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[anaseski]

Mental Health in a COVID Bubble

As we embark upon this historic time in our lives, living through a major pandemic that on paper has seemed to be reason to fear.  But are we so focused on fearing death that we are forgetting to live?

Granted I’ve read through the statistics and the science behind how COVID is spread, and on paper its alarming.  But we as human beings are not meant to be isolated.  We are meant to interact with each other, to be able to hug the people we care for, shake someone’s hand in a greeting, look people in the eyes when you are talking to them and smile at one another on the streets, these are all basic human needs.  When we remove these basic needs for too long, how does that impact our overall health?  

I’ve been working from home since March 2020, embarking on a year, with little human interaction besides my immediate family and in the summer I expanded that to a small circle of close friends.  At first, I’ll admit, I was super keen on the idea of working from home, but now almost a year later, the weight of working remotely without daily human interaction has taken its toll on me.

Throughout this pandemic I’ve been battling with depression, I’ve experienced Zoom fatigue (Yes it’s a thing!) I’ve been in constant battle with my mind, worrying about things that are literally out of my control. The world is a scary place right now, filled with a lot of negativity and information that is overwhelming to decifier.  So when I see my family, I hug them, because quite frankly, I need it and so do they.  I will always do my best, social distance, wash my hands, wear a mask, but what are we compromising by completely isolating ourselves? 

Is anyone really looking at the big picture?  Is the same government that is locking us down and taking away peoples livelihoods for ‘our health’, willing to invest the same time and money into an already under funded and under diagnosed health pandemic - Mental Illness.  Mental illness is the hidden pandemic no one wants to face, that gets very little media time, but its real, its happening today and the worst is yet to come.  Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doesn’t necessarily happen at the time of a traumatic event, it can hit you at anytime, without warning and it could last for months, even years. The longterm fallout from living in the COVID bubble won’t be solved by a vaccine, or contact tracing. I worry for our generation of kids and how this will affect their growth and develpment - their immune systems need exposure to viruses to help build and strenghten their immunity and will they live their whole lives suffering from PTSD?  So many more questions than answers.

Please don’t forget to reach out to your family and friends. Send a text, pick up the phone and call them, or meet them in the park, or on a patio over coffee. It could make all the difference.  

“Fear does not stop death, it stops life” Unknown.

Thank you for reading, sincerely,

Andria

[anaseski]

How my gut health was the direct cause of depression and anxiety

Most of you who have been following me for a while know I took a break from Social Media between August – November last year.  I promised I would share my story, what I experienced and how I overcame it, so here it is!

This is actually very difficult for me to share.  I’ve contemplated deleting this blog post numerous times and I’ve held onto it for months debating on whether or not I should even post it!  I do believe its an important message to share and I’m hoping by doing so it helps anyone else suffering from depression and anxiety that they are not alone and it’s something you can totally overcome without the use of antidepressants!

This is my story…

I’m generally a happy person and you will always find me smiling.  I tend to be extroverted, but I admit sometimes it’s exhausting (so I’m not sure if that makes me a closet introvert?!)  But I’m a confident person and in my career I’m highly driven (typical type A personality) and have always been able to balance the stress of work and my everyday life very well.  Until there was a time I couldn’t.  

First off, I want to preface this with this was my experience and I’m writing this from my point of view.  I did things that worked for me, but may not work for others.  This post is meant to help you disseminate if there are similarities between what I experienced  and what you could be experiencing or have experienced.

So why is gut health so important and how is it tied to depression and anxiety anyway?

Most people don’t realize that 80% of your immune system is found in your gut and your gut health has a direct link to your mental health!   Your gut has trillions of microbes that work to keep your body in harmony.  When your gut balance is thrown off or compromised, it can cause havoc to your body both physically and mentally.  Eg. Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, inflammation conditions and yes, depression and anxiety.  

Last summer I started have serious gut health issues and it took me over 3 months to figure out what was causing it.  Throughout this discovering process, I suffered from severe anxiety, to the point I was having full blown panic attacks.  And I’m talking about every day, all day long to the point it was waking me out of my sleep. Now, I’m a logical person, I knew there was no reason to panic but I couldn’t control it no matter how hard I tried. If anyone has suffered from panic attacks knows, it’s hard to cope.  I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t come up for air.  I could no longer function normally anymore and it got to the point I could barely get out of bed in the morning.  

And the shocking part was all of that was tied to the bacteria in my gut being unbalanced.

So what causes the bacteria in your gut to go unbalanced?  It could be a variety of things, from chronic illness, to a bacterial infection, to a major life altering stressful event, to food poisoning, to something simple like taking antibiotics or just picking up a foreign bacteria while travelling.   What happens is the bad bacteria start to multiple (by living off, you got it!  bad process foods – i.e. sugar!)  and it slowly takes over your good bacteria.  By time you start to feel the effects of this it’s usually in the form of anxiety, depression, digestive issues or nausea (like IBS).  

So how did I overcome the depression and anxiety? I first focused on re- balancing my gut bacteria. The moment I got this under control, the panic attacks slowed down, the anxiety subsided, and the depression slowly dissipated.  It didn’t happen overnight, but within a few months I was able to get back to my normal life.  

Here was my journey to healing (without taking medication/antidepressants):

1.  I was relentless in my endeavor to overcome what I was feeling!  I refused to accept this as a ‘new normal’.  First thing I did was pushed for my doctor to get to the root cause, I didn’t accept their diagnosis at face value, and if I wasn’t happy with the results, I went for a second opinion.  I didn’t take medications without understanding the side effects. For example, acid blockers were prescribed to me however they cause heart palpitations which in turn triggered my panic attacks.  So be relentless!

2.  I found a Gastrologist who understood gut health and helped me get to the root cause of my gut health issues.  Remember depression and anxiety are just symptoms of an underlying issue!

3.  I eliminated sugar immediately.  Anyone who has followed me for a while knows I do periodic sugar detoxes.  I am trying to gear myself to get to a point that I can eliminate processed sugar completely from my diet because it really feeds the bad bacteria in your gut and causes all sorts of problems (you can see a previous blog post on the effects processed sugar has on your body)

4.  I took probiotics daily!  Even though I was already taking probiotics when all this started, the type of probiotics I was using wasn’t the right base formula for me.  After seeing a 2nd Gastrologist he helped me understand that I was using ‘foreign’ good bacteria which only die off after a couple of weeks. I ended up switching to a probiotics that contain Lactobacillus and Acidophilus which help build up your natural colony of good bacteria.

