California Adventure - Wine Country

This is the third part of Ryan and I's California Adventure.  First we hiked the PCT, and summited Mt Eddy.  Next we drove the PCH through the Red Wood Forests and down to Napa Valley, with a short stop in the Russian River Valley.

On our first full day in Napa we woke up and took advantage of Ryan's Hilton Honors and had ourselves a nice (free) breakfast.  The we drove up to Calistoga to start our day Sampling Wine at Chateau Montelena.  For movie/wine geeks out there, this is the winery featured in the movie Bottle Shock.  While this winery may have put Napa and California wines on the map as being just as good as French wines, neither Ryan nor I felt that anything we tasted was that exciting.  Don't get me wrong, the wines were good, but similar to Seghesio from the day before, you could easily find similar quality, or similar tasting wines from other wineries.

Next we drove south down to Grey Stone CIA based on a recommendation by my aunt Rosie.  While we didn't do any wine tasting, and some how left without eating anything...we did enjoy looking at the corkscrew collection as well as learning about many of the local winery owners in the barrel room.  The receptionist encouraged us to visit the Charles Krug winery that was literally right across the street from the CIA.  Charles Krug has a small plot of land that the CIA students use to grow some of their ingredients on.  While we didn't purchase any pastries or other snacks, I did pick up a copy of "The House of Mondavi" which tells the tell of Napa's great wine dynasty.  So far, it's really interesting.

Since it was so close, and came with a great recommendation, Ryan and I hopped over to Charles Krug for the best wine tasting experience we had on the entire trip. As you may notice if you visit the website, Charles Krug is owned by the Mondavi family, lets just say that story is in the book. There is a giant sign outside near the highway stating that they were voted as one of the top 10 best wine tasting experiences in Napa.  Initially I would never have visited simply based on that obnoxious sign, I like to take the road less traveled.  But, there is a reason they have won this award.  Yes their wines are great, but our server was very fun to chat with, very knowledgable about wine and the wine making process, and was nice enough to give us an extra sample of their port.  Not only was the port good enough to prompt Ryan to buy a bottle, but the port sample comes with a dark chocolate truffle made by students at the CIA.  OMG...the truffle was to die for.  Why they don't sell them at the winery I have no idea.  Any who.... go to Charels Krug and try the port.  Another benefit of chatting up our server was that he steered us away from visiting Hall Winery (recommended by the woman at the CIA), and instead encouraged us to try Cade.

View from Cade winery

So we took a really windy road up to Cade.  Unfortunately they only take 'by appointment only' reservations.  But sometimes when you are really polite.... someone gives you a free sample of their incredibly smooth sauvignon blanc to sip on their patio.

By this time we were both hungry, and in need of food to help soak up all the wine in our stomachs.  On our way to Napa the day before, and on our way to Chateau Montelena in the morning we spotted Buster's Southern BBQ.  The Meats were great, perfectly smoked and oh so tasty.  I had the cole slaw which was so bland and boring I took 2 bites and didn't bother with the rest.  The 3 bean salad was basic but good, and not bland.

Buster's Southern BBQ

Both Ryan and I were a little over-wined at this point and decided to go for a short hike.  We had already done our research and knew that Mt St. Helena was probably too long of a hike for what we wanted (10 miles).  Luckily, our server at Charles Krug once again came through for us and recommended a shorter hike to Table Rock.  Both Trails start at the same place, Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, (no admission fee required) which can be a little hard to navigate since the parking lot is small and comes up quickly when driving the very windy Highway 29.  It felt good to get out and stretch our legs after several days of mostly sitting in the Patriot. The view of the valley was gorgeous as well.

View of Napa Valley from Table Rock

The drive back to Napa took longer than either of us expected, something you learn to expect when driving in the area. Once there we freshened up and went to Oxbow Market.  There was so much going on inside the market, it's a neat set up, but loud and overwhelming.  I was still kind of full from lunch and just got a veggie salad, Ryan was craving pizza and finally settled on one from Ca Momi.

On our last day in California we were still feeling a little wined-out.  I would suggest keeping your (Napa/Sanoma time to 2 days with a few other activities thrown in).  After breakfast at the hotel we started our day with a tour of the Jelly Belly factory!  The tour is free and lasts about 40 minutes.  It was fun, but I thought the sample of rocky-road fudge was much better than any of the jelly beans I tasted. Depending upon what time you get to the store, and how much shopping around you do, expect to spend 90 minutes there. I wish we had come a little later...because they do a wine and chocolate pairing from 11-4pm.  But we didn't want to wait around an hour for it. Ryan had his heart set on sampling some good bubbly so we drove over to Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma, about 22 miles away.

Once again, just expect your drives to take twice as long as they should when driving in Napa/Sonoma. We were 15 minutes late and missed the tour of the Gloria Ferrer winery, this was actually very very disappointing for us.  As much as we enjoy tasting wine, we both really wanted to learn more about how the grapes are grown, harvested, and turned into wine. Until now most of the tastings we had enjoyed were done at a bar, and since we visited late in the season, after harvest we were typically only the second couple tasting at the time. At Gloria, we were seated outside and as you can see from the picture there were many other couples there. In order to maximize our tasting experience we split two different tastings which allowed us to try 6-7 different wines. The wines were nice, and it was fun to compare several different types of sparkling wine side by side. But neither of us felt any of them were worth buying on the spot.  Our favorites were the Sonoma Brut and the Royal Cuvee Brut.

This was one of the first wineries we visited where our server actually discussed how the droughts over the past 3-4 years have negatively impacted the grapes.  I believe 2011 was the last time they had any appreciable rain. While this allows the growers to completely control the vines water 100%, until this point no one had really made mention that it might be a concern for future crops, or a sign of our changing environment.

Sparkling and non Sparkling at Gloria

After all those bubbles, it was time for some real food.  We drove up to the Sanoma market square and walked around for 10 minutes before I decided on Basque Boulangerie Cafe.  Their real food menu isn't huge, but the Tuna Nicoise salad is great, even if it isn't 100% traditional being topped with potato salad and a shredded jicama salad.  We tried to resist, no really we did.... but then we gave in and split a slice of Beehive Cake.  OMG, forget the wine... the bottom layer was a thin slice of sponge cake soaked in honey with about 2 inches of custard and toasted almonds on top.  By the time we left the sugar was coursing through our veins so hard we had to take a brief nap back at the hotel instead of wandering around the rest of downtown Sonoma which has some interesting looking historical buildings and beautiful central park area where school kids were playing and people were picnicking.

