Ways to Improve Thyroid Function
Posted on January 22Consume…..
Iodine: sardines, wild caught Alaskan salmon, Celtic sea salt and eggs. (up to 1200 mcg)
Selenium: wild caught Alaskan salmon, brazil nuts, garlic, onions, tomatoes and sunflower seeds. (400 mcg)
Tyrosine: almonds, bananas, wild caught Alaskan salmon, organic fee-range poultry, avocados and eggs. (food is best)
Choose all natural, organic foods……..
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Avoid…..
Gluten
Non-Fermented Soy
Genetically engineered food
Bromines
Plastic
Toxins (BP, PFOA, fragrances like Glade plug ins and cheap candles)
Processed foods and chemicals like artificial sweeteners and food coloring
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By cleaning up your environment, food, beverages and personal products, it will help to improve thyroid function, which also helps with things like fibromyalgia, adrenal issues and hormone imbalances.
Tips to Improve Your Sleep for Greater Health
Posted on January 21Sleep problems are some of the most common issues experienced by Americans today. Many people occasionally experience symptoms of insomnia, with many citing long work hours and electronic use as some of the reasons. Not only are we getting too little sleep, but we’re also suffering from deterioration of our sleep quality. Fortunately, improving your sleep isn’t as hard as it seems. Your mental health will thank you for it!
Learn How Sleep Affects Mental Health
We spend one-third of our lives sleeping, so it’s no surprise that sleep plays a key role in our mental health. According to the Harvard Medical School, the rejuvenating stage of REM sleep supports our emotional health, strengthens our memory, and contributes to daytime cognitive functioning. Sleep disruption impairs our thinking and makes it much more difficult to regulate our emotions during waking hours. This may be why insomnia has such a strong link to psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and bipolar disorder.
Develop a Bedtime Routine
Did you know your body can learn to sleep more efficiently? We can reinforce the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Following a bedtime routine can help your mind wind down and even tell your body that it’s time to produce sleep-inducing hormones. Try to engage in quiet, relaxing activities in the last 30 minutes before you go to bed. Of course, these activities will depend on your own personal preferences, but some great ideas include reading, doing yoga, listening to music, meditating, and taking a bath. Just make sure you avoid stimulating activities like exercising, working, or watching TV.
Make Your Bed as Comfortable as Possible
If you wake up feeling sore and unrested no matter how much sleep you get, your bed may be the culprit. An uncomfortable bed causes you to sleep hot, toss and turn, wake up with back pain, and awaken when your partner moves. A good-quality mattress and comfortable bedding can make a huge difference. When looking for a new mattress, focus on back and pressure-point support. Memory foam, gel foam, and latex mattresses can all offer the support you need at different levels of firmness and temperature control.
However, before you select a mattress, it’s important to determine what type of sleeper you are, as choosing the wrong one could actually contribute to your insomnia. If you’re a back sleeper, side sleeper, or stomach sleeper — or if you’re someone who rotates a lot at night — find a mattress that addresses your specific needs. Additionally, if you suffer from lower back pain, you need to take that fact into consideration when you’re shopping around.
Avoid Stimulating Foods and Beverages
In addition to avoiding stimulating activities, you should also avoid eating certain foods too close to bedtime. The following foods and beverages can disrupt your sleep by keeping your brain and digestive system active long after you’ve gone to bed:
● Coffee
● Caffeinated tea (including green tea)
● Sugar-filled desserts
● Dark chocolate
● Spicy foods
● Fatty fried foods
● Alcohol
● Meat
Instead, reach for nuts or herbal tea with honey to help your body produce melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone.
Create the Perfect Sleep Environment
Most of us use our bedrooms for activities other than sleep, such as work, entertainment, and engaging in stressful conversations with our partner. Change how you think about your bedroom and use it for only two things: sleep and romance. Remove all distractions from your bedroom. This means getting rid of the TV, work desk, and treadmill. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible during the night because any amount of artificial light can obstruct a restful sleep. Distracting sounds from outside can be managed using white noise machines. Finally, keep your room cool, between 60 and 67 degrees, since your body temperature needs to drop to prepare for sleep. You may even consider investing in a smart thermostat to make temperature optimization that much easier.
Caring for your mental health means making yourself a priority. Stop putting things like work and social engagements ahead of your sleep. You’ll be able to work more productively and enjoy your waking hours more fully when you get the restorative sleep you need.
New Low Carb Pasta (Safeway)
Posted on January 1624 grams of protein and only 9 grams of net carbs!
In my experience with pasta like this, I cook a little longer than the directions to break down all the fiber so it is easier to digest.
Lemon Pepper Green Beans
Posted on January 16Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh green beans cleaned and stems removed
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼-½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
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Heat two teaspoons olive oil in large skillet. Add green beans and cook for 8 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Beans will start to char slightly.
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Add 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. water to the beans, cover, and turn heat to low. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer until water has evaporated.
