Tags
acne aging anti-aging beauty detox diet exercise fasting healing health healthy lifestyle healthy living healthy recipes inspiration juicing Living la Vida Raw meditation mindfulness Move Your Body Natural Beauty natural cures Natural Cures natural remedies nutrition nutritionist parasites raw raw food Raw Food for Thought raw foods raw girl Raw News raw recipes Raw Spirit Recipes skin spirulina stress vegan vegan lifestyle vegan recipes vegetarian Veggie Love wellness yogaNewsletter Sign-up
Tag Archives: nutritionist
The Benefits of Coconut Water (& Hello from Brazil!)
Holy Smokes, I’m in Brazil!
I’ll be here for the next couple weeks and am excited to share info about some incredible tropical fruit and foods available in several posts per week so buckle up! One of the things I was looking forward to most on my bae-cay 😉 is having access to coconuts 24-7! I’m obsessed.
Apparently coconuts first arrived in Bahia in 1553 and then their growth spread all along the coast of Brazil. There are so many dishes that use coconut here from cassava and tapioca puddings, tapioca cous cous, beiju molhado, canjica (porridge), and much more. My favorite way to eat a coconut is fresh, drinking the water and eating the meat (when I’m not managing my macros as coconut milk and meat are higher in fat.
Coconut water which forms naturally in the fruit is 94% water, very little fat, high in potassium around 600 mg, and low in sodium. A diet rich in potassium is key for lowering blood pressure, dealing with sugar cravings, adrenal fatigue and much more. Research has shown that coconut water can lower blood sugar levels and improve health markers in animals, and has an antioxidant effect to modify free radicals so they do not cause harm. Beyond all this coconut water is the perfect post-workout drink for replenishing electrolytes post-workout because it contains potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium. In two separate research studies, researchers found that coconut water restored hydration after exercise better than water and equal to high-electrolyte sports beverages. XO
Also check out this Past Post on 7 Natural Ways to Replenish Your Electrolytes Post Workout.
References:
Haddy FJ, Vanhoutte PM, Feletou M. Role of potassium in regulating blood flow
and blood pressure. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006
Mar;290(3):R546-52. Review. PubMed PMID: 16467502.
Ismail I, Singh R, Sirisinghe RG. Rehydration with sodium-enriched coconut
water after exercise-induced dehydration. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public
Health. 2007 Jul;38(4):769-85. PubMed PMID: 17883020.
Saat M, Singh R, Sirisinghe RG, Nawawi M. Rehydration after exercise with
fresh young coconut water, carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage and plain water. J
Physiol Anthropol Appl Human Sci. 2002 Mar;21(2):93-104. PubMed PMID: 12056182.
Adrenal Fatigue & The Adrenal Body Type
Stress Kills.
The more I learn about the damage that stress can do in the body; the more I believe that it is one of my chief responsibilities as a practitioner to encourage my clients to not only manage their stress, but also sometimes make adjustments to bring themselves back into balance.
Lately I’ve seen quite a few clients struggling with signs of adrenal fatigue. Adrenal issues are way more common than we realize! If you or someone you know: started gaining weight around the midsection, can’t sleep, has a hard time focusing, is losing hair or balding, has frequent cravings for carbs and salt, emotionally irritable, has high anxiety or fixation on problems, low libido, high blood pressure, reliant on stimulants to stay awake, has a hard time getting up in the morning, tired during the day, has allergies or asthma issues, acne, inappropriate hair growth in women, blood sugar issues (stress can trigger the release of insulin!), sleep apnea /snoring, leg cramps, brain fog, bloating (because digestion is affected) etc.
The classic adrenal body type is someone who carries and gains the majority of their weight in their midsection. What happens is as cortisol levels stay elevated from chronic stress, the body moves fat around the midsection to protect the major organs. This is a complete survival mechanism and this kind of weight gain usually starts after prolonged stress or a very stressful event or trauma.
A few things you can do to bring the adrenals back to balance: getting sleep / re-balancing sleep, low impact exercise like walking or light yoga, consume potassium rich foods – potassium helps to restore adrenals and lower insulin, getting rid of stressful relationships or toxic work environments, take an extended vacation to de-stress, reduce/eliminate sugar intake, re-imagine breakfast: healthy fats, protein, and vegetables over high carbs will sustain your energy longer throughout the day.
XO Esosa E, MS AKA Raw Girl
P.S. I am taking FREE one-on-one calls for the next week! If you would like to chat with me, and see how I can help you reach your health goals – sign up HERE.
P.S.S. Read more on Adrenal Fatigue in this PAST POST
Catch me LIVE tomorrow at 12 PM EST!