5.  I drank organic chicken bone broth multiple times a day.  Bone broth has natural properties that improve digestive and gut issues like unbalanced or leaky gut.  It contains collagen and gelatin that are rich in amino acids which help reduce inflammation.  

6.  I gave up caffeine!  This was a hard one, but I pretty much had to avoid any foods that raised my heart rate.

7.  I drank herbal teas.  Ginger, ginger and more ginger!  It was my savior!  At least for the hour or two after I drank that tea, I was able to feel somewhat calm and it allowed me to eat small quantities of food.  

8.  I started to do yoga every day. I’m an avid runner and because I was so weak, I couldn’t run, and I started to lose muscle very quickly!  I started doing Yoga, which helped with breathing and blood flow and allowed my body to relax and it really helped subside the panic attacks. There are actually poses that help with different ailments, so I focused on poses that helped with my gut issues and anxiety.

9. This was a hard one, but I talked to someone.  I’ll be honest, I felt helpless at times, frustrated beyond belief and quite honestly just sad that I couldn’t get this under control quickly.  Sharing doesn’t add to the burden, it truly lessens it so please share and talk to someone, family/friends or a health care professional when you are experiencing any form of anxiety or depression!

10.  I started reading books, for me this helped not focus on my anxiety.  Bottom line is find a hobby that works for you to help get your mind off what you are feeling.

11.  I ate foods that didn’t cause digestive problems.  I basically limited my diet to soup broth, plain white rice, bananas and a lot of herbal tea.  I did take B12 and iron supplements, along with magnesium oil and vitamin D.  All of these help to ensure you are still absorbing nutrients, which is super important when you are trying to heal your gut!

12.  Instead of antibiotics, I tried oil of oregano pills, which have natural antibiotic properties that helps kill bad bacteria.  These did help me but I will caution they were still pretty strong and they did upset my stomach so make sure you take them with food.

Well there you have it!  It’s a long list but after a few months I was able to get back to my normal self and I’m happy to say I did it naturally, without taking antidepressants!  

I hope in sharing this, it helps anyone who may be experiencing anxiety and depression or who is suffering from panic attacks to look into their gut health and push to get to the root of what’s causing it.  You are not alone, it can happen to anyone!  I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about my experience!

Thank you for allowing me to share my journey!

Sincerely,

Andria

Keep smiling :) 

[anaseski]

Sugar you ain’t so sweet

One of the biggest changes I made on my food journey was eliminating processed / refined sugars. This was no easy task, and the only way I could do this effectively was to eliminate processed foods from my diet. They are filled with refined sugars, both disclosed on the label and often times hidden!  To give you an idea of just how many types of sugars there are out there that could appear on a processed food label, women’s health magazine published this full list.   

Once I realized that the foods that I ate often, like ‘healthy’ cereals, granola bars and yogurts were full of multiple types of these sugars I had no problem giving them up.  The best part is I didn’t have to give up on the foods I love to eat, I didn’t have to give up on bread or pasta or even cookies, I just stopped buying them from the store and made my own. I struggled for a long time trying to find sliced sandwich bread for my son that didn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup, and I couldn’t find one! 

So why is refined sugar so bad for you?

Your body can’t digest it - and what your body can’t digest, it turns into fat!

It’s a chemical that has no nutritional value - there are absolutely no health benefits to eating sugar and it’s just wasted and empty calories 

It INCREASES your appetite - Yes!  the more sugar you eat, the more  you are feeding the bad bacteria which controls your brain’s ability to feel full and you end up craving it more.

As soon as you eat sugar, it immediately causes inflammation to your body - which contributes to chronic inflammatory diseases like:  Arthritis, Asthma, Allergies, Heart disease, Stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, Depression, Cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease, Autoimmune disease…just to name a few!

It feeds the bad bacterial in your gut - Sugar is the MAIN diet for bad bacteria, they feed off it, it makes them stronger and when they are stronger, they can take over your body, brain and your immune system (see #3)

It increases your risk of cancer - Just like bad bacteria there is a direct link to sugar and cancer cell growth.  

Wow, does this mean you can never eat sugar again?  No it doesn’t.  I eliminated 90% of added sugar from my diet.  I still eat fruit (which contains natural sugar) I use (limited to baking) natural sugars like Raw Organic Honey, Organic Maple Syrup and Unrefined sugar cane and I eat organic dark chocolate. 

How did I do it? It’s a hard habit to break and it’s a lifestyle change, not a diet.  I started by eliminating all processed foods from my diet, I make everything myself this way I know what’s in it.  What I buy, I make sure it’s organic and there is no sugar added. I read labels and look for whole, simple ingredients.  I limit my sugar (even natural) and eat a very balanced diet of whole organic foods.  I detox regularly and most importantly, I do not substitute for artificial sweeteners which are just as bad (if not worse) than sugar. 

“Sugar…you ain’t so sweet after all”

Andria

[anaseski]

The Link Between Clean Eating and Productivity

Written by: Andria Naseski

What if I told you that there is a direct link between how healthy a person eats and their productivity at work?  I have worked in an office environment my entire professional career and until this past year, there were no ‘healthy’ food options available to our Associates.  The options are typically vending machine snack foods and processed or pre-packaged foods.  Just recently my organization introduced fresh whole fruits every Monday, which is a change in the right direction to promoting healthy clean eating in the office.

I’m not saying it’s up to every organization to supply healthy food to their employees, but it’s important for employers to understand the benefits to overall productivity by promoting and providing healthy and clean eating alternatives to the typical vending machine snacks in the office.  It’s equally important for employees to understand the full benefits to eating clean as it relates to their performance and productivity at work.

When we think of clean eating we tend to think more along the lines of the long term benefits around avoiding diseases and increasing longevity which is equally beneficial.  But what if I told you that healthy clean eating also helps in the short term by:

Increasing your overall  energy levels and alertness, which is so important in a long day of back to back meetings where you are expected to be engaged and focused

Improving your overall sleep, which not only helps with alertness but also plays a significant role in your ability to reduce and deal with stress

Improving your overall immune system, which equals less sick days and more productivity in the office

Improving your overall mental health, which has become one of the leading causes of days off from work!

Improving your overall mood, that’s right, you will feel happier!  Which will play a part in how you interact and network with people. 

So what does clean eating look like?

Eat more whole foods, less from packages.  Whole foods consisting of up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day!  

