HÄLSA Nutrition - Maria Adams

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HÄLSA Nutrition - Maria Adams

Nutrition counseling with an intuitive eating approach + nourishing recipes.

I am a Registered Dietitian who is passionate about helping families ditch diet culture and learn to nourish with confidence and joy. Hälsa Nutrition offers individualized nutrition counseling services as well as freelance writing and recipe development services. Check out my blog and website at halsanutrition.com and message me to set up a consult.

03/30/2026

When it comes to hunger, we usually think of physical (biological) hunger, but sometimes we eat for other reasons.

Learning to recognize why you are eating or feeling hungry -- and doing so with curiosity, not judgment -- is part of becoming an intuitive eater.

Here are some of the different ways we can categorize hunger:

1 - PHYSICAL (BIOLOGICAL) - experiencing physical signs of hunger such as stomach growling, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or thinking about food; symptoms vary in intensity depending on hunger level

2 - PRACTICAL HUNGER - also known as the "planning ahead hunger"; eating now because you know you can't later

3 - EMOTIONAL HUNGER - eating to quench uncomfortable feelings (such as loneliness, sadness, stress, boredom, or anger)

4 - TASTE HUNGER - a desire to eat simply because it looks or sounds good or because the occasion (e.g., celebration, special event) calls for it

5 - EXPERIENCE SHARING HUNGER- wanting to eat because you are out with friends and everyone else is eating or buying food and drinks to enjoy

5 - ENERGY SEEKING HUNGER - seeking out a snack because you are tired (e.g., from inadequate sleep or rest) and hope that it might give you more energy

Bottom line: We all eat for reasons other than physical hunger, and that's ok! After all, food is much more than nutrition; it's comfort, it's love, it's social, it's safety. But becoming more aware of your habits and patterns can help bring more balance to your life. 🤍

Adapted from "Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and "The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens" by Elyse Resch

03/26/2026

Reminder: Contrary to what you might hear on social media, you have unconditional permission to eat.

Instead of restricting foods or amounts, focus on what you can add to make a meal or snack more balanced and satisfying.

Trust your body. Listen to your hunger and fullness cues. Honor your cravings. Eat without guilt or judgment. ♡

03/23/2026

This Wednesday, March 25 is Waffle Day in Sweden. 🇸🇪A day I think we should celebrate everywhere! After all, how could you not feel joy eating a lovely, delicious waffle? 🩷

Classic Swedish waffles are served with lingonberry jam (or another berry jam) and whipped cream. While I love a classic jam-topped waffle, I usually top it with berries, sliced bananas, and a little whipped cream. Nuts and a drizzle of local maple syrup are also great.

I have several waffle recipes on my website, including one that is gluten-free and uses oat flour and one for carrot waffles that would be perfect for Easter. (All include whole grains because I just can’t help myself!) Here is my go-to whole-grain spelt waffle recipe:

Spelt Waffles

1 1/2 cups kefir or buttermilk
1/2 cup oat or almond milk (or use all kefir)
1/4 cup melted butter
3 large eggs
2 cups spelt flour (or use 1 cup spelt/whole wheat and 1 cup oat or white flour)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat waffle maker.
2. Whisk together kefir, milk, melted butter and eggs.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Grease waffle maker according to manufacturer directions. (I usually use a little butter or cooking spray.) Ladle out a small scoop of batter and cook until golden and crispy on outside.
5. Enjoy immediately with favorite toppings! Freeze any leftover waffles.

02/27/2026

Wondering if your relationship with food and exercise could use some help? Trust your intuition. When in doubt, seek professional health. As mentioned in yesterday's post, it's a myth that you need to be "sick enough" to get support. You deserve to live your fullest life without those eating disorder thoughts and behaviors dominating your headspace.

Here are 5 signs your relationship with food and exercise may not be healthy:

1. You exercise to burn off what you ate.

If movement feels like punishment…
If you have to work out no matter how tired, sick, or injured you are…
That’s not healthy.

Healing looks like:
Moving when you want to
Choosing activities you enjoy
Resting without guilt

2. You're always dieting or tracking.

Calories. Macros. Body fat %.

Your body is not a robot or math problem. It already knows when it’s:
Hungry.
Full/Satisfied.
Tired.
Ready to move.

Practice healthy habits that bring you joy and tune into what your body is telling you!

