Stepfanie Romine is a writer, recipe developer, published author and certified yoga teacher who has lived--and cooked--on three continents. She currently calls Asheville, North Carolina home. 
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Free E-Book: Mother's Day Brunch Recipes
Take a peek inside "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight," with this FREE e-book, "Light and Easy Mother's Day Brunch Recipes from SparkPeople" written by Chef Meg. Get 3 sweet and 3 savory dishes that are perfect for Mother's Day brunch, plus a brand-new intro from Chef Meg!
Posted 4/30/2012 6:00:00 PM By: : 4 comments 21,598 views
What's Cooking? Tell Us about Your Food Habits
We're hungry… for your input about food and cooking. (I know, I know, lame joke!) Seriously, though, here at SparkPeople, we're constantly working to create new and better content, features, and tools to make healthy living easier and more fun for you--and for us!
Food is an important part of life. It unites, it nourishes, and it fuels. We want to know more about your eating and cooking habits. What's for dinner? What about breakfast?
What are your challenges at the supermarket and in the kitchen? Which meals do you make again and again? Do you fight with the kids to eat their Brussels sprouts, or are your little ones arguing over who gets the last serving of broccoli? (Moms, you can dream, right?)
Please help us continue to bring you quality food, cooking, and nutrition content by completing a short survey.
Click here to take the survey.
Please note that the survey is hosted on a third-party site, SurveyMonkey.com. We will be collecting responses until May 7.
Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Posted 4/23/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 4 comments 10,804 views
A Peek Inside SparkPeople Members' Fridges
A few weeks ago, we asked you to let us into your fridges, freezers, pantries and even shopping carts. Many of you sent us photos and answered our questions.
Why did we want a sneak-peek into your food stashes? Not because we wanted to see who had the healthiest fridge, the most organized pantry, or the barest freezer (look, Ma, no ice cream!). Nope. We wanted to show the world that SparkPeople embraces moderation. Treats are OK. No one's "on a diet" here. We're all changing our lives, one meal, one day, one step at a time.
That's why SparkPeople has grown into the largest website of its kind in America--with more than 12 million members and counting--because we focus on the living aspect of healthy living.
Today we're sharing with you some of the entries we received. Two of those we chose will receive a Kindle Fire and e-copies of all of our books. The others whose photos we're sharing will get e-copies of the books. (If your photo was chosen, you'll be contacted via email.)
We chose to share photos that had interesting and even downright funny stories behind them. Are they the healthiest fridges in America? Who's judging?
Let's open the fridge and take a look.
Posted 4/16/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 32 comments 26,268 views
You Do This Because That's What You Do
You know how I love my mantras.
They guide me through life:
"Lead with your heart; the rest of you will follow."
They reassure me that I've done enough:
"I did my best today. Tomorrow, I'll do better."
They remind me to take life as it happens:
"You can have it all, just not all at once."
After a recent yoga retreat with Ashtanga master teacher Kino MacGregor (seriously, check out her videos. The human body's capabilities are infinite.)
She led us through what were the most difficult practices I've experienced since I started yoga. By the time Sunday afternoon's Yoga Sutras talk began, I was exhausted.
That morning's practice had been tough. I was in the front row, next to a large window with no shade. It was 10 a.m. As sun rose higher and higher, the 50-plus students in the room breathed and progressed through their practices. The temperature rose by more than 10 degrees. Condensation appeared on water bottles scattered throughout the room, sweat dripped from every inch of my body, and the windows fogged up. Even the hardwood floor was covered in condensation. I lifted my body, stretched it, breathed all the while.
Whereas the previous day's practice had felt exhilarating--I was practicing with an incredible teacher, surrounded by close friends, and basking the energy of so many motivated Ashtanga yogis--today's felt torturous. I felt heavy, weak, defeated.
Ninety minutes later, I made it to the end of my practice. I was exhausted. I had given all I could. My muscles were shaking, my stomach growling, my body soaked in sweat.
It was over.
As I rose from our final relaxation, savasana, my mind started to wander. I was tired, but I knew that there was little break in sight. Tomorrow I would return to my studio in Cincinnati, do my practice as best I could, as I would the next day and the day after that.
When you've committed to a yoga practice, you have to practice. Even when you don't want to. You can do less, but you can't give up. You don't quit, even if you do need to take a day off because life interferes.
But why?
Posted 4/11/2012 2:00:00 PM By: : 31 comments 22,890 views
Fighting the Ego and Seeing the Bigger Picture
Note: I'm no fitness expert--that's Coach Nicole--so please don't use this blog post as a way to diagnose or treat any injury, pain or tweak you're feeling. Listen to your body, and consult a professional if you sense anything is amiss.
