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Forget “Healthy” Eating

The concept of eating healthy has become so confusing

It is often based on bad science: one of the biggest examples was the low-fat diet which resulted in a highly refined carb and sugar-drenched-everything-from-soup-to salad-dressing leap into 20th century chronic diseases.
Or it chases contradictory data: eggs are bad, eggs are healthy. Butter is bad, margarine is good. Margarine is bad, butter is good. Soy is healthy, soy is bad…

“Healthy” diets and fads can be misleading

Touted by celebrities and “influencers” — paleo, vegan, keto, intermittent fasting – they catch on through social media yet often lack sound nutrition. Or are just not meant for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all diet. Every individual has unique genetics, physical activity, lifestyle pattern and stress levels.

Marketing persuades us to buy processed “healthy” foods 

In the grocery stores, in our entertainment, on every online channel, just everywhere we go we are drowned in persuasion to eat foods labeled to trick us: Gatorade, Cliff Bars, Veggie sticks…
How long (and how much disease) before the Impossible Burger is debunked like Crisco and trans-fat margarine?

Eating “healthy” is associated with deprivation

We go to extremes. We “go on a diet” based on restrictions and the false promise of calorie counting. We stop eating foods that give us pleasure. Which makes us want to eat them all the more. So we binge. Fall off the wagon. Feel guilty. And we go back to our old habits.

What to do?

Forget “healthy” eating. Nourish your body instead. 🌟

Instead of asking “is this healthy”? ask “am I giving my body the nutrients it needs?”

Keep it simple. Eat real food the way nature intended. That is how our amazing human body evolved over millions of years before the agrarian revolution when domestic wheat and grains began to change the way people ate.

  • Along the coasts – fish and seafood, seaweed and local plants
  • Inland – All varieties of animals from nose to tail, even bones and hooves nothing went to waste. All parts of plants: leaves, stalks, roots, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds
  • In some parts of the world, humans ate mostly animals like the Inuit: whale, seal…
  • In other areas they were vegetarian with a WIDE diversity of plants including herbs and spices

Bottom line: nature was the only source of food.

When you eat

  • carbs from plants
  • fats from nature
  • quality sourced animal products the way nature intended, giving thanks in the way of ancestral traditions

You give your body the nutrients it needs for optimal physical, mental and emotional health:

  • tissue building, enzyme making amino acids from protein
  • essential fatty acids
  • vital minerals
  • vitamins and powerful phytochemicals – the natural compounds that give plants color. Every color represents a family of preventative and healing compounds
  • fantastic fiber so necessary for gut health – center of the immune system and integral to brain health — and necessary for your body’s detoxification and elimination processes

How many foods from nature do you eat? How many colors from plants?

Skip the diet. Enjoy a delicious, nutritious lifestyle.

Here are some recipes to put it into practice:

5 Moroccan Tagines 

5 Delicious, Nutritious Chili

5 Delicious, Nutritious Meatloaves

10 Ways to Use Leafy Greens

For more empowerment:

Nutrient Dense Foods

Good Mood Food

Why Nutrient Density Matters – Chris Kresser

Updated from January 2023

5 Anti-Inflammatory Holiday Soups for Brain & Body

Holidays can be stressful. Sugar, heavy meals, and disrupted sleep often leave you feeling foggy or fatigued. Instead of restrictive detoxes, soups offer gentle nourishment that helps your brain and body recover.

Soups provide:

  • Stable blood sugar → more steady energy

  • Reduced inflammation → clearer thinking and calmer mood

  • Detox support → fiber and phytonutrients help the liver and gut

  • Convenience → meal prep makes eating brain-healthy easy

Moreover, soups allow you to eat more greens, beans, crucifers, and herbs, which are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

These soups feature brain-nourishing building blocks:

  • carbs from plants — greens, beans, onions, crucifers, rainbow vegetables & herbs
  • spices with powerful anti-inflammatory compounds

ProTip:
Add spices early (to release beneficial oils through heat + fat).
Add fresh herbs at the end (to preserve color, flavor, and micronutrients).

