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About Toni Sicola
I'm a wellness professional with a Master's in Integrative Health, passionate about spreading health, happiness and personal fulfillment to as many people as possible. I have a professional background in health and wellness, dietary supplements, and nutrition, and embark every day to live a well, balanced, happy life. In being true to myself and what I seek in life, I hope to inspire others to do the same, to cultivate wellbeing in their own lives.

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Author: Toni Sicola

SIBO-Friendly Ratatouille [RECIPE]

July 19, 2017Recipes, SIBO-Friendly Recipes, Side Dishsibo-friendlyToni Sicola

One of the perks of getting to attend the Biocodex Foundation Kickoff event was experiencing the amazing food in Paris. On our second night, we were treated to a beautiful meal at Les Deux Magots, an iconic Parisian treat with an up close and personal view of the oldest cathedral in Paris. (When I told my friend who lives in Paris that we were going there for dinner, his response was, “Fancy pants.” I’ll take it!)My last course of the evening — lamb saddle on a bed of house made ratatouille — is what inspired today’s recipe. I’ll go ahead and say up front that virtually nothing in this multi-course meal was “SIBO-friendly” — especially the dessert platter — but this dish was pretty close. I worked around the onions, but I know I ate a lot of garlic. That being said, I put my entire protocol on hiatus for the week that I was in France. I won’t say I went completely nuts — I did what I could to choose wisely — but there was no way that I was going to be there and not enjoy fresh baked goods or the amazing cultural delicacies this beautiful country has to offer. To be honest, I didn’t experience any digestive consequences until the very last full day. And I view that as a testament to how diligent I’d been before going. BUT, I digress…

Here’s the main course, paired with a perfect Rhone from Chateau La Borie:

Why is this a SIBO-Friendly Recipe?

This is a SIBO-friendly recipe because it features vegetables that are allowable in “unlimited” quantities: eggplant, peppers, yellow squash, tomatoes, capers, and olives. I also left out the major offenders: garlic and onions, which are traditionally included. I chose to use yellow squash instead of zucchini, because while zucchini is allowable in certain quantities, I wanted this to be a recipe that those dealing with SIBO could enjoy without measuring anything. And also because I just picked those glorious yellow delights from my backyard garden and wanted to use them! That being said, if you prefer zucchini, feel free to switch it out, bearing in mind that a serving is 3/4 cups. Check out my SIBO Diet Short List for a list of other veggies you can eat “unlimited” on the SIBO Diet, along with some helpful cooking guidelines and a list of resources from experts in the field.

The trick with converting a garlic or onion-heavy dish to a SIBO-friendly version is to make smart substitutions. To do this, I employed lots of green onions (allowable without the white part) and then topped the dish off with garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, which is SIBO-legal. And I added them both at the end of the cooking process to ensure that the they retained as much of their flavor as possible.

SIBO-friendly Cheese

If you don’t have dairy allergies, hard cheeses that have been aged for at least one month are acceptable on the SIBO Diet. I was thrilled to find an adorable cheese shop in Bordeaux that vacuum-sealed customer purchases so that they would remain fresh and in-tact on a transatlantic flight. They were also kind enough to let me hang out and take some pictures of the goods. It was very very difficult to narrow down my purchases, but I did end up with a truffle-infused Pecorino that I grated on top of my SIBO-friendly Ratatouille to add double the umami. It was truly a divine addition.

Cooking on High Heat

I cooked my SIBO-friendly Ratatouille mostly on high heat, because I started the process a little later than I’d intended, and I wanted to get dinner on the table at a decent hour. It turned out great and ended up becoming a 30-minute meal, which works out for all of us, but it’s important that you use the right cooking oil if you plan to follow my lead. I used avocado oil, which is able to withstand high temperatures much better than EVOO.

These days, if I want an olive oil flavor, I usually cook with something else (like water, avocado oil, or ghee) and then add in some EVOO as a topper once I turn off the fire. This way, I get the flavor and nutrients without risking burning the oil and turning it from healthful to carcinogenic. Consider practicing that in your next few meals and see how it goes. It might take a little bit of an adjustment, but it will be worth the health benefits. And if you have a really good olive oil, you’ll likely notice that you taste more of the olive oil flavor while using less of it in your food.

More Food Pics!

I thought about using this post to share more exciting food pics from my trip to France, but then I realized that since most of them aren’t SIBO-friendly, that would kind of be cruel. SO, if you’d like to check out some of the glorious treats that I enjoyed (or at least enjoyed photographing), head over to my Instagram and flip your way through. There are some real works of art from Bordeaux in particular that you should check out.

SIBO Friendly Ratatouille

2017-07-07 12:09:09

Serves 4

This recipe is a mix of all SIBO Diet-approved veggies and spices, while still remaining delicious and satisfying. It also includes gut-supportive bone broth and nutrient-dense fresh herbs.

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

3 tbs avocado oil [Buy avocado oil]
1 large eggplant
1 large yellow squash or zucchini (the one I used was so big I had to core it -- if yours are smaller, consider adding 2 or 3)
1 bell pepper (I used orange)
1/2 cup bone broth (Mine was homemade and pre-salted. You can adjust your salt based on how salty your own broth is)
2 cups POMI strained or chopped tomatoes [Buy POMI]
2 tbs capers
8-10 black olives
1 full bunch scallions (green part only)
1 cup loose fresh chopped herbs (I used fresh oregano, sage, and parsley from the CWB garden)
1-2 tsp Real Salt or pink salt
2 tbs garlic-infused EVOO [Buy garlic-infused EVOO]

Instructions

Cube all the veggies
Chop scallions and fresh herbs (and set aside)
Heat a very large frypan before adding avocado oil on medium heat
Add cubed eggplant, squash, and pepper
Stir to ensure that all veggies are exposed to the heated oil and turn up the heat to high
Stir in bone broth and cover for 5 minutes
Uncover and stir in tomatoes
Cook on high, stirring regularly for another 15 minutes (reducing things down)
Coarsely chop the olives while everything is cooking
Add in capers and olives
Once all veggies are softened, turn off the heat and add in the freshly chopped scallions and herbs)
Finish with 2 tbs garlic-infused EVOO (or drizzle on individual servings)

Notes

This dish is amazing served warm as a side dish or as a base for 1/2 a cup of white rice or quinoa and a delicious cut of meat. You can also eat it cold as a Sicilian-style caponata with SIBO-approved rice crackers once you reach that phase of your protocol.

By Toni Sicola

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

FTC DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive monetary compensation for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. All opinions are my own.

How I Arrived at a SIBO Diagnosis (and what I’m doing about it)

July 12, 2017Nutrition and HealingToni Sicola

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with SIBO. That’s right, the blogger who loves to talk about gut health has a gut problem. SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) is actually exactly what it sounds like — bacteria are living in your small intestine that shouldn’t be there. Whether it’s the “good” kind that propagate to aid in digestion and immune function in your large bowel, or the “bad” kind that can make you sick, bacteria do not tend to colonize a healthy small intestine.

So what happened? How did I get SIBO?

Because there’s no test for tracing this problem backwards, I can only guess how those little bugs crept their way into the wrong place. I’ll be hypothesizing, but my ideas are based on my Naturopath’s input, the research I’ve done on the topic, conversations with my father-in-law who’s a Gastroenterologist, and my experience of the onset of symptoms.

Factor 1: I went off of hormonal birth control (HBC) for the first time in 11 years, which affected my sleep, my ability to cope, and very likely disrupted my microbiome. It definitely did a number on my weight (I gained about 10 pounds, and shedding even one ounce felt impossible), and it reintroduced PCOS symptoms that I hadn’t dealt with in years (like unwanted hair growth, back-ne, and the weight) — very disheartening.

Factor 2: 2016 was quite possibly the most stressful year of my life. I worked two jobs, one of which was a relatively high-demand early stage start-up, and in allowing work to take over my life, I de-prioritized my health. Stress in and of itself is a risk factor for SIBO, as it disrupts the production of gastric juices and has been shown to impair motility (the movement of the bolus, or digesting ball of food, from the small to the large intestine). These two factors end up creating two potential problems:

Poorly digested food stays in the small intestine for too long, resulting in putrefaction (gross), which causes bacterial growth in the small bowel.
Bacteria migrates upward from the large intestine, due to a loose or imperfectly sealed ileocecal valve (the valve that separates the small and large intestine) and results in overgrowth in the small bowel.

Factor 3: Being overly stressed negatively affected my food choices and my ability to maintain my normal self-care routine. Although I was taking Dexter for regular morning walks, I all but stopped lifting weights and couldn’t keep a consistent climbing schedule for months on end.

Factor 4: I wasn’t getting enough sleep (or sleeping well). I was having trouble turning my brain off at night, I’d wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, or I’d wake up feeling exhausted.

If you’ve read my gut health series, Why Gut Health Matters, you already know how stress, food choices, exercise, and sleep can impact the gut. So those are my best guesses as to what allowed SIBO to take hold for me.

What changed?

I started seeing a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) over a year ago in an attempt to mitigate the potential hormonal hiccups that could arise from going off of HBC. I had started taking HBC back in college to control my PCOS symptoms, and since I’d had such great success clearing my acne with bone broth, I was pretty confident that it was safe to stop taking it.

I was wrong.

In the first six months after stopping HBC, my back started breaking out, I experienced random, intense headaches, I gained those 10 lbs, and I was feeling constantly fatigued, yet having trouble falling asleep. AND all the hair that I’d paid thousands of dollars to get laser-removed came back (in places where women aren’t supposed to have hair: neck, jaw line, chest, belly, and extending down my leg from the bikini line. No bueno.)

My goal with my ND was to keep my skin and hair issues at bay through nutritional supplements, herbs, and a healthy diet and lifestyle. But after a year of trying just about everything (and spending hundreds of dollars on supplements), nothing changed. I was still 10 lbs heavier and much hairier than I wanted to be, with no signs of improvement on the horizon.

My ND, who specializes in women’s fertility issues, was befuddled by my lack of response to the interventions she was employing. The interventions we were trying were effective with nearly all of her PCOS clients, and she was concerned that I was having an absorption problem. This prompted the conversation that something gut-related was at play.

What are the symptoms of SIBO?

I was experiencing near-constant gas and bloating, feeling puffy, occasional intestinal cramping, and frequent trips to the bathroom.

Other symptoms include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Constipation
Malnutrition (malabsorption, as I was experiencing)
Weight loss
Joint pain
Fatigue
Rashes
Acne
Eczema
Asthma
Depression
Rosacea

(I pulled that list from Dr. Axe’s website https://draxe.com/sibo-symptoms/)

Testing for SIBO

The best way to test for SIBO is to do a breath test. It’s kind of an involved process, because you have to alter your diet 24 hours in advance to ensure that the test is accurate, but it’s worth it if you suspect you might have SIBO. There are a few options out there, but I did the Aerodiagnostics Breath Test. My results came back positive for both types of bacteria, but were far higher for the type that produces hydrogen gas. Bacteria that produce hydrogen gas can cause diarrhea, while those that produce methane can cause constipation. (That’s why both symptoms are cause for concern.)

