By now most of us have heard about the benefits of buying local, seasonal foods. The green part of this equation is that we can help reduce emissions required to get food from its origin to our plates. This is something we can all do to help preserve our planet. (Read about the new Westover Farmers Market below.)

But what does eating green food have to do with the color black?

Well, lets' see: There are the obvious similarities between eating green and wearing black:

To begin with, they're both very slimming!

Consider these numbers:
4 cups of arugula = 20 calories
4 cups of spinach = 22 calories
4 cups chopped green lettuce = 19 calories
10 brussels sprouts = 54 calories
1 cup zucchini = 20 calories
1 black dress or shirt = the illusion of 10 fewer pounds on its wearer!

Plus, just like wearing black, it's very chic to eat greens. Eating junk food is way overrated. It's a well known fact among the smart and beautiful that the best way to look and feel younger is to eat super greens. And like wearing black, eating green looks good on just about everyone. With so many phytonutrients and minerals we can't help but have glowing skin, and our risk of high cholesterol and cancer is dramatically reduced. Eating greens lowers internal and external inflammation too!

Both black and green go with everything!  One of the advantages of wearing basic black is that it can be accessorized with bold colors to make a stand-out statement, and the same holds true for green: Start with your basic greens and add deep red onion slices (vitamins C, B6); bright green avocado (vitamins K, C, B5, folate); bold orange carrots (vitamins A, K, C, B6); multicolored bell peppers (vitamins C, A, K, B6); and cherry red tomatoes (vitamins C, A, K, Potassium) for a gorgeous and nutritionally wonderful meal. All of these beautiful colors pair fabulously with both green and black!

On the other hand, eating green has many amazing health benefits that one cannot possibly get by donning a cool black outfit. Wearing black might help you look good, but do you really feel good? Check out these stats:

• 1 cup of chopped raw kale provide us with more than 350% of vitamin K, 133% of our daily need for vitamin A and 90% of vitamin C.
• 2 cups of romaine lettuce gives us more than 164% of vitamin A, 120% vitamin K, 40% vitamin C, 8% calcium and 12% iron -- in only 32 calories!
• 1 cup of broccoli supplies 115% vitamin A and more than 135% vitamin C
• 1 cup of cooked spinach packs just 40 calories but 1110% of our vitamin K, 377% of vitamin A and 30% vitamin C
• Nutritional benefit of black dress or jeans: 0

Why not make it a daily goal to eat your greens starting with lunch, every day? Even if you're not at home for lunch you can still have a major impact on your health by planning ahead and bringing something green with you to work. Yes, we're all really busy but we can make time for what's important. If you're too rushed in the morning to put together a simple lunch, consider making a green roll up or two the night before so it's all ready for you the next day. A green shake is a wonderful and easy way to eat your greens at breakfast or lunch. Simply throw a big handful of baby spinach in with your frozen fruit and you're good to go!  Or bring a bag of greens to throw into an already prepared soup....the possibilities are endless!

So GO GREEN today. You'll be thinner, smarter and healthier as a result!

by Amy Botticello

As Ginny says, “It may be hard, but it’s always fun!” I'd been exercising on my own for 20 years when I joined BbG. I thought I was making progress, but couldn’t manage to lose those few extra pounds. My routine included running, sit-ups and light weights, but I realize I never pushed myself or varied the program. Once I started Ginny’s class, I was amazed at how many more reps she could get out of me. To this day I automatically note to myself when we are doing triangle pushups or side plank (with leg raised) that if I was doing this on my own THIS would be the moment I would stop. I always give mental thanks to Ginny that she can “squeeze blood out of a turnip!”  Ginny varies the classes so we never do the same routine twice, which keeps it fun. This is what keeps me coming back after five years.

