Hey guys! So, last weekend I had the opportunity to speak at Camp Shetek's Ladies Camp event... which explains this mid-sentence photo that my mom snapped of me behind a podium. :) I'm sorry you have to see me looking unenthusiastic and kinda nervous, because it was such a great time and I don't think I stopped smiling all day. I got to talk about food! (you know how I love that.) I talked about the top 10 healthy choices our family makes; the things that we've learned or have put into practice in our household that really, honestly help us. It was really fun and I loved getting to chat with the ladies and my mom and sister (who made the long trip to be there) afterwards! I thought you guys might like to see my presentation also, so here are my slides and speech:

Hey guys! So, I regularly receive emails with questions about digestion, diet, going gluten free, and gut health.. which I love. (Add in Jesus, husbands and wives, babies, homelife, etc, and you guys know practically all my favorite subjects!) By the emails, it's apparent that these topics are weighing heavily on a lot of our minds lately. And we all just love to talk to someone who will get it; someone who's been there, done that, right? I thought a new series of posts with some of the food-related FAQ's I've received might be a good idea. Hopefully this will help start beneficial conversations, spread some answers around, and share the digestive love. Thanks for even considering me as someone to ask about these things, because I know I'm just learning along with you guys. 

A bit of my history and some gut groundwork before we hit the questions--- The biggest food changes in my life happened in the first year after Hadley was born, when I was helping my own body heal from antibiotics, birth, and the toll of growing and nourishing another human being. I didn't feel like myself for months after Hadley was born, and I could tell that Hadley had some digestive issues. So, I started reading. And not caring how weird my food got. I was desperate to feel better and help my baby, and I feel like in our culture, that's what it takes. It takes really feeling bad or really being concerned about your baby to embrace the gravity of gut health and make any real sacrifices/changes when it comes to food.

Basically, to squeeze a whole lot of research into one tiny nutshell, here's what I learned and what guides my thinking today: Gut health = Whole health.  Once I understood the concept of the gut being the "second brain" of the body, everything made so much sense. The gut (the 25 feet of intestinal tract inside you) plays a gigantic role in your overall well being. The 3 main jobs of your gut are: a) digestion of foods and conversion into vitamins b) absorption of nutrients and c) prevention of toxins from entering the bloodstream. The gut is at the heart of whole health and, as Hippocrates (Greek scientist and father of Western medicine) said, "all disease begins in the gut." Knowing that, here's how I approach the pursuit of gut health:
1. Eating real, whole, nutrient-dense foods, prepared in a way that your body can digest them.
2. Healing any damage in the lining of the gut to prevent toxic substances from leaking out into the blood stream, and also to enable your body to absorb and use nutrients properly.
3. Establishing and then maintaining a good balance of bacteria in the gut, which enables proper digestion and allows your body's immune system to function correctly.

Now on to some email questions from readers and friends.

1. What is the GAPS diet? GAPS stands for "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and it is a temporary healing protocol that you can follow anywhere from a couple months to 2 years in order to heal chronic disease, severe allergies, mental illness, digestive problems, yeast overgrowth, depression, constipation, eczema, bloating, and countless other symptoms and disorders. The diet is free of grains, starches, and refined sugars, and rich in healing bone broth, fermented foods/drinks, healthy fats, proteins, veggies, and fruit.*
*fruit- some of you may remember reading that for a few months I didn't eat any fruit. I'll explain why in the next post in this series!

2. When did you start the GAPS diet? I didn't start GAPS until after Hadley was born. She was a couple months old when I started cutting out dairy, gluten, sugar, and other yeast-feeding foods. Then, about a month into eating that way, I read about the GAPS diet and decided that was what I needed. The idea of taking stress off my body by way of what I eat and healing it with real, nourishing food was immediately appealing to me. I was breastfeeding, so I completely skipped the Intro Diet. I found a helpful, simple list of recommended foods and foods to avoid while on the Full GAPS diet, and basically just jumped on board and based all of my meals around that.

