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How was Halloween??!?

Ours was great, and included a short and despairing breakdown (and lots of hugs!) at the end of the evening.

I made sure my kiddo had a little bag of organic, allergy free, and super-low sugar (but great packaging) candies so he felt like he fit right in with the kids at school munching on packaged candy during their Halloween party (even though he didn't eat the junky junk - wow I was impressed!).  

I was reminded that food can be medicine, and some foods are scary dr…

Our school has an annual HOEDOWN!, and it's sooooooo fun!  

Square-dancing with a caller and band, lots of friends, and a big crazy chili & pie potluck feast!

--If you just want the Chili recipe, scroll down to the bottom--

If you avoid sugar, gluten and dairy to keep your child feeling great, you know that being social with food is a bit of a "thing."

Well, for this party I went for it and brought the whole dang meal.  

It didn't take long.  I made the chili during breakfast before schoo…

I love Halloween, and I've been kind of dreading Halloween, because my kiddo is more interested in eating candy than ever before.  

And eating mainstream candy, with all the chemicalized and triggering ingredients, leads straight to inflammation and leaky gut... which can show up as anxiety, behavior issues, belly problems, trouble sleeping, and other issues, depending on the child.  For my little boy it's a red rash around his mouth, new food reactions, and of course a whole lot of microbiom…

We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday, and that got me thinking about what to put in our big basket of halloween treats. 

We're pretty careful about what we put in our own bodies, and are careful what we feed other kids, too!  AND we of course want all the trick-or-treaters to be delighted with their treats!  

There are definitely some awesome low/no sugar treat options that aren't too frightening (with spooky chemical ingredients) - like Xylitol lollies, Smartsweets gummy bears & swedish f…

I just got back from an amazing weekend attending the Microbiome Medicine Conference, where I learned from other experts and presented a talk entitled Gutsy Motherhood. I spoke about the real challenges of raising thriving children in the modern world, and it was well received.

It got me thinking about what I can do to support YOU right now!   

I decided to create a special live webinar for you next Friday.

Better Behavior and Less Stress this Holiday Season

It's nearl…

I'm always thinking of you and your child and your bellies - and how to help you help your child have their healthiest happiest life.

Food, microbes, joy. 

Simple routines that make it easy, and the community that's doing it with you.

That pretty much sums it up!

I'm going to zoom out a bit today, because I've been thinking on a bigger scale about what's been especially powerful in expanding my own and my son's health and happiness.

Is there something in your life that you're trying to do…

I'm geeking out on microbiome research at the Microbiome Keynotes conference.  This morning I took a walk on the beach and thought about a few points that make a big impact on me.  What do you think about: 

Highlights from my notes from the Microbiome Keynotes 2019 Conference Day 1 

• Bacterial vaginosis symptoms lead to 10-15 million doctor visits per year in the US. It can also be asymptomatic.

• Clinical lubricants used to check your progression during labor are antibacterial.

• W…

We squeezed in one last adventure before school started, and I wanted to share with you how easy and yummy these gut-healthy meals were!

First, in the hubbub of packing and building a treehouse (!) there wasn't much time for shopping - an overgrown zucchini from the yard made nice firm zoodles (zucchini noodles), and add a sugar-free jar of sauce plus sausage and fresh basil from the garden and some nutritional yeast and home-made sauerkraut for topping... I had dinner on the picnic table in …

I just got back from a couple of amazing health conferences in San Diego, and something amazing happened. 

Food is usually the first thing I take care of when I arrive anywhere by plane!  

Is it for you too?  

But for the first conference I skipped the food shopping(and brought none with me!) - because the Mindshare Summit does functional health with 100% integrity - including the gluten free, dairy free, organic and free range meals they provide.  (and a whole lot more that’s changing our …

I'm attending conferences right now so I can bring you the most current and effective strategies in supporting our children's physical, mental and emotional health.  

While I love going deep into the research about particular gut microbes, metabolic pathways, herbal protocols and other geeky stuff, one thing is super clear. 

Super-simple steps are the way to help your child. 

Here's an example.  

Pooping. 

Why am I thinking about pooping?

Because I didn't poop much for the past few days!…