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Eating healthy meals on the go can be difficult, but our guest today helps us find ways to make it possible without making it stressful! While it's important to learn to let go and be balanced with what we eat, it can also make us feel better if we have healthy options to incorporate into meals when we are out of the house. Ashley Randall weighs in on this topic! Ashley has been working out and moving her body before she ever even knew it could be a career. She LOVES fitness and mindset, and knows the two of them are so dependent on each other. She believes that if you want to be strong in life mentally and physically you’ll have to be able to tap into both. Teaching her clients how to do that is what really lights her up. She believes that being able to watch a client step into their power both mentally and physically is the best part of this line of work. She wants all her clients to feel like the CEO of their life, inside and out. Nobody can take away the confidence you have created. Grab Ashley's Free 7 Day Shred here! Importance of Nutritious Food Stress is one of the biggest wellness killers out there, so when it comes to being on the go and feeding yourself appropriately we need to focus on ways to make that happen without it being stressful. While balance it important, and making sure you know that eating things that aren't necessarily nutritious is totally ok, when we are on the go and active, our body still needs enough fuel to keep us going. Making sure you are getting the nutrients you need helps you feel as good as you can and gives your body the energy it needs to stay active and participate in all the activities you want or need to be part of. Challenges Making sure you are fueled when out and about can be hard, here are some of the biggest challenges we have found: It's difficult to find snacks that include all the nutrients we need.Prepackaged snacks tend to have larger amounts of sodium and sugar.It's harder to find protein filled snacks on the go.Finding fresh food on the go that is easy to eat can be challengingYou need to find the balance between spending time packing things and using prepackaged food.If you have dietary needs, or preferences, it can be challenging to find food to fit within your needs Tips For Snacks on the Go Here are some things you can do to find nutritious food on the go, whether it's day to day or when you are traveling: Keep baggies of protein powder with you, pour them in a water bottle and shake it up for a quick protein boost.Protein bars are great ways to get a quick snack to fill you up (but make sure to read the label and look for those with lower sugar and higher protein). Brands like No Cow and Aloha are great.If you eat meat, beef jerky is a great go to snack.Many stores carry precut veggies and fruit that are great on the go.Snack packs with veggies and hummus or apples and nut butter are great for on the go.Individual trail mix and nut packs. Healthy Snack Ideas You Can Prep There are also some things you can prep and plan for at home to have them ready to go when you need to grab them: Chickpea or tuna salad in individual containers with crackers or veggies.PB&J sandwiches are great because they do well without staying cold.Bean, avocado and cheese tortilla roll ups.Cereal "trail mix" in baggies (cereal mixed with nuts).Chickpeas, either raw or baked crispy. Signs You Need a Snack There are signs your body gives you to let you know it's time to fuel up. Everybody is different, but here are the most common things to look for when it's time to feed your body: Stomach growlingIrritability, more than averageFatigue or feeling like you're going to crashBrain fog or hard Shakiness Overall it's really important to look ahead and stop the crash before they come!

Knowing what's best when it comes to nutrition for kids, let alone plant-based options, is so hard! Today's expert shares all the facts. There is so much conflicting information out there, weeding through it all can be a full time job. But Whitney Tabaie is here to help make the job a whole lot easier! Whitney English Tabaie is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, author, and co-founder of Plant-Based Juniors, a community helping parents raise healthy, conscious children. She is also the founder of the website/YouTube channel, Whitney E. RD. and co-author of The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler. Whitney's mission is to help people make educated decisions about the food they eat by providing evidence-based information on popular nutrition topics and sharing healthy original recipes that fit her "Predominantly Plant-Based" nutrition philosophy. She has been featured on outlets like Good Day LA, Bon Appetit, Parents, Wall Street Journal, People, Today's Dietitian, and many more. When she isn't whipping up healthy meals in "Whit's Kitch," she can be found soaking up the California sun with her husband, two children, and pup, Mr. Chow. Grab her free supplement guide and The PB3 Plate - a visual guide to meal planning to help you on your journey! Nutritional Needs For Kids When it comes to kids, the major focus is growth. Both physical growth as it relates to size but also growth of bodily systems like the central nervous system and the brain. The brain grows more in first 2-3 years of life than ever! We need to make sure that kids are getting enough macronutrients. Macronutrients give kids calories which they need to grow. A main source of these are carbohydrates but they also need the other macronutrients, protein and fat. Kids also need specific micronutrients, here are a few important ones: Iron Iron is the most critical when it comes to nutrient needs. Kids have stores of iron from being in utero, but they eventually get