Instagram Accounts We đź’—

Brittany Jones Nutrition Group

Comparison is the killer of all joy.

Comparison is something that comes up in our client sessions often, and today we wanted to take a minute to talk about comparing ourselves to others in our community –  how it can negatively impact our goals.

Your community is not just about the people you physically choose to surround yourself with anymore – it’s also about the community that you create for yourself on social media. This includes brands/businesses, gyms, influencers/bloggers, friends, and family.

If a photo you saw social media is creating negative self talk – unfollow that account now. You don’t have time for that!

Practice avoiding the comparison of current self to your old-self, your friends, family, strangers, coworkers, neighbors and ESPECIALLY photoshopped media and social media images. Social media is a place to selectively connect with others and build your community – make sure yours is a positive one!

Here are some of our favorite Instagram accounts to follow:

  1. @victoriamyers_ : Victoria is a body positive Registered Dietitian in Florida. She is the owner of her own private practice, Nourishing Minds Nutrition and the host of the Nourishing Women Podcast. She is a new mom and in her practice, she places an emphasis on women’s nutrition and wellness without fad diets.
  2. @find.food.freedom: This is one of our favorite accounts to follow, because they are so REAL. Sammy, Mindy and Aimee take a no BS approach to nutrition and call out all things diet culture. Our favorite is their f*** diet Friday series. Check it out – you won’t be able to stop laughing!
  3. @stephaniechinart : Stephanie is an illustrator from Toronto, Ontario. She shares her body positive and women’s empowerment designs over on her Instagram account. Stephanie utilizes her talents to tell women that they are more valuable than how society defines women.
  4. @Kait.hurley : Kait is the founder of the KAIT app. In her app she creates mindful movement by implementing a meditation session in each workout. Her goal is to use exercise to help individuals get stronger both physically and mentally – something we can get behind.
  5. @thebodypositive : The Body Positive is a non-profit from California that helps people overcome conflicts with their bodies to lead happier, more productive lives. Over on their Instagram, they use real women’s quotes, experiences, and artwork to express real body positivity.
  6. @aerie is a female underwear and swimwear brand owned by American Eagle. Aerie was one of the first clothing lines to leave their photos untouched. They use the hashtag #aeriereal to give women the power to share images of their real untouched bodies.
  7. @thirdlove Third Love is a bra and underwear company for women that carries 78 different sizes. Their mission is to supply bra sizes to accommodate women of all sizes and shapes and they promote this on their social media. (Also now is the time to unfollow Victoria’s Secret and all of their models that make you feel inadequate.)
  8. @girlfriend Girlfriend Collective is an active wear line based in Seattle Washington. Their pieces are ethically manufactured, made of sustainable materials, and they carry sizes from XXS to 6XL.
  9. @bodyimagewithbri: Bri is a licensed professional counselor living in a larger body. She works as an individual counselor focusing on body image and also provides supervision for professionals that want to learn more in this area. She posts many helpful tips on reframing negative body image thoughts and dealing with body image grief.
  10. @et.the.rd: Esther Tambe is a Weight inclusive Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Esther strongly believes nutrition is an important topic for the African-American community but especially for young women, who may not connect with traditional weight-centric messages they see and hear about nutrition from society. She is committed to increasing awareness of eating disorders/disordered eating and weight inclusive nutrition counseling in Black communities.
  11. @chelseahester: Chelsea is a certified intuitive eating counselor and anti-diet coach living in NYC. She focuses on teaching people how to make peace with their bodies and food. She states her perfect future would be where all people can “embrace [their] curves, share meals filled with laughter, and wake up every morning proud and grateful to be exactly who [they] are.”
  12. @schultzzie: Sierra is a body positive youtuber, social media influencer, and new mom. She has been open about her own struggles with body image, PCOS, and bipolar disorder. Many of her videos focus on unrealistic beauty standards and fashion. She owns a clothing line called Confident and Kind that supports body positivity.
  13. @encouragingdietitian: Christyna is a weight inclusive dietitian that helps people find a peaceful and sustainable relationship with food and their body. Her mission is to create equitable access to evidence-based weight-inclusive space for individuals seeking nutrition education regarding intuitive eating and eating disorder recovery. She also has a blog and podcast you can find on her website.
  14. @dietitiananna: Anna is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Specialist and owner of Whole Life Nutrition Counseling. She proudly identifies herself as a disabled woman and is passionate about bridging the gap between the able-bodied and disabled worlds. Anna’s goal is to help others heal their relationships with food and body, trust their own wisdom, appreciate self-care, and to enjoy every bite along the way.
  15. @thenutritiontea: Shana labels herself as an “eat anything” dietitian. She focuses on challenging diet rules and common nutrition misinformation. She practices using the Health at Every Size Approach. Fun fact – she also has a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising!
  16. @jennifer_rollin: Jennifer is therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. She has a certificate in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorder, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Her pro-eating disorder recovery posts reach many, encouraging others to challenge negative thoughts and give themselves compassion.
  17. @alissarumseyrd: Alissa is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor,  Body Liberation Coach, and author of “Unapologetic Eating.” She strives to create a space that is inclusive and equitable for all body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and abilities. Her Instagram posts keep it real – the perfect balance of humor and facts to help you ditch the diet mentality and challenge negative food and body image thoughts.

