6 Simple Steps To Building The Perfect Cheese Platter

No Festive Gathering in 2018 is truly complete without the presence of a well-curated cheese board (even if it's vegan!). Every hostess has her own formula for the perfect cheese platter, but what separates the good from the great comes down to the beautiful little details. We asked clean cooking instructor and cookbook author, Pamela Salzman to share a few tips for getting it right. Keep these simple steps in mind and ace your home entertaining game all season...

first, Choose Your Cheeses. When selecting cheeses, I like a variety of texture, milk, shape and flavor.

Pick Your Platter. I like using boards with a lip, if possible, so things don't spill off when you're carrying it into the room.  But any board will do, even a large cutting board can make a wonderful serving platter.

Place your Cheeses First. I start making my boards by placing the cheeses down first and spacing them out. Then I fill in the empty space with everything else.

Contain those Condiments. Things that are wet or juicy, like olives in brine, nuts in honey, or marinated vegetables, are better contained in small bowls or leaves (e.g. radicchio or cabbage).

Add Some Color. For little pops of color, I like to dot the board with edible flowers, or sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, fresh basil leaves or sprigs of lavender.

Consider the Temp. I always remove cheeses from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving them since they taste much richer at room temperature.

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3 Cozy Recipes You Need from LA’s Iconic Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe

Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe in Santa Monica is just the kind of cozy, local cafe we dream of finding in every city we visit. This classic LA cafe has hosted more Chalkboard breakfast meetings than we can count and is consistently one of our favorite spots for a good veggie salad or gluten-free treat.

Huckleberry is the baby of chef Zoe Nathan and husbnad Josh Loeb, who fell in love while working in their top-rate restaurant, Rustic Canyon. Their collective dream was to open a neighborhood artisan bakery and café, and Huckleberry is just that. We shot Nathan at home years ago and have shared a few killer recipes from Huckleberry over the years.

Here are our favorite Huckleberry moments on the site, including that time we learned how to make pancakes in Zoe's kitchen. Get your cozy fix here...

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins | Chef Zoe Nathan’s gluten-free muffins are the kind of health food we hope the future is made of. They’re better than any traditionally-made baked goodies we’ve ever tried, made with cleaner ingredients, and generally better for our bodies. LEARN MORE

 

Spiced Chai Latte | Zoe Nathan certainly knows the value of a good cup of hot tea to match her drool-worthy baked creations. Her fresh spice-infused version of a chai latte, made with Pressed Juicery almond milk, is a seasonal staple. LEARN MORE

The Perfect Pancakes | With spent a cozy morning at home with Zoe, where we learned how to make the perfect stack of pancakes. LEARN MORE

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From Breakout To Glow: How One Blogger Changed Her Skin With Fermented Foods

If your current Skincare routine isn’t producing the results you deserve, it may be time to consider incorporating the age-old practice of eating fermented foods. The state of our skin is a reflection of our overall health -- and if you've learned anything from us, you already know that good gut health is at the heart of holistic well-being. Known for their gut-healing properties, fermented foods might be the key to more a dramatically more balanced complexion.

One skincare blogger, Celeste Thomas of The True Spoon, completely changed the condition of her problematic skin by harnessing the beauty-boosting benefits of fermented foods. Below, Celeste is sharing her journey and some key tips to turn up your glow...

It might sound embellished, but fermented foods transformed my life. I suffered from acne from when I was fourteen until about twenty-four, so a solid ten-years of strife. I was relying on an artist’s toolbox of makeup to hide my struggling skin. A natural, less-is-more beauty look was not in the cards for me — or so I thought. In 2014, my LA wellness bestie invited me to a home fermentation workshop, led by the glorious goddess Lacy Phillips of Free + Native. Lacy taught us the holistic benefits of fermenting specific foods to treat ailments and improve skin quality.

I raced home to practice my skills, utilizing Lacy’s ancient recipe and mother bacteria to create my own magical jars. As soon as they had alchemized, I started incorporating daily spoonful’s of krauts, kimchis and veggies into my diet. As the weeks passed, I started to see gradual improvements in my skin — fewer zits, more glow! Soon thereafter, compliments from friends, coworkers and absolute strangers started pouring in. People, including my favorite grocery checker, were noticing a substantial shift in my appearance. Beyond the visible, I felt more alert, energized and strong, as if I reached a new level of physical vitality.

Forever inquisitive, I began to study the physiological explanation behind my internal and external strides. Utilizing evidenced-based research studies, I learned how these ancient microbes promote a vibrant healthy body and help holistically highlight natural beauty. Don’t worry loves, I won’t bore you with all the details, just a concise highlight reel of useful science.

How Do Fermented Foods Impact Heath + Wellness?they bolster healthy gut flora | Ingesting happy microbes from fermented foods creates an ecosystem of supportive microbiota in your GI system. These friendly bacteria live primarily in our large intestine and prevent illness-causing microbial invaders (like acne bacteria).

they Aid in digestion | The acidic by-products of live ferments assist in the breakdown of the micronutrients and macronutrients in our diets, especially the difficult-to-digest lactose. This happy digestive aid can drastically reduce belly bloat, water retention, skin inflammation and overall puffiness (you know, the anti-contour).

they Help with nutrient absorption | With the help of ferments, digested nutrients are transformed into their most bioavailable form. Bioavailable nutrients are quickly and easily used by the body for all of its many functions. Calcium bioavailability is greatly enhanced with the presence of acid from the lactobassilic bacteria found in ferments, a hugely important micronutrient for skin regeneration.

anad they Make your skin glow | The process of fermentation also synthesizes beauty boosting nutrients including vitamin B12, folic acid and biotin for shiny hair and glowy skin.

Where Can I Find Fermented Foods?

Inspired to give this ancient beauty hack du jour a go? I wholeheartedly hope you do! There are wonderful brands that offer ready-made fermented foods at a somewhat premium price, and many can be found at health food stores all over the country. If you want a cheaper, more sustainable option, you can always do what I did and make yours at home.

Home fermenting is fantastically affordable and relatively easy with a touch of patience. If you don’t have a new wave workshop center in your community, not to worry, I’ve developed a home fermentation ebook for you! It details all the steps necessary to successfully make fermented foods from the comfort of your own home. It’s easy, fun and the perfect excuse to get all your best babes together for some beneficial bonding.

Homemade or store bought, incorporating a spoonful of fermented foods into your daily diet is the best way to truly boost your glow game. And once you do, don’t be surprised when the compliments start rolling in.

Grab a gorgeously clean recipe for collard green wraps from Celeste Thomas here.

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7 Conscious Techniques For Working Through Your Fears

You are not your fear. It's the most human thing in the world to worry -- whether that's about fear of failure, fear of commitment, or fear of the unknown -- but it doesn't need to be paralyzing. According to Monica Berg, Chief Communications Officer of The Kabbalah Centre and author of Fear is Not an Option, when we're able to transcend the influence of fear, we open up space for opportunity and growth. We asked Monica to share a few techniques for working through fears and finding your true power...

We know a few things about fear. Namely, we know what it feels like and we know what scares us, but we are usually at a loss when it comes to assuaging this discomfort. Feeding the fear doesn’t serve us, it doesn’t help us and it doesn’t change the situation. It fuels an already chaotic situation and makes it worse. It doesn’t change the reality of what is, or what’s going to be, or what should be. It doesn’t do anything but paralyze us.

Most try to cope, but we can eradicate fear all together. It sounds simple, but that is the thing about these silly fears: The only thing providing them sustenance is you. You feed the fear every time you give into it. You feed it, it becomes stronger and its appetite grows. Once you make the decision to give fear the boot, it no longer has a place in your mind and, therefore, no place in your life.

In the absence of the fear, your life will begin to unfold in incredible ways. By meeting it head on, the fear you have can be cut down to size and its power taken away. The ultimate goal is to transcend fear and come to a place where you trust the process of your life.

The Seven Tools For Working Through Your Fears
As a long time student of Kabbalah, I have found the wisdom to be life changing. The kabbalistic perspective on fear is both unique and profound. I’ve distilled kabbalistic teachings in some of the following tools.

