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Food Freedom, Hormones, Metabolism, Nutrition

Carb Is Not A Four Letter Word

March 8, 2016 By Robyn 45 Comments

Carb is like a four letter word.
Can I just confess that one of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk about “carbs.”
Carbs and calories…two words that make my skin crawl.
The amount of conversations I hear of women talking about their carb or calorie intake makes me want to scream and cry all at the same time.
Carbs do not make you fat. Carbs do not make you gain weight. And carbs don’t belong on a pedastool. It’s a macronutrient, not the end-all-be-all of health.

Carbs are NOT the devil, despite everything you've heard. | The Real Life RD

We’ve gone from villianizing fat and loving carbs in the 90s to bashing carbs and praising fats today – and nutrition recommendations will only continue to constantly change and evolve. Especially as more and more people think of themselves as nutrition “experts.” One thing I know for sure from these two dichotomous trends is that extremes are not only unsustainable, but they don’t make sense. We don’t need to ban fats, and carbs are not the worst thing ever.

Carbs will not make you fat. Carbs will not make you gain weight. And restricting carbs is not the golden ticket to lose weight.
carbsdonotmakeyoufat
Will you lose weight initially when you eat less carbs? Yes, I can almost guarantee it. But that weight loss victory will be short lived because that’s almost always water weight. It water to digest carbs. But the second you start eating carbs again or even go back to enjoying some oatmeal, your weight will very likley creep up. So often, people who have been eating less carbs find it very frustrating that they “gain weight” when they eat carbs. No, eating carbs doesn’t directly cause weight gain. Eating carbs could cause a bit more water to be retained OR perhaps your resisting your body’s natural set point.

The more important thing to talk about though is how restricting carbohydrates is actually stressful on the body – cortisol levels rise when the body isn’t fed enough carbohydrates. Especially if you’re an athlete, a runner or someone who is fairly active and enjoys working out – your body needs carbohydrates. Combine a low carb diet with inadequate sleep, a stressful job and maybe too much exercise and you’ll find yourself at a hormonal frat party. Furthermore, low carbohydrate intake can cause the beginnings of hypothyroidism. Insulin is needed for the conversion of inactive T4 into active T3 (your thyroid hormones) and often insulin is quite low when you don’t eat enough carbs.

carbsdontmakeyoufat

Now are all carbs created the same? Of course not! Eating cake or pasta will give your body quick energy and eating a sweet potato or brown rice will cause a slower blood sugar rise for more sustained energy. Do we need all those foods to create a healthy balance both physically and mentally? Yes. Try not eating dessert or some white pasta or flour for months on end and you’ll probably find yourself knee deep in frosting and feeling fuller than you ever intended. Our body will eventually rebel against physical OR mental restriction. Cue the guilt, self shaming, restrictive eating cycle. We need all these foods. Allowing yourself to eat anything at anytime brings food freedom.

When you skip out on the carbs at breakfast or eat that salad with grilled chicken and olive oil for lunch with hopes or lightening up – it will backfire. Maybe not today or even for the next week or so, but eventually it will. When your carbohydrate intake is too low, the body senses that and it’s stressful. Your primal biological drive to eat will take over. I’m not here bashing low carbohydrate diets, I know some people will tell me they feel amazing and their best eating “low carb”. But for the audience I work with and for the population as a whole, restricting carbohydrates usually leads down a dark path. But my hope here is for us to understand that many factors contribute to how a person will handle a low carb diet and what the health effect will be. More often than not, it doesn’t end well.
carbsdontmakeyoufat
Carbs do not make you fat. Carbs do not make you gain weight. Sleep and exercise and life stressors and so many nutritional factors play into your overall health.
Most of the time we eat those physically nourishing carbs like sweet potatoes, white potatoes, quinoa and rice and bananas and apples and dates or oatmeal or whole grain pasta or some buckwheat pancakes. And other times, likely less frequently, we satisfy our bodies by eating that amazing muffin from your favorite coffee shop, or that perfectly chewy wood fire pizza crust, or that cookie your roommate made or the jillion other carbtastic foods that feed our souls, especially eaten with those we love.
I’ve been crushing on carbs for years and counseling clients and blabbering to friends to do the same. Your body is not the anomaly, I promise. Do some people feel better eating more carbs than others? Yes, because everybody is different. But everyone’s body needs carbohydrates. And I assure you, carbs do not directly make you fat. And they don’t directly cause weight gain.
carbsdontmakeyoufat
Cheers to ALLTHECARBS!
carbsdontmakeyoufat

