Tag: holistic health

Seasonal Detox Beet Salad

The Best Winter Foods to Eat for Detox

Best Foods to Eat During the Winter for Detox (Seasonal Foods)

Winter is brutal on your body. You need to take extra care of your body during this season of illness and close quarters.  That includes eating seasonal foods that support and promote detoxification and optimal health. The foods with the highest amount of nutrients will be those seasonal foods that are naturally grown during this time of year.  Your body needs these nutritional heavyweights during the process of detoxification.

Best Seasonal Foods to Eat During the Winter for Detox #seasonalfoods #detox #healthyholidays

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Here are the best foods to eat during the winter to detox. They are seasonal, delicious and nutritious, and provide the antioxidants necessary to guard you against free radicals and released toxins.

Collard Greens

These are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including magnesium and manganese. They are best steamed or sautéed with some garlic and crushed red pepper.

Garlic

The sulfur compounds in garlic are responsible for its pungent odor and taste. They also pack a wide variety of health benefits, including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

Almonds

Almonds are high in manganese, magnesium and vitamin E. They are versatile and tasty.  Throw them in a vegetable dish, a casserole, your cereal or a salad.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is beneficial for its anti-cancer properties. It also contains glucosinolates that help activate enzyme detoxification. Cauliflower contains sulfur-containing nutrients and antioxidants that help boost the body’s capacity for detoxification.  Cauliflower mash is a favorite this time of the year.

Pepper, Cumin, Turmeric, Fennel, and Ginger

Talk about a powerhouse!  These spices are essential in the detoxification process. They boast immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.  When you pair them with detox-enhancing foods, they can get your body’s detoxing engine revving.

Lentils

Lentils provide the insoluble and soluble fibers that are perfect for stabilizing your blood sugar. They also provide support to the intestines, especially during the detoxification process.

Kale

This is one of the truest superfoods with a ton of detox-supporting nutrients. It has anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and may even help improve your cardiovascular health.  Massaged kale salad is one of my favorites.  It also helps the texture of this powerful green feel less tough.

Beets

Beets are an essential source of phytonutrients known as betalains. They provide detoxification support and anti-inflammatory benefits.  One of my favorite foods this time of the year (and year-round).  I love cooking them in a cast iron skillet with some avocado oil.  The golden ones are my favorite because of their sweetness, but all are wonderful.  They pair well with many salads or just as a side.  Beets pair well with things like arugula, nuts and seeds and goat cheese.

Onions

Do not over-peel onions because you might be tossing out their important flavonoids, which act as phytonutrient powerhouses. The flavonoids are actually concentrated right in the outer layer of the flesh. Moreover, these are high in manganese; vitamins C, B9 and B6; and they are an essential source of potassium.

Limes and Lemons

Limes and lemons are loaded with vitamin C. These citrus fruits also contain flavonoid compounds that provide anti-cancer and anti-oxidant benefits.

Cabbage

Cabbage’s antioxidant properties make it a must to eat for winter detox. It is an anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer food that is also a great source of vitamins A and C. The polyphenol content of cabbage is different and will depend on the varieties that you eat. That’s why you need to mix green, red and Savoy varieties.

These seasonal foods are easy to find, easy to prepare, and easy on your detox. They are delicious by themselves or combine them in a soup.

 

Take your winter comfort food to the next level with some detoxifying powerhouses!

 

Detoxification is really important through the winter season.  Especially during the holidays when we are exposed to more sugars, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, stress, less sleep and environmental toxins.  As we go through the holidays and into the New Year, I recommend adding some (or all) of these powerful foods onto your plate.  Get creative in the kitchen and have fun cooking up some new and exciting dishes.

If you’re feeling the need to release the things that are weighing you down, creating a laundry list of symptoms and making you feel like crap, I welcome you to join me and others for a New Year cleanse.  For more information, check out this page: https://kimwilson.me/nourished-new-year/

Do you feel like you need more one-on-one support?  Investing in your health and happiness is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.  Especially as you make changes and set goals for the New Year.  I welcome you to contact me about one-on-one coaching.  Contact Here

 

Blessings and best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season!

