Have you been trying to get pregnant?

Have you considered alternative methods to enhance your pregnancy possibilities?

Are you interested in learning different ways to support and help you as you go through this process?

If so, then come to the

Red Tent Fertility Wellness Workshop!

June 18th, 2011

9:45am-3:00pm

Om Factory Yoga Studio

You will learn helpful fertility-enhancing tips, receive a robust gift bag, nutritious snacks, the opportunity to connect with like-minded women, and a chance to win free services! Featured presentations include restorative yoga, acupuncture for reproductive health, self care to maintain balanced living, and comprehensive pre-pregnancy nutrition. This event will nourish your mind, body and soul – in addition to providing you with essential tools to maintain these practices in your daily life.

To register, email: fertileblissnyc@gmail.com

RSVP by June 15th to receive the early bird discount!

]]> http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/06/fertile-bliss-workshop/feed/ 0 http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/05/join-me-at-mommybites/ http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/05/join-me-at-mommybites/#comments Mon, 09 May 2011 13:15:28 +0000 Erin http://www.erinhessel.com/?p=1682

Join me as Babybites invites city moms (and dads and even grandparents!) to their annual Mommybites Summit: The Ultimate Moms Night Out, happening May 19 at the Columbia Faculty House. It’s an evening to meet other parents; enjoy wine and snacks; check out a variety of cool kids’ products and services; and hear from notable parenting experts, including keynote speaker and “ScreamFree Parenting” author Hal Runkel, Cool Mom Picks publisher and CEO Kristen Chase, and Emmy-winning producers Mary Ann Zoellner and Alicia Ybarbo. All attendees will be entered to win incredible raffle prizes and will leave with a gift bag.  I’ll be there offering info and raffles for acupuncture services to support busy moms post-partum and for stress relief. Hope to see you there!

To learn more about this fantastic event, click here.

Prenatal Nutrition: What Is Right?

Healthy diets vary as greatly as the individuals who employ them. From Vegans to Carnivores, the food we eat is a reflection of who we are, what we believe, and the health of our system. Celebrity news of late has all eyes on Nathalie Portman, who has recently “come out” saying that she decided to include eggs and dairy into her prenatal diet after being an avid vegan since 2009. While there is heated debate about the moral impact of her decision happening on various message boards, the actress claims that it was simply “listening to her body” that made her decide to include dairy and eggs. What is the healthiest option? More after the jump.

As a health practitioner, it is not my practice to get into the way of people’s belief systems. While the medicine I prescribe and the clinical results I see often include an animal protein-rich diet, vegetarianism – and even veganism, when done right  and under certain constitutional types – can offer safe and healthy guidelines in achieving, sustaining, delivering and breast feeding a healthy baby.

Prenatal Nutrition – The Basics

A good rule of thumb when trying to get pregnant is to eat like you already are. That means reducing, if not eliminating, caffeine and alcohol intake, consuming lots of vitamin-rich vegetables, nourishing proteins and fats and usually adding some sort of prenatal vitamin. In addition, there are specific nutrients, like Folic Acid, that are extremely important to supplement into your diet. Whether you are trying to conceive or already pregnant, the American Pregnancy Association keeps updated general nutritional guidelines based on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on their site. Exact dosage and nutrients like Folic Acid for pregnancy can be found here.

Found In The Fat

You’ll notice that many of the guidelines list important Vitamins like D, E, A, K2, Minerals like Folate and Zinc and fats like Omega 3′s and DHA – many of which can be found in a variety of vegetables and fruits. While DHA is limited to fish and fish oil products, Omega 3′s can readily be found in the oils of a variety of nuts and seeds.

What usually isn’t listed is that many of the above vitamins are fat soluble, which means that your body can only absorb them when consumed with fat. Since fat is not a major component of the fruits, vegetables and legumes where such nutrients are found, it is important to add some to your meal in order to actually absorb the nutrients you are consuming. Olive Oil, Grassfed Butter, Ghee, Nut Oils or Virgin Coconut Oil are great additions to salads, steamed veggies, beans or to be used in cooking. Not only will your food taste better, but it will be more nutritious for you.

