Water tends to be an essential nutrient that most people forget about. As adults, the body is made up of about 60% water; that’s a lot! Read on to learn why water is so important and how much we should be drinking each day, plus my favorite options for making your water taste better if it isn’t your favorite go-to beverage.

Minerals are another one of six essential nutrients and, like vitamins, they play a vital role in overall health. Today’s post is all about major and trace minerals, their function, and in which foods they can be found.

Have you ever wondered what exactly vitamins do in the body? Or do you wonder which foods you can eat to make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need? Vitamins are one of six essential nutrients, meaning our bodies can’t make what we need on our own so we have to get them from food. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my previous posts which focus on the other essential nutrients. Today, I’ll outline all of the vitamins, why they are important, and the best food sources for each.

Meat is often what comes to mind when thinking of protein, but it is not the only source! Protein is one of six essential nutrients that are required by the body in order to function (be sure to read last week’s post if you are looking for more information about the other five essential nutrients). Today I’ll discuss the function of protein, main sources of it in the diet, and how much we need to eat (hint: it’s a lot less than you may think!).

There is so much information out there about what is healthy and what isn't, so over the next few weeks I’ll start from the beginning and talk about why eating the right foods can keep you healthy and feeling great! Today I’ll focus on the six essential nutrients our bodies need in order to function properly.

I love making muffins! They are so simple to put together and a much healthier alternative to store-bought varieties. There are almost always extra ripe bananas in my house, so what better way to use them up than by making banana muffins! Today I’ll share one of my favorite muffin recipes and why it is a nutritious option any time of day.

Have you ever tried cooking or baking with almond flour? Almond flour is made from finely ground almonds and is a lower-carb and gluten-free alternative to regular flour. Though you may be skeptical, it still makes for delicious baked goods, or can even be used as a substitute for breadcrumbs in savory dishes. Read on to find out why I like using almond flour and for some of my favorite recipes!

Sodium is something you’ve likely heard about, especially if you have high blood pressure. Sodium naturally occurs in some foods but is also added to many foods in the form of salt. I briefly mentioned sodium in last week’s post about healthy restaurant eating, so today I’ll talk more about the function of sodium in the diet (yes, we do need some!), recommendations for intake, main food sources, and how to make your food taste great without adding a bunch of salt.

Eating out doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Restaurants are getting better and better about offering foods to fit a variety of dietary choices, whether you have a food allergy or intolerance, are trying to lose weight, or manage a chronic disease. Today, I’ll focus on one of my favorite spots to eat when I need something quick: Cafe Yumm! If you haven’t been, I’d recommend trying it out; they have several locations in Oregon. They have several healthy options (as well as several less healthy options) so I’ll share my top choices with you today!

Salads are the perfect hot weather food. I didn’t start making my own salad dressings until fairly recently, but now that I have I’ll never go back to buying them at the store. Premade salad dressings are packed full of extra (mostly unhealthy) ingredients that homemade varieties are lacking. Today I’ll discuss why I like making my own salad dressings and one of my favorite simple recipes with only 4 ingredients.