Make a Moo-ve towards being Flexitarian.

Flexitarianism involves a semi-vegetarian diet that focuses mainly on vegetarian food with some meat eating on occasion.

Instead of committing entirely to a meatless diet, I find it has been much easier mentally to go flexitarian. I eat mostly vegetarian meals, but when the catering tray comes around with a delicious looking something or other, I find it easiest to give in to my active and interested tastebuds.

In any case, when I cook and even when I order out, I tend to stay away from commercial red meat for the following reasons:

* It is dirty.
The intense numbers of animals in unhygienic housing create a feast for bacteria. Plus, processing happens in the presence of blood, feces, and other unmentionables, and the distance to transport this food is also open for contamination.

* As a result, there is an overuse of antibiotics that we end up indirectly consuming, and Salmonella, E. Coli, and Camplyobacter are increasingly becoming more resistant!

* It is high in saturated fats and raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.

* It can increase overall calorie intake when eating large amounts of fatty red meat
and could lead to excess weight gain and obesity.

*Studies also show that eating red meat leaves you at risk for a shortened life span because of links to of heart disease and cancer. Actually, it's a 30% increase in risk of death, a 50% greater risk of colon cancer, and a 20% greater risk of rectal cancer!

Be wise.
Making healthier decisions about what kind of protein you get is imperative to your health. Opt for leaner unprocessed white meats and fish when possible and think twice about stuffing your face with the largest culprits: fatty cuts and ground beef, lamb, pork, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, and even many deli meats.

Fiber is your friend...

After all of that Crap Talk, you are probably not getting enough fiber.

The average American gets maybe 15g of fiber a day...
but
women should get 25g and men 35g.
A few things about fiber and your health:

* Stay regular!
Fiber moves things along in your gut. Constipation and hemorrhoids are no match for insoluble fiber which binds water. Stools are softer, heavier and bulkier as a result.

* It's good for your heart by lowering "bad cholesterol."
Soluble fiber binds bile acids, where cholesterol hangs out, and you end up excreting that LDL.

* Fiber also regulates blood sugar by taking longer to digest.
Those suffering from diabetes may find that a high fiber diet helps normalize blood sugar levels.

* It is known to prevent obesity.
A diet of high fiber fruits and veggies help satiate you and attack hunger with relatively few calories.
You end up feeling fuller for longer and decreasing the desire to overeat. Save yourself those excessive calories and experience weight loss!

And as an added bonus...
Keep your waist size in check!
The focus of a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also suggests that fiber, especially fiber from cereal, helps keep the inches around your waist slim and trim!

I live by a high fiber (and by proxy, a more whole foods) diet and feel lighter and happier!
Some of my favorite ways to get my fix:

Simply Fiber cereal is my favorite and has 14g of fiber per serving!!

raw Cacao Beans (9g per serving) make a great snack.

Butternut squash is 7g per cup!

and Lentils are 15g for 1/4cup!

The benefits of fiber are just another reason to eat more whole foods.

Crap talk...

For whatever reason, this is actually a common conversation, we find, among models.
And because a healthy poo parallels good health, let's explore this topic.
Poop is essentially mostly water.
It's the 25% left of bacteria, dead and alive, protein, fiber and food residue, mucus from the liver, cellular linings, fats, cholesterol, salts and other waste material from food that makes us go "EW."

The goal is to stay regular and on a schedule of once a day, ideally.
The other times, discounting diarrhea, is an added bonus.

The concensus on healthy poo involves a few factors. It should be nearly odorless, about 18" long and 1-2" in diameter, come out somewhat like an unripe banana and be a golden brown.

Be wary of other colors, because they means something, too.

Alicia Silverstone is a vocal advocate of a healthy poo! And I love that Gillian McKeith of the show, "You Are What You Eat," talks at length on her show about it!
There have been whole shows devoted to this topic on Oprah, The Tyra Banks show, and Dr. Oz among others, I'm sure. And for good reason! Healthy poo is an indicator of a healthy body.

A tip to stay regular:
try squatting and at the same time each day.
It helps stimulate the bowels.

You can also add more fiber to your diet.
(For women, we should be getting at least 25g of fiber a day!)

Oh My Neti Pot

Last week I called my agent Maria at M and to much of my dismay she was (gasp!) stuffed up with nasal allergy's due to the common cold. Oh no, I thought, how is this woman going to concentrate when she has sinus pressure. As she was saying, What's a Neti Pot?, I hung up the phone, grabbed my neti pot and headed to her immediately.

I have to give credit to the person who ever so humbly showed me the magic of the Neti Pot, my friend Yuliya. I love house guests but a house guest who can teach me holistic remedy's is priceless. Yuliya suffers from allergies, like millions of people, and instead of taking an allergy pill like Claritin every day she incorporated the neti pot into her nightly regime along with tooth brushing to help her sinus's. I watched her in awe every night as she used her travel, dishwater safe neti pot. How does it work? Where is the salt water going?

Okay, so back the story. I went to share my knowledge with Maria. We went to the bathroom and I gave her instructions. Fill up the neti pot with body/room temperature water, mix in the salt packet, tilt your head, put the sprout up to your nostril, let gravity do it's thing and Voila! The neti pot is working it's magic. Then repeat for the other nostril. I was saying encouraging things like, "It's so natural, like the ocean!" and "You're going to love the way you feel after this!" We hugged it out after as the drainage came out...

