We used to have hens, and therefore had our own fresh, organic eggs. But since a neighborhood critter made a meal out of them, we’ve been buying eggs. The scorecard has changed the way I look at (and purchase) eggs. I am spending a little more, but I feel like it’s worth it to be getting a high quality product from a farm I trust. Check out the scorecard criteria (link on the page listed above)…pretty impressive.

Have an eggseptional day! Groan…sorry, couldn’t help it.

Are they organic? No. Are they filled with whole grains and lots of fiber? No. But, for those times when you just want to have a sandwich on something that resembles actual bread (other than Udi’s, which we also love), Mariposa breads are pretty heavenly.

Check out their website to find retail locations, or to order online. Enjoy!

• Andy’s Market
• Whole Foods (wholefoodsmarket.com)
• Pacific Market (fiestamkt.com)
• Oliver’s (oliversmarket.com)
• Community Market (srcommunitymarket.com)

What I love about all of these is their selection of local, seasonal, and organic produce and animal products, as well as healthier alternatives to the standard processed foods you might find at the more conventional stores. I do hit up Trader Joe’s from time to time as well…

Some of my favorite produce stands right now are listed below. Of course, farmers’ markets are also a wonderful place to get locally grown/made goods.

• Tierra Vegetables (Airport  Blvd.) (tierravegetables.com)
• The ‘Strawberry Shack’ (named by my kids, on Hwy 12 heading into Sebastopol)
• Organic blueberry stand (corner of Occidental/High School Road)

Looking for pasture-raised meats? Try these spots:

• Freestone Ranch (freestoneranch.com)
• Tara Firma Farms (tarafirmafarms.com)

Want fresh, seasonal, organic produce delivered to your doorstep? Sign up with a local CSA:

• Laguna Farms (lagunafarm.com)
• Valley End Farm (valleyendfarm.com)
• Tara Firms Farms (see above)
• Tierra Vegetables (see above)

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I hope you can use it as a resource when planning your and your family’s healthy meals!

Here in Sonoma County, however, we are blessed with many restaurants that not only use local, organic ingredients (including meats), but also have substitutions for those folks that may not be able to eat dairy, or gluten, or sugar. Here are some of my personal favorites right now:

• East West (locations in Sebastopol & Santa Rosa)
• Pasta Bella (Sebastopol)
• Peter Lowell’s (Sebastopol)
• Pizza Vino (Sebastopol)
• Flavor (Santa Rosa)
• Fresh China (Santa Rosa)
• Sizzling Tandoor (Santa Rosa)

What are some of your favorites restaurants for healthy, delicious, local food (email me at julie@thefoodworks.com)!

Today I want to talk about timing of meals & snacks. What I find with many of my clients is that they’re actually not eating often enough. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true! Many people go for 5-6 hours between lunch and dinner for example, and then are upset because they grazed throughout the preparation of dinner and then overate at the meal. It helps when I explain to them about blood sugar balance. After we eat, our blood sugar rises. If it’s a good balanced meal of lean (& clean) protein, healthy fat, and complex carbs, our blood sugar will rise gradually, giving us a good amount of energy & brain power for the next few hours. After 3-4 hours, our blood sugar goes back down and we should start to feel hungry again. If we wait for a couple of hours, by the time we finally eat, our blood sugar is very low, and we may even have symptoms like fatigue, shakiness, irritability, inability to focus, or headaches. This is when it’s really easy to overeat, and/or to eat the wrong things. Our bodies just know that they’re super low on energy (blood sugar), so they want to be fed!

The other thing that happens with not eating frequently enough (or eating too few calories) is that our bodies go into ‘conservation’ mode, and hang onto every calorie they get. This is the opposite of what we want — we want FAST metabolisms, not SLOW ones. Of course, exercise really helps with this, but so does eating regularly throughout the day. And I don’t mean grazing — that will undermine your weight loss efforts too! What I mean is eating at regular 3-4 hour intervals. What works well for me and many of my clients is to eat a healthy breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and then dinner. The timing might look like this: 7:30, 10:30, 1:00, 4:00, and 7:00.

