About Ayal

Ayal has been obsessively learning about nutrition ever since he realized that you actually are what you eat. He has also started practicing yoga, which caused him to wonder why no one ever told him there was a body attached to his head. Ayal has a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University, as well as a Masters Degree in Science from M.I.T.

Yoga For Anyone

It’s important for all of us to get some stretching in on a daily basis. Equally as important is regular mindful breathing. We’re lucky enough to have our senior yoga advisor Lee Marie guide us here with an easy to follow practice to help us loosen up and let go of any tension we may be holding. We hope you find Lee’s video beneficial, either on an “as needed” basis, or as part of your daily routine! Namaste.

YogaRat towel review – 72″ x 24″ microfiber towel

The first few times I practiced yoga, I was at home using my own yoga mat. I felt like I could use a little guidance, so I thought taking a class might be a good idea. I found an online deal that offered me a bunch of classes locally for cheap, and went to my first class. I brought my mat with me, but when I got home I realized cleaning it after every class was going to be more hassle than I wanted to deal with. I had the idea that if I had a towel instead of a mat I could just wash it with my laundry, hassle free. So I bought myself a YogaRat towel.

I did a bunch of shopping before I picked the YogaRat. There really are a lot of yoga towels out there to choose from. I ended up liking Continue reading

Mom’s Magical Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

Recipe by Ellen Naor, photos by Jacob Naor

My mom has been cooking low fat vegan for years, and she’s an amazing cook. This is one of her signature creations. She wanted to call these “Dad’s Favorite Pancakes”, which they are. But while he does help her cook, the recipe is all hers. So I convinced her to let me call them “Mom’s Magical Vegan Blueberry Pancakes”!

Vegan blueberry pancakes

So you might ask what makes my mom’s pancakes magical? Because they magically disappear! Not only are these delicious, but they’re low fat and super healthy too. You can eat a big stack of them, guilt free! Check out the complete nutritional Continue reading

Healthiest food on the planet

Whole Foods has come up with a product that is arguably the healthiest food a human can eat. And though I did qualify my claim by saying arguably, I think it would be really hard to come up with something healthier than their frozen “Leafy Greens Blend”.

healthiest food on the planet!Some people say kale is the healthiest food you can eat.  After all, it’s got a perfect score of 1000 on the ANDI scale, which means there’s nothing healthier you can eat. How can you improve on perfection? Only by Continue reading

Vegan tofu scramble with black beans & wilted spinach

UPDATE: Nutritional information is included at the bottom of this post.  I’ve made a lot of variations of vegan tofu scrambles in my time, but this one is hands down my favorite. It’s incredibly tasty with fantastic texture, and is super healthy for you to boot. It’s also easy and quick to make. Can’t argue with that!

Vegan tofu scramble

This scramble is super low fat since it’s cooked using no oil at all, not even when frying. All of the ingredients are extremely low fat. In fact, what little fat is in the dish comes from the low fat tofu! Continue reading

Trigger Point Therapy Workbook review

In my previous post I reviewed the Theracane. I told the story of how I used it to cure 15 years of chronic neck pain by applying trigger point therapy. I learned how to do this from The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies. It describes in detail everything you need to know to treat your specific condition. I definitely wouldn’t have figured out how to treat my pain without this book.

Trigger Point Therapy Workbook

Trigger points are knots in your muscles that can cause pain in other parts of your body. Sometimes the pain is far from the trigger point. That’s called “referred pain”.

The best way to treat trigger points is with direct massage. The Theracane allows you to locate and work on your trigger points yourself. Massage techniques vary a lot for different Continue reading

The Theracane – How I ended 15 years of chronic pain

I suffered from chronic neck pain for 15 years. I tried everything, including physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, and going to a chiropractor. I bought therapeutic pillows and even a new memory foam bed. Eventually I resigned to living with my pain, and thought I’d be rushing to the ibuprofen bottle first thing every morning for the rest of my life. At the end of a physical therapy session one day, my therapist had an idea. She showed me a Theracane and told me to buy one online. I literally haven’t been to physical therapy since!

the theracane

I followed my physical therapist’s advice and ordered a Theracane, which allowed me to perform “trigger point therapy” on myself. To learn how I also bought “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” by Clair Davies (Update: I’ve reviewed the book here). The key to how trigger point therapy works is the concept of “referred pain”.

Trigger points are basically knots in a muscle. What most people don’t realize is that these knots can cause pain in  Continue reading