After our nap, and repacking our suitcases Ryan and I drove up to Yountville where we had dinner reservations at Ad Hoc, a Thomas Keller restaurant. (The French Laundry is a little out of our price range...)  Even though we had time to stop at Dom p Winery, neither one of us was really in the mood, so we decided to just do some window shopping in Yountville.  While there are a few stores, there was definitely not as many as we expected.  Ryan was getting hungry, and I just wanted an Americano.  For more sugar we shared 2 (BIG) macaroons from Bouchon Bakery, another Thomas Keller property.  The vanilla macaroon was amazing, the cappuccino macaroon was almost as amazing.  If you are in the area, plan on stopping by for an afternoon treat.  

After sitting on a bench outside Bouchon, people watching, and enjoying our second sugar bomb of the day, we went for a little walk on the town trail and basically just wasted time.  Then on to the meal we had been anticipating the entire trip!

Welcome to Ad Hoc

Below is a picture of the nights prix-fixe menu, lucky us, they were serving fried chicken that night.  Lets just say, if they are serving fried chicken you order it.  Seriously.  Unless you have a real gluten sensitivity, or are allergic to chicken, or some other ingredient, you order the fried chicken. Yes it's $22 for 6 pieces of chicken, but even the cold leftovers are great.  When your server tells you that the cold leftover fried chicken is great for breakfast, you listen.

All courses are served family style, except desert.

1. The salad was good, especially the bacon lardons.

2. Best Ribeye I've ever had.  Not that it's something I ever really order, but it was one of the best pieces of beef I've ever eaten.  The potatoes, carrots, and cabbage were equally delicious.  Ryan wouldn't commit and say it was the best fried chicken he's ever eaten, but he said it was definitely up there.  The fried rosemary that is sprinkled on top, adds a subtle flavor that reminds you of Thanksgiving.

3. I really enjoyed the Etude cheese. It had a texture and taste similar to parmesan, but with that goats milk earthiness. The crackers were very unique, exceedingly thin and crispy.

4.  I love cheesecake, and this was really good cheesecake. But after the other two deserts of the day, I actually only ate 1/2 of my serving, which wasn't that big to begin with.  I didn't ask, but wanted to...did they make their own graham crackers?

For people who have never been to a more upscale restaurant with multiple courses, or a prix-fixe menu, Ad Hoc would be an excellent first experience.  Thomas Keller keeps the food very approachable and familiar, but the high quality ingredients are cooked with impeccable skill.  

Ryan and I split a bottle of Bunter Spring Pinot Noir, a recommendation by our server.  It was AMAZING!  Best wine we had the entire trip.  It had such a deep smooth flavor I can't even describe it.  The winery just happens to be owned by our server's brother, but he didn't reveal this until we were finished and told him how much we enjoyed drinking it.  Turns out out, Bunter Spring sustainably raises all their grapes, using no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers.  We were so impressed with the wine that we have ordered a CASE; a mixture of their whites and reds. 

Needless to say, we left Ad Hoc very full and satisfied

In the morning we woke up early and drove down 101 so we could cross the Gold Gate Bridge before dropping off the Patriot and waiting at the airport, where we ate leftover fried chicken, ribeye, and potatoes.  

mmmm.... Leftover fried Chicken

California Adventure - Hiking the PCT

Ryan and I just got back from what I like to call our great California Adventure.  It was a combination road trip, camping, and dining expedition.  We started by flying into San Francisco and then driving up to the town of Mt Shasta.  It took us 2 HOURS! to drive from the airport to the North West side of Oakland... talk about some crapy traffic, and that was at 2:30 in the afternoon. We both agreed it would have been worth the money to fly into Sacramento.  Towards the end of our 6-7 hour drive (what should have been about 4) we stopped at In and Out Burger.  I was so hungry I drank 95% of a strawberry milk shake by myself, and promptly regretted it.  Ugh... stupid dairy induced post nasal drip and stomach ache. 

We spent the night at Cold Creek Inn where we met with the rest of our REI adventure group the next morning before being driven to the trail head.  Our amazing guides were Lauren and Alissa.  Ryan felt a little out of place because he ended up being the only male on the trip.  Here we all are before hiking off onto the Pacific Crest Trail.  Lauren(guide from WA), Stella (San Fran), Theressa and Alicia (sisters from Texas), Suzette and Tracy (Friends from Tacoma, WA), Chris (California), Alissa (Guide from Dunsmuir, CA).

On our first day we had some great views of Mt Shasta, and beautiful weather for hiking.  Temps were in the 75-80 range with a fairly strong breeze, it was perfect.  In case you are wondering, Ryan and I both use Gregory packs, but most of the other hikers use Osprey.  For the most part I like my pack, it's pretty comfy when you consider you are lugging around 35+ pounds of gear on your back.  But by the end of the second day I had a weird sore on my left hip from the straps rubbing.  I was just going to patch it with a band aid but Stella had some second skin with her and no doubt that worked much better.

I'm ready for adventure!

Our First night was spent at Porcupine Lake.  It was so pretty and surrounded by mountain peaks.  That night for dinner our guides prepared corn chowder and chicken burritos, complete with avocado, fresh cilantro, and hot sauce.  Several of our meals were from Mary Jane, an all organic dehydrated food company.  We were all really impressed with the quality of the meals.  Even Ryan had enough to eat. In the morning Ryan and I woke up early since we were still on Central Time and decided to walk over the ridge and watch the sun rise.  He brought along a chocolate bar for an early morning treat.

A little chocolate while watching the sun rise.

Porcupine Lake

Sun Rise.

During our second day of backpacking we trekked to Dead Falls Lake at the bottom of Mt Eddy.  All three days we hiked about 6 miles, so not too far, and definitely doable for any novice.  Breakfast was oatmeal topped with walnuts and cranberries; and thanks to a Jet Boil, pour over coffee (not instant). Before leaving we packed our lunches of hummus and veggie wraps with avocado slices which we ate later on the trail.  One wouldn't think that dehydrated hummus would be good, but let me tell you; it was excellent.  After setting up camp we had several hours to enjoy the cool sunshine.  Several of us were brave and decided to get into the lake...it's about 39 degrees F.  I  lasted 15 seconds.  Dinner on our second night was tomato bisque and couscous with chicken sausage and black beans.  Both nights we made hot tea or hot chocolate after dinner to drink while munching on cookies.  Lauren and Alissa let us in on the secrete of making mint tea and adding some hot chocolate to make a 'thin mint' or 'grass hopper.'  YUM!  The soup and after dinner hot drinks were great way to get re-hydrated without having to drink a lot of plain water.