How to make this habit stick

  • double the batch to enjoy all week

  • freeze in mason jars for quick single servings

  • pair with protein if you need more staying power

🧠 Brain-Nourishing Habit:
Soups make it easier to eat more plants, more colors, more spices — without overthinking.

Winter Detox Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup –  Little Spice Jar

Flavorprint: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric
Benefits: blood sugar balance + detox support + warming spices

This soup is fragrant and nourishing. It’s easy to prepare in a slow cooker or on the stove.

Variations:

  • Swap sweet potato for butternut squash

  • Use canned beans instead of lentils

  • Add ground turkey or beef for extra protein

  • Top with mint and pistachios

Tumeric Broth Detox Soup – Feasting at Home

Flavorprint: turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin, cinnamon
Brain & body benefits: turmeric + ginger support inflammation pathways connected to mood, memory & immune balance

This bright golden broth is an easy base to personalize throughout the week:

  • add greens + legumes

  • add leftover chicken, rice + spinach

  • add shrimp + rice noodles for a nourishing brain-healthy protein boost

🧠 Brain Health Insight:

Turmeric’s active compound curcumin supports neuroplasticity and antioxidant pathways — which are both impacted by holiday stress and sugar.

Green Goddess Soup – Gimme Some Oven

Ever since she was a toddler, my daughter would ask for sopa verde (green soup). To this day it’s still one of her favorites.

Flavorprint: triple greens + lemon
Benefits: gut and liver support + anti-inflammatory

Broccoli, spinach, onions, and beans help feed your gut microbiome. Lemon adds flavor and detox support.

Add for texture & nutrient density:

  • sunflower or pumpkin seeds

  • chopped cilantro or parsley

  • lemon zest for extra detox-supportive flavonoids

Roasted Cauliflower Soup – Lemon Blossoms

Flavorprint: roasted cauliflower, garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaf, nutmeg, lemon
Benefits: anti-inflammatory + detoxification + immune support + gut-brain nourishment

I’m obsessed with the creamy, comforting deliciousness of this soup. Cauliflower is a powerhouse cruciferous vegetable that supports detoxification, immune health, and inflammation reduction. It’s rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, beta-carotene, and sulforaphane, helping protect the body from oxidative stress. Its high fiber content promotes healthy digestion and gut function, while the abundance of phytonutrients supports the immune system — keeping you resilient during the busy holiday season.

Health-boosting ingredients in this soup:

  • Garlic: sulfur compounds support detox pathways and reduce inflammation

  • Onion: antioxidants fight oxidative stress and support immunity

  • Bay leaf: aids digestion and supports detoxification

  • Thyme: antimicrobial, rich in antioxidants to reduce inflammation

  • Nutmeg: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, supports digestion and circulation

  • Lemon: brightens flavor and adds vitamin C for immune support

Together, these ingredients create a flavorful, nutrient-dense powerhouse that’s perfect for nourishing your body and brain during the holidays.

Drizzle with olive oil or a sprinkle of roasted seeds for extra healthy fats and texture. Freeze leftovers in mason jars for an easy grab-and-go brain-healthy meal.

Serving Tip:
Drizzle with olive oil or a sprinkle of roasted seeds for extra healthy fats and texture. Freeze leftovers in mason jars for an easy grab-and-go brain-healthy meal.

Peruvian Seafood Stew with Cilantro Broth – Feasting at Home

Flavorprint: cilantro, garlic, peppers, lime
Brain & body benefits: omega-3s + detox-supportive herbs + protein for steady blood sugar

Shrimp are a source of EPA + DHA essential fatty acids, which support cognitive function and inflammation balance — both especially important during disrupted holiday routines.

Cilantro contains polyphenols and flavonoids that support the body’s natural detox systems and may help reduce oxidative stress. Its bright flavor also lifts mood through sensory pleasure — which is a nutrient!

What’s Your Favorite Brain-Healthy Soup?

Share a recipe link or tag me if you make one — your ideas help others nourish resilience too.

