Ayurvedic Lifestyle Podcast

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads up that I was on Love Rising podcast this week chatting with Clara from Revolutionary Lifestyle about all things Ayurveda! As you guys may already know, I am a Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor and often integrate Ayurvedic wellness practices and diagnostic tools in my holistic nutrition practice. On the podcast, I explain what Ayurveda is (hint: it's India's 5000 year old medical system, translated as the "science of life") and talk about the primary doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) and how to juggle all three to maintain health and balance. A big part of this is having a solid daily routine which I go through in detail, i.e. sleep-wake cycles, meal timing, etc. And finally Clara and I catch up about our respective experiences at Vaidyagrama which is an Ayurvedic detox retreat center in India. I was there about four years ago and my time there was instrumental in my personal healing process. You can read more about my time at Vaidyagrama here and here. So, if Ayurveda is at all interesting to you, head on over to iTunes and have a listen to the new Love Rising podcast! You can click the photo above or here is the link! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to learn more!

Lifestyle PracticesStephanie RomeSeptember 5, 2017self-care, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, ayurvedaComment

10 Best Snacks for Stress Eaters

I want to get something clear right off the bat - there is nothing wrong with stress eating and you should not feel guilty or shameful for having a craving to munch when you're stressed. It's actually quite normal. Instead of judging yourself for your stress-induced cravings, I recommend investigating your trigger by stopping yourself en route to the pantry to ask the question: “what do I really need in this moment?” You may find that what your body truly needs is not food at all. Rather, it is some form of self-care, like a walk outside, a nap, a hot shower or a chat with your mom. These acts of self care all serve as ways to reduce stress that don’t involve putting something in your mouth. But if you decide that you don't need any of these things and consciously choose to satisfy your craving with food, click the button below for my tips to make satisfying your craving a calm and relaxed experience, along with the 10 best snacks to nosh on.

How to Naturally Balance Your Hormones

Let’s talk about hormones. Those über-important chemical messengers affect many aspects of our health and we wouldn’t be able to live without them. When our hormones are regulated, we feel great–stable mood, lots of natural energy, healthy weight, good sex drive and beautiful skin and hair. But when they get out of balance, it can cause many unpleasant symptoms and lead to health issues down the road. Some common signs of hormone imbalance are fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, brain fog, anxiety, sugar cravings and low libido. Any of these sound familiar? If so, click the button below for my top 10 tips for balancing your hormones using food as medicine.

Women's HealthStephanie RomeAugust 10, 2017women's health, hormone balance, healthy habits, stress managementComment

Adaptogens: What's All The Buzz About?

Things like ashwagandha, reishi, maca and are making their way into lattes and smoothies at the trendy health-food cafes. You may have heard of a few of these before but not totally sure what the deal is. Well, they are adaptogens -- plant medicines that protect our bodies from the harmful effects of stress while supporting overall health. Sounds pretty good, right? There are lots of different adaptogens, each with its own set of special skills. I wrote a comprehensive guide to the most popular adaptogens over on Hello Glow. You may find a few that really speak to you in which case you should give them a try! There is almost no downside and lots of upside to being better equip to handle all the stresses life throws your way!

How You Know Your Probiotic Supplement is Working

Let's get clear on one thing - you cannot 'out-supplement' a bad diet. Supplements are designed to be used as part of a nutrient-dense real food eating plan. In my practice, I have a 'food first' approach in which we get the person's the food on point first and then we fill in nutritional gaps using targeted supplementation. I've written a whole post on the five foundational supplements that just about everyone should be taking. You can check that out here. One of those must-have supplements is a probiotic.

Gut HealthStephanie RomeMay 4, 2017gut health, probiotics, microbiome, healthy habits, nutritional supplementsComment

Here's Why Your Healthy Friends Are Sipping Mushroom Coffee

Mushrooms are a delicious food to incorporate into your healthy diet. While button, cremini, portobello and oyster mushrooms are all great, there are a group of medicinal mushrooms that go above and beyond in terms of health benefits. These mushroom superfoods do amazing things for your brain, hormones, energy, mood and immune system so it's no wonder they're starting to pop up in coffee, tea, smoothies, elixirs, chocolate, etc. To learn more about these six special fungi, click the button below to be taken to my blog post at Hello Glow.

