May 2026

The Basics Are Still The Magic

Hello friends,

I hope you're finding little moments to enjoy these longer days and the unofficial start of summer.

If I'm being honest, May wasn't exactly the month I expected. After my car accident, my sleep was disrupted, my routines were all over the place, my exercise looked different and, for a while, it felt like I was spending more time at appointments than at my desk.

But as things slowly started settling down, I noticed something interesting.

The things that helped me feel better, more resourced weren't complicated. Not glamorous. Not expensive. Not some new supplement or wellness hack.

Just the things that consistently support our bodies and health.

✔️ Sleeping

✔️ Eating regularly (for me it was remembering to eat)

✔️ Getting outside

✔️ Moving our bodies

✔️ Supporting our nervous systems

In a world that constantly tells us to do more, optimize more and push harder, I've been reminded that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is listen.

What I've Been Thinking About This Month

One idea kept showing up over and over this month—in my own life, in client conversations and in the content I was creating: Sometimes what we need is more support, not more willpower.

A few signs your body may be asking for more support:

✔️ You're exhausted but wired.

✔️ You're either hungry all the time—or not hungry until suddenly you're ravenous.

✔️ You're doing all the "right" things, but everything feels harder than it should and you're not getting the results you feel like you should.

These are often signs that your body is asking for:

• more consistency
• more recovery
• more nourishment
• less pressure

Because whether we're talking about sleep, blood sugar, meal timing or stress, the body tends to respond better to support than force.

It's a theme that showed up in nearly every podcast episode, blog post and client conversation I had this month—and honestly, one I needed to be reminded of myself.

If you missed any of them, you can catch up on the podcast or blog. And if you've already listened, thank you. It means more than you know.

Nutrient Spotlight: Vitamin D ☀️

As we head into summer, let's talk about one of my favorite nutrients: Vitamin D.

Vitamin D plays a role in:

• Bone health
• Calcium absorption
• Immune function
• Muscle health
• Mood and overall well-being

Your body makes vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin. And despite its nickname as the "sunshine vitamin," low vitamin D levels are still incredibly common (especially for anyone in the U.S. who lives north of Atlanta), because your body doesn't make enough and it's really difficult to get adequate vitamin D from foods. However, we still want to eat vitamin D-rich foods regularly to help get closer to needs.

Some food sources of vitamin D include:

• Salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel and other fatty fish
• Egg yolks
• Mushrooms
• Beef liver
• Fortified dairy products, plant milks and orange juice
• Fortified cereals

For many people, taking a vitamin D supplement can be helpful to keep levels in the healthy or optimal ranges. I typically recommend about 2000 IU/day in the summer and perhaps even higher in winter months (3000-4000 IU/day). For your individual needs, check with your doctor or dietitian.

Mediterranean Moment 🫒

One of my favorite eating patterns continues to be the Mediterranean Diet because it's flexible, flavorful and supported by decades of research.

Try these Mediterranean-style recipes that are rich in vitamin D, protein and fiber.

Breakfast

​Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait​

Lunch

​White Bean & Roasted Tomato Shakshuka (vegetarian)

Dinner

​Sheet Pan Baked Salmon & Veggies​

👉 Want more ideas? Download my FREE Easy Mediterranean Meals & Snacks guide by clicking HERE.

Fullscript Favorites 💊

Need to restock supplements, like vitamin D, or explore some of my favorite practitioner-grade products?

👉 Shop my Fullscript dispensary here: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/smn​

Coming Next... 👀

🎙️This coming Tuesday's podcast tackles one of the questions I get asked most often: How Much Protein Do You Actually Need in Midlife? So be sure to catch it at Spotify or Apple podcasts or listen HERE.

And later this summer, I'll also be welcoming my first podcast guest—a fitness professional and personal trainer who will help us dive into strength training, muscle, metabolism and what actually works in midlife. You are going to want to hear this one! She'll be sharing some trade secrets to stay fit and build muscle FOR REAL in midlife. I'm excited for this one!

Until next time... Here's to more support, less forcing and a summer built on nourishment—not perfection.💛

Warmly,
Rima

​Smart Mouth Nutrition Founder | Elegantly Unhinged podcast host

About Smart Mouth Nutrition

I work with busy adults who are suffering from gut issues, fatigue, low mood, poor sleep, brain fog and are unable to lose weight. Forget fad diets, over-exercising and deprivation. I use a functional, integrative and client-centered approach to guide you in your personal wellness journey. We work together to get to the root cause. My philosophy is that small, SMART steps result in big, impactful changes for a healthy life, now and for the long term.

Want to learn more or have questions? Visit smartmouthnutrition.com or email rima@smartmouthnutrition.com today.