Maryann Jacobsen's Blog, page 5

7 Surprising Reasons Families Struggle with Eating

When I first became a dietitian, I was conflicted about giving out meal plans and weight loss advice. Having changed my relationship with food just before my first job as an RD, I wanted to help others do the same. I turned to research and slowly began to get an inkling as to how to help others. But nothing solidified my understanding more than researching kids’ eating and development.

I learned how a person’s relationship with food starts the day they are born. I was amazed at the...

6 of the Best Natural Remedies for Hormonal Imbalance in Midlife Women

When a woman hits her 40s and sometimes earlier, her sex hormones begin to shift. For some time, she will be in a new state of hormonal imbalance which can show up as symptoms.

Wherever a midlife woman is on changes: very early perimenopause (high estrogen/declining progesterone), perimenopause (gradually declining estrogen/low progesterone) or post-menopause (low estrogen/low progesterone), relief is often needed and sought.

Here’s the reality: 85% of midlife women report symptoms such as hot...

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup [Recipe]

Our neighbors from where we used to live come over to help us decorate and put up lights over the holidays. They are more hands-on than we are and their kids are grown up so they’ve been there, done that. They are also friends we love to hang out with. And without them, our large blow-up Santa wouldn’t exist. But it can be tough to keep him upright and little people often have to adjust him.

Because we are all working on the house, I usually make something ahead of time in the Instant Pot. I...

Estrogen and Women’s Health with Mache Seibel, MD [Podcast]

Estrogen plays an important role in a woman’s body. During very early perimenopause, levels fluctuate and can often be higher than normal. But as women approach menopause (about 2 years before their final period) estrogen starts to decline. By two years after the final period, estrogen levels are depleted.

This decline in estrogen brings on many symptoms women can feel such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, and memory problems. But it also brings symptoms they cannot feel...

Book Review: Kid Food

I remember when my first child became mobile and we joined a playgroup. Goldfish flowed like water and I noticed she just wasn’t hungry for dinner. I also noticed how food was given to her at every turn, especially her first year of kindergarten. I began to detest kid menus at restaurants.

It seemed all my work at home, was being undone by the outside world that wanted to feed my kid, well, “kid food.”

Despite my frustration, I didn’t focus on changing the food environment outside of the home....

10 Books That Will Transform Your Health in the New Year

In preparation for my books, I read quite a bit of nonfiction. I love books that change the way I look at the world and improve my health and well-being. Lately, I’ve been focusing more on the emotional side of health, which I feel is a missing key.

Here’s what I love about nonfiction books: they are the best deal in town. For less than the price of eating out, you get an expert view on a topic. Often its years of experience and research condensed just for you. And you get to decide when and...

Holiday Rotation 2019

I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted a dinner rotation. With the holiday season here, I want to be sure I have easy meals to make. But it also needs to be flexible enough that I can ditch a meal.

I’m trying something a little different. I’m going to have each day of the week have a theme but it will be general (except for Friday). Monday a different sauce with pasta and veggies and whatever protein I have on hand. Tuesday tacos with beans, veggies, and protein. And Thursday will be...

6 Ways Parents Need to Adjust Feeding When Kids Turn 10

Last March marked 10 years since I’ve started blogging. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how feeding my kids has changed in those years.

I can see for the first several years, my husband and I were building a foundation. But once children are on solid ground — and their minds grow and develop — things need to change. And the old ways get replaced with something new and better.

If we don’t change, kids may get stuck. They may complain more or become too reliant on parents to make food decisions for them. And le...better.

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Lentil and Brown Rice Bake [Recipe]

I’ve been making lentil and brown rice casserole for years. But it’s the kind of meal I’d take long breaks from and then make it again and wonder why I stopped.

I used to always make this version from Food.com. But lately, I’ve been into this Southwestern Lentil Bake, which is adapted from From A Chef’s Kitchen.

What’s amazing about this recipe is you can tweak it anyway you want. Add more veggies, different spices...Kitchen.

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Why Midlife Women Should Rethink Hormone Therapy

Say “hormone therapy” and many different images might come to mind. Maybe it’s breast cancer, Suzanne Sommers, or scary pills and patches. I’ll admit that before I started researching hormone therapy, I had a negative view of it.

But as I’ve read more, I am surprised about how little I –and the midlife women I know–understand it. Now I see menopausal hormone therapy (the term used these days) as a safe option that I will consider if needed.

Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about hormone therapy that every wom...needed.

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