It all boils down to INFLAMMATION

The underlying problem that causes this array of symptoms is the inflammation that SIBO creates in the gut. When bacteria is living where it doesn’t belong in the intestinal tract, it irritates the lining, causing leaky gut and the host of issues that follow. (You might remember this infographic from my gut series.)

–click to view larger–

How to Treat SIBO

Treating SIBO requires more than a simple diet change. Nearly all professionals agree that an intervention that actively kills the offending organisms (such as an antibiotic or herbal protocol) is necessary to fully address the problem at its root. The most commonly researched antibiotic is called Rifaxamin, but it’s extremely expensive, and not all insurance carriers will agree to pay for it. (Mine rejected it twice, so I went with the herbal intervention, prescribed by my ND.)

While many conventional GI doctors don’t necessitate drastic dietary changes, most holistic practitioners (including my ND and many Functional Medicine doctors) recommend a restrictive dietary protocol that starves out (and therefore begins to kill off) the bugs in the small intestine. This diet is intended to quell symptoms, reduce inflammation, and improve the chances of success during the first pass of antibiotic treatment. It combines a Low FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols) diet, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), and the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet (Gaps Diet), which amounts to a list of foods that will inspire some creativity* in the kitchen.

*That was my nice way of expressing my frustration when I first embarked on this journey. But there’s a silver lining to everything — I’ll be sharing some of the awesome recipes I’ve come up with to accommodate the restrictions of this diet. (You can check out my Chocolate Almond Butter Cups recipe here and my Icelandic Pesto here!)

The SIBO Diet Short List

I’ve created my own abbreviated chart as a quick reference for you. It doesn’t go through every single food option out there, but I do share which fruits, veggies, and dairy options you can eat in unlimited quantities, and which starches are allowed on the diet. Since these are the main food groups that are restricted on this diet, I focused there, but I’ve also outlined protein and fat guidelines as well. My guide also includes info on the main web resources I’ve been using as I’ve made my way through this experience. You can download the PDF by clicking the image below.

SIBO can become a chronic issue that’s not easily eradicated on the first try, working through the phases of this diet can dramatically increase the chances of a successful treatment the first time through.

My Treatment Progress

Excepting my week-long hiatus in France — in which I literally ate whatever I wanted for a solid 7 days — I’ve been following the SIBO diet protocol (at about 85-90% fidelity) for almost two months now. The insurance rejection process and the Euro Trip pushed my treatment schedule back a couple of weeks, which is why I’ve gone so long on the restricted diet before taking an antibiotic (this was not ideal, but was unavoidable in my case). Most people start either herbal or conventional antibiotics much earlier than I was able to — after two weeks on the diet.

I can honestly report that I’ve felt amazing since removing the offending foods. I’ve lost 9 pounds, my “back-ne” cleared up almost entirely, I haven’t had a single headache, and I feel like a million bucks in the climbing gym — stronger with lots more energy. I’ve also been far less gassy. I can tell when I look in the mirror and by the way I feel in my clothes that I’m less inflamed and no longer bloated or puffy all the time.

I started the herbal antibiotic this week and will be on that regimen and in phase two of the SIBO diet (slightly less restricted) for the next four weeks. And then I’ll retest with that same breath test to see if there are any bugs left in my small intestine. I’m crossing my fingers that this will work on the first try!

Long-Term Plans for SIBO Patients

The SIBO diet isn’t meant to be the solution — killing the bugs is the solution — but following the diet temporarily the fastest way to get the inflammation down and begin to feel like yourself again. FODMAPs feed the good bacteria in your large intestine that keep your digestive system, your immune system, and your overall health in good working order, and long-term elimination of these foods is not by any means ideal.

Pay attention to your body, and listen to what it’s telling you. If you find that gas returns, that some of those old familiar feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, sugar cravings, or perhaps depression return, consider retesting for SIBO. You might need another round of treatment. Maintenance through a healthy, whole foods diet, adequate exercise, and most importantly, stress management is the best way to prevent SIBO relapse.

Biocodex is Setting a High Bar for Microbiome Research

July 7, 2017Nutrition and HealingToni Sicola

Through an unlikely series of events, I recently found myself in Paris at the Biocodex International Headquarters. I was there to learn about their latest endeavors in the world of microbiota research. (Gut flora — my favorite topic!)

Crazy right? I just quit my job, and then suddenly I’m in Paris for my first paid writing gig. Without going into the long backstory as to how this happened (which is not the point of today’s post), it all started when a friend shared a sample of Florastor with me. Florastor is Biocodex’s signature product, a probiotic featuring a unique strain of beneficial yeast called Saccharomycese boulardii lyo CNCM I-745.

I know, I’d never seen all those letters and numbers after a probiotic before either. It’s basically a super-specific strain of yeast that my friend’s company (Biocodex) discovered and began testing with great success in clinical trials for maintaining a healthy intestinal microbiome.

Interestingly, this product is used in hospitals all over the world and has been the subject of hundreds of clinical trials, testing its efficacy on positively impacting the gut microbiome. Being the gut health geek that I am, I swiped up those samples and encouraged my friend to check out my series Why Gut Health Matters right here on CWB.

One week later, after reading through my series, he and his team invited me to join them on the Paris trip, where I would learn about their new foundation and research institute. I couldn’t believe my ears — a trip to Paris? Yes please! Where do I sign?

I spent the next few weeks learning what I could about Biocodex so that I would be prepared for the big event. And what I learned, both before and during this serendipitous experience has been nothing short of amazing. This company has been conducting research of its own since its inception as a GI company back in 1953. But they’ve now launched an expansion project that includes not only funding outside research endeavors (Foundation), but also providing information — in layman’s terms — for those of us who want to learn more about how we can take better care of our health (Institute). They also have a special section on the institute website geared toward empowering doctors with the latest research outcomes to better serve their patients.

The overarching goal for both the Foundation and Institute is to spread the wealth of knowledge, all while digging for greater and deeper understanding of the relationship between microbiota and human health.

Biocodex Microbiota Foundation

The mission of this undertaking and the important projects Biocodex is in the process of launching are incredibly impressive. The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation will support scientific research on microbiota, leveraging an international committee of independent scientists to determine an annual research topic and grant funding to the most exciting and innovative proposals.

The Foundation is completely independent from Biocodex the company, with an ethic of trust in the scientific community and respect for researchers. To that end, the company has deliberately removed any concern about profitability, regardless of the outcome of the research. This is truly a quest for knowledge and understanding — full stop — as the President of Biocodex, Jean-Marie Lefevre, emphasized more than once during the kick-off meeting. Biocodex has committed to 6 years of funding with a firm, dedicated budget, which will be subdivided annually across multiple countries to the most innovative researchers in the world.

Biocodex Microbiota Institute

The Biocodex Microbiota Institute will be the first international platform for scientific expertise on microbiota, with the goal of educating both the general public and health care professionals on the latest findings in the field. The Institute has already published a book, entitled, Gut Microbiota – A Full Fledged Organ, which will soon be available directly through the website.

I was deeply honored to be among the first to hear about what Biocodex is planning for the betterment of the human race. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but I truly believe that the research they’ll be funding and publishing, along with the information they’ll be sharing with the general public, will ultimately enable us to better understand our own ecology and how changes to it can dramatically influence our health.

That’s a lot to take in, right? Let’s break it down, because I want you to bookmark the Institute Website and use it as a reference going forward (much like I hope you use CWB!). There’s a TON to learn there, so I’ll just start with the basics.

The Human Microbiome

The statistics on how many non-human cells are living on and in our bodies at any given time is staggering. Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) outnumber human cells more than 10 to 1 in and on our bodies, with dense concentration in the large intestine. When all is harmonious between us and them, we function well and our health flourishes. But when dysbiosis occurs (an imbalance of organisms, including an excess of pathogens), our health suffers, and diseases are able to take hold.

Thirty years of research have resulted in a greater understanding of the relationship between gut dysbiosis and certain pathologies, but there’s a lot of work left to do. Precious little is known about the microbiota living in other areas of the body and how they interact with bugs in the gut to impact our health. Interestingly, it’s still unknown whether dysbiosis causes disease, or if the reverse is true. The current hypothesis is that both are possible, creating a “vicious circle” that leads to poor health outcomes and chronic illness.

What causes dysbiosis?

Dysbiosis can occur after a round of antibiotics kills most, if not all, of the living bacteria in the body (especially the gut bacteria that help us assimilate nutrients and digest certain fibers). It can also be the result of a viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection.

Another major cause of dysbiosis is stress. If you’ve read my gut health series, you know that I have dedicated a lot of time and energy to explaining the connection between gut health and stress. You might be surprised at how profoundly stress affects our health. Not only does it create obstacles to efficient digestion and metabolism, it can impact our sleep, and all three of these functions can have an effect on the microbiome. In fact, stress can play a role in causing a type of dysbiosis of particular personal interest to me lately, due to a recent diagnosis of my own: SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). Research seems to point to a causal relationship between stress and impaired motility — the movement of food from the small to the large intestine — which is a contributing factor in SIBO. Stress is a powerful thing and should be taken seriously!

Impacts on the Microbiome

I pulled this image from the Biocodex event, because it perfectly illustrates the myriad factors that impact the microbiome.

We all know that we should eat our veggies and avoid smoking, but did you know that the inevitable fact of aging can have an impact on the gut biome? I didn’t. So as we get older, it’s that much more important to stay on top of our health, including regular exercise, adequate sleep, a nutrient-rich diet, live foods, and possibly supplementing with a probiotic. And don’t forget the spirit part of the mind-body-spirit equation. That’s where healthy relationships, supportive community, time spent outside, and possibly a meditation or religious practice come into play.

A Company on a Mission

Since the inception of the company in 1953, Biocodex has been embarking on research connecting intestinal dysbiosis to digestive health conditions. Now that mission is expanding, drawing dotted lines to certain cancers, allergies, neurological disorders, diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and many other pathologies that hadn’t previously been linked to gut dysbiosis.

This year, the Foundation is calling for innovative research exploring the interaction between the liver and gut microbiota. They have a long-term commitment to uncovering solutions to some of the most pressing diseases we face as a society today. And through the Institute, they’ll disseminate the information they glean so that we can take the measures necessary to protect and improve our health.

Each of us is truly an ecosystem of our own, in the same way that the soil in which we plant our food is an ecosystem, and the forests we hike through to get some exercise and stress relief are their own ecosystems. There are so many moving parts that lend a hand in helping us thrive, and we’re learning that the microbiome is at the foundation of it all.

