Keto Adrenal Cocktail Recipe

 > This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Hey there, 

So much has happened since the last time I posted. 

Hope you're all doing well, I've been mainly active on my Instagram, if you don't already follow me there, please check it out HERE

Now, I started writing this as another IG post but found that it calls for a blog entry here instead.

It's been a transformational week 

I wanted to share this earlier but wanted to make sure it is actually what I think it is. 

Over the past 8 months, we've all been walking on eggshells around this new health threat. 
Our family maintained good health and spirit. 

For myself, I kept a watchful eye on my gut and did my best to keep the new stressors from triggering pre-existing conditions. 

Luckily, no signs of gut flare, phew!

However, along with way, my digestion fluctuated, from the fight or flight mode, to peri-meno changes. Things slowed down. 

So something remarkable happened last Sunday. 

Within 24 hours, I experienced amazing clearing I've been waited for months. 
No questionable foods, just felt like I was ready to let go of trapped emotions out of my body. Fear and negative emotions can manifest into physical unease, especially in the gut. 

Hence my growing interest in the gut and mind connection.

In any kind of cleansing process in the body, hydration is important, but electrolytes are even more so. With too much salts and minerals flushed out, you can feel muscles weakness or mild headaches. 

To put things in better balance, I revisited this drink I used to take in my earlier gut healing, and tweaked it to suit my Keto focus  - my version of the Adrenal Cocktail. 
After downing my first dose…almost instant relief. This drink is also good to support stressful times. 

I waited the week to make sure it wasn’t the beginning of a flare and I’m so grateful for this much needed clearing, honestly, haven’t felt clarity and energy like this for a long long time 🙏🏻

What is an Adrenal Cocktail? It's your easy homemade electrolyte drink, with basic ingredients in most kitchens. And best thing is without all the chemicals and additives in the store bought ones. It helps add minerals, vitamin C for a boost of energy, level off cortisol ( stress hormones fluctuations ) especially handy when you practice some form of fasting.  The taste is a bit acquired, it's like a saltier version of lemonade if you use lemon juice for keto, but the orange juice version is much more pleasant.  

When I first learned about this drink, all the recipes I found calls for orange juice and after I discovered a keto eating style works better for me, I made some changes...

Here's my Keto friendly Adrenal Cocktail recipe that keeps my electrolytes in check and some extra love for my adrenals 

• ¼ c fresh lemon juice (Keto)  or ½ c fresh orange juice
• ⅛ -  ¼  tsp cream of tartar
• ¼-½ tsp sea salt
• optional stevia drops to taste

I usually make it fresh and drink it right away but you may double the recipe for your daily two doses. I was drinking mine twice a day, when I felt my adrenals were most overworked, around 10am and 2 pm for a boost, but now an ealier afternoon hit gets me back on track. 

What does your body tell you during difficult times? and how do you respond? 

More to come on other aids that helped this gut clearing...

Another kind of R & R

> This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Where's the RELAX button please?

There was no other way of saying it, the truth is I was trying to force some Rest & Relaxation into my life after an extended period of nonstop going, oh the irony of this... 

I'm well aware Vegas is not a place to unwind, especially when we weren't planning on leaving the Strip. But with only a few days off work, it'll have to do. It ended up being a good escape with a change of scenery. We sampled lots of food, saw an amazing show, Beatle's LOVE, and experienced the surreal culture of the city that never sleeps. So did I find the R&R as scheduled? I did but it's a different kind. 

Let me tell you about the "before" part of this trip. Besides wrapping things up for the school breaks to start, the little guy got sick and missed 4 extra days of school, nursing sick kids always adds to the load. Then they was a leak in the house. "the ceiling is dripping mom" as the homebound sick kid tells me. 

A faint optimistic inner voice says " thank goodness this didn't happen while we were away." The weekend before the getaway was also filled with volunteering duties at the Judo Tournament, I was pretty much done when I underestimated how tired my body was and sprained my thumb badly ( good thing it wasn't my left thumb)  at the clean up.

Ready to throw in the towel, white flag going up, will this trip help me decompress?

