by Christina | Apr 13, 2017 | Wellness
The time has FINALLY arrived for me to start sharing my non-toxic beauty routine! Many of you actually watched on my Instagram stories as I threw out my old, toxic products, and I promised I would share all of my replacements very soon. So don’t worry, it’s all coming. Makeup, skincare, body products, all of it. I’ve found a lot of safe beauty products that I honestly like even better than my old products, and I cannot wait to tell you about all of it.
I want to start off with my hair care routine because it’s extremely stable. I’ve been using these products consistently for over 6 months (except for 1 of them, which is a newer find), and I have no desire to change anything. When it comes to makeup and skincare, I’m much more interested in testing out new products and switching it up. With haircare, though, I stick to a routine as soon as I find one that works for me. I don’t need variety if it’s WORKIN’.
Hair care products were the first beauty product I was ever “obsessed” with. I hated my hair growing up, and I spent thousands of (my parents’) dollars trying different shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, hoping one would magically tame my beastly mane. Nothing worked, though. I wasted a lot of money and time. I’m glad those days are behind me. And I’m also glad those days occurred when I was still using my parent’s money. HA. It took me years to realize that keeping it simple is best for me, and that there is no single miracle product that will instantly make your hair look like Blake Lively’s.
As much as people want to deny this, the truth is that healthy hair starts with your diet. It’s just like skincare. I noticed the biggest change in my hair when I started eating a healthier diet, but the most noticeable difference, by far, was when I started incorporating collagen into my routine. I’ve explained why I love collagen many times. If you haven’t read my post on collagen, read it here. Yes, I used it before it was cool. I honestly used it before I even knew what it did. Ever since consuming it consistently, my hair grows insanely fast and is much stronger than before. I’m also convinced it adds shine. Collagen also benefits your nails, skin, joints, gut, and muscles, so it’s well worth the money. My favorite brand is Vital Proteins.
Another thing I want to point out is that I only wash my hair once or twice a week. I spent so much of my life thinking I could never wash my hair any less than once a day. Sometimes I would wash it twice. My hair has always been extremely oily. However, I finally trained my hair to last up to a week without a wash, which requires a lot of dry shampoo and embracing a little bit of grease, but it’s so worth it. Not only does it save me a ton of time, but it also helps my hair grow faster and stay stronger.
To anyone who says they “have to” wash their hair every day – no, you don’t. You’re just not using the right dry shampoo, and you haven’t trained your hair yet! I sweat most days of the week and have very greasy hair in general. If I can go from washing my hair twice a day to doing it once or twice a week, so can you.
Let’s get to actual products. I like to keep things as simple as I can.
For cleansing and conditioning, I use the Beautycounter Shampoo and Conditioner. Surprise, surprise. We all know I’m a Beautycounter addict. (For some of my favorite products, click here!) It smells delicious, gets all of the gunk out of my hair, detangles, leaves my hair moisturized but not greasy, and just gets the job done. Did I mention it smells fabulous?
Now, the one problem I still have is with purple shampoo. Anyone who is blonde or has cool-toned hair knows how important it is to use a good purple shampoo in order to keep those brassy tones away. However, I haven’t been able to find a nontoxic purple shampoo to use in my regimen. Before that, I always used the Unite Blonda Shampoo. When I started getting into natural beauty products, I had a really hard time finding anything to replace that. Since switching things over, I stopped using purple shampoo. So yes, my hair is brassy now. I’m learning to embrace it. Gotta do what you gotta do. If anyone has a good, nontoxic purple shampoo rec, let me know!
After I shampoo and condition, I love to use a leave-conditioner to make my hair easier to brush out (although that’s not really a problem), and just to make my hair feel softer and more nourished. I use the Acure Leave-In Conditioner for that. I simply spray it on damp hair, let it set for a few minutes, and brush it out.
My brush is one of the most important parts of my hair care routine. If you’re not using the Wet Brush, YOU NEED ONE. I actually used to spend hours brushing out my hair after I washed it. My hair gets horrendously knotty. This brush changed my life. It makes it SO EASY to brush your hair – it gets out the worst tangles. If you do nothing else to change your hair care regimen, at least get the Wet Brush. You can pick one up from Target for a really cheap price.
