Why Protein Intake for Women Is Important

I’ve heard plenty of women say, “I’m not worried about how much protein I eat because I don’t want big muscles.” While I certainly don’t want you to be “worried” about anything that you eat, it’s important to understand that protein is not just about muscles. It’s integral to your overall health.

Protein and the amino acids that they’re made of are literally the building blocks of life.¹ It’s required for building, maintaining, and repairing tissues in the body, as well as being vital for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. It’s also responsible for making enzymes, hormones, and other critical chemicals in the body. 

As women age, our protein needs increase. This is because we start to lose muscle mass and strength and have to be more intentional about doing the things necessary to maintain them. Losing muscle mass with age is known as sarcopenia. Consuming adequate protein as well as exercise that includes strength training for women are just some of the factors that can help slow the progression of sarcopenia and allow us to maintain and build muscle mass.²

In addition, our bone mass density declines as we age. This is due to lower estrogen levels after menopause.³ Since protein is crucial for the development of bone strength, we have to make sure that we’re getting plenty of it. This is just as important in our 40s as we start to go through perimenopause and lay the foundation for how we want to age as it is after menopause.⁴

Factors Affecting Protein Needs for Women

There are several factors that can affect protein needs for women. Here’s a look at what some of those are.
1. Age: Protein needs for women tend to increase with age. In addition to losing muscle mass, our bone mass density declines as we age. This is due to lower estrogen levels after menopause.³ Since protein is crucial for the development of bone strength, we have to make sure that we’re getting plenty of it. This is just as important in our 40s as we start to go through perimenopause and lay the foundation for how we want to age as it is after menopause.⁴
2. Physical activity level: Women who engage in regular physical activity, especially strength training or endurance exercise, may have higher protein needs. This is because exercise causes muscle breakdown, and protein is necessary for muscle repair and growth.⁵
3. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: During pregnancy and breastfeeding, a woman’s protein needs increase to support the growth and development of the fetus or infant. This is particularly important during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy when fetal growth is rapid.
4. Body weight and composition: Women with higher body weight or those who have a higher percentage of muscle mass may require more protein. This is because protein needs are typically based on body weight, and muscle is highly protein-dense tissue.
5. Overall health status: Certain health conditions may impact protein metabolism and increase or decrease protein needs. Additionally, women recovering from surgery or injury may require more protein for tissue repair and healing.

How Much Protein Do Women Need?

As we’re answering the question of how much protein do women need, it’s important to keep one thing in mind. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the absolute lowest amount of any nutrient that you should be eating. It is the amount needed to prevent deficiencies or to meet basic nutritional requirements. It is by no means the amount needed for optimal health. If you’re reading this, I know that you want to feel better than just okay. You want to thrive and be healthy. That means that I’m going to give you the RDA for protein, but then I’m also going to give you ranges to consider to meet your own health needs. 

The RDA is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound for sedentary adults ages 19-70+. Again, this is the minimum amount of protein per day that you need. This is especially true when you take into account the vast age range included in the recommended amount and the many factors that change over time that influence your daily protein needs. As we’ve already seen, women over 40, especially those who are active, may need more protein, as do those who are trying to build muscle tone and mass or to lose weight.⁶ At least one study puts the ideal protein intake per day for this latter group at 1.0-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. 

On the more aggressive end of the recommended amounts is Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a functional medicine practitioner and founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine. Dr. Lyon says that evidence shows that in order to prevent muscle loss with aging, we should be doubling the RDA and eating anywhere from 1.6-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

Daily Protein Chart

So how do we boil all of that down into useful information about how many grams of protein per day we need? Here’s a simple chart that shows how much protein women should eat based on body weight in pounds. It assumes a minimum protein intake of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight and a maximum of 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

(To convert pounds to kilograms, I used the conversion factor of 1 pound = 0.4536 kilograms. The resulting weight in kilograms was then multiplied by the minimum and maximum protein intake values to get the protein requirement in grams. Please note that these are rough estimates, and individual protein needs can vary based on factors like age, physical activity level, and overall health status.)

Possible Risks of Too Little Protein in Diet

There are a number of risks from not getting enough protein. These include the following:

1. Muscle loss: Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair. Not having enough protein in the diet can lead to muscle wasting and weakness.
2. Weakened immune system: Protein plays a crucial role in supporting a healthy immune system. Insufficient protein intake can impair the production of antibodies and other immune system components, making the body more susceptible to infections and illnesses.
3. Slow wound healing: Protein is involved in the formation of new tissues and cells, including those involved in wound healing. Without adequate protein intake, the body may have a harder time repairing wounds and recovering from injuries or surgeries.

4.Impaired cognitive function: Protein is necessary for the production of neurotransmitters, which are crucial for brain function. Inadequate protein intake may lead to difficulties in concentration, memory problems, and mental fatigue.⁸
7. Slow recovery from exercise: Protein is important for repairing and building muscle tissue after exercise. Insufficient protein intake can impede post-workout recovery, leading to delayed muscle repair and increased risk of injury.
8. Weaker bones: Protein is necessary for maintaining bone health and preventing conditions like osteoporosis. Inadequate protein intake may contribute to decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures.
9. Blood sugar fluctuations: Protein helps stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. If protein intake is insufficient, blood sugar may spike and crash more frequently, leading to energy fluctuations, cravings, and an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.⁹

Possible Risks of Excessive Protein Intake

While protein is essential, consuming too much can lead to potential health risks. According to Mayo Clinic, more than two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day would be too much.¹⁰ Consuming excessive protein puts a strain on many of our body’s systems and causes our kidneys and liver to work too hard. People with existing kidney disease should certainly talk with their doctor and work with a dietician or nutritionist to determine how much dietary protein they need.  

In addition, relying mainly on animal protein can put you at risk for consuming too much saturated fat. This can raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

How to Incorporate Protein into Daily Diet

Meeting your daily protein requirements isn’t difficult if you’re eating a healthy diet. The key is to rely on a variety of protein sources throughout the day. You can’t and shouldn’t try to meet your protein needs in one meal. It’s much better to include high-quality protein in each meal and snack. Instead of just eating an apple, add a food that’s high in protein, such as peanut butter (just be sure and stick with the kind that doesn’t have added sugar).

Here’s a look at some of the best sources of protein.

• Lean meats
• Eggs
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Whole grains

Try to diversify your protein sources to ensure you’re getting a wide range of nutrients. Remember, each type of protein source comes with its own set of additional nutrients, so variety is key!

Additional Considerations for Women Who Are Vegetarian or Vegan

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, there’s no doubt that you’ve been asked many times, “How do you get protein?” The truth is, though, it’s not only possible but relatively easy to meet your protein needs through plant-based sources. Some of the best include the following:

• Quinoa
• Soy (Such as tempeh, tofu, and edamame)
• Hemp 
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds

The Role of Protein Powders in Meeting Daily Protein Requirements

Protein powders can be a convenient way to get more protein in your diet, especially if you have higher protein needs due to physical activity, or if you find it hard to get enough protein from food alone.

There are many types of protein powders available, including whey, casein, soy, and pea proteins. Each type has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to choose a protein powder that suits your needs and dietary preferences. It’s also important to read nutrition labels carefully. Just as with any other type of food, protein powder should be as minimally processed as possible. If it has a long list ingredients that you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, keep searching. There are high-quality protein powders out there!

Remember, though, protein powders should not replace whole foods. They’re a supplement, meant to supplement a healthy diet, not replace it.

The Bottom Line on How Much Protein Women Need

When thinking about how much protein women really need, it’s important to keep the general guidelines in mind and balance them with your own specific protein requirements. Whether you’re sedentary or active, young or old, your body needs protein. But it’s equally important to remember that more is not always better.

Balance is the key – balance in protein sources, balance in amino acids, and balance in overall nutrient intake. So, embrace diversity in your protein sources, listen to your body’s signals, and enjoy the journey toward optimal health!

If you’re still unsure of your exact protein needs, I would be happy to help you figure that out!

