Archives for April 2015

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Banana Bread Cookies (Coconut-Free)

My Journey with Chronic Lyme Disease on LEAF

Paleo Strawberry-Pom Fruit Gummies (Autoimmune-Friendly)

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Sweet Avocado Cream

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Skirt Steak Pinwheels (Low-FODMAP)

Eating Primal in Step With The Spring and Summer Seasons

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies (Tigernut Flour)

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Lemon Cream Frosting

Daily Dose of Encouragement: Another Step

Paleo Parents Guest Post: AIP-Friendly Spiced Grapefruit Confit

Guest Post: Paleo “Summer is Coming” Strawberry Mocktail (AIP)

A Roundup of Five Autoimmune Paleo Easter Roundups

Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Sticky Moroccan Wings (Fruit Sweetened)

Daily Dose of Encouragement: Worn

AIP/Paleo No-Bake Carrot Cake Protein Bites (Cricket Flour)

I talk alot on here about the power of an animal-b

I talk alot on here about the power of an animal-based diet to heal the body and optimize health.

💫 So what happens when a healing diet like animal-based doesn’t actually bring you healing?
It’s discouraging to say the least. Believe me, I’ve been there! I’ve been there when...

• Fruit and honey are your foe
• Bone broth & collagen make you hot and itchy
• Eggs make your joints hurt
• Meat & organs give you an allergic reaction

...and the list goes on 😩

When we find ourselves in this place where healing foods are not, in fact, healing, it’s time to take a step back and assess why. Most of the time this will lead us to our guts. Why is the gut damaged? And how can we address it?

💫 This looks different for everyone, and I highly recommend finding a team of practitioners to help you crack the code.

In the meantime, don’t give up hope! Improvise your healing diet to optimize your health here & now and the rest will work out in time 💞

One thing I love about following an animal-based w

One thing I love about following an animal-based way of eating is how SIMPLE meals can be. Below are a few hacks I’ve learned along the way 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

1️⃣ Salt your meat: and when I say salt, I mean generously! Whether you’re cooking steak or chicken, use coarse grain sea salt and cover that baby up. I learned this one from my husband and it’s key to flavoring and tenderizing meat from the outside in.
2️⃣ Let it rest: once you cover your meat of choice in salt, let it rest at room temperature. For chicken, this can be anywhere from 1-3 hours, and cuts of red meat 3-6.
3️⃣Rinse & pat dry: sounds weird but trust me. If you let your meat salt & rest long enough rinsing your meat won’t get rid of flavor. Rinse it lightly in cold water to brush off the excess salt then pat it completely dry to avoid steaming your meat when cooked.

💫That’s it for now, be sure to stay tuned for more tips & tricks 😉

#animalbased #carnivore #paleo #primal #chef #cooking #glutenfree #meat #beyondthebite

🚨It’s easy to get wrapped up in modern diet c

🚨It’s easy to get wrapped up in modern diet culture thinking that smacks a label on everything and calls it a day.

💫 But let’s not forget that an animal-based “diet” is so much more than a list of do’s and don’ts!

👉🏻 Animal-based really = ancestral living.

👉🏻 It’s not just about prioritizing meat, organs, and least toxic plant foods...it’s about getting back to our roots.

👉🏻 It’s about learning how to optimize our health not just through the food on our plate but also sleep, movement patterns, time spent outdoors, and the list goes on.

🚨Don’t let the name of this way of eating get you bogged down - it’s meant to do the opposite.

👉🏻 It’s meant to bring you health freedom. Knowledge is power, and an animal-based lifestyle is constantly evolving and building off new and previous knowledge of science & the human body.

💫 When we think of it this way, an animal based “diet” becomes less overwhelming and more freeing than anything 💞

#animalbased #carnivore #ancestral #health #diet #lifestyle #primal #chroniclyme #lymedisease #nutrition #beyondthebite

💫 Paleo baking without nut flour does not have

💫 Paleo baking without nut flour does not have to be hard!

These banana collagen bars with coconut flour are perfectly sweetened and not too heavy on the eggs or coconut flavor 🙌🏻

Be sure to get the recipe on Beyond the Bite! 🍌🍌🍌

#paleo #animalbased #coconutflour #glutenfree #grainfree #nutfree #recipe #collagen #beyondthebite

Switching to an animal-based diet can seem like a

Switching to an animal-based diet can seem like a lot, especially with kids. But I’m here to tell you it is possible! Here are a few tips I’ve learned from my families journey 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻

1️⃣ Make animal protein the foundation of your meals 🐄
Grass-fed hot dogs, eggs, ground beef, chicken drumsticks, etc...Having these items stocked in your freezer or fridge is essential.