Cut out the sugar!  Pretty much all processed foods contain some form of sugar, either in the way it was processed or in the ingredients themselves.  Processed sugar is so detrimental to your overall heath, both in the short term and long term.  Aside from the obvious reasons, (i.e. diabetes, heart disease) sugar plays a role in your overall gut health by feeding the ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut which could cause underlying health issues like depression and anxiety.  Refer to my blog ‘Sugar You Ain’t So Sweet’ on the effects Sugar has on your overall health

Drink lots of water!  Staying hydrated is also a key to clean and healthy eating.  Feeling hunger pains, or a headache coming on?  Sometimes that’s a sign you are just dehydrated, make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day!

Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast.  Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism and trains your body to store fat for energy, which in turns slows down your ability to focus.

Eat foods that contain the power 3 - Magnesium, Vitamin D and Probiotics.  Most of us are lacking in magnesium and Vitamin D, which play a large role in not only how we absorb nutrients, but also impacts your overall mood.  Probiotics work to keep you gut balanced and when 80% of your immune system comes from your gut health, what you eat plays a large part in how you feel.  

How can Employers play a part in promoting healthy/clean eating?

Invest in a wellness program in the office or hire a nutritionist/wellness specialist to facilitate sessions where employees can learn or benefit from 1:1 nutritional counselling.  I used to work for an organization that had a nutrition consultant in the office a few days a week, and I found the resource so beneficial!

Improve the access to healthy clean foods.  Whether its adding fresh fruit as an alternative to the vending machine snacks, or it’s subsidizing healthy food options in your cafeteria menus.

Most importantly, be supportive!  As leaders in any organization it's important to recognize that healthy, happy and engaged employees lead to higher productivity!   

Photo by: Andria Naseski

[anaseski]

How my gut health was the direct cause of depression and anxiety

Most of you who have been following me for a while know I took a break from Social Media between August – November last year.  I promised I would share my story, what I experienced and how I overcame it, so here it is!

This is actually very difficult for me to share.  I’ve contemplated deleting this blog post numerous times and I’ve held onto it for months debating on whether or not I should even post it!  I do believe its an important message to share and I’m hoping by doing so it helps anyone else suffering from depression and anxiety that they are not alone and it’s something you can totally overcome without the use of antidepressants!

This is my story…

I’m generally a happy person and you will always find me smiling.  I tend to be extroverted, but I admit sometimes it’s exhausting (so I’m not sure if that makes me a closet introvert?!)  But I’m a confident person and in my career I’m highly driven (typical type A personality) and have always been able to balance the stress of work and my everyday life very well.  Until there was a time I couldn’t.  

First off, I want to preface this with this was my experience and I’m writing this from my point of view.  I did things that worked for me, but may not work for others.  This post is meant to help you disseminate if there are similarities between what I experienced  and what you could be experiencing or have experienced.

So why is gut health so important and how is it tied to depression and anxiety anyway?

Most people don’t realize that 80% of your immune system is found in your gut and your gut health has a direct link to your mental health!   Your gut has trillions of microbes that work to keep your body in harmony.  When your gut balance is thrown off or compromised, it can cause havoc to your body both physically and mentally.  Eg. Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, inflammation conditions and yes, depression and anxiety.  

Last summer I started have serious gut health issues and it took me over 3 months to figure out what was causing it.  Throughout this discovering process, I suffered from severe anxiety, to the point I was having full blown panic attacks.  And I’m talking about every day, all day long to the point it was waking me out of my sleep. Now, I’m a logical person, I knew there was no reason to panic but I couldn’t control it no matter how hard I tried. If anyone has suffered from panic attacks knows, it’s hard to cope.  I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t come up for air.  I could no longer function normally anymore and it got to the point I could barely get out of bed in the morning.  

And the shocking part was all of that was tied to the bacteria in my gut being unbalanced.

So what causes the bacteria in your gut to go unbalanced?  It could be a variety of things, from chronic illness, to a bacterial infection, to a major life altering stressful event, to food poisoning, to something simple like taking antibiotics or just picking up a foreign bacteria while travelling.   What happens is the bad bacteria start to multiple (by living off, you got it!  bad process foods – i.e. sugar!)  and it slowly takes over your good bacteria.  By time you start to feel the effects of this it’s usually in the form of anxiety, depression, digestive issues or nausea (like IBS).  

So how did I overcome the depression and anxiety? I first focused on re- balancing my gut bacteria. The moment I got this under control, the panic attacks slowed down, the anxiety subsided, and the depression slowly dissipated.  It didn’t happen overnight, but within a few months I was able to get back to my normal life.  

Here was my journey to healing (without taking medication/antidepressants):

1.  I was relentless in my endeavor to overcome what I was feeling!  I refused to accept this as a ‘new normal’.  First thing I did was pushed for my doctor to get to the root cause, I didn’t accept their diagnosis at face value, and if I wasn’t happy with the results, I went for a second opinion.  I didn’t take medications without understanding the side effects. For example, acid blockers were prescribed to me however they cause heart palpitations which in turn triggered my panic attacks.  So be relentless!

2.  I found a Gastrologist who understood gut health and helped me get to the root cause of my gut health issues.  Remember depression and anxiety are just symptoms of an underlying issue!

3.  I eliminated sugar immediately.  Anyone who has followed me for a while knows I do periodic sugar detoxes.  I am trying to gear myself to get to a point that I can eliminate processed sugar completely from my diet because it really feeds the bad bacteria in your gut and causes all sorts of problems (you can see a previous blog post on the effects processed sugar has on your body)

4.  I took probiotics daily!  Even though I was already taking probiotics when all this started, the type of probiotics I was using wasn’t the right base formula for me.  After seeing a 2nd Gastrologist he helped me understand that I was using ‘foreign’ good bacteria which only die off after a couple of weeks. I ended up switching to a probiotics that contain Lactobacillus and Acidophilus which help build up your natural colony of good bacteria.

5.  I drank organic chicken bone broth multiple times a day.  Bone broth has natural properties that improve digestive and gut issues like unbalanced or leaky gut.  It contains collagen and gelatin that are rich in amino acids which help reduce inflammation.  

6.  I gave up caffeine!  This was a hard one, but I pretty much had to avoid any foods that raised my heart rate.

7.  I drank herbal teas.  Ginger, ginger and more ginger!  It was my savior!  At least for the hour or two after I drank that tea, I was able to feel somewhat calm and it allowed me to eat small quantities of food.  

8.  I started to do yoga every day. I’m an avid runner and because I was so weak, I couldn’t run, and I started to lose muscle very quickly!  I started doing Yoga, which helped with breathing and blood flow and allowed my body to relax and it really helped subside the panic attacks. There are actually poses that help with different ailments, so I focused on poses that helped with my gut issues and anxiety.

