Source: http://greatist.com/eat/changes-dietary-guidelines?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services just released new federal dietary guidelines. The report, which comes out every five years, directly affects government programs, like public school lunches and The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (a.k.a. food stamps). It also gives general recommendations for all Americans—though no one is going to stop you from eating that Twinkie if you want to.

Here are the big changes this time around:

Focus on “eating patterns” instead of specific nutrients. For the first time, the report says we should think about the big picture, not just “eating less saturated fat.” But in a dose of irony, the new recommendations do come with some very specific suggestions (see below). Cut down on sugar. Added sugar should make up less than 10 percent of your total calories per day. Most Americans consume about 15 percent of their calories in added sugar now. Translation: Eat more whole, nutrient-dense foods and fewer desserts and sugary drinks, says Sara Haas, R.D., a nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Go ahead and eat some eggs—or maybe don’t. The dietary guidelines are hilariously wishy-washy when it comes to how much cholesterol we can have in our diets. The previous report was strict about limiting it to 300 milligrams (less than 2 eggs) per day. This time, it dropped the specific recommendation, but threw in this line: “Individuals should eat as littl…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/01/08/food-and-fitness-week-in-review/

Hello my friends! How was everyone’s first week back after the holidays? It was a really busy one over here! As a dietitian, the first few months of the year are always the busiest – not only with my private practice (AnneTheRD.com – speaking of, I’ve added a new Intuitive Eating-specific package option and updated testimonials on there if you are interested) but also with the blog, since it’s health focused! I spent the week working out of my co-shared space downtown – I’ve determined that about 4 days downtown and 1 day at home is the perfect mix, because then I actually enjoy the day I work at home vs. being super lonely/blah about it. I’m working from home today and enjoyed sleeping in – and now I’m rocking out to some music in my sweatpants and sipping some tea while I work. Life is good!

I meant to schedule a Blue Apron delivery for this week but it somehow got deactivated in my account by accident, so we were flying solo for meals this week. In addition to the two fast and easy meals I wrote about on Wednesday, one night this week we also had a super simple freezer meal!

I had some Bu…

Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/01/weekend-reading-sugar/

After all the talk yesterday about the Dietary Guidelines’ advice to cut down on sugar, and our sadness at the passing of Sidney Mintz who wrote Sweetness and Power, it’s good to consider just why we like sugar so much.  Oxford University Press has an encyclopedia on Sugar and Sweets.  But this weekend, for a short and sweet reminder, consider this contribution to the genre.

Andrew F. Smith.  Sugar: A Global History. Reaktion Books, 2015.

This is one of Andy Smith’s entries in Reaktion’s Edible series of small, brief, lavishly illustrated books devoted to a single food or beverage.

Andy discussed the genesis of this book in an e-mail memorial to Sidney Mintz.

Sid Mintz had an influence on my professional life as well. In the early 1980s I decided to use sugar as a vehicle to write a history of the world.  It was going to be a three volume work: one volume on Southeast Asia/India and the ancient world; one on the Middle East/Mediterranean in the Middle Ages/Renaissance; and one on the Americas and the modern world. I acquired and located thousands of potential books/articles and these were likely just a small portion of the material I assumed would be necessary to examine.

I contin…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/food/kale-salad/

The post-holiday need to hit the dietary reset button is real, and the best way to do so is with deeply nourishing whole foods. Far better than depriving your body through radical dieting, a steady stream of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins will assuage even the most irritated of systems. Enter: The Winter Kale Salad.

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This hearty bowl is perfect for winter, and packed with the earthy, rich flavors of apple, pomegranate, seasonal greens, hazelnuts, and crispy leeks. A generous handful of creamy feta and a bright black pepper red wine vinaigrette round it all out. If you’re looking for a moment to start making your New Year’s resolution a reality, start here—with a salad so delicious you’ll forget you’re mainlining greens. ShareTweetPlusPin

The post A Vibrant Winter Kale Salad appeared first on Sonima.

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Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/meditation-resolution/

It’s that time of year again, where we contemplate major changes in our life. As the calendar refreshes to a new year, we too yearn to hit refresh on ourselves, setting resolutions that we will finally (finally!) implement from now on. It might be physical (such as exercising more or losing weight), emotional (such as being kinder to certain people or volunteering more), or mental (such as getting more organized or focused at work). No matter what your resolution may be, I have a sinking suspicion that meditation will support it.

What Is Meditation?

In its simplest definition, meditation is a way to become familiar with all of who you are. You begin to see the wonderful and inspiring aspects of yourself, as well as the many ways you get stuck and spin out in habitual, not-so-helpful ways. The type of meditation I often teach is called shamatha, or calm-abiding meditation. It’s a mindfulness technique where we keep returning to something that anchors us in the present moment: the breath. You are breathing right now. You don’t need to do anything about it; meditating on it means simply bringing your full attention to what’s already occurring. You need to simply feel the breath. When you get distracted by thoughts, you gently acknowledge that and return your attention to the natural cycle of the breath.

Simple, yet it has profound ramifications—I am a firm believer that whatever your New Year’s resolution may be, this simple a…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/inspiring-body-image-facebook-post?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Thanks to good old New Year’s resolutions, we spend a lot of January thinking about our bodies. Maybe we want to lose weight, eat better, or meditate more. All that reflection on what we want to change makes it way too easy to think of the things we don’t like about our bodies—the part that jiggles, the part that doesn’t look quite right.

