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What Are Nourishing Desserts? + An Interview with Robin Shirley of the Take Back Your Health Conference

April 10, 2013 in Interview

A couple of months ago when attending a meeting to plan the Grow Your Health event in Fairfax, VA, I met the lovely Robin Shirley, and I found out from her that she is the mastermind behind the magnificent, life-changing health and wellness conference called the Take Back Your Health Conference in Northern Virginia. Not only is she managing all the operations to pull off a conference twice a year, but she’s also a certified health coach and she does frequent cooking demonstrations and tastings in the Fairfax area!

Here is a video below of Robin inviting you, yes YOU, personally to the Take Back Your Health Conference this month on April 26-28! And actually … I have an exciting surprise for you in the coming few days regarding this conference. Stay tuned and you’ll find out really soon … {sheepish smile}


Robin_Shirley_1I remember the very first cooking demo with Robin was one I attended on my birthday weekend this March with my hubby.  Coincidentally, Robin was teaching us how to make “nourishing desserts.” As someone who has been hanging out in the real food community for a while, I’ve known that desserts can actually be healthy and delicious, if we use REAL FOOD unprocessed ingredients. I had made a handful of yummy desserts and blogged about them (and many many more that I’ve snapped pretty pictures of and stored on my hard drive to blog about … hopefully sometime in this lifetime!). I love eating homemade desserts (as evidenced by my huge “Homemade Desserts” board on Pinterest), but don’t have much time these days to try new recipes. Robin’s class on nourishing desserts brought to my attention to something I hadn’t really considered till then though … that desserts can actually be NOURISHING! Yeah, now that’s a good reason to indulge, hah.

I later went to a few other classes on “superfood hydration” (learned a lot there) and on “nutrient-dense smoothies.” If you’re in the Northern VA area, I highly recommend that you come to the classes. Check the Take Back Your Health Meetup for the schedule.

In the class on nourishing desserts, she demonstrated how to make 3 delicious treats: fudgy brownies, vanilla blueberry sorbet, and cinnamon apple pecan torte. They all were gluten-free and dairy-free, so they work for individuals with those allergies or food sensitivities. Also, the blueberry sorbet was ready in about 5 minutes. Amazing. Best thing about the class (besides the delicious samples), was that I was struck by this revelation that desserts can indeed be nourishing. How? Glad you asked! Here are some of the points I synthesized from Robin’s demonstration. If you have other ideas, feel free to leave a comment.

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What are Nourishing Desserts?

Nourishing desserts are ones that are made from scratch, using completely unprocessed real food ingredients that are nutrient-dense, like pastured eggs, coconuts, raw honey, organic spices, raw nuts (preferably soaked and dehydrated), grass-fed butter and fresh organic fruits. Yeah, we totally get jipped with those processed sugary $30 fancy cakes from the store — nothing nutrient-dense in there, and all that white sugar and white flour will probably not sit well with your body (whether in the short-run or long-run … or both!) Here are some tips from the class on how to make your desserts more nutrient dense:

1. For desserts that call for eggs, buy quality eggs, from a local farmer. I have personally seen and tasted the difference between organic store-bought eggs and locally-sourced pastured eggs. Bigger, orange yolk on the latter is a sign that just screams “nutrient-dense”. I think it’s important to remember that “we are what we eat EATS”, so hens that are fed an unnatural diet will produce inferior eggs than happy hens eating worms, weeds and non-GMO grain. Of course, if you’re in a pinch and can’t get any from a local source, organic is better than battery-raised conventional eggs.