through that so starting at about 6 months until about 12 months, the need for iron peaks. For example, the RDA for a baby is 11 mg versus that for a grown adult male is only 8mg. Babies at this age can be at risk for iron deficiency especially if they are solely breast fed because breast milk doesn't have much iron. This is why it is important to add fortified foods like fortified baby cereal to their diet. Babies need iron because it is so important for brain development and also for the development of red blood cells which are at a rise during this time. Choline Choline is important for retinol development and brain development. While choline is rich in animal based foods, there are also many plant-based foods that have choline such as legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. DHA DHA is an omega 3 fatty acid. It is commonly found in fish however fish actually get it from the micro algae they eat. So you can get DHA from eating fish, supplements or even consuming a micro algae based oil. While we can make our own DHA from the alpha-linolenic acid (or ALA) we can get from many plant-based foods, the conversion rate is low so we still need supplementation to fill the gap. Is a plant-based diet ok for children? Yes! There are so many misconceptions with plant-based diet and kids. But more and more research is showing how a plant-based diet actually has many benefits for children. The major organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics all agree that eating plant rich diets are extremely beneficial for kids. The key however is they must be appropriately planned, meaning that they are rich in whole foods, contain a variety of foods and include the nutrients discussed above. The children that do not thrive eating a plant rich diet are those that are malnourished, do not have an appropriate diet or have parents that are negligen...

It's important to know that fat is good for you and how avoiding it can actually hurt your health. Listen in for types you should focus on! My guest today is breaking it down for us and giving the true story when it comes to the what, why and how of fats! Rhyan Geiger is a registered dietitian and vegan author who specializes in vegan nutrition. She is the owner of Phoenix Vegan Dietitian where she helps others easily transition to vegan living. She has many years of experience in vegan nutrition and believes in positively impacting the world one bite at a time. Rhyan is an expert in this field and has been featured in Women's Health and Business Insider. You can connect with her on her website (where you can join her newsletter to get a free vegan smoothie book!) or on Instagram. You can also get 10% off her book, A Complete Guide to Grocery Shopping Vegan, with code REALFOOD! Types of Fats Fats are one of the macronutrients (protein, carb, fat) and are really important for your body. There are different types of fats: Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered healthy fats or heart healthy and are predominately found in foods that come from plants.Trans fat and saturated fats can wreak havoc in your body and are predominately found in foods that come from animals and in fried foods. Why We Need Healthy Fats Because trans and saturated fats can raise your triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease, you want to avoid them for the most part. However a little in an otherwise healthy individual isn't the end of the world. But unsaturated fats are needed in order for our bodies to function properly. Fats do a variety of things. They help build cell membranes and build the surroundings of our nerves, which keep our body moving and functioning. Also vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble and they need fat in order to be absorbed. Without these vitamins you can experience a variety of health issues. Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fats. They are really important for brain function like building brain cells. These types of fat typically come from fish, but fish often get them from algae so there are ways to get Omega 3 fats from plants. Algae being one of them, however you can also get them from plant foods like flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts. Unsaturated keep you heart healthy overall and can help prevent heart disease. But fat also keeps you feeling full, because it takes you longer to digest. This helps regulate your blood sugar, which in turn can help prevention of type 2 diabetes. How Much Fat You Need The dietary reference Intake (DRI) is 20-35% of the total calories you are eating. So this will vary with everyone. Because many of us do not calculate or track our food, another way to visually think about it is through your plate. The MyPlate Guidelines say that half of your plate should be comprised of fruit and/or veggies, one quarter grains and one quarter protein. With fat, you can think about the area in the middle being filled with about two tablespoons of healthy fat. This is simply a guideline and will vary with each meal. Food With Healthy Fats Here are some foods you can include in your diet so you can get in those healthy fats: AvocadoNuts like walnuts, macadamia and almondsSeeds like chia, hemp and flaxNut buttersBeansDark chocolateOlives Here are some ideas on how to use these foods for meals: Adding flax, hemp and chia with fruit into a smoothieMaking a chickpea scramble and adding flax, hemp and chia in with veggiesPutting walnuts in oatmealEating avocado in a sandwich, wrap or tacoEating apples or toast with nut butterMaking dairy free sauces with cashews Also, if you keep these foods eye level in the fridge and pantry you are more likely to grab for them when making meals. Signs You May Need More Fats Fats are so important for our body to function appropri...

