Sharing a fun recipe that we love to make at our house! Who doesn’t love dinosaur shaped gummies?
Most of the Jello, Gummy Bears, and Fruit snacks out there have ingredients like artificial food dyes, artificial flavors, GMO ingredients, and more.
We know that those ingredients are harming our health, so let's have some fun in the kitchen and make our own!
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cup of Juice - a lot of juices out there have dyes and flavors too! So make sure to get a clean organic option! We used 1 cup of organic apple cider and 1/2 cup of Ningxia Red (my way of getting some extra antioxidant power in there)
- 4 Tbsp Grass-fed Gelatin (great for your gut health)
- 2 TBSP Honey
Warm juice on the stove top until warm (do not boil) You don’t want to cook out all those good antioxidants.
Slowly whisk in Gelatin to avoid clumps.
Whisk in honey and poor in silicone molds and refrigerate for an hour
Pop out of the molds and enjoy a fun jiggly treat!
Watch the Recipe Video HERE
It’s a total mom win when something fun and yummy is healthy too!
Let me know if you give this recipe a try!
Can't wait to hear what molds you find for yours!
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
Lack of Self Care in our world is a real problem….
As a society, we just do not know how to slow down…. alarm clock goes off, we rush to work, get the kids to school, clean the house, make dinner, and so on… and then we hit a brick wall and veg out on Netflix … Anyone else guilty of that?...
We all know that Stress has a HUGE impact on our Health
Let’s break down what physically happens when you're stressed?
Your adrenal glands go into overdrive and your cortisol levels go up. High levels of cortisol cause the body to scavenge for protein to convert into glucose to provide energy for your brain to deal with the perceived stress.
Any type of stress will cause the adrenal glands to react, and your cortisol levels go up!
When cortisol is produced too frequently, it can have negative health consequences such as feelings of fatigue, difficulty maintaining healthy weight, and even heart health. Stress definitely affects our physical health in a big way.
Have you heard of CortiStop? CortiStop is designed to address your body's reaction to the cortisol produced when under stress. It has herbs and essential oils that help to NATURALLY balance the stress response by calming the body and lowering cortisol levels. As cortisol declines, strength and energy return, and the body moves back to a state of equilibrium. Which is what we want!
Now that we know what happens when we are stressed... Let's answer the question... "What is Self Care?"
Usually we picture a bubble bath, a massage, a pedicure… which all sound lovely!!!...but....
I’m not sure about you, my life is pretty busy, and those are things that I usually don’t make time for in my typical day. And Self Care is something that we need to be doing everyday.
Self Care is more about giving your mind time to pause.
Do you ever jump in the shower or lay down to go to bed and your mind is running 100 miles an hour? Your body has stopped moving, but your mind is still going.
If you can relate... here are 10 ways to stress less and incorporate self care into your everyday life
- Put your phone down; take a phone break…. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, I promise that looking at the drama on Facebook or Instagram is not going to help. Take an hour or two to not worry about those calls, texts, or notifications.
- Deep Breathing- Most of us are shallow breathers. Practicing good breathing is so good for your overall health. Deep Breathing is something that I love to do when I feel like I’m starting to stress out. I even have my kids do this when they are getting big emotions. Bonus, grab an essential oil and put a drop in your hands; cup your hands over your face and deep breath.
- Gratitude - Start or end your day by writing down three things that happened in the last 24 hours that you are thankful for. It is amazing how taking a few minutes to focus on the small things can give you a whole positive outlook on your day. I loved how this helped me so much; I created a gratitude journal of my own. Check it out HERE
- Sleep - Getting a good nights sleep is the best type of self care! When we don't get a good nights sleep, we don't feel good, and struggle to stay motivated throughout our day. A few sleep tips - turn off screens an hour before bed time, read instead of watch tv before bed, turn on your diffuser at bed time with your favorite relaxing essential oils.
