Heather K. Jacobsen's Blog, page 3

Tribute to Houston

In solidarity wth Hurricane Harvey flood victims, I wrote a poem that I hope will touch people who have never known what it’s like to literally go underwater. Thank you to Poets Reading the News, for posting my poem called City Turned to Inland Lake, on their front page.

While Hurricane Harvey made landfall last Friday, the real news didn’t happen until a few days later when the flood waters began to rise. Even though it was sunny and seventy-five degrees where I was, I knew exactly what Houston inhabitants were going through, because I only moved out of one of those flooded Houston neighborhoods two years ago. As I watched in horror the news reports and friends’ posts on Facebook, I re-lived the floods of years past where friends had lost everything and I pitched in as best I could to help in the cleanup. Now friends were going through it again, but this time with thousands and thousands of others all at the same time, on an unprecedented scale.

Read City Turned to Inland Lake here…

There is also an underlying subtext alluding to my struggle with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue that I struggled through while trying to take care of my very young children, during the time that I lived in Houston. I often felt at the time that I was (metaphorically) going underwater.

I hope the poem will evoke a feeling of what its like to have your house and flooded and perhaps nudge you into considering a donation to needy families in Houston. Even a modest $10 will help!  There are a number of trustworthy organizations for Harvey relief that you could donate to, but the Red Cross unfortunately has a sketchy reputation, so I would avoid it. I went with the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that was set up by the Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Ed Emmett, whom will undoubtedly know how best to distribute funds.

Either way, please send your prayers to Houston residents.

 

Lose Your Dreams and You Will Lose Your Mind

My father often said “I don’t understand why kids your age have to ‘find’ themselves” when I was younger and toured the US in a VW bus with my best friend, stopping at Rainbow Gatherings and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies along the way. It took me more than twenty years to finally understand why, myself.  And thus starts the beginning of my latest project, a new book that chronicles how I overcame a gynecological disorder (called adenomyosis – related to endometriosis) in which I was told my only hope was a hysterectomy. A year after my diagnosis, I reversed the symptoms, completely avoiding the hysterectomy, and doing so only via natural means. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome to start my healing process was chronic stress, which I didn’t even think I had. Peeling back the layers of what may actually be at the root of my chronic stress took me on the clichéd (but real) journey of self-discovery, in which I found myself all over again (or maybe for the first time, fully).

Among the greatest things that I learned was that I was always destined to be a writer. I mean, I knew that, a long time ago, but over the course of a couple of decades while pursuing a career path that wasn’t meant for me, as well as the inception of motherhood, my fate, my destiny, my childhood dream was forgotten. And you know what the Rolling Stones say in one of my all-time favorite songs (Ruby Tuesday):

“Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind.”

Well I am reclaiming my dreams in 1) the form of a creative non-fiction book — the kind of writing I always dreamed of doing — a departure from my nutrition research and scientific writing, its a personal account of how I overcame the disease by facing my stressors head on, and some of the surprising discoveries I found out about myself and my past along the way; and 2) poetry. Today I submitted four poems that I wrote recently to a poetry magazine, for the first time in my life. I’ve been writing poetry since the 5th grade. I am now almost 45. Its about time to believe in my ability to write and take the next step toward accomplishing my dreams!

 

The Healthy Gut Podcast

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I’m honored to be the guest on Rebecca Coomes awesome podcast, the Healthy Gut.

If you haven’t checked it out before, The Healthy Gut is a platform for people wanting to learn more about gut health and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Rebecca brings together information on current research, interviews with leading specialists, recipes and lifestyle tips. The Healthy Gut will support you to live well with SIBO.

If you’ve considered going gluten free then this week’s podcast is a must. Rebecca is joined by Heather Jacobsen from Stuffed Pepper to talk all about how, and why, you might decide to go gluten free. They chat about how Heather’s own journey through various childhood conditions, abdominal surgery and an autoimmune condition has led her to a gluten free life. Heather talks about how gluten sensitivity manifests itself, the symptoms and how to manage changing your diet for optimum gut healing.

http://thehealthygut.co/heather/

Check it out this week’s podcast!

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

This paleo Shepherd’s pie always brings me back to England, where my husband and I went to graduate school, spending many a long night deep in the academic trenches of anthropology and biology. It was good fuel for our studious brains, especially on spring nights, when the weather was still cool, and there was always light rain, mist or other form of soft precipitation.

