Confused About What to Eat? Try Following the 4 S's of Cooking to Make Healthy Eating Simple, Delicious and Foolproof

(Recipes Included!)

Nutrition can seem complicated and yet when we distill it down to the basics it can become oh-so simple. There are countless dietary theories out there making bold claims such as to help you lose weight, to slow down the aging process, to build muscle, to help you become a better athlete, to help you heal your digestion, your skin and your anxiety. Dietary theories can feel confusing and overwhelming.

While sure, many of these dietary theories may have positive outcomes, they will not all be helpful for everyone. What makes one person feel amazing may make another feel terrible. Not to mention that what one theory says will heal you another says may cause long-term health problems. All of the information and conflicting information makes it difficult to know what is best for YOU—and where to even begin.

When you simplify the information, what it comes down to are two basic elements. One, eat REAL food, meaning whole, unprocessed foods. Two, pay attention to how these foods make YOU FEEL, physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.

In my approach to wellness and helping others heal their relationship with food, I recommend following the 4 S’s of Cooking. This helps to simplify the question, “what should I eat?” by focusing solely on these two basic elements- eating real food AND paying attention to how it makes you feel. The 4 S’s of Cooking are: Soups, Salads, Stir-fry’s and Smoothies. These are all plant-forward, whole foods methods of preparing food and cooking while minimizing processed and sugary foods.

Maximizing your intake of vegetables and fruits will help improve your health and wellness. Vegetables and fruits have a high profile on nutrients. For a refresher, nutrients are: Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber, Carbohydrates, Fat and Protein. These are all needed in order for your body to function optimally and yet so many people do not take in the nutrients daily they need to be healthy. Enter the 4 S’s of Cooking!

The 4 S’s of Cooking can be used to structure your meals and are nutrient dense by nature. Begin searching for recipes for each “S” that will delight your palette this fall to winter season. (I have included a seasonally focused recipe for each “S” below!) Here are a few of the many reasons to integrate the 4 S’s of Cooking today!

Soups often begin with a strong base of veggies, including onions, carrots and celery. Many soups include several other vegetables as well and they are hearty, filling, nourishing and delicious. Warm soups are super satisfying in the fall and winter.

Salads do not have to be boring! This winter, try slightly warmed salads with roasted veggies, nuts and seeds.  

Stir-fry’s can be made into delicious hearty bowls chock full of vegetables, healthy proteins like beans and meats with a base of rice, quinoa or other favorite whole grain. These veggie heavy bowls are great because you can cook once and eat twice or more!

Smoothies may be harder to incorporate during the winter because they often use frozen fruits, however, if you do, they are great way load up on fruits and veggies and can serve as a filling, nutritious breakfast (or dessert!)

I hope you enjoy the following fall inspired, 4 S’s of Cooking recipes. Let them inspire you to get creative, find combinations that you love and get (healthy) cooking!

Soup

Creamy Broccoli Heaven Soup 

Ingredients:

2 broccoli crowns, chopped

1 medium potato, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, top removed and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme + a dash of dried to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons avocado oil

3-4 cups fresh spinach

1 cup cashews, soaked overnight

4-6 cups broth of choice (I use beef bone broth but whatever you have/like will do!)

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, warm oil over medium heat. Add onion, sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and potato, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. Add broth and bring heat to medium-high to create a light simmer, about 8 minutes. Add broccoli, red pepper, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and additional broth/water if needed (all vegetables should be covered with liquid). Let simmer on medium-high for about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low or low, cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, checking occasionally to stir and be sure the broccoli does not lose its bright green color. Turn off, stir in soaked and drained cashews (if you forgot to soak it’s ok, still add them for creamy texture!) and let sit 10 minutes. Transfer in small batches to blender, adding in a cup of fresh spinach with each batch as well as dash of dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Salad

Warm Winter Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups baby spinach and kale mixed together

1 large sweet potato, chopped into 1-inch cubes

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 carrot, grated

1 avocado, sliced

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

2 medium chicken breasts

¼ cup grated aged manchego cheese (or your favorite hard cheese)

½ teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons avocado oil (or other cooking oil)

Olive oil and fresh lemon juice for dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat chicken breasts with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken temperature reads 165 degrees F. Let cool 5 minutes before dicing into cubes. Lightly toss diced sweet potato cubes and fennel in oil and dried herbs. Place on baking sheet, cook for 15 minutes, toss the cubes and fennel and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Add greens to a bowl and toss in warm sweet potatoes, fennel, chicken and grated manchego. Toss in pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds and grated carrot. Top with sliced avocado. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze in a wedge of lemon juice and sea salt if desired and enjoy! 

