One reason I became interested pursing the study and function of the human body and how food and lifestyle impact it was because of my son.

14 years ago my husband and I were told that our 1 year old had Spasticity in his legs, which is a form of Cerebral Palsy from an in-utero stroke. We were told it was something that could not heal but would not get worse. Time would tell how much it would impact his life but we should count on him having to miss a ton of school for doctors appointments and physical therapy throughout his life, getting many surgeries, probably not walking, and we would see what else with time.

We were absolutely shocked.

That is when I went to work figuring out…. WHAT CAN WE DO?

I call this ‘optimistic science and wellness’ and many degrees/certifications/internships later this is essentially what I practice today.

Although we had fabulous doctors from the get go we were treated as Levi’s diagnosis and not the person he was or the people we were (***see footnote about our amazing physical therapists) . It felt like no one was seeing us, no one was there in the docs office to talk to about what was happening in his body and what we could do to impact it. No one was interested in thinking into ways we could enhance his life and optimize how the rest of him functioned so he could thrive and live his best life. No one was curious with us. No one explained ‘what’s going on in there’ so we could better understand the big picture. And no one seemed second guess feeding Levi chocolate pudding, red jello, dino nuggets and white crackers when we were living in the hospital after his massive surgery hoping he recovered strong………

So I started researching, investigating, and thinking into WHAT CAN WE DO to help?

If he was going to miss so much school, have so many surgeries, and not walk how could we maximize how the rest of him functioned and increase his resilience?

I would have to dig into a lot of biochemistry and physiology but luckily I was already in healthcare and was off and running in no time.

With the help of our brilliant physical therapists, we had the muscular/mechanical part down. But I was curious what was going on physiologically with spasticity and how might that have happened. I was curious about his immune system, and what we could do so he wouldn’t miss more school for preventable viruses and infections. I was interested in what we could do to impact his brain function so he was as sharp and clear headed as he could be. I wanted to know how we could we best support him around healing from numerous surgeries. It was only later that I learned how important it would be to optimize how his digestive system worked top to bottom so he was able to break down all the nutrients he needed from foods so he could be his strongest self as well as reduce inflammation from poor digestion. I learned how important reducing chronic inflammation was. With years of studying I learned how important it was to support his liver so he was able to clear all the medications he would need for surgeries. We knew how important his diet would be to ensure he had enough energy to keep up as best as he could, knowing he was working 20 times harder than other kids his age to simply stand.

The list goes on and on. We wanted him to function as best he could knowing he would struggle for his entire life to walk, stand, tie his shoes, and carry a backpack. Turns out there was a lot we could do.

During these years I realized the incredible need to bridge the gap between doctors and patients. We need to think beyond a diagnosis and more into practical ways to optimize any situation. No one ever mentioned food or lifestyle to help Levi function.

So I went back to school to figure out how we could make an impact on the rest of his body and to bridge the gap that we experienced. I spent over a decade searching for what was missing. First I studied Holistic Nutrition, then I studied Natural Medicine, then herbs, and I studied Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition which proved to be the methodical, truly holistic, curiosity driven, and systems-biology approach that I felt was so sorely missing. I began getting curious around what drives symptoms and disease, what can we do at a foundational level to make an impact, and how to educate and support people to make appropriate and sustainable changes.

I call this “what can i do wellness” or “optimistic health and wellness“.

Now, I get to listen to people, I get to hear their story, I teach them about their body, and help them to use food, herbs and lifestyle to optimize how they feel and function. I dig into the science of ‘what is going on in there?’ so we can get an idea of the root cause, or what might be driving or impacting symptoms or disease. I understand that we are all unique and that our environment talks to our genes and impacts their expression. People come to me now with all sorts of goals, diseases, symptoms, dysfunctions, hormone imbalances, history and life experiences. I listen carefully to each person and we map out their body systems including digestion, immune/inflammation, environment, energy production, detoxification, hormones/neurotransmitters, spirit/resilience, and physical integrity. We dig into their personal goals, their unique history, and focus on optimizing how all their body functions at a grass roots and foundational level. I help people to see how everything we do impacts our health; including sleep, stress, mindset, diet, relaxation, movement, and more. I spend the time helping people understand the science of that. There is always something we can do to make a difference and to support our goals if we just understand what’s going on in our own body.

All of this, coupled with my innate desire to find unbiased truth, has let me to my life’s work.

