You CAN Eat Out and Eat Healthy!

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Going out to eat is one of America’s greatest pastimes. As much as you may value the home cooked meal, restaurants are a hot commodity. They’re not just a place to go- they’re an experience. What’s not to like about kicking back after a long day in a relaxed atmosphere with friends or family where you don’t have to cook for yourself and can choose from a plethora of food and drink options? Oh yeah…some of those options may not be so healthy if you’re trying to be conscious about what you eat.

It may be difficult, at certain restaurants, to find a tasty meal while also staying true to your diet. But it is NOT impossible. Most restaurants keep the health-conscious customer in mind and make an effort to offer a few clean eating options, but some are better than others. Here are five restaurants that have made healthy food a priority:

  • Panera Bread

You may think of Panera as a carb heaven with its giant bread bowl soups and indulgent mac and cheese, but the popular fast food chain has made some major positive overhauls to its menu since 2005, gradually removing items that don’t fit its health standards. The company has removed trans fats, artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors and preservatives from all of its recipes. Additionally, Panera prides itself on being completely transparent about what goes into their food, so they provide lists of ingredients for all of the items on their menu. Panera is also transparent about where all of their food is sourced from and advocates animal welfare, so it only uses meat from animals that were raised in reduced-stress, antibiotic-free environments.

  • Chipotle

Chipotle gives the customer the power to take control of their diet by providing an array of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Since 1993, the company has had the same goal: “show that food served fast [doesn’t] have to be a ‘fast-food’ experience.” To make good on their promise, Chipotle uses organic produce whenever possible and only uses meat from responsibly-raised animals. Sure, if you’re building your own burrito bowl and load it with every topping available, that may not be so healthy, but if you’re conscious about what you put into your order, you can have a really healthy eating experience at Chipotle. If you’re looking for a good clean eating choice, try this: a burrito bowl with grilled chicken, black beans, fajita vegetables, lettuce, slasa, and guacamole.

  • Sweetgreen

This chain, founded in Washington D.C. in 2007, has expanded to several states since then, including California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Healthy food sells. The restaurant’s goal is simple: to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. This means they connect with small and mid-size farms to provide fresh and local ingredients and they are transparents about the ingredients that go into their food and where they came from. The menu changes seasonally to incorporate local, fresh ingredients. Looking for menu inspiration? Try the Harvest Bowl with wild rice, shredded kale, apples, sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, goat cheese, almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette.

  • LYFE Kitchen

Believe it or not, this “health casual” restaurant is actually the brainchild of former McDonald’s executives, who founded the company in 2011. The acronym LYFE stands for “Love Your Food  Everyday,” and it is the company’s mission to make that possible for their customers by consistently providing “flavorful, nourishing experiences and extraordinary service.” Unfortunately, you can only experience the restaurant’s fresh, high-quality food if you live in California, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, or Tennessee, but with food this good, the restaurant is bound to expand into new markets.

  • Freshly

So freshly is not a physical restaurant per se, but I figured it’s worth highlighting here because it makes healthy eating at home easy and accessible. You’ve probably heard of meal delivery services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh that send you a weekly box of ingredients and recipes so that you can prepare healthy meals from home, but Freshly essentially delivers the restaurant experience to your door by delivering healthy meals that are already cooked. Their mission is to “make you happy, healthy, and more free to pursue your passions.” Freshly takes all the work out of healthy eating and all of its meals are gluten-free and prepared by top chefs with fresh, all-natural ingredients.

These five restaurants offering clean eating options are just a few among many. Restaurants all around the world are catching onto the clean eating craze, with restaurants like B.good, Au Bon Pain, Pret a Manger using only fresh, high-quality ingredients, and even less traditionally healthy fast food restaurants like McDonald’s adding healthy options to their menus.

You May Be Mislead About Bread

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Josh Bezoni- You may be mislead about Bread

Garlic bread. Bread sticks. Ciabatta. Focaccia. Pita bread. Naan. Sourdough. Rye. Brioche. Pizza. Grilled cheese. Bread comes in many delectable forms, but bread is a carb and therefore, we have been led to believe that it’s bad for us- encouraged to avoid the very thing many of us so often crave. However, unless you have a gluten allergy, there’s no reason for you to cut bread out of your diet if you want to stay healthy. Contrary to popular belief, not all bread is bad for you! It’s simply a matter of knowing which breads won’t wreck your diet, and which to avoid. Lucky for you, I’ve done my research and found some healthy breads out there and targeted some not-so-healthy options. So the next time you’re in the supermarket trying to decide which bread to pull off the shelf, keep this advice in mind.

Belly-bulging breads

There are certain red-flags to look out for when buying bread, namely hydrogenated oils/trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and wheat flour. Some breads may appear to be healthy, but you need to read the label first! For instance, just because the bread has “wheat” in the name doesn’t make it healthy. Read the ingredients to make sure the bread is made with 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain. Anything else is likely made with refined white flour. Whole grains are the best for your diet, as they’re naturally low-fat and cholesterol free.

