Beauty, Wellness, Recipes, Food
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Do not confuse self love with complacency. In the world of body positivity it can seem that to be body positive you have to want to stay just as you are. Some people fear that if they accept and love themselves now, they’ll lose the motivation to improve. But self-love and growth are not opposites—they work together.
My best self improvements have come from a place of love: because when you love yourself you are clear in your allegiance to yourself, your desires, and goals and you are prepared to do the work. You are in a mode of grooming, taking care of, and stewardship. The best place from which to get stronger, leaner, and healthier - is from love. When you change in a place of love you aren’t waiting until you reach a number on the scale to be happy, you are happily moving there. You are not punishing yourself, you are providing for yourself. You are choosing what you want for yourself. You have agency. A Self-Love Practice Before every decision, ask: Does this honor my body? Will my future self thank me for this choice? How can I care for myself at this moment? Then choose what feels best—not just in the moment, but for your highest self. Improving your body isn’t about fixing yourself—you are not broken. It’s about stepping into the most version of yourself you are most happy to embody. Weight loss often starts from a place of frustration—looking in the mirror and feeling unhappy, pinching parts of the body you wish would disappear, or punishing yourself for choices you regret.
You may start there, but in reality, when done right, it can move you to deep depths of self love. Restriction, punishment, and shame are familiar to anyone who has struggled with weight loss. A huge intention of jolie Optimized is to frame weight loss in the context of nourishment, empowerment, and transformation because I want you to fall in love with yourself. Although food is key - your mind needs a shift. Start stating your self talk starting now. We are releasing statements like these:
You are loving yourself through your food and words, and reinforce and deepen this with actions. Sometimes the easiest way to change our thoughts is through action. So as you do weight loss, feel the care you are directing toward yourself. You are loving yourself by sitting and eating well. You love yourself by moving. You love yourself with boundaries that allow you to rest. Taking a deep breath is loving yourself. Everyday add an action of love or reframe an action you take for granted as love. This underscores your inherent spectacular value right now where you are at this moment. Valuing yourself before you hit goal makes getting and staying there so much easier. Self-love is also celebrating progress—not just an "end goal." Every time you choose foods that nourish you, move your body, or rest when needed - you are already winning!! Right now, in this very moment, you are creating your future self. Every choice you make—what you eat, how you move, the way you speak to yourself—determines the person you will be in three months, six months, a year from now.
Imagine her. Stronger—because she didn’t quit when it got hard. Leaner—because she nourished her body instead of numbing her emotions. Radiating confidence—because she kept the promises she made to herself. Now ask yourself: Will she wish you had eaten more sugar, more processed food, more late-night snacks? Or will she be grateful that you honored your body, fueled your goals, and broke free from old patterns? Every single day and meal, you are casting your future self. You are either forming the version of you that feels powerful, energized, and in control—or the version of you that remains stuck in old habits. The good news? You have the power to decide with each meal. In three months, summer will be here. Will you be standing in front of the mirror, proud of the work you’ve done? Will you feel lighter, stronger, and at peace with your choices? Will you be stepping into the next season with confidence, ease, and joy? Or will you be in the same place, looking back and wishing you had started? I hope not. So let’s get started now. I remember when I started, it was in the middle of the day. No last meal, no tomorrow. I was now. The sooner I start, the sooner I get to enjoy my goal. And the sooner, I leave all this feeling awful behind me. So take a moment today to journal or dream about your future self, and get her started today. Emotions can quickly derail your eating and weight loss if not worked on. When I have had a day with “a lot” the first thing I want is chocolate or wine. But, I have gone through a process that I am sharing with you to help me feel through the emotion.
