October 29th, 2010
The onslaught of rich, and often unhealthy, foods starts with Halloween and doesn’t seem to stop until the New Year. I don’t mean to be a spoilsport in terms of holidays. I enjoy them. It’s just that so many people ring in the New Year feeling bloated, overweight, sluggish, and frustrated by the extra pounds they put on, that I thought I’d offer a few tips on how to enjoy without the seemingly inevitable suffering.
Planning is one of the keys to success. When we go to a party hungry, we’ll eat everything in sight. By snacking on an apple and a few almonds or hummus and carrots beforehand, we can nibble (key word) and feel satisfied.
Another tip is to change things up a bit when it comes to the family feasts. Do you really need to stick with Aunt Sandy’s 1950s version of cranberry mold with all that sugar? Could you use fresh cranberries, orange and lemon zest, and some agave nectar instead?
Asking our family members what they feel they “can’t do without” versus what “they have never really liked either,” will ensure that everyone gets their favorite dish. Each member will feel special that their request has been honored and you can spread the responsibility as well as the joy around.
We also seem to exhaust ourselves between working and shopping and cleaning the house and preparing the food (sounds tiring just mentioning it). How can you make it simpler? For example, if all agree to buy just one gift instead of several, those January bills won’t seem so large. Gift bags save a lot of time as well. As a special gift to yourself, can you get help with the cleaning?
I have always loved decorating the tree at our house. I put on holiday music and fix some spiced cider, carefully plant each ornament on the tree and decorate until the room sparkles. What are your favorite traditions of the season? How can you make the routine seem special? What would you like to hand off to someone else this year?
Heading off fatigue is part of the trick to really enjoying the season. It means making choices about when to join in and when to say “no.” Sometimes, it means just stopping by, rather than feeling obligated to stay all evening at a gathering. When we gauge our energy and respect it, we can delight in the special moments that we might otherwise have missed.
By remembering that this is your time to enjoy the season in ways that are most fulfilling to you, you will be able to be more available to your loved ones. A wise woman once asked me what I thought my family would prefer–a harried, exhausted mother who has the dinner on, but isn’t able to carry on a decent conversation or a woman who took care of herself and was able to really engage in the special times with her family.
And if, despite your best efforts, you end up overdoing it a bit and find the scale inching upward, you can always contact a health and nutrition coach in January to get back on track. Happy Holidays!
For more information, visit http://www.yourhealthpotential.com
Tags: decorate, diet, energy, food, holiday treat, holidays, overweight, raw food, rich food, sluggish, sugar, tips for holidays
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January 15th, 2011
Supplementing with vitamins has become big business. Americans spend an average of $17 billion per year on their supplements. I have been among them until recently. I took a break from my vitamin regimen after I learned that I was not properly absorbing my nutrients and was deficient in several areas. I wondered how that could be…
It seems that those of us with Leaky Gut Syndrome, a condition in which the lining of the intestines becomes more permeable than it should be, tend to be malnourished. Food molecules that normally wouldn’t pass through the intestinal wall, slip by and alarm our immune system. Consequently, microphages come to the rescue and attack the foreign invader and we develop antibodies as a result. The next time that same food passes through our system, whether it slips through the intestinal wall or not, our body says, “There’s that foreign invader again!” and goes in for the attack. More and antibodies develop until we have a whole slew of food sensitivities—but that is a subject for another day.
I have been wondering how a foodie like me, who eats whole grains, beans, greens, fresh fruits and vegetables could become malnourished. Ironic, huh? Well, after much reading and discussion with my functional medicine and osteopathic physicians, I have a few answers.
When people with Leaky Gut take supplements, their digestive systems work about as well with vitamins as they do with food. Some of the nutrients get metabolized and reach their intended destination and some fail. According to my doctor, it is the metabolic pathway that is to blame. If that isn’t functioning properly, we seem to get stuck in a rut of compromised health. He explained that going after the resulting food sensitivities and allergies is like trying to catch the fragments once a bomb has gone off. You may get some, but many more will elude you and you will go around and around chasing after them.
