The types, kinds, and amounts of whole plant foods in your diet can boost your gut microbiome, helping you lose weight, lower cholesterol, and feel happier and more confident. Some gut bacteria are true heroes, protecting you from cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. However, when things get out of balance—often due to poor diet and unhealthy habits—the villains take over, leading to serious health issues. Discover tips for a gut-friendly diet that supports overall well-being and promotes a healthier, happier you.

Feeling overweight, tired, and cranky? You're not alone, but there’s good news: a healthier, happier you lies within your gut. Picture a microscopic world inside you, bustling with over 100 trillion microorganisms. This fascinating ecosystem, known as the gut microbiome, plays a crucial role in your overall health, from weight management to mood and sleep. In this blog, discover three transformative tips to nurture your microbiome and watch your well-being flourish. Get ready to embrace optimal health and become the best version of yourself!

Adopting just five healthy lifestyle habits can add more than a decade of life, according to a 2018 study published in Circulation. These habits—eating a balanced diet, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and consuming alcohol in moderation—can help you live a longer, healthier life. My students have experienced incredible transformations by incorporating these habits, from losing weight to erasing debilitating conditions.

As summer comes to an end, it's time to refocus on our health and wellness goals. We have some thrilling updates to help you stay on track and thrive. Check out our new Facebook page and Instagram account where we’ll be sharing expert tips, inspiring advice, and exciting updates to keep you motivated.We are excited to announce that our life-changing program, 5 to Thrive, will begin its new session on September 25th. This program has brought incredible results by fostering a supportive community working towards strong, healthy bodies. Join our weekly Zoom meetings and a private chat room designed to offer support, share tips, and celebrate victories together.As a special offer, you can get $50 off the regular price of $249 if you register before September 12, making it just $199. Use the code TRANSFORM at checkout to take advantage of this deal. Don’t wait to start your wellness journey—register today and set yourself up for a strong, vibrant, and healthy holiday season.

As the weather heats up, the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove or grill. Fortunately, you don’t have to! This refreshing and nutritious meal requires no cooking and satisfies your taste buds. This Easy Breezy Arugula Salad with hummus and cucumber slices on the side, is the perfect no-cook, quick dinner. 

Transform your health with 5 to Thrive, a 6-week, plant-based program designed to help you achieve weight loss, lower blood sugar, improved cholesterol levels, and more energy. Built around five daily habits called the 5 Power Moves, this program offers a structured approach to looking and feeling your best. Participants have reported incredible benefits, including significant weight loss and reduced cholesterol levels, attributing their success to the program's accountability and supportive group environment.This interactive, Zoom-based program begins the week of September 23rd, with sessions every Wednesday from 7-8 pm ET. Each week, we'll be together in live meetings. There's also a one-hour Q&A session, tapping into years of expertise in weight loss and chronic disease management. Once you register, you’ll receive the 5 to Thrive eBook filled with delicious recipes and get immediate access to the Member-Only Area and a private Discussion Room.Join the waitlist by Wednesday, July 17th to receive $100 off the program price, reducing the registration fee to $149 for a comprehensive six-week experience. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to start changing your health for the better. [Join the waitlist](https://peggykraus.com/landing/5ttwaitlistlandingpage) and take the first step towards your best self ever!

Newly married, I weighed 162 pounds. Not particularly happy with my weight, I was strong and could cycle wherever I wanted. Chronic knee pain from severe arthritis side-lined me from time to time, but I could live with it.Fast forward five or ten years. Everything changed for me. I learned about the power of plant-based foods to transform my body. 

Our world moves at a hectic pace.It’s easy to slip into survival mode. Getting by day-to-day without truly feeling alive or fulfilled. Not taking care of ourselves, we’re tired, over-scheduled, and unhappy. We worry about the toll our lifestyles will have on our health.                                                                                                                                             What if we can stop weathering the storms and start dancing in the rain? What if we could shift from merely surviving to truly THRIVING?A key step in this journey is understanding and improving our health. It starts with something as routine as our blood test numbers.

Switching from beef to chicken with the hope of lowering cholesterol levels is a myth that needs dispelling. Contrary to popular belief, a 2019 study found that both chicken and beef equally raise cholesterol levels, showing that substituting beef with chicken does not bring the anticipated benefits for cholesterol management. It highlights the misconception that chicken is not meat or somehow healthier in terms of cholesterol impact, shedding light on the fact that all meat, regardless of its source, is problematic due to compounds like carnitine and choline which promote inflammation and can exacerbate cholesterol and heart health issues.Fiber plays a crucial role in combating high cholesterol, yet neither chicken nor beef contains fiber, which acts like a sponge to soak up and eliminate cholesterol from the body. The high fat content in meat, combined with the absence of fiber, underscores the futility of choosing leaner meats as a solution for cholesterol management. The complexity in determining the fat content in meat based on various factors renders the effort nearly impossible, drawing attention to the need for alternative dietary choices.Emphasizing plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils, whole grains, and vegetables presents a viable solution for those aiming to lower their cholesterol levels. These food items are not only rich in fiber and low in fat but also provide a clean, cholesterol-lowering protein alternative to meat. Adopting a plant-focused diet could significantly improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and blood pressure, offering a healthier lifestyle choice free from the unwanted side effects associated with other cholesterol management strategies like statin use.

Incorporating a strength training routine into your exercise regimen offers substantial benefits that go beyond traditional cardiovascular workouts. While cardio exercises like walking and cycling are often associated with weight loss, strength training is more effective for shedding pounds, especially as one ages. This is because strength training not only builds muscle mass but also boosts calorie burning even when you're at rest, ensuring a more sustained weight loss process.