I'M BACK!!!!!! Welcome to Kate's Healthy Cupboard's new updated website! I am so excited to bring you new recipes along with the addition of my favorite healthy products for the kitchen, bathroom and home and my monthly Wellness Digs!
What the heck are Wellness Digs? They are my favorite finds or what I am "digging" for healthy eats, products, supplements, lifestyle brands, fitness tips, books and so much more! Health is so much more than what you put in your mouth and how much exercise you do. So, I wanted to share some of my must haves and some of the things I enjoy or use in my every day life.
I can't tell you how many times I get asked, "what all is in your morning smoothie, what do you do for exercise, what supplements do you take, what's your favorite protein, what skincare and makeup do you use that is safe, why do you wear those funny glasses at night" and more! Now, I can share these answers with you all, in hopes to help you become an even better version of you!!
Today kicks off my September Wellness Digs! The picture above shows 10 things I am digging right now and many of these items are a part of my everyday life! Enjoy!
1. Daily Greens Purity is my absolute favorite organic green juice. I love the fresh taste of this, it's not too strong like some green drinks and I love the lemon it it! I also love that is has broccoli and basil, not what you typically find in most juices. Lemon is the only fruit I like in my green juice. I am not a fan of most fruits in a juice for a couple of reasons. One, is that it makes it too sweet tasting and two, if you drink this alone, it will spike your insulin too much from the fruit. For that reason, I never drink a green juice alone, it is always with a meal. I find this at Whole Foods, my local health foods store or you can buy online.
2. Beautycounter's Cleansing Balm is truly a beauty bomb and it's $25 off until the end of September!!!! This one product is a cleanser (think oil cleansing), eye makeup remover, overnight mask, acne spot treatment, cuticle cream, great for burns and so much more!!! This is a must for me with the winter months ahead for extra moisture. I use it every night as my makeup remover and mask once a week. A little goes a long way, so this will last you forever! Not only is this the bomb, it is also free of over 1,500 harmful ingredients commonly found in the personal care industry. It's so important to know what is in your products and this is one of my favorite trusted safe brands! You can shop the balm here and read more about the personal care industry and Beautycounter here.
3. Boku Super Food goes into my morning smoothie everyday!!! This organic super food blend includes super greens (aquatic, land and grass), medicinal mushrooms, 11 super fruits, 7 super sprouts, antioxidants and enzymes. It's non-gmo and free of wheat, gluten, soy and dairy. This is my nutrient insurance for the day and it sits well with me (no bloating). It tastes great in my smoothie, but I have no idea how it tastes alone...I am thinking it is a must to add it to something other than water!! I love this brand because it contains SOOOOO many super foods and is organic!
4. Nutrasumma Fermented Pea Protein has been my go to protein for a few years now. I was always a whey protein person, but have switched to a non dairy powder. I think whey works for me, but I really like this pea protein. If you've tried a rice protein powder, you know how grainy and gross it is...this is not!! The Chocolate is my flavor of choice. My morning smoothie is seriously my favorite as it's packed with nutrient dense foods and keeps me full for hours. If you are looking for a non-dairy protein powder that is also non-gmo, I suggest this brand or collagen (will be on my next wellness digs). I find this at Sprouts or on Amazon.
5. Girl Code by Cara Alwill Leyba...Unlocking the secrets to success, sanity and happiness for the female entrepreneur. Guys this might not be for you, but it's certainly for any female women warriors in your life!! "Girl Code is a roadmap for female entrepreneurs, professional women, "side hustlers" and anyone in between who wants to become a better woman." This is a quick, fun read with so many motivational and empowering topics!! She tells it like it is and I love her approach. Highly recommend this for all you girl bosses out there!!
