August Newsletter

In This Issue
Wonderful Watermelon!
NYC Meal Delivery Services (Part 2)
A Note from Lauren...

Nutrition Energy

In the News!

 

 Worth Its Salt: Adding Extra Electrolytes

Triathlete

Lauren Antonucci, MS, RDN, CSSD, CDE, CDN

 

 

Eating Well in Tricky Places

Skinnygirl Daily

Vanessa Costa, MS, RDN, CDN

 
**Upcoming Events**

Nutrition For Marathons
When: Tues, Aug 19th
Time: 6:30pm
Where: JackRabbit Sports, UWS
Presenting:
Lauren Antonucci, MS, RDN, CSSD, CDE, CDN

Nutrition & Fitness for Moms
When: Tues, Sept 29th
Time: 6-8pm
Where: Athletica, 
UES: 85th & 3rd
Presenting: 
Lauren Antonucci, MS, RDN, CSSD, CDE, CDN

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Issue: #58August 2015
 
Wonderful Watermelon!
 

Watermelon is in season! Watermelons are ripe in New York from August until October, but can be available year-round due to being grown in warm places like Florida, Texas, and Mexico.  They are not only a refreshing summer food - it also has numerous health benefits, like reducing high blood pressure and lowering blood sugar.  With health benefits comes great nutritional value, containing large amounts of Vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as calcium, magnesium, and iron.  Watermelon can keep you cool and hydrated in the summer heat due to their high water content at 92%.  And coming in at less than 50 calories per cup - how can you not love watermelon!

To help inspire you to enjoy this wonderful fruit, we've included a quick and easy salad recipe:

Watermelon Salad with Mint Leaves.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Serves 6
 
Ingredients:
  • 1 (5-pound) watermelon
  • 1 Vidalia or other sweet onion
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, plus 6 whole sprigs
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • Salt and pepper
  • Option to add cherry tomatoes
 
Directions:
  1. Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel and slice the onion into rings.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.
  4. To serve, divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

NYC Meal Delivery Services (Part 2): Providing all the enjoyment with none of the work

 
We have two more meal delivery companies this month, Sakara Life and The Purple Carrot:
 
Sakara Life:
Sakara Life is an organic meal delivery service that brings fresh, nutritionally conscious meals straight to your home or office. There are 3 different programs to choose from: 1-day program which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, 1 morning water and 2 detox teas; 5-day program which includes 1, 2 or 3 meals per day; 20 day program which includes 2 or 3 meals per day. All meals are gluten free, plant-based, dairy free, organic and locally sourced whenever possible. Menus change weekly and with the seasons. Sakara Life does not post nutrition information on purpose, and while we agree with not counting calories and eating by feel, that individuals may wnat to add between-meal snacks as necessary, or leave some food on their plate if they feel full. We reached out to Sakara Life, and they were very personable and generous enough to send us 2 breakfasts and dinners, 4 lunches, and their waters and detox tea so we could taste them for ourselves and share our honest opinions.  All meals were delivered in a lined, fabric bag with 2-3 ice packs per bag, so all the items were delivered nice and cold!
 
Sakara AB & J (Breakfast)
This is a rolled oat bar with the addition of Chia seeds (a super food!). The bar had a nice, chewy texture.  While the bar was good cold, we wonder if it would be even better warmed up - baked in a toaster oven to give it a little crisp!  The side of strawberry rhubarb jam and almond butter were out favorite part, working wonderfully to create the lovable combination we all grew up with! 
 
Rose Petal Pancake with Peach Butter Cream (Breakfast)
The 2 pancakes were small but surprisingly filling.  They had a thicker cakey texture but did not feel heavy.  Since everything was refrigerated, we expected the pancakes to be a little soggy - but they weren't at all!  The peach butter was fabulous - great flavor and very light and airy.  Overall a wonderful way to start the day!

Indian Spiced Samosas with Sweet & Spicy Chutney (Lunch)
The inside of the samosas were very flavorful, and you were able to see the individual vegetables rather than a blended mush you sometimes see in samosas. The brown rice wrap was a bit tough, but works for the function of holding the filling together. We wondered how this dish could taste heated and if the wrap would be easier to bite through. The dish came with a sweet and spicy chutney that was very refreshing and not as spicy as we expected, but were confused if the chutney was to go with the samosas or the side salad as there was no other dressing.  Regardless, the flavors worked well together and we ended up eating the chutney on everything!
 
