12 Months Of No Processed Foods – Crock Pot Recipes

 I personally am sick and tired of always eating processed foods, majority coming from fast food restaurants. As a family we decided to eat healthier and in doing so we actually saved a lot of money and feel better than ever.

Eating no processed foods is paramount to living a healthy life. Don’t be alarmed if you see that some of these recipes call for what we call “minimally processed foods”, for example, ketchup, canned vegetables, etc These are minimally processed foods but can also be made from scratch if you like. I buy everything organic and any meats grass fed without hormones.

But thankfully these meals are all wholesome and very easy to make. I love crockpot meals because all you do is chop up and add all the ingredients, turn it to low before you go to work and when you return you have a fully cooked meal that will fill you up and not cause you stress because the cooking is already done! Unless otherwise noted, all recipes are gluten free. Please read all labels carefully each and every time, as manufacturers change ingredients/manufacturing processes quite often. If you aren’t gluten free, just ignore my notes!

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis vs Gluten

Is Giving UP Gluten REALLY Necessary for Hashimoto’s Patients, or Just Fad Hype?

Unless you are newly diagnosed, chances are you have heard a lot about the connection between eating gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, oats) and auto immune diseases like Hashimoto’s.

You also have probably heard from your doctor, online nutritionists, and many mainstream media outlets and late night talk show hosts saying it is a lot of BS, and that you actually NEED gluten to be healthy.

So Who Is Right?

And also, just how strict do I really need to be? Can’t I have a little cheat? What if I don’t have any gut symptoms?

To find out the answer, I searched through research articles on PubMed. I already knew my stance on the issue, but wanted to make sure there was current research that supported it.

The September 2015 edition of the journal Gastroenterology  found high “proportions of patients with NCWS or CD develop autoimmune disorders, are ANA positive, and showed DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes”. (note- NCWS is non-Celiac wheat sensitivity.)

In the March 2015 journal Cerebellum, gluten was further linked to neurological disorders such as gluten ataxia, where there were no gut symptoms whatsoever, and occurred most commonly in patients with Hashimoto’s and other auto immune diseases. Check out this quote from the study:

“As with celiac disease, patients with GA (gluten ataxia) are often found to have an increased prevalence of additional autoimmune diseases the commonest of which include hypothyroidism, type 1 diabetes mellitus and pernicious anemia. Gastrointestinal symptoms are seldom prominent and are not a reliable indicator for the presence or absence of enteropathy. In this respect, gluten ataxia resembles dermatitis herpetiformis, an autoimmune dermatopathy triggered by gluten where gastrointestinal symptoms are not prominent even in the presence of an enteropathy.” (parenthesis and bold added by me for emphasis and clarification)

Wow. That is pretty powerful. How many of you with brain symptoms has ever had your doctor consider a possible gluten connection?

How To Lose Weight With Hashimoto’s

My Top 5 Helpful Weight Strategies For Hashimoto’s

Weight gain and the inability to lose weight may be a devastating consequence for many with hypothyroidism.

Many of you have been asking how to lose weight with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism…

Here are some helpful strategies for weight management and Hashimoto’s:

1. Get Your Latest Lab Values

Get your latest lab values for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 from your doctor. You may have been told that these numbers were “normal”, but sometimes when these numbers are on the outskirts of normal, your metabolic rate may still be impaired making it more difficult for you to burn calories.

Additionally, new guidelines have redefined the normal range for TSH to be below 3, however, not many labs have implemented this guideline. Your doctor may be using old ranges.

Most people report feeling well with a TSH between 0.5-2. 0. Remember, thyroid medications are dosed in micrograms, (that is 1/1000 of a milligram), sometimes a teensy increase in the dose can make a world of a difference. Talk to your doctor.

2. Consider The Type of Medication You Are Taking

Some report more weight loss with T4/T3 combinations (Armour, Nature-Throid, compounded medications) versus T4 medications (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Tirosint) alone. T4 is a precursor to T3, but some individuals do not convert T4 to T3 properly, and the T3 component is the metabolically active one. For more information, make sure to read my article on which thyroid medications are best and my top 11 thyroid medication tips.

3. Consider the Type of Diet You Are Eating

DIY Vapor Rub Shower Melts

I am so in love with vapor rub. You may remember my post 10 Uses for Vapor Rub, or 5 Chest Rub Hacks for Babies, and this Vapor Rub Scented Candle. And if those aren’t enough to convince you I am back with more! One of the littles was sick this week and just as stuffy as could be. Insert sad face here. After she was pretty sure I was the Wicked Witch for making her take medicine (side note…Hey pharmaceutical companies, it’s the year 2015. Medicine should be tasting like bacon now. Stop making it taste like rancid fruit juice.) I made her a peace offering of these homemade vapor rub shower cubes.

