Who Would You Be?
Shifting our perspective . . .
Shifting our perspective can be so incredibly challenging when we are imprisoned by our own thoughts, the thoughts of others and those we surround ourselves with on a daily basis.
I was listening to a podcast on being a prisoner of our own mind this morning. And let’s face it, most of us are stuck somewhere and it is through the experiences, people, places, situations, relationships, etc. that we draw to us that reflect back to us where we are not FREE.
What does it mean to feel stuck or a lack of freedom?
To me, a lack of freedom means we are somewhere stuck in fear; fear of something. Let’s take for example, and I will get personal here:
My son is 17, he will be 18 at the end of his junior year in high school. At this time he is either fucking with me, or is indeed, counting down the days until he can move in with his dad. This makes me super sad as I want to be involved in his life his last year in high school. Not only does it trigger sadness, it triggers fear. Fear of loss, fear of missing out on my the mundane of my kiddo’s last school year at home, fear of being unloved, undervalued, that I screwed up, that I am the least favorite and where did I go wrong? Not that I am aiming for favorite, but it makes me question all that I have done for the past 17 years to make him believe that living with just his dad would make his life that much better. Number 1, I have to consider that this may NOT even happen and that if I focus on my fear, it is more likely to manifest. Then I must reflect on where I have entrapped myself in some ridiculous thoughts that simply are not true, and I have to figure out how to shift my perception, or reframe the story I have created in my head so that I can feel the freedom, peace and harmony I am trying to create and experience in my life.
So . . . take a few moments to think about where you are stuck, imprisoned and feel a lack of freedom in your life?
And then. . . ask yourself:
Who would you be and what becomes available in the absence of ALL of your concerns?
This means, ALL of your concerns . . .the concerns of your parents, spouse, children, financial responsibilities, any and all of the roles you have assumed during this lifetime, the what ifs, your fears, insecurities, the labels you have given to yourself, all of the judgment and shame you have taken on, absolutely ALL of your concerns.
Healthy Through The Holidays
As we head into winter and the holiday season, typically followed by what many call flu season, I wanted to share my tips for staying healthy! Just based on observations and experience, it is no wonder we fall victim to the various viruses and bugs that sweep through a community around the holidays. Holidays induce a lot of stress on the body and when the body is under stress, the immune system is weakened and the body becomes prone to illness.
Often times this begins as early as Halloween when we are surrounded by candy corn, our favorite chocolates, the leftover treats from the kids pillowcases and we over indulge on sugar. Sugar is known to weaken our immune system for several hours after we consume it and if we keep going back to the candy bowl, our immune system stays in that state for much longer. With the holidays full of stressors: family, friends, activities, parties, lots of food and often times late evenings, we set ourselves up to go down and this is definitely an awful time to go down!
Here is what I have found keeps me and my family healthy throughout the holidays. It has become a bit more challenging with older kids as I am not with them all the time. There are some days I might just see them walk from the front door to the bedroom, but I do my best to still get some high quality, nutrient dense foods and supplements into their bodies.
1.Limit sugar intake. It is hard to eliminate this as we are tempted almost everywhere. Just do your best. If given the choice between cake (which I don’t eat gluten any longer), or a piece of dark chocolate, have the dark chocolate. If attending a party, you could also choose to bring a dessert, making a healthier version. Sometimes I will go ahead and have my square of dark chocolate before I go somewhere if I think I will be tempted.
2.Do your best to maintain a normal sleep schedule. Sleep is imperative for our health and well being as this is when our body has the opportunity to restore and heal itself. If we are not getting enough sleep, this can begin to wreak havoc on our bodily functions. Lack of sleep can actually make you fatter, biologically older and more at risk for heart disease and diabetes.
3. Your Super Green Powder and/or Juice Plus every day! Sometimes I take both supplements, or sometimes just one or the other. Same with my kids. If I use the Super Greens for my kids, I mix them in a smoothie. If I take the Super Greens I will either mix them with a swig of water and shoot them or add them to my Your Super Chocolate Lover mix.
4. Vitamin D 3 2,000-4000 IUs every day, especially during the winter because we just can’t get the amount of sun exposure we need each to supply us with the necessary levels. There is a widespread debate in the medical community about the optimal Vitamin D levels, and the answer is going to be unique to an individual. Too much Vitamin D might have as much negative consequence as too little. A deficiency in Vitamin D may show up as: increased calcium loss from bones, poor wound healing, increased muscle pain, increased joint and back pain, greater risk of depression, increased schizophrenia, increased migraines, increased autoimmune disease, increased allergies, increased risk of inflammation and cancers. If you have never had your Vitamin D levels checked, I highly recommend asking your doctor to test your levels so you can get a baseline. Most of the functional medicine practitioners I follow recommend having levels between 40-60 ng/mL.
