 Just about all of my patients struggle to get enough plants into their diet - especially in the winter. And getting adequate dark green leafy vegetables is the most difficult I find. To help solve this, I am sharing my absolute favorite kale salad recipe adapted from Cooking Classy. I found this recipe when I literally searched "best kale salad recipe" because I felt a need for green veggies and didn't need to get super creative. Enjoy and please let me know if you liked it as much as I did! Bon Appétit.
Best Kale Salad Ever (as adapted from Cooking Classy) Ingredients: 1/2 C olive oil 2 TBSP lemon juice 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar 2 TBSP maple syrup 1.5 tsp dijon mustard S/P to taste 1-2 bunches kale (I have used red or green or dino kale... any kale works) 1 large apple, julienned 2 medium carrots, shredded 3/4 c unsalted slivered almonds, cashew pieces or sunflower seeds, toasted (I say use whatever nut you like, toasted to bring out the flavor) *remember toasting a nut is super fast when done on stovetop so watch it closely 1/3 C red onion sliced thin Dressing: Mix olive oil, lemon juice, ACV, maple and dijon mustard together in a jar with a lid, add salt and pepper as desired. Set aside. Salad: Remove kale leaves from thick ribs (save those for soup stock!), rinse leaves thoroughly (I like to soak them for a few minutes in a large bowl of water then pull them out first then toss out the water to keep kale clean). Slice kale in ribbons, working in bunches. Watch your fingers! Pour dressing into bottom of a very large bowl (I use a mixing bowl!), top with kale, apple, carrots, nuts and onions. Toss and enjoy soon. If you choose to store it, you may want to store a bit undressed and add dressing just before eating.
0 Comments
 Beautiful sunflowers in a field, basking in some UV rays. A few years ago I wrote a blog post called "Your Solar Rockstar: Vitamin D3" and I think it's time to revisit it. Below are my current feelings on the importance of vitamin D for your health and vitality...
Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients you may be lacking in right now. Vitamin D3 (the active form of vitamin D) is actually considered a hormone which is produced naturally in your body through a complex process. UV rays interact with cholesterol in your skin to produce a compound which is then activated further by the liver and the kidneys - and, voila! Active vitamin D3 is born. Dietary sources of actual vitamin D3 are scarce, so our body's own production of this vitamin/hormone are key! The unfortunate thing, however, is that there are many risk factors for being vitamin D3 deficient. Risk factors for Vitamin D3 deficiency:
Do any of these risk factors apply to you? If we are low in Vitamin D3, what are the risks? In severe deficiency, a condition called rickets in kids and osteomalacia in adults may develop. In both of these conditions, there may be seriously debilitating issues with bones and muscles. In less severe deficiencies, the effects are undoubtedly more frequent, far-reaching and, frankly, unrecognized. Here are just a few conditions which are linked to Vitamin D3 status:
Here's a list of the best ways to improve your vitamin D3 status naturally:
In my practice most of my patients, when tested, come back with suboptimal vitamin D3 levels. What is optimal? I consider 60-80 ng/mL optimal - whereas many lab normal ranges are around 30-100 ng/mL. Many of my patients who were told they had "great" vitamin D3 levels were still at risk for some of the vitamin D3 deficiency-related diseases mentioned above. If you're at all concerned about your Vitamin D3 level, talk to your healthcare provider about getting a blood test. The best way to avoid suboptimal vitamin D3 levels and the accompanying risks is to get tested. If you have more questions, please reach out to me! I'd love to help you. 
Hello!
Good morning! Today is day 6 of my 12-14 day Spring Clean Cleanse. Today, I'd like to review the supplements I've chosen for this cleanse (see links at the bottom of the post). In the past, I've administered programs with a huge number of supplements all the way to no supplements. These three supplements (shown in the pic) are the three I've settled on: Plant-based protein powder, Liver detox herbal supplement and digestive enzymes. I chose those products because I've tried them, they're from companies I like and they're effective. To order the supplements, visit my virtual supplement store and click on the category called "Spring Clean Cleanse". More about the supplements.... Plant Protein Complete This product is a high quality protein powder made from pea, hemp and quinoa. It is vanilla flavored and naturally sweetened (using xylitol and stevia). I find it tasty when mixed in a shaker cup with just cold water and ice. I like my protein drinks super cold. This product delivers amino acids which are super important when it comes to running the detoxification processes in your liver and, frankly, all your body cells. It's best to do a detox with a protein supplement to help the process run smoothly.