2. Use only completely natural sweeteners. I know the word “natural” has been used and abused, but here’s what I mean when I say natural sweeteners: a sweetener that exists in nature and is unprocessed. Sweeteners I use on a regular basis are: raw honey (you can get organic honey if you can’t find raw local source), dried fruits, fresh organic fruits, 100% pure Grade B maple syrup, unsulphured blackstrap molasses, and on the very rare occasion - Rapadura (which is dehydrated unprocessed cane sugar NOT stripped from the mineral-rich molasses). You can find Rapadura on Amazon. I personally don’t use stevia because it’s too sweet and most of the kinds out there are processed (don’t even get me started on the scam that is “Truvia”). I guess if you really want to use stevia, you should use the actual green stevia leaf. Also, I would stay away from “agave syrup” - most brands are a sham … and it’s over 90% fructose due to processing. This goes without staying, but you’ll ruin your dessert and your health if you use any artificial sweeteners.

3. Use only completely natural unprocessed fats. Again, when I say “natural” I mean not only “extracted from nature”, but also unprocessed. Nourishing fats I use in desserts include coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and grass-fed ghee. Other fats to use for baking include pastured lard and tallow, but I haven’t tried those in desserts yet. Fats to stay away from include genetically-modified vegetable oils that promote inflammation when consumed, such as like sunflower, canola, corn, soy, and other processed oils. In Robin’s class, she used my beloved coconut oil quite a bit, which is always delicious in desserts!

4. Use only freshly-milled flours or unprocessed nut and seed flours. I have been avoiding gluten for close to two years now, and I’ve lost weight effortlessly after cutting it out. That’s not for everyone however, and some people do alright keeping unprocessed and homemade breads in their diets. However, it’s important to use freshly-milled flours that have not gone rancid, and hopefully soaking the flours ahead of time to release the phytic acid and other anti-nutrients therein. For nut flours, the best case scenario is making the nut flour yourself (pulsing in the food processor for a few minutes) after you have soaked and dehydrated the nuts, also to release phytic acid and make them more digestible. But I am usually too lazy to do the latter, so on the rare occasion I am making something with a nut-base, I either just grind the raw nuts and use immediately, or if the nuts can be wet in the recipe, I soak and do not dehydrate. And sometimes, I buy the packaged organic nut flour (this is especially true for coconut flour which is quite time-consuming to make).

5. Use seasonal, organic fruit when available. This goes without saying, but there’s nothing like a seasonal fruit made into dessert. Apples made into my almost-raw apple pie don’t even come close to mushy, shelf-stable apple sauce. Make desserts based on the season, and your taste buds will be eternally grateful!

What do you think of these tips to make your desserts more nutrient-dense?

I managed to ask Robin a few questions about food and health, what prompted her to start the TBYH Conference, what’s special about this year’s conference, and what she recommends for autoimmune disease in terms of food and diet. Check out the interview, and stay tuned for a follow-up surprise, coming soon!

An Interview with Robin Shirley of the Take Back Your Health Conference

1. I love your energy and enthusiasm for sharing valuable info with others, about food and healthy living. Please share a bit about your health journey as I think it can inspire many others.

Well, it began when I was about 12 years old. I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The pain and inflammation kept me from doing a lot of things that other kids my age were doing. It was difficult, but it forced me to reflect on where my life was headed and what was important to me. When your life is compromised that much, you start looking for answers. So I came across some nutrition and health information. I started the allergy elimination diet in my second year of college. All of my symptoms left. Within minutes of eating chocolate, eggs and beer, my inflammation came raging back. After that moment I knew that there was something to this healthy lifestyle.

2. Through your research and education in natural healing, surely you’ve come across information on how to eat to reduce inflammation in the body. What are 5 of your favorite anti-inflammatory foods or considerations?

The five lifestyle changes that have helped me the most are an elimination diet, plenty of sleep, spending my time doing fun things that make me forget about time (which stimulates anti-inflammatory hormones), including superfoods in my diet and guided meditation.

3. When I found out you were the force behind the Take Back Your Health Conference, I was so impressed! What inspired you to start the conference?

The pain and depression that I experienced inspired me to start the conference. I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through that. Now I have learned that I am not here to prevent others from experiencing disease, but to guide them through it so that they don’t get lost in the pain of illness, whether physical or mental. The Take Back Your Health Conference is a place for us to gather, learn and get inspired to live a healthy lifestyle together.

