Final Holiday Hormone Hacks
Have you seen the series of simple tips to balance your hormones during the holidays so you can feel your best going into 2023 that I’ve been sharing on Instagram and Facebook?
I’ve been giving away all kinds of helpful insights over the past week along with practical things you can do to keep hormones (such as cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, melatonin, insulin, and leptin) balanced during the holiday season, to mitigate the impact the holiday season can have on them.
The holidays can wreak havoc on your hormones as you tend to focus SO much on giving to others this time of year and not so much on giving to yourself as you run around holiday parties, last-minute gift shopping, and visiting family or friends.
By the end of it all, I bet you usually feel wiped out or wonder why you feel so fat, tired, and sick all the time just like I used to.
To help you keep your hormones intact this holiday season and breathe life back into them for 2023, on December 12th I kicked off my annual Instagram and Facebook series called the “12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays”
Here’s a recap of a few simple tips I recently shared…
Day 6: Bank Some Sleep
Sleep is the first thing to go during the holiday season. We stay up late this time of year…
- Burning the midnight oil to meet last-minute work deadlines
- Wrapping presents when kids or loved ones are asleep
- Dancing or socializing the night away at holiday parties
- Waiting for Santa or loved ones to arrive
- Or by taking red-eye flights to save a few bucks
Have you noticed that even when you get 8 hours of sleep or allow yourself to sleep in after a late night, you just don’t seem to wake up feeling rested?
Our body has an internal clock according to the sun cycles. This internal clock determines specific times of day when the body does critical functions to help keep our hormones balanced.
For example, from 10pm to 2am, it…
- It releases human growth hormone to repair damaged cells and create new ones.
- Cortisol levels are at their lowest and melatonin hormone peaks to support restful sleep
And from 2am-4am…the liver and gallbladder to their deepest detox work to get rid of toxins.
The body does not shift its internal clock if these critical sleeping windows are missed, it simply can’t perform these functions well, and our hormones take a hit. Regularly staying up late can flip the cortisol rhythm, mess with melatonin production, and disrupt all other hormones.
Obviously, there are some fun-filled and valid reasons to miss some shut-eye this time of year, but you can make up for it by banking on sleep on the days you can get to bed at a reasonable time.
Every 1 hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours of rest!
When you can get to bed by 10pm or earlier to bank sleep for late nights ahead, or to make up for the ones already had.
Getting good quality sleep at optimal times will help you wake up feeling rested and support hormone balance through the holidays.
***
Day 5: Crush Some Cruciferous Veggies
It’s the last full weekend before the holiday season reaches its peak and all through the town, celebration cocktails are going down… meaning estrogen levels are on the rise..
ONE alcoholic beverage can increase estrogen levels in the body for up to 24 hours, but this time of year there’s bound to be more than one drink with back-to-back holiday festivities not giving our bodies a full 24-hour break to normalize estrogen levels.
Aside from alcohol, we likely come in contact with more xenoestrogen toxins this time of year that also increase estrogen such as plastics.
Consistently elevated estrogen levels can contribute to estrogen dominance, which can trigger thyroid imbalances, sleep issues, mood swings and more.
But don’t worry about indulging this holiday season if you focus on crushing some cruciferous veggies.
Cruciferous vegetables are known for their anti-estrogenic effects. They contain a compound called DIM (3’3 diindolylmethane) which helps eliminate estrogen through the liver.
Most of them also contain chlorophyll (found in the green leaves), which aids in reducing estrogen through improved liver health.
Next time you eat, see where you can incorporate some of these cruciferous veggies…
- Arugula
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Collard Greens
- Kale
- Mustard greens
- Radish
- Turnip
- Watercress
Some of my favorite holiday side dishes include roasted Brussels sprouts and arugula-based winter salads.
Keep that estrogen in check by crushing some cruciferous veggies as we wind down the year!
***
Day 4: Wake Up with Warm Water
It’s cold outside, so why not start your day off with some warm, lemon-salted water while brewing your usual cup of coffee or tea to boost hormone balance?
Beyond warming you up, your hormones can benefit from starting your day with warm water enhanced with a slice of lemon and a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt..
Lemons have been shown to help detoxify the liver, and the liver is where hormones are converted, such as thyroid T4 to T3. It also helps eliminate excess hormones such as estrogen, which can lead to weight gain, sleep, and mood issues if it builds up.
A pinch of Himalayan or sea salt promotes hydration and electrolyte balance, which are important for hormone and cellular function. Plus the magnesium, sodium, and potassium in the salt nourishes the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol and DHEA hormone and also contribute to the production of adrenaline, estrogen, and other hormones as well.