I hope you’ll bookmark the Biocodex Institute website and refer to it when you have a health concern or question. After taking part in their kickoff meeting and talking with the president and medical leaders in the company, I’ve learned that these projects are fueled by a passionate quest for knowledge aimed at expanding the possibilities of truly helping patients heal. I’m just thrilled to have been included in this event, an I’ll certainly keep you informed as I learn more about this amazing undertaking.

FTC DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post, which means I have received monetary compensation for sharing the above information. All opinions are my own.

Flashback: Icelandic Pesto is the Best Thing Ever

June 28, 2017Flashbacks, Recipes, Snackspesto, sibo-friendlyToni Sicola

Last August, Loren and I drove the Ring Road exploring the wonders of Iceland for 9 days. We enjoyed amazing food (mostly food we cooked on a single burner camping stove at campgrounds and stops along the way) and gazed upon some of the most spectacular features of planet earth.

The food part was particularly memorable, because I had zero issues eating the baked goods we found at an amazing bakery called Brauð & Co in Reykjavik. Zero stomach cramps or digestive issues, zero discomfort. I’m guessing it has something to do with the strain of wheat they use or a nice, slow leavening … all I know is that we couldn’t get enough of this place for the short two days we spent in Reykjavik before hitting the road. And I certainly enjoyed my consequence-free glutinous vacation.

Brauð & Co: Baked Goods and Pesto from Heaven

This bakery was truly a thing to behold: a tiny room that could hold no more than 7 or 8 customers, with 4 bakers and two cashiers behind the counter — and a line down the block. You could smell this place from a block away, following your nose to the long line of Icelanders patiently awaiting baked goods from heaven.

They had staggeringly delicious, warm loaves of sourdough bread and the most incredible house-made pesto I’d ever tasted. I have never experienced pesto like this anywhere else, and I LOVED it. On our way to pick up our camper van and hit the Ring Road, we stopped and grabbed a fresh loaf of bread and a container of pesto, so we wouldn’t be without on our road trip. We made some pretty amazing sandwiches using those two ingredients.

Icelandic Pesto Mission: The Translation

As I slowly grew more and more obsessed with this unfamiliar pesto, I decided that I needed to have the option of eating it forever. To do that, I’d have to find out what was in it. I took a picture of the label (all in Icelandic) and made plans to sit with Google Translate once I was stateside and figure out exactly how to replicate it at home. Then I had the chance to ask a couple of Icelandic natives to translate it for me. I wrote down their translations and deleted the picture.

Then I lost the piece of paper. That’s right. TRAGEDY.

That being said, I do remember a few key ingredients from the translation, so I used those as my jumping of point and combined them with the circumstances of my refrigerator and cupboard to bring you today’s recipe.

The ingredients that I know overlap between my version and theirs are: arugula (which they called rocket), sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, and sunflower seeds. Everything else is a guess. And I’d say I made a pretty darn good approximation of what this stuff was all about. I’d love to have a side-by-side comparison, so if anyone is planning a trip to Iceland soon, please stop by Brauð and get yourself some pesto. I’d love to know how mine measures up. And also get a loaf of bread and a cinnamon roll. And then mail them to me. Thanks.

Icelandic Adventures

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say more about our amazing trip in this flashback post — after all, flashing back is all about reliving the glory of a wonderful experience.

Highlights (in no particular order):

We experienced some of the most majestic natural hot springs on earth, including a hot river. Almost the entire country is geothermally active, and there are areas where water and steam just pour out of the earth. It’s magical.
I had my first experience using cramp-ons when we hiked the Svínafellsjökull glacier.
We saw enough waterfalls and rainbows to satisfy the imagination of every child with magic in her heart.
We did a spontaneous beach clean up while waiting for a cave tour in Snaefellsbaer.
We got a unique view of Kirkjufell by hopping a fence and taking an unofficial waterfall tour into the mountains at Snæfellsnes.
We picked wild blueberries with the aid of two locals stocking up for winter (literally filling three giant buckets) at the beginning and end of a beautiful hike that required no trail to find our way.
I learned how to drive a stick shift (but not really in a city, and definitely not to parallel park).
A tour guide in Reykjavik told us that we were too late to see the puffins, but in fact, we arrived at Black Beach just in time to see pretty much every puffin on earth preparing to leave for the winter. (They were too high up for a good photo without a better camera.)

You Should Go to Iceland!

All of this, and we barely made it halfway around the country before having to turn back. Iceland is absolutely magnificent (and very tourist-friendly), and there are a lot of ways to stop through if you’re planning a trip with a European destination. We will definitely go back there in the not too distant future. It was just stunningly beautiful — so much so that it was difficult to take it all in.

So with that, here’s the Icelandic pesto recipe — I recommend using it however you’d use regular pesto, including scrambling into eggs, dipping bread or crackers, stirring into veggies, pasta, or veggie pasta, and even cooking with shrimp or chicken.

Icelandic Pesto

2017-06-18 14:10:27

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Ingredients

3 cups raw baby arugula
1/4 cup blanched carrot tops
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup cashew pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (split into 1/4 cups) OR 1 clove garlic + EVOO

Instructions

Place all ingredients (except 1/4 cup EVOO) in food processor and process until a choppy but incorporated mix is achieved. You can decide how chunky you want it to be.
Once ingredients are mixed to your liking, stir in remaining 1/4 cup of EVOO.
And you're ready to serve!

By Toni Sicola

Adapted from Inspired by Brauð & Co Bakery in Reykjavik, Iceland

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

Homemade Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

June 20, 2017Dessert, DIY and Fulfillment, PaleoToni Sicola

I’m officially well into my new life of “funemployment,” and the first recipe I’m going to share is nothing short of a celebration. That’s right folks, it’s chocolate time. You may have noticed an increase in references to #sibo on the old IG account lately, but in case you haven’t, I’ve had a recent, unfortunate diagnosis of SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), which has rendered my food choices quite limited as of late. (I could use this space to rant about the medical insurance racket and how insanely long it’s taking me to get the antibiotic I need, but I’ll spare you the details.) One of the interesting things about the SIBO diet is that you can have raw honey and certain fruits, but no other sugar whatsoever. I’ll get more into SIBO in a separate post, but I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe.

Because I am absolutely addicted to chocolate, and because most store-bought chocolates are not sweetened with honey, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. Join me for the next few minutes on my chocolate making adventure, and then venture out on your own chocolate journey and let me know how it goes!

I’ve tried a few different things so far, but the one I’m most excited to share is the Almond Butter Cups. Like most things on CWB, this is simply a chocolate roadmap with one example of how it could end. You have the power to make your chocolate dreams come true — I’m just here to help. 🙂

Recipe Lab: Refrigerator Chocolate

You might recall that I experimented with some freezer chocolate back at Christmastime. (Side note, I just realized this was TWO Christmases ago — 2016 was the fastest year of my life, by FAR. Anyone else feel me on this?) Anyway, in the spirit of homemade holiday gifts and attempting to include some healthy sweets in our holiday celebrations, I made Paleo-ish Peppermint Bark. The main ingredients were coconut oil, raw cacao powder, and maple syrup. It turned out great, but it absolutely HAD to stay in the freezer or it would become a big melty mess. And since I can’t include my favorite sweetener for the time being (maple syrup), I’m moving forward from here with raw honey.

To avoid the melty mess this time, I decided to experiment with raw cacao butter to achieve a more stable finished product. And guess what … it was the right choice. I have successfully upgraded my chocolate-making skills from freezer chocolate to refrigerator chocolate!

Is this chocolate raw?

The ingredients in my refrigerator chocolate are raw, but I did melt everything on the stove. I read a bit about raw chocolate and learned that the hottest temps allowable for raw chocolate to remain raw are between 118 and 120F. I didn’t use a double boiler or check the temperature, but I’d imagine that if you did those things and kept the temps in range, you could make exactly what I made and be able to call it raw chocolate.

The Chocolate Journey

Since my main chocolate-making experience was in making the peppermint bark for the holidays, I decided to stick to that in round one of my chocolatey adventure. More bark. But instead of going for the peppermint variety, I kept it simple, sprinkling raw cacao nibs and pumpkin seeds on top and calling it a day. It turned out pretty great actually.

Round 2: Almond Butter Cups

In round 2, I decided to get more creative. I’d bought a few silicone molds a while back, and most of them had just been collecting dust in my cabinet. The only ones I’d used were these adorable little hearts when I experimented with homemade lotion bars (I think it was also that crafty Christmas back in 2015). So I pulled out the mold that looked like peanut butter cups and went to work on my version of almond butter cups. This was a delicious decision and turned out to be the inspiration for today’s post.

The Almond Butter Cup Filling

The filling consists of equal parts raw almond butter to raw honey, stirred aggressively with a fork. Very simple and delicious. In my first attempt at almond butter cups, I used about a dime-sized ball of filling, which made for a high chocolate-to-filling ratio. They were delicious, but I knew I wanted more almond butter in every bite. I went to work again, this time using these really cute flower molds that were much deeper (so they could fit more filling).

I love how these turned out, but as you might see from the pictures, some of the filling snuck out of the sides, so they aren’t quite perfect to look at. Considering that they taste amazing, and that I’m a novice at this whole chocolate-making endeavor, I’m still giving myself an A for effort and believe that I’ve earned bragging rights as a wannabe chocolatier. (I’m sure real chocolatiers are rolling their eyes at this simpleton, but I do what I want.)

What will I come up with next?

Also featured in one of these pictures are my first attempts at a “peppermint patty.” I didn’t love how they turned out, so I’m going to go back to the drawing board before I share that recipe with you. I already have an idea of how I’ll improve these for the next round. I’m also going to try my hand at an “Almond Joy”-style bite-size morsel. So stay tuned for both of those. And if you decide that you want to beat me to the punch in figuring those two out, please be my guest and let me know about it! I’d be happy to share your version with everyone!

Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (Sweetened with Honey)

2017-06-15 15:19:33

Chocolate prepared with all raw ingredients, sweetened with raw honey for those with food restrictions (especially those related to SIBO)

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Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup raw cacao butter (or 5 cubes of the Big Tree Farms brand)
3/4 cup raw raw cacao powder
2 tbs raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
OPTIONAL: raw maca powder
OPTIONAL: raw cacao nibs and coarse sea salt for topping
FOR THE FILLING: If using shallow, buttercup-like molds, 2 tbs raw honey + 2 tbs raw almond butter. If using deeper molds, 3 tbs raw honey + 3 tbs raw almond butter (I used creamy)

Instructions

in a small saucepan, melt the raw cacao butter on very low heat (optional to use a double boiler to avoid scorching)
once it starts to become liquid, add in the coconut oil
turn off the fire when both oils are fully liquified
whisk in raw cacao powder, raw honey, vanilla, salt, and maca until the chocolate liquid is completely uniform
place your mold onto a rigid surface (like a cutting board or cookie sheet) for easy transport
pour a thin layer of chocolate into the bottom of each mold
freeze for 10 minutes
immediately thoroughly mix the honey and almond butter in a small mixing bowl and freeze for the remaining few minutes until it's time to take out the chocolate
remove the molds and filling from the freezer
using a small spoon and clean fingers, form a ball of filling to place inside each mold (for shallower molds, you want a dime-size ball. For the deeper molds, about a silver dollar-size ball.)
once you've distributed the filling, give the remaining chocolate a good stir with the whisk before spooning out the rest of it to fill the molds
If your filling is visible, use a spoon to gently press it down and hide it under the chocolate
(Optional to sprinkle the nib and sea salt toppings at this time)
freeze for another 20 minutes (or overnight)
pop your chocolates out of their molds and store in a non-porous covered container in the refrigerator

Notes

You can use this same chocolate recipe without the filling to make chocolate bark, chocolate bars, or even dipping chocolate.

By Toni Sicola

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

Sweet Potato Leek Soup [RECIPE]

May 18, 2017Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipesnutrient-denseToni Sicola

I have no idea what came over me when I made the decision to make soup on what was likely the hottest day so far in 2017 (last week). But for some reason, I felt inspired to invent a new version of potato leek soup using the sweet potatoes sitting on my counter. I knew I needed to use them, but I just couldn’t bring myself to turn on the oven in my un-air conditioned kitchen. And since I’d just pulled three beautiful leeks from the front yard garden, the idea came to me in a stroke of genius. Loren came home and informed me that soup on a hot day was less genius than I’d originally thought, but I was pretty much finished making it, so we went with it!

Sweet Potato Leek Soup Recipe

This recipe was an experiment, and while there’s one thing* I’d do differently the next time I make it (I explain it in the recipe), I’d say it turned out pretty darn delicious. Loren and I brought our soup outside that night to eat at our back yard dining table — it was much cooler out there than inside our little sweat box of a house, so all in all it was a beautiful evening. We enjoyed the dusk and some candle light, and Dexter hung out on the gravel until we were ready to go back in. That’s success in my book!

*What’s the one thing I’d do differently? The next time I make this soup, I’m going to pull out half the sweet potato chunks from the pot before fully puréeing the rest into a thick, creamy base. Then I’ll add the pieces back in for texture. What I did this time was just do a half-way blend, leaving some larger and smaller chunks, but not achieving a thick base. It was perfectly fine to eat the way I did it, but I think it would be a prettier soup to do it the other way the next time. And the texture would be better.

I did the blending with an immersion blender like this. It’s a great tool to have on hand, but if you don’t have one, just use a blender. It makes for a little more clean up but works just as well.

Sweet Potato and Leek Soup

2017-05-18 11:19:03

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Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned, peeled, and cubed
3 leeks
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (discard stems and mince leaves as desired)
6 cups chicken broth/bone broth/vegetable stock
3 tbs avocado oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 1 cup coconut milk

Instructions

Make sure you've cleaned the leeks really well (dirt can hide between the leaves) before separating the green part from the white part
Chop both the white part and the green part into 1/4 inch pieces, keeping them separate for different parts of the process
Melt 2 tbs avocado oil in a medium stock pot and add in white part of leeks
Saute until translucent (about 5 minutes)
Add in the cubed sweet potatoes and rosemary, and cook for another 5-7 minutes
Add in the broth/stock, vinegar, and salt, and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes
Once the sweet potatoes are soft, turn the stove down to low, use a slotted spoon to remove about half from the pot and set aside
Use an immersion blender to blend the contents of the stock pot until smooth and uniform
(At this point, turn off the fire and taste to see if you'd like to add in your coconut milk. If so, stir it in)
Stir the sweet potato cubes back into the mix and cover the pot
In a separate sauce pan, heat the last tbs of avocado oil on medium heat
Toss in the chopped leek greens and saute until softened
Add these to the top of the salad or use as the base of a stir fry (see notes for more details)
Serve soup piping hot

Notes

I love the green parts of leeks and always think it's a shame to see recipes that direct you to discard the greens. They're actually really delicious and contain most of the nutrients you find in leeks, so I encourage you to use them either as a topping for your soup, or as a stir fry ingredient (as pictured here). Simply warm up some ghee or your favorite cooking oil and saute them in a frying pan before adding in a protein, or just on their own. They're also wonderful in the oven -- I just spread the entire chopped leek (both white and green parts) on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil and a touch of salt, and roast them as I would any other veggie. They're pictured here sauteed with kale and shrimp.

By Toni Sicola

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

How to Eat More Veggies: Green Smoothies

April 13, 2017Green Smoothiegreen smoothieToni Sicola

We could all use a few tips from time to time on how to eat more veggies every day. Conventional wisdom tells us that we need to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, but I’d like to shake it up a tiny bit. I think we should tweak this advice to emphasize the veggies more than the fruit. I’d rather say “eat your veggies and fruit” and recommend aiming for minimum of 4 servings of colorful veggies every day and 1-2 servings of fruit. And going over this minimum is absolutely awesome if you can swing it.

Much like everything in the health world, there’s conflicting advice on this topic — just to illustrate my point, here are two articles published back to back from the same publication that completely conflict:

Interestingly, the first one is posted in the science section while the second is posted in the health section. I’m not really sure what to make of that, but I thought it was an interesting sidebar to include in our discussion.

What’s undisputed though, is that swapping out fried, starchy, processed foods for nutrient-dense, plant-based foods is an immense win for your health. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Eat More Veggies

A detail that isn’t emphasized enough (in my not-so-humble opinion) is that variety is a critical component of a healthy diet. And I don’t mean a variety of fast-food chains.

Whether we learned it in health class, from a nutritionist, from a fad diet, or on an infomercial, we’ve all been trained to strive for that iconic image of “the healthy meal.” You know what I’m talking about: a poached chicken breast, a pile of steamed broccoli, and a nice rice pilaf on the side. Swap out the chicken breast for a piece of salmon, and now it’s “heart healthy.” I’m here to tell you that if you aspire to enjoy that boring plate of food day after day, you will never, ever stick to a healthy diet OR get adequate nutrition from the food you’re eating.

It’s BORING. It’s totally unrealistic. It’s BLAND. But most importantly, its INADEQUATE.

Veggie Variety

If you eat steamed broccoli every single night, you’re getting plenty of vitamins K and C, a good dose of vitamin A, and a modest array of minerals. As healthy as broccoli is, no single plant can provide everything you need, nor can a single source of meat or a single type of starch. I know I’m being extreme to think that someone would want to eat the same thing every single day, but stop and think for a second about your grocery shopping list every week (or your restaurant habits). Do you find that you’re buying/ordering the same few things over and over? Making the same few dishes over and over? Packing the same few lunches?

To put veggie variety into perspective, some health experts recommend eating at least 20 different types of veggies and fruits every week! Raise your hand if you’re already doing this …

I’m typing so I can’t use my hands (that’s my excuse!)

To bolster the “more variety is better” claim, here’s one more post from The Guardian supporting the 10-servings-a-day idea. I really like that one, so give it a quick look after you’re done reading here.

Veggies over Fruit

In my experience with coaching clients and talking with friends and family, most people find it much more challenging to up the veggie count than the fruit count. Nearly every person I’ve worked with, when given the choice, has opted to eat more fruit rather than more veggies.

Personally, I prefer veggies to fruit, but I must admit that even I have trouble hitting my veggie goals from time to time, so I hope that this info is helpful even to the veggiest of veggie eaters.

When I ask clients why they prefer to start with fruit rather than veggies, I get similar answers over and over. Here are a few examples:

I don’t have time to cook veggies, and I can just grab a piece of fruit whenever I want
I don’t like to cook, so fruit is easier to start with because there’s no prep
I don’t like raw vegetables, and I hate cooking
When I cook veggies, I never like the way they taste
I don’t cook, and the restaurants I go to don’t serve a lot of veggies
When I buy veggies, they just go bad because I never eat them in time

Do you see a theme here? Do any of these statements resonate with you? If I had to summarize my findings in just a few words, I’d say most people don’t know how to make delicious veggies quickly. So the problem is two-fold:

a lack of time
a lack of skill

Another issue I’ve noticed when looking at client food logs is that most folks don’t think about veggies until dinner time. They’ll have eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and then a sad iceberg lettuce salad for with whatever they’re having for dinner (if they even do that!). Starting the day with veggies is a small change that can yield big results, so that’s what we’ll focus on today.

Next week, I’m going to dive into some simple kitchen hacks for making veggies delicious quickly at home, and also give you a few pointers for making sure you get enough veggies when you’re out to dinner too. Here’s a hint from a previous post, in case you’re the type that likes to skip ahead. For now, it’s smoothie time.

Building Skills to Eat More Veggies: Green Smoothies

Sometimes, even for adults, the easiest way to ensure that we’re eating enough veggies is to hide them, and hiding them in a smoothie is a great way to start. Granted, I’m talking about green smoothies, which really doesn’t visually hide anything, but cramming some veggies into a blender first thing in the morning can kick-start your day like you wouldn’t believe — and if you do it right, it can be delicious too.

And by the way, a healthy smoothie doesn’t have to be green. We’ve talked about eating the rainbow here at CWB quite a bit, so you know that consuming a variety of veggies and fruits is the best way to ensure that you’re getting a diverse set of micronutrients in your daily diet. Veggies of all colors, shapes, and sizes can be included in a delicious healthy smoothie. Getting creative is part of the fun! I’m just using the term “green smoothie” to differentiate these smoothies from the fruity sugar bombs they serve at certain chain smoothie establishments that shall remain nameless.

Veggies for Beginners:

If you’re new to blended veggies, I wouldn’t recommend throwing a head of broccoli into your blender. Start with mild greens that don’t alter the flavor of your smoothie too much. In my experience of making smoothies for diverse audiences, I’ve found that beginners enjoy:

baby spinach
mixed greens/spring mix
baby super greens (usually a mix of baby kale, chard, and spinach)
romaine lettuce (comes in red/purple and green. Try them both!)
other non-iceberg varieties of mild lettuce
cucumber
canned plain pumpkin

Advanced Veggie Smoothies:

More experienced smoothie drinkers who’ve acclimated their palates to drinking something less sweet and more “earthy” can venture down the veggie path a bit further:

spinach (adult greens are often a bit stronger and more fibrous than baby kale, which is why all the baby greens are in the beginner section)
kale (use the leaves and take the ribs out unless you have a really great blender)
collard greens (same advice on ribs)
beets (steamed — raw are very hard to blend. You can find them pre-steamed in most produce sections these days)
cabbage (red/purple is sweeter than green)
bell peppers (red/orange/yellow are sweeter than green)
summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash)
broccoli

Choosing Fruit for Your Green Smoothie

Don’t get me wrong when I ask you to de-emphasize fruits in favor of veggies. There’s a lot to be gained from adding fruit into your diet, especially if you’re not eating much produce to begin with. I’d go as far as to say that most Americans likely don’t eat enough fruit. But eating fruit ad lib can introduce an unexpected amount of sugar into your life, which we want to avoid.

