Despite continued challenges and life-altering restrictions, a sense of hope seems to be resurfacing. Longer days promise more sunshine; spring break is on the horizon; and for some, there’s optimism that life will “open up” again.

Nonetheless, perhaps you’re still feeling a bit like me: anxious, fearful, indecisive and stuck.

I’m energized about the fact that many people returned to cooking in 2020. Of course, there wasn’t much choice - and the impact of COVID on human lives, our artisan restaurants and other small businesses has been immense. But now we are seeing layers of sustainable benefits due to an entire shift in the food system: better for our personal finances, for our families’ nutrition, and for the environment.

Earlier this week I wrote a very different article for our local newspaper. It drew unnerving parallels between global industrial agricultural practices, pesticides, poor human and environmental health, nutrient insufficiencies, and the most at-risk population to contract COVID-19.

But on Tuesday – election day – I felt crummy editing such a daunting topic. Who needs additional controversial messages right now? Not me. So, let’s trade election news for expansion and introspection, and talk food consciousness.

It’s probably safe to assume that many humans currently are experiencing disconnect between how they feel and how their body functions. Emotions (fear, anxiety) influence our physical state (fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath). Impending emotional threat from chronic worry, pressure or panic contributes physically to increased food sensitivities, gut dysfunction, insomnia, and susceptibility to illness. These symptoms are not simply related to a weakened immune system but rooted in whole-body imbalance.

Navigating kids’ part-time or online schooling is difficult enough. Add rusty food rhythms to the mix and we scramble, revert to packaged foods, and quickly realize the need for a practical plan. Let’s review lunch basics.

August is hot and fiery. Dry, desert climates often are physically on fire about now, while family rhythms are “thrown to the wind”. Currently, there also seems to be an underlying air of internal fire – simultaneous worry about the foreboding unknown flickering against hopeful possibilities for recreating a value-driven life.

In many cases, COVID-19 has caused loss of taste and smell, yet I wonder if most of us actually tune into these senses regularly?

Certain foods are so powerfully tasty, so undeniably savory that not only are we compelled to slow down and revel in their natural potency, but we can sense their enrichment in every sniff, salivary excretion, taste bud and cell.

Every spiritual teacher reminds humankind of compassion, love, peace and wellness. Unfortunately, fear overshadows these birthrights, causing generations to grow up in chaos, fear, judgement and disconnect.

In these unpredictable times, tragic events invoke pause, yet confusion. How to feel? What to say? What to do?

When I’m super stressed, I crave my favorite comfort food: homemade triple chocolate brownies with coconut flakes, served with a healthy dollop of almond butter and freshly-cracked vanilla sea salt.

To my kids, these brownies represent a, “We love you, mom!” special-baked-goodie-moment, but in my book they’re a, “time to pause and evaluate my stress levels” food.

Right now, a prevalent preoccupation health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and, certainly, community health.

Like you, I rely on recommendations from researchers, doctors and health practitioners in my field to shape my safety habits and family guidelines. While handwashing and isolation are imperatives to reducing virus spread, some institutions claim that food has little or no effect on immunity. As a nutritionist, I deeply trust the healing potential of food and botanicals.

Fear abounds. An invisible organism spreads insidiously into the air we breathe, onto surfaces and faces we can’t help but touch, and within living hosts. It persists, this virus, shape-shifting. Once recognized, it morphs again to prey effectively on vulnerable populations.

Why is chocolate a beloved treat on a holiday that celebrates love? Chocolate not only elevates our mood and warms our heart, it is biochemically beneficial to both our cardiovascular wellbeing and our brain function via the symbiotic heart-brain axis. Inside our heart is a “heart brain”, a tiny center of neurons, neurotransmitters and proteins, just like in the head’s brain, and coordinated by the nervous system. Areas of the brain regulate the heart, and the heart is a key communicator to the brain. Chocolate seems to benefit both!

Just a few weeks past winter solstice, and we’re deeply entrenched in sick season. One simple way to combat viruses and infections is to eat foods containing certain nutrients that support immunity, especially the mineral zinc.

Zinc is a potent antioxidant, often misunderstood and under-consumed.

Holiday events, tree trimming, shopping for gifts, end-of-year work deadlines, carving out time to ski – during the busy holiday season, how do we find time to plan wholesome meals?

Leaving meal prep for the last minute and eating on the fly are a recipe for poor nutritional choices and overindulgence. It doesn’t take long for processed frozen meals, pizza delivery and leftovers to leave us feeling under-nourished.

Fall in the mountains offers a transcendence from outward living to turning within, and a somewhat ominous glimpse of the long winter ahead. Often underrated and quite misunderstood, squash is like the epitome of fall – its protective shell shelters its gifts from the elements; once cracked open, though, squash is adaptable and tender.

Everyday stressors from parenting, work, community volunteering and otherwise spreading ourselves thin, create an ideal platform for the body to exist in chronic stress. We know what we need to do – be in nature, meditate, eat whole foods, exercise, sleep 8 hours per night. Instead, we skimp on self-care in order to simply survive.

Then a traumatic event occurs and our stress levels spike.

The kitchen is my happy place, and I love cooking meals from scratch. I’m a darn good meal planner, so it’s unusual for me to be totally out of ingredients needed for school lunches, potlucks and Sunday brunches.  

Even with planning ahead, busy times and late notices pop up. I’ve found that a collection of go-to pantry and fridge-door foods helps to prepare quick, wholesome, healthy meals!

We’re just getting into our hottest summer days, ideal for swimming, camping and outside play. And yet the majority of Blaine County students are back in school, and parents are already asking how to support their kids’ immunity.