Author name: laura@lauracipullo.com

Mastering Hunger and Fullness: A Guide to Reconnecting Your Body and Mind by Rebecca Jaspan, MPH, RD, CDE, CDN   How do you know when you are hungry?  How do you know when you are full?  When we are babies, we are born with innate hunger and fullness cues.  We eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full.  Our body and mind are perfectly in sync—our stomach rumbles and sends a message to the brain to eat and without question, we eat until satisfied.  As we grow up, this mind-body connection becomes more and more detached.    Ignoring our hunger cues becomes commonplace for a variety of reasons.  You get pulled into a meeting and work through lunch, you skip breakfast in order to lose weight, or you don’t eat between meals even though that 3pm snack helps you get through the afternoon slump.  In our busy lives we also tend to multitask- we eat breakfast in the car, lunch at our desks while working, and dinner in front of the TV.  Each time we override internal cues to eat or eat mindlessly, our body loses trust in our brain.  Eventually, these cues become increasingly murky and our brain can no longer distinguish what it means to be hungry or full.    When we aren’t in touch with our physical body a number of situations may arise.  Our body may tell us we are hungry, but our brain signals that is a bad thing and we push this feeling away.  Pretty soon the hunger gets so difficult to ignore that we may overeat or binge until past the point of fullness. This can cause shame, guilt, and more restriction.  On the other hand, you may graze on small meals and snacks all day and never let your body get hungry at all.  Eating when ravenously hungry and eating when already full are both often unpleasant eating experiences.  When we can learn to listen to our hunger and fullness and reconnect mind and body, we regain trust in our bodies and transform once unpleasant eating experiences into highly enjoyable ones.    How do we heal this connection between mind and body?  Enter the Hunger-Fullness Scale.  This tool helps you learn how to tune into what your body needs and begin to eat more mindfully and intuitively.  Using the hunger-fullness scale helps us to visualize and quantify our hunger and fullness cues and by listening to these cues, we gain trust back in our bodies.  Credit: alissarumsey.com   Before you sit down to eat a meal or snack, ask yourself where you are on the hunger-fullness scale.  Ideally, we want to stay between a 3 and a 6 or 7; hungry and ready to eat to satisfied or no longer hungry.  As you eat, continue to tune in and think about the scale.  If you are having trouble identifying what number you fall under, ask yourself some more questions.  Do you eat regular meals?  Do you go too long without eating and wait until you are starving?  Do you graze all day without feeling hungry?    Do this exercise a few times a day when you eat meals and snacks.  Keep in mind that this scale may change on any given day.  Some days you may be having a hungrier day and eat more meals or snacks before feeling full.  Other days a smaller meal or snack may be satisfying.  Additionally, sometimes it is normal to eat when we are not hungry such as when you are full from dinner but dessert sounds appealing.  Learning to listen to our bodies’ innate hunger and fullness cues is a critical step in building trust in our bodies and bringing back the joy to eating. 