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Comments

  1. Victoria says

    March 8, 2016 at 10:57 am

    I’m also an RD and I hear you! I also think that a lot of people don’t really understand which foods contain carbohydrates… they just automatically assume it’s only grains, breads, pasta, potatoes, when in fact fruits, some legumes, peas, milk, yogurt are all carbohydrate containing foods. It’s like saying “I’m avoiding carbs. I had a smoothie with spinach, plain yogurt, milk and berries for breakfast.”
    I do think that there are a couple exceptions to the “carb debate.” First, type 1 diabetics need to be conscious about counting carbohydrates to manage blood sugar and to determine how much insulin needs to be taken. However, they’re not restricting carbohydrates per say. Secondly, evidence has shown the ketogenic diet can work with epilepsy and seizure disorders. I’ve seen it firsthand in the paediatric population but it involves a lot of work, precisely counting the ratios (protein:fat:carb), weighing foods and requires days of teaching with an RD.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      March 8, 2016 at 11:17 am

      Yes I completely agree that the ketogenic diet is a helpful therapeutic measure in medical diagnoses – but in terms of the general population, these people are certainly the exception versus the majority. Education is key!

      Reply
  2. Sarah @ BucketListTummy says

    March 8, 2016 at 11:38 am

    Amen, sista! Carbs make us happy – I’ve seen that people who restrict just come back craving carbs worse than ever, leading to a serving (or three) too many of high glycemic carbs. Making sure we have them at each meal and snack will help balance that. Plusss, all that beneficial fiber that those carbs have makes our bodies happy!

    Reply
  3. Amalia says

    March 8, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Ok….. Were you in my brain this weekend???!? I NEEDED to read this today! Printing this one out to put on the fridge.. ????

    Reply
  4. Debbie says

    March 8, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Agree! People are always hating on the carbs these days without truly realizing what carbs are and what they do for our bodies. Everything in moderation is the best (and most enjoyable) way to live. Unrelated, but your picture of all those berries are making me drool!

    Reply
  5. Kailey says

    March 8, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    You won me over when you said hormonal frat party 😉
    In all honesty though, this is a wonderful blog post. I secretly cringe when some of my friends say they are cutting carbs / not eating them because they want to lose weight. These are beautiful women with amazing hearts…sad how the media has made carbs into the enemy.

    Reply
  6. Aubrey says

    March 8, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    Totally Agree! I jumped off the low-carb bandwagon 6 months ago and feel like a new person! My energy, sleep, mood, basically everything improved. Buckwheat pancakes are now my favorite breakfast.

    Reply
  7. Andrea @ pencils and pancakes says

    March 8, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    Do you have any suggestions for increasing carb intake in a healthy way? I’m pregnant and working out a lot. I tracked macros because the dr found ketones in a urine test and even with 3-4 servings of fruit, a little rice and sweet potatoes on one day I still on had 55g. Help!

    Reply
  8. Andrea @ pencils and pancakes says

    March 8, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    I meant 155g*

    Reply
    • catia says

      June 2, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Lucky! In this case, your metabolism is pretty fast and as soon as your hormones get balanced you are going to loose lots of fat if you you keep eating like this. Unless you are already lean I agree you need more carbs in order to not become so skinny, otherwise let it burn.

      Reply
  9. Katie says

    March 8, 2016 at 2:01 pm

    CHEERS TO ALL THE CARBS! I will be sharing this on my FB this week… so many people need to be reading this!! Maybe this shall be posted on a news site.. so helpful.

    Reply
  10. Vangie K. says

    March 8, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    Yes! Yes! Yes! I constantly hear young women in my life demonizing carbohydrates in conversation or physically restricting carbs. It makes me so sad. Everyone’s body is different and each works better with different ratios of macro nutrients, but in the end it’s just food. Lovin’ this post:)

    Reply
  11. Amanda M. Foote says

    March 8, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Thank you for posting this, so perfectly explained. I get into so many conversations with anti-carb people who swear by protein, produce and dairy no understanding the bigger picture of carbohydrates. Love your blog!

