by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Nutrition Expert, Author & Speaker

My 8 year old niece and I were having fun with a project and she answered the following questions about me. Wow!  Have fun with these questions for you and the young kids in your life.

1.       I help others by: Teaching them to cook healthy

2.       Favorite color: Green

3.       Favorite food: Avocado

4.       Something I like to do at home: Cook

5.       I am special because: Creative

6.       Something I like to do at school: Healthy restaurants

7.       Favorite book: Fork’s Over Knives

8.       Favorite animal: Dog (must be Bruno)

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Certified Health Coach, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

Experience Nutrition is committed to help fight childhood obesity, with sound nutrition education, events and cooking classes.

1. Hydrate Every Day

• Why you must hydrate and drink water
  • Your body needs water to function
  • Your body is 65-75% body is water, and your brain 85% water
  • Heart: When dehydrated, your blood volume is lower, so your heart must work harder and exercise is more difficult
  • Brain: Water helps keep your memory sharp
  • Exercise: When dehydrated, the amount of aerobic exercise you can do is reduced
    
  • Joints: Water lubricates joints and is important for all movement
  • Kidneys: Water flushes out toxins

• Drink more water if you have any signs of dehydration:
  
  • Headache
  • Red face
  • Dizzy
  • Tired
  • Dry skin
  • Muscle weakness
  • Dark urine (should be clear or light yellow)

• Drink half your body weight in water
  • If you weigh 60 pounds, drink about 30 ounces of water
    
  • If you weigh 150 pounds, drink about 75 ounces; that more than ½ gallon
  • Drink more water when you workout or if you live in the Arizona desert

• Good sources of water: Plain, clean water; and coconut water which is full of potassium
  
• Food: Watermelon, bananas, strawberries, celery and cucumbers

Part 2: Eat a rainbow of fruit & veggies

Part 3: Enjoy cooking with your family

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

Obesity is influenced by what I call food and lifestyle.

As I think about my childhood compared to kids today, so much has changed.

When I was a kid, my typical day:

• I walked to school and had gym class a few times a week.
• Played outside after school for hours, we road bikes, climbed trees and went swimming.
• Watched very little tv and there were not many shows to watch.
• My dad had a garden with all kinds of veggies and cherries, blueberries and strawberries grew in our yard.
• My mom did not work; she cooked home-made meals with real food every day and we sat around the table and ate dinner as a family.
• On the weekends, we drove to our boat from Pennsylvania to the Chesapeake Bay and our treat was stopping at a fast food restaurant on the way, So, once a week we ate fast food.

Today kids have a totally different experience:

• They take a bus to school, many do not have gym or after-school sports, and they don’t all have a safe place to play outside after school.
• Both parents are working, so Mom is not at home making a home-made dinner. Instead, they are eating fast food and a lot of processed food every day.
• Plus, today kids are eating huge portions of food at restaurants and from grocery stores.
• 80% of kids drinking soda every day.
• Kids watch an average of 7.5 hours of media/entertainment a day, including computers, tvs, video games, cell phones and movies, so they are getting less physical activity.
• They are bombarded with less healthy, processed food advertising, and they have limited access to healthy foods and easy access to unhealthy foods..

Obviously, it’s a totally different world in 30 years.

We know there’s a problem with kids’ nutrition and obesity today.

Experience Nutrition for Kids is honored to participate in the solution and to be active with The First Tee of Phoenix to share good nutrition and lifestyle tips, recipes and interactive hands-on cooking food with the kids and parents.

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

Children's nutrition is so important.

• Childhood obesity has more than tripled in past 30 years
• Today, more than 1/3 kids overweight or obese

Childhood Obesity is a major health problem because it may lead to: 

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes (it is predicted that one-third of kids born in 2000 or later will have it)
• Asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Bone and joint problems
• Social discrimination
• Poor self-esteem
• Kids who are obese, are more likely to be obese as adults
•  Increased risk for weight-related health problems when adults

Obesity is influenced by what I call food and lifestyle.

