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28-Day Eat More Vegetables Challenge

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28-day-eat-more-vegetables-make-selfcare-simple

Hiding veggies isn’t just for fussy children — some days, it’s for us too.

You know vegetables are good for you… but let’s be honest: sometimes they’re boring, sometimes they’re too much effort, and sometimes they just sit in the fridge until they go squishy and guilt-shaped.

Maybe you’ve been told to eat more veggies for your health, or you’ve noticed certain ones help ease your symptoms.
Maybe you simply want to swap a few processed foods for something fresher — without needing a chef’s knife skills or a new personality.

Whatever your reason, this challenge is your gentle nudge to experiment, simplify, and actually enjoy your vegetables — no spiralizers or fancy prep required.

There are countless benefits to eating more vegetables — but the only real way to find out what difference it makes is to try it, track it, and see how your body responds.

So, whether you’re blending, roasting, sneaking, or hiding them under cheese, join us for 28 days of veggie exploration — and see just how much better you can feel (without giving up flavour or your sanity).

Want to save this challenge for later? Jump to the “Challenge Recipe” section below.

Jump to Recipe

About the Challenge

The 28-Day Eat More Vegetables Challenge is a fun, supportive way to get started and stay inspired.

At MakeSelfCareSimple, we always encourage you to discover what works best for you — no rules, no judgment. Each of us is unique, and there’s no one “right” way to nourish yourself.

If you’ve found that certain vegetables don’t suit you, or your practitioner has advised otherwise, always listen to your own body and professional guidance. In that case, simply skip this one and try another self-care challenge that fits you better.

If you’re new here, the Nourish Pathway is all about turning food restrictions into inspiration. Each month we focus on a theme, experiment with recipes, and support one another. Learn more here →

The 28-Day Eat More Vegetable challenge

The Aim

  • To increase the portion of vegetables in your daily meals for 28 consecutive days, and notice what changes you experience.
  • To discover simple, creative ways to include vegetables in your meals.

You can start any day that suits you — though giving yourself a few days to plan and shop can help.

This challenge has two parts:

How to do the challenge

For this challenge, I don’t count white potatoes (chips, mash, jacket, or new) as part of the “vegetable” portion — they can still be included as part of your meal. I do include frozen vegetables.

Your goal:
👉 Vegetables should make up at least 51% of your lunch and dinner plates every day for 28 days.

If that feels too much of a jump, start smaller — choose a target that feels doable but still challenges you.

You might decide to focus on specific vegetables that support an area of your wellbeing, or perhaps you’d like to do a mild “cleanse” with more raw salads, organic produce, or seasonal veg.

It’s your challenge — adapt and repeat it as many times as you like.
(And as always, check with your health professional if you have any concerns.)

The key is to see if your wellbeing feels different after 28 days.

51% is easy to see on the plate!

vegetables-makeselfcaresimple

Before You Begin

Reflect on a few questions before you start — they’ll help you measure your “before and after” progress.

  1. What percentage of your meals currently include vegetables?
  2. What do you hope to experience by eating more vegetables?
  3. What might make this challenge difficult, and how can you plan for that?
  4. What are your current symptoms or wellbeing scores? (Record them now to compare later.)

📘 Tip: Use the Self-Care Challenge Toolkit to track your answers and results.

makeselfcaresimple
Read 25 ways to add more veggies to meals for more ideas!

Why do we struggle to eat more vegetables?

After working with clients for many years, I found that everyone has a few habits that are hard to change. That’s completely normal — and awareness is the first step to shifting them.

Common reasons include:

  • Vegetables feel boring, or tasteless. 
  • You don’t have time to cook or prep.
  • Family members have different preferences
  • You don’t like cooking, or your health makes it difficult, and prefer take-out and ready meals.

Identifying your likely hurdles before you begin helps you plan realistic solutions.

What to Prepare.

Before you start:

Stock up on vegetables you already like — and maybe a few new ones to try.

Choose your sources:

  • Supermarket or farmers’ market
  • Organic or local veg box
  • Frozen or pre-prepared mixes
  • Ready-to-use salad or stir-fry packs

List the vegetables you enjoy most, then plan meals that use them.
Start with familiar meals and simply increase the vegetable portion.
Gradually try new combinations or cooking methods from the 25 Ways to Add Veg.

28-day eat More vegetables Challenge makeselfcaresimple.com

If you struggle for Time

You’re not alone! This was always my biggest challenge, especially when I was working long hours and managing fatigue.

Some ideas to make it easier:

  • Cook extra at dinner for next day’s lunch or freeze portions.
  • Have one or two prep sessions each week.
  • Use frozen or pre-chopped vegetables and salad mixes.
  • Prep veg right after shopping and store ready-to-use.
  • Batch cook staples (grains, proteins, soups) and build meals from there.

If you don’t enjoy cooking

Sometimes cooking can feel like another chore that has to be done. Cooking and prep can be difficult when you are in pain, have mobility issues or are exhausted.

Boring-veg-makeselfcaresimple

Here are some ideas I have tried.

  • Make use of the many gadgets available to protect hands and save time. 
  • Transform preparing meals from a chore to ‘me-time’ – listen to music, podcasts or audio books.
  • Get a stool and perch if standing is painful.
  • Don’t stand for too long in one position – do a 2-minute march, stretch etc.
  •  Cook with a friend! If not in person perhaps you can video chat together?
  • Order meals with plenty of vegetables that are ready-prepared-for-you
  • Take it in turns to cook for each other.


If Vegetables feel Boring

If eating more vegetables could improve your health and wellbeing, it would be a shame if it felt like punishment! I know if faced with half a plate of brussel sprouts twice a day was my solution I would soon give up.

The easiest solution is to hide vegetables in meals that you already enjoy.

I have put together 25 different ways to hide vegetables and found creative recipes from food bloggers.

Use this list as inspiration, and adapt to your preferences and needs.

I’ve put together a list for you HERE

Conclusion — Progress, Not Perfection (and Definitely No Guilt)

Congratulations on completing your 28-Day Eat More Vegetables Challenge!

Whether you’ve become a salad superstar or just managed to sneak spinach into your soup without anyone noticing — it all counts.
Every extra handful of greens, every new recipe, every colourful plate has helped your body in ways you might not even realise yet.

Remember, the goal wasn’t to eat perfectly — it was simply to make your lunch and dinner plates 51% vegetables (not counting potatoes!) and to have fun exploring what works for you.

If your fridge still contains green things at the end of the week because you actually used them — that’s a win.
If you learned a few new ways to make veggies less boring or less time-consuming, even better.

Now it’s time to reflect:

  • What changed in your energy, digestion, mood, or skin?
  • Which recipes or habits did you enjoy most?
  • Will you continue eating this way?

Every self-care challenge teaches you something new about your body — and builds confidence in your ability to create change.

I’d love to hear what you discover — share your results in the comments or our community!

Well done image in Make Self Care Simple brand colours – completion of 28-day self-care challenge
Well-done! You have completed another step towards making selfcare simple

Everything You Need to Start Today

Let’s be honest — most of us love reading about self-care more than we love doing it.
(Don’t worry, you’re in good company — I have a whole library of forgotten Pinterest Boards too)

But reading about self-care won’t get you results — your body only learns when you experience something new.
That’s why I created the Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit — to help you turn ideas into action with simple, nourishing steps you can start today

Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit

A gentle way to begin your first challenge with clarity and confidence.

If you’ve been reading along and thinking,
“I’d love to try this myself one day…”
you don’t have to wait or wonder where to start.

The Toolkit gives you a calm, clear place to begin — including short videos, simple printables, and gentle guidance to choose your first challenge in a way that feels personal and doable.

Inside, you’ll find:

🌿 A gentle before-and-after reflection to help you understand what your body may need
🌿 Short video walkthroughs to help you begin your first challenge without overwhelm
🌿 Printable planners and reflection pages to support consistency
🌿 Space to explore what feels nourishing and achievable for you

You’ll also receive:
💌 Weekly self-care reminders, new challenges, and encouragement
💬 Access to our free community (coming soon!) — for gentle support and shared progress

👉 Send Me My Free Toolkit

🌸 Nourish Pathway — simple ways to feed your energy and wellbeing with kindness.

Get results without overwhelm—one small, doable step at a time!

Make Self Care Simple shares general self-care education for inspiration only. I’m not providing medical advice — always check what’s right for you with a qualified health professional.

©2025 Make Self Care Simple.

