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Supplements I love!
Over the past 3 years, I have really developed some FAVORITE supplements. I am convinced I’ll be on supplements for the rest of my life, and unless we have a massive overhaul in our farming industry where the soil becomes so incredibly nutrient dense again that all our organic produce is overflowing with natural nutrition, then I’m ok with it…
Over the past 100 years, modern farming techniques and industrial food practices, while providing food around the world and throughout the year, have lessened the nutrient density we get. Unfortunately, choosing organic doesn’t fully solve this problem, the soil itself needs to be regenerated. You can learn more about regenerative agriculture HERE.
www.ecoorganics.com
In addition to nutrient loss, we are also getting exposed to more chemicals, herbicides and pesticides. These products are shown to be carcinogens, liver toxins, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, allergens, and in microscopic doses, they kill off beneficial gut bacteria.
This leads us to the need for good supplementation. Even when we eat a whole food, natural, healthy, organic diet, it can be difficult to get the levels and variety we need. Everyone is different of course, but here are some supplements I generally like for everyone.
A Multivitamin
This is just a no brainer. Simple, easy, covers a lot of your bases. But not all multivitamins are created equally. Sourcing, quality, and bioavailability are all important. You want to avoid vitamins with folic acid, and choose a more available form like folate or methylfolate. You also don’t want chemicals, fillers flavors, or poor quality ingredients added in.
My favorite multivitamin is: Dr. Amy Myers The Myers Way Multivitamin.
Beef Liver
Beef liver is like nature’s multivitamin. You might see an increase in energy with beef liver since it’s packed with B vitamin in a whole food source. Additionally, it’s a high source of vitamin A which is great for your immune system and your skin.
Historically, tribal cultures prioritized organi meats since they were so nutrient dense. NOW, we are used to eating the muscle meat and avoiding organ meat but we are doing ourselves a disservice.
Often the organ that you eat is beneficial for that organ in your body as well - so eating liver is supportive to YOUR liver.
I can hear the questions “But Kylene, the liver detoxifies, won’t you be getting a lot of toxins?” No! The liver certainly filters and breaks things down for us yes. But in order to do this, it stores up a TON of nutrients in animals as well as humans. So when you are eating liver you’re getting a mega dose of beneficial nutrients that help your body function well!
Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it. I like Vital Proteins brand and I take 4 tabs a day.
If you want to branch out to additional organ supplements, check out another brand called Ancestral Supplements.
p.s. quality is important - only get animal products or supplements from pasture raised grass-fed sources.
Probiotic
Unless we are intentional about it, we don’t eat very many fermented foods today. The most common food we may eat would be yogurt, and often the yogurt that is available is low quality and full of sugars. But a high quality fermented food is incredibly healthy for your gut!
Foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented veggies and high quality yogurts (I usually go for dairy free and no adde sugars) are great additions to your regular diet.
If you have ever had antibiotics, struggle with bowel movements, bloating or any other digestive complaints, a regular dose of a probiotic can certainly be supportive.
I personally love Megaspore Probiotic. This is a spore based probiotic that does not need to be refrigerated. These are natural strains that you would be exposed to out in nature.
Other probiotics can be helpful with different strains and perhaps even used in combination with Megaspore, particularly in cases where you have had a lot of gut damage or previous antibiotic use.
Vitamin C
We are some of the only mammals that don’t naturally produce our own Vitamin C. When we are stressed our need goes up and our adrenals burn through whatever stores we may have. Conversely, having enough vitamin C helps our stress responses and supports our immune system.
I personally like This brand of Liposomal Vitamin C. A few pumps under the tongue for 30 seconds 1-2x a day and you avoid any digestive discomfort from tablets in addition to getting it right into your blood stream.
Everyone is different and of course every protocol I create for client is unique. You can take all the supplements in the world but if you haven’t address food sensitivities or gut pathogens you may not be absorbing them efficiently. Work with a practitioner if you are looking for a personalized approach to your nutrition and supplementation!
Interested in working together? Set up a free functional health assessment call at the link below and let’s get to know each other!
Additional resources:
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/what-is-the-best-multivitamin/
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/ben-greenfields-ultimate-supplement-guide/
https://www.thepaleomom.com/7-nutrients-youre-probably-deficient-in/
Preparing for international travel
Friends! I’m going to be honest…I’m totally overwhelmed with everything we have going on over the next 2 months!
