How to Heal those Cracked Heels

Just because summer and sandal season is over, it doesn't mean you get to hide your heel problem away in Ugg boots and slippers for the rest of the year. Dry, cracked heels are telltale symptoms and signs that we need to listen to our body. Here are some bigger issues that could be the root cause:

Dehydrated much?

Cracked heels can be a clear sign of dehydration. Luckily, this is one of the most common and easiest problems to fix. My recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. (So if you’re 150lbs, that’s 75oz of water per day.) And if you’re drinking caffeine, juice, or alcohol, you can offset them with 1.5 times their volume in water. Last tip: stick to plain, filtered water and not alkaline or sparkling!

E.F.A = M.V.P.

Lack of Essential Fatty Acids can also lead to those cracked heels. Though the most buzz-worthy essential fatty acid is Omega 3, we need more than that. Our bodies need the full range of fatty acids to support optimal health. The two easiest ways to accomplish that? Eat enough fat in your daily diet (from grass-fed butter to macadamia nuts and beyond), and supplement with fish oil from cold water, sustainably sourced fish like cod, anchovy and mackerel.

Check out my favorite fish oil below:

Don't overlook the gallbladder

If you are drinking enough water, eating enough fats, and still struggling with heel problems, you may need gallbladder support. Though small, the gallbladder has the huge job of helping your body absorb fats. When it gets congested, it can lead to nausea, headaches, trouble detoxing, and yes, dry cracked heels. The best at-home remedies are Castor Oil packs and drinking some beet juice alongside your fish oil supplement.

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If you’re struggling with cracked heels, or want more info on any of the above, schedule a consultation

It's time to shake up your salt habits

A lot more goes into your humble salt than you could imagine (literally), and it can play a serious role in your overall health. Today, let’s dive into which salts to avoid, which salts to start buying, and how such a basic staple of our everyday diet can have a large effect on our bodies.

Salt and high blood pressure

Every doctor you’ve ever met has probably told you to limit salt in your diet to prevent high blood pressure. And for good reason! Water balance in our bodies is tricky and we need a wide variety of electrolytes to maintain it. When that delicate balance is disrupted, it can lead to high blood pressure.

Table salt provides just two electrolytes: sodium and chloride. If we think about your body’s water balance as a see-saw, these two electrolytes would be sitting on the same side (aka they’re not helpful for keeping things regulated). So listen to your doc and ditch the table salt!

Table the table salt

Beyond the fact that it can mess with your water balance (read: puffiness, bloating, and high blood pressure), the average table salt is gross. In the process of making table salt, it’s first iodized, which makes it brown in color. And because no one wants brown salt, it’s bleached. And since no one wants salt that smells like bleach, it’s deodorized. To top it all off, table salt makers add anti-caking agents so you can pour their product easier. That’s a lot of unnecessary stuff in your salt! If you want a healthier and more effective option, keep reading.

Stick to sea salt

Cutting the table salt doesn’t mean you’re destined to suffer a salt-free life! Sea salt and other unrefined mineral salts (Celtic sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, and Redmond’s real salt are my faves) have an ocean of benefits. Most importantly, they contain a wide variety of electrolytes beyond just the sodium and chloride in table salt. When adding more diversity of electrolytes into your diet, salt can actually become an important tool in regulating blood pressure - instead of being the cause of its imbalance.

• Click here for Celtic sea salt

• Click here for Redmond’s real salt

• Click below for Pink Salt

Still have more questions about salt, or struggling with high blood pressure?

Wait, Should I Be Gluten-free?

In 2022, there’s a “Gluten-Free” logo on almost every food label and a fresh gluten-free brand popping up every day. But should you believe the hype? Would you actually feel any different without gluten? If you're starting to feel like maybe you should be buying those sparkly new gluten-free products instead of your usual foods, here’s some information to help you out.

What even is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat. It is in all wheat products, but not in all grains. This means your average everyday bread, pasta, crackers, and baked goods all contain gluten. However, over the last few years, grocery store shelves have become more and more saturated with gluten-free alternatives, such as products made from corn, rice, and quinoa, as well as almond, chickpea, coconut, and potato flours.

