When we are children, we are constantly hearing our parents saying that we're not eating enough, and in some cases, it's that we're eating too much.

What starts to happen is that when you're a child between the age of zero and six or seven, you don't have any perspective. Psychologically, you are not able to put things into question, especially if it comes from an adult that is important in your life.

So, when your parents tell you...

• You aren't eating enough
• Eat for me
• Do it because I spent so much time doing this for you
• Normally you like that, why aren't you eating it?

...then you think you're not a good person for not eating it or for not finishing your plate, or maybe even for not thinking about the little children in Africa that are hungry.

What happens overtime, is that physically you start not trusting your body and your natural sense of satiety, which is extremely important because we all have that naturally within ourselves. We all know when we're full, we all...

Is Guinness Healthy?

Guinness originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. Jame's Gate, Dublin, Ireland. In 1759, at the age of 34, Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin. He leased the brewery for 9000 years at an annual rent of £45. Guinness is a type of ale known as stout. Guinness stout is made from water, barley, roast malt extract, hops, and brewer's yeast. A portion of the barley is roasted to give Guinness its dark color and characteristic taste. It is pasteurized and filtered. In addition to delicious flavor and creamy taste, it may also have some health benefits!

It has antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory. Antioxidants found in the Guinness are similar to those found in red wine. The flavonoids in it give it its health benefits. These flavonoids fight free radicals in your body and can reduce your risk for heart disease and some cancers. A 2003 study claimed that a pint of Guinness could cut the risk of blood clots forming...

You know that feeling, an intense urge to eat a sugary, salty, or fatty type of food. Just thinking about it makes you feel excited.

There are no hunger pangs, rumbly tummy, or fatigue, which are the natural hunger signs. Only an urge to fulfill a desire. These desires are called cravings, and they can pop up at any minute.

What Are Cravings?

Food cravings are a strong desire to eat sugary, salty, or fatty types of food, which often seem uncontrollable, leaving you unsatisfied until you get what you want. 

Over 90% of the world's population experiences food cravings, and we all experience them differently.

Studies have shown that men and women crave different kinds of food.

Men are more likely to crave savory foods like meat, fish, and eggs. If men do crave sweets, they typically go for sugar-sweetened beverages. 

However, women crave mostly sweet foods like chocolate, cakes, and ice cream. The same studies have shown that women more frequently report experiencing cravings...

Insulin Resistance, I'm sure you've heard this term before! It might have been on that commercial, blaming people's inability to lose weight on their insulin resistance. This is partly true! Losing weight when you're insulin resistant is very hard to do, but it's not as simple as that and cannot be fixed with a pill like the commercial makes it seem.

How We Use Insulin

Before we talk about insulin resistance, we need to talk about insulin sensitivity and how our body uses insulin.

1. Minimize insulin release. This occurs when your body is highly sensitive to insulin. Only a small amount of insulin is necessary to effectively and efficiently clear glucose from your blood to its storage sites. This is great news because your body has a tough time burning fat in the presence of insulin. The less insulin you have floating around, the better.

2. Quick and efficient blood sugar clearance. Again, this will occur when your body is highly sensitive to insulin.

3. Maximize glycogen uptake....

Imagine a world without the sun's heat and light…life on Earth would not exist.

Up to 50% of the world's population might not be getting enough sun, leaving many people deficient in vitamin D, the only nutrient your body produces when exposed to sunlight.

This is partly because people are spending more time indoors, wear sunscreen outside, and eat a diet low in quality sources of vitamin D.

With world-wide attention focused on the importance of vitamin D, here’s what you need to know.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a micronutrient that is needed for optimal health throughout your whole life.

It is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it dissolves in fat/oil and can be stored in the body for long periods of time. There are two main forms, D2 and D3; D3 being more effective.

Vitamin D is also unique, because it is both a nutrient we eat, and a hormone that our body makes from exposure to sunlight, which is why it is often named the ‘sunshine’ vitamin. 

