Color My Food, Nutritional Therapy

03/02/2026

Feeling stress out?

Shift your nervous system

Music is a simple way to do that.

What does that look like in real life?

Instead of adding one more thing to your list,
layer music into something you already do.

☀️ Morning coffee → soft instrumental or nature sounds
🐦‍⬛ Morning walk → birdsong, wind in trees
🎶 Commute → choral music, OM chants, something steady
🎼 Before bed → one song that helps your body exhale

Even humming while cooking, doing laundry... can gently stimulate the vagus nerve

Music doesn’t change your to-do list.

It changes the state in which you do it.

And state shapes energy, focus, and mood.

Small signals.

Repeated consistently.

💬 Which moment of your day could hold a little more sound this week?

If this feels supportive, share it with someone who could use some nervous system support 💖

03/02/2026

In a time when world and national events feel overwhelming and collective stress runs high,
your nervous system needs help shifting
from fight-or-flight
into rest-and-repair —
the state the human body is designed for.

Music is a simple way to do that.

Since early human history, people gathered around rhythm.

🪘 Drums.
🎵 Chants.
🎶 Voices layered together.

Sound was used for healing.
For connection.
For spiritual grounding.

Certain tones and rhythms can shift the brain into a relaxed, alert state — what neuroscience calls alpha.

✨ Calm.
🌟 Steady.
💫 Clear enough to reflect and recharge.

Sometimes nervous system support isn’t silence.

Sometimes it’s sound.

This is brain health lifestyle in action.

🎶 What kind of music helps your body soften?

03/01/2026

If you’re tired of deciding what’s for dinner at 5:30pm…

Before the week begins, have a simple plan.

Choose:
• 2 nutrient-dense breakfasts to rotate
• 2 dinners to cook once and eat 2–3 times

Cook once.
Eat twice.
Repurpose into bowls, wraps, salads.

That rhythm alone can steady energy for you — and the family

Sheet pan dinners make it easier.

One pan can include:

🍗 Quality protein → supports focus and steady mood
🫒 Fats from nature → slow digestion and support hormone balance
🥕 Colorful plant carbohydrates → fiber + brain essential nutrients
🌿 Functional herbs & spices → built-in antioxidant support

That’s nutrient density in real life.

Keep it simple.

Keep it repeatable.

Let structure lower stress.

💬 What are your two anchor dinners this week?

Recipe links for 3 of my favorite chicken sheet pan dinners in comments.

03/01/2026

Forget “eating healthy.”

Instead:
Nourish your brain and body.

This month we focused on one core Brain Health Lifestyle pillar:

Nourish.

Because “eating healthy” often turns into:
- rules
- diet / restriction
- starting over Monday

Nourishment is different.
It asks:
Does this support steady energy?
Does this support mood stability?
Does this support clearer thinking?

Especially in midlife — when hormones shift and energy feels unpredictable — stability matters more than labels.
🥚 Protein.
🫘 Carbs from Plants
🫒 Fats from nature
🥦 Fiber
🍅 Color 🍆🥬🍑
🌟 Simple
💫 Repeatable
💖 Supportive

If brain fog, energy crashes, or mood swings feel familiar, this shift can change how you approach food entirely.

If you want a clearer explanation of what “nourish” actually means — and how to apply it in real life — start here:

👉 https://www.colormyfood.com/2026/01/forget-healthy-eating-nourish-your-body/

💬 What’s one word you associate with “eating healthy”?
Let’s reframe it. 🙌

02/28/2026

Fascinating and actionable information —-muscle strength = better brain resilience 💪🧠

The study’s findings suggest that the key to combating Alzheimer’s disease may lie not only in the brain but also in our muscles. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive condition marked by memory loss and declining cognitive function, and there is still no cure. Among the many factors that ...

02/28/2026

💖✨ This 👇

02/28/2026

Every food contains a spectrum ✨🌈

It’s amazing how most of the talk in nutrition is about one or two aspects of food, namely the origin of a food (plant or animal) and its macronutrient ratios (protein, carbohydrate, fat). Nutrition science spends the majority of its focus there.

Maybe I’ve been in nutrition science too long, but I believe that foods are much more interesting than just those features, especially when we look at the thousands of plant compounds and the secondary signaling compounds created when they interact with the gut microbiome. This is now being referred to as the nutritional “dark matter”.

Sounds, taste, and the chemoreceptors are also just touched upon in the scientific discussions, yet we know they have great biological and even psychological significance. The taste of food can change based on our stress signals.

The psychoneuroendocrine compounds within foods are now being recognized at the level of the gut and systemically. Certain plant foods contain intact neurotransmitters. And finally, what about the subtle energy of food, the photonic spectral energy it carries from photosynthetic processes?

