Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

It's farmer's market season, gals! Whether you're out at a real farmer's market or just at the grocery store, pick up these wonderfully healthy spring veggies to cook up this weekend:

1. Rhubarb: I happen to be a rhubarb fiend, and am planning to make a Mother's Day rhubarb + strawberry pie this weekend. Did you know that rhubarb contains calcium? Why yes, it does! (Try this rhubarb baked oatmeal for breakfast in bed--it looks so good!)
2. Asparagus: Get your folic acid, gals! My favorite way to enjoy spring asparagus, which is so tender and yummy, is by steaming it until al dente, then drizzling with a bit of olive oil, lemon and sea salt. Yum! (Or, here's another tasty side dish that I like to make with asparagus and mushrooms. Amazing.)

3. Carrots: But not just any ol' carrots--get the kind that have the tops still on. They're sweet as candy and retain more of their nutrients because they're fresher, say health experts. And, bonus: Remember, that

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

My dears, do you have someone to forgive or someone to say your sorry too? A fascinating new study found that forgiveness is good for your health and may help your immune system strong. Wow! I'm so glad I forgave someone in my life last year...

It feels good to make up with someone you've had a rift with, doesn't it? But the effect isn't just in your head, say researchers from Duke University. In a recent, and fascinating, study of HIV patients, they found that those who forgave people who had wronged them in their life showed a significant boost in their immune system response.

I love this. Last year I forgave someone in my life who caused me a great deal of pain. Since then, I have felt so much better. Lighter. Come to think of it, I have had fewer colds in the last year! Hmmm.

Do you have someone to forgive or ... apologize to?

P.S. The 5 stages of a quarter-life-crisis (have you had one?), and the sneaky trick to stressing less while public

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Put simply, I love food. You too? I love trying new dishes and enjoying my meals to their fullest. But, I'm also concerned about staying healthy and not overdoing it, so when I interviewed a food psychologist recently, I tucked away these four great tips to share with you.

I recently chatted with food psychologist Brian Wansink, a professor at Cornell University and the author of the book Mindless Eating. He said that if people could learn to do a few easy things, we'd enjoy our food more and probably eat less (he knows--he's studied this topic for years!). Here are his top tips:

1. Use chopsticks: "We find that at buffets, skinny people are five times more likely to eat with chopsticks than heavy people," he says. You do the math.

2. Take breathers: "Set your fork down after every bite," he says. "It slows you down and you'll eat less."

3. Start with a first course: "What works very well is having a low-calorie first course," says Wansink, who suggests

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

I have been working on a new article about stress, and I learned some fascinating things about the way people tend to cope...

People tend to fall into one of three categories in the way they deal with stress, say experts:

1. The Freezer: This person is like a deer in the headlights when faced with too much stress. Think: fetal position.

2. The Uni-Tasker: When faced with an impossible to-do list, this person tackles one thing at a time until the pressure is reduced a bit. She makes a list and gets things done.

3. The Super-Crazed: Frantic is how this person feels when she's overwhelmed. Warning: Meltdown likely.

I hate to say it, but I tend to fall into #3 more than I'd like. I'm trying to be more #2.

How do you cope with stress?

P.S. The good-mood breakfast ... it zaps stress! And, here's how to literally shake off stress.
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By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Dear readers, you may not be getting enough calcium, or so says a new report with startling findings about the state of bone health in America. Time to load up on calcium with these calcium-rich snacks.

According to a new report from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Americans may not be getting nearly enough calcium. Here's how to load up:

1. Have a glass of milk or soy milk (duh). One cup a day can give you a big chunk of your daily allotment.

2. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on a whole-wheat baguette and top with tomatoes, then broil in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the tomatoes are roasted. Parmesan cheese happens to be loaded with calcium.

3 and 4. Broccoli and hummus: Broccoli is a calcium-rich veggie, and when you dip in hummus, you're getting an extra dose (tahini, an ingredient in hummus, contains a good amount of calcium).

Enjoy!

Do you take a calcium supplement?

P.S. More healthy snack ideas, here!

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Morning, lovelies. The freezer can be a very important thing when it comes to weight loss. It can help you avoid unhealthy eating when your cupboards and fridge are bare! Five things I'm keeping on hand these days...

I have been working hard at my baby weight loss and, I have good news: I've already lost 4 pounds! This is partially due to the nerves and excitement of my book launch this week, but still. Four pounds is four pounds! Yay! And, I have to say, I've been so busy this week that I've been relying on freezer meals and foods to get me through. My fabulous nutritionist, Stephanie Middleberg, suggested that I stock my freezer with these healthy foods:

1. Blueberries: They're great in smoothies, eaten as a snack, or sprinkled in yogurt. Bonus, they may have fat-fighting effects!

2. Grapes: I just wash them, pop them in a zipper-lock bag and then take out to enjoy as a snack. They taste amazingly sweet and even creamy, sort of like sorbet, when

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Got a headache? Head straight for the kitchen gals and grab this unusual thing that researchers believe may zap pain...

The all-natural painkiller in your pantry? Olive oil! This is the theory of past research that is receiving some recent attention. The idea is that the antioxidant oleocanthal, found in extra-virgin olive oil, may work like ibuprofen in blocking the enzyme that causes pain and inflammation.

I cook with olive oil and always drizzle it on my salad and my steamed broccoli (my fave), so this is great news for me.

Do you frequently use olive oil in your cooking?

P.S. Guess the juice that can help increase exercise stamina, and the cheese that can help with weight loss? Check this out!

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By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

It's natural for a woman to want to look her best on her big day, but when pre-wedding weight loss turns extreme, experts are calling it brideorexia, and pointing the finger at the future queen, Kate Middleton...

I recently read a Facebook status update from a friend that read: "Wedding in three months. Time to get skinny." I felt bad for this person, and the pressure she felt to change her body so dramatically in such a short period of time.

TIME recently reported on the new trend of "brideorexia"--extreme pre-wedding weight loss. Experts say it's dangerous, and yet marketers are quick to capitalize on women who want to lose weight before their big day (exhibit A: bridal boot camps).

"Clearly we live in a culture that values thinness, and this is probably the event of most women's lives that puts the brightest spotlight on them," says Dr. Jeffrey Sobal, a professor of sociology at Cornell.

At the core of this news is the future queen herself, Kate