First, we are hosting a German exchange student through Keegans school. We were hoping to be in our new home and have lots of space for her but the timing didn’t work out so it’s crunch time to GET ORGANIZED in our small home and make space for her! In June, Keegan will go to Germany and live with her. It’s gonna be such a cool experience for him!
So right now we are in clean, pack, and organize mode….but just to make it more complicated, I decided to change the carpets before she gets here. Like I said, I was planning to host her in a brand new home, and when we started cleaning out the spare room to make this work I just didn’t feel good waiting on the carpets until after she’s gone. So we are getting new carpet and will have to pack everything in our bedrooms away, get it installed, and then unpack before she gets here… HA!
Right after we host her, we are all going on international travels. She is leaving back to Germany, Keegan and Patrick are going to Japan with his school over spring break, and my parents and I are going to Europe.
Pretty much as soon as we all get home our new home will be completed and we will need to sign off on it, close, and decide when to move in!
WHEW!!!!
It’s a lot on top of our already busy work schedules.
I’m definitely a planner, and one thing I’ve had to think about is traveling away from home with food sensitivities. Last November Keegan got his food sensitivities tested for the first time, along with a genetic test.
When we acted on the results, the change was immediate and dramatic. He felt better physically, and he seemed like a different kid emotionally. It was like a dark cloud lifted. He was happier, less moody, his gut felt good again…it was amazing!!!
We now have 3 tests that show he is sensitive to Gluten - a food sensitivity test, a stool test, and a genetic test. indicating predisposition.
When I researched being gluten free in Japan, apparently it’s a bit tricky.
I’ll be traveling to Prague and Vienna and it seems like it won’t be as big of a deal.
But for both of us there are precautious to be had.
Here are a few steps we are taking to make sure we stay healthy on our trips:
1) We will print out celiac travel cards.
I you go to this website you can choose which language you need and print out a card that you can show when you get into restaurants that says that it’s important your meal doesn’t contain wheat! Super helpful!
2) We will be taking gluten enzymes.
There are several to choose from, but the one I’ll send Keegan and Patrick with on this trip is Wheat Rescue by Microbiome Labs. The reason I’,m choosing this one for this occasion is because a) the bottle count is perfect for the amount of time and meals they will have while there - one at each meal. b) it’s a more comprehensive product including probiotics and beneficial yeast which will be supportive overall to their guts when on this trip
3) Keeping up on out normal supplements like vitamin C and Glutathione
Those are two major antioxidants that support your body under stress. Travel and flying is stressful on your body even if you don’t feel it emotionally! I personally feel crappy when flying and need to support my body extra.
4) STAY hydrated on the flight!!
I will be very focused on staying hydrated on our long flights!
5) Personally, I will also be ordering a new Vogmask for the long flights.
After my cancer journey in 2019, I am extra conscientious of any toxin exposure and stressor on my body so these are just a few steps I’ll be taking to be prepared. I’ve already gone through a liver support process for a month which should give my body some breathing room and I will be getting some Vitamins iVs before our travels to really give myself that extra boost!
What tips do you have for traveling with sensitivities?
Constipation 101 - Everything you need to know, to go!
Hello friends!! Today are going to talk about all things CONSTIPATION!!! That’s right poop. Or rather, lack thereof! We will answer the questions:
Why are you constipated?
Why is constipation bad?
How often should I be pooping?
What can I do about constipation?
So that you can take some action steps TODAY!
This is one of the #1 reasons my clients come to me and also something many are embarrassed to reach out and talk about. I’m here to normalize the conversation and talk about your poo! So let’s get to it!
Why are you constipated?
This is the million dollar question and how to treat the constipation highly depends on the answer! This is why when someone is chronically constipated I always encourage them to #TestDontGuess . Let’s get to the bottom of the CAUSE so that we can not only FIX it, but avoid having this problem in the future!
Causes of constipation can range from:
Lack of water
Lack of fiber
Too much fiber with not enough water
Food sensitivities
Gut damage/inflammation
Pathogens/bacteria/yeast overgrowths in the gut
Stress
Hormone fluctuations
Nutrient deficiencies/Malabsorption of nutrients (damaged gut)
Medications
Eating too much protein
Lead exposure
Mold exposure
Using too many binders
If this is a new issue, take a look at this list and see if you are able to identify anything here that may be the culprit. You can begin working on that right away, or find a practitioner (like me) that will assist you in getting the the bottom of it (pun intended) :)
Why is constipation bad?
