The Deets on Dry Brushing

Dry Brushing…what is it, why should you do it, and how to do it properly.

Recently dry brushing has been getting a lot of attention on the media, but it is actually a relatively old practice, dating all the way back to the ancient Greeks. It is especially popular in Ayurvedic medicine where it is referred to as “garshana” and typically performed every morning before bathing.

So, what are the benefits of including this invigorating practice in your daily ritual and how exactly do you dry brush?

First off, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of why you should be dry brushing.

• It’s an excellent way to stimulate your lymphatic system.
  • Your lymphatic system is what helps your body get rid of toxins and waste. Your lymph flows in one direction towards your heart, but sometimes lymph nodes can become swollen and a blockage can occur. This impacts your immune system since lymphocytes, or white blood cells, are what help your body fight viruses, bacteria, and other unwanted invaders in the bloodstream. Dry brushing can help to release and even prevent these blockages from occurring as it helps keep the lymph moving.
• It stimulates the circulation of the blood.
  • Just like how dry brushing keeps your lymph moving, it also improves circulation. Why is this important? Increased circulation helps with the production of collagen. Collagen is the fountain of youth.  It can reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks, and can also help heal internal scarring. It lessens a dull appearance and helps your skin retain its elasticity, thus you retain a radiant youthful glow.
• Dry Brushing exfoliates the skin.
  • When you remove dead skin cells from your skin, you are also unclogging your pores and your pores are less likely to become clogged in the future. This can lead to fewer breakouts, and other conditions caused by congested skin.
• It is a great tool for stress reduction. 
  • How does brushing your skin help reduce stress? Well, this mostly has to do with how it affects your circulation and lymphatic system. Strong blood flow means more oxygen and blood to your brain, leaving you more energized, better able to concentrate and process information, and your sleep improves. When your lymphatic system is stimulated and working properly, you likely to have a stronger immune system. When your body is stressed, you produce corticosteroids, which limits the number of lymphocytes produced by your spleen, thus compromising your immune system. By dry brushing, you are getting the benefit of a brain that is better equipped to handle stressful situations, but you are also stimulating the lymphocytes that your body already has produced, hopefully helping to counteract the ones you lost due to being under pressure.

 

I realize it might sound wacky that there is a “proper” way to dry brush, but brushing “incorrectly” can actually lead to unwanted skin conditions, such as rashes, as well as varicose veins. This is not meant to scare you, read on for some helpful tips!

The most important thing to remember is to brush in long sweeping motions towards the heart. This is the direction in which your lymph naturally flows and it drains from a cavity in your chest right below your heart.

Other tips:

 

Thank you to DiscoverMe for this excellent graphic explaining how to dry brush!

• I recommend dry brushing every day or every other day right before you bathe, as this has the added benefit of washing off any dead skin cells you released during the exfoliation process.
• Start at your feet and brush in long sweeping motions up your legs. About 5 to 10 strokes on each section you brush. (If you have time for more, great! If you only have time for 2-3 strokes, that’s great too!)
• Next, move to your arms. Start at your fingertips and brush in long sweeping strokes towards your armpits.
• When brushing your stomach, brush in a circular motion in a clockwise direction. This mimics the direction of digestion.
• Finish by brushing in long strokes up your back.
• I also have a smaller dry brush that I use on my face. When dry brushing your face, brush in an up and outward motion (i.e. towards your hairline).

Don’t forget to wash your dry brush each week with a mild soap such as Dr. Bronner’s. And remember, self-care is supposed to be fun, so experiment and let me know if adding this to your routine works for you!

 

 

Cravings – why we get them and how to curb them.

Cravings. They come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s for something sweet or salty, a meal that is heavy or light. We crave comfort food, but we can also crave healthy food. It doesn’t even stop with food. We crave intimacy, adventure, alone time, and more. So why do we get these intense desires?

The simplest answer is that we are suffering from an imbalance someplace in our life.  Whether it be in our diet or elsewhere.

