Habits of Healthy Eaters: Pack Snacks When You Travel

By the time you read this, I'll be somewhere between Cincinnati and Istanbul, reuniting with a dear friend and starting an adventure two years in the making.

I love to travel. What I don't love is airplane food. If you're "lucky" enough to be served a meal, it's usually not very healthy or tasty.*

I always travel on a pretty tight budget, so shelling out $10 for a watery salad or fast food in the airport isn't something I like to do. The "snacks" that airlines sell now are not any better: potato chips, candy, and other junk food is the norm. Yuck.

Flying already leaves me feeling dehydrated and tired, without adding excess sugar and salt to my body.

How do I avoid paying high prices and eat right until I land--and beyond? I pack snacks.

Do You Record Life--or Live It?

Last month my beloved little sister graduated with her master's degree. Along with hundreds of other families, we crowded an auditorium at Case Western Reserve University, waiting for our loved one's name to be called, for them to receive their diplomas, tangible proof that the years of overnighters spent writing, researching, and reading were all coming to fruition.

As I watched the graduates' faces, they conveyed mixed emotions--exuberance, relief, peace, elation. The loved ones faces were harder to gauge, as most were pressed to viewfinders of video cameras or watching through display screens on digital cameras.

Instead of observing this monumental occasion and watching it unfold in real time--the culmination of almost two decades of education, hundreds of thousands of well-spent dollars, and infinite wisdom gained--most people were witnessing it through the filter of electronic media.

It made me pause.

By recording every moment big and small, are we really living? Can we fully experience an event if we're simultaneously trying to capture it for posterity?

SparkPeople Debuts in Washington Post

The word is getting out about SparkPeople, and the good press is rolling in. In the last six months alone, we've been featured in Fortune, Good Housekeeping, cnn.com, The Times of London, and Today, plus some of the Web's best healthy living blogs. And whom do we have to thank for such glowing reviews? Chris "SparkGuy" Downie for following his dream and starting SparkPeople? Yes, and... the fabulous team we work with every day? Yes, but also… YOU!

As we've said time and again, SparkPeople is eternally gratefully for the support, encouragement, and, most of all, success of our more than 8 million members. With that many members, if SparkPeople formed a state, we would supplant Virginia as the 12th largest in America. Wow!

Now, the SparkPeople community has another feather in its cap: A column in the Washington Post written by Jennifer LaRue Huget.

Enjoy a Day of Fun with 2 Skinny Cow Events

We like Skinny Cow ice cream. Portion controlled, low in fat and calories, and full of rich flavors, it's definitely on our list of "go-to" frozen treats.

We've tried their cones, bars, and sandwiches, and now they've launched low-fat ice cream cups called "The Perfect Cup," in five flavors.

To celebrate the new product, Skinny Cow is hosting two fun events!

The events will take place from June 5-6 in New York City and from June 12-13 in Chicago. From 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, you and your friends can enjoy lots of fun activities, including a free bra fitting with a Warnaco professional bra fitter.

A Goal within Reach, but Not without Obstacles

In yoga, as in life, some things come easier than others. An affinity for sweat-free exercise, natural flexibility, and a desire to find peace led me to the practice, and the strength, calm, and support I found in Ashtanga yoga kept me there.

Certain poses, like Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Fold) and Baddha Konasana (Seated Butterfly Stretch) were "easy."

Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel) and Garbha PIndasana (Womb Embryo) seemed impossible.

Halasana (Plow) and Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) were familiar, tricks I practiced while watching the Barcelona Olympics, my version of gymnastic feats. I pretended I was Shannon Miller and Kim Zmeskal and felt strong. Sirsasana (Headstand) reminded me of how far I had to go. It scared and intrigued me. Still does.

Some yoga poses (asanas) are black and white. Either you can do them or you can't. They're like a 100-yard dash, a Fast Break goal.

Others require more work.

Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana) is one of those poses. It took me a long time to get to where I am today. Hand pressing in to the floor, top shoulder rolled back, neck long and strong, top arm fully extended, back foot firmly pressing in to the floor.

The pose is a balance of strength and flexibility.

Contest: Did You Cook away the Pounds?

Tell us how healthy cooking and eating changed your life, and you could be featured in SparkPeople's next book.

We're always on the lookout for Success Stories. Not only do they serve as sources of inspiration for other members, but they are also our best marketing tool. Our next book, which will be published in late 2011, will focus on healthy eating and cooking, and we need your help.

We want to know how healthy eating, and specifically healthy cooking, has changed your life.

• Did you makeover your family's meals and whip everyone into shape?
  
