Beauty, Wellness, Recipes, Food
 What you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat sends direct signals to your nervous system—signals that either tell the body it is safe or it must stay on high alert.
This matters more than most people realize, because many of the symptoms that drive women to “do something dramatic” with food—rapid weight gain, fatigue, frequent illness, brain fog, poor sleep—are not problems of excess. They are signs of systemic stress. When the body is out of whack, stress is usually at the center. When the body is under chronic stress—emotional, physical, hormonal, inflammatory—the nervous system shifts into survival mode. Cortisol rises. The sympathetic (“fight or flight”) system stays switched on. Calorie restriction, long fasts, and aggressive cleanses are forms of physiological stress. Even when done with good intentions, they send a powerful signal to the body: Resources are scarce. Stay alert. For a body already stuck in fight-or-flight, this compounds the problem. Cortisol stays elevated. Thyroid signaling slows. The gut becomes less efficient. The nervous system remains dysregulated. In this state we do not add stress by calorie restriction or fasting. This is not the time for a broth cleanse, juice cleanse or Deep Reset. This is time to nourish - to use food to tell your body all is well it can down regulate - it is safe. For this you need an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, good fats, and amino acids. You need nourishment that gives the body what it needs to function . We are not talking empty calories or what we traditionally think of as comfort food . We are talking about focusing on high impact foods in quantities that nourish (clean protein, plant based fats like olive and avocado, vegetables, nuts/seeds, spices, herbs). This is time for jolie Complete Nutrition, Strong & Lean, 10 Years Younger, Hormone Reset, jolie Monthly. These programs are deeply reparative to the body under stress. They will address all the symptoms that drive you to want a cleanse - but through a different pathway. When the body is deeply nourished, the symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, slow recovery, rapid weight gain, loss of sex drive, and frequent colds dissipate. Your psychological stress has dropped, cortisol is lowered, your body is thriving. Now you can do fasting and targeted caloric restriction. Its effect now will be to boost immunity, rejuvenate you, and optimize your health. In this way - I want you to start thinking of food as medicine in a different way. How we nourish ourselves must correspond with our stress levels. How we eat can amplify stress or decrease stress.  Waking up to certainty that the gym was closed, SolidCore was canceled, and I cannot exercise at home - I knew I had to rely on my food alone today.
Getting out of your walking or workout routine can cause body anxiety - it definitely did for me - that you’ll put on weight. That is when I didn't get the power of food. It is your most impactful lever you have. Exercise shapes, sculpts, strengthens, and refines - burns fewer calories than you wish it did. Thankfully, exercise is not the primary driver of fat loss, metabolic stability, or long-term body composition. Food is. Food accounts for 80-90% of the total metabolic equation and the hormonal environment food creates. This means your progress is protected — if your food is correct. Food regulates insulin, the primary hormone governing fat storage. When insulin remains stable, the body is slow to store energy as fat and has access to stored fat as fuel. Cortisol is influenced by food. Proper nutrition lowers unnecessary cortisol elevations and creates a hormonal environment where the body can release fat and maintain muscle — even during periods of reduced activity. Food regulates metabolic rate itself. Protein preserves lean muscle mass - primary determinant of resting metabolic rate; and supports thyroid function, mitochondrial activity, and cellular energy production. Good news for days like these is you can fully preserve and even improve body composition — through food alone. Understanding this is the foundation of lasting peace with your body composition, metabolic health, and lasting control. Let the food do the work.  If you have been told you are prediabetic, it is important to understand one thing clearly: this is not a permanent condition.
