Soup . . . the easy, nutritious Meal!

While we’re making our way through the chilly days of Fall, sipping steaming hot soups and stews can keep you and your family warm and toasty. Soup not only takes the bite out of a frosty night, it’s also a fuss-free way to get dinner on the table quickly.

Zuppa Toscana

Whether a you’re whipping up a broth-based creation or noshing on a bowl of hearty stew, soups offer these five benefits:

1. They’re good for you. While some soups can devastate a diet (cream-based varieties can be particularly high in calories), most serve as a great vehicle to meet your daily quota for veggies. View soups as an opportunity to cash in on nature’s bounty (winter crops, including pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots and parsnips, won’t wilt or get limp when you cook them). If you have produce that’s about to pass its prime, tossing them into a soup recipe can give them new life. You can even drop frozen vegetables into boiling broth without compromising taste or texture.

2. They’re inexpensive and easy to prepare. Soups and stews don’t require a large amount of hands-on time. In fact, if you use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, you can prepare a savory soup in five minutes flat, and let the cooker do the rest of the work. If you amp up the liquid and vegetables, you can use smaller amounts of expensive ingredients, such as chicken, fish and beef.

3. They freeze well. Soup and stews are great if you want to meal prep lunches or dinners in advance. Whip up a batch on the weekend, and you can stash half in the freezer to enjoy later. A bonus: you’ll have healthy, homemade soup at the ready when you’re busy, under the weather or too tired to cook.

4. They keep you hydrated. During the winter chill, it’s not uncommon to drink less than you need. But while you may not be hot and sweaty, you still lose fluid through daily activities. Since soups are mostly liquid, they’re a great way to stay hydrated and full.

5. They give your immune system a boost. Soups can help you stave off cold and flu, and they’re a great antidote for times when you are sick, too! Load them up with fresh garlic, onions, celery and carrots, (they all contain powerful immune-boosting chemicals). Most soups are loaded with disease-fighting nutrients. A bonus: the hot liquid helps soothe a sore throat.

Are you ready to try out some new recipes? These are some of my favorites! Enjoy :)

Turkey Chili

This is filled with protein and yummy and health benefits of chili powder and other spices!

Zuppa Toscana

There is nothing like this lovely broth filled with sausage, bacon and veggies. And you thought you didn’t like kale!

The Miracle Mineral

If you’ve been hearing a lot about magnesium lately, it’s for good reason. Research suggests that up to two-thirds of Americans are deficient in magnesium. As a result, the majority of people can benefit from supplementing with the right type of magnesium.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body and the catalyst for over 600 chemical reactions. It plays a role in detoxification, digestion, energy production, stress management, and even our heart rhythm!

I call this the miracle mineral because of the wide range of health benefits that it provides. Here are 7 of my favorites:

• Get Strong Bones

  • One of the benefits of magnesium is it is involved in bone formation. It guards against bone loss, bone breaks, and the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis. The mineral affects levels of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D, two other critical players for maintaining bone health. Adequate magnesium intake is associated with higher bone density in both men and women.

• Inflammation Fighter

  • Inflammation is a normal response in the body that facilitates healing, but it can be harmful when it occurs in excess or at inappropriate times. Chronic inflammation has been linked to conditions like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Results of studies suggest that low magnesium levels are associated with higher levels of inflammation. Getting adequate magnesium is one way to decrease inflammation and help reduce the risk of chronic conditions.

• Protect Heart Health

  • Magnesium is necessary for the proper function of the heart. Adequate magnesium levels decrease the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and dangerous heart rhythms (arrhythmia). Magnesium benefits blood vessel walls by relaxing them, which then leads to lower blood pressure. It may even help boost "good" HDL cholesterol levels.

• Relieving Migraines

  • Low levels of magnesium are linked to the release of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and constriction of blood vessels in the brain that trigger migraines. Getting adequate magnesium may help reduce the frequency of debilitating migraines by an average of just a little more than 40 percent.

• Ward Off Diabetes

  • Magnesium serves an important role in processing energy in the body. People who have low levels of the mineral are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who have normal levels. People who have type 2 diabetes also lose more magnesium in their urine, leading to further potential problems with blood sugar control. Magnesium assists the function of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Load up on nuts, leafy greens, and other magnesium-rich foods to keep your blood levels of this mineral high.