Save or Print a summary of this challenge with the ‘Challenge recipe’.

vegetables-makeselfcaresimple
Print

28-Day Eat More Vegetables Challenge

Prep Time1 day
Total Time28 days

Equipment

  • 1 peeler
  • 1 knife
  • 1 food processor Optional
  • 1 masher
  • 1 spiraliser

Materials

  • 1 Vegetables which do you like/need?|

Instructions

  • Increase the vegetable portion or lunch & dinner to 51%

Notes

28-day Eat More Vegetables Challenge

The aim of this challenge is to increase the vegetable portion in your daily meals for 28-consecutive-days to see what improvements you notice in your wellbeing.
Another aim of this challenge is to discover creative and simple ways to include vegetables in your daily meals.
Why do you struggle to eat vegetables?
List and score your symptoms before and after the challenge.
Plan meal ideas for the week/month.
The specific goal is that vegetables make up over 51% or over, of your lunch and dinner meals. Every single day for 28 days.
Log your daily progress (see the free printable in Selfcare Startup kit)
Note which recipes you enjoyed the most
What improvements do you notice?
Will you keep this self care practice as part of your regular routine?
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Challenge Self-Care

28-day Drink More Water challenge

By
28-DAY-DRINK-MORE-WATER-MAKE-SELFCARE-SIMPLE

You’d think drinking water would be the easiest healthy habit in the world.
And yet… here we are — another day, another half-full glass on the counter.

If plain water feels boring, forgettable, or just impossible to keep up with, you’re in good company. I’ve lost count of how many clients (and days!) I’ve had the same struggle.

That’s why this challenge keeps it as simple as possible — no huge bottles, no timers, no guilt trips.
Just small, steady sips that remind your body what it feels like to be properly hydrated again.

After all, self-care isn’t always about doing more — sometimes it’s just about remembering to drink what’s right in front of you.

“Because apparently, coffee doesn’t count (I checked).”

Jump to Recipe

The Intention

To gently reintroduce your body to regular hydration and create a rhythm that feels natural.
Like all Make Self-Care Simple challenges, you’re encouraged to adapt it to fit your own energy, lifestyle, and body’s needs.

Try this Challenge If:

  • You suspect you don’t drink enough water
  • You find water boring or forget to drink regularly
  • You struggle with fatigue, headaches, or sluggish digestion
  • You want a simple, low-effort self-care habit that makes a big difference

(Tip: I find this challenge especially helpful in the cooler months when it’s easy to forget to drink.)

Pin for later ?

What Is the Drink More Water Challenge?

Over the next 28 days, you’ll track and celebrate the days you meet your personal water goal.
You’ll start small — just five mini “sips” a day — and see what changes you notice in your energy, skin, and focus.

By the end of the challenge, you’ll have clear feedback on how hydration affects your wellbeing — and you’ll decide if you want to make it part of your regular routine.

Why Water Matters

Water supports nearly every function in your body — from energy and temperature regulation to digestion and brain function.

Even mild dehydration can affect your mood, concentration, and metabolism. Over time, it can also put stress on your kidneys and joints.

So, a little consistency really does go a long way.

How Much Water Do You Need?

There’s no perfect number. Everyone’s needs are different and depend on:

  • Temperature and weather
  • Activity level and sweating
  • Age, gender, health, and medications

Instead of chasing a fixed target, this challenge focuses on habit and awareness.
You’ll simply notice how your body feels as you drink more regularly.

Check-In Before You Begin

Spend one day observing how much you currently drink. Include everything — tea, coffee, smoothies, juice, and water.
Then ask:

  • How much of this is pure water?
  • How do I feel (energy, mood, focus, skin, digestion)?

You’ll use these notes to compare your “before” and “after” once the challenge ends.

The Simple 28-Day Drink More Water Challenge

For the next 28 days, drink at least 100 ml (about 3 fluid ounces) of plain water at these times:

1️⃣ Upon waking
2️⃣ Before breakfast
3️⃣ Before lunch
4️⃣ Before dinner
5️⃣ Before bed

That’s just five quick moments a day — about two big gulps each time.
Over 28 days, that adds up to around 14 litres (24½ pints) of pure water.

This is in addition to your normal beverages.

Why This Works

  • Small = achievable. 100 ml at a time feels easy, which helps you stay consistent.
  • Timing = benefit. Drinking before meals supports digestion and helps prevent overeating. Drinking on waking and before bed supports detox and hydration overnight.
  • Habit stacking = success. Pairing water with things you already do (like meals or brushing your teeth) helps make the habit automatic

Can I Drink Warm or Hot Water?

Yes! It all counts — cold, warm, or hot — as long as it’s plain water (no flavourings or sugar).
Some people find warm water easier to drink in cooler weather. Experiment and notice what feels best.

Want to Take It Further?

If this feels easy, you can gently increase:

  • Drink 150–200 ml each time instead of 100 ml
  • Or add another 100 ml after every bathroom break

You’ll get even more benefit without feeling overwhelmed.

Tracking Your Progress

Inside your toolkit

Tracking makes this more fun — and motivating!

Use your Drink More Water Tracker from the Free Self-Care Startup Kit or simply tick off each day in your journal.
After 28 days, compare how you feel.

Common improvements:

  • More steady energy
  • Clearer skin
  • Better digestion and regularity
  • Fewer headaches
  • Improved focus and less fatigue

If you don’t notice much change, that’s okay — it might mean your hydration was already good, or your body needs more time. Either way, awareness is progress.

Reflection & Integration

After 28 days:

  • Review your “before” and “after” notes
  • Notice small wins — even subtle ones
  • Decide if you’d like to continue or increase your daily intake

Remember, consistent small habits make the biggest difference

Final Thoughts — Stay Hydrated (Without the Pressure)

Congratulations on completing your 28-Day Drink More Water Challenge!
You’ve strengthened one of the simplest — and most powerful — self-care habits there is.

If you managed to drink more water than you spilled, forgot, or replaced with tea… that’s a win.
Because every small, consistent sip adds up — to better energy, clearer skin, and a lighter mood.

Keep listening to your body, keep your water nearby, and keep it simple.
And if you ever fall off the hydration wagon, don’t worry — your next sip is always a fresh start.

Why not invite a friend to join you next month? Hydration (like laughter) really is better when shared.

“Because apparently, coffee still doesn’t count — but you’re doing brilliantly anyway.”

Well done image in Make Self Care Simple brand colours – completion of 28-day self-care challenge
Well-done! You have completed another step towards making selfcare simple

Take the First Step…

We’ve all done it — promised ourselves we’d start that new healthy habit “tomorrow,” and felt oddly proud of the plan… until tomorrow never comes.

The truth is, self-care doesn’t need a perfect day — just a small, curious step today.

Your body learns from action, not intention. The Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit helps you turn what you’ve learned into action — so your self-care finally becomes real, simple, and yours.

Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit

Turn inspiration into lasting results — with a simple system that helps self-care finally work with your body, not against it.

If you’ve been reading along and thinking, “I’d love to try this myself one day…” — you don’t have to wait, or wonder where to start.

The Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit gives you the gentle structure to make your first challenge easy, personal, and effective.
It’s the same step-by-step approach I use when following the challenges alongside you — so you’ll feel supported every step of the way.

Inside, you’ll find:
🌿 A gentle Before Assessment to pinpoint what your body truly needs — so you can stop guessing and start seeing real results
🌿 Step-by-step guidance (plus short video walkthroughs) to choose the right self-care challenge for your needs — and actually complete it.
🌿 Printable planners, reflections, and trackers to help you stay consistent
🌿 Access to our private community (coming soon!) — for gentle accountability and encouragement

You’ll also receive:
💌 Weekly self-care reminders, new challenges, and encouragement in the Make Self-Care Simple newsletter
🪴 Access to our free private community — where women share progress, celebrate wins, and remind each other we’re not alone

👉 Get Your Free Toolkit & Join the Community

(Part of the Practical Self-Care Pathway — build habits that support your body’s natural balance.)

discover your selfcare blueprint

Make Self Care Simple shares general self-care education for inspiration only. I’m not providing medical advice — always check what’s right for you with a qualified health professional.

©2025 Make Self Care Simple.

Download your free handy challenge reminder!

Print

28-Day Drink More Water Challenge

Prep Time1 day
Total Time28 days

Notes

28-day Drink More Water Challenge

Goal: Build a simple daily hydration habit
Duration: 28 days
You’ll Need: Water, glass or bottle, tracker or journal
Steps:
  1. Track your current intake for 1 day
  2. Drink 100 ml at 5 key times (morning, before meals, before bed)
  3. Log your progress daily
  4. Compare your before/after notes at the end
  5. Optional: Increase amount or frequency after week 2
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MindCraft

Self-Sabotage Proof Your First Challenge – Win the Day

By

Just for a second a quiet corner of my mind reminds me of the latest self-care challenge I am ‘testing’ for the blog. The one I am supposed to be doing right now.

