Guides
Everything we learn, written down.
Guides is Kaya's free library: plain-language, clinically grounded answers to the questions Central Texans actually ask about growing food, eating well, training for strength, and getting supervised care when it is needed. Every guide is dated, sourced, and clinically grounded. Free to read, no sign-up. This is education, not medical advice; care decisions stay with you and a licensed provider.
The field manual
Featured
Free arborist wood chips and what to ask before you accept a load
How free arborist chip delivery works in Central Texas, the six questions to ask before saying yes, why fresh piles heat up, and when to pay for screened mulch instead.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Five movement patterns: strength training with no gym and no coach
Squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry cover nearly everything. What each looks like at true beginner level, how to judge effort without a coach, and how to progress without buying heavier weights.
By Shankar Bellam · 8 min read
Growing FoodBuilding a no-till food garden on Central Texas clay and caliche
Cardboard, compost, and wood chips on top of clay and caliche, without a tiller. Where chips belong, the herbicide test for hay and manure, drip under mulch, and a first-year timeline.
By Shankar Bellam · 8 min read
Movement & StrengthProtecting muscle while you lose weight
Why weight lost in a calorie deficit can include a meaningful share of muscle, what resistance training and protein actually do, and the signs that you are losing the wrong tissue.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Growing FoodWatering a food garden through Central Texas drought restrictions
How to keep a Central Texas food garden alive under stage-based water restrictions, from drip under mulch and morning watering to rain barrels, swales, and honest August triage.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Growing FoodWhat to plant in Central Texas, month by month
A month-by-month planting calendar for Central Texas food gardens, from the February potato window to the September brassica season, and why fall here is the stronger of the two planting windows.
By Shankar Bellam · 8 min read
NutritionHow much protein do you actually need?
The 0.8 g/kg protein RDA is a floor to prevent deficiency, not a target. Here is what active adults and older adults actually need, and how to hit it with real food.
By Shankar Bellam · 8 min read
LocalWhere to find local food in Central Texas
A practical guide to farmers markets, CSA farm shares, and local food directories across Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, and College Station.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Navigating CareQuestions to ask before starting supervised weight care
Not all supervised weight programs are built the same. Use this checklist of questions to find a qualified provider and spot red flags before you begin.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Recovery & LongevitySleep: the recovery nobody sells you
Sleep consolidates memory, resets hunger signals, and repairs the body, and it costs nothing. Here is what 7-plus hours actually does, and how to protect it.
By Shankar Bellam · 8 min read
Movement & StrengthStrength training after 40: where to start
Adults lose 3 to 8 percent of muscle each decade after 30, and strength fades even faster. Here is why lifting matters more with age, and how to begin safely.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Weight & MetabolicWhat metabolic health actually means
Metabolic health comes down to five measurable markers. Here is what each one means, what the thresholds are, and why a provider checks them together.
By Shankar Bellam · 6 min read
Weight & MetabolicChoosing a medical weight-loss program in Central Texas
What separates physician-supervised weight loss from a med-spa package: credentials, labs, follow-up, and the questions to ask at clinics in Austin, Georgetown, and College Station.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
NutritionHow meal prep supports a weight-management plan
Why your food environment beats willpower, what the research says about planning and protein, and how Central Texas meal-prep partners make a supervised plan easier to keep.
By Shankar Bellam · 7 min read
Grounded in evidence. Written for humans.
Every guide is dated, sourced, and clinically grounded; when an article carries a medical reviewer, it shows that review and the date. We cite reputable sources, avoid outcome promises, and disclose our partner and affiliate relationships. When the evidence is mixed, we say so. This is education, not medical advice.
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