In the Client Spotlight with Teresa Curtiss! 🎉

How did this program change things for you?

This program was a game changer for me. I knew I had food sensitivities and thought I had cut all of them out of my diet, but yet I was still sick. I learned that I had a reaction to some of the healthy things I was eating daily [emphasis added]. I finally have a list of foods to stay away from, no more guessing at what might be the issue. I stay clear of these, plus some additional food intolerances, and I feel great. 

What surprises and new strengths have you gotten from this experience?

I have my health back. I’m starting to enjoy food again instead of dreading eating and getting sick. I was just sticking with the same items that I thought were safe, not wanting to try new recipes.

My diet has opened up to more options now that I know what to avoid. I’m surprised at how much more variety of foods I can eat now. Even though there are quite a few foods I need to steer clear of (for now), I still have more options than I did before. I’ve just recently gone back to recipes in my cookbooks that I loved in the past, but thought they were making me sick. I can eat them again with no issues.

What is the thing you benefited from and/or enjoyed the most so far?

Getting my health back!

I had hoped to find out all the foods I had a food sensitivity to and to relieve my symptoms. I didn’t know I could feel this good again! It’s wonderful to be able to consistently feel good and not have to worry about my symptoms interfering with my day and holding me back from the things I want to accomplish.

I really appreciate our time together and definitely hope to stay in touch (I just referred someone to you last week).

Thanks,

Teresa Curtiss

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Imagine something ‘healthy’ you eat almost everyday – like a banana or maybe some kale – and it actually being the culprit behind your symptoms! This is one of the reasons why it’s important to assess for food sensitivities and intolerances – a problem food could be flying beneath the radar because it’s a ‘health food’. Luckily, Teresa has figured out some of the major ones and her symptoms have improved! Could identifying potential food sensitivities do the same for you? Find out here and schedule a complimentary, 20-minute Discovery Call to get started!

Design your DNA Diet 🧬

Food is fuel, natural energy, and it can also help provide the tools your body requires to repair itself. We all generally know what we should be eating – more vegetables, healthy fats and protein sources – and what we should be avoiding: processed and fast food, added sugar, sodium, and toxic fats. Beyond that, there is an amazing ability to further zero in on what your individual body needs and responds well to.

If you’re eating more vegetables but the corn or bell peppers are actually inflamming your body, that would be good to know; this is where food sensitivity can be very helpful. Additionally, your genes have lots of information to offer about your potential top health risks and how to mitigate them.

Curious about why some people with high-blood pressure respond well to a low-sodium diet while others don’t? Why some develop macular degeneration, acne, depression, or diabetes even when living similar lifestyles to others? Why are some people able to drink coffee all day and sleep whereas others are so sensitive that a morning cup o’ joe can lead to insomnia? The answer may well be linked to one’s genes. 

This discipline is called nutrigenomics (short for “nutritional genomics”) and examines the interaction between our diet, genes, and lifestyle choices. It originated from the Human Genome Project, which identified nearly 25,000 genes in the human body. An assertion of the nutrigenomics field is that, while genes play a role in the onset, progression and severity of certain diseases, dietary recommendations can help prevent, mitigate and potentially reverse disease. This is powerful perspective on our health!

A truly customized approach to eating which includes specific recommendations of food, exercise, and supplements based on the results of genetic testing. What might that look like?

Here’s an example: a 38-year-old female presents with low energy and acne, anxiety, and the complaint “I’m working out more but I’m not losing weight”. Upon review of her testing results, we found that the systems and areas most in need of support were cardiovascular health, brain health, and inflammation. While she doesn’t show symptoms of poor memory or a disease like Alzheimer’s at this point, knowing she’s at higher risk and discussing brain-boosting foods and supplements to incorporate was helpful to her. We also made recommendations for reducing inflammation in the body (including avoiding certain foods and ruling out food sensitivities) and for boosting her body’s detoxification (to also help with energy and acne). For her, weight loss is tied more to nutrient-dense foods rather than ‘burning off’ calories with exercise. Her genetic profile suggests she’s better suited for endurance activities (vs. power) and that she responds to training well (leading to better athletic performance, but not necessarily weight loss). This helped to reframe the role that exercise primarily plays in her life – it’s for her heart and overall wellness rather than a huge driver for weight loss.

