This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons and Safeway. All opinions are 100% my own.

The best way to celebrate the end of the summer, in my opinion, is to soak up the last rays of sunshine and warm weather with a creamy and rich smoothie using late summer fruit. Strawberries are forever my favorite to use in smoothies, and when you combine them with thick Greek yogurt and bananas the result is amazing.

I love using yogurt in smoothies for added protein without having to use protein powder. By doing so you are reserving the full flavor of the fruit without overwhelming it with flavored powders.

When eating smoothies for breakfast, it is also important that it substitutes a filling meal so that it keeps me energized until lunch.  To do so, I always add a fat and a fiber to my smoothie as well.  For this recipe, I am adding chia seeds (fiber) and creamy cashew butter (healthy fats).

I am so happy I discovered Open Nature® products from, Albertsons and Safeway especially the Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt and Creamy Cashew Butter. They make the perfect addition to any smoothie to keep you full and satisfied for hours.

I personally love using O Organics® Unsweetened Almond Milk as a base as it provides a smooth flavor and compliments the fruit without being overwhelming.

This smoothie has been on high rotation at my apartment, and I have been loving making double the serving to have the second as a snack in the afternoon. Especially on busy days, knowing that I have a healthy snack in my fridge is so helpful.

If you want to make this delicious smoothie, here is how you can do it!

Ingredients

1 container of Open Nature Greek Yogurt Plain Nonfat

1 tbsp. of Open Nature Creamy Cashew Butter

1.5 Cups of O Organics Original Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 peeled, ripe and frozen banana

1.5 cups of frozen strawberries

1 tbsp. chia seeds

Method

Add all ingredients above into a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds until smooth. Pour into two glasses, top with fresh strawberries. Enjoy with someone you love or store the second smoothie in a mason jar in your fridge for later.

 If you are eating more plant-based or gluten-free for health reasons, your local Safeway and Albertsons stores have thousands of products to choose from. I especially love O Organics products because they are USDA Certified Organic and I can find all my favorites at affordable prices, and Open Nature products with simple ingredients and great quality. In the San Francisco area Open Nature and O Organics products are available exclusively at Albertsons and Safeway.

You can also find them at the other Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway.

Also, make sure to check out Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!

Try any of these clean, free-from 110 additives Open Nature products and USDA Certified Organic O Organics products exclusively at stores and online.

VISIT www.albertsons.com

VISIT www.safeway.com

Raise your hand if you used to get Chinese take out growing up. Ok sure, I won’t actually see you raising your hand, but I am guessing that most of you reading this raised your hand. As children of the 90s with parents who worked, or equally exhausted stay at home parents, it is likely that they succumbed to pizza or Chinese take out every once in a while. Or late night in college, as I did many times.

My favorite dish was always the kung pao chicken. Perfectly spiced and sticky. I always went for the white rice and scooped up extra sauce for each bite.

I wanted to recreate this childhood and college favorite of mine, but without the food hangover. Enter my healthy kung pao chicken dish! It is so freaking good. I couldn’t be happier with how this turned out!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound chicken breast (cut into 1-inch pieces)

2 cups chopped broccoli 

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

2 tbsp. tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos

3 tbsp. rice vinegar 

2 tbsp. coconut sugar 

4 tsp. arrowroot powder

1 tbsp. sriracha 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger 

METHOD:

Heat a bit of oil in a nonstick pan on medium-high and add the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until done. Set aside. In the same pan, cook broccoli on medium heat with the garlic, ginger and a bit of oil and a few splashed of soy/tamari/coconut aminos and cook until tender (you can steam the broccoli for a few minutes before to cook faster in the pan). 

While you cook the broccoli and the chicken, combine the tamari, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, arrowroot powder and sriracha to a bowl and stir to combine. 

When the broccoli is done, add the chicken back to the pan on low heat and stir in the sauce until it thickens. Serve with the peanuts over a bed of white rice.

ENJOY!