Dead Falls Lake

Dead Falls Camp Site

On the morning of our third day we woke up early to a breakfast of Blueberry and Flax granola which our guides bought from Berryvale grocery in Mt. Shasta.  Ryan and I visited it later that evening after getting back to town.  It was super tasty, especially when mixed with powdered milk.  Never would have thought of using powdered milk...but that's why our guides were so awesome.  It took about 2 hours to summit Mt Eddy and the views were spectacular.  If you read the REI website description they make the hike up sound really tough.  It's not.

Mt Eddy

Mt Eddy Trail Sign

Mt Eddy Summit

On our decent we stopped for lunch which included the delicious hummus but also tuna, and more AVOCADOS!  I love avocados. I was so excited to see meat I think I ate almost an entire 6oz packet of tuna by myself. I didn't feel too bad since only the guides wanted some as well and we had 4 packets.  After returning to our camp site we packed up our tents and gear, then hiked a little over a mile out to meet the van that drove us back to Mt Shasta.  During this final hike I didn't use my new poles, and I was surprised to realize how much of a difference they really make.  If you are planning on doing any backpacking I definitely recommend getting a pair.  The help keep you from leaning forward from the weight of your pack, and really help with balance.  I bought mine from amazon and unless you are a serious backpacker, there is no need to spend more than $50-75 on them.

Back in Mt Shasta we showered then walked through town to meet our group for one last dinner and a few glasses of wine at the Tree House restaurant/Coopers Bar. It came recommended by our guides. They have a great Burger/Fry/Beer special every night for $11.  That made Ryan a very happy camper.

Theresa, Alicia, Suzette, Tracy, Ryan, Me, Alissa, Stella

We stayed the night back at Cold Creek Inn.  Our only complaint about the place was the train that went by at 9pm, 12am, and somewhere around 4:30am.  I'm not sure if you would hear it from the other hotels in town, but the Inn is right across the street, and the train has no qualms with blowing it's horn several times as it comes into town.

Next up, TO THE REDWOODS!

Challenges in Creativity #5 - French Fennel Stew

I've kept a pretty up beat tone about this whole elimination diet, but let me be honest, cutting out all these foods sucks.  If you have gone paleo and think that eliminating grains and dairy is bad.... try giving up coffee, chocolate, eggs, garlic, ginger, and anything fermented.  I thought I'd be able to use some of the AutoImmune Protocol recipes but I was totally wrong.  Most of them contain coconut, garlic, ginger, and cabbage or green beans.  Of course, other recipes in the paleo world also use a lot of tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, salmon, and almonds, so those are all out too.  Thus, the last two months have left my tongue feeling very bored.  No indian or Thai curry.  One or two stir-frys turned out ok but not great, along with a few dry taco salads, and NO MAYONNAISE!!  No mayonnaise means no broccoli salad or chicken salad two of my favorite summer time dishes.  Going out to eat has been a huge challenge and I've pretty much had to "cheat" just a little, but only 2 times, so I'm ok with that.

As I think of my frustrations, I am humbled by the fact that I should just be thankful this is only temporary.  I am also thankful for the abundance of food (high quality food) that is available to me; while many people within my own community struggle to purchase cheap, low quality food such as  peanut butter, bread, and frozen pizza.

Any whooooo... Ryan has been traveling during this time and that has made these changes a little easier.  At least I don't have to subject him to these restrictions all week long, just on the weekends.  He did grill up some amazing chicken breasts one Sunday.  Just salt and pepper, for the most delicious crispy chicken skin.  You really can't go wrong with a piece of grilled meat, as long as it doesn't get overcooked.  Speaking of chicken, Whole Foods has two rotisserie chickens whose seasonings do not include garlic.  During my first or
second week on this diet I picked up their herbs de provence chicken in desperation of something that I didn't have to cook for dinner.  But I didn't necessarily feel like eating rotisserie chicken 4 days in a row, and figured I could use the leftovers to make a soup or stew.  When on an elimination diet, you're really not supposed to eat the same thing multiple days in a row; but with Ryan traveling during the week that's almost impossible for me.  Unless I want to cook everyday and shop multiple times a week to prevent over buying and having food go bad.  So...sticking with the French theme I also grabbed some herbs de provence seasoning and two fennel bulbs before checking out.  After eating a leg and thigh with a salad at home I got to work making soup.  What I ended up with is something I will definitely be making in the future.

French Fennel Stew
2 fennel bulbs thinly sliced
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 Tbs ghee or lard
the breasts of a rotisserie chicken, skin removed, diced or shredded
1 quart chicken broth/stock
1-2 Tbs Herbs de provence
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, melt the ghee and sauté the fennel and onion until just softened.
2.  Stir in the Chicken, broth, and seasonings.
3.  Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
DONE!  Adjust salt, as needed.
Serves 3-4

I did a crock-pot version using a small pork roast this week, and it turned out just as tasty.  Just Nestle a 1-1.5# pork roast in the bottom of your slow cooker, surrounding it with the fennel and onions.  Pour in the broth and seasonings.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Remove the roast and shred, returning the meat to the veggies and stirring to combine.  DONE!

Challenges in Creativity #3 - sauces and dressings

Imagine having to make a salad, but you cant use olive oil, vinegar, butter milk, or egg yolks.  And being the wise person that you are, you refuse to use canola oil or soybean oil.  Hmmmm.... what are you going to dress your salad with?  Sure lemon or lime juice work, but it's not quite the same.

Since starting my 8-12 week elimination diet to help heal my gut and reset my hormones I've cut out among other things: all cows milk dairy (except ghee), olives, anything fermented including vinegar, eggs, sunflower seeds,  sesame seeds, almonds, garlic, coconut, and ginger. The biggest challenges I've had in the past month have been figuring out what to dress my salads with and what kind of sauces to put on my meats.

I picked up a bottle of Walnut oil and Avocado oil at Whole Foods just to begin experimenting with.  I actually like the Avocado oil better since it has a very neutral flavor.  After using up the avocado oil I caved in and bought a bottle of grape seed oil because it's about 1/2 the price of avocado oil.  I don't love grape seed oil and never recommend it to clients because it's high in omega 6 fatty acids which oxidize very easily.  I have no plan to cook with it, but figure using it a couple times a week as a dressing it's not going to cause me any real damage.  About the time I was checking out and giving up on my quest to find something besides lemon juice to add pizzaz to my salads I spied the chilled beverage section at the end of the refrigerator aisle. After looking through about 15 flavors I finally found one without apple juice. (No apples either).  This Suja detox juice beverage is just what I needed.  The combination of strawberries, raspberries, tart cherries, and pinch of cayenne has really helped jazz up my otherwise very boring and dry salads.  I have a small glass bottle I mix the juice and oil in and then tote it to and from work.  Mmmmm... Delicious.