So even if you have the family history and tendency towards diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, overweight tor obesity, macular degeneration, or other issues – you can still heavily influence whether you develop the disease, how it progresses, and how intense or severe it will be.

The beautiful aspect of a nutrigenomics program, in addition to knowing what you’re more at risk for, is that it’s not just food that can help. We look at modifying lifestyle habits and supplements you can take too. It’s a more comprehensive 3-pronged approach to influencing gene expression and structure.

Who would be a good candidate for testing? In short, everyone, even people who are generally well can benefit from knowing and potentially preventing disease. But also those who are not feeling vital and have a range of conditions, including:

• Autism
• ADHD
• Migraine
• Skin issues (including acne and rashes)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Digestive disease (including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis)
• Autoimmune diseases (e.g. Hashimoto’s and rheumatoid arthritis)
• Osteoporosis
• Macular degeneration
• Diabetes or blood sugar dysregulation
• Brain issues (memory, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimers)
• Weight issues

We here at One Bite believe that nutrigenomics is a game changer. With this emergent technology, we can go beyond the components of a general health and more intricately tailor a program to each individual’s needs. 

While the new year generally has everyone giving up alcohol or starting a running program, what is really beneficial is figuring out what works best for you now and for the long run. Ready to see what testing and individualized support can do for you? Schedule your complimentary, 20-minute Discovery Call.

Hungry to learn more about nutrigenomics first? Join our virtual classroom on Thursday, January 27th from 6:30pm-8pm.

We not only bring our stomachs to the dinner table, we bring our genes. Let’s learn how to feed ourselves properly. Now’s the time to ditch your calorie-restricted diet and design your DNA diet instead to improve your health and life!

He Certainly gets our Vote! 🗳️

“Decision-making has become almost automated, my food routine is more passive, in a good way. I’ve seen myself make better decisions in other parts of my life. For example, I never would’ve considered that nutrition would impact my sleep patterns.

I best like that your process is curated for each individual. There’s not a cookie-cutter system that you use. Instead, you ask questions about my struggles, and we move forward accordingly.

I think it would’ve helped if I had all the knowledge throughout the process from the very beginning. But that’s something that was out of both of our hands. The only way to attain that knowledge was through experiments. I’ve created a healthy relationship with food. I can have two donuts on a random day and not feel guilty because my overall lifestyle is extremely healthy now.

I’ve seen a significant decrease in weight. I’ve noticed increased focus and productivity (something I did not expect from nutrition). In March, I was fatigued and couldn’t focus during my classes. Now my focus has gone through the roof and I can sit through a three hour class with ease. I’ve felt an overall increase in health. My body, in a general sense, just feels great overall!

Hands down this is the best investment I’ve ever made in myself.”

– Raj Patel, Columbus, OH

Foundations of Health Graduate

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Each of us is president of our own lives and Raj has wisely invested in himself. All high-performers – including doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, CEOs – need the support of their colleagues and of experts in health & peak performance. Through our work together, Raj also was able achieve one of his main goals, which was to improve his body composition. In 3 months, he lost 33% of his body fat percentage!

What is often needed is not more coffee, but better sleep. Oftentimes we don’t need more bottles of supplements, but food we’ve identified as our most health-supportive ones. We don’t need a masochistic, deprivation diet…we need to learn to change our mindset, get curious, and experiment to see what works.

We are very proud of Raj for his dedication to tracking metrics, willingness to trust the process and try new things, and now, the fantastic results he has achieved. There’s a very good chance that as he emerges from his post-graduate student cohort and maintains his “superhuman” status of being healthy, focused and productive going forward in life.

