Intermittent Fasting - Is it right for you?

Intermittent Fasting - Is it for me?

Intermittent fasting is a current trend and popular way to lose weight. But is it right for you? Here are some things to consider before deciding if IF is right for you.

Let’s first look at the definition of intermittent fasting. At its core, IF is a specific window of time in which to eat your meals. You can do it at anytime that suits your schedule and it is typically a fasting window that lasts 12-15 hours. It is easiest when done during your sleep time and extended through your first hours of being awake.

Benefits of IF are digestive health, brain health, weight loss, increased insulin sensitivity, lowers blood glucose levels, can lower inflammation in the body and more.

How do you know if it is right for you? Here are some questions to ask yourself regarding IF:

1. Is my digestion in good working order?

Are you hungry in the mornings? If not, that is a sign that your stomach is not making enough HCL to digest your food, which can lead to leaky gut and other auto-immune disorders. Also, there are specific minerals that need an acidic environment in order to be absorbed

Are you taking PPIs for heartburn? Take a look at your heartburn medication. The length of time to be on this medication is typically 4-8 weeks, not indefinitely. Heartburn is an indication that you are NOT making enough HCL, and that your food is not being digested well, thus allowing contents to splash up into the esophagus creating the “heartburn” feeling. Being on PPIs longterm can result in down regulated digestion, allowing for pathogens and undigested foods to be passed into the digestive system. The HCL in your stomach is one of your first lines of defense to kill bacteria and pathogens.

Are you able to digest fats? Do you get a stomach ache or pain in your liver/gallbladder area after eating foods with fats? Do you have a gallbladder? These issues need to be resolved to allow for proper digestion and absorption before attempting IF. Healthy fats are part of a healthy diet. They allow for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Healthy fats are also necessary to make hormones, create cell membranes, allow cell membranes to communicate

2. Have you struggled with an eating disorders ?- Trying to do IF can be a trigger if you have had an eating disorder or currently struggle with one. I would not IF if this is the case.

3. Are you Pregnant or breast feeding? - If so, this is not the time for IF. Your body and your baby need all the nutrition and consistent meals for energy.

4. Do you have diabetes? - type 1 and 2 diabetics should seek the advice from their doctors before trying IF.

5. How are you breaking your IF? What is the first thing that is going into your mouth after you have done IF? Are you eating cookies or carbohydrates? If you are breaking your fast with sugar or carbohydrates, that is going to spike your insulin levels and create inflammation in the body. These are the worse things to eat right after finishing an IF session.

6. Do you struggle with blood sugar dysregulation? - if you are waking up at night or having other signs of blood sugar dysregulation, you may want to wait on intermittent fasting. When your blood sugar is dysregulated, your blood sugar/insulin is spiking and getting too low and your body is constantly trying to regulate itself. Getting your diet and stress levels ironed out first will allow your body to be able to respond in a much healthier way to IF.

Before trying IF, I'd recommend making sure your digestion and blood sugar regulation is in good shape first. And, as with anything, check with your doctor first before trying something new, especially if you are on medications or have any diagnosed health issues.

LOW CARB NUTS

LOW-CARB NUTS

When you are looking to keep your carbs down to avoid blood sugar spikes, did you know that there are some nuts you may want to avoid?

To start with, be sure you soak the raw nuts to avoid the phytates in them. Phytates bind to minerals and can prevent them from being absorbed. This also makes them easier to digest. Once soaked, nuts can be a great snack or addition to top on a salad or to use as a crust for fresh fish or chicken.

Soaking Nuts: cover nuts in a bowl with 1 1/2 times their volume with water. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon mineral salt. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm spot. I keep mine on the countertop under the cabinet lighting. Soak for at least 3 hours. You can also soak them overnight. Then drain and rinse. I pop mine into an oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes to crisp up after the soaking.

Take a look below to see how many grams of carbs are in 3 1/2 ounces of nuts (or 3 handfuls).

