Banana Chips: Healthy or Not?

Greetings wellness lovers!

And happy spring! I know that I am not the only person excited about the change of season!

The warmer weather naturally makes me want lighter foods... less hot chocolate, more fresh juice. Less nuts, and more dried bananas?! Well, maybe...

Trader Joe's Banana Chips... healthy?

Today I have some questions about (what could be) my new favorite product, from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's: Banana Chips. They are highly delicious and addicting... and it's quite a challenge to limit yourself to just one serving. But before I start buying them like crazy, and recommending them as a healthy snack to my clients, family, and friends... I have some questions.

1. The package claims that the banana chips are "dried fruit", but is that actually how they were made? Or are the bananas technically fried?

2. What specific kind of organic coconut oil is in the product? (ie. Is it refined? Or is it cold-pressed virgin?)

I've contacted the company regarding this, and am eagerly awaiting their response. In the meantime, I thought that perhaps one of my fellow health-nutrition-minded foodies might already have found the answers...

Obviously, the answers to these questions will dramatically change the 'health status' of this brilliant product.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that these banana chips are indeed dried/dehydrated with organic cold-pressed virgin coconut oil. I greatly appreciate any information you may know/have on these!

And, I will let you know when I hear back from Trader Joe's!

Have a great day!

xoxo,

Ashley

Video: Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference!

Hello wellness lovers!

Today I wanted to share the video recap from the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference, in Long Beach, California.

If you have been thinking about becoming a health coach, or are interested in learning what the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is all about... I recommend checking it out!



Again, if you have any questions about my IIN experience... I am happy to answer any questions and share my insights!

Have an amazing day!

Yours in health and happiness,
Ashley
@TasteforHealthy

What is Ayurveda?

Hello wellness lovers!

Today I wanted to share with you... my favorite philosophy for optimal wellness and healthy living! After studying 100+ dietary theories last year at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, this one really aligned with me.

Ayurveda

When I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in January 2011, I remember being excited to learn about what I thought was, the dietary theory of ayurveda, to compliment my love of yoga and natural (real) foods...

However, what I've learned is that ayurveda is not just a dietary theory... but it is essentially a comprehensive ancient system of natural healing for optimal wellness, vitality, and balance. Basically, it's about eating with the seasons, enjoying 3 meals a day, selecting the best foods for your specific body type, and using natural remedies to heal ailments.

What is the definition of ayurveda?

In it's most basic form, it means "the science of life."

According to the Kerala Ayurveda Academy...


Ayurveda and Yoga are sister sciences and belong to the world’s oldest and most well-documented healthcare system. Ayurveda, the science (Veda) of life (Ayur), balances the body using natural therapies and herbal medicines and balances the mind. Yoga, the science of mind brings balance and purity to the body. The two complement each other and together act to achieve harmony of the Body, Mind and Spirit – which is the essence of true health. Knowledge of Ayurveda in today’s world is essential as it is aimed at the preservation of health and prevention of disease by establishing balance and harmony through nutrition, herbs, meditation, and daily routines. Ayurvedic science provides knowledge to unfold the reality beyond the physical body and achieve harmony of Body, Mind and Spirit. The World Health Organization recognizes Ayurveda as a complete natural health care system. 


Love this!


If you are interested in learning more about this ancient healing system, relevant to modern living... I invite you to stay in touch!

xoxo
Ashley
@TasteforHealthy


{Photo source}


*Integrative Nutrition® and Institute for Integrative Nutrition® are registered trademarks of Integrative Nutrition Inc. 

The Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Directory

Greetings health and wellness lovers!

Today I wanted to share (yet another) new and exciting development that was officially announced at the Integrative Nutrition* Mega Conference this past weekend!

If you are a health coach, are considering becoming a health coach, or are interested in connecting with a health coach to attain your personal health goals, then you will greatly appreciate the value of...
The Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Directory

What are the benefits of this health coach directory?

