Jade is the Board Certified Physician Assistant turned Gut Health Consultant helping motivated women kick bloating, erratic bowel habits, and fatigue by focusing on nutrition, lifestyle, and nervous system regulation.

What made you say you wanted to dive into this gut stuff?
I was labeled with IBS when I was 14.  I had experienced a death quite young at 6, while my nervous system was still developing.  Secondary to that and not getting the help I needed during that time, I ended up developing diarrhea, constipation, and bloating at a young age.  I had gone through all of this testing and was labeled with IBS.  They told me that this was normal, and a lot of people had this.

I knew from a young age that I wanted to go into medicine and help young people not feel the way I did.  I then became a GP and realized that so many issues stem back to a person’s gut and the types of food they are consuming and the lifestyle they are living. It became very apparent, very quickly, that gut health was where I wanted to be and where I could make the biggest impact.

I was then diagnosed with Ulcer Colitis and Endometriosis and given immune-suppressing drugs, and IV meds every 8 weeks and that was when I decided there has to be another way.  Within 2 in a half year, I got myself into remission naturally and have been in remission since that time with no medications.

Do you feel that what you have experienced in the last couple of years has stemmed from what happened when you were a teenager or have other things in life contributed to that?
I use the bucket analogy with my clients.  We have a bucket that water gets put into.  Soon you start to take on so much water your bucket begins to overflow.  That overflow is the physical manifestation/symptoms.  By the time you are feeling symptoms so much water has been poured into the bucket as:
●      Your nutrition
●      Your lifestyle
●      Lack of sleep
●      Stress
●      Environmental toxins
When the symptoms started at 14, the water was being put into the bucket since the age of 6.  Then it progressed into an autoimmune disease because it wasn’t addressed in the inflammation and after a while that starts to activate genes in your body as epigenetics. The mismanagement of my IBS at 14 definitely leads to the autoimmune disease in my 20s!

There are so many health issues that stem back to your nutrition and lifestyle.  It all comes back to how we are detoxifying our bodies and the digestive tract is the number one source for that in addition to sweating and urinating.  And if that is not working correctly the toxins are just getting passed back into your body.  It is medically acceptable to only go to the bathroom every 3 days, but I don’t agree with that. We need to be going to the bathroom every day to remove toxins from our bodies.

Everyone here has heard of gut health.. How would you in a nutshell say what is gut health?
Gut health is life!!!  Your gut is a hollow tube in your body and really your gut is deciding what is essential for life and what is not.  We as beings are made up of what we absorb in our gut.  Think of it as a cheesecloth and it’s allowing the good nutrients, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and amino acids to come through into the internal environment and everything else stays external and doesn’t end up in the system and goes all through the digestive tract which eliminates it in a bowel movement.  The digestive tract is your life and protective barrier as to what is internal vs external.  It’s a multi-party system that performs different functions and roles but all of which are necessary to keep us healthy!

What are some things people can do if they are suffering from constipation?
One of the biggest things is assessing the bacteria that are present.  When you increase your fiber, it creates more methane and slows down the gut and increases constipation. Sleep is a big one, drinking enough water, and allowing for enough time in between meals. You don’t want to be snacking and grazing. Allow at least 3 hours between meals to clear out to help out system function.

When we talk about the bacteria, most people think it’s in the stomach, but you said no.. most of the bacteria part happens in the small intestine. Yes, most are in the small intestine and colon. But the majority is the colon.  Your stomach is very acidic which kills most bacteria that is on foods.  But when you make your way down the PH becomes more basic and when you get to the colon it’s a 7/7.5 which is optimal living for bacteria.

Many of us have been told we need to be focusing on probiotics, prebiotics, etc. What are the varying things and should people be self-prescribing?
Probiotics mean pro-life; Probiotics mean bacteria, living organisms. The same bacteria that are living in your gut to help you create these wonderful things to stay healthy.  Prebiotics are fiber and you can think of this as pre-life. So, what do you need to keep life alive, you need to give them food. This is the food for the living bacteria.  I recommend taking them together so you can feed that bacteria. Feeding is both good and bad, but when your gut is healthy, the good bacteria out-compete the bad. Our gut microbiome is created in the first 3 years of life, so it’s so important to have children around a lot of people and touching things, playing outside, etc to help build up that bacteria.