Next, while my parents were visitng the other weekend we grilled chicken thighs which are delicious on their own, but are definitely better with a little BBQ sauce.  I found a recipe for tart cherry sauce in Mark Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything' iphone app and decided to simply replace the tart cherries with frozen cranberries which we've had in our freezer since last November.  Dad really enjoyed it, Ryan was more partial to his BBQ sauce.  For me, it was nice to have something other than just meat with a vegetable and no sauce.

Tart and Spicy Cranberry Sauce.

1. Sautee 1 diced shallot and 1-2 diced jalapenos in a medium saucepan in 1 Tbs of ghee or red palm oil for 3-5 minutes.

2. Dump in 2 cups Frozen cranberries, 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, 2-4 Tbs brown sugar depending upon how tart you like your sauce, the juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Stir everything together and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes until the cranberries have broken down and the sauce is thickened.  

4. Serve warm or room temp with chicken or pork.

Serves 8-10 depending upon how much sauce people eat with their meats.

Enjoy!!!

Challenges in Creativity #1

Alright, now that I have a little over a week under my belt of this new and seemingly very restrictive elimination diet I thought I'd post a sampling of what I've been eating.

Turk Burger + Pancake

Breakfasts:
T.J. Turkey burgers
Homemade turkey sausage with sauteed kale/greens
Leftover beef roast with wilted greens/kale
Pumpkin oatmeal pancakes
Bacon

Lunch:
Giant salads + Whole Foods Herbs De Provence Rotisserie Chicken or deli turkey/ham
Dressing: Avocado oil + lemon or lime juice
Crab/Sardine cakes (using flax as an egg replacer) + cooked veggies
Homemade pumpkin seed pesto; marinated chicken tenders + steamed brussels sprouts and carrots.

Sausage + Veggies + Avocado

Leftovers

Snacks:
Oranges
Strawberries
Pistachios
Dried Cherries

Dinner:
Chicken and Fennel soup using leftover W.F. rotisserie chicken
White Chicken Chili topped with avocado and cilantro
Shepherds Pie sans the tomato paste (it was a little crumbly)
Shrimp with broccoli and cashew butter/Bragg liquid amino sauce
Garam Masala seasoned beef liver

Beef Roast + Kale

I had a little bit of a breakdown after about 6 days when I was feeling frustrated and a little snacky and couldn't figure out what to eat.  All I really wanted was a small piece of dark chocolate, what I ended up having was two celery sticks with cashew butter and raisins.  Hello ants on a log!

I'm not sure what the most limiting factor is.  The no garlic is tough since it's in just about every recipe, and in almost everything when you eat out.  I found fish sticks the other day that were GF/DF/Nut Free/ Egg Free and I thought HURRAY something I don't have to cook!  Nope, there was garlic powder in it.

Or maybe it's the no vinegar/yeast. Do you realize that every condiment has vinegar in it? Except for salsa...but no tomatoes or garlic so that's out too.  I tried to make some roasted jalapeno sauce, boy is it hot!  As much as I want to avoid baking bread, cookie, and muffin like things, I may give-in and try an Bread from Anna yeast free bread mix, just so I have something to toast occasionally or to put some deli meat on.  Also, I have three jars of Mark Sisson's Primal Mayonnaise which due to both the eggs and vinegar, I cannot eat right now, and this makes me very very very sad.  Mayonnaise should be it's own food group.  I love that stuff.

Insomnia Sucks Part 2

Earlier last summer I wrote a post on my long standing sleeping issues.  For a while I thought my sleep was getting better, but in reality it wasn't.  During that time I just happened to listen to a bunch of random pod-casts that just happened to discuss other symptoms that I had and their connection to insomnia.  It's amazing how sometimes when you really need it too, the universe JUST HAPPENS to point you in the right direction.

Hormone pod-casts
I love listening to pod-casts while cooking and while driving all over the Twin Cities.  Some of my favorites are Underground Wellness, The Fat Buring Man, Everyday Paleo, and more recently Jimmy Moore's Ask the Low Carb Experts.  Over several weeks, I listened to Sean Croxton interview T.S. Wiley (sleep and hormones), Nora Gegaudes (hormones and sleep), Bryan Walsh (adrenal fatigue), and Julie Walsh (PCOS). After every single one I thought, "Holy SHIT!  there is seriously something wrong with my hormones!"  Not that I didn't think this before, but each one touched on how hormone imbalances can cause major sleep disturbances.  Each person stressed the point that if you have chronic sleep issues that will not resolve, you need to test your hormones.  If you have had long standing menstrual irregularities including severe PMS, heavy periods, clotting, missing periods, irregular cycles, you need to test your hormones.

So....I sent for a ZRT test kit. The most accurate way to test sex hormones is through saliva.  Blood tests only check what are known as bound or inactive hormones, compared to the free or active hormones found in the saliva.  The tests confirmed what I thought (no PCOS) but some interesting imbalances.  Particularly low progesterone, which is becoming more common among women my age.  Older women going through menopause often complain of insomnia, more specifically, they wake up a lot between 2-4am.  Sound familiar?  Menopause is often thought of as a decrease in estrogen, but it's really more about the decrease in progesterone.  Progesterone is the hormone that helps women feel level headed, calm, and aids in proper sleep/wake cycles.

Hmmm....now what?  How do I get my ovaries to make more progesterone?  I already eat lots of healthy fats.  I avoid gluten, and limit dairy, eat lots of veggies, and 90% of our meats are organic/grass fed.

Taking Action
I finally made an appointment with a Naturopath who JUST HAPPENS to work out of my PCP's office. The initial consult was fantastic. Knowing what I know, I could see many of the connections she was making between my past health history and current health complaints.