After I brush my hair, I usually like to add a little hair serum to my ends to keep them moisturized and shiny. My favorite serums are the Franklin and Whitman hair serums or Moroccan Argan oil. Really just depends on my mood, but recently I’ve been using my Frank & Whit the most. I just rub a little into my ends when they’re slightly damp and let them air dry. Using a hair serum keeps my ends from drying out and breaking, and I feel like it protects my hair a bit from heat damage, as well (although that’s probably just in my head…).
In terms of a heat protectant, I honestly don’t use it often. I should, but oh well. I usually only use heat on my hair once a week, so I don’t mind. If I’m really going to fry my hair, I’ll put it on, but the product I use isn’t the best in terms of ingredients. I use the Aveda Damage Control for some extra heat protection when I need it. Aveda is better than most brands, but not good enough for me to want to use regularly.
For hairspray, I have been loving the Innersense Create Finish Spray. It holds my curls for around 4 days, which is really impressive. I’ll spray this in my hair and then comb it through to make sure it doesn’t get “crunchy,” and it holds my hair in place while still allowing it to move!
Lastly, DRY SHAMPOO! This is the one you’ve all been waiting for. This is the key to my hair routine. I have tried so many dry shampoos, I cannot even tell you. I finally found a nontoxic one that works beautifully, and I have never been happier about a beauty discovery. I highly recommend Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo. It smells kind of like vanilla marshmallows to me for some reason. It does come out very white, though, and a little goes a long way. Sometimes I get a little overenthusiastic and my head is white for the day, NBD. But it really does soak up all of the oils and helps me get through an entire week without washing my hair. It’s definitely the best nontoxic dry shampoo on the market, and it’s my top recommendation.
Another great option is the Green & Gorgeous Organics Dry Shampoo. They have a version specifically for brunettes, as well, which will help with the white-cast issue. I usually bring this dry shampoo when I travel because it comes in a mini size. I prefer the Rahua because it’s really heavy-duty, and my hair gets really oily, but but G&G is great if your hair gets dirty but not insanely greasy. These also smell absolutely delicious and come in multiple scents! I love the Grapefruit & Sweet Orange scent.
A cheaper option is the Cocokind Organic Calming Powder, which is a natural baby powder. I will use this in a pinch if I run out of Rahua, but it does leave more of a white cast and it gives my hair that “thick” texture from the product. It’s better than most other dry shampoos I’ve tried, though. I prefer my dry shampoos to soak up the oils in my hair and maybe add a little bit of texture, but I don’t like to feel like I have a ton of product built up in my roots. I still want my hair to feel soft and shiny, which is why I generally prefer the Rahua.
That’s everything I use on my hair! I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to haircare. Some weeks I literally just use shampoo and conditioner, brush my hair through, and call it a day. Then I depend on my dry shampoo to keep things in check throughout the week. The key to my hair routine is a healthy diet and NOT WASHING IT EVERY DAY. I cannot emphasize that enough! If you’re looking to switch over to nontoxic haircare, give these products a try! What beauty category should I cover next?!
by Christina | Apr 5, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
I’ve been keeping this recipe safe in my back pocket for awhile now, slyly waiting for the perfect time to post it.
Easter is coming up, my birthday is this week, and spring is in the air. It’s the perfect time.
Easter. Rabbits. Carrots. Carrot cake. I’ll never get over how strange it is that we associate certain foods with certain times of the year. That being said, I’m not complaining. There aren’t many healthy foods that I associate with Easter, when I think about it. It’s mostly just Peeps and chocolate eggs. And decorated, colored eggs, but I don’t eat those. This recipe, however, is an exception. It’s healthy, of course. 🙂
I never liked carrot cake growing up. To be honest, I don’t think I ever even tried it. I got older, though, and finally did. And now I adore it. Anything carrot cake, I’m in. Carrot cake smoothie bowls, carrot cake muffins, actual carrot cake, and obviously carrot cake pancakes. I am no longer in the stage of my life where I like things to taste artificial and so sweet that it literally gives me a headache. I like subtle sweetness, rich flavor, and lots of texture.
