Alternative Medicine Archives - Amie Valpone https://thehealthyapple.com/category/remedy/alternative-medicine/ Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:15:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://thehealthyapple.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AV_3-1-80x80.png Alternative Medicine Archives - Amie Valpone https://thehealthyapple.com/category/remedy/alternative-medicine/ 32 32 19543843 Elevate Your Plate // The Best Foods for Liver Detox https://thehealthyapple.com/the-best-foods-for-liver-detox/ https://thehealthyapple.com/the-best-foods-for-liver-detox/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2019 13:00:00 +0000 https://thehealthyapple.com/?p=43336 In our new column, Elevate Your Plate, we’re bringing you Amie’s favorite ways to literally elevate-your-plate with anti-inflammatory foods + detoxifying ingredients for your liver so you can feel good about what you’re putting in your body. Let’s start with the best foods for liver detox. TheHealthyApple.com participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means … Continued

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In our new column, Elevate Your Plate, we’re bringing you Amie’s favorite ways to literally elevate-your-plate with anti-inflammatory foods + detoxifying ingredients for your liver so you can feel good about what you’re putting in your body. Let’s start with the best foods for liver detox.

TheHealthyApple.com participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.


Best foods to detox your liver

A few times a week I get asked the question, “Amie, what are the best foods for liver detox?” Because this is such a popular question, we decided to create a feature for you to read and reference back to when needed to keep your liver in tip-top shape. We’re also addressing foods that are bad for the liver and talking about how to improve liver health.

Why Focus on the Liver?

Good question.

The liver, in case you didn’t know, is in charge of filtering out ALL of the toxins you come into contact with ALL DAY LONG! The key hours for liver detoxification are between 1-3AM as seen on the chart in our feature 4 Small Changes to Transform Your Sleep, which means your sleep is super important. Your organs all detox when you are sleeping, which is why I went into great detail about the circadian rhythm in that article so you can understand the link between your sleeping hours and your health. This is why it’s so important to support your body by eating the best foods for liver detox.

Liver Toxicity Symptoms

Your liver is what gets backed up with toxins, hormones, chemicals, anger, etc. + causes PMS, headaches, bad breath, edema, bruising, hyperpigmentation on your skin, brain fog and many other serious conditions. From my experience of going through 12 years of chronic health issues including elevated liver enzymes in the 400’s for over 6 years + having misdiagnosed fatty liver disease for 11 of those years, I know a thing or two about the liver.

The Best Foods for Liver Detox

Today I’m sharing a few of the foods you can include and exclude when you’re focused on healing your liver. In my opinion, the liver is the first thing that should be addressed before gut health when a patient is unwell because in order to heal, you must remove the toxins. Trying to fix gut health first will backfire if your liver detox pathways are not working properly and toxins will recirculate throughout your body. All of this and more are covered and addressed in my 30-Day Reset.

DIM

The best liver support comes from the sulforaphane, which is easily found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and arugula. Diindolylmethane (also known as DIM) is the compound in cruciferous vegetables that many Functional + Integrative MD’s give their clients as a preventive measure.

DIM pulls excess estrogens out of your cells and sends them to the blood for elimination. If you’ve taken DIM you may feel awful because all those toxins are circulating throughout your body, which is exactly what happens with any detox. When you start to remove chemicals, heavy metals, mold toxins and more out of their hiding place in your body, you may feel awful (people often do), which is why it is so important to support your body’s detox and elimination systems while you’re taking DIM or doing other detoxes. The foods and supplements listed below are helpful for removing toxins from the liver. If you do need extra support while detoxing because you experience die-off symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and nausea, you can use the suggestions in the Extra Liver Detox Support section below.

The Best Foods for Liver Detox

Cauliflower //

Cauliflower is a cruciferous veggie, just like the veggies listed below, which is ideal for supporting your liver. Cauliflower can be made steamed and sautéed on the stove top or roasted and baked in the oven. It’s incredibly versatile and is ideal when pureed after cooking and used to replace cream in soup.

RECIPE TO TRY: Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

 

Broccoli //

Broccoli is another cruciferous veggie and tastes best when it’s roasted with olive oil, sea salt and pepper in the oven at 450 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until tender and crispy.

