Did you know that what we put in our mouths is directly linked to our health and our mood? "Food becomes our blood, our thoughts, our feelings, our inspiration." (Joshua Rosenthal, Founder and Director, Integrative Nutrition) A basic daily need, food can lift our spirits or literally weigh us down. Cooking and eating healthful, nurturing whole food is not only important, it's spiritual...a source of great energy, glowing skin, healthy immunity and happiness.

On the other hand, some foods can trigger a range of symptoms due to food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances. These can include:

• joint pain,
• muscle aches,
• congestion,
• hormonal imbalances,
• nasty cravings,
• moodiness,
• dreaded weight gain,
• constipation,
• bloating,
• gas, and
• diarrhea to name a few.

Do you experience any of these? These symptoms are our bodies' way of telling us which foods heal and which hurt. And we're each unique; one person's health food can be another person's poison. Even our symptoms can show up uniquely. Gluten sensitivity can cause joint pain in one person and diarrhea in another. With our bio-individuality, it is up to each of us to pay attention to the food-body connection. Listen. Your body is talking. 

​Over the long term, these food sensitivities can lead to illness. Studies show that cancer, heart disease, Diabetes, even Alzheimer's are directly linked to inflammation and hormonal imbalances caused, in part, by some of the foods we eat. The good news: The body is very capable of healing itself when provided with the right foods. If you have symptoms, a two-week food elimination detox is an enlightening and empowering exercise. Click here to discuss a detox specifically designed for you. 

If you already eat wisely, good for you! To raise awareness of your food-body connection:

• Add in veggies to each meal and begin to crowd out unhealthy choices.
• Eat food as close to the way it is found in nature as possible. 
• Read labels to become aware of unwanted chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, dyes and sugar.
• Eliminate processed, artificial junk foods.
• Choose grass-fed pastured animal products to avoid hormones, antibiotics, and GMO-feed and, of course, animal cruelty and damage to our planet.
• Choose only healthful fats including olive oil, virgin coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee, avocados, nuts and seeds. 

This month's Tweak of the Week recipe, below, is a ridiculously delicious, easy, and healthful twist on a classic veggie sauté. Use it with any vegetables in season to help you bring on the veggies and take a simple step toward detoxing the junk. ​

ABOUT ME
I received my training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I learned about more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help you create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits your unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.

Learn more about my training and my unique approach to health coaching.

About ten years ago, I eliminated gluten from my diet when I figured out it was  causing joint and muscle pain, dry eyes, brain fog and two diagnoses: lupus and arthritis. What an epiphany! Not only did I feel amazing again – pain-free and filled with renewed energy – but I was stunned by the remarkable reversal of both diseases and diagnoses. Since I had to read labels, I began to notice how much junk is in our packaged foods. The amount of chemicals, sugar, bad fats, dyes and GMO ingredients is astounding, and these are all culprits of inflammation – the root cause of all disease. I had no idea that by choosing convenient packaged options, I'd been feeding my family such harmful foods. It was time to clean up my dietary act by cooking from scratch, choosing organic, limiting sugar, dairy and refined flours and avoiding junky snacks: Goodbye Bagel Bites, Snackwells and Yoplait. My boys' digestive issues began to clear up and my husband Rob lost 50 pounds. Amazingly, as we decrease our consumption of processed foods and sugar, our taste buds change and real food begins to taste better and better.

After much practice and many humbling cooking mistakes, I now happily create healthful, yummy alternatives to many less body-friendly favorites. Do you equate "gluten free" with the taste of cardboard or the feeling of deprivation? Think again. Gluten free can be fabulous. Today I'm serving up two dishes you wouldn't think of as good for you – crispy chicken nuggets and french fries!  See how a few tweaks makes eating without gluten part of an uber-healthful, anti-inflammatory diet.

Just beware of many gluten free packaged foods which can be filled with as much junk as any other processed foods. And if you want to learn how to go gluten free, check out my book Gutsy here.

Sweet potatoes help satisfy a sweet tooth as we wean ourselves off of sugar. They also offer more nutrition than white potatoes: more fiber, vitamins A and C, and minerals potassium, calcium and manganese. Even better, my new favorite discovery, purple sweet potatoes, are a powerhouse of nutrients with more antioxidants than orange ones according to the Cleveland Clinic. Like blueberries, dark purple and red plant foods are disease-fighting champions.

Since plant foods are so vital to our good health, I recommend serving an abundance of colorful vegetables at every meal. Beyond their nutrients, they are alkalizing, blood sugar-stabilizing, and they reduce scary inflammation. I recommend cooking at least two veggies with this meal below – some cooked, some raw: maybe sautéed broccoli or spinach with lemon and a salad of romaine lettuce or arugula. Choose organic produce and chicken to avoid added pesticides and hormones. Enjoy this month's healthy take on fast food. 

Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets
Serves 4

4 organic boneless chicken breast halves, about 2 lbs (Ask the butcher to fillet each breast half so that you end up with eight thinner breast halves.)
2 eggs
1/4 c olive oil
4 c organic brown rice crisp cereal
1/4 c chia seeds
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c dried minced onion flakes
2 T dried thyme
2 T dried oregano
1 T paprika
1 T turmeric
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t red pepper flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 400º. Pour olive oil onto sheet pan and spread to cover pan. n a medium bowl, lightly scramble the egg and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients. Mix well with hands to combine. Slice the chicken into 1" x 2" strips. Place the chicken pieces into egg. You can do this in several groups. Stir to coat each piece with the egg. Lift chicken out and let it drain a bit back into bowl. Place egg-coated chicken pieces into dry ingredient bowl. Mix well to coat chicken. Pour chicken pieces onto sheet pan. Separate pieces so that they are in a single layer. Place pan in oven. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning all pieces over gently with spatula after 10 minutes. 

Purple Baked Fries
Serves 4

3 purple sweet potatoes
1/4 c olive oil
1 t Himalayan salt

Preheat oven to 400º. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and widthwise. Place flat side down and cut into 1/4" strips. Turn wider strips on their sides and slice again into 1/4" slices. Pour  olive oil onto sheet pan. Place all potato slices onto pan. Sprinkle with salt. Use hands to toss potatoes and salt until they are coated with oil and well tossed. Spread out to a single layer on pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until browned at edges, using spatula to flip potatoes halfway. ​