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Now is the time to include fresh, natural foods in every meal: Grocery stores and farmers’ markets are overflowing with corn, peaches, peppers, summer squash and tomatoes at their peak of flavor and freshness. These and other natural foods contain the micronutrients your body needs to fight disease and create energy.

Researchers are constantly discovering new ways that whole foods work with your body. Here’s research showing how white button mushrooms enhance the activity of the body’s immune system. And another study reveals the unique way that cranberries sweep bacteria from the urinary tract. Doctors at three community health centers in Massachusetts believe so strongly in the transformative power of natural foods that they’re distributing $1-a-day coupons to be redeemed at local farmer’s markets—one newspaper dubbed the fruits and veggies “farm-e-ceuticals.” Apogee’s integrative health advisor, Woodson Merrell, M.D., agrees: “I don’t care how good food scientists are at their job, it is not possible to design a processed food with the complex antioxidant capabilities of a plant,” he writes.

Inspired to make the best choice for your plate today? It’s hard not to be! The APOGEE Cafe always has natural, whole foods choices to choose from. Or, stock your own: Put your zip code in this web page to find a farmer’s market or farmstand close to you.

Related links:
Kale and Swiss Chard: Easy, Tasty and Nutritious
Seasonal Eating: Spaghetti Squash
Almonds: Health by the Handful

Here is a collection of recent health news you can use.  We’re focusing on whole-body health. Click on the links to read more about each topic.

Be active for better brain health: Perhaps you work out to keep trim and toned, but did you know that exercise also builds new brain cells? Recent research shows how physical activity stimulates the stem cells in our brains that make new neurons. Perhaps that’s one reason why people who are active in their younger years are at lower risk for cognitive impairment later in life. In a study of more than 9,000 women, those who had been active a teens had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment, but regular activity at any time in life lowered the risk. In other words, being active now means better brain health later.

Awareness has healing power: The mindfulness you develop in meditation and yoga can help your health in many ways. In one study, people who practiced mindfulness boosted the levels of immune cells in their blood. And in an Australian study, 12 women at risk for binge eating lost weight and had higher self-esteem after practicing yoga for 12 weeks.

Meditation is increasingly being recognized as a natural pain reliever. The U.S. Army  is adding yoga and acupuncture to its arsenal of pain treatments. In Britain, brain scans showed how meditation changes the way the brain anticipates pain. “Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and therefore to spend less time anticipating future negative events,” said the study author.

Natural foods guard against disease: Whole, natural foods are like treasure boxes filled with healing substances. For example, extra virgin olive oil may guard against breast cancer; researchers think substances in the oil help send death signals to cancer cells and protect DNA in the cell nucleus. Just pour it on. And replacing white rice with whole grains could reduce your risk of diabetes by 36 percent, say doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Two or more servings a week of brown rice, whole-wheat berries and barley made the difference in the study.

Processed foods, on the other hand, can be damaging. So many processed foods contain added sugars and a recent study found that fructose makes kids’ fat cells bigger and less sensitive to insulin, setting them up for obesity and diabetes. Another reason to choose water and avoid drinks with added sugar!

by Jennifer Vagios, RD
APOGEE’s Dietitian

Have you ever said, “I’m going eat well, starting today!” Of course that’s an admirable goal: Your health, energy and weight will benefit from a diet of whole, natural, unprocessed foods. But such a sweeping, all-or-nothing plan is hard to achieve.

Don’t get me wrong: It’s important to have a target to motivate you and provide a focus. But goals without practical steps may set you up for failure. I help my clients at APOGEE by making sure their goals are SMART –that is, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. And once you’ve reached your goal (and I promise you will), you can build on it.  Here’s how to make sure your plan is SMART.

Specific
Your goal is specific if you can ask yourself: what will happen, where and when. For example,  “I will eat a healthful breakfast of fruit and yogurt at home four days this week,” and  “I will bring a salad to work for lunch two days this week” are specific. A non-specific goal is, “I will start eating better lunches.”  The what is the food, the where is at home or at work and the when is four times this week.

Measureable
Your goal is measurable if you can ask yourself: How will I know I’ve reached this goal? The simplest way to quantify your goal is to include a number: Three lunch salads a week or four breakfasts. Then, choose a timeframe: “I will eat a healthful breakfast of fruit and yogurt at home four days this week.” If you achieve the goal, extend the timeframe—for two weeks or until the end of the month, for example.

Attainable
Make your goals small-scale and you’ll achieve success. For example, it’s tough to go from never eating breakfast at home to always eating breakfast at home. Instead, try the new behavior two days a week. Succeed at that, and within a month you’ll be more likely to be practicing the new behavior most days of the week.

Timely
A goal should have a time frame—so there is sense of urgency to complete it—and a beginning and an end. “This week, I’m going to eat a salad at lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” is timely and specific. Plus, success will come quickly when you have an end date in the not-too-distant future.

Realistic
Be certain that you are willing and able to make the changes you need to in order to achieve your goal. It’s not realistic to say you will never eat cake or chips again! Instead, look at your life: If you’re eating cake every night now, perhaps you can cut back to cake once a week and fruit on other nights. If you’re snacking on corn chips every day, perhaps you can switch to crunchy vegetables on weeknights and corn chips on the weekend. Being realistic sets you up for success.

