Easy Lunch Recipes

Lunch is an extremely important meal, but it’s also unfortunately one of the main meals that we neglect. We’re usually busy working and feel like we don’t have the time to put together a proper lunch. Here are a few easy lunch ideas for a protein type! Let me know if you make any of them and what you think!

Steak Strips & Spinach Salad

Steak Strips

• Melt some grass-fed butter or ghee in a pyrex dish
• Add 1/4lb or less of steak strips
• Broil in the oven with Celtic salt, pepper, and Italian spices (oregano, thyme, basil, garlic) 

Spinach Salad

• 1-2 cups baby spinach salad
• ¼ sliced avocado
• ½ cubed pear
• 8 walnuts
• Generous sprinkle of goat or sheep feta cheese
• Add balsamic vinegar, Celtic salt, olive oil, and pepper

Roast Beef & Hummus Tacos

• 4 large romaine lettuce leaves doubled up to make two sturdy lettuce boats
• Add ¼ lb or less of natural deli roast beef
• Add hummus made with olive oil or no oil added, 6-8 sliced black olives,
• Generous sprinkle of grated Gouda goat or sheep cheese Side of celery/carrot sticks

Roast Beef & Pear Salad

• ¼ lb or less of roast beef
• Spinach salad with ½ avocado, ½ pear, celery, onion, 8 walnuts, and crumbled goat or sheep cheese
• Add Celtic salt, Italian seasoning, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (optional)

Turkey Patty Lettuce Boats

• 2 turkey patties cooked in grass fed butter or ghee, spices and coconut aminos 
• 4 large romaine lettuce leaves doubled up to make two sturdy lettuce boats 
• 1 tbsp Kensington mayo, ½ avocado sliced or spread over top Sprinkle of goat or feta cheese and tomato slices 
• Side: sliced fermented pickle

Broiled Chicken Apple Salad

• ¼ lb or less chicken thighs sliced and broiled in an oven with a small amount of chicken broth, Celtic salt and Italian spice blend 
• Add 10-12oz mixed blend of organic greens with ½ chopped apple, chopped celery, 1tbsp crumbled sheep or goat feta, 10 roasted salted almonds, and small handful of sunflower seeds

Tuna Veggie Bowl

• 1 can of tuna with 1 tbsp Kensington mayo
• Finely chopped vegetable blend of celery, carrot, spinach, onion, artichoke hearts, olives, parsley and cilantro
• Mix with Celtic salt, pepper and olive oil, then blend with tuna and top with sheep feta
• 8 or less of Mary’s Gone Crackers Gluten Free “Real Thins,” for dipping

Golden Cassava Pizza

• 2 Cassava tortillas toasted until crispy in the oven
• Top with generous amount of grated or crumbled sheep cheese, small chunks of chicken or steak, fresh parsley, cilantro, tomato, and sauted onion and olive oil

Cassava Chili Tortilla

• ¼ lb or less of chicken thighs or steak tips broiled with ghee, celtic sea salt, pepper and chili spice blend
• Shred in a blender 2 cassava tortillas warmed in the oven, positioned together in a bowl to keep them folded like a taco
• Add a layer of mixed chopped greens, crumbled goat cheese, avocado, tomato, and cilantro, then chicken over top

Turkey Bacon Crisp

• 1-2 slices toasted quality gluten free bread 
• Kensington mayo 
• 3 slices of high quality turkey deli, one slice of broiled Wellshire Farms turkey bacon 
• 4 thinly sliced cucumbers soaked in balsamic vinegar (optional) 
• Top with 1-2 romaine lettuce leaves (make 1-2 open faced sandwiches based on hunger)

Egg Salad Crisp

• 1-2 slices toasted quality gluten free bread 
• 1-2 boiled eggs mashed with Kensington mayo, finely chopped onion, celery, parsley, and cilantro
• Spread over toasted gluten free bread
• Add paprika, celtic salt, pepper and ¼ thinly sliced avocado Top with 1-2 romaine lettuce leaves (make 1-2 open faced sandwiches based on hunger)

Happy healthy eating! 

All symptoms are warnings that there is a breakdown in your body. How will you choose to take control of this information and react? 

