Today’s Dietitian Symposium + Florida Adventure

Hi everyone! After a brief hiatus, I’m back and have a lot to share about a recent trip to Florida for a conference/mini-vacation.

I attended the Today’s Dietitian Symposium in Orlando, which was packed full of great sessions from many Registered Dietitian’s that I admire. There was a lot of discussion around mindful eating, gut health, and incorporating yoga practice into daily routine.

Yoga is more popular today than ever before and the good news is that anyone can do yoga. Yoga is more than a physical practice—it’s also about our breath, meditation, inner perceptual awareness, and compassion. Regular yoga practice can positively impact our food choices, mental health, and physical well-being. When I was teaching mindful eating classes in an outpatient behavioral health clinic, yoga was always part of our discussion, especially the breathing exercises. Has yoga had an impact on your life?

Fellow RD blogging pal, Kara Lydon spoke about the benefits of incorporating yoga into nutrition counseling and also shared that her e-book, Nourish Your Namaste: How Nutrition & Yoga Can Support Digestion, Immunity, Energy & Relaxation, was just released. If you struggle with digestive issues, have low-energy issues, are frequently sick, and want to improve overall health and well-being, I encourage you to check out Kara’s book, Nourish Your Namaste. Congrats to Kara on her first e-book!

[bctt tweet=”Nutrition & yoga can support digestion, immunity, energy & relaxation. Find out how in Nourish Your Namaste ebook! http://bit.ly/1TvR9mu ” username=”KarmanRD”]

Okay, now a little bit about the travel adventure! The conference was held in Orlando at the Buena Vista hotel, located just across the road from Disney Springs. Talk about prime location! A new section of Disney Springs opened the weekend we were there, so now there are even more restaurants and shops to check out, including Zara, American Threads, Sprinkles Cupcakes, and D-Luxe Burger (you must try their french fries with the curry ketchup).

While the Disney parks were all close, sadly we didn’t have a chance to make it to any due to a tight schedule. Maybe next time! We did have a chance to visit the Winter Park area of Orlando for dinner one night and ended up at Cask & Larder. The menu and vibe reminded me a lot of Nashville with a focus on local Southern foods and craft brews. My goal was to eat as much seafood as possible while in Florida, so I ordered the Soft-Shell Crab with field peas and it was perfect. I loved how all of the elements in this dish worked so well together.

After dinner, we went to Disney Boardwalk so we could make room for ice cream 🙂 Ample Hills Creamery is a new spot along the Disney Boardwalk and I tried the Strawberries & Cream paired with Nonna D’s Oatmeal Lace, a cinnamon ice cream with oatmeal lace cookies. Best ice cream I’ve had in awhile…just wishing I had tried it on one of their pretzel cones!

[bctt tweet=”Planning a trip to central #Florida? Read this post first for restaurant & #travel tips #summervacation” username=”KarmanRD”]

After the conference, my RD pal, Lindsey of Handmade Healthy, and I headed over to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, for a mini-vaca on the beach. Gotta have a little beach time when visiting Florida.

The Airbnb we stayed in was just two blocks from the beach and had a cute pool/patio area. I’d love to re-create this space in my backyard someday. How about you?

Rather than eating every meal out during the trip, we bought some groceries to make breakfast and lunch. Great way to save some $$ and you have more control over what’s on your plate. Here’s a shot of lunch one day that consisted of chicken salad and a Brussel sprout-kale salad mix…yum! It’s even better when eaten pool-side.

It was a quick trip to the coast but we drove to St. Pete’s beach for dinner one night and also stopped in Clearwater briefly for some shopping. Indian Rocks Beach is a nice place to stay, though, as it’s centrally located along the shoreline and the beach isn’t as crowded as Clearwater.

What are some of your favorite spots in Florida? Any summer travel plans to the Sunshine State? 

Off to Charlotte, NC for the holiday weekend…this will be a first time for me! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend 🙂