Should people take probiotics and prebiotics?
I am a food-first gal. So, I always say we can always get it through our nutrition vs spending money on supplements.  We have to be careful because there are so many different types out there.  So, it all depends on our microbiome. Everyone is different.  You may do better on one that I would feel terrible on.

What are probiotic foods to incorporate into your diet?
●      Sauerkraut
●      Kimchi
●      Pickles
●      Olives
●      Pickled red onions
●      Pickled beets
●      Sourdough bread
●      Kiefer
●      All fermented foods are a good place to start!

How do you know if you have bad gut bacteria, or they have problems?
Look at the physical manifestations and symptoms.  Not just bloating and diarrhea, but bloating, fatigue, brain fog, diarrhea or constipation, acne, eczema, allergies, and food sensitivities.  Think about, “Are these symptoms I am experiencing actually normal?”

A lot of the things you described can be attributed to menopause… How can we distinguish which is which?
As you go through menopause and feel those hormonal fluctuations, the estrogen, and progesterone affect the digestive tract differently.  Progesterone slows motility so when you are aware of that you can see the changes in the bowels that can drive some of those symptoms.  Any symptom related to menopause is not normal, our bodies were not designed to have dysfunction.  We should be able to make that transition and not be inflamed and everything just went to hell.

As you age, your digestive fire starts to extinguish… acid.. Some people lose acid in their stomachs. Is there something they can do… or is it a fact of aging or modern life?
The threshold is 65. So, when they reach that, across the board we start to see the stomach acid reduce as a process of aging.  Up to that point, we see it accelerate loss when it’s linked to chronic stress.  The second leading cause of low stomach acid is having an H-pylori infection which is a bacterial infection that lives in the stomach, and it survives but reduces the acid in the stomach.  Symptoms are a wide range from nausea to nausea on an empty stomach to even excessive vomiting in pregnancy.

Heartburn
PPI (proton pump inhibitor) is widely OVER prescribed especially for those 65 and older when it comes to heartburn.  It’s such a disservice because they actually have the opposite issue.  They are experiencing the symptoms because they do not have enough acid and when we put them on PPIs, we are only further perpetuating the issue they already have.  Putting them at an increased risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, weakening of the bones, osteoporosis, restless leg syndrome, and hair loss.

For people on these meds for heartburn for years… is there a way off?
Yes, absolutely but you have to start digging into the root cause of why.  Why are you experiencing these symptoms in the first place?  Why do I have acid reflux in the first place? What is in my nutrition or lifestyle that is driving that? I have helped so many individuals get off this medication or rat race.  Calcium carbonate can help with the temporary relief of acidic foods.  This is basically Tums just without all the ingredients, so a more natural alternative.

If I do have a slow digestive fire, there have been talks about taking bitter herbs as a way to help get things going.
I have my clients consume bitter foods! This is much more sustainable long term. So, arugula, beets, etc, bitter herbs, sprays, or drops will send signals from the brain to the digestive tract to turn on bile production.  They are actually more helpful for stimulating the liver and gallbladder to secrete bile. Which can help with the overall digestive process.

A more natural route is apple cider vinegar and lemon. Lemons and apple cider vinegar mimic the acidity of the stomach. So, for someone who has low or not-so-great stomach acid, it helps to give another layer of acidity with the breakdown of food.  If you take ACV and you feel very unwell after, then it’s an indication that you shouldn’t be taking it, and over the production of acid is the issue not under.  If you do this with the ACV you need to drink A LOT Of water with this and chase it down

Another great thing is to drink water in the morning, but warm water or room temperature water in the morning is good because it stimulates peristalsis which is the movement and contractions in the gut before we start any lymphatic movement or flow.

