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Zooey Deschanel: Making the Healthy Life Rock

Melanie dunea

Zooey Deschanel is an original. With her retro-chic style and girl-next-door vibe, the indie sweetheart has charmed more than just her romantic co-stars in films like (500) Days of Summer and Elf. And later this year, she’ll do it again, enchanting James Franco (and the rest of us!) in the fairy-tale comedy Your Highness.

But the 30-year-old Los Angeles native—one half of the band She & Him, along with M. Ward—is also proving to be a force on the music scene with the recent release of her second vintage-flavored album, Volume Two. Here, the actress/singer/songwriter (and newlywed!) reveals how she lives it up the smart way. (Memo to other rock stars: you can eat healthy and get to bed early on the road).

Q: You’ve carved out hot careers in movies and music. If you had to choose, which would it be?
A: I don’t think it’s really necessary [to choose]. But writing music is my favorite thing to do. With acting, you’re carrying out someone else’s vision—and music’s mine. Being an actor is like a lot of stars have to align to make a really satisfying experience.

Q: Like (500) Days of Summer?
A: Yeah. That was a really fun movie.

Q: Is it harder to eat well when you’re touring?
A: I find that I’m almost healthier because I have to be really disciplined. I can’t eat too much before a show, [or] you go on stage feeling terrible. And I almost always visit health-food stores in every city I’m in, just to make sure there’s stuff on the bus I can eat—vegetables, fruits, lean meat, and nuts.

Q: That’s interesting. We always hear how hard it is for musicians to eat well on the road.
A: It’s so easy! These people, I don’t know who they are, because there are health-food stores in every city! The other thing is, I don’t go out after shows.

Q: So you’re not partying afterward?
A: No, I’m not [laughs], because if I were to do that I probably wouldn’t be able to sing the next day. The whole thing is, you’re touring to perform, and you owe people because they pay money to come and see you play. I literally go to sleep after shows. And I always make sure to exercise.

Q: You used to be vegan right?
A: Not anymore. My older sister [Bones star Emily Deschanel] has been a very, very committed vegan since high school. I wish I could be like that, but I’m not. I have a lot of food sensitivities—I can’t eat wheat or soy—and it was very difficult to eat and get enough calories. It was even impossible to eat at a vegan restaurant. [Laughs.]

Q: You love to cook. What do you make?
A: I don’t really like sweets that much, but I find it really satisfying to bake for other people—cupcakes and cookies and cakes. I make a good quinoa spaghetti with pesto and zucchini. Pesto’s one of those things you can experiment with, and one day I was like, What if I used hemp seeds instead of pine nuts because they’re more nutritious? I’ve made it for a lot of dinner parties. It was a hit!

Q: Do you have any other healthy-snacking secrets?
A: I try not to snack a lot. I know that sounds weird—some people think you should snack all the time. If I start to snack too much, I don’t have an appetite for meals. So I eat three square meals a day, and if I’m hungry, I have an apple.

Q: So, no guilty pleasure foods?
A: Actually, there’s a bakery called BabyCakes in New York, and one in L.A. now. They make amazing gluten-free chocolate-chip cookies. I like to keep things like that in my freezer, just so I know it’s there, but I almost never touch it. It’s weird. The knowledge that it’s there is enough, it’s almost more satisfying to me. Once it’s gone, then you don’t have the option anymore. I like having the option.

Q: What fitness routine works best for you?
A: I really mix it up. I hike, run, bike. I do an hour a day, and then have a day off a week. And I took six years of tap dancing, and I love it! It’s a good cardio workout.

Q: Sounds like variety is key for you.
A: Yeah, sometimes it’s even just a walk. It’s just about being active. When I was a kid, I went through a period where I just liked to sit in a closet reading all the time. And then in seventh grade I joined a swim team, and it really was so great for me. It just made me feel so much better. It changed my personality.

Q: Wow, really?
A: Oh, yeah, totally. Before the swim team, I was kind of high-strung. Afterward, it just made me super-relaxed. [Exercise] is the best mood stabilizer.

Q: What’s your secret to staying motivated?
A: Meeting a friend to exercise. Sometimes I have friends come to my house to do a little circuit. And if they’re coming over, you have to do it. You can’t bail out when there’s someone else coming! [Laughs.]

