Nutritionist, Personal Trainer, Community Leader
Personality: Driven, energetic, supportive, open-minded
Certifications: Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM), TRX certified
Education: Bachelor of Science from the Radford University in Foods and Nutrition
I’ve been passionately working in health and fitness for over two decades. Through these experiences I’ve learned a lot about myself and what my job means to others. In my coaching programs, we work to upgrade your mindset, overcome disappointments, obstacles, perceived failures, challenges and by doing so we create a sense of self efficacy (belief in oneself to complete the task). Also, by providing education that facilitates a sustainable foundation of knowledge, creating healthy habits that turn into a consistent routine and therefore lasting results. What we do together is not a diet plan or a cookie cutter workout program.
OUTSIDE THE GYM
Originally from Virginia, I moved out to Portland, Oregon directly after college for the delicious hippie food, circus arts, music, coffee and overall vibe. For recreation I enjoy hanging my hammock, dancing music festivals, hula hooping, hiking, and paddle boarding. I spent a year living abroad in Japan with my husband, and recently moved to the Hudson Valley area in New York. We love plants and animals! We garden, have many house plants, fish tanks and four pets. One miniature poodle, Butternut, one toy poodle, Hazelnut, one of their puppies Cashew & an orange tabby cat named Filbert.
The idea of the adrenal elixirs is that it takes stress off the adrenals by providing sugar + replaces vital nutrients that have been lost while under stress.
When our bodies react to stress and make cortisol, magnesium is also released to help the body cope and make more energy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Along with magnesium, sodium and potassium are also used up during this process to alter our blood pressure, build alertness, and help our bodies make more energy to respond to stress. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
These elixirs can be used as a tool to sip on between meals and should instantly calm you down, make you feel more relaxed and grounded. It can be used as needed, usually 1-3x per day. Particularly good for those with poor blood-sugar handling, compromised liver function, low thyroid, and prone to hypoglycemia. Prevent a blood-sugar crash (and the damaging adrenalin rush that comes with it) by slowly sipping on this mix between meals, during exercise or as a complete and highly replenishing snack. A balanced mix of protein, carbohydrates, fat, electrolytes and other minerals.
Recipes:
There are two main options for adrenal cocktails, first is with electrolyte powders which involves less ingredients and good for those with blood sugar concerns/insulin resistance.
Rayvi makes mineral intake easy. Support energy and vitality by properly hydrating your cells and providing an antioxidant boost. CLICK HERE TO SHOP! Rayvi also has a free guide with more recipes you can download off their site!
Another option available off Amazon is Jigsaw Health Adrenal Cocktail with Whole-Food Vitamin C! Click here to shop!!
The other option is making your own beverage at home.
A good adrenal cocktail usually contains the following: ☀️ 4 oz. Pure Juice (orange juice/lime juice)
☀️ 2 oz coconut water ☀️ 2 tbsp of A saturated fat (cream or kefir) ☀️ A little bit of protein (2 tbsp collagen) ☀️ Pinch of sea salt If you can’t do collagen, a clean casein powder or goat’s milk whey pairs nicely. Or omit the fat and protein and opt for a piece of parmesan cheese on the side of your salted juice.
If you can’t do dairy, replace the cream for an additive free coconut cream.
If you can’t do OJ, you can use guava juice, mango juice or papaya juice.
One of the questions within my coaching program in the weekly-check in form: “How is your hunger? Are you constantly thinking about food? Do you feel hunger and fullness cues throughout the day? “
I ask this question because: When your body is properly FED, so is your mind.☺️ ⠀ I will never forget how it felt to restrict myself. ⠀ Not just of food…of fun experiences, I will never, get back. ⠀ I will never forget HOW STRESSED I would be, if I’d be gone from the house for any length of time and I didn’t have food with me. Most of the time, I’d pack my lunch box and be eating cold chicken and asparagus out of plastic containers no matter where I went.
I’ll never forget, when I was following a strict meal plan, told to eat 6 small meals per day, & having to set a timer for 2.5 hours, to allow myself to eat again. My meals were SO SMALL ~250 calories, I’d be so hungry, I’d have to force myself to wait until it was time to eat again. (this is NOT okay) ⠀ I will never forget thinking ‘I can’t wait for that one moment where I can eat a burger…for my re-feed, because I earned it for all the work I have done’. ⠀ They said: “Your body is #goals!” “I wish I could be like you! How do you do it?”
