Calories Misunderstood

I was scrolling through social media when I stumbled across a post where someone was asked how to get rid of belly fat, his response? “If you want to lose fat, restrict your amount of calorie intake, it doesn’t even matter what you eat, you could eat cake all day but as long as you are only eating a small piece of cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you will still lose fat”. His response made me realize even deeper the lies that we believe about health, the biggest lie suggesting that skinny means healthy. While I agree that calorie restricting will initially cause weight loss, the recommendation above is not only damaging to the body, but will actually cause weight gain in the near future.

While I am not saying that you should ever over eat, making sure that you are eating enough nutrient dense food in order to get vital vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, etc., is crucial for a healthy mind and body. The reason that you may lose weight from calorie restricting, is actually because you are starving your body and causing malnutrition, which in turn causes short term weight loss. Let me make it clear when I say that not all weight loss is healthy. Forcing your body to lose weight in an unhealthy way through starvation, causes your hormones to manipulate your body to gain the weight back that it lost and undo the damage that you caused, returning to the weight that it last remembers feeling safe at.

The idea that calories are what cause weight gain is a very misunderstood concept. Calories do not cause weight gain, but rather a diet high in carbs and sugar. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood and is the only hormone that can actually make you fat, insulin and sugar consumption are directly related. Harvard University states “when people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin“(Harvard). As Insulin levels rise with a high carb and high sugar diet, the body begins to store it in the brain, muscles, and liver. With high amounts of sugar, the body begins to become resistant to insulin, causing possible buildup in the liver, brain, or muscle. Significantly decreasing the intake of sugar and grains, getting daily exercise, sleeping 8-10 hours each night, and getting your hormones balanced will help the body to respond properly to insulin and allow for healthy weight loss.

Do not obsess over calorie in, calorie out and do not obsess over your weight. Instead, be cautious of your habits and the way you are treating your body. Understand that skinny does not necessarily mean healthy and always have a goal of health and not weight loss.

Visit the “Contact Me” page to schedule an online or in person appointment and start your journey to health today!

“Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.” Harvard, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/#:~:text=When%20people%20eat%20a%20food,sugar%20for%20energy%20or%20storage.

A Guide to a ‘Flat’ Stomach

Women will NEVER have a completely flat stomach, and that’s okay!! Women have a uterus that men do not have, so our bodies will never look the same… and they honestly shouldn’t look the same anyway.

❗️HOWEVER❗️

There are a few things that you can do to lose the inflammation, heal your gut, and in turn, flatten your belly.

  1. Know your triggers. Are you eating foods that your body is intolerant to? Do you eat a lot of sugar? Are you exposed to a lot of chemicals? Are your hormones imbalanced?
  2. Eat more fermented foods that are rich in beneficial bacteria!!
  3. Take probiotics to increase the good bacteria in your belly.
  4. Eat less grains, sugar, and dairy. All are inflammatory.
  5. Eat more meat and vegetables!
  6. Eat a few bites of protein before the rest of your meal… This will help to prepare your digestive system for the rest of your meal and speed up your metabolism.
  7. Take a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar in water 15-30 mins before each meal to increase the good bacteria and stimulate digestive enzymes to prepare your body to break down food!
  8. Drink more water!!
  9. Drink 2-4 ounces of pure aloe vera juice every day to promote collagen, calm the GI and help to heal your gut.
  10. Love your little pouch, because being a woman is beautiful!🤍

Say No to a Low Fat Diet

New diets tend to surface based on what’s popular and which photoshopped celebrity claims that it works. Diets including Keto, low calorie, Weight Watchers, vegetarian, Whole30, intermittent fasting, and many more continue to be a hot topic in society today.

As a barista, I hear about the new trending diet of the week first hand based on the drinks that customers order to fit their specific diet. The most popular diet as of lately, seems to be the famous low fat diet. A large majority of customers tend to opt for nonfat milk and low fat sandwiches.

I am assuming that people often associate diets that include the consumption of healthy fat with increased body fat and weight gain, thus their decision for a low fat diet. However, a low fat diet consists of high amounts of carbs, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of fat. Carbs such as wheat, rice, and corn convert to sugar in the body, increasing inflammation and in turn, causing weight gain, defeating the entire purpose of the low fat diet which is to lose weight.