3. Did you have a particular health issue that motivated you to try GAPS or was it simply to get healthy? I was motivated to do the GAPS diet because after Hadley was born I took an antibiotic and I could tell that it had thrown my body out of whack. I was not recovering well and struggling with all sorts of symptoms related to a yeast overgrowth. So, a yeast imbalance was one of the main reasons, as well as Hadley's digestion issues (gas, colic, thrush, cradle cap). Also, bloating and constipation were both an underlying, lingering thing for me for years. I knew my gut needed repleinshing with good bacteria and healing as well. And yes, I did see major success by changing my diet! There were huge improvements (practically immediately) for both Hadley and myself.

4. Did either you or Grant do the Intro Diet? I did not, because it's not recommended while nursing. The limitations of the Intro diet make it difficult to take in enough calories for you and a growing baby. Grant did his own modified version of the Intro Diet, I would say. He really focused on lots and lots of healing bone broth. But his situation was such that there were many things that, according to the GAPS protocol, were "OK" for him to start incorporating, but in reality they didn't sit well with him at all. So he experimented on his own to find foods that worked for his system and continued to tailor things as needed. The nice thing about the GAPS diet is that it encourages you to pay attention to your own symptoms and modify things to suit your own body- and you can still see results even if you don't follow it legalistically. 

5. I'm about to order the book, but before I do, do you think it is absolutely essential to read the book, with so much info available on the internet? The book. Great question! For me, the book wasn't essential. I'm sure I could have followed the diet protocol more accurately and precisely with the book by my side, and I know I would enjoy learning all that it has to offer, but at that time in my life (nursing a newborn and feeling completely overwhelmed), I had no time or energy to read a book. I felt like I was barely hanging on, and I was desperate to just start making changes. I started looking around for helpful blogs and googling tons of stuff, and was able to (in my opinion) glean enough to go on. :) I'm sure I did things "wrong" all along the way, but the basic principles made sense to me and I felt like I could follow the idea of Full GAPS diet to the best of my ability without reading the book, and I wanted to see where that got me. The outcome was that I was seeing results, feeling better overall, feeling great about what I was eating, and I had peace that the Lord would bring insight to me as I needed it. If you are interested in seeing some of the blogs that were (super, super) helpful to me, here are 4 of my favorites! 



Anyone interested in these foodie topics like me? Yay! I thought so. And some people are understandably skeptical. I get that, too. Are you thinking this whole gluten-free thing is a trend? Or you're wondering why everyone claims to have food allergies today? For a really, really awesome read, you should check out Chrystal's Love Your Guts post. Her family's story is incredible (and so is she). I love what she says right here:

"When you consider how connected our gut is to the function of every part of our body, it makes sense that you’d want it to be in tip top shape. And trading in some of our comfort foods for less inflammatory, more nutrient-dense versions seems like a small price to pay for a lifetime of feeling WELL."

While the men were out hunting deer last weekend at our annual family Deer Hunting get-together, all of us sisters-in-law were back at camp making food, minding kids, talking, snacking, and we somehow found a few spare minutes to mix up this homemade mouthwash. It's super easy, refreshing, and minty-yummy. I'm not normally a mouthwash person, but I'm kind of hooked on this.

We followed this recipe from The Nourished Life, although we didn't have all of the essential oils it called for and ours still turned out nice. The great thing about this mouthwash is the ingredients it's made from. Not only do they freshen your breath, they can help remineralize, whiten, and protect your teeth. And, of course, we all liked that it doesn't have any of the fake sweeteners or chemical additives that are in ordinary store-bought mouthwashes.

Disclaimer: As you guys can probably guess, I'm super interested in foodie stuff and do quite a bit of reading about nourishing and caring for our bodies. I wish I blogged about health & nutrition more, and will probably start doing some posts on these topics soon, because I usually get a few emails a week with questions about gut health, digestion, food issues, etc. But I struggle with how I want this information to be perceived via a blog post. I don't like to play doctor. I'm not an expert. I just like to learn. I don't want it to seem like I'm presenting my experience as the standard or my views as the ideal. I'd rather just feel free to share things here that have been helpful for me, with the hope that they may be helpful to someone else. Like we're chatting across the kitchen table. 

With that being said, here are a few supplements that have been beneficial in my life, in my family, in my body. And I'm willing to share them with you because I know you'll accept them as just that! 