What are your favorite accounts to follow? Let us know in the comments below!

Establishing Healthy Habits for Life

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Have you ever found yourself saying “I know what to do, it’s just making myself do it”?

Here are 5 easy tips to establish healthy meal planning and a consistent exercise habits now, to give you the results you have always been looking for. After reading this blog post, write down one thing that you would like to implement right away!

1 – Lifeong Habits Take More Work Than a Fad Diet

Congratulations on saying “no” to the yo-yo dietiting and “yes” to developing healthy habits that will last a lifetime! The secret to wellness is not only making changes you know you can hold on to, it’s starting slow, and building up. It’s going to be harder than following someone else’s rules for 21 days or 30 days – but the results will last longer too.

2 – Make Time for Wellness

It’s true – there are just not enough hours in the day and wellness doesn’t often just “happen.” There is no perfect time for weight loss, so make a commitment NOW to invest in yourself – whether it is through meal planning, exercising, or just taking time to do something for you. Establishing new habits, and avoiding going back to what’s easy takes time and dedication. Schedule an appointment with yourself in your phone, in your planner or on your family calendar to carve out this time and start to create a new healthy habit.

3 – Meal Plan the Easy Way

Meal planning does NOT mean that you have to plan for 21 meals including 7 dinners. Dinner is typically where we tend to end up in the drive thru line, or on the phone with the pizza place. Try planning for just 3-4 dinners and include leftovers into the plan. Many of my clients love meal delivery services, and this utilizes that same concept, but you will save even more money, and cook healthier! Start by putting your “events” in your calendar, and then build healthy meals and snacks around them!

4 – Schedule Your Workouts On Sunday

Take a look at your week ahead and schedule your workouts in your planner ahead of
time. Write it down in your planner and reschedule if you have to – just like you would a
doctor’s appointment.

5 – Be Realistic

It’s about progress – not perfection. This is a time to accept a broader form of excellence
rather than a narrowly defined one. We are not aiming for A+ on a test here, in all reality we are aiming for a really solid B. Did you set a goal to workout 5 times per week but have only gotten in 3? Congratulations you got in 3! Celebrate that win, and consider re-adjusting your goal to build up to 5 times per week – you might need to change up your schedule or ask for some help with your to-do list. Think about what needs to be done to get there, start slow, and build. Remember – you have the rest of your life to build these healthy habits and nothing ends in 21 or 30 days – it’s forever. Focus what works for YOU!

Want to know more? Your first 15 minute phone appointment is FREE! Contact
me here.

Nutrition Tips for Your Healthiest Summer Yet

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Summer is almost here! That means lots of BBQs, weddings, vacations and more. Wondering how your healthy lifestyle fits into your busy and very fun summer schedule? Check out my top nutrition tips for summer – including healthy grilling, managing parties, staying on track on vacation, and more.

1. Use the Portion Plate at BBQs & Buffets

Make half your plate non-starchy vegetable at lunch and dinner – it’s easier than counting calories! This will keep the carbs and lean meat to the other side of your plate, keeping calories low and nutrients high. Keep in mind if you don’t use your carbohydrates for energy, they will get stored as fat.

