How Ginger and Lemongrass can Benefit Your Gut Health + 5 Ways To (Keep) Staying Healthy at Home During COVID-19

(please note that this blog post is sponsored by Atoka Wellness)

Raise your hand if you have gut health issues (raising every limb I have)!! Now raise your hand if you’ve also found it hard to stay on top of your usual wellness routines despite being stuck at home!

Well, don’t worry, because I (and Atoka Wellness) have you covered on both fronts.

I’ve always been someone who is pretty dang good at staying on top of the wellness practices I know keep me healthy and make me feel good, especially while living with a chronic illness - drinking a lot of water, getting adequate sleep, taking the supplements and vitamins my naturopath prescribes, eating fruits and veggies, getting fresh air, moving my body, meditating, loading up on immune boosting ingredients and using adaptogens and functional mushrooms in my smoothies.

A pretty long list, I must admit, but truly not too hard to implement when I’m feeling motivated. And you would think being “stuck” at home during the lockdown which is still in place where I live, I would be feeling more motivated since I’m not on the go very often these days… WRONG.

When I’m regularly on the go and/or regularly traveling, I seem to remember MORE so to do my wellness practices because I’m hyper focused on not getting sick as I’m traveling or simply extremely busy. So without the common reminder of long days in the car bebopping from place to place or plane rides to hydrate, take wellness shots and load up on fruits and veggies… I’m not as inclined to do so. BUT my body still needs the support because (1) we’re in a national pandemic so my body needs to stay strong and healthy (2) I’m still just as busy (if not more) even though I’m not traveling around and therefore my body is under stress and needs to still be treated with respect!

So if you’re also starting to feel your motivation lagging during social isolation, here are 5 tips to continue staying healthy at home:

Herbal shots: You won’t be catching me taking many vodka shots, but you WILL catch me taking herbal shots on the regular. Herbal shots are a fun and easy way to pack a big punch of nutrients and immune-boosting ingredients. I have made it a habit lately to take an Atoka herbal shot every morning with my morning supplements. Atoka has a Lemon Ginger Blend, an Elderberry Reishi Blend and a Dark Cherry Hops Blend that are all full of amazing ingredients.
Stock up the fridge and freezer and then plan some fun meals: As I’m trying to limit my grocery store trips due to COVID-19 and having an autoimmune disease, I try to go every 2-3 weeks and stock up big-time on frozen fruits and veggies and fresh fruits and veggies I know don’t go bad too quickly. By having a variety of produce and protein sources and healthy fats on hand, I’ve been more motivated to throw together healthy meals. Also planning some fun NEW meals will help keep you excited about eating healthy during quarantine (while also knowing balance is key and I love a good ol’ bowl of cereal for dinner here and there as much as the next gal). I realize being able to stock up on groceries is a huge privilege. If you are eligible for food assistance through the SNAP program, I suggest taking a look at this article on eating healthy on SNAP - https://snaped.fns.usda.gov.
Water consumption: I’m used to being on the go drinking out of my reusable water bottle throughout trips and drives which is an easier indicator for me. When I’m drinking out of glasses in my apartment all day I easily lose track and think I’ve drank far more than I actually have. To combat that, I have reverted back to my childhood and draw glasses of water on my to-do list every day that I color in when I finish a glass of water! PLUS, who doesn’t love the satisfaction of crossing something off of their to-do list? ;)
Vitamins + supplements: If you’re chronically ill like me, then you probably know the struggle of having to take a million and two pills every day. Sometimes, when I have nowhere to commute to other than my desk that just-so-happens to be next to my bed, I forget to stick to my normal supplement routine. If that sounds like YOU, try keeping your pill case or bottles in plain sight. With no one visiting my house right now, who cares what my counters look like if it reminds me to take care of myself!?
Sleep: Despite spending more time at home, I feel like I’ve been going to bed later and later (but still getting up early… aka my body isn’t too happy). If you’re also getting less sleep or simply have felt like your sleep schedule has gotten very off, try setting a “bedtime” on your iphone so you’re reminded to start winding down. I also schedule “wind down” on my Google calendar which motivates me to turn off work and start cooking dinner and winding down for bed earlier than I would without the reminder. Even though we’re at home, healthy structures around sleep are so needed!

As my first point said, I. Love. Herbal. Shots. Maybe it’s because I gave up my party days many years ago, so it makes me feel young again. ;) Or MAYBE just because they make my body and gut feel good.

My favorite Atoka shot is their Lemongrass Ginger Blend, not only because it boosts immunity, but because it also boosts gut health (and doesn’t hurt my sensitive stomach). Many herbal shots are so spicy that they do end up hurting my sensitive stomach.

I love Atoka’s Lemongrass Ginger Herbal Shot because both of those main ingredients can boost gut health.

GINGER is commonly used to help nausea, but it can also help regulate GI functioning. Zinzibain, an enzyme in ginger, helps break down protein, including casein. It has also been shown to alleviate stomach pain and bloating (if you have IBD like me, you know how hugely helpful this is!).
LEMONGRASS has been shown to help soothe your stomach and keep your GI functioning normally. Because of a component called citral, lemongrass can also help digest food. It has been shown to help gut-health issues such as bloating, constipation or indigestion.

I’ve been taking the Lemongrass Ginger Atoka shot regularly for a few weeks now and genuinely can say I LOVE them and find they do indeed help my stomach and digestion in the morning (when it seems to be at its worst… hello post-breakfast bloat).

The Lemongrass Ginger Blend, as well as all of Atoka’s herbal shots, don’t include any strange fillers, sweeteners or gums, which is also hugely helpful in general for gut health and for us with sensitive stomachs. Purchase Atoka’s shots here so we can take (gut-friendly) shots together! ;) You can also check out Atoka’s Herbal Tonics!

How are you planning on continuing to stay healthy at home? Xx