• Better Sleep and Mood

  • If you aren’t able to fall asleep or stay asleep, or both, you mood and energy are affected. Magnesium has been shown to improve falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer. You can take a supplement or even soaking. your feet in a tub of hot water with Epsom salt will allow your skin to soak up the magnesium, relax your muscles and help you into dream land.

• Reducing Stress Hormones

  • Excess levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol contribute to anxiety, brain fog, depression, mood swings, memory loss, dementia, concentration problems, insomnia, and mental disorders of all kinds.

    Magnesium restricts the release of cortisol and acts as a filter to prevent them from entering the brain. 

    Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of the perennial bestseller The Magnesium Miracle, has found magnesium deficiency to be a major contributor to anxiety and panic attacks.

Why use supplements

Soil degradation has dramatically decreased the nutrient-density of our food. Magnesium is predominantly found in leafy greens, nuts, avocados, and chocolate. Even if you’re eating plenty of spinach and pumpkin seeds, you’d still likely be low in magnesium. This was the case for me. On routine blood tests, my magnesium was always low despite eating leafy greens daily.

Another thing that impacts your magnesium levels is your body’s demand for it. Stress, drinking coffee, and pregnancy deplete magnesium. As you might have guessed, this means women are much more prone to magnesium deficiency.

As a final hit, research shows that only 30% to 40%  of the dietary magnesium we consume is actually absorbed in the body. So, even if you track your magnesium intake, you are only absorbing about half of that.

Magnesium supplementation is incredibly important because your body can’t make it or store it. But, this is where things get confusing. Most people start looking for a quality magnesium supplement only to find there are many different types of magnesium. If you’re wondering about the benefits of each type of magnesium and which one is right for you—you’re in the right place!

Quality matters when it comes to the different types of magnesium supplements. It’s important to choose a magnesium supplement that supplies your body with sufficient magnesium in an easily absorbable form.

Studies show certain types of magnesium, including magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate, are less bioavailable, which means they are poorly absorbed by the body. The best way to make sure you are supplementing with magnesium that is bioavailable is to take a chelated magnesium supplement.

Magnesium is a highly reactive mineral. When elemental magnesium is chelated, it is bound to a carrier by two or more points of attachment. This makes it more stable and better absorbed by the body. Different types of magnesium can be chelated or not.

8 Types of Magnesium & Their Benefits

Magnesium Citrate: For Digestion - Magnesium citrate is one of the most researched types of magnesium. It’s typically recommended to for stress relief and digestion support. It is bound to citric acid, which makes it highly absorbable. As a word of caution, this one does have a laxative effect when taken in high doses. Start with a smaller dose, and then adjust as needed. If it’s too much for you, taper it back down.

Magnesium Glycinate: For Mood and Sleep. - Magnesium glycinate is bound to the amino acid glycine. It’s often used to help with insomnia and stress relief. Daily magnesium glycinate intake has been show to provide "rapid recovery for mood disorders” like depression. Also, it rarely has any sort of laxative effect.

Magnesium L-threonate: For Cognitive Function - Magnesium L-threonate is highly bioavailable and one of the only types of magnesium that can pass the blood brain barrier. Preliminary research suggests regular supplementation with magnesium L-threonate can improve overall cognitive function, memory and prevent dementia.

Magnesium Malate: For Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain - Magnesium malate is formed by combining magnesium with malic acid. Supplementation with magnesium malate can improve muscle tenderness and pain associated with fibromyalgia. Research also suggests magnesium malate is more bioavailable than other magnesium compounds.

Magnesium Taurate: For Heart Health - Magnesium taurate is bound to the amino acid taurine, which is known for its ability to lower blood pressure and protect heart muscle cells. Because magnesium is also know for its heart-protective properties, research suggests magnesium taurate may have considerable potential as a vascular-protective nutritional supplement. Also, it may be used to treat acute heart attacks and pre-eclampsia.

Unfortunately, there has been little to no research on the bioavailability of magnesium taurate or its effectiveness in improving heart health. Because of this, I recommend sticking with a magnesium combo supplement that contains magnesium taurate or choosing other bioavailable types of magnesium.

