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Podcast, Sustainability

Wellness Beets #26: Food Allergy Remedies, Multivitamins and Filtered Water

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News & Updates
Brittany is leading a Pickling Workshop Sunday, September 13th – find out more and register here.

And come tour a farm with Brittany! Queens County Farm in Queens, NY – Saturday, September 19th – sign-up to join me!

Alex and Megan of GingerNewtrition are nearly finished with their free Adrenal Health Training Video Series! And the Healthy Hormones Group Program is getting started on September 15th. Follow them on instagram @digprimal and @gingernewtrition to stay up on news with both.

Allergy Remedies (Allergen immunotherapy)
Brittany discusses various options for dealing with food allergies (and the difference between allergies and sensitivities). She discusses allergy shots, food oral immunotherapy, and the immunosuppression drug, Xolair. Alex goes into details of gut healing as it relates to healing food allergies and sensitivities. We also talk about living with food limitations and how to keep yourself sane and happy in the process of figuring out gut health and other health challenges. Some allergies can lead to temporal hearing loss, treat them with sonus complete.

Resources:
You can read about successful allergy treatment trials in this article.

Multivitamins
We discuss the benefits of using multivitamins to fill in the gaps of missing nutrients in the diet, especially for people who are severely depleted. We talk about different brands, running panels with your healthcare provider, how to go about tracking the success of taking a multivitamin, and greens powders. Additionally, we talk about making sure your multivitamin has appropriate doses of nutrients, especially for people with genetic differences (such as MTHFR).

Resources:
Nutreince Multivitamin
The Micronutrient Miracle by Mira and Jason Calton
Greens Powder Options: Athletic Greens, Garden of Life
Nutrient Boot Camp

Filtered Water
We talk about the pros and cons of filtering the water in your house. Brittany discusses the differences between the water filters available (carbon, lead removal, reverse osmosis, and water softeners), while Alex discusses the importance of filtered drinking water and shower water for detoxing purposes.

Bonus: Alex gives Brittany some advice on clarifying since she wasn’t seeing any hair improvements after getting a shower filter. Alex talks about this Neutrogen Anti-Residue Shampoo and some other options, like Dr. Bronner’s and Kirk’s Castile Soap (for hard water). We also talk about Brittany’s and Alex’s bad experiences with baking soda shampoo.

Resources:
The Environmental Working Group Buying Guide for 2013

Here’s Alex’s favorite cheap, first-starting-out shower filter.

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Mental Health, Sustainability

A Beginner’s Meditation Lessons

This article first appeared on Joie De Vivre, which chronicles Nichole Dunst’s conscious living pursuits and worldly travels. It seeks to showcase “green living” as a fun, stylish, and non-intimidating venture.

I wanted to share Nichole’s meditation experience as an example of what many face when they first explore a meditation practice. Sitting still in absolute silence can be terribly painful. But the benefits are life changing.

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Earlier this month I found myself in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts for what I thought would be a weekend of yoga and good vegan food. My friend Jenn had told me about this weekend-long spiritual retreat with Gabby Bernstein, our generation’s spiritual leader, called Amplify Your Intuition. It was set in the well-known Kripalu Yoga Center, on a sprawling plot of land offering hiking trails, a swimming lake, and a breathe of fresh air.

When she asked if I’d be interested, I thought, “Hey sure, I like yoga. Why not?”

I was excited for the opportunity to spend a weekend relaxing, doing yoga, and catching up with a friend. But to be honest, I was a little bit skeptical about Gabrielle Bernstein and whether or not I would get any value out of her program. I couldn’t tell if she was just another social media presence, milking her notoriety and using it as a means of selling lots of books and making lots of money.

But on that first day, when I walked into the room where the seminar was being held, I saw Gabby sitting on a bench up front, and she just looked so peaceful. When she spoke, it was with such precision, and such heart. It became clear to me very quickly that this chick was the real deal.

She’s such an open book, and she’s not afraid to tell us about the moments where she, as she calls it, “chooses fear over love.” Every once in a while, in the middle of speaking about non-judgement or living in the present, out squeaks a “fuck” or a “hell no.” And that is why we all love Gabby Bernstein.

She’s us. Just without all the chaos.

Throughout the course of the weekend I learn a lot about myself, and about how I had recently begun approaching things that I didn’t agree with, things that made me uncomfortable. I realize I’ve started to become defensive and, almost, aggressive in my convictions. While I don’t necessarily think it’s bad to voice your opinions or stand up for what you think is right, you can’t shove them down people’s throats. I was becoming far too judgmental of those around me who didn’t share my same ideals, and it was tainting my experiences with them.

