Mitzi Dulan- America's Nutrition Expert » happy http://nutritionexpert.com/blog Credible information about health, nutrition, fitness, food, diet, and weight loss, recipes, fun/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:30:51 +0000 en hourly 1 3 Quick Ways to Get More Time http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/07/3-quick-ways-to-get-more-time/ http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/07/3-quick-ways-to-get-more-time/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:34:05 +0000 America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/?p=2777 I know our society puts a premium on the frenetic pace of sheer busyness, but I find myself cherishing my free time more than anything. If anything, the more free time I have in my schedule, the more in control I feel I have in steering my life and priorities. There’s nothing better than having the choice of how to fill that precious time, whether it be spending time with my daughters and husband, curling up with a good book, or taking a relaxing walk outdoors with no pressing appointment next on the agenda.

I’m always looking for smart, sneaky shortcuts to give myself more of those blissful moments I can fill with whatever I choose. Here are some quick ways I add some more hours to my “unplanned” calendar:

Turn Off the TV
This is a given, but how many of us actually practice it? Trying turning off the TV for an entire night or even a week.  I know I can always catch up on a TV show – and if I put it off long enough, sometimes I find it doesn’t even matter!

Be Less Ambitious
We’re all told being driven and ambitious is a good thing, but it’s really hard to give all our energies to various projects. If you don’t want to give up anything, or have already pared down the goals to the most wanted list, try focusing on one project to have the biggest impact. How many hours can you get back? When I force myself to be picky with my pet projects, sometimes I find that I still have ongoing commitments to goals that just aren’t priorities anymore. These worn out goals wear us out of not just time, but all the mental energy it takes just to have it on the temporary back burner!

Go On an Information Diet
It’s hard to cut back on information when we are, after all, living in the Information Age! But how many email lists do we need to join? How many books do we need to keep on our “to read” backlog at one time? How many news websites do we have to check up on daily? I try to limit the information I take in. Just like a diet of food, there’s a tipping point between just enough and too much for my own good!

What are your biggest, creative timesavers? How can you add a few more hours to your day to spend on your biggest priorities?

With assistance from Pam Majumdar

   Post to Twitter Tweet This Post   Post to Facebook Post to Facebook]]> http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/07/3-quick-ways-to-get-more-time/feed/ 1 Beauty Pantry Essentials to Look Younger http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/05/your-beauty-pantry-stock-up-on-these-to-look-younger/ http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/05/your-beauty-pantry-stock-up-on-these-to-look-younger/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 11:07:48 +0000 America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/?p=1456 How do we measure beauty? Glowing skin, endless energy and an open smile are usually telltale signs of the happy, confident person. We all eat for fuel and for pleasure, but there are some foods that I also count on to make me feel my best from the inside out.

FOR SKIN: Honey

With more than 300 different kinds of this natural sweetener available in the U.S., you can be sure to find a variety you’ll enjoy. Honey is what’s known as a humectant because it draws and holds in moisture. It’s no wonder you see so many moisturizing products like lotions and even hand soaps with honey as a primary ingredient. It’s also a not-so-secret component of top athletes’ diets. As a natural source of carbohydrates, honey is a pretty sweet option to charge up before a workout or to replenish muscles post-exercise.

FOR HEALTHY HAIR: Green Veggies

To keep your locks shiny and healthy, your body needs plenty of vitamins in order to create sebrum, a substance that helps keep hair moisturized. Broccoli, spinach, kale, and artichokes are some of the top dark greens to keep stocked in your beauty pantry.

FOR YOUR SMILE: Celery, nuts, seeds

When you’re feeling beautiful and on top of the world, you want the world to know, and your smile is quite often the perfect way to say it. We all know to shy away from sugar-loaded foods to keep our smiles healthy, but there are actually some things in our diet that can benefit us. Celery naturally cleanses our teeth because its composition is mostly water, and its countless strands actually assist in fighting plaque buildup. Nuts and seeds, because they require you to chew, are also great and nutritious choices for the health of your teeth.

FOR ENERGY: Whole Grains and Good fats
There’s no denying that confidence counts for a lot when it comes to beauty, and lot of that has to do with having energy to power through the day and then some.

After years of being bombarded with non-fat products, we know that eating whole grains and healthy fats is the way to go for energy. Try some of my favorites such as unsaturated fats, such as from nut butters or Hass avocados. These staples help reduce the risks of heart-related diseases and also pump you up with energy.

What foods do you count on to make you look and feel your best?

By Mitzi with research assistance provided by Pam Majumdar

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If months were a deck of cards, February would undoubtedly be the Queen of Hearts. From Valentine’s Day, to it being a Heart Healthy Month…it’s hard not to notice the red and pink hearts, flowers and balloons all over the place…and that feeling of wanting to fall in love all over again.

On February 5th, I tweeted about how chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a hormone that studies have found correlates with falling in love in the brain. What if I were to tell you, there are other foods that just might give you the same happy-go-lucky feeling as falling in love?

5 Aphrodisiac Foods
  1. Salmon (or other cold-water fish) – elevates mood (vitamin B12) and prevents depression (omega-3 fatty acids); also note that omega-3 fatty acids are responsible for raising serotonin levels in the brain which regulate your mood and reduce irritability (regularly incorporate fish into diet for maximum benefits.
  2. Bananas – rich in vitamin B6 which is known for building serotonin levels and elevating your mood; if you regularly drink alcohol or are taking birth control pills, you could be depleting your body of vitamin B6
  3. Avocados - act as a mood booster because they are rich with folic acid, vitamin B6 and potassium and known to boost immune system as well
  4. Almonds - poets/scribes believed that aroma of this arouses female passion; rich in vitamin E, magnesium and fiber that will undoubtedly make you feel healthier and happier
  5. Chocolate – known to release pleasure-enhancing endorphins into the brain and is a stimulant that is associated with love and attraction (contains PEA as mentioned above)

This February, don’t worry, EAT HAPPY…and fall in love.

Written by Mitzi Dulan with research assistance provided by Monica Lobo.

   Post to Twitter Tweet This Post   Post to Facebook Post to Facebook]]> http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/02/5-aphrodisiac-foods/feed/ 3 Lose Weight- Part 2 Video and Are Your Friends Good For Your Health? http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2009/01/lose-weight-part-2-video-and-are-your-friends-good-for-your-health/ http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2009/01/lose-weight-part-2-video-and-are-your-friends-good-for-your-health/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:42:00 +0000 America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/?p=42 Hello, I’m sitting in the Phoenix airport getting ready to fly home until next Wednesday when I leave for the final 6 cities of my 10 city tour.

I just recorded two short new videos which will not only help you reduce your daily calorie intake to assist in your weight loss efforts but also a BONUS video called “Are Your Friends Good for Your Health and Happiness?”

Find my other videos on YouTube!

Sorry for the short post but we are boarding now!

Coming soon- A Facebook Fan Page! You can also follow me on Twitter at

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