  
• Has healthy cooking been key to your weight loss?
  
  
• Have you learned to love cooking?
  
  

What We're Reading Right Now

However You Want It Frappucino a Better Treat

For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder

Trying Out Delivered Diet Meals

19 Cheap and Easy Tips to Make Over Your Next Meal

This post started as a list of ways to use hummus. Then it evolved into a bit of a foodie braindump. All these great tips and tricks have been floating around my brain for the past few months. It's time I shared these quick, affordable kitchen tips and healthy eats with you! I hope you find them useful and inspiring.

• Make your own nut butter. It's so much cheaper, and there's no added salt! Toast raw nuts until they're barely fragrant, then run through the food processor. I start by running them through the slicing attachment, then put in the chopping blade and let them break down, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add cinnamon, maple syrup or dark cocoa powder for extra special treats.
  
  
• Poached eggs are delicious: atop a bowl of pasta and tomato sauce, on a salad, and on a bowl of savory oatmeal. The broken yolk makes a delicious, creamy sauce. Trust me. It's life-changingly delicious, especially atop the pasta.
  
  
• Shredded carrots tossed with hummus that's been thinned with a tablespoon of water is a wonderful side salad. I grate a bag of carrots (using my food processor) every week and use them in stir-fries, casseroles and salads.
  
  
• Hummus is a secret weapon:
  
  
  • Add it to tomato sauce instead of cream or milk.
    
    
  • Hummus and salsa is even better than cheesy Mexican dip. Warm it for an over-the-top guiltless treat.
    
    
  • Use hummus instead of mayo. More flavor, less fat!
    
    
  • Hummus makes a great salad dressing, and you can even thin it with broth or water to make a dressing for pasta salad--great with peppers, onions, cucumbers, olives and other Mediterranean staples.

  Posted 5/10/2010  2:14:36 PM By:   : 119 comments   43,449 views

  Read More ›

Weathering the Storm to Run My First Half Marathon

Less than a year ago, I ran my first 5K. Six months ago, I ran my first 10K. On Sunday I ran my first half marathon, the Flying Pig in Cincinnati.

It wasn't my best run.

It wasn't my worst either.

It was a lesson in strength, determination, and patience.

The weather reports were dismal. 70% chance of rain, scattered thunderstorms, with a low of 59°F.

I started to panic a bit on Thursday and Friday.

Despite a cold and snowy February, our spring had been mild and dry. I had managed to avoid bad weather for all but one of my training runs.

I had overcome a sore calf muscle (injured from running on ice and snow)--twice. I had given up weeks of Friday night activities with my friends, headed to bed early, and risen at the crack of dawn to run.

I was not giving up. This would be my race, rain or no rain.

After spending all day Saturday at a yoga workshop, I was eagerly anticipating an 8 p.m. bedtime. Sound asleep before the sun went down, I awoke with a jolt at 2 a.m.. Lightning illuminated my bedroom, and thunder shook the walls. The rain on the roof seemed deafening. I would be getting up in just two hours.

I fell back to sleep, hoping that the worst of the weather was behind me.

At 4, as I ate breakfast, it poured.

At 5, as I headed to the starting line with friends, it slowed to a drizzle.

At 6, as we lined up, lightning punctuated the sky.

At 6:30, as we took off, my shoes were soaked and my confidence was shaken.

My Weight Loss Story: Taking the Long, Bumpy Road Home

Saturday was my second Spark-versary. I technically joined the site before I was hired, but I really didn't have time or energy to spend much time on the site.

The woman I was on April 24, 2008, seems wholly unrecognizable now.

Two years ago, I was stressed and exhausted. Moments of happiness were fleeting, and the real me struggled to emerge. I knew what I wanted, but I was having trouble reaching it.

Today, I'm a yoga teacher. I'm running my first half marathon in two weeks. I am well-rested, I like getting out of bed in the morning, and I like coming to work. I have a new home, a wonderful boyfriend, and the world's best cat.

At 28, I am healthier and happier than ever. For the first time, I am content with my body. I accept my flaws, love myself and focus on the positive. Today I feel strong, strong enough to share my own story about weight loss. (It's long, so bear with me.)

After graduating college in 2003, I gained 40 pounds. In 2005, while living in South Korea, I lost it. Though I was "overweight" for less than two years, my issues with weight and food date back 16 years.

