Megan Rand

Tag: FDN

  • Christmas Gifts for your Holistic Friend

    Christmas Gifts for your Holistic Friend

     

    Do you have anyone in your life who embraces a holistic lifestyle? Someone who gets excited about a stainless steel stein that not only keeps your tea hot for 12 hours, but doesn’t leach ANY endocrine disrupting plastic into your drink?  For those of us who geek out over healthy gadgets and nontoxic goodies, this is an amazing list of ideas for Christmas presents.  

     

    Although my family members might be rolling their eyes when they open their presents, I can’t help but want to keep them around a long time – so nontoxic is what they are getting from me!!!

     

    Water Bottles, Tumblers and Pints oh my!

     

    If you have some family or friends who are the outdoorsy type, the Stainless Steel Vacuum insulated Steins from Healthy Human Life are awesome!!!  They come with a carabiner to hook onto your bag and are great for camping, hiking or the beach (for those of you lucky enough to be near one)!  The best feature, in my opinion, as we enter the freezing cold winter season is that it keeps hot beverages warm up to 12 hours!!  I had a tea in mine a few days ago and forgot about it for about 4 hours.  When I opened it up I was amazed that it was piping hot and I actually had to wait to drink it.

     

    Planning a party or camping trip? The Stainless Steel pints are a great upgrade to those red solo cups.  But they are not just for adults, I think this is a fabulous gift for children!  Since we are a Montessori loving family, we have embraced the idea that kids learn and gain self confidence from being able to independently perform tasks. Having unbreakable pints like these on a shelf or in a drawer that kids can reach to poor their own cup of water not only helps out mom and dad, but gives them great pride.  You might think this is a boring gift for a child, but watch them light up when they learn they can now get their own beverage!  

     

    Even better, Healthy Human Life is offering 10% off Amazon coupon code (valid until 12/31/15).  

    You can just use Discount Code: [highlight background_color=”00fff2″ text_color=”000000″]gingnw10 at checkout[/highlight].

     

    Stein link: http://hhl.life/gingnewsteins

    20 oz Tumbler link: http://hhl.life/gingnewtums

    Pint link: http://hhl.life/gingnewpints

     

    Spiralizer

     

    Have any health conscious, paleo or gluten-free friends in your life?  Making zoodles is all the rage right now.  Zoodles a.k.a zucchini noodles, are a great substitution in all your favorite pasta dishes without the wheat or gluten.  We have zoodles with meat sauce in our house about once a week. I don’t know what I would do without my spiralizer!!

    I have the GEFU which works very well and is really sturdy –  but at the time of writing this this one was on sale for half the price and looked pretty similar (although I have never personally used it!)

    Vitamix – find it here

     

    This would be an amazing gift for someone you REALLY love 🙂  This is definitely not the cheapest item on the list, but I love having an amazing blender on hand for making veggie smoothies (aka: a blended salad), pureed soups, homemade nut butters and nut milks.  Something like this is an investment but when you get a good quality blender it will last for years, which ends up being great for your pocketbook as well as the environment.  How many times have you bought the cheaper version of something just to throw it away the next year?!

     

    Himalayan Salt Lamp – find it here

     

    By now, most of us natural lifestyle junkies have heard that blue light exposure will hinder melatonin production at night, making it harder for us to fall asleep as well as stay in deep sleep.  Upgrading your children’s nightlights or having these around your home for ambience not only supports better sleep and mood but can help you clean up your environment at the same time!  My daughter loves hers and so do I! 

     

    Berkey Water Filter (for drinking)

     

    If you haven’t heard me talk about how much I love my Berkey than you probably haven’t been around me often, because I LOVE my Berkey.  This countertop system has a carbon filters that (according to the Berkey webiste) “remove viruses to purification standards, pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites to non-detectable levels, and harmful or unwanted chemicals to below detectable levels”.  That is a great benefit of course but a bonus is that the water tastes amazing and quenches my thirst.  Since I personally struggled with severe adrenal dysfunction, I am always looking for water that still has it’s natural minerals intact.  Restoring my minerals has been very important in recovering my energy and hormone balance.  If you have someone in your life who has been trying to make upgrades in their personal and cleaning products, but hasn’t splurged on they water filter, this would be an amazing present for them.

    Diffuser & Essential Oils

     

    Who doesn’t like yummy smelling things? There are lots of scented candles and air fresheners that might smell good, but at the same time are sending chemicals and endocrine disruptors into the air. Get the best of both worlds by sending a friend a diffuser and some essential oils. Not only will the essential oils make the room smell amazing but at the same time can help clear the air of fungus and bacteria with a blend like On Guard.  