We have all had those days – the type that feels like you need more hours to get everything done, or where it feels like the day drags on and you are beyond exhausted by the time you hit your mattress to sleep. The type of day where you are running a mile a minute just to check a few things off of your to-do list only to pile on 10 more things. A report is due at work, the kids need to be picked up or you are so immersed in a project that you look up and somehow it is already dinner time.

Then panic mode sets in. What do I make for dinner? I am so hungry, but I don’t feel like cooking. I don’t have time to go to the grocery store and pick up anything healthy or nourishing.

Thankfully there is a solution. This super simple and nutritious dinner is plant-based, vegan, gluten-free and can be made in 30 minutes all while answering work emails, helping the kids with homework or taking a moment of self-care instead of cooking.

I am so happy I discovered Open Nature® products that are available exclusively in my area at Albertsons and Safeway, especially this Gluten Free Cornbread Mix. It is the perfect partner in crime for a lazy weeknight dinner with O Organics® Three Bean Chili & Kale Bowl when you don’t have time to cook, let alone think about what you want to make.

If you remember how much I loved the brownies I made in this post, I am equally loving the Open Nature Gluten Free Cornbread Mix. It cooks up perfectly, isn’t too dry or too sweet. Honestly, in my opinion, it is the best gluten free cornbread mix I have ever made. I’ve slaved over making my own from scratch and I will never need to again now that I know how easy and fluffy this cornbread comes out.

I usually don’t eat frozen meals because of the added preservatives in most that you find, but this Plant-Based Chili from O Organics doesn’t have any processed ingredients. Perfect for when you can’t make that trip to your grocery store and you want to grab something healthy from your freezer to heat up.

Here’s how you can make this nutritious dinner come together. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients:
1 Box Open Nature Gluten Free Cornbread Mix
1 cup O Organics Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 egg
1/2 stick of vegan butter (or regular butter), melted
1 O Organics Three Bean Chili & Kale Bowl
Shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions to top

Method:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you combine the cornbread mix with the almond milk, egg and vegan butter with a whisk. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove to cool for 5 minutes while you make your chili. Follow the directions on the package to heat up your chili, place into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions.

If you are eating more plant-based or gluten-free for health reasons, your local Safeway and Albertsons stores have thousands of products to choose from. I especially love O Organics because they are USDA certified I can find all my favorites at affordable prices and Open Nature makes products with simple ingredients and great quality.

In the San Francisco area Open Nature products are available exclusively at Albertsons and Safeway. You can also find them at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway.

Try any of these clean, free-from Open Nature products and USDA certified organic O Organics products exclusively at stores and online.
VISIT www.albertsons.com/exclusivebrands
VISIT www.safeway.com/exclusivebrands

This is a sponsored blog post in which I received payment for my opinion on all products.

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As a Health Coach and Nutritionist who works with clients to overcome disordered eating and create their own path to intuitive eating, I get these questions a lot.

How do I know if my relationship with food needs some work?

Are my patterns and behaviors with food disordered?

What is the difference between disordered eating and having an eating disorder?

EATING DISORDERS

According to NEDA, eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights.

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that can affect every organ system in the body. They are not fads or phases, and can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. 

This is the discernable difference from disordered eating, wherein Eating Disorders are life threatening due to the potential to affect every organ system in the body. Therefore anyone struggling with an eating disorder needs to seek professional help.

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The two most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa* For warning signs and more information on Anorexia and Bulimia, the NEDA website is a great resource and also includes hotlines under their Help & Support tab to speak with a professional if needed.

Binge Eating Disorder and Orthorexia are two other eating disorders with the latter being only recently identifiable.  Both of these can start with disordered eating tendencies that then become life threatening.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by up to 2-hour periods of eating past the point of being full, and often physical uncomfortableness/physical illness, where it cannot be controlled and is often described as “blacking out” and “coming to” followed by feelings of guilt and shame.

