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Why You Shouldn’t Sweat the Little Things

Anxiety is as much a part of life as brushing your teeth or tying your shoes. Getting stuck in traffic, managing tight work deadlines, keeping up with bills– there isn’t anyone that can escape the stresses of daily life. But it is precisely these little stresses that can build us up to a more or less constant state of anxiety.

A recent New York Times article details how, when stress is constant, it makes decision-making overly difficult and draining. Studies have already shown the impacts of stress- even the children of parents who are stressed out feel the consequences. When it becomes a way of life, stress can become crippling.

5 Healthy Foods that Travel Well

If you’re planning on doing some traveling this month but are wary of airport foods, pit stops, or the less-than-optimal selections at your destination, packing some healthy snacks is probably on your agenda. But which ones? It’s not very practical to take along a lot of raw vegetables, nor will you have access to a kitchen to warm things up. What’s a health-conscious traveler to do?

Stocking up on a few ready-to-eat and nutritious snacks will help boost your energy, balance your blood sugar, and even provide you with the antioxidants you need to battle stressful traveling or insufficient sleep.

The following foods require little to no refrigeration, contain a wide variety of nutrients, and are mostly lightweight. They’re the perfect companions on the road, or to have on hand when options are limited.

Apples

Can the Dalai Lama Impact the Collaboration of Eastern & Western Medicine?

meditation Should Western doctors follow more integrated medical practices like Tibetan Medicine?

According to the doctor of 14^th Dalai Lama, yes. When Dr. Tsewang Tamdin recently spoke at Emory University in Atlanta, he attempted to enlighten those in attendance on the Tibetan medical tradition. Tamden also expressed a desire for a closer look at the 2,500-year-old tradition, saying:

"While others might consider the holistic practice of Tibetan medicine 'alternative medicine' or a kind of side practice, I would like for others outside of our system to consider the Tibetan healing system full-fledged healing, Tibetan medical knowledge has tremendous potential to add to modern medicine."

While Western medicine is science-based and treats symptoms of the physical body, Eastern traditions approach health and healing with a holistic view. Tibetan medicine believes sickness happens when a person has imbalances in their physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.

Video: Yoga Poses for Pregnancy with Maternity Guru Latham Thomas

Surround yourself with symbols of love, beauty and fertility. That is the mantra of Latham Thomas, 2006 grad and founder of Mama Glow, a holistic lifestyle company geared toward the expectant mother. In her practice, author and maternity guru Latham helps women with prenatal nutrition, education, yoga and birth coaching, providing support throughout the pregnancy.

In this video, Latham shares three yoga postures safe for any stage of the pregnancy, the importance of surrounding yourself with beauty, and how Integrative Nutrition inspired her practice.

Want more of Latham? Like her page to win a signed copy of her new book, Mama Glow: A Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy, and a virtual mini consult with Latham herself! In case you missed it, Latham was featured on the Style Network’s reality show, Tia and Tamera, working with Tamera Mowry as her doula, a birthing coach.

This video is part of our brand new series, IIN TV where inspiring and successful Integrative Nutrition graduates invite us into their lives and give a behind-the-scenes look at the amazing goals they are achieving both professionally and personally.

From Client to Coach: Michele Gelman Wins Best in Class

I am thrilled to present the Best in Class Health Leadership Award to October 2012 graduate, Michele Gelman. Michele is a student who really walks the talk. Once a client herself, she took steps to improving her own health before deciding to make a career of helping others do the same.

After a year of suffering from many physical ailments, she was introduced to the world of nutrition when she enrolled in a 6-month program, run by an Integrative Nutrition graduate. By the time those six months were up she was well on her way to healing herself, and moving on to the rest of her family. She then decided to enroll in the Health Coach Training Program herself, and now she’s helping others get healthy. She has been featured in two magazines, and through talks at corporations and schools, group programs, and individual sessions, she’s already rocking the ripple effect!

What inspired you to enroll at IIN?

Sweet Potato Latkes Recipe for a Healthy Hanukkah

healthy latkes Happy Hanukkah! This Jewish holiday starts tonight and is a festive commemoration of victory, perseverance, light – and oil. In honor of the miraculous way one day’s supply of olive oil is said to have burned for eight full nights, tradition celebrates Hanukkah through an abundance of fried foods. As delicious as they may taste, the traditional decadent fare of latkes and donuts (sufganiyot) can be a challenge for the health-conscious.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t make lighter, healthier versions of your favorite holiday recipes! Check out this recipe for healthy sweet potato latkes from 2005 graduate Dawn Lerman as it was published in the New York Times. They’re baked rather than fried, are packed with health-promoting vitamins, and taste delicious.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Holding On To Negative Thoughts? Throw Them Away!

how to get rid of negative thoughts Did you ever wish that you could take all of your negative thoughts and feelings and put them in the garbage? Well, a new study from Ohio State University says that you can!

Certain psychological therapies already ask patients to write down their negative thoughts on paper and then toss it, but now proof is in the research that it works. To verify it, researchers conducted three experiments. In the first, 83 high school students were told to write down their thoughts – positive or negative – about their body image.

What happened next? Half of the participants were asked to throw away their thoughts and the other half were asked to read it over for grammatical mistakes. After rating their own attitudes about their bodies on a 9-point scale, the students who read over their thoughts had strong opinions on their body image, while the students who threw away their thoughts were indifferent on how they felt about their body image.

Integrative Nutrition Gives Back to Celebrate a Season of Giving

When I founded the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, it was with the mission to change the world and make it a healthier, happier place.

How can a school do that? At Integrative Nutrition, we believe that people experience a powerful personal transformation by getting healthier. When they use their knowledge to teach others how to be healthier and happier, this process creates a ripple effect that changes the world.

We have epidemic rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. And in many cases, lifestyle changes can reverse the upward trend of these chronic diseases.

Imagine the impact you can make by simply getting people to replace their chemicalized junk foods with whole, unprocessed foods.

Imagine a world that prioritizes prevention and wellness, not medications and operations… and what society would be like if this were the focus.

Our 2020 Vision is to change the future of health care. We want to get society back on track and to reverse the current health crisis.

Use Health as Your Vehicle to Transform the World

What would you do if you were clearer in your purpose in life and had the tools and support to help you achieve it?

Achieving good health can be your vehicle to get where you want to go, but it’s not the destination to where you are ultimately going.

When you start the journey to good health, you realize how much more energy you have. You might heal your headaches or PMS symptoms. Maybe you lower your cholesterol or increase your vitality, and you are less dependent on medications or operations.

This transformation is exciting. It may feel like a miracle to you. And you want to share it with the world.

Thousands of Integrative Nutrition students and graduates have become role models for their clients and leaders in their communities. And each person’s story is vital to changing the face of health care.