May Is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Lyme Disease Awareness month? As someone with personal experience with Lyme Disease, I think it’s so important for people to be aware of common myths, what to do if you think you might have Lyme and what to do if you suffer from chronic Lyme symptoms.

Lyme Disease is incredibly prevalent and yet there is so much that isn’t agreed upon in the medical community around Lyme, especially if you are experiencing a chronic case, or what is sometimes called “post-Lyme Disease syndrome”.

My personal story with Lyme Disease starts in 2012, when I got divorced and moved into an apartment that was moldy. Within months, I experienced digestive issues, fatigue, infections, and other symptoms. I lived in that apartment for nine months, and it wasn’t until two years later that I was finally diagnosed with Mold Illness and Lyme. I’m not sure if I had Lyme disease previously and living with mold caused it to rise to the surface, or if having Mold Illness made me more vulnerable to contacting Lyme. It’s really common that these two go hand in hand as they both thrive when the immune system is not optimal. Before my diagnosis, I had tried everything to feel better. I KNEW I wasn’t “just depressed“ and that my fatigue was not just because I wasn’t sleeping well. Listening to my intuition, advocating for myself, and finding a health care team that listened to me was huge.

Lyme Disease can be different in different people but symptoms often include flu-like symptoms and muscle aches. If it moves into a chronic case, jaw and neck pain, chronic fatigue, brain fog and headaches are all common symptoms. If you think you might be suffering from undiagnosed Lyme, please get tested. If you’re in Charlottesville, go see Melanie Dorian at Be Vital.

Here are some of the common myths I want everyone to know aren’t true:

• You don’t have Lyme if you didn’t get the bullseye rash

• You can’t get Lyme if the tick hasn’t been attached for 48 hours

• Chronic Lyme doesn’t exist

• If you have a negative Lyme test, you don’t have Lyme

• A few days or a week of antibiotics will cure Lyme.

If you do have an attached tick, don’t freak out. Remove it. I put ticks in plastic bags in the freezer (make sure to label!) and keep until I ensure I’m symptom free. You can also send them off to get tested to see if the tick carries Lyme or other diseases.

I love hiking and being outside in the summer. Even with my Lyme history, I refuse to give this part of my life up. I find balance by wearing pants and high socks while I’m hiking and carefully checking for ticks afterwards.

Eat Seasonal, Eat Local

I grew up eating fresh vegetables from my mother’s large garden. While I didn’t appreciate it at the time, this really gave me a sense of what eating seasonally is all about. There are so many benefits!

• Eating seasonally provides health benefits by providing variety. You are eating different foods as they are in season vs. eating the same foods year round.

• When you eat seasonally, fewer resources are needed to ship foods that are out of season.

• Foods that are local will be more nutrient dense because they get to your plate faster.

• Produce that is in season tends to be more affordable and tastes better!

One way you can start to understand which foods are in season is to go to your local farmers market, or join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture). If you are in the Charlottesville area, we have a fabulous market with many local options for produce, meat, and dairy products, plus much more!

For Charlottesvillians, here are some of my favorite market vendors.

Bellair Farm CSA

I’ve been a member for at least five years now, and I really love their vegetables. The farm is amazing. They have a deep appreciation for the land and it’s history, and they continue to improve their offers. You don’t need to be a member; you can purchase from them at the Saturday Farmer’s Market at IX Park.

https://www.bellairfarm.com/

Wandering River Farm

Wandering River is in Ivy and their meats are amazing! As someone who was raised vegetarian, eating meat where the animals are raised in a kind and natural way is important to me. Also, the woman who sells their products at the Saturday Farmer’s Market at IX Park is pretty awesome.

https://wanderingriver.farm/

Cold Country Salmon

Salmon has always been my favorite fish. With concerns about contamination in fish and questionable practices for many farm-raised fish sold at the grocery store, I have been so pleased with this farmer’s market option. They go to Alaska every year to fish in a way that is sustainable, flash freeze the fish and bring it back to us. While the fish aren’t swimming up Virginia streams (darn it!), this feels like a really good option for high-quality fish. Their prices are good, and they even have a delivery option if you can’t make it to the Saturday Farmer’s Market at IX Park.

https://coldcountrysalmon.com/

The Saturday market has many more vendors, and SNAP benefits are accepted at the market. I appreciate access to good food, and there’s so much work that needs to be done to provide access to fresh healthy foods to everyone.

Pilates for Feeling Present and Destressing

Click below to view a gentle Pilates class focusing on sensing your body in the present moment to support your nervous system.

It's OK to Be Bitter: Try These Bitter Spring Greens to Support Your Digestion

When we tune into the seasons and how the body works, we start to see how much eating seasonally helps us thrive. Last month, I shared how to listen to what foods feel the best and offer the best nourishment. Now, as we truly are in spring, I’m going to share some tools to support your nutrition and digestion, naturally and seasonally to give your body support.

There is a natural transition in the spring. Energy starts to move outward, from the hibernation behaviors of winter to flowers everywhere and birds chirping. With more light in the evenings and warmer weather, you may notice you want to move more and stay up later.

