Shira Turkl-Rubin

Last week was the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. It completes the annual high holy days in the Jewish tradition and is a day where Jews everywhere repent and reflect upon the days past and the days to come.

Chad and I are traditionally Jewish and find that we continually take the holidays into our own hands bringing our own meaning to them.

Chad and I decided to do a juice fast instead of a full fast for Yom Kippur. I made all the juices on Tuesday night, put them in jars and had them all prepared when we woke up on Wednesday morning. When I drove Chad to work – just as he got out of the car he said: “thanks for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner!” This small act of appreciation made me stop and get excited that we were actually going through with our cleanse and that we were in it together!

It’s a great idea to cleanse with another person. Then you have the ability to call the other person up, complain that it’s challenging and then you push each other to keep going and hold off until you can drink the next juice!

I have to say that through this cleanse I didn’t get a headache once. My blood sugar was raised enough all day so that I didn’t have a serious crash. When I did feel like I was about to crash I started drinking my next juice slowly and it helped immensely!

If you’re planning on completing a cleanse, try doing it with someone else!

Cheers to an easy fast!

Shira

I always hear people preaching about how it’s SO important to eat in a peaceful place, without distraction ie: tv, radio, magazine, computer, book etc… I have to say that I do agree with this and I know in a perfect world, we’d all be sitting quietly eating our food in peace. I’ve done this before, and boy is it amazing – there’s really nothing like it.

BUT – in New York City this is next to impossible. Well… I shouldn’t say impossible because anything’s possible right? Sure it is.

With a daily schedule that doesn’t allow for a 1-hour lunch break that’s calm and peaceful, we resort to eating on the go; watching TV or playing on the computer while we eat because there isn’t enough time do this otherwise!

Here’s my challenge for you: can you find a way to do all the things you do while you eat but ALSO pay attention to what your eating? Can you pay attention to when you feel full? Maybe that means you don’t finish your entire meal and you save the rest for later. OR maybe it means that you pin point one specific flavor in your food to be aware of exactly what it is that you’re eating. Find something to be aware of while you eat while on the go and watching TV!

This task won’t be easy, but I definitely recommend that you try it.

Don’t put yourself down if you simply want to watch tv or play on the computer while eating – we can multi task quite well! Just be mindful of what exactly you’re doing while you’re doing it.

Cheers!

My sister Mika eating dinner at the amusement park

Do you have trouble finding healthy options when you travel? I know, it’s tough to keep to your same healthy food routine when traveling, but I have to say that it’s definitely possible. I’m not only talking about when you travel on an airplane going thousands of miles away, but what about when you go to I don’t know – let’s say an amusement park. What do you do when you know the only options will be pizza, French fries, burgers, hot dogs and all the gluten in the world, including fried dough?

Well – I was just put in this situation this past week and luckily I planned ahead.

The key to keeping your healthy diet is to plan ahead. That’s the trick!

What do I mean by this?

Let me explain. My sister and I were a part of an event that took place at an amusement park in Connecticut and it was an all day thing. I’m talking 7am – 11pm!

We spoke the night before and made a plan.

We both brought peanut butter and jelly on gf bread, 3 hard boiled eggs each (for dinner), baby carrots, cucumbers, cashews, dark chocolate and bananas.

I’m not kidding!

What a brilliant idea it was.

We didn’t end the day feeling like crap and I can’t tell you how happy I was not to leave with a stomachache.

This is an example of a day trip – but I’ve also traveled on planes where I pack a whole slew of healthy snacks ie: gf crackers, Larabars and any other fillers that I might need while on the go.

Just because you leave the comfort of your own home, or city does NOT mean you have the excuse to eat like crap. I don’t care if it’s vacation, don’t do it. Sure, have a margarita every now and then, but to eat junk for every meal while away is not ok for you and your body.

Take some time to plan ahead – your temple will certainly thank you.

Yours in health,

Shira

Today I passed a sign in New York City that said: At least Mike’s ban on sugary drinks doesn’t effect alcohol. Clearly they were referring to Mayor Bloomberg’s new ban on sugar filled drinks. The plan is to lower obesity rates in the city by banning large sugary drinks with more then 25 calories per 8 ounces.