A quick note on fat and weight gain – because many people avoid fat in an effort to stay trim, and because maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy is so important to the health of the mother and the health of the fetus. Despite popular consumer belief, and even FDA nutritional guidelines, wholesome fats will not make us fat. This includes natural saturated fats like butter, coconut oil and lard, as well as unsaturated fats like olive oil. What will expand our waistlines and hips are the trans-fats, like margarine, and extremely refined carbohydrates like corn syrup, fructose, white sugar and white pastas/breads. If you are watching your weight, read this book.

Potent Reproductive Nutrition

The vitamins and minerals important in reproductive health and fetal development are densely found in organ meats, beef, duck, chicken (with the skin), bone broth soups, marrow, whole milk, full-fat dairy, whole eggs, fish roe, cod liver oil, fish and shellfish. Such products come complete with the vitamins and fat all in one, so while there is no harm in adding a little more, the food is rich and nourishing on its own.

While vegetarians, or even vegans, can get around the fat-soluble vitamins by adding a wholesome vegetable fat to their produce, what they are missing are foods saturated with those important hormone and pregnancy nutrients. This means they will probably have to consume more food than women who are carnivores, which works out, as they are also probably hungrier (from the sheer perspective that vegetables digest faster than protein).

Must a woman consume animal protein to have a healthy pregnancy? Certainly not. Vegetarians who include dairy and whole eggs in their diet will have an easier time meeting nutritional requirements – from protein to Omega’s, Calcium and Vitamins like K2, D and A. These nutrients are important, biologically, to the hormonal system.

The Compassionate Diet

Portman isn’t the only celebrity avoiding animal protein, Alica Silverstone (practically the spokes-woman for veganism) is expecting her first child as well. The Examiner talks about how the star is getting all the important prenatal nutrition from a prenatal vegan diet.

While advocates for a vegan lifestyle stem from the theory of compassionate living by not harming animals, it may not be the most compassionate thing for a woman’s body to eliminate them from her diet. Above all, listen to your body. If it is not getting what it needs, it will probably tell you in some uncomfortable way. I do think there is something to Nathalie Portman taking the time to notice that her body needed more of something. That something, was probably her pregnancy and prenatal hormones craving more fat and protein than she was getting from her vegan diet.

A Holistic Approach

Joanne Hay of Nourished Magazine uses the philosophy of “what would your great, great, great grandparent’s eat?” There was a time when processed, pre-made, fortified “health” foods were not available. Yet, couples still achieved healthy (and large) families, which continued on to create more families and so on – until you. What they were eating depends on where in the world they were living, but it was probably a combination of the local animals and plants.

When we speak of constitutional types in Chinese Medicine, we are really talking about genetics. So, what your ancestors ate and their state of health is actually quite important to yours. Western science has given us important information about necessary nutrients to foster prenatal health (adequate folate, for example). Chinese medicine looks at the energetics of foods as a way to nourish and heal the body. This is more of an individual case-by-case basis. I recommend all my patients to take a prenatal vitamin, consult the American Pregnancy Association for appropriate guidelines and then give individual dietary recommendations based on constitutional type for holistic prenatal nutrition.

]]> http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/the-right-prenatal-nutrition/feed/ 0 http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/homemade-kombucha/ http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/homemade-kombucha/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:48:41 +0000 Erin http://www.erinhessel.com/?p=1633 Kombucha – a lovely, slightly effervecent, detoxifying, energizing and digestive enzyme-boosting cocktail. It now adorns grocery store shelves and sells for $5.00 per bottle. At first sip, this beverage can be sour and intense in flavor. Make it at home and this bite mellows to a refreshing after-dinner-digestiv. Kombucha is good for you, and is also very easy and inexpensive to make at home. Check out my Home-made Kombucha journey after the jump.

What It Is

It starts with a mushroom, called “Scoby.” Techinically speaking, scoby isn’t a mushroom at all because it cannot grow spores or “fruit,” but it is commonly referred to as such. Rather, the kombucha “mushroom” is a yeast culture and correctly named S.C.O.B.Y (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Sounds yum, right? No need to cringe, the bacteria contained in products brewed by scoby are the good guys – just like in yogurt, kefir, sourkraut or miso. Actually, kombuha is a great way to restore the gut with healthy bacteria in a dairy-free diet.