Liver Detox Support (Now offered as "Liver Detox") Also from Protocol For Life Balance, this detox supplement is a simple combination of classic detox nutrients like Milk Thistle, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Dandelion and Turmeric. This product is the perfect addition to a program like the Spring Clean Cleanse -- Helps increase liver clearance of cellular waste products, helps boost production of bile and helps increase levels of antioxidants which help protect against cell damage.
Super Enzymes These enzymes are awesome... and I've tried a lot of different enzyme products. I like this one because it's effective and not incredibly expensive. Enzyme products can be extremely expensive and this one is sensibly priced. Taken with meals, this helps your body break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates more easily. Eating more vegetables but fear digestive upset or gas? Use digestive enzymes and it will help!
If you have questions about the supplements I recommend on this program, please shoot me a comment or send me an email! Again, here is the link to my virtual supplement store where you can purchase all of the products mentioned above. Be well!  Hello! I am writing to you on day 4 of my Spring Clean Cleanse. I've been having fun just allowing. Allowing my body to be irritated (my skin reacts to stress!), to be tired, to be energized at odd times, to be sore from working out or sitting too much. I've been working on learning to let myself be. A huge part of that allowing struck me today while I was finishing my yoga practice on my Down Dog app (pretty awesome if you haven't tried it), laying in Shavasana (also called "Corpse Pose" - laying on my mat, arms and legs splayed, palms up, eyes closed, breathing slowly). I realized that allowing is a big part of why I entered this cleanse to begin with. It's so hard right now with everyone on high alert, with news cycles moving so quickly, with this shaky ground (we've been having earthquakes weekly here in Salt Lake City)... to just be without striving to do or fix or act. I realized, while laying in Corpse Pose that I need this and many of you need this: peace, quiet, stillness, no screens, no news, no words... nothing. So, I encourage you to take some time to be in your own version of Shavasana. Sitting on the couch with your eyes closed for 2 minutes? Maybe it's a cup of tea first thing in the morning before the day gets started? Maybe it's getting back into your yoga practice or writing letters instead of emails. Whatever it is, get back to it. You need it. Sending you healing love, Dr. Katie  Shavasana / Corpse pose  Did you know your body uses nutrients differently during times of stress vs times of calm? I don't know about you, but I'm feeling more stress more frequently in these days of the great pandemic of 2020 and my body is suffering because of it. The tension I hold in my jaw at night and in my shoulders during the day, just as one example, is depleting my stores of magnesium. You may be experiencing stress in your body as well. If this sounds familiar, you're in luck, because magnesium is a fantastic friend when it comes to facing times of stress.
Benefits of magnesium:
Foods high in magnesium (with greater than 50 mg/serving):
Ok, whenever I see these "foods high in x nutrient" list I always feel let down - what, no recipe? So here's a snack mix you can make with easy to find foods to boost your intake of magnesium. Magnesium Nut Mix 2 cups pumpkin seeds 1 cup cashews, dry roasted 1 cup almonds, dry roasted 1 bar dark chocolate (60-70% dark), chopped Mix all ingredients together. Eat & enjoy. My favorite magnesium supplement is a powder from Professional Formulas and it is called Cal-Mag Effervescent. For one thing it is super high quality and tastes great (tastes like pink lemonade) and it is also inexpensive compared with comparable products on the market like Calm. This product contains not only four forms of calcium, but also four forms of magnesium as well as the calming amino acid glycine. I love taking 1/2 - 1 dose at bedtime. If you'd like to find this product and more, sign up for and visit my online dispensary.  I get lots of questions about juicing, so I decided to create this guide ... Take a look at my Juice Cleanse Guide! It’s FREE!
Your body knows how to clean itself— but sometimes needs a break from what you’re putting in it! Many organs in your body play major roles in detoxification - but literally every single cell in your body is cleaning itself right this every minute! Your body is innately smart and using a tool like a juice cleanse is simply a tool to help it along. Consider the juice cleanse a type of "reset" for your body - a pause - as we move from winter into spring. Have questions? Let me know - send me an email.  “I feel tired” is the most common complaint I hear in my office. I would suggest a majority of people suffer from low energy and it affects nearly every area of their lives. Do you feel tired frequently? Do you notice it’s more difficult to problem solve at work when you’re tired? Do you find it hard to cook, clean, and take care of your kids when you’re tired? Do you think fatigue might be contributing to relationship issues and might be keeping you from being your best self?
