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Sunflower Tahini Seed Bombs
Sunflower Tahini Seed Bombs
Pumpkin Flax Seed Bombs
Pumpkin Flax Seed Bombs
Composed Blueberry Muffins
Composed Blueberry Muffins
Vanilla Berry Chia Pudding
Vanilla Berry Chia Pudding
Zucchini Mushroom Egg Muffins
Zucchini Mushroom Egg Muffins
AB + B Toast : Almond Butter + Blueberries
AB + B Toast : Almond Butter + Blueberries
Coconut Granola Chopped Peaches
Coconut Granola Chopped Peaches
Raspberry Cacao Almond Butter Muffins
Raspberry Cacao Almond Butter Muffins
Cookie Dough Bites
Cookie Dough Bites
Carrot Coconut Cacao Muffins
Carrot Coconut Cacao Muffins
SUNFLOWER TAHINI SEED BOMBS 🌻 - Perfect for an easy snack + for seed cycling. - SEED CYCLING 🌀 Rotating 1 Tbsp of each pumpkin + flax during the first half of your cycle (menstrual + follicular – week of and after your period) and sesame + sunflower during the second half of your cycle (ovulation + luteal – mid cycle and week before your period) with the intention of supporting the hormone cycle - Why: PUMPKIN: zinc + essential fats to help boost progesterone FLAX: rich in lignans to help bind excess estrogen SESAME: lignans to help bind excess estrogen (not as potent as flax) SUNFLOWER: rich in selenium to support the liver + hormone regulation - Seed cycling has helped my clients regulate their menstrual cycles – from bringing back missing periods, to regulating irregular or long cycles. It’s so simple but can really work!✨ - Easy ways to incorporate these seeds into your day-to-day include: topping salads, bowls, + oatmeal, adding to smoothies, pancakes, + waffles, or making energy bites like these seed bombs - RECIPE: •1/4 cup Tahini •1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds •1/2 cup Cashews •1/4 cup Cacao Nibs •1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes •1/4 cup Coconut Oil •1/2 cup Pitted Dates (4 Dates) •1 tsp Cinnamon •1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1️⃣Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Pulse until roughly combined and begins to form a dough. Do not over blend! 2️⃣Roll into balls and lay flat into an airtight container. Make sure they do not touch so they do not stick together. 4️⃣Store in the freezer for 3-4 months. Let thaw for ~5 minutes before enjoying! - Do you seed cycle? 🌀#composednutrition
FOOD RULES 🚫 - First let’s talk about how we think food rules are helping us. It can be for many reasons, but one to consider: when we have rules around something it gives us a sense of control over that thing. And this can be related to food or anything, really. - Feeling the need for control can stem from many things, but perhaps things in life feeling out of control? Things that have happened to us that we have no say in? Feeling like our voice has been quieted? But we can control our food so it gives us this sense of power that even if things are going crazy around us WE have the power in this situation. - We’re taught by the diet industry that this diet [ set of rules ] will be THE THING – the thing we have been searching for to finally look/feel the way we are fed we are ‘SUPPOSED to’. - So you can see where the rules can come from, but what if they’re doing more harm than good? What if they’re keeping us stuck from fully embracing the life we want to live? What if they’re keeping us from enjoying foods because we’re scared of what they will do to us? What if they are disconnecting us from our inner wisdom – that voice within that KNOWS how to support you + when + how you want to eat. - I’ve always been grateful to have a pretty good relationship with food, but I’ve noticed that since I quit drinking + numbing with alcohol (almost 2 years ago) sometimes these random food rules will pop into my head that I KNOW are a result of me not controlling/numbing my emotions with booze and my mind wanting to cling onto something else to control. - [ rule thought: do I really want to take home all these bagels the restaurant gave me for free? | food freedom thought: I love bagels and haven’t had them in forever, it’s so nice they gave me extra to take home! ] - Our health [ physical or mental ] can seriously be whack-a-mole sometimes, but the goal is not perfection. It’s learning to be that quiet observer and notice WHY we’re doing the things we’re doing. Awareness is always the fist step in any change we want to make.✨ - ACTUVITY: make a list of foods you consider, good, bad, neutral. Then cross off the titles, circle all the foods, and write ALL FOODS FIT.🌻
VITAMIN D: AM I GETTING ENOUGH + WHAT ARE SIGNS THAT IT COULD BE LOW? ☀️ - Living in Chicago vitamin D is something I see low or suboptimal all the time. When I was managing corporate health screenings it was one of the top 3 markers that was out of range (about 70% of people had low vitamin D). - There’s deficient vitamin D (below 30 ng/mL), but in functional medicine we’re looking for the OPTIMAL amount, which we use 50-80 ng/mL. So even if you have a vitamin D level in the 30s & told it’s fine, it could still be optimized. - Why does this matter? Low vitamin D is linked to anxiety, depression, irritability, blood sugar issues, feeling weak/tired, joint pain, bone softening, hormone imbalances, gut issues, among others. - There’s a study that found that people with low vitamin D symptoms are 11 TIMES more susceptible to depression than those with normal levels. This shows that of course there are mental + emotional reasons for depression, but physical imbalances can perpetuate mood issues [ add fuel to the fire ]. - There are not many great food sources of vitamin D either. There is some in cod liver oil, wild-caught fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, eggs, a tiny bit in some mushrooms. The best source is sunlight. The skin turns sunlight into vitamin D. ☀️ The problem is in a lot of places it’s freezing half the year with little sunlight, so it can be hard to get enough. Supplementing may be necessary, but I always recommend testing before starting a supplement. - How to get enough vitamin D: 1️⃣Skin exposure to sunlight for 10-30 minutes per day several times per week 2️⃣Include 2 servings of fatty fish per week 3️⃣If your vitamin D is low or suboptimal talk to your healthcare provider about supplementing (a general maintenance dose would be 2000 IU, if you are deficient you may need up to 5000 – 10,000 IU per day for 3 months then retest – and the best form is vitamin D3, not vitamin D2). - What questions do you have about vitamin D? 🌻 #composednutrition
