Toxin-free coffee (review of Purity Coffee)!

I have a quirk (well, a few, if we’re being honest with each other.) The one that pertains to this blog post is called “supply chain flood.” It involves the tendency of this brain of mine to look at an object and immediately imagine the process that it followed to arrive in my world. For

Meal Replacement Drinks That Don’t Contain Folic Acid or Cyanide

Recently, I saw an ad on Instagram for a really delicious-looking meal replacement drink. I’m always looking for excellent options in this area, and so are many of my clients, so I clicked real quick! Let’s be honest: real, unprocessed foods are always preferred but when time or digestive function are lacking, you still gotta

“Eat a Bug” Class

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of teaching a class through Staunton’s Parks and Recreation called Bite a Bug.  Please read further about it in the Staunton Newsleader article, by Laura Peters. The title of the class, Bite a Bug, is not a play on words… we ate bugs… Lots of bugs!! Crickets, mealworms, giant water bugs,

Teasing out Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities are different than food allergies. Food sensitivities are reactions to the body’s environment and can change over time, whereas food allergies are there to stay for life. There are two kinds of inflammation: macro and silent. Macro inflammation happens when you sprain your ankle or wrench your back. It’s characterized by 4 adjectives:

Eat like your Great-Grandma did

Your genes have been in training for millions of years and each generation those ancestral nutrition lessons become more refined. The moment your very first great-great-great-great-parents ate their first meal, your body started learning what kinds of foods it needs to earn a grade of A++ in Feel Healthy School. Your DNA has been configured to function ideally when fed

Foods versus Foodstuffs #RepealTheSeal

This really boils my potatoes…. Very recently, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) decided a Kraft-made “cheese-like food” is ideal for kids! I can’t think of a move with less integrity… I’ve been anti-AND ever since I was offered McDonald’s at one of their conferences about 7 years ago… a nutrition conference sponsored by

Breakfast = reward

New research shows that eating a good breakfast — particularly one rich in protein — boosts a critical neurotransmitter, which may lower food cravings later in the day. When you eat, a burst of dopamine is initiated, which gives you the feelings of reward. “Dopamine levels are blunted in individuals who are overweight or obese,

Do you eat abused chickens?

Sorry to say, you probably do… after reading this, you might be compelled to go purchase your chicken from local farmers who treat the animals with compassion. Perdue proudly displays a seal of approval from the Department of Agriculture asserting that its bird are “raised cage free.” But, a farmer who actually raises Perdue chickens is incredulous!!

Sustainable meat

Enjoy the following excerpts from this article from the LA Times. It’s  a review of a book that makes a case for the sustainability of raising cows for their meat. It’s written by Nicolette Hahn Niman, who is co-owner of cattle farming company, a lawyer and a vegetarian. She believes that “cattle are necessary to the restoration and future

Legalizing Backyard Hens in Staunton

“Cluck” below to “chick” out the video presentation I created to explain why backyard hens should be made legal in Staunton. Staunton City Backyard Hen Advocates presented this video to City Council on October 23, 2014, after which City Council unanimously voted to move the proposal forward to the Planning Commission! <Spoiler alert: We won!