Here's some pertinent information on Neti Pots: www.healingdaily.com/exercise/neti-pot.htm)

P.S The Neti-Pot works wonders for me after a flight with all that stale air. I tend to use it with the first onset of a cold. Nib it in the butt with the natural Neti-Pot.

Soy...in my humble opinion.

I probably mooed when I was a kid after all of the milk I drank!

Now, a tall glass of cow's milk is not an option for me anymore, and
having read some research on soy, I've decided to cut waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back on that, too.

Soy contributes to thyroid disorder, especially in women, promotes kidney stones, weakens the immune system, and contributes to food allergies and digestive intolerances for starters.

A raw food chef stopped me in my tracks and told me that it was poison for our bodies and we are much better off eating almond, rice, or even hemp milk.

Since then, I've taken to Whole Foods' Unsweetened Rice Milk for $1.69!! Unsweetened Almond Milk and the Unsweetened Whole Grain Milk from Trader Joes are also excitable alternatives that I drink. And everything tastes better to me with a couple of full bodied tablespoons of coconut milk!

I have heard debates regarding organic soy beans healthful contributions, but the bottom line remains. Moderation is key.

At the fish market...

Jama and I have the B E S T fish guy ever!
(Big Love to Peter at the West Hollywood and Culver City Farmer's Market on Monday and Tuesday respectively).

Here's the list I buy by, because it is always a good idea to know where your seafood comes from...

Low toxin levels, healthy, and harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner:

• Wild Alaskan Salmon (fresh/frozen/canned)
• Sardines
• Oysters (farmed)
• Catfish (U.S. farmed)
• Tilapia (U.S. farmed)
• Trout (farmed)
• Arctic Char (wild and farmed)
• Mussels (farmed)
• Atlantic Mackerel
• Shrimp (U.S. farmed)
• Striped Bass (U.S. farmed)
• Herring
• Pollock
• Anchovies
• Bay Scallops
• Clams (farmed)
• Caviar (farmed)
• Skipjack Tuna (pole-caught)
• Barramundi
• Crawfish (U.S. farmed)

With elevated toxins or in danger of being over fished, limit yourself to a couple of times per month:

• Canned Chunk Light Tuna
• Yellowfin/Albacore Tuna
• Lobster
• King/Snow Crabs
• Squid
• Pacific Sole
• Mahi-Mahi
• King Crab
• Sea Scallops
• Pacific Cod

Avoid these fish with high toxin levels or harvested in environmentally damaging ways:

• Farmed Atlantic Salmon
• Shark
• Grouper
• Orange Roughy
• Chilean Seabass
• Marlin
• Swordfish (imported)
• Bluefin Tuna
• Pacific Rockfish
• Red Snapper
• Tilefish
• American Eel

Go organic with your tampons...please!

With the women in the world suffering from cervical cancer and womb tumors, it leaves little wonder why after knowing more about the tampons on the market.

Companies making tampons include asbestos. We end up bleeding more because of it and, therefore, needing to use more of the product. And since tampons do not fall under the category of ingestion, these products are not considered illegal or dangerous.

Tampons also contain Rayon for absorbency and Dioxin, which is used in bleaching the products. Dioxin is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems and has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men in addition to breaking down the immune system. Despite Dioxin's association with cancer, the EPA maintains that there is no set acceptable level of exposure given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. How then do women quantify 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years??? And with tampons leaving behind fibers in the vagina, it creates a breeding ground for dioxin! And, thus, another reason TSS occurs.

Who really wants a chemical stick inside their birth canal during the most sensitive time of the month?

If you are wearing pads, you should also know that the "free and light and carefree" is made from cellulose gel and not cotton. More than 3 hours of usage maximum leaves you at risk to bacterial action in your genital area and may even result in cervical cancer or other complications!

Make the switch. It's worth it.
Use tampons made from 100% cotton that are unbleached. Organic tampons are free of GMOs, herbicides and pesticides, and chlorine. We buy ours from Trader Joes and Whole Foods (they also have organic pads). The price is comparable, and when you factor in future hospital fees, organic tampons actually are far less expensive.Essence magazine had a small article about this and mentions two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are: Organic Essentials 800.765.6491 and Terra Femme 800.755.0212.

And Thank You Danielle Lawson of the NY State Health Field Insurance Examiner (dlawson@ins.state.ny.us) and Deloris Campbell of Women In Need, Inc (dcampbell@w-i-n.org) for turning women on to this important issue!

Feeling moved?!
Spread the word. Tell your friends, your friends' friends, your mother, your aunt, your sister, your cousin... You can also call and write to the 800 numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.

a lip licking 7 lbs...

Women will eat an average of 7 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime!

And it's not only that little statistic that is disconcerting, it is the fact that the FDA reviews a mere 11% of the some 10,500 ingredients in cosmetics. What that means is that we end up with a mouthful of irritating, toxic and even carcinogenic ingredients, some of which have even been banned by the EU but are still used in America.

Is beauty worth this???

After perusing this cosmetic database site several times over, looking up every possible skin cream to eye treatment that I've used, I am now feeling like a conscious consumer. Skin is our largest organ, and when healthy, is a thing of beauty. So let's stay kissable, ladies, and be aware of how we coat our body!

so act that your principle of action
might safely be made
law for the whole world.
--immanuel kant