I’ve loved the slowness and solitude of January this year; relishing in routine and quiet. As I reflect on peak Capricorn season, I took its messages to heart by focusing on the daily rhythms of my health and home. For the past month, I’ve been on a gut and liver protocol that I often recommend clients follow for up to six weeks when they are experiencing digestive, intestinal and/or hormonal symptoms. Ever since September, I have been experiencing blemishes and unprecedented breakouts on my face, and I knew this had to do with loosening the reigns on my diet over the summer and fall. I find the winter a perfect time to stick to a protocol, not necessarily because of ‘new year new me energy’, but because there is less social pressure and obligations that give us more control over what and how we are consuming. I’ve taken the usual inflammatory culprits out of my diet - processed foods and oils, refined sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol and red meat - and have limited my intake of grains. As expected, this has helped greatly, my skin is clearing up and the tone and texture have become brighter and more luminous. My digestion is also functioning optimally which is the key to good health - we need to be able to break down, absorb, and eliminate properly for the body to have ample energy, a strong defence system and the ability to cleanse. I’m hoping after a couple more weeks of this protocol, as I slowly reintroduce some of these foods (I miss yogurt, grass-fed butter and beef) my GI tract will be able to handle them without my skin flare-ing up.
In addition to changes in my diet, I’ve been supporting myself through lifestyle practices as well - in holistic health, we hit it from all angles! Sleep has been a top priority for me as higher levels of cellular repair, and detoxification happen only in deep sleep. Refer to the chart above to reference which organs are implicated in the 24-hour cycle! I used to be a horrible sleeper, riddled with racing thoughts and anxiety from a young age, but I’ve come a long way in the past four years. Some things that have helped get me include:
Waking up and going to bed at the same time. Even on weekends! This is the easiest way to regulate a sleep schedule. When I work on this with clients I often recommend making your bedtime half an hour earlier a couple weeks at a time until you are in bed and ideally asleep before 11 pm.
Limiting the use of electronics in the bedroom: aside from our e-readers (which emit red light after dark), we don’t watch television in bed, and I stop looking at my phone at least an hour before getting into bed. This helps to signal to the body that it is night-time and to discourage another surge of cortisol, the hormone that keeps us alert and awake.
Greatly reducing my alcohol intake: In my early to mid-20s, I could have never imagined taking away my nightly glass or two (or three..!) of wine to unwind after work and ‘help me fall asleep’ but it does quite the opposite. Even a modest dose of alcohol up to an hour before bed can reduce melatonin production, having a direct effect on circadian rhythm and our master biological clock that keeps our bodies in sync. In addition, my naturopath recently told me that it takes 4 days to recover from one night of bad sleep! This is why I only choose to imbibe on special occasions at this point.
A dark cold room: I always dragged heels about investing in blackout curtains, but we now have them in our bedroom and I have to admit that they make a huge difference! If this isn’t in your budget, an eyemask is a great choice to reduce light pollution. Another thing that is greatly helpful but I know is not accessible to most of those who rent is to turn down the temperature in your room to 65 degrees Fahrenheit - this is the optimal temperature for a night of good quality sleep. If you don’t have control over your thermostat, keep the windows open in your bedroom for a few hours before bed to cool the room down. Additionally, if you live in a high-traffic area with lots of noise, consider earplugs.
Sugar Cookie Energy Bites
Everyone deserves a little treat, even when you’re on a protocol! I don’t really have a sweet tooth - I’m one of those annoying people who is satisfied by a sweet potato or a big bowl of fruit, but the other day I had the most random craving for cookie dough or birthday cake and I set to out to satisfy this within the constraints of my current diet. What came of it is a delicious little energy ball that is somewhere in between the two aforementioned desserts, without the refined sugar and flour that will send you flying high only to crash seconds later and ample fibre, some fat and a bit of protein make you feel perfectly satiated. It’s giving Milk Bar birthday cake truffles but made by your weird hippy art teacher. I highly recommend them with an afternoon elixir like matcha or chai.
½ cup sunflower seeds
¾ cup GF rolled oats
¼ cup flax meal
½ cup dates, soaked in hot water for 15 min
4 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp almond milk
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Bee pollen
Hemp seeds
In a food processor, pulse the sunflower seeds until they are close to finely ground. Then add the oats, pulsing into a flour-like consistency. Add the flax meal and pulse to combine. Then add the dates and grind to a thicker blend. Add in the almond butter and almond milk and mix until a dough forms (you may need to add a little more of each to get it to take the right shape). Add in the salt, vanilla and almond extracts until well mixed.
On a small plate, combine a couple tablespoons of hemp seeds and bee pollen and mix them around - these are your sprinkles! Remove the blade from your food processor and form round balls using about a tablespoon worth of dough. Roll them in your hands and then roll them in the bee pollen and hemp seeds. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to a week or freeze up to 6 months.