The Simple Leaf

Bryna Gavin MS, CNS, is a board-certified Clinical & Integrative Nutritionist specializing in the functional medicine approach to nutrition. With my M.S.

Based in Los Angeles, California she has clients both locally and worldwide. I've started this page to share with you, your loved ones, and your community ways to improve your health and your life. There is so much information online and in the media and often it's hard to tell what is valuable, and more importantly, what is valid. in Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health, I aim to help individuals navigate this confusing abundance of information. With so many food "trends" and contradictory information these days, it's hard to know what resources are really best. Well...I've done the dirty work for you. On this page, I will share simple and real recipes, ideas, articles, studies, tips and tricks, suggestions, recommendations and resources that I have found valuable in my journey with food and many that I believe you will love as well. I will not share anything that has not been researched, critically peer-reviewed, or tried by myself first. It's never too late to learn, make changes, and more forward in your own journey of personal wellness. I look forward to learning and growing with you,
Bryna

05/06/2021

We’ve known for a while that avocados are a great source of healthy fat (eek! fat!) but for some reason so many people are still afraid of them. Probably because of that word right there… fat.

Well, they are also filled with dietary fiber so they can help support healthy cholesterol and blood sugar balance.

Still not enough?

Okay (pause for effect)… well NEW RESEARCH from last month did a 12-week random clinical trial where two groups of people ate the exact same meals except one group had a serving with avocado with each meal- and guess what?

After 12 weeks the avocado group has 65% GREATER DIVERSITY OF THE HEALTHY BACTERIA IN THEIR GUT!!!

And you know what stems from your gut? Ohhhh just a little thing I like to call your IMMUNE SYSTEM. What else is made in the gut? How about neurotransmitters that work in that gorgeous brain of yours that help elevate mood and cognition!

So you see now why it’s worth loving this creamy green mush so much? Because it’s absolutely GOOD FOR YOU.

How do you like avocado best? Sliced? Guac? In smoothies?

Let me know below 👇🏽🥑

12/18/2020

I talked about this yesterday on my stories, but there is a REALLY easy and quick way to wake yourself up in the morning- caffeine free.

Sunlight.

Yep, I said it. Sunlight.

Melatonin (your "make-me-sleep" hormone) isn't just produced at night like a lot of people think, it's actually always present in the body. As humans who've evolved to live on this planet with a diurnal sleep cycle (because we sleep at night), bright morning light coming in through our eyes in what triggers our brain to suppress melatonin and start getting us awake and alert.

So if you're like me and the place you live is a little dark in the AM, or you roll out of bed and go right to working on a computer... try stepping outside for 10 mins sans sunglasses and get a little natural sunlight into those p*epers. You'll be amazed at what it can do for your energy levels, bruh.

And if you're like me, and you also want to have a cup of coffee cause you nasty like that... well then rock on ya caffeinated beast.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

12/16/2020

Brave. As. Hell.

12/14/2020

Repeat after me:
“Sometimes I eat store-bought sweets and that’s okay because I’m a human being who deserves to celebrate with food.”

Then if you want, you can take it one step further and add a little healthy fat (peanut butter) and antioxidants (blueberries) because you know what’s good.

The second part is totally optional. You are perfectly justified either way.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

12/11/2020

It's. 👏Not. 👏About. 👏You.

It never is.
It never was.

This is something that has been coming up in my sessions a lot this week. People SO WORRIED about the opinion of others that they don't want to eat in front of them. They don't want to eat what they WANT in front of them. Or worse, they feel they can't be THEMSELVES in front of them.

Listen. I love the saying "other people’s opinions of us are none of our business". Truer words have never been spoken.

Someone's opinion of you likely has very little to do with you and so much more to do with them.

Their past, their judgments, their expectations, their likes, and their dislikes. Their experiences, their trauma, their bias and (here's a big one) their insecurities ALL feed into how they feel about the people around them and how they move through the world.

Even Brad Pitt can walk into a room of strangers at there is at least one person who won't find him charming (which is a crime... I know).

Human beings are social creatures and thrive in community. Many of us also thrive the approval of others (where my people pleasers at?!) But when it comes to YOUR life, YOUR health, YOUR choices... you can't be held captive by other people's opinions. All you can do is show up, be kind, do your best, and let the rest be white noise.

Let go of the idea that you exist to be a certain shape, or to be visually appealing to others, or to meet a certain standard.

When you make the conscious choice to be the ONLY ONE who owns your body... when you start loving and respecting it, you become limitless.

When it comes to you health, no one's standards matter but your own.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

12/09/2020

FOOD AS MEDICINE SPOTLIGHT:

For the longest time, I only ever thought of the liver as the organ that filters alcohol. When else does this little 4.5 pound organ get brought up? For me, never.

Then I started learning about how incredible and VITAL this organ is. And hold onto your knickers friends, because I'm about to blow your mind.

