INGREDIENTS (serves 2, with leftovers…maybe)

• one medium eggplant
• two large zucchini
• two red bell peppers
• two green bell peppers
• two portabella mushrooms
• one medium vidalia onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and cut vegetables into slices.
2. Mix olive oil and oregano and brush the mixture onto the grill (if you’re using something like a George Foreman).  You can also brush the oil mixture directly onto the vegetables if you don’t mind a slightly higher fat content because the vegetables absorb more oil.
3. Place vegetables on the grill and allow them to become a bit charred.  They should be cooked until very tender.
4. Place the vegetables on a platter and serve.

FOR THE TZATZIKI

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek sauce that is eaten at many, if not most, meals.  It is usually made out of yoghurt or sour cream, but in this recipe, I am using a vegan sour cream that provides an equally delicious taste.  If you’re going to use yoghurt, make sure it’s a plain Greek-style yoghurt which has a thicker texture than regular varieties.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and cored
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• sea salt, to taste
• 2 cups vegan sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh or dried dill

DIRECTIONS

1. Grate cucumber into a bowl
2. With clean hands, squeeze as much of the juice out as possible. Discard the juice and keep the flesh.
3. Add garlic, lemon juice, dill and sour cream to the grated cucumber and mix well.
4. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, mix and taste.  Add more salt if needed.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 stalks of celery, chopped
• one large onion, chopped
• 3/4 bag baby carrots (1lb bag)
• two cloves of garlic, crushed
• bunch of curly kale (or spinach, collard greens or any other kind of greens), chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, oregano or any other herb/s you like
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 low-sodium vegetable stock cubes (optional)
• 5- 7 cups water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and prepare all vegetables
2. In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil
3. After a few minutes, add celery and continue sautéing until onions begin to brown
4. Add carrots, herbs and bay leaves
5. Dissolve vegetable stock cubes in a cup of hot water and add to pot
6. Add 5-7 cups water (depending on how much broth you want)
7. Bring ingredients to boil, turn down to a low heat and simmer for 50 minutes
8. Add kale and cook for 10 minutes more (you should be able to easily pierce carrots with a fork)
9. Pour into serving bowls and enjoy!

Mashed potatoes are one of life’s great comfort foods. Unfortunately, the typical mashed potato recipe is loaded with  fat and dairy.  And as delicious as russet or red bliss potatoes are, they are not the healthiest starch (especially for diabetics and people who want to keep their blood sugar stable).

The good news is that mashed cauliflower makes a delicious mashed potato substitute, or as I like to call this recipe, mashed fauxtato. I’ve made this recipe vegan but please feel free to substitute non-vegan ingredients if your palate prefers.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted Organic Earth Balance
• 1 clove crushed garlic (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup almond or rice milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated almond cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the cauliflower and boil it in a pot until it’s tender (a fork should easily pierce it).
2. Drain the water from the pot, rinse the cauliflower and then cut it into small pieces – careful, it’s hot!
3. Put the cauliflower in a food processor with the garlic, olive oil and a 1/4 cup of almond or rice milk.  (You can also use a bowl and hand-held mixer or a potato masher do the job.)
4. Puree the cauliflower until it has the consistency of mashed potatoes – you can add more milk if you want a creamier consistency or add less if you prefer it more lumpy.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer the mashed cauliflower to a serving bowl and sprinkle almond cheese on top.  Alternatively, you can mix the grated cheese into the mashed cauliflower and then garnish with some more cheese on top.  Enjoy!

Study after study has shown that ‘going on a diet’ usually causes people to weigh more than they did to begin with, at least in the long run. So if I don’t believe in calorie counting, low carb, high carb, watermelons, grapefruits or whatever else the fad diet of the week may be, what do I put my stock in?  Read on and find out!

1) Ditch the term ‘diet‘ and start focussing on ‘lifestyle’. If you truly want to loose weight, you need to stop looking for a quick fix, and start thinking about something you can stick to for the rest of your life.  And no, this is not a prescription for no more fun!  What I’m talking about here is a way of eating that is delicious, nourishing and sustainable.  You can finally say bye-bye to counting calories, eating ‘cardboard’ diet products and feeling deprived. Isn’t that something to be happy about? help me lose weight

2) Eat real food – not a science project. Whole vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and grains – these are the foods that have nourished the human body over hundreds of thousands of years. Your body knows what to do with them.  It is much less savvy about dyes, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and many of the other ingredients you find in processed foods.  So if you want to loose weight, do your body a favor and help it function at it’s best – with food that is actually nourishing, not toxic, harmful or confusing.  A good rule of thumb is that if your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize the ingredient, don’t eat it!

