Gift giving can be tough when the person you're buying for is in the middle of a life-altering round of P90X® or INSANITY. Clothing sizes keep changing, as do tastes. Sure, she might cast off that muumuu for a two-piece, but no gift says "presumptuous" like a bikini. Sure, he may need some new dumbbells, but odds are he'll be on to the 45-pounders before he even takes the ribbon off the 30-pounders you bought him.
However, one thing that's not going to change is your giftee's newfound appreciation of healthy eating. Face it, if he or she wants to stay fit, there's just no place in his or her life for that deep-fat turkey fryer anymore. It's time for some new culinary toys.
Here are a few ideas.
Steamer. Short of eating them raw, steaming veggies is the best way to prepare them without processing away all the nutrients. It's also the best way to preserve the taste of fresh produce. If you spend all season growing asparagus in your garden, don't you want to know what it actually tastes like instead of stir-frying away all the flavor?
If you don't want to spring for a fancy All-Clad® multi-piece setup, inexpensive. little pop-up steamers can work inside just about any pot or saucepan.
How much? $10 and up.
Microwave steamer. Like a normal steamer, only cheaper and faster. Oh, and you need a microwave to use with it. For anyone eating healthy on the go, this is a must-have.
How much? $10 to $20.
Indoor electric grill. As healthful as steaming can be, admittedly, it gets a little, well, BORRRINGG! An indoor grill is a great way to have all the fun of a BBQ without the . . . what am I saying? Indoor grills aren't even as remotely fun as BBQs, but they're a healthy way to prepare food that allows grease and fat to drip away. And if you get the kind with the top that presses down, it makes excellent panini, which you can't make on a BBQ.
How much? $30 to $150.
Nonstick cookware. Although the safety of nonstick cookware occasionally comes into doubt, as long as you take care of it, you should be fine. Just don't scrape off bits of the coating to season your omelet. And if it starts to flake, it's done. Get rid of it.
Also, keep in mind that price doesn't always indicate quality. A few years ago, Cook's Illustrated rated a number of nonstick pans, only to discover their favorite was the Farberware® Millennium Skillet, which you can pick up for around $40.
How much? Varies greatly.
Oil sprayer. Oil in a spray can is pretty common nowadays. It's a great way to keep cooking fats to a minimum. But before you go out and buy another preloaded aerosol can, remember that real chefs prefer pump-spray bottles. Not only do they allow you to use your own gourmet oils, they're also reusable, which is good for the earth.
How much? $7 to $15.
Hot-air popcorn popper. Sure, recent reports indicate that movie-theater popcorn is basically death in a tub with butter flavoring squirted over it, but that's the coconut oil and sundry hideous chemicals doing the damage, not the actual corn itself. Enjoy it in its purest, white, and fluffy form, popped via hot air only, and 3 cups will equal 40 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 3 grams of fiber.
Not man enough to eat your popcorn straight? Add a quick spritz of olive or canola oil using your new oil sprayer (see above) and a dash of salt, and you're good to go with minimum guilt.
How much? $20 to $35.
Bread machine. In the wrong hands, a bread machine is a majorly destructive force in any nutrition plan, but used for good, it can be a great way to get fresh, whole grain, preservative-free starches into your diet. And, like many things on this list, it's fun.
How much? $60 to $200.
Salad spinner. I don't know if owning a salad spinner will prompt you to eat more salad, but it'll make cleaning salad more fun. It's also a great way to get kids interested in leafy greens.
How much? $20 to $40.
Slow cooker/Crock-Pot®. Often, the time it takes to cook good food is what takes us out of the kitchen and into the T.G.I.Friday's®. A slow cooker allows you to dump everything in a pot and go about your day without having to monitor your stove. Suddenly, stews, soups, and sauces seem easy, which is a good thing as we settle into winter. Mmmmm, healthy comfort food.
How much? $20 and up. $50 to $60 on average.
Bruschetta, 1 slice: 105 calories, 7 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, 146 grams of sodium, 1.7 grams of protein
Beginning any meal with leafy greens is usually a good idea—until it comes to the dressing, which can often offset our meal by 300 calories. Then, there are Italian "salads" like caprese (thick-sliced mozzarella and tomatoes covered in basil and olive oil) and antipasto (a plethora of Italian meats and cheeses) which don't skimp on fat content, either. If you do begin with a green salad, ask for the dressing on the side, resist the cheese, and avoid the endless salad bowl. If you choose caprese or antipasto, split an order with everyone at the table.
