Resolve for Better Health, Not to Diet

It's that time of year. Again. The end of December, when we all look back, reflect, and with enthusiasm and courage, rack our brains for one, or even a whole list of New Year's resolutions. But this year, if you keep coming back to the same results, why not consider skipping the ‘diets’ and instead, focus on improving your health as a whole with simple and gradual lifestyle changes?

The dreaded resolution time is upon us and even after an unprecedented and unusual 2020, Americans from coast to coast have once again made the same top pledges for self improvement for the upcoming year: exercising more, losing weight, and eating healthier. The problem, and why many folks end up failing these resolutions, is that they make them as short-term or incredibly lofty goals. The new trend diet, harsh cleanse, or perhaps an aggressive/temporary exercise plan. Quick disclaimer: I am not a medical or nutritional professional, but I do have a few tips on what has worked for me in terms of achieving long-term health and fitness success. 

1. If you can at the very least cut sugar, give yourself a break on the rest: I'm not a fan of overly restrictive diets. They set you up to be unhappy, cranky, and ultimately, to go back to your old eating habits. If you can start with one change, cut the sugar out. This will not only improve your sleep, complexion, and focus, but if your goal is to drop pounds, reducing sugar intake is one of the simplest changes to make to do just that. Remember — sugar has some hidden names, so also be on the lookout for agave, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, apple and grape juice, and honey when checking labels for sugar contents. 

2. Skip the juice cleanses / detoxes and focus on whole foods: Yes, they might help you lose weight. And the health benefits and claims they will make are endless. But the weightloss is almost always temporary, and this method to achieving your health goals can actually be quite dangerous — causing blood sugar hikes, colon infections, and even more severe issues. The fact of the matter is, there is no "quick fix" when it comes to weight loss or better health, and if you want to go the liquid route, at least limit it to one meal a day and make it a smoothie over a juice, and add veggies! This way, you'll lower the sugar quantity and capture the fiber from the whole fruits and vegetables you're blending, helping you to stay fuller, longer. 

3. When it comes to exercise, find something you love: If you hate running, don't do it. There is no way you'll ever maintain an exercise regime if the fitness method you select is something you don't enjoy! It doesn't have to be a rigorous cardiovascular activity, it can be online yoga, or even a brisk walk, just find something you personally derive pleasure from, and make it as ingrained in your daily routine as fastening your seatbelt. Even a little exercise is better than none! 

4. It's okay if you miss a day, fall off the wagon, take longer than planned: Some things take time. And frankly, losing weight and changing your lifestyle are two very difficult things that will require patience and hard work. So, be kind to yourself. Allow for mistakes, cheat days, and give your body time to recover. If you work out really hard for four days, take a couple off. If it's your birthday, have a piece of cake — it's okay! Progress is the name of the game, never, ever perfection. 

How the Holidays Can Improve Your Mental Health — Even in 2020

It’s been a long and arduous year. But that doesn’t mean the end of it has to be joyless. How nostalgia and mindset can make a difference in your mental health this holiday season.

Above, Penguin Lights Pictured at the Bronx Zoo Holiday Exhibit.

For me, Christmas starts the morning after Halloween ends, or as many refer to it in Latin America, All Saints Day. I can't get enough of the holiday season; November and December, to be specific. While some scorn the Christmas music that plays through stores for the two months leading up to New Years Eve, I thrive on it. And even in a year where there certainly has been a lack of gay happy meetings, parties for hosting, and caroling out in the snow, the 2020 holiday season has still brought a slice of normalcy and joy in what has been anything but a typical year. 

"She must be crazy," some of you might be saying. "How could anyone think this is a normal Christmas?"

Normal, no. But many traditions can and have still been accomplished, from playing Christmas playlists on repeat at home, to gift shopping to surprise loved ones near and far away, to baking that favorite family sugar cookie recipe, and of course, many places broke sales records this year when it came to Christmas trees. Have you ever been home so much to enjoy that Douglas Fir? There’s a little silver lining.

My household took it a step further; we found new traditions that were also pandemic-friendly. The Bronx Zoo's socially-distanced outdoor holiday light exhibit, making up donation lunch bags for the needy — complete with hand sanitizer and masks, and drawing family secret Santa names extra, EXTRA early so as to be able to ship gifts if needed.

And of course, there are sadnesses. Some members will not be here this year in person, either because of death, budgets, distance, or safety. Some traditions simply are not possible for many, be it live shows, religious ceremonies, or perhaps because of changed financial situations. 

But here is the good news: The spirit of Christmas and the holidays is here, it's free, and there is still time to embrace it and enjoy it. One way is to look back at the memories from past years, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Hanuukah, Christmas, or whatever holiday you hold dear, and find the joy that nostalgia brings. In fact, it’s scientifically proven that doing so can boost people’s spirits.

The Guardian quoted one researcher, Dr. Tim Wildschut, back in 2014 as saying, “Nostalgia compensates for uncomfortable states, for example, people with feelings of meaninglessness or a discontinuity between past and present. What we find in these cases is that nostalgia spontaneously rushes in and counteracts those things. It elevates meaningfulness, connectedness and continuity in the past. It is like a vitamin and an antidote to those states. It serves to promote emotional equilibrium, homeostasis.”