RECIPE TO TRY: Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad with Hemp Seeds

 

Cabbage //

Red cabbage, which looks purple to me, is ideal served raw to add a crunch to salads, tacos and fajitas. If you have a thyroid condition such as hypothyroidism, I suggest you do not eat more than 1 cup of raw cabbage per week.

RECIPE TO TRY: Stuffed Quinoa Sweet Potatoes with Hummus Sauce

 

Arugula //

Arugula is one of my favorite cruciferous veggies because, for those of you who have SIBO or Candida, many of you cannot handle gassy veggies like the ones above, which is what makes arugula a star. It has all the qualities of a cruciferous veggie, which supports liver detoxification, but isn’t gassy and doesn’t cause bloating. Serve arugula in your favorite salad recipe or tacos to add a touch of peppery taste.

RECIPE TO TRY: Gorgeous Apple + Arugula Salad

 

Burdock //

I discovered the wonders of burdock a few years ago and I love using it in juices and recipes. It has a bit of a nutty flavor, which is delicious when roasted in the winter. Burdock aids in the removal of waste products and can be found in health foods stores. It looks like twigs so don’t be alarmed when you see a twig named burdock next to your lettuce in the produce aisle. I suggest peeling the burdock.

RECIPE TO TRY: Slice the burdock root into 1/4 inch pieces widthwise and lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and some sea salt and bake for 15 minutes, then flip the pieces and bake for another 10-12 minutes. If you can’t find fresh burdock in your produce aisle, you can try this organic Burdock Tea that I use a few times a week at night before bed.

 

Dandelion Root Greens //

Dandelion root greens are delicious to add to stir-fries and salads. I finely chop a large head of these greens and add them to a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper and saute it for 10 minutes on medium-low heat on the stove top. You can also eat these greens raw in salads when the temperatures are warmer in the summer and late spring. Note: these greens are a little bit bitter so if you prefer you can serve them with kale or spinach to lessen the bitter taste.

RECIPE TO TRY: If you cannot find fresh dandelion root greens, you can purchase roasted dandelion root tea for liver detoxification, which I use daily. This is also a wonderful option for a coffee alternative when you are cutting out coffee during your detoxification process in my book, Eating Clean.

 

Lemon //

Lemon is not a cruciferous veggie but it is helpful for supporting the liver and kidneys. Try adding 1/2 lemon to your glass of room temperature or warm water and sip it throughout the day. Or add a squeeze of fresh lemon to your favorite salad with olive oil, sea salt and pepper for a simple and clean dressing. This is the lemon squeezer I use so that the lemon seeds don’t end up in my food!

RECIPE TO TRY: Lemon Basil Millet Burgers

 

Extra Liver Detox Support

As I mention every week, food is only a small percentage of what it takes to be truly healthy. I highly suggest you look into Castor Oil Packs + Coffee Enemas to help support the detoxification of toxins from your liver. Infrared Saunas, which heat the body from the inside out to secrete toxins, are another great option.

If you’re looking for more support, our 3 Month Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan is the perfect place to start detoxing your liver.

Liver health supplements that I’ve used are milk thistle + vitamin E + NAC + glutathione + DIM along with all the liver detox pathway supplements I address in my 30-Day Reset.

Fatty Liver Foods to Avoid

When I had fatty liver disease, I learned quickly what foods to avoid. Yes, there are a lot of foods to avoid with liver disease and below are a few to help you get started. I highly suggest tossing these from your pantry and fridge and replacing them with items on our anti-inflammatory grocery guide.

Some foods that are bad for the liver include fried foods, any food made with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), sugar (including candy + desserts), processed foods, white bread/white flour/white flour products, alcohol and table salt.

For more support, check out our 3 Month Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan, which is only available for a limited time. We       


The views expressed in this article intend to share alternative treatments to bring about conversation and are for informational purposes only even if this article features advice from MDs and medical practitioners. This featured article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, treatment or diagnosis and should never be used for specific medical advice.