Now before you go thinking I Betty Homemaker, think again. These are so stinking easy to make, and you can whip them up in about 20 minutes. The end result is a vapor rub infused bath cube that you can place in the shower for instant relief from nasal congestion. Want to make your own? Let’s get started!

Here is what you will need to make your own Vapor Rub Shower Cubes:

Ice cube tray 

3 tablespoons of vapor rub (Maty’s makes a petroleum free, all natural variety with eucalyptus, peppermint, and wintergreen found here for around $5. It is amazing, it is safe for use with children, and I highly suggest it!)

1 cup of corn starch

2 tablespoons of water

Mixing bowl

Blue and green food coloring (optional)

Once you have your supplies, you are ready to roll. As you can see, chances are you already have these items in your home. Oh and when you are done with this recipe, check out my recipes for Vaporizing Bath Bombs and Vaporizing Bath Soak too!

The Thyroid Diet

Have you been eating the same way as usual and getting the same level of physical activity as always, but you’re wondering why these past months you have managed to put on a pound or maybe two per week?

It is very common that after this happens, you run directly to your doctor, because clearly something is wrong with you, but he probably will just tell you to stop eating so much and move off the couch, even though you are not doing that, or even give you a diet drug, because writing a prescription gives your doctor something useful and doctor-like to do.

But reality is you could have a thyroid problem, yep, a dysfunction in the small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that is crucial to your metabolism.

For millions of overweight people, thyroid disease is a very real reason for weight problems. That’s why learning about this disease and its symptoms is very important, since it can address the underlying cause of your weight gain, help restore your hope and health, and allow healthy diet and exercise to finally work the way they should. In fact more than 20 million have a thyroid problem and in most cases, undiagnosed and untreated, and it is believed that the number is rapidly on the rise.

The most common symptoms are: unexpected weight gain despite diet and exercise, fatigue and exhaustion, more hair loss than usual, moodiness, and muscle and joint pain. It is very important to clarify that this diet does not involve any miraculous secrets or magic pills that will make pounds melt away, in fact getting treatment for your previously undiagnosed thyroid problem will be all that you need to return to a healthy weight, without a rigorous change in your diet and exercise.

Besides optimal thyroid treatment, you need to ensure that your metabolism works as best as it can, resolving underlying nutritional deficiencies, treating depression and correcting brain chemistry imbalances, reducing stress, combating insulin resistance, treating food allergies and sensitivities, and of course, exercising, all these may be treated with herbs and natural supplements. It is time for you to master your master metabolism gland.

The secret is to eat to live rather than live to eat. Your job is to find the system that is going to work best for you, there is no one on earth that has the same body as you, maybe similar but not the same, so you are the only one that can define the diet that suits you the best.

Read full article here... The Thyroid Diet

LOW THYROID: HOW TO THYROID PROOF YOUR DIET

THE LOW THYROID EPIDEMIC (AKA LOW NUTRIENT DIET EPIDEMIC)

Thyroid problems are a growing mega-trend in America RIGHT NOW. You may have heard that your thyroid controls metabolism and works as the body’s thermostat, but what is it?

It is the thyroid gland, lying in front of the throat below the Adam’s apple and just above the breastbone, which regulates the rate at which the body utilizes oxygen and controls the rate at which various organs function and the speed with which the body utilizes food,” Broda Barnes, M.D. in Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. 

The following signs and symptoms can indicate your thyroid function may be low:

• Can’t lose weight
• Edema
• Depression
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Dry skin
• Sluggish, lack of initiative
• Chronic constipation
• Poor digestion
• SAD Seasonal affectiveness disorder
• Easily fatigued, sleepy
• Poor circulation
• Cold hands and feet
• Hair loss
• Waking body temperature of under 97.8 degrees
• Hormonal imbalance
• High cholesterol

If this describes you, it might be a good time to THYROID PROOF your diet!

A LIVER STRENGTHENING DIET IS A PRO-THYROID DIET. INCLUDING:

1) An abundance of “whole animal” proteins. Why? The body (especially the liver) needs the amino acid balance that is achieved when we eat the “whole animal.” When we eat only particular proteins from the animal, for instance muscle meats, your body trends toward inflammation!

2) Nutrient rich sources of sugar (aka carbohydrates). If the word “sugar” is scary to you or you have blacklisted it from your diet, you might want read this for some context.

3) Pro-thyroid saturated fats like coconut oil & butter, and the elimination of unsaturated fats (PUFA), as they suppress thyroid function. Coconut oil is very pro-thyroid food.

4) Eat meals that support blood sugar balance. Poor blood sugar handling causes the adrenal glands release stress hormones and signal the liver to break down proteins and fats for energy. This process releases amino acids that are anti-metabolic to our thyroid. “Muscle catabolism also releases a large amount of cysteine, and cysteine, methionine, and tryptophan suppress thyroid function,” Dr. Ray Peat, PhD.

