If all you had to do to lose weight was thoroughly chew your food, would you focus on that effort? 

Losing weight and ditching the bloat starts with chewing your food properly. Digestion begins in your mouth. The minute you smell or start chewing food enzymes are released from your digestive system which includes the mouth. The enzymes released in your mouth help to break down carbohydrates.

A professional working mom’s life is not set up for long lunch breaks or peaceful dinners at the kitchen table. It requires healthy meals to accommodate a need for speed.

Shoveling food without proper breakdown sets the stage for poor digestion.  Poor digestion opens the floodgate to unwanted symptoms like:  weight gain, acne, poor sleep, hormonal issues, adrenal fatigue, constipation, acne, IBS, low sex drive, mood swings, and food allergies! Most importantly, when you do not digest properly your body cannot transform your food into energy. 

I hear this all the time...

When you’re the household CEO it’s difficult to plan healthy meals as well as healthy snacks. If you caught my last blog post 8 Simple Belly Busting Snacks you know that snacks may be the missing ingredient to weight loss. 

Just as meal prepping can be extremely helpful in weight loss so can snack prepping. If you’re snack ill-prepared it can lead to grabbing handfuls of chocolate chips and countless dives into the peanut butter jar.

Before derailing yourself one more night, consider these methods of having healthy snacks ready to go when you or your family need a quick bite.

Balance Snacks Equally

Yin-Yang is an important concept in weight loss. When your circle of life is imbalanced you will experience symptoms like being unable to lose stubborn weight. When you crave salty it’s an indication of a mineral imbalance. When you crave sweets it’s an indication you need a source of energy. 

Plan out equal amounts of healthy salty and sweet snacks...

Skipping meals, depriving, and cutting calories each day may be the WORST way to lose weight!

What if I told you, you may be the person who can lose weight on snacks? 

Yes, there are people who do well on mini meals!

If you live in a stressed-out body, tackling the constant chaos of corporate and household CEO, than you may be the body type which strives on mini meals.  

Mini meals/snacks keep your blood sugar stable. A stressed-out body craves the constant need for stabilization and energy.  

Here are some of my favorite go to snacks:

• ¹⁄₄ cup raw seeds or nuts with 1 tsp of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1-2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter, almond butter, hemp seed butter, or pumpkin seed butter mixed with ¼ scoop  vanilla collagen powder. Try Ancient Nutrition Vanilla Collagen or Ancient Nutrition Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 sliced cucumber with sea salt + a dash of cayenne
• Fresh figs + ½ cup coconut yogurt
• 1 apple, ¹⁄₂ banana, ¹...

Stressed Out?

Stress not only thinks you need wine at 6pm but also depletes your mineral reserves causing exhaustion. 

When you crave items like chocolate it’s your body’s signal that there is a magnesium and hormone imbalance. 

Instead of sneaking into the pantry for multiple handfuls of chocolate chips try crushing your chocolate craving with my two new favorite healthy chocolate product picks:

LMNT Chocolate Mint

Taste: A

LMNT Lab has several flavors, raspberry being one of my favorites, but if you’re looking for a weight-friendly alternative to hot chocolate I recommend swapping out the chemical infested hot chocolate packets with the LMNT Mint Chocolate. 

Recipe: 

Mix ½ Mint Chocolate packet with 8 oz of vanilla almond milk.  

Nutritional Value: A (compared to packaged hot chocolate)

Pro: Dairy free, sugar free, stabilize blood sugar, energy boost

Con: Not real chocolate

Crio Bru - Brewed Cacao

Taste: A

This sample pack...

Fermented foods have been around for centuries and were highly consumed before fast food monopolized the industry.

If you’ve tried kombucha or REAL yogurt (not the sweet treats you find in the grocery store) then you’ve at least experienced the microbe rich food.

I used to turn my nose to my dad’s basement fermentation process. It looked like a science lab project, collecting mold. It wasn’t until I obtained my Fermentationist certification did I realize all the benefits of fermented foods.

The Greek meaning of probiotic is ‘for life’. The fermentation process transforms food into a substance that is rich in probiotics (good bacteria) which is beneficial for your health. Fermented foods feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, helping to increase the number of good microbes, while crowding out harmful ones.

Various studies have proven that unfriendly gut bacteria are associated with obesity. “Good” bacteria help digest food, fight off...

