Ask Me
Write your burning health, nutrition and weight loss questions in the comments here and I’ll do my best to answer them in a post in the coming weeks. If you would prefer to have your questions answered confidentially, please use the contact page instead.
300 responses so far
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What are the differences between brown eggs and white eggs, I’ve never had brown eggs before are they more nutritious than white eggs? I heard the larger the egg the healthier the chicken was meaning the egg is more nutritious. I’ve had large white eggs from a farm with two yolks in them why is that?
No difference between brown and white. Just depends on the breed that laid them. There are some breeds that will lay blue or green eggs as well. Just know that eggs in the grocery store are not fresh. They can be 45 days old or more.
Hi Emma,
There is no difference except the breed of hen. The biggest factor in the nutritional quality of eggs is the diet of the hen. The best nutrition is from free range animals that are able to eat a varied, natural diet including bugs and seeds. The fresher the egg the better. Eggs that are less than a week old (only at farms or farmers markets) are absolutely divine. But they are substantially more expensive. Worth it in my opinion.
dp
Hi Darya,
I have just discovered your website and I love it! Do you have any recommendations on specific foods that give people energy? I had to have chemo and the related fatigue lingers long after the treatment finishes.
Also, have you ever thought about noting how many serves your recipes will make? Some are clearly for one but for larger dishes serving numbers would be a big help.
Keep up the great work!
Divnah
In my experience the best energy sources are beans, intact grains and fruits, but you should experiment for yourself and find out what works for you. It may seem counter intuitive, but exercise may help.
Sorry, recipes are not my specialty. Sometimes I write the serving number at the bottom, sometimes toward the top, and sometimes I forget. Will try to remember in future posts
dp
I know that carbohydrates and in particular refined carbohydrates play a major role in obesity. From a previous post you’ve done, I understand it involves a fairly complex group of hormones, but an oversimplified explaination is that carbohydrates trigger insulin, which in excessive amounts causes the body to store fat.
Now I’m confused about what role do calories play in weight gain. Is it possible (if not particularly healthy) for a person to severely restrict their carbohydrate intake, but eat a lot of calories and not gain weight, as I think some people on the Atkins diet do?
Am I correct in thinking that calories are the energy that the body stores as fat, but that carbohydrates are necessary for weight gain in that they trigger the hormones that induce the body to store calories?
(I eat a balanced diet, not interested in low-carb diets in particular, just interested in the mechanics of how people gain and lose weight)
Thanks for all the work you put into the website!
Great question. A calorie is simply a unit of energy. It can either be burned (used) or stored as fat. The hormones control that balance. So yes, someone can eat many calories and few carbs and not gain weight. The extra energy will be burned off with extra, usually imperceptible body movements. Personally I find such a diet to extremely decrease quality of life, but others have no trouble. Everyone should just find what works for them.
You may enjoy this article I wrote that explains it in more detail http://mizfitonline.com/2009/05/21/when-is-a-calorie-not-a-calorie/
You may also want to check out my review of Good Calories, Bad Calories. You would probably enjoy that book.
dp
Do you have any tips or advice for extreme overeating. Lately I find that I eat a lot well beyond my daily calorie intake and I’ve been gaining weight quickly as a result. I know that I think I’m hungry when really I’m not but I can’t seem to control myself. I exercise and incorporate weights but I’m still gaining weight and I know it’s because I’ve been eating a lot. Please help me any kind of tips or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Yikes, sounds like a hormone problem to me. I’d go to the doctor and have your thyroid and other hormone levels tested. Good luck!
Thanks for your advice, I think I’ve ruined my metabolism because I’ve been yo yo dieting for the past couple of years. I went to the doctor and was told I had an underactive thyroid long story short I eventually went to a new doctor and got a blood test again and was told I didn’t have an underactive thyroid. I did take medicine for it when I was told I did have it but then I stopped taking the medication because the doctor said I didn’t have an underactive thyroid but told me I should still take the medication. I found out from looking through a magazine one day that the meds I was taking were pretty bad for you, but I finally went in for another blood test with my new doctor and was told I didn’t have an underactive thyroid I was also off the medication for three months when I had taken the blood test. I just hope I can get to my goal weight again and control my eating habits. Thanks for taking time to read and respond to my post
You might try reading the book Good Calories, Bad Calories. It may give you some ideas to try and fix your hunger issues. http://summertomato.com/book-review-good-calories-bad-calories/
Do you know of any good custom cake places in San Francisco? I want to custom make a birthday cake but don’t know of any places, most places I have come across have pre-made cakes that you can put text on but nothing from choosing flavors and design.
Haha, that is one random question I don’t know the answer to. My favorite cake spots don’t customize.
My friend makes fantastic custom made cakes and cupcakes in the SF area. You can check out her website at:
http://www.carriecakeaway.com/
Hope this helps!
Haha I thought so too, it’s ok. What are some of you’re favorite cake spots if you don’t mind me asking?
Far and away the best cakes I’ve ever had in my life are at Tartine bakery on 18th and Guerrero. Citizen Cake used to have awesome ones, but not sure if they still have any stores open. The ones at Delessio are pretty good too.
