At the beginning of this year, 2021, my body was sent into another spiral. Whether it be from added stressors or flare ups from my conditions, I knew that something had to change. I am always reminded of the healing power of nutrition and even though I really do eat well, I knew I could make changes to optimize my health. Last year I followed AIP Paleo for about 4 months and felt amazing. After that I continued to eat paleo with some things still omitted like night shades and nuts and seeds for the most part. Of course, I am human and indulged when it felt worth it, but everyone should be able to do that when accompanied by a nutrient dense, whole food diet and their bodies should be able to handle it. Mine still wasn’t, which meant to me that my allostatic load was still high and my window of tolerance low. When you have a body sensitive to inflammation and autoimmune attacks you have to be especially careful with stress and anything that contributes to it. As many of you know, lifestyle factors are huge but so is what you put into your body. I began to research even more what choices I could make to optimize my health, and to continue to heal my infertility and autoimmune conditions, and I landed on the SOS free vegan lifestyle. To be completely honest with you, about 3 months ago I told my sister “you won’t ever catch me being a vegan, I love meat.” Insert eye roll and never say never, because it has happened. This isn’t me telling you that you need to go fully plant based because I think for many people there is a place for meat in your diet, as long as you are doing it sustainably and ethically. But for me, going plant based could have been the best decision I have made up to this point in my nutrition, for ME. 

Not only was it from the elimination of meat, but also the elimination of added salt, sugar and oil. For individuals who have a hard time digesting, eliminating meat gives your body a break to optimize digestion, and learn how to properly digest again while also prioritizing and giving that energy over to other systems in your body to heal. One of the hardest parts for me, and what I still find myself craving is salt. I eliminated processed salts a while ago, but I was still salting my foods with Redmond's Real Salt on the regular. I carried around a little tube of it in my purse because I didn’t trust restaurant salts, but also during the pandemic I wasn't ever sure if I would be offered it, and like I said, I salted everything. Going added sugar and oil free wasn’t too hard because I have been paleo for about 5 years now and I have cooked with very little oil as well. I just had to learn to transition to either boiling, steaming or dry roasting my vegetables. 

With all of this being said, the transition for me wasn’t terrible because I have been making transitions towards this lifestyle (without knowing it) for about 5 years now. If you are coming from the standard american diet, going straight to being SOS free vegan would be tough. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it, but it would be a harder transition for you and might take some extended research and pantry clean outs. I am ALWAYS open to help if you believe this could be something for you, but I recommend starting small. You can start by beginning to eliminate processed foods from your diet, and even added sugars! Once you do this you are on your way! 

What does SOS free vegan mean simply?

Transitioning to a salt, oil, sugar free vegan lifestyle means you are removing all added salt, oil and sugar from your diet as well as animal products. Don’t get caught up in what you can’t have but focus on all of the amazing nutrient dense whole foods you CAN have. Foods including: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts and seeds. Focusing on vegetables and fruits as the majority of your food intake during the day. 

You will be avoiding: any animal product, including meat, dairy, eggs and fish, all added sugar, oil and salt. As well as refined grains and other processed foods. 

So why eliminate salt, oil and sugar? 

One notable thing that I realized when I started eating this way was finally feeling fully satiated and knowing when it was time to stop eating and actually stopping. Like many Americans I struggled sometimes with over consumption. Over consumption can lead to many chronic illnesses and over consuming food for many people is something that is really hard to overcome, but there is a reason to it and a reason why will power alone cannot help us all of the time.  There was a mechanism that was developed in our brains from our ancestors when they feared starvation and survival. Nowadays because of our access to food many of us don’t fear starvation, but our brain still has the same mechanism that recognizes overly salty, sugary, and oily foods. Most salty, sugary, and oily foods are high in calories, so when our ancestors came across them they were to eat them in abundance because they weren’t sure when starvation would come. Back then though these foods high in salt, oil and sugar were still foods provided from mother nature like honey and fruits, not gummy bears and lays potato chips. Naturally though we still do the same thing, when we eat something that is high in processed sugar, oils and/or salt (mostly a combination of all three), we over eat them because our brain is signaling to us to keep eating because one day these might not be available. In reality they are everywhere. The food industry plays off of these mechanisms which is why they are continuing to make things that are high in all three of these compounds. When I stopped consuming things with added sugar, salt and oil even if it was something healthy, I realized that it was easier for me to tune back into my hunger signals and to stop eating when I was actually full. What is important to remember here is the removal of processed foods is a HUGE start to this, and even if this is something you can only commit to it is SUCH a great start towards health and will reduce your risk of chronic illness tremendously. 

Here is one thing you need to remember: just because we are removing salt, oil and sugar from our diets doesn’t mean that we won’t get it at all. Almost everything that exists in nature has the PERFECT and BALANCED amount of salt, oil and sugar in it. Mother nature gives us everything we need, perfectly! Second, getting rid of animal protein doesn’t mean we will be deficient in our protein needs as well. As i mentioned above, plants have protein in them and if we are eating them the way we should be we will be supplied with adequate amounts of protein as well. 

