I don’t believe in perfection when it comes to health. I think it is more about reading the signs that your body is communication about its state and then knowing what to do to bring it back into balance. It is also a matter of staying in integrity with what you know serves and supports you.
If you have been following my newsletters you know that this year has been full of studying for me. A year long clinical nutrition mentorship program with Liz Lipski (PhD in Clinical Nutrition and the author of the must read Digestive Wellness) and a year of deepening my Ayurveda knowledge with Vaidya Atreya Smith. While both approaches to healing have a lot in common, they have quite a few differences.
With warm weather upon us my chocolate cravings have been long gone. I always felt that the warming treat has its place in colder months but that it was completely out of place for my Pitta nature in the summer. Also the more present I become in my body, the more sensitive I am to the stimulating nature of chocolate ( I am talking about the really dark varieties without processed sugar. In milk chocolate with lots of processed ingredients, the stimulating effect can come mostly from sugar, not the cacao itself. The quality of that stimulation will be very different).
When you choose kale you probably feel that you are making an ultimately healthy choice. Kale packs the punch when it comes to benefits, and has done so for 2,000 years.Kale is known as one of the earliest vegetables cultivated by man. It was a hit among ancient Greeks and Romans as much as it is now in farm to table restaurants. Yes, you are eating the same food as Julius Caesar. (Take that friends that try to argue kale’s recent time in the limelight.) Early settlers from the British Isles brought kale and collards to America, probably in the late 1600s. In the nineteenth century, Scotland Kail was used as a common term for dinner and many Scottish kitchens featured a Kail Pot.We keep turning to this vibrant vegetable to nutrition and taste (if you know how to prepare it well).
Summer is the time of play and fun but what I am hearing from many of my clients and readers is that you are too tired to enjoy it. Your energy is low and you would rather stay at home and watch TV because going outside is tiring.
There is a lot of controversy around the effect of legumes on our digestive system and health in general. Some people and traditions recommend making it the core of your diet while lots of paleo folks and functional medicine practitioner advise to shun away from them. I personally, still keep lentils in my diet 2-3 times per week. But since each body is different and each digestive system is different, I want to help you make the right decision for your body.
You must’ve heard it from your trainer, read in every magazine, and saw multiple experts talk about the importance of consuming enough protein for a healthy and slim body. It seems that without sufficient amount of protein our body’s metabolism slows down, energy level drops, weightloss becomes impossible, and we turn into weaklings. Protein is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in how our bodies function. Protein provides building blocks for body tissue, and can also serve as a fuel source.
It’s much easier to change an unhealthy habit when you have a clear strategy or other healthy habit to replace it with. Having a void is much more challenging.
You may think I have always lived a perfect health coach life, drinking green juices and sucking on chia seeds (if you don’t know what these are — stay tuned!) But I’ll be honest with you: it took me the longest time to learn how to put myself first. And even after I did, the recent book launch got the best out of me.
I know that most of you haven’t touched fast food in years but we still have family members or friends who do it. Whether we like it or not, we grow as a society, not just as an individual. The health and mental clarity of those around has a direct impact on our well-being and happiness.
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