Root and Branch

My kids brought home the lung virus that’s going around almost two weeks ago. We are mostly back to normal energy levels but the cough and phlegm in our lungs is really hard to get rid of. Bronchitis type infections can take a couple of months to fully resolve.

We use some simple, yet effective solutions to support our lungs while they heal and
help to disperse cough, clear phlegm, and soothe scratchy throats— all from everyday foods in our kitchen:

🍯 + 🧅
Honey moistens, calms and tonifies the lung
Onion warms, breaks up phlegm and suppresses coughs

🫚 + 🍊
Ginger disperses cold, breaks up phlegm and supports digestion
Dried orange peel moves energy, resolves dampness and phlegm, supports digestion and lungs.

I keep a jar of chopped yellow onions in honey in the fridge all winter long. When I remember to I save orange and tangerine peels, let them dry on a plate, and enjoy them as a tea with the onion honey and ginger.

Repost from .e.l.e.n.m.a.r.i.e
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On self-abandonment and being mindful of when we stop meeting ourselves with compassion and care. Notice what comes up for you as you read these. Which resonate? Which do you find hard to do? Which do you need a little more support with?

Sending love as always ♥️


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If you're curious about making your own herbal tinctures, or want to brush up on your skills, I highly recommend signing up for this class with Kerri over at River Prairie Apothecary! She knows so much about our plant allies and is a fantastic teacher.

For anyone living with chronic pain conditions I invite you to learn more about somatic experiencing practices. To be curious about what your bodily sensations are telling you. Move closer to those sensations. Hold them with a tender heart and open ear. What does that tension or discomfort have to say?

What is your inner voice telling you? Does it hold you in high regard, compassion and love? Or does it shame and berate?

Somatic practices help us build body awareness and can be an ally in healing our relationship with not only our body and felt senses, but with our relationship with food and nourishing ourselves.

Nutritional therapy and somatic practice intersect in a holistic way through building connection and awareness of:

Mindful eating
Stress Reduction
Improved digestive health
Body awareness
Emotional eating patterns

This poster has been with me since my days of studying for my FNTP certification. Although I don't know the creator, I've always admired how it vividly showcases the impact of "natural" or "alternative" therapies on reversing symptoms and promoting better health.

While Western Medicine shines when it comes to clear diagnoses and acute situations, it can have limitations in addressing a range of vague, discomforting symptoms. You may be dealing with joint pain, digestive issues, fatigue, and a variety of other concerns, all signaling an imbalance your body is struggling to overcome.

These symptoms are your body's way of communicating that something is amiss. What we eat, how we manage our energy and emotions, our movement habits, and our daily routines all play a role in our health.

This is where I come in. With my training and experience, I can meet you where you are, identify areas of vulnerability or biological stress, and support you as you experiment with using your meals and your relationship with food as the foundation for healing.

If you're curious about what I do or wonder if it's the right fit for you, let's chat. Reach out via phone, FB message, or text. I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation where I can address your questions and learn about your goals. If we're not the perfect match, I have a network of local resources and connections with various healers, and I'm happy to provide referrals. 🌱🌟

The last of my herb harvest before our freeze comes.

Do you love pears? I do!
Pears are my favorite fall fruit and of course, they're super good for us.

In Western Nutrition we know that pears are little powerhouses of antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C, copper and potassium. They're very easy to digest and can help eliminate mild constipation and are healing to the digestive tract.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary practices pears thermal nature is cool, their flavor is sweet/sour, and they help tonify yin in the body. They bring moisture back into the body and support the lungs (the lungs hate being dry!). Pears clear heat and phlegm and are a wonderful go-to food for congestion and sluggish digestion.

How do you care for your digestion?

When the weather starts getting cold it's not the best time to enjoy lots of raw salads and cold foods. So we can learn to make delicious, simple salads with cooked foods and smaller amounts of raw ingredients.

This recipe is pretty close to the arugula, roasted pear, lions mane and fennel salad I made for our workshop earlier this month. We dressed ours with a little lemon and olive oil. The dressing here looks good too. Let me know if you make this. It's a great combo for fall!

Roasted Fennel and Pear Salad - UncomplicatedChef Roasted Fennel and Pear Salad combines seasonal fall ingredients with a bright and tangy maple vinaigrette.

This is a great tutorial on crafting a classic miso soup. In our recent workshop, I used this technique with red miso, but feel free to opt for white miso if that's more your style.

https://youtu.be/FvTtJj9l9uw?si=-3Sa3Y-gJ-RpmIHn

And if you're wondering where to pick up essential ingredients like Katsuobushi, Wakame, Kombu, and Miso paste, you can find them at Menomonie Market, Festival, and Woodman's. Enjoy your miso-making adventure! 🍲

Feeling grateful for the opportunity to sit with other wise women at our Autumn Wellness Workshop yesterday.

We enjoyed a meaningful discussion about nurturing our health through food choices that support our digestion, lungs, and elimination pathways during this season. We also practiced Qigong together and explored our Lung and Large Intestine channels - simple exercises for anytime, anywhere.

