READING TO EMPOWER THE HEALTHY STYLISH & BEAUTIFUL YOU
 We are fighting coronavirus now. My hope in all this uncertainty is that it will focus our attention to how important our immune system is. Now and always, when our immune system falters it is an open door to infection. That is why washing our hands and social distancing is not enough, we have to keep our immune system healthy.
We are trying to protect ourselves and those that our vulnerable. The danger to older people is evidence of the decline that happens in our immune system as we age. It is interesting to read the science on this. It is clear that our immune system declines. The question is why? Is this a consequence of aging - a natural progression? Or is there another factor at play here? Under-nutrition is an important factor. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that increasing the daily servings of fruits and vegetables from 3 to at least 5 servings a day created an 82% greater production of protective antibodies in adults over 65. Antibodies are the very, very specific immune agents the body creates for each individual pathogen. This change happened in a matter of weeks. Decrease in immune system function is heavily influenced by nutrition. So, in light of COVID-19, you can start turning the tide now with more fruits and vegetables and helping those at high risk, the elderly or those with underlying health challenges, get more fruits and vegetables. How can you easily up your intake? I put every meal on a bed of greens or veggies - that will get you 1-2 more servings a day. The jolieLife pizza I posted on Instagram today is made of veggies with more vegetables on top. Use fruit and vegetables as dessert or snack food. A bowl of berries is a wonderful end to a meal. Baby cucumbers give the crunch mouth feel we often seek in snacks. Have berries or some other fruit every morning with your breakfast. At jolie, we usually choose berries because they have the biggest immune boosting punch, second to that we choose citrus or tropical fruits because they are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Each effort counts and makes a difference! Love, Julia xo  One of my favorite jolieLife soups is the Power Green soup, but it should be renamed the Wellness Soup because it has everything in it to keep you well.
All the current health concerns underline for me how we take for granted our immune system and how important it is. Your immune system is like gold - a natural resource of great value.. Every choice you make which strengthens it, builds for your wellness and longevity. Of all we put in our mouth, plants have the most impact on our immune system. So I share this fabulous soup with you. Eat or drink it liberally throughout the next month. I even have clients who eat it as a slushy. You can tweak it as you like. The recipe below is pared down to make it super easy for you. Simple Power Green Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion diced 2 cloves garlic diced 6 cups mineral or vegetable broth 8 cups of kale, spinach, swiss chard, or any dark green leafy vegetable you have stemmed and roughly chopped Lemon juice to taste Salt and pepper to taste
To your health! Julia  When there is illness afoot, it reminds me of my grandmother - mother of 13 - who would say, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” I think she was trying to preserve her sanity, but cleanliness definitely helps out the universal pull to wellness. So, in the current climate it is good to keep sanitation priority.
At the same time, humans have always lived with germs and the human body is a wonderful infection fighter when given the right tools - food, sleep, water, sun. Here are my five tips for boosting your immune system:
Julia xo  Water is your most important skin care and diet superfood. Water helps you lose weight, properly absorb and excrete vitamins, aids digestion, and prevents wrinkles. Water is key to how I care for myself.
I wake up every morning and begin with warm water and lemon. It is the ideal beverage to enjoy on my way to my workout. It is warming, prehydrates me, and feels so soothing in the morning. According to Ayurveda, warm lemon water detoxifies and prepares the digestive system. Tea is hands down my favorite beverage. I alternate tea and water throughout the day. My favorites are the Jasmine Green from Flying Bird Botanticals which we use for jolieLife, Casablanca from Mariage Frere, and The Des Legendes also from Mariage Frere. All tea, especially green tea, contains powerful antioxidants to help your skin, immunity, and protects against cancer. I hydrate from within daily with vegetable rich jolieLife food. Eating 6-8 cups of vegetables a day supplies my body with water at a slow and steady pace. My favorites for hydration are green leaves of all kinds and cucumbers. The jolie Daily Greens is my favorite part of a meal. Besides eating and drinking water, I spritz my face several times a day with facial mist. I have a travel size in my purse and in my car. My favorite is Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator which I get from Detox Market. Keeping hydrated will help you GLOW throughout the winter! Love, Julia xo P.S. An excellent article on the benefits of tea. https://www.bicycling.com/news/a29328262/tea-aging-brain-health-study/  Switching to a plant based diet is a fast track to better health, beauty, and longevity. Many clients are amazed how their energy returns, skin improves, digestion gets back on track, and they glow.