Prediabetes is a metabolic state, not a life sentence. It develops when the body becomes less responsive to insulin, and glucose begins to remain elevated in the bloodstream instead of being efficiently used by muscle and other tissues. The encouraging reality is that prediabetes responds directly and predictably to specific changes in nutrition, muscle mass, and daily habits. When addressed properly, blood sugar regulation can be restored, and progression to diabetes can be prevented. Here are the most important actions to take. Build and maintain muscle. Muscle is the primary site where glucose is absorbed and used. The more muscle you have, the more effectively your body can regulate blood sugar. Strength training several times per week improves insulin sensitivity and helps bring glucose levels back into normal range. This is one of the most powerful tools available, and it works at any age. Structure your meals around plants and protein. Vegetables and protein stabilizes blood sugar, preserves muscle, and reduces large glucose spikes. Each meal should model jolie: focus on vegetable, meaningful protein, and healthy fats. Minimizing sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods allows insulin levels to normalize and reduces stress on the pancreas. Create a consistent overnight fasting window. When you stop eating after dinner and allow 12 hours before your next meal, insulin levels have time to fall. Between meals allow 4 hours. This allows your body to restore metabolic flexibility — the ability to use both glucose and fat efficiently. This simple practice improves insulin sensitivity and is foundational to restoring metabolic health. Move every day. Movement directly lowers blood sugar. Walking, strength training, and even light activity throughout the day improves glucose regulation. Walking after meals is especially effective at reducing glucose spikes. Reduce excess body fat while preserving muscle. Excess fat tissue around the abdomine contributes to insulin resistance. Even a modest 5 pound reduction improves glucose control significantly - this is the goal of the 5 in 10 program. The goal is not simply weight loss, but improved body composition — maintaining muscle while reducing fat. These practices can fully restore normal metabolic function. Prediabetes is caused by metabolic conditions that can be corrected. This is entirely within your control.  You intend the best for yourself when trying to eat healthy. Sometimes - what we think to be healthy, actually isn’t good for us. Here are the most common “healthy eating” mistakes I see again and again—and why they quietly sabotage metabolism, blood sugar, digestion, and body composition.
1. Assuming a Salad Bowl Is Automatically Healthy A salad is only as healthy as its macronutrient balance. I recently watched a friend order a “protein bowl” at Sweetgreen. It included wild rice, quinoa, and sweet potato—in generous quantities - pictured above. On paper: wholesome. In reality: a high-carbohydrate sugar bomb. I had to intervene - this friend is pre-diabetic. Even when the ingredients are “clean,” stacking multiple starches in one bowl drives blood sugar up, insulin follows, inflammation is activated, and fat storage is encouraged. 2. Assuming Gluten-Free Means Healthy Gluten-free does not mean low-glycemic, nutrient-dense, or supportive of metabolic health - this was the inspiration for the jolie Glow Bread and Beauty bread. Most gluten-free products are made from refined flours like rice flour, tapioca starch, or potato starch—often more blood-sugar-disruptive than wheat. Removing gluten without improving food quality is not a health upgrade. It’s just a rebrand of refined carbohydrates. 3. Believing Oatmeal Is a “Power Breakfast” This is one of the most common breakfast mistakes I see—especially among people trying to “eat clean.” Oatmeal is a rapid-digesting carbohydrate meal that spikes blood sugar, triggers insulin, and almost guarantees a crash by mid-morning. The result? Hunger, fatigue, brain fog, and cravings before lunch. A power breakfast stabilizes blood sugar. This one does the opposite. Improve oatmeal by using oat groats or steel cut oats as jolie does, add thermogenic spices, add protein, healthy fat and keep portions small - less than 6 oz. 4. Having Digestive Issues and Eating More Salad If you have bloating, gas, constipation, or IBS-type symptoms, raw vegetables are not your friend. Raw greens are harder to digest than cooked vegetables and place greater demand on an already stressed digestive system. When digestion is compromised, the solution is cooked vegetables: soups, stews, and warm meals—not raw fiber. Pretzels. Rice cakes. Protein bars. These are marketed as healthy, but metabolically they behave like sugar snacks. They spike insulin, increase cravings, and create a cycle of hunger rather than satiety. A better rule: protein + vegetables (or protein + fat) for snacks. This stabilizes blood sugar instead of destabilizing it. 6. Drinking All Your Nutrition Smoothies, shakes, and liquid meals have their place—but the body is designed to chew. Chewing initiates digestion through saliva, enzymes, and nervous system signaling. It tells your body to prepare, assimilate, and absorb nutrients efficiently. When everything is liquid, that signaling is bypassed. Nutrient absorption suffers. Satiety drops. Food works best when it’s eaten, not just consumed. 7. Eating Too Much “Healthy” Food Healthy food still contains calories. Large portions of nuts, olive oil, grains, dried fruit, or even healthy fats can quietly tip the body into excess—especially when weight loss or body recomposition is the goal. 8. Giving Yourself a Pass Because You Worked Out Exercise is not a free pass to eat. Most workouts burn far fewer calories than people assume, and post-workout “treats” often elevate insulin at the exact time the body is primed to store energy. Exercise builds health. Nutrition determines body composition. 9. Assuming Vegan or Vegetarian Automatically Means Healthy Vegetables are healthy. A vegan or vegetarian label is not a guarantee of nourishment. Many plant-based meals are carb-heavy, protein-light, and micronutrient-poor—leading to fatigue, muscle loss, blood sugar instability, and hormone disruption over time. Plant-based eating can be incredibly health-promoting when done correctly. At Jolie, we model how to build vegan and vegetarian meals that are protein-adequate, blood-sugar-stable, and deeply nourishing—because composition matters more than labels. The Bottom Line Most “healthy eating” mistakes aren’t about junk food. They’re about misunderstanding physiology. Jolie models for you how to not make these mistakes - use your jolie programs for health and for a model of eating when not having jolie. My post thanksgiving fast was so revitalizing. So much focus is placed on intermittent fasting that the original concept of fasting is overlooked.