Our bodies are complex systems, and even when we feel healthy and happy, they're not operating at 100% capacity or efficiency. No body is perfect, and sometimes identifying the source of a flaw can be difficult.
When you're active, aches and pains are not uncommon. I don't mean injuries; I mean some soreness or achiness. (More: Smart Ways to Soothe Sore Muscles) I don't "no pain, no gain"; I don't subscribe to that myth. (Learn to spot the signs of overtraining.) I mean the discomfort that sometimes accompanies exercise: the burn in your muscles, the stiffness in your joints, and all the other tweaks and twinges you feel in your body.
Before I started working out regularly, I don't remember having many injuries or much soreness, aside from my weak low back. In the last year, however, I've noticed an increasing number of aches and pains. I often pose this question to my yoga teacher: Is it because I'm more active, or is it because I am more aware of my body and notice even minor changes?
What's causing these ailments? Most of the time, the problem isn't my body--it's my ego. I stop listening to my body and let my ego take over.
"You can push harder--and even harder still. You can hold longer. You can run farther. You can go faster."
I do.
Then, I pay.
Maybe it's a knee that's tender, a back that's knotted up, or an elbow that feels overstretched.
What's the fix?
Posted 3/28/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 49 comments 25,922 views
Eat More Veggies, Appear More Attractive?
A few months ago, I went in for my yearly skin check at my dermatologist. I was seeing a new doctor. He came into the exam room, introduced himself and shook my hand.
He held on to my outstretched hand for a closer look.
"You certainly do like to eat healthy, don't you?" he said.
"Yes, I do," I said, sounding surprised. "How can you tell?" I had had a quick conversation about my work with his nurse and assumed she had mentioned SparkPeople.com to him.
"Your hands, they're rather orange," he said. "Do you eat lots of carrots?"
I shook my head in affirmation.
"I love vegetables--I'm a cookbook writer and food editor…" I trailed off as he continued his exam and looked at the soles of my feet.
He said that he can tell when people eat a healthy diet with plenty of orange vegetables because the soles of their hands and feet turn slightly orange. I eat a rainbow of vegetables daily, not just orange ones, so it seemed odd to me that my feet and hands would be so yellow!
Disclaimer: I am gullible. If I try to fib I turn bright red and stammer, and I am terrible at making up stories for the purpose of fooling people. This was both a strength and a weakness in my old life as a newspaper reporter.
"Really?" I said incredulously. "Are you serious?"
The doc said he was, but he seemed so jovial that I doubted him.
We continued talking, he finished my exam and, after scolding me for going without sunscreen a couple of times in the Equatorial sun last year in Honduras, told me that I'm all clear for two years. I had a pair of iffy moles removed in the past and a scare from another dermatologist, so I get a bit nervous when I go in to get checked. A healthy diet, plenty of water and exercise, he said, is evident in the skin. Mine is healthy, despite its alabaster hue and propensity to burning.
I forgot all about that avuncular physician's mention of my orange skin, until
Posted 3/21/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 19 comments 20,862 views
What's In Your Fridge? Show Us (You Could Get a Kindle)
SparkPeople doesn't believe in dieting, but do we believe in loving the food you eat. After all, that was the premise behind our first cookbook, "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight." We want to spread the word that eating to lose or maintain weight doesn’t have to mean dull, tasteless food and bland diet foods--healthy food is delicious food! We believe that no food is off-limits, and that there's no shame in having treats in your fridge or cart. Let's spread the word that we've ditched the diet food and banned all things bland.
We want you to show us your food.
Close your mouth. I don't mean the old "see-food" trick. I mean really show us what you're eating, what you're buying, what you're craving on an average week.
Take a photo of your fridge, pantry or shopping cart and email it to
SparkRecipes@gmail.com. (Remember when Coach Nicole let you peek inside her fridge? And Chef Meg's videos show the inside of hers.) The subject line should be: What's in My Fridge
We want you to be honest. No need to clean out the fridge first. Don't hide the diet soda in your cart. Don't stash the dark chocolate in the back of the pantry. And don’t take the ice cream out of your freezer or the wine out of your fridge. Show us what you really eat.
Posted 3/19/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 42 comments 20,343 views
The Surprising Final Leg of My Weight-Loss Journey
Editor's Note: To coincide with the Great American Meatout on March 20, I'm sharing my success story with a vegan diet. Please note that this story is a personal one and should not be taken as dietary advice or an endorsement from anyone other than myself. I am a writer, not a health professional. We're all an experiment of one. Do what's right for you!
