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

FREE Plant-Based Coaching Masterclass

10/6/2024

Plant-based coaching class

It's the start of a new month and you know what that means...

It's time for your October freebie!

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

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I'm not really a "diet" follower. I believe in moderation in all things, consuming whole, high-quality foods that are raised using natural, sustainable, and regenerative methods, and eating things that God made. If I had to pick one "diet" or way of eating, I would trend towards either Mediterranean or Paleo.

However, I know that many people these days are moving towards a plant-based diet, which works very well for some people. (My own mother is a "situational vegan," or "flexitarian," consuming mostly plant-based foods most of the time, although she is flexible with her diet in social situations.)

Several of our readers have asked for more content on plant-based or plant-centered eating, and for those of you interested in this type of diet, I am sharing an interesting resource this month.

This online Masterclass is geared towards those who are interested in sharing the plant-based diet with others, and coaching people on how to achieve success with plant-based eating. If this appeals to you, you can learn more about how to get access to this free Masterclass below - if you're at all interested in helping others through sharing your love of plant-based eating, you'll definitely find this session useful!

Gut Health & Immune System Connection: How Gut Health Boosts Immunity

9/29/2024

Gut health & the immune system

Welcome back to our series on gut health! This week, we're exploring the intricate connections between gut health and the immune system.

While most of us never think of the two as being related, in fact, in recent decades, research has found that indeed, a majority of our immune system functions rely on our gut health! As we head into the annual cold and flu season, this is something to keep in mind.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this connection means that improving your gut health may be key to staying healthy year-round.

It's important to remember that maintaining good health isn't as simple as popping a few pills here and there; it's an ongoing lifestyle that yields benefits over time. So don't expect to start taking probiotics today and avoid getting next month's cold virus. Making a daily commitment to support your gut health is the first step. Continuing these healthy habits over the months and years to come is what will truly make a difference to your gut and to your overall health and immunity.

With that in mind, let's dive into the details and find out how and why gut health impacts your immune system, and what you can do to improve both.

[Video] Why Are Healthcare Costs So High In America?

9/22/2024

Why is healthcare so expensive in America?

I'm back this week with a very interesting podcast episode from my favorite Functional Medicine doctor.

With the election just around the corner, it seems timely to address the political side of health and healthcare. In particular, this episode deals with the question, why the heck does healthcare cost so much in America?

In case you've been wondering about this, you'll find a very interesting explanation in the video below.

You'll also learn about some of the initiatives that need to happen in order to not only bring prices down to a more reasonable level, but also improve our health as a nation.

As you may imagine, there's not a single easy solution to these issues. Rather, it will take a multi-faceted and dare I say "holistic" approach to tackle these tough matters. But doing so is imperative for not only our health, but our economy and even our national security as they discuss below.

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.

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