On Monday, I appeared on KTVU Channel 2 news to talk about food and mood. Most people don't realize that you really don't need to look any further than your pantry or plate to start feeling better! Watch my segment below to learn more about the 5 best foods to improve your mood. Happy eating! 

One of the best places to look when you want to turn your mood around is your pantry, not your medicine cabinet. Our gut and brain are deeply connected by the vagus nerve which runs from the abdomen up to your head. This is the primary route that our gut bacteria use to pass on information to the brain.

No matter where you go or who you talk to, there's always someone out there that will criticize the food that you've put on your plate. But, what if I told you that the anxiety and fear that you feel around your food is actually worse than eating something deemed unhealthy? 

Three years ago I was living in Northern California with my then fiancee and working at a startup. My hours were totally insane, I was stressed out of my mind, cried all the time and then on top of it all, was trying to plan my wedding. You know that heart in your throat, shaky, I'm going to freak out feeling you get when you're in total stress mode?

Last week, Scientist Kevin Hall released a study that looked at the long term effects of the show The Biggest Loser. For those of you not familiar with the show, it features overweight contestants on a journey to lose weight by being put on strict low fat 1500 calorie per day diet mixed with intense 3-4 hour exercise regimes. 

Essential oils have also been used for thousands of years for cosmetic purposes, as well as for their spiritually, healing and emotionally uplifting properties. I've only started incorporating them into my life over the last year or so but have completely fallen in love. They are more than just nice scents, they are powerful plant extracts that offer a variety of support for your overall health and wellness.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Essentially, when gluten hits the small intestines of someone with celiac, it kills all of the villi, which then makes it really difficult to absorb any nutrients until those villi grow back. 

In today's Friday Favorites post I'm giving you 4 Lifestyle Strategies that help with hormone balance and then a weekend workout you can do just about anywhere! 

Many moons ago I played water polo. I grew up playing the sport and loved every single second of it. It was my passion and my world. I was lucky enough to play for the Junior and Senior National Teams and travel the world representing my country. It was an incredible experience! 

For this week's Friday Favorites, I'll be sharing my favorite 20 minute body weight circuit (you could even do this in a hotel room) along with the best multivitamin and the adaptogenic herbs I just can't live without! 

Most of the time when I see the word detox, I cringe a little bit. The word is associated with a lot of negative feelings like struggle, restriction and hunger, to name a few. For that reason, I like to use the word jumpstart. Jumpstart to me means focusing my attention on all of the wonderful, healing rituals and foods that I can add into my life rather than what I should be taking away.