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Nutrition Reviews

Juice That Looks Like Water + Is Sugar/Calorie-Free

September 17, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 4 Comments

Disclosure: I received two bottles of Koa in the hopes that I would mention it on my blog. No monetary compensation was received. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.


 

One night, while watching Shark Tank, I stumbled upon an email from Well + Good. They have the best health and wellness articles, so I make sure to look through the emails no matter what. On this particular night, Well + Good had an article about juice that looks like water, plus has zero sugar and calories. Naturally, I was intrigued! So I read on.

The clear juice is called Koa Natural Olakino. It’s the first product of its kind, and it is absolutely amazing! Before I go into detail about it, here’s a picture so you have an idea of what it looks like:

Koa Natural Olakino Juice 4I totally love the packaging, too! It’s really clean, chic, and simple.

**This juice isn’t to be confused with juice cleanses that you see everywhere. That’s not what Koa is. It’s not a meal replacement, a cleanse, or anything of that sort. It’s simply juice that you can add to your regular daily nutrition. It is complementary.

So, what is Koa?

“Purified by nature and squeezed from 12 fresh fruits and vegetables. Koa is unlike anything else, redefining our ideas about healthy living. Koa delivers only the healthy part of fruits and vegetables. Koa is a natural Olakino. Olakino is the healthiest parts squeezed from fruits & veggies. Olakino retains the natural goodness but skips the bad stuff. That means Koa can boast naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and anti-oxidants without any additives or calories” (source).

Koa Natural Olakino Juice Image Source

What Does It Taste Like?

“Olakino is made from fresh-pressed pomegranates, bamboo, mint, lime, amla fruit, annatto, guava, holy basil, red sea lettuce, lemongrass, carrot, and lemons. But… during a centrifugal filtration process it turns clear, explains co-founder Adam Louras – and loses its sugar and calories on the way” (source).

The mint, cucumber, and citrus stands out the most in my opinion. I love detox water (mint, cucumber, lemon), so I really love Koa! If you don’t like mint, you might not like it. But if you do like mint, it’s definitely for you! Plus it’s very hydrating, healthy, and has been called uber coconut water. I LOVE coconut water, and Koa is something that, while similar, does not contain the sugar and calories coconut water does. It’s a win-win!

The production of Koa is through a private facility in California. The people at Koa call it the ‘black box.’ They run the facility and are the only ones who know how to use the equipment. It is not created in a lab, because it is 100% natural! With this process, the juice ends up being a clear color, with 74 minerals, 9 vitamins, 0 calories, and 0 sugar. Adam Louras was told a natural, sugar-free juice could not be done. But he and Wes Wells did it, and it is awesome!

Koa Natural Olakino Juice 3

Image Source

Another great thing about Koa is that it’s made with sustainably grown fruits and vegetables, cooperatively processed to minimize waste, and the bottle is 100% biodegradable and recyclable! It’s a great product not only for you, but for the environment, as well.

Koa Natural Olakino Juice 2

Speaking of, when Wes sent me the bottles to try, the letter I received was made of paper that could be PLANTED. You read that right, planted. There are seeds in the paper, and the paper is biodegradable, so you just put it in some soil and water it, and voila, plants! Seriously so awesome. I’ve never seen anything like it!

Koa Natural Olakino Juice 5

Where To Buy:

As of now, Koa can be found in a few locations on the East coast, Texas, and one location in Napa, California. You can find specific locations here. They have plans to be available on the West coast, but nothing is set in stone yet. Koa is currently not available for delivery, BUT it’s coming soon!! You’ll be able to order a case of 15 ($59.99) either as a one-time order, or a subscription. You can read more about that here.

Keep In Touch:

Koa can be found on these social media sites:

  • Website
  • Blog
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Because of my sugar addiction, I am always looking for a healthier drink option. Being able to get 74 minerals and 9 vitamins from a juice that contains zero sugar naturally is definitely a favorite in my book. I want to say THANK YOU to Wes and Adam from Koa for the opportunity to sample such an amazing drink! You guys are definitely doing it right.

So tell me,

  • Have you ever heard of or tried Koa? Is it something you’d be interested in trying?
  • What do you look for in your juices/drinks?

Thank you so much for reading my blog! Please keep in touch through Instagram + Twitter. 🙂

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XO

Lyndsay

Filed Under: Nutrition, Reviews Tagged With: calorie-free, clear juice, detox, drink, health, healthy, healthy living, holistic, Koa, Koa Natural Olakino, lifestyle, natural, Olakino, pressed juice, review, sugar addiction, sugar free, Well + Good, wellness

Beauty Holistic Living Reviews

Benefits of Genuinely Simple’s Comfrey Cream + A Discount

September 6, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

Disclosure: I received free samples from Genuinely Simple in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I did not receive any monetary compensation. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.


