{HMW} The word you keep using against yourself

Dear Reader,

🖐 Ever feel a disappointment in your life and think it just "should" be different?

🖐 Ever get hungry when you feel you "shouldn't" be hungry? (I just ate 2 hours ago!)

🖐 Ever not fit into an outfit that you feel "should" fit on you?

🖐 Ever tell yourself you should only eat "one" but end up with greasy fingers and a pile of crumbs left in the bag?

We spend a lot of time in the world of should.

What if we didn't cling to should's so tightly?

Could you learn to Shift your Should?

When we let go of arbitrary rules and should's from our lives, we're left with:

What is actually true in this moment?

Can we accept what is before pushing our own agenda or narrative?

"Shoulding" ourselves often only adds friction and brings in additional layers of inner conflict.

"Shoulding" yourself is inviting your teenage rebel to show up and say "I'm having the cookie and NOT the apple, so there!"

There are just going to be days where you are absurdly hungry for seemingly no reason at all.

Or, there will be days when you're bloated and your clothes just don't fit quite right and you don't know why.

What are you going to do?

Sit there and fight with your appetite?

Blame and bully your body for being premenstrual (or sick, or, or, or)

OR.... are you going to honor what is and take gentle action from there?

Choose wisely...your body will respond in kind. :-)

Have it:

Interesting ingredient alert: New Research Links Cooking to Lower Dementia Risk

I haven't used Groupon in years but I was looking to get my teen daughter a facial for her birthday and remembered that Groupon used to have a lot of spa sales. Anyway, I found a 45-minute facial for her that was discounted down to $50! She's on school break this week so we're going on Friday, plus getting Indian food together after!

Made it:

5-Senses Sunday

I have 831 open tabs and a notes app full of things I'm convinced I'll need someday. This week I'm sharing 5 things per sense that fascinated me this week and didn't quite make it into a full essay. Just a few of the things living rent-free in my head

Want it:

This was surprisingly calming and effective. I may have to get a real one.

The Best Food-Related Housewarming Gifts (That You’ll Want for Yourself))

Ingredient Spotlight:

Chickpeas

Did you know that yesterday was National Chickpea Day here in the US? Why there is a chickpea day and not a pinto bean or black-eyed Susan day I do not know. But, I do have a lot of great things to say about chickpeas.

Here are my top 5 health reasons for eating them and 5 ideas on how to eat more of them!

5 healthy reasons to eat more chickpeas.

1.They are full of fiber that your "good" gut bacteria love to feast on.

2. They are a great source of a complete plant-based protein (1 cup of chickpeas has over 14 grams of protein).

3. They are naturally low in sodium and are cholesterol free.

4. They are filled with important vitamins and minerals like choline, folate, magnesium and iron all which support brain health and your nervous system.

5. Supports blood sugar regulation because your body digests it slowly.

5 Ways to Prepare Chickpeas

Make a hummus (so easy).

Roast them in the oven and use as a snack or on top of salads, soups or combine with mixed nuts. I put them on my Caesar salads and its the perfect crunchy contrast to the romaine.

Chickpea curries, soups and stews.

Falafel (easier to make than you think).

There is so much you can do with chickpea flour (also called Besan), which gives you all of the protein but can transform into breads, wraps, pancakes, or even omelettes!

Bonus: If you have cans of chickpeas at home, you'll notice a thick liquid that comes with it. This is called Aquafaba and it can be used in the same way as egg whites, helping to make dairy-free whipped creams, merengues, mousses and more.

Announcements & Upcoming:

I'm looking forward to participating in a few different bundle and virtual summit collaborations in the upcoming weeks including: The Midlife Uncensored Summit in May, The Pretty Productive Bundle also in May plus the Self-care to Wellness Bundle coming this June. Stay tuned - I'll send sign-up links as soon as I have them.

For the last 2 months I have been working on completely overhauling my community platform and architecture over on Heartbeat - It's going to be a huge upgrade and I can't wait to show you how I've rebuilt it. I know its going to help you learn, grow and build connections with others who also struggle with the same food, body and eating issues. Like before, there will continue to be a free tier and a paid tier with a compassionate, lively community in both so that everyone gets value.

Tentative launch day is May 18th. Much more information on this soon!

In the meantime, I have a new offer for you!

Featured Product - NEW OFFER!

The Body Image Blueprint - mini-course!

The mini-course draws from my book The Body Image Blueprint.

The Four Realms of Body Image is the approach I developed after years of working with women who were exhausted by the constant negotiation with their own bodies — and after doing a lot of that exhausting negotiating myself. It's only been 9 years since I first published the book, but I finally made a mini-online course using many of the same principals. 👇🏼