Realize that food is there to numb, distract, or shut you down. But it does nothing for releasing or overcoming the emotions. We are going to learn how to begin to move through your emotions in a way that nourishes, strengthens, and frees you? This honors your emotions, supports you, and gives you mastery over food freeing you from the cycle of numbing and self-sabotage. Here’s how to shift your mindset and learn to nourish instead of numb. Numbing vs. Nourishing When faced with difficult emotions—stress, sadness, loneliness, or even boredom—we all seek relief. But the difference is to go past the quick fix. \ Numbing:
Nourishing Yourself Through the Emotions
Ending Emotional Eating Practice Step 1: Identify the Emotion Before Reacting Before reaching for food, ask yourself: What am I truly feeling? (Name the emotion: stress, sadness, frustration, exhaustion) What do I truly need? (Movement, fresh air, deep breaths, connection, support) Instead of reacting, pause and choose to respond with awareness. Jolie Practice: Before eating emotionally, place your hand on your heart, take a deep breath, and ask: "What is it that I really need right now?" Step 2: Move the Emotion Through Your Body Emotions are energy—they are meant to move. When we suppress them with food, alcohol, or distractions, they become stagnant in the body, leading to stress, weight gain, and dis-ease. To fully process emotions, you must move them through the body. How to Release Emotions Instead of Numbing:
Step 3: Nourish with the Right Foods, Not Emotional Cravings When we process emotions through movement, the urge to numb naturally decreases. When it is time to eat Instead of reaching for empty comfort foods, choose your jolie foods or nourishing, supportive foods. 🔹 Feeling stressed? Reach for healthy fats + protein (avocado, nuts, seeds) to support adrenal balance. 🔹 Feeling sad? Choose gut-healing foods (fermented veggies, broths, greens) to boost serotonin naturally. 🔹 Feeling anxious? Sip on herbal teas, magnesium-rich foods (dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds) to calm the nervous system. 🔹 Feeling low-energy? Hydrate with lemon water, electrolytes, or a Jolie green juice instead of caffeine or sugar. Jolie Practice: ✨ Instead of depriving yourself, ask: "How can I nourish myself deeply right now?" Step 4: Create Emotional Rituals That Support You We all need small, daily rituals that honor your emotions and your body’s needs to release stress and process emotions without numbing ourselves. These are practices that can form the foundation of your emotional care. Morning Ritual: Hydrate, journal, and breathe deeply before starting your day. Evening Ritual: Light a candle, sip tea, stretch, or meditate instead of snacking mindlessly. Nature Practice: Walk outside daily to clear your mind and reduce stress. Love Practice: Speak kindly to yourself. Remind yourself that you are worthy of nourishment, not punishment. When you move emotions instead of numb or stuff, they leave you and give you space within yourself for clarity and listening. At Jolie, we believe in healing, thriving, and elevating your life—one mindful choice at a time. The way jolie combines foods significantly impacts how well our clients’ bodies absorb nutrients. While eating a nutrient-rich diet is important, ensuring those nutrients are fully absorbed is just as critical.
Certain foods enhance absorption when paired together, while others can inhibit it. Understanding the right combinations, the role of raw versus cooked foods, helps optimize your nutrition and wellness. Nutrient absorption is influenced by factors such as digestive enzymes, gut health, and food synergy. Some nutrients require fats for better absorption, while others are inhibited by compounds such as phytic acid or tannins. By structuring meals with these principles in mind, your body's ability to utilize essential vitamins and minerals is enhanced. A Paradigm for Maximum Nutrient Absorption A balanced ratio of raw and cooked foods, strategic food pairings, and mindful meal timing maximize nutrient uptake throughout the day. 1. Raw vs. Cooked Foods: Striking the Right Balance
2. Best Absorption Pairing & Why It Works Iron (Non-Heme) Leafy greens + citrus (e.g., spinach + lemon) Vitamin C increases iron absorption. Fat-Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K) Carrots + olive oil, eggs + avocado Fats enhance absorption of these vitamins. Calcium Leafy greens + fermented foods (e.g., kale + yogurt) Fermented foods improve calcium uptake. Zinc Pumpkin seeds + garlic Sulfur compounds in garlic boost zinc absorption. Magnesium Dark chocolate + bananas Vitamin B6 in bananas helps magnesium utilization. 3. Cooking Methods Roasting, steaming, soups, broths, and quick wilting are the best cooking methods for bioavailable nutrients. Cutting and chopping food is also an important part of increasing the absorption of nutrients during digestion. Cutting releases enzymes which begin to liberate nutrients even before they make it to your mouth. Maximizing nutrient absorption is about more than just eating healthy foods—it’s about eating them in ways that optimize bioavailability. A balance of raw and cooked foods, strategic pairings, and mindful cooking methods can enhance digestion and nutrient uptake. By focusing on proper food combinations you can ensure your body is deeply nourished. P.S. Body sculpting is super fun and rewarding. One of my favorite books on it is Figure Secrets. Power and support comes to your aid when you can shift your healthy living narrative from deprivation to privilege.
What if, instead of feeling deprived, you realized you were actually being liberated by eating in a way that makes you feel good inside? What if every conscious food choice was an act of power, self-respect, and privilege? Let’s reframe the way you think about food, weight loss, and what it truly means to live fully. What Are You Really Giving Up? When you say “I feel deprived,” you communicate only missing out on something wonderful. But the status quo is not wonderful
Mindset Shift Old Mindset (Deprivation): “I can’t have that dessert, I have to lose weight.” New Mindset (Empowerment): “I am choosing foods that love me back and make me feel my best.” Old Mindset (Sacrifice): “I have to eat less and miss out.” New Mindset (Opportunity): “I get to nourish my body in a way that creates the life I want.” Old Mindset (Restriction): “I can’t eat junk food.” New Mindset (Freedom): “I no longer want food that makes me feel heavy, tired, and bloated.” Choose where and what you want to be free of - to be truly at ease. Creatine is something I use for specific goals: mainly when body fat is super low and I want more muscle plump or if I am at risk of overtraining.
