Experience Nutrition

Tag: healthy lifestyle

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    To eat well, cook simple meals, and do our best to stay healthy while we are all at home during the Coronavirus “stay-at-home,” it is important to be stocked with a few basic kitchen staples, along with fresh veggies and fruit.

    When we first started hearing about the coronavirus in the US, I actually started thinking about what foods would be essential to have at home. I realized that they are very similar to my list of “how to stock whole food pantry” in my book “A New View of Healthy Eating” for any time of the year. – Melanie Albert

    For a visual of my personal pantry, visit the Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, and subscribe for future cooking videos.

    Learn to Cook. This whole food shopping list is based on staples to be able to cook, simple, delicious meals. Throughout the next few weeks, I’ll share how to use all of these staples. Please feel free to send me a note on my new Facebook Page (Facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ), if you have any specific questions or foods you’d like to learn how to cook, or if you need to make any substitutions, based on what’s available in your area.

    Go Slow. I do recognize that we are all at different levels of cooking knowledge and skill levels. If you are new with cooking, buy what you can and feel comfortable from the shopping list. Do not overwhelm yourself. Go slow over the next few weeks to gradually learn some new cooking skills into your life that may last the rest of your life.

    Shopping List Guide. I personally use this shopping list as a guide and invite you to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Key Shopping Categories

    Use the Panty Shopping List as a guide for the ingredients to stock your pantry in the following food categories.

    • Whole Grains
    • Beans & Legumes
    • Whole Grains
    • Nuts & Seeds
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • Seasonings / Sea Salt
    • Dry Goods
    • Fresh Produce (hopefully your local farmers markets are open)

    Whole Grains

    Choose a few different whole grains for breakfast and side dishes. Buy a few pounds of each. If whole grains are not available in your local stores right now, or if you’d prefer delivery to your home, I just checked, and they are available online on Amazon (not promoting, just informing). I’ll be sharing a very simple way to cook whole grains perfectly every time, right on the stovetop. I’ll also share how you can enjoy grains for breakfast, lunch, and side dishes, including Veggie Bowls with Whole Grains.

    • Brown rice
    • Quinoa
    • Steel cut oats
    • Rolled oats

    AP-IMG_1244-grains

    Dried Beans & Legumes

    I totally recommend dried beans as they are much more affordable than canned beans and taste better, as well. Buy a few pounds of dried beans and lentils to be used to make hummus, tossed in a salad, soup.

    With our Food & Lifestyle Tips and Videos, I’ll be sure to share with you how to easily cook dried beans. I’ll also share recipes for tasty hummus originally made for the VIP Tailgate Party at the Super Bowl in Miami in 2009, lentil soup, raw chili, and will create other recipe ideas for you.

    Experiment with a few different beans and legumes, such as:

    • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
    • Green lentils
    • Red lentils
    • Black beans
    • Pinto
    • Kidney
    • Tepary Beans (especially if you’re in Arizona)

    AP-IMG_1234-beans

    Nuts & Seeds

    Nuts and seeds are rich in protein and healthy fats and can be eaten as snacks, made into nut milk, used in smoothies, toppings in salads, and delicious raw desserts.

    Buy a variety of raw organic nuts and seeds, such as:

    • Almonds
    • Cashews (great for desserts!)
    • Pecans
    • Walnuts
    • Pumpkin seeds
    • Sunflower seeds
    • Hemp seeds
    • Chia seeds (for smoothies)

    AP-IMG_1239-nutsseeds

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    During this time (and always), you’ll need a high-quality olive oil. Recommend: Organic, First-pressed, Cold Pressed. Less than .8 percent acid.

    Will be sharing tips on how to make a simple 3-ingredient home-made salad dressing, and different ways to cook veggies using olive oil as flavor. Personally, I use olive oil almost every day and believe it is a must in our kitchen all the time.

    AP-IMG_1214-oil-salt-vine-dates

    Seasonings

    The top seasoning is sea salt or Himalayan salt. Salt brings out or enhances the flavor of whatever we cook. I use coarse Celtic sea salt and hand-grind it in a mortar and pestle for cooking.