I’d like to share some of the most common causes of fatigue because we can easily help, and maybe even solve this issue if we look in the right place.
 What’s the big deal with B-Vitamins? We see them added to all kinds of foods, energy drinks and in so many supplements, but why should we care about getting more (or even enough) B-vitamins?
The family of B-vitamins are vital cofactors in an exhaustive list of processes in the body. From healthy blood cells and hearts to healthy brains, B-vitamins are vitally important to the care and maintenance of our bodies every minute. What you might not realize about B-vitamins, however, might surprise you. Vitamin B-12, in particular, plays an incredibly important role in making sure our nerves connect properly with our brains, that our red blood cells are normally sized and is also involved in creating the genetic material in every cell in the body! You would be right to think that B-12 is something we can’t live without! Symptoms of B-12 vitamin deficiency can be found all around the body:
Who is at greatest risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency? People who tend to take in less vitamin B-12 or those who aren’t able to absorb it are at the greatest risk. These groups include:
Many people may exhibit the symptoms of Vitamin B-12 deficiency without falling into one of these groups. For example, in practice I often see that chronically stressed patients appear to need higher doses of Vitamin B-12. Are you feeling fatigued or just worn-out? It might be time to talk to your healthcare provider about a vitamin B-12 injection. These shots are a safe option to quickly and effectively boost your circulating B-12 and also your energy and mental clarity! Be well, Dr. Disharoon Click to Schedule a free consult with me today to find out what kind of work we could get done together!  With my patients I refer to Vitamin D3 as a “non-negotiable” supplement just about everyone should take daily. This much-hyped vitamin (which actually behaves more like a hormone in the body) is probably as close to a “rockstar supplement” as you can get. Most people know two things about D3: 1) You get it from the sun and 2) you need it to for healthy bones -- yes, these are true, but there’s so much more to this vitamin/hormone which makes it critical for a healthy body. Vitamin D is essential for our mental and physical health as well as a healthy immune system and cancer prevention. One of the more amazing aspects of vitamin D3 is our skin produces an inactive form when exposed to UV rays. Unlike other hormones in the body produced through specific organs (such as thyroid hormone, estrogen or testosterone), D3 is created by three organs working synergistically. Vitamin D3 needs to be activated by the liver or kidneys to become useable by the body. Once activated, it interacts with vitamin D receptors which are located in tissues all over your body. Vitamin D allows us to regulate our blood levels of calcium which keeps our bones and muscles healthy. Even now we continue to learn about the many different biochemical processes in which this vitamin/hormone plays a role. Deficiency in this vitamin/hormone can show up as a myriad of conditions or symptoms: thinning or soft bones, muscle weakness or aches, autoimmune diseases (i.e. Crohn’s Disease, MS, Type 1 Diabetes), metabolic syndrome, breathing problems such as asthma, increased infections, depression, increased incidence of many cancers. You could probably say this vitamin/hormone does a little bit of everything for us. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common worldwide, but especially in northern latitudes (such as here in cloudy Washington state). Here are 5 reasons you may not be getting enough D3 in your life:
So what can you do to help improve your D3 levels? First, get your Vitamin D tested via an easy blood test. Although labs vary, I like to see Vitamin D3 levels at least at 50 ng/dL in my patients for optimal health! Be well, Dr. Disharoon Click to Schedule a free consult with me today to find out what kind of work we could get done together!  It wasn’t until our grill, full of burning coals, literally fell apart during a party last Summer that I realized what everyone knows: the star of a Summer cookout is the grill. Summer means grilling for most people in the Pacific Northwest and I feel the same way. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to celebrate beautiful weather outside and the bounty of local farms through sharing favorite recipes with our fam. I love grilling and indulging in delicious Summer dishes as much as you, but at the same time I am always thinking of ways to improve health through diet and lifestyle at all times of the year. As a Naturopath, my practice is focused on prevention of disease so, naturally, I’ve found room for improvement in Summer cooking’s status quo. Here are a few small changes you can make this Summer to maximize your nutrient intake and wellness this season:
Be well, Dr. Disharoon Click to Schedule a free consult with me today to find out what kind of work we could get done together! |
AuthorDr. Katie is a next-generation natural medicine doctor and proud dog mom living in the mountain west. Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Icons from icon8 |
When I speak with a new patient, I always ask “have you seen a Naturopath before?” I ask this simple question because I’ve lived all over and people have a wide variety of experience with natural medicine and Naturopaths. read the blog post |