Nutty 'Nana Overnight Oats

This quick and easy overnight oats recipe uses oats, nut butter, banana, and spices. It’s a delicious and nutritious breakfast idea for busy work week mornings!

Ingredients
¼ cup nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, etc.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened milk (I use unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk)
1 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons sweetener of choice (I use maple syrup or agave)
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 ripe bananas, sliced
Ground nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon to taste

Instructions
1. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine nut butter, vanilla, and salt & heat for 15 seconds
2. Add nut butter mixture to a jar with a lid and combine with yogurt, milk, oats, sweetener, seeds, and spices
3. Cover with lid and refrigerate overnight
5. Add fresh fruit right before eating

A Beginner’s Guide to Intuitive Eating

Intuitive Eating (IE) is a tenable framework that builds on the intricate relationship between physical and emotional health. By using its ten principles as a guide, you can learn to remove the obstacles that prohibit you from meeting your biological and psychological needs. Below is an IE principle in bold and a beginner’s way to practice it in italics.

Diet culture penetrates our lives – there are so many books written that tout quick weight loss solutions. Each time you see a new, trendy diet emerge, reject the diet mentality.  

Ignore the short-lived fad diets. Invest your time in learning about intuitive eating.

Honoring your hunger is necessary to meet your body’s biological needs. Denying yourself food now may lead to overeating later.  

When your stomach grumbles, it’s telling you that you’re hungry! To replenish your energy demands, grab your favorite snack. 

Give up the fight and make peace with food. Allow yourself to eat without restrictions to reduce negative attributes associated with food.

The next time you’re craving something, don’t deprive yourself of it.

It’s normal to categorize food as good vs. bad, but it can create unreasonable rules. Challenge the food police by quelling these contrived restrictions.

Write down the restrictions you place upon yourself when it comes to type and quantity of food. Think about where you heard about these rules and what purpose they really serve.

Realize the pleasures associated with eating, and how that pleasure engenders satisfaction. In time, focusing on the vicarious qualities will help you realize when you’ve had enough.  

Keep a list of your favorite foods, and think: why do I love them and how much do I need to feel gratified?

Just like hunger signals, we have satiety signals. Acknowledge the ways in which you feel full.

Pause in the middle of a meal and assess the food’s taste and your current hunger level.

Food may temporarily ease uncomfortable feelings and emotions; however, it ultimately won’t solve them. It’s important to identify the sources of these emotions, and how emotional hunger may only make you feel worse in the long run. Thus, cope with your emotions with kindness.

When you’re feeling down, brainstorm the causes of these emotions through journaling. Rather than ignoring them, address the source or plan an activity to clear your mind.

Respecting your body is the first step to feeling better about yourself. Celebrate body diversity and reject unrealistic body size standards.

Every morning, name one quality you love about yourself. Ask a friend for suggestions if you have trouble. 

The feelings derived from exercise are more sustainable than its calorie-burning effects. When you are moving, feel the difference.

Try a new form of movement and record the feelings you experience.

Gentle nutrition is the key to honoring your health. Eating well doesn’t have to be rigid. Overall dietary patterns reflect flexibility and balance in food choices.

Examine your grocery list: Is there variety in there? Pick foods that are diverse in color (orange vs. yellow) and kind (protein vs. whole grains).

Feel the Difference With Joyful Movement

Just as intuitive eating is about healing our relationship with food, joyful movement is about healing our relationship with exercise, and reclaiming the joy in physical activity.  Joyful movement is about shifting our perspective - it’s about viewing exercise as a pleasurable way to be active on our bodies rather than a chore. Too often, we get swept up by the idea that exercising has to be painful or tortuous in order for it to be effective. We approach exercise feeling like we have to burn calories in order to “earn” our food. This mindset is toxic to our physical and mental health, and ultimately backfires. When we view exercise as something that we have to suffer through, we begin to dread it and try to get away with not doing it. We hit the snooze on our alarm in the morning, skip out on going to the gym, and inevitably fall out of our exercise routine because it is just too taxing and exhausting to keep up. Ultimately we try to force ourselves to do something we hate day in and day out, and we come to resent it and avoid it.

The foundation for a healthy and active lifestyle cannot be built on guilt. Joyful movement is a radically different mindset, one that centers around pleasure in movement and honoring our bodies. Exercise should be a celebration of us and our bodies, not a guilt trip. Joyful movement is about finding ways to be active that are mentally and physically pleasurable for each person. Each person is unique and we each will find different activities enjoyable. There is no one “right” way to be active. It’s important that we listen to our bodies, and that we are present in our movement. When we approach exercise and physical activity from an intuitive and joyful perspective, we are able to be more in tune with our bodies, and will reap the benefits of physical activity that much more.

