Peas and Carrots Nutrition Counseling

10/09/2026

Dietitians are not immune, unique, or blessed. If anything, we got into this profession because we struggle, too! We don’t have it all figured out, we don’t subsist on iceberg lettuce (that REALLY wouldn’t have worked out!), and we definitely aren’t the food police.

We put in the work each day, just like we help you to do as well.

31/08/2026

Ok ya’ll. Let’s talk calcium.

We all know how important calcium is, but it’s estimated that 42% of Americans aren’t meeting the RDA! (1000mg for most adults, 1200mg for women and 1300mg for pregnancy). While most people might immediately jump to a supplement, best practice is to get calcium primarily from food. Most people should aim to meet their calcium needs through diet and use supplements only when adequate intake from food isn’t possible.

More calcium is not necessarily better; excessive intake, particularly from supplements, may increase the risk of kidney stones and possibly cardiovascular problems. If you do decide to supplement, take no more than ~500 mg of elemental calcium at a time for better absorption.

So how do we get enough through food? Dairy is the most known source (any Millennial will remember the Got Milk? Campaign), but if you’re lactose intolerant or trying to avoid dairy, there are lots of great plant sources, too! Those include: kale, calcium-carbonate–fortified white/brown bread, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli sprouts, curly kale, celery, watercress, wholemeal bread, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, broccoli, cabbage, almonds, and even some fruits like oranges have a decent amount!

An important caveat: most people are also not getting enough Vitamin D, which greatly impacts calcium absorption! Get your labs drawn ASAP to check your vitamin D status, but most of us would benefit from at least a maintenance dose of 2,000 IUs/day (although many need more to correct their deficiency!)

Enjoy this calcium packed smoothie (400mg/serving!), it legit tastes like an orange creamsicle. Thank you Plant Based Juniors for this recipe!

✨ 1 cup calcium-fortified soy milk
✨ ¼ cup calcium fortified orange juice, or 2 oranges
✨ ½ cup frozen mango chunks
✨ ½ cup frozen banana
✨ 1 tbsp almond butter

Did you know all these plant sources of calcium? Wow!

21/08/2026

Don’t like beans?

Well too bad 😅 one of my passion projects is helping people realize that beans are as delicious as they are good for you! The most promising research includes:

- Heart health: Beans, or pulses can improve cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and other cardiovascular risk factors. Regular legume intake is associated with lower coronary heart disease risk and modestly lower mortality.
- Cholesterol: Soluble fiber, saponins, and phytosterols in pulses help reduce LDL cholesterol.
- Blood sugar: Lentils’ high fiber content, low glycemic index, and compounds that slow carbohydrate digestion can reduce post-meal glucose and insulin spikes and support glycemic control.
- Weight management: Their combination of protein and fiber promotes satiety and may help with weight management.
- Nutrient & gut health: Lentils provide plant protein, fiber, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and other micronutrients, plus prebiotic carbohydrates that support beneficial gut bacteria.
- Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory effects: Polyphenols, phytosterols, saponins, and tannins provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Butttttt if you truly can’t stand beans but still want the benefits, don’t fear! Lentils offer many of the same benefits and have a completely different texture! Namely red lentils, which are quick cooking and very mild in taste and texture. Pictured here is a middle eastern dish known as Kibbeh (traditionally made with ground meat). I love red lentils because they’re so versatile! Now you have no excuse—try to get about 150g of pulses a day!

13/08/2026

New school year, new faces! Welcome all!

Are there beans in that smoothie on the last slide? Maybe 😏

05/08/2026

Kinda chic 💅

03/06/2026

This season of life looks a little different for me.

A newborn. Three boys. Interrupted sleep. A house that somehow needs cleaning again five minutes after I clean it. Meals eaten with one hand. Coffee reheated more times than I’d like to admit.

As a dietitian, people sometimes assume I must have perfectly balanced meals and a flawless routine. The truth? Seasons of chaos call for a different kind of nutrition mindset.

Nutrition isn’t about perfection.
It’s about consistency over time.

During overwhelming seasons, focus on the basics:

🤍 Eat regularly, even if meals aren’t “ideal.”
🤍 Prioritize protein and fiber to support energy, recovery, and satiety.
🤍 Keep convenient foods on hand without guilt (roasted chickpeas, anyone?)
🤍 Hydrate early and often.
🤍 Add nutrition before you subtract anything.
🤍 Remember that nourishment is an act of self-care, not another task to perfect.

Some days, fueling yourself looks like a beautiful homemade meal, like this lovely borscht I was able to make recently from .

Other days, it looks like a protein shake while rocking a baby, snack bars on the go, and frozen vegetables with dinner.

Both count.

Your body doesn’t need perfection to thrive. It needs consistency, grace, and enough fuel to carry you through the season you’re in.

Right now, my goal isn’t eating perfectly. It’s having the energy to care for my family, recover well, and be present for these fleeting newborn days.

And maybe that’s your reminder today too: healthy nutrition should support your life—not become another source of stress.

💛 What season are you navigating right now, and what’s one simple way you’re nourishing yourself through it?

07/05/2026

IYKYK 😆

05/05/2026

You know what I’ve observed, and what the data backs up? We aren’t eating dark leafy greens. Dark green vegetables specifically represent a very small fraction of total vegetable consumption. Data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals found that dark green vegetable consumption averaged only 0.2 servings per day, and only about 3% of the sample consumed broccoli during the reporting period. The top vegetable sources consumed by Americans are dominated by potatoes (including french fries), iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes rather than nutrient-dense dark leafy greens.

Recommended intake of dark green vegetables per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is approximately 1.5–2 cup-equivalents per week (roughly 0.2–0.3 cups/day), meaning even this modest target is largely unmet by the population. And optimal intake is 1 cup a day!

So what can be done? I say, if you’re not eating it, drink it. Smoothies are such a great way to get your daily fruits and veggies in, especially dark leafies! And blended is better than juicing, because you get all that beautiful fiber and a lot of the nutrients that like to attach to that fiber. Win win! Try this simple greens smoothie to get started:

* 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or water/coconut water)
* 2 packed cups spinach (or 1 cup spinach + 1 cup kale)
* ½ frozen banana
* ½ green apple
* ½ cucumber
* 1 tbsp chia seeds
* 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
* Juice of ½ lemon
* Small piece fresh ginger (½–1 tsp grated)
* Ice

PMID: 11110870

04/05/2026

Confused about all the rhetoric out there on seed oils? Don’t be! Check out this fantastic review paper that will clear up all the noise.

Follow the evidence, not the Tik Tok.

To reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, worldwide dietary guidelines emphasize limiting saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake, and replacing SFAs with unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsat...