Healthy Habits Santa Cruz

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Healthy Habits Santa Cruz

Maggie Rich, CFNC 🥑🍎🫐
Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor
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Currently developing elementary nutrition curriculum. EAT SMARTER, LIVE BETTER 🤍

Teachers, administrators, and parents can learn more at HealthyHabitsSC.com!

09/02/2026

Eating in season is one of my favorite things to talk about as a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor 🌱

Produce picked and eaten at its peak tends to taste better and hold onto more of its nutrients. A lot of out-of-season fruits and vegetables get picked early and shipped long distances to reach us, which is part of why they don’t always develop the same flavor or nutrient content along the way.

Buying what’s naturally growing right now also means fresher food, a shorter trip from farm to table, and more support for local farmers.

This September on the Central Coast, you’ll find crisp apples, juicy figs, sweet corn, and more, plus two I’m excited about this time around: bell peppers and pears. 🍎🌽🍐

What’s on your list this month?

08/27/2026

Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor here 👋

New episode of Raising Healthy Habits is live: Sugar, Snacks, and Energy Crashes. If you listen to any, listen to this one!

ALL MY PODCAST EPISODES ARE LESS THAN 15 MINUTES LONG (you’re welcome).

I cover the glycemic index, what’s actually happening during an energy crash, how to read added sugar on a label, balanced snack examples, and more.

Link in bio to listen 🎧

08/20/2026

Back-to-school snack shopping is happening right now and 65% of kids already exceed the recommended added sugar limit. 🍎

3 swaps that keep the convenience parents need, minus the sugar spike:

🧀 Cheez-Its (0g added sugar) > fruit snacks (10g added sugar)
🥜 Trail mix with nuts + Craisins (2-5g) > trail mix with M&Ms (11g)
🍫 Larabar (3.5g added sugar) > Pop-Tarts (16g added sugar)

Plus a few always ready-to-go picks: string cheese, hummus + veggies, apple + nut butter, edamame, popcorn. These are all ZERO added sugar, depending on your selections.

Nutrition education isn’t just for kids, it’s for the parents raising them too. Read the label, not the marketing. 🏷️

08/07/2026

August is one of the most abundant months of the year for fresh produce.

Summer favorites are still at their peak, making it the perfect time to enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables before fall arrives.

One of the healthiest things you can do isn’t chasing a single “superfood”—it’s eating a wide variety of plant foods.

Each fruit and vegetable contains its own unique combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds. The more variety you eat, the more nutrients you’re giving your body.

This month, fill your cart with colorful favorites like blackberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, figs, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, sweet corn, eggplant, avocados, and more.

Instead of asking yourself, *”Did I eat healthy today?”* try asking:
🌈 **”How many colors did I eat today?”**

It’s a simple habit that naturally encourages more whole foods and more variety.

Save this post to reference at the grocery store or farmers market—and challenge yourself to try one seasonal fruit or vegetable you’ve never bought before.

What’s your favorite August produce? 🍑🫐🌽

07/27/2026

🎙️ Parents—this podcast series was made for you.

Life is busy, so each episode of Raising Healthy Habits is just 10–15 minutes long—easy to listen to on your commute, while folding laundry, walking the dog, or making dinner.

Together, we’ve explored topics like:
🌈 Eating the rainbow
🥗 Beyond MyPlate
🥑 Healthy fats
🏷️ Reading nutrition labels
💛 Building body confidence
…and more, with three episodes still to come!

If you’re looking for practical, evidence-informed nutrition tips to help your family build lifelong healthy habits, I’d love for you to listen.

🎧 The Spotify link is in my bio.

And while the Raising Healthy Habits series is coming to a close, the podcast is just getting started. I already have some fun ideas for future episodes, and I can’t wait to keep sharing conversations that help make nutrition feel simple, approachable, and realistic for families.

What parenting or nutrition topic would you love to hear covered next? 💚

07/20/2026

5 Things I’d Swap in Your Kitchen Today
(As a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor)

🥑 1. Vegetable Oil → Avocado Oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

This is one of the first swaps I’d make. Avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil are less refined than many common vegetable oils and are naturally rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. I use avocado oil most often because it’s incredibly versatile. One bonus that many people don’t know: avocado oil has a very high smoke point, making it a great choice for everything from sautéing to roasting. Extra virgin olive oil is another staple in my kitchen for cooking, dressings, marinades, and finishing dishes.

🥣 2. Sour Cream → Plain Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt offers the same creamy texture while adding significantly more protein. Many varieties also contain live and active cultures that provide beneficial probiotics for a healthy gut microbiome. If you like a sweeter yogurt, buy plain and add a few drops of liquid stevia and a splash of vanilla extract instead of choosing flavored varieties.

🥬 3. Iceberg or Romaine → Spinach or Arugula

All leafy greens have nutritional value, but spinach and arugula are especially rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. It’s an easy way to increase the nutrient density of your meals.

🍃 4. Cane Sugar → Liquid Stevia (or Coconut Sugar)

For coffee, tea, yogurt, or oatmeal, liquid stevia is my favorite option because it adds sweetness without adding sugar. If you prefer sugar, coconut sugar is a less refined alternative with a slightly lower glycemic index than cane sugar—but it’s still an added sugar, so I recommend using it in moderation.

🌾 5. Sugary Cereal → Plain Oats

Oats are naturally rich in fiber, including beta-glucan, which supports heart health, healthy cholesterol levels, and helps keep you full. Top them with berries, nuts or seeds, cinnamon, and Greek yogurt for a balanced breakfast that provides longer-lasting energy.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Small, consistent upgrades can make a big difference over time.

Which swap are you making first? 👇

07/02/2026

July is peak produce season.

Farmers markets are overflowing, gardens are thriving, and it’s one of the easiest times of the year to fill your plate with colorful, whole foods.

From blueberries, plums, and cherries to peaches, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, and fresh basil, July offers almost every color of the rainbow.

Different colors support the body in different ways:

• Red foods like tomatoes, raspberries, and cherries provide antioxidants that support heart health.
• Orange and yellow foods like peaches, apricots, melons, and corn provide nutrients that support healthy vision and immune function.
• Green foods like cucumbers, basil, avocados, and summer squash provide vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that support overall health.
• Blue and purple foods like blueberries, plums, and eggplant provide plant compounds that help support brain health and healthy aging.
• White foods like garlic contain natural compounds that help support the immune system.

No single fruit or vegetable does it all—but together, they help provide the wide variety of nutrients our bodies need.

Save this post to reference at the grocery store or farmers market. July is one of the best months of the year to eat the rainbow. 🌈☀️

What’s your favorite July produce item? 🍑🫐🍅

06/29/2026

I’ve always cared about food.

I’m a home cook. I’ve always tried to eat well. I thought I had a strong understanding of what “healthy” meant.

But it wasn’t until I became certified as a nutrition counselor that I realized how much of what I learned should have been common knowledge long before adulthood.

How food affects our energy, focus, digestion, growth, mood, and long-term health.

That realization is a big part of why I started Healthy Habits Santa Cruz.

Nutrition education should start early.
It should feel simple.
It should build confidence.
And it should help kids understand how to care for their bodies for life.

This kind of education belongs in childhood.

That’s why I’m building a nutrition curriculum for kids.

Learn how to support the mission at HealthyHabitsSC.com 🌱
(Link in bio)

06/22/2026

How you start your morning can influence your energy, focus, mood, and even your sleep later that night.

The good news? You don’t need a complicated routine.

Simple habits like getting sunlight, drinking water, moving your body, and waiting before checking your phone can help set the tone for the rest of your day.

Swipe through to learn why these small habits can have such a big impact.

Which morning habit are you already doing? ☀️💧🚶

06/16/2026

Most students receive fewer than 8 hours of nutrition education each year.

Yet nutrition influences energy, focus, confidence, athletic performance, and long-term health.

At Healthy Habits Santa Cruz, we’re working to change that by teaching nutrition in a way that is practical, engaging, and age-appropriate for children.

Our curriculum goes beyond memorizing food groups. Students learn how food fuels their bodies, how to build balanced meals, how to recognize whole foods, and how to develop lifelong habits rooted in curiosity rather than perfection.

Because nutrition education isn’t just about what children eat today—it’s about the knowledge and confidence they carry for the rest of their lives.

Learn more at HealthyHabitsSC.com

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