Tag: family-nutrition

A Spring Reset: Taking Inventory

Hannah Carlozzi

Times of transition often invite reflection. Spring cleaning and New Year’s resolutions are good examples of moments when we pause, take stock, and ask: What’s working? What’s not?

As we move into Spring, consider applying that same mindset to your health habits. If your routine doesn’t feel as effective as it once did, it may not be a lack of effort, but rather a mismatch between what you think should work and what is actually going to be effective for you today.

Start With Awareness

We all have blind spots when it comes to our own habits. Getting an outside perspective, whether from a trusted friend, family member, or a professional (like a registered dietitian) can offer valuable insight into patterns we may not notice ourselves.

Revisit the Foundations

Movement – are you starting from scratch or leveling up?

  • If you already walk regularly, could you add short jogging intervals to elevate your heart rate?
  • If you’re a avid runner, cross-training could build strength and support injury prevention.

Wherever you are, if you feel stuck or as if you have plateaued, think about where you can push yourself just a little more. Sometimes, feeling uncomfortable again is the path to progress.

Are you Prioritizing Sleep?

  • Has screen time crept into your evenings getting you to bed too late?
  • Would a “phone-free” boundary before bed be helpful?
  • Consider creating a wind-down routine to signal rest: tea, reading, journaling, or meditation are all great options.

Let’s Talk About Nutrition

The nutrition advice we come across on online, from coworkers, friends, fitness trainers, and sometimes medical professionals, is full of conflicting opinions and recommendations. It’s hard to know who to trust and what to follow.

My advice: simplify. The fundamentals are not flashy, but they are effective:

  • Eat regularly throughout the day – 3 meals and 1-3 snacks
  • Eat fruits and vegetables
  • Include whole grains
  • Prioritize lean proteins and seafood
  • Choose healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado
  • Flavor with herbs and spices
  • Limit processed foods and alcohol

It may not make headlines, but it works. If you feel like you are already doing all the right things and still feeling stuck, this is where taking an inventory can be helpful. While I’m not a big proponent of long-term tracking, it can be a useful short-term tool to bring awareness to things like protein and fiber intake, hydration, and unintentional overeating.

My Personal Experiment

I recently tracked my intake for a few days to see how closely I follow my own advice. A few interesting things came up:

  • Awareness changed behavior: knowing I was tracking made me pause before grabbing small, unplanned bites and nibbles.
  • Meals became less intuitive: I started building meals based on measurements instead of appetite (1/2 cup oats, 3 oz chicken…), which made eating a little less enjoyable.
  • Some habits were better than expected: I exceeded my goals for hydration and protein and came in where I expected for fiber.
  • Fat intake surprised me: between nuts, seeds, salmon, chicken thighs, cooking oils, and the occasional butter, my fat intake hovered around 40% of total calories which is higher than I’d like.

What I’m Taking With Me

What will I do with this data? It reminded me that the small nibbles when I’m not really hungry do add up. Although I prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts, I will bring more focus to lean proteins, and I will limit nuts/seeds to a couple of servings per day. I will continue my good protein and water habits, and I am happy to go back to plating my meals based on appetite and what sounds good rather than measurements that are easy to log. 

Your Turn

What needs attention in your life? Whether it’s your eating habits, movement, or something else, a reset doesn’t require a complete overhaul. Often, small, thoughtful adjustments can move the needle. If you’d like support in taking that next step, I’m always here to help — feel free to reach out.

Notes with health promoting messages

Lower the Bar, Reach Your Goals

Hannah Carlozzi

Why flexibility leads to real progress

It’s that time of year when a lot of us crave change. The idea of a reset, a fresh start, can feel empowering and motivating. But when we set the bar too high, we often veer off course as soon as life gets in the way, as it inevitably does.

Instead of a sweeping overhaul, I want to suggest three key ideas to help you stay on track with your goals in the new year.

Woman making a healthy smoothie
  1. Lower the bar
    While it might seem counterintuitive, lowering the bar gives us the flexibility we need to be successful. Life will throw us curveballs – a kid will get sick, a work deadline will pop up, or we’ll have a night of poor sleep. We need a Plan B to keep us moving forward, and Plan B isn’t a failure, it’s part of the plan.

    Take an honest look at what you can do instead. Something is always better than nothing, and consistency is built on what we do on our hardest days, not our best ones. A trip to the gym that fell through can become a power walk after lunch, or a few simple bodyweight movements or stretches. If your goal is to order less takeout, keeping easy pantry or freezer staples on hand can make it possible to get a simple dinner on the table on a nights where you don’t feel like cooking.

