Storm Sommerville

Enjoy these delicious colourful foods without the worry of ⚠️☣️☢️

I know my children love melon and pineapples in season and we eat heaps. 🍍so I’m ok to compromise on those ones

What’s your clean compromise?

The price of food right now in New Zealand is shocking. I get it!

Knowing that these ones have the fewest pesticides you can eat these without the worry of death by Monsanto 🫠👹

I am concerned about GE corn though 😬

From June 2023, New Zealand will change their screening criteria for cervical cancer and instead of the doctor swabbing you for cell abnormalities, you will be able to do this in your own home yourself, and you’ll be swabbing yourself for high risk HPV.

What I love about the self swabbing is that there are many barriers for women including shyness, cultural considerations, abuse, inability to get to a clinic and or pay for an appointment, that can be over come.

I’m looking forward to self swabbing 😬

Once upon a time I thought it was a MASSIVE step to put avocado in my smoothies. Now while I don’t have many in winter I am very much looking forward to the warmer weather and putting some of these into the smoothies.

I often cook extra with dinner and then pop it in a lunch box for the next days smoothie.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever smoothied?

😃

Working on something exciting to change this….

No comments about the aubergines 😂🍆

Eat more purple because they have amazing antioxidant anthocyanins which are super for calming the brain, boosting mood, cancer reducing, good for vision and neuro-protective

🍇🍆🍠

Green for detox!

You know I never get tired of harping on about broccoli sprouts and their friends👯‍♀️👯‍♂️

Amazing green foods have magical nutrients that help us support our liver detoxification pathways.

They also supply significant amount of minerals like iron, magnesium and calcium and the cruciferous ones contain Sulforaphane which is a super hero?

What’s your best way to go green?😉

Yellow foods for digestive health and microbiome

Yellow foods seem
To have the magic ingredient to support digestion.

Yellow foods are like kiwis and corn are amazing prebiotics and aid gastric motility

Pineapple has the enzyme bromelain to support coughs and digestion

Unripe bananas are super prebiotic and your microbiome loves them

Ginger is another one of my favs and is incredible for pain, indigestion and soothing and lemons stimulate gastric juices, have vitamin C and are just so damn delicious on everything 😁

Vegetable Beta carotenes covert to vitamin A in the body which is amazing for

🫶🏻skin
🫶🏻eye health
🫶🏻anti inflammatory
🫶🏻immune systems
🫶🏻reproductive health
🫶🏻phytonutrients to prevent disease

Anyone know what the one in the bottom right corner is?

This is me, trying to inspire you mid winter to eat more colourful foods❤️

What’s your favourite colourful food?

Part of my morning ritual….(who the f! Actually has one of those?)….😂😵‍💫anyway-me apparently.

Let’s talk about light therapy🌞

I was not going another year in NZ without a light box 🌚🌪☃️🌨🌬

I love starting my day with 10-15 mins of extreme light into my eyes. I notice my body has a lot more energy and I feel a lot less miserable this winter.

And the cat seems to love it-so that says something😻

What you need to look for in your light box

-that it’s large enough to produce enough light to reach your face and neck
-10 000 lux lightbulb
-bigger is better 😉
-clinically reduces SAD
-UV free
-aids cortisol awakening response that get your up and at’ ‘em in the morning
-may improve immunity
-helps with your sleep and wake cycles
-aids serotonin production

I brought the Northern Lights box off Amazon. It was here within 10 days

My box

Northern Light technology Boxelight

As part of any post viral recovery I think it is important to support the Body in any way you can

Some techniques I found helpful while I had The C but also super important after, were:

1. Daily breath work sessions
2. Sunlamp every morning
3. Fresh organic raw juices with a s**tload of ginger
4. And rest rest rest followed by a week of convalescence

After
5. Infra red sauna
6. Hot and cold shower therapy
7. Ocean dips-I waited a full 2.5 weeks before going back to this

I definitely took the time to allow by body to take it easy. We seemed to have skipped this step in our lives and want to go from unwell to 100%.

But when we try to jump that step-it seems we may get a bite in the bum and then are forced to convalesce a lot longer

I also recommend catching up with your favourite body work practitioner. My acupuncturist and very talented and special human Rachel from Ascent Acupuncture fine tuned my body and had me feeling better than ever💓

Oh look-I got covid!

I was not surprised. I put my money on getting it when we went to Christchurch.

Day 1- felt backache and a wee headache.
Thoughts: I was in good spirits and smashing the supplements.
Worst problem-my partners mess….(he claimed brain fog made him forget to clean up 😉)

Day 2-more backache and a wee headache. Is it going to get worse?
Thoughts: My kids are annoying me. How did the rest of the world do this?
Took them for a walk with the dogs

Day 3-tired. No backache, no headache.
Thoughts: Am I going to get long covid? This is so boring I’m going for a nap.
I’m definitely clearing out the old batteries in the utility cupboard today.

