What I Eat in a Day | Healthy Meal Ideas from a Dietitian

October is the time of year that we're finally starting to get lots of fall produce, but there are still a few summery foods hanging around too. That means for this What I Eat in a Day video I have a nice mix of summer and fall foods. I love the transition period between seasons for this reason. The mixing of foods from the previous season and the next one is the best! I hope you get some real food meal ideas and inspiration by seeing what I eat in a day in October.

Skillet potato recipe

October Favorites 2016 | Natural Living, Books, Music

October is almost over and that means it's time to talk about my October Favorites! This month I don't have much in the way of healthy food favorites, but I still have some fun stuff to share with you! I have a couple books that I'm loving, some natural lifestyle stuff, and some music that has taken over my life (in a good way).

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Baby-Led Weaning book
Primal Pit Paste
Buffering
Hamilton

Watch the baby-led weaning video: Feeding Your Baby WITHOUT Purees

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Feeding Your Baby WITHOUT Purees (Registered Dietitian)

Baby led weaning (BLW) is becoming more and more popular. With baby led weaning, instead of spoon feeding your baby purees, the baby gets to explore whole foods at their own pace. At first, it might sound a little scary to give a 6 month old child large pieces of whole food to chew and gnaw on their own, but it's a method that many families are enjoying. So what is baby led weaning and what is the idea behind it? Also, how do you know if you child is getting enough food and what about the risk of choking? I'm talking about all of that, plus my review of the Baby-Led Weaning book.

Baby-Led Weaning book

Watch the homemade baby food video: Making Your Own Baby Food? What You Need to Know

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Tips to Eat Healthy at Restaurants

Eating out is fun, but it can be tricky to eat healthy at restaurants, especially if you're just getting started with healthy eating. The goods news is that with a few simple tips you can find the healthy options at restaurants and it doesn't involve counting calories. 

Watch the calorie counting video: The Biggest Weight Loss Myth

Watch the hunger video: You Might THINK You're Hungry, But Are You?

Is Organic Candy a Scam?

Over the past few years we've seen more and more organic and natural candy popping up on store shelves. Something that used to be a specialty product is becoming more accessible all the time, but it comes with a higher price most of the time. So are organic candy and natural candy actually better for you and are they worth the extra money?

The BEST Roasted Pumpkin Seeds! Easy + Delicious!

With fall comes pumpkins and with pumpkins come pumpkin seeds! Whether you have seeds left over from making pumpkin puree or carving Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween, you can use those seeds to make a yummy snack. In fact, seeds from other kinds of winter squash like butternut squash or acorn squash will work too! To make roasted pumpkin seeds, all you need are some seeds that have been rinsed and dried, salt, oil, and any other spices you like!

My favorite olive oil in a bottle or tin

Watch the pumpkin puree video: The BEST Roasted Pumpkin Seeds! Easy + Delicious!

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Lady Comp 3.5 Year Update + FAQ (Natural Birth Control)

I've had so many requests to do a Lady Comp update video and I'm so excited that it's finally here! I've been using my Lady Comp for over 3.5 years now, and I'm happy to be able to share my experience with using the device as a natural alternative to other forms of birth control. If you're wondering if the Lady Comp works or if it is effective, I think you'll enjoy that part. Along with my general update, I'm also answering some frequently asked questions about the Lady Comp and making an exciting announcement!

Get your own Lady Comp (affiliate link)

Watch my full Lady Comp overview

Lady Comp FAQ

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Homemade Pumpkin Puree | Easy + Simple

Fall is here and with the season comes a high demand for pumpkin everything! Everyone is making pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, and much more. You can get canned pumpkin puree at the store, but I think it's much more fun to make it yourself. It only takes one ingredient and a few simple steps to make this easy recipe and then you can have homemade pumpkin puree ready to go whenever you need it.

The jars I'm using

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

What I Eat in a Day | Healthy Meal Ideas from a Dietitian

This September What I Eat in a Day might not be quite what you would expect. As a dietitian and nutritionist I try to eat seasonally and locally and even though September is a time when everyone is getting into fall mode, in Virginia we still have a lot of summer foods. Tomatoes and melons are still coming in and I'm eating lots of them! Here's what a day of healthy, real food meals looks like for me in September.

COOKBOOKS MENTIONED

Local Flavors
The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

September Favorites 2016 | Natural Beauty, Lifestyle, and More!

