Here are five things I’m loving this week. 

A thought

"Are you willing to be uncomfortable for 5 minutes?

Exercising is easier once you've started the workout.

Conversation is easier once you're already talking.

Writing is easier once you're in the middle of it.

But many rewards in life will elude you if you're not willing to be a little uncomfortable at first."

What I am watching 

There’s so many ways we can all learn from nature. If you are a tree-hugger like me or just appreciate getting into nature, this short-film is sure to leave you in awe of the beauty of trees. It’s also a visual wake-up call for addressing the escalating climate crisis. Treeline follows a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists, and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia, and the bristlecones of Nevada as they explore some of the world’s most ancient and persevering forests. It’s a short 40-minutes, great for winding down after a long day. 

What I am Researching 

The interest in manifesting has skyrocketed recently. But a lot of people confuse "wishing" for something and "manifesting." Knowing the difference is crucial to making manifesting work for you. Mel Robins has created a new video series on the topic, How To Manifest The RIGHT Way... Manifesting is science-backed. Neuroscientists even have their own term for the part of the brain that loves this powerful tool: "Procedural Memory" Ever hear the term Mental Rehearsing? It’s the same exact thing as manifesting - it just sounds fancier. Olympic athletes and successful people all over the world use it to be their best. And now you can too. Manifesting, mental rehearsing, procedural memory  — whatever you want to call it, it WORKS. There is no secret or "magic touch" to it. It is a simple skill that will help you create new habits, achieve your goals, and feel happier.

Vagus Never Reset

Your vagus nerve is key to releasing built up stress. It’s the longest cranial nerve, running from the base of your head down to your gut and connecting nerves to your heart, intestines, and other organs along the way. Simple exercises like the one in this 5 min video stimulate the vagus nerve, helping to turn off your stress response (your sympathetic nervous system) and activate your relaxation response (your parasympathetic nervous system). I think you would agree we could all use a little more of that, and it only takes a few minutes. Give it a try.

Pre + Pro + Post Biotics

I am sure you’re more than familiar with the concept of probiotics, the good bacteria living in and on us.

There’s also prebiotics, which is the food that supports our friendly gut flora, like certain fibers and starches. Well now, there is a something new: postbiotics. 

Postbiotics include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, certain vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, enzymes, cell wall fragments, and antimicrobial peptides. Postbiotics are the by-product of our good gut bacteria, they’ve been found to have some important impacts on our wellbeing:

Immune protection: Different types of postbiotics have shown different immune benefits. For example, butyrate can stimulate T cells in the gut, which play an active role in immune function, and others like cell wall fragments can produce anti-inflammatory cytokines that produce a positive immune response. Some studies have shown postbiotics reduce the risk of respiratory infection and the common cold, and increase the production of helpful antibodies. 

 Gut health: I guess this isn’t surprising regarding the connection between probiotics and postbiotics, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Certain postbiotics can seal the intestinal barrier. SCFAs can help improve symptoms for people with inflammatory bowel diseases and reduce the severity of diarrhea.

So what does this all mean for you and me in our everyday life? It means we need to regularly (every meal) feed our good gut bacteria, this is just as important as maintaining all our daily essential nutrient requirements. 

My daily supplement maintenance protocol: Lifelong Vitality, Terrazyme and PB Assist. These three feed the body all the nutrient requirements and work on health gut flora. 

Prebiotic foods are a great place to start: For healthy gut microbiome; asparagus, onions, garlic, beans, seaweed, and beets are some great choices. Polyphenols are a power-packed source of food as medicine. We also know that a diet rich in polyphenols is not only safe but extremely supportive for better overall health and longevity. Colorful fruits and veggies, herbs and spices, pure cacao, green tea, and organic black coffee are some ways to get a polyphenol boost in your daily meals.  

Mushroom Whole Barley Soup

This soup is made with 3 kinds of. You can also vary the herbs or vegetables according to what you have on hand. I used some dark miso to season the soup, but you could use any kind.  Just use the sea salt and tamari if you don’t have any miso on hand. This recipe makes quite a large pot of soup.  It will keep well for up to 4 days, but the recipe could also be halved.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups hulled barley, soaked overnight

• 3 bay leaves

• 5cm piece kombu

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 large onion, diced

• Sea salt

• 5 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

• 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

• 2 large carrots, cut in ½ inch dice

• 2 stalks celery, cut in ½ inch dice

• 2 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2  inch cube)

• 1 cup diced cabbage (1/2 inch dice)

• 250gr fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

• 250gr fresh brown mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

• 5 medium portobello mushrooms, stemmed, halved and sliced

• Black pepper

• 2 teaspoons miso

• Naturally fermented tamari or shoyu

• Chopped parsley to garnish

Method

Drain barley, rinse and place in a medium sized pot with bay leaves and kombu. Add 6 cups of filtered water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours or until grains are soft and open. Remove kombu and set aside.

Warm half the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt and the garlic, and continue cooking for a couple more minutes. Stir in the thyme and rosemary. Add the carrots, celery, squash and cabbage. Cook for a few minutes then add the barley and cooking liquid, plus 2 cups of water. Raise heat and bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Warm the remaining olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. (If you don’t have a large enough pan, you can cook them in a couple of batches). Sauté, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Lower heat to medium and cook until softened and starting to brown. Stir mushrooms into the barley and vegetables, adding a cup of water if soup is too thick. Simmer for 15 minutes or longer to allow flavors to marry.

Dissolve miso in a small bowl with a little broth from the soup and stir back into pot. Add black pepper and tamari or shoyu to taste.

Remove from heat and serve with chopped parsley.