Recommendations + Resources
Hydration and Nourishment
My intention in bodywork is for people to restore, as much as possible, their original physiological design. With this intention, I understand that my bodywork + mentorship will only go so far if the nutritional support is not there to inform and hold those changes. With this understanding, I integrate physiologic nutrition to support our work. With this, I wholeheartedly believe that honoring bodywork + nutrition as the dyad that they are, we create the potential for true, embodied change.
Trine of Hydration
Water is essential for our vitality. Ninety percent of our lungs are water, 70% of our brain is water, and 83% of our blood is water. It is essential that we ensure proper hydration to keep all of our systems vitally flowing to maintain immune function, and to allow toxins to be flushed out.
Try to consume about 50% of your weight in ounces. And keep in mind, hydration is more than just drinking enough glasses of water in a day. Effective hydration is supported by a three-part system that works in balance. The trine of hydration is what ensures effective dispersal of water to all needed tissues and systems and to be absorbed rather than flushing out of our bodies as waste.
Proper Hydration is a Trine of Essential Fatty Acids, Electrolytes & Probiotics:
Fats/Oil — Bone Broth, Meat Stock, Ghee, Olive Oil, Tallow, Lard, Cod Liver Oil
Electrolytes —Atlantic Grey Sea Salt, Trace Mineral Drops, Sole Water
Probiotics — Raw Kefir, Fermented Vegetables
Daily Oilination — Tallow, Ghee, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Sesame Oil + Castor
Daily Oilination
A ritual of hydration and grounding protection for your body, massaging head to heart feet to heart + hands to heart. It will be in place of a daily moisturizer and will give you many more benefits. The skin absorbs oils very naturally and will be grounding for the mind and body. This also allows you to connect with your body on a daily level, reminding yourself and your body of the love and trust you have for her. Wait a few minutes before getting dressed or do as a bedtime ritual.
My chosen allies are: Tallow, Ghee, Olive Oil, Coconut, Sesame + Castor
Probiotics
Beneficial microorganisms are bacteria that naturally thrive in your intestines. These bacteria have a symbiotic relationship with your body and makes up the epicenter of food liquefaction in your gut. Most of the food that enters your stomach is not in a form that can be absorbed, or even broken down into its different nutrients, and dispersed to all the places it will nourish. It takes a host of different bacteria to “digest” and break down this food for you and create a form that can then pass through the gut membranes to be carried off through the blood or lymph and to all the systems of your body. However, the bacteria in our gut are not the only bacteria in the world and sometimes the wrong type may end up inside the body competing for nutrition, or your good bacteria may be stripped and depleted, leaving a disrupted digestive system. The result can range from chronic indigestion and bloating to severe gastro-intestinal distress and illness, depending on the circumstances. We want the best, most helpful bacteria to take up residence in our digestive system and to allow that bacteria to thrive.
To support our microbiome in breaking down and assimilating our nutrients, sufficient water is needed. Probiotics and proper hydration synchronize to support our microbiome in efficient digestion and absorption.
Charge Up Your Electrolytes
Electrolytes are salts that become charged molecules, called ions, when they are dissolved in a liquid. Their electrical charges and ability to conduct electricity help our body to send electrical signals from one cell to another and they provide support for our kidneys in the assimilation of water in our body.
Bodily functions that depend on the electrical communication that electrolytes help carry are: Regulation of nerve and muscle function, and regulation of acidity levels & fluid levels.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids are instrumental in holding water in our body. EFAs help strengthen cell walls, which allows water to stay within the cell. When EFAs strengthen the cell walls, they’re plump. When the body is dry and hydration is insufficient, cells may flatten and the body will create new cells that mimic the flatten cells it finds, worsening the problem and leading to weakened tissues.
Essential Nutrients + Key vitamins for a Nourished Body:
Sufficient bio-available Protein, Fat, Collagen & Cholesterol
Balanced Omega 3 & 6 — Cold Water Fish, Nuts & Seeds (Soaked/Sprouted/Fermented) —Eliminate/Reduce: Seed Oils & Grain fed Meat
Vitamin A in the form of Retinol — Liver, Lard, Butter, Egg Yolks
Vitamin D3 — Sunlight, Fatty Fish, Butter
Vitamin K2 —Organs, Grass-fed Meat, Shellfish, Fish Eggs, Eggs, Butter, Cream, Nato traditionally eaten with Egg Yolks
Protein
Protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Proteins are made up of chemical 'building blocks' called amino acids. Your body uses amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. Try to get 20-30g of protein per meal. And be sure to always eat protein when you eat carbohydrates to help manage your blood sugar levels (more on this below)
Tips on maintaining Blood Sugar
Blood sugar is raised predominantly by glucose (the sugar in carbohydrates) as well as the timing of meals and other important factors such as sleep and exercise that manage elevated cortisol (which interferes with how insulin is used).
