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Lauren Rashap, encourages her many celebrity clients to indulge in the holiday spirit with friends and family. “I give my clients a hall pass during Thanksgiving to enjoy their feast with some easy hacks to add to the menu.”  However, it is also a time to avoid feeling feeling “too full or suffering from the post bloat, fatigue and brain fog.”  Rashap’s easy tips to avoid IBS include:

• BUY ORGANIC   “I know this seems like an obvious one coming from me, but turkeys fed a diet high in inflammatory GMO grains, corn, and soy can be a major digestive setback,” Rashap explains.
• GOING GRAIN-FREE  Rashap recommends substituting traditional breaded stuffing with something grain-free.  Her special recipe uses almond flour instead of wheat, which “will keep your belly happy.”
• INCORPORATING DIGESTIVE AIDS  Rashap suggests adding digestive enzymes to your meal, especially those containing betaine HCL.  “Many people lack the stomach acid to digest nutrients, particularly protein,” Rashap explains.  :Betaine HCI is a must to help assimilate the nutrients and amino acids in protein for people with digestive issues.”
• FAST IN BETWEEN   Rashap Consider intermittent fasting while prepping for your big meal. “Intermittent fasting improves growth hormone secretion, which is necessary for our bodies ability to heal & repair,” she shares.

The Los Angeles-based nutritionist is particularly grateful to the first responders who have saved her beloved city.  “In a holiday defined by gratitude and indulgence, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the collateral damage from this season’s unforgiving and unrelenting fires,” she shares.  “So many of us are feeling the after effects rising out of the smoke and ash – a veritable toxic smorgasbord of  particles too small to see, deceivingly masked by the return of Southern Cal blue sky.”   Read more of this story »