You can't out exercise a bad diet. And you can't outrun your hormones or check ✔ out when life sends you stress. All of these cause a chronic inflammatory cycle. When we are out of alignment within, we our out of alignment at the atomic level. If you are ready to shift, it starts with the basics. Then you leap into a new you. First you get the foundation, then you get the shift. 

The movement to accumulate less...eat food with less ingredients...take in less toxins.... balance your happiness with less stress....and of course less sugar, less gluten and less dairy are truly growing so rapidly for big reasons and I have to tell you that if you're looking to make some changes it's easier than you think.

Less ingredients is as simple as adding more whole foods into your diet.

Now is the time for you to join us to change your food choices, your movement and your mindfulness. It can be so complicated because wouldn't you agree that our world is more toxic than it was ten years ago (both in environment, nutrition and emotionally/socially)? And wouldn't you agree that our foods are more toxic than they were... heavy on the herbicides? the sugar content? And the foods we just can't digest well.

With clients I talk a lot about how we turn a belief into a truth and it creates a space of lack or blocks out what we truly need. I work with a lot of fact clearings so that we can be open to the awareness of body, mind and soul.

So in this group today:
Fist person: Fiber is unnecessary and makes you ill, humans do not have the enzymes to break it down.
Second person: I think that's the point. It bulks up your stools and makes your bowels function as they are intended to function to move waste products out of your system.
First person: Not at all, research the Masai and other tribes who ate mostly carnivorous, zero bowel cancer and the like.

Uhhhh...... I don't even know where to go with that beyond different environmental biomes...

Inuit prior traditional diet: high fat from wild animals, seaweed, berries, roots, and fiber from the dinner sitting in the stomachs of the wild animals they ate (yes they ate that) and also raw and fermented so not cooked animals. Different gut microbiome.

Maasai prior traditional diet: large amounts of milk, and blood from cows, and soups derived from wild collected herbs. Berries and other wild fruits supplement the diet. Different DNA. Have a gene mutation that allows for high binding of saturated fats, and genes to digest raw milk. Different gut biome, as well.

Our intestinal epithelium is covered with a dense layer of mucus to prevent translocation of the gut microbiota into underlying tissues. More than 80% of the molecular weight of this mucus is due to oligosaccharide (carbohydrate) side chains. Since dietary carbohydrates are the main source of nutrients for the gut microbiota, the mucus layer is an alternative source of host-derived glycans when you are not giving the living bacteria in your body the food it requires. Even in the Inuit, traditional eating was based in hunting, fishing and gathering a great variety of species of wildlife plants, not just animals, that provide rich cultural and nutritional benefits to their microbiota.

I have what is called Lipoprotein(a) issues and so if I ate a carnivore diet I would end up dead. You may have heard Bob Harper had a heart attack after he stopped being vegan, which he then found out that he has these stickier blood platelets rather than fluffy platelets. For me it has to be a high plant based diet, which also is really great for my MTHFR mutation to get lots of whole food based folate.

As well, there is a molecule called TMAO that is increased by L-carnitine, which then increases atherosclerotic disease progression (especially in those with the APOE - Alzheimer's gene variant). The redder the meat, the higher its carnitine content. I think anyone wanting to be vegan, or carnivore or any extreme diet away from a macro-balanced diet should have their genetics and the TMOA and Lp(a) tests in hand.

So let's just say that you cannot take a person that lives in an urban apartment with carpet, formaldehyde, BPAs, glyphosate (in their meat and their high fats) with a modern microbiome and say "I just don't eat fiber and I will be alright." There is more evidence in the association of the colony of aliens living in our body, and our overall wellness. When you are eating high meat and most people can't afford 100% pastured, raised in New Zealand, happy roaming animals; you are eating what has been put into the animal. The mold in the ears, the antibiotics, the sprayed grains. It gets into the organs, the muscles (you know that part you carnivores love all that marbling), and the bones ... hello collagen. Have you tested how much glyphosate is in your urine to see how your diet is holding up to the real tests?

