Happy Friday! Wahoo! The weekend is here!

Today has already been an AMAZING day. I was lucky enough to work with an incredible photographer, person, friend (check out some of her amazing work) and the master behind Some Place Wild, LLC early this morning. Here is a sneak peak photo from on her Instagram account of just one of the locations that we shot.

She has so much talent and her passion shines through in each one of her pictures. I will wait to share what these photos are for but I can go ahead a say some things will be changing over here again soon. Get ready!

Also, in other news, I did a guest post for the Trainlete blog today, an awesome website linking sports trainers and athletes, on the importance of recovery nutrition for athletes. Even if your not an athlete per se but you do any form of exercise/activity you  should check it out. It has a delicious post-workout smoothie recipe if nothing else!

So on to today…

Yesterday, one of my friends shared this article titled “When Your Mother Says She’s Fat” by Kasey Edwards on Facebook and it seriously couldn’t have been more ironic. I have been thinking and talking about this topic A LOT lately and it’s as if the author and my friend that posted it knew my every thought – not in the way that the author wrote it to her mom but in the way I hope to never be toward my future daughter.

If you haven’t read the article, let me try my best to summarize it… (But seriously, my words won’t give this article justice. It is incredibly written and I highly recommend that if you don’t have time to read it now, bookmark it and read it when you do have time.)

Basically the article is written as a letter from the author to her mom. She starts off by telling her mom that as a child she only knew one thing: that her mother was beautiful. It wasn’t until one day when her mom looked at her as they were getting ready for a party and told the young-at-the-time author that she (the little girl) was “thin, beautiful, and lovely” and that she (the mom) was “fat, ugly, and horrible.”

She (the mom) was obviously having one of those self-doubting moments that we have all had when our favorite bathing suit doesn’t fit any more or when our white pants from last summer are just too tight this summer. We’ve all been there.

The author is telling her mom is that she (the mom), in this moment, taught her the meaning of beauty. This excerpt from the article says it best…

In the days that followed I had some painful revelations that have shaped my whole life. I learned that:

1. You must be fat because mothers don’t lie.
2. Fat is ugly and horrible.
3. When I grow up I’ll look like you and therefore I will be fat, ugly, and horrible too.

Wow. When we think of it like that, the words that we say mean a lot more than we might ever realize.

I’ll admit it: although I didn’t realize this until recently, I struggle with self-doubt and speaking negatively of myself.  A few weeks ago my sister-in-law brought it to my attention and I am so grateful that she did. She told me it had to stop and she was right. I am so thankful to have someone strong enough in my life to speak the truth.

We are all beautifully perfect however we are: whatever shape, whatever size, whatever height, whatever race, whatever. What if I had never realized this and raised a daughter saying some the things I used to say about myself in front of her? Thankfully, I have a mom that never spoke like this in front of me and my three sisters. She never put value in her or our appearance – it was so much more than that. We were beautiful when we were kind, loving, caring and giving, not when we had on our cutest outfit or had our best hair day. What a shame it would have been had I not realized this and not given my daughter this same gift?

I love these closing words…

The older we get, the more loved ones we lose to accidents and illness. Their passing is always tragic and far too soon. I sometimes think about what these friends—and the people who love them—wouldn’t give for more time in a body that was healthy. A body that would allow them to live just a little longer. The size of that body’s thighs or the lines on its face wouldn’t matter. It would be alive and therefore it would be perfect.

How true is that? Life is about living, loving, being, laughing, sharing, caring, and giving. Not about the way our pants hit our middle section, the way our arms look in our tank tops, the way our legs look on the beach, the way a wrinkle has formed on our face or any of that. While it’s important to be happy in the body we live in, it’s equally important to realize that beauty is far more than skin deep. Beauty actually is in the wrinkles on our face because it means we laugh and smile often.

Edwards ends the article perfectly…

Every moment we spend worrying about our physical ‘‘flaws’’ is a moment wasted, a precious slice of life that we will never get back.

Think about that and let it change your mind. We are all beautiful just the way we are. Let that soak in and have an incredibly beautiful weekend!

Good health!

The post What is Beauty? And Who Defined It For You? appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

This picture was the header of the lululemon website a few weeks ago and I just love it.

I’m sure that most of you would agree, really, everyday should be Mother’s Day. Moms are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Moms make life go round. They turn a house into a home and food into a meal. The know what to say and when to say it. They even told us when we were little to eat our apples and drink our water, even if we didn’t listen. Moms have some sort of super power to keep going when everyone else gives up.

