Slowly, the pantry is being taken over by kombucha.

Since my original kombucha post, many batches have come and gone. I have not been diligent in scientific record-keeping, but each batch is unique. Some are sweeter, some more vinegary depending on length of fermentation. I have used green tea, black tea, blackberry sage tea (yum!) and am fermenting a batch now with pomegranate green tea. I am going to start recording days brewed, flavor, and differences with different teas used. I am also going to start branching out with utilizing honey, agave, and other sweeteners.

Yesterday I received a call from Terri P. in New Orleans. She had gotten my name and number through the world wide web and knew I brewed kombucha. We talked a bit about SCOBYs, brewing, and the differences she has noted since beginning a regular kombucha consumption in April of this year. She drank two bottles a day before brewing her own. Changes she has noted is an increase in fullness and thickness of her hair. Her daughter recovered from torn ligaments and tendons quickly enough to become a follower, and her friend Glenn, who introduced her to kombucha, eliminated 20+ years of adult acne by drinking it. She also spoke of someone she had spoken to who gives it to his two year old, and the child has had no seasonal illnesses since, despite being in daycare. Now THAT is a miracle!

Her enthusiasm rekindled my own, and now I am set to experiment with more flavors, variations, and options. I have kept to my original recipe, although have not been exact in measurements. My SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) has not suffered. In fact, I have begun the process of giving away “babies” to interested parties. I typically drink my kombucha with frozen berries because I am all about convenience. The berries add a hint of flavor and I do not get the Vitamix dirty.

Upcoming experiements will be posted here. I am glad to have become part of a nationwide kombucha following. I highly encourage everyone spending more than $20 a month on storebought kombucha to begin brewing your own. It really is quite easy!

Searching for a tasty gluten-free bread used to be an expensive hit and miss. Up until a few years ago, there were very few options and most of them were so unpalatable it was best to just go without.

Food for Life has done an excellent job of creating a variety of breads that are satisfying, unique, and versatile. Among my favorites of the company’s options is their millet bread; it is the only one I can eat without toasting (although I still prefer it toasted).

Food for Life’s Millet bread is moist and slightly sweet with bits of crunchy whole grain millet embedded in the loaf. It is the perfect carrier to the cashew butter ginger jam breakfast sandwiches that are a mainstay in my home. I nearly always gravitate to this loaf, occasionally seeking variety in the Raisin Almond Loaf or the China Black Rice Loaf.

If you are working on a gluten-free diet, give Food for Life’s Millet Bread a whirl. If you have a personal favorite that you use, please share it here!

I’ve spent a great deal of time in airports and other states and have become very familiar with finding food while traveling. Since my travels have mostly been via plane to metropolitan areas, it has been easy for me to pack what I need or find something reasonable in an airport.

Last month, a new challenge came my way — healthy eating while traveling via roadway, cross-country.

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Most sources indicate that over half the U.S. population is not getting enough magnesium. Magnesium is a key mineral essential to bone formation, cardiovascular health, energy production, and muscular contraction. Low levels of magnesium can affect your risk of developing or exacerbating a chronic disease, such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

The current RDA for magnesium is 400mg, although it has been suggested that this recommendation is well below optimal intake.  Magnesium stores are depleted with cola and coffee consumption, diuretics, and high-stress environments (whether real of artificially created through stimulants) Populations at risk include diabetics (it is excreted with sugar in urine), heavy exercisers, and individuals who consume appreciable amounts of white flour, salt and sugar.

Some signs you may not be getting enough magnesium:

• muscle soreness
• TMJ
• tension headaches
• sensitivity to bright lights and noise (without eye disease)
• menstrual cramps and premenstrual irritability
• constipation
• numbness, tingling
• anxiety, panic
• restlessness and hyperactivity

The best way to make sure you receive enough magnesium is to include magnesium rich green leafy vegetables and whole grains in your diet. If you suspect you may be deficient in magnesium, you may benefit from extra supplementation. This often leads to a reduction in muscular cramping and soreness, improved sleep, and calmer moods are seen soon after beginning magnesium supplementation. Magnesium is safe at relatively high doses; an excess will induce diarrhea (remember Milk of Magnesia?) High doses are meant to be taken for a limited period of time and under medical supervision.