Name your fear | Rav Berg said. “Of all the fears that bedevil mankind, none is so terrifying as fear of the unknown; what is unknown can neither be avoided nor controlled. By naming the creatures of a newly formed world, Adam became the master of his environment.” The creatures in the quote are our fears. The first step toward fearless living is to identify your fears and name them.

I would like to eliminate my fear of ____________________________.

Burn your fear| Rav Isaac Luria, a prominent kabbalist, teaches that if you have a fearful thought, envision or build an actual fire. Bring the fearful thought into your mind and visualize the thought being thrown into the fire and erased from your consciousness.

Diminish your fear | When fear comes in ask, Why is this coming to me? Let go and trust. Say to yourself, Fear is an opportunity. We all have strengths that are shown through challenges and each is designed to help us become our most fully realized self. Shift your consciousness. Do not give power to your fear.

Trim tabs | Illogical fears are detrimental because they impede our ability to live life fully and are responsible for our most debilitating experiences. Small steps have never been more imperative than in the case of eradicating fear. When action is taken in small steps it can lead to great change.

Like adding trim tabs to a boat, for example. For those unfamiliar, trim tabs are the tiny rudders attached to the back of large ships that offer assistance to the main rudder by mitigating pressure. They were invented by philosopher and engineer Buckminster Fuller and are a very small adjustment that provides a major shift. In what ways can you apply trim tabs (small changes) to your current reality that can help you to eliminate fear?

Create an ANTI-FEAR MANTRA | Another useful tool for eradicating fear-based thoughts is turning your fear around to create an affirmative mantra. Let’s use the example of someone who is fearful of public speaking. The fearful thought is: I’ll get up there, I’ll be visibly shaken, I’ll forget what I want to say, and no one will ever want to hear me speak again. I’ll be humiliated.

The mantra is: I am fully prepared. Everything I have to say is helpful, well-founded and something I believe in. By simply reversing the fear, you have created a mantra that not only empowers you but also eliminates the fearful origin. Practice turning a few of your own fearful thoughts into empowering mantras.

ENGAGE YOUR BODY | A power pose is a pose in which we are relaxed and open. Your shoulders are square, spine is straight, chest is lifted and your hands are on your hips. Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy conducted a study to research whether or not certain power poses affected the people who embodied them, and the results were unanimous. Participants assuming power poses saw a 20% spike in testosterone, the dominance hormone. The overall result: Strike a powerful pose, feel more powerful. It is a simple practice that can be done anywhere and is sure to help you feel strong in the face of your fears.

Fear is Not an Option | Live with this conciseness. Practice it daily. It’s a mantra, it’s a lifestyle.

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TCM Reader Poll: What Do You Do When You Feel A Cold Coming On?

The difference between a cold and a 'knock you out for a week' immunity disaster has everything to do with how we handle those first few signs. It can be tempting to simply press on when we're not feeling well, but when we take a beat and give our bodies a break -- and maybe a few immunity-boosting supplements -- we may be able to cut that cold off before it gets serious.

We're endlessly impressed by how knowledgeable our TCM community is. We asked our readers on Instagram to tell us about what they do when they first start feeling a cold coming on and the responses range from simple and effective to holistic and hardcore. Whatever your wellness vibe is, we're sharing plenty of options to boost immunity ASAP.

Drink bone broth 🙌🏻

Take oil of oregano, make a tonic of ginger, turmeric, raw honey, lemon and cinnamon.

Chew on raw garlic.

Take oregano, frankincense, lemon and turmeric essential oils in a veggie cap and swallow!

Sovereign silver.

ACV + hot water🍵 + lemon🍋 + honey🍯!

Take a long nap, pop a Vitamin C and cod liver oil pill and lots of water!

Freshly crushed garlic with raw honey 💪

Vitamin c + zinc !

Drink a turmeric goldyn milk! 😋✨

Lots of green juices with turmeric, ginger, lemon and honey. I also take tons of colloidal silver and colostrum to boost my immune system. A hot bath with essential oils and sea salt. Cold and flu tinctures. I mean... I can go on on on.

Oil of oregano + zinc nips it right in the bud, haven’t had a cold fully manifest since I started using these miracle cures!

Increase the elderberry syrup!

Take a packet of Lypospheric vitamin C gel when I wake and drink an immunity soup made with lots of veggies, ginger, garlic, red pepper and cilantro! 👊🏼💥

Take zinc (30 mg); lots of water; extra sleep; sweat it out - exercise!; mind over matter!
Pre-sauna, activated charcoal supplements, post-sauna shower and high-quality glutathione supplements. Lots of rest and more glutathione.

Water water water and even you think you've had enough drink 2 more glasses. Hydration is key.

40,000 IU's of vitamin D x 3 days. Has worked every time.

Zinc lozenges after a meal...nasal irrigation... a shot of whiskey with hot water and honey!

Light up an oil diffuser with few drops of eucalyptus oil 😇✨

Celery juice and no dairy or eggs! ☺️

Fire cider shots. Echinacea. Thyme water. Astralagus. Vitamin D. Zinc. Selenium. Vitamin C. Garlic. Tumeric. Oil of oregano. Elderberry. Holy Basil Tea. Medicinal mushrooms. Mountain tea. Sauna. Eucalyptus and lavender essential oils on the bottom of feet.

Echinacea works really really good for me. Activated charcoal, lots of ginger, turmeric, electrolytes and if I can take MMS then I get better faster. And of course lots of vitamin C.

Hot water with cayenne pepper, lemon, apple cider vinegar, honey. Two times a day.

Facial reflexology!

Ginger and turmeric shots, lots of chamomile tea and no dairy!

8 hours sleep, bone broth with ginger and garlic, and warm water with lemon slices.

Drink Jamu!

Doterra's On Guard essential oil on the bottom of my feet!

'Tis the season for sniffles, and we plan on doing all the things to stay well -- and to save our sick days for something better. What secret wellness hacks help you when you feel a cold coming on? Share in the comments!

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Here’s How To Make Kombucha According To Noma’s René Redzepi

Fermentation is an art -- and chef Rene Redzepi is a master of it. His Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, and his intriguing new cookbook is dishing out some of their most distinctive recipes and techniques.

In a recent interview with us, Rene explained that fermentation has been key to their success as culinary innovators. Written alongside his partner in (kitchen) crime, David Zilber, The Noma Guide to Fermentation distills 10 years of trial and error into a comprehensive guide that is as creative as the men behind it.

Noma is known for its innovative use of fermentation to turn hyper-seasonal ingredients into pure magic. While some of the recipes in the book are certainly complex, this apple kombucha recipes is simple and useful enough to make again and again. Learn how to make your own seasonal (probiotic-rich!) kombucha according to the best chef in the world...

Equipment Notes 

Kombucha doesn’t need much equipment other than a glass or plastic container of at least 2.5-liter capacity. Don’t use metal  containers—they can react negatively with the acid in the kombucha; plus, you won’t be able to see what’s going on inside. A SCOBY needs access to oxygen, so avoid  vessels with tapered  necks, like carboys. Large, wide-mouth canning jars work fantastically; clear plastic buckets and tall Tupperware also do  the job nicely. You’ll also need cheesecloth or a breathable  kitchen towel to cover the vessel, and larger rubber bands to secure it. And as with any of the sensitive microbes in this book, the SCOBY is best handled  while wearing nitrile or latex gloves.

Ingredients

2 kilograms unfiltered apple juice
200 grams unpasteurized kombucha (or the liquid that comes with a packaged SCOBY)
1 SCOBY

Juicing your own apples will allow you to use local varieties and create a blend to your liking, but feel free to use a good-quality store-bought unfiltered apple cider; farmstands often sell fresh-pressed cider in season. Because the juice is naturally sweet, you won’t need to add sugar to this recipe.

In-Depth Instructions 

Combine The Ingredients. Pour the apple juice into the fermentation vessel. To jump-start fermentation and to help prevent unwanted microbes from getting a foothold, backslop the infusion by adding the 200 grams unpasteurized kombucha to your vessel (which is 10 percent of the weight of your other ingredients). Ideally, you’ll be backslopping with a previous batch of kombucha, or a complementary flavor. If this is your first batch, use the liquid  that your SCOBY came packaged in. Stir well with a clean spoon. Put on your gloves and carefully place the SCOBY into the liquid. It should float, but don’t worry too much if it sinks—it sometimes takes a day or two to rise to the surface.