    A few basic seasonings you can use now while we are “at home” and continue to cook with in the future.

    • Dried Mediterranean herbs: Combination or separate herbs, such as basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme
    • Seeds: Cumin (for hummus and soups)
    • Dried Mexican spices: Any kind of peppers, such as chili, ancho, chipotle
    • Dried spices: Cinnamon (key); Extras: nutmeg, cardamom

    AP-IMG_1209-herbs

    Dry Goods

    Other extra foods to stock your pantry.

    • Coconut water (for smoothies)
    • Vinegar: Any kind for salad dressings, such as balsamic, red wine, rice, apple cider
    • Stone-ground mustard (for salad dressings)
    • Coconut oil. Virgin, unrefined (for desserts)
    • Extras: Olives and goji berries (my favorite extras)

    Fresh Produce

    Roots

    In the Daily Food & Lifestyle Tips, I will be sharing how to cook root veggies a few simple ways: Roast, Steam, Sauté, and even Raw.

    • Carrots
    • Beets
    • Sweet potatoes
    • Radishes

    Greens & Veggies

    We can enjoy nutrient-rich greens in side dishes, soups, and veggie bowls.

    • Dark leafy greens: Kale, collards, arugula, spinach
    • Broccoli
    • Cauliflower
    • Celery
    • Lettuce
    • Tomatoes
    • Bell peppers
    • Your favorites

    AP-IMG_1206-veg

    Fruit

    • Bananas (freeze some for smoothies)
    • Apples
    • Lemons, limes (important for salad dressings)
    • Avocados
    • Dates
    • Your favorite fruits, for snacking
    • Frozen fruit: Mixed or separate berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries

    AP-IMG_1205-fruit

     

    Fresh Herbs

    Purchase a few herbs, available at your local farmers markets or grocery stores. We’ll use the herbs to add flavor to all kinds of veggie dishes. Or, if available, plant a few of your favorite herbs. Side note, here in Arizona, one of our plant-start entrepreneurs is delivering plants, including herbs, to our homes.

    • Parsley
    • Basil, dill, oregano, marjoram

    Shopping List Guide. I invite you to use this shopping list as a guide to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Cooking Videos. I’ll keep you posted on new, whole foods, plant-based cooking videos on my Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, so you can actually see how to prepare dishes with the basic foods in the shopping list.

    Share on Facebook. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, please reach out to me with any questions on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Favorite Quotes

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    Come on over to our Facebook page, and share how you will take care of your body today?

     

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: New to Me: How to Gently Sweat Organic Veggies

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    To further my cooking expertise for myself and my clients in speaking engagements, cooking classes and writing, I’m enrolled in a Professional Plant-based Cooking Certification with the Rouxbe Cooking School. I am definitely learning amazing skills, such as knife skills, and new ways to prepare simple, healthy, beautiful food.

    This week, I learned something totally new: Sweating vegetables. Why do we even sweat veggies and how do we do it? I learned that sweating veggies is the first step in preparing the flavor profile of a dish, it’s a dry heat method of cooking and a very gentle way to cook. Patience is key.

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION 9 Ways 90 Days Organic Veggie Sweat Recipe
    The recipe I prepared for my class was local organic veggies with quinoa. Within “9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life” eating real food, cooking simple meals, and eating local, in-season produce are important. So, this recipe is perfect.

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    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION 9 Ways 90 Days: Sweating Organic Veggies Recipe

    Ingredients
    Approximately ½ cup of each of the following organic veggies:
    • Onion
    • Fresh garlic cloves
    • Carrots
    • Red pepper
    • Celery
    • Squash
    • Quinoa cooked in a home-made veggie broth
    • Plus, Olive oil, sea salt

    Simple Steps
    • Mince all veggies
    • Place olive oil, onion and a pinch of sea salt in sauté pan, turn stove on medium-low and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. It’s important to be very patient, with the gentle slow heat, and do let the pan get hot enough to hear sound (that’s the moisture of the veggies).
    • Add in the carrots, celery and fresh garlic, and again cook until the veggies are a little soft.
    • Add in the red pepper and cook until soft.
    • Add in the squash and cook a little. (I prefer a little crunch in squash, so I only cooked it about a minute).
    • Fold the quinoa into the sauté pan
    • Enjoy!