 

XOXO,

Kim

 

 

Eat Your Way Healthy Through the Holiday Season

The holidays are often when everyone begins to worry more about the sweet and savoring indulgences that will no doubt grace every holiday table. It becomes a time where often you give yourself permission to let loose and eat whatever.  Then New Year’s rolls around and you feel like you got hit by a food truck.

1.  Give Yourself the Gift of Balance

What I’m proposing is a complete mindset shift around how you honor your body and your self-care needs during the holiday season. This is a time for giving, so how about you give yourself a gift that’s going to nourish you beyond the 10-minute sugar rush of that wretchedly unhealthy fruit cake your co-worker likes to make.

2.  Set Boundaries with Your Family

Talk to your family and explain that you’ll be doing things differently this year.  Explain that just because it’s the holiday season, it doesn’t mean you’re going to settle for nutritionally deprived foods that take more than they give your body.

Explain that you’ll be creating some healthy delicious options and offer to share with them.  It is the holidays, after all!

For me, I explain to people that it’s not about losing weight for me (or keeping it off).  It’s about feeling better, wanting more energy, not feeling bloated and irritated and enjoying the festivities and connectedness of the holiday season.

3.  Exercise Your Creativity in the Kitchen

Try new and exciting recipes. Splurge and buy expensive superfoods, interesting fresh fruits and vegetables that you don’t always get.  Try dishes with nuts and seeds and truffled extra-virgin olive oil.

For me, I pick and choose which I will spend more on (celebrating and holidays) and which I will find more bargains.  Even though I love splurging on some cooking ingredients, I also like to be frugal. I love buying inexpensive foods, oils and seasonings from Home Goods, Marshall’s and specialty oil & vinegar stores.  The specialty stores often share recipe tips too!

I love getting creative in the kitchen.  Especially if I am cooking (as opposed to baking) because there is room for flexibility and combining of flavors.  Try adding pecans to a brussels sprouts dish.  Maybe add some cranberries to a butternut squash dish.  I love cooking fresh rosemary with different kinds of meats.  Especially steaks (I love bison)!

Healthy food can be totally gourmet and special too. Make your own homemade chocolate with mint leaves and stevia for sweetness. Adorn your salads with pomegranates and walnuts.

Eat Your Way Healthy Through the Holiday Season #healthyholidays #holistichealth

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Here are a few more tips and tricks…

  • Swap white potatoes with roasted sweet potato and butternut squash
  • Thicken the drippings from your turkey for gravy with arrowroot or tapioca starch to stay away from gluten and GMO corn starch.
  • Try making coconut whipped cream instead of dairy and serve with homemade roasted pumpkin with a bit of cinnamon, stevia and crumbled pecans
  • Ditch the bread and stick with extra veggies drizzled with high-quality olive oil
  • Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream
  • Make cauliflower rice instead of white rice

I welcome you to try one of my favorite (and healthy) dishes for the holiday season: Sweet Potato, Apple & Sage Soup

We all know the holiday season can be overwhelming and filled with LOTS of food!  Discover what works for you and your lifestyle.  Try implementing some of these tips or incorporate some of your own.  It’s a new season and a great time to express your creativity and try new things.

What tips have you discovered that work for you?  I welcome you to share below.

Want even more great tips to help you lose weight, improve your digestion and increase your energy?

I welcome you to check out my new Healthy Holiday Survival Guide

Or join me on my social media platforms where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life.  Check out the social links below.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season!

XOXO,

Kim

 

A Season for Change

If you’re like many people (including myself), the summer season was a busy one. Summer is filled with cookouts, vacations, time with friends and family, longer nights, and creating memories. It may have also included choices that didn’t serve you as well. You may feel like it was a busy time of the year and you’re missing some rest and relaxation. Are you feeling stressed or lacking balance? I know that I’ve been feeling the need for change as I move into the fall months.

The autumn season is one of the best times of the year for cleansing and taking authority in life. When I say “cleansing,” I am not referring to a plant-based, drink-only cleanse. The term cleansing (or detoxification) can refer to many things.

