Cleansing

A little over a week ago I celebrated my 25th birthday. Birthdays always seem to force me into thinking about my life, where my life has taken me, and where it is headed. In honor of turning 25, I decided to do a week long cleanse to start out the year in an intentional/contemplative way.

Before I get started, I have to share this photo of some mushrooms we found the other day. I was able to go mushroom foraging with my friend, Adam, and he showed me some good mushroom spots. Here's a photo of some chanterelles and black trumpets we found. So good! The best tasting and freshest mushrooms I have had thus far.

For those of who do not know, what is cleansing? What is the purpose of cleansing?

Cleaning Up

In a similar way that you would clean your house or weed your garden, cleansing is simply removing the "clutter" or "weeds" from your diet. Essentially, you are allowing your body to be on vacation, get rest, and take care of some things that have been on the back burner for too long. This is a time where you can decide what you want to eliminate from your diet/lifestyle, along with what you want to emphasize or add more of.

Common Misconceptions

There are many different beliefs behind what a real cleanse should be. Quite often people end up doing crazy pop-diet "cleanses" to lose weight in a very short period of time. It can easily become a pattern of fad yo-yo dieting disguised under the title of cleansing. If you don't know what you are doing upon entering a cleanse, you can really do some harm and make matters worse.

To make cleansing a little bit easier to understand, I have compiled a list of common myths.

Cleansing =  Diarrhea

Having diarrhea and being on the toilet every 2 minutes does not mean you are cleansing. If this is the case, you are not on a healthy cleanse.

Aren't most cleanses available to buy in OTC kits?

Most pre-packaged store bough cleanse kits are often not effective or one size fits all. Whenever entering a cleanse, it is important to have a specific purpose in doing so. The reason why you feel the need to cleanse should guide what type of cleanse you would be best suited for.

Cleansing only means juicing and fasting.

This is a very common misconception about cleansing. Many people think of cleanses being solely drinking fresh juice or fasting. In certain scenarios, fasting may be appropriate for a short period of time, but generally, it can result in your body switching into famine mode. When your body believes enters this state, it will slow your metabolism down in order to hold onto fat to make it through the famine. Our bodies have many specific mechanisms in place to help us survive situations many of us will never experience - true starvation for instance. Understanding what may trigger these mechanisms in times that we do not need them is important. Your body doesn't know the difference between a fad cleanse and a famine.

 Cleansing is a great method for quick weight loss.

While many people do lose some weight during a cleanse, losing excessive amounts of weight in a short period of time is not healthy. Healthy weight loss should be slow and gradual. Cleanses where large amounts of weight are lost in a short period of time are typically due to a sharp decrease in caloric intake which results in lost water or muscle weight.

Doing cleanses is unnecessary. The body already cleanses on its own.

For some reason, we are able to justify giving our cars or bikes regular tune ups, but don't understand the importance of tuning up our own bodies. It is true that our bodies have natural cleansing mechanisms to deal with toxins, but we need to face the reality of the toxic world we now live in. I personally believe that doing cleanses is more important now than it has ever been. Even 50-60 years ago people were not exposed to the high amount that we are today. In our present day and age, we are exposed to toxins from our water, air, body care products, processed food, alcohol, cigarettes, pharmaceutical drugs, so on and so forth. People who lived 100 years ago did not have this level of toxic stress being put on their bodies. With that being said, it is important that we set apart blocks of time where we refrain from harmful substances and allow our body time to recuperate.

Cleanses make you feel exhausted, angry, upset, and overly emotional.

Once again, depending upon why you are cleansing, this may or may not be true. Many people deal with headaches and moodiness the first couple days of a cleanse if they are weening off of sugar and caffeine. When you take away the vices that give you the energy you do not normally have, this will definitely be felt. Additionally, people who eat from a place of emotional strife (typically with sugar, alcohol, and processed carbs) may find themselves being overly sensitive, as their source of comfort is no longer available. Typically after around the third day of cleansing, you should feel more stable and even have more energy than before!

Now that you have an idea about the misconceptions of cleansing, here are some ideas to emphasize and utilize.

Schedule a cleanse the same way you would a vacation. Prepare in advance.

Doing a cleanse can be very challenging. It is important to have time to prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. Plan ahead what you are going to eat. Have a good portion of your meals preplanned and keep foods available to eat so that you are prepared when you find yourself in tempting situations.

Take time to be quiet.

Try to avoid being overly busy or stressed out during the time of a cleanse. Cleansing should be a time to relax, get massages, take baths, go on walks, be in nature, or anything else that helps you to be at peace. Cleansing is a great time to examine all different facets of life. What would you like to "tune-up" in your life to make yourself healthier, happier, or better functioning?

Focus more on giving your body optimal support.

When entering a cleanse it is easy to simply focus on what you are not eating. To combat this desire, focus on the foods that you can eat. 

The Basic Summary of Cleansing

To put it simply, cleansing is eliminating or greatly reducing your exposure to toxins, and giving your body adequate support to help move toxins out. Obviously, we cannot completely eliminate our exposure to all toxins, as they have become almost impossible to entirely avoid, but, we can at least decrease our exposure to harmful substances.

How to Decrease Intake of Toxins

• Pay attention to what products you put on your body and that are in your environment. Many cosmetic and cleaning products have high amounts of toxins. Here is a link to a great resource called the Environmental Working Group. They have a large data base of products and their toxicity levels, along with many other helpful resources on how to reduce exposure to harmful products.

