Benefits of Bone Broth

I’m sure you’ve heard about bone broth and how good it is for you by now. As a dietitian, I love reading up on the latest research and diet trends to see what holds up against science and what is just a bunch of bologna.  

And let me tell you, most of the time, it’s a bunch of bologna. BUT, bone broth is truly a nutritious power food and can be a warm, comforting way to get tons of vitamins, minerals, proteins and other health-promoting compounds.  

Here are some of the health benefits of bone broth. There are many many more, but I thought I'd focus on these three because they are where I have seen the most benefits personally. 

1. Bone broth can boost the immune system. The amino acids in bone broth such as arginine and glutamine have been seen to boost the immune system. And we could all use that this time of year, no? With the flu going around and everyone getting sick, this boost to our immune system may help protect us from the common cold, bronchitis, or even pneumonia. I even added some of this broth to Emma's baby food the other day (she has been getting so sick from day care germs!) and she absolutely loved it! I have also been drinking it because of COURSE I don't want to get sick and bring some germs home to the family! Needless to say, bone broth is becoming a necessity in our home to help ward off sicknesses. 

2. Bone broth contains collagen and gelatin, which are great for your hair, skin, and nails! My skin has been clearer and my hair has been thicker and shiner since drinking bone broth, as well as adding these collagen peptides to my morning smoothies. Post-partum hairloss hit me HARD, but between the collagen peptides and the collagen and gelatin found in bone broth, I think I've found the perfect protector against further hair loss! These compounds are also good for joint health and can slow down general joint degradation, which is vital to keeping our bodies agile and healthy as we age!

3. Bone broth can promote gut health because of the glutamine, which protects the intestinal barrier and can prevent leaky gut. I've talked about leaky gut a bit on this site, but it happens when there are "holes" in your intestinal lining, and food particles and compounds can leak out into your body, where they don't belong. Food should very much STAY in the digestive tract, and whatever we need is absorbed, while whatever we don't need is excreted out. The digestive system must be protected against food particles so that inflammation doesn't occur from the compounds that leak out, and bone broth can do just that! 

I made this broth from the bones of a whole chicken in the instant pot! I added onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and some apple cider vinegar to leach out all the minerals from the bones. I cooked it on manual for 2 hours, and viola! Lovely, giggly bone broth! I've been enjoying a few frozen pucks (reheated on the stove) after work, and even made rice and soup with it! 

I'll definitely be making this over and over again, and one batch has lasted us SO long so far (we still have a huge container in the freezer along with the frozen pucks)! I hope this helps you decide if you want to start making bone broth for you and your family. I have personally found a huge health benefit in it, and I hope you do the same!

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday! Stay healthy and happy! :) 

Calories vs. Nutrient-Density

Nutrition can be complicated...no? So much conflicting research and the onslaught of news and "experts" sharing their knowledge can get confusing, making us lose our confidence in our healthy eating choices. Well, I'm here to discuss a really SIMPLE way to focus on the foods you can ADD to your plate instead of what to avoid, and to focus on your nutritional bang for your buck, instead of the good ol calorie. 

Calories are great and all, but they aren't a good measure of how nutritious a food is. Just because a chicken sandwich is 300 calories, doesn't mean that it is nutrient-dense. What I mean by that is how much NUTRITION is in the food you are eating. 200 calories of low fat pretzels does not equal 200 calories of roasted broccoli. The broccoli is DENSER in the healthiest components that our foods could have, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, and a myriad of other components. These all function together to protect our bodies against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, aging, memory loss, and many other diseases. So you can see, the most nutritious foods we could eat are fruit and vegetables. They are dense in nutrition and low in calorie, so you get more health benefits bang for your calorie buck!

My professional opinion is to not focus so much on calories, but focus on the TYPES of foods you are eating. Which is why I LOVE the meal plan I follow now! (contact me if you want to get your hands on it too!) it is all about balancing out the different nutrients your body is consuming in theright portion so we get the most bang for our buck. By focusing on how much nutrition is in each food, not just the numbers and calories, we will start consuming powerful amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that will boost our health. Eat mostly vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, lean proteins, and healthy fats, and you will be well on your way to achieving health and vitality!