As we learn more about our bodies, strategies on how to improve gut health are becoming more and more popular. Listen in for things we can do! Gut health is coming into the forefront of conversations about our health more and more lately. As the science behind it grows, we are realizing how important it is! Amanda Sauceda is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in mindfulness and gut health. Amanda quickly realized that gut health is more than digestion, the microbiome, or the food we eat; it is also about honoring our gut feelings. This is why she created The Mindful Gut™, it is a holistic way of helping people to find their gut-friendly foods and lifestyle. Amanda has a virtual private practice where she runs group programs. Ps. Her favorite food is pizza! Grab her free journal here! What is Gut Health? Gut health is an overall term that relates to looking at your gut and how it benefits you both mentally and physically. It is multifaceted and includes many areas. The first thing people think about is digestion, but gut health also includes your microbiome and even honoring that inner wisdom, or what people call your gut feeling. Symptoms of Struggling Gut Health There are two P's to look out for when it comes to something being off with your gut: Persistence- is the pain continuous and not going away?Pain- are your symptoms painful and can't be alleviated? If your issues resolve or are temporary, it's most likely not a major issue. However if the pain won't go away and lasts over a long period of time, there is a good chance you need to look at your gut health. Another thing you should look out for is the list of "okay foods" you have. If it is getting smaller in number (meaning you are restricting foods due to a diet of some sort), this can feed into the problem because food diversity is so important. How to Help Gut Health Working on better gut health has many pillars that can be involved. Here are some things that Amanda work on with clients: Looking at trusting your gut, listening to that inner wisdom and your body overall. Resting and recharging. Stress can impact our gut health so much.Eating with intention. Choosing food for why it is good for you, not because someone else told you to eat it.Kitchen confidence. It's one thing to talk about what is nutritious but knowing the how is what helps get it done.Purpose over perfection. There is no such thing as a perfect gut. It's a balancing act and it's okay to not be all or nothing. Importance of Good Gut Health First and foremost you want to feel good and happy. But there is more than that when it comes to gut health. Your gut can impact your entire body, so keeping it in a happy range is so important. It can affect things like: Blood sugarBone healthImmunitySkinHeart healthCardiovascular systemMood and mental health Foods That Heal Your Gut Your gut loves and needs fiber! Some experts even say that 95% of the people in our country have a fiber problem. Here are the reasons our gut loves fiber: It helps feed the gut good bacteria. Fiber acts as a prebiotic, food for our bacteria to grow into a diverse microbiome.It helps move food through our body so we don't have constipation and issues with our bowel movements.It regulates our blood sugar and cholesterol.It helps you stay fuller longer and satisfied with what you eat.It acts like a broom to help clean things out of your digestive system. It's also important to eat a diverse amount of foods. Food variety is so important so you can get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Another thing that is great for gut health is fermented foods. Things like kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, etc They act as a probiotic which helps your microbiome. Foods to Avoid There is no one food or blanket recommendation when it comes to avoiding food, and in fact this can be a red flag.