 

When I found Genuinely Simple on Instagram, I was instantly intrigued. Before now, I had never heard of comfrey cream. I try to use alternative medicine as much as possible, and this includes natural lotions and salves. The comfrey cream made by Laura at Genuinely Simple is absolutely amazing!

Genuinely Simple Comfrey Cream Logo

Here’s a bit of background information about comfrey (from genuinelysimple.com):

Comfrey is a medicinal botanical plant. It has been used for centuries to treat problems of the skin, bone and muscles. Genuinely Simple infuses comfrey into olive oil along with calendula flowers. The herbs sit for weeks, allowing the nutrients to flow into the olive oil. Afterwards, they are strained out of the oil and the plant matter is composted. The infused oil is than mixed with shea butter, and candelilla wax for a thicker consistency.

Comfrey Genuinely Simple Plant  Peppermint Comfrey Cream Genuinely Simple

Photos: The comfrey plant (courtesy of GS) | Peppermint comfrey cream from Genuinely Simple

This comfrey cream is definitely a new favorite! It comes in original, lavender, and peppermint. I use it as body lotion, hand lotion, a conditioner on my split ends, and to even out calluses on my feet. My boyfriend uses it for his joint pain on his knee. It’s something that you need to use over time to get the effect on the joints, but for simple skin care, it’s instantaneous!

I emailed back and forth with Laura, the owner of Genuinely Simple and creator of the comfrey cream you see here. She is fabulous! We both have mood disorders, so we instantly clicked. She told me a little bit about how she started making comfrey cream, and why the plant is so special to her:

“When I was 20, everything started to fall on top of me. I [took] myself off all medications, against doctors orders, but I knew this was not the answer. I struggled with insomnia when I would get “manic”. I always said, “I could not shut my brain off but my body was so tired.” During the time period I started studying natural medicine and diet, which led to adopt a strict vegan diet, exercise, and natural remedies for healing purposes (no pharmaceuticals).

i went to Australia to intern under a Naturopathic doctor, Barbra O’Neill. It was life changing. Although, I had been vegan for almost six months at the time, I learned so much on natural medicine that I felt the need to share it with everyone I knew. While I was in Australia, I took a keen to the comfrey plant. I worked with a lot of the clients and noticed how amazing comfrey worked on their backs and stiff joints. It was love and I knew this was my ticket in sharing the health message. That is why I make and sell comfrey cream.”

Genuinely Simple Comfrey Cream  Genuinely Simple Comfrey Cream Lavender

Photos: All the GS products from Laura | Original comfrey cream (photo from genuinelysimple.com)

The lotion bar is super cool, too! I thought it was a soap bar at first, but it’s actually lotion that you apply after you bathe or shower (it contains comfrey as well). I’m always in a hurry, so it was awesome being able to use a lotion bar as opposed to liquid lotion. It was much faster to use! Plus it’s great quality.

Comfrey Cream Lotion Bar Photo courtesy of genuinelysimple.com

Discount Code:

Laura at Genuinely Simple has graciously offered my readers a 15% discount on all Genuinely Simple products! Isn’t she amazing?!

Check out her website at www.genuinelysimple.com – enter code BALANCED15 at checkout for your discount. It’s that simple!


You can follow Genuinely Simple on these social media platforms:

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

 

  • Have you ever used comfrey cream or the comfrey plant?
  • What do you currently use for skin ailments?

I want to thank Laura at GS for the wonderful opportunity to review your products!

[subscribe2]

XO

Lyndsay

Filed Under: Beauty, Holistic Living, Reviews Tagged With: alternative, beauty, California, comfrey cream, Genuinely Simple, holistic, lavender, lotion, medicine, peppermint, review, salve, skin, skincare, SoCal, SoCal

Bipolar Disorder Nutrition Personal

My Current Nutrition Plan, & Why It Has Nothing To Do With Anyone But Myself

April 26, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 16 Comments

There are two main reasons for this post.

  1. To hold me accountable and to document my progress with my new nutrition plan
  2. To clear up any confusion as to WHY I am doing this nutrition plan

Let’s start with what the plan is. It’s called the GAPS diet. GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and was developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Basically, my digestive system is in poor health. When I am stressed, I eat a lot of sugar and refined carbs. Read my previous post about my sugar addiction for a little bit of a background. In addition to this, I have bipolar disorder. I don’t want to take medication for the rest of my life, and I am very aware that good nutrition and regular fitness are very important for both physical and mental health. I decided to take a mental health coaching program from a holistic wellness coach who has bipolar disorder, and has successfully managed her bipolar without medication for one year.