For More Empowerment

25 Foods for Detox: Eat This Not That

The Ultimate Detoxification Foods: Dr. Mark Hyman

Updated – originally posted December 2020 

Festive Gorgeous Brain-Healthy Brunch

If you’re hosting a holiday brunch, here’s a beautiful, nutrient-dense menu that keeps energy steady, moods balanced, and digestion happy — without feeling “healthy.” This is joyful nourishment, not restriction.

Read more

A RESTART- Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner

Celebrating nature’s bounty and the season of giving thanks with a whole-foods, nutrient-dense RESTART friendly meal. Fourteen plant foods and a delicious bacon-wrapped turkey breast support your long-term strategy to make smart nutritional choices. Choosing to eat consciously, and enjoying it thoroughly.

Read more

Thanksgiving for Four

How to make a Thanksgiving meal for two, or for a family of four, without creating massive amounts of food that cannot be eaten?
This nutrient-dense, gourmet menu is a delicious celebration of fall harvest and traditional dishes in measured way: turkey, cornbread and sausage stuffing, butternut squash, and cranberries.

Read more

A Nourishing, Brain-Healthy Thanksgiving

Transform your holiday with a colorful, brain-healthy Thanksgiving menu designed for family wellness, calmer kids, and steadier energy for women in perimenopause and menopause. Real-food recipes, simple prep tips, and 23 vibrant plant foods to make this your most nourishing holiday yet.

Read more

Reclaim Your Energy Tip #1

Do you wake up tired? Do you feel exhausted before dinner time?  Did you know that food can sap or re-charge your energy?  What we eat and how we eat has a direct connection to feeling physically vibrant and emotionally balanced. These simple modifications can help you reclaim your energy.

  1. Eat a macronutrient ratio that best meets your body’s needs
  2. Eat mindfully

Eat a Macronutrient Ratio that Best Meets Your Needs

Macronutrients are the nutrients we need in big (“macro”) quantities: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Each of these play vital roles in providing our body with consistent energy. You can get an even flow of energy throughout the day if you find the best ratio for your body.

In general, this is the necessary range to fuel our energy and nourish our body:

  • Carbohydrate 30 – 40%
  • Fat 30 – 40%
  • Protein 20 – 50%

However, we are all different. The ideal carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake will vary based on your activity level, digestive health, age, etc. The key is to find your ideal macronutrient ratio, adjusting the percentage based on your individual need.

It sounds complicated. But it is quite simple when we pay attention to what we eat and how we feel 1 – 3 hours after eating.

Keep a Food and Mood Journal for 10 days. Track what you eat. Set a timer and 1 -3 hours later jot down how you feel physically and mentally using these guidelines:

 

 

 Right Macronutrient Ratio Wrong Macronutrient Ratio
Energy Level

 
  • Energy is restored after eating
  • Have long lasting sense of wellbeing after your last meal
  • Feel hungry soon after eatingLow energy, fatigue, exhaustion
  • Drowsiness
  • Hyper, jittery, anxious after your meal
  • Tired but wired
Mental/emotional wellbeing
  • Feel re-fueled or restored
  • Uplift in emotions
  • Improved clarity of mind
  • Normalization of thought processes
  • Mentally slow, sluggish, spacey
  • Unable to think clearly and quickly
  • Unable to focus
  • Depression or sadness
  • Hyper-anxious, obsessive behavior
  • Anger or irritability

Eat Mindfully

Paying attention to how you eat can also help reclaim your energy. Some ideas to eat mindfully:

  • Start with a brief silence and three deep breaths
  • Give an expression of gratitude or prayer of thanks
  • Take a moment to observe your food before you start eating — the smells, colors, textures and tastes. This sends signals to the brain to stimulate the digestive processes that will optimize your digestion and absorption.
  • Reflect on all that went in getting your food to your plate.
  • Slow down and chew thoroughly. This allows time for more complete breakdown of your food and better absorption of nutrients. It takes about 20 minutes after you begin eating for your digestive track to send the signals sent to your brain that say, “I’m full!”