Stir-Fry

Savory Mushroom and Butternut Squash Bowl

Ingredients:

2 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced

1 cup finely chopped kale leaves, stems removed

2 cups diced butternut squash

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 shallot, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely sliced

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, ribboned

2 cups quinoa, cooked

6 tablespoons avocado oil or other cooking oil

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Juice of ½ a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package directions, once ready stir in lemon juice, parmesan cheese, drizzle in 2-4 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, once warm, add in butternut squash and stir occasionally for 8 minutes, should begin to soften, if not, cook additional 2-5 minutes. Once the butternut squash is softened, turn heat to medium-low, add shallots, carrots and garlic and sauté together for another 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, mushroom cap slices and shredded kale, and fresh sage, stir together for 5 minutes. Serve over prepared quinoa. Enjoy! Can add favorite protein as well and top with grated parmesan!

Smoothie 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk

1 cup plain pumpkin puree

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

1 small apple, chopped

1 cup spinach

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 teaspoon raw honey

2 tablespoons collagen protein powder or unsweetened/unflavored protein powder of choice

ice added if desired

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and enjoy!

When you try these recipes let me know what you think! If you find other great recipes, share them with me! I now have a private Wholistic Food Therapy Facebook Group. It is for anyone starting or reigniting your wellness journey. It is a supportive space to share goals, recipes, wins and receive support.

3 Strategies to Manage Emotional Eating During the Holiday Season

 

If you are one of the many people who struggle with emotional and stress eating, then you may be dreading the holiday season. Whether because the holidays themselves are stressful or just the addition of holiday treats being everywhere all the time is stressful—or both, stress and emotional eating can become especially rampant this time of year.

It starts with the Halloween candy. You might think to yourself, “I’ll have just one piece---you know---as a treat.” The next thing you know you have an empty bag of Reese’s Cups and you are at the store purchasing two more bags of Reese’s—because now they’re on sale, 2-for-1! 

This triggers an attitude of, “forget it, I’ll just start over in the New Year”—an attitude of eat whatever, whenever. In the back of your mind, you know this is NOT what you want. You really want to END this cycle of gaining and losing the same amount of weight every year. You want to stop this negative, damaging cycle of emotional eating. But the leftover Halloween candy is just the beginning, enter Thanksgiving…

Now, there’s pumpkin pie, apple pie, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole and more to contend with! We essentially dive into a sea of sugary foods from Halloween all the way through December! By January you may have put on some weight and feel frustrated and down on yourself. You may feel overwhelmed by how to start all over—yet again…

You do not have to spend another holiday season fighting yourself! Here are three simple and highly useful strategies to help you manage your sugar intake, be more mindful with your choices, and make it through this holiday season feeling empowered, healthy and strong rather than disappointed, frustrated and hopeless.

1. Give Yourself a Sugar Quota

According to the American Heart Association, women should have no more than 24 grams of added sugar per day and men no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day. For example, a Pumpkin Latte from a certain coffee spot has 49 grams of sugar! When you begin to pay attention to how many grams of sugar are in certain foods, you can make more empowered decisions about what to eat and how to “spend” your sugar grams each day.

During the holiday season you might choose to increase your daily sugar quota by a bit more than 24 grams, or you might make certain days exceptions, but just not every single day—which is where the trouble lies during this season! When you predetermine how much sugar you will take in daily, you are more likely to pay attention to the amount of sugar in foods and more likely to make informed decisions. This allows to you to feel strong and in control rather than weak, shameful and deprived. 

2. Make Choices Based on How You Want to Feel

When you make decisions based on how you want to feel, you are more likely to make an empowered and positive choice in the moment. Start each day with asking yourself “How do I want to feel today?” If you want to feel strong, ask yourself with each decision you make around food and in general, “does this choice support how I want to feel?”  If not, you have an opportunity to make an empowered choice to say NO to that particular food while choosing to say YES to yourself, YES to how you want to feel. There is no better feeling than showing up for yourself and making empowered choices!  This stops the feeling of deprivation and builds inner strength.

