It's Time to Lose the Fear About Fat!
I cannot preach this any louder! 🗣 Please rethink your fat consumption and read these awesome fat facts. The conventional "normal" levels on a lipid test are...well...BS!
P.S. From a Functional Medicine lens, a healthy cholesterol level is anywhere between 180-220 🥰
FAT FEAR (no more)...very important repost from @realfoodology about FAT and losing your fear of consuming high quality fats in personal moderation...
Check it out:👇
- The low fat movement was one of the worst fads humanity has ever participated in.
- Your brain is made up of fat & runs on fat. It needs fat to function at optimal levels!
- Alzheimer’s is on the rise and many experts believe this is a result of fat deprivation and higher consumption of sugar from the 80’s/ 90’s food trend.
- When you take fat from food it makes food bland, so fat free foods was are pumped full of sugar to make up for the taste loss.
- More fat, less sugar for a healthy brain!!
Problems Associated with Reduced Cholesterol:
- 200% increase in cerebrovascular accidents
- 300% increase in liver cancer
- 200% increase in lung disease
- 200% increase in depression and suicides
- 200% increase in addictive behavior
- Reduced cholesterol levels are associated with poor steroid hormone production (e.g. cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone)
- Studies consistently show higher levels of cholesterol (between 180-220) are very protective for hormone support.
Ok...getting off my soap box now 🤗
Photo cred @kitchenwitchbroth
It's Harvest Time! What are you making?
It's Harvest Season! Loving this shot from @meganfaletra+ @mountainroseherbs
"Many of us are currently up to our elbows (literally!) in fall food preservation, our kitchens permeated by the smells of old family recipes or new garden goods experiments. Whether you're canning, pickling, fermenting, or freezing, there's nothing more satisfying than adding your own special blends of homegrown or lovingly selected herbs and spices to the culinary creations that will see you through the winter (and maybe beyond!). What projects are commandeering your countertops right now?
Fall Squash Season is Coming!
We're loving seeing the bounty of BOTH summer and the early fall harvest coming into the markets!
Great tips from @ancientrootsnutrition :
How you cook your food (or don't cook it) is just as important to your health as eating the right flavors of grains, pulses, produce, meat, and dairy (if you eat the last two).
According to the classics defining the theories of acupuncture and East Asian medicine, each season has an art of living that informs us how to cook or not cook our foods to best support our health during that season. Learning to follow the cooking versus non-cooking guidelines not only helps keep your body strong, it can also help you avoid illness.
#latesummer #squash #goodeats#healthyliving #healthylifestyle#homecooking #wholisticnutrition#chinesemedicine #cooked #wellness#nutrition #rootandstem #nutrition#eatyourvitamins #fallharvest
Upgrade your Breakfast!
Our mouth is already watering from this luscious looking Farmer’s market breakfast made by our lovely acupuncturist @brookie.mackie! She will be at @shopharborside today from 3-8 for community and private acupuncture!
I’ve been trying to upgrade my breakfast lately. Subbing in Japanese sweet potatoes with grass-fed butter for my gluten-free toast habit.
Menopause Miso
Chicken Broth with Yellow Miso and Lotus Root
Serving size: About 2
2 Cups chicken broth – benefits blood, essence or Jing, spleen, stomach and Qi. Enters the kidney channel.
½ Cup yellow onion julienne– warm, counteracts damp and cold, improve blood and Qi circulation
2 Tablespoons water
¾ Cup tofu – builds Yin, blood and is a Qi tonic that supports the kidney
Small handful spinach – promote Qi and Blood and Yin
2-3 inch piece lotus root thinly sliced– counteracts heat and promotes Qi circulation
