Balms and Manna Blog - Balms and Manna

Don't Leave Home Without This One!

7/21/2025

DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THIS ONE!

Summer time means road trips and vacations! Beef Jerky is the one food I don't leave home without. It's always in my bag for road trips, vacations or any fun adventure!

Why I love it!
It's shelf stable- so no need for a cooler or ice. It's protein dense which is sometime hard to get with meals on the go. It's easy to make- which not only gives you complete control over the ingredients but it's roughly 60% of the cost of retail! Making large batches and freezing it makes it so convenient so I don't end up eating other food that isn't as good for me.

Beef Jerky

2 lbs grass fed ground beef
1/4 c liquid aminos
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Place 1/2 of ground beef mixture between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out until about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with garlic salt and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Place on dehydrator trays allowing for air to move between the pieces. Dehydrate at 160 degrees until desired doneness. Blot the fat off each piece with a paper towel and rotate trays evenly every hour. Allow to dry & cool completely before storing. Store in freezer for up to 6 months. Does not require refrigeration when traveling.

1 oz Beef Jerky

Calories: 70-80
Protein: 10-12g
Fat: 3-4g
Carbohydrates: 2-3g
Sodium: 280-320mg (varies based on seasoning)
Iron: 8% daily value

What are your favorite healthy travel foods?

What's the Beef About Beef Liver?

6/2/2025

WHAT'S THE BEEF ABOUT BEEF LIVER?

I remember growing up on a dairy farm as a girl and my mom serving us liver, heart and tongue. Those parts that not only sounded gross to eat but had strange textures. I couldn't figure out why anyone would LIKE to eat them!

Fast forward 20 + years later to find me including beef liver as part of my daily intake. Who knew? When I realized that organ meats like tongue, liver and heart are all nutrient dense foods packed with vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients, I wanted to find a way to get this goodness into my diet.

Beef liver is high in mainly copper, vitamin A, B12 and iron but has many other co-nutrients. Sure you could take these supplements individually but God created food with specific nutrients that work together to make them more effective and absorbable. So the best source is beef liver itself!

That being said, it's hard to incorporate four ounces of beef liver several times a week. So, I take a freeze dried, grass-fed, grass finished beef liver supplement to get all this goodness in a easier delivery.

Benefits of Beef Liver
1- Red Blood Cell Production
Beef liver is one of the most effective ways to help with anemia due to it's rich content of B12, iron and folate. This is a great supplement for pregnant women who struggle to keep their red blood cell levels up.

2- Liver Health and Detox
Eating liver will in turn support liver health.

3- Supports Energy
Beef liver is high in copper, B vitamins, protein and iron which all support energy production.

4- Boosts Immunity
Rich in vitamins A, D and K which all work together in an absorbable form to keep you well.

One food but so rich in nutrients. And so simple to take!

Get my favorite brand, Ancestral Supplements at the Country Cupboard. Two capsules a day will give you the same amount of beef liver as eating four ounces several times a week.

Doesn't Everyone Have Gas and Bloating?

4/21/2025

DOESN'T EVERYONE HAVE GAS AND BLOATING?

In case no one told you, gas and bloating aren't normal!

It's becoming so common today that we normalizing any number of symptoms because we've tried "all the things" to get rid of it and finally subside into acceptance. Symptoms like gas and bloating aren't normal! While they might be common today, they are our bodies' way of telling us that something isn't right. In the mercy of God, they don't go away because our body is crying for help to address something deeper.

So please don't ignore your body's warning signs! Especially by band-aiding them to make them go away without addressing the deeper issue. Because some day, these warning signs will turn into a much bigger issue that you can't ignore.

Let's talk about enzymes.

Enzymes help to break down food and turn those nutrients into energy. Enzymes are found outside the body in raw, unprocessed foods as well as produced by our body in our stomach, pancreas and small intestines. If we don't eat enough raw, unprocessed foods, we have to rely on the body's enzymes to break down our food. If our body is struggling to produce enough of it's own enzymes and we aren't eating enough raw, unprocessed foods, then we aren't going to be breaking down our food well nor getting the nutrients we need from our food.