So far it has been a very very mild experience. I realise this is not everyone’s experience and feel humbled and grateful 🙏🏻

My partner wants to go back to work and cycle there. He’s day 4. I hate him for being a day a ahead.

What I did daily;

breathing exercises x3 daily, meditations, zinc, A, C, D, Quercetin, NAC, GFE, black seed oil, probiotics, mushrooms

It’s time for that vitamin D post again!

Let’s have a D&M

Here’s a conundrum for you
If…

there is

👆🏽570ug of vitamin D per serving of salmon
👆🏻366ug of Vit D2 in raw white mushrooms per serving (inferior form of vitamin D)
👆🏿46ug in sardines
👆40 in eggs
👆🏼10 in fortified cereals 🤮

Your RDI is 600iu per day. An RDI is a 👏🏻minimum👏🏻 recommended level that you need to barely meet your body’s requirements to function without deteriorating into disease

So how are you getting your vitamin D if you are not eating it daily and you live in a country where in winter- the UVB is not strong enough to help your body make it?

And what happens if you have a VDR snp? (a gene that makes it hard to access vitamin D from foods and supplements)

🤷🏼‍♀️
How much vitamin D do you think you are getting a day?
I’m definitely not meeting the requirements myself!🙈

I have no doubt in my mind that I will get the lurgy and I will get The spicy cough at some stage. I actively do no avoid coming into contact with these bugs. Give me some stress and a few servings of bad sleeps and boom- that will be me🤧

But!

I have managed to avoiding a weakened immune system. Which to be honest-is weird as I have low white blood cell counts which makes you more susceptible to catching bugs

Being part of the Well Kiwis study for 2 years has allowed us to PCR test ourselves for all the different bugs going around and last week my partner got the flu and my 5 year old got it for about 6 hours. No jokes. Myself and Zen didn’t get it.

What I DIDNT do at home
👉wearing masks
👉🏿washing my hands
👉🏻sanitizing
👉🏾avoid contact Or touching

What I have been doing since last year
👉high levels of a GOOD zinc
👉🏿cod liver vitamin A
👉🏻iodine mouth spray
👉🏽20-30minutes of conscious stress-induced breathing techniques
👉ocean dips in a cozzy
👉🏽no sugar
👉🏻low GI whole food earting

This is something I have been consciously working on for the last 3-6 months. It didn’t happen over night. It is not too late for you-this is great for recovery too.

Your immune system is on you. You are the pilot, not the driver. So drive the Tesla - which includes time to recharge the battery💓

The children wanted donuts so I healthified them😂

Made this recipe from which was refined sugar free and gluten free.

My poor deprived children 😂🙈

Eaten warm they were 🤤🤤🤤 and with a bit of Choc topping 🤤🤤🤤

Why do we get post COVID brain fog?

Well-the cytokines involved in COVID have crossed the blood brain barrier and have cause inflammation in the brain

On study on Long COVID went to to summarize that there were a few factors that made one more susceptible to the mind mist

Having any 3 of these variables, especially being female, respiratory and icu admission made you much more likely to get brain fog😶‍🌫️

1. Female
2. Respiratory symptoms at onset
3. Neurological problems at onset
4. Gastrointestinal problems at onset
5. Pre-existing chronic medical conditions
6. If you were admitted to ICU

Gosh🤔seems like we’re all at a high risk of getting the brain fog🫣

Doi: 10.1002/jmv.27404

What!
There are two different types of iron? You say

Heme iron comes only from animals

Non-heme iron comes from plants, beans, greens, fruit, veg and seeds

Which one is better absorbed?

Well-we are all different. But ask yourself these questions

1. What state is my digestive system in?
2. How old am I?
3. Do I have low iron?
4. Tired munch?
5. Blood type?
6. Am I getting enough co factors?
7. What’s my diet like?
8. Underlying conditions?

For gods sake…it’s just iron you say….

But is it?😉
Double tap to stay tuned👆🏼👆🏼

The beauty of getting older for me is the ability to reflect on things with more humility…
And humanity

The ability to view things from both sides

I’ve been working through a parent who has been targeting me at school for not wearing a mask outside

He’d wait for me and say mean things. He went to far as to swear at me. Please understand me-I am no victim.

I didn’t respond to him. I had actively avoided him but he’d wait for me. And even after he swore at me and I cried for days, I can still see why he responded to me so negatively. I see both sides of this story.

I can see his point of view, reflect on the life experiences that have perhaps made him so. I can sympathise. I can forgive.

Young me would have torn him to sheds with hurtful words and fury.
Older me- sends love to this person.
Younger me- would hate and shame
Older me-is grateful for this opportunity to look within and grow

Because growth does not come easily. We can’t simply avoid s**t. Well, we can for a while. But the true beauty is getting to the other side of that s**t, forgiving, letting get, and loving once again.

