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Showing posts from May 9, 2017

LEAP Elimination Diet

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Hey, hey! I’ve wanted to write this post for a little while now and my hope is to share some insight into what I’ve been working on as well as inspire you guys to put your health and wellness first! Please let me know if you have any questions You’re probably thinking that this (new-to-me) elimination diet probably came out of the blue… and, you know what, it did. Well, sorta. Kelli  joined the Designed to Fit Nutrition team a few months ago and she mentioned her  food sensitivities test — of course, I was immediately interested! Back in the day, I worked with a holistic doctor and completed a different kind of food sensitivities test. At the time, I was so sick , the results said I had sensitivities to  everything . I’m not even kidding you, the doctor said “sorry” when sharing the results with me. So, for 4 months, I ate the same 20 or so foods over and over again. It was summer (hello, barbecues, beach, and fun!) and it was the most miserable experience. I found myself obsessin

Juicy Yoga

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^^ A Goldilocks trio of smoothies! Now that I’m back on the lifestyle blogging kick, I keep writing posts in my head as I’m doing life! I probably shouldn’t have been thinking about blogging in the middle of extended side angle, but that’s where my mind drifted during yoga, and I didn’t fight it. I had a big mixed berry – banana – oat – milk – spinach – Vega smoothie for breakfast this morning, working on a recipe sponsored post all morning, and then went to yoga at noon. My favorite yoga studio is Elements Hot Yoga (read all about it in this post !), and I try to get there a few times a month. This week I’ve been twice! I love it when people describe hot yoga as “juicy” because that is exactly how I would describe the feeling in my joints after a good sweaty class. It’s like I’ve opened up space that didn’t exist before! Kendall gave me a few extra adjustments today, and it was just what I needed after soccer and strength class yesterday. I got home at 1:30 and was shaking wit

10 Actions for an Anti-Stress Protocol

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It almost goes without saying: Stress is at an all-time high. Not the kind of major traumatic stress we see elsewhere, sure. At least in the Western world, there aren’t any horrific sectarian conflicts scouring the landscape and generations to come. Our infrastructure is built to withstand most natural disasters. Our world is safe and predictable and sterile. But we’re stressed out just the same, afflicted with the kind of pernicious, low-level, unending stress that drives people into substance abuse, that promotes depression and suicide and broken relationships. The type that never quits. The kind you just want to drown out with Netflix and Facebook and anything at all to take your mind off the churning within. Most people address stress in one of two ways. Either you build up your resistance to stress, so that it doesn’t hurt you so much, or you play triage, developing tools, tricks, and strategies for countering stress and dealing with it when it occurs. This assumes that stress i

5 Easy Ways to Eat Probiotics Like a Pro

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With the constant flurry of health-related buzzwords floating around the Internet, “probiotics” is one that seems here to stay. Chances are you’ve read about the benefits of taking a probiotic supplement — maybe your doctor has even recommended one to you. And plenty of nutritionists are singing the praises of probiotic-rich foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha on a near-daily basis. It may seem daunting, but you don’t have to dive headfirst into a brand new diet to reap the benefits of probiotics. We chatted with wellness expert, holistic health coach and author of Go with Your Gut , Robyn Youkilis, to get some simple steps to achieving better gut health without overhauling your lifestyle.   You don’t need a supplement A supplement can be a great place to start, says Youkilis, but she tends to encourage her clients to get their fill of probiotics when they dine. “They taste delicious,” she says. “At the heart of all of this, I’m a foodie.” Add a spoonful of sauerkraut to yo

140 Years Of Oats + Quaker Oatmeal Snack Bars

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This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company You know you have something good when it has stood the test of time. There are so many different diets out there that claim to work magic, but there is one that holds true in my household:  eat real. The Quaker Oats Company is celebrating 140 years of nutritious, delicious oats this year, and I am singing its praises yet again! Truly a food that our grandparents ate, Quaker has been the leader in oats for well over a century. Nowadays oats are more popular than ever, and trends like overnight oats, smoothie bowls, and savory oatmeal keep them going as a recipe ingredient staple. Quaker was the first to make oats available for human consumption, the first to obtain a registered trademark for a breakfast cereal (1877), the first to feature a recipe on a package (1866), and the first to use a round canister (1915), and on the nutrition front, they made the first food-specific heart health claim (1997). And I am proud to be a Quaker Am

Super Salty Salted Almond Chocolate Bark

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I loooooove any kind of salty sweet combo. Salted Caramel ice cream is one of my top flavor choices, and when I am shopping for chocolate bars I always look for the salted almond/hazelnut/caramel blends. Thomas loves a little something sweet after dinner and the salted almond dark chocolate bars we’ve been buying are costing us a fortune per ounce, so I decided to surprise him with a batch of homemade chocolate bark. Of course, I’ve been consuming my share too ; ) Before enjoying the bark, consume a big green salad to rev the appetite for chocolate. I had this one for lunch yesterday — kale Caesar with spinach, avocado, manchego and chicken. *Heart eyes* This bark is, as the title suggests, on the salty side. You can adjust the recipe to your taste! It’s also super simple to make. I used the microwave for minimal time, but you can also use a double boiler. Begin by roasting your almonds in the toaster or conventional oven. Do not take your eye off of them! When they are lightl