I must admit, I'm not one who eats out very often. I much prefer to dine on a healthy home-cooked meal. As a whole though, Americans love eating out and we do it a lot.
Unfortunately, people who dine out frequently tend to have higher BMIs (body mass index) than those who eat at home most of ... Views: 1467
I enjoy cooking, but along with everyone I find fitting it in to the busy schedule of our family can often be a challenge. That is why I am always looking for ways to simplify – to continue to eat well and feed my family well in a way that fits into our lives.
Kitchen tools
One way to make ... Views: 1139
Back to school - back to routine.
As much as I enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the summer, I do enjoy getting back to the routine of fall. Whether or not you or kids in your family are in school, fall is a time when there is a shift and with that may come a shift in eating habits as ... Views: 1126
Weight loss is as simple as eat less and exercise more, right? That is certainly the messages we hear in the media. And it sometimes may seem like an easier solution. But unfortunately, it doesn't always work.
A surprising weight loss journey
Janet (not her real name) is a client of mine ... Views: 1087
Americans eat everywhere today besides sitting at the kitchen table – at their desk, at sporting events, at social gatherings, standing at the kitchen counter, in front of the TV and even in their cars. With the busy life that you may lead, sitting down for a meal may seem next to impossible. ... Views: 1060
Do you know what your fasting blood sugar is? Did you know that "normal" blood sugar levels recommended today are significantly higher than those recommended 50 years ago?
And why should you care?
Statistics
Diabetes is an epidemic in this country. It is estimated that about 26 million ... Views: 1056
You may have experienced it – the ice cream calling you from the freezer, or the bag of chips in the cupboard. Food cravings – they can quickly drive you from whatever you were doing to staring into the fridge looking for a snack.
What can we do about it? Well, first minimizing the ... Views: 1035
Dinner in a rush?
It is 6 p.m., you just got home from work, you have 1 hour to feed your family and get back out the door to a practice/game/recital/meeting and you have no idea what's for dinner.
Does this sound like a common story in your life? I admit, it happens to often in my life as ... Views: 1009
In your busy life, do you take the time for breakfast every day? Breakfast is important for many reasons: it fuels your body for the day getting your body’s engine (your metabolism) revved up, it prevents overeating later in the day, and with the right choices it can help keep your head clear ... Views: 997
Looking for a quick and easy way to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet? Start with your blender!
Juicing vs. Blending
Juicing is very popular today and can definitely give you juices packed full of vitamins and minerals. But one downside is you lose the rich fiber we get from ... Views: 997
Are you purchasing organic foods today? Do you buy organic but are not really sure which are the best choices to make?
Food Dollars Spent On Organics
According to the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) 2013 U.S. Families Organic Attitudes and Beliefs 81% of families report that they ... Views: 983
Change is hard! Whether it is an organizational change that needs to occur in your work, a change in your personal or family life or a change in your behavior to achieve a healthier you – you may face resistance.
Resistance is defined as “anything that slows or stops movement or keeps ... Views: 972
You probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your gut, unless it is causing you discomfort. I certainly wasn’t thinking about my gut when I was eating fast food and drinking sugary pop. But when it started causing me problems, I started to notice.
We often focus on the things we see ... Views: 971
You are on a road trip, headed to the family cabin for the weekend or off to a friend's wedding. You need to take a break, stretch your legs and grab a snack; but where can you stop for a quick bite that will not leave you with a stomachache, a sugar rush and excess calories that don't fit so ... Views: 965
I am writing a very different article today because I want to share a wonderful and very important book I read recently that I think is a must read if you or anyone you love plans to grow old or get sick. Maybe you would rather not plan for it, but the fact is either one will happen to all of us ... Views: 952
"Sitting Is The New Smoking" was the headline in many articles run this winter. Does that get your attention? It certainly got mine and I have continued to think about it through the long winter we had and as we move into warmer weather. Though I exercise regularly, sitting much of the day still ... Views: 933
With all dietary choices there are individuals that go to extremes. Some believe they need supplemental protein even though they regularly consume meat, dairy and other excellent sources of protein. On the other hand, there are individuals who limit protein food sources in their diet and tend to ... Views: 914
Summer is almost officially here and it is the time of year when getting outside to cook and eat can be great fun. You may be a regular at grilling, but would like to make it more interesting, or you may be a novice who doesn't feel comfortable or has heard grilling may not be a healthy way to ... Views: 905
Vitality is defined as a state of being strong and active; having energy. Aren’t we all looking to feel a little greater vitality in our lives? You may think about lifestyle choices you can make to feel more vital – consistent exercise, getting enough sleep and managing stress. In addition to ... Views: 900
What is inflammation?