Here are some culprits to look out for:

  • The Mission 96% Fat Free Flour Tortillas: Just because they claim to be mostly fat free doesn’t make them healthy! These tortillas contain hydrogenated oils/trans fats, which can cause belly fat, and other more threatening health problems like heart disease.
  • Sara Lee Soft and Smooth Honey 100% Whole Wheat Bread: This option may sound healthy since it’s 100% whole wheat, but again look at the ingredients: it contains high fructose corn syrup which can make you hungrier.
  • Wonder’s Original English Muffins: There are much better English muffin options out there, as this one is made with refined wheat flour (not 100% whole wheat) and contains high fructose corn syrup.

Belly-flattening breads

Don’t despair. There are some healthy options out there if you know what to look for! There are plenty of healthy supermarket options that are high in fiber, made with 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grains, low in sodium, and low in saturated fat.

Here are a few good choices to get you started:

  • Food for Life Genesis 1:29 bread: It’s made with sprouted grains and seeds.
  • Oroweat English Muffins
  • Thomas’ Better Start English Muffins

Well, that’s all for now! Always look at the ingredients of whatever you’re buying. If you know what to look out for, then there’s nothing keeping you from consuming some of your favorite foods! For more health and nutrition advice, check out my articles on joshbezoni.com.

Healthy Hair, Healthy You

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wbcjnydjuwk-josh-dorazio-compressorHave you ever watched a shampoo commercial and thought, How is her hair so smooth and shiny? No one’s hair actually looks like that! You wouldn’t be alone in those thoughts, but if you thought lustrous commercial-worthy hair was only possible thanks to professional products and some not-so-secret video editing, think again. Getting soft, strong, and shiny hair that’s healthy from root to tip is easier than you think. The cold winter weather and direct heat from the hair dryer can be especially rough on hair, but they’re not the only culprits. A poor diet may be the biggest offender, so simply adopting a healthy diet of nutrient-rich foods can do wonders for your hair, turning your dry, dull strands into the luminous locks you envy on tv.

Try incorporating these six healthy foods into your diet and marvel at the transformation of your hair!

1. Chicken Unless you’re a vegetarian, you should definitely be incorporating a healthy serving of chicken into your diet to get the protein benefits it provides. But any old chicken won’t fly. Unfortunately, chicken nuggets and fried chicken are high in fat and lose a lot of their health benefits. Try tossing some grilled chicken into a salad or with some healthy grains, such as quinoa or brown rice, on the side. Chicken is a high-protein food that is rich in the vitamins folate, B6, and B12 that are crucial for maintaining healthy hair. These vitamins aid in the production of red blood cells that deliver oxygen throughout the body so a deficiency of these vitamins could result in stunted hair growth, and weak and brittle strands.

2. Chickpeas Hummus not only tastes great, but it’s great for you as well! Chickpeas, whether ground up into hummus or tossed into a salad, are a perfect healthy snack. Chickpeas are a great protein substitute for vegetarians because they’re high in folate and zinc, as well as keratins, hardened proteins that keep hair strong and durable.

3. Peanuts Salted peanuts may be high in sodium, but eaten in moderation, they are full of the vitamins biotin and folate, both great for healthy hair. Biotin, another B vitamin, contributes to hair growth and a healthy scalp.

4. Beans You know that joke about beans being good for your heart, despite causing flatulence? Well, they really are good for you, and not just your heart, but your entire body…so maybe you should have listened to your mom when she tried to get you to eat your beans! Legumes are high in folate and iron, which both contribute to healthy hair. Folate helps produce red blood cells, while iron helps blood cells transport oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, together working to prevent hair loss and strengthen your strands.

5. Kale You probably don’t need me to tell you healthy kale is. It’s one of those green superfoods touted by nutritionists everywhere for its health benefits. You should listen up, though, because kale is rich in iron and beta carotene. Beta carotene is converted by the body into Vitamin A, which is needed for cell growth and replenishment. Without enough vitamin A, you’ll be left with a dry, itchy scalp. Vitamin A also produces sebum, a natural oil put out by hair follicles, keeping hair well-hydrated.

6. Strawberries See, this list is really not so painful, right? Strawberries are a sweet, delicious fruit and they also happen to contain a high level of Vitamin C, which helps the keep collagen (the fiber that maintains hair structure) healthy. A deficiency in this vital vitamin can cause dryness and split ends, making hair more prone to breakage. Eight strawberries is all it takes to reach the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C, so fill up on strawberries or each just a couple and wash them down with a swig of orange juice, and you should be good to go!

Who knew that healthy hair and a healthy body were so closely related? A simple diet combining high-protein foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and legumes can transform your hair from blah to wow in a matter of days, while keeping you healthy at the same time.