2 Scallion, green part - warm, tonifies yang, eliminates cold and supports blood circulation and digestion.
1 teaspoon miso – soy same as tofu benefits, naturally fermented foods are invaluable for digestion, warming, benefits the kidney,
1 Tablespoon goji berries – tonifies kidney Yin
Dash white pepper – counteracts damp
1 Tablespoon ginger, julienne– warming stimulates digestion and boosts circulation
½ Teaspoon sesame oil – counteracts heat and tonifies Yin
2 Medium shiitake julienne – blood and Qi tonic, supports spleen stomach and liver
Directions
Lightly cook the julienne onion and shiitake mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons water, add the chicken broth, ginger, goji and lotus (do not peel lotus, allow the hot broth to slightly braise.) bring to a simmer. Add the white pepper, tofu and miso (Thin the miso with a little stock then add back into the soup. Long cooking or boiling destroys miso’s beneficial organisms.) Add spinach and sesame oil and serve, garnish with scallions.
Options:
Seaweed is great for strengthening kidneys and building Yin so you could use dashi granules or make a broth using kombu and bonito flakes.
Add poached egg if you want more protein, should be antibiotic and hormone free if possible. Chicken eggs supports blood and promotes blood circulation, it also supports essence and Yin.
Honoring Menopause
In many Eastern cultures, menopause is often welcomed and honored as a time of transition for women. Many studies show that few women in Asian countries experience issues and symptoms during this transition, while in the West, we suffer needlessly!
Anxiety, night sweating, hot flashes, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, weight gain are among the most common issues that I see in my clinic for those going through menopause. In Chinese Medicine theory, it can be well managed with diet, herbs, and acupuncture with fewer risks and side effects than contemporary western solutions like hormone replacement therapy.
Kidney Yin deficiency (the common pattern found in Eastern Medicine for menopausal symptoms) can be managed with eliminating excessive sugar, poor quality meats, quitting smoking, reducing stress, and trying to not "burn the candle at both ends".
As we know now that food IS medicine, check out our blog for a yummy Menopause Miso recipe that supports both the Kidney Yin and Yang functions to help reduce unwanted menopause symptoms.
Inspiration in the Kitchen!
The lovely @lyssandra_nativepalms is always inspiring us with great ideas in the kitchen!
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keepin' it fresh, clean, seasonal, and making it with puuure love is such a goood feeeling ...
PS. take note of this bootch ... higher alcohol percentage than the regulars. This one has ashwaghanda, turmeric, and ginger ... stress reducing, boozy bootch ...
PSS. Bootch still has a lot of sugar, so if you're avoiding sugar or have candida overgrowth, I'd refrain... #bearerofbadnewssorry
Our Fav Sauerkraut Recipe
Our Fav Sauerkraut Recipe
1 Big Head Purple Cabbage (or 3 small ones!)
2 - 3 Medium Carrots
2 Red Beets
2 TBL Celtic Sea Salt
Directions :
Chop all ingredients to your liking (we prefer a rough chop). Afterwards spend approximately 15 minutes of squishing all the above ingredients into a jar with the briny/salty liquid and fill to at least 1 - 2 inches above the kraut. Let the jar sit in a dark area of your kitchen or a room with decent air flow for at least three days, and up to two weeks.
Sauerkraut update! 🥬
I have to admit, it is so yummy! I'm pretty impressed with how easy it was to make delish kraut, and it goes so great as a summer bbq side! I understand it isn't a taste that everyone loves, so here is a list of its many MANY benefits that might help convince you to add it to your dinner plate.
🌟Packed with probiotics for gut health
🌟High in fiber for gut and heart health helping reduced heart disease
🌟Sulfer-containing Glucosinolates!! Powerhouses for all kinds of goodness. Studies link these to protective anti-cancer activity especially in the lungs and alimentary tract
🌟Glucosinolates found in brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc) encourage the liver during phase 1 metabolism helping rid the body of toxins, STRESS, inflammation....the list is long!
🌟Cruciferous veggies help the body process and excrete excess estrogen (estrogen dominance anyone??) and help balance hormones throughout the menstrual cycle.
Check out our stories page for a simple recipe rundown!!
