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Are You Creating Your Own Eating Frenzy?

I was walking around in our pasture the other day and the wild apple trees are dropping their fruit, the blackberries are juicy and sweet.

Mother Nature has everything set up to create an eating frenzy.

For the critters that need to survive winter and live off of their reserves, this scenario is perfect.

Once that sweet fruit gets gobbled up, it drives up the amount of sugar in the blood.

High blood sugar triggers the release of insulin.

Insulin’s job is to shuttle sugar from the blood into the cells where it can be stored for energy later on.

High blood sugar = high insulin.

A side effect of high insulin is increased cravings.

 

Again, this is great for the deer, racoons and bunnies.

It means that their hunger and cravings will get ramped up so that they’ll feed and feed and build up essential reserves.

Aka, get fat.

Mother Nature is brilliant.

Now, change lanes.

Picture yourself standing in line at a convenience or grocery store. What are you seeing?

Likely, lots and lots of highly processed, sweet treats and transformed, starchy foods that have the same effect on your insulin levels and cravings.

 

If you feel like your body is betraying you because you just can’t lose the weight or because your cravings are running the show. I would like to propose a reframe:

Perhaps it’s because you’re building your plate to look like its fall time all year long?

Are you creating your own eating frenzy? It doesn’t have to be that way.

Kim

P.S. Share this with that person, that you care about, that just popped into your head 💜

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Client Highlight; Meet Daphné

Daphné reached out to me with energy issues and cravings.

Her sleep wasn’t great and she occasionally felt foggy and forgetful, especially if she was feeling hungry or skipped a meal.

Daphné is a beautiful and dedicated young teacher that loves her new career.

While discussing her goals, she made it clear that she didn’t want a restrictive program and didn’t want to feel deprived.

Upon reviewing her forms, she reported some digestive complaints as well some minor skin issues that were bothering her. She also experienced occasional tingling and numbness in her legs.

We started out by working on prioritizing sleep and integrating a few simple lifestyle things into her routine.

As a culture that puts a lot of value on doing, we tend to undervalue sleep. Sleep is where healing and regeneration occurs and it’s foundational to overall health.

We also looked at her stress picture which was exceptionally high considering the fact that she was juggling a full time teaching position as well as completing Master’s level studies .

The focus of our work was balancing insulin levels, supporting her gut and ensuring that she was giving her body nutrient-dense fuel.

All of that was wrapped up in a bit more mindfulness and self-love ❤️

Shining a light on her stress allowed Daphné to really see how much of an impact it had on digestion and energy levels.

This helped her create some boundaries in order to prioritize herself and her energy.

2 months in, she dropped 10 lbs.

The weight loss was not intentional but moving towards more stable insulin levels and higher quality foods allowed her body to naturally release extra weight and achieve those stable energy levels that she was looking for.

By supporting her gut with wholesome foods and probiotics, her brain fog lifted and her cravings went away.

Prioritizing healthy fats and crowding out inflammatory fats had a positive impact on her skin and the tingling and numbness in her legs.

Daphné is proactive, self-responsible and engaged in her own healing.

What’s more, she enjoys her new eating style and sees it as something that she’ll be able to maintain long-term.

 

Here are a few words from her:

”Before meeting Kim, I was experiencing unstable energy levels, cravings, bloating, brain fog and fatigue, to name a few.

I had been observing these symptoms forever, thinking this was normal.

These states of mind kept going on and on until I finally decided it was enough. One day I reached out to Kim, not knowing this would be a gift to my mind and body.

When Kim asked me to fill in lifestyle forms and questionnaires to draw a portrait of my health profile, the results were speaking.

My score was relatively high for one of them, which meant something was up.

Working with her allowed me to reconstruct my idea of food. This experience has not only taught me about food and its impact on the body, but it has also taught me what my body needs.

She gave me tools and handy advice that are useful daily.

About three months in, I feel like the symptoms bothering me have diminished or disappeared.

I no longer crave sugar and have stable energy throughout the day. I learned to listen to my body and to be aware of the messages sent from it.

Believe me, Kim can make your life much more enjoyable!”

Thank you Daphné, for sharing your inspiring story and congratulations on taking charge of your health.
oxo
Kim

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I Am Not A Luxury

The pandemic was an eye opener.

