Get Skinny: Eat a Happy Diet

Eat a Happy Diet

While you may be frowning if you're carrying winter weight, I can personally attest that happy foods are important to boost your mood and dump unwanted pounds and body fat. Dietitians believe people with depression often have low levels of serotonin—a neurotransmitter believed to be involved in modulating mood and appetite.

By eating tryptophan-rich foods we can naturally boost levels of serotonin. Low-fat milk and cottage cheese are good but so is the Mediterranean diet, which includes plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and more monounsaturated fats—like olive oil. Olive oil—a healthful monounsaturated fat—is not the cure-all for life's ups and downs, but it can help you become energized again if you team it with a dark, leafy green salad with plenty of fresh vegetables. If you eat lots of veggies teamed with olive oil, which can fill you up, you’ll be less likely to fill out.

Sure, I hate to cook but I like to eat fine food. So, last night I whipped up a mood-boosting spinach salad topped with premium tuna ( solid white albacore) teamed with whole grain bread dipped in warm rosemary olive oil. Later on, a dish of fresh blackberries and a cup of chamomille tea followed. Here, take a peek of a super recipe, straight from my book The Healing Powers of Olive Oil.

Basil and Spinach Pesto with Walnuts

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 bunch basil
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Spectrum Naturals Tuscan
Style Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a blender, combine half the greens and all the garlic. Add half of the oil and blend until pureed. Add the rest of the greens, a handful at a time, adding more oil as needed. Add the walnuts and cheese, and continue to puree. Season with salt and pepper. Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups.
Source: Chef Gary Jenanyan

Fight Spring Fever 'n Fat with Oil & Vinegar!

Fight Spring Fever and Fat with

Olive Oil & Vinegar...

Spring is a time when love is in the air. I can feel it. Rather than sing the blues (especially if you're carrying unwanted winter weight) when couples seem to be blossoming like olives everywhere you look, let the sun shine on you--like I do.
Whether you're enjoying the season of renewal in the U.S. or getting ready to travel somewhere new and exciting like Europe, you want a leaner, fit and fab beach and pool body, right? Here are six tried-and-true tips from me who has mastered the art of weathering spring fever and staying skinny year-round (fall is my fave season) for both health and vanity's sake.

1. If you are solo, hug or adopt a companion animal. Caring for a pet can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Remember, walking the dog (or cat) can rev up your metabolism. I guarantee it.
2. Talk to a human. Feeling lonely? Pick up the phone and call someone you know. Or better yet, make a social call in person. Keeping active and in touch will keep you from overeating. I sip water while chatting it up.
3. Visualize an oasis. Whether your “peaceful place” is in a Long Island garden, a museum in Manhattan, or some other calming place, simply close your eyes and picture it. If you're centered you won't want to overindulge in food. I imagine a swimming pool like the one in the photo -- Umbria, Italy (http://www.rogaia.com/).
4. Get adequate shut-eye. Ever notice that when you don’t get enough sleep, you get cranky, or overeat sugary foods? Eight hours is the amount of sleep recommended by experts to help replenish your body and mind. I snooze with my two Brittanys--great cuddlers, no snoring.
5. Don’t forget the oil and vinegar. While you’re waiting for Mr. or Ms. Right to come into your life, visit your local health foods store (a good place to meet good people) and purchase eco-friendly white vinegar and olive oil for spring household cleaning (you'll burn calories as you declutter). I love going green--no chemicals. Feels PC.
6. Commit to exercise regularly. Join a local health club, gym, or indoor pool, to get and stay in shape. Use olive oil or olive oil-based products to help keep your skin smooth from head to toe. I swim four times a week, at least. Hope I am a fish in the next world.

Speaking of your body...
Spring Two-Day Vinegar and Oil Detox Diet

This slimming, healthy jump-start meal plan, from my book The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised and Updated (Kensington, 2009--new mass market edition), can help you shed up to five whopping pounds or more of unwanted winter weight and body fat. I promise you this plan works like charm.

Breakfast: Fresh berries (no limit)
Lunch: 4 ounces fresh white-meat turkey
Greens with dressing made of fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon each virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and spices to taste
1 cup fresh berries
Dinner:
6 to 8 ounces fresh flounder, sole, or salmon
1 cup fresh berries
COOL NOTES:
• Drink a minimum of six 8-ounce glasses of water with fresh lemon throughout the day.
• Check with your doctor before starting this or any diet.
• For an extra healthful edge to this diet plan, every day before each meal, drink 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in an 8-ounce glass of water. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, if desired.