In some cultures, rice is a nutritional cornerstone. For me, growing up Cuban, every dinner and most lunches revolved around a plate full of white rice, some kind of meat and some kind of bean or fried plantains. Needless to say, making the switch from white to brown rice was not easy, but back around 2003, I resolved to start eating healthier and white rice was absolutely the first thing to go. Ok, well, it was alcohol first, but white rice was a close second.

The reason to make the switch was crystal clear. With the amount of rice I ate daily (along with a lot of other refined carbs and sugar), I had a VIP to diabetes-ville if I didn’t change things soon. Because brown rice is minimally processed, it retains about three times the amount of fiber found in white rice, and provides B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc and fatty acids naturally found in the whole grain (unlike the synthetic ones added back into white rice after processing). It also digests much slower than white rice, minimizing the likelihood of a blood sugar spike and a subsequent crash, in turn helping to reduce your risk over time of developing diabetes.

But enough with the health lesson… let’s get to cooking.

Brown rice can get pretty boring if you eat it often. And in my house, it’s a staple. A trusty old friend, regularly a part of meals every week. It can definitely get kinda boring, especially when I fall into a routine. The good news is that there are lots of ways to dress it up and still have a healthy meal!

This weekend I made my home version of a brown rice bowl we used to get at The Pita Grill in the Upper East Side, when we lived in New York City. Fine-dining it was most certainly not, but it was one of my favorite healthy meals to-go on the way home from work. And it was big enough that I could make two meals out of it - not bad for an $11 menu item. When we left for Arizona, that was one of the many things I regretted leaving behind.

Naturally, I decided to make a copy-cat recipe to the best of my taste-memory and culinary abilities. This recipe makes a week’s worth for me (5 servings). Easy to make ahead for my work day lunches, and it doesn’t have anything unhealthy in it. It’s a mix of sweet and savory, and calls for easy-to-find ingredients. You can substitute some ingredients to make your own version. In my version, I substituted spinach for arugula because I can’t stand arugula. Next time I make it, I may use gorgonzola instead of feta cheese and chopped, dried apricots instead of raisins.

Ivonne’s Version of Pita Grill’s East Meets West Chicken Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice (it just taste better than regular brown)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped up sun-dried tomatoes
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 bag of frozen chopped spinach (or equivalent in fresh spinach - your choice)
• 6 oz. fat free feta cheese (you can use full fat if you want, this is just my preference)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinaigrette (I used Marie’s Red Wine Vinaigrette)
• 3 grilled chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, chopped into small pieces

Directions

• Cook the brown rice whichever way you like to cook it normally. I boil mine in a sauce pan, with 2:1 water to rice, which is why I include the 2 cups of water in the recipe. But you can change that if you cook it differently.
• While the rice cooks, grill the chicken breasts - I seasoned mine with salt, garlic powder, dehydrated onion, and herbs de provence - basic stuff so it doesn’t mess with the other flavors. Once cooked, chop into small pieces. Cover and set aside.
• Prepare the spinach by defrosting and drying if frozen, or by chopping if fresh. Set aside.
• Once rice is cooked, let it cool a bit - this is so that when you put the cheese into it, it won’t get too sticky or soft as it should still be in crumbles in the finished dish.
• Now that you’ve got all your ingredients prepared, and the rice has cooled, start folding in ingredients with a spatula - raisins, green onions, sundried tomatoes, spinach, chicken pieces, feta cheese crumbles. Continue to fold until all ingredients appear evenly distributed.
• Add the vinaigrette and fold some more. Cover and store, or serve immediately.

Notes: you can keep the chicken separate, and add it hot to the colder rice dish if you like it that way. You can also skip the red wine vinaigrette and just add red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Or just use this recipe as an idea or “template” for your very own brown rice dish.

My point is this: brown rice doesn’t have to be boring. Do something about it!

