How can inflammatory conditions, like eczema, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, IBD, and chronic pain be caused by certain foods?

Well, let's think about what happens to food when we eat.

When we put foods into our mouths, enzymes released from the salivary glands begin the digestion process in our mouth. Food travels down the esophagus and into the stomach, where is sits to be broken down and "kneaded" apart by the action of our stomach. And while it depends on your gut's unique transit time, food typically leaves the stomach and heads to the small intestine where most of the nutrients are absorbed.

So if you've ever known anyone that had bariatric surgery, where the stomach was reduced to 1/50 of the surface area and some of the small intestines were removed, you will understand why nutrition supplements are typically prescribed for the rest of person's life.

After the small intestine, comes the large intestine or colon. I like to call this the poop chute. (It's more fun...

Every time our family travels, we get exposed to "fun" new germs, stray from our routines, regular foods and increase our susceptibility to colds and feeling run down.

Don't get me wrong, I love traveling, but I've found that packing a few extra things in my suitcase and keeping some basic principles top of mind can really help keep illness at bay.

Here are my top 6 tips to feeling your very best on vacation:

1. Probiotics. Seems like digestive balance is the first thing to go when we get out of our routines. If you have a regular time you go #2 each day, you might find that goes out the window as soon as you get on the road. This can be especially annoying to feel "bloated" and heavy throughout the day. Probiotics and probiotic-containing fermented foods are daily recommendations from me, but the need is even greater while traveling. It's best to start probiotics shortly before traveling so you can get accustomed to them and start populating immune central station (your...

Let's talk about the elephant in the room---detox. It seems like half of the qualified nutritionists I know HATE the word detox. I get it. It feels a bit sensational and overused.

But the reality is that it's a necessary and healthy part of our body's processes and I wouldn't want to be without my detoxifying organs.

Your kidneys, liver and GI system handle the elimination in your body. Kidneys make urine and your liver is a filter for chemicals, alcohol and any of the stuff that your body says, "Whoa nelly! We didn't need that in here!"

That's probably why I get grossed out about eating animal liver because I think about the liver's function in the human body. Let's just let that sink in for a hot second so you can be as grossed out as I am about what might be going through a cow's liver these days.....
#itsnotallgrassandrainbows

So yes, take care of your naturally detoxifying organs. There's times where we put "stuff" in (oh, HELLOOOOO bottle of wine!) and it puts a little...

A couple years ago I became addicted to the granola that occasionally came on my food co-op's truck. Everyone in my house loved it, which meant a $10 bag was gone pretty quickly and there was typically a long wait for the next batch delivered.

I found this recipe I adapted & it's been great for breakfast, snacks, and to give as a gift.

The problem? Sometimes when I made it, I'd stand over the cooled pan of granola, eat a whole bunch and get an oatmeal gut ache. So when I saw this Grain-free pumpkin spice granola from my Oh She Glows app, I tried it. Total success. Can't believe how much it tastes just like the tried and true oat variety.

Granola is basically just a mixture of oats and nuts (and maybe seeds and dried fruit!) and seasonings, covered in wet sticky stuff and baked.
This recipe is really no different.

Below is my simplified adaptation of the original recipe. 

Who says pumpkin spice can't be enjoyed all year??!

Delicious Grain-free Pumpkin Spiced Granola

Despite our BEST efforts to avoid the mid-afternoon crash, sometimes it happens anyway. And sometimes you just need a shot of caffeine to power through that pile of to-dos you've been putting off for a month.

Enter matcha tea lattes.

Have you heard of all the buzz around matcha yet? Literally meaning "powdered tea", matcha boasts the benefits of green tea we've been hearing about for decades. Except it has the potential to deliver a more powerful punch than the leaf varieties.

When I was in college, the nutrition department head from China mocked American green tea, saying it was the watered-down version of the real deal. Very generally, matcha has gained popularity because of its super-punch of beneficial antioxidants called polyphenols. Basically, any food-sourced antioxidant is known for its powerful disease preventative effects. Probably even more enticing to some is that's it's associated with weight loss. But I digress. Let's get back to making matcha taste...

Do you know that every time you have an irritation, an aggravation, a symptom, it's usually been brewing for a while before flaring up? 

How do I get rid of symptoms like joint pain, brain fog, migraines, and digestive issues and the underlying causes of IBS, fibromyalgia, auto-immune conditions?

Keep reading, there is a solution!

If you’re dealing with stubborn issues that you can’t seem to get rid of no matter what you try, you might consider testing for food and chemical sensitivities. 

Sensitivities are a type of inflammatory reaction that is DIFFERENT from food allergies and most providers and doctors are unaware of the difference.

If sensitivities are the cause, medications will typically only mask the symptoms. The symptoms will return or even worse by the hidden inflammation caused by sensitivity reactions.

Sometimes medications will even lead to other side effects or issues.

If food sensitivities are the cause of your issue, you could easily end up...

I’m going to talk about metabolism, why starving yourself doesn’t work and hormones. 

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/tjVvKbExVZs

Prepping for the 3 day sugar "reset" happening this week and I got a question in my inbox:

Q: Do I have to give up the honey in my golden tea for the sugar reset?

And it got me thinking about the benefits of some of my favorite sugars that I want to share. I'm not encouraging that we should now douse things in maple syrup like Buddy the elf, but instead you might find that honey and maple syrup are good substitutes or periodic additions to your lifestyle, especially above regular old white sugar.

General guiding rule of thumb: if something's been "bleached" or whitened, then it's pretty well stripped of it's minerals.

Before I get into sugar, let's go back to basics of what it is. It's a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are used for energy. And of course there is actual vitamins and minerals from healthy carbs that are beneficial too. But people aren't especially active today in a world of convenience. And unless we're being really intentional about it, life leans into carbs. So,...

We are going to talk about finding your focus, goal setting, execution through action and create purpose driven goals that will save you money. Time management is vital. Forgive yourself right now that you can’t do everything at once. First is you need to score yourself with the following: Physical health, mental wellbeing, environment, hobbies and restoration, relationships, friends and families, finances, purpose or career, spirituality, and personal development. Then give 3 months to work through any of these areas. 

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiHn1l9SHk8

I want to share to you a fruit salad that is so genius and simple. You can use mandarin, canned or fresh oranges, pineapple, mango and grapes. You can also add blackberries and cranberries. Then mix the fruits with either Greek Orange Cream Yogurt, vanilla yogurt, orange oil, plain greek yogurt, and stevia.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/_td1UCV5Xdw