Get into the proper Mindset 

Once I got off the hamster wheel, Surrendering started the process of unwinding, letting go of control and embracing Acceptance allowed progression to take place.

We arrived at Sin city with my family hoping for a few days of sun, warmth, well warmer anyway, 3 days... Ready set chill!

The first day of getting there went smoothly, no hiccups, despite jumping in the taxi with wet hair to catch the morning flight, that was a first for me. 

Arriving at the hustling and bustling city was exciting but also a little daunting. The step tracking took a toll on the family and after feasting at famous Wicked Spoon Buffet, the family caught an early night of shut eye.

Me? I was still charged up by a mixed of factors. From the excitement of the day, the buildup of the week, and the best part, fuelled up by the amazing all you can eats, I wasn't ready for sleep yet. So I went out for a walk to watch the colourful lights the strip offers. Sometimes it doesn't take much to satisfy me,  I was happy to do my usual hydration run and got enough water for the next day. While I was at the 24hrs Walgreen's,  it was eye opening to browse through groceries and personal products I don't usually notice at home,  it was fascinating to see all the products available for many quick fixes. From energy drinks to puffy eyes patch. Does anyone else get a kick reading labels? Besides water,  I had some fun finding bottled iced coffee with nothing else added. Wow, that's a victory!

On the food front, I'd loosen up my eating protocol. Since Hangry isn't a thing anymore, with my fasting skill in place, I easily lost track of time until my family starts discussing what to eat for lunch. Knowing the variety of foods available, and the teenager's anticipation to critiquing the chefs he follows on social media, I pack digestive enzymes, probiotics and activated charcoal pills, for anyone who needed it.

Ask me more how to get these at wholesale prices 

Hard lesson to learn, where's the relax switch? Boundaries, I was still receiving emails and texts concerning the restoration and work. So I ignored the ones that don't require a respond, can wait till I get back, and sent replies of I'll respond after a certain date. It felt good to set my boundaries. 

Learning  learning  learning 

Vegas is an interesting creature of its own, we used to come for the fashion trade shows before the kids, 3 days was always max, and this time was the same. We came, we saw, we ate and now home to homemade bone broth, reasonably priced veggies and coffee. 

Yes, I'm not excited to deal with the restorations from the leak, but it's a good opportunity to get rid of stuff we don't need. Spring break with spring cleaning. 

What did I learn from this quick trip? I was doubtful the day we arrived whether this trip would serve its purpose. My husband wasn't in favour of the choice of destination, especially for the kids, so that negative voice played on my exhausted state and dripped on some guilt. But after I caught up on rest, I realized no matter where you go, you can and should make the best of the experience. Vegas is not the magical Kona we went to last year, but building memories with loved ones can happen anywhere. Watching the fountain show at Bellagio, seeing the awe in our kids' eyes with every new experiences. 

So can you speed up the decompression process?

No it takes time, conscious mindfulness can help.

What would I do differently? Recognizing the importance of ongoing selfcare while at home. Sure it might be easier said then done. Getting away to change the setting maybe the most effective way to chill out, but it would be best to maintain a level of mindfulness through regular meditation. My yoga practice is my moving meditation, but the ego may play with the mind when the body is tired from the physical aspects. Sometimes, we might just need to quiet the mind without tiring out the body. 

By the time I finished writing this post, I released some expectations that comes with the conventional R&R that just sit right. So when I was searching for an image that suits the title, I decided to coin it Regroup and Refresh, it seems more fitting. 

What do you think? 

Paleo Keto Chicken a la King

I'm so excited about this New Year new direction recipe post... 2019 is where I'm going to share more of my Keto Paleo eating style. I had been quiet on the recipe posting front for a while, reason being last year was filled with so much shifting... many explorations and lessons. From fasting to re-introducing a whole bunch of foods that I ever imagined. I spent a lot of time pondering my progress... can I really thrive on Keto Paleo? Back when I started Paleo, I didn't know anything about Keto, is it another acronym I had to remember??? Can I fold up my AIP security blanket and move forward? Well, so far so good.

