Written by Janelle Holden “So your grandmother had lupus …” my naturopath said. “Yes,” I nodded. “She found out in her late thirties.” “And your sensitivities to gluten were high on the food allergy panel … ” she continued. Again, I nodded. She closed my file and said. “I think you [...]
How to ask the right question
Written by Janelle Holden The alarm goes off. It’s the fifth time. Instead of getting up to turn it off again you lie there thinking, “What do I have to do today?” Your work to-do list flashes through your mind. The woman you were supposed to call back yesterday. The annoying staff meeting at 10:00. [...]
The secret word that will change your life
Written by Janelle Holden When she started hunting for something more in her life eight years ago, Angela Patnode was a professional mountain guide, living a life some would call a dream. But at the age of 32, Angela found herself on the floor, experiencing a panic attack and in a ball of tears. [...]
Five simple ways to feel better this winter
Written by Janelle Holden It was April 19th, 2009. My doctor checked her chart. “Oh yes,” she said. “You were last here … let’s see on … April 19th, 2008.” She looked up and smiled. “Classic Seasonal Affective Disorder.” I gave her a wan smile back, and then said, “What did you say? I was [...]
Should I eat right for my blood type?
Written by Janelle Holden Over the past week I’ve had at least four of my gluten-free clients ask me about the blood type diet and whether they should be eating foods that are “right” for their type. It’s a really great question, and I decided to answer it with a video blog post! Watch and [...]
What are you really hungry for?
Written by Janelle Holden Are you hungry? If so, for what? I never asked myself the second question when I was an emotional eater. I just thought that I was anxious and therefore hungry. I couldn’t tell the difference physiologically between real hunger and the desire to stuff something down inside of me. Stuffing. I [...]
How to keep calm and carry on
Written by Janelle Holden “I don’t need amusement parks. Living in this body is already one crazy roller coaster ride,” I said to Doug. We were taking a walk through the park, and I was working on calming down. In 24 hours my body had barely traveled farther than the grocery store, and yet my [...]
How to make peace on your plate
On Thursday, I woke up to the voice of an NPR radio host reading an impassioned letter from a listener defending organic food. In my drowsy state, I heard the announcer explain that a recent Stanford study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found no obvious health benefits from buying organic. But boy howdy, [...]
The three biggest mistakes in food journaling
by Janelle Holden I get a lot of resistance from my clients when it comes to food journaling, and I understand why. At some point, they were asked to keep a food journal for their doctor, or naturopath, or even just for themselves, and it went horribly awry. But here’s the thing. If you don’t [...]
How self-compassion makes weight-loss easy
by Janelle Holden What was the last thing you said to yourself when you looked in the mirror? Was it nice? Would you say it to your friend? My guess? Probably not. If you’re like most people, you say to yourself, “Look at those thighs. Ugh. So ugly. I have got to lose weight” and [...]
