Posted on

Coconut Oil: Should You Switch?

by Jen Rawson, RD

For a long time, olive oil was king of the cooking oils. Due to its widespread use in the Mediterranean diet (largely regarded as one of the healthiest eating patterns), it quickly became “the” oil to use in cooking. But in the past few years, our views on fats have changed. Suddenly, butter is back, along with highly-touted products like avocado oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil and grapeseed oil. But no oil saw as much hype as coconut oil, with claims to reduce weight and waist circumference, strengthen the immune system, give you glowing skin, and even prevent Alzheimer’s disease. So, is coconut oil the miracle cure it’s claimed to be, or has the media buzz overshadowed the science?

Continue reading “Coconut Oil: Should You Switch?”

Posted on

Off-Season Nutrition

by Jen Rawson, RD

As runners, our schedules and timelines revolve around our training cycles. After a major goal race, runners are advised to take an off-season where the body is allowed time to rest and recover before the next challenge. While most runners have charts and schedules detailing their training plan, mileage, and splits, many forgetto consider how their nutrition should vary during different stages of the training cycle.

A high carbohydrate diet is the accepted standard diet for a runner. While that’s the best approach during train-ing, adjusting the diet with training cycles can help achieve optimum performance on race day and recovery during the off-season. Continue reading “Off-Season Nutrition”

Posted on

Trust Your Gut

For many years, it was thought that the only role of the gut was to digest our food. However, with recent research showing that our gut microbiome influences our brain health, immunity, heart health and more, it’s not surprising to see gut health taking a central role in research and the media. Here are a few pointers to help keep your gut healthy. Continue reading “Trust Your Gut”

Posted on

Intuitive Eating in Sports Nutrition

by Jen Rawson, RD

The philosophy of Intuitive Eating encourages people to throw out the diet rulebook and instead use the body’s inner signals of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction to make food choices. In contrast, sports nutrition is made up of formulas and guidelines that tell us what, when, and how much to eat. So, can an an athlete or active individual eat intuitively? Absolutely! It just may take some guidance on how to combine to two concepts. Continue reading “Intuitive Eating in Sports Nutrition”

Posted on

Milking It

by Jen Rawson, RD

Navigating milk choices has become infinitely more complicated over the past decade. It used to be a decision of what fat percentage milk to buy: skim, 1% or 2%. Now, there are many questions, such as: should I be buying cow’s milk at all? Should I consider alternatives such as almond, cashew, hemp or coconut milk? Are all the options healthy? Continue reading “Milking It”

Posted on

Setting New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Follow Through On

by Jen Rawson, RD

It’s that time of year again: time to think about what type of New Year’s resolution you wish to set. On average, at least 40% of resolutions revolve around health. Unfortunately, according to a Stanford University study, 92% of these resolutions do not succeed. Why can’t we stickwith these goals? It’s not a lack of willpower as many believe, but rather that we’re setting the wrong types of goals. Here are some helpful tips to ensure you set realistic and achievable resolutions this New Year. Continue reading “Setting New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Follow Through On”