  2. Habit Stacking
    Linking a new behavior to something you already do consistently can be very effective. An example from my own life: I have an established habit of drinking a glass of water after I wake up and before I have my coffee. After some bloodwork at my last physical, I set a new goal of taking a daily vitamin D supplement. The bottle sat on the counter, and although I saw it every day, taking it was inconsistent at best. I finally decided that, even though I’d prefer to take it with food, having it with my glass of water was the best way to make it happen consistently.

    Take a look at what you already do without thinking and see where you can add something small. Can you stretch while watching TV at night? Pack lunch or prep breakfast while cleaning up from dinner? Take a sip of water every time you send an email? Get creative!

  3. Embody the change
    This last one is important. Meaningful and long-term change doesn’t come from willpower, it comes from values-based and identity-based habits. Tell yourself “I am someone who (fill in the blank)” and then look for small, daily actions that reinforce that identity. Someone who values their health doesn’t have to be perfect – they show up imperfectly but consistently. When things don’t go as planned (and they won’t), practice self-compassion and “do the next right thing”, as Elsa says in Frozen II!
Notes with health promoting messages

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. By lowering the bar, anchoring new habits to what you already do, and focusing on who you want to become rather than what you think you should do, you create change that can actually last. Small, flexible steps taken consistently will always take you further than the perfect plan you can’t maintain.

A Simple Way Forward When “Eating Right” Feels Overwhelming

Hannah Carlozzi

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this contradiction: food and eating are both wonderfully simple and endlessly complicated. Eating is a basic human need, yet what and how to eat seems unclear at best. We’re constantly bombarded with protein targets, fiber goals, and alarming headlines about what might be hiding in our snacks and supplements. Should we be intermittent fasting? No wonder so many of us are overwhelmed. Is nourishing ourselves really supposed to feel this hard?

Here’s something that might surprise you: I don’t track how many grams of protein I eat each day, I don’t have a cabinet full of supplements, and I don’t add electrolytes to my water or butter or protein to my coffee. That doesn’t mean I’m careless about what I consume. It means is that I have an approach to nourishing myself that feels simple, flexible, and easy to maintain.

The noise around food can be exhausting. Every week brings a new rule or a new fear. But what happens when you do want to make a change? Where do you begin?

A good starting point is to step back from the noise entirely. Forget the tracking apps, calorie counts, and headlines for a moment, and consider a few key questions:

  1. Which foods genuinely satisfy me?
  2. What meals leave me feeling nourished and energized?
  3. Which ones don’t?

From there, these simple guidelines can help shape your day-to-day eating:

  • Aim for three meals and one to three snacks per day, adjusting based on hunger and activity level.
  • Include a source of carbohydrate, protein, and plants (fruit or vegetables) at each meal.
  • Consider small “upgrades” that make your meals more satisfying – maybe a flavorful sauce, a crunchy topping, a splash of acidity, or a drizzle of oil.
  • Try to eat when you’re hungry but not ravenous, and stop when you’re comfortably full rather than stuffed.
  • Give yourself full permission to enjoy the foods you love, while returning to the core question: what helps you feel nourished, energized, and genuinely well?

I keep coming back to a phrase often used in early parenthood: fed is best. When we’re caught up in trying to optimize every bite, uncertainty and guilt creep in, and before long, they undermine the very changes we’re trying to make. The truth is that fed is best in adulthood, too.

Nourishing ourselves, even when we are on a journey to improve our health, doesn’t require perfection – just intention and persistence. If this idea still feels confusing or overwhelming, a Registered Dietitian can support you in finding a way of eating that fits your lifestyle and your health goals.

Contact Hannah

The Benefits of Fiber: Are You Getting Enough?

Hannah Carlozzi

Fiber is having its moment. In fact, it is hard to turn anywhere these days without being reminded that we need to eat more of it. And I’m all for it… with a few caveats!

Why Fiber?

Fiber has many health benefits. It can help lower cholesterol, and positively impact our blood sugar. It can help us feel full longer and can keep digestion “regular” by making our stool large, soft, and easy to pass. And some fibers (prebiotics) serve as fuel for our gut microbiome. 

How Much Do We Need?

Women are recommended to get about 25-30 grams per day and men about 35 grams per day. In reality, most Americans are consuming 12-15 grams. That is a huge gap! 

Where is Fiber Hiding?

Fiber is found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. While there are different types of fibers (soluble and insoluble), and some foods have a higher concentration of one vs. the other, many foods have both types. If you consider these sources and reflect on your own eating patterns, do you think you are meeting the recommendation? 

