Why a Reset? It’s a chance to flood your body with good nutrients, take a break from processed foods, and maybe help to balance some of the indulgences of the holiday season. You get to decide which day you start it. And you choose the recipes that you make, you don’t have to make all of them. These recipes were lovingly created by holistic nutritionist Christa Orecchio. She has sadly unexpectedly passed away this past autumn. Doing one of her resets can be a way to honor her life and her amazing work. I did this soup reset for about 30 days last winter when I had to eat only soft things after tooth surgery. And it felt wonderful! You can use the comments under this post to share your progress with the Soup or Raw Food Reset, share pictures of the soups you’re making, etc. Or you can create a separate post to do that as well. You can find the Soup Reset recipes here. Probably the easiest way to use the recipes is to print them out. If you’re in a hot climate and would like to do a raw food juice/smoothie/salad reset instead. You can find that here. And this is a short health assessment that you can do on Christa’s website. Christa was very generous to allow me to share her recipes with my group. The only thing she asked in exchange is that I share the TAG Assessment with group members, so they can do it if they choose. Totally up to you :)

Some people in the health world talk about Apple Cider Vinegar as if it’s the cure to all ailments. It gives you good gut bacteria, balances your blood sugar, and cleans your windows really well, all in one suave move! Others claim that it’s the worst thing that you can possibly ingest, and that it may even pickle your organs! What do you think, fellow Thriver? Apple cider vinegar- yay or nay? Vote in the poll and share in the comments below.

I ventured into the area of my local grocery store where the juices are, and tried this one. It's soooooo good y'all!! If you haven't had this one yet it's worth a try for sure. Not too sweet, very tasty, no gassiness after, and not expensive 🥰

Or The Story of How Tooth Surgery Boosted my Weight Loss If you have 20 or less pounds to lose, take this as a word of caution that it’s possible to go too far. If you have 40 or more pounds to lose, consider this as one possible strategy to consider. Here’s what happened… I was already practicing intermittent fasting for a few months when I had my tooth surgery last December. Thus, my body was already used to tapping into my fat reserves for energy. I developed a root canal infection around Thanksgiving and found a wonderful holistic dentist in Boulder (Dr. Carmen Burke) to take out the tooth and put in a ceramic implant. This was how I met @Megan Rippey. Megan and the rest of the staff took such good care of me! Dr. Burke informed me that I would have a retainer after the surgery to protect the implant, and I couldn’t wash the retainer for three days. I didn’t like the idea of eating and not being able to wash my retainer. No problem, I thought, I can fast. She also informed me that I would have to eat very soft foods for at least the first month. No problem, I thought, I can eat soup. The time came for the surgery. I fasted the day of the surgery and two days afterwards. I did drink broths to get nutrients that my body needed for healing. I felt really good, fasting probably helped me heal faster. Then, I went home and followed nutritionist Christa Orecchio’s Soup Reset. She has recipes for delicious soups like Celery Arugula Lemony Garlic, Beet Cardamom, Creamy Cauliflower, etc. Her soups don’t have very many carbohydrates. No grains. No fruits. I wasn’t trying to avoid carbohydrates, just focusing on soft foods and eating soups I love. The combination of a 3-day fast and a month of following the Soup Reset made me feel like fat was just flying off my body. I lost fat in places I didn’t even know I had fat. Armpits? Back of the knees? Fat was just disappearing. It was kind of cool, actually. I got to know muscles and tendons I hadn’t seen for years, since they were covered by layers of fat.

Time for our weekly check-in. How do you feel? What do you need? Take a few moments to slow down and really ask yourself these questions. And allow any thoughts or insights to come up. Knowing that how you feel and what you need can change throughout the day, and that you can ask yourself these questions multiple times throughout the day, as a way of connecting with yourself. Share in the comments below what comes up for you, or keep it to yourself, but do take the time to connect with YOU!