5. Bone broth. I would like to say I drink this every day but I don’t. I do however drink a mug of bone broth several days a week and what I don’t drink I use for other soups and to simmer veggies in for stir fry. How often were you fed a bowl of chicken noodle soup when you were sick? Bone broth has been used for centuries for its healing properties. Personally, I don’t recommend what comes in a Campbell’s soup can or a bouillon cube, but those might work. I am thinking about home made, fresh bone broth loaded with the collagen (an easily absorbed protein), good fats, fat-soluble vitamins and minerals which counter inflammation, support the joints and skin and boost your immune system. Bone broth is also a wonderful way to soothe the walls of the intestinal tract healing leaky gut and improving overall digestion. During the winter months, bone broth is a great addition to your daily diet. Click here for my Easy Peezy Chicken Bone Broth Recipe!
6. Find a way to wind down and relax. Find stillness. When our body is stressed, whether it is a physical stressor (YES, even exercise can stress the body); we are emotionally stressed; maybe we have a lot going on environmentally (too many parties, high pressure work environments, toxic relationships, home environments, and chemicals in the environment); nutritionally (way too much or the wrong kinds of foods) and lastly we lose sight of our spiritual life we are more prone to illness. Make sure you make time for you!
7. Magnificent magnesium. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 chemical reactions in the body. Studies show that more than 48% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t take magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate. If you struggle with: muscle cramps or twitches, muscle pain and tightness, insomnia, irritability, sensitivity to loud noises, anxiety, autism, ADD, palpitations, angina, constipation, anal spasms, headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, asthma, kidney stones, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, PMS, menstrual cramps, irritable bladder, irritable bowel syndrome, reflux, trouble swallowing, insulin resistance and high inflammation. I like magnesium glycinate and magnesium citrate because they are more readily absorbed by the body, magnesium citrate if you struggle with constipation at all.
8. Omega- 3 essential fatty acids are important for our brain health and the levels of overall inflammation in the body. They are also important because they are imperative for the certain bodily functions. They regulate oxygen use, electron transportation and energy production (these are the most important processes occurring in the cells); support the production of secretions of digestive enzymes; help make the lubricants that allow joints to move effectively; help transport cholesterol in the blood; help to generate electrical currents and keep the heart rate regular; needed by the tissues of the brain, retina, adrenal glands and testes; help immune function in fighting infection; help balance the immune system and prevent allergies; ensure proper nerve transmission from one nerve to the next – especially in the memory and concentration areas of the brain; and ensure adequate bone formation and repair. Essential fatty acids can be found fish, flax and chia seeds, and walnuts to name a few. I personally take Trader Joe’s fish oil every day, as it has been recommended based on it’s purity through my functional medicine coaching program, along with eating chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts throughout the week.
Vitamin C, say where?
Did you know that there is now a label for those who are nature-deprived? This seems insane to me considering all the health benefits one can gain by simply being outside!With the spring weather, the warm sunshine, the chirp of the birds, I feel drawn to bask in the beauty of nature!
Several years ago, I went foraging for wild, edible mushrooms but while out in the woods I also learned to identify some other wild edible foods. One of my favorites you can find on just about any street, in any neighborhood or park in Louisville, is that of the blossoms of the Eastern Redbud Tree. Each time I go walking I always stop to indulge in the tiny little flowers of the redbud tree!
The picture above captures a branch of red, pink, magenta blossoms found in late March and April. These flowers are fun to just pop in your mouth, savor for a moment and then chew up! They offer a refreshing burst of flavor, what I consider to taste like a mix of celery and a green apple. “According to a study published in Economic Botany, redbud flowers were found to have a significantly higher vitamin C content than most common domesticated fruits and vegetables , including oranges. (Debbie, Thomas M. and Ogzewalla C. Dwayne. Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin A Content of Edible Wild Plants of Ohio and Kentucky.)”
The next time you take a walk, consider trying some for yourself. They also can add a great splash of color to your next fresh green salad!
Your Oxygen Mask Goes On First
Upon heading down the runway for take off, we are told in case of an emergency we are to put on our oxygen mask first, then we can help others.
