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FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides Disaccharides Monosaccharides And Polyols . These saccharides and polyols are short-chain carbohydrates that if poorly digested, ferment in the lower par of your large intestine. This fermentation process draws in water and produces carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and/or methane gas that cause the intestine to stretch and expand. The result is strong pain, bloating, visible abdominal distension. What exactly are these foods that contain these carbohydrates? I will attempt to break this down throughout the blog.

Over the years, I have come across many folks that struggle with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal issues, bloating, gas to name a few. They have tried improving their diet and do not necessarily find relief. This is when FODMAP was brought to my attention. FODMAP foods are generally “healthy items”, but certain individuals struggle to digest these FODMAPS properly, leading to many of the symptoms mentioned above. Following a low FODMAP protocol is  essential for providing relief to some clients. The good news about following this protocol is that it is temporary. Once you have taken the time to eliminate high FODMAP foods, you may then slowly introduce one food item at a time and see if that food gives you symptoms. We eliminate high FODMAP foods so we can stabilize our gut, allow it to heal, then slowly introduce possible problematic foods and see if symptoms arise.

To ease IBS and SIBO symptoms, it’s essential to avoid high FODMAP foods that aggravate the gut, including:

• Dairy-based milk, yogurt and ice cream
• Wheat-based products such as cereal, bread and crackers
• Beans and lentils
• Some nuts, such as cashews, pistachios
• Some vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, onions and garlic
• Some fruits, such as apples, cherries, pears and peaches

Instead, base your meals around low FODMAP foods such as:

• Eggs and meat
• Certain cheeses such as brie, Camembert, cheddar and feta
• Almond milk, Coconut milk
• Grains like rice, quinoa and oats
• Vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini
• Fruits such as kiwis, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple

Follow a low FODMAP protocol which is a three-step elimination diet as cited by John Hopkins Medicine, see below:

1. First, you stop eating certain foods (high FODMAP foods).
2. Next, you slowly reintroduce them to see which ones are troublesome.
3. Once you identify the foods that cause symptoms, you can avoid or limit them while enjoying everything else worry-free.

“We recommend following the elimination portion of the diet for only two to six weeks,” says Veloso. “This reduces your symptoms and if you have SIBO, it can help decrease abnormally high levels of intestinal bacteria. Then every three days, you can add a high FODMAP food back into your diet, one at a time, to see if it causes any symptoms. If a particular high FODMAP food causes symptoms, then avoid this long term.”

Throughout my research on FODMAP, I came across a university in Australia, Monash University. In 2005, researchers in the Department of Gastroenterology at Monash University identified a group of short-chain carbohydrates found in food that are either poorly absorbed in the small intestine or impossible to digest. The Monash team named these carbohydrates FODMAP. The university was the first to identify and research these foods in this nature.  Thanks to Monash University’s extensive work in this area, people can take their gut health back into their own hands by managing their symptoms through diet and improve their overall quality of life.

As you do your own research on FODMAP, you will discover there is no black and white with food choices. The best way to discover which foods work and do not work for you, is the elimination diet, then journal your symptoms or lack their of when you reintroduce the eliminated foods. Best of luck on your health journey! I am always here to support and coach you, reach out for a FREE discovery call if you would like to explore my services further!

I never understood the bond, the relationship, that people have shared with animals until I met Suzy. Suzy came to us, my husband Dave and I, the summer of 2020, little did I know this little fluff nugget would be the light of my life for the next few years. Suzy is a Colorado mountain dog, white fur with grey markings on her butt, side, tail, head and neck, I especially love her third eye. She has deep beautiful, brown eyes that can connect to your soul. That’s exactly one of the reasons why I connect so deeply with Suzy, she is my heart and soul, she feels all of me and connects to me deeply. Suzy has a sweet, kind, chill, loving, fun demeanor, so many words to describe the SUZ!

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I am grateful that Suzy has had an amazing life on the Pharm. She was born here, still has her grandmother Sophie living by her side, and her daughter Sally in tow. Sal and Suz are best of friends these days, they love to guard together, play together, lay around together, it is so special. Lately I catch the three of them playing around outside together, I absolutely love it and them!!

