Galantys Game Plan

Ever eat a huge meal and leave the table feeling completely stuffed only to find yourself rifling through the fridge an hour later hungry?  If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.  Anyone who follows the Standard American Diet feels this way on a regular basis.  The problem is that the food you are eating in this scenario is not nutrient dense.  A big bowl of pasta and bread, a.k.a. processed white flour, is nutrient deficient.  Your belly will expand and feel full, but your body is still craving nutrients, so it sends your brain a signal saying “need more food”, causing you to Read the rest of this entry →

It’s that time of year again.  Backpacks and lunch boxes are in place, new shoes sit anxiously by the door, clothes are carefully hung up in closets and supplies stacked neatly on desks.  This week before school starts will be the one and only time of the year there is such order in my household.  The question looming large over my head is what in the world will I pack these kids in their lunchboxes everyday to keep them nourished, alert, energized and free of complaints while they are at school??? Read the rest of this entry →

So much money is spent each year on skin care products aimed at restoring a youthful appearance to aging skin.  Women will spend upwards of $100 a bottle for some of these fancy creams that make claims just short of being the fountain of youth in a bottle.  We are a vain culture to be sure and smart marketers at skincare companies take full advantage of that fact.  I’ve fallen prey to their promises just as often as my friends and colleagues have, but there came a point in time when I came to the realization that there must be a simpler solution. Read the rest of this entry →

I went to Wild by Nature yesterday in search of my favorite drink, a bottle of cold green Kombucha tea.  I love to drink it right before I play tennis because I get a boost of energy from it and it seems to improve my focus.  I was taken aback to find it’s normal place in the refrigerator section barren.  After searching high and low, I sought out the store manager to find out what had happened to my beloved beverage.   It turns out that Kombucha contains a high enough level of alcohol in it that they may need to label it as an alcoholic beverage!  Thus, until this matter can be resolved, all Kombucha products have been pulled from store shelves.  If only I had known, I would have stocked up on it! Read the rest of this entry →

Somehow we managed to pull it off.  Round the clock prepping, list making, list checking, a few mini-meltdowns and plenty of support resulted in a seamlessly run evening enjoyed by all.  The food received rave reviews from carnivores and vegans alike.  It certainly helped to have Marti Wolfson, a natural foods chef who graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute and Eve Boutin, caterer extraordinaire, running the kitchen and taking care of everything happening  behind the scenes. Nobody was told ahead of time that the entire menu would be raw vegan.  They were just invited to come to a surprise 40^th birthday party for a dear friend, who happens to enjoy raw vegan food.  The secret came out after guests began to inquire Read the rest of this entry →

Chocolate for breakfast?  Sure, why not.  Chocolate in its raw natural state is actually nutritious and good for you…welcome news to chocolate lovers everywhere!  The chocolate that you find in grocery stores (candy bars, cakes, etc.) has been cooked and processed, which strips it of any nutritional value. Read the rest of this entry →

Summer officially starts next weekend and I don’t know about you, but around here, summer involves a lot more socializing than the rest of the year.  I tend to drink more, eat foods I would normally avoid, and run myself down by trying to fit everything in.  Plus, I don’t have the schedule in place that I do during the school year which tends to throw me off. Read the rest of this entry →

Kids love to get involved in the kitchen. My 8 year old daughter dons her pink chef apron and hat, steps onto her little stool and eagerly awaits instructions, whisk in one hand, mini purple spatula in the other. It’s beyond cute!

I’ll be the first to admit, there have been many a time when I have initially turned down her enthusiastic offers of assistance because I am in a rush or tired, but then the sight of her obvious disappointment usually shames me into including her. Read the rest of this entry →

Hurry!  It’s giveaway week at Galanty’s Game Plan.  You don’t want to miss out on a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Prana. All you need to do to be eligible to win is to sign up with your email address.  There is a big red arrow on the right hand column pointing to the place to sign up just in case you missed it.  (My web designer insisted on that).  A winner will be chosen this Friday, so don’t delay.  If you’re not familiar with Prana, their Read the rest of this entry →

It’s confusing to be an adolescent trying to stay healthy these days.  Mixed messages are being directed at our kids from all different directions.  They are constantly being told what to do by the authority figures in their lives…parents, teachers, coaches, doctors and the like. At times the messages from this crew of authority figures are in alignment with one another, but more often than not, they aren’t.  Then you throw media into the mix.  Just flip on the television and listen—really listen—to the messages that are being directly marketed to our youth. Read the rest of this entry →