Of course, if our oxygen mask isn’t on first then we will not be able to operate at 100 % in order to assist others. It is true of LOVE
as well. We must have self-care and self-love in order to truly love others.
I was listening to a podcast this morning called Magic Lessons by Elizabeth Gilbert and the discussion was about just this …
What have you been sacrificing in your life what is deep within you that you are letting fall by the wayside in order to take care of others? Is it artistic expression thru drawing, painting, sculpture? Is it dancing or creative movement or singing? Is it playing a musical instrument? Is it skipping an exercise program or going to lengths ot make from scratch muffins? Is it not fulfilling your dream to go to college?
By tapping into the root of who we are, even if it means a little less time for the others in our lives, will allow us to serve them along with all of humanity from a more loving space.
Check in, do a body scan, do a sacrifice scan, do a dream scan to find out exactly how you can better serve yourself so that you may become a more powerful and loving force in the world. In doing so, those around you will also see the value and learn from the benefits of putting their own oxygen mask on as well.
Namaste!
Find your light…over and over and over again!
The Mighty Kiwi
When it comes to healing the gut microbiome it really is incredibly unique to each and every one of us! We all have a microbiome, but the bacteria that makes up our microbiome may not contain the same bacteria and likely doesn’t. What we do know is that two super beneficial bacteria needed in the gut are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. For a variety of reasons, often times due to an overuse of antibiotics, these are lacking which is why they are recommended after a round of antibiotics. Many times your doctor might recommend eating yogurt to help restore your gut flora, or even probiotics in a capsule, both of which can be very beneficial. However, I want to share with you some cool facts I recently learned about the powerhouse of benefits found in the light green, fleshy kiwifruit!
The kiwifruit actually originated in China, eventually making its way to New Zealand in 1904 where it was later cultivated. In 1959, the kiwifruit found its way to the United States where it is now grown in California.
So why eat kiwifruit if you are trying to heal your gut?
According to William W. Li, MD in Eat to Beat Disease ,
“Researchers from the National University of Singapore conducted a study to examine the effect of kiwifruit on the gut microbiome. They fed six female volunteers the equivalent of two kiwifruits a day for four days (total 8 fruits) and looked at changes in their fecal microbiome. The differences appeared rapidly. They found that the presence of Lactobacillus was increased by 35% within twenty-four hours of eating kiwi. Another bacteria, Bifidobacteria, increased gradually by 17 percent over four days in most (83 percent) of the subjects. Both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria are considered beneficial gut bacteria that produce SCFAs (short-chain-fatty acids), which help lower inflammation. The SCFAs help to maintain the integrity of the gut lining to prevent digested food from leaking out, and they improve glucose and lipid metabolism.”*
In addition to aiding the gut by increasing and restoring balance amongst beneficial gut bacteria, and assisting with helping to coat the membrane of the gut (gut lining) which lends to what is commonly referred to as ‘leaky gut’, the kiwifruit:
Has more potassium than a banana
More Vitamin C than an orange
More Vitamin E & K than an avocado
Contains chlorogenic acid and quinic acid that have antioxidant effects in the body*
Researchers at Rowett Research Institute in Scotland found that eating kiwifruit reduces DNA damage by approximately 60%*
Kiwi was not a fruit I was typically buying on a regular basis. It used to be I would buy them and I found they would sit on my counter until they were no long edible, going totally wasted! To think I wasted this mighty fruit is unthinkable now, well any food that goes wasted is really a travesty, but to think I threw out all the goodness this fruit had to offer is a shame! Hence they had not been on my grocery list in awhile, but upon learning of their health benefits, they are now a staple on my list!
*Li, William W. MD; Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself
Sugar Solutions
Where do we begin with sugar?
The average American is eating 152 pounds of sugar each year, which translates to about 3 pounds of sugar (or 6 cups) each week. THIS IS TOOOOO MUCH! No wonder we SICK, FAT and NOT THRIVING!
Sugar
Spikes your dopamine, requiring you to eat more sugar to get that ‘sugar high’ effect
It increases your risk of systemic, silent inflammation and weight gain
Too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance (the precursor to diabetes and heart disease)
Weakens the immune system
Creates fertile ground for cancer, dementia, depression, infertility, acne and more
When it comes to the gut and your microbiome, it fuels candida (yeast) overgrowth
Is highly addictive
Is hidden under a bunch of names on your ingredient label: cane sugar, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, beet sugar, date sugar, grape sugar, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, dextran, dextrose, sorbitol, corn syrup, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup (HCFS), fructose syrup, corn sugar, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, barley malt, caramel, carob syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, lactose, molasses, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar
Are you addicted to sugar? It is hidden in almost everything you eat! How does one avoid sugar? I want to share my tips on cutting back to almost ZERO sugar here. It isn’t the easiest thing to do, but there really is no nutritional value to these added calories. And although the natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup and coconut sugars have some healing properties, one must consciously make wise choices when needing a hint of sweetness.