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5 Tests Your Doctor Is Not Testing You For https://thehealthyapple.com/5-tests-doctor-not-testing/ Mon, 14 Jan 2019 13:00:37 +0000 https://thehealthyapple.com/?p=39944 Our new column, Living The Method™, addresses components of Amie’s method associated with the Physical layer of healing the body. The physical layers of healing include anti-inflammatory food, movement, epigenetics and detoxification. This is a formula inspired by Amie’s personal health journey from the past 12 years of healing a myriad of chronic illnesses to … Continued

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Our new column, Living The Method™, addresses components of Amie’s method associated with the Physical layer of healing the body. The physical layers of healing include anti-inflammatory food, movement, epigenetics and detoxification. This is a formula inspired by Amie’s personal health journey from the past 12 years of healing a myriad of chronic illnesses to address healing on three layers: physical, emotional and energetic. Let’s begin with the discussing alternative medicine testing and how it can help you get to the root cause of any chronic health issues or mysterious symptoms you may be experiencing.

5 tests your doctor is not testing you for

Let’s face it, western medical doctors typically perform only standard blood and urine tests. These don’t detect toxins that accumulate over time and may be hurting you, nor do they take a deeper look into potential deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Sadly I spent a decade going in circles because no one was testing me for the right tests- the doctors had no idea these tests existed!

I recommend you work with a Functional + Integrative medical doctor to get to your root cause of any symptoms you may be experiencing. Here is more information on Functional + Integrative Medicine and how to find one of these doctors in your area. These tests do not take the place of a thorough medical evaluation. Other tests may need to be ordered that are not listed below. The language below may seem confusing, but don’t let it discourage you. Bring this list to your Integrative MD and they will know what tests to run for you.

 

The Complete List of Tests

 

The complete comprehensive list of tests that helped me get to the root cause of my chronic health issues are all listed in three full pages in my best-selling book, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Body. These pages alone are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that I spent trying to research + discover these tests that my Western MD’s never addressed.

 

The 5 Tests You Need

 

ORGANIC ACIDS TEST // This test was incredibly helpful for me throughout the last 12 years of chronic health issues. It’s incredibly comprehensive and gives you an incredible amount of information that you will not get from a basic blood test. This test helps you design a supplement regimen tailored for your needs, so you’re not having to blindly take every vitamin or supplement that happens to be making the news. It will also help define pathophysiological areas of concern.

It’s designed to show the breakdown products of metabolism. High or low levels can give a wide variety of information, including whether there is an imbalance in producing mitochondrial ATP or an imbalance in intestinal bacteria or yeast. Once you have the results, you can use them to replenish any nutritional deficiencies that showed up. Review the results with your integrative MD, who will be able to make recommendations based on your particular situation. Available through Genova Diagnostics.

Genova Diagnostics gdx.net // 800-522-4762

 

FULL THYROID PANNEL // I have yet to find a Western MD who actually understands the full thyroid pannel. This is incredibly sad and scary at the same time because I cannot even begin to tell you how many patients walk into my office with a failing thyroid and their doctor only tested them for their TSH. It’s unacceptable, which is why I created The Thyroid Series to help you navigate your thyroid health and get the appropriate testing. You can read Part 1, Part 2Part 3, and Part 4. The full thyroid test run by Functional + Integrative medical doctors looks at markers like TSH, free T3, free T4, and Reverse T3, as well as anti-TPO antibodies and antithyroglobulin antibodies. In essence, it shows you how well your thyroid is working, and whether or not it is overproducing or underproducing hormones leading to Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, and Hashimotos.

 

HEAVY METALS // Too much tuna and other high mercury fish, mercury dental fillings, and other environmental sources can cause heavy metal accumulation. I see this in EVERY client that comes to me because their liver detoxification is stalled and their body cannot process toxins, including heavy metals, therefore they accumulate in the body and wreak havoc on the immune system, the gut, the endocrine system, the brain and more. My heavy metals were off the charts for years and I had to use many different methods to release them from my body. The only reliable test is a 24-hour Urine Challenge Test with a chelating agent like DMSA. Genova Diagnostics and Doctors Data can both perform this test. See the chapter on detoxification in my book, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Bodyfor a chart of heavy metals and possible sources of exposure. Read my tips on Heavy Metal Detox and How to Detox Your Body from Heavy Metals Making You Sick for more information on heavy metals.