Soak up the very tail end of summer!
Loving these end of summer tips this month from one of our fav nutritionists @lyssandra_nativepalms !!!
It's August and we're full on into Leo season 👑🌻🏖
••• have you fulfilled some of your health summer plans and goals liiike ••• eating summer fruits and vegetables, being active outside, sunbathing, swimming, resting, spending time with friends, taking naps, getting inspired
••• f e e l i n g c r e a t i v e
Soak it up! And come see us for an acupuncture nap soon 💛
It's Summer Harvest Time!
It's time to enjoy the fruits (and bounty) of Summer! ☀️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
***Here is a yummy way to enjoy with all those yummy tomatoes, peaches and fruit at the farmers markets***
😋from @lyssandra_nativepalms
breakfast • snack • lunch
☁️COTTAGE CHEESE☁️
...nutritionally... 15 g of protein per 1/2 cup (muscles, repair + recovery, skin, hair)
High in B12 (brain health + energy)
High phosphorous helps repair tissues and cells, especially to prevent sore and tired muscles
✨energetically✨
cottage cheese can help to ground you to the earth, as its deep minerals and proteins help to stabilize your adrenals and blood sugar levels— much needed for staying focused and calm (all the work and all the play can throw the body and mind for a loop)
>>> eat cottage cheese with fruit, savorize it with cracked black pepper and olive oil, you can even use instead of ricotta in lasagna...play around with it.
If you are lactose intolerant, maybe steer clear or take enzymes... 😋 #healthydigestion #protein #groundingfood #mentalfocus #clarity #healthyeating #summerfood #tomatoes #cottagecheese #adrenalsupport #bloodsugarstabilizer #summer #august #veggies #nourishyourself #rootandstem #oaklandacupuncture #oakland #acupuncture #bestofbay #oaklandacu #rootandstem #functionalmedicine #eastmeetswest #topratedacupuncture #feelbetter #eatwell #naturalglow
The Benefits of Watermelon!
I just LOVE summer ☀️and I LOVE watermelon🍉! This juicy fruit is not only delicious but has been used as a Chinese herbal remedy for centuries. It's used to treat what we call "Summer heat" 😓and has also been getting some attention in several studies in the Western paradigm. Its cooling and hydrating effects are used to detoxify the body, heal sores, moisten dry mouth, quench thirst, and relieve the irritability caused by summer heat. Watermelon contains an array of important vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, potassium, and beta-carotene. Current research shows that citrulline in watermelons has beneficial effects on the heart, dilating the blood vessels and improving blood flow, treating high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, and supporting the immune system! ❤️🍉
#rootandstem #functionalmedicine #easternmedicine #acupuncture #acupunctureworks #labanalysis #eastmeetswest #labwork #topratedacupuncture #womenshealth #chineseherbs #herbalmedicine #6weekstoglow #health #wellness #eatwell #feelbetter #naturalglow #healthtips #bestofoakland
Are you absorbing all your vitamins?
Does it ever feel like you are just taking handfuls of pills aka vitamins 💊?
Do they even really do anything? Wouldn't it be so awesome if we could just get all of our nutrients from food🍕?
If you are asking yourself these questions, there IS a way to really maximize the absorption of macro and micro nutrients and take less "pills"! Macronutrients are things like fats, carbs, proteins that help us produce energy and we need them in larger quantities. Micronutrients are the vitamins, digestive enzymes, electrolytes, and minerals that help our body function best and they are key to how our bodies digest the macronutrients.