Ways to Measure Progress Other Than the Scale

Weight is just one measurement of many that can be taken to indicate health. Weight is not the sole indicator of health, and measuring progress solely based on the number on the scale is not only counterproductive, but can also be mentally harmful. Too often, we become fixated on our weight, foolishly believing that this number is an accurate measure of our progress and health, and react to small fluctuations in weight that really don’t mean much. Becoming fixated on the number on the scale often leads to obsessive patterns of eating and exercising that are damaging and unhealthy.  The number we see on the scale measures one thing: our weight. It doesn’t tell us how much of our weight is made up of body fat, muscle mass, or bone destiny, and doesn’t account for changes in weight due to hormone levels or water retention. Because of this, we can't accurately assess small fluctuations we see in our weight. We don’t know if a small increase on the scale is actually a weight gain, or if it can actually be attributed to muscle gain, water retention, or hormone fluctuations. Because of this, it is important not to get too fixated on the number on the scale because it is only one of many important indicators of health. Here are some other ideas for measuring progress other than the scale. 

1. Track healthy habits: there are many other ways to set, track, and achieve health goals that don’t relate to weight. For example, you can set a goal to drink more water, eat more fruit, or get in more joyful movement. You can then measure and track your progress in these goals on a weekly and monthly basis. This is a great way to take concrete steps towards measuring and tracking progress that don’t involve the number on the scale.

2. Energy levels: By using intuitive eating, we get in touch with how certain food makes our bodies feel. When we eat certain foods, we may feel sluggish and tired. Our minds feel fuzzy, and our bodies feel weak and slow. Alternatively, when we consume more foods that make our bodies feel good through gentle nutrition, we feel more energized. When our brains and bodies are given proper nourishment and fuel, our energy levels soar. Paying attention to energy levels, and how our bodies respond to different patterns of eating, can be a great way to measure progress in living a healthier lifestyle. 

3. Stress levels and mood: Mood and stress levels are another major area that are impacted by healthier lifestyle. When we are undernourished and under fueled, our neurotransmitters aren't firing optimally, which can leave us feeling irritable and low. When we begin to live a healthier lifestyle that isn’t dictated by the scale, our mood and stress levels often improve dramatically. Being aware of mood and stress can also be a great way to measure progress. 

When we are striving to live a healthier lifestyle it can be easy sometimes to get fixated on the number on the scale, and to attribute meaning to the number we see. However it is important to remember that the scale is not always accurate, and certainly does not give us an accurate picture of our overall health. It is important to focus less on the scale and more on how you feel. There are many other ways to measure progress other than the scale. The scale does not define you. 

Five Easy Ways to Add Fats to Your Day

Are you looking to add more nourishing fat into your day?

Here are five Dietitian approved ideas:

1)Oils - Use olive or walnut oil as salad dressing. Add slivered or chopped nuts to your salad.

2)Avocado - Prepare avocado toast, add sliced avocado to sandwiches, wraps, or salads.

3)Flax seed - Sprinkle flax seed onto oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, or in smoothies

4)Nuts & nut butter - Snack on nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or pistachios. Or, spread nut butter on toast.

5)Fatty fish - Enjoy fatty fish like tuna or salmon for dinner tonight!

What are your favorite ways to incorporate more fat into your day?

3 Tips to Help Lower Cholesterol Through Diet

Working with a  Health at Every Size (HAES) Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will look a little something like this:

Our work together won’t be dictated by the scale, your food choices and when you eat won’t be lead by diet rules. Instead, we’ll focus on improving your relationship with food, getting you off the diet roller coaster, and ADDING to your day to optimally nourish your whole body health.  

Are you or your loved one interested in making lifestyle modifications to lower your cholesterol?

Here are three simple tips to help lower your cholesterol through diet:

1) Increase unsaturated fats. Increase intake of heart healthy unsaturated fats found in nuts, canola and olive oil, and avocado. Recipe suggestion: avocado toast on whole grain bread drizzled with olive oil.

2) Fill up with fiber. Choose whole-grains like oatmeal and fill your plates with fruits and vegetables. You know what they say about beans. Beans, chick peas, and lentils are the magical fruits to fill up on fiber. Fiber helps to keep us full and reduces cholesterol absorption. Recipe suggestion: overnight oats topped with berries, flax, and walnuts.

3) Eat your omega-3s: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel), walnuts, and flax. Aim to consume fish 2-3 times per week to help lower the LDL cholesterol.

