MelanieAvalon.com

Sleep Series Part 2: Light, Color, And Sleep Patterns

By melanieavalon / February 1, 2015

I used to hear stuff about light and color influencing sleep (“Don’t look at TVs before bed!”) and thought yeah…doubt it. After all, why would light exposure PRIOR to sleep affect actual asleep? If the lights were off when I finally got to bed, wouldn’t that suffice? Unfortunately….no. Ya see, light exposure is the key factor influencing […]

Sleep Series Part 1: Stages and Rhythms

Sleep

By melanieavalon / January 5, 2015

A year or so ago I read Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival, which escorted my laissez-faire attitude of nonchalance towards sleep out the back door. Long gone are the days of college all nighters fueled by Coke Zero and show tunes, adequately overcome via power naps and stances of “I got this.” Today, I place sleep on a pedestal, understanding how […]

Resist Starch… Unless It’s Resistant!

Gut Health

Paleo

By melanieavalon / January 3, 2015

In a previous post, I discussed the precarious support behind a high fiber diet. To briefly recap, a vast and unsupported assumption crediting fiber with colon cancer prevention fueled the “EAT MORE FIBER ALL THE TIME” mantra. However, I would like to add a caveat. Fiber may actually bear an extremely important relation to health, but […]

Food Label Translation Guide

Uncategorized

By melanieavalon / November 5, 2014

Oh food labels! These days, you can’t just simply go to the grocery store and pick up a slab of meat. (Don’t let’s be silly!) That would be waaayyy too easy. Instead, you must navigate a labely jungle of never-ending promises (Natural! Cage-free!), significantly varying price points, and questionable levels of quality. Indeed, the many labels in […]

A Sweet Guide To Scary Sugar

Sugar

By melanieavalon / October 18, 2014

Now that we’ve got fat out of the way, it’s sugars turn! Unlike fat, sugar is nasty stuff, promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, glycation, free radicals, and the “bad” type of cholesterol. Sugar is also strongly correlated to many forms of cancer. Perhaps most significantly, sugar instigates an insulin response, encouraging fat storage, obesity, and diabetes. While […]

Your Big Fat Guide to Fat

Fat

Paleo

By melanieavalon / October 11, 2014

Fat is confusing stuff. We hate it on our body, yet love it in our mouth. In general we don’t think it’s healthy, but now we’re not so sure? We’re told some kinds of fat are “super foods” which save you from every ill known to mankind, while others kill you. (Don’t even THINK about […]

The “NEAT” Secret: Burn Calories Without Trying!

Calories

By melanieavalon / October 1, 2014

Before I cleaned up my diet, I viewed cardio and calories like a quota. But now I have this crazy idea in my head that maybe just living life can be more effective than such madness, if you set things up correctly. These days I’m in much better shape, with no gym in sight! Instead, I […]

Once Upon A Colonoscopy

Personal

By melanieavalon / September 28, 2014

Note: Due to the very concept of a colonoscopy, the following post contains subject material of a potentially TMI nature (at least for my typical sensibilities). I’m writing it because it concerns digestive health, and also because I had feverishly googled the process before undergoing it, looking for personal survival tales to calm my nerves. (And found […]

17 Signs You’re An “Actress” In LA

Acting

Personal

By melanieavalon / September 12, 2014

Ok, time for my first acting-related post. Why 17? I just like the number 17. 1. You are not surprised by ANYTHING anyone asks you to do. (Oh you want me to act possessed? No worries. Oh you want me to have an imaginary conversation? Sure thing. Oh, you want me to die? Got […]

How Fat Got A Bad Rap (Or Why You Choose The Salad Over The Steak)

Fat

History

By melanieavalon / September 2, 2014

How often do I find myself at a restaurant, debating between the prime rib and filet mignon, when my salivations are interrupted by a friend’s lament: “Oh I want the steak but I’ll be good and get the low fat veggie pasta.” Back in my SAD aka: Standard American Diet days, I’d eye my companion with a sort of envy, begrudging […]