I wish I had someone 14 years ago to join our team and dig into this with us. But I am grateful for our experience as it brought me to where I am today. And I am grateful everyday for our oldest son who is my greatest teacher and who I wouldn’t change a thing about. He is currently writing a hero’s journey short story for high school english. He doesn’t know it yet but he is his own hero in his own journey and he is definitely mine.

“Sometimes a journey is not about the traveler. It is not about a destination. It is about the bringing together of worlds. It is about lighting a path.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls

*****On a side note, I should mention that our physical therapists have always been our heroes and wonderful advocates for Levi and our family. Deborah, Amy, and Christine. They did spend a great deal of time supporting us and getting curious with us regarding Levi’s physical movement. I will be forever in debt to our magnificent PTs. It is in fact my goal to bring that kind of thinking, problem solving, curiosity and attention to my clients only for me using food, lifestyle and herbs.

Read more about my story here

Check out our Women’s hormone club here

Hear what people are saying about working with me

Curious about how our gut impacts our health?

The world needs us to rise up, women.   We need to be brave, strong, and loud.

In order to do that we need to feel our best, have as much energy as possible, be clear headed, and unite. 

Like many of you I was incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, last week. Then I spent some time feeling anxious about what it means politically, moving forward. Thankfully I woke up Monday inspired to take action in my own small way. To RISE and persist like Ruth would have wanted.

RBG spent decade after decade fighting for women’s rights. She  fought for reproductive freedom, equal pay, job based discrimination, financial discrimination, and so many other issues involving  gender discrimination. I am so grateful for her tireless work.

Women need to feel empowered around their health and their body so they can go into the world feeling strong, energized, and sharp. We need to change how healthcare is practiced, seeing the whole person, the whole woman, hearing, trusting, and focusing on using every day tools to optimize health.

When you are stronger WE are stronger 

10 things you can do starting today so you have the resilience and energy it takes to rise up in your own way. 

1. Sleep at least least 7-9 hours a night, seriously, how can we rise up if we are tired?
2. Eat whole foods including nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and clean protein. Stay away from any foods that negatively affect you personally
3. Say no to things and people that bring you down. Practice now……. ‘No’
4. Discover your heart’s desire and go do it
5. Play outside in the sunshine, rain, wind, and snow
6. Drink water, tea, and broth
7. Cook
8. Support and encourage other women to do their best and to shine brightly (and you shine as brightly as you can, don’t hide that shit)
9. Find a way to process your stress and practice doing it every day- meditation, deep relaxation, breath work, mantra, etc
10. Be careful of the self limiting and negative stories you tell yourself. They are just that, stories, they are not truths and they can sabotage you. Make a new mantra and create new positive stories you tell yourself. It might take time but you can do it.
11. Speak your truth and speak it loudly

Start making changes today towards feeling your best. Pick one small thing and focus on it until it becomes second nature or habit. You got this! We need every last one of us.

Check out our Women’s Hormone Club that starts this January

Set up a free 15 minute call with Janel to see if I can help you achieve your health goals

Find out how your gut impacts your health

Download a free Fall Recipe Book here that will inspire you to eat clean and try new delicious seasonal recipes that promote health.

Imagine if you wanted to get stronger and you started running or hiking on a broken leg to get in shape. It wouldn’t work. You would get worse and be in tons of pain, even do more damage despite starting a healthy activity. Would you blame running/hiking? No. If your leg was broken you would need to heal the break first, then start up the ideal healthy practice of running/hiking after your body was ready. If the root of your problem was just that you are lazy, then yes, get off the couch and go for a hike. But you need to consider the root of the problem.

Same is true of your gut and overall health

If your digestive function is broken or not functioning right, eating an ideal diet might not work if you do not heal the ‘break’ in the system first.

We all pretty much know now that digestive health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all health, including genetic expression (aka what genes turn on and which ones turn off). Crazy cool and empowering! But if we are not digesting our food, metabolizing our food, and absorbing our food properly we can become depleted, lethargic, gassy, bloated, fatigued, spaced out, unable to sleep, in chronic pain, infertile, anxious, moody, constipated, and so much more…..even on a great diet!

What?

Yes. It is true. I see people all the time in my office that are either eating a ‘great diet’ but still feeling lousy and now frustrated. I also see people that tried to add ‘healthy’ foods to a not so great diet and got horrible results, feeling even worse and now confused, thinking it is the food that is bad for them. Truth is, the food might not work until they fix the root of their problem. We must Heal before we jump to an Ideal diet in this case. There may have been a turning point or trigger in their (or your) history that now requires healing before jumping to an ideal diet.