4. What are your favorite things about the TBYH Conference? What can people expect at this year’s conference on the last weekend in April?

This is going to sound a like I’m tooting my own horn! My favorite thing about the conference is having so many people come up to me and thank me for organizing the conference. It really is an inspiring and energizing event for those who come. And I love seeing everyone come back year after year. I’ve made some good friends! Other than that, the speakers are always  outstanding. They spend every day researching and living these healthy lifestyles and they have great wisdom and fun stories to share. This spring we are opening a Take Back Your Health Cafe at the conference where we are going to serve up delicious, super food for the attendees!

5. The cooking demos you offer for free ($5 suggested donation) in Fairfax, Virginia are amazing. I’ve attended two so far – one on “nourishing desserts” and another on “superfood hydration” and in each, I’ve learned something new. What are some basic cooking and food preparation tips you have for the uninitiated in the kitchen?

Number one, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And number two, don’t be afraid to get your kitchen dirty! It’s hard for me to relate to those who aren’t comfortable in the kitchen because I’ve been cooking since I was a toddler. But, whatever has kept you out of the kitchen until now is not as important as your own health. All of our ancestors cooked their own food. If they could do it, so can you!

6. What are some of your go-to recipes when you’re feeling under the weather?

As soon as I feel sick, I immediately stop everything, make hot amazon herb tea, take camu camu powder and cod liver oil and get into bed. I don’t get out of bed except for water, hot tea and to use the bathroom. I sleep and get in the sauna. If I feel up for it I will do an enema. I keep myself very warm and I read or watch fun movies. As for food, I always make chicken soup with bone broth. And I will hydrate with some of my favorite superfood drinks.

7. As a certified health coach, you can help people looking to improve their health in different ways. How do you usually work with clients, and what can someone expect if s/he is interested in a coaching engagement?

Since launching the International Health Coach Association LLC about a year ago, I don’t have much time to consult. When I do nutrition education it is mostly to groups: speaking, blogging and cooking demonstrations. I will do some consulting here or there, but I am dedicated right now to educating other health coaches so that they can continue to do the good work they are doing!

8. As a foodie, I have a special appreciation for kitchen tools and appliances. I imagine you are probably similar! What are 5 kitchen appliances/tools you use frequently and recommend?

Gosh, I use a blender and a food processor a lot. I also use a paring knife, a big wood cutting board and a casserole dish. I think those are the 5 must-haves for a kitchen. As far as fun gadgets go, I would have to say that I love my garlic press.

9. In addition to coaching, planning the conferences, doing cooking demos, and blogging, you also have a podcast - Take Back Your Health radio. My first question is: how do you have time for it all? And my second question is: why did you decide to start a podcast?

Well, I don’t have time for it all! I have a lot of people helping me, thank goodness. But running a business isn’t just something you can do without great care. To do it successfully, it requires a person to keep a regular schedule so that when it is time to do work, you can focus on it, knowing that the house is kept up, you are well fed and exercised and your social and family life is strong.

I decided to start a radio show to get comfortable talking to others about my personal life experiences. I only do the show once a month right now on the first Tuesdays. It’s on blogtalkradio.com and they make it really easy to run a show.

10. Your journey with autoimmune disease is inspiring and helpful for many people you meet. What are some resources you recommend for those suffering from autoimmune conditions?

For autoimmune disease in particular, I would recommend researching common allergen elimination diets and trying those out. I would also recommend reading any book published by HayHouse. Autoimmune disease is damaging not only physically, but emotionally, and you need to take care of your soul, not just your body.

Who is Robin Shirley?

Robin Shirley is the President and founder of the International Health Coach Association LLC and the Take Back Your Health Conference. She speaks, consults and writes on the topics of holistic health care and online business strategies.

