This Dairy-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip is made with whole grain oat milk, for a lightened up version of a heavy classic. It’s hard to find dairy-free, vegan dips that everyone enjoys! I tested it out on non-suspecting volunteers at a potluck, and they didn’t even notice that it was missing the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise that typically makes up a Spinach Artichoke Dip. I served it warm, straight-from-the-oven, with grain-free tortilla chips. It would also be great paired with gluten-free pita, naan bread, or raw vegetables. If you’d like to make a meal out of it: add this dip to baked chicken breast in the last few minutes of cooking! Oat milk offers a great creaminess without heaviness. Plus, it’s dairy-free and vegan! For the ultimate sugar-free, clean, dish I use Willa’s Unsweetened Original Oat Milk. The cashew cream base mimics a heavier sauce, and provides healthy oils and minerals. Related: One-Pot Spinach + Lemon Pasta If you’re looking for an effortless, blend-and-bake type of side dish- here it is. This Spinach Artichoke dip comes together quickly: with super-clean ingredients that keep you feeling your best.  “Dairy-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip” is a perfect side or appetizer that will impress your friends and family. They don’t even have to know how healthy it is! Cashews are often used in vegan cooking to replace heavy cream sauces, and this dip is no exception. The nutty base, plus the creamy oats, plus the salty artichoke are a perfect marriage. This is my simple, go-to ingredient list: -Raw Cashews, soaked –Willa’s Unsweetened Original Oatmilk -Apple Cider Vinegar -Nutritional Yeast -Artichoke Hearts -Fresh Baby Spinach -Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder Lighten things up with this Vegan Dairy-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip made with Oat Milk! My favorite Nutritional Yeast is Thrive Market Nutritional Yeast. I always stock up in my Thrive Market boxes! I order my oat milk directly from Willa’s! You may find this in your local market, but the direct-to-consumer sale means you get a trusted product from a small woman-owned company. Click here to get $10 off your first order! View this post on Instagram A post shared by THE FACILITY 📍Denver (@thefacilitydenver) You May Also Like: Oat Milk Blueberry Chia Pudding Gluten-Free Oat and Almond Bread Shop This Article: DISCLAIMERS: The statements made on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You assume full responsibility for how you use this information. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making any diet or lifestyle changes. This post may contain affiliate links whereby if you purchase these products I receive a small percentage of the sale price. This allows me to keep the blog running and I thank you for allowing me to do that!

In our modern world, exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and other toxins is unavoidable. However, we don’t need to live in complete fear if we bring awareness to WHAT we are exposing ourselves to and reduce toxic burden with healthier choices. Toxic exposures can be manageable with awareness and minor changes. Toxic chemicals exist in our food system, our personal care products, our workplaces, and our environments. The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) lists 85,000 chemicals registered for production in the United States. This is a concern because there are a number of medical conditions linked to toxic chemicals including obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, cancers, and fibromyalgia. There are ten categories of prevalent, persistent, and detrimental toxic chemicals to human and environmental health: Heavy Metals: lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) plastics (phthalates) phenols, such as bisphenol A (BPA) organochloride pesticides (OCs) organophosphate pesticides (OPs) polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxin & furan (dioxins) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) polyflourinated compounds (PFCs) How to limit/reduce exposure to toxins The three main categories within our control are dietary exposures, home & office exposures, and personal care exposures. Below are a few tips in each category to take control of your own health and reduce toxic burden. Reducing Dietary Toxic Exposures Choose organic animal products such as dairy, eggs, and meats (PAHs, OCs, OPs, dioxins, PCBs, PBDEs) Cook low-and-slow cooking methods, avoid charring (PAHs) Choose wild-caught fish and seafood (PCBs, dioxins, PBDEs) Avoid large, predatory fish such as shark, swordfish, and tuna (Hg, PBDEs, PCBs) Use only glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers for heating and storing food (phthalates) Avoid plastic water bottles, travel mugs, and hydration reservoirs (phthalates) Use beeswax or silicone wraps instead