A really, REALLY simple blood test can show all of this info! The CBC (complete blood count) , CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), and Lipid panel (all of these taken in one blood draw💉) can show us if our body is absorbing fat and protein correctly, if we are getting enough minerals, Vit Bs, or if our digestive system has enough enzymatic support to break food down in the first place! These tests can help people scale down the handfuls of pills so that we focus on the yummy food we love to support our bodies. ⭐️
Intuitive Eating
This book has been coming up again and a lot in my clinic lately. I just can't recommend it enough! "Make Peace with Food, Free Yourself from Chronic Dieting Forever, Rediscover the Pleasures of Eating"...that really says it all! Maybe "food" isn't your area of guilt, but the concepts in this book can translate to whatever feels like a weakness to you. Highly, highly recommended! 💝
Learn more + get this book here: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/our-books/
#rootandstem #functionalmedicine #easternmedicine #acupuncture #acupunctureworks #labanalysis #eastmeetswest #labwork #topratedacupuncture #womenshealth #chineseherbs #herbalmedicine #6weekstoglow #health #wellness #eatwell #feelbetter #naturalglow #healthtips #bestofoakland #intuitiveeating #peace
Summer Celery Juice Cleanse Recipe
Enjoy this special celery juice recipe (from the amazing @brookie.mackie) to stay cool and also cleanse your body this summer! 😎 🌞It's so important to remember that as the daylight hours and temperatures increase getting hydration from our foods --- as well as from drinking plenty of water is important for our health this season.
The Celery Juice Cleanse 🌱
Have you heard about drinking celery juice for health? It’s all the rage right now and has been promoted by the Medical Medium for its many health benefits such as cleansing the liver of toxins and viruses like Epstein-Barr and Shingles, combatting chronic acid reflux, reversing auto-immune diseases, and recovering from SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). While these are undoubtedly amazing healing effects from a humble bunch of celery, if you plan on joining the ranks of juice guzzlers, consult your acupuncturist first! Most of us in the modern Western world need some liver detoxification due to stress, alcohol, caffeine and processed food consumption along with exposure to environmental toxins. However, you should make sure your digestion is strong and not affected by Cold or Damp pathogens, as we would say in Chinese Medicine. If your Spleen or Stomach tend to have deficiency, cold, or damp, celery juice, which has a cooling effect on the GI, could worsen the problem, leaving you a bit too “cleansed“, if you get my drift!
If you get the okay from your practitioner that it could be helpful for you, consider adding this amazing vegetable-herb-medicine to your morning health routine!
You’ll need a juicer and plenty of fresh celery! I drank 16 ounces each morning and waited 30 minutes before consuming any other food. If you include the leaves, it is beneficial, but makes the juice more bitter. Enjoy cooling and cleansing this summer, and pay attention to how you feel to make sure it’s a good medicine for you!
Hydrate Through Foods + Liquids this Summer!
Hope you all had a great Summer Solstice last weekend! 🌞
・・・
Not that you need a reminder ... don’t forget to
REPLENISH 💚
Through both hydrating foods and drinks of course. Doesn’t this cucumber water look yummy?! 🥒
{lil vid + tip courtesy of Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition.}
Spring Special! Six Weeks to Glow
We are back at it again … @lyssandra_nativepalms and @rootandstem are combining forces to offer ✨ 6 Weeks to Glow (for the Spring 🌱) and we're running a special early bird rate this week!
Save before Sunday, April 7th 💗
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This comprehensive wellness program combines #nutrition, #acupuncture, #functionalmedicine, #labwork (to see where you might have deficiencies and what you need from the inside out!) and more for optimal health ☀️with Dr. Jessica Parker AND Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition. 💫We created this program to help you LOOK and FEEL your very best, and learn the best ways to support your health that is sustainable for your life and budget. At the end of the six weeks you will walk away with the tools and knowledge to take charge of your health. You'll learn what feeds you (literally!) and be more empowered around your overall wellness 😃
You will learn about gentle yet effective ways to detox the body and optimize #digestion, #antiinflammatory foods that support your system, how to increase focus and concentration, and eating by listening to your body’s signals.