    Reply
  12. Ashley V says

    March 8, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    Thanks for posting this! I don’t eat a lot of carbs in the form of bread, but I basically eat my weight in apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes, so I’m not a low-carb eater by any stretch of the imagination! I work in a primarily female environment, so lunchtime conversations always tend to land on food, calories, and comments like, “I’m being good today” which make me cringe. It’s such an unfortunate mentality that our culture has created, and it’s affecting sooo many women! My coworkers are all almost old enough to be my momma, and it makes me sad that such amazing women are weighing a part of their worth based on their weight and eating habits (not to say that I am immune to the same mentality; I am by no means immune!). After a coworker, a fitness instructor on the side, mentioned that she eats 1,000 calories each day (a revelation that almost knocked me off my seat), I attempted to count my calories which I hadn’t done in 4+ years. I say attempted, because I only made it through breakfast and lunch. However, I’d estimate that with a snack and dinner I was about 2,000. I then went down the awful rabbit hole of thinking I’m way overeating, researching how many calories I should be eating, and feeling terrible about my food choices (all of which are actually healthy). I do NOT want to fall victim to that kind of thinking, and your blog is the best resource I can think of to get back to my healthy mindset. I’ve been a reader for several years, and this blog is the reason I got OUT of that mindset to begin with. Thanks so much for your dedication to your readers and your deep concern for all aspects of our health (mind, bodies, and soul). You are a blessing!

    Reply
  13. Sarah says

    March 8, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    Thank you so much for writing this. It’s a great reminder that carbs are, in fact, good for you and essential to a healthy diet! Bring on the sweet potatoes

    Reply
  14. Lisa C says

    March 8, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    You are a gem! Wonderful post!

    Reply
  15. Kate @mindfoodly says

    March 8, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    Such a good post! For so long I was scared of carbs, it has been such a hard and long road to include them back into my life but I do not regret it at all!

    P.S. That bread photo literally made me drool- granola bread sounds amazing

    Reply
  16. Alex says

    March 9, 2016 at 1:18 am

    What is that deliciousness pictured in the toast pic? It looks SOOOOO good!

    Reply
  17. Elizabeth says

    March 9, 2016 at 2:40 am

    So so so refreshing! Living in a VERY ‘health’-focused corner of Sydney, the things you hear demonising this macro and that macro can be utterly confusing. It’s so lovely to hear common sense (and grace!) from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Thank you! xx

    Reply
  18. Marina @ Snackie Bird says

    March 9, 2016 at 4:25 am

    I tried keto diet a few months ago and results was amazing. But keto is hard in cold winter! Now I want try high carb low fat diet – I saw great Youtube videos on this diet 😀

    Reply
  19. suzanne says

    March 9, 2016 at 9:59 am

    great post Robyn…I need to hear this message…I fell victim to the ‘low fat’ craze and still restrict fat intake (having to imagine fats fueling my brain is the only way I can get myself to eat them)…and while I used to eat lots of carbs (pre-carbs are bad phase), I now have succumbed to that mindset and am working hard to boost my intake of them as well. Eating so many veggies can make a belly feel yuck!

    Thank you for being such a light in this too often dark/restrictive food world we live in!
    BTW – I also love the ‘hormonal frat party’ phrase – I think my body is having one 🙁

    Reply
  20. Alyssa says

    March 9, 2016 at 10:07 am

    I’ve gone back and forth with eating lower carb, and while it was effective for a while (I leaned out), I began experiencing severe acne and hormonal issues. I’m currently training 6 days a week for a race and Crossfit competition, so I’ve made an effort to eat enough carbs to fuel these activities and I’ve really seen my skin clear up!

    Reply
  21. Lauren says

    March 9, 2016 at 3:48 pm

    SOS Whereeee can I get that PB & Honey toast??!?