Best Nuts for low-carb:

Pecans 4 grams

Brazil 4 grams

Macadamia 5 grams

Hazelnut 7 grams

Walnut 7 grams

Peanut 8 grams

Almond 9 grams

Pine 9 grams

Nuts with High Carbs

Pistachio 15 grams

Cashew 22 grams

TRY THIS HACK TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE SPIKES!

If you are like me and trying to lower your insulin resistance, keeping your blood glucose spikes to a minimum is key!

When we are hungry and the first thing that goes into our mouth is a carb/sugar/starch, our blood glucose levels will spike because it’s the only thing in the stomach. When our bodies receive that massive dump of glucose, we usually have a big drop afterwards (because of a massive dump of insulin, which is trying to store the glucose) which makes us feel tired and leaves us thinking we need a coffee or dessert to give us energy again. Over time, our bodies need more and more insulin to take care of the spikes of glucose, which leads to insulin resistance.

Instead of eating your carbs/starch/sugar first, try eating your foods in this order: vegetables first, protein/fats second, and then the carbs last. When we fill our stomaches with the vegetables first and the protein/fats second, it allows that fiber from the veggies to get into our stomaches and create a type of buffer from glucose spikes in the carbs which will come later in the meal.

Practicing eating your food in this order could look like a salad with oil and vinegar dressing first, grilled steak, and then your baked potato with butter and sour cream last.

Lunch could be sliced tomatoes with mozzarella, grilled salmon, and a bit of brown rice with butter.

Let me know if you try this hack and how it works for you! Here’s to fewer blood sugar spikes!

SIGNS OF BLOOD SUGAR DYSREGULATION

Signs of Blood Sugar Dysregulation

• Craving sugar & caffeine

• Craving carbohydrates

• Always hungry

• Never feels satiated (feels full)

• Weight gain

• Blood pressure increasing

• Struggling to lose weight

• Gaining weight around the middle

• Hangry or lightheaded if missed meals

• Shaky or jittery between meals

• Sweating

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat

• Headaches

• Brain fog

• Waking up at night

When we have blood glucose spikes, it affects every tissue of every organ. Our bodies are constantly trying to keep an even level of glucose in the blood for energy. When we eat foods that cause spikes, our bodies respond by releasing insulin from the pancreas to get that glucose stored somewhere until it can be used, typically in the liver or muscle cells. When those areas are full, the liver turns the extra glucose into triglycerides to be stored as fat.

Sometimes, our bodies release too much insulin and our blood glucose can drop too low, which triggers an emergency release of epinephrine and cortisol to bring up the blood glucose levels to normal by converting glycogen (glucose that’s been stored in the liver) and amino acids to glucose. If you have ever eaten a carb-heavy meal for lunch and then feel like you need to take a nap afterwards, you have experienced this phenomenon.

A typical persons day can be filled with blood sugar spikes and lows which can lead to insulin resistance over time. For example: starting your day with a bagel and cream cheese and glass of orange juice can lead to huge blood glucose spikes and that is usually followed by blood sugar lows, which leave you feeling tired and craving something that will give you more energy. So, you grab a pumpkin spice latte with extra pumpkin spice. That sugar and caffeine will lead to another blood glucose spike and insulin spike (remember, insulin goes up with blood glucose levels as it tries to bring it back down), which lead to more cravings for sweet foods, carbs and foods that will bring quick energy. It is a vicious cycle that won’t end until you start making changes in your food choices.

Ways to combat the carb and sugar cravings are to eat more protein and fat with non-starchy veggies that are full of fiber. Eat a savory breakfast instead of a sweet one. Keep full-fat, plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese on hand to eat with a handful of blueberries. Mix in some ground flax seed or chia seeds for fiber. Eat dinners and lunches that have veggies, proteins and healthy fats. Fats do not raise your insulin levels and it creates a feeling of satiety, so don’t be afraid to eat healthy fats!

3 WAYS TO BALANCE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR

3 WAYS TO BALANCE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR

1 Start your day with a savory breakfast. Skip the juice, the coffee sweetness and cereals. Starting your day with a sweet breakfast will start the vicious cycle of blood glucose levels spiking and crashing. This leads to craving more sugar, caffeine and carbs thinking it will help with energy and feeling satiated.