Although many believe they are doing themselves a favor by drinking nonfat milk, it is actually much worse for you than whole milk. Nonfat milk is created by removing the fat, stripping the milk of its nutrients and leaving behind sugar and water, with a very small amount of protein. After the pasteurization and homogenization processes are completed, very small amounts of nutrients are actually left in the milk.

The most damaging result of a low fat diet, is the effect that it has on your hormones. All steroid hormones are derived from cholesterol, making cholesterol a vital compound for the human body. It is important to note that cholesterol is a lipid (fat), crucial for proper health and bodily function. A low fat diet decreases cholesterol and in turn, decreases hormones. Low fat diets could potentially cause hormonal, adrenal, and many other issues in the long run.

A diet that is rich in healthy fats, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, olives, and fish, is important for proper functioning of the body. A low fat diet will not help with permanent weight loss but will most likely increase future weight gain instead.

Choose organic milk, or opt for alternatives to cow milk such as almond milk, oat milk, flax milk, coconut milk, or even goat or sheep milk, which are much easier for your body to digest. No matter what type of milk you discover is your favorite, make sure you are always avoiding your food allergies! If you don’t know what your food allergies are, make an appointment today to get them tested and take one step closer to ultimate health!

Overlooked Poison

What if we are being lied to? What if the products that we are told will keep our teeth clean, our armpits sweat free, and our skin smelling good, contain chemicals that are slowly killing us?

Yet again, I have to be the bearer of bad news and tell you that these questions are not hypothetical at all. The chemicals that we put in our mouths and on our skin, are toxic to our bodies and literally act as poison, but it’s only a little bit, right? Only a little bit of aluminum? A little bit of fluoride? A little bit of ethanol? A little bit in every product, every day, is no longer just a little bit. And even if it were only a little bit, even just one time, chemicals are still toxic to the body!!

Did you know that Fluoride was put in the water at Nazi concentration camps in order to better control the prisoners? Fluoride is a neurotoxin (a toxin that is damaging to the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system), to give you a bit more context, other neurotoxins include lead, mercury, and arsenic. Not only does Fluoride damage the brain, it can also contribute to Alzheimer’s disease as well as hypothyroidism. Although the dangers of Fluoride are known, it remains in our water, is added to toothpaste, and worst of all, is given orally as a supplement. When Fluoride interacts with Aluminum, it breaks the blood-brain-barrier, sending the toxins straight to your brain for further damage.

Aluminum is a metal that is found in the Earth’s crust and is one of the main ingredients used in antiperspirant deodorant. Aluminum is also added to vaccines, can be found in many processed foods, and is used to make soda cans and Aluminum foil. Unfortunately, since Aluminum is a metal, it should not be put in or on the human body due to its toxicity and contribution to many health and neurological issues. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s, cancer, brain damage, Parkinson’s, and potentially Autism due to heavy metal toxicity in the brain.

Despite what our noses trick us into believing, most perfumes and cologne are doing us more damage than they are good. These smell-good solutions contain between 50%-99% of ethanol, but what is ethanol? Ethanol is a flammable liquid that is produced by the fermentation of sugar. Side effects of ethanol exposure include but are not limited to pain, redness, and swelling if it comes in direct contact with the skin, as well as potential problems with breathing, blood pressure, the heart, the liver, and in severe cases can even cause a coma or death.

The world is sicker today than ever before and yet we wonder why, as we smother our bodies in toxins, fill our stomachs with genetically modified foods that are high in sugar and have no nutritional value, and bury our bodies with pharmaceutical medications. You don’t know what you don’t know, until you know 😉 but I hope that as you learn things, you apply them and don’t just sit back and watch as the world continues to get sicker.

Choose Fluoride free toothpaste, Aluminum free deodorant, and use essential oils or natural based perfumes to smell good.

And as always, message me if you have questions or would like to know what products I use.

