Health Food Haul | Lucky Vitamin Review + Discount Code

I am always searching for fast, easy and affordable ways to purchase health food and healthy lifestyle tools online. While I love going into a store and browsing the aisles, let's be honest who really has time to do that anymore!? To that end, I'm so excited to announce that I'm an ambassador with Lucky Vitamin. Browsing their website was better than browsing the aisles of a health food store, because I got to do it in my yoga pants on the couch! ;) Here's a look at the products I purchased and how I intend to use them:

Blood Typing Kit: I've been reading about The Blood Type Diet (www.4yourtype.com) so I wanted to experiment with eating foods that are more compatible with my blood type. Then I realized I have no idea what my blood type is. Let's see if I have the courage to actually poke my finger and get the blood out! (OMG)

Bach Flowers: I'll talk more about Bach Flower remedies in another blog post but basically I'm going to begin incorporating these for my own personal health. This is another form of energy medicine similar to homeopathy.

Lily's Dark Chocolate with Almonds: I LOVE Lily's chocolate because it's the only one I've found that is sweetened with STEVIA! Can I get an Amen and Hallelujah. I've been working really hard to reduce (and hopefully eventually eliminate) sugar from my diet. This is a great choice for when I just NEED CHOCOLATE :)

Artisana Coconut Butter: Alright not gonna lie, I ordered this to make my own chocolate coconut butter cups. My local Whole Foods has been out of Eating Evolved coconut butter cups for an eternity. And a girl needs her coconut butter cups! We'll see how this goes....

Garden of Life Raw Probiotics for Women: I have heard so many great things about these raw probiotics so I'm super excited to try. As a general rule, I take a probiotic supplement every day and from what I have read - the best probiotics are the ones that need to be refrigerated.

George's 100% Aloe Vera Juice: I think some people drink this but my plan is to use this on my face as a toner! So excited to try more non-toxic beauty.

Safe Catch Wild Tuna: Again, I've heard that this is the best tuna around because it has the lowest mercury of any brand. So Safe Catch says that it's good for athletes, kids and pregnant women. I don't generally eat tuna, but every once in a while I crave a good ol' tuna salad sandwich.

Hydrion pH testing strips: I am also learning about pH and how the acidity / alkalinity of our body determines our general health and well-being. So these strips are used to test saliva and urine. Let me know if you want to hear more about this!

I love that Lucky Vitamin also includes a newsletter with Top Trends in health. I actually want to read it! They mentioned 7 but I'll share a few of my favorites top trends this summer, as stated directly in their newsletter:

"The Keogenic Diet: Simliar to the Atkins diet -- though much more strict -- the Ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein and low-carbohydrate diet. The diet was first designed in 1924 by Dr. Russell Wilder and it's commonly used as a treatment for children or individuals with epilepsy. New research has shown that on top of weight loss, following a ketogenic diet may also help decrease total cholesterol, increase HDL (the "good") and lower LDL (the "bad") Even professional athletes and endurance athletes are catching on to this popular diet. The diet works by forcing the body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is the result of ketones building up in the blood stream when people eat a low or no carbohydrate diet. There are specific calculations that go into figuring out the right percentage of fat to protein to carbohydrate ratio."

"Micellar Water: Besides being one of the most recent trends in the skin-care industry, micellar water is made up of tiny molecules called micelles suspended in soft water. The micelles act like a magnet for fatty molecules (oils), dirt and makeup so it helps to cleanse your face without drying out your skin. Tend to be great for people with dry and sensitive skin types since they are gentle and hydrating"

I am so excited to try these products! Hope you enjoyed this health food haul - I'll do specific posts talking about various products more in-depth. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

And now the best part! 

Use code MAE10 for 10% off your first Lucky Vitamin order!

What's on your healthy shopping list?

xo

Please note: I am required to tell you that this information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general wellbeing and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. Please seek advice from your medical doctor.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, however Lucky Vitamin did provide me a voucher to purchase these products. Thanks for your support of my blog! xo

Whole 30: Week 2 | No Desserts! Parties & Events, What I Ate + My Experience

Well....Week 2 was hard! Not because of the Whole 30 program necessarily but because of several external factors. First of all, I had a lot of lunch meetings! And a lot of events that revolved around food! It was tough to resist temptation.  (If you haven't yet caught up with my journey and how to prepare for Whole 30, start with the recap of Week 1 here)

The beginning of week 2 started out with an easy breezy lunch meeting. I got a spinach salad with strawberries, pine nuts and salmon. I verified that the balsamic glaze didn't have added sugar and I was good to go! So delicious.