Warm or room temperature water aids in the absorption of the lemon and salt nutrients in addition to promoting digestive health and bowel movements, which is how we get rid of toxins that impact hormone balance or excess hormones. Warm water gives the insides of your body a gentle nudge to get going instead of a cold electric shock.
During holiday craziness, we are more likely to forget about drinking water throughout the day and to indulge in dehydrating things such as alcohol, coffee, and traveling.
This holiday season, add a cup of warm, lemon-salted water to your morning to start your day with a hydrating healthy hormone boost!
***
Head on over to my Instagram and Facebook to see what you might have missed AND to catch the rest of my 12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays.
P.S. Turn on your notifications so you don’t miss a single simple tip to keep your hormones intact this holiday season, AND remember to save the posts for future reference!
12 Holiday Hormone Hacks!
It’s that holiday time of year again!
There’s an abundance of joy and gratitude going around this time of year, but…
By the end of it all, do you usually feel wiped out or wonder why you feel so fat, tired, and sick all the time?
It’s because your hormones took a hit!
The holidays can wreak havoc on your hormones as you tend to focus SO much on giving to others this time of year and not so much on giving to yourself as you run around from holiday parties, last-minute gift shopping, and visiting family or friends.
However, there is a way to still give this holiday season AND support your hormones at the same time.
To help you keep your hormones intact this holiday season and breathe life back into them for 2023, on December 12th I kicked off my annual Instagram and Facebook series called the “12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays”
Over 12 days on Instagram and Facebook, catch my videos and posts where I’m sharing simple tips for practical things you can do to keep your hormones balanced while you enjoy the holiday season!
Here’s a sneak peek at the simple tips I’ve lined up for you…
Day 1 – Fill Up With Fat
This likely sounds counterintuitive, but trust me, it’s not when it comes to your hormones, energy levels, and kicking cravings!
To make hormones the body needs healthy dietary fats that are broken down into LDL and cholesterol, along with other nutrients such as B vitamins. Yep, you heard me right. LDL and cholesterol are actually necessary for hormones. They have a reputation, but they’re not bad for you if sourced in a healthy way.
Filling up with healthy fats can also help balance blood sugar for longer-lasting energy, reduce inflammation, and kick cravings.
So what healthy fats should you indulge in during the holidays?
- Avocado on its own, as guacamole, or as an oil
- Full-fat coconut milk in your coffee, tea, or smoothies
- Organic, nitrate, and gluten-free bacon
- Cold-Pressed organic olive or coconut oil
- Grass-fed ghee instead of butter (less inflammatory)
- Fatty cuts of organic pasture-raised meats and eggs
One of my favorite fat-bomb beverages is a matcha latte or coffee with full-fat coconut milk and vanilla bean ghee. This keeps me feeling full and energized for 5 hours or more!
I always fill up on fat before I hit a holiday party or aim to eat the fattiest snacks while there, to keep my hormones happy and hunger under control.
Focus on filling up with healthy fats throughout the day and notice the way it makes you feel more full, more energized, and craving-free.
***
Day 2 – Breathe Deeply
We’re constantly moving this time of year – decorating, planning, working, shopping, traveling, cooking, cleaning, and socializing. While all are necessary and some fun, it does take a toll on hormonal health.
Constant movement triggers our sympathetic nervous system eliciting a stress response, aka the fight or flight response. In a stressed state, our body uses a lot of valuable hormonal resources. Cortisol is a primary hormone at play but not the only one impacted in a negative way.
In stress mode, our body directs valuable resources outward for quick thinking and quick-moving, leaving little resources for critical functions in our body to take place keeping our health in line.
BUT in just 2 minutes or less, you can snap yourself out of stress mode and quickly into the rest and relaxation mode bringing your hormones back into balance so your body can heal from all the work it has been doing. Here’s how…
Deep Breathing.
It’s that simple. When we breathe deep and rhythmic like a relaxed person, we can instantly flip the switch from fight or flight mode into a more relaxed and healing state.
Try this ten times…
- Inhale for 5 seconds
- Hold the breath 5 seconds
- Exhale for 7 seconds
Use this simple breathing technique anytime you notice yourself moving too fast, when you’ve gone a long time without a break, or feel anxious to instantly bring cortisol and other hormones back into balance.
I do this in the morning, afternoon, and before bed. Set a reminder on your phone to stop at least once a day this holiday season to breathe deeply and promote hormone balance.
***
Day 3 – Go Green
Inflammation is on the rise during the holidays as we indulge in different foods or beverages that might have a more inflammatory effect on the body. Other factors include toxins we encounter while traveling and any mental or emotional stress we might experience this time of year.