    Come on over to our 9 Ways 90 Days Facebook page to see more Sweating Veggies photos and to share your sweating veggies photos.

     

  • This is Me! I am Creative. Thanks Huffington Post!

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

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    9 Ways 90 Days: Live Your Passion

    18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

    Recently, I had the pleasure to hear Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, speak at an Institute for Integrative Nutrition Conference and I loved her passion and humor. So glad to see the article on The Huffington Post, “18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently.”  I’ve always believed that one of my key strengths is my creativity and that I think and build ideas in new ways. But, WOW, when I read this article, so many other attributes of my life are in-sync with the umbrella of creativity.

     

    I’m sharing this because finding your passion and living the life of your dreams is essential for happiness. Within the Food & Life 9 Ways 90 Days program, in Way #9 “Live Your Passion” we offer powerful exercises to help you live the life of your dreams.

     

    Back to The Huffington Post article, the 18 things highly creative people do differently are:

    1.      Daydream

    2.      Observe anything

    3.      Work hours that work for them

    4.      Take time for solitude

    5.      Turn life’s obstacles around

    6.      Seek new experiences

    7.      “Fail-up”

    8.      Ask the big questions

    9.      People watch

    10.  Take risks

    11.  View life as an opportunity for self expression

    12.  Follow true passion

    13.  Get out of their own heads

    14.  Lose track of time (get into the flow)

    15.  Surround selves with beauty

    16.  Connect the dots

    17.  Constantly shake things up

    18.  Make time for mindfulness

    To read the entire article, click here.

     

    Your Action

    Think about your key strengths or passions and notice how they affect your life.

    Come on over to Facebook and share!

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Learn to Eat Local

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 9 Ways 90 Day Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living.”

    “With farmers’ markets and CSA, I’ve tried new-to-me veggies such as purslane, striped beets, purple carrots and all kinds of leafy greens,” Melanie Albert, Experience Nutrition

    9 Ways 90 Days: Farmers' Market Berkeley, CA
    9 Ways 90 Days: Farmers’ Market Berkeley, CA

    Great Reasons to Eat Local

    • Locally grown produce is fresher, tastes better and lasts longer – It’s farm-fresh, just picked, unlike food in our grocery stores that travels an average of 1,500 miles.
    • Eating local keeps us in touch with the seasons – We eat foods when they are at their peak taste, most abundant and importantly foods that grow where we live are generally what our body needs at time of the year.  For instance, when it’s summer-time, much of the available food, like strawberries and watermelon tends to be light, water-rich and cooling.
    • You can support your local economy.Shop at your local farmers’ market or Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
    • It’s better for environment – Eating local does means your food is not traveling long distances to reach you.

    Find a Farmers’ Market Near You

    As demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables has increased, so too has the number of farmers’ markets across the nation. After 18 years of steady increases, the number of farmers’ markets across the country now registered with the USDA is 7,864, compared to 1,744 in 1994.

    To find a local farmer’s market, visit the Local Harvest site at www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/.

     

    Join us on Facebook and post a photo of your favorite farmers’ market.

     

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: 5 Simple Ways to Eat Kale.

    9 Ways 90 Days Eat Kale
    9 Ways 90 Days Eat Kale

    Pre-order NOW: Get the simple ways to prepare kale in our new book, “Enjoy Food & Life, 9 Ways 90 Days step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living.”

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Determine How Much Water You Need to Drink

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 90 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & life.”

    It depends on you. The amount of water you need to drink depends on your size, age, level of physical activity, and where you live. Do you work out a lot? Do you live in a warm, dry climate? Are you older? You should drink more water if you live in a hot dry climate like Arizona or if you work out often. If you are over 65 with medical conditions, it is important to consult your healthcare provider on proper fluid intake, as too much water may be as dangerous as too little.