3) Mind your munching. Do you eat in front of the TV, at your computer or while you’re multitasking?  If so, STOP!  If you don’t pay attention to the fact that you’re eating, you’re likely to eat more than your fill or go back for more (because it won’t feel like you ate in the first place!) Mindless eating is one of the most common reasons for packing on the pounds.  Don’t do it.  Just don’t.  From now on please promise to give the food you eat – even the smallest of snacks – the courtesy of your full attention. help me lose weight

4) Be more like a 3 year old – ask “why?” To many people, probably most people, food is a huge source of emotional comfort, but the brief (and powerful) gratification of emotional eating usually causes long-term pain.  So next time you find yourself at the fridge, cupboard or pantry, ask yourself “why am I eating?” (you can even put up signs as a reminder to question yourself).  If the answer is anything besides “because I’m hungry”, forego the food and go do something else that will make you happy.

5) Drink to your health (with water). Studies have shown that water can raise your metabolism and help flush out toxins and fat. It also fills you up so that you’re less tempted to overeat.  At a minimum, you should try to have at least one 8oz glass of water before each meal (not with each meal), and if you’re not a fan of plain water, you can spice it up with a dash of lemon juice or add some mint leaves or cucumber (like spa water).  Whatever you do, do not drink soda, coffee or tea and think you’ll be just fine. The caffeine in these beverages is actually a mild diuretic which ends up dehydrating you – the opposite effect of what you really need.

6) There’s nothing sweet about (most) sweeteners. So here’s the deal, we’re all hardwired to like sweet food. In nature, sweet foods are usually very nutritious.  In the supermarket, however, sweet foods will put us on the diabetes fast-track.  I could devote a whole article to sweeteners (and I will) but for now, I’ll give it to you in a nutshell: fruit is the best sweet food to eat; if you really need a sweetener (e.g. in beverages, recipes etc.), try to stick to stevia. Small amounts of raw honey, pure maple syrup and blackstrap molasses are also okay because they contain a good amount of nutrients. Most other sweeteners (including agave syrup, I’m sad to say) have little to no nutritional value and will either spike your blood sugar and insulin levels or potentially give you a host of other unpleasant side effects.  And if you haven’t heard, a study by the University of Texas Health Science Center reported that people who drank 2 diet sodas per day “had a six-times-greater increase in waist circumference at the end of the 10-year study span than those who didn’t drink diet soda at all”!

7) Eat good fats, sparingly. Fat has gotten a bad rap but not all fats are bad.  In fact, good fats are essential.  The trick, when you’re trying to loose weight, is to eat good fats sparingly and to get them from sources like nuts (e.g. 10 almonds), olive oil (a teaspoon) or avocados (1/4 avocado).  When it comes to meat, even a skinless chicken breast contains a significant percentage of fat (including saturated fat). That’s not to say that you shouldn’t eat meat, but be aware of its fat content and try to focus more on eating vegetables.

8. Quality carbs in moderation. Good news! To loose weight, you don’t have to banish carbohydrates from your plate.  Instead, focus on small portions of quality carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, sweet potatoes and yams. The closer the carb is to it’s natural source (i.e. the less processed it is), the more nutritious and filling it will be and the more fiber it will contain.  And if you haven’t already heard…

9) Fiber is our friend! Where do I begin in praise of fiber? For weight loss, it will help you feel full and keep you feeling that way longer. It also counteracts the sugar in your food by slowing down its absorption into your blood.  Fiber is great for your digestive tract and helps keep you regular in the bathroom department (you should have at least one bowel movement per day).  The best way to get fiber is by eating a healthy diet of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.  You can also get added fiber in the form of a supplement.

10) Exercise (you didn’t think I’d let you off this hook, did you?) If you hate exercise, I can definitely sympathize.  I was never much of a fan. That is, until I learned the secret: to choose something that’s fun!  From kickboxing to yoga to ballroom dancing and so much more, there’s something for everyone’s style.  Take a few classes, join forces with a friend or pop in an exercise DVD.  You’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have.

11) Plan for your success. With weight loss, as with all things, planning and then sticking to the plan ensures the desired outcome. In my practice, I help clients prioritize their goals and then figure out all the steps necessary to achieve success…from meal planning, to exercising to scheduling time for fun, sleep and other r&r.  I advise setting goals that are challenging but not too extreme (otherwise you may be tempted to give up).  Then, implement a detailed plan that gets you from day to day and promise yourself that you’ll stick to it – even if it means just showing up.  Most importantly, don’t forget to acknowledge and appreciate yourself even for the smallest victories.  Any step towards a healthier life is a step in the right direction!