A Season for Change #cleanse #fullmoon #autumnharvest #detox

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In my own personal life, I have taken a strong look, especially over the past year, at things, choices, and people that are not serving me well. I’ve considered food choices, toxic relationships, negative thoughts, choices I have made, goals I have set, and options for what I want to see in the future. Have you thought about what may or may not be serving you well and helping you thrive?

With the full moon in Aries just passed on October 5, Aries inspires us to strive and thrive despite any struggles we may be experiencing. The energy is about finding independence, trusting yourself as you move forward, and finding power. The energy from the full moon will help us to use our power from a place of heart rather than ego.

This is a great time to reflect on where you’ve been, what changes you want to make, and how you will choose to move forward.

I am a small-town girl and I love so much about the country. When I think of autumn, I often think of the harvest season. I think of planting seeds and new beginnings. Ways that those seeds can be nourished for growth. When you think about moving forward into the autumn season, I encourage you to think about seeds you can plant and how you can help them grow in your own life, whether they pertain to you personally or to others in your life.

As women, it’s very important to take care of ourselves but also to support and lift up those around us.

As your body prepares for a stressful holiday season and colder weather, it’s important to consider ways to nourish your body, ramp up self-love, and practice stress management. Allergies are higher and the immune system can become more susceptible to illness and exhaustion. Seasonal eating helps to not only nourish the body but also give it what it wants as the season transitions.

Pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, and pomegranates are all wonderful fall favorites. Not only are they delicious, but they also pack many health benefits, especially when paired with lean meats and healthy fats. Limiting processed foods, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol will help you thrive through the autumn season. Sufficient sleep and personal care will not only benefit your body and mind but also help you as we approach the holidays. One of my favorites is an Epsom salt bath with lavender oil drops. It’s important to figure out what works for your own unique beautiful self.

Toxicity comes in many forms. Consider the foods you are eating, the relationships in your life, stress, environmental factors, and negative thoughts. Look at the level of fulfillment in your career and things you’ve always wanted to do but never tried. This is your time to focus on the positive energy of change. It’s a great time to start fresh, feel empowered, and do what makes you feel healthy and happy.

As the leaves change colors and fall, look at ways you can shed some old and allow for new growth. What changes can you make in your own life to help you thrive?

 

 

detox baths

Boost Your Immune System with Detox Baths

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Detox baths are a great way to cleanse the body, eliminate toxins and boost the immune system.

This time of the year, so many people are getting sick and feeling run down.  Yes, the dreary and cold days can contribute to our mood and health, but so do the toxins that we’re holding onto and the ones that we are constantly exposed to.

Our lives are crazy busy, and most of us rush through the day without a thought to alleviating all the damage that is being done to our bodies: By what we eat, the air we breathe, and the stress inflicted upon us.

A detox bath can sweat out those toxins and alleviate their harmful impact. They will boost your immune system too!

 

Boost Your Immune System with Detox Baths #detox #immunesystem #health #wellness #winterwellness

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The process for a detox bath is really quite simple. Detoxers immerse themselves in a tub filled with very hot water and essential ingredients, some active and some soothing. As you soak, the toxins are pulled to the surface of the skin and then washed away.

The key to a successful detox bath is preparation.  It is very important to properly hydrate before
you begin. The day before you plan to detox, increase your fluid intake (water) and avoid dehydrating ingredients, such as caffeine and alcohol. This will ensure that no damage occurs to your body as the impurities are drained from your body.

Detox baths require very hot water. As hot as your body can tolerate, but please don’t burn yourself.  Warm water or reasonably hot water will just not work. It is essential that the body sweats during the detox process, and that won’t happen if the water is too cool.

To actively draw out toxins, detox baths should to contain at least one strong, active ingredient and several soothing ones. For example, harsh ingredients such as apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide might be offset by essential oils. The ingredients you choose will determine the benefits to your body. Many recipes are available on the Internet. One of my favorites is listed below.

Most recipes call for a soaking of more than 20 minutes. You need to give those impurities time to float to the surface!  I recommend a bath time of 40-60 minutes.  The first 20 minutes gives your body time to remove toxins.  The remaining 20 to 40 minutes allows time for your body to absorb the minerals in the water.