Cover It Up. Cover the top of the fermentation vessel with cheesecloth or  a breathable kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. Fruit flies love  the scent of acetic acid and alcohol, and will be particularly drawn to your new kombucha, so you’ll want to  do everything you can to keep them out. Label the kombucha with its variety and the start date so you can easily keep track of its progress. Set it in a warm place.

Consider The Temp. SCOBYs work best in slightly warm settings. If you’re brewing in the summertime, you’ll probably notice that your kombucha finishes faster than in the winter. In Noma’s fermentation lab, we keep  our kombucha room at a steady 28°C/82°F to encourage speedy production, but you don’t need to dedicate a whole  room of your house to kombucha. It will ferment just fine, albeit slightly more slowly, at room temperature. If you like, you can place your kombucha close to a radiator or on a high shelf in the kitchen to provide an environment that’s slightly warmer than room temperature.

Keep An Eye Out. As the days go by, you’ll notice the SCOBY growing significantly, fueled by the sugar in the liquid. Every other day or so, peel back the cloth covering enough to get a good look at the SCOBY. It  should extend out toward the sides of your  vessel, while also thickening in the middle. You may also see it puffing up in some areas as the yeast releases carbon dioxide. If you notice the top of the  SCOBY drying out, use a ladle to pour a little liquid over it. The liquid keeps the SCOBY acidified,  staving off mold growth.

Check The Progress. There are a few different ways to measure the progress of  the kombucha itself. The simplest method is one you’re  already well equipped for: Taste it. At Noma, we look for our kombuchas to maintain the essence of their base ingredient, while developing complexity and a harmonious opposition of sweetness and acidity. Put more simply: It’s done when it tastes good. The kombuchas we brew at the restaurant usually take 7 to 9 days to ferment to our desired taste. If you enjoy sour  kombucha, then let it ferment for an extra day or  two.

Track The Acidity. In the fermentation lab, we use equipment to measure the acidity and sweetness of our kombuchas in order to maintain consistency from batch to batch. A refractometer allows you to track sugar levels in the brew. Taking a measurement in the beginning lets you know how much sugar you started with, and each subsequent measure tells you how much is left. A pH meter or pH  strips gauge acid content. Infused  lemon verbena syrup will begin with a pH of just under 7, which is close  to neutral. Backslopping with a previous batch of kombucha should drop the pH to about 5. Fermentation further increases  the acidity to between 4 and 3.5. If you’re equipped and inclined, keep  track of your kombucha’s progress and  measure the pH  and  sugar content of the final product so it’s easier to replicate.

Monitor For Mold. If colorful (pink, green, or black) mold shows up on your  SCOBY, it means your base liquid probably wasn’t acidulated enough at the outset. (Though a healthy SCOBY may develop slight variations in color.) Don’t try to salvage the liquid  or  SCOBY in this instance, as pathogenic molds can produce harmful toxins that dissolve into the liquid. Trying to identify whether an invasive mold is malignant or benign isn’t worth the risk. You can always brew more kombucha.

Test + Transfer. Use pH strips to check the acidity of the kombucha. When the pH has reached 3.5 to 4, the kombucha should be close to ready.  Once you’re satisfied with your kombucha’s flavor, put on a pair of gloves and remove the SCOBY. Transfer it to a plastic  or glass container into which the SCOBY fits snugly, and cover with three to four times its volume in kombucha. Cover the container with cheesecloth or a breathable kitchen towel, and secure it with  rubber bands. It’s fine to let the  SCOBY hang out at room temperature if you intend to make another batch within the next few days. If you’re not using the SCOBY again soon, store it in the fridge until you’re ready.

Strain + Store. Strain the remaining kombucha through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a fine chinois. Now you can enjoy it straight away, or save it for later consumption or use in a recipe. Kombucha will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for 4 to 5 days without much change in flavor. You can also freeze  it in an airtight plastic container or vacuum-sealed bag if you’ve made a larger batch than you can use immediately. To freeze your kombucha, chill it in the fridge for a few hours to slow fermentation  before packing it into the container or bag, or it could inflate and even burst before freezing solid. It may take you a couple of tries to nail a kombucha you’re happy enough with to take to work or school. That’s fine! You can still use overfermented kombucha for syrups. Meanwhile, your SCOBY will  happily  dive into a new batch, so  keep  trying.

Suggested Uses

Bottled Kombucha

Bottling kombucha will extend its shelf life and encourage carbonation. A day or two before you’re happy with the flavor (gauging this point will come with experience), strain the liquid, transfer it to sterilized swing-top bottles (or regular beer bottles, if you have a capping tool), and move them to the refrigerator. The residual bacteria and yeasts in the liquid will continue to work, even in the fridge. Bottling traps the gases from fermentation, some of which will dissolve into the liquid. A kombucha fermenting in open air will have a slight effervescence, but bottling will increase the bubbliness.

Take care not to bottle your kombucha too early. If there’s too much residual sugar in the kombucha, it will fuel an excess amount of carbon dioxide production, which can result in exploding glass bottles. To mitigate this risk, make sure your kombucha is close to where you want the finished product before bottling—around 8°Bx, if you’re measuring with a refractometer. Be sure to keep bottles in the fridge and consume them within a couple of weeks.

Apple Kombucha Herb Tonic

Blending apple kombucha with fresh herbs infuses the liquid with ethereal aromatic qualities. In Copenhagen, we’re fortunate to be able to take a walk around the neighborhood and find young Douglas fir branches to make a brisk apple-pine tonic. (Whir 25 grams fresh fir needles with 500 grams apple kombucha in a blender, strain, and serve.) But you can also find plenty of suitable dance partners for apple kombucha at your local market. Use a stand blender to whir half a bunch of basil or 10 grams picked rosemary needles with 500 grams apple kombucha. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for an invigorating pick-me-up.

Apple-Vegetable Smoothie

Blending cooked vegetables with fruit kombuchas is an absolutely delicious way to get a little fiber (and also a great way to sneak more vegetables into your kids’ diets). Good matches for apple kombucha include spinach, sorrel, cabbage, or baked beets (which also pair well with rose kombucha). Because the vegetables are so full of fiber, they will thicken

up in a blender nicely. Aim for a 4:1 ratio of kombucha to vegetable, and blend for at least a minute before passing it through a fine-mesh sieve and serving.

Adapted from The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi and David Zilber (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018. Photographs by Evan Sung. Illustrations by Paula Troxler.

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Happy Not Perfect: 3 Ways To Take Control of Stressful Thoughts

Stressful thoughts can overwhelm us when we're in a jam. Even minor stressors can overwhelm the good stuff of life if we don't have a handle on how we're managing our minds.  

Happy Not Perfect is a mindfulness app by Brit, Poppy Jamie (coincidentally, the Pop of fashion brand, Pop & Suki). Drawing from her own struggles with stress and anxiety, Poppy developed Happy Not Perfect alongside the world's leading breathwork experts, designers, psychologists and neuroscientists. The app offers daily tools to help people feel happier, less stressed and more emotionally balanced throughout the day.

We asked Poppy to share a few solid tips for turning off the panic response when stressful thoughts start to swamp our brains. Skim through and send to a frazzled friend who would benefit!

On Work Stress

Stress and anxiety in the workplace, whether it’s your job or studying for required exams, has a huge impact on our mental and physical health. Feeling overworked can cause stress and anxiety levels to rise, the immune system to weaken and makes burnout likely. External stress triggers include deadline anxiety, difficult co-working relationships, fear of failure, and more, leaving us feeling overwhelmed.

Try our tailored mindfulness game based on your mood. It can be done on the run (in the loo, in a cab) and can help shift your perspective. It’s made up of seven steps built as researched backed positive-psychology activities — all to help you relax the nervous system through belly breathing and encouragement to journal. These focused activities allow you to process your thoughts and calm your emotional center. You are then guided to shift perspective and reframe your thoughts through writing a gratitude diary, exercising compassion and thinking of others.