What do you think about those “healthy” bars you see in stores, I was in Trader Joe’s earlier today and I was passing by the bars section and saw a wide variety of protein, energy, and health bars. I’ve always been curious about them and have had an interest in trying some but I’ve heard their for athletes or for people who exercise quite a bit because the ones I’ve seen are kinda high in calories or sugar. I don’t know which to choose from because I don’t know which ones are truly healthy and not labeled “healthy” but are really like candy bars. I did try a larabar once a long time ago and remember disliking it, but I hear that brand is popular…
Nahdi,
You are right to be skeptical of these “health” bars. Generally they are very good sources of extra sugar and calories, and maybe a some protein, fiber and vitamins. If you don’t need these, I would recommend avoiding them. If you’re desperately hungry, there are certainly worse things on earth to eat. But they aren’t exactly virtuous foods.
Hope this helps.
I forgot to ask you another question while I was at Trader Joe’s I noticed that on the back of the kozy shack pudding ingredient list that carrageenan was in it. I’ve heard carrageenan could cause cancer it was brought to my attention when I was on Andrew Weil’s site and read you should avoid it. People have had mixed reviews some saying it’s ok to consume and others say to avoid it. I’ve noticed this ingredient in a few other products as well and I’m not sure whether to consume anything with that ingredient in it, so I’ve been avoiding anything that has carrageenan in it. Could it be something you have to consume in large quantities for it to be detrimental to your health or should it just be avoided as a precaution.
I don’t know much about carrageenan, except that it is in many processed foods. For that reason I’d avoid it. However, I seriously doubt it is the most dangerous thing in packaged pudding.
Generally I think Dr. Weil is an excellent source of information on health, but I think you’d be better off not worrying about single strange ingredients and instead focus on avoiding processed foods all together and focusing on whole, seasonal foods. This is what will make the biggest impact in your health.
Make sense?
Thanks, I’m trying to cut processed foods out of my life and just avoid them. It’s difficult for me because it’s what I grew up eating my parents weren’t strict about what we ate, we were able to eat what we wanted whenever we wanted. It’s not like we didn’t eat whole nutritious foods because we did, but we indulged a lot in junk food. When I do eat healthy and nutritious foods while cutting out junk food, I eventually feel deprived and end up binge eating on everything I “can’t have”. Just like what you always say “do what works for you”, for me I think I have to gradually eliminate these foods and learn to not attach emotional or comfort feelings toward food. I’ve learned a bad habit of either eating completely healthy food on a low calorie diet and exercising or binge eating on a bunch of unhealthy food and not exercising. Why can’t we just learn to eat healthy and exercise and stop caring about weight and body image issues.
Hi Darya,
I have what Im worried might be a really basic question that Im just sort of missing the point about… however I know how good you are at explaining stuff simply though so I thought Id give asking you a shot!
Calories from protein vs calories from carbs (everyones favorite topic!!). When you eat a carbohydrate and the sugars are broken down they are used to fuel the body, replenish glycogen stores in the liver and then any extras are stored as fat (this is more likely with refined carbs because they are released into the bloodstream more quickly so insulin is rushing to get them out of the bloodstream more quickly and there is less of chance for them to be needed by cells or for energy and they are therefore more likely to be rushed into fat cells – You also get hungry again more quickly after eating them!).
Protein on the other hand is broken down into amino acids which are then reconfigured back into different proteins and used by the body as required. Any leftover protein is broken down into urea and either fatty acids or glucose – which are used for energy if needed, or stored as fat. I therefore get why it is possible to gain weight if you eat too much protein but it seems as through the way in which protein is turned to fat or glucose is far less efficient? Its a lengthy process that must use quite a lot of energy and very little of the original protein actually remains as energy or fat.
SO is this taken into account when calculating calorie values for foods? If protein and carbohydrates both have 4 calories are they really very different types of calories with any excess carbohydrate calories much more likely to be stored as fat and protein calories being relatively unlikely to be stored as fat? So that if you eat a 250 calorie piece of chicken and you have already eaten all the protein you require for the day, by the time that protein is broken down there are maybe only 50 calories available for energy, as opposed to eating an extra bagel where nearly all the extra calories would be immediately available as energy and likely to be stored as fat?
OR is the inefficient availability of the energy from protein taken into account when calculating calorific values and is that why foods like fish and chicken are so low in calories?
Does that make any sense as a question? I suppose I am really just asking whether the inefficiency of using protein for energy or storing it as fat, is taken into account when calculating calorific values or is it not and does that mean calories from different food groups are really entirely separate?
Sorry that was so long – if you (or any of your readers!) could have a stab at explaining it would be very much appreciated – my google searches are bringing up weird and very unhelpful articles
! thanks again!
Nahdi – I asked Darya a similar question regarding protein powders a while ago – she gave a fairly resounding no so I think this might be similar!:) However trader joes do have a bar called ‘organic bar’ (original i know) which has a really simple ingredient list of nut butter, dates etc… kind of like a Lara Bar only they taste MUCH better and are much more sustaining. They’re pretty expensive but good in an emergency… obv wait for Daryas recommendation but thats my 2 cents worth.