Inflammation is at the core of hormone dysfunction or any chronic health issue. It drives cortisol out of rhythm, creating a negative domino effect on other hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid. Over time, constant inflammation (even low levels) can overwhelm the immune system, eventually leading to autoimmunity or other chronic conditions.
Sure, you’re going to indulge during the holidays, and you can’t always control toxin exposure or the need to travel, but there are things you can do on a daily basis to calm the inflammatory fire.
To help you reduce inflammation daily – GO GREEN!
One cup of green tea has an abundance of anti-inflammatory effects that can positively impact your hormones and digestive health. EGCG is an active green tea ingredient that modulates genes to produce an anti-inflammatory effect.
To keep contain the inflammatory fire, aim to incorporate a cup of green tea daily during the holidays.
This is such an easy task! You can grab a cup of green tea almost anywhere while traveling, or pack it to always have with you. It’s the perfect drink to start your day or keep you warm when it’s cold outside.
As mentioned on tip day 1, filling up with fats supports hormones and one of my favorite fat-bomb beverages is a matcha green tea latte with full-fat coconut milk and vanilla bean ghee. This keeps me feeling full and energized for at least 5 hours, plus has all the added anti-inflammatory benefits.
You can’t go wrong by going green this holiday season to keep your hormones happy.
***
Make sure you’re following me closely on Instagram and Facebook to catch all of my, 12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays!
P.S. Turn on your Facebook and/or Instagram notifications for my pages so you don’t miss a single simple tip to keep your hormones intact this holiday season, AND remember to save the posts for future reference because these tips can help balance hormones all year long!
Your holiday playlist…
I just got done planning travel for this holiday season. I’m staying put for Thanksgiving, taking a road trip to see one side of the family in early December, and flying to Oregon for Christmas to spend time with other family members.
Are you ready to get the holiday season started?
Whether you’re road-tripping, flying, or staying home to enjoy time off, you’re going to need some good podcasts, hardbacks, or audiobooks this holiday season 🙂
Check out some of my recent podcast interviews to dive deeper into topics such as…
And here are some of my favorite books about health and living your best life…
- The Freedom Transmissions: A Pathway to Peace by Carissa Schumacher
- Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighten
- Estrogeneration by Anthony G. Jay
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- The Thyroid Connection by Amy Myers
- The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers
I’m going to need some new podcasts and books for my holiday travel playlist too.
Comment below and let me know what some of your recent favorites have been!
Why diet and exercise aren’t enough anymore
For years I counted calories, tried diet after diet, and exercised excessively; yet I always felt tired and frustrated trying to shed pounds, just like so many of my clients…until I found the missing pieces of the puzzle.
I hear so many people talk about their frustrations with their body, energy, and health – “I eat healthy and exercise so I don’t understand why…”
- I can’t drop weight
- I don’t have any energy
- My health isn’t improving
Can you relate?
The truth is, diet and exercise aren’t enough.
The body is a complex system and most people are ignoring some really important pieces of the puzzle, one of which is cleansing the body of toxins that contribute to a sluggish liver!
The liver plays a HUGE role in eliminating toxins, and when it’s overloaded with this work, it can’t convert hormones or regulate our metabolism like it’s supposed to in order for us to shed pounds and have energy.
We are exposed daily to high levels of toxins through food, water, air, home, and personal care products. These toxins get filtered through the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system and are stored in fat tissue.
It’s said our body is burdened with over 2 pounds of toxins per day!
When your liver is so busy working to filter out all these toxins, it has very little energy left to filter blood, drugs, and hormones; let alone do its other job as a digestive organ – thus many find shedding pounds more difficult.
Your liver is also in charge of converting and excreting excess hormones. If liver function is sub-optimal, then hormones such as estrogen can build up. This can lead to estrogen dominance, which can cause excess weight, hot flashes, and an increased risk for cancer.
The liver is also where a huge chunk of thyroid hormone conversion takes place, and an imbalance in the thyroid slows your metabolism resulting in weight gain.
If you’re exercising, your muscles need fuel and your liver helps produce that fuel. However, a clogged liver won’t, and when that happens, excess glucose gets stored as fat.
Here are 10 common signs your liver needs cleansing:
- Abdominal bloating
- Menstrual irregularities
- Abdominal fat; pot belly; that “spare tire” effect
- Joint and muscle pain
- Low energy or fatigue
- Acid reflux/heartburn
- Body odor
- Overheating of the body & excessive perspiration
- Acne/Rosacea or itchy, blotchy skin
- Unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight even with calorie restriction
Keeping your liver in working order is a matter of reducing its stressful toxic load AND supporting its natural detox ability.
This is just ONE example of a missing piece to your health puzzle or so-called “root cause.”
It can be incredibly difficult to find the root causes of chronic health issues. They sometimes get overlooked by even the best practitioners.