As you can see in the photo above the scoby culture looks like a round disc, that can vary in shades from cream to brown, and it will take on the shape of whatever container it is being brewed in (therefore it tends to be circular). It lives on sugar and caffeine, which will fuel the brewing process and propel the scoby to multiply quite rapidly. The more scoby cultures in a batch will yield a more concentrated kombucha flavor. At some point in the process, new spawns will need to be separated and discarded – or, better yet, given to a friend to begin their kombucha brewing journey. Don’t know anyone with a scoby culture? Starter kits are sold here OR here.

Why It is GOOD For You!

While your countertop can look a little like a science experiment, I assure you – the results will please your palate and your tummy. The digestive enzymes contained in Kombucha help the healthy bacteria in the gut, thus promoting proper nutritional absorption from the food we eat. According to Chinese medicine, the digestive system is the hub of systemic health, and views beverages like Kombucha as a real tonic. Here are just a few of the extraordinary benefits from including this beverage into your diet:

• Contains glucoronic acid, a natural detoxifier normally found in the liver, which helps support the immune system, remove metabolic waste and environmental toxins from the blood.
• Contains lactic acid, which increases oxygenation to blood cells thus improving energy and combating fatigue.
• Supports beneficial bacteria in the gut, intestinal health and nutritional absorption.
• Can help individuals heal from food sensitivities and allergies
• Can help heal intestinal dysfunction (chrone’s disease, IBS, celiac)
• Contains acetic and usnic acids which are anti-biotic and anti-microbial and actually prevent growth of harmful bacteria in the system.
• Contains malic acid, which prevents muscle fatigue.

If you are like me and interested in learning more about the fascinating world of fermentation, this site will help you learn all the ins and outs of why and how to ferment almost anything!

HOW TO BREW

Once you have attained a culture, brewing is easy:

1) Bring 3 Quarts of Water to a Boil

2) Remove from heat and add 4 organic tea bags, or loose-leaf equivalent. Steep for 15 min, then remove tea bags. (Be sure to use caffeinated teas – black, mate, green or white for the majority of bags and may add a little of your favorite herbal teas – nettles, red raspberry, rooibos, etc)

3) Add 1 cup organic sugar to warm water & tea, stir to dissolve

4) Once liquid has cooled to room-temperature (several hours), pour over the scoby inside a pitcher large enough to hold all of the liquid.

5) Cover the opening of the pitcher/jar with a clean paper towel, fastened with a rubber band.

6) Allow fresh kombucha to brew for about 1 week on the countertop. Begin to taste it after 5 days and stop brewing when desired flavor is acheived.

7) Strain the finished brewed liquid into a separate large bottle/pitcher, store in the refrigerator. Leave 2 cups of the liquid in with the scoby to keep it alive. Store scoby and liquid in a smaller container with a paper towel over it until ready to brew again. Scoby will stay alive for many weeks and even months without a new feeding.

Chicken soup is known in many cultures to help prevent and fight-off common colds and flu’s. The broth is deeply nourishing, while the pieces of chicken and vegetables are satisfying and filling. In Chinese medicine, chicken bone broth is said to deeply nourish the kidneys, and are often used in situations where the kidney energy can get tapped – such as: after childbirth, after IVF cycles, a chronic or long-term illness, or as a general health supplement in the winter (which is the season for kidney energy). The “kidney energy” in Chinese Medicine can be likened to adrenal, endocrine and immune function in Western Medicine. After the jump, check out my own recipe for nourishing Chicken Soup.

This soup is a variation on my mother’s recipe and my fiance’s mother’s recipe for home-made chicken soup (learned by observation, trial and error – perfected!). Best part is that once the stock is made, this soup takes less than 45 minutes to prepare – start to finish.

• 2 Split Chicken Breasts, bone-in and skin-on*
• 3 Medium Parsnips, peeled and sliced into circles or half-circles**
• 2 Medium Carrots, washed and sliced into circles or half-circles
• 4 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 6-8 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1-inch Slice Fresh Ginger Root
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 6 Cups Broth (preferably home-made, vegetable or chicken)
• 1 Cup Pasta or Rice of your choice, cooked and drained (optional)

Prepare broth for soup. In a separate soup-pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add the carrots and parsnips, cooking together for about a minute. Pour the broth over the vegetables and bring to a simmer, adding the ginger slice, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Once bubbling, place the chicken breasts in, skin-side down. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 10 min. Turn the breasts around so the bone-side is now down for another 10 minutes.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board. Once slightly cooled, remove and discard the skin and bones. Loosely shred the chicken and return to the soup (chicken should be fully cooked). Remove the sliced ginger and bay leaf, and add the shitake mushrooms. Simmer together for 2 minutes and then serve over cooked pasta or on its own.