What is a Stress? 

• A force that tends to strain or deform 
• A physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension, and may be a factor in the cause of disease

Identifying The Stressors 

Lets talk about some different stressors in our lives. The past two or so years of unprecedented times added so much stress to our lives, on top of those everyday stressors we were already dealing with. Some possible things that might be stressing you out are: 

• Work
• Relationship problems
• Physical pain
• Lack of sleep
• Toxic exposure
• Chronic illness
• Physical pain
• Spinal problems
• Money
• Food allergies

These are just the obvious stressors! There are also the stressor like bacteria, parasites, and allergies that we could also unknowingly be impacted by. 

Let’s shift gears now and talk about how the body deals with stress…

We know all that certain organs and glands perform particular functions in the body.  For example, the heart pumps blood through our system, the liver acts as a filter from toxins and waste. 

Whenever your body is under stress, your adrenal glands produce a hormone called Cortisol. 

There are many different hormones in the body that work synergistically together and play a part in over-all health. In fact, we all have a Master hormone which I will refer to as P.

P is considered the master hormone because it converts to most of our other hormones.  On one hand it is converting to Cortisol, but on the other it is converting to another important hormone called DHEA. I like to refer to Cortisol as the bandit of all hormones because it STEALS from the pathway that produce many other hormones. Every time your body is exposed to that stressor, it is demanding cortisol –  it is pulling from our master hormone P to make more C and depleting D. 

The Pillars of Health & Beyond 

• CHEMICAL – Environmental Pollutants, Toxic Food, Smoke, Heavy Metals, Drugs (pharmaceutical and recreational),  Vaccines, Infections, etc. 
• PHYSICAL – Fractures, Muscle Injuries, Nerve Compression, etc. 
• EMOTIONAL/MENTAL – Fear, Excitement, Worry, Anxiety, etc. 
• SITUATIONAL – Job, Family, Location (factors not easily changed or avoided)

How We React To The Stressors 

What’s important to note is that stress is inevitable. How we REACT to the stressors is what is more important. Here are a few things to consider in regard to those reactions:

• What We Eat: Simple Carbohydrate ingestion leads to rapid elevations in blood sugar which ultimately leads to ups & downs and irregulation of insulin and cortisol responses.” Too much sugar, processed fats, skipped meals, not enough pure water, etc. 
• How We Digest:  Overeating, poor digestion, toxin producing bacteria, and yeasts (maldigestion) 
• How We Assimilate: Decreased absorption, rapid transit time, inflammation, etc
• How We Eliminate: Constipation, faulty detoxification 
• What We Do: Occupation, exhaustion, toxic workplace
• How We Breathe: Shallow breathing, smog, smoke
• What We Think: How we perceive an event, rather than the even itself, is most important in generating a stress response”. Negative thoughts, attitudes, emotions 
• What we inherit: Genetic weakness, e.g. adrenal insufficiency, headaches, allergies

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

1. Knowledge – Learning about the function of your body

Now that you have more insight on the stress your body endures, we can formulate a plan for how to combat this stress. It’s important to be empowered by this new knowledge and make an action plan with me to determine next steps.

I always tell all of my clients you must become a self nurturer and have some faith and trust in your body’s own ability to heal. That’s when the magic starts!

To embark on your healing journey, visit my contact page to get started!

 

Millions of Americans suffer from food sensitivities. Lingering health problems such as these listed are often related to specific immune reactions to the foods we eat.

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Migraine & Other Headaches
• ADD
• Chronic Diarrhea
• Heartburn/GERD
• Weight Imbalances
• Chronic Fatigue
• Joint Pain
• Muscle Pain
• Arthritis
• Insomnia
• Fibromyalgia
• Skin Eruptions
• Chronic Sinusitis

From a functional nutrition approach, when I begin working with clients I help them identify the foods that are making them sick and the foods that are making them well. The first thing a food sensitivity sufferer needs to do is identify trigger foods, and food chemicals. The LEAP (Lifestyle Eating And Performance) MRT Food Sensitivity Test can help you do that. LEAP has helped thousands of people across the country turn years of suffering into bright, happy, healthy futures.