If you’re frustrated because you continue to struggle with weight, digestive concerns, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, or chronic illness of any kind… then there’s a unique event designed just for you that I’m speaking at…
The Root Causes, Rapid Results event is online and FREE from November 14-20!
Not only does this event bring together over 40 of the world’s leading experts on hidden root causes, but you’ll also get access to a liver stagnation self-assessment and training to find out if liver congestion is contributing to your chronic health challenges!
Event host Sinclair Kennally is a personal friend and colleague who I’ve hired to resolve some of my own root causes.
She’s a survivor of a complex chronic illness herself. After an almost decade-long struggle to overcome her symptoms – without answers from her doctors and after countless hours of research – her partner, Michael Spandel (who was suffering from his own chronic symptoms), was able to identify and remove the toxic stressors from their food, home and work – which led to complete recovery for both of them.
Sinclair is here to share what she learned and help you reclaim your full vitality.
The Root Causes, Rapid Results event could help you:
- Determine which root causes could be affecting you personally
- Find out which energy drainers you need to remove to increase your energy
- Understand which modalities could help you resolve your symptoms for good
- And so much more!
Your body is brilliant. And with the right information and action plan, it’s never too late to reclaim your health.
Root Causes, Rapid Results is about gathering information, but it’s also about taking action.
Click here to register for this unique event!
Be sure to mark your calendar for November 14-20, 2022!
P.S. When you register for Root Causes, Rapid Results, you’ll also unlock early-access interviews, complimentary guides, and helpful eBooks about living your most resilient life!
Getting to the root gets results…
It is so fascinating that all diseases, health issues, and conditions such as weight gain, thyroid imbalances, adrenal fatigue, low energy, high cholesterol, cancer, Alzheimer’s, brain fog, and more have one thing in common.
INFLAMMATION.
Inflammation is the root of all diseases. It slowly and silently brings people to their wit’s end about their health, and can even kill.
“The presence of inflammation is what makes most diseases perceptible to an individual. It can and often does occur for years before it exists at levels sufficient to be apparent or clinically significant. How long it has been smoldering really determines the degree of severity of a disease and often the prognosis assuming the inflammation can be controlled. One could also argue that without inflammation, most diseases would not even exist.” – Dr. Mercola
Inflammation is not something widely talked about in your typical doctor’s office unless it relates to a fractured bone, bruise, concussion, or other physical injuries. Yet inflammation is the body’s number one response to any kind of invader in the body (viruses, colds, flu, gut bugs, mold, heavy metals, etc.) and a signal that something just isn’t right!
What’s challenging is that dangerous inflammation can not always be seen, felt, or heard so it often goes undetected and overlooked.
There are two kinds of inflammation:
- Acute – a brief response to injury or illness lasting only a few days
- Chronic- when it stops being acute and remains as a low level constant response to ongoing stress on the body
Acute inflammation is a healthy response that allows your body to repair and heal, but when it becomes chronic is when it becomes problematic.
Chronic inflammation is when your body is so overwhelmed by the causes of inflammation that it loses its ability to turn off the inflammatory response. This overly active inflammatory response leads to damaged tissue, resulting in conditions such as leaky gut, autoimmunity, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and much more.
In addition, your cortisol hormone (also known as your stress hormone) is your body’s natural anti-inflammatory agent. When inflammation is high and chronic, this disrupts the natural cortisol balance triggering a domino effect on other hormones such as thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone which disrupt your sleep, cause weight gain and drain your energy.
But the real question is, what is causing inflammation in the body?
Getting to the root causes of inflammation is when you get real results.
Identifying the causes of inflammation in my body is how I finally:
- Lost stubborn weight
- Got my energy back for good
- Regulated my menstrual cycle
- Stopped being affected by seasonal allergies
- Reversed Hashimotos and healed mold illness
It can be incredibly difficult to find the root causes of chronic health issues. They sometimes get overlooked by even the best practitioners.
If you’re frustrated because you continue to struggle with weight, digestive concerns, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, or chronic illness of any kind… then there’s a unique event designed just for you that I’m speaking at.
Not only does this event bring together over 40 of the world’s leading experts on hidden root causes, but each day you’ll get a new tool to assess how big of an issue these root causes are for you.
The Root Causes, Rapid Results event could help you:
- Determine which root causes could be affecting you personally
- Find out which energy drainers you need to remove to increase your energy
- Understand which modalities could help you resolve your symptoms for good
- And so much more!
Your body is brilliant. And with the right information and action plan, it’s never too late to reclaim your health.
Root Causes, Rapid Results is about gathering information, but it’s also about taking action.
Click here to register for this unique event!
Be sure to mark your calendar for November 14-20, 2022!