• Eat organic non-genetically modified (GMO) foods. Eating an organic diet can be fairly pricey. Do research into what grocery stores offer the best prices. Or even better, go to your local farmers market! The freshest foods will offer the most benefits. If you are unable to buy completely organic, here is a chart of foods to absolutely buy organic and which ones are safer. 

• Avoid sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Coffee and alcohol require a large amount of work from the liver. One of the main reasons to do a cleanse in the first place is to give your liver a break, as it is responsible for breaking down and neutralizing the toxins you ingest. By removing these substances, you are allowing your liver to have a break and take care of removing other toxins. In regards to sugar, as we established in the previous post, it is something that you just should really greatly reduce or altogether eliminate from your diet.

• Keep processed foods out. A processed food is any type of food that has been greatly modified from its original form. For instance, a granola bar or a bag of chips are considered processed foods. Many processed foods are marketed as healthy, even though they contain an absurd amount of ingredients and are very far-removed from the actual ingredients it claims to be composed of. If a product has a large amount of ingredients and contains ingredients that you don't even know how to pronounce, it is best just to stay away.

• Take out food allergens/possible food allergens. Most cleanses require you to refrain from dairy, soy, corn, wheat, and eggs. This is due to the fact that many people are sensitive to these foods and are unaware of it. Unless you get specific blood tests done, the only way of truly knowing that you are sensitive to particular foods is by eliminating them for a period of time and reintroducing them one at a time to see if you have any reaction.

Move Toxins Out

As we have already established, our body does indeed already have systems in place to eliminate toxins. Our goal in cleansing is to support these systems as much as possible.

Here are a few suggestions on how to support the detoxifying systems in your body.

• Sweat. Sweating is one of the most effective ways to increase circulation and move toxins out of the body. This can be done via exercise, saunas, or baths. Make sure to hydrate before and after sweating!

• Eat 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. As I mentioned before, focus on what you can eat. Make smoothies, salads, roasted vegetables, or soups. These are all easy ways of getting vegetables. During my cleanse, I started out the morning with a smoothie that incorporated around 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables. Here are a few meals that I ate on my cleanse:

Breakfast: Smoothie made with 3 leaves of rainbow chard, 1 apple, 1/2 cup of blueberries, coconut milk, and multi-vitamin rice protein based powder

Lunch: Zucchini "pasta." Cut up zucchini, or spaghetti squash, and cook. Cover with marinara sauce like you would pasta. Put garlic, onions, basil, and kale in your tomato sauce. 

Dinner: Cabbage or lettuce taco wraps made with diced and roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed squash and onions, guacamole, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and lime.

The best foods to support your liver and overall body in cleansing include: onions, garlic, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, beets, lemons, carrots, and turmeric. Try to incorporate these foods into your diet as much as possible, particularly during a cleanse.

Here are a couple of foods I got to pick myself and eat during my cleanse. Straight from the homestead!

• Stay hydrated. As your body releases toxins, it is important to have appropriate hydration to keep fluids moving through and out the body. If you want to be extra careful about reducing toxin exposure, buy filtered water. Herbal teas (no caffeine), fresh vegetable juices, and lemon water are all great for cleanses.

• Reduce consumption of meat. Depending upon the quality of the meat you consume (conventional vs. grass-fed), meat can be detrimental towards cleansing, as pork and beef have some inflammatory properties. If you do consume meat during a cleanse, stick to free-range chicken or wild-caught fish.

• Get enough sleep. Your body naturally detoxes while you sleep. Typically around 2-3 a.m. your liver reaches its peak detox time and your pineal gland excretes hormones which help to clean up harmful bacteria. Cleansing can be an important time for you to emphasize giving yourself the rest you don't normally make time for. If you are the type of person who has a hard time slowing down, make an appointment to rest as you would any other event.

Supplementation

Taking supplements can also help your body in the cleansing process. Below is a list of supplements commonly suggested for cleansing.

• Milk Thistle (for the liver)
• Activated Charcoal (binds to toxins and carries out of the body)
• Multi-Strain Probiotics (improves digestion)
• Turmeric (reduces inflammation)
• Omega-3's (reduces inflammation)
• Dandelion Root (for the liver and kidneys)

I hope that you have found this helpful in understanding how cleansing works and why it is important. If you are new to cleansing, make sure to be under the care of a medical and health professional. As I mentioned before, cleanses can greatly vary based (length, method, supplements) upon what your particular needs are and the intent is to improve your health and to not cause harm. 

Blood Sugar Balance and Insulin Resistance

Blood sugar balance is a topic not commonly addressed in regards to health unless you have already developed diabetes, or are well on your way. So if you don't have diabetes and are not overweight, why is it important to be aware of your blood sugar?

It has been only a matter of decades since humans were able to eat sugar in such copious amounts. Sugar and fruit were once something that only the wealthy could afford, farmers could grow, and foragers could find. Now, sugar is in everything and anything from a bottle of ketchup to a cup of yogurt.

Below are some statistics to give you an idea of just how much more sugar the average person is eating these days. Yikes!

• 1700's - 4 pounds of sugar per year.
• 1800's - 18 pounds of sugar per year.
• 1900's - 90 pounds of sugar per year.
• 2009- More than 50 percent of all Americans consume 180 pounds of sugar a year. Translating to half a pound of sugar per day.