The difference between overeating and bingeing is that during a binge you are not present and all emotions are suppressed. When we overeat, we are present in our behavior and are not using food to suppress

The difference between emotional eating and binge eating is that you are present with your emotions and the fact that you are using food to cope or celebrate, for example eating half a bag of cookies because you are stressed or eating three slices of cake at a wedding because you are happy and celebrating. When you binge eat, it is not emotional, and instead the emotions are suppressed by the act.

Binge Eating Disorder can begin with disordered eating tendencies of eating to cope with and then suppress emotions. It is the suppression of emotions that may likely lead to the Eating Disorder.

Orthorexia is a relatively new eating disorder that is centered around the idea of “clean eating” or only eating foods made with ingredients that are pure or unprocessed. Orthorexia tends to be characterized by a morality of only eating healthy ingredients.

Orthorexia can begin, and often stays as, disordered eating. This includes compulsive checking of ingredient lists, unusual interest in the health of what others are eating, spending hours excessively thinking about what food may be served at upcoming events and obsessive following of food or healthy lifestyle blogs/twitter/Instagram account.

Orthorexia may become an Eating Disorder when it becomes harmful to the persons health – cutting out an increasing number of food groups (carbs, sugar, dairy, meat, etc) which can cause digestive disorders or malnutrition.  

* Note: I do not work with clients with active Anorexia or Bulimia eating disorders.

DISORDERED EATING

I think it would be helpful to first define what “Normal Eating” is, as written by the Ellyn Satter Institute:

1.     Going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied

2.     Being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it – not just stop eating because you think you should

3.     Being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food

4.     Giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are sad, happy, or bored, or just because it feels good

5.     Mostly three meals a day, or four, or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way

6.     Leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or eating more now because they taste so wonderful

7.     Overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, and undereating at times wishing you had more

8.     Trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating

9.     Takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life

10.  Flexible; varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and feelings.

I believe that understanding what normal eating helps to define what Disordered Eating is. Disordered Eating often begins in a conscious, or often unconscious attempt, to solve or camouflage problems in our daily lives. Often someone who first exhibits signs of disordered eating tendencies is also unable to identify or cope with emotions that arise as a result of daily problems.

Disordered eating is first shaped by attitudes, patterns and behaviors around eating that are the antithesis of the list above. Disordered eating usually begins as a result of dieting, whether for one’s own personal desire for weight loss or a coaches or parent’s desire for their weight loss.

Disordered eating might look like the following:

·       Eating is about control and not about the celebration and enjoyment of food. To feel good about eating means it could get out of control and this would be bad for weight and body image.

·       Following a specific diet. Since dieting means restriction and trying not to eat, your appetite can become unbearably compelling and never satisfied. Meaning appetite or enjoyment of food cannot be trusted.

·       Not eating regularly, flexibly and/or reliably. The experience of eating becomes so negative often it is forgotten or ignored, resulting in not trusting your body or know what it truly needs.

·       Eating becomes so engrossing that it distracts from any underlying problems in life that are regarded, likely unconsciously, as being even worse.   

Again, disordered eating is a distraction. I really want to emphasis that. 

Disordered eating is when we move away from normal eating activities. When eating becomes a distraction from stress, anxiety, uncomfortable emotions and other things in life we inherently don’t want to deal with. Therefore, eating to control, restrict or suppress can seem like a better alternative.

Disordered Eating doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder or will develop an Eating Disorder. Again, an Eating Disorder is a mental and physical illness that is life-threatening with serious consequences to your health.

If you believe you are suffering from the symptoms of an Eating Disorder, please contact NEDA for Help & Support.

If you believe that your eating behaviors and patterns have strayed from Normal Eating as defined above, and you find yourself in a cycle of calorie counting, dieting, restricting, emotional eating to suppress, obsessive food thoughts, etc. you can contact me to see if my health coaching services may help to heal your relationship with food.

**Please note that the information in this blog post is based off of my own research and is not meant to diagnose or treat an Eating Disorder. Please consult your physician or mental health provider for any Eating Disorder Treatment.