After conducting the LEAP Test, together we’ll identify the best foods for you to eat that will leave you feeling better, and of course, loving your life!

Here are some more details on LEAP MRT Testing:

“MRT is the only sensitivity blood test in the entire world that quantifies the degree of the inflammatory response in sensitivity pathways. That means in addition to identifying the foods with the highest degree of reaction, more importantly, MRT is able to identify the foods that have the lowest degree of reaction (in sensitivity pathways). Immunologically speaking, the least reactive MRT foods are your best foods (as long as you have taken account of any food allergies and celiac disease). The least reactive MRT tested foods have the highest probability of being well-tolerated. And if they are foods you like to eat, which they usually are, those are the foods that will form the basis for the multi-phased LEAP eating plan. This feature of MRT eliminates the guesswork and makes building a healthy diet much easier. LEAP then builds a diet in a systematic and controlled way (phased approach), allowing you to implement dietary changes with a great deal of success.” – LEAP Eating Plan

Do you feel like you might have a food sensitivity that is making you sick? Let’s chat – I’d love to help you.

Have you gotten used to reaching for sugary cereal and an OJ to start your day? Consider this:  your body can only handle approximately 1tsp. of sugar in the blood stream at any given time. Any more than that and you’re in trouble. One 12 ounce glass of OJ provides a whopping 8 teaspoons! So what happens? In a nutshell, the pancreas has to work on over-drive to produce enough insulin to regulate the amount of sugar entering the blood stream at any given time. The body interprets this constant demand on the pancreas as an internal stress and alerts your adrenals to get involved. Your adrenals are what produce the “fight or flight” hormone called cortisol to help your body deal with stress appropriately. In normal amounts, cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory and natural pain reliever. The problem is, when this hormone is being produced on a consistent basis, and in high amounts, it has the reverse affect. It starts to cause inflammation and pain!  

Once you’ve started this cycle, it can be hard to get out of because your body starts to crave the very thing that is causing the stress response….SUGAR!   Do yourself a favor and cut out the sugar – that means carbohydrates folks. Try to eat more healthy proteins, fats, and low starch vegetables. In fact, give up the cereal for your morning breakfast all together and try replacing it with these instead:   

1. High Protein Shake:
   • 8-10 ounces of Coconut Milk (found in the dairy section at Whole Foods) or Almond Milk
   • ½ avocado 
   • 4 ounces FAGE Greek yogurt (found in dairy section at Whole Foods – full fat please) 
   • 1 raw egg (organic free range) ….if your queasy about a raw egg, replace it with some almond butter – no peanut butter though!
   • 1/2tsp of stevia or xylitol 
   • Blend together!
2. Free Range Eggs: Scramble, Soft Boil, or Fry Eggs, 2 cups Steamed Kale or Spinach, 1/2 Sliced Avocado
3. Any of these other 9 Protein Shakes!

Be creative and try something different – just don’t go for that bagel with cream cheese, muffin with butter, or slice of toast and jam. 

Need ideas or help with your nutrition plan so you can start living your best life? I am a functional nutrition and wellness consultant based in Greater Boston – I’m available for in person or remote consultations. Reach out anytime.

Nutrition Response Testing is a non-invasive system of evaluating the body in order to determine the underlying causes of health complaints or imbalances. This technique is probably very different from anything you might have experienced before and might at first seem a little strange. Unlike a blood test or tissue sample, which is very cut and dry and tangible, Nutrition Response Testing is an evaluation of the body’s nervous system – It is an “energetic test,” using your own body’s bio-feedback.

This technique analyzes different areas on the surface of the body that relate to the state of health and to the flow of energy in each and every organ and function of the body. For instance, there are certain points on the body that correspond to an organ, tissue, or function. By applying very slight pressure to those points, a practitioner is able gage the effect that energy or lack of energy is having on these specific areas, and in effect, helps identify exactly what the body needs to obtain balance and optimal health.

Nutrition Response Testing is not used to diagnose or treat disease, but rather to assess your body’s current state of health. Using real food nutrition i.e., safe, natural, nutritional means, we can then help the body repair itself and to attain more optimum individualized health with each visit.

