Pupu is the Hawaiian term for any kind of finger food, appetizer, or snack. If you’re
looking for a yummy plant-based platter to share at parties, then meet “gado-gado” –
the Indonesian “mix-mix” salad.
5 Cues for a Clean January
January offers a new beginning; a time to clean up my act, grow more resilient and prepare for the coming year. There’s never been a better time to power up your immune system, The Good Food Way. Your energy, digestion, and immunity will thank you! So, if you’re ready to shake that “tired and toxic” feeling, then gift your system a reboot with my 5 Cues for a Clean January.
THE ART OF CHANGE: TIPS TO TRANSFORM STRESS AND PROMOTE A BALANCED IMMUNE RESPONSE
It’s been almost 85 years since Dr. Hans Selye, father of the “stress theory” defined stress as the “non-specific response of the body to change”. Given that we’re living in a world that is rapidly changing, a quick look at his work will help you better understand the stress response in your own body and develop better coping mechanisms.
SUPPORT THE GUT - IMMUNE CONNECTION
Hippocrates was right when he made that statement almost 2,500 years ago – that’s well before we’d refined sugar, created processed “food” products, and added antibiotics and a slew of other toxins to our food! Every bite we eat passes through the twenty-plus feet of our digestive tract, which is lined by our delicate “inner skin”.
The Healing Benefits of Chicken Soup
VIDEO: Did you know that the word “recipe” has its origins in French and means “medical prescription”? This chicken soup fills the Rx: it’s full of the flavors, colors, and nutrients of Nature. Real food to nurture your body, mind, and spirit!
Here are a few of the medicinal qualities of chicken soup:
Move Your Body!
If you’re feeling a bit stir-crazy being stuck inside while we wait for the pandemic to resolve, you’re not alone. This IS crazy-making! After all, we are animals that are built to be in motion. Our ancestors were up at the crack of dawn, in constant search of food and shelter so they could simply survive. While industrialization and technology have freed us from heavy physical labor, they’ve led to several generations of “couch potatoes” with a range of chronic diseases. And the pandemic has only made it worse as we’re all living online.
Time to Thrive
Yes, it’s been 10 years since my first “Dry January” and “ Whole 30”. And I’m doing them again this year. Trust me, it gets easier every time! Dry January, as in skipping alcohol the first month of the year, has a special appeal this trip around the sun. With the isolation of the pandemic, alcohol sales have skyrocketed, along with rates of anxiety and depression, lack of exercise, weight gain, and a LOT more screen time.
IT'S A NEW YEAR AND TIME FOR A NEW YOU!
After 2020, it’s high time to support and renew your health. After all, your amazing body is constantly renewing itself: recycling old cells and creating new ones, 24/7. Each and every day, the cells lining your intestinal tract (your “inner skin”) and your “outer skin” cells are shed as a new layer surfaces and the old cells slough off. Every month, your liver regenerates itself and each year, your skeleton is renewed. Automatically, without your conscious thought.
Conquer Chronic Inflammation
If you could take just one step to create a healthier future full of vitality and free from both acute and chronic diseases, it would be to fight inflammageing. While this hybrid term has been picked up by the beauty industry because of the clear-cut connection between inflammation and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, inflammageing is more than skin deep.
A Way Out of the Pandemic
As we head into this fall, almost every patient I see is concerned about the health of his or her immune system. Between hurricanes and smoke from the wildfires, not enough exercise and too much sugar, and feeling run down from the constant stress of this “new normal”, it’s time to take a look at how we got here and make a plan to optimize your health now!
How Sugar Sabotages Immunity and Promotes Inflammation
As we move further into the challenges of this pandemic, my heart goes out to you! Whether you’re working from home, are now unemployed or are on the frontlines battling this virus, we all need help lowering the inflammation that impairs our immune response. We’ve known for decades that the intake of simple carbs (think colas, bagels, chips) reduces phagocytosis, the process by which white blood cells engulf and destroy bacteria, just like little Pac Men!
Know Your Numbers to Grow Stronger
One of the silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic is that it has helped people realize their immunity is tied to the overall state of their health. Those with underlying chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), liver and kidney diseases and cancer have impaired immunity and are more susceptible to infection.
Beating the Coronavirus, Naturally
As the newly identified coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, spreads rapidly around the world, it is causing a respiratory disease known as CoVID-19. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a virus like this. The common cold (rhinovirus) is a coronavirus, as was the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus in 2003 and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus in 2009.
Essential Oils for Glowing Skin
I’d like to introduce you to a new skincare system from best selling author and my personal friend, Dr. Trevor Cates. Dr. Cates has created an incredible line of skincare products made from some of the most in-demand, organic ingredients. Her website is full of skin-friendly recipes and information on how to best support our various types of skin. When you use coupon code “SALLY” at checkout, you’ll receive 20% off everything!
Mirror, Mirror: Winter Skin Support with My Favorite Collagen-Building Recipe
One of the first things we notice about the aging process is a change in our skin, with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And while smile lines and a little crow’s feet are naturally beautiful, it’s the loss of luster along with the redness, hyperpigmentation, deep wrinkles and sagging that are most discouraging.
Inflammation + Aging = Inflammageing
If you could take just one step to create a healthier future full of vitality and free of chronic disease, it would be to fight inflammageing. While the term has been picked up by the beauty industry because of the clear-cut connection between inflammation and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, inflammageing is more than skin deep.
7 Steps to Clear Brain Fog and Roll Back Dementia Risk
One of the most common concerns patients share with me is their fear of brain fog turning into Alzheimer’s disease. In our modern world, almost everyone feels a little fuzzy from time to time. Maybe we forget where we placed our keys, parked our car or what we went into that room to do. All are pretty common concerns. But what raises the red flag of dementia?
Fever: Friend or Foe? Plus 10 Tips to Fight the Flu
It’s December and we all dread the return of the flu season! So when those aches, chills, fever set in, it’s tempting to pop something to lower the fever so we can feel better fast. But current-thinking supports the idea that suppressing a fever due to viral or bacterial infections with meds may not always be the best approach. In fact, fever turns out to be an excellent example of our “homeostatic mechanisms” at work. It is now considered an “adaptive response”, part of our body’s natural defense mechanism to microbial invasion.
Looking for the perfect veggie dish for Thanksgiving dinner?
Look no further! This savory mushroom, leek and fennel tart could become your new winter favorite. It certainly is mine! Maybe it’s the deeply satisfying “umami” flavor of the mushrooms, or the way the herbs, leeks, shallots and fennel melt into the creamy cheese. Try it and decide for yourself! Luckily, this recipe is relatively easy to prep in under an hour (plus 30 minutes to bake). And showing up with this dish is sure to bring you praise from around the table. Always a good feeling!
Root Cause Driver # 5: Loss of Essential Hormones
The gradual loss of our sex hormones as we go through “the change” can be disorienting. There goes our sleep, libido, energy, temperature regulation, moods and more. What’s a body to do? Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone have defined our lives from puberty until ~ age 50, when their insidious decline signals menopause and andropause (male menopause).