“Backing it up” means that we honor the principles of root cause resolution. And it 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 optimal health.

For the next few weeks, we'll start to uncover colorful spices and their culinary and medicinal uses - it's our focus for the month ahead and as we move into the holidays, and it's a perfect time to think about comfort in relation to our spice exploration. Whether you're a seasoned spice user or rarely venture beyond the basic salt and pepper, there's so much to explore in the world of spice. (They really do make everything nice!) Get creative and spice it up!

Maca is one of those foods that can be shrouded in controversy… Is it a goitrogen? Will it mess with estrogen metabolism? Hey, I just don’t do superfoods! But let’s back it up and see where we can introduce a little goodness with a sprinkling of this powerful root. What is maca? Maca is a […]

Holidays are often a time of “straying into the bike lane” as I call it. This means eating foods that aren’t generally on my menu, but also will not cause any symptoms that take me away from the gatherings and festivities. “Bike lane” foods are those that I can have sometimes. And, as you can […]

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!

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...

I’ve got a question for you today… If, as you likely know by now, you are equal parts bacteria and human, just who (or what) are you feeding when you sit down to your morning meal? Honestly, it’s not a trick question. And if you think about it with that data in mind (shall I […]

This weekend, as it's my birthday, I wanted to make this dose of GI goodness as sweet as possible. I want to invite you to celebrate and honor with me! This week's summer lovin' ingredient is only skin deep: and it's as sweet as homemade jam it's pectin! If you've ever tried your hand at making homemade jam, you've likely heard of pectin. It's the powdery substance that thickens and gels your strawberries or peaches into sticky jelly or jam. But what does pectin have to do with gut lovin'?

The liver is your almighty organ of detox. It’s working overtime to help you sort the pure from the impure. Yet the liver is one of your body’s major multi-taskers. Just like you, trying to keep pace with modern-day living, your liver is charged with doing the same—all of what it’s meant to do and then some! Let’s take a peek at the daily grind for your liver…