Damn Good Advice

A: When life gets hectic, it’s easy to underestimate the role that stress plays in how you feel.

My advice? Work toward easing the effects of stress on your body. I love an app called Headspace, which provides guided meditation on your smartphone.

Reinforcing your stress defense also means upping your nutrition game with nutrient-dense plant foods: leafy green veggies, beans and seeds like hemp and chia. These foods boost your intake of anti-inflammatory compounds and keep your blood sugars on an even keel. Plant foods also feed beneficial bacteria in the gut, which may improve your digestive AND mental well-being.

Stress and tummy troubles tend to go hand in hand; stress can influence movement of the gut and digestive pain. Stress can also have a negative impact on gut flora and inflammation. For these reasons, a probiotic may be a great addition to your daily routine.

I love the uniqueness of a fermented drinkable probiotic that’s the best of both worlds: a fermented food and clinical-strength probiotic. Fermented foods have been part of our diets for hundreds of years … but harnessing the power of beneficial bacteria takes smart science!

One of my favorite ways to start the day is with a green smoothie, loaded with turmeric, hemp hearts and my go-to 50 billion bacteria, fermented rice drinkable probiotic. It helps me find the inner strength to tackle my day.