A fairly simple way to improve many aspects of your health is to make sure you are including omega-3 fatty acids in your daily nutrition. They’re found in fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, canola oil, flax seeds, and other sources of unsaturated fat.

The omega-3’s are essential fatty acids, which means that your body doesn’t make them and relies on what you eat to get them (hence “essential”). They are responsible in part for the healthy functioning of your nervous system, memory and brain function, cell building and cell repair. Research has shown them to beneficial for lowering risk of heart disease, lowering triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and raising HDL (your “good” cholesterol).

So how can you increase your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids? The obvious answer for some people might be to “eat more fish” since omega-3’s are most commonly associated with fish oil. But there are many ways to meet a daily intake goal.

Yes, eating more fish is one way. You can also take fish oil supplements in capsule form. Buyer beware - not all fish oil capsules are created equal. Some are higher potency than others, some labels may be misleading… Two reliable brands are Nordic Naturals and Carlson.

Other ways to include omega-3 fatty acids in your daily nutrition include:

• Nuts and seeds such as macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds
• ground or milled flax seed (and flax seed oil)
• extra virgin olive oil
• grass-fed beef

There are also several supplements available that can also help give your diet an omega-3 boost:

Barlean’s Omega Swirl

Omega 3 Brain Booster

CorOmega

Omega-3 Eggs

The benefit is in the yolk for these eggs, so if you’re making an egg white omelet, leave at least one yolk in to get the goods! Personally, i buy a dozen non-omega-3 eggs, and a dozen omega-3 eggs, and when I make my omelets with four whites and 1 yolk, the yolk i keep is the omega 3 yolk, discard the rest. The reason there are eggs that are higher in Omega-3s is because the feed the chickens are given is higher in omega-3s.

More and more foods are now being fortified or enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids - or at least that’s what copanies would like you to believe. Read labels carefully when you see a product that normally wouldn’t be a source of omega-3s. Because that’s a fashionable buzzword right now and people are paying good money to add omega-3s to their diets, a lot of companies are emblazoning their products with it. If it sounds to good to be true that your favorite chocolate cookies now have omega-3 in them, it probably is. The omega-3 source may be the last ingredient listed, which means you might as well just buy the cookies that don’t claim to have any and spend a few bucks less.

Here’s a rundown on consumerreports.org.

The Real Woman Ms. December is my good (no, great!) friend Gina Fata. She is a smart cookie, with a beautiful soul, bad-ass sense of humor and amazing guns. I met Gina when I lived in New York City. She had like three jobs, was finishing up her Masters Degree and she and Patrick were on the same Olympic Weightlifting team in Long Island. I was and am always amazed at how much energy she has and how she hones in on a goal and not only achieves it, but rips it to shreds and sets a new, bigger one.

A woman should never let any ONE thing define who she is, and though Gina has a great passion for bodybuilding - as you’ll see in the interview below - she has great passion for everything she does in life. So I don’t see Gina as “just” a bodybuilder, or “just” this or “just” that. I see Gina as a passionate and driven woman on a path to success with anything she chooses to pursue.

Age: 27
City: Sunnyside, NY

Favorite quote: “Choice, not circumstance determines your success.”

EMLH: Tell us a little bit about your home life (family? pets? hobbies?):

Gina: I live by myself in an apartment in Queens, NY. I am an only child, single, and have a passion for bodybuilding. I also enjoy movies, music, and spending time with my friends and family.

EMLH: What do you do for a living?

Gina: I work as a teaching assistant with emotionally disturbed high school students. I deal with the students when they are in crisis, and attempt to extinguish the situation as best as possible. The job is sometimes challenging because every situation is different when my students are in crisis, but I do my best to be a positive influence on my students every day.

EMLH: What do you do to stay fit and healthy?

Gina: I have found a niche for the sport of bodybuilding, and enjoy lifting heavy in the gym.

EMLH: How did you get started?