Turns out, your liver is actually by far one of the most complex organs in your body, bruh.

Your liver performs 500+ functions and is the main conductor of your metabolism. This bad boy manufacturers 13,000 chemicals and has 2,000 enzymes systems! (Did you just p*e your pants in disbelief?)

I have limited space here in an IG post so let me just say this: without a great functioning liver, your body can't breakdown fats and hormones, store nutrients, stop you from being poisoned on the daily and SO MUCH MORE.

And are you ready for the craziest part? Your liver can lose up to 70% of its capability and not show any diagnosable liver disease. It's the strong and silent fighter that never complains.

So doesn't it deserve a little love?

Artichoke leaf extract has been shown in studies to protect your liver from damage and help it to regenerate new, healthy tissues for itself. It also increases the production of bile, which helps kick toxins to the curb.

Artichoke leaf extract is often found in liver-supportive supplements along with its pals milk thistle, dandelion root, beet powder and ox bile.

If you're looking for a way to give your liver a little love- hydration, whole foods and a little artichoke leaf is a great start.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

12/07/2020

If you find these statistics totally unbelievable… you’re not alone.

But believe me, it’s true.

(You can check-in with my friends at Harvard Health, Cornell, National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, they will all agree.)

As Americans, it’s incredibly “normal” to drink cow’s milk, but that doesn’t mean that it’s normal to our bodies, right?

Right now, we have an estimated 50+ million American adults who are lactose intolerant, and some populations are almost entirely so.

Lactose Intolerance by Population:
95 percent of Asians
60 percent to 80 percent of African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews
80 percent to 100 percent of American Indians
50 percent to 80 percent of Hispanics

Lactose intolerance is least common among people of northern European origin, who are only about 2 percent.

In my personal experience, almost everyone I run labs on has some level of cow’s milk intolerance/sensitivity. It’s INCREDIBLY common. And so is dairy in the food we eat. But for some reason, no new clients I see seem to know how pervasive lactose intolerance is.

So what should that tell us?

Thats right. There is a deep inconsistency between how we feed ourselves and what our bodies need.

So what do we do? Well, knowledge is the first step. And this is information I wanted YOU to have. Because it’s your body, and YOU get to decide how to take care of it.

If you need a food sensitivity test… let me know. I’ve got a guy.
Hint: the guy is me.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

12/04/2020

So in 2010, the University of Georgia did a great study on this.

I could bore you with all the clinical details but here's what you need to know:

A dude made a bunch of people lift weights until they caused pain and inflammation, and taking 2 gram of raw (not heat-treated) ginger reduced the pain in participants 25% more than the placebo group.

The physical, psychological and economic loss from pain can be brutal on a person, and this is an easy, natural, affordable and convenient option to help reduce pain and inflammation.

Now go tell all your friends.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

11/18/2020

One of my favorite exercises to do with clients is something I like to call “back-door solutions”.

To me, “front-door solutions” are the easy and obvious ways to get things done. Need to drink more water? Keep a nice big water bottle on hand. Want to do a split? Start stretching everyday.

But for most of the people I work with, making change isn’t always that simple. Somewhere between the “setting a goal” and “execution of steps towards the goal” life gets in the way, and we can’t seem to find ways to make new habits stick.

The goal here isn’t to try and force one approach, it’s to brainstorm a different way to get you to the same place that works equally well. It’s about making these new behaviors work for YOU, and not the other way around.

For example, let’s use vitamins. Everyone buys them, but no one can ever seem to take them.

So what’s a good back-door solution?

Option A: Put your vitamin pack right next to your coffee pot/car keys/ kid’s lunch or insert-other-thing-you-never-forget-here.

Option B: Put vitamin pack directly in your bag at the beginning of the week, and set an alarm for your lunch hour so you don’t forget to take them.

Option C: Tape your vitamin to your boss’s forehead so every morning you can’t help but see them. And obviously if you don’t remove them from your boss’s head, you’ll be fired- so you’ll always take them.

It’s not about getting habit change perfect. It’s about finding creative solutions that fit into your life so that you don’t feel overwhelmed while making positive changes.

For me, I hate taking a huge handful of pills, so I make a little dish every morning with all my vitamins, and between each call on my little water break I’ll take a few at a time. It may sound weird… but there’s no shame in my game because it works for me.

Do you have any back-door habits like this? I’m so curious to know what works for you.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

11/17/2020

Health, well-being & the absence of unnecessary pain and suffering are the cornerstone of my belief system when it comes to what we ALL deserve in this life.

This virus is disproportionately affecting certain members of our population and it’s up to us to care enough to not pass it along to them.

I will be seeing all clients via telehealth zoom meetings through January 2021, which is great because it means you can stay in your PJ’s and I promise I’m 100% cool with it.

Love,
Your Nutritionist

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

http://www.brynagavin.com/

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