Today however, the UK has had its hottest day of the year and despite the best efforts of the fan I’m melting. 

I really should start this new practice, but I just want to lie on my bed and not move, not do anything. Stay as cool as possible.

The truth is that this potentially health-changing new practice would only take a few minutes, no equipment or effort really needed, and could be done from the bed where I’m now laid.

But I’m also melting in this heat. On the hottest day of the year.

Sound familiar?

Excuses (some more valid than others) are how I self-sabotage my self-care efforts.

I know this because for decades I have been exploring self-sabotage when it comes to self-care. And me and my excuses have become old friends.

Today I want to help you self-sabotage-proof your first challenge so you can win the day. And then the challenge.

Jump to Recipe
Melting in the heat - a self-sabotage excuse?

Do you really want to fail (again)?

Whenever you do anything for the first time your mind can get in the way!

It can feel like self-sabotage, as if there is a part of you that wants you to fail.

This is because your mind is programmed to value known experiences and outcomes.

A cascade of Self-sabotage patterns are triggered when you start to make any new changes.

And these self-sabotage patterns feel like truth.

Sneaky Self-Sabotage Signs that Feel like Truth

It’s helpful to be prepared by knowing what sneaky self-sabotage signs to look for. 

Here are a few common signs I’ve seen in clients and experienced myself.

  • *Keep forgetting/ignoring any reminders
  • *I don’t have enough time/energy etc (Excuses).
  • *Doubts – will this even work? I’ve never heard of this before.
  • *Fears – am I doing this wrong? Will I look foolish or be judged?
  • *Limiting beliefs – this won’t work for me (nothing does)

These (and others) are all examples of how your brain tries to protect you. 

AND

These thoughts will be accompanied by uncomfortable feelings which strengthen the message.

For example, when you realise you forgot to complete today’s challenge you may also experience a twinge of guilt and mean self-talk ‘I am useless!’

Or with a limiting belief of ‘this won’t work for me’ your mind might remind you of past failures so you experience the remembered pain and frustration of experiencing failure ‘nothing ever works for me’.

BTW I have experienced all of these self-sabotage patterns and so do most people.

Psst… want a simple way to complete your first self-care challenge? Grab my FREE Self-Care Challenge Toolkit and start today

Feelings Self-Sabotage-Proof-Self-care
Human emotion mind map, positive and negative emotions, flowchart concept for presentations and reports

Why would my mind work against me?

Good question. Doesn’t my mind exist to do my bidding?

Er Not always. It’s complicated.

With every new change you make there is always a certain level of risk (will it/won’t it work) and your default protector-brain wants you to avoid risk at all costs.

Your past is sprinkled with painful failures and your mind tries to protect you from making more.

Your brain is wired to survive by avoiding change to reduce new risks/threats.

So the protector-brain uses every tactic in the book to test your resolve before you start something new – clever!

Unless you, the controller, override the programme.

Become the Controller.

Your protector-brain is a very good thing – it looks out for you 24/7 to stop you taking impulsive actions or doing something new without good reason.

The brain is designed with an override button that gives you free will and choice to make new changes that you decide are worth the risk.

Testing new healthy changes is usually worth the risk when it comes to starting your self-care challenge. 

The main risk is no results after wasting a few minutes each day for 28 days.

But unless you override the default programme, the protector brain will trigger self-sabotage patterns even with healthy changes.

The first step to override an over-protective brain is to become aware the instant any self-sabotage pattern starts.

Having read this article, you are one step-closer to notice and question the protector’s thoughts and feelings.

‘Ah, is this my protector brain?’

How to Override your Self-Sabotage Patterns

Then you are going to remind yourself, and your mind, why you chose to do the challenge. You are going to soothe your protector brain into switching the alert off.

You can gently remind yourself.

“I am trying this challenge for the next 28-days to see if this is something that my body needs to help it repair and function.”

Can you see how reasonable and soothing this reply is?

Instead of ‘I am terrible/useless/hopeless, always trying to self-sabotage myself’

Or giving up…

Self-Sabotage-Proof

Don’t Skip This Important Step

In my opening example, what I actually did was to complete some of the self-care practice immediately after recognising my excuse for what it was. A test from my brain!

I actually didn’t do all of the practice (because it was true I was melting in the heat) but enough to reinforce my choice that this is important to me.

The brain will keep trying to test me over the next few days. Do you really want to make this new change?

This is perfectly normal and a sign of a healthy protector-brain.

You might have to hunt down all the sneaky ways your brain tries to stop you making new healthy changes when you start a new self-care challenge. 

Then make that healthy change as soon as possible to reinforce your decision that this new change (challenge) is important.

Of course self-care is only one area of your life that this happens!

Finally the Good News!

There is some good news…

After a while it does get easier to recognise self-sabotage tactics before they stop you. 

Like myself, you will start to notice your default self-sabotage patterns.

You might be a doubter or excuse-maker like me, or maybe more of a worrier, or perfectionist or something else, just notice how your protector shows up. There is no right or wrong protector!

I found that my self-sabotage patterns especially around self-care (Where I have practiced being the controller the most) has reduced in intensity and is really quite half-hearted these days.

Keep this in Mind…

The aim is for new healthy changes to become automatic habits.

Which is why after the 28-day challenge, if you decide to add this practice to your regular SelfCare Menu, you continue the practice.

Having spent the last 28-days overriding any self-sabotage attempts, and following the practice consistently, you’ve set up this new practice to become another healthy habit.

That runs on automatic. While you focus on other things.

Next Steps

Each time you start a new self-care challenge you can self-sabotage-proof your goals simply by understanding your mind a little better.

I’ve listed ‘Self-Sabotage your Day – Step by Step‘ for you to download in the handy recipe section below. You can download it as a PDF.

Hopefully now you understand why your mind ‘tests’ your resolve to make healthy new changes through self-sabotage tactics you have a new perspective and way forward!

Sometimes to complete the challenge or reach your end-goal you simply have to win the day.

That quiet part of my mind I mentioned at the beginning? It is another part of your brain that is designed to remind you of your goal. Something to discuss next time.

Well done image in Make Self Care Simple brand colours – completion of 28-day self-care challenge
Well-done! You have completed another step towards making selfcare simple

Awareness is powerful — but it becomes transformation when you track and apply it. The toolkit helps you put your insights into practice

Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit

Turn inspiration into lasting results — with a simple system that helps self-care finally work with your body, not against it.

If you’ve been reading along and thinking, “I’d love to try this myself one day…” — you don’t have to wait, or wonder where to start.

The Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit gives you the gentle structure to make your first challenge easy, personal, and effective.
It’s the same step-by-step approach I use when following the challenges alongside you — so you’ll feel supported every step of the way.

Inside, you’ll find:
🌿 A gentle Before Assessment to pinpoint what your body truly needs — so you can stop guessing and start seeing real results
🌿 Step-by-step guidance (plus short video walkthroughs) to choose the right self-care challenge for your needs — and actually complete it.
🌿 Printable planners, reflections, and trackers to help you stay consistent
🌿 Access to our private community (coming soon!) — for gentle accountability and encouragement

You’ll also receive:
💌 Weekly self-care reminders, new challenges, and encouragement in the Make Self-Care Simple newsletter
🪴 Access to our free private community — where women share progress, celebrate wins, and remind each other we’re not alone

👉 Send Me My Free Toolkit


🧠 MindCraft Pathway — mindset tools to stay consistent and inspired from within.

Make Self Care Simple shares general self-care education for inspiration only. I’m not providing medical advice — always check what’s right for you with a qualified health professional.

©2025 Make Self Care Simple.

Want to remember the key points about self-sabotage? Click the ‘Recipe’ below to print or save a summary!

Print

Self-Sabotage Proof Your day –  Step by Step

Notes

Self-Sabotage Proof Your day –  Step by Step

Step 1
Look-out for your personal self-sabotage signs and patterns. They can surface the moment you go to do something new for the first time, and days later.
They can start off very subtle, just enough to make you pause and hesitate.  But increase in intensity when challenged or ignored.
Step 2
Soothe the protector part of your mind by reminding yourself why you are exploring a new self-care practice. * You will notice that I provide details and links to further information for each self-care challenge.
Step 3
Action your new self-care practice. This reinforces your choice and helps override any self-sabotage. Even if you only do part of it. For instance I used to ‘forget’ to fully chew my first mouthful, so I would chew a later mouthful or put a reminder up. Anything to ‘confirm’ I really do want to test if chewing my food makes a difference.
Step 4
Repeat. You want a strong protector part of your mind, the idea isn’t to shut it down completely. It is simply asking you to confirm you really want to do something new and that is a good thing. And it will test your answer by coming up with another sabotage tactic. 
 