The transition, although with great benefit, can leave you hungry. I am talking about two types of hunger. First, you can be just plain hungry as in you need to eat. Plant based food the jolieLife way is lower in calories - it is not starch heavy. We are eating vegetables and fruits, not a lot of rice and beans. In light of that, to help with the transition, make sure that you are keeping hydrated. Sometimes hunger and thirst get confused. Also, you may need a snack during the day or to augment your meal with a broth or soup to give you more calories, especially if it is a heavy workout day. Do what you need, it will not compromise your health. The other hunger can come after you are well on your way with plant based eating - these are cravings for foods not typically part of “healthy, plant based eating.” Maybe it’s a chocolate chip cookie, a plate of pasta, or a big, juicy, grass fed steak you desire. Eat them …. occasionally. Plant based is about honoring our body which includes honoring when we really desire a different experience. Plant based eating should be freedom to give ourselves the very best so that we have latitude in how we are living. If it is putting you in a straight jacket, there is room to improve your implementation of plant based eating. If you find yourself feeling hungry on any level, please reach out to me, so we can work on it together. Love, Julia xo  I firmly believe our health is heavily influenced by our beliefs. Science now is backing this up with study results which show how repeated thoughts affect our behavior and cell health. Also studies have shown the power of mantra. When we tell ourselves something over and over it can shift our behavior, habits, and choices.
For example, a friend of mine used to be addicted to ice cream. To break the addiction, each day she would visualize herself eating ice cream and feeling terrible afterwards. Over time, this meditation built an aversion to ice cream within her. Likewise, the placebo effect can increase efficacy of treatments and overall health outcomes - a person thinks something will help her and it does just because of the thought. What we believe determines what we think is possible, our habits, and our choices. But many of our beliefs are under the surface and we operate not being aware of them. However, if we listen to our thoughts and self talk they will reveal our underlying beliefs. You will learn rather or not you expect health or illness. Eavesdropping on yourself will reveal if you are at peace with your body or feel alienated and disconnect from it. What you hear is affecting you on the level of cell health - the essence of wellbeing. If you discover a belief that is negatively impacting your health, how do you change your beliefs? In order to replace or reverse it we first recognize the belief. Do you expect to be stressed? Do you think your health is delicate? Do you expect to recover quickly when sick? Do you think you are undeserving of health or feeling great? Do you think you will always feel bloated and uncomfortable? Do you think you are bound to experience a particular disease? You bring the beliefs to the light. Then, replace the belief with something more aligned to the outcome you want. This process of replacement is gradual, but will work. For example, for a while I had orthorexia. I thought some foods would instantly make me fat and feel terrible. Each time that came up, birthday cake for example, I would tell myself, “My body knows exactly what to do with this food and can use it up quickly.” Over time, I was able to occasionally partake in certain foods without the expectation that they would instantly derail my health gains. Core beliefs I continually reinforce are: I deserve health and energy all day; I eat so my body heals itself; and aging is not inevitable. These beliefs I repeat to myself. This way I expect well being and make choices which support health. It creates habits of choosing food for how they will assist my body in feeling great, When I am sick, rather or not it requires medication, I tell myself that my body is already healing itself. The positive thoughts, help me to heal faster. Using your beliefs for your health is one of the most powerful wellness tools you have. it is effective, free, and accessible.  This is one of the breakfast favorites in the jolieLife menu. I love it for breakfast as well as a healthy snack. Avocado adds healthy fats to nourish your skin and brain. Raw cacao improves heart health, is high in antioxidants, and is anti-inflammatory. This rich creamy treat will keep you satiated until lunch. Here is the recipe if you wish to make it at home. It serves 4-5 Avo-Coco Probiotic Pudding 2 avocados ripe, peeled with seed removed 1/4 c. coconut oil 1 T vanilla 3 T almond butter 1/4 c. maple syrup 1 ½ c. raw cacao powder 1/3 to 1/2 c. water 3 T protein powder 1 probiotic capsule Raspberries Cacao nibs 1. In a high speed blender, blend avocado, coconut oil, and vanilla till smooth. 2. Add in almond butter, maple syrup, raw cacao, water, protein powder, and probiotic powder. Blend till smooth and creamy. 3. Refrigerate. Garnish with fresh fruit and cacao nibs. with light, Julia  My first truly clinical use of food was to cure my 6 year old son of gluten intolerance and IBS. I put him on the GAPs diet for 6 months. A diet based on bone broth and slow reintroduction of normal eating. Nathanael went from debilitating stomach aches and diarrhea after wheat and almost every meal to being able to eat whatever he wants. The results have persisted to this very moment.