Looking back has really allowed me to see just how much of a hit I took, like so many small businesses.

I’m getting back up, but my business legs still feel wobbly and vulnerable. I’m guessing that a lot of that stems from fear.

Fear because my livelihood was jeopardized in what felt like an instant and because it brought up a big question:

Are my services considered a luxury?

Our culture, system, dialogue… whatever you want to call it, still doesn’t value or prioritize prevention and self-responsibility when it comes to health… YET!

What I mean by that is there is a disconnect between where our personal responsibility lies and what can just be chalked up to genetics, bad luck… stuff outside of our control. The solution always seem to be to take a pill.

If you’re still reading, you likely lean more towards taking personal responsibility for your health.

However, despite attracting very self-responsible clients, I’m still surprised at how many people DON’T believe that they have much control over their inflammation, weight, energy, digestion, sleep quality, how they deal with stress…

I don’t mean for this to be an accusation if you are struggling with any of the above health issues or take pills.

This is NOT about being self-righteous or dogmatic in the belief that everything is preventable or reversible. The picture is much more nuanced and complicated than that.

I’m saying that laying a solid foundation for optimal health starts with your nutrition. Your fuel.

Investing a little bit in yourself will pay off in a big way. Read what clients have to say here.

When I ask clients to reflect on what had the most impact, I almost always get the same answer:

”I thought I was eating pretty well…”

Health is wealth and your birthright.

It is not a luxury.

I get that looking into tweaking your diet can be scary AF. Everyone is at a different place, with different needs, time, skills, budget…

My job is to adjust to YOU, not the other way around.

To see if we’re a good fit, I offer a free 30 minute discovery call where we’ll discuss your needs and if it’s appropriate, come up with a game plan that works for you.

Email me or reach out via my website to book a no strings attached chat.

I look forward to connecting.

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High Test or Regular?

I have a friend that owns a beautiful luxury car and she always gasses up with the expensive, high-test fuel.

Sometimes when we go on long car trips, Hughie puts the high test stuff in our car, and we don’t drive a luxury car.

He tells me that it helps clean out the motor, avoid gunky buildup and prevent engine trouble.

What are you doing to prevent problems and gunky buildup?

Dude – your food is your fuel.

Your food gets broken down into the nutrients (the fuel) that your body machine needs to run optimally.

You wouldn’t pour muddy water into the gas tank of your car.

Fast food, packaged food and sugary manufactured foods are like muddy water for your body machine.

How can you expect your body to perform at its best (without fatigue, illness, depression, aches and pains…) when you’re dumping in transformed, refined or chemically-laden food?

Most people think they eat pretty well until they realize what’s slipping past their radar.

Your body machine has evolved alongside natural, seasonal, whole foods.

None of us have had the time to develop the enzymes or tools necessary to breakdown or eliminate the massive quantities of gunk-forming, life-sucking ingredients that we’re commonly dumping into our tanks.

If you don’t believe me, read a label sometime. If you can’t pronounce it – there’s a big chance your body doesn’t know what to do with it.

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Intuitive Eating

Diet mentality is pervasive and insidious.

Because of this, navigating the topic of weight loss is understandably fraught with all kinds of conflicting emotions and push-back.

Weight loss gets associated with dieting which is commonly associated with the toxic cycle of deprivation and then bingeing. This can then lead to low self confidence, b.s. stories about lack of will power, hateful self talk and negative body image.

Can I just say that there’s a big part of the story that’s missing in this conversation.

Processed foods.

These products are engineered to be hyper-palatable, addictive, toxic and they seriously mess with your hormones and internal signals.

Neglecting to acknowledge the damage that processed foods have on the system is causing the perfect storm or diet hell that so many people are finally pushing against.

You may have heard the term intuitive eating brandied about. Intuitive eating and tuning in is actually a big part of the work I do with clients.

But it never, ever happens before we’ve removed processed foods from the diet.

Someone eating a whole foods diet with a balanced metabolism can confidently tune in and listen to the signals that their body is giving them.

Attempting intuitive eating without first looking at the quality of the food going in to the body is going to result in serious weight gain, uncontrollable cravings and the inevitable vicious loop of hateful self-talk and body shaming.

Intuitive eating is NOT for someone that is still eating a processed food diet.