There is a lot of misguided assumptions about what it does - so let's break it down. The big myth is that creatine builds muscle. It does not. Creatine itself doesn’t "build" muscle, it enables the conditions that allow YOU to train harder, recover faster, and ultimately gain more muscle over time. Here is what it does 1. Creatine Accelerates Recovery. Creatine causes less muscle soreness after intense workouts through increasing intramuscular hydration and faster energy replenishment, so you feel stronger for your next session quicker. 2. Creatine Increases Energy Available. If taken pre-workout, creatine helps you feel stronger and lift heavier during your workout by replenishing ATP more quickly. That way you lift heavier weights, complete more reps, and sustain high-intensity efforts longer. Over time, by you increasing weight and reps, you grow more muscle. 3. Creatine helps muscles look bigger. Creatine has a plumping effect by increasing intramuscular water retention and muscle fullness, creating the illusion of added size, but it’s temporary and not actual muscle fiber growth. 4. Creatine Aids Muscle Preservation If you are hitting the gym hard, doing double workouts, or under fueling to maximize muscle definition by achieving very low body fat, you risk muscle breakdown as the body scavenges for energy. Creatine protects the muscles from being broken down for energy when fat stores are scarce. 5. Creatine Is Neuroprotective Creatine has shown to support nerve cells in creating energy too, making it an interesting supplement for brain health. Research shows it to enhance cognitive function; support brain energy metabolism, and possibly reduce neurological decline in conditions like Parkinson’s and ALS. Creatine and Weight Loss: Not a Great Fit If you're trying to lose a lot of weight, creatine is not your best ally. This is because creatine increases intramuscular water retention, meaning it pulls water into your muscles, making them look fuller, and heavier on the scale. For those aiming for a leaner physique or a weight goal, this added water weight is frustrating. It can mask fat loss progress and create fluctuations in body weight that can be discouraging. However, if you still want to use it during weight loss, I recommend 3g per day as opposed to the standard 5g. Which one to use? You want creatine monohydrate. I love the one from Momentus. When to take it? Ideally, post workout. For workouts longer than 65 minutes, you can take it pre workout to build stamina. For neuroprotective effects only, you can take it during the day with food. Creatine is not a universal fit. If your goal is more prominent muscle and performance, it’s great. If your priority is fat loss and definition, skip it. If you are not training consistently, skip it. If you don’t want weight gain of any kind, skip it P.S. Body sculpting is super fun and rewarding. One of my favorite books on it is Figure Secrets. Heavy metal toxicity is challenging to detox from without support. The fastest, safest way I have found to support client's detoxing from elevated heavy metals levels is jolie Nutrition + lymphatic drainage.
To safely remove heavy metals from the body, you need chelators—substances that bind to metals and help excrete them through urine, bile, or stool. Natural Chelators and Detoxifiers:
💆♀️ Manual Lymphatic Drainage – A gentle technique that stimulates lymph flow, removing toxins through sweat, urine, and bile. 🚶♀️ Movement & Dry Brushing – Jolie encourages movement, rebounding (jumping), and dry brushing to stimulate lymphatic circulation. 🔥 Infrared Sauna & Hydration – Infrared heat sweats out toxins, while optimal hydration flushes them through the kidneys. When you detox heavy metals your brain, body, and immune system work better. Metals disrupt the transmission of electrical charges in your body which impacts nerve synapsis and the ability of cell membranes to function properly. P.S. Shape of You Spa in Summit, NJ is a great space for both infrared sauna and manual lymphatic drainage. It is my lymphatic home combined with frequent sauna and at home self-massage. Every time I go to Whole Foods it takes me back to shopping in the Universam in Russia - lots of empty shelves. No eggs, little milk.
Bird flu outbreaks disrupting the supply of eggs and dairy places a spotlight on something Jolie has always prioritized—food sourcing and knowing where your food comes from. Direct relationships with farmers, butchers, and fishmongers has never been more critical. Food that is responsibly sourced, raised well, and grown in ways that support soil quality support your body better: ✔ Greater Nutrient Density: Animals raised on natural diets—pasture-raised chickens, grass-fed cows, and wild-caught fish—are significantly higher in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. ✔ Lower Toxic Load: Well farmed foods have more nutrients and less toxicity from antibiotics, hormones, and unnatural feed.. ✔Regenerative farmers care more about the sustainability of their farms long term and are full of passion which inspires them to do the right things. Well sourced food takes more effort and often costs more - but it gives you more which in the long run saves you money, time, and medical costs. That is one reason why I love farmers, farmers’ markets, and take so much time sourcing the right foods for myself and jolie. We support people committed to quality food, so we can have it - they are a dying breed so to speak. Let our current circumstances be a reminder to support those that care about farming methods that make food deeply nourishing for us and the earth. P.S. Farmers' markets are around the corner – I can't wait to be back in Union Square. What if feeling your best didn’t require overthinking, second-guessing, or constantly changing direction? What if you could trust that your body was supported—without micromanaging your health?
