The 12 Gifts of Health is a sustainable process of change to restore health and vitality.

Health transformations take time. Restoring nourishment is a two-fold process. It's about letting go of what isn't in alignment with your highest self, while also adding in the consistent nourishing practices that will bring about real change. This could look like letting go of a particular lifestyle habit or food that is continuing to create health issues for you. It could be letting go of an unhealthy relationship that is creating stress and trauma. It could also look like creating a new sleep routine, planning nourishing meals that fit a particular diet, spending more time outside, getting consistent exercise, consuming more protein, and laughing more!

This two-fold process for unlocking your vitality begins with what I like to call a “Remove and Replace” phase. This is the most challenging phase as your brain begins the rewiring process. At some point you'll begin to feel as if you have stepped into a new paradigm of your life. Habits that used to control you, no longer do. The stage that follows is what I like to call the "Nourish and Restore" phase. At this point, your body isn't in a stress or inflammation overdrive state anymore and you can begin to rebuild your cells, your gut, your body, and your mind in a new way. 

Every day is an opportunity to choose to step into your future self.

Set the intention on who you want to be and what that feels like. Imagine every day how you want to feel. Light? Energetic? Clear thinking with sharp focus? Calm gut? Resolution of a specific health condition? Then, take daily actions to get there, such as a specific dietary and supplement protocol.

You may not feel the change right away, but, over time, with new, daily actions, change begins to become realized. Since food is something that the cells in your body interact with every day, what you eat is a foundational pillar to who you are, how you feel, and who you want to become. 

Sustainable dietary change happens one step at a time, with one nourishing meal at a time.

Each day is a day to nourish yourself. Start with real food. Cook from scratch. Build a foundation and a habit of cooking with whole food ingredients.

New habits build up over time, and one day you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come. You won’t crave what used to cause you illness, you’ll crave what brings you wellness. 

Step #2: Replace processed foods with whole foods.

The second foundational step to transforming your health and your life is to consume a whole foods diet. This is a diet based on real, unprocessed foods. The more you clear away what is unhealthy or contributing to your chronic nagging symptoms, and the more you add in whole, nutrient-dense foods, the more shifts you will see in your health over time. If you are interested in naturally regulating your blood sugar, stimulating your anti-aging genes to increase lifespan, reducing all-cause disease risk, increasing your energy levels, improving your sleep quality, reducing inflammation, increasing your capacity for natural detoxification, and feeling alive and able to live your life's purpose, then this all starts with consuming a wide variety of whole foods daily and cooking most of your meals at home. Try a Clean Eating Diet or Mediterranean Diet. 

Step #4: Replace food sensitivities with "free" versions.

The fourth foundational step in the "Remove and Replace" phase of healing is so simple! It is to replace all of the food groups you have removed from your diet with "free" versions. This doesn't mean that by going gluten-free you go out and buy a ton of processed gluten-free foods! This is why the first two steps in this process are to remove highly processed foods and replace them with whole foods. Once you are on a whole foods diet, eating gluten-free, or corn-free, or dairy-free is much easier to sustain in a way that gives your body the nutrients it needs. Consuming clean, delicious, nutrient-dense recipes daily that are free of the foods your immune system is reacting to will tremendously elevate your energy levels and your quality of life! Use our membership portal to find recipes that fit your exact dietary needs. 

Step #6: Add in detoxification supportive foods and practices.

Hydrate with purified water! City water can contain numerous pesticide and herbicide residues, chlorine, and other pollutants. Be sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day to help your body clear out waste. Add in detoxification-supportive raw cruciferous veggies. Broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, kale, radishes, arugula, and brussels sprouts are all rich in a compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane gets absorbed into the bloodstream and activates detoxification and antioxidant genes, which regulates oxidative stress and detoxification processes in the body. Add in brightly colored-plant foods to support detoxification pathways. Sweat! Sweating helps to detoxify compounds like BPA (from plastics). Get in a sauna, hot bath with epsom salts, or take a run with a few extra layers on! Take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium is needed as a co-factor in so many biochemical processes in the body, including your detoxification pathways! Try a Detoxification Diet to add more supportive nutrients and recipes!

Step #8: Nourish with missing nutrients.

The 8th step in this healing journey is about nourishing your body with missing nutrients! A healthy gut is needed to be able to properly absorb nutrients from your food and supplements. Nutrient testing may be of benefit to you so you can understand where potential nutritional deficiencies may be, and what supplements and foods you need to get more of. Without adequate vitamins and minerals, your body cannot make enough ATP and run all of the biochemical processes in your body. ATP is the energy currency of your cells and is made from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It requires numerous vitamins and minerals to produce, including B vitamins, iron, calcium, and copper. Most people can benefit from taking a high-quality B complex vitamin, chelated magnesium supplement, as well as vitamins D, C, and E on a daily or occasional basis. As you consume more and more nutrient-dense whole foods and add in high-quality supplements, you will begin to restore nourishment and bring your body into a state of balance.

Step #10: Restore with deep sleep.

The 10th step in this healing journey, and fourth step of the "Nourish and Restore" phase, is about dropping into deep restorative sleep each night. Nightly deep sleep is one of the most healing and anti-inflammatory practices you can do, however, the ability to sleep deeply can be affected by numerous factors, which is why it is one of the last steps in this 12-step process of healing. In order to sleep deeply at night, you need to have low cortisol levels in the evening and at night in order for melatonin to rise at the appropriate time. An inflammatory diet of highly processed foods and sugar, consuming foods your body is launching an immune response to, poor gut health, lack of key nutrients needed for sleep, low blood sugar, and blue light exposure in the evening can all keep you from dropping into nightly deep, restorative sleep. 

Step #12: Restore with self-love and healthy relationships.

Having support on your healing journey with loving relationships with others can help to calm your nervous system and drop into a state that allows for deep healing to take place. If you are in an unhealthy relationship, it doesn't matter how much you focus on dietary change, the stress from a toxic relationship can completely erode your health. Removing unhealthy relationships from your life and focusing on yourself can bring about profound transformations and healing! The most important relationship you'll ever have is that with yourself. Restoring nourishment is about letting go of what isn't in alignment with your highest self, while also adding in the consistent nourishing practices that will bring about real change. Every time you let go of what isn't serving you anymore, you give yourself the self-love and validation that you are worthy of change. With each new action, you build momentum on a new trajectory of your life. Real, consistent change takes practice.