anahorvath.com

Tag: healthy eating

  • It Takes Guts

    It Takes Guts
    GIF by Botanical Paperworks

    Something I’m learning as I work on my overall health is just how important a healthy gut is. To feel your very best, it takes guts! And good guts at that!

    While I’m no functional health doctor or nutritionist or dietician, I’m learning a lot by reading books by functional health doctors and nutrition specialists. Even in my nutrition class during undergrad, I came to learn just how important a good gut really is. A lot of recent research shows that your gut health can have a major impact on every bodily system. So if you’re out of whack, there’s a chance it could be tied to what goes on in your intestines. There are some studies that show that the makeup of your gut microbiota can affect menstrual cycles in women and even a person’s susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s! I’ll cite some papers I recommend you check out if you’re interested in reading more about just how impactful gut health is on overall health! You may need access to PubMed to check them out though, just a heads up. 😉

    If you’ve been under a lot of stress or taken a lot of antibiotics throughout your life the microbiome of your GI tract has suffered! High levels of stress can ultimately result in less production of stomach acid. With less stomach acid, you will likely suffer indigestion and also increase the risk of infection in your intestines. So, opportunistic organisms (whether that be bacteria or yeast) will then attack! When looking at antibiotics, those are medications that wipe out both good and bad bacteria in order to remove an infection. If you’ve taken antibiotics frequently, you’ve frequently exposed your GI tract to this clearing. Any organisms that have survived will see your cleared GI tract as an opportunity to divide to no end. Ultimately, in either situation, you are dealing with opportunistic bacteria/fungi/yeast that have taken advantage of a situation they were lucky to get. Your microbiome is in disarray and you may begin to observe symptoms like indigestion, bloating, and a variety of other less favorable symptoms.

    So now how do we take care of dysbiosis or a disruption of the healthy microbiome? See a functional health doctor! At least, that’s my recommendation, because I have found a wonderful functional health doctor and we are working to heal my gut. At least for me, something I’ve done to begin healing is eliminate glute and dairy from my diet. We plan to reintroduce some products in the future, but there will be a specific time for that. I’ll begin a specific antibiotic soon to clear a bacterial infection in my small intestines that will be properly taken in conjunction with personalized supplementation and probiotics. Watching my sugar intake and where I get my natural sugars from has also been a huge thing in helping me feel better.

    If seeing a functional health doctor is something that won’t work out for you, then there are other things to be done! You can look at different testing options offered (likely breath, stool, and urine tests). You can see what your primary care doctor recommends. You can also educate yourself through books written by functional health doctors and other experts in the field of gut health and its impact on your health and go from there. If you’ve been told nothing is wrong, but deep down you just know you’re not 100%, then be persistent. It takes guts to be pushy with people that know a lot about health. It takes guts to fight for what you need to know, but you deserve to know what’s going on and how to fix it! Most importantly, you deserve to feel your best!!

    If you’re interested in a few scholarly articles or a book related to some of the stuff I’m mentioned in my post today, feel free to check out some of my recommended reads. I hope you’re all staying happy and healthy out there! Have a wonderful week. ❤️

    Recommended Reads!
    • Roy Sarkar S, Banerjee S. Gut microbiota in neurodegenerative disorders. J Neuroimmunol. 2019 Mar 15;328:98-104. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2019.01.004. Epub 2019 Jan 9. PMID: 30658292.
    • Qi X, Yun C, Pang Y, Qiao J. The impact of the gut microbiota on the reproductive and metabolic endocrine system. Gut Microbes. 2021;13(1):1-21. doi:10.1080/19490976.2021.1894070
    • Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighten – this is a great book that talks a lot about female hormones too!!

  • The Perfect Protein Shake

    the perfect protein shake
    Image credits to Tasty Kitchen. I wish mine looked this fancy, but I do know it tastes pretty good. 🙂

    I’m definitely no nutrition expert or dietician, but I feel like I have also learned a thing or two trying to work on what I eat. While I definitely am still figuring a lot of things out, I have found one thing I really like: peanut butter chocolate banana protein shakes. There was never a specific recipe I found, I just decided to try things out and I loved it. So if you’re interested in learning how to make the perfect protein shake (at least according to me!!) then stick around. All you need is a blender, a banana or two, peanut butter or peanut butter powder, and your favorite chocolate protein powder.

    Here’s my recipe!
    – At least one banana
    – A good tablespoon of peanut butter powder (PB-Fit All Natural)
    – Half of a scoop of Simple Truth’s chocolate protein powder
    – Califa Farms unsweetened almond milk (I just pour this until it covers the banana, peanut. butter, and protein powder)

    With all of your good stuff in your blender, just blend until smooth and then enjoy! I really like to have this for breakfast in addition to an omelet or some hard-boiled eggs. Sometimes, this is really good on its own in between meals. I find that it serves as a good filler until I’m ready to eat an actual meal. Yummy yummy! 🙂

    I’ve really been working on adding more protein to my diet and I’ve found that this is one of the many ways to do so. Eggs and chicken are a few more of my favorite ways to get my protein in! If there’s anyone reading this that also enjoys a good protein shake, share your recipes with me! I’d love to try them. 🙂 Have a great week and I’ll see you next Sunday!

