Andrea Ballenthin Nutrition

11/03/2025

🌿✨ Thanksgiving Pomegranate Rosemary Mocktail ✨

This is a favorite seasonal mocktail that can be made in a bigger batch to keep things easy. It blends gut-loving and antioxidant-rich ingredients that include pomegranate, citrus, and rosemary for a refreshing drink that is just as nourishing as it is beautiful 🍹💫

🍊 Recipe:

1 cup 100% pomegranate juice
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
1 cup sparkling water or plain kombucha
A few fresh rosemary sprigs
Pomegranate arils for garnish

Instructions:
1️⃣ Mix juices + maple syrup in a pitcher.
2️⃣ Add rosemary sprigs and let infuse 5 mins.
3️⃣ Pour over ice, top with sparkling water or kombucha.
4️⃣ Garnish with rosemary + pomegranate arils.

Why your gut loves pomegranates:

Pomegranates are packed with polyphenols, natural plant compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria and support a healthy microbiome. They act like prebiotics, helping increase gut diversity and reduce inflammation in the gut lining. Plus, their antioxidants help calm oxidative stress — a key player in gut and skin inflammation. I love adding them in whenever I can!

10/16/2025

Have you noticed that when your digestion feels off, your mood often does too? The gut and brain are constantly communicating — and when that connection is disrupted, it can affect everything from focus to emotional resilience.

Common signs your gut may be influencing your mood include:
- Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
- Brain fog or poor concentration
- Feeling “wired but tired”
- Heightened stress sensitivity
- PMS mood swings
- Low motivation or unexplained anxiety

The gut does far more than digest food — it helps regulate neurotransmitters, hormones, and inflammation that directly shape how you feel each day.

In this new post, we’ll explore how gut imbalances can influence mood and simple ways to start restoring balance from within.

If you’ve ever had a “gut feeling” that something was off with your mood, you might be onto something more than intuition. Emerging research continues to affirm what functional medicine has known for years: your gut and brain are deeply connected. So if you’re struggling with mood swings, an...

08/19/2025

Getting sunlight exposure within 30–60 minutes of waking is one of the most powerful ways to realign your rhythm and support whole-body health.

Here’s what morning light does:

- Resets your circadian rhythm to help you feel alert in the morning and sleepy at night
- Regulates cortisol, your main stress hormone, so it peaks at the right time (in the morning!)
- Boosts melatonin production later in the day – setting you up for deep, restorative sleep
- Triggers vitamin D production, essential for hormone health, immune support, and bone strength
- Improves blood sugar regulation and reduces insulin resistance
- Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you feel calm and centered

This is why many people feel better after a vacation with lots of outdoor time they’ve unintentionally reset their body’s light cues.

But the truth is:
You can’t out-supplement a dysregulated circadian rhythm.

05/20/2025

Herbs are an easy yet powerful way to enhance the flavor of your meals while delivering a range of natural health benefits, from supporting digestion to reducing inflammation.

Summer herbs like oregano, basil, and cilantro aren’t just kitchen staples—they’re powerful allies for gut health and blood sugar balance 🌿.

Oregano is rich in natural antimicrobials that help reduce harmful gut bacteria and support microbial balance that can help with conditions such as SIBO and candida.

Basil contains compounds that support insulin sensitivity and stable blood sugar. It also contains flavonoids that protect cells from oxidative stress to help protect the immune system.

Cilantro is a natural detoxifier and known for its ability to bind to heavy metals like mercury and lead, helping the body eliminate them through detox pathways. It supports liver function which is key for clearer skin and a healthier gut.

Add them to salads, dressings, sauces, smoothies or infuse them in water and turn your meals into medicine—deliciously.

05/02/2025

When we talk about healing, we often think of supplements or strict diets—but true healing begins with supporting your body’s natural pathways. Three underrated yet powerful ways to do that this spring:

✅ Getting outside – Sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, boosts vitamin D, and encourages lymphatic movement (key for detox).

✅ Eating seasonal foods – Spring produce like leafy greens, asparagus, and radishes support liver and digestive function. Nature provides exactly what your body needs this time of year.

✅ Building community – Social connection lowers stress hormones like cortisol, which when elevated it can keep insulin high.

This season, support your body by syncing with nature + finding inner joy!

03/06/2025

🧠✨ Unlocking the Gut-Brain Connection: How Microbes Influence Anxiety ✨🧠

Recent research from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Institute reveals that gut microbes play a crucial role in regulating anxiety-related behaviors. The study found that microbial metabolites, specifically indoles, directly influence brain activity linked to anxiety. This discovery opens the door to potential probiotic-based therapies for mental health shifting the focus from anxiety medications as the only course of treatment.

In experiments, mice without gut microbes exhibited heightened anxiety and increased activity in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region associated with emotions. Introducing indoles from gut bacteria normalized this activity and reduced anxiety behaviors.

