IT'S NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH....LET'S GOOO!!!!!

I will be bringing nutritional nuggets to you in this blog all month long…and guess what: I’m not going to ‘harp’ on foods to avoid….we are all pretty clear on those, right? Instead, I’m going to help you fill your grocery cart and your Farmer’s Market basket with nutritious and delicious options that fuel, nourish, and protect every cell in your beautiful bod!

Ready? Let’s start with some Nutrition 101, and then look at a plan to set yourself up for success!

Truth #1: Your body will continue to feed until you give it all that it needs. How many times have you grabbed some pretzels or chips, only to be hungry again in 30 minutes? There’s a reason for that:  Empty foods leave us empty….and wanting more.  So, let’s try and shift the  focus to ADDING nutrition instead of simply SUBTRACTING the “bad” stuff. By crowding out foods that are void of nutrition and replacing them with foods high in vitamins and minerals, you can appreciate the positive benefits of a well nourished body…..better skin, hair, nails, clear mind, more energy, better sleep, better mood…..the list goes on and on.

Truth #2: It’s the QUALITY of your calories that matters. 

Here’s an example: avocados are high in calories, right? A bowl of cereal, on the other hand, has less calories than an avocado, but a bowl of cereal offers about zero nutrition, and a ton of sugar. An avocado, however, is loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber. It’s pretty clear what the healthier choice would be, but it might still be tempting to reach for the cereal if you are stuck on simply lowering calories. 

This is where the idea of “crowding out” really comes into play. “Crowding Out” is so important that I made it part of my online wellness program, “Build U”. https://www.lorizabka.com/buildu  Understanding that the quality of calories supersedes the quantity is an aspect of wellness that requires a change in mindset. An easy way to do this is to choose foods in their whole form, or as close to their whole form as possible and don’t shy away from healthy fats...Your body needs them!

Now, this all sounds great, right? But how to go about implementing the “Crowd it Out” principle in real life?

Here are some tips to set your home up for success:

1. Bring the “good stuff” to the forefront of your kitchen and make it the star of the show.

2. Get a cute basket and load it up with fruit for the family to grab.

3. Buy some fun jars or glass containers to display nuts or trail mix.

4. Bring the produce to the front of the fridge shelf so you’re more inclined to make a salad for lunch.

5. Place fresh spices in cute containers and leave them on the countertop so that you USE them when cooking.

6. Use a sprouting tray and grow your own sprouts in the kitchen windowsill.

7. Make a “kitchen garden” in an old whiskey barrel and grow your own lettuces, herbs, and tomatoes!

8. Get creative and find more ways to display all the good offerings, instead of just trying to hide the junk and crowd it out, because when it comes to a nutrition plan that sticks, addition is better than subtraction!!

I encourage you to turn your kitchen into a showplace for your stellar food offerings….and if you are on Instagram, take some pics of your countertops, fridge, or pantry and tag me! Let’s see how many kitchens we can transform during the month of March!

In Good Health,

Lori Z.