The Stress of A Big ChangePeriods of major change can be unsettling and anxiety inducing. Moving jobs, cities, schools or even homes are all stressful situations. And perhaps the irony is that change is meant to be exciting and fresh, and combined with opportunity, a really incredible thing. But the fear of the unknown can be also be challenging.

We like to find solutions that are practical and actionable. So our top tips for managing the anxiety of change are belly breathing and writing a gratitude list. Belly breathing is a simple (and free!) way of helping feel better when a lot is happening. It automatically takes us out of fight-or-flight mode into feeling safe and okay. Also, during periods of feeling unsettled, a brilliant thing to do is write a gratitude list. By simply recognizing what we do have can help us feel more grounded — it's a physical reminder that everything is going to be okay.

 Break-Up Stress

A break-up in a relationship can feel like the most awful thing in the world. This holds true not only for romantic break-ups, but break-ups from a friend, family member or other relationship, too. But the truth is, sometimes nothing can be said or done to help that horrendous feeling. Allow yourself to have those feelings as they may be needed. Feel them, and see what lessons you can learn. Questions may arise: Am I good enough? Could I have said more? Should I have said less? But the truth is, you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Show yourself some love, because this is exactly when we should start loving ourselves. The Happy Not Perfect app offers a brilliant self-love and kindness meditation prompt which is proven to help us feel loved, supported and all the things we need when feeling a bit blue.

The ultimate trick? Power in repetition. The power of the mind can turn any day from being the worst to manageable. Also, the more you practice taking control of your mind in stressful times, the more balance you will feel for longer. Our mind is like any other muscle, if we practice strengthening the neural circuits that help us stress less, we’ll be be better prepared for when challenging scenarios come our way.

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How To Build An Eco-Friendly Nursery: 23 Socially Conscious Tips To Make It Happen

While planning the nursery for their first baby, it was important to Danielle Finck, founder of socially conscious firm, Elle Communications, that everything in the room was toxin-free, yet still completely stylish.

Our personal environment is a reflection of our taste and values. For a baby, it's also their first safe space. It's up to parents to set the stage so that a child's little mind and body can fully flourish.

This new mama went all in on building a 'conscious' nursery, using well-curated products that are easy on the planet. Use the thoughtfulness that she and her human rights activist husband have put into creating a cozy, clean home to inspire your own children's rooms. Here are a few simple tips for building an eco-friendly nursery below...

Something BorrowedThe minute you become pregnant, the world quickly begins letting you know about all of the things you’ll need in the months and years ahead. But the reality is that many of these purchases will have a short-lived lifespan in your home. Maternity clothes will last you six months max, your baby will outgrow clothes even faster and, in the best case scenario, you might be able to use many baby must-haves for a year or two.

So, if you’re lucky like we are to have a lot of other parents in your friend group, embrace offers to let you borrow items collecting dust in attics and garages — though it is important to note that it’s not recommended to borrow certain products like car seats. There is nothing more eco-friendly than just simply not consuming more new items.

Do-It-YourselfThere are many things you can make for your nursery that can be made more environmentally friendly, and can even save you money along the way. For example, a friend gifted us a reed diffuser for our baby nursery and we loved the idea of the room having its own unique scent. However, I researched the brand and learned the company wasn't using the healthiest of oils in their products. So, I decided that it probably wasn’t best for our little one’s sensitive new lungs.

When I went online to find a more eco-friendly alternative, I stumbled on a DIY tutorial for making my own. With the simple purchase of some sustainably-sourced reed sticks and a bottle of organic sweet almond oil, I was able to turn vases left over from our wedding into reed diffusers for the nursery. I mixed some of my favorite essential oils that I already had in the house.

Similarly, I had fallen in love with a mobile on Etsy, but when I went to make the purchase I learned that the seller had shut down her business. So, one of many projects I undertook over my maternity leave before baby arrived was recreating it myself out of sheets of brass I purchased online, saving myself more than 50% of the original price in the process.

Go VintageWe’re lucky to live in Los Angeles where vintage is bountiful, and you only have to know where to find it without crazy markups. I use the local search function on Chairish and Etsy, which lets you search for vintage furniture pieces in your city. I purchased the credenza we’re using as the baby changing table and dresser years ago on Etsy. Adam repainted it a few months back and we added some new hardware from CB2. We found the 1960s vintage rocker the same way on Chairish through a local seller in LA called The Hunt.Know Who Made ItIf you can’t borrow it, make it or buy it second-hand, it may make sense to buy it new. It takes a bit of effort to learn about the practices of the companies you’re buying from, especially in regard to how they treat the people who make their products and the planet in the process of making them. (Hint: If they don’t address this anywhere on their website, it’s probably not good news, but always worth dropping them a quick note to ask.) We built the nursery around home items from one of our favorite brands, Raven + Lily, who sells both new and vintage items that are made by and support marginalized women in nine different countries around the world, including right here in Los Angeles.

Be Educated About What’s Inside

Everyone seems to know that babies have sensitive skin. All of their clothes need to be washed in baby-safe detergents before anything is worn, so shouldn’t that rule of sensitivity be applied to the ingredients in and on the products we use with them? I used The Gentle Nursery as my primary resource for sussing out what was safe for baby. I purchased products for myself from companies like Cora — companies whose standard I already trusted. In one instance, I couldn’t find information on whether the car seat we had already purchased contained flame retardants. To my disappointment it did, but I was able to find a company on Etsy (Flaxy Home) who makes a flax-stuffed linen liner for car seats, protecting baby from any harsh ingredients in the product itself.

Meaningful Artwork

Suzy Lee is our favorite calligraphy artist and we also used her for our wedding. So we called on her to create a specially commissioned piece for baby’s room. We read about babies recognizing a song if played daily while in the womb, so we picked Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron (a preview of their newest album was also baby’s first concert thanks to Auntie Brittney!). Suzy created a piece of artwork from a line in the song to hang in the nursery that reads: Out there’s a land that time don’t command. We hope it will fuel our baby’s sense of curiosity for the world and appreciation for the way that time stops when you’re immersed in nature.

Big Sur is a really special place for us — it's where we were married in 2017. When we were back for a visit this summer, we stopped into the new Big Sur Apothecary next door to the infamous Big Sur Bakery and picked up a line drawing by a local Big Sur artist of Bixby Bridge, which is where we took our wedding photos.

Favorite Conscious Nursery Brands

Raven + Lily: This is one of our absolute favorite ethical brands and we used a lot of their products in our wedding last year as well. They have a vintage modern collection of housewares available in their stores or by request, and smaller items like candles and baskets available on their site. They employ women at fair trade wages to make all of their products, and then reinvest the profits in elevating the communities of women they support across nine different countries. A great resource for rugs, poufs, baskets and candles.

Boutonne Diaper Bag: Boutonne is a San Diego based leather and apparel company made with ethically and sustainably-sourced materials. Each item is handmade with the utmost care, and Erin Pechtel, the founder behind the brand, is a pure gold soul who finds ways to use the profits to help with issues and causes she cares about, especially in elevating and uplifting women. (Ours was made custom for us, and is available upon request.)

Bitte Shop: We love this shop so much! A large majority of the clothes and toys we registered for were from this site. We love that everything they sell is organic, sustainable and thoughtfully sourced and made. We can shop here knowing that everything they carry is in line with our ethics.

The Hunt Vintage: We’re obsessed with the re-upholstered 1960s rocking chair we purchased from this company. We’re lucky to live in LA and get to visit them in person, but they also sell online.

West Elm Sustainably-Sourced and FSC-Certified: I was so pleased to learn that in 2014 West Elm became the first-ever home retailer to join the Fair Trade USA Network. While shopping for a circular mirror for baby’s room, we found a beautiful one made from sustainably-sourced and FSC-certified wood and was crafted in a Fair Trade Certified factory.

Linen Flax car seat cover: While we were disappointed to learn that the car seat company we had purchased from includes flame retardants in their products, we loved finding this small business brand to help protect baby’s sensitive skin. And, fortunately, the stroller doesn’t contain the same chemicals!

Favorite Baby Products

I’ve been committed to conscious products for myself for years and knew I would pursue the same for baby. After a lot of research, some of our favorites so far include:

Earth Mama Organics

Beautycounter Calming Diaper Rash Cream

Honest: While not all of their products will make it into our home, we have heard great things about their diapers and wipes.

