Everyday Chocolate | Libby Stenzel Nutrition - Page 8 of 15 - joy & healing with food, exercise, + body image

March 22, 2023March 21, 2023 by Libby

Everyday Eats 3.22.23

Hello everyone!

How is your week going? I’ve been enjoying seeing the sun a little more lately! Cloudy day after cloudy day really starts to wear on me.

Over the weekend I spoke at an event with Michigan Cru on disordered eating and body image, got coffee with a friend at a favorite cafe in Ann Arbor, and did some household work/chores. We also have been watching some March Madness here and there. My championship pick (Texas) remains alive!

I’m certainly looking forward to spring with hopefully some warmer weather, time outside, and all the fresh spring produce.

Some recent eats for inspiration!

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March 15, 2023March 14, 2023 by Libby

How to Know if You Are at a Healthy Weight for Your Body

We all have a unique, largely genetically determined, weight range at which we are generally likely to be our healthiest. I might be healthy at my current size but it would almost certainly be unhealthy for me if I were to lose or gain a significant amount of weight.

I have my own unique body size / weight range and you have yours. Which is why, in the absence of further context, fixating solely on weight is not usually useful when we are trying to understand our own or someone else’s health status. The same weight may be healthy for one person and extremely unhealthy for another.

If knowing your weight alone isn’t necessarily helpful, what are other contextual markers and potential clues we can use to discern if we are at a generally healthy weight for our own unique genetics and overall well-being?

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March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 by Libby

Everyday Eats 3.8.23

Hi everyone!

How is your week going so far? Thankfully it is almost spring!!

We missed out on all the snow in Michigan over the weekend as we were at my cousin’s wedding in Georgia. The sunny and 60-degree weather on Saturday was fantastic!

We enjoyed a long walk in the sun on Saturday morning and also enjoyed the time at the wedding. Some of the best wedding food I have had!

Let’s get to some recent eats!

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March 1, 2023February 24, 2023 by Libby

What is “Normal” Eating?

Normal eating is eating three meals and several snacks each day.

Or, from time to time, it is munching all throughout the day.

Normal eating is enjoying a slice of cake with ice cream at a birthday party.

Or, it is saying, “No, thank you,” without feeling the need to explain yourself.

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February 22, 2023February 21, 2023 by Libby

Everyday Eats 2.22.23

Happy Wednesday!

This week I have been loving how it is getting noticeably lighter earlier in the morning. Sad that we will take a step back with this when we spring forward in a few weeks! :/

This weekend I have plans to visit a friend on Friday, potentially am going out to dinner with Alec for Indian (his favorite), and working on some projects/to-dos at home on Saturday. We are having my family over for Michigan basketball + dinner on Sunday. I’m also looking forward to getting in a couple walks and/or runs outside!

What are you up to this weekend??

Onward to some recent eats from the past couple of weeks!

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February 15, 2023February 13, 2023 by Libby

Why the Pill is NOT the Solution to Your Missing or Irregular Period

Imagine a scenario such as the following. You used to get your period regularly but haven’t had your period for quite some time (anywhere from ~3 months – a decade or more). You make an appointment with your doctor to inquire why this may be and/or what can be done about it. Without taking the time to ask important and relevant questions regarding lifestyle factors like your stress level, nutrition, exercise, and sleep, your doctor prescribes you the birth control pill to “solve” your period problem. Take this and you’ll have a regular cycle, clear skin, and balanced hormones — problem solved!

Fast forward several years to when you decide you want to get off the pill for whatever reason. Maybe you decide to go off it because you want to hopefully start having kids soon. Or maybe you want to be done taking a pill every day given that you’ve heard there may be negative side effects associated with it. The months go by and… low and behold, no period! Only now the situation is even more dire and stressful than before, due to increased confusion as to what could be wrong, length of time spent on the pill, and possibly even a strong desire to start a family soon.

Unfortunately, this type of situation is all too common!

I can relate, and I know several of my clients, a number of my friends, and many other women whose stories I have read about on the Internet can, too.