We reached out to him to see if there was anything he wanted to add; he did: “Additionally, I’d like to emphasize that this was in fact one of the best investments I myself and anyone, in general, could make – largely because of those indirect benefits.”

No matter what this year holds for the presidency….you can always cast a vote for yourself, gather a cabinet, and have the support to level-up in 2020.

Your nutrition expert and coach will assist and guide you on your path to looking and feeling great! Schedule a complimentary 20-minute call to get started.

Express Detox Green Smoothie

 

As Kermit the Frog has said, “it’s not easy being green”….and the same could be said for being a green smoothie in a sea of fluorescent orange fizzy sodas and caramel-colored coffee drinks.  The green smoothie can intimidate – with its heavy perception of being healthy (aka “gross”)- but this Express Detox Smoothie is sweet, light and satisfying. It’s a great way to start a warm summer morning before a busy day with the family or to refresh after yoga or mowing the lawn. From 10TV anchors to our littlest test kitchen ‘client’/niece, it’s been well-received.

Now’s your chance; do you think it’s easy being or drinking ‘green’?

Ingredients

1 cup of water or coconut water
2 cups of kale
1 lemon, juiced
1 medium apple
1 frozen banana
2 pitted dates
1″ ginger root

Instructions

Add all ingredients to high-powered blender and blend well.

Want to be even greener? Check out our Green Smoothie Challenge eBook .

Recipe: Peppermint Eggnog & Vegan Nog

Our first eggnog experience was rather unremarkable and with concerns about foodbourne illness from raw eggs, we’ve never pursued it…until now. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tasty peppermint eggnog recipe for you which can be made safely with eggs AND we have an eggless, vegan version which is equally delicious. We love to be the bearers of joyous tidings, and this beverage is one of them.

Eggnog is technically stirred custard, very similar to ice cream.

Peppermint Eggnog

6 organic large eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 cups non-dairy milk (we used unsweetened almond milk, you can DIY here)
1/2 can or 6.5 oz coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of cloves, if desired

Instructions

Whisk eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract together in large saucepan over low-medium heat until combined. Then pour milk in slowly while whisking to fully incorporate into mixture. Whisk ingredients over heat constantly, until thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 30 minutes.  This is an important step; should you leave the eggnog mixture to cook on its own, you’ll likely get an unappealing scrambled egg-in-milk, porridge-y mixture.

After cooking is complete, pour mixture through fine sieve over a medium bowl, cool for a few minutes, and stick in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can also do an ice-bath to help cool mixture down faster. You’ve made a custard; great job!

Remove custard from refrigerator and set aside as you put coconut milk cream in a bowl and mix well. Then fold into eggnog custard mixture until combined; fill cups with this delicious, creamy eggnog.

Option to add alcohol. To garnish beverage, sprinkle with finely crushed peppermint, nutmeg, cinnamon, peppermint or cinnamon sticks, or whatever strikes your festive fancy.

Vegan Peppermint Eggless Nog

The only real difference here in terms of ingredients is the fact that we’re using frozen bananas instead of eggs. Because of the natural sweetness they provide, you may want to consider decreasing the amount of maple syrup added or omit it.

4 bananas (peeled and frozen)
1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired
3 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 can or 6.5 oz coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of cloves, if desired

Instructions

Even easier! Put all ingredients in a blender and blend it until smooth. Garnish as above with your favorites.

Besides being delicious, eggnog is quite versatile and can be added to coffee, used in making french toast, quiche, and more! We hope you enjoy these egg- and/or dairy-free versions of eggnog with your friends and family over the holidays.

Solar Eclipse Smoothie Bowl

It turns out that the earth revolves around smoothie bowls; during this morning’s ‘solar eclipse’, you’ll see the sun temporarily blocked by, not the moon, but this colorful dish (safe to view with the naked eye) .

