10 Tips To Keep Your Nutrition On track This Christmas Season

10 Tips To Keep Your Nutrition On track This Christmas Season

Sarah Shoemaker
Tips and Tricks, A Good Life

to look a lot like Christmas!! I love Christmas time, and I know, due to Covid that Christmas is going to be different. But, I am not going let that stop me from celebrating, safely of course and only those in my bubble! So for all those people who will also participating in holiday eating and drinking here are a few tips to keep in mind, so not to over do it!

Tips to stay on track:

  1. Relax and enjoy but don’t overdo anything! Plan to fail, there will be a few more drinks consumed and more cookies eaten in the next few weeks, don’t think you can white knuckle your way through the holidays without indulging, that’s what Christmas is for. But, plan ahead and prepare accordingly.

  2. Prioritize what day/meal/parts of the meal are most important to you and indulge in a small portion. Indulge yes, eat with abandon no.

  3. Limit your alcoholic beverages and offset 1 big glass of water to every alcoholic beverage if alcohol is important to you. If it’s not then forgo it all together because alcohol is really not that great for us, see my previous blog.

  4. Try to keep your whole routine as close to normal as possible, drink your water, do your workouts, prioritize sleep, and continue with your supplements etc

  5. Bring something healthy to the party so you know what is in it and you can trust it’s good for you

Farro the Ancient Grain everyone should be eating

Farro the Ancient Grain everyone should be eating

Sarah Shoemaker
Recipes, Digestion, Nutrition, Yum

I want to introduce you to an ancient grain that has been around for thousands of years but you don’t seem to hear much about. Farro. This wheat grain originates from Mesopotamia and it refers to not just one type of grain but 3, Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt, the names are interchangeable and can be used in different countries or regions.

All Farro is wheat so it does contain some gluten and may not be suitable for those how are sensitive or have an allergy to wheat or gluten. However, soaking it overnight and sprouting it can make it easier for digestion.

Before Farro is cooked it looks like a wheat berries and after it looks like barely. The texture is chewy and the flavour is nutty. Farro works well in both savoury dishes like soups, stews, salads as well as porridge.

My Foolproof Way to Roast Broccoli

My Foolproof Way to Roast Broccoli

Sarah Shoemaker
Nutrition, Recipes, Tips and Tricks, Vegetarian, Yum

Fool Proof Delicious Broccoli:

  • Clean, trim and chop your broccoli

  • Drizzle a small amount of good quality unfiltered, cold pressed, organic (if possible) olive oil over broccoli and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and any other seasoning you want, toss all together.

  • Spread over a baking sheet ensuring your pan isn’t over crowded

  • Place in a COLD oven set at 425F

  • When your oven reaches temperature check and leave the pan in for about 5 more minutes depending on how well done your preference is.

  • Enjoy with a whole grain, pasta, salad or whatever you have.

Plastic In Our Tea Cups

Plastic In Our Tea Cups

Sarah Shoemaker
Education, Mis-information, A Good Life

I came across this article on line and was quite horrified, my English Gramma is rolling in her grave, “What is the world coming to?”

I made a commitment last year to switch to loose tea from the convenience of the tea bag, because the waste seemed unnecessary. I had no idea there is plastic in tea bags.

The BBC has a video testing a few of the most popular teas in England for plastics. The scientists soak the various tea bags in a solution of cooper ammonia for 5 days to allow for everything to dissolve except plastic!

Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget

Sarah Shoemaker

My deepest gratitude for all the men and women who have sacrificed for our country and those who continue to do so. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Winter Can Be Hard For Some People

Winter Can Be Hard For Some People

Sarah Shoemaker
Mental Health, Nutrition, A Good Life

We are well into winter now and the clocks have fallen back which means we are in the dark a lot, and that can be hard for some people. I want to touch on a few tips to help keep the winter sadness to a minimum, yes there are things you can do on a daily basis to help not feel so bad during the dark months of winter.

I want to focus on just 2 neurotransmitters: Serotonin and Dopamine, both make us feel good but there are a few differences.

Dopamine:

  • Is triggered by short term pleasure ie) on-line shopping, dating apps, eating sugar

Serotonin:

  • Is triggered by acts of long term satisfaction ie) maintaining a regular exercise program, self care practices, healthy relationships

Dopamine:

  • Touches 5 brain receptors

Serotonin:

  • Touches 14 brain receptors

Dopamine:

  • Can be addictive and can leave you wanting more

Serotonin:

  • Non addictive and can make you feel happy and content with what you have

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