Flip or Flop's Christina Anstead Opens up About the Diet and Stress Management Tools That Helped Her Get Her Energy Back
Christina Anstead is a mother of three. She’s also a busy television personality who juggles her HGTV showsFlip Or Flop and her spinoff show, Christina on the Coast. But several years back, she barely had the energy to make it to work, let alone dazzle on screen.
As Anstead struggled through the postpartum months after the birth of her son Brayden in 2016, she was also going through a public divorce from her television co-star husband, Tarek El Moussa. The physical and emotional exhaustion led to a crash, and Anstead found herself facing a health crisis.
After several inconclusive doctor's visits, Anstead finally turned to a naturopath—a doctor who blends natural remedies with modern science—who diagnosed her with two autoimmune disorders and put her on supplements to manage them.She also teamed up with her nutritionist/friend, Cara Clarke, and made a few dietary changes, such as removing gluten from her regime. She also sought out some much needed stress-recovery techniques like yoga and meditation, and learned the importance of tuning into her own body.
Four years later, Anstead is feeling great. She has since gotten remarried (to Ant Anstead in 2017) and gave birth to their son Hudson in 2019. Her fans began to take notice of her boundless energy and started asking what her secrets were, so she decided to team up with Clarke and put some of the practices that she follows into writing. The duo co-authored The Wellness Remodel: A Guide to Rebooting How You Eat, Move, and Feel, which came out on April 14th. Their book provides concrete, doable tips for busy women looking to take care of their physical, mental, and spiritual health, with an emphasis on nutrition.
Parade talked with Anstead, who walked us through her journey to recovery, the wellness routines that she incorporates into her everyday life to keep her feeling her best and more.
From burnout to recovery
"I had a lot of things happening at once. I was still postpartum with Brayden, and going through a divorce when he was only 9 months old. I later learned that I have some autoimmune conditions, too—PCOS and Hashimoto's Disease.
Because of these conditions, when I have babies, my whole system just gets really off. My body goes into fight or flight, basically. So on top of going through a divorce, I was also dealing with these unexplained symptoms. I had horrible stomach pains, no matter what I ate. I was so sluggish and dealing with terrible brain fog.
One day, it got so bad that I went to the ER and the doctor asked me about stress. He basically said, 'Well, you need to see your primary care doctor about going on anti-anxiety medication or an antidepressant.' I knew that wasn't what was going on, so I turned to a naturopath doctor. She did a huge panel of bloodwork and talked with me for over an hour. That's when we discovered that I had autoimmune issues that had started to flare up."
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Learning to listen to her body
"One of the biggest lessons I've learned through this journey has been to listen to my body. My workouts, for instance, change depending on how I'm feeling. If I'm feeling sluggish, then I'll go for a walk. If I have a ton of energy, I'll go run up stairs. If I feel like I need to slow down, I'll do yoga or a sound bath. I totally change up what I'm doing depending on how I feel."
Two years ago, I was going through a really stressful period again—I was moving houses and couldn't find a rental. And I started getting eczema on my legs. I went back to my naturopath doctor and we discovered that I have an intolerance for gluten now, so I cut that out. Things are constantly evolving for me, and I think that's kind of how it is for everyone."
Related: Restorative Yoga Poses for Back Pain
Following a clean diet and managing stress
"I don't eat fast food, I don't eat fried food, and I eat tons of fruits and vegetables. I eat healthy salads and nut butters. I don’t eat anything processed. In terms of what I eat in a day, for breakfast, I love overnight oats, and I'm also a huge smoothie person. I like an easy, go-to dinner—chili is one of my favorite recipes, especially because it makes for great leftovers.
In terms of stress management, I now do a private yin yoga session once a week in my house. Yin yoga is extremely restorative, so that's really helped. I started meditating, too—I started with the Headspace app. I would do that for 10 minutes at night until I learned how to do it on my own."
Managing PCOS and Hashimoto's
"My struggle to conceive tipped me off to the fact that I might have PCOS. Once you know you have PCOS, there are things you can do. I do acupuncture for PCOS, and that really helps. Another issue with PCOS is that it affects your blood sugar level, so I take a medication for that daily. I haven't noticed any blood sugar issues yet, but again, I'm taking preventative measures.
The biggest issue with Hashimoto’s is that your thyroid levels are constantly changing. I can actually feel when my levels are off because I'm more tired and crabby. So for that, I just make sure that I'm constantly getting my bloodwork rechecked and eating the right foods. If I go to dinner with Ant and I eat badly, I feel horrible the next day."
Related: What's the Best Diet for PCOS?
Saying “no" and taking time off
"Learning to say 'no' is another thing I’ve really had to learn how to do. I have a lot going on, so I have to make sure I prioritize what's important. I have three kids, and they all need a lot from me in different ways. By saying no to toxic people, I've seen significantly lower stress in my life. My friend group is very small and tight, and we're all very close. And that has definitely has helped me so much along the way."
How to recognize if something is off
"If you’re feeling off, it’s important to get checked out and learn how to slow down. Symptoms of autoimmune conditions vary, but for most people, it's brain fog, forgetfulness, headaches, body aches, fatigue, and stomach issues. Above all, if your instinct is telling you that something is off, that's when it's probably time to try to figure it out—especially when it lasts more than five days or so. I hope our book will offer some strategies to help you reset a bit!"
Next, up, how an elimination dietcan help you uncover hidden food intolerances.