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    March 9, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    I agree that anyone who restricts carbs for weight loss is making a mistake. I don’t think any food should be restricted unless it’s causing you trouble. And all I can say that as a carb lover, I wish I didn’t find that I do much better when I do not eat bread and pasta and other carbs like that (I’m aware that veggies and many other foods are also carbs). When I cut out certain carbs, I feel SO much better. It’s amazing. It’s not about weight loss. It’s about better sleep, better skin, better digestion, remarkably better mood….so many things that make me happier. So cutting out the foods isn’t something I’m thrilled about, but the incredibly positive effects are.
    I bring this up here only because I’d asked in a comment a few weeks back about inflammation and carbs and was hoping you’d address it — you answered the comment and said you would — so I was interested to see this post and hoped it might address some of us who do so much better when going lower carb (I still get tons of carbs from other sources, and I eat a lot of healthy fats and proteins. It’s not about weight loss for me. It’s about health, both mental and physical). But this post seems to suggest anyone who restricts carbs is just going for some quick-fix weight loss. Honestly, some of us just fare better going low carb, just like a friend of mine feels so much better when she doesn’t eat dairy (whereas dairy has no negative effect on me — we’re all different!).
    By the way, I love you, and your blog, so I’m not being critical. Just wanted to point out that sometimes we have to find what works for us, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re jumping on a fad bandwagon 🙂

    Reply
  23. Katie says

    March 9, 2016 at 5:10 pm

    I so wish I would have found a similar article when I was in the height of my “fitness journey”. I was limiting myself to one cup of grains a day (oatmeal in the AM, quinoa at lunch) and the rest was protein and veggies. Sometimes an apple snuck in. I lost a ton of weight but it wasn’t maintainable and now I have hypothyroidism, and have gained quite a bit back! I’m sharing this link everywhere – thank you for writing such an important article in a relatable way!

    Reply
  24. Ray says

    March 9, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    I LOVEEEE this! I have read so many posts and I totally love your view, protein is not as necessary as people make it out, but carbs and fats are!!! However, I was wondering if you could talk about healthy and maintainable weight loss. Should I be counting macros? I understand that you hate counting calories, but then how is it possible to lose weight? I don’t want to completely destroy my metabolism, ruin my cycle, etc, etc, in the process, but I have gained weight and need to lose about 10 pounds. Thank you!

    Reply
  25. Emily says

    March 9, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    THANK you Robyn! I literally come to your site every time I’m kind of discouraged about anything relating to nutrition, exercise, or life balance from a sister in Christ’s perspective, and it is SO refreshing. <3 Thank you!

    Reply
  26. Kandice says

    March 9, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Balance!!! You have helped me so much on my journey to finding balance, again, with my diet. I just came out of the closet, so to speak, with my exercise issues…..and I’m a personal trainer. It’s not easy, we all struggle. I love how you lay it out and educate us on real-life eating. I’m going to pass this on to my readers. Thanks for every single post. This has helped so many of us!

    Reply
  27. sarah says

    March 9, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    Once again, amazing post Robyn! Your blog helps me so much, you’re an amazing role model!

    Reply
  28. Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says

    March 10, 2016 at 9:09 am

    Thank you so much for sharing this, I’m so happy I stumbled upon your blog today!!! You’re amazing!! 🙂

    Reply
  29. Melissa says

    March 10, 2016 at 10:28 am

    I just purchased a meal plan and it was processed through PayPal. However, I don’t know how I will receive it. ITt hasn’t come through email; nor was there a box asking for my email.

    Reply
    • Anne says

      March 11, 2016 at 11:59 am

      Hi Melissa,

      I am in the same boat. I purchased one, but all I received was the receipt. I didn’t get a meal plan. Please let me know if you encounter a solution!

      Thank you,

      Reply
      • Ashley v says

        March 11, 2016 at 2:52 pm

        Mine took several hours to arrive through email. It came to my email address associated with my paypal account.

        Reply
  30. Erin Ramsay says

    March 10, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    Hi There,

    Thank you so much for sharing this post. The mixed messages we get are detrimental to our minds and it is so so hard to keep our thought patterns working for us as opposed to against us.

    The true shame is that these marketing-driven messages cause real suffering and we see it, feel it and then many fall victim to it.

    I want to ask your opinion on the line between seeking mental health consultations vs. nutritional consultations. This isn’t an easy or short answer question, so maybe keep it on the question list if you think it is something that would be inline with the goals of your blog.