This year, I want to invite you into a shift I’m making, one that’s bringing more ease, pleasure, and flow into my life. Every year, I choose a theme—something that shapes my focus. This year’s theme? Romance. Romance in the way I live, move, and care for myself. Romance, to me, is about loving the experience of being in my body, enjoying how I feel each day, and making my well-being effortless. What doesn’t feel good? Overcomplicating things. Constantly changing plans. Feeling like a work in progress that never settles. So, I made a decision: This year is about consistency.
What would it feel like for you to release the struggle and step into effortless health? I’d love for you to join me in this shift. P.S. We will also host this February's workshop, THE 10 YEARS YOUNGER PLAN, on the 27th @ 11 am. It will be with a complimentary soup lunch through the generosity of the Oldendorp Group. Please email [email protected] to RSVP. With light + so much love, Julia xo I recently went through a good month of 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Besides coming to feel like each day was groundhog day - which is what actually queued me into noticing I had been going to bed too late - my weight was oddly up. Sleep corrected, I settled back into my normal range.
This brings me to the importance of sleep in regulating fat metabolism vs. fat storage. Sleep supports fat loss and enhances muscle growth. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone which helps burn fat and preserve lean muscle mass. Lack of sleep often leads to muscle breakdown and less fat loss, as the body becomes less efficient at metabolizing stored fat. Lack of adequate sleep reduces insulin sensitivity which increases metabolic bias to fat storage Sleep deprivation increases cortisol, the stress hormone that promotes fat storage—especially visceral fat (belly fat). Lack of sleep can lower your resting metabolic rate (RMR) -meaning you burn fewer calories at rest. In these ways, sleep deprivation over several days a week promotes fat storage, makes your workouts less effective, and creates more friction in your efforts to lose weight. Do your best to consistently get 7-8 hours. Consider it part of your weight loss and metabolic health program. It is, after all, one of the easiest, most pleasurable ways to up your weight loss and overall wellness. Several clients have asked about creatine to support muscle mass growth.
Yes, creatine does build real muscle by improving workout performance and stimulating growth mechanisms in the body. However, it also makes your muscles look bigger due to the water retention effect. It is an added bonus that enhances the appearance of size and fullness, but also an effect of creatine that can be a struggle. The extra water retention will give you a higher scale weight and it will change the fit of your clothes. In my journey with creatine - I want the benefits of recovery, muscle build, and the star of the show - cognitive benefit. Creatine also affects the brain helping you remember, focus, and learn. This is the benefit of creatine that led me to look at how creatine can be used while minimizing the effect of water retention and weight gain. So here it is:
With this, I have been able to use creatine in my muscle build without the frustration of excess water. This time of celebration, gratitude, community, and connection is not to be ruined by a diet NOR is it to ruin a diet. Instead, you make space for the things you love.
During the holidays your schedule is going to be flexible. We are going to skimp in some areas to make space for indulgences. Also, don’t believe that if you don’t feed every hunger you will binge later. That is simply not true. You are eating leanly so that you can eat more later. You are making space. Do not eat before the party. Just eat at the party. Eating before is not going to increase your willpower, but it will increase the total amount you eat in a day. So during the holidays - start sidelining the things you can do without. For me that means I go super low carb most of the time; snack on cucumbers and tea; and prioritize moving after eating. That way my leanness during most of December makes space for the celebration days. Think of three ways you can create space for your celebrations? Another idea comes from a client who has lost his gut with jolie this year. He orders a one or two day broth cleanse and then uses the broth throughout the day as a replacement to some of his meals and a way to suppress hunger. An excellent, and sustainable, way to make space for what you want without sidelining your goals. I do a pre- and post- celebration period of 12-24 hours intentionally hydrating and eating mainly low calorie foods like jolie salads and soups. With these hacks, you can move toward and maintain your weight loss goals while celebrating. And in doing so, you learn how to maintain weight loss during periods of events, parties, and celebration. Mastery over food equals you not feeling restricted by good foods vs. bad foods which means learning to include things you love in a diet that serves you. I wanted to arm you with strategies for including non-negotiable foods so that they work with your plan and do not harm it.
