What’s my do-over for fall? Well since I’ve just done a cleanse and I’m in a groove with clean eating, I’m focused on adding in 1-2 more servings of vegetables, leafy greens specifically, each day. Not so much a do-over but an add-on.

When I was younger, I always liked the concept of “do-overs” – you know, when you mess something up, you get another try. I love applying that metaphor to our health. It’s easy to be overly hard on ourselves – maybe you didn’t eat so clean over the summer – too much sugar, alcohol or caffeine and processed foods – or perhaps you went to one too many barbecues where you filled your plate and ate with reckless abandon.

So instead of beating yourself up if you didn’t eat as healthfully as you wanted to this summer, let’s have a do-over as we move into fall. But let’s do it in a gentle way that doesn’t feel so restrictive and difficult to maintain. Here are a few suggestions to help you refresh and refocus on clean, healthy eating as we move into fall:

· Identify one food to “crowd out” – It generally doesn’t work to try to change up all the things you’re eating at once, that just sets you up for failure. Removing one less than healthy item, however, can get you on the path to healthier eating. What’s one food for which you’ve been overindulging that you could eliminate? Think about a healthier option for that particular food, something that you would find satisfying. For example, you could crowd out potato chips by making a batch of kale chips. You can still have that crunchy texture in a much healthier form.

· Do a cleanse for a few days – In late August I did a 5-day raw food cleanse that gave my body a nice break – no sugar, dairy, meat, processed food or salt. I ate and drank the most delicious soups, smoothies and green juices that gave me the perfect restart and I’ve been doing a great job of maintaining my healthy eating ever since plus my sugar cravings are completely gone! The good news is that a cleanse can be very simple and inexpensive – for example, identify a few items that you would like to eliminate for a few days so your body and digestive system can rest.

· Eat in silence at least once per week – I love eating in silence with no distractions although I don’t do it nearly as often as I should. Cutting out all distractions helps you connect with your food and get in tune with your body in a powerful way. When we turn off the TV, step away from the computer and learn to be with ourselves, we can often discover that we’re eating far more food that we need to. Quiet down and slow down and your body will appreciate it.

What’s my do-over for fall? Well since I’ve just done a cleanse and I’m in a groove with clean eating, I’m focused on adding in 1-2 more servings of vegetables, leafy greens specifically, each day. Not so much a do-over but an add-on.

What’s your simple do-over plan that will help you reconnect, recharge and take your health up a notch this fall? Do tell!

I’m of the mind that we should all slow down and tune in, reflecting a bit more on our food choices. I’m not suggesting that you always need to choose the food that’s perfectly healthy (that’s why I like to employ the 80-20 rule — most of the time I make healthy, clean eating choices) but some forethought goes a long way to feeling good about your decisions, avoiding food guilt and managing your weight.  String together a few days of poor food choices and I bet you can easily beat yourself up over the pound or two you’ve gained.

This begs the question of how one becomes more mindful about what you choose to put in your mouth.  For me, it goes back to the notion of slowing down and tuning into the messages my body is sending and what feels right.  Whether you’re in your favorite restaurant with a bevy of menu choices before you or you’re at home planning tonight’s dinner, here are five questions to ask yourself that will help you become more aware of your body.

• How hungry am I?
• What food looks or sounds inspiring to me?
• What does my body most need right now?
• What, if anything, am I craving?
• Can I choose/make a clean eating meal (not full of fat, sugar or salt) that tastes good and will be just as satisfying?

I like to ask myself these questions because it gives me time to pause and reflect and determine what feels right. Usually I end up making a healthy, clean eating choice but sometimes I don’t. But I feel a whole lot better making my decision and enjoying the food from a place of self-awareness.  And when I’ve already slowed down to reflect on my choices, I often eat with greater awareness to the tastes and flavors and don’t rush through my meal at a breakneck pace.

Do you mindfully think before you eat? How has it helped you make better choices in the past? When can you start practicing it to support better health and awareness?

Due to a host of factors including sometimes not drinking enough water, making a few detours from my usual clean eating, healthy fare, and these pesky fibroid tumors that I have — things can sometimes move a bit slow, if you know what I mean.

