I've asked Ken Weary, founder of fitnosh.com, to write about his new website. I have been working (and snacking) with Ken to make sure that all the products on the site are nutritionally sound and represented honestly.

Here's the story in his words...

Introducing FitNosh, a new website (www.fitnosh.com) focused on selling healthy snacks.  Our founding principles are that all of our snacks must:

• Taste good. They must be more than palatable.  We won't sell anything we would not or do not eat.  We even use our kids as guinea pigs (we feel this is not child labor because we are feeding them).
• Be nutritionally vetted. It can be difficult to cut through the marketing hype of food packaging so in order to meet this self imposed requirement we worked with Dr. Susan Kleiner.  She reviewed each product to ensure we did not get taken in by trumped up health claims.  As she told us “the snacks on FitNosh represent healthy alternatives to many of the pre-packaged snacks we commonly see”.
• Be individual servings to promote portion control.  We do not want to sell large bags of chips containing 4 servings…we all know how that story ends.  Overeating detracts from the health benefits we’re seeking to spread on our site.  Only a few snacks on FitNosh contain 2 servings per package and they are all marked and labeled when they do.  Additionally we have over 30 snacks that contain 100 calories or less.

The name of the business speaks to its inspiration.  My wife and I are both fitness orientated and often in need of grabbing a quick bite to eat as we wrestle with the balance of work and play (as well as raising two young kids).  Fit (short for fitness) + Nosh (meaning food) = FitNosh.

All of the snacks on the site are categorized by snack type (Chips, Bars, Fruit, Gels, etc.) as well as by nutrition type (protein, fiber, sodium, etc.), dietary (Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, etc.) and specialty (organic, vegan, kosher, etc.).  If healthy eating appeals to you please check us out at:

www.fitnosh.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fitnosh

Ken Weary

When I first published The Good Mood Diet, I had a great time traveling around the country speaking to all kinds of audiences on my book tour. One of my favorite stops were college campuses. Now I frequently receive questions about how to apply the principles from the book while eating in college and university cafeterias. Here are a few tips.

1. Eat from the "Feel Great Foods" list.

The concept of "feeding your brain" really resonates with students. And since you are students, you are probably great with lists. Start with the "Feel Great Foods" list. One group of girls on a campus copied the list out of the book, enlarged it, and put it up on the wall in their cafeteria. It not only reminded the students about foods that make them feel good, but it ultimately influenced the daily menus served in the cafeteria.

2. Eat breakfast!

I know it's early, but get up and eat breakfast. It's usually the best, most edible meal at a cafeteria, and makes a huge difference in how you feel and perform for the rest of the day. Research is clear on many counts: people who eat breakfast control their body weight better; people who eat breakfast think more clearly and perform mental tasks at higher levels; and people who eat breakfast lead healthier lives, compared to those who skip breakfast.

3. Eat regularly, about every 3 hours.

You will probably have to have some snacks in your room to do this, but it will help you feel energized and focused, and help to limit random snacking of foods that don't help you feel great. Foods to have on hand, and to throw in a backpack or book bag include:

yogurt, mozzarella cheese sticks and other small wrapped hard cheese, hard boiled eggs, turkey jerky, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, small packs of vegetables, whole grain crackers.

4. Always combine proteins, carbohydrates and feel great fats every time you eat, except around exercise.

The 3 macronutrients work in concert with each other to fuel your brain and your body, and support mental and physical health and performance. Fats slow digestion, so avoid them immediately around exercise.

5. If you're feeling out of control with your diet, keep a food journal.

You really just need to create some new habits, and the best way to turn old habits into new ones is to write down what you are doing. It's just like any kind of learning: do it, say it, write it down.  You are creating new pathways in your brain, and eliminating the old ones. The more repetitions that you have of the new habits, the more defined the brain pathways become. It takes time, and it takes effort, but it works. Just like college.

6. Get some real exercise.

College is stressful and sedentary, a negative combination. Exercise helps us not only relieve stress, but changes the biochemistry in the brain to enhance our ability to cope with stress. Taking the time to exercise will increase your work efficiency, helping you to work smarter, not harder. Walking around campus is great daily activity, but it doesn't get your heart pumping, your blood flowing, and your muscles contracting the way that concerted exercise does. Find an activity that you like, and do it. It will make you feel noticeably better.

7. Request a feel great foods care package.

I have a daughter in college right now, and I know that it's hard to take control of your food. It's especially tricky when you live in the dorm. Instead of sending cookies and candy in care packages, I send her dried fruit and nuts. I even send my homemade salad dressing.  She supplements with some veggies and cheese in a small fridge. That way when she's studying late into the night she has feel great foods to eat, rather than the ubiquitous fried snack foods that make her feel sluggish and sleepy.

You don't have to make all these changes at once. Choose one or two that seem doable, and try them for a week. Once you get those down, add another, and then another. You'll be feeling great in no time!

Yours in a good mood,

Dr. Susan Kleiner

Here is a guest post from my friend and colleague, Jill Bruyere, running coach extraordinaire! You can read more about Jill below.

Enjoy...

Barefoot running has become a popular topic among runners in the last two years.  No doubt the attention of barefoot running has been inspired by the popularity of the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougal.  For decades, there has been a grass-roots movement for extremely minimalist, i.e., barefoot, running. But only in the past few years have companies begun to get in on the act, too. They now offer stripped-down models that do not have the padding and structural elements that characterize conventional running shoes.

