Intermittent Fasting, aka IF. You've likely heard of it but may be thinking it's just another wellness fad. While it may seem that way, IF really it isn’t a fad at all. It is what our ancestors naturally did before electricity, refrigeration, food delivery and microwaves! They would naturally go periods of time without food and their digestive systems would get a nice long break from the energy-intensive process of digesting food. In our modern world, food is never scarce. Actually, quite the opposite - we've got access to food around the clock! Eating late into the evening and again first thing in the morning doesn't allow our digestion/detox systems to work on removing metabolic junk and toxins that build up in the body over time so health problems, like weight gain, insulin resistance, inflammation, increased oxidative stress, impaired cognitive function, accelerated aging, etc. can ensue. In this post, I've outlined everything you need to know about intermittent fasting - including why and how to do it if you decide it sounds right for you. I also discuss gender differences and how to make it work with your exercise routine.
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Going out to eat is a great way to socialize and spend time with friends and family. It can be a bit anxiety-producing if you're working hard to clean up your diet and reach your health goals because you never know what's really in your food (was it sauteed in canola oil? was flour added to a sauce? was corn syrup in the salad dressing? etc.)! So how do you find balance and freedom while eating out without totally derailing your health and weight loss goals? Check out my newest blog post to learn how to navigate menus and eat healthfully when dining out...while still enjoying yourself!
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A calorie is a calorie, right?..... WRONG. Food is much more than just calories; it is information for our cells. Every bite of food you eat sends out a specific set of instructions to the body–instructions that influence satiety, metabolic rate, brain activity, blood sugar and the way we store fat. The same number of calories from different types of food can have very different biological effects. For these reasons, for clients who want to lose weight, I rarely, if ever, mention calories. I know this might be blowing your mind right now, but it's true -- you don't have to count calories to lose weight! It’s not that calories don’t matter at all; it’s that nutrients matter more. Considering calories as the most important factor in how we choose what foods to consume is an overly simplistic view that doesn’t consider nutritional quality. Quality, balancing macronutrients properly, getting in touch with your hunger & satiety signals and paying attention to meal timing are all way bigger influencers on your weight. To learn more about how the weight loss equation of 'calories in versus calories out' is far oversimplified and what you can be doing instead, head to the blog!
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MCT oil is my go-to healthy fat for adding to smoothies, matcha lattes, and as the base of homemade salad dressings. MCT stands for medium-chain triglyceride. MCTs are a special class of fats that are derived from coconut oil and/or palm oil. These triglycerides have a unique chemical structure so your body metabolizes MCTs differently than short-chain and long-chain triglycerides.
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Apple cider vinegar has a claim to fame as a health and longevity elixir. Its benefits are extensive: improves digestion, provides relief from heartburn, reduces blood sugar levels, increases energy, eliminates cravings and supports fat burning and weight loss. So it's no wonder people are getting on the ACV bandwagon! But, for many, once they try it, they struggle to incorporate it into their daily routine due to the intensity of the tartness! Over on Hello Glow, I go into detail about all the health benefits of consuming ACV regularly PLUS I give you eight recipes for hiding it in drinks, smoothies and salad dressings so you can get more into your life! Check it out by clicking the button below.
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I want to get something clear right off the bat - there is nothing wrong with stress eating and you should not feel guilty or shameful for having a craving to munch when you're stressed. It's actually quite normal. Instead of judging yourself for your stress-induced cravings, I recommend investigating your trigger by stopping yourself en route to the pantry to ask the question: “what do I really need in this moment?” You may find that what your body truly needs is not food at all. Rather, it is some form of self-care, like a walk outside, a nap, a hot shower or a chat with your mom. These acts of self care all serve as ways to reduce stress that don’t involve putting something in your mouth. But if you decide that you don't need any of these things and consciously choose to satisfy your craving with food, click the button below for my tips to make satisfying your craving a calm and relaxed experience, along with the 10 best snacks to nosh on.
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Incessant cravings and feeling like their weight is out of control are common health concerns that prompt clients to come to my office. Hormone imbalance/dysfunction is often at the root of these issues. Working together, the first thing we do is identify which hormones are out of whack and then take action to reset them. This post is all about the 7 key hormones that play a big role in regulating appetite and managing weight. I include a description of each hormone, clues that something may be amiss as well as simple steps to balance each one. I’ve also specified which lab tests can be useful to determine hormone imbalance or dysfunction. Lucky for us, even though there are a lot of hormones that impact weight, diet and lifestyle are super powerful ways to support your body’s hormonal communication system and get these hormones in balance! Check out the full post by clicking the button below.
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Now that it's Spring, I'm back on the smoothie train. Smoothies can be a great choice for adding to your breakfast meal rotation, or you can make them smaller to have as a snack. I've been enjoying this delicious blueberry coconut concoction pre- or post-workout. It's well balanced with healthy fat, protein and carbs plus it's simple and easy to make!
