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

It's a whole new year, new decade, new chance to ditch old habits. Janus was the Roman God of beginnings and endings, choices, and doors (I guess that makes sense). He is also the one for whom January is named, rightfully so. He had two faces, one that looked ahead and the other that looked behind. The week leading up to New Year's is the perfect time to be like Janus; to review this past's celebrations and failures while reflecting on what will make the future better. It's a great time to decide what your resolutions will be and how you plan to create your own "Year of Clarity!" (like we discussed in the last post , remember?) Of course, I want your resolution to stick around longer than old fruitcake jokes, so I've put together some strategies for you! - Be Specific!  Let's say your resolution this year is to eat healthier in 2020. You didn't eat a single vegetable in 2019, so you have a salad for lunch on New Year's Day. Resolution acc

There is a great scene in Idiocracy where they admit to watering the plants with sports drinks, because it’s got electrolytes, it’s got what plants crave.” And Luke Wilson asks “what is an electrolyte anyway?” (Not a direct quote, just go watch the movie.) Electrolytes aren’t just what plants crave or an REM song, they are really important to keeping you alive. They help regulate hydration, pH balance (as we found out in a previous post ), and keep your muscles and nerves in check. If your levels get too low, you will die. We did an experiment in grade school where we connected a pickle to two pieces of copper and the pickle lit up. We couldn't figure out why at the time, but the key was the sodium in the pickling solution. Sodium can conduct electricity when mixed with water, an electrolyte. Some other examples include potassium, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate. When you get a Charley Horse in your calf muscle, it's good to eat a banana becau