Oh hey, lovelies! It seems like a lot of you were stoked about the Collagen Peptides post that I did last week (including myself… I have re-read it many, many times for all of the collagen health benefits to keep soaking in to my brain!) so I decided I’d do a post on Beef Liver, my other favorite product from the Vital Proteins brand.

( P.S. if you haven’t entered the Collagen Peptides giveaway yet, hop over + comment on my blog post from last week & the corresponding Instagram post to be entered to win!!! Lots of amazing entries to far, and giveaway is open until tomorrow! )

& WE ARE DOING A BEEF LIVER GIVEAWAY! Comment on this blog post to enter, and my INSTA post with Beef Liver + tell us why you want to win!!! Xo

But now. Back to the goods: BEEF LIVER! Does that sound gross / weird / “WTF is that?” to you? Well, if so, you wouldn’t be the first. But once you hear all of the rad & amazing health benefits of these powerful little capsules you will be a convert in no time. Unless of course you’re vegan… in which case, I am still researching alternate options for you guys. I want everyone to have the chance to experience this type of hormone + gut health. 🙂

So. Beef Liver was introduced to me by the fabulous Katie Landmark at Vital Proteins, because I told her (I am way too candid in emails by the way, lol, but I do believe life is all about truly connecting with people… including the brands that I work with!!!) ALLLL about my hormone issues and how whacked out my entire body got post-eating disorder and post-veganism.

(You can read all about that in my book if you’re interested — orthorexia is a real thing, and it can get nasty. Especially hormone-nasty!)

First I’ll brief you on what my hormone issues were all about. Because I restricted myself heavily for a couple of years, I became extremely nutritionally deficient in b12, calcium, iron, protein and all sorts of other things — and then when I reintroduced all of those important staples back into my diet, my hormones went crazy. This was my body’s way of dealing with extreme physical stress and vast amounts of dietary change.

As a result, my skin got VERY inflamed and I broke out in uncontrollable cystic acne for the first time in my life. My weight also plateaued and then I gained about 10-15 pounds seemingly out of nowhere. I was training for a marathon, eating extremely clean, and doing everything I thought was right, but my weight wouldn’t budge. I felt like a puffy, inflamed, unhealthy version of myself and it was a nightmare.

(Especially given that health plays such a vital and important role in my life.)

After getting diagnosed with hormone imbalances from cortisol to estrogen to progesterone, things started to make more sense to me. I was so glad that the issues were stemming from somewhere, because then I knew that even if it was hard to fix — it would be fixable.

My cortisol (stress hormone) was literally off the charts, and that was causing a lot of the problems. I knew that the first thing I had to do to get my hormones back on track was start taking dietary supplements and eating really well for my imbalances — i.e. lots of healthy fats and cutting out the foods that were perpetuating the issues like sugar, grains, starches, dairy and any type of meat that wasn’t organic, natural and grass-fed.

I took a bunch of supplements prescribed by my functional medicine doctor (godsend), and while things balanced out a LOT… I still had a bit of a way to go. I knew I was still not at my optimal health or the weight that I knew I was most comfortable and felt most “me.”

So THEN, when I talked with the VP crew and learned about their Beef Liver and the nutrients it packs, I had to try it out.  And HOLY SH*T you guys, did it change things for me.

Beef Liver + TBB

I started taking 2 capsules per day with breakfast, and after about 4 weeks of wondering whether it was working… the remaining weight that I was holding onto started to drop off, and the occasional blemish that still popped up on my face started clearing and then basically not happening anymore. My nails got SOOOO STRONG and my hair is shinier and thicker than it’s ever been.

You guys, I can’t make this sh*t up. It happened, and I am all about the Beef Liver (along with healthy diet, exercise, lots of sleep, collagen, etc.) and I am so stoked to share it with YOU!

The reason why Beef Liver is so great when it comes to balancing out hormone issues is because of it’s super high vitamin A content, along with additional vitamins and minerals it has that help regulate hormones. For someone who’s body just stopped regulating hormones properly, this is absolutely key to getting back on track.

Vital Proteins’ Beef Liver is all natural and made from Pasture-Raised, Grass-fed New Zealand Beef — the most sustainable source there is.

Beef Liver itself contains a large amount of high-quality protein, which is an easily absorbed form of iron (something I was very deficient in — if you recall!), all of the B vitamins (including B12 and folic acid), as well as vitamin A, many copper, zinc, chromium, phosphorous and selenium, and essential fatty acids.

HELLO, it’s a nutritional powerhouse. A superfood in every single sense of the word.

The nutrients that Beef Liver is full of are the key nutrients that keep our brains healthy, from the essential fatty acids EPA, DHA & AA to the large amounts of vitamin B12 that it has.

A lot of nervous system issues can arise when a person is deficient in B12. I know my B12 deficiency knocked my hormones off balance and made me start getting sick way more often. My memory wasn’t as strong, I used to get a lot more panic attacks, and I was often more tired and weak. The truth is, vitamin B12 is only well absorbed from animal sources, with liver being the most concentrated source. So as a vegan… this just wasn’t cutting it for me anymore.

Vital Protein’s Beef Liver has 3400 IU (70% DV) Vitamin A per serving, 13.6 mcg (230% DV) B12 per serving — HOT DAYUM!

I couldn’t not share this product with you, because I believe in it so wholeheartedly and it has been such a wonderful addition to my diet and to my overall balanced life.

It’s a LIFESTYLE, Not a One Stop Shop!

This Beef Liver supplement, along with the collagen, along with the MCT oil and all of the keto powder I have been adding into my diet has me seriously feeling like SUPERWOMAN. It’s like a total bulletproof feeling and I am so, so, so happy to have found my path to optimum health versus being stuck in that tricky place of hormone imbalance and total health deficiency not too long ago.

You guys, that was LESS THAN a year ago. I look at photos of myself from last winter and spring and I think… who WAS that? It might not be completely noticeable to some people from the outside looking in, but I see such an insane change in my skin, body and even in my eyes when I look at those photos — it’s pretty unreal. I even sent one of the old photos to Danika (my photographer + good friend) the other night being like “WTF!!! I looked SO different!”

The good thing is, it’s never too late to start. Nothing is foolproof and there is no magic pill, but I am so, so beyond dedicated to continuing to bring you guys information that is going to help balance your life and help you be the healthiest, happiest, most balanced, most “YOU” version of yourself.

So you can feel amazing and take over the world with your passions + setting your soul on fire.

Love you guys IMMEASURABLY. Questions? Leave them below!! I will get back to you and I bet the VP team will too! Be sure to check out Vital Proteins and give these products a try if you are interested… you won’t regret it!! XO