Forbidden Rice & Tatsoi Bowl (Lunch)
This salad/bowl was made with Tatsoi - a green that none of us had ever had.  The leaves had both a sweet and tangy flavor which was wonderfully complemented by the unique dressing combination of ginger and honey mustard. The rice added great texture and we ate through both dishes in a matter of minutes!

Youth & Beauty Salad (Dinner)
This salad has a beautiful assortment of colors, textures, and flavors.  It comes 'cobb' style with all the ingredients (minus the seeds) in lovely rows, but we mixed the salad to get a little bit of everything in every bite.  We loved the addition of a variety of seeds, including sunflower & pomegranate.  While we enjoyed the dressing, we would've preferred less dressing and more seeds to make it a little heartier.  

Tantric Tandori Cauliflower (Dinner)
We weren't sure what to expect with this dish, as the main star was tandori cauliflower, but we were pleasantly surprised.  The cauliflower had great tandori flavor, and the florets were tender but still had crunch.  The whole dish worked extremely well together - from the salad greens, to the cashews, to the fruit; overall a great light dish packed with Indian flavors.
 
Why we like it: Meals are minimally processed and there is a huge health component to their meals. All meals are nutrient-dense and of high quality. They are advocates for not just eating healthy but living a healthy lifestyle as well.  We, at Nutrition Energy, are happy and able to work with you to find the balance that is right for you!
 
Keep in mind: Sakara Life sells many supplements, including detox tea and alkaline "beauty" water. Be cognizant of the fact that the FDA does not regulate supplements and health benefits from alkaline water are still to be determined. However, no harm is shown to come from alkaline water. Their "Eat Clean Eat Whole" philosophy is a great one to live by but may not be realistic long-term.
 
Delivery details: They deliver to all of New York City, select locations throughout the Northeast, and Southern California. Deliveries occur Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with 4 delivery windows: 1am-6am, 6am-8am, 8am-10am, 10am-12pm.
 
Pricing: The 1-day meal program trial is $99. The other packages vary depending on how many meals per day you select. The 5-day meal program ranges from $130 for 1 meal per day up to $410 for 3 meals per day. The 20-day meal program starts at $990. 


The Purple Carrot
If you prefer a minimally processed, plant-based diet then The Purple Carrot is for you. Each week, there are 4 different meal options. You pick 2 and you can also choose a healthy snack you can prepare and have for the week. Each meal has up to 4 servings. There are detailed step-by-step instructions for each recipe taking no more than 40 minutes to prepare. All ingredients needed are provided; all you need are basic cooking utensils.
 
Why we like it: They have a team of nutritionists look over the recipes submitted by guest chefs. Each recipe clearly lays out what you need, preparation information, health benefits/allergens, and nutritional information. All meals are minimally processed and organic ingredients are used whenever possible.
 
Keep in mind: Just because a meal is vegan does not necessarily mean it's healthy or low-calorie. The Purple Carrot does offer healthy vegan options, but because all vegan protein sources also contain carbohydrates, these meals are high in carbohydrates so diabetics should be cautious when choosing meals.
 
Delivery details: Meals are delivered all over New York Tuesday - Saturday depending on location. Meals are delivered via FedEx in insulated containers so you do not need to be home for delivery.
 
Pricing: Each meal kit contains 2 meals for 4 people at $59, which is $7.50 per plate. *Use the code SUMMER30 for $30 off your first order.

Stay Tuned for our next set of reviews! 

A Note from Lauren...

Congratulations go out to all of our athletes who finished Ironman Mont-Tremblant, as well as our Tough Mudder LI finishers. You should all be proud of yourselves...and taking it easy the rest of this month!
 
We also want to wish lots of luck and a HUGE congratulations to our amazing Administrative Assistant extraordinaire, Melissa Braun. As you all know, Melissa has been an incredible member of our Nutrition Energy team, and will be greatly missed. Melissa will be leaving us to move to the west coast with her fianc�! We will miss her terribly, but wish her all the best in her upcoming marriage and move! 

Our new Administrative Assistant Stephanie is a great addition to the Nutrition Energy team.  We are very excited to have her on board and she will be the voice you hear when you call the office!

If you need any help with creating or altering a nutrition plan, please contact us via email or call the office at 646.364.6803 to schedule a consultation and we will get you on the right track!
   
Sincerely,

Lauren Antonucci, Director
Nutrition Energy