Nine years ago when I thought I was losing my health, I went to my doctor. 

It was a time I could barely function without side shots of sugar. My energy level was in the tank. I would pass out in my 3 year old’s bed before 7 pm. I was scared. I was going to be one of those professional working moms that had to give up her career to figure out how to “DO IT ALL.” 

I thought there was something really wrong with me. I was a walking zombie, I had constant stomach aches, I had uncontrollable mood swings, I never pooped and I could barely get out of bed in the morning.

One night, I was reading a level 1 book to my son. I turned the page and started stuttering. The words stuck in my brain were unable to make it to my tongue for my 3 yr old to hear. 

What the heck was wrong with me?

I laid there confused and SCARED. 

How was an educated woman, years of high level education, unable to read a level 1 book? 

This was at the height of my over-dieting,...

Was your 2021 extraordinary? Full of unpredictable events which put you on an emotional roller coaster.

Corporate was no exception. A schedule full of triple booked meetings and eating meals through a straw for an energy boost became normal.

The modern-day mom lifestyle of eating PC (processed crap), swallowing food whole, or eating the wrong foods for your body deprives your cells of the type of fuel it requires to tackle the hustle & bustle.

To beat the painful feeling and look of the bulging belly bloat, step one is chewing your food properly. This means slowing down and pausing while you eat.

I know this may seem like an impossible task, but your body needs to be in the rest & digest state to perform the digestion functions properly.

If you are stressed, anxious, or emotional you will ignite your "fight or flight” system which halts the body's digestive functions.

Digestion is about transforming your food into fuel and when you slow down it allows your body to...

Eat chocolate. 

Yes, eat chocolate! Dark chocolate that is.

Did you know that if you crave chocolate there is a good chance you’re depleted in the mineral magnesium? What causes this depletion? Super MOM stress!

Dark Chocolate contains 70% cocoa and is loaded with beneficial flavonoids. It helps in maintaining cardiovascular health, preventing diabetes, and even lowering the risk of cancer. The flavonoids in dark chocolate are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits which prevent premature aging and doctor visits. 

Not only is dark chocolate great for the immune system it can also aid in weight loss and gut health! 

Weight Loss

Eating dark chocolate before having your meal is helpful in controlling your portions as it makes you feel satiated for longer. The chocolate triggers hormones in the body that make you feel fuller for longer and makes you eat less consequently.

Gut Health

Chocolate is considered a prebiotic that is rich,...

What are your holiday triggers? 

Do you salivate at the sight of peppermint bark?

Or wear your extra stretchy yoga pants when you know mashed potatoes is being served? 

During the holidays, it’s important to take note of your triggers and understand when you feel tempted to overdo it with food. Ignoring the triggers will lead to weight gain & gut rot.

Here are some examples:

• Attending a cocktail party or a wedding
• Corporate cafeteria leftovers (you know, the area people bring all the items they don’t want at home.) 
• When you’re watching TV
• Desserts delivered to the house for the holidays
• Bringing treats to your kid’s school
• Preparing food for a party you’re throwing
• Family or corporate holiday parties
• Cocktail parties with drinks and tons of hor deserves

Holiday Hot Tip: PLAN AHEAD

Make SURE TO PLAN before you attend a gathering or party. 

Find out what will be served: If possible, ask the host what kinds of foods and...

The holiday season can literally take the spirits right out of you. Between the end of the year career chaos, secret Santa gifts, holiday recitals and parties, you can be left wearing Santa's pants and feeling drained. 

Avoid the holiday beat down with this Holiday Survival Checklist.

 Gathering Survival Tips

1.  Plan Ahead

• Know what is being served
• Offer to bring a healthy option
• Pack a healthy snack
• Don’t show up hungry 

2.  Hydrate

• Drink water daily. Each morning drink 12 oz. of water before coffee. Sip on warm water throughout the day 

3.  Say No

• Practice the 80/20 Rule 

4.  Taste

• Check in with yourself. Would self-care be more appropriate than food?
• Ask for healthy options
• Slow down & enjoy each bite
• Savor the moment – It’s about the conversations 

5.  De-Bloat & Re-Set

• Drink elixir - AM
• Drink chlorophyll drink - Evening
• Move body - Daily 

Motto: “I deserve to enjoy celebrating...