    Reply
  31. RealityProponent says

    July 20, 2018 at 11:45 am

    You show a lack of comprehension in regards the mechanisms of lipid formation, particularly in relation to carbohydrate metabolism. You should review the recent literature on the effects of “Low-Fat High-Carbohydrate” diets vs “High-Fat Low-Carbohydrate” diets:

    1) “A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial”

    https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/717451

    WS Yancy, MK Olsen, JR Guyton… – Annals of internal …, 2004 – Am Coll Physicians

    Background: Low-carbohydrate diets remain popular despite a paucity of scientific evidence
    on their effectiveness. Objective: To compare the effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic
    diet program with those of a low-fat, low-cholesterol, reduced-calorie diet. Design

    2) “A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity”

    https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022637

    FF Samaha, N Iqbal, P Seshadri… – … England Journal of …, 2003 – Mass Medical Soc

    Background: The effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on weight loss and risk factors for
    atherosclerosis have been incompletely assessed. Methods We randomly assigned 132
    severely obese subjects (including 77 blacks and 23 women) with a mean body-mass index …

    There are dozens and dozens of additional studies confirming these studies’ findings. You either purposely spreading dangerous misinformation, or simply spreading falsehoods due to ignorance on the subject.

    Reply
  32. RealityProponent says

    July 20, 2018 at 11:54 am

    “When you skip out on the carbs at breakfast or eat that salad with grilled chicken and olive oil for lunch with hopes or lightening up – it will backfire. Maybe not today or even for the next week or so, but eventually it will. When your carbohydrate intake is too low, the body senses that and it’s stressful. Your primal biological drive to eat will take over. I’m not here bashing low carbohydrate diets,”

    This is simply wrong. When you don;t consume Carbohydrates for more than a few days your body uses a process called gluconeogenesis. This is why cultures that live off high-protein diets are not constantly starving as you would have us believe. Gluconeogenesis is the conversion of proteins to glucose. Now ideally you would avoid gluconeogenesis if you are eating a High-Fat Low-Carb diet, as fat is a far more efficient energy source when it is metabolized into Ketones bodies. Additionally consuming fat is the most effective food type to consume for staving off hunger cravings. Carbohydrates and sugars have the unfortunate effect of increasing hunger do to the insulin spike their consumption induces.

    As I mentioned in my previous post, with the links to modern scholarly articles, you need to research how carbohydrates, proteins, and fats work at a metabolic level. You are making incorrect statements about nutrition based on gross over-s implications of dietary principles.

    Reply
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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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I have yet to experience postpartum myself, but I've had many clients and readers that have been through that season of life. Or perhaps you are currently living through the postpartum period. Every woman's body is different, therefore every woman's experience after giving birth will be different. What works for one woman, might not work for the next. While one woman might go through postpartum and adjust to newborn life quiet seamlessly, another woman might find it much more difficult. She might need the support of medication, therapy, extra help and many other things. One way is not better than the other - they are simply two different ways of navigating the postpartum period. I hope this post helps you better care for yourself, whatever that means for you. There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself as a mom or your new baby.

