A Gutsy Girl®

Heal your gut. Heal your life.

#gutsy

Intro to Ghee Butter

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Eat, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Gutsy Fridge, Love, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Ghee butter is really lovely, so I wanted to put together a little post with an intro to Ghee Butter.

Intro to Ghee Butter

#Organic #Ghee Butter. Learn more at www.agutsygirl.com What's in my fridge?

At our local health food store, the Ghee Butter is kept on a shelf. In the Gutsy household, we keep ours in the fridge.

What is Ghee Butter?

Ghee is a clarified butter, which is simply butter that has been melted over low heat for an extended period of time, eliminates more of the moisture and causes the milk solids to caramelize. Once caramelized (and cooled) the top layer is eventually skimmed off. This layer (yes, the pure fat) is the Ghee.

Why is Organic Ghee Butter in my fridge?

  • The process of cooking off the milk solids burns off most of the lactose found in normal butter. Since I only do Raw Dairy now, this is my alternative option to dairy and butter if/when we are out of raw butter.
  • I love the taste, which is slightly nutty and a little different from regular butter.
  • Long life. Ghee can last for several weeks in your pantry or six+ months in the fridge (which is where I keep mine).

What brand of Organic Ghee Butter and where to find?

Intro to Ghee Butter Tava Ghee Butter flavored Ghee butter sarahkayhoffman.com

I get my Organic Ghee Butter from two main sources: Amazon + Whole Foods. Here are the brands I like:

Recipes

I was first introduced to Ghee Butter a few years back with an Indian recipe. This is how Ghee is “typically” used. It is not only for Indian recipes, though, as it adapts well to most cooking and baking recipes.

Xox,
SKH

Beware the Labels

Filed Under: Eat, Inspire, Love, Special Diets, Unprocessed, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , ,

Food labels are a thing, but you need to beware the labels.

I was perusing my Facebook feed recently when I stumbled upon a new business in town with delicious sweets. My eyes widened when I saw the following:

local fresh product, preservative free candies and sweet treats

Perfect.

I jumped over to their company Facebook page to learn more.

That was really as far as I needed to go. Their Facebook cover photo said it all, including items like C&H Pure Cane Sugar and Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels.

Immediately, I wondered what exactly they meant by “local fresh product.” Does “local fresh product” now mean,

“I made it in my kitchen. I bought it from my local Safeway. I’m local to me, and if people within 15 miles of me buy it then they, too, are receiving local, fresh product?”

And then I wondered what “preservative free” meant. Does “preservative free” now mean,

I didn’t add in any extra preservatives in the form of additional ingredients?

So I asked some friends via my Facebook Page what those terms mean to them. Here were the responses:

  • Made or grown locally and no extra crap added
  • No preservatives or unhealthy additives
  • Made or harvested locally and contains nothing to make it have a long life….to me it does not mean chemical free or organic
  • Grown locally and not altered in any way after harvest???
  • Made locally, no chemicals
  • Does not come from a box or package, and has no expiration date or mascot LOL
  • Hopefully, it means “good food & no crap in it”

Let’s discuss.

Beware the Labels

Click HERE to save this post for later.

Local. Fresh. Preservative Free. Natural. Beware the Labels. www.sarahkayhoffman.compng

For the record, before I continue, here is the ingredient list for those Nestle Morsels used above:

SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER, MILKFAT, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVORS)

{Insert sarcasm} Seems pretty local, fresh and preservative free to me. {Insert frustration} 

What ARE Natural Flavors anyway?! 

I’ve been thinking about this all week. Heck, I’ve been thinking about this since 2011 when on February 22, 2011, I wrote, “Ingredient(s) vs Ingredients.”

If you don’t care about what goes into your food, then you won’t care about labels like “local,” “natural” and “preservative free” and thus, this topic is irrelevant to you.

But if you do care (and this is most of you reading this right now) then you must understand that just because something is labeled with a hot, trendy and healthy “buzzword,” more often than not it’s simply not so.

The USDA must certify a product in order for it to be Certified USDA Organic.

There is no such thing for “local,” “natural,” “preservative and additive free” and much more.

How do I know this? Because I, too, am a food entrepreneur. I am developing A LOVING SPOON, LLC nut butters. I have done my research, and know what consumers want to see from a “buzzworthy-label” perspective. Even still, I am having a very hard time using any of these words — because they have lost their meaning.

When you read an ingredient list after seeing any of the healthy buzzwords, you should be thinking things such as….

Okay, there are chocolate chips in this product. What kind of chocolate chips? What do those chocolate chips consist of? 