To the left and below are pictures taken from a man named Weston A. Price. He was a dentist who did research in the 1930's with aboriginal groups and dental health. He came to find that the groups who had been exposed to processed sugar and foods (western diet) had exponentially worse dental health than those who ate a traditional diet. As you can probably already tell, the top photos are from the groups who ate a modernized diet. Quite a difference!
If you are interested in knowing more of this study, here is a link. Weston A. Price



Sugar Basics

Generally speaking, most of us are aware to some degree that sugar is detrimental towards our health - beyond what naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables. So why is sugar so damaging? What happens on the internal level when we consume sugar?

The research has shown that the best foods for supporting your health are those that keep your blood sugar levels slow and steady. Balanced blood sugar is extremely important in maintaining all levels of health ranging from mental health, immunity, and longevity of life.

So how does blood sugar work?

• When you consume food, the body breaks down starches and sugars into glucose (what your cells use for energy). 

• After the conversion has been completed, glucose enters the bloodstream.

• Once the glucose has entered the bloodstream, insulin, an important hormone produced in the pancreas, moves glucose out of the blood into body cells, where it can then be used for energy.

• Blood sugar levels rise and fall based around your body's needs: down when you need to eat, up after you eat.

• After you eat, your blood sugar level will rise, and your body will release insulin to transport the glucose. 

• The increase in insulin sends a message to your brain that you have enough energy to keep your cells energized.

• You are full and satiated.

Insulin

Once again, insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas in response to an increase in blood sugar, it transports glucose into the cells of your body and also signals to the liver to convert glucose into glycogen (a form of stored energy) for later usage. Whenever the areas of storage for glycogen are too full, increased insulin levels lead to the conversion of glucose into triglycerides (fat) for long-term storage in fat cells. Basically, if you eat large amounts of sugar regularly and your body is not using the glucose stored up for energy, your body will end up storing the sugar as fat.

What Causes Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is caused by the consumption of too many refined, sugary carbohydrates and beverages. Over time, if you regularly eat sugary refined, carbohydrates, your cells will slowly become numb —or resistant—to the effects of insulin and continually need more of it to keep your blood sugar at normal levels. To put it simply, your cells need higher and higher doses of sugar to stay stimulated.

When the pancreas is not making enough insulin, this is where we see Type I diabetes (typically developed in childhood). When the body is unable to use the insulin that is present, the cells cannot use glucose, and they begin to starve. This is type II diabetes. A continual store of excess glucose in the bloodstream sets the stage for diabetes to form.

To detect diabetes, a high insulin level is the first sign. Unfortunately, most doctors never know to have this tested. Instead, they regularly test blood sugar levels. Symptoms of insulin resistance may result in weight gain around the belly, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, or even heart palpitations and panic attacks.

Carbohydrates 


Throughout the years there has been a great deal of hype around carbohydrates, particularly low-carb diets. While there is some truth to the importance of keeping carbohydrates at lower levels, in my opinion, the type of carbohydrates a person is consuming makes a world of difference. For example, white flour and white sugar, are refined carbohydrates commonly found in desserts, pasta, and white bread. There are many reasons as to why refined carbohydrates have developed a negative reputation:

• Refined carbohydrates are viewed to be addictive due to a measurable spike in the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is responsible for appetite, mood, and digestion.

• They are quickly metabolized and create insulin spikes in the body (sugar high). Perpetually high spikes in insulin and blood sugar may damage metabolism, create weight gain, and set you on a fast track to developing insulin resistance (pre-diabetes).

• After being processed, carbohydrates are stripped down so that they no longer posses many important nutrients. Aside from what they are missing, desserts, breads, baked goods, candy, and soda and are all made with refined carbohydrates and often contain harmful additives like high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats.

It is common to experience roller coaster-like effect with refined carbohydrates.

You need energy. 
You eat sugar. 
You have a sugar high. 
You drop and crash. 
You need sugar.
And more sugar...
And more sugar...
And crash.

Up and down and up and down. If a person has this vicious sugar cycle, it typically has a huge affect on their ability to be emotionally stable. When a sugar addict does not get adequate amounts of sugar, extreme shifts in mood are common. In more serious forms of sugar addiction, these mood shifts can result in abusive or violent behavior, particularly more in adolescents.

Imbalanced Blood Sugar Symptoms

There are a wide variety of symptoms that may occur from blood sugar imbalance.

• Increased appetite
• Food cravings (particularly sugar and refined carbohydrates)
• Fatigue
• Brain fog, inability to concentrate
• Depression
• Pessimistic thoughts
• Irritability
• Obsessive thought patterns
• Feeling jittery, hyper, or nervous

Here is a small example of how much sugar is in commonly consumed foods and drinks!

 

Complex Carbohydrates

On the other side of carbohydrates, we have complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates come in the form of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. They have gained a positive reputation for the following reasons:

• They contain large amounts of nutrients and fiber that are essential for optimal health.

• The slowed down absorption rates of sugar provides a steadier supply of energy. This prevents less sugar from being converted into storage forms as fat, or in the liver.

• The slow nature of complex carbohydrates allow you to feel satiated for longer periods of time, supporting weight loss and better food choices. In addition, they also decrease the dramatic peaks and lows in energy and uncontrollable sugar cravings.

Below is a list of ways to keep your blood sugar balanced and healthy.