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A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years o A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years of getting to spend so much time with my kids: aka another way I’m discovering some pockets of peace so my heart & mind & soul don’t crumble under the reality of dependent & emotionally dysregulated tiny humans.  About once a week we go somewhere for baked goods. We drive or walk, buy something buttery & then find a beautiful, relatively quiet outdoor spot where the boys can romp and I can sit and think my thoughts while I watch them play. This past week we were found ourselves at the Wool Factory where the boys threw rocks & whatever else off the bridge while I ate 90% of this almond 🥐 from @coucourachou that will blow your mind. Boys ate the other 10% bc they were busy playing and didn’t ask for more quickly enough 😜  I’m finding *for me* playgrounds have a time & place but they aren’t where I enjoy motherhood & my two toddlers the most. Baked goods & a pretty outdoor spot without high drops my 15 month old could launch himself off of…I’m here for it.
I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the boys to hike out at one of our favorite spots last week and when I ripped it open I was regretting my choice to share them with my kids. @baresnacks randomly sent me a box of snacks and I usually eat free food we receive or give it to a friend/neighbor and move on. But I felt it my duty to tell you about these bc they are THAT GOOD. I’m not getting paid and this isn’t sponsored - I was just shocked at how tasty these were and felt you needed to know. We ate them with some buttery roasted nuts and the combo was 👌🏻 but they are good just on their own.  The boys climbed rocks and swam in the reservoir - leave it to my almost 3 year old to want to strip down naked and fully submerge himself in chilly water on a sixty degree morning. “Mama can I get super nakey?” Sure baby. Sure. This is your childhood.
It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of extended alone time away from the babies to just be. And that isn’t something that’s best for me, it’s an area I gotta grow in. So this afternoon when Nick pushed me out the door and was like - get out of here plzzzz - I walked to my favorite cafe and ordered a thick pastrami sandwich and sat there for a good LONG while before taking a long, peaceful walk in the rain to wrap up the afternoon. Note to self: stop being such a control freak and go be by yourself sometimes.
a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face from @mariebettecafe this morning when she came to get her toddler who played with us all morning and it is v good. even better when paired with an iced latte 😍
#AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing a #AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing about how taking @alignprobiotic regularly has improved my digestive regularity.  And I’m still taking them! I’ve permanently added Align 24/7 Digestive Support* into the roundup of supplements I take before bed (prenatal, vitamin D, choline & DHA - all which help keep me healthy while breastfeeding) so I can keep seeing the benefits.  Just because you see benefits, doesn’t mean you should stop taking your probiotic. Keep taking Align daily (under the supervision and recommendation of your health care provider of course) to keep seeing the benefits!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of my favorite parts of Align probiotics is that they don’t need refrigeration AND they come in a convenient little blister pack that has the days labeled. It’s the little things people! #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoo I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoon (91 and muggy in MAY 🤯) when a toddler nap was refused and a baby nap was cut wildly short ....so my tired mom brain pulled out two plastic storage bins, filled them up with soap & hose water and striped ‘em down naked in the yard. Two hours later, it was almost time for an early dinner and I had magically been able to sit for most of that time and we already had baths checked off the list. 👍🏻 I’m archiving this idea for my future self, hope it helps another tired mama out.
#AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about #AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about getting better at doing the basics to care for myself which included taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic regularly.  Probiotics take time to work so I wanted to give it a full month to see the full effects of @alignprobiotic. So here are my honest thoughts: it took a few weeks to notice any differences, but near the end of the month I did notice some changes in my digestive balance - even while traveling! I’m not someone who experiences occasional gas, bloating or abdominal discomfort frequently enough to notice a difference, so I don’t feel like I can comment on how well Align works for those benefits.  All in all though, taking @alignprobiotic was a positive experience and I really appreciated how the capsules don’t need to be stored in the fridge, making it convenient to take them with me anywhere #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Because the swampy VA summer has already begun (it’s in the low 90s today 🥵 lord help) and creeks are our retreat - not only from the heat but also from the noisy world. I need this just (if not more) than they do! We’ll be at the splash pads and pools too, but the quietness of the creek...my mental health is so about it. And it’s hours of play for them! Win win.  A couple things to note: this scene also included a few toddler reminders on finding another direction to throw rocks instead of at his brother - so not all is serene 🤪 and also, yes I am now that mom who buys the same clothing for both kids bc it keeps things simple & i think i kinda like it too 🤷🏻‍♀️
Things I love about midwifery among many: the appo Things I love about midwifery among many: the appointments, no matter how long, feel so unhurried. 
Just walked in from an appointment with my midwife because I was due for a Pap test + an overall wellness visit. My last pap was during my first trimester with Cal which feels like a jillion years ago, but it’s only actually been three years. Life changes so fast! Pre-baby life feels like a whole other life.  I’m wayyyy overdue for a visit to my PCP bc I’ve been under OBGYN or midwifery care for the majority of the past three years while having babies, but I am pretty good with keeping up with my paps. It seems women often think they need pap and/or HPV testing way more frequently than they do (and providers sometimes perform these tests more frequently than necessary - remember more testing doesn’t always mean better outcomes!)  So if you need it, here’s a quick little reminder on this chilly spring Friday afternoon on how often you need this testing (these are the recommendations from ACOG)  Women aged 21–29 years should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing is not recommended.  Women aged 30–65 years should have a Pap test and an HPV test (aka co-testing) every 5 years (preferred). It also is acceptable to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.  If you get abnormal results, this testing frequency could change - but for healthy women with normal results, you actually don’t need testing as frequently as you might think. Which is great news for those of you who hate the speculum.  Ok, off to finish up some things on the to-do list (including cleaning this kitchen) during nap time and then come 5 o’clock, crack an IPA with our neighbors 🍻
#AlignPartner Over the past seven months since bec #AlignPartner Over the past seven months since becoming a mom of two, caring for myself has gotten shoved to the back burner. And it's been a challenge to make it a priority. My routine-resistant personality has upsides and downsides when it comes to motherhood. So I'm starting small this year with a consistent bedtime routine that includes taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic and hoping as that becomes consistent, my mornings will naturally shift too.  In short my bedtime currently goes like this….jammies & face care when putting the babies to bed. Before I go to bed (anytime between 9pm and 12am...) I’ll pump, take my supplements and fill my water. Then I go upstairs and brush my teeth. And then get in bed. The kicker: 70% of the time I find myself finishing up tasks on my phone IN BED. I hate this habit.  Back to supplements. This is something I have been able to stick with. On top of fish oil, my prenatal, choline and vitamin D, I recently added @AlignProbiotic 24/7 Digestive Support*§ to see if it helps with abdominal discomfort and regularity because when I don’t drink coffee or am traveling that can get thrown off.  I’ll be taking it every day for the next 28 days since it takes TIME for our bodies to adjust to probiotics - and I'll be taking you guys along with me as I share my honest thoughts. Many people think if they don’t see changes within the first 7-10 days then the probiotic isn’t working, but that’s not the case. I’m giving myself more than just a week or two and instead a full month to see the full benefits. I’ll keep you posted over the next month. Check out my stories to learn more! #MyAlignGutJourney #guthealth
 