Robin grew up with out-of-control systemic inflammation, which her doctors labeled as Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and chronic Lyme disease. She has spent over 10 years on her own studying and experimenting with nutrition, herbs, movement and various alternative therapies. Robin has personally experienced the power of holistic nutrition and lifestyle adjustments on reducing pain and inflammation and increasing joy and pleasure, which is her inspiration to serve and support others with health challenges. Her mission is to bring together people and health information in an inspirational atmosphere so that healthy lifestyles will spread like wildfire. For more information, check out her site at http://robinshirley.com/.

 

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Interview + Giveaway: “Spring Break” Copy + Non-Toxic Miessence Suncreen

April 2, 2013 in Giveaway, Interview

Ladies and gents, today I will be sharing a most exciting interview with you. A month or two ago, I got a newsletter from a local entrepreneurship meetup group and it had a short interview towards the bottom – the founder of the publishing firm Story Girl Press was asked a number of questions related to entrepreneurship. In the interview, she also mentioned this new concept for a meetup, called “Femworking” – where self-starting women gather to encourage, endorse, promote and network. I was intrigued. So, I signed up for the meetup. Fashion-forward ladies all up at 8 AM discussing business, goals, and how we can help each other out. I loved it! If you’re local to the DC area, you’re welcome to join us – sign up via this meetup link here.

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Why do I bring up Femworking? Well, through Story Girl Press, I learned about LC Kanon’s book, Spring Break. These days, I’m a busy girl, but somehow, I found some time to check out the book, a short 200-page thriller (p.s. car rides are the best for this – if you’re in the passenger seat obviously). It really is a page-turner – take a moment to read the synopsis and you’ll know what I’m talking about:

An all-expenses paid trip to Cancun for spring break? It wasn’t exactly a hard sell for Leigh, Eva, Gia and Joy, frenemies from Arizona Southern University. But all is not well in the land of silver or lead. Soon after arriving, Leigh and the girls stumble upon some cartel carnage—a bloodbath of debauchery that makes even their wildest desert party seem tame. Instead of doing the proper thing, like contacting the authorities, the girls venture down the rabbit hole in this tale of sex, lies, and bloodshed. Everything changes when Leigh makes the acquaintance of Guero, a cartel kingpin who is none too pleased with her newfound lust for blood money. These vengeful coeds aren’t on campus anymore, and after Guero lets them know just how serious he is, they make a run for the border no one will ever forget.

Sounds crazy, right? Because it is! But, oh-so-entertaining. I managed to interview the author, LC Kanon, to learn about her approach to writing fiction and how we can use this book as a way to de-stress and take a break from reality for a couple of hours. Because seriously, life is short. We deserve some breaks!

As many of you know, there’s a movie out now, with dreamy James Franco called Spring Breakers. He’s not so dreamy in the movie … but whatever. To go along with the movie release, because it has the same name as her book and all, LC Kanon is doing a promotion on Amazon: Spring Break is completely free to download for this week only. Normally priced at $6.99, it’s yours FREE when you download this week, from April 2-5, 2013. It’s a Kindle book, but you can read on any electronic device, like your computer or phone. Just download the Kindle app for that. Supa easy!

Interview with LC Kanon, Author of the Thriller Spring Break

Always curious about beginnings – how did you get into writing fiction?

To give you some idea of how long I’ve been at this—I can vividly remember dictating a story about a dinosaur to my dad in grade school, it was called Cutie the Dinosaur and I won a little prize for it. So like any bored middle child, I started very young with storytelling, and eventually that migrates into writing.

Stress sucks. In fact, I would say it’s probably the biggest contributor to disease. But making de-stressing a priority is hard, especially if you’re leading a busy life. What are some of your favorite ways to de-stress?

Like a typical type-A Washingtonian, I schedule in my de-stressing times. This usually takes the form of a nightly walk with my dog. My husband knows not to mess with my walk, and it’s amazing how upset I get if it’s raining and I can’t go. The hubby knows I’m really not feeling well if I don’t go on my walk, it’s that important to me.