The Plan
After selling about 10 vials of blood for the most comprehensive blood testing I've ever seen, here's the plan:

• Keep my blood sugars really well balanced.  I'm trying to cut out snacks and just eat three large meals, but I typically need something mid afternoon since lunch is often at 11, and dinner isn't until 6 or 7.  I notice that when my blood sugars drop, even if I'm not hungry I tend to get really anxious or have ADD type brain function.
• No more folic acid supplementation.  I have the heterozygous MTHFR gene so my body is a little compromised when it comes to activating folic acid, especially if I'm under stress.  This can lead to detoxification problems, autoimmune diseases, heart disease (which runs in my family), and mood disorders (which also runs in my family).
• Relax. My cortisol is a little off, and besides keeping my blood sugars balanced the best thing to do is to reduce stress.  I'm reading 8 minute meditation and am about 2 weeks into the program.
• Supplement with Vitex to rebalance my progesterone.
• Cut out inflammatory foods for 8-12 weeks.  This is where things get really hairy.  After following the previous steps for 1-3 months I just had an Alletess IgG food sensitivity test done.  I'm reacting to a lot of foods, especially fermented foods.  So what's off my list: All dairy except for Ghee, Gluten, Almonds, Apples, Banana, Green Beans, Cabbage, Cocoa (aka chocolate), COCONUT, Coffee, Chicken Eggs, Garlic, Ginger, Head Lettuce (romaine, iceburg), Mustard, Green Olives+olive oil, pineapple, sesame seeds, summer/winter squash, sunflower seeds, Black tea, tomato, Yeast (wine, soy sauce, vinegar, bread)

I'm starting with the intense elimination diet this coming week so I have time to stock the pantry and get rid of tempting foods. I eat a lot of these foods frequently, and with them showing up in my blood it means I still have a leaky gut.  Hopefully by cutting them out for a while (8-12 weeks), and doing higher doses of glutamine and collagen I will close up some gaps and be less reactive.  Recently I've been having some TMJ type symptoms after eating, which I began to associate with vinegar, so I wasn't surprised by that one.  Basically my jaw just gets really tight.  And I know apples give me horrible, painful gas; it's a FODMAP.  My doctor thinks I may have a mild fructose malabsorption, which is more common than one would think.  If I eat eggs too many days in a row I don't feel well and tend to burp a lot; a sign of low hydrochloric acid. The spices, eggs, chocolate, and coffee are going to be my biggest challenges.  It's just going to take a lot of planning at first, and almost never eating out.  The no egg and vinegar is really sad since I just received a jar of Primal Mayo from Thrive Market.

If I continue to eat foods that my body is sensitive to, my digestive tract will remain inflamed which in turn will cause continued cortisol issues; this will steals energy needed for making progesterone and blocks thyroid hormone receptors.  It's just your basic HPA imbalance.

The Takeaway
If you have sleep issues or chronic fatigue and these typical recommendations haven't helped...
1. Get some exercise, but not too much.
2. No screen time 1-2 hours before bed
3. Balance your blood sugar, consider eating a healthy carb + fat before bed.
4. Give up caffeine, even in the morning.
5. Take 5HTP and Magnesium before bed.
6. Learn to relax (meditate, journal, do yoga).

Then start doing some testing.  I recommend: Serum Iron/Ferritin, folate, B12, Complete thyroid panel, Sex hormones, cortisol, and vitamin D. Just to get you started.

I'll probably be blogging a little more about how I'm navigating the food restrictions. I've been eating modified paleo for some time now, but now it's serious.  I'm calling this plan: Whole90-Autoimmune- minus the coconut.

Stop Catering to Your Kids

This is a rant.  I'm climbing up on my soapbox and saying things I can't always say to clients (but sometimes do.)

Stop Catering to your kids!  You are not a short order cook!!!  Just because they want a $5 Starbucks IcedMochaFrappaExtra blah blah blah does not mean you go get it for them on the way home from school or soccer.  When you're at the grocery store and they start pleading for cookies, and frozen pizzas, and spicy Doritos, YOU ARE THE PARENT!  You have the power to say NO.

Recently Ryan and I went snow tubing; as we entered the chalet a mother and flock of kids was leaving.  One little boy was wining, "But I don't want to eat at hoooooome, I want to eat heeeerrrreeeee." She just matter-of-factly told him, "nope, we have plenty of food at home, we are going home for lunch."  Good for her.

There were plenty of times when I asked my mom for some special food product at the HyVee: Lunchables, SkinnyCow ice-cream, and orbitz drinks, and she didn't buy them for me.  Granted, there were times when she did.  But if she said "no," I didn't beg and plead until I got my way.  Ryan's mom had her hands full with 3 boys. He remembers when he and his brothers miss-behaved at the grocery store, she went back through the store, put all the groceries back on the shelves, and left.

At home, I ate whatever mom or dad made for dinner, even if I didn't like it (Tuna Helper Tetrazzini). By the time I went to college I was so sick of steamed broccoli I didn't eat it for several months, until I came home for a weekend and was craving vegetables.  Did I ever complain... I wouldn't have thought about it.

When did people start making 2-3 meals every night to cater to each family member's palate?  Over the years even my Grandma fell into this trap.  She used to babysit my cousins and I on Mondays. Lunch was always: Pringles, gherkin pickles, carrot sticks + veggie dip, grapes, and Oscar Meyer braunschweiger sandwiches on white wonder bread (we had the option of mustard or no-mustard).  Some days we got fudgesicles or chips-ahoy cookies. I'm not saying it was the healthiest meal, but it's what was served, none of us knew any better to ask for something different.  As time went on, she baby-sat great-grand-children, and they had options!!!  She would make 3 different kinds of sandwiches, and offer different sides depending upon each kids preferences. Two different kinds of pickles, because one kid didn't like one, and the other didn't like the first option.

I realize it's hard enough for an adult to make changes in their diet, and that kids and spouses are not always interested in trying to eat better.  Many clients are frequently concerned about the way their loved ones eat, and complain that their kids eat terrible, their husband is a sugar-aholic and continues to buy crappy food despite her asking him not to. In these times I encourage these women to do the best they can.  Focus on themselves first when it comes to diet changes, not the entire family.  She needs to eat a balanced breakfast with protein, fat, and veggies.  However, she needs to stop worrying about the kids eating cereal.  Perhaps she could buy them a better quality cereal, one without HFCS or hydrogenated oils.  And have them pour on organic 2% or whole milk so they get a little fat at their breakfast instead of just carbs.

Dinner should be non-negotiable.  If that's not the routine right now, find ways to work in the family favorites 1-2x week, while presenting real food meals the rest of the week.  Or find ways of making family favorites into a more balanced meal.  Take tacos for example: Instead of having tacos and chips for a carb overload, let the rest of the family have their tortillas, while you make a taco salad, and limit your tortilla chips to 5-7.  Maybe Friday is always pizza night.  Turn it into a family activity and make the pizza at home so you get to control the ingredients and then serve raw veggies with dip as a side.

As for the cookies, chips, crackers.... maybe your family isn't ready to have them banned from the house. That usually ends in mom-mutany. Similar to the cereal, talk with your family about making "better" choices.  If you don't have time to bake your own cookies using real butter, make sure to buy ones that don't contain trans fats, artificial flavors, and strange preservatives.  Get rid of artificial colors, these are toxic to our brains.  Replace cheeze-its with these crackers by Late July.  Or try these options to replace some of your family's processed and toxic foods:
Cookies
Pretzeles
Potato Chips
Tortilla Chips
Peanut Butter
Granola Bars

If you start introducing real foods when your children are toddlers, they will grow up preferring those.  In fact, when faced with fake-foods they will probably choose to not eat them.  Actually, several of my co-workers have taught their kids that Ronald McDonald serves food that makes people sick.  That made for an interesting afternoon when Mr. McDonald showed up at an elementary school giving out burgers for lunch.

