Experience Nutrition

Category: A New View of Healthy Eating

A New View of Healthy Eating: Enjoy Dehydrated Organic Tomatoes
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Motivational message from “A New View of Healthy Eating, A-55 Card Deck”

Enjoy Dehydrated Tomatoes

A New View of Healthy Eating: Enjoy Dehydrating Tomatoes, Bananas & Apples

Dehydrating is a simple, quick way to prepare veggies for different types of people and for different culinary uses:
- Raw Diet. Raw foodists (who eat food that is not cooked above 118 degrees) dehydrate lots of fruit, vegetables, crackers with nuts and seeds for everyday eating.
- Simple Fruit. Kids and adults of all ages enjoy dehydrated fruit (bananas, apples, persimmons) for everyday snacks.
- Culinary Delight. Chefs and culinary enthusiasts dehydrate to concentrate and intensify the flvor of food, such as tomatoes, sweet peppers and beets.
20 Pound Flat of Organic Tomatoes. A few months ago I purchased a 20 pound flat of organic tomatoes at an Arizona Farmers’ Market. I sautéed some of the tomatoes into a simple sauce with garlic and onions; roasted some tomatoes with garlic, onions, and carrots for a thick tomato sauce; and dehydrated a batch into a beautiful culinary treat with a deep, rich, sweet garnish for salads, veggies, avocado salsas, and pizza.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Dehydrated Organic Tomatoes

Home-grown Dehydrated Bananas. This week while in Cocoa Beach, Florida, we harvested dozens of bananas from my 80+ year old parents’ yard. My Dad was actually thinking about buying a dehydrator since they grow bananas year-round and literally have 100s of fresh bananas. We dehydrated our first batch of bananas for about 12 hours which are so crunchy, sweet and full of flavor. We also dehydrated a few organic apples that are so crispy and melt in your mouth.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Dehydrated Home-grown Bananas

Dehydrate! I invite you to dehydrate some fruit and share your photos on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

For motivational messages for healthy eating, intuitive cooking, culinary skills, mindful eating, and self care, purchase “A New Way of Healthy Eating”, A-55 Card Deck
December 23, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 3: Cook with Intuition
by Melanie Albert, Food & nutrition author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
“A New View of Healthy Eating” begins with the food we choose to eat, and extends to our shopping, cooking and eating experiences.

Key philosophies of “A New View of Healthy Eating”
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local and in season
- Enjoy intuitive shopping
- Cook with intuition
- Eat mindfully
- Enjoy life
Today’s Focus: Cooking with Intuition

When we cook with intuition, we first use recipes as guides, learn simple culinary cooking techniques, and then intuitively create beautiful, tasty meals with real whole foods.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking: Farmers’ Market Organic Stir-fry

With intuitive cooking we use recipes as guides. We first learn simple basic culinary methods and techniques (such as raw, steaming, roasting) to prepare real whole foods with recipes as our guide. Naturally, over time, we learn to trust our own intuition to cook foods we desire using cooking techniques we have learned.

Overtime, we do not need to rely on recipes. We trust ourselves and our culinary skills to create our own healthy dishes. For instance, we learn the culinary technique to steam carrots in a bamboo steamer and use our recipe to finish the carrots with walnut oil, toasted cumin, fresh lemon juice and parsley and a pinch of sea salt. After learning the bamboo steamer technique to quickly steam veggies, we create other steamed veggies (such as broccoli and cauliflower) and finish them with different oils, spices and herbs.

Cook Mindfully. With intuitive cooking we also naturally cook more mindfully, meditatively enjoying the rhythm of chopping veggies or the mindfulness of massaging kale or grating fresh spices.

Share your Intuitive Cooking experiences with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

Purchase “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” at www.EXPNutrition.com for motivational messages around healthy eating, culinary skills, simple recipes, mindful eating and self care.
December 22, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Brew Loose Green Tea the Right Way

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition, food and whole food cooking expert, author and speaker; Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Today’s motivational eating, cooking and mindfulness card from “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck”

Brew your own Loose Green Tea

Enjoying Green Tea for 11 Years
I started drinking green and matcha tea in 2004, 11 years ago, when I first starting working in marketing and licensing with Dr. Andrew Weil (Weil Lifestyle, LLC) who is an advocate of the health benefits of green tea.