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My Long Covid Histamine SIBO Journey

Week 4 – New Symptoms with my SIBO & Histamine Diet

By

Week 4 of my Long Covid, Histamine & SIBO journey I discover that the combined low histamine and fodmap diet can cause new symptoms – and that one of them might be good news!

New Symptoms on low Histamine & Fodmaps Diet

My restrictive low fodmap (sibo) and histamine diet definitely helped improve the uncomfortable bloating, gas and stretched feeling in my upper stomach.

Although there is still a fullness and slight swelling in that area – I guess housing all those bacteria requires extra room?

And I know from experience that my histamine reactions would be far worse and more frequent if I didn’t avoid the high histamine foods.

So I am definitely confident the diet is supporting my histamine and sibo symptoms while I work on healing the root causes.

However I did start to notice two new symptoms which I think were caused by the diet.

Please note this is my personal journey, not medical advice

Just landed on this page?

You can start from the beginning HERE or Week 3 HERE

Starving Intestinal ‘bad’ Bacteria through Diet

The diet is designed to starve the bacteria of the foods they love to feast on – carbohydrates and yeasts. ** There is no scientific proof of bacteria starving but it feels real when you go through it!

Bacterial signalling is when the bacteria signals your brain that it needs and craves sugar – it can make you feel desperate and emotional – but is really just the bacteria controlling you..

Anyone who has struggled with candida overgrowth will recognise this situation.

Between weeks 3 and 4, I really started to notice cravings. Random images of my favourite past treats – chocolate – kept popping into my head with the emotion of ‘its not fair’ being triggered.

To be fair my diet had been low sugar for quite a while as any refined sugar – even natural stevia, maple syrup, honey, xylitol, and coconut sugars caused horrible skin rashes and boils over my face.

Luckily I am just vain enough to be horrified and quickly remove as much sugar as possible.

** Strangely enough Agave syrup did not cause a histamine reaction – but am sure it is high fodmap and feeds those pesky bacteria.

Instead of succumbing to chocolate (remember the boils!) The cravings sent by the bacteria strengthened my resolve.

I was glad the bacteria were starving, getting weaker.

Because bacteria robbing me of all my nutrients meant I was also getting weaker.

This can slow your Gut Motility (Sluggish Bowel)

The combined low fodmap (sibo) and histamine diet includes resistant starches such as potato, rice, quinoa and oats.

Oats

Resistant Starches are considered beneficial for people with Sibo and IBS as they bypass the small intestines and feed the good bacteria that you need in the large intestines. They are also said to improve the gut barrier and reduce gut permeability.

This is all great.

Just be aware that resistant starches can slow your gut motility – slow your bowel transit time or even cause constipation.

I had enjoyed eating sweet potatoes but the 75g portion size (cooked) had felt challenging to stick to and if you go above this amount sweet potato becomes high fodmap and feeds the bacteria.

Same with oats, I love them, but have noticed that my portion size can creep up.

My typical low fodmap (sibo) & histamine meal plan included one resistant starch and a protein with some of the limited vegetable choices at each meal 

This combination of starch and protein caused my normal transit time to slow right down.

Now for some people a slower bowel transit time would be no problem at all!

But I needed a good transit time because of a crucial new remedy I was keen to begin using. This remedy was known to slow the bowel transit time and yet to work effectively needed to not hang around in the colon for too long.

**More on this new remedy in week 5!

This week was spent exploring how to ease constipation and sluggish bowel naturally – especially when you can’t tolerate or take the usual OTC medications and remedies. It proved so helpful that I turned it into a simple challenge you can try yourself – see HERE.

I almost missed this Obvious Tactic!

In between encouraging my bowel to work better and dealing with bacteria signalling I almost missed an obvious tactic.

DAO  – Diamine oxidase – is an enzyme that breaks down histamine in the stomach. About 9 months ago I started taking one capsule each morning and it acted like a miracle in reducing the intensity and frequency of my reactions.

As I mentioned before, there is only one brand that suits my body, and honestly it is quite expensive.

As I was searching for more solutions and answers I suddenly realised that maybe I needed to take a 2nd DAO capsule before my evening meal?

Sometimes we almost miss the obvious!

Medical Patient Drug Care Concept

Why More is not always Good

Reducing my intense histamine reactions was a big relief – because the constant reactions impacted my energy levels, cognitive ability, general weakness not to mention potential damage to my eye-sight and vagus nerve. 

However the fact that I needed more DAO was not great news 

One negative was that I would need to order double the amount of expensive tablets!

The other negative was that needing a 2nd DAO Enzyme indicated that my digestion was getting weaker.

This made sense as my diary shows that I was having histamine reactions 4 – 5 days a week and those reactions were to foods/scents etc that previously I had been able to tolerate.

On the days that I remembered to take this 2nd capsule my reactions were milder. I kept forgetting to take them before my evening meal and they don’t work after you’ve eaten. 

My daughter got fed up with her forgetful mum and took action

So now if you meet me late afternoon and hear angry barking – it is just my mobile phone reminding me to take the blasted 2nd DAO!

Summary of week 4

  • Bacterial Signalling – shows up as cravings – and is a positive sign that your diet is starving the bacteria.
  • The restrictive low histamine & Sibo diet can mean that your meals include a larger % of resistant starches with protein which in some people can cause a sluggish bowel
  • Needing to take more DAO Enzyme is a sign that my digestion is getting weaker
  • In order to prepare for a new remedy I need to ensure my bowel has every support I can provide (and tolerate)

Interested in Natural Self-Care?

Hope you found my own (far from perfect) journey helpful on some level – even if it’s just reassuring to know you are not alone on the ups and downs of caring for your body and health!

Why not discover how I use Self-care to support my own journey and explore all the free support that’s included?

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My Long Covid Histamine SIBO Journey

Exploring Root Causes of Histamine & SIBO – week 3

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Discovering the root cause of Histamine & SIBO

This is week 3 of my personal long covid, histamine & SIBO healing journey, including how I respond to self-care setbacks and challenges. This week I explore root causes, how my body got out of balance in the first place.

I’m not going to lie – I felt pretty low after reacting to the Oregano capsules.

I think the SIBO test coming back as positive gave me hope and confidence that I was close to figuring out some answers.

I had spent years dealing with increasingly worse symptoms but the drs could find nothing wrong with me. 

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) described me exactly but here in the UK the hospital told me they do not recognise the condition. And fobbed me off with a general Long Covid label and nothing they could do.

But SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) was starting to be known in the UK and was increasingly being linked to Histamine Overload (or HIT Intolerance) and MCAS.

In theory, if I killed off the bacteria in my small intestines that was causing my immune system to go into overdrive, then healing was in sight? 

I thought I finally had the start of a healing plan.

But if I couldn’t tolerate the medicine – Oregano essential oil capsules – then my plan couldn’t work.

The Dr Calls

My GP called me as I had sent him my SIBO results. He mentioned that I had 10x the amount of bacteria in my small intestines than I should. I have no idea how much extra bacteria other people have with SIBO?

We discussed why so many of my symptoms are only on my right side.

He felt it was nerve damage – Vagus Nerve.

Vagus nerve support was already on my radar – more to come about this.

Because symptoms on my right side were getting worse we discussed b12 being deficient. B12 supports the nervous system and the Vagus nerve.

The bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine block B12 from being absorbed along with many other crucial nutrients – which is a frustrating feedback loop.

Histamine overload is made worse when you are deficient in nutrients (for many important functions) and SIBO makes you deficient in nutrients.

B12 is tricky. I have been low in it before, but the supplement can and does cause reactions when I try to take it.

My GP offered antibiotics and antihistamines if I needed them. And I am grateful to know he will support me should I have no other choice.

A Strategy and Plan B

So I had stopped everything except the DAO, Boulardii and Vitamin C. I kept my diet and environment clean to reduce reactions.

I also started the B Complex (turns your wee yellow) as my body can tolerate that and at least some b vitamins are getting in.

Once I have had a big reaction – my body goes on hyper alert and reacts to tiny things.

It was a tiring week.(few years actually)

But I was curious. What else could I do if essential oil capsules made me react? Was there another natural remedy?

Was SIBO the real root cause? Why did I have SIBO?

Maybe SIBO was just another symptom of a deeper imbalance and root cause?