I was inspired by your shared self-healing practices and enjoyed introducing new ingredients (to some of you) like Red Miso and Wakame seaweed. Special thanks to Sarah at Inspired Balance for the invitation and for hosting us! 🍂💫

This roasted orange Kabocha squash is spending the night marinating in a rich red miso broth with leeks and kale. I can’t wait for us to taste it tomorrow, it’s so good!

In Chinese Medicine squashes support lung, large intestine, stomach and spleen. They are are gently warming and tonifying in nature and help resolve phlegm and cold, and circulates the blood.

In Western nutrition we know Kabocha squashes are high in beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin C and other minerals.

Squashes of any kind are super versatile and affordable food for fall and winter months.

Hello everyone! 🌟 After a few months of dedicated caregiving for a family member and some deep self-care, I'm back. My experience this summer was a powerful reminder of the incredible impact basic self-healing practices can have on our resilience, balance, and overall healing.

Our bodies are amazing, always striving to restore balance and health. We strengthen these natural mechanisms by giving ourselves some fundamental things:

😴 Quality Sleep
🏃‍♂️ Regular Physical Activity
🧘‍♀️ Stress Management and Mental Health Care
🤗 Connection with Others
🍏 Nutrient-dense Nutrition

My passion lies with the nutrition piece of this puzzle.
Do you pay attention to what your body is telling you? Can you sense what your body needs? We all have this ability.

The next time you sit down to a meal, pause. Take a moment to give gratitude, pray, take a deep breath. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. What do you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel?

I look forward to sharing more with you here, but truth-be-told, I don't love this medium. I much prefer 1:1 conversation but I'll do my best to keep coming back.
🥕

Art | Ramon Casas

🔥 Do you want to learn how balancing your Fire element can improve your health and well-being?

The Fire element is one of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that correspond to different aspects of our body, mind, and spirit. The Fire element is associated with the heart and small intestine, as well as joy, passion, creativity, and love. 💖

When the Fire element is in harmony, we feel happy, warm, and energetic. When it is out of balance, we may experience headache, anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, or inflammation.

I hope you will join Sarah Aiken-Felling from Inspired Balance and me for the second of our seasonal workshops. We will teach you how to care for your Fire element and overall health using seasonal TCM principles, practices and nutrition.

You will learn:

How to identify signs of imbalance in your Fire element.
How to use diet, herbs, qigong and assess your emotional needs to nourish your Fire element.
How to cultivate positive emotions and relationships that support your Fire element.
How to avoid factors that deplete or disturb your Fire element.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 28th from 6-8 pm at Inspired Balance. The cost is $45 per person and includes handouts, a seasonal, freshly prepared light meal, and tea. Space is limited so please register in advance by calling or messaging either myself or Sarah.

🌞Suddenly it really feels like summer! 🌞

When the heat turns up my family loves to eat variations on the Vietnamese noodle bowl. I typically cook off a large amount of Bun (rice vermicelli noodles) and make the sauce and protein ahead of time.

Cilantro and mint are both cooling herbs in Ayurveda and TCM and supportive to your digestion. Cucumber eliminates heat and is gently detoxifying.

Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken This Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken (Bun Ga Nuong) is fresh and loaded with bright flavours. Drizzled with Vietnamese dipping sauce Nuoc Cham.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Spring Wellness workshop with Sarah Aiken-Felling at Inspired Balance last week! Below is a link to a recipe for the braised celery with ginger that I referenced. This dish is wonderful by itself or as a side.

In TCM celery is an excellent spring food.
Celery engages our spleen and stomach Qi, clears heat and helps relieve dampness (which we all could use this time of year). It is a wonderful food for the digestive system and is full of fiber, calcium, organic sodium, and vitamin C.

Ginger stimulates our digestion and helps to gently cleanse wastes from colon and liver.

In our family celery is mostly despised (except by me!). I made this for my husband a few weeks ago and he LOVED it! For real. He was shocked that it was possible to enjoy this vegetable. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

https://eatwellenjoylife.com/celery-stalks-for-your-cells/

Braised Celery with Ginger Celery is an underappreciated vegetable. Americans don’t use celery much. Usually we see it as a edible utensil for consuming dip or hummus. Celery is cheap and has so many...

Hello and welcome to my page! I’m Beth Martin, certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), former chef and marketing professional, mom of two teen boys, and novice gardener and herbalist. Prior to having children and moving back to the Midwest over a decade ago, I operated a private nutritional therapy practice in Portland, Oregon.

My practice integrates the principles of whole foods nutrition, gentle nutrition, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dietary therapeutics. My goal is to help you achieve your goals and experience improved health and well-being.

I believe that each person is unique and needs a personalized approach to nutrition. Whether you are looking for guidance on perimenopausal or menopause issues, digestive issues, chronic conditions, or just want to have a different relationship with food; I am here to support you and will design a customized plan that is achievable and feels good.

If you are interested in working with me or learning more about how I work, please feel free to contact me directly by text or give me a call (my website is in progress). We can set up a free 30-minute call to discuss your questions and goals.

Follow my page for tips about seasonal food preparation, specific food profiles, inspired recipes and stories. I look forward to connecting with you here and supporting you on your health journey!

Root and Branch updated their phone number.