Reprinted in part from "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet."
In 2010, I became a vegan accidentally, unintentionally and without fanfare--all the while claiming that I could never make the leap to veganism. My excuses varied depending on the situation: it would be too costly, I loved cheese too much, I couldn't imagine interrogating every server at every restaurant for the rest of my life. I admit: I was wrong about veganism. Today, I remain happily, healthfully vegan.
It all started with a stressful break-up that left me with an odd feeling: a loss of interest in cooking. As a food editor and cookbook writer, this was very unusual!
For the first time in a very long time, I had to remind myself to eat, and when I did, most foods didn't appeal to me. I spent a couple of weeks relying heavily on healthy snacks to keep me fueled: oatmeal, carrots and hummus, bananas with almond butter, quick spinach and bean salads, etc.
Though emotionally I was a mess, physically I felt great. I was tracking my food on SparkPeople to make sure I was eating enough to sustain me, so I knew I was consuming adequate calories. I had energy, I was running and practicing yoga regularly, and I had a noticeable absence of stomach pain.
You see, I have what many call "a delicate constitution." That's a nice way of saying that my stomach is sensitive. I'm prone to all sorts of unappetizing ailments related to the GI tract. Never feed me raw broccoli. You've been warned. I'm also lactose intolerant.
Though I was eating the same amount of calories as usual, I was losing weight--and SparkPeople confirmed that I was getting enough protein, carbs, fat, etc.
I started examining my food intake more closely. What was different? I was eating really healthy foods, but I was also going out just as much as I had before.
Then I realized
Posted 3/18/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 57 comments 35,586 views
Study: Women Don't Notice Weight Gain--Do You Agree?
I read an interview recently with Kathy Ireland, whom many of us know best as the Sports Illustrated cover model. Ireland is now 48 and a successful entrepreneur worth more than an estimated $300 million. I didn't know that about Ireland, so I read a few more articles about her online.
A few years ago, Ireland realized she had put on 25 pounds in as many years--without really noticing. I was not making enough time to take care of me," she told People magazine after successfully and safely losing the weight in 2009.
At first I was surprised. Twenty-five pounds is a good deal of weight--that's the size of a toddler! How could you not notice? But then I thought back to my own weight gain of almost 50 pounds, and I understood exactly what she meant. If you gained 25 pounds overnight, you would notice, but when it creeps on slowly, we tend not to notice.
I didn't gain 50 pounds overnight. I gained 10 my first year of college, yo-yoed another 10 until graduation, then another 10 the year after college, and 20 in less than a year after that. I didn't really think about the weight gain until those last 20 piled on. I was working second shift at the newspaper, going out with friends most nights, eating takeout (and huge portions!) for dinner on a regular basis, and not exercising. Moderation was not in my vocabulary.
If you've never gained weight, it's easy to doubt how people can seem oblivious to their gain. But if you've been there, you can relate--and a recent study bolstered those claims. A study of 466 women over 36 months found that 1 in 3 didn't notice a gain of 4.5 pounds in 6 months, while 25% didn't notice a 9-pound increase during the same time period.
And in 2010, a study found that 4 in 10 overweight women believe themselves to be of normal weight.
These studies certainly flout the stereotypes that most women are hyper-aware of their weight and that most of us believe we're fat.
What do you think? Do you have trouble perceiving your true size?
Posted 3/14/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 151 comments 38,969 views
10 No-Recipe Meals for Nights You Don't Feel Like Cooking
Most nights I look forward to cooking dinner. I listen to music on my iPod, perhaps enjoy a small glass of wine, and relax as I chop, sauté and braise. Other nights, when I come home starving, teach a late yoga class, or go for a long run after work, I want my meals to be no-fuss, no-muss, on the table in 20 minutes or less. (I must confess that I have a pretty sweet arrangement with my boyfriend: I cook, he cleans. I'm really good at making messes in the kitchen!) These are my top 10 go-to vegan meals. You can make them as simple or as fancy as you'd like. Use heat-and-eat rice, canned beans, and pre-chopped or frozen vegetables to save time, or gussy up these recipes (techniques, really) on nights when you're feeling creative. Add some fruit and a cup of calcium-fortified non-dairy milk (we vegans need strong bones!), and dinner is served.
Posted 3/8/2012 2:00:00 PM By: : 44 comments 220,456 views
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Meatless March: Are You Taking the Challenge?