Top 6 Reasons Green Tea is Good for You
1. The antioxidant, ECGC, in green tea is an anti-inflammatory
2. Research has found that green tea benefits heart health, brain health and helps prevent cancer
3. It is full of catechins and polyphenols which help the brain relax and stimulate dopamine levels
4. Theanine in green tea helps improve mood and provides a sense of relaxation
5. Less caffeine than coffee
6. It tastes delicious, so enjoy a few cups every day

Green Tea Experience: From Bitter to Mindful. When I first started drinking loose green tea, it was very bitter tasting to me, but I kept experimenting with different teas and even attended The World Tea Expo a few years. Importantly, I learned the proper way to brew green tea for an enjoyable, smooth taste Today, I I love the smooth, grassy taste and the mindful experience of brewing and enjoying tea.

Brew Green Tea Perfectly Every Time. I invite you to take the time to try a Japanese green loose tea, such as the high quality Gyokuro or Sencha, the most popular Japanese tea. The key is to brew your tea properly so it is not bitter tasting.
• Bring a few cups of water to almost a boil
• Pour over tea leaves in a pot or with a tea strainer
• Brew for about a minute or two
• Enjoy your green tea throughout the day

Share your green tea brewing experience photos with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

And, if you’d like a daily motivational tip around healthy eating, culinary skills, simple whole food recipes and self care, our “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is NOW available: www.EXPNutrition.com

December 20, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Simply Sprout Beans

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
A New View of Healthy Eating: Today’s Motivational Card

Simply Sprout Beans

A New View of Healthy Eating: Try mung beans

Awesome First Sprouting Experience. It was a year ago when I really started to sprout beans, while taking the Professional Plant-based Culinary Course with Rouxbe. I was in Florida visiting my parents and we decided to experiment with all kinds of organic beans (mung, adzuki, green lentils) and a few seeds (sunflower and broccoli). We ended up sprouting about 12 quart jars of beans in a week and harvested so much we shared with neighbors.

First bean and seed Sprouting Experience: Exceeded our expectations.

Popular Mung Beans. Today, our focus is mung beans, which are the most widely eaten sprout on our planet. The sprouting process releases dormant enzymes that make the beans more easily digestible and in some cases, even more nutritious.

Eat Mung Beans Raw or Cooked. Mung beans, a great plant-protein, are very easy and fun to sprout, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw mung beans add a nice crunch on top a salad, avocado salsa, or hummus. And can be cooked for added protein in a veggie stir-fry or soup, and have been used in many Chinese dishes for centuries.

6 Simple Steps to Sprout Mung Beans
1. Soak ¼ cup mung beans in a few cups of water for 8-12 hours out of direct sunlight
2. Rinse beans and place them in a wide mouth quart Mason jar with a wire lid
3. Rinse beans with water 2-4 times a day
4. After each rinsing, rest jar on a slant, so any extra water can drain
5. Harvest beans 2-5 days
6. Enjoy raw or cooked!

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December 16, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Avocado Salsa Day!
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Today my 89 year old Dad chose our card from “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.”

Avocado Salsa Day

Fortunately, we have a few organic avocados, fresh garlic, dehydrated local Arizona tomatoes in our home as a base for our avocado salsa.

With intuitive cooking, making avocado salsa is so simple:

Intuitive Recipe Guide
- Squeeze ripe avocado into bowl.
- Squeeze ¼ fresh lemon and dash of sea salt on avocado and massage the avocado.
- Add an herb: chopped cilantro or basil.
- Add-in your favorite veggies, such as rainbow carrots, cucumbers, green onions.
- Mix in extras: Olives, sprouted mung beans.
I’ll being going to the Sunseed Coop in Cape Canaveral, FL, to see what extras are available and will make my batch of avocado salsa this evening.

Look forward to seeing photos of your creative avocado salsas on Facebook.

Available Now: “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.”
December 12, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating 55-Card Deck: Go for a Nature Walk
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food author, speaker, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Today’s message from my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck” for today is:

Go for a Nature Walk: Self care with Earth

A New View of Healthy Eating

This was the absolute perfect card for today, as I had the opportunity to spend a beautiful afternoon walking on the beach, Cocoa Beach, FL, to simply be with nature.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Go for a Nature Walk: Self care with Earth

Definitely self care with the Earth.
- The rhythm of the waves reminds us to breathe in deeply and to exhale slowly.
- The sand under our feet reminds us that we are connected to the Earth.
- The bright blue sky reminds us that we are connected with the Universe.
- The ebb and flow of the ocean reminds us that we are always changing.
- The ocean itself reminds us that deep within ourselves we are always the same.
A New View of Healthy Eating: Breathe in and breathe out at the beach.