Eggs cooked in butter with nitrate-free bacon or sausage with kale, spinach, sweet peppers or onions.

2 Reduce your stress levels. When we are stressed, it triggers our adrenals to pump out glucose for our fight or flight response. This raises blood glucose levels, which raises insulin levels as it tries to respond to the increase in glucose. If you are stressed trying to get out to work in the morning, try to plan ahead the night before to have everything ready so it is a less stressful activity. Take a look at what is causing you stress during your day and come up with a plan that will help you lesson that stressor.

3 It is not realistic to completely remove sugar from our lives. We have birthdays, weddings, family celebrations where we have opportunities to eat desserts and sweets. My suggestion is to eat these after a meal, when there is already a protein, healthy fat and veggies in your stomach, which will buffer that blood glucose spike when you have dessert. And then go for a walk! Moving your body in some way after eating a sweet will help your muscles burn off that extra glucose right away!

INSULIN RESISTANCE AND STARTING MY JOURNEY

INSULIN RESISTANCE AND STARTING MY JOURNEY

I like to be transparent about my health journey in hopes that it can help others.  I’ve recently become aware that I am insulin resistant, which was a surprise to me.  As I’ve started doing research, I am finding that this is a huge problem in the world’s population, not just the USA.  I am seeing links of insulin resistance to many chronic diseases, as well as finding out that many people, like myself, don’t even realize they have it.  I am going to try to share my journey, thus far, as how I found out I am insulin resistant and what I am going to do about it.  

As I was going through the Nutritional Therapy Association school, we had a module on Blood Sugar.  One of the indicators of blood sugar dysregulation is if you are waking up at night needing to use the bathroom.  I’ve been doing this for many, many years, thinking it was just because I try to stay hydrated. This is actually a sign that your blood sugar has dropped too low and your body, in an attempt to quickly raise blood sugar, has triggered your adrenals to dump glucose into your blood, which has now woken you up.  

This was an eye opener for me.  But, I don’t eat a lot of sugar, refined foods or carbs.  So what has been driving the blood sugar dysregulation?  In the early 90’s, I followed the fad of low-fat and eating a lot of carbs.  This has probably affected my blood sugar/insulin resistance.  I’ve gone through pregnancy, struggle with hypothyroidism, which I’ve come to find out, are all related to insulin resistance.  Stress can also cause high levels of blood glucose, which then cause high levels of insulin as it’s trying to bring the glucose down.  

This past year has been a HUGE stressor of a year.  Both Chuck and I lost our fathers and we moved my mom here to be with us in Kentucky.  So my stress levels have been through the roof.   

And, just in March of 2022, the Lancet Journal released an article showing the rise of type 2 diabetes with people who have had Covid.  

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(22)00078-X/fulltext?dgcid=hubspot_email_newsletter_lancetcovid22&_hsmi=207988367&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_AnZ5-Ef-j3y4w-QRMGyvpPm4GpsDSilXNJ9THS6YN4TtGJUgjCjdxLLkGVieve6_w841QlhUN-5q_LOhxxjA9TMXxzA

My blood sugar levels were pre-diabetic when I had lab work done during my bout with Covid last summer.  Interesting connection here.  After I recovered from Covid, I continued to put weight on, despite eating well and exercising.  I had a huge burst of weight gain right around Christmas and the New Year.  Just a lot of fat around my middle (another sign of insulin resistance).  

So, as I have been trying to piece together my health and figure out what has been going on, I came across some videos on Insulin Resistance.  I have been going down the rabbit hole of insulin resistance to learn as much about it as I can, so I can correct it within my body. 

Insulin resistance is an interesting phenomenon. Dr. Bikman PhD. is a scientist and is considered the leading expert on insulin resistance.  He has written a book and there are many videos on YouTube where he is discussing this topic.  Please look him up.  Here are some facts from his book Why We Get Sick:  The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease--and How to Fight It.  

One in three Americans probably have Insulin Resistance and could be as high as 88%.  

