Knowledge is power. As an expert, this blog is my way of sharing tips and advice with clients, friends and followers. It lets people live their healthiest lives on their own terms.
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Autumn is here! Mornings are chilly and winter squashes and pumpkins are popping up at the farmer's markets. I've been on a smoothie kick most of the summer, but as soon as the weather changes, I find them much less appealing. Instead, I crave something warm and comforting to break my fast....and this porridge really hits the spot!
Read MoreI bring my lunch to work every day. It's healthier and definitely saves money. My favorite kind of weekday work lunch is a hodge podge of leftovers from the night before. Meal prep and planning is essential for success and I follow the principle of 'cook once, eat at least twice.' This means if I am cooking chicken breasts + veggies for dinner (for two people), I will cook 4 chicken breasts and 4 servings of veggies so lunch is sorted for us the next day. If, for some reason, this leftovers plan doesn't pan out, or we went out for dinner, then I have to have something up my sleeve that is simple, delicious and can be prepared quickly the night before or in the morning before heading to work. This salmon and collard green burrito is my go-to! All it entails in terms of prep is a quick steam of the collard greens so they're soft enough to roll like a tortilla and a messy stir of the salmon salad ingredients in a bowl. Throw the burritos into a glass tupperware container and you're off to the office...in ten minutes (including clean up)!
Read MoreThis 1-day cleanse is the perfect "reset button" after a holiday, wedding weekend, or one of those weeks of not-so-healthy eating. I know how tough it can be to commit to a cleanse for any real length of time (7, 14, 28 days), so I came up with this 1-day cleanse plan for when you don't want to fuss around with lots of meal prep or put your summer social activities on hold because you're "on a cleanse." A great day to do this cleanse is Monday or Tuesday after, for example, a big weekend of eating, drinking, etc. You can pick up the essentials from the grocery store on Sunday or Monday and get started right after that. As you can see from the photo, I purchased my green juices and nut milk. You can, of course, make these yourself but the beauty of this cleanse is that you don't have to spend much time in the kitchen!
Read MoreOne of the first principles I teach my clients is to make lunch the biggest, most nutrient dense meal of the day as the digestive system works most efficiently between 10am - 2pm. With lunch being the main meal, that means dinner should be small and light because your digestion is weaker in the evening. You could do a soup or stew in the autumn and winter and a salad in the spring and summer. This nutrient-dense steak salad is a great option for a light weeknight dinner. You'll feel full from the protein, healthy fat and fiber while keeping the calories pretty low at around 400. Plus it's totally delicious and satisfying!
Read MoreWe are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding what the exact influence of genetics is on our health. Research into epigenetics is starting to provide some interesting answers. Epigenetics, or “control above genetics,” studies how environmental factors influence gene expression, the process of genes transmitting instructions to molecules in the body. Epigenetics is part of a new understanding of gene workings which challenges the long-standing belief that DNA controls biology.
Read MoreNow 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!
Read MoreWhen 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?
Read MoreLet'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.
Read MoreSpring is here! So it's time to start transitioning away from the heavier comfort foods of winter and into light, cleansing spring fare! This doesn't mean you have to eat salads three meals a day. Instead, focus on flavored steamed veggies, brothy soups, sprouts and lighter proteins like beans/legumes, lean meat and fish. These tacos are a wonderful option for a weeknight dinner. Maybe you can even eat them outside on the porch like we did last night!
Read MoreTypically, when people talk about weight loss, they focus their attention on macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Popular diets generally involve cutting out or cutting down on one of these (i.e. carbs or fat) while increasing another (i.e. protein). Truth is, when it comes to losing weight, there is a lot more going on with respect to the foods we eat than simply macronutrients. What these fad diets are missing is the critical importance of the microbiome - a topic of much emerging research! Our microbiome, the 100 trillion microbes living in our intestines, plays a massive role in determining whether we're fat or skinny or somewhere in between.
Read MoreProtein 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.
Read MoreSugar is almost impossible to avoid. It's in everything from fruit to yogurt to salad dressings. But there is a distinction to be made between the two forms sugar comes in. It's either naturally-occuring sugar, such as in fruits, starchy veggies, grains, and beans, or refined/added sugar which is hidden in the majority of packaged food products - juice, sports drinks, yogurt, cereal, salad dressings, etc.
Read MoreThis 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....
Read More'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?!
Read MoreWho doesn't love a crock pot meal in the winter? How good is a "chuck everything in and walk away" dinner? It's freakin awesome is what it is. This crock pot roast is as quick and easy as they come. It literally takes 2 minutes to prep, which you can easily squeeze into your morning before racing out the door. The cauli mash isn't too difficult or time-intensive either, apart from the 25-ish minutes it takes to roast in the oven. But, again, you're able to pop it in and walk away. Then you just have to whizz it in the food processor and you're ready to serve! If you're like me and feel a meal is incomplete without something green, you can saute up some spinach super quick or steam some kale, chard, or beet greens (pictured here). Recipe for this simplicious weeknight meal comin'atcha.....
Read MoreOk team, I've got a warming, sweet-tooth satisfying, anti-inflammatory and deeeelicious recipe for you today.....SUPERFOOD HOT CHOCOLATE! This is a recipe I make often in the winter, either as a mid-morning pick-me-up or an after-lunch treat. It's chock full of superfood nutrients and is home run for satisfying sugar cravings.
Read MoreWhat do cosmetics, shampoos, shower gels, stressful lifestyles, conventional food, and home cleaning products all have in common? They can all be hiding endocrine disruptors - toxic chemicals that can interfere with your body's endocrine (hormone) system. Endocrine disruptors can increase, decrease, block or imitate certain hormones, or alter how these hormones work in the body. They harm the body's neurological, immune, reproductive, and developmental systems and have been linked to a wide range of health concerns, including fertility problems, decreases sex drive, kidney disease and birth defects.
Read More....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 :)
Read MoreThe holiday season doesn't have to be all about gorging, boozing and no sleep. With a little planning, you can keep it fun and healthy without without getting fat and sick!
Here are five of my favorite health hacks to help you thrive, not just survive, this holiday season:
Read MoreThe importance of food wastage is serious sh*t. Did you know that, globally, 1.3 billion tons of edible food is wasted per year? A new report from the National Resources Defence Council shows that an alarming 40% of food in America - more than 20 pounds per person each month - is thrown away. So, it's consumers (yes, us!) who cause half of this food wastage disaster! The average household throws out 20% of their groceries. That's one shopping bag in every 5 (*shock horror*). To me, throwing out food is like tossing dollar bills into the toilet. Whenever I have to do it (which is slim to never cause I'm a bit of a food waste nazi), it literally pains me. Surely I'm not the only one?
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