 

URINE OXIDATIVE STRESS // This test tells you if you need more antioxidants in your diet + is helpful if you have cancer or autoimmune disease. Antioxidants are key in fighting free radicals and should be taken seriously when you’re looking to support your immune system and other chronic health issues. This test is performed by Genova Diagnostics.

Genova Diagnostics gdx.net // 800-522-4762

 

LYMES DISEASE // Lyme disease is the hardest to test for because the majority of labs will give off false positives or false negatives. I had to do the research myself throughout my 12 years of chronic health issues and I discovered there are two labs in California, which are listed below and they are the only two labs that will give an accurate reading for Lyme disease. So, if you’re not getting the answers you need from Quest, Labcore or other basic labs and you’re not feeling better, I suggest you find one of these two labs to get tested. You can read about my journey with Lyme Disease and my extensive Lyme Disease Treatment. These are the tests that measure for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and the associated coinfections, through antibody production. They include IGenex or SUNY Stony Brook Lyme Western Blot IgG, IgM; Babesia antibody IgG, IgM; Bartonella antibody IgG, IgM; Babesia antibody IgG, IgM; Bartonella antibody IgG, IgM; Ehrlichia antibody IgG, IgM.

 

POST- TESTING // When you receive your test results back from your doctor, you can schedule a private session with Amie to help you navigate the healing process because addressing the physical symptoms is only one part of the healing puzzle.

 

The complete list of medical testing (three full pages) is located within my best-selling book, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Body.

 

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The Tools You Need to Navigate Stress https://thehealthyapple.com/the-tools-you-need-to-navigate-stress/ Mon, 26 Nov 2018 13:00:36 +0000 https://thehealthyapple.com/?p=35342 Let’s face it. We’re all stressed out. To-do lists, parking tickets, internet outages, traffic, long lines at the check out counter, unmanageable deadlines, streams of emails bombarding your inbox (and streams of texts lining your text messages as well as trying to communicate with everyone commenting on your social media channels and answering their direct messages)…WHOAH … Continued

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Let’s face it. We’re all stressed out. To-do lists, parking tickets, internet outages, traffic, long lines at the check out counter, unmanageable deadlines, streams of emails bombarding your inbox (and streams of texts lining your text messages as well as trying to communicate with everyone commenting on your social media channels and answering their direct messages)…WHOAH baby. 

Beautiful white bedroom and the tools you need to navigate stress.

Let’s talk about Stress in 2018 (and soon to be 2019). It’s a wild ride navigating our lives these days because stress pops up in just about every aspect of our lives…more than our parents and grandparents ever experienced. Here’s how to navigate the most stressful areas of your life on a daily basis.

As always, we’re addressing the physical, emotional and energetic levels of the body because, YES—YOU GUESSED IT, that is the only way you can truly heal + feel better by addressing all three levels consistently and simultaneously.

AUDIO

Click on the PLAY button below to listen to Amie talk about How to Navigate Stress

The TOOLS You Need to Navigate Stress

Some of the main points I address in the above audio segment are outlined below, however, we suggest listening to the FULL audio clip for all the details. The below is a basic outline for you to skim through- the real ‘meat’ of the tools is in the audio clip above.

When it comes to stress, we need tools and techniques to navigate through the fog of stress that we are in the midst of. Every client that walks into my office is STRESSED OUT. She’s overworked, under-nourished, overtired, fatigued, not sleeping, the list goes on and on and on. Through my work, my goal has always been to create a way of helping you heal and align with your deeper core to unfold who they really are on a deeper level.

Circadian Rhythm, which I talk about here. Putting yourself on a schedule.

Removing inflammatory foods such as canola oil, table salt, peanuts and my Toxic 13 listed in my book, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body.

Sleeping at least 7-9 hours per night. Read why here.

No blue lights before bed or throughout the day. More info on this here.

Detoxify your liver! My 30 Day Reset is the best way to detox your liver starting today. Read why here.

Lavender essential oil to put on your wrists at night before bed and inhale with 3 deep breaths (see below for the organic brand I use).