In my opinion there is no better combination than chocolate and nut butter. Do you feel me on this? I love dipping dark chocolate into cashew butter as a dessert at night so I thought I would level up by making gluten free brownies with a cashew butter swirl. And let me tell you, the result was ooey gooey brownie perfection.

To make these cashew butter swirl brownies, I used Open Nature® Gluten Free Brownie Mix and Creamy Cashew Butter as well as O Organics® brand coconut milk and chocolate chips. The good news is that I can find these ingredients exclusively at Albertsons and Safeway stores in my area.  I love shopping here for more expensive products like Cashew Butter as I appreciate the extra savings I can get through the Albertsons and Safeway savings tool app when I am planning my grocery list for the week. 

I love making “lazy girl” brownies by using a mix during the week when you have less time but extreme chocolate cravings. Mix it up with butter, vegan butter or coconut oil plus eggs and coconut milk. I am giving you the breakdown of the ingredients I used below plus adding in chocolate chips and cashew butter for the perfect combo.

Ingredients:

1 box Open Nature Gluten-Free Brownie Mix

3 tablespoons Open Nature Creamy Cashew Butter

1/2 cup O Organics Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

2 tbsp. O Organics Coconut Milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) of grass-fed butter, vegan butter or coconut oil*

2 eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Pour the brownie mix, melted butter, eggs and coconut milk into a medium bowl. Mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir a few more times. Scoop into an 8x8 baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly. Distribute 1/2 tablespoon scoops of the cashew butter on top of the brownies so they are spaced apart from each other. Using a knife, drag it through the batter from once side to the other making a swirl pattern and rotating the pan to each side.  Bake for 35-40 minutes – little longer than the package instructions because of the cashew butter addition.

*I have only made with grass-fed butter but vegan butter and coconut oil should make great alternatives.

Let the brownies cool for at least 20 minutes (if you can contain yourself), slice and enjoy! Trust me, these won’t last long.

Also good news, if you are eating more plant-based or gluten-free for health reasons, your local Safeway and Albertsons stores have thousands of products to choose from. I especially love O Organics because they are USDA certified I ca find all my favorites at affordable prices and Open Nature makes products with simple ingredients and great quality. In the San Francisco area Open Nature products are available exclusively at Albertsons and Safeway.

Try any of these clean, free-from Open Nature products and USDA certified organic O Organics products exclusively at stores and online.

• VISIT www.albertsons.com/exclusivebrands

• VISIT www.safeway.com/exclusivebrands

This is a sponsored blog post in which I received payment for my opinion on all products.

This recipe is definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes to make on a weeknight. Or really any night of the week, because let’s be honest they all kind of blend together during home quarantine in this pandemic. Not only can you whip it up in under 20 minutes but it's also an impressive and flavorful dish to share with those you are sheltered in place with. Something about the combination of the lemon with the artichokes is absolutely divine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package brown rice pasta

1 can of artichoke hearts

1 package of chicken sausage, sliced

1/2 cup shredded fresh pecorino or parmesan cheese

1 head of broccoli, chopped

A handful of spinach

Olive oil

Juice and zest of one lemon

METHOD:

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Sauté your sausage, artichoke hearts and broccoli in olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add everything to your pot of drained pasta. Melt in your cheese, wilt your spinach and add a few glugs of olive oil plus lemon juice and zest.

Hey Sarah! For those who may not have met you just yet, can you tell us what it is that you do and one thing about yourself that may surprise people?

I’m Sarah Herman and I am the face and voice behind Starving to Strong, a health/wellness/food blog focused around living a healthy and balanced life free from rules, restrictions and reservations. The blog is actually my side hustle, but would love to turn it into a full time job some day. But until then, I also work part time in Oncology clinical research and am also a student int he Nutritional Therapy Association Program and will be a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at the beginning of June. I grew up playing soccer for 18 years and absolutely love the sport, but truly just love being active outdoors in any way - some day I would love to live in Colorado where I have access to hiking trails all day every day! 