of vinyl cling wrap (BPA) Avoid high-fructose corn syrup (As) and processed foods containing BHT, BHA, benzoate, sulfites, and artificial colorings and sweeteners. Choose local, seasonal, organic produce whenever possible. Wash all fruits and vegetables. Only consume organic versions of the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” list of high-pesticide produce (OCs, OPs) Reducing Home and Office Exposures Consult the EWG Drinking Water Database and consider testing your water supply. Use a high-quality purification system, such as Berkey. (Pbs, As, Cd, trihalomethane, atrazine, benzene, etc) Let the tap run for several minutes before using for consumption Filter shower water (chlorine, OCs) and avoid vinyl shower curtains (phthalates) Filter air in your bedroom and office using a true HEPA filter, ionizer, or plants Replace older furniture, carpets, and padding (PBDEs) Take your outdoor shoes off when entering your home Choose fragrance-free detergents and cleaning agents (phthalates) Avoid non-stick treated pots and pans. Consider a safer alternative, like the Always Pan Use low or no-VOC paints, glues, sealants, etc. in new construction Reducing Health Care and Personal Care Toxins Stay well hydrated (The solution to pollution is dilution) Stop smoking, avoid chronic medication use Use the EWG’s Skin Deep Resource for choosing personal care products Avoid fragrance, antiperspirants, and preservatives. Shop Clean Beauty Choose composite over metallic dental fillings Slow changes = Improvement in Reducing Toxic Exposures Looking at a list like this can feel overwhelming. Instead, focus on small changes, one at a time. Instead of a complete overhaul, replace personal care and cleaning items with better choices as you run out. Make a conscious effort to make one change per week, and slowly upgrade your lifestyle to a cleaner, less toxic environment. The more you build awareness around toxic exposures, you can begin to make some practical changes. Replace products, choices, and environment with cleaner options and develop new habits. A completely non-toxic environment is unrealistic. However, with practice, patience, and time you can lower your exposures significantly. Want to work with a functional nutritionist to personalize your diet? Struggling with hormone imbalance, IBS, weight gain, mood changes? Let’s look at FOOD FIRST. Read more about Functional Nutrition at The Facility here. CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE 15-Minute Nutrition Consult with Kate to determine your best course of action!

Hiking is one of my favorite activities, and when I consider it, the hiking snacks are one of the best parts! Often, I refer to my hiking pack not as my backpack, but my SNACKPACK. However, even on the trail, I’m mindful of finding healthy foods that provide optimal nutrition for the activity at hand. For my hiking snacks, I look for clean ingredients, no vegetable oils, minimal added sugar, and a balance of macronutrients. I’ll choose a few options that are higher in carbohydrates for glycogen replacement on long hikes, and plenty of healthy fats and protein to keep me satiated. Here are a few of my GO-TO hiking snacks for on-the-trail: Jerky – This is a high-protein, low-fat, and convenient snack to have in your bag. It’s lightweight AND packs a lot of nutrients per calorie (aka nutrient-dense). I like jerky in all its forms: Traditional Jerky, Jerky Sticks, and Jerky Bars! Some of my go-to brands are EPIC, PaleoValley, Chomps, and Thrive Market. Dried Fruit – I like dried fruit for the carbohydrate content. It packs well, and you don’t have to worry about it melting or getting bruised. I often snack on dried mango, dates, figs, and banana chips. One thing to watch out for is added sugars! I am careful to choose fruit that is simply dehydrated and unadulterated. If you’ve got the time, you can dehydrate your own. Some of my favorite choices: Joolie’s Dates, Bubba’s Nana Chips, and BARE snacks. Bars – This could be a post all on its own. The “snack bar” market is saturated. That can be a good thing, and a bad thing. It means there is A LOT to sort through when choosing a packaged bar. I always check ingredient lists for top allergens (dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts) and I am very mindful of the oils included. If you have a specific nut or seed intolerance, be very careful with your bars! When hiking, I look for a bar that is well balanced in protein, fats, and carbohydrates. I avoid very high-fat bars as they tend to melt when stashed in a backpack all day. Instead, I’ll look for a fruit/nut/veggie blend. The sugar content of bars can be extreme. Check the ingredient list for hidden sources of sugars! Trail Mix – Trail mix is one of my favorite foods. I love a good sweet-salty mix. Unfortunately, many pre-made trail mixes are loaded with sugar and roasted in toxic plant oils (like canola oil). Instead, buy