Try to get a few sessions of lymphatic drainage/massage or use a lymph brush (my favorite lymph brush is below). I address how to use a body brush to detox your lymphatic fluid here.

Heal your gut. Your hormones are SO closely related to your GUT! Focusing on the health of your gut, where over 70% of your immune system lives, can help profoundly with anxiety and stress because you have a TON of hormones in your gut and it’s connected to your fight/flight response. Read why our Heal Your Gut program will help you here.

Candida. Candid can get kicked up in your gut from stress. I talk about what this is and how long it took for me to get rid of it in the audio clip above. Read why our Candida program can help you get a jumpstart here.

Dim your lights, add a beeswax candle or an electric candle (see below for the brand I love) so the blue lights and fluorescent lights aren’t affecting your hormones all day long!

Take breaks during the day. Get up and move that excess cortisol so it doesn’t circulate throughout your body over and over again causing chronic health issues.

Epsom salt bath. I address how to make an Epsom salt bath to help detoxify toxins from your skin here.

Castor oil pack. I address how to make a castor oil pack to help detoxify your liver here.

Add in pleasure to balance your hormones. Anything that brings you pleasure; I give a great example in the audio segment above.

Engage in energy work such as acupuncture. I go into greater detail about energy work in the above audio segment.

Balance your hormones as I address here.

Eat more warm, cooked foods such as leafy greens in this recipe.

Lay off the booze to save your liver. Your liver is the storage house for toxins; treat it WELL! Another reason you’ll need my 30 Day Reset pronto.

SHOP the STORY

TheHealthyApple.com participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

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5 Ways to Improve Gut Health for Your Whole Family https://thehealthyapple.com/5-ways-to-improve-gut-health/ Mon, 25 Jun 2018 13:00:22 +0000 https://thehealthyapple.com/?p=40027 This feature was sponsored by our friends at Align. All opinions are my own. I’ve been talking a lot about gut health throughout the last few months because along with the warm weather comes new foods (hello ice cream) that our bodies aren’t used to eating every day. Have no fear, I’ve got a few ways for … Continued

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I’ve been talking a lot about gut health throughout the last few months because along with the warm weather comes new foods (hello ice cream) that our bodies aren’t used to eating every day. Have no fear, I’ve got a few ways for you to promote gut health for your whole family this season.

Beautiful summer beach with a boat and beach chairs and ways to improve gut health.

5 Ways to Improve Gut Health for Your Whole Family (AUDIO)

Click the PLAY button below to listen to me talk about 5 ways to improve gut health for your whole family.


5 Ways to Improve Gut Health for Your Whole Family

  1. Add more vegetables than anything else on your plate. Load the veggies on your plate so that they take up the most space! Try a few of my favorites such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and kale. You can roast them, steam them, saute them or serve them raw with your favorite dip such as guacamole. I suggest roasting or sauteeing your favorite veggies with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes or on the stovetop over medium heat until tender.
  2. Add in a high-quality probiotic such as  to your daily routine as well as probiotic-rich foods (aka: fermented foods) that are naturally rich in probiotics such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and chickpea miso paste. You can add these to sauces, dressings, salads, and soups! Feel free to get creative; no need to follow a recipe. Take a taste of each of these ingredients and see which ones you like best, then add them as a side dish for dinner or mix them into your favorite salad dressing!
  3. Add in prebiotic-rich foods such as onions, leeks, bananas, asparagus, cabbage, and garlic to your meals a few times a week. Try sauteeing onions and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the onions are tender. Then, add your favorite veggies and a handful of nuts and you’ve got yourself a meal!
  4. Remove inflammatory foods that can kick up yeast and feed the non-beneficial bacteria such as white bread, white pasta, sugar, soda and fried foods. These create massive amounts of inflammation in our bodies.
  5. Filter your tap water so you’re not allowing toxins such as heavy metals and chemicals that are commonly found in tap water to enter your gut microbiome. I suggest my favorite water filter here. Trust me, once you do this, you’ll never go back to drinking tap water ever again because there is so much fluoride in tap water that tastes awful after you stop drinking it for a while!

Adult Gut Health Tips

There are over 500 species (and 3 pounds) of bacteria in your gut microbiome according to Mark Hyman M.D., which means we’ve got to make sure we’re adding beneficial bacteria to our lifestyle on a daily basis. Why? Well, because if we’re not adding in beneficial bacteria via probiotic-rich foods and probiotics, we can end up with more non-beneficial bacteria in our guts, which can leave our digestive system not a happy camper to say the least.

This is why I personally love they contain 5x more good bacteria than Align Probiotics and they’re easy to pack because they’re sold in individual blister packs. All you’ve gotta do is pop the probiotic out of the pouch and toss it into your mouth with a glass of water. Easy peasy. Probiotics, as many of you already know, help maintain the delicate balance between the beneficial bacteria in our gut microbiome, which is made up of trillions of bacteria. Align helps maintain that digestive balance*.

Diet, travel, changes in routine and stress can all disrupt your natural balance of beneficial bacteria in the microbiome so it’s key to add in probiotics to your lifestyle on a daily basis. Trust me, you’ll feel the difference between when your gut is happy with more beneficial bacteria vs. when the non-beneficial bacteria takes over.

Here are a few tips to help you with a healthy gut all summer long:

  • Focus on healthy fats such as avocado, walnuts, almonds, pecans, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. Remove inflammatory fats such as margarine and trans fats (found in processed baked goods like cookies, crackers, bread, and cakes).
  • Snack smart with anti-inflammatory ingredients and make your own snacks instead of succumbing to processed packaged snacks. Saute a mixture of leafy greens, walnuts, avocado, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet and serve it atop gluten-free whole grain toast for a snack.
  • Make a quick anti-inflammatory smoothie with fresh peeled beets, berries, ice and fresh mint.
  • Create a hearty anti-inflammatory meal or side dish with roasted sweet potatoes, a drizzle of coconut oil, a dash of ground cinnamon and a handful of chopped pecans.

box of align probiotics on a marble table.

Kid-Friendly Gut Health Tips

Kids often don’t love the foods that adults do, which can be very frustrating for parents, however, I’ve got a handful of ideas that you can use to gently support the microbiome of all the kiddos in your life.

  • Help keep your kids’ digestive systems in sync with Align Jr. Chewables Probiotic Supplement.*
  • Add probiotic-rich and prebiotic-rich foods to their lunchbox a few times a week (see the list above for ideas). Try alternating between steaming, roasting and sauteeing the veggies to switch things up.
  • Make your own pickles with apple cider vinegar and sea salt; feed them to your children for a probiotic-rich snack.
  • Add 1 Tbsp. chickpea miso paste to a pot of boiling water and add a bunch of your favorite veggies to make a soy-free miso soup that kids can sip in mugs to make it fun!
  • Make a fun snack plate by adding a few scoops of kimchi (you can make it yourself or purchase it from a health food store) to a large wooden cutting board along with sliced radishes, cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, hummus, and guacamole.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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5 Tips for Healthy Digestion on Summer Vacation https://thehealthyapple.com/5-tips-for-healthy-digestion-on-summer-vacation/ Mon, 04 Jun 2018 13:00:40 +0000 https://thehealthyapple.com/?p=41646 This feature was sponsored by our friends at Align. All opinions are my own. It officially feels like SUMMER I’ve been hearing from so many of you throughout the last few weeks asking me to chat about how to avoid the common digestion pitfalls while you’re traveling for summer vacation. I get it. For me, and … Continued

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This feature was sponsored by our friends at Align. All opinions are my own.

It officially feels like SUMMER I’ve been hearing from so many of you throughout the last few weeks asking me to chat about how to avoid the common digestion pitfalls while you’re traveling for summer vacation. I get it. For me, and I’m sure for many of you, the pitfalls can come from change in routine and belly blah-blah’s from eating something that didn’t agree with you. No need to fret, I’ve got you covered with tips and strategies for keeping your summer vaca a fabulous one.

5 tips for healthy digestion on vacation on a beach with sand and blue skies and orange umbrellas and blue beach chairs.

Healthy Digestion on Summer Vacation

(AUDIO)

Click the PLAY button below to listen to my 5 Tips for healthy digestion on summer vacation.


