Tag: nutritionist

Posted in food

Trying Turmeric- Wellness Wednesdays

Posted on by nlchronicles

Turmeric. For years, I never even knew what it was so I was blown away by what this spice has been used for over the years. Never heard of it? Let’s take a closer look.

Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

I think I first really heard news about turmeric the first time I lived in North Carolina. My goal was to cook more and I started seeing this spice listed in recipes. Now, I had eaten at Indian restaurants for years and didn’t realize that it is used in various dishes especially since turmeric doesn’t have an overpowering taste.

Then I read that turmeric can behave similarly to pain killers and relieve inflammation. That was a game changer! I started using turmeric every time that I cooked 😂. When I started working with the nutritionist, turmeric was one of the supplements that was included in my list of vitamins. I even drink turmeric teas frequently, my latest find is a combo of turmeric and green tea.

But really, what does it do? I’m including info below from earthclinic.com

“Regular use of turmeric has been found to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease and may play a role in its treatment. It is also being studied as a natural remedy for arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and similar conditions, as it has anti-inflammatory characteristics. Turmeric is also an effective remedy for skin conditions like cystic acne, boils, hidradenitis suppurativa and MRSA.”

Amazing right?? I’m not claiming that turmeric is a cure all, but I can definitely tell when I’ve not used it for some time versus daily use.

Have you tried turmeric before? Did you notice any benefits? I invite you to share your thoughts below 👇🏽. See you next week!

Posted in food

Cooking at Home – Wellness Wednesday

Posted on by nlchronicles

Cooking and meal prepping have been HUGE game changers for me. I did quite a bit of health testing to see what works or does not work well for me. This helped tremendously and thankfully I have no food allergies, but it does limit some of my food choice options. And when I eat out, I don’t know the exact details of what is going in the food.

Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

I found that many nightshades bother me. These include potatoes, paprika and all peppers. Paprika is probably the worst offender but is used in so many recipes! So to better monitor the ingredients and the quality of products, I started cooking more. And unless restaurants become more slanted toward AIP or paleo, then choosing to cook at home is a must.

At first, I made the same recipes all of the time, but my nutritionist pointed out that I had appropriate cookbooks and why not actually try those recipes lol. My fear is always – what if the recipe is gross? 😧 the horror! So I decided to try only one new recipe at a time for any given meal (as I eat basically the same thing throughout weekdays). That way, I could try different options without feeling like I’m constantly throwing money away on meals that I don’t like.

And what is even more important to me is that I control the quality of what I’m eating. So I control sodium content which is crucial when trying to be healthier. Have you actually looked at the sodium levels at some places?? There’s one restaurant which I won’t name in which none of the meals has a sodium level less than 1000 mg with some ranging up to 3000 mg. That’s INSANE! Managing carbs is high priority for me so I can better monitor this as well by cooking at home.

I highly recommend taking the time to meal prep and cook more at home. It’s better for everyone in the long run. See you next week!

Posted in Overall health

Summer series – Wellness Wednesdays

Posted on by nlchronicles

I am so excited to update everyone on this new venture that I plan to work on this summer. I’m going to publish a blog post every Wednesday, beginning in May through the end of August. Each week, I will feature a topic that has helped me throughout this wellness journey. I do not intend this to be medical advice for anyone. I am not a medical professional. I’m just someone who hopes to shed light on options that have worked for me. I even have friends and family who have asked for assistance with health challenges. And guess what? The solutions work!

I’ll also update you on my health journey throughout as well, including challenges for transparency. If this is your first time reading this blog, thank you. And thank you to those who continue to follow. I reached over 100 followers! Wow! That’s amazing as I never thought anyone might be interested.

For those who don’t know, I was diagnosed with PCOS in my mid-30s after YEARS of trying to find solutions to all of the issues that I was having. There are several types of PCOS and you can have more than one. Some days, I feel like I deal with them all at once! My biggest concern is chronic low grade inflammation; this (only my belief) led to the osteoarthritis that I deal with as well. I started working with a nutritionist in 2018 as I was having so many health issues and through the work, I’ve had major improvements including losing 95 pounds to date! With the arthritis, however, I am looking at possible knee replacement and physical therapy for cervical arthritis. It can be a lot and overwhelming sometimes, so yoga, meditation and prayer are key for me.

Down 95 pounds, starting mid-August 2018

So join me on this summer’s adventure. And feel free to comment with solutions that have worked for you. Let’s build a community. 🥂 to your good health.

