The Maple + Mango food and wellness philosophy can be summarized by the following motto:
Eat Real. Live Well. Feel Amazing.
Eat Real
- Eat a variety of real, whole foods.
- Eat the rainbow! Include a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits every day.
- Incorporate some fermented foods into your diet.
- Quality over quantity! Purchase good quality food in smaller quantities.
- Eat local as much as possible – Get to know your local farmers market and local producers!
- Be mindful of where your food comes from. Especially focus on how the animal products you consume are being raised and produced. Buy pastured/grass-fed/sustainable/organic whenever possible if budget allows.
- Count nutrients, not calories! Not all calories are equal since not all calories behave the same way in our bodies. Calories from nutrient dense foods will have different effects on the body versus those from highly processed or refined foods. Just eat whole, real foods and the rest tends to take care of itself.
- Limit foods that are basically just highly processed, food-like substances filled with additives and highly refined ingredients.
- Listen to your body, fuel it with the foods that feel good to you, and eat with joy and happiness. There is no single “diet” that is superior or best for everybody. We are all individuals and therefore must figure out which foods work best for us to feel our best and enjoy our lives.
- Enjoy food in a balanced and sane way – eat lots of the good stuff, loads of variety and do not feel guilty over the odd indulgence every now and then.
- Play with your food! Have fun in the kitchen – Explore, Create, Enjoy!
Live Well
- Don’t stress or fear food! When did eating become so stressful? Food is not the enemy or something to be afraid of. It is one of life’s greatest joys! Don’t let food stress you, alienate you or make you feel like a failure if you do not conform to a specific “perfect” diet (there is no such thing!). Make conscious choices, arm yourself with knowledge, eat whole nourishing real foods as much as possible but don’t obsess because the effects of stress are more harmful to health than what we are stressing about in many cases. Sometimes life is about ice cream cones with your kids, fish and chips by the beach, ridiculously rich desserts on a date night, fresh weekend croissants or an array of appetizers and gossip with girlfriends. Life is too short to miss out on these moments!
- Incorporate daily movement and activities to stay strong and healthy in a form that you enjoy.
- Try to get adequate rest since this is beneficial in so many ways! Say “no” to just one more episode of that show you are addicted to or the social media scrolling that is keeping you up too late and get some ZZZ’s instead! If you have young children……well then all I can say is good luck and try your best:)
- Live more naturally – use non-toxic household and beauty products.
- Get out and explore – whether this is through travel or simply within your own neighborhood.
- Show gratitude and joy in the simple things each day.
- Take deep breaths and relax.
- Love with all your heart.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Have FUN! Laugh every day!
Feel Amazing
- YOU deserve real food. YOU deserve to feel energetic, awesome and amazing. YOU deserve to feel your best!
- Eat real foods and live well in order to feel amazing and have the energy to live an awesome life.
