Thursday, May 3, 2012
Eat to Live Nutrition is Transfering to Wordpress!
I am transferring my blog to Wordpress. If you would like to continue reading Eat to Live Nutrition, please bookmark the new page or add it to your RSS feeds.
/http://eattolivenutrition.org/
Eat to Live Nutrition will be undergoing a fair amount of changes in 2012. In the past year, I've learned a lot of new information about nutrition, especially as it relates to women. I will be writing a lot more about how to increase your fertility with food and herbs and how to manage nutrition for two during pregnancy and the postpartum months for breastfeeding mothers. I will also be exploring how to manage food sensitivities, detoxification, blood sugar imbalances, as well as other topics.
Thank you for your continued support!
Warm regards,
Traci Goodrich
Holistic Nutritionist and Traditional Foods Educator
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
12 Strategies for a Healthier You in the New Year
Instead of trying to do things the right way, why not give your plan a little space, and maybe even allow some room for mistakes and the opportunity to start again if your original plan doesn't seem to be working?
Try implementing some of these strategies in the new year and see how you feel!
1. Give credit where credit is due. Acknowledge your successes from the previous year. Have you been eating more vegetables? Are you now reading labels and choosing foods that don't have any sugar or salt when it simply isn't necessary? Have you reduced your caffeine intake? Acknowledge whatever it is you do to improve your health in small ways.
2. Do not change your diet starting on January 1st. Start by eating the foods you normally do and pay particular attention to how some of these foods make you feel. Do you eat enough? Do you eat too much? Are you able to digest what you do eat? Do you have a blood sugar response that creates headaches when you eat certain foods? See if you can connect what you are eating to what you are feeling.
3. If you do anything this year, take a few days to record what you eat and how different foods make you feel. Do some some foods and drinks make you feel vital and alive, while others make you feel tired and generally stagnate your energy? Embrace the food journal!
4. Reduce and Replace. Do you drink too much coffee? Eat to many doughnuts? Salt everything you eat? Start by reducing the addictions: caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, refined flour, and refined salt. Replace the addictions with something that you love that does not have the jolting effect that these items do.
5. Pay attention to the seasons. Recognize that there is a time for everything and that the dead of winter may not be the best time to be eating watermelon. Why is this? During the winter months, your body needs heat. Consume warm foods and warm drinks during the winter months. This does not mean consuming more hot chocolate or apple pie, instead, choose an herbal chai tea or baked apples with just a hint of cinnamon and butter.
6. Use your intuition and follow up by checking in with someone who knows. Do you feel "fight or flight" if you don't get regular meals? Does cheese sit in your stomach for hours? Do you feel irritable after eating wheat? Do you break out after eating certain foods? These are your body's cues that something isn't right with the way you are eating. If you can't figure it out, check in with someone who can!
7. Give your digestion a break. If you have managed to pinpoint a digestive issue in your food journal, the winter months are NOT the time to do a cleanse (I will outline a plan for a cleanse as we get closer to spring). Instead, try focusing on foods that are easier for you to digest but are going to keep you warm and your blood sugar in balance. Reach for cooked vegetables, vegetable soups, stews, and chili. Experiment with using bone broths instead of meat in your meals to give yourself a bit of digestive break without skimping on the protein.
8. Slow down. Take the time to prepare food and enjoy what you are eating. It doesn't have to be complicated. The winter months are the perfect time for one-pot meals. Ask yourself a few questions: Do you enjoy what is in your mouth? Would you make this meal for a friend?
9. Do you recognize when you are hungry? Do you recognize when you are full? Learn to pay attention to your body's cues.
10. Drink more. Many of us are dehydrated and need to drink more water, herbal tea, kombucha, coconut water or other beverages that replenish our cells and keep us alert. Next time you are tired in the afternoon reach for some mineral or coconut water and see if this helps.
11. Eat regular meals and focus on the quality of food you eat over the quantity of food. Experiment with eating 75% of your meal and leave some room in your stomach to simply breath.
12. Move your body. Try getting into the habit of going for a walk after you eat to help aid digestion and to keep you breathing. For many people, moving needs to come before any changes are made to the diet.