It takes time and practice, but your life and health are worth it.  So is your family's.  Oreos and Gatorade are not healthy snacks, but a strawberry smoothie or beef jerky and nuts will keep your kids powered up between school, sports, and music lessons.

Maybe you are struggling with picky eaters, and think I'm nuts for suggesting you swap out your kids daily waffles smothered in Aunt Jemima for eggs and a side of berries.  Maybe in the past your family  put up too much of a fight when you tried to increase their veggies at dinner, so you went back to frozen french fries.  Ask yourself, how important is your family's health?  You don't have to make changes overnight, start slowly. In her book, French Kids Eat Everything, Karen LeBillion describes how she was able to transition/transform her two picky eaters into adventurous real-food eaters.  You are the parent. You decide what goes into your grocery cart, you decide what comes into the house.  Not your kids. We don't allow people to start smoking until the age of 18 because of the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, lung disease, brain damage, and cancer.  Why would you let them dictate that their diet include foods that do the same thing when they are 7?

Before I get a bunch of angry messages and questions about my personal life here's my disclaimer: I do not have kids, but I probably will some day. I will not give in to my kids every whim; mine certainly never did.  I am not talking about serving and eating the perfect diet (whatever that is).  However, I will set boundaries, and I will follow them.  And every once in a while I will probably break my own rules. We know that kids learn behaviors and habits from their parents.  If you don't want to be a short order cook, and you don't want your kids eating nothing but chicken nuggets, don't start the habit.  If that is their/your current habit, find small ways to begin changing it.

It's ok to eat pizza, just not every day.

So with that... I'm stepping off my box.

Skillets and Plantain Pancakes

During the summer of 2013 I bought a new non-toxic, non-stick skillet by Green Pan.  This pan was pretty remarkable, and very non-stick for at least the first 8 months.  But with daily use it started to deteriorate.  Add to that a trip to the North Shore where I cooked with it over an open fire, it's really started to lose it's slickness. With a Christmas Amazon gift card I set my sights on a new skillet.  I didn't want to purchase another Green Pan knowing how much we use it, I wanted something that would last longer than 8 months.  This is a mindset that continues to pop up for me a lot recently; the desire to spend more on a high quality product, but have it for a really long time.  After bouncing back and forth between cast iron, some other brands of ceramic coated pans, and stainless steel, I settled on a hard-anodized aluminum 9.5" fry pan by Le-Creuset.  Some people will be aghast at the fact that I'm cooking on aluminum since studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's disease sometimes have plaques in their brain containing aluminum.  I'm not worried.  hard-anodized aluminum does not chip and flake, or give off toxic fumes like teflon.  As long as you follow the cooking and washing guidelines, this type of cook wear will last almost a lifetime, and will not leach aluminum into your food.  So far we've cooked mostly eggs in it, and just as we had hoped...THEY DON'T STICK!  Even though it's non-stick you can get a little browning on vegetables and meats as long as you don't put too much oil in it.  Not that you need to.  My over-easy eggs are so easy to flip, no more ripping the bottom and having my luscious yolk spill onto the hot surface.

Eggs over sauteed kale + Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been making lots of Paleo Plantain Pancakes for Ryan and I since discovering Sara Ballantyne's recipe.  So many gluten free/paleo recipes can be disappointing, but this one tastes almost exactly like a real pancake, and has the right texture too.  They have replaced my highly processed GF toast, and are my new favorite afterwork snack.  Coming home at 8:30pm with dinner at 4pm, can lead to some seriously weird and not always healthy late night snacking habits.  Chocolate and Almond Butter by the spoon-full anyone?  Keeping these pancakes in the freezer means I can easily come home, heat up a couple, top with coconut butter or almond butter and then get myself ready for bed.  If you cant find any plantains, they can be easily replace with pumpkin or banana.  *Note, that for people following a low carb diet, pumpkin would be a more appropriate choice.

1/6 of the recipe
192kcal
11g fat, 9g saturated
23g carb *(6g if made with pumpkin)
2g fiber
3g protein

The Art of Healthy Eating-Slow Cooker Review

I've been reading Maria Emmerich's blog MariaMindBodyHealth for a couple years now.  She leans more towards the Ketogenic school of thought which I think is great for some people, but not necessary for everyone.  She has written several nutrition information (diet) books and cook books.  They seem to get mixed reviews on Amazon, people complain that all the information/recipes can be found on her website or is already in every other paleo/low carb book.  I can honestly say, there are loads of recipes in this book that are not on her website.  I love that many of the recipes are very simple, and many do not require you to brown meat before adding it to the slow-cooker.

My negative critiques about this book repeats what many other people have said, there are several grammatical errors.  In the beginning of the book, her description of several "healthy" ingredients is written in a choppy manner, I think she was trying to be brief and save room for more recipes.  A few recipes seem to have vague instructions.  For people without much cooking background this could cause a little confusion.

For people with a major dairy sensitivity, this book may not be for them.  Many recipes contain cream cheese, sour cream, or cheese.  Coconut milk could replace them in some places, but in others it simply won't work.

Some people will not agree with, or will be turned off by Maria's judicious use of stevia and xylitol.  I found it interesting that she even uses them in her savory dishes, however when I think about it, many traditional recipes do add a touch of sugar in some form to balance any bitterness or tartness from the vegetables and spices.  I have Pyure baking stevia, and have used it in a couple of the recipe and on my own a few times.  In the savory recipes such as the Chicken mole, you don't get any of the weird stevia licorice aftertaste, but I haven't made any of the desert items which use more of it.  Partially because I don't feel the need to have any desert items in the house right now just after the holidays.

So far Ryan and I have made:

Chicken Mole with cauliflower rice.  It was sooooo good!  And Ryan is now a cauliflower rice convert, mostly because he can eat it and not need to add another vegetable to the meal.

Reuben Chicken.  Another delicious and very easy recipe.  I whipped it together in about 5 minutes.  Of course anything that starts off with a jar of Bubbie's Sauerkraut is probably going to taste pretty good.

Shredded Beef.  I was actually surprised at how good this one was.  The combination of tomato and balsamic vinegar was delicious!  Confession...the recipe calls for red-wine vinegar and we didn't have any so I used balsamic and a little soy sauce.  Instead of serving it over mashed cauliflower we ate ours with baked sweet potatoes and sauteed broccoli.