Take us through a day in the life for you! 

Every day looks a little different around here, but for the most part I work, blog, cook/bake and study all from home. My part time job allow me to work remote, which works out very well for my side hustle and studying! I typically wake up around 7-7:30 am and start my day with water and a large FROTHY coffee (my favorite simple joy). I then either get to work on my job, on the blog, or by doing homework assignments. Each day varies, but I ALWAYS make a point to get outside for a walk for at least 30 minutes - this allow me time to clear my head, get away from the computer for a little while and just relieve stress and anxiety. After work, my husband and I have been doing workouts together, courtesy of this quarantine life we are all living. But honestly, I have been loving having him as a workout partner and hope it continues post pandemic :) After that, we will cook dinner together, and sit down to relax, enjoy some netflix, before heading to bed and starting all over again the next day! 

How did you discover Intuitive Eating and how do you practice it in your daily life? 

I have battled an eating disorder for almost 10 years now. I have recovered, and then relapsed, and it wasn’t until this second attempt t recovery that I truly discovered the idea and lifestyle of intuitive eating (and I couldn’t be more grateful). Since senior year of highschool, I had always prescribed to some kind of diet - low carb, low calorie, fat free, weight watchers, the list goes on - but it wasn’t until I started my revery journey in 2017 and read the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole that I realized the way we eat does not have to be dictated by a specific “diet” or by a certain amount of numbers. I realized that our bodies truly have the innate knowledge to determine what fuel we need and when we need it. It hasn’t been an easy journey learning this type of eating, but it has been well worth the fight. 

What is your definition of Food Freedom?

My definition of food freedom is letting go of food, the thoughts around it, the constant obsession with it, and the detailed organization of it. By that I mean, I want to be able to go about my day without thinking about what I’m going to eat, or what I just ate. Without adding up macros or calories to determine what I’m “allowed” to eat next or what exercise I have to do to ensure I can eat again. This is how I lived for so long, and it never led to happiness. Food freedom gives me the ability to explore other passions and interests because my mind isn’t so consumed with thoughts and anxiety around food. Food freedom, to me, is also allowing ourselves to enjoy food, whether its because we are hungry, or because we are stressed, or because we are at a birthday party - food can be so many things besides fuel, and realizing that there is no right or wrong time to eat is liberating! 

What advice would you give someone on where to start with healing their relationship with food/finding food freedom?

There are so many things I wish I could share with someone starting this journey. One thing I want to say is that it is WORTH it. If you are afraid to start the journey, or feel like you just aren’t succeeding, know that if you just keep fighting, you will one day reach a place of freedom you never thought possible and be so grateful you kept going! I would also say to them that the journey isn’t linear - for ANYONE! Each person is on their own journey, and each persons journey will look different, but no one is on a straight road up. You will fall, you will feel defeated sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you have failed, it just means you are HUMAN and that we all have tough times. But the key is how you respond to those harder times, and I urge each of you to get back up and start again, because the more you get back up, the stronger you become! 

What advice would you give to someone struggling with food during home quarantine right now? 

Give yourself grace! Nothing about the situation we are in is normal, and we are all adjusting the best we can. Know that if you are eating a little more, if you are eating different foods than you normally do, if you aren’t moving as much as you may usually, you are NOT wrong for that! And although we aren’t sure when this situation will end, I always want to remind people that this is TEMPORARY! So again, know that you are doing the best you can with the circumstances, and that no matter what may look or feel different, in no way is how you are reacting, eating, moving or expressing yourself WRONG! 

Can you share a favorite quote of yours and what it means to you? 

My favorite quote is “tie a knot and hold on”. This is something my grandma always said to my mom, and now my mom repeats it to me! I can attest to the fact that nothing about healing your relationship with food is easy, it takes work and determination and a huge amount of self love and compassion. So on those hard days, I always say to myself “tie a knot and hold on” - hold on as tight as you can, because the bad day or days will pass, and if you just hold on a little longer, everything will be okay! 