Another awesome way to look at digestive health in this way (heal vs ideal) is the brilliant analogy Dr. Murray uses about a garbage and flies problem. Say you have a huge fly problem in your house and it is driving you nuts. If you just take away the flies but you still have the garbage that attracted them, the flies will come back eventually. It is all about the terrain that created the problem. You have to get to the root and remove the garbage and only then will the flies not come back. I see this all the time with people trying to optimize their health. You cannot just get rid of the problem without addressing why the condition started in the first place.

This has led me to start a blog series on digestion top to bottom, in small doses with lots of action steps, so you can learn about the different stops along the system and empower yourself to up-level your digestion and in result your health and resilience. Darn near every symptom could be digestion related and there are easy, non invasive, cheap steps you can take to see if getting your digestion to function better might help you feel better.

Of course this series and all of my blog posts are meant to educate and empower, not to treat or diagnose any disease. Please consult your physician with any questions or concerns. Eventually enough stress or damage on the system can create a tipping point and with time a disease state that requires more than healing your digestion. That said, it will always help build resilience and function.

Do you want to feel your best? Join us for this upcoming blog series! Subscribe to our website, facebook, or instagram to keep up

Janel Ferrin Anderson NC is a Functional Medicine Nutritionist who is passionate about helping people understand their body and feel empowered to take the front seat in their health care. She works with and partners with people to help them optimize how all their body systems function. Click here to schedule a free 15 minute call to discuss your needs

A healthy recipe using ingredients that you can stock up on!

Now it is more important than ever to feed our bodies nutrient dense anti-inflammatory foods. Unfortunately that is not always easy with the current situation. Here is one of my family’s FAVORITE recipes that happens to use many ingredients from the pantry AND the ingredients are loaded with nutrients to help your body function its best.

A few of the many benefits of the nutrient rich ingredients-

Turmeric– The curcuminoids in turmeric are an antioxidant powerhouse and strong anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is powerful medicinal food for overall health and resilience.

Ginger– The chemical constituent in ginger that has many medicinal qualities is gingerol. Gingerol is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. Ginger is great for digestion and is often used to help fight viral and bacterial infections.

Onions– Onions are loaded with phytochemicals that are health promoting. They are an awesome source of vitamin C and contain a variety of sulfur compounds as well as the flavanoid quercetin, which is antiviral and an antioxidant.

Garlic– The health benefits of garlic are extensive. Garlic is used to boost immunity thanks to the phytochemical allicin (anti-viral and anti-fungal). It contains several antioxidants that help reduce free radical damage. It has been used medically for thousands of years and continues to be used today for many of its health promoting benefits.

Lentils- Lentils are an awesome source of fiber which we need to feed our healthy bacteria in our gut as well as help us stay regular so the toxins our liver has processed can leave our body in a timely manner. They are a great complex carbohydrate that is loaded with important vitamins like folate.

Coconut milk– The medium chain triglycerides are easy to digest, are beautifully satiating and anti-inflammatory. Coconut milk is loaded with electrolytes and the fatty acids in coconut milk are antimicrobial (lauric acid) and antiviral (monolaurin).

Prep time 10 minutes, cook time about 35 minutes. BOOM!

Use frozen greens if you are out of fresh

We love filling our bowls high with this warm, satiating, delicious and healthy dish. Make any variations you like. I double this recipe for my family of 6 and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

We love these pancakes at my house and I love that my kids gobble them down. I prefer non-sweet breakfasts but when a pancake breakfast is in order this is one of our go-to’s.

This recipe avoids highly inflammatory, gut wrecking, nutrient depleting, often immune stimulating foods such as gluten, dairy, and processed sugar. It incorporates fat, fiber, and protein to help you and your kids stay energized by keeping your blood sugar more stable so you don’t bonk before lunch.

Plus, these pancakes are scrumptious.

My kiddos like coconut oil on them or a nut butter. I like serving these with kale chips and organic turkey sausage on the side but they are great on their own too.

Banana Hemp Pancakes (adapted by Janel from Nourishing Meals cookbook)

Ingredients-

• 1 cup of brown rice flour (sprouted brown rice flour even better)
• 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup ground hemp seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 mashed up ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• optional free range egg or two if you eat them (we add this)

Method-

• Warm cast iron pan to medium. Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the wet into the dry. Stir. Add more liquid or flour for your favorite consistency.
• Add some coconut oil to pan. Scoop desired size pancake into pan and flatten down. Cook about 1 minute on each side. Enjoy!!!

