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| Rachel Beller and Cynthia |
Cynthia comes home from a breast cancer awareness gala exuberantly waving around a glittery pink ribbon, a stalk of celery, and her iPhone.
Cynthia: Look who I finally met, Marcy!
Marcy: Yeah? Who?
Cynthia shoves the iPhone at Marcy.
Cynthia: Rachel Beller!
Marcy: She’s so stylish. Do you think she’d let me be her kitty? Hey! I think I’ve seen her on TV.
Cynthia: You have. On The Biggest Loser, The Rachael Ray Show, and Good Morning America. She also writes for Glamour Magazine and runs the Beller Nutritional Institute here in Los Angeles. Rachel is an incredibly knowledgeable nutritionist whose research and advice have changed the way I eat and think about food.
For example, did you know that instead of mashed potatoes, you can make a cauliflower mash that tastes the same and is much healthier?
Marcy: So that helps you since you’re allergic to potatoes.
Cynthia: More than helps – that was a revelation! And did you know that combining turmeric, black pepper, and garlic powder is a fabulous anti-inflammatory agent, immunity booster, and anti-oxidant?
Marcy: Ah, so that explains why you no longer wake up in the morning looking like you got socked in both eyes with a giant football.
Cynthia: Or that you need 35 grams of fiber a day to scrub your insides out of harmful toxins and cholesterol?
Marcy: Fiber as a scrub brush for your insides?
Cynthia: Yes! That visual alone makes it so much easier for me to remember to get all 35 grams in.
Also, did you have any idea that one 20 ounce vanilla soy latte is the equivalent of eating 12 lollipops?
Marcy: Yeah, well, I’m glad you gave up sugary drinks since you lunge around like a crazed lunatic when you’re all hopped up on sugar.
Cynthia: Sugar makes me homicidal.
Marcy: Wait. Rachel eats? I thought pretty people on TV didn’t eat. Well, except maybe grapes. Or peas. Or the occasional stick of gum.
Cynthia: Oh she eats, Marcy. She may be on TV but she isn’t one of those ridiculous celebrity nutrition hacks who touts crazy fad diets and cleanses.
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| Rachel Beller photo by Teri Lyn Fisher |
Marcy: So no all-liquid diets on the agenda?
Cynthia: No. Ugh. You need to eat food for goodness sakes.
Marcy: That’s good. I like gravy on my Friskies but I also like the meaty chunks. What does she say about Friskies, by the way?
Cynthia: That’s a story for another blog post.
Marcy: Uh oh.
*Since January is the month that we all start thinking about health and fitness, I thought I would share Rachel Beller’s book, Eat To Lose, Eat To Win. There are so many crazy theories and fads out there and Rachel’s advice is all based on science and research. She tells it like it is and manages to make the whole process fun and easy to remember. I know I sound like an ad, but her advice truly changed how I eat and ultimately, how I feel. And I feel … great!
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16 Comments
One of the best parts of Rachel's book is where she says snacks are essential. I agree: we can't live without snacks.
mmmm… snacks….
xo and meow, marcy and cynthia
Beautiful pictures! I'm glad you've been mingling with the high society types. Let me know how the cauliflower mash is…sounds good. We tried mac n' cheese with cauliflower over the holidays and the one thing I'd change would be to have added more salt 🙂
Mac n' cheese with cauliflower sounds amazing!! I add black pepper and rosemary to my cauliflower mash and it is super yummy! I swear I am eating mashed potatoes. Oh and sea salt too!
xo,cynthia
I'm going to make the cauliflower mash.
Sugar is my drug. How do you break the habit?
Every time I go for something sugary I try to remember how horrible I feel after eating it. It puts me in a horrible mood, I feel sluggish, and my brain gets foggy. I do love eating it though so it's hard. If I start though I crave it and if I can resist it I don't crave it after a while. It really is a drug.
xo,cynthia
That is so cool! I'll have to check out her book. Does she approve of vegetarians?
She approves of vegetarians if you still eat well. It is so easy to eat badly if you are a veg head. Just a heads up – her book does not have that many vegetarian recipes. But, the rest of the info on nutrition and what you should be eating and how much is priceless. She also has excellent spice mix recommendations that are great for your health. And tasty!
xo,cynthia
How wonderful that you were at a breast cancer awareness event. You look so happy and beautiful. I appreciate your healthy tips. I did not even know potato allergies existed! Oh my goodness! How awful for you! I want totry some cauliflower recipes this year! That chef Alex had a yummy looking recipefor it on The Food Network Thanksgiving Show that I have been meaning to try. My diet consists of not eating after 7:00 at night this month. It is surprisingly harder than I thought it would be! Thank you for sharing! I was so happy to see you post!
Jenni
I developed a potato allergy about 10 years ago. It is so weird. I thought I would be sad to have to give up potatoes but when something you eat tries to kill you, it is not that difficult after all. LOL
Oh gosh – you must get hungry! Maybe you should let yourself have a healthy snack like an apple or some broccoli after 7pm? That is hard! I get shaky if I don't eat when I am hungry.
xo,cynthia
Hi Cynthia,
The event sounds amazing! You're looking great alongside Rachel in that chic outfit. And I am so enjoying listening to your conversations with Marcy!
xo,
Merrie K.
http://www.PetiteCareerGirl.com
Yay! Thank you, Merrie! Loving your new photo! And your new blog design!
xo,cynthia
LOL Fiber as a scrub-brush. I quite like that analogy! I've never heard of Rachel Beller, so thanks for sharing. Fad diets and celebrity nutritionists are so overwhelming and in-your-face. I respect a nutritionist for being about long-term changes and lifestyle adjustments.
Speaking of fad diets. I just read in Vogue (I think) that "viking" diets are going to be the new thing. Nutritionists just published a study on the benefits of the Scandinavian diet, comparing it to the Mediterranean diet. It cracked us up because I'm obsessed with Scandinavian cooking and working more from my grandmother's old cookbooks. Lots of fish, game meats, eggs, dill, beets, and cabbage. Kyle was joking that everyone's going to think I'm doing the fad diet. I love the Scandinavian approach to cooking, though. I've read both the Faviken and NOMA cookbooks, and I'm so inspired by making meals that allude to landscapes which sourced them. I'm such a romantic, even when it comes to food.
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
I love that you are a romantic in all aspects of your life!! That is very exciting about the Scandinavian diet and that you've got your grandmother's cookbooks to work from! Soooo sweet.
The scrub-brush analogy was what really helped me figure out fiber. Sometimes someone can say something in just the right way and it makes all the difference. I hope you'll feature more Scandinavian dishes on your blog!!
xo,cynthia
I love cauliflower so I will have to try them mashed, but I'm still not giving up potatoes. I love them too much!
I pass the fiber test since I try to do Metamucil every night and I love oatmeal in the morning. I have heard about tumeric and it would be interesting to know if it helps with breakouts since that is a type of inflammation.
I did not know who Rachel Beller was. She looks like Raquel Welch in the green blouse picture!
That is a nice picture of you both with your pops of pink.
Thanks for sharing,
Stacey
Oh never give up potatoes if you don't have too. I especially miss French Fries.
Funny you should mention oatmeal. I recently started eating it for breakfast instead of grape nuts. I get the organic steel cut oatmeal from Trader Joe's and put in a banana or two. I thought it would be pain to cook it but it's really easy. And it lasts a few days.
xo,cynthia