Brandywine Area Nutrition

Nutrition Counseling for food sensitivities

dietitian

How To Eat Healthy, Clean Meals When You Are Cooking Challenged

Are you cooking challenged? Do you want to make healthy, clean meals but you hate to cook, have no time to cook, or you’re just not a good cook?

Healthy clean meals if you hate to cookGood news! You are not doomed to be unhealthy. It is possible to prepare healthy, clean meals that you won’t have to cook.

Here’s how:

“No Cook” Meals

What better choice for the cooking challenged person than not to cook at all! You can put together fresh healthy, clean meals without cooking a thing. A few tasty options include:

  • Bowls: Healthy bowl recipes are not only popular, moreover, they are delicious. Bowl meals are versatile.
  • Soup: Chilled soup is super easy to prepare because it is made right in your blender. In other words, no cooking required.
  • Smoothies: Smoothies seem super healthy. But a smoothie may not be all that nutritious. Be sure to use clean ingredients and don’t add unwanted calories.
  • Wraps: Almost anything can be rolled up into a wrap  and if you are looking for a low-carb wrap option, lettuce or other greens can be used.

Fresh & Fully Cooked Meal Delivery Services

We can get pretty much anything delivered to our front doors these days. Fully prepared meals, for example. The following services deliver healthy, clean gourmet meals. 

Take a look:

The meals can be customized to your dietary needs. They are comparably priced to eating at a restaurant.

“Dump” Dinners

Dump dinner recipe ingredients are prepped ahead and placed in the freezer until you are ready to use them. They do require a tiny bit of cooking.

However, three easy steps make it possible to prepare 3 or more dump dinners in an hour:

  • Assemble the raw ingredients
  • Wrap the ingredients tightly
  • Freeze

You will need:

  • Heavy duty freezer Ziploc bags
  • A marker
  • Recipes
  • All recipe ingredients
  • Space in your freezer

Dump dinners are perfect for anyone who is cooking challenged. When you are ready to use the dinner, just “dump” the ingredients from the freezer into the crockpot or a baking pan.

Many of us are cooking challenged. But with healthy, clean ingredients & some time to prep ahead, you can still put together healthy, clean meals without cooking.

If you are cooking challenged here is your solution: 

Grab the FREE blueprint for building as many healthy, tasty bowls as you like & the blueprint for the perfect smoothie! 

Identify Your Food Triggers Quickly With Food Sensitivity Testing

Stop Struggling To Find Which Foods Are Making You Sick

discover food sensitivities with mediator release testingWhen clients are wondering if foods are actually making them sick, my advice is always, Test, Don’t Guess.

Food sensitivity testing, specifically the Mediator Release Test (MRT), is a tool I use to identify my nutrition clients’ food triggers that could otherwise be very difficult to determine.

Many people wonder if food sensitivity testing can really help them and will they know what to eat to begin to feel better.                                                                                                                                                                  

My answer is always: YES

The only way you can begin to heal is by avoiding the foods that are causing your symptoms. The quickest, easiest way to do that is to take a food sensitivity test so you know which foods to avoid and more importantly, which foods to eat.

So often my clients go to their doctor with symptoms such as, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, joint pain, or headaches. They miss days at work, or just suffer through each day. The doc prescribes medication on top of medication but never suggests that diet might be the culprit. They may have even been told it’s “all in your head.”

If this is how you are feeling and  what has happened with you, I encourage you to try food sensitivity testing as a way to discover your triggers.

Here are 3 Benefits to have food sensitivity testing:

  • Takes out the guesswork and time it would take to discover your trigger foods
  • Test for 170 foods and food chemicals at one time – elimination guessing games could only be done with a handful of foods at one time
  • Can identify more difficult triggers, such as, food chemicals and some foods that can have a delayed effect of up to 3 days

If you have been struggling to find the foods that are making you sick, food sensitivity testing can help.

Dietitians like me who specialize working with clients with food sensitivities, treat clients who have chronic inflammatory symptoms. Most of them have tried treatments and medications that have not worked. This is why many dietitians like me use the MRT as step 1.

Step 2 is putting together an eating plan based on the test results and clients’ food preferences.  The Lifestyle Eating And Performance (LEAP) program helps us do this.

Does it work? Yes.

What I find happens is that  once clients have results in front of them and FINALLY know exactly what to eat and what to avoid, their years of suffering turn into a bright, happy, healthy future free of the symptoms that once seemed an inescapable part of life.

If you think this might be the solution you are seeking, please reach out to me, I can help. We will start with a phone consult together to gather information and set you up to go for testing.

Schedule Phone Consult

If you would like more information about food sensitivity testing, download my FREE Report: Conquer Food Sensitivities and Heal

A Heart Healthy Lifestyle: 5 Easy Steps

February is Heart Health Monthtake these steps to a heart healthy lifestyle

Today I would like to share easy steps you can take that will put you on the path to a heart healthy lifestyle.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. This is a good time to focus on heart health and what you can do to maintain a healthy heart.

Diet for a healthy heart

Choose food options that are low in saturated fat and sodium. Avoid sugary drinks and snacks. Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. The nutrients, such as, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients, found naturally in whole foods, help maintain healthy blood vessels and protect against high blood pressure. This will protect you against heart disease. The best way I know to get the needed nutrients for a heart healthy lifestyle is a clean eating plan. Read more about a clean eating plan  and why you should start one today.