Happy March, everyone! Are you participating in the 30-Day Meatless Challenge?
In addition to being the month that spring officially begins, March is also the time of Lent and Purim (did you know that Queen Esther might have been vegan?).
Did you know that during in ancient times, fasting during Lent was much stricter--in some places, all animal products were forbidden--and in other countries, predominantly in the East, only vegan foods are consumed during Lent?
March is also National Nutrition Month, and March 20 is Meatout day.
And SparkPeople's first official e-book, "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet," published earlier this week. (Thanks to you, the book has been #1 in vegetarian and low-fat diet e-books on Amazon all week, and it also was in the top five of all vegetarian cookbooks--"real" and e-books. WooHoo!)
I can't think of a better time to experiment with meatless meals.
Many of you have had questions regarding the challenge. It's simple. We're using the Vegetarian Team as our home base, and I'm posting a new thread each week. (Click here for this week's thread.) Feel free to post your questions and comments there, and on my weekly blogs, which will run Fridays through the month of March.
I called this the "Meatless Challenge" because it allows for some flexibility in your food choices. Meatless includes vegan and vegetarian meals. You can define meatless however you please; I'm not hear to judge!
So what should we be doing?
Posted 3/2/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 89 comments 42,735 views
The No-Stress, No-Guilt Approach to Meatless Meals
I'm thrilled to announce that SparkPeople has just published the first in a line of ebooks, "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet."
As many of you know, I am editor of SparkRecipes and dailySpark, and co-author of "The SparkPeople Cookbook." I love food--writing, editing, researching, and, of course, eating it.
What you might not know about me is that I'm vegan, meaning I don't eat meat, dairy, eggs or anything else that comes from an animal. About 1% of Americans eat this way (for reference, 3% of Americans are vegetarian), but that number is growing. Due to my love of creating tasty, easy plant-based recipes, I was really excited to launch our ebook series with a vegan cookbook and guide.
Don't worry--SparkPeople isn't taking the stance that we all need to ditch meat forever. But with at least 325,000 vegetarians and vegans on our site, we know that many of our members are interested in eating less meat and more plants. This book fills a niche, and I wrote it with the SparkPeople philosophy in mind--moderation, no fad diets, and taking small steps along the way to a healthier you.
I am passionate about sharing the vegan lifestyle with others, but I (and SparkPeople) will never pressure you or guilt you into giving up meat, cheese, or eggs forever. I'd rather have each of you take one step toward a healthier you than alienate even one reader with a "diet" that seems complicated and stressful.
Why vegan for me?
In 2010, I adopted an all-plant diet accidentally, unintentionally and without fanfare--all the while claiming that I could never be a vegan. (That's a good story--I explain in the ebook.) My excuses varied depending on the situation: it would be too costly, I loved cheese too much, I couldn't imagine interrogating every server at every restaurant for the rest of my life. I admit: I was wrong about veganism. Today, I remain happily, healthfully vegan.
I've discovered that a plant-based diet is neither restrictive nor difficult, neither expensive nor time-consuming, and I'm hoping you'll give it a try--at least for a little while.
My body is the strongest and healthiest it has ever been. A vegan diet allows me to maintain a rigorous six-day-a-week Ashtanga yoga practice while training for half-marathons and teaching yoga. My boyfriend, a competitive cyclist, fuels with a plant-based diet as well. We each became vegan shortly before we met (within a week of each other, it turned out!), and the early days of our relationship were spent cooking up vegan feasts in my tiny apartment kitchen.
The motivators for a vegan diet can be pretty heavy topics, but what they all have in common is compassion and kindness: for others, for yourself, or for the earth and its animals. That's why I believe in the "no-stress, no-guilt" approach to meatless meals.
That's also why, along with other experts and members here at SparkPeople, I wrote "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet," which is available for $2.99 on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
To celebrate this new e-book and encourage others to embrace more plant-based meals, I'm launching the 30-Day Meatless Challenge, starting March 1.
As I said, this isn't like other books on veganism. We focus solely on the positive aspects of a plant-based diet. Whether you are looking to add a few vegan recipes to your weekly meal plans, experiment with plant-based eating for a few weeks during Lent, or make it a lifelong journey, I hope you'll be inspired to embrace meatless meals at least for a little while from a healthy, whole-foods perspective using the new book.
If you want to eat plants 100% of the time and get healthy while doing it, I'm thrilled--and this is the book and the challenge for you. But remember that if you want to experiment with more meatless meals, learn how to cook for a vegan in your life, or just learn what the heck vegans eat, this book is for you, too.
