Last June, I had the opportunity to tour the entire stadium with Legends Hospitality, the company that runs all food operations over there.  Needless to say, I ate myself silly since they literally said anything and everything was up for grabs to taste. (#bestdayever)

Being completely up front, it's hard to eat healthy at Yankee Stadium.  It really is.  Most of the food options are far from good for you.  I mean, there's fried oreos, cheese steaks, fries dredged in fake cheese, and the list goes on.  But, thankfully, there are some shining beacons of healthy light for you sports fans who are also concerned about your diet.  Try:

1.  Melissa's Farmers Market at Gate 4
It's mostly apples and oranges, and I realize that's not much for a 9-inning-long ball game.  But it's the very best there is at Yankee Stadium, in terms of super healthy eating.

2.  Sushi Food at Section 127a
Basic rolls like salmon and cucumber or Rainbow roll.  But it's fresh fish, some veggies, and rice (gluten-free if you hold the soy sauce)!  I realize sushi on a hot summer day may not        sound like the safest option, but the food is kept safely refrigerated.  So I say yes to sushi!

3.  NYY Steak at Gate 6, Section 221b
Yankee Stadium has its own steakhouse, where they not only serve up huge, juicy steaks (pretty sure they aren't grass-fed though), but they do have salads on the menu, including
spinach salad, as well as roasted organic chicken.  Not too shabby for a baseball stadium!  (And it's open year-round).

Ingredients

3 avocados
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Large handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
White wine vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
Handful lump crabmeat (claw)
Finely sliced red onion

Preparation

In a blender, combine the avocados (de-pitted), the lemon (no rind), the salt, black pepper to taste, the olive oil, most of the cilantro, and the yellow onion.  Pulse several times and then blend (I like "smoothie" setting) while pouring in the remainder of your liquid ingredients (water and several splashed of white wine vinegar).  Blend until the soup reaches a creamy consistency.

In a separate bowl, combine the crabmeat with the remainder of your cilantro.  Splash with some more white wine vinegar and a sprinkle of black pepper and mix it all together.

Chill the avocado soup before serving.  To serve, top the soup with the crabmeat mixture and the finely sliced red onion.

That said, I will note that upon my first once-over, it appears to be light on gluten-free pasta recipes, which I am kind of bummed about.  It's so easy to make and/or purchase great gluten-free pasta!  I really like quinoa pasta.  It cooks so well and always turns out perfectly al dente, and indeed often better than regular glutentastic pasta.  And it's easy to make if you're up for it!

If you're not in the mood to make pasta tonight, my favorite brand to buy is Ancient Harvest.  They have quinoa pasta in several shapes and sizes, which is great if you want more than regular linguini.

If you're going out for Italian food tonight, don't feel weird about asking your server if they have gluten-free pasta.  I have been doing quite a bit of traveling recently and I

have found that so many restaurants are carrying it, even if it's not on the menu.  Just ask!  The worst thing that could happen is they look at you funny and you realize that they have no idea what you're talking about.  So what?  You order something else.

One of my favorite neighborhood spots in NY that has yummy Italian comfort food (and gluten-free pasta!) is Crispo on 14th at 8th Avenue.  It's cozy inside and I really like their marinara sauce.  And I am very picky about my marinara sauce because I love it.  Frankly, I could and would (and sometimes do…don't judge) eat it straight out of the bottle if I break down and buy some.

WAT-AAH!, functional water for kids joins P.S. 161 Pedro Albizu Campus Middle School as they celebrate the first year anniversary of the Let's Move Flash Workout! See the kids dance to Beyonce's "Move Your Body" routine and show their support for the First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative! http://www.wat-aah.com

I, along with ESPN's Jay Williams, NY Giants' Kevin Boothe, rapper Nicki D, and former NFLer Sean James headed down to Harlem's PS 161 to "move our bodies" with some really cool kids.  

Yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of the first annual Let's Move dance flash mob.  Let's Move is Michelle Obama's organization, which focuses on combatting childhood obesity by encouraging America's youth to exercise and have fun for at least 60 minutes a day, as well as to eat healthy.