Food is more complex than we can imagine. And I look forward to shifting the conversation equally through that dynamic spectrum! 🌈

02/27/2026

Small consistent whole food choices support a more resilient brain 🧠💖

Your brain runs on electricity and potassium is part of the wiring.

Every thought, mood shift, and neural signal depends on minerals like potassium to fire properly. That’s why in Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety, I emphasize whole foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and beans as foundational brain fuel.

Small, consistent choices with whole foods help build a more resilient brain over time.

Which potassium-rich food are you adding to your plate this week?

02/26/2026

Strong at 80 is built long before 80.

My uncle has been a lifelong runner and triathlete — a living example of healthy aging in action.

Not just physically fit.
Mentally sharp.
Still launching businesses.
Still leading.
Still giving back.

At 80, he ran a marathon.

At 85 he invited the whole family — children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews — to join him in his daily work out routine:
15–20 minutes
Strength.
Mobility.
Pull-ups.
Most days.

10 push-ups? Manageable.
10 pull-ups? Not so much. 😅

Humbling.
Motivating.

Because what we were witnessing wasn’t genetics.

It was decades of rhythm:
Nourishing well.
Moving consistently.
Protecting sleep.
Living with purpose.

He was living a brain-supportive lifestyle long before there was a name for it.

And this matters — especially in midlife and menopause.

💫 Muscle becomes protective.
💫 Movement supports cognitive clarity.
💫 Consistency supports independence.

We are not meant to fall apart as we age.

We are meant to adapt.

Strong at 80 isn’t luck.

It’s built in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.

💬 When you picture yourself at 80, what do you want to still be able to do?

02/25/2026

Your energy swings are not random

That mid-afternoon crash.

The 4pm irritability.

The 9pm “I need something sweet” feeling.

That’s not a lack of willpower.

It’s biology.

Especially during perimenopause — and in growing teens — the brain becomes more sensitive to blood sugar shifts.

When meals spike glucose quickly and drop just as fast, the brain interprets that drop as stress.

And stress chemistry can feel like:
• foggy thinking
• impatience
• anxiety
• strong cravings
• sudden fatigue

This isn’t about eating less.

It’s about building meals that release energy slowly and predictably.

Meals that combine:
🥚protein to support neurotransmitters
🍠fiber-rich plants to steady glucose
🫒natural fats to slow digestion

When blood sugar stabilizes, the nervous system settles.

And when the nervous system settles:
Energy steadies.
Mood steadies.
Focus improves.

This is how you move from reacting to symptoms…
to understanding them.

💬 Think about your last energy dip — what did that meal look like?

02/24/2026

Steady mornings can start the night before.

Want steadier energy this week?

This is one simple way I build it in.

Chia pudding checks multiple brain-supportive boxes in one small jar:
✅ Fiber → supports blood sugar balance and gut health
✅ Omega-3 fats → support mood and hormone signaling
✅ Protein (when paired with yogurt or nuts) → supports neurotransmitters
✅ Color from berries → antioxidant protection

For perimenopause and growing teens, that combination matters.

Instead of:
quick breakfast → spike → crash

This supports:
steady release → steadier focus → fewer mid-morning cravings

Meal prep doesn’t have to be elaborate.

It can be this simple.

Prep once.

Layer with yogurt, seasonal fruits and/or nuts during the week.

Repeat next Sunday.

That’s nourishment in action.🙌

🌟 ProTip: Add spices -- cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, pinch of cloves or nutmeg = anti-inflammatory, nutrient-boosting benefits, extra yum 😋

💬 Are you more of a savory breakfast person ?

👩‍🍳Chia pudding meal prep recipes
👉https://downshiftology.com/recipes/meal-prep-chia-pudding/

02/24/2026

Still hungry soon after eating?

Craving sugar at night?

Feeling bloated or constipated?

Fiber may be the missing piece🧩

From a brain health lens, fiber:
✨ slows glucose absorption → steadier energy
✨ feeds beneficial gut bacteria → better mood signaling
✨ supports hormone detox pathways
✨ improves satiety

Most women and kids/teens under-eat fiber.

Simple additions:
✔ beans or lentils 2–3x/week
✔ chia or ground flax in yogurt
✔ leafy greens daily
✔ sweet potatoes / root veggies + protein sheet pan dinner

Fiber builds the foundation for what March will focus on:

⚖️ Balanced blood sugar 🩸

💬 Which fiber-rich food shows up most in your week?

02/23/2026

Shift from stress to restore ✨

Ever notice how stress shows up in your body?

🤕 Brain fog
💥Energy crashes
🤪Feeling wired but tired
🎢Mood swings — for you or your kids/teens

Especially during perimenopause, menopause, or adolescence, the brain becomes more sensitive to stress signals.

