NUTRITION

BALANCE

By Liza Grant Smith

NUTRITION

BERRY W h i l e o t h e r b e r r i e s m a y b e a s j u i c e ) a r e a l s o r i c h i n v i t a m i n s C a n d A . Interesting h e a d l i n e r s o n p r o d u c e s h e l v e s , g o j i b e r r i e s a r e r i s i n g s t a r s t h a t a r e e a r n i n g a c c o l a d e s f o r t h e i r B e t t e r a v a i l a b i l i t y i n r e c e n t y e a r s h a s l e d t o a g r o w i n g f a n b a s e a n d g r e a t e r p o p u l a r i t y i n b o t h d i e t s a n d b e a u t y p r o d u c t s . T o u t e d a e s t h e t i c b e n e f i t s i n c l u d e t h e p r o m o t i o n o f c o l l a g e n , e l a s t i n , a n d h e a l t h b e n e f i t s . A l s o k n o w n a s h y d r a t i o n , a n d a r e d u c t i o n i n h y p e r p i g m e n t a t i o n . w o l f b e r r i e s , g o j i b e r r i e s g r o w o n a s h r u b n a t i v e t o C h i n a a n d h a v e I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t g o j i b e r r i e s c a n i n t e r a c t w i t h c e r t a i n d r u g s b e e n u s e d f o r c e n t u r i e s b y t h o s e l o o k i n g f o r a f o u n t a i n o f y o u t h . l i k e b l o o d t h i n n e r s a n d m e d i c a t i o n s f o r d i a b e t e s a n d b l o o d p r e s s u r e , I n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g a g o o d s o u r c e o f p r o t e i n , f i b e r , a n d i r o n , g o j i s s o b e s u r e t o c o n s u l t w i t h y o u r d o c t o r b e f o r e a d d i n g t h e m t o y o u r d i e t . ( w h i c h c a n b e e a t e n r a w , f r e e z e - d r i e d i n t o a p o w d e r , o r c o n s u m e d T u r n t h e p a g e t o g o s e e a b o u t g o j i .

BERRY Interesting CONT.

READY TO GIVE GOJI A TRY? HERE ARE THREE EASY WAYS TO INCORPORATE IT INTO YOUR LIFE.

1GRAB IT ON THE GO. Head to Playa Bowls in Boca Raton for a Goji Bowl. The eatery’s blend of pitaya, banana, pineapple, and coconut milk is topped with goji berries, granola, bananas, pineapple, coconut flakes, and honey for a delicious, nutrient-packed combo. The Jetty Bowl is another way to get your goji on. Granola, goji berries, strawberries, blueberries, and honey are layered atop a chia pudding. Want to design your own? Goji berries are offered as an add-on to any of the seven bowl bases. (playabowls.com)

2BLEND, SPRINKLE, OR STIR IT IN. Navitas Organics’ Goji Powder (available locally at Whole Foods) is freeze-dried goji berry juice that maintains all of the berry’s intrinsic vitamins. The company’s website offers recipes that highlight the ingredient, such as Gingerbread Goji Latte, Superfruit Applesauce, and Beet Coconut Sugar Cookies. (navitasorganics.com) 3 INCORPORATE

IT INTO YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE.

Natural skin care company Andalou Naturals has created the AgeDefying Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream ($22, available locally at The Vitamin Shoppe). Its goji glycopeptides combine the firming, lifting, and strengthening of proteins with vitamins A and C to hydrate and soothe skin. (andalou.com)

NURTURE

PLANT LIFE

Fulfilling her dream to create a place where people could learn about plant medicines, Gina Kearney, along with partner Dimitra Christiani, opened Jupiter’s Herbs & Owls in 2020. In addition to stocking more than 120 medicinal herbs, flowers, roots, barks, and fungi, Herbs & Owls offers private consultations with a clinical herbalist and herbal medicine classes, as well as a monthly shamanism workshop that explores the teachings of the medicine wheel, spirit animals, and inner wisdom, among other topics. For those looking to connect more fully with seasons and nature, Kearney and Christiani also put together Seasonal Rewilding boxes. Shipped quarterly, each box includes a custom-blended tea and flower essence, a 5-by-7 art print, written practices, and spiritual tools in alignment with that season’s wisdom, ceremonies, and practices. (herbs andowls.com)

FITNESS Heat of the Moment

Ready to turn up the heat with your exercise routine? Hotworx is an infrared fitness studio where users complete a virtually instructed 30-minute isometric workout or a 15-minute HIIT session in a patented sauna. “By taking advantage of the heat that’s naturally caught inside the sauna, plus the heat that’s being generated inside your body from exercising and the heat from the infrared wavelengths actually penetrating into your body, our members can get more workout in less time,” says Wellington franchise owner Brandon Rosin. “Plus, with all our exercises being performed inside a sauna, our members feel more like they’re at their own semi-private studio as opposed to being in a larger gym where everyone is working out in the same cramped space and fighting over equipment.” (hotworx.net)

WELLNESS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The path to healthy eating and achieving your ideal weight may involve simply trusting your instincts. The concept of intuitive eating came to prominence in the mid-1990s, when registered dieticians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch coined the term and outlined 10 principles for incorporating it into daily life. In essence, intuitive eating lives outside of diet culture and instead prioritizes eating mindfully. Christie Caggiani, a registered dietician, nutrition therapist, and certified intuitive eating counselor with Therapeutic Oasis in Jupiter and Boca Raton, shares more about this innovative approach. (therapeuticoasis.com)

PBI: How does intuitive eating differ from traditional dieting?

