Erin Hughes LLC

03/19/2025

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Have you eaten peanut butter, nuts, or beans because they are high in protein? ⤵️

A protein dense food means it's high in protein in relation to calories. This means most of the calories are coming from protein.

While the protein in almonds, chickpeas, and peanut butter count towards your protein intake, do you really want to eat over 2 cups of chickpeas, almost 1/2 cup of PB, or 1 cup of almonds?

Most foods contain a combination of the 3 macronutrients, protein, fat, and carb, but as you can see here some foods are more protein dense than others. Nuts, seeds, nut butters, and cheese are better fat sources, while beans and legumes are good sources of carbs. All are great foods to incorporate in a well-balanced diet.

To get more bang for your buck, choose high-quality meat sources like chicken, turkey, beef and pork, and seafood like salmon, tuna, and shrimp, eggs, plain Greek yogurt, and cultured cottage cheese.

Protein goals vary from person to person. Start out aiming for 30 grams of protein at every meal (including breakfast!).

Comment "PROTEIN" and I'll send you what your specific protein should be.

What's your favorite source of protein? 👇

03/12/2025

What does this mean? ⤵️

⁉️ Before you were prescribed a form of birth control, were you told how it actually works?
❌️ it shuts down communication from your brain to your ovaries, stopping ovulation
❌️ it doea NOT regulate your cycle. It turns it off.
❌️ it does NOT balance your hormones. It replaces them with synthetic estrogen and progestin (not the same as progesterone- it actually has the opposite effect)
❌️ your body is not making your natural hormones, and you lose the benefits of these amazing hormones. They support heart health, bone health, thyroid function, nervous system regulation (brain function, mood, sleep) and more.

⁉️ Were you told about the possible side effects?
Increased risk of cancer (breast, cervical, liver, uterine)
Increased risk of stroke and blood clots
Microbiome disruption (increasing mood disorders)
Lowers thyroid hormone
Increased inflammation
Nutrient depletion (depletes essential vitamins and minerals)

⁉️ Was it prescribed to treat symptoms without looking into the root cause of the problem?
If you are having irregular, heavy or painful periods, acne, or missing your period altogether, we need to figure out why you are having these symptoms first. Treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause is a disservice.

⁉️ What about the pros?
Yes, in some situations there can be pros! Short term in can help with symptom management. While taking it for symptom management, you should be working to support your body to treat the root cause. Pregnancy prevention: if you don't have the bandwidth to learn cycle tracking and don't want a baby, this can be one option (but it is recommended to support your body through nutrition and gut and liver detoxification while on it)

Once you have been education on how birth control works, the short-term and long-term side effects, and how it might help you and you decide it is the best decision for you. Then go for it! You have my support in making an informed decision.

Knowledge is power. Read Dr. Jolene Brighten's book, "Beyond the Pill."

I'd love to hear your experience in the comments. 👇👇👇

02/27/2025

⚡️Protein, protein, protein ⚡️
Are you sick of hearing about it yet? There’s a good reason you are hearing so much about it. Protein is the building block of life and is essential to virtually every cellular process. It helps your body repair cells and make new ones. Protein increases metabolism, improves mood, improves muscle protein synthesis, increases satiety and fullness, supports healing and recovery, and reduces cravings.

But quality matters. Just Ingredients is dedicated to providing protein from 100% grass-fed whey, no artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, and only real food ingredients. And they are having a sale! With my code ErinHughes you can get 20% off all protein powders from 2/27 until 3/2.

Some of your favorite ways to use Just Ingredients protein powder:
French vanilla to make a homemade vanilla latte
Added to plain Greek yogurt: Jon and I like peanut butter chocolate. The kids like the strawberry.
Added to oatmeal: the Snickerdoodle is delicious in hot oatmeal or add it to overnight oats
Smoothies: the options are endless
Baking: the vanilla is easy to add to pancakes, waffles, or muffins to up the protein content
As a protein shake: simply mix with milk or water and enjoy!

If you try it, be sure to let me know!

Send a message to learn more

02/05/2025

Have you heard of the hormone hierarchy?

✨️ Tier 1 includes cortisol and insulin, the queen bees of the endocrine system. If they become imbalanced, they disrupt the tier 2 hormones and can also directly disrupt the tier 3 hormone.

✨️ Hormones are ultimately not the problem. They are messages from the body of underlying problems that need to be addressed.

✨️ For example, low progesterone is not the problem. It could mean you are not ovulating, but why are you not ovulating? Is it high cortisol, and what is causing the high cortisol? High job stress, a gut infection, unresolved trauma, or something else.