2️⃣ Progress > Perfection
Do my kids eat a strict animal-based diet all the time? No. My toddler loves pistachios & grey-area foods like rice and tubers will still show up occasionally at the dinner table.

3️⃣ Keep learning 📚
If you don’t know the WHY behind an animal-based diet, it’ll be hard to stick with it. Knowing why we should limit or avoid certain foods & how they can potentially effect our bodies is key to making any “diet” a true lifestyle. Learning the “why” will help us make informed decisions about what we put into our mouths & help us teach our kids how to do the same.

#animalbased #carnivore #primal #ancestral #carnivorish #glutenfree #grainfree #plantfoods #health #protein #carnivorekids #beyondthebite

Can you spot the white lie? 🚨Spoiler alert🚨

Can you spot the white lie?

🚨Spoiler alert🚨
See option B 😉

💫While a strict carnivore diet may be low in carbohydrates due to being made up of primarily meat and organs, an animal-based (aka carnivore-ish) diet does not have to be this way!

Many low-toxic plant foods (i.e fruit) are encouraged in a well balanced approach to the animal-based diet. Ultimately, this will come down to individual tolerance, which tends to be deeply connected deeply to one’s gut health.

As someone still healing from the effects of chronic Lyme and co-infections, I tend to do best with moderate amounts of berries, avocado, squash, cucumber, and some olives.

#carnivore #primal #paleo #animalbased #guthealth #keto #lowcarb #diet #chroniclyme #chronicillness #health #beyondthebite #plantbased #carbs #fruit #lowtoxicplantfoods

I talk a lot on here about the benefits of eating

I talk a lot on here about the benefits of eating to heal your body, but let’s not forget this is only one tool in the toolbox to finding health and healing!

👉🏻 Sleep
👉🏻 Movement
👉🏻 Supplements
👉🏻 Health practitioners
👉🏻 Medical treatments
👉🏻 Mental health

...and many others, all have their place. So, if eating a certain way isn’t solving all your issues, just remember it might be time to dig a little deeper and find the underlying cause 🧐

#chroniclyme #chronicillness #paleo #primal #aip #animalbased #carnivore #keto #diet #health #beyondthebite

An animal-based diet doesn’t have to feel restri

An animal-based diet doesn’t have to feel restrictive or boring...Here are 3 tips to get out of a rut and stay motivated 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻

1️⃣ Snack on frozen berries (or any fruit really) - There’s something about frozen blueberries that is oddly satisfying 😋
2️⃣ Use crushed pork rinds for breading - I just stick them in our @ninjakitchen blender for a few pulses and they work great for chicken tenders and baked salmon patties 🙌🏻
3️⃣ Sip on an electrolyte - sometimes a lack of salt can make us feel hungry and unsatisfied. @redmondrealsalt & @drinklmnt are two great options to kick this to the curb 🙏🏻

#animalbased #carnivore #paleo #primal #ancestral #electrolytes #fruit

I’ve heard so many moms joke about how they can’t laugh, jump, or workout without peeing themselves a little after having kids. I grew thinking this was inevitable and better yet, normal! Until having kids of my own and learning about the pelvic floor.

💫 In short, the pelvic floor is comprised of many muscles that are key to support and function of the bladder, abdomen, bowels, uterus and vagina. These muscles can get burnt out & stop working optimally for a variety of reasons; pregnancy, birth, trauma, strenuous exercise, etc…

• Many times issues stem from the pelvic muscles either being too tight (hypertonic) or too loose (hypotonic). In both instances, the muscles are weak and need to be retrained.

🚨Just because a muscle is tight doesn’t mean it is strong, and the same goes for one that is loose.

• In the case of a hypertonic pelvic floor, muscles need to be lengthened, strengthened, and released. As someone who has a natural tendecy to hold stress in my muscles, this is where I’ve found myself after birthing my second child.

❤️Symptoms of an over-active pelvic floor include inability to fully urinate, constipation, pain with intercourse, low back pain, and even interstitial cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). Symptoms look different for everyone, but they can also lead to, yup, you guessed it, peeing with laughing or jumping.

• While I am certainly no pelvic floor therapist, there have been a few practical things I’ve learned at home that help me tremendously with my symptoms.

