Do your food cravings change by the season?

Mine do. This winter I was allll about chili. My boyfriend and I made it quite a bit, and we actually still have some saved in the freezer! It's filling, yummy and just so satisfying during the colder months. (And well, I'm always looking for an excuse to eat tortilla chips!) Well now that the temps are rising, my ice cream cravings have kicked into full gear, and it's just down right dangerous.

After I finished my Glamour reporting in Union Square this afternoon, I had a hankering for something cold and creamy, so I popped into The Lite Choice just a block away for a cup of Dark Chocolate Truffle with mint chips. It was so good--I love their selection of toppings! (New Yawkers, check out these awesome giveaways they are doing right now!)

I had chilled out a bit (pun intended) on the ice cream and froyo treats a bit when the weather was cooler, but today I realized that it's not going to be quite as easy to resist once summer officially starts. Pretty soon, I know I'm going to want ice cream every.single.day. I don't think I'm strong enough to resist it--actually, I know I'm not--but I'm going to try to just get a small serving every time I do have it. I guess it's all about compromise and balance and the idea that everything is good in moderation. Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah. We'll have to wait and see how THAT goes!

So what about you: do your food cravings change by the season? What do you love to eat during the summer?

Photo Shoot Friday: Tasti-D-Lite, I'm breaking up with you.

It's not you, it's me. My needs have changed. I've found something real and organic, that satisfies my taste buds like nothing else can. I'm moving on...

When the owner of The Lite Choice emailed me about coming in to do a "Taste The Difference" tour, I was all over it. Sampling yummy froyo—now that's something I'm good at! Actually, I learned that it's not froyo and it's not ice cream, which is why it's called soft serve. Why? Because it only contains 3 percent of fat, and ice cream has at least 10. And, TLC is all natural—it's not made with added sugars and artificial ingredients that's used in frozen yogurt. Pretty cool, huh?

I was greeted with a cup of hot chocolate—it was so rich and chocolaty. And, it only sets you back 130 calories and 99 cents!

You know when you walk into a yogurt store with your heart set on Cookies 'n' Cream, only to be let down when you see it's not being served that day? Well,  TLC makes a promise that you can have any of their 70 flavors at any time. Seems impossible, right? Everything can be made with vanilla or chocolate—flavored syrups and toppings are added to make the flavor of your choice.

One of my favorites was peanut butter. The peanuts are ground fresh, directly into your cup! It was so yummy, and the crunchy texture made it so I didn't even need a topping!

My absolute favorite was Chocolate Chip Mint. Pieces of mint candy bar were mixed in with chocolate—it was so so good. Seriously, it tasted like something you'd get at Cold Stone, without all the fat and calories. It's only 109 cals a serving! 

I was so busy sampling every flavor that was put before me—Raspberry, Butter Pecan, Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, Banana—that I didn't get any pics! But at least I snapped this hot fudge sundae before I devoured it. How many calories would you guess this is?

You know me, I'm always trying to find ways to be eat better. One thing I've been working on recently is cutting back my intake of processed foods and foods that contain a bijillion ingredients I can't pronounce—healthier dessert options is a start, right?!

TLC gave me a coupon to come in with six friends to get FREE soft serve, so to all my NYC readers out there, let me know when you want to go and we'll make it happen! I'd love to bond with you :)

Geeze, it's only 10am and I'm now dying for a treat! I'm off to the gym though for yoga and a kickass treadmill run. Tell me: What's your favorite froyo/ice cream/soft serve flavor? What about the toppings? Ohh I looove toppings! 

Do your friends influence your eating habits?

I wrote an article about this topic in Shape magazine a couple years ago, and I thought I'd address it here because I continue to realize how much this is true for me. If I'm brunching with a super-healthy friend, I'll usually forgo the burger and fries and get an egg white omelette with whole wheat toast on the side . But if my friend orders the burger and fries, well, there's a much greater chance I will follow suit. Why do you think that is?

For me, a big reason is that I want to be part of the group. I don't want to stand out or to make someone else feel guilty about their food choices. Maybe this is a lame excuse for my lack of willpower, but I really think it's true because I am very much a people pleaser. I want to be the relatable friend others feel comfortable around. The one that can chime in and say "me too!" when a friend is complaining about gaining a few pounds or the drunk pizza she had the night before. Does that sound ridiculous?

Excuse the cheesy pic (pun intended)--I thought it'd be good to get some fresher faces on the blog instead of 29 year-olds with forehead wrinkles for a change. Anyway, I really need to get a handle on my actions when it comes to friends and eating. Of course, eating is a social thing that should be enjoyed, but sometimes I spiral out of control a bit too much.

The Harvard study that was included in my Shape story stated that if you have an obese friend, your chances of being overweight increase by 57 percent. That is a lot. Why? Because if you have overweight friends, your ideals of what is healthy and acceptable is different, and you tend to adopt their habits. One of the experts from the study told me that even a long distance friend you only see once a year can have an effect on your weight. Crazy!

Now, of course you can still be healthy and have an overweight friend. We don't need to take that study so literally, but I do think there is some truth in the fact that your friends influence what you eat. Most of my friends are like me: Conscious about their health, but still enjoy ice cream or a slice of pizza (or two) from time to time. (Or, um, a lot of the time).

So what about you: Do your friends influence your eating habits?