You might be surprised at how much sugar you’re consuming if you’re filling a blender with fruit exclusively. Granted, it’s not as much of a health hazard as drinking fruit juice regularly, but it’s certainly not ideal to have that much sugar all at once.

Brightly colored fruits rich in phytonutrients and high in fiber are really the way to go when you’re concocting a blended meal. This way, you get the most bang for your buck in terms of fiber and micronutrient count per gulp. Everything listed below can be fresh or frozen.

Here are my favorites:

blueberries
strawberries
raspberries
blackberries (without a really great blender like this one, raspberries and blackberries can leave seeds in your drink, so if you’re not into that, get a better blender!)
grapefruit (same deal with the blender)
cherries
stone fruit
pomegranate seeds
acai berry

Tropical Fruits are great too, but you want to use them in smaller quantities because of the high sugar content. This includes banana (use 1/3 to 1/2 at a time, especially if you’re using other fruits with it), mango, pineapple, and papaya.

I also use pears from time to time, but find that they’re kind of boring (just my opinion).

Note on organic produce: Using organic for certain veggies and fruit is super important. Some plants absorb pesticides and toxins at greater concentrations than others, so if you want to save by skipping organic, be an informed consumer. Find out which produce items in your cart should always be organic by consulting the EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists.

Green Smoothie Guidelines

Fruits and veggies aren’t the only ingredients that comprise a delicious green smoothie. There’s the liquid you choose, deciding whether or not you want to add in healthy fats, proteins, additional fiber, or superfood supplements like green powders, maca, cacao, or any number of others. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but for anyone to stick with it (including me!), it does have to be delicious. Lucky for you, I have a free eBook of smoothie recipes to get you started, and I have a few other ideas cooking (or blending, as it were), which I’m hoping to unveil in the next month or so. For now, here’s the eBook to get you going:

Paleo Tropical Coconut Chicken – Bringing Home Aloha

April 6, 2017Dinner, Paleo, Recipeschicken recipeToni Sicola

It’s been about two weeks since I returned home from 10 days in Hawaii, and I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to completely avoid the usual “post-vacation blues” that I sometimes get after a long break. This trip was absolute perfection, and I’ve brought the aloha back with me in the form of a renewed (although never completely abandoned) coconut obsession. I’ll share a super quick and easy Tropical Coconut Chicken recipe today that features shredded coconut that I brought home with me from Oahu. And stay tuned for more coconut-themed awesomeness inspired by the trip in the next few posts!

Quick Coconut Story

Loren and I did not randomly select Oahu as a destination. One of our good friends (and one of my favorite people) moved there a few years ago, and we’ve been meaning to make a trip out ever since. We finally made it happen, and we had the pleasure of experiencing full immersion into the lives of two local dudes making a living climbing up into coconut trees and removing the nuts for folks all over the island — and making awesome stuff with their spoils. I’m actually planning on dedicating a full post to the two of them and their business (Roots and Branches if you want a sneak peek), but suffice it to say that Al Smith and Hans Heinz — R & B founders — know their coconuts.

One of the projects Hans was working on during our visit was to supply shredded coconut to a local brewery for a coconut porter, and I got to sit in on initial sample production — and take home the winnings! In my carry-on luggage, I brought home a zip-lock bag full of fresh Hawaiian shredded coconut, which will be featured in today’s recipe!

I have so much more to share about all things coconut I learned from Hans, but for now, this recipe will have to suffice. It’s super easy and pretty quick too. And as always, it’s just the baseline for your own intuitive cooking. I encourage you to switch up the herbs and spices or to add in some heat if you want (my body doesn’t love spicy lately, but this recipe lends itself really well to spice). Whatever flavors suit your fancy will work with this simple starting point.

You better believe I drank that coconut creme right up too! Some went in my coffee, some went into smoothies, and some went right in my belly on its own.

Quick Chicken Story

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know that chickens wander freely the way pigeons do on the mainland. I wouldn’t say they’re present in enormous flocks, but there are LOTS of chickens EVERYWHERE. Despite having been to Kauai back in the late 90’s, I hadn’t known about the chicken situation, so seeing them roam freely on roadways, in parking lots, on the hillsides, along the beach, and even passing through our outdoor seating at a restaurant was pretty amusing to me.

We had a whole family of come through as we enjoyed our signature margaritas at Cholo’s Homestyle Mexican after our Sunday beach cleanup with Hawaii Ocean Ambassadors. The babies were so cute that Loren couldn’t resist picking one up mid-meal. I was a little nervous that he might be bringing chicken germs a little too close to our meal, but the little chicky was so cute that it didn’t matter.

Seeing these little guys and gals running around everywhere gave new meaning to the classic joke about chickens crossing roads — which wasn’t lost on one of my travel buddies who is obsessed with puns and dad jokes. So going forward, chickens will make me think of Hawaii. That’s why I chose to make this coconut recipe with chicken.

Paleo Tropical Coconut Chicken

2017-04-06 10:40:10

Serves 2

super easy recipe, adaptable to every palate by switching up the spices and/or adding some heat to it with cayenne or habanero.

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Ingredients

4 oz chicken tenders (about 8 tenders)
1.5 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
Seasonings - I used Simply Organic Lemon Pepper and Real Season Salt

Instructions

Crack eggs into a shallow bowl and beat until completely uniform
Spread shredded coconut out on a large flat plate
Heat coconut oil in a shallow cast iron skillet at medium-high heat
When oil is hot (test by dropping a piece of coconut in and seeing if it sizzles)
dip chicken tenders into egg on both sides then into shredded coconut on both sides until coated
Place coated chicken into pan and cook on both sides until done in the middle (a few minutes each -- the coconut should brown a little)
Cover a large flat plate with 3-4 paper towels and place cooked chicken on paper towels to absorb some of the oil
Season immediately on both sides (make sure at least one of the seasonings you choose has some salt in it, otherwise they'll be a bit bland)
Repeat until all chicken is done

By Toni Sicola

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

No Time to Make Bone Broth? No Problem!

March 22, 2017Favorite ThingsFree Bone Broth, Gut Health Super Bundle, Kettle and FireToni Sicola

I’ll start off by saying that this post is about bone broth, but I feel like I need to acknowledge some things about my post from last Tuesday first.

So last week I took a big risk by sharing that things over in CWB land haven’t been going so great. As a self-proclaimed bone broth aficionado and healthy living blogger, it can feel self-sabotaging to admit that things aren’t always going perfectly well in my kitchen and in my body. There’s the fear of losing face, and maybe even losing credibility to you guys, but I felt like being honest about what I’ve been dealing with might bring to light that even professionals who have a body of knowledge and experience to tap into struggle from time to time. We’re all human, even those of us in the blogosphere who put on the rosy cheeks and share our fancy soups and potions every day. 🙂

I’ve already started the process of turning my health (and sense of wellbeing) around, but it IS a process, and, like everything else in life, I’m taking it one day at a time. Thanks for some of the sweet notes I’ve already received in support of the struggle I shared on Tuesday — you guys are all so great, and I can’t express enough how much I appreciate the CWB community.

Bone Broth Routine

One of the things that used to be part of my regular routine was making gigantic batches of bone broth and freezing them in jars so that I can use it every day. I let that go for a while, and (likely due to a number of other not-so-great food choices I was making) my skin started to erupt. I also mentioned a while back that I decided to go off of hormonal birth control, and as someone with PCOS, I’ve experienced a whole other set of annoying issues that I’m working on with an ND. You can imagine what physical symptoms like unwanted body hair, acne, and “backne” do to a woman’s self-esteem, so I haven’t been feeling so hot when I look in the mirror lately either.

But I can honestly say that I’m already feeling things shifting in the right direction, and part of what’s helped me jump back into the bone broth habit is getting some of the pre-made stuff to save me from the labor of making my own until I was able to make it a priority again (which I have — the freezer is again filled with jars).

That stopgap of pre-made broth is what I want to talk to you about today.

Kettle and Fire Bone Broth

I’ve shared this company with you before, but when I did, it was called Bone Broth Co. They’ve since upgraded the name, the website, and the product line to include not only grass-fed beef bone broth, but organic chicken bone broth as well.

I’m in love with this product for a number of reasons, but one is that it’s the only high-quality broth you’ll find in a tetra pak. What does that mean to you? For starters, it means it’s a shelf-stable product, so it can go in your pantry until you’re ready to open it up for immediate use (no thawing required). AND it means that shipping is cheaper and requires less packaging because there’s no need for temperature control like there is with frozen broth competitors.

So you might be asking yourself what the difference is between Kettle and Fire and the brands you see in boxes on your grocery store shelves. And I can’t emphasize enough the difference in quality between those products (even the ones that are calling themselves bone broth) and what Kettle and Fire delivers.

Here are a few differences:

Kettle and Fire uses only organic or grass-fed animals to produce their broth.
Kettle and Fire uses only organic produce to flavor the broth, giving it complexity, not only in flavor but in nutrient profile.
Kettle and Fire cooks their broth for 24 hours, ensuring that every ounce of goodness from the bones lands itself into the broth you’ll be sipping.
Kettle and Fire is the ONLY shelf-stable broth on the market that actually gels in the refrigerator (believe me, I’ve done a few tests on this myself).
There’s not a single shelf-stable broth on the market that can make ALL of these claims.

Why does my bone broth need to gel?

A good, nutrient-dense bone broth will gel (like jello) in the refrigerator and need to be scooped out with a spoon into your coffee mug or sauce pan for warming (unless you’re into eating meat jello, in which case you’re my hero, and maybe a little weird). The gel indicates that the joint and skin-supporting nutrient collagen has made its way from the boiled bones into the broth. It’s also a good indicator that everything else you were looking for in your healing potion is in there, namely a substantial amount of protein and amino acids.

Amino acids

Glutamine is a big one for gut health and is prevalent in a well-prepared (gelled) broth. Its anti-inflammatory and healing properties support gut health, muscle development, immune strength, and internal healing — especially from illness or injury due to strong prescription drugs. If you’re showing signs of a leaky gut, glutamine-rich bone broth should be on your list of healing foods to start consuming right away.