This isn’t just an American problem, this is a worldwide problem.  “Eighty percent (80%) of all individuals with insulin resistance live in developing countries, and, as in America, half of all adults in China and India are insulin resistant.” Bikman, B. (2021). WHY WE GET SICK : the hidden epidemic at the root of most chronic disease and how to fight it. Benbella Books.

So, you may wonder, what is insulin?  Insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas that keeps our blood sugar balanced.  Insulin is what opens the doors to our cells to allow glucose to enter so that it can be used as energy.  When our bodies release glucose for energy, insulin is what knocks on the cell door, opens it and ushers it in.  Insulin affects every cell in our body. Insulin resistant is when our cells stop responding to insulin.  The more we are stressed and are eating a diet high in sugar or carbohydrates (starches), the more insulin the body needs to release to bring down blood glucose levels.  This leads to our bodies needing more and more insulin to be released in order to balance our blood glucose, until the cells no longer respond to it. 

In a healthy body, usually normal blood glucose levels will reflect normal insulin levels.  But with insulin resistance, blood glucose levels can reflect a normal level but insulin levels can be high.  Type 2 diabetes is when the body has too much insulin.  According to Dr. Ben Bikman “This is why we can have a scenario where a person is steadily becoming more and more insulin resistant, but the insulin is still working well enough to keep the blood glucose in a normal range.  This can develop over years, even decades.  But because we more typically look  at glucose as the problem, we don’t recognize there’s an issue until the person is so insulin resistant that their insulin, no matter how much they produce, is no longer enough to keep their blood glucose in check.  It’s at this point, possibly years after the problem started, that we finally notice the disease.” Bikman, B. (2021). WHY WE GET SICK : the hidden epidemic at the root of most chronic disease and how to fight it. Benbella Books.  This is also the reason that people who have type 2 diabetes continually have to raise their insulin levels, if they are not changing their diets/lifestyles to help reduce their need for insulin.  

What are some signs of insulin resistance?  

First of all, it’s best to get your insulin levels tested by your doctor to see where you are.  Here are some diseases to be aware of that have been linked to Insulin Resistance (this is not a comprehensive list) :

• Type 2 Diabetes

• High Blood Pressure and other heart diseases

• Alzheimers (now considered to be type 3 diabetes) and other brain-related diseases

• Hormone Imbalances

• Reproductive Health Issues

• Some Cancers

• Skin issues like skin tags, psoriasis, and acne

• Fibromyalgia

• Osteoarthritis

• Fatty Liver Disease

If you want more information regarding the links between insulin resistance and these diseases, I’d urge you to read Dr. Ben Bikman’s book that I have referenced above. 

In the meantime I wanted to share the connections that I saw in my own health with insulin resistance that were quite revealing:

• Skin Tags

• Waking up in the middle of the night

• Seeing “unexplained” high blood glucose levels (I don’t eat many refined carbs or sugar)

• Unexplained weight gain around my middle

• Higher triglycerides in blood panels

• Covid link between type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance

• Hangry if I go too long between meals

Please note that not everyone will have the same symptoms, nor is this an exhaustive list of typical insulin resistance symptoms.  Some people will crave sugar and carbs or get shaky if they miss a meal.  

Also, please note that insulin resistance doesn’t always show up in high blood glucose numbers.  Dr. Bikman calls this a “clinically silent” disease (I hope I am quoting him correctly on this!) in one of his videos.  Most people don’t even realize that they are insulin resistant. 

Now that I knew that I have insulin resistance, I had to figure our how to fight this.  The first thing I started doing was really getting my diet dialed in to lower my carb intake.  Right now I am eating high fiber veggies with more protein and fat.  It is critical that I lower my carbs to get my insulin under control.  

• Lowering daily carbs and eating them in non-starchy veggies.

• Adding more protein and healthy fats.

• Reducing my coffee intake so that I can go off of it completely.  Caffeine spikes insulin.  At this point, I think it’s critical for me to get off caffeine completely until I get my insulin under control.  Later on, I can add in my usual 1/2 cup of coffee in the am with cream and collagen.  

• Exercising after meals - walking or just moving 10-20 minutes after each meal helps lower insulin. 

• Cutting out caffein completely.  

