Root2Rise Nutrition

07/02/2024

🥕PARMESAN AIR FRYER CARROTS to fire up your plant game!

It can be a challenge getting enough plant based fiber into meals to reach a minimum 6-8 servings/ day.

I hear ya and you’re not alone!

FACTS ➡️ Keeping your microbiome (the diverse community of bacteria living in your gut) thriving depends on fiber, vitamins, & minerals found in plant foods.

And we need that healthy microbiome as a bridge to digestive comfort and hormonal balance:

✔️ Reduce bloat, constipation, stomach discomfort
✔️ Steady energy & improve metabolism
✔️ Manage stress/anxiety/mood swings
✔️ Reduce brain fog

FALSE ➡️ Every meal should be a salad in order to reach this goal…

Adding just one new vegetable to the dinner rotation (alongside protein and some healthy fats) can be a great way to begin achieving your plant food goals, ensuring a healthy gut, happy hormones and beyond!

If in need of ideas let’s start with CARROTS and here are a few reasons why:

💚 You likely have a bag in the depths of your fridge
💚 Long shelf life means carrots to the rescue when life gets crazy
💚 High in potassium- supports blood sugar balance, steady energy, mood & healthy stress response
💚 High in beta-carotene (converted to Vitamin A)- supports immune defenses in the gut lining keeping out viruses & unwanted bacteria
💚 Combination of fiber, vitamin A, & antioxidants make these an anti-inflammatory powerhouse- supporting heart health & cognition too
💚 Devoured by the entire family- always a win!

RECIPE:
* 8-10 carrots (peeling optional) cut horizontally, then into 1 inch pieces
* ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil
* 2-3 TBSP of grated parmesan
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1-2 tsp dried oregano, thyme, dill or herb of choice
* Salt & pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients in a bowl transfer to an air fryer and cook at 390 degrees for 13-15 mins or until desired crispiness, shaking the basket midway. Enjoy!

Caring for your body can be simple and delicious 😋

Need more ideas? Let me know your biggest challenges!

24/01/2024

MUSHROOM & WHITE BEAN RAGU over CREAMY POLENTA 😋

✨Hearty, FIBER filled, PROTEIN boosted and ready in under an hour to comfort you on a cold winter day…

Supportive of:
✔️Digestive health
✔️Mineral balance for healthy hormones
✔️Energy
✔️Immune Strength

BONUS...super tasty + family thumbs up 👍 👍👍

Nutrient Highlights include:

🍄Mushrooms- mineral rich selenium, copper, and potassium + B vitamins + fiber
🍅Tomatoes- vitamin C & other antioxidants + potassium & folate
🫘 Beans- plant protein, fiber, folate, iron & magnesium
🍗Bone broth- mineral rich calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, & potassium + collagen + protein

INGREDIENTS
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 shallots, minced
- 16-20 oz sliced mushrooms (optional mix of bella, white, oyster); frozen also works!
- Olive oil
- ½ cup bone broth (sub chicken or vegetable broth)
- ¼ cup red wine
- 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained
- 2-3 TBSP tomato paste
- ½ cup grated parmesan + extra for polenta
- 2-3 TBSP fresh thyme (or 1 TBSP dried)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instant Polenta Cornmeal cooked according to package or Creamy Polenta recipe from Love and Lemons!
https://www.loveandlemons.com/polenta-recipe/

👉In a large skillet, heat 3 TBSP olive oil over medium-high heat then add the shallots and garlic. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 mins
👉Add the mushrooms & beans- season with a bit of salt & pepper. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften and the mushrooms cook down a bit
👉Add the thyme & stir
👉Finally, add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and the broth. Stir, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low & cover. Cook for approx 20 minutes
👉Uncover & cook for additional 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens to a ragu.
👉While ragu is cooking prepare the polenta which takes about 15 mins. Add extra parm!
👉Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to the ragu, taste & adjust salt to your liking.

Enjoy!

09/01/2024

✨2024 is here!! In search of New Year’s inspo centered around filling your plate with nourishing, wholesome foods that have you feeling your best?

‼️Overcoming common digestive troubles, increasing energy, improving body composition & building confidence to make the right food choices does not happen with stringent resolutions focused on eliminating or restricting.

