Happy New Year

I have never been so blessed than by the families that I have worked with over the course of these last six years running Wholesome Practices. Getting to share the joy of your dreams coming true in conceiving, carrying and birthing your babies has been the greatest gift to me.

If you've been following my blog you know that this year has held a lot of changes for me, for all good reasons, and 2019 will only hold more. I have partnered up with Whitney Eves NTC in creating an online course-based platform that will host various 'packages' on specific topics with all the nutritional information you need. Of course we are starting Happy Healthy Littles with a Prenatal Package in the New Year, which will also have workouts by Beth Alexander, a pre and post natal fitness specialist. I could not be more thrilled to have created a way to give more women access to information regarding nutritional prenatal care.

Whitney and I have poured our hearts and souls into this Prenatal + Fitness Package and hope for many more packages to come in 2019. With the launch of this whole new venture I am no longer running Wholesome Practices as my private practice. But do not worry, I am still consulting and will still be available for those of you who have worked with me in these precious previous years. Not much changes there besides the name and the heart to reach woman on a much larger scale ;) This Wholesome Practices website will still run a blog with a new post here and there on what I am loving lately. I also invite you to follow the Happy Healthy Littles blog when it's launched.

I wish everyone the happiest and healthiest New Year, cheers to 2019 :)

p.s. please review my posts on Cold Care if your families are coming down with everything that's going around right now!

Seasonal Eating

After an extended weekend trip up north, where it is actually cold, and I do mean cold! I am reminded, oh yes, seasons do change! Ours seem so insignificant here in nearly sunny year round southern California and yet our crops go through their own slight changes as well ;)

When I returned to my kitchen basket full of winter squash, sweet potatoes and yams it was confirmed! Our own fall season is here, and I am so excited to take it all in. Persimmons and pomegranates too! While we miss the abundance of summer strawberries, crispy crunchy cucs and fresh basil seasonal eating challenges us in great ways. I'm whipping through my old favorites and of course working on making some new favorites ;) This one I can't get enough of right now from one of my all time favorite bloggers.

Enjoy these favorites of mine from years past:

Pumpkin Cocoa Chili

Simple Squash Soup

Bison and Butternut Chili

Now of course you can still find a local strawberry and an heirloom tomato around but our salad bowls will surely be turning into soup bowls as the winter nears and nears so you might as well start gearing up ;)

Cold Care: Mom's turn

Mom's certainly need immune support as well, since these littles start bringing everything home and a sick mom can't take care of anybody well ;) So mom's let me tell you first hand you need to take care of your self too.

You need a basic multi with methylated b's for a hundred reasons! You made these babies, no matter where you are post partum you need replenishment desperately! Your immunity takes a hit when you are depleted. If you are nowhere near having had babies you still need methylated b's regularly to support a number of systems, but as it pertains to your immunity, methylation is how your body clears viruses OUT. Exactly what you need when you get one :) Besides you burn b vitamins with stress very readily and what mom isn't a little stressed here and there.

Dietary support is the same as kids so review my post on Cold Care for kiddos.

Key Maintenance Supplements for adults:

• Probiotics: again your gut hosts your immune system and the strength of it will depend upon the levels of good bacteria that reside there. Please do not waste your pennies on a probiotic that is not multi strain, therapeutic grade or contain at least 15 billion CFU. 
• Cod liver oil preferably but sometimes it's harder to get parents to take this than kids ;) critical component to a thriving immune system though. If you won't take it then use this for gel caps.

When you are sick:

• Liposomal Vitamin C is essential to actually get the vitamin c into the cell, other forms are very un-bioavailable meaning the vitamin c is most likely excreted out of the system and not utilized by the body. Basically; a waste. 
• Mushroom complex will boost different components of your immune system to ward off the cold, virus or flu. This exact formulation has been proven in nearly 20 different medical grade studies to work effectively. 

Runny nose:

• Sinupret for adults. 

Sore throat:

• Use spray multiple times a day directly on back of the throat, need natural antibiotics on irritated areas.

Be sure that your vitamin D level is optimal, daily supplementation is usually recommended for all and I found in clinical practice unfortunately no one had adequate vitamin d without a supplement, wish we could do without, but the reality is we really need it. 

Get your 'medicine' cabinet ready, the colds are already comin' in :))))) 

P.s. If you don't have an account yet you'll need to use access code Happyhealthybaby in order to purchase from the Wholesome Practices Pantry referenced above. You can browse the site for anything you'd like once you have made an account :)

Note: Nutrition Consultants do not diagnose, manage or treat illness, conditions or diseases. The scope of practice for Nutrition Consultants reflects educating clients about healthy choices regarding diet and lifestyle to restore balance to the body.

Cold Care: Supporting your child's colds, viruses and flus

Because caring for your child's colds properly matters. With these simple tools you can keep your child from getting recurrently sick and recovering quickly when they do catch something. No one is invincible to colds, viruses and flus but with some dietary and supplemental support it is more than possible to keep the immune system strong all winter long.

