Becoming a nutritionist made me bonkers.

Something has been heavy on my mind lately and I honestly haven’t been able to quite put it into cohesive words for a blog post. I am not 100% positive that’s even going to happen today, but it’s time to get them out anyway.

As you most likely know, I am a Master Nutrition Therapist. What does that mean exactly?  

Well, I’m glad you asked. 

It means I am super fucked up. 

Wut. 

Yeah, I said it. 

I got into nutrition to find THE ONE THING that would heal the world. I had small ambitions, okay???  But truly, I believed I’d find that thing. The magic answer.  

Guess what?

I didn’t.  

But also…I got TOO MANY answers. 

I don’t know where this is going. And I truly hope it doesn’t come across as whiney or bitchy or idiotic but hear me out.

I started my nutrition journey as a fat chick with a thyroid problem.  Hashimotos to be exact. 

I lost the weight through a weight loss place.  That wasn’t the big issue.  What kept me going was seeing the other people HEAL and DROP THEIR MEDS just with changing a few foods around and eliminating some.  

So, I went to school.  4 years of school. 

That’s a lot of learnin. From the cellular level up, I learned what makes the body tick. 

I also studied all those other diets.  Paleo. Vegan. pH balanced. This. That. And the other. 

They all have merits.  I have pretty much put myself on each and every one for various reasons, from my own personal health and weight goals to just sheer curiosity.  

But here’s where I got fucked up along the way somehow.  Now, if I try to diet or lose weight, I can’t FOR THE LIFE OF ME figure out what to do. 

My brain goes a little something like this when I start the process of eating healthier (this isn’t for the faint of heart.  Be strong and power through, I know my brain is a scary place…)

Me: My god woman.  Enough with the fruity pebbles.  These size 6 jeans might be holding in your ass now, but they’re about to bust. Just because they use that “curvy girl” magical fabric doesn’t mean you should test their limits!  Get yer ass to the gym and start eating healthy again!”

Also me: Yeah, you’re right.  Ok.  MONDAY I’ll start.  So, I’ll just eat clean. No more junk!

Me: Sounds like a plan.  Get that grocery list going.

Also me:  Chicken….ground turkey……greek yogurt…but wait.  According to my LEAP test results I can’t have chicken. Or turkey.  Or dairy.  

Me: Focus, girl.  At least it’s not Taco Bell.

Also me:  Right right right….ok….brown rice….quinoa….oats….but wait.  According to the paleo diet I shouldn’t have grains.

Me: My god.  

Also me:  FINE.  Berries….bananas….pineapple.  But wait.  According to the low carb diet I shouldn’t have…

Me: Oh for fucks sake.  

So you see.  I start a diet and then I give up because I get lost in finding the “right one”.  And I’ve actually had success on each and every one. I’ve lost weight on paleo. I’ve lost weight eating dairy twice a day. I’ve lost weight on low carb. I’ve lost weight on pH. I’ve lost weight doing all kinds of weird things.  But my biggest issue I guess is that I want it to work right now, without a doubt and I want the weight to fall off. So what’s the best one to do for that?  If I pick the wrong one I’ve wasted my time and who’s got time for that??

This is usually where I give up and then go hog wild eating whatever I want.  Because that makes total sense.  

I’m smart. I’m a good nutritionist. I know what to do for my clients. But for me, that inside voice gets me all wonky.  It’s a fear of some sort.  A fear of what?  Failing?  Giving up my favorite foods?  I am honestly not sure but I just need to throw a dart and pick a diet and stick to it no matter what that crack addict voice inside is telling me.  

Guess I better get my grocery list going.  

Spinach….romaine…fruity pebbles…. oops.  :)

The wonky (but authentic) nutritionist.

Y'all already know I'm a nutritionist.  That's not a surprise.  But there's lots of things about me that you don't know. Like my love for fruity pebbles, for instance.

