The REAL Top 11 Biggest Lies of Mainstream Nutrition

Posted on February 25, 2013 Written by 30 Comments

lies!

Have you read the Top 11 Lies of Mainstream Nutrition?  When I saw the title, I hoped that I found a kindred spirit; someone writing about how real nutrition should include saturated fats, eggs, and cod liver oil.  I clicked over to verify what the author had “right” from a real food perspective.  I smiled at first, and then I found myself furrowing my brow and starting to smirk.

The author is obviously a big fan of the latest dietary craze, generally summed up as “meat-is-good-grains-are-bad”.  There are different takes on this approach to eating, from low carb, to paleo, to primal.  I do not have a problem with these dietary approaches per se, especially if you feel better in the long term while eating no grains and a lot of steaks.  But as nutritionally minded people, we are prone to getting stuck in the latest, most Perfect Diet of them All.  (But it doesn’t exist.) [Read more…]

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Is Stress Making You Fat?

Posted on July 11, 2012 Written by 18 Comments

Can Stress Make You Fat? | OUR NOURISHING ROOTS #metabolism #stress #sleep #yoga #meditation

If you think really hard, you might be able to remember back to the first time you heard this phrase in science class: “fight or flight”.  Fight or flight is a catchy way of describing the sympathetic nervous system in short hand, which is one part of the autonomic nervous system in the body.

The body’s autonomic nervous system has three parts: the parasympathetic, sympathetic and enteric systems.  I am going to focus on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in particular, with regard to how it manages stress and weight.

So why am I getting all Science Nerd on you?  Because understanding the basics of the SNS has changed the way I perceive food, stress, sleep, and well-being.  It’s possible that your health could turn on a dime with this simple understanding of your body, and making the choice to manage your stress differently. [Read more…]

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Winner of the Diet Recovery E-book

Posted on June 15, 2012 Written by 1 Comment

Ah, Diet Recovery, my favorite book I have read this year.  And regardless of how much time goes by, will be one of the most influential things I have read in my life.  Matt Stone gave me permission to relax, be happy, and let go of the perfectionistic orthorexic inside of me.

I did this giveaway so that more of you would become aware of the good news about food, dieting, and healing from bodily problems and issues.

If you didn’t win, please still grab a copy of Diet Recovery and give it a read.  It’s not just funny when Matt quotes Napoleon Dynamite and you giggle to yourself like a dork.  It’s also genuinely helpful for well-being and true healing.

So, without further ado, let’s announce the winner!

[Read more…]

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Guest Post at CHEESESLAVE: “How I Went Too Low Carb on the GAPS Diet”

Posted on March 8, 2012 Written by Leave a Comment

Hi everyone!  Just a quick note to say that I have a guest post up today called “How I Went Too Low Carb on the GAPS Diet“.  I don’t want you to miss it.  I think it’s so important to hear each others stories, especially with regard to health since our bodies are so different.  I am truly grateful that real food communities exist so we can have these conversations.

Plus, this guest post dovetails nicely with my post from earlier this week on how to get enough carbs while eating a GAPS diet.  I have heard from so many people who have gone too low carb on GAPS.  And it’s almost always accidental and without any cheating on the diet.  Bringing awareness to the accidental low carb GAPS tendency can really strengthen the GAPS diet itself.  Plus, GAPS is not meant to be low carb.  And it is temporary.

Thanks for being here and making a difference in our corner of the online world.  Enjoy the GAPS reading, and let me know what you think!

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8 Ways to Get Enough Carbs on GAPS

Posted on March 4, 2012 Written by 80 Comments

carbs on GAPS

GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome, and is a temporary healing protocol that heals your gut.  The point of healing your gut is to return to eating a variety of real foods without any negative symptoms, including carbs and grains.

I did the GAPS diet for a full 10 months and experienced a lot of cleansing and healing during that time.  At the end of the 10 months, I started to notice some negative symptoms associated with (what I now see) being too low carb.  I think it was simply by body’s way of saying: I’m done with GAPS, feed me more carbs!

But that makes me wonder.  What about people who are on the GAPS diet right now?  How do they make sure they don’t go too low carb?  Well, I have the answer.  You need to pay attention to your GAPS diet and make sure you’re getting enough of the right carbalicious GAPS foods. [Read more…]

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