    9 Ways 90 Days: How Much Water do You Need to Drink?
    9 Ways 90 Days: How Much Water do You Need to Drink?

     Action

    • Find out how much water you should be drinking. Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2 to get the number of ounces you should drink daily.
    • Add in extra ounces, if you work out often or live in a hot, dry climate.
    • Come over to Facebook and commit today to drinking the right amount of water for you.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote

    “The evidence is overwhelming at this point. You eat more plants, you don’t eat other stuff, you live longer.” – Mark Bittman

    9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote
    9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote

    9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote

    “Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends.” – George Bernard Shaw

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    9 Ways 90 Days Food Quote

    Share your thoughts on this quote: Visit us on Facebook.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Very odd: Craving Real Whole Grains today.

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    While chatting with a friend on Facebook this morning,  I just realized that I must be craving real whole grains. This morning I have cooked and eaten steel cut oats with raw almonds and apples for breakfast. Kneaded organic sprouted spelt flour to bake flatbread, and am soaking brown rice to cook with dinner.

    9 Ways 90 Days: Please Eat Real Whole Grains
    9 Ways 90 Days: Please Eat Real Whole Grains

    Crazy. I have never craved whole grains like this. So, my body may be missing something. Real whole grains (not processed) are nutrient-rich.  Full of protein, fiber, B-complex, iron and magnesium. Whole grains balance sugar highs and lows. Due to the fiber in whole grains, they digest slowly, and produce more stable blood sugar levels than refined, processed grains.

    Be sure to consume whole grains. Do not eat grains processed or refined into bread, crackers or cereal.

     

    According to the Whole Grains Council (www.WholeGrainsCouncil.org) the benefits of whole grains most documented by studies include:

    • Reduce stroke risk by 30-36%
    • Reduce risk of type 2 diabetes risk by 21-30%
    • Reduce heart disease risk by 25-28%
    • Better weight maintenance
    • Reduce risk of asthma
    • Healthier blood pressure levels
    • Healthier carotid arteries
    • Reduce risk  of inflammatory disease
    • Lower risk of colorectal cancer
    • Less gum disease and tooth loss

    Come on over to Facebook and share a photo of your favorite whole grains.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Create Your Self Care Menu

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Self care is essential. Take time every day to do something wonderful just for you to refresh, renew, relax and rejuvenate. Since we are all extremely busy with responsibilities, it’s important to take time for you. In addition to yourself, it’s vital to enjoy all your relationships.

    9 Ways 90 Days Self Care Menu
    9 Ways 90 Days Self Care Menu

    What do you do just for you?

    We are all so busy with life, work, family and responsibilities that sometimes we forget about ourselves. I love selfcare. I consciously added it to my life a few years ago. To me selfcare is doing something nice for me. Doing what I love to do. Sometimes it’s going to an NFL football game, getting a massage, working out in the middle of the day at the gym, experimenting with new recipes and new local produce, or it’s a special outing with my niece.

    My Self Care Menu

    • Cooking new foods
    • Farmers markets in new cities
    • NFL football games
    • Art projects with my niece
    • Walking Bruno, my niece’s dog
    • Lunch at True Food Kitchen
    • Beach walks in Cocoa Beach
    • Sunset golf course walks in my backyard
    • Matcha tea ceremony with myself
    • Massage anytime
    • Practice flow and yin yoga
    • Read nutrition and cookbooks
    • International travel
    • Week at a spa
    • Breathe deeply

     Action: Create your self care menu. Take a few minutes to write 15-20 different things you love to do just for you. What do you really enjoy doing that do not pertain to your responsibilities with family or work? Pick one item from your self care menu every day and do it.

    Visit us on Facebook and share the “top 5” on your self care menu.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Yin & Yang of Exercise

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder and CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living.”

    Why Exercise is Vital

    Exercise has been an important part of my life. But it is important to note that my exercise routine has changed overtime depending upon my age, where I lived and what was going on with my life. In college I was a runner and played tennis. During corporate days I taught aerobics, did strength training and played a lot of golf. Since I’ve been an entrepreneur, I’ve practiced yoga and a few years ago added the gym back to my life for weight training and cardio. Walking on the beach or golf course has always been part of my life.