I was back on the trail of the root cause – which I needed before I could form a strategy and plan B.

 I came across this interesting video about the many root causes of Histamine Intolerance (Overload) which I thought was worth sharing with you.

This video explains why this condition is so complex and if you suspect histamine might be causing your allergies and food intolerances and other random symptoms it is well worth watching to understand possible causes.

I suspected low stomach acid and leaky gut (gut permeability) and the covid viral infection as my main causes of SIBO and Histamine Overload. Contracting Covid after a few years of high level Stress probably impacted Vagus nerve function which directly impacted digestive function.

Discovering my root causes, the reason why my body had become so unbalanced that it was screaming for help through such intense (Histamine & SIBO) symptoms, felt like a huge step forward.

Digestion/Immunity and Vagus nerve/Adrenal stress were where I needed to focus my self-care alongside reducing the symptoms of bacteria in my small intestine and soothing those histamine reactions.

There is no doubt this is a complex condition, made worse because it is not recognised by most health professionals at the early stages – which is why I am sharing my journey.

Herbs to the Rescue?

Herbs of course are a huge passion of mine. Should I try oregano leaf tincture as a much weaker alternative to the essential oil capsules that my body might tolerate – not to mention adding Oregano to every meal?

Having been a herbalist for over 20 years this was something I could explore – if my body could tolerate the remedy. Herbal teas** had been fine so far and a big part of my personal self-care. But to kill bacteria would need a strong tincture.

I would also need to work on the root causes at the same time. Would my body tolerate so many (beloved) herbs and remedies?

I knew this gentle plan could take longer, like months and months on a restricted diet and lifestyle. With the risk that the bacteria blocking essential nutrition and continual histamine reactions could damage my nervous system even more.

** Many healing and wonderful herbal teas are either high histamine or high fodmap – meaning they can make your symptoms worse until you resolve the underlying cause.

Was I being realistic?

Or was this time to see my GP? And if I did would my body cope with various antihistamines? A childhood spent taking endless rounds of antibiotics that had weakened my health 30 years ago, made me wary.

What would I decide to do next?

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Self-Care Monthly Updates

Messy, 60, and Still Showing Up: Self-Care October 2025

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Start a 2-way conversation

October Reflections: What My Body Needed This Month

Welcome to my first Self-Care update!

This is my own Menu of Self-Care in action. I decided to share this toward the end of October — so it’s more of a snapshot than a perfectly tracked challenge. A good place to start, I think.

It was also my 60th birthday month, and I began a new medication and treatment, which made this a bit of a messy month for self-care focus. Chances are, you’ll have messy months too.

Even so, I’m proud of my progress. My scores aren’t the highest, but they’re real. I used my simple tracking system (and I’m sharing it below). For 28 days, my goal was to score 2 points per self-care action each day, making a total of 56.

  • 2 = completed fully
  • 1 = did something
  • 0 = didn’t do it

Including a “1” for partial effort keeps me motivated — it reminds me that simply starting matters.

Try it yourself. You might be surprised how small consistency builds real momentum.

My Menu in October 2025

My core Menu of Self-Care includes practices I’ve followed for many months, with a few new challenges added in.

The main challenge to explore this month was the ‘Ease Constipation Challenge’ from the Practical Self-care Pathway. Although at first glance I thought I was already doing most of this already, once I started the challenge I realised:

I was not as consistent with these on a daily basis as I had assumed – being more consistent made a difference.

Increasing the intensity of each practice just a little bit also made a difference to my results.

These were reflections from my body – wonder what your body will tell you?

My October Self-Care Tracking Snapshot

This month, I started using my new Living Menu Tracker — a colour-coded system that turns daily habits into a visual story.
Each self-care practice is scored out of 56 (2 = completed, 1 = partial, 0 = skipped).
As I enter my scores, the chart changes in real time — and seeing those shifts in colour has been incredibly motivating.

Self-Care Updates - Tracking October 2025 Makeselfcaresimple

At a glance, I can see which practices are thriving (deeper greens) and which need a little more love.
My Monthly Average for October was 75%, which feels like solid progress for a month that included new medication, treatment, and my 60th birthday!

This new tracker has become an ‘in real-time’ accountability partner — visual proof that small actions make a difference to the end result.

Stay in touch to see how I get on with my tracking system over the coming months

Insights & Awareness

This month taught me that doing something even on ‘messy’ months can still move me forward and make a difference.

There was a time when I would have given up completely and waited until next month to start again. Experience (lots of messy days) has taught me I can always ‘start again’ and ‘get back up’ as soon as I choose.

While Flaxseed was a game-changer for easing constipation — I was surprised how effective combining regular water, movement and salad greens were.

More proof that often the body just needs basic self-care consistently and at the right amounts.

And what makes it fascinating is that each of us has to find, through experimenting through the challenges’ what works best for our own body

Looking Ahead

In November, I won’t add a new Practical challenge. Instead, I’ll focus on maintaining my existing routines while exploring some of the new Nourish and Align & Uplift practices.

If you’d like to explore alongside me, I’ll share more details in the regular newsletter and in the community. Join Here.

Until Next Month

Thank you for walking alongside me — self-care really is easier when we share the journey.

Until next month, stay curious and kind to yourself. 💛

— Jo

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MindCraft

Listening to the Language of Your Body

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Your body is constantly speaking to you through sensations, signals, and symptoms — but most of us have forgotten how to listen. This guide shows you how to recognise those messages and use them to create a personalised, responsive self-care practice.

How to Understand Symptoms as Your Body’s Way of Communicating

Why This Matters

The first and greatest self-care skill you can learn is how to listen to the wisdom of your own body.
Your body knows what it needs and is constantly communicating with you — if you know how to listen.

What I call body wisdom is a primal survival system — one that wild creatures still use instinctively, yet many of us have forgotten in modern life.

When you reconnect with this natural awareness, you gain:

  • Personal guidance and insight.
  • Confidence in your self-care choices.
  • A sense of partnership instead of frustration.

🌿You and your body are a team — you need each other.

Step 1 – Understanding Body Wisdom

Body wisdom is your ability to develop a deeper connection through active listening.
Your body constantly sends feedback through sensations, feelings, and especially symptoms.
Becoming aware of this feedback allows you to communicate and respond in real time.

Step 2 – Rethink What Symptoms Mean

Old view: symptoms are problems that need fixing.
New view: symptoms are messages — your body’s way of saying, “I need your help.”

When I was in my twenties and struggling with my health, I often felt betrayed by my body. I’d think, “Why can’t it just tell me what’s wrong?”
Now I know — it was telling me, through symptoms.

Your body’s goal is to keep you alive. When something is out of balance, its systems send you alerts designed to get your attention.

🌿Example – Dehydration in Action

If you don’t drink enough water, your body starts signalling for help.

Early warning signs:

  • Thirst
  • Dry mouth
  • Tiredness
  • Dark urine
  • Less frequent urination

Ignore these, and the signals grow louder: dizziness, headaches, fatigue.

Each symptom is a message:

“Please give me more fluids so I can function well.”

When you respond — and symptoms ease — your body says:

“Thank you, that’s exactly what I needed.”

🌿Next time you feel thirsty or tired, pause and ask:

“What might my body be trying to tell me?”

Step 3 – Listening as a Skill

Before I trained as a medical herbalist, I never listened to my body.
I saw fatigue and pain as failure, not feedback.
Now I see them as requests for help.

If we were all taught to interpret our symptoms as communication, our health journeys would look very different.

It’s never too late to start listening.

Step 4 – Notice How Loud Your Body Speaks

Your body uses volume to show urgency:

  • Whisper → mild symptom (dry mouth, stiffness, tiredness)
  • Talk → moderate symptom (fatigue, mild pain)
  • Shout → loud symptom (headache, sharp pain, exhaustion)

🌿Pain is a “red alert.” It’s your body shouting, “Something needs to change now.”

Step 5 – Start a Two-Way Conversation

Start a 2-way conversation

You already respond to many signals automatically:

  • Hungry → eat
  • Cold → add a layer
  • Full → stop eating

Now, extend that same awareness to subtler symptoms.

🧘 Try This: Mini Awareness Practice

  1. Notice a symptom.
  2. Ask: What was happening just before it appeared?
  3. Respond: Move, stretch, breathe, drink, or rest.
  4. Observe: Does it ease, worsen, or stay the same?

Example: when I sit writing for too long, I ache. That’s my body saying, “Move me.”
I stretch every 25 minutes; the ache fades — message received.