So what happens when we can't break down our food well? Gas, bloating and stomach discomfort are common issues when we eat food we are sensitive too or we don't break down well. Which is why we are talking about enzymes! Here's where we dig into the root causes rather than normalizing warning signs.

Terrazyme is a supplemental enzyme blend of active whole food digestive enzymes. It contains enzymes to break down sugars, starches, protein, fats, lactose, gluten, fiber, legumes and cruciferous veggies.

You can take it regularly or just with foods that cause more digestive discomfort. If you aren't absorbing your food well (see previous post), then you want to take this regularly.

Need more support with digestive issues or tired of guessing and band aiding those annoying symptoms?

Schedule a Discovery Call to find out how 180 Days to Wellness can help you discover your root causes and feel like yourself again!

You are What You Absorb, Not What You Eat.

4/7/2025

YOU ARE WHAT YOU ABSORB, NOT WHAT YOU EAT.

You've maybe heard the saying, You are what you eat. You can eat all the right things but if you don't absorb them, your body can't benefit from your food.

So how do you know if you are absorbing what you eat? There are many factors that go into absorption. Stomach acid, stress, the health of your gut lining, bacteria overgrowths, pancreatic enzymes, genetics and toxin levels are just a few.

There are markers on many functional lab tests that can point to if these factors are impacting your absorption. Blood tests, stool tests and mineral tests are all good tests to look at how well you absorb. You need someone trained in functional lab tests to help you go through your results to identify areas of weakness that need support.

Proteins and fats are two of the main macro nutrients that people struggle to absorb. Though you can still be struggling to absorb these nutrients without physical signs, here are a few ways to identify if you might not be absorbing fats and proteins.

Poor protein absorption- undigested food in stool and/or a heavy feeling in the stomach after eating
Poor fat absorption - floating stools and/or not tolerating greasy foods well

How to support better break down and absorption of your food:

1- Eating mindfully. Eat slower, chew your food more and don't eat while driving, standing or in front of a screen. The more you chew your food, the more it gets broken down.

2- Drink 1 tsp of raw apple cider vinegar in water BEFORE meals. This stimulates the production of stomach acid which helps to break down your food.

3- Take several deep breaths before eating. The less stressed (and more present you are) when you eat, the more calm and ready your digestive system is to receive and digest your food.

3- Take enzymes. There are enzymes for different parts of our food. Enzymes help break down sugars, proteins, fats, carbs, lactose, etc. The lower your level of enzymes, the less your food will break down and the less you can absorb. Terrazyme is a enzyme supplement that contains all the different enzymes to support your body's natural levels of enzymes.

Absorption of nutrients, especially fats and proteins, affect so many things. Memory, focus, skin, cardiovascular health, hair growth, liver health, hormones, weight loss, energy and inflammation. It's so much bigger than just what you eat! It's making sure that you absorb so that you don't have bigger, more chronic issues that show up over time.

If you want to make sure you are absorbing well or are curious if poor absorption might be a root cause to some of the annoying things you are dealing with, schedule a free discovery call today to talk about how functional testing can help you KNOW!

To Fast or Not to Fast. That is the Question.

2/17/2025

TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST. THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Fasting has become a hot topic lately. Yet it's not something new. Fasting has been around since very early in the history of human kind.

While the types of fasts, who should fast and when should we fast might not be simple things to answer, the actual act of fasting is simple. It's not a complicated thing to do. It's just not eating.

Why fast? There are actually quite a few benefits to fasting.

Helps with weight loss
Might slow the aging process
Supports detox
Can help reset the gut microbiome
Normalizes insulin levels
Helps burn fat
Can improve muscle mass

Intermittent fasting is defined as not eating for a specific number of hours, typically overnight. Usually this is somewhere from 13-17 hours. So for example, you would stop eating at 7 pm and then start eating again after 8 am.

