This is a sponsored conversation brought to you by Manitoba Harvest. As always, all opinions are my own.
About a year and a half ago I was speaking on a panel and was asked the question: “How do you sustain a healthy lifestyle while constantly on-the-go?” At the time, I was about 3-months postpartum and my “mom brain” left me at a loss for words. Looking back, I was really embarrassed, but it was an experience that forced me to critically think about my journey. A journey that has been years in the making and it all started at home with google and an ipad.
For those of you who do not know me, I transitioned into a career of education after years of professional dancing. I was working long hours as a coach after school which left little room for exercise and a lot of room for excuses. It was not until life happened that I transitioned into the “food as fuel vs. food as satisfaction” mentality. My boyfriend proposed, we moved to Oregon and I started my journey in the fitness modeling space. At 26, I was exhausted, breaking out and popping tums constantly. I had had enough! I wanted to look and feel great. So, I downloaded a bodyweight fitness app and started googling healthy recipes and little by little I swapped unhealthy foods for healthy ones and began to feel more vibrant, energized and healthy!
Last year, my husband and I started to take on a new journey. As a mom, I was having trouble getting back to myself. My nieces’ parents are Vegan and when she moved in with us last year, we started consuming a plant-based diet. We started slowly by swapping one meal a day and then moved on to 2-3 and before we knew it 90% of our food consumption was coming from plants.
In our home, we take a “conveniently healthy” approach to health and fitness. We leave room for indulgences, but we also prioritize our nutrition, fitness and mindfulness. After a short time consuming a plant-based diet, my training gains improved, my postpartum acne cleared, and I was feeling stronger than ever. I was floored. A major misconception in our society is that you cannot get adequate amounts of protein from plant-based sources or that plant-based foods house incomplete proteins and I am here to tell you this is FALSE. AlLL plants contain ALL of the essential amino acids we need to synthesize more tissue, albeit in varying quantities.
Today, I consume mostly plant-based foods and incorporate fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds into a well-rounded, protein-rich diet. I receive most of my protein from seeds, legumes, quinoa, vegetables and tofu. Like my journey into health and fitness, living a plant-based lifestyle did not happen overnight. It literally took almost eight months to make simple conscious choices, and I am so grateful to be able to pass them down to my son and share with my husband.
If you want to make a tiny but powerful impact on your diet…
A simple place to start is to incorporate seeds into your diet. I love Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts because they are extremely nutrient dense superseeds housing 10g of protein and 12g of Omega 3 and 6’s with every serving. They are also soft and do not change the flavor of foods which makes them very easy to add to many of your favorite foods! CJ even loves to eat them right out of the bag.
As a mom, I am always concerned about hitting my sons’ nutritional needs. Because Hemp Hearts are so mild in flavor I am able to add them to many of mine CJ’s favorite foods including:
- Breakfast: Pancakes, Oatmeal and Smoothies
- Lunch: I love adding them to any salad and many brunch items like AVOCADO TOAST or PB & J.
- On-The-Go Snacks: Peanut butter/Oatmeal Energy Bites or Sprinkled Over Banana & Peanut Butter
I see seeds as my nutritional “insurance policy”. I like adding them into our foods because they are an amazing source of Healthy fats, fiber, iron, zinc and phosphorus. They are also easier to digest than other seeds, which is why they are another great “Mommy and Me” option!
I choose Manitoba Harvest because they have 22 years of experience in the Hemp Industry and they take a seed to shelf approach, controlling the quality in everything from what hemp seed gets planted to how products are manufactured, packaged, and distributed. I would love to hear more about how you LOVE/ USE your Hemp Hearts.