* I use two chicken breasts because I prefer the white meat in my chicken soup, and I am usually only cooking for 2 so a whole chicken is a little much for us. But a whole chicken can be used. I prefer to keep the skin and bones on so that the essential minerals, nutrients and fats of the chicken absorb into the broth – making it the immune booster it claims to be.

**The parsnips give a nice texture and sweetness to the soup that I think complements the shitake mushroom flavor incredibly well, plus it is a nice way to use a vegetable not commonly called for in other dishes. Celery can also be added or substituted for the parsnips, if preferred.

A recent article in the New York Times likened yoga as an effective mind-body therapeutic option to enhance fertility. While the focus of the article is on the restorative and stress-relieving benefits of yoga, acupuncture and massage are mentioned as important components to enhancing conception and efficacy of fertility treatments. Herbal Medicine is also mentioned, with some hesitancy. Most of this is due to lack of knowledge within the medical community about how herbs work, the source of herbal formulas and FDA standards. As a board certified herbalist who has used herbs in support of fertility with great success, I can say with full confidence that this skepticism is only valid when herbs are being self-prescribed or purchased from a non-certified source. But there will be more on this subject in a future post (if you have immediate concerns about incorporating herbs in your health routine, please contact me directly and I’ll be happy to answer any questions).

I cannot recommend yoga to my patients enough. It is exciting to see such articles being published in reputable and mainstream publications. See the full article here: Yoga for Infertility-NYTimes

Photo Credit: knowabouthealth.com

A wise foodie, Michael Pollan, once said: “You can eat as much junk food as you like, as long as you make it yourself.” From potato chips to french fries  to ketchup, pizza and hamburgers – these foods get decidedly healthier when using organic, local ingredients, whole foods and wholesome fats. Kale chips are an even healthier way to consume essential fiber and vitamins, and they taste amazing. Seriously, they do. I’ll honestly admit that I am not particularly a fan of Kale – sauteed or steamed – it always comes out chewy and woody when I make it. I know how nutritious it is so I make a point of gulping it down. But to have finally found a way to thoroughly enjoy this healthy veggie, what a treat. You can buy these tasty snacks for a whopping $8 per small bag, or you can buy a bunch of Kale for $2.99 and prepare your own stockpile. See my easy recipe after the jump.

Easy Healthy Kale Chips

• 1 Bunch Kale (any variety will do)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Sea Salt (to taste)
• Nutritional Yeast (to taste and if desired)

Preheat the oven to 300F. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Break, cut or trim the leaves into large pieces, discarding the tough stems and center ribs. Toss the kale in olive oil and lay onto a baking sheet (be sure the kale pieces are NOT overlapping). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Keep an eye on these guys after about 15min to make sure they don’t over-bake. Depending on the size of the pieces, you may want to flip the chips half way through, but this is not necessarily imperative.

Cool the kale on a baking rack and sprinkle with salt and/or nutritional yeast. The nutritional yeast, often known as Brewer’s Yeast, is high in B vitamins, and gives these kale chips a kind of cheesy-texture. Enjoy!

For a Do-It-Yourself video on how to make kale chips with a recipe similar to the one I’ve adapted above, check out this video by Ask Umbra on Grist.org

In light of quite possibly the most common New Years Resolution, I asked my resident nutritionist,  Health Coach Quinn to share her important information with the ESEMA community on our blog. Not only are her recommendations truly healthful, they are sensible and sure to result in resolutions kept this year.

The Only 10 Things You Need To Know About Weight Loss – after the jump

Quinn is a Health Coach, the creator of Kitschy Kitchen web show, Cooking Party host and FITrition Deluxe teacher, and emotional eating expert. She works with women of all ages to help them change their relationship with food…forever. She is a wealth of knowledge! See her advice for ALL year below.  Check her website here.