• Eat protein with breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast is the best way of keeping your blood sugar balanced. Many of us start the day with a bowl of cereal, juice, a banana, yogurt, or just a cup of coffee and sugar! Next time you eat breakfast, take a close look at how much sugar you are consuming. Breakfast foods are often not much better (or worse) than dessert. In particular, fruit juices, cereals, and yogurt are all places you will find sugar in abundance. By eating protein first thing in the morning you are allowing your blood sugar to be stable from the start. If you start out with your blood sugar at stable levels at the beginning, your energy will be much more stable throughout the rest of the day.

Example Breakfasts: 
- 1-2 egg omelette with vegetables, organic cheese, and an apple. 
- Scramble made with sweet potatoes, sausage or bacon, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and kale.
- Smoothie made with half an avocado, flaxseeds, half a banana or apple, non-sweetened coconut milk, and protein powder (look for powders with no added sugar and made from whole foods).

• When you eat a carbohydrate, always pair it with a fat, fiber, or protein. This means that if you eat an apple, have a handful of nuts or a couple cubes of cheese with it. Even though an apple is healthy, it still contains sugar and will give you a more stable form of energy with protein, fiber, or fat to slow down its release into your bloodstream.

• If you often become "hangry" (feeling angry due to hunger), make sure to have snacks on hand. This anger or irritability often means that your blood sugar is low and you need energy. This is where most people run for a sugary treat. Having a healthy snack with you at all times will help bring you to a stable level where you will be able to resist those fries and milkshake cravings with greater ease. I often keep a small bag of almonds for emergency hangry situations to hold me over until I am able to eat a full meal.

• Stay hydrated. Many people mistake dehydration as hunger and sugar cravings. If you start craving sugar or refined carbohydrates, drink water first. 

Below is a chart from Natural Grocers for all of you visual learners on the difference between balanced and imbalanced blood sugar.

A word on artificial sweeteners...

In an attempt to reduce sugar consumption, many people have switched to "diet" or sugar free items. While these sweeteners are nice in theory, they are also extremely detrimental and should be avoided. I will not go into artificial sweeteners too deep right now (there's a lot to cover), but basically, the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners still creates a release of insulin into the bloodstream contributing to insulin resistance, along with a whole myriad of other potential health problems. If you are going to use any type of sweetener, I recommend raw honey, raw sugar, black strap molasses, or stevia. While each of these is still sugar (aside from stevia) and should still be consumed in moderation, these sweeteners still contain important nutrients.

Preventing Insulin Resistance

To truly prevent insulin resistance, eating a whole foods based, well-balanced diet is the most effective route to take. Below is another chart from Natural Grocers on how to structure a meal to prevent/combat insulin resistance and support overall health. Here is a link to this chart if you would like to print one off for yourself or anyone else.
Healthy Meal Wheel
If you would like an explanation sheet to go along with this chart, go here. Meal Chart Guide

Recovering from Sugar Addiction

Particularly with sugar addiction, sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils. To ween yourself off of sugar, taking it slow and steady is a good route. Like I said, if you are addicted to sugar and suddenly stop, it can create extreme mood changes. If you are someone that needs a more gradual plan to cutting out sugar, below is a list of tips to help you reduce sugar consumption:

• If you are not ready to give up soda, mix carbonated water with organic juice (no added sugar). It still contains a decent amount of sugar, but at least it will contain some nutrients. If you are into being crafty, make your own creative syrups to mix with carbonated water. I would also recommend kombucha as a soda substitute. It is carbonated, a little sweet, and contains some good probiotics.

• Keep a bar of organic dark chocolate on hand (at least 70% cocoa). If you do get a sugar craving that you feel you cannot resist, dark chocolate is the way to go. It is low in sugar and also contains some good antioxidants!

• As I said before, be prepared with healthy snacks at all times! Avoiding moments of desperation is key in being able to resist those sugar cravings.

I hope you find this helpful in becoming more aware of your sugar consumption! Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or suggestions for topics you would like me to cover.

Sources

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx
http://bloodsugarbasics.com/about-blood-sugar
http://www.womentowomen.com/insulinresistance/carbohydratefoods.aspx
http://www.naturalgrocers.com/nutrition/learn-build-healthy-and-delicious-diet-using-our-simple-meal-wheel

Eat Fat!

Over the past few decades fat has gained a negative reputation. Someone came up with the big idea that eating fat will make you fat. Once again, reducing health to a mere equation. Everyone switched from butter to margarine, whole milk to skim, pig bacon to turkey bacon. That original research blamed saturated fat as the cause of cardiovascular disease. Recently, it is now becoming more and more recognized that the real culprit of cardiovascular disease in Western culture is carbohydrates (sugars and starches).

Years later, we can now obviously see that the whole eating less fat deal is not helping our current situation. The rise of cardiovascular disease is not slowing down and the quality of food most people consume has plummeted. I think that it is time that we stop avoiding foods that naturally occur in nature, and become more concerned with avoiding the substances that are edible and taste good - but are not real food.

As this low-fat belief still remains throughout our present diets, I am pleased to tell you that eating healthy fat is actually good for you. In fact, it is vital for you to eat. Fat is necessary for nerve function, cell communication, protecting brain cells, digestion, reducing inflammation, the formation of hormones (which regulate your metabolism), and helping to keep your blood sugar balanced. 

