We have all heard of Chia Seeds. For me I first heard of them on the Chia Pet commercial back around circa 1992. I definitely had no idea that those little seeds were a super food , or that you even could eat them.
So what makes the Chia Seed a super food? Let's break it down...
- Omega 3 essential fatty acids - Chia seeds are high in plantp based omega 3's, which are beneficial for heart health, brain health, artery wall health and more!
- Fiber - Chia seeds are about 37% fiber! That is so great, we all need more fiber in our life! Fiber helps with your digestive tract, blood sugar balance, and heart health. It also helps reduce cravings, gives you energy, and helps you feel full longer.
- Antioxidants - Our bodies are constantly under oxidative stress. Think of an apple, as soon as it is cut open, oxidation (aging) begins. Antioxidants to the rescue! Chia seeds are loaded with antioxidant, with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
- Nutrients - Chia Seeds have64% more potassium than a banana; 5 times more calcium than milk; 3 times more iron than spinach, and 32% of your daily magnesium intake.
- Protein - When we think of protein we think of a burger or steak, but chia seeds are a great place to find a complete protein. Complete proteins have all nine essential amino acids.
So how do you eat these little guys? First rule, soak your chia seeds! This will sprout them and help make them easier for you to digest and access more of the nutrients.
Here is my favorite way to eat chia seeds! Chia Seed Pudding! These little super food seeds form a gel around them that makes the perfect pudding!
Chia Seed Pudding
- 1 1/4 Cup Almond Milk
- 2 Tbps Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Chia Seeds
Throw everything in a pint-sized mason jar and shake it up really good! Refrigerate it for a couple hours or overnight if you want your pudding ready for breakfast. If you need it a little sweeter, add a little more maple syrup.
Add some fresh fruit, coconut, nuts or your favorite toppings! Add some Cacao powder to make it a chocolate pudding! Get creative!
Enjoy! Let me know how you like it and what toppings you try!
Did you know that there is a HUGE link between what we wash our clothes with and our health?
Did you know that when you wash your clothes, the chemicals in the soap out-gas into the air for up to TWO weeks?? YIKES!
Our clothes rest against our skin all day & we sleep against our bedding all night.
Eczema, Infertility, asthma, hormone disruption, eye health, skin health, migraines and so much more have been linked to toxic chemicals that are in laundry detergents. Switching out toxic laundry products is a huge step for you and your family's health. Let's Ditch & Switch!
Here is my favorite plant based, non toxic laundry soap and sharing a tip on how you can turn one bottle into three!
Step 2 - Poor two capfuls of Thieves Household Cleaner Concentrate into each container.
Step 3 - Fill containers with water
Step 4 - Add 10 drops of Lemon Essential oil to each container
Use 2-4 Pumps per load!
Bonus: Save labels from your thieves laundry soap containers and put them on your clear pump bottles
Congrats! You just made your family's laundry soap stretch to lasting 4-6 months! And toxic free at that!
Tag me when you make yours!
- Bailey Lowe
Ok ladies! Why are our hormones out of whack? So many women are struggling with things like PCOS, endometriosis, painful periods, mood swings, low libido and infertility. What if I told you that the everyday things you are using are affecting your hormones in a BAD way?
Get ready for a little science. A lot of the everyday things we use like, lotions, shampoo, skincare, laundry soap, air fresheners, cleaners, toothpaste have unnatural constituents that mimic hormones... therefore causing our body to act out with all of these hormonal problems.
What's a girl to do? It's time to flip over your bottles and look at those ingredients! Toss anything that is questionable. (If you can't pronounce an ingredient, that's a red flag) My favorite place for ditching toxic and switching to clean.
Now let's talk about some of my favorite things that made a huge impact on my hormone health.
Progesterone is our happy hormone! Which makes is super important! Nobody wants to feel sad or depressed because their hormones aren't working right. This one is for women of all ages and stages of life.
I started this one after having my babies and still use it. I've noticed a huge difference in my periods and mood!
Did you know that when you are pregnant your progesterone (happy hormone) levels go way up! And guess what happens as soon as you deliver that baby? They drop fast!
So after your 6 weeks postpartum are up, you are waking up every few hours with a new born, your hormones just bottomed out... so no wonder we feel crazy or not in the mood.
And many women used this one for hot flashes! Give it a try!
Endo for Endocrine! Your Endocrine system effects every hormone in your body! Your thyroid, pituitary, pineal, ovaries are all part of your endocrine system! I put this one on my neck every morning to give my thyroid some love, and a drop of endoflex vitality under my tounge every day.
Ladies! if you have periods, you can't live without this one. This blend was specifically designed with specific essential oils for that time of. I rub it right on my belly during my cycle.
My personal testimony from the three blends above is that I don't have period cramps anymore. Did you know that cramps and feeling like garbage on your cycle isn't normal? It's for sure a common thing, but that isn't what your body is supposed to do.