...

It's fizzy, flavorful, and easy to drink on a hot summer day! Hard or spiked seltzers are undeniably the drink of the summer!! Just like everything else we eat and drink, here at The Limitless Lifestyle Academy, we like to know WHAT is in our summertime beverages. The more you know, the better decision you'll be able to make about what you're drinking this summer.

What is it?

You might be surprised to find out that your favorite hard seltzer does not contain a distilled spirit, such as vodka or gin. How is that possible? Hard seltzers are actually classified as flavored malt beverages. They're similar to a very famous hard lemonade or Smirnoff Ice and are produced similarly to beer. YES, beer! Which is why you see breweries making their own hard seltzer! 

A little sugar is added to carbonated water (seltzer) and then fermented using yeast. The yeast likes the sugar and creates the alcohol in the beverage. Some companies may also use barley or rice as a fermentable base instead...

After teaching my class yesterday morning, I made a trip over to Basil Bandwagon (I love this place!) to get a fresh Blueberry Protein Smoothie. As I entered the store, there was a display of this product.  It piqued my curiosity because I am always looking for different ways to feed my body awesome stuff and share it with my peeps.

As soon as I got home, I pulled out my juicer and ninja to make my smoothie.  Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: In the juicer (If you do not have a juicer, no worries, you can put all ingredients into your smoothie blender, it will just have a different consistency

• 1 “ fresh ginger (unpeeled, peeled if you are not using a juicer)
• 12” English cucumber (unpeeled, peeled if you are not using a juicer)
• ½ of a lemon skin removed (if not using a juicer, remove seeds)
• 1 granny smith apple, cut in 4 pieces (unpeeled, peeled, and pitted if you are not using a juicer)

Run them all through the juicer. 

Step 2: In the Ninja:

• 8...

We all know the feeling…

You find a fabulous recipe, so you invite your friend over for dinner to try it out.  The oven is pre-heated, and you’re halfway through preparing.  You open the spice drawer or cabinet.  You scan, spin, check, move, spin again.  You can’t believe it; you are missing the ONE essential spice for your recipe!  

“I know it’s here,” you think to yourself as you search deeper, past the 2 bottles of cumin and 3 half-empty red pepper flakes.

Aggravated, you throw your hands up in the air as you think, “I just got back from the grocery store. I’ve no time to run back out.” 

ARGH!

What now? ‍

But then you recall printing out that handy-dandy Spice Substitute Guide!

Phew!

If you relate to this story, download the Free Spice Substitute Guide here & cook on!

Summer is all about fun with vacations, parties, BBQs, and picnics! This year we will be able to enjoy all of these things. While summer is a time for fun, many things can derail your wellness journey. Peer pressure, over-processed food, food high in fat and carbs, plus alcohol, but It doesn’t have to be that way.

At food camp, we track macros; keeping track of how much protein, fat, and carbs you’re getting can help you stay consistent with what you’re eating. The more consistent you are, the happier your body will be.

Not only do food campers track macros, but they also learn about what they’re eating. This is the educational component of Food Camp; if you know better, you do better. You don’t have to be perfect at tracking macros over the summer, but thinking about what’s in your food may help you make better choices.

This month, we went over typical summertime BBQ and picnic foods. The goal was to make balancing food choices easier for our...

Join Chef Ro in her fabulous kitchen with other ladies of the Limitless Community!

Ro will teach you her secret tips and tricks to make the perfect homemade pasta and easy gnocchi made with ricotta cheese (high protein) instead of potatoes (high carb)

And yes!  It's ok to eat pasta!  We teach you how to eat anything you want, and maintain a healthy and fit body.

Join Ro for more at our upcoming Spring Cleaning for Body, Mind & Life Virtual Retreat for Women on April 24th and 25th.  And don't worry if you can't make the whole thing...it will be recorded and sent to you after the retreat!