For the purpose of this blog post, we will be discussing how to address food cravings, but many of these techniques can be applied to cravings that go beyond the plate.

A Dietary Approach to Cravings:

As I mentioned earlier, cravings are often an indication of an imbalance occurring somewhere in the body. The theory of Macrobiotics believes that you strive for balance through yin and yang. When you apply this to your plate, you are trying to balance flavors, such as sweet and pungent (yang) with sour, bitter, and salty (yin). This can also be applied to temperature, balancing hot foods (yang) with an equal amount of cold foods (yin). If you find yourself craving sweets, it may be because you have an excessive amount of yin in your diet and you need to find a balance. Maybe this is taking out some salt (decreasing yin), or maybe you need to add in some sweet (increasing yang). It’s important that increasing sweet can be as simple as adding in a little sweet potato to a meal, it doesn’t necessarily mean adding in a ton of sugar.

Ayurveda has a very similar approach to cravings. Ayurveda recognizes six flavors: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. If you are familiar with Ayurveda you will know that it is all about striving for balance between your own unique constitutions. We won’t get too deep into that today but instead will focus on the basics of balancing the flavors to decrease cravings. I love the ayurvedic idea of attempting to have each flavor present in a meal. Sahara Rose has an ayurvedic cookbook where she demonstrates this with six-taste bowls. For example, if you are making a salad, you may add arugula for bitter, strawberries for sweet, radishes for pungent, a little sauerkraut for sour, potatoes for astringent, and top with some sea salt for salty. The idea is that you will have satisfied all six tastes in one meal, thus lowering the chance of craving one of the tastes later in the day.

How to Identify and Navigate Cravings:

1. Acknowledge the Craving

Have you ever tried to ignore a craving or try to satisfy it with something else and the craving just continues to get stronger and stronger. I definitely have, and it is not a pleasant feeling. When you acknowledge the craving, you take away its power. This does not mean that you have to give into it, but you recognize it for what it is, which allows you to proceed to the next step.

Currently, I am craving chocolate chip cookies so let’s use this as an example. For step one, I simply acknowledge what exactly I am craving. Instead of trying to fulfill this craving with foods I deem “healthier”.

2. Explore the Origin of the Craving without Judgement

This is where you dive into the “why” ‘of the craving. Some questions you can ask yourself to help you with this process are:

• Is this craving occurring alongside a particular emotion or physical feeling?
• Is this craving for a highly palatable food?
• Is this craving tied to a habit?
• Is this craving guiding me toward a food that would support my health or well-being?

For me with the chocolate chip cookies, I often crave sugar and carbs when I am feeling overwhelmed. Stress, fatigue, boredom, and loneliness are emotions that can often lead to cravings. Identifying what you are feeling at a time of a craving is a great way to take away its power.

Chocolate chip cookies are highly palatable foods, they are full of sugar and carbs, and can offer a sense of comfort. While highly palatable foods are okay to be enjoyed on occasion, eating them excessively can lead to more and more cravings for them.

This particular craving is not tied to a habit, but I do often crave sweets after dinner, which would be a habit of having dessert at that time. Identifying if you are used to having the desired food or drink at a particular place, event, or time of day is another way to feel more empowered around your cravings.

For me, sugar usually gives me a migraine, so having the cookie will most likely not support my health or well-being. However, there are times when I know that just a bite of something will satisfy my craving without harming my health, which is another important piece of information to be able to recognize yourself to feel more empowered.

3. Proceed from a place of Empowerment

Now that you have acknowledged the craving, and identified its origin, and hopefully also recognized if there were any places in your diet where you may be experiencing an imbalance you can proceed from a place of empowerment. Instead of feeling like you are being controlled by your cravings, with your new knowledge, you can decide if it is best to satisfy the actual craving, or maybe it is better if you find balance in another area of your life to create satisfaction that may be more permanent than turning to food.