The question is does barefoot running really offer an advantage over shoes?  Bare footers will argue that modern running shoes promote a heel-first stride that makes a runner more vulnerable to injuries.  Other research suggests that heavily cushioned shoes actually prevent your foot from sensing the ground and can make you stomp down harder than if you didn’t have all that padding.

So, why would you encourage your clients to run barefoot?  The biggest reason why barefoot running has become popular is because it claims to reduce running injuries and improve foot biomechanics.  What’s the evidence behind this notion? And should a person try it? There isn’t strong evidence that barefoot running is any better or worse than running with more structured shoes, in part because there aren’t enough regular barefoot runners with whom to compare users of running shoes. But there’s a lack of a solid evidence base for running footwear in general.

However, many who have switched over to barefoot running claim it has reduced or negated their running injuries.

Lets back up and talk about why running injuries happen in the first place.  It has a lot to do with how the foot strikes the pavement when running. An ideal foot strike is one where the mid foot strikes the ground first and then slowly rolls onto the heel. However, most runners strike heel first and that puts a ton of added pressure and impact on the legs which can lead to a host of running injuries.  But, until more research is available, it's hard to say if shoes are helpful or harmful. But here are the pros and cons that are often discussed when it comes to barefoot running.

Potential Benefits of Barefoot Running

Barefoot running helps to correct the foot strike on the ground forcing the runner to hit the pavement, mid foot first. This helps develop a more natural gait and strengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the foot.   Furthermore, the foot has a wonderful feedback mechanism: when you’ve worked it out enough for one day, it tells you quickly! Your arches will be sore, your foot will be raw from pavement, or you’ll get the dreaded top of the foot pain. When you run barefoot, your body precisely engages your vision, your brain, the soles of your feet, and all the muscles, bones, tendons, and supporting structures of your feet and legs. If you do anything wrong, the foot will tell you.  The foot is the great disciplinarian.  You can’t over-pronate, can’t over-train, and can’t over-stride when barefoot running.

So, when wearing shoes, a runner is more likely to use an undesirable foot strike motion due to the majority of the padding placed in the rear of the foot.  This causes a runner to more likely strike heel first, an undesirable and injury prone running motion.  Furthermore, the argument is wearing shoes can cause the small muscles in our feet to weaken and the tendons, ligaments and natural arches to stop doing their job. It is believed that the result of supportive shoe inserts, orthotics and extra cushioning is poor foot biomechanics and increased risk of foot, leg and knee injuries.

Potential Harms of Barefoot Running

Suddenly going barefoot or wearing a minimal shoe can be quite a shock to the foot and require a slow adaptation phase. But that isn't the only concern about a shoeless workout.

Shoes offer a significant amount of protection from road debris such as glass, nails, rocks and thorns. They also offer insulation in cold weather and protect us from frostbite in ice and snow.  Most of us are not used to going barefoot, so a minimalist shoes or bare foot will cause the muscles to initially feel overworked.  In some, this can lead to injuries such as Achilles tendinitis or calf strain.  Lastly, the bottom of the foot for most people is soft and tender.  Going without a stiff-soled shoe may initially cause plantar pain and blisters.

So, to go barefoot or not?  It is a very individual thing which some people can be very successful with, and others cannot. I have coached many who simply cannot make the transition for one reason or another, and I don’t think there is any reason to force them to.  It goes back to the old saying of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” If you have no problems and no pain, do you really need to change anything?

If you or your client decide to give barefoot a try, my advice is to start very slow, expect significant calf strain after even your first day of half mile or mile. Suddenly going barefoot or wearing a minimal shoe can be quite a shock to the foot and require a slow adaptation phase. Start off slowly and stop if it doesn’t feel right, since you are probably used to wearing regular shoes.  A great way to learn and adapt your feet is to try it first barefoot on a hard but smooth surface like a tennis court, a track or a grassy field. Your body will quickly tell you what to do.  Listen to your body.  In the end, the ultimate experts on footwear are you and your body.

For those of you who want to make the barefoot leap and try it out yourself, check out the below list of barefoot gear. Remember, you don’t have to go entirely barefoot. There is a growing list of minimalist running options. The list below is ideal for those that want to strip off traditional running shoes but not go entirely shoeless:

Vibram Five Fingers are the most popular barefoot shoe and are really starting to take off amongst the minimalist culture.

Huarache running sandals are also very popular and inspired by tribesman from around the world.

The Nike Free is Nike’s response to the barefoot running phenomenon.

Jill Bruyere

Jill Bruyere has been coaching runners for over 11 years. She is an ACSM certified trainer and coach based in Seattle, Washington.  Jill trains clients in her area through her own running business, Run with Jill Bootcamp.  She trains clients for all distances of running from the 5k to marathon distance.  She created and sells two marathon training programs and has successfully helped many people from all over the world complete a successful marathon race.   Her training program and blog can be found online: http://www.runwithjill.com

A once-in-a-lifetime event is coming to the Northwest on March 25th at the Vancouver Convention Centre (East Ballroom) and on March 28th at Seattle's, McCaw Hall (Seattle Center)!

Dr. Wentz is one of the premier scientists of our day, specializing on the health of the human cell.  His focus for decades has been on cellular nutrition and the protection of  cells from toxins.  He and his son Dave have written a book called The Healthy Home which focuses on the second part of his vision - educating us about toxins that damage our cells.

This book is expected to be a #1 bestseller on the NY Times list as well as Amazon.com.  This is a must read for you and everybody you know to take further control of our health to prevent degenerative diseases.

The Healthy Home Book Tour Flier Dr. Kleiner

Hope to see you there!

Yours in  good mood,

Dr. Susan Kleiner