I don’t know where I would be without my morning routine. You may think that’s an exaggeration but it’s not. Mornings to me are sacred, and having a routine sets the tone for the entire day and to me that’s non-negotiable. They’re the reason my healthy habits have been established and I live by them on most days.

I received some interesting health news earlier this week which provided some much needed insight into why I’d been feeling a certain way lately. 

Aside from my rather busy schedule, I’ve been feeling tired, moody, unable to focus, kind of down, etc. Symptoms I was mostly ignoring, attributing my relatively busy lifestyle to them. Okay, very busy lifestyle. 

It’s taken me a lot of trial and error to get to this point but at last, I think I can finally say that I’m just now starting to understand that approaching digestion cannot merely be done from a nutrition and food stand point alone. It is a holistic approach, which takes into consideration our stress levels (and ability to process stress), our sleep patterns, the types of foods we are eating and when we’re eating them.

Yes, I know you’re going to say: “yeah, yeah, yet another thing, I need to do”, but there’s something to be said about mindful eating. Ask yourself these questions: “How do you feel when you’re eating while stressed? Do you taste your food?

I didn’t always eat this way. Last January you could find me in front of my laptop, mindlessly putting away a half bag of pretzel sticks. You’re probably thinking, what’s the problem with that? They’re only pretzels. 

Before breakfast and before coffee, comes warm lemon water. Upon stumbling down the stairs, half asleep, the first thing I do is put a kettle of water on the stove and squeeze half of a lemon into a 16 oz glass and drink a warm glass of lemon water. 

Every year around November, I start to feel a shift in my mood. The days of going for walks in the sun have been replaced by Netflix, which is not necessarily a bad thing for some. However for others, the lack of outdoor time and diminished daylight can contribute to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

If there is one neurotransmitter that continues to fascinate scientists and lay people alike, it’s serotonin. While most people are familiar with serotonin in relation to mental health, not many understand the role serotonin plays in the gut as it relates to the brain as it relates to the gut…you get the idea. It’s a symbiotic relationship and both the brain and gut rely on each other  in order to work optimally. 

I grew up with a mom who’s philosophy was “makeup is great but skin care is greater” Okay she didn’t actually say this as it was in Romanian but I’m trying as best as I can to sort of sum up the statement. In Europe skin care is essential. I noticed here in America that makeup generally gets all the praise but to me, the canvas is just as important as the paint.

First let me say, thank you a million times over to my readers. I can’t believe I have readers. It’s pretty insane really. I feel truly humbled every day that I get to do something that perhaps even in some tiny way could benefit you. Aside from the rambling I do, I hope to positively touch you with my approach to living with food sensitivity.

When it comes to making lasting changes, the most difficult part seems to be consistency and planning. Most people start out doing well, being committed and organized then one thing happens that throws them off kilter and meal prep is no longer a part of their routine. How do I know this? Been there, done that. 

I know – strong words, right? Life changing seems like something that should be reserved for moving to a new country or having a baby or something grand along those lines. But what happens if every day of your life you’re in pain and miserable and have to carry that pain with you and then suddenly you’re not? That friends is life changing. Going gluten free has done that for me. 

How many of you have blamed your moods on your hormones? You know, you suddenly get emotional for no reason half way through your cycle, start crying at that horse rescue video you saw on twitter (maybe that’s just me) or suddenly snap at your partner because they forgot to pick up eggs? We can all agree, hormones have a deep impact on our lives. I mean for good reason because for about 30-35 years we are biologically a vehicle for creating and carrying human life. Whether we choose to do so or not, is a different story but we can’t change biology – we are designed to perpetuate the species. 

Being informed about individual nutrients is important but thinking of them in a vacuum won’t provide much benefit unless they work in synergy with other nutrients.

But one nutrient in particular that’s caught my attention recently is vitamin B12. Though most of us have heard about this vitamin, I don’t think we really understand the severity of vitamin B12 deficiency. When we go about our daily life, exhausted, anxious and depressed with brain fog hanging heavily over us, we don’t necessarily think about vitamin B12 being a missing piece. 

Even if you’re not kicking it with the health obsessed peeps, you’ve probably heard the words “omega 3 fatty acids”. I’ve known about them for years but it was more or less in the “for heart health” context – take these fish oil tablets and have a healthy heart. Well there’s way more to it than that. 