I was celebrated for depriving myself, I got in stage in a tiny bikini & won trophies for this “willpower”. 🏆
I was so wrong. ⠀ I was starving. ⠀ Your body is smart. It KNOWS when you are underfed & overdoing it. You cannot outsmart it, no matter what you do. ⠀ For many people, a yearning for food, longing for that next meal & daydreaming about food, is not a sign of a lack of ‘willpower’ or a mindset issue. ⠀ It’s your body screaming at you to feed it. ⠀ When we are properly fueled, it has a beautiful in flow effect throughout our entire system…& that includes your mind. ⠀ Imagine CLARITY about what you actually WANT & NEED to eat. ⠀ Imagine FOCUS on life outside of your next meal. ⠀ Imagine achieving BALANCE, not because your TOLD you must, but because your body TELLS you itself. ⠀ And the only way to get there, is to stop restricting and start nourishing.
One of the most common biofeedback complaints is about bloat, distention, or other maladies pertaining to digestive discomfort.
Let’s start with then basics: You eat food to nourish our cells. If you make poor food choices or if your body cannot digest, absorb and utilize the food due to poor digestive function you might develop signs, symptoms and/or a diagnosable illness.
As I spent more and more time in the trenches with clients, I realized that many folks considered things to be “fine” even if they were bloated, or considered good digestion to be going to the bathroom a few times per week.
Gut dysfunction and digestive disarray does not only influence “gut health” but a myriad of other aspects of health. Persistent bloat is not only NOT normal, it can be unhealthy, and a biofeedback indicator that something else is off.
Remember: Digestive insufficiencies contribute to a wide range of health issues including headaches, depression, arthritis, foggy thinking, autoimmune illness, autism, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis and more. Bloat, distention, and poop problems can point to:
Inadequate fiber & water intake.
Excessive fiber intake.
Disrupted circadian rhythm.
Nutrient deficiencies.
Immune problems.
Hormone imbalance.
Potential Medication Side Effects
This is why tracking digestion is imperative, along with other lifestyle practices like, well, CHEWING your food adequately! 😂
All the awesome tidbits of info, health tips and hacks can feel overwhelming if we don’t have the core fundamentals down.
And eating for cellular health really shouldn’t be complicated- so I created this blog to help you focus on the core 5 fundamentals of supporting your metabolic function.
5 Fundamentals of Eating for a Healthy Metabolism:
1️. Ditch Poor Quality Fats aka Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)these “winter” fats translate to the body: slow down, cool down and prepare to conserve. This is why bears and squirrels load up on nuts and fatty fish before hibernation. If we want to be a 98.6 degree, high functioning human, we need to eat fats that align with this- aka saturated and full of fat soluble vitamins.
2. Eat Bioavailable Animal Proteins: Amino acids are the building block of our tissues: gut, skin, liver, organs, etc. need a wide variety of amino acids to function optimally. Plant proteins are very hard to digest, absorb and assimilate, which is why we don’t rely upon them during a time of healing. We want to provide an variety of easy to digest “building blocks”. Focus on eggs, high quality dairy, grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, wild fish and shellfish, bone broth, collagen and gelatin.
3️. Eat Easy to Digest Carbs: Where amino acids provide structure, carbs provide glucose aka ENERGY. We need both to function optimally. Specifically the brain and nervous system, which will flood over into our endocrine system. When the body doesn’t have enough glucose, this IS a stressor and the body reacts accordingly. Make sure to get plenty of high quality dairy, fruits, root vegetables, squashes, raw honey & maple syrup.
4️. Get As Many Nutrients from Food As Possible: Instead of focusing on all the foods to restrict, we need to focus on getting all the raw materials our body needs to function. This is when we start to value nutrient dense foods like fruits and organ meats and rich broths and shellfish and raw cream. Fat soluble vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are needed in abundance.
5. Be Mindful of Digestibility Always: This goes with the point above. It doesn’t matter if a food has all the nutrients in the world, if there are bunch of anti-nutrients that bind to minerals and proteins in the gut and prevent you from digesting and absorbing them, the food may be causing more burden than benefit. You are not a cow, nor do you have 3 stomachs to digest like a cow. Nuts, Seeds, Beans, Grains & Leaves should be sprouted, cooked, soaked or prepared in a way that allows us to receive benefit from them. Keep in mind, food is simply information and tells our body about its environment- then, the body acts accordingly. If we want our body acting in a certain way, we eat and live a certain way.
Raw carrots are extremely good at improving digestion. A carrot grows underground and therefore produces anti-microbial and anti-fungal substances that protect it from its environment. Therefore, when raw carrots are eaten, they have the ability to clean the intestines from bad bacteria and fungus.