Glycine offers a powerhouse of benefits, including joint and skin support, muscle-building and protection against wasting, the
building up of a healthy gut lining, immune support (even protection from certain cancers), and digestive support. It also helps stabilize blood sugar, which is key for those at risk of diabetes or insulin resistance.

Arginine is another inflammation-fighting amino acid that’s been associated with lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, protection against mental deterioration, performance enhancement, and improved immune function.

Proline another amino acid essential in collagen formation, so it’s helpful in tissue repair and joint and skin support. It also supports cardiovascular function, contributing to the prevention of arteriosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries).

All of these nutrients are what make up the healing elixir that is bone broth — the same liquid gold that helped me cure my lifelong acne.

Without the gel, there’s no way for you to know how long the broth was cooked, what the ratio of bones to water was, or how much of the good stuff you’re actually getting in each serving. The gel is the simplest and most obvious indicator to look for in order to know that what you’re getting is concentrated and top quality.

FREE Kettle and Fire Bone Broth

If you’ve been curious about the healing powers of bone broth, it’s probably because you’ve been experiencing some form of gut problem. Whether it’s bloating or indigestion, IBS or IBD, food allergies or sensitivities, skin issues or hormonal imbalance, bone broth is one of the tools you need to help you get back to vibrant health.

You could spend the next 4 or 5 weeks headed down the rabbit hole on the web in an attempt to learn about how to heal your gut. Combing through the fluff to get to truly useful health information can be a real challenge, especially if it’s not your area of expertise. Lucky for you, starting today, you have access to the Gut Health Super Bundle, which not only gets you the best resources for gut health on the web, it also gets you two FREE boxes of Kettle and Fire Bone Broth! Get into it!

Gut Health Super Bundle

This amazing selection of resources includes 5 e-Courses, 16 eBooks, 44 videos, and 846 recipes to get you well on your way down the path to gut health. You’ll begin your journey with the Getting Started Guide, which features the first four resources you need if this is all new to you.

A great first eBook to flip through is Zero Effort Gut Health: 10 Shockingly Easy Changes Anyone Can Make For Better Gut Health! by Dena Norton. As a wellness coach, I like Norton’s approach of taking small, simple steps to affect long-term changes in overall health and wellbeing. I recommend picking just one of her steps as a starting point and mastering it before adding the next one in. Once you get this bundle, you’ll have plenty of time to make your way through all the resources for maximum benefit — and this year just happens to be the year that the folks at Ultimate Bundle have made massive improvements with how you can access the bundle online. You’ll have a special access page with your own unique login where all of the elements of the bundle are organized in a way that helps you find exactly what you’re looking for exactly when you want it.

Here’s the thing though. The Gut Health Super Bundle is only available for a limited time. The wonderful experts and bloggers who’ve contributed their books to the bundle can’t afford to slash their prices for long, so you have until March 27th at 11:59pm EST to get your bundle and your FREE Kettle and Fire bone broth.

More Free Stuff!

And there’s another bonus I almost forgot to mention. Get Kombucha is adding a $20 gift card to every bundle purchase. You’re probably aware of the importance of consuming probiotic foods to help support gut health. If not, you’ll learn everything you need to know with the Lacto-fermentation eCourse in the bundle. And then you’ll be able to go spend $20 at Get Kombucha to get yourself started on the living food journey.

Don’t forget, this is a limited time offer, so don’t miss it. Get your bundle now.

Gut Check: Confessions of a Burnt-out Blogger

March 14, 2017Nutrition and Healinggut health, Ultimate Gut Health Super BundleToni Sicola

I have a confession to make.

I haven’t been holding up my end of the wellbeing bargain. For the last year and a half or so, things in my corner of the world have been BANANAS, and I’ve let all the frenzy and urgency inch out some of what’s most important to me.

Simply put, I haven’t been taking care of myself in the ways I know I should — in the ways I want YOU to take care of YOURSELF. And I can feel it. I can feel it in my energy levels and in my digestion. I can see it on my face and in my midsection. I can feel it in my tight shoulders and clenched jaw. And it was all confirmed when I went to get a routine teeth cleaning and my dentist discovered my first cavity in like 15 years. I was shocked.

So today, I’m delving back into my long-lost love here at Cultivated Wellbeing — gut health. This first long post in quite a while will be part confessional, part educational, and part excitement to share what’s helped me get out of my rut.

Consider it a life lesson in listening to your gut — or a gut check, in the literal and figurative sense.

Confessions

Because I know myself and my body pretty well, I’ve known for a good 6 months or so that something needed to change. But for some reason, until these last few weeks, I just couldn’t get myself to make even the smallest adjustments to get back on track.

Whether it was the winter blues, this election cycle, the full-on burnout I was feeling from work, or all the rain we’ve been getting, I just couldn’t motivate. And every day I’d wake up and tell myself that today would be the day I’d turn it all around — and then it wouldn’t happen.

Here are some of the things I’d been battling:

Craving sweets after every. single. meal. and giving in to the cravings 90% of the time
Skipping work outs regularly
Hitting snooze 4 and 5 times every morning before rolling out of bed exhausted
Getting to work late every day and still managing to work way too much
Finding myself constantly distracted and on edge
Making frequent concessions to food rules I’d had firmly in place for myself for years — too much dairy, too many fried foods, too many white, processed carbohydrates, meals with no vegetables (or not enough), and lots of dessert

And on top of all of that, I hadn’t been keeping up with the things I love to do. I hadn’t been blogging. I hadn’t been making kombucha or bone broth consistently. I hadn’t been feeling inventive in the kitchen or cooking as often. I wasn’t writing much of anything. I was down to climbing only a few times a month, whereas before I was going a few times a week. And even my succulent obsession was on hold — something I almost never stop doing, regardless of how busy I get. (I’ll blame that at least partially on the incessant rain, but it was all adding up to misery.)

This doesn’t sound like me, does it? Something had to give.

Gut Check: Literally

Because some of what I’ve been feeling has danced on the edge of actual depression, I’ve taken two steps to ease myself back into the groove of self-care:

I made an appointment to talk to a therapist (more on that in another post)
I decided to relaunch my crusade to spread the word about gut health (and include myself in the audience — I need to revisit all this info too!)

If you follow me on social media, you’ve already seen some of the second step in action. I shared the multi-part series I created on gut health. My “Why Gut Health Matters” series draws connections between gut health and other systems and functions of our bodies and offer suggestions for how you can take charge of your health by sealing your gut and fortifying it with healthy bacteria.

The key to addressing the whole mashup of symptoms — from IBS to acne, from depression to auto-immune diseases — is in finding and stopping chronic inflammation. If you followed along in that series the first time, you might remember this infographic:

Chronic inflammation manifests in so many bodily and emotionally felt symptoms, as you can see from the illustration. And cooling it down can feel impossible if you’re stuck in a rut (as I’ve been). I revisited this series because I needed to jump-start the healing process for myself after going on a “health hiatus.” But I also found another comprehensive resource that I’m pumped to share with you right now.

The Gut Health Super Bundle

If you’d like to ensure that The little note in my inbox from the folks at Ultimate Bundle sharing this amazing collection of eBooks, classes, tutorials, guides, and freebies couldn’t have come at a better time. It was actually exactly what I needed to see. It offered a gentle reminder of what I’d been neglecting and provided the tools I needed to get myself back on track.

I’ve had the opportunity to comb through everything in this bundle already, and it’s definitely safe to say that there’s something for everyone, no matter where you are on your health journey. And I really mean that. I say that because sometimes you see these types of bundled products online, and they’re either so basic that a simple google search could get you there for free, or they’re so esoteric that they’re not useful unless you have a PhD in the topic. This bundle hits that “Goldilocks” sweet spot — it’s just right.

What’s Inside?

If you’re a gut health newbie (or you want a refresher), you can start with the Foundations of Gut Health and Getting Started sections, where you’ll have access to 4 eCourses and 2 eBooks.

If you have (or suspect you have) a gut-related health condition, such as hormonal imbalance (like me), IBS, candida problems, or gluten sensitivity (also like me), you can learn about how to address your concerns with the help of 6 eBooks and 3 eCourses.

If you’re already on-board and ready to dive in and start making changes in your life and yummies in your kitchen, the Gut-Healing Foods and More Recipes sections of this bundle are right up your alley. There you’ll find 8 eBooks and 2 eCourses to help you get started making bone broth, fermenting your veggies, making kombucha, learning about cooking for special diets, and much, much more.

And then there are the bonuses, which I’ll be telling you about next week! I hope you’re on the edge of your seat, because the bonuses happen to be my favorite part of the whole bundle!

The bundle isn’t quite for sale YET, but it will be really, REALLY soon. I can’t tell you enough how much these resources have helped me dig myself out of the rut I’ve been in. I know they’ll help you too.

Set a reminder for yourself now by clicking the button below so that you’ll get a little note when it’s time to buy. And stay tuned, because I’ll be telling you all about those bonuses really soon.

Note: This offer is no longer available. If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss out on the next offer like this, join my newsletter here.

Amazing Salad Dressing: Coconut Lemon Vinaigrette with Bitter Greens

March 9, 2017RecipessaladToni Sicola

Every once in a while I have a stroke of inspiration in the form of an amazing salad — and an amazing salad dressing to go right along with it. It might sound weird that I find inspiration in a bowl of lettuce, but my passion for creating great salad truly runs deep. (Almost as deep as my passion for creating a great soup, but not quite — maybe in the warmer months the salad wins … )

As a great friend of mine once said, “a good salad is the gateway to healthy eating.” Once you master something simple like a truly scrumptious salad, there’s no limit to the vegetables you can consume!

Really, you can put pretty-much anything into a salad if you’re thoughtful about how the ingredients will talk to each other — including warm ingredients, which happen to be one of my favorite things to use to make a salad interesting. I sautéed some shrimp in coconut oil to toss into this salad, but roasted chicken or grilled lamb could also work with these flavors — or skip the meat and use this salad as a side dish for a larger spread.

Requirement: Homemade Salad Dressing

The most important ingredient in any salad is the dressing. You can ruin perfectly beautiful produce with crappy dressing, so don’t skimp on quality — make your own. I have a pretty strong opinion about store-bought salad dressing, and also some really simple tips on how to make your own at home, so don’t get overwhelmed. I promise, it’s not hard, and you’ll thank me when you taste the difference.

In fact, the jewel of today’s recipe is actually the dressing. The whole salad is delicious, but rest assured, this dressing takes the ingredients from good to great. I served this salad at a dinner with friends, and the next morning I got a text asking for the amazing salad dressing recipe. It’s that good!

Amazing Salad Inspiration: the Mighty Kumquat

I found my starting point at the fancy natural foods market by my house. They had a basket full of beautiful kumquats right in the middle of the produce section, and I just knew I had to find a way to use them.