What is binge eating and is it something real? Those of us that have never experienced it don't understand this disorder or how it works. It's really hard to understand things that you have never experienced, especially when it comes to disorders related to mental health and food. Our expert today helps us deep dive into the binge eating phenomenon. Coach Jon is a weight loss coach and emotional eating expert who has lost 100lbs. From nanotechnology researcher, to Navy marine engineer, to globetrotting nomad, Coach Jon spent most of his life running from his true calling, until one question changed his life. Now he's on a mission to help others lose weight for good and leave BS diets in the rearview mirror. With Freedom Nutrition Coaching he marries the Science of Metabolism with the Psychology of Behavior Change and the Compassion of Human Connection to create life-changing transformations with his clients. Grab his free Crush Your Cravings ebook! Definition of Binge Eating Binge eating is an eating disorder, meaning eating that we don't normally see as human behavior. It is defined as episodes of rapid uncontrolled eating in a short window of time. It is a repeated pattern, happening around once a week for probably a few consecutive months. There is a difference between overeating, emotional eating and binge eating. We overeat and emotionally eat when we binge eat but not all overeating and emotional eating is binge eating. Binge eating falls more into the extreme end of overeating and binge eating. Causes So ultimately we ask ourselves what drives this kind of behavior? This is important so that we can fully understand it. Some potential causes can be: Genetics- this is often overlooked because it isn't clearly understood, but there are some things we are starting to understand that can be carried down through our genetic history. Family history- having a parent that had a disordered relationship with food can form patterns we learn as children.Mental health disorders like depression, low self esteem, stress and anxiety- although cause and effect isn't entirely established as we don't know if the mental health caused the binge eating or the other way around. Everyone will be different in how these play a role. Signs to Look Out For There are many signs that you can look out for when it comes to binge eating. If any of these define you, it's really important you seek professional help. Eating in secret.Hoarding food.Eating food when you are already uncomfortably full or feeling the compulsion to keep eating.Disordered eating patterns- things like eating tiny meals in public but large eating episodes in private.Unhealthy emotional patterns- examples are if someone is a people pleaser and suppresses their own emotions to keep others happy and avoid conflict, identifying as needing constant control, and all or nothing type mindsets.Cognitive distortions- a thought pattern that creates an exaggerated view of reality in our head, such as catastrophizing (thinking the worse will happen)Generally feeling out of control around eating Strategies There are many strategies you can use to help with binge eating. Binge eating is rarely not associated to an event or cause, so trying different strategies can help connect the cause and bring these behaviors to our conscience awareness. Here are a few things you can try: Don't beat yourself up- easier said than done!Keep a food diary- this can be simple and is great to help connect to the cause or event.Eat in a regular rhythm or pattern- this can help stabilize your blood sugar to prevent spikes or crashes and trigger a binge.Put road blocks to the foods that you may binge- you can do things like making it harder to get to them, hiding them behind things so it takes effort to get them, etc . All of this makes you put effort into getting to the food which in turn brings the thought to a conscious level and can help y...

As one of the top killers in our country, it is important to know how to prevent heart disease so that you can live a long healthy life. While heart disease can run in families, it is still a highly preventable disease. There are so many lifestyle practices you can follow to help you stay away from this deadly disease. Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN, has been a registered dietitian nutritionist for 25 years, specializing in heart disease, diabetes, sports nutrition and women's health. For the past ten years, she has focused on plant-based lifestyles through inspiring and educating people about plant-based eating to optimize their health and the health of the planet. Nichole has been featured in Eating Well, Business Insider and Atlanta Journal Constitution. She is also a media spokesperson for The Weather Channel and local Atlanta television networks. A former triathlete and current yoga instructor, she shares her passion through her website Purely Planted. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and rescue dog, Mariposa. Grab her FREE ebook 5 Tasty and Simple Plant-Based Salad Dressings! The Science Behind Heart Disease Heart disease doesn't have just one cause, it can be multi factorial (ie it has many causes). It can start in your arteries with atherosclerosis, which is a thickening or hardening of the arteries. Plaque can build up through cholesterol and other particles like calcium. Blood pressure can also be an issue. The whole cardio vascular system from your feet up to your head keeps the blood flowing and pumping and brings it to the heart and lungs. As plaque start to build up, or your blood pressure is high, and the oxygen isn't brought to your heart and lungs through your blood, you start to develop symptoms of heart disease. Symptoms There are many things you can start feeling when your heart and lungs aren't getting the oxygen they need to function at full capacity. You may feel tired, weak, or have a lack of energy. However you also may feel nothing. Which makes it really important to know your risk factors and get regular blood work because heart disease can build up over time. Risk factors Lifestyle is a big part of staying healthy and preventing heart disease in individuals. We know that there are hereditary factors, however this doesn't mean that this is your fate. Other risk factors include: SmokingBeing overweightDietHigh cholesterolLack of exercise Eating a diet high in saturated fat contribute to high cholesterol. This is mainly an animal product based diet. Also, sugar contributes to high triglycerides so making sure to control added sugars is important as well. These things cause inflammation and can contribute to plaque build up and arterial hardening leading to heart disease. Starts at infancy, the risk for heart disease We need to educate the parents Hereditary factors If you have heart disease in your family, this doesn't mean you will have it too. There are many things you can do to help prevent it. Avoiding all those risk factors above will help, and living a lifestyle that includes a wholesome plant rich diet and some exercise will have a huge impact. Starting young is big. Being able to start those habits early will help make it easier to stay heart disease free. Preventing Heart Disease Heart disease is a chronic condition that you can actually do something about. Here are some things that you can do: Eat a diet rich in plants. This has the greatest impact. Animal products are full of cholesterol which contributes to heart disease. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing, but when your diet consists mostly of plants you are setting your body up for success.Get regular exercise. Moving your body is important for a healthy lifestyle. It helps keep your cardiovascular system in shape and strong and it can also reduce stress.Get regular check ups and blood work with your doct...