The fiber of the carrots also binds and carries out other toxins from the body.
Just eating 1-2 raw carrots per day has a beneficial effect on digestion, which improves overall health as digestion is closely connected to the body’s overall health status.
Recipe:
1. A big carrot shredded lengthwise
2. Coconut oil or MCT oil
3. Apple cider vinegar
4. Salt (garlic optional)
You see, Dr. Peat is a VERY smart biologist who has devoted his life to studying physiology. He suffered with debilitating migraine headaches, but realized that eating a raw carrot salad once or twice daily and keeping adequate sugar (aka carbohydrate) in the diet made his migraines go away.
This seems to be one of the many observations that led him to study the effects of estrogen accumulation (not just dominance or excess) due to low progesterone, low thyroid/metabolic rate and high stress hormones.
He seemed to have found a correlation between estrogen, serotonin and his migraines and noticed how the raw carrot fiber bound to estrogen and carried it out of the body safely and effectively.
The addition of 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil, splash of white vinegar and salt, which are all antiseptic agents, has an even further effect on reducing bacteria in the digestive tract and lowering endotoxin (also known as LPS or lipopolysaccharides).
Many woman who incorporate this daily have seen a reduction in their
🥕 Gut Issues
🥕 Dairy Intolerance
🥕 Endometriosis Pain
🥕 Rashes and Acne
🥕 PMS symptoms
🥕 Headaches & Migraines
🥕 Anxiety & Depression
Eating is consistently/daily is ideal for best results.
Some people with sever hypothyroidism (whether it shows up on a test or not), may have a hard time converting the beta carotene in the carrot to usable Vitamin A (retinol). This shows up by turning the calluses orange or sometimes even hands and feet. Usually this can be remedied by rinsing your carrot after it’s shredded to wash excess beta carotene off. Or find the rainbow carrots, and use the purple and white ones.
There is conflicting information about consuming coffee, and if you do, how it should be done. A lot of my clients think they should be drinking their coffee black or not at all! 🙅🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
☕️ First off, coffee is a pro-metabolic thermogenic food that supports the thyroid, boosts the metabolism and increases the oxidation of fatty acids. It is a nutrient powerhouse- rich in manganese, niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid which has a potent ability to eliminate heavy metals. 💥
🤔 Let’s understand the science of HOW exactly coffee impacts our body & hormones and then decide what is best for yourself:
1️⃣Caffeinated coffee causes a release of the stress hormone, cortisol. That leads to a stress response within the body, when stressed, the body does not prioritize hormone production.
2️⃣The rise in cortisol leads to our livers breaking down stored sugar (from our muscles) for energy in response to the stress. This leads to a rise in blood sugar, and followed by a drop.
3️⃣Caffeinated coffee depletes magnesium, so make sure you eat magnesium rich foods daily if you are a regular drinker. Magnesium is one of the main building block of our sex hormones. 🧬
⚠️COFFEE IS NOT BREAKFAST- and the negative effects of coffee like feeling anxious or shaky/jittery after drinking coffee is from a lack of nutrients, which causes low blood sugar. Remember when I said coffee speeds up your metabolism? That means you have an increased need for fuel. ⛽️
How to make coffee Pro-metabolic: •Drink coffee with your breakfast or very soon after. •Add a source of protein, carb and fat (real milk, collagen, sugar, real cream) •Opt for decaf or low caf coffee •Drink responsibly– limit to 1-2 cups per day.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen clients who have tried it all. Weight Watchers, Fad diets, yo-yo diets resulting in irrational fears around foods, and not learning much in the process.
In the pro-metabolic community, we eat to nourish our bodies. By prioritizing your health as a means of losing weight, because a body in balance can do amazing things. When on-boarding new clients, a lot say:
•”What foods should I avoid? Is this food ok?”
•”I’ll do whatever you say, I’m so frustrated with how I look in the mirror”
I get it, we all seek certainty & clarity. “Tell me the rules, I’ll be good and follow! Sell me that product- I’ll do anything BUT trust in my self and the process so I can put the work in.”
You see, this is why diet culture fails you, These diets/approaches including harsh rules. restriction, avoiding certain foods . Not how to support and to nourish YOUR body.
Pro-metabolic community flipped my world upside down. Rather than excluding foods, it’s all about inclusion, nose-to-tail animal consumption, broths, more nutrient-dense sugars, and eating saturated fats – foods that have either been neglected or demonized by mainstream health and fitness.
