Hormonal Health: The Nutrition Connection – by Troy Luengen – Dietetic Technician Intern   Nutrition plays a pivotal role in maintaining overall health, and its influence extends to the intricate balance of hormones within the human body.  Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate various physiological processes, including metabolism, growth, and reproduction.  The impact of nutrition on hormonal health is profound, as the quality and quantity of nutrients consumed directly affect the production, release, and functioning of hormones.  This essay explores the ways in w ..read more

Gut Microbiome – by Troy Luengen – Dietetic Technician Intern INTRODUCTION Scientific research has recently started to research more on the impact of the human microbiome on health, but also a particular focus on its positive correlation with athletic performance.  Comprising trillions of microbes, the microbiome is integral to overall health and has emerged as a crucial factor in optimizing athletes through energy harvesting, nutrient absorption, and metabolic influence.  For athletes, efficient nutrient absorption is pivotal, ensuring the reception of essential building blocks for ..read more

I Know What I Should Be Doing But…..   Client: “I know what I should be doing, but I can’t seem to do it or stick to it?”  Ugg…. the dreaded should word…So many people tell me this when they are calling to inquire about my services. And many of my new clients will lead with this statement at our first visit. I find it so oddly common and yet, it doesn’t completely surprise me. This should statement is typically based on what a client “thinks” needs to happen for them to achieve a goal. And that thought, nine times out of ten, is based on some idea that diet culture created. Working ..read more

Mindful Eating During the Holidays – Corey Haack,RD       Navigating the Holiday Season with Mindful Eating As the holiday season approaches, many people find themselves giving into temptation and overindulging in food. The result? Feelings of guilt, discomfort, and bloat. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. By practicing mindful eating, you can maintain a healthy balance and enjoy your meals with ease. Mindful eating involves paying attention to your hunger cues, savoring each bite, and stopping when you are satisfied. In this guide, we will explore the importance of mind ..read more

Nutrition for Injury and Recovery        “How do I eat when I’m recovering from an injury/surgery?” This can be a challenging time for most people whether you are an athlete or not. Being laid up over a sprain, inflamed joint, or surgery, is just no fun!   Below I list out some easy to prepare, well-balanced ideas to have on hand for times when you may not be as mobile as you’d like.   There are a few key points to keep in mind: If possible, consider prepping before the surgery. I know you can not plan for an injury, but for an upcoming surgery, make a list of w ..read more

Fueling Your Body: Easy and Delicious Ways to Sneak in Protein Throughout the Day! By Corey Haack, RD     Start Your Day Right with Protein Power Protein is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in building and repairing tissues, as well as supporting a healthy immune system. It also plays a crucial role in many other bodily functions. It’s the key to promoting satiety, boosting metabolism, enhancing brain function, and maintaining a healthy weight. Remember to try and aim for 1.2-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to reach your protein goals every day! Howev ..read more

BCAA’s: What’s the hype?   Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about BCAA’s. And more specifically about all the BCAA supplements. First, let’s talk about what BCAA’s are? There are 20 different amino acids that make up all the different proteins in the human body. Nine of these 20 are essential. Which means our body cannot make these on its own and it has to receive them from what we eat. Of those nine, there are three that are considered branched-chain. And they are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.  These are particularly important for muscle health, most notably, leuci ..read more

What is Nutritional Yeast?  Recently I received an inquiry from a client around nutrition yeast. What the heck is this stuff? I usually only talk about this with my vegan clients because it is a naturally high source of vitamin B12 and vegans have a very limited food selection that provide enough of this vitamin. Can non-vegans eat nutritional yeast? Sure, why not! Let’s break down what this stuff actually is.   Nutritional yeast can be grown on many sources including, barley, blackstrap molasses, whey and sugar beets. The yeast is deactivated in its final heating and processing ste ..read more

Meal Planning Basics!   Meal planning is almost the number one nutrition related stressor of most of my clients. We don’t want to plan, we are tired, everyone wants to eat something different etc. It can feel overwhelming. First, I think many of us are too hard on ourselves. Meal planning doesn’t need to be fancy, have much prep work or even be pretty. A meal just needs to cover the bases of nutrition for everyone.   The questions I pose for my clients the most around meal planning are: where is your protein, where are your vegetables, where is the fat and where is the carb…..and de ..read more

Sugar Substitutes   This is a topic that comes up often! And with so many products incorporating, there’s good reason to get to know them better! With that being said, this is not a blog to promote or encourage use of them. I write about these for education purposes only. When I am working with someone, I am more concerned with how many products they consume in a day that have any one of these items in it. The idea is to use these very infrequently if at all. And the awareness to gain here, is how often they are used in products. If we are consuming a lot of these in a day, there is ..read more