Are you interested in learning more? Get in touch with me.

Aubrey is a Clinical Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and owner of Living Balance Wellness, based in Greater Boston. She is an avid speaker and has an up-coming book “The Pantry Make-Over.” She has been involved in the health and wellness field for over 15 years.

As a child and young adult Aubrey was frequently sick. She experienced chronic bronchitis, ear infections, was underweight, and had symptoms of type-2 diabetes. She suffered from chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and depression, and caught every cold or flu that was going around. Traditional medicine did not offer Aubrey any definitive diagnosis of her symptoms, and they continued to persist. It wasn’t until she was dismissed by a physician when in her early 20’s and abruptly handed a prescription for Prozac that Aubrey decided to take matters into her own hands. Aubrey’s journey to wellness began as a certified herbalist and she later achieved a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. She is also certified in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition which allows her to order clinical tests such as saliva for hormonal function, blood for allergy testing and stool for pathogen infection. In addition, Aubrey provides hair mineral analysis and Metabolic Typing, a form of genetic testing focused on the nervous system function. She is one of only 19 Metabolic Typing Advisers in New England.

With her clients, Aubrey works with specific foods and nutrients to restore balance to the body. Her approach is unique, in that she determines a person’s genetic nutritional requirements based on their individual metabolic make-up. Aubrey is successful in helping many of her clients determine the root cause of chronic health complaints that may have otherwise gone unexplained or undiagnosed. She specializes in:

• Type II Diabetes
• Candida
• Chronic Fatigue
• Digestive Issues
• Anti-Aging
• Weight Loss
• Celiac Disease
• Food Allergies

Contact Aubrey and schedule your orientation session to get started on your health goals!

I recently wrote about how stress can impact your adrenal glands and what that could mean for your body and how you’re feeling. To maintain proper adrenal function, it is imperative to control your blood sugar levels and the following guidelines will help you do that:

• Eat a small meal or snack every three to four hours.
• Eat within the first hour upon awakening.
• Eat a small snack near bedtime.
• Eat before becoming hungry. If hungry, you have already allowed yourself to run out of fuel (low blood sugar/ hypoglycemia), which places additional stress on the adrenal glands.

An excessive ratio of carbohydrates to protein results in excess secretion of insulin, which often leads to intervals of hypoglycemia. The body, in an attempt to normalize blood sugar, initiates a counter-regulatory process during which the adrenals are stimulated to secrete increased levels of cortisol and adrenalin. It follows that an excessive intake of carbohydrates often leads to excessive secretion of cortisol. This contributes to chronic cortisol depletion and consequently, adrenal exhaustion. Reduced DHEA is an early sign of adrenal exhaustion.

In order to stabilize blood sugar, you must maintain a balance between two hormones, glucagon and insulin, which are produced by the pancreas. Protein in the diet induces the production of glucagon. Carbohydrates in the diet induce the production of insulin. Insulin promotes fat (energy) storage. When excess carbohydrates are eaten, the body produces large quantities of insulin and little glucagon. This high level of insulin results in more fat being formed and stored.

When insulin is high and glucagon is low, the adrenals are called upon to produce excess cortisol as a back-up response to help raise blood sugar in the absence of adequate glucagon. This occurs at the expense of the adrenal glands, contributing to adrenal exhaustion.

Balance Your Meals

The optimal level of insulin to glucagon is achieved by a diet that contains carbohydrates balanced with proteins in a ratio of approximately two to one, that is, approximately two grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein and gram of fat per meal or snack. 

The Role of Fat

A small amount [3/4 tsp. to 1 tsp.] of fat (butter) or cold pressed vegetable or seed oil should be a part of each meal in order to help control the rate of entry of glucose (blood sugar) into the bloodstream.

In order to make balancing this glycemic control diet easier, you can purchase books containing nutritive value charts, as well as ones containing a glycemic index These charts will enable you to quickly locate foods you would like to eat, and help determine whether they are in appropriate balance for your meals.

Making the Most of Meal Balancing

As there is no exact dietary balance that applies to all people, it is critical to understand each person’s role in the development of an ideal eating plan. In order to determine how well a blood sugar balanced diet is working, one must pay attention to one’s own body.