The Power of Music: Shaping Body Image and Emotions At Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition + Yoga, we treat clients who commonly experience negative body image, feel hyper critical of their appearance, or even struggle with Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD). We aim to help these clients lessen the intense feelings of body dissatisfaction and move in the direction of body neutrality and eventually body appreciation. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), people who have negative body image feel that their “bodes are flawed in comparison to others” and they are “more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders.”   Those who do not struggle with eating disorders can still struggle with feelings of body dissatisfaction. According to an article published in the European Eating Disorders Review in 2013, “in the United States, 69-84% of women exhibit body dissatisfaction.” Sadly, young girls and women are incessantly inundated with images and messages from mainstream media dictating how we should look, what we should wear, and how we should feel about ourselves which influence how we feel about our bodies, usually negatively. These messages aren’t exclusive to print and visual media, they are also commonly found in song lyrics and music videos.   New research involving music discusses a fast and seemingly effective way for clients to fight against negative body image. An article entitled “Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of listening to body positive music on implicit and explicit body esteem” summarized the results of three studies that assessed the effect of body positive music, body objectifying music, and neutral music on women’s “body esteem.” One study showed that women who watched the body positive video “Try“ by Colbie Caillat reported higher body esteem than after watching “Good for You” by Selena Gomez, which was determined as a body objectifying video by researchers.   Body Positive – Excerpt from “Try” by Colbie Caillat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8 Wait a second,Why, should you care, what they think of youWhen you’re all alone, by yourself, do you like you?Do you like you? You don’t have to try so hardYou don’t have to, give it all awayYou just have to get up, get up, get up, get upYou don’t have to change a single thing You don’t have to try so hardYou don’t have to bend until you breakYou just have to get up, get up, get up, get upYou don’t have to change a single thing You don’t have to try, try, try, try   Body Objectifying – Excerpt from “Good for You” by Selena Gomez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TsVjvEkc4s&list=LLBqXokI6KDdYKCzphWpC3lA&index=2371 Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tightDo my hair up real, real niceAnd syncopate my skin to your heart beating ‘Cause I just wanna look good for you, good for youI just wanna look good for you, good for youLet me show you how proud I am to be yoursLeave this dress a mess on the floorAnd still look good for you, good for you   A noteworthy conclusion from another study discussed in this article revealed that women with underlying “low body esteem” reported lower body esteem after listening to body positive AND body objectifying music versus after listening to neutral music, or music that did not have anything to do with one’s appearance – positive or negative. This means that appearance related songs may negatively affect someone who struggles with body image. On the other hand, for those without underlying body image issues, body positive music seems to have a beneficial effect on how one thinks about their body and alternatively, listening to body objectifying music lowers their body esteem.   It is refreshing to know that there is a fast and effective way to improve one’s body image, although it is important to recognize that this is one piece of the complex puzzle involving self-perception. Yet, based on this research, listening to a 2-3 minute song, which is generally easy and accessible for most people, can make a positive impact on one’s body image!   10 Empowering / Body Positive Songs (For Those Without Underlying Body Image Issues) “My Skin” by Lizzo “Bad Lieutenant” by Kate Nash “Good as Hell” by Lizzo “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara “Video” by India Arie “Confident” by Demi Lovato “Light On” by Maggie Rogers “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles “Firework” by Katy Perry “You Mean the World to Me” by Freya Ridings   10 Neutral Songs Not Relating to Appearance (For Those With Underlying Body Image Issues) “Higher Love” by Kygo, Whitney Houston “Happy” by Pharrell Williams “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay “Grow As We Go” by Ben Platt “Happier” by Bastille and Marshmello “Rhythm is a Dancer” Remix by Breathe Carolina “Over and Over” by Hot Chip “Sister of Pearl” by Baio “Awake” by Tycho “Going Up the Country” by Canned Heat     Resources Coyne, S. M., Davis, E. J., Warburton, W., Stockdale, L., Abba, I., & Busby, D. M. (2020). Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of listening to body positive music on implicit and explicit body esteem. Psychology of Popular Media. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000273 https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-eating-disorders https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745223/