Step 6 – Track Your Symptoms

Think of it like the childhood “hot or cold” game:

  • Helpful change → symptom eases (warmer)
  • Unhelpful change → symptom persists (colder)

Tracking helps you discover what truly supports you.
You can learn more inside the Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit.

Step 7 – Supporting Your Body Without Silencing It

Support your body without silencing it
Medical Patient Drug Care Concept

Painkillers and medications are often essential tools that make life manageable. They quiet symptoms so you can function, rest, and recover — an important part of healing.

What’s helpful is to stay gently curious about what’s happening underneath:

“What might my body still need, even while I’m managing this symptom?”

Think of relief as a window of support — a time when your body has less stress and more capacity to heal.

Whether symptoms are temporary or ongoing:

  • Relief allows rest.
  • Awareness maintains connection.
  • Together they support long-term wellbeing.

🌿Using medication wisely and compassionately is self-care. Listening simply helps you work with your body, not against it.

Step 8 – Notice Subtlety and Responsiveness

Every body speaks differently. Some are loud and responsive; others are quieter.
The small, easily dismissed sensations — the “just me” moments — are often amber lights asking for early attention.

They’re also the first to change when your self-care is working.

Start small:

  • When do symptoms appear or fade?
  • What patterns do you see?
  • Which actions help most?

🧘 Step 9 – Make It a Daily Dialogue

Check in with your body often:

  • What do I feel right now?
  • What is my body asking for?
  • How does it respond when I listen?

With practice, this becomes second nature — a quiet, steady partnership guiding your wellbeing.

💡 Key Takeaways

Listening to your body — self-care awareness practice”
  • Symptoms are communication, not enemies.
  • Listening is self-care. Awareness is the first step to healing.
  • Tracking teaches your body’s language.
  • Relief and awareness can coexist.
  • Your body wants to feel good too. It just needs your help.

🌿 Reflection Prompt

How might your relationship with your body change if you treated every symptom as a message rather than a problem?

Well done image in Make Self Care Simple brand colours – completion of 28-day self-care challenge
Well-done! You have completed another step towards making selfcare simple

Start practising the art of listening — your body will thank you.

Awareness is powerful — but it becomes transformation when you track and apply it. The toolkit helps you put your insights into practice

Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit

Turn inspiration into lasting results — with a simple system that helps self-care finally work with your body, not against it.

If you’ve been reading along and thinking, “I’d love to try this myself one day…” — you don’t have to wait, or wonder where to start.

The Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit gives you the gentle structure to make your first challenge easy, personal, and effective.
It’s the same step-by-step approach I use when following the challenges alongside you — so you’ll feel supported every step of the way.

Inside, you’ll find:
🌿 A gentle Before Assessment to pinpoint what your body truly needs — so you can stop guessing and start seeing real results
🌿 Step-by-step guidance (plus short video walkthroughs) to choose the right self-care challenge for your needs — and actually complete it.
🌿 Printable planners, reflections, and trackers to help you stay consistent
🌿 Access to our private community (coming soon!) — for gentle accountability and encouragement

You’ll also receive:
💌 Weekly self-care reminders, new challenges, and encouragement in the Make Self-Care Simple newsletter
🪴 Access to our free private community — where women share progress, celebrate wins, and remind each other we’re not alone

👉 Send Me My Free Toolkit

🪻 Align & Uplift Pathway — reconnect with calm, joy, and emotional balance

Complete your first Self-care Challenge

Make Self Care Simple shares general self-care education for inspiration only. I’m not providing medical advice — always check what’s right for you with a qualified health professional.

©2025 Make Self Care Simple

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My Long Covid Histamine SIBO Journey

First Steps after Testing Positive for SIBO – Week 2

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In week 2 of my Long Covid Histamine SIBO Healing Journey I talk about my first steps after testing positive for SIBO

Have you been diagnosed with both Histamine overload/intolerance HIT (allergies, inflammation, skin issues, food intolerance, MCAS, fatigue) and SIBO (bacterial overgrowth, candida, IBS, bloating, digestive problems, fatigue) issues?

There is a long list of common symptoms which you might be ‘living with’ or ‘managing’ with long-term medications that can be linked to a condition called SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)

Below I share what my first steps were after being tested positive for SIBO in week 2 of my own Long Covid, Histamine & SIBO healing journey.

Just found this post? Start from the beginning HERE

Please note this is my personal journey, not medical advice.

The SIBO Test Result Practitioner Feedback Video

I had paid to not only have the SIBO test but also have a personal practitioner video (7 minutes) explaining my results and suggested next steps.

In the UK SIBO is not easy to get tested for by your local Dr which is why I paid to go private.

The gist of my message was that it was not good to stay on a restricted diet for any length of time (completely agree) but that I would have to combine low histamine and Sibo diet guidelines and find what worked for me to start with. They provided handouts for both, listing which foods I could eat. 

There were very few foods on both lists.

The reality is that I was having daily histamine reactions, my upper stomach was painfully swollen and I just wanted to get better – fast.

Which is why I chose to start with a very strict and limited diet of both low fodmap (sibo) and low histamine diet.

And to be fair this tactic has helped reduce my bloating. See HERE for details of my low fodmap and histamine meal plan..

My suggested SIBO Remedies

When it came to my SIBO remedies my practitioner was careful to highlight that when you have Histamine Overload or MCAS you have to go carefully and see what your body will react to.

This I have found is a repeating theme.

While both Histamine (MCAS) and SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) are commonly found together to fix one often causes issues with the other.

I was already taking DAO (Diamine oxidase) an enzyme that breaks histamine down – something that really helps me although if I take more than one capsule my stomach feels weird. It is also expensive. If I know I might be going to eat something that might release histamine I take an extra DAO.

I also take the probiotic Saccharomyces-Boulardii every evening as this helps with Histamine, inflammation and digestive issues as well.

Along with Vitamin C, D and B complex supplements.

Why I take so many Supplements

Yea I spend a fortune on supplements but have taken breaks and researched and tested and these all seem to help my body. In fact I went a couple of months without supplements in case they were causing histamine reactions (common) but actually slowly started to feel worse without them.

The bacteria that shouldn’t be in my small intestine (SIBO) can stop nutrients from being absorbed by the small intestine so you quickly become malnourished.

And being low in vitamins and minerals make it harder for the body to deal with inflammation and histamine or killing off bacteria.

This makes you feel exhausted.

Why I take so many supplements

Are Oregano Capsules as good as Antibiotics?

The general opinion (from various research trials) found that essential oil of Oregano kills off ‘bad’ bacteria as well, if not better, than antibiotics when it comes to SIBO.

So this is what my practitioner suggested for me. Along with a prebiotic that encouraged good bacteria.

I was told to start slowly and build up and see how my body reacted.

Massive Reaction to Oregano?

I did start slow with 1 capsule.

All fine.

So the next day I added an evening capsule.

And then I had a massive histamine reaction that lasted days.

Not only did I have swelling around my eye, but I had dizziness and felt faint every time I stood up, my whole body ached from head to toe, my eczema went crazy, my skin erupted on my face, my stomach hurt and my bowel stopped.

In fact the constipation (a new symptom for me) was distressing.

I could not function for 2-3 days.

Being honest, I probably went too fast with the capsules. Maybe one a day for a week or more or even start on alternative days.

Lesson learned.

If you read this and have allergy-type Histamine issues as well as SIBO you might be fine with Oregano Capsules just learn from my experiences and go very s-l-o-w.

Die-off or Reaction? Is the Big Question

Friends asked if it was just Die-off symptoms – a common reaction when you start to kill bacteria, who release chemicals as protection which can give you unpleasant symptoms.

Maybe it was.

But I feel it was a reaction as I am not sure how many bacteria would be killed off with just 3 capsules over 48 hours.

Also essential oils are something I personally often react to – so putting them inside my body was probably not such a good idea?

I was gutted.

But every instinct told me not to take them again.

So back to the drawing board for week 3.

Final thoughts on week 2

I do think that Oregano capsules can be very effective for killing off bacteria in the small intestine (SIBO)

I definitely got impatient and went too quickly – big lesson for the future.

 I think that as I seem to have reactions to anything that contains essential oils it makes sense that I would not tolerate ingesting essential oils – even with highly tested capsules. 

Read week 3 next!

Discovering the root cause of Histamine & SIBO
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My Long Covid Histamine SIBO Journey

What I eat on a combined low histamine and fodmap diet – week 1

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This is my personal journey to heal myself from both SIBO and Histamine Intolerance that were part of my Long Covid diagnosis. In this blog post I share what I did next after recieiving a positive test for SIBO. Including what I could eat on a low fodmap histamine diet.