With the end of September quickly approaching, it's time to talk monthly favorites! This month I have one yummy food favorite, some natural beauty and self care products (including a great line of natural hair products), something awesome that I got for my cats to keep them healthy, and more!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Primal Pit Paste
Shea Moisture shampoo
Shea Moisture conditioner
Shea Moisture leave in conditioner
Cat water fountain
Wireless mouse

Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Fitness Bands Make it HARDER to Lose Weight?!

Lots of people use fitness bands and trackers to help them move more, be healthier, and even lose weight. Whether you're using a FitBit, Jawbone, Garmin, Apple Watch, or some other tracking device, you probably have the same general goals in mind. But do they work? And could they actually make it harder to lose weight? A new study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) took a look at long term use of these types of devices and whether or not they help people lose more weight over time. The results are pretty interesting.

Read the full study in JAMA

Is Sushi Bad for You?

Sushi was once an exotic food in the United States, but now this delicious food from Japan seems to be everywhere in America. With so many people eating sushi now, a lot are wondering, is sushi healthy? Well, as is the case with many foods, there isn't a simple yes or no answer.

The Past, Present, and Future of Sushi (NPR - On Point)

HUGE Harvest from Organic Garden!

I cannot believe that I got all of this in one harvest! There's a little bit of every in the mix, including tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, peppers, and LOTS of beans! It's always so exciting to me to see all of the food that comes out of the garden, but this particular harvest was insane!

For a point of reference, I'm in Virginia in Zone 7. All of the plants in the garden were either seeded directly or started from seed inside. I like to grow heirloom varieties, so there are a lot of tasty and interesting types that you might not have seen before!

Sugar Industry Paid Off Researchers?!

A recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that the sugar industry played a role in influencing dietary research and dietary recommendation in the 1960s. Not only did the Sugar Research Foundation fund the research in question, but according to the report they also may have influenced the direction and findings of said research. This was at a pivotal time when there was lots of discussion about heart disease and what role diet might play.

Read the full report in JAMA

Read a summary of report

How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat (New York Times)

How the sugar industry sweetened research in its favor (CNN)

Why I Became a Dietitian

Picking a career or your major in college isn't easy and it was something I struggled with in the beginning. Now it's crazy to look back and think that I could somehow not know I wanted to be a dietitian. In this video I share why I decided to become a Registered Dietitian initially and how that changed as I learned more about food, nutrition, health, and myself.

Antibacterial Soap BANNED by FDA

Antibacterial soaps have been in question for a while now, but the FDA just made the move to ban them. According to the FDA, antibacterial soaps don't provide any benefit over regular soaps and there are potential risks to using them. 19 ingredients have been banned, including triclosan and triclocarban. The ban will go into effect in a year.

Note: Something that I didn't mention in the video is that 3 other ingredients are going to be reviewed over the next year, so we still don't know if they will be banned or not. Those ingredients are: benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol.

Do You Need a Protein Shake After a Workout?

Post workout nutrition gets a lots of hype. Lots of people are buying protein powers and protein shakes in hopes that with will help them recover faster from their workouts and build muscle faster. But who can actually benefit from a post workout protein shake? And are shakes and powders even a good option? Here's what this dietitian and nutritionist has to say.

August Favorites 2016 + 2K Subscribers!

In this month's favorites, I have a new favorite food, a favorite meal, a fitness favorite and a huge milestone: 2,000 subscribers! It's so crazy to think that that many people are a part of this community. Thank you so much for all of your support and being such an important part of what we're doing here!

What I Eat in a Day at the Beach!

What I eat in a day at the beach is a lot like what I eat at home in some ways and quite different in others. I still try to get lots of fresh, seasonal produce and things that will leave me feeling energized for my vacation, but also eat more sweets than normal. Overall, I'd call it healthy with a little more sugar sprinkled in.

Late Summer Garden Tour!

I was hoping this year's garden would be our best ever and it looks like my dream is coming true! There's so much awesome stuff growing and there is even more to come! I've been eating lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans and the peppers and tomatillos are almost ready. For a point of reference, I'm in Virginia in Zone 7. All of the plants in the garden we either seeded directly or started from seed inside. I like to grow heirloom varieties, so there are a lot of tasty and interesting types that you might not have seen before!

For a point of reference, I'm in Virginia in Zone 7. All of the plants in the garden we either seeded directly or started from seed inside. I like to grow heirloom varieties, so there are a lot of tasty and interesting types that you might not have seen before!