9. This was a hard one, but I talked to someone.  I’ll be honest, I felt helpless at times, frustrated beyond belief and quite honestly just sad that I couldn’t get this under control quickly.  Sharing doesn’t add to the burden, it truly lessens it so please share and talk to someone, family/friends or a health care professional when you are experiencing any form of anxiety or depression!

10.  I started reading books, for me this helped not focus on my anxiety.  Bottom line is find a hobby that works for you to help get your mind off what you are feeling.

11.  I ate foods that didn’t cause digestive problems.  I basically limited my diet to soup broth, plain white rice, bananas and a lot of herbal tea.  I did take B12 and iron supplements, along with magnesium oil and vitamin D.  All of these help to ensure you are still absorbing nutrients, which is super important when you are trying to heal your gut!

12.  Instead of antibiotics, I tried oil of oregano pills, which have natural antibiotic properties that helps kill bad bacteria.  These did help me but I will caution they were still pretty strong and they did upset my stomach so make sure you take them with food.

Well there you have it!  It’s a long list but after a few months I was able to get back to my normal self and I’m happy to say I did it naturally, without taking antidepressants!  

I hope in sharing this, it helps anyone who may be experiencing anxiety and depression or who is suffering from panic attacks to look into their gut health and push to get to the root of what’s causing it.  You are not alone, it can happen to anyone!  I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about my experience!

Thank you for allowing me to share my journey!

Sincerely,

Andria

Keep smiling :) 

[anaseski]

The Pro's on probiotics

I've been asked on numerous occasions what type of probiotics do I take, so I'm going to share with you all the different sources of probiotics and prebiotics I use. 

One thing for certain, not all probiotics are created equally!  I stay away from commercialized yogurts and yogurt drinks that claim to be full of probiotics, which in some cases they are, but they are also loaded with sugar which is just feeding your bad gut bacteria, which definitely doesn't make the probiotics most effective.

So why do I take and promote probiotics?  It's because 80% of your immune system is located in your gut.  If your gut isn't healthy, than it's hard for your mind and body to be healthy.  See my previous blog on gut health.  The bottom line is bad bacteria in your gut or an unbalanced gut flora is known to not only cause stomach issues and digestion issues, but can cause anxiety, depression and inflammation in your body.  So if you suffer from any of the above, you may want to read further!

In the pictures above are the different sources of probiotics I use depending on my routine that day.

BIO-K

I generally start my day with a large glass of warm water and lemon, this is  a great way to kick start your organs and cleans your liver.  Then I drink my bio-k mini shake.  If you follow me on instagram, you will see these mini shakes as part of my daily breakfast routine.  Why do I love bio-k?  They provide probiotics in it's naturally fermented drinkable form, that is small and easy to take with you on the go.  I split between the traditional fermented milk or the blueberry fermented rice.  The great thing about bio-k is that they have both vegan and dairy options and so many flavours to choose from.  They are also a Canadian company and I love supporting local!  These mini shakes are great to drink on their own or add to a smoothie.  Either way, you are getting 50 billion active probiotic bacteria from these fermented drinks and I can attest that this drink alone is what helped balance my gut flora.  The only down side is they need to be refrigerated so you can't travel with them.

NATURE'S WAY - OPTIMA

The first time I went on vacation after I got sick I was honestly hesitant to go because I finally had my gut issues in check and I was taking my bio-k drink's every morning and I knew I wouldn't be able to travel with them. I searched for a good travel probiotic solution and ended up giving Nature's Way - Optima a try (they came highly recommended by my local health food store).  It has 50 billion active probiotics and the best part is they didn't need refrigeration and I could travel with them.  I wasn't sure how effective they would be and was skeptical at first, but these really do help, and I mean almost instantly!  If you do travel, you know that eating out everyday can cause stomach issue and cramping, well these optima pills start to work within 30 mins to relive those issues.  What I like most about this pill is it's doesn't break down in your stomach, it's time released, so it works both in your small intestine and large intestine where the probiotics are most effective.  These pills are gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian!  I not only take these when I travel but I keep some in purse for any time of the day.  The only down side is there is some processing involved and my preference is try and take my daily probiotics in it's most natural form.  Nature's Way-Optima has a refrigerated brand as well, It's 90 billion active probiotics, and these capsules need to stay refrigerated.  These pills are great for those who can't stomach the fermented drinks.  It's a quick pill you can take either first thing in the morning or just before bed.

KEFIR

There are tons of benefits of consuming kefir regularly in the diet. It's easily digested, it cleanses the intestines, provides beneficial bacteria and yeast, vitamins and minerals, and complete proteins.

So what is Kefir exactly?  Kefir is the name of the fermented milk beverage made from “kefir grains.” What’s unique about it is that no other cultured milk product uses these grains, which is a special mixture of beneficial bacteria and yeasts that provide various health benefits. 

So what are some of the health benefits of Kefir?  It improves gut flora and overall digestive health and maintains good blood sugar levels (super important if you are diabetic).  I introduced by diabetic mom to this drink and sugar levels not only started to lower but normalize after adding this drink to her daily diet.

This is another great drink to add to your smoothies or drink on its own. I stick to the natural flavor, it tastes like plain yogurt and I always buy an organic version preferably from grass fed cows.   Just a note -  I am lactose intolerant however fermented milk or dairy doesn't bother my stomach as does regular milk or creams/cheese etc.

GTS - KOMBUCHA 

So I'm fairly new to drinking Kombucha but I'm completed addicted to this drink! Its basically a fermented tea consisting of black tea or green tea. After fermentation, kombucha becomes carbonated and contains vinegar, B vitamins, enzymes and probiotics. 

What are the benefits of Kombucha?  It has powerful antioxidants which help boost your immunity, it has anti-inflammatory properties, helps support a healthy gut, it has antibacterial properties, helps manage diabetes, great for heart health and maintains a healthy liver.  Not to mention, it tastes great!  For those carbonated pop drinkers, this one could be for you!  I've heard it's quite easy to make Kombucha at home, although I haven't tried to, but there are tons of recipes out there.   I love GTS Kombucha, there are lots of flavors, and they are all natural ingredients.  Give it try the next time you've eaten a little too much or your stomach isn't settled.  It really works to help settle your stomach down naturally!

PREBIOTICS

So what's the deal with prebiotics?  What are they are what do they do?

