Let’s be real. I don’t think enough women are taught what a “normal” period actually looks like. So when something feels off, whether it’s intense cramps, irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, or very light periods, it’s easy to assume that’s just how your body works. Even when you bring it up with your healthcare provider, you…
Category: Healthy Eating and Habits
Focusing on recipes and tips for healthy eating, including nutritious meals, balanced diets, weight loss, and specialized diets like keto, paleo, or plant-based eating.
The Protein Playbook For the Teenage Athlete
With baseball season starting, my kitchen has basically turned into a fueling station for my two boys. Watching them come home from practice and eat like they haven’t seen food all day is a pretty good reminder of how much growing, active teenagers need to keep themselves fueled. Protein comes up a lot in nutrition,…
Adding a Few More Veggies to the Daily Routine
We’ve all been there. It’s 5:30 PM on a Tuesday. The kids are asking what’s for dinner again, and I’m just staring into the fridge like… okay, what is this meal supposed to be? There’s ground beef, some pasta, and a random vegetable I’m not even sure I’ll use. Plus, there’s all this pressure to…
Why I Use Meal Kits to Balance Salt & Soul
I used to think wellness meant doing everything from scratch. But honestly, real health doesn’t live in a perfect kitchen. It sits somewhere in between Salt and Soul. Salt is just my reality right now, busy days, full schedules, needing things to actually work. Soul is still there too, that pull to sit down with…
The Perimenopause Tea: 4 Ingredients, Centuries of Wisdom
Perimenopause can feel like your body suddenly has a mind of its own. Hot flashes, 3 a.m. wake-ups, brain fog that has you walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there. It’s a lot. And while there’s no single fix for any of it, I wanted to share something that’s been part…
One Year In: What Holistic Nutrition Has Taught Me So Far
One year into studying Holistic Nutrition. Somehow I’m already a third of the way through, which honestly feels a little surreal. I’ve got two years to go, though depending on how life moves, and how many times I have to read the same paragraph before it actually sinks in, who knows. I may finish sooner….
Stuck, Bloated, and Tired? Your Body Might Be Showing Signs of Dampness
Have you ever had days when you feel heavy, bloated, and tired, and you can’t quite figure out why? Your body feels sluggish, your head feels foggy, and even when you haven’t done much, you feel like you could use a nap. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these are some of the feelings that may…
FODMAPs Explained: Why Some Foods Leave You Bloated
Have you ever finished a meal and, not long afterwards, noticed your stomach feeling tight, bloated, or uncomfortable? Maybe you’re dealing with gas, some cramping, or a change in your bowel movements, and you’re left wondering what you ate that didn’t agree with you. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to eat well…
The Histamine Bucket: When “Healthy” Foods Don’t Feel So Healthy
Have you ever eaten something you thought was healthy, like a spinach salad with avocado, and then found yourself feeling itchy, foggy, or just not quite right? Maybe wine leaves your nose stuffy, or you suddenly feel anxious and can’t quite explain why. There can be a few reasons for these reactions, and histamine is…
Matcha vs. Hojicha: My Green and Gold Tea Routine
When life gets busy, a lot of people reach for coffee. I reach for tea. Okay, I enjoy coffee, too, but lately, I’ve been switching between two Japanese teas depending on what kind of day I’m having. Matcha when I need a little help getting going, and hojicha when I finally get a chance to…
Breaking Free from Food Rules
I used to think eating healthy meant following a whole list of rules. No carbs after 6 pm. Drink this before that. Stick to 1,200 calories. Count every gram. And dessert? Only if it was made with dates and almond flour. I tried so many of these things, and while some seemed to work for…
Eating Well in Winter: TCM’s Guide to Staying Warm and Nourished
Winter’s officially here, and let’s be honest – who doesn’t crave a cozy, warm bowl of something comforting? But it’s about more than just satisfying a craving. What we eat this time of year has a massive impact on how we feel. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter is about conserving energy, supporting the immune…
Summer Foods to Keep You Cool and Balanced, TCM Style
Summer is officially here. This means longer days, more sunshine, and that heat that has you reaching for something cold pretty much constantly. Traditional Chinese Medicine tends to look at staying cool a little differently. It’s usually less about the actual temperature of the food or drink, and more about choosing foods that are considered…
The Best Foods to Eat in Spring According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Spring has this natural way of pulling everything out of that slower winter pace. You start to see it everywhere, longer days, more light, things growing again, people spending more time outside, and you can feel that shift in your body too. Maybe there’s still a bit of heaviness or sluggishness from winter, but there’s…
Velvety Leek and Potato Soup
Today is one of those blustery, snowy days that makes staying inside feel like the only reasonable option. So that’s exactly what I’m doing, and honestly, there’s nothing better on a day like this than a pot of homemade leek and potato soup. Creamy, earthy, and genuinely comforting. Making soup from scratch is one of…