    Yin and Yang of Exercise
    Yin and Yang of Exercise

     

    Yin & Yang

    I’ve noticed that when my life is very yang with lots of intense meetings and speaking engagements and when I’m around crowds of people, I prefer a more yin calm exercise, like yoga or a quiet walk on the beach. On the other hand, when I’m quietly writing or thinking about strategy, I prefer a more yang workout such as cardio and weight training.

     

    Why Exercise and Movement is Vital to Life

    • Combats health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and benefits bone health and brain health
    • Controls weight
    • Improves muscle strength
    • Increases flexibility
    • Increases energy
    • Enhances mood
    • Reduces stress
    • Promotes better sleep
    • Improves quality of life
    • It’s fun

    Visit us on Facebook and share how you incorporate Yin and Yang Exercise into your life.

  • Why We Must Hydrate

    Hydrate All Day. Every Day.

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert & Author, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Why We Need Water

     Our Systems Need Water

    Hydrate All Day. Every Day.
    Hydrate All Day. Every Day.
    • Every system in your body needs water to function properly
    • Your body is made up of 75% water and your brain is 85% water
    • Water carries nutrients to cells
    • Essential for good digestion
    • Lubricates joints and is an important part of all movement
    • Necessary to excrete waste and toxins from the body
    • Helps regulate body temperature

    Stay Hydrated

    Heart: Dehydration lowers blood volume, requiring your heart to work harder to provide enough oxygen to your cells

    Brain: Staying hydrated keeps memory sharp and mood stable – even slight dehydration reduces our ability to recall new information

    Exercise: Being hydrated makes exercise and even walking more difficult, and reduces the amount of aerobic exercise you can do

    Visit us on Facebook and SHARE Why YOU Hydrate.

  • Our Country is Sick & Confused About Food

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert & Author, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition

    America is Sick & Confused about What to Eat
    America is Sick & Confused about What to Eat

    America is Sick & Confused about Food. Our country is sick with epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes and many live in pain. An estimated 45 million people are on diets each year. The food in our country has changed dramatically with processed food and fast food over the last 50 years. Many in our country today do not eat at home and do not know how to cook. People are also confused about what to eat. There are so many different food pyramids and 100s of different dietary theories in the media.

    Status of Health in America Today. There are huge problems in our country today. Our country is sick with epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes with many people living in pain. An estimated 45% of people are on diets, which do not work.  Even professional athletes experience many of the same health concerns as the general public.

    Growth of Processed Foods. The food in the U.S. has changed dramatically with the consumption of processed foods and fast foods negatively affecting the health of our nation. McDonald’s opened in the U.S. in 1955 and today one-fourth of the population of our country eats fast food every day. Furthermore, Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries.

    Changed Eating Habits. In addition to the food eaten in the U.S., people’s eating habits have changed dramatically. Today, people are eating while watching television, driving or working and many do not know the basics of eating at home.

     Confusion About Shopping and Preparing Food. People are so accustomed to eating out, eating on the run, grabbing quick processed foods or microwaving a meal, that we have lost our skill of shopping for and preparing real food.

  • Enjoy Food & Life: 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step Action Plan for Healthy Eating & Living

    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step Action Plan for Healthy Eating & Living, by nutrition and food expert, Melanie Albert, featuring former NFL players.

    NEW BOOK: January 2014

    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living
    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living

    9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan is based on the successful program which positively affects the health and nutrition of former NFL players and their families. The book offers nutrition education with a simple step-by-step action plan to integrate good nutrition with a healthy lifestyle into life. The program is designed to help you achieve good nutrition and health to reach your personal goals, including reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes, weight loss, reducing joint pain, increasing energy and reducing stress. 

    Our country is sick and people are confused. They are confused about what to eat, how to shop and how to prepare healthy food. The 9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan, created from sound science and a variety of nutrition theories with hands-on interactive learning and cooking experiences, is a solution to these problems. It also includes simple ways to prepare easy meals with recipes, nutritionrecommendations, and the 9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan to incorporate learning into life.