Cleopatra. Her name resonates opulence and glamour. She will forever be associated with a handful of women (Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Helen of Troy, Marie Antoinette… Kim Kardashian?, etc.) who have earned a reputation for extravagant indulgences and making powerful men fall to their knees. Cleopatra’s secret? Pickles! She attributed her good looks to bathing in warm milk and a daily diet of pickles. For centuries, people all over the world have believed in the power of pickles. In ancient Egypt, everyone from peasants to Pharohs consumed pickles for their nutritional value and because they were thought to enhance beauty. Even Roman emperors believed they could boost the physical and spiritual strength to their troops.

In honor of the historical and healthy pickle, join us in celebrating National Pickle Day!
Pickles have their own day because they are healthy, low-calorie (the average dill pickle has just 15 calories) and are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins (including Vitamin C). Cucumbers used to make dill pickles contain ascorbic acid, known as caffeic acid and Vitamin C. These nutrients help improve skin’s health and reduce irritation, while vitamin C can boost your  immune system. In addition, research has also shown that vinegar can help with weight loss.

Need another reason to add pickles to your diet? They’re the favored snack of Snooki! Convinced? We thought so!

Happy National Pickle Day!

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The Queen of Candyland... or Glut?

As if this time of year isn’t tempting enough… I decided to invite dozens of bags of candy and chocolate into my home for the purpose of designing a Halloween costume entirely out of sweets. The candy bra inspired the ensemble – it was a birthday gift from a friend last year that I simply HAD to incorporate into a costume. And voila!

From head (a 2,280-calorie cotton candy headpiece) to toe (896-calorie candy button legwarmers) I fully embraced my sweet side… and my sweet tooth. I was seriously kidding myself to think I could maintain any level of self-control while taping, stringing, melding and wearing my sugary masterpiece. After calculating, I estimate the consumption of no fewer than 4000 calories throughout the process. Yikes!

When Halloween was over I promptly cut my way out of the dress and – after a few last goodbye bites – discarded my diet’s biggest enemy thinking: why couldn’t I have gotten a broccoli bra?

This is clearly an extreme case, but the subject of self-control is one that so many of us deal with each and every day. Does your ability to resist temptation change with the season? Your emotions? The people you’re with? I’m constantly trying to crack the code! Do you have any self-control tricks – or solace – to share with me and the rest of us?

And one last question… was it worth it?