Here are two videos: One is of me and the whole crew and the other is just the kids rockin' it out.  I must add again just how awesome these kids were….

Special thanks to Wat-AAH! for all their efforts yesterday and their help in promoting healthy habits for kids!!!

——————————-

Follow Let's Move @letsmove
Follow Wat-AAH! @wataah
Follow me @TheHungryFan

This Thursday, May 3rd, I'll be joining the First Lady Michelle Obama's organization Let's Move, and Wat-Aah, water for kids, to celebrate the fight against childhood obesity.  Last year's Let's Move, Move Your Body Flash Workout was a huge success and I am super excited to take part in it this year!  Please join me as I support the fight against childhood obesity by making the conscious choice to feed your children better and by serving as a good example yourself.

Statement of Support:
I, Daina Falk, the Hungry Fan, support the Let's Move, Move Your Body Flash Workout in the fight against childhood obesity taking place on May 3rd, 2012 at 1:42pm EST.

For more information on Let's Move!, visit www.letsmove.gov.

This year's Super Bowl in Indy was awesome and the Taste was even better! They raised over $700,000 to feed those who are hungry across this country and I am very proud to have been a part of it. You can donate to the Taste of the NFL all year long. Please do! The money goes a long way.

I have been asked by many of you winos, beer drinkers, and vodka lovers if you're ruining your gluten-free diet by consuming these beverages.  The short answer is not entirely.  In the words of a 90s hip hop star, let me break it down for you.

Wine:  Sigh…for me…this is the best of the good stuff.  Not only is wine fascinating, but it's also delicious and really brings out the flavor of food.  This is my go-to alcoholic beverage.  And for you other winos/wine-snob/appreciators, good news!  Wine is almost always gluten-free because it's made from grapes and not grains!  In a few rare instances, wine could have small amounts of gluten–if it's wine that somehow made contact with flour-based paste that was once used to smooth the joints on barrel heads.  But today, most wine is made in large steel vats, including most of what is coming out of Napa these days, so it's not really an issue.  So keep on drinkin' that grown-up grape juice!

Now, for you wine cooler crowd who dig the bubbles and the sugary taste . . . I am sorry to inform you that those coolers are usually not gluten-free. Most are made with barley malt, which is a no-no.  So, if you gotta have something bubbly, have champagne!  It's gluten-free!

Vodka: Vodka is also gluten-free unless it's been enriched with gluten-containing flavors.  And that goes for all vodkas.  "All vodkas?" you ask!  Sure corn, soy, and potato vodka, ok, but what about wheat vodka?  How can that be gluten-free?  Well, they are because of the distillation process, which actually removes the gluten!  So that means that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your vodka (minus the gluten-filled flavoring)–or your other distilled favorites, such as brandy, scotch, tequila, rum, bourbon, and gin!

Beer:  Beer is brewed, not distilled.  Ergo, most beers, which are made from barley and wheat, are not gluten-free.  That said, there are more and more beers on the market today that are intentionally made gluten-free!  They really aren't bad, some are actually quite good if beer is your thing.  If you're curious, here is a list of gluten-free beers on the market that you can find and try!
 

Cheers!

Out having dinner with a dear friend at a local spot in Vegas, I saw this heaping plate of amazing-looking lobster being brought out to the table next to us.  My eyes bugged out of my face.  Clearly, as good as my selections were for dinner, they didn't come close to just how delectable that lobster looked.  Incidentally, I happened to notice that the gentleman who ordered the lobster happened to look exactly like one of the gentlemen in a photo on the wall next to me–on their wall of fame, if you will.  Obviously this was not just anyone, and he certainly knew how to order.  I said to my friend, in jest, that if the table next to us couldn't finish their lobster, maybe they'd let us finish.  And no surprise, my friend leaned over to the other table and offered just that.  There was the start of a beaaaauuuutiful friendship.  We shared some pad thai, they shared some lobster.  And somewhere in there we introduced ourselves.  Geno was the man's name, and he happens to be Executive Chef at NOVE Italiano at the Palms.  Hel-lo!

