Great Health Starts Now

Stress.. you will hear me talk about this a lot. Why? Because it is one of the biggest detriments to our health. Let me make this perfectly clear... Stress can be Toxic. Emotional stress, Financial stress, environmental stress, health stress... Contrary to short term stress such as short burst of physical exertion, or running from a bear. Then it is really good, especially the part about the bear. The problem with perpetual stress is that is alters our immune system ...and causes changes to our moods, ability to self regulate and ability to replenish. So even if your are sleeping 8 hours a night you may not feel rested, and thus begins a vicious cycle. Low/poor sleep = increased stress, in turn increased stress = low /poor sleep. And stress often comes with his buddies, food cravings, impatience and brain fog. Do what you can today and everyday to reduce toxic stress.

Our bodies become toxic in many ways, here are 8 of the most common. - Stress - Poor Diet - Not drinking enough water... - Constipation - Not moving - Not sleeping - Antibiotics - Alcohol Over the next 8 days we will dive into a bit more detail on why these are toxic. Make sure to join The Modern Menopause Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheModernMenopauseSupportGroup/

What are macro nutrients (aka, macro’s). Macronutrients are the nutrients we need in larger quantities that provide us with energy: in other words, fat, protein and carbohydrate. Fat. Strange as it may seem; fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthier, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat. ... Proteins. Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. They also function in the creation of hormones. Animal and vegetable are the two major types of proteins. Too much animal protein can cause high cholesterol, as it is high in saturated fat. And too much of any protein can be stored as fat. Carbohydrates. They are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates - simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates. Regardless of any diet protocol you follow, macronutrients are essential to our health. There are many eating plans that give suggested percentages of how much of each to eat. Keep in mind there is no ONE correct way of eating for everyone.

So true! I love this quote. It sums up why nutrient dense food is so important.

Focus on Adding vs. Taking away. It doesn't matter what the goal is; to be healthier, reduce sugar, lose weight, etc. If you focus on adding it helps re-frame your actions to positive rather than feeling deprived. The end result is that you fill up on more nutrient dense foods and end up eating less of the not so optimal foods.... Tip: Have at least one green salad every day. Eating a salad (with low-fat or fat-free dressing) is filling and may help you eat less during the meal. It also counts toward your five daily cups of vegetables and fruits.