2. Meal Plan for Success

Summer schedules are BUSY! With vacations, work events, and kids being out of school it seems like the summer just flies by. Choose a day on the weekend to take 10 minutes to look at your week ahead. See what days you have an event going on and work backwards to see which days you will want to plan healthy meals for.

3. Use the 80/20 Rule

Focus on functional foods 80% of the time, and give yourself 20% of the time to enjoy the fun foods of summer! The most important part is that after the party/BBQ is over, that you just jump right back in where you left off. There is no falling off the wagon when you are focusing on building healthy lifestyle habits.

4. Fire Up the Grill

Focus on lean meats (chicken, fish, bison burgers) to focus on getting as much protein as possible, and also prevent grill flare ups. Grill vegetables whole or use a grilling basket for a healthy side!

5. Maintain Don’t Gain on Vacation

Let’s be honest – no one expects to lose weight on vacation (what fun is that?). Enjoy yourself while keeping your healthy habits in mind by utilizing the portion plate when dining out and finding a way to incrorporate movement into your day (walk, local gym, swimming, and more).

6. Alternate Alcoholic Drinks with Water

Keep hydrated and keep the calories low with this trick. Even better, choose a low calorie drink like a spiked seltzer over a beer.

7. Cut Out Sugary Drinks

This includes sodas, sweet teas and juice. Cutting out two sugary drinks per day could result in losing over half a pound per week. Remember, these count in the carb portion of your plate. Try regular, or infused or sparkling water for best results!

8. Schedule your workouts on Sunday

Take a look at your week ahead and schedule your workouts ahead of time. Write it down in your planner and reschedule if you have to – just like you would a doctor’s appointment.

9. Let your hunger and fullness drive your choices

Recognizing your hunger and fullness cues is the key to dining out on vacation and eating at BBQs/weddings. On a scale of 1-10 try to eat when you are at a 3-4 and eat until you are a 6-7. Avoid being ravenous going into a meal, this will put you at risk for overeating.
Want to know more? Your first 15 minute phone appointment is FREE! Set up your appointment here.

Blush Nutrition One Day Meal Plan

I shared some of my healthy eating tips for the New Year with Scene on 7 on Monday. Learn how to spot a fad diet, how to have a healthier 2018 and my cauliflower rice burrito bowl recipe (featured at the end of this blog post)!

I am a firm believer in meal planning to help you reach your health and wellness goals! Through Blush Nutrition, I offer custom meal planning for my clients complete with recipe books and grocery lists. Check out my sample One Day Meal Plan below!

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Blush Nutrition One Day Sample 1550 Calorie Meal Plan

Breakfast 7:00AM 6oz Vanilla Greek yogurt with ½ cup blueberries and 1oz almonds (286 calories)
Snack 9:30AM 1 medium apple and 2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter (216 calories)
Lunch 12:30PM Pomegranate Grilled Chicken Salad: 2 cups baby spinach, ½ cup pomegranate seeds, 1oz fat free feta cheese, 3oz grilled chicken breast (no skin) and 2 Tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (486 calories)
Snack 3:30PM Balanced Breaks® Gouda Natural Cheese with Honey Roasted Peanuts and Dried Cranberries (170 calories)
Dinner 6:30PM Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl (386 calories)
  1544 Calories Total*

* To find out your individualized calorie recommendations please consult a physician or Registered Dietitian

Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ Cup bell pepper slices
  • ½ cup onion slices
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 5oz (½ Package) Steamfresh Cauliflower Rice, cooked
  • Âľ Cup (half 15.5oz can) low sodium black beans, rinsed
  • ½ Cup grape tomatoes
  • 1 100 calorie guacamole package
  • 1oz reduced fat Mexican cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, bell pepper slices, onion slices and black pepper. Sautee until vegetables are cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. In a large bowl add the riced cauliflower. Add the black beans in the upper left corner, the grape tomatoes in the upper right corner, the sautéed peppers and onions in the bottom left corner and the guacamole in the bottom right corner.
  3. Option to top with reduced fat Mexican cheese, mix, and serve!

Nutrition Facts (1 serving, without cheese): 386 Calories, 24.8g Total Fat, 3.3g Saturated Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 0g Cholesterol, 524mg Sodium, 36.5g Total Carbohydrate, 10.8g Fiber, 10.1g Sugar, 9.7g Protein

Want to know more about my custom meal planning services? Contact me to set up your FREE 15 minute appointment!