Day 2- 30 day food log

9:30am - Taught Yoga Class
10:30am - Komplete Meal Replacement shake
12:30pm - In Bar - These are actually a really filling bar!
2:30pm- Left Over Organic beef roast & veggies
4:15pm - Taught yoga class
6pm (starving, but have to teach a class, I definitely should have had a little more at lunch) Protein shake: Vegan Ultra Lean pea protein with coconut milk, strawberries, greens and stevia.
6:30-8pm - Taught cycle and a 30 minute Team workout
9pm - I was going to finish off the crockpot meal, but my fabulous Mother in Law brought me Gluten Free pasta with turkey meatballs so I ate two meatballs and about 2/3 cup pasta with red sauce.  I also had two radishes and left over pice de gallo with avocado. 

Midnight - Woke up with heartburn ( this is unusual for me, I think It's because I took my vitamins right before I went to bed and they didn't make it all the way to my stomach!)  I got up and had two pieces of Canyon Bake House gluten free toast with coconut oil. 

Day 1 - 30 day food blog!

Monday
830am steel cut oats - soaked saturday night and cooked sunday.
With cinnamon, stevia and unsweet flax milk.

11am teach class
1230 gluten & dairy free made with stevia organic apple strudel - from mom's amazing kitchen.

230 organic beef roast with peppers, squash, mushrooms - cooked in crockpot all day Sunday
4-530 workout
730pm leftovers from friday , kelp noodles with tomato sauce and free range canned chicken. Happy baby squeeze berries and pears. One more piece of mom's apple treat.

9pm homemade pico de gallo with avocado.

What we eat today impacts our grandchildren...

What we eat today impacts our grandchildren... 

There is an emerging field called epigenetics, or in other words, we influence or genes! 
We have control over much of how our genetic blueprint is expressed by the every day choices we make.  There is only about 8% that we cannot control

This means that every chemical, nutrient, thought, radio wavelength, emotion and breath is shaping not only ourselves, but the state of health of our world in the future.  This new science should make us all really think twice about if we are choosing organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, non-processed healthy food! 

Don't let this depress us, let it inspire us, let it motivate us and challenge us to make the very best choices for the most vital future!  The time is NOW!  Get fid of toxins, Get full of micronutrients!

Contact me for more details on Detoxifying the body and optimizing nutrition. 

Food Plague

Food Plague, by Arden Andersen, DO, MSPH, PHD

"There are many topics to cover regarding health, food quality, and longevity.  Fundamentally, the most important aspect is nutrition: specifically, what vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, fatty acids, antioxidants and phytonutrients will the food provide.  Unfortunately most people, especially doctors turn to dieticians for "nutritional" information and advice.  Dieticians are trained in the art of fats, proteins and carbohydrates: balancing energy, following the USDA contrived food pyramid, which only guarantees the sale of more junk agricultural commodities and perpetuation of human suffering and disease.  

Hospital dietary plans are a good example of what not to eat.  NUTRITION is what needs to be addressed: specifically, that which is contained in the food coming of the farm.  Everything else is secondary to the nutrient value of the food because the body's ability to function properly, fully in a healthy state is determined by what nutrition is taken in by the body.  Certainly there are concerns for pesticide and chemical residues, toxic metals, and pathogens: however the body's ability to deal with these assaults is entirely determined by the comprehensiveness by the of the nutrition taken in via the food and supplementation."

This is an amazing book!  I share this excerpt to point out the difference between dieticians and Clinical Nutritionists (i.e. Me! ) .  I don't believe all dieticians are horrible, I just know from experience and education our backgrounds typically are very different. 

As a Clinical Nutritionist with a Master's degree I am trained in biochemistry, cellular biology and metabolic pathways.  I also have much education in exercise science, psychology and brain chemistry.  I point this out not to toot my own horn but to differentiate the care one receives from different professionals.  I work with my clients on a personal and individual level not only with calories and macronutrient (proteins, carbs, fats) recommendations, but with micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fatty acids), metabolic distubances (food allergies, detoxification, etc.) and behavioral and emotional aspects of eating.