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I usually go LIVE for office hours around 12/12:30 pm EST on Saturdays. This week, I’m moving my LIVE talk to Sunday, May 12th, and chatting with one of my clients who completed Staying Ageless 30+ and made awesome progress! If you are on the fence about the class and need questions answered, or just want to learn more about the process, come on through! I will allot time to answer as many questions as you all have. All you have to do to get in on the action is follow me @therawgirl and tune in. I’m more excited than I get about fresh coconut water or perfect avocados to see you guys 🙂 -XO Raw Girl
Catch me LIVE Tonight on Instagram :)
Are you on Instagram? If so, you can catch your girl LIVE tonight at 8:30 PM with Sandra Marie to spill all the tea and chat healthy living, nutrition, #StayingAgeless and fashion 🙂 All you need to do to tune in is follow me @TheRawGirl. You are also welcome to ask questions LIVE. Hope to see you tonight! The replay will be up on my profile for 24 hours in case you miss it. -XO Raw Girl
Staying Ageless 30+ Now Open for Enrollment!
At the end of my transformative program StayingAgless 30+ my students put together their “Glow-Up” story. This helps them to measure how far they’ve come since the beginning of class. Me and my team measure the success of my program my the number of people who have a legitimate #GlowUp because my desire is to get results for every client.
Here’s a story from one of my rockstar students who did the work and was willing to share! I’m sharing more success stories all week on Instagram and in my newsletter.
Glow Up Story
I’m able to maintain enough energy to power through the day and go to bed restfully.
I‘ve lost 10 pounds (now 12 from date of this post!).
My skin is clearing up and is a lot less dry.
I’m able to move around and be active without the usual aches and pains.
I have been working out consistently for the first time since college.
I feel an overall sense of calm. The endorphins from my workouts and the amount of nutrient dense foods I’m eating now has really gone a long way to changing my overall mood and well being.
It’s only been a few weeks, and I haven’t been perfect with implementing my rituals. However, I have tried to be as consistent as possible and I look forward to building on my progress. – Angela F.
I’m beyond excited that my online transformational program Staying Ageless 30+ is coming back just in time to help you too—to get your glow up this summer! Official enrollment for the class, which begins May 19th starts NOW 🙂 Excited for all the ladies who pre-enrolled and are ready for transformation!
If you are a woman 30+, struggling to create consistent healthy rituals, not sure about the right diet or exercise for your body, and are ready to invest in staying fly until your are 99 or close to it…I’d love to chat with you.
I’ve just opened up my calendar for the next two weeks to take one-on-one calls 🙂
To get on my calendar please book your twenty minute Meet & Greet HERE: calendly.com/rawgirl
XO Esosa E, MS AKA Raw Girl
IGTV Ep 4: To Carb or Not to Carb?
To Carb or Not to Carb? That is literally the question everyone and their mother seem to want to answer these days… So how do you decide if removing carbs from your diet is right for you? Stay tuned. Welcome to Health Bytes!
Carbohydrates are the bodies’ preferred source of energy. When a person consumes carbs our bodies break down or converts most carbs into the sugar glucose which is absorbed in the bloodstream. The two main forms of carbohydrates are sugars (such as fructose, glucose, and lactose) and starches, which are found in foods such as starchy vegetables, grains, rice, breads, and cereals. Simple carbs (refined sugars, white breads, pastries) are composed of smaller molecules and increase our blood sugar levels rapidly, while complex carbs like whole grains or brown rice are composed of larger molecules that increase the blood sugar levels gradually with more time.
So what’s the fuss about carbs? Well there are several things… First off you may know someone or have experienced a gluten intolerance yourself. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and often in oats. Even if you don’t have gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity is quite common, and can cause more subtle changes in energy, brain fog, and indigestion. Some research has also suggested that gluten may be one of the main culprits for leaky gut, and autoimmune conditions.
In addition to gluten intolerance issue, you may have noticed that refined carbs (like white bread and pastries made from white flour are one of the first things people limit when trying to lose weight. This is because when we consume simple carbs or a diet high in refined sugar, this can lead to insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, diabetes, weight gain, and other blood sugar related issues. However if we consume foods lower on the index, our blood sugar levels are likely to remain stable over time, we feel fuller and have less hunger from consuming fiber-rich foods, and may be less likely to overeat. So paying attention to the TYPE of carbohydrates you consume can go a long way for maintaining or losing weight.
Now when it comes to research, low carb diets have been shown to offer some real benefits. Studies have show that low carb diets are more likely to encourage and keep weightloss off in the long run when compared to low fat diets. Low-carb diets are most beneficial for lowering triglycerides and also delivered the biggest boost in protective HDL cholesterol. Research shows that a moderately low-carbohydrate diet can help the heart, as long as protein and fat selections come from healthy sources. In one twenty year study, Women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat or protein had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease and about a 20 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to women who ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. But women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal fats or proteins did not see any such benefits. Recent research has also made it clear that consuming a low carb diet that is high in animal protein, decreases longevity.
Now that you have the skinny on the carbs, you are in a better position to decide for yourself. Keep in mind that carbs are the bodies’ preferred energy source, so cutting them out altogether may not be the best long term solution, but perhaps reducing or replacing the kind of carbohydrates you consume can go along way to a healthier you. Reducing the amount of processed foods and increasing whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, and fish or lean meats is ideal.
