Ashley Lakin Nutrition

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Hoffman Estates, IL
Ashley Lakin Nutrition

As a licensed nutritionist and yoga instructor, I use my blended education to address the root cause of your symptoms from various angles.

I focus on utilizing whole foods, not just nutrients, to heal the body.

08/25/2025

There are very few things that I say almost every person should have in their diet, but research has shown so many benefits to green tea consumption that I might just have to say that everyone should include it in their daily routine. It’s rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and may even be therapeutic in hormonal conditions like PCOS and endometriosis.

If you want to know more about exactly how green tea provides all of these benefits, check out the link in my bio to find my latest blog post!

08/18/2025

⭐️Client Testimonial ⭐️

Proof that small, consistent steps really do add up. I love helping clients feel better in their bodies and their lives! Thank you for trusting me with your care!

06/11/2025

Perimenopause is a big topic in women’s health right now, and thank goodness for that! Most of us have no idea what perimenopause even looks like until we’re in it, and it’s so much harder at this point to do the real work that needs to happen to make this transition smoother. In reality, every person with ovaries should focus on healthy changes in their 30s (probably even 20s, too!) to help their body handle the changes of menopause.

Perimenopause is the period before menopause when hormonal changes start happening and ovarian function begins slowing down. During menopause, ovarian function fully stops. When this happens, the ovaries are no longer producing estrogen and progesterone as they normally would throughout a menstrual cycle. Before menopause, the adrenals glands act as a back-up supplier of estrogen. One the ovaries clock out from their shift, now the adrenals glands are the primary source of estrogen production.

Pretty cool, right? Well there’s one major problem with this….. the adrenal glands are also a major part of regulating our body’s stress response, which is a hugely important job. After decades of chronic stress that most of us experience, the adrenal glands are often over-taxed, so when they need to take on this additional work of s*x hormone production in menopause, they’re already maxed out.

When the adrenals glands can’t pick up the slack of s*x hormone production, this makes menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, mood swings, sleep issues, fatigue, etc.) more extreme 🥴

Fortunately, small changes in how you live your life today and make all the difference when menopause comes. I’ll be sending out my top 5 tips to prepare for menopause in my newsletter next week, so sign up if you want to check those out (link in bio)!

04/14/2025

I think it’s officially safe to say that we are in “false spring” here in the Midwest. The temperature is swinging wildly day to day, we’ve got rain, hail, and snow all in the same week, and the wind is cold and intense. All of this means that seasonal allergies are at their peak.

One of the main players in allergy symptoms is histamine. Histamine is a compound produced in the body from mast cells, a specific cell in the immune system, in response to some allergen. This can be a food allergy, pollen, mold, dander, or anything else you may be allergic to. Histamine plays a role in the inflammatory immune response that helps to neutralize the allergen that has been deemed a threat.

Chronic histamine symptoms (like congestion, itchy eyes, and skin irritations) happen when there is more histamine than the body can break down, and one main cause for this is insufficient levels of DAO, an enzyme that breaks down histamine.

Here are some nutrients and foods that I recommend prioritizing in your diet during allergy season to manage histamine:

Monounsaturated fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds
Omega-3 fatty acids: salmon, tuna, walnuts, flax seeds
Quercetin: red apples, onion, berries, citrus, parsley, and green tea
Copper and Zinc: shellfish, beef liver, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds
Vitamin C: citrus, bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi
Sprouted legume seeds provide a dietary source of DAO

If you deal with seasonal allergies and are looking for more natural relief options, DM me!

03/12/2025

“Unexplained infertility” has got to be one of the most unhelpful and frustrating diagnoses. Given how many factors affect fertility, it feels like this diagnosis is doled out what a doctor is just tired of actually looking for the root cause.

There is so much that can be done from a functional medicine perspective when working with a practitioner who knows that they’re looking for, but it does take some looking!

If you’re struggling to get pregnant, let’s chat! DM me or use the link in my bio to schedule a discovery call with me.

03/05/2025

If there’s any area of your health that is depleted, pregnancy and childbirth is only going to further deplete it unless you work on correcting this before becoming pregnant. This is why I recommend focusing on your health and nutrition with a preconception lens for a full year before you actually plan to begin trying to get pregnant.

This may seem like a long time to prepare, but a few small changes can go a long way!

Here are my top 5 preconception health tips:

1. Take a high-quality prenatal supplement. While I always recommend trying to get as many nutrients as possible from food, a prenatal supplement is a helpful tool to make sure you’re getting in some of the key nutrients needed daily for a heathy pregnancy. If your prenatal doesn’t include DHA, also add in a separate omega-3 supplement.

2. Eat 3 eggs yolks each day. Egg yolks are one of the richest dietary sources of choline, which is such an important nutrient in pregnancy for baby’s brain development.

3. Start tracking your cycle (if you aren’t already). This will help you understand when you ovulate in your cycle for when you actively want to try to conceive. This will also help you see if there are any abnormalities in the timing of your cycle which may indicate hormonal imbalances.