Don’t remain in the fear. 💐

What is your favourite food as medicine?
As much as possible I’m always going to encourage you to get your nutrients from food.

Now I kept this to 3 pages but I really could have done 10 😃 but scroll through previous posts and you’ll see my good vibes 😍

However, sometimes it’s just not possible to get enough of something and working with depleted soils, deficient systems and compromised digestive systems mean supplements are good option

I tried to include vegan options option😊

What’s your favourite food as medicine?

I am truly humbled by this review
When I read it, I cried
Being let into someone’s life to help them has always been my privilege. Every single person that walks through my Zoom screen 😃 or clinic door is a mirror to myself and gives me the opportunity to learn and connect.
Thank you for journeying with
🙏🏻

6 roots to balance your body

I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about long covid as the mechanisms behind it. And as I was compiling a list I realised the herbals and nutrients I was looking at were all roots.

Perhaps it’s because we need to look at the ROOT cause.

If we look closely- I wonder about the health of people prior to covid and how their levels of inflammation, gut dysbiosis, genes and blood type contribute to their experience. This is not a judgement because I do not have perfect sparkly health✨-keeping my pillars of health in place is a daily balance…

The 6 roots above
1. Astragalus-immune balancing
2. Withania-calming and rejuvenating
3. Jerusalem artichoke- food for the microbiome
4. Licorice- adrenal restorative
5. Turmeric-reduces inflammation
6. Maca-HPA axis modulator

Remember to speak to your naturopath to use these roots properly and wether they are suited to your constitution 🌸

A very interesting study shows that you can predict covid outcomes depending on the make up of your gut microbiome. By tracking your gut bugs and inflammatory markers, researchers were able to assess how much inflammation you would experience during and after COVID.

This study also showed that your microbiome remained altered for up to 30 days post infection. Excitingly they were suggesting the future use of a microbiome panel to predict one's outcomes to covid (for us mere mortals)

SO! While vitamins D, C and Zinc may be stealing the limelight.... don't forget to feed the friends in your gut
🦠🧬🤩

What’s the deal with black cumin seed?

Nigella sativa

I was introduced to black cumin seed way back in the day, through our wonderful Muslim community who taught me that this was a sacred oil as referrer to in the Qur’an.

More recently studies have shown it to help the uptake of zinc which is a similar action to that of ivermectin.

Thymoquinone (TQ) content is what you are looking for so make sure you have the highest possible % available in your product.

Studies have also shown that Black seed oil stops spike proteins from attaching onto your cells known as “molecular docking”

It has also shown beneficial effects on the treatment or “control of COVID-19 due to antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties as well as bronchodilatory effects”

Hope you have this great spicy oil on hand to help with The C🦠

If you’re just having the powder, mix it with honey to increase the uptake

How are your actions contributing to the way people feel around you during this trying time in New Zealand

I feel like you have two opportunities here…

You can either become a truly enlightened being who manifests love and acceptance of all
Someone who acts within accordance to their higher self
Someone who conducts themselves the way they would like to be treated
Always approaching with love
For all
….
Or not

And people will remember the way you made them feel

So while you may not agree with peoples choices and perspectives

You can still embrace connection and respect and be the person you were before all of this began
❤️

👉🏻totally stole the quote from the one school email I actually read🙈

Thank you to whoever put this up in the forest…it helped me to believe….

I woke up in a world…
Where there was hope
Where we could travel freely
Where everybody was friends and autonomy was celebrated
Where there was unity despite differences
Where there was respect for our choices
Where I could hug my mum and my family wasn’t divided
Where I could have open discussions at work
Where I could live in a world that was perfect and whole and my children had a bright future
Where I felt free and heard
Where we are lead with grace and humility and respect
And I’m going to continue to dream of this world because I truly believe in the divine ability of amazing things happen
And because each of us is filled with so much goodness and love that we can overcome anything
I will continue to believe
And so should you

A good diet is Retrospective🥦

I’ve had people tell me their good diet consists of pies, Cadbury’s milk chocolate, 5 coffees a day, curry take aways and mueslis bars. I’ve had extreme carnivore dieters eating only meat and vegans living off processed soy cheese and pasta telling me they have a “good diet”

But then I must ask…why are you sitting in front of me?

A large percentages this answer is that your diet is maybe not good enough to support you and your needs at this very moment in time

And my goal is always to get you to a place where you can be having those gluten, dairy and sugar binges and your body is able to deal 💪🏻🤙🏻

Usually by the time you come to me…the s**t has hit the fan 🌬💩 and we’re doing damage control and trying to lower the burden on your body

But work with me, trust me, make the changes and reap the rewards🌸

Diet is where the magic happens🪄☺️