It’s been over seven years since I realized the power of healthy eating which, for me and my family, included very little dairy and gluten. Now that I’m learning to eat more intuitively (stay tuned for my Food Gratitude program coming in May) I’ve been embracing “clean” forms of gluten, i.e. organic sprouted wheat and homemade non-GMO sourdough bread.
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My mother has been raving about these bars that her husband makes for all their dinner guests. He won’t share the recipe with them for fear that his secret recipe will get out, but I’ve decided to publicly post it here - ha ha!
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I like to know people. And I don't mean know about people, but really know them.
Maybe it's part of the reason I have trouble with idle chit chat and I steered clear of cliques of gossipy teenage girls growing up. Perhaps it's part of the reason I gravitated toward coaching in the midst of my otherwise lonely health journey several years ago.
But I think there's a bit more to it. Maybe you can relate.
Imagine you're in a long-term relationship with someone you love deeply. Someone with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life.
But they wish you were different.
They keep telling you all the ways in which you could be better.
They have lists of the many ways you could be different…
I'm tired. Not physically tired. Not even mentally tired. But more spiritually tired. And this fatigue seems to have its roots in the digital world. I'm not referring to EMF exposure (though, that's possibly another good reason to take a break from our devices every once in a while). No, this depletion of the spirit has more to do with the disconnect from reality that has been nudging me back to stillness more and more recently.
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Today we celebrate. We celebrate the first harvest with friends and family. We gobble turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie. We maybe engage in a well-informed political spat with those we love. 😳 We talk with others (possibly more than we would like).
On any other day, if I were to ask you who you talk to the most, how would you respond?
Now that my kids have entered the second decade of their lives gone are the days of frantic toy shopping after (or on!) Thanksgiving. This year I get to relish in the relative calm of my laptop while I scoop up some fantastic deals on healthy lifestyle products for myself and my loved ones. . .
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Play - the most overlooked piece of my wellness puzzle, and maybe yours...
I don’t know about you, but somewhere along the line—amidst landing that stifling career in my twenties, taking on the responsibilities of owning a home, bringing two little lives into this world who would be utterly dependent on me, and getting chronically sick—I forgot how to play…
This topic is the thread that tied the last decade of my life together. The more noise those of us affected can create, the more unwitting victims can be helped.
The increasingly common, and often hidden toxin has been underestimated for far too long. Relegated to a mere nuisance for those with overt allergies or sensitivities, mold lurking in the basement, behind paint and baseboards, in AC ducts, and under carpets may be wreaking more havoc on your health than you realize.
Though misunderstood by many—even in the medical field—there is a difference between mold toxicity and a mold allergy. A mold allergy is what my husband experienced when we pulled off the door frames and found ourselves face-to-face with Stachybotrys, i.e., black mold. An allergy elicits an immune response that usually manifests with symptoms in the sinuses and lungs. This response is typically an acute one (at least on the surface) that subsides when a person removes himself from the proximity of mold.
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This topic is the thread that tied the last decade of my life together. The more noise those of us affected can create, the more unwitting victims can be helped.
The increasingly common, and often hidden toxin has been underestimated for far too long. Relegated to a mere nuisance for those with overt allergies or sensitivities, mold lurking in the basement, behind paint and baseboards, in AC ducts, and under carpets may be wreaking more havoc on your health than you realize.
You've heard me mention this word before - neuroplasticity. It is the brain’s ability to change and form new neural networks. So what does that mean exactly?
Imagine a well-trodden path through the woods that leads you through your day...
So you’ve probably heard this analogy before - a caveman is chased by a predator (like a tiger) and defends himself or runs for dear life. Obviously, his "flight-or-flight" mechanism kicks in. Adrenaline floods the bloodstream and his heart rate and blood pressure rise...
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Last Christmas morning was the first one in half a decade in which I didn't wake up feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. Over the years I had grown to dread the holiday season. Everyone around me was basking in the glow of the colorful lights, festive parties, child recitals, and favorite traditions while I was laser-focused on watching every morsel of food I put into my mouth and mustering any amount of energy I could to just get gifts under the tree...
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Ever heard the story behind the phrase a “canary in a coal mine”? Many of you with environmental or chemical sensitivities probably know it all too well. But just in case you’re unfamiliar…
According to the Smithsonian this mining tradition took place from 1911 to 1986. They were sent into coal mines ahead of time to detect carbon monoxide and other toxic gases before those gases could hurt humans...
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Coming off my month long infection-busting protocol (and feeling AWESOME!), I've had a difficult time wanting to jump back in to eating all the "regular" food. When you eliminate basically every possible inflammatory food for your body for a good chunk of time you give yourself a chance to come back into balance...
This isn't your typical waffles and maple syrup, obviously, but it's my savory take on the concept and it's even good enough to receive my middle schooler's stamp of approval...
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Last weekend my extremely laid back, fun-loving, ever-present good friend sensed my left-brain logic kicking up in the midst of our conversation. I couldn't help it. It's the way I've always operated. Ask me a question these days about nutrition or pathogens or toxins and I'll get all cerebral on you! I like to try to make sense of things even if it sends me down one rabbit hole after another in my mind.
Then she said calmly, ...