Once I got the toxic ingredients out of my life and used these blends to support my hormones, one day I just realized, "HEY! I don't get cramps anymore". If i only had a time machine to go back and help myself out all those years through high school and my 20's.
Another thing that helped a lot with my hormone health was fixing my gut health! Avoiding processed foods, incorporating more fruits and vegetables, drinking lots of water, and taking a probiotic.
And last but not least, if you are struggling with libido, help your hormones with everything we talked about above, and give your body some energy. Ningxia Red is my easy button for energy and nutrition. It's loaded with antioxidants, so my body is getting some goodness to help my hormones and overall health, and keep me awake so there is time for couple time!
Give them a try! Would love to hear your results!
Bonus : Hormone book that every girl needs on her book shelf! "Lucy Libido says there's an oil for that"
Chai Tea Latte's are one of my favorites! Warm, iced, love it all ways! This time of year it is my go to drink when I just want to be cozy. I used to always order these drinks and hated how I felt afterward.
Chai Tea Latte sounds like it would be a healthier option, right? But.... I checked and a 12 oz. (at where I used to get them) has 32 grams of sugar! YIKES! And there is no way I'm getting it sugar free, because artificial sweeteners are even worse!
So when I found this way of making them, I was super excited. Because it tastes amazing, foams up beautifully just like at the coffee shop, and has no dairy, and no added sugar. So what is the secret? Here ya go!
- Steep one bag of Chai tea in 12 oz of water for 5 minutes
- Add two dates, 1 Tablespoon of Almond Butter, and Steeped Tea to your blender or smoothie maker
- Blend for 30-60 seconds (make sure dates are blended well)
- Poor in your favorite mug and enjoy!
Let me know if you try it! And this works great to on other drinks! Try it with other teas, coffee, or coffee alternatives (Mud/Wtr is another one of my favorites to latte) Tag me @bailey.m.lowe on instagram when you make your Latte!
As I continue my nutrition training, one topic keeps coming up.. GUT HEALTH. There are so many people out there with chronic health issues that have no idea that focusing on their gut health could make all the difference!
Do you struggle with Hormone imbalances, Acne, Auto Immunity, Headaches & Migraines, Skin Rashes, Weight Gain, Allergies, Fatigue/Lack of Energey, Food Intollerances, or Brain Frog? These could be signals from your body that you need to focus on your Gut Health.
When symptoms like these happen, it is our body giving us a signal that something is not right. Rather than treat the symptom, wouldn’t you like to get to the root cause and fix it? So let’s talk about our gut health and why it plays such an important role
Your gut is full of a bunch of little microbes or bacteria, good and bad. The key to gut health is keeping hour gut flora (bacteria) balanced. And did you know that 70% of your immune system is in your gut?!?! So if that balance is off, guess what else if off! Yup, your immune system!
Another amazing fact about the gut is the Brain-Gut Connection. Serotonin is our bodies “feel-good” neurotransmitter and 95% of Serotonin is produced in the gut! Can you see why an off balanced gut can cause things like anxiety and depression?
Let’s switch gears and talk about what disrupts your gut health.
- Processed foods
- Stress
- Infections
- Inflamation
- Low Stomach acid
- Environmental Toxins
- Nsaids (Advil, Ibuprofen, Aspirin)
- Antibiotics
- Herbicides & GMO’s
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Steroids
Now that we know what to avoid, how to we repair our gut health?
- Probiotics - getting those good microbes is so important! EVERYONE should be taking a daily probiotic! Your kids too! Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, and yogurt are some ways to get probiotics into your diet too.
- Digestive Enzymes - Many people do not have enough digestive enzymes that are necessary to help metabolize and digest their food. These are essential for those with minor food sensitivities (lactose, gluten, etc) to aid in digestion, reduce bloating, and other symptoms .
- Prebiotics - These are what your good guy gut bacteria feed on, so super important! Some supplements have prebiotics and here are some great foods to add to your diet to get prebiotics - Banana, asparagus, garlic, onion, leeks, Barley.
- Antioxidants - antioxidant rich foods are a huge part of fighting oxidative stress and inflammation in our body! Things like wolf berries, pomegranates, blueberries, green tea, cacao are all great sources of antioxidants. We drink a wolf berry antioxidant drink everyday that makes this step so easy.
- Reduce Stress - This can seem like the hardest thing to do, but taking a few minutes to get on top of your stress when you feel it creeping up can make all the difference. These are some of my favorite quick de-stressors - Take a few deep breaths, stop and write down three things that I am thankful for, listen to a quick guided meditation, put my phone down and read a chapter of a book, go for a walk.
If you read through this and are serious about improving your gut health, let’s do it together! Rather than starting the year off with fad diets we are getting to the core of the problem, fixing our gut to be healthier and feel our best!
I’ll be sharing specific steps to finally get your Gut health in check.