<insert gasps, shock, and horror>

Yes, you read that correctly.  A nutritionist....who also loves junk food.  On occasion, people, settle down.  ;) 

You can throw a dart and find a "perfect" nutritionist.

You can see super skinny, salad eating health coaches all day long, if ya search the right hashtags. 

But between you and me…I’m kinda over that.  

And I don't believe in it anyway. It's fake and unrealistic and honestly, potentially damaging. We find ourselves striving to be PERFECT like our favorite health gurus, but I gotta tell ya....even they aren't practicing what they preach as often as you think. They just hide it better.  Trust me.

Of course, I too have had many days where I caved into "oh dear god my life is a mess so let's eat a big mac and pretend it will all go away" but those don't make it to social media. Because that would be wrong.  

Right? 

I mean, a nutritionist...who also loves junk food.  On occasion.  ;) That's unacceptable. That's inconceivable. 

Sooo, I marched to the tune of those other drummers, so as not to upset the masses. I put on my nutritionist hat and said, "Oh, but look at this here perfect, healthy meal!” instead of fessing up to my fast food faileo. I tried to be what I thought I was supposed to be. 

But between you and me, I'm kinda over that. 

I’m ready to let my freaky foodie flag fly once and for all. ;) I’ll be bringing you a nutritionist’s eye view on all my food adventures.  If it's a bowl of fruity pebbles, so be it. If it's about the delightful quinoa rosemary salad I just whipped up on a whim, darn tootin! If it's a flopped batch of macarons fresh from the oven, woohoo! If it’s a vacation to a new city and all the fun tasty treats I experience there…even bettah! I’ll put my own unique “Whole to Healthy” spin on it, but what I won't be doing...pretending to be something I'm not...trying to fit into a weird mold that is probably in my own head.

First of all, I don't deserve to live a life that’s not authentic in ALL aspects of my life.  And you don't deserve a half-assed human masquerading as a full assed nutritionist.  So to speak.  ;) 

I am extremely knowledgable in nutrition. I am an expert at making healthy meals taste and look AMAZING.  I know my way around the kitchen, and I have proven myself many times as a healer of sorts.  But I am so much more, and you are so much more. Why stop at just the “good” stuff? Why not revel in all the glory of the messy disasters too? Besides… your nutrition is only PART of what makes you healthy.  It's only a FRACTION of what makes you WHOLE.  Our total health is complicated and messy and wonderful, just like life, and I want to be along for YOUR ride.  I want to help you find that MIND.BODY.SOUL balance that seems illusive but is just around the corner, my friends.  

My "title" as nutritionist is only a tiny bit of what makes me a human. I hope you’ll see that my realness is just what you’ve been needing.  That I can also be a friend.  A coach.  An inspiration to authenticity. 

I have faults. I have issues. I have passions that may not make sense. And I love fruity pebbles as well as roasted parsnips and kale chips.  

I will write all my posts from the perspective of healing and wholeness, and my favorite emotion: happiness.  Because regardless of where you are now or where you want to go, the end destination is always happiness.  And we will get there together, through the wonky, the emotional, the ups the downs, the cheetos, the kale smoothies....all of it.  Because our lives are complicated and messy but oh what fun it will be to feed our happy and find HEALTH THROUGH HAPPINESS. And health through authenticity.

If any of this resonated with you...stay tuned. I've got a few fun tricks up my sleeve. If it didn't, that's fine too.  I want you to find the nutritionist/guru/healer that speaks to you MOST.  Even if (especially if!) that ends up being yourself. :)

I’d love for you to leave a comment!  And, if you'd like to be interviewed for my new PODCAST....whether you're just a regular ol’ health seeking foodie, or a fellow nutritionist with a sweet tooth...I wanna chat!  Let's get this conversation started and flip this whole nutrition thing on it's head.  

Because between you and me....I'm just gettin started.  xoxo

I hired a Dietician!