I started the program with her almost two weeks ago, and officially started the GAPS diet this past Wednesday. My coach, Nellie, recommended this nutrition plan for me because I need to get my digestion under control. Every symptom I’ve been having is directly related to an unhealthy gut. I have candida, which is a fungus that overgrows when we consume too much sugar and refined carbs. I have almost every single symptom of it (and now it all makes sense!):

  • chronic fatigue
  • digestive issues
  • difficulty concentrating/foggy brain
  • irritability, mood swings, depression, anxiety
  • seasonal allergies and itchy ears (I’ve never had itchy ears before- so weird)
  • strong sugar and refined carb cravings (oh my gosh, it’s awful)
  • skin rashes — I have had hives 3 times in the past 4 weeks. A couple nights ago, I woke up at 4:30 am with severe hives on both my arms. Here’s a picture (it was not pleasant and rather scary, actually):

Image

It’s not only physical, but also mental. The GAPS diet is used for people with various mental health conditions, like depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, and so on. Having bipolar disorder, the GAPS diet is perfect. I told Nellie that I would be completely open and be the client (I’m used to being the health coach), and try out what she recommended for me. It has worked for her (and countless others), and I am really excited to see how it helps my mental stability! And of course the healthy body and weight loss will be great. 🙂

It really is a different feeling when you’re eating for health as opposed to eating for weight loss. It’s so much easier. Don’t get me wrong though, it is by no means EASY. It’s been four days and I am struggling. Sugar addiction is no joke. I crave it and I get really moody when I don’t have it. But I am finding alternatives, and today has been a really great nutrition day! So I feel optimistic about it.

While on the GAPS diet (however long I decide to be on it- at least five weeks), I cannot have grains/gluten, dairy, sugar, anything processed, and soy.

This leads me to the second point of this post.

I have been a health coach with Herbalife for exactly one and a half years in May. Herbalife has completely changed my life, and I am forever grateful for the company, the products, and the people who have helped me lose weight and go after my dreams! However, Herbalife meal replacement shakes contain soy. It was never a problem for me (like I said, it helped me to lose weight and feel amazing!), but I told Nellie I would be completely open, so that means stopping Herbalife for the five weeks or so that I am her client. I was hesitant about it at first, but not only am I paying my coach for the mental health coaching, I am committed to finding ways to treat my bipolar disorder holistically. Why would I do this program, and spend the entire however many weeks/months not doing what my coach asked me to do? As a coach, I know how frustrating that is! Having clients who you spend time on and give your all to, but they just won’t do what you ask them to do. I would be a hypocrite. It’s like what Seth Godin (my favorite blogger) said,

“If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, then you don’t have the time to do it over.”

Because I am doing a nutrition plan that does not allow soy (which therefore does not allow Herbalife meal replacement shakes, except allergen-free, which is totally fine), I do not feel authentic when talking about it at this time. I get that some people will not understand this. That since I have been with Herbalife (and I am successful with it), I should only promote Herbalife, no matter what. And okay, I do get that for some people. But it doesn’t feel right in my heart promoting something that I am not currently doing. It is not authentic. It denies me integrity.

I will eventually introduce certain foods back into my diet, like my Herbalife shakes (trust me, I miss them!). I still love the products, I can still share about my experiences with them, and I still love the company. My current nutrition has nothing to do with Herbalife as a company or even a product. My current nutrition/situation has nothing to do with anyone or anything BUT ME.

I am still coaching clients. I am still building a team in Ohio. I feel good about the decision I’ve made, and I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. I just figured I’d clear a few things up. 🙂

I will be posting updates about my mental health coaching and GAPS diet weekly!

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Nutrition, Personal Tagged With: #definebrave, #imfitpossible, #katiekactive, #sweatpink, #teamdeltalabs, ADHD, Ambassador, anxiety, bipolar disorder, California, candida, carbs, coach, cravings, depression, diet, digestion, focus, foggy brain, GAPS diet, gut, gut health, health, health coach, Herbalife, hives, holistic, mental health, mental illness, nutrition, SoCal, stomach, sugar, wellness

Ambassador Fitness Nutrition

New Delta Labs Ambassador & A GIVEAWAY!!

April 21, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 7 Comments

I’ve got nothing but love for the company Delta Labs and their supplements!! I found Delta Labs through a fellow fit friend, and figured I would try it out. They currently have 8 different supplements- all for women, and all gluten-free! Some of them are vegan-friendly, as well!