1. Organic 3 Gut Pro probiotic powder. I like to eat fermented foods/drinks because they tend to have a wider spectrum and larger volume of probiotic strains, but I do take this supplement as well. It's a convenient way to pack in an extra punch of beneficial bacteria. And, with another human being inside me, I can't get too much of those good guys right now. I like this probiotic in particular because it doesn't have any fillers, allergens, additives- no unnecessary ingredients. I've seen it's effectiveness in everyone in my family, and over time it ends up being one of the least expensive probiotics on the market. I take this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

2. New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin. Last time I was pregnant, I just took the prenatal vitamin someone handed me at a clinic. I had no idea what was in it. This time, I was excited to pick out my own, because I knew what I wanted. I chose this one because it's made from whole, cultured foods, it's non-GMO, and it even has a blend of sprouted seeds in it- so it's extra digestible. Plus, it's available on Amazon Prime and it never bothers my stomach a bit. I take one tablet with each meal.

3. Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil. After Hadley was born, I learned that I was very deficient in magnesium. For a great, great read on how crucial magnesium is, why it's so common to not get enough of it through our food and water, and what symptoms are related to magnesium deficiency, read this post by Cheeseslave. I love it. And I'm in love with magnesium!! I supplement with this magnesium oil, instead of a pill, because it's much more easily and efficiently absorbed via the skin (our largest organ) than the digestive system. Also, digestion changes a lot during pregnancy, which can make it even tougher to absorb magnesium from your food, multivitamins, etc. I use the oil almost daily, as I'm trying to correct my magnesium deficiency as much as I can before the baby comes, but I know that my pregnant body is currently using the bulk of nutrients I put in it and isn't able to store up much. I will still continue supplementing with magnesium oil after the baby is born. I chose this Ancient Minerals brand of magnesium oil because it's completely free of mercury, lead, arsenic, and fluoride. It works great and makes my skin so soft! There was a tingly-itchy feeling the first few times I used it, but that has gone away now. I spray it on my torso, arms, and thighs after I take a shower, leave it on for 20 minutes while I put in my contacts, dry my hair, etc, and then wipe it off with a warm cloth and put on some lotion. Make sure you moisturize the areas you put it on, because that will help with any dryness/itchiness.

On another- possibly hugely helpful- note, vitamin D and magnesium really helped tame my morning sickness! If you're interested in reading more about how morning sickness and magnesium are connected, check out this post by Wellness Mama or this post by Mommypotamus.

4. Green Pasture's Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Because I believe in healthy fats!! And I think cod liver oil is a healing superfood! I take this one because it's a fermented, raw, live food- it has not been heated. So, the life-giving nutrients (vitamins A and D, EFA/DHA, omegas) have not been destroyed by the manufacturing process. Along with magnesium, I was also deficient in vitamin D after Hadley's birth and throughout the first year of nursing, and cod liver oil is one of the best sources (after the sun- which I took full advantage of while pregnant this summer) for real, bioavailable vitamin D.

5. Naturally fermented sauerkraut -- not actually a supplement, but I think of it as something to "take" every day because it is such a nutrient-dense, probiotic and enzyme-rich, healing food. We make ours homemade, but I like this store-bought brand, too, because it's inexpensive and made using traditional methods, with only cabbage, water, and sea salt. We also like to make a sauerkraut salsa sometimes, which is a blend of cultured veggies and peppers that tastes really great with eggs for breakfast. Sauerkraut is high in B vitamins, also vitamins C and K, calcium, magnesium, fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper, and manganese. (The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients making it more nutritious and digestible than plain cabbage.) Honestly, I care the most about the live probiotic strains that are present in sauerkraut. These will help me give the baby a good start in life- a healthy and balanced gut, strong digestion, and a tough immune system. I shoot for having a spoonful (if not more) of kraut with each meal.

Whew! There you have it: all the supplements I eat/take. And if you made it through all that- you are incredible and awesome. Thanks for reading! I hope some little tidbit somewhere in there will be helpful to someone. If you have questions, please feel free to ask or write me an email! Not that I know a lot, but I'd be happy to try to answer them from my experience.


