Ashley Reaver Nutrition

07/23/2025

I’m so excited to share my new COOKBOOK releasing next month!

Simple Meal Solutions for High Cholesterol is your go-to cookbook for effectively managing your cholesterol while indulging in mouthwatering meals. This essential guide features 75 recipes that can be prepared in 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes, making healthy eating both achievable and enjoyable. From breakfast to dinner, plus a special chapter on snacks and treats, each recipe is optimally designed to use nutrition to help lower your cholesterol, supporting your journey to better heart health.

Recipes include:

Banana Oat Pancakes
Chicken and Waffles
Cobb Pasta Salad
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Flank Steak Fajitas
Weeknight Beef Stew
Chicken and Dumplings
Walnut Honey Mustard Salmon
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Microwave Peach Cobbler
And more!

Each recipe includes a full nutritional analysis, plus helpful modifications to accommodate food allergies or dietary preferences.

This comprehensive reference also includes:

35 gorgeous photos
Guidance on meal planning
Tips for preparing your heart-healthy kitchen

Take control of your health one meal at a time with Simple Meal Solutions for High Cholesterol.

Available now for pre-order! ❤️

02/19/2025

Last week I got to attend the best work conference ever - Healthy Kitchen Healthy Lives in Napa, CA! It was hosted by the Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with the goal of introducing nutrition and cooking into standard medical practice.

The conference was about 80% physicians/ 20% dietitians and focused on the importance of food in treating the majority of lifestyle conditions.

Less than 90% of Americans meet their fiber goals each day. We know that this has a significant impact on the development of many chronic diseases that physicians routinely treat in their practices.

Achieving that fiber goal is something that will only happen when it becomes a priority to share its importance in every interaction, whether patients can see a dietitian or not (only about 50% of physicians report working with dietitians on nutrition-related conditions).

Making fiber-rich foods accessible is another important piece of the puzzle, as is teaching patients how to cook and enjoy plant foods that contain dietary fiber.

A few highlights from the conference for me:
- THE FOOD! It was all so amazing and 100% inspired me to up my game at home. I am looking forward to sharing some of the recipes!
- Learning from (and fangirling at) some of the most prolific nutrition researchers
- Hands-on cooking workshops with CIA chefs
- Plans for required nutrition curriculum in medical schools
- Inclusion of “physical activity vital sign” in EHR (not mandatory but still cool!)

The last picture is a recipe that I had to come home and make right away. It was random but delicious! One of the MDs running a teaching kitchen in Chicago shared it as the recipe that got one of his patients off of daily hot dogs and onto daily broccoli. Roasted broccoli topped with a little parmesan and pepperoncini. Odd combo but it works!

Highly recommend the conference for any physicians or dietitians!

02/14/2025

Some meal ideas for the weekend and next week! Save the post for when you need some kitchen inspiration

All food included seasoning!

My favorite from the bunch was the clean out the fridge stir fry. Since I’m in my Ina Garten era I used some white wine and thyme. It was so good! I’ve got frozen white wine in the freezer (in trays) for the future

Chicken pot pie soup was thickened and creamed up thanks to leftover evaporated milk from food science lab. Perfect cold weather food!

Let me know if you want details on any of the recipes or if you give them a try! ❤️

02/06/2025

01/14/2025

A week of recipe ideas for lower cholesterol

I’m planning to freeze some of these leftovers in my for easy lunches next week when I won’t have as much time to cook. I love doing this to keep variety on the menu even when I am busy.

All of these recipes had olive oil and seasonings/spices not pictured.

My favorite of the week were these fun fruit snacks (potty training treats) that were so easy to make and tasted great!

What’s on your menu for the week?

11/16/2024

Save these ideas for your next Costco run!

Some of my favorites included in my Costco trip today.

Other things on my favorite list that I didn’t need to pick up today:
Kirkland Creamy Peanut Butter
Rao’s marinara
Banza pasta
Lotus Foods brown rice ramen
Dave’s Killer Bread
Rolled oats and quinoa
Tomato paste
Canned pumpkin
Basil pesto

I am making a commitment to actually eat these berries myself and not feel bad for not giving them to my son!

08/31/2021

Raise your hand if you are confused and exhausted from the onslaught of nutrition advice from literally every direction 🙋🏽‍♀️

Man oh man is it hard to feel secure with your nutrition these days!

There is ALWAYS someone telling you what they are doing or what worked for their cousin’s best friend’s aunt’s sister or what they saw a celebrity doing or what they saw a 13 year old do on tiktok 😬

It’s hard to stay the course when you are constantly getting pummeled by the wrong information. This applies for a lot of areas related to health — including your cholesterol.

The nutrition strategy for actually lowering your cholesterol looks like this:

✨ Taking stock of your usual food intake to find out what could be causing your higher cholesterol levels
✨ Learning how to incorporate the exact foods that can lower your cholesterol without sacrificing all of the foods you love
✨ Changing your mindset from a fair weather fan of lowering your cholesterol (like only the week before your doctor’s visits) to looking ahead at the rest of your long, healthy life and making a sustainable plan

Ready to feel confident in your nutrition choices and not confused about about to eat for your cholesterol? Let Al Roker be your sign 🌊 so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and instead actually lower your cholesterol. Link in bio 👆🏽to check out my free class on how to lower your cholesterol even if you have a family history.