The Only 10 Things You Need To Know About Weight Loss

1.  DRINK UP.

Drink water, lots of it.  Or herbal teas, those are great too.  Often times we confuse thirst for huger and run right to the fridge.  When you start to feel an inkling for a treat, tap into your body and decipher if you are really hungry or if you’re actually bored, stressed, worried… or just thirsty.  Water not only hydrates the system but it also very cleansing.  It helps to flush toxins and purify the system so make sure you are drinking at least 8 cups a day.  Herbal teas can also help to calm nerves, headaches, cramps, and stomach aches.

• TIP: Keep a water bottle with you at all times, have it on your desk at work and in your purse when you are on the go.  Having water on hand will keep you fuller, focused, cleansed and make your skin positively GLOW.
• TIP: Immediately after waking up in the morning drink 2 cups of water at room tempurature.  It will get your system going better than coffee… and is MUCH better for you.
• TIP: Drink some comforting herbal teas while doing one of those things that usually ignites a snack attack.  Keep some tea bags in your purse. You can always find hot water where you’d otherwise find a snack.

2. STEP AWAY… FROM THE DIET FOOD!

“Foods” like diet sodas, 100-calorie snack packs, anything low fat, no fat, reduced fat… they are all programmed to destroy you.   Only eat real food. Real food grows on a plant (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds) or comes from an animal.  Real food is nurtured by the sun.  Real food is NOT processed, packaged, pasteurized, chemicalized, homogenized, or well, bastardized in any way. It has nothing is added to it, and nothing is taken away.  If the majority of your diet is real food you will never have a problem with your weight. Or, in other words, if it wasn’t food 100 years ago—it’s not food now—It’s a food-like product designed to hypnotize and addict you.  Real foods have one ingredient.  They are ingredients you learned to identify in kindergarten…and they should be the bulk of your diet.

• TIP: Shop the perimeter of the supermarket or go to your farmers market for items that are fresh and in season.  When there pick up one new veggie a week to experiment with what you like.
• TIP: if it grows on a plant= eat it.  If it was made in a plant= avoid it.

3.  FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW.

Not all calories are created equal.  The calories in chips and cookies have a very different effect on your body from the calories in, say, kale and carrots.   Foods that are fried, processed or made with white sugar/flour have a detrimental effect on your body in the form of internal inflammation, which leads to weight gain.  OK, you know junk food is bad, but the truth is that “diet” foods wreak havoc on your system too!  When fat is removed, sugar is added, which is actually worse!  And when calories are replaced with artificial sweeteners you are essentially drinking poison that your body has no idea how to metabolize.  These chemicals mess with your brain chemistry making you more hungry. So, forget the low fat, low carb, and food pyramid schemes.  The food industry, in general, is not out to make you healthier, it is out to make money.  When looking at food labels, re-focus your attention onto ingredients rather than fat & calories, and choose natural foods—your body knows exactly what to do with them, and it will thank you.

• TIP: Read the ingredients on the back of your food.  Just because something seems healthy doesn’t mean it is…. Your whole wheat bread just might be hiding high fructose corn syrup.
  TIP:  If you can’t read it, don’t eat it.

4.  BE A DETECTIVE.

Notice your emotional connection with the food choices that you make.  Begin to examine your cravings. Are you craving foods because you saw them?  Or because your body genuinely want them?  What sparks the cravings?  Stress? Boredom? Loneliness? Or maybe it’s a food addiction.  For instance, sugar is like the [insert street drug] of the food world.  Are you eating things just because some celebrity eats it, or some nutritionist on TV says you should? Begin listening to your unique body and feed it what YOU need.  Your body is a sophisticated, high-tech piece of machinery that is rarely wrong.  If you wake up craving bread and cereal—take that as a message that you are carbohydrate person—and eat carbohydrates.  Just eat whole, complex carbs that breakdown slowly inside the body like steel cut oats, brown rice, kasha, quinoa or millet.  Or if you crave ice cream out of the clear blue, take that message that you need to incorporate more good sources dairy into your diet like full-fat yogurt or raw cheese.  Listen carefully, your body will always find a way to tell you want it needs.

