Trial Registration  ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03407885; American Economic Association Registry Identifier: AEARCTR-0002521

About one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The vast majority of these cancers rely on the hormone estrogen to grow. Estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer tumors are frequently treated with the drug tamoxifen, which blocks the hormone's effect on the tumor. However, many tumors eventually become resistant to tamoxifen, allowing cancer to recur or metastasize.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a major player in nutrition today. Studies have shown that NAD+ concentrations decrease during aging and that recovering the body's levels of NAD+ can prolong both health span and even life span, making it the focus of much research in nutritional science, medicine, and even pharmaceutics.

Let’s get one thing straight. The real star of Thanksgiving isn’t the food on the table — it’s what’s underneath it. For a style-conscious hostess, mediocre servewere just won’t do. This is especially true for Thanksgiving, where the food being served is the center of everyone’s attention.

We’ve got plenty of great ideas for making your tablescape or buffet space special, but all it really takes is a pretty platter or two. We’re sharing our dream lineup for Thanksgiving this year, from a chic platter to plate your bird to the cutest ceramic gravy vessel…
Enamel + Ash Cheese Dome |  The cute vintage feel of this enamelware dome is sure to add a splash of happy nostalgia to your table. Learn to make the ultimate cheese board here, then put it on display in style. CHECK OUT

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S2EP6: CHRIS BELL
Opioids + Kratom

A conversation about pain would not be complete without acknowledging opioids and all of the drugs used to treat pain. Chris Bell is the award winning documentary filmmaker behind Prescription Thugs (2015), that explores the opioid crisis in America. His newest film, A Leaf of Faith (2018), covers all aspects of the controversial drug, Kratom, a plant-based supplement showing big promise in pain relief. Chris has first-hand experience with chronic pain and the all to common drug abuse that comes with it. He talks openly about his experience with pain, drugs, death, and we go deep into all things Kratom. Chris joined us via Skype.

For more on Chris' movies check out his IMDb page!

Books, blogs, people and websites mentioned in the episode:

Beyond all the words and numbers on Optimising Nutrition, it was great to see the food people created in response to the Nutrient Optimiser challenge when they focused on improving their micronutrient profile on the first Nutrient Optimiser Challenge.  

People found that sharing their food photos with the Nutrient Optimiser Facebook Group was a great way to stay accountable and get feedback from people on the same journey.  It also inspired a lot of creativity.

It has also been a great way to build the database of nutrient dense meals and recipes in the Nutrient Optimiser that will help future users optimise their micronutrient profile.  

These nutrient-dense meals don’t fit neatly in a category.  Everyone used the tools in the Nutrient Optimiser to improve their nutrient density in their own way.   

As they say, a picture paints a thousand words, so here is a selection of some of the meals that people created when trying to improve the nutrient density of their diet as part of the challenge.  

Check out the Nutrient Optimiser Facebook Group for more photos and all the details of the recipes that sit behind these.   We’re hoping that the next Nutrient Density Challenge will produce even more fantastic food photos that show what highly nutritious and satiating food looks like.  

We’d love you to get on board and be a part of it this time around if you’re interested in optimising your food choices at a micronutrient level.  

But enough said. On to the photos.

I have no problem with mapping out my own running route when I’m in a new city. After all, the best sightseeing is often done on foot, and when I can scratch my itch to be a total tourist and get in a run at the same, I’m all about it.

However, running around a strange city is even better when it’s done as part of a race. The logistics are covered, there’s hydration provided along the course, you often gain pedestrian access into areas you wouldn’t otherwise be able to run, and, of course, you’re out there with a whole community of other runners. It’s fun! It’s safe! And it’s awesome.

Last November, I had the opportunity to visit Curaçao — and participate in the KLM Curaçao Marathon — as a guest of the Curaçao Tourist Board. (Maybe you caught a bit of it in our Instagram Story.) In addition to the full marathon, there’s a half marathon, 10k, 5k, and a 9.7k trail run option, which was awesome because I was able to challenge myself with the half marathon distance, while my husband, Jared, stuck to the 10k.