In my case with the chocolate chip cookie, simply identifying that the craving was coming from a place of overwhelm made me realize that taking some time to do some deep breathing and a five-minute meditation was enough to get the craving under control. My head felt clearer and I no longer needed sugar to soothe my body.

I hope this information helps you navigate your next craving. Remember, cravings are apart of life and is a way for your body to send a signal that something is out of balance. Next time you have a craving the most important thing is to approach it from a place of non-judgment and curiosity. Look at it as information that can lead you to a more empowered and wholesome life.

What foods do you crave the most? Are you more likely to crave sweet or savory? Tell me in the comments below along what tips you found most helpful from this post?

The Buzz on Bee Pollen

Did you know that bee pollen is one of nature’s most complete superfoods?

Bee pollen in the super food of the future. It is a combination of pollen, nectar, honey, wax, enzymes, and bee secretions. Basically, it’s what bee’s feast on, so it is high in nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fats, and it is even a complete protein. Research is also finding that is has anti-inflammatory properties, can decrease allergies, may help fight cancer, boosts energy and metabolism, is anti-bacterial, may increase fertility, and clears up the skin.

Bee pollen is just one of the things that makes these little treats so nutritious. Collagen is great for muscle and joint support. Pepitas are high in zinc to give a little boost to the immune system. Dates not only help these little balls of heaven hold their shape, but they also have a low glycemic index, adding sweetness without the blood sugar spike. Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E contributing to healthy glowing skin. Plus, using sunflower butter makes these nut-allergy friendly. Raw honey is full of antioxidants, protecting us from free radicals. Some people also believe that it can help us to develop resistance to seasonal allergies. The real kicker here is turmeric. Usually totted for being an anti-inflammatory, it difficult for the body to absorb without the addition of black pepper. However, no black pepper is used in this recipe. That’s because using pure, fresh turmeric helps strengthen the gut lining and aids in the repair of leaky gut. If you are still searching for that anti-inflammatory effect though, never fear, bee pollen brings that to the table as well.

These bee pollen protein bites taste delicious and can be made in a cinch. The health benefits you’ll get when you eat them are just a bonus.

It is high in protein (in fact, it is a complete protein), anti-inflammatory, can decrease allergies, may help fight cancer, boosts energy and metabolism, is anti-bacterial, may increase fertility, and clears up the skin.

Here is an easy bee pollen recipe for glowing skin and a boost in energy.

Note: please do not consume bee pollen if you are allergic to bees or honey.

#savethebees

Raman, R. (2018, August 13). Top 11 health benefits of bee pollen. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bee-pollen

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for gut health, a strong immune system, balanced hormones, and more.  But, did you know that most foods don’t actually contain vitamin A? Fruits and vegetables actually contain beta-carotene that is then converted into vitamin A in the body.

 

Why do we need Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is essential for cell differentiation, cellular growth, hair and nail health, immunity, healthy vision, reproductive health, and gut healing. It has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and fight inflammation. A deficiency in vitamin A may result in night blindness, increased risk of infection, and premature aging.

 

How do we get Vitamin A in our diet?

Vitamin A can be found in animal products such as beef liver, cod liver oil, egg yolks, and butter. When looking for plant-based sources of vitamin A, aka beta-carotene, think the color orange! Carrots, sweet potato, sweet red and orange peppers, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, apricots, winter squash, and pumpkins are all high in beta-carotene. Other sources of beta-carotene are leafy greens such as kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, and collard greens. Oh, and don’t forget broccoli; it’s another great source of this vitamin!

 

Important Note:

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it is not eliminated through urination, which can lead to Vitamin A toxicity. If you are concerned about your vitamin A levels, please consult a professional. I always recommend eating a well-balanced diet of whole foods to keep your vitamin levels in check.

 

Drink Yourself Calm

I have suffered from severe anxiety for as long as I can remember. Racing heart. Tightness in your chest. Sweaty palms. Shortness of breath. The feeling of being out of control of your own body is a feeling that I dread.

