Vibrant Living with Emmanuelle

How are you doing with this pillar of Lifestyle Medicine : eating a whole food, plant-predominant diet? It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, but the MORE whole food from plants in your diet, the better!
Fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds make the bulk of your meals, while meat, eggs and dairy, if any, become a side. Processed foods rich in fat, salt and sugar become the exceptional treat, not the norm.

Are you hitting your 5 to 10 servings of fruits and veggies a day or does reading this serve as a reminder to be more mindful and consistent with this?

[Photo of a gorgeous fruits and veggies stand in Monopoli, Italy]

The 6 pillars of Lifestyle Medicine:
1. Nutrition: Eating a whole food, plant-predominant diet
2. Physical activity: Engaging in regular and consistent movement and exercise
3. Sleep: Aiming for sufficient, high-quality and restorative sleep
4. Stress management: Incorporating behaviors and techniques to reduce stress and improve emotional and mental well-being
5. Avoidance of risky substances: Limiting or avoiding the use of substances like to***co, excessive alcohol and other drugs that are harmful to health
6. Social connection: Fostering positive, strong social relationships and connections with others, which can lower stress and boost immunity

Is this you? Excess weight, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, T2 diabetes, high cholesterol, elevated risk of heart disease, reflux, digestive issues and pain, constipation, inflammation, fatigue, lack of energy,… all this leading to a decreased quality of life?

Is it time to do something about it? Only you know.
But if it’s time and you are ready, I’m here to help you. As a Health Coach with many years of experience, I meet you wherever you are, without judgment. And together we create your new path towards the new healthier, happier version of you, one small step at a time. We get to the root cause and explore solutions based on what you can control: your lifestyle habits. It means what you eat and drink, how your move your body, how you manage your stress, how you sleep, how you stay connected to your loved ones and your community…

There are many free resources I can recommend. I can help you find the right ones for you. I also offer individual coaching whenever you are ready to invest in yourself. I offer different options like a small package of 3 sessions, or a 3-month or 6-month program, making sure you get the help you need at the level that you can afford.

Any HSA/FSA dollars you still want to use this year? As a NBC-HWC Board Certified Health Coach, most insurances will allow you to use your HSA/FSA for my coaching services, with a Doctor’s note (I can help you get that note too).

Let’s connect for a first conversation - free to you, by phone, video, or in person at the The Twisted Warrior Yoga Studio in downtown Fond du Lac, WI. Whether you need some tweaks or a full change.

When YOU are the healthiest version of yourself, you enjoy life so much more and the whole community benefits. You become a role model for your kids, your family and everyone around you. You are better able to contribute to this world with your energy, your talent and your zest for life. Let me help you get there!

This weekend, I'm attending the International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference. Not in person but I'm thankful for the virtual option and to be able to still get all the information from home.

To give you an idea, here is the Sunday morning program, I can't wait to hear Dr David Katz speak about the Optimal Feeding of Homo Sapiens! And to share the learning in my practice and my community, everyone needs to hear this to improve their health and quality of life!

Sunday Morning Faculty Feature at PBNHC 2025: Transformative Clinical Insights
✨ 8:00–9:00 AM — Turning the Tide: Tackling Type 2 Diabetes in the Marshall Islands with Brenda Davis, RD
Discover groundbreaking results from a 2025 randomized controlled trial showing how a culturally adapted, whole-food, plant-based intervention transformed diabetes care in the Marshall Islands. Learn the protocol, clinical outcomes, and strategies to scale this approach worldwide.
✨ 9:00–10:00 AM — The Optimal Feeding of Homo Sapiens with David Katz, MD, MPH
How do we really know what nourishes us best? Dr. Katz breaks down why nutrition science is robust, diverse, and conclusive—making a strong case for plant-forward diets as the optimal path to health and longevity.
✨ 10:30–11:30 AM — Healing Joints and Pain with Heidi Prather, DO
Lifestyle medicine is rewriting what’s possible for joint health and mobility. Explore how nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and prehab can prevent pain and sustain mobility for life.
✨ 11:30 AM–12:30 PM — Root-Cause Solutions for Metabolic Syndrome with Regina Ragasa, DO
Move beyond symptom management to true disease reversal. Dr. Ragasa shares practical, root-cause approaches to treating metabolic syndrome with tools providers can use right away.

For my podcasters out there… this is a good listen!

Talks about the protein mania that has developed since 2020.

My favorite point… what are you missing out on if your sole focus is protein consumption?

The answer… whole, plant-based foods that are nutrient packed and loaded with antioxidants. We don’t just need protein. We need a whole symphony of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals in order for our body to function optimally.

And don’t forget, protein bars are ultra-processed foods. Protein products aren’t magically exempt from this group.

Taking bets on how much longer the protein craze will continue? What’s the next fad going to be?

Listen:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000723575447



The New York Times nytimes

😴 Quality sleep = Quality Health

It’s not just about how much you sleep—it’s about how well. Poor sleep can impact your mood, attention span, appetite, metabolism, and overall performance.

Daytime habits like staying active, hydrating, and setting a calming nighttime routine can help you get the rest your body truly needs.

💡 Start tonight: Choose one habit—like turning off screens 30 minutes before bed—and see how your sleep improves. Share your favorite sleep tip below!

We have the power to change our health destiny!

The same diet that’s anti-cancer is also anti-heart disease and anti-lung disease. Following cancer prevention guidelines for lifestyle and diet may increase longevity.
Adherence to cancer prevention recommendations isn’t just associated with higher survival in cancer patients and lower risk of dying from cancer, but lower risk of dying overall. That’s the beauty of eating a more plant-based diet.

Thirty to 50 percent of common cancers are preventable with diet and lifestyle. We have the power to change our health destiny.

A healthy lifestyle that includes a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes may help reduce the number of breast cancer incidences, for example.

The American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and eating a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, while limiting fast food, processed junk, meats, soda, and alcohol.

Specific to breast cancer, those who met most of those recommendations only had half the risk, compared to individuals who only met a couple. If you could only do one of those recommendations, limiting animal foods seems most protective. Adherence to the recommendations is also associated with higher survival in people who already have cancer.

Higher dietary fiber consumption was associated with a 37 percent lower risk of dying from all causes put together and a 28 percent lower risk of dying specifically from breast cancer among breast cancer survivors––and it didn’t take much. There was about a 10 percent drop in death risk for every increment of 5 daily grams of dietary fiber. That’s like a cup of oatmeal or broccoli, or just a third of a cup of beans.

Watch the video “Diet and Lifestyle for Cancer Prevention and Survival” at see.nf/3O4GyAa
PMID: 23553166, 32067678, 32922233, 26804371, 32795218

🌱 “One Meal at a Time” Changed Everything

Deena Bryant-Godde struggled with obesity her entire life—until she discovered the power of a plant-based lifestyle.

"The switch didn’t happen overnight. We took it one meal at a time, and it took about 13 months to fully transition...
I found myself easily losing weight—100 pounds in the first six months, even before I began exercising...
With plant-based foods, I felt more energized and recovered faster… it became obvious I wanted to eat this way all the time."
—Deena Bryant-Godde

💚 Real change doesn’t require perfection—just progress.
📣 Tag someone who needs to hear this!