Blog Posts - Holistic Living: Your Pathway to a Balanced Life

The Surprising Connection Between Gut Health & Mental Health

9/8/2024

Gut health and mental health connection

We're back this week with the next installment in our gut health series, and this week, we're exploring what I find to be one of the most interesting aspects of gut health: the gut-brain connection, and how gut health impacts our mental health.

While discoveries were made over a century ago regarding how diet affects mood and mental health disorders, it hasn't been until the past decade or so that modern medicine has actually devoted much attention to this topic. These days, a quick Google search will yield hundreds of articles on the gut-brain connection, but I've summarized some of the most important research on this topic below for you to save you some time! :-)

Check it out to learn more about the fascinating topic of how your gut health affects your mental health, and some simple steps you can take right now to start improving both!

Free Vegetable Preservation Quick-Reference Chart

9/1/2024

Vegetable preservation reference chart

Harvest season is upon us, and it's time to preserve some food!

If you're anything like me, this time of year is a flurry of harvesting, watering, and working your way through piles of fresh vegetables before they manage to rot away on the kitchen counter.

This year, the garden has been especially bountiful, and we are feeling hard-pressed to use up all of the zucchini, green beans, and tomatoes we're picking on a daily basis! This weekend alone, I froze several bags of tomatoes and green beans, made zucchini muffins, and canned a batch of salsa.

I've also made several batches of my favorite fresh fermented salsa, and currently have ground cherries in the dehydrator, and hot peppers soon to follow.

That's why this month's freebie seems especially timely! It's a vegetable preservation chart that makes it simple to see which methods of preservation work best for each vegetable. You'll also find simple tips for success for each preservation method. Learn more below, or grab your free copy here!

[Podcast] Holistic Strategies for Dealing with Our Mental Health Crisis

8/18/2024

Holistic mental health

Obviously, we talk a lot about health on this blog, but our mental health is inextricably linked to our physical health. In fact, it's impossible to address one without looking at the other.

In this week's post, I'm sharing a eye-opening episode of The Doctor's Farmacy, where Functional Medicine doctor, Mark Hyman, sits down with Dr. Jaquel Patterson, a naturopathic physician and expert in integrative psychiatry, to discuss the hidden root causes of brain inflammation that can lead to poor mental health. Many of these causes start in the gut or other bodily systems, and over time, they can begin to impact our brain health in negative ways.

This is just one more reason why we need to be addressing our health as a holistic system, rather than just managing symptoms on a piecemeal basis! Tune in to this fascinating episode below to learn how your health impacts your brain, and how to manage our mental and physical health in a more holistic way in order to achieve better overall long-term health.

13 Common Signs of an Unhealthy Gut & How to Fix It

8/10/2024

Signs of an unhealthy gut

This week, I've got the next episode in our Gut Health series for you. Last time, we discussed the gut microbiome and how it impacts your health. Today, we're going to look at some of the most common signs of an unhealthy gut, and share some tips and strategies for restoring the balance to your gut bacteria.

As modern medicine is finally recognizing, the health of your gut microbiome is inextricably tied to your overall health, impacting everything from heart health to obesity, to mental health and addiction. This makes your gut arguably one of the most important factors to consider when addressing just about any health concern.

Unfortunately, far too many people suffer from imbalances in the gut, leading to all sorts of common maladies and health disruptions. However, since modern medicine is relatively new to the area of gut health, the signs of an unhealthy gut are often overlooked during routine visits to the doctor.

Here are some of the things you should watch for, in order to take charge of your own health and be aware of what's going on inside this important area of your body.

[Free Webinar] The Benefits of Cold Plunging

8/4/2024

Cold plunge health benefits

Every few years, it seems like there's a new health craze making waves on social media, and lately, the new "hotness" seems to be the cold plunge. I've recently heard it mentioned on the mainstream TV news, as well as by coworkers and of course, on social media.

Sometimes called ice bathing or ice dipping, as with many of these "new" fads, cold plunging has actually been around for a really long time. Some cultures have been practicing it for centuries - sometimes for religious or hygienic reasons, but in many cases, for health purposes.

While some of the purported benefits sound a little far-fetched, it was interesting enough to catch my attention, and I thought for this month's free resource, I would share this upcoming webinar that discusses the potential benefits (backed by new research) of cold plunging.

