Healthy Dining

By Kathy Barnett Managing Editor

So many who make new year’s resolutions include a goal of losing weight or eating healthier only to give up on day 3 or 4. Some (like me) don’t even make it that far.

However, Stacy Winton, a registered dietition and health and wellness expert, has inspired me to try yet once again and stick to it. Her advice is to make better choices. If I slip up and surrender to eating something unhealthy, remember to immediately get back on track. Don’t give up.

Stacy feels functional and integrative nutrition can be simple or elegant as well as delicious, energizing, and fun. She can often be found in her favorite spot, the kitchen, creating new healthy recipes to share with her patients and clients. Besides her current career at Broward Health Mediacal Center as a Dietitian, she also holds group cooking classes and demos. You can learn how to prepare good food that’s also good for you right in your own home. She also offers individual nutrition assessments, coaching, guided supermarket tours and counsels on weight loss, menu planning and Neuro-Nutrition.

Neuro-Nutrition, a unique approach to neurological conditions that include traumatic brain injury, seizures, Alzheimer’s dementia, and more uses functional medicine/ nutrition and specific diets to alleviate and even eliminate symptoms of these debilitating conditions.

“Why Green?” Stacy asks. “Ketogenic diet” generally conjures up images of platters heaped high with steaks, ribs, and bacon. Well, as a practicing vegetarian AND an advocate of a ketogenic diet I was often stuck eating the same foods over and over until I decided to do some serious web searching and work some kitchen wizardry to widen my food repertoire.

“Yes, I’ve been baking, sautéing, roasting, and blending so I can share these delicious discoveries with my private clients and co-workers including other dietitians, nurses, physicians, our chef, and anyone else in reach of my sampling spoons.”

For more information or to book a particular class, visit https://www.stacywinton.com/contact Accept Stacy’s challenge to start the new year out right!

t’s a question fitness-minded business

Iand leisure travelers often ask: where to find walking, biking and paddling trails near Atlanta? Woodstock, Georgia, just 35 minutes north of the Atlanta perimeter on I-75/575, is the unexpected answer. From trails for walking, running and mountain biking to golf, Woodstock offers the satisfaction of scenery while getting a workout with outdoor activities you’d expect to find much farther afield. line.

Walk or rent bicycles and ride the 20 miles of the Greenprints Trail System, a series of multi-use trails along shaded creeks in and around Woodstock. Click through to the website to learn more or find a trail. For aficionados, AllTrails. com notes 14 scenic trails in the Woodstock area, including kid-friendly; easy; scenic river and forest hikes and more.

Some prefer to set up their basecamp in Woodstock for exploring more of the North Georgia mountains. Others like its proximity to the city for meetings, special events and shopping. Both love the surprising array of sophisticated and entertaining amenities and welcoming, small-town feel.

Ten minutes from Woodstock are the southeast shores of Lake Allatoona, a 12,000-acre water-sports and fishing paradise encompassing 270 miles of shoreline. While Allatoona Lake is one of the country’s most frequently visited Army Corps of Engineers lakes (nearly seven million yearly visitors), after the summer peak boating and camping season it’s more peaceful and serene. Hike to a hidden battlefield or climb a ridge to an 1860s ironworks with a fascinating history. With its setting on Allatoona, Red Top Mountain State Park is a biking and hiker’s haven with its own unique recreation and programming. More than 15 miles of trails wind through the forested park, providing opportunities for exercise and nature photography. The gravel-topped, fourmile Iron Hill Trail is open to both hikers and bikers, offering pretty views of the lake’s shoreAt Olde Rope Mill Park on the Little River, take the paved and dirt trails around the cotton mill ruins, over a bridge across the river and read the historical markers highlighting the area’s history. A large wooden platform and multiple trails offer great river views. The serious mountain bike trails at Olde Rope Mill Park are consistently rated in the top 10 trails in Georgia by Singletracks.com.

Murph’s Surf, a bike sales and kayak/paddleboard outfitter offers more than nine locations where you can reserve your kayak or paddleboard. A popular offering is a three-hour trip to the Little River Marina and back. Call ahead, then pay online and Murph’s Surf brings your paddle gear to you and arranges a pick-up time. 678-6729917

One of the most popular mountain bike trails in the U.S. is the Blankets Creek Mountain Bike Trail System in nearby Canton. For serious offroad bikers, SORBA and Trailforks offer this link for trail details: https://www.trailforks.com/region/woodstock-961 Need a bike rental? In addition to Murph’s Surf, Sixes Pit Bicycle Shop offers rentals, repairs and adjustments and is located five minutes from Blankets Creek and 15 minutes away from Rope Mill mountain bike trails.