Make exercise part of your heart healthy lifestyle

Plan for just 30 minutes per day. If you are short on time, any exercise is better than no exercise at all for a healthy heart. If you are bored with routine exercise, try dancing, playing games or a sport in the yard, or just take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Family history

Learn your family’s medical history to see if you are prone to heart disease. This will give you a heads up not only for yourself but also for your children.

Stress

Be aware of being stressed and have a plan to deal with it. Some stress management techniques are: yoga, meditation, and don’t forget, laughing. These techniques also help you sleep better.

Preventative measures

Be sure to get wellness exams. Maintain a healthy weight and don’t smoke.

Small heart healthy lifestyle changes can make all the difference in preventing heart disease.

Get my Tips & Tricks on How To Succeed on a Clean Eating Plan

 

 

Eat Clean and Healthy at Your Summer Barbeque

Summer Barbeque time is here!

If you are trying to eat clean and healthy, a summer barbeque may seem like a challenge. With a few easy strategies, you can eat clean and healthy all summer long.

 

Strategy #1

Choose quality meat. Whether you are cooking steak, burgers, chicken, or pork, buy the best that you can.

I recommend grass-fed beef, free-range, organic chicken, and pastured pork. They are higher in nutrients and free of antibiotics. Simply put, they are healthier for you to eat.

Strategy #2

Use spice rather than sugar. To add great flavor to your meat, hold the sugary sauces such as BBQ sauce, and use spice rubs instead. Spices are loaded with flavor and good nutrition. They have great taste without the additives and excessive sugar in bottled sauces.

Strategy #3

Use high quality oils. Choose the best healthy oils such as avocado oil and coconut oil for cooking and real extra virgin olive oil for dressings and drizzling on grilled vegetables after cooking.

Strategy #4

Choose dessert wisely. For many of us dessert is the best part of the summer BBQ. A sweet taste at the end of a meal is truly a treat but it doesn’t have to be “junk.” Try this: brush a small amount of coconut oil on half a fresh peach, sprinkle with cinnamon and grill until tender. Drizzle with a bit of honey before serving. Other fruits that grill nicely are: pineapple, figs, and plums.

Summer barbeques mean good company, good times, and clean, healthy eats!

See more clean, healthy barbeque recipes here

Are you ready to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle?

If you like the idea of clean eating but you’re just not sure how to start…why not try Brandywine Nutrition’s FREE 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge

Click Here to learn more and simply download the challenge, the menu, and the game plan!

 

3 of the Best Healthy Oils for Clean Eating

The best, healthy oils come from plants. Although not all of these oils are created equally, certain oils have amazing health benefits. In fact, consumption of healthy oils is an important part of your clean eating lifestyle.

Here are 3 of the healthiest oils and what you should know about each one:

AVOCADO OIL

Benefits:

Rich in monounsaturated oleic acids and vitamin E, avocado oil raises levels of “good” cholesterol and lowers the “bad.”

It boosts immunity and acts as an anti-aging nutrient for your skin.

What to look for:

For the highest quality avocado oil, opt for

  • Organic
  • Extra virgin
  • Cold pressed (This means that minimal heating was used when processing the oil. This helps to preserve the nutrient density of the oil)
  • Unrefined

How to use it:

Avocado oil is excellent for cooking – grilling or frying – due to it’s high smoke point. It is also a mild, tasty choice to drizzle on veggies or salads.

OLIVE OIL

Benefits:

Studies have found that olive oil is great for heart health due to it’s high levels of monounsaturated fats.

It is also high in antioxidants which protect your cells from damage. Olive oil also helps improve memory and cognitive function and works as an anti-inflammatory.

What to look for:

  • Organic
  • Real extra virgin (or you will be consuming heavily processed and refined olive oil that is void of the beneficial properties)
  • Cold pressed

How to use it:

Olive oil is not recommended for cooking at high temperatures due to its low smoke point. It is best used for making salad dressings or drizzling over cooked foods or dipping bread.

Tips for recognizing real extra virgin olive oil:

Look for a seal from the International Olive Oil Council.

Opt for dark bottles – they protect the olive oil from oxidation.

If it is labeled “light,” “pure” or a “blend,” it is not virgin quality.

COCONUT OIL

Benefits:

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids which are stored by the body as energy, not fat! These fatty acids also improve brain and memory function. The antioxidants found in coconut oil make it an effective anti-inflammatory food that can help reduce inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis.

What to look for:

  • Organic
  • Extra virgin
  • Cold pressed
  • Unrefined

How to use it;

Coconut oil is one of the best oils to use for cooking or baking due to its high heat threshold. It can also be added to smoothies and even used as an eye makeup remover.

 

Remember that portions are important. Just because these oils are healthy, doesn’t mean you should drown your food in them.

Let me know which healthy oil is your favorite.

 

 

Are you unhappy with your eating habits? A clean eating lifestyle really will create positive changes in your life. 

Why not give it a try with my FREE 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge?

Sign up here to receive the challenge instantly.