I never thought that I would call myself a weight loss coach. When I started off on this journey it was with the noble intention of preventing disease before it took root.

It turns out that prevention isn’t very sexy.

I can count on one hand the amount of people that have reached out with their eye on prevention over the last 8 years.

What people are looking for is a sustainable and healthy way to manage their weight and reduce their inflammation.

Weight loss brings people to the conversation.

Once the door has been opened and they begin to (truly) nourish their bodies; folks invariable notice how great they feel.

Basically we’re just sneaking prevention in through the back door… I’m cool with that.

The moral of this story is that a body that is nourished with whole foods without the messed up messages that come from chemicals, preservatives and sugar will be able to trust internal signals of hunger and satiety. But getting to that place of balance will require a little work.

 

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Client Highlight: Meet Taylor

Meet Taylor.

Taylor is a beautiful, smart, and athletic university student that came to me as a last resort to help deal with pain from a condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).

AS is a form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine, lower back and sacroiliac joints.

At 23 years old, Taylor had already tried a wide variety of medications ranging from over the counter meds (Robaxacet) to NSAIDs to codeine and opiod analgesics.

Although the various meds helped somewhat, they all came with a laundry list of side-effects and most lost effectiveness over time requiring higher and higher doses.

The other concern with these meds is that, although they help relieve symptoms in the short term, they do nothing to address the root-cause of inflammation.

We decided to go with a personalized Metabolic Balance nutrition plan.

Metabolic Balance was designed by its founder the late Dr Wolf Funfac, to help combat inflammation in his patients.

2 weeks in, her pain was not gone but it was better. She only needed to take her opiod analgesic twice since starting her new diet and lifestyle journey.

6 weeks in, with the consent of her pharmacist, she was able to discontinue her primary prescribed pain med: Diclofenac.

Over the following weeks she noticed that her recovery time was much shorter after playing basketball (one or two days instead of one week).

She was able to ski for a full 7 hours whereas before she wouldn’t have lasted more than 3 or 4 hours before her pain would force her to stop.

Ten weeks in she started running.

4 months in, Taylor reported that her new diet and lifestyle changes were making a bigger difference than the meds ever did in her case. She also noted that most days, the pain wasn’t even on her radar.

So what moved the needle on Taylor’s inflammation?

👉Was it cutting out chemical additives (artificial flavourings, colourings, preservatives) that are so abundant in fast and processed foods?

👉Was it by ensuring that she gave her body a wider range of nutrients through wholesome natural foods (the body needs a lot of nutrients to heal) ?

👉Was it because we worked hard at improving her digestion so that she could actually absorb all of those beautiful nutrients?

👉Was it by being mindful of her ‘body terrain’ by keeping acidity low?

👉Was it by stabilizing blood sugar levels? There is a proven link between insulin resistance and inflammation.

👉Was it by cutting out all inflammatory (processed) fats and adding in anti-inflammatory fats?

👉Was it by being mindful of stress and sleep quality?

I don’t think it’s fair to single out any one thing as responsible for the shift that Taylor experienced.

As with most things, it’s usually the combination of all of the changes that adds up to noticeable results.

It’s about giving the body the right elements and then getting out of the way.

The more I learn, the more amazed I am by the body’s ability to attain balance and heal.

What I know for sure is that the power of food and lifestyle changes are REAL, Taylor is another great example.

I want to acknowledge Taylor’s determination and trust in the process.

She took full responsibility for her healing by making the required changes and she’s reaping the results.

 

Here’s what Taylor has to say:

”Before beginning my journey with Kim, I was experiencing constant pain in my lower back, hips, and my right hand/wrist.
The pain was from inflammation, and I was told it was all correlated to my ankylosing spondylitis.

I had tried meloxicam, and diclofenac which each came with their own interesting side effects but did not reduce the pain like I hoped. My next step was to try biologic drugs which would have suppressed my immune system more and most likely caused bigger health issues.

I was not for this. I was getting sick often enough and I didn’t have a good feeling about suppressing my immune system more than it already was in my early 20’s.

I then started hearing stories about young people on these drugs, and finally COVID-19 hit. These were all signs that I needed to find something else. This led me to messaging Kim.

My experience with this holistic nutritional approach was an interesting one! It started out tough and eye-opening.

