diet

U Is For Unaware

October 20, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

This past weekend, I listened to an amazing interview with Joe Cross.

In case his name doesn’t ring a bell, Joe Cross is the hero of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – he turned his life around by going on a juice fast.

As he puts it, the food you put in your body is information. If you’re starving yourself of the RIGHT fuel (aka food), is it any surprise that things go wrong?

The thing is, 70% of all disease is caused by lifestyle choices – not your genes!

What are those choices? They include things like: what you eat and drink, what your sleep patterns are, how much exercise you get (or not), whether you smoke – and also how you manage stress.

Which leads me to this question:

How connected are YOU to how you’re living your life?

How to Look 20, When You’re Well Past 50 (60, Even)

October 13, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

A while back, a friend whom I hadn’t seen in awhile exclaimed that I looked about 20.

Of course, I didn’t believe her. (When I look in the mirror, I’m as critical as the next person).

But I was pleasantly surprised and secretly quite pleased to hear this.

Who wouldn’t be, right?

After all, it isn’t exactly easy to pass for 40 years younger than your actual age!

“What about my gray hair?” I asked her, thinking that was a dead give-away.

She brushed that aside, saying it didn’t mean a whole lot.

Well, OK then.

The thing is, this wasn’t an isolated incident – which, to be perfectly honest, leaves me a bit baffled..

People want to know “What’s your secret?” – and while I might not be sure initially, when I think about the work I’m doing, and how I live my life, I realize – that’s the secret right there!

What I teach, after all – is a lifestyle.

Pros & Cons of the Paleo Diet

August 18, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Seems hardly a day goes by, that I don’t hear of someone else who’s embarked on the Whole 30 diet, or ‘gone Paleo’.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Paleo trend, it’s based on the concept that you’re going back to an ancestral diet – the way Nature intended you to be eating all along.

In other words, you’re eating the way your long-ago ancestors ate prior to the introduction of agriculture.

What this translates to – is that you’re foregoing many modern foods you’ve become accustomed to eating, in particular grains, legumes, and – depending on the plan you choose to follow – an absence of potatoes, alcohol and sugar.

If that seems overwhelming to you, I’ve been hearing over and over of the positive experiences people are having.

More energy. Less inflammation. Fewer aches and pains.

The Alzheimer’s Myth

July 7, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

A few days ago, I had a conversation with a friend who was speaking of her aging mother who was showing clear signs of dementia.

She explained further, that the family had just moved her into a retirement home.

I mentioned the tendency we have, as a society, to believe this is simply what happens as we age – that it’s normal for your body to fall apart.

Or, that you might lose your mental faculties completely.

“Well, it certainly SEEMS to be increasingly normal” she said in response.

“It’s COMMON, yes” I answered, “But it’s not normal.” (I could see the ‘light bulb’ go off, as I spoke those words.)

It’s an important distinction, by the way – as you’re talking about two very different things!

Bottom line: It’s your behaviors that matter more than anything.

By that, I mean your diet, and your lifestyle (managing stress, exercise, plenty of sleep) as well as reducing your exposure to environmental toxins as much as possible – especially in your home.

It’s NOT only about your genes! (Scientists have known this already, for close to 20 years!)

In other words, your genes do NOT determine your destiny! [Read more…]

Filed Under: HEALTH & WELLNESS, HEALTHY AGING Tagged With: Alzheimers Disease, autoimmune disease, chronic disease, dementia, diet, environmental toxins, environmental trigger, epigenetic, genes, genetics, gluten, Human Genome Project, old & sick

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

January 20, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

“Symptoms are a signal from the body that it is imbalanced, in distress, or in need of support.”

Kelly Brogan, MD

Your body has it’s own innate inner wisdom.

In other words, with a little help from you – it has the ability to heal (you just need to give it what it needs).

How do you know what your body needs most?

You listen!

What signs and symptoms are your experiencing? How debilitating are they? Are you in pain, or is it more of a nagging discomfort that keeps you from enjoying your life to it’s fullest?

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

September 30, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

Should you remove gluten from your diet?

I get asked this question a lot.

And the short answer is “It depends”.

It depends on what’s going on in your body.

It depends on the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing.

And it also depends on your test results!

Of course, if your tests come back negative, then you’re in the clear – at least for the time being – more on that later.

But it’s super important that you get the RIGHT tests!

And you don’t want to stop there, either.

How to Look 20, When You’re Well Past 50 (60, Even)

August 19, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

A while back, a friend whom I hadn’t seen in awhile exclaimed that I looked about 20.

Of course, I didn’t believe her. (When I look in the mirror, I’m as critical as the next person).

But I was pleasantly surprised and secretly quite pleased to hear this.

Who wouldn’t be, right?

After all, it isn’t exactly easy to pass for 40 years younger than your actual age!

“What about my gray hair?” I asked her, thinking that was a dead give-away.

She brushed that aside, saying it didn’t mean a whole lot.

Well, OK then.

The thing is, this wasn’t an isolated incident – which, to be perfectly honest, leaves me a bit baffled..

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

August 5, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

“Symptoms are a signal from the body that it is imbalanced, in distress, or in need of support.”

Kelly Brogan, MD

Your body has it’s own innate inner wisdom.

In other words, with a little help from you – it has the ability to heal (you just need to give it what it needs).

How do you know what your body needs most?

You listen!

What signs and symptoms are your experiencing? How debilitating are they? Are you in pain, or is it more of a nagging discomfort that keeps you from enjoying your life to it’s fullest?

The Book Of You

June 24, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

A few years back, I wrote this.

The idea behind it was that all the bits and pieces of your life get woven not only into your memories, but also the very fabric of your home – using color, shape, furnishings and mementos to paint a picture – instead of words.

What I’ve come to realize, is that those same bits and pieces – indeed, the entire story of your life in all its shame and glory – has a huge impact on your health.

No matter how much you might try to deny it, these various threads of your life nonetheless parallel and influence each other – starting at birth, and continuing undiminished, until you take your last breath.

In short, everything matters!

Every bite you choose to eat, every action you take, every significant person who’s crossed your path – to the soup of environmental chemicals you might be exposed to along the way or how you manage stress.

What’s On Your Bucket List?

May 27, 2016 By Karen 1 Comment

You’ve heard of a Bucket List, right?

That list of things you’ve always wanted to do, but never quite got around to?

In a nutshell, a Bucket List is a way of setting some goals for yourself, namely what you’d like to accomplish in this life, before moving on.

And it’s an awesome idea!

(Perhaps you’ve even seen the movie by that name?)

Today I’d like to share with you a different sort of Bucket List.

It’s an analogy, if you will, a way of looking at the hand you’ve been dealt – your medical history, along with your entire life trajectory and challenges along the way.

In other words, everything that’s you led to where you are today.

So, here’s the thing.

Picture a bucket of water – with the water level stopping about two inches from the top.

U Is For Unaware

How to Look 20, When You’re Well Past 50 (60, Even)

Pros & Cons of the Paleo Diet

The Alzheimer’s Myth

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

How to Look 20, When You’re Well Past 50 (60, Even)

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

The Book Of You

What’s On Your Bucket List?

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