Thoughtful question Emmy, thanks!
I can answer confidently that calorie counts on packages absolutely do not take into account how your body deals with them. They are measured using a calorimeter. Basically it is a simple measure of the energy in food. How your body uses those calories is very specific to an individual–how much was eaten, how active the person is, how active their basal metabolism, etc.
There was recently a great article on this over at the NutritionData blog (I recommend subscribing):
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/blogs/nutritiondata/2010/06/how-are-calories-in-food-measu.html
hi, Darya. love the site. i have a farmer’s market rookie question. my small town has a farmer’s market, and we decided to check it out. i was surprised to find a lot of out of season produce there, and even found one of the vendors selling cantaloupe that had a hastily torn “dole” sticker on it. my assumption is that some of the stuff being sold wasn’t locally grown; it was locally purchased and resold. is that common? i assumed it was because it was a smaller market and “who would notice”, but i’d like to make sure that i’m really buying local when i go to the market. realizing that there are no guarantees, do you have any tips? maybe going to the larger market that’s a bit further away? is it bad form to just ask the vendor? thanks in advance!
Yes, I’ve seen markets like that too–ones that basically carry the same stuff that’s at the grocery store, maybe a little cheaper. Sadly this is common and my best advice at this point is to ask around and maybe find a better market. (Don’t hesitate to ask the vendors where their farm is if you’re skeptical). I expect practices like this will change in the coming years, but in the meantime locavores need to be a little scrappy to find the best stuff in their area. Localharvest.org is a good resource for finding markets. Let me know how things end up working out
thank’s for the reply. in the meantime, i did look around and found the boulder farmer’s market. the good news is they have some pretty defined guidelines for what folks can sell there. the first line of the information for their farmers is “All products sold by Farmer members at the Boulder County Farmers’ Market must be grown by that farmer/grower. No reselling of products is allowed.” the bad news is that boulder is an hour drive. i’ll keep checking other ones in my area, though, and hope for the best. thanks again! keep up the great work!
Hi Darya,
Over on the Huffington Post, there’s been a couple of articles written about fat versus carbohydrates. Dr. Weil took the position that carbs, rather than fat, are the enemy, and McDougall wrote a response where he defends carbs. Here’s the link to the article, which also links back to the original Weil article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mcdougall/fat-or-carbs-which-is-wor_b_639354.html
There’s lot of sciency stuff cited so maybe you can help decipher it for us readers. Where do you stand on this issue? It seems to me that Weil should be more neutral since he McDougall is a known low fat, plant-based diet advocate. Thanks as always.
Thanks for asking this Alex. From the articles I can tell you a couple things.
First, Dr. McDougall greatly misrepresented Dr. Weil’s position. Dr. Weil does not promote a diet high in animal products. However Dr. Weil was right to point out that saturated fat has been exonerated by nutrition scientists as the main culprit in heart disease, and indeed sugar and refined carbohydrates are likely the primary cause of obesity and diabetes in Western culture. However, Dr. Weil is a huge supporter of whole foods, especially plant-based foods. He is not against indigenous diets in the least, and that Dr. McDougall would make this claim implies to me that he is not at all familiar with Dr. Weil’s teachings.
It is safe to say that I side with Dr. Weil on this one completely. I think there is a place for both animal and plant foods in the human diet, and the science supports this. The real problem is when these foods are processed beyond recognition. Junk foods (processed fats, sugars and starches) are what the body can’t deal with. Moderate amount of natural, saturated fat and unprocessed starches are a healthy and delicious part of any diet.
Does this answer your question?
Wow that was fast, thanks so much! I think your conclusions are logical and I tend to agree. When McDougall talks about the high starch diet of Asian cultures, and how their health diminishes when they move to America, do you think this is more of a function of eating more processed foods rather than more saturated fat, as the author suggests?
Absolutely! You can say the same thing about the Maasai and Inuit tribes. He belittles them as “extreme,” but they subsist largely on animal flesh/products and only get disease when they assimilate into Western culture. Clearly they aren’t eating MORE animal fat. It’s the fake foods that our bodies don’t know how to deal with.
You might like this book: http://summertomato.com/book-review-good-calories-bad-calories/
Hi Darya,
I have found your site so interesting and informative — thank you so much for all that you put into it. When visiting friends I recently came across two food related phenomena: one, the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and two, the green smoothie. Are you familiar with these, and what do you think of them?
Thanks for your time.
I’ve heard good things about Sally’s book, but haven’t read it myself. As for green smoothies, I am generally not a fan of drinking calories. I’d rather just eat salad. But if this is the easiest way for someone to get their vegetables I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. Seems a bit weird and pointless to me, but I’m a big foodie and get great pleasure from actually eating my food.
Hi,
My husband found a new holistic doctor who told him to avoid wheat and to eat a mixed-type diet. I’ve been ready to throw out processed crap for a long time, but it’s hard to do when you’re married to someone who loves peanut butter and crackers. I read through your pamphlet on creating balanced meals. I have a couple of questions:
1. Is it better to incorporate intact grains into the meal you eat before exercising? What if you exercise first thing in the morning and can’t eat before?