I was so relieved to finally have a concrete diagnosis after taking the SIBO test. After years of being told my results were ‘fine’ and ‘normal’, even though I didn’t feel fine or normal a positive results for Hydrogen SIBO felt like progress.

Of course I couldn’t know what was ahead of me – but I remember feeling positive and hopeful.

Histamine intolerance – really overload – (reactions) causes me various unpleasant and unexpected symptoms and SIBO explained a new uncomfortable swelling in my upper stomach – both conditions are linked to each other and Long Covid – you can read more HERE

The private test I paid for included not only the test results, but a 7-minute personal video and healing plan.

My results took about 2 weeks to come back and I made the most of this time.

I spent a lot of this time researching and making lists of foods that are low in both histamine and fodmaps (SIBO)

There is a LOT of information about foods, diet and recipes for low Histamine OR FODMAP but very little about what to eat when you need foods that are low in both!

My low fodmap histamine foodlist list was not very long.

Blueberries are about the only fruit. The only sweetener I could find was pure stevia drops (which I reacted to) or tiny amounts of Maple Syrup.

Nutbutter is essential for many of my recipes and the allowed list includes Pecan (quite bitter) Macadamia nuts (lovely!) and Hemp and Pumpkin seeds.** Check amounts and individual sensitivity. This is enough to enjoy milks, dressings, smoothies and treats!

Potatoes, parsnips, swedes, courgettes, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, kale and cucumber are the main vegetables. Onions are problematic, you can test just the green part of spring onions and leeks, and garlic olive oil.

Rice, oats and quinoa make up the grains. I struggle with rice.

Plain cook from scratch meat, fish and maybe eggs are OK – but if they have anything added they are not allowed. Also you have to freeze and defrost just before you cook. No left-overs hanging around. I had to avoid eggs and my weekly shop included (plain) roast turkey, chicken and salmon. With occassional red meat.

Olive oil and Ghee are both acceptable to cook with. I did get myself some garlic olive oil but had to only add drops to avoid any reaction. I read that full fat Mayonnaise is OK in small amounts ? – I found a brand that I tolerated (thank goodness) watered down to start with.

Vinegar and lemon juice are high in histamine and fodmap and after a lot of research I got myself Verjus** – sour unripe grape juice which in small amounts might be tolerated and tastes like a mellow vinegar.** Update I started to react

Many spices are high histamine and some herbs are high fodmaps so you have to proceed with caution.

Ginger is your best friend for flavour and to soothe your symptoms, to this you can add Turmeric, Cardamom and Lemon Grass.

Chamomile and Hibsicus and many other herbal teas are not allowed. But a pinch of dried herbs as seasoning I think is ok.

Is low histamine and fodmap Foodie Hell?

When I was researching how limited my food choices were – it did feel like foodie hell.

But I decided to focus on what I could eat and how I could adapt traditional recipes.

This was definitely a time to work on my mind-set because any hope of healing was on the other side of weeks/months of this diet.

They call it delayed gratification, go without now so you can enjoy later on.

This was not my forever food plan.

Aim for 90% Clean Eating

I aimed for 90% Clean. I included 2 weak cups of green tea, also a dash of almond milk twice a day in my rooibos tea. Once a week I had a Thai green curry and took an extra DAO capsule as I had already found that my body did not react to this. To start with I had watered down full-fat mayonnaise.

The problem is that I was reacting a LOT to things like body products, scents, chemicals, pollen and supplements.

Which wiped me out and while the diet is hugely beneficial it does take effort which you might not have in the beginning

Which is why, despite not being a good cook at all, with questionable taste buds, I have decided to share my recipes.

My Low Histamine/Fodmap Weekly Meal Plan

So here is my simple weekly food plan that is BOTH low histamine and fodmap – suitable for those suffering Histamine overload allergies and intolerances, MCAS, SIBO, Bacterial overgrowth, Gut Issues, with Fatigue

**I’m not a cook – so no measurements or detailed instructions!!!

Oats with Blueberries

Low fodmap histamine blueberry macadamia nut oats

I make an overnight oats version that only soaks for a couple of hours or heat gently and serve

  • I soak the oats and blueberries in ginger tea
  • I add macadamia or Pecan nut butter
  • Swap oats for rice flakes or quinoa
  • Add Stevia or maple syrup to taste

**I can’t tolerate stevia, and find macadamia nut butter sweet enough – but will add a tiny drop of maple syrup with Pecans which I find bitter

Blueberry Smoothie

More or less the same as oat recipe but I replace the oats with allowed greens such as lettuce, cucumber, kale.

Simply blend with cold ginger or mint tea.

This is very useful if the bowel slows down.

Salad, Protein and Potato

Low fodmap histamine spanish egg frittata

This is low fodmap histamine Spanish frittata – eggs and potato with lots of herbs **If you can tolerate eggs

I have potato/protein most days with a large salad!

  • Potato can be oven chips, jacket spud, new potatoes
  • Protein can be allowed plain poultry, meat or fish, frozen then defrosted in portion sizes.
  • Eggs – if tolerated
  • Salad is lettuce, shredded cabbage, cucumber, grated carrot

Finding a low histamine/fodmap salad dressing is almost impossible! I found that I can tolerate watered down shop-bought mayonnaise. You can use extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper (helps with constipation). All vinegars and citrus are high histamine – some people can tolerate apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar. And most fruits are high fodmaps.

** Fresh lemon juice will be one of the first foods I ‘test’ back into my diet

Vegetable & Protein

So the goal here is to eventually find a gravy or sauce that you can tolerate.

Protein is again from the allowed plain poultry meat or fish list – frozen and defrosted in portion sizes. Eggs if tolerated. My choices include chicken, salmon, turkey with occassional lamb or beef.

My vegetable choices, which I mix and match include:

  • Broccoli and Carrots
  • Parsnip mash
  • Swede and Carrot mash
  • Sauted Cabbage
  • *Kale – to be included
  • *Roasted Radishes – to try!

If tolerated you can add ghee or drizzle olive oil. I season the vegetable water and add herbs and then save some when I drain the veg to make the mash or as a ‘jus’. Or you can save your protein juices as a ‘gravy’. I have found that I can tolerate shop-bought stock and gravy – after first taking a break and then ‘testing’.

Low fodmap/histamine Pesto/dressing

I didn’t want to leave you without sharing this idea! Parmesan and lemon juice are not low histamine or fodmap, nor is yeast flakes.

A low fodmap/histamine Pesto made with:

  • Fresh Basil, Mint, Parsley or Coriander (Cilantro) leaves
  • Macadamia or Pecan nut(butter), or Hemp seed or Pumpkin Seed
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil or garlic infused oil
  • Seasoning (Opt chopped green onion leaves or chives)

Blend everything except the oil, which you add slowly. This can be adjusted to use over salad or meat and veg. When I’ve experimented a bit more I will share better details!

Simple Selfcare Tip!

Cook in bulk and freeze in portion size. There will be days when you feel too poorly to cook. Or days that go wrong when you have no time. Trust me it’s worth bulk cooking on ‘good’ days.

I plan to add more recipes but hope this provides ideas to get you started.

Next find out what my first steps were after testing positive for SIBO in week 2 HERE

If nothing else I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect if you suspect Histamine SIBO is the cause of any of your symptoms. Check the start of my journey here.

Developing a self-care practice around my personal healing journey was not only a powerful tool but incredibly empowering. Why not let me help you create your own menu of self-care practices?

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MindCraft

7 Questions to ask before starting a new self-care practice.

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There are literally hundreds of self-care practices you could start tomorrow, but how do you decide which ones are worth spending your time doing?

 When you decide to invest precious time, energy and money on your well-being, especially when you are coping with ongoing health conditions, it is worth spending a couple of minutes answering a few questions before you decide if this new self-care is worth exploring.

In the last decade the internet has been buzzing with thousands of healthy choices, ideas and opinions that promise to transform your health. 

This has become a vast resource that is often freely available to everyone who is seeking answers and options.

 On the other hand too much choice can become overwhelming, especially when supporting your health has become an essential factor in your life.

My aim with this blog is to make selfcare simple and help you find the self care practice that gets you results.

To get started I have put together 7 questions to ask before starting a new self care practice.

I have used both my experiences as a natural health practitioner and personal health journey to help explain how to use each question.

Short on time?

If you just want to skip straight to the questions click to the summary at the end.

Benefit of a Clear Strategy

My own self-care practice has changed over the years, depending on what was happening in my life and health journey, and the results I achieved was down to always having a clear strategy behind each self care practice I included.

 In other words, I always know exactly what result I expect to experience from any self-care choices I made.