So much research has come out as the gut is the second brain and so many other things that we have never thought of have stemmed from what happens in our gut. There is a reason why this is such a conversation and have gone head-first into this work.

The microbiome (gut) is so complex.  We actually have the enteric nervous system which functions separately from the brain. That is why it’s called the second brain. Not only is the brain talking to the gut, but the gut is also talking to the brain, and there is a very intricate relationship happening there.  Every process in the body is dependent on the gut.  Your gut is what is absorbing everything that is essential to keep us alive and functioning!  There is research now that the gut is linked to Alzheimer’s and Dementia, autoimmunity, hormonal imbalance, infertility, allergies, and joint aches.

This is why people should care because a lot of the symptoms they are facing can be chased back to the gut being out of balance.  Because of the food people are eating or not eating and the lifestyle they are living and a lot of it is driven by society. Convenience is what drives a lot of individuals. We live in such a fast-paced society, and it feels very unnatural for people to go back to the way our ancestors lived and be more intentional, eating whole foods that we are growing ourselves. It’s a lot easier to take a pill and guess what they are taking the pill and still not feeling better!

The brain and the gut are all connected, we cannot separate the two!!

“You making the decision to focus on yourself has a ripple effect on the people living around you and has the potential to make generational changes.  Generationally the things we go through, we can pass on to our children.  You are at a pivotal moment right now where you can make a difference from a biological standpoint for your children, the environment they grow up in, and the nutritional things you feed them.  With all these practices you have the chance to change the life of someone else and that is very powerful!  Children cannot self-regulate; they are co-regulated by their parents, so the environment the parents get to choose in the home and their surroundings is pivotal in the microbiome development and the brain development of the children.” – Jade Etter

What is one thing that makes you feel magical?
Number 1, I just feel like my soul is on fire when I get to educate people that there is another way.  I am energized by my passion and being able to do this, speak to people, and advocate for themselves just lights me up.  I’ve been there and I know what it’s like to be on the other side.

Number 2, having my hands in the dirt.  I am a flower gardener and love fresh cut flowers and that just helps to recenter me.  I feel very much connected to everything that is when my hands are in the dirt!!

LINKS

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/kimbarnesjeffersoncoach

Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website:
https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

5 Days To Consistency challenge – This 5-Day challenge will help you create a personalized plan and develop habits for long-term success in just 5 days.
https://kimbarnesjefferson.lpages.co/5-days-to-consistency/

Jade Etter Website:
http://www.jadeetterwellness.com
Determine Your Gut Dysfunction Root Cause Quiz: https://www.jadeetterwellness.com/ibs-root-cause-quiz-assessment
Jade’s Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/resilientgutco/

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Listen up!!!

You’re failing because you are following someone else’s plan!!
You’re failing because you’re not willing to be a beginner
You’re failing because you’re not creating a plan that works for you and your life.

Imagine if you were able to master the 6 things that could make getting a fit body as easy as sleeping”

Listen up — I’m dropping some knowledge catch the replay — show notes.

The post 6 Ways To Set Yourself Up To Have The Fittest Body In 2017 appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded zucchini
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese ( you can sub nutritional yeast)
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp Cajun spice
• ½ tsp lemon pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Put the zucchini on a cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze as much moisture out as you can. This is important to make sure the patties stick together properly.
3. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Form into patties no more than ½ inch thick.
5. Place on cookie sheet cook for 20 min then flip and cook another 20 min

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Especially at this time of year,  I’m sure you’ve seen the zillion or ads on television and in magazines, weight loss programs are everywhere and their effectiveness and usefulness varies particularly from person to person. That being said if you’re looking for something structured then weight loss programs can actually be quite effective.  They do everything for you, tell you what to eat and how to exercise.

This may seem to be a bit too good to be true but there are always drawbacks when it comes to programs like this. First of all not every plan has room to be tailored to you specifically. A lot of programs’ “one size fits all” plan leaves a lot to be desired from people looking for specific weight goals. Another issue is the possibility that quitting the program can cause some of the same “yo-yo diet” effects that fad diets cause when you stop using their meal plan. Healthy dietary changes are always supposed to become permanent and sustainable, which means that you should always have a step-down plan prepared.

