Topic: whole foods

Eating Disorders: I Diagnosed My Friend With Orthorexia

Eating Disorders: I Diagnosed My Friend With Orthorexia

One of my friends has orthorexia. The undiagnosed kind, of course. And undiagnosed by me (i.e. not a doctor). Orthorexia is a relatively new term (circa 1996-97), and is the latest, trendiest eating disorder out there on the health and wellness spectrum. (But it’s important to note that it’s technically not a medical term.) Orthorexia Nervosa is essentially an obsession with healthy eating. How could an obsession with something as good-for-you as healthy eating ever be considered a problem or a disorder, you may ask? I’ll tell you.

My friend, who could be described as an orthorexic in major denial, lives on and runs an organic farm. She only eats organic foods, preferably local. (That’s cool; I do that, too, whenever I can.) But my friend gets fewer than 10% of any food she puts into her body (and the bodies of her family members, who go along with it) from a supermarket. (Whoa. Okay, I can’t compete with that one.) And my friend takes these health- and environmentally-conscious practices a few steps further: Essentially, she only eats foods that come from her farm or the organic farms of people she knows personally. (That’s nice; we like to meet the farmers at our local farmers’ market, too.) No wait, let me clarify: This means that my friend doesn’t eat any foods that come from farms that may well be certified organic, produce delicious produce or meats, and have an excellent and nationally-recognized reputation — unless she has actually visited the farm herself and has physically shaken the farmer’s hand. More »

10 Ingredients to Always Put In Your Smoothies

10 Ingredients to Always Put In Your Smoothies

Last week I asked Lauren Slayton, our Fearless Foodtrainer (@foodtrainers), to tell us eight ingredients that should never be in our smoothies (and why). Because it’s finally spring, we’ve been talking about smoothies an awful lot lately around Blisstree (even though today it’s rainy and 45 degrees in New York City). I have to admit that all this smoothie talk makes me a little uncomfortable, because I have a chronic aversion to cutesy words like foodie, smoothie — and cutesy, for that matter. (And judging from some of the recent related comments on Blisstree’s Facebook page, many of you feel the same way. Solidarity!) Still, I appreciate the potential health benefits and undeniable convenience of a smoothie, whether blended at home or made-to-order from a smoothie stand. So, because Blisstree likes to explore both sides of an issue, this week we’re all about what healthy ingredients we should add to our smoothie-making machines. Here are ten faves from our Fearless Foodtrainer: More »

Shilling for Diet Coke Doesn’t Make Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio a Sell-Out

Shilling for Diet Coke Doesn't Make Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio a Sell-Out

As a Top Chef devotee, I was happy to catch most of last night’s All-Stars Reunion show. (Although, I had forgotten that it was on, so maybe devotee is too strong a word.) But I certainly didn’t think that anything airing on this kind of perfunctory, let’s-show-funny-behind-the-scenes-clips-of-all-the-chefs-and-hilarious-outtakes-of-the-judges’-bloopers would remotely relate to Blisstree. But I was wrong. The hour-long episode brought up a controversial issue that relates to food products, overall health, and the environment, which are topics we like to think we know something about here at Blisstree.

You don’t need to know the Top Chef All-Stars backstory (or even have watched any of the season) to understand or appreciate the scenario, which is this: Elia Aboumrad, one of the show’s contestants who made it very far in the competition during her original season, was the first person in the All-Stars season whom Padma asked to pack her knives and go. Which means Elia got kicked off quick. Clearly she was unhappy with the judges’ decision, because she did an interview with The Chicago Tribune‘s food blog The Stew, in which she slammed Top Chef judge (and chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author) Tom Colicchio and called him a sell-out. Why? For shilling for Diet Coke (he appears in one of the soda’s commercials) and for not having enough grass-fed beef or organic produce on his restaurant menus anymore. More »

In Praise of Airline Food

In Praise of Airline Food

Sorry, but I like airline food in a sick way. Always have. (And wait, I’m not sorry!) I’m not talking about the paltry snacks of nuts and cookies — I don’t have time for those. (Sure, nuts contain protein, but then there’s all that sodium.) I’m talking about the real meals — that is, if you can find a solvent airline that still serves them to passengers onboard. Of course, airline meals are woefully over-processed (wait, that’s not Alice Waters back there?), but as far as the Standard American Diet goes, they’re really not all that unhealthy, especially if you’re not a particularly frequent flyer. And I refuse to believe that it’s healthier to bring fast-food-like meals with you on the plane to eat. (Also, doing so makes the plane smell worse than it already does, so would you please not do that?)