This childhood comfort meal totally puts a smile in my heart. It was inspired by the "cream of mushroom" chicken recipe, Yup, my mom used to make it as the easy version of Chicken a la King. So I tweaked it without the franken-ingredients and you know what, it's actually pretty easy and quick. I literally threw it together after my 5pm infrared yoga and dinner was ready by 7pm. Try it on your next stretching the clock meal prep and let me know what you think. 

 > This post may contain Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Serves: 4 servings   Prepare time: 20 minutes  Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 chicken legs with back
• 1/4 of large red bell pepper, chopped ( about 1/2 c) 
• 1/4 of large green bell pepper, chopped ( about 1/2 c) 
• 1/2 medium white onion, sliced ( about 1 c)
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 stalked of celery, chopped
• 1/2 stalk of leek, chopped ( about 1 1/2 c)
• 1/2 pack of enoki mushroom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mace
• 1/2 tsp galangal 
• 1/4 tsp salt & pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 8oz Tetrapaks or 14 oz can of full fat coconut milk ( I use AroyD) I prefer the TetraPak ones there're BPA free and I think they somehow tastes better
• 1/2 tbsp fat of your choice for cooking, I used bacon fat

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 375F
2. Sprinkle and coat chicken legs, both sides, with all the spices
3. Heat deep pot over medium heat ( I used my cast iron dutch oven) add fat
4. Brown both sides of chicken legs until golden
5. Move chicken to another vessel, remove all but 1 tbsp of fat to cook vegetables in 
6. Saute onions, garlic, celery and leek for 5-7 mins but not too soft, add bell peppers in pan and toast for 2-3 mins. 
7. Add browned chicken back in the pot and lightly mix together with vegetables
8. Pour can of coconut milk into the pan 
9. Cover with tight fitting lid and bake for 30 mins
10. Uncover lid, add enoki mushroom, lightly submerge them under liquids
11. Broil uncovered for 5-10 mins until chicken bubbles and browns more
12. Serve with my Rainbow Faux Rice your favourite shredded or spiralized veggie "noodles"

2018 reflection - My IBD journey

So... after hosting our big Xmas dinner for 20+, I finally found some time to sit down and craft a pretty solid draft for this post. In between cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, I was feeling a great sense of pat on the back. This morning, I was ready to finish off the post when I realised that the latest version wasn't saved, poof, gone, nutta!!! The old me would have freaked out, I would have felt that tightening in my upper back and neck. But instead I took a deep breath, grabbed one of my many bottles of essential oil by the computer, applied and carried on. Yup, the new me handled it pretty well. Let me tell you what this year had taught me.

Last year, I posted a short and sweet reflection for the year around this time. As I reread it, I was pretty shocked how much uncertainty weighed down my words. Felt like, it was written from a totally different person. I've learned so much this year and this is a great opportunity for me to recognize my accomplishments.

These are a few highlights for my 2018 reflection.

Superpower to body reset

I stepped into 2018 testing out a powerful wellness skill, almost like a superpower of sort. I learned how to use extending fasting to reset my body. From resting digestion to balancing hormones, fasting also strengthens my mind. The quick drop in lbs got my vanity's attention, but the real perk was the general feeling of awesomeness, the mental clarity, increase in energy and just functioning on a different realm was really cool. I was feeling so good that I decided to re-intro more foods outside of the AIP. This addition to my wellness tool belt gave me an amazing experience on our family vacay in Hawaii, I was really experiencing R&R, almost for the first time.

Sharing my voice

When Oshi Health invited me to share my story in their soon to launch app for IBD folks, I say Yas!!! Sign me up. I was so excited to reach more people in the IBD community. Pitch in my voice and offer my encouragements to a wider audience. If you haven't checked out their app, don't wait and spread the words.

"The Oshi App 📱

The Oshi app is the first all-in-one digital solution to help patients manage IBD. The app empowers patients to:

• Track: People can track their symptoms, stress, diet, exercise, and sleep, and the app uses this data to generate a completely personalized Oshi Wellness Score.
• Learn: Oshi contains a magazine’s worth of quality, curated educational content that’s written by our team of patient advocates, by top-notch professional writers, and by our team of physician-partners and other subject-matter experts.
• Ask: People can submit questions directly to Oshi for answers from our team of experts.   