First is to prioritize quality: up leveling your non-negotiables means opting for higher and higher quality versions. For example, my chocolate non-negotiable overtime became more and more aligned with my healthy lifestyle as I improved the quality of my chocolate and the percent cacao. Now, I can say that my love of chocolate adds to my health instead of distracting from it. Timing is important. Food timing is something we dive into with our online training in nutrition, weight loss, and metabolic health. Eat them when you will most enjoy them. Eat carbs or sweet foods at the end of meals to buffer the absorption of sugars. Move after you eat if you can to blunt the caloric effect. Know that you will have those foods again. You do not need to gorge yourself or overeat because you will have those foods again. You can always have them again. Let yourself know this, so you are not motivated to eat past enjoyment. You enjoy it. Stop as enjoyment wanes and move on until the next time. This approach empowers you to enjoy your weight loss journey without sacrificing the foods that bring you joy. Thanksgiving is an Optimization day. Optimization days are built into jolie weight loss programs to give you caloric and macronutrient variation AND to teach you that within a weight maintenance lifestyle you can have foods that are not your “normal.”
So how do we Optimize on a day like Thanksgiving? The Thanksgiving menu is definitely more robust than your usual Optimization day. The day before Thanksgiving is your day to eat foods that are filling and calorically low. We do not want to go into Thanksgiving starving and to do as much walking as possible. A Sample: Go for a morning walk Smoothie like jolie Beauty Elixir: protein, plant mylk, spices OR 2 eggs and a salad Lunch: A salad focused on vegetables. For protein: chickpeas or fish/shrimp Dinner: Sauteed greens and fish or lentils Do as much walking and moderate movement as possible. This will put you in an energy deficit without hunger. Enjoy Thanksgiving day. Let yourself Optimize with foods you really love and make you feel celebratory and happy. Don’t waste it on throw away food that you can live without or don’t even really enjoy. Do not take leftovers home! The day after fast as long as you are full. For me, I can go most of the day after Thanksgiving without eating. The heaviness from eating carb rich foods is a lot for me and I don’t feel hunger for quite a time afterward. Once you do feel hungry, eat lightly just to take the edge off of your hunger. Do this for all of Friday and even into Saturday if you can. This will land you on Monday not too far off the mark. If you like, join a jolie cleanse the week after Thanksgiving to finish the job. The key to long term weight loss success is honoring your non-negotiables. My first question to you as a client seeking weight loss or health transformation is what are you not willing to give up? Be honest. What is it?
You will learn to lose weight with these 1-2 non-negotiables in place. Sustainability has to be accounted for from the beginning so you can develop a thin-self lifestyle you can live with forever. The benefit of having clear non-negotiable foods is it adds value to your program from a nutritional and mindset perspective. From a lot of experience, I can guarantee that there is a way to lose weight for you even with your non-negotiable. Optimized weight loss which includes your 1-2 non-negotiables: 1. Promotes Sustainability - Including foods you love is the beginning of creating a thin long term style of eating. 2. Reduces Feelings of Deprivation - One thing we work really hard to do is to support weight loss without deprivation. Extra effort goes into taste, variety, and flavor because this is your new long-term way of eating. Banning your favorite foods, feeling restricted with no balance for your cravings usually results in going off the rails; therefore, your favorite foods. 3. Creating a new relationship with food is at the center of permanently creating a new health status - Weight loss diets can sometimes create a mindset of "good" and "bad" foods, leading to guilt when eating something deemed unhealthy. Including non-negotiable foods helps normalize all food choices within moderation. Mastery over food is the aim; not feeling judged by your food choices. 4. It allows you to enjoy things you love without feeling off track - When I began weight loss, homemade Friday pizza night was a non-negotiable. Experiencing it without feeling “off-track” kept me on track for the next meal. This puts you in a space of staying consistent and developing positive habits. The goal of Optimization day with jolie Weight Loss is to practice moderation - this is further practiced in Incorporating intentionally and wisely non-negotiable foods - crucial for long-term success. When I first discovered the anti-aging impact of Metformin - I was sold. But being a perpetual academic, I had to dive into the research to see if food could do the same. Yes, is the answer when food is used with intention.
My prescription for myself to incur the same benefits of Metformin with food is: Jolie Nutrition 80% of the time Once every 2-3 months do a Deep Reset or 10 Day Reset Maintain a solid 12+ fasting window between dinner and breakfast Working with Dr. Amina of Simply Well has given the opportunity to begin case studies on the interaction of food and allopathic medicine. One of the most consistent results has been that jolie gives the benefits of Metformin for non-diabetic clients. The JolieLife diet works similarly to metformin in promoting anti-aging benefits through natural means like reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, activating AMPK, and enhancing gut health. By emphasizing whole foods, antioxidant-rich ingredients, and intermittent fasting, the diet mirrors many of metformin’s mechanisms that target aging, making it an effective lifestyle approach to healthy aging and longevity. The fantastic bonus of food is that you not only get the effect of anti-aging, pro-metabolic medications such as Metformin, but you get the synergistic impact of food which addresses brain health, immune health, and overall wellness at the same time. I wanted to highlight the anti-aging pathways that jolie Nutrition targets to give you the impact of Metformin. 1. Support for Cellular Repair
Jolie improve longevity by giving you everything you need for a long life and a life with all your systems functioning optimally. Every program considers the nutrient needs of your entire body. By providing you with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can achieve optimal cellular function. Love, Julia xo To round out our month on heart health here are three specific actions you can take to leverage the significant role diet plays in cardiovascular health.