Living the SOS Free Vegan lifestyle encourages you to eliminate animal foods and eat whole plant foods found in nature that provide you with a dense amount of nutrients that are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. These substances have been found to help reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, kidney dysfunction and some types of cancer. A diet that is plant based and high in the nutrients provided by plants found in nature are correlated to many different types of disease reversal, the reduction of oxidative stress in the body and lowered cellular inflammation. 

Why Salt Free?

We eat so much salt without having to even add extra salt to our food in the society we live in. Anything that is processed almost by definition has way too much salt in it. No wonder why we have a problem with high blood pressure in our nation and why people have become so addicted to salt, to be honest I probably was one of them! Diets that are high in salt have been shown to spike blood pressure, and decrease arterial functioning and antioxidant activity (Goldhamer & Myers, 2019). Diets high in salt are also shown to negatively affect the gut microbiome and immunity leading to many different chronic illnesses. 

Why Sugar Free? 

Natural sugars in whole foods from nature, like fruit, isn’t the enemy here, it is the added processed sugars that we find in almost everything. Diets that are high in indeed sugars have been shown to be associated again with many different chronic illnesses like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, CVD and cancer (Goldhamer & Myers, 2019). There are so many foods that have unnecessarily high amounts of added sugars in them, so make sure you check your labels. 

Why Oil Free?

We can go down a rabbit hole here, but bottom line the oils we see in the stores are far from their natural forms. Many oils we use to cook with have been processed and denatured in a way that takes most of the benefits away from them and also leaves them toxic before we even put them in the frying pan. Many of us are also unaware that each oil has a different smoke point and if that point is reached or if we have gone over its smoke point the oil becomes extremely toxic in our bodies because of the free radicals it has created. Oils are not inherently bad, but what has been done to them as they are processed into the oils many of us use today makes them rancid and toxic in the body. Diets that are high in oils and fats are associated with an increased risk of many chronic illnesses that are plaguing our world today. These are diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease (Goldhamer & Myers, 2019). There are different sorts of fats which we won’t get into here, and some are better than others, the point we are making here is we are naturally getting the fats we need without adding them to the diet and we are getting them in the form nature intended us to by eating a whole food, plant based diet.  If you are going to continue adding oils in our diet, make sure you do your research on which are better to cook with and which are processed in a way that in turn protects the oil and protects your body. Olive oil for example needs to be cold pressed and needs to be stored in a container that protects it from the sun so it won’t be oxidized. This oil is also lower in steam point so shouldn't be used to bake or fry, but for dressings. Coconut and avocado oil have higher steam points so are a better choice for cooking uses. Please do your research! 

Again, start small! I know this can be a lot, but knowledge is power and you can be in control of your health and your choices. You can start by just replacing one meal a day SOS free, or even one day a week without any processed foods. The choice is yours and when we make small sustainable changes this is when the true transformation begins. 

Goldhamer, A., & Myers, A. (2019, September 24). An introduction to the whole Food, plant-based, SOS-Free Diet. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://nutritionstudies.org/an-introduction-to-the-whole-food-plant-based-sos-free-diet/

SOS- Free VEGAN BROWNIES!

These were inspired by The Balanced Blonde vegan brownie recipe but I tweaked a few things that make me enjoy them just a little bit more. These have been on REPEAT for me. I keep them around for snacks, breakfast and dessert! They are definitely a staple for me right now and it is a super plus that they are nutrient dense. Speaking of dense, they are a seriously good replacement for your regular brownie, I enjoy them better honestly. You can top them with coconut manna or salt and sugar free nut butter! Besides the cooking time, they take around 5 minutes to mix up! Try them out and let me know what you think. 

Black Bean Brownies:

2 cans Black beans (salt free) 

¼ cup of ground flax seed 

2 flax “eggs” (1tbs flax seed with 3 tbs water = 1 “egg”) 

15 dates (soaked) 

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup tahini

1 cup raw organic cacao powder 

½ cup gluten free oats 

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract 

¼ cup of water (if mix is hard then add more while blending) 

Make the flax egg and set aside for a few minutes. 
To soak the dates just add to warm water and let sit, I try to let them sit for about 10 minutes. 

Blend all ingredients and place into a baking dish that is lined with parchment paper. Let back at 350 for 25 minutes. 