Many people in the nutrition industry are now pointing their fingers at omega-6s, or linoleic acid (found in vegetable oils, grains, and grain-fed animals) as the latest dangerous fat. Although there is some truth to this, the real issue resides in just how much omega-6 fat a person eats. Omega-6 and omega-3 oils have a complex relationship. In order for omega-6 oils to be beneficial, they need to be in balance with omega-3 fats. Our ancestors ate a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 of omega-3 to omega-6 fats. Presently, very few people eat adequate amounts of omega-3 fat and copious amounts of omega-6, with a ratio of 1:10 or 1:40.

In addition, organic high quality sources of natural saturated fat like butter, lard, and tallow contain high amounts of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. These particular vitamins actually need the presence of fat to be absorbed and are absolutely essential for the proper utilization of other vitamins and minerals. For instance, when you eat a carrot, in order for your body to be able to convert beta-carotene to Vitamin A, you need to be eating some type of fat with the carrot for your body to be able to make the conversion into Vitamin A.

I will go over some fats throughout this post that I believe to be particularly exceptional. I want to make it very clear that the source of where you receive your fat determines whether it is harmful or beneficial. Fried foods, trans fats, and an overabundance of omega-6 fats are all fats that you will want to lessen or eliminate in your diet.

Below is a list of healthy fats I would recommend:

• Coconut Oil: Coconut oil has become one of my favorite fats. It truly is a fat that works wonders. Many people are afraid to eat coconut oil, as it is classified as a saturated fat. Although this is true, coconut oil is considered to be a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA). MCFAs are sent to the liver almost immediately to be used for energy, versus storage. Coconut oil also contains a substance called lauric acid. Lauric acid is found in high concentrations in human breast milk and converts into another compound called monolaurin - known for its ability to strengthen the immune system. Coconut oil also contains antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties, all of which are great for fighting off infections. For those of you who suffer from any type of fungal or yeast issues, coconut oil can be use via consumption or anywhere on your skin. Coconut oil can also be used for your skin, hair, metabolism, shaving, thai curries, and is even on the forefront for Alzheimer's research! Below is a link with recipes utilizing coconut milk or fat.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/20-recipes-you-can-make-with-coconut-milk/

• Fish Oil: Fish oil is a powerful oil most known for its omega-3 content and ability to reduce inflammation. Omega-3 stands for omega-3 fatty acid, which is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. It also includes a group of three fats called Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is a plant-based fatty acid - EPA and DHA are animal based. Fish oil contains compounds called DHA and EPA. DHA and EPA are key components in healthy brain function. Vegetarians need to be particularly mindful in getting enough omega-3s, as ALA is their major omega-3 source and does not easily convert into DHA and EPA. When using fish as a source of omega-3 oils, I would recommend avoiding farmed-fish and go for the wild caught. If you are weary of eating salmon due to overfishing practices, try a can of sardines in the same way you would make a tuna salad. I like these brands:

 http://www.wildplanetfoods.com
http://www.nordicnaturals.com/

• Olive Oil: Most people are aware that olive oil is a healthy fat. When buying olive oil, it is important to buy extra virgin and in a dark bottle. If olive oil is exposed to air or light, it will easily become rancid and contain very few medicinal properties.

• Organic Butter
• Avocado
• Nuts and seeds (walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds)
• Eggs
• Organic Full Fat Dairy

• Grass-fed/Organic Animal Fat: Eating fat from an animal that was grass-fed or free-ranged is the best way to get healthy fat from animal products. If the animal you consume had a healthy diet, they will contain many more nutrients (and have had a much more pleasant life). Don't be afraid to eat that fat on your bacon.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of fat in your diet. Fat keeps your brain working, your cells functioning, and your appetite satiated. Go eat some fat!

Sources

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega3-fatty-acids
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/omega-3/
http://wellnessmama.com/2072/benefits-of-coconut-oil/

Digestive Health

I apologize for not keeping up with my posts for the past couple of weeks. I am still in the process of settling into my new environment at the homestead.

Many people do not realize the importance of maintaining a health digestive tract - ignoring digestive issues and believing that it is just a normal part of life. As this is true to some extent, many people dismiss digestive concerns and never try to figure out what is causing their discomfort. For a long while I thought that regularly having stomach aches was something that everyone else experienced in the same way I did. When you get used to feeling a certain way, it is hard to realize that you really do not feel well until you resolve whatever has been causing the issue. Often times, when a person says they feel "fine" this means that they have grown accustomed to not feeling well.

Going back to an idea I mentioned in my previous post, around 80% of your body's immunity resides in the gut. This is due to the fact that the digestive tract is responsible for absorbing nutrients from food and also keeping toxins from entering the bloodstream.

A great deal of current medicine practice is approached in a reductionist manner. For instance, if you have eczema, you are given a cream to rub on your skin. If you have chronic fatigue, you get medication. So on and so forth. Understanding the interconnectedness of every system in your body is extremely important in addressing any health concern. Just because a particular area of your body aches, does not mean that is where the underlying issue lies.

From my personal standpoint, I believe that the first step in balancing almost any health ailment should be to look at the health of the digestive tract. If the digestive tract is not functioning well, important nutrients will not be absorbed - making the immune system weaken, and other potential toxins will be able to enter the body with ease.

