Signs of optimal health through Gut Health!

Hypothyroid and Hashimoto's disease

Disclaimer: The following describes my journey toward optimal health, it took a lot of research, trial and error and different programs and routines to find what works for me so I fully recommend doing your own research as well as enlisting help of others who are on a similar journey. Also very important to seek medical attention if you are experiencing any symptoms!

When my son Hunter was in my belly, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a low functioning thyroid, which is the butterfly shaped gland in the throat area. Little did I know, when your thyroid isn't functioning properly, nothing else will either and this is very important when you are growing a tiny human in your body. So I was put on medication, my Mom had been hypothyroid for years so I had just chalked it up to inheriting this "disease". After I had Hunter, I went off the medication with the doctor's advice stating, it could have just been a pregnancy thing. Around 3 months post partum, I was pretty sure I was going insane. I had some pretty similar symptoms to post partum depression but it was more like post partum psychosis. I was starting to become scared of going out in public, my hair was falling out in clumps, my milk supply for Hunter had all but dried up despite me trying everything to keep it flowing and I was so exhausted yet I couldn't sleep. I went to my doctor and explained all of my symptoms, they did some bloodwork to find that I had Hashimotos disease, which is an autoimmune disease that develops antibodies that attacks your thyroid tissue. My thyroid was covered in nodes and swollen and this is what explained all of my symptoms. He put me on medication right away and said that my thyroid may need to be removed. I asked for time to do my own research and get started on the medication.

The more I researched, the more I found foods that did not support the thyroid or autoimmune issues as a whole so I started experimenting with removing different foods from my diet like gluten (wheat protein) and dairy. What a difference that made! So I carried on with this journey for a while, I sure miss gluten sometimes and will eat it but after seeing that my thyroid function had improved and my nodes disappeared and shrunk, my doctor suggested that I keep doing whatever I was doing. In a year, my antibodies had gone down from 5000 when I was first diagnosed with Hashimotos, to 500! What I had learned in my research is that gluten and dairy molecules look similar to the thyroid molecules so since your body is already attacking the thyroid molecules thinking that it is an intruder, it was working overtime to attack the gluten and dairy molecules as well which would cause symptoms of joint stiffness, inflammation, bloating, gas, constipation, runny nose, rashes, etc. So for me, removing the gluten and dairy improved my symptoms overall. Adding supplements, vitamins and minerals has been a game changer for my overall health as well.

Along with your own research, I would recommend trying different things to test out how your body reacts to certain things by journalling and really keeping track of food and symptoms that come when you are eating them. Eating cleaner by slowly reducing things like refined sugar and salt can really help you too! If you are ever looking for programs to try, let me know because I can give you online access to two stand alone nutrition programs (soon to be three! See below) as well as over 80 workout programs of varying length and activity from professional trainers.

Coaching Supports available

As I continue my journey toward obtaining my Holistic Nutrition Certificate, it has never been more obvious to me than it is right now that our GUT HEALTH is SO important for our overall health. Five years ago, I started doing this online coaching thing where I helped myself by changing my eating habits following a nutritionist's advice for "clean eating" and exercising at least 30 minutes a day in my own home. There were other aspects to it, but that was the gist of it. It was incredible how amazing I felt in just a few days of eating cleaner and moving my body a little more. Even though I had joined and signed up with a coach to lose weight, it had become very apparent that what we eat and how we treat our body has a huge effect on how we feel on the inside.

As a coach, my job is to keep you accountable to whatever you are trying as well as connect you with new products and programs that are continuously being launched to support our nutrition and fitness. I am super excited for the next, newest nutrition program coming this month! We are SO close to the launch of Gut Protocol + 4 Weeks for Every Body, and I wanted to take a moment this week to talk about HOW these two programs can work together and WHY I am taking this opportunity to go all-in on my nutrition and start to heal my gut from the inside out.

First, how do Gut Protocol + 4 Weeks for Every Body go together? Well, one program is all about nutrition and one is all about the workouts - so together they provide a full solution to our physical wellness! Gut Protocol will introduce gut triggering food groups and meal plan/recipe ideas to remove those foods from your diet for 30 days. Over that time, you will learn from Autumn Calabrese why those foods make us feel the way they do and how important gut health is to our overall being. Everyone’s journey will be different but I think we all will be amazed at where we are in 30 days!

Yes, Gut Protocol on its own is an amazing option, but moving our bodies through this process will aid with our digestion and make us even STRONGER! 4 Weeks for Every Body provides 4 weeks of workouts, 4 days a week, 30 minutes a day, that are low impact. They provide just enough to get our bodies moving, but don’t include the rigor and intensity as some of the other programs in our library- which is perfect for aiding in gut health. Together, you can give your health a FULL makeover and I personally cannot wait to get started!

Are you dealing with gut issues right now? Do you want to begin a low impact, beginner’s workout routine this spring? Let’s talk more!

Eating healthy tip

Being a stay at home mom again after so many years, lunch has slowly become my favorite meal of the day! When my fridge is stocked with delicious meals that I already prepped and I have mix and match snacks on hand, the possibilities are endless.

But where should you start? My meal plan is all about balance, so when I’m building my lunchbox I want a little bit of everything! Lunch is the meal that carries me through the longest part of my day, so protein + carbs are a must. Then, I want to make sure I grab my greens, so I try to fit in some veggies (hopefully with a delicious dip or dressing I can look forward to!) Lastly, I need a sweet - a small piece of dark chocolate or delicious fruit is a must.

How do you build your lunch? (And if you need meal prep inspo, message me so I can connect you with some of my favorite resources!)