Tag: Nutrition

It’s here!

BookCover

 

Finally, the day has come that I am able to giddily announce that my book is available on Amazon.com, Kindle and Kindle Unlimited!

Guys, this is so exciting and scary for me. It’s been a dream of mine for most of my adult life to publish a book. I never thought that I could actually pull it together, but here it is.

‘Kids Won’t Eat Healthy? Quick Read This Book!’ is a super fast and funny read for parents that are so over meal time drama. It has the size and look of a children’s chapter book, but it’s packed with real life advice from one exhausted parent to another. If you are tired of the predictable dinner time fights with your sweet cherubs, order your paperback or download your e-book today!

Oh, so close!

BookCover

 

In just a few short days my first book will be launched out in to the world! I started writing it two years ago while taking a relaxing (hiding from the kids) Saturday afternoon bath. The whole book came to me right then; title, chapters, even the cover image. It was as if I had no choice in the matter at all. The book needed me to write it. Other parents needed me to write it!

Thankfully, I have a truly supportive husband who happily took the kids out every weekend so that I could research, write and edit. Amazingly, I found one of the best illustrators in the north east who could capture exactly what my brain was demanding to be created. Miraculously, I have friends that are or have been professional editors who could clean up my alphabet soup.

Now it’s just about time for my sweet little book to be born. Stay tuned for my new book page and please join me on facebook for updates on it’s release!

Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to be Scary.

I’ve noticed that many of the nutritional posts floating around Facebook, Twitter (and the internet in general) seem to be based on creating fear in the readers.

“5 Foods to Never Eat For a Flat Stomach”

“5 Negative High Protein Diet Effects”

“Top 10 Worst  GMO Foods for Your GMO Foods List”

“4 Major Health Risks of Drinking Soda”

“Is Your Food Killing You? Super Foods to the Rescue!”

Now, are some of these worth reading? Sure. Are all of these worth reading on the same day during your lunch break? I’m going to say no.

The reason I became a health coach was to educate people about the best ways to become a healthier human being. Teaching people the best ways to boost their immune systems, adopt healthy lifestyle habits and to focus on filling their plates with pure unadulterated nutrients,  has always been my mission. So I feel that bombarding my readers with negative headline after negative headline, is not the best way for me to go about getting my message to the masses. It’s like only reading the crime log or obituaries when you read you daily news. You start to feel that everyone around you is a criminal or dropping like flies. Fear and negativity breeds more fear and negativity, so that eventually you just sort of check out of the game. You throw up your hands and say, “What’s the point?! Everything is bad for me, so I might as well just be eating Cheetos and drinking Mountain Dew with a Red Bull chaser!”. I have heard and read variations on this statement many times in the past few months. Sadly, it has become a common thought pattern.

I know that at some point I have been guilty of spreading some of these articles and memes on my own blog and Facebook pages, for that I am sorry. I have tried very hard to make it my goal to only write and or post positive, yet informative articles for the last few months. When I consider sharing a post, I ask myself a couple questions before I do.

-Is this sending a positive message?

-Is this going to add confusion to an already confusing topic?

-Is this really helping, or spreading fear?

-Do I agree with everything in this article, or just one point?

-Would I say this to a client or loved one?

-Will this turn someone off to the idea of getting healthy?

If I can’t give a solid yes or no answer to any of these questions, I don’t post it.

Also, it’s really, super, duper important to try my hardest to make sure that what I am posting is factual and not just opinion (unless I make it clear that it is in fact just my personal opinion). If I am passing my opinion off as fact, not so great.

My promise to you, dear readers, is to try not be one more voice contributing to the mass confusion in the world of nutrition. I also promise to keep my posts as clear and as positive as possible.

Eat fresh, frozen or preserved produce as often as possible, drink lots of water, sleep as much as you can and exercise lots! Xoxo

 

 

Oh, That’s Pinteresting!

Hey kids, it’s been a hectic few weeks here at Enlightened Nourishment headquarters. Lots of snow days, runny noses, homework, writing and filming. This morning I decided that it had been way too long since I’d updated my blog and kept you in the loop as to what I’ve been up to.

Some truly lovely things are filling up my life lately. I have 3 wonderful health coaching clients that are working their tails off trying to improve their lives, one step at a time. Each individual session that I have with them, brings new discoveries for both client and coach. I can’t express how much I love this work. Together, we set goals and week after week, continue to reach them! I am so proud of them all. It takes a courageous person to look at their life and say, it’s time for a change. It takes an even stronger person to take the steps to actually make that change. So this is me saying, “Woo hoo!!”.