Your book, Spring Break, is ideal for someone who wants to take a break from reality. What kind of craziness can someone expect to read about in this novel?

DC is such a stressful place, we deal with high anxiety on a daily basis and that takes a toll on us. My goal in writing is to take you away from all that. I want you so detached from the real world and its pain and struggles and give you some “me” time back. So when I wrote Spring Break, I wanted it to be ridiculous yet compelling all at the same time. It is an escapist tale of mean girls vacationing in Cancun, who run into a Mexican drug cartel. It quickly goes downhill from there, and the girls learn they must use all their cunning to get out of Mexico alive. It’s totally divorced from reality, and because of that it is such a guilty pleasure.

Where do you get inspiration for your novels? I’m especially curious about the characters in the book – are they entirely fictional or are they based on specific people you’ve met in real life?

There are a few characters in Spring Break that are based on pieces of people I know. Gia is based on a really nasty girl I knew in high school. Leigh is based on a close friend of mine who grew up with all brothers. I was so fascinated by how masculine she was at times, just this boy in a girls’ body. I think that is where Leigh’s Rambo behavior comes from.  

What are some general recommendations you have for those who want to give writing fiction a try?

I love National Novel Writing Month for first-time fiction writers. You have a built-in community or support network which gives you pep talks every week. It’s a great way to get tips and tricks on writing a book from start to finish for the first time. After that you sort of find your niche in what works for you, but I would suggest NANOwrimo to any first timers waiting to get into the pool.

How does your book, Spring Break, differ from the movie Spring Breakers?

The day before I published Spring Break I read an article about Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine’s latest flick. I was really floored that someone else had come up with a similar concept of the girls-gone-bad spring break tale, but on reflection I guess it’s not terribly original. Simply put, Harmony is storytelling from a male perspective. So while his girls have threesomes–mine do not. The heart of my book is really how people act under extreme pressure. The mean girl tensions in my story make it unique.

I’m so excited to share with MLP readers that you’re doing a fun promotion and offering Spring Break for free while the movie Spring Breakers is in theaters. What kind of feedback are you looking for from those who download the book?

I would love reader reviews! I’m dead in the water without your feedback, so review the book on Goodreads and Amazon, and please follow me on Twitter! Love Twitter.

How would you describe your writing style in Spring Break? What other styles have you tried? Also, are there any other kinds of styles or genres you’d really like to tackle in your writing career?

Spring Break is written as a multiple person narrative, so you get to hear the story from Leigh and Eva, my two main girls, and Guero—my cartel kingpin. It’s a very organic type of writing that comes naturally to me, I just go with whichever character is shouting the loudest and let them tell the story as they see it.  This was the first chick-thriller book I’ve written. I really enjoy the suspense/thriller category; it gives me the space to be creative and challenges me at the same time. Once you become acquainted with your story it’s hard to remain objective, and that’s really hard with writing suspense. I enjoy the challenge.

If Spring Break were to be made into a film of its own, who would you cast as the characters?

What a fun question. Gael García Bernal would make an excellent Guero. I totally see Blake Lively as Gia-to a tee! For Eva maybe Zoe Saldana, a sweet girl with an edge. Leigh is probably the hardest to cast, she would need to be super tough -someone like Rooney Mara.

What are some of your favorite online tools to help in writing and publishing a fiction ebook?

There is such great support for indie writers out there. I love Novel Publicity and Nano community.

What would you say is the most challenging thing about writing fiction, from your experience? What about the easiest, funnest thing?

The most challenging thing is always the editing process. The best part is clicking that “publish” button and watching the book appear in the Amazon store. So, so fun!

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A free download of LC Kanon’s Spring Break. Promo begins on April 2nd and runs through the 5th. Happy tanning!