Besides general discomfort when constipation becomes a chronic problem, constipation leads to many issues including:
Abdominal pain (pressure/stretching of the colon)
Reabsorption of toxins
Inflammation in the colon
Reabsorption and circulation of hormones (leading to hormone imbalance)
Extra toxic burden for the liver
May lead to weight gain (again toxic load and hormone imbalances)
When thinking about health your poo is one of the FIRST places to start because if you aren't pooping then we can't make progress in a lot of other areas.
For example - if you want to do a cleanse of any kind, nourishing different organs and pulling toxins out of your body, you must start with the colon or all those toxins will get built up, and just make you sicker!
If you want to work on your hormones, you better be pooping! Your liver breaks down toxins, chemicals, and used hormones and sends them off for excretion....if you don't excrete them, they get reabsorbed and can cause hormone imbalances .
If you are going through a gut protocol and targeting parasites, yeast, bacteria - all those fun things that cause bloating, fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, malnourishment and more.... you better be pooping!
Poo is about 60% dead bugs.... In addition to food, chemicals, and hormones, you are also excreting the exoskeletons of your microbiome....if you are killing more off intentionally to help your microbiome rebalance in favor of the good guys, you definitely want to be clearing them out - NOT holding them in!
What is normal poop?
Shockingly, many will tell you that if you poop 3x/week you aren’t constipated. In reality here is what you want to look for in healthy poo:
You poo every day a minimum of once. Preferably 2-3 times.
You poo within 20-45 minutes of waking up
Your poo doesn’t stink up the whole bathroom
You don’t see excessive amounts of undigested foods in your poo
It’s long not chunky (little balls, chunky poos, or hard and uncomfortable to push is leading to constipation)
Should be soft but held together
It’s not a weird color (green, black, yellow etc…) - medium brown color is normal.
You don’t require coffee to go
Do any of these shock you?? I bet you identified with at least one…maybe the coffee??? While a nice lovely perk in the morning, we shouldn’t be dependent on our cup of joe to make us go!
What can I do about constipation?
Again (sorry I’ll say it till it sticks!) I recommend working with a practitioner if this is a CHRONIC ongoing issue, or if it’s becoming chronic with children. If it’s just an occasional annoyance however, there are lots of at home remedies to try that are easy, inexpensive and that you can keep on hand once you find what works for you.
Prunes
Yup! good old prunes. Eat 3-6 dried prunes daily and see if that works for you! If you choose to do a glass of prune juice instead, make sure you drink it after a meal to avoid a big blood sugar spike!
Eliminate Gluten and Dairy
I know I know. I JUST saw your eyes roll. Here I am preaching against gluten and dairy again. I’m sorry, but they are the top two food sensitivities that I consistently see make THE biggest difference! Gluten in literally EVERYONE, and dairy in some (arguably most).
Just try it! What do you have to lose….except poop?
I really believe if you aren’t willing to eliminate these things to SEE if they help - you aren’t REALLY committed to your health. Just like alcohol, if you can’t get rid of it for 30 days….you have a problem my friend ;)
There are several reasons gluten is a problem and I made a video about it here if you want to dig deeper!
Increase fiber and water at the same time
Did you know that if you increase your fiber without increasing your water, that instead of making you poop fiber can also constipate you? POOP!
Make sure you are increasing both at the same time. In addition, don’t be drinking Metamucil to get your daily dose of fiber. Make sure you’re increasing things like broccoli, cabbage, root vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds and beans.
Some recommend that you increase your fiber to a minimum of 50g a day. I recommend that you take a look at where you are starting from (maybe use myfitnesspal for a few days to get a baseline) and then intentionally add in the foods listed above. Start with a large side of broccoli at dinner for a few days for example and make up to half your plate in veggies at every single meal.
Castor oil packs or internal castor oil
Castor oil is a remedy that many in the holistic world swear by when it comes to constipation. Some use it as a regular castor oil pack and some take it internally. It does appear to be safe when ingested as long as it’s an organic, cold pressed version and dosed appropriately.
