Living Well with Dr. Sara Gottfried

How do you know if a wellness pro is the real deal? They answer our “Living Well…” questionnaire like this. From collagen in her smoothies to essential oil hydrosols, “chi” running to forgiveness mantras, we’re loving everything Dr. Sara Gottfried has to say about her daily rituals. We’ve so happy to bring Dr. Sara and her wealth of wellness knowledge to Chalkboard readers. If you haven’t spent much time learning about your hormones, start now. It’s an easy to neglect area of knowledge that will blow your mind once you start learning.

Find Dr. Sara’s first few pieces here and consider getting a full education through her latest book, The Hormone Reset Diet.

The first thing i do when i wake up...

Visualization or yin yoga for 30 minutes.

Breakfast ideas you rely on:

Start your day with a protein shake (recipe below) because protein calms your adrenal glands.

Tea i love for health boost:

Genmaicha. Green tea contains L-theanine which is energizing without being overstimulating.

My daily supplements:

Branch chain amino acids after barre class or burst training with weights, Dr. Sara’s high potency multivitamin, betaine HCL digestive enzymes (essential after 40), B complex – plus fiber, fiber, fiber (I get 50-75 grams per day.)

Always in my medical cabinet:

5-HTP to help me sleep occasionally, Slow Flow with the herbs yarrow and shepherd’s button to slow down my menstrual flow (it’s been overzealous recently), Ivy Calm for when I have a cough.

I fit in fitness by…

Going to barre class at 8:30 am. Otherwise my inner saboteur talks me out of it. I signup for class in advance and never cancel. Those online schedulers are like an accountability partner!

Tips for staying hydrated:

Drink one large cup of hot water with lemon and cayenne first thing in the morning. I sip on green tea until about 10 a.m., then chocolate tea or filtered water with hydrosols.

Best snacks on the go:

I don’t snack because it can cause leptin resistance (leptin is the hunger hormone), but I keep a Dr. Sara fiber bar in my purse for when I’m running late.

To fight bloat:

Combo of taurine and B6, a natural diuretic.

Reading labels, i always avoid:

Endocrine disruptors like BPA and phthalates. And never lead in lipstick.

Once per week for my health:

Om (orgasmic meditation).

To balance myself on frazzled afternoons:

I call a girlfriend, head out the door for a chi run, practice Inner Balance (an app for the iphone).

Crazy health idea that actually works:

I’m a biohacker and constantly experimenting. My latest is a collagen latte for breakfast as part of intermittent mini-fasting. I make a cup of decaf coffee and add 2 teaspoons of collagen then whip in the blender. Tastes just like a latte and has 16 grams of protein, so I’m not hungry until 11 a.m.

Non-negotiables:

Date night, hot detox bath with epsom salt, chi running with my BFF Jo every Sunday.

My dinner staples:

If traveling, a ginormous salad with salmon or chicken. If not, Alaskan sockeye salmon (I’m from Alaska) with greens.

Must-reads:

Besides my new book, The Hormone Reset Diet? I love Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl and Amy Poehler’s Yes Please. I have Amy’s “apology letter from the brain” and “apology letter from the heart” on my iPhone to remind me to be heartful.

My current mantra:

“I love you, I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you” from the ancient ho’oponopono mantra of Hawaii. Forgiveness lowers cortisol.

My go-to smoothie:

See the recipe below!

Dr. Sara’s Protein Sprouted Smoothie

Ingredients:

8 oz full-fat organic unsweetened coconut milk
2 scoops of Dr. Sara’s chocolate shake powder
½ cup kale, spinach and/or broccoli sprouts
5 ice cubes
1 Tbsp cacao nibs for topping (optional)