diet
Tips, tricks, recipes, and hacks to make your diet a successful one.
The Most Incredible Vegetarian Tacos
When I was a kid, tacos always meant ground beef cooked up with some McCormick taco seasoning served in a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese and iceberg lettuce. Only I never ate the iceberg, because, you know, vegetables. Not exactly the first thing you think of when you’re trying to eat whole foods, or more veggies, or less fat. But today tacos are a concept borrowed by every possible food subculture imaginable, and this especially applies to vegetarians. Ditch the original “tacos” of your childhood for spicy sauces and salsas, a hundred different delicious veggie and bean and cheese combinations, and all kinds of crunchy, crispy, flavorful toppings that will make you wish every day was Tuesday (and that there was a taco truck on every corner).
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Gluten Myths People Still Believe
For most people, a life without warm bread and starchy pasta is a kind of unimaginable hell. I harbor deep sympathies for those diagnosed with the three conditions that require strict avoidance of gluten (the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley that give bread that heavenly elastic quality we’ve come to love). If you’re not one of those people who has been told my a certified health professional that gluten is slowly killing you from the inside out, but have instead chosen to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon by choice, I hate to break it to you, but your deprivation (probably) isn’t doing you any good.
By Alysha DePerna8 years ago in Longevity
Fresh Asian-Inspired Vegetarian Salads and Slaws You'll Want All to Yourself
Do you go through the Phases of Salad Enjoyment like I do? Here’s how it works. I realize I haven’t eaten a vegetable in two days and I’m like “Who am I? What am I doing with my life?” I get all excited about salads and start making them again. But after a while, salad boredom strikes and I feel like if I see one more tomato or cucumber on my table, I’m going to toss them out the window and watch them splat in vengeful satisfaction. Unfortunately, this leads me back to the part when my diet is sadly lacking in vegetable-rich nutrition. When you, too, reach this unfortunate point, you need something to get you motivated. I suggest Asian-inspired salads like these, fresh, crispy, crunchy, refreshing, spicy, and oh-so-flavorful and textured - just what you need to get you back in the swing of feeling amazing and eating well.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Super Delicious Vegan Sandwiches for Fall
Back in college, my BFF Karen’s then-boyfriend, now husband Eric was part of a Sandwich Club. It had only two members: Eric, and his friend Brian. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I pictured this guy as a chubby, sweaty Dungeons and Dragons kind of guy complete with awkward facial hair and zero social skills. Imagine my surprise when I eventually met this “Brian” and he turned out to a strikingly handsome, very funny guy with perfectly rolled up sleeves and high cheekbones. Also my future husband. Uh...who’s awkward now? (The answer is: me, for judging people I don’t even know and then totally eating my words by marrying them.) ANY WAY, the only way you could get into the Sandwich Club was by marriage (or so Eric and Brian said), and that was definitely a plus. I always forget about how healthy and texturally amazing sandwiches can be. They’re the perfect vehicle for all your crispy, crunchy, chewy, creamy, fresh, and flavor-filled favorites. Just shove your favorite edible goodness between two slices of bread (or lettuce, if that’s the way you like it) and mash your face into it. But if you need some sandwich-making confidence or just new ideas, read on for a list of seriously delicious vegan sandwiches that are perfect for fall.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Health Foods That Aren’t Actually Healthy
Navigating the dusty isles of the grocery store can be a daunting enough task itself. Combine that with the often overwhelming options of “health foods” that promise to help you lose weight, gain muscle, or generally keep your body in peak condition. While many of these foods do provide nutritious benefits, many provide nothing more than false promises.
By Alysha DePerna8 years ago in Longevity
Probiotic Foods You Need in Your Diet
Do you know all the probiotic foods you need in your diet? Normally the idea of bacteria makes people uncomfortable. We have all of these soaps, wipes, and disinfectants we can stash in our purses and backpacks for the specific purpose of killing bacteria. But anyone who’s sat through an introductory level biology class will remember that we can’t actually kill off all of the bacteria in the world. We need some of it in our intestinal lining to promote healthy digestive processes and keep our lives running smoothly. Frequently, we get ourselves off track in terms of growing healthy bacteria by eating foods that aren’t so great for us, or overloading on antibiotics. Luckily, there are food options out there, probiotic foods, that you need in your diet to help regulate your digestive system.
