I’m not a big fan of milk – call me crazy, but I’m turned off from things that come from a fat animal’s udder.  Over the years, I’ve learned to accept the fact that I either drink up or risk breaking my bones.  Thankfully, there are some tasty as well as effective alternatives to regular cow’s milk, including my favorite: Blue Diamond Original Almond Milk.

Almond milk is made (obviously) from almonds.  One cup of Blue Dimond’s unsweetened variety includes 60-70 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat – that’s about 15 calories less than a cup of skim milk.  A glass  packs 10% of the Recommended Daily Value (DV) for Vitamin A and 50% for Vitamin E (both antioxidants that protect the body’s cells and tissues from damage).  As all milk should be, almond milk is rich in calcium, providing 300 mg / 30% of the DV (the same amount per cup as cow’s milk and soy milk).

Ditch the cow, save some calories, and grab your almond milk.

I’m not a huge fan of yogurt - quite frankly, anything that comes from a swollen cow udder scares me (although I can make an exception for a good brick of cheese).  With that being said, I would prefer not to have osteoporosis when I get older so I know that now is the time to pack in the calcium.

The one kind of yogurt I don’t mind, is Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt.  Compared to regular non fat plain yogurt, going Greek includes less sugar, carbohydrates and lactose.  Thanks to the straining process, Greek yogurt is also unbelievably rich (think dessert rich) with a smooth dense texture and higher concentration of protein (avg. of 20 grams/cup vs. 13 grams in American style yogurt) all making you feel full longer. 

I have tried a few different kinds but Fage has it down pat with the best taste and most positive nutritional value – plus you can use it for cooking (substitute for sour cream or creme fraiche etc).  I’ll eat it my Fage with fresh blueberries and a quarter cup of granola for a substantial afternoon snack.

The Fall in New York is beautiful, but I’m already getting sick of pumpkin spiced coffee and heavily decorated Halloween displays – over it (I know, bad attitude to have this early in the season).  With summer treats like Van Leeuwen’s Ice Cream, how could you not want it to be 80 and sunny all year long?!

Benjamin Van Leeuwen, a 24-year old ex Good Humor truck driver, sells his homemade ice cream from a buttery yellow postal service truck around the city (check his website for seasonal truck locations).  Using local, hormone and antibiotic free milk and cream (no stabilizers or preservatives), the all organic ice cream envelopes unique and exotic ingredients  to enrich old school flavors – Tahitian beans aged in vodka oak barrels anyone?   Excluding the use of condensed milk, corn syrup or any other kind of artificial sugar, coloring or thickener, the scoops of ice cream are pure in taste and light in texture.  Even the toppings are homemade and organic to complete the experience.  Van Leeuwen also makes sure to reduce his carbon footprint (and yours) by using sugar cane and corn husks for his biodegradable cups, napkins, spoons and straws.  As if this 24-year old entrepreneur wasn’t doing enough, he contributes one percent of his profits towards the protection of the Congo Mountain Gorilla.  So go ahead…eat some Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, you’ll feel like you did a good thing for the environment, your body…and the gorillas!

My favorite is a combination of the hazelnut (made from Piedmont Hazelnuts processed in a facility in Italy that uses the hazelnut shells to generate electricity) with two scoops of strawberry (containing actual pieces of fresh berries).