The truth is that a chocolate chip is not just a chocolate chip.

A chocolate chip is made by combining all of the ingredients mentioned above. And from there, you must break it down even more. What made up that “sugar?” Or the “chocolate?” There are likely sub-ingredients to all of them.

Literally, I could go on and on and on about this topic. It’s a hot topic for me since I’m in the industry and I am so passionate about the products I am producing. When I say that I use Organic, 100% Cacao Nibs, this is what it means:

The only ingredient is the 100% Cacao Nib. This nib has been sourced from a superior place and it is certified organic, raw and kosher. There is nothing else added to this bean. 

Do I care if companies like this example exist? Absolutely not. Am I judging you if you choose to eat things like that? In no way, shape or form.

My job is to educate you so you know the truth and so that you can make the best decisions for you.

My job is to ensure that my clients are eating the foods that are healing their guts; not the foods that appear to do so.

Beware the labels.

I’m so passionate about this that if you have specific questions around this topic, please feel free to comment below or contact me. I’m happy to do more follow up posts on this.

Xox,
SKH

My First and Last WIAW

Filed Under: Eat, IBS IBD, Love Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Today I am writing my first and last WIAW.

It was brought to my attention on Tuesday via the comments in I am a (Proud) Food Snob that I am labeled this because I am not “forthcoming with what I eat.” Apparently, I have failed you all because I speak in “broad generalities.”

{For the record, I feel like I give a lot of information about what I eat. Gut healing doesn’t work if you kind-of-sort-of work. When I say that I eat plain and bland and (typically) very boring, that is what I mean. Healing the gut is not sexy, and if you think it should be “sexified” with sugar-coated Pinterest recipes then my blog is probably not for you.}

Let me make it very clear that I am a food snob to food, not to people (the exception was that day, for a split second to my husband). I judge food. I don’t judge people who eat food – ever.

We all make choices, and then our choices make us.

My First and Last WIAW. www.sarahkayhoffman.com

Now that we have that clear, let me give you my first ever and absolutely, positively last-ever WIAW (for those of you who don’t follow this trend around the blog-o-sphere, that stands for: What I Ate Wednesday).

My First and Last WIAW

5:30 am: I am hungry from the moment I wake up. I have 1/2 banana and chicken with coconut oil. (Make note that just because I chose to do this “blog food recording” for one day doesn’t mean that I measured anything. I don’t measure portions. I don’t use a scale. My goal is healing; nothing more, nothing less.)

I worked for a few hours at the local coffee shop so I enjoyed coffee with light coconut milk (only coconut milk, no additives or preservatives) and raw honey.

When I got home it was about 10 am. I was hungry so I ate a jumbo bowl of bone broth with ground kosher turkey, sprinkled with a little Himalayan Pink Salt and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Still hungry after that so I had some chicken and coconut oil.

At noon I had a huge spinach salad with baby spinach, chicken, sea salt and nutritional yeast flakes. I also had a couple raw brazil nuts and some ground kosher turkey.

I worked out and after the workout, I had a banana with my homemade JELL-O jigglers. The jigglers are made with gelatin, so I eat these for a specific reason, too (more on that tomorrow). I also had my vitamin C + l-glutamine supplements mixed in water. (p.s, throughout the day yesterday I took supplements: digestive enzymes, HCL, vitamin C, l-glutamine, an 85-billion probiotic, magnesium, vitamin D and a prenatal multivitamin.)

I drank more broth with some lemon.

When dinner rolled around, I ate another jumbo spinach salad, but this time I made it using baby spinach, smoked flank steak (Ryan homemade this last weekend – it’s truly divine!) and coconut oil.

And finally, for dessert I had some sea salted cinnamon almond butter. I mean, you do know that I created A LOVING SPOON for my Gutsy dessert-ing habits, yes?

{Bonus Time: What I Didn’t Eat Wednesday -> soda, chips, crackers, gum, candy, cupcakes, etc. I also didn’t eat the “standard” healthy things -> tons of vegetables, tons of fruits, whole-grain bread, quinoa, pasta, rice, milk, cheese.}

There you have it.

Now let me ask you….

Do YOU feel like a better person?

Do YOU feel more equipped to conquer whatever the day holds for you?

Do YOU feel empowered that by what I ate yesterday will give you the “motivation” for your own eats today?

Do YOU feel happy that you just spent the last several minutes reading all of this?

Are YOU annoyed that the things I DON’T eat are things you DO eat?

And, most importantly, by reading what I ate, is YOUR gut healed?