As of writing this blog, I will be going in for more blood panels so that I can track my insulin levels.  The beautiful thing about taking steps to control insulin levels, is that you can get it under control rather quickly, if you are taking the steps to do so!

Some people to follow on instagram so that you can get amazing tips and information on insulin resistance and monitoring your glucose levels are Dr. Ben Bikman https://www.instagram.com/benbikmanphd/ and The Glucose Goddess, Jessie Inchauspé, who has just written a new book, Glucose Revolution, of which I have ordered and can’t wait to read, and she is on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17953672090708575/ .

In the meantime, I will be posting tips on managing blood glucose levels and lowering insulin resistance!  

Here’s to higher fiber carbs, more protein and healthy fats and more insulin sensitivity!  

CHRONIC STRESS AND IT'S EFFECT ON OUR HEALTH

STRESS AND OUR HEALTH

Let’s talk about stress. After the the last two years we’ve had, I know that many people are dealing with chronic stress, including myself.

The body and most of its processes are made to work in a parasympathetic mode (relaxed state). When we are chronically stressed, it has a negative domino effect on our health.

First, let’s look at the types of stress. There are two types of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is a short-term stress. An example of eustress is when we exercise and put stress on our bodies in order to strengthen it, and then we rest. Saunas and cold-temperature therapies are another form of eustress that can be beneficial.

Distress is a type of stress that has a negative affect on our bodies. It can be an emotional stress or physical stress. Examples of emotional stress are constantly worrying, feeling lonely, work, losing a loved one, financial worry, or being in a toxic relationship. There are many examples of emotional stressors. Physical stressors can have a negative affect as well. Some examples of physical stressors are environmental toxins, not getting enough sleep, illness, eating processed foods, overworking, and overexercising.

Our bodies are made to work in a parasympathetic state (relaxed) but when our brains perceive danger or stress, it sends a message to the body to prepare to fight or run which puts us in a sympathetic state.

When our brain perceives stress, our sympathetic nervous system is triggered and our HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) goes to work. Our hypothalamus and adrenal medulla triggers the release of adrenaline and our bodies respond by pumping out glucose to be able to fuel the main organs. This also triggers a reduction of blood flow to our gut and skin, while the liver starts dumping glucose to give us the fuel needed to fight or flee. During this stress response, our kidneys are retaining sodium and water.

During the stress response, the hypothalamus is also releasing a corticotropin-releasing hormone or factor which triggers the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH into the bloodstream which then triggers cortisol to be released. Cortisol will assist in making glucose as needed, amino acids from proteins, and releasing triglycerides. The glucose, amino acids and triglycerides will be used to create energy for the stress response or to repair damaged cells. Cortisol also enables our bodies to have increased alertness, vigilance, and to be able to form memories.

When we are chronically stressed, the domino affect on our health can be devastating. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol have a negative affect on our bodies as well. Chronic stress has a huge impact on our digestive system. Our digestion works in the parasympathetic stage, so when we are chronically stressed, we can see signs of leaky gut because of improperly digested foods. Leaky gut can lead to autoimmune diseases, inflammation in the body (which is the foundation of most diseases), and infections. Any time we are stressed we will not digest our foods properly.

Our blood sugar regulation is affected with chronic stress as well. Remember, our bodies are pumping out large quantities of glucose during the stress response and this can lead to a number of blood sugar imbalances. Chronic blood sugar dysregulation can lead to diabetes type 2, insulin resistance, metabolic disorders and hormone imbalance.

The ability to digest and absorb healthy fats are impaired when we are chronically stressed. We need healthy fats in order to make hormones and cell membranes as well as fuel for our brains and heart. The ability to breakdown fats is impaired during digestion because our gallbladders, which release bile to break down fats, are affected during this process. Also, our ability to make Prostaglandin E2, which helps to regulate the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways in the body, are diminished with chronic stress.