6. Berkley Water Filter is a must with how much crap is in our tap water!! Have you seen this map of where the concentrations of chromium-6 are in each state's water supply? Exposure to chromium-6 can lead to lung cancer, liver damage, reproductive problems and developmental harm. This is just one harmful contaminant, let's talk about the 100s of other pollutants in most water supplies! We all know what has happened in Flint! The Berkley filters 99.999% of contaminants in tap water from heavy metals (lead), viruses, bacteria, pharmaceuticals, micro-organisms, inorganic minerals and more!! You can read about their purification certifications and other contaminants that are removed here. I bought one of these a few months ago and am thrilled to have gotten rid of the big water containers I used to buy. I can literally taste the minerals and other crud in tap water after drinking purified water for years!! I can not recommend this filter enough! Not all filters are created equally....your refrigerator filter is not filtering a whole lot!! I bought my Big Berkley off Amazon and will replace the 4 filters every 6 months.
7. Ease Magnesium topical spray is my favorite magnesium spray out there! I have tried a couple and they all have stung and left a powdery residue after they dry. The other brands also have "bleached" my towels and sheets when it comes in contact with it!! Magnesium spray is a great way to get magnesium into your body instead of taking supplements. It is easily absorbed in the skin, enters the bloods stream and works immediately. Magnesium can relieve aches and pains, alleviate stress and anxiety and help you sleep. 80% of us are deficient in magnesium. This spray is such an easy way to supplement magnesium into your body without having to deal with absorbing it thru the gut. Plus, this wont give you the runs like taking it internally can if you take too much! Magnesium is known as the miracle mineral and you are most likely deficient!! I spray this on my calves and behind my knees each night before bed.
8. Chipotle Lime Mayo from Primal Kitchen is awesome!! I use this on tuna, chicken, egg salad, sardines, turkey...really anything!! It has an awesome chipotle flavor to it! The best part is that it doesn't have canola or soy in it like almost all other mayos!! It is made with avocado oil and organic eggs!! FYI, mayo is dairy free, it doesn't have any milk in it!! I think people think it's creamy so it must have dairy in it. Mayo done right can be a great healthy fat additive to any meal!! Whole Foods sells this and so does Thrive Market. Primal Kitchen also sells a regular Mayo made from avocado oil that I love too. They are both sugar free and Paleo friendly.
9. Siete Foods Almond Flour Tortillas are amazing and I don't want to tell you how many I have bought since I found these in May!! When you had to stop eating gluten years ago and don't really have anything that fulfills a bread like craving...this does!! These are incredible!!! I prefer the almond flour one the best, but there is a cassava flour/coconut flour pack and a cassava/chia pack. These can be used for wraps, burritos or you can eat them like I do...warmed on a skillet with ghee and sea salt and then rolled up. So darn good!! You can find these at Whole Foods, other natural grocery stores or online from Siete. Keep them in the freezer so they last longer. They thaw out really fast if you need one quick!
10. Blue Blockers to block the blue light at night from over head lights and electronics. I have worn these for about 3 years now and can completely tell a difference...plus the research doesn't lie! Blue Light is making us sick! Long story short, the lights in your house and from your electronics let off blue light. This is the same blue light the sun lets off to wake you up in the morning. When you are exposed to blue light at night, your body won't release melatonin so it doesn't think it's time to go to sleep. This results in less REM sleep and deep sleep. This messes with your circadian rhythm and in turn messes with your hormones. You can watch a quick video here that explains more about this. If I am around lights at night without my glasses, it's like I've had caffeine and can not fall asleep. I have 3 different pairs, a Gunnar pair for being out in public as they aren't as funny looking. I have a Swanwick pair that I wear around the house and this really affordable pair from Amazon that actually blocks better than Gunnars, but they are so big and bulky that I tend to use them the least...but they are great and block the sides too. I highly recommend a pair, especially if you watch TV or are on a computer or phone at night!!! Quality sleep and eliminating blue light should be just as high of a priority as nutrition if not more in my opinion!
I hope you enjoyed learning some new healthy things!!! Let me know if you try any of these what you think!!!
