Tangy Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup kombucha vinegar
• ½ squeeze fresh lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper to test

Combine all ingredients and whisk. Drizzle over salad or use as a marinade for your proteins.

Change the flavor by swapping out the lemon for orange or pineapple.

ELIMINATION DIETS AND GUT HEALTH

To eliminate or not to eliminate, that is the question.

I get a lot of questions about an elimination diet.

-        Do elimination diets work?

-        What foods should I eliminate?

-        How long do I need to eliminate those foods?

-        What foods can I eat?

Elimination diets can be extremely effective and informative. BUT, can you stick it out?

Elimination diets:

• Help you discover which foods you may be sensitive or intolerant to. During this diet period it allows your body time to restore from the constant inflammatory response from certain foods triggering in your digestive and immune system.
• Add in nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory foods which help accelerate rebuilding & restoring a healthy internal environment for the digestive system.
• Typically eliminate gluten, grains, dairy, soy, nightshade vegetables, all processed foods, added sugars, peanuts...

What does GI symptoms and Thyroid health have in common? 

GUT HEALTH

When the thyroid gland is imbalanced it can result in digestive problems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), among other things. (1)

The gut and thyroid have a direct connection. When the thyroid gland produces too many hormones, this high level of hormones can result in Hyperthyroidism or Hypothyroidism, making the body experience several conflicting symptoms, a few of which affect the gut. (2)

As explained in my previous blog post, 4 Ways to Support Thyroid Health, I talk with my clients who have a thyroid condition about reviving the gut microbiota with a 5-step holistic approach.

One of the 5-steps is diet, another is stress management. Diet along with environmental triggers can stress out the body causing internal hidden stressors. 

Here are 4 ways you can support the thyroid by reducing internal stress. 

CROWD OUT GLUTEN AND DAIRY

If you have a food...

Feeling exhausted?

Feeling puffy - can’t lose weight? 

Feeling irregular?

Your doc has diagnosed it as thyroid dysfunction. You may have left the office with a prescription for life. 

In our modern day world of fast food and multi-tasking, more women are plagued with hormone imbalances and autoimmune conditions due to the external stressors of chemicals, poor food, high stress, and toxic bugs. 

The gut and thyroid have a direct connection. A healthy gut microbiota not only has beneficial effects on the activity of the immune system, but also on thyroid function. (1) 

So when a client comes to me with a thyroid condition we talk a lot about reviving the gut microbiota with a 5-step holistic approach.

One of the 5-steps is diet. Here are 4 ways you can support the thyroid through diet. 

CARBS -> CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE AND AMOUNT 

When it comes to thyroid health, certain carbs can be “bad.” Balancing your intake is important as...

School is back in session.

Sports are full throttle.

And corporate duties are never ending as you overachieve and outperform.

High quality meals can be hard to come by when you’re a SuperMOM. Protein at breakfast and lunch helps to stablize the blood sugar and reduces the amount of times you want to stand in the pantry snacking on processed food that doesn't really taste good. 

These protein balls can be used as a meal add-on or as a quick simple snack. I always make two batches as they freeze well for the next week or travel events. 

The Best Protein Balls

• 1 cup Artisana organic cashew butter
• 1 cup Ancient Nutrition vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp. mini DF Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cacao powder, plus extra for dusting
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp. Nutiva organic coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes, plus more for coating

Blend all ingredients, then form into balls and roll in...

Why does weight loss feel like a last-minute meeting scheduled on a Friday afternoon? 

Both promote cranky people and time away from drinking wine.

Losing weight can seem like a daunting task. There’s fear in giving up foods you love and fear in doing something different. Instead of approaching weight loss as a go-no-go situation, try following these simple tips to jumpstart your weight loss by increasing your metabolism first.  

Drink yourself silly: With water! 

Water is the cheapest weight loss drug on the market – buy into it Drinking water and herbal teas will help you feel full, prevent you from binge eating and will flush harmful toxins from your body. It may also boost your metabolism by improving the efficiency of your thyroid function. At a minimum, drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily. 

FIERCE TIP: Drink 12 oz of warm lemon water in the AM, before coffee!

Get quality Zzzzz’s: 

Perfect diet and a perfect...

A hopeful day is waking up feeling happy and empowered to crush it.

Reality is rolling out of bed, looking at your phone and seeing a string of emails from corporate, teachers, and coaches. Your brain immediately goes from SuperWoMOM to tireMOM. 

The next thing you know your day is triple booked with meetings and kid activities. Yet again, you end the day derailed from your wellness goals. 

You must give yourself permission to practice self-care to have a fulfilling life. Engaging in regular, high quality self-care is crucial; it has a positive ripple effect on our personal and professional success. Consider self-care as a high-leverage business tool, a tool which will help you climb the goal ladder. 

Participation in self-care will ebb and flow. The areas of your life that need balance will shift and the ways you want to fill those needs will change as well. How self-care looks in your life may change drastically from one chapter to the next, but it’s...

Did you grow up in the “low fat” era like me? I wonder how many low fat sugar loaded cookies I ate thinking, “these are REALLY good for me!”

I’ve wised up in my old age and have learned that fat is not bad and not all fats are created equal. 

The Skinny on Fats

Heavily processed, hydrogenated “trans” fats used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. They can compromise the cardiovascular system, immune system, and contribute to behavior problems. They can also lead to weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, and liver strain.

Our bodies need fat for insulation, vitamin and mineral absorption, and to protect our organs. High-quality fats can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair, and nails, and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly. 

By avoiding fat because you think you’re going to get fat is 1990’s thinking. Make it a habit to...

I love sharing a good find! 

Quality protein powders are HARD to come by. Most powders are heavily and chemically processed and contain fillers which bulk up the powders so the manufacture can save money. 

Paleovalley Bone Broth Protein is one of the "cleanest" powders I've seen on the market. I love the fact that the under the supplement facts where is says, "Other Ingredients:" it states NONE.

BINGO!

Clinical studies indicated bone broth is one of the most nourishing, anti-aging and gut supportive foods. (Not yet evaluated by FDA).

Ingredients to raise your eyebrow at and conduct research:

• Casein + WPC
• Gluten 
• Dextrins/Maltodextrin
• Artificial sweeteners
• Skim milk powders/milk solids
• Soy protein
• Vegetable oils and fats 
• Thickeners and gums
• Fillers 

Schedule a Break thru the Gut Rut strategy call with me today to start understanding your reactive foods and how to balance your system to start feeling good. Schedule your session here-> BREAK THRU

Be Gutsy...

Kids aren’t picky, they just know how to put on a great act!

When my son was 6 months old he had a cough for a year.  What I soon realized, the cough wasn't from being sick, it was him craving attention. It was an, “attention cough.”  I noticed the only time he coughed was when I wasn’t paying attention to him!  He would cough and I would come running.  Kids are born to get their parents' attention. 

Kids will do anything to get their way. But here’s one thing I learned when my kids were little, kids are human and they will not allow their bodies to go hungry (Duh).  

It’s not that they won’t eat broccoli, it’s that they know you’ll give them junk food if they beg, cry and scream bloody murder. They are SMART!! I mean, isn’t that what you do when you don’t get wine?  

Remember you’re the parent and your kids will leave the nest eating how they were taught.  If their childhood is full of finger foods or convenient drive-by fast foods they...