Our ability to be able to absorb minerals for body functions are diminished with chronic stress. We know that our digestion is down-regulated when we are stressed, so it makes sense that our ability to digest and absorb important nutrients and minerals are impacted. Chronic elevated levels of cortisol affect our bodies ability to make strong bones as well as our ability to utilize collagen for soft tissues. Chronic stress is also considered “expensive” in relation to our minerals. Chronic stress steals our stores of zinc, calcium and magnesium and we may become depleted of these important minerals.

Our ability to stay hydrated with proper electrolytes is impaired during chronic stress. This will affect our mineral balance, metabolism and our cardiovascular system.

As you can see, chronic stress can have a devastating cascade of negative effects on our health. So what are ways that we can manage our stress?

1. Breathing Exercises. Techniques like breathing in for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of seven, and exhaling through your mouth for a count of eight can help return your body to the parasympathetic state (relaxed).

2. Reframing your thoughts. Reframe some of your thoughts that bring stress and worry in a different way so as not to cause stress. Reframe the way you choose to look at these things that may be causing you stress.

3. Move your body. Exercise can be one of the best ways to combat stress. Exercise supports our digestion, mood, and can be a way to burn off that excess adrenaline. Finding something you love to do will help you look forward to moving your body.

4. Get outside. This can be as simple as walking barefoot in your yard or it can be a hike or walk on your favorite path. Spending time in nature has a healing and calming affect on our bodies.

5. Pray. God can work miracles when we allow Him to take on our burdens. Matthew 11:28-30 says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

6. Journal. Journaling is a wonderful way to release stress onto paper without hurting someone’s feelings. We can write down all the yucky thoughts and feelings that we are having without affecting anyone else. Sometimes, just getting that out of our brains can have a cathartic effect.

7. Therapy. Engage with a therapist or counselor to help you deal with the stress in your life. Therapists are trained to be able to help you deal with past traumas and stress in your life and give you ways to alleviate it.

8. Find joy. What makes you laugh and what brings you joy? This is so important to combating stress. You have probably hear the phrase “Laughter is good medicine”. Incorporating ways to play in life will go a long way toward decreasing stress.

ARE FOOD DYES HARMFUL?

As you continue your journey to improve your health, there may be other factors you might want to consider. When you are purchasing commercially made foods, you are being exposed to ingredients that are harmful. In fact, there are many chemicals and toxins present in the foods we eat, including the sweets we eat. 


After the holidays, whether it is Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or Halloween, you may find yourself with a plethora of leftovers and you may be tempted to buy all the candy while it’s on sale. Your kids may love it, and you may enjoy indulging on it once in a while (me included), but here are some reasons why you should pay attention to the ingredients and swap them out for better quality sweets to enjoy occasionally.

Most commercially made foods are made with artificial food coloring that can have negative neurological effects in children. Not only are these artificial food colorings in candy, but in most cereals, cakes, “fruit” rollups, yogurts and commercially made sweets.

Artificial food colors are also linked to inattentiveness, hyperactivity and restlessness in sensitive children. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/california-agency-acknowledges-synthetic-food-dyes-link-hyperactivity-and.

ADHD in kids living within the US has doubled in the last 20 years, and studies show it is linked to foods that contain chemical additives such as artificial food coloring.

Studies even shown that a very small amount (1 mg) of these chemical dyes can affect kids. Some of your kids favorite foods contain much more! Sunny D citrus punch contains 20 times more than that, brightly colored breakfast cereals can contain more than 30 mg, and a cupcake with chemically dyed icing (dye is sometimes even in the cake itself) can have more than 50 mg.

Why are these dangerous food dyes still being used? Federal Law on food dyes date back to 1960 and any newly approved colors do not ever have to be reassessed. These laws need to change!


Your best bet is to start weaning you and your kids off of these types of foods and replacing them with healthier choices. Listed below are some ways you can start:

- Look at the ingredients of the foods you are buying. Avoid foods with long lists of ingredients with unpronounceable names. Choose foods with fewer ingredients. Use real, whole foods and limit packaged foods, especially ones using artificial coloring and flavoring.

- Choose organic foods when you can. There are no artificial flavorings or artificial colorings in USDA Organic products. Shopping websites like Misfits Market can help reduce the cost of organic foods and help our planet out so that these products don’t go to waste.

