When I was growing up, I imagined a life for myself. At the age of 6 this life was becoming a veterinarian and living on a giant farm filled with rescue animals. I can’t say this isn’t still a semi- dream of mine, but I quickly realized when I was 9 and fell in love with my very first dog of my own that I didn’t have what it took to be a vet (sensitive empath alert!) so it was around that time I decided… Read More
After living with an autoimmune disease for over a decade I have experienced both living well, and not so well during that time. I’ve had periods of flares, years of remission and years of soul-growth and healing. Each of your personal experiences in living well with a chronic illness will have parallels to mine and yet also be different. There are a few key factors to living well with an autoimmune disease that have profound impacts on daily life. They are spiritual, mental and physical… Read More
Prior to the days where I no longer eat grains and legumes I loved hummus! Seriously I’d dip whatever I could into it, pretzels, carrots, cucumbers, spread it on tortillas the list goes on. When I think about how I used to eat, it was never a poor diet, the main difference between what I felt was healthy then, and what I know is healthy now is a matter of nutrients. And even though my diet lifestyle was seemingly “healthy” is was nutritionally void. I… Read More
An open letter to anyone going through the phases of reintroducing foods after following an elimination diet. Dear beautiful human, So you’ve been on an elimination diet, and you’re finally ready to see what you can eat again. Congratulations, this is a big deal!! This means that you must feel AMAZING right now, especially compared to where you were before the start of your elimination protocol. You really deserve an award for sticking through something so difficult in pursuit of feeling better. Let’s not down… Read More
I can’t say there are many things that I truly miss in regards to food that I no longer choose to eat, things like dairy, gluten, soy, beans. Yeah many great things come from each of those ingredients but I miss things like the first snow fall in Belgium when I could see tire marks from my bike, or days in college when I’d wake up in my bed knowing my best friend was directly across the hall, and I miss my dog Rusty who… Read More
The other day I had a client ask me, “what got you through the holidays when you were on the autoimmune protocol?” I thought this was a great question. After much thought since our conversation I realized my answer would benefit so many of you as much as it did her. When the holidays come around it can be an especially challenging for people who are a midst lifestyle changes or an elimination protocol. It can already be stressful for many regardless of… Read More
We’re in full fall swing, let the #roastallthings commence! Starting with root vegetables to be exact, I love roasting vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness and make a warm savory side dish to pair with any meal. Radishes are a long time favorite of mine and with so many varieties, there are endless possibilities when it comes to preparing them. I especially love roasted radishes as they make a great alternative to potatoes while still maintaining lower starch, and lower carb, without lacking… Read More
One of the reasons fall is my favorite season is because it means that slow cooked meals are more frequent. The ease of adding a few ingredients to a slow cooker or Instant Pot and letting it do all the work for you, makes meals so much easier. A bonus being that the whole house smells intoxicating during the day from the cooking process. I also love slow cooking over night, and waking up to a complete dish ready for the week ahead. A go-to… Read More
Lately I’ve felt all over the place, out of balance and moving at a pace with no clear direction. I suppose that’s some what a product of moving and trying to establish life in a new city, but I recognize that my body is telling me to slow down. After driving across the country and moving into a permanent place, I finally feel that I am at a place to rest. I think the important thing when trying to regain some balance in life… Read More
Confession: A month and a half ago I hit rock bottom. I wasn’t feeling well at all, in fact I was feeling worse than I did when I started acupuncture with joint pain but also digestive issues and I began having other strange symptoms as well like rashes, insomnia, diarrhea, and weight gain. I started feeling like a fraud. Like this “healthy lifestyle” and acupuncture really wasn’t working for me, and questioned whether in fact it was making me sicker? Through this journey I’ve… Read More