5) Get the undigestible foods out of your diet (especial soy products), and instead focus on easy to digest foods.

6) Adopt a nutrition plan that gives you enough food and calories to support your body’s cellular metabolism and energy production.

7) Reduce stress and get enough SLEEP. If you struggle with insomnia, these tips are for you!

Read full article here... LOW THYROID: HOW TO THYROID PROOF YOUR DIET

How to Recover from Adrenal Fatigue

The Adrenal Glands: Not just another spleen

In my high school biology class, we gave the adrenal glands as much attention as the spleen. That is to say, we gave them no attention. We memorized the roles of the liver, the route of urine through the kidneys, and the complete lifecycle of the human egg. But the adrenal glands? Those things didn’t even appear in the Extra Credit questions of an exam.

Many of you consider your adrenal glands as just another spleen: you know you have both organs, but they don’t get any special attention. Your daily choices either abuse or support these glands, however. If your adrenals take too much abuse, it leads to adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue is currently a chic diagnosis in the world of alternative medicine, although most doctors do not recognize this health issue. As someone who has struggled with adrenal fatigue, I can tell you that it is very real. Fortunately, with some straight-forward dietary and lifestyle changes, you will be on your path to adrenal fatigue recovery.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Do many of these symptoms describe you? Then adopting an adrenal recovery diet and lifestyle is a key step in reaching your optimal health.

• Low energy through the day and trouble getting out of bed
• Low thyroid function (hypothyroid)
• Inability to lose weight
• Low or no libido
• Low blood pressure
• Dizzy when standing up (this was the key symptom for me to discover my adrenal fatigue!)
• Cravings for salt and sugar
• Anxiety, mental exhaustion, and/or depression
• Reduced immunity (you get every cold that goes around)

 What are the adrenal glands?

The adrenal glands, two little pea-sized glands, sit on top of the kidneys. The outer part of the adrenal gland, the adrenal cortex, secretes the corticosteroid hormones including cortisol that monitor the body’s metabolism, inflammation, and blood pressure.

The adrenal medulla, the inner part, secretes adrenaline and noradrenaline, hormones that respond to stressors. When the adrenal medulla fires, it increases the heart rate, boosts blood flow to the muscles, and creates a surge of glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream. This mechanism evolved so we could draw from a quick burst of energy in a fight-or-flight situation.

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue results when dietary and lifestyle choices cause the adrenal glands to exhaust after firing over and over.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t fatigue his adrenal glands because they only needed a burst of stress hormones during the occasional flight-or-fight situation. When we face chronic stress, however, it means that our adrenal glands fire constantly. This depletes the adrenal glands and compromises their ability to perform their tasks, like the controlled secretion of corticosteroid hormones. This leads to chronic fatigue, an impaired immune system, inflammation, and the other symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

There are numerous situations that frequently precede adrenal fatigue. Here are some common causes, according to Dr. James Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Syndrome:

• Sudden life change, such as a move or loss of a job
• Severe emotional trauma
• Single parenting
• College life
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• All work, little play
• Perfectionist mentality towards life or work

Another type of chronic stress that contributes to adrenal fatigue is blood sugar problems. When we eat imbalanced meals, high in carbs and low in fat, it causes first hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and then hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In response to the dangerous blood sugar crash, the adrenal glands kick in with stress hormones to mobilize glucose and raise blood sugar.

The problem is that the adrenals aren’t meant to be drawn on for daily blood sugar regulation. They are only supposed to fill that role very occasionally. When it happens on a regular basis, it drains the adrenals.

How do I confirm adrenal fatigue?

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue are non-specific, meaning they can relate to other health issues. So it’s difficult to diagnose adrenal fatigue with just symptoms.

I believe one key indicator of adrenal fatigue is lifestyle choices and health history. Are you currently exhausted, although you used to be a busy bee? Have you always taken on more than you can handle, but now you are unable to keep up? Do you rely on caffeine to get through the day?

While adopting an adrenal fatigue diet and lifestyle certainly won’t hurt if you don’t have adrenal fatigue, the way to confirm adrenal fatigue is a cortisol saliva test. All you have to do is spit in some vials, stick them in the freezer, and mail them to a lab. After processing, you’ll receive a chart that shows if your cortisol levels throughout the day are normal or wonky. (Wonky levels = adrenal fatigue). You can request this test from a naturopath or natural health practitioner.

Why it is important to address adrenal fatigue?

• Without good adrenal function, the body can’t properly regulate blood sugar. This perpetuates inflammation and weight issues.
• Without healthy adrenals, the thyroid takes a big hit. It is impossible to fix hypothyroidism without also correcting adrenal fatigue.
• Women, it’s vitally important to fix your adrenal fatigue before menopause. Healthy adrenal function can prevent most – if not all – of the unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause.
• Once adrenal fatigue corrected, you’ll feel like you have your mojo back. You will be able to wake up with energy and motivation, you’ll have your libido back and you’ll have the energy to get through your day.