Q: You recently got married [to Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard]. What about your husband made you decide to take the leap?
A: He’s a great human being. And he makes me laugh.

Q: Are you thinking about kids?
A: You get married, and immediately everyone starts asking about that! It’s like, I just wanna be married and work right now. Kids are way far off.

Q: Are you good at taking time for yourself?
A: I’m not a spa girl. And I sort of go insane if I go to a place that’s too remote. Just being at home and getting to have a couple hours where there’s nothing planned is completely relaxing to me.

Q: What’s the best thing about being you?
A: I find the more I get to know myself, the happier I am—and the better I am. I think that’s true of everyone.

Q:When do you feel most at peace?
A: When I’m playing music, I definitely feel really happy.

3 Things You Don’t Know About Me

1. I don’t sleep in. I’m a go-to-bed-early, wake-up-early kind of person. I hate the feeling of waking up at noon. I always set an alarm, even on off days.
2. Healthy cupcakes are my thing. It’s called “crazy cake,” because no eggs are needed—you use the protein in the flour to basically bind the cupcakes. It just has cocoa powder, baking soda, flour, a little bit of oil, and apple cider vinegar. There’s a version in the book The Joy of Vegan Baking. They’re always a hit!
3. I play the ukulele. I was just playing it this morning, actually!

 
Related Links:

Gear Guide: An Excellent Yoga DVD for Beginners

There are a lot of good yoga DVDs out there, but most of them assume you already know what you’re doing. So, what’s a newbie to do? While finding a beginner class is always your best bet when first leaning yoga (you get that valuable hands-on attention), it’s not always practical if you’re time- or cash-strapped. So here’s the next best thing: Yoga: Gentle Vinyasa Flow.

This DVD offers six routines of varying lengths. Series A has three beginner practices—the poses are basic but interesting, and the pace is slow enough that even though you flow from one to another (the hallmark of a Vinyasa practice), there’s ample transition time. Series B, for more advanced yogis, offers three more challenging routines in which you move much more quickly from pose to pose. In each series, the longer practices build on the shorter ones.

But that’s not what sets this DVD apart. Here’s what does: the pose guide. This super-helpful section focuses on a single pose at a time, telling you exactly how to do it and why it’s worthwhile. If you’ve never done yoga before, this is where you should go first. That way, when you do the routines, you’ll be comfortable enough that you won’t need to keep hitting the pause button in order to keep up.

I’ll admit that this is the first I’ve heard of the instructor, Zyrka Landwijt. But she knows her stuff and communicates it clearly and simply. Though her delivery is sometimes a bit singsongy (I got the distinct impression at one point that she was trying to hypnotize me), her voice is both soothing and pleasant—in other words, sufficiently yoga-ish.

Just don’t ask me to pronounce her last name.

Product: Yoga: Gentle Vinyasa Flow

Category: DVD

Pros: It offers solid routines in a range of lengths for both beginners and intermediates. There’s also a terrific guide to help newbies learn how to properly do each pose.

Cons: Nothing major, although the instructor’s delivery gets a little singsongy at times.

Cost: $17.49 at Amazon.com

Extra tip: The pose guide also contains a section on yogic breathing—just the thing for stressed-out souls.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

Your Top 10 Most Urgent Breast Questions Answered

For years, I’d written about breast cancer from every possible angle. Then, all of a sudden, I was living it. My aunt and mother were diagnosed 15 and 8 years ago, respectively, and then my aunt got ovarian cancer as well. To confirm my suspicions of a family connection, I got tested for the BRCA genetic mutations. I did, indeed, have BRCA1 and what comes with it: a roughly 60 to 80 percent lifetime risk of one day developing breast cancer and a likewise-inflated risk of getting ovarian cancer.

I was determined to take some control. In 2007, I wrote in the pages of Health about having my ovaries removed, but I wasn’t ready to even consider parting with my breasts. Instead, I went the surveillance route, trembling before every mammogram, undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–guided biopsies, ultrasounds, and one surgical biopsy, all of which found nothing. As time went on, though, my D-cups felt more and more like time bombs, so last fall I decided to book a prophylactic double mastectomy—to save myself some psychic stress.