- Gut Health - 90% of Serotonin is produced in the gut! Serotonin is your feel good hormone! So when you have lots of your happy hormone pumping, you definitely feel better and that for sure is self care.
Dr. Uma Naidoo has a great book called "This is your brain on food". She shared a study of a group of people that for 4 weeks were treated with a probiotic. The study showed that these people had similar results to those treated with Prozac. That is mind blowing! If someone had the choice of taking Prozac vs. a probiotic, of course they would want the probiotic.
And 70% of your immune system is in your gut, so that’s another reason that gut health is so important.
So for all the things we do that damage our gut health, it is so important to build it back up! Enzymes and probiotics! Click HERE to read my full blog post on how your Gut Health affects your Mental Health.
- Journal- Stop and write down your thoughts. It is amazing how getting things out on paper can release stress.
- Go for a walk, enjoy some quiet time in the fresh air.
- Guided meditation & prayer - Have you tried to have some quiet time and your mind starts wandering to all the things on your to do list? Guided meditations have been something that I have found to help my mind calm down in the evenings. There are some great Guided meditation podcasts; Abide is a great faith based one that is one of my favorites to listen to at bedtime.
- Detox Bath - When you do have time for that bubble bath, elevate it a little bit by adding some Epsom salts and your favorite essential oil. Epsom salts have magnesium, which is great for your overall health, but is also very relaxing. Get a scoop of Epsom salts and drop a few drops of your favorite essential oil, then dump in the warm bath water.
- Nutrition - When you don’t feel good, you don’t feel happy. When your body is not getting the right nutrition that it needs, you don’t feel good. We all have nutritional gaps, that when we fill them with good quality nutrition, it makes all the difference! Start adding in more fresh foods; less boxed. HERE are a few of my fav Nutrition easy buttons.
Start incorporating some of these into your life and see how much better you feel. Small changes can make a big impact.
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
Have you ever felt like no matter how much sleep you get, you are always exhausted? Feeling tired, little things stressing you out, and that feeling of burnout. These all could be your signals that your adrenal glands are asking for some help!
Where are your adrenal glands?
They are a part of your Endocrine system, which is the system of your body that creates and releases hormones for all kinds of functions in your body. It's a super important system, that affects way more than we realize!
Your adrenal glands are a small pair of glands that sit on top of your kidneys. So reach your hands around and give yourself a hug; where your hands are on your mid back, that's where your kidneys and adrenal glands are.
What do your adrenal glands do?
Your adrenal glands are an important part of the regulation of the hormone cortisol, which affects metabolism, inflammation, and... yup you guessed it... your energy. Adrenal glands may be tiny, but they are super important!
When our body is in a high stress situation, the adrenals secrete cortisol our stress hormone, which is what our body needs in high stress moments. However, the problem that comes in to play, is that in our modern life today, the majority of us our in a constant state of stress... Rushing from one thing to the next... our busy, go go go lifestlye is affecting our adrenal health and causing them to fatigue.
Often, we try to caffeinate to combat our fatigue with things like energy drinks or multiple cups of coffee, which actually confuses our adrenals more and keeps them from knowing when and how much hormone to secrete. Which unfortunately keeps the cycle going...
So how do we give our Adrenals some extra love and support?
- Eat Healthy fats (coconut oil, avocado oil, ghee, grass fed butter), Natural Salt (Redmond's sea salt, Himalayan, or Celtic Sea Salt), Green and brightly colored fruits and veggies, Vitamin C rich foods.
- Hydrate - I've learned that drinking water is always a good thing to do when our body needs support. Your adrenals need it too!
- Adress Stress - take a pause. No matter how busy things are, we all need to stop for even just a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed, Listen to a guided meditation (there are some great biblical meditation podcasts), go for a walk, get a coloring book and sit down and just enjoy a few minutes of quiet time! I love this relaxation method so much that I created a coloring book for adults called Perfect Peace.