• It's easy for individuals to search for a health coach by location and specialty.
• Individuals can read a coach's bio and find their website via the About page.
• Individuals can contact and interact with health coaches directly.
• Individuals can easily connect via Facebook and Twitter to any health coach.
• Health coaches can connect with each other to find solutions.

Pretty. brilliant.

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition continues to exceed my expectations... even after graduation! I am so grateful to have discovered an organization that is completely in alignment with my values, and makes it possible to create an amazing career + life.

Have a lovely day!

xoxo

Ashley 

*Integrative Nutrition® and Institute for Integrative Nutrition® are registered trademarks of Integrative Nutrition Inc. 

Integrative Nutrition: College Credits, + More!

Well hello there, wellness lovers!

I hope you are having a wonderful week so far!!

Today I wanted to share some more key highlights from the Integrative Nutrition* conference this past weekend in Long Beach, California!

Integrative Nutrition is now recognized by the National College Credit Recommendation Service

Here are the details!

The National College Credit Recommendation Service has established a recommendation for 29 college credits for Integrative Nutrition's Health Coach Training Program, and 11 college credits for the Immersion Program (the 2nd year complimentary graduate program). That's 40 credits total for both programs!

The National College Credit Recommendation Service (National CCRS) is an internationally recognized organization that partners with over 1500 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. With this additional credential, students and graduates can now use their Integrative Nutrition education to help fulfill part of their undergraduate degree requirements, or continue their professional development career.

Coming soon! The Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Practice Management App

It was very exciting to learn about the upcoming health coaching practice management app, which will be available by the end of this year! The app will be available for your computer and/or iPad... and will make it easier to keep track of clients, outlines, handouts, as well as run a paperless practice! The best part? It's going to be completely free to all students and graduates!

Graduation Celebration + Recognition

There was also a special graduation recognition of recent graduates, led by founder/director of IIN himself, Joshua Rosenthal. It was a great addition to the event, and I was very impressed by the number of students that have graduated recently!

Special Giveaway: The Integrative Nutrition Book

Every guest that was lucky enough to attend the conference with a student/grad received a complimentary copy of Joshua's book "Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness." I remember finding this book on Amazon several years ago, and reading all of the excellent reviews (it's rated 5/5 stars!)... before I even knew about IIN! My sister came as one of my guests... and is very excited to read it!

If you are interesting in downloading a complimentary copy of the book... you can get it here. *Please note: by downloading it, you will also be receiving e-mail updates from IIN about the latest program offerings.

If you have any questions about the IIN program transferring to college credits, or anything else... please feel free to e-mail me at tasteforhealthy@gmail.com

Have an excellent rest of the week!
xoxo
Ashley

*Integrative Nutrition® and Institute for Integrative Nutrition® are registered trademarks of Integrative Nutrition Inc.

IIN Conference + Conflict of Interest by RobHerring

Greetings wellness lovers!

As I mentioned... this past weekend was the event of the Integrative Nutrition Mega conference in Long Beach, CA. It was my first live IIN event... and I was beyond impressed! 4,000+ health coaches, from all over the world, were in attendance!

I immediately sensed the excitement at the very beginning...

We were welcomed with a red carpet arrival!

The atrium from the outside... definitely Long Beach style!

The audio/visual set-up and team were amazing!

View of health coaches in the main lobby

It was by far the most inspiring professional conference I've ever attended... the IIN staff know what they are doing! I have a background in event planning, so I know what is required to host an event of this capacity. I overheard many other students and grads commenting on the excellent organization of the entire weekend!

Anyways... I am about to leave for work, but I just wanted to give a quick update... and also highlight a song by Rob Herring, who performed this song "Conflict of Interest" yesterday. It really resonated with me, as this is something I have really been analyzing lately...




Thoughts? ;)

Stay tuned for more conference highlights to come!

Have an amazing day!!

xoxo,
Ashley