 

Here are three of my favorite drinks that I turn to when I feel my anxiety spiraling out of control, or when I just need to feel an extra sense of calm.

 

 

Refreshing Lavender Lemonade

1 scoop Vital Proteins Lavender Lemon Beauty Collagen

1/4 tsp honey (or sweetener of choice)

8 oz water

A handful of ice (optional)

 

Why it works:

Lavender contains a compound known as Linalyl acetate that has both relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties. “When inflammatory processes happen within the body, one of the first things to be affected is the gut and the microbiome. Stress produces inflammatory cytokines that can actually alter the way that the gut, brain, and nervous system response. This can include the development of depression, anxiety, and leaky gut” (MCNEW, 2018).

Collagen is a key component in healing your gut. Leaky gut increases your inflammatory response, therefore causing an increased chance of an anxiety attack. The collagen in this drink help to strengthen and repair your gut lining, improving the bodies response to anxiety in the future. Added bonus: it leads to beautiful skin and hair!

 

 

 

Relaxing Reishi Hot Chocolate

Option 1:

8-12 oz hot water or nut milk of choice

1/2 tsp reishi (I get mine from Sun Potion)

1.5 Tbsp coconut milk powder

1 Tbsp cocoa

2.5 tsp coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice)

A pinch of sea salt

A pinch of cinnamon (optional)

1 scoop Primal Kitchen Chocolate Collagen Fuel (optional)

***note: I make a large batch of this and then just take a scoop from the jar so that I am not having to get out so many ingredients every time I want to make hot cocoa.

 

Options 2:

8-12 oz hot water or nut milk of choice

1 packet Four Sigmatic Hot Cocoa with Reishi

1 scoop Primal Kitchen Chocolate Collagen Fuel (optional)

 

Why it works:

Reishi mushroom is an adaptogen known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, and anti-stress properties. It can assist in lowering blood pressure, which rises during anxiety and also increases circulation, helping to get more blood flow to your brain, lowering the inflammatory response caused by anxiety and stress.

 

 

 

Rejuvenating CBD Match Latte

8-12 oz hot nut milk of choice

1 dropper full CBD drops (The brand I currently have is CBDfx, but I am still haven’t found a favorite so if you have any suggestions please let me know)

1 Tbsp Lakanto Matcha Latte Powder (or 1 tsp ceremonial grade matcha powder + sweetener of choice)

 

Why it works:

To be honest, there is not much solid scientific research on how CBD reduces anxiety. What we do know is that it binds to endocannabinoids in the brain. These are neurotransmitters that are expressed throughout the central nervous system. “The endocannabinoid system has been recently recognized as an important modulatory system in the function of the brain, endocrine, and immune tissues. It appears to play a very important regulatory role in the secretion of hormones related to reproductive functions and response to stress” (Komorowski, 2007). Other things we know is that it is pretty safe and has minimal side effects. It’s difficult to overdose on CBD, allowing you to take it multiple times throughout the day, instead of just once or twice like most pharmaceuticals for anxiety. However, exact dosing remains to be a large question, as some people need to take up to 600mg to see an effect. This large amount cannot always be cost-effective, as CBD is already relatively expensive, especially since it is not covered by insurance. Everyone also seems to have an opinion on which brand is the most effective. Personally, this has been somewhat of an issue for me since I feel like I am constantly searching for a brand that is more effective than the last (if anyone has any recommendations please comment below…thanks!). In conclusion, CBD seems like a safe, natural alternative for controlling anxiety.

 

 

I hope these elixirs help you manage your anxiety as much as they help me. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @wholesomemorgan with your pictures of you trying out these recipes.

 

 

 

 

Citations:

 

Komorowski, J., & Stepień, H. (2007). The role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of endocrine function and in the control of energy balance in humans. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17369778/

 

MCNEW, A (2018). How Anxiety can Trigger Your Inflammation. [online] Blog.paleohacks.com. Available at https://blog.paleohacks.com/anxiety-inflammation/#