Castor oil pack:
Wool or flannel
Organic castor oil
Plastic wrap or towel
Heating pad
Fold the wool cloth into 4ths and soak one side in castor oil. Lay over the liver, cover in plastic wrap or a thin cloth, and then place heating pad on top to drive the old deeper into the skin. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour and repeat daily.
For more information on Castor Oil and dosages, click HERE.
Squatty Potty
Did you realize that in some cases it may simply be that you aren’t sitting the way God designed us to sit that may be causing your potty troubles? Squatty potty to the rescue! Simply add this little stepper in front of your potty and put your feet on it every time you need to poo. It helps open up your valves so to speak and let the flo go.
Coffee enemas
People get almost as freaked out by this as they do about going gluten free. But I’m telling you, everyone in my family has done this and it’s not as scary as you think. Coffee enemas are used to clear out the colon, stimulate the production of bile and glutathione - a major antioxidant.
To do a coffee enema boil 4 cups of purified water, add 3 TBS of coffee enema coffee (yes that’s a thing) and let it boil for 5 minutes. Strain the water so the coffee grounds are no longer there, and let it cool to between 98.6 and 101. (right around comfortable body temperature. Too hot or too cold and your body will reject it).
Follow the coffee enema package instructions to proceed. You can learn WAY more about why coffee enemas work HERE.
Things to know:
Start with less coffee and see how you respond
Start will less water ( or break your first one up into 3-4 small doses back to back) to see how you respond
Never ever hold it in if it’s uncomfortable or you have a big urge to poo
Always use lubrication of some sort and never use an enema with open sores or injuries near your butt.
If you are comfortable, the goal is to retain it for 10-12 minutes
Be smart about it.
I did a video all about coffee enemas!
Probiotics
Often, constipation may be due to an imbalance in your gut flora - the good bugs and the bad bugs….bad bugs can make you constipated. I would recommend taking a quality spore probiotic (Megaspore is my favorite) because spore based probiotics get all the way through your system just like food based probiotics. You’ll notice they do not need to be refrigerated and have less strain counts. They don’t need to have as many strains as other probiotics because many of those strains die in the stomach acid and don’t get through your system like spore based probiotics do.
You can purchase Megaspore by setting up an account with my online supplement dispensary here:
Supplements
There are a few supplements that may also help.
Magnesium: if you are constipated you may be in need of magnesium. You can get this through epsom salt baths, topical sprays ( I like EASE magnesium spray) or supplemental form. The best supplemental form of magnesium for constipation is magnesium citrate.
Vitamin C: can also make you go. Vitamin C diarrhea is the only side effect of high doses of vitamin C. As long as it doesn’t bother your stomach as you titrate up, you can take 1000mg every hour until you poop. If you start to feel uncomfortable just stop - but again, there are no know negative side effects other than diarrhea when you hit max capacity.
Dr. Christophers Lower Bowel Formula: is another supplement specifically designed with herbs to help you go. This is something you can take more frequently to avoid getting constipated in the first place.
Senokot: while this is an herbal laxative, it’s a little stronger than something you would want to take daily so I would use this for a limited time to clear out, but would always choose it over miralax or ex-lax!
You may find that a nightly combo of magnesium citrate and vitamin C does the trick! Find what works for you. Always be responsible when it comes to dosages and check with a doctor or practitioner when working with children or existing medical conditions!!
DIG DEEPER
If constipation is a chronic issue for you, don’t simply try to treat the symptom, figure out why it’s happening. I’ve worked with clients for years now with symptoms ranging from daily stomach pain, to chronic constipation, to rotating between constipation and diarrhea and the information we can get from functional labs is priceless!
Instead of guessing, we are able to clearly find healing opportunities in the body and work with nutrition changes, lifestyle modifications and targeted (not guessing) supplementation to address the problems, heal the gut, and get results.
One of my favorite client testimonies was an awesome lady who came to me at a time when she spent 1-2 hours in the bathroom
EVERY MORNING. Within a few weeks of working together, I checked in and she was down about 5 minutes every morning. That’s amazing!!!
Food, supplements, sleep…that’s all great. But if you have bugs causing the problem you’re not going to identify them, or effectively get rid of them, without test results and a target protocol!
Try all the fun tips above FIRST! And if that doesn’t help, let’s talk!
