Meet Bread SRSLY Ambassador Saarah!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi there! My name is Saarah (pronounced S-ARE-AH) and I’m a board-certified holistic health practitioner and digital influencer on BeautyMomme in Los Angeles, California. I share content on my social platforms about health, wellness, women’s health, biohacking, clean beauty, and gluten-free recipes. My platform is engaging and has a community of people who seek health, recipe remakes, and beauty solutions to integrate into their own personal wellness journeys. I also continuously make recommendations to my personal clients with regard to food, supplement, herbal, biohacking devices, and beauty regimens of brands I use and work with.
What does wellness mean to you personally?
I believe wellness consists of three main elements: mind, body and spirit. When one is off balance, it can throw the other two off balance as well. The mind includes anything to do with our thoughts, emotions, presence and consciousness. When this is out of balance, it can cause dysfunction in the way we perceive the world, and make decisions/thoughts from a place of fear and lack. It can also cause a lot of stress to the body if not conditioned and treated well. The body includes anything to do with the body, from movement, foods, supplements, and somatic therapies like breath work, red light therapy, stretching and beyond. When this is out of balance, it can impact the way our mind works, how our body is optimally designed to function and our quality of life. The body is our vessel and should be treated well (we only have one in this lifetime, so we should take care of it!). Then there is the spirit, which includes our essence, how we show up in this world, our persona and even our connection to a higher source/spirit/god/universe. When this is out of balance, it can cause a person to feel depressed, worthless, and even cause many health related issues.
What does your morning routine look like?
I know how cliche it can sound when people say "the morning is what sets you up for the day!!"... I have to say that it's totally true. My mornings typically begin with my morning supplements, workouts (or active recovery such as walking or stretching), meditation in front of my red light, and then diving right into emails and/or content creation.
What's your coffee/tea order?
I prefer to have hot water and lemon or a caffeine free mint herbal tea.
What do you do for work?
I am a holistic health practitioner and have wonderful clients whom I help with internal wellness, hormones, gut health, and coming soon heart/liver health. The clients I work with take a journey with me through their mind, body and spirit, and heal using super foods, functional supplements, somatic therapy and movement. It's SO rewarding to see people heal when the mind, body and spirit is given nourishment with real food.
What do you like to do for fun? Hobbies, weekend activities, etc.
I find working out super fun. In all honesty, it's something I've always loved, and is something I'll continue to love. Relaxing by the beach/pool is something I adore with a really good book in hand. Hanging out with friends (especially friends that hike!!) and exploring good restaurants to dry different cuisines (then make them at home loaded in superfoods!)
How did you find out about Bread SRSLY?
When I went gluten free, I was on the hunt for a really good gluten free bread. SO MANY breads had ingredients and fillers in them, that I just couldn't have. One of my friends found Bread SRSLY and sent me to their website. I bought my first loaf and have been using it in my home for over 5 years now. The sourdough tastes JUST like "regular" sourdough... even the crust!
What's your favorite Bread SRSLY product?
My favorite Bread SRSLY product is the gluten-free Classic Sourdough loaf. It's what introduced me to Bread SRSLY and is "seriously" my favorite. I've always loved sourdough and am elated I get to still enjoy a good sourdough bread.
What are your go-to toast toppings?
I think that depends on my mood. Sometimes cashew butter. Or two hard boiled eggs with lettuce and topped off with spices. Oh! another favorite is grilled chicken with melted mozzarella cheese on it! The toppings are endless I tell ya!
What led you to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle? How long have you been gluten-free?
I adopted it out of a need really. I got really sick after I had my daughter, and have always eaten fairly well. I also am quite stubborn when a doctor tries to "feed me" with medicines that have loads of side effects. I sought out a naturopathic doctor and did loads of extensive blood work. And when the results came back, I heard the two words I KNEW all along (call it intuition if you will) "gluten intolerance". It was wreaking havoc on my gut health, which impacted my overall health. So I took the journey of being gluten free and haven't ever felt so good health wise.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when you first transitioned to being gluten-free?
Learning that gluten can be in anything! Sauces. Marinates. Dry rubs for meats. Ice Cream. You name it!! It also made me quite angry to learn how brands use wheat to "thicken" their products making them seem authentic. So that was a big adjustment too. BUT it did show me how to have more of a hawk-eye when reading ingredients labels AND I can identify on a menu what would have gluten in it.
What are some of your favorite gluten-free restaurants/cafes?
Oh I have quite a few of them. One of my ultimate favorites is "Inn of the Seventh Ray". It is one of my favorite restaurants ever. The food is farm to table, and the menu changes seasonally to adapt to the different vegetation and livestock throughout the year. Most of the ingredients are organic and they have TONS of gluten-free options. I also love Source Cafe which has a load of gluten free bakery items, and Kreation juice which has tons of cold pressed juices and protein shakes I love.
What are your go-to gluten-free pantry staples? Please feel free to name drop brands here!
I actually have a handful of these as I really love to eat mostly whole foods. The brands I always have stocked up in my pantry are High-Key protein cookies, Archer Farms grass fed beef jerky, Unreal candied covered chocolate gems, Tru Bar plant based protein bars, Clean Simple Eats vanilla protein powder, and Karma nuts.
What’s your favorite quick and easy gluten-free meal?
Shredded chicken and salad. It's such an easy dish to make and its high in protein and loaded in phytonutrients from the greens.
What's the most annoying gluten-free myth you've heard?
That all gluten free products are healthy.
Dream gluten-free product?
A perfectly tasting French baguette. Oh goodness, I have yet to find one of those and secretly (maybe not secretly) hoping Bread SRSLY could make one!!
How do you deal with accidental gluten/allergen exposure?
Brace for impact!!!! But in all seriousness, when that happens, I load up on digestive enzymes, have a second round of probiotics, take an extra couple doses of vitamin C, and make sure my first meal of the day includes a cold pressed fresh green juice or a salad with as many green veggies I can find in the fridge. It usually takes me a few days to recover, so I perform this process on repeat until I can "feel" that the contamination has "left the building"!
What advice would you give to someone just starting their gluten-free journey?
For every thing you feel you might have to "give up", find a replacement. There are SO many options for gluten free items and I feel like most of them taste better than the gluten-filled version. Have fun with it and explore new & different options like a scavenger hunt.
Any exciting things (projects, travel, etc) you're looking forward to this year?
Ahhh I will reveal this when the time is right.
Anything else the Bread SRSLY community should know about you? Fun fact?
I used to be a software engineer!!