- B Vitamins are excellent for your adrenals! And i take this one that has a secret ingredient... Nutmeg essential oil! This helps your body absorb more of the b vitamin and Nutmeg is another amazing super helper for your adrenals, more about that below.
- Nutmeg Vitality Oil- The plant nutmeg is known to help support the production of corticosteroids, which is why your adrenals love it so much! Isn't amazing what the power of plants can do? I rub this oil on my mid back right over the kidney/adrenal area (remember, give yourself a hug, that's your kidney spot) Or get some empty veggie capsules and put 3-7 drops of Nutmeg Vitality Oil in and make your own little capsule, when you feel like your adrenals need some love.
- Ningxia Red and Ningxia Greensare two of my favorite supplements for filling nutritional gaps. When your body is given the nutrition it needs, it is amazing how you feel so much better!
- Tangerine Vitality - this is my favorite happy, pick me up oil to diffuse, but it also adds a little fresh citrus flavor to your water while supporting your energy
- Cinnamon Bark Vitality - this is a huge antioxidant oil! Your body will love a few drops of this in a capsule (you could add a few drops to your nutmeg capsule) And diffuse it with your tangerine! Because cinnamon/tangerine together is the best fall scent.
- Probiotics - Because your gut flora is connected closely with your endocrine system and the production of hormones, this is a great thing to add for not only adrenal health, but overall health.
Here are all of my Adrenal Favorites
So go give your adrenals some love and let
me know how different you feel!
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
Salt... we are told that it is bad for us. But what if I told you that real salt is actually a fundamental nutrient for our health? Let's break it down...
Why does Salt get a bad rap?
When they say Salt is bad for you, they are absolutely right when they are talking about regular old table salt.
So what makes table salt so bad? Table salt is chemically produced, bleached, and devoid of other trace nutrients and minerals. The problem with the Low sodium movement is that instead of replacing it with trace minerals and healthier options, they usually replace it with things like MSG or other additives... No thank you!
So not only is it bleached and stripped of its nutrients, table salt is dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which actually alters the chemical structure of the salt.
And!!! Guess what? When saltwater fish are placed in salt water made with table salt, they die... Let that sink in!
So, walk over to your cupboard and give that table salt a toss or use it with some baking soda and Thieves Cleaner to scrub your tub.
Don't worry! You don't have to live a life of bland tasteless food! Switching gears to talk about how real salt is good for you, and how it can benefit your health
Why Real Salt is Good
I'm here to tell you that real salt is healthy, needed, and full of vital nutrients that we all need. The Low Sodium movement has actually created deficiencies in necessary minerals. Real salts contain 60-80 trace minerals that are essential for our health.
Here are some things that are a result of too little sodium and trace minerals
- Kidney Stones
- Gall Bladder Issues
- Cellulite
- High Blood Pressure
- Joint Pain
- Brain Fog
- Trouble Sleeping
- Gout
- Fatigue
- Respiratory problems
- Adrenal Fatigue
- Irregular Heartbeat
- Problems with Blood Sugar
- Water retention
Here are some of the health benefits of real salt
- Creates an electrolyte balance in your body
- Increases Hydration
- Helps the body digest food properly
- Balances the PH levels in your body
- Reduces acid reflux
- Prevents muscle cramping
- Help the Respiratory system function properly
- Helps our metabolism function properly
- Strengthens Bones
- Lower's Blood Pressure (Yup, you read that right! We will talk about that in a little bit)
- Helps the Intestines absorb nutrients
- Improves circulation
- Dissolves and eliminates sediment to remove toxins from the body
- Helps you sleep better
If doing something as simple as switching from table salt to real salt can help with all that, I'm all in!
And for all of you saying, hey! Doesn't salt intake cause high blood pressure?
Most of the studies done on the link between sodium and high blood pressure fail to take into account the difference between real salt and the chemical versions.
Other studies have shown that it is actually the balance of calcium, magnesium, and other mineral's that improve blood pressure, not reducing sodium.