     

    Beeswax Candles

     

    If you are going to give candles as a gift, go for beeswax.    Why not use a candle that helps clean the air while your friends or family are using it? Look for 100% pure beeswax on candles, otherwise just “pure” can mean 51%. Beeswax candles release negative ions when it burns which helps neutralize positive ions that suspend pollen, dust, dirt and pollutant in the air. This can help to reduce indoor pollutants and can therefore help reduce asthma, allergies & hay fever

     

    Nontoxic Skincare – Fatface

     

    How many times have you ended up getting a friend or family some random smelly lotion from the mall just because you needed a gift?  Well, those are the days of the past for me. If I wouldn’t use it on my own body, I don’t give it as a gift!  I personally love Fatface Skincare for all of my nontoxic skincare items.  They only use real ingredients that you could actually eat (although maybe you shouldn’t do that!) .  They follow a nose to tail philosophy meaning that they believe if you are going to kill an animal to eat the meat, than you should make sure to use every single part of it, including the fat!

    I have always gotten great feedback when I have given the Facial Skincare Kit as a present. I cannot get over the change in the way my skin looks and feels since adding Myrrhaculous Face Cream, Body Butta and my favorite, the Fat Stick, into my life. Check out the Fatface Skincare website for all of their amazing products as well as the holiday boxes! These are not only nontoxic, they also smell great and work extremely well unlike some other natural products that I have tried.  Your friends will be thanking you!!!  

     

     

    Want more information about nontoxic products that we love?  Want more tips and tricks about how to clean up your home environment to be supportive of vibrant health?

     

    Grab the Toxic Home Makeover to give yourself the best Christmas gift of all  – the gift of a nontoxic home environment!!!

     

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Toxic-Home-Makeover-Cover-238×300.png” raw=”true” alignment=”center” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ link=”http://healthyhormonesgroup.com/toxichome” target=”_parent” width=”238″ height=”300″]

  • Virus Fighting Gargle Rinse

    Virus Fighting Gargle Rinse

     

    Last year when I started to feel like I was getting a cold, a friend suggested that I gargle with oregano oil. I was a little skeptical that it would help, but I was willing to give it a try! To my amazement the sore throat never developed into more than a little scratchy feeling. The next day I was completely back to normal because luckily I had caught it right in the beginning!!

     

    The only down side is that when gargling with pretty concentrated oregano oil, if you get a little too zealous it sprays onto your face it can really burn!

     

    Although the oregano oil by itself is one option, Alex at Digprimal.com has an even better recipe to use when you start to get a sore throat or feel run down. Since she works in a hospital it is very important for her to catch and get rid of any viruses that might want to take hold.

     

    {Alex is an anesthesiology resident with a passion for a whole foods and a holistic approach to health.  She’s the co-creator of the Healthy Hormones Group Program which helps women reclaim their adrenal, hormonal, and neurotransmitter balance. She also runs her blog, digprimal.com, which is all about natural living, DIY-ing, and fueling your body with nutrient dense food.  She lives in Chicago with her husband and two adorable (and goofy) cats.}

     

    Check out today’s guest blog post by Alex —>

    ————————————————————————–

     

    Virus Fighting Gargle Rinse

     

    This recipe is what I reach for when I start to feel any sort of discomfort/scratchy-ness in the back of my throat or when I start to cough.  I do it up to 3 times per day the second I start to feel symptoms and, in my personal experience, it generally helps me from developing the full blown version of whatever was brewing.

     

    Ingredients:

    Steps:

    1.  Place your warm water into a large mug.
    2. Add in your salt and baking soda, then stir until dissolved.
    3. Add in your oregano oil and tea tree oil and mix thoroughly. (The oil will not want to mix with the water so you may have to stir several times throughout the process.)

     

    I use this recipe most often as a gargle but I’ve also had quite a bit of success when I’ve used it in a Neti Pot.

     

    We hope that this helps you out during the long winter months!

     

  • Healthy Microbiome; How We Get Our Good Bacteria

    Healthy Microbiome; How We Get Our Good Bacteria

     

    What is a microbiome? Well, the short version is that our microbiome is the community of microorganisms that live within and on the human body. This includes organisms such as viruses and bacteria.  Some are commensal friendly bacteria and some are pathogenic bacteria that can cause disease. Although the bacteria is not only in our gastrointestinal tract or gut, that is what we will focus on here. The Human Micorbiome Project has helped our understanding of the importance of gut health.  Having a more varied species in your mircrobiome is linked with lower risks of disease and greater long term health.

     

    So how do we get a variety of species? I recently watch the Mircobiome Series from Rebel Health Tribe and was blown away by the information. This came at the perfect time for me as I am about to bring another child into the world.  Understanding how an infant receives a variety of good bacteria is a very important topic to me. My 5 yr old had leaky gut (intestinal permeability) at the age of 3, eczema rashes and many food intolerances. I am hoping to avoid this situation with my second child. Unfortunately with my first child I was unaware of my own poor gut health before conceiving. Since the majority of an infant’s gut bacteria get passed down from their mother it is not surprising that she ended up with an unhealthy microbiome.

     

    As a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® practitioner we use functional lab work to look for underlying imbalances. In the process of trying to get to the root of my daughter’s eczema, we ran many labs. The most eye opening was when my daughter and I simultaneously ran a stool test to look for pathogens and our results were exactly the same. We both had an overgrowth of enterobacter. My daughter’s gut health was a mirror of mine.