Thanksgiving for me was too much food, too much eating and drinking, and eating a lot of foods I don’t usually eat. Loved every moment of it - and felt like an overstuffed suitcase by the end of the night. After Thanksgiving, I did a one-day fast with broth. It was from a punishment mindset or paying for my sins. This kind of body treatment is level 2 selfcare. You are intentionally giving your body space to catch up. To digest the food, use it, and detox properly After a feast, your body does need time to digest. A lot of food, different kinds, alcohol slow digestion - hence why you wake up feeling full. You are. It also needs time to partition and use the abundance of nutrients, proteins, fats, and carbs coming in. That fast day allows your hydration levels to rebalance, elimination to happen, and your gut and liver to recover. The liver clears what it has been holding. Insulin levels slide down to their natural baseline, creating a calm hormonal rhythm. Inflammation — which flares so easily with sugar, alcohol, and rich meals — begins to cool. And instead of storing fat, the body starts to use the surge of calories. There is a misconception that fasting harms metabolism, but the opposite is true. A short fast, whether one day or several, enhances metabolic resilience by giving the body a chance to detoxify, reorganize, and metabolically “reboot.” It is the recalibration that makes every system more responsive. What I loved is that on Saturday morning I felt like my regular self again, my weight was back to normal, no bloating, and I felt skinny - not puffy. I encourage you during the season of feasting to make use of this tool in your wellness toolbox. Fasting is easier with broth, juice, or soup - all accomplishing the same outcome - pick your poison. With light, Julia If you know me, you know skin is my obsession: radiant, supple, and glowing. Tending to your skin means you can skip makeup, wake up with little to do, and feel younger. Your skin is a living reflection of internal wellness. So much information can show up just by looking at your skin.
At the end I share a What Your Skin Is Trying to Tell You List. Nothing transforms your skin faster than removing sugar. See the difference in 5 short days with the Sugar Detox. Sugar accelerates collagen breakdown, weakens elasticity, and leaves the skin dull and inflamed. Our Jolie Sugar Detox allows you to get a peak at what sugar is doing to your skin (and insides). Intentional cutting of sugar will show benefit within days: skin looks tighter, smoother, and more even. Your face begins to sculpt itself naturally as puffiness fades. This is where glow begins: from the inside out. What to do now? So let’s say sugar, sun, and stress has already begun to breakdown the collagen in your skin. To restore strength, the skin must be gently and intelligently stimulated. My all time favorite stimulant is the LYMA Laser - I use it twice a day and it is worth every penny— working beneath the surface to rebuild collagen, refine texture, and lift facial contours. No LYMA? There is a work around that is a deeply effective way to renew and lift the skin naturally. Use a consistent combo of the 4 out of 6 of these options:
Just like you need clean, jolie style food - your skin needs clean, potent skincare. I use Laurel Skin care; but you choose something clean that works with your skin. (secret preview: the January Reset will include a fabulous Laurel gift). Look for a whole-plant, biodynamic line that delivers living nutrition directly to the skin, rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids that calm inflammation and restore the skin barrier. Makeup is chosen with the same care. I am definitely a minimalist due to lack of time and skill with makeup. What I look for are breathable, skin-loving formulas: mineral tints, luminous balms, and cream blushes. Avoid heavy powders or matte finishes that dull the light (read radiance) of your skin. Think of makeup as jewelry for the skin. When your skin is healthy and hydrated, makeup becomes optional. With love + light, Julia Your skin is a mirror of internal wellness. Each change or symptom is a message from within.
