Category: Health and Wellness

I have a daily planner / journal of sorts that has the phrase “fit happens” on the front. I love it.

Among the reasons that I love this particular journal, is that is contains a daily “fit tip”.

This morning, as I’m making my list of “Today’s Accomplishments” (I choose this title over “To Do” list because once I check the box, it means I’ve made yet another accomplishment during my day, however big or small, and it makes me feel good), I read the following fit tip:

“Out with the white dishes, in with the blue! Research shows that certain colors suppress appetite because they have the least appealing contrast to foods. Best bets: blue or red!”

Now, I have heard this tip before, but never really paid attention to it. But today, it actually annoyed me. Made me not love my journal quite as much.

Maybe it’s because lately I’ve been acutely aware of how we tend to frame healthy eating. Almost as if it’s a chore that must be devoid of any modicum of joy and we must force ourselves to get through it, using any gimmick imaginable to trick ourselves into eating less. Healthy eating is often thought possible only with superhuman willpower. There’s no way we be successful in our healthy eating efforts without it! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “if it tastes good, spit it out”. This comes mostly from people who believe that eating healthy food means subsisting on tragically over-steamed vegetables without salt and some sad, tired, boneless, skinless chicken breast. Ugh. If that were the case, I wouldn’t eat healthy ever.

But this blue-plate thing really got to me. Why do we have to make our food look less appealing in order to “eat healthier”? This seems to me a dumb solution to forming a foundational habit of eating healthier. Do you REALLY think that a blue dish is gonna help you eat less pizza or chocolate cake? Or—especially this time of year—fewer chocolate peanut butter balls or insert-your-favorite-holiday-treat-here?

The REAL issue is not the color of our dishes, but what we’re putting on them. For example, there is NO DISH BLUE ENOUGH to make me eat fewer French fries or chips & salsa. Not even if it had the Duke Blue Devil himself stamped on it, who I loathe with my whole Tar Heel heart.

By the way, if you have blue dishes because you like the actual dish, that’s totally different.

Instead of trying to make your food look less appealing, why not make food that is BOTH healthy AND appealing so that…

You can ENJOY and FEEL GOOD about eating—both during and after the experience. As an example, below is a typical day of eating for me, and I truly look forward to each meal and enjoy it. I don’t feel like I’ve deprived myself in the least, and I feel good about my choices. Am I saying I ALWAYS eat this way? Heck no, I stumble from time to time and have been known to go on some serious sugar binges when I get really anxious or down about something. But I strive to make eating healthy food a foundational habit for my life. In order to keep that good habit, I have to love what I eat. Taste is too important to me, because food in my opinion is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.

Here are easy, healthy, AND dang tasty examples of meals I love.

Breakfast: egg bowl (2 to 3 eggs scrambled in grass-fed butter with shiitake mushrooms, greens, or whatever veggies I’ve got handy). No, I’m not afraid of using butter—saturated fat does not kill us as old, weak science and rhetoric led us to believe for 50+ years.

Lunch: giant rainbow salad (big ole base of various greens, colorful chopped peppers, radish, cukes, must-have avocado, and a protein—with some type of homemade dressing); OR, leftovers from last night’s dinner. I love leftovers. Cook once, eat multiple times!

Dinner: zuchhini pasta with sauce and big green salad; or roasted chicken with potatoes, onions, and collards; or steak tacos with purple cabbage, cilantro, avocado, and lime; or red lentil coconut curry. The possibilities for truly delicious and healthier, REAL food are endless.

And I eat it all on white dishes to make the experience even more beautiful.

It’s that time of year again…. the leaves are falling, days are getting cooler and shorter, and the start of the holiday season is upon us. With Thanksgiving and holiday parties on the horizon, we wanted to share our 5 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season to help you feel your best this holiday season – energized, focused, happy, and healthy!

Now, it’s fine to indulge every now and again, but the problem with the holidays and the endless parties they bring is that your once-in-awhile indulgences become every day occurrences.

The pumpkin pie you eat on Thanksgiving turns into leftover pie the next few days, along with wine all weekend long, a sugary coffee treat on the way to work Monday morning, cookies in the office breakroom for a midday snack, followed by more pie leftovers when you get home.

Does this ever happen to you?! Want to feel more energized and have a productive holiday season?

Here are our 5 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season

1). Drink more water. Eating salty and sugary foods leaves you dehydrated and low on energy. Pass up the sugary juices and soda and stick to water. It will help flush the bad food out of your body and improve your circulation. Tip: Drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. For example, if you weight 150 pounds, you would want to drink at least 75 ounces of water each day, increasing the amount if you’ve consumed alcohol or salty and sugary foods. 

2). Walk daily. Another way to improve your circulation is to take a daily walk. Your walk doesn’t have to be long – a 15 or 20 minute walk is a great way to start your fitness routine. Walking is also a great way to improve your energy level. You would be surprised how a 20 minute morning walk will give you more energy throughout your day!

3). Eat more dark leafy greens. Dark leafy greens, like spinach and kale, are great foods for getting you back on track. They contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A and K, folate, and iron. They contain high amounts of fiber – which will also help rid your body of the not-so-healthy foods that we encounter during the holidays. Tip: Stop on by SurfBerry and enjoy one of our green juices like Cane Garden, Aloha Verde, or yoga Glow – you’ll get lots of greens in and feel fabulous!

4). Get some sleep. The holidays are always a busy time of year filled with activities and fun. However, you need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep during this time of year so you can feel your best. It is recommended that we get a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep each night to help our bodies rest and recuperate from our day. Getting plenty of sleep helps you stay energized, and keep your immune system functioning properly – so you can fight off all of those holiday germs. Having trouble catching z’s? The Sleep Foundation has a great collection of tips to help you get in your 7-8 hours each night.

5). Enjoy a healthy snack or mini-meal before going to holiday parties. Have you ever heard the expression that you should never go food shopping on an empty stomach? The same goes for holiday parties! Most holiday parties are filled with no-so-healthy foods and lots of sugar from baked goods and alcohol. While these foods are often yummy, we can sometimes over-indulge in them. If you have a difficult time not over-eating at parties, try having a snack or mini-meal before going out. That way you’ll fill up on your healthy snack, and prevent yourself from over-eating at the party. Tip: Stop on by SurfBerry and try one of our delicious smoothies on the way to your next party! You’ll get a good dose of vitamins and nutrients, while filling up a bit on a healthy treat.