diabetes Archives -

Last night my sister texted me a selfie of her attending the Cincinnati Master’s. She’s a tennis fanatic and was over the moon to be there live watching (the mostly vegan) Wimbledon winner, Novak Djokovic. Sports can be riveting! Watching athletes push themselves toward greatness, breathtaking. It’s always inspiring to hear about their journeys. Focus, drive and determination are consistent themes… as is a coach. Athletes are blessed with great physical gifts, but it’s not enough. Beside each of them is a coach. A coach draws on their experience, an outside perspective and expertise in their sport. Their direction is a compass on the road to greatness.

Now I’m not going to lead you to a gold medal or Wimbledon win, but what if I guided you to a more exhilarating life? I think this a natural parallel for me as a certified health coach and educator. I draw on not only my 20 + years of leadership in corporate America and my certifications in nutrition and wellness, but my personal experience in transitioning to a whole food plant-based diet.

For instance, when I switched abruptly to a meatless diet and substituted eggs and cheese for other protein, it wasn’t all clearer mind, brighter colors and feeling like I could take on the world. Much to my chagrin, a few months later, I was puffier, foggier, chubbier, stressed and irritable. I also suffered horrible bladder infections. Overall, I was just feeling crappy, but couldn’t go back to eating meat. Continue reading “Coaches Catapult Results”

Being in a hospital means more than getting medical care. It also can mean starting on a new path toward health—like quitting smoking or taking a
fresh look at your eating habits. Change is often born out of struggle, sadness or fears. That’s the way life works. We typically don’t make major pivots when things are going great, right?

In recent years I’ve found myself practically living in hospitals as I cared for loved ones who were in life & death struggles. I found it ironic that the food being served up to sick patients were foods that I would never eat, because I know how toxic and inflammatory they are.

One example is Magic Cups. It’s what the hospital dietician prescribed for my mom 3 times a day when she wasn’t eating well. I do understand that the intention was to get nutrition into her body, but could there be a better way?

Magic Cup: Ingredients: SKIM MILK, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PALM OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, STABILIZER (FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, GELATIN, MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 80, CELLULOSE GUM, CARRAGEENAN, XANTHAN GUM), VITAMIN AND MINERAL BLEND (DIMAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, MALTODEXTRIN, VITAMIN E ACETATE, NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, COPPER GLUCONATE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, POTASSIUM IODIDE, VITAMIN D3, CYANOCOBALAMIN), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MOLASSES, CARAMEL COLOR.

One of the things I love to do as a health coach is a pantry make-over. That’s when I come to your home and you give me a tour of what’s in your cabinet and fridge. We review foods and the ingredients in them. It’s an eye-opening experience full of aha moments and great take aways! So many of us don’t pay attention to what’s in our food or think about how highly processed foods can harm us, yet many people are aware that high fructose corn syrup is inflammatory and damaging to the body. That said, look what is the second ingredient in this “food” made by a pharmaceutical company. Yep, that’s correct, high fructose corn syrup. Not to mention the other toxic agents and chemicals I can’t pronounce. This is the conundrum of the current health care sick-care system. Continue reading “Surefire Way to Make a Hospital Stay a Teachable Moment”