March Madness…for Nutrition!

While the basketball lovers of the world are occupied with bracketing, the rest of us out there might be interested to know that it's National Nutrition Month!

As a health coach this is a great time to remind people to clean up there eating. Why do you ask? Well, because poor eating habits create problems such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Most of us know this, but it's good to be reminded that there is a reason for the behavior. 

I also like to remind my clients that what works for one person, may not work for another. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics makes recommendations based on the average person, but we are each created differently and with different dispositions. Dairy, meat and gluten all effect people in wildly different ways. 

If you find that you are experiences help changes in any way, I challenge you to look to your diet to see if there might be an underlying culprit. Often allergies that are subtle can manifest into significant autoimmune diseases, for example. If you find yourself feeling stuck, unsure, or needing support I'd be happy to help you in your quest.

Happy eating, as you spring into this new season of abundance. 

February Is American Heart Month

Happy heart month--and not just because Valentine's Day is coming up.

February is American Heart Month, and there is no better time to start thinking about your heart than right now! It is always there for you and in return you need to treat it right. Heart disease is a condition that usually does not manifest until a person's fifties, but can take decades of bad habits to create. Right now you can stop and even reverse the negative effects on your heart and cardiovascular system through corrective eating and regular exercise.

The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine has come up with some recommendations that can be found on their website: http://pcrm.org/health/diets/ffl/newsletter/february-is-american-heart-month

Furthermore, Dr. Dean Ornish developed a protocol that proved combative against heart disease using a low-fat vegetarian diet, required moderate exercise, no smoke, and prescribed stress management techniques. If you are interested in living a long, happy, and healthy life, then made sure you protect your heart with these preventive measures before symptoms occur. 

If you are concerned with your current state of health, or have goals of increasing your health, consider working with a health coach to achieve these goals. 

Why Exercise Matter so Much!

We hear it all the time that we should eat better and exercise more. The sound of that prescription can start to grade on you, as it can just seem so generic, but the truth is that those are the basic principals to starting healthy. And exercise is one that the diet industry tends to not want to talk about. So here is a short list of why you should be exercising.

• Your DNA can change
• Stress Reduction
• Boosts endorphins, leading to a better mood
• Protects you from Diabetes
• Better Concentration

So next time you are trying to talk yourself out of exercising, just think of these great reasons. It might just even just extend your life, or at least make it more enjoyable. 

Source Material from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/benefits-of-one-workout_n_4618547.html

Eat to Live Diet

Usually I will publish research here from leading institutions to keep track of new findings; however, sometimes the best research is from the experiments you conduct yourself. With the New Year in full swing I decided to try my own experiment, which would help me work towards my resolutions this year: getting my diet in check and losing weight--an on-going battle with my genes and cultural upbringing.

The first full week of January of 2014 my husband and I began a new diet and challenge with the Eat to Live diet. I had hear about Fr. Fuhrman's research and outcomes from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, where I am enrolled in a certification program to become a health coach. I then forgot about it for almost 8 months when I came across the book again on my honeymoon. When we returned home I bought the book, and we have now been on the diet for 2 weeks.

Dr. Fuhrman has a 6-week diet plan as a transition into the "life plan." I have found it to be one of the simplest and clearest set of guidelines out of any diet I have ever tried. Here are the basic guidelines:

• Eat at least 1 cup of beans / day
• Eat at least 1 lb. of green leafy vegetables / day
• Eat at least 4 fruits / day
• Limit starchy veggies or grains to 1 cup / day
• Limit nuts to 2 ounces / day
• Limit caffeine to 1 cup of coffee / day or less
• no oils, sugar, processed foods, salt additives, alcohol

While it has been difficult as times over the last two weeks, suck as meeting friends at a bar that where in town, it has also been rewarding. To date I have lost 6 lbs. over the last 2 weeks. My skin also looks cleaner and I just generally feel good. My birthday is 1 week shy of the 6 weeks, so I will be breaking the diet a week early, but I can already see a future eating this way for both my immediate goals, and for long term health. 

I would encourage everyone to jump in and take this 6-week challenge!