Most important is your basic dietary:

• Keep animal proteins high in your child's daily diet. 
• Use grass-fed butter and or ghee liberally. These are without question the most immune supportive of all fats. 
• Consume bone broth or a bone broth powder or even a collagen powder. 

Key maintenance supplements:

• Cod liver oil, far superior to fish oil and your number one most important supplement to have your child taking daily. If you can't get cod liver oil in then use these to at least be getting sufficient omega's in.
• Methylated b vitamins which support a virus clearing pathway in the liver helping the body to rid itself of the virus more efficiently. Toddlers use this chewable. 
• You could also use a full spectrum multi-vitamin that contains the methylated forms of b vitamins in.
• Therapeutic grade probiotic containing multiple strains since 80% of your immunity resides in your gut and is based on your populations of beneficial bacteria!

Now when your child does catch that darn cold, virus or flu it's all about beginning your support as early as you can. So I recommend having these supplements in your pantry at home for use the moment those first symptoms appear. 

For runny noses:

• Sinupret Syrup works amazing for sinuses, so use this the minute that runny nose starts! 

For coughs:

• Bronchipret Syrup for bronchial support, as soon as you hear that first cough.

Bothersome ears:

• Tried and true garlic drops. 

Sore throat:

• This throat spray works like a charm for really painful sore throats. And this tea is incredibly soothing with demulcents herbs that coat and protect from irritation. 

Some mom's also love Sambucus which can be used daily as a little boost and children take it very easily. You can also consider a colostrum powder if your child had a hard winter last year or just seems to catch every single thing going around ;) Colostrum is a dairy product but is fairy hypoallergenic and contains immunoglobulins which are direct components of your immune system. A high quality grass fed whey protein powder also contains immunoglobulins.

You can also schedule a personalized consult for your child or yourself as each of us has our own bio-individual needs to supporting our body's immunity.

Don't forget to stay warm, wash your hands and get adequate sleep :)

P.s. If you don't have an account yet you'll need to use access code Happyhealthybaby in order to purchase from the Wholesome Practices Pantry referenced above. You can browse the site for anything you'd like once you have made an account :)

Note: Nutrition Consultants do not diagnose, manage or treat illness, conditions or diseases. The scope of practice for Nutrition Consultants reflects educating clients about healthy choices regarding diet and lifestyle to restore balance to the body.

Local Favorites - Bree' Osh

When it comes to choosing where to eat out you shouldn't have to compromise your values with nutrition. Obviously the food you cook at home will be of the most nourishing ingredients but we all need to get out once in a while and enjoy something so delicious that we couldn't have made it at home :)

Now, when it comes to pastries that's an even more difficult yet critical decision to make! And let me assure you Bree' Osh is the Bakery of choice without question. Owners, Pierre and Nellie from France have nailed it when it comes to making the healthiest and yet most delicious pastries. They use incredibly well sourced ingredients and most importantly they begin the pastries with a sourdough culture. In the end the pastries are more digestible, even for people like me with a history of terrible digestive issues and sensitive gut flora. Pierre is also able to make a sweet and delightful pastry with less sugar than your traditional store bought pastry because of the sourdough process.

Sourdough is a very traditional process used to ferment the flour making it more digestible by breaking down some of the gluten into a more easily assimilated form in the body. People then who has a sensitive stomach will do much better consuming any type of wheat flour that has been made using a sourdough culture. Pierre's sourdough culture has been around for a number of years and he just continues to feed it! This makes it strong and potent, making a wonderfully light and sour flour that then gets added to the other ingredients to make the final product. It is also demanding on the baker and takes serious time and commitment, something to be noted when you choose which baker you support ;)

So when you need a real pastry, made the right way, that won't damage your system and will leave you feeling satisfied and great, then Bree' Osh is your place!

Visit Bree' Osh at 1150 Coast Village Rd in Montecito for a lot more than just pastries too :)

New Beginnings

Three years ago I set out to update and change the face of Wholesome Practices to all things mommy baby. As you can see I never finished! Why? Because time spent in front of the woman has been the most important thing to me. There's enough of you that that's what I've spent all my time doing ;) I am now taking a change of course and pace. There's too many deserving to have the healthiest pregnancies and most joyous experiences having babies for me not to expand the practice further and farther to reach more of you :)

That being said you will no longer find Dani Rhoades in her 'white coat' at Dr Iris Pediatrics. It has been an incredible pleasure working alongside Dr Iris Castaneda these last five years and I cherish my experiences and relationships built there with both the families and staff.

Wholesome Practices will be moving forward with a greater level of outreach, finding myself back where I started giving talks, seminars, lectures and teaching at community events. This way the message of perinatal health goes forth to so many more than just one mom at a time. Look out for more information to come on online packages that I will be a part of creating for everything pregnancy, postpartum and baby care!

Of course, my heart and joy is still found in face to face consulting and individualized care. Do not worry, I am still available for nutritional consults and you will surely still find me meeting with moms and their sweet babes all over town :)