Why a Nutrition, Health and Wellness Coach and Lentil Salad

“Audrey, there is nothing more I can do for you, there’s something deep going on here, you need to find the root cause of your sinus infections.” This was the response I got from the best PA I had the privilege to work with shortly after my second baby was born.  Her kindness, care, humility, and honesty is something I have not been able to find again in the allopathic healthcare system. At that time I was only in my 20’s, struggling with chronic infections and an  overall weakened immune system. My glands were always swollen, gut crampy and bloated, and anxiety attacks were the norm. The amount of Dr. visits and prescription drugs prescribed to treat the symptoms for so many years were lost track of, and my body was still sick. According to everyone who knew me I was the healthiest person they knew–a passionate healthy eater and athlete. It was then I began to question everything:

Why am I so sick when I am doing everything I was taught to do to be healthy including; following the government nutrition guidelines, exercising, drinking water, and sleeping…

What is my body trying to tell me?

Why was I given so many prescription drugs?

What started this all?

Is this my destiny?

What other options do I have?

What is TRUE health and how can I find it?

What will help my body heal?

Why is it always so hard to maintain my weight?

And my favorite question which led me here today: Who decides what is the best way to eat, why and how?

While I will carry with me some damage and side effects from all those years of avoiding addressing the root cause, I will never keep my answers to myself in hopes to help as many people as possible.

My body was struggling because I numbed, ignored, and avoided the signals it was giving me.

My body was frustrated because I was looking externally for quick fixes instead of internally for guidance.

My body was confused because I kept giving it what it wasn’t asking for.

My body was sick because my gut, and therefore mind and spirit, needed copious amounts of care.

As it turns out, there is a much better way to eat and live to avoid chronic infections and thrive as a healthy and happy human being–what works for me may not work for another, but involves getting back to the basics of nature! This discovery was utterly liberating and paved the way for utilizing the coach approach to bridge the gap in the healthcare system. The body is healthy by default and working hard to stay in it’s happiest state every single day!

Nutrition, health, and wellness coaching focuses on habit, behavior, and mindset change, only possible when trust in a relationship with a professional is built. It takes time and patience to build awareness, set realistic goals and action steps, and to change from the inside out. Every story and life is unique just as every plant, animal, and detail of creation. I wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

Vegan Lemon Lentil Salad

By Audrey Byker Health Coach

This lemon lentil salad is a tasty meat free/vegan meal prep lunch, high in protein and fiber!

1 cup dried lentils, cooked and drained

1 cup baby yellow tomatoes, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup fresh basil diced

1/2 red onion diced

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

½ cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted

Lemon Dressing

1 lemon juiced

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp raw honey

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbls olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 

 

Instructions

1. Prepare lentils then chill

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and whisk. Dice all of your vegetables fine, and add them to a bowl with the lentils, along with the sunflower seeds, if using. Drizzle the dressing over top and enjoy.

Belief and Cheeseburger Soup

The hate for my body began 22 years ago when I traded playing sports for waitressing, then gained 20lbs. Immediately I turned to marketing, media, and what was trending for weight loss to take action and make drastic changes.

There were many reasons I eventually got very unhealthy with stress fractures, allergies, asthma, a crampy gassy bloated belly, anxiety, GERD, and panic attacks.  At my rock bottom; chronic sinus infections and illness.  My focus on the outside did not address what was in need of attention on the inside or my lifestyle as a whole–the root cause. It wasn’t until 7 years later, a new mom, desperate and suffering, did I begin to challenge my beliefs and question everything I was doing with my nutrition.  In searching, I learned how crucial it was to switch my focus to health.

My options were weighing, counting, measuring, math, drugs, habits, behaviors and mindset? Or did I need something in between? It was all so confusing.

The human body was created, formed, grown, and nourished on nutrition that never required much thought for the vast majority of its existence.  It was breastmilk for growth and development along with; water, plants, and animals for fuel to gain energy and health. 

In America today nutrition is a heated topic of debate. There is no shortage of advice being given from uneducated health professionals with zero hours of nutrition education, to teenagers on TikTok, to the most science based logic driven, to the nature based holistic centered.  There are multiple ways to find information on food. Most of which are centered on profit.

What do you choose to listen to and believe?  What have you questioned? What have you taken on as the truth?  What guides and influences these thoughts?

If getting and staying healthy is a struggle, chances are; the deeply held beliefs about nutrition, preparing food, and how your body thrives are getting in the way.  

Afterall, consistency with action that is sustainable and supports healing and thriving is the only nutrition that truly “works”.  If it’s not working today, it was never the best for health in the first place! 

One of the details discovered for my unique body was the benefits of adding in beef and eliminating dairy. It’s been an incredibly healthy and thriving decade creating and choosing meals like this soup!

What beliefs need to change for you as mine did for me?

Dairy Free Cheeseburger Soup

By Audrey Byker Health Coach

-1 batch cashew cheese

-1 onion, chopped

-1lb. Ground beef(grassfed, know your farmer)

-1 ½ Tbls. steak seasoning blend

-1, 14oz. Can diced tomatoes

-8 medium potatoes, chopped

-2 qts beef stock

-1 lb. green beans, frozen

Saute onion and beef on medium heat. Brown meat then add seasoning. Stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients(not cashew cheese yet), bring to boil, then simmer on low, covered, until potatoes are cooked through. Stir in prepared cashew cheese before serving. Store chilled in an airtight container up to three days or freeze in mason jars filled ¾ full up to 6 months. 

Audrey Byker Health Coach is an experienced and professional nutrition and health coach who offers free 30 min. consults in person at her private office or online for anyone 13 and older ready to change!

Connectedness in a Time of Uncertainty

This year, each week feels like an accomplishment, and the holidays are no exception. If anything, this pandemic has taught us how to embrace creative solutions to daily life, connection and our health. We are able to visit our health care providers through tele-health, stores are offering curbside pick-up, and schools are providing learning opportunities in various platforms! Many days I feel like a pinball bouncing from one bumper to another, just to get through the day. The one constant through all these changes is nutrition. More doctors, therapists and educators are learning the importance of plant-based nutrition, not just passionate health coaches on a mission!

This time of year, the challenge is finding recipes that are warm and comforting and also whole-food based and nourishing for the soul.   Eating seasonally connects us to our home, and the present. Connection and groundedness is something we can all use right now! This recipe features locally available whole foods and tastes even better the next day as leftovers. 

Hearty Tomato Cabbage Soup

By Jane Robrahn

-Olive oil

-2 large locally grown carrots or 3 smaller ones, chopped

-2 stalks organic celery, chopped

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-½ organic onion, chopped

-1 small head organic cabbage, chopped

-1lb organic, grass-fed beef or turkey

-2 cans (14.5 ounces each) organic diced tomatoes

-1 can (8 ounces) organic tomato sauce

-½ Cup water

-1 tsp black pepper

-1 tsp sea salt

-2 TBSP local, organic honey

-2 TBSP organic apple cider vinegar

1-2 TBSP Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to taste, optional

-Good Karama sour cream, homemade cashew sour cream, and/or organic tortilla chips, if desired

In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, garlic and onion and cook, stirring until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. 

Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, salt, honey, vinegar, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. 

Serve with non-dairy Good Karma sour cream, homemade cashew sour cream, and/or organic tortilla chips, if desired.