• TIP: Keep a food journal.  Keep track of what you are eating, why you made the choices you did, and what else was going on at that time. See if you can identify any patterns in your eating.

5.  GET YOUR Zzzzs.

Lack of sleep decreases the hormone leptin, which tells your brain when you are full.  If you haven’t had enough sleep you’re setting yourself up for weight gain in two ways because A) your brain doesn’t get the message that you’ve eaten, so you’re likely to just keep going, and going and B) you have low energy, which instinctively makes your body crave things like sugar and caffeine in order to rev up … and thus begins a vicious cycle.

• TIP: Pick a bed-time and stick to it with the same tenacity that you stick to events like meetings, movies, or dinner plans.  If people ask why, tell them you are on the sleep diet.  They might all want to try it.

6.  NO MULTI-TASKING DURING MEALS.

This may be one of the hardest habits to break… but  it is the most important thing to conquer.  When you are eating, you are just eating.  That’s it.  No TV, cellphone, computer, magazines…. Just you and chewing.  Eating is how you nourish your body, it should be a special event, not another thing on your “to-do” list.  As another coach/friend of my says “Would you be on your blackberry during sex?  Then why are you on it during meals?”.  The thing is– when you are distracted you are bound to eat way more than necessary.  If you take time to really focus on your meal, and make it an event, then you are going to feel more satiated and less likely snack, binge, or overeat.  Take the time during your meals to slow down and chew.

• TIP: Find a quiet place with NO television, computer, newspaper, magazines or even cell phone.  Give yourself a full 30 minutes to eat your meal.  Take the whole time to chew and think about your food.  Notice the taste, texture and smell.   How do you feel?  When do you know you’re full?  Do this at least once a week.  The practice should start to roll over into other meals as well.
• TIP: Focus on your chewing.  Chew until you can’t chew any more.  Your food should be the consistency of a smoothy before you swollow.  This will help you feel fuller on less food.  It will also greatly increase your digestive function and decrease bloating, gassiness, constipation and other IBS symptoms.

7. PENCIL IN SOME PAMPERING.

Your body is designed for survival.  Throughout evolution it was imperative for humans to be able to hold onto body fat, it keeps us warm, insulates our vital organs, and is a source of energy when the going gets tough.  Stress triggers hormones in our brain, which in-turn tells our body to hunker down and protect itself against rough times ahead.  That used to mean draught, famine, or attack.  Now those stressors might be work, traffic, or demanding obligations.  But the brain still activates those same S.O.S hormones, making us (literally) hold onto fat for dear life.  When you find yourself overwhelmed with modern life, find a moment for yourself to get some restorative rest.  Take deeps breaths, a quick walk, stretch, or drink some hot tea to relax.  Stop to think about what needs to get done and just do ONE thing at a time.  Plain and simple–take care of yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself in the little ways, it’s less likely that you will take care of your health and manage weight in the long term. Giving yourself some time to relax will help to melt away the pounds.

• TIP: Schedule one hour per week that is just for YOU, and do something that you love.  Once that feels comfortable, bump it up to 2 hours.

8. EAT. A LOT. Skipping meals (especially breakfast) will flip your body into famine mode so it’s super important to eat, eat, EAT!  Not getting enough calories will actually lower your metabolism. Studies show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.  Skipping meals causes your blood sugar to spike and crash, messing with your moods and energy levels.  Find time to sit down and eat a balanced breakfast each day.  It sets your metabolic tone for the day and protects against binge eating due to starvation later in the day.  It is vital to properly fuel your body and eat enough beneficial calories in order to have good metabolic function.  It’s just really important to make all of those calories count!  Again–your diet should primarily consist of plant-based foods, which are naturally power-packed with vital nutrients.  When your body is getting what it needs from each meal, it’s practically impossible to eat too much because whole foods just keep you more satiated from meal to meal. Pretty soon, portion control will actually because a concern of the past!

• TIP: To find the best breakfast for you do a Breakfast Experiment.  Eat something different each day for 5 days.  Notice how the different meals make you feel.  Which gives you more energy, focus, and keeps you fullest for the longest?

