Happy Friday everyone! To start the New Year off right, I reached out to Marjan Afshar who is a Functional Nutritionist/ R.D. to hear her thoughts on nutrition, exercise, and overall wellness.
Julie : Tell me a little about yourself and your background in nutrition?
Marjan : My journey in Nutrition and Wellness began when I was studying Pre-med in college. I developed this passion from the nutrition classes I took and learned more and more about how food is medicine and the internal/external benefits that clean eating has on your body. I continued my education through the years and became a Registered Dietician, Holistic wellness coach, and did years and years of self education/ research while being a busy mom of 3 kids and a wife. With my background and passion, everything has followed in a natural progression and my ability to help others has truly planted its own seeds, and I love sharing the abundance of what I’ve planted with my clients.
Julie : Tell me about what you do for your clients and ways you would like to expand your business?
Marjan : My main Goal for my clients is to give them the ability to believe in themselves and find the right system for their unique DNA creation. We are all built with a different creation and I love tweaking and mixing plans for my clients. I usually start my clients with a reset to detox their bodies from the buildup that’s been accumulated through the years. Once the reset is accomplished, I provide my clients with custom designed plans that consists of clean eating regimens and wellness rituals.
Julie : Any tips for starting off the new year right with a clean and healthy lifestyle?
Marjan : 2021 is definitely the perfect year to reward yourself to indulge into the areas of your life that you want to improve. The opportunities and desires you have for yourself are limitless and I want you to believe in that power. I would suggest starting a new time-lined spiritual detox (yoga, daily meditation) combined with a functional food detox which will to help eliminate the stress buildup in our bodies from this past year. This will provide you with a clean slate and will inevitably allow you to start accomplishing your goals/resolutions.
Julie : Morning Ritual ?
Marjan : I try to start my day with a quick meditation and a few breathing exercises to allow myself to center with how my body is feeling that morning. I then start my day with a cup of hot water and the juice of 1/2 small lemon which wakes up my digestive system while I read my emails, while my coffee is brewing.
Julie : What is your daily vitamin regimen?
Marjan : I’m very picky when it comes to many vitamins that my clients or myself take because so many vitamins are sourced commercially and I believe that vitamins need to be sourced from the outmost highest quality. My staple vitamins that take daily are Multi Vitamins, Vitamin C, D3, Omega 3, a Turmeric supplement and at night I take Magnesium/Collagen blend before bed (Beauty and sleep blend by Ancient Nutrition). I add supplements and tweak supplements and adaptogens to my regimen when I think my body needs it.
Julie : What type of yoga do you practice and do you have a favorite online class?
Marjan : Kundalini Yoga is my favorite type of Yoga,. It is a physical and spiritual practice that uses breath-work and sounds combined with yoga poses to create a reenergizing experience that has allowed me to eliminate what doesn’t emotionally/mentally serve me well anymore. I practice Thursday mornings on a virtual Facebook Live with Alexandra Reza at 9:00am and Friday mornings on IG live with “limitlessstrength’ at 8:00am.
Julie : Favorite workout outfit?
Marjan : Alo yoga because its flattering and chic to wear out while running errands after light workouts. I really like Noli yoga for their leggings too!
Julie : What are your five kitchen must haves?
Marjan : A small food processor for my pestos and nut cremes. A Vitamix for my daily smoothies, nut milks and soups. wooden spoons from Williams Sonoma because they come in all shapes and sizes, last long and great for not letting toxins leach into the food while cooking. Le Creuset or Green Pans are my favorite choice of cookware. Parchment paper because I bake and roast so often.
Julie : What is your guilty pleasure?
Marjan : Japanese Mochi Ice Cream and French Red Wine.
Julie : What are your must have items that everyone should stock in their pantry?
Marjan : My pantry is always packed with a variety of seeds, nuts and nut flours. I always have a good variety of gluten free ramen noodles because we eat bowls and ramen soups with lots of veggies so often. A variety of good quality extra virgin olive oil from different regions is one of my favorite sections of my pantry because each olive oil has a unique flavor and reminds me of our summer holidays.
Julie : What is your favorite Fall purchase?
Marjan : Our Peloton treadmill
Julie : What are your key elements that keep you cozy in your home?
Marjan : A variety of Herbal teas, and lots of salt blends for my bath rituals.
Julie : What is your favorite recipe?
Marjan : Sunflower butter chocolate chip cookies that are packed with nutrients and still so satisfying. You can find the recipe here.
Thank you Marjan for answering all my questions. You can follow Marjan on her IG account Makemefeelgoodfood where she shares healthy lifestyle tips and recipes. Have a great weekend!
XX,
Julie
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