2. Should I be worried about high-starch vs. low starch veggies? I know that corn and potatoes are higher in carbohydrates, and so I usually would never pair those together and call it a meal. But now I’m hearing that squash is high in starch too, which is the bulk of my backyard garden’s produce right now. Should I be worried about making a meal of say some type of protein, summer squash, and a higher vegetable carb like a potato? Also- what portion size would you recommend for these higher carb vegetables.
Good questions!
1. I find that some grains about 1-2 hrs before exercising is nice, but it is definitely not necessary. Do whatever works for you, there’s no need to stress out about timing if you’re eating healthy and exercising regularly.
2. No, I wouldn’t worry about the starch in vegetables. If this is where you’re getting your carbohydrates, your diet is already awesome. Squash has a lot of water and fiber in addition to starch. It would be nice if you could work a leafy green into your meals as well, but squash, potatoes and some fish is a perfectly healthy meal.
Thanks for your fast reply. I appreciate it so much that I’m going to ask you another question…
I’ve watched your video on cholesterol, and it seems like you and my husband’s doctor have similar viewpoints. I’m curious to know what you think about hereditary high cholesterol. My family has it and my mom is on medication for it. Her doctor told her that it can’t be changed by diet. I’ve always loosely associated my own subtle cholesterol issues with sugar intake, even though I thought I had just made that up, because it seemed so strange that I would have high cholesterol considering I didn’t eat a lot of bad things- except sugar (the hidden sugar in things that you think are healthy but they’re not). My diet is a lot different though than when I got the high cholesterol report a few years ago, back when I thought fat free was cool.
Thanks for helping us non-scientists to get healthier! Btw- I so identify with your bio, and loosely “dieted” for way too long without knowing what i was doing to myself. I used to help my mom shred papers at her office and so wanted to be like her, I guess I just assumed that a bag of pretzels was a “healthy, fat free lunch.” Damn 90′s.
I’ve always wondered what the scientific perspective of alcohol consumption is. I have been doing some research but the actual effects of it on the body range from beneficial to cancerous. I have stayed away from drinking for years but recently I ran into an article talking about the benefits of drinking in moderation so my question for you would if it is ok for people to drink alcohol in moderation, scientifically speaking. And also, could it be a good addition to a healthy lifestyle?
Great question. I’ll write up an article this week
Wonderful! Thank you!
I stumbled upon your website today when searching once again for some motivation after having a weekend of overeating. My Google search was “how to get started eating healthy when you hate to cook”. I do not like to cook and I am definitely a yo -yo dieter. I feel as though I have gone from diet to diet and now I’m just tired of trying. I only have 15 lbs. to lose. At this point I’d be happy with losing 10. I exercise about 4 times a week. It’s hard to abandon the concept of “not being on a diet”. It would feel like I’m giving up, but as of lately, I will eat good for 3-4 days, then eat bad then it’s all over. I give up. What would you suggest doing in a basic and simple way to get started. Should I cook a bunch of chicken (or something) to have in the house for meals. It seems so boring. I read your booklet, and I have all the staples to get started but I still am having trouble getting my feet off the ground. Thank you for any help or advice you can give. I find your website very real and refreshing.
I so relate to you! If possible I would suggest finding a farmers market asap. I’m not sure where you live, but this is definitely the best time of year to start going. It is such an inspiration. If you have really fresh vegetables, a lot of cooking isn’t necessary. I’m not a huge cook either, nor do I have a ton of time to put into it. Try scrolling through my recipes and see if any jump out at you. They’re all very easy–I’m no chef. http://summertomato.com/category/recipes/
I’d start with making lentils or beans, and maybe getting some good eggs. Then start working with some easy, tasty vegetables that you like. Kale is great, as is chard this time of year. Broccoli and cauliflower are wonderful. Salads are perfect (no cooking at all). And maybe go find some farro. If you’ve never heard of it (it’s a hearty grain), I think you’ll love it. And it’s very easy to cook (just boil until done, then drain). And you can add that to almost anything to make it more substantial. I don’t necessarily think roasting a chicken is a good place to start. It isn’t hard, but I don’t like to deal with that much food/meat all at once (when feeding just myself). I find it intimidating (plus I eat plenty of meat at restaurants on weekends). Canned fish and smoked salmon are also good options.
If you have all these things, my next recommendation is to just eliminate all sugar except fruit, and anything with flour (and beer if possible). I find 1-2 cheats a month you can live with and still lose weight pretty quickly. Once you hit your goal weight you can increase your treats to 1-2 times per week without gaining. More than that and weight starts creeping on, in my experience.
Feel free to shoot me more questions as they come up. Good luck!
Thank you so much. I will take a look at my recipes.
Hi Darya, Hope you are well! I had a quick question regarding snacks.. I try not to be too much of a snacker and think the over-emphasis on the ‘importance’ of regular snacks can be kind of overdone! However, I do often find I need a little something in the space between lunch and dinner. Prev I often had fruit or maybe a health cookie (mini flapjack type thing) but I know both these things are stuff you recommend limiting… do you normally eat anything between lunch and dinner? If so what, and if not how long do you leave between them? I eat lunch around 12.30 and dont have dinner til about half 7 or 8. So I do get pretty hungry without anything! Oh and I also used to rely on an enormous cup of tea at 5 to tide me over, but Im starting to think its not great for my metabolism in the long run…
thanks!