HOW TO BUILD A BOWL MEAL 🥙🌱 - When we come back to the basics we realize that no matter WHAT eating pattern (i.e. diet – but I prefer to say eating pattern because the word diet now is loaded with rules + restrictions) we choose to follow we all have similar nutritional non-negotiables that set our foundation – from there we can tweak specific foods that may/may not work with our specific bodies. - The reason one thing works great for your coworker’s cousin but not for you is because we are all unique. It’s not just about food, but our hormones, gut health, food preferences, etc. - No matter how you choose to eat, here is a guide for building a bowl meal (or any meal, really): ✨1-2 handfuls greens [ spinach, arugula, mixed greens, kale ] ✨handful portion of grain or starchy vegetable [ rice, quinoa, lentils, roasted potatoes, corn, peas ] ✨any amount non-starchy veggies [ roasted or raw ] ✨size of your palm protein [ beans, chickpeas, 2 eggs, canned tuna/salmon, smoked fish, tofu, tempeh, chicken breast ] extras: ✨probiotic-rich food [ fermented veggies like kimchi or sauerkraut ] ✨tip of thumb size sauce/dressing [ olive oil, vinegar, hummus, tahini, salsa, ¼ avocado ] ✨toppings [ nuts, seeds, fresh herbs ] - Also I like using hand portion sizes instead of measurements because: 1️⃣ get away from numbers, measurements, counting calories, etc. 2️⃣ accounts for YOUR body - What’re your favorite bowl meals? 🌱 #composednutrition
UNCOVER THE AREA THAT NEEDS SOME LOVE + ATTENTION ✨ - What is the common denominator among all of the health conditions we experience? STRESS. Every health condition has a link to stress. Emotional stress can translate into physical stress if it goes on long enough. - Our bodies are actually really equipped to deal with stress – IN SMALL BURSTS. We’re not meant to carry the weight of the world all day every day. We ARE meant to have a response to stress, move through it, and shake it off. We’re not meant to have the on button constantly pressed. - We cannot deny that the things that are going on in our life can show up in the body. I see this all the time with digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, hormone imbalances, fatigue, burnout, anxiety. It’s how our body responds to the keeping the stress button constantly turned on. How it manifests is our unique cocktail of symptoms. - But, it’s not really our fault. Our world has sped up and we have not always learned the best ways to unplug and slow down while still keeping up. So what do we do? - As useful tool to figure out what area of your life might need a little more attention is the Life Circle. Mark a dot along each line – closer to the edge = more satisfied, closer to the middle = less satisfied. Connect the dots and see what your circle looks like. - When there is balance our life can roll along pretty smoothly like a wheel. If an area is pretty lacking it throws the circle off balance. A lopsided or jagged circle is not going to roll very well. - Now, the goal is NOT PERFECTION. But it is helpful to identify where you could put in a little more focus and attention. Maybe you didn’t even realize that was an area of your life that hasn’t been focused on in a while. Maybe you have some level of stress and anxiety but can’t really pinpoint what it’s coming from. - We need to uncover WHY we’re stressed (get to the root of it) so we can address that, otherwise there are not enough bubble baths, CBD, massages, yoga, green juices in the world that will keep it from coming back if we don’t address why it’s happening in the first place. - What does your circle look like? 🌻 #composednutrition
THE ROOT CAUSE OF HORMONAL BREAKOUTS✨ - Does that pimple (or 2 or 5 or 10+) appear once a month even though you’ve told it over and over again it’s not welcome here please go away? - Hormonal acne doesn’t have to control your life. But we do need to ask some questions about why it’s showing up unwanted each month. - Remember: when we start looking at symptoms as a gift – a sign that something is going on that needs to be looked at – we can figure out what our unique bodies need to find balance. - It’s human to wish it away, hate it, and just want to do whatever to cover it up + to take whatever make it go away. But just like we would take a car into the mechanic if the check engine light pops on and they will look under the hood and diagnose the problem, we need to do the same. Our symptoms are our check engine lights. And instead of pushing forward to ‘make it different than what it is’ we need to ask WHY. Why is this happening/appearing? We’re coming at it from a place of love – why is this happening FOR me. And we have the power to uncover our why and make a change to heal the underlying root cause. - It’s important to understand your hormone levels – you could have high estrogen and low progesterone and maybe your friend has high testosterone but both are manifesting as skin issues – moral of the story: symptoms point you in the direction of what may be happening, testing can verify it to figure out the right path to head down. - Same symptoms but I would approach these differently – different food + supplement recommendations, ask different questions, etc. - And when you uncover what your unique body may be missing, you can figure out what works for you to heal your symptoms. I’ve done a lot of work around balancing my own hormones, but when a symptom shows up it’s not a failure – it’s a chance to look back on the month and ask yourself: how was I supporting my body? Was I extra stressed? Was I taking the supplements I usually take? Did I give myself rest/breaks? Usually I find the answer as to why it’s showing up again. - Curious about your own hormones? Schedule a free consult via link in my bio 🌻 #composednutrition