Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

Guest Post: Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Today's guest post is by my personal trainer, Cindy Lai, of Cindy Lai Fitness.   As human beings, we are wired to seek comfort in all aspects of our life.  Day in and day out, we follow familiar behaviors and patterns in order to feel comfortable in our own skin.  When something threatens to break that pattern, we become nervous or stressed out.  Quite often, many of us choose … [Read more...]

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

I love the tastes and smells of Fall and it's clear I'm not alone judging by the popularity of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. In my quest to recreate the warm taste of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove in a cup, I created the Pumpkin Spice Smoothie and as I write this am slurping up the last few delicious drops. It may not be warm, but I'll take a nutritious smoothie over a cup of coffee any … [Read more...]

Deepak Chopra on Leadership and Well-being

Photo courtesy of www.chopra.com It has been almost a week since I attended the IIN Fall Conference but I am still buzzing with the energy and knowledge I gained in just one weekend! Perhaps the most anticipated speaker of the weekend was Deepak Chopra who hardly needs an introduction. Chopra addressed the audience as leaders, "a symbolic soul of group consciousness," and shared the … [Read more...]

Super Spicy Cabbage Slaw

I've been eating my way through this week's CSA share and whipped up this tasty cabbage salad yesterday for lunch. It's a good thing there's more where this came from because I could eat this everyday and feel satisfied. The veggies in this salad are all seasonal and balance grounding root vegetables with energizing green and cruciferous vegetables. I especially love the creamy dressing that … [Read more...]

Drink Your Salads and Other Nutrition Advice from Dr. Mark Hyman

When every state in America has an obesity rate over 20 percent, we know we have a problem. Dr. Mark Hyman spoke at IIN's Fall Conference last weekend and proclaimed that "we ate our way into it and we can eat our way out of it." How? By looking at food beyond its caloric value and using it as information. Dr. Hyman's Rules for Healthy Eating:  1. Eat foods without labels 2. If there is a … [Read more...]

On-the-go Flavorful Fall Snack: Roasted Winter Squash Seeds

Earlier this week I used Kobucha squash to make a Fall Veggie Bake. As I scooped out the seeds, I was reminded of the roasted pumpkin seeds my mom used to make when we carved pumpkins for Halloween. I didn't want to waste the seeds so I set them aside and turned them into a healthy snack. Just one cup of these seeds provides up to 12 grams of protein, satisfies hunger and is a great source of … [Read more...]

Feet, Forks and Fingers

I make decisions all day long. At least three of those decisions are about what food to eat. These decisions used to be hard. I struggled with what I "should" eat versus what I "wanted" to eat. My dietary decisions were driven by cravings and habits. Not too mention food labels that claimed more fiber added to a box of sugary cereal or no fat in the cookies I was craving. One poor choice led to … [Read more...]

For Super Immunity Count Nutrients, Not Calories

It's a sad and scary truth: the average American eats 62 percent of their calories from processed foods and these foods are immune system depressants. So it stands to reason that the more processed foods our society eats, the sicker it becomes. At the IIN Fall Conference this past weekend, I had the chance to hear Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of the upcoming book SuperImmunity speak on the topic of … [Read more...]

In Praise of Fat and Cholesterol

What if I told you that the amount of cholesterol you eat has little bearing on cholesterol levels in your blood? If you're accustomed to eating egg whites and avoiding butter, you may not believe it. But the truth is, cholesterol-rich foods like organic eggs and real butter, wild caught seafood and full fat raw, organic dairy products have numerous health benefits and supply important vitamins … [Read more...]