So what about this this spray? The WHOs International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared glyphosate as a "probable carcinogen" in 2015. Four years and it's still here! Also the EWG study tested 21 cereals and snack products for glyphosate and found 17 of then contained glyphosate at levels considered unsafe for children. As I shared the other day federal organic rules don’t explicitly prohibit hydroponic growers from spraying prior to certification, which means that there is a loophole where a conventional hydroponic grower can switch to organics practically overnight and then become certified organic.

There are two distinct issues that I get very angry about when I look at this product. First is what it does to the shikimate pathway. Glyphosate blocks this pathway in connection with the human microbiome which contains trillions of bacteria which play crucial roles in our body. This pathway is used by bacteria, fungi, algae, parasites, and as humans we are dependent because this pathway that plants and probiotic bacteria use to produce vitamin B9 (folate) and the aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan are essential to us. Consider what is happening when you have low folate and aromatic amino acids in your system. Just look up MTHFR if you want to find out what low folate creates in your system.

In breast cancer cell lines it has been demonstrated that glyphosate can induce cellular proliferation via estrogen receptors. Why do you think this is? Well if water soluble hormone binds to its extracellular membrane receptor, and in a cancer cell, activation may lead to: a) Increased cell proliferation, b) Decreased apoptosis, c) Enhanced motility, d) Angiogenesis.... Glyphosate is water soluble. (also a chelating agent, a chemical that bonds to minerals.... so many ways it can leave your body nutritionally lacking)

Sauerkraut (and sauerkraut juice) and apple cider vinegar contain acetobacter, one of the very few microbes that can metabolize glyphosate. In fact a study published in the December 2014 issue of the Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology found that the oral application of certain natural substances were able effectively reduce urinary levels of glyphosate. They used the following: fulvic acids, humic acids, activated charcoal, bentonite clay and sauerkraut juice.

I just put my large batch in the fermenter. You can find a small fermenter at a home brew store. Use the best salt you can find, and the best quality cabbage when making your own. Put ACV on your food, or take it with your meals. I don't know enough about RESTORE but it has the humic substances. I only use calcium bentonite clay (a green clay) is the rarest form of clay in the Smectite family. According to Raymond Dextreit (Our Earth, Our Cure), green clays are not only the most desirable, but the only type recommended for ingestion and approved for ingestion by the FDA.I use the brand from Fiji and it is milled with a 325 screen and has a 30 to 1 ratio and a pH of 9.0 – 9.7. As a binder, never take any binders around your other supplements, food or medications. And as I type that, I laugh because again... didn't I just say that the spray they are using on everything is a binder?

People need to stop trying to find the perfect "diet" and start trying to just get the micronutrients our bodies actually need without all of the processed chemicals that the body doesn't need.

Sounds totally weird, right? Ketogenic while plant-based is actually a very easy thing to do. Because vegetables don't all have an overabundance of carbohydrates in them. Asparagus, avocado, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, leafy greens, zucchini and even spaghetti squash... all low enough in net carbs to really enjoy because there is also the fiber that lowers that net carb rate.

So first remember that net carbohydrates are what matter. How do you figure out net carbs?? European food labels generally show net carbs, while America shows total carbs. Calculate net carbs by subtracting fiber from total carbs and the sugar alcohols.

Vegetables are so very filling, so you can stuff yourself with a salad (which I did today made with artichokes and Persian cucumbers, with a fatty plant based dressing) and if you are working out add in a protein shake. You will get more net carbs from your protein shake, if it's more of a meal replacement and if it is vegan; but you will also get more healthy fiber to feed that microbiome colony.

Another thing to consider is that if you haven't been eating a lot of fats, your body will need more support. There are functions that will have slowed down in the body when you have been eating a higher carbohydrate vegan diet. The transition is easier for anyone that has been eating animal fats, because they are already used to digesting these fats. And it's not just nuts. Yes, nuts and seeds are great healthy fats to consider for your diet, however with some of the endocrine disorders too many of the saturated fats are going to be hard on your body, and you may find yourself making things worse rather than making them better.