P.S. Event host Sinclair Kennally is a personal friend and colleague who I’ve hired to resolve some of my own root causes. She’s a survivor of a complex chronic illness herself. After an almost decade-long struggle to overcome her symptoms – without answers from her doctors and after countless hours of research – her partner, Michael Spandel (who was suffering from his own chronic symptoms), was able to identify and remove the toxic stressors from their food, home and work – which led to complete recovery for both of them.
Sinclair is here to share what she learned and help you reclaim your full vitality.
When you register for Root Causes, Rapid Results, you’ll also unlock early-access interviews, complimentary guides, and helpful eBooks about living your most resilient life!
Is eating healthy really healthy?
I’m curious, what does eating healthy mean to you?
When I graduated from college after studying fitness, nutrition, and health for 4 years, I thought eating healthy meant you should…
- Create a calorie deficit by eating less and moving more
- Have a snack or meal every 2 hours
- Always eat 3 solid meals per day
- Eat low fat, lean meats, veggies, fruits, dairy, starches, and whole grains according to the food guide pyramid now known as the “plate”
So I did exactly what I was taught and I felt like crap instead of feeling great and having my ideal health and weight.
It turns out, there’s a LOT more to eating healthy than what we were taught in school or what you might have read on your own about diets and nutrition.
In fact, some so-called healthy foods aren’t healthy for you.
It took me years to figure out what foods were healthy for my body. When I finally figured it out, it made getting the results I desired so much easier! So I want to help you cut to the chase and get to the bottom of what foods are healthy for you so you can feel like your best self too, instead of wasting time trying to figure it out.
I see so many clients and people feeling frustrated about food and eating healthy. They’ve tried just about everything with little to no results. They’ll literally say…
I’m eating healthy but I’m not getting any results!
Do you find yourself feeling frustrated like this too?
In theory, they are “eating healthy.” They are often eating a Paleo, Whole30, Keto, or a generally well-rounded and clean diet. In some cases, they are eating mostly organic foods, good sources of meats, and even avoiding some of the well-known inflammatory foods.
But they still aren’t getting results. They still struggle with digestive upset, weight, anxiety, hormone imbalances, or other nagging health issues.
All because eating healthy isn’t always healthy for YOU.
In this week’s video and blog, I’ll reveal why some of the healthy foods you’re eating might not be healthy for you, and give you tips to figure out what is healthy for YOU.
There’s a difference between eating healthy and eating right for your body.
Eating right for your body will incorporate healthy foods, but not all healthy foods are right for your body.
Most diet approaches tend to focus on food elimination, which is good considering that oftentimes it means eliminating the top inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, alcohol, and even other grains or foods containing lectins.
However, most dietary approaches fail to consider two key components to eating healthy for your body:
- Macronutrient (protein, carb, and fat) balance
- Specific food sensitivities
Eating the right balance of proteins, carbs and fats gives your body the right ratios of fuel so it can function at its potential. Understanding and eating according to your macronutrient needs can instantly:
- Reduce digestive stress
- Increase energy
- Fight off food cravings
But you can still run into issues when eating the right balance of macronutrients if you’re eating foods that you’re sensitive to.
Food sensitivities aren’t always obvious. They don’t always show up as digestive upset, which is why you might think you don’t have any. Other common food sensitivity symptoms can include:
- Anxiety
- Skin breakouts
- Low energy or fatigue
- Poor sleep
- Weight gain or resistant weight loss
Food sensitivities or poor macronutrient balance could certainly be secretly sabotaging your healthy eating efforts and results!
As I’ve shared before, take a banana for example. Around the world, most would agree it’s healthy food but if you have a sensitivity to bananas OR they contain too many carbs and sugars for what your body can tolerate in one sitting, then they aren’t a healthy food for you.
When you eat something like a banana that has these negative effects on you, it spikes blood sugar and inflammation, reduces nutrient absorption, disrupts hormone balance, messes with your sleep and energy, and leaves you craving more food to get another energy bump.
When my husband found out he was sensitive to beef he lost 5 pounds within a week of removing it from his diet.
Beyond these two key components, there could be even more to consider such as high oxalates and FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols)
Oxalates are a naturally occurring element in foods and in the body, but an abundance of oxalates leads to kidney stones, chronic joint pain, mineral deficiencies, and more. Oxalates can especially become problematic when Candida or yeast overgrowth is going on the body.
Some of the foods highest in oxalates include:
- Dark chocolate
- Nuts
- Berries
- Citrus fruits
- Beets
- Sweet potatoes
- Zucchini and other summer squashes
- Dark leafy greens such as spinach and certain kinds of kale
Just about every one of them is considered a healthy food!