     

    Since I have focused on supporting my gut health for a couple years, I already know that my second baby will be much better off. We now know that the more diverse the species are living in your gut, the healthier you are overall. Each person has their own unique microbial community that is as different from one person to the next as their fingerprint. Even twins, born from the same mother in the same environment have different species in their gut. So let’s talk about how you get these different species in the first place.

     

    How did we get our unique microbiome? We don’t have our full set of gut bacteria until we are about 2 ½ years old. If you want to get a more detailed understanding of this subject, I highly suggest that you watch the Mircobiome Series from Rebel Health Tribe.

     

    • It Starts in utero. We used to think that when a baby entered the world the gut was sterile but we now know that while in utero the baby’s gut has already started to be inoculated. Immune cells from the mother will grab the good bacteria and transfer it to the baby through the umbilical cord. This gets the baby ready for the biggest inoculum of bacteria as the baby passes through the birth canal.
    • The birth canal. At the end of the first trimester, the vaginal population of the pregnant mother starts to shift to mimic that of the gut bacteria. The bacteria that helps babies digest milk also starts to grow so that when the baby enters the world through the birth canal the baby gets bathed in this bacteria. This prepares the infant to be able to drink milk, it’s primary source of nourishment for the next 6 months.
    • Skin to Skin. Luckily skin–to-skin contact has become a popular practice right after a baby is born, first with the mother and then the father. This is the next step in populating the microbiome since this is how the baby gets the friendly skin based bacteria from the parents. The good bacteria on our skin is like an invisible layer of body army that alerts our immune system if something is about to attack.
    • Breastfeeding! Another incredibly powerful way that nature helps pass different bacteria on from the bother to the baby. Breast milk contains 400-600 different species of bacteria! But did you know that the most abundant nutrient in breast milk are actually oligosaccharides, which can’t be digested by the baby? Why would a baby’s only source of nutrition be made up of something that they can’t digest? The milk is heavy in oligosaccharides because it feeds the baby’s bacteria that it just got from mom and helps it make a permanent home. This shows how important the role of the bacteria is!
    • Community – Pass that baby around. Ever wonder why you just want to kiss and snuggle every cute little baby that you see? Cute kissable babies have an evolutionary advantage. The baby that gets passed around from relative to relative or among community members comes into contact with bacteria that their mother didn’t have. The more diverse the species that they acquire the better off they are. So put down that antibacterial hand sanitizer that you spray on your visitors and pass that baby around!!!
    • Environment. The environment is where baby gets the remainder of the bacteria to populate the microbiome.   Ideally we will find this environmental bacteria in nature that hasn’t been altered by man, such as in the pristine mountains and woods. Consider letting your children play freely, get dirty and even eat some dirt if they want to while camping or hiking. People living in rural environments tend to have more diverse species. This tip doesn’t just apply to babies, this is a great way for adults to repopulate with good bacteria. Take a hike!

     

    How fascinating is this? Hopefully this will help you set up your little one for success. Now I know a lot of you might be thinking, but what if I had a c-section or couldn’t breastfeed? There are medical reasons when c-sections are necessary and they can save lives, so if this is your situation there is no need to beat yourself up about it. Just be aware that your baby might need a little extra help populating it’s microbiome. After all, I was a c-section baby and I have been able to restore my microbiome!!!

     

  • Chaga Hot Chocolate

    Chaga Hot Chocolate

     

    Chaga mushrooms are a type of medicinal mushroom known as the Siberian Gift to the Gods! They grow on trees and are extremely hard and rigid as compared to most types of mushrooms.   They are consumed by being ground into a powder and can then be made into a delicious beverage.

     

    We all know mushrooms are a superfood but these are like mushrooms on steroids! They are a very dense source of minerals including calcium, iron, manganese. They are also great for detox as they support the kidneys and liver.  A mid-afternoon chaga tea or hot chocolate can give you a boost in energy while supporting the adrenal glands because of the high mineral content.

     

    As if those weren’t enough benefits to want to try this magical mushroom, they also support digestion and are a rich source of pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and niacin. Chaga mushrooms have been used in ancient cultures for 100s of years and people who consume chaga mushrooms on a regular basis are said to live 85-100 years old.

     

    If ground up mushroom powder does not sound that appetizing, it is actually quite delicious when made into this hot chocolate because the chaga powder has somewhat of a caramel flavor! Think Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate! (a hippy nutritious version)

     

    Chaga Hot Chocolate

    2 Tbsp chaga powder

    2 Tbsp cacao powder

    1 Tbsp coconut oil (or as desired)

    1 tsp up to 1 Tbsp raw manuka honey (or as desired)

    ¼-1/3 cup of coconut milk

    ½ inch knob of fresh ginger

    1 Tbsp collagen powder

    1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

    ½-1 tsp nutmeg (to taste)

    Sprinkle of pink sea salt

     

    Add chaga powder and cacao powder to the bottom of mug. Fill mug ¾ full with hot water. Melt coconut oil into hot water. Add honey and stir together. Put coconut milk, ginger, collagen powder, cinnamon, nutmeg into a blender (we have a Vitamix) that can handle hot beverages (not all of them can, be aware of exploding hot drinks!!). Pour the liquid that you have mixed together in your mug into the blender. Blend on high until well blended and frothy. Pour into your mug and top with a sprinkle of pink sea salt if desired.