The biggest problem that people seem to find with some weight loss programs is that they don’t leave much room for personal touch. If you want their plan to be effective then you need to follow that plan and not everyone’s life has room to work around a set plan. Depending on your schedule or budget you won’t always have the time to follow their specific diet or fit in their day’s workout so having a strict schedule can often run directly into conflict with some programs.

That is way I developed the 5 day clean eating crash course. This will help you ease into how to eat clean and TEACH you how your body works. So that you would be able to go off the “diet plan” yo-yo” cycle.

The post Are Weight Loss Programs For You’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

sometimes be more troublesome than you might think. Learning to eat clean is like learning a new language. Juggling all of this new information about nutrition like your daily personal needs alongside all of the nutrition facts for foods that you’re eating can be a big hassle if you’re not prepared. Lucky you, you’ve got me and some amazing tools available. Here are my top 3.

1. Food/Diet Diaries —  You can make this as fancy or simple as you need.  There are plenty of online apps or old fashion paper. All you have to do is write down what, how much, and when you ate each meal and you have an easy to read go-to when you’re calculating your progress. You can keep it in your care, in your bag or briefcase, or on your kitchen counter at home, just remember to actually fill it out or it doesn’t do you any good!
2. Nutrition Cheat Sheets — When you really think about it, all managing your diet really ends up being is one big test and choosing which foods to eat is the difference between a wrong or right answer. Of course you would take notes and study for a regular test so why not do the same for your diet’ Having a nutritional cheat sheet is a quick and easy way to recognize which foods are going to be okay and fit within your “budget” and which are going to be a bad idea. Making one yourself that keeps track of your favorite foods or favorite places to eat will help you manage yourself on the go.
3. Portioning Assistants — When you’re trying to make sure that you’re eating right, the most difficult part is making sure that you’re not eating too much (or too little!) for your meals. This is where portioning assistants like portion plates and portioned storage containers come in handy. A portion plate is an easy way to make sure you have a balanced plate on a meal to meal basis until you get a handle on what your plate should be looking like. If you have a busy schedule, try batch cooking and using portioned storage containers to get your meal or meal pieces ready ahead of time then refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to eat.

It’s can sometimes seem tough to get a handle on your diet, but with the right tools it can be as easy as properly portioned pie!

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I’m a person who like rewards how about you’ Instead of focusing on a number on a scale, let’s work on another measure of success. Pick milestones that take the focus off of the number. Your weight will fluctuate a lot and isn’t really the best indicator of how your overall health is improving.

Think of milestones like losing inches on your waist, going a certain amount of days without skipping your workouts, being able to walk longer without being out of breath, or making it through a harder workout. When it comes to rewards, the best are ones that further your fitness goals.

Here are some great ideas for rewards to give yourself. Some may take time, others take money, others don’t take much of either. Pick something that you can really look forward to.

1. Buy a new fitness gadget that you’ve been interested in. Once you’ve been making it to your workouts regularly, how about investing in a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker‘ They can be great motivators and make for an awesome reward.
2. Sign up for a fun new exercise class. Maybe you’ve been wanting to do Zumba or bootcamp but couldn’t justify spending the money if you weren’t sure you were going to make the most use of it. Well, that makes it a great prize for making some progress because once you see that inch come off of your waist you’re going to want to keep pushing through.
3. Get a massage. When you’re new to exercise your body is going to get sore. It’s to be expected. Reward your hard work with a professional massage. Who knows’ Maybe you could make it recurring gift every time you go a certain length of time without skipping a workout.
4. Plan a family fitness activity. You could go for a walk, bike ride, hike or sign up for a 5k. It’s a great way to have fun with your kids or significant other but also stay active. Look at this as both a reward and a workout in one!
5. Sign up to do something you’ve always wanted to do such as rock climbing, sky diving, or kayaking. Getting adventurous is fun! You’re already doing something you never thought you’d do – losing that extra weight. Why not give something new a try’ I’m sure you’ve already got some great ideas in mind after reading this list. Pick something that moves you closer to your goals not further away but make sure it’s something you’re excited to work towards earning.

