Have you ever had something happen to you and it feels like you’re the only one and then suddenly, people are coming out of the woodwork telling you their similar stories? That’s exactly how I feel about this appendectomy I just had. I thought it would be a simple surgery and that I would be up and back to normal within a week…well that wasn’t in the cards. This has truly been one of the hardest things, mentally and physically that I’ve ever been through! Evidently, appendicitis is hard to diagnose and that’s the reason I ended up in the emergency room for the second time. Even with a CT scan, they couldn’t see that my appendix wasn’t doing so well. Anyway, because this has been somewhat of a wake up call for me, I’ve been doing a little reading, trying to figure out how to lead a healthier lifestyle from now on. From what I’ve read, everything goes back to gut health. The tricky part, believe it or not, is that gut health is affected by stress levels as well as diet and lifestyle. We can eat healthy food all day long and still be stressed out and crazy, so what exactly are the secrets? It seems that everything goes back to meditation, simplifying and living intentionally. Sounds easy on paper, but in real life…it can be tricky. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing what I learn with you. Why is gut health so important? What are practical steps we can take to heal our guts and how can we sustainably maintain that? In the meantime, click here to read a really great article by Dr. Christiane Northrup about How to Improve Your Gut Health In a Day.

Until you’ve had a scare, you just don’t realize how important it is to take care of yourself, but feeling good is everything!

An imbalance in Candida (a fungus) causes many different problems in your gut, most of all releasing toxic by products into your body. When you have an overgrowth of Candida, your symptoms may include:

Brain fog, poor memory, ADHD

Fatigue and/or fibromyalgia

Autoimmune diseases

Digestive issues - gas, bloating, constipation

Skin issues, including eczema, hives, rosacea, rashes

Seasonal allergies/chronic sinus infection

Skin and nail fungal infections (ringworm, athlete’s foot, tinea versicolor - when you get white spots in the sun): An external fungus can be an isolated issue, but is often a sign that the rest of the body is imbalanced.

Vaginal infections, UTIs

Sugar craving: Sugar is food for yeast

Mercury overload: Some alternative medicine experts think yeast overgrowths can manifest to surround and protect mercury in the body. *Information from Dr. Amy Myers, MD

If you have any of these symptoms (most of us do), be sure to read the above mentioned article and start to implement a healthier lifestyle! You also might want to try this recipe for Za’atar Chicken Bowl!

This recipe for Za’atar Chicken Bowl from Gweneth Paltrow’s new cookbook The Clean Plate is so healthy with lots of herbs and citrus and a creamy sauce.

Thanks so much for bearing with me as I recover from this crazy experience. I feel as if I’ve started on a journey of finally really starting to live a healthy lifestyle! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

If you haven’t already, be sure to download the very first issue of my new magazine, Blondie, by Crazy Blonde Life! It’s a quarterly magazine that includes great shopping, food, lots of inspiration and so much more! Upon subscribing, you’ll receive access to a private Facebook group and become part of a community of like minded women! Just click here to subscribe!