Then we’ve got pancakes. Pancakes will always be a classic. I don’t have them often – they’re definitely more of a special occasion kind of thing for me. Part of the reason why I never make them is because I have this OCD issue where I feel empty inside (emotionally) if there are no vegetables in my breakfast. These solve that problem though, because (surprise, surprise) there are carrots in these pancakes!
They’re healthy, filling, and absolutely scrumptious. Filled with protein, fat, and fiber to leave you ever so satisfied. Not too sweet – just a little maple syrup in the frosting and to top it off. You don’t even really need the maple syrup to top it, because the frosting is so freakin’ good. It’s thick and creamy, and really ties together the whole carrot “cake” thing. I mean, what’s cake without frosting?!
I made these for my roommate on her birthday, and she loved the texture and flavor. These really are cake-like in texture. You can eat cake for breakfast, because these don’t have any of those nasty additives. No refined sugar, all pronounceable, real-food ingredients, and lots of nutrients. These are also perfect for someone who wants a sweeter breakfast, but not anything over the top. I think that’s what separates carrot cake lovers from chocolate cake lovers. The carrot cake lovers have a more particular palette when it comes to sweetness. I respect it.
These are paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, and of course soy-free. ALL OF THE THINGS. These make one large serving or two smaller servings. For me, one serving. Depending on how big you make your pancakes, you could get 5-6 medium sized panners’ outta this. Also, feel free to get creative with your toppings. I went with maple syrup and walnuts on top of the frosting, but you could use other nuts, coconut flakes, or even nut butter drizzle on top. That would be insanely delicious.
If you don’t want to commit to making an actual carrot cake, this is your gig. Impress your friends with these – they look oh-so-decadent but are really a piece of cake to make. (Did you like that pun?) Plus, they taste like a dream. Fluffy, moist, and delicious.
Paleo Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cashew “Cream Cheese” Frosting
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
Cashew “Cream Cheese” Frosting
Carrot Cake Pancakes
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- Toppings: organic maple syrup, walnuts
Instructions:
- The cashew frosting is best if made the night before! To make the frosting, blend all frosting ingredients in a blender or food processor. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit of water or nut milk to get it to blend. Stick the frosting in a container and leave it in the fridge overnight to harden until you’re ready to use it.
- Pancake time! Start off by heating a large skillet with some coconut oil so the pancakes don’t stick! Remove your frosting from the fridge.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together until it’s well incorporated and the batter is nice and thick!
- Pour the batter onto the skillet in circles as big as you want your pancakes! I made mine about 2-3 inches wide. Make sure the pancakes aren’t touching.
- Cook the pancakes until the edges are set and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancakes over and cook until the second side is golden. Remove from the pan and put on a plate, repeating with any additional batter.
- After you’ve made your pancakes, spread your frosting on top of your pancakes. Top with your toppings (I used maple syrup and some more walnuts).
- ENJOY!
Let me know if you try these paleo carrot cake pancakes! If you do, tag me in a photo so I can see! What’s your favorite carrot cake-inspired baked good?!
by Christina | Apr 3, 2017 | Wellness
This week was emotional.
At first it was sad, but then it was freeing.
So, so freeing.
I felt like I was basically waiting for graduation to really take a moment and pull my life together. I finished my last final, and I thought, OK. Let’s do this.
The first step to pulling everything together was some major spring cleaning. Fun fact about me: I’m kind of a hoarder. Not a real hoarder, but I have A LOT of belongings. Random, useless belongings. I save things unnecessarily. I have too many clothing items, too much makeup, too many books… just too many random things. Because I have so much, my space has been very cluttered. I just kind of stuff things in empty spaces and tell myself I’ll deal with it later, when I have time. Well, now’s that time.
I was really looking forward to a big spring cleaning because I knew I would feel so much relief if I could just get rid of all of the useless things I was hanging onto. I’ve found that when my space is cluttered, so is my brain. It’s like the more things there are around me, the busier my head gets. I honestly just couldn’t take it anymore.