Prebiotics are food's that feed the growth and activity of the good bacteria in your gut.  While your body naturally produces good bacteria, eating processed foods, stress and taking antibiotics can wipe out a good portion of our natural probiotics.  Aside from taking probiotics, it's just as important to feed those probiotics with prebiotic foods.  This will make the probiotics stronger and build the colony of good bacteria in your gut to be strong and promote a health immune system.  What foods have prebiotics?  Although there are supplements out there, I'm a big believer in trying to get your nutrients from natural foods first.  Here is a list of foods high in prebiotics that you can easily add to your daily diet:

Raw Chicory Root - you can find this herbal teas

Raw Artichokes - you can find this in your local grocery store

Raw Dandelion Greens - you can add this to your salads or drink dandelion tea

Raw Garlic - You can add this to your diet by adding raw garlic to home made guacamole, or hummus or just finely chop it up and add it to salads or to cooked pasta

Raw Leeks - you can incorporate this into any dish as a topper or in any salad

Raw Onions or cooked onions - well this one is pretty easy to incorporate into any meal!

Raw asparagus - I actually started to eat my asparagus raw once I learned it's powerful prebiotic state!  I just chop it up and add it to my daily salad.

Bananas - another easy food to add your daily routine, you can just eat a banana whole or add it to your smoothie

Well there you have it, my list of both pro and prebiotics!  I hope you find this blog helpful in choosing what probiotics are best for you!  Remember, If 80% of your immune system is in your gut, how you feel is directly related to what you eat.

You are what you eat!

[anaseski]

Sugar you ain’t so sweet

One of the biggest changes I made on my food journey was eliminating processed / refined sugars. This was no easy task, and the only way I could do this effectively was to eliminate processed foods from my diet. They are filled with refined sugars, both disclosed on the label and often times hidden!  To give you an idea of just how many types of sugars there are out there that could appear on a processed food label, women’s health magazine published this full list.   

Once I realized that the foods that I ate often, like ‘healthy’ cereals, granola bars and yogurts were full of multiple types of these sugars I had no problem giving them up.  The best part is I didn’t have to give up on the foods I love to eat, I didn’t have to give up on bread or pasta or even cookies, I just stopped buying them from the store and made my own. I struggled for a long time trying to find sliced sandwich bread for my son that didn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup, and I couldn’t find one! 

So why is refined sugar so bad for you?

Your body can’t digest it - and what your body can’t digest, it turns into fat!

It’s a chemical that has no nutritional value - there are absolutely no health benefits to eating sugar and it’s just wasted and empty calories 

It INCREASES your appetite - Yes!  the more sugar you eat, the more  you are feeding the bad bacteria which controls your brain’s ability to feel full and you end up craving it more.

As soon as you eat sugar, it immediately causes inflammation to your body - which contributes to chronic inflammatory diseases like:  Arthritis, Asthma, Allergies, Heart disease, Stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, Depression, Cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease, Autoimmune disease…just to name a few!

It feeds the bad bacterial in your gut - Sugar is the MAIN diet for bad bacteria, they feed off it, it makes them stronger and when they are stronger, they can take over your body, brain and your immune system (see #3)

It increases your risk of cancer - Just like bad bacteria there is a direct link to sugar and cancer cell growth.  

Wow, does this mean you can never eat sugar again?  No it doesn’t.  I eliminated 90% of added sugar from my diet.  I still eat fruit (which contains natural sugar) I use (limited to baking) natural sugars like Raw Organic Honey, Organic Maple Syrup and Unrefined sugar cane and I eat organic dark chocolate. 

How did I do it? It’s a hard habit to break and it’s a lifestyle change, not a diet.  I started by eliminating all processed foods from my diet, I make everything myself this way I know what’s in it.  What I buy, I make sure it’s organic and there is no sugar added. I read labels and look for whole, simple ingredients.  I limit my sugar (even natural) and eat a very balanced diet of whole organic foods.  I detox regularly and most importantly, I do not substitute for artificial sweeteners which are just as bad (if not worse) than sugar. 

“Sugar…you ain’t so sweet after all”

Andria

[anaseski]

“Let food be thy medicine…

Got a headache?   An upset stomach?  Having trouble sleeping?  These are all fairly common ailments that most of us feel on occasion.   I used to be that person that would reach for the over the counter remedy at the onset of one of those ailments. What I didn’t realize at the time, is that the over the counter medication, albeit effective, was causing other health problems.  

When I started on my clean eating journey part of healing my body was finding natural ways to treat some of those common ailments and herbal teas played a huge roll in that. 

Here are my favourite teas that I use for some of the most common ailments:

Nausea / motion sickness - Ginger Tea is very effective for calming your stomach when you feel ill.  Ginger helps relive motion sickness, nausea and it’s anti-inflammatory properties relax the muscles.  It’s a perfect drink before bed to help relax you and reduce anxiety.   Chamomile Tea is also super effective for nausea and relaxes the body to help you sleep better.  I often combine the two and have a ginger/chamomile tea at the onset of nausea or upset stomach.

Menstrual Cramps / heavy bleeding - Ok this one is for any ladies who suffer from painful period cramps or heavy menstrual bleeding.  I was a life long sufferer until I discovered Raspberry Leaf Tea.  This tea is full of antioxidants and minerals and naturally helps tone and tighten the pelvic muscles assisting in relieving cramps and helps reduce heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding.  This tea has become a lifesaver for me!

Headaches - Peppermint Tea / Ginger Tea - both are effective in relieving headaches due to their anti-inflamatory properties.  You can drink either tea at the onset of a headache and watch it disappear.  It’s important to also stay hydrated, drink lots of water, often dehydration causes headaches!

Insomnia/trouble sleeping - I posted about this tea a week ago.  Lemon Balm Tea has been so effective for me when I’m having trouble relaxing and falling asleep.  Lemon balm is a natural sleep aid that has calming properties that help you sleep soundly.  And most importantly, it’s non addictive, like most sleep aids!  A perfect tea before bed to help you catch those much needed zzzzzzzzzz’s!  

Anxiety - Everyone feels this at some point in their life.  Some get it more severely than others. What I learned is anxiety is often triggered by your gut.  If you can keep your gut flora balanced you can control that anxiety. So many herbal teas can help reduce anxiety - ginger tea, chamomile tea, lemon balm tea.  All these teas have natural calming effects on your stomach which in turns relieves the anxiety you are feeling! 

Common cold symptoms - Lemongrass tea is full of antioxidants that help boost your metabolism!  It helps relieve cold and flu symptoms and even helps reduce coughing!  