My book is coming along slowly, but surly. It is a no nonsense guide to how to feed yourself and your children, creating a healthier future. Thankfully, I haven’t been short on inspiration so far. My husband and kids have been the best source of data for me. Three men with very different tastes and temperaments. My husband, a life long picky eater. My oldest, a good eater, but a dawdler. My youngest, is finicky to say the least.

Also, school is still filling my brain with so much new knowledge, that I feel it may pop. Big, scary knowledge. We are well into the business end of becoming a health coach. This is a scary area for me. Nutrition comes easy to me, the money end of it definitely does not. Going in to this program, I wanted to save the world one person at a time. Of course, I knew that I also needed to eventually charge people for this help. On top of learning how to get paid what I’m worth, I am learning how to market my business to get an edge over my competitors. This is so not me. Before I started school, I pictured myself magically having lots of clients that would somehow just transfer money into my account without me asking or even talking about the “M” word. In reality, it’s incredibly hard for me to put a monetary value on what I do. I want everyone to be able to afford my services, but I also need to make ends meet. In the end, I have decided on a rate that is slightly higher than I am comfortable with, but lower than the “going rate” for health coaches. Blech, money talk.

Lastly, I had taken a rest from pinning for quite a while. I found it to be a big sucker of my time. However, I have found a new and wonderful use for Pinterest. I created a board called “Nourishments” specifically for my clients to follow. It’s full of recipes, food prep ideas, exercises and inspirations. Sure, anyone can follow it, and I hope that they do. But this way, if a client is stuck in a dinner rut or in need of a new workout routine, this can be their go to page. Go ahead, take a gander at the “Nourishments” board and let me know what you think!

Know your MSG

No-MSG

If you are someone that suffers from chronic migraines or high blood pressure, you should be aware that consuming MSG is a major trigger for both of these conditions. It’s not enough to check that there is no monosodium glutamate listed on the box or bag you just picked up. MSG goes by many different names. Here is list of some of the aliases that the food industry tries to slide past us, never mind the health risks.

-Hydrolyzed protein
-Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
-Sodium caseinate
-Yeast extract
-Hydrolyzed oat flour
-Yeast nutrient
-Autolyzed yeast
-Textured vegetable protein
-Calcium caseinate
-Yeast food

But did you also know that MSG can be hiding in harmless looking words (spices, seasoning, artificial flavors, natural flavors and flavoring)?

Basically, the only way to tell if you are getting MSG free food is to either not buy anything that comes in a package or make sure that each ingredient is clearly listed. For example, if the box lists the spices it contains (salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil…) go for it. If it literally says “spices” in the ingredient list, skip it!

New and Good

One of the first questions that we are taught to ask while training to become a health coach is, “So, what’s new and good with you?”. It starts the conversation off on a positive note. It gets the client thinking about accomplishments and blessings in their life, as apposed to all the things that they feel are dragging them down. Though I’m not one to follow a script while meeting a new client, this question feels like a great way to start a coaching session.

So, what’s new and good with me? Everyone in my little family is relatively healthy and happy. I have completed the first quarter of my health coach certification. I recently quit my part time job in order to spend more time with my family in New York and concentrate more on my future career. My family and circle of friends is filled with smart, talented, hilarious and incredibly creative people that enrich my life daily.

What’s new and good with this blog? Well, the look is new and I think that’s good. This theme is a bit more simple and sleek looking than what it was previously. The other thing that I’m getting pretty excited about, is that I am planning to do a weekly vlog. I will be answering your questions (one or two a week) relating to nutrition and general health concerns. So, if you have a question for me, please e-mail it to enlightenednourishment@gmail.com. If I don’t answer your question here, I will respond by e-mail. Please limit your questions to health and nutrition. I can’t tell you if that mole looks weird or why your friend has daddy issues. See disclaimer below.

*I’m not a doctor (or a certified health coach yet), but I do know bucket loads of information related to these topics. The answers I give to your questions will be meant as suggestions or opinion only and are not to replace a doctor’s treatment.*

That’s it for today, kids. Can’t wait to hear from you and start vlogging. See you soon!!