SO i just did a search on snacks and i found your post workout post. Im assuming you basically snack on nuts in the afternoon so you can ignore my repititive question
. I do however have ANOTHER quick one… I know youve mentioned you usually have museli and yoghurt for breakfast (yum!), salad for lunch and then some kind of vegetable for dinner. I know youve mentioned you sometimes add tinned salmon or something to salad, or have eggs for dinner but do you often just have veg after the yoghurt breakfast? I totally agree with you that protein can be kind of overrated but I tend to get hungry without beans or fish with lunch AND some kind of meat or eggs with dinner. HOWEVER I buy all meat and eggs organic/ farmers market etc so it does get kind of pricey… Im wondering whether my ‘hunger without protein’ is a bit psychosematic and I would be just as happy with some veg only dinners…. do you do it quite often? It would most DEFINITELY make my life a lot cheaper! 
You always ask great questions
So a couple things. 1) Fruit is a great snack and I often snack on fruit and nuts between lunch and dinner. I get starving too! 2) Tea is fine, so long as there isn’t too much sugar in it. It’s probably good for you actually. I recently linked (on a Friday post) about a study about green tea and weight loss. 3) Sorry for the confusion, but I ALWAYS have some kind of protein or grain in my lunch and dinner. Most frequently I rely on beans, lentils, nuts, farro or brown rice, and fish. But I’ll eat any protein. I have to, or I get way too hungry and might cheat later. The only time I eat just a plain veggie dish with nothing else is if I’m really not hungry but feel I should eat something.
Lentils and beans are super cheap. I buy dried beans, cook up a big batch (usually in a pressure cooker) and use them in salads, stir fries and other dishes all week. Chickpeas are a great place to start. Also you might want to look up my post on lentils for a run down on the best to make.
Hope this helps!
Do you consider Nature Valley granola bars as candy bars because the second item on the ingredient list is sugar… they have 12g of sugar per package…
Not exactly candy, but not too far off from an oatmeal cookie. There are worse things, but there are also better things. I’ve never found a granola bar I’ve been very happy with. They’re tasty, but very sugary.
Hi, Darya,
My Teflon skillets started falling apart and I’m looking for something to replace them. Do you think I should go with Tegflon again? I looked into the GreenPan but I guess there are a lot of fraudulant positive comments out there about those and it turns out that they aren’t good quality at all according to a lot of reviews. Do you know what can I use that will be safe for my family and also easy to cook on and clean?
I use Teflon and am just very careful with how I treat them–never any metal or anything that can scratch. The best, affordable set I’ve found is the Cuisinart. The higher end Calphalon are also excellent.
Are there any organic bakeries in SF? If so do you know of any good ones I can go to?
Hi Darya, your website is great. I was wondering if you have any ideas on how I can transport whole fresh vegetables like a zucchini, onion and tomato on a motorcycle. I am going on an overnight trip and cooking dinner at our destination. I can’t live without my veggies, and don’t want to buy them when my garden fresh ones are better. I’m thinking I have to keep them in the open air. All the compartments on the Harley are closed and hot, not good conditions for veggies. Please email any ideas. thanks.Tina
Didn’t know the answer so am crowd sourcing this one. Do a Twitter search for @summertomato for answers http://twitter.com/#search?q=%40summertomato
I would use an open milk crate that you can strap on to the motorcycle. You can put some foam cushioning in it to prevent bruising. I know it can be done because have done it on my Softtail. Hope this helps.
Hi Tina,
How much quantity are you going to carry? Lbs of zucchini, tomato and onion that is.
If that quantity is not big then a backpack would be fine. Onion will stay even in oppressive weather. As for tomatoes, don’t take the fully ripe ones, especially if you are riding in the day and ride is for more than 8 hrs. Zucchinis will stay. As a general rule, I used to take 90% ripe veggies.
Use netted bags and keep them separated though. Question: Are you riding alone or will have a pillion rider with you?
Hi Darya,
I suggest using a back pack or buy some saddle bags for your motorcycle. You can also find other great accessories to add on to your bike like a huge basket.
Good luck!
Bryan
Hi Darya,
If you get a chance, could you take a look at this study? Since beans have lectins, does that mean they are bad for you?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/
Hi Alex,
First, this isn’t a study it’s an editorial, and no, beans are not bad for you. It appears some people have a sensitivity to some things in beans, but the same can be said about almost any food (including broccoli, mushrooms, dairy, etc.). Good quality beans are some of the healthiest things you can eat. I love them, eat ‘em all the time. If you think you might be sensitive to beans, stop eating them for awhile and see how you feel. If you aren’t sure, introduce them back slowly and see if it makes a difference.
In general I recommend people eat more beans, I think they’re wonderful.