Indigestion - We’ve all had indigestion after a big meal!  Peppermint tea, Lemongrass tea and Ginger tea are all beneficial to relieve indigestion.  Peppermint tea is so soothing, it almost immediately relives heartburn and indigestion.  I often mix  ginger and lemongrass together when I have eaten too much.  I helps settle the stomach and relieves bloating.

These teas have been so effective for me in healing some of these common ailments.  One tea I didn’t talk about but I do drink almost every day is Green Tea.  I drink this for preventative measures because it’s loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have a powerful and positive effect on your body.  It burns stomach fat, improves brain function, the high source of antioxidants can lower the risk of cancer and it’s great for heart health.  I love this tea!  

These teas work wonders for me and I wanted to share in case it can help, even just 1 person, feel better naturally without having to take medication.   Do you use herbal teas as a natural remedy?   If so, I would love to hear about which teas work best for you.

…and medcine be thy food”

Andria

[anaseski]

Shopping for Organic Groceries - Tips and Tricks

When I turned to organic foods 3 years ago, finding everyday groceries was a big struggle.  The big grocery chains only had a small selection and their variety of produce and meats was limited.  A lot has changed in 3 short years.  Organic food has been around for a long time, but consumers are getting more savvy and are putting pressure on the food industry to clean up.  Even though they have a very long way to go, the selection of local organic produce, dairy and meats is more readily available and more importantly, more cost effective.

When I started buying organic foods my grocery bill was astronomical, but over the years, prices have come down as there is way more demand for quality, clean food.

Nevertheless, it’s still more costly than buying non-organic and not everyone can afford to spend that extra $50-$100 on  their weekly groceries.  And the reality is that organic foods don’t have the same shelf life as non-organic.  So you need to use what you buy fairly quickly.   I have developed some of my tips and tricks to navigate shopping organic and how to get the best bang for your buck.

Don’t buy all your organic groceries at one store - Yes it’s more convenient to shop in one place but you will never find the wide selection of organic foods in 1 store. I have my top 3 grocery stores I go to, and I spread out my shopping between them all.  (1. Farmboy / 2. Wholefoods / 3. Loblaws or RealCanadian Superstore).

Spread your shopping throughout the week - organic food doesn’t have as long as a shelf life as non-organic foods so I don’t do 1 massive shopping each week, I spread it out over 3 times a week.

Look for sales!  New sales tend to start on the weekend, so I look for the items I need to replenish and when they go on sale I run out and pick them out.  Check your local flyers or go online to the stores websites for the deals of the week.

Timing is everything!  Fresh food shipments usually come on Tue/Wed.  I shop on Saturday for sale items and Tue/Wed for fresh food items.  

Don’t buy your meat prepackaged from the refrigerated section of the store.  Go to the butcher and ask for the freshest meat.  They will always accommodate and you know you are getting the most freshest meat and it’s no different in price than what’s in the refrigerated bins.

Not all organic is created equally.  Be mindful that no all organic is certified!  Check the labels, look for ‘certified organic’ symbols both for Canada and USA.  

Beware of organic fish.  Fish is either caught wild, or farmed. Any fish labelled as organic, is still farmed just fed an organic diet and not given antibiotics.   I don’t buy my fish from the big chain grocery stores, instead I go to fish market and look for wild caught fish.

Buy what you can afford.  It’s hard to be 100% completely organic.  If you have to choose, buy your fruits, veggies, meats and dairy organic. I stay away from organic processed foods, and just make my own food.  

Buy directly from suppliers!  Find local organic farms, often you can purchase right from them and avoid the middle man!

Buy seasonal and buy local!  As much as you can buy what’s in season and buy local, its more cost effective, better for the environment and you are helping your own local economy thrive.  The more people who support local farmers, the more demand, the more they will grow, then prices will go down.

Well there you have it!  My top ten tips for buying organic groceries. I would love to hear some of your tips and tricks?  Share with me here or on my IG page!

Happy shopping!

[anaseski]

The importance of Self Care

Pursuing a career and raising a family are two full time jobs that will add stress to anyone’s life!  

Stress affects your body, your thoughts, your feelings, your behaviour and your health.  It’s important to identify the stress points throughout your day in order to find ways to self care in order to remove as much of the stress as possible!

Here is how I identified my stress points:

Everyone morning I get up, check my emails (1st stress point), do my hair, apply my make up, then wake up my son.  I make us breakfast, pack our lunches and get him off to school.  On my way to work, while I’m stuck in traffic (2nd stress point) I think about the emails I read in the morning and how I am going to prioritize my day.  When I get to work, I race to the elevator watching the clock (3rd stress point) because I know I’m running late.  I finally get to my desk, start my laptop and run to my first meeting.  My first meeting is a daily stand up where we share issues and breakdowns (4th stress point).  I spend the next 3 hours in back to back meetings and by 12:30pm I realized I have not taken a break or eaten anything (5th stress point).  I take a quick 30 min lunch at my desk, while checking and responding to emails (6th stress point).  I spend the afternoon in more meetings and try to multi task and respond to emails (7th stress point).  By 3pm I’m watching my phone waiting for my son to text me.  I call him between meetings to see how his day at school is and make sure he does his homework.  By 4:30pm I’m mentally exhausted and can’t wait to go home.  I start to think about what I’m going to make for dinner (8th stress point).  I finally pack up my laptop, bring home documents I know I will need to review or work on at home (9h stress point).  I head out into typical Toronto standstill traffic (10th stress point).  I finally get home, drop all my stuff, and head straight to the kitchen and start making dinner (11th stress point).  After dinner I clean up the kitchen, help my son with any homework he didn’t finish.  I finally get upstairs to get out of my work clothes, take a quick shower and then fire up my laptop and work for the remainder of the night (12th stress point).  I finally head to bed, completely exhausted and try and sleep but my mind is usually racing with things I need to do the next day (13th stress point).  At some point I finally fall asleep and I wake up and repeat!

Wow, 13 Stress points!  Something needed to change and change fast!

Here are my tips of how I removed some of that stress by focusing on self care:  

Clean eating / Eating organic - as you may already know I started this blog to share my clean eating journey.  This 1 step alone almost single handily changed my health for the better.  Eliminating processed foods, eating organic and taking daily probiotics has been instrumental in my self care process.

Don’t bring your work home with you - There are times its unavoidable but  I no longer do this on a daily basis.  And I don’t check my emails until I get into the office in the morning.

Be organized and plan ahead - I now plan out as many dinners as I can during the weekend so I have quick meals to cook when I get home.  I also pack lunches at night saving me from rushing around in the morning. 