Finding the best macronutrient balance for your individual need can provide consistent energy and reduce stress on your body. Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods is the most effective, and most enjoyable approach to reclaim your energy.

Want to know more? Join me for a FREE 30 minute online class: Reclaim Your Energy. Simply let me know in the comments. 😁

Examples of recipes with a good mix of macronutrients. These are great base recipes; change out the proteins and the veggies.

Breakfast

Breakfast Egg Muffins – Simply Quinoa

Lunch

How to Make Awesome Grain Bowls – Wholefully

5 Essential Tips for Non-Boring Salads – Hello Glow

Dinner

Sheet Pan Dinners – Cooking Classy

Crunchy Healthy Broccoli Salad

Some of the most nutrient-dense (nutrients per calorie) foods on the planet are:

  • Greens (including cruciferous like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage)
  • Beans
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Berries
  • Seeds/Nuts

Eating lots of these vegetables give us optimal amounts of immune-protective micronutrients that can fend of disease.

This salad combines 4 of those superfoods: broccoli, onions, nuts, and berries. It’s a delicious, nutritious way to eat more broccoli and change up dinner salad from leafy greens. Leftovers make a great lunch topped with some chicken and/or leftover grains.

Variations

  • Add leftover bacon, chopped
  • Add avocado, diced
  • Use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead of nuts
  • Use raisins or other dried fruit instead of cranberries
  • Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
  • Mix in arugula or baby spinach for a more robust salad
  • Add leftover quinoa, brown rice or other grain for a “meal salad”
  • Top with leftover chicken

9 Nutritious Ways to Reuse Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of my favorite dinners during the cooler months. One of the main reasons is because you can get two (or more) meals of out meatloaf. Here are ideas to repurpose your meatloaf into another meal.

  • Grain bowls with the roasted vegetables, topped with marinara or pesto
  • Shepherd’s Pie with the mashed cauliflower, potatoes or sweet potatoes
  • Stuffed peppers , or zucchini “boats”, or twice-baked sweet potatoes. Add tomato sauce and fresh herbs, top with cheese
  • Meatloaf tacos, mix with refried beans, and 1 – 2 dice tomatoes. Serve with toppings of choice: salsa, guacamole, plain Greek yogurt, jalapeños
  • Quinoa “lasagna”: layer cooked quinoa with chopped up meatloaf, mix 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk and pour over. Top with cheese and back at 350 until golden (40 – 45 minutes)
  • Meatloaf Fried Rice: chop up 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, and dice veggies (broccoli, green beans, bell peppers) and stir-fry with leftover rice, 2 -3 tablespoons soy sauce Serve with chopped green onion on top

Meatloaf Spaghetti | The Spruce Eats

Meatloaf Quesadillas | Cook’n with Mrs. G

Shepherd’s Pie | The Spruce Eats

Meatloaf Quiche | The Kitchen Magpie

More ideas for Leftover Meatloaf

8 Things You Never Thought to Make with Meatloaf

Left Meatloaf: 10 Winning Ideas

 

 

 

 

4 Delicious, Nutritious Meatloafs

Three reasons to love meatloafs. They are nutrient-dense, money smart and you can get two (or more) meals from them.

Nutrient Dense (nutrients per calorie)

Sustainably-sourced meat is rich in nutrients. Increase the nutrient density of your meatloaf by:

  • onion
  • chopped mushrooms
  • shredded carrot or zucchini
  • rice cauliflower
  • legumes  – lentils, black beans, white beans
  • herbs – cilantro, parsley, basil
  • spices – cumin, turmeric, paprika and more

“Red meat is an excellent source of both macro and trace minerals, particularly zinc and magnesium. In meats, these minerals exist in a form that is much easier for the body to break down and utilize than the minerals in grains and legumes. Red meats are rick in vitamin B12, so important for a healthy nervous system and blood, and in carnitine, which is essential for healthy functioning of the heart. Beef and lamb fat contain fat-soluble vitamins and small amounts of essential fatty acids, especially if these animals have bene allowed to graze on green grass. These fat-soluble acids are what your body needs to utilize the minerals in all foods. Lamb and beef fat are rich in linoleic acid, which has strong anticancer effects; both lamb and beef fat contain palmitoleic acid, which protects us from viruses and other pathogens.” — Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

Money Smart

By adding beans, vegetables, or grains  you can “stretches” one pound of ground beef twice as far. This makes sustainably-source meat more economical. Think of meat as a condiment rather than king of the plate.