Natural Adrenal Fatigue Recovery

Three important factors work together to address adrenal fatigue: diet, supplements, and lifestyle. Of all three, the most important – and challenging – is lifestyle. Diet and supplements certainly improve adrenal fatigue, but you must make the lifestyle changes.

Read the full article here... How to Recover from Adrenal Fatigue

What We Know About Diastasis Recti in 2015

If you are like me and you had no idea that this was something that can happen when you are pregnant, and you have suffered physically and emotionally for years because people are constantly asking you how far along you are or when you are due, then you will enjoy reading this article.

Diastasis Recti is a Real Problem!



What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti (also known as abdominal muscle separation) is when the left and right sides of the abdominal muscles are separated. This is commonly seen in pregnant and postpartum women, but can also be found in children and other adults. For our purposes, we’re going to discuss diastasis recti in pre and postnatal women.
In a pre-pregnancy body (assuming it’s a healthy, functioning body), the abdominal muscles are usually held closely together by connective tissue (linea alba), which runs down the midline of the body from sternum to pubic bone. In the case of diastasis recti, the linea alba has become stretched and lax so the abdominal muscles are no longer being held tightly together. You can feel this when you do a diastasis recti self-check. The connective tissue along your abdominal wall will feel weak and squishy when you press on it and you’ll be able to measure the distance between the left and right sides of your abdominal muscles.


Diastasis Recti is Not About Your Abs
Say what?

All this talk about abdominal muscle separation, yet diastasis recti doesn’t have much to do with your abdominal muscles at all! Diastasis recti is about the connective tissue, and it’s loss of tension and ability to transfer loads. We use the abdominal muscles as a measuring tool to check the width of the connective tissue. This distance is called the inter-recti distance (IRD).
We used to think that you had to close the gap between the abdominal muscles to heal a diastasis. Today we know that the space between your abdominal muscles is less important than the quality of the connective tissue. We now consider a diastasis recti healed when the connective tissue can generate tension, with or without a space present. Some postpartum women may always have a small space between her abdominal muscles but as long as she has healthy connective tissue it will not affect her health or function (or ability to achieve a flat stomach for that matter!).
Takeaway Notes: it’s not about the size of the space between your abs, it’s about the quality of the connective tissue!
Why Do Women Develop Diastasis Recti?
Read the full article here... Your Diastasis Recti Questions Answered

Thyroid Patients: 7 Keys to Successfully Restoring and Revitalizing Your Health

The day I stumbled upon New York Times bestselling author Mary Shomon’s book Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know changed my life.

Written by Mary Shomon, About.com’s Thyroid Disease Guide

When it comes to having a thyroid condition, it’s easy to focus on the obvious details like blood tests, lab results and medications. But after two decades as a thyroid patient advocate — and as a thyroid patient myself all these years — I have realized that finding the right medication for you at the right dose is just one part of the complete picture of health and wellness. In the past twenty years as a thyroid patient and advocate, I got pregnant and had a daughter (who is now 18…let’s talk about time flying!) (I know many of you can relate!) At one point, I lost so much hair I had a ponytail the thickness of a pencil. (How many ways can you wear your hair in a scrunchie?) I suffered a miscarriage, but went on to adopt my son, who is now a thriving 11 year old. I rode the roller coaster of perimenopause, and went through menopause — and found it surprisingly easy with the help of some surprising things I learned along the way.

In the end, I have learned a great deal, through trial and error, and by trusting some truly inspiring wellness experts, a group of people I now consider my personal guiding stars of wellness. Thanks to their wisdom and support, I have discovered seven keys to successfully restoring and revitalizing my health. Each of these keys is absolutely crucial to not only my thyroid health and management of symptoms, but to the bigger picture: my overall energy, attitude, peace of mind, and happiness! I didn’t learn about them all at once when I was first diagnosed — it’s been a long and winding road at times. But hopefully, wherever you are on your thyroid journey — whether you are newly diagnosed, or a veteran patient — you may find that many of the things that have worked for me can help you fast-forward on your own road to optimal health!

Read the rest of the article here.... Thyroid Patients: 7 Keys to Successfully Restoring and Revitalizing Your Health

7 Ways to Eat Healthier

First off let me just say that I am not an expert in this area, nor do I follow all of these the best that I can. I do however try to eat healthier so that I can be the best wife and mother that I can. 

Easy Home Remedies For Dealing With Croup

* I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL OR A DOCTOR. IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HEALTH CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER*

That being said I am a mother of five kids one of which has had croup more times than I can even count or remember. He isn't the first of my kids to ever get croup, he is however my child that gets it all of the time. He has even been hospitalized because of it. So I would say that I know a lot about croup and how to treat and deal with it.