Magnesium chloride: For Stress & To Relax Muscles - Because magnesium can be absorbed transdermally (through your skin), topical application is a great option. Try using magnesium chloride bath flakes for stress relief, muscle recovery, and joint pain. You can also try magnesium oil products.

Magnesium sulfate: For Muscle Soreness - Have you ever taken an epsom salt bath? That’s actually magnesium sulfate. This is another type of magnesium that is great for joint pain, relaxation, and muscle soreness. For athletes, this is an especially excellent source of magnesium.

Magnesium Oxide: For Constipation - Magnesium oxide has much lower levels of bioavailability when compared to other types of magnesium. In general, it’s a terrible option if you’re looking to raise magnesium levels in the body. So, what’s it good for? Treating constipation. Magnesium oxide is the active ingredient in milk of magnesia, which has a laxative effective.

While eight may seem like a lot, there are actually other forms of magnesium on the market, including magnesium orotate and magnesium aspartate. If you don’t see it in the list above, it’s because there is little to no scientific research on bioavailability or safety. Stick with the list above, and you’ll find a magnesium supplement that works for you.

Belly Fat . . . 5 Ways to Reduce It!

Excess belly fat is a major concern for a lot of women  . . . myself included! As we age, belly fat can be harder and harder to shed as our core constitution changes. Decreasing metabolisms and fluctuating hormones definitely don’t help, but there are some practical changes we can make to our lifestyles that will help us get on top of our increasing belly size.

Before we dive in, stop beating yourself up!  A little belly fat is completely normal.  I’m so excited to share 5 factors that contribute to excess belly fat and what you can do to counteract the effects. These factors are exercise, insulin, stress, protein and menopause.

Exercising Properly

A big mistake I was making when trying to lose belly fat was exercising in the wrong way. It can be extremely frustrating when you are training hard and not seeing any results. I remember telling a classmate at the gym that it didn’t matter what I did, my marshmallow belly was here to stay.  The logical leap I made was that by exercising hard and repetitively, I would see some drastic changes. I learned quickly this was not the case.

We can’t spot reduce fat; in that we can’t specifically target one area of our body for weight loss. The solution to this is to vary our exercise routines to include a combination of cardio to boost our metabolism and increase heart rate and strength training to build muscle.

One more important area to focus on is the core.  Regardless of whether we can see it or not, it’s also vital to develop a strong core. The layer of fat that sits over our abdominal wall is held in place by our core, so a weaker core will make our stomachs droop lower than they need to be, making our bellies look bigger.  A stronger core will also help to relieve back pain, improve balance and stability and pretty much allows the body to function properly

Regulating Insulin

The second biggest mistake we can make that leads to increased belly fat is neglecting to regulate our insulin.

When we digest our food, our bodies turn that food into glucose. This glucose is then regulated with insulin (which we already have in our bodies) that helps turn the glucose into energy for our bodies use. The problems start when there is an excess of glucose that can’t be used by our bodies and is stored as fat instead for later use. I will give you an analogy that help put this into perspective.

Insulin is the “taxi,” glucose is the “passenger,” and your body’s cells are the “shops” the “passenger” wants to go to. The taxi (insulin) picks up the passenger (glucose) and drives it to the shop (cell), where it can then be used for energy immediately, or stocked on the shop shelves for later use.

The problem is that if you store too much of this extra energy and never burn it, you end up with larger and larger fat stores, sitting on the shelf for later use.

So, what’s the solution? Insulin reacts differently depending on the foods you choose to eat. Foods rich in refined carbohydrates and simple sugars, such as white bread, white rice, and sugary cereals, cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to an increase in belly fat storage. As a rule, it’s best to avoid, reduce or eliminate these types of food.

On the other hand, foods high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber slow the breakdown of sugar into the bloodstream, helping blood sugar levels remain fairly consistent during the day and preventing spikes in insulin.

Minimizing Stress

I know that I have talked about this before, but stress is the number one “dot” that gets connected to most illnesses and is the prime contributor to belly fat. Eliminating stress from your life will help you feel better in so many ways and one of them is to reduce belly fat.

Our bodies natural stress response is to kick adrenaline production into high gear to help us navigate tricky situations. Adrenaline causes fatty acids to be rapidly released, which was helpful when we were hunter/gatherers and we really had to hightail it out of a situation. Today’s stressors, however, require a little less physical exertion. Work, encroaching deadlines, relationships, quarantine! While stressful, these examples don’t really allow us to burn that new energy off, and as we know, energy not used is stored for later use as fat. It’s a vicious cycle.