     

    Enjoy!!!

     

  • How to Conceive Naturally Book Review

    How to Conceive Naturally Book Review

     

    Although I am currently in my 2nd pregnancy, I consider this my first holistic pregnancy. This time around I am much more in tune with my food choices, sensitivities, gut health, adrenal health, chemicals, pesticides, GMOs, toxins, and things in our environment to be avoided.   Unfortunately, I was unaware of most of these topics when I got pregnant with my first daughter and we paid the price!! We spent 3 years of my daughter’s life investigating gut dysfunction and food sensitivities. We went to numerous doctors and spent tons of money on lab testing.

     

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DSC01029-300×225.jpg” raw=”true” alignment=”left” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”2″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ border=”smallBorder” width=”300″ height=”225″] I was fortunate enough to be able to work with Christa Orecchio at The Whole Journey, not only as my nutritionist, but I was also able to complete an internship with her. Both experiences changed the course of my life and my health. So I was so excited to see her philosophy of digging to the root cause of a health issues applied to the topic of fertility, conception, healthy mamas and healthy babies in a very detailed book. What an amazing resource for our future mamas!!!

     

    When Christa asked if I would like an advanced copy of the book to review, I was like a kid in a candy store (I mean an organic honey sweetened chocolate kind of store of course)!! Little did she know I had already pre-ordered a copy on amazon and was counting down the days until it would be released so that I would have time to read it all in before my looming due date in December.

     

    I don’t think I have devoured a book in such a short period of time!! The content-rich How To Conceive Naturally and Have a Healthy Pregnancy After 30 was co-written by Christa Orecchio and Willow Buckley. Willow is a classical homeopath, labor doula and mother of two. The combination or Christa’s clinical experience and Willow’s experience with pregnant mamas provides a unique take on health, fertility and pregnancy. The book is filled with information but is written in a way that is very digestible (pun intended!). Since I am currently in my 3rd trimester, I jumped right to the chapter about Weeks 27-40 and next I took copious notes as I read the ultimate postpartum survival guide. I then went back to the beginning of the book and read it all the way through!!

     

    Although the title of the book says that it is for women over 30, this book is for everyone who is interested in a healthy pregnancy and baby! I am seeing younger and younger clients with fertility problems, autoimmunity and hormonal imbalances. My goal is for women to start thinking about their health and fertility a few YEARS (or at least a few months) before trying to conceive. An extra year of effort now can save you a lot of heartache and time in the future when you have a happy baby who is set up for optimal health not only as a child but also as an adult.

     

    This book is for anyone who:

     

    • Is confused about what to eat for optimal hormonal health
    • Wants to get pregnant, whether it is now or in the next 3-5 years
    • Has had trouble trying to conceive
    • Is currently pregnant and wants to navigate pregnancy is the most natural manner
    • Is wondering how to deal with pregnancy symptoms without drugs & interventions
    • Wants to be a super dad
    • Is wondering how to survive the postpartum period

     

    Although I was most personally interested in the information in a book about pregnancy and the postpartum period, I think that the most powerful information in this book is the 12 Week Preconception Action Plan. This part of the book spells out exactly how navigate the 12 weeks before you start trying to get pregnant. But this book is like no other pregnancy book that I have read before. They cover the kind of topics that I help my clients with, such as loving your liver, balancing your hormones, tracking your thyroid health, taking time for yourself and crowding out junk foods with nutrient dense foods.

     

    Wondering if your body is ready for pregnancy?

     

    Take this test to find out if you are ready to rock or if it is time to focus on yourself and do some health detective work first.!!

     

    Grab your copy now!!! This Fabulous book is released today!

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/How-to-Conceive-Naturally-300×300.jpg” raw=”true” alignment=”left” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ width=”600″ height=”600″]

  • Warm Apple Slices with Coconut Cream

    Warm Apple Slices with Coconut Cream

     

    Apple pie has always been my favorite dessert during the holidays.  I rarely have the time or patience to make a gluten-free apple pie, so this is my busy mom’s version of apple pie.  There are no excuses when it comes to this recipe because this is the simplest dessert ever!  Want something sweet after dinner? You can easily throw this together without much preparation (you just need to have coconut milk in the refrigerator!).

     

    In my practice we try to avoid deprivation. Instead we find a way to upgrade the foods that we lean on for comfort.  If you usually have ice-cream or cookies for dessert, try something like this instead!