Making overnight oats with yogurt is my favorite way to make this creamy breakfast bowl. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe of mine that I have been making for years!

Want more breakfast recipes? CLICK HERE for my free breakfast recipe ebook!

Did you know that Bircher Muesli is actually the proper name for soaked and fermented oats? I learned this from a British friend of mine. Also, the proper way to make this gut-boosting bowl is with whole milk dairy yogurt. I like to make mine with Straus Whole Milk Yogurt or Redwood Hill Farm Goat Milk Yogurt. Soaked and fermented oats with yogurt give you a probiotic boost in the morning on an empty stomach, to give you energy and get things moving for the day. These are wonderful for your digestion as well. If you want to make the most delicious bowl of oats there is, here's how you can DO IT.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup and 2 tbsp. filtered water (you can also eyeball and add water until it is about 1/2 inch above the oats)

2 big spoonfuls of whole milk yogurt

1 tbsp. sunflower seeds

1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp. shredded coconut

1 tbsp. raisins (optional)

Method:

Mix everything together in a bowl. Cover with a plate and leave out on your counter overnight. I keep my next to my stove for a little warmth, bacteria loves warmer climates. You want the good bacteria from the yogurt to do it's work! You don’t get this magical effect when you make overnight oats with nut milk. The fermentation happens because of the cultures in the yogurt. If you refrigerate you also aren't providing an environment for fermentation. Also if you heat your oats after soaking in yogurt, you will kill any bacteria that has grown. These are meant to be eaten at room temperature!

Overnight Oats, aka Bircher Muesli, is a great breakfast to enjoy any day of the week. Top with honey and fruit of your choice. When I first began my health journey, this was my go to breakfast. I also love it because it keeps me regular :)

ENJOY!

I was SO excited to interview Gracie of @hungry.blonde for this week’s Food Freedom Q+A. She has a deep wealth of wisdom when it comes to food peace and how to manage during quarantine right now. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing this up!

Hey Gracie! For those who may not have met you just yet can you tell us what it is that you do and one thing about yourself that may surprise people?

I’m a food + lifestyle blogger based in Brooklyn, New York. I love sharing simple recipes, product reviews, beauty tips, and life inspiration with my community. I’m passionate about sharing my #RealLifeWellness approach - encouraging women that it’s possible to embrace a healthy lifestyle without restrictions. There’s plenty of room for vegetables and grain-free treats but also cheeseburgers and wine :) Aiming for wellness should only *add* to our most fulfilling lives, not take away.

Something that might surprise people about me is that I have a very creative side. I love music, writing, art and poetry!

Take us through a day in the life for you!

I usually wake up around 6:30am, make coffee, and sit in bed for about 45 minutes of quiet time. I pray, journal, read and meditate.

Most mornings I try to get some movement in, even if it’s just 10 minutes. Right now I’m loving the Melissa Wood Health workouts. Otherwise I lift weights in my apartment gym or have a slow treadmill walk while listening to a podcast.

I typically work from home for the first half of the day, usually creating recipes. Then in the afternoon I head to a cafe or workspace to do my computer work - emails, writing blog posts/copy, sending proposals, etc.

For evenings, about half of the week I stay home and make myself dinner while watching whatever my guilty pleasure TV show of the moment is (right now I can’t get enough of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!).

The other half of the week I plan dinners or social occasions with my friends in the evening. All about that balance ;)

How did you discover Intuitive Eating and how do you practice it in your daily life?

I actually remember the exact moment I decided to embrace an Intuitive Eating lifestyle. I was lying in a bubble bath, disappointed in myself for “failing” at yet another diet. And then out of nowhere, it was if I almost audibly heard what I believe is the voice of God telling me to never diet again. I had no idea what Intuitive Eating was or what it would look like in my life, but I what I heard was the one of the most sure things I’ve ever known in my life.