Unlike just about every other citrus fruit, the meat of the kumquat is sour, while the rind is relatively sweet. Tiny enough to pop right into your mouth, the kumquat is meant to be eaten in its entirety, skin, seeds and all. And honestly, so much of what’s healthful about citrus fruit goes into the compost bucket — the rind and seeds take kumquats to new nutritional heights!

High concentrations of vitamins A and C, tons of fiber, riboflavin (part of the B complex), and antioxidants like beta carotene make kumquats a pretty fantastic source of goodness for your body. I can’t get enough of them when they’re in season.

Palate Balance

Once I had my kumquats, I needed to offset the tart with some bitter, sweet, and umami. I went with frisée and red radicchio for the leafy bits (bitter). Then I remembered that I had leftover beets at home from a killer smoothie I made for work (sweet). Hint: You can get the pre-boiled beets at most grocery stores to make this step simpler.

I topped the salad with fresh-grated Pecorino Romano, an ingredient that’s good on just about everything (umami).

And now the long-awaited amazing salad dressing …

Coconut Lemon Vinaigrette

2017-02-16 17:27:42

I promised easy for homemade dressing, but this particular one I'd say is one step up from beginner, only because it requires a special tool: an immersion blender. BUT, because we're going for a thinner consistency than homemade mayonnaise (the main reason to use the tool), I think it would work just fine to use a food processor or blender instead. It's only three steps, still pretty easy!

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Prep Time

3 min

Prep Time

3 min

Ingredients

1 egg (needs to be high-quality, because you'll be consuming it raw)
the juice of 3 Meyer lemons and the zest of 1 of them
1/2 cup(ish) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup(ish) avocado oil (this is my favorite)
splash of apple cider vinegar (I use this one )
1/2 tbs coconut milk (best coconut milk ever)

Instructions

In a jar large enough to fit the immersion blender inside, add 1 raw egg , the juice of 3 lemons, and all of the oil
Blend these ingredients in the jar to make a thinned out mayo
Add the rest of the ingredients in and give another quick pulse of the blender

By Toni Sicola

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

That’s it, you’re done. Toss this creamy goodness into your salad, and you’ll be off to the races. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Seafood Stew: CWB-style Cioppino [RECIPE]

December 22, 2016Recipescioppino, seafood stew, soup, winter soupToni Sicola

Soup might be my favorite thing ever. My more-than-mild obsession with soup has become a running joke between me and Loren — I say, “I love soup. Did you know that about me?” and he says, “No! I had no idea.” This week’s Seafood Stew with White Wine Reduction is a combination of an Italian-style cioppino and a “put whatever’s in your fridge into the pot” soup. It turned out amazing, and I made enough to last us all week for dinner.

Cold weather brings out the soup-lover in me like nothing else, and I’ve gone as long as a week straight eating it for every meal (including breakfast!) more than once this season already. I love how instantly warming it is to lap up the steaming broth — and I hate being cold, so it’s truly a winning combination.

Soup is also a vehicle for my daily dose of bone broth, so it saves me a bit of time and an extra coffee mug to just eat it for breakfast.

Seafood Stew for Breakfast? No! (Sneak peek)

I mentioned eating soup for breakfast, but this particular recipe isn’t one of the ones I’ve adapted for breakfast. While I’m definitely a person who will eat non-breakfast food for breakfast, I didn’t find myself wanting to eat seafood first thing in the morning. (If you’re into it, by all means, go for it! It just wasn’t calling to me in the morning hours.) I’ll share a “souper” simple breakfast soup with you soon, so get excited for that! There’s my big “sneak peek”!

In the meantime, enjoy this deliciousness, which can be served with rice, tiny pasta, a big hunk of crusty bread, or none of the above — I included a few sunchokes from the garden in this recipe, so that’s a small amount of starch if you’re trying to stay low(-ish) carb.

Intuitive Cooking

As usual, I did minimal measuring. That’s the beauty of soup — it doesn’t have to be exact. It also doesn’t have to have these EXACT ingredients. I opted for all wild-caught, fresh seafood. Clams are usually included in seafood stew. If you like them, knock yourself out. I don’t love them so they aren’t included. Crab is another delicious option that wasn’t available when I made this. You could also opt for larger shrimp or prawns, again not available when I made this.

Be creative! Have fun, and enjoy being in your kitchen! This one takes a while, but it’s worth it to have something awesome waiting for you when you get home on these cold winter days!

Seafood Stew with White Wine Reduction

2016-12-21 17:48:08

Serves 6

an easy take on Italian cioppino with a few extra ingredients

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Ingredients

1 lb squid
1 lb white fish (I chose wild cod)
1 lb bay shrimp (also called "salad shrimp")
1 lb mussels
2 cups (or a large jar) seafood stock -- chicken or veggie stock works too if you don't have seafood stock
1 (26 oz) box POMI Strained Tomatoes
3 cloves garlic -- chopped or pressed*
2 lemons (finely zest one, largely grate the zest of the other, slice for garnish)
4-5 sunchokes, diced
2 large carrots, chopped
3-4 ribs celery, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine (like a chardonnay)
fresh herbs, chopped* (oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, or a combination)
2 tbs avocado oil or EVOO
Real Salt
Black pepper
OPTIONAL: cracked red pepper, Pecorino Romano

Instructions

Mince the garlic and set aside
Clean the squid and chop them into 1-inch rings
Clean mussels if needed
Cut fish filets into 2-inch pieces
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat
Add chopped onion, carrot, and sunchoke to the oil and saute until tender
Add garlic and stir until garlic becomes fragrant and golden brown
Add the squid in and reduce the heat -- you want them to cook slowly over about 10 minutes to avoid them turning rubbery
Add in the white wine and the large strips of lemon zest, raise heat again and cook for about 5 minutes
Add the strained tomatoes, the tomato paste and the chopped fresh herbs (leaving a bit of parsley for garnish at the end)
Raise the heat for a few minutes to get things boiling and then reduce down to a simmer and cover for another 15-20 minutes
Add a generous pinch of salt and as much black pepper as you want (I used about a teaspoon) before covering
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the pot taking care not to allow any seeds in
Add in the rest of the seafood and cook for another 5 minutes or until the mussels open and the cod is opaque
Remove the large slices of lemon zest
Serve over your choice of starch (or without one at all) and top with more fresh parsley, the finely grated lemon zest, and grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Notes

*I often have my garlic herb salt on hand to create short cuts in recipes like this. I included the garlic and herbs separately for those who don't have this wonderful blend on hand, but if you have it or something like it, feel free to use it instead of doing all the garlic and fresh herb chopping. I will often still add more fresh herbs to increase the green quota in a dish, but this blend will save you so much time in the kitchen. Just a word to the wise!

By Toni Sicola

Adapted from Epicurious

Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

Seasonal Affective Disorder – Why am I Sad in the Winter?

December 14, 2016Mind Body Wellbeinglight therapy, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, winter bluesToni Sicola

Many of us (myself included) struggle to adjust to a loss of day light after we “fall back” into Standard Time for the fall and winter. Leaving work in the dark, getting less time outside in the sun, and feeling rushed in the evenings can all contribute to a sense of dreariness this time of year. Also, for me personally — I really hate being cold. But hating being cold isn’t enough to make a person SAD. Let’s get to the bottom of this together.

Defining Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Some people are more susceptible to the change in weather than others, but we all feel it from time to time in the winter. Even the snow bunnies feel it. A more severe version of the winter blues could be the result of a biochemical change, resulting in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The Mayo Clinic defines Season Affective Disorder (SAD) as “a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons … a subtype of major depression.’

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms:

Irritability
Tiredness or low energy
Problems getting along with other people
Hypersensitivity to rejection
Heavy, “leaden” feeling in the arms or legs
Oversleeping
Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
Weight gain

These symptoms are pretty similar (if not the same as) other forms of depression, and just like depression, they’re more likely to affect women than men. But why are they grabbing folks in winter who are otherwise non-depressive at other points during the year? What’s so special about WINTER?

Why am I Sad in the Winter?

A few things are happening in our bodies (and in our lives) this time of year that could contribute to SAD — or even a less severe version of the “winter blues.” As I hinted above, a lack of sun exposure directly relates to a few of these, which I’ll explain as best I can.

A disruption in circadian rhythm (our body’s biological clock)
A drop in vitamin D levels
A reduction in exposure to negative ions (this one isn’t conclusive)
Cold and Flu season
Stress (holidays, family, kids home on break, etc — this one doesn’t really need explaining, does it?)

Vitamin D

Less exposure to sunlight means less vitamin D synthesis, which can sometimes mean a change in mood and energy for those who are sensitive. In a meta-analysis to review the connection between vitamin D deficiency and depression, researchers found a consistent correlation between low vitamin D concentration and depression in adults.

Combating the lack of sunlight with vitamin D3 supplements is a good idea for most of us here in the SF Bay, as we live far enough from the equator to be concerned about deficiency.

Circadian Rhythm (aka, our body’s biological clock)

The quantity and quality of light that enters our eyes (specifically the retina) affects our natural body clocks, and when the light changes, our energy levels, motivation, mood, and sleep patterns can all change with it.

Insufficient sunlight (entering through the eye) causes the brain to do extra work to produce melatonin, which is crucial in regulating sleep and has been linked to an increase in depressive symptoms. We want enough melatonin to get a good night’s sleep, not too much, which can prove problematic.

When we stop receiving a flood of bright light in the morning, our brains and bodies lag behind. Some people adjust quickly, some people have a harder time adjusting.

“The body clock takes its cue from sunlight, especially that in the morning. But as you get up into the northern-tier states, there’s a 4½ hour delay in sunrise in mid-winter versus the summer … in the middle portion of the U.S., there’s a two-hour difference … This difference is enough to affect circadian rhythm timing and throw the body clock out of sync.” (WebMD source)

Conclusion: The change in light is a major trigger for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Light Therapy

With sunlight in shorter supply during winter months, it’s important to get outside when the sun is out, to look up and soak in the rays. Take a brisk walk on your lunch break when the sun is at its highest.

If the sun does come out before you get to work every day, consider taking a walk first thing in the morning, and face the sunrise as much as possible. Do what you can to spend time outside, even if it’s chilly.

But sometimes that’s not enough, and we need to take extra measures to get adequate light into our brains.

One of the most effective treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorders is light therapy. Using a special light box (or sun box) that contains special light bulbs that mimic the sunlight can activate the parts of the brain that regulate our body clocks. Facing a sun box in the morning for as little as 30 minutes — say, while you’re eating breakfast or getting ready for work — can have a dramatic impact on your mood.

According to Michael Terman, PhD, director of the Winter Depression Program at New York Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Medical Center, using a sun box “keep[s] your body clock on its springtime cycle during the winter, and that’s how the depressive symptoms are lifted.” Pretty crazy right?