I had been craving sugar though. Well, just dessert in general. I was starting to feel a little sick from all the meat and veggies. You know how you just feel heavy after a meal? I felt like I wanted something to cut the taste. So I decided to sauté an organic apple in Fourth & Heart Vanilla ghee, added some almonds and golden raisins and topped with Barney Butter sugar free almond butter. It was PERFECT. Exactly what I was craving and just hit the spot. I had that for dinner one night early in the week. Well sure enough, I got a ton of messages from you guys that it's not technically Whole 30 compliant. I just couldn't understand why all the ingredients individually were Whole 30 compliant but mixed together they were not. So I reached out to Whole 30 on Instagram. This is the answer they gave me! 

So basically, Whole 30 does not permit desserts or treats because it is feeding old habits and perpetuating the problem of us being reliant on sugar. Makes total sense. I still loved eating that apple though ;)

I had lunch with my good friend Britney from FittyBritttty on Instagram (if you're not following her, you are missing out! She is such an inspiration -- she lost 80 lbs! And is just a ray of sunshine!) We walked to Whole Foods and made salads from the salad bar. That is the *perfect* solution for Whole 30. Then we walked to a park and ate in the beautiful LA weather! Woohoo! Here's my salad, it doesn't look that great but it was amazing: spinach, romaine, broccoli, tomatoes, roasted potatoes, tuna, chicken, artichokes, peas and balsamic dressing.

I stopped by the Whole Foods salad bar a few more times throughout the week. It's just so easy and convenient. It's not the most affordable to eat there every day, I realize that. 

As a side note, one of the most common questions I get is how to eat healthy on a budget. I get it, organic, healthy food can be expensive (not to mention all the potions, etc -- that adds so much more!) Check out my YouTube video for all my very best tips on how to eat clean affordably -- it definitely is possible!

If you can't make it to Whole Foods, try Sprouts -- they also have a great salad bar and it may be a little cheaper! I loved this meal that I put together from the Whole Foods salad bar:

Once again roasted potatoes and chicken. Plus mushrooms and salad with shredded rainbow carrots, watermelon radish and spring mix dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I also picked up a GT's kombucha. It is the only kombucha I've found that is Whole 30 compliant because it doesn't have added sugar. The only sugars come from the fruit juice they add. So I think it's ok. I can't give up my booch!

So the end of the week is when things got tricky! I attended a gala party with the City of Beverly Hills and was faced with so many delicious food options. It was tempting but I was able to stay away from carbs, gluten, sugar and dairy! Just ate lots of chicken! ;)

I was invited to attend The Eat Show in DTLA as an influencer. I was SURROUNDED by so much good food! But I did a pretty good job of weeding out the things that were not compliant. I'm amazed I made it out with my Whole 30 intact! Haha :)

Then my cousin came to visit and once again we were hitting the town and eating out! I had a smoothie for breakfast at home so that was easy. At coffee shops, I once again brought my own cashew milk. We also went to the Farmers Market for the most delicious, fresh food. I posted this photo on Instagram but I wanted to share here as well. 

So on Mothers Day, we were strolling the Farmers Market and we came across Cumin Restaurant at the Farmers Market and John, the owner, was the kindest man!

He runs a cash-only operation and of course I only had a credit card, so he let me just take the food and told us to come back some other time to pay him. How sweet is that?! I feel like people never do that anymore. It was so fitting that that happened on Mother's Day. My mom is the nicest, sweetest gem of a human being. She spreads so much love and happiness wherever she goes in this world and treats everyone with so much kindness. I feel like I am just reaping the benefits of her goodness! We had such a great day, eating the most deliciously seasoned chicken and potatoes and spending time on the beach in Santa Monica. It was so special to spend time with my cousin, who is like my little sister, while our moms were together (in another state) and celebrating us being together and happy :)

I finished up the weekend just grateful I survived all those events and curveballs that were thrown my way. I love Whole 30, but I just don't know how to do it when you have a normal social calendar or even just work. So far, it seems like you have to completely hide out! But, I'm excited for Week 3! And even more excited about Week 4 because I'll be working with a special company I can't wait to tell you all about soon! 

Have you done Whole 30? What was your experience? Any tips you can share?

I'd love to hear all about it, please leave me a comment here or connect with me on Instagram @maebad

XOXOXO

Just in case you missed it, here's the recap of Week 1 on Whole 30 plus how to prepare, cheat sheets and more! 

Read about my entire Whole 30 Journey!