The Giveaway: Miessence Reflect Outdoor Balm

So, this week in conjunction with the Spring Break free book promotion, and to go with the theme of break, beach and fun, I am giving away a tube of non-toxic Miessence sunscreen called “Reflect Outdoor Balm”. You may remember a while ago I interviewed Lacey, who is a Miessence representative - take a look at the interview to see what makes Miessence a trustworthy company. And just so you know - I only promote products on this blog that I believe in and think are high-quality.

Miessence Giveaway

It is clear that Miessence values sustainability and health, because their clean products reflect this. I mean, take a look at the ingredients in the following picture … then compare to a conventional sunscreen brand below it.

Miessence Giveaway 1

Yeah – stark difference!

A quick note about sunscreen: I am not a believer in sunscreen at all times. In fact, I avoid all sunscreen until I read about exactly what ingredients are in it. Check out this article and this scientific study for info about the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in most conventional sunscreens. It’s a shame! If you need to be out in the sun for a long time, remember to …

Cover up – light-colored, loose linen clothing has a cooling effect

Eat antioxidant-rich fresh food – this protects your skin from within

Get some sun for the Vitamin D which is really important in protecting against cancer and in regulating different bodily    functions

And if your skin is sensitive, use some non-toxic sunscreen like the one I’m giving away

Capisce?

You know the drill … go ahead and go through the Rafflecopter below to get entered to win the Outdoor Balm. You also get a free download of Spring Break. In fact, it’s one of the steps to getting yourself entered – don’t forget to get your free download. I will email the lucky winner on Saturday. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Interview with Lauren of DC Healthy Bites, and Info about “Eating Real in Processed World” DC Event on March 12th

March 5, 2013 in Food Movement, Interview

Today I want to introduce you to an amazing philanthropist and new friend named Lauren Brinkac. Ok, I know you wanna know the back-story – I reached out to Lauren on Facebook when we said she’s working on this nifty restaurant resource for special people like me who are careful about where they eat and who want more info from a restaurant menu than is typically present even in the recipe description (like, do you use soy oil to saute these veggies?) We are both on the DC Meat Up Facebook group (a paleo / real-food focused discussion group) – so I could tell she knew her stuff (nutrition-wise) when she started recruiting volunteers for the DC Healthy Bites restaurant initiative (yeah, there’s a Facebook group for that as well – come join if you’re interested!) I wanted to meet Lauren for coffee to discuss our mutual love for sustainable, REAL food – but instead of meeting one-on-one, I told her to come to this women’s networking thing I had never been to before … I know, it could have been weird – but instead turned out to be awesome! Femworking women meet every Saturday morning to discuss their entrepreneurial and creative projects, and find ways to help each other out. If you’re in the DC area and want to join for that, here’s the link to the Meetup event. You’re welcome! (I mean that nicely, not sarcastically … as in, “you’re welcome to join us!”)

Anyway, so after getting to know Lauren a bit and learning about her awesome new initiatives, I wanted to share some of what she’s working on with you guys, so you can follow along. One of Lauren’s biggest projects for DC Healthy Bites is a fundraiser event she has put together for the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association (AARDA). The health-awareness-inspired party will go down on Tuesday, March 12th, and will feature the inspiring Stacy from Paleo Parents (who lost a lot of weight and got healthier on paleo) and Gina from Simplistic Wholistic who was able to manage her ulcerative colitis condition with a real food lifestyle … AND there will be delicious, healthy food and a good amount of dancing too! Sign up to benefit the AARDA and have a great time by following this Eventbrite link.

And now onto the interview with the fabulous Lauren …

Interview with Lauren Brinkac, Founder of DC Healthy Bites

1. Tell us a little bit about DC Healthy Bites – what inspired you to start this? 

For as long as I remember, I have always been interested in improving my health and fitness. I grew up as an athlete and continue to maintain an active lifestyle today. As a marathon runner and a triathlete I have always been conscious of my diet. Although physical fitness came easy to me, it wasn’t until I started to take an honest look at my health in terms of the quality and type of food I consume that I was able to commit to a REAL and whole foods lifestyle.