While the body is impressive at making fats from most of the nutrients it receives, this isn’t the case of Omega 3 fatty acids. These have to come from food and they are essential for well being. 

We all have crappy days. One of the fascinating things about us humans is the inconsistency in our moods and feelings. As hard as we may try, it’s nearly impossible to have a consistent mood throughout the day. Our obsessive thoughts can take a perfectly fine day and wreck it. Unless you’ve cultivated the ability to stay in the moment and be mindful throughout the day, you probably struggle too. 

I’ve given up on trying to control my thoughts. It doesn’t work. Embracing the fact that thoughts will come and thoughts will go, will likely give you a sense of relief. It’s not your fault. We’re all wired this way, some more so than others. 

This week I decided to keep things light and write another lifestyle post. Since I think emotional health is just as important as physical health, I wanted to share the things I’ve learned from my younger self and taken with me into my 30s. 

Purple, tiny, fragrant, intoxicatingly calming…lavender. Oh Lavender, how I love thee. Just saying the word lavender, I conjure up images of violet fields in a sleepy Provence town. Not that I’ve seen such a place myself, but I can dream, can’t I?

I don’t much like the term “diet”. There is a lot of negativity associated with it so I don’t use it often but in this case I’m using if for the sake of clarification. For me eating a close to paleo template is more of a lifestyle than a diet. I also say close to because I find the standard paleo diet to have some limitations. Having found a way of eating that works for me took a lot of trial and error but after 10 months of it, I can finally say I’m in a happy place. 

I thought about writing a post about this subject for some time. While I share a lot about myself through stories, thoughts and musings, I try to keep the intimate stuff to myself. But I kept thinking about this topic and wanted to put it out there as I hope others are inspired to say something and not suffer in silence. 

Zinc isn’t exactly a sexy topic. Not something that’s on the forefront of health topics but in my opinion it should be. While I don’t think we should eat food for individual nutrients, it’s important that we pay attention to what foods can do for us and how they can affect overall functions of the body. 

Cold season is upon us. Unfortunately I do not have a good relationship with it. I’ve certainly had my fair share of cold viruses over the years but this past year has been especially bad as my son started pre-school. The stuff he brought home deserved some sort of trophy…”shittiest of shit cold viruses” award because that’s how last year was. Months upon months of nothing but sickness. Sleepless nights and misery plagued our home.

This week I’m doing something a little something different. Since we’re entering the holiday season and we’re starting to think about gift giving, I figured I would do a blog post about my favorite kitchen tools. 

Let’s be honest, you can be a great cook but if you don’t have the right utensils and tools, your life will be a lot harder. When I first began seriously cooking back 2007 I had dull knives and really crappy cutting boards. I didn’t realize how bad they were until I upgraded and never looked back.

Okay it’s no secret that I’m 26. Kidding, I’m 28. Shit okay, I’m 36 – my real age. I know women don’t love disclosing their age but I’ve actually learned to embrace mine. Sort of. 

Getting older is an interesting phenomenon. But it doesn’t have to be a painful one as our culture so often portrays.

It’s almost Thanksgiving and this means we’re about to enter the holiday season. I can almost feel the eerie calm before the storm – before waves of pressure, obligation, stress and anxiety sweep over us. 

I meant to write this post months ago but talking about myself just feels…meehhhh, not that great. But since this is my blog and I’m honored that you’re following along or even visiting for the first time, I wanted to let you in on what makes me, well…me. 

When it comes to the holy grail of nutrients, magnesium may be a leading contestant. Magnesium is the one of the most abundant minerals in the human body. It is estimated that something like 60% of adults in the US are deficient in this mineral. 

I’ve alluded to the fact that I have gut issues (surprise!), hence the inception of this blog. Working towards healing it is not a one time deal but rather a continual lifestyle and maintenance of a certain balance that allows me to essentially be pain free – more or less. 

Oh coffee! Where do I even begin? When it comes to health and well being, coffee has been heavily disputed. You either love it or hate it. Think it’s one of the best things for your health or believe it simply a drug. Well I personally I cannot imagine a day without it. Even during pregnancy I still drank a cup every morning but switched to half decaf. 