So remember, not only what you’re eating but also when you’re eating are important. Have a beautiful day!

The good news is that through proper diet and lifestyle, we can support hormone balance. The glands that produce our hormones (thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, etc.) need a nutrient-rich diet to function optimally. In addition, they’re affected by lifestyle factors as well, namely stress (ah, that 6-letter word again). Yep, healthy hormone balance means that we take time to rest, and have lots of outlets for stress: exercise, yoga, deep breathing, journaling, meditation — whatever works for you.

There are also many lab tests that can be ordered to figure out if your hormones are out of balance (ask your MD or other qualified health care practitioner). And if you’re discouraged by the results, remember that you can make a huge difference with diet and lifestyle. If that’s not enough, there are targeted supplements that can also be extremely helpful. Never give up on your hormones!

Well, it turns out that there is a direct correlation between the amount of sleep we get and our weight. This is most likely due to the relationship between hours of sleep and appetite regulating hormones known as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin tells our brain that we’re full or satiated. Ghrelin, on the other hand, increases appetite. Do you ever notice that you’re hungrier, or you have more cravings, when you’re sleep-deprived?.  Studies have shown that when we get less than 8 hours of sleep, our levels of ghrelin go up, and our levels of leptin go down (Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index).

It’s been found that people who get 5 hours of sleep/night are 50% more likely to be obese than ‘normal’ sleepers (~8 hours/night); those who sleep 6 hours/night are 23% more likely to be obese (findings by researchers of Columbia University at annual meeting of the North American Assoc. for the Study of Obesity, in partnership with the American Diabetes Association).

Pretty shocking, right? How many folks reading this are regularly burning the candle on both ends? Maybe you needed a reason to allow yourself to get more sleep? If so, now you’ve got it…because getting a good night’s sleep will help you reach your dream weight!

As I mentioned in my May 10 post, our bodies are not bank accounts, and there’s much more to weight management than calories in, calories out. In my next series of posts, I’ll be discussing different factors that affect our weight. Tuesday’s topic will be one that’s near and dear to many of us (especially us moms!) — sleep.

Stay tuned…and have a wonderful, relaxing holiday weekend!

So, do ‘diets’ work? I’d have to say no! Especially when you look at the fact the Americans are spending over $58 billion dollars a year on weight loss programs and products, and yet we keep getting fatter and fatter.

The problem with many ‘diets’ is that they are too low in calories. Eating too few calories actually slows our metabolism down as our bodies are trying to hold onto all those calories. They’re also often very restrictive, and how likely are we to stay on a program that’s overly restrictive? Not long. So, we go off the ‘diet,’ our old eating habits come right back, and along with them comes the weight we just lost. Talk about a frustrating vicious circle…

What does work is developing new eating and lifestyle habits that you can sustain over the long haul (no, these don’t have to be painful!). And since our bodies are NOT bank accounts (see previous blog), it’s also helpful to determine what might be getting in the way of losing weight. These obstacles can be physiological, mental, and/or emotional.

So, the next time you’re considering going on yet another ‘diet,’ think about the image of the yo-yo and whether you want to go for that ride again. There’s another option: feeling empowered to make good choices, while enjoying your food, your exercise, and your life!

I’m here to tell you that there are ways of buying affordable organic food. In terms of grocery stores, you can find lots of organic items at Trader Joe’s. Costco, and even Target and Walmart are also offering a lot more organic choices. You can also find good deals at Whole Foods (I know, most people think of it as ‘Whole Paycheck’). When I shop at Whole Foods, I look for: 1) sale items; 2) items that have coupons (up at the registers, they often have flyers with coupons, recipes, and entertaining ideas); and 3) items that are tagged on the shelf as ‘great buy!’ The ‘great buy!’ tags mean that you won’t find the same item anywhere else for less!

Farmers markets are also a wonderful place to shop for fresh, local foods. Often times the farmer may not be certified organic, but they don’t use synthetic pesticides or herbicides (just ask and they’ll let you know). Shopping at farmers markets also ensures that you’re eating what’s in season, which is a great way to make sure you’re eating a fresh, diversified diet. Check our your local market this weekend and enjoy some delicious spring fare!