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When I was a kid I used to dream of one day having a job that would take me all over the world.  I have always loved to travel, so in my brain I envisioned a non-stop vacation filled with exotic places, foods and adventures.

Of course, reality is nothing like that.

There is a huge difference between traveling occasionally (whether for work or play) and traveling regularly, several times per month.

When traveling is a special occasion, there really are no rules. Foodists have accounted for periodic indulgences in their healthstyle already.

But when travel becomes your normal, your Home Court Habits become diluted and you need to integrate a new set of (much more complex) habits to make up the difference.

Recently my travel schedule has moved from periodic to frequent. And adjusting my healthstyle to account for the change hasn’t been easy.

Putting aside the difficulty of eating well at airports and on the plane, simply being outside your familiar environment can throw off even your most ingrained habits, like cooking and exercise.

After 6 months––and much trial and error––I’ve finally developed a set of Away Court Habits that help keep my healthstyle in check while traveling.

I won’t pretend that these are as powerful as my Home Court Habits, but after nearly two weeks away on my last adventure I came home feeling pretty darn good about my state of health and fitness.
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For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week low-fat diets get the boot, calorie restricted monkeys are vindicated, and morning sunshine keeps you slim.

Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato,  Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).
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For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week (also includes links from last week when I was stuck on a wifi-less flight) shivering is the new running, cheap food is elitist, and one daily soda raises heart risk even if you aren’t overweight.

Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato,  Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).
Read the rest of this story »

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week the importance of small amounts of exercise, new problems with fructose and why you shouldn’t eat at the wrong time of day.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato,  Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).

Links of the week

• Good and Bad, the Little Things Add Up in Fitness <<We often think we need to make a special effort to get enough exercise, when in fact the little things we do add up and are often more important. (New York Times)
• Study: Midnight Snacks Mess Us Up on a Molecular Level <<Eating affects your circadian rhythms, and doing it at the wrong times can have negative consequences. Eat meals at consistent times and in daylight whenever possible. (The Atlantic)
• Let’s Ask Marion: Can It Really Be Healthier To Be Overweight? <<This is a great illustration of why we should avoid the temptation to oversimplify the health science that appears in the news. (Food Politics)
• Fructose Has Different Effect Than Glucose On Brain Regions That Regulate Appetite <<New data suggesting that added sugar is worse for weight control than other forms of carbohydrate. (ScienceDaily)
• CARBOHYDRATES: BAD FOR THE AGING BRAIN <<Keep in mind that body weight isn’t the only reason it’s important to eat healthy. (Dr. Weil)
• Do the Brain Benefits of Exercise Last? <<Exercise is also important for brain health, and new research (though still not peer-reviewed) suggests you need to keep it up to maintain the benefits. Big shock, right? (New York Times)
• Are You Eating These Important Supplemental Foods? <<Though this is very similar to my underrated health foods post, but it’s a great reminder and there’s a few additional ones in here worth noting. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• How to Learn to Love Healthy Food (Even If You’re a Picky Eater) <<Fantastic advice. I agree with almost all of it. (Lifehacker)
• Exercise in Short Bursts Is Effective <<A nice reminder that for exercise, it really doesn’t take much. (Wall Street Journal)
• Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad Recipe <<This looks so darn good. Moroccan food is my favorite. (101 Cookbooks)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week learn why Coca-Cola is afraid of Twitter, health isn’t the best reason to exercise, and cutting calories might prevent cancer but probably won’t extend your life.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato,  Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).

Links of the week

• The Long Angry Arm of Coca-Cola <<Please read this, so you know what we’re up against (and why we might win). (Weighty Matters)
• Does Calorie Restriction Extend Lifespan in Mammals? <<The latest data suggests calorie restriction isn’t as promising as people hoped in prolonging lifespan in primates, but it does seem to protect against cancer and make you look better. This is a great analysis. (Whole Health Source)
• Should You Fast – At Least Briefly? <<While we’re on the subject of eating less, it’s worth mentioning that intermittent fasting is also encouraging for improving health. (Dr. Weil)
• How much does obesity cost American society? <<I wish the politicians would put this in their deficit pipes and smoke it. (Food Politics)
• Changing Our Tune on Exercise <<I love this. I’ve long been a believer that the hardest part of living healthy is not knowing what to do, but knowing how to do it. The cool part about this particular method is that it’s based in reality: exercise really does make your life better. (New York Times)
• ‘Study: Fruits, vegetables may be key to long-term weight loss <<This article is filled with annoying speculation and few facts, but the take home message is interesting. Basically vegetable consumption is the best predictor of long-term weight control, but not short-term. (LA Times)
• Many Trendy ‘Microgreens’ Are More Nutritious Than Their Mature Counterparts <<Suddenly want to eat more vegetables? Why not throw some microgreens in there? They are really cute too. (ScienceDaily)
• Living Against the Clock: Does Loss of Daily Rhythms Cause Obesity? <<Another poor write up describing something interesting. I’m only sharing because this is not the first data I’ve seen suggesting circadian rhythms are important in body weight regulation, and I recommend putting yourself on the most regular sleep and eating schedules you can manage. (ScienceDaily)
• Chipotle Salmon <<This is the first time I’ve been intrigued by a new salmon recipe in awhile. ‘Tis the season! (Barefeet in the Kitchen)
• PandoHouse Rock — The GMO Song: “OMG GMOs!” <<Not sure how cool this is, but it is a pretty succinct explanation of why I’m voting yes on Prop 37 in November. (PandoDaily)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Just FYI next Tuesday March 8, at 6pm PST, I’ll be participating in a live chat hosted by Monica Reinagel, the Nutrition Diva.

I’ll be joining Monica, Ben Greenfield of BenGreenfieldFitness.com, and Gloria Tsang of Healthcastle.com to discuss the pros and cons of breakfast. I’ll be broadcasting the event here at Summer Tomato. For more info check out Nutrition Over Easy.

This week around the web people are learning to love fat again, disrupted sleep cycles can mess with your metabolism and how your thoughts can influence your habits.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete list of my favorite stories check out my links on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World <<I adore coconut oil, and it’s good to see people being nice to fat again. The saturated kind even! (New York Times)
• ‘Round-the-Clock’ Lifestyle Could Disrupt Metabolism, Brain and Behavior <<Circadian rhythms are essential to feeding cycles, and can be disrupted by light exposure. Messing with these systems isn’t a good idea. (ScienceDaily)
• Rich Americans flock to fast food <<BS of the week. This isn’t talking about you guys, right? Seriously someone in this article says she’ll gladly eat poison food if it means she can continue buying $400 shoes. Oy. (CNN)
• Happiness Improves Health and Lengthens Life, Review Finds <<Science says you should chill out. Stop and smell the roses for a better, longer life. (ScienceDaily)
• Better than a BMI? New obesity scale proposed <<Wouldn’t it be nice if we stopped using standards that don’t make sense? (Medline)
• Think Like a Hater to Help Break Bad Habits and Addictions <<Habits are the foundation of your health. Luckily good ones are just as sticky as bad ones. (Lifehacker)
• Higher Vitamin D Intake Could Cut Cancer Risk <<I’m not convinced supplements are the answer, but I can’t see any way around it at this point. (Medline)
• High good cholesterol linked to long life in men <<This article was great until it says at the bottom we need a pill to fix it. Want higher HDL? Eat fat, exercise and drink a little alcohol. (Medline)
• 15 Perfect Recipes for Peas <<Woohoo! Springtime! (Saveur)
• Spicy Smoky Kale Chips <<I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love kale chips. Easy and delicious. (White On Rice)

What inspired you this week?