This blog is mine. It is my space. It is where I write, where I educate and where I hope to inspire every pair of eyes that come across it. But I’m doing YOU a major disservice if all I do is tell you what I eat every single day or every single week. And furthermore, if I’m constantly nagging on the good, the bad and the ugly, how does that inspire anyone?

What I do isn’t going to heal you because the things that work for me now, didn’t work for me 120 days ago (i.e. I was not able to digest raw spinach then).

More importantly, the things that work for me, might not work for you. (For example, do you have IBS or IBD? Is it IBS-C or IBS-D? IBD-C or IBD-D? I have IBD-C “technically.” So if you don’t, and you have a “D” version of anything and are in flare-up mode, you should absolutely not do the vitamin-C powder like I do. And that’s just one little thing. There are hundreds probably.)

And most importantly, even if I were to tell you exactly what to do at exactly which time to do it unless you are really ready to heal and are committed to yourself, it won’t matter. And if it doesn’t matter, then not only have I wasted your time, but I’ve wasted my time as well.

Words are meaningless until they turn into actions.

This was my first and last WIAW. Now I can get on to more important things….a brand new recipe for my homemade jigglers, along with information about collagen and gut healing.

The recipe and information will be right here for you tomorrow.

And let’s be honest, that is what YOU will benefit from.

Xox,
SKH

A Teenager’s Perspective on Being a Gutsy Girl

Filed Under: Your Gutsy Stories Tagged With: ,

It’s Friday! And even though weekends don’t mean much anymore now that I’m 100% consumed with a loving spoon, the idea of Friday will always be a positive one.

Before I tell you about an awesome Gutsy teenager today, I want to remind you that the next Gutsy Mastermind Group Program begins on Monday, September 30! The participants from the first group got so many awesome results that many of them are joining again this time for the daily “Gutsy Office Hours.” I cannot tell you how my cup runneth over when women – women just like you – begin to actually heal, actually feel better and are able to smile bigger once again. Don’t wait – just a few spots left. Click HERE to join!

May was the last time I told your Gutsy story. Time for a great one today! (p.s. Do you want to tell your own Gutsy story here? You can. Simply contact me!)

A Teenager’s Perspective on Being a Gutsy Girl

Meet Erica Brahan. I met Erica a few weeks back when she reached out to me with her story:

“I have had a restrictive diet for over two years. The beginning was overwhelming, difficult, and I felt lost and hated almost everything about it. I started the GAPS diet in 2012, which made improvements and revealed that I had a salicylate intolerance. I am 17 now and a senior in high school and can only eat about 20 foods because of the salicylate intolerance (I am trying to reintroduce some of the foods). Although I still do not really enjoy my restrictions, I have learned a lot about what it takes to maintain a semi-“normal” teenage life with food restrictions.

My mom encouraged me to write a book about my experiences to share with other teenagers or parents with teens. When I first started my journey I would have loved, really loved, to have someone give me advice on things like how to go to school, do social activities, and explain my food restrictions. The problem is that there is nothing like that, at least that is easy to find. With that in mind I wrote “A Teenager’s Perspective on Food Restrictions: A Practical Guide to Keep from Going Crazy“. In it I offer all of the advice I wish I had been given.”

Erica Brahan author of "A Teenager’s Perspective on Food Restrictions: A Practical Guide to Keep from Going Crazy" interview via www.agutsygirl.com IBS IBD

I downloaded her book and skimmed through it.

Bravery –  at such a young age!

So I asked her to tell a little bit more about herself and her story so I could share with you:

“I am a senior in high school and have dealt with health problems since I was young. My most prominent struggle is with chronic joint inflammation, which has been on going since fourth grade and intensified with age. I am a softball catcher and at the age of 15 I could barely play anymore because the pain had become so bad. With the guidance of my functional medicine doctor during my sophomore year of high school, I tried several elimination diets. The first improvement in joint pain was as a junior on the GAPS Intro diet. I later discovered I have a salicylate sensitivity that left me with about 20 foods to eat. After I removed salicylates from my diet, the join pain went away completely! Although this journey has been incredibly difficult at times, I have learned a lot and made huge improvements in my health. Last year, as a junior, I played my first softball season without pain since seventh grade.”

And then, of course, I asked her to tell you all a little bit more about her book:

“I recently wrote a book, A Teenager’s Perspective on Food Restrictions: A Practical Guide to Keep from Going Crazy. It is a reflection of my personal experiences and offers the advice I wish I had received before and during my diet restrictions. It is a short book written by a teenager for other teenagers or parents. I talk about the reality of food restrictions and why they are particularly difficult for teenagers, but also the motivation it takes to continue. I offer advice about how to explain your diet, maintain a social life, and go to school along with other topics.”

