Lauren is a registered dietitian and freelance writer with work that can be seen on CNBC, Greatist, and LIVESTRONG.com. She graduated from Western Michigan University and completed her dietetic internship at Michigan State University. Although not fully plant-based, Lauren will never turn down a vegetable and makes sure they are on her plate at every meal.
Lauren Armstrong, RDN
How Switching to a Plant-Based Diet Can Prevent Heart Disease
Your heart beats an average of 100,000 times a day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood through the body to deliver vital nutrients, fuel, and oxygen to your cells. Keeping a healthy heart and lowering your risk of heart disease is the main goal of a healthy diet and exercise, and the Cleveland Clinic wants Americans to start thinking about their heart health long before any symptoms arise...
Counting Calories or Carbs: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?
If you’re thinking about changing your eating patterns to lose weight, you may have considered two very popular options — counting calories or counting carbohydrates. While both options can lead to weight loss, there are major differences. Here’s wha...
What to Do After Overeating and Drinking, From an RD
If your holiday experience was anything like mine, you were around lots of family and lots of food. Not to mention the beer, wine, and pie, ice cream, cookies, and more cocktails and snacks over football.
In these moments, it can be easy to find ourselves overeating and overdrinking. The...
Your Guide to Preventing Type 2 Diabetes on a Plant-Based Diet
Are there foods that can help prevent and even reverse symptoms of type 2 diabetes? The resounding answer,I tell my clients in my practice as a Registered Dietician in Chicago, Is Yes! And it's a question that I wish people would ask especially when confronted with a diagnosis of prediabetes (as 100 million Americans are facing right now.
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Eat These Plant-Based Foods to Get Rid of Bloating
That tight, stuffed, extended feeling in your lower abdomen that makes it feel like you've swallowed a balloon? That’s bloating, and it has likely happened to all of us at some point in time since one study found that 19 percent of people say they've experienced bloating on a regular basis.
But what ca...
How to Stop Stress Eating and Conquer Your Stress, From an RD
Sometimes a stressful day leads to soothing with salty chips, a pint of ice cream, or large order of greasy french fries. It can be momentarily comforting to eat these carb-laden, fatty foods that send serotonin levels up, dousing the brain's stress hormone, cortisol, and lending a momentary sense of calm.
According to th...
7 Diabetes-Friendly Drinks That Keep Blood Sugar Low
We’re usually all aware of how food impacts our body, but oftentimes we overlook the fact that the beverages we drink can do the same thing. Many drinks can be riddled with calories and added sugar which makes our blood glucose soar. Having hi...
Should You Take Chlorophyll? An RD Explains the Health Benefits and Risks
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you already know that people are downing chlorophyll drops like crazy, to help boost energy levels, clear up their skin, promote quick weight loss, and even reduce body odor. The tempting promise is that just by adding 15 drops of liquid chlorophyll to your water — voila! — the benefits arrive. But doe...
What Is the Healthiest Nut Butter? A Nutritionist Answers
We grew up on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but now there’s way more than one nut butter in the game. While it can be comforting to stick with what we know, switching things up for a different spread could be beneficial for both your health and the environment, which begs the question, which nut butter is the healthiest?
N...
What’s the Difference Between Probiotics & Digestive Enzymes? An Expert’s Take
You've heard about probiotics for gut health, but you may have also read about the importance of digestive enzymes. What's the difference? They do two different things but both are beneficial for gut health, which in turn is vital for immune health, mood function and overall disease prevention...