When you have completed the recommended stay in the water, gently wipe off your skin and drink water. Give your body time to recover from the strain of detoxification. That will enhance the benefits and enhance your well-being.  Completing a detox bath will help you feel rejuvenated and healthy.

 

MY FAVORITE DETOX BATH:

ingredients
1 Cup Epsom Salt
1 Cup Baking Soda
10 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil
 *Note:  I also like to use Bentonite Clay (in place of the baking soda).
directions
  1.  Pour your ingredients into hot bath water.
  2. Soak your body for at least 20 minutes (as much as you can, up to your neck).
  3. Once you are done with your bath and have dried off, avoid eating for at least 20 minutes.
  4. Drinks lots of water.

Note:  Skin brushing before taking a bath or shower is very beneficial.  Especially before a detox bath.  If you’re pregnant or have any health concerns, please consult your doctor before performing a detox bath.

WHILE IT MAY BE TEMPTING TO QUICKLY DIP INTO A HOT TUB AND DRY OFF, THE LENGTH OF TIME SPENT IN THE TUB WILL DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR DETOX.

If you have any questions about detoxing or a detox bath,  please comment below.  You’re welcome to message me as well.  I enjoy detox baths all year, but they are especially beneficial during the harder, winter months.

Wishing you much health and happiness!

XOXO,

Kim

From Pain and Addiction to Health and Happiness

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I recently attended the Take Back Your Health Conference in Northern Virginia and had an opportunity that I had not prepared for.  The guest speaker was sharing her personal experience about how she took back her health.  I found myself reliving my story in my head as she spoke. It’s a story that few knew about until now

After she finished her presentation, she asked the audience if anyone had a similar experience where they took back their health.  I wanted to jump out of my seat and scream, “MEEEE!”  Instead, I looked directly at her and nodded my head.  The Universe must have aligned us because she called on me.  She asked me if I had a story to share.  I said, “Yes, I do!”  As the man with the microphone started to walk towards me, I was overcome with so many emotions and began to shake.  I was finally ready to tell my story.  Not just to my parents and sister or my best friend.  I was ready to tell everyone.  Not only is it part of my healing process, but my passion and desire to help others is much greater than my fear of what people will think or say.

As I was handed the microphone, I felt this overwhelming emotion that brought me tears.  I fought them back while shaking and I started to talk.  I told the audience that I had been a police officer for six years.  Sadly, I was injured in a car accident while responding to a call.  I was hit by another driver.  It was a moment that, at the time, would change my life.

I spoke about the numerous doctors visits.  I spoke about the frustrations because I could not find answers for my chronic pain.  I spoke about the frustrations with the “health care” system.  I spoke about leaving a job I loved because I physically couldn’t do it anymore.  Then….I spoke about my ADDICTION!  When I was on my path to a better life and less pain, I was given all kinds of medications for my symptoms.  I was shot in the back and the neck with steroids, asked how I felt, given opiates.  All I wanted was answers and to live a normal life without constant pain.  A level of pain that haunted every hour and every day.  My pain was followed by more frustration and depression.

Every time I went to the doctor or a specialist, I was asked about my symptoms.  Then I was given another pill.  Not to mention, I wasn’t with the doctor or specialist for long.  I felt like “just another number.”  I was so tired of pills and injections.  I just wanted a normal life.

Unfortunately my injury came at an expense.  My desire to want to feel well led to pain medicine addiction.  Pill after pill!  I didn’t know the affects and consequences of opiates and injections.  Yeah, I knew about drugs (especially being a police officer), but I didn’t KNOW about what they can innocently do.  I signed that little waiver and listened to the doctor’s quick speech, but I never knew it would take me on a path that would change my life.

A lot of opiate addictions begin here.  You have to go into surgery for something minor or you go to the doctor for a mild backache.  Maybe you’re a football player that gets injured on the field. These addictions are happening in our schools, neighborhoods, workplaces and at home!  Drop the stereotype because it’s complete bullshit!  There are too many people suffering silently!