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When you’re working on cleaning up your diet and avoiding gut bombs like gluten, dairy, sugar, etc., eating out can be pretty tricky. I’m a big believer in the 80-20 Rule when it comes to diet. If you’re on point 80% of the time, you’ve got 20% wiggle room to live life without feeling restricted or deprived, i.e. having that extra glass of wine, eating some birthday cake, or having pizza night with the fam, etc. That said, you don’t want to take a mile when you’re given an inch. This “rule” isn’t a free pass to binge all weekend and then be super strict all week. Instead, it’s a recipe for balance and freedom without totally derailing your health and weight goals. So when you do indulge, you don’t feel guilty and you know that it will be fine because you’re getting right back on the clean eating bandwagon for the next meal. A good example would be having a Friday pizza night and then waking up the next morning and starting your day with warm water + lemon, followed by a green smoothie for breakfast. Balance, ya see?
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Let's talk macronutrients... Macronutrients are nutrients that provide energy to the body and are needed in large amounts. There are three: carbohydrate, protein and fat.
As these are the foundation of your diet, we want to make sure you're getting them right! In today's post, I'm going to help with you to changing out your protein, fat and carb sources to decrease inflammation, reduce your toxic load and support your microbiome.
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Protein is a hot topic. Carbs have been demonized, fats (until recently) had a bad rap... It's the only macronutrient that rarely, if ever, goes under fire. Brands drive sales of their food products by throwing the word "protein" on the label, exemplifying protein's health halo. It's often connected to everything from weight loss to muscle gains. And maybe this if for good reason! Protein is crucial for the structure, function and regulation of the body's tissues and organs. While protein is essential in the diet, there seems to be a "more is better" mentality which isn't quite right.
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This past weekend, I led a Gut Health workshop with my friend and colleague, Dr. Missy Albrecht. It was awesome teaming up with a physical therapist on this topic because she has a lot of education around how to heal the gut from a mobility standpoint, while I was able to talk to the nutrition piece of the equation. In our workshop, we addressed signs of an unhealthy gut, functions of the gut, factors that damage the gut, and what to do to repair and heal the gut.
Gut health is a very comprehensive topic, one with which I struggled to narrow it down and pick out the digestible (pun intended :)) bits for an hour long workshop. Cutting edge research on the digestive system, and in particular the microbiome, is coming out every day. It's something I am fascinated by and want to learn everything I can about in order to help my clients to the best of my ability.
As the workshop attendees seemed to be particularly engaged during the "What To Do" section of my talk, I thought you, my readers, might also be interested in getting some tips for keeping your gut healthy and functioning optimally! Check them out below....
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'Tis the season for fad diets. It seems that every time I turn around, I'm hearing about some new 'hot' crash diet that promotes huge weight loss in a crazy short amount of time. I'm here to dispel a massive myth about weight loss. Are you ready?!
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....So we're in the 'tweaner' time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You're back in the real world after 4+ days of indulging in turkey and marshmellow-covered sweet potatoes. You likely have lots of holiday parties to go to in the next couple weeks. You also probably have a lot of work to get done before you take off for Christmas which doesn't leave much time for home cooking or morning/evening runs or exercise classes. Anddd you might feel like your teetering on the edge of 'I should be really healthy right now so I don't get the holiday pudge' and 'ahhh f*ck it, I'll deal with that in January.' Well, I'm right there with you! I'm writing this post to inspire you to GO WITH THE FORMER, as well as to give you some tips for helping quell those crazy carb and sugar cravings that get out of control this time of year! Below are my top ten ways to beat cravings and strut into Christmas time without feeling forced into wearing only stretchy jeans and baggy sweaters. Unless that's your jam...in which case, rock on :)
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On this quest to be healthy, sometimes we can get wrapped up in all the the foods to avoid and forget to just live a little! I was certainly "living a little" (or a lot) on my trip to Sri Lanka. One of the best things about traveling is trying all the local foods. I usually follow a plant-based diet, focusing on lots of veggies, fruit, a bit of clean animal protein, and nuts/seeds while minimising gluten and dairy. In Sri Lanka, I was (loosely) adhering to my food philosophy but also experimenting a lot with the local fare. For example, I didn't hoe into the bread basket at dinner but I did eat the beautiful piece of coconut cake with cream served for dessert. Know what I mean? I'm not encouraging fully letting go of the reins on vacation and eating everything milky, gluten-y and sugary that comes your way, I'm merely opining that giving yourself more freedom (without the guilt!) is part of a healthy lifestyle.
That said, no one wants to float home like a blimp after time away so here are some tips for weight maintenance while on holidays:
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There is an old Indian Proverb that goes something like this: One who eats once a day is a great Yogi (Divine Man). One who eats twice is a great Bhogi (sensual gratifier). One who eats thrice is a great Rogi (plagued by ill-health). One who eats 4 times is a great Drohi (one who torments all).
Ayurveda, which translates to ‘life science’ or ‘life knowledge’, is a system of health which is designed to purify the body in order to enhance self awareness and bring about deep and profound transformational changes in one’s life. Ayurveda makes use of many different treatments and techniques which work together toward this common goal. Yogic practices, such as yoga, breathing, and meditation, as well as what, when, and how we eat, play a very important role in purifying the body and integrating the mind, body, and soul.
One of the ingredients on the path to enlightenment, or at least to a balanced life free of dis-ease, is our food choices and eating habits.
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