However, I also was dreading cleaning things out, for a few reason. First of all, I have this weird attachment to everything I own. Things I haven’t used in years, I think I need to hang onto “just in case.” I can always come up with a ridiculous reason for keeping something. So irrational. Or I feel some sentimental value to it. Or I feel guilty giving it away because someone gave it to me. It’s also just a lot of work to sit down and go through everything you own. I’m really good at organizing other people’s lives, but not so good at my own.
Buuuut I sat down and did it. If I didn’t do it now, I was never going to. I went through my clothes. I went through my books. I went through my desk. I went through my pills. My tea. My shoes. My bags. My jewelry. All of that was pretty simple. The category that I was a little nervous about, though….beauty products.
Using non-toxic beauty products is something I’ve been very passionate about for awhile. It’s an extension of how much I care about the food I put in my body. So many personal care items are laced with carcinogens and hormone disruptors, and these are things we put on our bodies every day. Our skin is our largest organ. Eating healthy food is a big part of the equation, but the personal care products is another huge part of the equation that so many people forget about. I wrote a post awhile back explaining exactly why I switched to safer beauty products, which is also why I became a Beautycounter consultant. You can read that here if you want to learn more about how the products I was using were seriously harming my health.
Since then, I use clean beauty products 95% of the time. Mainly Beautycounter, and then other brands that I’ve found along the way. Even though I’ve been doing that for months, I never bothered to get rid of my old makeup.
I kept it for a few reasons. First of all, because I have a lot of it. My makeup collection is something that has taken me pretty much my whole life to build up. I planned on being a makeup artist for a long time, so I started building my collection early in high school. I made it my mission to try every product I could get my hands on and collect as many as I could. You know, build that arsenal of beauty weapons. I had to leave half of it behind when I went to college, but I still brought a lot with me when I went away to college. Second of all, it’s worth a lot of money! Do you know how expensive high end makeup is?! I have spent thousands of dollars on makeup throughout my life, and it’s not something I can easily throw in the trash. Also, most of it is still in excellent condition. It’s not like I’ve hit pan on a lot of things or broken them. Most of them look brand new. Plus, there are definitely times when I still use those products. Once in a blue moon when I have an event, or my friend needs me to do her makeup, they come in handy. I like having a wide range of products to pick from, and I can count on those products to perform because I’ve been testing them for years.
As silly as it might sound, my makeup products were always part of my identity. I fell in love with makeup when I was five and my aunt taught me how to do a smokey eye. I clung to makeup in high school as a way to mask my insecurities about my skin. I fell in love with it as a form of art, and I spent most of my free time practicing different looks, doing my friends’ makeup, and watching YouTube beauty videos. For a long time, I was the type to do my makeup all-out every single day. Smokey eye, winged liner, full face of foundation, contour, highlight, lipstick. Every. Day. I loved it. I would do my makeup even when no one was going to see me that day – it was just fun. My form of creativity.
When I got sick a few years ago, I realized how precious time was to me. My relationship with makeup changed, a lot. My friends noticed. I stopped putting on a full face of makeup every day. I stopped buying as much of it, stopped watching as many YouTube videos, stopped practicing looks for fun. I had a lot of other things on my mind, and I had to prioritize. It was no longer a priority for me.
That was at the same time as when I really started writing on my blog regularly, and I found myself a little confused. When I launched my blog, I thought it was going to be a beauty blog. Completely. It became hard for me to keep blogging solely about beauty when I had so much else on my mind that was so much more important to me, like health topics, and when I wasn’t as passionate about wearing makeup fit for the prom every day of my life. There was nothing wrong with that, but my interests changed.
I still love and adore makeup. It will always be “my thing.” I know a lot about beauty – makeup, skincare, etc., and it will always be a passion of mine. My friends know there is nothing I love more than an excuse to go out and do my makeup, or theirs. However, I’m never going to be that girl again who wears a smokey eye, contour, and a bold lip every single day. Just not my thing. I also am not the person going out to parties anymore or going to prom or going to any other event where I need to get all glammed up. It happens every so often, but not every weekend like it used to.
