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East River Wellness

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New Kent, VA
East River Wellness

Integrative Nurse Practitioner 👩🏼‍⚕️
Nutrition Educator 📚
Functional + Conventional
We are designed to heal ✨
Biblical Wellness ✝️

02/18/2026

One of the most underrated blood sugar tools? 👉 Fiber.

Here’s why fiber matters for glucose control: • Slows carbohydrate absorption • Reduces post-meal glucose spikes • Improves insulin sensitivity over time • Supports GLP-1 release
• Associated with metabolically beneficial
changes to to intestinal microbial composition

This is why pairing starchy carbs with fiber (instead of eating them solo) can be game-changing for: ✔️ prediabetes ✔️ type 2 diabetes ✔️ reactive hypoglycemia ✔️ PCOS

Try this: 🍚 White rice → add veggies + lentils 🍞 Toast → add nut butter + mashed berries, or avocado + sesame seeds
🥣 Oats → add pumpkin & h**p seeds, apple chunks (w/skin) + cinnamon

Fiber = built-in blood sugar buffer 🛡️

02/10/2026

Fiber isn’t one thing—it’s a team. And each player has a different job 👇

Soluble fiber • Dissolves in water → forms a gel • Slows digestion + glucose absorption • Feeds beneficial gut bacteria
Found in: oats, chia, flax, beans, lentils, berries, apples, citrus
✨Can cause constipation without adequate hydration or a balanced microbiome.

Insoluble fiber • Does not dissolve in water • Adds bulk to stool • Supports regular bowel movements
Found in: leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts, seeds, whole grains
✨Can cause diarrhea without a balanced microbiome.

✨ Most people need both for optimal gut + metabolic health.

02/08/2026

Fiber is a buffer against blood sugar spikes, a sponge for excess cholesterol, a facilitator of toxin removal, and a food source for our microbiome. It is an amazing tool for improving health.

But many people change their diet and remain sick.

💥 Chronic stress
🌑 Past trauma
🍺 Poor coping mechanisms
🪃 Stuck stories on repeat
🧠 Distorted thinking

What fiber is to our body, prayer is to our spirit. Prayer can be a buffer against our emotional highs and lows, a sponge for our bitterness & resentment, a facilitator of thought change, and food for our soul.

Fiber rebalances your gut, cascading into improved systemic health.

Prayer rebalances your spirit & nervous system, cascading into improved systemic health.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God - Philippians 4:6

https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2020-0075

02/05/2026

February is for FIBER!
🍎
Aiming for the RDI for fiber is one of the nutrition targets I can *almost* always universally recommend.
🫐
By trying to ADD fiber, people without fail will end up removing foods that aren’t as beneficial (because, wouldn’t you know, many processed foods have the fiber stripped out).
🥬
Foods rich in fiber are also typically full of other phytonutrients (vitamins, minerals, polyphenols) which contribute to smooth metabolism, enzyme activity, and 💩
Despite fiber being abundant in many foods, many of us can have a hard time meeting that daily goal. Be on the look out for future posts on how to increase fiber intake.
🥝
In the meantime, read my latest post on why fiber may be the missing element in your health journey. 🔗 in bio

02/02/2026

I don’t usually jump on these bandwagons and I’m totally not avoiding my responsibilities or distracting myself from the stress of having school cancelled for 6 days straight and not being able to kick my kids outside because its Elsa’s wonderland, except by wonderland I mean icetopic nightmare.
🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️
She is kind of a perfect caricature.
chatgptprompts

01/29/2026

I can’t say I would NEVER buy supplements from Amazon (even brands I love) but it is verrrrrrrrrry rare.
💊
Unfortunately, dietary supplements as a whole cannot be called safe, because there is NO safety oversight required. The FDA only requires supplement companies to never claim they can heal or cure a disease.
🧪
You should never base your supplements solely on:
- claims made on e-marketing/selling sites
- product reviews
- because they’re carried in a pharmacy
🔬
And you definitely shouldn’t purchase any supplement where the seller or influencer makes bold claims.
❣️
I always recommend going to the company’s website and checking for:
- a GMP seal
- NSF, USP, Informed Sport, or BSGC certification
- available third party testing results for download are even better!

01/25/2026

January Swap #6

Black and white thinking - also known as all or nothing thinking - is where we perceive situations/circumstances, people, or ourselves in a binary (ie either all good or all bad; all successful or a complete failure, etc.). It is what is known as a cognitive distortion.

While it is helpful to hold certain binary frameworks to provide moral clarity and direction for our lives, this pattern of thinking, if unchecked, can negatively impact our self-esteem and relationships and keep us rooted in perfectionism & unrealistic expectations where we are constantly casting judgement.

Think about it. Have you ever decided to not exercise because you didn’t have the time to do a full 30-60 minutes? Have you ever let your diet go off the rails because you had one meal that swayed from your goals? Have you ever given up because you didn’t meet your own expectations or your perceived expectations of others? Have you ever engaged in self-talk like, “you’re so stupid” or “how could you do that, again?”

While the bible clearly defines moral and behavioral binaries (for our good), God also acknowledges our humanity and imperfections through his grace. The primary Hebrew word for grace is chen (חֵן) - which implies a gift or kindness freely given.

What if we too acknowledged our humanity and freely gave ourselves and others kindness instead of judgement and criticism?

I can tell you, in my own life, replacing black and white/all or nothing thinking with grace and compassion has led to such freedom & peace. But from a personal goals standpoint, what it has led to the most is consistency because I have stopped abandoning/quitting on myself.