04/13/2021

SOUND ON 📣📣

How many people have been told by a parent that it’s just “our family” as an explanation for high cholesterol? 🙋🏽‍♀️

It is not uncommon for many members of a family to all have high cholesterol.

Genetics definitely plays a role for some people but for the vast majority of people it does not.

You inherit much more than your genes.

You also inherit your food habits, likes and dislikes, lifestyle habits, hobbies, etc. If your diet looks similar to your family members then of course you all will have similar impacts on your cholesterol!

This Lower Cholesterol Longer Life course member sums it up perfectly in this sound clip. I’ve heard it from so many other members, too.

When you start reframing what “normal” is, you can find a lot of opportunities for lowering your levels - regardless of your family history.

THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO. You can be in control. Do not be resigned to your family history.

Let me show you how. Learn what actually impacts your cholesterol and how to include it in your eating so that you lower your cholesterol levels naturally. Click the ✨ link in my bio ✨ to sign up for my FREE class on what to avoid when trying to lower your levels.

02/26/2021

Ready for the best news you’ve heard all day?! 🍞

You can eat bread every day and still lower your cholesterol. Oprah knows what’s up: “I LOVE BREADDDDDD!”

If you want to lower your cholesterol levels you need to stop avoiding carbohydrates! They are not the reason you have high cholesterol.

Cutting out carbs is way TOO common for people trying to lower their cholesterol levels. More often than not your only advice from your doctor might to lose weight to lower your levels.

For most people, that immediately leads to cutting out carbs and increasing protein. Unfortunately, this takes the two nutrients that you needs to focus on to lower your cholesterol in the opposite direction!

Without carbohydrates, you’ve eliminated soluble fiber. With more protein, particularly meat, you are increasing your saturated fat.

Instead of giving yourself an all-or-nothing diet that eliminates your favorite foods, is hard to stick to, and oh, doesn’t actually lower your cholesterol, why not learn what foods you really should include more or include less of in your food routine. There are many! Unfortunately, this info isn't easy to find. ⁠

That's why I created a course on how to lower cholesterol levels and live a longer, healthier life. It doesn't take a branded diet or eliminating the foods your love to improve your health. Click the link in my bio 💫 to learn more!

02/13/2021

Is "watching" your cholesterol number really the best approach?📈⁠
⁠
A few months ago I started working with a new client on lowering her cholesterol. When I asked her what prompted her to seek out a dietitian, she said her cholesterol was now at a point that her doctor recommended medication. They'd been "watching" it for years.⁠
⁠
Unfortunately, her story is SO common. "Watching" cholesterol usually means that you watch it rise to a level that warrants medication. What would happen if you started working on it instead of watching it?⁠
⁠
There are no negative side effects of being more intentional with your food choices, of being mindful to include some movement most days, of paying attention to your overall well-being. YOU can interrupt this trend of increasing cholesterol levels. ⁠
⁠
Don't wait until it reaches a point that requires immediate attention. ⁠
⁠
If you've been watching your numbers for a few years, let me be the one to tell you to stopping watching and start acting. You can change the trend of your cholesterol creeping up year after year. Don't wait until it reaches a level that causes worry and may require medication. ⁠
⁠
Luckily, this client was able to bring her levels down in just a few months after developing new habits of eating and finding a way of moving her body that she enjoys and could maintain. ⁠
⁠
I want everyone to have access to the tools that allowed her to be successful, which is why I created a course on lowering cholesterol. No gimmicky diet, no deprivation, and no expensive supplements. Just proven strategies and a friendly face helping you find the opportunities to apply these tools to your own life. Click the link in my bio to join to a FREE class on how to lower your cholesterol! 🎉

01/06/2021

READY FOR A NEW APPROACH? 🙋🏽‍♀️⁠
⁠
The info out there for how to lower your cholesterol is less than inspiring. Most people are told to lose weight and stop eating red meat. ⁠
⁠
Guess what?!⁠
⁠
It's not that simple. ⁠
⁠
If is was, 95 million people wouldn't have high cholesterol in the US. People wouldn't avoid going back to the doctor because they haven't lost weight and they don't want to be told that they haven't done enough over the year. ⁠
⁠
So instead of doing the same thing you've been trying for the past few years to lower your cholesterol, try a new approach like:⁠
⁠
1️⃣ focusing on all the nutrients you can add to your diet instead of only investing energy in weight loss⁠
⁠
2️⃣ finding a way to keep your favorite foods in your diet so you don't feel deprived 0.5 seconds after you cut them out and giving up⁠
⁠
3️⃣ focusing on what you can control about your cholesterol levels instead of thinking there's nothing you can do⁠
⁠
4️⃣ looking forward to your next blood test to see your progress instead of avoiding going back to your doctor⁠
⁠
If you're ready for a new approach, click the link in my bio for a free class on how to lower your levels and keep them there for good. No meds necessary. ⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