Many people struggle with clean eating because the process can be overwhelming. Changing all the foods or food-like products you’ve been using for years, and have believed to be healthy or at least not harmful to your health, can create stress and keep us from moving forward. By the way, the stress caused is worse for us than even eating that toxic crap!

When we are overwhelmed we begin to make excuses why we can’t continue or move forward on our journey and then we stay stuck. We don’t make any changes. We also may experience paralysis by analysis.

This is why it’s SO important to take baby steps and create small actions every day that move us in the direction we wish to go.

I find it SUPER helpful to address common myths (and excuses) associated with cleaning up the food we fuel our bodies with and provide a new perspective, which my hope is that you will adopt it instead.

1. EATING HEALTHY IS EXPENSIVE:

The biggest misconception about eating clean is that...

Nature deficit disorder.

This term was coined by Richard Louv, and although not a formal diagnosis, it’s a way to describe the mental, physical, and emotional costs of human alienation from nature.

As humans are spending less and less time outdoors, I truly believe this disconnection from Mother Nature is the cause of countless illnesses.

It is estimated that kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend more than 7 hours a day looking at screens where American adults spend 11 hours tied to media!!! We work long days, under fake light, and hunched over at a desk! No wonder humans are getting sicker and sicker year after year.

I recently went 5 days without being immersed in nature…. I can’t begin to describe how much I felt this lack of soul-nourishment.

WE ARE NATURE, thus we need to get back to our connection to the earth to help reduce stress, blood pressure, tension, and increase joy!

Here are some simple ways to bring nature back to your life!

1. Take a walk or...

Eating seasonally simply means choosing only those fruits and vegetables that are in season, typically grown locally. Of course, this depends on where you reside and the climate you live in. 

The best way to eat seasonally is to source the bulk of your food from your local farms and farmers markets. Maybe this isn’t practical depending on where you live so sourcing from your local grocer may be the only option. If this is the case then reference the following chart to have a better idea of what is in season! 

Benefits of eating seasonally are: 

• You eat a variety of plants, which is how our ancestors lived! This not only provides your body with a variety of nutrients but helps us from growing intolerant of foods that we eat ALL the time. Mixing up what we consume is key to longevity!
• You save money as plants in season are generally less expensive! It’s great for your budget!
• They are more nutritious! Seasonal produce generally does not have to travel far!...

This is proof that eating clean and nourishing food is HEAVENLY!!! Smoothies just make me happy. They are super easy to throw together, can be super nutrient-dense, and can replace a meal.

In my detox program we consume one nutrient-dense smoothie every day. What I love is that many of my clients that do the program, continue making smoothies!

This is by far one of my favorite recipes. It’s full of healthy fats, protein, fiber, and greens… everything that makes a smoothie satiating, full of nutrients, and SO yummy!

Let’s do this…

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole avocado (small – medium sized)
• 2 frozen bananas (you can use unfrozen.. just add a handful of ice)
• 1 pitted date
• 1 scoop of greens powder (or a handful of greens… maybe both!) Need help sourcing a clean and yummy greens powder? I can help with that!
• 1 heaping Tbsp of flaxseeds (tip: never buy ground up flaxseeds, they oxidize and go rancid quickly. Just buy whole and grind up and consume...

“So if we want to change some aspect of our reality, we have to think, feel, and act in new ways; we have to “be” different in terms of our responses to experiences. We have to “become” someone else. We have to create a new state of mind … we need to observe a new outcome with that new mind.” – Joe Dispenza

Anyone else obsessed with Joe Dispenza? ‍

Why is it SO uncomfortable to change, to get out of our comfort zones, to implement new habits, patterns, thoughts, and a way of being that reflects the person and life we always dream of creating?

I think it’s SO much harder to stay stuck and stagnant… it’s kinda lame. IT IS JUST AS UNCOMFORTABLE!

I mean, is it really that hard to muster up the courage each day to create the life we deserve. It’s just taking baby steps towards that life? Why does it feel like jumping off a cliff.. when it’s just a curb? (Thanks for that analogy Angela Ferrari...

This recipe combines some of the most healing foods in all the land. Garlic, ginger, bone broth, ghee, turmeric, lemon, sea salt & pepper. There are SO many articles that speak to why all these foods are SO medicinal so I won’t bore you or make you scroll for 2 days before you get to the recipe.

Just know that nourishing the body with all these healing foods can be ideal especially when you aren’t feeling your best or your worst. We make these during the cold & flu season or anytime one of us feels like something may be coming on.

This can also be eaten/drank for a meal! The protein and fat content are perfect to create a satiating and nourishing liquid meal.

Bone broth is one of the most nutrient-dense and nourishing foods we can consume. It is loaded with all the nutrients we need to live and function at our best. 

If you don't know how to make bone broth yet, check out my blog post and recipe here, HOMEMADE BONE BROTH!

I'll also share this great...

Have you ever noticed how it really feels to be barefoot on the earth? I dare you to take off your shoes right now, find some earth, and place your feet (no shoes or socks please) and just notice what happens to your body.

Every time I place mine on grass, damp dirt, or rocks (as I always take my shoes off when I’m enjoying the view after a long hike) I feel an immediate release. My body takes a deep sign and I feel just a little more relaxed!

This practice is referred to as “earthing” or “grounding” and it has significant benefits to our soul-home.

“Emerging evidence shows that contact with the Earth—whether being outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems—may be a simple, natural, and yet profoundly effective environmental strategy against chronic stress, ANS dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV, hypercoagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease....

This is how I feel when I travel (see picture above). Happy, content, and just so curious about what can happen next.

I’ve really been pondering why it is that I feel so good when I get to visit new places, even if I’ve been there before, I always feel a sense of awe, openness, and excitement. It’s a much different vibe then how I feel day in and day out.

After pondering for some time, I figured it out!

When we travel or experience new things, we remove ourselves from the every day patterns and habits that keep us in our self-limiting belief system. The roles we play, the day-to-day minutia, the endlessness of caring for other beings, oh and the list of “things” to accomplish… laundry, dishes, walking the dogs, picking up the kids. walking on eggshells around your 5 YO who may lose his shit at any moment… these are all things that continue to remind us of who we think we are. WE get triggered, react, and the cycle continues.

When we take...

Winter calls for early bed times, fires, Netflix binges, snuggles, and soups. I honestly love how the change of seasons brings new wardrobes, different seasonal veggies, and the opportunity to change with them.

I LOVE soups! I could eat soups all day long, in my jammies, by the fire, with a good movie and maybe a glass of clean-crafted wine.

The base of each soup is so important. I stopped buying and using canned or boxed broths years ago when I discovered how fucking easy and cheaper it was to create my own.

Now, does it require just a bit more effort, yes of course… but the fact that my broth isn’t sitting in a weird chemical lined containers makes it all worth it!

I’ll be sharing soon my go-to bone broth recipe, but for now making your own veggie broth should be in your health arsenal! These mineral-rich liquids carry essential nutrients that our body’s crave.

What’s awesome too, is that you can make it with veggies that have seen better days...