I was a big snacker, and I loved my junk food. I was always eating. When I got my blood results back and saw that my inflammation levels were over 5x the norm, I knew this was the right idea.

The first few days were the worst in all aspects, cooking was hard, it was hard mentally to not snack at any time and was hard physically because my body was just not use to this eating style.

But after a few days I wasn’t feeling the pain that I was use to. My back wasn’t as sore, the pain in my hand had faded and I was able to write and draw for more than 5 minutes at a time, I was shocked!

After several weeks I was really seeing a difference, I was able to add good quality dairy, gluten and red meat back in after many weeks without and not suffer from inflammatory symptoms, moderation is key of course!

Having a busy schedule helped me stay focused on what I was eating. I would meal prep for the week and all I had to do was warm it up or take it out of the fridge. I realized that the reason I was eating so much junk was because I wasn’t taking the time, or simply didn’t feel like cooking.

It is important to note that I am no chef, up until 2 years ago I didn’t even know how to cook a chicken breast! I am now making meals that are appetizing, filling, and so tasty.

This journey has not only taught me so much about food and what to look for in my food, it has taught me what is best for my body!

Working with Kim has been so delightful. She is very understanding of my needs and understands that life gets in the way sometimes and we fall off track!

She thought ahead and has even created a game plan for when/if that happens to get me back on track more easily.

She has helped me find what works best for my body, and is continuously giving recommendations to try and giving recipes that are easily altered to my plan and my preferred taste.

She has allowed me to discover new foods that are not only high quality but many which I prefer over what I used to eat!”

CONGRATULATIONS TAYLOR!

Thank you choosing me to be a part of your health journey and for sharing your inspiring story.

Reach out if you’re ready to tackle your inflammation naturally.

 

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Do You Struggle With Heartburn, Bloating Or Gas?

Making the connections between what you’re eating and how you feel is crucial for long term sustainability.

Most of us have never been taught to do this.

Diets will never be the answer. Making the connection between how you feel and what you’re eating is the key to staying motivated and integrating a healthier diet that will stick.

We’re a bit of a band-aid society.

By that I mean, we’re accustomed to squashing or covering up symptoms.

Rarely do we go further upstream and get curious as to why the symptom is showing up in the first place.

A good example are antacids.

Many people have this hate relationship going on with their stomach acid. Stomach acid isn’t the bad guy, it’s actually super essential. More on this some other time…

Antacid use is a perfect example of squashing a symptom, and they can be very bad for you if you’re using them on a regular basis.

If you’ve ever struggled with reflux, bloating or gas, I encourage you to investigate a couple of things before you reach for the Tums or the Gaviscon:

 

Are you stressed?

The hormones of stress turn off digestion. These hormones are designed to set you up to fight or to run for your life. Digesting your lunch isn’t a priority when you’re being chased by a bear.
You may not be encountering that many bears or tigers over the course of your week, but your body can’t differentiate between our (many, many) modern stressors and being chased by a large, toothy predator.

If you’re rushing, you’re likely not chewing.

It’s estimated that most people chew on average 7 times per bite.

That’s not enough.

When eating meat or raw vegetables, you should aim for 25-35 chews per bite. Chewing is one of the best things you can do for digestion. Test it out for yourself.

Did you overeat?

Our bodies secrete stomach acid and digestive juices to help breakdown our food. We have the capacity to secrete limited amounts of this juice.
Overeating overloads the capacity of those precious digestive juices to do a good job. Aim to stop eating when you’re about 80% full.

Are you carrying a few extra pounds?
For many people, bloating and reflux are the red flags that they’ve reached their critical weight. Bloating often precedes weight gain.

Are you getting your probies?
I train clients to get into the habit of incorporating a little bit of fermented (or probiotic) food every day (or with each meal if they’re weak digesters).

Every traditional culture has its own type of fermented food and there’s a reason why they’re making such a comeback.
These fermented foods go a long way to support the gut and digestion. If you find yourself reaching for antacids, you may want to experiment with these superfoods. A little goes a long way.

What did you eat?
Our bodies don’t do well with highly processed or chemicalized foods. Next time you feel reflux or heartburn or bloating, check out the ingredients.
Are there unpronounceables in the list?
Keep in mind that one artificial flavoring can contain up to 30 different chemicals that were not part of our diet as recently as 40 or 50 years ago.