What are real salts and where to find them
If your salt is pure white, chances are that it has been bleached and stripped of its minerals. Himalayan Salt, Sea Salt, and Celtic Sea salts are what you want to look for!
Redmonds Sea salt is my favorite that I trust, and it has 60+trace minerals. Celtic Sea salt is another favorite.
How to get your minerals in
- Start using real salt on your food in place of table salt and get those added minerals that you need.
- Add a pinch of real salt to your water. (It's just a pinch, you won't even notice the taste)
I've started putting a pinch of real salt and a drop of lemon vitality oil in my water! Most of us drink filtered water, which is great, but also most filters take out all of the minerals from your water, so just a pinch, puts it back in. Plus, that little bit of salt helps you absorb the water and stay hydrated.
-Take a mineral Supplement - If you really feel that your body needs more, start taking a mineral supplement. Here is the one that I use.
And most important, listen to your body! When you are craving something salty, that is your body saying it needs minerals! After you switch out your table salt for real salt, pay attention to how you feel. I know you will start noticing a difference!
Thanks for reading and please share this if you found it valuable!
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
One of the first things I did on my journey to health, was start looking at ingredients. It makes sense to most people to look at the ingredients in what we eat, but most people don’t realize that what you put on your skin every day, absorbs right into your body.
If it's in the store isn't it safe?
You would think, if it is on the shelf at the store, it must be safe... There are government agencies and things that monitor these things, right?...
Well... in 1976, the Toxic substance control act was passed. And this law grandfathered in over 100,000 toxic chemicals. Which yes, almost 50 years later, this is still in effect! Which means that those chemicals are still allowed to be used in products sold in stores, today! #notcool
And this statistic makes me feel sad, angry, baffled, all the emotions. Check this out...
The European Union bans 1,328 chemicals from skincare/cosmetics that are known or suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive harm or birth defects.
In comparison, the U.S. FDA has only banned or restricted 11 chemicals!
This is not ok!
Top 10 ingredients to avoid in personal care products
1. Fragrance
2. Petroleum
3. PFOAS, PFC'C, and Teflon Chemical SPF
4. Parabens
5. Aluminum
6. Phthalates
7. Polyethylene Glycols, and Polysorbates (PEGS)
8. Triclosan
9. Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)
10. Formaldehyde
Green Washing... what's this?
Many companies realize that people are looking for safe, natural options. Since the beauty industry is mostly self-regulated here in the U.S. , skincare companies are using marketing on labels with pictures of plants and words like “vegan” and “all-natural” — while hiding a bunch of toxins in the ingredients.
So this being said, don't count on what is sold in the stores to be safe for your personal care products. You are the gatekeeper of your home!
Start flipping over your products and become a label reader. And if that seems overwhelming, start replacing one item at a time. You got this!
How do I find skincare that is safe and effective?
I searched and tried ALOT of natural products before finding skincare that was truly clean and that worked. So here are some tips to save you some time and money.
But... life is busy, and I don’t always take the time to make DIY recipes. HERE are my favorites for ready to go skincare, that are above organic standards clean and work amazing! ... and they are essential oil infused, so bonus!
I hope this helps you on your journey to health! You are going to be amazed at how much better you feel by just ditching and switching to cleaner options in your skincare, soaps, makeup, all those things we use every day that are making an impact.
One of my favorite resources for Toxic Free Living
Living Balanced by Stacey Kimbrell is a great book that helped me learn what ingredients to avoid and all about toxic free living. If you order Young Living through me and do not have this book yet, let me know! It's a gift for you!
And if you would like to get a free Living Balanced book reach out once you, reach out once you use my link HERE, and I will send one your way!
If you would like some help with where to start or have questions on ingredient lists, I would love to help! I know that I am forever thankful for the friends that helped me when I first started looking for natural options. Schedule a Health Chat HERE.
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