That being said, going through all o amy makeup was strange for me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had used most of it, and realizing that felt like an identity crisis. I am such a different person now. So much has happened. Those beauty products felt like they belonged to a different girl, not me. I wanted so badly just to dump it all in a bin because I know it’s bad for my health, and logically, I really don’t use it anymore. However, throwing it away felt like throwing away an entire part of my life. It was letting go of a girl who I used to be, I girl who I have slowly but surely lost touch with in the past two years. That’s a fact that I’ve known in the back of my head for some time, but something I wasn’t ready to face.
I’m very proud and happy of the person I’ve become. I wouldn’t change her for anything. But part of me does feel slightly guilty for leaving that girl behind, and for really having no qualms about it. I don’t like to think about the way things were before, because I was not happy then. I felt very out of place, and very alone. And that was something I didn’t fully face until I started going through all of my things, now.
Beyond that, obviously it’s really hard to just get rid of thousands of dollars of high-end makeup, that really does perform like a dream and is in great condition, and that took me my whole life to acquire. Half of my makeup was presents from other people, and there’s always something hard for me about getting rid of things that other people gave to me.
That being said, I did it. I realized how much I just didn’t want it anymore. Like, it started to repulse me, and it got easier to get rid of products as I threw more and more of them into a bag. It was symbolic for me, because although I have so many amazing memories tied to those products, I also have bad ones. Those products belonged to a girl who I don’t recognize anymore. A girl who didn’t care about her health, physical or emotional, and that is not who I am anymore. I’m ready to get rid of that.
I did keep a few of my favorite palettes, and a few select products that have insane lasting power and might come in handy if I ever have a huge event I need ironclad makeup for. I put these things in a small drawer, away from the things I use every day. They’re there, just in case, but in the back of my mind I know I’ll throw them away soon. I’m going to realize in a few weeks that I don’t want those anymore, either.
I got rid of 8 trash bags worth of makeup. I feel like I finally have space to breathe. I didn’t realize how much it was holding me back to hang onto all of those products. Now I have space for new things in my life, physically and metaphorically. I’m excited because I get to take up my old hobby in a new context. I’m on the hunt again to find the best makeup products out there, but this time, with non-toxic, safe ingredients. I’ve been doing it for awhile, but I was really only halfway in. The toxic things in my life were in my way. Now, I can dive headfirst into my new little “project,” and I can’t wait to share what I find with you guys.
It might seem like a simple change, to throw away old beauty products. But it really symbolizes a lot more than that. It means I’m finally saying, 100% – F YOU to all of these companies who are poisoning us every day with the toxic chemicals they put in their products. From here on out, I’m only supporting companies who respect my health. It means I’m really just done with other people ruining my health and me feeling like I’m a victim. It means taking control. It also means accepting change and growing up. It means being okay with the fact that I’m not who I used to be a few years ago, and that that past doesn’t define who I am now. It means my brain is clear because the space around me is much more open. It means an opening for new possibilities. All of that.
Plus, my room is really clean now. I feel free.
by Christina | Mar 31, 2017 | Wellness
The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizzas with Betsy Schell (^^ her photography!)
**This post was written in 2017 (I used to write posts about my health protocols as I went through them, so those posts are more time-dependent), and since writing this, these health issues have been resolved. I am grateful for these experiences as they inspired me to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and health coach myself. Please remember that this post is not current – it was just a documentation of my experiences at the time.**
After I published my post about the health protocol I’ll be doing for the next 4-6 months, a lot of people asked me to write posts with updates every so often. I am happy to oblige – it’s nice to take you guys along for the ride with me. I also think it will be helpful in case any of you have to go on some kind of “protocol” – this way you can learn from my mistakes! Let’s get into it.
I’m currently on my fourth week of the protocol, so I’m getting the hang of it. Surprisingly, the time has flown!
I’m happy to report that right now, I honestly feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life. It’s incredible. About 2 weeks in, I felt like a completely different person. Things aren’t perfect, but they are monumentally better than before. What is perfect, anyways?