Some of my close friends have Chron’s, celiac disease, Grave’s, IBS, hypothyroidism, ulcerative colitis, food allergies and intolerances. All of them are women under 40 years old. Autoimmunity and autoimmune disease is a major unrecognized women’s health issue, and I am a living example of the statistics. Additionally, depression and bipolar disorder run in my family. Although we know that all these disease have a strong genetic component, increasing evidence suggests that diet is a major environmental trigger.

I started DC Healthy Bites because I wanted to make a difference in our community by helping others achieve optimal health. Through DC Healthy Bites I hope to inform others of the positive effects of healthy eating by demonstrating how the quality and type of food consumed directly impacts their health and well-being.

DC Healthy Bites

2. A little birdie told me that DC Healthy Bites is organizing an awesome, REAL-and-local-food-catered event to benefit The American Autoimmune Related Disease Association! Tell us what we can expect at “Eating Real in a Processed Food World”… the birdie said there’s dancing involved! 

Yes! Bring your dancing shoes to celebrate this great cause! Even though we’ll be having a great time on the dance floor, we’ll be doing so knowing that this event, Eating REAL in a Processed World, is showcasing the importance of a REAL food diet on our health and well-being, while supporting those affected by autoimmune disease. My hope is that attendees will be inspired by the life-changing stories of two local women, empowered to make simple food choices that could be transformative, and enlightened to the rising autoimmune epidemic in our community. The evening will include free and delicious, locally-sourced bites and opportunities to win amazing swag supporting healthy lifestyles. All tickets must be purchased in advance (get your tickets here!), and all net proceeds will be donated to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association in support of their fight against autoimmune disease that affects 1 in 5 Americans.

3. As I mention in one of my recent posts, it’s freakin’ hard to eat out if you’re avoiding certain allergenic / pro-inflammatory foods — like gluten and soy — that seem to be in a lot of dishes. What are some general tips you have for those who are starting out on a special food regimen but still want to eat out from time to time? What should they look out for in restaurant menus?

Heck yes, eating out can be tricky! Particularly in a profit-driven society consumed with processed, quick and easy food. Fortunately in the DC area we have options that support fresh, locally-sourced, homemade ingredients – but those options aren’t the norm. Nonetheless there are still things we can do to improve our dining experience without compromising our dietary lifestyles. Here are my recommendations:

  • Identify restaurants that have alternative or allergy menus, or which label the dishes on their menus

    that contain common allergens e.g., gluten, nuts, etc. Usually places that make this information available are experienced handling special menu requests and modifications, are sensitive to the dietary restrictions of their customers, and are willing to accommodate.

  • Call ahead of time and ask to speak with a manager. Depending on how specific your needs are, asking these questions ahead of time and talking directly with someone who can answer your questions accurately, eliminates the uneasiness and uncertainty of inquiring with wait staff while at the restaurant.

  • Leave no stone unturned, especially if you have food allergies. You can never be too careful, and inquire about everything even if it appears obvious. Some of the worst food offenders are hidden ingredients. I was horrified recently to discover the use of soy butter at a popular, local area restaurant!

4. On that same note, tell us a bit about your goals for the restaurant resource initiative that you started.

My vision for this restaurant resource is to improve the dining experience of those with dietary restrictions or with general health and food concerns. In doing so, restaurants will become aware of the increasing need to provide detailed menu labels and healthy options for the community. By populating this resource with the ingredients used by local area restaurants, the community will be able to make informed decisions about where they can dine, what they can order, and what modifications they can request without worrying about their health safety or compromising their dietary lifestyle. This would empower those who are hesitant to eat out more often and explore new places, ultimately driving revenue to participating restaurants.

5. Say I’m interested in getting involved in this cool initiative – how would you recommend I get started? Do you have a guide I can follow to evaluate restaurants?

