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Let’s talk about big, bad, CARBOHYDRATES. Carbs unfortunately get a bad rap, but it’s crucial to understand that not all carbs are created equal. The right carbs give us usable energy, facilitate healthy digestion, and support a healthy weight. On the other hand, too many refined carbs increase our risk of chronic inflammation, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Refined carbs come in the form of white flour, pasta, and bread and have low nutritional value, causing a spike in blood sugar. Aside from refined carbs, there are two main categories of carbohydrates: simple and complex. This basically refers to the chemical structure of the molecules that make up the food. Simple carbohydrates are broken down quickly providing a quick burst of energy when consumed. They are words that end in “ose”= ... [Read More]

The second macronutrient is... PROTEIN! This means you have to eat chicken or beef with every meal, right? Nope! Protein can be found in a number of foods and is so vital to our nutrition. In fact, it’s considered the building block of life. Did you know your skin, nails, hair, bones, muscles, and cartilage are mainly made of protein? Most enzymes and hormones within our bodies are also proteins. At least 10,000 different proteins make us up and keep us running! So what is protein? Proteins are made up of amino acids. Twenty amino acids are found within the body. Our body synthesizes 11 of those. The other 9? You guessed it! Must be obtained through food, which are referred to as essential amino acids. Protein can be derived from both animal and plant sources. However, protein that ... [Read More]

Eating fat makes you fat. This is a belief that America has been brainwashed by for years. I’m here to shed some light and tell you it’s not true! Of course there are different types of fat, and they all serve a different purpose. I’m here to discuss the good fats. I’ve been learning lots about fat through IIN, podcasts, and books and all my research seems to say the same thing: Fat (lipid) is essential to your diet. It is necessary for brain development and function (our brains are made of 60% fat!), cell development and growth, it acts as a cushion and insulator to internal organs, and plays a role in hormone synthesis. An intake of fat with every meal helps you digest food and absorb nutrients and fat-soluble vitamins DAKE (an easy acronym to remember vitamins D, A, K, & E!) IIN ... [Read More]

Throughout time nutrition trends have changed and will continue to do so. But the one constant that holds strong? Plants. No one can argue with vegetables. Ask any nutritionist, doctor, someone recovering from disease, someone trying to eat “healthy” and what’s the go-to superfood? Vegetables! This was the focus for the week. I was inundated with statistics and studies on how beneficial eating a plant-based diet is and to sum it up: vegetables lower risk of disease, heal the body, and support healthful aging. I could bore you with the numbers, but this is something we all know to be true. IIN suggested opting for at least one plant-based meal a day, or one plant-based day a week. I'm sure you've heard of "meatless Mondays." Once you start adding in more vegetables, you crowd out other ... [Read More]

For over two years I’ve had a lemon tree. This lemon tree is very stubborn because it doesn’t want to sprout any lemons! I think it’s died and come back to life multiple times. I’ve heard and read that it takes a while for lemons to grow, and that I should have purchased a tree that already had lemons growing on it, etc. My dream is that one day (and hopefully soon) I can just step outside and pull a lemon off my tree. But until that day comes... to the store I go. Module 6 was all about farming. It discussed farming best practices which include: organic ways of growing produce, balanced soil (this uses crop rotation instead of chemicals to improve soil fertility), and sustainable farming (i.e. repurposing manure as organic fertilizer). I am no farmer. To say I don’t have a green thumb ... [Read More]

Superfoods. Let’s talk about what they are and what makes them super. A few months ago I had never even heard of matcha, maca, reishi, and cacao (not to be confused with cocoa). After some research, I decided to give them a go. These superfoods are now a part of my daily diet and I truly believe they are helping me in more ways than one. MATCHA If you follow me on social media, you may know that I'm obsessed with matcha (and all things pink, obviously). Matcha is a type of green tea that comes in powdered form. It is one of the few teas that contain the whole leaf and therefore it has more antioxidant properties than traditional green tea. In fact, one cup of matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of brewed green tea!! We hear this buzz word a lot. Antioxidant. We know antioxidants are good ... [Read More]