Coincidentally, just as I was setting up my surgery, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced a controversial set of guidelines for women, including that age 40 was too early to begin routine mammograms (for average-risk women, anyway). The new recommendations, which Health wrote about last month, caused women their own psychic stress, because they flew in the face of what we’d all been told for years. I took the information I had and made some decisions, but many women were left with more questions than answers.

To help you figure out how best to take care of your breasts, we corralled the nation’s top experts and asked them the questions you’ve told us are on your mind. Can’t find all your answers here? Bring this story to your next checkup to help you work out a plan of action.

Next page: 1: I’m confused—what happened to routine mammograms at 40?

Inhalable Coffee, the Next Big Foodie Trends, and Why Running a Marathon Could Hurt Your Heart

• Some people like their coffee black, others like it with cream or milk or sugar. But we’re pretty sure no one wants to inhale her coffee. This company has crafted an inhaler-type dispenser for breathable caffeine, and even claims to be working on an inhalable three-course meal! [Vitamin G]

• Want to get a head start on the latest and greatest upcoming foodie trends? Get the forecast on the next big breakfast breakthrough and more. [Vital Juice]

• President Obama’s medical exam last month included a few top-of-the-line tests that the rest of us probably aren’t familiar with from our own yearly checkups. But some doctors think we should all have a presidential physical. [CNN]

• Anyone else feel like her Diet Coke addiction is intervention-worthy? With all the recent studies defiling diet sodas, we’re even more convinced we should quit, but it’s just so hard! How bad could Diet Coke really be? [FitSugar]

• Usually we think of exercise as the number-one defense—along with a healthy diet—against heart disease and a slew of other health problems. But a recent study suggests running a marathon may actually hurt your heart. [That’s Fit]

Previous news from Around the Web:

4 Strategies for Better Snacking, Sexual Anorexia, and Why Emergency Contraception Might Not Work

• If we grazed on fresh fruits and veggies, snacking would be no biggie. But our constant between-meal eating is most likely contributing to the ever-expanding American waistline. Here, four strategies to make snacking work for you. [MyRecipes.com]

• Once you’ve figured out when to buy organic, you’ll need to learn what to do with all that deliciously healthy produce. Here, tasty and easy recipes for meals, snacks, and desserts to make the most of your fresh finds. [AllYou.com]

• When emergency contraception first became available without a prescription, critics were up in arms about it encouraging unprotected sex. New research shows it doesn’t, but that it may not actually prevent unwanted pregnancy either. [Time]

• While experts still heatedly debate whether sex addiction is real, some are now beginning to think that too little sex—dubbed sexual anorexia—could be just as bad. [YourTango]

• The longer, warmer days are a sure sign that spring is—finally!—right around the corner. To celebrate, whip up one of these 10 easy spring menus featuring all the best flavors of the season. [CookingLight]

Previous news from Around the Web:

The Side Effects of Ditching Birth Control, Microwave Potato Chips, and This Woman Wants to Weigh 1,000 Pounds

• With slightly more famous holidays right around the corner, we’re betting you may have missed National Potato Chip Day. Make up for it with this healthy and fun recipe to create your own chips—in the microwave. [Vitamin G]

• We know all about the common side effects of taking birth control. But what happens to your body when you stop taking the Pill? [FitSugar]

• Growing your own fruits, veggies, and herbs not only means you’ll have an endless supply of fresh and healthy food on hand, but also that you’ll save a boatload of cash. But how do you know what will sprout and what will wither? Here, the 21 top crops to grow in your edible garden. [Sunset]

• While the rest of us struggle to tighten and tone, this New Jersey woman is scarfing down fast food and trying to move as little as possible in her attempt to become the world’s fattest woman at 1,000 pounds. [That’s Fit]

• It used to be that mothers either breast-fed their infants, or immediately introduced them to the formula-filled bottle. But a third option is gaining popularity: Women are opting for breast milk but not breast-feeding. [Time]

Previous news from Around the Web:

5 Steps to Fabulous: How to Brighten Up Your Blah Hair Color

Lynda Churilla

“My natural color tends to get a little dull and drab toward the end of winter. I want to freshen it up without looking totally different.”