Delegate and ask for help - I spend a lot of time in meetings when I don’t really need to be there.  I have learned to delegate and ask for help where it’s needed.  That goes for home too!  It’s ok to ask your partner or kids for help!  

Take time for yourself - it’s not selfish to find something you love to do that’s just for you!  I started this blog because I love cooking and sharing the things that helped me get healthy (both physically and mentally). 

Exercise - yup!  It really is a must.  Instead of working at night I spend 30 mins running, it’s so liberating to put on my music and run outdoors, breathing in fresh air, clearing my mind from everything that happened that day.  There are so many physical benefits and mental benefits to regular exercise.  

Detoxing - I detox my body regularly.  It’s hard to eat clean 100% of the time and there are tons of toxins in our environment that our bodies absorb.  It’s so important to detox your liver which I do regularly through my detox smoothie, but I also use magnesium oil daily.  Magnesium naturally removes toxins from your body and it naturally calms nerves, reduces anxiety, relives muscle aches, prevents migraines…the list goes on and on!

Organic Skin care - When I started eating clean, I also changed my beauty care products.  The majority of cosmetics and skin care are full of toxins that you absorb daily.  I ditched those anti wrinkle, anti aging creams and use Organic Rose Hip Oil.  Its a natural moisturizer which adds essential oils back to your skin, It’s full of antioxidants which combat free radicals that cause damage and it’s full of Vitamin A which helps improve skin tone.  If you look great, you feel great!

Organic Herbal Tea - There are so many benefits to drinking herbal tea!  I use it as a natural remedy for common ailments.  It’s become a huge part of my clean eating and healthy lifestyle.  Just make sure you find a good organic brand!

Vitamin D - Especially in the winter.  If you can’t get it naturally from the sun, I take Vitamin D drops daily.  It improves your bone health but also improves your mood!

Sex - (My husband will be happy to hear this!). But yes, there are so many benefits to an active sex life.  It releases endorphins which make you naturally happy.  It improves your immune system, lowers your blood pleasure, it counts as exercise, helps you sleep, eases stress…the list goes on.  Not to mention, it keeps your emotional relationship strong with your partner! 

Follow your dreams - It’s so important that what you do everyday is something you love to do, it’s never too late to follow your dreams! I started this blog on that journey to follow my dreams and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

Surround yourself with love -  I spend quality time with my family and friends and I removed the negative energy and drama from my life.  It’s so important to your well being to surround yourself with love!

Well there you have it, my 13 tips to self care!  It has significantly reduced my stress and most importantly has increased by ability to handle stress!   

I would love to hear from you and what are your tips to self care?  

“Always trust your instincts, say exactly what you mean, don’t be a people pleaser, never put yourself down, never give up on your dreams, don’t be afraid to say no, don’t be afraid to say yes, be kind to others, be kind to yourself, let go of what you can’t control, stay away from drama and negativity, and most importantly LOVE”

Andria

[anaseski]

Viva Italia! 

Massimo Bruno Supper Club & Organic food!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Massimo Bruno Supper Club event in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge fan of Italian food and even though I’m Greek, I tend to gravitate towards cooking more Italian dishes.   Before the dinner event started Chef Massimo Bruno spoke a little about the history of Italian food and something he said really resonated with me - all food in Italy is ‘Organic’.  They grow food naturally, their cows are grass fed, and they don’t use pesticides on their crops and they don’t feed hormones or antibiotics to their animals.  

Hearing that brought me back to one of the first blogs I ever followed which was about a Canadian food blogger who suffered from many of the symptoms I suffered a fews years back when I got sick (see previous blog).  She was gluten and lactose intolerant and suffered from many food allergies.  The blog article was about her wedding anniversary trip to Italy and how she was expecting to suffer as it would be hard to avoid gluten and lactose. But instead,  she spent her two weeks in Italy enjoying foods that she loved and would normally not be able to eat.  Her initial thought was that maybe her intolerance had gone away, but on the return flight home on a Canadian airline, she ate a regular dish and within minutes her symptoms returned.  

We are not born with allergies or intolerances, they develop over time due to the environment and chemicals in our foods.  

In Italy she ate foods in their natural state, not manipulated by chemicals or hormones.  This revelation is what lead me to try eating local, organic and seasonal foods.  I eliminated processed foods from my diet, anything genetically modified, I stay away from north American made cheese and eliminated processed sugar.  The number one question I get asked is how do I eat like this all the time? Is it sustainable?  Well it’s difficult because the reality is I can’t eat at home every day and not everyone cooks with organic food.  But I have an 80/20 rule.  80% of the time I eat clean, organic foods.  20% of the time when I go to someone’s house I don’t worry so much about where the food comes from.  I just stay away from foods that I know are on the dirty dozen list or genetically modified foods.  The top 2 GMO foods in North America are corn and soy which is found in almost every processed food you will find at your grocery store.  When my family and I choose to eat out at a restaurant, we pick restaurants that use high quality foods and yes, even organic foods (we try and stay away from the big chains!).  There are so many great restaurants in the greater Toronto area to choose from! (Future blog!)

Chef Massimo talked about his love of Italian food, shared his passion for home made tomato sauce, Italian wine and home made cheeses.  I couldn’t wait to taste his creations in this 7 course family style dinner.  It started with homemade focaccia bread and fresh ricotta balls in a home made tomato sauce.  Ok the sauce was like liquid gold, I have never tasted a tomato sauce like that before, it was simply delicious. Next came Amalfi style eggplant parmigiana, cured beef with olive oil and lemon and trout in a mushroom cream sauce.  The eggplant parmigiana and trout literally melted in my mouth.  Then we got to the good stuff, Pasta!  He served a spaghetti with lemon sauce and basil capunti with cherry tomatoes and it was heavenly!  I could eat that all day, everyday!  The main course was braised beef short ribs in red wine, sea salted branzino (European bass) and grilled zucchini, peppers and asparagus.  Everything tasted earthy and fresh.  And just when I thought I couldn’t eat anything else, dessert was served! Usually I skip dessert (ok sometimes!) but one of the mini desserts was a chocolate soufflé and it’s a dessert I’ve been trying to master.  It was one of the best soufflés I have ever eaten!  

The dinner was accompanied with delicious organic wines provided by Tuscan Organics.  

With appetizers a Sparkling Wine - Franciacorta Saten - Riccafana (Italy)

With antipasto a White Wine - Gruner Veltliner - Weingut Heinisch (Austria) - this was a fabulous wine, definitely my favourite!