So, if you follow my facebook page, you already know that I'm going to be doing the LEAP protocol and MRT test. Just had the blood test a few days ago, so I'll be getting my results in about two weeks. My lovely dietician is Courtney Rinehold of Rinehold Nutrition. Yes, I'm a nutritionist and I just hired a dietician.  Crazytown, right?  She's so amazing though, and the only one doing the LEAP testing around my area. We discovered this on our way to a buddhist temple to meditate a few weeks ago. I'll save that story for another blog. ;)

Anywho, you might be wondering what the LEAP protocol and MRT testing is. I'd tell you, but it's a little too sciency for me this early in the morning and I wanted to just bust this blog out super quick like, so I'll give you the official version at a later time.  But for now, the gist is: certain foods cause inflammation in the body.  Each person has different foods that do this.  Sometimes those foods can be tricky tricky healthy ones, like spinach, salmon, basil, lettuce, almonds etc.....which is just mean!  This inflammation leads to ALL THE THINGS that could be wrong with you.  IBS, Crohn's, aches and pains, depression, fatigue, migraines, weight fluctuations...the list goes on for days.  The goal is to remove those inflammatory foods for a certain amount of time until your body heals, inflammation goes away, and then you can gradually add these foods back in to a degree that won't trigger the inflammation again. Easy peasy, right?  Probably not.  I am going into this assuming all my favorite foods are what's causing the inflammation, but with Courtney's help, and my own foodie creativity, I should be fine.  Plus, I'm kinda desperate and this is fascinating, so here we go.

My main reasons for doing this testing are as follows:

1.) I can't seem to lose weight.  Scratch that. I can lose the weight, but I am really struggling with staying on a healthy diet that will actually help me lose the weight.  This could possibly have to do with how inflammation is affecting the communication between my brain and the hormone leptin.  Food addictions and cravings are all part of this equation.  See this article HERE. So, let's say my go-to healthy/clean eating foods are THE PROBLEM. Well then that would explain the vicious cycle of starting a clean diet, and falling right off within a few days.

2.) SOFA. KING. Tired.  Like woah.  So tired.

3.) Hashimotos.  Yes, I have had hashimotos for about 20 years, but this whole inflammation thing is connected and can only improve this condition, which will only improve everything else, like metabolism, immune system, fatigue, etc.

4.)  Bursitis in my leg and plantar fasciitis in my foot. Did I mention I'm 90?

So those are MY top reasons for doing this testing.  It's not cheap and may not be covered by your insurance, so I don't recommend you get this unless you're serious about it.

I'll be following up in two weeks after the results are in, and will keep you informed of what I'm eating and how it's all going. If you have any questions, let me know!  If you've done this before, I'd love to hear your story too!

In the meantime, let's all say a prayer that sour cream isn't one of my NO foods, mmmkay??  Thanks!  xoxo

Should you be juicing?

I've been making my own fresh veggie and fruit juices for about a year now. It has been a very interesting journey.  If you remember my paleo and raw/vegan studies, you might know that that was my first time experimenting with home juicing.  The Raw Diet Detox that I did for school is what got me started with the whole diet study idea in the first place. It mentioned something called a green lemonade that was integral to the whole program. So, after first borrowing a juicer from a friend, I hesitantly added the kale, entire head of romaine, lemon, ginger and apple to be pulverized into juice. It was green. I was scared.  I took a tiny sip fully expecting to yarf, but I was pleasantly surprised. For something SO green, it didn't taste green at all.  If you would have been standing in my kitchen that day, you probably would have seen the light bulb go off above my head!  I was so excited about this and jazzed that something so healthy and GREEN could taste so delicious!  And so it began...

Fast forward to now, and I've posted countless photos of my juicing experiments on my facebook page, and here, and even created some Valentine recipes especially for Omega Juicers!  Some were flops, most were tasty. But, I've learned so much about juicing since (I've even been interviewed about juicing by Shape and Essence magazines!) and I want to break it all down here for you to help clear up a few things, as well as just give some overall tips for getting started, and fine-tuning the process so you don't feel so overwhelmed. 