Thinking about travel and food you'll be eating can be stressful especially if you eat a plant-based diet. We've got tips to help! Eating on the go and sticking to foods you prefer to eat can be difficult, you're not alone! Going on vacation takes a lot of planning, and meals can be a big part of that. Our guests today are experts in all things plant-based and travel so are here to help! Adam and Shoshana Chaim are the co-hosts of the popular Plant Trainers Podcast, helping you improve your quality of life through nutrition and fitness. They are both also public speakers and authors of the Yummy Foods Activity Book For Kids. After a major wake-up call with Adam’s health resulting in Shoshana’s PTSD, their family adopted a plant-based lifestyle and now thrive in all areas of their life. Shoshana is an expert in plant-based nutrition and cellular communication and wellness. She works with health practitioners and individuals to increase cellular health and achieve rockstar wellness. Adam is a plant-based athlete and nutrition & fitness coach with over 20 years of experience and a certificate in plant-based nutrition. He is a 2X Ironman triathlete, completed several marathons and ultra runs and swims and successfully helps individuals with their nutrition and athletic endeavors big or small. They live in Toronto, Canada with their 2 plant-based thriving kids! Things to Consider About Meals While Traveling When there are dietary needs to think about and we leave the comfort of our own homes to hit the road, we need to keep a few things in mind with regards to meals so that our enjoyable vacay doesn't turn into stress. Here are a few things you can do to look ahead for any roadblocks (see what I did there?) that may come your way: Know where you are going- there is a difference in staying with someone at a home or if you'll be in a hotel when it comes to meals.Decide how much you have access too as far as preparing meals- you can bring easy things like bars and oatmeal packets, etc to keep you full.Figure out how much time you'll have to prepare food- if you'll be busy then you want to bring ready snacks to grab on the go so you don't have to stress.Research the area you are going to- find the grocery stores and restaurants so you can see what you will have access to when you are there. Can You Stay Plant-Based While You Travel? Absolutely! It depends on how much effort you want to put into it. You can be prepared before you go and have it run smoothly, or you can go on the fly and take whatever you can get. Remember that food doesn't have to be elaborate all the time. As long as you realize the way you eat at home won't necessarily be the same as you eat on the road. What to Bring With You You can bring things with you as you travel to make it easy! You can decided if you need a whole other piece of luggage or simply want to tuck things into a bag you already have. Here are a few ideas: Blender (like our trusty Vitamix) for making smoothies to get in veggies and fiber and keep you full.Air fryer to avoid using shared BBQ's, etcKnife or scissors for whole fruits (carried safely of course).Bake muffins and cookies before you go.Ready packed food like bars, tortilla roll ups, veggies, snack packs.Give kids their own bags with snacks (they can even make their own!). Tips For Eating Out When it comes to researching restaurants there are some great tips you can use: Join a vegan facebook group for the area you are going and ask questions for recommendations in the group.Do a google search for the area and the restaurants to see the reviews from others on what they ordered.Call the restaurants in advance to see what they can do to meet your dietary needs. What to Watch Out For While you are on the go and traveling to other areas, things can be different. This makes it important to be aware of what you are getting into so you can avoid any stress.

