Wellness

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The 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

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Holiday shopping is looking much different this year with many more gifts purchased online and arriving at our doors than ever before. I'm not super mad about avoiding the crowds and shopping in my PJs by the fire. How about you? Just be sure to get on it soon because shipping deadlines will be earlier this year.

If you're like me, searching for hours for the perfect gift is exhausting, especially on the computer, so I created this guide to help save some time and energy and give you a few great gift ideas. I've included ideas for everyone on your list, including yourself, and gifts you can feel good about gifting.

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Thyroid Awareness Month: What You Should Know

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Thyroid Awareness Month: What You Should Know

January is Thyroid Awareness Month so I wanted to bring a little more awareness to this growing group of diseases and overall thyroid health throughout this month. Have you ever heard of thyroid disease? Do you know what your thyroid is and what it does? Did you know that Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases? In this post I’ll talk more about the thyroid gland, thyroid diseases, thyroid testing and and why it is all important.

I wish I had known way more about thyroid health much sooner than when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The more I’ve learned and read about hypothyroidism, the more I’m convinced it started after my pregnancy, which was 8 years prior to my diagnosis.

5 Tips For a Body-Positive Holiday

5 Tips For a Body-Positive Holiday

It's Thanksgiving week and I am really looking forward to some good quality family fun. We are going to eat, drink, play games, laugh and have a great time. To be honest, that isn't something I usually say around the holidays. I am usually anxious about the food, the drinks, the conversations, and so many other things.

What are we having? What and how much am I going to eat? Is there something for everyone? Is there enough for everyone? Did I eat the appetizer too close to mealtime? Do we have to talk about what diet everyone is on? Do we have to talk about how much weight everyone lost or gained this year? Do we have to talk about how great everyone else looks in their jeans? Do we have to talk about food the entire time we are together (yes, that happens with my family at every gathering!)?

All of these anxieties = eating more = feeling worse. Am I right?

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Italian Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Peppers

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Italian Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Peppers

I love recipes that are 1. delicious 2. easily customizable and 3. can withstand adding lots of extra veggies!. This stuffed pepper recipe fits all of these so well! Oh, and it also needs to make good leftovers. Yep, does that too.

This summer I have been going to the local farmer’s market more often and I’ve discovered some of the best, high-quality meats from one of the farms, Pastimes Farm and Bakery out of Lincoln, Missouri. If you’ve never thought about purchasing meat at your farmer’s market, I would encourage you to check it out. They often have grass-fed and pasture-raised meats at a competitive price. We have really been loving their Italian pork sausage, which is where I got the idea for the stuffed peppers. It is unbelievably flavorful and works perfectly in this recipe. We also love to use it for homemade pizza.

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Thyroid Antibodies: Why Test?

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Thyroid antibody lab tests are tests often overlooked by physicians when checking for thyroid disease. This is unfortunate because when caught early, the amount and length of time the thyroid is being attacked could be decreased. If you are interested in learning more about thyroid health, click here for my last post. Hang with me here and we will talk about why thyroid antibody tests are important and if you should have yours checked.

What are Antibodies?

An antibody is a protein made by plasma cells in response to an antigen, or a substance the body thinks is a “bad guy”. Each antibody can bind to only 1 antigen in order for the immune system to attack and destroy that antigen. So, obviously, thyroid antibodies set up an attack on the thyroid gland, each one in a different way.