Probably the biggest question I get on my page, is "Why Juice?" There are so many reasons to juice, and it is a personal decision for the individual, but here are just a few that I think are most important:

Benefits of Juicing

• Juicing removes all of the fiber from the produce, which allows for the nutrients to go immediately to work, providing quick delivery to the blood stream. This is why most people feel very energetic right away after that morning juice! (But what about the benefits of fiber?  Keep reading...)
• The digestive system gets a huge break, now that the fiber is removed.  This is an important aspect, especially for people with digestive issues or concerns.  Eating the amount of vegetables that you just juiced would have taken HOURS of work by the body to digest it all, so this is a key factor in the benefits of juicing. Less work on the digestive system, means more energy can be spent healing your body, and unfortunately in today's world, we are all in need of major healing, whether we feel like it or not.
• This also means that you consume so much MORE beneficial nutrients, since you don't have to actually chew the food. Most people don't eat enough vegetables in a day, and juicing is great for people who just can't seem to fit them in otherwise, or for those who HATE every single vegetable, this could be a lifesaver.  One juice can have more veggies and fruit in it than what most people eat in a week, sadly.
• Another thing that I find beneficial with juicing, is that even if you love eating veggies, you almost always have a few that you don't really like. By juicing, you can get the unique nutrients from those foods, without really having to taste them!  Take beets, for example. I absolutely detested beets. Gag reflex. every.single.time.  But, I know how unbelievably healthy they are for you, so I added just a tiny bit into a juice. I couldn't even taste it!  So, the next time, I added a bit more, and a bit more, and now, wouldn't you believe it?  I like beets.  I roast them!  I slice them in my salads!  It's crazy, I know.  But, if juicing can help you enjoy eating more veggies, than that has to be the best benefit of all!   

The next biggest question I get is, "What's better?  Juicing or Smoothies?"

Juicing versus smoothies
I get asked a lot about the difference between smoothies and juicing. I also have many people tell me not to juice because I'm missing all the benefits of the fiber in the produce.  Here's the thing, just because you juice, it doesn't mean you don't get fiber throughout the day from your other foods.  I can have a few juices a day and still reach my daily fiber requirements, no problem!  The fiber in the smoothies actually slows them down in your digestive system and requires more work from your body.  While fiber is majorly beneficial for proper bodily function, choosing to juice a few meals can be extremely healing for your gut. Now, obviously if you do a juice FAST, you would go many days without any fiber. I do not feel qualified enough to talk about fasts, but these are very specific for healing, and should be walked through with a physician or qualified care provider. I am personally sold on their healing abilities, but again, these are special circumstances.

Both juices and smoothies are easily digested compared to eating foods normally, and smoothies certainly have a lot of beneficial fiber, so if you need to choose one, go with what you're more interested in, or whatever fits into your lifestyle and budget. If you have digestion issues, perhaps juicing is where to start. If you don't feel that is an area of concern for you, smoothies make great travel meals and can really pack a nutritional punch!  I love to add hemp and chia to my smoothies, as well as nuts, coconut oil, bee pollen, maca, spirulina, wheat grass powder....you can really go crazy with your nutrient add-ins.  So, smoothies...juices...chew...I don't care!  Just get those veggies in that BELLEH!!



Types of Juicers
From the research that I have done, it is best to get a slow, masticating juicer. There are single and double auger juicers that slowly extract the juice away from the fiber of the food. This enables all of the enzymes to remain intact, and also gets much more juice out of your produce, which saves you money in the long run. The centrifugal juicers tend to heat up the produce and spin very quickly...this is where some of the nutrients get lost. These juicers also tend to be extremely loud. A huge downfall, in my eyes, er, ears. :)

Some juicing advocates say that you should just get the cheapest juicer and start because that's better than not starting at all due to high juicer costs. But, I have to disagree.  The money you will save from these slower juicers, and the health benefits you'll get from the live enzymes, will far outweigh the few bucks you might save from a cheaper one.  Most juicers have good return policies and warrantys, so be sure to check those out, and if you don't feel the juicer was a good buy, you can always return it.  