And I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve been at a host of family functions and parties where there’s been a bevy of food. I’ve literally been working on practicing what I preach — avoiding holiday overindulgence and the weight gain that comes with it.  Doesn’t mean I’ve totally avoided eating some super rich foods but I’ve been trying only small samples to whet my appetite and avoid going overboard.  I’ve also been working on the idea that holidays aren’t only about food — they’re also about enjoying the company of our family and friends.

But when it comes to clean eating and keeping things moving during the holiday season, I’m a big fan of eating as many raw veggies as possible. To me, that’s one of the most powerful ways I keep myself regular.  Even though it happens to be frigidly cold today and more warm foods would naturally be in order, I can’t help but create a beautiful green salad along with the other items I’m making for a family birthday dinner that we’re hosting.

The good news is that there are lots of ways to get more raw fruits and veggies in your diet during the holiday season. Here are just a few ideas:

• bring raw veggies and hummus to a holiday party
• make a delicious raw smoothie with fresh fruit and a serving or two of raw kale or spinach thrown in
• juice your favorite veggies and fruit like cucumber, celery, kale, apples and ginger
• cut up bell peppers and cucumbers for snack time instead of high fat treats like cheese and crackers
• create a raw salad with your favorite lettuce and added some roasted vegetables on top for a nice mix of flavors and textures

What’s your strategy to keep things moving during the holidays and feel your best? What are you doing to ensure you’re eating enough raw fruits and vegetables?

Of course that’s only true if you choose to make poor decisions and lose sight of your bigger goal — healthy eating most of the time. But if you start with the intention of making better choices and bringing along a few simple tools to support your healthy endeavors, it doesn’t have to be hard at all.

Case in point, I’m away for 9 days staying in a hotel in Florida. Before I even packed up my bags, I started creating an intention about eating healthy, energizing foods while I was away. And then I mapped out exactly what I needed to bring with me to make that a reality.

In a perfect world, I would have brought my Vitamix blender with me so I could happily blend my morning superfood smoothie. But the Vitamix is heavy to lug around and I didn’t imagine I would be able to get the container that has the blade through security. But I did bring my very compact hand blender with me which has been a lifesaver. And not only that, I brought along a handful of superfoods — blue green algae, cacao and maca to add to it. And because I had already scoped out a grocery store across the street from the hotel, ever few days I get a supply of fresh fruit.

The result is that I’m starting off my mornings in the healthiest of ways even while I’m away from home. I’m eating energizing foods that support my health as I spend 12 hour days learning at my conference. I’m focused and alert and my body is getting what it needs. Not bad! And with that great start for the morning, I’ve then been having a healthy salad for lunch at a local restaurant I found.

Which all goes to prove my point that we can be away from home and still nourish our body in healthy ways that don’t have to include, “I decided to let things go just for this one week.”

What do you do to insure that you eat healthy foods when you’re on the road? What’s your secret to success?

We all know that as Americans we are what I like to call “outrageous over eaters.” We make eating a sport, consuming mounds of food because it’s there, or we’re bored or we’re just not inspired to do something else. Sure, even your truly can occasionally get sucked into watching TV and mindlessly eating at the same time.

But I’m a believer that how and what we eat has everything to do with how jazzed we are with our lives. The more content and engaged we are, the less we feel compelled to eat.  Think of it as that falling in love feeling when you’re in an effortless zone and everything is coming together perfectly. Well in love or not, we can all find that connection to something that inspires us and sparks our creativity and zest for life.

For me, I get inspired when I’m in the ktichen creating a meal, teaching a class or working with clients. I get the same feeling when I’m out in my “garden,” my pots in the backyard where I’m growing all kinds of wonderful vegetables or going for a walk. It’s in those moments that I feel engaged, happy, calm and in the zone — not even thinking about food. 

What helps you avoid outrageous overeating and tune into what you love? When was the last time your forgot to eat because you were so busy enjoying yourself?

We tend to think of a meal as something that’s big, often heavy and has to come at certain times of the day. But I when I think healthy meals, I’m of the mind that less is more, eaten when your body tells you it’s ready.

Here’s what I mean specifically.  Less food that’s higher quality and more satisfying.  Smaller portions eaten slowly that fill you up.   Eating until you feel comfortable, not to the point of bursting as you mindlessly watch TV.