It’s playtime in the Dream Kitchen!

On April 25th, VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness teamed up with Design Kompany to do a educational lunch and work party for solopreneurs. Design Kompany provided the space and I came in and demonstrated how easy it is to make a quick, healthy lunch in under 20 minutes. Here is shortened video footage of the event: (more…)

I had the great honor of being consulted recently for an article in the Seattle PI on smoothies.  To read more about how smoothies are an awesome recovery food and a great carrier for extra nutrition, click here:

Fiber.

Long touted as essential for heart health, and more recently for digestive health, fiber is also an important ally in the battle of the bulge.

Fiber has a wonderful capacity to assist in appetite suppression. Which is more filling — consuming 8 oz. of freshly squeezed apple juice or the 3 apples it took to make that juice? When we juice, we discard the pulp (fiber) and consume the rest. That fiber is key to keeping us full and happy over the long term. It provides bulk, slows absorption and prevents blood sugar from skyrocketing, preventing strong hunger pangs after the inevitable crash.

Within the stomach lies signals that get triggered when the muscles of the stomach wall stretch, creating a cascade of messages that basically tell our body to stop being hungry. The longer something sits in the stomach, the longer time passes before we receive a signal to eat again. Complex foods which take a lot of time to break down last in the stomach longer. This is why whole foods are so important. They give your belly something to work on, where a refined food like Red Vines or white bread need little effort to get into the blood stream.

Want to see it for yourself? Take a piece of white bread and a piece of 100% whole wheat bread. Place each in a separate bowl of water and wait five minutes. The white bread will collapse in your hands. The whole wheat bread, although soggy, will remain more intact. Imagine what would happen if that water was 98.6 degrees and we added some stomach acid to it!

Aside from sustaining fullness, fiber also stops some calories from being absorbed. By decreasing the time food sits in the digestive tract, as well as binding to bits of food particles, fiber reduces the total caloric load absorbed by the body.

Fiber is actually quite easy to find. Current recommendations for fiber are 20 -35 grams per day. Most Americans get about 10-15 grams a day. Research shows that blood sugar management in diabetes is greater when fiber intake reaches 50 grams a day. For purposes of weight loss, I recommend my clients take in between 30 and 50 grams a day.

So, to recap:

• Fiber helps prevent heart disease,
• contributes to healthy digestive tracts,
• keeps you more full on less food,
• and keeps you fuller longer!
• Fiber inhibits a small percentage of calories from being absorbed,
• and minimizes blood sugar spikes, having a beneficial effect on diabetes and insulin levels.

Where is fiber found?

In whole plant foods! Think fruits, vegetables, whole grains such as brown rice, corn, quinoa, kamut berries, wild rice; beans, peas, and lentils, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and taro root.

Ground flax seed, psyllium husk and various brans (wheat/oat/rice) can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, or other foods to increase fiber intake and fullness.

What are some ways you can sneak more fiber into your day?

Last week, I was interviewed by Bob Condor of the Seattle Post Intelligencer about smoothies as a recovery fuel.

Smoothies are one of the best, easiest ways to receive optimal nutrition after a workout, or as a way to begin your day. Potent in antioxidants (the treasures within fruit), smoothies also act as a ocnvenient carrier for all sorts of supplemental nutrition that may be inconvenient to receive otherwise. You may add extra protein, flax oil, additional antioxidants, green powders (or greens themselves!), liquid calcium or multivitamin complexes, bee pollen, badditional fiber, and more! The possibilities for flavors are endless and they are great hits with the kids.

Please click here to read more in the Seattle PI:
Here’s to summer smoothies!