Transforming Mindset: The Impact of Positive Self-Talk By Paige Mandel MS, RD   Often times, many thoughts rise to the surface when we begin to think about food and our bodies. Whether it is food or non-food related, as we go throughout our day, we talk to ourselves and tend to label our experience instinctively, defining ourselves by our associated feelings. Once you create this label in your head, you believe that thought to be a truth, and you start to draft your narrative.   In approaching food decisions, eating a meal, looking in the mirror, getting dressed, or just going about your day, your perception of the physical body is magnified by your thoughts and feelings, amplifying negative self-talk which could trigger anxiety and/or guilt. The more you allow yourself to act on these negative thoughts, the more your narrative adapts to this perception versus reality. This is where the work comes in. It’s entails enhancing quality of life and mindfully acting upon core values rather than self-perceptions. Enter, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).   ACT is a therapy that uses your learned experiences, and creates distance from the uncomfortable, unpleasant, and unwanted thoughts or feelings which ultimately provides an effective tool for you to handle them when encountered. This distance from perception creates space for meaningful quality of life. There are six core principles of ACT meant to guide you in learning to accept your inner thoughts by committing to your core values and shifting your narrative to yield a more enjoyable, mindful life.   ACT trainer Russel Harris, eloquently defines the six principles1 :   1. Cognitive Defusion Learning to perceive thoughts, images, memories and other cognitions as what they are—nothing more than bits of language, words and pictures—as opposed to what they can appear to be—threatening events, rules that must be obeyed, objective truths and facts.  Step 1: Bring to mind an upsetting and recurring negative self-judgment that takes the form “I am X” such as “I am incompetent,” or “I’m stupid.” Hold that thought in your mind for several seconds and believe it as much as you can. Now notice how it affects you. Step 2: Now take the thought “I am X” and insert this phrase in front of it: “I’m having the thought that….” ‘Now run that thought again, this time with the new phrase. Notice what happens. In step 2, most people notice a “distance” from the thought, such that it has much less impact. Notice there has been no effort to get rid of the thought, nor to change it. Instead the relationship with the thought has changed—it can be seen as just words.   For instance, when approaching a fear food, a food you have inherently labeled as “bad” for whatever reason, your instinct may be to avoid this food as that alternative may seem easier in the moment. For the sake of example, let’s call this food pizza. In this case, avoiding the pizza will make it even harder to allow yourself to eat it in future situations, let’s say at a social gathering or restaurant. Such avoidance keeps you from pursuing your values and goals, of “normal eating,” allowing all foods to have a place in your intake.  Yet, when you implement ACT, you force your self-dialogue off track to be curious about the situation in front of you. If your self-talk narrates “I am gross because I ate the pizza/if I eat the pizza,” or try rephrasing that dialogue to “I am having the thought that I am gross because I ate the pizza/if I eat the pizza.” This rephrasing does not avoid the uncomfortable experience, but rather creates distance from your self-perception and reality, explicitly stating that you are simply having a thought, just like the many thoughts and ideas that run through your head throughout the day, as opposed to a characterization of your reality.   2. Acceptance Making room for unpleasant feelings, sensations, urges, and other private experiences; allowing them to come and go without struggling with them, running from them, or giving them undue attention.   3. Contact with the present moment Bringing full awareness to your here-and-now experience, with openness, interest, and receptiveness; focusing on, and engaging fully in whatever you are doing.   4. The Observing Self Accessing a transcendent sense of self; a continuity of consciousness that is unchanging, ever-present, and impervious to harm. From this perspective, it is possible to experience directly that you are not your thoughts, feelings, memories, urges, sensations, images, roles, or physical body. These phenomena change constantly and are peripheral aspects of you, but they are not the essence of who you are.   5. Values Clarifying what is most important, deep in your heart; what sort of person you want to be; what is significant and meaningful to you; and what you want to stand for in this life.    6. Committed Action Setting goals, guided by your values, and taking effective action to achieve them.”   You may notice that your commitment to your core values rather than your self-perception will create space for you to act as your most authentic self. These small shifts in language translate to larger shifts in self-compassion, self-acceptance and a more fulfilling quality of life.   Reference 1.         Leader in training videos for mental health professionals Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): An Overview. https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy-ACT