Time restricted eating is setting a specific window of time that you don't eat, usually between 12-16 hours. Then during the 8-12 hours, you eat as normal. This is a type of intermittent fasting- it's just the hours that you choose rather than strictly fasting overnight.

There are other more restrictive or focused types of fasting, however these are the ones that are the most common and easily done.

When is fasting not helpful?

If you struggle with an eating disorder
If you are pregnant or nursing
If you are struggling with a stressed thyroid or adrenals

One important thing to note is that what you eat when you are in your window of eating matters! You can't just eat chips and ice cream and then fast for 17 hours and expect it to benefit you. What you eat when you break the fast also matters. Choose foods that are high in good fat and protein to help your body be satiated and to keep blood sugar levels regulated.

When you think about how God designed our bodies, intermittent fasting makes sense. He designed us to sleep for eight to nine hours and not eat during that time. This allows our body to detox and our digestion to rest.

I find intermittent fasting most beneficial when you stop eating earlier in the evening rather than pushing the time you eat again to later in the morning. Starting with a shorter window of fasting and then gradually extending it is a good way to see if fasting is helpful for you.

If you are struggling with fatigued adrenals or a low thyroid, then I personally don't recommend fasting. Any types of extremes are hard on the thyroid and it's best to make sure your body is in nourished and healthy place so that you can reap the good benefits of fasting!

Tired of trying to navigate and sort through all the health info out there?

Stop guessing. Start healing. Start living.

If you want someone to come along side you, to test and stop guessing and find root causes for your health challenges, schedule a discovery call and find out if we are a good fit for each other!

Schedule a Discovery Call

5 Tips to Go Gluten Free

8/19/2024

5 TIPS TO GO GLUTEN FREE

Tip #1- Read Labels
Start reading all labels to familiarize yourself to gluten containing foods. Processed foods, baked goods, cereals, snacks, and pastas are common ones.

Some less obvious sources:

Alcohol
Sauces- barbeque, ketchup, mustard, etc
Bran
Brewer's yeast
French fries
Deli meat and cheese
Soy sauce
Soup

Tip #2- Choose Naturally Gluten Free Food
Cook with foods that are naturally gluten free.

Use potatoes, quinoa, spagetti squash and rice instead of pasta.
Use lettuce or wraps instead of buns.
Choose ice cream or chocolate for dessert.
Use cauliflower pizza crust instead of store bought pizza.
Make soups, skillets, meat & potatoes and salads instead of sandwiches or wraps.
Eat eggs, yogurt and meat for breakfast instead of waffles, cereals and pastries.

Tip #3- Find Your Favorite Gluten Free Substitutes
These are my favorites:

Breads- Sami's or Udi's
Flours-
- Namaste- easy to use, good texture and taste. Also has lots of mixes (pancakes, muffins, etc)
- Bob's Red Mills- has different options of flours
- Crushed Whole Cell Floor- not gluten free but sometimes the body can handle this even when you are sensitive to gluten.
Simple Mills- my favorite brand for gluten free- it's cleaner, great taste and healthier but pricer
Siete- chips, tortillas
Nut Thins- crackers
Cereal- Rice Krispies, Rice and Corn Chex are gluten free

Tip #4- Get New Recipes/Cookbooks
Danielle Walker is one of my favorites! Her recipes are simple and easy to make. She uses almond and coconut flour. They are the healthiest option but they can have a "squeaky" texture.

Find gluten free people to follow on social media for great gluten free recipes

Tip #5- Enjoy What You Can Eat!
Instead of wishing for or missing what you used to eat, embrace the new things you are eating. Find new recipes, ingredients and have fun creating and savoring what nourishes your body!

Find more recipes, tips and the "whys" for going gluten free inside my Personalized Wellness Program!

Sugar. A Love-Hate Relationship

8/5/2024

Sugar. A Love-Hate Relationship

Sugar. It's a love-hate relationship. It's addicting- even more than cocaine! It tastes good, so we like to eat it but it's so bad for us. Which we probably all know to some extent. And that we should eat less. But sometimes knowing exactly how damaging it is motivates us eat less.

