by dnshah | Jan 29, 2021 | Dessert, Recipes
By: Danielle Fahrenkrug / serves 16
Ingredients
3 large bananas (1-1/2 cups mashed)
1/2 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
1-1/2 cups raw almond butter crunchy, oil slightly drained
(optional) teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9-in. x 9-in. square baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray or rubbing coconut oil around the sides and bottom so the brownies do not stick.
2. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Add the almond butter and mix until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and optional cinnamon and blend until no visible cocoa powder is seen.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until set and slightly dark on the top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
The purpose of this recipe is if you are on the program and feeling like you will falter
and cave into a cookie or regular brownie, this is a great recipe to transition to keep the diet
on-track as you detox from sugar cravings.
• These brownies are not super sweet and made for those trying to really get a clean eating
diet. Optional to add drops of liquid Stevia to sweeten the recipe more.
• If the almond butter is hard, heat it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until it is
softened before mixing with the banana.
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg |
Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 86mg |
Iron: 1.2mg
by dnshah | Jan 29, 2021 | Age Defying, Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management
Many clients are talking to me about losing their hair… and finding it on the ground and in the hairbrush. What’s happening to them all?
Hellllllooooo – we’re in a pandemic still. And all the stress and uncertainty in life does take a toll on EVERYONE. While men are more likely to lose their hair, women are experiencing thinning of the hair also. Stress does wreak havoc in the body; but there are actually many reasons for the hair lost & found to be occurring in your life.
Some of the general reasons for excessive shedding are listed here, , but if you have severe hair loss you will need to find a trichologist who can examine and evaluate you.
• Stress
• Illness
• Post-Pregnancy
• Over-styling & treatments
• Compulsive hair pulling
• Excessive vitamin A intake
• Deficiency of protein
• Deficiency of iron
• Change in eating habits
• Sudden weight loss
• Chemotherapy
• Rx side effect
• Anabolic steroids
• Genetic predisposition to baldness
• Your mom had thinning hair
• Your hormones are changing
• A variety of diseases (thyroid condition, Alopecia areata, Lupus, PCOS)
• Age
by dnshah | Jan 29, 2021 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
Does the status of your BMI (body mass index) affect your immunity? Health professionals use the BMI as a measurement of how healthy one is and what category of health risk they are in especially for cardiac complications.
The CDC has suggested that “as BMI increases, the risk of death from COVID19 also increases” which aligns with a May/2020 cohort study. Obese patients may have three times the hospitalization risk, which is similar to having diabetes or hypertension. Additionally, mechanical ventilation may be more difficult and less effective with obese patients’ decreased lung capacity. Additionally, obesity impacts the immune system, especially with T-lymphocyte dysfunction. T Lymphocytes are important to the adaptive immune system, and specifically for killing infected host cells and regulating the immune process. Obesity can sometimes increase chronic inflammation.
Despite all these negative factors, there is hope. Because weight loss removes these risks entirely. So there is a push for weight loss in light of the pandemic. If you know of anyone that could benefit from a meeting with a nutritional therapist, health coach, or a naturopathic doctor, send them our way and drop me an email. We will give them a complimentary session and help them get started on their new health goals.
by dnshah | Jan 29, 2021 | Health and Wellness Tips
Many of us are walking around with face masks, and perhaps one extra in the car just in case. Maybe we have one in the office if we are going in…but… when do they get washed? And how often should they be washed?
The CDC says it “ should be routinely washed depending on the frequency of use.” But what does that mean exactly? Some medical doctors say after each use or at the end of every day.
How? Placing a cloth mask in the washing machine with standard soap is a great way to disinfect the mask, but Mayo Clinic suggests using a hot water setting, and a hot dryer setting. Replacing a disposable mask after each use is ideal; but if you are reusing it, then consider switching to the cloth kind and hand washing it every day. Some people are using a “PhoneSoap” device which uses UV light to kill 99% of all germs on the mask. But you must also ensure that the mask hasn’t gotten wet from a sneeze or cough; if it has, it’s best to throw it away.
by dnshah | Jan 12, 2021 | Health and Wellness Tips, Juices and Smoothies, Recipes
Serves 2
I love smoothies when they contain both fruits and vegetables – doubling the nutrient and antioxidant values! This smoothie is great to use multiple times a week with the nutrilicous value of the blueberries and the flax. It can be completely non-dairy by substituting plant based protein powder for the Greek yogurt. A lower calorie version substitutes water for the almond milk.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup blueberries
1 cup almond (or other) milk
Greens (spinach/kale), handful
¼ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon flax seeds
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of cardamom
METHOD
1. Using a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth.
