Sara Rocks Nutrition

  What is optimum health? What does it mean to be "well"? These are loaded questions and aren't easily answered. Health and Wellness aren't a destination, but a journey. It isn't as if you get to a point and you say, "oh, I'm healthy, I can stop now." Your health is constantly evolving and changing and that makes it hard to answer. Not only is your own body changing, but the science is changing as well. Years ago, low fat was the answer. Now, we know that some fat is good and is an important part of our diet. Who knows what we will learn in the future?  While health and wellness can be overwhelming, it's important not to dwell on the minutia. So, let's take a deep breath and learn some basic things that you can do to increase your health.   Take In Vital Nutrients One of the most important parts of nutrition is, nutrients! Yes, you could focus on making sure that you have exactly 78 grams of protein per day and 1000 mg of calcium while making

As you are reading this, I sincerely hope that you are staying safe and healthy. It's been hard to write new posts for this blog. I don't have any medical training, so to write anything regarding the virus would be misleading and unethical. And finding inspiration beyond the virus is difficult. I am not sure if I should find comfort from this, but knowing that we are all under this same stress is making it bearable. I do find solace in the fact that we will get through this. This is not forever. Eventually, we will get back to our concerts, our games, our jobs, our lives. Our only option now is to persevere. I have a friend in recovery and attended some meetings with him Before. One of the meetings discussed the famous AA adage of "One Day at a Time" and it really hit home for me. Yesterday has already happened and is beyond your power to change. Tomorrow has yet to come, and you don't know what will happen. The only thing that you can do is keep yourself a

No, thanks, I've had enough. I watch the news and I hear the stories of the Corona Virus and my heart aches for the world. I feel helpless as the only useful thing I can do is literally nothing. My current job is feeling affects from the virus, but I am also supposed to be starting a new job in a completely different industry soon. So, normal new job jitters are magnified. Plus, I am a naturally high-strung person (as evidenced by past blog posts), so suffice to say, I'm stressed.  When I am stressed, I do the worst thing possible, I EAT! Everything. Anything. An entire container of hummus? All that, and a bag of pita chips. Three bowls of cereal? Of course. Five pieces of toast? Gross, but yes. A really weird concoction of peanut butter, bananas, and oatmeal? Don't judge me.  Since I am on this journey along with you, I want to try to reduce or stop this behavior. I am sure I'm not the only one who does this. So, here are some tips and tricks that I have fo

I watched a pharmaceutical commercial for a new anti-depressant that you take when your existing anti-depressant isn't working. This new pill is a supplement to the existing one, so two anti-depressants. As someone who has been on medication to regulate my brain, this doesn't jive with me. We know that food can be used to cure a lot of our physical ailments, such as a bowl of soup when we have a cold. But, there is emerging science about using food to help us with our  mental health .  Magnesium mmmm...Chocolate... Magnesium does a LOT. This mineral is responsible for ensuring that your heart beats normally, helps keep your immune system strong, and creates energy and protein. Over 100 years ago, it was discovered that it can also help with depression. Eat almonds, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate and kale for an extra punch of magnesium in your diet.  Vitamin D 🎶You are my sunshine, my only sunshine! You make me happy when skies are gray!🎶  emojis IRL This

Imagine being shut in a room, with no light, no sound, and it's wet. Sounds pretty creepy? It's actually called floating and is so cool! I have been wanting to try this for a pretty long time. I think I first read about them in one of the Dan Brown books (Not the DaVinci code, but the other one with Tom Hanks on a treasure hunt. Oh, they are all like that?). I never realized they were actually available for normal people to use though. I was a little nervous about it. I am not claustrophobic, but being locked in a small container seems like a perfect target for a serial killer. What is it? A sensory deprivation chamber (or float tank, it's easier to type) is a tank filled with about 8-12 inches of water and 1,100 pounds of epsom salt. Yeah, it's twice the salinity of the Dead Sea, so you definitely float inside. The tanks are sound proof and light proof. Because water is heated to body tempurature of 98.6 degrees, you can't feel where the water ends and your bo

Y'all, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Like, ugly crying rough. I walk a knife blade. I tend to lean towards one side, getting eyeball to eyeball with the anxiety monster. Sometimes she blinks, sometimes I do. But, lately I've fallen on the other side, in the dark forest of depression. I've got demons there to keep me company, but am not suited for this battle.  An old demon coming in for a hug. Yup .   Watching the destruction in Australia reminded me of how small I am and made me feel so useless. I saw the pictures of animals dead or dying, hearing of how entire species have been wiped out. Then, the Puerto Rico Earthquake happened. Then, Corona Virus hits. And, on top of everything, the Impeachment trial happened. Regardless of which side you are on, we have a problem with division in our country and it does have a direct effect on our psyches. All in all, everything I was doing on a regular basis felt empty. I generally enjoy my job, but doing my da

Do Soybeans have a feminist agenda? The title of this post is inspired by my brother-in-law, but the spirit behind the message is something that I have heard time and time again: Soy has estrogen and that makes it bad for you. This myth stops NOW. In reading an article from the Boston Globe about Impossible and Beyond Burgers, I found the sentence that perfectly sums up everything that we hear about soy: “Soy contains estrogen-like compounds called isoflavones that some findings say can promote the growth of some cancer cells, impair female fertility and mess with men’s hormones.”  That this article snuck this in without any backup shows their bias, and I hate to show mine, but this is nonsense. So, let's break this down and look at the fun part, science!  Yum! A bowl full of genistein and daidzein! Estrogen-like Compounds Soy contains phytoestrogens, genistein and daidzein, which act like estrogen, but very weak versions. What is interesting is that these phytoestrog