I remember the day I woke up and something inside of me shifted. It was the morning of my 26th birthday, and I finally felt like all of the things I have built up and ran away from had settled. Like all of my past and choices had been thrown up into the air and finally came to the ground, and somehow was put together. No, not perfectly, but I finally could feel the earth beneath my feet. If you back track a little bit, you would find my past was full of searching. For our sake, I am going to focus on the part of my past that had me searching for true health and true happiness. Since I was a little girl, I knew that food held importance in my life. Whether that be through restriction to feel control or standing in front of the cabinet devouring a little Debbie cake and riding the sugar rush for all of 5 minutes before beating myself up for it for two days, to really enjoying a home cooked meal with my favorite people around the table. I knew that food carried many different emotions and meaning. When I was 14 years old I started using food as a form of control and this took me down a spiral of disordered eating habits to the point my life was controlled by food, not the other way around. I didn’t want food to have the power over my life, but for some reason I let it define my worth. As a woman, a student, a friend, a daughter.. and this torment was terrible and I knew I didn’t want to live this way forever. 

About 7 years ago I started navigating my way to freedom and recovery. It took me taking time to affirm and believe that whole body health was much more than the size of my waist line and to take my eyes off of myself and on to truly living. This was the moment I started researching nutrition. How food worked in my body. Why I needed certain foods and why I needed to be nourished not under fed in order to really live. I researched articles, books and even pursued my masters in nutrition so I could learn the deep details of how specific nutrients work in the body and how certain ones don’t. I began to nourish my mind with the proper fuel in order to take my healing and happiness to the next level. This education was all amazing, and my journey started to transform. But it wasn’t until I took a step outside of my own kitchen and my own studies to find the freedom I was looking for. 

My husband and I run a non-profit called Neighborhood Hope and through it we have built in relationship and community with our now family. 4 years ago I was standing in the neighborhood looking around at my neighbors perplexed by the fact that so many of the people I love are walking around malnourished and without fully knowing and believing how remarkable they are. I remember in this moment thinking how in the world am I going to be able to pour into them the way that they deserve, and I remember hearing “Jenny, teach them their worth the way you were taught yours.” Turns out, I didn’t find the freedom I was looking for until I took what I knew and gave it away. This was when I started the health initiative and used how I found my worth, through learning about proper nourishment, and gave that knowledge away to my neighbors so that they could do the same. 

Fast forward to now, and sharing a meal with my neighbors looks a lot like this:

It looks like me coming into their homes, stepping outside of myself, and growing in relationship with them. We don’t just cook together. We laugh together, we cry together and we share stories. Then we sit down and we eat together. We all know the value behind sharing food with other individuals, but I believe there is so much power behind showing people that they are WORTH taking the time to cook them a whole, nutritious meal. Something changes when you use your hands to serve someone else, and when you serve them a healthy meal it signals to them that their health is worth the investment. 

Loving your neighbor might not look exactly like this. Loving your neighbor might look like sharing a meal with a close friend, a family member or the person you are constantly running into at the gym. Show them that they are worth the investment, and even more their health is worth the investment. When you can take your eyes off of yourself, and put them on someone else, you are able to show them they are worth it. That’s how I discovered how to be truly happy and truly healthy. 

Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. How do we have hope in a “certain thing,” when we have so much uncertainty during this time. Hope. A word I keep hearing. A word that people keep telling us to have. But how do you have hope? I honestly couldn’t tell you an exact answer, but I can tell you how sometimes I can see a glimpse of it. 

Jesus came so that we could find comfort in knowing that He is all things. He is provision. He is life. He can sit with us in our sadness and in our pain. He becomes human in all the ways that we need him to when we need him to so that we don’t have to write off or discredit the way we feel or the disgusting circumstances we find ourselves in. He came so that in those moments of sorrow and a lack of hope, he could be that hope for us. Jesus came to rewrite our stories, our tragedies and our pain. He came to give us hope in the things that we can’t see. Our world wants hope to look like something that is certain. But Jesus wants hope to be the faith that we find when we look into his eyes. His eyes are the certainty in this time. 

I never want to discredit the pain and loss so many have felt during this time. I am privileged to be able to even sit here and write about hope in uncertain times and it makes me sick to think that even some of the people I love most have no time to try and find hope because they are just trying to survive. But one thing I do know is that Jesus is close to the broken hearted, he takes delight in the poor and he wants every single one of His children to find hope in his eyes. I know all of us need a part of our stories to be rewritten by Jesus and the hope is that he can. He can undo, redo, rework, retell and rewrite all that we need him to. He is ready to give us the hope that we long to see, but when we understand that hope doesn’t mean that everything in that moment is going to be ok, it means that when we let Jesus be that hope for us we stop trying to figure it out and we start opening up our hands to let Jesus do the job he has always wanted to do for us.

Where do I even begin. First I will say, I am generally a healthy person when you compare my symptoms to other people who have struggled with chronic illness their entire life, or have just been diagnosed. I am lucky that I can still exercise and play with my child, for that I am truly blessed. One thing I do know though, is that what pain I feel on a daily basis is not normal, not optimal and I cannot let it continue because of what I know. What I do know is that nutrition heals, proper lifestyle heals, happiness and joy heal. I know this isn’t the end all for most illnesses, but man can it have a profound impact on the course our illness can take on our lives.  