You can always schedule a health assessment call with me to see if working together is right for you :) ** (serious applicants only)
Want more content like this plus recipes, challenges, and a community of likeminded #YOUtrition seekers? Join my free FB community #YOUtrition - Nutrition that works for YOU!
To you and your healthy poo :)
References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/apt.12913
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4403030/
http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO200503039787121.page
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
5 Budget Friendly ways to support your body during cancer treatment
Hey there!!
I recently shared an article on what supplements I used during chemotherapy , and how much we spent out of pocket to take an integrative approach to my cancer treatment.
I KNOW that integrative care can be expensive. It is not covered by insurance, specialists are paid per visit, and fancy treatments like vitamin IVs are all out of pocket. While there’s no way to integrate your care COMPLETELY free, there are ways you can get resources and information that you can incorporate yourself for an affordable rate.
I will just state a caveat/personal opinion here: If at ALL POSSIBLE I would highly recommend hiring a specialist. During chemo you are tired, easily get demotivated, and experience brain fog or “chemo brain”.
While you may be 100% capable of doing your own research, finding what works and implementing yourself when healthy, you will, at minimum, need a support system to encourage you, cook for you the way you want, and help you accomplish any therapies you’d like to utilize through this process.
That being said, here are lots of resources for you!
5 Budget Friendly Ways to Support
Your Body During Cancer Treatment
1) Books
There are SO MANY books that you can read about integrative care, nutrition, supplementation, how cancer works, how you can support your body during and after chemo etc…. Here are a few that I have found to be really wonderful resources:
Beating Cancer with Nutrition
I found this book to be not only incredibly encouraging, but also packed with information! I particularly appreciated the authors approach to integrative care. His point is that sometimes it IS necessary to address the toxic load through conventional treatment (getting rid of tumors, going through chemotherapy etc) but that it is not only MORE effective to use nutrition to support your body, but done right, nutrition and supplementation can also help you to avoid unnecessary side effects by protecting your organs, cells, energy etc….
In this book, Patrick Quillin discusses what causes cancer, foods that fight cancer and so much more. You will learn so much about your body, the environment, toxicity and more! In addition you’ll receive specific supplement and dosage recommendations, a letter for your oncologist, and lots of recipes in the back.
The Cancer Fighting Kitchen Cookbook
You may or may not use all the recipes in this book, but U found it incredibly helpful to skim before beginning treatment. Rebecca Katz talked about things I wouldn’t have known to think about including how to eat before, during and after an infusion. Regardless of whether you use these recipes, during your treatment, it’s a fantastic resource and it’s filled with super delicious recipes!
Emotional Detox
Many believe that cancers develop because of “stuck” emotions or unhealed traumas. Whether you believe that or not, this healing journey will be deeper and more long lasting if you dive into emotional and spiritual healing avenues throughout this process. I would encourage you to do a lot of research on this topic, ask for prayer from your church, and become open to what God may share with you during this time!
While this isn’t a book I read during my own treatment phase, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this book and the author. If you want to learn more about your body and the development of cancer ( and what you can do to prevent recurrence in the future) then this is an amazing resource!
Radical Remission
This time of your life is HARD. Regardless of where you are, it’s crucial to fill your mind with positive thoughts, hopeful images, and pans for the future. Reading inspirational stories of people who have gone into remission and what tools were shared between them can be really encouraging!
Green Smoothie Diet
Whether you are prepping your body BEFORE chemo, approaching treatment through natural methods only, or recovering from conventional treatment, greens, juices, and smoothies are a fast way to get dense nutrition into your cells! Robyn Openshaw has not only experienced health problems herself, but has been hit with cancer several times in her immediate family and she has traveled the world visiting cancer treatment facilities.
2) Podcasts
There are SO MANY doctors, naturopaths and healers that use this platform to educate the public. This extends their reach far beyond what they would be able to accomplish by just seeing their patients 1:1 in the office setting. Below are some specific podcast episodes you may enjoy - if you enjoy the episode, consider listing to other episodes from the same host!
Dr. Mercola and Dr. Nasha Winters “Natural Cancer Remedies” - this episode provides valuable information on testing, integrative care and more….
Ben Greenfield Podcast “How to cure Yourself of Cancer “ with Eric Remensperger - listen to one man’s story of healing! And scroll down to the bottom of the show notes for several other episode on cancer!