When the nervous system stays in “go mode” too long, the body diverts energy away from:
💫 digestion
💫 blood sugar balance
💫 hormone regulation
💫 clear thinking

That’s why stress can feel physical — not just emotional.

The encouraging part?

The nervous system responds quickly to small signals of safety.

Today, choose one:
⛅️ Step outside for 5 minutes of fresh air
✨ Take 3 slow breaths, longer on the exhale
🎶 Hum while you cook
📝 Journal before bed

Small moments tell the brain:

You are safe.

And when the body feels safe:

Blood sugar steadies.

Hormones regulate more smoothly.

The mind feels clearer.

This is brain health in action.

And it’s why brain health is never just about food — it’s about supporting the whole system.

💬 What helps you shift from “on” to calm?

02/23/2026

At 59, I’m stronger and more fit than I was at 49.

In my 30s and 40s, I was running half marathons
while building a corporate career
and serving as Honorary Consul General of Bolivia — pro bono.

High capacity.
High responsibility.
Burning the candle at both ends.

I believed strength meant pushing harder.
PRs.
Early morning runs.
Late nights.
“No pain, no gain.”

I looked fit.
But I lived with:
• chronic Achilles pain
• plantar fasciitis
• inflammation
• exhaustion I ignored

My last 22-mile training run before my first full marathon?
I cried the final hour the pain was so great

Two weeks before race day, my doctor said my left Achilles tendon was at risk of rupturing. I protested I had to run the marathon to celebrate my 50th birthday -- I had trained for more than a year!
“Do you want to run this one race — or do you want to run for the rest of your life?” he asked.

😔I didn’t run the marathon.

And that decision quietly began my shift from willpower…
to wisdom.

Now I move for longevity.

For cognitive health.

For life.

More to come.

💬 Have you ever equated pushing harder with being strong?

02/22/2026

This 👇 ❤️✨

If you want a calmer nervous system, spend time with positive people

02/22/2026

This 👇💖

A few self care tips for your self care this weekend!

02/22/2026

Less fixing
More healing 💖✨
Love this 👇

Sometimes the work for our kids starts inside us 💚⁠
⁠
Less fixing.⁠
More healing.⁠
More awareness of the patterns we pass on without meaning to.⁠
⁠
This has been a quiet but powerful shift in my own motherhood.⁠ If you’re doing the inner work too, you’re not alone.

02/22/2026

Once its paved it gone forever 😔

Share if you think more people should know this!

02/22/2026

The power of meditation to calm anxiety and support brain health ✨

No experience required—just three easy meditation techniques to calm anxiety and support your brain, naturally. Tap the link to read more https://bit.ly/3iPMKfZ

02/22/2026

“May the relief of laughter rinse through you soul “✨💖

02/22/2026

Eat more beans 🫘💖✨

02/21/2026

⚓️ Anchor the Week 💪

Looking for family friendly simple, repeatable dinners that support energy, mood, and brain health (hello perimenopause/ menopause )😅

Pork tenderloin is:
✔ high-quality protein
✔ rich in B vitamins
✔ supportive for steady energy
✔ versatile for leftovers

Cook once.
Repurpose all week: stir fry, bowls, wraps and more
Eat 2 or 3 times

From the blog archives, here are 4 nutrient-dense pork tenderloin recipes you can rotate:

🔗 4 Nutrient-Dense Pork Tenderloin Recipes + Leftover Ideas
https://www.colormyfood.com/2021/04/4-nutrient-dense-pork-tenderloin-recipes-leftover-meals/

Make one.
Eat twice.
Repurpose ith colorful plants and herbs -- stir fry, bowls, wraps and more

That’s how nourishment becomes sustainable — not by trying harder, but by simplifying.

👇 Tell me in the comments:
Are you a “cook once, eat all week” person
OR
a “fresh dinner every night” person?

(There’s no wrong answer — I’m curious what season you’re in.)

02/21/2026

Small, consistent choices add up—

02/19/2026

The gut-brain connection is real

02/19/2026

If dinner feels like one more decision at the end of a long day… you’re not alone.

This week spotlight is on natural fats — and why they make such a difference for mood, energy, and hormone balance (especially in perimenopause and growing kids / teens).

Not more discipline.
Better composition.

Protein + carbs from plants + natural fats.

So here’s your simple structure:
✅ Choose one omega-3 rich fish dinner.
✅ Make it once this week.
✅ Add colorful vegetables.
✅ Sit down and eat.
✅ Make different next week.
✅ Reduce decision fatigue.
✅ Support brain health.

Small, steady choices nourish resilient brains — including yours.

👉I shared 5 nut-crusted fish dinners on the blog to make it easy.
https://www.colormyfood.com/2021/03/5-nut-crusted-fish-dinners-for-brain-hormone-health/

💬 Which fish does your family enjoy most — salmon, cod, or something else?