What does this mean? In a year where so much has been thrown OUT of equilibrium, picking up an old family photo album, your favorite traditional foods at the grocery store, or watching that same old holiday movie, is a very small and safe adjustment to the day that can make a major difference in your mood.

And if you simply are feeling like you need something new and fun before the year is over, that every day is Groundhog Day? Join me in trying out a new holiday recipe from my friend, Gena Hamshaw, RD. It’s one of the last things I need to check off my list for the season — a holiday favorite, gingerbread cookies!

STRESS-FREE VEGAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES

(as written by The Full Helping for FOOD52)

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup molasses

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup demerara sugar, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice

• 1/4 cup almond milk, soy milk, or rice milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Sift dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.

3. Whisk together the oil, molasses, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.

4. Mix wet ingredients into dry, using a whisk, an electric hand mixer, or your hands, until uniform. Flatten the dough into a disk and refrigerate, wrapped in saran, for 30 minutes (or overnight).

5. Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll the dough out till it's a scant 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.

6. Bake cookies for 8 minutes, or until the edges are just browning. Let cool before serving.

How Americans Out-Snobbed The French At Food

My first recollection of French food being connected to anything elite, would probably be due to viewing the art of eating snails as incredibly odd. Well, escargot, to be specific. Of course, I was a child and it was my mother who was referencing her love of the delicacy. This is, however, not a dish one typically makes at home, so I actually don't think I actually even saw it prepared in real life until I was an adult. And I still have yet to taste it, not that I have any desire to. But growing up, she mentioned it from time to time when referencing fancy or special occasions. The thought of eating such a creature at the time seemed so outlandish to my young mind, I surmised it could only mean that the French possessed the most refined of palattes and taste when it came to food. And for many decades, this was a general and popular assumption. However, the last twenty years, a new breed of food snob has emerged here in the US. 

But let's rewind. Funny enough, while French snobbery, when it comes to food, is one of the more commonly accepted cultural blanket statements, it only dates back to just after WWII. With the return of American soldiers and sharp rise in international travel, not only were the unique delicacies and fine cuisine of the region noticed with great increase, but also a parallel in the growing haughty aura of the French food professionals as the years went on. This culminated when Julia Childs made the mistake of including a baguette recipe in her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was a pivotal moment in the culinary divide between France and America, and while she will always be remembered as the woman who brought French cooking to the US, the former country never found her favorable. And their stereotype...well, it stuck. 

However, as the years have gone by, a lot has happened in food. And I mean a lot. In my childhood, while boucheé remained the same as previous decades, healthy began to grow in popularity. Remember what "diet" food meant in the 90's? Enter: hidden sugar and big brand marketing. Hello, Snackwells! Subway! Fig Newtons and of course, NutriGrain Bars! Every mom's "healthy" go-to back in the day for lunches, picnics, the beach cooler, or a road trip. The health food of the decade was laden with sugar, preservatives, and fillers. It was a facade that came crashing down as the century turned, Michael Pollan published, and millennials came into their own. The years passed, the food industry continued to be uncovered, and customers' taste for real food kept growing; there was no stopping the better food movement. And while the intentions were and continue to be good, there is another level that has happened when it comes to the tastes of Americans.

First, we wanted food to be natural. But then food products became so natural...that, well, none of them really were . Next it was organic. But was it REALLY organic? Certified? And was it also biodynamic? Then came gluten-free. And then only raw foods. Fruitarian, preferably. What was next? Some went the Gwyneth route. Expensive potions and oils and supplements galore. We watched her in movie after movie while eating Snackwells as kids, and she will forever be the quintessential blonde Hollywood image we idolized, so, yes. We should eat like Gwyneth. Even if it leaves us starving and broke — that jade egg, ahem, is not to be eaten, mind you. The diets and restrictions have gone to even further extremes: restrictive juice cleanses, eating charcoal, eliminating nightshades, keto, and more. Because frankly, in America, we're not so great when it comes to moderation. When something is deemed good or attractive or lucrative, it becomes an obsession to the nth degree. And this, my friends, is how we have become the snobbiest of snobs when it comes to food.

The irony here is not lost on me. While I have and continue to participate in many of the aforementioned food trends (crazes), I try to find a healthy balance. Because at the end of the day, our food choices should not control our lives, but improve them. And there is a way for them to also be in harmony with the earth. In fact, there must be. 

But going back to the French. While they had a bad rap for many years, which in part might have simply been their attempt to preserve authentic French cuisine's global presence, there is much to be learned from their food and lifestyle beliefs. For one, France has THE MOST SUSTAINABLE food system in the world. They shop for what they need, even if it means a few trips a week to the market, not for the next Armageddon. Yes, in the US, we have not only become the snobbiest, but also waste 30 to 40% of our food supply. Additionally, many French grocery stores have done away with packaging. Not just plastic packaging, but ALL of it! Sacre bleu! They also have a huge emphasis on shopping locally and taking their time to not only enjoy their food during a meal, but each others' company instead of sitting at the table glued to their iphones. And so, while Americans might now be the reigning food snobs, the French have remained at the top, but now with a more favorable food reputation. One from which their neighbors to the West might learn a thing or two.