So the next night, I, along with 11 friends of mine from a conference I was attending, headed over to NOVE.  We didn't need menus.  Geno cooked for us.  And holy cow, did he cook for us.  So many gorgeous plates of food.  So many to suggest to you!  The next time in Vegas, I insist you try NOVE and I insist you taste some or all (if you're super hungry like I am) of the following:

-Geno's crudo (which is fresh from Japan), including the tuna, yellowtail, and salmon served with some roe on top.  (For a little extra Japanese flair, also order the shishito peppers.  Mmm)!
-Grilled Baby Octopus–perfect texture and so tasty.
-Pansotti–Geno's Nana's recipe.  It's little pasta pockets filled with braised shortribs and spinach inside topped with brown butter and hazelnuts.  Yes.  Yum.
-Grilled Globe Artichokes (served with lemon aioli).  Ridiculous.  Simple and ridiculous.
-Gulf Red Snapper–If you like fish and cannellini beans like I do, you will not be let down.  Incidentally it's also served with Tuscan kale, and you all know how I feel about kale!  GREAT dish!!
-La Bistecca Fiorentina topped with a farm poached egg–whaaat!?  Poke that egg with your fork.  Let the yolk drip down all over your steak, and eat that baby.  Geno cooked that steak to perfection and I ate like half the entire table's serving.  Yup.
-The Gnocchi–as far as I know, it's not on the menu, but ask for Geno's gnocchi with spinach and gorgonzola cream sauce.  No, it's not the lightest dish, but it's insanely delish.  Insane.  Ask for it.  You won't be sorry.
-The Brussels Sprouts!  Not your mama's Brussels sprouts!  They are cooked to perfection with brown butter and served with chestnuts.  Super woody and earthy, and really, really tasty.

In case you are still hungry, dessert here is worth saving your last bit of calories for.  Try:

Strawberries "crudo" with vanilla gelato

~ and ~

Do it yourself baby cannoli!  They're small so you don't have to feel guilty and the plate of fixings is so colorful and fun!  Mmmm!!!  Betcha can't eat just one.

Find Geno at NOVE Italiano Restaurant
Palms Casino Resort
4321 West Flamingo Road  Las Vegas, NV 89103

Vitamins are critical for your health, your mood, wellness, you name it…  But taking them isn't as easy as opening the bottle, swallowing them with water, and closing the bottle.  Sadly, it just doesn't work that way.  No matter the type of vitamin (gummy, gel cap, horse pill, etc.), you will only ever absorb 16-20% of that vitamin before you pee out the rest.  And that is assuming you have ingested the vitamin along with the nutrient that allows the vitamin to be absorbed at all.  What do I mean?  Well, Vitamins B (b-complex) and C are easy; they are water soluble, meaning that they dissolve in water (or can be absorbed with water).  Great.  That's simple, you just took them with that glass of water.  But Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins–they must dissolve in fat before they can be absorbed into the blood stream to carry out their functions.  (So all you non-fat eaters out there, listen up!  Here's just another reason why you must eat fat!)

So how to ensure that you are absorbing 100% of the vitamins you are taking?  Well, the most obvious way is to get vitamin IVs or injections from your doctor.  But that's expensive and some people are definitely scaredy cats when it comes to needles.  How else?  Aloe.  Aloe is one of the few things that exist in nature that breaks the blood-brain barrier–and we humans can eat it!  Eat aloe, you ask?  Isn't that the stuff I rub on myself when I get a sunburn in the summer?  Yes, it is one and the same.  It is a plant and you can eat it or drink it in addition to using it topically .  Aloe has kind of a gooey, weird texture, and the art of filleting it is a bit dangerous and complicated, so I recommend drinking it!

I happen to really like the brand US Aloe.  They are one of very few organic aloe companies in the world.  I've actually been to their farm/bottling plant in Southern California.  Good people, very clean, great product.  You can also easily find other aloe beverages at Whole Foods, or wherever you grocery shop.  Whichever brand you choose, find organic aloe water and use that to take your vitamins.  With the aloe simultaneously ingested, you will absorb the entire vitamin!  

So there you have it.  You now have no reason to pee out expensive vitamins!  Absorb them all instead.