Self care with Earth: Ebb & flow with the waves.

I invite you to take time this week, to go out for a nature walk, wherever you are, and practice self care with nature.

Visit us on Facebook and share this week’s experiences with nature. Would love to see some photos!

You can purchase the cards on my website: www.EXPNutrition.com

Enjoy nature this week!
December 11, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Eat What You Love
by Melanie Albert, Food and nutrition expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC.

Our card today from my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck”:

Eat What You Love

A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck: Eat What You Love

I was very excited about his message today, as I have one of my favorite foods in my home right now, organic dark chocolate, which I will definitely enjoy.

To me, the message around this card is to give ourselves permission to eat and enjoy foods that we may have deprived ourselves from eating in our past or even today.

I invite you, right now, to grab a piece of paper and pencil and do the following exercise:
- Step 1: Write down all of the foods that you absolutely love. Be creative. Write down all of the foods, even from spices, to olive oil, to fruits, to veggies, to snacks, to beverages.
- Step 2: Now, draw a circle around 5 of those foods that you generally deprive yourself of. That is, you love the food, but you do not eat that food.
- Step 3: Draw another circle around one of those 5 foods that you commit to eat this week. Choose your food that you will, right now, give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Unconditional permission to eat with joy!
- Step 4: Say out loud with passion: “I love my life and I give myself unconditional permission to eat_________________” (fill in your food)
- Step 5: Go out and purchase your food or go out to a restaurant and enjoy your food with a friend.
- Step 6: Share your experiences with us on Facebook. Would love to see your photos of you enjoying your “eat what you love food” and how this experience was for you.
Often when we do this “eat what you love” exercise in classes and workshops, people give themselves permission to eat chocolate cake. Pizza is always on the top of the list. Many love ice cream. Do you relate?

Have fun and really enjoy your food this week!
December 9, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Try a New Food

by Melanie Albert, Author, Nutrition & food expert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Now that my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is in my hands, I will be sharing a few cards with you each week. It is my intention to motivate you to take action around food in a positive way, with new ways to shop, new culinary skills, trying a new recipe, eating mindfully, or adding a little self care in your life.

Today, our card is: Try a New Food. Not all radishes are red.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Try a New Food

In November, while shopping at a local Phoenix farmers market for a catering event for the non-profit, Mankind USA, there were many different colored radishes available, so I actually purchased all of them, from bright red, to white, to purple, to watermelon radish. I knew we would be roasting roots for the event, so I bought the rainbow of radishes. We also used the radishes raw for dipping in the amazing hummus. When eaten raw, radishes are often a little spicy and when roasted they become naturally sweet.

Not all Radishes are Red

A farmers’ market is the perfect place to experiment with new foods, you have never tried before. Look for a food you do not recognize, ask the farmer about it, and they may also give you ideas on how to prepare it.

Look at the beautiful purple radish!

I invite you to visit a farmers’ market or natural market, and buy one, just one, new-to-you fresh veggie. Come over to Facebook (www.Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating) and share a photo of your new veggie with us and how you prepare it. We can give you suggestions on how to prepare it.

Most important, have fun and enjoy new, interesting food this week.

The first printing of the new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is now available to purchase on our website: www.EXPNutrition.com

December 8, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 2: Shop Local, In Season, With Intuition
by Melanie Albert, Food & nutrition author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
A New View of Healthy Eating begins with the food we choose to eat, and extends to our shopping, cooking and eating experiences.

The key philosophies are:
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local and in season
- Enjoy intuitive shopping
- Cook with intuition
- Eat mindfully
- Enjoy life
In this blog we are focusing on shopping, where and how to shop for real whole foods.

Shop local and in season. When we eat food that is grown by local farmers, community gardens or our home gardens, our food is fresher and more nutritious since it is more recently harvested has not traveled thousands of miles and many days to arrive at a grocery store and our table. When we eat food that is in season, we eat food that our bodies naturally need at that particular time of the year or location around the world. We also support our local farmers and local economy. And, we have the opportunity to experiment with new foods that we may not be familiar with.