While eating intuitively has become second nature to me in many ways, I’m still always aware of how easily diet culture can sneak into my mind, so I make it a point to remain aware and choose this lifestyle on a daily basis. Practically speaking, I genuinely choose to eat exactly what my body wants at any given day/time, and I give in to cravings as soon as possible (ironically enough, once I removed foods from being off-limits, I don’t have cravings all that much anymore). I also make it a point to focus what my real priorities in life are - my relationships, living out my purpose, being free - and remember that I never want to go back to feeling in bondage to a diet again

What is your definition of Food Freedom?

To me, Food Freedom can be summed up as having a healthy mental + emotional relationship with food that never gets in the way of other areas of life.

What advice would you give someone on where to start with healing their relationship with food/finding food freedom?

I’d suggest reading the book Intuitive Eating, deleting any apps related to counting/tracking, finding someone you can talk to about it, and begin adding foods back into your life that might have been forbidden before - maybe even eating at least one of them a day.

What would be your advice for those that are struggling with food, over eating and emotional eating during home quarantine? 

Instead of trying to fight the current situation, I think it's important to accept and almost press into quarantine as an opportunity to grow and strengthen those Food Freedom muscles. It's the time where life throws you off your normal routine that you can learn the biggest lessons about yourself. Have grace on yourself and continually remind yourself that you're not "bad" or less worthy if you feel the desire to eat emotionally - this is an emotional time!

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For more FOOD FREEDOM resources, you can download my free food freedom guide to help break your food rules!

It’s commonplace in the wellness industry to cut foods out of your diet when experiencing digestive issues. But what if prolonged restriction of food groups is making digestive symptoms worse from lack of microbiota diversity? What if a more varied diet is actually the key to not only better digestive health but also a better relationship with food.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT – GUT MICROBIOTA

It’s pretty simple when you think about it – you are what you eat. I am sure a lot of you have heard or read this statement at some point in your health journey. But what does it truly mean? Simply put, what we eat on a daily basis influences the bacteria that populates our guts (our microbiota), and it is the diversity of this bacteria that protects us from dysbiosis-related diseases. The maintenance of healthy microbiota requires a homeostatic equilibrium (balance) and without this can cause dysbiotic microbiota (imbalance).

Our guts are populated by somewhere between 40 to 100 trillion micro-organisms (most are bacteria, but also fungi, viruses and protozoa, which eat bacteria and therefore regulate bacteria population in our gut).  The diversity and homeostasis of these micro-organisms is largely influenced by what we ingest (food, drink, OTC, pharmaceuticals + recreational drugs, etc.) with environmental and stress playing a role as well.

If you logically think about it, because your gut microbiota diversity is largely a result of what you eat, then the more diversity in your diet means the more diversity in gut bacteria. More diversity means better gut health

 What goes in must come out…

Every time we have a bowel movement, it is actually comprised of 25 to 54% bacterial microbes, with the remaining being water and undigested protein and fats (our poop doesn’t contain a high amount of carbs as the majority of what we eat is absorbed).

So really, every single day we are “disposing” (for lack of a prettier way to put it) of up to 50% of our gut microbiota which gives us a chance to repopulate it with a variety of food. Every day we have the chance to create a healthy gut and healthy digestion.

YOU ARE ALSO WHAT YOU DON’T EAT

We currently live in a diet culture which preaches the removal of foods for better health – gluten, dairy, high FODMAP foods, grains, legumes. There is definitely an argument against processed sugars like sucralose and food dyes and their adverse influence on dysbiosis (imbalance).  But processed food is not the focus here.

A low FODMAP diet is a popular way to treat IBS. Over 10 clinical trials have resulted in 50%–80% of patients with IBS, in particular with improvements in bloating, flatulence, diarrhea.  Although we see fantastic short term results, what we don’t know are the long term effects of the low FODMAP diet on our gut health.  What we do know, is that Low FODMAP diets lead to profound changes in the microbiota and metabolism, the duration and clinical relevance of which are as yet unknown.  Could we be damaging our guts long term from restriction for short term relief? When you logically thing about it, the low FODMAP diet removes important prebiotic foods (that feed our healthy gut bacteria) such as garlic, onion and asparagus

Other popular diets to help alleviate digestive symptoms and IBS include the Whole 30 and the paleo diet that remove not only legumes like low FODMAP but also dairy and gluten.  So, let’s quickly review what happens when we eat/don’t eat these foods.