Got my juicer, now what?
Once you have your juicer, the first thing I would recommend is to start with a simple green lemonade recipe.  My very favorite, which is a slightly tweaked version of that original found in the diet detox book is:
1 head of romaine, washed, leaves separarated
3-4 leaves of dinosaur kale, rinsed well
1 lemon, some rind left on, quartered
2 apples (I prefer 1 gala and 1 fuji), quartered or more, depending on your juicer opening
Handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley (I started with a few sprigs and worked up to about a cup!)
1 chunk of ginger (if you're new to juicing, start small!  You can always add more. Ginger can be very spicy if you add too much and you don't want to ruin your first batch of juice.)

**Always use ORGANIC produce. Always.

From here, just get creative. Pretty much any produce you want to use up can be juiced.  Foods like banana, avocado don't juice, so skip those. You want to also focus mostly on VEGGIES.  Fruit juices are very yummy, but can mess with your blood sugars, so don't overdo those.  I like to add an apple here and there, but focus on about 80% veggie to fruit ratio.

Tips and Tricks
When juicing without a recipe, keep in mind that there are certain foods that will change the flavor, some quite dramatically.

• To sweeten a juice that seems too sour or "green", add an apple.  Carrots can sweeten it up, too.
• To add a bit of saltiness, I find that celery does the trick.  Especially for tomato juices.
• To add more liquid, without adding flavor, romaine can be a great choice!  A whole head of romaine will add lots of volume but won't add much in the way of flavor.
• Citrus can really cut the sweetness of a fruit juice, so if you "wing it" and it's too sweet, add a lemon or lime, and it will really make those flavors POP.
• Ginger is spicy, so if you want more kick to a juice, add a little more ginger.
• Berries make a great juice for flavor, but don't have a lot of volume, so be prepared to use a lot!
• Alternate your greens.  Don't juice the same greens every day, because they have oxalates that can bother some people. Switch up your kale/spinach/collard greens/swiss chard...variety is good anyway! 
• Add herbs to your juices!  I love adding fresh mint, parsley and cilantro to mine. Not only do they add a little fancy flavor, but they are CHOCK FULL of amazing nutrients that you just don't want to miss out on.
• Don't throw out your pulp! Many people have said they don't juice because of the "waste", but if you do it right, there won't be any! Here are a few suggestions for using up that leftover pulp: Here, here and here.
• Keep juicing ingredients on hand!  Every week before I go grocery shopping, I double check my stash. Kale? Lemons? Romaine? Ginger? Apples? Parsley   Get em on the list and you won't ever have an excuse not to make it!  

What about store-bought juices?

Since juicing has become much more mainstream over the years, so have the conveniently packaged juice options.  At first, this may seem like a great alternative to buying a juicer and making a mess of your kitchen, but truthfully these juices, even the so-called organic, "healthy" juices aren't worth it.  Once a vegetable has been cut, it immediately begins to lose its nutrients.  Same goes for the juices. Once you have juiced your produce, that juice is best consumed with 10-15 minutes. Now, that may not be practical for everyone, and some juicers do produce a juice that will hold most of its nutrients for up to 72 hours, but the juices in the stores have either been pasteurized, thus killing all the beneficial nutrients, or they have sat on the shelves for WEEKS, and this doesn't even take into account when they were juiced in the first place, and travel time to get to your store. So, your "fresh" store-bought juice could literally be months old before you consume it, rendering it completely nutrient free.  While a much better choice than soda...not as good as a juice pressed fresh at home.  Sad, I know.  But, here are some tips to save you time at home:

TIME SAVERS

• Get a masticating juicer that allows for fresh juice up to 72 hours, that's a great start!
• Prep all veggies the night before, by either washing them, or even cutting/tearing them into pieces to make the process quicker in the morning.
• Make a huge batch of juice the night before, or that morning, and store it in mason jars with tight lids until you're ready to drink.  Again, this won't have quite as much nutrients as the freshly pressed juice, but if it saves you time and gets you to drink it, then it's better than that month old store stuff!  ;)
• Finally, I have not tried this myself, but I've heard you can freeze fresh juice right away, and this will preserve the nutrients until you're ready to thaw out the next juice!