❤ ❤

The Heavy Gift

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a burning desire to help and save people, often to a fault. When I began dating, I usually found myself attracted to boys who needed saving. My friendships were often with people who were lonely and just needed someone to befriend them. I felt as though I could feel the pain that they were experiencing and I wanted to do everything in my power to take that pain from them.

As I have gotten older, I have learned that God has given me an intense gift of empathy, even though it can be difficult to see as a gift sometimes. I can feel the emotions of everyone around me, as if they were my own. It is often draining to absorb the emotions of those that I interact with throughout each day, but it is something that I am learning to use for good, something to help people.

Yet, as I continue to discover my gift of empathy, I am also learning the importance of boundaries, both with other people and with myself. I am working on being able to identify people’s emotions without letting them become my emotions. I am working on communicating with others when my cup is empty and I have nothing left to give. I am working on using my gift to help others in a balanced manner in order to best glorify God.

Empathy may be heavy, but it is not a curse as it often feels. It is a gift that can be used for good with proper understanding and boundaries.

Highway2Healing is a way that I hope to use my passion to help people feel heard, seen, and healthy. You are not alone in your health battles, let me fight with you! Please reach out via the “Contact Me” page from the menu above ❤

#healthjourney #gethealthy #guthealth #empathy #emotions #passion #letmefightwithyou #healthbattle #ihearyou #youarenotalone

Chronic Illness: A Worldwide Phenomenon

Despite the technology and extreme medical advances that continue to be made throughout the world, overall health continues to plummet. Over 50% of the entire world is chronically ill and yet major pharmaceutical companies take the main stage for most things health related.

While I am certainly not opposed to pharmaceutical medications, I believe their role is to simply act as the fire department of our bodies, to quickly put out the fires that cause life threatening damage in order to potentially save lives. I do not however, believe that pharmaceuticals are the answer to a chronically ill world.

To decrease sickness, we must rebuild what the fires have destroyed.

What steps can we take to increase health and decrease sickness?

  • Eliminate chemicals in our homes and on our skin!
    • Our environment has a major effect on our health. The chemicals that we use in our homes, we inhale and react to, and everything that comes in contact with our skin, we absorb.
      • Use natural and chemical free products in our homes.
      • Use natural and chemical free skin care and makeup.
  • Get our food allergies tested and avoid them!
    • Whether we want to acknowledge them or not, we all have food allergies. Each time that we consume something that our bodies are intolerant to, it causes inflammation and weakens our immune system.
  • Take vitamins to support our immune systems!
    • Vitamin deficiency is more common than we are lead to believe, as we do not get the proper vitamins and minerals through our food alone.
      • Take Vitamin D, Echinacea, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Elderberry to strengthen the immune system.
  • Eat less sugar and more protein and vegetables!
    • Sugar feeds cancer cells and shuts down the immune system. Consuming high amounts of sugar daily will prevent the immune system from being able to do its job.
      • Eat more meat, nuts, seeds, and vegetables, and less of the processed foods.
  • Drink more water!
    • Water carries nutrients and oxygen to cells throughout the body and flushes out toxins. As soon as the body realizes that its thirsty, it is already dehydrated.
      • Drink at least half of your body weight (in ounces) per day.
  • Get exercise!
    • Movement is crucial for the body as it improves heart health, encourages detoxification, maintains a healthy weight, improves energy, and much more!
      • Light movement is better than no movement, even if it is just a 15 minute walk.
  • Be aware of our minds!
    • Thoughts are the main factor that prohibits healing. Our minds are powerful, even our subconscious.
      • Acknowledge negative thoughts and then give them to God.
      • Acknowledge stress and let it go.
      • Focus on the present and the things that we do have control over.
      • Don’t let fear consume us.
  • Breathe properly!
    • A majority of detoxing comes from breathing as we breathe out toxins with each exhale.
      • Breathe with our stomachs, not our shoulders.
      • Our stomachs should inflate when inhaling and deflate when exhaling.
      • Sit in front of a mirror and focus on stomach breathing.
  • Understand that there are always more steps that we can take to reach optimal health.
    • We can always be healthier!

Addressing the cause of a fire is vital to ensure the prevention of future fires. Likewise, the proper rebuilding of a structure after a fire is put out is crucial for the foundation of the structure to withstand the storms that will come. We will not be able to increase health and decrease sickness without addressing and eliminating what is triggering the fires within our bodies and then rebuilding what they have destroyed.