Image

I have every single supplement except the prenatal and postnatal! Love love love them all! I was so excited about the company and the products, that I became an ambassador for Delta Labs! It’s an amazing community dedicated to women’s health, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. As a welcome, Delta Labs sent me this amazing package of gifts:

Image

I feel so incredibly special!! I get to represent this amazing brand with a backpack, a couple super cute tee shirts, etc! What’s even more awesome about this is that I have samples of the green tea+ that I get to GIVEAWAY to 5 people!!!!! This is my very first giveaway and I am so incredibly excited about it! The green tea+ is probably my favorite product of them all. It helps with weight loss, more energy, more control over emotional eating, and food cravings! It might sound too good to be true, but it has helped me SO much already! If you read my post from last Monday, you’ll know I have a sugar addiction that I am working to get over. The green tea+ definitely helps!!

Okay, so this giveaway is going to be pretty simple! There are 3 things you are required to do to be eligible to win 1 of the 5 sample packs:

  1. Comment on this post about why you want to try the green tea+
  2. Follow me on Instagram
  3. Like my Facebook page

This is what you will win:

Image  Image

Let the games begin!! The giveaway ends on Monday, April 28, 2014!!

Good luck! 🙂

OH, and one more thing: if you’re excited to order any supplements now, go to deltalabsusa.com, and at checkout, enter code GETFITWITHLYNDS for $5 off your order!! They will also send you a prepaid label so you can send back your empty bottle for another $5 off your next order! I love that this company is all about decreasing our carbon footprint! 🙂

Image

Filed Under: Ambassador, Fitness, Nutrition Tagged With: #definebrave, #imfitpossible, #katiekactive, #teamdeltalabs, acai, Ambassador, baby, bipolar, bride, California, cleanse, Delta Labs, detox, discount, eco-friendly, energy, fat burner, femestra, fitness, free, giveaway, gluten-free, green, green tea, hair, happiness, health, holistic, hormone, love, menopause, mental health, mother, nails, natural, perimenopause, postnatal, pregnancy, pregnant, prenatal, promotion, resveratrol, sample, skin, SoCal, supplement, vegan, wedding, weight loss, women, workout

Bipolar Disorder Personal

Being Just Crazy Enough

April 9, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

“Maybe, ya know, there’s no such thing as crazy. And being diagnosed with a mental illness doesn’t mean you’re crazy. But maybe it means you’re just more sensitive to what most people can’t see or feel. Maybe, no one’s really crazy, everyone is just a little bit mad. How much depends on where you fall on the spectrum. How much depends on how lucky you are.”

My wonderful boyfriend sent this video to me this morning, and kept telling me to watch it because he knew I would like it. He sends me videos ALL the time, and often times, they’re pretty boring (sorry babe!). But this one.. this one still has me smiling so big.

I’ve told people that having bipolar disorder makes me a more sensitive person, but in a good way. I am more sensitive to someone’s thoughts and feelings, and can relate to them much more than your average person. I may have a little bit of “crazy” in me, but that’s what makes me, ME. My passion, my intensity, my drive, my emotions… those all make up Lyndsay. I think without bipolar, I’d be boring. I’d much rather be intense than boring. 😉

What do you think about what Joshua Walters shared on this video?

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Personal Tagged With: anxiety, bipolar, crazy, depression, disorder, emotional, emotions, happy, health, holistic, hypomania, intensity, Joshua Walters, mad, mania, manic, mental health condition, mental illness, mood swings, passion, psychiatry, sad, sensitive, SoCal, stigma, Ted Talks, Therapy, Video

Nutrition

A Few Great Protein Sources

March 26, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

A Few Great Protein Sources

Do you eat any of these foods? What do you eat for protein?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: fitness, food, foodie, health coach, healthy, holistic, nutrition, protein, SoCal, wellness, workout

Fitness

New Yoga/Pilates Mat!

February 26, 2014 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

New Yoga/Pilates Mat!

I am soo excited about my new yoga/pilates mat! I have been using my boyfriend’s mat, and it’s very old and worn (plus thin and not cushioned at all). I have loved pilates for years, and really want to get my certification so that I can teach it at my wellness center! Luckily, there are tons of amazing places in LA who do certifications.

I decided that with my desire to get back into pilates, I should get a mat that reflects who I am! Pink is my favorite color, so I really wanted a pink mat. When I read that each color of the Aurorae Classic mats had its own “personality” behind it, I got even more excited! This pink mat stands for HOPE.

HOPE- intuitive, faithful, visionary, power of positive thought, energetic & healing

It is PERFECT!! I am very excited for this chapter in my life, and I am very excited to share this journey with you!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: aurorae, bipolar, classic, empowerment, energy, excitement, exercise, faith, fitness, healing, holistic, hope, intuition, mental health, nutrition, physical health, pilates, pink, positive, SoCal, teach, vision, wellness, workout, yoga

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