Do you hear about inflammation from your doctor or in the news, but not exactly sure what it means for your health? Acute inflammation is your body's natural response to an injury (a cut or break) or an infection (a virus or bacteria). This inflammatory response is ... Views: 898
Do you eat only when you are hungry, or do you find yourself mindlessly eating throughout your day? Do you struggle to lose weight and keep it off? Being mindful is not only good for your overall health, it is good for a healthy diet and for weight loss.
What is Mindless Eating?
The phrase ... Views: 870
Do you find it becoming more and more difficult to concentrate? Do you find yourself struggling to remember simple things throughout your day? Brain fog may be your problem.
The continual decrease in the quality of the American diet is not only increasing our risk for disease, it is having a ... Views: 867
The weight on the scale can provide us with good information from one week to the next, but unfortunately it may not always be helpful.
The scale is the one tool that we have easily available on a day-to-day basis that gives us information on how we are doing on achieving our weight loss ... Views: 866
Did you know that stress creates inflammation that will make it harder to maintain a healthy weight?
Did you know that sleep deprivation alters hormones that make you want to eat more?
You hopefully are continuing to pay attention to your eating and exercise habits during this holiday ... Views: 857
As the holiday months are upon us, I am focusing my articles on managing your healthy lifestyle and arriving at January 1 feeling great!
This is definitely a challenging time of the year for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not only are the holidays filled with endless opportunities for ... Views: 847
Winter has come to an end and perhaps you haven't maintained the level of physical activity you had hoped for. As spring arrives motivation for physical activity often increases and at least where I live, in Minnesota, there are many new opportunities for getting out and moving again.
To make ... Views: 842
Researchers are confirming that it is not as simple as saturated fat equals increased risk for heart disease. In a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers did not find that people who ate higher levels of saturated fat had more heart disease than those who ate ... Views: 834
I was recently at the grocery store and took notice of how the struggle for weight control is failing miserably in our culture. There was a lovely woman who was very overweight and struggling even to walk across the store. If you saw her from the waist up she looked like a healthy weight, but ... Views: 831
"Clean eating" is one of the latest buzz phrases in our quest to find the "right" diet. There has been an increase in consumer demand for clean food products. Consumers are asking for products lower in sodium, without high fructose corn syrup and trans-fats, products with short ingredient lists, ... Views: 819
A Story of Inflammation
Inflammation is a hot topic today. But, for everyone, the word doesn’t necessarily create a picture in your mind of what it means. I understand it can be overwhelming and maybe a bit irritating with the magnitude of information available today – on nutrition, health, ... Views: 816
Do you and your kids reach for fruits and vegetables? Growing a garden can help to make that happen!
Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake
According to the WHO, both children and adults consume inadequate fruits and vegetables to promote good health. The consumption of fruits and ... Views: 813
In last week’s blog I talked about why you should love your gut – all it does for you and how it impacts the health of your entire body. This week I want to give you some additional tips on categories of foods you can choose to help nourish your gut the best that you can.
Two of the ... Views: 809
Do your kids come home from school and say they are "starving!" Mine do and I am always trying to come up with snack ideas that they will like, are at least somewhat healthy, will fill them up (but not to spoil dinner), and don't always come out of a box.