3. You avoid certain foods because they are “bad."

Common fears:
“I’ll gain weight.”
“This food will ruin my health.”

Truth:
Weight is complex & highly genetic. Health is influenced by far more than food and weight.

An eating disorder will harm your health far more than any single food ever could.

4. You only eat "healthy" or "clean" foods.

This may be orthorexia — an unhealthy obsession with eating “clean.”

It’s often praised, but it’s disordered. Eating should be flexible, not rigid.

In addition, health is not:
A moral obligation
A measure of worth
Completely within our control

You are worthy regardless of what you eat or how “healthy” you are.

5. Thoughts of food, exercise, and body image dominate your mind.

You deserve more headspace than that.

Getting help can give you back:
Time
Emotional capacity
Space for hobbies, learning, and loved ones

In addition, eating enough food will give you back your energy and support mental well-being!

Source: https://anad.org/sick-enough-dont-let-your-eating-disorder-dissuade-you-from-getting-help-2/

02/26/2026

⭐️Eating disorders don’t have a look. They can affect anyone, regardless of body size (less than 6% of those affected are medically underweight), age, s*x, gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

⭐️About 1 in 10 Americans will be diagnosed with an eating disorder in their lifetime, but many more go undiagnosed. In addition, “disordered eating” affects the majority of our population.

⭐️You may think that you are not “sick enough” to seek help for your eating, exercise, or body image issues, but that is a myth. Whether you have a “clinical eating disorder” or “mild” disordered eating, you deserve help.

If you or someone you know has an eating disorder and is in need of help, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders’ helpline at 866-662-1235 or the ANAD helpline at 888-375-7767.

02/09/2026

We all have food police thoughts — it's pretty hard not to in the culture we live in. Since childhood, we have heard messages about what we should or shouldn't eat. These days, it seems worse than ever, leaving us feeling anxious about eating pretty much everything!

The "Challenge the Food Police" principle of intuitive eating helps us recognize these negative thoughts and learn to quiet them so they no longer dominate our headspace. Meditation is another tool that can be really helpful and works nicely in conjunction with intuitive eating.

I also highly recommend the books "Intuitive Eating" and "How to Raise an Intuitive Eater" as resources to help you improve your relationship with food. For extra support, book a 1:1 virtual session with me. Go to halsanutrition.com to learn more.

#. .

02/06/2026

Can you be an intuitive eater as an athlete? Yes, however, part of being an intuitive eater is being able to tune into what your body is communicating and respond accordingly based on your learned wisdom. (Our wisdom comes both through practice and learned knowledge, e.g., information such as this).

For example, it may be hard to eat after intense exercise or after exercise in hot weather--but as an intuitive eater, you recognize what is going on and know that you still have to eat. This is part of gentle nutrition.

The stress/anxiety of competition can also disrupt hunger and fullness cues. It’s hard to eat when your body is in fight or flight mode! Remember that you still need to eat something. Try to manage stress/anxiety through practices such as breathing exercises, listening to music, or coloring.

This can also be applied to other areas of your life. For example, maybe you have social anxiety and find it hard to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Tune into what you are experiencing. Learn how to manage it. And remember that you still need to eat lunch. Choose something easy to eat and keep working at it! You've got this! Sincerely, Someone who has been there!

02/05/2026

One of the most common mistakes I see young athletes make is meal skipping! Eating consistently throughout the day is essential to optimizing your performance. Most athletes benefit from 3 meals a day plus 3-4 snacks, depending on training load, schedule, and goals.

A general fueling schedule could look like:

Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Pre-workout snack
Training
Post-workout snack
Dinner
Snack

For a high school student, this might look like:

6:30 AM - breakfast at home
9:30 AM - snack*
12 PM - lunch at school
2:45 PM - pre-workout snack
5 PM - post-workout snack
6:30 PM - dinner
9:30 PM - bedtime snack

*Can't eat in class? Try having a bar between classes or pack a drinkable yogurt!

If you have double session work-outs, adjust your fueling plan accordingly. Here is an example:

5:30 AM – pre-workout snack
6-8 AM – practice
8:30 AM – breakfast
12 PM – lunch
3:15 PM – pre-workout snack
3:30-4:30 PM – strength training
5 PM – post-workout snack
6:30 PM – dinner

If you have a tournament day with multiple games or a long track or swim meet with multiple events, plan to eat more snacks than regular meals. See examples for what to eat pre- and post-workout in my previous post, or head to the blog for more information.

