Posts Categorized: Foods and Recipes for Health

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Eating Seeds? Yes! Seed Cycling? Not so much.

July 06, 2021

What is Seed Cycling?

I remember first hearing about seed cycling over 10 years ago as a new acupuncturist. The idea of seed cycling is that you can eat different seeds at different parts of your cycle to optimize your hormone balance. Which seed depends on the unique micronutrients in each one, with certain seeds thought to balance estrogen in the follicular phase (before ovulation) and balance progesterone levels in the luteal phase (after ovulation). The concept of being able to truly use your food as medicine and take control of your own health is really appealing of course! Who wouldn’t want a DIY answer to things like irregular cycles, painful periods, or other hormonal symptoms like premenstrual bloating and acne? Not to mention a little help with fertility?

Seed cycling seems to have surged in popularity on social media, so I wanted to take some time to really dig into the research to see if this is worth doing. Also, as a practitioner of East Asian Medicine (TCM), I am excited to discuss our medicine’s view of seeds and how they’re used, as well as some information on how our medicine would approach hormonal health at different phases of the cycle. Read more

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Late Summer and The Earth Element: Seasonal Wellness

September 03, 2020

Knowing a little about Late Summer and its associated Earth element can help you to optimize your health this time of year and ensure you’re in harmony with the season. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are actually 5 seasons and 5 elements:

  • Autumn (metal)
  • Winter (water)
  • Spring (wood)
  • Summer (fire)
  • Late Summer (earth)
Each season and element has its associated emotions, temperature, organs, flavor and even color. We’re now entering the season of Late Summer, which belongs to the Earth element. Late summer begins mid-August and goes until the Autumn Equinox on September 22nd.

Qualities of Late Summer and the Earth Element:

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Ginger Three Ways: Making Crystallized Ginger, Ginger Tea and Syrup

April 23, 2020

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger is one of the most commonly used “herbs” in our toolkit. In this article, I’ll teach you what it can help with as well as some information about how it’s viewed from a Chinese Herbal standpoint. And as promised, I’ll give you a quick explanation for how to make your own crystallized ginger at home, which will also give you ginger tea and syrup. So. delicious.

As an acupuncturist and herbalist, here are the situations where I recommend ginger tea the most frequently: Read more

Treatment and Diagnosis of PCOS: New Updates

March 07, 2016

What is PCOS?

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Some experts believe it should be re-named as the “polycystic” part implies multiple cysts on the ovaries, which now are known not to be true cysts!

PCOS is an endocrine (hormonal) disorder characterized by infrequent or absent periods, multiple follicles on the ovaries and high levels of androgens (such as testosterone and DHEA-S), which for some people leads to excess facial and body hair, hair thinning or male pattern baldness and acne. Many PCOS patients have insulin resistance, which means that your body isn’t able to properly absorb and process sugars and other carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain and can result in a diabetes diagnosis. Other complications include depression, self-esteem challenges, type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and difficulty becoming pregnant. Read more

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Traveling With Dietary Dignity: A Guest Post By Nancy Campbell

November 14, 2015

Nancy Campbell is a Culinary Nutritionist and founder of Radiant Health. Since the holidays are coming up, I asked her to give us her best tips for healthy eating while traveling. Thanks, Nancy!

It’s that time again!  The holiday travel debacles are upon us – diet be damned.  If you are anything like me, you don’t/won’t /can’t eat just anything.  It’s not even about food snobbery . . . It’s because your body can’t tolerate processed food.  Your food allergies and sensitivities are real.  And, let’s be honest, because you’ve made so much headway in your dietary shifts this year you aren’t about to sacrifice progress with a Burger King splurge.

Needless to say, any barrier to food choice is a huge hurdle when you are traveling. In my practice as a culinary nutritionist, I support my clients to get real about their limitations, get creative about their options, and get savvy about navigating food restrictions on the go.  I have outlined my 5 simple and smart tips for making it through this year’s holiday travel schedule by all modes of travel.  Read more