Sources

1. NIH. National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus. Amino Acids. 
2. Dhillon RJ, Hasni S. Pathogenesis and Management of Sarcopenia. Clin Geriatr Med. 2017 Feb;33(1):17-26. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2016.08.002. PMID: 27886695; PMCID: PMC5127276.
3. NIH. News in Health. Osteoporosis in Aging. 
4. International Osteoporosis Foundation. The Role of Protein in Bone Health.
5. Rodriguez NR, DiMarco NM, Langley S; American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada; American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Mar;109(3):509-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.01.005. Erratum in: J Am Diet Assoc. 2013 Dec;113(12):1759. PMID: 19278045.
6. Campbell WW, Kim JE, Amankwaah AF, Gordon SL, Weinheimer-Haus EM. Higher Total Protein Intake and Change in Total Protein Intake Affect Body Composition but Not Metabolic Syndrome Indexes in Middle-Aged Overweight and Obese Adults Who Perform Resistance and Aerobic Exercise for 36 Weeks. J Nutr. 2015 Sep;145(9):2076-83. doi: 10.3945/jn.115.213595. Epub 2015 Aug 5. PMID: 26246322; PMCID: PMC4548166.
7. Reshape Your Health Podcast with Dr. Morgan Nolte. How to Prevent Muscle Loss With Aging (Sarcopenia) With Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
8. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research. The Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Sustaining and Enhancing Performance. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1999. 14, Amino Acid and Protein Requirements: Cognitive Performance, Stress, and Brain Function. 
9. Basturk B, Koc Ozerson Z, Yuksel A. Evaluation of the Effect of Macronutrients Combination on Blood Sugar Levels in Healthy Individuals. Iran J Public Health. 2021 Feb;50(2):280-287. doi: 10.18502/ijph.v50i2.5340. PMID: 33747991; PMCID: PMC7956086.
10. Mayo Clinic Health System. Are You Getting Too Much Protein?.

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Importance of Staying Hydrated

Water is the unsung hero of our bodies. It makes up 50-70% of our body weight and plays a crucial role in various bodily functions. These include regulating body temperature, supporting digestion, and transporting nutrients. According to Mayo Clinic, water is essential for every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. Without enough water, your body simply can’t function optimally.

Common Misconceptions About Water Intake

You’ve probably heard about the “8×8 rule,” or the advice to “drink eight glasses of water a day.” You may have also heard that drinking a gallon of water every day is unhealthy. However, both of these statements are oversimplifications. While I’m certainly not going to advocate for everyone drinking 128 ounces of water a day, the point is that the amount of water a healthy adult needs to stay hydrated can vary quite a bit. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer because there are many factors that can affect our hydration needs.

Factors Affecting Water Needs

Here are some of the factors that affect how much water you need to drink every day. 

1. Age
2. Gender
3. Body weight
4. Overall health
5. Medications
6. Level of physical activity
7. Temperature and level of humidity outside
8. Dry heat inside
9. Drinking alcohol

For instance, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you may need to drink more fluids to stay hydrated. Similarly, if you engage in intense physical activity, you’ll need to drink extra water to compensate for fluid loss. 

In addition to all of these factors, we lose water throughout the day through our urine and bowel movements, sweating, and simply breathing. It’s important to remember that with water making up so much of our body, we have to maintain that 50-70% amount in order to be healthy and function correctly. If we’re losing water in all of these different ways, it has to be replaced.

Guidelines for Water Consumption

So, how much water should you drink? According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a good rule of thumb for a healthy adult is to get an average of 91 ounces of total water each day for women and 125 ounces for men. But remember, this includes total water intake and can be consumed through various beverages and foods with high water content, like watermelon and cucumbers.

To more accurately estimate how much water you should drink, you can use your body weight. Penn Medicine recommends drinking 0.5 to 1 ounce of water for each pound of body weight. If you are generally healthy but fairly sedentary, your minimum should be .5 ounces for each pound of body weight. But depending on other factors influencing how much water you lose each day, it’s not at all out of the question that you may need 1 ounce for each pound of body weight.

This chart offers a quick reference:

Additional Guidelines for How Much Water to Drink Every Day

Here are some additional guidelines for how much water to drink every day.

For every 30 minutes that you exercise, you’ll need to add 12 ounces of water to your daily amount. If you’re exercising outside and it’s really hot, add more. Drinking alcohol? You should be adding 16 ounces of water for every alcoholic drink – preferably sipping on the water while you drink the other. 

If you’re relying on your overall diet to help with your daily water intake, you have to make sure that you’re eating fairly healthy. You can feel comfortable that you’re probably getting close to 20% of your water needs from food if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. If you don’t, you’re going to need to get your water by drinking it. You can do that by drinking other beverages besides water, but you need to make sure that they don’t contain too much sugar or other unhealthy additives or preservatives. 

Consequences of Inadequate Water Intake

Inadequate water intake can lead to dehydration, which can affect your physical and mental performance. If you are healthy overall but start to feel sluggish or develop brain fog, the first thing you should do is start drinking water. You may be amazed at the difference it can make both immediately and for how you feel over the long term. 

In fact, many studies have shown that not drinking enough water over time can contribute to a number of health conditions, including kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and constipation – just to name a few. 

According to Cleveland Clinic, in acute, severe cases, inadequate fluid intake can cause heat stroke, brain damage, or even death. 

In other words, our bodies have to have plenty of water! Just like plants, if we don’t get enough, we’ll wither. 

Signs of Dehydration

You may have heard that the most reliable indicator that you’re starting to get dehydrated is if you’re thirsty. But that’s not necessarily true. In many cases, if you’re starting to feel thirsty, you’re already well on your way to dehydration. You should certainly drink water if you’re feeling thirsty, but your body gives you other helpful signs as well, sometimes long before you think you need to reach for a glass of water.

Here are some of the common symptoms of dehydration.

• Medium to dark yellow urine
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Feeling thirsty
• Constipation
• Muscle cramps
• Low blood pressure
• High blood pressure

If you’re mildly dehydrated, you’ll need to drink more water to recover. If you’re severely dehydrated, you should seek medical care right away. 

Overhydration Risks

While it’s important to drink enough water, it’s also possible to drink too much. Mayo Clinic says this condition, called hyponatremia, occurs “when the concentration of sodium in your blood is abnormally low.” Drinking too much water can “cause low sodium by overwhelming the kidneys’ ability to excrete water.” 

Most healthy people who stay within the 0.5 to 1 ounce of water for each pound of body weight general rule, don’t usually have to worry about overhydration. But if your doctor says that you are at risk for hyponatremia, be sure to follow the guidelines that they give you for how much water you should be drinking each day. 

Bottom Line on How Much Water to Drink Every Day 

The bottom line on how much water to drink every day is that it can vary depending on individual needs and circumstances. If you’re unsure about your hydration needs, I would be happy to help you figure that out. If you know that you need to drink more water, but have trouble getting enough in each day, be sure to to check out my tips for drinking more water. Happy hydrating! 

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Healthy Food is Whole Food

Whole foods are foods that would generally be recognizable in their natural state. They include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, legumes, whole grains, poultry, seafood, lean meats¹ and unrefined oils that have been minimally processed.

You’ll notice that whole grains as opposed to refined grains are part of this equation. What’s the difference? Whole grains either come in their whole form or are ground into flour while keeping all parts of the seed. This includes the bran, germ and endosperm, which are full of important nutrients².

On the other hand, Mayo Clinic says that refined grains “are milled to have had the germ and bran removed, which gives them a finer texture and extends their shelf life.” The tradeoff is that this process also removes many of the nutrients. In many cases, those grains are then enriched, which means that some of the nutrients that were lost are put back in² but not the all-important fiber³.

That’s why keeping refined grains to a minimum and eating more whole grains is the healthiest approach.

Healthy Food Comes in a Variety of Colors

When trying to figure out what is healthy food, one of the best clues is to look at its color. You may have heard the saying, “Eat the rainbow,” and this is what is meant by that. As a whole, healthy food comes in a variety of vibrant natural colors. According to Rush University Medical Center, fruits and vegetables get their color from phytochemicals and micronutrients which means that they are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants⁴.

Healthy Food Includes a Balanced Proportion of Macronutrients

Macronutrients are what many of us think of when we think of the nutrients in our food, and for good reason. They give us energy and make up the majority of what we eat. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are all macronutrients.

Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates, found in foods such as white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, increase blood glucose levels rapidly. Complex carbohydrates, found in foods high in starch and fiber such as beans and whole grains, increase blood glucose levels more slowly and for a longer time⁵. We want mostly complex carbs.

Protein

Protein is important because we need it for tissue maintenance, replacement, function and growth⁵. It can be found in lean meats, poultry, eggs, seafood; beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds, and soy products¹. These are all healthy foods. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight⁶. So, for a woman weighing 135 pounds who doesn’t exercise much, the minimum amount of protein needed each day is 49 grams. Again, this is the minimum amount needed.