And FODMAP foods can be problematic with an overly inflamed or leaky digestive system making it hard to break down these foods leading to fermentation and bacteria overgrowth in the gut.
Some of the highest FODMAP foods are:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Fruits
- Grains
- Certain nuts and legumes
See how you could be eating so-called healthy foods that aren’t actually healthy for YOU?
The best healthy eating plan considers your body’s specific needs and combines the elements related to macronutrient balance, food sensitivities, and other physiological factors.
When working with clients to figure out what foods are right for their bodies, we always do a series of functional lab tests to uncover all of the pieces to their health puzzle and then use that data to guide recommendations for how to eat healthy for their body.
The series of tests will often include a:
- Food sensitivity test to pinpoint specific foods they are reactive to
- Metabolic typing test to assess ideal macronutrient balance
- Stool sample test to evaluate digestive and intestinal health
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to eating healthy for YOUR body.
If you want to explore what foods are right for your body, click here to get my Food & Body Language Log to start dialing in your macronutrient balance.
P.S. Don’t forget, this year’s Total Wellness Mastery Show goes live soon! Join me and a panel of 20 other health professionals for this totally free and virtual event as we share powerful secrets to finally lose weight, boost your energy and naturally heal your pain. Click here to redeem your FREE access to this event as my special guest!
Ways to release stubborn pounds [inside]
Despite the fact that we have…
more information,
more diets,
more gyms,
more tools than ever before
…as a society, we’re also more overweight, overstressed, and overmedicated than ever.
As this study pointed out, “It is frequently stated that it takes an average of 17 years for research evidence to reach clinical practice.”
That means on average, it takes 17 years for new research and advancements in health and medicine to actually reach your doctor and be put into practice. By the time it hits their desk, it’s already outdated.
You need to become your own health boss, assume responsibility, and take back control of your health.
I know this first hand. The conventional medical system has failed me in many ways over the years…
It prescribed me birth control at a young age to mask a painful and irregular period.
It told me to eat a standard American diet, which inflamed my body.
It overlooked health risk factors and markers, which led to skin cancer.
Routine lab tests painted me as the picture of health, but my body was an internal mess.
Various doctors dismissed my symptoms and told me to “wait it out” while suffering.
No one checked me for Hashimoto’s, I had to discover it myself.
And forget about the mold toxicity, because in conventional medicine, it doesn’t even exist.
I refused to live a life full of pain, fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, and suffering. I wasn’t going to let a broken and outdated system get the best of me when we live in a world where information is available immediately on our phones and at our fingertips.
I became a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner because I knew there was more to be known about our health. Educating myself has helped me to overcome and heal every single health issue I have faced, and now I help my clients do the same.
Sometimes the challenge though is with an abundance of information also comes an equally staggering amount of misinformation.
My new friend and fellow health expert Lauren Sanchez believes that far too many people are “victims of what they don’t know when it comes to taking care of their health.” I admire and share her passion for changing that.
So I’m thrilled to invite you to an event I’ll be speaking in next month hosted by Lauren called:
This is the 6th season of this annual event and it’s all about supporting you in figuring out the best food and lifestyle plan for your goals and overall health!
Click here to redeem your FREE access to this event as my special guest!
Whether you want to improve energy, prevent disease, reduce pain and inflammation, improve body composition and metabolism, or are looking for a general health upgrade, this free event will help you sort through the noise and misinformation on everything from nutrition and eating styles, to lifestyle approaches for increasing your energy and resilience to stress.
As part of the event, you’ll have access to a panel of over 20 functional medicine doctors and me, nutritionists, healers, fitness experts, personal development leaders, and educators as we each share the latest information and insights on how to heal, slim down, and live a healthy life you absolutely love!
The event will cover a wide variety of topics such as:
- Ways to heal your body with food and herbs
- How to break through weight loss resistance to drop body and belly fat
- Tips for feeding your brain, boosting your mood, and creating resilience to stress
- Strategies for healing your gut, reducing inflammation, and detoxifying your body
- How programmed thoughts and feelings impact our health & ability to heal
- Fun and practical non-dietary ways to get healthy, and prevent or heal illness
- Surprising reasons for pain, brain fog, cravings, low energy, or weight gain — and what to do about it!
It’s time to take back control of your health and wellness! The insider advice you’ll receive from these top health and wellness experts is invaluable.
Click here to redeem your FREE access to this event as my special guest!
Good health is your gateway to a happier, more meaningful life. You owe it to yourself to check it out!
I look forward to “seeing” you there!
P.S. This incredible annual show goes LIVE on Monday, October 10th. So be sure to redeem your free access. Here’s the link again
Why going gluten-free doesn’t work…
Have you tried going gluten-free and it didn’t help you feel better?
