For those of you who followed my blog through my Asian travels at the beginning of last year may know that I was 'vegan' for about 6-ish months. You can read more about my meat-free life here. Once I started culinary school in August, it was pretty difficult to maintain a fully vegan diet as we had to learn to cook animal protein and I wanted to taste all our creations! For the time I was in school, I ate and enjoyed whatever animal protein we made, but maintained a vegan diet at home. So, with that, let's call it about a year with limited animal foods, and particularly minimal red meat consumption (probably 5 times the whole year).

NutritionStephanie RomeFebruary 5, 2015paleo Comments

Fresh is always better? Think again! + Green Detox Soup Recipe

As a nutrition coach, I always trying to get my clients to eat more vegetables. I follow a general approach of teaching my clients to 'crowd out' the junk by adding in lots of nutrient-dense foods, especially veggies. One of the common hurdles on the road to a plant-based diet is that fresh produce often entails a lot of prep work (washing, peeling, chopping) and that takes time! Time that most people don't have! So what do I tell them?? Eat frozen veggies. When it comes out of my mouth, a tiny part of me cringes a little because few things make me happier than coming home from the farmers market / grocery store and stocking my shelves and fridge with heaps of fresh fruits and veggies, and I want my clients to share in a similar (probably not quite so enthusiastic) joy. BUT I would much rather them eat all frozen produce than put the idea of eating vegetables in the "too hard basket" in view of the time factor. That said, I decided to do a little bit of research around the nutritional value of fresh versus frozen vegetables and I was pleasantly surprised and humbled. The science gave me the humbling I needed to shut down that little cringer when I promote frozen produce to my clients.

There is no denying the convenience of frozen produce, but let's check the science on whether we are sacrificing micronutrient and antioxidant value for the sake of luxury...

Recipes, NutritionStephanie RomeJanuary 20, 2015soups/stews, main dishes, sides, paleo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, anti-inflammatory, cleanse, detoxComment

Is Dairy Scary?

Over the last decade or so, dairy has been the subject of much debate in our society. We have alternative practitioners and nutrition-world rock stars preaching the dangers of dairy and how it is totally unnatural to drink the milk of another species. On the other hand, we have the conventional medical community, as well as the federal government food pyramid, instructing us to consume 2-3 servings per day to satisfy our daily calcium requirement in preventing osteoporosis. Additionally, we have USDA-managed programs pumping big dollars ($550 million advertising spends) into campaigns urging Americans to buy more animal foods - examples include the (in)famous "Got Milk?" campaign and the widespread slogan: "Milk. It does a body good." With all these conflicting messages coming at us left and right, it is no surprise so many of us are confused about whether or not consuming dairy is a good choice.

Agribusiness has become a scarily powerful influence over our everyday food-buying choices through its manipulating health claims, artificially low prices, and heavy control over legislation and regulation. I find it frightening how much control animal producers have over what consumers buy and believe to be healthy. With around 60% of the world somewhat lactose intolerant, I think it is important for us all to be informed about the potential health risks associated with consuming dairy so that we can decide for ourselves what to eat rather than being told (manipulated?) by the government and/or dairy industry.

Below are some considerations as to why conventional dairy may be doing more harm than good:

NutritionStephanie RomeNovember 13, 2013 Comments

Why You Should Eat Fruit Alone

....Not alone as in isolation, but alone as in without any other foods and on an empty tummy.

There are two main controversies around eating fruit and I'd like to explore both so you can make an informed decision about whether eating fruit is a healthy choice for you.

The first relates to the sugar content in fruit. Those who reject fruit as a healthy dietary choice point to the Glycemic Index and claim that eating fruit causes blood sugar spikes. These fruit-haters also point out that fruit sugar is high in fructose which is difficult for the liver to metabolize and therefore turns directly to fat in the body. While this fructose-becomes-fat assertion is accurate, I don't believe that these critics are looking at the full picture. Fruit does contain fructose, but the whole food package that it comes in also contains fiber. Fiber not only restrains us from consuming large amounts in one sitting (unlike high-fructose corn syrup or agave), but also, along with antioxidants and vitamin C, it helps to inhibit rapid fructose assimilation into the bloodstream thus minimizing the negative effects.

NutritionStephanie RomeOctober 30, 2013gut health, healthy habits Comments

Do You Have to Give Up Coffee to be Healthy?

This is a common question for people who are trying to clean up their diet and make changes toward a healthier lifestyle. Caffeine, and coffee in particular, can be tricky when it comes to our health, and it is often the one thing people are most resistant to giving up!

So what's the down low on a cup of Joe?

NutritionStephanie RomeOctober 16, 2013healthy lifestyle Comments

How to Turbo-Charge your Smoothie

So you’ve warmed up to the idea of adding greens into your smoothies, but then you think, ‘what’s next?’ Enter superfoods and other nutrition boosters! It can be overwhelming perusing the aisles of the health food store and not knowing what’s what with all those potions and powders, some of which you may have heard of but know neither their health benefits nor their taste! Let’s break it down.

NutritionStephanie RomeAugust 15, 2013smoothies, superfoods, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free Comments

Living and Eating Seasonally + Winter Veggie Soup Recipe

Do you feel cold and dried out in winter? Puffy and congested in spring? Overheated and lethargic in summer? If so, listen up!

As I have mentioned before, Ayurveda is all about living in harmony with nature. When we live our lives attuned to nature's rhythms and cycles, there are profound benefits for our health and sense of well being.

Why?

Because our internal landscape mirrors Mother Nature's. This is where paying attention to seasonality becomes important.

Control your health

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