Nutrition & Wellness Resources + Favorites
It is so easy to get lost, overwhelmed and even misled by the information you read on the internet and social media. Especially with digestive wellness, one can be left feeling more confused and anxious about what to eat and not eat. To help reduce the confusion and increase access to reliable and accurate information about digestive conditions, preparing nutrient dense meals that give you options (not take more foods away), I’ve compiled a few of my favorite resources here. Keep in mind, the field of nutrition and wellness is rapidly changing, check this list periodically for updates.
*Resources provided are for educational purposes only. Always consult with your health care provider and/or Registered Dietitian before making dietary changes.
RESOURCES
Functional Medicine/Nutrition:
The Institute for Functional Medicine - Use the Find a Practitioner button to locate functional medicine practitioners anywhere in the world.
Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy – Visit the Resources tab for links to their practitioner directory and blog articles.
Digestive Wellness:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS):
Monash University — Information about IBS, learn more about their Low FODMAP diet app, and access recipes
Irritablebowelsyndrome.net —Blog articles and recipes
FODMAP Everyday — Recipes and articles
Modify Health — Low FODMAP meal delivery service
Nerva — Self-management for IBS symptoms using gut-directed hypnotherapy
FODZYME — Product that may help individuals have a less restrictive diet by increasing tolerance to foods higher in certain FODMAPs.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO):
SIBO Center — Provides links to a variety of dietary resources and websites.
Plant-Based Education and Recipes:
Rooted Santa Barbara County — A non-profit organization on a mission to help Santa Barbara County residents take control of their health by eating more plants. Discover blog articles, recipes, resources for getting started and much more.
Vegetarian Nutrition a practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — Explore the Sustainability, Vegetarian Diet and Resources tabs for a variety of handouts you can download for free.
Meal Planning and Shopping Local:
Oldways — Explore the 12 Great Ways collection
The Santa Barbara Farmers Certified Market — Discover new foods and get excited about cooking. Farmers are friendly and happy to share their favorite ways to eat the foods they have so lovingly grown. Check out the schedule so you’ll never miss a market!
LocalHarvest — A wonderful resource for locating farms/farmers markets in your area, purchasing goods made by real farmers, events page, free recipes and more.
EatLove — One of the best choices for meal planning services for anyone with dietary restrictions. The robust recipe library makes it easy to swap out recipes based on preference, recipes are created/approved by dietitians, nutritional information is provided and I can use this platform to help create personalized meal plans for you.
CookSmarts — The focus of this service is helping busy individuals get nutrient dense meals on the table in as little time as possible by sending you weekly meal plans, grocery lists and meal prepping instructions. Subscribers are able to modify recipes to align with three different dietary patterns, get access to free cooking guides (printable materials and instructional videos) and reasonably priced.
Dietary and Herbal Supplements:
Clean Label Project — Non-profit organization focused on assessing consumer product safety, such as heavy metals and pesticide residue levels and truth in labeling.
Consumer Lab — Subscription service similar to Consumer Reports.
Natural Medicines Database — Paid subscription (more costly compared to the others) but is an excellent resource for learning more about supplement interactions, effectiveness, adverse side effects, etc. Search by scientific, common, or brand name for any natural medicine.
Conscious Eating and Living:
Future 50 Foods — A robust list of nutrient dense edible plants determined to have the least agricultural impact on our planet. Consider using this guide when meal planning to nourish the body and support planetary health.
California State University Chico Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilience Systems — Whether you’re eating plant-based or not the health of our soil and how food is grown is critical to the health of humans and the planet. Learn more about the importance of regenerative farming from my alma mater, Chico State University. Go Wildcats!
Environmental Working Group — Various resources including guides to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals found in consumer products and foods. Access the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen grocery shopping guide here.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch — Search recommendations, download guides for shopping and more.
Food Print — Ideas for eating meat sustainably
Christina’s Favorites
No affiliations, I just think these resources are great.
Recipes:
PlantYou — Fun and simple vegan recipes that focus on minimizing food waste.
Minimalist Baker — Plant-based recipes that require 10 ingredients or less.
EatingWell — Sweet and savory recipes for all dietary patterns.
Outdoor Culinary Adventures:
Santa Barbara Slow Food and Farm Adventures — Organized by my former colleague and dietitian Gerri French.
Mindfulness in Nature:
Nature Connection Santa Barbara - Guided experiences that foster well-being and connection.
Low-Toxin Living:
Lara Adler — Using an evidence-based approach to environmental health, Lara is careful to present information without bias or scare tactics. I personally use her “Shop” tab for guidance on purchasing low-toxin consumer products.
Nikki Reden — Non-toxic, environmentally friendly hair salon in Santa Barbara, CA