Tired of Salads? Read This Month's Newsletter!

/ Thrive and Balance, LLC/

If you're craving healthy foods as you've spent the last few months eating heavier meals between the holidays, the winter cooking, and the Superbowl, but you're tired of salads, take a moment to read this month's newsletter!

You can link to the newsletter here: NEWSLETTER

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Cut the Soda

/ Thrive and Balance, LLC/

If you drink one can of soda every week day for one year:

140 calories per can x 260 week days

=36,400 calories per year

3,500 extra calories = 1 pound of body weight

You do the math!*

 

 

*but if you don't want to, that's 10 pounds per year!

 

What is Health Coaching??

/ Thrive and Balance, LLC/

As a health coach, I work in a supportive, action-oriented, motivation, and ongoing manner.

While the role of a physician to a patient tends to be authoritative, the role of a health coach is to be supportive to a client.

Health coaches can help clients build healthier relationships with food, manage chronic conditions, assist with healing processes, and more.

Dr. Andrew Weil states:

"When athletes want a competitive edge, they hire a private coach to monitor their progress. When it comes to your health, using this mindset could also be beneficial. Health coaches are increasingly being used by corporations to help employees stay healthy and by individuals seeking to improve well-being. For some, these coaches offer assistance in managing dietary restraints (due to conditions such as celiac disease or diabetes), and for others, they might focus on teaching stress-reduction methods. In some ways, the health coach picks up where your physician left off, helping you implement wellness strategies suggested after a check-up or diagnosis." 

Take a look at ABC's content about Do YOU Need a Health Coach??

While studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, a holistic program, I learned over 100 different dietary theories. This demonstrated to me the importance of high-quality, nutrient-rich foods. Utilizing this knowledge, I work with clients and help them find which foods work for their diets and lifestyles to make their lives better and to nourish their bodies.

I also learned, which I had seen through my work in psychology and with prior clients, that the main nutrition people need is not just dietary nutrition. The primary foods of nutrition are spirituality, career, relationships, physical activity, and more. By using lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet, spiritual practice, and workspace changes, physical symptoms can be alleviated.

If a health coach is someone you think you should work with, give me a call at 203-957-3993 or email me at amanda@thriveandbalancellc.com and let's set up a free initial consultation!

A Simple Baked Egg

/ Thrive and Balance, LLC/

One of the easiest and most delicious healthy meals for one....

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A Simple Baked Egg for One

It can be tough to cook for one. It is even more difficult to cook healthily for one. And then add on top of that the fact that you want the meal to be healthy! Well... I'm here to change your mind! It isn't actually that hard!

Baked Egg for ME!!!

Egg, 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce (I used leftover homemade), 1/8 cup Goat Cheese, 1/8 cup mixed Shredded Cheese, Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a ramekin with nonstick cooking spray. Fill the ramekin halfway with tomato sauce. Crack the egg into the middle of the sauce and add sauce as needed to fill the ramekin. Top with the goat cheese and shredded cheese as well as the salt and pepper to taste. Cook 8-10 minutes or until desired doneness. The whites should be cooked but the yolks still soft and the cheese should be hardening and beginning to brown. Top with fresh herbs and serve with a side of greens.

Simple and delicious, this dish has less than 200 calories but lots of nutrition! Easy!

A Simple Smoothie

/ Thrive and Balance, LLC/

I am a breakfast person. I need sustenance in the morning so I don't get hangry, so I'm productive, and so I can just get started with the day.

Breakfast has so many benefits. Well - a healthy breakfast does. One that is high in lean protein, vitamins, and minerals. Breakfast helps with better performance, including concentration, strength, and endurance. Breakfast-easters have better short-term memory. Breakfast also helps improve one's mood by providing glucose to the brain.

The studies go back and forth about whether breakfast is crucial for weightloss or not. While the studies show that breakfast eaters tend to be more slender, this observation is a correlation and does not necessarily show a causation of breakfast causing weightless. 

Berry and Banana Smoothie

In a blender (I love my nutribullet), combine 1 banana, 1 cup assorted berries, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2c skim milk (or almond or coconut), 1/2c water, and 1 teaspoon maca powder. Blend until smooth. Here I topped with 1t ground flaxseed, 1t chia seeds, and 1t shredded coconut. (These can also be blended in).

Meringue - Soft and Sweet 🍓

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I have a tremendous sweet tooth.... Working in the wellness field, this is not always the best thing to admit. So, I find ways to satisfy that sweet tooth while not having too much sugar.

Last week, I was in a mood for sweets (ha... what else is new??), but didn't want to be too naughty.

I picked up a larger meringue, cracked and crumbly, and topped it with Icelandic yogurt (you have to try Siggi's Skyr... it is delicious!) and a cup of chopped strawberries. The Skyr has 2-3 times the protein than regular yogurt without excessive sugar and without artificial sugar. Siggi's uses milk without growth hormones. Just 1 cup of strawberries has 160% of the recommended daily dose of Vitamin C. It is heart-healthy and helps fight cancers. My version - a healthier type - of Eton Mess, has enough protein and vitamins to make a meal of it! Num num!