And here's my YouTube video on how to eat healthy & affordably on budget: 

Whole 30: Week 1 | How To Prepare, Cheat Sheets, What I Ate + My Experience

What a week! Earlier this year, I decided to try Whole 30 but honestly, I wasn't taking it too seriously. I thought that the Whole 30 philosophy was how I was eating anyway. But I quickly learned that was not the case. Whole 30 requires a shift in mindset. So I decided that Monday May 1 was going to be the perfect day to start the program and be strict about it!

Here's a look at my first week of doing Whole 30 -- May 1-7, 2017 -- how I prepared, what I ate, what I learned and more!

HOW TO PREPARE

My friend Bari lent me a copy of Melissa Hartig's book, It Starts With Food. That lays out the entire Whole 30 program and lifestyle. And it is just that - a lifestyle.

I also started following Melissa on Instagram as well as the official Whole 30 account and Whole 30 recipes. Several of my favorite Instagrammers share Whole 30 recipes already as well. Search the hashtags #Whole30 #Whole30Approved and #Whole30Recipes for more. I have also started sharing my Whole 30 food journey, recipes and meal ideas over on Instagram. Follow along @maebad over there!

I also checked out Pinterest for so many amazing recipes! And Whole 30 Cheat Sheets!

There's a lot of the Whole 30 philosophy. And while it can't be reduced into just few simple lists, I still found these very helpful for a quick and handy guide. The basics that I was the most concerned about: NO SUGAR, NO DAIRY, NO GRAINS, NO LEGUMES.

Changes I Made

I realized that there is SUGAR in EVERYTHING! No more maple syrup which I love. I had a big jug of it so I hid it away so I wouldn't be tempted when I saw it. I made a shopping list and hit up Whole Foods, Sprouts and Trader Joes. I made my own nut milks (almond and cashew). I cut out all condiments and salad dressings. I switched out my Vital Proteins Collagen Whey (because of the milk proteins) to regular Collagen Peptides.

WHAT I ATE

During the week, my meals pretty much looked like this. I did a lot of meal prep on Sunday. I made the perfect 7 minute soft-boiled eggs. Seriously the yolk tasted like jam! So delish. I also roasted a lot of veggies, steamed broccoli and sautéed salmon with turmeric, Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel seasoning and lime. I packed my lunch every day!

EATING OUT

I wanted to make sure that I was living my super fun life and not sitting at home all the time because I was afraid to eat out. At the end of Week 1, I went to TWO brunches with my friends over the weekend. It was super easy to stick to Whole 30 while eating out! I just had to be prepared. Duh. I checked the menu of the restaurant before I went to see what I could eat. And I knew what my substitutions were going to be if I had to ask for them and I was prepared to pay the difference. Now, I did have to bring my own DIY Cashew Milk. No problem though I just reused an old Kreation glass shot jar with a lid and stuck it in my purse. None of the restaurants minded at all! My DIY Cashew Milk was made with dates (which are allowed! Phew!) so it was a little sweet. But I did not add any other sweeteners to my coffees.

Saturday Brunch
I went to brunch at Blu Jam Cafe in Sherman Oaks. If you've never been you must go next time you're in The Valley. I ordered The Breakfast Burger, subbed the bun for lettuce and got all the sauces on the side. It came with roasted potatoes (which I'm still surprised are ok to eat but yay!) There was also an egg on the burger which made it even better! A quick note about the food quality. I shared this on Instagram but it bears repeating. I have been trying my absolute hardest to eat the absolute best quality food I can -- which means organic vegetables and fruits and grassfed meats. Now, I am also trying to maintain balance. So I have no idea if that burger meat was grassfed. I don't know if the eggs were from pasture raised chickens (I wish they were from Vital Farms - my favorite company!) But you know what, I still ate it. And it was delicious. So balance my friends. Balance.

Follow me on Instagram for more!

Sunday Brunch
I went to brunch at The Butcher's Daughter in Venice. Oh I was in love with that place! The decor was fabulous -- a little bit vintage and whole lotta flowers. I ordered the cauliflower grits. Goodness they were delicious. The base was cauliflower and topped with an egg, sautéed mushrooms, and micro greens. It was supposed to come with adzuki bacon. I didn't know what adzuki was so I asked the waitress and she brought the allergy list for me to check out. That's another super helpful tip - ask your waitress for the allergy information - it lists all the ingredients so you can see if it's compliant or not! Turns out adzuki is made from black beans so I couldn't have it because there's no legumes on Whole 30. So I asked if I could sub for potatoes and she said yes! The perfect delicious meal.

