That elusive feeling of satiety. It has become increasingly normal to feel full but still hungry (i.e., craving sweet or salty provisions) or feel stuffed + bloated. We've lost that satiating feeling. Satiety implies a lack of cravings and irritability. Most foods that we consume on the "Standard American Diet" seem to induce both.

How does one achieve a state of satiety — feel not stuffed or bloated convenient breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are often a blood-sugar-hijacking minefield of sodium- and sugar-laden, processed, refined, and packaged foods?

Why should you care about macronutrients? A practical understanding of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) will help you to increase satiety, minimize cravings, sustain calm energy, and optimize your focus (because you are not distracted by obsessive thoughts about food). Basically: Using macro-nutrients as a nourishing framework will help you stop chasing diets and grazing your pantry by building healthy + sustainable habits around food that actually work for you (rather than against you).

Protein has many health benefits ranging from providing the 9 essential amino acids (which need to be obtained through diet) to building and maintaining muscle tissue to supporting collagen-production and to promoting wound healing. But the most practical implication with the biggest and most immediate impact is satiety.

Protein, which studies have found to be more satiating than fat and carbs [1-3], is literally the place to start when it comes to feeling more satiated and minimize cravings, that four o'clock slump, or pantry-grazing. 

Complete diet overhaul? Not for everyone. For some of us who identify as an "go-all-in person", a transition to a gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free way of eating may come easy, especially when such a restorative "healing through food" protocol promises relief from severe and (perhaps even) painful digestive distress. For most of us who would be overwhelmed by such a radical overnight change, an incremental elevation that replaces certain foods with healthier or more nutrient-dense options may be a more sustainable path towards changing eating habits long-term. A path that is less fraud with anxiety and blessed with more ease. And if it's much easier, you'll keep doing it. 

The human body requires balance + harmony to function effectively. This healthy mid-point is called homeostasis. It is not a fixed state: There is constant ebb + flow. For example, blood sugar levels rise + fall throughout the day. As long as those spikes are within the normal range (neither too high nor too low), the human body functions properly. However, if those levels are above/below the acceptable range or become chronically elevated health issues may arise. Low blood sugar, for example, may cause fatigue, lightheadedness, and low metabolism.

Our relationship with food changed. In fact, it changed dramatically as modern life and factory work moved populations from slow-paced rural areas into fast-paced cities and more towards convenience foods.

Common food-related side effects that accompanied this shift included: Personal disconnection with food, lack of reliance on innate hunger cues, decreased feelings of satiety, mismatched circadian rhythm. These effects are still on the rise in today's high-speed and productivity-obsessed world.  So how do we re-connect with our bodies and re-build build healthy lifestyle habits around food in our modern culture? I’ve got three easy tips.

Traditional food practices such fermentation + sprouting, are the antidote to our fast-paced, productivity-obsessed world. Because these practices require thoughtful preparation, deep devotion, and loving care. Strapped for time? Here’s a simple practice that you can start today at zero cost: The expression of gratitude.

There are many reasons to express gratitude. Personally, I've used gratitude as a tool to prime my body in order to receive food’s restorative health benefits and to create loving thoughts arounds dietary restrictions.

A holistic approach to nutrient-dense wellness considers the whole human body and its inter-connected systems from the digestive system and the nervous system to the endocrine system and beyond. Here's why: Imbalances in one body system can disrupt homeostasis (i.e., the body's healthy resting state) and cause widespread responses in other body systems.

For example, elevated psychological stress may keep the nervous system chronically busy which may decrease movement within the digestive system, as openings of the stomach are contracted.