- Organic dark chocolate bars sweetened with honey, maple syrup or organic sugar is a healthier choice than commercially made chocolate candies.

- Avoid commercially baked cookies and cakes with colored icing and try your hand at making some delicious home-made goodies instead. There are a lot of great baking options with organic, gluten-free, and healthier sugar ingredients on the market now, such as brands like Simple Mills, Bob’s Red Mill or Birch Benders if you prefer to purchase baking mixes for cakes, breads, cookies, or brownies.

- Go to https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ to see their list of approved foods.

PANTRY CLEAN OUT - A FRESH START FOR THE NEW YEAR

PANTRY CLEAN OUT - A FRESH START FOR THE NEW YEAR

We all make New Year resolutions, and some of them may include weight loss, or wanting to improve your health. Here is a way to support those health goals with a clean our of your pantry and the items you should keep stocked.

Eliminate Inedible Foods

First of all, go through your pantry and check out the expiration dates of the foods. Most foods have dates that are “best used by” dates. Toss anything that is old, smells bad, moldy or stale. Is the food edible or inedible? If it’s inedible, time to get rid of it! This is a great time to also look at your spice rack. Are any of your spices past their prime? Old spices are lacking in nutrients and flavor, so toss any that are out-dated and start a list of which ones you need to re-stock.

Swap Out Oils

Next, take a look at the fats you use for cooking. The refined fats need to be replaced with a nourishing, real fats. Refined fats (oils) are sunflower, vegetable, corn, canola, safflower, cottonseed, soybean, peanut, and margarine. These types of fats are refined and are inflammatory to the body. Replace these oils with butter, olive oil, coconut oil, duck fat, lard, or ghee. Keep in mind what works for your budget and what works for your specific digestive system.

Check Packages

Look at your refrigerator and pantry items that have the refined oils, and the trans-fats such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. These types of oils cause free

DIGESTION AND AGING WELL

DIGESTION AND AGING WELL

As we age, poor digestion can show up as illness and health issues.

Digestion may not be something you think about often. You eat, your body digests the food you’ve eaten, you have energy, then you poop (hopefully daily). Maybe you are the opposite and think about your digestion quite often because of digestive dysfunction from foods you eat or because of being stressed all the time. Maybe you’ve had a surgery to have your gallbladder removed, or even parts of your digestive tract removed. No matter what, digestion is a critical step towards having good health, especially as you age and head into menopause. In this blog post, I am going to address how digestion affects four big areas in our bodies: hormones (endocrine system), immune health, heart health, and detoxification.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD DIGESTION

First of all, it is critical that you are eating properly prepared, nutrient dense foods in order to support good digestion. Eating foods that are as close as possible to how they are in nature is what your body needs to get the nutrients for building healthy cells. Eating a diet high in processed foods will put a stress on your digestion system and can cause a lot of health issues. Finding foods that are local and eating a variety of them will give you a good range of nutrients and it will help you not develop a food sensitivity that may happen because of eating the same foods over and over again. It is equally important to be able to cook your foods in a way that improves digestibility. Soaking certain foods like grains, beans, lentils, legumes and nuts will help remove the phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient that blocks mineral absorption. Without soaking these types of foods you may have digestive issues and it will affect your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

HORMONES AND YOUR DIGESTION

As we age and head into menopause, our digestion plays a big part in the function of the endocrine system, where hormones are made. Hormones require healthy fats for production, so eating a diet that has a balance of healthy carbs, healthy fats and quality protein is critical. When we think about our body’s systems and keeping them working properly, we have to start with our diet and digestion because it creates a domino effect on the rest of our body, whether your are eating healthy or not. If we eat a breakfast of a refined cereal with skim milk and a glass of orange juice with toast and margarine, it causes the same type of stress on our bodies as if we were being chased by a wild boar and running for our life. And when we are in a stressed state, our adrenals are constantly pumping out cortisol to release glucose for fuel. This leads to an overabundance of glucose (blood sugar) in our bodies and if we aren’t able to use it as fuel, it gets stored as fat around our middles. Excess cortisol leads to our adrenal glands “stealing” nutrients from our thyroid and other endocrine functions. Excess cortisol also leads to insulin resistance which can lead to elevated testosterone in women, low T-3 (thyroid hormone), estrogen dominance, pituitary imbalance, abnormal estrogen/progesterone ratios, low progesterone and increased estrogen in men.

