Earlier this month, I went to the basement of my apartment building to dust off my bike and hop on after a long winter. Helmet on, I excitedly pedaled down the street. 

Not paying attention, I turned the wrong way down a one way street. Fortunately, there were no cars coming as they were stopped at the red light a block away. Nonetheless, I decided to slow down and pull aside to change directions. The light down the street turned green as I squeezed the brake levers. My bike didn't slow down or stop. 

I squeezed again, still nothing. Confused and a little scared, I rode between two parked cars to figure out why my brakes weren't working.

Turns out I didn't have any!

Sometime between November and May, someone removed my front brake pads and loosened by rear pads. Really people? Who does that? As if riding in NYC isn't scary enough! Anywho, had I checked my bike before I left, I would have noticed sooner. Thank God I noticed before making it too far from my apartment.

So, what could and should I have done before taking my bike for a ride? Turns out, it's as simple as ABC.

The ABC Quick Check was developed by The League of American Bicyclists as a way for cyclists to ensure their bikes are ready and safe for use. A stands for Air, B is for Brakes, and C is cranks, chains, and cassette.

The end is near for the Eat (and Drink) the Rainbow Smoothies Recipe series. I must say, this was the HARDEST smoothie recipe to come up with. Why? Because I couldn't think of any readily available vibrant blue fruit or vegetables. 

After racking my brain, I settled on blueberries though they have always appeared purple to me... much like this smoothie. Blue, purple, or blurple, it's delicious and good for you. Isn't that all that really matters?

This yummy drink is the total package; she's got brains and beauty. The blueberries are full of polyphenols, most notably anthocyanins, known to protect brain cells, which could potentially improve and protect our memory. Polyphenols might also improve the appearance of our skin through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The chia seeds lend quite the potent combination of unsaturated fatty acids and proteins to the mix.

Brilliantly Beautiful is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K, and B6, potassium, and manganese. It also boasts a good amount of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, and copper. Being made solely of fruit, vegetables, and seeds it is also an amazing source of fiber.

Read on and drink up if you want a drink that can help you become even more beautiful, brilliant, and healthy.

Everyday I get to shake my pompons and shout, "Get it ladies!" as I watch my friends, mentors, and other women passionately pursue their education and career aspirations. For many, the pursuit of these dreams means delaying motherhood longer than our predecessors. It's not news to any of us. 

You've probably read the stats. The longer you wait, the harder it might be to conceive when you decide to try. So more and more of us are wondering what we can do to maintain our fertility and improve our reproductive health as we boldly go where few have gone before. 

Now, more than ever before, women are thinking about how the diet and lifestyle choices they make today may affect their ability to have children in the future.

I'm always amazed when I read a new (and many times old, but new to me) research article about the role nutrition plays in women's health and fertility. I love the idea that there are things we can do to improve not only our health, but also our chances of becoming pregnant when we decide it is time to add mommy to our list of roles.

There are a number of foods and nutrients that appear to have an impact on our fertility. Some good, some not so good. Diet recommendations for reproductive health, based in sound science, are no different than the recommendations to maintain a healthy weight. They are almost identical to the diet recommendations to ward off, and in some cases treat, chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. What's good for your womb is good for the rest of your body, too.

The green smoothie; the quintessential healthy drink that started the whole craze. You can find a million and one green smoothie recipes online. There are entire websites dedicated solely to green smoothies. Why? Because they're delicious, nutritious, and easy to make.

I turn to this smoothie when I need something filling and want something creamy for breakfast. The creamy texture comes from the avocado. The avocado boasts a pretty impressive nutrient composition. It is a major source of monounsaturated fatty acids, a heart healthy and healthy skin supporting fat. And there's more!

This smoothie is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K, and B6, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. It also contains a good amount of Vitamin E, copper, iron, pantothenic acid, niacin, and riboflavin.

Please share links for your favorite green smoothie recipes in comment box below. I'm always on the hunt for more. Happy sipping!

Today marks the first day of National Bike Month. May is the month we celebrate this awesome mode of transportation and fun way to stay fit. Biking offers all sorts of benefits to both the rider and the environment. If you are looking for a low impact way to get and stay in shape, look no further.

Red, orange, yellow...Naturally, yellow is the next color on our list as we eat and drink our way through the rainbow. Yummy You is full of amazing nutrients like water, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients galore; this smoothie can go a long way in improving our health and beautifying our skin.

Yummy You is one of the sweeter smoothies in this series. I like to make it when I'm craving a sweet treat. It satisfies my sweet tooth, gives my tastebuds what they want, and gives my body what it needs. It's an excellent source of fiber, Vitamins, A, C, and B6, niacin, folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese. It's also packing quit a bit of vitamin K, pantothenic acid, iron, and phosphorus.

I confess! I have absolutely no clue EXACTLY how many more calories a quarter cup of almonds provides compared to a quarter cup of pistachios. Daily, people ask me how many calories are in a food and I typically have to answer, "I don't know, I'll have to look it up." They then usually look at me with an expression of shock and dismay. Oh, the scandal!

It's expected that as a dietitian-nutritionist I have a database of calorie counts for every food under the sun in my mind. It's also assumed I count calories myself to guide my dietary choices and teach others to do the same. But honestly, none of these three are true.

Do I think calorie counting has value? Absolutely! Do I stress it when I meet with patients? Rarely. Why not? Because low calorie does not necessarily equal healthful or beneficial. From what I have seen, focusing on calories breeds (or maybe it is the result of) a mindset of deprivation and punishment.

I'm back with another smoothie recipe. We're still eating (and drinking) the rainbow for better health and enhanced beauty. Next up is Ooh La La (alliteration with the letter O was not nearly as easy as it was with the letter R for our Ravishingly Radiant red smoothie. I did the best I could.) This smoothie is orange in color, but surprise, surprise there's not a single orange in it.

So if our orange smoothie doesn't have an orange in it, what is giving it that outstanding color? Mango, carrot, and turmeric. These 3 beauties lend more than just color; they also provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

It also includes ginger, banana, and cauliflower. Not sure about adding cauliflower to your smoothie? Trust me. I often advise my veggie-phobic patients who are looking for a way to add vegetables to their diet to try adding vegetables to fruit based smoothies. The inevitable question they all ask is, "Won't I taste it? Which ones won't taste so bad?" I always suggest cauliflower because its flavor is relatively mellow. I have yet to hear a complaint.

Ooh La La (don't you love saying that?) is packing a whopping 12.5 g of fiber; that's half of the daily recommended amount. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K, and B6, as well as folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Looking for a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, and phosphorus? You need look no further. Bottoms up