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Pooja R. Mottl
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Pooja Mottl is inspiring a contemporary and integrated approach to healthy living in America. Pooja seeks to give individuals the tools and perspective to navigate through the latest food and fitness fads in order to make the best decisions for their daily health. Her approach also conveys a need for Americans to become "policy aware" as our nation confronts the perils associated with rising levels of obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases.

Currently based in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, she has also called London and Los Angeles home. Pooja has done research, writing and consulting in the areas of sustainable food, nutrition and health and is a candidate of the Chef's Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute. She is also a NSCA-CPT certified fitness professional. Pooja graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor in Economics and holds a Masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She began her career as an Investment Banker on Wall Street.

You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Blog Entries by Pooja R. Mottl

Eggs That Elevate Health, Conscience, and More?

(1) Comments | Posted November 6, 2012 | 12:02 PM

It's sad knowing that most eggs are unlucky. Almost all chicken eggs, the backbone of thousands of culinary creations, from soufflés to omelettes, come from hens that never stepped foot on a blade of grass, basked in a ray of sunshine, ate bugs, or foraged the way that mother nature...

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How HypnoBirthing Supported the Labor I Hoped for

(2) Comments | Posted October 2, 2012 | 1:30 AM

"Yup." That's what I heard my husband yell out from the bathroom after that little strip on our pregnancy turned "positive." It had happened -- I was pregnant!

For the next few days and weeks I was in bliss mode, until, that is, the morning sickness showed up.

A...

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5 Late-Summer Farmers' Market Recipes

(3) Comments | Posted August 31, 2012 | 8:00 PM

It's not too late! You can still enjoy the tastiest fruit and veggies from your local farmers' markets. In fact, the summer harvest is still at its peak and in just one visit to the market (with a few helpers to assist you in carrying the goods!), you can prepare...

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Easy Transitions to Healthier Eating

(15) Comments | Posted January 16, 2012 | 11:23 AM

With a full year ahead of us, now is the perfect time to reset yourself when it comes to food and start making simple changes to our eating habits to make healthy eating less of a "resolution," a "sacrifice" or a "burden," and more of an easy, ingrained, natural part...

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Holiday Menu: 5 Sustainable Courses For A Healthy Holiday Meal

(5) Comments | Posted December 17, 2011 | 10:16 AM

The holiday season is in full swing! It's that fabulous time of the year which comes to us like clockwork -- a sustainable, annual feature of our everyday lives.

Yet, how sustainable is the food we're celebrating with? Interesting to think about, right? Last week I teamed up with...

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The Truth Behind Sexy, Year-Round Abs

(5) Comments | Posted November 10, 2011 | 8:09 AM

How many times have you heard that getting a flat, sexy tummy is based mainly on what you eat? But on the flip side, how many times have you seen fitness infomercials touting the latest and greatest 6-pack routine to "disintegrate" belly fat in minutes? Which one is it? Are...

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3 Ways to Get Your Taste Buds Loving H2O

(21) Comments | Posted October 25, 2011 | 8:39 AM

Don't like the taste of water? These days, you're certainly not alone. But when it comes to human history, disliking H2O was a risky endeavor. Here's the how and the why.

As history notes, water has been quenching, refreshing and balancing our palate and hydration needs for most of human...

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How To Reset Your Taste Buds -- Using Chocolate

(52) Comments | Posted October 5, 2011 | 8:01 AM

Dear Fellow Chocoholics,

Chocolate, in small amounts, can be good for you. But how do you know you're really eating pure chocolate? Could you in fact be consuming an adulterated knockoff?

The truth is, most of the chocolate America eats is what I call "chocolate in disguise." Why? Because chocolate...

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Vitamin-Packed Seafood Dinners -- In Just 15 Minutes Or Less

(4) Comments | Posted August 30, 2011 | 8:04 AM

It doesn't get much better than seafood in the summer! And to honor the season's end, here are three healthy and delicious recipes you can make for yourself or to show off to friends in 15 minutes or less! Using quick cooking techniques such as poaching, simmering and pan-searing, these...