Posted in Uncategorized

Other Measures

Posted on by nlchronicles

So many times, we (yes I’m including me) only look at the scale to determine our progress. But health is so much more than that.

While I haven’t written as much, I have continued to work on my health. Yes, I’ve lost 88 pounds, but I’ve also worked really hard on getting my lab work together too. That brings me to HSCRP, which stands for high sensitive C reactive protein; it’s a measurement of inflammation and pain. I had the first test in February 2019 and my indicator was almost 41. That is sky high because the goal is to have a 3 or lower! So, after working with my nutritionist and working with an accountability nurse coach for almost 2 years, I just found out that the same indicator is down to 19. THAT IS AMAZING! I’m believing that it will get below the goal number of 3!!

If you haven’t had blood work done, please work with your physician to do so. The scale is only part of the story. Getting a total health picture is crucial! Below is a pic that I snapped on Tuesday. Blessed to have come a long way! 🥂 to your good health. Share your story about how your health indicators improved or share with someone who needs to be encouraged that they can do it too.

Posted in Uncategorized

MILESTONE: 2 Years!

Posted on by nlchronicles

In the latter half of August 2018, I decided to really work on my health and find more natural approaches to do so. This was after an expert in PCOS basically told me that I could just stay on birth control pills to manage it for the rest of my life! 😱

I came across the keto diet and did that for 3 months. However, since I have slow digestion, the program has WAYYYYY too much meat for me and I never felt hungry. But the keto diet was a great kick start to transition to paleo, which is basically what I still follow. Keto helped me stop a lot of junk cravings but I still wanted to feel better.

I started working with a nutritionist who specializes in PCOS in January 2019. And while working with the nutritionist involved revamping everything I had known in terms of food, what would work for me, motivation and habits, it was sooooo worth it.

When I started mid-August 2018 to make a total change and find something that was a permanent solution, I weighed about 245 pounds. Fairly accurate as I went to a gym and used the scale there. I’ve included a couple of before pics from earlier in 2018.

Summer 2018
April 2018 at a gala

Since that time, I’ve lost 81.8 pounds to date. This is the first time that I’ve ever released weight and actually been able to keep it off!! Ever! And no, I’ve had no surgeries or used any gimmicks. I just had to make real, sustainable changes with the guidance of my nutritionist.

I have improved health in so many ways – better sleep, more energy, less brain fog, better walking ability with osteoarthritis, less PMS, clearer skin, less hirtuism, better digestion, very few junk food cravings, and more confidence because I feel much better! I’m still a work in progress and have more goals that I want to reach but I’ve included recent pics from this month.

Summer 2020
August 2020 birthday celebration

I hope this inspires you to reach your goals! You can do this. And if you veer off track, the next day is a new one; the next meal is another chance to do better. Until next time, 🥂 to your good health!

Posted in Uncategorized

Slashing the Comfort Zone

Posted on by nlchronicles
Source: Shutterstock

I mentioned a few blog posts back that I was invited to be on a panel at a health conference. So this weekend was the panel! It was held in the Santa Cruz area which was my first visit there. I’d definitely go again when it’s a bit warmer.

While I travel and speak to groups for work, this was WAY out of my personal life comfort zone. I’m typically the one behind the scenes or giving contributions through activities like writing- like this blog. Being part of a group was helpful so that I wasn’t the only person sharing my story. Whew! That could’ve been really stressful and anxiety producing but I just took a deep breath and reminded myself why I was there.

In wanting others to be healthier or work toward optimal health, I have to work on the mental health aspect of myself to do so. I’m probably about half extroverted and half introverted so I need time to myself to recharge. I’m not good at small talk but I have had a lot of practice with my current job so I’ve gotten better. Its just that I want to share my health journey with others so that they can know what is possible through proper testing, supplements, quality food, exercise and just living life.

And I was super excited to meet my nutritionist in person. All meetings are conducted virtually because I’m on the east coast and she’s on the west. That may seem odd but it works really well when I made the commitment to change. So after making the changes and having this yearlong journey to be better, meeting her and her team was rewarding.

Me and Robin, my nutritionist

So I didn’t just step out of my comfort zone, I cut a slash into it! And hopefully, this will continue to prepare me for what’s next in my future. Today’s lesson- it’s okay to move outside of my comfort zone sometimes to experience something new. The feeling of accomplishment afterward is a great boost for mental health, at least for me. And visiting a new place is always good! Share a time when you’ve stepped out of your own comfort zone-maybe leaving a comment can be a first step. 🥂 to your good health. Until next time…