Fats

Our bodies need fats for tissue growth and hormone production⁵, but the type of fat that you eat is important. Saturated fat is most commonly found in animal fats. Except for palm and coconut oils, fats from plants have high levels of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats⁵. We want more of those than saturated fat. The recommended amount of total fat each day for adults is 78 grams if you eat 2,000 calories a day⁷.  If you’re trying to lose weight, it should be between 60-78 grams per day.

What does a balance of macronutrients look like?

According to the USDA’s MyPlate graphic, most of your meal or half of your plate should be made up of vegetables and fruits, with more vegetables than anything. The other half of your plate should be made up of grains and protein. I and many other nutrition experts take it a step further and recommend that 3/4 of your plate be vegetables.

Healthy Food Makes You Feel Good

Healthy food makes you feel good while you’re eating it and most importantly, after you eat it. Here are three important questions I recommend that my clients ask themselves when thinking about the food they eat.

Will it make you feel good physically after you eat it?

There are plenty of foods that we enjoy immensely while we’re eating them but then afterward feel heavy, weighted down or bloated. Whether this is because the food is full of unnatural ingredients, is too heavy in sugar or fat or simply doesn’t “agree” with you, it doesn’t truly matter. If a food doesn’t make you feel physically good while you’re eating it, an hour after you eat it, or three hours after you eat it, it’s not healthy for you. This means that in the case of food allergies or sensitivities, foods that are healthy for some people may not be healthy for others.

Does it give you long(ish) lasting energy?

Yes, a bag of Skittles can give a short blast of energy, but then we quickly crash, leaving us more sluggish than before. Healthy food gives you energy that powers your mind and your body for at least three to four hours. If you do need a pick-me-up, try to choose snacks that give you energy in the moment but also contain nutrients that will fuel you until your next meal.

Do you feel good about where your food came from and how it was made, raised or grown?

I know that when I go through times of not being able to make it to the farmers market as regularly or I haven’t planned well and just have to buy whatever is available at the grocery store, I really feel the difference mentally. That’s because I love talking to the people who raise or grow my food. I love knowing that I’m trying to do the least harm possible to the environment, the animals that feed the rest of my family, and those who work hard to produce what we eat. And I love knowing that the food we eat isn’t heavily sprayed with chemicals that could harm us. This is all part of the mental aspect of eating, but it helps to define what healthy food is for each of us individually and whether it makes us feel good.

What is Healthy Food Can Depend on Portion Size

Of course, any food can be made unhealthy if too much of it is eaten. That’s where regulating your portion size comes in. When thinking about how to divide up your plate with the different types of food, it makes a big difference if we’re talking about filling up the center of a regular dinner plate as opposed to a platter.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a portion is the amount of food that we choose to eat for a meal or snack⁹. In other words, the size of our portion is completely within our control. Given how much our portion sizes have increased over the past two decades, thinking about reducing them isn’t unhealthy food restriction. It’s getting back to amounts that let healthy foods be healthy.

If you want to learn more about what exactly portions are and how reducing them can be good for your health and your wallet, be sure to read this post.

What is Not Healthy Food?

Unhealthy food refers to highly processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. These foods include fast food, processed snacks, sugary drinks, and desserts. They provide little to no nutritional value and can lead to weight gain and chronic diseases.

Bottom Line on Figuring Out What Healthy Food is

So, what is healthy food? The bottom line is that while there are general guidelines to follow, it’s also very individual. The criteria that I’ve laid out here will help you figure out what healthy food looks like for you. Does this mean that you’ll have to think through every one of these things every time you eat? No. Once these guidelines become engrained in your approach to food in general, you won’t need to put that much thought into it. You’ll automatically know which foods make you feel your best and which ones don’t.

Additional Resources

If you need additional healthy lifestyle support and resources geared specifically for women over 40, I offer my Reclaim Your Energy and Revitalize Your Life workshop, membership in the Empowered Health and Wellness for Women Over 40 Facebook group, and personalized one-on-one health and nutrition coaching. If you need more information on any of these, feel free to reach out to info@peppermint-tea.com.

Sources

1. USDA.Dietary Guidelines for Americans – 2020-2025.
2. Mayo Clinic. Whole Grains: Hearty Options for a Healthy Diet.
3. USDA. What are Refined Grains?
4. Rush University Medical Center. Eat a Colorful Diet. https://www.rush.edu/news/eat-colorful-diet
5. Merck Manual. Overview of Nutrition.
6. Harvard Medical School.How Much Protein Do You Need Every Day?
7. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
8. USDA. MyPlate.
9. National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Serving Sizes and Portions.

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There are a lot of very strong opinions and messages out there when it comes to body image these days. So much so that it’s enough to make our heads spin. Is it okay to want to change if we’re physically not feeling healthy or is it not? If we really don’t want that piece of chocolate cake, is it okay to say no or is that giving in to diet culture? What does the term “positive body image” really even mean? The questions, the doubts and the polarizing messaging can be deafening. So, who are we women supposed to listen to? It turns out that our body has many of the answers; we just have to know how to hear them. 

That’s what Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Precision Nutrition Level One Coach Jenna Lessner from over at Simply Nurtured teaches from a place of first-hand experience. Through a journey to what she calls self-love and food freedom, she was able to lose 132 pounds after nearly hitting 295 pounds on the scale. Now, she’s helping other women learn about the role of nutrition in positive body image as they come to their own place of body acceptance. She was kind enough to share her thoughts and expertise on this in a Q&A with me. 

Peppermint Tea & Me: What is your story and how did you decide that this was the profession for you?

Jenna Lessner: For as long as I can remember, I’d used food for comfort. When I graduated university with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2010, my weight had climbed to 295 pounds. The day that I stepped on the scale and saw that number staring back at me, I think that was a big turning point in my life. I vowed that I wouldn’t reach 300 pounds. 

That vow came at the price of a vicious cycle of deprivation and binge eating. Three years later, I was still in that same perpetuating cycle. I was extremely unhealthy physically and mentally. I was full of self-loathing, and I hated myself. In 2013, something shifted in me, and I knew that I could no longer live like that.

I began to heal the relationship that I had with food by allowing myself to actually feel the emotions instead of numbing them with food, and I began moving my body and connecting with my body like I never had before. I also realized how the foods that I was choosing to eat on a regular basis were impacting my energy levels, my sleep, my mental health and my emotional health. That was really the aha! moment that lead me to a 132-pound weight loss and to study nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Calgary.

PTM: What do you consider to be a positive body image?

JL: I think body image refers to how an individual sees their body. It’s your own perception of your body and what you believe about your appearance. It’s also how you feel and move in your body. So, I think a positive body image is more than tolerating what you look like. It means to truly accept yourself and appreciate your body. It means that you aren’t trying to fit your body into this box of what you think it should look like. 

PTM: What is meant by “diet culture?”

JL: I think that it’s this belief that thinness or being skinny equates to our worth or is tied to our health. It prioritizes weight, shape and size over wellness. I think that there is a distinct difference between those things. I feel that there is this very large misconception in the diet industry that if you just lose that 20 pounds, you’ll be happy, and you’ll love yourself. That’s not even close to being true. Happiness is a feeling or showing of pleasure, and it’s a sense of confidence or satisfaction. The definition of happiness does not mention one’s weight or body size, no matter where you look that up. 

PTM: What role does diet culture play in body image?

JL: I think that diet culture promotes this idea that restricting food or punishing ourselves with maybe exercise will result in weight loss and in turn will provide you with those feelings of worthiness, acceptance and being enough. It distracts people from really connecting to their bodies and tuning into how specific foods will make their body feel. Diet culture replaces that with a regimented prescription for a smaller body. It also invites in food shaming and body shaming with questions and statements such as, “Are you really going to eat that?” or “I thought you were on a diet.” That type of culture is damaging to our mental and emotional health. 

PTM: What is the difference between healthy eating habits and diet culture?

JL: I believe that it comes down to intention. When we look at the purpose and objective behind our actions, it changes how we view the situation or how we even view food. If you choose to eat a salad, the intention could be, “Oh, I need to lose weight in order to accept my body. This salad is really low calorie, and it’s going to help me get there.” Or, “I’m choosing to eat this nutritious salad because I love my body and I want to provide it nourishing foods so that it feels really good.” The intention behind any action, I think is the key. 

PTM: How do healthy eating habits, a positive body image and a healthy lifestyle all fit together?

JL: I think that when you intend to take care of your body, live a healthy lifestyle, and choose healthy eating habits, it comes from a place of love and appreciation. You choose to eat foods that energize you and make you feel good and that support your wellbeing physically and mentally. You choose to exercise frequently and rest when you need it. I also think that when you provide your body with nourishing foods that it needs for optimal function and vitality, your body feels really freakin’ good. When you love yourself, you provide your body with nourishing foods that it needs for optimal health and vitality. 