     

    Warm Apple Slices with Coconut Cream

    Makes 2 servings

    1 can coconut milk, refrigerated for several hours

    1 teaspoon coconut oil

    2 apples, cored and sliced

    1 teaspoon raw honey

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

     

    Place a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for several hours. The coconut milk fats will harden. Scoop this cream off of the top.

     

    COMBINE THE INGREDIENTS. Add coconut oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the apple slices. Warm for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to two serving bowls. Top with coconut cream (the hardened coconut milk fat), raw honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

     

    Enjoy!

     

    Photo credit: Primal Palate

  • Autoimmune Basics: 5 Simple Steps to Transform Autoimmunity

    Autoimmune Basics: 5 Simple Steps to Transform Autoimmunity

     

    I love collaborating with and learning from other practitioners!  Today we have any extra special treat because Toréa from www.torearodriguez.com is going to give us a little lesson on autoimmunity.  In my personal practice, my number of clients with autoimmunity is on the rise and I know this is becoming more and more common in the general population as well.

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Torea-300×300.jpg” raw=”true” alignment=”left” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”10″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ width=”300″ height=”300″]Toréa is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner who has first-hand experience with autoimmune diseases and how to regain health.

    Combining her scientific knowledge, risk-assessment and leadership skills along with her love for adventure, community and service, Toréa delivers a very unique experience when working to transform autoimmune disease into long-lasting vitality. Toréa Rodriguez is a former biochemist, Silicon Valley executive, and professional pilot. After diagnosis and healing of her own autoimmune diseases, she is now a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner and Vitality Transformation Coach.

    Check out today’s guest blog post by Toréa —>

    ————————————————————————–

    What is Autoimmunity? Autoimmune disease is characterized as the body attacking itself in an immune response. It’s one of the top ten causes of death in women and the elderly, and now affects one in 10 people worldwide. In fact, the incidence of autoimmune disease has skyrocketed over the past few decades and there are now more than 700 million people around the world are now affected.

    Unfortunately, conventional medicine and treatments have little to offer except for yet another prescription or more drastic measures such as surgery to try to negate the effects of autoimmunity in patients.

    Over 100 distinct autoimmune disease have been identified to date. These can affect at least one, but usually several, of the organ systems and tissues in the body. Further, at least 40 other diseases are suspect of having an autoimmune component. For example some diseases, like endometriosis, weren’t traditionally classified as autoimmune in origin but are now viewed that way by some researchers and physicians.

    It may, or may not, surprise you to find out that the incidence of autoimmune disease is commonplace in the industrial worlds, but rare or non-existent in contemporary cultures that still practice hunter-gatherer traditional lifestyles. The other suggested contributors to the dramatic increase are environmental factors; autoimmunity is not necessarily dictated solely by genetics. These factors can include: environmental toxins, chronic stress, minimized sun exposure (vitamin D deficiency), changes in GI microbiota, hidden infections, sleep deprivation, SAD (Standard American Diet)… I’m sure there are more too!

    So what can you do about it? Perhaps you have been diagnosed with, or suspect you have, an autoimmune disease. The good news is that there are several things that you can do to lead towards a significant reduction in symptoms or even complete remission!

    When I work with clients we always start with diet. It’s helpful to make sure that the diet achieves several things, most notably:

    1. Maximizing nutrients – we want to maximize the nutrients that will promote optimal immune function. This includes micronutrients such as selenium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, glutathione and vitamins A, D, & K2.
    2. Calming the immune system – often times we may not know we are inducing an immune response just with the foods we eat. So I start with an Autoimmune Protocol type of diet to remove foods that may trigger or exacerbate an already overactive immune response.  Follow this elimination diet for 30-60 days before reintroducing foods again to build a custom diet template for my clients moving forward.

    From there we will look at lifestyle factors which include sleep quality, movement, recovery/rest and most importantly stress. Stress, and chronic levels of stress can damage the body and further exacerbate autoimmunity. In fact, in working with many clients, they discover that stress is the one element that will make or break their recovery from autoimmunity!!

    And of course it helps if you can find a functional practitioner to help you run some labs to find out what is happening at the biochemical level of your own body. When I work with autoimmune clients, almost all of them have some sort of hidden gut infection, that until dealt with, no amount of elimination diet or stress reduction will make them feel better!

     

    5 Simple Steps

    So here are 5 simple steps that you can start doing right now to help you transform your autoimmunity today! Remember, big issues like transforming autoimmunity, require little changes and little changes will take care of big issues. So it’s just about chaining together those little changes to make a huge impact!