So as you go about your day, plan out your meals, and try to sift through the confusion that is "health news," focus on how you can make your meals more nutritionally DENSE by adding as many vegetables and fruits into your day as possible! The more of these foods you eat, the better you will feel, the healthier you will be, and the more energized and well-functioning your body will become. Here's to your health, and happy weekend! :)

5 foods I eat daily

As an RD, I often get asked what I eat on a regular basis or what I recommend to my clients. I am a big proponent of everyday foods vs. sometimes foods. Everyday foods are foods that are recommended to eat daily, such as fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, plant or animal proteins, and healthy carbohydrates. Sometimes foods are just that; foods that should only be consumed sometimes. These would include desserts, treats, salty snacks, and bakery goods. 

It can be hard to distinguish between these foods sometimes, but I help clients in my accountability groups, as well as my private nutrition consulting clients figure out which foods they should eat daily and which foods they should limit, based on their personal goals! *click here for more info on how to begin working with me!

I thought it would be fun to post about foods that I personally eat daily, and why I eat them. These foods always find their way into my meal plan, and I hope it can shed some light and help you find ways to include healthier and nutrient-dense foods into your daily diet too!

5 foods I eat daily

1. Dark leafy greens (Spinach, kale arugula). These green vegetables find their way onto my plate in the form of a salad, or blended up in a smoothie, or sauteed with some coconut oil and garlic (because garlic is life). Dark leafy greens are filled with vitamins A, C, and K, and are rich in antioxidans and anti-cancer properties. They are low in calorie but high in nutrition, which means they give you the most nutrient bang for your buck!

2. Nut butters (almond butter, peanut butter). First of all, nut butter is DELICIOUS, and if it was its own food group, I'd be all over that. But, nut butters are also filled with healthy satisfying fats that not only taste good, but fill us up and keep us satisfied between meals. Healthy fats regulate our blood sugars, which means our sugar levels won't hit peaks and valleys throughout the day, which leaves us lethargic, sluggish, and reaching for a candy bar at 3pm. When incorporating healthy fats into your day, such as nut butters, your blood sugars will remain stable and your sugar cravings will be tamed. Which leads me to..

3. Bananas! I love eating a banana with nut butter every single day. I will typically have one during breakfast time, or blended up in my superfood smoothie. Bananas have potassium which is a great mineral to replenish with after a tough workout. I also love bananas as a pre-workout for a quick sugar dose to power me through. Plus, they taste GREAT with almond butter or peanut butter. SO banana-on! :) 

4. Carrots. I have probably had carrots every day since high school. I love peeling fresh carrots, but baby carrots are great for dipping too! Carrots and hummus, or carrots with guacamole, are two of my favorite ways to eat carrots. Plus they are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A, which is great for eye sight and promotes healthy skin. Their fiber content also makes them surprisingly filling for a low-calorie veggie! 

5. Shakeology! I have gushed about my love of Shakeology for about a year now since I started drinking it daily. I even stopped drinking it as consistently this past week since life got away from me, and I noticed a huge difference in my overall health and energy levels, SO it's back! PLUS my digestion is so much better when I am drinking Shakeo daily! I am committed to drinking Shakeology every day because, as an RD and someone who has always been passionate about health, I want to take care of this body God has given me. Shakeology is a great source of vitamins and minerals, but is also jam-packed with super foods, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, and probiotics! If you are interested in trying some out, please reach out to me  here and we can chat about it!

That's it for my daily eats! I hope this inspires you to add some of your own healthy foods into your "everyday" list so that your body can get filled up on all the good stuff! And remember, never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! tveen.verano@gmail.com

Superfood Spotlight: Gogi Berries!

