The latest issue of Time magazine, featuring a provocative cover photo of a mother breastfeeding her nearly four-year-old son, has sparked a media craze with everyone from U.S. congresswomen to Saturday Night Live weighing in.

What’s all the fuss all about? The photo, and the accompanying article about the attachment parenting philosophy championed by pediatrician William Sears, is generating controversy about everything from the sexualization of breastfeeding to the more fundamental question of what it means to be a good parent.

We recently kicked off the Health Leadership Awards with mother and school food champion Allison Carmen.

At IIN we are blessed to have a community filled with exceptional mothers who are dedicated to changing the lives of their family and the world.

That’s why this week, we honor and celebrate Smokin’ Hot Mom Nina Manolson, whose outstanding work as a Health Coach empowers all of us to “feel good in our skin.”

Turning Risk into Reward

I enrolled at IIN after a genetic test determined I was at high risk for Breast Cancer. After a lifetime of struggling with my weight and criticizing myself in the mirror, I was faced with the preciousness of my body and how I could no longer afford to be at war with myself. I stepped up my self-care and, in the process, realized that my passion lay in helping women reclaim their body and ending the struggle between food and self-image for future generations.

What makes you feel amazing? What can snap you out of a bad mood in seconds?

One of the key things we learn at Integrative Nutrition is how to feel our whole selves with what we call “Primary Food” – the relationships, activities, work, exercise, and spiritual practices that fulfill our lives and fill us up in ways that food cannot.

Our community is great at feeding themselves with healthy doses of Vitamin L (love) and primary food. We asked our community what makes them feel their best, and here’s what they told us:

The first day of the week can be a daunting prospect with so much undone ahead of you. Look at it from another point of view, though, and Monday is a perfect day for starting new habits and striving towards new goals.

If you ask around the office here at Integrative Nutrition, our goals include many small intentions, like exercising more often, accomplishing creative projects, learning a new skill or language, and keeping our apartments cleaner.

These goals can fall through the cracks, though, because they seem too ambitious or maybe we just forget to work on them. They would be much more manageable if broken up into small chunks. So why not resolve to work towards these goals a little bit everyday?

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms out there! Hopefully you have an extra special day planned for your mom, enjoying her company over brunch, or showering her with gifts!

More importantly, we hope you take the time today to tell your mother how much she means to you and why you appreciate her. We asked some Integrative Nutrition staffers to share what they love about their moms and what makes them so special. Read below to see their responses – this is a very loving bunch!

“I've never met anyone more caring, compassionate, beautiful, loving and kind than my mom. She goes out of her way to make sure that everyone around her is taken care of before she takes care of herself. I hope to one day be like her.” –Carly, Events/Student Services

“My mom, no matter what the situation, keeps a smile on her face that warms up the entire room. I love her warmth, her compassion, and her selflessness!” –Julia, Referrals

It takes a lot of guts to leave a secure, full-time job, but Nicole Culver, a 2011 graduate of the Health Coach Training Program from South Hempstead, NY, said she would have been crazy to stay. Her dream was to help people have a healthier life, and now she’s living it – watching not one, but two businesses grow.

In addition to health coaching, Nicole has launched Pure Bliss Eats, a healthy online bakery loaded with delicious treats. (The pictures alone are enough to make your mouth water!) The mission behind tasty sweets like organic granola and gluten free chocolate balls is to make healthy snacks easy and delicious for everyone. Read on to learn more about how Nicole got started and what inspired her unique online bakery!

What led you to enroll at Integrative Nutrition?

I was no longer feeling fulfilled and happy from my work as a teacher. I wanted to follow my dream of helping people live a healthier life. After careful planning, I started taking on health coaching clients over the spring. I also opened my online bakery, Pure Bliss Eats. For years I've been sharing my healthy baked goods and I wanted to take it to another level. I worked very hard over the summer of 2011 to build my business both as a health counselor and as the head of Pure Bliss Eats. Building my businesses over the summer allowed me to leave my teaching job. Some people thought I was crazy for leaving a secure job, but I felt like I'd be crazy to stay. I found my passion and I wanted to see where it would take me!

I am thrilled, proud and honored to present the very first Health Leadership Award to an outstanding graduate who has been a leader in the school food movement, a health educator, and role model for her children and her community:  Allison Carmen.

When I first met Allison, she was a young woman in her twenties, highly educated and a successful lawyer for a large New York City firm. As one of the thirty students in Integrative Nutrition’s very first class, she demonstrated an exceptional desire to understand the transformational effects that nutrition can have on our lives.

With curiosity and intelligence, Allison has continued to analyze and put into practice the ideas and energy she gained from that program. Her most recent project, The Book of Maybe is inspired by her time at IIN, as well as her experience as a business consultant and coach.

Early Adapter

Overworked, stressed and exhausted from her successful career in corporate America, Allison was seeking a way to heal herself and others. She recognized the possibility of holistic principles long before they had entered the mainstream.

Hi there! I’m Christy Goldfeder, Health Coach and IIN Graduate, Class of 2006. Join me on IIN’s virtual Health Food Store Tour, where I’ll give you weekly tips on how to shop healthfully. Come back each week as we stroll through the aisles to discover which foods are the healthiest.

Here’s what I look for when I’m seeking items for my pantry:

Flavorful and Whole

I like a pantry full of exotic flavors – variety is the spice of life. Bring on the Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese spices.

When choosing oils, I think about how much processing needs to happen before you can extract the oil. For example, if you squeeze an olive, you’ll notice that it’s naturally oily. It’s the same thing with nuts. Not so much with vegetable oils.

Here are some of my favorite pantry items:

Coconut oil: This tropical oil was once vilified as artery-clogging oil, but recent studies have shown its medium-chain fatty acids are actually heart healthy and can aid in weight loss. Use it for sautéing, stir frying, and baking as it can withstand high temperatures.

Integrative Nutrition is partnering with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day on Saturday, May 19, and we encourage you to get IINvolved!

Hosting a Local Food Event is a great way to get your health coaching practice out there and in front of people who are looking for your services.

Become a healthy leader in your community with one of these ideas:

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and while you can show your appreciation with a card or a bouquet of flowers, making her a delicious, healthy brunch from scratch is a terrific way to let her know how much you care. Plus, it has other benefits—eating in is often more  budget-friendly than dining out, and home cooking lets you control the nutritional content of the meal you’re making! You can even tailor the meal to suit your mom’s favorite flavors.

Whether your mother loves savory goodies or she has an unstoppable sweet tooth, our brunch menu ideas have got you covered!