PTM: In this day and time, when there is so much emphasis on calling out fat shaming and recognizing the role that negative body image plays in eating disorders, women are being told to accept themselves just the way they are. While that’s a good thing, in many cases, women of all sizes are being made to feel like they shouldn’t want to change their weight or body size and if they do, they’re giving in to diet culture. What are your thoughts on a woman recognizing that she doesn’t feel good or healthy in her body and that she wants to make changes, including losing weight and how she eats? 

JL: I think Rachel Hollis said that “Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.” It’s a beautiful statement but can be hard in reality when you are dealing with that. I also believe that people project their own insecurities onto others. If someone is shaming you for your weight or desire to get healthier so you feel more comfortable in your body, is it possible that they’re struggling with their own body issues and struggle with food? I don’t think people should be shamed for the size of their body, and I don’t think people should be shamed for choosing to eat a healthier way so that they feel good in their body. 

As someone who has formerly been almost 300 pounds, I know what it’s like to receive those judgmental stares or comments or be the brunt of someone’s cruel joke. I also know how physically hard it is to carry that much weight. Walking up a single flight of stairs to me felt like I was out of breath, and I needed to take a little break before I could proceed. There were times when tying my shoe was a chore, my knees always hurt and dropping something on the floor left me wondering if I really need that anyway. It was uncomfortable. So, I understand that desire to shed weight so you do feel healthier and can actually move in your body and do the things that you want to do. 

Where I struggle with some of the positive body image messages is that we’ve taken this 180-degree turn in the opposite direction because some of them are promoting being overweight and living an unhealthy lifestyle and then shaming weight loss. You can’t call that body positivity if you’re shaming someone for something else. 

PTM: If you do have that desire to lose weight, does that mean that you no longer have a positive body image?

JL: I don’t think so. I think that you can love yourself and still want to change because that’s called growth. I work with people every day that desire to live in a smaller body, and I really ask them to define their why. Often people tell me that they want to be able to move better, that they want to be able to feel good in their bodies, to have a healthy lifestyle and to be around when their children start having grandchildren or doing things with their children right now instead of watching them from the sidelines. I think that why you want to change is really a key indicator and motivator in any change.

PTM: What are the first questions that you ask a woman who comes to you and says that she’s not happy with the way that she feels and/or she’s not happy with her body and she wants to make changes in how she eats?

JL: One of the first questions I ask any client is why. Why do they want to make this change now?  I think that intrinsic motivation is huge. When you can make an emotional connection to why you want to make any change, it empowers you in your choices. 

That’s basically what I did in 2013. I got super clear on why I wanted to lose weight. It wasn’t just an arbitrary number or a goal to be healthier. I realized the life that I wanted to live and with that, something needed to change. I had this vision of being 70 and climbing mountains, running marathons well into my 60s and then chasing my grandchildren around a playground instead of watching them from a park bench. None of that would be possible if I didn’t make some changes. So, I also ask clients, “How do you want to feel in your body? What is that feeling that you’re really seeking through weight loss, and can you tap into that right now?”

PTM: What are the first steps that you would advise a woman in that situation to take in changing how she eats?

JL: To bring awareness of how the food that she’s currently eating is making her feel in her body. Getting curious as to which foods make her feel alive and energized and which foods are leaving her feeling lethargic or bloated. A symptom from a food could be pretty much anything. Fatigue is a number one symptom that I see but even digestive issues, bloating or elimination issues. Also, just getting curious and asking your body, ‘What am I feeling after I eat this? What am I noticing?’ and creating that awareness. If you can become aware of how different foods affect your body and become aware of the thoughts that you’re having about your body that are on repeat, you are well on your way without even changing anything. 

My Thoughts on Positive Body Image

I love Jenna’s message so much because it’s all about nurturing, caring for and appreciating our bodies whatever our shape or size. Positive body image is about loving ourselves. It’s our foundation as we work toward and achieve our own version of real health. I have learned and am still learning with each new phase of life what that feels like for me, and I strongly believe that each of us deserves the space to do the same. I hope you find at least some of that space and support here at Peppermint Tea & Me. All are welcome!

The post The Role of Nutrition in Positive Body Image appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

Have you ever had periods of time where you simply feel right? We’re talking both mentally and physically. You feel in balance, you feel strong, you feel… well. That’s what I call Real Health.

If you have felt that or you still do, this website is geared toward helping you maintain that incredible state of being. If you haven’t felt that in a long time or maybe ever or when you did, it was fleeting, helping you achieve your version of Real Health is what Peppermint Tea & Me is all about. That’s why we need to define what Real Health is as well as lay out some actionable first steps that you can take to achieve it.

Please Note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through some of the links included on this page. 

What is Real Health?

As you’ll be reminded frequently if you hang out in this space regularly, I believe that Real Health is achieved by recognizing that every part of us – mind, body and nutrition – is connected. Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC agrees. She’s a board-certified family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist in holistic health at The Institute for Functional Medicine.

In a conversation about holistic health, Monique told me that “the mind, body and spirit (if you want to use that word), are all connected and are a unified whole. There’s bi-directional communication, meaning what happens to the body influences the mind and the emotions and what happens in the mind influences the body.”

This is understanding that when it comes to our health and overall wellbeing, causes and effects are not simply either physical or “mental.” Most of the time, they’re both. Melissa Grabau, PhD reminds us in her book, The Yoga of Food: Wellness From the Inside Out (affiliate link) that “How we feel day to day, our general health and energy levels, and our overall sense of safety and peace in our own flesh have an enormous impact on how we feel about ourselves and our capacity to function effectively in the world.”

Role of Nutrition

So, what does all of this have to do with nutrition? Everything! Julie McGregor, MD works with the Integrative Medical Clinic of North Carolina and is a board-certified internist and nephrologist trained in integrative medicine. She told me that, “Nutrition is a part of building up our physical cells, but it’s also an emotional choice and has a lot of overtones. What we choose to eat has to do with where we are emotionally and also then leads to an emotional response in our body.”

This connection can lead to a healthy, well-oiled machine when it comes to our body and our mind. Failure to recognize this relationship though can lead to us living a life that is less than our best or even worse, spiraling through physical or mental issues that we have more control over than we may think.

Common Barriers to Real Health

According to our experts, the most common barriers that many women run into when it comes to achieving Real Health can really be narrowed down to two primary areas.

1. Unhealthy relationship with food.

Both Monique and Julie say this is one of the primary issues they see when women especially don’t recognize how connected everything really is. Some of the primary reasons for this unhealthy relationship can include emotions, social or community expectations, or programming.

Monique gives the example of coming home at 8:00 p.m., going straight to the freezer, pulling out the ice cream and eating it until the whole container is gone. If you do that every night, it becomes a pattern. “We know physiologically that every time you do that pattern, you create wiring in the brain. It’s called neuroplasticity. So, neurons that fire together wire together. Every time you do something over and over again or choose a particular food over and over again, you get hardwired into the brain where that choice becomes automatic and not conscious.”

The same concept is true of emotions. If you reach for chocolate or something sweet every time you feel anxious or stressed or alcohol every time you feel angry, you’re hardwiring your brain to react to those emotions with food.

2. Lack of self-care.

Julie says this is a huge issue for women because we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect in every aspect of our lives. To have perfect careers, to keep a perfect home, to be a perfect mom, to be perfect daughters and to be perfect friends.

“There’s a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves, and the one who ends up coming last is ourselves. So many of my female patients who are in their 50s or 60s come to me fatigued, worn out, completely depleted, having not concentrated on wellness for themselves. They were out trying to achieve perfection in every component of their lives for, you know, 50 or 60 years. Then, they just can’t keep going because there isn’t that attention of self-care or focus on wellness for oneself.”

She’s found that this often leads to obesity, depression, thyroid disorders and general physical unwellness that plagues us around the time of menopause. “This, coincidentally, is a lot of times when we’re retiring or when we’re empty nesters, or during these transitions when the adrenaline stops and the body is just feeling the effects of decades of neglect.”

First Steps Toward Achieving Real Health

To shift away from these barriers, there are several first steps that you can take to achieve Real Health.

1. Love yourself and be happy with yourself just as you are.

There may be things that you want to change, but Monique says that accepting and loving where you are right now has to come first. Then you can identify and become aware of the areas that you want to change in a healthy, realistic way.