A client recently asked me about how to heal their gut. Bone broth is amazing at knitting the lining of the intestine back together. You will see a noticeable difference with just a 1 day broth cleanse. The medicinal broth accelerates healing and maintains a healthy gut through a combination of food, herbs, and roots known to heal and support the intestinal lining and improve gut impermeability. The broth is made from organic chicken bones, a lot of therapeutic mushrooms, vegetables, and 20 different organic roots and herbs to nourish the digestive system. The gut and its microbes are your source of health. When you have a leaky gut, molecules are allowed to cross into the blood which cause inflammation and autoimmune responses. A healthy gut does not allow those molecules to leak into the rest of the body. As the broth restores the lining of the gut, it provides an environment in which the good microbes can flourish. Good microbes = good mood, high metabolism, better brain function, and less disease. Along with the medicinal broth we created the Medicinal Cleanse. A 5 day cleanse targeted at healing your digestion and deeply detoxing the body. It includes only foods and herbs known to heal the gut, liver, inflammation, and the skin. It excludes nightshades, fruit, grains, dairy, nuts, and meat. While nourishing you deeply, you will find the food amazingly delicious and satisfying. To get the broth or cleanse and to learn more look here. You can also email me to see how the medicinal line can help you in your particular situation. Love, Julia xo P.S. The broth contains many mushrooms for their anti-cancer properties for added benefit.  Hunger can be a scary sensation. By scary I mean unfamiliar. Just like in other areas of life, when something is unfamiliar to us we can perceive it as scary or something that needs immediate correction or escape. Hunger is something you can sit with for a bit. Through it we learn, most things can be sat with longer than we think.
It is useful to meditate on that idea because much of our stuffing of emotions and food is literally an attempt to not experience the discomfort of sitting with our emotions. Yet, only by allowing the discomfort to wash over us do we get the opportunity to digest and understand what our emotions are telling us. And, by pushing them away, we miss seeing the beautiful wave as feelings come and go. With hunger, by giving ourselves food at the first hunger pang we don't get to know if the hunger is temporary, a proxy for something else, or passing. Not knowing the source leads to overeating and missing the opportunity to know ourselves more deeply. However, if you look at the scary hunger pangs, situations, or emotions as simply something unfamiliar, they become things you can get look at and explore. You can practice being with the feeling to find out what is underneath it. By exploring our hunger, we learn what we really need. By exploring our emotions, we discover what they are telling us. Hunger is a great opportunity for self growth in many areas. The next time you are hungry accept the invitation of observe and explore yourself, then eat. with love + light, Julia  How do you know you need a detox? But, more than that, do you even need to do a detox in the first place?
Detoxification is something that your body naturally does through the liver, skin, breath, pee, and poop. It is a constant process that never ends and is quite efficient on its own. It is necessary to clear out the remains from all the millions of chemical reactions which allow you to live. It also clears out very natural environmental toxins like too much sun exposure, fumes, smoke from cooking fires, plant and animal toxins. In its ideal state, the body does not need you to do a “detox.” Problems arise when it doesn't have the necessary nutrients to use in the process or is overloaded with environmental and agricultural toxins. Then, we need to detox. A gradual acceleration of detoxification will happen as you eat more plants; to kickstart or deepen the process do a detox. I experienced this after switching to a plant based diet (for the curious, I do eat meat). I could feel the increased energy, clarity, and glow that came as my body was able to function better and detoxify faster. However, at some point I reached a state where the need for deeper detoxification arose - think of weekly cleaning versus spring cleaning. So I decided to do a three day juice cleanse every month. I detoxed in this way for about 3-4 months, then one day a month for another 3-4 months. Each time I felt better and better. But, after the 6th or 7th one, I knew I didn’t need to keep “detoxing.” The deep cleansing was complete and my diet gave my body what it needed from there. I recommend detoxes to clients that are experiencing intestinal issues, mood instability, decreased energy, skin eruptions, and accelerated aging. Do a 1-3 day detox for a few months, then a 1-2 day detox until you feel your body clean - trust the body, it knows when to stop. Soup cleanses, low sugar juice cleanses, broth cleanses, and carefully designed food cleanses can all be used as detoxes. For our cleanses, click here. If you need help designing a detox for your particular needs, I am happy to give you some guidance. Please reach out. Love, Julia xo P.S. Sleep and water are essential for detoxification always. Their benefits are immense and you can start today with 7 hours of rest and more hydration. Jolie | Blue Mill, Morristown, NJ 07960 Unsubscribe {recipient's email} Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by julia@thejolielife.com in collaboration with  Cacao is a magical ingredient that awakens the spirit and improves health. Try adding raw cacao powder or cacao nibs into your morning smoothie, a salad, yogurt, coffee, a bowl of fruit. It elevates the dish and nourishes you at the same time.
with light, Julia  The newest jolieLife soup was inspired by a soup I had at Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant Marcus B & P. It is a wonderful, creamy cauliflower soup (no dairy) which is enlivened by golden raisins, green olives, pumpkin seeds, and peppery olive oil.
