Something’s always wrong a.k.a. my right foot

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What's Red All Over (Sometimes), But Always Good For You?

For the backyard gardner or farmers market forager, tomato season is one of the true joys of summer. They may not be around for long, but when they are  there is little you can put on your plate that so easily and simply (and healthily) packs so much flavor.

Some swear by the many, many interesting and wildly different heirloom varieties (in all sorts of colors and patterns). Others just as proudly show off the hybrids they grew in their backyards, passing out bags bursting with tomatoes to friends and neighbors when the bounty arrives. But either way, come August and September in most of the country those at the table are in for a delicious treat.

The tomato has long been a controversial fruit, er, vegetable, though. Did you know that on May 10, 1983 The U.S. Supreme Court officially declared the tomato a vegetable, based on the fact that they are generally served with dinner and not dessert? Botanists may argue the other way. Whichever side of the debate you fall on however, one thing is for sure: The tomato is a good for you food!

Tomatoes are not only extremely versatile and taste great; they also have many nutritional benefits. They are high lycopene. Lycopene is a phytochemical found in tomatoes (and fruit such as watermelon and pink grapefruit) that has potent antioxidant properties. Many studies have revealed evidence that lycopene may help decrease the risk of prostate cancer while working in concert with other nutrients.

Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and fiber. One medium tomato is approximately 95% water and has 22 calories. One cup of fresh tomatoes provides over 57% of the daily value for vitamin C, 22% of the daily value for vitamin A, and almost 8% of the daily value for fiber.

Sometimes it's all we can do to wait to pop the deep red slices into our mouths as soon as the orbs are sliced. Others blanche and preserve their ruby treasures or boil them down into sauces so the late-summer treat can last months more.

But raw or cooked -- which is better? Fat­soluble nutrients such as lycopene become more concentrated when tomatoes are cooked. Vitamin C, on the other hand, is more abundant in raw tomatoes. You'll be happy to know that you should enjoy this anti-aging “fruit” both ways for optimal benefits.

Try this recipe I learned from a friend in Hawaii for a delicious tomato salad -- you'll find it at FlavorFirst.com.

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Win a one-year membership to the Biggest Loser Club! Season 12 is just weeks away, but until the premiere we'll be giving away a year-long membership to the Biggest Loser Club, a customized interactive diet and fitness program, every week. To enter for your chance to win sign up for my monthly newsletter of tips, recipes, news and advice. Sign up here.

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Something’s always wrong a.k.a. my right foot

Tell someone about Jennette’s latest book, Chocolate & Vicodin and you could win an iPod Shuffle or a gift card from Amazon or iTunes. Learn more.

If I could have one wish I think it would be to have a year without any medical problems or injuries. Not a lifetime, just a year! I’d like one sweet, sweet, year when my body would function just as it was supposed to. Alas, this will probably always remain a fantasy. I always tended to injure myself when I was running or training for races, and even though I’m not training for anything right now my right foot is causing problems.

I don’t remember the day my right foot began to hurt (kinda like I don’t remember the moment I got my headache), but it was sometime around late December 2010. I felt a pain in my arch whenever I walked, but it felt fine when standing or sitting with no weight on it. I thought it would just heal with time, but it started to get worse, particularly after I did anything active that required bending my foot, like, oh, WALKING.

I decided I needed to see a doctor, but I waited until February to schedule an appointment because that’s when my COBRA ran out and my state-sponsored health insurance for sickos kicked in. Little did I know that it would take TWO MONTHS to get an appointment with a general practitioner. I might have been able to get in sooner if I’d bitched about it, but the foot wasn’t really an emergency, so I just waited.

When I did get in to see the doctor in early April, she took a look, didn’t find anything obviously wrong and decided to send me to a podiatrist. So I have to wait ANOTHER MONTH to get an appointment with that expert. I wish I’d known all this back in January and had just scheduled an appointment with the foot doctor for February. But I didn’t, so here I am, having walked around on a dodgy foot for four months before I can get an expert to tell me what’s wrong.