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3 Summer Exercises To Boost Balance, Coordination And Tone

(2) Comments | Posted July 20, 2011 | 8:27 AM

When summer rolls around, I make it a point to use the outdoors as much as possible for fitness because it gives us the chance to move our bodies freely in wide open areas instead of being cooped up in crowded gyms. Places like your local park, and high school...

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All-Natural Sports Drinks To Beat The Heat

(24) Comments | Posted June 24, 2011 | 8:05 AM

Summer is here! Running from your kids' early morning baseball game to the tennis courts for some practice in the afternoon sun requires you to be adequately fueled, nourished and hydrated.

Here are three simple, delicious and nutrient-rich drinks you can mix at home using just a blender! Unlike...

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Healthy Vegan: How To Avoid 3 Common Pitfalls

(21) Comments | Posted June 13, 2011 | 8:42 AM

Thinking about going vegan? Know someone who is? As vegan gets more airplay with Oprah, Clinton and Wynn, increasingly some of the most common questions I'm asked are "What do you think of vegan?" or "How do I cook vegan at home?"

Without debating the pros and cons of going...

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Exercises For Balance, Coordination And Agility

(3) Comments | Posted June 2, 2011 | 8:07 AM

How much do you think about balance, coordination and agility when it comes to fitness?

For many Americans, the word "exercise" is only associated with "gym" and "jogging." But in order to keep our bodies resilient with age and prevent common injuries that occur from everyday activities (tripping, back...

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Moving Beyond Sushi: Amplify Your Health With Tasty and Traditional Japanese

(6) Comments | Posted April 25, 2011 | 2:50 PM

As a natural foods chef, I explore ways to create meals that are not only amazingly delicious, but good for you. I've always been inspired by traditional cuisines -- Thai, Indian, Mexican -- but one in particular intimidated me: Japanese. The ingredients and terminology seemed so foreign. This was one...

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Food Labels: How to Spot Hidden Sugars

(99) Comments | Posted January 18, 2011 | 7:28 AM

Try finding out how much sugar has really been added to your yogurt, cereal, bread or energy bar, and watch the hours fly by!

Although the FDA (and the USDA) has certainly acknowledged and tried to define the term "added sugars," or those sugars...

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A New Year, A New YOU! 5 Healthy Solutions That Will Change Your 2011

(3) Comments | Posted December 31, 2010 | 12:06 PM

It was a season of office parties and late nights out, with plenty of cocktails, heaps of holiday ham, and extra servings of pie, cake and Christmas cookies. As the dust settles and the indigestion abates, 2011 resolutions for better health begin in earnst. Many of you will resolve to...

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Thanksgiving Recipes: 3 Ways to Bring Delicious Mindfulness to Your Day

(13) Comments | Posted November 25, 2010 | 12:08 PM

Today we are celebrating my favorite holiday of the year. To me, Thanksgiving signals the smell of nutmeg and cinnamon in the air, spending time with my family, and baking some delicious, sweet and savory fare.

Yet, if we take a peak underneath the modern-day Thanksgiving hood, the food on...

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Learning to Cook Can Save Your Life: 5 Tips to Get Started (RECIPES)

(71) Comments | Posted October 7, 2010 | 8:00 AM

Last week, CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviewed Bill Clinton about how he's beating his heart disease with a new food regime and help from Dr.'s Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn. I couldn't have been happier to see the Prez feeling better. Yet it also excited me that he could...

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Can Stevia Solve Our Obsession With Sweetness?

(156) Comments | Posted June 23, 2010 | 8:00 AM

I'm always looking to Mother Nature for some alternatives to mainstream food ingredients to help consumers and clients stay healthier and feel their best. It's thought that one such ingredient may be stevia, or more correctly, stevia-derived sweeteners. Stevia sweeteners are gaining popularity because of two main factors: they contain...

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Good Health Starts at Sustainable Farms (PHOTOS)

(12) Comments | Posted May 28, 2010 | 10:21 AM

Although most people have an idea that a KFC's new Double Down bunless sandwich may be a less healthy choice than a chicken salad, we rarely question the chain of events that was necessary to get those bites into our mouths. Where and how exactly was that "food"...

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