BENEFITS OF DAIRY AND GLUTEN

 DAIRY

Since cheese is one of my favorite foods, let’s start with the benefits (with a focus on whole dairy, not processed cheese, low fat or non-fat). When you eat cheese this increases the Bifidobacteria in your gut which are known for their positive health benefits such as potential protection against pathogens and increased production of short chain fatty acids from raw milk cheeses.

In my opinion, based off of my own clinical studies research and what I see with clients, dairy can be part of a healthy diet. Not only good cheese but also good yogurts. But let’s say that at some point you stopped eating dairy and replaced everything with nut-based alternatives. You miss real cheese, and you wonder if your digestion would suffer if you started to eat it again.

If you haven’t had dairy products for a long period of time (over 30 days), reintroduce them slowly.  Start with raw cheeses, hard cheeses, or goat or sheep cheeses that are lower in lactose and casein and therefore easier to digest.

 It is likely, as with any food that has been restricted from your diet for longer periods of time, that it will cause digestive upset. This may not be because of an intolerance, but likely because you don’t have the bacteria and enzymes to digest dairy since it has been removed from your diet. Your body needs time to replenish bacteria to digest food properly.  Have patience.

GLUTEN

For those with diagnosed gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, studies show that gluten-free bread reduces microbiota dysbiosis (imbalance).  But most people who avoid gluten do not have celiac disease or proved intolerance, and a recent study showed an increased risk of heart disease in gluten avoiders, potentially because of the reduced consumption of whole grains which are so important for heart health.  This study showed that a group of healthy people had substantially different gut microbiota profiles after four weeks on a gluten-free diet, including a lower abundance of several key beneficial microbe species. 

When you have a lower abundance of key bacteria in your gut, this changes the gut microbiome composition and alters the activity of microbial pathways. 

Like with dairy, or any other food you restrict for longer periods of time, eating gluten again after not having it in your diet will cause bloat and other gastro-intestinal symptoms that mimic a possible intolerance when in reality this could be your body adjusting to new foods when you don’t have proper gut bacteria and enzymes to digest.

If you need help adding more carbohydrates to your diet, you can download my free healthy carb resource.

SIDE EFFECTS OF RESTRICTIVE DIETS

 Look, I totally get it. Altering what you eat in order to alleviate digestive symptoms is a very popular treatment protocol. But it is important to ask yourself, what are the side effects of popular restrictive diets on my gut health?  These may include strict vegan diets, raw food or “clean eating” diets, gluten-free diets, and low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) diets used to treat digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Short term, restrictive diets can help you balance your gut with less uncomfortable symptoms than before. The studies are there to prove this, and yes it works in the short term. I also use low FODMAP principles to help my clients with digestive symptoms, but only short term before working with them to reintroduce all foods back in.

Long term, we don’t know how damaging these restrictive diets are once they start to alter our gut microbiota and starve us of important beneficial bacteria for optimal health.

So here are my thoughts. If you choose to do a restrictive diet to address gut issues, only do it short term for a maximum of 2 weeks to 30 days at the very most. Please don’t make a restrictive diet your new normal of eating.

What happens is that when the restrictive diet does alleviate symptoms, you are then afraid to reintroduce foods that you believe caused symptoms. What is important is a slow and thoughtful reintroduction of foods to replenish your gut bacteria so that you can have better digestions with all foods in your diet.

If you are currently on a restrictive diet and would love to start incorporating more foods to feel your best, you can schedule a consultation with me on the phone to talk about my programs.

You can also download my Food Freedom Guide to help break any food rules that you may currently have from being on restrictive diets.

** as always, consult a medical professional before making any drastic changes to your diet.