Probiotics: To Include or Not in Your Diet? When choosing a probiotic supplement, there are many things to consider. Will the probiotic help your microbiome (environment of bacteria in a specific area of your body)? Is the probiotic known to help your individual circumstance? Is the probiotic safe for you or your loved one? Infants, elderly and individuals with a weak immune system should not take probiotics unless recommended by their medical doctor.  Here is a guide to help individuals choose when to take a probiotic if their medical doctor approves. Condition Probiotics Associated with Improved Symptoms Evidence Weight to lose Lactobacillus gasseri & or Lactobacillus rhamnosus Weight loss (14 -16) IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) Combinations of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, & Streptococcus (17) Improve IBS symptoms, bloating, & flatulence (17) Diarrhea due to infection by Clostridium difficile Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lactobacillus casei (18) Reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and C. difficile infection & aid in treatment (18) High cholesterol Fermented milk containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium & Streptococcus thermophiles (19) Lowering effect of total & LDL cholesterol (19) Mood and Depression Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) (20) Lactobacillus plantarum (22) Decrease anxiety and depression (20, 22) To help find which brand to use, consider a visit to www.ConsumerLabs.com, the Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products Available in Canada, or another third-party company that tests a variety of brands for the accuracy and quality of their product. Always consult your medical doctor before taking any probiotic or supplement. Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.   References: 1. Venugopalan V, Shriner KA, Wong-Beringer A. Regulatory Oversight and Safety of Probiotic Use. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16(11):1661. doi:10.3201/eid1611.100574 2. Barzegari A, Eslami S, Ghabeli E, Omidi Y. Imposition of encapsulated non-indigenous probiotics into intestine may disturb human core microbiome. Front Microbiol. 2014;5. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00393 3. Probiotics: What You Need To Know. NCCIH. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know 4. Sanchez M, Darimont C, Drapeau V, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114513003875 5. Aragon G, Graham DB, Borum M, Doman DB. Probiotic Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010;6(1):39. 6. Boonma P, Spinler JK, Venable SF, Versalovic J, Tumwasorn S. Lactobacillus rhamnosus L34 and Lactobacillus casei L39 suppress Clostridium difficile-induced IL-8 production by colonic epithelial cells. BMC microbiology. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-14-177 7. Zhuang G, Liu X-M, Zhang Q-X, et al. Research advances with regards to clinical outcome and potential mechanisms of the cholesterol-lowering effects of probiotics. Clin Lipidol. Published online January 18, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2217/clp.12.40 8. Rao AV, Bested AC, Beaulne TM, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Gut Pathog. 2009;1:6. doi:10.1186/1757-4749-1-6 9. Mallappa RH, Rokana N, Duary RK, Panwar H, Batish VK, Grover S. Management of metabolic syndrome through probiotic and prebiotic interventions. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012;16(1):20. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.91178 10. Psychobiotics in mental health, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. J Food Drug Anal. 2019;27(3):632-648. doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2019.01.002

Celebrating Diversity: Women Redefining Beauty Standards By Rebecca Jaspan MPH, RD, CDN, CDE   Is your self-worth tied to your appearance?  Is your confidence determined by the number you see on the scale?  Do you feel held back until you reach your goal weight?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, know that you are not alone.  We live in a world that bombards us with images of white, thin, able-bodied women on social media, in fashion magazines, and online shopping models.  For many, what we see is not representative of us or the people we know.  This can leave us feeling alienated and even like we need to change our bodies to fit this commonplace “mold”.    At LCWNS, we help our clients find their self-worth from within.  Focusing on what is inside and learning to see ourselves as more than just a body is a key step in recovery.  When we focus on our appearance, this can hold us back from doing the things we want to do.  You may tell yourself a narrative that you’ll never be successful until you look a certain way.  At the same time, we choose how to curate our social media feeds.  We encourage our clients to diversify their social media, fill their feeds with different body types, races, and genders.  Fill your social media with people that give you positive energy rather than triggers for comparison.    While there is certainly a disproportionate representation of one specific population, there are people who are working hard to change this scene.  