    1. Take a day off! – do what ever you can to take a day off, or two or three! You may not be able to do this all the time, but try to schedule as much time as you can to devote that time to your self-care: nourishing, healing, resting, recovering, rejuvenating. Maybe that looks like booking a massage or acupuncture appointment for yourself. Or perhaps its as simple as taking a bath with some epsom salts and lavender essential oil.
    2. Get out in nature – a lot – “Weekend warrior-ing” in nature may be beneficial, but it’s not enough. I have found that I need to get out in the sunshine, feel the wind on my skin, or the earth/grass under my feet on a daily basis. Plus, regular sun exposure raises Vitamin D levels which is beneficial for those with autoimmune diseases [1, 2]
    3. Go Deeper – Investigate with a health professional (like an FDN practitioner) if you have any hidden infections or malfunctions. Functional lab testing is like having a window into the underlying biochemistry. It provides clues to how your body may be malfunctioning and the health professional can then help steer you back on track.
    4. Consider an elimination diet – I say consider because taking this on takes a bit of preparation and reading.  If you want to be walked through a program like this in a step-by-step manner with recipes and a group for support you can join the next seasonal detox with Ginger Newtrition.  Good places to start reading about it are here and here. If you are the book type, then The Paleo Approach is pretty much the best resource out there to date.
    5. Detox your environment – Yes, you could live inside a bubble, but that’s not practical to go to the grocery store in a huge bubble (which would have to be BPA free and non-toxic, right?). But you can start simply by looking in a few areas. I have written about detoxing your kitchen and bath to have a huge impact on reducing environmental toxins in your life (it’s all about the small changes taking care of big issues, right?). And if you have not grabbed Megan’s outstanding Toxic Home Makeover Guide yet, I suggest you do that right now! Its fantastic!!

     

    Ready to Go Deeper?

    As a special gift to the readers of Ginger Newtrition, Toréa is offering you a FREE 30-minute Vitality Discovery Session where we focus entirely on you… discovering areas where you might be stuck and developing a plan to investigate deeper with some functional lab testing.  Please take advantage of this offer as Megan is headed on maternity leave soon and Toréa is ready to fill in as needed!!! These sessions are normally $129 and, for a limited time, she will be offering these sessions FREE if you redeem the coupon code: GingerDeepDive. (Offer expires 30 Sept 15 at midnight PT)
  • Elimination Diet Basics

    Elimination Diet Basics

     

    Unfortunately, intolerances and food sensitivities are common in today’s world. I think this is really obvious when you go to a restaurant. A little over 10 years ago I was a waitress and things were quite different. The menus did not list gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free options. I would have had no idea what to tell someone if they asked for those things…and they never did! The experience of going to a restaurant today has changed dramatically and in just 10 years!

     

    Many children have sensitivities and intolerances to food as well; this is not just a problem for adults. Actually, it seems to me that the younger my client, the more sesitivities they have! (I have a theory about this but won’t get into it here). We learned this lesson very early on with my daughter. When she was 2 she had an eczema rash that wouldn’t go away for months. Once the lightbulb finally went off and I put her on an elimination diet, we quickly discovered gluten and dairy were the culprits. Within 2 days the rash was gone after removing those foods.

     

    When you ingest food to which you are intolerant, the body releases histamines into the bloodstream, causing inflammation. If the body thinks it is under constant attack, then we start to feel sluggish and may experience other health issues including candida, digestive issues, or blood sugar imbalances.

     

    An elimination diet starts with the premise that everybody is different, and as such, there is no one-size-fits-all diet. What works for you may not work for someone else, and vice versa. One person might thrive on grains, for example while they make another person drag.

     

    Food allergy tests are pricey and are not always reliable, as intolerances shift over time. When my clients test their food sensitivities while their gut is still compromised, their tests often show they are sensitive to EVERYTHING! If we retest after a few months of gut healing it seems to me that at that point we are actually seeing the foods they are sensitive to, instead of a list of the whole grocery store. The most inexpensive and accurate way to determine various foods’ effects on you is to do an elimination diet, in which you eliminate common allergens and add them back in one by one to determine your reaction.

     

    You can hear more about Chris Kresser’s opinion on the accuracy of food intolerance tests here.

     

    We all have one or many foods that may be wreaking havoc on our system, but if we’re eating several of the main culprits (wheat, eggs, dairy, corn, soy, sugar, and caffeine), it’s hard to tell exactly what’s triggering the reaction. Sometimes symptoms of intolerance manifest themselves immediately upon eating food, but other times there is a delayed reaction, further complicating matters.

     

    Using a food diary will allow you to systematically and objectively track your physical and emotional reactions to each meal and determine exactly which foods suit you or not. Ironically, it’s often the foods we crave the most that are harming us.

     

    You will be amazed how great you feel when you eliminate your personal culprits from your diet. And the great news is you can use the same technique of the elimination diet if you ever feel tired or have health issues in the future.

     

    Here are the basics. I suggest you remove the list below:

    • Remove the foods that people are most commonly sensitive to as well as foods that are hard on digestion. Ideally you will remove these foods for 3 weeks (this would be ideal if you are dealing with multiple health complaints, autoimmune conditions or severe gut dysfunction) but during the seasonal detoxes that I offer we are only strictly removing the whole list for 1 week. Most people can tell when a foods does not agree with them after eating so cleanly for only 1 week. I also suggest that you remove additives, artificial ingredients, sugar and caffeine. By removing these items you will have a very clean slate to reintroduce foods and see how you feel.

