She’s a health foodie with a gift for making food tasty, healthy, and delicious, sharing her talents as a celebrity chef for the likes of Paris Hilton, Susan Sarandon, and Alicia Silverstone. 

After being recognized as a break-out star on Martha Stewart’s Apprentice in 2005, Bethenny Frankel is sharing healthy eating tips and techniques for gourmet tastes around the country. When she’s not busy taping shows for her YouTube cooking demos, you’ll find her writing, cooking, or developing a few more signature dishes.  We managed to catch some of her kitchen secrets on ThisNext.

TN:  What’s the biggest myth people have about eating healthy?
BF:  People buy into the latest fad like it’s religion. People will turn down a piece of watermelon and eat a chemical-laden Atkins bar because it’s the most recent fad. We need to learn how to participate in a healthy eating lifestyle that will last forever, it’s a marathon not a sprint!  Unlike any other thing in life, the more we know about dieting, the fatter our society becomes. Practice hasn’t made perfect, we need to go back to basics.

TN:  Have you learned anything from your A-list clients?
BF: I’ve learned just how many different food personalities there are. Mariska Hargitay eats a healthy Mediterranean diet involving grains, fish, meat, poultry, vegetables, and real food. Paris Hilton eats whatever she wants but in small portions. She eats what she wants then move on. Denis Leary eats six times a day keeping his metabolism going. Alicia Silverstone is a devout vegan. Each of these eating styles is healthy but for completely different reasons.

...continued: Who is Bethenny Frankel?

Marie Myung-Ok Lee, novelist and teacher and author of Somebody’s Daughter, has a fascinating blog called Green Fertility that says “NO to the pharma-medico-industrial-baby complex” and instead focuses on “discovering the possibilities afforded by focusing on wellness of self and earth.”  One of her recent insights concerns the lymphatic system.  “Your lymph system is basically one of your body’s most important detox systems,” she says.  “Lymph is a fluid that collects toxins and helps your body expel them. Sometimes the lymph gets over-saturated with toxiny gloop (don’t you love how I just fling those scientific terms around?) and becomes thick and sludgy; then you end up with swollen glands, or, on the extreme end, lymphoma.” Exercise helps the lymph system function; so does massage.  And she highly recommending this “organic/wildcrafted/pure and loooove-infused lymph massage creme from Simply Divine Botanicals.  It will add to the relaxing experience that’ll give your body the signal it’s being cared for.”

Having consumed so much avocado over the last few days - how else to get through those Trader Joe’s four-packs before the stuff turns all brown and bad? - I’m psyched by low-carb blogger Carol Bardelli’s recent discovery that adding fat to veggies may make them more nutritious. According to a Wall Street Journal article highlighted in Carol’s post, the body requires the presence of fat in order to absorb some of the vitamins and anti-cancer compounds found in fruits and veggies. The article points to an Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center study finding that adding avocado to fat-free salsa - which boosted the fat content to about 37 percent of calories - resulted in test subjects absorbing an average of 4.4 times as much lycopene and 2.6 times as much beta carotene.

Diabetes Mine - a “gold mine of straight talk and encouragement for people living with diabetes” - truly lives up to its tagline. Maintained by “inquisitive, perhaps-just-a-tad overly analytical new diabetic” Amy Tenderich, the blog performs the very valuable service of keeping readers informed with health news, product reviews, and interviews - such as this recent Q & A with diabetes expert and Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating author Hope Warshaw. An excerpt:

DM: It’s hard to know what to eat with diabetes. What is the first thing you’d tell a person newly diagnosed with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes about eating?

HW: More than likely a person with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes has some weight to trim off. Therefore, I want to help them find some easy ways to accomplish this goal. One of the first things I talk about is not what people eat, but what they drink. Are you downing a Caramel Macchiato every day? Are you guzzling Gatorade? People can drink 1,000 calories in beverages through the course of the day without realizing it, so that’s an A-Number-1 priority. People can have weight melting off them just by changing what they drink.