Mama products: I predominately kept up my normal routine through pregnancy of Biossance, OSEA and Reverie, but added in a few conscious essentials for pre- and postpartum.

Cora: Their motherhood essentials includes organic nipple balm, belly butter, bamboo feminine wipes and pads free of chlorine, fragrances, artificial dyes, deodorants, toxic adhesives, acetone, rayon, polyester, phthalates and other scary ingredients. All products are made responsibly here in the U.S.

Sitz bath: Four different friends sent me this product in the mail. I’m nervous for how much I’ll apparently need it.

Favorite Books

Filling our nursery with books was one of my absolute most favorite parts of this pregnancy. We have been reading to baby at night and some of our favorites have been:

The ABCs of Activism
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day
It Starts with a Seed
Surfing Animals
AB to Jay-Z
In My Heart

Most-Used Nursery Products 

Mattress/changing pad: While baby is starting off in a Snoo (lovingly borrowed to us from my best friend), we know that long-term he or she will spend more time in the bed and on changing pad than anywhere else. It was important to us to find great products that are safe for baby, and made with respect for the people who made them and the planet. The two we landed on after considerable research was this mattress and this changing pad.

Handmade items: We love the personalization that comes with a handmade item, the heirloom it often creates and the fact that it can be made with natural ingredients and we know exactly who made it. Some of our favorite handmade items in our nursery include a sheep wool-lined indigo blanket made by our dear friend Britt and her mom. It now resides inside the crib (for decoration for now, as baby won’t sleep in there with a blanket, but we can’t wait to cuddle them in it during the day!). Also, both of our moms handmade baby white blankets for the nursery. These are our two favorite heirlooms and we can’t wait to treasure them for the rest of baby’s life.

Essential oil reed diffusers: After discovering that most reed diffusers use fragrance oils that might not be best for baby’s lungs, I found a DIY tutorial for making my own. The nursery now has a rich, calming lavender smell, scented with organic essential oils.

Mobile: I found this mobile through Etsy that I was in love with, but unfortunately she shut down her shop for a bit (it looks like it’s re-opened now!). So, over the first week of my maternity leave, I used sheets of brass, metal bars, jewelry chain and my best attempt to honor her original designs — and I made my own DIY version at home. It admittedly took quite a long time and is probably worth purchasing from the original artist designer!

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Is There A Connection Between Spin Classes + PCOS? Let’s Talk About It

A Types, beware. Stress, burnout, anxiety, and fatigue have become so normalized -- especially for the modern woman who wants to have it all -- that most of us don't even realize that it isn't a healthy way to operate. We're spending more time at the office and on the go and - as a release - hitting our workouts even harder with HIIT, boot camp style workouts or intense hour-long spin classes. While tough workouts are not in and of themselves a bad thing what so ever, this cycle of overexertion can becomes a chronic pattern that, over time, wreaks havoc on our hormonal system.

Some pros are drawing a connection between strenuous exercise and a rise in women's health issues. One of those experts is Dr. Anthony Gustin, a functional medicine pro whose recent podcast covered the connection between intense regular exercise and hormonal imbalance -- specifically PCOS...

The Pod: The Keto Answers Podcast is hosted by functional medicine pro, Dr. Anthony Gustin. In each episode, he digs in deep with a different health and fitness leader. Episode 036, features registered dietician and functional nutrition practitioner, Ali Miller. The two explore the topic of tough workouts and how they can aggravate stress and anxiety.

The message: Many people don’t realize the amount of stress their body is processing on a daily basis. We don't realize that excessive HIIT workouts, specifically modern day spin classes can amp up the release of our stress hormone (cortisol) which just adds to the total volume of stressors we're already exposed to in a day. Going hard all the time at the gym, drinking too much caffeine, restricting calories and not sleeping enough is a recipe for adrenal burnout and hormone irregularities that can somtimes lead to PCOS.

Ali Miller specifically calls out spin's dark, hot room and lack of breaks as a potentially dangerous habit for those with adrenal issues.

The overly-restrictive burnout mode so many of us modern women have become accustomed to can be the catalyst to hormone imbalance, thyroid distress, hypothalamic amenorrhea (women losing their cycle) and other major issues. Intense exercise, specifically, can make the symptoms of PCOS worse, and constant physical stress can make the body cling to it's fat stores and stop muscles from growing because it can’t distinguish a self-imposed stress from an external physical threat. Hormones can be thrown off from ongoing high levels of exertion even causing the body to avoid pregnancy. Progesterone can also wane and that can lead to a lot of other problems (estrogen dominance, testosterone dominance etc.).

Why We Loved It: When life is stressful, a good sweaty workout can feel like just the thing you need. But this podcast cautioned us to find balance and to schedule our workouts with a bit of caution during stressful periods. Learn to tune in to your body's needs - taking time to rest is essential to overall health.

For women with intense lifestyles, Dr. Gustin recommends switching from high intensity spin classes to "gentle movement therapy" -- moving the body out of a reactive mode into a regulatory mode. This also relates back to mindfulness - when you're in a dark, loud spin class, it’s possible you’re not engaging your body correctly. The mind-body disconnect can impact your breath and lead to anxiety. Slow down, take it easy, and your body will take care of the rest.

What is your experience with spin and other high-intensity workouts? Do you ‘cycle’ them out of your routine during stressful times?

Discover more of our favorite health and wellness podcasts here.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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EFT Tapping For Cravings: A Simple + Effective Practice To Try On Yourself

EFT tapping is a unique therapy for letting go of heavy emotional baggage. When we lighten our emotional load, we actually give our bodies the opportunity to better deal with other chronic issues that need working out. Integrative nutritionist, Jennie Miremadi, uses EFT tapping for cravings -- curbing them and keeping them under control -- and she's sharing a simple guide to trying it yourself.

We love this simple personal practice, especially as we launch into a season saturated with excess and temptation. Discover the basics of EFT tapping here, and learn all about EFT tapping for cravings just ahead...

The EFT + Craving Connection

If you struggle with food cravings, EFT is an incredibly powerful tool that may be able to help. I’ve written about the practice of EFT previously, but here’s a brief recap: In EFT, which stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques (often called tapping), you use your fingertips to tap on specific points on your face and body. These points are identified in traditional Chinese acupuncture that land on energy pathways (called meridians) that run throughout your body.

When you use EFT directly on your cravings, you connect with your craving for a particular food while tapping on the meridian points — the simultaneous tapping while thinking about the craving makes it possible to release or lessen the intensity of the craving. This way you look at the food with a much lower craving, or without experiencing any cravings at all. Pretty amazing, right?
Focus On Real FoodI’m going to show you step-by-step how to start using EFT on your cravings, but before I do, keep in mind that what you put in your body is a key component to combat cravings. Meals that are loaded with sugar and refined carbs (even if organic, gluten-free and vegan) spike your blood sugar and trigger cravings for more sugar and refined carbs. So, you’re likely to get stuck in a vicious cycle of constantly craving unhealthy food. Instead, eat a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory diet made up of real, whole foods. Be sure to include protein, healthy fats and fiber-rich carbs at every meal. Also, drink plenty of water. In doing so you may be able to eliminate food cravings altogether.
Tap Directly On Your CravingsIf you implement dietary changes and are still craving food that doesn’t serve your health and nutrition goals, that’s when I recommend using EFT to target cravings.  Here’s how to do it:

Grab a particular food that you’re craving — and if you don’t actually have the food available at the moment try using a photo of the food instead. As you look at the food, notice what you love about it: Is it the smell? The taste? The texture? Now, rate how much you crave the food on a scale of 0 to 10 (use 10 as the highest or most craving and 0 as no craving at all). Then, take the tips of your index and middle finger (or all four of your fingers) and start tapping on the karate chop meridian point (identified in the photo). Say this setup phrase three times: Even though I have a strong craving for ... (fill in with your food choice, such asa grilled cheese sandwich) because I love (fill in why you love it, such as the gooey cheese that oozes out with every bite), I deeply and completely accept myself.

