“I really feel like Indian food.”  I previously blogged about Dhaba restaurant takeout in my SELF blogs and had wanted to try it again so I thought “why not?”

The restaurateurs’ could not be friendlier.  If you want a great vibe of fun, friendliness and tasty food go to Dhaba.  You can order things a la carte or as a dinner.  We decided to order a la carte for the blog to try the more items.

We ordered an appetizer of hummus with cucumber/tomato/onion combo and some naan.  The hummus was different than traditional Middle Eastern hummus – thinner but just as tasty and went well with the vegetable dish.  I had a few bites of naan but it really was fine without it if you are avoiding bread/gluten.

We then ordered channa masala (garbanzo beans with onion/tomato curry/ginger), the special of the day, which was Kale with garlic/radish, and tikka masala (chicken tikka in onion/tomato curry).

The channa masala was my favorite – the combo of spices and beans is amazing and kills the appetite fairly quickly if you are looking to eat less.  I’m passing this along as a good thing since eating less is always challenging.

The Kale was a nice change from regular west side kale salad – quite spicy and filling.  The tikka masala chicken was just the right balance of protein with veggies and spices.  I had some chai tea, which had a wonderful taste and is a tad sweet but goes well with the balancing the spices.

I noticed a family which had ordered the dinner combinations and they reminded me of the “lunch box” look you get when you order at a Japanese restaurant – a fun combo of a lot of different things on the menu.

I would definitely recommend Dhana as a great “Clean Eating” Indian restaurant to add to your list to try.  They have organic local produce from the Farmer’s markets and use mostly organic meats.

My rating system is below and these are the numbers.

1. Clean Food (sampled) – 4.5

2. Clean Space – 5

3. Friendly Staff – 5+

4. Balanced proportions of protein/carb/fat – 4

5. No Food Hangover – 4.5

Dhana got a 4.6/5

About 10 years ago I noticed most of my clients losing weight and eating healthfully from the months of March through the end of October. 

Then something happens.

In November the days get shorter, the weather is colder (even in California), the holidays are upon us and the body starts to hibernate and want to “hold on.”  There is something about the chill in the air that causes us to want more warm “comfort” food.

People aren’t as focused, SAD (seasonal affect disorder) is in full gear and eating healthfully and getting enough exercise becomes more challenging.

We are not bears but somehow the body is not as geared towards letting go and being able to change. 

I do believe seasons affect us more than we realize.

My philosophy is this:  concentrate on losing weight from March to October – eat as “clean” as you can and get as much exercise/activity as your schedule will allow for.

During the winter months, keep as close to your food plan as you can with as much exercise as is reasonable to keep your weight stable.  Stability is the key for the winter.  Change is hard, even in the body and honoring the challenges of the season is important.

This is not a get out of jail free card for eating hot fudge sundaes but just the reality of needing to give the body the dignity of change or not for the season to season time of year.

 “Get rid of acid in the body caused by stress, pollution and the Western diet”

 “Say goodbye to disease by using this natural antioxidant”

The claims of alkaline water will lead you to believe it is the fountain of youth and can solve many of your ills and health issues.

I’ve heard about alkaline water for a long time and have just not wanted to think about it, blog about it or talk about it but it’s staring me in the face so over the last 2 weeks I’ve done a vast amount of reading and research and here are my thoughts:

Alkaline water is a multi-level marketing scheme.  It includes buying ionizer machines are extremely costly that supposedly put water through a process called electrolysis, which changes the pH of the water.  Proponents of alkaline water say making the water more alkaline will cure anything from diabetes to cancer.

Can this truly be helpful?  Let’s start with understanding the pH scale, which goes from 0 to 14.

From my chemistry days I learned that anything below a pH of 7 is considered acidic and anything above is alkaline with 7 being neutral. 

Our bodies live in an extremely narrow pH range, and if they changed it could make us extremely sick or compromise our lives.

I also have to turn to mother nature and know that no naturally occurring alkaline water exists and millions of years of evolution can’t be completely off.

The stomach is an acid environment and no specific food or beverage can alter that.  As food leaves your stomach and enters your intestine food becomes neutral from pancreatic secretions to become more alkaline.

The internal structures of your cells live in a certain pH zone and interfering with that can be cause for health problems. 

For example, with kidney disease your body cannot regulate the pH balance and poisons can accumulate in your bloodstream, eventually causing death unless one has dialysis.

Our bodies are so finely tuned to be in a certain range that to think changing the pH of your water could be the fountain of youth is just magical thinking.  And if you still think it could help I have some swampland in Ohio that needs a buyer.

Perhaps another option is to fuel your body with the purist whole foods that are not man-made – fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, grass-fed meat, fish, pastured chicken/eggs, organic dairy and naturally occurring water.

I'll drink to that!