I’ve actually been doing this for about a week now and can already tell the difference. Maybe it’s too soon to tell, but I definitely feel more myself after using the one linked above while I’m doing my hair and make up in the morning.

Warning: there can be side effects to using a light box, and since so many of my readers come here for skin issues, I need to be clear: If you take medication that makes your skin sensitive to light, including skin medications, some anti-inflammatory medications, and certain herbs, talk to your dermatologist or PCP before starting light therapy.

If you have bipolar disorder, light therapy could trigger mania, hyperactivity, or agitation. Talk to your doctor before giving it a try.

Negative Ions

This is where we get into some interesting territory. Let’s start with a little background.

Ions are atoms with an electrical charge (positive or negative). Negative ions are found in greater concentrations around waterfalls, mountains, and beaches — natural places, typically large bodies of water. Decades of research has shown a correlation between increased negative ions and increased serotonin.

You can reap the benefits of negative ions by frequenting the environments where concentrations are naturally high, but in the winter, these places are often inaccessible. One winter option is to actually purchase a negative ionizer (affiliate link) for your home. Before you do that, take note that research on the efficacy of negative ions to reduce depression or anxiety is not conclusive. It’s a hypothesis that’s been tested with varying results. Give the linked research a look before you purchase.

Cold and Flu Season

In working on this blog post I actually learned something new myself. In the wake of a viral infection, it’s common to feel depressive symptoms. Did you know this? I sure didn’t, but it makes a lot of sense. When your immune system is in high gear, so is inflammation in the body and brain — this is the natural progression our bodies go through to fight infection. It’s a good thing in the end, but it can sure make us feel like crap. Here’s a brief explanation from Psychology Today:

“Our immune, neurologic, and psychological systems are closely intertwined. When there is a foreign invader in your body, like the influenza virus, your cells produce proinflammatory cytokines, non-antibody proteins that activate and organize your body’s immune response (Raison 2006). These chemical proteins circulate throughout your body and communicate with your brain, which in turn produces its own cytokines. These brain cytokines lead to fever, fatigue, depressed mood, lack of appetite, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, poor concentration, and altered sleeping patterns. In other words, the physical sickness caused by the inflammatory response significantly overlaps with depressive symptoms.”

We learned from my series on gut health that inflammation is very closely tied to mental health, sleep, and stress. Depression is correlated with leaky brain (a permeability that can both cause inflammation and be caused by inflammation). So it shouldn’t have surprised me that an inflammatory immune response would trigger depressive symptoms.

Take Care of Yourself this Winter

This time of year can be brutal — I’ve already had two colds this year and December has only just begun. Take care of yourself by practicing good hand washing hygiene, staying away from sick friends, and staying home if you do come down with something. You can also boost your immune system by eating foods rich in vitamin C and zinc, avoiding inflammatory foods, exercising, getting enough sleep, and avoiding unnecessary stress.

Remember, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression — it can be tempting to isolate, to curl up with a blanket and Netflix, to eat too much raw cookie dough or an entire bag of chips when you’re feeling down. Do your best to resist these temptations: find support in your social network rather than trying to do it all on your own. Take advantage of any resources you might have to help you, and don’t be afraid to ask.

If you’re susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder, these steps, in addition to experimenting with light therapy and/or negative ion therapy could make the difference for you this winter. Don’t forget to talk to your doctor before embarking on the light therapy journey if you have any relevant diagnoses, and take care of yourself.

FTC DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored post but I will receive compensation if you use the links in this post to purchase Bone Broths Co. bone broth. I’m proud to call this company a partner and work with them to bring bone broth to as many people as possible. All opinions are my own.

Protect Sensitive/Blemished Skin with the Best Natural Sunscreen

June 2, 2016Favorite Things, Guest Blogger, Skin Careacne, Botanic Organic, natural sunscreenToni Sicola

I’ll start this post out by saying that I’m a huge fan of Botanic Organic skin care. Today I’m going to give Nancy Newsom (founder of Botanic Organic) the floor to share how best to protect troubled skin (acne, sensitive, blemished) during the sunny summer months with the best natural sunscreen. I met Nancy at a women’s entrepreneur event in San Francisco over a year ago, and after trying out a few sample products, I was hooked. We discussed my years of skin drama (and my eventual cure), the scarring that resulted, and the best ingredients to use for topical skin care to help keep my acne-prone skin looking its best. In fact, we’re working together to get my favorite products to you at a discount, but more on that at the bottom of this post.

Mineral Sunscreen (Natural Sunscreen)

One thing Nancy insisted on without giving me even an inch of leeway was the need for a daily facial sunscreen. The word “natural,” as in “natural sunscreen” is implied here, because BO products are among the cleanest you’ll find out there. I make that distinction, because some of the chemical sunscreens (even those designed for sensitive skin) are so questionable that you might actually be better off without them — wear a hat and call it a day. I haven’t done enough research on my own to draft a solid post about this topic, but here’s a quick reference from the Environmental Working Group that explains some of the risks of chemical sunscreen, including endocrine issues (something women with PCOS certainly don’t need).

I’ve always hated putting sunscreen on my face. I hate that gross slick, that heavy feeling, that non-breathable gross glue that passes for natural sunscreen that you find on the shelves at Whole Foods (and I used to work there, so I’ve tried a LOT of them). Remember that stuff from the 80’s that was made in fluorescent colors trying to make slathering straight zinc oxide all over your face seem cool by making it pink or green or orange? I think it was called Zinc. Or Zinka. I can’t tell if this awesome picture I found is actually from the 80’s or if this is a new product that’s trying to be as “cool” as the one from the 80’s I’m thinking of.

photo source linked

ANYWAY, you get the idea. But in the spirit of practicing sun safety as we approach what will likely be our warmest summer on record, I asked Nancy to write a guest post showcasing her “Toni-friendly” sunscreen options. Hilariously, she starts off right away with the ingredient I just complained about — zinc oxide. And I’m happy she did — I actually learned something about how and why it’s good for problem skin, and I bet you will too.

Both of natural sunscreen products she shares are great — I use them without complaint, which is definitely saying something. In fact, I’ve already written a review about the Raspberry & Green Tea Daily Defense Moisturizer as part of my Summer Travel Skin Care strategy. It’s my favorite facial sunscreen of all time.

Take it away, Nancy!

Zinc Oxide for Sun Care and Acne-Prone Skin

nancy newsom botanic organic best natural sunscreen

– Nancy Newsom, Founder and CEO of Botanic Organic

At Botanic Organic, we’re big fans of zinc oxide for skin care because of its ability to both protect and repair skin. Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound that can prevent sunlight and ultraviolet rays from penetrating the skin and can also act as a barrier to protect skin from outside irritants. As a sunscreen, zinc oxide reflects ultraviolet rays away from the skin and provides protection against sun damage. It is particularly effective against long-wave UVA rays and appears to block out the harmful rays without actually penetrating the skin. (The two choices for sunscreen on the market are chemical barriers and physical barriers. Zinc Oxide is a physical (mineral) barrier and doesn’t pose the potential health risks mentioned in the EWG article linked above.)

Sun Exposure for Acne-prone Skin

Why should acne sufferers be particularly careful about wearing a sunscreen? Tanning appears to cover up redness and dry up the surface of your skin, making some blemishes fade away temporarily. In reality, tanning causes skin irritation, especially if you stay out a bit too long and burn yourself. This adds to redness and leads to peeling, both of which may later aggravate the appearance of acne. Tanning also breaks down collagen. Collagen is one of your prime defenses against wrinkles because it keeps your skin elastic. When skin loses collagen, not only are you more likely to see wrinkles but your pores may appear larger as well.

Sun Exposure for Acne Scars

Those who are dealing with discoloration or scarring from acne may be tempted to sit in the sun to “even out” the dark marks or “camouflage” them with a tan. Unfortunately, sun is the last thing your scars need. Scar tissue is different from normal skin. Scars are less resistant to ultraviolet rays and much more prone to sunburn, especially if they are fresh. Prolonged sun exposure can also permanently darken a scar, especially in people with darker skin complexions. Therefore, scars should be protected from prolonged, direct sun exposure year round, not just during the warmer summer months. Using a sunblock on your face every single day is extremely important for this reason.

A sunblock containing zinc oxide may help to prevent scarring and hyper-pigmentation with moderate acne. Additionally, some potential scarring from severe acne might also be avoided with regular use. By reducing inflammation and encouraging proper collagen growth, the skin is able to repair itself and prevent future damage. Please remember that you may be at risk for increased sun sensitivity if you’re using an acne treatments. Products such as Accutane, Retin-A, and even over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide ointments recommend avoiding sun exposure due to an increased sensitivity.

Natural Sunscreen, Antiseptic, Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant …

Sun blocking benefits aside, zinc oxide has mild astringent and antiseptic properties making it useful for acne and wound care. It is suggested that zinc for acne is effective because it can kill bacteria that causes red bumps during breakouts. By killing bacteria, the inflammation is reduced and pores can then be easily cleaned. It may also reduce overall inflammation and its antioxidant properties can help reduce skin damage during breakouts. Zinc oxide has been used for a number of dermatological conditions beyond acne, including infections, rosacea, pigmentary disorders (melasma), and basal cell carcinoma. [1]

High SPF zinc sunscreens can feel a bit thick and chalky for daily wear on face and neck. With this in mind Botanic Organic developed Raspberry & Green Tea Daily Defense Moisturizer. We designed this formula to encourage everyday use and included 11% zinc-oxide to provide a significant physical barrier to reflect UVA/UVB rays. Our customers who suffer from blemished skin find that it helps to control oiliness and acne without feeling heavy on the skin. Additionally, vitamin and antioxidant rich oils which are good for acne, provide organic nutrients to replenish skin and guard against environmental depletion. Green tea extract and sea buckthorn oil soothe redness and promote skin cell regeneration to aid in repairing UV damage. Shea butter, raspberry seed, buriti fruit and hemp seed oils have the natural ability to absorb a spectrum of UV radiation and therefore provide an extra degree of sun protection.

Read other Botanic Organic product reviews

Simplify Your Skin Care: Double Cleansing with Botanic Organic

Summer Travel Skin Care Made Easy with Botanic Organic

BO + CWB = <3

Great news! Nancy and I are joining forces to offer you an exclusive discount on all of my favorite Botanic Organic products! As soon as the page is built, you’ll be able to go straight to the products I use to help keep my skin looking great, and try them out for yourself. They’re all natural, organic, pure, and gentle — so clean you can eat them. We’ve been talking about doing this together for quite a while, and I’m so happy it’s finally happening! Stay tuned!

Resources

1. Mrinal Gupta, et al., “Zinc Therapy in Dermatology: A Review,” Dermatology Research and Practice, July 10, 2014; http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2014/709152/.

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