To compound these effects, our adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol to help collect and store the unused fatty acids.

Sadly, cortisol loves your belly, so it tends to deposit fat there.

This is where exercise comes in. Exercise it the best way to de-stress along with meditation and creativity to reduce your cortisol levels.

Increase Protein Intake

Getting enough of the right types of food each day will help lead to a decreased intake of calories. Making sure protein rich foods are chief among those will help you to feel full and satisfied for longer. This is supported by several studies which observed those who included protein in their diets and those who skimped. The results overwhelmingly pointed to the fact that high protein diets yielded less excess fat purely by virtue.

My goal is to consume 30 g of protein 3 times a day. Here is an example: I use nuts, seeds, grass-fed beef, organic chicken, wild-caught fish, pastured raised eggs and collagen powder (you can add chicken, beef, fish). I eliminate white bread, rice, sugar, cookies, and cakes. In their place, I supplement with increased good fats and oils such as coconut and avocado.  Coconut butter and also ghee are healthier fats that enhance food flavors.

Menopause . . . aka Second Puberty

Just like during puberty, menopause causes massive fluctuations and imbalances with our hormones and storing fat is one of the side effects.  Unlike puberty where our hormones are signaling fat to be stored in our hips, menopausal hormones send the fat right to our abdomen.  Thank you, Mother Nature . . . not! 

This is a topic that needs its own blog post, but to help you regulate menopause symptoms, everything I have outlined above will make a huge difference. Exercise, eating right and de-stressing will help you start to see improvement.

And for those of you that are with me in the post-menopause category, the same steps will help you too!

Lifestyle is Key!

 There is a no quick and easy fix for belly fat reduction without going under the knife. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you are trying everything you can to no avail. If we can make some simple, though effective, adjustments to our lifestyle, we will be able to keep our belly size in check. I really hope this has helped improve your understanding of how and why we gain belly fat and how you can make some positive changes.

Boundaries . . . do you have them?

I went to a baby shower on shortly before the pandemic hit that was awesome. First, it was just fun to be with friends to celebrate the up-coming birth of our friend’s new son. Second, the theme was Bob’s Burgers and it was so much fun!

There is something about baby showers that has changed over the years and in my opinion, it’s for the good. There have always been bridal registries but now there are baby shower registries! How great is that! No more guessing what the parents need . . . they put it out there for everyone to know. Many of you know that I’m a big Brene Brown fan. She says that to be clear is to be kind; to be unclear is to be unkind. This is where boundaries come in.

Regarding boundaries . . . do you have any? Why are they important?

The quick summary for boundaries is they dictate how we approach relationships with family, friends and acquaintances. Our boundaries help us live in-tune with our desires, needs and feelings. They make it so when we say “yes”, we mean “yes” and when we don’t mean “yes,” we say ‘no.’

Doesn’t that seem like an easy concept? Do you know how hard it is!

The first step in understanding your boundaries, or your need for boundaries, is to learn about yourself. Are your needs bring met? Or do you push your needs to the back shelf and put everyone else first? It obviously isn’t a bad thing to think about others, but when you do it to the extent that you don’t care for yourself, it’s not good.

We are going to do a little “Know your Boundaries” evaluation. There are three types of boundaries: healthy, ridged and porous. Here are the descriptions for each one:

Healthy: You have healthy boundaries if you: (1) value your own opinion, (2) don’t compromise your values for other people, (3) appropriately share personal information, (4) are accepting of others when they say no to you.

Rigid: You have rigid boundaries if you: (1) avoid intimacy and close relationships, (2) usually don’t ask for help, (3) have few close relationships, (4) may seem detached, (5) distance yourself to avoid rejection.

Porous: You have porous boundaries if you: (1) over-share personal information, (2) have difficulty saying no to the requests of others, (3) get overinvolved with other’s problems, (4) tolerate abuse or disrespect.

It’s not uncommon to be a mixture, which is needed at times, but you can usually see which one is predominately you. For me, it’s porous . . .the two that really resonate are ‘have difficulty saying no to requests of others’ and ‘getting over involved with other’s problems.’

