It all starts with what's on your fork!

"It all starts with what's on your fork!"

This is how Karen Malkin, National Board-certified Health & Wellness Coach and founder of Karen Malkin Health Counseling, opened our first KX3 AM Coffee Chat this morning. We were ready to take in every bit of healthy inspiration we could in our 45 minutes with Karen, and boy did she deliver a plethora of goodness and insightful guidance in response to everyone's questions. Also a Certified Eating Psychology Coach and Teacher, and a Certified Brain Health Coach (among her many other credentials), Karen emphasized the importance of establishing a healthy relationship with food, and then elaborated on the importance of phytonutrients, seasonal produce, and so much more.

I've wrapped up some of the key takeaways below, and included a few links to resources recommended by Karen. I encourage you to watch the video if you can—there are tasty little nuggets (pun intended) sprinkled throughout. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• While food is a necessity, consider what Karen calls your 7 Core Areas of Health.
• Planning your grocery shopping and food is just as important as planning your schedule and physical training (cook once—eat three times).
• Increase fiber-rich carbohydrates like quinoa, whole grains, sweet potatoes, beans.
• Watch or listen to the recording of our session with Karen to hear what she has to say about rice (video is posted here in the blog).
• Minimize storing foods and beverages in plastics. Heat, oils, and acidic foods leach chemicals out of the plastics and into your foods and then into your system.
• Think about what the animals you eat, are eating themselves. Look for those without hormones or antibiotics whenever possible.
• Aim for 5-9 cups of fruits and veggies per day #eattherainbow
  • All the colors are both pretty on your plate, and they change our cravings and cognition for the better!
• Aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day (see Tap Water Database).
• Start your days with high quality fats and protein = calm, stable fuel.
• For muscle recovery and to promote healing:
  • Omega-3's like salmon, walnuts, hemp/chia/flax seeds
  • Vitamin-C-rich foods like citrus, strawberries, oranges, and kiwis
  • Turmeric/Curcumin (16 parts) plus black pepper (1 part) enhances the absorption and can be added to savory foods, salads, veggies, proteins

RESOURCES

• Environmental Working Group
• The EWG's Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 (Get your free guides here)
• The EWG's Tap Water Database
• KarenMalkinHealthCounseling - Use code MCTFAMILY for a discount

Visit Karen's website for more than 450 healthy, delicious, and nutritious recipes, follow her on Instagram @karenmalkinhealth for continued inspiration, and she's also on Facebook at Karen Malkin Health Counseling.

One of my own personal favorite salads fits the bill! Fill your plate with ALL THE COLORS, add roasted salmon for protein, a little avocado for some healthy fat, and of course I still don't know where my blueberries came from ;) (reference in video)

The "Clean Fifteen" shown below. For the "Dirty Dozen" and to learn more about both, visit the link in the Resources above.