Who MUST be gluten-free?

For some people, avoiding gluten is not a choice, it’s a necessity. Those diagnosed with Celiac disease have a unique and serious inflammatory response to gluten and should stay away. Anyone dealing with Hashimoto’s disease should also cut out gluten from their diets since there is a link between gluten and Thyroid antibodies.

Who could benefit from being gluten-free?

While not everyone needs it, cutting back on gluten consumption could have health benefits if you fall into any of the following categories: those who consistently become bloated or have digestive discomfort after gluten-heavy meals, those with chronic brain fog, joint pain, skin issues or inflammation, and those with auto-immune diseases other than Hashimoto’s.

If any of the above descriptions do sound like you, first try avoiding gluten by only eating classically gluten-free foods for 3 weeks. Instead of loading up on the fancy gluten-free versions of your favorite pastas and breads, simply stick to meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and gluten-free grains like rice, oats, quinoa and buckwheat.

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If you don't fit in any of the above categories, go ahead and enjoy your gluten…just make sure it’s organic!

If you MUST be gluten-free or find you feel better after your 3 week elimination, contact me so we can work to understand WHY gluten doesn't work for your body and create a sustainable (and delicious) gluten-free food plan.

Immune Support for Kids

School has been back for a little over a month now and flu season is just around the corner. COVID is still present, but we're hearing more about classic childhood illness like Hand Foot Mouth and Strep these days. Getting sick just feels inevitable. Even more so for families during in first 6 months of daycare or preschool.

You don't have to resign yourself - there ARE tools to help keep your kiddos safe and healthy during these seasons!

The battle in the body

The first thing to remember about getting sick is that the symptoms of illness, like fever, body aches, cough, runny nose, poor appetite, etc, are actually caused by our body, not the infection. Those symptoms are tools our immune system is using to fight off the infection. We want to aid our body in its battle, not block its efforts.

Immune system workouts

The second thing to keep in mind when dealing with flu season is that healthy kids still get sick. We want to gauge our child's health by how frequently they are sick and how quickly they fight off those illnesses. We should expect kids to get the seasonal flu for a few days each winter and to work through most childhood illnesses within the first year of regularly attending daycare/preschool/school. Think of these challenges to the immune system as workouts to build long term immune strength.

How to help

While it is normal for kids to get sick, we don't want them to have symptoms that last longer than a week, lingering symptoms after feeling "better," or to get sick more than once every couple of months. By providing their immune system with preventative support all season long, we can prepare the body with all the tools it needs to put up a quick and effective fight against whatever may come its way.

Order preventative immune support for your kids.

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If you are concerned about the frequency with which your child is ill or the length of time their symptoms linger, I would love to create an individualized (and child-friendly) protocol for them.

How to Overcome Food Allergies & Intolerances

If you suffer from negative reactions to food, you aren't alone.

You feel fine... as long you aren't eating trigger foods. But your limited diet is unsustainable. You may not be diagnosed with anything (other than from doctor google) but even if you were, the prescription is what you've already learned on your own: avoid the food. You feel stuck and you long for more freedom in your food choices.

I'm here to help!

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Food Allergies

Allergies are caused by the immune system. Acute allergic reactions to food are scary and can be life threatening: itchy rashes, swollen throat and potentially anaphylaxis. These are less common but readily diagnosed, usually in childhood. Other food allergies cause chronic inflammation. These allergic reactions are more covert: brain fog, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, water retention, eczema/psoriasis, body aches. The reaction is often delayed and peaks 2-3 days after eating the offending food. This makes it much harder to diagnose and identify the trigger food, but the good news is you don't have to live with it! An IGG food allergy panel will tell you what not to eat to relieve your symptoms, and by working on the gut lining, microbiome and liver, you can improve your reaction to those foods and eventually reintroduce them.