There can also be a desire to reset your food. This is the time of year when cleanses and detoxes pop up everywhere. If you are wanting a little springtime nutritional support, there are simple ways you can support your liver and your detoxification system and optimize digestion, which can help you feel more energized and fresh. A simple way to do this is to incorporate bitter greens into your meals.

Bitter plants have a potent effect on the digestive system. This starts in your mouth with an increase of saliva and an improvement in the release of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which is crucial for digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Bitters aid in the production and release of digestive enzymes, assist the liver in detoxification and help the gut wall repair damage.

Because of the gut-brain connection, supporting gut health can also help improve mental health and nervous system regulation.

Bitter greens are plentiful in the spring. It makes sense that spring is the natural time of year to eat them and receive the benefits of these fresh beauties. Dandelion greens, endive, arugula, kale and brocolli rabe are all greens you can add into your meals for a focus on digestive support. You can also add sour (lemons or apple cider vinegar) with your bitter greens to enhance the benefits of bitter in your digestive system.

To some people, bitter can be a somewhat unpleasant taste. If you haven’t tried many bitter foods or find them unpleasant, I encourage you to try adding in a little bit. Add in arugula with salad greens. These foods pack a powerful nutritional and digestive punch. You won’t regret adding them to your diet!

Check out my simple roasted brocolli rabe recipe to get started.

Simple Roasted Broccoli Rabe (AKA Green Rapini)

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli rabe

olive oil

lemon juice

salt and pepper

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400

Cut into bit sized pieces (you can keep the stalky ends or cut them off and discard, depending on your preference)

Spread out over tray, season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Roast for 8-10 minutes and enjoy

Eating good, whole and nutritious foods doesn’t need to be complicated! Try roasting other spring greens and veggies this way. Asparagus and kale would also be yummy.

What Does Eating Well Mean? A Bioindividual Approach

Tell me if this internal monologue sounds familiar:

What should I eat? How should I eat? Should I try keto? Gluten free? Maybe I should be a vegan. I know I shouldn’t snack. Should I eat breakfast? What about intermittent fasting? Low fat? High fat? Low carb? 

Just writing this makes me feel a little panicky and I’m sure its overwhelming for some of you as well. So before we go any further: stop. Take a deep breath in and let that breath move out. 

The amount of diets, or ways of eating, are many, and are often overwhelming and contradict each other. And yet what we eat is so incredibly important. Food gives us energy, nourishes us, and can support managing disease and illness. Food that isn’t good for you (and I mean you as an individual, because foods have different affects on different people) can also contribute to us feeling fatigue, low energy, brain fog, bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea, PMS, and really the list goes on. Food is also a source of comfort. Carbs and sugar cause us to feel physiologically better (in the short term), so if you turn to these foods when you are feeling stressed that makes sense! 

So what does eating well mean?

I coach from the perspective of bioindividuality. We are all different and not all eating plans will work for everyone. Balance is important. We shouldn’t label the vast majority of foods as “good” or “bad,” but strive for eating in a way that feels good to us, that works with the seasons, that nourishes us, and easily allows for flexibility and grace when you enjoy something that falls on the “bad” list. 

Generally speaking, eating lots of whole foods is a safe bet to feel good and nourished. Fill your plate with lots of vegetables and small amounts of grains, protein and healthy fats. In the winter and early spring, our bodies are still craving warming foods. Roasted root vegetables, soups, strews, bone broth, eggs and cooked warm cereals are all warming and nourishing. 

Figuring Out Your Bioindividual Diet

To learn more about specific foods and which ones your body feels the best eating can take a little navigating. This can change with the seasons, as well as with the seasons of our lives. One of my favorite ways to see what foods feel the best is an elimination diet. There are lots of different ways of doing this (Whole30 is a well know elimination diet), but it involves removing foods that are commonly irritating for many people. This list usually includes: gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and sometimes includes eggs, nuts, and legumes.

The purpose of taking these foods out for a period of time is not to make you miserable, I promise! When we eat foods that don’t agree with our body, we can experience increased inflammation; leaky gut (damage to the gut lining); and uncomfortable symptoms such as foggy thinking, fatigue, bloating, gas, etc. If you experience some of these things, you might be so used to it that this feels normal to you. Taking irritating foods out allows your digestive system to heal. Most elimination diets are for two weeks to a month. The key with this is adding in the foods you’ve taken out one at a time and seeing how you feel. You might feel like there is no way beans are bothering you, and then when you add them back in, lo and behold, you can feel a direct affect in your body.

When you remove these irritating foods, you might feel much better. If this is the case, that is awesome! You’ve learned some valuable information about your body. I don’t think this means you can never eat this food again. But it might make it feel less worth it to you. If you notice extreme sensitivities, you might want to leave the food out of your diet for a few months and work on healing your gut and then retest. If you are less bothered, you now have good information so you can make food choices that best serve your body.  

If you try this, think of it as an experiment. Be interested and curious about what you can learn about yourself.

Reach out if you want health coaching support to try an elimination diet and figure out what foods are optimal for your health.