Caggiani: The first major distinction is that intuitive eating is really about reconnecting with our bodies, its signals, and, as a result, rebuilding trust. In contrast, we know that traditional dieting and rigid, restrictive rules [can] disconnect us and harm our relationship with food, our bodies, and the way our bodies actually work. Intuitive eating is about making peace with food and knowing that food is not good or bad, just different, thereby allowing us to honor what we’re needing in the moment.

Why is it important to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger?

Physical hunger is our body’s biological message letting us know it’s time to refuel, something our body needs many times daily. When we diet, we disconnect from that crucial signal—sort of like losing the connection to the gas gauge in our car. Food is often used as a coping mechanism, either distracting us or attempting to comfort us, though it won’t truly “fix” the underlying feelings. Becoming aware of the times we use food [in this manner] is a priceless piece of healing our relationship with food, as long as we can approach it from a curious, noncritical way.

What kind of successes have you seen with people who have adopted intuitive eating?

So often I see people who have come to the realization that dieting doesn’t work, but they don’t know what to do next. The joy that they experience when they realize they can eat real food, feel better, and trust their body to tell them when they’re content is priceless. As they learn to throw away the scale and start to respect their bodies, they find they become more confident in their own skin than they ever did on a diet. They learn to move their bodies with activities that are actually fun, rather than punishing themselves with gym memberships that they hate. And one of my favorites is when people learn that they can keep any food in their home—even food they used to overeat or thought was “off limits”—and no longer feel fearful of it or out of control around it. They feel at peace in their relationship with food, and their physical, mental, and emotional health is better for it.

How would you recommend people get started on a path to intuitive eating?

Get the fourth edition of Intuitive Eating, which was released last summer. The amount of research backing up the non-diet paradigm continues to grow, and [the authors] include some of those amazing findings in their latest book. Additionally, they created The Intuitive Eating Workbook, which can be done separately or in tandem with the main text. You can also seek out professionals who have been trained as certified intuitive eating counselors to help you through the journey.

l

10 PRINCIPLES OF INTUITIVE EATING

1. Reject the diet mentality. 2. Honor your hunger. 3. Make peace with food. 4. Challenge the food police. 5. Discover the satisfaction factor. 6. Feel your fullness. 7. Cope with your emotions with kindness. 8. Respect your body. 9. Movement—feel the difference. 10. Honor your health—gentle nutrition.

PAMPER OCEAN SPRAY

Yoga teacher and aromatherapist Danielle Belliard founded La Femme de le Mer, an essential oil company based in West Palm Beach. Belliard formulated her States of Being collection as a means of balancing the body’s chakras, allowing energy to flow freely.

“The sense of smell has direct communication to our brain and can trigger energetic and physical responses in our body,” she says. “Although the effect may be subtle, scents can be used to evoke strong memories, instill calm, promote sleep, and support healing.”

The first four—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—represent the physical elements of nature and evoke emotions associated with them. For example, the Earth mist is meant to inspire feelings of being secure and grounded. The other three focus on concepts such as mental clarity and intuition. The mists can be used on the body, in the air, or on linens. (lafemmedelamer.com)

GELLER

ENDOCRINOLOGY

Los Angeles | Palm Beach

Dr. Jordan Geller is excited to announce the opening of his Palm Beach Endocrinology practice.

Thyroid disorders • Diabetes & Prediabetes Hormone replacement • Weight management Parathyroid disease • Osteoporosis Cholesterol management Wellness & Functional medicine

561.214.4566 | info@jordangeller.com 2875 South Ocean Blvd., Suite 201 Palm Beach, FL 33480

JORDANGELLER.COM

EXPERT ADVICE STANDING Tall

Ever catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and notice that you’re slouching? Worried that your balance problems will lead to a fall? Posture and balance issues are not reserved for older individuals and they can have far-reaching health implications.

Good posture is actually a type of fitness. The muscles of your body are supporting your skeleton in a way that is efficient and stable. However, many factors can impede that ideal support structure. Some of these include pain or past injury, genetics, extra weight, or inactivity.

Technology addiction can also be to blame. Sitting at a computer, using a tablet or smart phone, or slouching on the couch while watching TV for extended periods of time can cause you to stoop or bring your shoulders forward. There’s also “text neck,” caused by continuously bending your neck forward. Even stress can result in overly contracted muscles and poor posture.

Forward posture can shift your center of gravity and increase the risk of falling. It also means your muscles have to work harder to keep your body balanced, making them progressively tighter.

“Balance is the base of support, so poor balance affects the quality of everyday activities,” says Narisa Steinberg, co-owner of The Facility for Personal Training in Boca Raton. “Poor posture leads to conditions such as poor digestion; misaligned spine; back, neck, and shoulder pain; headaches; jaw pain; and breathing difficulty. If not corrected, poor posture can worsen health consequences.”

The facility’s state-of-the-art balance and posture lab offers a full-body scan that produces a graph indicating the position of the head, neck, and spine. The analysis reveals areas that need improvement and offers a library of efficient movements that can be done with trainers at the facility, at home, or both.

“Anyone suffering from poor posture or balance is a candidate for the balance and posture lab,” says Steinberg. “Posture and balance are predictors of a shorter life span, but they can improve at any age.” (thefacility bocaraton.com)