Good luck being SMART! Let us know how this style of goal-setting works for you by posting a comment here or on our Facebook page.

If you’ve been to the APOGEE Café in White Plains or Bedford Hills, you’re familiar with our fresh, convenient food: You can pick up a nutritious natural meal or snack after class and be home, at work or running errands with no worries about your diet or energy level. You know you’re eating fresh, natural whole foods.

This month, we’re revamping our smoothie menu: These new, cool drinks are packed with nutrition, providing a balance of macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) with the micro-nutrients your body needs for optimum health. We can’t think of an easier way to provide you with fast, portable, tasty nutrition and energy. Our menu will feature gluten-free and vegan smoothies, too, so everyone can find a drink to suit them.

How do we pack so much nutrition into 16- or 24-ounce cup? The key is quality ingredients.

Protein: Our smoothies contain rice protein powder, almond butter, almond milk, or kefir made from low-fat milk. These are easy to digest, gluten-free sources of protein. Protein is especially useful to aid recovery after exercise. Our signature smoothie, “The APOGEE,” contains rice protein; our Nutty Monkey has almond milk and butter; the Super Green Machine is mixed with almond milk.

Fats: Many of our smoothies contain coconut milk or flax seed oil, which are natural, heart-healthy fats. Both of these fats also have disease-fighting properties and they contribute to a creamy, satisfying smoothie. Flax seed oil and coconut milk give our Apogee smoothie a nutritional punch; the Calypso Colada gets its rich flavor from coconut milk.

Fruits and vegetables: We use fresh berries, kiwi and wheat grass, providing antioxidants that help with every aspect of health, including detox and repair. Some smoothies also contain Metagenics organic greens and berries powder, which delivers the benefits of fresh fruits and greens in a concentrated, whole food form. Our Super Green Machine, Anti-Oxidant Cleanse and Apogee smoothies are packed with powerful fruits.

Probiotics: Probiotics are cultured foods that contain the beneficial bacteria essential for digestive and detox system function. Our smoothies that contain the probiotic kefir deliver multiple strains of bacteria. We’re offering both low-fat dairy kefir and coconut kefir, for vegans. Jennifer’s Kiwi Pick-Me-Up is a vegan option, with coconut kefir and wheat grass juice; low-fat dairy kefir gives the Orange Creamsicle and Calypso Colada their creamy texture.

Filtered fresh and iced water: Your body needs water to function at its best! Our smoothies will help keep you hydrated.

Read more about probiotics and kefir here.

by Jennifer Vagios, R.D.
APOGEE’s Dietitian

It’s rare that I can recommend one food that can be so many things: a tasty side dish, a high-fiber breakfast, a gluten-free option for those with celiac disease, a high-protein addition to salads, a balanced amino-acid staple for vegetarians and vegans. And this versatile food cooks in 15 to 20 minutes. Superfood? I think so!

Quinoa (keen-wah) is native to South America. Each little grain has a tail that unfurls when it’s cooked so it’s fluffy; the grains are also slightly crunchy. Like rice or other grains, quinoa has a mild flavor. The pale beige or translucent variety is the most common; the red and black varieties have a slightly nuttier flavor. Use quinoa as you would rice or couscous: as a side dish or base for a salad or in burritos or casseroles, in soups and stews, or added to muffins, as you would oatmeal.  You can also grind quinoa into flour and use it in baked goods. I love it as a breakfast grain, with chopped almonds, fruit and cinnamon. You may have seen quinoa in the APOGEE Café in salads, or even muffins.

The most nutritious grain: As versatile as it is, the real benefits of quinoa come from its nutritional profile. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein—the best amino acid profile of any grain, nearly as complete as an egg. A quarter cup of red quinoa has 6 grams of protein, 170 calories and 5 grams of fiber, making it a good source of fiber.

But there’s more: Quinoa is also a good source of potassium, which helps control blood pressure; magnesium, which helps to relax blood vessels, possibly reducing the frequency of migraines as well as protecting cardiovascular health; and Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin, a vitamin necessary for proper energy production within cells, also shown to possibly reduce the frequency of attacks in migraine sufferer; the amino acid lysine, essential for tissue growth and repair.

Quick to cook: You can buy quinoa in a bag or in bulk. Store it in an airtight container, as you would any grain. Before you cook it, rinse to remove a dusty residue known as saponin—just run cold water over the seeds in a fine mesh strainer. (The saponin is natural coating that actually protects the grain and helps it fend off pests). Look for quinoa from such brands as Bob’s Red Mill, Eden, Indian Harvest and 365 (the Whole Foods house brand). Ancient Harvest markets quinoa flakes as a breakfast cereal.

To prepare, add one part of the grain to two parts liquid in a sauce pan.  Allow the mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. You can also dry-roast the seeds before cooking for an even nuttier, toasty taste. Add your favorite dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and ginger will all complement the grain.

Let me know how you like quinoa—or, if you’re already a fan, how you use it. You can post a comment on my Facebook page or share your comments with APOGEE’s growing online community.