    Foods to remove

    • Coffee
    • Sweeteners (white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, agave or cane juice
    • Eggs
    • Sugar alcohols (often found in chewing gum, like xylitol)
    • Soy milk
    • Yeast
    • Nuts
    • Alcohol
    • Dairy products
    • Corn
    • Cheese
    • Gluten
    • Grains (only low-glycemic grains, soaked, allowed)
    • Soy (except miso)
    • Processed foods
    • Soft drinks
    • Nitrates
    • Artificial sweeteners
    • Potatoes (except for sweet potatoes or yams)
    • Beans (except for lentils, mung, and adzuki)

     

    • Reintroduce slowly and systematically. The most common food sensitivities are to gluten, dairy, soy, corn and eggs. These are good foods to start with and to watch carefully for reactions (if any of these foods are already removed from your diet than there is no need to add them back in).

     

    • Every 2-4 days, add back in foods that are common allergens or hard to digest, giving you the opportunity to see how your body reacts after you have cleansed for at least 7 days.

     

    • Be conscious of how you feel emotionally and physically when you consume food you have not eaten for at least 7 days and take the time to write this down. A journal is really important for this process!

     

    Watch out for any of these signs when adding food back into your diet. These signs can signify a food intolerance:

     

    • White coating on the tongue
    • Acid reflux or heartburn
    • Bad breath
    • Constipation
    • Foul-smelling stool
    • Headaches or migraines
    • Joint pain
    • Sinus issues
    • Clogged ears
    • Rashes or hives
    • Fatigue
    • Poor sleep
    • Water retention
    • Gas and bloating
    • Dry eyes
    • Weight gain or weight loss
    • Racing heart
    • Bags under the eyes
    • Food cravings, sugar or salt
    • Canker sores or a sore tongue
    • Difficulty breathing or cough
    • Poor concentration
    • Swelling of hands/feet


    This is your opportunity to see what fuels your unique body. I always suggest that you first test the food you most suspect is giving you a problem, often the foods that we can’t live without! Note how your body feels in your food diary during this process.

     

    By eliminating the foods from your diet that you are sensitive to, you may notice great improvements in your health without expensive tests! And this process can be used to check back in anytime in the future if you are not feeling your best. You can be a true health detective!!

     

    Is this overwhelming?

     

    If you feel like you wouldn’t know where to start or would have a hard time sticking to these changes, you can join one of our group seasonal online detoxes!!! The group follows a basic elimination diet over 18 days and you will be provided with recipes, what to eat, what to add back in, daily detox tools , daily emails and an amazing Facebook group for support.

     

    Join us!

    collage

  • How to Dry Skin Brush

    How to Dry Skin Brush

     

    This is one of the first and easiest additions that I have my clients and detoxers add to their daily routine. This also turns out to be one of their favorites!

     

    What is the largest organ in the human body and releases over a third of toxins in our body? That’s right! It is our skin. Dry skin brushing is an effective daily practice to help the body detox and remove these harmful toxins, not to mention it opens and unclogs our pores.

     

    Unlike our blood which gets pumped around the body by your heart, the lymphatic system counts on our movement to stay moving.  And guess what?  Many of us aren’t moving as much as we used to.  Who else is tied to a chair at a desk for the majority of the day? When we dry skin brush, we are massaging and helping our lymphatic system cleanse itself. We pull waste from the body as well as remove any lingering toxins from soap, environmental factors, lotions, deodorant, and other things to help improve skin health.

     

    The best part is that skin brushing should only take about 5 minutes per day, so it is easily fit into a busy lifestyle and has great benefits! I personally was able to completely remove the bumpy skin that lived on my thighs and the back of my arms after a month of consistently dry skin brushing. Some of the benefits include:

    • Exfoliation
    • Lymphatic system stimulation
    • Reduce or eliminate cellulite
    • Unclog pores
    • Invigorating; you may feel more energized after brushing

     

    Here are ten simple steps and tips for you to follow to help you get started with dry skin brushing:

    1. Get a long-handled, non-synthetic bristle brush.
    2. Remove your clothes and stand in the bathtub or on a tiled surface. You will want to do this because you are scraping off dead skin, so you don’t want that to get on your carpet or your rugs.
    3. All of your brushing motions should be heart-centered, meaning you will want to have all the motions be moving towards your heart.
    4. Start at your feet and use long flowing motions, again, towards your heart.
    5. You will want to brush several times in the same area, overlapping your strokes as you continue.
    6. For sensitive skin areas, you will want to go easy. Your skin in those areas should become less sensitive with time.
    7. Once you have your whole body brushed, hop into the tub or shower. I find that the benefits of an Epsom salt bath are heightened after dry brushing.
    8. Alternating cold and hot temperatures help bring the blood back to the top of the skin.
    9. Continue this practice daily, but for best results, consider dry brushing twice a day; once in the morning and once before bed.
    10. Remember to clean your brush at least once per week with soap and water.