👉 So let’s fill your grocery cart & your plate with foods that support gut health, optimize hormones & pave the way to achieving your long term health goals:

➡️ NEW YEAR’S KICKSTART GROCERY LIST - 15 Foods to Fuel your Mind, Feed your Gut and Find your Energy🙌

✔️WALNUTS (raw)- omega 3 fats; delicious snack, salad topper
✔️CHICKPEAS- protein/fiber combo; great snack, salad topper, tuna salad mix-in
✔️LENTILS- a protein/fiber combo quick to prepare as a side dish, bowl base or soup
✔️QUINOA- protein rich grain preps quickly
✔️SWEET POTATOES- B-vitamin & fiber rich! Peel, cube & roast w/ olive oil/sea salt
✔️COTTAGE CHEESE- ultimate protein option for breakfast
✔️GREEK YOGURT- high in protein, delish swap for sour cream, or breakfast topped w/ cinnamon, berries & nuts
✔️ALMOND/PEANUT BUTTER- no added sugar, just the nuts
✔️AVOCADO- a rich source of protein & healthy fat, what isn’t avocado delicious with?
✔️OLIVES- healthy fat/fiber great for a quick snack
✔️EDAMAME (frozen shelled or in the pod)- high fiber/protein for snacking, salad or stir fry mix-in
✔️SPINACH- fiber rich greens easy to add to soups, pastas
✔️SALMON- omega 3 royalty; sprinkle w/ sea salt & other spices, pan fry, oven roast or air fry
✔️CHICKEN THIGHS- pan fry w/ favorite spices; batch cook for an on-demand salad, pasta or bowl.
✔️SPICES- Cinnamon, Turmeric, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Ginger are anti-inflammatory & flavor boosting stars to any meal😋

🙄As regular overloaded routines resume, enjoy these all stars and keep on hand to fuel yourself & your family💕

Happy shopping and let me know your faves! Cheers to 2024🎉!

20/11/2023

🧡💛 CURRY LENTIL BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP😋…

✨Meatless Monday- FIBER FILLED, ENERGY BOOSTED THANKSGIVING WEEK EDITION!

What better way to start the countdown to Thanksgiving with a flavorful, plant forward, protein, fiber and mineral filled soup!

Enjoy tonight and even better for leftovers as the week gets crazy with shopping, cooking, cleaning & prepping for guests,

A perfect blend of coconut milk (healthy fat), lentils (protein+fiber), butternut squash (vitamin C + potassium) and chicken bone broth or stock (mineral rich) helps steady your energy and keep those healthy gut bacteria thriving so you feel your best self this week💪

Ingredients:

1 TBSP coconut oil, olive oil or ghee
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
32 oz bag of peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 15 oz can coconut milk
3 cups chicken stock or bone broth
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
2 TBSP peanut butter (creamy)
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
3 cups spinach or chopped kale
Pumpkin seeds (optional topping)

Add oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in garlic, ginger, onion & saute for 3-5 minutes until onion begins to soften.

Add in carrot and butternut squash- saute for a few more minutes until beginning to soften then add curry powder & turmeric, stirring for a minute.

Stir in coconut milk, chicken broth, lentils & peanut butter (adds umami😋). Season with 1 tsp salt and a few twists of pepper.

Bring soup to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until lentils soften. After 20 minutes, transfer half of the soup to a blender & puree until smooth or use a hand blender directly in the pot to roughly blend it all.

Pour the puree back into the pot with the rest of the soup (if transferred to a standing blender) & stir to combine.

Stir in the fresh spinach or kale until just wilted.

Taste & adjust seasoning with added salt/pepper as needed.

Add pumpkin seeds on top and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!💛🧡🦃🧅🥬🍠

15/11/2023

😳Gut issues are stressful and the last thing you want to be dealing with heading into the holiday season ✨

Cue….MINERALS to the rescue!

The kick-off to all body systems, mineral deficiencies or excesses could be the reason your gut is in disarray.

‼️Common alarm signs of this include:

👉Bloating that you can’t connect to anything you eat
👉 Constipation- anything less than 1/day!
👉 Frequent infections
👉 Skin sensitivities & acne
👉 Slow starter in the morning
👉 Trouble keeping energy up

We simply can’t break down & absorb nutrients needed to relieve any of these frustrating symptoms if we are depleted of key minerals.