It is easy to get involved, and the first step would be to come and meet me at my Eating REAL in a Processed World so I can tell you all about the great things our team is doing! I recognize that this initiative is a huge undertaking and a work in progress, so we need everyone’s help. Any information we can glean from restaurants is better than none, and some of this information you may already know. Our team drafted a recommended set of guidelines to help facilitate consistent and comprehensive evaluations and to make the evaluation process easy to conduct. If you are interested in improving the dining experience for yourself and others, please help us take action by emailing me and joining our DC Healthy Bites working group. All levels of participation and contribution are welcomed.

6. “The gut is the second brain.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement – why or why not? 

WOW, you must be following my tweets lately. Yes, I couldn’t agree more! Our gut is derived from the same embryonic tissue as our brain, so it’s not surprising that second only to our brain our gut contains more neurological associations than any other part of our body. Around 70-80% of our immune system resides in our gut, and our gut contains 100 trillion microbes performing functions essential to our survival. Think about it, that is 10 times more bacterial cells than the total number of human cells in our body! Everything we eat impacts the health of our gut, and a healthy gut supports proper immune, digestive, and nervous system functions. Given the gut’s integral role in virtually all areas of a normal functioning body, it could be argued that not only is our gut our second brain, but in fact our gut IS our brain.

7. Which resources and websites would you recommend for someone with an autoimmune condition? 

The American Autoimmune Related Disease Association (AARDA) is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to collaboratively fighting autoimmune disease by addressing the education, public awareness, patient services, and research needs of the community. AARDA supports a variety of useful resources both for patients and families. These include educational information, seminars, nationwide referral services, and quarterly informational newsletters. There are also many national and local disease-specific organizations that the community can become connected with to obtain detailed information about their condition and find support for themselves and their family.

8. What have you found to be the best places to shop for ingredients that are safe for anyone avoiding common allergens like wheat, soy, dairy, etc? Do you have any tips for grocery shopping? 

I find that Whole Foods Market provides everything that I need for a routine trip to the grocery store. Whenever possible I visit local area farmers markets to obtain locally-sourced produce and meat. I love perusing MOMs Organic Market for hard-to-find specialty items.

When shopping, I recommend taking the time to read ALL food labels. This may seem overwhelming at first, but before you know it you will quickly become familiar with which food options to choose over others. Leave all doubt at the store. Don’t buy an item if you are not familiar with a listed ingredient. Second, shop ONLY the perimeter of the store, skipping the bakery. The perimeter of the store is where you will find the greatest variety of nutrient-dense, non-processed food. You are most likely guaranteed to know what you are buying here, so you won’t have to worry about falling to temptation for the overly processed items laden with hidden ingredients that are most commonly found in the aisles.

9. What is your favorite restaurant in the DC area? Favorite meal there?

I am a seafood junkie so any restaurant with a fresh catch is appealing to me. If I had to pick a favorite though, I would choose Founding Farmers. I applaud their approach to providing sustainable, locally-sourced and fresh ingredients and I love their eco-friendly décor. My favorite meal is their Seasonal Fish prepared Napa Provençal with Green Beans and Roasted Sweet Potato – YUM!

10. If you had one large billboard in a busy city, and could put up any message or quote there for the world to see – what would it be? 

If we are what we eat, then we should be no less concerned with what our food eats.

Support local, support whole, support REAL.

Healthy_Bites_Billboard

Who is Lauren?

Lauren Brinkac received a dual BS in Biology and Biochemistry from Syracuse University and a MS in Bioinformatics from George Mason University. She is currently a Lead Bioinformatics Analyst conducting bacterial genomics research of infectious disease. Lauren is a resident of Arlington, Virginia. She is passionate about spreading awareness about the impact of diet on human health, well-being, and longevity as well as identifying local area establishments that provide locally-sourced, REAL and whole food. Check her site DC Healthy Bites for more details!

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