These foods have more bioavailable nutrients. They are easier to digest. And they don’t contain anti-nutrients that inhibit the processes within the body. This is how to support your metabolism. (Your metabolism is all the chemical processes that occur within your body.) And these foods enable all these processes to happen easier with less inflammation and fewer issues. They improve pulses, body temperature and biofeedback like digestion, sleep, stress, energy, mood, etc. This means your body is functioning in the best way possible
An emphasis is placed on grass-fed, humane certified protein sources, root veggies, quality dairy, ripe fruits, and all-natural sweeteners (like raw honey). Please, do what you can afford.
You are eating to nourish. Providing for your body out of self-respect. Pro-metabolic eating may combat the reason you may be experiencing the binge-restrict cycle. When your body gets what it needs, you don’t experience cravings anymore.
When working with clients, they create their own nutrition plans based on my guidance and week to week We adjust it, to improve their symptoms, ultimately to reach their goals and find their OPTIMAL – that will look different for everyone. This is why education, monitoring biofeedback and intentionally nourishing our bodies are game changer.
Walking is the most underrated physical activity! Not only is it an effective cardio strategy for weight loss, it has a lot of other health benefits! 🥳
🚶🏻♀️LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE & CHOLESTEROL 🩺 Regular walking was linked to a 7 percent reduced risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
🚶🏻♀️ENHANCES CIRCULATION ♥️ Regular walking can help to lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of stroke. And it doesn’t take much: Walking briskly for just 30 minutes a day is enough to improve heart health.
🚶🏻♀️STRENGTHENS BONES 🦴 Walking can help strengthen bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. One study found that women who walked for a minimum of 4 hours a week saw a 40% reduced risk of hip fractures. While other forms of vigorous exercise such as running, jumping and weightlifting offer bone-strengthening benefits, the good news is that walking appears to do the same. That’s great news for those just starting a workout routine, people who must complete low-impact exercise due to joint issues.
🚶🏻♀️BOOSTS MOOD 🙌🏼 Having a rough day? Walk it off. Numerous studies have linked walking for exercise with improved mood and reduced stress levels. And it’s even better if you can take a stroll through nature — walking outdoors near greenery has been shown to help reduce feelings of frustration and may even help put your brain into a state of meditation. Walking stimulates the production of neurotransmitters in the brain (such as endorphins) that help improve your mental state. 🌳
🚶🏻SHARPENS YOUR 🧠 Walking for exercise may become increasingly important as we age and our risk for dementia and other brain disorders increases. It can even help reverse the effects of aging. One study published in the Annals of Neurology found that the 69 participants ages 55–88 who who met the exercise guidelines set by the American Heart Association showed a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
☠️ To improve your cognition even more, try walking backward. 🔙 One Dutch study found that walking backward helped subjects literally think faster on their feet. 💨
There are VERY FEW supplements I recommend these days, but these two are crucial.
Vitamin E works as a powerful antioxidant in the body. It has many benefits for hormone health. Because vitamin E is anti-estrogenic, it helps reduce the binding of thyroid hormone. When we have too much estrogen, we bind more thyroid hormone and make it inactive leading to thyroid symptoms. Vitamin E also works closely with selenium to convert T4 to T3. 🤓 Because of this it helps to combat the following: -inflammation -excess estrogen -heart disease -fertility issues What I find most fascinating about vitamin E is specifically how it reduces the impact of excess estrogen. Vitamin E acts a lot like progesterone in the body and has several functions that are the opposite of estrogen. This is why it’s so helpful for those that struggle with intense PMS/painful/heavy periods. How do you know if you need vitamin E? One big sign is excess clotting during your period, although anyone that deals with PMS, heavy/painful periods, or estrogen dominant symptoms can benefit. If you have excess estrogen, this also increases your body’s requirement for vitamin E. It’s also depleted by the birth control pill. One last thing! Vitamin E can be helpful for sunburn and skin issues. You can use it internally and topically. Before you go run out to buy the closest vitamin E supplement, make sure it is made with MCT oil. That’s going to be the most absorbable form. Avoid anything with soybean/canola/sunflower/flaxseed oil. Those will be inflammatory since they are not stable at high temps (they won’t preserve the vitamin E).
**PLEASE consult with your doctor before starting this supplement**
BEEF LIVER: For most of human history, we consume the whole animal (nose-to-tail) with deep respect and profound purpose. One part of the modern diet that is missing is organ meats.⠀Muscle meats are comparatively nutrient poor compared to organ meats like liver, heart, & brains.⠀Every traditional society at organ meats, because they pack with nutrients like no other food on earth.⠀Liver, especially that of pasture-raised animals, is nutrient-packed – regardless of the species.
