From the Hart

Few things make me happier than helping my clients to achieve improved health, personal goals, and better quality of life.
Contact me for personalized nutrition counseling, classes, workshops, website content, menu planning and much more!

My two cents in a little blurb on why body shaming is stupid

What is a healthy body weight? A cute commercial popped up on my feed for @popfitclothing size inclusive legging brand, and immediately I was struck by some of the negative remarks in the comments section. Why do some people think they have the right to comment on other people's weight, size, or looks? As a nutritionist, I like to clarify that our recommendations for a "healthy weight" and healthy nutrition are based on experience and research, showing that people who are within that "ideal" weight range on average have the longest life expectancy and the least likelihood of suffering from nutrition related diseases (this can be anything from stomach bloat, over joint pain, to high blood pressure and even some forms of cancer). However, it also became very clear to me that this research was largely based on a "western", white, middle class demographic. For example, the waist-to-hip ratio index to assess certain health risks may not apply to people from some ethnic backgrounds. Your "ideal" body fat percentage can vary depending on a lot of things, including your fitness level, your environment, your age, and where and how the fat is distributed in your body. Your personal, "ideal" weight can also depend on more subjective factors - for example i worked with someone who, for a while, felt more comfortable with some extra "padding" on her body after being sexually assaulted; it made her feel quite literally less fragile and less vulnerable. Or you could have entirely different priorities in life, like a person i worked with who was certain he was not going to live long enough to reap the long term benefits of a healthy nutrition. Please don't embarrass yourself by body-shaming people without knowing anything about them, their background, their health, and how happy or unhappy they are with the way they look. It is so easy to be judgemental and post a hateful comment online. It is just as easy to show support and post a friendly one ❤ A person's size is not a general indicator of how happy, healthy, or beautiful they are. EVERYONE deserves respect and everyone deserves to feel gorgeous and have clothes that fit, no matter what their journey looks like!

🎁 alert!!! 🎁
This year has been rough in many ways but we have also experienced so much kindness, generosity, love an hope. It is the season of giving and I am excited about the opportunity to teach my son about the joy of giving back to others!
Do you have a friend who is expecting or a new mom, whom you haven't been able to visit due to COVID concerns or travel restrictions? Or are you expecting yourself and find it challenging not being able to see your loved ones?
My son and I have hand-picked some never-used baby items to give away as little surprises to someone you want to send a little love to, or to yourself!
All you need to do is
-> like this post
-> comment with the gift number # in the pictures that you would like to win for yourself or for someone else
-> tag a friend for an extra entry to win
-> follow me on instagram at and to get notified about the winner this Sunday!
If you win, I will announce it in my instagram stories and send you a private message.
I will mail the gift of your choice to the address of your choice and cover the shipping cost *shipping within the United States only* , and we will even add a handwritten note to the gift if you like!

I wrote this blog post inspired by a live Q&A session for white leaf provisions which I really enjoyed

Top Tips to Help Support Your Family's Immune System Health Good nutrition and lifestyle habits play a crucial role in keeping you healthy and strong. The foods you eat can help to maintain a healthy body weight, increase your energy levels, boost performance, improve sleep, and support your immune system. Keeping an eye on the following will help give you a...

https://www.whiteleafprovision.com/blogs/lifestyle/our-sustainable-ethical-meat-shopping-guide

Our Sustainable & Ethical Meat Shopping Guide During a season in which the smells of barbecues continuously waft through our backyards, many people are looking for more responsible ways to consume meat. Whether or not to eat animal products is a question that can involve ethical, environmental and nutritional concerns as well as personal and li...

Had so much fun creating some custom recipes using white leaf provision's biodynamic baby food for their pinterest board!

Loved creating some custom recipes using @whiteleafprovisions biodynamic baby food for their pinterest board! Are you looking for more inspiration in your kitchen? Send me a list of what's in your pantry and challenge me to create a 3-course dinner out of it! #healthycooking #zerowastecooking

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CC9QYJzg22L/?igshid=1i3s6iti390v

Instagram live session with Q&A for whiteleafprovisions.com on how to support your immune system through healthy nutrition and life style choices @whiteleafprovisions watch the entire video on igtv and send me your questions! you can get 15% off white leaf provisions biodynamic baby food through the link in my bio!

Reposted from We're ready for our closeup! ⭐️ Tune in here tomorrow at 12 pm PST / 3 pm EST, as our our chief content creator, , walks us all through simple natural ways to help boost your immune system, and answers any questions you may have on keeping your family healthy and happy. Hartje is a nutritionist, massage therapist and fashion model, chock full of nutritional knowledge and advice for holistic health and wellness. Now more than ever, we are thankful for her endless, easily applicable wisdom!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ -

Very rare Applepigeon sighting for breakfast 😀 I try to include some raw produce in every main meal. Carving them into fun shapes, putting them on skewers or serving them with dipping sauces makes it interesting for my toddler son to enjoy his food in a playful way. I usually let him see the whole fruits and vegetables as well, watch me prepare them or let him help. Because it is not about tricking him into eating something he normally wouldn’t, but more about exploring foods with all his senses.
This is not my best piece of art. Have a better one? Comment below

So happy to be able to offer a 15% discount on biodynamic baby food to my followers! Use this link

https://www.whiteleafprovision.com/?sca_ref=199078.rp7uIRr5hc

And get organic, biodynamic baby and toddler food delivered right to your door. Discount is valid for all purchases except the "subscribe and save" deals and will be applies at checkout!

White Leaf Provisions Biodynamic Marketplace Organic and Biodynamic® online marketplace. Your source for non-GMO, organic and biodynamic products that are regeneratively farmed®.

Food Storage 101: How To Store Your Groceries & For How Long Written by Hartje Andresen During COVID-lockdown, many people have changed the way they shop for groceries; in an effort to minimize the time spent outside of our homes, a lot of us are reducing the numbers of trips to the store, buying more at once and in larger quantities than usual. When stocking...