Leaky gut is one of the most common issues in the digestive tract. Within the lining of healthy intestines, the cells are held together by what are known as tight junctions. Essentially, tight junctions are the gatekeepers that allow or block particles from entering the gut to move into the body’s circulation. When the integrity of the intestinal lining is compromised, particles begin to “leak” through these cells and their junctions, and pass into the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Anything from digested chunks of food, waste, toxins, microbes, and even antigens and pathogens may enter your blood stream. Essentially, your digestive tract becomes like a pair of jeans that have been worn everyday and begin to develop holes and rips.

In the case of the leaky gut, when the particles leak into your bloodstream your immune system senses that something is wrong and stimulates the inflammatory response. Leaky gut and inflammation have a chicken and egg relationship. Inflammation causes leaky gut and leaky gut furthers inflammation. Leaky gut and inflammation also have many of the same causes. This means that by reducing inflammation we are helping to heal leaky gut and by healing leaky gut we are helping to reduce inflammation.

 There are a wide variety of things that may cause inflammation and damage the gut:

• Excess stress
• Alcohol consumption
• Exposure to environmental toxins (pesticides, food additives, pollution)
• Consumption of food allergens or sensitivities
• Hormone imbalances
• Parasites and bacterial overgrowth (candida)
• Antibiotics
• Antacids
• NSAIDS (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs), aspirin, ibuprofen
• Sugar
• Not chewing your food well enough
• Cigarette smoking
• Low stomach acid

Leaky gut can become a serious condition if it is not addressed. In the case of leaky gut, a chronically inflamed body is the perfect setting for many health conditions to settle. When your immune system is unable to function well and your body is constantly inflamed, this sets the stage for other conditions and diseases to develop.

There are many different factors that come into play if the digestive tract needs some repair work. Just because you do not commonly have stomach issues does not mean that your digestive tract is healthy. As I said before, if you have leaky gut, particles that are not regularly allowed outside of the gut may enter the bloodstream. Anything that gets into your bloodstream is capable of being carried throughout your entire body. This means that even though you do not have common digestive issues, leaky gut can still create other symptoms.

Leaky gut also creates a great deal of stress on the liver, which is responsible for processing and neutralizing toxins from the bloodstream. Therefore, the jobs that the liver normally does, such as processing and balancing hormones, will be pushed to the side.

Below are a list of symptoms and ailments related to leaky gut:

• Allergies
• Autoimmune disease
  
• Celiac disease
  
• Crohn's disease
  
• Hives
• Acne
• Depression
  
• Asthma
  
• Inflammatory joint disease / arthritis
  
• Intestinal infections
• Headaches
  
• Pancreatic insufficiency
  
• Ulcerative colitis
  
• Giardia
• Hormonal imbalances
  
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
  
• Eczema
  
• Psoriasis
  
• Food allergies and sensitivities
  
• Liver dysfunction
  
• Rheumatoid arthritis
  
• Irritable bowel syndrome

Since leaky gut can manifest itself in so many different ways, most practitioners have a difficult time in the diagnosis process, or do not even recognize leaky gut as a real health condition. Paying attention to the signals that your body gives you is the best way of truly knowing what is happening.

 In order to heal the gut, there are a few steps we need to take, also known as the four Rs.

1. Remove the offenders: Removing harmful substances, common food allergens (gluten and dairy) reducing stress, and anything else that may damage your digestive tract.
2. Repair: Use dietary choices, supplements, and herbs to seal the cracks.
3. Reinoculate: Give your digestive tract a boost with probiotics and antioxidants.
4. Regulate: Once again, prevention is the best cure. Take care of your body to prevent leaky gut from developing again.

Below is a list of dietary suggestions, supplements, and herbs that are helpful in helping your body repair.

• L-Glutamine (an amino acid, or protein building block)
• Slippery Elm Bark
• Aloe Vera juice
• Milk Thistle
• Marshmallow Root
• Licorice Root
• Dandelion
• Turmeric
• Probiotics
• Omega 3s

Most of the supplements are aimed at reducing inflammation and creating a protective layer in the digestive tract.

If you do not know what many of these supplements are and think that you may have leaky gut, visit your local health food store and talk to someone in the supplement section. They should be able to direct you in a good direction. I also encourage you to do your own research.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need more clarification!

Sources

Olson, Scott. "Leaky Gut Syndrome: The Hidden Root Cause to Many Digestive       

http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/leaky-gut-probiotics

Lipski, Elizabeth. Digestive Wellness. 3. McGraw-Hill , 2005. 88-89. Print.

Ehlrich, Steven. “University of Maryland Medical Center.” <http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/milk-thistle-000266.html

Pick, Marcelle. "Leaky gut syndrome — how healing your digestive tract promotes total wellness." http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/leakygutsyndrome intestinalpermeability

 

 

 

Relationship to Food

Before I go deeper into specific health topics, I would like to cover some different facets of the way we relate to food. While eating healthy food is certainly an important component of health, there are others aspects of eating that need to be explored.

Why We Eat
It is quite obvious that we eat mainly because we cannot live without food. Although this is the essential foundation of why we eat, most people eat for many other reasons. Eating habits may be based around emotional comfort, convenience, identity, safety, boredom, compulsion, instant gratification, or self-rewarding. Food can be like a drug for many people. Unfortunately, unlike other substances, food is something that we cannot eliminate. We have to eat. This means that we have to learn to develop a better relationship with food in order to improve our health.

How We Eat
Most of us do not make much of an effort to really stop and think about how we are eating. Do you eat fast? Do you eat while you are doing five other things? Do you eat when you are stressed? The way we eat has a huge affect on our bodies. If you eat too fast and don't chew well enough, your body will have a difficult time digesting and utilizing nutrients. This means that even if you eat the healthiest meal possible, your body will not be able to absorb all the possible nutrients.