It didn’t banish your bloating, solve your digestive upset, clear up skin rashes, help you shed pounds, or do any of the other things a gluten-free lifestyle promises.
You’re not the only one.
I hear this all the time from clients who have tried a gluten-free lifestyle with little to no results. When I first went gluten-free, it didn’t free me of all my health issues either.
So what gives when going gluten-free doesn’t work?
That’s exactly what I’m here to reveal – the top 3 reasons why a gluten-free diet doesn’t work.
Let’s first explore what the deal is with gluten in the first place and why it could be a big contributor to whatever health issue is ailing you.
FACT: Everyone is negatively impacted by gluten, regardless if you have been diagnosed with sensitivity or not. Gluten molecules are larger than most food particles making them harder to digest. This increased stress on the digestive system can lead to inflammation and eventually destruction of the intestinal lining.
These larger, inflammatory gluten food particles increase something called intestinal permeability for up to 5 hours, meaning elements such as toxins or undigested food pieces that aren’t supposed to cross the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream can. When these foreigners cross the gut barrier, the body goes on attack, increasing inflammation, even more, resulting in food sensitivities and toxic overload.
Wheat, the most popular gluten-containing product, is also one of the most pesticide-contaminated and genetically modified foods. Milling of wheat actually embeds pesticides in small fractions of the food particles, making it more contaminated than most other food sources!
These toxic pesticides come with a variety of health side effects which can also lead to bloating, weight gain, skin issues, hormone imbalances, digestive upset and so much more.
These are just a few of the ways that gluten directly impacts your health every time you come across it.
One bite of gluten is the same as eating the whole slice of bread. There’s really no such thing as being “gluten-reduced.”
On average, it can take 3-6 months for the intestinal lining to heal from a gluten encounter; whether it was one bite or one slice. And this healing process can take even longer for individuals who are experiencing stress…but aren’t we all under some level of stress all of the time in this modern-day world?
Eating gluten certainly isn’t going to help you reach your health goals, so let’s explore why you may not be getting great results when cutting it out.
In this week’s video and blog, I’ll reveal the top 3 reasons why a gluten-free diet might not be working for you and what you can do to get the results you’re looking for.
First, I want to applaud you on your efforts to go gluten-free in pursuit of resolving your health issues, and also say that if it didn’t work, it’s not your fault.
Going gluten-free isn’t as clear-cut as avoiding wheat, barley and rye as it appears to be; there’s just more to truly being gluten-free.
Here are the top 3 reasons why going gluten-free probably didn’t work for you.
#1 – Sneaky Ingredients
Gluten is a sneaky little ingredient hidden in soy sauce, other condiments, medications, and even your personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and makeup. Why is gluten added to these things? Because it’s used as a thickening agent, binder, or filler. So when you thought you were gluten-free, you probably weren’t.
You may have been eating gluten-free and still being exposed to it in the most unlikely of places. Give going gluten-free a go again and this time double check food labels for “contains wheat”, medication formulas for fillers, and personal-care products for “hydrolyzed wheat protein.”
To learn more about hidden gluten, check out this Sneaky Little Ingredient blog I wrote.
#2 – Cross-Reactive Foods
You could be eating gluten imposters that are tricking your body into thinking you’re eating gluten when you’re really not. These foods are called gluten cross-reactive foods. They have similar protein structures as gluten, so when your body sees them it responds as if you ate gluten!
The top gluten cross-reactive foods are:
- Dairy
- Corn
- Oats
- Millet
- Rice
- Quinoa
Often these are the exact foods found in all of those alternative gluten-free products you were so excited to find!
If you tried going gluten-free but didn’t cut these guys out too, your body was likely still reacting as if you were eating gluten and therefore tricking you into thinking going gluten-free didn’t work.
Try taking your gluten-free approach to the next level by going grain-free to really see if gluten and its cross-reactive friends are part of the problem for you.
#3 – Deeper Dysfunction
As I’ve said many times before, if the diet isn’t working, there’s likely something going on underneath the hood rendering it ineffective. Going gluten-free is a right step in the right direction, and if you pay close attention, I’m sure you’ll probably see some improvements even if it doesn’t completely resolve your primary health issue.
And if it doesn’t completely solve your health problems, that means it’s time to dig deeper. Symptoms can be far removed from the root cause.
Bloating, weight gain, skin issues, digestive upset, or whatever else you’re dealing with can also be related to hormone imbalances, liver congestion, food sensitivities, parasites, bacteria, yeast overgrowth, or a combo of other physiological aspects.
Testing is the best way to stop guessing, get to the bottom of your health issues once and for all, and heal them for good. And not just any tests, but functional lab tests that will look in-depth at the hormones, immune, digestion, detoxification, energy, and nervous system to give you the full picture of what is going on with your body.
