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6 Simple Steps for Clean Eating

January 5, 2018 by Marla Leave a Comment

The holidays are over and the new year is upon us — a special and exciting time where we make ambitious plans for our next twelve months and dream of the possibilities.  The most popular resolution is improving health, and we usually are quite ready after the holidays.  As tasty as the holiday tidings are, they leave us feeling a little less on track with our goals than we’d like.

Those new healthy resolutions don’t have to be complicated, and they don’t have to end before February even arrives.  The key to looking and feeling your best is to keep it uncomplicated and simply focus on clean eating.  In case you’ve heard the term “clean eating” but haven’t quite understood what it means — clean eating is all about consuming healthy, whole foods and cutting out the processed junk. Whether you’re ready to jumpstart your clean eating now or you’re wondering what it takes to get started, we’ve got super-simple steps for a no-fail progression into clean eating.

1. Focus on your inner motivation
Whether you’re determined to race in the Boston Marathon next year, or you have seen first-hand the damages done by not eating well through relatives or friends that have suffered as a result of their eating habits.  Whatever it is that is motivating you to eat clean, bring it into your direct focus so you will be more successful in sticking to your clean eating plan. Write out your “why” on a note card and keep it where you’ll see it. This helps keep it fresh in your mind and keeps you motivated.

2. Reevaluate what you’re currently eating
Before you begin your clean eating journey, it helps to journal about what you’re eating before beginning. This way, you can truly see what it is you’re eating and look for patterns. After the stressful end of week push at the office, you might notice you’re more prone to ordering pizza, and you can take steps to head that off at the pass rather than fall into the same pitfall time and time again.

3. Set realistic, measurable and specific goals
When people make changes to things in their lives such as a change to their eating habits, they can set themselves up for significant failures if they don’t take it step by step. That means that if you want to be successful in the long-term, you should tackle one or two new things every 1-2 weeks, so you have a better chance of sticking to it. Don’t just say you’ll stop eating desserts forever. Instead, set a goal of only eating one small dessert per week, and go from there to decrease it further. It’s realistic, measurable and very specific.

4. Clean out your pantry
Sadly, most American pantries are filled with processed foods.  A good rule of thumb is to cut out anything that contains more than five ingredients on the label, and anything unnatural should go. If you have a lot of unopened items, donate them to a shelter.

5. Refocus your grocery shopping strategy
We’re creatures of habit, every one of us. When we go to the supermarket, we usually follow the same path every time. Shake things up and head straight for the produce section. You really should be avoiding almost all of the middle aisles of your supermarket anyway because that’s where those processed food pitfalls lurk!

6. Master meal prep
One of the easiest ways to dive right into clean eating is to prep your meals. You’ll find tons of healthy meal prep plans online that even give you shopping lists to use. If time is a factor, look for crockpot recipes that require you to dump in the whole foods in the morning and come home to a hot, delicious, clean and healthy meal every night!

It only takes small changes over time to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.  I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way, hit reply and let me know how you are feeling, and what you’d like to accomplish as your first step.  I’d love to hear your plans.

Want help and accountability on your whole foods journey? I’m here to help! Click here to schedule a complimentary consult with me to discuss your goals and how I can help you achieve them. Prefer getting together in a group? Check out the new classes I have coming up! They’re listed below.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and join the conversation in the Reclaimed Health Facebook group.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Autumn Foods That Naturally Ground You

October 2, 2017 by Marla Leave a Comment

Autumn has arrived! And with it comes the busy back-to-school season quickly followed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. If you’re anything like me this last part of the year flies by in a whirl. Because of this, it can feel like your packed schedule is controlling you rather than the other way around. You’re pulled in many different directions and you just want a moment to catch your breath.

Autumn is a beautiful season that prepares us for the Winter Rest. The days are growing shorter, the temperature is getting cooler and grounding foods are in season. These foods provide comfort and can help us re-balance when we’re feeling out of control.

Here are a few of my favorites…

Pumpkin and squash

These are two traditional autumn foods but they’re also exactly what we should be eating to ground ourselves. They are soothing comfort foods that nourishes both body and soul. These foods are the ideal way to add a touch of sweetness to a meal and a much better alternative to chemical-laden artificially sweetened items.

But don’t fall for the pumpkin spice craze that takes over every year! Those highly processed foods rarely contain any real pumpkin but rather are full of artificial ingredients which destroy health rather than build it.
Tune-in to the next Weird Food Wednesday episode on October 4th for a yummy pumpkin recipe!

Root vegetables

Vegetables that fall into this category are sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, garlic, and ginger. They add great flavor to your meal. Ginger aids digestion and garlic is a natural immune booster. Just what we need in the winter months. Interesting how that works, right? Foods that grow as roots in the ground are naturally rooting and grounding. Nature is amazing.

PRO TIP:
Think you don’t like beets? Try golden beets.
They have less of that “dirt” taste so many people object to.

Naturally Fermented Foods

Raw sauerkraut is perfect to add some sourness to your autumn meals while also strengthening your gut health. They are excellent sources of probiotics for gut health (hurray for a boosted immune system during flu season!). They also contain prebiotics that feed the good bacteria in your gut. Some other naturally fermented food items include kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and pickles to name a few.

If you’re not yet ready to try making your own fermented foods (which is easy, by the way) look at brands like Bubbies pickles and sauerkraut which are naturally fermented, NOT pickled. Pickling involves cooking the food and does not contain probiotics. If vinegar is in the ingredient list the food was likely pickled not fermented. Look for foods that just have water, salt and maybe a few spices. The label will likely state that it’s raw.

Add on the proteins

Proteins from high-quality foods give you the nutrients you need to build strong muscle while also feeling more grounded. We tend to crave more substantial meals this time of year due to their grounding effect which is why hearty stews and soups are so popular. Are there any plant-based proteins you have meant to experiment with in the kitchen? Now is a perfect time to be adventurous and try something new.

Remember Lifestyle Habits, too

Aside from eating foods that naturally ground you, there are other ways you can enjoy feeling grounded.

Being in nature has a natural grounding effect — so take a walk outside as often as possible to breathe in the crisp air and enjoy the colorful scenery.

Breathing exercises help with feeling more grounded and calm, so focus on your breathing throughout the day and take note if you’re breathing freely or holding your breath often. When you notice you’re holding your breath, take a moment to practice a short breathing exercise.

I recently learned of a helpful tool called the Spire which tracks your breathing and alerts you if you’re in a stressed breathing pattern. You can then go through a quick breathing exercise to reduce stress and restore calm. Who doesn’t need that this time of year! I’ll have a review of the device in a coming newsletter so be on the lookout. In the meantime, if this sounds like a useful tool you can read more about it here  (affiliate link).

Do you struggle with feeling grounded this time of year? If so, I’d love to hear your solutions! Join the conversation in the Reclaimed Health Facebook group and share your grounding and stress management tips.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

My new favorite toy – the FitDesk!

January 7, 2016 by Marla Leave a Comment

DRAFT

FitDesk
FitDesk makes exercise so easy!

Between school, work and building a new business, I spend WAY too much time on the computer! I happened to catch the FitDesk on an Amazon Deal of the Day and since I had enough points from my Amazon credit card (which, btw, is paid in full every month – no debt for me!) I decided to treat myself to a new desk.

A full review is coming shortly, but for now just know I really like this desk!

Check out the FitDesk here: http://amzn.to/1Rvx7H4 (affiliate link)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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Marla Evans
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