Slow and easy wins the race in my world! In an ideal world, you might eliminate it all at once, but when I eliminate things all at once, I rarely succeed (except for when I quit smoking cigarettes.) .
I bought the book, I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson. Her book offers some great tips and will literally walk you through an 8 week sugar detox program.
I highly recommend switching over to the three mentioned above: honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and even better Stevia, monk fruit or xylitol (these still should just be used in moderation as we are trying to re-train our tastebuds). There are loads of recipes on the internet, as well as in Sarah’s book that use healthier alternatives to sweeten desserts. Another book I love for desserts is Sweet and Natural by Meredith McCarty.
Avoid artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, any diet sodas)
Start eliminating packaged foods because they almost ALL have sugar! Eliminating packaged food would be ideal, but let’s face it, we live in today’s world which is why I encourage, along with most of the functional medicine world an 80/20 or 90/10 lifestyle!
Aside from packaged foods, I would begin to reduce any and all baked goods as these foods send a message to the brain to crave more sugar. They also tend to be the foods we reach for when we are seeking comfort! They are pick me ups when we are down and out, and on the opposite side of that coin, they are used as celebratory foods as well. The more we eat them, the more we crave them.
Implement the CROWD OUT eating technique. Eat so many good, healthy, wholesome, REAL foods that you don’t even have room for the sugar. AS you eat more wholesome and healthy foods, the body will naturally begin to crave healthier and more wholesome foods.
Add Super Foods! I love Your Super powder mixes and right now through the end of Black Friday you can enjoy 25% off your entire purchase! These products are non-gmo, certified organic, super clean, soy free, dairy free, gluten free; and free from sweeteners, fillers, additives, preservatives and anything artificial.
Increase your protein and healthy fats. Fat and protein fill us up! They send the message to the brain that we are satiated while helping to curb the cravings. Get used to grabbing a handful of nuts in the afternoon instead of the quick sugary snack bar to get you through the afternoon. Choose fats like ghee and coconut oil. You can even eat ghee by the spoonfuls. They have some delightful flavors out there.
If you are really wanting something sweet, keep some 85% dark chocolate around (well, anything above 72%) for when you get desperate. Desperate times can call for desperate measures, like that afternoon when you are feeling like you want to pull your hair out! I’d rather reach for a square of dark chocolate, or a nut mix I have made at home with some 72% dark chocolate chips than something store bought that is likely not as healthy.
Be gentle with yourself. One step at a time. Honor your mind, body and spirit! And when you fall off, just imagine you are a small child. What would you do if a small child feel down, or fell off a horse? You would likely take them by the hand, help them back up, kiss their hurts, and hug their little bodies. Imagine that little child is you and just LOVE yourself up!
Be sure to check out these articles:
Pomegranates Pack A Powerful Punch
Pomegranates are packed with a an immune boosting, cancer fighting ? punch!
Functional medicine is built on the belief that all ‘dis-ease’ begins in the gut. If our microbiome, or gut bacteria ? population is out of balance and a specific bacteria is taken over, then we may experience illness and an imbalance in our health.
Akkermansia muciniphila make up 1-3 % of all bacteria in our gut, but this particular bacteria has a huge impact on our overall wellness, so if it has been overtaken by say e.g. candida then our immune system won’t function at its best. Akkermansia:
helps control immune system
improves blood glucose metabolism
decreases gut inflammation
combats obesity
In 2015, researchers found that Akkermansia is one of the key healthy gut bacteria present in the gut and with this bacteria, and patients with this bacteria are more likely to respond to their cancer treatment than those who don’t have it. Pomegranates are high in bioactives that promote growth of Akkermansia!
For specifics on research, message me. Some details cited from Eat to Beat Diseaseby William Li, MD.
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Flourless Chocolate Chip Brownies
I always find it hard to restrict myself from certain foods, especially when it comes to sweet treats. After exploring and tweaking many recipes, this one has become one of our favorites. Not only is this the dessert we took to Thanksgiving this year, we also enjoy it for breakfast some mornings as well. Plus, it is super duper easy and you can pronounce all of the ingredients.