With the Pasta a Red Wine - Orma Del Diavolo, Rosso di Toscana IGT - San Jacopo (Italy)

With the main course a Red Wine - Brunello di Montaicino - San Giacomo (Italy)

Overall it was an amazing dining experience and truly inspired me to get back in the kitchen to try some new Italian creations!

A big thanks to my cousin Vesna for taking me on this Italian culinary experience!  XOXO  Viva Italia! 

“Eating Organic isn’t a trend, it’s a return to tradition” Unknown

Andria

[anaseski]

This is 40 something

Turning 40 was both turbulent and revolutionary for me!  In my 20s I could eat anything I wanted and never needed to exercise, yet I was never comfortable in my body, I was always striving to be thiner, taller and prettier.  In my 30s I could eat anything I wanted as long as I exercised and although I wasn’t comfortable in body, I was more confident and accepted how I looked.  But the 40s re-wrote all the rules. 

40 was the beginning of my clean eating journey (see my previous blog post), and the beginning of reinventing myself. 

Once I started eating clean, the shape of my body started to change, my energy levels increased, my skin looked younger and my hair looked healthier.  This was just from what I was eating!  I felt more confident, which helped me step out of my comfort zone by trying new things like running outdoors, exploring new hobbies and connecting with more friends.   And the result?  

I am more comfortable today in my body than I have ever been in my life! 

The past 15 years were about raising my family and juggling a career but the next 15 years will be about reinventing myself, exploring my passion for cooking and re-witing the rules of what it means to be a women in her midlife. 

Today is my birthday and instead of feeling another year older, I feel like this is just the beginning and the best is yet to come!

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you can dream it, you can become it.”  William Arthur Ward

[anaseski]

80% of your Immune system is located in your gut.

So what you eat plays a big role in how you feel, how your body performs and how your brain functions. When I got sick three years ago, it started with some pretty common symptoms, headaches, heartburn, acid re-flux and heart palpitations which lasted on an off for over a year.  But it slowly started to intensify to brain fog, anxiety, my stomach would swell after eating anything with gluten or dairy, my iron levels dropped dangerously low and I would break out into rashes after eating common foods that I had eaten every day.  When I went to the doctor, she put me on acid blockers and a high does of iron and that is what pushed me over the edge.

My body was shutting down.  All the good bacteria in my system was overtaken by the bad bacteria and high acid wasn’t the problem, what I didn’t have was enough acid to break down foods before they went into my digestive track. So taking the acid blockers rapidly made everything worse.  

How did my body get to this point? I thought I was eating healthy foods like yogurt, cereal, granola bars, crackers and cheese, fruits and veggies.  And I exercised regularly.  But I was eating the wrong kind of ‘healthy food’ and most of what I ate was processed foods, advertised as healthy foods, but full of chemicals and what’s worse, full of sugar.  

Sugar...I will write a separate blog on this chemical.  But it was in everything I was eating.  Even in things that said no sugar added, yet there was hidden sugar or sugar was used in the processing methods that aren’t disclosed on the label.  How does one ingredient do so much damage?  Simple, sugar is food for the bad bacteria that lives in your gut.  It feeds them, makes them stronger so they start to take over the good bacteria. Once they take over, they start to send signals to your brain that make you feel hungry, even though you are not. They make you crave all the bad food that fuels them.  

So how do you get rid of the bad bacteria?  I first tried the conventional way, antibiotics which does wipe out bacterial infections but it also killed what little good bacteria I had left.  It left me defenseless as the bad bacteria regained strength and basically took over my immune system.

That’s when I had enough, I could either end up in the hospital or take over my own health. After doing some research and reading others blogs from people who had similar symptoms, I looked for natural ways to get better.  I threw out all the processed foods from my house, sugar included.  I started drinking herbal tea, ate organic whole foods and introduced probiotics into my daily routine.

By day 3, I started to feel significantly better, my colour started to come back.  I felt a more energetic.  I could eat something small without feeling sick.  And that was after only 3 days!  After a week on probiotics I almost felt back to normal!  I started to focus my energy on finding organic produce, meats and dairy and slowly started to introduce these foods back into my daily routine and I didn’t experience any of the symptoms I was having earlier.  The anxiety went away, the heartburn...gone, the indigestion disappeared and my iron levels started to go back to normal.  I had my appetite back and that is where my love of cooking began.  Although I always loved to cook, but this was different.  I wasn’t just cooking, I was creating dishes, playing with simple flavours and making them taste great.  I learned new recipes and made things the old me would just buy for convenience.

3 years later, cooking has turned into a passion.  I feel 10 years younger and I have not only lost weight on this clean eating journey, but I sustained it without ever dieting. I eat 3 full meals a day, I snack, I never feel that hunger pain and I don’t deprive myself of foods I love.  I detox regularly (another blog topic to come!), I cook with organic,whole foods and I take my probiotics daily and most importantly, I feed those probiotics with pre-biotic foods (such as raw asparagus, onions, garlic etc).  It has truly been an eye opening experience.  

Just one note, not all probiotics are created equally.  I found the pill format didn’t work as well for me.  I use fermented milk which is a more natural way to get probiotics.  I also drink kefir and eat other fermented foods.  

"The food you eat can be either the safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison” Ann Wigmore

Andria

[anaseski]

Welcome to my blog!  

For my first post I wanted to share a little about myself and why I started this blog.  I’m a corporate project manager in the banking industry I work on both technical and strategic projects.  My job is high stressed and I often find myself struggling to find work life balance.  As a working Mom, my number one priority is always my family and I created this blog to share my experiences with other Mom’s who find it equally difficult to be everything to everyone.

The biggest challenge I’ve experienced is being able to find time to cook for my family.  I often relied on take out foods or processed foods.  Three years ago I became sick, to the point where everything I ate my body was rejecting.  I became gluten intolerant almost over night, I was having allergic reactions to foods that I ate regularly, and I became lactose intolerant.  I did what most people would do, I went to the doctor, did a bunch of tests that didn’t reveal anything.  I tried conventional medication but it only made me feel worse. I finally got fed up and started to research my symptoms and there was one common theme, food.  What I was eating was making me sick.  I stopped taking the medication the doctor gave me, threw out all the processed food from my house and went back to basics.  That was the beginning of my food journey and a new found love for cooking.  I began to explore clean eating, cooking simple meals with whole organic foods.  The results were astounding!  I created this blog to share my journey as I create and share recipes, share tricks and tips for simple meals that anyone can cook!  

“Let Food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

Andria