Hi friends! Let's have a tea and a chat, shall we? I'm really loving the dairy-free matcha lattes lately, sometimes with a splash of coconut milk in there. I'm hoping for warmer weather and colder drinks soon, but alas, here we are.
I've started doing some 'spring cleaning' on the site in preparation for the relaunch, which I hope will happen in early May. Although it'll be sad to say goodbye to The Muffin Myth, I'm really excited about where this is going, and the change feels really, really right. Have any of you guessed the new name? Keen readers may have figured it out already!
It's been interesting to reflect on the evolution of this site over the past eight years, from a really misguided "post anything" site with a terrible green template and muffins in the header (do any of you remember those days?!) to where it is today and where it's going.
Of course none of this would mean anything without you, dear readers, and I hope that the new site continues to serve you in new and better ways along with the good old reliable no-nonsense myth-busting nutrition content you've come to expect from this space.
Please feel free to get in touch at any time if you've got questions, comments, or topics you'd like to see tackled here. I always love to hear from you!
When in doubt, donate
I took a slightly different route with my donation this month and signed up to provide a micro-loan through Kiva. The concept is quite simple and has proven to be highly effective; people around the world sign up for small loans that are crowd-sourced in increments as little as $25 per lender.
I filtered my search and chose a women's group that supports Syrian refugees who are trying to pay off medical expenses as a result of childbirth and labour. I live in a country with universal health care and I paid not a penny for my pregnancy or childbirth, so this seemed like a particularly poignant way to give back.
When the loan is repaid (if it is - there is always a risk it won't be) I plan to roll it forward into another loan, or donate it to Kiva's operational expenses.
The Muffin Myth, in other places
On Hello Veggie I wrote a post about whether or not you need to be freaking out about heavy metal content in your protein powder. On Hello Glow I got down to business talking about everything you need to know about constipation (but were afraid to ask).
Last but not least, the links!
1. Anyone else eat a little too much Easter chocolate this weekend? Here's The Dark Truth About Chocolate.
2. This is important stuff --> Nothing Good Can Ever Come From Weighing Your Child.
3. The Women Who Changed the Way We Eat.
4. Good news for a plant-based diet --> Monounsaturated fat from plants, not animals, may lower heart disease risk.
5. Food for thought --> How the Whole 30 Diet Affects Your Gut.
6. What's the deal with collagen supplements anyways?
7. Should you really start eating more saturated fat?
8. Is it time to give up on fish oil? (<-- related: I don't take fish oil because I don't eat fish, but I do take an algae oil supplement to get my DHA / ALA)
9. What we know (and don't know) about how to lose weight.
10. And lastly, The Last Conversation You'll Ever Need to Have About Eating Right.
Amanda
I have to confess that I find some of the Whole 30 critiques a bit off-putting. As someone who has a tendency to binge eat, I tried Whole 30 out of desperation--nothing else was working. Whole 30 certainly has its drawbacks, but for the first time in my life I was able to lose weight without really trying. I ate when I was hungry, stopped when I was full, and generally stopped thinking about food so much. I don't think I'd ever do a Whole 30 again, but it did feel kind of magical to me. The author of the article glibly suggests that those of us trying to be more healthy should simply limit the amount of sugar we eat. If I'd been able to do that successfully, I probably would have never tried something as drastic as Whole 30!
Katie Trant
Hey Amanda, thanks for commenting! I totally get where you're coming from. I have plenty of clients who just need to do a total reset and then seem to be able to introduce some more healthy and sustainable eating habits into their lives. What I found interesting about this article (and why I shared it) was the impact of such a sudden and drastic change of diet on the gut, and how many of the benefits of Whole 30 (such as reduced inflammation) can be achieved without cutting out grains or dairy. But I get you - if reducing sugar was so simple, there wouldn't be any need for reset diets (or nutritionists!) in the first place.
Amanda
This is why I follow your blog-- you get the many nuances that are part of eating! Thanks for all that you do!
Camilla
I looooove collagen. Huge difference in both my skin and joints. I guess we will see what happens in the long term.
Katie Trant
I don't use it because it's not vegetarian, but I know plenty of people who do and absolutely love it.
Michelle H
Brava! Could not be more enthusiastic about your support of Kiva and the direction of your micro loan. As an American who has had children in 2 countries, the US and Canada, the hospital bills were RADICALLY different! I am lucky enough to have health insurance in the US but our experience still cost well overv$10,000.
Can't wait to get in to the links!
Katie Trant
Wow, $10,000.... I can't even really comprehend that, and that's WITH insurance! When my son was born in Sweden we got a bill for $30 to cover the portion of the day we spent in the hospital, and since we were low risk and healthy we were discharged to the baby hotel - an actual hotel on the hospital grounds where we had a room with a queen-sized bed and a bassinet and a bathroom stocked with diapers and pads, and midwives who came in to check on us a few times - which cost another $30 for my husband to stay with us (that was the cost of his food). So $60 total for the labour and delivery and follow up. It's absolutely immoral that it costs so much in other places!