On of the simplest ways to sustain normal blood sugar levels is through macro-balanced meals that combine carbohydrates with good quality protein and fats from whole food sources. The combination of these macronutrients slows down the absorption of the sugars into the bloodstream and prevent a spike (and then drop) in energy and keeping you satiated longer.
Collagen
Collagen provides structure, support & strength to your skin, muscles, bones and connective tissues. Collagen is the substance that holds our body together. It is a protein source, that provides the amino acids necessary for maintaining and restoring connective tissue, strengthens tendons that connect muscle to bone and ligaments that connect bone to bone. Bone is living tissue that is primarily made up of collagen. Minerals in the matrix make bones hard, but collagen keeps them resilient. Bones also allow our bodies to deposit and withdraw minerals; produce blood cells, stem cells and growth factors that serve to buffer our blood against excessive pH changes and store energy. Collagen also plays a vital role in our gut health and immune health.
Cholesterol
Our immune system relies on cholesterol, it is our universal repair substance, cholesterol makes up a large percentage of our cell membrane and the organelles (the little micro-organs inside the cell) are made up by cholesterol. All of our hormones are created from cholesterol, and is the precursor to our hormonal matrix! If we are not eating good cholesterol, then we do not have the proper foundation to produce necessary hormones which effects our menstrual cycles, fertility, pregnancies, postpartum recuperation, sexual arousal, and protection of our nervous system. It’s the coating the covers all of our nerves. The only time cholesterol is not good is when it is oxidized - as in fried foods.
Fat
Our brains are made predominantly of fat. Fat is a major source of energy and helps us absorb certain essential vitamins and minerals. We need fat to build cell membranes (cell membranes take in the nutrients from other foods and filters toxins out) Our cell membranes are 50% saturated fats (primarily from animal sources). Saturated fat gives our cell membranes their strength. Fat is crucial for healthy organ function and toxin filtration.
Together, fat and cholesterol create protective myelin sheaths; insulating our nerves including those found in our brain and spinal cord. Fat and cholesterol assure healthy synapses in our brain.
It is also essential that when we are eating adequate and healthy fats, that we consume enough fiber.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A in the form of Retinol — Liver, Lard, Butter, Egg Yolks
Vitamin A in the form of retinol (a fat soluble nutrient sourced from animals), is absolutely essential for fertility, pregnancy, and birth. Vitamin A orchestrates division and differentiation of every cell in the body. Vitamin A is essential for protection from virus’, support of our immune system, and support of every single surface in our body including our eyes, our gut and our skin.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 — Sunlight, Fatty Fish, Butter
Vitamin D3 (a fat soluble nutrient sourced from animals and sunshine) maintains normal blood levels of calcium, phosphorus and the promotion of bone. It supports our cardiovascular system, our endocrine system, our neural health, and our immune system. Getting Vitamin D3 from animal sources is important, and most importantly, getting as much sunlight on our skin and in our eyes is crucial for the proper orchestration of our body systems functioning well. Think of it like charging up your battery. Lack of sunlight, will cause depression and degradation.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 —Organs, Grass-fed Meat, Shellfish, Fish Eggs, Eggs, Butter, Cream, Nato traditionally eaten with Egg Yolks
Vitamin K2 (fat soluble nutrient primarily sourced from animal) plays an important role of delivering calcium into our bones rather than it calcifying in tissue.
Sourcing
Its important for health of the animals that we eat and for the appropriate balance of omega 3 & 6, that our animal sources to the best of our ability are eating their ancestral diets of grasses and insects, by eliminating or significantly reducing grain fed animal sources. Source raw milk & eat organic fruits and vegetables.
Resource your local farmers and ranchers to build direct relationship to your food and ensure your food is regenerative, respectful and free of pesticides.
Always give a prayer for the life harvested and bless the life it gives you. Remembering food is our first medicine. Remembering and honoring our ANIMAL BODIES by providing nourishing ancestral foods that we have evolved to eat and depend on.
Visit the Weston A Price Foundation for local chapter recommendations on food sources. While our Sonoma County Chapter has great resources, and additionally check out the Marin Chapter for further resources that also relates to SONOMA COUNTY.
Further Exploration Resources
Readings
Gaps Diet - By Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration - by Weston Price
Weston A Price Quarterly Journal through Membership
Real Food for Pregnancy - by Lily Nichols
Fourth Trimester - Kimberley Ann Johnson sa Hendrickson-JackLisaLisa Hendrickson-Jack Hendrickson-Jack
@wildnutritionist
@sallyfallonmorell
@therootcauseprotocol
@ancestralfertility
Free Class
Mother Foods with Rachelle Garcia Seliga & Carly Rae Beaudry
This class has a focus on the nutrition of the Mother/ Baby dyad, however it is deeply informative for non-pregnant or postpartum women as well. Birth is a microcosm that informs the macrocosm. This information is how you can give yourself ancestral nutrients for a fertile body.
Fertility is our 5th vital sign as women, eating this way will radically support being physiologically nourished to create and give life in however you chose to manifest that life force.