Gina: I started bodybuilding because I saw it as something I never thought possible. I wanted to challenge myself and attempt the unthinkable – sort of like a magician. While I am putting the time and effort into my diet and training for bodybuilding, I owe any success I have to my coach Dave Pulcinella. He is not only my coach/trainer, he is also my mentor and a very good friend.

EMLH: What motivates, energizes, and excites you to keep going?

Gina: I am motivated by consistently training in the gym, eating clean, and improving myself everyday as a human being. I am driven by my desire to get stronger with each workout, push myself beyond where I thought I could go and always striving for excellence.

EMLH: What has been the biggest challenge in maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

Gina: The biggest challenge has been a struggle that I had in the past with binge eating. After going through therapy specifically for binge eating disorder, I realized that I began emotionally eating as a young child to deal with some problems that my parents were going through. I never felt I had a voice in the situation, so I was literally “stuffing” my feelings, and numbing the pain of seeing the abusive relationship of my parents. The binge eating continued on sporadically for the rest of my life. I unfortunately never realized I had a problem with binge eating until last year, but getting help for it was one of the best decisions I made.

EMLH: What has been the biggest reward?

Gina: The biggest reward for me is knowing I can continue to be successful in this sport through dedication, consistency and a strong mindset.

EMLH: What have you learned about yourself in the process?

Gina: I have learned that I am always a work in progress, and that no matter what happens in my life bodybuilding is a gift and art form that I create, and no one can take that away from me.

EMLH: What is your advice to a woman who thinks she can’t do this, or who is unsure about getting started?

Gina: I would say that you have to have a strong mindset to do bodybuilding, and you have to be willing to sacrifice certain things in your life when getting ready for a contest. Making the decision to compete is very serious, because you have to set aside time to prep your meals for the week, get your workouts done in the gym, practice posing, and keep your focus on the contest. Having a support system is vital to your success, because bodybuilding is something that not many are willing to do and be successful at. Finding a coach that is not only supportive of you but mentoring you along the way is very hard to find, but when you find them they will be the key to keeping mentally focused at all times.

EMLH: What do your friends, family, coworkers, clients think of your passion for bodybuilding?

Gina: My family and friends are somewhat supportive, but no one really understands what you go through when getting ready for a show. Most people think that it’s a strange sport, but they congratulate you on your efforts after they see the pictures of the show.

EMLH: How has your involvement in bodybuilding affected your relationships with friends and family?

Gina: My family understands that I have a different lifestyle than them, but they don’t necessarily approve of it. I have accepted the fact that people will make comments of me bringing food with me everywhere, and that I’m just different. I try not to think about it, but sometimes you feel like an outcast. I love this sport for the enjoyment, suffering, sacrifice and pride. I love my family, but I have a passion for something they can’t relate to.

EMLH: What is your training like?

Gina: I currently lift 4-5 days a week, and do cardio 4 days a week.

EMLH: Tell us a little bit about your nutrition (I hate the word “diet”):

Gina: I eat 7 times a day, every 2-3 hours (I wake up at 4am and go to bed at 10pm on most days of the week).  I cook 3 times per week to have my meals cooked in advance, as most of my meals are eaten at work or at the gym.  I spend 2-3 hours each Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday to prepare my meals.  It can get tedious, but I do my best to make it fun – watch a movie or listen to music.  Most of the time I find it therapeutic for me to prepare my meals for the week, as it gives me mental clarity.  I think of eating as fueling my body.  The foods that I currently have in my nutrition plan are things like grilled chicken, eggs, flaxseed oil, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, asparagus, lean beef, rice, peanut butter, and whey protein powder.  I do enjoy other non-bodybuilder type foods like pizza and ice cream abouut once per week, but for the most part I enjoy eating healthy because it makes me feel good.

EMLH: What is your favorite healthy dish? (do you have a recipe you want to share?)

Gina: I love oatmeal with a little splenda and flaxseed oil!!

EMLH: When you eat out, where do you like to go?