About a month ago, I started writing a series spotlighting various superfoods that are in Shakeology. I get questions daily about the benefits of this superfood drink that I drink! Ever since I started drinking Shakeology back in February, I have experienced such amazing health! I haven't gotten sick (I've had chronic sinus infections my whole life...chronic as in almost every other month), I have experienced more energy, better digestion, and I just feel BETTER overall. If you'd like to read a more in-depth recount of my experience with Shakeology, check out this blog post from a while back!

http://www.tveenverano.com/the-joyful-harvest/2015/03/13/a-dietitians-take-on-shakeology?rq=dietitian

I decided to do a mini-series on the different superfoods that are in Shakeology, why they are good for you, and why Shakeology is really the best and cheapest way to get all the benefits of these superfoods! I wrote about Maca root and Camu-camu berries in July, and up next we have...Gogi Berries!

Gogi berries, like many berries, are chock full of nutrients, antioxidants, and provide numerous health benefits. Gogi berries are high in vitamin C and fiber, and low in calories, so they provide a great nutrient bang for your buck! They are high in nutrient density, which means that gogi berries provide you with the SO nutrition for a small amount of caloric impact. Surprisingly, a serving of gogi berries can also provide you with 10% of your protein needs for the day! Coming from berries, that's pretty impressive!

What's more exciting to me is that gogi berries have been studied and found to have the highest concentration of the antioxidant zeaxanthin. These antioxidants help against cell breakdown when they are exposed to the harmful things in our environment, such as smoke or radiation. 

It is also believed that Gogi berries can lower your risk of high blood pressure and help lower blood sugars. As always, if you do have diabetes or are on medications for diabetes and hypertension, I would check with your doctor first before you start consuming these, whether they are in the berry form or the shake form in Shakeology!

The power of superfoods is irrefutable. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and all of the other nutrient compounds found in these natural foods provide us with the nutrition we need to live healthier and happier lives. 

This is why I LOVE Shakeology and can't praise it enough. The creators and researchers behind Shakeology have done a beautiful thing. Gogi berries, and many other superfoods, are PRICEY on their own, but with just $4/day, you get a nutritional powerhouse of SO many different superfoods, all in a delicious shake! 

If you'd like to try Shakeology, please contact me through the "contact me" tab above! I would love to chat with you about it! 

Stay tuned for our next Superfood Spotlight in a few weeks!

Why I LOVE Coaching!

For the past 6 months, I have been an online health and fitness coach, along with my regular full time job as a registered dietitian at a dialysis center. I feel that these two positions have driven me straight to the heart of my passion: helping people get healthy, have a good relationship with food, and ultimately have a healed and whole relationship with themselves. But where my true passion lies is being a health and fitness coach. I feel that God has called me to this very position, and all the events and ups and downs in my life have compounded to this moment; where I am able to help those around me succeed, strive, fail, pick themselves back up, and conquer what they set out to do.  

Every time I try to express to people what coaching has done for me and my passion for this newfound job, I tend to get overexcited, anxious, smile and laugh a lot, and just say "it's so great! it's SO great!" Um...use grown up language, Tveen!

This past weekend, I decided to quiet my mind and try to figure what WHAT makes coaching so great to me. Why do I love it so much? Why do I look forward to working on my coaching business after a FULL day of work as an RD elsewhere? Well! Here are some reasons why I LOVE coaching, and if you love any of the following aspects of health, coaching may be a passion for you too! Feel free to contact me at tveenRD@gmail.com if you would like to join our team of coaches and start living out your passion!

But first...

What do I DO as an online health and fitness coach?

As a Beach Body coach, I run online fitness challenge groups which serve as accountability groups for my clients. I help those that are struggling with losing weight, eating healthy, or are just in need of amping up their workout routine. The accountability these groups provide is powerful, as it helps us all go through this journey together. I also have a team of coaches that I mentor and help build their own businesses, which is such a rewarding part of this job! 

Why I Love Coaching!
 

1. Health and fitness have always been a huge passion of mine I've been doing home fitness videos since I was 2 years old, and have the home videos to prove it! Becoming a coach and helping people get healthy in the comfort of their own home has been so fulfilling to me! Having an unhealthy relationship with food myself in my teen and early adult years has given me a first hand experience of how we can use food for our good as well as our detriment. As a registered dietitian, I know all about the nutrition aspect of health, but Beach Body coaching has provided an outlet for me to actually motivate and inspire those around to me to take care of their bodies through good food and healthy movement. I love that I can help friends, family, and complete strangers live healthier and happier lives.