3 Ways Minerals Can Help:

1️⃣ Stomach Acid- key minerals (zinc, sodium & cobalt) are involved in producing stomach acid, which helps break down nutrients, pulls them from food, & absorbs them for use. Low stomach acid is tied to many of the digestive symptoms noted above- knowing your mineral status can help target where the digestive system needs support 🙌

2️⃣ Inflammation- hidden inflammation, a common source of gas, bloating, low energy, acne & other skin conditions can often stem from blood sugar sugar levels that are too high or too low. Mineral relationships, such as Calcium to Magnesium, can indicate blood sugar imbalances and guide dietary recommendations to bring back to balance⚖️

3️⃣ Stress & Burnout- notice symptoms flare during extended periods of chronic stress? Stress drains us of minerals, particularly digestion supporting minerals, Sodium, Potassium, & Magnesium. And low mineral levels make it nearly impossible to manage stress >>>>hence the unending cycle of stress & digestive chaos. Seeing where your fuel tank is empty & how to restore balance, is key to digestive healing AND stress management😁

Simple nutrition & lifestyle shifts CAN impact mineral levels and leave you with the healthy terrain your gut needs to feel your best 💛

➡️ DM me to find out more about lab testing using Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis- no blood, no stool samples, just a wee bit of hair can tell you so much!

01/11/2023

The queen bee 🐝 of anti-inflammatory nutrients ⤵️

FIBER!

You've heard over & over that fiber is good for your gut…which is undeniably true AND so much more!

Did you know that only 5% of us are actually meeting the minimal daily recommendation😳?

So if you’re wondering HOW MUCH is enough & WHAT ELSE can fiber do for your health besides its claim to fame keeping you “regular”, I got you covered👇

Getting in approximately 25g of fiber/day can ➡️:

✅ Improve blood sugar balance
✅ Support hormonal balance at any life stage
✅ Support the liver for detoxification
✅ Ease bloat & gas through improved movement of food down the GI tract
✅ Support good cholesterol levels
✅ Boost immune health, supplyi nutrients to the good gut bacteria keeping you from getting sick.

A common root cause for digestive & hormonal symptoms, getting in enough daily fiber is critical for staving off chronic inflammation & its unwanted side effects for improved:

👍Digestive comfort
👍Mental clarity
👍 Mood
👍 Energy
👍 Satiety

A surefire way to reach your goal is to shoot for 8-10 servings daily of fresh fruits & vegetables 🥦 🥑🍎🍓🍑

If that sounds overwhelming, swipe over for some tasty breakfast, lunch, dinner & snack ideas to help get you there 👉

NOTE: It can be tricky when dealing with digestive symptoms to tolerate many fiber-rich foods, but it’s also a critical piece of the gut health puzzle. If this is the case for you, start slowly and keep hydrated with lots of water.

And if you could use a more personalized approach, message me for info about my 1:1 programs ☺️

24/10/2023

Why should we care about minerals when it comes to hormones🤷🏻‍♀️?

The ultimate kickstarters to energy production, building & utilizing hormones, and managing stress, minerals are critical for healthy hormone function⚡️

Low or imbalanced minerals can be why you've struggled with things like extreme fatigue, weight fluctuations, irregular and/or painful periods, mood swings, hair loss, peri/menopausal troubles 👇

Here are a few reasons WHY⬇️:

✨THYROID function- ground zero for energy & metabolism, we need key minerals to PRODUCE & UTILIZE thyroid hormone. Iodine, sodium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, iron all needed for the thyroid train to stay on track. When mineral levels can't support this, the thyroid slows as does the body's entire energy system.

✨SEX HORMONES- Hormonal building blocks, key minerals are needed to maintain healthy levels of estrogen, progesterone & testosterone. Understanding mineral status & connecting symptoms to imbalances can provide valuable info into what foods & lifestyle habits can help overcome uncomfortable hormonal signals.

✨ADRENALS- regulators of energy output & stress response, any breakdown can affect hormone production & how we feel. Extremely high or low sodium to magnesium ratios + other mineral patterns can suggest adrenals are taxed & need support. Adrenal function is particularly important through peri/post menopausal years.

✨STRESS- how is your body responding to stress and are certain stressors causing a depletion of minerals needed for energy & hormone production? Mineral patterns (ie high sodium to potassium) can indicate acute stress and inflammation likely interfering with hormonal function.

GOOD NEWS🙌- rebalancing minerals doesn’t require a lengthy supplement protocol.

And it could be that "aha" moment you've been chasing...

Knowing exactly where your body needs support right now- with targeted nutrient rich foods + nervous system support, it's possible to bring calm to the hormonal chaos🤗

➡️DM, comment “HTMA” below, or see link in bio to book a free discovery call & learn more about Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis consult packages!

05/10/2023

See Instagram 'G U T' highlights from Leah Isaacs | Holistic Nutrition ()

05/10/2023

05/10/2023

🍁FALL into seasonal foods!

