The health coach in me is wanting to help prepare you mentally as we go into the holiday season… as this is a time that includes more access to sweets, spirits, and scrumptious family traditional meals.

What to prepare for mentally?

Let’s combine the stress of travel, the changes in normal routine, those awkward conversations you might have about the recent election with your family which end up rehashing old childhood wounds of not being understood…

You see where I am getting at?

These experiences of stress and anxiety can set off old patterns of behavior…

Causing us to eat a little too much, masking our emotions in delicious sweets and cocktails…

Which have an impact on our blood sugar levels as well as gut microbiome, which afterwards, can enhance yeast and bacterial growth, as well as additional unwanted weight gain, bloating and foggy thinking.

So, what’s my main tip?

Honor your inner goddess temple by bringing recipes to the...

A great way to support your colon during this autumn season is through eating fiber from root vegetables, which are abundant at farmers’ markets from autumn harvests.

The sweet potatoes and parsnips in this “Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Kale Soup with Coconut Milk,” make eating enough fiber easy- peasy!

How Does Fiber Help Hormone Balance?

Adequate fiber from vegetables in the diet has been shown in studies to decrease excess hormone levels, particularly estradiol, the form of estrogen that fluctuates within the menstrual years.

Estrogen (estradiol) is needed for reproduction- it’s a building hormone, giving us our curvy hips and breasts, as well as it’s responsible for building the uterine tissue which would be implanted by the fertilized ovum if conception occurs. This is the same uterine lining that sheds during our menstrual phase if we did not become pregnant that cycle.

However, too much of it can cause Estrogen Dominance, an issue where there is too...

Maybe you crave salty over sweet, causing you to reach into that potato chip bag over and over… as cravings arise during stressful times and before your menstrual flow comes.

If you know you’re a salt lover and want to amp up your snack choices, I invite you to make my favorite kale chip recipe! I have been keeping this one a secret for years, planning on saving it for my cookbook… however, I am bursting to share this with you! 

Or how about craving chocolate before your flow comes? Raw chocolate is high in magnesium, a mineral that many standard American diets are deficient in. Perhaps your body could benefit from more dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, arugula, etc as greens are rich in magnesium! Kale chips are a great way to increase magnesium levels while snacking.

Magnesium is vital for reducing unwanted symptoms during PMS as well as Moonpause… it helps reduce bloating, irritability & anxiousness (anti stress), as well as can...

The liver plays a crucial role in hormone balance. A liver that is functioning well, will both manufacture and metabolize hormones. It is the ultimate detoxifier, filtering everything we put into our bodies from food, liquids, alcohol to even what we breathe in and absorb in our skin. 

The liver breaks down excess hormones such as estrogen (preventing estrogen dominance) as well as testosterone, (preventing high levels that contribute to issues like PCOS). It does this by creating bile, to break down fats and fat soluble toxins. It also helps convert nutrients from carbohydrates, fats, and protein into energy and the building blocks of hormones.

It’s also responsible for storing excess sugars such as glycogen, an energy reserve. When blood sugar levels fall between meals, the liver will release glycogen to help balance energy. If these glycogen reserves are full, than excess sugar will be stored as fat in the adipose tissue.

Signs of a Sluggish Liver:

• Fatigue
• ...

The key to hormone balance is in your digestion.

Blemishes, rashes, stomach cramping, irritable bowel syndrome, foggy thinking…

These are just a few symptoms of what inflammation, poor absorption, and food sensitivities can create.

…which eventually results in imbalances with the thyroid and sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone…

…causing menopause issues, headaches, painful periods, and high estrogen related issues like endometriosis, fibroids, and PCOS… 

My Chai Concentrate has anti-inflammatory herbs and warming digestion boosting spices that increase the health of the spleen (for better absorption) as well as bring circulation to the reproductive system.

And this recipe is supportive for your adrenals, as it it both Sugar-Free and Caffeine Free with rooibos tea and orange peel.

Seriously YUM. Spicy, flavorful, warming. This is my favorite tonic to make when am feeling the food cravings arise…....

Ever wonder why we get terrible food cravings?