Gina: I love brick oven pizza. There is a place in NYC I love – Angelo’s brick oven pizza and it’s my favorite.

EMLH: What is a typical day like in the life of Gina Fata?

Gina: Well, I get up at 4am, work from 6am – 3pm, workout from 3:45pm -5pm, come home and get organized for the next day and check emails. I am in bed usually at 10pm.

EMLH: How do you manage stress?

Gina: Working out relieves my stress. I love lifting weights, and it relieves a lot of built up emotions for me…..going to the gym is the best part of my day!

EMLH: What is something positive about your SELF and your body that you celebrate and love?

Gina: I am a strong, passionate, and honest person. I accept myself as I truly am, but I continue to better myself each and every day. I know that I’m not perfect, but I desire to be “the best me” I can be, and hopefully I can inspire others to do the same.

Is there a fitness-minded girl on your list this year? If you’re pressed for ideas, maybe I can help you come up with a winner. These are a few of my favorite things.

Gift card for my favorite local running specialty store (here in Phoenix, it would be Runners Den) - replacing a pair of seen-better-days running shoes always zaps new energy into my workouts! Cards for REI, Sports Authority, and Dicks Sporting Goods work wonders, too!

iTunes gift card - I don’t know about you, but music can make or break my workouts, and I’m always grabbing new songs (and newly discovered or rediscovered oldies) at the iTunes store.

New headphones to go with my new music - a match made in heaven. These from Bose are amazing.

A new foam roller - I’ll admit I rock but definitely don’t “roll” as often as I should. Self-Myofascial release by way of a foam roller should be an integral part of anyone’s well-rounded workout program to assist in releasing trigger points caused by training, help you improve or maintain your flexibility and mobility and reduce your risk of injury.

And while we’re talking about this stuff, a gift card for massage therapy would rock and roll. I’m just sayin’.

A Ball-Chair to replace my annoying desk chair at home, which isn’t really helping my posture or my back when I spend long hours in front of it on one of my many side projects! Sitting on a physioball puts you in a more ergonomic position, helps you strengthen your core muscles and improves your overall spinal and pelvic stability, which translates into better overall posture, core strength and performance in your training and sport.

If the girl you’re shopping for loves to work out and has a busy travel schedule, a TRX Suspension Training system not only makes a great gift, it wins you bonus points by showing her you know how important it is to her to keep up with her workouts on the road.

Adjustable dumbbells (like Powerblock or SelectTech) are a great, long-term investment kind of gift, if you know this girl doesn’t already have them! She may not even think she needs, them, but on those days when it’s cold outside, and driving to the gym seems like more of a hassle than it’s worth, or days when you just want to stay home but want to do something, these babies are like a well-equipped gym packed into a pair of dumbbells.

I love my Big Back Lifting Grips! They’re better than lifting gloves, great for working with the heavy metal at the gym. And since I lose everything, I love that they’re affordably priced at just $4.95! If you know a girl who likes to lift weights, these little babies make a great stocking stuffer.

Finally, I know gift cards seem like a recurring theme on this list, and some people view gift cards as an “impersonal gift”. But when it’s a gift card to a place that tells the recipient you know the kinds of things they like, it’s a little more personal…  So, having said that, what fit chick doesn’t also mind her nutrition? A gift card to Whole Foods Market or Vitamin Shoppe is a nice touch!

You see? We’re really not that hard to shop for, once you know what’s out there… hint, hint.

* in moderation.

Yeah, yeah, yeah… you’ve heard it before. All this talk about moderation and portion control usually goes in one ear and out the other during this time of the year. And really, who the heck wants to think about portion control when it comes to the best time of the year for eating!

Well, with all the holiday parties going on over the next few weeks, that depends. It isn’t a  “black and white” kind of thing. You are not naughty or nice. And food is not good or bad. It really depends on who you are, what you are striving to accomplish long-term with regard to your health, and where you are now in the continuum as far as lifestyle habits go.