If you've heard about cold plunging recently as well and have been curious to learn more about what it is, how it works, and how it could benefit your health, go ahead and register here to attend this free online session, or click to learn more below.

Understanding the Gut Microbiome: What You Need to Know

7/28/2024

Understanding the gut microbiome

Summer is in full swing here on the homestead, and we've been endlessly busy with watering, weeding, mowing, mulching, and all the other tasks inherent to the growing season. Harvesting is also starting in earnest this week, with summer squash, beans, and even tomatoes starting to come on strong. Never a dull moment this time of year!

Anyway, as we move into the late summer months, I thought it would be fun to do a little series on gut health. This is an area that is endlessly interesting to me. It's such a new frontier when it comes to health, and we have so much more to learn, but it seems this aspect of health is more intimately connected to our health as a whole than any other. This makes it a perfect topic to address in relation to holistic and healthy living, so let's dive in!

We'll start off this month with an introduction to the gut microbiome. Check it out below to learn what you need to know about this fascinating area of health - and how it impacts your overall health and well being.

[Podcast] Uncovering the Hidden Dangers of Environmental Toxins

7/21/2024

Dangers of environmental toxins podcast

Welcome back! In today's post, I'm sharing an eye-opening podcast episode on common environmental toxins that may be impacting your health without your knowledge.

The truth is, in today's modern world we are surrounded by chemicals the human body was never exposed to for the first few million years of our existence. While our bodies do come equipped with amazing filtering and detoxification capabilities, the sheer number of toxic substances we come into contact with on a daily basis is cause for concern.

In fact, many modern maladies that we suffer from in the Western world may actually have some connection to various toxins. Certain chemicals have been linked to weight gain, diabetes, allergies and food sensitivities, mental illnesses, skin conditions, and, of course, cancer, among others.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Mark Hyman interviews Dr. Joseph Pizzorno—a pioneer in functional and environmental medicine—to uncover the hidden dangers of common environmental toxins and what we can do to protect ourselves.

Tune in to learn about practical detoxification pathways, foods that support detox, and effective methods to eliminate fat-soluble toxins. Plus, discover how reducing your exposure to heavy metals and synthetic chemicals can dramatically improve your health.

Free Succession Planting Calculator

7/7/2024

Free succession planting calculator

Well, it's July, which means, it's time for your July freebie! :-)

This month, I've got something a little different for you...

It's a free tool to help you extend your garden season and maximize your harvest!

While you may think of planting a garden as being a springtime activity, midsummer is actually a great time to plant some late summer and fall crops.

The best way to do this is called succession planting. It helps you get more out of your available garden space by planting a succession of crops one after another.

Yes, it really is that simple, but having a handy calculator like this one will help make the process easier to keep track of. Go ahead and grab your copy now, or learn more below.

Enjoy your summer bounty! :-)

Recipe: Avocado Pesto Zucchini Noodles

6/30/2024

Summer zucchini noodle recipe

Well, we're officially in the heart of summer now - and it's a hot one! From the West Coast to the East, we've had record-breaking temps for weeks already - including here in Ohio...

And who wants to slave over a hot stove when it's 90+ degrees outside?

This time of year, I always look for really quick and/or cold meals that don't require heating up the house. I found this recipe recently, and it sounds perfect for a hot summer lunch or dinner! Plus, if you're anything like me, you're always looking for ways to use up the bounty of summer veggies...

This dish uses fresh zucchini (and/or cucumbers) and basil, and it looks easy and refreshing. (I haven't made this just yet myself, as our zucchini and cucumbers aren't ready quite yet, but I plan to make it as soon as I've got extras!)

This recipe is also raw, vegan, gluten-free, and Paleo (if you're strict Paleo, you can omit the miso and add an extra TB of olive oil). Check it out below - I hope you like it!

What Is Functional Medicine?

6/23/2024

Functional medicine

Welcome back! We enjoyed a lovely long weekend visiting our friend in Tennessee last weekend, including lots of lake time, boating, and swimming, which made the hot weather more bearable. We returned home to an Ohio heatwave, accompanied by a bumper crop of peas and raspberries and basil. It's shaping up to be a bountiful garden year - as long as I can keep everything watered!

Anyway, I realized the other day that although I frequently share information here from a Functional Medicine perspective, I've actually never discussed what it actually is - at least not in depth. Today, we'll dive into the benefits, treatments, and methods of the Functional Medicine approach. Check it out below to learn how this healing modality can complement your health journey.

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