Simplicity and greater pleasure come from increased self-awareness and turning our radar ON. And when we do, the possibilities for more pleasure and great health increase substantially. Not to mention the fact that we increase the likelihood of losing weight in a natural way.

I often teach a class called “The Ecstasy of Eating: 6 Steps for Satisfying Self-Nourishment.” It’s all about helping people slow down, tune in and get more enjoyment from their food.  We actually get to practice the six steps during the class, like breathing deeply while eating, and people begin to tune into what they notice about themselves and their food.  Even the most basic of foods, a piece of bread, a carrot, an apple can be more enjoyable when we get slow.

How do you find simplicity in your meals and how does that support your health? What helps you feel satisfied?

I first heard about FitDay awhile ago from a friend, and then others kept mentioning it to me, which was the sign that I was overdue to check it out. And how cool it is.

It’s a website where you can track all your fitness and eating activities and goals, and monitor your progress. What I like about it is that it focuses on helping you increase your awareness. I’m a firm believer that healthy eating, plentiful amounts of exercise and hitting your weight loss goals has everything to do with slowing down and becoming more aware of what you’re putting in your mouth — exactly how many calories, and how much fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Why is this so important? Because most of us are clueless about just how much we really consume it a day and what’s right for us individually. The simple act of inputing what you’ve consumed and seeing the calories and other information is enlightening. Even I forget just how many calories some foods have. And imagine how easy it is to overindulge when you’re in front of the TV, mindlessly eating. This will help you become more conscious and even make subtle shifts.

My friend Rhonda has partnered up with a friend of hers to use it and encourage each other each day on their progress. I love that. 

How do you think you could use and benefit from Fit Day? Are you already using it? Share your story and encourage others! 

Take it from me, a seriously slow eater, I’m all about the chew. And according to my my mom and husband, I could easily win the prize in a slow eating contest! But there’s a method to my madness. Chewing helps us in myriad ways, not to mention enhancing the overall eating experience.

Take a listen to the audio tip and find out why chewing slowly is so important and how many times you should really chew your food.

What about you, do you regularly take the time to chew your food slowly? What’s your secret to success? And if you don’t, what gets in the way?

That’s unusual for me. Usually once I’m done with dinner, I’m done for the night. Seriously, that’s how we’re supposed to be eating, with plenty of time to digest our food before bed.  For me, I think it’s just a little PMS this week that’s tipping the scale.

But why is it that so many of us are professional snackers, having mastered the art of food in one hand, remote in the other? Truth is, it’s easy to get sucked into mindlessly snacking when sometimes we don’t even want the food, let alone need it.

Check out this week’s audio tip on some simple ways to avoid late night snacking, and if you have to, healthy alternatives.

What do you do to put the kabosh on late night snacking and maintain your weight?

In this case, I’m talking about the quality of the food that we eat, but this same principle could easily be applied to almost anything in our lives – spending quality time on what’s most important, having quality relationships over a bevy of friends, having one nice coat over a plethora of cheaper ones — you get the picture.  My friend Paula Eder, a time management expert, constantly preaches the value of quality time and appreciating each moment, and I understand why.

This came to mind during my cleanse a couple of weeks ago when I only fed myself the highest quality food. Delicious organic fruits and vegetables were the standard and you know what, my body loved it.  The simple act of eating clean, fresh food is naturally energizing and I’ve been feeling the effects ever since — more energy (although I already had tons to start), a calmer mind and greater clarity — all things that support a simple and healthy lifestyle.

So it begs the question about why so many of us race around grabbing the first thing we find to stuff in our mouths with little to no consideration about whether the food is as healthy as it could be. But when we slow down we become more mindful.  And when we become more mindful, we think more carefully about how we’re treating ourselves and others and what we’re putting into our body. And that, over time, leads to better health. Simply put, increased awareness = healthy actions.

When it comes to food, I believe that we could all:

• eat less and feel more satisfied
• buy less food that’s high quality and spend a lot less than when we fill our carts to overflowing with junk
• develop food “intuition” and learn to trust our bodies about what they really need

It’s simply about making the intention that your health is of the utmost importance and making a little time to put that into action.

What about you, do you think quality food leads to better health? What’s happens when you buy less food but of a better quality?