Initially I thought of the Nutrition Challenges as a “little extra” part of the class. I already thought of myself as rating a “B” in my diet.  I ate fairly low fat but rewarded myself with sugar. I couldn’t do both! It took me a few challenges to even begin a food diary.  Seeing my log in black and white, I realized my diet could stand some tweaking. I would start my day with a big piece of banana bread and a couple of fruits. Recently I had been trying a new diet of eating only cereal for lunch. I realized a pattern, that every time I walked downstairs into my kitchen, I’d open the cupboard and take a few pretzels (Ginny reminded me that “few” was not an amount!). For dinner I’d have a salad with too much dressing and a cozy casserole. I made most things from scratch, and told myself that if it was homemade and low fat it was ok to eat it. I would treat myself to a dessert like apple crumble or Jello with a dollop of Cool Whip. Ginny tactfully noted that I ate a lot of grains (!) and could up my veggie intake. I loved that the challenge focused on one change at a time. It made it much more manageable to focus on one habit at a time (drinking water, eating only whole grains, etc). Over time, my honesty and awareness to my diet increased, and I was rewarded with more points.

Saving the hardest one for last, I decided it was time to tackle sugar. I honestly didn’t foresee being able to give up my comfort desserts. I figured as long I was making them homemade and modifying them to being low fat, I had boosted myself to a solid “B+” in my nutritional efforts.  One day after class Ginny mentioned the link between sugar and cancer and it had a big impact on me since my mom had recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. I immediately went to the internet which confirmed this link. I realized that I resented the hold sugar had on me, and decided to make a change. There was a new “Sugar Blues Challenge” in Ginny’s class beginning and I felt renewed motivation to break my sugar habit. I was able to decrease my sugar intake significantly. I experimented by using agave syrup in fruit desserts, testing how low I could go with the sweetness. I replaced my Cool Whip with a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt, and was pleasantly surprised that it made it more filling.

After the challenge Ginny asked me how I felt. I admitted that I was disappointed that I didn’t feel more energetic, but explained that ever since I had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism that had been the case. Ginny mentioned a link between gluten and hypothyroidism. I went back again to the computer. I experimented with ancient gluten free flours like quinoa, sorghum and amaranth, and found my digestion issues calmed down, I was not as hungry, and I felt less tired. I replaced my fondness for banana bread with cornbread made with cornmeal, oats and olive oil, which satisfied my appetite for grains. I used quinoa as a base for my pasta sauces, and since my digestion was working better I was able to include more beans into my diet. A favorite dessert now is baked oatmeal, topped with flaxseed and berries.  At this point in the nutritional challenges I had lost more than 20 pounds, too.

My change in nutritional habits has positively affected my family as well. My husband now orders his dressing on the side, and while he orders dessert he only eats half of it.  My daughter has started reading nutritional info on her college dorm food. Her food tastes are changing and she’s realizing healthier foods like whole wheat and legumes fill her up. My son is proud that he was able to give up fast food and soda. When we were on a recent vacation to California, I was very surprised when we all happily ate lunch at a vegan restaurant.

Thanks to BbG, the change in our family’s lifestyle has motivated me to further my understanding of nutrition and healthy living. I’m now looking into graduate school and other ways to contribute, and hope to help others find success on their nutritional journey.

According to The Self Health Revolution more than 60% of what you put on your skin gets directly absorbed into your body within minutes (kind of like the nicotine patch). So basically we are slowly eating whatever we put on our skin!  Nancy Malkan, author of Not just a Pretty Face; The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry", points out that because there are few safety standards for cosmetics in the U.S., companies are basically making their own decisions about what's safe enough to sell. So none of us really know to what extent  the multitude of chemicals in many of our cosmetics are harming us or effecting our health. Consider:

• Many of the products we put on our skin like moisturizing lotions and shaving creams are so poisonous that if we put them in our mouths we would immediately become very ill or possibly even die. Would you drink a glass of antifreeze?
• Many of the cosmetics and shampoos we use contain petroleum derivatives that act as solvents and can easily penetrate our skin; watch out for and avoid these glycol based ingredients: propylene glycol (PG) Butylene Glycol (BG), Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG).  Parabens (methyl paraben, propyl paraben and butyl paraben) are widely used in the cosmetic industry even though studies implicate their connection to cancer.  They also have hormone-disrupting qualities-mimicking estrogen- and interfere with the body's endocrine system.

Just like on food labels, it's best to use products with the smallest number of ingredients. You can start by checking the list of ingredients on your shampoo and hair products. Avoid the above mentioned chemicals and try to use the most natural products possible.  Why take a chance? There are lots of green, more natural products on the market today that aren't exorbitantly expensive.

Thanks for exercising with BbG!