NutritionStephanie RomeApril 20, 2017hormone balance, healthy habits, stress management, stress relief, immunityComment

The Power of Tea

Ready to make your 'cuppa' work for you? I've put together a list of my favorite medicinal teas that, in addition to tasting comforting and delicious, pack a punch on the nutritional front! Everything from burning fat with matcha to fighting inflammation with golden milk to detoxing your liver with dandelion, I've tried to cover the gamut when it comes to tea for every ailment. Cheers to the power of tea!

NutritionStephanie RomeFebruary 1, 2017self-care, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, stress relief, detoxComment

10 Natural Remedies for Stress & Anxiety

It’s likely that you’ve heard about the detrimental effects of the stress hormone cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels and chronic stress can affect every physiological system in your body. It can make you tired, anxious and irritable; lead to weight gain, bone loss, high blood pressure, insomnia and digestive issues; and contribute to diabetes and heart disease risk.

DNA Doesn't Determine Your Fate

We are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding what the exact influence of genetics is on our health. Research into epigenetics is starting to provide some interesting answers. Epigenetics, or “control above genetics,” studies how environmental factors influence gene expression, the process of genes transmitting instructions to molecules in the body. Epigenetics is part of a new understanding of gene workings which challenges the long-standing belief that DNA controls biology.

NutritionStephanie RomeJune 2, 2016anti-inflammatory, healthy lifestyle, healthy habitsComment

How to Eat Out Without Totally Blowing it

When you’re working on cleaning up your diet and avoiding gut bombs like gluten, dairy, sugar, etc., eating out can be pretty tricky. I’m a big believer in the 80-20 Rule when it comes to diet. If you’re on point 80% of the time, you’ve got 20% wiggle room to live life without feeling restricted or deprived, i.e. having that extra glass of wine, eating some birthday cake, or having pizza night with the fam, etc. That said, you don’t want to take a mile when you’re given an inch. This “rule” isn’t a free pass to binge all weekend and then be super strict all week. Instead, it’s a recipe for balance and freedom without totally derailing your health and weight goals. So when you do indulge, you don’t feel guilty and you know that it will be fine because you’re getting right back on the clean eating bandwagon for the next meal. A good example would be having a Friday pizza night and then waking up the next morning and starting your day with warm water + lemon, followed by a green smoothie for breakfast. Balance, ya see?

Happy WeightStephanie RomeMay 17, 2016healthy weight, weight loss, healthy habits, healthy lifestyleComment

10 Healthy Gut Must-Dos

This past weekend, I led a Gut Health workshop with my friend and colleague, Dr. Missy Albrecht. It was awesome teaming up with a physical therapist on this topic because she has a lot of education around how to heal the gut from a mobility standpoint, while I was able to talk to the nutrition piece of the equation. In our workshop, we addressed signs of an unhealthy gut, functions of the gut, factors that damage the gut, and what to do to repair and heal the gut.

Gut health is a very comprehensive topic, one with which I struggled to narrow it down and pick out the digestible (pun intended :)) bits for an hour long workshop. Cutting edge research on the digestive system, and in particular the microbiome, is coming out every day. It's something I am fascinated by and want to learn everything I can about in order to help my clients to the best of my ability.

As the workshop attendees seemed to be particularly engaged during the "What To Do" section of my talk, I thought you, my readers, might also be interested in getting some tips for keeping your gut healthy and functioning optimally! Check them out below....

8 Natural Hangover Cures + Vitamin Water Recipe

The sun is out, the weather is heating up (at least in Denver it is!)....which means backyard BBQs, Sunday beer sessions, happy hours, parties and weddings are kicking into gear. Spring/summer is my favorite time of year and when I enjoy being the most social. Sometimes being social translates into being over-served.