By now we know that the gut microbiome is crucial to our health and well being and plays a vital role in keeping the body in homeostasis. We are also very familiar with the importance of eating probiotic rich foods, but what we put on our body can have a drastic effect on our skin’s microbiome and our overall wellness.

I received some interesting health news earlier this week which provided some much needed insight into why I’d been feeling a certain way lately. 

Aside from my rather busy schedule, I’ve been feeling tired, moody, unable to focus, kind of down, etc. Symptoms I was mostly ignoring, attributing my relatively busy lifestyle to them. Okay, very busy lifestyle. 

Yes, I know you’re going to say: “yeah, yeah, yet another thing, I need to do”, but there’s something to be said about mindful eating. Ask yourself these questions: “How do you feel when you’re eating while stressed? Do you taste your food?

We live in a very stressful world, no one can dispute this. Currently there are 40 million Americans suffering from some anxiety related disorder ranging from mild to severe. Though it is still taboo to discuss mental health issues openly as one is viewed as “weak”, many people report feeling some level of anxiety, which leads me to believe that a lot more of us are walking around anxious and stressed than we think. 

The idea for this post came to me from my mom. She recently found out that she has too much acidity in her stomach. Doctors mentioned that her best bet is to start taking medication and also focusing on more alkaline foods. Love the second part, but not so much the first. 

By now we know that the gut microbiome is crucial to our health and well being and plays a vital role in keeping the body in homeostasis. We are also very familiar with the importance of eating probiotic rich foods, but what we put on our body can have a drastic effect on our skin’s microbiome and our overall wellness.

If you’re confused about the myriad articles on the web telling you to eat tons of fiber, tons of grains, dairy etc. Please be skeptical. Always question, who is funding the online sources that are publishing these articles. Is it a big Agra company that has interest in making people buy their products?

“Wine is the most civilized thing in the world” – E. Hemingway. This is one of my favorite quotes and I whole heartedly agree. I view wine as multilayered, complex and incredibly intriguing. To me wine represents more than just a bottle of red, white, pink or bubbly. Making a bottle of wine from start to finish, is simply an art in my book. 

When I posted the article on gluten, I received a response which stopped me in my track. The title of my post was “Could it be gluten”? and I received a reply from a former class mate that stated: “No, it’s glyphosate”. This got me thinking…

I touched on this a little in various posts but haven’t really gone into detail about how this site even came to be. So without boring you to tears, I’ll just recap a little of what I’ve gone through to get to this point. 

Okay the reality is, if you’re one of the unfortunate ones to suffer from Leaky Gut, IBS or any other GI issues, chances are you’re probably half looking forward to vacation. And if you’re like me, you’re not cooking nutritious meals while away, but relying on someone else to prepare them for you.

I know, it’s a bold statement to make but hear me out. Sleep affects every area of our life. Again, I’ll repeat – every area of our life. We’ve all heard the saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” It’s safe to say that the very endpoint may come sooner than expected if we continue skimping on sleep.

Chances are if you have stumbled upon this article or are a regular reader, you have heard the word “microbiome” or at least the words “gut bacteria”. 

My mornings can go a little something like this:

• Check email: NY Times Daily Briefing – Oh god, not again, what is going on? 
• Check Instagram: Am I doing enough? I wish I could reach more people. Damn, so and so has incredible content, wish mine could look like that

Like every busy mother with a full-time job and small children, I used to run to the grocery store every Saturday morning. You know, throw the kid or kids in the cart and maneuver through the store for an hour or so, wait in long lines and quickly rush home to get to the next thing. 

Olive oil, oh olive oil. I just can’t say enough about one of my favorite foods. I use it every day in salads of every kind, for veggies and in cooking…BUT the more research I’ve been doing, the more I realize that perhaps olive oil should stay on my salad more so than in my frying pan. 

I like fat! I did not always say or believe this. As many of us have, I followed the rule that fat was bad. Everything had to be either fat free or low fat. The idea of eating a burger from time to time felt sacrilegious. However, my relationship to fat, particularly saturated fat changed once I started cooking back in 2007 but completely shifted recently when I started eating whole foods and high quality animal products and never looked back.