Then, using the tips of your index and middle finger, move to tapping on each of the other meridian points (identified in the photo) about seven times, starting with the eyebrow meridian point, then moving to the side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin and collarbone points. Switch to using all four fingers for the underarm point, and end by tapping with all four fingers on the top of head point. While you’re tapping on each meridian point, focus on the craving and use a phrase to remind yourself of your favorite part of the food (gooey cheese).

Repeat the entire sequence a minimum of three times, retest how much you crave the food on a scale of 0 to 10. If your craving isn’t yet at a 0, keep going with rounds of tapping. Before you start tapping again, connect with your craving for the food. Notice if what you love most about the food has changed to a different feature of the food (instead of gooey cheese, it’s the warm and buttery bread). If it has, focus on whatever part of the food you now desire most.

Modify your setup phrase to note that there is still part of the craving remaining by saying: Even though my craving for x is not yet gone, and I still want x because I love the taste of (fill it in with the aspect of the food you currently desire most, such as the warm and buttery bread), I deeply and completely accept myself. Then do another three rounds of tapping on the other meridian points, adjusting your reminder phrase to remind you of the part of the food you currently desire most (warm and buttery bread). Ideally you’ll keep tapping until you reach a 0, but generally if you can get the craving to a 3 or lower you’ll be in a place where you could take the food or leave it, making the decision not to eat the food a whole lot easier.
When There’s ResistanceIf, after doing several rounds of tapping, you find that your craving isn’t budging, you can attempt to tap on your resistance to let go of the craving. Change your setup phrase to note this resistance, stating: Even though I have no desire to stop eating x because (fill it in with your reason), I deeply and completely accept myself. Then do rounds of tapping, focusing on the reasons why you don’t want to let go of the food you crave.
Time Your TappingTapping directly on your cravings can help in the moment when faced with a food craving that you’re struggling to not eat. By reducing your desire to eat it, you make it easier for yourself to walk away from it. But, if you’re like many people who struggle with cravings, there’s often a time after you have a craving when you’re likely to eat the food no matter what. The only way to reap the benefits of using EFT to reduce cravings is to start using it before you get to your no turning back time.

If you’re trying to figure out when your no turning back time is, here’s a hint: It’s often when you’ve switched from thinking about the food to acting on eating. For example, it might be when you’ve picked up the phone to order a pizza. Or, once you’ve popped that frozen enchilada in the oven. Or, maybe it’s when you’ve have the box of the mac and cheese in your hand. Try to determine when your no turning back time is, and the next time you have a craving practice using EFT before you reach it.
Digging Deeper For CravingsOccasionally you may be able to eliminate a craving permanently by tapping directly on the craving itself. But many times cravings occur because a person is experiencing a negative emotion that they’re trying to suppress with food. If your cravings are being triggered by emotions, you’ll likely have to keep tapping on the craving every time it arises until you figure out what’s triggering it.

Of course, having the ability to use EFT in the moment is empowering. It gives you an actionable tool to reduce your cravings — but ideally you’ll need to start digging deeper to figure out why your craving keeps appearing. You can then use EFT to reduce or release the underlying emotional trigger for your craving. In other words, in addition to using EFT directly on your cravings, you can also use it to decrease or clear the intensity of negative emotions that are at the root of your cravings. When you use EFT in this way, you make it possible for EFT to have a more lasting effect on cravings because you’re targeting the root cause.

If you’d like to dig deeper into the emotions behind your cravings, ask yourself these questions when a craving arises:

+ What emotions come up when I think about craving this food? Why am I having these emotions? Are they connected to any specific events?

+ Did an upsetting event happen prior to this craving?

+ If an upsetting event did happen prior to this craving, does that event remind me of similar upsetting events from my past?

+ Is this a food I’ve craved before? If so, is there a pattern to when I’m craving it? And, if so, is there an event that I can remember when I first started craving it?

+ Does this food remind me of anything or anyone from my past? If it does, why is that upsetting to me?

+ Are there any beliefs about myself that come up when I think about craving this food? If so, are there any events in my life that gave rise to or support that belief?

Create a list of all the specific* events that come to mind when you answer each of these questions. Then use EFT to decrease or clear the intensity of negative emotions connected to the specific events you’re able to identify. Doing this makes it possible to think about the same previously upsetting event(s) that triggered your cravings with a much lower emotional charge, or without experiencing any negative emotion at all. You’re likely to find that when you clear the trigger(s) for your cravings, the craving itself disappears.

*You can read why specific events matter here. And, review the EFT Basic Recipe detailing how to use EFT to reduce or release negative emotions connected to specific events.
Find SupportGetting to the root of your cravings not only takes time, it can be challenging to do on your own. So, if you try digging deeper but find yourself struggling to identify the events, emotions and beliefs triggering your cravings, or you’ve identified them but you’re having trouble working through them yourself, consider reaching out to a certified EFT practitioner to help guide you through the process.

And, most importantly, if you’ve suffered through any kind of serious trauma or are the victim of a crime, please do not use EFT on your own to work through these events (even if they’re triggering cravings for food). Please seek the help of a trained professional who will guide and support you.

 

 

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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Seed Bread + Celery Juice: Mornings With Varley Founder Lara Mead

Lara Mead is learning to be kind to herself. The founder of edgy-chic performance fitnesswear brand, Varley has a busy schedule that starts before the sun's up. Her days are packed and demanding, but that doesn't stop this mama-to-be (again!) from finding ways to de-stress and self-soothe; matcha lattes and morning kisses included.

The London-born CEO was inspired to launch Varley after a trip to Santa Monica with her hubs -- where fitnesswear falls somewhere between a daily uniform and a straight-up lifestyle. The idea was to make a line that lives up to fitness fanatics' standards, but make it fashion.

From flattering leopard print leggings to sports bras we'll never quit, we love how Lara has brought her vision to life. Dive into our classic series, Mornings With, and discover how this fierce founder stays balanced daily. We're talking celery juice, streaming workouts and a seed bread recipe we'll be making ASAP... [olists num=1][olists num=2]

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Join Us For A Celebration of Female Entrepreneurship With Aether Apparel

JOIN US TUESDAY, December 4th inside AETHER Apparel’s L.A. flagship store for an evening panel on inspired female entrepreneurs.

We’ve partnered with the luxury outerwear brand for an exciting event that is open to all Chalkboard readers. The night will include light bites, healthy cocktails and a panel of a few amazing local business leaders — designer and founder of nameskae brand Clare V, Clare Vivier, co-founder of Pizzana and Sprinkles, Candace Nelson, founder of Ritual vitamins, Kat Schneider, and our very own editor in chief and co-founder of The Chalkboard Mag, Suzanne Hall. The ladies will discuss their career journeys and the wisdom they picked up along the way.

When + Where

Join us Tuesday December 4th from 7-9 PM
at AETHER Apparel’s flagship store:
161 S La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles 90036

How To RSVP

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Superfood Spotlight: Licorice Root Tea For Detox + Digestion

Whether you're still digesting Thanksgiving dinner from last week, or just looking for a little extra immune support this season, we've got a great herb to add to your rotation. Herbalist and acupuncture master, Mona Dan of LA holistic wellness center, Vie Healing, is breaking down the benefits of licorice root below...

Licorice Root is considered a great detoxifier in China. It is one of the most used Chinese herbs in every herbalist’s cabinet making it an indispensable one in many herbal formulas. There are many properties to this herb that make it special, but the main reason it is used is because of its ability to harmonize with other herbs.

Today, there are plenty of ready-made licorice root products to choose from such as tea, chew sticks, extract, powder and supplements. Popularity rose after Western pharmacology discovered (through extensive research) that licorice has many anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic functions.

Why should I use licorice root?

Licorice root is incredible for detoxifying the body — it can remove over twelve hundred toxins. The root is included in many Chinese herbal formulas because of its ability enhance the effects of the other herbs while also reducing negative side effects.

This unique herb is a very common herb within the Chinese medical community. It targets many essential necessities to balance our bodies. It is recommended to take licorice root in a proper herb formula to ensure proper usage.

Tell me more about the benefits...

It is used in Chinese medicine for its harmonizing effects. This herb can treat many ailments and reduce the toxicity of other herbs, which makes it a perfect addition to a herb formula. Licorice root holds the formula together, binding it to be delivered to the body in the most effective form.

