SOYJOY Brunch At BlogHer ’10

On Sunday morning SOYJOY hosted a brunch and discussion on healthy eating for bloggers who were attending the BlogHer conference in New York City. The brunch was held in the Estrella Penthouse of Le Parker Meridien and provided bloggers with a beautiful view of the city.

Attendees had a chance to talk with the other people at their table while enjoying a delicious assortment of breakfast and lunch foods. After brunch the panelists were introduced. The experts that were going to speak and answer questions were Cynthia Sass, Jackie Newgent, and Harley Pasternak (who joined virtually).

First to speak was Cynthia Sass, a registered dietician and the author of the New York Times best seller The Flat Belly Diet. She spoke about why snacking is important, when people should snack, and how they should snack. She stressed the importance of thinking about snacks as a way to tide your body over until the next meal and said that one should never let more than five hours go by without eating. When it came to choosing the right snack she suggested that people choose whole, fresh and minimally processed foods and combine “good” carbohydrates with a low fat protein and a natural fat source. She also reminded us that “food should be there to meet your body’s needs, not your emotional needs”.

Next up was Jackie Newgent who is the author of the 2009 cookbook, Big Green Cookbook. She shared 10 tips for naturally healthful snacking. She started out sharing recipes that would make simple fruits and vegetables more interesting and fun. She shared how adding herbs and spices can change the taste of our favorite meals and encouraged attendees to have fun with the presentation of their foods. She also reminded us to “get real” by aiming to combine foods from at least two food groups in everything that we prepared.

The final expert was Harley Pasternak who is a fitness and nutritional expert and author of The 5-Factor World Diet. After watching a video from Harley the attendees had a chance to have a Q&A session with him through Skype. Harley shared some facts about the world’s healthiest cultures and some benefits of healthy eating and exercise. When speaking about exercise he said that the “stairs are the absolute best thing you can do”.

After the panel of experts each had a chance to speak the floor was open to questions from the attendees. After Q&A the attendees mingled with the experts and had a chance to get their books signed by the authors. Each attendee received a bag with a book and SOYJOY bars as a thank you for attending the event.