While it's important to move your body, it's more important to have realistic long term fitness goals so you don't end up burning out! The problem is that many people don't know how to set these sustainable goals. Our guest today is an expert at keeping things real for ultimate success! Karina Inkster is your go-to, no-B.S. vegan fitness coach, author, and podcast host. Vegan since 2003 and vegetarian since 1998, she provides a friendly kick in the butt that inspires and motivates you to live your best, healthiest, most plant-strong life. Karina’s award-winning online programs offer vegan fitness and nutrition coaching to clients around the world. She’s the author of four books with a fifth in the works, a writer for several magazines, and host of the No-B.S. Vegan podcast. She holds a Master’s degree in Gerontology, specializing in health and aging. When she's not working with her clients, writing, or weight lifting, you'll find Karina playing accordion, piano, and Australian didgeridoo; hanging out with her two cats; or sneaking spinach into her husband's smoothies. Grab her free guide, Vegan food logging 101: Your guide to calculating calories and macros. What Fitness Goals Mean Everyone is human and has an innate need to feel great, look great and feel comfortable with themselves. While not everyone is there yet, ultimately this is what we want to achieve. So there is no one size fits all approach to fitness however there are fitness goals that are more or less beneficial to us long term. For overall health, both mental health and physical health, we need to make sure we are making appropriate goals. Anything really can be a fitness goal. You may want to run your first marathon, loose fat, do a pull up, etc. There is not only one type of fitness goal. What is a Good Fitness Goal? We are all different, have different bodies and different lifestyles so fitness goals will depend on each individual person. Karina likes to focus on input versus output goals. Usually we have output goals like lose 10 pounds, deadlift twice my body weight, shrink our waist. We don't have direct control over these types of things. So instead we want to increase our input goals. For example, if we want to lose 10 pounds what are the input goals? It can be things like drink enough water, do your steps, strength training, increase cardiovascular activity, eat the right foods, etc. These are things we can track and have direct control over. An approach like this, is healthier psychologically than stepping on the scale and tracking the weight. Reasons Why a Fitness Goal Fails Most of the time when we fail at a goal, it's because our expectations are not appropriate. So the first thing we need to do is check those expectations. We don't know how long a goal is going to take. So to set a time frame with a goal can be counterproductive. So instead we can focus on habits. When we bring habits into our life instead of attaching a time frame to a goal, you are making things more realistic and fitting them into your actual life versus trying to race the clock to meet a certain time frame. How to Set a Fitness Habit When people see a trainer or any fitness support, they already have an idea of what they want to achieve. There is no one size fits all approach, the focus is a collaborative process between a trainer and client. Fitness habits need to be client centered because if it doesn't work with your lifestyle then it will be very hard to achieve. Having outside support is also great for accountability, which is important at the beginning until you are able to take it on yourself. You can also set fitness habits on your own if you are someone that is great at your own accountability. You can even find friends to be workout buddies with, which helps keep you motivated. Either way, it is important to start with a baseline of what you do already.

It's important to know the best foods for hypothyroidism so that you can keep it under control! Learn all you need to know from our guest RD. Diet plays an important role for all the medical issues we deal with, often more than we know. Specialist Lisha Knicely helps us with the ins and outs of diet and hypothyroidism! Lisha Knicely is a Registered Dietitian and Integrative & Functional Practitioner specializing in hypothyroid conditions. Being a Thyroid Warrior herself, Lisha understands what it's like to both live with and treat this common yet complex condition. Lisha's approach is comprehensive and holistic in nature; taking into consideration the immense positive impact that lifestyle and nutritional changes have for managing endocrine and metabolic disorders, like hypothyroidism. Being a part of and serving this community is a true passion for Lisha making her work both enjoyable and extremely rewarding. Download her FREE guide today! Hypothyroidism Definition and Types Hypothyroidism is a term to describe a low state of thyroid function. There are many conditions that fall under this but the most common cause is Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's is when the immune system is targeting and attacking the thyroid gland and causes the thyroid to be under active. Hashimoto's antibodies can be elevated for years before it causes damage so make sure to get checked if you suspect you have it. Some symptoms of hypothyroidism are: Weight loss resistance and weight gain (the thyroid is the master control gland for your metabolism)FatigueHair lossCold extremitiesElevated cholesterolDepression anxietyDigestive issues Most of the time this is a byproduct of lifestyle. Tips to Help Manage Hypothyroidism The first thing we do is look at a person's lifestyle and figure out what needs support. Reasons that can affect the thyroid are: Poor sleepNot managing stress (one of the biggest culprits and wreak havoc on the immune system)Poor