As you might recall, the half marathon distance is a bit of a wild card for me — I’ve had disappointing races that I trained like crazy for, while others have ended in PRs that I had no right to expect. In this case, I didn’t have a ton of time to train up to the distance, but because the half marathon course for this particular race loops all through and around Willemstad (while the shorter distances are less exciting out-and-backs), I was determined to get through all 13.1 miles.

And now, I’m going to take you through the course with me! Because whether you’re trying to get through what feels like a never-ending winter or trying to find some inspiration to up your running game, you might want to consider booking a trip to Curaçao for this year’s race on November 24, 2019 — and I want you to know what you’re getting into!

(And, of course, there’s a lot more to Curaçao than just running. See what else I did on my weekend away — like swimming with sea turtles, practicing a little SUP yoga, and doing my share of fine dining — here!)

Race start: Jared and I stayed at the Hilton Curaçao, which is where the race starts, ends, and also where the post-race party takes place. I would definitely make the same choice again and encourage you to as well, because being able to wake up and walk straight down to the start line (not to mention being able to run upstairs for a quick rinse and change post-race) was incredible. This was even more helpful due to the fact that he and I were running different distances, which started an hour apart (start times are staggered by distance, ranging from 3:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. so that most runners finish within the same couple of hours or so).

Kilometers 1-6: The first hour was pretty dark (like, I could’ve used a headlamp on a few occasions. But even so, it was more hot and humid than I’d anticipated, which meant I was drenched with sweat by the time I hit the first notable landmark, the beautifully lit up Queen Emma floating pontoon bridge. I would be running over it later, but at this point, I simply ran by. Well, and stopped for a sweaty selfie, obviously.

3 predawn miles doesn’t usually equate to quite this much sweat.

Kilometers 7-9: Things got quite challenging as we made our way over the Queen Juliana Bridge, which is 185-feet high and generally only open to motor vehicles. The climb was intense, but the views were fantastic. The sun began to rise as I started my descent and I tried to take advantage of the free speed the downhill offered. I hadn’t gone in with a goal time, exactly, but my average pace was slower than I’d anticipated. Even as a Floridian, that heat and humidity hit me hard.

Kilometers 10-15: This stretch was a mostly straight out-and-back, which wasn’t as exciting as the first few kilometers, but it meant that I saw other runners going the opposite direction, which I always enjoy. Because it was along a straight road, I was able to zone out and settle into a pace pretty well, although I took full advantage of every water stop, dousing myself with a cup and filling my handheld water bottle with another.

Kilometer 16: I won’t lie — I was struggling a bit at this point, but I did my best to stick to the strongest pace I could because this was near the 10k turnaround, and I knew Jared was planning to wait for me there so we could run in together — and so he could snap a photo or two. (Yes, this meant that his finish time was … not great, but it was a very cool and unique option that we weren’t going to pass up!)

via GIPHY

Even if you don’t have someone waiting for you at this point, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for the big Curaçao sign at Queen Wilhelmina Park. If you’re one to take pictures during a race, this is a great photo opp. From here, we ran out over the floating bridge that I’d taken a selfie by earlier that morning. The sun was fully out now, and so the bridge lights had long since turned off, although it still offered a cool view of the colorful buildings and floating market as we made our way across.

Kilometers 17-end: This final section of the run takes you through the outdoor Renaissance Mall and Rif Fort, then goes largely along the waterfront, providing a tempting view of what awaits you at the beach just on the other side of the finish line.

