Category: Articles

This week I'm taking our spice focus to the cookie jar! I couldn't help myself. Collections of cookies are showing up in the holiday mail and I'm baking cookies for the Christmas party at my son's school tomorrow night. And, if I'm to be perfectly honest, I'd pass up pie any day for a plate of cookies! They're sweet and cute - like the kittens of dessert. They land in the day like a neat little (well-deserved and perfectly sized) prize...

Let's face it, holidays can bring a lot to digest, on many fronts. And, guess what, spices can help! If you've ever been to an Indian restaurant and saw a little bowl of seeds at the counter, that's fennel. It's common practice in India to chew the seeds after a meal both to help freshen breath and stimulate digestion. Let's look at why during this day when there certainly is a lot to digest…

Scientific research is now revealing what you may have known, in your gut, all along… You need personalized solutions to your health struggles. Functional Nutrition is based on this premise. And some areas of medicine aim to support this mission to transform healthcare into a system that WORKS (and works for YOU). In fact, precision […]

Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably been seduced or even influenced by the powers of uncovering your genetic blueprint. There’s definitely some interesting information to uncover in these tests and the data they provide, but I want to help you cut through the information to what really matters. First, let’s acknowledge that the […]

At the Functional Nutrition Alliance Clinic we tailor our recommendations to meet the unique needs and requirements of every client. Cookie cutter protocols, magic pills, and the diet of the day aren’t where we look when it comes to helping our clients reach their healing potential. That’s because we know, as you likely do too, […]

“Back it up” is my mantra. And when it comes to your health, it could be your mantra too. “Backing it up” ensures that we’re focusing on the roots of our health concerns, and that we’re not leaving any stone unturned in our journey towards resolution. But what does it mean to “back it up”? […]

There are ingredients we can include in our daily menus that have impact. And this summer I'm on a mission to talk food as medicine… As you may know, a few weeks ago I introduced the summer gut lovin' challenge. It's an easy challenge. It basically involves trying out some surprising culinary ingredients that help your gut do it's job a bit better. Today's summer lovin' ingredient is a new twist on an old favorite... it may surprise you coming from a mostly grain-free girl like me!

I want to express my gratitude for the gut loving fun we've had together through the dog days of summer. We've traversed the twists and turns of the small intestine with one ingredient after another for weeks now, exploring my favorite superfoods for root cause remedy. Today's no different as I have a new ingredient to reveal… This week's summer lovin' ingredient gets to the root of it: and might just cure your coffee cravings...

This week's gut lovin' ingredient provides soothing support: and it helps you say aloha to easeful elimination it's aloe! You're likely familiar with the idea of putting aloe on your outer skin to soothe either a sunburn or an inopportune encounter with some fire—from the stovetop, the fireplace or your campground dinner. (I've always got a bottle in our house in both Portland and Hawaii.) But can aloe actually provide some benefits for that internal skin as well?

In our clinical practice we're always looking to find the root cause of symptoms. That usually means starting with the gut. Since most digestion and absorption happens right in that organ, it needs to be in good repair. And repair we can! This is why we've been focusing on our gut lovin' foods all summer. We're getting right to the root of the matter, giving you the foods to clean and restore your ultimate gatekeeper. This week's summer lovin' ingredient is all bark and no bite...