We used to call it ‘smoothie ice cream’ back in the day, whenever our too-thick fruit and vegetable blends were just easier to eat with a spoon. Now you can find them quite a few places, including fresh-juice establishments such as Native and Zest (if you’re in Columbus). Or…how about making your own?! It’s easy and there are so many ways to add variety, you’ll never be bored with breakfast again!

Prep time: 5 minutes, more if you want to have fun and take pictures

Ingredients

1 bag, 10oz of tropical fruit (strawberries, mango, banana) from Whole Foods
8oz of cranberries
1-2 cups of spinach
water to desired texture

Toppings – cacao nibs, walnuts, and shredded coconut

….but again, this is what we did; if you want to use chia seeds, sliced bananas, fresh blueberries, or almonds,  do so. Try your own smoothie bowl adventure!

Instructions

Put all ingredients (minus toppings) into blender and blend until desired thickness. Pour smoothie into bowl and top with your favorite fruits, nuts, or seeds.

The 7-day Breakfast Experiment

At the Body Mindfulness presentation we gave at VegFest this past weekend, we spoke about how to bring awareness to both our lifestyle choices and to our plates. By listening to the messages the body is sending us, we can identify issues (and solutions!) related to digestive, blood sugar, and stress woes. Are you answering the calls your body makes?

Because what we eat first thing in the morning can impact our energy levels, sugar cravings, digestion, and more, we suggest you try a fun Breakfast Experiment. Consider keeping record in a notepad, calendar, or on your computer. This exercise is a powerful tool to bring awareness to your eating patterns. Here’s an example:

Day 1: scrambled eggs
Day 2: fruit smoothie
Day 3: oatmeal
Day 4: boxed breakfast cereal
Day 5: coffee and bagel
Day 6: whole wheat pancakes
Day 7: avocado toast (toast with mashed avocado on top)

Feel free to change this experiment to fit your diet with vegan, gluten-free, or other appropriate options. If you’re diabetic or worried about becoming so, consider checking your blood sugar after each of these meals and noticing any differences in daily measurement.

On each day, you’ll want to record the food you ate, how you felt (physically or emotionally, i.e. “felt energized!” or “started getting heartburn”) a few minutes after eating and then again 2-3 hours later (i.e. “had tons of energy and was productive but then dropped, craving coffee” or “felt really full, almost forgot to eat lunch!”)

Your job, as a breakfast experiment scientist, is not to negatively judge yourself or your food choices. Objectively recording the information can assist you in making connections between what you’ve eaten and how you feel – both physically and emotionally.

This exercise may reveal digestive upset or an intolerance to certain foods. A food sensitivity or allergy may impact your level of inflammation and symptoms. Contact your integrative nutritionist to discuss what you discover and to get the support you need to experience a higher level of vitality and wellness!

10 Reasons to Fall in Love – Vienna, Austria

When you think of Vienna it is hard to not think of vibrant culture. The city has a rich history and this can be seen from the architecture to the food and music. So when work ‘obliges’ one to travel to Austria, it’s time to lift the jaw back from the floor, grab a passport, clear space in the phone’s camera memory, and DO IT. Even for a short visit, we found a great many reasons not to get back on the return flight, but we’ll start with 10.