That’s why this Facebook post from Molly Galbraith, a certified strength and conditioning coach and co-founder of Girls Gone Strong, stopped us in our tracks. It’s the good, the bad, the ugly, and ultimately the amazing revelation we could all stand to have. Check it out below:

This is my body.

This not a before picture.

This is not an after picture.

This just happens to be what my body looks like on a random Tuesday in December of 2015—it’s a LIFE picture.

This is a body that loves protein and vegetables and queso and ice cream.

This is a body that loves bent presses and pull-ups and deadlifts and sleep.

This is a body that has been abused with fast food and late nights and stress.

This is a body that has been pushed to the brink of leanness in figure competitions and maximum strength in powerlifting meets.

This is a body that begged for mer…

Source: http://summertomato.com/for-the-love-of-food-this-week-the-value-of-taking-the-elevator-why-you-think-healthy-food-is-less-satisfying-and-the-best-oils-for-cooking/

For the Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup. It’s good to be back!

I included a few more than 10 links this week because they were good and, well, it’s been forever. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

This week the value of taking the elevator, why (you think) healthy food is less satisfying, and the best oils for cooking.

Too busy to read them all? Try this awesome free speed reading app I just discovered to read at 300+ wpm. So neat!

Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). Be sure to follow me on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

An Argument for Less Intense Exercise <<Speaking of unsexy resolutions, how about just take a daily walk? I love this. (Huffington Post)
Why we’re losing foods we love, why it matters, and how we can stop it <<Diversity. We need it. It tastes good. Industrial agriculture is killing it. This is a great read. (Washington Post)
In Defense of Food and the Rise of ‘Healthy-ish’ <&…

Source: http://zenhabits.net/rules/

By Leo Babauta

I’m convinced that creating goals or resolutions is hardwired into us, because we can’t stop making them. Unfortunately, we’re not as equipped for making the goals come true, and the pattern most of us have seen is that we start a goal with optimism, only to be disappointed when we haven’t done much after the first week or so.

I’d like to suggest that you try creating rules that will make your goals happen.

A rule in this case is an action you do after a specific event happens, as consistently as you can, which will lead to your goal happening.

Some examples for different goals:

Write a book: When I turn on my computer, I will shut off the browser and all other programs but my text editor, and write for 20 minutes.
Learn Spanish: When I drive to and from work, I will listen to my Spanish tapes and practice.
Read more: When it’s 9:30 p.m., I turn off the computer, get ready for bed, and read my book.
Run a marathon: When my alarm goes off at 6 a.m., go out and do my run for today. Or stretch if it’s a rest day.
Lose weight: 1) When it’s breakfast, eat oats, cinnamon and berries. 2) When it’s lunch or dinner, eat black beans, brown rice, veggies, salsa and guacamole. 3) If I’m hungry in between, eat apples, carrots, or plain nuts. 4) Drink only tea or water, except a cup of coffee to start the day.
Be more mindful: When I wake up, I pee, drink a glass of water, then meditate …

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/c6kOkbowWBs/

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” ~Katherine Ponder

Somewhere in the middle of my freshman year of college, my best friend from high school broke up with me. Out of nowhere, she just stopped talking to me. I tried relentlessly to reconnect, but she stopped responding and never gave me an answer why.

For years it was the most painful heartbreak I had going in my life. It’s still what I consider my worst break-up. And it haunted me until I decided to forgive her.

Forgiveness sounded ludicrous to me at first, but eventually, the pain of carrying the grudge seemed like it might be worse than the pain of setting it down.

I heard a number of people in my life, including one of my yoga teachers, talk about the power of forgiveness. While I didn’t get there right away, I started to marinate on the idea of forgiving my former friend.

I became curious about what acceptance and non-attachment could look like with someone who had really hurt me. It took months after deciding that I wanted to forgive. Until one night, I was ready.

I drafted the email, did a small amount of Internet stalking…

Source: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2016/01/07/the-year-of-adventure-begins-join-me-next-week/

A lot can happen in 20 seconds.

The concept of “20 seconds of courage” has become a rallying cry of sorts for our humble Rebellion over here: it’s an idea that you only need 20 seconds to get yourself to commit to something you want to do but you’re scared to try. You can be scared as hell before and after, so long as you focus having insane courage for just 20 seconds.

Three months ago, I watched 300 Rebels come to Camp Nerd Fitness, using 20 seconds of courage to travel (from all over the world) and sign up for new activities and classes. We attempted our first rolls in parkour, struck our first pose in a yoga class, tried sword fighting for the first time, and more. This 20 seconds of courage helps us to jump in and commit, before we can get scared and back out.

After all, when we’re trying to learn new stuff, it can be scary… we don’t want to mess up, we’re worried people are watching us, we think people might be making fun of us, etc. It’s easy to avoid trying new things, to stick with the stuff we’re good at and avoid potential embarrassment.

Not this year! Not here in The Rebellion.

Imagine you just rebuilt an old car. Sure it was broken down, beat up and out of shape, but you dutifully spent months working on it in the garage: installing a new engine, replacing a dented fender, and giving it a brand new shiny coat of paint. What’s the next step?

Leaving …