Cold and flu prevention | Licorice is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and antispasmodic in nature. It's majorly beneficial for treating the common cold, flu and a sore throat, including many other illnesses both viral and bacterial. Glycyrrhiza acid is the key component in fighting viruses and bacteria.

Digestion | For digestion in specific ulcers, licorice root has the ability to lower acid levels in the stomach, relieve indigestion and treat heartburn. Also, licorice root has a mild laxative effect and also reduces inflammation and irritation in the digestive tract. It also helps the proper flow of bile be released by the liver.

Immunity | Licorice root can also enhance interferon levels boosting the immune system. Interferon is a chemical that fights viruses. Gyrrhizinic acid content also stops the growth of harmful cells.

Stress reduction | Over time our adrenal glands can be exhausted by the constant release of adrenaline and cortisol. Licorice root can give the adrenal gland some relief. Licorice root extract supports the adrenal gland, which assists in healthy levels of cortisol release in the body.

Skin and Teeth | Topical lotions containing licorice roots are recommended for treating skin issues like eczema. Licorice can also be a successful dermatological treatment due to its antibacterial properties. It is also used in holistic teeth treatments to kill bacteria and assist in relieving tooth decay, gingivitis and canker sores.

How do I use licorice root?

In Chinese medicine licorice root is originally made from both the peeled and unpeeled dried root — this includes a variety of forms from powdered to liquid extracts. However, aside from the Chinese powder form, supplements and tablets are available as well. But the main ways to consume licorice root is through drinking tea.

Some may find conditions a bit aggravated by the glycyrrhizin found in licorice root. In those cases, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) can be used instead, which is a similar product except that the glycyrrhizin is removed.

Are there any warnings associated with licorice root?In large dosages licorice can increase cortisol levels and affect high blood pressure negatively. There have been studies also indicating its effect on lowering potassium levels and also slowing down drug metabolism.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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My Healing Story: How One Blogger is Dealing with Hashimoto’s Head On

WWe love hearing real-life stories of how people use holistic, traditional methods to bring themselves back from the depths of a health crisis. We're sharing one from Palm Springs lifestyle blogger Kelly Lee of Kelly Go Lightly -- a fun fashion and design blogger with a serious wellness story to tell. We hope others with the condition will find some comfort in another person's story and - most of all - solutions she's used in dealing with Hashimoto's...

Recently on Instagram Stories, someone asked: How long did it take you to heal from Hashimoto’s? I didn’t answer right away because it’s not so black and white, and it’s a long response. I know many of you are struggling with Hashimoto’s, or similar health issues, so thought I’d answer in full today. Let’s start with when I hit rock bottom and what I told the doctor my five major health concerns were, plus the podcast that saved my life.

First, A Brief Timeline...Diagnosed with hypothyroidism: 15 years old
Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s: 27 years old 

About three years ago, my health completely fell apart. While I had terrible stomach problems daily for 15+ years, I also started having vertigo, extreme mood shifts and couldn’t eat anything without feeling like I’d gotten hit by a truck (the exhaustion/fatigue would have me in bed for days). In addition, my knees and hips felt inflamed and brittle. I felt like an 80-year-old with a frail body and an even frailer mind. It was scary. I was able to fake my way through feeling okay for a few hours here and there, but when I was out in public I had no energy left to fake it. I was below empty. My body was rebelling and I was at a loss.

My AHA moment came when Fred Baby (my husband!) stumbled across the podcast Gluten Thyroid Issues podcast with Datis Kharrazian. Dr. Kharrazian mentioned that you can’t eat gluten if you have Hashimoto’s. It was a huge light bulb moment and something I had never heard before. It lead us down a path to finding a functional medicine doctor and turning my health around. I feel like this podcast ultimately saved my life.

Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend just how much has changed, and how far I’ve come on this health journey. So, I looked back at the paperwork I submitted to my doctor back in May 2015 at our first appointment. Let's review exactly what I explained to my doctor back then:

My Five Major Health Concerns, In Order Of Importance...Digestive Issues | Stomach pressure, frequent bowel movements, trouble retaining nutrients. I am becoming more sensitive to other foods that never bothered me before like avocados and mangos (after consuming, I get flu-type symptoms like extreme fatigue and low-grade fevers that knock me out for several days, where I am unable to care for myself). I also now only weigh 95 pounds, even though it seems like I eat all day long and the weight loss worries me.

Brain fog, confusion, memory loss, hormonal + emotional strain | I would be wrapping a gift and be fine, only to move on to wrap the next gift and get totally confused about how to do it, which led to frustration and crying (like an Alzheimer’s patient or being pregnant). My personality is typically sunny, optimistic and cheerful so randomly crying is not the norm for me. Or, crying when dropping off a FedEx package if I was told I couldn’t do something. Overall it feels like I am dying and losing my mind.

Fatigue + Weakness | I will feel completely fine one day, and then the next not be able to get out of bed. I am walking hunched over like an 80-year-old because I don’t have the strength to stand up straight. Along with that, I have muscle and joint pain. It often feels like my bones are breaking (when I carry one grocery bag, my wrists feels like it will snap). I’m starting to have pain throughout my hips now too (for the last few months). Often have neck pain, particularly on the right side. I have a hard time washing my hair or brushing it because raising my hands above my head is exhausting. I get random pains all the time, from my shoulder blades to my side. I also get random roving pains and tingling and numbness in my face.

Anxiety | Not feeling well and not knowing how a food will impact me is leading to anxiety about eating and traveling because I don’t know if it will make me sick.

Vertigo + Dizziness | This past year I started having vertigo, which also occurred a few times while driving which was super scary. That lead to me not driving. Now I have anxiety around driving. I also often feel like things are moving too fast for my brain to keep up with, which leads to feeling carsick and me being a jumpy, nervous passenger. But I also feel this way walking into a store, like I need to stand still to get my bearings and take it all in. It’s like it’s too much stimuli for my brain. I’m sensitive to flashing lights and flickering candles — both make me feel panicky. Even scrolling through my iPhone at night often makes me feel nauseated.

In summary, I was a hot mess. When I think back to this appointment, I remember looking at least 10 years older than I am. My skin was super pale and crepe-looking, dry and lifeless. The light coming in from the windows bothered me and it was hard to process stimuli.

The doctor did a few eye movement and balance tests, where you close your eyes and stand in one spot. I was swerving all over the place without even realizing it. On the eye test, where I just followed the doctor’s finger with my eyes, my eyes would jerk back and forth. Fred Baby has video somewhere. (Maybe I’ll track it down and be brave enough to show it one day.) Essentially, my body was attacking my brain. That was scary to learn and a huge wake-up call!

My  number one most pressing issue was my stomach and its inability to retain any nutrients. Sorry for the TMI, but I was going to the bathroom like five times a day, which is super inconvenient and, frankly, embarrassing (pardon the pun). More importantly, it’s exhausting, as I wasn’t retaining any nutrients. I derived no energy from anything I ate.

To solve these problems, I needed to heal my gut. Your gut and brain are so connected (something like eighty percent of serotonin resides in your gut!). If you have leaky gut, you probably have leaky brain too, meaning depression and anxiety are likely joining the party.

I’d read and heard that it could take anywhere from a few months to a few years to heal leaky gut. Always the turtle in life, I was in the few years camp — but not for lack of trying. I’d simply done so much damage since this went on for so long that it was going to take awhile to heal.

So, how long did it take to heal Hashimoto’s?

A Timeline Of Feeling Better...

In three months my stomach problems went away and the constant colds stopped after being on the AIP Diet and cutting out gluten and inflammatory foods (corn and dairy, among others).

From three months to three years and even up until now it was a major roller coaster of learning which foods I could reintroduce and which ones I couldn’t. Some medicines I was taking were literally poisoning me. Some foods, medicines and lifestyle choices resulted in a major breakdown.

But Today I am happy to report that I am finally feeling normal and great again. Vibrant, even. I hate to put that in writing because I’ve done so in the past and felt like I’ve jinxed myself. But I’ve now been at this long enough to know that certain things might make me feel bad again and can make that choice accordingly if I think it’s worth it (spoiler alert: It’s never worth it).