1️⃣ Mobility of the hips, legs, and any muscles in or surrounding this area. I use a foam roller, lacrosse ball, exercise bands, and a @hypervolt.store gun to release my muscles.
2️⃣ Breath, whether when I’m stressed or just trying to pee. Deep diaphragm breaths are key to true relaxation.
3️⃣ Posture. Aka avoid sitting, lying, or standing in ways that tighten my hip flexors or promote misalignment of my hips. I also see a chiropractor to help with this.

⭐️ While all of these things sound simple and easy, they can have a profound effect on the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles.

👉🏻 Have you paid much attention to your pelvic floor health lately?

Feeling a little groggy after all the Christmas fe

Feeling a little groggy after all the Christmas festivites?
Excess blue light may just be the culprit.

In short, this wavelength of light kills quality sleep. More specifically, it wrecks havoc on our circadian rhythm. This internal clock follows the natural patterns of light (sun rise/sunset) via clock proteins within our cells.

⭐️Sources of blue light include any form of artificial lighting, indoor and outdoor, as well as electronic devices.

So what is blue light exactly?
These wavelengths are from around 400-480 nm.
This light has been shown to promote cortisol production and suppress melatonin.

🚨The problem🚨
Melatonin production is important to not only winding down and feeling sleepy, it’s also key to having a rejuvenating nights sleep.

👉🏻Studies have shown that repeated exposure to blue light after sunset can cause a phase shift in one’s circadian rhythm, causing our bodies natural cues for sleep to slowly delay later and later.

However!
This can be stopped & reversed through elimination of blue light + the addition of red wavelengths, which begin at 600 nm.
Light from a sunset or red light therapy devices average 800+ nm and are the most powerful and healing ways to promote sleep.

A good rule of thumb is to finish your last meal an average of 3 hours before going to bed (more on this later), wear your blue-blocking glasses after sunset, reduce artificial light exposure, and for an added boost, wind down with your favorite red light therapy device.

💫What are some of your favorite ways to support your circadian rythym and get out of the holiday “funk?” Share below!

What is this funny sounding acronym you may ask?

What is this funny sounding acronym you may ask?

💚Fermentable carbohydrates found primarily in plant foods; oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols.

💫These carbohydrates are digest in the small intestine and can be hard to do so for those with gut dysbiosis or SIBO (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth).

💚If an imbalanced, leaky gut is a problem, consuming FODMAPs can exacerbate the problem by supporting overgrowth of potentially “bad” bacteria. This can be initially caused by a compromised GI tract due to infection, medications, or inflammatory foods, leading to downstream FODMAP intolerance.

💫Note: Any condition that hinders proper nerve function, such as Lyme disease, can also lead to SIBO due to the slowing down or loss of motility in the gut. This is sometimes termed “Bells Palsy” of the gut.

💚Symptoms include bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, cramps, indigestion, and things of that sort.

💫Eliminating FODMAPs can be beneficial in relieving symptoms while the underlying cause of the intolerance is treated and healed.

💚Common FODMAPs include: garlic & onions, beets, cruciferous veggies, dried fruits, honey, mango, avocado, mushrooms, celery, apples, cherries, pears, watermelon, coconut water, nuts, and more.

💫The amount of FODMAPs in each food varies, causing one’s individual serving size tolerance to be different.

Example: a whole avocado might cause issues but 1/4th may cause no symptoms at all.

💚For low-formap recipes & more info on FODMAPS + my experience be sure to check out my post on Beyond the Bite titled “FODMAP 101, Paleo, and Chronic Lyme”

🚨Spoiler alert🚨 The answer is more than like

🚨Spoiler alert🚨
The answer is more than likely always a big fat YES!

Did you know...

💫 “Fragrances” are not regulated by the FDA.
💫 Can contain multiple chemicals and other toxic ingredients just for 1 scent.
💫 Disrupt the endocrine and immune system.
💫 Lead to allergies, cancer, and other, serious health conditions.
💫 Commonly include phthalates, musk, styrene, formaldehyde, etc
💫 “Natural fragrance” is typically a green washing technique and are not natural at all.
💫 Essential oils used as “fragrance” can also be unhealthy due to lack of regulation on growing practices, added fillers, and extraction methods.
💫 “Unscented” products can still contain fragrance to mask a certain smell to make them appear scentless - so check labels!

Confused and overwhelemed?
Remember, parfum = fragrance.
@environmentalworkinggroup app & @forceofnatureclean toxic chemical glossary are both amazing resources to help double check labels and understand the concerns of certain ingredients.

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