Gimmick-free Spring Health Cleanses

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I receive MANY questions about cleanses and which are the best ones.  It seems natural this time of year (Spring) to want to do some sort of cleanse. Many people are coming off of New Year’s health resolutions and wanting to hit reset (again) on their system. It’s a great intention!
Today I want to share my favorite spring health cleanses.

Setting The Record Straight

First off, I am NOT into extreme cleanses for most people. Why? It can be a real shock to your system…and not in a good way.
The factors that will create the best impact on your health are raising the bar on your foundational healthy habits: diet, movement, sleep, hydration, and emotional self-regulation. Those are the most important to lock in. Once you’ve done that, if you want to do a more intensive cleanse, it’ll be so much more impactful AND the results you create will last far longer than if you complete your cleanse and go back to mediocre habits.
 

5 Approved Spring Health Cleanses

I’m going to share my favorite 5 Spring Health Cleanses.

1. Eat more fresh produce, especially veggies/fruits that support your body’s natural cleansing process. Your body is great at cleansing, but there are things that help it do a good job. Bitters are foods that increase the flow of digestive juices including bile which has a natural cleansing property throughout the digestive tract. Bile helps your body to bind to and remove waste including toxins. Some of my favorite bitters are arugula, apple cider vinegar, cocoa, kale, artichokes, and dandelion tea. Other bitters that support bile flow include broccoli rabe, chicory, coffee, endive, bitter melon, radicchio, frisee, nettles, dill, sesame seeds, turmeric, saffron, eggplant, dill, citrus, and cumin. Choose which ones work for your body and leave you feeling better after having them. Aim to eat some veggies at each of your meals and some bitters at least once/day (if you want a bigger cleansing impact, aim for eating bitters at each meal).

2. Move your body every single day. Your body needs movement/exercise. We detox through sweat, breath, and from the impact movement creates within our cells. It’s hard to make specific recommendations here because there’s such a difference in fitness levels and medical or injury considerations, so I will just say here to do your best to do a variety of exercises that provide strength training, flexibility and balance training, and aerobic benefits daily. The best exercises are the ones that you’ll DO! Pick ones that provide strength benefits, flexibility and balance benefits, as well as benefit your cardiovascular system. For me, it’s a combo of dance, yoga, Pilates, weight lifting, walking, bouncing on a trampoline and rotating hobbies like pickleball and gardening. Rotate strenuous activities to ensure a great overall balanced approach to fitness. You can start out as easily as you need to. If you aren’t sure how to start out, get support from a personal trainer or fitness instructor that you trust (and if you need a recommendation, please reach out and ask me).

3. Prioritize enough sleep. Getting enough quality sleep is probably the most important factor in building health and detoxing. If you aren’t already doing this, create a sleep cleanse that allows you to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night and notice how you feel!

4. Hydrate! You could do every cleanse in the book, but if you aren’t giving yourself enough clean water daily, you’ll stop cleansing in its tracks. I encourage drinking filtered water because there are a lot of toxins and chemicals that can be present in tap water and I encourage drinking out of glass or stainless steel (avoid plastic whenever possible).
There’s not a set amount of water that is perfect for everyone. I recommend to aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces throughout the day (we aren’t camels). If that is a lot more water than you are already drinking, go slowly as you increase and pay attention to how you feel and the color of your urine (pale yellow is preferred). Yes, until your body adjusts, you will likely pee more…but this almost always settles down as your body gets used to the change. You may notice positive differences in: your skin (feeling/looking softer, clearer), bowel movements (more smooth, healthier consistency, and possibly greater volume), energy, and overall how you feel in your body (dehydration can cause headaches, joint and muscle aches, poorer recovery after exercise).

5. Some great cleansing tips to support your emotional self-regulation are setting boundaries on digital devices and create some space for breathing, HeartMath, gratitude practice, loving kindness, journaling, connection with caring people, and/or time in nature. 

I hope that these gimmick-free spring health cleanses support you to feel amazing this spring season and beyond.

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session at http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability). 


Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

3 Tips for Choosing Healthy Oil

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When it comes to oils, there are so many options…but what is healthy? Here are some of my top tips when it comes to choosing.

