SH*T I'M OBSESSED WITH: SUPPLEMENTAL SIPS

Happy Sunday Spoonies! I hope everyone had both a fun and restful weekend and are ready to start Monday morning with a happy face. I laughed at myself while typing that... wishful thinking at it's finest, mainly for the Monday morning part. I did have a really relaxing weekend though and got to spend some QT with my family which I definitely needed. Part of my weekend was spent eating out at one of my favorite places (gluten free flatbreads to die for) but that also left my stomach dying. That is usually how it goes, but never fear, I know what to do. Once I feel a not so great couple of days coming on I switch up my diet to lots of liquids. Now I know this is different for everyone as to what makes them feel better. I've heard some people do a lot better with solid/bland foods like bread and rice but for me that hasa very counterproductive impact on my insides. So I stick my tried and true smoothies (shout out to my dad for getting me the BEST Ninja Blender ever). 

Usually I stick with water (sometimes coconut water if I'm feeling crazy), frozen fruit, a handful of spinach or kale, some greek yogurt and then my favorite part... SUPPLEMENTS!

I used to use a bunch of shake mixes and stuff like that which I am by no means knocking but I realized I like the excitement of customizing my smoothies. I have tried a variety of different "add ins" but these two are my absolute favorites right now. They have great health benefits specific to what my body needs and they are pure, delicious, and don't upset my stomach. Also, total tangent but blending up spinach and kale doesn't upset my stomach but eating it raw and whole does, anyone else have this too? Anyway, I had to share my growing obsession with Chia Seeds and Spirulina Powder.

CH-CH-CH-CHIA

I love these bad boys. They add a bit of texture which I know isn't for everyone but I am all about it. I'm just going to start out here saying I KNOW I am going to get shit for saying I like Chia Seeds for a Crohn's diet. Technically you are supposed to avoid nuts and seeds but these have done a lot more good than they have harm.

A lot of people suffering from Crohn's (and any chronic illness really) are lacking in nutrients. Sometimes your body isn't processing things correctly and sometimes it is just because, well, eating is hard. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Honestly, days where I feel like crap the last thing I want to do is take a bunch of vitamins and make sure I am getting all my food groups. Like, shit, I'm lucky if I can eat some damn gluten free crackers. Anyway, I like to make things easy and get my nutrients mixed into other things. I also do this with vegetables because hey, those are hard to, lets be real for a minute. 

Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants, high quality protein, Omega 3s, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and fiber. 

So what the eff does this actually mean?

You can throw a tiny little serving size in your morning smoothie and get a ton of goodness without having to add additional things in your diet.

Another fun fact. They keep you full for really long so if you are trying to be healthy and not eat all of the donuts that your office always has hanging around, adding a little scoop of this in your morning snack will really do the trick. 

I'm not a medical professional so don't live and die (certainly please don't die) by what I say, but I just have to stand behind my good friends, chia seeds, and say they may be a seed but they are friends for us Crohnies... at least in my opinion.

SPIRULINA POWDER

I'm going to be 100% honest. When I bought this stuff I had no clue what it was. When I realized it was actually some algae basically, Matt laughed at me and was like "uhhh did you know that". I obviously had to pretend like I did to prove that my impulse purchases are, indeed, necessary and decently informed. This one was not and Spirulina and I met by chance. I accidentally exploded this blue/green powder all over my freshly cleaned kitchen and wanted to punch myself in the face. Eventually when I got my shit together, I looked into what this stuff actually is and was completely shocked.

Like chia seeds, spirulina powder is one of the most serious of superfoods. The benefits are extensive and you can read about them here because they are way too long to summarize and I really don't want to bore you.

What my absolute favorite benefit of spirulina happens to be is the positive impact it can have on people with autoimmune diseases. HELLO! Spirulina has been proven to reduce the candida or "bad bacteria" in your gut. This is what my acupuncturist always tells me is a huge problem for me and actually my doctor does too. The treatment approaches are very different though. My doctor gives me a variety of antibiotic cocktails that make me feel like death has come to take me out slowly but surely. My acupuncturist recommends something a lot more palatable... lots and lots and lots and lots of probiotics. I am all about that and live like probiotics are my best friend, but why not get some extra help from spirulina? Aka trying real hard to ditch the antibiotics for good.

Just a tiny little scoop in my smoothie in the morning packs in a serious dose of nutrients and candida ass kicking power. Also, random fact, since I've been drinking it my allergies have improved. GUESS WHAT! Another benefit right there that I must have totally skimmed over during my first run through of research.

Again, I am not a medical professional so you don't have to believe me but it has definitely had a positive impact on my body. I am still in the beginning stages of my experience with these supplements so I will update if anything else earth shattering happens. 



I am just going to say this one more time so no one freaks out at me or something: I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. Clearly. But my opinion is my opinion and I think it is a pretty awesome one. Kidding..... 

Let me know if you try these out in your morning smoothies and how AMAZING they make you feel! Or how horrible they make you feel because, hey, I'm not always right.

I hope you all kick Monday's butt.

xx