White Asparagus Dip, Overrated Foods on the Blogosphere, and More Yoga Answers

Looks like hummus, but its a perfect blend of nuttyness and sweetness for spaghetti squash and tortilla "bowls"

Before I begin rambling about some sort on nonsense once again, I’d like to apologize for yesterday’s post about the compliment. I sincerely thank all of you who posted thoughtful and supportive comments about it. The thing is, I dont want to come off as someone who doesn’t appreciate compliments or “show off”-like. I honestly don’t take criticism very well either. Anyhow, I don’t like to apologize, but I feel compelled to. Sometimes, you read over old posts and you’re like “What was I thinking?”. Anyhow, onwards and upwards….

I decided to share with you my thought about some food trends that I think are overrated. Tomorrow, I’ll post about some foods that I think should get a little more credit so stay tuned for that.

Before I unveil my list, I feel a disclaimer or two is in order:

1. I’m in favor of anything that helps people become healthy or fit. The word “overrated” needs to be taken into context and is certainly open to interpretation.
2. Just because I deem something to be overrated does not mean I don’t think it has merit. I may feel something is “overrated” simply due to the amount of hype it gets or to the degree that its proponents revere it.

Ok so for the Overrated list:

acai berry: You may have had some salesperson tell you of the magical powers possessed by this exotic berry. When tested for polyphenol content, Acai rates below concord grapes, red wine and blueberries. Stick with a variety of fruits and veggies here and save your cash.

“Green Monsters” : I’ve said this before, I understand those who drink it for the nutrients, but prefer chewing my greens or “creaming” my spinach.

“Over-night Oats”: I will get a beating from the blogger gods for the. I know every blogger and their mother eats this daily, but I’m rather impatient about my dinner roasting for a few hours. Overnight seems like too much of a stretch. I’m also not big on oatmeal, and I don’t know I feel a bit weird that it’s not cooked, I’m scarred it will cook in my stomach and expand or something. It’s like that time I swallowed a popcorn kernel and I swear I heard it pop in my tummy.

Enhanced Waters: Supermarket shelves are filled with bottles of brightly colored waters that are spiked with vitamins, herbs, antioxidants and other ingredients with names like “defend,” “rescue” and “focus.” Some claim to stave off colds, boost alertness or relax you, while others attempt to lure you with promises of weight loss. Water should be simple, I dont need it to “focus” or “rescue” me. All I ask is for hydration.

Hemp Milk: Once again, I’m expecting lots of angry sneers at me for this, but I had a sip and was not a fan. Plus, its not cheap. And apparently, it doesnt even get you high, what a rip off I tell ya.

You know what I USED to think was overrated? Avocados and almond butter. But in reality, I think I was just scared of them. Nowadays, I tend to hoard those two items. The world will be a very sad place with those two….

Some more yoga questions to answer!

Tori asked:

“I’ve never been too into yoga. I think because I’ve always assumed you have to be SUPER flexible. Or atleast a little flexibe, which I’m soooo not! I can barely touch my toes!”

Well Tori, your probably more flexible than ME. I blame that decade of my life where I did some serious over-exercise and partly genetics for my complete lack of flexiblity. I’m such a walking contradiction. A chef with eating issues and very stiff Yoga instructor. How I get hired is beyond me. Anyhow, the good news is yoga is for EVERYONE! Actually, I think its way more beneficial if your not uber flexible and resemble gumby. Yoga will increase your flexility and every pose can be modified if you cant do it due to lack of flexibility. For example, if your arm does not reach your shin or the floor in Trikonasana (triangle pose), you can use a block beside you leg and rest your arm there. I cant even reach my toes. Granted, I’ve come a long way and I used to barely reach my knees, so I have improved. I really don’t think flexibility will hinder your yoga experience.

Jam wrote:

“Does yoga really help in recovery from ed?…it seems like lots of people use yoga to obtain recovery”

Here’s the thing, Yoga is one of the few things one can do in order to reconnect with their mind and their body. Eating disorders tend to disconnect you from both. Hence its a great tool to use for recovery. Plus, there is SO much to yoga besides just the poses that its really quiet mind blowing. Its strange, after I took my 200 hr teacher training, I thought to myself, “Wow! Now I know how much I don’t know about yoga!”. Yoga can give you something to put your energy towards instead of food or exercise (and mind you, yoga is so much more than exercise). Plus, yoga has great stress relieving and calming effects which are extremely useful in recovery or any period of hardship. In the inpatient treatment center I went to, Yoga was incorporated into our fitness program and we practiced twice a week. I think that’s where I really discovered my appreciation for yoga practice. Is it for everyone? No, and dont go to classes just cause its cool or you heard it does wonders for your body or whatever. Then you are simply wasting your time. Try a few different instructors and if you like it, great, and if not, no big deal. I’m not trying to get yogi converts, I think its pretty full as is.

Ashley S wrote:

“Is yoga good for building a little muscle? I strength train on and off all the time, but I just can’t really get into it. I don’t need to do much cardio, because I’m not trying to lose any weight.  Anyway, I don’t go to a gym anymore, so are there any dvd’s you can recommend if I wanted to try to get into yoga? What about the Jillian Michaels’s Yoga Meltdown?”

I’ll be frank, Jillian Michael’s scares me, and the last thing I want to be when I’m doing yoga is scarred and intimidated. Yoga is no bootcamp. It can be physically challenging, but there is not need for a drill sergeant with a vagina teaching it. Besides, if it’s called “Meltdown”, I’m pretty sure she’ll have you do some cardio and I know that’s not what you were going for. Any “vinyasa flow” or “power yoga” dvds will actually have a bit of cardio in it, so I guess stay away from those. I know Kristen McGee is a good instructor and I know she has a line of dvd’s out. Maybe netflix them? Plus, there are lots of FREE podcasts you can download on itunes. My favorite are the Yoga Poser series. I downloaded them when I went to Europe and Israel this past winter and they were awesome. Hope that helps!

So for today’s recipe, I’m featuring one of my favorite veggies: WHITE asparagus! Yes, its not easy to find and might be a bit more pricy, but I actually found a bundle on sale! So I decided to make a dressing/dip out of it! In the blender I blended:

chop them up a bit before blending, o my my thumbs are ugly!

-5 white asparagus stalks, steamed

-3 cauliflower florets, steamed

-1 tbs almond butter

-3 tbs of water (enough to thin it out to your liking)

-1 tbs sweetener of choice (like honey, agave, or stevia)

Blend and enjoy!