2. Becoming a coach provides me with the accountability I need to stick to my own healthy eating journey. As I mentioned above, weight and food have always been a struggle for me. I lacked accountability in my own life, which led me to make poor food choices, gain weight, then over-restrict, lose weight, overeat, gain weight, and so on. I have gone up and down 20-30 lbs more times than I care to remember in my lifetime. As a coach, I run online accountability groups for my clients who want to work with me (check out my Bootcamp page). These groups not only help my clients, but they help ME as well! Being a coach gives me a safe place to share my struggles, while still having a network of accountability with my clients and the other coaches on our team. 

3. No one likes to talk money, but I'm going to talk about it. MONEY. No matter how much we want to avoid the subject, we all want to feel secure in this department. Being a coach not only fulfills my passions, but it also gives me the hope of financial freedom! Coaching has given me the opportunity to make money doing what I love, while being in the comfort of my own home! I was even able to pay off all of my student loan payments last month (yes, I have multiple ones) with JUST my Beach Body earnings, and still had some left over. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and can't believe that a "job" exists where I can do what I love, while making money and slowly getting out of debt. I have the hope of being financial secure one day and being able to pay off all my loans and live debt free. No, I don't care for the fancy cars or big houses, I just want the security and peace that I am no longer in debt! I am hopeful of what is to come and am so grateful for this blessing!

Where can YOU plug in?

In one of two ways! 

1. Join in for my next Joyfully Fit Bootcamp in September! Send me a form via the Bootcamp tab, or email me at TveenRD@gmail.com to get more information on joining my online fitness accountability group.

2. Join our team as a coach! Do you find that you have similar passions as me? Do you love helping those around you? Do you need accountability in your own fitness journey? I would love for you to join our team of incredible coaches! We could do this thing together and motivate each other every step of the way! If you would like to become a coach on our team, again, please feel free to email me at TveenRD@gmail.com or submit a "contact me" form for some more info! I would love to work with you!

Is there anything you are loving in your life right now? A passion that you are fulfilling or feel called to? Share in the comments below!

You can do ANYTHING for 21 days!

I am excited to announce that I will be hosting my first ever 21-day health and fitness challenge!! As many of you know, I hosted a free 5-day clean eating challenge last week, and it was such a success! I was so encouraged and motivated by the ladies in my group, so I decided to take this venture one step further and offer a 21-day challenge pack for anyone interested in stepping it up with their health and fitness before summer hits! 

21 days may seem like a long time, but really, it’s JUST 21 days. You can do anything for 21 days! And this pack is unlike any other. It include so much bang for your buck. Here is a detailed list of what is included in your challenge pack:

1. A fitness routine consisting of just 30 minute workouts per day…that’s right, just 30 minutes! That’s one Big Bang Theory episode just in case anyone wants to make that comparison! :) 
2. A step by step meal plan that focuses on portion control and moderation. This meal plan is unlike any other! You don’t feel deprived because you can pick and chose the foods you want to eat, as long as they are in the right portions. And NO calorie counting! 
3. A secret Facebook group where we can hold each other accountably, share our success and our struggles, and encourage one another! 
4. A month’s supply of Shakeology, a superfood drink that contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, exotic super-foods, AND it tastes amazing! 
5. ME as your coach! I will be your personal dietitian, encourager, coach, motivational speaker, or anything else you may need to get you through those 21 days. 

And what will this require from you? Taking a risk and putting your health first. Your health and happiness are worth it. If you are stuck in the rut of unhealthy food choices, or just want something to motivate you to workout every day, this program is perfect for you. It takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so why not just start making new, healthier habits, and breaking the chains of our old ones? In 3 weeks, your entire outlook could be different. You will feel healthier, stronger, and more confident. 

This challenge will start on May 4th, 2015. If you are interested, please contact me at TveenRD@gmail.com or fill out the form below, and I will get in touch with you!