Cheers,
Darya
Darya,
Would you recommned homemade breakfast smoothies? I would love to incorporate spinach or kale into a fruit smoothie blended with greek yogurt. Any favorite recipes?
Another quick question- what have you read about “natural” no calorie sweeteners like truvia? I just can’t fathom how removing the calories from a product doesn’t necessitate replacement by some chemical or altering it. It seems these artificial too-good-to-be true are worse than the original unhealthy food (Aspartame and its cancer causing properties, shooting hydrogen protons at unsaturated fats to make them solid and making trans bonds), so marketing a no-calorie sweetener as natural seems downright misleading to me. Or is truvia ok???
Hi Darya,
Do you have any tips on how to eat and stay healthy for college students eating in a dining hall/cafeteria?
Hi darya!
Love your website so so much, I think what you do is amazing and I truely admire your achievements as I am struggling with many of the battles you wrote about in your dieting history.
I look up to you as the best advocate for health and so I’m very curious about the way you live!
on a day to day basis, do you have some sort of routine with your meals? Do you only eat snacks when you’re hungry? Or do you eat them for energy for workouts? What consists of a snack for you? Can you give just one days example of what you eat? Snacking really confuses me :/
kindest regards
emma
Hi Emma, thanks for the kind words. I actually get that question a lot, and it is why I started my personal blog http://daryapino.com. I am pretty sick right now and under a lot of stress (my thesis is due!), so my routine isn’t exactly normal these days. If you search these Ask Me comments, I’ve talked about snacking a few times. And also search the site for “snack”. Basically I rely on fruit and nuts, but sometimes cheese with cut up veggies (like tomatoes) or preserved fish (lox). But I do plan to do a typical food day post at some point, just now isn’t a typical time so it might be a month or 2.
Thanks for asking
daryaaaa thanks for the reply I really appreciate it
after just one day of eating healthier and working out, I feel 10x better 
just one more thing, but its about body type. I am very pear shaped, im italian and have much bigger legs and quite wide thighs although I’m not overweight. I really want to lean out alot but my family keep telling me that its just my genes/body shape. This can’t be true, I’m 136 pounds, about 25% bf and 5’3.5. You’ve given me the inspiration I need to believe I can change. Can following your nutritional guidelines make a big difference as well as heavy weight training on the legs? Did you find the lower body hard to change?
Hi Emma, I couldn’t resist commenting on this…..What your family are telling you isn’t true….but it probably makes them feel better if you stay the way you are. All the women in my family (including me, until a year ago) are pear-shaped, but I lost 12 kg and went from Eur size 40 to size 36 using the tried and trusted combination of diet and exercise…..Your being Italian is of no importance (my lot are Irish and have the same ‘problem’), but it can be a convenient crutch to lean on if you want it to be. I wasn’t happy with the ‘it’s your genes’ argument and did what I felt I needed to do….overhauled my eating habits and starting working out – although I did concentrate on my legs and abs. I don’t know if you need heavy weight training, but regular weight training (for the legs) definitely helps). It did take time for my body shape to catch up with my weight loss though.
Liz! Congrats! Oh goshhh I love hearing stories like yours, so motivational.
What kinds of changes did you make to your nutrition? How are they different to the rest of your family?
Hi Emma, You see, it can be done – where there’s a will there’s a way, and all that
What I’ve done: dramatically upped my intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, pretty much cut out processed foods (white bread, candy etc – I know my trigger foods, so I don’t have them in the house!) in favour of complex carbs like wholemeal bread, fruit, veg, pasta so my blood sugar stays more or less stable leaving me less vulnerable to caving in to cravings, I’ve cut back my alcohol intake to maybe one glass of wine a week (it’s empty calories anyway……). I try to eat low-fat dairy whenever possible – or reduced amounts of the real stuff (difficult this! I love cheese for instance). Plus I work out on average five or six days a week, walk whenever possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator – I know this last has zilch to do with nutrition, but for me it’s part of the package……Keep in mind though – you can’t out-train a bad diet, it really does start with that. My family does the opposite in all respects – but I live far away, so that’s OK 
Does that help? 
Liz
liz, thankyouu! So helpful and makes sense
the thing is in my family, we’re Italian so we have a pretty good diet already which is why I didn’t really know where to start, although I’m not eating bread, pasta, processed cereal, crackers etc. Not many packaged foods. I’m having like brown rice, quionoa, more fruit veg and nuts and just a bit of organic yogurt with my homemade muesli. I don’t really know what else I can do now to lose about 10kg’s, I’m doing weight training 4x a week and cardio (20-30min) 6x a week. I guess now its just portion sizes and consistency…
Thx both of you for the great discussion. I agree with Liz, my family (Mexican) has the same pear-shaped “problem.”
A couple thoughts. First, though I know how annoying it can feel to be bottom heavy, it is actually an advantage. For one thing, a body that doesn’t want to collect abdominal fat is healthier. There is data that heart disease risk is lower for pear-shaped women. And second, if we are able to get toned up and in good shape (it’s possible!) we look hot!! It’s easier to keep the curves while still being thin and toned, which is exactly the look most of us are going for. No butt is not sexy
Here’s what I did to get happy with my body shape. One, like Liz said, diet is first. That extra daily motion (it’s called NEAT) also really really adds up.