Meatloaf is also time smart because you can bake at the same time with roasted vegetables. Just drizzle with olive oil mixed with minced garlic.

  • broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower
  • asparagus or green beans
  • bell peppers
  • potato and/or sweet potatoes
  • other root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga

The most delicious, nutritious option is to use different color veggies.

Or serve it with sweet potato puree or nutrient-rich mashed potatoes mashed with other root vegetables

  • cauliflower
  • carrots
  • turnips, rutabaga

Or add “mix ins” to your mashed potatoes

  • sautéed spinach or kale
  • leeks
  • mushrooms

Get additional meals with either the roasted vegetables (like grain bowls) or with the mashed potatoes  (Shepherd’s Pie)

2-for-1: Jumpstart another meal

Make two and freeze one for another day. Defrost before putting in the oven

Double recipe to repurpose into another meal later in the week:

  • Stuffed peppers , or zucchini “boats”, or twice-baked sweet potatoes. Add tomato sauce and fresh herbs, top with cheese
  • Meatloaf tacos, quesadillas or enchiladas
  • Spaghetti or chili
  • Quiche or fried rice

A couple of my favorite meatloaf recipes

You can use ground beef, bison, lamb, pork or turkey for these recipes.

Turkey Meatloaf with Apricots- Color My Food

Buffalo Meatloaf with Mushrooms – Epicurious

Mexican Meatloaf with Black Beans – The Spruce Eats

Quinoa Meatloaf – The Abundant Kitchen

What To Do?

✅ Make a double recipe: one for Sunday dinner and to repurpose into another meal later in the week

✅ Alternate Sunday dinner with either pork tenderloin or meatballs

🌟 12 nutrient dense recipes for Sunday dinners: 4 meatloaf + 4 pork tenderloin + 4 meatballs

 

 

 

 

Recipes

Crunchy Healthy Broccoli Salad

Some of the most nutrient-dense (nutrients per calorie) foods on the planet are:

  • Greens (including cruciferous like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage)
  • Beans
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Berries
  • Seeds/Nuts

Eating lots of these vegetables give us optimal amounts of immune-protective micronutrients that can fend of disease.

This salad combines 4 of those superfoods: broccoli, onions, nuts, and berries. It’s a delicious, nutritious way to eat more broccoli and change up dinner salad from leafy greens. Leftovers make a great lunch topped with some chicken and/or leftover grains.

Variations

  • Add leftover bacon, chopped
  • Add avocado, diced
  • Use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead of nuts
  • Use raisins or other dried fruit instead of cranberries
  • Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
  • Mix in arugula or baby spinach for a more robust salad
  • Add leftover quinoa, brown rice or other grain for a “meal salad”
  • Top with leftover chicken

Chicken and Veggies One Sheet Dinner

I found chicken one sheet dinners on Cooking Classy and have made innumerous variations depending on what vegetables I have on hand.

I prefer to cook the potatoes separately, to have the option of using just chicken and vegetables in other meals (such as tossed with pasta and pesto) so technically it becomes a 2-dish dinner.

Variations:
• Skip the potatoes
• Skip to tomatoes
• Use cauliflower instead of broccoli or both
• Use Brussels sprouts instead of broccoli, quartered
• Add 1 cup of green beans cut up
• Add fresh herbs after cooking, about 1/2 chopped basil, parsley or cilantro. Or 1/4 cup finely chopped rosemary

Check out Cooking Classy for many other Chicken and Veggie One Sheet Dinners.