9.  GET PHYSICAL.

Any type of movement will amp up your metabolism, reduce stress, and aid digestion—the holy trinity of wellness.  Humans evolved with an active lifestyle.  We did NOT spend millions of years before now sitting behind desks.  Honor your roots by breaking a sweat in some small way each and every day. The single easiest way to boost your metabolism and burn some cals, while you’re just bumming around with your gals is to have muscle mass.  It is like having a high interest savings account; it does work for you when you’re not even thinking about it! The mitochondria in your muscle cells turn oxygen and calories into energy.  The more you have, the more you burn at work AND at play!  You don’t need a fancy gym membership to tone up!  You can do some sit-ups when you wake up, chair dips while watching TV, lunges while cooking dinner, or simply take a walk during your lunch break to get some fresh air.  Find something that you like to do, and get in motion.

• TIP: Get on-to, or off-of the subway a couple stops earlier and walk to where you are going.  It will help get your blood pumping in the morning, and on the flip-side will help you relax after a long stressful day.

10. EAT EVERYTHING.  Don’t avoid any major food groups. There are only 3 macronutrients in the world:  Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat.  Everything you could possibly eat is made up of some combination of those 3 things.  Avoiding any one will cause major problems.  Look at the fat-free craze that began in the 80s… Americans are 50% fatter since we stopped eating fat!  And who do you know that stayed on a no-carb diet for an extended period of time?  Diets are a four-letter word.  They never ever work because they are all about deprivation (who wants that?!?).  Hunger is your body telling you that it needs nutrients.  In fact, most people who are overweight claim that they are always hungry—and it’s true!  They could be literally starving because they are not giving their body what it needs.  Instead they are giving it empty calories. Your body needs proper fuel and balance for function at it’s maximum potential. So, eat everything, as long as it’s real food, and you can never fail.

• TIP: Weight loss is not about reducing calories. It is about increasing nutrients.  Add color to your diet especially green and orange, they are the most nutrient dense foods in nature.

During my undergraduate degree I was fortunate enough to write my dissertation while living with a lovely family in Heredia, Costa Rica. I remember Maria, the host mother, making fresh black frijoles (beans) almost daily. The process appeared exhausting: Hours of rinsing, soaking, rinsing again and boiling – careful not to over or under cook them. I was truly thankful to incorporate this lovely food into my diet at the time, but never learned the process for preparing them myself. Once I moved out of that lovely haven of home-cooked food, it was back to canned beans for ease and convenience (but certainly not taste). Until recently…

I’ve been reading about all the important nutrients lost in the canning process, and how cooking beans at home is actually not all that complicated or time consuming. And, probably the most encouraging news of all, in addition to being better for you and a more cost-effective option – they taste WAY better. So here is what I’ve learned over the past month about cooking beans from scratch, enjoy after the jump.

Incredible Powerful Food

Legumes, or beans, are an important part to any diet – wheather vegan to carnivore – as they supply an array of trace minerals, folate, vitamins, fiber, protein and carbohydrates. They are nearly a complete food in and of themselves, and can be prepared in a multitude of ways – such as boiling into soup, pureed into spreads, sauteed into stir-fry, chilled into salad or simply scooped onto the plate as a healthy side dish. In Chinese nutritional therapy, beans are deeply nourishing to the kidneys and a great way to supplement essential nutrition from a vegetable source.

However you choose to enjoy them, the preparation in the beginning is the same. Dried beans in their unaltered state are inedible – much like brown rice or other grains. Begin preparing your beans in the format below, and adjust the final cooking time as appropriate for your desired dish. You’ll notice that unlike the soggy counterpart often found in canned beans, home-cooked beans retain their texture and flavor better. They are also easier to digest as the soaking process reduces gas and increased nutritional availability.

Step One: Soaking The Beans

No matter what type of bean you choose, they will need to be soaked for 8-12 hours before cooking. On a very basic level, this will help to soften the hard bean and reduce cooking time and also deeply clean any debris or tannins from the food. More importantly, this step increases nutritional absorption by breaking down anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and indigestible complex sugars (oligosaccharides). Phytic Acid is found in the hulls of seeds, nuts and grains. It is not harmful in and of itself, but is binds with essential minerals in foods such as zinc and iron rendering those unavailable to the body that consumes them. Soaking, cooking and fermenting foods containing phytic acid neutralizes its binding effect so the minerals are left available to the body.