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This is the spring detox and reset you’ve always wanted, minus crazy dieting and deprivation. You’ll gain more #energy, #sleepbetter, balance your cycles and #hormones or eliminate #perimenopause or #menopausal symptoms, get #radiantskin, #reducestress and we cannot say this enough --- feel your very best! 💃🏻🕺🏽
What you learn will serve you for your entire life, and you can even share the tips and tricks with your friends and family! We believe in an empowered model for health, and the more tools and knowledge we have to make decisions the better. .
Ping us for more details or click link to website under services to sign up! ↖️ #6weekstoglow #rootandstem #springreset #springcleanse
Why Anti-Inflammatory Foods Are Important
There is this tree that lives outside my bedroom, and while beautiful for the benefits of being a tree, I can’t stand it! 🌳🌸🐝 It just started to explode these little bombs of pollen that make my allergies go nuts! HOWEVER, I find that when my health is the least “inflammed” it really doesn’t bother me.
That means, I really need to practice what I preach; reduce inflammatory foods, reduce stress, increase sleep, and get acupuncture! (I have to remind myself to get acupuncture too 💗). It really helps me get through these days of flip flop rain/sun that is the perfect combo for a pollen party ✨
#allergies #spring #acupuncture #antiinflammatoryfood #nutrition #functionalmedicine #chinesemedicine #rootandstem
Spring Foods To Nourish
Ok, so I know I talk a lot about how us acupuncturists never want you to eat raw food ;) But Spring time is the perfect time to bring it back onto your plate! 🌱🥕🥑🥒🥗
My go to raw food exception is yummy sauerkraut and fermented foods. What I love the most about sauerkraut and kim chee is not only are you getting the benefits from the probiotics and enzymes from the fermentation, but you are also giving your Liver (the organ of the Spring in TCM) lots of love with all the benefits from the Brassica family. 🥦Brassicas like cabbage, brussel sprouts, and broccoli, have a ton of antioxidant activity and help prevent oxidative stress, stimulate the immune system, help protect you against malignant cell transformation (cancer), and help rid your body of toxins.
+++ Check out this super easy and super delish sauerkraut recipe : https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut/ #springcleanse
#spring #eatveggies #fermentedfoods #guthealth #rootandstem #functionalmedicine #rawfoods #detox
Why We Love Tumeric!
Chinese Herb spotlight! 🍵
One of my fave herbs is Turmeric, or Yu Jin in Chinese Medicine. Not only is it widely known to treat pain and inflammation, but studies show that it has strong effects to support brain health, and it can treat depression. Being someone that isn’t much of a chef, it took me a long time to figure out how to actually make something taste good with it, but once I did, I can’t stop! ❤️
A family favorite is taking a simple paella recipe and doubling the turmeric ;) Not only that but the combination of Bromelain (found in pineapple) is even more of a powerhouse to reduce inflammation. 🍍
Who has a good pineapple curry recipe to share!? 🍜Check out our blog link to a variety of recipes that use yummy turmeric. I haven’t tried them all, but if you do, let me know which are your favorites. ⬇️
https://www.eatthis.com/turmeric-recipes/
#tumeric #antiinflammatorydiet #healthtip #inflammation #nutrition #chinesemedicine #functionalmedicine #tumericrecipes
Healthy Carbs, Lean Protein & Healthy Fats!
Finding your balance is so important ☯️ ❤️wisdom from our fav nutritionist @lyssandra_nativepalms ・・・
healthy carbs 🍠+ lean protein 🥚 + healthy fats 🥑
BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS - either TOO HIGH 🔺or TOO LOW 🔻-- This can leave us feeling tired, hungry, weak, shaky, lightheaded, and anxious. As a result, we crave sugar and carbohydrates, thinking they will pick us back up
Make sure your meals and snacks are well-balanced with all three macronutrients for sustained energy throughout the day. Adding fermented veggies to strengthen your digestion will vastly improve energy, skin, immunity, and mood ☺️
#rootandstem#sixweekstoglow #healthyeating #spring#healthyeating #springreset #nutrition #digestionhealth