Jen is the Manager of Nutrition and Healthy Living Programs at SAS Institute in Cary, NC. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner. Outside of work, Jen enjoys hiking with her family, practicing yoga and spending quality time with her dogs.
Choosing whole foods is the simplest way to eat high-quality ingredients like dietary fats. But let’s be real, packaged and convenience foods are part of most modern lifestyles. When you grab an ultra-processed snack or pre-made meal, front-of-package claims can be misleading. Knowing what to look for on the nutrition facts
Dietary fats often get a bad rap, but they’re essential for every cell in your body. Gram-for-gram, fats contain a little more than twice the calories of protein and carbohydrates, which is why they’re often targeted when trying to cut calories.
In the last post, we explored fundamental nutritional habits to manage inflammation, insulin resistance, gut health and stress resilience which can all impact perimenopause symptoms. Now, let’s build on that foundation with advanced strategies to further tackle the effects of fluctuating and fading hormones.
Life is full of transitions, and just when you think you've mastered your routines — balancing work, family, social life and wellness — your hormones decide to shift gears. As the ovaries produce fewer eggs, estrogen and progesterone fluctuate unpredictably, setting off a cascade of changes that last an average
Our circadian rhythms, the natural cycles that govern our sleep-wake patterns, are crucial for overall health. Not only do we feel more energetic when we sleep and wake at the right times for our bodies, but living in alignment with our 24-hour cycles has a big impact on our metabolic
Circadian rhythms are natural internal biological processes that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and repeat roughly every 24 hours. These rhythms are influenced throughout the day by external cues like light and environmental temperature. Syncing our biological functions with the diurnal, day-to-night, fluctuations of the natural world around us plays a
Why Ferment at Home? Fermented foods have health-promoting properties, but the store prices or limited selection available to you may have you wondering if you’d be better off making your own. Don’t be intimated by complicated fermentation vessels or the fear of a science experiment gone wrong. I stalled for
I’m all for a good 2-for-1 deal, so if there’s a food I can use as a condiment to jazz up eggs, salads, beans, grain bowls, meat, fish and wraps while offering unique health-promoting properties, sign me up! Enter fermented foods — these functional foods that are created through controlled
Carbohydrates are important for energy, balancing our gut microbiome and regulating the flow of food and waste through our digestive tracts. And let’s be real, lots of high carbohydrate foods taste great!
Mixing vegetables into a meal you already love is one trick that helps non-veggie lovers increase their vegetable intake. Including sprouts is another non-intimidating way to sneak in more of the benefits of veggies. Why you ask? Research estimates that broccoli and cauliflower sprouts contain 10-100 times more cancer-fighting glucoraphanin
Over the last decade, more and more people have turned to intermittent fasting as a tool to improve metabolic flexibility, decrease the risk of chronic disease, optimize their longevity and simplify their lives. Fasting needs to be done in a way that works with one’s lifestyle, personality and physiology in
There’s something about the air fryer that makes food more cravable. If you have the space to leave an air fryer out on the countertop, chances are you’ll use it all the time. Here are a few of my favorite convenient ways to use mine.
I often think of the expression “Bend so you don’t break” when I need to remind myself to be flexible in my mindset. As a yoga enthusiast, it also makes good literal sense to be physically flexible. But what about metabolic flexibility? I think the saying applies here too. Being
Electrolyte drinks (think Gatorade and Powerade) have been marketed to athletes for decades, but in the last few years electrolyte water, powder, drops and tablets have become all the rage. With electrolyte replacement options galore on the store shelves, you may be wondering if you should be taking them. There’s
Yoga’s principles can teach us to pay attention to what our bodies need for nourishment. They can also encourage us to consider how the choices we make related to our food and where it comes from can affect other living beings on the planet. Part 1 of this blog series reviewed
September is National Yoga Awareness Month in the U.S. Though many people are most familiar with yoga’s physical practice involving poses and breathwork, this two-part blog series focuses on its more introspective limbs.
Do you have fond childhood memories of eating marshmallowy, chocolatey or fruity bowls of breakfast cereal and digging into those boxes for a new pencil topper, sticker or magical color-changing spoon? Do you also remember being hungry (dare I say hangry) within an hour or so of breakfast? What about
What do you do when you want that extra dessert or handful of chips, but you’ve reached a point where junk foods are getting in the way of your health goals?
Do you have a love-hate relationship with cookies, chocolate, potato chips, fill-in-the-blank? It’s important to know that there is nothing inherently wrong with you if you crave these foods. In fact, there’s plenty of science that explains why we reach for sweet, salty or savory foods over and over, but
Sauces, spreads and seasonings are a great way to add some zip to a meal, and it can be convenient to buy them instead of making them from scratch. Unfortunately, a lot of store-bought condiments and dressings (even many targeting health-conscious consumers) are filled will additives. From added sugars, MSG
If you’ve decided to make some changes this year, but you have yet to start or your resolution is fizzling out after a couple weeks of going strong, you are not alone. Even when we have the best intentions, stubborn old habits, day-to-day responsibilities and unexpected life events can sometimes
Have you seen the Instagram Reel that jokes that replacing your morning coffee with green tea can decrease what little joy you have left in this world by 80% or something along those lines? As a coffee lover and former green tea not-so-enthusiast, that one cracks me up every time.
Cholesterol is one of many factors that impact your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol itself is not the enemy, but when the types of cholesterol and the particles carrying them around are out of balance, it’s time to make some adjustments to decrease your risk.
Which came first — popularizing eggs as great breakfast choice or blaming eggs for high cholesterol levels? For a food created by nature, eggs sure have been put through the wringer! Let’s dive into the facts and latest research related to the great egg debate.
If you think the only redeeming quality of mushrooms is that they housed your favorite childhood tiny blue Saturday morning cartoon characters, think again, and give these tasty and nutrition-packed toadstools another try! When I came across this 2021 study that mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of
Whether you are looking for a gift for someone interested in making more meals at home, searching for something sweet for a friend with food allergies, seeking something sustainably sourced or perusing for a present you can make yourself, you’ve come to the right place. Check out the ideas below
Do you have a love/hate relationship with cruciferous vegetables? You love eating them, but your gut hates digesting them? Or you can’t stand the bitter flavor, but you would love to get the health benefits from eating them? Whether it’s your taste buds or your belly that has a crucifer
Are you bothered by a runny nose for hours after eating certain foods? Or brain fog or joint pain the morning after straying from your normal eating pattern? Do you avoid eating in unfamiliar restaurants for fear of the aftermath? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you may have
If you can’t go more than a few days (or maybe even a few hours) without hearing the words “There’s nothing to eat” or “What else is there to eat?” chances are you live with a teenager. Between their increased energy needs during growth spurts and variations in day-to-day schedules,
Nut butters are a secret weapon for making fruits, raw veggies and oatmeal more satisfying. If you’ve branched out beyond peanut butter, you know store-bought nut and seed butters can get expensive and often contain added sugar and oils, so why not make your own? If you have some nuts,