Post-race party: Because we stayed at the race hotel, we not only had the opportunity to pop up to the room to shower and change, but we also made use of the daily breakfast buffet that was included with our package — and it’s worth shelling out for, let me tell you. Otherwise, there was some standard post-race fare available to runners (bananas, oranges), as well as food and beer available to purchase. This truly felt like a party due to the gorgeous setting, the crystal clear water, the lively music, and the happy chatter in a variety of languages (Dutch is common on this Dutch Caribbean island, but because Curaçao isn’t far from Venezuela, I also heard quite a bit of  Spanish, as well as Papiamento, a Spanish Creole language spoken on Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire — and literally everyone I met also spoke excellent English).

A view of the post-race party from our balcony.

It’s worth noting that, while everyone receives a medal, awards do not go as deep as you might be used to in the States. The overall winners of each distance received awards — and most people seemed to stick around to cheer for them, which was pretty cool — but they weren’t handed out to the top three men and women in each age group. Great for those of us who aren’t placing anyway (because those ceremonies take forever), but I could see that being a disappointment if you’re hoping to hear your name called.

All in all, though, I really loved the race experience — almost as much as I loved the country of Curaçao itself. If you’re someone who likes tying a race into a vacation, this is one to keep in mind.

Are you also all about the race-cation? What’s your favorite — and what’s on your bucket list? —Kristen

Confession: this gluten-free lemon loaf cake didn’t last 24 hours in my kitchen.

If you’ve taken my wellness personality quiz (and if you haven’t, go do it!) then you know that I’ve often observed through my course clients that people approach health habits very differently.

I’m a Healthy Hedonist (duh), which means that restriction makes me feel anxious. I’m not an all or nothing kind of gal. Most of the time, I am pretty good at moderation. But the slippery slope of trying to swing both ways is that sometimes I end up sliding too far in one direction. And that is certainly the case whenever I bring baked goods into the house.

Moderation is easier said than done, especially when indulgences involve addictive substances like sugar that can fuel cravings.

I can handle one piece of chocolate a night after dinner without a problem. But if there is a lemon loaf cake sitting on the counter, I am not able to have just one slice. Or just one half. Or if there are multiple, just one whole thing.

Perhaps this is due to my gluten-free scarcity mindset. Maybe it’s the blood sugar rollercoaster. Either way, it’s not a good scene, especially when I’m trying to ease into doing a mini vice detox with you in a few days!

Since one of my tenets of healthy hedonism is to set yourself up for success at home so you can find more flexibility out in the world, that means I don’t bake very often. When I am eating sugar, I find my sweet fixes in other ways, like dark chocolate. Or I go out to a favorite bakery where I will have to spend $5 on a cookie, and therefore only purchase one.

But here’s the other thing: I love creating healthy gluten-free treats for you. Solution? When testing gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipes, I force the other half of my loaf upon my neighbor.

Force, you say? Who wouldn’t want the gift of a fresh, delicious baked good?

Well, a neighbor who has just told you that she is not eating carbs or sugar at the moment, and you insist that she accept the “gift” anyway. Sorry Christine!

You see, friends. Self-control can sometimes be selfish.

Luckily for us both though (because don’t you worry, I ate the other half by myself in one sitting), this lemon loaf cake is far less sinful than what I usually walk away with at my local bakery. It’s sweetened naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar. It’s topped with a little anti-inflammatory turmeric coconut butter glaze–no powdered sugar here. And for a cake, it’s fairly high in protein thanks to the plentiful eggs, almond meal, and collagen powder, which boosts both the batter and the drizzle.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I’ve been on a mission post-SIBO to get as much Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen as possible into my meals. Not only do my nails and hair feel stronger when I’m getting a regular dose, but it’s helping to rebuild my gut lining behind the scenes.

So in this case, I don’t feel so bad about having my lemon loaf cake, and making my neighbor eat half of it too.

Read on for the delicious, easy recipe for this gluten-free lemon cake. And if you lack both the will to moderate your portions and a neighbor to take some of them off your hands, rest assured that this loaf also freezes well!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

This gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Great Lakes Gelatin. All opinions are my own (obviously). Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my gut healing) possible!

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