Above all else, starting your day with a big cup of beautifully green juice can really get you off on the right nutritional foot for the day! There's nothing like feeling fresh and energetic from that very first meal of the day! And it will make you want to keep that feeling up, by consuming mostly raw veggies and fruits throughout the day, along with your chosen meals.  So, don't just sit there...juice up!  <3

Cheers!

31 Days of December challenge, plus a SALE!

Happy December to all!  This month is always my craziest with my other business (DipSticks Gourmet Pretzels), so what would any normal person do?  Make it even crazier!

I am not only introducing my first ever workout challenge for the whole month, but I'm also offering a big discount on my nutrition services!  I want each and every one of you to have ZERO excuses for not staying healthy this holiday season!

Ok, here is the 31 Days of December challenge.  Treat it exactly like the 12 days of Christmas.  For example, on the first day of December, just do that exercise.  On the second day of December, do day 2 *and* day 1.  On the third day of December, do day 3's exercise PLUS day 2's exercise, PLUS day 1's exercise....and so on and so on until you have 31 days to do all in one day!  HEY! I said it was a challenge!  :)   And please!  If this is too much for you, or if it's too easy for you, feel free to adjust it to suit your workout needs.  This is mostly for fun and to make sure you are all active at least one time per day during December! I created this to be easy to do for any fitness level, and to do from anywhere, with not much special equipment. You need a jump rope, some weights (optional) and a box or stairs to jump on, and that's it!  Have fun with this!  I'd LOVE to see some videos of you guys doing this, too.  How fun would that be?!

Ready.....Set.....Go!

Day 1: 1 minute jumping rope

Day 2: 2 box jumps

Day 3: 3 side push ups

Day 4: 4 reverse crunches

Day 5: 5 burpees burping (hee hee)

Day 6: 6 toe raises

Day 7: 7 bicep curls

Day 8: 8 V-up sit ups

Day 9: 9 falling push ups

Day 10: 10 box jumps

Day 11: 11 plank jacks

Day 12: 12 star jumps

Day 13: 13 rapid squats

Day 14: 14 triceps dips

Day 15: 15 second side planks

Day 16: 16 reverse crunches

Day 17: 17 speed skaters

Day 18: 18 mountain climbers

Day 19: 19 jumping jacks

Day 20: 20 second sprint intervals on the treadmill (try to do 3 sets)

Day 21: 21 walking lunges

Day 22: 22 side push ups

Day 23: 23 bicycle crunches

Day 24: 24 butt raises

Day 25: 25 push ups

Day 26: 26 arm circles

Day 27: 27 leg lifts on each side (use weights if you want)

Day 28: 28 Russian twists (use a weight or weighted ball if possible)

Day 29: 29 jump squats

Day 30: 30 second plank
Day 31: 31 stair step-ups

If you don't know what any of these exercises are, they can all be found on google, or you can contact me for more direction.

Now, for the nutrition services discount.  I am going to waive the initial 2 hour consultation fee (a $150 value!)  for anyone who signs up for 3 or more private sessions with me. This can be ONLINE as well as IN PERSON.  The online clients have different steps to follow, but the support and information is the same.

IF you are interested in these services, please check out my site, decide how many sessions you would like, and email/call me to get set up!  Easy peasy.


Let's recap:
Fitness challenge
Nutrition services discounted
Daily ramblings on nutrition, fitness, and fun on the ol' FB page
Private motivation group on FB
Fort Wayne support group meetings

I'd say we've got all of our bases covered!  Let's do this!!  Let's show the holidays who's BOSS!!