  • A Rush Bowl a Day Keeps the Stress Away

    Rush Bowl

    There’s this smoothie/acai bowl place I’ve heard of before called Rush Bowl and I have ALWAYS wanted to try it. Ever since my first açaí bowl at Denver International Airport, I’ve been dying to find a place in my hometown or in Fort Collins, since that’s where I go to school that has something like that. This past week, I needed something super yummy to decompress and I think I found it. An organic chemistry exam and physics exam in one night really takes it’s toll!!

    I was flipping through the little coupon book I picked up on campus the other day and it had “Buy one get one free” at Rush Bowls and I was like, “Hmmmmm. Sounds amazing! I’m gonna go!” But I’ve been sick and then it was kinda chilly this morning and I wasn’t feeling 100% so I wasn’t able to go. But then, one of my friends asked me around 3 today if I wanted to go and by then it was a lot nicer and I was feeling better so I gladly accepted her offer.

    You might be asking yourself, “What is an açaí bowl or more specifically a “Rush” Bowl?” Well I got you. Basically it’s a combination of blended fruits in combination with frozen yogurt and/or milk of your choice. These bowls can then be adorned with graham crackers, granola, honey, sliced fruit, and honestly whatever else sounds good to you!

    What was amazing about the bowl I had, which was Rush Bowl’s seasonal pumpkin spice bowl was that it wasn’t horribly sweet (just the perfect amount of sweet if you ask me!), it was under 400 calories (I’m not big on counting but lately I’ve been a bit more careful), and it tasted AMAZING. This past week was absolute nuts so I believe I deserved to treat myself. And what was awesome about Rush Bowl was that I felt like I was treating myself, but it wasn’t a bunch of super salty, junk foods. It was something I felt good about putting in my body. 🙂 I can say that I’m obsessed with Rush Bowl for sure and you will definitely find me using that buy one, get one free deal as often as possible on the weekends. I’m also super pumped because they’re adding one in Broomfield (my hometown) and I know where I’m taking my family when it opens!! Haha.

    In the future, I’m excited to try their Chai’s Mystique bowl, Apple or Peach Cobbler Bowl, Lemon Squeeze Bowl, and Oasis Bowl. Although I’m not going to lie…it all looks pretty dang good. It would honestly be so fun to try and make an açaí bowl at home. I feel like that could be really good. Or a disaster… Guess we’ll have to find out! Have a wonderful week everyone!

  • Hummus and Beet Wraps: One of My Favorite Recipes Right Now

    hummus and beet wraps
    Photo credits to MealGarden

    My mom and I recently have been trying a bunch of different healthy recipes and one of my favorites has been the hummus and beet wraps. If you’re interested in trying it out, here’s the recipe below! My mom makes the hummus that we add to our wraps, but that recipe is not included in the recipe I’m providing here. Any hummus that you enjoy can work. 🙂

    • 4 cups of arugula (roughly chopped)
    • 1 beet (grated)
    • 2 tbsp of low-fat feta cheese
    • 2 tbsp of hummus
    • Sprouted grain tortillas (my family and I usually get the tortillas by Simple Truth)

    Wash the arugula prior to assembling your wrap. Place a tortilla on a place. Spread hummus on a tortilla, leaving at least an inch border. I like to add enough hummus that it creates a decent layer on the tortilla. Taking about a handful or two of arugula sprinkle it evenly around the tortilla. Add some of the grated beets on top of the arugula. I don’t tend to add too much of the grated beets as a preference thing, but you can add as little or as much of the beets as you would like. After the beets, sprinkle feta cheese on top. Once all of the good stuff is placed as you like it, assemble the wrap and enjoy!

    I find that just one wrap can be quite filling, but if you want another, that’s okay too! I’ve never really been a fan of beets, but this recipe has helped me come to terms with them. So I hope you give hummus and beet wraps a try, and if not, that’s okay too. Just throwing out some healthy, tasty options. 🙂 Have a good week everyone!

  • Eating Healthy in College

    eating healthy in college
    Haha, I tried to get a picture of my lunch from Thursday. That was successful and you also get a little blur from my finger. Good job me, good job.

    You’ve heard me mention this before: the freshman 15. Plenty of freshmen struggle with their eating habits upon entering college. There’s so much food available ALL the time and they abuse that. And they eat, and eat, and eat, and before you know it, they’ve gained 15 pounds, hence the freshman 15.