When I was 16 I was in and out of doctors offices trying to figure out why a healthy girl would have purple and grey toes and virtually no blood flow to her feet. I ended up going to the Mayo Clinic to be diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome, was told I could lose my toes and sent home to tell me that some time in my 20’s I would develop another autoimmune disease, then they sent me on my way.  This catapulted me into exercise because hell no would I lose my toes and I will do all I can to stay healthy, then all I knew was I should just work out. Since 2013 I have been struggling with gastrointestinal issues of many kinds, this was also the year that I lost my period. I wrote both things off because hey, I was young, not having a period wasn’t so bad and I was too busy to work on GI issues that I could “deal with.” Many parasite cleanses later, in 2016 I decided to see a doctor about my GI issues. Still they were perplexed with my symptoms, told me I had IBS and SIBO, put me on an antibiotic and sent me for my second colonoscopy and endoscopy. During this time is when I started exploring the Whole30 and the paleo diet for the first time. I dove right in because I wanted to try anything that could help, and nutrition seemed to be the only thing that did. My energy levels started increasing, but my symptoms were still the same. When I got the news back from my colonoscopy that I had a lot of inflammation in my small intestine, my doctor told me they suspected celiac disease and to stay away from gluten. Then I heard nothing again from my GI doctor. So naturally I am on a gluten free diet while being paleo, so hey, I will just manage this myself like I always do and head on my way! 2018 my husband and I want to get pregnant, so I go to an OB to ask about my lack of a period for so long. Until now, I didn’t really care because it was one last thing to worry about, but if you know the female body, not having a cycle can be very detrimental to not just hormonal health, but also bone and heart health. My OB didn’t seem that concerned, did some blood work and ended up sending me to a fertility clinic that we couldn’t afford. So like I always do, I went on with my life trying to manage this myself. I eat well, I supplement, I don’t “cheat” very often, I don’t drink, I exercise, I see a therapist.. What else do I have to do to feel better!?

Early 2019 my husband and I received the greatest gift we have ever known, Israel James Meadows. Since I knew it was going to be hard for my husband and I to have a child of our own, and really since I was young, I knew I wanted to adopt. Israel James was adopted from our Neighborhood Hope community and has changed our lives forever. Israel brought my heart and my body so much healing, but the symptoms didn’t stop because the underlying issues have never fully been addressed. Now early 2020, I am still struggling with fatigue, chronic diarrhea, no period, blistery red and purple toes, headaches, low blood sugar, terrible stomach cramping and nausea. Israel is 1, my husband and I love adventure,  we run a non profit where my mission is to teach these young women and mothers their worth through proper nourishment of their body and I am trying to build a business where I can do the same as well as educate clients how to heal their own bodies through nutrition. I woke up a few days ago with terrible stomach pain and nausea that made it hard for me to talk and my husband sat me down and said, “Jenny, this is enough. I can’t see you like this anymore.” I broke down crying because in that moment I realized that in my pursuit of others and their healing, I neglected mine, and in neglecting mine I have neglected some of my future with my baby and my husband. I realized in that moment, that is NOT ok. I will not let this take years from my life because those years are years that I would lose from the ones I love with my whole heart, who are my life. So yes, I know a lot about nutrition, I want to know more, but I know enough to say that it does and it can heal. I have seen it! I also know that yes, I have been eating clean for almost 10 years now. The process has been slow (more on my story of why slow worked for me because of my past disordered eating habits to come), but I follow as close to paleo as I can and even my “cheat” meals are paleo-esque. So why can’t I seem to get on top of this? 

I have been toying around with starting a healing protocol to help therapeutically with my symptoms. Many people know that it is hard to, especially in your trade, put yourself on some sort of protocol. It is easier for me to tell people, but when I tell myself I back out in an instant. I needed my husband to come a long side of me like he did, sit me down and tell me that this was something he and Israel needed me to do for them. So right there, I committed. I decided to start journeying down the road towards healing starting with following the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP). I could jump right in because I am already pretty used to following paleo, and AIP is similar but some more potential inflammatory foods have to be eliminated, which includes, eggs, nightshades, nuts and seeds, peppers and various herbs and spices. I am writing this blog 3 days in and I am proud to say I have taken it day by day and have been following this protocol. My motivation is what keeps me here. Taking it day by day is what keeps me here. The hope that this will help in some sort of way, keeps me here. So here I will stay because not only are Josh and Israel worth it, but this has taught me that I am too.

Our bodies are so amazing in the fact that they are able to initiate a response to help us fight off illness. We usually think of inflammation as something that is negative, but our bodies natural inflammatory responses, if healthy and at the right time and length, is absolutely critical to our survival.  natural inflammatory response, one like if you sprain an ankle, would be for the body to release certain hormone like substances called prostaglandins to get to work in starting the healing process. 