If you think you’re already eating pretty healthy, it may be portions that are the issue. It may help you to keep a food journal for a few weeks to see if you notice any patterns/weakness that may be sabotaging you. These can be a lot easier to pick out if you’re very diligent/honest about what you write down. Include portion sizes, time of meals and all snacks (including single bites, etc.). For me personally, I need to cut back on meats to lose weight, and reduce desserts down to nearly nothing. Luckily I rarely need to lose weight anymore
In the gym, the best thing I ever did to improve my body shape is start training with a male. I used to do hours of cardio, now I do just 30 min of light cardio, and mix it up (I do like to run ~3 miles at least once per week). I started working out my upper body more (shoulders, tris, bis, chest, back upper and lower), to balance it out. I was worried I’d look bulky/masculine, but it looks great! For legs I focus on hamstrings and glutes (this has made a HUGE difference) but do light leg presses as well for the quads. My entire workout is here: http://summertomato.com/my-weekly-workout/
Also, don’t forget to be patient. If you’re losing weight correctly it should be coming off slowly–especially for those last few pounds. But it will come off if you’re persistent.
Good luck!
Hi Emma, Sounds like you have a healthy diet already – lucky you, you’re half-way there (at least)! I agree with Darya that portion control and keeping a food journal helps – I keep a food journal on a site called Daily Burn and find it keeps me accountable, in that if I journal everything I eat, I think twice before I eat it. My member name on DB is berlinoise if you want to check out my food journal.
Regarding exercise, move as much as you can. If you work out in a gym, cardio is great for burning calories but it won’t build muscle and this is what you need to do as muscles burn more calories than fat – even when you’re at rest. There’s a great book called the New Rules of Lifting for Women (subtitle: Lift Like a man, Look Like a Goddess – love it!) which includes several workouts and diet programmes – check it out!
Also remember that the scales doesn’t tell the whole story – if you’re body measurements are decreasing, you’re doing something right. And the last few pounds/kilos are a devil to lose anyway – and that can be sooooooo frustrating (I’ve been there too!). Keep me/us posted on your progress!
liz and darya, thankyou for your words of wisdom. What you have both said seems similar and has obviously worked
Ive started up a food journal to control my portions! And I’ll let you know how it goes. A quick question about pan frying vegetables in olive oil, I recently cooked up some eggplant, broccoli, mushrooms and capsicum and used quite a lot of olive oil. Is this bad? Its just that the eggplant needs to be covered in oil to cook properly and also they taste incredible with the olive oil. Should I be steaming vegetables and adding just a small tbsp after they’re cooked like a dressing? Let me know
If anything, fat has helped me lose weight. I wouldn’t worry about it, just don’t follow it up with dessert
Hi Emma, You do need a certain amount of fat in your diet so your body can process the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and olive oil is one of the healthiest fats around. And you’re right – it’s tastes so good – I have a weakness for oils with a touch of lemon or chili oil……heaven. Foods like almonds contain ‘heart-healthy fats’, and an ounce as a mid-morning snack can help you feel fuller – so you’re less inclined to snack. I totally believe Darya when she says fat helped her to lose weight for this reason – it just depends on the kind of fat you eat.
Liz
If you are concerned about the amount of oil in your food, a solution might be to cut out the eggplant altogether so you use less oil. Alternatively, grilled eggplant is delicious! Steaming is a great way to cook vegetables, it preserves the vitamins and you don’t use any fat in the cooking. I like to steam things like broccoli, green beans and cauliflower, but trust me, something like steamed zucchini is just depressing – way too watery! My current favourite vegetable ‘dish’ is about 250g of zucchini and mushrooms (whatever I have to hand, I buy around 500g of different varieties at my local farmers’ market every week), gently sautéd in 2-3 tsps of olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes. I add in some fresh garlic and chilli for flavour. Tonight’s creation (LOL!) was white zucchini with Horn of Plenty mushrooms
Yeah, so maybe don’t drown your vegetables in oil (even if it’s olive oil), but don’t go making a drama of it either
Hi Darya,
It is my understanding that you don’t recommend bread/flour products as a part of a balanced HealthStyle. I was wondering, what is your opinion of the Food For Life breads (ex. Ezekiel 4:9, 7 Sprouted Grains, etc.)
Thanks!!
I have no problem with bread so long as quantities are kept in check. To be honest, I don’t bother with the “extra healthy” breads because I don’t think they taste good. I buy bread regularly from the many amazing bakeries we have here in SF (Acme, Tartine, etc.). This is the kind of bread with four ingredients (flour, water, yeast, salt). It doesn’t last long, so I bring it home, enjoy a small helping then cut the rest up and freeze it. It defrosts beautifully in the oven at 325, regaining its soft insides and crisp crumb.
Bread won’t kill you, but if you’re trying to lose weight it definitely makes your life more difficult.