Oshi is available for download in the United States,Canada, the United Kingdom and Denmark— free — from both the Apple App Store and Android Google Play."

Connecting with people the old fashion way

On a personal level, I've been making an effort to connect where I can see or hear the other person.  I learned how important connection was when I was at the lowest point of my health. I was desperate to find anyone who would understand. I'm forever grateful for finding that sense of community online. Now that I'm back on my feet in health, I enjoy making more in person contacts on a day to day basis. Even making a phone call, scheduling online chat with friends overseas give me a boost of the warm fuzzies. While waiting in line, one of my favs thing to do is strike up a conversation with the person in front, it sure makes the wait time pass faster,  or listening to the gas attendant story as he insists I should be a teacher because I have that "gift with people" Blush.... It's not like asking me to donate a vital organs while I'm alive, just basic human interaction... feels nice.

What does 2019 hold for me?

I recently discovered the writings of Dr. Satchin Panda, I have to admit his name got my attention... my kid loves Panda. His book The Circadian Code is one of the many on my readings right now. So nurturing my Circadian Rhythm is high on the 2019 list, it's not just what I eat, It's also important when I eat, the sleep wake cycle is key too.

With a clearer mind, I'm now capable of emmercing in multiple books at a time. Wow, that has never happened in my life before. Reading, journalling,  listening and most important thing...implementing. Gotta take action instead of passive learning. Another goal is to break down all the goodness into  bite size chunks for sharing. I'm hoping this will make things less overwhelming and easier to apply into everyday lives for those who're ready to make some changes.


What plans do you have for the new year? Are you writing them down somewhere?

 > This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

My tips on managing stress

 

Photo by Gabriel Matula on Unsplash

> This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

When I was at the beginning of my healing journey, I had to first acknowledge the state of my wellness or at that time, my sickness. After being in denial for a period of time, I accepted that I wasn't able to bounce back without some serious work. Hitting rock bottom motivated me to shape up or ship out. I recommend paying attention to Self-care and self-love as the first step to wellness. Ironically, these basic human needs are what people find most challenging to practice. It's all good, here are some suggestions you can try and see what resonates.

Breathing exercise
Most people take out breathes for granted. By simply focusing on our breathing can make a difference in our wellness.  Try some slow and long breathes to start and lengthen each inhale and exhale to feel the calming effects.

Being in Nature
Remember that last time you watched the sun rise or sun set? How did that feel? Stop during the hustle and bustle lifestyle for a moment of serenity. If you are more mobile, try escaping in nature for a walk, it can do wonders to reconnect us to the core.

Journalling
Journalling helps clear my mind. There are different ways to journal, some people like to journal online, others like the old fashion pen and paper route, check out The Ultimate Health Journal by A Clean Plate for a unique combination to " Logging your diet, exercise, sleep habits, stress management, social life, time outdoors, and illnesses and symptoms" so you can stay on track of your progress

Essential Oils
I use Young Living Essential oils to support my wellness in multiple ways, my emotions are number one on the list. There're many emotional blends that have helped me relax, set intentions, feel more uplifted, see things in better perspectives. Some of my favourite blends include Acceptance,  Surrender, Forgiveness and Believe, just to name a few. If you want to learn why I chose Young Living over other brands, click here.

There's also a specific technique that has help many people to dig deeper into their past and release trapped emtions.

Aroma Freedom Technique with Essential Oils

Focus on gratitude

Anthony Robbins Quotes "The antidote to fear is gratitude. The antidote to anger is gratitude. You can't feel fear or anger while feeling gratitude at the same time."

Reprogram your thoughts
This is one of my current favourite, it's like a game to me. I'm consciously choosing only positive words as I write and speak. Swap out "I hope" to "I will" to create more certainty. Convince your mind that something good is already happening.

More about fasting for health - Part 2

Photo by Sven on Unsplash

 > This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Here is the link to Fast track to wellness - Part 1. How I got started into extended fasting.