It's hard to remember exactly what triggered it, but the summer before I started junior high I fell into a decade-long struggle with eating disorders. I was 12 years old, 5' 7" and 120 pounds. I wore women's clothes while all of my friends were still in girls sizes. I was flat as a board and quite thin, but I felt gigantic and out of place. On top of that, I was transferring schools, had just moved in with my dad and stepmom and was dealing with my mom's second divorce. Life sucked--and it was spiraling out of control.

I started by skipping breakfast, then lunch. I stood up in choir class one morning and the world went black. I didn't pass out, but I got scared. I hadn't eaten in three days.

By that summer I was subsisting on saltines and jam, and fat-free yogurt. I baby-sat all day, so my parents didn't know that I counted calories religiously and never ventured above 500 before 5 o'clock. I ate dinner in my room and flushed most of it.

The week that eighth grade started, my weight was 98 pounds--and I was 5' 8" by then. I had dropped to a size 1--that was before stores carried size 0. My parents confronted me, and instead of starting school with the rest of my class, I spent a week in the hospital.

Our Favorite Healthy Living Links

Review: Run Like a Mother

Flatten Your Abs -- Standing Up!

Power Monday? Power Toast!

"Obesity" To Be Banned in England?

6 best seafood options

Iman's Daughter on Her Weight Struggle

The Best Roasted Broccoli Recipe

Book Review: The Spark

What stories did you read this week?

UPDATED: Fortune: We're the 'Facebook of Dieting'

UPDATE: This story is now available online.

Here's what SparkGuy had to say about the experience:
"I have to tell everyone that it was a lifelong thrill to sit in the Fortune magazine offices and share the SparkPeople story with 3 high-level people there. I'll never forget it and am so excited that this article will help us spread the spark to many more people and organizations."

SparkPeople is no stranger to good press. From TV to blogs, newspapers to magazines, the media are noticing us more and more these days.

Now, we have another feather for our cap: Fortune! This well-respected business magazine, which primarily focuses on large companies that are household names, wrote a great little piece on SparkPeople in the April 12 issue (on newsstands now).

Get 2 NEW Recipes from Hungry Girl's Latest Cookbook

We're big fans of Lisa Lillien, better known as Hungry Girl, and her guilt-free favorite food swaps. Last year, she dished about her tactics for avoiding holiday weight gain, and she gave us a sneak peek into some of her upcoming projects, including her latest book!

We're happy to report that her new cookbook is on store shelves and climbing the best-sellers lists. "Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet" is full of great recipes, and Lisa has generously shared two of them: Shrimped-Up Sweet Corn 'N Tomato Salad and Easy Oven-Baked S'Mores-Stuffed Bananas .

The Week's Best Health Stories

To fix school lunch program, D.C. turns to famed restaurateur

A Strange Brew May Be a Good Thing

Why Heavier Models Will NOT Become the Norm

Get Energized to Exercise: Drink Cold Water

Janet Jackson's Weight Battle Started At Age 10

Happy Meal Is Still 'Happy' One Year On

More Operation Beautiful Notes

What stories piqued your interest this week?

'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution': Will It Work?

UPDATED editor's note: Thanks for all of your supportive comments. Jamie, the dailySpark would LOVE to interview you! Readers, let's tell Jamie how and why we can help his mission.

Jamie Oliver is better known by the moniker "The Naked Chef," which, salacious as it seems, actually refers to his clean, simple, and healthy style of cooking than his apparel in the kitchen. After spending the better part of the last decade leading a one-man healthy food crusade in the U.K., he's hopped the pond to take on America's obesity epidemic. (Disclosure: I'm a HUGE fan of Jamie Oliver!)

In his new ABC six-show series, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, the chef starts in Huntington, W.Va., which is statistically one of the unhealthiest cities in America and in 2008 was named the fattest city in the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jamie Oliver has a lengthy, impressive resume: He launched a successful campaign to introduce healthy food to British schools and put up his own home as collateral to start an organization to train 15 young adults who have a disadvantaged background, criminal record or history of drug abuse, to work in the restaurant business

Oliver, a father of three with one more on the way, is passionate about cooking and food, but he's even more passionate about kids and family. His motives aren't financial. They aren't egotistical. They're altruistic. Yes, he's a bit of a zealot, but shouldn't we all be when it comes to our health?

Some people argue that a Brit has no business poking his nose in America's obesity problem. But he does: 1. He's already had success instituting similar programs in England and 2. He knows that if he can make a difference here in the States, the rest of the world will follow our lead.

As with any reality TV show, it's hard to distinguish reality from TV, but this one has real potential--and it's certainly food for thought. What kind of welcome did Oliver receive when he arrived in Huntington, a beautiful city of 50,000 people along the Ohio River?