Wow! What a statement he’s making.

I know there’s been a huge uprising about this and most people are not happy about it. I’ve got to tell you though – I’m thrilled. Those drinks are costing those who drink them thousands and thousands of unnecessary calories!

The obesity levels in this country have never been higher. Even children as young as 5 years old are effected and may not even see adulthood if a change isn’t made right now.

In my opinion, thank God for Mayor Bloomberg. He’s the only one in this country to make a serious change for the good of his people and actually see it through.

So far he has been an instrumental force for NYC and our health. He’s Required chain restaurants to list calorie counts on menus. He has banned smoking in parks and beaches and now he’s banning large sugary drinks! I know the argument here is that if you take something away from someone, they are only going to want it more, or they’ll find another way to get it – maybe that’s true. OR maybe this will open people’s eyes up to know and understand that they are drinking harmful calories which will cause harmful disease if it hasn’t already.

Watch this video here to learn more about the situation.

What do you think about the whole situation? Do you think this ban will help or hurt the city? I’m very curious to know your thoughts on this – please share your ideas by commenting on this post.

For the past few weeks I’ve been dealing with a shoulder injury. Yes, it really sucks! As a yoga instructor it’s been a challenge for me not to use my arms AT ALL during the classes that I teach. I haven’t done any demos in class and it’s very frustrating to say the least.

The Dr. says I have bicep tendonitis. How did I get it ? No clue! He said it’s from over use, Oh man – over use?! How can I NOT use my arm?

Everyone keeps telling me that this injury will be one of the biggest teachers in my life – since it will show me how to get out of my comfort zone and find a new way to still be a great teacher. Well, it’s been a rough few weeks but I’m finally starting to see the light. I definitely had my down and depressed days where I was so upset that it was hard for me to do much, but I’ve since figured out how to move on and be okay about where I’m at now.

I’ve learned to take it step-by-step, day by day and not get too caught up in the frustration of it all. Patience is key in this life and boy have I been given a fine teaching of that.

Here are 2 natural anti-inflammatory supplements that I’ve added into my daily regimen and found to be very helpful.

New Chapter’s  Zyflamend

Liquid Turmeric in a tincture.

Cheers to our health!

Hi Friends,

It’s June and it’s HOT! What are you doing to cool down? I just bought this incredibly large organic watermelon! YUM. It’s cold, refreshing and delicious. When the weather gets this hot all I want are cooling foods but since I know ice cold products don’t agree with my tummy (they shock my system) then the naturally cool fruits are my go to snacks!

I want to know what you’re doing right now to stay cool!

I’ve never been a science wiz – but when it comes to food and understanding how to make myself feel better, that’s where my wiz-ness comes handy.

I’ve officially up’d my fermented foods intake. Why you may ask? Well, the fermentation process creates loads of probiotics, which are the healthy bacteria that our gut needs to digest foods properly.

You can eat as many nutrients as you want, but if your body is not digesting them properly then there really is no point. Fermentation helps replenish your healthy bacteria. To me, it’s like eating/drinking tums or something else to help make the food settle easier.

Here’s what I like to eat almost everyday:

-Lactose free kefir

-Raw miso that I’ve bought at the store to make soup (not from the Japanese       restaurant)

-Raw kombucha, G.T.’s brand with the least sugar is best

-Raw sauerkraut

-Tempeh (fermented soybeans)

-Organic yogurt

-Swedish Bitters

Sure I can easily take a probiotic vitamin, but who knows how much of that gets absorbed into my system. With eating these naturally fermented foods, I am sure that the nutrients are getting absorbed directly into my system, which in turn helps me to digest and makes me feel better all around.

Try adding in one fermented food product into your daily diet. I think kefir is a great option, it tastes like plain yogurt and it’s a drink. I usually drink 1 cup/day. Just make sure to read the label to see if there is any un-healthy ingredients. Buy organic. I like Green Valley Organics.

