Sonimathe way i eat – Sonima

A New, Mindful Approach to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

Lori Majewski — Wed, 06 May 2015 12:00:27 +0000

Kimberly Snyder’s bio may call her “a nutritionist for the mind, body, and soul,” but don’t let the new age-y description fool you. Named one of the top “results-oriented” nutritionists by Vogue, The New York Times bestselling author of the Beauty Detox series—including the newly published The Beauty Detox Power—has helped many celebrities embrace healthier diets and successfully shed unwanted pounds, including Drew Barrymore, Fergie, Vince Vaughan, and Kevin James. Read on, as Snyder talks about her radical approach to losing weight. FYI: It doesn’t involve counting calories or eating the usual “diet” foods.

We’re coming up on bathing suit season, and, as always, articles abound claiming the “secrets” to quickie weight loss. Your new book takes a very different approach. Can you talk a bit about your weight-loss philosophy?
Many diets say your body shape is determined by about 75 percent diet, 25 percent exercise. It’s time to turn your mind back on. The people I’ve seen have the most success are the ones who are aware of how their thoughts, moods, and feelings are connected to how they eat. We’ve been conditioned to think of food as the primary factor in our weight and health, but The Beauty Detox Power shows you how aligning your thoughts, words, actions—such as what you eat—and core beliefs is the key to success in looking and feeling the way you want. For people who have been eating a certain way and have plateaued, there’s nothing more frustrating than following a plan to the letter and seeing no results. [My book] helps you take into account all [those] factors and blast through roadblocks to be happier and healthier. The gut is the second brain. Emotions affect digestion. Your success hinges on using both your brains. We know how stress can affect our overall health and the functioning of your heart; what’s lesser known is how it can affect our weight, but it can.

You take a page from yoga, saying we need to let go of the ego, along with labels like “fat,” “skinny,” “pretty,” “old.” Can you explain how this can help someone with weight or food issues?
Ego involves focusing on achieving an outward goal that others can perceive, regardless of whether your means are aligned with your beliefs or whether they are nourishing for you on all levels. For instance, you might stay in a job you despise for the title and the salary, or you might stick to an overly restrictive diet focused solely on hitting a number rather than nourishing your body. Ego also creates habits and patterns—jealousy, pettiness, anger—that are rooted in fear. And fear takes away your true power. In contrast, when we work to create and maintain our connection to the universal source of energy of which we are all part, you will gain more peace and deeper understanding, and true power will increase wherever you put your attention. This opens up the space to create what you want beyond limiting energies and beliefs, and the same is very much true for your body and your weight. Thoughts are a form of nutrition for your body that have formative effects. Is the thought, “I’m so fat,” what you want to be feeding your body?

Nutritionist and yogi Kimberly Snyder practices Scorpion Pose.

Some of your advice contradicts the rules of many popular diets. For example, you suggest we stop counting calories, carbs, points, etc., and ignore the number on the scale.
Numbers feel like they give you control, but then you start to feel out of control, because you start to plateau and they don’t work anymore. Numbers are oversimplifying, because the reality is that we are very complex beings. Though some people may be successful in losing weight by counting calories—at least for a time—how long can you really keep it off? And how much of their energy is engaged in staying on the plan? My approach is not a diet but a lifestyle. You don’t want to have to bring a calculator to dinner with you. If you take one whole macronutrient out of the mix, like carbs, then your alignment gets off.

Your recipes have helped me to stop eating dairy, ingest more vegetables, and cut back my gluten intake. But they contain ingredients that aren’t a part of many Americans’ daily diets: tempeh, tamari, turmeric—mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. Is there a gateway dish that usually makes converts of your clients?
The gateway is finding a recipe that helps satisfy a long-term craving or [substitutes for] your typical go-to food. Cravings is a big topic in this book. The thought that cravings are about nutritional deficiencies has been largely disproven by research. Emotional eating has been oversimplified to just saying, “Don’t do it.” But there are specific food cravings for specific emotions. I’ve never seen a happy person eat a whole pizza. The Beauty Detox Power gets to the root of cravings, spending time on the eight most common food cravings and providing insight on how to uncover triggers and prevent future cravings. I provide recipes that are delicious, healthy alternatives to the chocolate bars, potato chips, and whatever else may have been a go-to for a specific craving. Mac and cheese is among the leading carb cravings people tell me they have. My Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese is a great alternative and a client favorite.

In terms of fitness, you suggest that people get into yoga or Pilates, something with a mind-body connection, rather than hitting the treadmill while watching TV. But so many Americans want to trick themselves into forgetting that they’re actually working out.
Instead of looking at working out as a chore, we should take a more integrated approach, where it’s just something that is part of our lives. Taking walks in nature, to be in the fresh air and elements, should be seen as fun, especially when there are good friends and family members to share the walks with. There’s an Ayurvedic term in Sanskrit, “Prakruti Sukha,” that means something along the lines of “the happiness from being in nature.” There is an inexplicable joy in being in nature. Just walking to do errands is also great. Why does it have to vacillate between sitting all day and then a hardcore workout? The more we can intertwine activity, the more natural it will feel. I also think it’s important to find ways to move that you truly enjoy. I love yoga and opening up my body, but for some that kind of love might be had from dancing or an intense spin class that gets your endorphins flowing. Find what you love. Life is too short to suffer!