And then there are the things that aren't so good for you. If it says cream sauce, alfredo, pesto, or clam sauce, just say no. If it's stuffed with anything, keep moving down the menu. And if the name ends with parmesan—which means breaded, fried, and smothered in cheese—save yourself an extra 1,000 calories, and order a grilled chicken breast. Here is a list of popular pasta choices, in 10-oz. servings, in ascending order of fat-gram destructiveness:
Italian restaurants have a variety of evil desserts, most of which have nothing to do with Italy. Please note that if you can avoid dessert, or at least share it with someone else, you'll save yourself a huge amount of time on the treadmill. Most desserts are fairly heavy on cream, butter, and fat. Also, remember that most Italians indulge in sweets only on very special occasions, and that fresh fruit tends to be the only sweet to close out a meal. Here's a list of desserts that actually originate from Italy:
Yoga Booty Ballet
Yoga originated in India, approximately 5,000 years ago. And just so we can get it out of the way, yes, it's associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, and, yes, it can have a strong spiritual aspect. That said, as yoga becomes Westernized, many of the resulting forms heavily downplay that component. You're just not going to reach divine enlightenment sweating through a Bikram yoga class or session of 
Iyengar yoga. If you're looking for rehabilitative work, Iyengar is excellent as well. Developed by B.K.S. Iyengar in India, it's a very prop-heavy practice, requiring an array of belts, blocks, blankets, and pillows. The point of Iyengar is to bring the body into alignment—the idea being that this will speed recovery of injuries and address chronic pain.
"It's an excellent workout, if taught properly. It's a great physical workout, and it's an excellent way to get long and flexible."
The most common appetizer offered in a Japanese restaurant is edamame, or steamed soybeans, salted and left in the pod. Edamame is high in protein, low in calories, and very tasty. (Ten pods contain 29 calories, 1.4 grams of fat, 2.2 grams of carbs, 2.6 grams of protein, and 3 milligrams of sodium—before the chef salts them.)
Miso soup is a favorite at most Japanese restaurants. It is a light broth created from a miso (soy) paste, often containing scallions and tofu. Many studies have shown that beginning a meal with a broth soup can help you consume less calories during the rest of the meal, so it's not a bad choice. (A cup of miso soup contains approximately 75 calories, 2 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and 721 grams of sodium.)
Sushi is often thought of as simply raw fish. The term sushi, in Japan, actually refers to the rice, which is white, with rice vinegar and a bit of sugar mixed in. What we think of as sushi is nigiri (fish draped over balls of rice), maki (fish wrapped in seaweed and rice, cut into pieces), temaki (fish and rice wrapped up in a seaweed cone), and sashimi (raw fish served without rice). Let's start with the least dangerous of options, and then move to the sushi pitfalls.
Teppanyaki was popular a couple of decades ago, with restaurants like Benihana® and Kabuki popping up all over the place. Skilled chefs cooked vegetables and meats on very hot surfaces in front of you, doing crazy knife tricks in the process. In Japan, they often make you cook your own meal on a small hot grill at your table. Luckily, they don't give you giant knives to work with, so the danger is lessened. As meat, vegetables, and even rice preparation would vary per location, it would be difficult to break this down calorically. Just remember to lean towards veggies, seafood, and chicken; ask the chefs to go very light on the oil; season with light soy sauce; and avoid the fried rice.
Sake, 1 oz.: 39 calories, no fat, 1.5 grams of carbs, 0.1 gram of protein
Not to dwell too much on conspiracy theories, but, "Big Food," as we call the American food industry, doesn't want us focusing on micronutrients because they've been destroyed in most of their foods. Things like food processing and pasteurization kill most of the micronutrients in food. These processed foods are then sprinkled with what have been lobbied to be "important" ingredients, which in reality only provide enough nutrition for survival, as opposed to thriving. This, as you can observe by watching society grow larger, is leading to all sorts of problems.
Shakeology has an ample amount of protein. Not as much as many traditional protein shakes, but it has its advantages over many of those. The knock on protein shakes is that they digest slowly, so you can't drink them when you're active. Shakeology uses whey protein, which is one of—if not the—most bioavailable sources of protein there is. That means it absorbs quicker into the system than other proteins. Most proteins, especially when you get them in a whole food, take forever to digest. This means that eating protein before, during, or right after exercise is generally a waste because your body is using energy it could be using to exercise to try to digest something that won't help you for hours. But when you combine whey protein along with Shakeology's other nutrients, you have a high-protein shake that can fit into many different nutritional slots in your day—something lacking in a standard protein drink.
If you're serious about your health, you should consider what you spend your money on. People drop three to four bucks a day on things that are a detriment to their health, without batting an eye. We're talking the price of a latte or smoothie or any number of things that are much worse than that. The consumer is at war with a lot of corporations that are trying to poison them in order to make a quick buck. The obesity trend will only stop when we take some responsibility for our health and begin to make better food choices.
It is an exciting thing because even though there are thousands upon thousands of supplements, foods, herbs, and perceived miracles out there, there are so very few that are any good. One of my philosophies when I put formulas together (and, really, how I approach all of life) is to treat others as if they already KNOW even if they don't know! So, even if they don't know cognitively on some level their body does! Meaning, I put the best product together I can at the time with the highest-quality ingredients, testing, sourcing, using sustainable means, period. The selling will come from that integrity, quality, and nurturing we put into the entire process and product. People know when they are being told the truth or a lie. Long story short, that golden rule thing is something that naturally comes out in what I do and formulate . . . because for me, that's what I would want in a supplement, myself. Have I told you that I am selfish? I don't do anything I don't want to do especially when it comes to quality eating and supplementation. My friends certainly know this! I think of myself when putting together supplements and I only put the things in that I would myself consume. I have never understood why people would do things or promote things that they do not do or believe in themselves. So, of all formulas I produce, foods I consume, recommendations I give, chances are I have lived it and am living it! I certainly did with 