Chapter 1.
" Our bodies are complex organisms, electrical in nature, consisting of trillions of cells made up of at least eighty different minerals, thousands of different proteins, fatty acids, organic acids, lipids, sugars and of course water.  Our cells undergo billions (yes billions with a "b") atomic and molecular reactions every second.  The efficiency and effectiveness of these reactions depend upon the adequacy and balance of all the nutrients involved, directly and indirectly.  One missing or inadequately supplied nutrient disrupts the entire metabolic factory or worst case, can shut down entire metabolic pathway."

This is exactly true and is why I have invested my time, energy and money to study Functional Medicine.  Metabolic testing for nutrients, allergies, detoxification, etc. is the way we will truly be able to manifest vibrant health.  WE now have the possibility at looking at our own individual nutrient needs.  Let's test... NOT Guess!    

I am so excited to offer Nutrition Based Health Care through cutting edge research.  We can feel and look our best when we give the body what it needs and remove what is inhibiting optimal function.  Let's get it done today!

Healthier Shepherd's Pie

Happy St. Patty's Day!  Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 pounds ground lamb (or lean turkey or organic beef or bison)
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
3 cups cooked carrots and turnips (chop & simmer in skillet with water filled half way until tender)
1 large egg
4 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes,
1/4 cup grated Daiya vegan cheddar

Directions Grease a 3-quart 2- to 3-inch-deep gratin dish or casserole with a 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute more. Add the meat, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its red color, about 5 minutes. Add the 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and spoon off any excess fat if needed. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the meat mixture over the bottom of the casserole, top with the mushrooms, and then the carrots and turnips. Beat the egg into the potatoes and spread them completely over the vegetables to finish the pie. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until heated through.
If desired, sprinkle on the cheese on top and broil the pie under a preheated broiler. Serve immediately.

*recipe modified from food network

New Year - New You- Improve Your Resoultions

Happy Healthy New Year

Let’s not resolve to do something, Let’s look forward to it.

We all only need one main goal for this coming year 

 To Focus on What we Want….

I frequently help my clients set goals and they are usually very negative.   LOSE weight, NOT get heart disease, LESS back pain, etc.  Lose, Not, Less - all evoke negative feelings.  We are focused on what we don’t want, whereas we need to focus on what we DO want.  Instead we can set goals of MORE energy, INCREASED muscle strength, moving EASILY, having HEALTHY blood sugar, etc.

Life is life and we all experience ups and downs and some of our ups and downs are steeper and deeper than others, but we all are on this roller coaster and the best thing we can do about it first and foremost is thinking and focusing on what we want, how do we want to feel.   

If we focus on what we want all the other things will fall into place.  Here is my example.

I want to feel energized and light, what steps do I need to take in order to get there?

-          Eat only food that fuels my body

-          Exercise my heart and lungs daily, i.e. cardio

-          Work my muscles a couple times per week

-          Stretch

-          REST- Get enough sleep so my body can heal and repair and strengthen like it’s supposed to.

Focusing on what I want and how I want to feel, feels good, is motivating and makes the steps I need to take a little easier.

Let’s get out of our negative spiral and Look Forward to 2013 and the healthy changes we can make!

Set your goal to keep focusing on what you want!! 

Now, I didn't say this is easy, so keep practicing and if you need help with any of the above, I am always happy to help e-mail me for appointment times. cheri@bewellbalanced.org

 Chad & Nina - Thank you for the inspiration

 

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie ( Gluten & Dairy Free)

Filling 1 can pumpkin (or bake your own) 2/3 cup egg whites ½ cup coconut sugar** ¼ cup agave nectar** 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Crust 1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour** 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 cup Coconut oil – slightly softened ½ cup milled flax seeds with mixed w/ 2 Tbsp warm water 4 Tbsp Cold coconut milk Topping Healthy Top Whipped Topping**

 

Directions Mix Filing ingredients together, Bake Crust then add filling and bake for 40 minutes or until firm.  Top with Healthy Top Whipped topping! Crust Directions Combine flour and salt, then cut in coconut oil and flax mixture using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending, until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and pat out to desired size. Remove the top sheet and invert into pie pan. To bake the pie crust alone; Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. With pie filling; Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F for an additional 40 minutes. This makes a single pie crust that can fit 8-inch to 10-inch pie pans