Here's another one of my fasting related link to my the one year update post on my nutritional ketosis progress

Some of you might be wondering how I got from gut healing focus to this fasting practice. Once I felt my UC was pretty much under control, I started looking into the effect of insulin and how it might play a role in the gut microbiome. You see, my mother was a T2 diabetic who died from complication of the metabolic disease. Her neglect of health led her to renal failure and 10 years of dialysis. Watching her body deteriorate was what got me interested in wellness in the first place. This is why I became so interested in insulin and how it may affect our gut microbiome

What is my Fasting routine look like?

Well, I started off trying to follow a routine, a template. That's how most of us learn right?  There's a lot of info out there, so far the clearest and simple resource I've found was  Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung. I started by following the 24 hrs Alternate day fasting as described in the book. Day 1 Lunch and Dinner, Day 2 Dinner, rinse and repeat. It got a little getting used especially for my family. Didn't take long for me to see the weight melting away and my energy skyrocketing, I was excited to dive deeper.

My body seems to really like the One Meal A Day practice, aka, OMAD. I chose dinner as my meal of the day 'cause it's more of a social thing where I can relax and enjoy time with family. But I had to watch out when I was still trying to lose a few pounds, my body adapted to whatever routine purely for survival which means it hung onto the weight.

So how did I get over that hump? By shaking things up, being fluid.

Today, I'm more intuitive with my fasting, I don't follow a schedule like fast on set days. Some people like to do Mon, Wed, Fri. I mainly go with how I feel. Sometimes I like to time a longer fast into my social calendar. I do find that a few days after my cycle is a good time to do an extended fast, which is usually between 36-42 hrs. So that makes a long fast once a month for me.

Pros about fasting

Eating less means cost less

Digestion doesn't get overworked. I feel that since I became fat adapted, run on ketones

Feel empowered, easily breeze through if I'm in a situation where I don't have excess to food I eat
not prepared.

Promote Autophagy What is this word? Click here to learn more

What is my main take away on fasting?

I've learned as long as I keep my electrolytes in check, like having enough salts either with my meal or a pinch in my hydration, I don't get those discomfort most people get when they start. That has been the key factor when it comes to fasting. I remember my dad, who was in the army and lived through many tough days during the war, telling me that a person can live several of days, even longer, without food but without water? Maybe only 1 - 2.

Watch this video to understand the difference between fasting and starvation

Using Essential oils while taking homeopathy

 > This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

This topic comes up from time to time.... can I use essential oils while taking homeopathy?

I've searched high and low for resources online before but found little info to guide me. Yesterday morning my friend messaged me and ask the same question for her client, she's a wellness coach. So I thought if I post my experience, it might help others.

Here's my take

First, everyone on a healing journey should figure out their baseline, in short how their body reacts to things, their "normal" so to speak. I've had to really learn to listen to my body to help figure out how new things or reintros affect me. I found documenting in journals, apps on phone or online great to/ track my symptoms, progress, emotions, even dreams.

Keep in mind that my experience with essential oils is all from Young Living, I cannot speak for other brands as I do not know their quality and standards. If you want to learn why I chose Young Living over other brands, click here.

Find your constitutional remedy

Start by figuring out your constitutional remedy and a dose that supports you well. Then I kept my remedy dose away from myessential oils use, for some really sensitive people on homeopathy, they might even need to look for toothpaste with nothing from the mint family.
I remember earlier on my essential oils journey, I started testing out the mint family first, like Peppermint, Spearmint, then I moved onto Eucalyptus and felt some cancelling effects, like feeling out of sort, unsupport, more fatigued, the biggest effect I felt was definitely from Wintergreen.

But as my body became stronger and stronger, less likely to be triggered, I was less dependant on my remedy,  which is really the hopes and plan right...to become more independent and self-sufficient? Now, I can tolerate blends with some wintergreen in it like Deep Relief without feeling completely wiped out after (cancelling)

Here are some of the Young Living oils I felt comfortable to test with first

Lemon    |   Frankincense    |    Lavender    |    Northern Light Black Spruce

I'm grateful to be in a happy place on my wellness journey, found the fine balance between homeopathy and EO because I'm leaning more towards essential oils, hardcore oiler now, even though the remedy still provides support in the background.

If you want to learn more about how I use Young Living Essential oils with my remedy to support my wellness, please reach out.