Experience Nutrition offers a solution to this childhood obesity epidemic in our country.

Learn more on our blog, Experience Nutrition for Kids Facebook page, events and cooking classes, and sign-up for our e-newsletter and let us know you are interested in kids nutrition.

As I think about my childhood compared to kids today, so much has changed. Read our Experience Nutrition Blog to hear my perspective on why kids are overweight and obese.
 

 

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

I’m quite excited that it’s spring-time in Arizona and that my parents were in town to re-fresh my yard and help plant my garden.  We started with a bamboo tree. I was so happy when we saw it in the store and immediately brought it home for Dad to plant. I knew there was more to why I was so excited about the bamboo tree. For me, it definitely has a lot of powerful symbolism for life and business.

My bamboo tree reminds me to be strong and grounded, yet flowing and open at the same time.

6 lessons from Bamboo for Life & Business

1.       Be focused. Bamboo is one of the strongest plants on our Earth. Stay rooted, focused and committed on your dreams and goals.

2.       Be flowing. Bamboo moves and sways with the wind. Twist and turn and be flexible and open to new opportunities.

3.       Be strong.  Again, bamboo is strong. Believe in your own strengths and capitalize on them to reach your goals.

4.       Be ready. Bamboo does not take a lot of processing and finishing. Like bamboo, always be prepared for action when new opportunities come your way.

5.       Be growing. Bamboo is extremely fast growing. Commit to continuous growth in your area of expertise and be open to new learning.

6.       Be simple. Like the simple beauty of bamboo, be sure to enjoy simplicity in your life, with quiet self care time.

I invite you to plant a new tree in your yard that really inspires you and gives you an on-going reminder of your life lessons.

Check out photos of Dad planting my new bamboo tree on our Experience Nutrition Facebook page. Thanks Dad!

by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Nutrition Expert & Author, Certified Health Coach

Wow. This is my favorite chocolate dessert (one of my favorite desserts ever) I have ever made. Yes, it’s dairy-free and vegan and so amazingly tasty. Try it, you’ll love it. Yes, I am passionate about this one.

Avocados:  Heart healthy, monounsaturated fat.  Eat several avocados a week.

Dates: Quick, energy-boosting sugar. Perfect for pre- or post-workout or post- and constipation.

Cocao: The good for you chocolate. Ground cocao beans. Antioxidant-rich and heart healthy.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 4 dates, pitted (I used Local Arizona Medool)
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 TBS cocao powder
• ½ cup water

Simple Steps

• Put all ingredients (except water into your Vitamix)
• Drizzle in water as mix from 1 to 10
• Refrigerate for 3 hours (I went to a yoga class)
• Enjoy with fresh organic fruit
• It’s so delicious, make more!

See the step-by-step photos on ourExperience Nutrition Recipe page:

by Melanie Albert Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, Nutrition Expert, Author and  Certified Health Coach

Absolutely one the all-time simple, healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes that I've been teaching to former NFL players, their wives and at cooking classes (kids and adults) and events for several years. I especially love cooking this dish mixing and matching local, in season root vegetables and greens.

Root vegetables
Roots such as carrots, sweet potatoes, beets and turnips are super sweet when cooked, their sweetness intensifies, so they may help stop your sugar cravings. Roots are nutrient-dense with vitamins A, C and E, plus calcium, iron, thiamine, beta carotene and fiber.

Dark Leafy Greens
Greens are one of the most missing foods in the "SAD" Standard American Diet. Mineral-rich with calcium, iron, vitamin-rich (A,C,K), greens also have a lot of fiber. Greens are cleansing and detoxifying, good for bone health and strengthen the immune system.