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Dairy-free, Dessert, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Nut-Free, Paleo, Sustainability, Vegetarian

Top 6 Dairy-Free Ice Cream Shops in NYC

Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream! Summer’s favorite treat is taking on new directions. The route is leading to dairy-free and allergy-friendly options. And all the dairy-free people in the world rejoiced! After years of torture, watching others enjoy these mouth-watering treats, the marketplace is finally catering to everyone’s needs.

Last week I ventured on a grand ice cream tour with some lovely ladies around the city. Our mission was to single out the most sustainable ice cream offerings in the city. My personal mission was to locate the most sustainable and most allergy-friendly ice cream shops.

We hit the deliciousness jackpot over and over and over again. To the point of a slight sugar hangover the next day. But hey, it had to be done and I regret nothing.

So here is my list of NYC Dairy-free and Allergy-friendly Ice Cream Shops.

Ample Hills
Dairy and 1-2 Dairy-free options

Small batch produced ice cream, all made in the their Brooklyn shop, Ample Hills offers traditional dairy ice cream with one or two dairy-free versions per day. The Coconut Fudge Sorbet is my go-to at this shop.

Go in slowly though! There is a enough sugar to give you a buzz after a few bites. Eat this stuff in moderation.

Five locations across the city, with spots in Prospect Heights, Gowanus, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Riis Park in Queens and Upper West Side. My vote is for the Gowanus location, equipped with a rooftop deck.

Blue Marble
Dairy and 1-2 Dairy-free options

This is a cute little shop with primarily dairy-filled flavors. When I arrived there was one dairy-free offering, a coconut milk based ice cream with toasted coconut flakes. Not too sweet and the coconut flakes offered a good texture contrast.

There are two storefronts, Cobble Hill and Prospect Heights. They sell at seasonal markets around the city and pints are sold at many retailers throughout the city too.

Blythe Ann’s
ALL Dairy-free + nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free options

One location in the East Village.

Formerly known as LuLa’s Sweet Apothecary, this East Village shop is on my top NYC dairy-free experiences list. A friend recommended it before I moved to the city five years ago and at the time I had NEVER experienced real dairy-free ice cream. I say never because I don’t count sorbet as real ice cream. That’s just frozen sugar water.

Step into Blythe Ann’s and you step back in time to a 1920s scene. The entrance is dark and the interior is moody with soft shadows bouncing off the glass bowls and silver spoons.

Twelve hand-packed flavors are offered everyday including a Cake Batter soft serve. I had the Strawberry and my friends tried the Peanut Butter Banana and Chocolate Fudge. All topped with Coconut Whipped Cream and a brandy-soaked cherry. Flavors to try next time are Mint Chip, Pistachio and Brownie Batter. They also have sundaes, root beer floats and many fun toppings.

It makes dairy-free people feel like real people again with real desserts. Thank you, Blythe Ann’s.

DF Mavens
ALL Dairy-free + nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free options
One location in the East Village and pints sold at many retailers throughout the city.

A modern ice cream shop setting with a case of 20+ dairy-free flavors, and all are based with almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk or nut butters.

I had the Praline Pecan, which was my favorite flavor of the tour and will definitely be going back for it again.

AND the highlight: all gluten-free ice cream cones! In flavors Chocolate Hazelnut, Toasted Coconut, Cinnamon Brown Sugar and French Vanilla. That’s a big winner. It’s close to impossible to find dairy-free and gluten-free cones together.

OddFellows Ice Cream Co.
Dairy and 1-2 Dairy-free options
Two locations, East Village and Williamsburg

I honestly have not tried this one, but my friends tell me it’s a winner. The Coconut Kaffir Lime soft serve is the one to try. Some other fun flavors are Raspberry Pink Peppercorn, Cinnamon Blackberry and Horchata.

And bonus points: With every serving of ice cream they donate $0.05 to the Food Bank for New York City.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Dairy and 4-5 Dairy-free options
Five NYC locations and two LA shops with an ice cream truck in each city.

Made famous by their popular ice cream truck, Van Leeuwen is expanding rapidly and rightly so. Their dairy-free flavors are dead-ringers for the traditional stuff. Salted Caramel, Sicilian Pistachio, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Mint Chip are some of the standards offered.

All dairy-free options are all made with coconut milk and cashews, so those with tree-nut allergies be aware. No nut-free ice creams are available.

*Photo credit must be given to my friend Alden of EcoCult.