This research highlights the impact of our gut microbiome on mental well-being and suggests that nurturing our gut health could be a natural strategy to combat anxiety. This is just one of many reasons you need to be prioritizing your gut health!
For more details, check out the full study:

https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44321-024-00179-y

03/03/2025

📢 Struggling with Chronically Low Vitamin D? Here’s How to Fix It! 🌞💊

If your vitamin D levels are always low, even with supplements and sun exposure, there’s likely a root cause at play! Instead of just increasing your dose, try these functional strategies to help your body absorb & use vitamin D properly. 👇

✅ Test your levels – Check vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, and inflammation markers to find imbalances.
✅ Support gut health – Conditions like IBS, leaky gut & IBD can block vitamin D absorption. Prioritize fiber, probiotics, and digestive enzymes.
✅ Boost magnesium intake – Your body needs magnesium to activate vitamin D! Eat pumpkin seeds, spinach, almonds, and dark chocolate.
✅ Balance calcium with vitamin K2 & magnesium – Too much calcium (without the right cofactors) can lead to poor absorption & calcification instead of stronger bones.
✅ Get direct morning sun – Aim for 10-30 minutes of sunlight daily for natural vitamin D production.
✅ Address inflammation & stress – Chronic inflammation can break down vitamin D before your body can use it. Reduce stress, eat anti-inflammatory foods & move daily.
✅ Check your genetics & hormones – Thyroid issues, insulin resistance & genetic variations can impact how your body processes vitamin D.

Low vitamin D isn’t just about getting more sun! It’s about how your body absorbs, activates, and uses it. Usure which of these you are struggling with? Book a call with me to see how I can help!

02/26/2025

In 2023, 29% of Americans were diagnosed with depression at some point in their life.

At the same time, 60 to 70 million Americans struggle with some kind of digestive disease (IBS, IBD, infection, etc.)

Research is now examining the connection between mental health struggles and digestive issues! Studies have shown that individuals with IBS and other functional bowel disorders are more likely to develop depression and anxiety.

This connection is being linked to gut health through what’s known as the gut-brain axis—a bidirectional communication network between the gut microbiome and the brain. Research suggests that gut imbalances may play a role in mental health conditions, and improving gut health could help support mood and emotional well-being.

While we don’t know for sure what came first, the mental health issues or the digestive issues, we do know that addressing any underlying gut infections, dysbiosis, or irregularity greatly improves mental health conditions!

Addressing underlying GI conditions means more than simply taking a probiotic supplement. This is why I have created my 12 week Restore your Gut program to walk you through all the steps you need to completely transform your gut and mental health!

Message me RESTORE if you are ready to take a hold of your mental health for good!

02/14/2025

Know your risk of cardiovascular events with proper cholesterol testing!

In practice I have seen an influx of high cholesterol levels lately.

Here is what I am doing to analyze these patients' cardiovascular risk from a functional standpoint…

Running particle size cholesterol testing (ApoB). A basic lipid panel only measures the overall weight of cholesterol, not how big, small or how many particles there may be. Having lots of small dense LDL particles puts you at a higher risk than having a few large particles.

Running LPa markers to assess genetic risks. Analyzing and supporting liver health. Cholesterol is made in the liver and also removed from in excess in the liver. Poor liver health or a backed up liver can cause high cholesterol levels.
Checking in on thyroid health. The thyroid plays a critical role in cholesterol metabolism, which is why hypothyroidism is frequently associated with high cholesterol levels.
Addressing gut health. The gut has connections to every system in the body and inflammation, dysbiosis, etc can effect with cholesterol levels.

Do you have high cholesterol levels? It is so important to look deeper into what is causing this before jumping on a statin! Cholesterol is another signal from your body to look deeper into underlying issues.

Message me for more information and help running additional testing to know your true risk!

01/17/2025

I have been seeing a rising number of high cholesterol lab values in practice, so let’s talk about it!

High cholesterol is greatly used as an indicator of your risk for cardiovascular health. But what causes high cholesterol levels and is it really impacting your risk of heart disease?

We have been blaming fats for far too long when really we should be looking at sugar, trans fats and simple carbohydrates.

When we look at high cholesterol from a functional standpoint, it is viewed not merely as a result of dietary fat intake but as a complex condition influenced by various physiological imbalances. This shifts the focus from just treating the symptom (high cholesterol) to identifying and addressing root causes including:
metabolic dysfunction
Inflammation
lifestyle factors

Addressing these root causes is what is REALLY going to move the needle when it comes to lowering your cholesterol and decreasing your risk for cardiovascular issues. It is time we take the pressure off saturated fats and dietary cholesterol and instead focus on the growing metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation in our population that is driving this increase in high cholesterol levels.

Stay tuned for a more indicative test for assessing your risk of cardiovascular disease than cholesterol levels in my next post!

01/14/2025

It took the FDA 30 years to declare fruits and veggies healthier than sugary breakfast cereals!

For the first time in 30 years, the FDA has redefined what qualifies as “healthy” foods. This change is due to the increase in preventable, diet related chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Nearly 80% of Americans fall short on requirements for dairy, fruits, and vegetables while 77% of Americans exceed recommendations for saturated fat intake and 63% surpass added sugar limits.

The FDA redefined what is considered “healthy” in an effort to empower you as consumers to recognize and make healthy decisions for you and your family.

It can be difficult to know and understand what is the best for you and your health when there is so much misinformation out there. While this change is a step in the right direction, it shows how important it is to advocate for your own health and to do your own research.

Message me with any questions you may have ❤

01/14/2025

It took the FDA 30 years to declare fruits and veggies healthier than sugary breakfast cereals!

For the first time in 30 years, the FDA has redefined what qualifies as “healthy” foods. This change is due to the increase in preventable, diet related chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Nearly 80% of Americans fall short on requirements for dairy, fruits, and vegetables while 77% of Americans exceed recommendations for saturated fat intake and 63% surpass added sugar limits.

The FDA redefined what is considered “healthy” in an effort to empower you as consumers to recognize and make healthy decisions for you and your family.

It can be difficult to know and understand what is the best for you and your health when there is so much misinformation out there. While this change is a step in the right direction, it shows how important it is to advocate for your own health and to do your own research.

Message me with any questions you may have 😊