Fresh squeezed OJ is so passe. How’s about some just-blended asparagus juice? Thanks to Naomi’s Official Diary, our juicing horizons have just been much-expanded. On her list of juiceable fruits and veggies:

-broccoli (rich in calcium)
-celery (high in potassium)
-radish (good for the liver)
-papaya (helps aid digestion)
-cucumber (promotes healthy skin)
-tomato (for a dose of lycopene)

We know you appreciate healthy alternatives to all the chemicals you could pump into your pets… Natural Pet Health Blog has everything you need when it comes to natural solutions to caring for dog injuries, vinegar as your magical solution to fleas and ticks, what veggies are good for your pet… and more discoveries every day!  

For anyone with a chronic illness, sorting through the overflow of health advice online can be more than daunting. That’s why ThisNext likes to turn to the experts, such as Dr. Paul Enright at Allergies and Asthma. The pulmonologist and allergist gives five stars to The Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema Handbook, recommending that anyone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease check it out. Written by pulmonary physiologist Francois Haas and his psychologist wife Sheila, the handbook addresses everything “from expectorant herbs to sexual positions and portable oxygen.” Taking an integrative approach to wellness, the authors also devote a chapter to alternative medicine for COPD and discuss herbal remedies such as garlic, propolis, and kava.

Since stopping for fast food on summer road trips is usually inevitable, ThisNext is happy to see some smarter choices popping up at the drive-thru window: Fast Food News reports that Jack in the Box has just added a fruit cup and bottled water to the menu, giving travelers a healthier alternative to the standard greasy-queasy fare out on the interstate.

ThisNext loves products that look all sleek and glam but pack a very practical health benefit, a la the Smileceuticals Elixir we just discovered at Popgadget. With its citrus mint flavor, the Go Smile breath freshener “fills your mouth with a healthy blend of vitamins” and, according to the manufacturer, provides your mouth’s first line of defense against free radical damage. That’s sure got Binaca beat on the good-for-you factor.

And here we always thought chocolate was bad for your skin. At Dr. John LaPuma Healthy News, the food-as-medicine specialist reports on a new study finding that cocoa that’s high in flavanols (a type of phytochemical) may help increase the skin’s blood flow, improve its texture, and even protect against UV rays. Always stoked to discover that something we already loved is actually supergood for us, ThisNext will definitely make note of Dr. LaPuma’s recommendations of the high-flavanol chocolate brands Vere and Cocoavia.

Okay, so maybe you won’t be too eager to slip on the Eyezone Massager while at the office (unless you’re hoping to totally freak out all your coworkers). But the very sci-fi gadget, which we discovered with some help from Uber-Review, aims to provide relief for those suffering from computer eyestrain. Developed using the principles of acupuncture and magnetic therapy, the Eyezone Massager can also help get rid of bags and puffiness.

Sheryl Kirby at Fit Fare reviews the diet book Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat and discovers “the Japanese Power Breakfast”:

“Instead of pancakes, high-fat muffins, gallons of coffee and greasy fry-ups, the Japanese Power Breakfast consists of miso soup, often with scallions and bits of tofu, rice (of course), egg and/or fish, some vegetables, green tea and fruit. Check it out – healthy carbs and fibre from the rice (especially if you use brown rice); a small bit of low-fat protein from the tofu, egg and fish; vegetables for fibre and vitamins; anti-oxidants and the tiniest bit of caffeine in the green tea; and carbs, fibre and natural sugars from the fruit. For a person with reasonable cholesterol levels and no worries about sodium, it’s just about the perfect meal!”

ThisNext loves getting health secrets from all over the world, and Sheryl’s glimpse into the Japanese style of breakfasting is making me seriously consider swapping out my standard waffle-and-an-apple combo for something a little more exciting and energizing.