the raw ingredients and build-your-own! Check out this great post for ideas to create the perfect mix. Nut Butter – Single serve squeeze packs of nut butters are perfect for getting in calories without a lot of volume. This can be useful if you’re just not feeling like eating, but know you should. There are many varieties of nut butters out there. I like mixed nut butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, and even coconut butter! Crunchy Snacks – Having something crunchy to munch on gives you some variety in your snacking. There are a number of packaged options that fit this category. However, anytime you’re buying roasted snacks (chips, etc) it is very important to check for Canola Oil and/or other hydrogenated oils. If you’ve got the time, consider making your own roasted chickpeas, beets, or kale! Other items to look for: Grain-Free Crackers, Crunchy Edamame, and Plantain Chips. Energy Chews / Electrolytes – I typically avoid “energy gels”/goos/chewables unless you are competing in an endurance race of sorts. However, an extended day hike may last 6+ hours at high-altitude. Having electrolyte and simple-carbohydrate-loaded chewables can help mitigate symptoms of altitude sickness* such as headache and nausea. Most individuals will not need to rely on these; but it can be a nutrition “tool” to have on hand when sickness strikes. Eat Before You’re Hungry Hiking in the high-country can be uncomfortable on the body. You are expending a great amount of energy to propel yourself up a mountain. Don’t forget that the hike doesn’t end when you’re at the top: you’ve still gotta make it down. At high-altitude you will find breathing more difficult, and it can also affect your appetite. You’ll perform better if you drink continuously, and eat before you feel hungry. Small snacks that are within reach are ideal, instead of stopping for a full snack or lunch break. *Some nausea or headache is possible, but know the warning signs of altitude sickness and retreat downhill if necessary. Happy Hiking! What are your favorite trail snacks? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking to expand my snack knowledge and find new options Click below for my Fueling For Hiking PDF from The 14er Experience- Have you considered hiking a Colorado Fourteener?! Join The Facility Team on August 28, 2021 for an ascent of Grays Peak. Our 14er Experience program is a 16-week program with training tips, nutrition guidance, and mindset lessons to get you ready for the big hike. CLICK HERE to learn more about THE 14ER EXPERIENCE Too late to join? Purchase the complete 14er Guide HERE. Shop This Article: Want to work with a functional nutritionist to personalize your diet? Struggling with hormone imbalance, IBS, weight gain, mood changes? Let’s look at FOOD FIRST. Read more about Functional Nutrition at The Facility here. CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE 15-Minute Nutrition Consult with Kate to determine your best course of action!

Dietary fiber is especially important for proper detoxification of exogenous and endogenous compounds in our bodies. These compounds can be toxins, heavy metals, even our own hormones… and they all rely on fiber to bind and complete elimination outside of the body (mostly via the feces). What is Fiber? Dietary fiber is plant material that is undigestible. There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Plant foods typically contain a combination of both types in different degrees, depending on the plant’s makeup. INSOLUBLE FIBER, mostly found in whole grains, absorbs water in the GI tract, helping to hydrate the waste material into soft, bulky stools that easily pass through the system. We cannot digest insoluble fiber, but the commensal bacteria in the gut partially digest it! This fermentation turns the fiber into beneficial short-chain fatty acids that provide energy to our intestines. SOLUBLE FIBER, mostly found in seeds, legumes and certain starches, adds bulk to the stool by delaying gastric emptying and also acts as a binder with bile, toxins, and other undigested material. Soluble fiber controls blood glucose metabolism by delaying absorption of glucose and also lowers cholesterol by binding with bile acids. Certain soluble fibers (inulin, FOS) stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and act as prebiotics. All fruits and vegetables contain fiber, but some have more than others. The American Dietetic Association suggests 20-35g of fiber per day. Not sure where you stand? Use a simple tracking app like MyFitnessPal to see what your intake is. Then, slowly start to increase fiber by choosing more fiber-rich foods. The Role of Fiber in Detox Dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble, plays a large role in the detoxification process.  