Check for quality

Choosing quality oil is really important. How oils are processed can turn a healthy oil into a harmful one. Tip #1. Look for “extra virgin” on the label. This means that the main ingredient (like olives in olive oil) was cold pressed and therefore not damaged by heat or chemicals.
Tip #2. I always recommend buying oils in glass jars or bottles (to avoid microplastics) and darker glass (not clear) helps protect against damage from light. More stable oils such as coconut, palm, or ghee are more stable and can be in clear glass.
It’s also advised to double check the ingredients and make sure that the oil you think you are getting is what is listed in the ingredients (for example, 100% olive oil versus olive oil that has been mixed with canola, soybean or safflower oil–I do NOT recommend these other oils).
I never used to recommend canola oil because so much of what is sold is not high quality or healthy (you can learn why here), but if you find a brand that is non-GMO, expeller pressed, chemical free, and organic, it’s a fine oil to include.

How are you using it?

Tip #3. Choose the right oil for the job. If you are going to heat it, it needs to be stable at the heat at which you’re cooking. Generally, for higher heat cooking, stable oils are ones that have a high smoke point and don’t become damaged during the heating process. High quality olive oil, avocado oil, sesame, red palm, grapeseed, canola (make sure it fits the standards mentioned above), refined coconut oil (unrefined is fine for medium to low heat cooking and unrefined has a coconut flavor versus refined does not), macadamia nut, ghee, or animal fat such as high quality lard, tallow, or duck fat are excellent choices (I know many people are shocked by those last few, but they are much healthier than many other options such as vegetable shortening! Saturated fats tend to hold up very well to heat–some saturated fat is fine for most people; it’s damaged fats/oils that cause disease).
Do not cook or heat flaxseed, almond, hempseed oil or pumpkin seed oil–but these are healthy oils so enjoy them on salads or on top of your food after it’s cooked.
I do not recommend eating or cooking with “vegetable oils” such as soybean, corn, sunflower or safflower oil. I hope that you found today’s newsletter helpful.

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session at http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability). 


Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Seasonal Allergy Support (Antihistamine Foods)

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Spring has sprung! I love this time of year, but I know that it can be a real challenge if you suffer from seasonal allergies. Today I’d like to share some great info with you about foods that are naturally high in antihistamines (or help your body break it down faster) so that you can feel better in your body.
I’ll also share some foods that could make your allergies worse.
Before I do that, I want to invite you to a free webinar I’m offering, co-hosted with Healy Chiropractic, on Healing From Food-Induced Inflammation. If you struggle with food sensitivities or are having symptoms of inflammation (headaches, gas, bloating, low energy, etc), please join me for this helpful online class. Details and sign up here.

Antihistamine Foods

Foods that support the breakdown of histamine (aka one of the parts of your immune system that attacks things it thinks are a threat to you) and/or block the effect of histamine in your body are:

  1. Quercitin–Capers (highest source), Onions (especially red), Apples (especially the skin), Broccoli, Green tea, Blueberries
  2. Stinging Nettle–great herb for antihistamine blocking and its also an antiinflammatory.
  3. Spirulina (algae)
  4. Vitamin-C rich foods including bell peppers, broccoli, camu camu, kiwi, strawberries, pomegranate, citrus fruits, guava, papaya, and leafy green veggies.
  5. Beef liver (high in DAO, Diamine Oxidase, which help break down histamine)
  6. Pasture-raised chicken liver (high in DAO)
  7. Pea sprouts and peas (high in DAO)
  8. Pastured egg yolks (high in DAO)
  9. Kidney beans (high in DAO)
  10. Chickpeas (high in DAO)
  11. Lentils (high in DAO)
  12. Fresh fish such as salmon, trout, sardines (high in DAO)

In addition, foods that are FRESH vs aged, canned, dried, or leftovers tend to be least high in histamine (or least likely to trigger histamine production by your body). Aged foods and (unfortunately) leftover are more likely to worsen allergies. It’s worth looking into if you suffer from allergies. 

I hope that you found today’s newsletter helpful. There are many other ways to support allergies naturally and without medications through targeted gut health support, lifestyle, and supplementation. If you are struggling, reach out!

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session at http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability). 


Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca