Dear Kosterina Family,
You may know we are big proponents of adopting functional medicine and food sensitivity testing into your personal health care management. I and many on the Kosterina team have been long time disciples of Parsley Health -- so when Parsley Founder, Robin Berzin, wrote a book, I jumped at the chance to get an advance copy.
In her debut book, State Change: End Anxiety, Beat Burnout and Ignite a New Baseline of Energy and Flow, Berzin describes a State Change as a “new normal” – a new baseline for how we feel on a daily basis. She’s seen many patients over the years suffer from fatigue, migraines, GI conditions, insomnia, anxiety or depression who think that’s their normal. Berzin says “these are not pesky little distractions to be ignored or dealt with via whatever product we find at the pharmacy.” She’s has learned that these symptoms are the body’s way of telling us that something’s wrong. They are the “first warning signs of things like hormone imbalances, unhealthy microbiome, autoimmune disease” or even more serious chronic disease.
Berzin has narrowed her Rx down to a few Core Actions that impact our energy and flow. Here are a few of our favorite Core Actions along with some meaningful takeaways:
- Nutrition – Firstly, once again we learn that the biggest nutritional impediment to achieving the mood, energy, flow, and life we all want is, you guessed it -- sugar (in all it’s carby forms). We also get a deep dive on all the diagnostic tests we need to optimize our health as well as some education on supplements we should be considering. As expected, Berzin also calls for upgrading from refined, inflammatory vegetable oils to EVOO, which she reminds us is full of nutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols, “that studies show can actually deactivate genes that trigger inflammation.”
- Exercise – Berzin discusses the importance of movement for our mental health and mental clarity. While she had gone deep on the research connecting exercise to mental health, her revelation came during a 10-day meditation retreat in Thailand. “When those emotions don’t have an outlet, whether it’s a mental outlet like meditation or a physical outlet like movement, they don’t leave the body – they get trapped inside, causing biochemical disruptions that can wreak havoc on our physical, mental and emotional health.” Berzin has pulled together research that shows that exercise if more effective than anti-depressants.
- Technology – No surprise here. Berzin shows us that our addictions to our phones are making us anxious, depressed, stressed lonely and insecure. Her recommendations? Limit social media to 1 hour a day, limit overall screen time, avoid all screens one hour before bed and decrease video calls by 25%. She also recommends 1 screen-free day per week, among other tips.
Berzin also dives into how sleep, alcohol & drugs affect our mood and flow and outlines a 30-day plan to reset our mood. Robin was interviewed about her book on a few of our favorite podcasts too. You can listen to her on mindbodygreen with Jason Wachob and on The Dhru Purohit Podcast.
If you want to learn more about Parsley Health, visit their website HERE. We are also big fans of their wellness emails!
Peace, love & EVOO,
Katina