Turkey (Chicken Tetrazzini).  Ryan doesn't typically like really creamy dishes such as fettucchini or chowders, so I made this one for myself while he was traveling. I'm really trying to avoid/limit dairy right now, so I left out the cream cheese and parm; instead I cubed 1/2 an avocado and threw that on top of my bowl.  It definitely would have been better with the cream cheese, but it was filling.  Drizzling some balsamic vinegar over the top also enhanced the flavor later in the week when I was out of avocados.

If you are looking for a real food slow cooker (crockpot) cookbook, I highly recommend Maria's The Art of Healthy Eating-Slow Cooker.   Even if you are not following a Primal or Low Carb diet, you won't be disappointed.

Bye Bye 2014, Hello 2015!

It's the end of the year, 2015 is right around the corner.  Did you accomplish your goals?  Did you get healthy, lose weight, quit smoking, make more money, be happy, go to college, graduate, learn to knit, learn to ski....?

I can tell you I did not meet all of my 2014 goals.  I was a little too ambitious, lesson learned.
Here is what I did accomplish:

1. Squat 180#.  Did it!!!

2. I didn't learn to do a traditional olympic snatch, but I did learn to do a kettle bell snatch.  So I'm calling that a success.

This is a renegade row, not a snatch

3. 30 min yoga each week...not exactly.  The studio I prefer to go to is expensive, and sometimes just not practical for me to go to.  And I really don't like doing it on my own; it's not as relaxing, and I'm not motivated to do it.  So this coming year, I'm going to try and go on Saturday mornings so I'm not driving in rush-hour, and then rushing back to shower before work.

4. Handstand pushup...nope.  But I can do a wall assisted fore-arm stand.

5. Didn't make it to 20 pull ups in a row, but I can do 10, maybe 12 on a great day. I found that too many pull ups and over-head presses during the week would pull my C2, C7, and a thoracic rib out of alignment and send me to the chiropractor for an emergency adjustment.  Nothing like shooting pain and numb fingers to make you re-evaluate your strength goals.

6. And I think I did a good job of complimenting Ryan every day.  I know he did it for me.

For next year:
1. Compete in a Tactical Strength Challenge
2. Complete a sprint Triathlon or Duathlon
4. Improve my squat depth when I lift heavier weights.  As you may have noticed in the video, I'm barely able to get to parallel and definitely not "hit'n the hole" with that heavy weight.  I can do it with 130-160# but more than that and my form goes.  

5. Speak kind and loving words to my Ryan and Samoa every day.

Samoa loves her Ryan.

What do you need to do to be successful in meeting your 2015 goals?
1. Besides setting SMART goals, I think it's important to write down what it is you want to do, similar to a check list.  Then put that list somewhere in plain sight so you see it every day.
2. Tell someone about your goals, or find people with similar goals; this way you have people to help hold you accountable.
3. Lastly, reward yourself along the way for meeting mini goals.  Celebrate a 10# weight loss by buying a new belt, or a fun kitchen gadget to make your healthy cooking easier.  Or, if your goal is to quit smoking, celebrate each week you didn't smoke by putting the money you saved in a piggy bank.  You'll be amazed at how fast it adds up.

Have a happy and healthy new year!!!

Insomnia Sucks

Let me start this post by saying, I have never been a great sleeper.  I remember my mom reading to me at night, and she was the one falling asleep mid-sentence.  She would then turn on a cassette tape of Suzuki violin music; which I could listen all the way through some nights before falling asleep.  Even as a kid I would get into weird sleeping patterns; be it not falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night.  I don't remember too many issues in high school.  I was probably too tired from running cross country and trying to fuel myself on skim milk, nutri-grain bars, and hummus sandwiches.

But then college came.  During my freshman year I had severe tendonitis in my right knee.  It got to the point that my leg ached from mid-thigh to mid-calf.  Before bed I would slather on icy-hot trying to dull the throb.  In the middle of the night I would wake up with a racing mind worried about my injury and how annoyed my coach and athletic trainer were at me for not healing faster.  (I wasn't even one of the better runners...)  Ultimately I ended up red shirting, that helped ease some of the stress, and stopped the 2AM crazy brain.  Again, it didn't help that I was still living on processed carbs, fat free milk, and trail mix leaving me depleted in the necessary sleep neurotransmitters seratonin and melatonin.

I've known for years that I like a pitch black room for sleeping.  Even an excessively bright alarm clock will disrupt my sleep.  This spring the birds started chirping and the sun started shining through our blackout curtains at about 4:30, and guess who was awake with them?  Me.  For the rest of the summer it seemed like I was still waking up between 4:15 and 4:45 and simply couldn't fall back asleep.  The strange thing was, that while we camped on the North Shore, I slept great.  While visiting my family in Iowa for two days, I slept great.  Occasionally I'd have mornings here at home, where I slept in a bit more 5:30 to 6.  I felt like I tried everything.  Increasing my magnesium, taking magnesium when I wake up, using amino acids to help calm my mind, practicing a mantra or deep breathing, nothing seemed to help.

Three weeks ago one of my co-workers (Kara) mentioned that my weightlifting routine might have something to do with it.  She said that when she lifts weights frequently it throws off her sleep.  I did a little "research," and it does appear that many people complain of poor sleep when their exercise routine becomes too intense.  Apparently it has something to do with an extended endorphin release after the workout.  So I took two weeks off.  No weight lifting, only walking in the morning sun-shune.  At first I thought maybe it was working, but didn't noticed a consistent improvement.

During another phone conferences with my co-workers (we're all in different offices),  Dar suggested taking more calcium at night.  I had really cut back on it, and then stopped all together; for no real good reason.  Calcium + Magnesium works really well for women in menopause with insomnia.  I've been using NeuroCalm for a while now too, but am now more consistent with it before bed.  Another co-worker (Jennifer) said to added tyrosine in the morning to support thyroid function and help reset my circadian rhythm.  On my own I added 1 tsp of Maca powder in the morning.  Maca is an adaptogenic herb which helps the body balance progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol.  I've felt for a while now that my progesterone is a little low, and my obscure sleep patterns and lengthy menstrual cycle seem to confirm this.  Kara also recommended Bach's Rescue Remedy for sleep.  If I wake up in the middle of the night I spritz 2-4 pumps onto my tongue.  It helps prevent my mind from racing, and is easier than trying to take more neuro calm, GABA, or any other mind calming supplement.

I also started using a sleep tracker on my phone.  It's the free one in the app store.  While I don't like having it by my head at night, it's helping me be more confident in the amount of sleep I'm actually getting at night.