I mean, really, what are we talking about here: A plastic tray of overcooked pasta or limp chicken? Harmless. (I never get the fish or beef. I may like airline food, but I’m not a complete idiot.) A salad composed of iceberg lettuce? A small roll? A single-serving package of cheese and crackers? More »

Poll: How Much Processed Food Do You Eat? Be Honest. We Were!

Poll: How Much Processed Food Do You Eat? Be Honest. We Were!

Okay, after we published this post earlier today about how healthy we think we are, and how many processed and pre-packaged foods we eat on a regular basis, we started making a mental list of processed offenders, which is getting as lengthy as it is scary: Canned beans, our beloved Indian-food-in-a-bag, salad-in-a-bag that’s been washed three times in chlorinated water, the fried chicken sando from the resto downstairs from our office (processed and fried — oops), protein bars, bread, cheese, oh, and that vegan banana chocolate chip thingy we like to get in the morning on the way to work from that little place around the corner. And now we’re becoming a little concerned that our so-called healthy eating habits may be undoing our other truly healthy lifestyle habits (regular exercise, good sleep, meditation, hydration, weekly therapy sessions, etc.). We ‘fessed up to (some of) our vices earlier; now it’s your turn. Please tell us if your relationship with processed and pre-packaged foods is as complicated as ours. Take our poll:

Sorry! This poll is now closed.

More »

How to Cook Raw Food: Chili Maca Chocolate Avocado Pie

How to Cook Raw Food: Chili Maca Chocolate Avocado Pie

Douglas McNish, head chef of Toronto’s Raw Aura organic and raw restaurant is back to help us learn how to cook his healthy, vegan, and — this week — raw recipes. Watch for more of his column, published twice a month here at Blisstree.

Valentine’s Day might be over, but you can celebrate love (even if it’s just of chocolate) year-round with a dessert like Doug’s raw Chocolate Avocado Pie. Maca comes from the Andes Mountains, where it’s been regarded as a powerful aphrodisiac for hundreds of years. It’s best known for boosting the male libido and balancing hormone levels. The cayenne in this dessert not only adds a delicious kick to the chocolate, but it also helps speed up the metabolism, giving you and your partner extra energy and “staying power,” if you know what we mean. More »

Superfood Role Models: 10 Celebrities Who Drink Green Juice

Superfood Role Models: 10 Celebrities Who Drink Green Juice

We don’t always believe in taking health and beauty advice from celebrities (especially when they’re shilling for questionable beauty treatments or acting as spokesperson for the unproven health benefits of milk), but when they’re telling us to eat our vegetables, it’s hard to deny their wisdom. With several beautiful celebrities, smart doctors, and qualified nutritionists telling us to drink our greens for lower cholesterol, anti-aging benefits, and better digestion, we’re starting to think they’re onto something. (Plus, we just read Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet, and she makes yet another convincing case for getting your superfoods and greens through a straw.) More »

Morning Links: Abstinence Makes Relationships Last

Morning Links: Abstinence Makes Relationships Last

Whole Foods Gingerbread Houses – The health food superstore had to recall its gingerbread houses due to outbreaks of staph food poisoning. (SlashFood)

Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder – Study shows that waiting for sex improves long term relationships. Add that to your New Year’s resolutions. (Asylum)

Hangover Helpers – Eat these pre-party meals to control your hangover on New Year’s Day. Nothing like preventative medicine, eh? (Daily Mail) More »

If you’re truly worried about eating too much salt or fat, cook for yourself. All those processed foods are loaded with those things. Everyone says they don’t have time to cook or shop, myself included. But eating is our most basic human need. It’s sad when people say they don’t have time to do that. What other reason do we have to exist?

If you’re truly worried about eating too much salt or fat, cook for yourself. All those processed foods are loaded with those things. Everyone says they don’t have time to cook or shop, myself included. But eating is our most basic human need. It’s sad when people say they don’t have time to do that. What other reason do we have to exist?

– David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, current food blogger, and resident of Paris on eating and living healthily, from our post David Lebovitz on Health: The World’s Best Food Bloggers Answer Our Q&A

Mmm, Mmm…Dirt Does Fine Dining?

Mmm, Mmm...Dirt Does Fine Dining?

Dirt may seem like a culinary habit best left to experimental toddlers and subjects of Discovery Channel’s My Strange Addiction, but according to some of the world’s leading chefs, the “down-to-earth” food is avant garde. Chefs like René Redzepi of Copenhagen’s prestigious restaurant, Noma, are serving up “dirt” made from charred or dried ingredients to make them look and taste earthy. More »

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