Fermented foods may help with:

IBD (crohns, colitis)

IBS

Acid reflux

Constipation

Have fun exploring this new diet addition. There are lots of options!
Stay healthy 🙂

For the past 2 weeks Chad has been on an interesting diet to trim down a bit. Being a health coach, I am a bit wary of him cutting out ALL carbs, sugar of all kinds and healthy fats. BUT I understand that it’s only for 2 weeks and then phase 2 starts, which I can’t wait to hear about from his trainer – right now it’s a mystery. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

Since it’s been interesting finding creative ways to spice up chicken, white fish (which I’ve never cooked before until now) and other meats, I thought I’d share some recipe ideas that I’ve come up with.

Last week I made a delicious Halibut. Here is the recipe:

Halibut with tomatoes & basil:

Serves 2

½ pound wild halibut fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lime

½ lemon

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 organic tomato, sliced in large rounds

1 yellow onion, sliced

½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Wash the fish with water, place in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil, juice from lemon & lime. Coat each side lightly with salt & pepper. Cover fish with basil and tomatoes. Put onions and mushrooms all around the pan, surrounding the fish. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Check to make sure the fish is tender and cooked through. Enjoy!

I am officially back on NY time – It only took about 1.5 weeks to get back into the time zone, but here I am! Ready to roll.

When I think back to Bali and our trip to Asia, all I can think about is how incredible the food was in Ubud, Bali. The reason for this amazingness is because many of the restaurants have been opened by yogis, or other people who are interested in a healthy lifestyle. Therefore there are many places that offer vegan, macrobiotic, organic and simply delicious, whole foods!

I would go back just for the food!

Here are some of the places we absolutely loved:

Yellow Flower Cafe

Sari Organic

Kafe

Little K at The Yoga Barn

Clear Café

Bali Buddha

Earth Café

Soma

Alchemy

If you head to Bali, these are must try options for food in Ubud. I highly recommend eating organic and I think this might be the only place in Asia that I was able to eat without any problems! They are VERY GF friendly and you won’t have a problem there even if you have other dietary restrictions. They are VERY accommodating and understand what GF, vegan means! AMAZING!

Sari Organic Delicious Smoothie!

Yellow Flower Cafe

Rice Pancake with Coconut, Strawberry, Banana and Palm Sugar at Yellow Flower Cafe DELICIOUS!

Rice paddies behind me in Ubud, Bali

Meditation underneath the banyan tree

Yoga in Ubud, Bali

We just returned home from a trip to Asia. For the past 2 years Chad has gone to China for business. This time I went with him and we snuck in Bali and called it the 3^rd and final part of our honeymoon!

What an incredible place. Hong Kong was a beautiful city too. Most parts are modern, well taken care of, very up to date and super efficient! Most importantly for us – everyone spoke English! I can’t say the same for mainland China… it was quite a different place, lots of smog, smelly water and where we were in Guangzhou, which is southern China, not many people spoke English. Let’s just say it was the harder part of our trip – not to mention this is where Chad got sick. Yup, food poisoning… Which was bizarre because we were SO careful, only eating vegetarian for the entire trip, only drinking bottled water, the works. He still managed to get it… He recovered the next day and we moved on, but still, man was that rough!

Bali was my favorite part of the trip. We were completely immersed in their culture, which by the way is very centered around their faith. Mostly everyone we encountered was so nice that it felt like there weren’t any Balinese people out there who would hurt another soul – of course that’s not true, but that’s how it felt.

Being surrounded by a culture that is fully family centered, faith centered and truly believes in luck was eye opening. Most people are so thankful for their jobs and happy to help. It was a totally different world from our abode here in NYC and it was a fantastic break from everyday life. All in all, we absolutely loved it.

The best part about Ubud, Bali is that going out to eat for Chad and I was simple! There are so many organic & healthy restaurants that it was hard to choose which one to go to each night! We even found LOTS of gluten free items!! We were spoiled by the freshness, brightness and care that was put into the food.

My next post will be focused on the incredible food in Bali, stay tuned for the follow up.