Hello everyone! It is now officially fall, (unquestionably) the best time of year! I have been soaking up the season so far mainly by enjoying the sunrises and sunsets, watching college football on Saturdays, and cooking + baking a variety of fall recipes. It has been a rather hot September here in Michigan, but it seems to finally be cooling off a bit! There have been a number of interesting sunrises I have seen this month such as the one shown below.
On to discussing some recent eats!
Recovering from an eating disorder was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I don’t even think there is a particularly close second?? There is a reason recovery rates for anorexia are generally estimated to be below 50% (and I would argue probably considerably lower, depending on one’s definition of “recovery”), and that it is the mental illness with the highest mortality rate. Not only is it a severe mental illness, but unlike other mental illnesses, the sufferer is literally physically starving themself to death as a result of the internal mental and biological processes gone astray. To make matters worse, the person generally doesn’t realize they are even sick (at least not initially or for a while), and the “anorexia brain” causes the person to not want to get better and to maintain the eating disorder at all costs (again, at least initially).
IT IS A TERRIBLE THING, LET ME TELL YOU! And I have tremendous compassion for anyone reading this post who is suffering or who knows someone who is.
From my own experience and considering the experiences of other people I have talked to or read from, the downward spiral into full-blown anorexia is usually very sharp and sudden. While I have a lot more insight now, when I broadly look back on my experience, it is like I was walking…walking…walking…going about my life, and then suddenly it was like I fell off a cliff and was helplessly consumed by this devastating thing in my mind I had no control over and didn’t even realize was there. Anorexia, from my experience, was like this out-of-body, dissociative experience of devastation taking place inside my mind with drastic physical consequences. While the downfall into anorexia is often sudden, the full climb out is long and challenging, taking a tremendous amount of motivation and perseverance.
However, I believe that full recovery is possible for anyone, no matter how serious the illness or how long it has been a problem in your life.
Hi everyone! We recently got back from our trip to West Virginia over Labor Day Weekend. It was SUCH a nice time away! I am quite sad that it is over. I am also pretty much convinced that West Virginia is the most underrated state in the U.S…beautiful mountains + forests + waterfalls, scenic driving, hikes, not very crowded…what more could one want? WV is the only state entirely within a mountain range, so all the driving was constant beauty! Shoutout to Alec for handling the mountain driving like a pro. I would’ve been done for without him!
A few highlights from the trip:
Long Point Trail in New River Gorge with an amazing view of the New River Gorge Bridge at the end of the hike.
This unique baked oatmeal features juicy mango, naturally-sweet dates, and shredded carrot + coconut. Topped with a maple cashew butter spread, this hearty oat-bake is delicious for a prep-ahead breakfast or snack all week long!
How do you prefer your oats? Steel-cut, overnight, classic stove-top, in pancakes or a cookie…one of the things I love most about oats is how versatile they are, and how endless the flavor combinations for any oat-based breakfast, snack, or dessert are. While I typically opt for regular overnight oats or steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast, occasionally I make a batch of baked oatmeal to switch things up!
If you have never made it before, baked oatmeal is especially wonderful because it can be prepped and made ahead of time – perfect for busy school or workday mornings. Essentially, it is everything to love about regular oatmeal except in a baked + bar form!
However, today I don’t just have any old baked oatmeal recipe for you. We are talking mango carrot baked oatmeal with juicy, sweet dates and shredded coconut mixed in. Sign me up!
Hello everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous week so far. How is it already the end of summer?? I feel like this summer flew by even faster than usual. So far, my August has been filled with the busyness of transitions, work, and business logistics, as well as time outside soaking up the sun and a couple of weekends out of town.
We had the BEST long weekend up north in the Petoskey/Walloon Lake area for my oldest-known friend Ellen’s wedding! It was great spending time with old friends and enjoying the scenery up north.
When many people first hear of Intuitive Eating, they tend to think it is simply about eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. While this is certainly an important part of being an intuitive eater, eating intuitively goes well beyond responding to our physiological hunger/fullness cues. In this post we will explore some of the other kinds of “hungers.”
This concept of “types of hungers” is introduced in the Intuitive Eating book and I will elaborate and expand a bit more in terms of how I tend to think about it. Of course, generally when we think of feeling hungry we are talking about a physiological drive to eat. Everyone experiences physiological hunger in slightly different ways, often some combination of a grumbling stomach, lightheadedness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, etc. For the purposes of this post, we will explore hunger as a concept of various drives/reasons to eat including and beyond just physical hunger.
Let’s explore some of the different types of hunger!
Having a nightly routine to help wind down and prepare for sleep is one of my top tips for improving sleep. Ever since I started incorporating STRETCHING into my evening routine, I can’t imagine not stretching before bed! Taking a couple of minutes to relieve built up muscle tension from the day has had me feeling significantly better once I settle into bed to read, rest, and relax. Continue on below for some of my favorite nighttime yoga postures!
This post was first published on January 13, 2021. As many of you are newer to the blog, I wanted to repost it today as the principles of intuitive eating are relevant for much of my nutrition philosophy!
Today I want to spend some time discussing what intuitive eating is, as this framework of eating underlies much of what I believe and talk about when it comes to food. When I first learned about intuitive eating towards the end of high school, it greatly helped me in my recovery from an eating disorder and in improving my relationship with food.
The intuitive eating framework was developed by two dietitians, Eveyln Tribole, M.S., R.D.N., and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D.N. The first edition of the book, Intuitive Eating, was published in 1995, and the fourth (and most recent) edition was published in June of 2021. The book goes in depth on the ten principles of intuitive eating (which I will describe more below) and is a resource I would HIGHLY recommend if you are interested in learning more! (*There is also a workbook that you can get to go along with the book that is also really helpful!) Since the publication of the book, there have been over 100 studies on intuitive eating, validating its effectiveness when it comes to improving one’s overall health (both physical and mental), including one’s relationship with food.
Intuitive eating is a way of eating that focuses on tuning into your own internal bodily cues, mind, emotions, and overall intuition. It places emphasis on the reality that our bodies know best what/when/how much to eat – better than an app or calorie tracker, a meal plan, or a diet (or “lifestyle/wellness plan”) – YOU yourself innately have the ability to eat in a way that cares for YOUR body and YOUR specific needs at any given point in time.
Hi friends! How is the week going so far?? It has been hot and humid in Michigan lately although I can’t say I really mind! Gotta enjoy the warmer weather and sunshine while it lasts.
How is it already almost August? We have been enjoying the past few weekends in AA before we will be heading out of town the first couple weekends in August. One weekend for my grandma’s 90th bday and another weekend up north for my friend’s wedding! Should be a couple of wonderfully summery weekends.
Delicious eats from the past couple weeks!
These moist and fluffy cherry muffins are sure to become a summer or even year-round favorite! This recipe uses fresh or frozen cherries and features a hint of cinnamon and a subtle almond flavor. Cherry and almond make for the best combo!
How’s the week going? Today you are in for a real treat with my cherry muffin recipe. Head to your local grocery store or Farmer’s Market pronto to pick up summer’s bounty of fresh cherries. Or substitute frozen for a just-as-tasty version!
Did you know that my home state of Michigan produces 75% of the country’s tart cherry crop and 20% of the sweet cherry crop? How cool is that?
This recipe features dark sweet cherries as well as almond extract for a nice almond flavor spark. Oh, and some cinnamon and cardamom to up the flavor profile even more! Using whole wheat pastry flour and plain yogurt create the fluffiest, moistest muffin.