Take stock of your kitchen
First ... Views: 806
Is your gut a mess – constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, gas and bloating? If so, you are not alone! Millions of people suffer with these same symptoms. And sadly, so many are reaching for over the counter medications to quickly cover up the symptoms so they don’t interfere too much with life. ... Views: 804
When I was 19, I wouldn’t have defined it as medicine, but I learned early on that food can make you sick and food can heal. One definition of medicine is “a compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease.” If you search “Food As Medicine,” there are a multitude of ... Views: 801
I see clients every day who have struggled for years to achieve a healthy weight. They have tried every diet on the market with at best minimal results. And so often they also live with chronic digestive issues. Their stories almost always include some or all of the following: a history of the ... Views: 799
An organized life makes healthy choices easier, it's as simple as that. Meals planned, exercise scheduled, house uncluttered - all can be helpful to have your best life. But more specifically, what about an organized kitchen? Having meals planned is wonderful, but what if you can't remember why ... Views: 798
One of my "happy places" is the Mill City farmer's market in Minneapolis. I love the fresh produce that changes throughout the season, the fresh cut flowers for my table, the frozen wild-caught Alaskan salmon from Wild Run Salmon, the flour from Sunrise Flour Mill, and fresh prepared foods from ... Views: 798
Instead of focusing on which box has the “best” nutrition label, get into the kitchen and experiment with healthful foods that have been used for hundreds of years and can benefit your health in a multitude of ways.
Turmeric is a great place to start! This spice used in Indian and many other ... Views: 798
In the heart of winter in Minnesota, I am keenly aware of the lack of vitamin D we are getting from the sun. Vitamin D is an important nutrient that isn’t found naturally in many foods. The body can synthesize vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, but in the winter months our exposure to the ... Views: 795
Do you feel bloated after every meal or even when you wake up in the morning? Do you constantly go back and forth between constipation and diarrhea? If so, you are not alone. According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 63 million people have chronic constipation and ... Views: 792
The answer is simple: no. While the First Lady and the FDA may have good intentions, revisions need to be systemic before food labels will stop confusing the public. Changes on the nutrition facts label (outlined below) are a start but the proposed changes have some major flaws. And what about ... Views: 789
Nutritional science is a dynamic, evolving field. As research continues, different foods become more and less advised. For a time, fat was public enemy number one. Currently, a groundswell of information has arisen concerning the downfalls of excessive sugar. While we don’t want to jump on every ... Views: 781
Some pass it off as aging; others suffer from ongoing health issues; however, there’s a chance your chronic inflammation means something else entirely: poor gut health. It might sound like we’re a broken record, but we’ll never stop repeating it, your gut has an enormous impact on your overall ... Views: 781
I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) the summer after my freshman year in college. At that time, I was not pursuing education in nutrition and didn’t know much about how food impacted my health. I was 18 years old and certainly was not a good example of someone eating a nourishing ... Views: 768
How long does it take you to eat a meal? 5 minutes, 10, 20? You may have learned that it takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that you are full. Many of us don't spend enough time eating to wait for that message. In addition to preventing overeating, eating more slowly can ... Views: 767
June recognizes a number of health-related dates. It is noted as Men’s Health Month and includes Men’s Health Week. Additionally there is also Wear Blue Day the color that is designated to raise awareness and educate men and women about the importance of men’s health. Whether it is a day, a week ... Views: 759
I want to dig deeper into one of the main solutions to this problem so many millions of people struggle with – nourishing your gut. Making food and lifestyle choices to prevent constipation can go a long way, but also a healthy gut is key to prevent and manage any gut dysfunction that can lead ... Views: 759
"It costs too much money to eat healthy!" This is commonly what I hear about nutrition and healthy eating.
Yes, it is not hard to spend big bucks when going to the grocery store, but it doesn't have to be that way with a bit of planning. According to the most recent data from the USDA, the ... Views: 750
Do you live with chronic bloating? Would you guess that 1 in 5 of your friends and family may as well? It is one of the most prevalent symptoms that we endure – when you wake up, after each meal, and getting worse and worse throughout the day. Statistics show that about 20% of the U.S. ... Views: 746