I’m Esosa E. Clinical Nutritionist & Founder of rawgirltoxicworld.com, until next time, your wealth is in your health!
Podcast Ep 4: Effective Exercise
Episode 4 of Healthy Living in a Toxic World is live! This week I talk to personal Trainer and former body builder Mocha Lee about all things fitness. We get into how to to find variety in your workouts, and why women should really not be scared of building muscle mass. If you are looking to take your fitness to the next level in 2019 I recommend you give this show a listen.
It’s still the first month of the year, when everyone makes that gym rush. If you are getting bored with your workout already, I recommend you find movement that you love. Remember the gym is not the only place for you to get some physical movement. If you need some ideas, check out this past post on Reframing Exercise.
To listen to the full conversation, subscribe to the podcast on Itunes, Spotify, or Google Play. Links below 🙂 -XO Esosa E, MS AKA Raw Girl
Podcast Ep 3: The Power of Adequate Sleep
Episode 3 of Healthy Living in a Toxic World is live! This week I talked to my former professor and NY Times Best Selling Author, Dr. James Maas, who has authored several books including Power Sleep and Sleep for Success. We discuss the benefits of adequate sleep, how to nap effectively, what happens to the body when there is a lack of sleep, and how sleep affects performance.
In my practice as a nutritionist, I have discovered that getting adequate sleep is the foundation of healthy living. It doesn’t matter what your healthy living goals are, without sleep you will fail. Lack of sleep affects your ability to lose weight, decreases your energy leaving you unable to exercise, and influences the hormones that affect our cravings —leading us to make poor nutrition choices. Lack of sleep also will make you as insulin resistant as a type 2 diabetic! Have you been prioritizing sleep in this new year? If not, make a plan today for your regular bedtimes to get some good quality rest. Your work, body, and performance will thank you!
To listen to the full conversation, subscribe to the podcast on Itunes, Spotify, or Google Play. Links below 🙂 -XO Esosa E, MS AKA Raw Girl
All New IG TV Show: Health Bytes!
Hey lovelies! 2019 is here, and I’ve got more new content for you. Hopefully you’ve already subscribed to my new podcast, and yesterday I also launched the first season of my IG TV show Health Bytes! If you do not follow me on instagram, head on over to @therawgirl and hit follow so you can keep up with the weekly episodes. Each week I’ll also be posting the transcript from the show, here on the blog. Please send in comments, questions or topic ideas for season two, I would love your feedback. -XO Esosa E, MS AKA Raw Girl
EPISODE 1: The Dangers of Health Fads
OMG have you tried keto yet? What about the low fat or low carb craze? If you can’t keep up with the latest health fads and are overwhelmed with the massive amounts of contradicting information out there, this one’s for you boo! Welcome to Health Bytes!
I’m not sure if you noticed but every year there’s a new health fad being pushed as the latest way to lose weight, stay healthy, OR to binge on a bunch of foods that aren’t so great for you. Whether it be the keto craze, the myth that fat is bad for you, or the obsession with low carbs, following health fads can miss the mark for several reasons. Let me break it all the way down for you :
TO start, the problem with health fads is that they are usually about getting results quick and not about maintaining your health or longevity. I get it! We live in a YOLO society, but when you are 80 and have heart disease, you may regret the years you spent on an Atkins diet. At the end of the day, healthy living should not be a race. and the diet we adopt should provide us with immediate health boosting benefits as well as supply adequate nutrients to keep us healthier as we age. Of course, you diet may adapt as you age to accommodate your bodies’ needs, but following a fad can set you up for building a nutritional foundation that is on shaky ground.
Another problem with fad diets: they are not personalized and do not account for specific conditions. I personally believe in bio individuality. We are all uniquely designed and have specific genetic makeups. It’s incredibly important that our diets take those factors into consideration, and also provide the right balance of nutrients to help us heal if we have a specific disease or imbalance. Our diets should be individualized, and should also include some of the healthiest versions of ancestral foods based on where our families originate. When we keep some of the good foods our fathers father ate before us, we are maintaining nutrients in our diets that honor our genetic makeup.
Last but not least, one problem with adopting health fads is that when the craze is happening, there is rarely adequate evidence based research to demonstrate the full repercussions the diet may have on your health long-term. When we get so focused on the immediate short term goals of weight loss we can sacrifice more important aspects such as cardiovascular health. We all know several health fads that were all the rage; only to find out years later research has debunked them as myths. I’m sure you know of the low fat craze which swept America, only to find out later that healthy fats are incredibly important for maintaining good cholesterol and heart health. For instance, research studies have recently shown that low carb diets that are high in animal protein actually decrease longevity.
The moral of the story? Before you jump on the latest health fad, think twice and do your research. It’s a much better use of your time to consult with a nutrition specialist one on one and build a lifestyle that is tailored to you and includes a balanced intake of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
I’m Esosa E. Clinical Nutritionist & Founder of rawgirltoxicworld.com, until next time, your wealth is in your health!