For example, if you feel mentally and physically alert throughout the day, this is generally a good sign that you are eating frequently enough and in the right balance. Eating small, carefully balanced meals every 4-5 hours will preclude hunger and fatigue in most people. It is up to each person to become aware of how they respond to the meals they eat. A properly balanced meal with good digestion and absorption should sustain mental and physical energy for 4-6 hours.

Need guidance on balancing your meals for blood sugar control? Get in touch with me!

These days, we’re all under stress almost every day, which is not easy on the adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys. They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamine, including cortisol and adrenaline.

When the adrenals are tired, the body may experience a number of different symptoms. I test for these via an Adrenal Stress Profile Test.

Are you tired, or getting sick often?

The Adrenal Stress Profile tests your hormone and immune system function. Compromised adrenal and hormone function can result in the following symptoms:

*       Anxiety, depression                                     * Sleep disturbances

*       Immune system stress                                * Poor Concentration

*       Thinning premature aging skin                  * Memory Lapses

*       Heart disease/arteriosclerosis                   * Hotflashes

*       Irregular menstruation                               * Night Sweats

*       Vaginal dryness                                            * Slow Healing

*       Painful intercourse                                       * Reduced Libido

*       Lethargy / fatigue                                          * Loss of Appetite

*       Unexplained weight gain

Numerous health complaints can be relieved, if not resolved, through hormone testing and therapy. Symptoms are the LAST thing to appear when there is an imbalance in the body. They are the RED LIGHT on your on your engine. Don’t wait to treat the symptoms. Get to the underlying cause. With a simple saliva test, you can test 11 different hormones in the body and determine how your internal system (specifically your adrenal function), is responding to stress.

Common Causes Of Adrenal Stress

• Anger
• Fear
• Worry/anxiety
• Depression
• Guilt
• Overwork/ physical or mental strain
• Excessive exercise
• Sleep deprivation
• Light-cycle disruption
• Going to sleep late
• Surgery
• Trauma/injury
• Chronic inflammation
• Chronic infection
• Chronic pain
• Temperature extremes
• Toxic exposure
• Malabsorption
• Maldigestion
• Chronic illness
• Chronic-severe allergies
• Hypogycemia
• Nutritional deficiencies

Associated Symptoms And Consequences Of Impaired Adrenals

• Low body temperature
• Weakness
• Unexplained hair loss
• Nervousness
• Difficulty building muscle
• Irritability
• Mental depression
• Difficulty gaining weight
• Apprehension
• Hypoglycemia
• Inability to concentrate
• Excessive hunger
• Tendency towards inflammation
• Moments of confusion
• Indigestion
• Poor memory
• Feelings of frustration
• Alternating diarrhea and constipation
• Osteoporosis
• auto-immune hepatitis
• auto-immune diseases
• Lightheadedness
• Palpitations [heart fluttering]
• Dizziness that occurs upon standing
• Poor resistance to infections
• Low blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Food and/or inhalant allergies
• PMS
• Craving for sweets
• Dry and thin skin
• Headaches
• Scanty perspiration
• Alcohol intolerance

Functions of DHEA

• Functions as an androgen (a male hormone) with anabolic activity. Anabolic refers to the building or synthesis of tissues.
• Is a precursor that is converted to testosterone (a male hormone). Is a precursor to estrogen (a female anabolic hormone)
• Reverses immune suppression caused by excess cortisol levels, thereby improving resistance against viruses, bacteria and Candida albicans, parasites, allergies, and cancer.
• Stimulates bone deposition and remodeling to prevent osteoporosis.
• Improves cardiovascular status by lowering total cholesterol and LDL levels, thereby lessening incidences of heart attack.
• Increases muscle mass. Decreases percentage of body fat.
• Involved in the thyroid gland’s conversion of the less active T4 to the more active T3.
• Reverses many of the unfavorable effects of excess cortisol, creating subsequent improvement in energy/ vitality, sleep, premenstrual symptoms, and mental clarity.
• Accelerates recovery from any kind of acute stress (e.g., insufficient sleep, excessive exercise, mental strain, etc.).