NOTE- My 10 year old is a bit gourmet and LOVES this recipe with an additional 1 Tbsp almond extract and 2 Tbsp poppy seeds. YUM

This is it. Everyday. These are my treasured cookbooks and collections that have stood the test of time and trial and that I thumb through and cook from every week.

I believe in home cooked meals. Food should be delicious, nourishing, satisfying, and make us more resilient, healthy, calm, balanced, and strong while not being too complicated or tricky.

Many have been given to me by beloved and wise friends while some I have found through teachers or mentors. There are so many these days it can be hard to find a quality one or overwhelming to know which one to get.

It’s funny, the more biochemical and deeper I get into science, disease pathology, root cause and health the more I return to food. We all want that magic supplement or herb or fad detox, and while they can be helpful, it really comes down to what we put into our body day after day, bite after bite, meal after delicious meal.

Some of my cookbooks are ‘cleaner’ than others but they are all based on nutrient dense whole foods. I even have one that my mom wrote with our favorite recipes from growing up and the farm (there are even quotes on every page, old pictures from the farm, and my grandmas hand written recipes. You rule mom). I also keep a folder to put my favorite recipes in from friends or print outs from favorite online recipes to keep handy and organized. I do have things saved online but I need things to be tangible and in front of me.

Here is a list of my favorites (winner is at the bottom), why they are my favorites, and a favorite recipe or two from each of them

1. Flavors of Health by Dr Ed Bauman and Chef Lizette Marx. This book rules for overall healthy lifelong everyday eating. It comes from a culinary/nutrition school and skimps on neither. My favorite part is the Cooking Pearls it offers explaining how to prepare many basic healing foods. One of these I use often for simple and quick meals is the Roasting Vegetables to Maximize Flavor one. I can eat roasted garlic on everything!
2. Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews. This book is gorgeous and organizes recipes by ingredients which is different from most books I know. My sister Lisa (who is a health junkie and actually introduced me to mark Hyman’s work decades ago) recommended it and I have loved it since she made me The Creamy Miso Brussels Sprout Fettuccine (with rice noodles of course).
3. The Ultra Metabolism Cookbook by Dr. Mark Hyman. I think I have used this cookbook more than no other for over a decade (and it also came from my sis lisa!!)! It is straight forward and crazy delish. The lamb burgers in this are my absolute favorite and everyone I make them for loves them. Another weekly go to is the red coconut dahl with brown rice and broccoli. Yum.
4. Nourishing Meals– By Alissa Sergesten and Tom Malterre. This cookbook is awesome for the family that is trying to eat clean or allergen free. The recipes are all marked clearly for allergens and state if they are dairy, gluten, soy, egg, nightshade, tree nut, or grain free. I love their sweets (like mango coconut pudding, and avocado fudge pops) and their snacks (such as tahini lemon kale chips and ginger-macadamia nut energy bars). They have lots of good clean family meals as well. An awesome every day cookbook. This one probably comes in second place overall.
5. At Home in A Whole Foods Kitchen by Amy Chaplin. A beautiful cookbook with delicious vegetarian dishes and directions for how to prepare many whole foods basics such as nut mylks, ferments, and more. This is where my favorite clean granola recipe comes from and also an incredible recipe for beet chickpea cakes with tzatziki sauce.
6. From The Heart of Our Home By Cheryl Jenkins. My mamas cookbook that is beaten and battered from decades of cooking out of it and loving it cover to cover. My favorites are the Chinese chicken salad with tons of ginger, garlic, sesame oil and cabbage and the best chili ever. She even included a quote on every page. My mom rules.
7. The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow. Oh Gwyneth, you do clean eating so well. She has the best chefs and Functional MDs here with awesome recipes as well as philosophies behind various specific healing diets. This book is totally clean, meaning no gluten, dairy, eggs, red meat, night shades, peanuts, soy, or processed foods or sugars. It is for the most dedicated clean eater that loves delicious food everyday! I adore the black rice with braised chicken, the sheet pan cauliflower and chicken curry and the nori salad rolls. Everything is good here, you won’t miss anything.
8. Mostly Plants by Tracy, Dana, Lori and Corky Pollan. Given to me by my great buddy who is a functional medicine psychiatrist, not to mention amazing cook, Jocelyn. “Eat food, not too much, and mostly plants.”- Michael Pollan. A great balance here for everyday eating. We love the shrimp and kale hot pot as well as the smashed potatoes with shredded brussels sprouts and the turkey chili is something special.
9. Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi. This book is gorgeous and loaded with spectacular recipes. So many colorful vegetables prepared with herbs and spices that not only taste amazing but smell and look delish too. It is a touch on the gourmet side, but still doable. This book was given to me by my sister Brittany who is another health junkie and also a successful chef and founder of Truffle Berry Market. The quinoa and wild garlic cakes with salbitxada sauce are mind blowing.
10. Food- What the Heck Should I Eat? – By Dr. Mark Hyman- My favorite! Last but certainly not least is Mark Hyman’s new cookbook. If I could give it to everyone I work with I would. Besides all the semi cheesy pics of him, the recipes are down to earth, every day food to live by. He highlights what foods we should be eating everyday which is the same ideal diet I fully support (unless people need a specific healing diet of course). He calls it Pegan, or Vegan Paleo and it rocks. The idea is mostly vegetables, as our ancestors ate but with a good balance of protein and fat too. What should you eat? Clean protein, healthy fats, colorful fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, clean water, ferments, and quality counts! Boom. There are so many great recipes but I love the Thai Broccoli Fish Stew, Toasted Sage Butternut Pizza and the coconut curry chicken with green beans and almond dipping sauce is INSANE.