“I love to the opportunity to try new-to-me foods, especially when I shop at farmers markets. Sometimes I do not recognize a plant food, but I buy it anyway and experiment with it in my kitchen or classes.” Melanie Albert

Enjoy Intuitive Shopping. Enjoy the Process of Intuitive Shopping. When we shop for our food, it’s important to first pause and listen to our body. What are we craving right now? When shopping, shop mindfully and pay attention to the foods, colors, textures, and even aromas we are intuitively drawn to. Sometimes we might be drawn to lots of greens, other times it may be citrus or tomatoes. This is especially fun when we shop at different farmers markets and notice our choices in food during different times of the year.

“Intuitive shopping is fun. Listen to your cravings and shop with your senses.” Melanie Albert

This week, visit a farmers’ market and shop with your intuition. Come over to our new page on Facebook, and share photos of your shopping experience: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

For daily motivation check out our new: “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.” Available NOW www.EXPNutrition.com
December 6, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 1: Eat Real Whole Foods
by Melanie Albert, Food & nutrition author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
A New View of Healthy Eating begins with the food we choose to eat, and extends to our shopping, cooking and eating experiences.

The key philosophies are:
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local and in season
- Enjoy intuitive shopping
- Cook with intuition
- Eat mindfully
- Enjoy life
A New View of Healthy Eating: Eat real whole foods.

Eat real whole foods. Eat foods that are in their natural form, as nature created them. Focus on plants, local, in-season foods. Focus on organic. When we eat real whole foods, we get more nutrition from the foods, we get all of the fiber from the foods, and we receive the energy from the Earth. When we focus on organic we choose to eat food that is “clean”, without pesticides or herbicides, and that are not genetically modified (not GMO).

Real whole foods include: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and wild salmon. It’s quite simple. The recommended foods in A New View of Healthy Eating are primarily in alignment with an Anti-inflammatory way of eating as advocated by Andrew Weil, MD, the Mediterranean way of eating, and the Blue Zones, as researched by National Geographic, Dan Beuttner and his team.

“Real whole foods are real. Think actual fruit, vegetables, fruits, grains in their whole from, like brown rice, beans such as garbanzo or lentils, nuts & seeds, and wild cold-water fish, like wild salmon.” – Melanie Albert

Your reflection: I invite you to think about the food you have been eating during in the past few days and share with us where you are with whole food eating at this point in time with your life. Come over to our new Facebook page www.facebook.com/newviewhealthyeating

BRAND NEW: AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE NOW: First edition of our new “A New View of Healthy Eating: A-55 Card Deck” with daily motivational tips, culinary techniques, recipes, shopping suggestions and self care.
December 2, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: A 55-Card Deck
By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Author & Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona
I’m very excited to announce the launch of my very first card deck, “A New View of Healthy Eating” A 55-Card Deck, as a companion to my Spring 2016 book. As some of you are aware I have been a little quiet during this Thanksgiving holiday to intently focus on creating this deck.

A New View of Healthy Eating Card Deck Layout Ready to Print

Order Today, November 29, 2015. I will be placing my initial order today, so if you are interested in receiving one of the very first decks, I will include your deck in my order. Expected arrival, December 9, 2015.

Celebration Pot-Luck in Phoenix. For those of you who live in Arizona, purchase your Card Deck before December 31, 2015 and come to a special celebration pot-luck (with a new culinary experience) on January 9, 2016, 3-5pm at my home in Phoenix.

The intention of the card deck’s daily motivational messages around food is to inspire you to approach the food you and your family eat, a little differently, that is, with a new view.

A New View of Healthy Eating begins with the food we choose to eat, and extends to our shopping, cooking and eating experiences.

A New View of Healthy Eating Philosophies
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local & in season
- Enjoy the process of intuitive shopping
- Cook with culinary skills & your intuition
- Eat mindfully
55 Motivational Tips in Card Deck
- Food Shopping
- Simple Culinary Techniques
- Whole Food Recipes
- Nutrition
- Mindful Eating
When you receive your card deck, I invite you to intuitively choose a card every day and incorporate that one “new view of healthy eating” into your life. And, share your experiences and food creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Experience.Nutrition.Now

The ultimate goal is to enjoy food & life!
November 29, 2015