I have always struggled with weight ever since I was younger, but in recent years it has really taken its toll on me both physically and mentally. This summer I was determined to drop back down to a healthy weight. I began by working out more. I would go to the gym for a half-hour to forty-five minutes doing the elliptical or stationary bike at least three times a week. I also began to closely count calories but was unsure of how many to eat… some calculators said as much as 2000kcal while others told me 1200kcal. I opted for somewhere in the middle to low end at 1400kcal per day. I was shocked when after two weeks of eating less calories (and making sure that I was eating MUCH less refined sugar but still keeping in carbs) I had in fact gained 5 lbs instead of losing any. I have a slow metabolism because of treated grave’s disease which resulted in hypothyroidism (treated with levothyroxin). Therefore, I decided to cut my calories back and exercise more. I began to eat about 1300kcal per day and do cardio (mostly elliptical) for an hour six days a week and throw in weight lifting 2-3 times a week (half-hour to an hour). I also started to drink slimfast for two meals a day. I stepped back on the scale and while I had not gained anything I also had not stayed the same weight. Once again I upped the ante… I cut back to 1200kcal a day keeping the same workout routine. I hit the wall… I would feel light headed whenever I stood up… had absolutely no energy.
This left me feeling confused… at 1300kcal I wasn’t losing weight, but I couldn’t function properly at a 1200kcal diet… Do you have any advice on how I could lose weight? (please keep in mind that I am a college student with VERY little income)
Elizabeth… you probably have no energy because you are calorically restricting yourself which doesn’t help you lose weight at all. You also might be doing excessive cardio, which leads to cortisol production (stress hormone) and might be further hindering your efforts. Try switching to a more balanced routine (lift heavy weights, try some interval training for 20-30 minutes max a few times a week), and ditch the slim fast and start eating real food. Don’t worry about counting calories.
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m really sorry to hear about your struggles. Unfortunately with a medical condition like yours losing weight is going to be more difficult. I think your first step to getting healthy is accepting that fact and shifting your focus from losing weight to being as healthy as possible. Whatever you do, be sure you are in contact with your doctor. You don’t want to do anything that could potentially be dangerous.
I recommend that you stop counting calories and instead focus on eating more vegetables and healthy, whole foods. I write about what is healthy all over this blog, but basically what it comes down to is eating food, not products like SlimFast. Continue to workout, emphasizing balanced weight lifting, and drink water. Ignore the scale for a couple weeks and just focus on building healthy habits. If you can naturally help your thyroid problem your weight issues may work themselves out over time. Even if you lose weight very slowly (1-2 lbs per month), you’ll still lose about 20 pounds in a year.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any specific questions about food/healthy eating.
Hi Darya ,
I just want to ask you , about a kind of tea that can replace my morning coffee & can help me stay weak up at night for work .
because only info I ‘ve found is some stuff by Kevin rose & what do you tnik about black tea .
& tnx
Hello Darya!
I’ve been having issues with eggs lately. I just saw your post on daryapino.com, and I love eggs. Especially sunny-side up or over-easy. My thing is that I hear about “healthy” recipes for fritattas and omelettes that call for omitting the egg yolks altogether. I want to lose weight, but I love my eggs, and have a problem with tossing the yellowy goodness. Is this a reasonable sentiment?
You’re in luck darlin’! The people who tell you removing yolks are healthy don’t really know what they’re talking about. I’m sure they mean well, but feel free to ignore them.
I’ve written about eggs and health here:
http://summertomato.com/how-to-make-eggs-taste-as-good-as-bacon/
You might also check out my cholesterol post yesterday and the video I link to at the bottom.
Problem solved!
Hello Darya,
I just had a quick question about breakfast. I usually grab a Stonyfield Organic Blueberry Yogurt and a small on-the-go sized cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch (College student). I was wondering if all the claims about Kashi cereal and the like are actually true. The one I usually eat has about 15 g of sugar matched with the 20 g of sugar with my yogurt. Any insight on this would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Good questions Thomas. To answer your question I need to know more about what claims Kashi makes. My guess is they extrapolate the value of “whole grains,” but I’m not sure. One thing I do know is that is A TON of sugar to eat in the morning. I generally consider 15g as my cut off for something to qualify as dessert (that’s more than a donut). I’ve found some decent granolas that, even sweetened, only have about 4g of sugar per serving (18 Rabbits, Udi’s). Yogurt is tough, I have found a few brands where the plain yogurt isn’t too sweet (e.g. Wallaby’s).
Here’s my opinion on real grains vs the fake “whole grains” that most cereals and breads are made of: http://summertomato.com/intact-grains-vs-whole-grains/
Here’s more about sugar in food: http://summertomato.com/shocking-sugar-content-of-common-food-products/
Ms. Pino-
I just read your excellent post on the health benefits of Garlic. Thanks for sharing your research and thoughts. I’ve been eating as much garlic as I can for the last twenty years or so. Anecdotally, it “feels” healthiest to me when I saute a few cloves briefly in a little olive oil then combine it with some pasta. I read in an old pasta cookbook that this was an “Italian wives’ cure for whatever ails you” and it certainly works for me, better than raw in salsa, salad dressing or anything else I’ve tried. Have you ever run across anything that suggests a synergistic relationship between garlic, olive oil, a little heat and the human body?