I had no idea what to expect as far as when Leighton would come, due to the fact that I was induced last time. Do I cook babies for a while? Or do my babies come on the earlier side? It was exciting to have no idea (well…exciting for a certain amount of time).
Read MoreLeighton’s story is so much different than Maren’s, I don’t want to say “better” because I truly don’t believe that…the parts of Maren’s birth story that were easy, were hard this time, and visa versa. But overall, I am so thankful to have had the joyful, healing, intimate birth this time around that I had been praying for.
Read MoreThere are many different types of cleanses that are sold, ranging from "skinny teas" to a product you add into a liquid, to simply making your own juices at home. Somehow, even though dietitians and doctors have been fighting against this trend for years and trying to battle the misinformation about cleansing, it still pops up right on time! As we know, diet culture is incredibly good at evolving and putting on a new mask to hide its face.
Read MoreWhile I always suggest seeing a lactation consultant for support, sometimes that’s not possible! This flowchart will guide you through the different possible causes for low supply, and will let you know when it’s time to prioritize getting in to a lactation consultant. I hope you find it helpful!
Read MoreDiet culture touches EVERYTHING. And while it makes me mad anytime that diet culture invades something that’s meant to be stress-free and beautiful (aka life), it especially makes me angry when I see it taking over something as sacred as breastfeeding. What’s particularly frustrating in this instance is that breastfeeding is a time when you’re often already confused and overwhelmed, and there is such a huge learning curve. You just want to do what’s best for your baby while at the same time trying to adjust to your new normal. I know it’s so, so difficult. I’m hoping that by clearing up some of what I would consider “twisted truths” around breastfeeding, I can help you become more confident in your breastfeeding journey.
Read MoreBody image has got to be one of the hardest things to work on. It is ingrained in us from a very young age to not only focus on our body, but to focus on everybody’s else’s body as well. On top of that, we are also taught that it’s NORMAL to hate your body. No one is shocked or appalled when some one brings up a part of their body they hate and absolutely tears it apart – in fact, usually, everybody else just chimes in!
Even though this is normal, it is definitely not helpful. We are bombarded with enough negative diet-y messages throughout the day, and for us to also be sending hundreds of messages to ourselves is way too much to handle.
Read MoreLet's talk about "wellness". Wellness culture is the new diet culture. It's the same old shoes, just cleaned up and polished. This industry (that only makes money if you fail at what they are selling you, by the way) has figured out that we no longer want to drink meal replacement shakes and take diet pills. No, we know that's dangerous. Now we are all about clean eating and natural foods - neither of which have an actual definition, by the way.
Read MoreI prepared a lot for my body changing during pregnancy, and was very proud of my ability to roll with all the changes that my body underwent while growing my daughter. I would be lying, however, if I said that accepting my postpartum body was going just as well. I *thought* that I had prepared myself, but over the last four months I've seen that diet culture definitely got a hold of me while I was my most vulnerable. I wanted to share my experience in the hopes that it helps one postpartum mama out there that is feeling the same way I was (and continue to feel some days!).
Read MoreThe exciting part of the birth story - where I actually give birth!
Read MoreI originally wrote this to Maren, as a way for us both to remember the events that surrounded her birth. However, after writing it I received a lot of requests to share it - I guess a lot of people love reading birth stories as much as I do! To save time, I didn’t rewrite it, so it is still directed towards Maren. It’s a long one that I am splitting up into two parts, so buckle up and enjoy reading about the 3 day induction, pain medication-free birth of my Christmas baby..
Read MoreI’ve been hearing a lot lately about the myth that eating a “bad” food after a workout “cancels” the workout out. Or that a workout must be done in order for there to be “room” for a “bad” food that day. Or how about the thought that putting butter on your veggies “cancels out” the “good” of the veggies. Basically…all comments centering around the idea of calories in < calories out = weight loss.
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Often, when you start digging into intuitive eating, everything makes sense until you start thinking about intuitive eating in the setting of chronic illness. I mean, that was my first question too, especially because I work with pregnant women with gestational diabetes. How in the world can you tell someone to eat what they want when they want, when their body is having a hard time doing what it is supposed to do?
Read MoreI'm so excited to share with you that I'M PREGNANT! Baby Mize is expected December 30th.
Read MoreIf you’re like me, you’re a “I need practical steps to do what you’re telling me I need to do” kind of person. I can read and research something all I want, but what I really love are some step by step ways to put into practice what I’m reading about. So, if you read my post about having a summer body, here is a follow-up to that post with practical things to do to help you get to a place of appreciating your all-seasons body.
Read MoreIt’s around this time of year that everyone starts acting like there is some sort of countdown to the first day of summer and if you don’t have a perfect body by then, you’re screwed. Like now they have to really stick to their diet, now they have to get serious about their workout plan.
Why does each season warrant a different body? Why is it that as soon as we have to wear a bathing suit, we all of a sudden don’t deserve to eat the way we’ve been eating since the fall?
How do I plan my groceries while keeping budget, convenience, and intuitive eating in mind? This is a question I often get asked as a dietitian, and I also just think it’s a fun thing to talk about with people. Everyone grocery shops differently and I think all different ways have their benefits. This is just the way I choose to plan and shop, but if this isn’t how you like to do it, no problem! Stick with what works for you.
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard me mention intuitive eating quite a bit at this point. I refer often to listening to hunger and fullness cues, body image, not giving food moral value (good vs bad), and other concepts that aren’t often talked about in the nutrition world. I figured it was only appropriate that my first blog post was about this “strange” concept. I want to thoroughly introduce you to what intuitive eating is and to help you understand why it’s so different from any way of eating you’ve heard about before.
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