dietNutrition deficiencies It varies from person to person so an individualized approach is important. We need to be advocates of our own bodies. Foods Good for Hypothyroidism In a broad sense, you want to be eating whole foods. Taking a close look at your diet and seeing how many whole foods are you eating can be helpful. Eating a diet rich in plant foods can offer antioxidants, polyphenols, fiber, etc which can all help. Make sure you eat high quality protein, whether it's animal or plant based, getting quality is the key. Also, healthy fats are so important for hormone health as they are needed to absorb certain vitamins. Overall, wee are each different so our needs of different levels of fat, protein, carbohydrates will vary. With Hashimoto's, try eliminating certain foods to see how you feel. While dairy, soy and gluten can cause issues for some, it isn't necessarily an issue for all so taking them out to see how you feel is important. With autoimmunity it's worth to investigate with food to see if you are better off with some over others. What Foods Can Make Hypothyroidism Worse? The main foods that cause issues for hypothyroidism are things called Goitrogens. These are foods that cause a goiter, which is the swelling or enlargement of the thyroid gland. When the thyroid gland is enlarged, it prevents the uptake of iodine. This in turn prevents the thyroid from efficiently making thyroid hormones. Goitrogenic foods include vegetables in the Cruciferous family, some of which are: CabbageBroccoliCauliflowerKaleBrussels sproutsRadishes You want to avoid high amounts of these foods in their raw state, however can cook them to reduce the goitrogenic effect. Also, make sure you are getting enough iodine overall. What Should You Drink? There are some things you can focus on drinking to help as well. Focus on getting plenty of filtered water. Also, you still need high quality salt so getting in ele...

Eating whole foods is great, but sometimes supplements for immunity can be very helpful. Learn more about creating a wiser immune system! This post was sponsored by For the Biome but the content and opinions expressed are fully my own. Our guest today is from the brand For The Biome and is an expert in creating a healthy immune environment. Paul Schulick is a master herbalist, author and the founder of both New Chapter, and his latest venture, For The Biome. For The Biome’s mission is to deliver solutions for body, mind, and microbiome that build strength and resilience amidst modern health challenges. Schulick is renowned for pioneering whole-food fermented vitamins integrated with science-backed herbals. He has once again shifted the paradigm by redefining the immune category with time-tested ingredients that are new to market. For The  Biome’s three immune products—Immune Therapy Cistus+ Infusion, Stress Therapy, and Gut-Lung Therapy—are formulated in Vermont and launched March 2021. Learn more about For The Biome through their channels on Instagram and Facebook! Use the code VEGGIES15 for 15% off any order. Why You Need a Wise Immune System The immune system is important when aren’t feeling well, but it's also so much more than that. Our immune system is on 24/7 and is always restoring our physiology and clearing and cleaning the debris and cells that need to be removed, those that are not great for our body. It needs to be at work all the time. This makes our bodies amped up by all it is exposed to, which means our immune system is also amped up. So it often doesn’t get a chance to relax and be quiet so that it can really restore itself. This is why, despite all the hype around “boosting” the immune system, what we all really need is balance within the immune system. For the Biome’s Immune Therapy contains a unique class of polyphenols called polymeric polyphenols; these are unique because they are able to help regulate the immune response, so that your system can respond to threats appropriately, and then return to balance when the threat has been dealt with . Research shows that within one hour of taking Immune Therapy, immune cells (called monocytes) move from the bloodstream into the tissue, so that they are in the best position to respond to any immune challenges. After two hours the heavy hitters of the immune system, Natural Killer cells and T cells, are standing at attention and ready to respond if they’re needed. At this point, those monocytes move back into the bloodstream, where they can be on the lookout for new immune threats. There are proteins within the immune system called cytokines that are important because they help our immune system function. Cytokines respond when something is threatening the immune system. However an overload of cytokines can throw the body out of balance. But with the right support (like the Immune Therapy Cistus+ Infusion by For The Biome), the immune system can balance its response: immune activation is supported, but so is the return to balance: it’s helping the body to respond more efficiently and effectively.  How to Keep Your Immune System "Strong" Instead of using the word stronger, it seems more appropriate to use the word wiser. The reason is that you want your immune system to have the wisdom to know when to activate and send out the troops effectively, and to know when to retreat and head to the lookout posts, so that it’s ready for the next attack. A wise immune response is balanced and efficient. When your body is exposed to things it doesn't like, your body goes into flight or flight response. But when it likes something it goes into the state of rest and digest. So when you support your immune system, you are able to better get into that rest and digest state so you can absorb your nutrients better, rejuvenate, and be in a better state of mind. Here are some things you can do for your immune system:...