You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Image: Healthy Stream
A few weeks ago, I went to a friend’s place, ostensibly to watch Downton Abbey. Little did I know that both football and a rerun of the CrossFit Games were on, and that the man of the house was home. Needless to say, the historical British drama was trumped by sports. Read on for my experience:
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
It’s a well-documented fact, that I am a Cookie Monster of the first order. I’ve about given up on conquering my sweet tooth, but I am attempting to make healthier choices. When I chatted with Food Matters founder Tricia Williams, she told me that one of her favorite snacks is dark chocolate, preferably raw and/or organic, which has the highest concentration of antioxidants. Fun fact: raw cacao has more antioxidants than any other food. With that glowing endorsement, I embarked on the herculean task of finding the best healthy chocolate on the market. Click through for my favorites.
One Lucky Duck: This New York-based raw food cafe has a knack for making virtuous food taste absolutely decadent (witness their beloved Mallomar). I recently discovered their line of raw (and organic and vegan) chocolate bars, and I’m hooked. Their five-bar gift set would make a great Valentine’s Day present for your greens-loving buddies. My favorite: The Buckwheat Chocolate Bar, which sounds ridiculous, but tastes amazing. Think grapenuts plus chocolate. Or just toasty chocolate—either way, it’s fantastic.
Pacari Ecuadorian Chocolate: This family-owned company is known for its artisanal bars, made in small batches from single-origin Ecuadorian cacao. All of their products are organic, but they also have a line of completely raw bars, which are produced at extremely low temperatures. Unlike some organic chocolate, Pacari’s bars have a smooth and melty mouth feel, and come in a range of exciting flavors. My favorite: The Salt & Nibs, which pairs flaky Peruvian sea salt with organic dark chocolate nibs.
NibMor: our director of marketing, Deena, introduced me to this line of New York-based organic, vegan chocolate. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, GMO-free, refined sugar-free…and somehow still tastes indulgent. My favorite: Dark Chocolate Almond, for its nutty crunch factor.
Fine & Raw: I love everything about this Brooklyn-based line, from the gorgeously designed recycled paper wrappers to their high-brow flavor combinations. I’d eat a bar a day if I could. My favorite: Bonbon Bar, a deep dark bar laced with vanilla, sea salt, and agave.
What’s your favorite healthy chocolate? Tell me in the comments!
The flip side of being a cookie addict? Being equally loyal to exercise. Check out our take on the latest fitness craze.
You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Our weekly column, Well-Balanced, is dedicated to our latest wellness obsessions—they might become yours, too.
Nutritionist and chef Tricia Williams in the kitchen.
Photo: Food Matters NYC
For this month’s Birchbox Magazine, I test-drove Fitist, a new startup that brings boutique fitness classes together into a single program. In addition to creating a custom workout plan for me, Fitist also introduced me to Tricia Williams, the founder of Food Matters NYC, a personalized food delivery service.
Williams, who is a chef/nutritionist, works with clients to design meal plans based on health history, workout routine, and goals. Instead of using calorie counts, she employs medicine guidelines to create the routines—that means no gluten, dairy, or refined grains, and Williams even focuses on the pH of the foods by cooking ingredients in high-alkaline water. If you’re looking to rehab your diet on your own, Food Matters also has health coaches and professional chefs who can visit your house to do a full “pantry purge.”
I gave Williams a rundown of my diet and asked her for simple changes that I can make. Read on for a healthy ice cream alternative, cocktail party saver and more.
Better Than Ice Cream: Dairy is a no-no, but ice cream doesn’t have to be. Williams approved nut milk ice creams, which can be found at natural food stores or spots like Lula’s Sweet Apothecary in New York. I’m partial to Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream, which tastes even more decadent than the traditional stuff. (Note: these are not low-calorie by any means.)
A Smarter Pre-Game: For nights when you’re going to be drinking, Williams has a special pre-game cocktail: chia seeds and water. “Put a tablespoon in water and wait until the seeds expand. It will fill you up so that you’re less likely to nosh and also helps reduce inflammation.”
Eat Grains Earlier: You don’t have to give up grains altogether; just take them off your dinner plate. Williams says, “Have them earlier in the day so that your body can burn them off and use them as fuel. When you eat them at night, they just convert to sugar.”
Top Snacks: Dark chocolate ranks high on Williams’ approved snack list, as long as it’s raw or 70 percent or darker. She also loves, almonds, pistachios (the ones in the shell, so you eat them more slowly), fresh fruits and veggies, and nuts.
—Mollie
Want more healthy eating tips? Read what the world’s best spa chefs have to say.
You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Our weekly column, Well-Balanced, is dedicated to our latest wellness obsessions—they might become yours, too.
I consider myself a healthy snack aficionado. I didn’t used to be this discerning—a few years ago, I’d just throw any old granola bar in my bag, even if it was loaded with high fructose corn syrup and soy protein isolates (wha?). Nowadays, I’m much pickier. I go for products that are minimally processed and have all natural, real ingredients.
Needless to say, when it came to picking our January lifestyle extra, I was very interested in taste-testing helping out. Click through for more about the delicious treats we’re sampling this month.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Our weekly column, Well-Balanced, is dedicated to our latest wellness obsessions — they might become yours, too.
Photo: Crunchbase
By all accounts, this was a very techy holiday. The official stats aren’t in yet, but initial numbers show that 6.8 million mobile devices were powered up on Christmas Day. If you’re the proud owner of a new iPhone, iPad, or other shiny new toy, you’ve probably already started downloading apps. Instead of going straight for Angry Birds, try these healthy apps — you’ll get a headstart on those new year’s resolutions.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
New York’s Figure 4. Photo: Verging on Serious.
Many moons ago, my college boyfriend gave me a gym membership for Christmas. My friends were appalled — ‘Is he trying to tell you something?’ — but I was thrilled. I had been dying to join a tricked out gym, but couldn’t justify spending the money when there was a perfectly good (read: free) exercise room in my dorm.
While they’re not as sexy as, say, a slick gadget or a sparkly piece of jewelry, fitness classes are one of my favorite things to give and get. Especially with the prices of yoga, spin, and other boutique classes rising, it can be hard to justify buying them for yourself — which makes them an ideal present. Click through for my picks for different types of workout geeks.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Photo: healthfitnessnation.com
Between the holiday shopping, the holiday baking, and the holiday eating, it’s hard to find time for work, much less working out. To ensure that the merriest season doesn’t turn into the laziest season, we asked a fitness guru for advice. San Francisco-based Equinox fitness instructor Caroline Jordan shares her best healthy holiday tips after the jump.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Whenever we have a question about wellness, we turn to the ladies behind Well + Good NYC. From juice cleanses to fitness crazes, co-founders Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula are all-knowing. This holiday season is no different. They’ve put together a Healthy Holiday Gift Guide, filled with items that combine style and wellness. Trust me, this is not your average collection of overpriced cashmere blankets and whimsical-yet-impractical objects d’art. Instead, you’ll find everything from cute performance windbreakers and OM-worthy yoga gear to healthy cooking products and a luxe $10,000 at-home Kinesis Personal machine (what, I didn’t say this was a budget gift guide). They’ve also got picks from New York’s wellness royalty, including Tata Harper and Jillian Michaels, and a roundup of splurge-worthy spa treatments. Download it now and see for yourself.
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