Cole slaw-flavored snack treats? Yeah, that’s kinda weird. But what if we told you the punching-bag-shaped goodies were part of a new healthy-food line started up by none other than The Greatest himself? In an effort to curb childhood obesity and encourage kids to eat better, Muhammad Ali is launching his GOAT (“greatest of all time”) line next year, On Healthy Living reports. And while we’re a little unsure about some of the flavor choices (they’ll also be buffalo chicken and corn treats), ThisNext hopes the low-calorie, vitamin-packed foods will encourage healthier food consumption among kids.

Shopping for some new spectacles? Ophthalmologist Bill Lloyd at Eye On Vision breaks down how to find yourself a choice pair without overpaying. His top three recommendations:

Add on lens coatings and anti-scratch lenses may not be worth the money.

Bundle your new eyeglass purchase with a pair of prescription sunglasses and see if you qualify for a discount.

Buy eyewear insurance only if it provides full value replacement against loss or damage. Shop around, some local optical shops provide free insurance in order to compete with the huge discount optical franchise retailers.

ThisNext is intrigued by The Diabetes Blog’s news that Nestlé is developing a new line of products geared toward “people concerned about their health, their weight, and diabetes.” We’re not sure how the manufacturer is going to go about using naturally occurring fats and fibers to create “high-tech food products that are tasty but bypass the usual harmful effects of junk food on the body.” But we’re definitely curious to try out its new cereal bar, a fiber-enriched snack “designed to avoid a surge in blood sugar after it has been eaten.”

Planet Lactose has proven itself an invaluable resource for the lactose intolerant, spreading the word on the use of lactose in medications, milk alternatives, and remedies for healthier digestion. Now, to help the 12 million Americans with lactose intolerance or other food allergies, Planet Lactose has tipped ThisNext off to the third annual nationwide Walk for Food Allergy, happening August 19 through November 18. Check the post for info on how you can help “increase awareness and raise research funding for a disease that currently has no cure.”

ThisNext loves to see little-known but life-enriching stuff get its due praise, as in anti-aging blog RealSelf’s recent spotlight on the antioxidant-loaded fruit mangosteen. Known as “the queen of fruits” in Asia, mangosteen contains compounds (called “xanthones”) that deliver “20 to 30 times the free radical fighting power of other fruits and vegetables.” As RealSelf points out, mangosteen’s not currently available in the U.S., but you can get the fruit in supplement form through a product called Xango.

We’re not sure what’s so damn satisfying about playing around with online calorie-counters, but we’re always psyched to stumble across a new website with which to obsessively track our consumption. So we’re delighted that HappierFitter lured us over to TheDailyPlate.com. Just set up a free account, search for a food, click the “I Ate This!” button, and the site will keep track of how many calories you’re racking up from day to day. Offering advice from a diet coach and nutritionist, TheDailyPlate.com also lets you keep a fitness log and food journal.

Steve Pavlina’s “10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace” post makes us want to get started right now on transforming our offices into healthier, stress-easing spaces of good energy and crazy productivity. ThisNext loves Steve’s recommendations of getting an ergonomic desk chair and boosting air circulation with a Vornado fan, but here’s our favorite tip: Bring in some living, oxygen-generating plants to revive your work environment. Steve likes Windowbox.com’s River Rock Bamboo, said to bring good luck (according to feng shui). Is it working? Steve reports:

“Since I bought them last year, the income I receive from this site has increased by about a factor of 100, so who knows? I added a small mirror behind them as well, which doubles their visual presence without taking up extra space. Maybe that doubles my luck too.”

When it comes to scoping out self-care products, ThisNext loves getting shopping advice straight from doctors themselves. So we’re happy to see that obstetrician Alexandra Simotas, who blogs about women’s health and sexuality at Her Health, suggests a safe way for health-conscious moms-to-be to heal stretch marks before hitting the beach this summer. Dr. Simotas recommends products by Nikianna’s Naturals, which are free of potentially harmful preservatives and made with lots of good-for-you herbal extracts and essential oils.