Unfortunately, unlike shower caps, it’s not a case of ‘one size fits all’.  The truth is, you may not need to drink as many as eight 8oz glasses of water per day or, you may need to drink more.

In theory, the eight by eight rule is a good average for many adults, but factors such as your gender, the climate where you live and how much you exercise will all influence the amount of water we each need to drink.

The best way to determine how much water to drink each day is to simply listen to your body.  Ask yourself questions like:

• “Am I thirsty?”  Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, thirst is your body’s most obvious signal that you need to drink more water. Don’t ignore the call!

• “Is my mouth dry?  Do my lips feel like sandpaper?” If the answer to either of these questions is “yes,” you need to drink more water.

• “What color is my urine?”  If you’re not taking vitamins or certain medications, your urine should be virtually colorless, not yellow.  If it’s yellow, there’s a good chance you need more hydration.

Additionally, headaches, irritability and poor concentration can all be caused by inadequate hydration.  Try increasing your intake of water to see if your symptoms improve.

Of course, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, “Does it really HAVE to be water?  Can’t I have something more interesting to drink?”  Actually, you can.  But when it comes to hydrating yourself, avoid alcohol or excessive caffeine. Both alcohol and caffeine are mild diuretics, which means that they lessen your body’s ability to absorb and retain water.  Most other beverages are perfectly acceptable substitutes for good, old-fashioned H2O.

And there’s more good news!  A lot of food, especially fruit like watermelon, pears and grapes, also count towards your daily intake of water.   But keep in mind that water is probably your healthiest, most calorie-free option – so much so that a study by Virginia Tech University showed that dieters who drank two cups of water before meals for three months lost 44% more weight than dieters who didn’t. Clearly, water can be a powerful ally for weight loss and general good health.

Drink up!

1) Remember that your stomach doesn’t have teeth

It’s the easiest, most basic thing we can do, yet so many of us fail to chew our food properly!  The thing is, chewing not only minces our food into digestible pieces, it also mixes food with digestive enzymes from our saliva so that the digestive process can begin in our mouths.  Fail to chew your food thoroughly, and you will suffer the consequences later! Some experts recommend chewing 30 – 50 times per bite but anything more than what you’re already doing is still an improvement.

2) Lay off the liquids

While it’s ESSENTIAL for good digestion to drink enough liquids during the day, drinking water or any other type of beverage while you’re eating will only serve to dilute the digestive juices in your stomach.  This in turn makes your food much more taxing for your body to digest.  If you must have something to drink while you eat, make sure you take only small sips.  As a former devotee of ‘washing down my food’, I’m happy to say that with a little bit of effort, it is possible (and quite easy in fact) to reform.

3) Use digestive enzymes and probiotics for a boost

Digestive enzymes can help support your body’s digestion.  There are different types of digestive enzymes that help break down protein, carbohydrates, fat and dairy (e.g. for those who are lactose intolerant). If you know a certain food is prone to giving you digestive discomfort (like beans, for example), try taking a digestive enzyme with your meal to see if it helps.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that maintain intestinal health.  Without enough of these bacteria you may experience gas, bloating, irritable bowel, bad breath and other unpleasant symptoms (which you can’t always blame on the dog). You can get probiotics from yogurt that has had the active cultures added AFTER pasteurization (pasteurization kills both the good and bad bacteria), but in my opinion, a better option is to look for a quality probiotic supplement to take each day.

4) Consider becoming anti-anti-acid

There are plenty of medications available to quell stomach acid.  While some people may need these medications, they’re not the best route for all of us.  If you’re suffering from heartburn or acid reflux, the first place to look for a cause is in what you’re eating and drinking.  The day I stopped drinking carbonated water, my unrelenting heartburn went away – no need to take the medication prescribed by my doctor!

The fact is, our stomach acid is vital to the process of breaking down food and activating digestive enzymes. Digestive issues often result from not having enough stomach acid, which in turn can (ironically) cause heartburn and reflux in some people.  So if you’ve been popping over the counter anti-acids like candy, keep in mind that you may be causing more harm than good.

5) Make fiber your friend

Everyone’s singing the praises of fiber, and for good reason.  Insoluble fiber helps keep your digestive tract healthy and aids in the process of elimination. This is why without enough insoluble fiber, you’re likely to suffer constipation. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, slows down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and it also lowers your LDL (“bad” cholesterol).  Luckily, it’s very easy to get enough of both types of fiber by eating whole grains (bran is an excellent source), legumes and flax.  Nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables also contain good amounts of fiber.

I love Dr. Oz and I love that he’s a fan of health coaches!  In this 2009 interview on CNN, Dr. Oz says, “health coaches can be a tier of health care providers that don’t cost a lot to train but that actually provide that infrastructure to people to make it easy to do the right thing.”