Let me start with the positive effects I’ve noticed. First of all, I feel full for the first time in about 2 years. I had honestly forgotten what it felt like to be satiated by food. If you didn’t read my last post about my symptoms, here’s the deal – one of my biggest issues was that I never felt full during or after meals. I had a constant hunger gnawing in my stomach, which was slowly driving me insane. According to my NTP, I always felt hungry because of my malabsorption issues and my body’s inability to properly digest fats.
I can’t explain my relief now that I am able to be satiated from food. Mentally, physically, and financially, things have become much easier. I can eat a meal, feel full, and go on with the rest of my day without feeling like a ravenous animal. The amount of food I eat at mealtimes now is much more… realistic? I don’t want to say normal, because there is no “normal” amount, really. Basically, my grocery bill is much more do-able, I don’t have to cook 24/7, and I finally feel like my body is functioning properly.
Before, I was constantly frustrated because nothing satiated my hunger. It would take me 2 days to go through the amount of food that should feed a family of four over a week. I felt out of control and stressed out. AND STILL HUNGRY. I’m glad those days are behind me now, but every day I wake up and am honestly a little scared that it’s not real, or that it’s going to go away. I’m four weeks strong, though. It makes me tear up when I think about it – that’s how relieved I am.
Along with that, now that I’m actually satiated after my meals, I have zero sugar cravings. Usually when I see photos of cookies and cupcakes and ice cream on my feed, I think, OHMYGOD NEED THAT NOW. Nowadays, I’m really unfazed. Like, sure, that looks good, but I don’t really want it. Now that my body is actually absorbing the nutrients it needs, it knows I don’t need to be a crazy psycho sugar monster all the time. I feel much more balanced. Since I can’t eat any sugar on the Candida diet, anyways, it’s definitely nice that I don’t crave it or think about it anymore.
The second huge change I’ve noticed is that I don’t have physical pain when I eat or after I eat. I had gotten so used to the stabbing pains and intense cramping that came with every bit of food I put in my mouth, that I honestly hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten until it finally went away. It wasn’t until more recently that this went away pretty much completely, which I will explain more thoroughly in a second. I had a few slip ups that reverted my progress, but in the past week or two – no pain. IT’S A MIRACLE. The fact that I can finally eat food without it feeling like someone is twisting a knife in my stomach is a serious game changer.
My bloating is pretty much completely gone, and my bowel movements are much better. Sorry if you don’t like talking about bowel movements, but that’s part of this. Up until this week, I was still having a really bad time with that. However, this week things have been much more normal, and I’m hoping the pattern continues.
I slipped up a few times during Expo West, which really put my stomach out of whack. A restaurant put pepper on my avocado after I asked them not to, and I ate it anyways. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it really screwed up my stomach. I was also eating way too many cruciferous vegetables during that time because those were the types of veggies available to me. I was just trying to eat foods that I wasn’t intolerant to, and I didn’t want to worry about amounts. That set me off track, though. My gut is really sensitive right now as it’s healing, and I have to be gentle with it.
Eating out more often during Expo West, including eating my own food that I packed, made me realize that it’s honestly more stress than it’s worth. And that stress negatively affects my stomach. When I first found out about the protocol, I was really upset that I wouldn’t be able to eat out at restaurants and that I would have to cancel the trips I had planned. However, I’m okay with that decision now. The fact that I feel so much better already makes it worth it, and I realized that the stress of trying to make sure I’m avoiding my food intolerances, packing all of my pills, not annoying everyone around me, etc. is really just not worth it. I’m much happier cooking for myself at home where I don’t have to worry about any of that.
As of right now, the only symptoms I’m having are a) pains if I slip up and eat foods on my intolerance list, and b) still kind of unpredictable bowel movements. I really want to get my digestion completely on track. The other thing I’ve been dealing with are breakouts. I usually never break out unless I eat something that upsets my gut. However, the breakouts don’t really make sense to me right now because I’m not eating anything inflammatory. I have two suspicions. 1. It might have been from some supplements I was taking that I recently found out I shouldn’t have been consuming. 2. My NTP says that it’s probably a detox reaction. My body is finally pushing out the toxins, and detoxing through the skin is one way it’s doing that.