These five women are excelling and inspiring in their fields while defying the “white, thin ideal”.  Whether they have more fat on their bodies or different color skin, these women are diversifying the image of what a highly successful female looks like.  When you believe in your inner self-worth, you can truly accomplish anything regardless of your appearance.   1. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham is an actress, writer, director, and producer best known for her award-winning television series Girls.  Having struggled with body image herself, Dunham uses her platform to promote body positivity.  On various occasions, Dunham has described on Instagram how much happier she is at a higher weight than when she weighed less because she healthier both mentally and physically.  She has inspired her fans by showing that all body shapes can be celebrated.   2. Mindy Kaling Another body positive advocate in the TV space is Mindy Kaling.  She is an actress, writer, producer, and comedian best known for her role in The Office and creation of The Mindy Project.  Coming from immigrant parents from India, Kaling explains that she never saw a family like hers on TV when she was beginning her career, which inspired her writing.  While Kaling as heard her share of “backhanded compliments” and people telling her she subscribes to “different” ideals of beauty, she champions body acceptance.  She admits to feeling pressure to look a certain way, but expresses that she can’t change her body and accepts herself the way she is.  She has proven to those who have told people who look like her can’t be on TV very wrong indeed.    3. Tammy Duckworth Tammy Duckworth is the Senator of Illinois and a former US army lieutenant colonel.  She served as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War.  In 2004, her helicopter was hit by a grenade and she suffered severe combat wounds, including loss of both of her legs and some mobility in her right arm.  Despite these injuries, Duckworth obtained a medical waiver to continue serving in the army until she retired in 2014.  Duckworth is the first Thai American and first female double amputee elected to Congress as well as the first senator to give birth while in office.  Duckworth didn’t allow these adversities and limitations in ability and appearance to prevent her from ascending to a public figure role.   4. Serena Williams As a world-famous professional tennis player, Serena Williams is breaking down barriers in the sports world.  She has won 23 Grand Slam titles and ranked number 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association eight separate times.  She has also won four Olympic gold medals.  Despite her incredible athletic talents, Williams has been subject to criticism for her appearance, sexism, and racism, and she is on a mission to change that dialogue for younger women.  She advocates embracing natural beauty and having unwavering confidence.  Williams was told she was too muscular or not pretty enough to be a tennis player and she ignored those negative comments and turned inward to loving herself and her body.    5. Brene Brown Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston and author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers.  Her TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 45 million views.  In her work, Brown talks extensively about shame and its relation to body image.  And Brown herself defies the “thin ideal” we so frequently see in public figures.  She says “what we think, hate, loathe, and wonder about the acceptability of our bodies reaches much further and impacts far more than our appearance.  The long reach of body shame can impact who and how we love, work, parent, communicate, and build relationships”.  She speaks about the pressure women feel to measure up to culturally-defined standards of perfection manifesting in a lack of self-worth and the importance finding self-worth from within. 

Top Gluten-Free Brands and Products: RD’s Picks by Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDRD, CDN www.LauraCipullo.com BAKING (Cake Mixes, Brownies, Icing) Simple Mills Hudson River Foods   BREADS  Udi’s Bread  Whole Grain Chia Millet Ener-G Bread  Seattle Brown Loaf Brown Rice Loaf Food for Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread Rice Almond Bread Raisin Pecan Bread Canyon Bakehouse 7-Grain Cinnamon Raisin Bread Bob’s Red Mill  Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix   CEREALS Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Cereals Whole O’s Mesa Sunrise Arrowhead Mills  Organic Maple Buckwheat Flakes Erewhon  Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal Barbara’s Honey Rice Puffins Brown Rice Crisps Chex Gluten-free Corn Chex Rice Chex Van’s Gluten-Free Blissfully Berry Cocoa Sensation Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal Certified Gluten-Free Rolled Oats Simpli Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bakery on Main Gluten-Free Bakery Instant Oatmeal   CHICKEN NUGGETS Applegate Farms  Ian’s Natural Foods  Bell & Evan’s  Tyson    CRACKERS Van’s  Gluten-Free crackers – any flavor Mary’s Gone  Gluten-Free Crackers – any flavor Crunchmaster 7 Ancient Grain crackers Multi-seed crackers – any flavor Multi-grain crackers – any flavor Back