You can learn more from a Gutsy teenager’s perspective by downloading Erica’s ebook. The ebook can be purchased from her blog, Edible Attitudes, and is available on Amazon as a paperback for $5.99 or as an eBook for $1.99.

Love your guts,
SKH

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Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain

Filed Under: Eat, General, IBS IBD, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

It’s been almost a month since I had 65 of 101 gut healing days left. Here we are today with gut healing 35 of 101 days remain.

Yes, you read that correctly….just 35 days are left.

Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain

This past month

  • had surgery, and even though I thought it would take me a really long time to recover (drugs), it honestly has been so much easier than I thought
  • have had more days with bowel beauty (c’mon…that’s what the goal here is, yes?!) than lack thereof
  • have added even more raw spinach
  • enjoyed a glass (albeit a small one) of red wine
  • stayed on 100 billion probiotic with all other supplements
  • tried a whole egg
  • had a baking day with coconut and almond meal flour
  • added pumpkin
  • added spaghetti and butternut squash
  • ate an Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage (but removed the casing)
  • completely changed the way I “play” (i.e. workouts. post coming soon)

Results? 

  • shocked that I recovered so quickly from surgery
  • stoked that I’m really beginning to go to the bathroom like a normal person -> please don’t think anything less of me that I am “stoked” about this 🙂
  • spinach – even raw spinach – is working for vs. against me now (watch out Popeye)
  • my small glass of red wine = success
  • the whole egg was for baking purposes only, and it was included with the coconut flour, almond meal flour and pumpkin. I struggled a little after that with gurgling and overall a little blah, so at this point, I can’t pinpoint it on any single one of those (that said, I know the food “properties” of each one and why they could be affecting me). I haven’t had any since, so I’ll be trying again soon.
  • spaghetti squash, in moderation, was good for me
  • Tuesday night I went way overboard on the butternut squash (I was just craving it – it’s my candy) so my upper digestive system was loud yesterday, but no bloat
  • Aidell’s was a success (I was at an event and that was all I could have, so I was thankful. I don’t buy these on a daily basis.)

And even though I’m sweaty here, my new “playing” is working phenomenally for me!

Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain Working out at home, no #bloat, feeling phenomenal via www.sarahkayhoffman.com IBS IBD

Rounding out the 101 days

Proceed with caution.

This is the motto I’m going with.

It was hard for me to hear (based on my surgery) that the pains I get while running are likely stemming from the proctitis (my form of Colitis).

Since I have been feeling so awesome, I am proceeding with caution and not doing much different. I won’t even drop to a 50 billion probiotic quite yet.

If it ain’t broke, we ain’t about to fix it.

I’m playing with the fall foods and easing into things.

I feel more at peace with my Colitis and this bum tum than I ever have before.

I thank God for my will to understand that this is not a diet; this is my life.

I’ve learned a wild amount of things during the process, and for this reason, there is so much to come.

Xox,
SKH

Bent Not Broken

Filed Under: Inspire, Love Tagged With: , ,

Bent not broken…..this can pretty much sum up the current situation.

Pink said the way I’m currently feeling best,

We’re not broken just bent

I’m having surgery tomorrow.

There. I said it.

And after my doctor’s appointments this past Monday, I’m scared.

There. I said it.

Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.

I found that quote by Paulo Coelho on Monday, right after my appointments.

Such a nice quote for one to stumble upon, especially if current circumstances are calm, cool and collective.

Those circumstances are not where I find myself this morning, at 6 am.

Bent not broken bent, not broken via www.sarahkayhfofman.com

Life is happening all at once.

I can’t speed it up (believe me, some things I wish I could), and I certainly can’t slow it down.

Bent Not Broken

Today I feel bent not broken. 

My surgery tomorrow will address what I hope to be this final battle.

My mission around this blog has always been to show women the determination and fight and how we pull from the deepest part of ourselves – you know, Gutsy.

I have never run away from women’s issues, and I’m not about to start now.

I’m looking forward to answers, and more importantly, I’m looking to finally move forward from this.

After all, everything is happening at once and most of it is truly the most amazing thing of my entire life.

I can’t wait to share. (p.s. I now can share because the last important person that I wanted to tell in person, I was able to see, tell and share everything with on Monday!)

After this rain comes the rainbow.

I’m bent not broken and because I will not break – I cannot break – this, too, will only make me stronger….er, Gutsier.

Wish me luck….I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Xox,
SKH