So, what’s been making the biggest difference for me? First of all, taking out the foods that my body was reacting to. Second, supporting my liver and gallbladder properly. I think that being able to properly digest fats has made a world of a difference, and that is the key factor in my satiety. I also think that successfully adding in probiotics has slowly but surely been having a huge positive impact on my digestion. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to add in probiotics without complications, which I’m really excited about.
I’ve also realized that I was eating way too many vegetables before, and it was really screwing up my digestion. I still love my veggies and eat a lot of them, but nowhere near the amount I was eating previously. There have been a few days where I ate larger amounts of vegetables, more closely to what I used to, and I honestly felt horrible afterwards. This has been an interesting realization for me.
I also mentioned on social media that I’ve been trying really hard to properly chew my food. I’ve never been one to speed through a meal, but I eat even more slowly now. I try to chew my food until it is really pulverized in my mouth, which has made it much easier for me to digest. I started thinking about this because in my Balanced Bites Master Class, Diane and Liz mentioned how important it is to chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing. After that, I realized I definitely don’t chew my food 20 times. I inhale it. Since making an effort to really chew my food, I feel like my digestion has really improved.
There were a few other things I slipped up on that I want to talk about, and it has to do with doctor-patient communication, which is so important. I have found that this is such a huge factor in patient results, and it’s something a lot of people don’t talk about. I am working with an NTP and a functional medicine doctor, and sometimes what they say conflicts. They aren’t checking each other, and I’m kind of the middle (wo)man between them.
Long story short, my doctor had me taking a few pills that were actually worsening my problems, and it wasn’t until about a week and a half ago that I realized it. I take responsibility for not checking the ingredients more thoroughly. You should never just blindly trust any supplement your doctor suggests. Basically, one of the pills had traces of soy and dairy in it. Safe to say, removing that eliminated a lot of my problems. I think that might have been causing some of my breakouts, as well. A few of the other pills contained some of the ingredients that my body is reacting to right now, like turmeric and ginger, which means I was still ingesting those every day, furthering my inflammation. This is why it’s hard to work with two different practitioners. Communication is everything. All I can say is to make sure you learn from my mistakes!
The bad news is that because I was taking those pills, my protocol might be extended a month longer. There’s no way to know until I retest, though. The good news is, my NTP was going to shorten my protocol by a month anyways, so now things have kind of evened out. I’m going to retest in two months and we will go from there.
As far as the food goes, I feel like I’ve done well with not letting it get too repetitive, but I’ll admit, it’s still pretty repetitive. I’m running out of ideas. I’m hoping that I’ll have more time to be creative now that I’ve graduated. I’ve been experimenting more with chia puddings, breakfast smoothies, and eggs in the morning. If you follow me on social media, you know I’ve been obsessed with my skillet meals! For dinner, I’ve been having fun with cauliflower pizza, sea veggies, and other veggies that I never bought before.
There are really only a few changes I’m making from here on out, per my NTP’s request. The first is that I really have to stick to limiting the amounts of foods that I’m supposed to be limiting. For example, there are a few foods I can only have 2-3 times a week, but I was having them closer to 4 or 5 times a week. I would have leftovers of those foods and didn’t want to throw them away, so I would eat them again. To remedy that, I started keeping a tally of those foods on my fridge so I don’t forget how many times I’ve eaten them that week. I’m also going to eat those foods in larger amounts so that I can have them fewer times overall each week, if that makes sense. Before, I was only supposed to have one cup of those foods each time I ate them, but now if I have more than one cup at a time, I won’t have leftovers and will truly be able to eat them only 2-3 times each week. Such a puzzle.
Another big adjustment I need to make is to eat my meals earlier in the evening. I think this will be good for me because I’ve been wanting to shift my sleeping schedule anyways, now that I’m not in school. I’m notorious for eating dinner really late, right before I go to bed. While there’s no problem with eating something before bed if you’re hungry, my NTP explained to me why it’s not great to be in a habit of eating your last full meal of the day right before you go to sleep. She explained there is actually a correlation between people who eat their last meal late at night and SIBO!