Part of a healthy healing process involves an increase in inflammation to help the body begin to heal. There are three different groups of prostaglandins, prostaglandin-1 (PG1), prostaglandin (PG2) and prostaglandin 3 (PG3). Both PG1 and PG3 are anti-inflammatory and PG2 is inflammatory, but all are necessary and needed for proper healing, repair growth and homeostasis in the body. Inflammation is a normal part of the body's healing response, but there is often pain associated with inflammation. In this event, many people reach for anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin, NSAIDS and steroids to help decrease inflammation in order to decrease their pain. These drugs are able to decrease pain by suppressing the production of PG2 which in turn also delays the body's healing processes. The essential fatty acid arachidonic acid is converted into PG2 by a series of different enzymatic actions. Anti-inflammatory drugs block normal prostaglandin function by inhibiting this process therefore suppressing pain and inflammation. 

In order for our bodies to create prostaglandins, certain cofactors are needed. These cofactors include proper digestion, proper liver function and different enzymes like amino acids, vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc. The standard american diet is void of many of these cofactors which naturally means that the conversion to prostaglandins  will not happen. Not only do anti-inflammatory drugs and a diet void in the cofactors mentioned above contribute to the lack of prostaglandin formation but so do trans fatty acids and alcohol. 

The general population experiences pain and their first instinct is to go to the medicine cabinet and to pop an aspirin. In reality, most americans are experiencing inflammation leading to various sorts of pain because of the high inflammatory diet and excessive amounts of omega-6’s we eat daily leading to a high imbalance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. An alternative to reaching for that anti-inflammatory pill would be for individuals to begin to take note and pay attention to the imbalance of  fatty acids. Individuals should begin to consume more anti-inflammatory omega-3’s and work towards consuming a nutrient dense whole foods diet with a balance of all three macronutrients. Anti-inflammatory drugs have their place in some instances, but they are definitely over used and people depend on them way too much in our society. It is important to try and improve fatty acid balance before taking harmful anti-inflammatory drugs that can lead to serious side effects if taken long term. 

We live in a high stress world. A world that places a burden on busyness and going hard until you can’t anymore. This chronic level of stress has placed such a high strain on our bodies and there is no doubt these high levels of stress have contributed to the influx of chronic illness in our society. Most of us know that stress isn’t “good,” but if we really knew the effects stress has on our bodies, we might stop and think about how we can be kinder to ourselves. So how does stress affect our bodies? I could go into many different reasons, but we will cover one extremely important reason why we should manage our stress and that is: stress causes an increase in the hormone cortisol which disrupts our endocrine system balance. 

The endocrine system is all about hormones and hormones are all about communication. Hormones are extremely important because they help regulate things like our energy and metabolism, contractions of smooth and cardiac muscle fibers, our biological clock, control growth and development and govern the operation of our reproductive system. The endocrine glands, as well as a host of other organs and tissues, play a crucial role in producing hormones and communicating with the body its needs. Our hormones all work together in order to create hormonal balance in our body which means it is critical for us to foster the health of the organs at play.  The major players of our endocrine system are the pitutiary, the adrenals, the thyroid and our sex organs. 

The endocrine organs communicate with the hypothalamus, a small region of the brain, which goes on to communicate with the pituitary gland, then passes the signal to the endocrine gland to either increase or decrease the production of a particular hormone to create balance in the body. The thyroid is a key player in the bodies metabolism and produces hormones T3 and T4 to do this work. These hormones regulate many extremely important processes in the body like BMR, cellular metabolism, growth and development, stimulates the synthesis of protein and even enhancing cholesterol excretion which reduces blood cholesterol levels. Another extremely important player of hormone balance are the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands regulate our blood sugar and inflammation as well as control our bodies “fight or flight” mechanism. They regulate mineral balance and aid in the production of sex hormones. 

As we can tell, the endocrine system is a really delicate system with many interconnected relationships and must be treated with care. It is always critical to treat hormonal imbalances starting with a properly prepared nutrient dense diet and then addressing digestion status, mineral status, fatty acid status, hydration and most importantly blood sugar regulation. Hormonal imbalances will not be corrected until blood sugar and adrenal issues are properly addressed. 

Our adrenals fire when our bodies are responding to a stressful situation. This could be stress from being chased by a wild animal, getting fired at work, drinking too much caffeine and alcohol, over exercising and eating the standard american diet high in refined and processed foods. Our society has taught us that stress is normal, and often praised because it means we are running ourselves ragid in order to accomplish all that we can in the workplace and not emphasizing community and relationship, so we are suffering in all areas. When we are chronically stressed, our adrenals are chronically pumping out cortisol. Chronically elevated cortisol can disrupt our endocrine system in many ways but here are three I have chosen to discuss: 

1. The liver is responsible for deactivating hormones that are no longer needed because these hormones need to be removed by the body. When cortisol is elevated, this decreases the effectiveness of the liver in being able to break down excess cortisol in order to be removed by the body.