It’s particularly frustrating because it makes exercising more inconvenient. Yeah, I can bike or swim or yadda, yaddda, yadda, but the best exercise is the exercise you actually do, and for me that’s always been walking and running. I like that it’s basically idiot proof (though maybe I am disproving that assumption). I like that it’s meditative and gives me time to just think. I like that it allows me to wander about the city and feel more connected to my community. I miss it.

Part of me wonders if they’ll take an x-ray and I’ll learn I’ve been walking on a broken foot all year. It would kinda suck to go to FitBloggin’ on crutches. My doctor said a broken bone was unlikely, though, so I might just end up getting a special insert for my shoe. Or maybe I’ll have to weird really dorky orthopedic shoes. I hope this doesn’t turn into something like Shauna’s dodgy knee saga back in 2006 where I learn if I’d done something sooner I could have prevented more damage and drastically shortened my recovery time.

For anyone who’s about to diagnose me, I don’t think it’s plantar fasciitis. I had a case of that about 8 years ago and my current pain doesn’t feel like that. The plantar fasciitis pain was focused on the bottom of my foot near my heel, whereas my recent foot pain is located in the middle of my arch. Also, the pain from plantar fasciitis goes away as you walk around because you’re warming up the muscle, making it stretch and making it more flexible. This recent pain hurts no matter how long I’ve walked and actually gets a bit worse the more I do walk.

The strangest twist in all this is that my foot feels best when I’m wearing high-heeled boots. Go figure! High heels are supposed to be all kinds of evil for your feet, but for whatever reason they seem to take pressure off of my trouble spot. I’ve been a strong hater of everything high-heeled for most of my life. I’ve always considered high-heels to be uncomfortable and unnecessary since I’m already 5’9? without them. But I was charmed into buying a pair of boots with a 2.5? heel on sale, and now I’m sort of coming around on the issue.

Off-topic: Do people in foreign countries measure heel height in centimeters? I’ve never thought about this before and it now seems rather odd to me. Does this affect shoe production and design?

"Smart, unflinchingly honest, and laugh-out-loud funny."– Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice

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So, you’ve always *said* you’d be better than JILLIAN?

(Why yes. That IS me jumping for joy at the mere thought of one of YOU being the next B.L. trainer!)

OK, People.

It has happened.

Ive gotten the call from a big!tv!casting director! (waitforit) and he wants you.

The collective you.

The female personal trainer yous who have always longed  to get your hands on the Biggest Loser contestants for the chance to strut your stuff, git on TV, and train like the mad woman you are.

Here’s the info:

NBC’S “The Biggest Loser” is searching for female trainers.

Are you specialized in a specific field or just an incredibly qualified, certified and experienced trainer with personality?

The following types of trainers are encouraged to apply:

- Ex-professional athletes/ ex-olympians with training certifications
- Trainers with well known clientele
- Trainers who have been featured on local news affiliates
- Trainers featured in fitness magazines
- Trainers sponsored by athletic companies (Nike, Addidas, lululemon, etc.)
- Trainers who are local celebrities

To be considered or to refer someone send the following information in an email to trainertvcasting@gmail.com:

Name:
Age:
City/State:
Name of Training Certification(S):
Years as a PT:
Contact Phone Number:
BIO: short bio on training, what they specialize in, what type of trainer they are..
Brag: Any magazine you’ve been published in, if you’ve ever been on a show, radio show, etc., won any trainer awards, anything you want to put down to brag about how good you are
LINK: Include links of any footage of them training or media they’ve done (if possible)
PHOTOS: Attach 3 photos of themselves.

Uh ok.

Whatcha waiting for?

We’ve emailed.

We’ve chatted in the comments.

We’ve texted.

We’ve tweeted.

I *know* you’ve thought at one point or another Good gosh Id be a much better trainer! Get me on that show!

This is your chance.

Get to applying.

Got any questions?  Hit me up below and Ill try and get ‘em answered for you asap.

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