I have been blessed with not only an incredible mom but an awesome mother-in-law too.

If you’re anything like me, you think of the best gift to give your mom… ummm usually about June 1. A few weeks after Mother’s Day. This year, I started thinking a little bit earlier and hope to help you out too. Without our moms, most likely, we wouldn’t be where we are today. This Mother’s Day help your mom get or stay healthy with any of the following gift ideas. No matter if your mom  is 30 or 99, show her your love her by encouraging her to live a long, healthy life. Depending on her style and your price range, here are a few ideas sure to please all moms. (*Please note, I have no ties with any of the companies listed below. I just like the products and hope to help spark an idea for your Mother’s Day gift.)

Healthy Gifts for Mom

• Fitness gear

I actually recently purchased this Under Armor top and really love it. It is light weight and loose fitting, perfect for walking, running or just running the house!

Another lulu favorite. Again light weight and lose fitting.

• An herb garden. Throw in her favorite herbs and add a splash of color

• Bamboo cutting board set
• A superfoods basket including a mixture of health foods that she might not ever buy for herself such as, coconut oil, flax meal, chia seeds, spirulina, etc. Maybe even include a recipe or a beauty tip with the product.

• Tennis shoesSo she might not be a fan of the Neon, but these Nike Frees come in many colors and are super comfortable too.

• A magazine subscription, a few of my favorites include…

• A tea assortment including her favorite teas such as green, black, chamomile, etc.

(Photo Source)

• Natural beauty products such as this Glamazon Pure Performance lipstick from Tarte
• A bath set including something like this Lavender Bath Salt from Whole Foods
• A yoga mat and DVD
• A spa gift certificate

• Or simply some beautiful flowers, a fail proof gift!

I hope that helps you, or at least sparks an idea! Also, thank you all so much for the birthday wishes over on Facebook. I’m off to enjoy this day and celebrate another year! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Good Health!

The post Help Your Mom Get Healthy This Mother’s Day appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Well, hello there! It’s almost the weekend yet again! And more importantly, it’s the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Two more finals and I am finished! Yippeeee! Ready to let the summer roll!

In honor of Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I have some great news to share with you today.

As most of you know or have read, about two years ago my mother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammation and swelling of the joints).  This was especially hard because of the immediate effects that this crippling disease had on my more than active mother.  She’s always been unstoppable, that was until this disease entered her life…but only for a short while.  The fall after my mother’s summer diagnosis is when I returned to school in order to become an RD. God’s plans and timing are always perfect.

To me, nutrition is involved in nearly every disease, and should 100% be included in almost every care plan.  On the other hand, apparently the RA doctors have split down the middle regarding the effects nutrition has on the disease.  I don’t quite understand those on the other side other than the fact that little money will be made when someone uses nutrition to cure or lessen the effects disease rather than expensive medications.  It’s sad if that’s where this country really stands: allowing our people to die from a disease that could be stopped a because of the dollar bill.  But, unfortunately I wouldn’t doubt it looking at the food that our own UDSA/FDA encourage us to eat (dairy, processed foods, antibiotic treated meat, etc).

My mom sided with me and a few other doctors, leaning on nutrition to pull her through this disease.  While she does take her prescribed medication, my mom eats a mostly vegan, gluten-free diet too (both pro-inflammatories in the body).  Is this easy for her? Absolutely not but in order to prevent the disease from progressing and to subside some of the pain, this lifestyle is more than worth it.

On to the good news…

Guess what friends!? My mom had her biannual doctors appointment yesterday to go over her lab values and review the state of the disease and found out that the progression has stopped! She was given the 12-biomarker test of RA Disease Activity and scored a 96 out of 100 points! Showing that there has been very little activity among the disease. Although the disease is still prevalent, it isn’t worsening. That is such awesome news! Because of her proactive choices and discipline, she is showing RA who is boss rather than letting it defeat her.

My mom cooks the most beautiful vegan meals for my family every night and rather than thinking about the foods that she can’t have, she has added so many new, highly nutritious things that she might not have tried before.

If that’s not inspiration, I don’t know what is!  By taking care of our health and taking preventive action, we can choose our destiny rather than disease.

Happy almost Mother’s Day to my amazing mother! I am beyond blessed to have such a driven woman to look up to everyday.

Have a wonderful day!

Good health!

The post Happy Mother’s Day! appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.