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Add salt, pepper, and another drizzle of fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Begin a New Eating Plan by Analyzing What Did Not Work in the Past
Posted on January 13
Rotisserie Chicken
Posted on January 09
Have you ever stopped to read an ingredient list from a precooked chicken at your grocery store? You might be shocked at the amount of chemicals, thickening agents, sugar and preservatives..... especially for those you with GI issues like IBS. The only place I will buy a precooked chicken is Sprout's! (I listed them in the order of worst to best)
Fry’s
Whole chicken, salt, sodium phosphate, maltodextrin, natural flavors, onion powder, yeast extract, garlic powder, canola oil, carrageenan, spices, corn flour, lemon, paprika, sodium diacetate, malic acid, paprika, sugar, brown sugar, sodium carbonate.
Albertson’s
Whole Chicken, water, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, brown sugar, rice starch, dextrose, carrageenan, sodium acid pyrophosphate, garlic powder, spice extractives, xanthan gum, vinegar, salt, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, sorbitol, paprika, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, citric acid, extractives of paprika.
Safeway
Whole Chicken, water, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, brown sugar, rice starch, dextrose, carrageenan, sodium acid pyrophosphate, garlic powder, spice extractives, xanthan gum, Vinegar, salt, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, sorbitol, paprika, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, citric acid, extractives of paprika.
Costco
Whole chicken, Salt, sodium phosphate, potato and tapioca starch, dextrin, carrageenan, sugar, dextrose, spices.
Sprout’s
Whole Chicken, sea salt, water, vinegar, sugar, spices, parsley flakes, onion and garlic.
Fighting Dry Skin in Winter
Posted on January 07You can fight dry skin in winter with the remedies that help all aspects of health: lots of water and a nutrient-rich diet. Good nutrition forms the foundation of skin structure and helps you set up resiliency when skin is exposed to various challenges.
The Importance of Hydration
Fluid intake plays a direct role in this. Like every cell in the body, skin cells won’t work properly without enough H2O. Hydration is directly correlated with how your skin functions. You can even see it. If you get dehydrated, your skin will appear more wrinkled. If you’re hydrated, your cells are stronger, fuller, plumper and more elastic.
How much water do you need to fight dry skin in winter? We used to say six to eight cups per day. It’s really more like 10 to 12 cups per day, but it depends on your health and age.
Watery foods like fruits and vegetables also count toward your daily fluid intake and contribute to warding off dry skin in winter.
Watermelon.
Strawberries.
Cucumbers.
Celery.
Healthy soups.
Green Juices.
It takes a complex combination of nutrients to keep skin cells healthy and maintain the integrity. Since nutrients are most potent when they come from food, I advise that you include the following in your diet:
Omega 3 fatty acids.
Protein.
Zinc.
Vitamin A.
Vitamin C.
Vitamin E.
The nutrients linked to better skin health are plentiful in a wide variety of foods. For example:
Omega-3 fatty acids come from avocados, nuts, seeds, flax seed oil and oily fish.
Protein comes from legumes (beans, lentils), fish, lean red meat, poultry, organic dairy and non-GMO tofu.
Selenium is in Brazil nuts, fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs and cheese.
Vitamin A is in squash, some dairy foods, dark leafy greens, animal protein, and dark orange foods (sweet potatoes, cantaloupes and carrots).
Vitamin C. Citrus gets all the fame as a source of vitamin C, but it's also abundant in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, cantaloupe, red and green peppers and kiwi.
Vitamin E. Foods high in vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, peanut butter, peanuts, hazelnuts, broccoli and spinach.
Zinc. Zinc-rich foods include nuts and seeds, legumes, meats, shellfish and dairy products.
You might feel overwhelmed by the idea of trying to fit so many nutrients into your diet to ward off dry skin in winter, but all it takes is incorporating a wide variety of whole (unprocessed) foods in every color of the rainbow. It’s not just one nutrient that makes your skin healthy, it’s all of the nutrients from whole foods that get into your system and work synergistically together.
That means eating a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, lean meat, poultry and grassfed/organic dairy.
Happy Holdays!
Posted on December 25I love my work as a dietitian, it is truly my calling in life. Getting to work with such wonderful human beings like yourself fuels my passion and pushes me to be a better individual, nutritionist and business owner. I am grateful for each and every one of you, even when you don't want to eat your veggies or give up sugar 
Have a happy and healthy holiday season!
Pan-Seared Salmon with Cranberry-Fig Sauce
Posted on December 19All you need:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon filets, skin removed
Salt, to taste
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons fig preserves
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
All you do:
1. Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon filets with salt and place in the hot pan. Cook for 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and flaky. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add onion and cranberries to the same pan and saute until the cranberries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, orange zest/juice and fig preserves and cook for 2 minutes longer.
3. Finish the sauce with fresh rosemary. Spoon sauce over each salmon filet and serve.
During the holidays, I like to buy several bags of fresh cranberries to throw in my freezer so I can enjoy them through out the year.