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The Way I Eat: Lily Diamond of Kale & Caramel

Lily Diamond — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:30:40 +0000

I eat in color, in scent, in texture, in seasonality, in fully embodied sensuality. I eat with my palate attuned to the pulse of what my body needs, which usually encompasses what my heart and mind demand. I eat with the knowledge that food has the power to nourish, restore, and awaken. Above all, I eat with the belief that discovering the rhythms of nature, of my own body, and of my own kitchen can be genuinely fun.

These instincts were born during my childhood on the island of Maui, where most of the fruits and veggies we ate came from the land and orchards surrounding our house. Though I no longer have access to such bounty outside my front door, my childhood instilled in me a commitment to eating close to the land. It also equipped me with a will to experiment with flavor, with what is in season, and with a way of eating that is in tune with nature whenever possible.

My Weekly Ritual

Every week, I allow myself the exquisite pleasure of walking five minutes to my neighborhood farmers’ market. Drawn in by colors and scents, I am keen to what’s fallen out of season and to the fullness of what’s just arriving. Culinary inspiration comes through the simplicity of meditating on the textures and tastes in front of me.

Whenever I can, I talk to the farmers. I like to know how their figs are growing, how much longer fennel will be around, and how the drought is affecting their crops. I don’t have my own garden, so these stewards of the land are the gatekeepers to my nourishment—and to the state of the global food climate. I walk home grateful for a bounty that will sustain me and the loved ones I feed for the coming week.

Breakfast

Though my morning routine changes often, there is one perennial staple: What I like to call the Superfood Porn Smoothie. Despite my dedication to seasonal eating, bananas are one unseasonal indulgence.

I demand frozen bananas for this smoothie, which is made entirely of whole, raw superfoods. Spirulina, nuts, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon cozy up in the blender for a treat that tastes like ice cream but delivers tons of omega fatty acids, plant proteins, minerals, and vitamins.

Spirulina is my ride-or-die in the superfood department: a blue-green algae that purifies blood, clears skin, tones the internal organs, and provides high levels of nutrients, minerals, and amino acids. The taste can be intense—and some avoid spirulina altogether for that reason—but I prefer to mask it with other strong flavors. I swear the Superfood Porn Smoothie does the job.

Lunch

Because I work from home, I also eat at home quite frequently. Simple yet hearty one-bowl meals I can throw together in under 15 minutes are a favorite. The one above is a version of my Brown Rice Veggie Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce & Sauerkraut. Both miso and sauerkraut are probiotic-rich fermented foods that help cultivate happy digestive flora and a thriving immune system.

Of course, on occasion I dally into the realm of an über cheesy quesadilla in my toaster oven, smothering in avocado, salsa, sour cream, and a prayer that no one is watching me scarf it down.

Dinner

Though I love luxuriating in a meal out, a favorite dinner (or any-time-of-day) option is a big bowl of take-out ginger fish pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup. Flush with fresh basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, ginger, and flaky white fish, there are few things more comforting.

Dessert (aka Play Time!)

While I find tremendous elegance in eating simply, I also believe in the power of kitchen play as a panacea for the soul. For me, culinary whimsy transpires in the push and pull of butter and flour, cream and spice, fruits and flowers. The Peach Galette with Honey Vanilla Pistachio Brittle & Cardamom Rose Whipped Cream below is one sumptuous result of such experimentation.

Though most don’t think of baking as a prime exploratory space, I like to use the blank canvas of a galette, quiche, or even a simple piece of toast as a tabula rasa for flavor. Freestyling in the kitchen has strengthened my intuition as both a cook and an eater. I thrive on the mistake made, the alchemy of taste and scent discovered, and the comfort of trying old things in new ways. Just as nature intended.

This is the way I eat.

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The Way I Eat: Tara Stiles

Shira Atkins — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 21:00:17 +0000

In Tara Stiles’ new book, Make Your Own Rules Diet, she offers an intuitive approach to healthy eating: “Do what makes you feel amazing.” Though her book is not a comprehensive study of nutrients, calories, and fats, as you might see in other diet books, her message is as wise, much as the diet is smart. “When following someone else’s rules leads us further away from ourselves we start swimming in dangerous territory,” she writes. “We chase the external and grasp at the next best thing that never lives up to its promise. And worse yet, we begin to think of ourselves as failures.” In the end, the path toward wellness is actually quite simple. What Stiles eats every day is not so far-fetched for the average person living in America today. It’s simple and easy, it doesn’t sacrifice taste, it simply embraces joy. “Living healthy, eating well, and being radiant from the inside out has nothing to do with depriving yourself. A life without indulgence is a life without joy.” Here, Stiles shares with Sonima a sample of what she eats from morning to night. As you will see, she finds a beautiful balance between thoughtfulness and joy in everything she puts her in mouth.

Breakfast

Coffee from La Colombe in New York City.

The Green Dream Smoothie is easy to make, delicious, and super nutritious for a great start to the day. Just mix about a handful of spinach, a cup of almond milk, and a banana and you’re good to go!

After Yoga

A Fit Elvis Sandwich, made in a skillet with nondairy butter. Top your favorite bread with almond butter and a banana, toast on the stovetop, and enjoy.

Lunch/Snack

This dish of rice noodles with veggies is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Steam the veggies and add dijon, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, and oil for a zing of sweetness and spice.

If you’re looking for something a little cooler, try the Island Veggie Toast. It’s as easy as it looks: salad ON toast!

Dinner

Here Stiles ate noodles at a sweet restaurant in Tokyo after days of intense travel and teaching.

Midnight Snack

“If I’m at the W,” Stiles told us, “Almond milk and cookies!” Sometimes it’s fruit and champagne, or sometimes just fruit.

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