The post Savvy|Smart|Sexy People Do Rewards Without Food.  appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

I wanted to share with you that eating fat-free foods is unhealthy and can potentially dangerous’ Say what now” Seriously fat makes you fat right”  To  become fit, I should eat less fat, right’ Not necessarily.

Good fats provide many health benefits. Good fats are pretty much any oil, that’s not soy, vegetable or corn oil.  Nuts and nut butters are good fats, but oils are more easily absorbed by your body. Yes, there are “bad fats” contained in fast and processed foods, and they should be avoided. But there are many reasons why fat-free foods and a low-fat diet can lead to poor health.

Understanding the danger of eating too many fat-free foods is important if you want to lose weight, get in shape and feel great.

Annemarie Colbin, PhD, is a noted author and expert in the fields of natural health and physical wellness. She has noted that most Americans and others around the world are “out of touch” with proper nutrition practices. She admits that excess fat can stress your liver and cause multiple health problems.

But she and other health and nutrition experts point out that fat is actually 1 of the 3 essential macro nutrients your body needs to function properly. And as we mentioned earlier, some fats promote health. Omega 6, Omega 3, linoleic and linolenic acids and other essential fatty acids help keep you warm in the winter by actually breaking down fat. Think about a bear hibernating. It lives off of its body fat.

Good fats also keep your cell walls strong and deliver proper hormone functioning, especially for women. So now that you know a fat-free diet is unhealthy, let’s look at the negative side of most popular fat-free foods.

Regular mayonnaise, for example, is basically about 85% to 95% fat. For it to be fat-free, what replaces the fat’ The answer is, usually gum, sugar, starch and other artificial ingredients that is hard on your body to process. Fat-free sour cream uses the same replacements, as do most other fat-free food products, which is what makes them so dangerous.

The inclusion of tons of sugar in fat-free foods is what makes you gain weight. So the next time you reach for a fat-free food item when you are shopping, compare its nutrition label with its non-fat-free counterpart. Find out what is actually used to replace the fat, and you will probably discover you are eating a sugar-packed, starchy and unhealthy food item.

And don’t forget, fat gives you a feeling of fullness.

A half teaspoon of regular mayonnaise is a much better health alternative than the 2 tablespoons…
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you will need to eat to get the same “full” feeling.

The danger of fat-free foods is that they make you eat too much, they encourage your body to crave…
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, and they don’t satisfy your feelings of hunger. 

Essential fatty acids and other quality fats are beneficial for your nails, skin and hair, they…
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Well you can still have these types of food and drink even if you are trying to lose weight. All you need to do is be armed with the right information about the types of goodies that are not too high in calories.

You do not have to cut out all these foods, you just need to cut down.

• Eat Well Balanced Meals
  When you eat a well balanced meal, there should be less need to snack. A good meal should leave you feeling full and satisfied. Snacking can sometimes occur if you have not eaten enough during your mealtime. So the first thing you want to ensure is that you are eating enough during the day. Make sure all your meals have a protein element. This is a lean protein — chicken, fish, beef, shellfish, eggs, greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
• Choose Alternative Snacks
  I’d be lying to you if I said go it, and have all the cookies, candy and chips you want. While I don’ t believe in an all or nothing mentality. There are plenty of alternatives that you can eat so that you still get the same satisfaction but not the weight gain. One of my favorite things to do is go through Pinterest to find new recipes to keep it interesting. Make sure you set your timer, this could be a time suck.
• Choose The Mini-Size Options
  Sometimes when you are craving a snack, like a candy bar or a bag of popcorn, you might not actually need that much in order to feel satisfied. This would be a great time to actually look at buying the mini-size options of your favorite snacks.

Any one of these three options will give you a way to enjoy snacks without packing on the pounds. If you have any other suggestions, please leave me a comment below.

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