If you can’t pronounce it, there’s a good chance that your body doesn’t know what to do with it.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we still struggle.

I’ve been trying to make legumes my friend for over 10 years now. Eating them would invariably cause painful bloating and gas despite doing all of the things I just listed.

I recently discovered this ginger drink that allows me to enjoy legumes symptom-free.

Ginger shot recipe:

-2 tbsp of roughly chopped or grated ginger
-1 tbsp of lemon juice
-1 pinch of sea salt
-1 cup of water.

Blend this together, store in a sealed jar for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Try taking 1 ounce of this magic juice before a meal and notice your symptoms.

The flavor will take some getting used to. My taste buds took about 3 or 4 days to adjust to the sharp taste of the ginger.

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes?

Reach out if you’re ready to move away from the diet mindset and move towards sustainable, healthy eating

Share this with a gassy friend.

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Client Highlight; Meet Stephanie

Meet Stephanie;

Stephanie is a very busy, very active mom of two amazing teens that works full time, travels a lot and manages her farm.

Stephanie came to me for weight loss and thyroid problems. She also presented with cravings, migraines, some bowel issues as well as recurring urinary tract infections.

Stephanie loves good food and is very in touch with her body.

She describes herself as a very driven, determined ‘all-in’ kind of person.

She demonstrated this superpower when it came to recommitting and staying aligned with her goals. More on that below 😉

Stephanie decided to follow Metabolic Balance in order to help her reach her health goals.

She started her plan 2 weeks before Christmas.

–2 weeks later, she was down 8 lbs. Although she experienced some energy lulls during the first 2 weeks, her headaches went away and she stayed the course.

–6 weeks into her plan she was down 19 lbs. Her energy was coming back up and her bowels were regular.

Some small surrounding issues that Stephanie struggled with like finger numbness and her inability to digest certain foods like peppers, also cleared up.
Both are an indication that she was moving overall health in the right direction.

-5 months in, she reached her 40 lb. weight loss goal. Her cravings and migraines are gone and the frequency of her UTIs is significantly diminished.

CONGRATULATIONS Stephanie!

‘Where the mind goes, man follows’ is a saying that comes to mind as I’m writing about Stephanie.

Right from the get-go, Stephanie had NO DOUBT in her mind that she would achieve this for herself. Her self-talk was positive and aligned with her goals. A huge contributor to her success.

It’s always worth checking in with your self-talk and unconscious beliefs before undertaking any kind of major change.

Unconscious beliefs such as; ’’I’ve never been able…’’, ‘’I always fail…’’, I have no willpower‘’ end up creating self-fulfilling prophecies.

If those false beliefs aren’t noticed and addressed, you WILL prove yourself right and perpetuate your cycle.

It’s pretty surprising to see what the subconscious can come up with in order to reinforce those old stories if you aren’t aware that they’re playing on repeat in the background of your mind.

Most of us would never dream of letting our loved ones down once we make a promise. Yet, for many of us, promises to ourselves are not held in such high regard.

I never heard any excuses from Stephanie… she took full responsibility for herself and the outcome of her journey. She had a success mindset well installed before she even started.

Stephanie’s success underlines the importance of noticing your self-talk and your stories as well as refocusing and recommitting to your goals, sometimes on a daily basis.

Having a clear plan is also crucial to staying on course.

Here are some guidelines that helped Stephanie reach her goal:

  • She was always very precise with her quantities. She knew that she wouldn’t be doing this forever and chose the fastest, safest route. ‘Eyeballing’ or ‘guesstimating’ food portions is a maintenance thing!
  • She weighed-in daily and didn’t allow herself to go backwards. If she did regain a pound or two, she quickly adjusted her treat meals or assessed the other things that she had control over (water intake, bowels, exercise, starch and bread).
  • When eating out, she always asked for a to-go box right at the beginning, and put part of her meal aside . This allowed her the satisfaction of finishing her plate without the temptation of just one more bite.
  • She discovered that her body allowed her more leeway with deviating from her plan if she did her deviating at lunch.
  • She broke her goals down into 10 lb. increments which was less daunting than looking at the entire picture.