2. When cortisol is elevated the pancreas also takes a nasty hit. Elevated cortisol creates an environment in which insulin receptors on cells won’t respond the way they should to insulin. This will in turn put a strain on the pancreas to secrete more insulin which in turn will lead to insulin resistance. 

3. In times of chronic stress, the body prioritizes the action of the adrenal glands over metabolic rate and other endocrine function. The adrenal glands therefore take the nutrients that were to be used by other systems to allow them to continue to function. This places a burden on the endocrine system and its production of hormones. 

As we can see, chronic stress, from any form, leading to chronically elevated cortisol levels puts an extreme burden on our bodies. Our body prioritizes survival, so when we put our bodies under extreme stress certain organs have to take a back seat and many have to work so hard to keep us healthy that they “burn” out. We must take special care to find ways to lower our stress levels, by adopting meditation to handle our stress or changing our diets to nutrient dense whole food sources, we must help our bodies heal so we can find optimal health.

Fat has gotten a bad rap for so many years but we are starting to finally hear in the media about why fat might not be so bad after all. We are in firm belief here at Live Simple Eat Well that adopting a whole food, nutrient dense diet and getting far away from the standard American diet is how we can achieve optimal health. Fat has never been bad, and never will be, but what we as a society have done to it, like highly processing and creating fats that were never made to enter the human body, is why they can be “bad.” If we are to adopt a whole food, nutrient dense diet full of fats the way nature intended we will begin to see the amazing benefits that fat has to offer us! If you are in to the science of how the body operates this article has plenty of great information for you, skip ahead to “key points” if you want to read past all of the sciency stuff.

In order to benefit from the fats we are eating, we must be able to digest them. Fats that are undigested become an assault on the immune system for a variety of reasons. First, high quality fats are a vital part of our diet to improve health, but in today’s society the fat that is generally consumed is extremely low quality and easily rancid which can lead to a whole host of problems in the body. When our bodies are functioning properly and after our food is chewed and mixed with gastric juices becoming chyme in the stomach, the process of digestion continues as chyme is released into the upper part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Chyme should be very acidic and this acidity triggers the small intestine to secrete mucus as well as hormones secretin and CCK into the bloodstream. Secretin signals to the pancreas to release bicarbonate and pancreatic juice and CCK signals to the gallbladder to release bile.

This is important because the pH of the chyme must be brought up in order for the bile salts that have been released to continue to complete the digestion of fats, as well as protein and carbohydrates. Still in the small intestine, fats are broken down into glycerol and fatty acid molecules and the millions of villi collect the nutrients and send them out into our bloodstream where they are needed by the entire body. 

There are many points in the digestion process that are commonly disrupted and when digestion is off at any point, including our mental perception of our food, this can hinder the absorption of the nutrients we consume.Approximately 90% of americans suffer from producing too little stomach acid which poses a major problem in digestion. Stomach acid is essential to maintain the proper pH of the stomach or else foods aren’t properly broken down, in the case of fats they will rancidify. We learned that chyme has to maintain a low pH (1.5-3) in order to be released into the duodenum. If stomach acid isn’t present to maintain this low pH the chyme will stay in the stomach for an extended period of time and fats will continue to rancidify. We also know that the pH of the chyme is critical for proper bile salt and hormone release, and if chyme is to alkaline in the duodenum secretin will not be released to trigger the release of pancreatic juices. All of this will lead to the improper and incomplete digestion of not just fats but proteins and carbohydrates as well. 

Our modern society is notorious for not just eating low quality and a low amount of fats but also for having low stomach acid, and this combination is detrimental to our health.  This combination leads to gallbladder dysfunction because a poor quality  fat or low fat diet does not stimulate the release of bile causing the bile to sit in the gallbladder waiting to be used and while stagnant becomes vicious. The gallbladder will become stimulated but won’t be able to release this now vicious bile and since bile is absolutely necessary to emulsify and absorb fats, fats will not be absorbed. When our bodies aren’t able to absorb the nutrients we need, the lining of our small intestine that was once strong and able to pick and choose what was supposed to end up being expelled by the body or to be absorbed, now can’t differentiate between the “good” guys and the “bad” guys. This allows the inappropriate sizes of fats to be expelled into the bloodstream which sends our immune system into a spiral. 

Key Points: in order for our bodies to process and absorb the nutrients we need in our food (from a properly prepared, nutrient dense diet), we must have a properly functioning digestive system and an adequate amount of stomach acid. A high majority of  americans don’t produce enough stomach acid which leads to a whole host of problems, including malabsorption/nutrition, acid reflux and autoimmune problems. An inadequate amount of stomach acid should be the first place physicians and nutritionists investigate to heal because of the amount of symptoms and illnesses this can lead to. 