Sadly, it took me hitting a bad place to realize that I had two options.  I was either going to allow the opiate to take me, or I was going to take back my health.  I knew it would be hard, but I wanted my health and happiness.  I wanted my life back!  I wanted it as much as I wanted to breathe.  That’s when I decided that enough was enough.  It had been affecting my health, my family, my relationships and my mind.  I was done!

I went to my doctor and expressed my concerns.  We discussed the commonality of this problem, and I expressed my frustrations with the “health care” system.  As suggested, we cut my dosage back and I began to wean myself off of the drug.  I can honestly say that it was not an easy road, but one I knew I had to go down.  At the same time, I was going to a great physical therapist and began to learn more about functional medicine.  I was intrigued by the holistic and integrative approach.  I knew that coming off of the medicine would mean pain, so I was determined to find a way to heal myself.  I had no other option because I was done being in pain!

While this was going on, I found out that my aunt was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer.  She only had a few months to live.  I remember going through my “hard times” of withdrawl and thinking of her.  She inspired me to find my health and happiness.  She also inspired me to set out on a mission to help others.  I was so depressed when I had to leave law enforcement because of my injury.  I wanted to find a new way to help others…and I did.

Again, the Universe aligned because I had an opportunity to enroll at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  The year to follow would be one that would change my life forever.  I learned about the importance of good nutrition, bio-individuality, lifestyle change, inflammation and the body, sickness and our society, the difference between traditional and functional medicine and SO much more!  I was my own guinea pig that year, while I discovered what I needed in order to heal.  Not what everyone else was doing or what society says we should do, but what I needed.  I learned that we need to get to the root of health problems and not prescribe a pill for every symptom that leads to other symptoms and more pills.  Not to mention more money.  I also learned that there is another way.

Think of us as a tree.  We are built to stand tall, weather the storm and grow.  When we are sick or full of a disease, we will begin to lose color and our leaves will change.  We may wilt and easily break.  If you see a sick tree, will you spray paint it green or will you correct the problem from the soil, which will navigate up through the roots and allow it to heal?

I wanted to get to the root of the problem and heal.  While studying at IIN, I learned a lot about gut health, inflammation, disease, nutrition and self care.  There were so many things that I was doing wrong and sources that were consuming my body with toxins.  Especially food choices and chemicals.  I was so inflamed and consumed with toxic buildup.  I found a way to heal myself and get back the life I wanted.  I will always have my injury and there will be some level of pain, but I now know how I need to live and the choices that I need to make for better health and happiness.  I honestly never knew I could feel this way without medication.  Now I get a euphoric feeling from my life and not the drugs.  I would much rather be addicted to what I have now.

I discovered the foods and sources that were not serving me well.  I discovered the power of self care and how much it affects our health.  I discovered so many other things that I include in my life.  A life that I am so blessed to have because I made a choice.  I chose to get back my health!  I chose to take back my life!!!

I am sharing this with you because I know too many people who have been affected by this addiction (and other forms).  Whether it’s themselves or friends and family.  I also know how much it’s impacting our society.  Not just the self destruction, but also the gateway it has to the increasing heroin addiction that we are facing today (among other issues in our society).  According to the Center for Disease Control, women’s deaths from prescription painkillers has risen 400% from 1999 to 2010.  This is a problem that is affecting our society in so many ways.

I am not a doctor, and I am not here to offer a healing solution.  I am here to share my story and hope it inspires, helps or motivates someone.  I know the dark road that this problem brings.  I also know that people can paint a pretty picture on social media, but you never know the struggles someone is dealing with.

Please share this with anyone you know who may benefit.  If you are struggling with this or know someone who is dealing with this issue, please know you (or we) are not alone.  Having a good support system is important.  Talk with your doctor and stand up for YOU!  Consider a new way of life and take each day as it comes.

Today, I coach and help others find their own health and happiness.  It may not be from addiction or pain, but it may be something that’s consuming their life and how they feel. Personally, I found a way to eliminate what was breaking me down every day and nurture what would help me find a better path.  Everyone is different, so it’s important to find what works for you individually.

The road to health may not always be an easy one, but it’s definitely worth it!

 

XOXO,

Kim