One of my favorite aspects of eating at great restaurants is the flavor combinations inspire. JolieLife recreated a lighter version of the soup. Cauliflower is a great vegetable which gets better in the cold. It contains many anti-cancer compounds and supports healthy thyroid and hormone function. The cruciferous vegetable family is a necessary daily addition to heal autoimmune disease, protect against cancer, and to keep your metabolism stoked. Enjoy! Love, Julia xo  Say the word cleanse and most often you think of a juice cleanse. But, in the winter our bodies need to be warmed and nourished. To work with the natural needs of your body, a soup cleanse is the perfect winter reset. A soup cleanse combines the power of vegetables and magic of broth. Soups have a vegan or bone broth base to boost immunity and improve winter skin. They also are filled with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to energize you and help beat the winter blues.
With soup cleansing during winter you will emerge from winter bright, light, and vibrant. I began soup cleansing last year - every Friday was cleanse day. This ritual gave me break each Friday to reboot and take important time to care for myself. Enjoy a jolieLife soup cleanse this winter. You can order here. One of my favorite soups to cleanse with that requires no cooking is an Avocado Arugula Soup (this can be served cold in summer). Blend 1 ripe avocado 4 cups arugula 1 1/2 cups coconut water 1/2 teaspoon sea salt juice of one lemon Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender until smooth. Add more coconut water or salt if needed. Gently heat and enjoy. Makes 2 servings. love, Julia xo  This is a super versatile way to have a nutritious, non dairy latte. I use this as a morning breakfast, post workout supplement, or quick lunch. I like it both hot and cold. This makes two servings. I usually drink on and save the other for the next day. Blend in a blender: 2 cups almond milk 1 tablespoon maple syrup 2 scoops of protein powder - I prefer Vital Proteins with collagen 1-2 shots of espresso or strong coffee To upgrade this to a true beauty potion add one of the following: 2 tablespoons of maca - hormone balancing ½ teaspoon ashwagandha - stress dissolver 1 tablespoon mucuna pruriens - mood booster To make your own almond milk: Soak 1 cup of raw almonds in water for 4-6 hours. Drain and rinse. Then blend this with 4 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a high power blender - Vitamix - until you have a milk. The milk can be strained or used as is. to your health, Julia xo  When I first started eating clean I was astounded by how many green leafy vegetables I needed to eat for optimal health. The reality is that most Americans are undernourished - even if overweight. In the jolieLife foods you will eat 6-8 cups of green leafy vegetables a day.
Why? Green leafy vegetables feed your gut biome. Maintaining a healthy gut requires you feed the good organisms that live there - they eat compounds found in green leafy vegetables. A healthy gut improves your nutrient absorption and restricts antigens and pathogens from crossing through the gut into the blood where they wreck havoc on a healthy immune system. They help you hydrate from the inside out. Greens are mostly water which can slowly be absorbed into the body as the greens are broken down. Antioxidants galore. If you want glowing, clear, healthy skin you have to eat your greens - lots of them. If dry, aging skin with lots of fine lines is your thing, pass on the salad. Greens make more of an impact on your skin than any serum, cream, or facial. Spend the money on your vegetables - the dividends go deeper than a $400 facial. What you feed yourself impacts the development of Alzheimer’s and cancer more than your genes. Green leafy vegetables contain many neuron and cell protective bioactive compounds. Read Anticancer or Ending Alzheimer’s to know just how important green leafy vegetables are. Try a week of jolieLife meals. Go to the Super Food tab. It will teach you what you need to be eating and will amaze you how great you feel. with love + light, Julia I love cold pressed juices, however, sometimes in the winter they are too chilling. I created this green juice that can be served cold or hot. Technically, not green, this bright orange vegetable juice is packed with anti inflammatory nutrients and cancer fighting antioxidants.  The juice will keep for three days in the refrigerator. Use organic produce. I always strain my juice to create a smoother, tastier juice.