Blogged 1 year ago: Pecan Crusted Pies-- for gluten-free holiday baking
Blogged 2 years ago: Homemade Mayonnaise

A few of my Instagram friends have been doing a 3-week sugar cleanse recently and last week I decided to join them. It's a great time of year to do it! And a good break-up with sugar was just what I needed. Why did I want to do it? Because I was feeling like I needed something sweet after every meal. And I wanted to stop the cravings for bananas and chocolate chips throughout the day. I want to be free to enjoy sweet stuff when I want to, but I don't want to be a slave to it! And I could feel that coming on. I also wanted to give my body a boost to fight a bug I've had for a couple weeks. Pathogenic bacteria feeds on sugar, so it's always nice to starve it out and replenish with plenty of good bacteria (via fermented foods and a probiotic supplement) when you're fighting something.

I wasn't sure about the rules of the 21 day cleanse my friends were doing, but maybe something like this? I decided I would just make up my own plan, since I know what my normal diet is already like and my own weaknesses. We don't have any actual white sugar in our house anyway, so I knew the main things I'd be cutting out were honey, maple syrup, and fruit.

Here's what my plan/rules look like:

1. No fruit for the first week. Then slowly add back in small amounts as snacks. (Still try to hold back on dates and raisins and other super-sweet dried fruits)
2. No baked sweets, no honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar for the whole 3 weeks.
3. Only eat whole grains that have been soaked or sprouted. (brown rice, quinoa, gluten-free sprouted oats)
4. No processed stuff. (For me, this meant tortilla chips.)
5. No peanut butter, gluten, soy, or conventional dairy. (I don't eat these things anyway, but just wanted to mention that they are avoided.)
6. Eat plenty of sauerkraut to stock up on probiotics.
7. Follow these rules when I'm at home. I knew I was going to be eating meals with other people during the 3-week period, so some small cheats would be inevitable. But I still skip things that are easy to avoid- like dessert and fruit salad.

Well. There you have it. It's been going really well! The first few days were tough. Last year, I did a sugar cleanse and didn't have anything sweet, even honey or fruit, for 4 months!!! So going into this, I thought it would be a breeze. Because I had all that practice last year, you know? Nope. It was so hard. Giving up fruit felt like a huge sacrifice. Every time I went to the kitchen I felt like I had nowhere to turn without fruit! But I figured out some options pretty quickly. If nothing else, doing a cleanse like this is good for me just to get out of my snack rut and remember how much variety we have in food. I don't need an apple every afternoon. I also quickly learned that I had to make heartier snacks, with whole grains and healthy fats, to keep my energy up. The things that really came to my rescue were:

• dirty rice with an egg on top
• quinoa with super-soft kale, garlic, and a fried egg (recipe below)
• warm brown rice with coconut oil, salt, and a drizzle of almond butter
• a cup of thick squash soup with grass-fed beef and rice
• almonds and cashews
• celery slathered with almond butter

Overall I feel really good. Even in between meals! I always feel good when I'm eating nourishing food and keeping sugar in it's rightful place; as a treat. And I've gotten to the point now where I'm fine with just a bit of fruit here and there, so that's a good sign! How are you guys feeling about sugar lately? I think I may do this more often!

Hi guys! Just had to pop in one more time today to share this. I've been listening on and off to the Healthy Life Summit 2013. (It's hosted by Ann Marie from Cheeseslave.) If you are at all interested in food, healthy babies and kids, your body, healthy lifestyle/world, etc, you might love this. It's all streaming for free this week! Each day, there's a new handful of speakers on a bunch of interesting topics. For example, today you can learn about...

do-it-yourself butchering and charcuterie
grain-free eating + how to stock your kitchen
healing your hormones
baby food
childhood illnesses
losing weight
what's up with GMO's

Just wanted to let you know! In the words of my friend Katie (who is tuned into the Summit with me): Yay for free education!!

Someone once asked me on formspring what do I splurge on? I've never forgotten this question. I'm not a big spender and I don't splurge on much... Honestly, I am really cheap. I enjoy saving and investing, and the sort of shopping I really like is thrifting, clearance racks, and leaving the store feeling like I got a great deal. I'm the type of girl who feels burdened to make every penny count towards something sensible. And I'm a sucker for practical gifts.