Discover the Components of Sustainable Weight Loss

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Butt in Jeans
Two weeks into 2017 … how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Did your resolutions – like so many others’ – include an intention to lose weight? I’m going to go out on a limb and guessing that you aren’t having a great deal of success.

Now, I don’t doubt your intention or your efforts. Yet I do know something about how our bodies work. We women tend to focus on body size, or more specifically, on the number on our scale.

How long have you been fighting the battle? How many different plans have you followed – counting calories, skipping meals, depriving yourself, feeling hungry, and counting more calories? Yes, calories matter. But hormones matter more. Read more

Stoke the Fire in Your Gut

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stomach-acidIn prior articles, I have outlined the path that our food takes when we eat a bite. Starting with chewing, and then swallowing to send the food down the esophagus into the stomach, where it meets with stomach acid to aid in the next stages of digestion.

We aren’t aware of the intricate process that our food goes through once we swallow a bite. You may have heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” yet I would say that is not a complete statement. Simply eating doesn’t make the food become a part of you. It must be broken down into its constituent components – proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into starches and glucose, and fats into fatty acids – in order for your body to absorb them. Read more

Edit Your Digestion – Chew!

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digestion-chartDoes your day revolve around the meals you eat, or is your schedule so tight that you give food little thought? Whatever your situation, you don’t likely put much thought into what happens as you eat.

That bite you take is just the beginning of digestion. Chewing the bite not only breaks up the food but mixes it with digestive juices. Swallowing sends the food down your esophagus into your stomach where it meets highly acidic stomach acid to continue the process of breaking the food down into constituents that can eventually be absorbed. When liquefied, the food (now called chyme) passes into the small intestine where it is joined by digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gallbladder. The small intestine is where absorption begins, finishing in the colon before excretion of waste. Read more

Time to Change the Oil!

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1415890We’ve lived with messages promoting eating low-fat or fat free foods for decades. Saturated fats seem to have drawn the majority of disparaging remarks, and many doctors continue to echo the theory that they should be avoided, despite many studies disproving the idea.

Would you like to feel free to consume foods containing fat without fear that you will get fat? Read on, and I will share what fat sources are beneficial, what to avoid, and how to ensure that they are able to be used properly for fuel in your body. Read more

Edit Your Nutrients With Color

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Red-Fruits-And-Vegetables-300x130In my last newsletter we began to talk about the color of our foods. Have you noticed the colors on your plate more frequently since I brought up the subject?

Perhaps you have been adding more colors to your meals. If so, I’m delighted, and would love to hear what you have been eating and whether you can tell any difference in your energy level or taste.

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Edit the Colors on Your Plate

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purple-vegetablesThink back over the meals you ate over the past several days. Can you picture them in your mind? What colors were on your plate?

Why does that matter? Because the color of your food is an indicator of the nutrients that are provided. Contrary to popular opinion, nutrients are the reason you eat. At least that is what your body is seeking.
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Edit the Balance of Your Plate, part 2

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Kelly and PlateIn my last post we started a conversation about balancing your plate. Let’s finish that balancing act.

We talked about macronutrients – that big word that refers to the fat, protein, and carbohydrates that are required in large amounts in the human diet. You knew that protein was important, but were you surprised to find out that fat was also important?

So let’s talk about the last part of the macronutrient balancing act – carbohydrates. Do you consider carbohydrates to be good or bad? In many ways, I believe they are quite misunderstood.
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Edit the Balance of Your Plate

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PrintIf I mention “balancing your plate” are you picturing a plate spinning on a stick, or just sitting steadily on the tip of your finger? Relax. That’s not what I mean.

I’m not talking about balancing the plate itself, but rather the contents of the plate … your food. And I’m referring to balancing the macronutrients that make up your meal.

Macronutrients is a big word that means “a type of food (e.g., fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the human diet.”

Whoa! What jumps out to you as being outside our normal expectations these days? Notice that fat is noted as a food that we require in large amounts? That’s NOT what the media have been advocating for the past several decades. Read more

EDIT Your Place Settings

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Diet-EditMy goal this year is to walk you through the process of editing your approach to eating in order to support improved wellness. I know … I may be making you nervous, but my intent is to coach you through a series of gentle adjustments … EDITS … that will contribute to your wellbeing.

There are many habits that have crept into our culture over the years. One area that has had a significant affect on our waistline is serving size.

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The Truth About a Cleanse

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Truth or MythDo you view health care as a proactive or reactive process? If you are reactive, you wait until you have a diagnosis to seek help for your body; while the proactive approach is focused on supporting your body for good function. Being proactive means you set your health as a priority and make it a point to take action with food choices, exercise, sleep, stress relief, and cleansing.

When you think of a detox or cleanse, you may think of liquid diets, expensive supplements and deprivation. The truth is, Read more