     

    Although this seems like a very simple daily detox tools, some detoxers report having detox reactions such as headaches just from dry skin brushing.  If you know that your liver and lymphatic system are burdened than start slowly.

     

    Watch this periscope replay if you want more of a visual!

    Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 9.36.44 AM

    Want to learn more of my favorite tips and have a group for support?  Join our next seasonal detox here!!

     

    What is your favorite daily detox tool?  Leave us a comment below!!

     

  • Your Brain and Stress; Neurotransmitter Basics

    Your Brain and Stress; Neurotransmitter Basics

     

    Many people are becoming aware of the term adrenal fatigue and are starting to suspect that this might be something they are dealing with. But this term can be misleading, because more often that not, it is not as simple as supporting the adrenals to have your fatigue, inflammation and hormonal imbalances disappear. The adrenals gland themselves are often working just fine, but the communication channels and feedback loops might have become disrupted. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that deliver important and vital messages from the brain and the adrenal gland. These tiny messengers help you respond to stressors and if they become imbalanced, all sorts of symptoms will start to pop up because the correct messages are not being sent. Once I started looking at a neurotransmitter panel in conjunction with an adrenal/hormone panel, I saw a big shift for my clients. The combination of their hormone and neurotransmitter results helps to put the puzzle together as to where the breakdown is in the chain.

    What happens with our neurotransmitters during stress?

    In time of acute stress or when you are in a constant chronic state of low stress (not just mental/emotional stress but also hidden internal stressors such as food sensitivities, bacterial overgrowth or heavy metal toxicity) neurotransmitters can become depleted. Just having a thought or being scared will alert your brain to alter hormone and neurotransmitter production in response. The neurotransmitters are a part of the stress response cascade. Think about how often we are bombarded with negative imagery and high stress situations in our fast-paced lifestyle. By looking at the levels of different neurotransmitters as well as their relationship to each other, such as the ratio between serotonin and dopamine or norepinephrine and epinephrine, we can see how well your body is adapting to stress.

    We have both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and some play both roles depending on the situation. Since our body likes to remain in balance, we also function optimally when our excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are balanced. For example, stimulants such as caffeine push dopamine into the synapse and dopamine acts as an excitatory agent, which improves our focus. You know how you have your coffee and then feel pretty productive for a while? Feeling productive is great except there is a price we pay for that focus. Your body must now send in some inhibitory neurotransmitters to reign in the excitatory neurotransmitters. Serotonin and GABA come to the rescue. This is not necessarily a problem, because this is one of the ways that our amazing body stays balanced, but when we abuse ourselves daily by artificially forcing productivity with excess caffeine consumption, we eventually end up depleted in serotonin and GABA. Among many other functions serotonin is important for a stable mood and GABA is nature’s valium-like substance, you can see where we end up without these precious resources. You always have to ask… is this short-term benefit of being able to focus and have energy worth the long-term risk of an instable mood?

    Here is an example of the neurotransmitter testing results that the Healthy Hormones Group Program will have access to. These are just clues to get an idea of the bigger picture because your neurotransmitter levels will change throughout the day. Testing and then retesting after a period of time after trying a protocol or therapy will help us to understand how your body is reacting.

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-02-at-1.46.39-PM1-860×664.png” raw=”true” alignment=”center” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ width=”860″ height=”664″]

    Here is a quick explanation of the neurotransmitters that we will be looking at during the next Healthy Hormones group program:

    Serotonin – This is considered the master neurotransmitter and helps to keep balance between the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Adequate levels is necessary for a stable mood.

    Dopamine – Key player in reward-seeking type of behavior such as pleasure, satisfaction and focus. Dopamine also influences muscle control and gastrointestinal motility. Really low or high dopamine levels is correlated with memory issues.

    Norepinephrine– Important to the fight-or-flight response and also helps to make epinephrine.

    Epinephrine– Also known as adrenaline which we all know well. Epinephrine prepares the body for fight-or-flight by increasing your heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate so that you can run away or fight off the danger. This will also elevate your ACTH which raises your cortisol

    GABA– Nature’s valium-like substance which also helps regulate muscle tone.

    Glutamate– Important for memory and learning but can be damaging in excess leading to depression, seizures and damaging nervous tissue. This is often seen high for those with PTSD but you also have to watch that you are not accidentally consuming glutamate from MSG or DSG sources in food.

    Histamine – Helps to control sleep-wake cycle, energy production and memory recall. This reading on your lab is a window into inflammation and the higher the number the more mental fogginess, allergy symptoms and irritability you might be experiencing.

     

    If your neurotransmitters are all trending low in conjunction with low cortisol levels, than this is a sign you are in a chronic state of stress and are now in the tired and “burnt-out” phase.  At this point you will need a good amount of support to return to a healthy level.

    Ready to find out what is going on at a sub-clinical level before symptoms occur? Ready to get to the root of why you can’t seem to kick the anxiety or get your energy back? Come join us for the Healthy Hormones Group Program!!