Beauty...
Be your own
kind of beautiful
Be your own
kind of beautiful
By Mollysims.com
Do you struggle with gut health issues? Do you also struggle with anxiety? Meet Siff. Today we are learning how to level up our lives from the one and only Siffat Haider. Siff is the founder of Arrae, the company dedicated to holistically healing our guts and calming our anxiety. She’s sharing the power of a killer morning routine, her journey to starting Arrae, and how she manifested her dream life through journaling. We discuss the importance of eating whole foods while she shares her go-to snacks that you NEED to purchase immediately.
Listen here for the full episode:
“I have always been very creative and an entrepreneur, and I was always getting sick. I noticed it in high school, and it was normalized. I hit my breaking point when I had that rib fracture from a constant cough, and a Doctor gave me some Codeine. That was when I said no. You can’t always take an antibiotic. I was like f*ck this. I looked into natural modalities. This is when I started to integrate herbs and minerals into my diet.”
“Food can either be poison or medicine.”
“At this time in college, I was eating really inflammatory food. And as I got interested in wellness, I noticed I was so anxious. So I started developing these systems. I saw such a difference with herbs and minerals. I immediately noticed a difference. I started getting sick less.”
“I cut out gluten and processed foods, and I realized I was very sensitive to gluten. I also minimized the amount of dairy. Dairy is not the vibe in America. In Europe, I can tolerate it better. Another thing I did was reduce my sugar intake. And when I was in school, it was ‘cut out sugar to get skinny’, not what it does to do you on a biological level. If you lower your sugar intake you’re reducing inflammation – and inflammation is the cause of a lot of problems. It’s really not hard you need to eat real whole food. I upped the number of vegetables, I was eating, because I was abusing my body and I didn’t know I was abusing my body. You can start small and just focus on those little things. Take small steps. And for me, I think whatever I can invest, I would invest in my health. I love using EWG to learn more about what I’m eating.”
“We created Arrae during my whole health situation. I was a hoarder of supplements, and my husband was so frustrated with me. While doing this, I learned certain combos would help. And to be honest, wellness needed an overhaul. It’s very complicated to navigate, and a very convoluted area. So many people are like, ‘I’m just taking it and hoping for the best.’ We wanted to create really efficacious products and make them so beautiful so people would be so excited to use them.”
“We worked with a doctor for a doctor that specializes in eating disorders…had 15 years of experience helping patients. It was a very collaborative process and it was so important for us to work with a doctor. I’m not a formulator and don’t have a scientific background.”
“We launched 2 products – Bloat & Calm because bloating and anxiety go hand in hand. Anxiety is when your body goes into fight or flight mode, and stomach issues take up mental real estate. So those are our 2 core products because who the hell isn’t bloated, anxious, or both?”
“For Bloat we advise everyone to take what works for them because every body is unique. It’s important to learn how to dose yourself. As a general idea – take 2 if you’ve had a salad bowl, 3 for pasta, and 4 if you’re entering a food coma. Take it after a meal to help you gauge how you’re feeling. I take it after dinner almost every night.”
“It’s a high-quality potent of herbs that gently optimizes your digestion. It helps your body produce the right amount of enzymes and enzymes break down food, and Bloat helps your body produce the right amount of enzymes. Everyone has a gut issue and I think it’s because of the quality of food and our lifestyle. We aren’t nourishing our bodies and eating so fast.”
“Calm is a combo of 4 herbs and it is a non-drowsy formula. It gently calms you down, targets jitters, and calms your nervous system. It’s very potent all ingredients are active. You use as needed. Most people use it every day. I, personally, use calm every day, and Bloat I use on most days. You can use it every day. If you miss it one day nothing will happen.”
“I’m really protective of my morning routine. When I was younger I would run anxious when going to work. Now I try to set my morning up to set my day up for success. I like to hydrate first thing in the morning, and then I sit down and journal while sipping a coffee. I love an americano with cinnamon, and I use Bullet Proof. I use 3 journaling techniques – gratitude journaling, highest self, and future you journaling. Then I meditate for 15-20 minutes. When I slip out of my meditation practice I notice a huge difference in my mental health. Lastly, I go on a walk and listen to audiobooks or a podcast. I’m currently loving The Skinny Confidential and Dr. Stephanie Estimus.”
Don’t start with sugar. Sugar spikes your blood sugar levels and you don’t want to start your day like that. I usually have eggs, tuna salad on paleo bread, veggies on my plate always, and an arugula salad on the side.
If you are having sweets, front-load the sweet with food. So it’s better to have a dessert after a meal vs. a coffee and a pastry.
If you are having dessert, mix apple cider vinegar with water and drink after you have consumed the sweets. Apple cider vinegar sucks up the glucose a lot more quickly.
My last tip is for inflammation – sugar is inflammatory. So a good way to lessen that inflammation is by introducing something anti-inflammatory, and turmeric is great for that. The Bloat latte has turmeric in it. Turmeric has been used for centuries in ancient practices because it contracts with sugar.
“I’m a big skincare nerd, and I feel like it falls under the wellness category as well. I will make this quick because I could talk about skincare for an eternity. I had a really bad accident over the summer, where I fell off a Bird scooter and burnt my face. The Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream completely healed my face. I went to an event for the company, and he said the compound was developed to help burn victims.”
“I really love the Saie Slip Tint for foundation and the Dior Show Concealer to conceal spots. For cheeks I love Ilia. and I also LOVE their mascara. And my brows I use this amazing product from a Canadian brow artist called Rebel and Beauty Brow Gel.”
“I have a blazer obsession. I love Frankie Shop & Anine Bing for all my basics. If I’m really going to splurge it’s going to be on a bag. My most recent splurge was the Bottega Mini Jodi. I’m also a neutrals girl. I love having basics that you can layer and switch up. I would say my look is more tomboy than girly, so when it comes to dresses I usually throw a suit jacket or moto jacket over. I love Agolde Jeans and Artizia. For dresses, I usually go to Shopbop, obviously, I love Zimmermann. I would say my look is more tomboy than girly. I’m the type to put a blazer on top of a dress. And for jewelry, I love Shashi and Mejuir.”
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