It took this long to heal my gut fully. I finally have desire and clarity back — a desire to be out in the world, traveling, exploring and having fun. And I have a clarity of mind I haven’t had in a long time, too. It feels good and has me excited for the holidays!

As you can see, this is why it’s a hard question to answer. But it’s amazing to look back and see that all five symptoms are gone. Sure, things pop up here and there, but I can always point to a reason why. It’s no longer a mystery. While I will always have Hashimoto’s, I’ve learned how to live with it and not let it ruin my life.

It’s an ongoing learning process, but these ten things are vital to feeling better:

+ Going gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free.
+ Eating an anti-inflammatory diet and eliminating any food triggers — I did AIP for a long time.
+ Taking a turmeric supplement (Turmero by Apex Energetics).
+ Taking B-12 and vitamin D.
+ Having access to anti-anxiety drugs (compounded Valium).
+ Taking my thyroid meds (Tirosint T4 + compounded T3).
+ Taking a bath with epsom salts (for magnesium) every day.
+ Getting our puppy, Odee — for mental health and even physical health.
+ Taking progesterone.
+ I’m also on Lexapro, an antidepressant. It’s hard to tell if that works or not — but since I’m feeling well, I’m sticking with it for now.

The Big Takeaway...

I want you to know that you can turn your health around. For me, it took a complete diet and lifestyle overhaul, but it was worth it to feel healthy again. How empowering is it to know you can turn it all around? I know it’s not black and white — there will be hiccups along the way and things aren’t perfect (hormones are still trying to ruin my life and my skin), but I feel in control, whereas before Hashimoto’s controlled me. If you’ve dealt with Hashinoto’s and had success with healing, please share in the comments!

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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The Devil We Know: The Toxic Doc You’ve Got To See

If you plan on spending some quality time with your couch this cozy fall weekend, be sure to check out the important new documentary, The Devil We Know. This fascinating new film co-produced by Jill Latiano Howerton -- one of the amazing minds behind another fave doc, GMO OMG -- unravels "one of the biggest environmental scandals of our time." It tells the story of a group of citizens in West Virginia as they take on the corporation responsible for secretly dumping chemicals into their drinking water supply for decades: C8  — DuPont’s Teflon chemical. 

The Devil We Know is an important  - and chilling - story for all of us to hear. As a country, we're beginning to wake up to the toxic realities of our daily lives -- and learning how we can push back. What would you do if this happened in your neighborhood? Bringing real life drama like this to the surface equips us with the awareness needed to keep ourselves protected. Below, Jill breaks down some majorly eye-opening takeaways...

Tucked in the rolling hills of West Virginia, the town of Parkersburg is described by those who live there as an idyllic place to raise a family. It’s also home to a sprawling DuPont chemical plant that manufactures Teflon. When Earl Tennant and his brother, Jim, noticed the cows on their family farm were mysteriously dying, they suspected it might be tied to the adjacent “non-hazardous” landfill operated by DuPont. Then one autumn day in 2000, local schoolteacher Joe Kiger opened his mail and found a letter in his water bill informing him that C8  — DuPont’s Teflon chemical — was in his drinking water, but safe for consumption.

Most people would throw the letter away — and most did — but Joe Kiger is different. The trail of deception he and his wife, Darlene, uncovered made the sleepy town of Parkersburg the epicenter of one of the largest class action lawsuits in the history of environmental law. Internal documents and secret in-house studies reveal a disturbing truth: DuPont had knowingly been pumping a toxic chemical into the air and public water supply of more than 70,000 people for decades.

As the citizens of Parkersburg rise up against the forces that polluted their town, the story builds out to dozens of other American cities where drinking water is now testing positive for C8. In fact, at least 6.5 million Americans in 27 states are drinking water tainted by the Teflon toxin. Exposure to the chemical has even become a global phenomenon, spreading to places like China and the Netherlands. Parkersburg is ground zero for this story, but it’s clearly not about one place or one chemical: Because of the power of the chemical lobby, C8 is one of more than 80,000+ untested chemicals that have been released onto the market, their dangers unknown.

C8 is a chemical in the bloodstream of 99.7% of Americans — how it got there and why it took a cattle farmer and a PE teacher in West Virginia to expose the chemical is both a fascinating and timely tale. Under the terms of the class action settlement in 2004, a science panel was established by DuPont and the plaintiffs to study the effects of C8 on humans. The panel linked exposure, even in small amounts, to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and pre-eclampsia. Additional studies have found an association between the chemical and prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, lymphoma, birth defects and attention deficit disorder in children.

The issues covered in The Devil We Know are part of the cultural zeitgeist right now. More than ever before, people are taking notice about what they’re putting in their bodies and becoming active participants in their own healthfulness. We eat organic, limit junk food and buy natural beauty products. To think all of this may be moot because we’re unknowingly being exposed to countless dangerous chemicals through everyday products, our water and air is unnerving. We hope it will be a poignant wakeup call about the chemical industry, the historical power of its lobby and the lack of government oversight.

In 1946, DuPont introduced Teflon to the world, changing millions of people’s lives — and polluting their bodies. Today, Teflon chemicals are found not only in pots and pans, but in the blood of people around the world, including that of 99 percent of Americans. In The Devil We Know, filmmakers tell the story of the spread of Teflon, how the chemical has left a lasting mark on every home in America, and how it ravaged a town in West Virginia where DuPont made the chemicals. The latest research hints at a much broader problem — nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to nonstick chemicals in food, drinking water and consumer products.

What Are PFA Chemicals?

Per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS chemicals — are a family of thousands of chemicals used to make water-, grease- and stain-repellent coatings for a vast array of consumer goods and industrial applications. These chemicals are notoriously persistent in the environment and the human body, and some have been linked to serious health hazards.

What Are The Health Hazards Associated With PFAS Chemicals?

The two most notorious PFAS chemicals — PFOA, formerly used to make Teflon, and PFOS, formerly an ingredient in 3M’s Scotchgard — were phased out under pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency after revelations of their hazards. Their manufacture, use and import is now banned in the U.S., but evidence suggests the next-generation PFAS chemicals that have replaced them may have similar toxicity. PFAS chemicals pollute water, are resistant to degradation and remain in the body for years.

Studies have linked PFAS chemicals to testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer, weakened immune systems, low birth weights, endocrine disruption, increased cholesterol, and weight gain in children and dieting adults.

Where Are PFAS Chemicals Found + How Can I Avoid Them?

Drinking water | EW recently released its national Tap Water Database, which found that at least 16 million Americans in 33 states were being served tap water contaminated with nonstick chemicals. Many more people were not told that their drinking water contains PFAS chemicals at levels deemed harmful by independent scientists and EWG because the test information was not made public. If PFAS chemicals have been detected in your water, reverse osmosis and activated carbon filters may be effective for reducing or removing the contaminants.

non-stick COOKWARE | The most prominent sources of PTFE, the chemical name for Teflon, are nonstick pans and utensils. To avoid these products, skip the nonstick, choosing stainless steel and cast iron cookware instead.

FOOD PACKAGING | Chemicals are widely used to coat paper and cardboard food and bakery wrappers. Skip pre-cooked, packaged foods and opt for home cooking instead. Pop popcorn the old-fashioned way, on the stovetop. Microwaveable popcorn bags are nearly always coated with PFAS chemicals on the inside. Cut back on fast food and greasy carryout food, and check out EWG’s 2017 report that found nearly all major brands use PFAS-treated wrappers.

weather-proof CLOTHING | Textile products labeled Teflon, Scotchgard, Stainmaster or Gore-Tex, and clothes labeled stain- or water-repellent, usually contain PFAS chemicals. While many responsible clothing companies are seeking safer alternatives, few have made it to market so far.

stain-resistant HOME GOODS | Chemicals nearly always lurk in stain-resistant furniture and carpets, as well as spray treatments for leather and fabric protection. Always avoid coated products when possible and skip optional stain-repellant treatments.

COSMETICS | Dozens of personal care products, including dental floss, have PFAS ingredients. Choose personal care products without “PTFE” or “fluoro” ingredients.

Were you already aware of the dangers of non-stick cookware and stain-resistant goods? What have you done about it?

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