For the hot toddy: 2 carrots 1 sweet potato 1 apple 1 knob of ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg pinch of cardamom pinch of cloves Peel and juice everything. Warm juice gently with spices. Makes enough for two. with love + light, Julia The single most impactful lifestyle change you can make for your health is to eat more plants. Plant based diets in study after study are shown help fight cancer, relieve autoimmune disease, alleviate various mental health and endocrine disorders, reduce weight, and improve heart disease. Yet, it is sometimes confusing as to how to navigate such a change.  I changed to a plant based diet six years ago and have never looked back. I feel better, look better, and move better. Goodbye breakouts, mood swings, aches, and pains. Here are five tips to set you up for a more vibrant you.
Julia xo
Love, Julia xo I have to break it to you. What you eat is the biggest determiner of your health. I am writing from St. Louis, my hometown. I am immersed in my gene pool. Those younger than me, older than me, and my age. Everyone has a disease or condition.  I was shocked by how my younger brother has changed in appearance so drastically. My younger sister’s response was, “Well, we are all getting older - it’s only you who’s aging in reverse.” Wow! My sister is 25 and two years ago started experiencing health problems she shouldn’t have at her age.
The big difference - diet. No toxic dump next door; my family members all live in desirable St. Louis suburban neighborhoods. Food is medicine. It is youthfulness. It is health. It is more important than your gene pool, exercise habits, or weight. The only difference between me and my family is food. They eat a regular American diet. I eat a plant based diet. Plant based, for me, doesn’t mean vegetarian. Plant based is that the majority of what I eat is either a vegetable, fruit, or plant fat like olives, coconut, or avocado. Meat and dairy are extras and grains are a garnish. What have I escaped eating this way? Inflammation, autoimmune disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, digestive disorders, skin conditions. Based on my visit, It’s all in the gene pool. You want to be healthy, you want to glow? Eat more plants. Explore the amazing effect a plant based diet can have in the ELEVATE program. Love, Julia xo  watermelon, cucumber, & feta salad
Dice equal amounts of cucumber and watermelon. Mix together with crumbled feta to taste.Voila - an awesome summer treat! easy gazpacho Finely dice ripe tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, a clove of garlic, and chives. Mix everything together including the juices from the vegetables with salt and a generous portion of olive oil. Allow to macerate for several hours. Chill and enjoy. 1. Fill half your plate at every meal with vegetables and berries.Powerful antioxidants and synergistic nutrition found in berries and vegetables heal your body by fueling the mitochondria. Strong mitochondria equals strong cells which equals recovery.  2. Take a Coenzyme Q10 supplement daily. It increases energy production in the mitochondria giving you and your body more energy for less fatigue and more healing.
3. Provide your body with high quality protein daily. Protein is necessary for the repair which has to be done throughout the body to curb the symptoms of autoimmunity. Tell me how it these changes impact you. Love, Julia xo The key to losing weight for the last time is not giving up as you take small, continual steps to create a new lifestyle, or habit of living, that feels so good and natural to you that you can't imagine living any other way.  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” Lao Tzu Six years ago I embarked on a weight loss journey that transformed my life. I did what statistics said were impossible. I needed to lose a lot of weight after my pregnancy. I gained almost 40 pounds during pregnancy and had gone into it with weight from the previous child. I lost all the weight plus some and have not regained it in the last six years. There was so much wisdom and insight I gained from the journey. The golden nugget, however, is when you begin to transform your life look only at the improvements you are and have made. I thought to myself that every step, no matter how small, in the right direction was one step farther away from where I started and closer to my goal. I figured that every workout, every ounce lost, every size dropped, every inch smaller, every dessert skipped was a step forward. There were slip ups. Each time, I thought of when a ball is kicked out of bounds in a soccer game. That doesn’t stop the game. The ball is thrown back in and play begins again. A weight loss goal is the same. It’s a game you are playing till the end. If you get sick and can’t workout, afterward throw the ball back in the field. Pick up where you left off. Continue the journey, don’t throw in the towel. Small changes and small steps accumulate. After less than a year, all the weight was off. My body was fit and toned. I felt more beautiful, stronger, calmer, kinder, and happier. It was work, but the real work was to keep believing in myself, being my own cheerleader every day. This like most things in life only I could do for myself. So, as January slips away, don’t lose hope. True, sustainable transformation happens very gradually. The longer it takes, the more time to establish new habits. Then, six years later the weight is still gone and you will find yourself fitter and fitter each year. I love coaching people toward their weight loss goals. Beyond my nutritional training, my own slow journey gave me a richer understanding of how to transform for good. If you are interested in ending the battle, I’d love to help you!! With love and gratitude, Julia |
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