by Libby

What Foods Do You Consider Healthy?

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the holiday season and were able to spend time with friends and family. I always find the week after New Year’s a bit challenging in terms of getting back into normal rhythms and routines and no longer having the Christmas season to look forward to. Anyone else??

The holiday season got me thinking about wanting to write a brief post on “healthy foods.” What comes to mind for you when you think of healthy foods or eating healthy?

I tend to hear more comments at the holidays about foods being healthy or unhealthy, good or bad. It seems when people make these sort of black-and-white comments, the general consensus I notice is that they are referring to a food being (1) relatively low in calories (such as a salad automatically being healthier than a burger) or (2) relatively nutrient-dense (such as a carrot automatically being healthier than pretzels). People may feel guilty after eating a food they deem bad and may feel the need to compensate in some way (for example, through restriction at the next meal or increased exercise).

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by Libby

Day in the Life: Eating Disorder Rotation

Hello! Today I wanted to share a “day in the life” type post… so read on if you are interested in seeing more of what my days often look like and more of what I have been up to in my eating disorder rotation! I know I enjoy reading these types of posts and have found it helpful to read what other dietitians’ or dietetic interns’ days are generally like. I am writing this a few days in advance, so this was my day last week on Wednesday!

5am: Wakeup! I like to wake up early so I have time to do the things I like to do before starting my work day – this helps me to feel energized and ready to go for the day! When I get up, I get on my running clothes and go downstairs to have an energy bite with some almond milk for a snack as otherwise I would get way too hungry since I don’t have breakfast till a bit later.

5:10-5:30am: After my snack, I sit in my favorite spot (next to the Christmas tree) to read my Bible and pray. I am doing a Bible reading plan that would take you through the Bible in one year but I am doing it in two years so the amount of reading each day is more doable for me right now!

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by Libby

Everyday Eats 12.8.21

Happy Wednesday! How is your week going? Right now I am doing a rotation with Michigan Medicine’s Comprehensive Eating Disorder Program which I am LOVING because it is so interesting and I am learning a lot! I will have a post next week with some more details on what that has been looking like. I have a lot of delicious food to share with today you to inspire you in the kitchen!

Let us start off with this salad… this is probably my favorite salad that I have ever made! I LOVE fattoush salad – I used to always get it at the poolside grill at this club where we used to keep our family’s boat and I have not had a fattoush salad that I like as much as that one until now… this one was absolutely fabulous! Usually when I make salads I just make up the topping/dressing combinations, and then occasionally, like for this salad, I like to follow a recipe. This salad was made using this fattoush salad recipe. The toasted pita chips and mint dressing were both especially amazing! Note: Costco also has organic authentic Greek feta cheese which also put the salad over the top.

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by Libby

Is Your Relationship with Exercise Healthy?

Health messaging all over the Internet and in the offices of healthcare professionals is often, in unison, recommending that we should be exercising more – more often and with greater intensity. We are told we should be exercising more to lose weight, prevent diabetes and heart disease, and on and on. This leads many of us to think that the more exercise we do, the better. However, is exercise always healthy? And, when it comes to exercise, can there be too much of a good thing?

I think there are two main angles to look at to discern whether or not the exercise you are engaging in is healthy.  On the one hand, there is a point at which the exercise you are engaging in is physically unhealthy. On the other hand, there is a point at which the exercise you are engaging in can be mentally and emotionally unhealthy. I will illustrate this with a few examples.

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by Libby

Happy Thanksgiving + Gratitude for Food

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving! What are your plans for the holiday? We will be spending the day with my side of the family – I will be running the Turkey Trot in downtown Detroit with my dad in the morning like we usually do, and then we will all watch the Lions game (who will probably lose in typical fashion) before enjoying our Thanksgiving feast some time in the late afternoon / early evening! I enjoy the entire spread of Thanksgiving food, but am always most looking forward to the cranberry sauce and stuffing!

Then… we have the Michigan-Ohio State game on Saturday. Go Blue!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and since I talk a lot about food on this blog, I thought I’d share 10 reasons I am grateful for food!

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by Libby

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Naturally sweetened and saturated with pumpkin pie flavor, this tasty smoothie is perfect for the upcoming holiday season! 

Hello everyone! I blended together this smoothie for the first time over the weekend, and I am excited for you all to give it a try! You probably love pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread… but have you ever enjoyed the delights of a pumpkin pie smoothie??

This smoothie has several nice features: it is sweetened naturally with dates, has almond butter for some staying power, and mixed in are some chia seeds for an extra boost of omega 3s. I would reckon that it would make an excellent breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert, depending on what you are feeling like!

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by Libby

Small Steps & Living with Intention

Something I try to keep at the forefront of my mind is the question, how can I be living with intention? With my health, finances, relationships, work, faith, and other areas of life, are the actions I am taking now on a trajectory that will likely lead to where I would want to be 5, 10, or even 50 years from now?

In a quote that captures this idea well, Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

We can only be in one moment at a time – now – and each moment fills up each day. How we live each day, in turn, fills up how we live our lives. Each present moment, each day, is of significance.

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by Libby

Eating Disorder or Disordered Eating?

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a nice week so far. I have been enjoying the fall colors lately and getting outside when I can, especially when it is sunny! I just finished my five-week-long food service management rotation at one of the dining halls at U of M. I enjoy food service and learning more about managing food operations – it was especially interesting/crazy with all of the supply chain and staffing issues going on with COVID! Not fun for the staff when they are trying to feed and forecast menus for 2000 people multiple times every day… This week I am doing a one week clinical rotation with the maternal and infant health unit at Michigan Medicine. The one constant of this internship is that it is always changing and quickly on to something new!

Today I’m going to be covering a few concepts…

      • What is an eating disorder?
      • What is disordered eating?
      • What does it look like to be a healthy eater?,

I often talk about both eating disorders and disordered eating, so I think it’s important to take some time to explain what each means. It’s necessary to make this distinction because one can have a disordered relationship with food without having a full-blown eating disorder, and both are important to address for optimal health and well-being.

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by Libby

Fudgy Almond Cacao Energy Bites

These gooey, chocolatey energy bites are the perfect snack – you’ll never believe they have no added sugar! Whip up a batch for easy snacking all week long. 

Hello friends! Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite recipe creations. I have these on hand (or my fudgy peppermint cacao bites) for snacking every week. I usually make a triple batch every other week and then put half in the fridge and save the rest in the freezer for the next week. I like to eat one of these each morning when I wake up before I exercise. Alec loves to take a couple to work each day!

These bites are tantalizingly fudgy, oozing with chocolately goodness. What more could one want in a snack?

Let’s get to the recipe details, shall we?

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by Libby

Fall Meal Ideas

Fall is without a doubt my favorite season of the year. I love the beautiful colors, sunny yet cooler October days, college football, and the anticipation of the upcoming holidays. And, of course, there is all of the fall food to enjoy! Pumpkin spice, cinnamon, hearty roasts and stews… need I say more?? This post is a round-up of some of my favorite fall recipes (by category) for you to try as well as some other ideas I’ve gathered from some of my favorite cooking blogs that I have yet to try. Maybe you’ll find a couple to add as part of your favorite fall dishes year after year!

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