Some practical ways to help improve your digestion of fats: 

• First, consider removing processed foods and hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats from your diet and replace them with some of the suggestions below

• Check for and eliminate any and all food sensitivities 

• Digestion starts in your brain, so what you think about your food matters 

• Chew and enjoy your food 

• Add digestive bitters to your meal routine

• 1-2 tlbs of ACV 30 minutes before meals 

• Add supplements that help with digestive enzyme and bile action like Betaine HCl, pepsin and pancreatin (this should be after underlying condition of low stomach acid is healed and all above methods have been explored)

Examples of some healthy fats (in no particular order): 

• Avocado

• Coconut 

• Eggs

• Olive oil

• Olives

• Grass-fed beef 

• Raw dairy (if you can handle it) 

• Grass-fed butter or Ghee (depending on your sensitivity to it) 

• Nuts & seeds (always in moderation & preferably sprouted) 

• Please consult with your doctor or NTP before stopping or adding any supplemental protocols and medications. 

Due to the nature of our upbringing, my husband, Josh, and I developed a non-profit from the ground up in Charlotte, NC called The Abandon Project. Our mission is to serve at risk communities that are not able to access basic needs and resources that would allow for a successful future. A few years ago Josh and I moved into a low-income area in the East Charlotte community so we could “put our money where our mouth is”, so to speak, and show our friends that we are willing to struggle with them. We believe this grass-roots, sustainable approach helps create raw and real diversifying change.

One of the most pertinent needs we see in our community today is the necessity for knowledge about health and wellness. Over the course of my time in East Charlotte, I have experienced situations where single mothers have bought into the lie that to feed a family of five on a family-of-two budget, they can only afford frozen chicken nuggets and oodles of noodles. This form of dieting has caused children to incurre type 2 diabetes, rotting teeth, and weak bones because they are not provided the proper nutrients required in a daily diet. The lack of education leads to a deficit in the knowledge of what a truly healthy lifestyle looks like. Along with this, much of the epidemic here in East Charlotte comes from a long line of generational misconceptions on dietary needs.

Though it will take a lot of persistent effort to break generations of bad habits, I am committed to providing this community with the resources they deserve. I have decided to pursue my masters in nutrition so that I can provide this community with these much-needed resources in order to ensure a beautiful future. Pursuing a masters in nutrition has already taught me so much about how I can change these communities’ lives for the better, and I believe that being certified through the Nutritional Therapy Association (which I will be in October) will only better my chances of combating the various diseases and lack of “wholeness” this community has.

I created a  “health initiative” for our community in East Charlotte about two years ago and have had weekly and sometimes bi weekly meetings with elementary to high school students, as well as with many mothers in the community. Not only do we cook, but we also participate in physical activity together. I  provide health education classes for older children and their mothers. We learn how to cook healthy alternatives, and in turn cook these meals for the families in our community. At our weekly cooking class, we learn about proper nutrition, why we need it and we learn the necessary cooking skills so that we can create these meals for ourselves in our own kitchen. Not only do we learn about cooking, we also learn about mental health and physical activity. We are so humbled to say we have already seen so many success stories because of the power of this community gaining this knowledge. Mothers are now starting to come to me requesting recipes for their children and asking when we are able to come and cook and teach them again. I get text messages about these mothers increasing their water intake and pictures of healthy recipes they are now feeding their families! We have also partnered with a local meal prepping company who donates wonderful meals to these families that are fresh and locally prepared.

I have a lot of dreams for my community, some that seem overwhelming at times. I know though, that as long as I continue to show up and stop for the one that is all that truly matters.  My organization has dreams of reaching so many more people in order  to pursue the hearts of others who otherwise would have no hope for their families or their families’ futures. I hope to fine tune a sponsorship tool in order to bring the upper and middle class communities together with my community to find a sense of unity. The idea of individuals coming together and pouring into one another is a huge piece of becoming “whole” and towards solving that divide. I would love to see partnership/ sponsorship opportunities coming out of this. Where individuals in the upper/middle class are able to sponsor those who might not be able to afford a health coach, and in turn we all begin to develop relationships with one another and push each other towards the same goal, health and wholeness.

We have also officially begun our community garden, more on that in a future post! I can’t wait to see my family get their hands dirty, find their worth in the soil and learn the value of nourishing their bodies from something they cultivated themselves. Thanks to the NTA Global Fund I am able to see some of my dreams come true in our community and I can’t wait to share!

Even though there is a long road ahead, I will count myself successful if I can even just give one person hope for changing his or her own life for the better.

