Ding, ding, ding….smart device notifications.   

“Mom, Dad, Mom, Dad!”...kid notifications.

The constant pressure of pivoting from one notification to the other naturally increases stress levels.

When the body is stressed out it increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol. In abundance, cortisol becomes catabolic. It breaks the body down, slows bodily functions, causes depression, digestive issues, weight gain, and more. I often see my stressed-out clients with poor gut health struggling to overcome their chronic digestive symptoms.

Cortisol also regulates blood sugar levels so when you’re physically and mentally stressed it can cause blood sugar levels to increase. The blood sugar roller coaster effect causes an imbalance which increases your chances of binge eating, craving junk food, restless sleep, and uncontrollable mood swings.

The good news is there are natural supplements and herbs right in your kitchen for regulating blood...

“HELP! I love to drink and eat on the weekends. I don’t want to ruin everything I did during the week. “

Are your weekdays like: Get the kids out the door with pants on (shoes are iffy), attend 7 meetings a day while finding time to pee at least once, pick the kids up and cart them around like #ubermom, get the kids fed and into bed before we go bat-shit-crazy. 

No wonder it’s like “mom’s gone wild” on the weekend, look at all you do during the week!  If you continue down the path of “gone wild,” the 7 bottles of wine plus 5 sleeves of cookies every Saturday morning :) will eventually catch up with your booty and you’ll be +20 lbs at the end of the year. 

So, what’s a mom to do?  

6 Ways to Lose Weight When You Need to Decompress on the Weekends

You just completed another week of being SuperMom.  You gave everything you had and now you want to Netflix and Chill. 

Losing weight does...

Do you have trouble falling asleep? 

Or are you the type that tosses and turns between the hours of 2-4 am (that's a sign of gut imbalance)? And no matter what sleep app or supplement you try, you just can’t fall back to sleep which creates that morning hangover effect. 

Unfortunately when you’re tired you turn to the very things which are known to interrupt your sleep patterns.  Items such as coffee, sugar, processed foods, and alcohol. It’s a vicious cycle of “I need energy, I am tired, I need energy, I am tired.”

Your body rejuvenates itself during the sleep cycle.  If you want to be more productive, have more endurance, and be in a better mood, then you need to get quality Zzzzz’s!

The gut microbiome supports the way you sleep.  So when you’re caught up in the vicious cycle of feeding your gut with processed energy boosters the gut gets confused and produces hormones which directly affect sleep. A balance of the...

Burgers, Buns, and Beers - the classic American summer weekend meal.

But these classics can leave you with gut rot and feeling like you need a nap during your Monday conference calls. 

Here’s 3 quick tips to ditch the bloat & energize yourself -> 

Tip 1

The obvious: Hydrate with lots of water

Take it one step further: To jumpstart your digestive system and help flush out the toxins make my Gut Revive AM concoction.

• 16 ounces of room temperature or warm water 
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon or lime
• 1 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Dash of unrefined sea salt

Tip 2

The obvious: Eat clean

Foods high in antioxidants like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, dark chocolate, pecans, kale, and spinach are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body cells and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation. (1) AKA - antioxidants help sweep up the toxins.

Take it one step further: Take a glutathione...

“How do I boost my gut health without taking a bunch of supplements?”

Sound familiar? It’s a question I frequently get asked.

Here’s 3 quick tips to address that question-> 

• Fermented foods
• A diverse diet - rich in high quality fruits & veggies
• Run a GI Map test and discover what supplements your unique gut will respond best too 

Fermented foods have been around for thousands of years and are slowly making a comeback. Kombucha seems to be leading the charge with the fizz stacked in rows in grocery stores, gas stations, and even bars. Believe it or not, kombucha is extremely easy to brew. I’ve been brewing for almost a year and have created flavors ranging from earthly herb to fruity pebbles. 

Tempeh is another fermented food I enjoy because it’s so versatile. Traditional tempeh is fermented soybeans. During the fermentation process acids are processed which control gut compromising pathogens like salmonella. (Hutchins 1995)...