What is the right way, anyway? There is no right way, simply do what works for you. Stay with a few of these strategies until it feels right for you to move on. Make sure you feel comfortable making the changes. For some people this will be a week, for others a month, while others still will spend the winter months working on just a few of these steps. It's OK to be where you are.
I would love to know how you plan to take care of yourself in 2012. The comments section is great place to support and encourage each other. Please share your experiences with all of us!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT CLASS
"Focused on Food: Finding a Weight that is Healthy for You"
PayPal
Traci Goodrich, NTP at 503.233.7064 or etlnutrition@gmail.com
***Discount Winter Wellness Special on Nutrition Consultation Services:
Friday, November 5, 2010
HOLIDAY EATING SURVIVAL GUIDE
Between Dad’s world famous peanut butter fudge and Aunt Leona’s mouth-watering lemon cream pie, you’ve got your work cut out for you!
Your job is one of choice. I recommend some of the following strategies to help you find an appropriate balance. Here are some steps to limit over-consumption of holiday food and to avoid the unnecessary weight gain that is so common during the holidays.
START IN YOUR OWN HOME
If you make your own home a safe haven of healthy foods, you will be doing yourself a favor. Holidays often offer a buffet of any kind of sweet or savory treat you can think of.
I suggest going through your cupboards and your refrigerator and throwing out the refined and processed foods (white sugar, white salt, white flour) you see and replacing them with whole healthful alternatives (see the article “Great Beginnings Always Start with Leaving Something Behind” for more details on how to get started with your home cupboard and refrigerator cleanout).
By eliminating the amount of processed and refined foods in your own home, you can feel a little better about saying yes to the occasional treat when you are at a holiday function.
If it’s tradition in your home to make a few treats, try and use unrefined ingredients in the recipes. Reach for fruit, 100% maple syrup, molasses or raw honey to sweeten dishes, and remember a little goes a long ways! You can make treats that taste delicious without overloading your body with sugar.
DON’T FORGET THE BASICS
Eat balanced meals and choose foods that support your health. This may sound simple, but it often falls by the wayside during the holidays. You still need to eat fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, protein, and calcium-rich foods to be a healthy person.
Get regular exercise to maintain your level of fitness. I don’t recommend trying to lose weight during the holidays, instead I recommend maintaining a stable weight.
INDULGE A LITTLE, NOT A LOT
I encourage you to set some limits on how much sugar and refined food you choose to eat during the holidays to 3X a week or less. It’s a good starting place considering the amount of food that is often offered.
Remember, you don’t need to say “yes” to everything that is placed before you at a dinner party. Instead, decide what you would like to indulge in. Choose one or the other.
When at the buffet table, choose smaller portions. You can always return if you are still hungry, but decide if you are hungry or if you are just trying to clean your plate.
Share what you do decide to indulge in. There is nothing wrong with having a bite or splitting a piece of pie instead of having your own.
ACCESS, ABUNDANCE AND PARTIES
Parties are for socializing, I recommend placing this before the buffet table, by arriving to the party with something in your stomach. You will feel much better when you do reach for a small nibble of something you would like to enjoy.
Avoid being peer-pressured. You know when you are hungry and you know when you are full. It’s ok to say, “No thank you, that was delicious, but I am full”.
If someone gives you some treats as a gift, have a piece of whatever it is, and either freeze the rest or throw it away (I promise you, they will never find out).
TEMPERANCE
Above all, please remember to be kind to yourself over the holidays. Special times spent with family and friends are meant to be enjoyed. If you follow a few simple steps and take some precautions along the way you can indulge a little and enjoy the festivities a lot while feeling happy and guilt-free.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Fall Class with Sunnyside Holistic Group
Eat to Live Nutrition presents:
A class taught on essential nutrition as the foundation of good health. Instruction provided by traditional foods cook and nutrition consultant, Traci Goodrich.
The Necessary Evils: Sugar, Salt and Fat
503.233.7064 or etlnutrition@gmail.com
Cost: $35 Class size is limited. Registration is required.
Monday, July 5, 2010
THE CULTIVATION OF LOCAL SPROUTS
"Local Sprouts focuses on using local and organic ingredients to build connections to our community, to grow sustainably, to support Maine farmers, to protect our environment and to build our local economy. We are a worker-owned cooperative that believes in creating a democratic and equitable business to serve our workers and our community."