1. History & Architecture. Relatively speaking, the U.S. is a young, adolescent country. We’re energetic and think we have all the answers, but it’s a good idea to sit with an older country and gain some wisdom, particularly over some coffee and their specialty chocolate cake. If you aren’t able to do your homework beforehand, find a quality tour guide to learn about the history of the city, politics, key figures, and architecture. For example, you’ll learn the crypts contain burial remains of members of the Hapsburg family, including Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph. Also, a popular tourist attraction, the Hofburg Imperial Palace, was residence of kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire from as early as the 1400s.
2. Culture. Vienna has been a major city throughout the ages and has attracted great thinkers, musicians and artists such as Sigmund Freud, Mozart, and Gustav Klimt. There are a great many museums, parks, and a famous Opera.
3. Education here is very affordable, compared with the US and Canada; it is about 400 Euros or about $450 US dollars per semester. Yes, we cried a bit there too.
4. Green-space. Taking time to visit a nearby park or explore the gardens of nearby Schönbrunn Palace is a wonderful way to recharge during lunch or after work. 
5. Safety. With a population of almost 2 million people and a low crime rate, Vienna is one of the safest major cities. A choice on whether to get on the COTA bus or grab a subway in Vienna and we’d choose the subway any day. The public transportation system covers the city and is very inexpensive.
6. It’s clean! No bits of gum wrappers or cigarette butts on the sidewalk or street. Even the drinking water is fresh from the Austrian alps so ordering tap at a restaurant saves money and is high quality. This is of particular cause of jealousy right now as Columbus’ has tested positive for carcinogenic chromium-6.
7. Think we forgot to talk about the food? Heck no, it’s delicious! Whether you want to try Wiener sausage, Sacher Torte (their signature chocolate cake) or any number of cuisines, they have it all. They are also surprisingly much better about being vegan and vegetarian-friendly with quite a few healthy restaurants.
   

   Fancy fare in Vienna

   

   A casual breakfast

8. Physical activity is highly encouraged – with separate lanes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and then the road for cars. Looking around, excluding tourists, most people are of a normal weight.  Another noticeable aspect of their activity, they are relaxedly walking and often enjoying conversation with friends, with or without an ice cream in hand (and they don’t have Fitbits on either). This still bewilders, but hours of being outdoors and people-watching yielded NOT ONE person race-walking through the city or staring down at his or her phone while rapidly typing. Perhaps they hold the secret to the elusive idea of work-life balance.
9. Beverages. For enophiles, visit the wine capital of Vienna. Cider is quite good but the beer is best left to Germany to brew. If you visit during the Christmas festivals, have some Glühwein (mixture of hot wine and spices). For non-alcoholic beverages, coffee – in all of its forms – is something for which Austria is famous. Though we usually abstain in America, it was game-on for a week. Coffee with milk, chocolate, ice cream and/or whipped cream? Yes, yes to it all.
10. Which reminds us – spend a block of time in a coffeehouse. People used to come to coffeehouses to stay warm, relax and leisurely read the daily newspaper, and to share ideas. One has a sense of history and peace and is expected to not treat the space as a pseudo-workstation by whipping out the laptop or phone. Expect that having a coffee with others may last 2-3 hours, with a waitress checking in rather infrequently.  It’s an experience; enjoy it.

Other notes:

If you don’t speak German, no worries. In major European cities, such as Vienna, everyone seems to be at least bi-lingual. If you do speak German, taking an afternoon to explore and talk to locals will challenge your brain and put a bounce in your step.

Enjoy food, comfort, and beauty in this calm city.

 

National Hot & Spicy Day

National Hot & Spicy Day

Adrienne Raimo, RDN, LD of One Bite Wellness is featured on the WBNS 10tv website about hot and spicy foods as well as their benefits.

http://www.10tv.com/article/hot-and-spicy-food

CorePower Yoga: 3 Class Review

These days it seems you can throw a stone and hit a yoga teacher or studio; so how does CorePower Yoga stand out?

We posed this question to Elizabeth, studio manager of the Easton Gateway location, and here’s what she shared:”CorePower Yoga is an intense physical workout rooted in the mindfulness of yoga. One other thing that sets us apart is our offering of Yoga Sculpt which combines yoga with weight exercises and cardio. It allows students to get more than just yoga at our studio.” This is definitely true, as you’ll see below.

We’ve checked out a variety of classes at each location. Let’s jump in to the reviews!

 

Day 1: C2 – CorePower Yoga 2– Easton location; Teacher: Meghan

First of all, this class is for the advanced beginner; C1 is for those starting out. It will amp up the balancing and strength postures in a heated room. Sweat is guaranteed, not optional – just think of it as great detoxification :).