4. Avoid skipping meals. Regularly undereating or skipping meals entirely is going to wreak havoc on your hormones. Also, you want to focus on building up nutrient stores right now, and it takes a full 3 meals a day to do that!

5. Practice relaxation exercises daily. Excessive stress can reduce progesterone levels, which is the primary hormone responsible for conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

If you’re interested in a more in-depth guide to optimize your fertility and have the healthiest pregnancy possible, DM me for more info!

02/24/2025

If you’ve spent even 10 minutes on social media in the past month, you’ve probably seen ads for a particular trendy colostrum supplement. I’ve had several clients as if it’s worth all the hype (and more importantly, the price tag!), so I’m here to share my thoughts!

But first, what is colostrum?

Colostrum is the term used to describe the first breastmilk produced by mammals after giving birth. Yes, this means that humans produce colostrum for our babies! Most supplement versions are bovine (cow) colostrum, which is important to note if you have a dairy allergy. Colostrum has been used in the functional health space for a while now due to its high levels of immunoglobulins and nutrients.

Many of the brands of colostrum you’ll find on social media claim to reduce digestive symptoms like bloating, IBS, and heartburn, improve skin and hair health, and enhance athletic performance.

If you want to read more about my thoughts on colostrum supplements, sign up for my newsletter (link in bio)!

02/11/2025

Full transparency: I definitely thought I’d have more time to get back to working on social media these past few months, but my velcro baby had other plans 😅 Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to posting regularly on a weekly (or at least monthly?) basis from now on, but I’d appreciate some help from you all to make that happen!

So my question is: what sort of content or topics do you want to see covered in my upcoming posts? Let me know in the comments! Here are some ideas floating around my head, but please comment/DM me with other ideas as well.

- Recipes and meal prep tips
- My take on trendy nutrition topics
- Addressing common digestive issues
- Where to start when tackling hormonal imbalances
- Prenatal and postpartum nutrition tips

I’m excited to get back to providing valuable information on this page again, so thank you in advance for your help!

02/10/2025

I’m so excited to announce that my website has gotten a bit of a makeover for 2025! Thank you for the beautiful design.

This refresh is the first step in my goal for this year: returning to social media. I may not post as often, but that’s largely because I want to focus on providing information that is valuable to viewers, rather than trying to post as often as possible.

Stay tuned for some of my upcoming posts, but in the meantime, check out my new website here (or use the link in my bio): Ashleylakinnutrition.com

08/12/2024

I’ve learned to never take it at face value when a client tells me that their doctor said their thyroid labs were totally fine. This usually means that their lab work doesn’t qualify for a diagnosis or medication, but that hardly means that everything is optimal.

Doctors rarely run labs beyond TSH, which is only one thyroid marker. TSH being abnormal is necessary for an official diagnosis of a thyroid disorder, but it’s rarely the first or only sign of thyroid issues. Additionally, it doesn’t tell us anything about why your thyroid isn’t working optimally. Running a FULL thyroid panel is so important to get the full story. This can help us identify if autoimmunity, nutritional deficiencies, or stress are impacting your thyroid function.

Also, “fine” isn’t good enough! Most labs use a very wide range for what is considered normal when looking at thyroid markers, but this does little to identify issues that are subclinical, but just as significant! Just because your thyroid levels are normal doesn’t mean that they are optimal for you. Using tighter ranges to look at thyroid health helps us uncover the real reasons why you may not feel your best.

You can look deeper at your thyroid health by advocating for yourself and requesting that your provider run a full thyroid panel with these specific markers, or by working with an integrative health practitioner 👋.

Let me know what questions you have about thyroid health in the comments ⬇️

07/22/2024

These bars are arguably the perfect summer sweet treat. They’re quick to make, refreshing, and almost entirely sweetened with fruit. The coconut flakes provide a great source of fiber and healthy fats, two key components for any snack approved by yours truly 😁

I love this recipe as written with strawberries 🍓, but I’ve also tried it with blueberries 🫐, and it was just as delicious! I’m willing to bet it’d be delicious with almost any fresh fruit, so let me know your favorite summer fruit in the comments!

1. In a food processor, blend strawberries, freeze-dried strawberries, coconut cream, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt.
2. Add shredded coconut and blend just to combine.
3. Press into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour.
4. Carefully lift out of the pan and slice into 8 bars.
5. Coat in melted chocolate and chill until set.
6. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat. These also freeze well!

04/08/2024

I am very excited to announce that, after a beautiful maternity leave to bond with our new son, I am opening my schedule to begin seeing clients again!

Starting May 3rd, I will be seeing clients during the following hours each week:

Mondays: 8:30 am-3:00 pm
Fridays: 8:30 am-11:00 am
Saturdays: 8:30 am-11:00 am (two weekends per month)

Evening appointments will be available on Tuesdays on an as-needed basis. If you need evening availability, please let me know.

If you'd like to schedule an appointment with me in advance, please feel free to reach out to me directly,

To my current clients, I am honored to be a part of your health team and look forward to continuing our work together!

Address

Hoffman Estates, IL
60169

Website

http://www.ashleylakinnutrition.com/

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