Health reader Katherine Elkington wanted to enhance her natural shade without making a drastic change. To the rescue: hair pro Marcy Cona’s do-it-yourself tips. View the slideshow.

Gear Guide: A Super-Simple Heart Rate Monitor

Heart rate monitors are great for motivation—one glance and I know whether or not I’m sweating it hard enough. I’m not a big fan of chest straps, though—they always feel a little uncomfortable jammed up under the band of my underwire sports bra. But the tiny buttons on most fingertip monitors can make them tricky to use. So I was intrigued by New Balance’s new watch-style HRT Fit, which only requires that you touch the face to get a reading.

Let me say straight out that this is the simplest-to-use monitor I’ve seen. In addition to only needing to put two fingers on it to get my heart rate, it was easy to program, and the instructions were mostly clear (though somewhat sparse).

There’s more: The HRT Fit also shows the length of my workout and calories burned, plus has a countdown timer. (A more expensive version, the HRT Fit +, adds a pedometer so you can measure distance.) And the heart rate display itself also tells what percentage that number is of my maximum heart rate, so it’s easy to see if I’m “in the zone.” (Which, by the way, is between 65% and 75% of my max, according to the American Council on Exercise.)

Two drawbacks, though: First, I had to stand pretty still for my heart rate to register—not ideal during a (moving!) workout. Second, the calorie burn tracker is based only on age and gender, not weight, so it’s not as accurate as it could be.

Still, would I recommend the HRT Fit to someone who’s new to heart rate monitors or doesn’t train seriously enough to require the constant feedback of a chest strap version? In a heartbeat.

Product: New Balance HRT Fit Heart Rate Monitor

Category: Gear

Pros: It’s easy to use, only requires a touch to read your heart rate, and boasts some useful extras.

Cons: It has trouble reading your rate when you’re moving, and the calorie counter doesn’t account for weight.

Cost: $50 in Komen pink or blue at REI.com

Extra tip: Choose the pink Komen version and 5% of the purchase price will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research and education.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

How to Brighten Up Your Smile

Istockphoto

Trying to brighten up your smile? We have just the thing for you. From whiter teeth to prettier lips, this beauty kit will give you an even more gorgeous grin. View the slideshow.

Can Acupuncture Cure Pregnancy-Related Depression?

The March issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology includes an encouraging study for women who have depression during their pregnancies. The study suggests that acupuncture treatments, when specifically geared toward helping depression, may have a positive effect.

As many as one in five women suffers from depression during pregnancy, and I learned firsthand from the roller coaster of emotions I experienced during my pregnancies.

I was plagued by sleeplessness, nausea, and general discomfort at exactly the time I should have been celebrating the good fortune of multiple healthy pregnancies after age 35. Once I sought acupuncture treatments, though, I discovered that by relieving the worst of my pain, nausea, and sleeplessness, I began to enjoy the imminent arrival of my child.

To better understand how a series of needles placed on my body could possibly make me happy, I spoke with Michael Shpak, a board-certified licensed acupuncturist who was trained by two former midwives.

“In pregnancy, the woman’s body is taxed and burdened—her blood-sugar balance, thyroid function, and adrenal function can be altered, and she can be anemic,” he explains.

In other words, your body bears the burden of what Shpak calls “two physiologies”—yours and the baby’s.

In addition to this physical taxation, there are psychological ramifications in the transition to becoming a mother. And not all of that is a celebration, according to Shpak.

How does it work?
“Persistent pregnancy-induced discomforts respond beautifully and reliably to both the systemic and local effects of acupuncture,” says Shpak.

Acupuncture affects the central nervous system, which controls the brain and spinal cord. Studies have shown that it can work both locally, where it can reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and ease pain, as well as globally, in that it can directly influence brain chemistry through the release of endorphins.

Endorphins are released along with cortisol, the hormone involved in your reaction to stress and anxiety. “The combination of these neurotransmitters and hormones helps to balance those four physical functions—blood-sugar balance, thyroid function, adrenal function, and anemia,” says Shpak.

Research has also shown that acupuncture activates the nucleus accumbens, or pleasure center of the brain, which may explain the link between acupuncture and relieving depression.

Which is safer: pill or needle?