So after 4 nights of different supplements, tracking my sleep, and 1 acupuncture appointment...yup I started acupuncture too.  I'm sleeping better.  Using my sleep tracker I can see that maybe I did wake up at 4:15, but hey! I fell back asleep! for another 2 hours!!!!  Or like this morning, even though my sleep was much lighter from 4:15-4:45, I didn't actually wake up till 5:30, and then fell back asleep till 6:20.  Something is changing, and 8 hours of sleep feels soooooo good.  I don't know if it was one thing, or all the different things, and I don't care.  I'm sleeping, and waking up feeling refreshed instead of frustrated.

Here's to many more nights of good shut-eye.

So here are some tips to help you sleep:
1. Get blackout curtains
2. If you need an alarm clock, choose one with red lighting, or put a cloth over it to block out the light.
3. Take 400-800+mg of Magnesium glycinate or mixed magnesium before bed.
4. Take 500+mg of Calcium citrate before bed.  It works best taken with magnesium.
5. Try amino acid supplementation.  Theanin, GABA, 5HTP or Trytophan work well for most people.
6. If you travel frequently or do shift work, try 1-5mg of Melatonin.
7. Move/Clean/Exercise...expend some energy, or cut back if you participate in high intensity exercise most days of the week.
8. Drink sleepy time tea with Valerian root if you have trouble falling asleep.  I'm partial to Yogi brand.  This stuff will seriously knock you out.
9. Get outside in the sunshine, or use a light therapy box to re-set your circadian rhythm.
10. Maintain adequate vitamin D levels.  50-80 is optimal
11. No electronics 1-2hr. before bed.  Kindles for reading are ok since they do not use blue light.
12. Eat animal protein throughout the day to support your body's own ability to make seratonin, dopamine, and melatonin.
13. Eat a bedtime snack of fat and possibly some carbohydrate. (berries + Cream, Cream Cheese + Apple, Honey in warm Coconut milk, or 1/2 an avocado with sea salt)
14. Try a sleep app on your smart phone.  You might be surprised by how much sleep you're actually getting.
15. Create a calming mantra to think of when you wake up.  It can be anything, even counting star-fish.

Hormone Cure Review

I'm finally getting around to writing my review of The Hormone Cure by Dr. Sara Gottfried.  I read and  reviewed Woman Code by Alisa Vitti earlier this spring with some surprising push-back from people saying I was too critical.  But that's the point, to critically review and analyze the book.  If I just said "Yup, it was great...good info... go read it..." that wouldn't be much of a review and would involve no critical thinking skills.  With that said, The Hormone Cure is like the big sister to Woman Code.  Dr. Gottfried goes deeper into the different hormone systems and helps link how one hormone imbalance can lead to another.

After taking her hormone balance questionnaire I was surprised by some of my symptoms.  I expected to have more symptoms of low progesterone, but in actuality the hormones most out of balance for me are High Cortisol, High Estrogen, and Low Thyroid.  The low thyroid I've been wondering about for a while now and will be having that checked in the next month.  While I haven't made huge changes to my diet I have started to switch to either 1/2 caff or decaff coffee in the morning to support adrenal function; as well as to cut back on wine consumption on the weekends.  Not that I was drinking a lot, but instead of two glasses on friday and saturday, I'm limiting my self to 1 or 2 two very small glasses, or none at all.  To address the high estrogen I've started taking Estrofactors, and after only 30 days am noticing improvements in my cycle.

Lets just start with my dislikes so I can end with the positives.

1. Being a nutritionist, I would have liked to see a more diet recommendations.  However, I'm also glad she didn't include much of that, other than telling the reader to go eat real foods (Paleo-ista style), and to increase real fats.  If she had, I think it would have been info overload, and her explanations of the hormones and lifestyle changes would have been lost.

2.  Some people may be turned off or intimidated by Dr. Gottfried's Mind/Body practices to help regulate hormones.  Depending upon the hormone imbalance someone may need to do yoga, practice diaphragmatic breathing, take up HeartMath, practice forgiveness, chant, try acupuncture or get a massage.  Some of these activities (HeartMath/Massage) might be too expensive for certain people.  And others might be intimidated to try a yoga class.  The main message of these recommendations are to RELAX!  This is something I'm trying to work on for myself.  Mostly I'm learning to deep breath when I'm feeling stressed, and working on not sweating the small stuff.  I would love to take a yoga class even 1x week, but at $17 a class, that adds up quickly.  Not to mention that Ryan and I are already paying for a gym membership.  I'm not saying these are bad suggestions; actually they are great suggestions.  I just know some people may find some of them hard to adopt.

3. It's so comprehensive that some people might get overwhelmed.  If that sounds like you, skip any sections (hormone imbalances) that don't apply to you.  Only the sections that apply to you, then follow steps 1, 2, and 3 as prescribed.  Find one or two things in each step that seem do-able and tackle those.  Example: if you have high cortisol, start with step 1. by weaning off caffeine and limiting alcohol (if you drink either).  As you develop new habits, maybe you buy yourself a heart rate monitor (amazon for $35-100) and learn a little HeartMath.  If it's in your budget, get a massage as frequently as possible.

4. I do wish some of these "sub steps" were categorized by importance. Playing off the previous example, is including 40grams of dark chocolate daily as important as me weaning off caffeine or adding a B vitamin complex?  If not, why is it listed first?

What I liked:

1. The Hormone questionnaire.  It's very thorough and can really help direct people to their personal imbalances.  Instead of starting out with expensive hormone testing, which isn't always accurate, take the questionnaire and see if you can address your imbalances that way.  Even if they can't fix it on their own through diet/lifestyle/supplement, it gives them more direction to have a frank conversation with their MD.  And then move on to saliva/blood testing.

2. This book is very comprehensive.  I'm not sure you could get more information out of a grad school textbook.  I never did.

3. I really enjoyed her case studies of patients.  I believe these will help people relate their experiences to those of others and give them hope that yes, their health can improve.  I would have liked a few more examples of younger patients, most of the stories were of middle aged women to post menopause.  I realize that's when most hormone imbalances are occurring, but us younger ladies have issues too.

4. There wasn't an excessive amount of self promotion.  Yes it's a self help book, but Sara did a great job of focussing on the reader, not herself.

5. Sara discusses not only the research behind her supplement recommendations, but also gives recommended doses!  Also, at the end of the book she provides a chart with each hormone imbalance and the recommended supplements.

6. Nothing conflicts.

Ultimately, if you think you have a hormone imbalance, read this book.  If your MD isn't listening to you, or taking your symptoms seriously, read this book then go back to them armed with information.  If you just have a general interest in healthy and physiology, read this book.