I’m super excited and thrilled to announce that I have secured office space for Trimazing! Health & Lifestyle Coaching. Starting May 12th, 2018 in addition to online and in-your-own-home consulting, I have Saturday office hours at Studio Beju in historic downtown Duvall, Washington (15630 Main Street NE, Duvall, WA 98019). Studio Beju is a holistic and creative center dedicated to general well-being for self, home, and garden, offering health and wellness classes and consultation in yoga, pilates, massage, Reiki, CranioSacral therapy, laughter therapy, belly dancing, mediation, art, and so much more! They public a monthly printed and online magazine chock full of ideas and about available classes written by the practitioners associated with the studio. You can find the studio on Facebook to get the magazine, as well at the website and at the actual location.

The studio will be having a Mother’s Day celebration, Mom, English Garden Style, May 12th in the Studio Beju Garden, 3-6pm. I’ll be providing some yummy vegan English tea treats, so please come join us and bring moms to celebrate!

This month’s Circle magazine features an article I wrote in honor of Mother’s Day, Mama was Right—Eat Your Veggies!

Mama Was Right—Eat Your Veggies!

We all remember sitting at the dinner table as kids and having mom tell us (often pleading) to eat our vegetables. And mom was right, vegetables are an important part of our healthy diet. In fact, according to the latest US dietary guidelines and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, vegetables and fruits should make up 50% of our mealtime plates.

Plants get their colors from substances called phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals), many of which are antioxidants and vitamins necessary to our good health. There are thousands of known phytochemicals, each with different properties and benefits. To gain the most benefit, we should eat a variety of colors or a “rainbow” of vegetables and fruits: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, and even white.

Strategies for getting more veggies in your (and your family’s) diet:

Put them in your smoothie!

• You’ll be amazed how veggies like kale, spinach, summer squash, and even carrots “disappear” in smoothies!

Add extra vegetables to casseroles, spaghetti sauce, soups

• Chop up carrots, red onions, greens, mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and add to dishes you already make and love—no one may even notice their addition, but your body will.

Eat a salad first with each meal

• Eating a salad first does two things: first, it ensures that you eat those veggies before you get too full to eat them, and second, it fills up your stomach with nutrient-dense, low calorie foods, preventing you from eating larger amounts of higher calorie items. And yes, eat veggies for breakfast, in your smoothies, scrambles, on toast, in breakfast burritos and savory hot cereals, or…even a salad!

Visit your local Farmers Markets

• It’s spring time and seasonal Farmers Markets are opening back up! Carnation Farmers Market opens May 1 and Duvall Farmers Market opens May 3. Nothing beats fresh picked local produce! You can find other Washington state Farmers Markets near you at: http://wafarmersmarkets.org/washingtonfarmersmarketdirectory/

Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program

• Many farms offer fresh produce programs where you provide financial support or “shares” in return for fresh produce they grow. The Snoqualmie Valley is teeming with farms growing fresh produce offering CSA. Visit www.pugetsoundfresh.org/find-csa and www.snovalleycoop.com to find a CSA near you.

Grow your own herbs and vegetables

• You don’t need a big garden plot to grow your own fresh herbs and veggies—many grow beautifully in pots on your patio. Many communities also offer community gardens or “pea patches” where you can rent a plot and grow your own produce.

More Resources

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

NutritionFacts.org

American Cancer Society

USDA Choose my Plate