✨️ Ovulation is the biggest driver for the production of progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. Any breakdown in the ovulatory process is often a result or the cortisol and insulin driven problems in the body.

🧐 There are many reasons that cause dysregulation in cortisol and insulin and disrupt ovulation. Let me help you take the guess work out of it.

📅 Schedule a free discovery call or health and nutrition coaching session with me!

10/25/2024

Progesterone ⤵️
When most of us think of progesterone, we think of it's importance for maintaining a pregnancy. 🤰

But did you know, it has a system-wide effect on the body?
Progesterone:
🧠 maintains heslthy brain function
😴 promotes healthy sleep
❤️ supports heart health
🦴supports bone health
🤱 supports breast health
🤯 eases anxiety and regulates mood

If you aren't ovulating regularly, you aren't seeing all these amazing benefits. We only make progesterone in the 2nd half of our cycles after ovulation. (Most BCPs contain progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone, which has the opposite effect 🙃).

Not sure if you are ovulating?
Learn how to track your cycles to find out. Don't rely on an app to tell you. Hint: I can help!

Experiencing any symptoms of low progesterone?
Start by eating a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory diet with adequate protein, healthy fats, fiber, and complex carbs to balance blood sugar

Need more help? Schedule a session with me :)

10/09/2024

Estrogen gets a bad rap, but it is a vital hormone, playing a crucial role in the female body. ⤵️

Its functions extend beyond reproductive health, including:
🦴 bone health: helps maintain bone density
❤️ heart health: has protective effects on the cardiovascular system. It helps regulate cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.
💇‍♀️ skin and hair health: contributes to skin elasticity and moisture and prevents hair thinning and promotes hair health
🧠 mood and mental health: influences mood regulation by interacting with serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to feelings of well-being.
🤰reproductive health: regulates the menstrual cycle, supports ovulation, and prepares the uterus for pregnancy.

Wow! 🤯 If you are in the perimenopause or menopause stage of life, are you seeing the effects of low estrogen? Maybe you attributed your wrinkles, thinning hair, osteoporosis, or high cholesterol to "getting older."

On the flip side, we don't want excess estrogen either. Balancing estrogen with progesterone is key.

Are you experiencing symptoms of high or low estrogen? Let's chat! 📆 Schedule a FREE discovery call.

Any questions on estrogen? ⬇️

10/02/2024

Have you wondered if a health coach could be helpful to you? 🤔

1️⃣ As a health coach, I partner and collaborate with you, to support you in making behavior changes that allow you to live a healthier lifestyle.

2️⃣ I take an integrative approach and support you to make healthy lifestyle changes in all areas of life from nutrition to movement to sleep, stress, and more.

3️⃣ Health coaching is a very much client led approach, assisted by me offering inspiration, motivation, and providing you with accountability tools and strategies, so you can reach your goals.

4️⃣ With respect to my education, I have a background in health and nutrition. This unique training allows me to provide you with resources, brainstorming, and ideas for taking your next steps in your health journey.

✨️ If you would like to learn more about what a health and nutrition coaching session with me looks like, book a FREE discovery call. ✨️

09/20/2024

Hi, I'm Erin! 👋 And I'm so happy you are here!

I'm a wife, mom, nurse, health and nutrition coach, runner listening to music turned walker listening to podcast, and country music fan.

I love the sun, being outside, and summertime (but I am ready for fall). 🌞

✨️ I'm passionate about teaching women about nutrition, their cycle and hormones, and living a balanced life for longevity.

I'd love to hear a little more about you! Tell me something about yourself in the comments. 👇

09/06/2024

Do you or someone you know have PCOS? 🙋‍♀️

September is PCOS awareness month. 1 in 10 women have PCOS, making it the leading cause of female infertility.

While I have some common symptoms listed in the slide above, not everyone has the same symptoms.

Women with PCOS also have different root causes, and a cookie cutter approach should not be taken.

Nutrition and lifestyle changes, plus targeted supplements, are key to managing PCOS.

It is NOT an infertility diagnosis and does not require fertility treatments to conceive. My three kids are proof. 💕

❌️ Birth control is a bandaid solution and does not regulate your cycle. Would you fix a leaky faucet by putting a bandaid over it? 🤔

🩵 Do you need support managing your PCOS? Let's chat! Schedule a free discovery call today.

Unmanaged PCOS puts you at an increased risk of infertility, diabetes, heart disease, and endometrial cancer.