I look at this as being a ‘People Pleaser’ and the problem with being this way is then I get upset with myself for not taking care of me first and then I will sometimes get resentful at the commitment that I let myself get into. It’s a lose / lose situation.

Put plainly, boundaries are the line between where I end and you begin. Healthy boundaries define who we are in relation to others. They also help us to know what the extents and limits are with others. Personal boundaries are how we teach people who we are and how we would like to be handled in relationships. Good personal boundaries protect you.

Keep in mind that appropriateness of boundaries is also dictated by the setting. What is appropriate with friends isn’t necessarily appropriate at work. Culture differences also play a part.

How do we establish healthy boundaries?

1 – Trust and believe in yourself. You are the ultimate authority on you! You know what you want, need and value. Healthy boundaries allow you to take better care of yourself emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

2 – Accepting that your needs and feelings are as important as other people’s needs and feelings. That can be hard when your religious values have taught you to always put others first. I’m not saying that you stop caring about others, but if you give, give and give some more, pretty soon you are worn out. At that point you can do nothing for yourself or for others.

3 – Learn to say ‘no.’ This one can be sooooo hard! But a certain amount of selfishness is necessary for healthy personal boundaries.

4 – You have the right to personal boundaries. This is how you take responsibility for how others treat you. Boundaries are filters that permit what is acceptable in life and what is not acceptable.

Clearly established boundaries truly help us care for ourselves. One of my favorite benefits of having personal boundaries is they help us to become less concerned about how we are viewed and more satisfied with the perception we have of ourselves.

Are you ready for a little homework? We are going to practice honoring our “Yes’s” and our “No’s.”

1 – Think about your top 5 priorities in life . . . you may want to write them down.

2 – Next look at your calendar for the next 7 days. What activities or commitments do you have that support your top 5 priorities?

3 – Next look at what activities or commitments that do not support your top 5 priorities.

4 – Choose and select at least ONE activity or commitment that doesn’t support your top 5 priorities and cancel it within the next 24 hours.

Be BRAVE . . . you can do this! Your future self will thank your current self for setting clear boundaries!

Fabulous YOU!

I want you to picture in your mind the kind of day when a carton of milk is dropped on the floor, you are late for a meeting due to traffic and the dog gets loose and doesn’t come home for hours. Not your favorite day ever, right? In situations like this, it’s easy to look at the circumstances and see that they are just out of your control. It’s not your fault.

Now let’s look at a day when you go to a class, but you just don‘t comprehend the lecture. Or how about the day when you have a great new idea to share, but someone finds a flaw in the plan and shuts it down. How about when you have been really great about not eating excessive sugar and then your very favorite dessert on the planet is place before you and your get second and third helpings. Who do you blame now? Unfortunately, you blame you. Worse yet are the things you call yourself: looser, stupid, incapable, weak.

That’s the real flaw . . . The blame game! We are all human and we have our human days. The best part is that we also have our super-human days! Do we remember to celebrate those? Just as importantly, do we cut ourselves some slack when its just a regular human day? All of this comes down to your perspective . . . Which pair of ‘perspectacles‘ are you choosing to wear?

Negative impressions can take up to 60 to 80 percent of our thoughts about ourselves. Why is this such a bad thing? Those voices inside our head are what we come to believe! We start to make those negative thoughts a reality.

Law #3 in John C. Maxwell’s book “The 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth” is ‘The Law of the Mirror.’ He states the “you must see value in yourself to add value to yourself. There are few things that impact a person more than the way they talk to themselves on a day to day basis.”

So how are you living this law? Track you self thoughts for a week as see which way the scale tips. If its in the negative direction, try this exercise. Find a picture of yourself from when you were 5 years old or younger. Place it somewhere that you will see it often. When that negative thought train starts running through your mind, look at that beautiful child. Would you use the label “looser” or “ugly.” Nope! You wouldn’t. That child is still in there, but in the grown up model. And he or she deserves the same respect and LOVE as when you were younger.

Why did I title this “Let’s Talk About Fabulous You”? Because that is who you are! You are the only YOU that was ever created and you are a gift to this life. Celebrate your wins all along the way. Its easy to celebrate the big ones, but don’t leave out the cheers for the small ones too! In all of your humanness, YOU are Fabulous!!