One of the scariest things sugar does is causes inflammation. Inflammation manifests in joint pain, skin issues, digestive discomfort, irritability and mood issues, weakened immunity, sinus congestion and disesases. Diseases that no one wants- like cancer, fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, leaky gut and type 2 diabetes.

The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily. That's a lot of sugar! And then we wonder why we don't feel good and diseases are on the rise.

The American Heart Association's recommendation for daily added sugar is only nine teaspoons for men and six teaspoons for women.

You can start reducing added sugar by the obvious things:
*Sugary drinks like sodas, coffees, energy drinks and juices
*Sugary treats like donuts, cookies, pastries and any type of dessert

Then there's the harder, less obvious things:
*Salad dressings
*Condiments- ketchup, pickles, mayo, etc
*Processed food
*Breakfast foods- pancakes, cereal, oatmeal

Upgrade your sugars by choosing brands that have healthier sugars.
Read the label on everything! These are the things you want to avoid:

Corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup
Corn syrup solids
Malt syrup/sugar
Pancake syrup
Brown rice syrup
Agave syrup
Fructose
Dextrose
Maltose
Sucrose
Sugar
White granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Brown sugar
Maltodextrin
Aspartame
Splenda
Sweet & Low

Sugar upgrades:

Honey
Molasses
Raw sugar
Coconut sugar
Stevia- make sure there are not additives
Dates/ date paste
Maple Syrup
Monk Fruit
Mashed bananas
Applesauce
*Sugar alcohols-xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol

*These aren't absorbed well and can cause digestive issues in some people so use them cautiously.

If you aren't feeling your best and are ready to quit sugar, schedule a discovery call to see how a Personalized Wellness Program and help you to feel happy, more energetic and yourself again!

Do I Really Need Supplements?

3/18/2024

DO I REALLY NEED SUPPLEMENTS? -

I get this question a lot. Do I really need to supplement?

Here's the thing. God designed our food to give us the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that we need. And often I marvel at His master design as I study the combinations of vitamins and minerals in specific foods. These minerals and vitamins work in concert together to enhance the function of the systems of the body.

Minerals and vitamins are absolutely essential to basic organ function in our bodies. This gives us adequate energy, mood, healthy metabolism and immunity. Things that are foundation to our health.

For example, let's look at magnesium- a mineral that the majority of Americans are deficient in. Magnesium is a key element in cellular metabolism, regulates sugar metabolism and is needed for over 500 enzyme reactions. If we are lacking in magnesium, we can struggle with depression, low thyroid, anxiety, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, restless legs, constipation, poor sleep, osteoporosis and PMS.

In a perfect world, if we ate a whole food diet without processed foods, we wouldn't need to supplement. But how many of us truly eat a whole food diet?

To often it's easy to reach for processed food. And we might think that processed foods are not that bad if there are only a few ingredients listed. That's true. The less ingredients the better. But processed foods are digested and absorbed differently in the body. For example, eating lentil pasta (lentils being the only ingredient) versus eating lentils leads to a significantly higher spike in blood sugar.

The quality of the soil is another thing that impacts the nutrients in our food. The amount of pesticides that are used in conventional farming depletes the soil of the basic needed nutrients for plants to absorb. Then we have produce that is weak in nutrients and aren't giving us the percentages of vitamins and minerals we need.

So the conclusion is, if we want our bodies to have adequate levels of basic vitamins and minerals, we absolutely need to supplement.

My favorite foundational supplement is the Lifelong Vitality Pack. It's three supplements in a pack formulated to work together- remember that vitamins and minerals need to be in the correct ratios to benefit the body. Included are a whole food multi-vitamin, a plant and animal sourced omega and a whole food antioxidant blend.

I've been taking the Lifelong Vitality pack consistently for over nine years! Because it works! It gives me abundant energy, healthy inflammation levels and a stable mood!

If you are looking for a place to start with supplements, the Lifelong Vitality pack is it! And it comes with a 30 day money back guarantee.