Here are some tips for improving the way you eat:

• Smell your food before eating (it gets the digestive juices going).
• Sit down while eating.
• Put your fork down between each bite.
• Don't eat in front of a screen or while driving.
• Chew slower.
• If you are stressed, find a way to calm down before eating. 
• If possible, try and eat in a peaceful environment. 
• Cook and eat with people you care about.

Understanding Your Relationship to Food
Before making any diet or lifestyle changes to improve your health, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of not just what you would like to change, but why you would like to change.  

1. Keep A Food Journal
 Recording what you eat for a week, or even a few days, is a helpful way to understand what you are actually eating. When I did my first food journal, I was shocked to see what my diet looked like on paper. If you are a high-tech i-Phone kind of person, take pictures of everything you eat and drink for a week. When you record what you eat, make a note of how you are feeling before and after you eat: tired, emotional, bored, hungry, bloated, etc. Additionally, keeping note of your digestive patterns can be important as well.

2. Find Meaningful Reasons To Change
Many people try to be healthier simply to lose weight. While being a healthy weight is important, the desire to be skinny is often not enough to stay motivated. I am sure that many of you can relate with the "getting fit" New Years resolution that rarely comes to fruition. There needs to be deeper underlying reasons for change to happen. Motivation comes and goes. Maybe you want to be more emotionally and mentally stable, have more energy for a relationship or job, get healthy before having a baby, set an example for loved ones, or are just tired of feeling sick all the time. Having a meaningful reason to change will give you an extra wind when moments of weakness arise (and they will).

3. Don't Beat Yourself Up
Thinking about food in a "good" and "bad" mentality can be very detrimental. Working with nutrition the past few years, I have heard too many people call themselves good or bad in regards to what they eat.

I came up with an analogy to help me view health choices in a different light (I apologize for the cheesy inspirational writing). Say you make a budget to save up for an expensive trip to a place you have always wanted to go. In order to have enough money for your trip, you will have to make some changes here and there, plan, and focus on your end goal in moments of temptation. Making dietary changes works in a similar way. Instead of thinking a food as good or bad, think about whether the food is helping you achieve your end goal.

 3. Make Realistic Goals
When I first started school for nutrition, I became overwhelmed by all the new health information I was learning. I became obsessed with what I should and should not be eating (and probably drove the people around me crazy). Deciding what to eat was suddenly very stressful for me. After some time, I came to the realization that the expectations I had for myself were unrealistic. Unless you are the rare personality type that can make an extreme change overnight and stick to it, change is very gradual. From my personal experiences and observation, gradual change is the most effective way of making dietary habits that will last. For instance, I began focusing on what I wanted to eat more of, versus what I wanted to eat less of. I began by eating 1-2 more servings of vegetables a day. Once this goal was accomplished, I focused on eating a healthy breakfast every morning. So on and so forth. Just like any change, adjusting takes time. Before you know it, the changes that seem so difficult will be a part of your everyday routine.

Take some time to figure out what it is you would like to develop and accomplish with your own health. The way you decide to make changes should be unique to your personal needs and goals. Gaining an understanding of your body and eating habits is vitally important in being healthy.

As Dead Prez says, be healthy y'all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTAhSJt_8x8

Seasonal Allergies

 

As allergy season is quickly approaching or may already be active for some of you, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss different ways in which we can work to prevent and treat your seasonal allergies with nutrition.

Contrary to popular belief, seasonal allergies are actually very treatable without prescription or over-the counter (OTC) medications. With the proper support and care, the immune system can grow strong enough to react less to common seasonal allergens. I can personally attest to this – as I used to get seasonal allergies that would completely debilitate me, unless I took medication.

What are seasonal allergies?

Referring back to the naturopathic principles, it is important to not just ask how do we treat allergies - but why do we get seasonal allergies in the first place? Why is it harmful for pollen to enter the body?

To put it simply, an allergy is an overly aggressive immune response. This can be triggered via food ingestion, inhalation, or touch. When the body is exposed to these different substances, it releases histamine. Histamine is what is responsible for the common allergy symptoms of sneezing, excessive mucous production, itchiness, headache, etc.

Pollens from different varieties of grasses, weeds, and trees are examples of substances that shouldn’t pose the same threat to your body that some other toxins do. Basically, there really is no need for your body to activate a strong histamine response when there is exposure to pollens.

I have come to believe that seasonal allergies result from a hypersensitive or low-functioning immune system. Many lifestyle choices play a huge role in a person’s susceptibility to seasonal allergies

• Too much stress or poor stress management
• Lack of rest
• Poor food choices (sugar, processed foods, trans-fats, too much caffeine and alcohol)
• Exposure to toxins (pollution, body-care products, hair-dyes, pesticides, cleaning supplies, food additives, cigarette smoke) 

Essentially, a great deal of whether you experience seasonal allergies, or how severely you experience seasonal allergies, is dependent upon the health of 3 things in your body:

1 Immune system

2. Digestive tract

3. Adrenal glands (glands that sit at the top of the kidneys which are responsible for helping you react to stress).

When looking at the health of these different components, the first place we need to look at is the digestive tract.