I sincerely thank Stephanie for allowing me to share her journey.

I’m always inspired by my clients. I hope this inspires you that change is ALWAYS possible with the right perspective.

Here are a few words form Stephanie:

Q. What surprised you the most?

A. After 5 years of struggling with a thyroid problem, changing my nutrition regulated all of the struggles.

 

Q. What is the big takeaway from all of this?

A. I learned to listen to my body and understand the powerful messages that your body can send you as well as the the connections with food.

 

Q. Share a few words about your experience working with Kim?

A. Kim is very understanding, knowledgeable and patient. She made it very easy to understand and follow the program.

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Client Highlight: Meet Kiana

The young gal you’re about to meet is pretty special to me.

She’s my kid!

When Kiana asked me about doing a Metabolic Balance plan to help shed a few extra pounds, I had my reservations.

Working with people you’re close to in a consulting role is hard.

I also come across so many people that have a pretty cruel self-image and a toxic relationship with their bodies and food. This was a cycle that I DID NOT want for my kid.

Folks that find it hard to love and accept themselves from the get-go (with their imperfections and their love handles) always seem to struggle and falter more. It’s as if resisting what is only gets them more stuck.

Clients that approach weight loss from a place of self-acceptance and self-love are always more successful.

After many, many discussions, she convinced me that she loved her body and her beautiful curves and that she was doing this to feel better and to prevent problems down the road.

She wasn’t looking for a quick fix or to fit into some type of social norm. She was looking for tools for the long haul.

Magic words for mom.

 

I generated Kiana’s plan and she was all set to go in January.

Along with a few extra pounds, she presented with digestive issues, brain fog and increasing fatigue.

2 weeks in, she was down 6 lbs.  Her digestion improved a lot. She did struggle with some headaches during the first 2 days which quickly cleared up.

Kiana is in the final semester of a Bachelor’s degree in political science. So she’s pretty familiar with how her mind works and her studying patterns.

She also struggles with a mild case of social anxiety.

Anxiety and depression are so prevalent in society today. I think Kiana’s story offers a glimmer of hope.

Something significant that she noticed after starting this work was that she was turning on her camera during zoom classes and found herself participating and interacting more. She also noticed that she was able to focus on her work longer. (Read what Kiana has to say below)

This is a perfect example of the gut-brain connection. When we work at streamlining digestion, cleaning up the diet, replenishing beneficial bacteria and soothing the gut, shifts do happen.

Check out this link on the gut microbiome’s effect on mental health.

One month in, she was down 10 lbs.  In her words, things were getting ‘mundane’ but she stuck with it.  Her energy was good, she was walking daily and noticing that she was able able to recover from anxiety-causing situations quicker.

3 months in and she reached her weight loss goal of 20 lbs. YAY!!

She’s officially in maintenance phase for the next 6 months.

Maintenance will require vigilance and applying all of her new tools. 

Her body will be extremely reactive during this phase. Losing 20 lbs. in a short period of time is actually like knocking the body out of equilibrium. It’ll be natural for her body to want to return to it’s ‘normal’ weight for a certain period of time.

Going back to old ways and habits is out of the question otherwise she will gain back quickly… And if that happens, she’ll have to pay me a gazillion dollars – That’s our deal.

Maintenance is about integrating the new tools and habits while testing and playing and continuing to tune-in.

I know she will be fine 😉

Here are a few words from Kiki:

Q. What was your experience like doing a Metabolic Balance plan?

A. It was not too hard to take the leap because I had already heard a lot about MB, but the first few days were still somewhat of a learning curve.

It didn’t take long before I got the hang of things like weighing the food and cooking with no oils. I actually found myself enjoying the routine and structure that come along with doing the plan, so phase 2 was quite enjoyable for me.

I wanted to do MB because I was experiencing low levels of concentration, brain fog and sugar cravings and I wanted to lose the few pounds that I had gradually gained over the years.

I didn’t lose too much in the first two weeks, but my brain fog disappeared, and my energy levels were crazy. I found myself wanting to exercise and do yoga, things I had previously seen as a chore. This was the best part for me.

Unexpectedly, I began noticing that my struggle with social anxiety was fading. Things that used to be hard, like contributing to class discussions, became a task I (almost) enjoyed.