PS — I would also like to note there is a minor factual misprint in the article. It appears as though I may not have made it clear to the author that while there are many reasons why whey protein is preferable to rice protein in a recovery smoothie, digestibility is not one of them.

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The National Institute for Health recently released the results of the longest and largest weight loss maintenance study conducted. The results – not terribly astounding in my opinion. The support of personalized counseling outranked web support and self-guidance in sustaining weight loss over a period of two years.

According to the NIH, “At the end of the study, participants receiving personal counseling retained an average weight loss of 9.2 pounds, compared to an average of 7.3 pounds for those using the Web-based intervention and 6.4 pounds for those in the self-directed group. Personal counseling sessions were brief and mainly by telephone. The Web site was developed to provide the same advice as personal counseling. Both interventions were designed to be practical to implement in a variety of settings.”

Why would phone counseling be the most beneficial? All I can offer is my own theories and experience.

Human beings are social creatures. As a species we have learned to rely upon and connect with one another in order to survive. Those who come to me after trying to go solo are frustrated, confused, and de-motivated. Receiving personal support allows the individual to receive what they need, when they need it. This is something the media or a book simply cannot offer. Often there are also struggles with following a healthy food plan when the social circle one is interacting with is not committed to such a lifestyle. The individual then must make the choice of isolating to stay on the diet or socializing and risking falling off the plan. A healthy lifestyle is very difficult to sustain without at least one other individual committed to supporting it. Simply put, our culture is not set up to sustain health without a great deal of support and some savvy, defensive eating skills!

Web support touches on some individual needs, but what is missing is the subtle nuances that enhance communication; rapid exchange of ideas or needs and tonal inflection which can indicate that there are deeper issues to be explored. When on the phone or in person, these subtleties are not hidden behind text. The counselor and counselee can establish a deeper bond through an “I hear you, I see you” type interaction that is much more difficult to obtain via the internet. This multi-sense communication will enhance results through a stronger bond between the two parties, and an ability for the counselor to pick up on subtle cues which may be missed over email.

If you feel frustrated with going it alone, confused about the conflicting messages of the media, or are ready for additional support to meet your health goals, consider reaching out for additional support. It’s only natural, and studies show it’s the most effective way to get the job done!

To read the NIH press release in full, click here:

To schedule an initial consultation to see if personal nutrition coaching is right for you, click here:

1) Say hello to your vegetables. Invite them over for dinner.
Vegetables are the most critical and most lacking food in the American diet. Plant life carries abundant sources of vitamins and minerals and are chock full of powerful cancer-preventing, heart-protective, inflammation-squelching antioxidants. They offer an abundance of nutrition for few calories, and are loaded with fiber to satisfy appetite for long periods of time. Enjoy them liberally – steamed, raw, stir-fried or roasted. Hold the cheese sauce!

2) Drink your water!
Our cells bathe in a sea of water. More than 65% of the human body is comprised of this element! Most of us walk around in a state of dehydration – especially if we partake in the coffee culture that permeates the Northwest.
Dehydration manifests itself in numerous symptoms other than thirst. Food cravings, hunger, poor concentration, headaches, muscle spasms, bladder issues, poor skin quality, overheating and fatigue during exercise are some of the symptoms that can be attributed to dehydration.
Don’t like the taste of water? Try adding slices of lemon, orange, lime, or cucumber to your water. Mint sprigs can be particularly refreshing in the summer.
Please note – there is no substitute. Calorie-free “flavored water” is not water. Water is water. Drink liberally until urine is clear. Repeat.

3) Eat Breakfast!
Studies show breakfast eaters have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, better concentration and moods, and are more likely to be height-weight proportionate than their fasting counterparts. Not eating breakfast is akin to letting your car idle all night and then trying to drive it from Seattle to Portland without fueling up. If you have no appetite in the morning, try a piece of fruit or 1/2 a yogurt to start. You’ll soon discover fewer cravings, greater energy, smaller evening meals and a rumbling tummy in the morning — all signs of a healthier metabolism!