The digestive tract holds a whopping 80% of your body’s immunity. If your digestive tract is damaged, the ability for your body to get rid of toxins and also to absorb nutrients will be greatly lessened. This means that many of the nutrients that your immune system needs to function properly will not be available.

 

There are a variety of ways in which we can support the body throughout allergy season with nutrition, herbs, and lifestyle factors.

Nutrition

•  Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces per day. Drink more if you are highly physically active.
• Consume dark green leafy vegetables daily (spinach, kale, collard greens, chard).
•  Load up on garlic and onions. They are high in a flavonoid (a type of plant pigment), called quercetin. Quercetin is extremely helpful in reducing allergy symptoms and overall inflammation. 
•  Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is helpful in helping the body utilize quercetin more effectively. Stick to the whole plant and not the juice, as the juice contains a large amount of sugar.
• If you are suffering from excess mucous, particularly in your throat, ginger, cayenne, horseradish, and wasabi all work wonders for breaking down mucous.
• Healthy Fats are found in wild-caught fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, grass-fed meats, coconut milk or oil, and olive oil. Healthy fat is very effective in keeping inflammation low.

Many people who suffer from seasonal allergies are unaware that they may be sensitive to certain foods, particularly wheat, dairy, corn, or soy. If you are someone who regularly gets sinus infections during allergy season, there is a good chance you have a food sensitivity, particularly to dairy or gluten.

To keep your allergy symptoms minimal I would suggest to eliminate, or greatly reduce, the following from your diet:

• Wheat
• Dairy (if you cannot give up dairy try to stick to unsweetened yogurt – sweeten yourself with berries or local honey)
• Sugar – keep a close eye on sugar. It is in many unexpected places, even things that are marketed as “healthy.”
• Red Meat
• Excess alcohol and caffeine
• Fried and processed foods, particularly those with food coloring.

Supplements and Herbs

• Nettles: Nettles can be consumed through teas, tinctures, capsules, or just by eating them. They are one of the key natural defense mechanisms in keeping allergies at bay. Supplementing with nettles around 2 weeks before allergy season starts is best. You can find nettles at any health food store.
• Probiotics: Probiotics are healthy bacteria that help to keep our body’s immune system in balance. Probiotics can be consumed through fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, and kefir. You can also supplement with capsules or liquid drinks. If you are not accustomed to eating fermented foods or taking probiotic supplements, start with a small dose and work your way up.
• Vitamin C
• A whole foods based multi-vitamin
• Omega 3s: Fish oil or flaxseed oil
• Oregano Oil can be taken through capsules or through tinctures. It is fairly potent, but is very helpful in keeping bacteria and inflammation at bay.
• Unfiltered apple cider vinegar is one of my most common remedies for many things, especially with allergies. Mix 1 tablespoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar with water and a little bit of local honey twice a day. If it makes you feel a little queezy on an empty stomach, try taking it right after you eat. Braggs is the most common brand for unfiltered apple cider vinegar, but sometimes you can find other brands that are cheaper.

I hope that this information allows all of you allergy sufferers to get off the couch from your allergy medication drugged up state to enjoying the nice Spring weather.

Sources

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/allergy-relief/

http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/03/natural-remedies-for-seasonal-allergies/ 
 
http://commonwealthherbs.com/2011/04/herbal-relief-from-seasonal-allergies/

http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/breathe-easy-this-spring.aspx

Hello Everyone -

As some of you may have heard, I finished my schooling at the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver, Colorado a few months ago and am now a certified M.N.T (Master Nutrition Therapist). For those of you who do not know - this certification is somewhat similar to being a nutritionist or dietician, but is also very different as it is based out of holistic/naturopathic health principles.

I will be working on a medicinal herbal farm (http://www.lanesendhomestead.com/) in North Carolina for the summer and will be keeping this blog as a means of sharing what I learned in my schooling and also what I will continue to learn.

To give you an idea of where I will be coming from in my approach to health matters, my education was based around 6 main principles, which also happen to be the same principles Naturopathic doctors abide by:

1. The Healing Power of Nature 

 Naturopathic principles recognize an inherent self-healing process in the person which is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic practitioners act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process.

 2. Identify and Treat the Causes 

The practitioner seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness, rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.

 3. First Do No Harm

- Utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat;
- Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms;
- Acknowledge, respect and work with the individual's self-healing process.

 4. Practitioner as Teacher 

 Naturopathic practitioners educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. They also recognize and employ the therapeutic potential of the practitioner-patient relationship.

5. Treat the Whole Person 

Naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. Since total health also includes spiritual health, Naturopathic practitioners encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual development.

6. Prevention is the Best "Cure" 

Naturopathic practitioners emphasize the prevention of disease - assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease and making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.

 Information from: http://naturopathic.org

From a personal standpoint, I studied Nutrition Therapy to help people take control over their own health to prevent disease formation, unnecessary surgeries, medications, and medical debt. Most people are not aware that they have the ability to make their own health decisions aside from what conventional doctors may suggest. Many people think that holistic health practices are rather hocus-pocus and do not have any scientific validity. They believe that anything aside from conventional medicine is for all those "damn hippies." Although there are unfortunately many holistic practitioners out there practicing in an unsound manner, aside from this stigma, I would like to offer a different approach to holistic health information in which I have personally witnessed to be effective and has been scientifically proven.

With all of this being said, to put it simply - I will be maintaining this blog as a means of sharing what I have learned with the hope that it will be useful and enlightening to others.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
Hippocrates