My grades and relationships with professors and classmates were being positively affected, which increased my confidence and my mood. I was studying for 8 hours a day with no issues and my sugar cravings disappeared right after the initial cleansing phase.

I got to discover foods that I was not used to eating and found myself enjoying them as well. Although I did miss my ramen, I knew I would be able to indulge in the future. The benefits outweighed the occasional craving.

After 3 months, I lost 20 pounds and MB has become ingrained in my routine. I don’t think I would ever go back to eating the way I did before.

I’m confident in my body but also in my brain: It has never performed so well, and my grades and relationships have never been better.

In a few months I will be moving to another country, this will be my greatest challenge yet: To keep up the habits I’ve picked up with MB despite the drastic change to my daily life.  But I’m confident I’ll be able to maintain what I’ve achieved so far.

Kiana

Congratulations Kiana and thank you for sharing some pretty personal stuff.

I hope Kiana’s story inspires you to be mindful of your gut health.

Needless to say, I’m a pretty proud mama ❤

Get more information on the program Kiana worked with HERE

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What Self Care Looks Like For Me

The pandemic was hard on my business like so many others.

Apparently people aren’t into overhauling their diet when they’re just treading water.

The good news is that business has picked up.

With a busier schedule, I’ve found myself having to practice what I preach.

As many of my clients know, a holistic approach involves looking at the whole person, and I’m constantly preaching self-care and stress management.

What I recently noticed was, I stopped taking the time to batch cook and my freezer started looking bare.

The result: more takeout, frozen pizza, store bought dumplings and quick pasta meals…

The result of that: A few (8) extra pounds, a little more sluggishness, a little more brain fog, sore stiff joints which lead to less activity, less motivation, more scrolling, more Netflix.

See the pattern?

Let’s be clear; I have nothing against takeout once in awhile and I never want to divorce pasta but it’s about the balance.

Correcting that involved a couple of tough decisions, some prioritizing and a little more discipline with the scrolling and the screen time.

I’m working at building up my meal reserves again because I know that:

Cooking my own food is a giant part of self-care and it does pay off in the long run.

I’ve gone back to making one batch cooking recipe per week. It usually goes like this:

-Monday after work, I grocery shop and gather up my ingredients. I also take an inventory of containers and labels and make sure I have everything I need . I may do a little prepping such as taking stuff out to defrost, washing the greens, soaking beans, chopping some of the veggies.

-Tuesday is usually my big recipe day and I try to book myself off around 4:00 or so and go straight to the kitchen.
It’s much less overwhelming because I’ve already been to the store and everything has been laid out the day before.

I even plan a light lunch on my cooking day because I know that if I have a little edge, I’m more motivated to taste, season carefully and really work at making my masterpiece delicious.

Golden Rule: It doesn’t go into the freezer unless it’s absolutely delicious. Working at seasoning carefully and making your food delicious is ESSENTIAL.

Committing to doing this on a weekly or bi-weekly basis ensures that I always have some healthy delicious go-tos when things get busy.

Some weeks it’s as simple as making a giant batch of homemade salad dressing, getting some sprouts sprouting or starting a batch of ferments…

What I know for sure; cooking my own food is foundational and key to staying the course and being at my best.

My gift to you:

This pea soup recipe is a regular part of my rotation. This recipe makes a large batch so you’ll have enough to freeze for busy days.

I sometimes struggle with getting enough legumes into my diet. This recipe is one of my solutions to that problem.

Legumes are super-foods providing beautiful fiber, prebiotics and protein. Eating legumes has been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels for the meal when they’re consumed and well into the next meal.

This is called therapeutic for folks with blood sugar issues.

This recipe includes some bacon. For folks that are in the early stages of their Metabolic Balance program and don’t want to mix proteins, or if you prefer going full-on plant-based, the bacon can be replaced by a few drops of liquid smoke.

For folks that worry that bacon has no part in a healthy diet. I say, first of all, source your bacon carefully (naturally raised without antibiotics and without preservatives). Secondly, rest assured that some saturated fats are beneficial when part of a balanced, nutrient-dense diet.

Top this soup with a generous helping of raw sauerkraut and you’ve got all your bases covered. A perfect quick, delicious lunch.

Reach out if you’d like to build on your self-care routine.

Cheers to making healthy delicious.

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