The Mediterranean Diet is the perfect blend of heart healthy food full of flavor, easy to prepare, and has been prescribed as the “diet” to live a long and healthy life. For years the Mediterranean culture has been studied and the verdict is out! Not only does the Mediterranean diet contribute to a decreased risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease; but the Mediterranean lifestyle also plays a major role in one’s quality of life and longevity. The lifestyle includes slowing down to enjoy and savor the food that is served , sharing meals as a family in both the preparation and while eating, and engaging in regular physical activity.

10 Principles of the Mediterranean Diet include:
1. Increase physical activity. Walk more. Take the stairs or sign up for a walk or run. The more you move the more it is better for your heart.
2. Eat mostly plant based foods such as fruit, veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts.
3. Use olive oil and canola oil for cooking and flavoring foods.
4. Flavor foods with fresh herbs and spices instead of salf.
5. Eat fish and seafood at least twice a week.
6. Get addtional protein from poultry, eggs, cheese (low fat), yogurt, nuts and legumes.
7. Limit the intake of red meat to once a week or less.
8. Consume red wine in moderation (men: 2 drinks/day and women: 1 drink/day)
9. Cook as a family and eat meals together as much as possible
10. Slow down while eating and enjoy the flavors of food and the cooking experience!
Feb 14th is almost here so strive to have a healthy heart!!

If you think the only thing you can do with rhubarb is add it to fruit pies…think again. This past weekend I returned from a trip to Lake Placid, NY and drove through Keene Valley (45 min south of Placid). I enjoyed stopping at a large Farmer’s Market and noticed a vendor dedicated to selling Rhubarb Concentrate. As a “foodie” I had to buy some. Adirondack Rhubarb Traditions rhubarb concentrate is make in Bloomingdale, NY which is in the heart of the Adirondacks.

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable – not a fruit and was surprised to hear about all the wonderful things you can do with the concentrate. Rhubarb, like apples, can hold moisture in recipes and the concentrate can be used to make salad dressings, sauces (fish, pork, chicken) and can be added to salads and soups.

The vendor offered a marinade recipe and gave me permission to share it with you. For more info about buying the concentrate you can email: adkrhubarb@gmail.com or write to PO Box 283, Bloomingdale, NY 12913. Enjoy!
Rhubarb Pepper Marinade:
MIX:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
1/4 cup Adirondack Traditions Rhubarb Concentrate
1 tsp. black pepper
Whisk mixture together and use as marinade for chicken. Makes enough for 3 lbs. of chicken

On a recent trip to Colorado I had the opportunity to work with my son David at Earthstar Farm (in the mountains outside of Boulder). As a recent college grad this is one of his jobs to make ends meet. Our day began with weeding out the strawberry patch and harvesting the Calendula flowers (Marigold). The harvested flowers went into the drying shed which consists of screened shelves to allow the air to flow freely around the flowers and facilitate the drying process. Next, we bagged up the dried Yarrow (Achillea)and Mondara flowers (Wild Bergamot) from last week’s harvest and took the bags to the freezer. This step is important before delivering the flowers to the apothecaries in Boulder. We headed to the greenhouse on the other side of the farm which housed the Passion flowers. Passion flowers are not native to Boulder but this greenhouse permitted a good growing environment and harvest. We harvested about 60 flower heads making sure not to upset the many bees busy pollinating all of the flowers. After that David was busy taking loads of weeds down to the composting area while I watered flower beds and admired the beds of chickweeds, nettles and various others flowers and vegetable plants and picked some zucchini for dinner. Later in the day we drove down into Boulder and admired David’s handmade smudge sticks through one of the apothecary windows.

As a gardener back in New York I enjoyed my day at Earthstar farm. I learned alot about the flowers and their medicinal and culinary purposes.

Thanks to Aramark Food Corp. I was able to enjoy gluten free foods at the Coors Stadium in Denver last week. I have been to a number of stadiums for ball games around the country and this was the first time I noticed a gluten free concenssion stand. For those of us with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance eating at the ballpark can sometimes be a challenge. Not this time, I was able to enjoy a grilled chicken sandwich on a Udi’s gluten free (GF) roll. Udi’s manufacturers gluten free products in the state of Colorado and has great bread, rolls and cookies just to name a few. The concession stand also had brownies, cookies, hot dogs, burgers, chips and beer – all identified as GF. The Bard’s GF beer was made from sorghum grain which is a cereal grain that grows in hot, semi arid tropical and dry climates. I hope more stadium’s take note and add gluten free concessions stands for those of us in need. Go Rockies!

Title: Take Shape for Life
Location: 1375 Washington Ave EXt, Albany, NY 12205
Description: Free Weight Loss Seminar. Call 518-265-5057
Start Time: 6:00pm
Date: 2011-08-16

While some of you are enjoying your Summer and taking time off I have been busier than ever! I created my new website: RomanoHealthCoaching and had to really push myself to get this task done. I followed four key strategies to get this accomplished my mid-Summer.

1. Prioritize. I moved this task to the top of my to-do list and would not let up until it was done. It uncluded less time off for my golf game and visits to the lake but the site is up and running.

2. Organize. It forced me to clean out my office and clean up my work life. I had to decide on two main areas to focus on which includes health coaching and nutrition consults. The coaching is virtual and a new addition to my business in 2009!

3. Get Social. I needed a site with connections. Yes, connections to the social world. I moved from a stagnant site to a more fluid and dynamic one. I plan to connect more in new ways.

4. Face Fear and Move Forward. So often I procrastinate when something is not familiar and comfortable. I need to be in a place of “uncomfortable” to learn and grow and with this project I just kept moving forward no matter how uncomfortable I got – and viola I have a finished site.