Integrative Nutrition is proud of the accomplishments of our graduates who are working to bring health and happiness to people around the world.  Recently, we caught up with Holli Thompson to hear what's new and good.

What were you doing before IIN?  I had a career in fashion and fine jewelry in New York City, working for Macy's NY, Tiffany and Company and Vice President for Chanel Inc.

What led you to explore IIN's program?  I developed health issues after moving to Virginia, and after discovering a food intolerance that both my son and I shared, I knew that this was something I wanted to learn more about.  I was also looking for purpose in my life and I felt called to the nutrition and health field. 

What happened since you enrolled in IIN's program? My life has transformed. I continued to learn and explore, changed my own and my family's lives, and have had the honor to help and influence many, many people. 

What did you learn at IIN?  Nutrition is integrated into our lives.  We are what we eat, and we each have our own "nutritional style".  I also learned many wonderful business solutions and reminders about all the basics.  If you are missing the business piece of your practice, this is the school for you.  And if you are a business person, this is a fabulous, up to date reminder of what you need to know. 

What do you love about the school?  Learning different and sometimes opposing points of views on nutrition.  Learning that nutrition is a new field and that studying this field is an ongoing process.  IIN remains current on the issues; they are in the forefront of nutrition science, politics and business methodology. I also loved the people I met, and continue to meet through IIN.  It's an incredible self-selected group. 

Your studies led you to start a business. What's the name of your business? Nutritional Style. www.nutritionalstyle.com 

What do you love about your work?  I love reaching people with a message that can transform their lives.  I love working on issues like helping a woman lose 50 pounds, discovering an asthmatic child has a food intolerance and watching his asthma go away with dietary changes,  teaching business women how to feed themselves with limited time, and coaching my clients on how to transform their appearance with their food. It's profound. 

Tell us about your practice  I am a public speaker, for women's networking groups and organizations, and have been in the media on TV, (Fox, ABC) and radio.  I have been an on-camera correspondent for video movies for a non profit organization, one of which was shown to the US Congress.  I am a writer for an on-line magazine and my articles have been picked up in several nationwide publications, and I write for my own blog.  I have conducted tele-series, and will soon be releasing a CD set based on one of those.  I also host wellness events and work with private clients.

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.

When an article on obesity ends up in the Business section of the New York Times, you may think, now they’re paying attention.  Obesity has received a lot of press in the past year.  However, television shows like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, a high profile initiative by the First Lady, food taxes, and special reports by all the major news outlets, still cannot quell the rising number of overweight Americans.

“Eat less, move more”, “Say no to junk food”, “Calories In/Calories Out”.  These are the mantras of those trying to lose unwanted pounds.   Much of this is easy to understand from the health advocate’s standpoint; but, as this analysis from the New York Times suggests, it’s more than the high calorie food and lack of exercise that’s keeping Americans fat:  it’s the environment of our society. 

“Unfortunately, behavior changes won’t work on their own without seismic societal shifts…because eating too much and exercising too little are merely symptoms of a much larger malady. The real problem is a landscape littered with inexpensive fast-food meals; saturation advertising for fatty, sugary products; inner cities that lack supermarkets; and unhealthy, high-stress workplaces.”

Fast food is cheaper than healthy food.  So, cutting government food subsidies that promote an obesogenic environment is one suggested way to lower those climbing rates of overweight Americans.  Yet another popular method to combat the problem is getting the private sector involved in workplace wellness programs; having healthy employees is advantageous for the employer.  The British are placing restrictions on advertising unhealthy foods during children’s programming and making cooking classes mandatory by 2011 for all school children ages 11-14. 

All great suggestions.   Our work and mission are being acknowledged.  Now it’s time to call for action.  Please submit your comments and suggestions. 

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?

Crack! The egg bursts onto the pan and shines like the sunrise.  A familiar visual for many, eggs are an integral part of the American diet, but many of us don’t think twice about what kind of hens those eggs come from.   In a recent New York Times article, and across the media, the discussion of caged hens has become an important debate.

Farmers with large egg farms (farms that house 4 million hens, yielding 3 million eggs per day) believe that caged chickens are just as functional as hens kept outside of cages.  However, “extreme caging methods” are being banned in California and are up for review in Ohio, calling into question the factory farming methods that are used. 

Many animal rights advocates believe that the lives of these caged chickens are subpar. They can hardly move, let alone roam free as they would in their natural habitat.

The debate is contentious, especially because eggs create a large portion of school lunches and 90% of eggs consumed by the American population come from these large farms.  Is there a way to feed our population while still respecting the animals that provide for us?  What do you think?

Many people shop labels.  Whether its high fashion or expensive cars, a label costs more; it means something to the consumer.  Food is no different.  People who care about the quality of the food they put in their body read labels.  If a label reads “high fructose corn syrup” or “trans fat” an informed consumer will bypass this product.  Whether a food has an organic label or not is also important information for today’s foodies.  If a product has the seal “USDA Organic” the consumer knows that the food was grown or prepared using organic practices and ingredients; however, the producer has paid a fee to the government to obtain that certification. 

Many small farmers cannot afford the high cost of the government’s organic label.  According to the Organic Trade Association, referenced in this article on Change.org, 92 percent of organic food sold in this country is sold by mass markets, like Wal-Mart, Costco, or grocery store chains.  By comparison, only 8 percent comes from farmers markets, co-ops, or CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). 

Quite often the small farmers have organic growing practices; they just don’t pay for the expensive label.  How do you get this important information?  It’s easy; simply start a conversation with the person you are buying your food from.  When you visit the farmers market and you see they do not have an organic label, ask why?   Ask them about their growing practices.   Do they use pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals?  You won’t know until you ask. 

Do you only shop for products with the “USDA Organic” label?  Do local farmers in your area provide an opportunity to talk about their growing practices?  What are your conversations like?

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?

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?