Davey and I have built a beautiful life here on the pharm with many magical beings that come and go. Suzy not being here for a full life is tragic, it truly is. She is only 4 and we were told today by the neurologist that Suzy has cancer. How is this possible we ask ourselves? How come Suzy will be taken from us too soon? She is an amazing dog, the best we have ever met. There is no replacing this bond or love that we share with Miss Suzy, mama suz, baby suzy…… She and I do not waste any days together, we always get out for our walks, I sing to her, we lay together, always give her yummy treats (little piggie) generally we just love on one another every day. I will not stop doing this, and I will also not stop living my life or caring for our other animals. Suzy has taught me many things already in just four and a half years. Staying present, life is precious and unknown, to be loved and to love is truly a gift, I am so grateful for Suzy and her never ending love and loyalty to me. Her tail wags so excitedly whenever she sees me come into a room or drive down the driveway. She loves pushing her snout up towards you for some love. She loves to press her butt into you for some butt scratches. She loves to flop on the floor and be pet rather than sitting up right. One of her favorite positions which all the dogs seem to possess, is laying on her back with all 4 paws pointed towards the ceiling, then she curves her body into a C shape. So many things to say about the Suz, she is a one of a kind dog, she is a loving soul, and she is damn strong, also has endless love and support from her parents, and her best friend me. Suzy I have loved you since the day I met you and I will love you always, never will you be forgotten.

Recently I went to a wellness summit in Boulder, Colorado where I learned a bit about biohacking. You may be like myself and have heard of the word and understood what it means, or this may be the first time you have even heard of the term.  Let me first share what my understanding of biohacking is; the practice of employing methods drawn from fields like biology, genetics, neuroscience, and nutrition to enhance your mental and physical performance.

But how do we go about incorporating biohacking into our lives? First off, nutrition is a method to enhance performance that I currently work on with clients as a health coach and nutritionist. Some examples of this are intermittent fasting and time restricted eating. When our bodies are in a state of fast, the body has time to regenerate cells, detox what does not serve us, and improve the body’s mitochondrial function. Infrared light therapy is another modality that I have been familiar with prior to attending this wellness week. Infrared light therapy promotes cellular repair and is used often to improve recovery time from an injury. It also may reduce inflammation, acute and chronic, improve the appearance of skin as well. I personally use an infrared light therapy machine at my gym 3x per week.

I have been discovering that there are many types of “biohacking” out there, and I learned about quite a few of them at the Dragonfly Wellness Week in Boulder. Leela Quantum Tech is a company that manufactures products that help to balance your energy, enhance performance, and neutralize harmful EMF’s. I bought a necklace for my husband and I, and we wear them every day and have both felt an overall state of calm and peace when we wear them, it’s incredible! Up next, I attended a panel on the benefits of crystals. I was excited to attend this seminar as I have not had much experience with crystals prior to this event. Well, after all is said and done, I purchased this incredible blanket from Crystal Blanket, you also can on their website. This blanket also protects you from harmful EMF’s like Leela, it also supports the body’s metabolic energy balance and amplifies the body natural healing abilities. Honestly, when I wrap this blanket around myself it feels like an instant hug to my para sympathetic nervous system. Lastly, I met a wonderful woman, Alexandra Cochrane the founder of Scandilabs, who introduced me to the Wellness Week in Boulder. She was a brilliant source of information, vibrant and had great energy! Scandilabs’ liposomal immune formula provides a simple yet highly effective means of strengthening the immune system and preventing illness. The immune formula has essential vitamins and antioxidants that are absorbed efficiently to optimize overall well being. This product is in liquid form and has elderberry formulated in it giving it a tasty flavor.

I hope I have inspired you to look into the world of biohacking and see about some modalities that may interest you and support you on your health journey! Please comment below about any modalities you are currently employing and enjoy. Happy Healing!

Recently, I took a course to become a certified transformation specialist, I discovered so many wonderful tips on how to support clients to achieve their health goals. The subject of multi tasking was part of one of my units. I was surprised by all that I learned in the course and came to the conclusion that being a “great multi tasker” is not ideal. I had always prided myself on being able to multi task throughout my life, and now I am discovering that being a multi tasker does NOT mean that you are more efficient nor effective with your tasks.

Multi tasking is when you are working on multiple tasks and your brain must jump from one subject to another. The issue with this is that the human brain can only focus on two subjects at a time before losing cognitive abilities. Multi tasking has been proven to lead to lower levels of creativity and higher levels of stress. Your brain becomes taxed and you no longer have your full ability to be creative or solve problems. Multi tasking may help us to be more productive in the short term, but this is not the case in the long run.

Research on multi tasking has shown that people experience a 40% decrease in productivity when multi tasking. They also tend to have a higher heart rate and increased levels of stress. Higher levels of anxiety are associated with people who consistently multi task. Excessive multi tasking eventually leads to “burnout”, which can take months to recover from, setting you back from where you initially started. Technology multi tasking has become quite apparent in modern times. Think about how often you will be on a phone call or texting, then an email comes in, another person is phoning you, you have alerts coming through from social media or other apps all the while working on your computer simultaneously.