3. Focus on Vegetables

At holiday meals, (and all throughout the year!) aim for at least 50% of your plate to be loaded with vegetables. When you do this, you are not only getting in the nutrition you need, the fiber in vegetables helps to fill you up and create a feeling of satiation. This leaves less space for the sugary foods—both on your plate and in your belly! Vegetables are where “it is at” nutritionally! When you are taking in more nutrients you feel better. This sets you up to manage your stress more effectively, which helps you curb the stress-eating! When you are well nourished you tend to have fewer cravings which allows you to resist the second helping of pie at the holiday table!

Use these three strategies during this holiday season and notice how they impact your choices, your ability to manage your craving and how you feel about yourself. When you try these strategies, let me know how they work for you! 



Why Eating Well Is a Form of Self-Respect

Food is tricky. There are so many enticing foods out there. Food is often used as a motivator, a treat, and a reward. So how do we tease out eating well, intuitive eating, and being our best and healthiest versions of ourselves? This is super complicated and that’s what I am going to talk about here, so read on!

When you respect yourself and your body, you consider what you eat a part of the process of respecting yourself. While I DO NOT recommend food restrictions (dieting mindset) or withholding foods that you enjoy. This only causes feeling of deprivation, however, there are some useful guidelines that can help you make the best choice possible in the moment for your mind, your body, and for your future self—when the decision relates to what you are about to eat.

Here are a series of questions that you can ask yourself about the foods you are choosing to eat:

• Before you eat, ask your food: “what do you have to offer me?” Ideally, we want our food to offer nutrients: fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, health fat, and carbohydrates in order to give our bodies the nourishment it needs to build healthy cells and tissues. Nutrients are the ideal answer to this question!

• Next, ask your food, “are you desirable and enjoyable to eat?” This is super important as well because if your food does not offer some form of pleasure, that may be placing you at risk of feeling unsatisfied. When you are feeling unsatisfied by a meal, you may end up mindlessly grazing other foods in order to feel a sense of pleasure and satisfaction. This contributes to the negative cycle of emotional eating.

• Next, ask yourself, “am I actually hungry for this food?” If the answer is yes, you will most likely eat the food! If the answer is no, you can ask yourself “do I want to eat this food for any reason other than taste and nutrition?” If the answer is yes, ask yourself, “why do I want to eat this food?” This is where it may get interesting. If you want to eat this food for comfort, to avoid feelings, to fill the time or to fill any other void you may be experiencing in your life, this is indicative of emotional eating.

Emotional eating is eating for the purpose of numbing out or disconnecting from uncomfortable emotions. This creates a disconnect between our bodies and our emotions. Here are some common examples of emotional eating:

• Eating when lonely which causes food to become your friend,

• Eating when you are bored which causes food to become something to do to fill your time

• Eating when you are anxious which causes food to become a way to calm yourself down

• Eating when you are tired which causes a sugar rush for energy

• Eating when you are sad which uses food to help escape the discomfort of sadness and to temporarily feel happy

• You can read more about how to heal emotional eating on my post: 6 steps to finding freedom from emotional eating.

These examples of emotional eating are not healthy reasons to eat. When you eat emotionally, you are essentially demonstrating a sense of lack of self-respect or honoring your emotions and your internal experiences.

Offering yourself empowerment when it comes to your food choices allows you to move away from a deprivation mindset. A deprivation mindset is: “I can’t have that” while an empowered, Inner Strength based mindset is: “I choose not to have that because it does not serve my health and wellness goals.” This mindset demonstrates a form of self-respect.

This is how you build your Inner Strength over time and prepare yourself to manage your emotions in another, healthier more empowered manner. You can read about this on my blog post: 5 Stages of Awareness. Emotions offer incredibly valuable information about your experience of the present moment. When you learn to become present with them, food can be just food, and this is where your power lies!

One way to begin practicing healthy eating as a form of self-respect is to go through these questions each time you make a choice surrounding food. Allow yourself to make empowered choices, listen to your intuition and your body and you will feel uplifted by your food choices.

If you are in need of support for your emotional eating, know that you are not alone. I encourage you to reach out. I have a workbook and expressive journal titled Wholistic Food Therapy: A Mindful Approach to Making Peace with Food. It is place to explore your relationship with food, emotional eating patterns, while offering exercises and practices to help heal and create a healthy and peaceful relationship with food. I also created the online course, Freedom from Emotional Eating, which is also designed to help you get to the root of your emotional eating and offers a step-by-step approach to heal your relationship with food as well as yourself.