The phytonutrients in fiber, such as metallothionein, bind to toxic elements (e.g., mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic) and prevent their interaction with other molecules to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, (Lamb, et al., 2011). In addition, the gastrointestinal fermentation of fiber increases short chain fatty acid production which results in byproducts such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate, (Lin, et al., 2012). Butyrate specifically increases glutathione S-transferases and other enzymes which also bind toxic compounds for elimination (Stein, Borowicki, Scharlau & Glei, 2010).   Commercially prepared fibers can be made from the derivatives of food production.  For example, sugarcane bagasse is a non-soluble remnant left over after sugar cane has undergone juice extraction (Sangeetha et al., 2011).  Commercially prepared fiber tends to have a significantly higher glycemic index compared to whole foods with similar levels of fiber (Atkinson, Foster-Powell, & Brand-Miller, 2008; Mozaffarian, 2013). However, a fiber supplement can still bring benefit for individuals eating a restricted diet. Many studies support any combined increase of dietary fiber intake in reducing all-cause mortality, heart disease, and cancer (Benisi-Kohansa, 2016; Fungwe, Bente, & Hiza, 2007; Park, Subar, Hollenbeck, & Schatzkin, 2011). However, when individual foods are compared, advantages can be seen in consuming more intact foods versus fiber-enriched foods. Increasing fiber intake from a variety of whole foods like berry fruits and green leafy vegetables has been attributed to improved glucose metabolism due to the wide array of nutrients and antioxidants (Wang, Fang, Gao, Zhang, & Xie, 2016).  Is Dietary Fiber the secret cure-all? One meta-analysis concluded that many of the measured health benefits in people who eat high fiber diets might be due to their associated healthy lifestyle patterns, including consumption of whole fruits, vegetables, and legumes containing these synergistic micronutrients, rather than the fiber itself (Park et al., 2011). When we have a low-fiber diet, instead of being eliminated, toxins get recirculated into the bloodstream. Symptoms of toxic burden can include mood swings, weight gain, low-libido, and fibroids. Often, our body compensates for poor detoxification capacity and it shows up as sugar cravings, caffeine dependence, and weight gain. Signs that you may need to improve your detoxification capacity: food allergies, fatigue, poor stress management, acne and breakouts, hormone imbalance, poor sleep, brain fog, autoimmune disease. Eating adequate fiber can start to address these issues by ensuring regular elimination, a balanced microbiome, and plenty of phytonutrients for metabolic health. Some of my favorites? The Hormone-Healing Diet or The Anti-Inflammatory Diet. When is a low-Fiber Diet appropriate? However, many individuals suffer from gastrointestinal consequence from high-fiber foods. This mostly occurs in the case of SIBO/SIFO, when there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. As these fibers pass through the stomach to the small intestine, they are fermented by these bugs leading to gas, bloating, constipation, and pain. The most obvious culprits are often the cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower), alliums (Raw Onion, Garlic), and legumes (Beans, Lentils, Peas). In order to address this overgrowth, a period of avoidance is necessary to starve out these bacteria. A low-FODMAP diet is a therapeutic diet that removes fermentable fibers for a period of time, and then systematically reintroduces them. The Carnivore Diet is another low-Fiber diet than can be especially therapeutic for functional gut disorders. Final Thoughts on Dietary Fiber Ultimately, if tolerated, fiber deserves a paramount place in any well-rounded diet. A healthy individual is regularly eliminating, supporting metabolic processes with their diet, and not spilling over into adverse symptoms. Fiber can improve each of these pillars of health–in the right application. For individuals who struggle with disordered eating, simply counting fiber can be a great way to assess the diet while avoiding a calorie-counting trigger. Also, bringing more awareness to choosing high-fiber whole foods over processed fake food products is an easy place to start. Want to work with a functional nutritionist to personalize your diet? Struggling with hormone imbalance, IBS, weight gain, mood changes? Let’s look at FOOD FIRST. Read more about Functional Nutrition at The Facility here. CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE 15-Minute Nutrition Consult with Kate to determine your best course of action! References: Atkinson, F. S., Foster-Powell, K., & Brand-Miller, J. C. (2008). International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care, 31(12), 2281-2283. doi:10.2337/dc08-1239. Retrieved from https://uws.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mdc&AN=18835944&site=eds-live Benisi-Kohansa, S.,