Why Do We Fall Short?

Many of us fall short because we are busy and rely on quick grab-and-go options. We may skip breakfast, grab a bar or a sandwich for lunch, and have a standard dinner where vegetables are not the star of the show. And with the recent focus on protein, high fiber foods like whole grains are often left out. Shopping for and preparing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains does take some effort, but there are lots of quick and easy ways to boost your fiber intake.

Small Changes Add Up

Ease into a more fiber-rich diet by focusing on one meal at a time. Once you’re in the habit of adding more fiber to that meal, move on to the next. For example:

  •  If you have toast and eggs in the morning, can you make a switch to whole wheat bread and add a piece of fruit on the side?
  • If you start your day with a bowl of Greek yogurt, can you add some berries or sliced fruit along with some slivered almonds?
  • At lunch, can you add some lettuce and sliced tomato to your sandwich or a side of raw veggies?
  • Can you include pumpkin seeds as a crunchy topping on your salad or some canned chickpeas drained and rinsed?
  • Can you commit to at least one serving of vegetables on your dinner plate?
  • Can you put beans on the dinner menu once a week?
  • Can you roast a big batch of root vegetables on the weekend to use throughout the week?
A sandwich with wholegrain bread, lettuce, and tomato.

What 25–30 Grams of Fiber Can Look Like

MealFoodFiber (g)Subtotal
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Bowl¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (0 g) ½ cup raspberries (4 g) 2 Tbsp chia seeds (10 g) 2 Tbsp granola (2 g)~16 g16 g
Lunch Option A: Salad2 cups mixed greens (2 g) ½ cup chickpeas (6 g) ½ cup cherry tomatoes + cucumber (2 g) ¼ avocado (3 g)~13 g29 g (with breakfast)
Lunch Option B: Sandwich2 slices whole-grain bread (6 g) Lettuce + tomato (2 g) 1 apple (4 g)~12 g28 g (with breakfast)
Dinner (both options)½ cup brown rice (2 g) 1 cup broccoli (5 g) 4 oz salmon or chicken (0 g)~7 g35–36 g total

What About Fiber Supplements?

Fiber supplements can be helpful in certain situations, but I recommend a food-first approach. Here’s why:

  • Supplements generally provide just one type of fiber, while whole foods give a beneficial mix.
  • They are more likely to cause GI discomfort (gas, bloating) or even constipation if increased too quickly.
  • They lack the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that come with fiber-rich foods.
  • They can offer a false sense of security, and you may miss out on the chance to build lasting healthy eating patterns.

Begin With Small Steps

Adding fiber to your diet does not have to mean changing everything you have been doing until now. It is ok to start small by doing simple swaps and adding fiber-rich foods to the meals you are already enjoying.

One more thing to keep in mind: whether your fiber comes from food or supplements, it is important to drink enough water. Fiber works best when it absorbs water to help keep things moving through your digestive system. Without enough fluid, adding more fiber can actually backfire and cause discomfort.

Take it one meal at a time, and let those choices add up. Your gut (and the rest of your body) will thank you!


Finding Food Freedom

Hannah Carlozzi

For many people who struggle with food, the difficulty goes beyond just nutrition. In fact, they often have an impressive knowledge of what constitutes a healthy diet. Instead, it is a fear of losing control. They might “eat clean” all week only to find themselves overeating on the weekend or make the declaration that they “can’t keep that food in the house or they will eat it all”. Making some foods off-limits (=restriction) can lead to certain foods holding an almost magical power, where just one bite is sure to lead to out of control eating. When food rules dominate, even a small deviation, like a bite of a “forbidden” food, can trigger an overwhelming sense of failure, often leading to loss of control and overeating. The very rules meant to maintain control become the reason control is lost.

But what if the solution isn’t more rules or stronger willpower? What if the key to breaking free lies in a concept called disenchantment?

The Power of Gradual Exposure

One approach to breaking the binge/restrict cycle is gradual exposure, a method often used in pain management and behavioral therapy. Just as someone with chronic pain might slowly reintroduce movements they fear, those struggling with food fears can systematically reintroduce their “trigger foods.”

The process begins with identifying which foods trigger a sense of loss of control. These can vary widely. Some fear carb-heavy foods like bread and pasta, while others struggle with sweets or snack foods. Once identified, the foods are ranked from least to most challenging, and gradual exposure begins with the least intimidating option.