The liver holds & distributes the most powerful nutrients that mammals use.⠀ ⠀ When light hits the skin, it sets off a cascade to convert a photon to a molecule in the body, that is wrapped in fat, stored in the liver, & delivered all around the body to the DNA.⠀ ⠀ Does that sound important?⠀ ⠀ One part of the modern diet that is missing is organ meats.⠀ ⠀ Muscle meats are comparatively nutrient poor compared to organ meats like liver, heart, & brains.⠀ ⠀ Every traditional society at organ meats, because they pack with nutrients like no other food on earth.⠀ ⠀ What Are the Different Types?⠀ ⠀ The most common types include:⠀ •Liver: nutritional powerhouse of organ meats, beef liver beats nearly everything for nutrients.⠀ • Tongue: more of a muscle. It’s a tender and tasty cut of meat due to its high fat content.⠀ • Heart: The role of the heart is to pump blood around the body. It tastes like fillet steak & is PACKED with COQ10.⠀ • Kidneys: Here we have minerals in perfect balance.⠀ • Brain: Considered a delicacy in many cultures, a concentrate of the building blocks of neurons.⠀ ⠀ Other factors:⠀ • Iron: contains heme iron, which is highly bioavailable, so it’s better absorbed by the body than non-heme iron from plant foods⠀ ⠀ • Great source of choline: Organ meats are among the world’s best sources of choline, which is an essential nutrient for the human brain⠀ ⠀ Liver is an important source of retinol, which is pre-formed vitamin A. Just 3 oz of beef liver contains 26,973 IU of vitamin A, while pork liver & chicken liver contain 15,306 IU and 11,335 IU, respectively. (Vegetable sources do not contain this active form).⠀ ⠀
Vitamin B-12 which is naturally synthesized in human body is very important resource to generate genetic material, red blood cells (RBC) and neurological health as well.
A 65-70 gram beef liver slice has around 2000% of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin B-12 and 900% of RDA of Vitamin A for adult females.
Vitamin A is prime source of vision, cell activities and reproductive health.
Riboflavin a protein required for good metabolism and same amount of Beef Liver provides around 200% RDA of Riboflavin for female adults and 185% for males. Riboflavin is also helpful in maintaining healthy skin.
Zinc is a mineral which is necessary for daily body activities like- immunity, cellular metabolism, protein and genetic material generation etc. A 65-70 gram slice of beef liver provides zinc amount- approximately 125% RDA for female adults and 90% RDA for male adults.
Also, Iron is another mineral and everybody is aware of its function in the body. It forms hemoglobin in the red blood cells which carries oxygen to body-cells for breaking down the digested food to produce energy.
While I have been exploring traditional recipes incorporating liver as a whole food, the capsules have been a great way to start!
Note: the nutrients vary depending on the quality of the forage & whether the animals were out on pasture or in confinement. It’s best to source your organs from your local farmer, whose practices you trust.
I am not affiliated with either company: These are the two brands I’m currently using.
The answer is: NO! I feel bad for fruit, it’s gotten such a bad reputation over the years! 🤪 It is nature’s candy after all 🍬😁
🍉Evidence suggests that fructose can cause harm when consumed in excess. However, there is not enough fructose in fruit to cause concern.
🍎Whole fruits take time to chew and digest. Because of this, you feel fuller and your body can easily tolerate the small amounts of fructose.
🍉When you’re craving sugar- it’s likely your body needs it. Try incorporating fruits, root veggies and other healthy sugars like raw honey, coconut sugar and maple syrup in your diet.
🍊Ripe, seasonal fruits, tropical fruits, stewed and cooked fruits, jams and jellies are packed full of bioavailable goodness.
🍐Consumption of carbs is essential for a robust hormonal function.
Fruit is: •Rich in minerals •Superior Hydration •Vitamin C-very important for immune function •High in Fiber: Fiber, especially soluble fiber, has many benefits, including reduced cholesterol levels, slowed absorption of carbs and increased satiety. Plus, studies have shown that soluble fiber can help you lose weight 🙌🏼
•Antioxidants: Various vitamins and minerals are called antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. ✨
•Nutrients. fruits tend to be high in several vitamins and minerals that many people don’t get enough of, including vitamin C, potassium and folate.
🍍Fructose stimulates only modest insulin secretion and does not require the presence of insulin to enter cells. And Can help the body use glucose better.
🍒In closing, there is plenty of evidence that shows that a high fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of serious diseases like heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Wellness Simplified with Meganmefit 