1)  Pour 2 Cups of Beans into a large mixing bowl

2)  Add enough filtered water to cover the beans by 3-4 inches

3)  Add 2 Tbsp of Cider (or other) Vinegar, Lemon Juice or fresh Whey to the liquid and briefly stir

4)  Let the beans soak on the counter overnight (8-12 hours) – add more water if needed (this will depend on the type of bean your using)

Cooking The Beans

Once the beans have soaked, you’ll notice that they have expanded in size and left a murky color to the water. At this time, it is important to drain the beans thoroughly and rinse them – clearing away all the junk. Once well rinsed, place the beans in a large pot and cover with clean filtered water by about an inch. Add salt, seaweed, or other spice as desired. Bring to a low boil and cook for an hour to an hour and a half. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of bean and quantity. Once your beans have reached your desired tenderness, store and prepare them as you choose. I like to strain them and fry in a little coconut oil, garlic and fresh vegetable. To save time and enjoy your beans later, store a portion of the cooked beans in the freezer for a later recipe.

Beans truly aren’t as putsy as I thought – they can soak while I sleep and cook while I answer emails. And there are leftovers for all week long. Enjoy!

It is that time of year again, where we celebrate for all that life has been and look forward to that which we want to improve or create upon. We are truly grateful at ESEMA to be entering our 3rd year in business this Spring – and give thanks to you for helping us grow and flourish. It is our passion to help you on your journey to health an wellness and we sincerely thank each of you for the opportunity to do so.

As a thankful nod to those that have inspired me in many ways throughout this past year, and to spread the love to my loyal readers, this post is dedicated to my favorite pages on the web and local New York listings. Take a look if you have some time to browse, as these folks have got some interesting stuff going on! Find out my go-to spots for recipes, dietary guides, exercise, pampering, information and more.

Wishing you a year full of success, health, happiness and dreams coming true!

See my full list after the jump…

Yum – Favorite Foodies

Smitten Kitchen

-serving up awesome dishes inspired by green market ingredients, this New Yorker will show you how to make it happen in a city-sized apartment kitchen.

Nourished Kitchen

-focused on Real Food, Wholesome Fats and Raw Dairy, Jenny will teach you the ways to keep your body nourished, healthy, and your taste-buds happy. Rich in fat-soluble vitamins, this is a diet I often recommend to my fertility patients and women experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Move It

Expect to Be Fit

-Whether a mommy in training, a mommy to be, post partum or just plain in need of a tune up, Leah is the one to call. She will ship your body into perfect shape by coming to your home or office and teaching you the ways of a holistic tummy tuck.

PURE Yoga – East and West

-By far my favorite yoga studio in the city, with classes ranging from Hot to Jivamukti to Restorative. A culmination of love, peace and great yoga.

Pamper Yourself

Earth and Sky Bodywork

-Massage, Mayan Abdominal and Cranio-Sacral for the whole family. Katinka specializes in women and pediatrics and her hands will not only take you away to a blissful state but address chronic concerns from the root.

Dormer Medical Spa

-Dr. Dormer and her team know skin and what to do to keep it radiant and healthy – utilizing natural and medical means at their Upper East Side location. Need a facial? Book a visit with Ally, she is wonderful.

For the Walls

Borbay

-New York Post headlines covered in paint create truly unique masterpieces for any home or office. An artist that inspires me through and through, I look forward to marrying him next summer as well.

Unique Jewelry

Nydia Charles

-Stunning and unique, her designs are not only beautiful pieces but make an artistic statement.

Reproductive Health

Garden of Fertility and Taking Charge of Your Fertility

-Every woman’s go-to guide for achieving and preventing pregnancy through understanding her cycles.

Ina May Gaskin

-Spending days with this woman in her home in Tennessee changed me. She is a true gift to women everywhere!

Choices In Childbirth

-ESEMA is proud to have donated throughout the year to supporting this organizations efforts of increasing maternity care choices throughout New York City.

The Pregnant New Yorker

-Always a great local resource for women and professionals.

Health = Wealth

Daily Worth

-Get FREE daily emails with tips for managing money, investing, saving and other saavy topics to help you achieve or maintain the financial freedom you’ve always hoped for.