Please reach out to me using the “contact me” page from the menu above with any questions or comments you may have! We are in this together!

#healthjourney #increasehealth #decreasesickness #bigpharma #homeopath #nutrition #healthpractitioner #properbreathing #nosugar #immunesystem #blog #chronicallyill #nomoresickness

An Ongoing Journey

You self destroy without hesitation, almost as if you believe it is your purpose.

In a society of unrealistic body images that plaster billboards and social media, self hatred and insecurities surrounding physical appearance are battles that many of us go to war with daily.

My journey to self love has been nothing shy of difficult and is admittedly something I have to work towards reaching every single day. My face is a bit wider, my legs a bit thicker, and my skin much more broken out than society tells me is beautiful. I drink anti-inflammatory tea, work to thin my thighs, and layer my skin with acne medications, all for what? For society to tell me that I am beautiful, desirable, and ultimately enough.

And then I remember; I am a child of God, the creator of everything beautiful, who thought that the world needed one of me too. I was created in His very image and upon my creation, He looked at me and told me that I am beautiful and enough, not because I am without flaw, but because I am His.

Although my insecurities may vary from yours, the same truth applies. You are more than what society tells you is beautiful or not. You are more than the cellulite, stretch marks, acne, or number on the scale. You are a child of God and that, is the most beautiful thing you could ever be.

On this day of love, I challenge you to find love within yourself and in Jesus. Let go of the standards that have been set for you and those that you have set for yourself. Know that it is not your outward appearance that matters, but as it is stated in the Bible ” rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4).

You are not defined by anything other than the God of the universe.

Happy Valentine’s Day beautiful people. I pray love, confidence, peace, and fulfillment over each of you ❤

#selflovejourney #createdinHisimage #valentinesday #acne #weight #stretchmarks #beautystandards #society #H2H

Organic vs Non-Organic: Does it Really Matter?

You are probably crossing your fingers, hoping to read that buying and eating organic doesn’t really make a difference. While I wish that was the case, considering the price difference between the two, it really does matter what you put into your body.

What does it mean for something to be organic?

  • Organic vs non-organic simply has to do with the way that food is produced.
  • Organic food is produced just as the word suggests, organically, without man-made pesticides and fertilizers contaminating it.
  • Non-organic food is produced within soil that contains herbicides, pesticides, and toxic fertilizers. It is also sprayed with similar toxins throughout the growth period of the crop.
  • In relation to non-organic beef, cows are given antibiotics and growth hormones to stimulate excessive growth of the animal. The cows are also trapped in small spaces and fed processed grains rather than grass.
  • In organic beef, the cows are not given any antibiotics, but are instead, allowed to roam outside and are fed organic feed. These cows are often much better taken care of than cows that will become non-organic beef.
  • Other types of animals are treated and fed similarly when it comes to organic vs non-organic meat.

I mentioned in another post, the three T’s that are responsible for inflammation and ultimately sickness within the body: traumas, toxins, and thoughts. Purchasing and consuming non-organic food is going to greatly contribute to the ‘toxins’ category, and in turn cause inflammation and further issues down the line.

While non-organic fruits and vegetables typically look more pleasing, with their bright colors and flawless shapes, you’ll actually find that organic tastes much better and is often even sweeter, since it is without the chemicals.

Switching to organic food can be overwhelming, so take your time with the process and prioritize organic fruits and vegetables without a removable peel. For example, if you had to choose whether to purchase organic strawberries or organic bananas, choose organic strawberries, as the top layer of pesticides that were sprayed on the bananas can be removed.

The end goal is to consume only organic foods!!

The more you put into practice the things that you learn about health and the body, the quicker you will be able to experience how amazing God designed our bodies to feel! ❤

#organic #nonorganic #foodie #nutrition #blog #health #chemicalfree #pesticides #nomore #themoreyouknow #healthydecisions

Storm Resistant

You are your own storm. You have the power to decide whether you will let the rain drown you or water the flowers of your mind.