If you are the type of person who all year long eats reasonably healthful meals and snacks, if you are in good health, if you exercise regularly and rarely ever over-indulge on something… well then you know what? Have at it! Don’t hold back if you don’t want to. It’s not like a little extra is going to hurt. You have an overall solid foundation of good lifestyle habits.

However, if you have  been struggling all year long with your weight, with emotional eating, with being consistent in your eating habits… If you can easily fall into a habit of binging by eating some kind of trigger food… If you have been working all year long toward improving your habits and have made great progress but haven’t quite reached a specific goal or reached a point where you know your new habits are firmly in place. Then it might be smart to exercise a little moderation during this time, just to get through it.

With that thought in mind, how about making a compromise? Don’t put foods into categories of “good” and “bad” or “can have” and “can’t have.” Everything is good, and you can have everything. The compromise is moderation and portion control. Why should you settle for a stick of sugar free peppermint gum, while your family gets to enjoy some home made holiday cookies or gingerbread from your great-grandmother’s recipe?

That’s not the point. The point should be that you can establish good lifestyle habits that would include room for a little indulgence in the foods that help make a special occasion special.

So here are a couple of tips to make things realistic and manageable when it comes to holiday treats and desserts.

1. Mini-size as much as you can.

I make small cookies – using a teaspoon to scoop out tiny-sized cookies onto a sheet, or a piping bag to pipe out quarter-sized drops of dough or batter. I also use mini-loaf pans, mini-muffin tins, and mini-Bundt molds to make quick breads or tarts as little gifts; and mini pie dishes to make personal-sized pies (usually one crust, no crust on top).

The concept can be applied to most desserts. I don’t skimp on the ingredients but since I’m making smaller versions, it doesn’t matter. Real butter, real sugar, real milk… no substitutes, fillers, or fake ingredients. And let me tell you, I make a freaking awesome gingerbread with Guinness Stout in the batter. I found the recipe on epicurious.com a few years ago - Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread. The mini loaf and Bundts work well, and this year I may use the mini-muffin tins to make gingerbread bites, similar to the brownie bites you often see at the supermarket.

2. Create “evidence” to help you track how much you’ve eaten.

In managing portions, having “evidence” of how much you’ve eaten can serve as a gentle reminder. Having a visual way to track your consumption usually results in eating less.  I suspected this, and then it was confirmed when I read this book called Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink, PhD. There was a study conducted by the Cornell University Food & Brand Lab involving chicken wings and college students. A bunch of students were invited to watch a football game at a sports bar, and the invitation included free wings, all you can eat.  The waitresses serving one side of the room were instructed to take away the plates with the discarded bones as students ate up wings and replenish with more wings. The waitresses on the other side of the room were instructed to leave the bones there, but keep bringing more wings.

At the end of the evening – the students in side of the room where the bones were left on the table ate LESS than the ones on the other side, where the bones were always cleared out when fresh wings were brought to them.

Soooo, using that concept you can put a little decorative toothpick on a mini dessert, or put 1-2 cookies in a small paper cupcake liner or doily. Something inedible to leave behind on the plate or on the table, creating evidence of your consumption.

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I know some people are going to want to shoot me dead for making these suggestions instead of driving home some unrealistic idea that you should just be eating fruits instead of the holiday cookies, and using Splenda in place of sugar and unsweetened applesauce as a fat replacer in recipes.

While the original intention in nature might have been that we eat to live, like all other animals on this planet, the reality is that we don’t. We live to eat. A lot of us do, anyway. Eating and food are the cornerstone of so many things in our lives - celebration, mourning, coping, family togetherness, recreation, gratefulness… And a large part of the celebration, friendship and family togetherness of this time of the year revolves around food. Whether it is making it, giving it or eating it. Being told to avoid it, or replace it for something else is like being asked to avoid a feeling or a person, or being told to replace it with something that doesn’t quite stand up to the real thing.

Making lifestyle changes you can live with long-term have to be reality-based.