2. Carve out time for self-care.

We may not be able to exercise for an hour every day, get a massage once a week or meditate for 30 minutes every morning, but there are plenty of things that we can do. It’s all part of making sure that we’re the best versions of ourselves now and that we don’t end up tired and depleted when we finally do feel like we have the time.

3. Become aware of the choices that you’re making.

According to Monique, this is critical for making any kind of change in your life. She suggests that as you reach for that ice cream every night, that you notice the behavior and check in with yourself and think about what you’re feeling, what you’re eating for, or what you’re hungry for. More times than not, you’ll find that you’re not hungry for the food, you’re looking for something else.

The first step, she says, isn’t taking that food or behavior away. You have to first recognize the behavior and then begin to figure out what you’re really hungry for or what you really need in that moment. At that point, you can substitute the behaviors that truly address those needs for the ones that aren’t serving you well.

4. Drink more water

You may think that you don’t like water, but your body does. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey says our bodies are made up of up to 60% water, so we have to have it to survive. Since we want to do more than just survive, we want to thrive, Julie puts this step toward the top of the list for achieving Real Health and adopting an attitude of overall wellness.

5. Get better sleep.

Julie says this has to be a priority. I’m the first to acknowledge that this isn’t always as easy to do as it sounds, but there are things you can do to not only make sure that you’re getting the amount of sleep you need but that it’s quality sleep as well.

6. Move as much as you can.

Here are some ways that you can work movement into your day, whether you have 30 minutes at a time or 5-10 minutes here and there.

Real Health on a Budget

“That all sounds great, but even if I can find the time to take care of myself and to eat more healthy, nutritious food, I can’t afford it.” If that’s what you’re thinking, I’m here to ask you to be willing to think differently. Gym memberships are not a requirement for achieving Real Health and neither is having someone else to watch your kids while you focus on yourself.

Yes, whole, nutritious food is going to be more expensive than a 99-cent fast food burger, but in the long run, it evens out. Without health issues that could have been prevented with different lifestyle choices, you’ll likely save money in a number of ways. These include doctor’s visits and prescriptions as well as not missing work or losing opportunities among many others.

Real Health on a budget isn’t about an attitude of lack, it’s about an attitude of abundance. It’s being grateful for what you have and recognizing that healthy can be affordable. It’s also allocating your dollars in a way that supports your priorities rather than automatically spending money in ways that don’t serve you well. 

Mind + Body + Nutrition + On a Budget = Real Health

Julie sums it all up in a beautiful way. “How we exercise and what we choose for our physical wellbeing as far as movement and environment and choices about stretching or meditation, and our choices with our nutrition all affect how we think and our emotions. In turn, all of our emotions affect how we move, where we put our bodies and the choices we make for our physicality and our diet.”

Because of how entwined these factors are, Real Health looks different for everyone. Yes, the general steps outlined here are good places to start in achieving it, but Real Health is very individual. What it looks like for me probably won’t be the same for you. The goal for all of us though is to live in that place of personal wellness as much as possible and to draw on the strength and power that brings to live our best life possible.

The post What is Real Health? appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

Originally posted on Sep 26, 2018, 10:36 am. Updated on Oct. 16, 2019.

If you’re doubtful of the healing power of food, just ask Brooke Goldner, M.D. When she was 16 and diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Nephritis with stage four kidney disease, she never thought she would reach the age of 40. Now she’s healed, healthy and was featured on the cover of Vegan Health & Fitness magazine’s Fit Over 40 issue in April 2018. That’s a transformation that she credits almost entirely to the way she eats. Today, as a best-selling author, the founder of VeganMedicalDoctor.com, GoodbyeLupus.com and creator of the Hyper-Nourishing Nutrition Protocol for Lupus Recovery, she’s helping others to heal themselves with food as well.

As I was interviewing Dr. Goldner for my post on Exploring a Plant-Based Diet, she shared her story with me. There was simply no way I could fit in all of the powerful information she gave me into that one post, so I decided to begin my new profile series on the Healing Power of Food with Dr. Goldner’s journey from disease to health. She reveals the not-so-secret way that she overcame her debilitating and potentially deadly disease and some things you can do to heal your body and feel your best.

** The end of this post was updated in October 2019 with information about the amount of nutrition training U.S. doctors get in medical school.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through some of the links included on this page. You can read my disclosure policy here.

A Grim Outlook

When Dr. Goldner was diagnosed with Lupus as a teenager, she was already in stage four kidney failure from the disease, she had arthritis throughout her body, would get long-lasting migraines, and some days couldn’t even get out of bed. She was told she had at best six months to live unless she did “above and beyond aggressive medical therapies.” To say the prognosis was extremely grim would be an understatement.

After two grueling years of chemotherapy and high doses of steroids, Dr. Goldner’s disease went into remission. Even though she was stable at the time, she knew that she was going to be someone who didn’t live a long life and that she would probably end up handicapped at some point, more than likely by the time she was in her 40s. As she started medical school, she remembers thinking, “If I go into medicine, I can help people, and even if I don’t live a long life, I’ll have done something important.” Because of the rigorous schedule she had to keep in medical school, Dr. Goldner ended up getting sick again and developed new antibodies that caused blood clots resulting in a mini-stroke. When that happened, they told her that getting pregnant was not an option because she may have a massive stroke or repeated miscarriages and that she would have to be on blood thinners for life. Her expected life span and quality of life were looking fairly grim again.

“I had just graduated medical school at the time. I knew that nutrition had nothing to do with disease!” – Brooke Goldner, M.D. 

A Healing Discovery

When Dr. Goldner was 28, she asked her celebrity trainer fiancé Thomas Tadlock, M.S. to train her for their wedding. As part of that training, he put her on the meal plan he had developed. She says, “He had figured out that you can increase people’s metabolic state, by feeding them huge amounts of raw vegetables, high Omega 3s and a lot of hydration, and at the time, he also thought you needed meat for muscle building. This was a long time ago. So, it was kind of like the best version of paleo could be nowadays. He was doing that and getting great results.” Since Dr. Goldner was a vegetarian at that point, she didn’t eat the meat, but she added tofu and followed the rest of his plan. Within a few months and with nutrition being the only thing that had changed, her Lupus tests were negative for the first time since she had been diagnosed 12 years before, and they have been ever since. That was 13 years ago.

Dr. Goldner has easily maintained low body fat and high fitness levels and was even able to have two healthy pregnancies and to give birth to two healthy sons. She says, “I have an amazing life now. It’s quite remarkable to compare the 12 years prior and the 13 years after. It’s like I’m in a different body altogether, and really I am. The body I live in now is built out of kale, spinach, broccoli, flax and chia seeds instead of being built out of macaroni and cheese, Doritos and eggs like it was before.”

According to Dr. Goldner, what she discovered for herself about the healing power of food holds true for everyone. “All of our cells, every single cell in our body, is made out of what we eat. There’s no way around it. Literally, that expression, you are what you eat, is true. We make ourselves out of our foods. The reason that people get sick is that they’re either eating foods that make them sick and/or they’re not eating the foods that their body uses for repair and healing.” What do our cells need for healing and repair? Dr. Goldner says the not-so-secret secret is in the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and all the different phytonutrients we get from living plants. In other words, a whole foods, plant-based diet that she strongly believes can cure most of what ails us.

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

The Healing Power of Food

When Dr. Goldner is trying to help people recover from illness, she implements a protocol with them that focuses on what she calls hypernourishment. This is her specialty – to use the healing power of food to help her patients learn how to nourish themselves from the cellular level. She does this by getting them to focus not only on what to get rid of but what to add. “Every bite that you put in your mouth is something that your cells use for cellular repair – nothing else.” This means making sure that 75 percent of what you eat is coming from green salads, green smoothies and fresh foods “because that’s what our bodies should be built from.” She says that in the long term, people can eat things like whole grains, beans and other things but when she’s helping people with what she calls rapid recovery (a matter of weeks to a couple of months), she doesn’t use any cooked plant foods. The focus is on raw foods, especially greens.

She says that even if people just want to get closer to a healthier version of themselves, adding what they’re missing, even if they’re still eating foods that aren’t so good for them, is the best place to start. “If you’re not eating processed foods, you’re not eating animal products, you’re getting a good dose of Omega 3s every day to create your anti-inflammatory immune system, and you’re eating lots of fresh foods like vegetables, you’re going to go a long way toward general good health.”