One solution to multi tasking is to focus on one task at a time and minimize interruptions. Having good organization systems in place supports your brain to manage one task at time versus going back and forth between multiple tasks. Prioritize your goals and tasks, avoid distractions, and make good use of calendars and lists are great ways to strengthen your skills. There are times when multi tasking is unavoidable, and then your skills that you use will have been sharpened and strengthened if you are not consistently multi tasking. Multi tasking may be utilized when dealing with low level tasks. Listening to a podcast or an audio book while you are cleaning your house or taking a work phone call on a walk are great examples of multi tasking with low level tasks.

What I concluded from my course is that multi tasking is not the preferred way to manage and complete tasks if you are looking for high productivity. Most times multi tasking wastes more time switching from one task to the next rather than staying focused on the initial task at hand. It is best to be organized and create plans and lists for the tasks you would like to accomplish, and focus on one task at a time. If it is a broader task, break it down in to smaller tasks and tackle each one of those one at a time to then complete the larger task at hand. Over time if you practice these habits, your stress and anxiety levels will decrease, and your production output will increase.

Walking provides us with a mode of transportation to get from a to b. Many of us take for granted the ability to walk as this seems like something we have always done. Think of small children as they progress from crawling to walking, this takes time, strength, and determination. Our muscles and nervous system do a wonderful job of relaying these messages throughout our body, along with connecting to our mind.

Walking may also be used as a form of exercise when engaging in power walking. Power walking is with a quicker pace than your normal stride, yet you are not quite jogging or running.  When one is power walking, it is important to have a strong, tall posture, with your shoulders back and your core engaged. Make sure to be aware of your surroundings and stay hydrated. Power walking may improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost brain function. It may also help you sleep better, which can lead to higher energy levels throughout the day. Power walking may improve your cardiovascular fitness, and strengthen your heart and lungs, improve blood flow, increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to your muscles, and lower your risk of diabetes. Power walking is a great activity to do with others in your community. It is a time that you may enjoy engaging conversationally with others, while also motivating one another to be active with your walk.

Another type of walking that tends to be overlooked is mindful walking. Mindful walking focuses on the sensations of walking; the sights, the sounds, and feelings of each step. Mindful walking is one way to make a daily meditation practice part of your regular routine. The key is to pay attention to the experience of walking – the sights and sounds of your surroundings, the sensation of your feet on the ground and the rhythm of your gait. Mindful walking is a great way for busy people to incorporate a meditation practice into their weekly routine – it just requires bringing a different quality of attention to something you’re already doing. Mindful walking may also help to redirect your focus from stressful situations, while releasing natural endorphins. When I go out for mindful walks I love engaging with nature; listening to the bird songs, hearing the sound of the wind blowing, smelling the scents of the native flowers and plants, hearing and watching the rushing rivers and waves crashing on a beach, these are always special times in my day when I take those extra moments to appreciate the world around me.

Grounding, also known as earthing, is the practice of making direct contact with the Earth’s surface with your skin, such as walking barefoot. Grounding is based on the idea of how electrical charges from the earth can have positive effects on our body. There are theories that suggest that grounding may improve your mood, reduce inflammation, reduce stress, and improve sleep to name a few benefits. I love when we vacation to the beach and my shoes come off and I walk most of the day barefoot in the sand! Have you ever noticed how relaxed you feel when taking a beach vacation? Yes I know, you are on vacation and not working most likely, so of course you feel relaxed, but what if it’s also the fact that you are grounding?!

Speaking of places I enjoy walking barefoot, I love a good labyrinth to walk in. Not that long ago I traveled to Civana Wellness Resort in Arizona, they had a wonderful labyrinth that I walked barefoot while repeating a mantra to myself. Since then I found a lovely labyrinth by the river in our small town of Lyons. I make time to go down there and take off my shoes for a grounding, mindful walk in their labyrinth from time to time.

There are numerous ways to engage in walking throughout your day. Walking wise is a concept I enjoy as I encourage those to be mindful, and engage with themselves when walking. Certain thoughts and ideas that may arise on my walks, do tend to add to my own personal growth and wisdom. I also enjoy getting a bit of a workout in at times with power walking, again this is a time to engage with your mind and body and walk with power and intention. Comment below about the types of walks you enjoy in your daily life, I love to hear what others are doing for their body, mind, and soul!