Why would you want to try a ketogenic diet anyway? I have to admit that I was on that train for quite awhile because I know how many of us just can't do saturated fats, which is why we became vegan. Many people on the ketogenic diet are using under 20 net carbs per day, which I don't really agree with for long term support of your gut health unless you are doing it for medical reasons. I like more of the Bulletproof dialed in ketosis program where you are using keto tools that help your body move into ketosis, and eating more carbs. On average I eat about 45 - 55 net carbs daily, while Bulletproof leans to 50 - 80 carbs generally. It is more of a cyclical ketogenic diet, which I what I see with myself. I am moving from trace ketones to moderate ketones depending on the time of day, and what I have eaten.

I also am obviously not a fan of eating bacon, eggs and cheese all day. You may get higher ketones with all of those animal fats, however you don't need super large ketones in order to get the benefits of a ketogenic diet. For those that are eating ketogenic, you are still missing out on many nutrients your body wants. So taking vegan whole foods supplements including non-gmo veggies and complete omegas will really make a big difference.

If you start your ketogenic diet with the very low proteins, you are going to crash and burn. There are hacks to help deal with this detoxification, because you do not need to have the keto flu. When you support your detoxification pathways and eat more fats you will find yourself with more energy. Also you can start healing your digestive issues, which will lead to actually absorbing those nutrients and even more support for your body's detoxification pathways... circle completed and on it goes.

The movement towards a more healthy, sustainable, compassionate diet is really gaining momentum, but it's not a one size fits all. There’s lots of conflicting information out there about what’s good for us and the planet, and what dietary choice is best for your body. Only you can determine what works well for you.

That is why I am working with a special group for my new program, Ketolicious Reset. If you think you may be interested find me on Facebook or get a consult, or order yours today

I work with clients from all over the globe, and more often than not these days they are under immense stress, and deal with loads of anxiety. Anxiety is known by it's first name here at our house, and it's not a nice word to post on Social Media, so I won't. However I first recognized it when I spent 18 months self medicating with Benedryl in my late teens. It was during this time that I had three safe spaces. Home was the top space, then work, and finally my wonderful friend's house. This was a guy who would give you the shirt off his back, in the freezing rain. As I started to unwind from the anxiety and realize what I was dealing with, that is when my first adult sexual assault happened at my friend's house by his roommate. What I went through after that I can see is linked directly to the years that followed where I was dealing with severe IBD.

The problems arise when we are anxious too much and too often. The fast paced world we live in with its many demands on our time and attention, and the constant exposure to stimuli can cause our anxiety to spiral out of control. So add in Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. This can be a big problem. When we experience anxiety, certain hormones like adrenaline are released into the body. Our heart rate goes up, our breathing increases, and we get ready for a fight or flight response. Have you ever heard of the stress hormone, cortisol? During times of stress our body releases a hormone called cortisol. This in turn has been linked to weight gain. Add to it the fact that many people grab for comfort foods, chocolate, or salty snacks when they are feeling stressed and anxiety can lead to quite a bit of weight gain. This, combined with the added stress and lack of sleep, adds to a risk of heart disease. In other words, anxiety can be physically debilitating. It is triggered by this stress response, as it is also triggered by our bad eating habits. It’s all perfectly normal if you get anxious every once in a while, but can you see how this combined with some emotional eating issues can keep the body from truly calming down?

In a perfect world we'd all be happy and live in harmony. In a perfect world my daughter would just get math, instead of having a brain that finds it to be a foreign language. In a perfect world going what you love would be all that you needed to do. In a perfect world you would eat mostly plants, very clean foods and get all of the nutrients you need from your food. But most of us do not have that ability. And many things we consume are not highly dense nutritionally, but we need to start learning how to fill in those gaps.