By James Porterson8 years ago in Longevity
Homemade, Energy-Packed Vegan Snack Bars You'll Love
What’s currently hanging out in your snack cupboard? I’ve got...let’s see...1/4 of a bag of off-brand BBQ potato chips, 3 partially crumbled cheese-flavored rice cakes, some extremely stale Wheat Thins from a camping trip several weeks ago...and, oh, goody! Two alarmingly bendable graham crackers! I do also have lots of fresh fruit, but the thing about fruit is...it just doesn’t feel like a snack on its own. To avoid opening the giant bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups I just bought for Halloween, it’s going to have to be vegan energy bars TO THE RESCUE! Shun your own stale snack cupboard and stir up some of these fresh, crunchy, sweet and salty bars to munch. I can’t promise I’ll stay away from the candy stash completely, but at least it’ll have a fighting chance of lasting a little bit longer. (Tying yours up in brown paper and twine is completely optional, albeit adorable.)
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Healthiest Superfoods
Who doesn’t want to wake up happy and healthy with a bright mind every morning? You can easily accomplish this by incorporating some of the healthiest superfoods in your daily diet. If you’re wondering, “What makes the healthiest superfoods so special?” you’re not alone. What exactly is a “superfood”? To put it in basic terms, it’s a food that is really great for your overall health. It is almost like superfoods have superpowers, that’s how good they are for you. These foods are ideal for your body and can add a big dose of nutrients to your diet. A great advantage of superfoods is that you get a lot from a little. You don’t have to eat a ton of the same food to get the effects. Below we have assembled a list of the healthiest superfoods that you should try to consume daily to improve your health.
By James Porterson8 years ago in Longevity
Healthy Up Your Pasta, the Veggie Way
It's not that you don't LIKE vegetables. It's just that there's so much delicious pasta to eat. But you don't have to choose between the two, and you don't have to relegate your veggies to an afterthought of a side salad. Mix your carbs and your produce together for outstanding, flavor-packed main dishes, cold or hot, that are even better for lunch the next day (or breakfast, if you simply can't wait to taste more). Grab your best knife and get chopping, dicing, and julienning while the pasta boils, or toss it all in together! Either way, you'll meet both of your food goals. One, eat vitamin and fiber-rich vegetables because you like a healthy strong body and two, eat delicious, delicious spaghetti and linguine and penne and soba noodles as often because pasta is bae.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Beyond Smoothies: Blend Your Way to Fall Comfort Food
So, smoothies, right? Those have been a thing forever now, and you might have jumped on the bandwagon of liquified goodness and bought a Blendtec or a Vitamix or a Ninja or even ALL THREE if you’re an overachiever like that. But maybe - and I‘m not accusing anyone of anything, I’m just saying that maybe - that blender has been sitting there in all its powerful glory on your countertop and gathering dust. Sure, the first week you made a smoothie every single day, and maybe you Instagrammed some sweet pics of all that fruity goodness, but then you got busy and it was back to Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts (or nothing at all). It’s not your fault! Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are Glucosia’s gift to mankind (she’s the goddess of sugar), and blending gets boring when you’re doing the same berry-banana-almond milk dealio all the time. But I am here to blast you out of yawn-town and help you take your blending game to the next level! Way beyond smoothies, your blender can do a billion other things, and you are about to break that baby out and make its wildest dreams come true - helping you get fit and healthy like never before.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Best Healthy Food Instagrams to Follow
The best healthy food Instagrams to follow are out there to inspire you to create new treats that taste good and are good for you. Healthy eating can be easy, but it can also be easy to burn out and resort back to consuming your favorite junk foods. While there are dozens of Instagram accounts out there featuring adorable cupcakes and oh-so-cheesy pizza slices (you know you’ve done it!), there are also so many healthy food Instagrams out there for you to drool over. Greasy fast food selections aren’t the only way to generate a few likes from your followers. Healthy food Instagrams are on the rise for promoting healthy lifestyles that can inspire you daily. Acai bowls topped with neatly arranged fruit always make me smile. Following healthy food Instagrams is a great way to prioritize a healthy eating lifestyle by keeping it in the forefront of your mind. It’s also a great way to discover new ways to prepare some of your favorite healthy foods to keep you interested in maintaining that well balanced diet. There are plenty of healthy food Instagrams to follow and the key is finding a few that match your personal dietary goals and needs.
By Alicia Springer8 years ago in Longevity