to Nature ​Multi-seed Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper Blue Diamond – Nut Thins   DAIRY FREE ALTERNATIVES (Some are DF + GF) Kite Hill Almond milk yogurt and ricotta Forager Project Cashew Yogurt So Delicious Siggi’s Plant-Based Yogurts    PANCAKES & WAFFLES Van’s Ancient Grains Original Waffles Flax Waffles Buckwheat with Berries Waffles Pancakes Nature’s Path Homestyle Waffles Pumpkin Spice Waffles Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix   PASTAS Lundberg Family Farms  Gluten-Free Organic Brown Rice Pasta DeBoles  Multigrain Pasta Varieties Hodgson Mill  Gluten-Free Brown Rice Pastas Jovial Foods Brown Rice Pastas Ancient Harvest  Quinoa Pasta Banza  Chickpea Pasta Tolerant Lentil Pasta   PIZZA Amy’s Kitchen Gluten-Free Pizzas Udi’s  Gluten-Free Pizzas and Pizza Crust Daiya Gluten-Free Dairy-Free   SNACKS AND BARS Lara Bars Kind Bars Glenny’s  Snack Bars Bakery on Main  Gluten-Free Granola Bars Enjoy Life  Chewy Bars Tate’s Gluten-Free Cookies Andean Dream Quinoa Cookies Quinn Snacks Pretzels Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels Coconut Bliss Coconut Ice Cream Artisana Organics + Nuttza Peanut Free Nut Butter Alternatives Van Leeuwen Vegan Cashew Ice Cream   SAUCES La Choy Gluten-Free Soy Sauce Teriyaki Sauce Bragg’s Dressings Aminos (Soy sauce alternative – use the coconut aminos   WRAPS Food for Life  Gluten-Free Brown Rice Tortillas Rudi’s Bakery Plain Tortillas   OTHER Frozen Entrees – Mac & Cheese, Burritos, and Pizza Amy’s Kitchen Smoothies Odwalla Bolthouse Farms    

Top 5 Meal Delivery Services for Varied Diets Meal services have become extremely popular in the last 5 years. So popular, that it can be overwhelming to choose between them. We broke down our 5 favorite meal services here! Cook Unity Cook Unity offers personalized restaurant-style meals from successful and even Michelin Star chefs. Recipes are developed with the guidance of a nutritionist. Each meal is individually portioned which makes this meal service a great option for a single person who may not want to cook dinner nightly. Appetizers, desserts, and pantry goods can also be included in this meal plan! Cook Unity gives users flexibility when it comes to pausing or rescheduling the meal plan. Examples of meals include Honey Mustard Salmon, Tomato Basil Cod with Asparagus, Chili Roasted Shrimp, and Stuffed Delicata Squash.   Trifecta Trifecta, which is delivered from California, provides customers with organic, Paleo options including wild-caught seafood and grass-fed meats. Customers can be in control of their meal plan by choosing the exact carbohydrates, proteins, and veggies for each meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are available to choose from. Trifecta is very flexible, but the amount of meal combinations one can create may seem overwhelming. Examples of meals include Fiesta Veggies and Chicken Breast, Salmon and Asparagus, and Santa Fe Peppers and Flat Iron Steak. Olivia Cooks for You Have a private chef cook affordable, weekly meals for you! Olivia Williamson is a classically trained, Brooklyn-based chef. She delivers to the NYC and Brooklyn area weekly and her meal plan has no commitment. You can cancel, pause, or reschedule at any time. Her meals are microwave and oven safe and just require simple reheating! She uses the same suppliers as those you would find in the grocery store, which keeps the cost down. She varies the menu weekly and they always include vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat-based options. Examples of meals include Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo with Rice, Organic Soba Noodles with Organic Vegetables and Creamy Sesame Dressing, Grass Fed Ribeye Steak, Mashed Organic Potato, and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, and Crispy Kale Salad with Garlicky Organic Chickpea, Corn, and Cilantro Salad with Shredded Organic Carrots. Provenance Meals Provenance offers ready-to-eat meals that are created by wellness experts that target specific issues such as gut health, inflammation reduction, and increasing energy. These meals and snacks are described as “gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free” and composed of organic and local foods. This Brooklyn-based company offers meat-based, vegetarian and vegan meals, snacks, smoothies and other beverages to its customers. Examples of meals include Vanilla Chia Pudding with Chocolate Avocado Mousse, Lemongrass Chicken Ginger Soup, and Red Lentil Mac and Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. Portable Chef Portable Chef provides customers with fully cooked meals using ingredients purchased directly from small, locally-based farms. Their meals are ready to be eaten after warming. This meal service offers flexibility in terms of food preferences and dietary requirements as well as portion sizes. Portable Chef regularly delivers to Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx as well as Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey. Farm-to-table breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks are available to choose from. These meals look delicious, although the portions seem small. Examples of meals include Sweet Potato Pasta with Kale and Mushroom. Dijon Chicken with Farro and Root Vegetables, Corn Jalapeno Soup, and Quinoa Patties with Purple Cauliflower.