basil

Yesterday, I found myself searching for meal plans that nutritionists, bloggers, medical organizations and doctors shared for pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant. For whatever reason, I love seeing meal plans and getting an idea of what others are eating. Unfortunately, for the most part the meal plans were pretty terrible. They recommended oatmeal instead of eggs because of the fat content (um yeah, the omega-3s along with choline and vitamins A, E, D and K are kind of the point of eating eggs during pregnancy!), low-fat dairy products and a ton of fiber from “healthy whole grains.” Overall, the plans were very low in fat which is exactly the food a woman needs for optimal fertility. In fact, a study from Harvard found that women who ate two or more servings of low-fat dairy per day had an 85% higher risk of infertility than women who ate…

In doing research for this article, I found that these were some of the top “healthy fast food chains” simply because they offer low calorie options. Because it’s not 1979 and I actually know nutritional science, I’m calling bullshit on these chains. Low-calorie does not equate to healthy. In fact, if something is touted as low-calorie, you can almost guarantee it’s even more unhealthy. This is because low-calorie or low-fat options are usually loaded with chemicals like MSG and other “natural and artificial” flavors to enhance the taste. Food manufacturers also add sugar, artificial sweeteners and empty carbohydrates to these foods. When looking for healthy options, we need to stop looking at calories and fat content. We need to pay attention to the actual ingredients, which more often than not contain a ton of toxins, chemicals, GMOs, preservatives and all around horrible ingredients. Even though these chains are often considered healthy,…

I recently asked people on my Facebook page how much they spend on groceries and shared that I spend around $100 for my husband and myself. I was surprised to find that people were surprised by this and tell me that they spent way more than that for two people on non-organic food. I also know that it’s possible to spend even less than this, like if we didn’t have to buy wild seafood for Scott (but he doesn’t eat chicken or beef or turkey). This also includes the extras we get, like organic wine, dark chocolate and smoked oysters (which make the best snack). To be honest, I actually used to spend a shit ton of money on groceries. I’d go in without an idea and grab whatever looked good. I didn’t check sales, and I normally went to Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck, anyone?) because it was the nearest…

When I didn’t work from home, my coworkers would constantly ask how I managed to pack a healthy lunch every single day. It really doesn’t need to be complicated: a protein, a starch (read about why white rice is healthier than brown and is a paleo approved starch HERE), a veggie, a snack. Packing a healthy, paleo lunch is the easiest thing ever. AND IT SAVES A TON OF MONEY. Generally speaking, buying lunch everyday costs around $10, but packing your own 100% organic lunch is less than $5! The big problem with buying lunch is that you never really know the ingredients. When I didn’t work from home, occasionally I bought food from my favorite local lunch spot or from the cafeteria at work. I know the meat and vegetables were not organic, but even more than that, they likely used cheap, rancid vegetable oils, MSG, soy and wheat.…