    If you’ve been reading my blog since I started college at CSU, you will know that I was determined to avoid the freshman 15, and so far I’ve been successful and actually lost about 15 pounds. With a combination of working out and proper eating, I’ve been able to accomplish this goal. Exercise is extremely important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it’s also so so so important to eat right. Here’s what has worked for me:

    1. Drink lots of water. Whenever I go to the dining halls, I typically get water and I do my best to drink at least two full cups of water. Occasionally I will drink some iced tea or lemonade but I really try to stay away from the sweet drinks, especially soda. Water is not only good for your skin and body in general but it helps fill you up a bit so you don’t overeat.
    2. Make your plate colorful. While fried food is super duper good tasting, it’s not so good for your body. In moderation, it’s fine, but if the color of the foods on your plate are all a fried brown, you’re doing something wrong. Add some vegetables or fruit to that plate or add a salad. Your body will thank you. Strive for this with every meal and pay attention to the variety of foods you eat throughout the day.
    3. Leave the dining hall feeling not hungry and not stuffed. The wording on that statement might be a little weird, so I’ll do my best to explain what I mean. With eating from dining halls in college, you definitely don’t want to starve yourself. You shouldn’t starve yourself, period! You want to be balanced with the food you eat. If you’re piling on the food and coming back to a table with multiple full plates, you might want to rethink that. Just think about balance and remember that you can always grab a to-go box if you start to feel full. 🙂
    4. Eat desserts in moderation. At the dining halls at CSU, there’s a place dedicated to desserts and I’m sure that it’s that way with most schools. Seeing the rows of cookies upon cookies and plates of cakes and brownies can be extremely tempting, but remember, eat these in moderation! Desserts also taste AMAZING and sometimes its really hard to only take one serving and limit yourself, but all of that sugar really isn’t that good for you or your teeth. Treat yourself every once in a while but don’t go nuts with the desserts.
    5. Seek nutritional advice through your university. Colorado State University has an “Eat Well” program and they have dietitians and nutritionists willing to help figure out foods that you’ll enjoy that are better for your body. In addition to this, all of the menus for food are available online so I have access to the nutritional facts. I don’t pay too much attention to this, but sometimes it’s a great resource for knowing more about calories (even though I’m not big on calorie counting) and nutritional values in general. Most college dining halls have resources like this and within the dining halls themselves, there’s typically information on all of the foods available so pay attention to these! Use your resources and you’ll be set.

    Keep in mind, that these are things that I’ve found helpful and they may work for those of you also eating out of college dining halls, and some of them might not, and that’s ok! Find something that works for you and stick to it. Eating healthy in college is important because it helps set the foundation for eating healthy later in life and it’s important that you give your body the materials it needs to function at its best!

    If you’ve got an idea for a blog post or a question for me, feel free to leave a comment on this post or reach out to me on my new “Contact Me!” page which can be accessed in the menu above. I’d be happy to hear from you. I hope you all have a great week! See ya next Sunday. 🙂

  • What Makes a Good Breakfast?

    As a high school student who is often rushed in the morning, I find it difficult to always prepare my body for the day. Maybe I’ll grab a piece of toast or get a bowl of fruit but that isn’t exactly the best way to give my body the energy it needs to start the day. Based on personal experience and some research, here’s what I think is important and necessary for a good breakfast.

    1. Protein. Whether that’s through dairy products, nuts, or eggs, it’s important to pack your breakfast with proteins. Proteins help you feel fuller for a longer amount of time.
    2. A variety of foods. Different types of milk, meat and meat alternates, as well as a variety of fruits are important for a good, healthy breakfast. You want a variety so that there’s a variety of nutrients as well.
    3. Smoothies. Smoothies are easy to make and you can get really creative with them. To add on, smoothies are great for when you have to get out of the house quick. They make a great to-go breakfast.
    4. Fruit. In a smoothie, in a salad, or just straight from the container, fruit is awesome. It’s super filling and good for your body. Be careful though as fruit does contain sugar and consuming too much may not be the best thing for your body. As long as you live a healthy lifestyle and stay active, you should be just fine.
    5. Not skipping breakfast, ever. As a high school student, I know a bunch of kids that just don’t eat breakfast. They claim there isn’t enough time or they’re not hungry or they just didn’t want to. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s important to give your body what it needs to start the day and then get through the day. You want to be able to function properly and keep your metabolism and digestive tract in a rhythm and steady, so don’t skip a meal, especially breakfast.

    It’s definitely important to have a wide variety of foods on your plate at breakfast and it’s also important to always eat breakfast. Even if you don’t have time to eat a full breakfast, give yourself something to fuel your body. Eating a good breakfast helps get you on the right track for a good day and helps the struggles of being hangry from staying away.

    Have a good week!

    What Makes a Good Breakfast?