape.

-Gargle salt water. Make yourself a simple glass of warm water and salt. It helps with inflammation in your throat while at the same time clears out irritants or mucous, flushing out possible bacteria and viruses.

-Let the whistle blow. Keep your nose clean to reduce the impact of a cold. When you feel stuffiness coming on, make sure you try to keep your nasal passages clear. Saline nasal spray can help and good old tissue paper works well too. You can also try a neti pot. Users swear by them.

-Pour on the honey. Often times there is little need for cough medicine. A few teaspoons of honey can have similar effects without all of the nasty side effects.

-Take a break, if you can. If you feel sickness coming on and you have the flexibility to take a day off, the rest early on will help you fight it better. Many people wait to give themselves a break until they are in the thick of it. Being well-rested can make recovery time much quicker.

-Move some. Light activity can actually boost your immune system, and taking a walk outside will give you some fresh (germ-free) air to help with circulation and overall wellness.

-Keep up the healthy diet. What you put in your body when its defenses are down or weakened is what is going to be used as energy to fight the invading germs and to repair your body to feel better. Make sure you are loading up on things that are beneficial to your cause! High-quality proteins (think lean meats, beans, fish) help build new white-blood cells and brightly colored fruits and vegetables give you the important nutrients for your immune system needs!

-Sleep it out! Not getting enough sleep suppresses immune function even when you aren’t sick. Make sure you log those zzz’s so you equip your immune system as best as possible.

-Echinacea, Vitamin C and Zinc. Keep up on your vitamin intake, focusing on these three key ones to support your body’s wellness functions.

What are some of your best home remedies that you swear by? Be well!

It’s that time of the year where the common cold is seemingly everywhere! It can feel like we are constantly surrounded by someone with a runny nose or hacking cough. Steering clear of a winter cold or illness can feel like a never-ending battle, and sometimes you can just hope for the best. One of the best ways to increase your likelihood of staying healthy includes maintaining your overall health and wellness for prevention (regular exercise, balanced nutrition, plenty of sleep and hydration).

Some (not-so-obvious) ways that you could be increasing your risk of catching a cold:

• Worrying too much. Extra stress increases the release of stress-hormones that actually weaken the immune system and can put you at greater risk for catching something. So don’t panic or get yourself too worked up over getting a cold. Stick to the basics of reasonable preventative care and remember to breathe (but not too close to other sick people!).
• The gym. While some exercise is actually preventative for warding off sickness, over-exercising can have the same effect on your immune system as over-worrying. Keep your exercise steady and also be aware of the germs that shared machines can carry. Washing your hands after using the machines can help you stay healthier and prevent the further spread of germs.
• Drinking alcohol. It probably comes as no surprise that alcohol weakens your immune system and depletes you of the natural “fighters” inside of you. Moreover, alcohol also dehydrates you, impairing the nose and throat’s natural ability to trap germs and expel them in mucus. If you want to lower your risk of getting sidelined by a cold, limit your alcohol consumption during this time!
• Using too much anti-bacterial hand gel. Relying too heavily on anti-bacterial hand gels can sometimes lead to adverse effects. Don’t do away with old-fashioned hand-washing. Soap and water are tried-and-true methods for staying healthy and germ-free!
• Washing hands incompletely. Even though it seems like washing our hands is a simple enough task, it’s important to make sure you are washing thoroughly and completely. Make sure to use warm water and get a good lather going. To make sure you are doing it long enough, try singing happy birthday to yourself twice through before you finish off with a clean towel or air dry.

Find a happy medium. Just like with most things related to health, balance is always key. Stick to a balanced approach somewhere between being cautious and not panicking about the possibility of getting sick. Arm yourself with your best defenses and be aware, but relax too. Check back with us…Coming up, tips on how to holistically halt a cold, or at least lessen the symptoms, if you do happen to catch one!