Organic Ingredients

• 2-3 Root vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, beets or parsnips
• 2-3 Leafy greens: kale, dandelion or collard greens,
• 3-4 Green onions
• 3-4 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• About 1/4 cup water
• Extras: Sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds

Simple Steps

1. Chop a few of your favorite roots, greens and green onions
2. Heat saute pan on medium-high
3. Add olive oil
   
4. Saute green onions in the olive oil for about 3-5 minutes
5. Add roots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes
6. Add 1/8 cup water and cover to steam for about 15 minutes
7. Add greens, a few spoons of water, cover and steam
8. Enjoy with your favorite extras, such as sun-dried tomatoes or sunflower seeds

Join us on our new Facebook page for more simple, healthy recipes

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert and Author, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

Are you living the life of your dreams? I am...

Discover Your Passion. Live Your Life.

A key theme for me as I have been reflecting during the end of 2012, is that I really live the life of my dreams, and encourage everyone to get clear on your passion and also live the life of your dreams.

My passions are healthy food, football  and sports.

I love educating others to enjoy healthy food and life. I especially love teaching people about good nutrition through hands-on cooking experiences: during big events like Super Bowl weeks, in-home with former NFL players and their families, at public cooking classes for adults and kids and even for MDs at nutrition conferences.

Fun time teaching former NFL player, John Bronson how to cook a simple, delicious salmon on the grill. Thanks Vital Choice for the wonderful wild Alaskan sockeye salmon. You can purchase the salmon, too and have it delivered to your home. Yumm!


The 9 steps to live the life of your dreams:

• Get clear on your passions
• What do you love to do the most?
  
• Share your passions
  
• Be persistent
  
• Take massive action
• Don't give up
• Learn and grow from all experiences
• Believe
• Visualize the end result
  

Within our EXPERIENCE NUTRITION "9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life",  you will experience how to get clear and take action to live the life of your dreams.

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert and Author,  Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

Happy, Healthy New Year, filled with lots of healthy meals, fun times with family and friends, and living the life of your dreams.

I love goal setting and helping others to get clear and focused and will be sharing a series of blogs on this important topic.

One of the keys to happiness and success is focus. In 2008 when I was in the Immersion Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we were in Miami working on our business plans.

I felt proud, as I had 3 different areas that I wanted to work on and within them I had about 39 different ideas. OK.

Well, I’ve told this story before, but it’s important, so I’ll share it again.  Joshua Rosenthal, Founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, asked me to sit down next to him.

He drew on my sheet of paper:

2008: ___________________

2009: ___________________

And, said “Pick One”.

So, I picked one…it was the NFL. As many of you know I have totally focused and built the foundation of my nutrition education and coaching business with the Super Bowl / NFL and former NFL athletes over the last 5 years.

Action

Today, as we are beginning the New Year. I invite you to sit quietly, with a candle or with nature and simply PICK ONE for 2013! And enjoy your year.

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, Official Health & Wellness Partner NFL Alumni 2011

Enjoy wild Alaskan sockeye salmon. Just like the salmon that Experience Nutrition served at NFL Alumni events at the Super Bowl XLV week in Dallas!  Wild salmon, one of the healthiest foods in the world (my opinion!) is so easy to cook and so delicious.

Click here to purchase our favorite wild Alaskan sockeye salmon from our friends at Vital Choice, who I met 9 years ago at Dr. Andrew Weil's Nutrition Conference.

Simple Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 6oz salmon filets
• ¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of your favorite spices, such as: lemon/pepper or garlic/fennel/black pepper/dill

Simple Grilled Salmon Steps

• Heat your grill on medium high 15 minutes before you are ready to grill your fish.  (Option: Turn on your broiler.)
• Defrost salmon filets in refrigerator for a few hours or under cold running water
• Mix the olive oil and your spices
• Dip the salmon filets into the spices and cover each filet completely (If you have more time, you can coat the filets the night before or a few hours prior to cooking and the spices will infuse into the salmon)
• Place salmon filets on grill
• Cook each side about 5 minutes
• Enjoy with some stir-fried veggies or greens, corn on the cob, tomatoes, whole grains or tabouli. The possibilities are endless.