Dr. Goldner believes that eliminating animal products is critical in healing because they may very well be what’s making us sick in the first place. She says, “There’s a lot of research that shows that eating meat increases mortality by 50 percent, that processed meats are in the same category of carcinogens as asbestos and cigarettes, and that it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.” Dr. Goldner also blames dairy products for illness because they’re “probably the most inflammatory thing that people eat. That’s why as a vegetarian, I was still extremely ill because I ate a ton of eggs and cheese every day. Those increase your inflammatory markers, they encourage the production of your inflammatory immune system, which is going to drive inflammation up and trigger your genes for illness. When you get rid of animal products, you are automatically increasing your ability to heal disease and eliminate inflammation.”

Getting Down to the Numbers

If you’re looking for amounts to guide you on a daily basis, Dr. Goldner likes to see the following:

• At least eight cups of raw vegetables a day
• At least 96 ounces of water a day
• A handful of flax or chia seeds a day (her suggestions include either ground up into your smoothie or in a chia pudding)

She says this isn’t as intimidating as it may sound at first. “Drink green smoothies and eat salads all day, so that you’re raw all day, and then come home and cook dinner with your quinoa and beans and vegetables or something like that.”

Dr. Goldner believes that based on her own experience and her experience with treating her patients that if people can follow this way of eating, it’s not only going to help with any kind of disease they already have, but it’s going to keep them healthier than they would normally be.

Resources for Healing

Dr. Goldner is so passionate about making sure that everyone has access to healing resources that in addition to her books Goodbye Autoimmune Disease (affiliate link) and Goodbye Lupus (affiliate link), she also offers free 6 Steps to Reversing Disease with Supermarket Food online classes. In addition, Dr. Goldner’s husband Thomas Tadlock, M.S. started smoothieshred.com, which offers FREE smoothie recipes, workouts, group support and mentoring. If you don’t want to give any personal information, you can still access the smoothie recipes without signing in.

If you’re dealing with a chronic illness, Dr. Goldner suggests talking with your doctor about the possibility of incorporating nutrition into the treatment plan. But, she cautions, don’t be sidetracked if you meet resistance. According to her, doctors weren’t taught about the role of nutrition in illness, health and healing in medical school. Now, they should be getting more exposure to how it’s all connected, but “This is a ground up movement. Patients are the ones that are going to have to bring it to their doctors.” After all, it is your health, and ultimately, eating a lot more vegetables can only help to fuel your body and your recovery.

October 2019 update: While doctors should be getting more education about the role of nutrition in illness, health and healing in medical school, recent studies show that in most cases, they’re not. According to the research article The State of Nutrition Education at US Medical Schools published in The Journal of Biomedical Education, as of 2013, most U.S. medical schools (71 percent) fail to provide the recommended minimum 25 hours of nutrition education and 36 percent provide less than half that much. That’s based on survey responses from 121 of all 133 U.S. medical schools. Bottom line: Trust your doctor but don’t be afraid to educate yourself about the healing power of food and bring what you learn back to them. Together, you’ll be better equipped to support the best you possible. 

The post The Healing Power of Food appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

Some people can make it fine in the mornings without breakfast, but I am not one of them. In fact, it is the one meal of the day that I absolutely have to have. If the same is true for you but actually sitting down to eat something healthy is a challenge, I’ve got you covered. These 5 healthy, on-the-go breakfast ideas are some of my favorites, and what’s more, they’re quick, easy and affordable. Try adding one or more of these to your morning routine as you head out the door and feel good that you’re getting your day off to a healthy, power-packed start.

On-the-Go Breakfast Burrito

Gone are the days of rushing out the door, realizing how hungry you really are and then going through a drive-thru to get what’s potentially a sub-par breakfast burrito. If you have 5 minutes (it would take you that long to go through the drive-thru), you can make these right at home and wrap them up to take with you. The great thing about making them yourself is that you get exactly what you want in them. These have scrambled eggs, mushrooms and red peppers on a low-carb spinach tortilla. If you eat meat, you can always add some lean ham, and if you’re vegan, fill them with a Tofu Scramble. The options are limitless, and you’re in complete control of what goes in them. So no matter how crazy the rest of your day gets, you can handle it because you’ve started off with a hearty, filling breakfast.

Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Protein Muffin

This Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Protein Muffin recipe from The Allergy Free Life is my kind of goodness. There is something so soothing to me about starting the day off with muffins, and these babies will give you the comfort you need as you’re heading off to conquer the day. Depending on the type of protein powder you use, these should have little to no added sugar, but you won’t miss it because the banana, cinnamon and vanilla give them plenty of flavor. Plus, they’re packed with protein. Grab three of them to take with you for your breakfast, and you’ve had 15 grams of protein right off the bat. The recipe also includes several suggestions for add-ins. I’ve done them with chocolate chips, blueberries and just by themselves, and they were all delicious.

Note: These muffins are very easy to mix up and cook on the weekend. Just double the recipe, and you’re set for the entire week with your on-the-go breakfast. Store them in the refrigerator and then heat in the microwave for :30 before taking with you as you head out the door.

Nut-Free Paleo Granola

Granola is a great way to start the day, but if you’re not careful, you could be eating a lot of refined sugar and/or high-fructose corn syrup. What are those things doing in there??!! We want nutritious ingredients that fuel your day, not bog you down. That’s why I love this Nut-Free Paleo Granola from The Real Food Dieticians as a healthy, on-the-go breakfast idea. It’s very allergy-friendly, and you can eat the clusters by hand on your way to work or while dropping off the kids at school. Simply cook up a batch on the weekend (25 minutes from start to finish) and then go ahead and divide it up into containers to take with you in the morning. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Note: When you’re choosing your sunflower seed or other nut or seed butter, be sure that it doesn’t include added sugar. It doesn’t belong in there and tastes great without it. Also be careful if you decide to add dried fruit. It can be full of added sugar.

Green Smoothie

You simply can’t go wrong with a green smoothie for breakfast, and this one from Smoothie Shred is a particularly fantastic way to start the day. Packed with kale, spinach, chard, some fruit and flaxseeds, this big green powerhouse does it all. If you’re used to smoothies with almond milk, this one is more of a juice consistency because it uses water instead. I like that because I think it gives it a much lighter taste. Be sure that you have a good cup with a lid to be able to take your smoothies with you, and you’re all set.

Note: This and all of the other smoothie recipes on Smoothie Shred were developed by trainer Thomas Tadlock, M.S.. I interviewed his wife Dr. Brooke Goldner as part of my post on Exploring a Plant-Based Diet and Healing Power of Food: A Doctor’s Journey from Disease to Health.

Mini Crustless Quiche Cups With Sausage and Cheese

These very portable Mini Crustless Quiche Cups With Sausage and Cheese from Two Healthy Kitchens pack a protein punch that will get anybody’s day off to a good start. Simply make ahead of time, then refrigerate or freeze them. It’s turkey sausage, egg and cheese all condensed into a muffin sized mini quiche so you can quickly grab and reheat them as you’re heading out the door.

Note: I substituted vegan cheese for real cheese for my son who can’t have dairy. I also used muffin cups to line the muffin tin instead of using spray.

Bottom line for on-the-go breakfast ideas

There’s no reason for breakfast to be a meal that you skip simply because you don’t have time for it. I realize that not everyone needs a morning meal, but if you do, don’t risk putting yourself in the position of being at the beck and call of the vending machine. You can do so much better than that, and these healthy breakfast options show you how.

If you try any of these or have more ideas to share, please let us all know in the comments section below.

The post 5 Healthy, On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

Grabbing something to eat, running through the drive-thru and throwing something together. All phrases that certainly reflect our lifestyles and all too often, our approach to food. While doing any of these every now and then is fine and can even be done in a healthy way, letting these phrases describe our overall attitude toward food means that we could be missing out on some of the huge benefits of what the food we eat can really do for us.

Transformational and Energy Medicine Specialist Jean Atman works with people on aligning their energy in every facet of their lives, including through the food they eat. In this Q&A, she explains how eating with intention can change your entire relationship with food and how its energy can fuel you.

Peppermint Tea & Me: What does eating with intention mean?

Jean Atman:I think it’s a mindfulness practice, you know. To really think about what foods you’re putting in your body and how they affect you as you’re consuming them. Basically, we get kind of caught up in the busyness of things, and so we don’t take time to even think about what we eat. We just sort of go to our defaults. I think eating with intention is increasing the mindfulness practice of thinking about “What do I feel like I want, what do I feel like I need, and then how do I feel after eating this?”

PTM: Why is it important that we eat with intention?