Three key dietary components that stand out for their heart-protective benefits are fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. All of which are in abundance within the jolie way to health. Fiber: The Heart's Best Friend Dietary fiber is best found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes - not supplementation. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance that helps lower cholesterol levels by binding with cholesterol particles found in bile. This lowers overall cholesterol by preventing the reuptake of cholesterol from bile into the bloodstream providing a significant impact on levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease. We will return to this form of fiber again when we get to metabolic health Insoluble fiber, while not directly linked to cholesterol reduction, aids in maintaining a healthy digestive system supporting microbial activity that reduces inflammation and, thereby, contributes to a healthier cardiovascular system. Antioxidants: The Protective Shield Antioxidants are compounds found in a variety of foods: berries, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains. They help protect the body from the oxidative stress which occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals produced from cellular activity and antioxidants in the body. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage cells including heart and blood vessels. By neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants reduce oxidative stress and inflammation - key contributors to heart disease. Specific antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols, have been shown to improve endothelial function (the inner lining of blood vessels), enhance blood flow, and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries). Omega-3 Fatty Acids: The Heart's Ally Omega-3 fatty acids, primarily found in fatty fish, flaxseeds (my favorite for heart and hormone health), chia seeds, and walnuts, are crucial for heart health. These essential fats help reduce triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, and decrease the risk of arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). They also have anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Omega-3 fatty acids improve the balance of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol to LDL cholesterol, further protecting your heart. Additionally, they help maintain the flexibility of the blood vessels which aids in blood flow, reduces the likelihood of blockages, and lowers blood pressure. Be intentional in including these in your diet daily and at as many meals as possible when not eating jolie to significantly enhance cardiovascular health. Love, Julia xo Although we generally think more about our immune system in the winter - it is just as important during the summer. For you to have the best summer of wellness - I am going to break down key components of your immune system and how to support yourself as you work, travel, relax, and enjoy numerous social engagements.
Your immune system has essentially three layers: the physical barrier to the outside, your innate immune system; and your adaptive immune system. The physical barrier is your skin and all the mucosal linings where your skin isn’t like your eyes, nose, and eyes. This first line of defense filters out most of the microbes that you encounter in your day. Keeping them strong is important. This is where seeking healthy skin goes far beyond looking good. When your skin is compromised: the other aspects of your immune system have to work harder - but the caveat is what compromises the skin also weakens your innate and adaptive immune system. So how do we reinforce the skin and mucosal barrier? Action : avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. When skin is irritated - avoid scratching or rubbing. Scratching, for example an insect bite, creates microtears in the skin that weaken the barrier. Hydration: the integrity of our mucosal linings depends on proper hydration. If you are over 60, I want you to hydrate by numbers - do not rely on thirst. If you should be drinking 64 oz, then drink 64 ounces. Our sensation of thirst diminishes with age. Vitamin A : is your eye health vitamin and plays a role in tear film (aka your eye immune system) and ocular surface health - again related to your physical immune system barrier. This is NOT a call for vitamin A supplementation. It is reason to increase the dark leafy greens, carrots, red peppers, and sweet potatoes. Eating a plant centered diet like jolie gives you all the vitamin A you need. Have a cup of berries everyday. This is my favorite mid-afternoon snack. Do this and eat more vegetables - It will supply you with all the vitamin c you need without supplements. Vitamin C is absolutely necessary for your body to make collagen. Julia xo The adaptive immune system is the third layer of your immune system - each layer is more complex and more targeted than the other. The adaptive immune system regulates acquired immunity and is uniquely able to respond with specificity to pathogens.