Disclaimer: This post is for informational and educational purposes only. For more personalized recommendations, schedule an appointment with a HAES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist near you here

Creating a Healthy Body Image by Practicing Body Respect

The phrase “healthy body image” is somewhat misleading. A healthy body image is not one narrowly-defined body type or size. It goes beyond your physical appearance, and it’s rooted in how you feel about yourself. A healthy body image stems from personal satisfaction with your body and comfortableness with the way you look. 

If you flip through fashion magazines, or go clothes shopping, it may be difficult to believe that a healthy body image can be independent of weight. Often it feels like every model or mannequin is uniform in size, shape, and height. Despite progress in body diversity representation, weight is still a highly stigmatized quality. 

Internal and external pressures can drive our insecurities and lead to a negative body image, where we don’t feel good in our own skin. Let’s be honest, everyone has something that they dislike about themselves, which makes it challenging to unconditionally love ourselves. Thus instantly loving yourself may not be attainable, nor may it be the solution. 

Luckily, we can focus on building respect for our bodies in order to achieve a healthy body image. Rather than ignoring perceived flaws, we accept our physical appearances and learn to properly take care of ourselves. Body respect goes hand in hand with other non-diet approaches to health. The Health At Every Size (HAES) method celebrates body diversity, and asserts that health and wellbeing do not have to begin with weight status, size, nor physical appearance. It’s best to be physically and emotionally healthy regardless of weight. Additionally, eating intuitively teaches us to listen to our bodies instead of scorning them.

Ultimately, dieting boxes us in, restricting personal relationships with food and our own bodies. It can make us feel like we are not beautiful nor seen until we look a certain way. Rather than being consumed by insecurities, body respect teaches to celebrate the qualities that make you unique. 

To create and sustain a healthy body image, here are the areas you can practice body respect:

1. Nutrition - honor your hunger cues. Eat what you want, when you want to eat it, and stop when you feel full.

2. Physical Activity - Find a method of exercising you enjoy, whether it be walking, yoga, or hiking. Exercise based on the way it makes you feel, not on the way you look. 

3. Expression - Show off your personal style and wear clothes that are comfortable to you. 

4. Appreciation - Think of all the things your body allows you to do every day. Share words of kindness and encouragement with yourself. 

Interested in finding out other ways you can personalize and actualize your methods of body respect? 
Schedule a discovery call with an intuitive eating HAES dietitian here:

How to Navigate Emotional Eating As It Relates to Intuitive Eating

Emotional eating is a challenge that many people face, and there are many reasons why a person may struggle with emotional eating. Restriction, both physical and mental, plays a huge role in emotional eating. On a physical and biological level restrictive diets that are low in calories and nutrients throw our hunger cues and appetites out of whack. This is because when we diet and severely restrict our intake, we force our bodies to operate in a state of deprivation. Our bodies naturally respond to this deprivation by increasing our hunger signals and appetite, causing us to intensely crave foods that tend to be higher in fat, salt, and sugar. It becomes harder and harder to resist these foods, until we finally give in to the temptation, and go all out - consuming large quantities of the very foods we are restricting. 

Mentally, the more we deprive ourselves of something the more we want it. We see this concept all the time with children - the more we tell a child they can't do something or have something, the more they want it. It works just the same for us as adults. The more we tell ourselves that we can't have chocolate, or we can't have ice cream, the more we want it. Our brains tend to hyperfixate on the things we mentally emphasize. The more we emphasize what we can’t have, the more our brains will fixate on it, reminding us of what we are missing out on, making it nearly impossible to resist every temptation we face. Instead, it is much more effective to approach eating from an “all foods fit” model, giving ourselves unconditional permission to eat any and all foods. Doing this takes the emphasis off of food, and removes the moral virtue we attach to food. Once the emphasis is taken off food, it becomes much easier to enjoy it, and to make healthy rational choices about what and how to eat. 

Principle #7 of intuitive eating states that in order to make peace with food, we must learn to cope with our emotions with kindness. Using food in any way to cope with emotions, whether it's loneliness, anxiety, or depression, is a significant hindrance to practicing true intuitive eating. Getting down to the source of the problem and the core of the emotions that we are experiencing is key to resolving emotional eating. There are many ways to learn to cope with emotions. Journaling is one very powerful tool for gaining self-knowledge and a sense of control over our emotions. Journaling can help us to get in touch with ourselves and to understand where our thoughts and feelings are coming from. Additionally, consulting with a mental health professional is always beneficial. Mental health professionals provide guidance, compassion, and a safe space to discuss thoughts and feelings. They are also trained to identify and resolve any problems we may be facing. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who operate from an intuitive eating model are also a key resource for healing our relationship with food and for developing positive coping mechanisms. 

What is "Diet Culture"?

It’s always important to prioritize living a healthy lifestyle, and making choices that are good for your overall health and wellbeing. We all want to do our best to eat right and feel good. However, dieting isn't, and never will be, equivalent to living a healthy lifestyle. In fact, dieting is just about the worst thing you can do for your health. The extreme calorie restriction and nutrient deprivation that we put our bodies through when we go on a diet puts the body into a state of stress, which actually sets us up to gain weight rather than lose it. The stress caused by dieting is also bad for the immune system and for maintaining stable moods. In our culture today, diets go in and out of fashion the same way clothes and hairstyles do. It seems that there is always a new trendy diet to try. This is diet culture. Diet culture has completely warped our sense of what it really means to live a healthy lifestyle, by prioritizing weight and shape over health and wellness. Diet culture convinces us that we need to resort to drastic actions, such as cutting out entire food groups, or adhering to rigid ways of eating, in order to be healthy. Diet culture promotes fad diets as legitimate options for achieving optimal health and nutrition. Diet culture teaches us to fear food, and to distrust our bodies. 

It is easy to spot the influence of diet culture around us when we know what to look for. Any person, brand, or company attaching any kind of moral virtue to food is promoting diet culture. When we look at food through the lens of diet culture, we are only able to see “good” and “bad” foods, and as a result, start to see ourselves as “good” or “bad” for eating them. This is where the concept of “cheating” comes from. You can “cheat” on a diet, and the outcome is feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness. However, when you are living a life of true health that is balanced and focused on overall wellness, foods no longer have a moral virtue attached. There is only food, and how your body responds to the food you put into it. You are not a failure or a “cheater” for eating cake, cake is not “bad”. You are simply a human being, listening to and honoring your body, and choosing to nourish your soul as well as your body. It is about time we reject the influence of diet culture, and stop attaching morals to the food we eat. Food just simply doesn’t have that much power!

Diet culture can be extremely toxic, but you can choose to consciously reject diets and diet culture, and live a healthy and balanced life. The mixed messages coming from diet culture can make it very difficult to make decisions about food and nutrition, so it’s always advisable to consult a qualified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist about implementing good eating habits. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists use evidence based nutrition principles, and are trained to give expert health advice.

What is Health At Every Size (HAES®)?

It seems like every time you watch TV or go online, you get bombarded with advertisements for products related to weight loss. Whether it be the pioneer Weight Watchers, or the sketchy calorie-burning supplements, there is a giant business built on getting people to shed the pounds. Like me, you may be disheartened to see weight loss touted as the cornerstone of health and wellbeing. But what if health didn’t have to revolve around weight status?  

 This is where the HAES approach comes in. HAES stands for Health At Every Size, and it dismisses the notion that one size or one weight is synonymous with good health. Rather, physical and emotional wellbeing can occur at any size, and improving the quality of life begins with practicing healthy behaviors, not losing weight.  

 You may wonder, if HAES is a weight-neutral approach to good health, what are its guiding principles? According to the founders of the movement, there are three main components: Respect, Critical Awareness, and Compassionate Self-care. Respect involves celebrating body diversity, and appreciating differences in our attributes, like size, age, race, and gender. Critical Awareness relates to challenging scientific assumptions about people living with overweight and obesity and honoring personal experiences. Lastly, compassionate self-care is about finding joy in movement and eating according to what we need and what we like.  

Unlike dieting, the HAES approach is not meant to induce stress. Traditional weight loss methods are purely a numbers game, whether it be counting the calories you consumed that day or tracking the scale value each night. Not meeting these goals can lead to a sense of failure, which induces stress and undermines good health. Furthermore, it drives the faulty assumption that you cannot be healthy until you reach one size. Instead, the HAES approach values emotional wellbeing, encouraging people to celebrate who they are and to prioritize self-care over body size.  

Since HAES is a relatively new approach to health improvement, there aren’t any long-term studies that show its impact. However, several short-term studies suggest that the HAES approach has positive effects on behavior and appetite. For example, in one study, a group of 78 people using the HAES approach maintained their weight, while improving their energy expenditure and eating behaviors. Psychologically, groups members improved their self-esteem, body image, and depression. Even one year after the study, the HAES members were able to sustain the results, unlike the comparison diet group that initially lost weight but gained it back.  

Now that we understand what the HAES approach is, how do we incorporate its principles into our own lives? Some concrete actions include eating honoring hunger cues without limiting intake, incorporating walks into daily routines, or setting a defined sleep schedule every night. If you don’t know where to start, it’s always worth chatting with a local dietitian nutritionist.