Going gluten-free helped me take a positive step forward toward feeling better, and using functional lab testing to uncover other hidden healing opportunities is what finally helped me get back to feeling like myself again, and it’s the key to helping my clients do the same thing.
So don’t give up on being gluten-free, dig deeper, take the next step and uncover more healing opportunities!
If you want to explore the missing pieces of your health puzzle on a deeper level so you can actually fix what is wrong and feel your best, then click here to get on my waiting list for an Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me (and get an awesome list of practitioner referrals if you want to take action now)!
Let’s talk hormones…
I get it.
Life is really hard when you are struggling with exhaustion — but you can’t sleep at night — you feel drained and your mental focus is gone.
You’re trying so hard to eat right and exercise, but… the weight keeps on climbing, and you’re still tired… And the worst part is your doctor does not have the answers.
You’re not alone.
I too was told for years I was the picture of perfect health on paper at my annual physicals, although I felt exhausted all the time, struggled to maintain my weight, and had seasonal allergies that grew worse every year.
For years I counted calories, tried diet after diet, and exercised excessively; yet I always felt tired and frustrated trying to shed pounds, just like so many of my clients…until I found the missing pieces of the puzzle.
There is a LOT more to health than diet and exercise.
The body is a complex network of systems that all need to be online working together for you to feel your best. Some of these major systems include the:
- Hormone
- Immune
- Digestion
- Detoxification
- Energy
- Nervous
Let’s talk about hormones because they directly impact every other system of the body in a BIG way…
I’ve dealt with a variety of hormonal challenges throughout my life.
Right out of the gates, my cycle was a hot mess. As a teen, I suffered from not only painful periods, but also wildly irregular ones. This entry into womanhood started my 17-year abusive relationship with birth control.
I say “abusive” because I literally used the pill to control my body; to skip my period so I didn’t have to deal with it while doing damage I had no idea I was doing. All along, I was told by my doctors that it was safe and that it was okay to continue what I was doing.
Can you or at least one of the women in your life relate to this?
After years of skipping my period, I finally hit hormonal rock bottom when mold in our home stressed my hormones to their breaking point. I put on 15 pounds, my face was riddled with cystic acne, my breasts were inflamed, my period went on for 12 days, and this hormone wildfire sparked Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
That’s when I finally got off of birth control in an effort to give my body a break and finally balance my hormones for real.
It wasn’t easy at first, but as time went by my body healed; my period was perfect, I had zero PMS, lost weight, regained my clear skin, and reversed my Hashimotos.
The minimal education we were given in high school or even college health classes about hormones doesn’t even scratch the surface of what you should know to be in control of your body, health, and weight.
That is why I was thrilled when I heard that Monika Szumilak was hosting an online Summit all around the topic of hormone health, which was actually born out of her research project on how people achieve hormone balance naturally.
Click here to learn more about your Hormones for FREE!
Like me, as a young girl, Monika was prescribed birth control pills, and shortly after her health started declining. Fed up with feeling crappy, she set out on a quest to find answers so that she, and others, could feel the way nature intended: strong, energetic, and balanced.
Now, Monika has organized top-notch experts, including me, to talk about how to regain balance, and energy and fix the hormonal mess so many struggles with!
This is a great opportunity for you to get practical, actionable solutions to the hormonal mess you may be in.
This is something I wish I had back when I was trying to solve my energy and weight challenges to fast-track my results. That’s why I am so glad Monika is hosting this summit and I get to share it with you…
Listen to this Sachin Patel interview…
One of the greatest lessons Sachin Patel has learned while building a successful health business is that people we hold in the highest regard make mistakes.
Mistakes are what make us human, and how we choose to respond to them is what can make or break our success personally and professionally.
Sachin Patel and I met each other years ago in the early days of starting our health businesses.
Since then, our roads to success as functional health practitioners working with clients worldwide and evolving into business mentors to support others in doing the same have been almost parallel.
We both have made many mistakes along the way but we didn’t let that stop us. We used those experiences to find our true path and create a more significant impact.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Sachin on his podcast to discuss what we’ve learned along the way so you can use these lessons to help you fast-track your health business success.
Here are a few highlights from this must-listen-to interview:
- Making the leap from the corporate world to health entrepreneurship.
- Overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
- The root problem practitioners have in their business.
- The keys to attracting the right clients into your practice.
- Systems to keep you organized, free up time, and scale your business.
Sachin and I are both on a mission to help other functional health practitioners (like you) get your business going or growing so together we can collectively have a greater impact on the health of the world
Listen to our podcast interview now so you can accelerate your health business success!