When a microbe enters your body - your innate immune system (layer 2) looks for specific patterns or structures that are most common to most pathogens. These structures and patterns are general enough that innate immune cells can lock on and destroy. But if a pathogen enters that is different from a recognized pattern or structure - the innate immune system signals for the adaptive immune system to take over due to its ability to handle new pathogens. Vaccines work by triggering the adaptive immune system to make antibodies specific to the pathogen being immunized against. Your adaptive immune system can not only do this, but it creates an immunological memory of the pathogen in case you encounter it again. This is the most powerful part of your immune system because of its specificity, immunological memory, and it is ablity to differentiate between you and non-you. It is vital we work to maintain the adaptive system because it protects us from never before encountered pathogens and autoimmunity. A weak adaptive immune system opens us to more severe illness and the development of autoimmunity There are two key factors in maintaining and strengthening the adaptive immune system: sleep and nutrition. And both are equally important. Do not compromise sleep - this coming from someone who used to challenge herself to sleep as little as possible. Lost sleep cannot be made up. You don’t need to be an early riser or early to bed - follow your innate sleep rhythm, but you need 7 hours minimum. There are those who will say, especially as they get older, I do not need as much sleep as I used to - you may think that, but your body doesn’t know it. One reason adaptive immunity begins a rapid decline as we age is lack of sleep and lack of nourishment. As you get older do not trust how sleepy you are, how hungry you are, or how thirsty you are. Sleep, eat, drink following the rules: 7-8 hours of sleep, tons of vegetables, whole grains, some healthy fat, and some protein; ½ oz. water for every pound of body weight. Make this a habit while you're younger - so as you get older - and the feedback loop is less reliable - you can still maintain good health. Nutrition: the aspect of nutrition that impacts the adaptive immune system is your micronutrient profile. Eggs and toast, a ham sandwich, and a bag salad with chicken does not meet micronutrient needs. For that you need variety. A great example of deep micronutrient nourishment is the Wahl’s Protocol. It calls for 3 cups of leafy greens, 3 cups of sulfur containing vegetables (mushrooms, onion family, brassica family) and 3 cups of colorful vegetables / berries. Here is a link to a Wahl’s Cheat Sheet. My passion is vibrant longevity - so everything in the jolie meal programs is first and foremost making sure you get all your micronutrients. When you do, I know you become more disease resistant, heal pathologies that may be forming, and strengthen your immunity and regenerative mechanisms. With this, you can be at your optimum which means you are strong, resilient, and recover well. Julia xo Today we will look at your innate immune system - what happens when a pathogen gets inside.
So a germ makes it across the skin and mucosal barrier - the body immediately senses it is foreign - not of you. The foot soldiers are instantly activated to shoot first, ask questions later. The attack is speedy because as soon as a microbe breaches the physical barrier it is programmed to begin replicating as quickly as possible - and they are fast. In most cases, your innate immune system handles the problem. Often before you notice physical symptoms. You may for an instant feel a bit run down, tired, or a scratchy throat and then it’s gone. During this period the best way you can support yourself is slow down, rest, drink lots of fluids like water, Immune Booster, broth, and soup, sleep more. Your slowing down will allow the energy needed for optimal immune function. Your food provides the micronutrients you need for immune function. If you barely feel rundown and then normal - your innate immune system is victorious. How do we keep this layer of our immune system healthy? The soldier in the innate immune system is housed in your lymph fluid and blood stream. Movement aids their circulation as well as proper hydration. Deep nourishment - the most crippling thing for your immune system is under nourishment. We are talking micros here: minerals, vitamin, antioxidants, and the like. These are from your superfoods, vegetables, and fruits - a.k.a. jolieLife nutrition. Rest. You need slow down built into your day (10-15 minutes is enough) and you need sleep. The only time I get sick is after a book that I just cannot stop reading. Not sleeping enough causes low level inflammation which engages your immune cells. Therefore, there is a tamped down response to true pathogens. Sleep. Make this summer great - learn from jolie nutrition. Order your program and see what meals look like that are made to optimize your health. Love, Julia xo Hydration cannot be left out of The Basics. You are mostly water. Dehydration - even slight dehydration - affects your mood, hormones, and every reaction that happens in your body. ½ oz of liquid for every pound of body weight. When we get older, our thirst sensation is less and less reliable. It is one of those things that diminish with time. So drink by body weight, not thirst.
We want to hydrate with liquids and with food. Liquids are your rainshower and food is gentle drizzle. Top hydrating liquids: Water - seltzer, with lemon, with flavor, or just plain. This is a must. I start the day with warm lemon water and use it as a warming winter beverage during the day. Tea - if you haven’t become a tea drinker, you’re missing out. The benefits of tea are endless depending on which leaves are being seeped. Choose your tea on what you need. For me I want youthening and immunity. I usually drink green tea like The Tres Legendes or Cloud Mountain at jolie. Broth & Pressed juices, especially green ones. You get hydration and a vitamin IV treatment in one. Coffee - high in antioxidants, but you can only count ⅔ of it as hydration due to the dehydrating impact of coffee. Broth- or come let The basics Hydrating foods; Fruits and vegetables are filled with water. Including these liberally in your daily diet provided constant hydration. Hydration within the colon is important also - if we do not have adequate fluids coming in the body will seek the fluids from the colon. And when that happens, it’s hard going to the bathroom. Beware of Dehydrators You will need more liquids if you frequently sauna like I do or in warmer weather. When you are under the weather, you are losing a lot of fluids through your mucus membranes, fever, and decreased appetite; small, frequent sips of seltzer, broth, or tea help here. Winter heating indoors dehydrated us as well as warm bedrooms at night - another reason to start the day with a big glass of water. Alcohol - remember one drink, then one glass of water and definitely water before bed if you’ve had more than two. You will have to go to the bathroom during the night, but it’s worth it for the wellness of your body. Game Plan: Morning: warm water with lemon digestive health Daytime: carry water with you, drink frequently Tea after lunch, after dinner Eat lots of veggies with love, Jolie xo A broken ankle, a surgery, and accident that restricts your movement does not have to mean extra pounds.