If you have double session workouts, adjust your fueling plan accordingly. Here is an example:

02/03/2026

Having a snack before AND after you exercise can help you excel in your sport and recover better after. Here are some ideas for what to eat depending on the time you have.

PRE-WORKOUT

If you have 30 minutes or less:
Choose a light, easily digestible snack such as a banana, apple sauce pouch, pretzels, or sports waffle

If you have 1-2 hours:
You have a little more time to digest. Have a more complete snack, such as toast with nut butter, a fruit smoothie (made with yogurt/kefir/soy milk/almond milk), a hard-boiled egg plus toast, or a turkey sandwich.

3-4 hours before your event/practice:
Have a full meal. (Think a full breakfast or a full lunch, but skip the super greasy foods, spicy foods, or anything else that you don't think will sit well with you! What works for you will depend on factors such as your digestive system, your sport, and what you are used to eating.

POST-WORKOUT

Within 45 minutes:
Eat a snack or meal containing about a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. Snack examples include chocolate milk, Greek yogurt with berries and granola, or a protein bar and an orange.

Within 2 hours:
Eat a full meal.
Have a full meal within 2 hours of your workout. (If you eat a meal right after, you can skip the snack.)

Want a full list of ideas for what to eat before or after you exercise? Head to my blog, link in profile. (Or send me a DM).

02/02/2026

Nutrition for high school and college athletes is essential. How an athlete nourishes themselves is equally important to the training they do. But it shouldn't be stressful.

The athlete’s plate is a visual tool designed to make proper fueling easier. Instead of focusing on grams of protein or pasta serving sizes, use the athlete’s plate to help you create a balanced, nourishing, and satisfying meal. Adjust the food proportions on your plate to meet your needs that day.

🍽️Easy training days (or off-season):
1/2 plate fruits and veggies (“color”), 1/4 plate grains/starches, 1/4 plate protein + source of fat

🍽️🍽️Moderate training days (baseline, most days for high school and college athletes):
1/3 plate color, 1/3 plate grains/starches, 1/3 plate protein + source of fat

🍽️🍽️🍽️Hard training days (also competition/game days or if trying to gain weight):
1/2 plate grains and starches, 1/4 plate protein, 1/4 plate color + source of fat

✨Listen to Your Body.
These plates are guides, but not rules to follow. Know that any fueling is better than no fueling. Choose foods that are available to you and foods you enjoy. Eat the amount that satisfies you. Challenge yourself to try new foods and get color on your plate!

To read the full blog post on this topic, written by my amazing intern, head to the latest blog post: https://halsanutrition.com/nutrition-for-high-school-and-college-athletes/

If you're in Massachusetts, you can book a 1:1 virtual session with me to make sure you are getting the nutrition you need to perform and feel your best!

01/20/2026

Want to help your kids have a healthy relationship with food?

Here are some suggestions...

❖Model food neutrality. Avoid calling foods good/bad, healthy/unhealthy.
❖Provide consistent, balanced meals and snacks.
❖Offer a variety of foods.
❖Let them see you enjoying a variety of foods.
❖Eat together, ideally the same food.
❖Let them decide how much to eat.
❖Speak kindly about your own body and other bodies.

If you have concerns about your child’s eating, I can help. Send me a DM or go to halsanutrition.com to learn more about my 1:1 nutrition counseling services.

01/18/2026

Confused or stressed about eating? Just a reminder that eating is not about following rules or strict guidelines. Rather, it's about nourishing ourselves in a way that works for us. Nutrition is unique to every individual.

Here are some gentle nutrition tips:

1. Focus on balance

Reflect: Have you had one of each of the food groups today? Generally, aim for at least 3 food groups per meal and at least 2 in most snacks, not because they are “rules,” but because having a balanced diet makes our bodies feel their best.

2. Add, not remove

Think: What could make this meal more complete or satisfying?
Carbohydrates provide energy, protein gives us power, fat provides satiety, and fiber helps with digestion.
Examples: adding nut butter and sliced strawberries to toast or pairing cheese with crackers and grapes.

3. Let pleasure be part of nourishment

Check in with yourself: Do you derive pleasure from what you eat? We won’t feel satisfied by food if we don’t enjoy it. Including foods you like can also reduce bingeing and restricting cycles.

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Marblehead, MA
01945

Website

http://www.halsanutrition.com/

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