Think fast: what the pH?

Diagram of entire digestive tract including nutrients absorbed in each section

Thanks go to three of my clients who just this week asked questions about alkaline diet foods and pH: What the pH? Skin care commercials tell us their product will balance our skin, so-called “clean eating” blogs promote “alkaline diet foods”, designer bottled water companies and aggressive multi-level-marketing water filter companies promote alkaline waters, or maybe you retained a basic understanding of pH from biology or chemistry. The idea of an alkaline pH is trendy and in large print on labels. But what does being “pH balanced” or “too acidic” or “alkaline” or even “too alkaline” really mean? And, why … Continue reading

Powerhouse fruits and veggies list: more nutrient dense for the calories

I thought only my Eating to Restore Balance group knew the truth about our Fourth Food Group—veggies—until now that is. So first of all, applaud yourself for entering the produce section and making some selections—based on the shopping carts I stand next to in the check-out line, you are already special. But now there is a tool if you’re looking to know which are the highest ranked powerhouse fruits and vegetables, foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk, on a nutrient density scale. See, creatures of habit, we tend to head to the store and pick the same old familiar … Continue reading

Simple tips to make healthy eating fun

toxic chemicals and accumulated waste prevent weight loss

Americans eat less than 70 percent of their meals at home, and less than a third of families eat meals together more than twice a week. Restaurant food and take-out meals are notorious for cheap ingredients made up in flavor with added sugar, unhealthy fats, and iodized salt. More than half of Americans’ calories come from “ultra-processed foods,” according to a new study published in BMJ Open. “Formulations of several ingredients which, besides salt, sugar, oils, and fats, include food substances not used in culinary preparations, in particular, flavors, colors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and other additives used to imitate sensorial qualities … Continue reading

Appreciation & Gratitude: Thoughts for the New Year

What will guarantee a happy marriage? Or friendship? Or smooth family? Life is dynamic, we grow and change, there is free will. However, a recent study is suggests there might be a key ingredient in the happiest of relationships. Two rules for happy living: Be able to experience anything. Cause only those things which others are able to experience easily. —L.Ron Hubbard Think about it. Hard to do, but if we could? And is there some magic that makes this possible? One of you really wants to talk about a problem and the other one really doesn’t. Sound familiar? Usually … Continue reading

The definitive seed, bean, and nut soaking guide

In more than a few recipes I talk about soaking or sprouting seeds and beans. In my Eating to Restore Balance class, I mention soaking seeds, beans, and nuts Why? A long list of health benefits you soak your grains, beans, nuts and seeds: Break down phytic acid Neutralize enzyme inhibitors Eliminate or reduce lectins, gluten, tannins, goitrogens, and other anti-nutrients that contribute to unwanted problems Activate enzymes that help digest food and released nutrients Increase nutrient content, especially vitamin B and anti-oxidants Break down hard-to-digest proteins in cereal grains—if you must have cereal grains Increase your digestive tract’s ability … Continue reading

Soaring health insurance costs? Four strategies to lessen the pain.

With health insurance costs through the roof, read on for ways to lower your premiums. Mike came to see me, near tears. He’s had to pull money from what he’d hoped to save for his daughter’s college to cover his $1500/month family health insurance premiums now required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Sarah was enraged—“I’m 23, very healthy, I work hard, my premium skyrocketed 78 percent in one year!” Over a decade ago I had to get my own health insurance—I stepped off the corporate treadmill and again had my own family business. At that time, ObamaCare didn’t exist; there … Continue reading

Coffee Good or Bad?

100% natural coffee good or bad

A quick browse on the internet yields “7 health reasons…” “10 ways coffee harms…” “11 good things about coffee…” Do you have whiplash yet? And the media is not helping! One night’s news report conflicts with another’s blatantly contradictory info. So what do we do? Whatever the heck we want, apparantly. The coffee infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans, is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world. After all, that chocolaty aroma… the promise of energy… so is coffee good or bad? My own courtship with coffee. The truth is, I love my coffee. I find this subject … Continue reading

The Art of Food Combining

food combining explained

You asked for it. I just hope you really want to know: How we eat may be just as important as what we eat—depending on your health and health goals. Food is your #1 ally. While certain supplements can help certain situations, supplements cannot make up for poor diet. Most Americans believe that any number of different foods can be digested at the same time. Well, this isn’t what’s meant by food combining and may be why more than half of us suffer from some sort of digestive distress that no manner of elimination or medication can seem to fix. … Continue reading

Feel satisfied: Five ways to fill “hedonic hunger”

plant-based diet, SCD diet, GAPS diet, body ecology, anchorage nutritionist

Not a “Top Six Hunger-suppressing Foods” post or even a “7 Foods to Control Cravings” post, hunger is the number one reason people fail at dieting so let’s look at another angle on it. One of my client last week asked me why it was so hard to achieve her goals. So we had to take a good hard look at the emotional connection of food as she frowned when I pointed out that while switching to maple syrup is a better choice than cane sugar, continuing to consume an average 34 teaspoons per day is still not healthy yet this … Continue reading

My child can’t behave: 10 tips to handle the food additive connection.

During the 1970s the headlines read: food additives drug children—and result in drugging children, researchers say. But this wasn’t enough to convince health policy or medical professionals, creating a confusion for parents. During the 1980s headlines read: New research shows possible link between food additives and hyperactivity. During the 1990s we put a name on it: Possible ADHD link with food dyes and additives according to new research. And so it goes… Except none of it is “headline” news given Theron Randolf published her observations “Allergy as a causative factor of fatigue, irritability, and behavior problems in children” in the Journal of … Continue reading

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