What’s for Lunch??

Try these for lunch! 🍎

🥣 Quinoa Salad Bowl

Toss cooked quinoa with olive oil, lemon juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, and chicken or cheese as you please!

🌯Mediterranean Wrap

Spread some hummus on a wrap and pile in chicken, lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

🍗 Chicken Salad

Get creative by tossing leftover chicken with a bit of mayo, celery, grapes, sunflower seeds, or avocados.

🫐 Greek Yogurt Parfait

Layer greek yogurt with fresh berries, granola, and chia seeds or hemp hearts.

What do you think? Will you try one of these?

Brain Facts You Don’t Know

Let’s break this down👇

(Brain health facts you may not know!)

1️⃣ 60% of the human brain is fat

Ever think about what happens to fats from your diet once you eat them? They become building blocks for things like cellular membranes, nerve cells, and brain matter! That means eating healthy fats is one of the best things you can do for your brain.

2️⃣Sleep removes toxins from the brain.

The brain actually has a self-cleansing mechanism that creates waves of fluid to clear metabolic waste. These waves are most active during sleep, so you can think of sleep as a form of detox for the brain.

3️⃣Gut microbes signal the brain and affect behavior.

The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication network between the gut and the brain that is largely influenced by the gut microbiome. Studies have even linked specific probiotics to stress and mood.

Is any of this making you think about the brain in a little different way?

Truth is that brain health is about so much more than memory. Brain health depends on our everyday habits and influences our overall health.

Want to learn more about how to optimize and boost your brain?

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REFERENCES:

Chang CY, Ke DS, Chen JY. Essential fatty acids and human brain. Acta Neurol Taiwan. 2009;18(4):231-241. [link]

Berding K, Vlckova K, Marx W, et al. Diet and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(4):1239-1285. [link]

Jiang-Xie LF, Drieu A, Bhasiin K, Quintero D, Smirnov I, Kipnis J. Neuronal dynamics direct cerebrospinal fluid perfusion and brain clearance. Nature. 2024;627(8002):157-164. [link]

Peanuts for Weightloss?

Well this sounds like a simple trick to try! 

🥜 New research (published in Nutrients 2022) has just shown that eating a handful of peanuts before 2 main meals a day can help with weight loss. 

The study involved adult participants who were at risk of type 2 diabetes. They were randomized to follow either a low-fat diet or the same diet plus salted dry-roasted peanuts for 6 months. 

Here’s what happened:

📋 Both groups lost a similar amount of weight over 6 months (about 6.6 kg or 14.5 lb)

📋 Both groups experienced similar improvements in markers of glycemic control (glucose, insulin, and HbA1C) 

📋 Those in the peanut group experienced a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (-9.5 mmHg)

The study concludes that peanuts can be included in a low-fat diet without compromising weight loss 🥜 

It’s oversimplified. 

But that’s usually unavoidable with studies. Other studies have demonstrated similar benefits of eating walnuts, mixed nuts, or other nuts. 

We recommend including sources of healthy fats no matter what your health goals—whether its weight loss, blood sugar balance, healthy blood pressure, or anything else. 

Some of our favorite healthy fats?

🌰 Nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.) 

🥣 Seeds (chia, flax, hemp, etc.)

🥑 Avocados

🫒 Olive Oil

🥥 Coconut Oil

🧈 Grassfed Butter

🥚 Whole Eggs

When it comes to weight loss, we take into consideration the current research plus what we see to be tried and true methods that work with our patients. 

We use testing to understand their metabolism, hormones, and goals and then craft an individualized plan to set them up for success. 

Reference

Petersen KS, Murphy J, Whitbread J, Clifton PM, Keogh JB. The Effect of a Peanut-Enriched Weight Loss Diet Compared to a Low-Fat Weight Loss Diet on Body Weight, Blood Pressure, and Glycemic Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2022; 14: 2986. [link]