Sleep Hygiene

This post is a little heavy on the science, so if you’re into it check it out! I will write a summary easier to follow soon ❤️

Our circadian rhythm is generated by clocks that are innate in nature and move about even absent of environment cues, and our clocks influence many different biological processes including neuronal, endocrine, metabolic, and behavioral function. A region in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) plays a role in circadian rhythm generation, and recent research has shown that different organisms in the body have different clocks and have their own circadian rhythm, and are linked together in something called the circadian timing system. I found it so interesting that different organs have their own timing system that regulates different functions, like the hepatic clock regulating fasting glycemic control and glucose tolerance. The SCN has shown be influential in sleep wake cycles, which partially determine feeding and fasting behavior, which can synchronize to photic cues (Johnston et al., 2016). Grens (2013), tells us that evidence has shown that when people fall outside of our daily rhythm, people are more likely to suffer from diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. He also tells us that according to current research, it isn’t just a disrupted sleep pattern that can lead to all of these risks, but it is also the timing of food consumption that can lead to chronic disease. The SCN guides the circadian clocks that are found inside of many of our organs, and they are guided by different cues, some as we have seen are guided by light, but some are guided by food intake (Grens, 2013).

I found it so interesting that genetics also plays such a large role in how our individual genetics can play a large role in defining our circadian rhythm, and how we respond individually to different timed environmental cues like light and nutrient timing. For example, for carriers of a certain snp of CLOCK, showed that they had shorter sleep duration, higher plasma ghrelin concentrations, delayed breakfast time, evening preference for food, and less compliance with a Mediterranean diet pattern. This is such useful information for individuals who struggle with sticking to a certain diet, and have difficulty eating at certain times of the day that have shown to be better physiologically. When our circadian rhythm is misaligned, this can cause decreased glucose tolerance, decreased concentrations of satiety hormone leptin, and increased wake time blood pressure. All of these effects can cause increased weight gain and risks for many different metabolic and chronic disease. If people were more aware of the fact that nutrient timing had such a profound impact on their health, I think people would be more viable to change.

One study shows us that timed feeding is a beneficial approach to enhance weight loss and glycemic control in humans, and also diet induced thermogenesis was almost twice as large in the morning than in the evening when the same meal was consumed. This shows us that individuals would work well by understanding that it is important to refrain from late night eating, maintain a fast, and eat the majority of their food intake early in the day (Johnston et al., 2016). Grens, 2013, tells us that the genome is at different states throughout the day, and Johnston et al., (2016), showed us that we are able to burn more of our meal by thermogenesis earlier in the day than later. Today’s society has made it easy to access food at any time of the day, and also presents food at times when the genome says that is time to fast, so when we eat during these times it might lead to increased energy storage, which leads to weight gain and metabolic disorders. Our bodies have adapted to eat during day light hours, and maladapted to eat at night. By opposing these adaptations, we are setting ourselves up for disease, and inappropriate storage of food (Grens et al., 2013).

Two strategies to help combat this issue I think would be to incorporate intermittent fasting, and refrain from eating late at night. According to Zilberter & Zilberter, (2014), late or night time eating was linked to multiple eating bahavior pathologies that led to elevated blood levels of insulin and glucose which showed metabolic syndrome. When late night eating in one study was excluded, and there was a timed eating phase, the subjects ate 244 less kilocalories than the control group that didn’t have a controlled eating time.

Intermittent fasting involves periods of fasting and feeding. Certain days eating will be restricted severely, and some days eating will be as normal. Thom & Lean, (2017), tell us that since weight loss can lead to different unfavorable metabolic changes in the body that make it hard to keep the weight off, these unfavorable changes can be offset by intermittently fasting energy intake to meet weight loss requirements, rather than doing continuous ongoing energy restriction. Intermittent fasting can help with many different metabolic effects, such as promoting ketosis for its appetite suppressing effects and results in involuntary calorie reduction. With the exclusion of late night eating, and possibly skipping BF, weight loss will occur through involuntary calorie restriction (Zilberter & Zilberter, 2014).

Obtaining from eating late at night, will help decrease calorie intake in the individual, and will also help the body regulate proper storage during the times we have adapted to store energy. Intermittent fasting could also help the individual obtain the benefits of fasting, as well as receive involuntary calorie restriction leading to weight loss.

Research Cited

Grens, K. (2013). Out of Sync | The Scientist Magazine®. The Scientist. Retrieved 19 June 2017, from http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/37269/title/Out-of-Sync/

Johnston, J., Ordovas, J., Scheer, F., & Turek, F. (2016). Circadian Rhythms, Metabolism, and Chrononutrition in Rodents and Humans. Advances In Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 7(2), 399-406. http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/an.115.010777

Thom, G., & Lean, M. (2017). Is There an Optimal Diet for Weight Management and Metabolic Health?. Gastroenterology, 152(7), 1739-1751. http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.056

Zilberter, T., & Zilberter, E. Y. (2014). Breakfast: To Skip or Not to Skip? Frontiers in Public Health, 2, 59. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00059