Every week I pick about 4-5 recipes to make for dinner and grocery shop for them all early on. I wing the other days with what is left over, what I get in the CSA, and what we are inspired to create (or not). I love getting inspirations from my favorite books. What are your favorites????

These are a few of my favorite things in 2019……. The list will grow all year and no, I do not get any kick backs from any of these companies.  I just legitimately like their products (and missions) and want to share them with you.  They all help maintain a balanced, nutritious, healthy and joyful life.  Feel free to add any of your favorite things in the comment areas and check back for more treasures all year!

#3 Smoothie Plant Powered Nutrient Superfoods-  Smoothies are the greatest way to make sure you are packing your day with delicious and powerful nutrients that your body needs.  We are smoothie and smoothie bowl addicts at my house.  Here are just a few of the superfood booster powders we play with every day.  Kids get to pick which ones they want that day and I change it up in my own daily.  Look for our Smoothie Worksheet coming soon!  Acai Berries and Gogi Berries are packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients (important nutrients from plants), vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fats, certain amino acids, and fiber.  Maca is a powerful adaptogen that is being studied fiercely right now.  It is known to help people adapt to stress, balance hormones, feel energized, regulate blood sugar, and is loaded with antioxidants. Camu Camu Berries have an insane amount of vitamin C as well as other antioxidants and nutrients.   If you are looking to boost your overall health, fight sickness and disease, and increase energy these superfoods are and awesome tool.  A basic recipe is to mix 1 cup of nut milk with 3/4 cup of blueberries, 1 banana, 1 scoop plant protein powder, 1 tsp flax seeds, and 2 of these boosters (1 tsp each).   Fat, fiber, protein, nutrients-  my eating motto all in one glass! Boom!  

#2    Lola Tampons–  This company provides 100% organic tampons that are toxin free.  Their mission is to promote open conversation around women’s health, to provide healthy products, to be supportive through each stage of a women’s hormone health,  and to be totally transparent about their product.  You can custom make your order to fit your exact needs.  So cool.  I have an order of 2 boxes of applicator free tampons coming every other month and each box has 6 light tampons, 8 super, and 4 super plus.   They actually make it fun to customize your quantities depending on your individualized needs.  Brilliant!  I ordered their menstruation starter kit also so my 10 year old daughter will be empowered and informed when her big day comes.  These are toxin free for your body and better for the earth.  Win Win. Check them out.   www.mylola.com 

Click here to read a great article about other organic toxin free tampons. https://thethirty.whowhatwear.com/best-organic-tampons

Another great article here at huffpost about what is in your tampons and why you might care.

and another one- https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/06/07/tampons-sanitary-pads-toxic-chemicals.aspx

 #1    Booch Craft Hard Kombucha- A delicious Kombucha Cocktail for the nights you choose you drink alcohol.   This company rocks.  The drink is organic, naturally gluten free,  yummy, and full of good bacteria to help your microbiome thrive so you can function your best.  The company supports sustainable food projects to boot and has an awesome mission to support people enjoying life but staying healthy.   Win win win.    Find more on Booch Craft here www.boochcraft.com