Fun, Fellowship, and Nutrition Advice
Club Forest resident Madeline Stagliano decided to bring neighborhood girlfriends together for an evening of fun, fellowship, wine, and snacks, and invite neighbor and integrative nutritionist Mary Virginia Coffman to answer questions about nutrition. About 20 women gathered on April 11 for the spontaneous girls night out.
After an hour or so of socializing, Madeline passed out paper and pens and asked the women to write down questions for Mary Virginia. What ensued was a spontaneous and educational question-and-answer session on everything from why we sometimes wake up hungry in the middle of the night to things you can do to improve bone strength.
Here are some highlights:
- To make nuts more digestible and tastier, soak raw, shelled walnuts overnight in water. Drain and rinse well, spread on a baking pan, sprinkle with Himalayan sea salt, and roast for about 10 hours on 190 degrees.
- If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, it’s likely because you didn’t have enough protein with your dinner and your blood sugar is crashing. Try having a protein-rich snack an hour before bedtime such as peanut butter and apple or cheese and crackers.
- To help lower cholesterol, try eating oatmeal and increasing the amount of antioxidant-rich vegetables you eat each day.
- Instead of relying on calcium supplements alone to help with bone density, eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin K such as green leafy vegetables and canned fish with bones (sardines and salmon, for example). Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D and try slow-motion strength training.
Editor’s note: If you have more questions about nutrition, you can reach Mary Virginia Coffman at 404-919-0602 or info@coffmanintegrativenutrition.com, or visit her website at www.coffmanintegrativenutrition.com.