Intuitive eating is a philosophy created in 1995 by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, two dietitians who set out on a mission to end chronic dieting by helping people make peace with food. The principles of intuitive eating teach us that by returning to the intuitive way we ate as children, we will come to respect our bodies, overcome disordered eating, and develop healthier relationships with food (1). To better understand what intuitive eating is, let's look at what intuitive eating is not. Intuitive eating is not a diet. If you are eliminating foods or food groups for reasons other than medi ..read more

The Adventure of Home-Brewed Kombucha What is Kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented black or green tea, commonly consumed as a health beverage. It is rich in nutrients such as glucuronic acid, amino acids, probiotics and B vitamins, and is known to aid in digestion and liver detoxification. It's low in sugar and calories, and comes in a variety of flavors. While store-bought kombucha is delicious and convenient, it becomes costly if you consume as much as my family does. Because of this, we decided to start brewing our own kombucha. The Scoby The scoby is probably the most important component in k ..read more

If you love tomatoes and eggs, you’ve got to try Shakshuka! This Middle Eastern dish is basically poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, and other veggies. It’s been around for centuries in Mediterranean cultures and is easy to prepare and make your own. 1. Chop up one large yellow onion and a bell pepper 2. Stir fry the onion and pepper with one cup spinach leaves & three minced garlic cloves in olive oil. You can also add eggplant or zucchini instead of, or in addition to, any of the veggies listed above. 3. Time to add some spices! You can play around with these or use spice c ..read more

There are over 100 essential oils made from fruit peels, herbs, flowers, plants, and spices, and if you are new to essential oils, the vast number of options can be quite overwhelming. While they all have their place, some oils are more beneficial for everyday use than others. If you want to start using essential oils but aren’t sure where to start, these top five oils are great for beginners! Lavender Made from a beautiful vibrant purple flower, lavender oil is well known for its calming effect. It aids in sleep, reduces anxiety, and boosts mood, making it great for those with depression, ins ..read more

While there are several diets out there that have proven to be successful in treating IBS and other GI disorders, the low FODMAP diet is one of the most popular. FODMAP is an acronym standing for ,fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, but we will discuss these categories more in depth later. Several studies suggest this diet is effective for improving symptoms of those with GI related disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD ..read more

I've been meaning to learn how to pickle vegetables for years, but was super intimidated by the process. Turns out, this is actually one of the EASIEST recipe I have ever made! You literally put salt water in a jar with whatever vegetables you want and voila, the fermentation process begins! It really makes me marvel at the simplicity and perfection of these gifts from the universe. To preserve food, make their nutrients even stronger, and create more health benefits through the process of fermentation. All fruits and vegetables have healthy bacteria in them. When submerged in salt water, the ..read more

We have been busy making lots of "beany" desserts with our abundance of leftover beans from dinner! We made raw chocolate chickpea fudge, raw navy bean cookie dough, and a peanut butter bean fudge. We were all kind of bummed by the amount of extra beans we had, but turns out it has led us to a great discovery of bean desserts! When it came around to pinto beans, I honestly thought this would be the failure of the bunch. Pinto beans have a very distinct flavor that I wasn't so sure we would be able to cover up, but luckily I was wrong. I have yet to be convinced that chocolate can't fix most th ..read more

Ingredients: 2 cups cilantro 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts 1 heaping Tbsp raisins 3 cloves garlic 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sweet paprika 1/4 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Directions: Wash and chop cilantro, place into food processor Put all ingredients in food processor over cilantro and blend until smooth Store in a fridge in the mason jar and enjoy! This can be used for so much, we used it as a dip for tofu bites and a spread on toast this time around ..read more

Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 leeks, sliced 3 celery stalks, diced 1 head cauliflower, chopped 8 cups vegetable broth 1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice) 3 bay leaves 2 tsp salt 1 tsp white pepper 1/2 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp rosemary 1/4 tsp thyme 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 1 lemon, juiced 1 tsp lemon zest sprinkle cayenne pepper Directions: Cook the onion, leeks, and celery in a pot with olive oil until they begin to caramelize. Add the vegetable broth, cauliflower, and bay leaves. Let simmer until the cauliflower is cooked through and very tender. Remove the bay leaves a ..read more

History of maternal nutrition In the early to mid 20th century, pregnant women frequently drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and were mostly unaware of a growing fetus' nutritional needs. The fetus was believed to be immune to both environmental toxins and toxic substances consumed by the mother. The importance of maternal nutrition only became obvious when people began to see the relationship between substances the mother ingested and tragic birth defects. Throughout history, we've seen the connection between a mother's health and the health of her child and today we understand the direct impa ..read more