5 Tips for Healthy Digestion on Summer Vacation

Add in Probiotics

You know I love my probiotics. I never leave home without them, especially when I’m traveling. I’ve talked a lot about Align probiotics in the last few months and that’s because they’re my go-to probiotic when I’m traveling. Why? Well, for starters they’re easy to transport from place to place because they’re in individual blister packs and don’t need to be refrigerated.

This is a total win-win situation here because so many probiotics are all jumbled together in a bottle and when I travel in the summer, the supplements get so hot that they stick together and it’s a nightmare! Moreover, many of these probiotics need to be refrigerated, which means they’re not travel-friendly.

I usually bring an entire box of Align Extra Strength with me in my suitcase because someone always is in need of beneficial bacteria. I’m always prepared! This new probiotic contains Bifidobacterium 35624™, a unique, pure-strain probiotic that’s gluten-free, easy to swallow and also comes in a chewable format, as well.

Align Extra Strength contains 5x more good bacteria than regular Align Probiotics, which is super helpful while you’re on vacation because you’ll be eating foods that your body isn’t used to, which can disrupt the natural balance of good bacteria in the microbiome. Many of us need this extra strength oomph of beneficial bacteria after being on airplanes and eating in and out of restaurants.

a box of align probiotics on a marble table.

Make Your Own

I do not order food off the menu anywhere. It’s not something I do. Why? Because when I order off the menu, there’s always a hidden sauce or MSG or sneaky gluten ingredient that ends up in my meal and makes me feel awful for weeks. Yes, just a little bit of these ingredients is enough to knock me on my butt for weeks and that’s the last thing I want while I’m enjoying myself on summer vacation.

So, I tend to order exactly like this:

1 protein (ex: organic chicken) + 1 or 2 healthy fats (ex: avocado and chopped walnuts) + fiber (ex: loads of veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower or sweet potatoes).

That’s it. That’s what I do for every single meal and it works like a charm. I find a protein, fat(s) and fiber by checking out what ingredients are on the menu and I mix and match what sounds good to me and make it my own.

Then, I ask for freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt to sprinkle on my meal OR I ask for a side of salsa and hummus for dipping. Either way, I always need a dip or sauce or dressing with my meals. Without them, my meal is blah!

Call Ahead

When I’m planning a trip, I always call the hotel and speak with the front desk and concierge. I ask them where the nearest Whole Foods Market (or other healthy food stores) are located so that I can stock up on fresh fruits and veggies for my hotel room fridge. I map out my route and either head to the store directly from the airport or I’ll drop off my luggage and then head to the food store. This makes life so much easier for me, especially if I wake up early or I’m up late and I’m hungry because most hotels don’t have anything ‘healthy’ to serve you in the early morning and late evenings.

Get a Fridge

Every hotel room that I stay in MUST-have a fridge in it. That way I can stock fresh fruits and veggies in my room just in case I get hungry in between meals or if my blood sugar drops. I always call the hotel before I book my reservation to ensure they have empty mini-fridges available. Some hotels charge $25 for an empty fridge but most will happily provide this at no charge.

Pre-Pack 

Most people ask me, “Are you allowed to bring food on your carry-on on an airplane?” The answer is YES! I wrote a feature on what I pack in my carry-on that you can check out for more tips.

I always pack a bunch of nuts and seeds that I can take with me just in case I get hungry in between meals and the hotel doesn’t have snacks. I love raw almonds, walnuts, pecans and sunflower seeds but you can choose whatever nuts and seeds your heart desires. I toss in a pinch of sea salt and ground cinnamon to a large bag and then combine all the nuts/seeds and shake it up! Then, I store it in my carry-on before I head to the airport.

Along with nuts, I pack a bunch of ripe avocados to snack on throughout the day. I grab a spoon from a restaurant (in the airport or the hotel) and eat the entire avocado with a spoon and a pinch of sea salt. Easy peasy and so satisfying.

I also pack sea salt because most restaurants use table salt, which is highly inflammatory and will totally derail your progress if you’re eating clean. Pack your own high-quality sea salt. I mention my favorite brand in my best-selling book, Eating Clean.

The post 5 Tips for Healthy Digestion on Summer Vacation appeared first on Amie Valpone.

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