As fun as drinking can be, the body really takes a hit. After a big day/night out, you gotta give your body some love. No one likes to feel badly after having a good time so here are my top tips for enjoying a drink (or 10) and not suffering (too much) the next day!

Lifestyle PracticesStephanie RomeApril 1, 2015beverages, healthy lifestyle, detox, cleanse, healthy habitsComment

5 Ways to Avoid Vacation Weight Gain

On this quest to be healthy, sometimes we can get wrapped up in all the the foods to avoid and forget to just live a little! I was certainly "living a little" (or a lot) on my trip to Sri Lanka. One of the best things about traveling is trying all the local foods. I usually follow a plant-based diet, focusing on lots of veggies, fruit, a bit of clean animal protein, and nuts/seeds while minimising gluten and dairy. In Sri Lanka, I was (loosely) adhering to my food philosophy but also experimenting a lot with the local fare. For example, I didn't hoe into the bread basket at dinner but I did eat the beautiful piece of coconut cake with cream served for dessert. Know what I mean? I'm not encouraging fully letting go of the reins on vacation and eating everything milky, gluten-y and sugary that comes your way, I'm merely opining that giving yourself more freedom (without the guilt!) is part of a healthy lifestyle.

That said, no one wants to float home like a blimp after time away so here are some tips for weight maintenance while on holidays:

Why You Should Eat Fruit Alone

....Not alone as in isolation, but alone as in without any other foods and on an empty tummy.

There are two main controversies around eating fruit and I'd like to explore both so you can make an informed decision about whether eating fruit is a healthy choice for you.

The first relates to the sugar content in fruit. Those who reject fruit as a healthy dietary choice point to the Glycemic Index and claim that eating fruit causes blood sugar spikes. These fruit-haters also point out that fruit sugar is high in fructose which is difficult for the liver to metabolize and therefore turns directly to fat in the body. While this fructose-becomes-fat assertion is accurate, I don't believe that these critics are looking at the full picture. Fruit does contain fructose, but the whole food package that it comes in also contains fiber. Fiber not only restrains us from consuming large amounts in one sitting (unlike high-fructose corn syrup or agave), but also, along with antioxidants and vitamin C, it helps to inhibit rapid fructose assimilation into the bloodstream thus minimizing the negative effects.

NutritionStephanie RomeOctober 30, 2013gut health, healthy habits Comments

Healthfully Survive Travel and Jet Lag

Ahhh the week leading up to a big trip! There’s nothing quite like it. Excited. Restless. Energized. Enthusiastic. Frantic. And a little bit nervy! I actually really enjoy basking in the preoccupation and anticipation in the lead up to a vacation. While traveling to new places around the world is one of my biggest passions, the window of time (which is sometimes days!) between my front door and that of my destination is not often the most pleasant part of the holiday. Over the years, I have gladly mastered the voyage between Australia and America. As I am most often travelling between Sydney and the east coast of the U.S., I am in-transit for more than 24 hours! Whether I am landing in a U.S. city or back in Sydney, I usually have to ‘hit the ground running’ by way of social engagements or straight into the office for a day at work. Feeling, or looking, ghastly is just not an option. As the wise woman Sweet Brown once said, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

TravelStephanie RomeAugust 21, 2013healthy travel, healthy habits Comments

What Women Must Know

I recently attended a seminar by Dr Sherrill Sellman who is a Naturopath and a doctor of Integrative Medicine. She is one of the leading voices in women's holistic health and wellness and travels the world lecturing on topics related to hormonal health. Dr Sellman is the author of Hormone Heresy: What Women MUST Know About Their Hormones and What Women MUST Know to Protect their Daughters from Breast Cancer.

Keen to gobble up any and all information regarding women's hormones, I was thrilled to hear that Dr Sellman was coming to Sydney and eagerly bought a ticket to attend her lecture titled 'Getting Hormones on Track.' She did a fantastically informative two hour talk on which I furiously took notes. (Old habits die hard!) Here is a bit of a recap of what I learned.

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