The Stern Method Podcast “Natural Healing Success” with Robyn Openshaw - Robyn shares her own health stories, her families experience with cancer, and her experiences visiting cancer treatment facilities around the world.
3) Online Holistic or Integrative Care
Websites, Blogs and Therapies
4) Nutrition
Do I REALLY need to add this one? Yes. Because most doctors will not give you any information on what to eat before, during, or after cancer treatment! Before and after treatment (when your immune system is functioning) fresh fruits and vegetables are the way to go! (But no, I’m not telling you to go without protein - it’s crucial for detox!)
I actually don’t promote extreme diets like Keto or juice fasting, but there may be situations, cancers, and stages where this may be appropriate. Work with a professional in this area if you want to do anything extreme so that you can monitor you blood work and results regularly.
General principles apply to anyone with any cancer, at any stage of treatment however and those are the same overarching principles that cover the rest of the world as well. Eat real food.
Many docs are so worried about you losing weight that they will encourage you to “eat anything” to maintain your weight including ice cream or mcdonalds. Because that helps your immune system function well, your cells repair, and your energy bounce back…RIGHT?! While nutrient IVs may be needed in emergency situations, maintaining a nutrient dense diet throughout and making sure you are getting healthy foods and protecting your gut, can only HELP you maintain your protein levels and weight.
There isn’t a whole lot you can do to save your immune system during chemo. It’s gonna take a hit, period. But you CAN support your body by eating anti-inflammatory foods. The same kind of diet that is beneficial for everyone. Not extreme, but filled with whole foods.
Eat fresh fruits and veggies until your white blood cell counts get low and then switch to cooked and steamed but don’t stop eating vegetables! Fill the rest of your day with healthy fats, high quality proteins and nutrient dense meals to support your muscle maintenance, brain health, cell health, and energy levels.
p.s. I personally had weird cravings around chemo treatments in addition to major food aversions. Listen to your body! I gave myself a 72 hour grace period where I would be much more lax about balancing my meals and go with what felt or tasted good (within certain guidelines). But then I would do my best to get back to a balanced diet!
“Chemo, radiation and surgery will reduce tumor burden but do nothing to change the underlying conditions that allows this abnormal growth to thrive”
- Patrick Quillin “Beating Cancer with Nutrition”
Don’t underestimate the power of food to change your cellular environment! Nutrition, mindset, and spiritual healing are all steps you can take to not only support yourself DURING treatment, but prepare your body to be as strong as possible BEFORE treatment and remain in remission AFTER treatment.
5) Supplements
I’ve already shared what supplements I personally used, but I would always recommend you work with someone specializing in integrative care! WHY? Because if your symptoms change or a side effect begins to develop, you can always change course under their supervision.
Every coach needs a coach, every athlete needs a trainer, so even if you feel really educated on supplements, this is a stressful time where you will feel fatigued and not quite yourself. Utilize as many support resources as you can! Supplements are one of the more affordable therapies available!
There are some supplements that protect you during chemotherapy, some supplements that specifically attack tumors, and some that boost your immune system and support your mitochondria and cell health! You’ll want to incorporate different ones at different times throughout your healing journey.
Once you are in remission I would recommend at minimum doing a food sensitivity test to lower inflammation and see which foods you have developed sensitivities to after the enormous amount of emotional and physical stress you just went through. I would encourage you to re-test 3 months later, and then 6 months after that as your body continues to heal.
Want more support? Join my free Healthy Through Hodgkins community where I share integrative approaches to healing, nutritional tips, detox information and more!
p.s. nothing in this blog is meant to take the place of medical advice. Please share changes you make with your oncologist, and hire specialists to advise you in any medical concerns. This is not a medical website and I am not a doctor.
Reverse engineering your health goals, and becoming your biggest advocate.
Hey Hey Diva friends!
Happy Friday! So, I know that not everyone can afford getting tons of personalized lab testing, doctors visits, supplements, or personal trainers. I do. While I do encourage you to invest in yourself as much as possible, I also encourage you to be your own advocate and do as much of the groundwork as possible YOURSELF.
You know your body the best, you know how you're feeling, and YOU can answer the following questions in order to reverse engineer your own health journey. So let's get started...
1) What am I struggling with?
Sort of obvious, you need to identify what you're struggling with. Is it weight loss resistance? Blood sugar instability? A disease? Inability to be consistent? Lack of knowledge of where to start?