For example, if chocolate is a trigger food, the first step may be eating a “fun sized” chocolate bar in a structured, mindful setting. Over time, the experience of eating that food normalizes, and the urgency to overconsume diminishes. When you know the food is always available, the need to “get it all in now” fades.

The Role of Disenchantment

Disenchantment is the process of stripping away the emotional and psychological power of food. Often, foods we binge on aren’t just about taste – they hold an allure, a sense of indulgence, or a promise of comfort. When we put foods on pedestals, they become irresistible. But what happens when we take a step back and view them objectively?

A key part of disenchantment is engaging all the senses and questioning long-held beliefs about a food’s value. What does the food actually taste like? How does it feel in your mouth? Does it bring as much satisfaction as you imagined? Does it continue to taste amazing after a few bites? Many find that once they slow down and experience a food with full awareness, it loses its “forbidden” appeal.

All Foods Fit, Even Trigger Foods

A common fear with reintroducing trigger foods is weight gain. However, incorporating these foods in a way that fits within overall intake can be a game-changer. For example, swapping your usual snack for a portion of a feared food or reducing the size of your meal to make room for it, can be a useful tool for a period of time. It can help build trust in your ability to include these foods without spiraling into overeating.

Over time, as disenchantment takes hold, the foods that once seemed irresistible lose their magic. The urgency to overeat fades, and is replaced by a more neutral relationship with food. When nothing is off-limits, the need to rebel against restriction disappears.

The Path to Food Freedom

Breaking free from the cycle of restriction and overeating isn’t about more control, it is about less. By gradually exposing yourself to feared foods and removing them from their pedestal through disenchantment, you can regain a sense of balance and trust in your eating. Food becomes just food, and the fear of losing control diminishes. It can, however, be helpful to work through this with a therapist or a Registered Dietitian.

The journey isn’t always linear, and setbacks are normal. But with patience and practice, the grip of food rules loosens, making way for a more peaceful and intuitive approach to eating. And when food loses its power, true freedom begins.

The Truth About Summer No One Wants to Hear

Hannah Carlozzi

Mama, This One Is For You!

Summer is here in full force. Whether you are working and sending kids off to camp, on vacation, or (sigh) trying to work from home while your kids are home too, you are most likely finding yourself with a different schedule and routine.

I find that there is so much build-up to summer. So much anticipation. Hopes of sunny, tranquil moments, opportunities to recharge for the rest of the year, and core memories created for the kids. Oftentimes, reality hits you hard. Perhaps everyone is a bit sleep deprived from those late summer nights or adjusting to sleeping in a new location. Maybe those unstructured days are leading to less than desirable behavior in your kids.

Here are things I’ve noticed already this summer

  • My kids are staying up later and, while I’ve truly enjoyed some movie and game nights, I also miss my quiet evenings with the kids in bed. 
  • Less structure during the day often leads to less structure with meals. I keep a mental note of what my kids are having and do my best to fill in the gaps, but I have been less on top of MY meals. Too many lunches have consisted of whatever my kids left behind. 
  • We quickly fall out of the routine of just getting out the door. I usually manage to leave the house armed with the essentials for the kids, but in the midst of it all I forget to put on my own sunscreen or to bring my own water bottle.
  • We are preparing to leave for vacation and I know from experience that, in addition to wonderful moments, there will also be sleep deprivation, overstimulation, boredom, sunburns, whining, and fighting. 

I am going to be practicing the following

  • Leaning into the discomfort
    Instead of distracting myself with caffeine, wine, or social media, I am going to try to face whatever the issue is head-on. Maybe that means skipping a planned activity or get-together in favor of rest, or penciling in a block of time to check off some of the items that have crept on to my to-do list. 
  • Setting aside mom-guilt and prioritizing my needs
    I would rather leave the house a few minutes later and know that I have the essentials packed for me too.
  • Saying no
    Happy summer memories do not have to be all-out productions. If I feel my stress level rise in anticipation of a packed calendar then it’s time to slow down. 
  • Prioritizing my nourishment
    I don’t feel my best on a diet of kid leftovers, so I am going to make sure my fridge, whether home or on vacation, is stocked with the things I know do my body good. You’d be surprised what a hotel mini fridge can hold. 
  • Gratitude
    My summer is not going to look perfect, but I am going to practice finding the silver linings in the rainy days, the chaotic travel days, and the too early wake-ups.    

Wherever you find yourself this summer, prepare for imperfections. They are to be expected and simply part of the journey. On a good day, they can be learning opportunities, and the rest of the time just moments we need to get through. And that’s ok.