Food Intolerances

Intolerances are caused by the digestive system. After eating a trigger food you may feel bloated, have cramps, indigestion, and uncomfortable loose stools. Lactose intolerance and IBS are common diagnoses from these reactions. Since these are simply foods your body isn't digesting, digestive support can be a game changer. Stimulating the release of adequate stomach acid, boosting digestive enzymes, and reducing inflammation in the gut are all goals of a dietary and supplement protocol that could allow you to enjoy a less restrictive diet without suffering any discomfort.

It's not You, it's the American Food System

Have you ever enjoyed a trigger food symptom-free in another country? This means it isn't you, it's how the food was grown or processed. Here are some swaps to try while you are at home:

• If gluten or grains bother you, try organic grains that have been properly prepared, like Ezekiel bread and overnight soaked oatmeal.

• If dairy bothers you, try raw or cultured dairy.

• If beans and other legumes bother you, try soaking them or buying Eden brand canned beans.

• If a fruit or vegetable bothers you, try buying it organic.

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Schedule a consultation so you can get back to eating the foods you love without suffering the consequences of your allergies and intolerances!

Spotlight on Eggs!

Beloved as a first food for babies, glorified as an easy protein source for body builders, vilified for containing cholesterol. Where should we stand on eggs? When they come from pasture-raised chickens, eggs are a delicious and versatile addition to a healthy diet.

The Cholesterol Concern

Yes, eggs contain cholesterol. No, your dietary cholesterol won't give you a heart attack. The cholesterol story is a long one, and is more politics than science. In short, our body uses cholesterol for good in order to defend against damage done by oxidization and inflammation, ironically often caused by the two things that replaced real fat in our food supply: refined sugar and industrial oils like margarine and canola oil. Eggs aren't the problem, the cereal and white bread with vegetable oil spread that replaced them are.

Eggs Make Muscles...

Eggs are the highest quality protein source. They are easy to digest, they have a perfect ratio of amino acids (protein building blocks) and their protein is readily used in making our own protein. The hollywood image of an athlete guzzling raw eggs is actually spot on! Though most of us regular gym-goers don't need additional protein in our diet, if you are working towards building muscle, I'd recommend adding more eggs to your diet before considering protein shakes.

... And Babies ;)

It isn't just athletes that should enjoy eggs, because eggs contain more than just protein. The healthy fat in egg yolks is crucial to hormonal balance, so much so that I recommend TTC clients include 1-2 raw egg yolks in their daily smoothies. That same fat is just as important for the developing baby and child, so pregnant and nursing clients get a similar egg-heavy food plan and soft boiled egg yolk is one of the first foods I recommend for babies.

Would you like a personalized plan to optimize your muscle gains at the gym?

Are you TTC, pregnant, nursing or trying to figure out what to feed your little one?

Are you interested in a holistic plan to manage your cholesterol without giving up eggs?

You don't have to put up with PMS!

Do you struggle with PMS?

PMS, bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings. These have been normalized as an unfortunate but expected monthly part of a women's life. But it doesn't have to be that way! It is possible, and healthy, to have a symptom-free period.

Symptoms are Signs

Just because they're common, doesn't mean your symptoms are normal. Just because you've dealt with them your whole life doesn't mean you have to put up with them any longer. Symptoms are how your body communicates that something is out of balance. In the case of PMS, that imbalance is between estrogen and progesterone. Specifically, PMS is usually caused by too much estrogen and/or not enough progesterone in the luteal phase of your cycle.

Low Progesterone

If you're lacking progesterone, your cycles are likely less than 28 days. You may struggle with anxiety or depression around your period. A lack of progesterone is often due to stress. Stress can be emotional, environmental (toxicity, mold), or physical (injury, chronic pain, chronic infection). If this is you, take steps to manage those emotional stressors as best you can and connect with me about ways we can test for other stressors.

High Estrogen

If you have high estrogen, your cycle is likely longer than 30 days and your periods are heavy and painful. You may be irritable around your period. Elevated estrogen is often due to liver congestion. Start implementing castor oil packs - a simple home therapy for your liver. Do a couple in your follicular phase and as often as daily in your luteal phase. If you have chronic skin issues, a history of gallstones, or known exposure to toxins, schedule a consultation for more in-depth liver support.