While our digestive processes should function no matter what, gravity does help a little. So if you eat a huge meal and immediately lay down to sleep, and you do that every single night, it will take longer for your food to pass through your digestive system and could cause some fermentation in the gut, especially for those of us who are prone to that. I had never realized this before, so I’m really glad she brought this up! She told me to try to leave at least 2-3 hours between dinner and bedtime, so that’s my new goal. If I am actually genuinely hungry before bed after dinner, then I will of course still eat. However, I haven’t had that problem since getting my hunger signals back in check.
Lastly, I’m going to keep trying to add more fermented foods into my diet. I’m adding more probiotics slowly, but I really want to get fermented foods in there, as well. It’s a little hard because I can’t have cabbage, but I’m looking into other options! I recently got a fermented hot sauce, which I’m very intrigued by.
Overall, I’m really really happy with my progress. Amazed, actually. I feel better than I have ever felt, and it gives me hope that this will actually be the last “protocol” I ever have to go on. All good things! I am going to be disregarding the protocol rules on my birthday next week, so we will see how that goes. I will keep you guys updated and check in again in another month!
by Christina | Mar 28, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
Happy Monday, lovely! My last post about graduating was a long one, so I thought I’d pop in with a quick and easy recipe (if you can even call it that) to even things out. It’s my first week as a college graduate, and I’m seriously on Cloud 9. Part of me has no idea what to do with myself. I’m taking this week “off” for spring break, and then heading to work full-time starting next week! Although, let’s be honest… do I ever really take a week “off”?! (Laughable.)
Since it’s Monday, you know what that means… a new episode of Actually Adultish is out! This week’s episode is an interview with fitness influencer Katie Austin, who is quite the inspiration. She’s super real, down-to-earth, positive, and just a breath of fresh air. I love her energy. On the podcast episode, we chatted a little bit about healthy eats (of course), and I mentioned one of my favorite “snacks”… cinnamon roasted nuts! It honestly never even crossed my mind to post this because it’s so simple, but mentioning it to Katie made me realize that I might as well. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best things, right?
Candied pecans are one of my absolute favorite treats to make during the holidays, and they’re always a crowd-pleaser. About two years ago I used that as inspo to come up with a “candied” nut recipe without the sugar. You know, something for an everyday snack. Something quick and easy.
People always ask me for snack suggestions. I’m not really a snacker, TBH, but I always keep things on hand in case I get in a bind. Those tend to be avocados, canned fish, and nuts. I always have a bag of nuts with me. I prefer organic, raw nuts – usually walnuts, pecans, and almonds, but I know some people want something a little… extra.
If you don’t like raw nuts, then definitely try this out! Cinnamon-spiced nuts have a warm, candy-like flavor without the sugar, and the nutmeg gives it a little somethin’ extra. Roasting, in general, deepens any nuts’ flavor, but adding spices makes it ten times better. Super easy, simple, and quick! Plus, you know exactly what the nuts are being roasted in, unlike those sketchy pre-roasted nuts you can pick up at the store. This doesn’t take much prep, and these are the perfect snack to throw in a baggy and carry around. They’re also the perfect treat to put in a little dish tray in your living room so you look fancy.
My one roommate said, “It tastes like Disneyland!” after she tried these. I mean, if they taste like Disneyland… how could you say no?! Feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking. I like to use pecans and walnuts, but feel free to try another combination if you like. You could also use just pecans or just walnuts. Sometimes I also like to add shredded coconut into the mix, which tastes amazing! If you have some on hand, then I’d highly recommend trying that, too.
Cinnamon Spiced Roasted Nuts (Paleo/Vegan)
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 4 cups nuts
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 325*.
- Toss all of the ingredients together thoroughly. Make sure all of the nuts are evenly coated.
- Place the nuts in an even layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Try to leave space between the nuts so they roast evenly.
- Roast the nuts in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip them over and roast for another 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