If our digestion system is not able to properly digest and breakdown the nutrients needed for the endocrine system, then our bodies will not get the necessary nutrients it needs to create hormones. The endocrine system requires healthy fats, vitamin c, antioxidants, magnesium, and B vitamins for its processes. If the digestion system is unable to provide the proper nutrients needed from diet or if it is unable to properly break down nutrients into absorbable specific nutrients, the endocrine system will not be able to function properly. If your hormones are out of balance, it is critical to address blood sugar regulation and your adrenals before trying to balance hormones.

IMMUNE SYSTEM AND DIGESTION

The body’s digestion is the most important part of keeping a healthy immune system. As we age, it is important to keep a strong immune system so that we are able to fight off bacterias and viruses as we are exposed. The digestive system works in a parasympathetic state (relaxed state). In order for our bodies to be able to digest foods well and release appropriate enzymes for digestion of specific foods, we need to be in a relaxed state. We must have enough hydrochloric acid for our stomaches to kill any bacteria that enters through our foods, and to start the digestion process. A great way to know if you don’t make enough HCL for digestion is if you are never hungry in the mornings. If foods aren’t broken down and digested properly, it can allow for food particles to inflame and damage the mucosal lining of our intestinal wall. This can cause “leaky gut” which allows for undigested food to get into our blood stream, which can trigger our immune system to react to it as if it were a foreign particle. Eating foods high in fiber can be very beneficial for our digestion tract as it helps to feed beneficial bacteria in our gut and helps to remove toxins as it adds bulk to stools to be passed out. As we age, poor eating habits and digestion can manifest itself in illness and health issues.

HEART HEALTH AND DIGESTION

As we age, it seems that more and more people are diagnosed with heart problems. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. Cardiovascular health is directly related to digestion. For instance, good protein digestion is critical to make taurine and carnitine which are the amino acids needed by the heart. We also need proper acidity in the stomach in order to be able to absorb calcium (calcium is the mineral that triggers the contraction of the muscles, including the heart) and to digest the B vitamins. Calcium and magnesium are both needed for a healthy heart. The liver and gallbladder must be able to properly digest and breakdown the healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins for absorption. Our heart actually prefers healthy fats as its main source of energy. Eating a balance of healthy fats (think omega 3, 6, 9) is needed to avoid inflammation, which contributes to heart disease. Our gut microbiome must be healthy in order to produce vitamins B1, B2, B12, and K2. B vitamins support the hearts ability to regulate hypotension (low blood sugar) as well as other cardiovascular processes. K2 is the vitamin that helps get calcium to the proper places for absorption and keeps calcium out of places that it doesn’t need to be.

DETOXIFICATION AND DIGESTION

Detoxification is an important part of good health as we age. Often times, we think of detox as a process of just the elimination of our bowels. This is a part of detox, but only one part of it. Detoxification is directly related to our digestion system. For example, proper digestion can only happen in a parasympathetic setting (relaxed) and detoxification is the same: it only happens when the body is in a relaxed state. Detoxification happens in the digestive system when the digestive tract physically stops foreign molecules and bacteria from entering the body via the stomach digestion juices (hydrochloric acid) - thus, a good reason why you need enough HCL. It also filters the food and intestinal bacteria, while eliminating toxins and other unusable things out through the bowels. The intestines also contain probiotic bacteria that assist in the detoxification of many substances. The mucosal membrane in the digestive system needs to be heathy and in good working order and there needs to be a healthy balance of gut microbiome for the detoxification processes to happen.

As you can see, our digestion is a critical part of our health. Poor digestion can affect our bodies in many ways, and as we age, it manifests itself in many health issues and illnesses. The good news is that you can start making healthy changes at any age! It is never too late to create healthy habits that will support healthy digestion and better health.