Are you ready for a challenge? No, this won't be challenging to adhere to or to execute. I promise! I'm going to make it easy for you to use one of the top tools for helping you feel better faster, without paying any money for your efforts (yes, it's a free challenge), or left wondering if the next dietary fad or theory is the one that's going to finally do the trick for you. Over the next three weeks, I'm initiating a Food/Mood/Poop Tracking Challenge. Hold on! Don't run away. Let me explain more.

Often times clients will ask me how they know when they're "there". Are we there yet? Have we reached our dietary goals? Is this the stopping point? Is it all better now? But for some of us, there is an elusive place that's as hard to reach as OZ during waking moments. It's not that we can't (and don't!) achieve our goal weight, energy and physical stride.

'Tis the season of good cheer, indulgent food and frequent festivities. . . Ho ho ho, so much fun! Yet sometimes the jolly times come with a not-so merry belly. It may be the amount of chow or the curious combination of cuisines in one sitting. It could be a tad bit more of the goodies that you usually leave for special occasions. (Those "special occasions" sure are coming one on top of another right now!) Or, if you're among the 60 to 70 million Americans that suffers from reported digestive distresses each year, this may, unfortunately, be a season not unlike any other. Recently I had an open conversation with my dear friend Venu Julapalli M.D., a gastroenterologist in Houston, Texas.

I'm a big believer in the body's innate ability to heal. In many ways, it's this idea that lights the way for so many of our clients to step into their own unique healing journey. People often come into the Replenish Counseling fold having tried many other avenues including various healing protocols, dietary approaches, other practitioners, lifestyle changes and much more. Honestly, it can be daunting to make sense of it all that's been done, all that's left to do, and all that is still felt, still unresolved. It can feel a bit like picking up a box of puzzle pieces and having no idea which is the logical first piece. Amidst such a hodge-podge of signs, symptoms, strategies and stalemates, you might wonder where I begin when it seems as though someone has tried everything?

My name is Megan Liebmann and I'm one of Andrea Nakayama's lead counselors on the Replenish Nutrition team. The Digestive Intensive Jumpstart begins today and I'msuper excited to join you in this deep dive into the GI. Here's why. . . I entered the world of nutrition and health coaching to help people feel better, and to empower them with life-changing information that they could practice every single day. More than anything, I wanted to speak with confidence and clarity, so that I could become a trusted resource for my clients and, more importantly, so they could understand what’s happening in their body and what they could do about it. That’s what I’ve loved most in working with Andrea, and practicing under her guidance. She is a master of explanation.

Are we there yet? Have we reached our dietary goal? Is this the stopping point? Is it all better now? But for some of us, there is an elusive place that's as hard to reach as OZ during waking moments. It's not that we can't (and don't!) achieve our goal weight, energy and physical stride. It's that it can be challenging to stay there. . . forever. I'm not talking about the difficulty of Sticking With It!, of learning how to heed your prescribed dietary plan or known parameters for optimal health. Instead I'm referring to the changes that occur within our bodies themselves. As your body changes, so does its dietary needs.

In Sean Croxton's Thyroid Sessions (the awesome free online event happening now), you'll hear me speak about "backing it up" when it comes to the function of the thyroid. But just what do we want to back it up to so that our thyroid can provide us with energy and metabolism as it's meant to do? Back it up to Digestion. And by digestion I don't just mean what you eat (though that's critical too!), but also how each of the organs in your digestive systems works for you. Those organs include your mouth, esophagus, stomach, and small & large intestines but also your pancreas, gallbladder and your beloved liver. Interestingly, in ancient Chinese practices the cycle of the day and the cycle of the year had correspondence with organ systems in the body. The relevance even relates to the seasonal foods during that time of year and how they feed and fuel those associated organs. Waking up at 3am on a regular basis? Could be your liver. Feeling a bit of anger as we enter into the season? Um. . . could be your liver. (And believe me when I tell you that you're not alone!)

Recently I had an open conversation with my friend Venu Julapalli M.D., a gastroenterologist in Houston, Texas. I wanted to discuss how a medically trained doctor considers the role of food and nutrition in digestive health, especially given the nature of our upcoming Resolution Detox, which allows you to sink into your own core health to kick off the new year. As you’ll see, Dr. Julapalli had some questions for me too!

The Core Creed of Health No matter what diet you follow or what theories of health you subscribe to, it really does come down to one core creed for all of us. It’s the health of your gut. If I was left on a desert island and told to choose one thing to focus on to help my immunity, mental health and resilience in these foreign conditions, it would be obvious. It’s the health of my gut. That’s why I’m super excited to be one of sixteen expert speakers in this upcoming free online seminar.

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. But can aloe actually provide some benefits for that internal skin as well? You bet it can! It was over 3,500 years ago that the health benefits of aloe were first documented. But the research didn't stop there. There's a body of contemporary research that contributes to the reasons why I'm a fan of the healing benefits of aloe vera juice. I include it in many of my cleanses, like our upcoming Retreat: A TrulyFood Autumn Cleanse. I also like to incorporate aloe vera juice into particular clients' daily protocols and smoothies to help address specific digestive disturbances from heartburn to ulcers to intestinal or bowel inflammation to diarrhea. But why?