Click here to buy or preview "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet" on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Posted 2/27/2012 6:00:00 PM By: : 139 comments 141,584 views
Video: Ramen Noodles vs. Real Food--vs. YOU!
You are what you eat.
That adage is a reminder to me at every meal, and it's one of my secrets to losing 50 pounds and keeping it off for six years and counting.
I follow it up with: Make every bite count.
That is, if I'm going to drink my calories, they shouldn't be empty ones. (Calcium-fortified soymilk, yes, Diet soda, never!) If I'm going to have a snack, I want it to fuel me through my evening workout. If I'm going to reach for a slice of bread, it will always be a whole-grain variety that's full of fiber and other nutrients.
I love to cook (I did co-write a cookbook, after all!), and I make almost everything I eat from scratch. I read labels, buy raw ingredients, and make time to prepare healthy and nutritious food each day.
That said, I'm not perfect. I reach for prepackaged treats on rare occasion. I have a serious affinity for all things crunchy and salty, and sometimes, I just want a Twizzler. I know those foods aren't good for me, but I know that when 98% of my diet is whole foods, the infrequent junk foods won't have a tremendous effect.
But have you ever wondered how certain food affects your body? Do you ever think about how much effort your body has to put into digesting one food versus another?
TEDxManhattan 2011 Fellow Stefani Bardin did, and that's why this "media maker" and her colleague had two people swallow M2A cameras (mouth-to-anus) and SmartPill wireless gastroenterology devices collects time, pressure and pH from within the GI tract. The participants ate similar meals: Gummi Bears, blue Gatorade and Ramen noodles. The only difference: One person had a homemade, real-food version. (Awhile later, each participant ate the other version of the meal.)
The results--and the visual proof--are startling. Watch for yourself:
Posted 2/15/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 43 comments 37,671 views
You Can Have It All, Just Not All at Once
You can have it all; you just can’t have it all, all at once.
I arise each weekday long before the sun, and, by the time I arrive at the office around 9, I've spent almost 90 minutes breathing, flowing, and sweating through a vigorous Ashtanga yoga practice. I've called my mother. And I've had my morning cup of coffee.
I work all day, pausing to eat a breakfast and lunch I made myself, from scratch.
At night, I teach yoga, I run, I take Spinning classes, I (rarely) meet friends. I run errands.
Then I make dinner.
After dinner, there's dirty laundry, dirty dishes, quality time with Sam and the cats, cleaning up, packing tomorrow's breakfast and lunch, setting out yoga and work clothes, returning emails, and so much more.
Though I intend to be in bed by 10, it's usually 11:30 when my head hits the pillow--and that's often the first time I've sat down since leaving work (aside from dinner). I awake the next day and do it all again.
Though I love my life, each night, before I fall asleep, there is that fleeting moment of panic: I didn't do ____. I should have done more/less ____. I need to ____.
Enough, I tell myself, when that self-doubt pipes up. You've done enough.
I repeat my mantra:
I did my best today.
I'll do better tomorrow.
There are only 24 hours in a day. I can only do so much and still be happy and healthy. To be healthy and happy, that means some things are sacrificed:
I missed the weeknight meetup with my gal pals. I should call my sister. I'm long overdue for a trim.
My floors need mopping. My kitchen table is cluttered. The bathroom probably needs a good scrubbing.
I should respond to that work email. I wish I had more time to read. I haven't spent more than a few minutes journaling in several weeks.
I think back to advice that a successful woman once shared with me: You can have it all; you just can’t have it all, all at once.
Posted 1/31/2012 6:00:00 PM By: : 62 comments 40,324 views
10 Decadent Desserts You Won't Believe are Only 200 Calories
Editor's Note: All this week, we're sharing meals, snacks and even desserts that can fit into your daily life. We combine our recipes with simple and nutritious sides for healthy meals, snacks and desserts that are calorie-conscious. You'll be amazed that you can fill your plate and still fit into your jeans the next day. (Find the whole series here.)
You'll need to pick up a copy of "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight" to access the recipes, but we will share some sneak peeks this week--and you can easily add recipes from the cookbook to your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker, too!
Desserts are treats, an occasional sweet that isn’t meant to fulfill any nutritional requirements. That said, our desserts in "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight" are healthier than most—and even more satisfying than anything you’ll find at the bakery or in a 100-calorie pack.
You won't believe that these treats are 200 calories or less (including extras!).
Posted 1/20/2012 10:00:00 PM By: : 49 comments 50,113 views
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