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February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 by Libby

Everyday Eats 2.8.23

Hello, everyone! I hope your week is going well so far. Last week was extremely cold here in Michigan!

Definitely warming up a bit this week. Which I’m not sure how I feel about since it will probably go back to being cold and snowy. I don’t love the temperature fluctuations and resulting ice/slush!

What do you like to do during winter to keep the season more enjoyable/interesting?? I find myself reading + cooking more, watching college basketball, getting to bed earlier… nothing too exciting but that is how I often roll!

Here to inspire you in the kitchen with some recent cold weather eats!

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January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 by Libby

Creamy Chocolate Raspberry Avocado Pudding

This chocolate raspberry pudding is the perfect easy-to-make dessert combining just the right amount of sweetness with a delectably creamy base thanks to the key ingredient – avocados! Give this recipe a try for a tasty February treat.

February has me feeling all about the chocolate + raspberry dessert recipes… anyone else?? For my fellow chocolate aficionados, look no further for your future dessert needs than this luscious chocolate raspberry avocado pudding!

If you are skeptical about your avocados mixing with your puddings, I hear your concern! HOWEVER, do not fret, as I would not steer you wrong when it comes to dessert. You really can’t taste the avocado – its sole purpose is to serve as the creamy base for all the flavor goodness!

In addition to tasting amazing, this avocado pudding also has some valuable nutrition highlights. I feel it is my dietitian duty to give you the inside scoop!

Nutrition benefits of this creamy chocolate raspberry avocado pudding:

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January 25, 2023January 24, 2023 by Libby

Everyday Eats 1.25.23

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday. How is your week going so far?

We finally had some sun here yesterday. I can’t remember the last time I saw blueish skies when I was out running! I didn’t sleep very well the night before so was grateful for the sunshine throughout the morning that helped with giving me some much needed energy!

This past weekend I spent time with a good friend, went to another friend’s 30th birthday party, and then Sunday was usual church activities and Michigan basketball. I find that having some fun plans to look forward to throughout the month is so helpful for the winter months especially!

Some recent eats from the past couple of weeks!

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January 18, 2023January 17, 2023 by Libby

Eating Intuitively While Traveling

Hi everyone! How is your week going so far? We are getting back into the swing of things after being out of town in Arizona this past weekend with Alec’s side of the family. Unfortunately the weather was pretty bad as far as Phoenix typically goes. 50s and cloudy/rainy. I had my headband and gloves in my backpack from when we were leaving Michigan and didn’t anticipate needing them on the trip!! Lol.

We hiked the Pinnacle Peak trail on Sunday morning which was fun (despite the cold rain). I’m sure normally the trail would have been pretty crowded, but we were basically the only people on the trail for most of our hike. Weather is all about perspective! #Michiganders

Conversations I have had recently with clients as well as my own recent travel sparked the idea for today’s blog post. While I love traveling on occasion, sometimes food in general + eating intuitively can be a challenge, whether we are at the airport, in the car, or at our destination.

Potential challenges might include:
— Crossing time zones (is it breakfast again?? or lunch??)
— Not having access to usual / preferred foods
— Not knowing exactly when your next meal may come or what it will be (especially if traveling with others, staying at someone else’s house, etc.)
— Random curveballs (sitting in unexpectedly long traffic, canceled or delayed flight, extremely long restaurant wait, not knowing the area, etc.)
— The general stress of travel (can lead to poor sleep, constipation and other GI distress, hormones more out of whack, etc.)

And many more challenges I’m sure you have experienced or could think of! Typing this out alone is already stressing me as less than optimal previous travel experiences come to mind.

What are some tips and strategies we can consider using to address some of these challenges and help with seeking to eat in a way that feels good to us while traveling? Consider keeping these ideas in your back pocket for the next time you are preparing for a flight or long car ride, staying at a friend or family member’s house, or just going out for the day running errands!

Some ideas for the challenges of travel + nourishing our minds/bodies:

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