"HealthyEating" news and stories

With the economy on the fritz, many people are working twice as hard to make up for colleagues lost in layoffs. It can be hard to pick up the slack and still have energy at the end of the day -- or even working weekends.

In the food business, I'm used to long hours, but I have come up with some ways to fight fatigue when I just don't have time for exercise or R&R is nowhere in sight. Making simple changes to your eating habits can have a huge effect on your energy level throughout the day, which can help you work faster and more efficiently.

After the jump get Jennifer's tips for fighting fatigue while eating deliciously.

"Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"

By Erin McKenna
Photographs by Tara Donne
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy It at Amazon

Note: While testing the vanilla frosting recipe, we accidentally used soy flour instead of the the soy milk powder the recipe called for. The two are easily confused but not interchangeable, as our results demonstrated.

When Erin McKenna opened BabyCakes NYC in 2005, her gluten-free, vegan baked goods became a huge success, giving hope to the gluten-intolerant and converting legions of dairy-worshipping skeptics. Her new cookbook is both a how-to guide and winning, chatty account of McKenna's journey from junk food junkie to gluten-free goddess (she changed her Twinkie-loving ways in 2004, when she was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies). Pretty much everything in the baked good pantheon is here -- cupcakes, blueberry corn muffins, scones, cake and cobbler -- ensuring that while the gluten and dairy may be missing, absolutely nothing else is.

Takeaway Tips: McKenna writes in a clear, humorous and reassuring voice that makes you feel like you're baking in the company of, if not an old friend, then an endlessly understanding and forgiving teacher. She provides ingenious advice on making simple, natural food coloring (who knew that a pinch of turmeric made gorgeous yellow icing?), and her incredibly helpful ingredients glossary at the beginning of the book (from agave nectar to xantham gum) removes a lot of the considerable intimidation factor inherent in gluten-free, vegan baking.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Source

When people think of chefs and restaurant food, the work "skinny" usually doesn't pop into their minds. While the food is often delicious and satisfying, it can be high in calories and fat.

I dine out each week, but I know there's a downside to indulging every day. When I worked in New York City restaurant kitchens, I learned something really valuable -- cooking techniques that I could apply to make healthier versions of those meals, so I could enjoy them more often. I also learned how to fit restaurant food into a balanced lifestyle.

My mission as the Skinny Chef is to recreate those flavors and experiences by making food that can be enjoyed guilt free, more often, at home. While I discovered great ways to maintaining a healthy weight, I chose the name Skinny Chef to remind us that food can be fun, flavorful, beautiful, satisfying and healthy at the same time.

Sharing my knowledge and love of food with others has completely changed my life and put me in touch with so many wonderful people I might have never had the chance to meet. I want to hear more about you and your food experiences, so that we can start together our journey to easy, fun ways to cook tasty nourishing meals.

Responses to questions from last post's comments are after the jump.

Meet Slashfood's newest blogger, Jennifer Iserloh, a.k.a. The Skinny Chef. Twice a week, Chef Iserloh will be sharing smart, savory ways to make your favorite dishes healthier, without sacrificing flavor.

I was raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh in my Granny's little brick house, complete with a large dine-in kitchen. Granny is an amazing cook and almost all our meals were from scratch. ­ She began passing all her knowledge and cooking traditions on to me when I was tall enough to reach the counter. Cooking became an integral part of my life, but overeating and serious weight issues were another, unfortunate part of my family's heritage.

As I grew older, I steadily gained weight from my teen years into my early 20s. I felt a real dissatisfaction with the way I looked, and more importantly, being overweight really hurt my self-confidence. I knew that I had to make changes, and I began to learn about nutrition - mimicking my slender female friends' healthy habits. I started to lose weight, but I never lost my love for food.

After I moved to New York City, I finally had the courage to follow my dream to become a chef and truly honor my passion. After graduating, I studied with the masters of New York City restaurants. As my professional scope widened, I experienced food on many levels, working as a private chef, learning how to style foods for photo shoots, and starting a career in food writing. To this day, I combine my best experiences from the food world into delicious, healthy food that is also beautiful.

Based on studies conducted on mice, mushrooms can protect the immune system. But, can they strengthen our immunity? A recent report from Reuters explains that the most common and inexpensive mushroom, the white button mushroom, had the strongest "immune-boosting effects." Dr. Keith Martin of Arizona State University goes as far as stating that these fungi are "powerhouses for boosting the immune system."

Assuming that these studies apply to humans, this is great news for those of you who are already taking mushroom extracts as dietary supplements. Scientific studies also reveal that mushrooms may help increase the immune system's ability to fight tumors. So, just how many mushrooms would we have to consume to reap these health benefits? Martin explains that to get the equivalent amount of mushrooms consumed by the mice in the study, a person would need to eat about 100 grams (3.5 ounces). That's roughly two and a half cups of raw mushrooms -- daily.

It's time to start thinking of the many ways to incorporate mushrooms into your diet. Fellow blogger, Amy McDaniel, recently posted about a delicious dish of jasmine brown rice and barley pilaf with mushrooms and pearl onions. What are some of your favorite mushroom dishes?