Step one on any journey is to identify and define the problem. Be aware that several symptoms or underlying causes may overlap. For example, blood sugar imbalance may be due to an infection in the gut etc....Only when you know what your goal is can you move to step two.
2) What causes this?
Really dig deep. If its an emotional struggle that you identified, this part might make you feel vulnerable, defensive, scared, or angry. Why can't I maintain a habit? Why do I allow stress to derail all my efforts? Why can't I take the first step?
If those are questions you're struggling with begin to dig deeper. Is there a trauma, mental association or insecurity that you haven't yet identified? Is there simply lack of commitment - maybe you don't fully understand WHY you are making a change?
If it's a physical condition you're working on this might require some time, effort, and research on your part! It's taken me many years and hours of personal research time to find the paths that have led me to the healthy road I'm on today. Don't skip this vital step by always trusting other people's opinions. Combine your research with your own intuition and listen to your body.
Most importantly have integrity in how you communicate with yourself. Don't make excuses to yourself and be willing to face some uncomfortable realities when you answer this question. This step will take time because you are the only one that can answer it. The good news is, if you're willing to put in the effort to answer this question you can continue on to the final step.
3) What activities, foods, supplements support this?
Regardless of whether your goal is mental, physical or emotional growth, there are always diet and lifestyle factors that can support you. The #1 thing that you have in your control EVERY day is the food you put into your mouth.
Your food not only affects your weight but it affects your moods, your energy, your ability to think clearly and work productively, and your ability to reach your goals. How awesome is that?! You have 100% control over something that can dramatically change the course of your life.
How have YOU implemented these steps in your own life? In what cases have you been your own advocate? Share the changes you've seen below!
Supplements you should consider....
Hey there Diva friends!
It's so easy when you are trying to be healthy to get overwhelmed by all the supplements available! I need this for my joint pain, this for my brain health, this one for my skin and this one for my belly!!! Trust me, I understand. As someone who is working on balancing my own hormones and recovering from years of damaged gut health from NSAID use and poor eating habits, I pop a handful of supplements every day and don't bat an eye!
But for the average person who is just looking to improve their overall health and doesn't struggle with any chronic or serious conditions, a handful of supplements multiple times a day is not appealing....and the question may arise, "can't I just get what I need from food?"
Yes. And no. Getting nutrition from food is optimal of course and any supplements you take should be of the highest quality and derived from whole food sources whenever possible! My first response to that question however, is that 99% of the American population is not eating a diet healthy enough to come even remotely CLOSE to providing the nutrition they need. Full of homogenized, oxidized vegetable oils, starchy/processed carbs, and sugar, a typical American diet can actually cause malabsorption of the nutrients you DO try to get in. But for arguments sake let's say you've hopped onto the Whole30 or Paleo/Primal bandwagon with me and your daily fare consists of grass-fed meats, pasture raised chicken eggs, fresh veggies, organic fruits, and high quality healthy fats....even THEN it's tough to get what you need for 2 reasons:
Why Take Supplements?
1) You simply don't get enough variety. Let's face it, we are creatures of habit! Unless you are the rare healthy unicorn that tries something new every time you go to the supermarket and you also love to cook creatively (bless you - can you come to my house?!), we typically pick up the same rotation of our favorite vegetables. For example, I eat kale, brussel sprouts, carrots, onions and peppers on the regular....but I hardly ever have rutabaga, parsnips, cassava, swiss chard, or spinach! This can be compounded if you have picky family members or kiddos to consider....So even as healthy as my family tries to be - it's flat out hard to get nutritional variety - at least on the level that you need daily.
2) We aren't just building our health, we are repairing it! Consider that even if you are the model of health in your nutrition choices now, for the first 20-30 years of your life you probably weren't. Most of us were raised (at no fault of our parents) on cereal, PB&J, commercial dairy products, and processed meats.....not to mention the fast food treat (even if it WAS only once a week!). Because of those foods (all processed!) we have given our systems a great load to bear. (For more information on how these foods have affected our overall health and our gut health specifically see my previous post HERE).
For that reason we spend the second half of our lives reversing symptoms, building up our health, healing our guts, and strengthening our brains, organs, skin, guts, and overall wellness. Essentially...catching up! Thankfully our bodies are survival machines that do the best with the building blocks they are given....so why not give them the strongest stone possible to build a wall of health instead of foam bricks or worse...nothing at all?
