weight loss
Inspirational and healthy ways to lose weight.
The Healthiest, Tastiest Whole Grain Breads and Rolls
Sure, we all love shoving crunchy baguettes and soft white fluffy dinner rolls and pillowy, garlicky naan by the truckload into our faces, but there comes a time when we realize that our waistlines are expanding as quickly as dough rising in a warm kitchen. If you still want to enjoy delicious, nutritious grains and do it without becoming a doughgirl, try these recipes - they’re all based on whole grains, so they’re actually good for your body.
Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago in LongevityThe Healthiest Crockpot Soups to Stave Off Winter's Chill
When your lips are chapped, your nose is running, and you’re trying to save money on your heating bill, the last thing you want to eat is a salad. But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat a healthy dinner. Just throw a few ingredients in your crockpot before you leave in the morning and you can come home to a house that smells amazing and a bowl of soup that tastes like health and happiness. If you’re lucky enough to be making one of these soups, stews, or chilis on a weekend, you’ll get to enjoy the delicious aromas wafting through your house while you read, watch movies, and snuggle with the fur babies. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a crockpot to fill and some cozy wintertime dreaming to catch up on.
Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago in LongevityChoosing A Personal Trainer
I was never a hugely active person up until about 6 years ago, in the sense that I wasn’t really aware of how to eat properly and I had never set foot in a gym. I ran cross country while I was at school and I was pretty good at it, but that was about as far as my fitness went. I think I took part in one PE lesson in my entire time at secondary school because of my fear of a) being hit with balls b) looking stupid c) being the last picked for a team and d) getting changed in front of the other girls.
Samantha BentleyPublished 8 years ago in LongevityA Vegan Thanksgiving to Make Carnivores Jealous
There’s one holiday meal each year that I just always kind of dread. It’s not Easter, with the ham and potatoes and luscious spring-themed desserts; it’s not the Fourth of July, with the burgers and lemonade and homemade ice cream. It’s definitely not Valentine’s Day, with the fancy chocolate desserts of your romantic dreams. It’s...Thanksgiving. I know! So American, right? But there’s something about staring at a monochromatic plate of turkey (tastes like turkey), mashed potatoes (am I supposed to be excited?), rolls (yum, but still bland), stuffing (mushy reconstituted bread what?), and gravy (it’s brown...again) that just doesn't do it for me. Everything that I do enjoy about Thanksgiving tends to be made of plants - the bright, tangy cranberry sauce, the green beans or asparagus or brussels sprouts, the complex, spicy pumpkin pie. So when it comes to creating a perfect vegan turkey-day feast, I’m all about ditching any lame tofurky poultry substitute and walking on the wild side. See if these brilliant vegan Thanksgiving switch-it-up meal ideas don’t have your meat-eating friends and relations turning sneaking forkfuls from your plate and asking for the recipe.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityGluten 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.
Alysha DePernaPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHow Meditation Can Change Your Life, According to Science
Most people’s vision of mediation is a guru seated lotus style on a peaceful mountaintop, but there’s way more to it than that. Scientists and doctors are starting to catch on that mindfulness can be a powerful tool for healing. Even if you’re not a big fan of “woo” type stuff like massage or essential oils, you can’t deny actual medical studies that say that meditation changes the structure of your brain (1). It’s also a proven thing that there’s a connection between the brain and body, and that changes to our brain chemistry affect how our bodies work. With that, it’s really not a stretch to think that meditation can heal your body.
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.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevitySuper 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.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHealth 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.
Alysha DePernaPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHomemade, 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.)
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHealthy 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.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityBeyond 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.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in Longevity