My First Week Experience

I definitely missed the sugar!! I thought that just because I already wasn't eating any added / processed sugar, I would be fine. Boy was I wrong! I was used to make banana bread with maple syrup or adding dark chocolate chips to my oatmeal. Um, no more of that! And I could feel it. But, I was able to push through. I did also have some fruits like banana in my morning smoothie that helped. Overall, I am so happy to be doing Whole 30. I feel like it's a necessary way of life. I miss the quinoa and cheese but I'm good!! Stay tuned for Week 2!

Read about my entire Whole 30 Journey!

On Defending Ourselves... (and weekend fun!)

What a weekend! 🌞 I kicked it off Wanderlust 108 at Santa Monica Pier​.  t was a wellness festival full of cool people, my favorite brands like Rx Bar and Healthade, and lost of activities like yoga and a 5k. The weather in LA was perfect, albeit a bit hot in the sun. So fun to have custom flower crowns made and frolic around the beach surrounded by like minded people. I was lucky enough to get tickets from Rx Bar!

On Sunday, Milk and Eggs - Farm & Food Delivery​ threw a PAR-TAY The Container Yard​! Lots of local food, music and fun. It was the best! Local chefs were creating dishes on the spot using locally-sourced ingredients. More of my favorite brands again like Healthade were there too. There was a Photo Booth and an Urban Farm Container - the future of farming! Seriously, I haven't been to an event that amazing in a long time. It was in the Arts District of LA so that alone made so cool. And of course, Milk and Eggs spoiled us with an amazing gift bag full of goodies.

Then last night I had a mini epiphany. I was with friends & the conversation turned to....basically my lifestyle. How I make my own almond milk now (💁🏻) & adaptogens & all the other things I'm doing. I found myself subconsciously defending my choices. I was saying things like "I know y'all think I'm crazy, but..." As I was reflecting, I realized that's ridiculous. Even though it was a subtle little phrase, it's not necessary. I don't have to defend anything. Even to my friends. I feel amazing & I'm happy. So I encourage you to make sure you're speaking positively about yourself - in all scenarios whether big or small! Happy May, friends!

My Favorite Health + Wellness Podcasts

As many of you know, I embarked on a health + wellness journey at the end of 2016 and I've been focusing on it more and more as move throughout 2017. To that end, I'm trying to listen to more podcasts not only because they offer an incredible amount of information from experts, but you can listen to them literally anytime of the day and in any situation -- at home, in the car, at the gym, whenever. My favorite time to listen to podcasts is either in the morning while I'm making my morning smoothie (full of adaptogens - more on that to come!) or at night while I'm cooking dinner / meal prepping. Here's a look at my favorite, and I personally think, the best podcasts related to health + wellness. 

1. Soul On Fire:

Jordan Younger (@thebalancedblonde) is the girl behind Soul On Fire and author of Breaking Vegan. I was lucky enough to meet her and have a chat and she is sooo sweet! And beautiful. And just really lovely. Jordan has interviewed so many experts and entrepreneurs in the health, wellness and blogging world that includes Sophie Jaffe, the creator of Philosophie (love!), Kelly Leveque, celeb holistic nutritionist, Jonathan Albrecht, the regional operations manager of Orange Theory, Lauryn and Michael Bosstick, the two behind @theskinnyconfidential, and one of my favorite Jeannette Ogden from ShutTheKaleUp on Instagram. With each episode, Jordan finds out what the interviewee has done to set their soul on fire, hence the name of the podcast.

Faves: Ep. 3 Sophie Jaffe, Ep. 5 Kelly Leveque, Ep. 15 Jeannette Ogden

2. Bulletproof Radio:

A great introductory podcast for learning more about quality nutrition and life hacks. This was one of the first podcasts I started listening to. Dave Asprey provides cutting edge research from world-class experts. I'm not 100% into the Bulletproof lifestyle but I do occasionally incorporate a modified version of the coffee into my morning routine. Dave interviews some of the top researchers, biochemists, meditation experts, entrepreneurs, and doctors across the world who share tips for taking control and upgrading your biochemistry, body and mind so they work in unison.

Faves: #376 Vegetable Oil – The Silent Killer W/ Dr. Cate Shanahan

3. The Model Health Show:

Shawn Stevenson is a nutrition expert. I really love his fun and casual way of talking about really important health topics. He does include ads (which I'm finding has become the norm) but honestly I just skip right over them. I've learned so much from him about sleep and bone broth!! Two of my favorite subjects now ;)

Faves: Ep. 188, Bone Broth Diet with Dr. Kellyann, Ep. 193 with Dr. Mark Hyman, 

4. The Fat Burning Man Show:

I really love this podcast. Abel James speaks the truth about health and nutrition and exposes the misleading claims that have been made, leading most Americans astray. I truly believe it's so important to do our own research and not just take what we hear at face value so that's why I love him. Some of my favorite topics have included: getting the inside scoop on how Kobe incorporates bone broth into his daily regimen (!!!), learning why we overeat and and how to beat cravings, understanding the thyroid connection and leaky gut, and learning more about the ketogenic diet (something I'm really trying to learn more about).

Faves: Dr. Cate Shanahan: Why Kobe Bryant Drinks Bone Broth, Dr. Mithu Storoni: The Ketogenic Diet, Brain Boosting Fats & How To Avoid Low-Carb Mistakes

5. Revolution Health Radio by Chris Kresser:

Chris Kresser has one of the top 25 natural health sites in the world and is on the New York Times Bestseller List for Your Personal Paleo. (Amazing!) He is a physician and is very well-respected in the functional and integrative health world. I'm starting to learn more about functional medicine and it's role in the traditional medical model so I love his background. Many of the episodes are fairly short (20 - 40 min) and thankfully he doesn't include ads! Thank you Dr. K! The topics and information covered are cutting-edge, nerdy, and provide practical information on how to prevent and reverse disease in a natural way.

Faves: #32 Dr. Mark Hyman on the Future of Medicine, #19 What Causes Hormone Imbalance, 

6. Cabral Concept:

Dr. Stephen Cabral is a Naturopathic, Ayurvedic and Functional Medicine Doctor. Again, I love the functional medicine perspective and am trying to learn more about naturopathic / ayurvedic modalities. The coolest part about his podcasts is that he assigns a different topic for each day of the week– Motivation and Mindset Monday, Total Wellness Tuesday, Weight Loss Wednesdays, Training Thursdays… I love a good theme!! And his podcasts generally are short, perfect for a quick smoothie-making session before work. 

Faves: #349 Clean 15 vs Dirty Dozen, #313 Top 5 Foods To Eat After Your Workout

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide To Running!

You guys. I started running. 

Well running is a loose term. I'm working on becoming a runner. How's that? I've never been a fan of exercise - not one of those girls who loves to go to the gym. But as I get older, I realize it's so important for my heart health as a woman and just for my general mental and physical well-being. 

I don't know what happened, but something switched in me and I just decided that I'm going to start running. It also helps that I have a group of a super supportive girlfriends who run with me! Though we're spread out, we text each other on workout mornings to report our progress and hold each other accountable. We also share tips and recipe ideas - it is so wonderful! They are a big part of the reason why I'm sticking with this. Also, like I said - I just decided one day that I was going to do it. I think that's true of so many things we do in our lives, we have to just show up and do it. We have to make a conscious decision and move forward. Not everything is easy or even enjoyable, but we do these small daily steps to lead to something bigger. 

In the short of amount of time I have been a runner, I can say the two most important things to get started as a runner are proper shoes and using an app. I use a Couch To 5k app that helps me pace myself and has guided me to work my way up. I didn't expect to just go out there and run a 5k. I needed to train and prepare. So be realistic with yourself! But use the app - it's a big help. I'm assuming most of the apps are the same, but they basically make you alternate between running and walking for various intervals until you get up to running a 5k. Also, proper shoes are critical to protecting your knees as you start to run. I really recommend going to a running store and getting a proper fitting - they will give you so many tips on buying the right running shoes. There's a whole section on shoes below, read it! :) 

For those of you who are like me and never thought you could run or don't even know how to begin, I've compiled a list of resources and articles to get you started running. Hope this helps!

H O W T O S T A R T

How To Start A Running Habit, Even If You Think You Hate It

15 Steps To Becoming A Runner

How To Get Ready To Run 5K Plan

Common Running Form Mistakes & Tips To Correct

S H O E S

Tips On Buying The Right Running Shoe

Cool Tool - Shoe Adviser on Runner's World

Running Shoes: How To Choose

F U N S T U F F

10 Terms Every Runner Needs To Know

30 Songs To Listen To On Your Run

Top 10 Pandora Station For Running

C R O S S T R A I N I N G

Yoga Poses for Runners

6 Yoga Poses For Stronger Running

Cross-Training for Runners

P I N T E R E S T / I N S T A G R A M

Beginners Running Guide & Motivation (Pinterest)

Delicious Vegan Recipes!

Healthy Living Ideas

The Best Running Accounts To Follow On Instagram

M E A L P L A N N I N G / D I E T 

19 Meals for Your Best Run / Fuel Your Body

7 Day Clean Eating Menu Plan

How fun is this street art I saw in Los Angeles during a recent run? That's another part of running that I really enjoy, it's been helping me to get out and see things I wouldn't normally pay attention to!

Are you a runner? Any tips you'd like to share?

XO

Mae