Most books that strive to motivate us to eat healthier, leave the impression you have to immediately turn your eating habits upside down… and do it now.  Not so with Carrie Bonfitto’s new cookbook,  What To Cook Why To Eat IT. Carrie starts off with suggestions on how to get started with a minimum of upheaval.

Just changing how you hydrate your system and knowing the minimum amount of water to drink is a big step. It surprised me when Carrie listed the signs of dehydration to find I had quite a lot of them. Her quick calculation of how much water you need is helpful.

 “The biggest concern with not getting enough protein is that your body will start breaking down your muscles to get the protein it needs for important functions like wound healing and cell regeneration,” Bonfitto says, “Decreased muscle mass can then lead to issues with balance, lowered metabolism, and fatigue.” 

First of all, what is fiber and why is it so important? “This under-appreciated nutrient is actually a type of carbohydrate. Fiber is the indigestible part of plants. It comes in two forms—soluble fiber dissolves into a gel-like substance that soothes the digestive tract, balances blood sugar, improves cholesterol, and equalizes hormones. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to food. When we eat fiber it presses on our stomach walls and lets us know that we are full. Without it, we overeat and increase our risk of disease.” Bonfitto says. The main five signs that you’re not getting enough fiber are: feeling hungry between meals, constipation, loose stools, high cholesterol, and hormone imbalances.

This recipe is adapted from a new cookbook, “What to Cook, Why to Eat It,” by Carrie Bonfitto {affiliate link}. She’s a health and nutrition coach and in the book aims to help us cut cravings, improve digestion, regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and feel more energetic. I’m down with all of that! The recipes in the book are aimed at helping you learn how to feed yourself a little bit better today so you can feel like your best self tomorrow. Eating more veggies and learning how to make them taste good is a great start. Ultimately, what you eat should be about nourishment, not just numbers, she believes. 

Her cooking-class students and coaching clients rally around Bonfitto for her deep knowledge and easy, fresh and tasty dishes that make it a breeze to eat better all year. This book simply distills her nutrition tips into tantalizing options for energizing lunches, vital dinners and comforting desserts.

Join holistic cooking instructor & author Carrie Bonfitto (seated, far left) for a 4-week healthy cooking course complete with Sunday Supper & paired wines at Waverly: A Bookshop Cafe and Cooking School. Each Sunday, you’ll experience how to cook scrumptious recipes from Chef Carrie’s new cookbook, What to Cook, Why to Eat It: Nutrition Facts, Health Benefits & Recipes. Then, taste the fruits of your labor as you sit down to enjoy the three-course meal you made together.

Pregnancy can be a confusing time when it comes to knowing what to eat and what not to eat. Your body is changing and you need to support those changes with the right healthy foods. Your growing baby needs different nutrients during different stages of pregnancy. Plus cravings, morning sickness, and stress all factor into what you are actually going to be putting into your mouth!

That’s why we decided to put together an ultimate guide to nourishing yourself and your growing baby during pregnancy. Our pregnancy diet guide provides important nutrients essential for your baby’s development and your healthy pregnancy. It points out key foods to focus on and lets you know why to avoid others. And to make things simple, this guide is a comprehensive diet plan that can be used throughout your pregnancy or even to increase fertility or support your body postpartum.

Carrie Bonfitto, a wellness educator and cooking instructor at Two Hearts Nutrition who is board-certified in holistic nutrition, notes that people often consider beef an unhealthy food because of its association with high cholesterol and cancer, but grass-fed beef is a healthier choice than other types, including organic.  

“Grass-fed meat is what meat was before industrial farming took over,” Bonfitto says. “Grass keeps the animal healthy, leaner, and increases a good fat called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. The benefits of CLA include the prevention of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes, reduced risk of cancer, and the promotion of weight loss.”

According to Carrie Bonfitto, NC, BCHN, a Los Angeles-based wellness expert and the author of What to Cook, Why to Eat It, the energy boost you get from caffeine may have unwanted aftereffects. “While coffee does have benefits because of the antioxidants in it, it also contains caffeine which is a stimulant that impacts the nervous system by causing a “fight or flight” response,” she says, “Chronic consumption can increase production of stress hormones. The “up” feeling we get from caffeine can last in the body for as long as 10 hours, impacting sleep and causing a roller coaster of mood swings and sugar cravings as the high wears off.” 

“Many studies have linked sleep to appetite control. When we sleep more we don’t get as hungry, but if we are deprived of sleep, we tend to eat more calories and crave unhealthy foods.” says Carrie Bonfitto, NC, BCHN, a Los Angeles-based wellness expert and the author of What to Cook, Why to Eat It, “Recently, researchers were able to identify that less sleep elevated the endocannabinoid system. This bodily system (only discovered in 1998) is best known for being activated by chemicals found in marijuanna. So you might say that not sleeping enough gives you “the munchies.”

“…if you’re vegan, you want to make sure you are supplementing with a B-12…and probably a good iron supplement because iron is one of the minerals that helps us to make collagen.” 

“The wellness industry is all about interacting with people. You need to have an open heart with everyone you meet, and be true to yourself. I truly love learning about other people’s struggles and helping them to overcome their roadblocks. I still get excited when I can teach someone how to make chicken soup from scratch for the very first time.” 

“There’s something grounding about forcing yourself to take a minute to boil some water, steep some leaves, and feel that cozy warm mug in your hands. In addition, teas are a powerful way to add supplemental nutrients to your diet. Right now, my nightly wind-down ritual includes a cup a of passionflower tea to help me with relaxation, anxiety, and menopausal symptoms.” 

“I recently had the opportunity to attend a virtual cooking class taught by Bonfitto. Some were her fans and previous students that participated in her healthy cooking and nutrition classes at LA Valley College. Despite being virtual, Bonfitto remained engaged with the remote audience. .” 

“Salt, sugar, and fat are flavor enhancers that make their way into frozen dinners to make up for the change in texture caused by freezing.” Bonfitto says, “Look out for corn syrup solids, dextrose, starches of any kind, as well as monoglycerides and diglycerides.” 

Bonfitto recommends a healthy, homemade snack to support a flat tummy with vitamin C: a DIY trail mix with raw pistachios and low-sugar dried cranberries. “Just pour into a bowl and stir,” she said.

“If you avoid eating any product that contains any of the words for sugar in the first 3 ingredients, you will keep your sugar intake low and your waistline slim”.

 “You are going to help so many people by just being you and listening. Be present in your sessions with people and they will keep coming back and you will keep learning and changing and become the practitioner you want to be.”