JA: We’re all made of energy. So, what we’re eating is either going to increase or decrease how we feel, how our body functions, and how our life works. If we’re congesting our energy field with a lot of processed foods, we’re going to feel more stagnant in our lives, and we’re going to be less able to proceed forward in achieving our goals and desires and dreams. We don’t have that free flow of movement and momentum that we can build as easily. So, it’s really vital to consider what we’re putting in our bodies and how we’re feeling based on it. If we’re eating something that makes us feel bad, we’re not going to be as inspired to do anything else in our lives. It really does start with what we’re putting in our bodies.

PTM: What is the role of energy overall in our bodies and in our lives?

JA: We’re all just millions of particles of energy that put together creates this form. We feel solid, we look solid, but in reality, we’re really not, we’re just a lot of moving parts. That’s why it’s really vital to focus on what we’re creating within our energy. If we’re eating something processed without a lot of life force energy, we’re putting that in our bodies and that becomes part of us. So, it’s not a real efficient product that we’re creating.

It’s everything that we put into our body, all the experiences that we have, how we respond to those experiences, and then we kind of have a set vibration based on all those moving parts. Whatever vibration we’re at, we’re going to automatically attract other things of that vibration. If our vibration is of a lower scale, you know we’re going to attract experiences that reflect that. Lower vibrational experiences mean more struggle, more hardships and more hard work to accomplish anything. Kind of trudging through mud knee deep to get to where you’re going, as opposed to skirting on top of it.

PTM: What do you mean when you talk about our vibrational scale?

JA: To test people’s energy, we use the Hawkins Scale of Consciousness. Based on that, anything under 500, you’re dealing with jealousy, hate, envy and other lower vibrations. So, if you’re eating foods of a lower vibrational scale, they’re vibrating within that same frequency.

PTM: Where does processed food fall on the scale, and how does that make us feel?

JA: Foods that have a life force of their own, like fruits and vegetables, grow from the earth, they’re nursed from the earth, and they’re nourished from the sun and water that’s created within the earth. It’s all this beautiful synergistic creation which is grown from life force, and that gives us life force. Lower vibrational foods, like processed foods, are stripped. Anything that’s put in these processed foods is stripped down so far that it has no life force of its own.

While these foods might fill us, you know, physically, they’re not nourishing our energy, our bodies, our spirits, our minds. We’re not gaining any energy to uplift our vibration from eating those foods. They really can cause depression. When people are depressed, it is actually just energy that is depressing the field, so they carry a lot of heaviness within their energy which makes them feel heavy mentally, physically and emotionally. When you start to recognize that “When I’m eating this food, I feel a little bit lighter and a little bit better,” you actually clear through some of that depression energy by eating something that’s more nourishing, that’s more life giving, that increases the feeling of being lighter.

So those things are really, really important to choose wisely, especially if you suffer from something that just feels chronic that you can’t seem to break free from, and you’re wanting some relief. A lot of times when people are sad or depressed, they’ll reach for the comfort foods: the donuts, the ice creams, the cakes and the cookies. But again, with the law of attraction, like attracts like. If you’re already feeling that way, you’re going to be more drawn to those types of things, because they vibrate there. But if you know that, and you can make a conscious decision and say, “I’m feeling kind of low today. I want to uplift my energy and I’m having a little bit of a struggle doing it emotionally right now, so I’m going to reach for something that’ll help support that movement. I’m going to eat a salad. I’m going to eat an apple.” Things like that. It can help.

PTM: Which foods give us the most energy?

JA: Anything that’s made from the earth, that’s nourished from the earth’s elements will give us a lot more energy. Even if you’re going to eat an orange versus orange juice, even things like that. Foods in their most complete form are made specifically to nourish us in the best possible ways. So even by keeping an orange fully intact and eating it that way can offer more energy than an orange juice could. That’s not to say that you can’t eat cooked whole foods. You can because your body knows what to do with that and how to break it down.

PTM: How do we gauge what types of foods we need or energy we need from our food?

JA: They say that if you’re craving something sweet, that you’re actually craving more sweetness in your life. And if you’re craving something salty, you’re searching for something more grounded. You’re wanting to be more grounded within your life. So, our cravings will give us a lot of information about what we’re actually needing energetically and emotionally. It’s learning to translate what the body is saying into giving us a direction of where we can go with it.

 PTM: If someone is just starting to connect with the energy of their food, what are some ways that they can do that?

JA: What works for one person is not going to work for the next person. It really is coming back to the mindfulness practice of how foods make you feel. There are a couple of ways that you can do that including approaching it from a beginner’s mind and taking a week to eat clean and cut out dairy, gluten and processed foods and see how you feel. Then add things back one at a time and make a note of how you feel then. You can also journal each day, or if you really want to learn about yourself, journal each meal. Think about “What did I eat? How did I feel after this? How was my energy after that meal?” Really tune in to how you feel. Also, if you’re trying to lose weight, ask yourself before you reach for anything, “Is this really serving my highest good?” Think about the kind of energy that you want to have and whether that particular food would serve as fuel for that energy.

Additional Resource

Jean is happy to offer you a copy of her free e-book called How to Energize Your Life. Through it, she shares information, insights, and “Mindfulness Practices” to better assist you in creating not only what you want in life, but to release what that you don’t.

The post Eating with Intention appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

As women, we often tell ourselves and have often been told that belly fat is just part of what happens to us as we start to get older. Another thing we hear is that it’s a superficial issue, and we should learn to accept ourselves the way we are – that only teenagers don’t have a little flab around the middle. While fitness instructor, nutritional expert, mind-body serenity coach and author Adita Lang says that she’s all for women loving and accepting themselves, it’s false to think that belly fat has to be an inevitable and relatively harmless fact of aging. In fact, Adita is 52, and she doesn’t have extra weight around her middle.

Yes, she is a fitness and nutrition expert, but it just goes to show, it’s not something that has to happen or even should happen. It also goes to show why we want to take our advice from someone like Adita, who not only knows and teaches about health and wellness, but who also truly lives it as well. That’s why I went to her to better understand the dangers of belly fat and to find out how we can all take control of our waistlines and our health.

What is Belly Fat?

In a nutshell, Adita says that belly fat is the accumulation of too many sugars. That doesn’t mean that we’re all going around adding lots of table sugar to our food or eating candy bars every day because most of us know that’s not going to cut it. As Adita points out, sugars include sugar, flour, dairy and alcohol. Our bodies “Interpret them all as sugar and treats them all the same for the most part.”

Adita acknowledges that we need sugar (specifically glucose) for our brain and body to function, but we only need a certain amount. If we only need 10 grams of sugar, but we eat 25, that excess has to go somewhere so our bodies are going to place it around our center.

An article from Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard Medical School explains that abdominal fat comes in two different forms. “Some of it is located in the fatty tissue just beneath the skin. This subcutaneous fat behaves like the fat elsewhere in the body; it’s no friend to health, but it’s no special threat either. Fat inside the abdomen is another story. This visceral fat is located around the internal organs, and it’s the true villain of the piece.”

Health Issues Caused by Belly Fat

Visceral fat, according to the Harvard article, is the bad guy because it can result in organ dysfunction which can impact insulin, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation. It can also cause “abnormal heart function.” This type of fat isn’t just an issue for people who are clearly obese. Adita says it’s just as unhealthy in people who are lean everywhere else except for the belly. Dr. Mark Hyman is the medical director at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine, the Founder of The UltraWellness Center and bestselling author. He calls people who fall into this category “skinny fat.” These people are “underlean’ (not enough muscle) instead of ‘overweight’ and have a little extra weight around the middle, or ‘belly fat.”

Belly Fat by the Numbers

Adita tells her clients that “The further away your belly button is from your spine, the more in jeopardy you are.” For men, that means the waist shouldn’t be more than 40 inches and for women, it shouldn’t be more than 34 inches. While bone density can be a factor, Adita says those numbers are a good general rule to go by. To find out what your waist measurement is, make sure that you measure yourself all the way around at your belly button. If your waist is larger than 34 inches, Adita warns that you’re predisposing yourself to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other issues that can be caused by the body simply having to work harder to support the excess fat.

How to Address Belly Fat

So, what do we do to get rid of belly fat? Adita says there are four key areas that have to be addressed in order to be successful.

Change the Way You Look at Food

Don’t rely on it for comfort or socialization. Many of the foods that are eaten in this way are unhealthy. Instead, look at food for its nutritional value and what it’s doing to fuel your body. This means eating foods that are high in protein and high in healthy fats that will sustain you. Foods that are high in simple carbs such as crackers and chips wear off quickly and leave you wanting more.