Nothing is as disappointing as not being able to exercise and move around. And we have helped many clients who have gained weight due to an injury, but I want you to have a plan, so if something happens where you need to be still for a bit, you can still keep your weight where it needs to be. First, realize food influences your weight more than exercise. My first wellness coach became a coach because as a Bar Method teacher she saw students who would take Bar day after day and still be frustrated by unwanted weight. It was what they ate after Bar that needed to be changed. Instead, think of exercise as a buffer: it does burn calories so small indiscretions do not show up; and, it is a micro-habit that points you toward better food choices. So, if you can’t exercise you have no cookie-safety net and you miss the daily reminder to make good choices after you’ve worked out. Therefore, you laser focus on food to do what you need done. You need to eat to heal so you need protein and collagen. During healing the immune system is busy, so you need foods that support the immune system. Inflammation is part of how the body heals an injury - but, you do not want systemic inflammation because it diverts resources away from your healing - so you need anti-inflammatory foods. What you don’t need during healing are foods that elevate blood sugar or insulin levels. You do not want these foods because you are not moving around. Metabolizing those foods requires that you are active. With inactivity those foods turn into fat. During recovery skip the pasta or rice one dish meals; sandwiches are not your friend; toast, bagels, english muffins, and oatmeal are not for you; ice cream and desserts will not help you; keeping the snack bin full is asking for weight gain. You want your diet to look like jolie meals: vegetables, super high fiber grains, protein, and healthy fats in portions that satisfy, but do not exceed caloric needs. Broths and soups are also excellent to use during recovery as breakfast, a snack, or dinner. Dialing down your diet during this time will not only keep you from needing to lose weight after recovery, but it will help you recover faster. It is a win win. with love, Jolie xo Digestive inflammation is growing. It is labeled as IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and non-specific intestinal inflammation. All of these conditions and the road to these conditions - make it hard to eat. Especially hard to eat the foods that are healers like vegetables.
You're stuck in a cycle of pain and toleration of foods that don’t address the underlying inflammation and immune conditions. How do you eat vegetables with IBD?
Jolie xo January basics includes changing our relationship with fat. Fat was demonized and replaced by sugar and carbs; and all the chronic life ending and debilitating disease rose dramatically.
Fat is not the enemy. In fact, it is a friend to cellular health, weight loss, anti-aging, and metabolic health. Scientifically we know this and we knew it then too. Why is fat important for our health? Most of our cellular membranes are made of lipids. Most of the action happens on the cell membrane - the home of receptors for everything. The inside of the cell is like the bank vault, the cell membrane is the trading floor, commodities desk, equity exchange, and Fat is also important because all the fat soluble vitamins need fat to gain access to the body. Without fat, they pass through the digestive tube. Fat is linked to feeling full. When fat sensors at the exit of the stomach sense adequate fat intake they go off signaling the brain that you're full. That is why eating slowly aids weight loss. I recommend that clients wait 20 minutes before deciding a meal is not enough. Jolie meals teach you portion size. If your portions are out of whack, however, some dishes initially seem like not enough food - wait for it. When the meal begins to exit the stomach - your nutritional sensors will pick up that you have everything you need, and signal the brain to release leptin - the satiety hormone. Fat is long lasting energy. Fat calories take a long time to break down because of the number of bonds between the atoms. As each breaks you have energy and nourishment. So good dietary fat helps you avoid snacking. If you snack, it’s not because you need to, it’s more of a habit. How to get the fat we need: Top sources of fats that I integrate into every jolie program: avocado, olive oil and olives, flax, hemp, nuts and seeds. This gives you a full array of the healthy fats your body needs for repair, maintenance, and cell integrity. When not eating jolieLife:
Also, eating a variety of nuts and seeds will give you broader nourishment. By integrating good fats into your diet, you will find that you are more hormonally balanced, your skin improves, inflammation is lessened, cravings decrease, and metabolism upregulates. with love, Jolie xo |
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