Hit some balls or get in a stellar round of golf at three Woodstock golf courses. Eagle Watch Golf Club is an Arnold Palmer-designed course ranked among the top places to play in Atlanta, The Golf Club at Bradshaw Farm, with views of the North Georgia mountains, and Towne Lake Hills Golf Club, designed by Arthur Hills and set among rolling green hills and lovely wooded countryside.

The historic downtown Woodstock shopping and dining district is a walkable, open container district whose magnet destinations bring energy and a lively beat. Check out Woodstock Arts visual arts center, café and theater and event green; and the indoor and outdoor live music and performance stages at MadLife Stage & Studios for daily entertainment. Adding to the ambiance is the Park at City Center featuring a gazebo, greenspace and an amphitheater that hosts national and regional bands.

Have an inventive craft beer at Reformation Brewery or a cocktail on the rooftop of Rootstock with a 360 degree view of downtown. Relax while perusing 20 chef-driven dining options, from a James Beard award-winner to seafood to barbecue.

Between adventures, rest and recharge at one of seven name brand hotels. For more on what to do and where to eat, go to VisitWoodstockGA.com.

The annual list of 50 best places to travel highlights emerging destinations and hidden gems worldwide.

Ben Berthelot, President & CEO of Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, commented, “It is an honor to be recognized by Travel Lemming as the number one destination to visit in 2023. We invite their 6 million plus readers to experience the heart of Cajun and Creole Country and become immersed in our world-renowned food, music, and culture.”

The article invites travelers to “take in the aromas of Creole cuisine and the rhythm of Cajun music while wandering this Southern city’s historic streets.”

Travel Lemming writer Lana Sampa commented, “As a native Louisianan, I only grew to appreciate Lafayette as an older adult living in Texas. Lafayette is the quintessential weekend getaway that offers eclectic treasure troves. Dare I say it? I may prefer Lafayette over New Orleans!”

The annual list is a collaborative project of the publication’s team of more than 25 travel writers and editors.

The top 10 destinations on the list are: #1 - Lafayette, Louisiana #2 - Bhutan #3 - Utila, Honduras #4 - Ile Sainte Marie, Madagascar #5 - Kosovo #6 - Salento, Colombia #7 - Vanuatu #8 - Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia #9 - Uzbekistan #10 - Detroit, Michigan

By region, the complete list of 50 destinations includes seven destinations in Europe, 5 in Asia, 4 in South America, 4 in Oceania, 4 in Africa, 6 in North America (besides the US), and 20 in the United States.

Nate Hake, CEO of Travel Lemming, commented: “2023 is shaping up to be the year of ‘revenge travel,’ as travelers venture farther and go bigger with their trips. Our impressive list of 50 hidden gems is the perfect inspiration for that once-in-alifetime trip to somewhere unique.”

Travel Lemming is an online travel guide with more than 6 million annual readers.

AUSTIN - Miraval Resorts are luxurious wellness destinations designed to help you create a life in balance through mindfulness.

There are three full-scale resorts and spas and one is located in Auston in the rolling hills of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Each of the resorts has its own distinct vibe—and its own way of bringing the Miraval philosophy to life.

Tucked away in this nature preserve, Miraval Austin feels like it’s a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life—yet the buoyant energy of Texas’ hippest city can still be felt here. Miraval Resorts’ signature approach to wellness is immersive and experiential, with endless possibilities to explore.

With pioneering programs, exclusive spa treatments, nourishing cuisine, and world-class wellness specialists, Miraval Resorts wants you to live your best life—whatever that means to you. All meals, snacks, coffee, smoothies, and non-alcoholic beverages are included in each package. Luxurious accommodations are part of the package as well as full access to all resort and the Life In Balance Spa amenities.

In 2003, The Crossings opened as a spiritual oasis for curious, health-conscious people and businesses. This little corner of the Hill Country quickly evolved into a retreat where bright minds and deep souls could convene, share ideas, and learn about and from each other. In 2019, the Crossings was reborn as Miraval’s second wellness resort. Miraval is a digital device-free environment. The intention is to support you in unplugging and enjoying the moment

you’re in—so you can have the most rewarding and inspiring Miraval experience possible.

Management wants your time spent here to be inspiring, enriching and transformative—whatever that means to you. Journeys with Intention are your starting point.What’s your intention? This question is at the core of Miraval’s philosophy and approach.

For more information or to make reservations, visit https://www.miravalresorts.com/