What Cortisol Does

• Mobilizes and increases amino acids, the building blocks of protein, in the blood and liver.
• Stimulates the liver to convert amino acids to glucose, the primary fuel for energy production.
• Stimulates increased glycogen in the liver. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose.
• Mobilizes and increases fatty acids in the blood (from fat cells) to be used as fuel for energy production.
• Counteracts inflammation and allergies.
• Prevents the loss of sodium in urine and thus helps maintain blood volume and blood pressure.
• Maintains resistance to stress (e.g., infections, physical trauma, temperature extremes, emotional trauma, etc.).
• Maintains mood and emotional stability.

Excess Cortisol

• Diminishes cellular utilization of glucose.
• Increases blood sugar levels.
• Decreases protein synthesis.
• Increases protein breakdown that can lead to muscle wasting.
• Causes demineralization of bone that can lead to osteoporosis.
• Interferes with skin regeneration and healing.
• Causes shrinking of lymphatic tissue
• Diminishes lymphocyte numbers and functions
• Lessens SIgA (secretory antibody productions). This immune system suppression may lead to increased susceptibility to allergies, infections, and degenerative disease.

Balancing Your Meals For Blood Sugar Control

To maintain proper adrenal function it is imperative to control your blood sugar levels and the following guidelines will help you do that:

• Eat a small meal or snack every three to four hours.
• Eat within the first hour upon awakening.
• Eat a small snack near bedtime.
• Eat before becoming hungry. If hungry, you have already allowed yourself to run out of fuel [low blood sugar/ hypoglycemia], which places additional stress on the adrenal glands.

An excessive ratio of carbohydrates to protein results in excess secretion of insulin, which often leads to intervals of hypoglycemia. The body, in an attempt to normalize blood sugar, initiates a counter-regulatory process during which the adrenals are stimulated to secrete increased levels of cortisol and adrenalin. It follows that an excessive intake of carbohydrates often leads to excessive secretion of cortisol. This contributes to chronic cortisol depletion and consequently, adrenal exhaustion. Reduced DHEA is an early sign of adrenal exhaustion.

In order to stabilize blood sugar, you must maintain a balance between two hormones, glucagon and insulin, which are produced by the pancreas. Protein in the diet induces the production of glucagon Carbohydrates in the diet induce the production of insulin. Insulin promotes fat (energy) storage. When excess carbohydrates are eaten, the body produces large quantities of insulin and little glucagon. This high level of insulin results in more fat being formed and stored.

When insulin is high and glucagon is low, the adrenals are called upon to produce excess cortisol (see later on in the document what cortisol is all about) as a back-up response to help raise blood sugar in the absence of adequate glucagon. This occurs at the expense of the adrenal glands, contributing to adrenal exhaustion.

Balance Your Meals

The optimal level of insulin to glucagon is achieved by a diet that contains carbohydrates balanced with proteins in a ratio of approximately two to one, that is, approximately two grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein and gram of fat per meal or snack.

The Role of Fat

A small amount [3/4 tsp. to 1 tsp.] of fat (butter) or cold pressed vegetable or seed oil should be a part of each meal in order to help control the rate of entry of glucose (blood sugar) into the bloodstream.

In order to make balancing this glycemic control diet easier, you can purchase books containing nutritive value charts, as well as ones containing a glycemic index These charts will enable you to quickly locate foods you would like to eat, and help determine whether they are in appropriate balance for your meals.

Making the Most of Meal Balancing

As there is no exact dietary balance that applies to all people, it is critical to understand each person’s role in the development of an ideal eating plan. In order to determine how well a blood sugar balanced diet is working, one must pay attention to one’s own body.

For example, if you feel mentally and physically alert throughout the day, this is generally a good sign that you are eating frequently enough and in the right balance. Eating small, carefully balanced meals every 4-5 hours will preclude hunger and fatigue in most people. It is up to each person to become aware of how they respond to the meals they eat. A properly balanced meal with good digestion and absorption should sustain mental and physical energy for 4-6 hours.

Please get in touch if you suspect that you’re suffering from Adrenal Fatigue… I can help.