The Religion of Food

Being a student again is amazing. I love being in a program that is so well rounded. I will be learning over a hundred different nutritional theories as well as learning how to become an effective certified health coach. It’s only been a little over two weeks and I feel like I’ve already learned so much. Most recently I’ve learned that to be a good health coach, one needs to just get over themselves.

The goal of a health coach is to guide the client in finding their best way of nourishing themselves. Each individual has their own needs nutritionally. They may have a history or family history of heart disease, diabetes, anemia, cancer, hypertension or thyroid issues to name a few. Ethnic background plays an important roll as well. So to guide someone in the direction of your own personal nutritional beliefs is misguided and potentially harmful to your client. The goal is to listen to the person in front of you and encourage them to listen to themselves to reach the best version of themselves. Not another version of you.

I’ve been witnessing several heated debates in the online discussion groups for my fellow classmates. One person will bring up a topic such as: How anyone can advise a client to get their protein from an animal source, when it is so clearly wrong and cruel to do so? Yes, this is a topic that is going to ruffle some feathers. Yes, there are people that have gone from meat eater to vegetarian and back again (myself included). For the most part though, people (especially health nuts like myself) have uber strong opinions on what is the best way to eat. However, forcing these opinions onto others won’t work as a health coach. If the goal is to turn everyone on the planet in to a vegan raw food-ist, you might want to consider a new career. The same goes for any other heart felt nutritional belief. It’s not about you anymore, it’s about that one person in front of you that is absolutely desperate to be healthy. That’s what we are signing on for.

The other day I was discussing this with a couple of friends and the connection was made that nutrition is like a religion to many people. They think they have the one true way of eating and everyone else just hasn’t found the “Truth” yet. Not to get too down on organized religion, but there have been a lot of wars and death in the name of “I’m right, you’re wrong”. The key is to respect the views of others and maybe try to find a common ground if possible. Get down off your veggie crate or stack of porter house steaks and try to look outside yourself and into the eyes of the person in front of you.

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Another type of nourishment.

One of the many sources of nourishment that I will be learning and talking about this year is that which comes from caring for yourself. Being a stay at home parent brings days that are filled with amazement at your child’s growth, laughter, snuggles, dance parties, new adventures and so much more. It also brings frustration, stress, anger, sadness and a general feeling of being burnt out. It’s the greatest job in the world and the hardest at the same time. The love from your child verses the endless meal planning. The pride in raising a kind, generous child verses reminder after reminder to “PUT YOUR SHOES ON!”.

As a result of all the ups and downs and burnt out feelings that come with the full time parenting, I choose to take one week out of each year to care for myself. I go away. Far, far away. My husband takes the week off from his job and stays home with the children. Yes ladies, I realize how very lucky I am. He’s wonderful with the kids and I trust that everyone will be breathing when I return home. This week is my therapy, my reboot. Without it I become Monster Mama half way through the year. I truly feel that every stay at home parent needs and deserves a week away to refresh themselves and maintain an even temper with their children.

I’ve found that after my vacation, I can’t wait to see those little smiling faces. I am filled with renewed energy for my husband, children and myself. It also gives my husband a better appreciation for everything I do for the family every day as well as giving him time he wouldn’t normally have with his kids.

This year, I am going camping in western Pennsylvania at Pennsic (a two week long medieval reenactment gathering). I’m not a reenactor myself, but I love the environment there. It’s beautiful, quiet, relaxed and because of elevation, a few degrees cooler than it is in central New Jersey. Everything is slower there and although there are children around, there are none that need any care from me. So, starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my yearly one week vacation. I most likely won’t be posting anything here, but may be able to share photos and short updates on my facebook page. If you haven’t “Liked” Enlightened Nourishment on facebook already, please do.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Don’t forget, nourishment doesn’t just come from food.

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Hey, I’m a guest blogger!

Today I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on a lovely blog by a very inspirational woman. Fitpixiemama is letting us follow along on her journey to better health and vitality through better food choices and fitness. She doesn’t consider herself an athlete or health guru, but she is very determined to create a healthier, pain-free life for herself. When I don’t feel like exercising or like I just don’t have the energy to cook one more well thought out meal for my family, I think WWFD (What Would Fitpixiemama Do)? Then I push myself to get off my butt and just do it, because I’ll feel better that I did once it’s done. I am encouraged my her resolve on a daily basis.

So, thank you Fitpixiemama for letting me be a part of your project and for being a hero of mine.

https://fitpixiemama.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/what-works-for-me-may-not-work-for-you-so-how-do-you-figure-out-what-will-work/