Life is painful. It is confusing and unfair. It is full of pain, heartbreak, death, and sickness. It brings depression and anxiety, anger and fear and sadness. And yet, it also provides delicious food, mesmerizing skies, beauty, laugher, excitement, and love.

There will be days when life does not feel worth living, when all you want to do is sink deep into an ocean of your own tears, and drown there. And there will also be days in which you feel as if you are dancing around in a world of bright colors and utter serenity. Whichever day life decides to throw at you, catch it and embrace it fully. Scream as loud as your voice will allow you and cry every last tear. Laugh until your stomach hurts and smile until your face freezes that way. Whatever emotions come up, allow yourself to feel them in all of their entirety.

We were given emotions so that we could feel pain and joy. So that we could struggle on the days that push us to our knees as we cry out to God for help, because we simply would not get through the hard days without Him. So that on the days that we feel like we are floating, we can look to Him to keep us grounded and glorify Him in all He has given us.

I once heard Ben Foote, teaching pastor at Flatirons Community Church, say that God does not promise a storm proof life, but He does promise a storm resistant life if we choose to live alongside Him. I think about this often and it humbles me each time.

We live in a world that is filled with sin, because of this, we simply cannot escape hardship and heartache. Yet, we can choose to allow the storms that come, to make us stronger and bring us closer to the God who created us. Or, we can choose to let the storms of destruction do just that, destroy us.

The first and most important step to a storm resistant life, is giving your heart to Jesus and choosing to live for Him and not worldly treasures that will eventually fade. The next step is to be aware of your thoughts, as your mind is the easiest way that the devil can tear you down if you are not on high alert. Spend time with God every day and give all of your emotions to Him. Pray for healing of your heart and mind so that you may become stronger. Pray for peace and joy even amidst the most destructive of storms. Pray for forgiveness, patience, love, and a holy desire for more of Him.

Life is filled with uncertainty, but God.

“Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

#healing #anxiety #depression #death #worry #fear #benfoote #flatironscommunitychurch #butGod #storm #stormresistant

Fear of the Fever

If there is one thing I want to make explicitly clear, it is that the body does not make mistakes, but rather responds to internal and external factors.

When washing your hands, you use warm water to help kill the bacteria that is on your hands. When you wash dishes, you use hot water to kill the germs on the dishes. When it is warm outside, fewer people get sick, since it is harder for bacteria and viruses to survive in the summer heat.

A fever is the same concept.

When the body detects that something is there that shouldn’t be, it sends signals to the hypothalamus in the brain, telling it to crank up the heat in order to kill what is not supposed to be there. Once the hypothalamus receives the information, it sends signals to the body telling it to shiver in order to increase body heat. Once the body reaches a higher temperature, it makes it much harder for pathogens to survive.

At some point in time, society was taught to fear the fever. To simply eliminate the fever with over the counter medications, the most popular one being Tylenol. What you probably don’t know though, is that Tylenol actually depletes glutathione levels and causes much more harm than a fever. Glutathione is an antioxidant that is vital for detoxification, low levels decrease the bodies ability to properly detox and in turn may cause liver damage.

If an individual develops a fever, no matter how old or young, it means that the body is working overtime to fight against the pathogens that it may have detected. However, if the temperature is becoming too high and causing worry, you can bring it down with a lukewarm bath, a cold washcloth over the forehead, plenty of fluids, and even peppermint oil down the spine, behind the ears, and on the bottom of the feet.

Despite what most may suggest, you should not give your baby, grandma, or yourself Tylenol, at all, but especially in an abundance. A fever is a good thing unless it remains too high for too long, than it may be a sign of an infection or other issues, of which further testing should be done.

The body does not make mistakes, ever. Trust that God thought everything through when He designed our bodies and created each one of us.

If a fever develops:

  • Drink plenty of fluids- stay hydrated!
  • Apply a cold compress
  • Take a lukewarm bath
  • Use peppermint oil to cool off the body
  • Avoid too many layers or blankets, as this will increase body temperature
  • Trust God and your body and don’t fear the fever! ❤

#feverreducer #naturalfeverreducer #tylenol #fear #Godsdesign #healthy #nutrition #peppermintoil