Fall produce offers tons of vitamins & minerals, feeding the good gut bugs needed to beat bloat, build healthy hormones & get through busy days without dragging

Savor the foods harvested in peak season + enjoy loads of benefits⤵️:

👉INCREASE FOOD DIVERSITY- Stuck in a rotation of the same 5 fruits & veggies? The body truly needs variety as much as quantity. Eating seasonally naturally mixes things up and brings mineral balance needed for optimal gut & hormone health.

👉INCREASED NUTRIENT DENSITY- not all produce is created equal in terms of nutrient density. Max out those vitamins & minerals with produce that has longer to mature and is picked in its proper season.

👉TASTES BETTER- picked at the peak of flavor, seasonal produce is hands down the tastiest!

👉LOCALLY GROWN- in-season produce is often locally grown instead of shipped from other parts of the world - great news for your local farmers, the environment & your gut as they generally stay clear of industrial pesticides.

💥Fall favorites to add to your grocery list + recipes below:

• SQUASH
• BEETS
• BRUSSELS SPROUTS
• PEARS
• POMEGRANATES
• FIGS

➡️ Simple Roasted Beets (no peeling required!):

3 large beets, scrubbed, ends trimmed
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400. Slice beets in half, then into wedges about ½ to ¾-inch thick on the widest edge. Toss with olive oil, salt & place on large baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 40 mins until tender.
➡️ Roasted Parmesan Squash (on greens w/ pomegranates & fresh figs):

3 delicata or acorn squash
3 TBSP olive oil
3/4 C grated parmesan
Kosher salt, thyme, oregano

Preheat oven to 425. Trim ends of squash, cut in half, scoop out seeds & slice into 1/2 inch slices.
Toss with olive oil, parmesan, salt, dried herbs & place on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 mins.

Both are great for big batch cooking to enjoy throughout the week 🙌!

Hit up the farmer’s market for the best seasonal produce- unwind, release the stress of the day & find renewed energy as the days grow darker and we may feel more sluggish.

Share your Fall favorites ⤵️

19/09/2023

⚡️MINERALS….
The unsung heroes of your body, they make good things happen!

Minerals run every one of your body’s systems and without the right balance, your cells cannot⤵️

💪 Make energy
💪 Build hormones
💪 Produce enzymes for digestion
💪 Give you the raw materials to respond to stress well
💪 Effectively utilize food as energy and stave off the belly bulge

And these personal energizers need fuel so we can feel our best!

See slides for the delicious foods we can eat to fuel the top 4 minerals our bodies need to function 🥬🫛🥑🍅🍌🥔

➡️ If you’re looking for a starting place to find relief from digestive struggles, hormonal havoc, or simply want to feel your strongest best self, understanding your mineral levels (too low, too high, out of balance with others and why?) can provide massive insights into your most troublesome symptoms.

➡️ Did you know that a small sample of hair can do just that?

➡️ HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) is a great functional lab option that is:
👉Non-invasive using just a tiny hair sample
👉 Affordable
👉 Produces personalized data we analyze and use to create the right plan for you- including nutrition and lifestyle

***DM me if you’re interested in learning more about HTMA testing & start getting to the root of your biggest struggles🙌

Life is too short to feel uncomfortable in your own body👏

12/09/2023

PROTEIN! We all know we need it, but why & how much🤷🏻‍♀️?

Especially if bloating, constipation, low energy, brain fog, or weight loss resistance is frustrating you, start looking at your protein intake & ensure you’re getting enough.

➡️ BUT HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

More than you think!

While I’m not a fan of calorie or macro counting as a means for sustainable change, most people would be surprised by how little protein they actually consume in a day & could benefit from taking a closer look 👀

Optimal quantities vary depending on health goals, stage of life & activity levels, but a moderate guideline is 0.75-1g of protein per pound of body weight.

➡️ WHY?

> Our digestion needs protein to break down food & absorb all of the amazing nutrients. Undigested food = bloating, cramping, gas & can lead to food sensitivities 😩

> Protein fuels the body with long lasting energy so that you can ditch the afternoon coffee or cookie you grab “to get you through the afternoon” ☕️

> Protein stimulates metabolism so you can use energy most efficiently 💪

> Protein is key for your gut and hormone health at any stage ☺️

With minimal effort, there are many tasty ways to optimize your protein intake at breakfast, lunch & dinner!

See slides for some of my favorites 😋

*FUN FACT- edamame is a super high plant based protein (10g per 1/2C shelled) and easy to add to meals if they need a boost!

Share your favorite protein-rich meals in the comments ⬇️