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...

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...

A common food ingredient I see on my client’s food sensitivity & GI Map test results is GLUTEN. Gluten sensitivity can cause gut inflammation, intestinal permeability, weight management issues, and damage to the gut biome. 

Giving up any food even though you know it makes you sick can be difficult. Especially for an ingredient like gluten because it’s found in wheat, which is typically a big part of your normal diet. 

I mean, how does one live without these salad toppers or these morning kickoff foods??? No fear, it’s possible and you will learn to love it!

Foods that usually contain gluten:

• Bread, pita, bagels, flatbread, rolls
• Pasta
• Cakes, crackers, and biscuits
• Cereal and granola
• Croutons
• French fries
• Gravies and sauces
• Salad dressings and vinegars
• Processed meats
• Soy sauce
• Snack and bars
• Potato chips and tortilla chips
• Stuffing

Maintaining a certain diet or avoiding certain ingredients when you work at home can be easier to follow but as...

My obsession with bone broth is REAL!

I walked into my functional medicine doc 8 years ago with high heels and booshie corporate clothes. On the outside I had it all together. A “highly successful young professional mom” living the Super WoMOM “she does it all” type of life.

“You’ve got it together Mar!” “How do you do it all Mar?” Common questions from others.

On the inside I was a wrecking ball. My brain was mush, I was drained constantly searching for energy boosting sugar sources, and my stomach was plagued with painful bloat and gas.

When I discovered I had an imbalance in my gut bacteria, leaky gut, food sensitivities, and brain fog my Doc placed me on a lifestyle protocol to reduce my symptoms naturally instead of turning to pills to fix a specific issue.

One of my favorite products for restoring the body has been Bone Broth. It's also been been an integral product in most of my client’s personalized protocols.

Bone...

Here’s the real deal: There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for wellness, but there are things you can do to support your own unique blueprint and it starts in the gut.

Inflammation and irritation are the two main contributing factors to your muffin top, belly blah, and “Holiday Fatigue Syndrome.”

By addressing certain factors through a systematic, no fluff, simple-to-follow approach, you can begin to restore balance, proper gut function, and open up your detoxification system which allows for long lasting weight loss.

The 4-Week Gut Revival Holiday Edition is not specific to any single condition but rather - it supports the pillars of gut health.

After completing this program, you may experience relief from symptoms, weight loss, and more balanced digestion.

With this program you get:

•  4 Weeks of Suggested Meals and a Shopping List
•  30-Day Gut Health Calendar
•  A Food Mood Diary
•  Educational Guide
•  Handout / Worksheets / Quiz...

If you find yourself stuck in the holiday gut rut year over year, a little weight gain and an extra pair of stretchy pants in your Amazon cart, I encourage you to educate yourself on gut health.

Your gut bugs may be the one thing causing you to eat the stale Halloween candy or liking the social media ad for a sweatshirt which reads, “Thou Shall Not Try Me.” 

When there is an imbalance in your gut health (dysbiosis) it can cause an influx of toxins. These toxins can block hunger hormone receptors modifying your eating behaviors causing you to eat Aunt Mel’s fruit cake. The hunger hormones which regulate satiety are activated by binding to bacteria. So the feelings of hunger are coordinated with the diversity of your microbiota. (1)  

Symptoms from gut dysbiosis or toxic bacteria show up as “common” life nags.

Side effects of poor gut health include:

•  Fatigue
•  Weight gain
•  Gastrointestinal issues (IBS, IBD, Constipation,...

"Do I need a probiotic?"

"Do I need to spend a lot of money on a probiotic?"

"Do I need to take a probiotic everyday?"

Common questions I hear from my clients and the same questions I asked myself before diving deep into my gut health journey. Before my gut health education I too was hella confused by all the professional gut health jargon. 

The truth is, you are exposed to stores and websites LINED with probiotics supplements which leaves you confused and empty handed.  It can be a grueling task to choose the right probiotic supplement, so how do you decide which probiotic is right for you?

Here are simple tips to guide you towards choosing the best probiotic supplement.

REVIEW THE COLONY FORMING UNITS (CFUs)

CFUs, or Colony Forming Units, are the measuring unit of probiotics. This number must be clearly displayed on the probiotics bottle. To best suit the digestive system a probiotic should be in the range of 3-50 billion.  

Lower range CFU products can be...

BOOST the IMMUNE SYSTEM

In the day of avoiding global diseases, I get a lot of questions about, "How do I boost my immune system?"

Here's one simple trick...AVOID SUGAR! 

Oh no, she did not just say that! 

Unfortunately, I did.  UGH!

And yes, that includes alcohol.  DOUBLE WHAMMY! 

Even sugars from natural sources, such as fruit and honey, can cause sugar imbalances. Sugar, at the end of the day, is still sugar, even when there is some fiber in it, and even when it is a natural source of sugar. 

The Sugar Blues

• Sugar inhibits the immune cells responsible for destroying pathogenic microorganisms (bad bacteria)
• Sugar can knock out vitamin C from cell receptors
• Having high blood sugar can mean less vitamin C from entering the cells
• Excess sugar converts in fat

Craving for Sweetness

Try curbing your sweet tooth with a variety of non-sweet foods or a few of the lower sugar items listed below.

• Maple syrup
• Date sugar (raw dates)
• Raw honey
• Pure stevia 
...