Circle any that describe you and see what your body might be asking for. 1. Redness or Flushing Possible meaning: Systemic inflammation or histamine overload. Common triggers: Sugar, alcohol, stress, poor gut balance. Support: Jolie Sugar Detox, cooling anti-inflammatory foods, omega-3s, and probiotics. 2. Dry, Dull Skin Possible meaning: Dehydration, low essential fats, or sluggish detox pathways. Support: Increase electrolytes, omega-rich foods (avocado, nuts, salmon), and add a daily Jolie Broth Latte for minerals and collagen support. 3. Breakouts (especially around mouth, chin, or jawline) Possible meaning: Hormonal imbalance or gut dysbiosis. Support: Balance blood sugar, eat consistent protein, include cruciferous vegetables and fiber, and support liver detox. 4. Puffy Face or Under-Eye Bags Possible meaning: Fluid retention, poor lymphatic flow, or high sodium. Support: Facial massage or gua sha, hydration with electrolytes, cold therapy, and sleep. 5. Liver or “Age” Spots Possible meaning: Glycation from excess sugar or oxidative stress. Support: Reduce sugar and alcohol, increase antioxidants (berries, greens, green tea), and include vitamin C and collagen-supportive foods. 6. Fine Lines Forming Prematurely Possible meaning: Collagen breakdown or chronic stress response. Support: Daily protein intake (at least 100–120g for most women), Broth Latte or collagen peptides, stress reduction, and quality sleep. 7. Itchy or Sensitive Skin Possible meaning: Gut inflammation, food sensitivities, or barrier disruption. Support: Remove inflammatory foods (sugar, gluten, processed oils), restore gut lining with bone broth and omega-3s, use gentle botanical skincare like Laurel Skin. 8. Greasy T-zone or Enlarged Pores Possible meaning: Insulin resistance or high stress hormones. Support: Balanced meals (protein + healthy fats), no refined sugar, steady sleep, and movement to regulate insulin sensitivity. 9. Uneven Tone or Hyperpigmentation Possible meaning: Liver congestion or hormonal imbalance. Support: Lemon water each morning, liver-supportive foods (beets, dandelion, leafy greens), and antioxidants. 10. Lack of Glow Possible meaning: Nutrient depletion or sluggish circulation. Support: Eat a variety of colorful vegetables, use sauna or infrared therapy, and incorporate daily movement and hydration. Your Results The more signals you circled, the more your skin is calling for an internal reset. Start with one change — like removing sugar or adding a daily Broth Latte — and watch how your skin responds.  My nervous system is “ stuck” in a fight or flight mode. I don’t think any food will help the nervous system?
Food and the nervous system was the focus of the jolieLife nutrition program the prior two weeks. Food is in a daily dialogue with your nervous system. What we eat directly impacts the vagus nerve, blood sugar stability, hormones, and neurotransmitters that determine whether our body feels safe or stays in fight-or-flight. My alma mater has explored this extensively. Harvard researchers in the field of nutritional psychiatry (a new field that arose as the information kept flowing connecting food and mental health) have shown that what we eat directly affects the way our brain and nervous system function. Diets rich in whole, unprocessed foods — vegetables, quality proteins, and healthy fats — are linked to lower anxiety, steadier mood, and improved stress resilience. In contrast, diets high in sugar and refined foods (not even processed foods) heighten inflammation and trigger the same physiological stress responses that keep the body in fight-or-flight. Harvard’s Health noted that stable blood sugar and nutrient-dense meals calm the stress response, supporting balanced cortisol levels and smoother communication between the brain and body. In essence, the food on your plate can either amplify stress or restore the nervous system’s natural rhythm of safety and ease. When your blood sugar spikes and crashes, your body perceives danger. Cortisol rises, adrenaline floods, and you feel wired, anxious, or drained. By eating for blood sugar stability we choose communicating safety to our body - you tell your body you’re safe. This is why consistent, protein and fiber anchored meals are one of the most effective ways to bring the nervous system out of chronic stress. Magnesium, B vitamins, omega-3s, zinc, and antioxidants feed the brain and the adrenal glands that manage stress. Deficiencies in these nutrients heighten reactivity and fatigue. Plant centered eating replenishes the very nutrients your nervous system needs to relax and repair. Your gut and brain communicate constantly through the vagus nerve. Gut inflammation amplifies anxiety and irritability. Nourish your microbiome to maximize its production of GABA and serotonin — the neurotransmitters of calm and well-being. Hormones and the nervous system are intertwined. Estrogen dominance, for example, can heighten the stress response, and cortisol surges can disrupt estrogen balance. Foods that support liver detoxification — cruciferous vegetables, herbs, lemon, greens — help the body metabolize hormones smoothly which steadies mood . The rhythm of eating matters too. Predictable, nourishing meals cue safety. So to unwind a ramped up nervous system, look to your plate as much to sleep, deep breathing, and connection. with light + love, Julia Here’s your jolie Key to ending hormonal weight gain.