So here’s to embracing the gray areas, the middle zone, the moments where our best today is different from our best yesterday.

01/24/2026

January swap #5

Proper sleep is all about supporting our circadian rhythms, our body’s natural, internal 24-hour cycle that regulates health. Below are some of the best ways to re-establish a dysfunctional circadian rhythm to promote quality sleep.

Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, and most Americans do not get enough in their diet. Supplementation with Mg glycinate or threonate before bed boosts GABA production - the nervous system’s calming neurotransmitter - and helps regulate cortisol. Magnesium also helps convert serotonin to melatonin, and by correcting deficiency, can lead to naturally improved melatonin production.

Avoid eating at least 2 hours before bed. When our body is digesting, it diverts blood flow and energy to the GI tract, instead of the brain and other systems that do “clean up” and healing over night. Eating late also confuses our body’s internal clock, and if eating carbohydrate-rich foods can cause blood sugar fluctuations that disrupt sleep.

Avoid screens before bed. Most of the un-natural light we are exposed to disrupts circadian rhythms and sleep cycles, but especially the blue light that is emitted from screens. This type of light decreases natural melatonin production. Try reading, journaling, or listening to soothing music or a bedtime story before bed instead of scrolling. In the very least, use blue-light blocking glasses.

Get early morning sunlight. Exposing your eyes to sunlight in the morning anchors your body’s circadian rhythm. Studies show that early sunlight both sleep quality and sleep length.

Sip on herbal tea before bed. Teas such as chamomile, valerian root, and lemon balm, can promote relaxation and sleep.

These are not a one and done fix. As with all things related to long-term successful change - consistency is key.

01/18/2026

Often times my randomness with smoothies is something I have to choke down, or occasionally toss down the sink - but not this one!
This tastes like a pistachio ice cream milkshake - and surprisingly so because it has kale, mango, + açaí in it!
This smoothie is gluten free + lactose free and could easily be made vegan with a swapping out of protein powders!
Recipe ⬇️⬇️⬇️
- 1/2 cup frozen pre-steamed kale
- 1 full side of a mango
- 1 tsp açaí powder
- 2 tbsp pistachios
- 1/4 C vanilla DF yogurt
- 1/2 C almond milk (adjust based on texture preference)
- 1 scoop vanilla whey powder
- 4 large ice cubes

Blend well (I had a few pistachio chunks which I didn’t mind) + enjoy!!!

01/13/2026

Starting with color is an easy first step to developing healthy eating patterns! 🫐🍓🍇🥦🍆🥬🍅🥒🫑
Colorful foods contain vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients to run a healthy and efficient body (aka healthy metabolism).
Phytonutrients found in colorful foods stimulate enzymes that help us detoxify, boost the immune system, improve cardiovascular health, promote healthy hormone metabolism, and stimulate apoptosis (programmed cell death - aka cancer prevention).
🌽🫒🍠🫚🥑🍒
Consuming a wide variety of colorful foods throughout the week also promotes a healthy microbiome, which confers other benefits to metabolic health.
🥝🍎🍊🍍🥔🥕
Nutrient poor calorie deficits can create short term weight loss, but do not promote long term health.
Nutrient dense eating patterns can naturally promote weight loss without calorie counting + improve long-term health outcomes.

01/11/2026

I see so many women overburdened, burnt out, with failing health because they’re well-intentioned “yes” has exceeded their capacity.
We might have the knowledge, expertise, physical or financial ability - but if it pushes our bodies, particularly our nervous system and stress response, beyond their limits; if it strains our relationships with those closest to us - it should be a solid no - even if it’s “good.”
🧡
Galatians 6:10 - “As we have the opportunity, let us do good unto all men.” The word opportunity here comes from the Greek word καιρὸν, meaning an occasion, set or proper time - this is a key distinction. In the verses before that Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-8
Saying yes to things is often, at its root, a way in which we have learned to feel loved. When we know the love of God, we stop seeking that validation from others.
🧡
My prayer for you and me: for discernment, for us to unlearn self-sacrifice in the name of people-pleasing and human validation, and to instead know God’s love for us so deeply that we seek to please him - because the fruit that flows from that is the best yes.

01/09/2026

January swap #3: Artificial Fragrances

Sources: candles, air fresheners, laundry care products, perfumes/body sprays, soaps/lotions, other personal care products, household cleaning products.
🕯️
If you go to a conventional medicine doctor and tell them you think that your hormones might be imbalanced, they will probably laugh at you, gaslight you, and tell you that that doesn’t exist.
Yet, if you were to ask any one of them whether they believe that there are endocrine disruptors in our environment, they would tell you yes.
🧬
By interfering with hormonal signaling, damaging DNA, causing oxidative stress, and inhibiting detoxification of xenobiotics and endogenous hormones, cumulative and additive exposures to endocrine disorders can absolutely create hormone imbalance, especially when paired with genetic susceptibility.
**** Most fertility clinics have strict policies against artificial fragrances for patients, staff, and visitors because they are known endocrine disruptors****
🧼
This is why swapping out products in your home and products that you use on your body that contain artificial fragrances and phthalates is important to long-term health.
🛁
You don’t have to do it all at once - set a goal to swap out each product as the one you’re currently using expires or become becomes empty.
🧴
Let me know in the comments if you need any suggestions for swaps!!!!
PMID: 36976159

Address

New Kent, VA

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm

Website

http://eastriverwellnessllc.com/, https://eastriverwellnessllc.com/dietary-fiber-the-unsung-hero-of-metabolic-and-gut-he

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