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care f We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care for a nap. Putting baby down was harder than I wanted it to be. Miraculously, I had a moment of clarity as I was covered in tiny humans and decided I wasn’t doing the nap battle thing a on 60 degree, gorgeous, sunny spring day 🙅🏻‍♀️ so I piled both babies into the car half naked, opened the sun roof, put on white noise for them and an audio book for me and drank a kombucha as I drove a meal to a postpartum mama. Thirty five minutes later we had a sleeping baby and a toddler who at least had a rest. Baby transferred without waking HALLELUJAH and although my toddler didn’t nap today (lord help) at least we got soaked in breezy sunshine 😎🤘🏻💆🏻‍♀️
We veered from our usual Friday night homemade piz We veered from our usual Friday night homemade pizza (minus the dough, we leave that to @albemarlebakingco) because we are eating pizza tomorrow with some friends - instead I called my mom and asked her how she makes her chicken fingers and we fried up a big ole batch of chicken nugs 🙌🏻🤤 along with a sheet pan full of sweet potato fries and a simple arugula salad dressed with parmesean, olive oil and s&p. Oh and my moms honey mustard recipe for dipping. It’s SO DANG GOOD.  Over the past 6ish months we’ve been practicing (and practicing and practicing bc it doesn’t come naturally) unplugging from technology and slowing down and resting and just being for one day a week. Some call it Shabbat. Some call it Sabbath. Maybe you call it something different. All I know is IT IS SO GOOD FOR MY WEARY SOUL and the day I look forward to ALL WEEK. Sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Nothing but rest. For us that means hiking (or something outside) and napping and reading and being with friends and eating really good food. And drinking some really good wine or craft beer. Sometimes whiskey. 😛  And because I know I’ll get asked about the chicken finger recipe and also because it’s too good not to share and Momma Coale said I could, here ya go:  Cut chicken breast into thin strips or small pieces (I prefer nug size bc the breading to chicken ratio is perfection). Salt and pepper those babies really well. Then dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg, then panko - just like you would bread anything else. Then fry them up in a light oil - I use avocado oil because that’s our everyday oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil. Just fill a pan with an inch or so of oil on medium high heat. They only take 2-3 minutes per side. You can always temp them to make sure they are at least 165 degrees F to really make sure they are done. Dunk in all the sauces and enjoy!  Happy weekend!

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