Weight gain due to hormonal changes is not a mysterious phenomenon. It is caused by building insulin resistance, cortisol, estrogen imbalance, leptin and ghrelin dysfunction, low testosterone, and progesterone decline. Addressing these 6 factors changes the game on hormonally driven weight gain and on menopause itself. Designing the jolie diet as anti-inflammatory, blood sugar stabilizing, nutrient dense, and hormonally balancing was intentional for longevity and vitality. It also addresses the 6 factors that are at the root of hormonal weight gain. Now for how you can target the root hormonal and cellular drivers of midlife weight gain. First you must restore your insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity declines with frequent sugar and high stress. Your hormone balance plate is structured with low glycemic load, high fiber, and ample protein → this reduces insulin spikes, allowing fat to be mobilized for energy rather than stored. Reducing after meal insulin, increases lipolysis (fat burning) and mitochondrial energy efficiency. Next, get on an eating schedule. Cortisol is modulated through nourishment & rhythm. Eating regular meals, hydration through water and food, and nutrient dense foods calm the stress response. This allows cortisol to normalize. Balanced cortisol → reduced central (belly) fat deposition and fewer sugar cravings. Promote estrogen & progesterone rebalancing via detox & phyto-nutrients. Crucifers, seeds, greens, and Jolie broths support liver detoxification of estrogen metabolites (via phase II conjugation pathways). This improves estrogen clearance, reducing dominance, water retention, and inflammation. Use herbs, spice, and color to encourage mitochondrial rejuvenation and anti-inflammatory signaling. Polyphenols, omega 3s, antioxidants decrease NF-κB activation and oxidative stress. So that cells regain metabolic flexibility → energy, mood, and fat oxidation improve. Last, but definitely not least, repair your microbiome. Fiber, broth (use in lattes & soups), and plant diversity improve gut flora, lowering endotoxins and systemic inflammation. Gut-brain and gut-hormone signaling normalize (GLP-1, PYY), reducing hunger and improving insulin sensitivity. Implementing a diet centered on these concepts changes the terrain of your body. You change the function. So now you experience steady energy, reduced inflammation, normalized hunger cues, improved estrogen metabolism, and restored insulin sensitivity—allowing body fat, especially belly fat, to decrease naturally even with sufficient calories. No huge deficits. with love + light, Julia  When we have gut trouble one of our first things to reach for (after antacids, laxatives, and Metamucil) are probiotics. Secondly, we start eating lighter, healthier - reaching for the raw vegetables, the salads.
Then everything gets worse. It is not a surprise. Our efforts to help ourselves - are actually tipping the scales further away from a healthy gut. They are making it harder for your body to come back into balance, for your leaky gut to heal, and for good microbes to establish a hold. If you need gut help, the first step is stop the probiotics. Next ,eat cooked food, not raw. Take out the gluten and dairy - even if you tolerate them. Stop grazing. From there you will start to feel better already. Now, we add in broths and periods of digestive rest throughout your day. This is going to give your gut space and time to do the activity of repair. Broth will deliver the nutrients to help. Chicken bone broth, mushroom broth, or Health & Wellness broths are the best for gut healing. Your meals are going to be easy to digest, so that we speed up absorption of nutrients and digestion. This gives both extra nourishment for repair and time for the body to repair while the digestive system is at rest. Now you are on the path upward. From here we take out most cruciferous vegetables. While we are healing we do not want loads of broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, brussels sprouts, and related vegetables. These are excellent for immunity and autoimmune support, but while we are healing our gut, we do not have the microbe population to properly break them down. Once we’ve rested, given more space for healing, taken out foods and medicines that are making it worse, and given easily absorbed nutrients; we re-inoculate. For this we need microbes and food for the microbes. This is why food is the best probiotic. You get the microbe inoculation PLUS (this is very important) when you have microbes from a food source they come with the food they need. Think of it like a seed - you get the plant embryo and the food the embryo needs to thrive. On the contrary, probiotics are the microbes in large quantities without the food for them to thrive. So we use pickled vegetables, plant yogurts (without gums), olives, and capers to reintroduce microbial diversity. We do this and add easy to digest fiber rich foods to an already stronger gut. Now you are in the gut maintenance space. A mode of eating that will keep your gut healthy and continue to give it all it needs. In a nutshell, this is the 10 Day Reset. This is how we heal your gut. And by healing your gut, we not only improve digestion, we cool inflammation, lower immune sensitivities, and set you on the road to continued gut health. with light, Julia xo Struggling with lightheadedness, dizziness, and headaches last spring led me down a rabbit hole of tests and imaging that yielded nothing. My situation cut my sauna season short because I became immediately dizzy when I reclined in the sauna. Eventually the dizziness, lightheadedness, and headaches subsided. But, they came back early this month.
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