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For those two main reasons I recommend that everyone take at least 3 supplements daily.
Which supplements are best?
1) Probiotics. Probiotics are KEY! Raise your hand if you have ever been on a round of antibiotics? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever taken tylenol, ibuprofen, and NSAID of any kind? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever experienced food poisoning, acid reflux, burping, belching, constipation? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever taken Tums, or pepto bismol? You need a probiotic!*
* There area few instances where a probiotic could exacerbate an underlying health condition - while less common, if you bloat out after taking a probiotic or eating a fermented food like sauerkraut you may need further testing to rule out some bacterial overgrowth.
Have you ever thought about this before???
WHY? Because all of those things point to an imbalance in your gut microbiome. Your gut is like your second brain - lots of what happens externally or symptomatically in your body starts with your gut! (See my post on gut health here). Taking all those OTC medications can damage your gut lining and if you've ever taken an antibiotic....well....your gut microbiome is NEVER the same. Dramatic? Yes. True? Sadly. Antibiotics wipe out not ONLY the bad bacteria but also the good....and its tough for your body to recover from that. Like I said, it's a survival machine but have you ever come back from antibiotics and experienced side effects like constipation? Now you know why! If and when you need to take antibiotics it's ALWAYS beneficial to take a probiotic at the same time to replenish the good stuff! You can listen to a GREAT podcast on gut microbiome HERE.
For more info on how probiotics work and why you need them read this article here.
2) Digestive Enzymes. Along the same lines as probiotics, digestive enzymes help you have a healthy gut. Enzymes help you break down your food and digest it properly. It makes it easier on your small intestines to then absorb the nutrients properly without causing inflamation and damage to your gut as discussed in my previous blog post! The right digestive enzyme can also help you avoid acid reflux and stomach upset. This is of course assuming you aren't using an enzyme to excuse poor eating habits!
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3) Remember how earlier we mentioned how hard it is to get all the good nutrition in that we need even when we are health nuts? Thats why I recommend everyone have a multivitamin. Preferably one derived from whole foods! A multivitamin is a great tool to cover your bases, make sure you are getting some vitamins in your system daily, even if you happen to get busy and eat the same thing every day in a row for the week ha! Who hasn't been there before?!
Where can I get these supplements?
Well, I could give you a list of highly recommended brands and individual supplements to take in pill form, OR, I could simply recommend Shakeology! Did you know that Shakeology includes probiotics, prebiotics (fiber that supports your probiotics so they can do their job), digestive enzymes AND tons of vitamins and minerals BECAUSE it's made from whole foods?! While kale may be in my diet, yacon root, bilberry juice, and moringa certainly are not! (except that they are because I drink Shakeology every day hehehe)
I'll be honest - as someone who was already on the path of eating whole, real, health conscious foods, a shake didn't appeal to me. But when I did my research I discovered that Shakeology is made from high quality whole food ingredients from around the world. The ingredients are wonderful, and the taste....well....I always say they must be hiding the fairy dust in the ingredient list because it's DELICIOUS. Chocolate vegan is my favorite!
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Many people tell me that at $130/month for Shakeology seems pricey. I would say the quality of your supplements matter. If you purchase 3 high quality supplements you are getting close to the cost of Shakeology without the additional benefits of getting a tasty snack AND dose of quality protein. Health is always an investment - you can pay now for something to improve your health, or you can pay later when you are popping the RXs and hitting the docotors office weekly. Ask me how you can get a monthly discount on Shakeology to make it more affordable!
So to wrap up - if you're looking for better digestion, a healthier gut, and something tasty to get lots of vitamins in your day without chugging a kale smoothie....you DEFINITELY need to try Shakeology. If you have any questions, message me or comment below - but before you leave, I have to mention one more thing!
For $30 above the cost of Shakeology you can ALSO get a full year of streaming access to ALL the Beachbody at home workouts. You heard me - a full year! Click here for all the details. With ANY purchase comes access to my monthly challenges that include meal plans, encouragement, tips, live videos where you can ask me questions, and FUN!!!! We see results -are you ready to jump in yet?!
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I love to hear from you! Comment below with questions, takeaways or topics you'd like covered in the future! :)
Bye for now! :) Here's to your health...