Luckily the dish is naturally free of gluten, dairy, soy and sugar. I use parsnip for a nice fluffy crust, since white potatoes often cause inflammation (is that because they are genetically modified? – I don’t know the answer to this yet). The parsnips’ slight perfumey flavor marries beautifully with the unctuous fats from the lamb bubbling up from underneath. My kids’ now enjoy this comfort food with us, and even though I always strive for leftovers, the pie barely ever makes to the next day. I hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Paleo Shepherd’s Pie – – parsnips, butter, ghee or Earth’s Balance soy-free buttery spread, salt, separated, pepper, separated, egg yolk, olive oil, onion (chopped), carrots (diced small (about 1 cup)), garlic (minced), ground lamb, tomato paste, chicken broth (homemade is best!), Worcestershire sauce, fresh rosemary (chopped), fresh thyme (chopped), Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the parsnips and chop large. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on medium-high for 15 to 20 minutes until fork-tender.; Meanwhile, begin preparing the filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the onion* and carrots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic* and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper, and stir, breaking up large chunks of lamb with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown, 5 – 10 minutes. ; Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, and thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, until the liquid reduces significantly.; While the meat mixture is cooking, return to the parsnips. When they are done cooking, drain the water and put the parnsips in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a blade. Pulse until smooth.; Return the parsnips to the pot they were cooked in, add butter, salt and pepper, and stir until butter is melted and the mixture is well combined. Add the egg yolk and mix until well combined.; Now here comes the fun part: when the meat is done cooking, transfer it to a pie plate (size?) or baking dish. Alternatively, depending on the size of your skillet and whether or not it is oven proof, you can leave it in the skillet and continue instructions from here. Distribute the meat mixture evenly in the baking dish. Spread the parsnip mixture evenly over the top of the baking dish. I find using two spatulas works best. Once the parsnip mash is evenly spread, you can use a fork to draw a cool striped design.; Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (to catch any runoff bubbling over) on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or just until the parsnips begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.; – * for low FODMAPs, cook the onion and garlic before adding the carrots, strain, then return strained oil to pan. Alternatively, use onion- and garlic-infused oil.[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

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Five Meditation Techniques You Can Practice Right Now

If you are someone who still thinks that meditation is a new-agey, hippie-dippie activity, then please take a moment to read this Forbes article that discusses how meditation can actually change the brain. On the other hand, you may be like many who believe that meditation is a good idea, but just don’t know how you could ever fit it into your already busy lifestyle. Well I am here to tell you that even you can squeeze a little meditation into each day. Yes, you. 

VIDEO: The Paleo One-Month Meal Plan

 

Watch as Heather explains why she created the meal plan, her own struggles with health, and how the paleo meal plan can help you.

 

 

 

Break from the toxic overload of our modern diet & lifestyle w my #paleo #mealplan
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One-Month Paleo Meal Plan. Winter.

It’s here! Our one-month, winter-themed, paleo meal plan, where the focus is on providing warming, soothing comfort for dark winter nights.

More and more people are adopting the paleo diet, as they realize it is not just a fad. It has real benefits and nutritional merit. By eliminating the demon ingredients of gluten, grains, and sugars, and celebrating real, wholesome foods, you give your body a break from the toxic overload of our modern diet and lifestyle. You reduce your weight, as well as inflammation, chronic pain and chronic symptoms and begin to feel better than you’ve ever felt before. What’s not to like? Of course, giving up gluten and sugar is difficult in the beginning. That’s why I designed this meal plan, chock full of comfort foods, so you won’t feel like your missing out, nor will you even have to think too much about it.

This meal plan is designed to feed a family of four with grade school kids. That means the palate should appeal to everyone, with slight adjustments here and there. My kids eat everything on this meal plan. That’s how I know it will work for your family, too. With over 45 recipes in all, I promise that you and your family will be well fed.

As always, every recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, paleo, and low-carb. There are only three recipes with goat’s cheese, and it is an optional ingredient, so the meal plan is essentially dairy-free as well. All the recipes are also low-FODMAPs or easily made low FODMAP (by using garlic-infused oil, instead of garlic, for instance). Most recipes are also fairly simple. But don’t worry, they are still delicious. That’s what my family says, and they are a tough crowd to please.

Going Gluten-Free is a Book of Note!

Woo hoo – Food & Nutrition Magazine, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, just added GOING GLUTEN-FREE to their “Books of Note” page!

I’m thrilled to see it listed there. Another good reason for you to get your copy today!

GOING GLUTEN-FREE is a “Book of Note!”

Woo hoo – Food & Nutrition Magazine, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, just added GOING GLUTEN-FREE to their “Books of Note” page!

I’m thrilled to see it listed there. Now you know it has merit!