 In my Natural health clinic, I helped hundreds of clients over many years to create individualised self-care practices.

 In this article I want to help you get started, by sharing questions to ask before starting a new self-care practice.

What is the definition of Self-Care?

Who defines self-care as:

 “Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote and maintain their own health, prevent disease, and to cope with illness – with or without the support of a health or care worker.”

 My aim with any self-care practice is to provide one of the following:

  • Improve my current health levels
  • Maintain good health levels
  • Prevent future health issues
  • Better cope and manage existing illness.

A self care practice goes a little deeper than a healthy lifestyle, it is specifically fine tuned to the needs of your individual body and health needs.

Lets dive into the 7 questions to ask before starting a new self-care practice.

1. What benefit can I expect to experience or see?

This is the important question. Will following this self-care practice benefit and improve your individual health levels?

It might sound obvious but in the clinic I had clients spending time and money on popular health practices and products that they did not need. And because their body did not need it, they never experienced the same results as other people.

 Which can leave you feeling frustrated and wondering ‘what is wrong with me?’ or ‘what am I doing wrong?’ or that it doesn’t work and was a waste of time.

 Seeing someone else getting results is a very powerful motivation especially when you are struggling.

 ‘It worked for me, so I’m sure it will help you too’.

 Is a well-meaning phrase, but often a bit of a red herring when it comes to self-care.

The reason why there are so many solutions and none of them work 100% for every person is because you are not an exact copy of everyone else – you and your body are unique and individual and so are your health needs.

Knowing what support your body most needs right now is an important guide to which self-care practices to consider. 

If you don’t know – that should be your first self care practice – to understand your health condition better. 

Start with simple basics and know that as you learn more about your health conditions your self care practice will become more individual and tailored to you..

  For instance, a mindfulness practice to help soothe anxiety would not be the most important part of my own self-care, as I am quite relaxed and calm naturally.  It’s possible I would not notice any positive changes to my health levels.

 But for someone who suffers with anxiety the benefits become much more valuable and they are likely to notice and experience incredible improvements.

 Check what benefits to expect with each self-care practice you consider. Then decide if you, your body and health situation need them.

2. How soon before I can expect to feel/notice the benefits?

Some self-care practices feel good as soon as you do them, but the benefits only last a short while. Others take longer to build up and change the body, so it may take longer to experience the results.

 Admittedly this question has many variables, mainly because each person is unique. You may not be able to answer this question exactly until after a bit of trial and error.

 The reason why I like to have a rough idea of how soon to expect results is so I can monitor which practices are working well and which ones I need to swap out.

 My goal is always to get the best health benefits, in the shortest, easiest and most enjoyable ways possible.

Life is far too short to be spending 15 minutes every single day on a self-care practice that makes very little difference to my well-being. Or spending £10 a week on a product that does nothing to reduce a symptom.

In one year that would mean 5475 minutes or 91 hours or £520 of wasted time and money!

 As a rule of thumb if I don’t notice a difference after 1 month, I consider stopping that practice.

I can say this confidently because I know which Self-Care Blueprint I have.

Discover your body's response style
discover your selfcare blueprint

To answer this question you also need to be realistic.

No selfcare practice will give results unless you are consistent.

Do not expect a complete recovery in 1 week or month, the aim is to notice small improvements and changes.

 It is super helpful and motivating to know exactly what benefits I receive from each self-care practice I follow.

For instance, after completing just one 10–15-minute Qi Gong practice, I know that I will feel immediate improvements to my stiff and painful neck, a general ease of movement and serenity in my mood.

Consistent practice not only improves my body, mobility and mood, but I also experience the electromagnetic fields and vibrational frequencies of Qi Gong.

And I also know (from experience!) that after 3 days of missing that daily practice my neck will slowly seize up. More than a week of missed practice results in increased aches and pains all over my body. Ouch!

 On the other hand, the green supplement powder I use has a more subtle benefit. Over the years I have stopped it and found that at about 6 weeks I noticed a definite dip in my energy levels that I can only regain through my green powder.

Many self-care practices build up slowly over regular use.

 I hope my personal examples show how helpful it is to understand the timing factors for each self-care practice you follow.

how-much-time-make-selfcare-simple

3. How much time will this take to do each day/week?

Currently I work full-time, blog on the side and follow a daily self-care practice morning and evening. I also have a daughter, dog, home & garden, and family member commitments…I am busy!

 Time is extremely valuable to me.

If there are two practices that offer the same benefits, but one can be done in 5 minutes while the other one requires 50 minutes, I take the 5 minutes every time.

 No matter how great the longer practice is, it won’t help me if I never have time to do the practice!

 Knowing how much time a practice requires, is one easy way I decide which practices to include and which to leave.

 Another question I often ask is ‘can I get enough benefits in less time?’

Of course sometimes that 50-minute practice really is the best option, and acknowledging this first will help you make the time.How important is time for you?

how-much-planning-involved-make-selfcare-simple

4.  How much preparation or planning is involved?

Following certain diets and recipes that support my health often require hours of prep and planning.

I class healthy eating as self-care. For me it is a priority, so I factor in the extra time it takes to prepare my meals in my selfcare planner.

 Because I have (currently undiagnosed) MCAS symptoms and can experience extreme reactions to foods, I often don’t have a choice, so I research and explore all the prep and planning hacks and adapt them to suit my needs.

Honestly this has taken me hours and hours.

As a general rule my goal is always to get the best health benefits, in the shortest, easiest and most enjoyable ways possible.

But for my personal health issue, weekly hours spent on meal prep is essential, even if I don’t always enjoy it.

 You might come across a self-care practice with lots of benefits that requires a fair amount of prep or planning.

 Do the benefits justify any additional preparation and planning of a self-care practice?

 Another example would be a gym membership. There is no doubt that there are many benefits to a regular gym work-out, but many people struggle with fitting in the extra time requirements involved in travelling to and from the gym in their busy lives.

If the thought of all that additional time spent on prep and planning gives you that sinking feeling that could be a sign that for now you need self care that is simple and easy.

5. What additional costs are involved?

Most self-care practices require some kind of cost. Especially when you first start and are getting set up.

 I am quite frugal by nature and circumstance so it’s important to me that I am getting good value for any costs.

 I have found that many of the very best self-care results cost next to nothing!

 Sometimes an additional cost is worth it.

 A higher cost should save you:

  • Time,
  •  Provide better user quality,
  •  Results you can’t receive from other options.

The good news is that if you are prepared to allocate more time and effort a great deal of self care is affordable. Check out my self care challenges for ideas!

6. How much effort is required?

 For those of us suffering with low energy and fatigue asking how much effort is required can feel like a daily mantra!

This is when it helps to get honest about your energy levels, brain fog and motivation.

Every self care practice will involve some level of effort, simply because any change to your routine requires effort in the beginning.

 If the effort required leaves you feeling drained, that is a potential red flag.

 If you find yourself ‘avoiding’ or ‘forgetting’ it can be helpful to do some further self-enquiry as to what is really happening.

 Often the first week of a practice feels easy because we are motivated, but by the next week it can start to feel like hard work!

 Having to turn out and drive to an evening yoga class may feel like too much effort for one person while another will make time to experience the amazing instructor and group energy.

 Once you accept that any new self care practice is going to take a certain amount of effort, you just need to ask…

Is the effort worth the value you would receive?

7. Do I enjoy the practice?

I’ve saved this question until last even though I know it is possibly the first one you might ask!

 When you find a self-care practice that you enjoy, and which provides the lasting benefits your body needs you have found healing heaven.

 Sometimes when something starts to feel easier it becomes more enjoyable. Take yoga or meditation. Typically, these are not easy or enjoyable at the beginning. But after regular practice you become a raving fan!

 There is also a place for self-care that provides enjoyment as the main benefit – good to know right? I always try to include these in my day!

 Then there are ways you can make a self-care practice more enjoyable.

 Perhaps you can turn down the intensity, shorter the duration.

 The benefits may take longer but if you enjoy the practice more you will keep going.

Final Summary

So that completes my 7 Questions to ask before starting a new self-care practice. You can use these to help you choose your next self care challenge.

It is my hope that these questions will help reduce any confusion and overwhelm when faced with so many different options.

In summary:

7 Questions to ask before starting a new self care practice.

  1. What is the benefit I can expect to experience or see?
  2. How soon before I can expect to feel/notice the benefits?
  3. How much time will this take to do each day/week?
  4. How much preparation or planning is involved?
  5. What additional costs are involved?
  6. How much effort is required?
  7. Do I enjoy the practice?

Hope you can join me as I have a LOT more support to offer around self-care!

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