My First Q&A!!
So excited that you are here for it :)
Hi guys!!
SO sorry for the gap-week last week. I was in my best friends wedding and to be honest, I did NOT do a good job of planning ahead. I ended up taking a few days off from work and I NEEDED it- so, all good! We are back again.
A few times a month I wanted to throw a Q&A in the mix just because I get SO many questions in my DM’s and in my comment section about all things nutrition and food.
I know it can be overwhelming to navigate the health/nutrition world especially online when there is so much misinformation out there. My hope is that these Q&A’s help you weed through some of the BS and learn something new and helpful!
I set out on my Instagram to ask you guys what questions you had and the response was OVERWHELMING (but in a good way, I promise). I will definitely be making a note of all of the questions that I get and do my best to answer all of them as the weeks go on.
So let’s get started y’all!!
Q&A:
Question: Are soaked chia seeds really that much better for you than raw chia seeds?
Answer: This one has really taken the internet by storm lately. Lucky for us, the answer is pretty simple. Soaking chia seeds does in fact make them easier to digest and improves nutrient absorption. The gel-like consistency that surrounds chia seeds when they are soaked is a result of the fiber expanding. This helps us feel full and satisfied. When consuming chia seeds in a larger quantity (such as in a chia pudding recipe), it is recommended to soak the seeds. However, if you are like me and enjoy chia seeds for their crunch, sprinkling a pinch over salads/yogurts/etc is totally fine.
If you do have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, etc., please contact a your healthcare provider before adding chia seeds into your diet.
Question: What is one thing you really wish people knew about nutrition?
Answer: There are so many things but if I had to choose one it would be that the biggest mistake you can make when trying to improve your overall health is to try to change everything at once. Making changes to your eating pattern requires mental strength. We can create as many “simple” rules as we want but what it comes down to is you changing your engrained habits which newsflash: NOT easy!! That is why it bothers me so much when wellness influencers start a video with “try this one easy hack to start healthy eating”. It is NEVER that straight forward. Changing your habits takes time and patience. It is always best to start with small goals. Here are a few examples:
“This week, I will increase my movement by 20 minutes each day”
“I will start to drink a glass of water while my coffee brews in the morning to improve my water intake”
“At my company dinner on Thursday, I will order the side salad instead of the fries to increase my vegetable intake that day”
Question: What is your advice when meal planning for one person?
Answer: Okay so I have two pieces of advice for this. One is more so about the planning process and another is more geared towards the prep. My first piece of advice is to plan meals that have similar ingredients to each other. Here are some examples:
If you know you are going to be making meatballs at night and you need an egg for the recipe, plan to buy a dozen eggs and use the remaining 11 for breakfasts that week.
If you are doing a Greek chicken with a tzatiki sauce (yogurt-based sauce) at night, plan on using the rest of the yogurt in the container to make yogurt bowls with fruit and granola at breakfast time.
You get the gist. By planning to use ingredients in multiple ways, it not only helps cut down on food waste but it can make the overall meal planning process less intimidating.
My second piece of advice is to cook once and eat twice. This means, when prepping for one you can make two servings at a time and throw the second serving in the fridge for the following night. This makes prep less intimidating. It won’t feel like you need to have five full meals prepped and portioned for the week however, you are still cutting down on cooking time. This is also a good tactic for people who get sick of eating the same thing 3-4 days in a row.
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OKAY. Did we like that? Did we hate it? Do we have more questions?
I will be throwing the question box up on my Instagram stories so you can feel free to drop your questions there as you think of them! Also, paid subscribers, you can leave your questions in the comments of this post if you have them.
Alright you guys, have the best weekend of your life!! Love you and talk soon!