Or perhaps you have wondered how to support your progesterone levels? (Truth: cravings & progesterone levels are related!)

…low progesterone is a common factor leading to estrogen dominance related issues such as intense cramping, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, cysts, and even Moonpausal symptoms.https://youtu.be/aGnYHRVW0ww 

Often I share about the role of Blood Sugar Balancing foods in balancing hormones like progesterone. 

Today, I am giving you a full virtual demonstration in the kitchen on how to make this recipe for blood sugar balance: My Vegetarian Chili. 

It is plant based, easily digestible (I pre-soak the beans) and is super easy and quick to make!!

If you like this recipe and want more recipes that directly balance your hormones, check out my Moon Cycle eCookbook that is available HERE.  

Loving you!
Allie

P.S. My {Free} Shakti Activate! Webinar is...

When at home in our routines, it may be easier to find our grooves with eating balanced meal plans. 

Yet, traveling and gathering with family and friends for big holiday meals that include decadent desserts, extra cocktails, and hors d’oeurvres, can throw off those routines and cause a bit of havoc on the gut-microbiota from additional sugars and carbohydrates that break down quickly  (think cakes, stuffing, and mashed potatoes from white potatoes).

After the holidays are over, we might feel bloated with tight lower stomach cramps, and we might even crave more sweets, as sugar feeds certain organisms in our digestive tract and they will crave more to survive.

So what can we do?

I’m all about preventative care. I share my favorite tip below and you can view more HERE.

Biggest Tip: Offer to bring more of what you would like to see on the table!

I love offering to bring several healthful plates to my family’s gathering: epic colorful salads, veggie...

Menopause, or “Moonpause” as I like to call it, is an experience of great hormonal change, requiring specific nutrients to support changes in sex hormones.

Two common symptoms of moonpause that women experience are vaginal dryness and weight gain, particularly around the middle.

Moonpausal changes as well as society’s negative imprints of “losing your youth” can cause negative feelings toward this sacred change, which is truly a “Rights of Passage.”

“Like pregnancy and childbirth, menopause is a time of profound transformation—a portal to the best and most powerful years of your life!” ~Christiane Northrup

As Northrup mentions, moonpause is a time where the hormones are changing yet again, and it was honored and viewed by indigenous cultures as a time where the feminine energies aligned for more self-empowerment, and to open a clearer channel to the Divine. Women of moonpause were the wisdom bearers of the Crone...

After 5 years of birth control contraceptive use, I realized my libido was absent… a symptom that many women end up experiencing from long-term birth control use.

The birth control contraceptive can increase the production of Sex-Hormone Binding Globulin levels (a protein in your liver that binds to sex hormones like testosterone) which can lead to lower testosterone levels and eventually, low libido. The pill can actually change genetic expression within the liver to create more SHBG.

Furthermore, the B.C. contraceptive impacts the gut lining, making it difficult to absorb B-vitamins like Folate (B9), which is necessary for detoxification, healthy skin, and building healthy blood to absorb and utilize iron. Iron is needed to bring oxygen into the cells, and low iron can contribute to low sex drive.

In addition, B.C. contraceptive can cause inflammation in the gut, leading to issues like insulin resistance, causing cravings for more glucose… meaning more sugar &...

mmmmm, this bread took many batches to get it to the right consistency of thickness plus moistness and I am finally ready to share it with you!

Low in sugar, full of protein and completely gluten-free and dairy-free, this bread is an excellent on-the-go breakfast or snack to nourish your goddess-temple! I eat it plain or will spread ghee or coconut oil on top.

Part of my hormonal health protocol I use and share with my clients is eliminating food sensitivities. Gluten, the protein in wheat flour, kamut, barley, bread, crackers, etc. causes digestion issues and food sensitivity symptoms for many so women with hormonal imbalances. When the gut is compromised, absorption of nutrients isn’t feasible and nutritional deficiencies can lead to improper hormone balance.

Do you experience constant intestinal bloating, tightness, or gas?

Even doctors are running tests when intestinal discomfort is present and diagnosing their clients with gluten sensitivities or even...