Challenging balancing postures are a favorite – tree, warrior 3, dancer- but hold them for awhile and the ‘balance’ between thinking this is fun, play-stuff and ‘oh wow this is tough’ shifts to the latter. Luckily, Meghan is a great teacher – she reminds you to connect to your breath and is ready to adjust your posture so you get the most out of your workout.

Coming in after a morning of medical research, this class provided a beautiful alchemy of stress into sweat and strength. Ending in savasana (final resting pose) and getting a mini-shoulder and head massage from the teacher was a nice bonus. Overall it is a treat for your muscles and your mind.

Word to the wise: bring a towel or your yoga mat may turn into a Slip n Slide®

 

Day 2: Yoga Sculpt – Easton location; Teacher: Joshua

Described on the website as:

“When muscle meets yoga, Sculpt is born. Boost metabolism and build lean muscle mass as you move to upbeat tracks. You’ll combine free weights with CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) sequencing and cardio to intensify each pose while mixing in strength-training moves like squats, lunges and bicep curls. It is recommended that you take at least one CorePower level 1 or 2 (C1 or C2) class before a Yoga Sculpt class.”

Do not focus on the word ‘yoga’ in the description – it makes the class seem deceptively simple. Rest assured, it is not. It’s kind of like a lick a dog might give a bone before crushing his jaws around it.

But we mean this in a good way…

This class will kick your a$$. Over and over. When focusing on your intention, the word ‘survival’ may come to mind.

Even if you’re not trying to show off and opt for the 5lb weights, you may find yourself putting them down while some of the class veterans power through.

As a teacher, Joshua is firm but supportive. He briefly shared his weight loss journey during the introductory part of class and regularly reminded us, through the sweat drops in our eyes and muscle fatigue, “you want this more than I do.” And that we did – a more toned and lean body is something you have to WANT, and from there flows action. You’ll still likely find yourself both admiring him and wanting to remove his larynx to prevent further instruction.

Warrior 2 is not that difficult, but try stretching out those arms in either direction with an extra 10 lbs. Pff. Yeah, then try diamond push-ups. In sweet agony you will find yourself in the final pose, delirious with the joy of having completed the class or perhaps of still being among the living. If there were such a term as ‘beneficial torture’,  you may find it the next day when you can’t fit your massive biceps into your dress shirt or blouse. Don’t thank us. Thank Joshua.

This was indeed unlike any other yoga class we’ve been to before. Bravo, CorePower Yoga. Bravo.

 

Day 3: Hot Power Fusion – Short North location; Teacher: Colleen

We’ve found that a key part of showing up for classes is only looking at the time of the class, NOT the description. It’s too easy to wake up and think “I don’t have it in me for a super-tough workout today.” Why not allow yourself to be surprised? That’s the approach we took this morning; no preconceived notions of how easy or hard this would be.

Since we arrived literally 3 minutes before the doors were locked, upon entering, we declared feeling victorious just by completing the challenge of getting to the class, regardless of how it might go.

Colleen is a friendly teacher who will also remind you that we’re still holding a certain challenging yoga position for 3 more counts. Ah yes, and to continue breathing. The various poses help open shoulders and hips as well as strengthen a flexible spine.

Overall, we loved the intense power yoga combined with breath work and meditation. Upon stepping out of the studio, we felt stronger, more balanced and flexible.

Final verdict: we love it and look forward to more of these experiences and results in the future!

Additional information
Each location has a spa-like feel in the showers and changing rooms with various toiletries provided. Lockers are free to use (ask for a lock, if desired). The retail space has clothing and yoga accessories and the lobby area has towels and water (for a nominal fee) in case you forget to bring your own. It’s clean, bright, and inviting. AND….

Great news! Every new member gets a free week at CorePower Yoga (you’re not obligated to a membership but you’ll probably want one!) so call or schedule at the Easton Gateway or Short North location and let us know what you think.