Years of painful skin dermatitis on my hands was one of my first signs of poor gut health. Years of over the counter and prescription steroid creams never worked and left me feeling like my raw, irritated hands was something I’d have to deal with for life. Little did I know my dermatitis would disappear after I balanced my gut bacteria and rebuilt my gut lining. 

Before I was certified I didn’t realize the strong connection between the gut and skin. Now I understand that skin can be negatively impacted by poor gut health, chemicals, makeup, junk foods, stress, and more. These variables can cause many side effects, including acne, dryness, red marks, and even wrinkles.  

The skincare industry has us by every “wrinkle, cellulite bump, pimple, and dark spot.” It is a multi billion dollar industry with new potions coming on the market faster than my kids can run to the ice cream truck. The probiotic-packed skincare position even started cropping up...

Oops! You received an email from me earlier this week welcoming you to my Gut Revival program. This was an accident. I was trying to multitask at 6:35am and my brain wasn’t working yet!

So I thought I would send you one of my favorite gut friendly protein bar recipes from the Gut Revival Recipe book. This recipe is perfect for summer as it contains the aromatic zesty punch of lemon and may help to relieve you from the burger & beer belly bloat.

Lemon is a potent antioxidant which helps to reduce gut inflammation and boost the immune system. Lemon is also a natural antimicrobial which helps to balance gut bacteria reducing the chances of wearing spanx under your swimsuit.  

Lemon Sesame Cacao Bars

Makes about 10 bars

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

½ cup raw cacao nibs

3 tablespoons sunbutter

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

1 cup sesame seeds

1 tablespoon lemon zest

8 pitted Medjool dates (soak for about 30 min if hard)

cup shredded...

The gut-skin connection. 

How much attention do you give your skin?

The money you pour into ageless potions and lotions adds up. I get it, I used to have a cabinet dedicated to my fountain of youth potions. 

It wasn’t until I focused on reviving my poor gut health did I start reducing the amount of products I lathered on my body. 

One key element I’ve learned in my gut health research is it’s not only about what you eat, but rather what you absorb. This comes to both skin and digestion. When you have a healthy gut you will obtain the skin-supporting nutrients vitamins A, C, E, K2, B3, B5 along with the minerals selenium, zinc, silica and sulfur and omega-3 fats.

The products you absorb through your skin also directly affect your microbiome. Personal care product effects last for weeks and produce highly individualized responses, including alterations in steroid and pheromone levels and in bacterial and archaeal ecosystem structure and dynamics. (1)

...

If you’re tired of dealing with your gut health conditions - gas, bloat, stomach pain, food sensitivities, brain fog, low immunity, aches & pains….the list is lengthy my friend and you’re feeling really confused on where to start here my top 4 places to focus. 

1. Get Your Gut Moving!

Your GI tract is the primary way your body gets rid of metabolic wastes and dangerous chemicals. If you are constipated, you are essentially poisoning yourself as the toxins are recirculating back into your body. Studies show that being constipated changes what microbes are dominant in your gut. (1) The microbes associated with pathogenic diseases take over your GI tract and release toxins. Get this drainage pathway moving regularly. This might even help you lose a few of those stubborn pounds!

2. Make Sure Your Liver Bile Duct Is Open

The liver bile duct is another drainage pathway you should keep flowing. One function of healthy gut bacteria is to take your bile salts and...

Salad - if you follow me on Instagram you know I’m a fan of #bigasssalads. A bowl full of leafy greens, a simple protein, and healthy fat makes for a balanced lunch. But, when it comes to feeding your healthy gut bacteria, diversity is crucial in your diet. 

There are different species of gut bacteria and each have different functions. If you continue to only feed one type of species your gut may become overpopulated with a certain species. Overpopulation of any species can lead to gut dysbiosis. Getting a variety of different types of fiber into the diet increases the growth of healthy bacteria species and increases production of beneficial byproducts. 

Roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them. They are especially rich in soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps to boost the health of gut bacteria (1)

Why Eat...