Adita reminds us that as long as we’re eating foods that don’t have a label, we don’t have to worry about calories. It’s the foods that have a label where we have to start counting calories. She also says that if we want to have a glass of wine with dinner, have a glass of wine, but don’t have it with bread and pasta and cream sauce. Have it with chicken and vegetables or a salad with meat – make it more vegetables and protein as opposed to a lot of other sugars.

Exercise

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, we need between 150 minutes of exercise for the novice and 300 minutes for more advanced exercisers per week. Adita says they don’t even have to be consecutive minutes, and it can be anything that increases your heart rate and makes us sweat. That can be what we traditionally think of as exercise, or it can be gardening or pushing the vacuum cleaner or lawn mower. If you have trouble setting aside a specific time to exercise during the week, park so that you have to walk further to your car, use the stairs instead of the elevator and create other opportunities for movement throughout the day. Then get your more intensive workouts in on the weekend.

In case you thought that you could target your belly and work off the belly fat, Adita says to think again. Getting rid of belly fat happens through metabolism. This means throughout the body, not just in one area. She says that we can train our abdominal muscles so that they’re stronger, but as far as losing fat goes, that takes working the entire body.

Sleep

• Adita strongly believes that if we’re waking up groggy or feeling like we need a crowbar to get out of bed, then we’re not getting enough quality sleep. She says that we should wake up ready to go, which means that we’ve hit a good portion of our sleep cycles during the night, that we’re fully rested and that we’re physically and mentally recovered and ready for another day.

Relax

Happiness and relaxation play an enormous role in our ability to lose belly fat and to keep it under control. Adita cites studies that show the average child laughs about 400 times a day where the average adult laughs 15. She says that we need those happy high endorphins kicking in to our bodies because that’s going to completely release stress and make us less likely to eat unhealthy foods just because we think they’ll make us feel better. We can do this by implementing habits into our day such as meditation, mindfulness and fun that help us to relieve stress and to feel more balanced.

 Resources

Here are some resources Adita suggests to help us get started in losing belly fat.

• Adita’s new book A Busy Woman’s Guide To Health and Happiness is available at superpowerblueprint.com.
• If you don’t want to join a gym, find an exercise video on YouTube that you can follow in the comfort of your own home.
• Create a food log. For one week, write down everything you eat, the time of day, how you felt after you ate. Go back and look at it and highlight the sugar, flour and dairy so you can see how much of it you’re consuming each day. At the same time, take another highlighter and highlight fruits and vegetables and another highlighter and highlight proteins so that you can start to see, “Hey, am I eating equal amount of these in each and every meal and snack.” If not, you’ll know where you need to adjust.

Bottom Line on Belly Fat

All of this can be summed up by putting ourselves first. While that might sound selfish, Adita says, “If you’re not feeling at your best energy wise, health wise, how you look, how you feel, the whole thing, how can you motivate and inspire others? You’re really just going to do half the job.” If we’re willing to put ourselves first and start taking care of ourselves, the belly fat will come off and stay off – making us much healthier in the long run.

The post Understanding the Dangers of Belly Fat appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

Summer vacation means keeping things simple and easy. Which for many, means very little to no cooking. But when it comes to what we eat, giving someone else or packaged convenience foods the power over what fuels us during this sacred time off can backfire if we’re not careful. With a little extra planning and a willingness to think outside the box, cooking for yourself can become an important and meaningful part of your next vacation. That’s why I’m taking a look at what those benefits are as well as 7 tips for making it a fun and relaxing part of your vacation routine.

Why Cook for Yourself on Vacation?

While cooking for yourself on vacation has many benefits, here are my top reasons.

It saves money. There is no doubt that eating foods that you associate with a particular place or foods that place is known for are among the best parts of a vacation. Eating out in these cases is well worth the extra money you may pay for the luxury of trying new foods or old favorites that someone else prepares. But if there’s nothing special about what you’re eating out, think about the cost. Eating a modest breakfast or lunch out for a family of four can run anywhere between $20-$50. Eating a modest dinner out can run anywhere between $45 – $100. Add in snacks of any kind and you may be talking about $105 – $210 a day for food. For a seven-day vacation for a family of four, that’s $735 – $1,470 for eating while on vacation. By comparison, a weekly shopping trip (food items only) for a family of four is usually between $150 – $225. If you plan on providing breakfast and lunch items for yourself for six days out of your seven-day vacation as well as snacks and plan to cook four to five dinners, you could save between $400 – $800 on your food costs.

It saves time and energy. Finding new restaurants and trying something different for a specific special meal on vacation can be loads of fun. But let’s face it, having to find somewhere to eat for three meals a day can be a big drain on your precious vacation time, not to mention your energy. I can remember wanting to get out and about bright and early in New York one day and saying we would just find something quick and simple for breakfast. Since the hotel we were staying at was in more of a neighborhood area, most of the surrounding restaurants were nice sit-down type places. Since we were all starving at that point, there wasn’t a lot of appreciating the sights as we walked. Twenty minutes later, we ended up at a Dunkin Donuts. Not to knock the Dunkin, but we could have just as easily whipped up a quick, comparable breakfast on our own and been out and seeing and doing much quicker and with a lot less grumbling.

It gives you control over the food you’re eating. From a health perspective, it doesn’t get much more clear-cut than this. While you probably want to ease up on trying to make every meal and snack healthy on vacation, if you ease up too much, you could very easily wind up feeling worse instead of better by the time you get to the end. If you’re eating the most fantastic food ever, then that might be worth it, but if the food is nothing special, you don’t want your health to be sacrificed in the process.

It can provide some much-needed grounding when away from home. While spending time away from home can be just what the doctor ordered, it can also be a bit of a shock to our system. Eating familiar foods or more like what we’re used to can help ground us so that we can enjoy all that we’re seeing and doing.

7 Tips for Making Cooking on Vacation Fun and Relaxing

1. Make sure you have a kitchen at your disposal. Look for hotel rooms or suites with a kitchenette or at least a cooktop, microwave and full refrigerator. These are often comparable in price to a regular hotel room. Another great option is a vacation rental with a full kitchen. These are also often comparable to or less expensive than a regular hotel room.
2. Scout out nearby grocery stores ahead of time. You can easily map nearby grocery stores as part of planning where you’re going to stay. If you’re going to be in a big city or where it’s not easy to drive, be sure to find a place to stay with a grocery store or market very nearby since you will be carrying groceries. You’ll also want to take the whole family along so that everyone can carry groceries on the way back – or take a stroller! While you may have to make a second trip mid-week if you can’t carry everything at one time, try to get as much in one trip as possible. For the same reason that you don’t want to search for somewhere to eat for every meal, you also don’t want to be going to the grocery store every day either. Another idea is that if you don’t have a car or you really don’t want to go to the grocery store, see if you can order your groceries online and have them delivered. While this will cost a little more, it may be worth it depending on your situation.
3. Plan your meals and make a grocery list.While this is one of the least fun things about regular grocery shopping, it is well worth it anytime, but especially when you’re buying groceries on vacation. This makes it so that you have everything you need on hand and that you don’t end up buying more than you need. It also gives you a clear idea of what you’re looking for when you’re going into a new grocery store, which as we all know, can be a little challenging.
4. Plan for snacks. Snacks on vacation are a must. Fruits and packs of nuts and trail mix are very portable and easy to eat on the go or just sitting and relaxing. Make sure you also have plenty of bottles of water. If everyone is taking a backpack or bag of some sort, just split up the bottles and snacks between you so that no one is carrying everything.
5. Keep it simple. If you just really want to go all out and try to fix a full meal inspired by the local cuisine, go for it. Otherwise, keep the meals you’re cooking simple and familiar. After a full day of sightseeing, activities or being with family and friends, the last thing you’re probably going to want to do is fix a full meal that you’ve never tried before. Eating something different or local is what your eating out experiences are for.
6. Visit a local farmer’s market or outdoor market. This is a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture and eat seasonally even while you’re away. If you’re in the United States, Local Harvest lets you find what’s available near where you’ll be staying so that you can know your options ahead of time.
7. Create a restful and relaxing setting for cooking. You can do this by having a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail while cooking, bring candles with you or buy them once you get there and play your favorite music or music that matches wherever you are. While you might not do all of this for yourself when you cook at home, this is vacation. Creating a relaxing atmosphere may even make cooking one of the things you look forward to while you’re away.

While cooking doesn’t fit with every vacation, it can be a part of most if you simply think a little differently than what you may be used to. For more tips on how to keep your next vacation relaxing, fun and healthy, be sure and check out  Integrated Wellness While On Vacation and Hotel Fitness Center Tips.

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