The key is healing the underlying malfunction of the system. That takes probiotics, targeted supplements to heal specific areas in the metabolic pathway, and an increase in certain vitamins. Most of us don’t get nearly enough of the nutrients our bodies’ desire from our food or multi-vitamins. Years of single crop farming, pesticides and synthetic fertilizer have left our crops fairly malnourished as well. And, like us, in their compromised state, they require intervention to keep them from dying. Fortunately, we can get tested for our nutritional deficiencies and specifically target them with the correct supplements.
It seems that the quickest way for someone with food sensitivities to get their fair share of nutrients is by juicing. Max Gerson, MD, discovered after World War II a regimen that could literally cure cancer. Of course everyone is different, and it can’t cure all forms and all people, but it seems to have prolonged the life of many patients. Gerson’s daughter, Charlotte, has continued his work both in the US and in Mexico. I decided to take a page from their nutritional book and began juicing carrots and apples every day during the holidays. My husband and I continue to drink a delicious, 8-ounce glass of organic juice to raise our level of nutrients every day. Next, we will add in a daily greens juice with an apple to make it more palatable.
As for the vitamins, I’ll take my C, B, minerals, magnesium, calcium, and fish oil, as well as a multivitamin. I need whatever nourishment can get through my system. I won’t rely solely on any one source, though. I am also careful to make sure I know what is in each supplement I take, so I don’t get lots of synthetic fillers that my body doesn’t recognize or use.
The bottom line is that we are an undernourished overweight society. Convenience and easy access has cost us much more than our dollar. It has long-term health costs and consequences we are only beginning to understand. We would probably all do well to take a page from Gerson’s book and nourish ourselves back to health through whole fresh foods, juicing and targeted nutritional supplements.
Tags: delicious, digestive system, fish oil, food allergies, food sensitivities, foodie, fresh food, functional medicine, Gerson, health, immune system, juicing, Leaky Gut Syndrome, metabolism, nourishment, nutrients, nutrition, supplements, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamins, whole foods
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September 13th, 2010
The arrival of Fall is always bitter sweet for me. I love the changing leaves and fresh, crisp air. My long-haired dogs get more spring in their step. Yet, as the days get shorter and cooler, I can feel melancholy about the end of lazy summer days…
If seasonal affective disorder or SAD, a mood-related reaction to less sunlight, is something that puts a damper on your spirits this time of year, a few simple and natural activities can help.
Sunlight used to be something we were exposed to on a daily basis when we were agricultural societies. Now that we are indoors a good deal of the time, many of us barely get enough light in summer, let alone winter. Indoor lighting that imitates daylight is a quick fix for the winter doldrums. Depending on need, you can also purchase a light box to give you the extra sunlight your body craves.
The vitamin D that we gain from sunlight on our skin improves mood, resistance to infection and cancer, and facilitates a myriad of other bodily functions. I get tested for vitamin D levels and supplement with a carefully chosen form of the vitamin. I want to be sure I’m not getting “filler,” which can be just about anything beyond the required 20 percent of the vitamin advertised as determined by FDA regulations. A guide to watch for is GMP (Good Manufacturing Process) on the label. This means the supplement company met basic quality standards in their manufacturing.
Most of us, whether we choose to act on it or not, know by now that exercise boosts our mood. It may raise seratonin levels in the brain when the exertion is at a high enough level to cause fatigue. I’m adamant about choosing exercise that we enjoy, otherwise our best intentions will dwindle away to an occasional outing, if we continue to exercise at all. When weather permits, I love to walk at a fast clip with my dogs, taking in the squirrel gathering nuts or the birds swooping down to settle on a branch overhead. Another favorite is bicycling, so I can see something different while I’m moving. My backup when it’s raining is a Nordic Track while viewing an old Peter Gabriel DVD. What do you love that you could incorporate into exercise?
Another significant way to boost mood is through nutrition. Interestingly, it’s not just about the balance of nutrients that a whole food diet gives us. We can actually manage a predisposition to low seratonin through our food. For example, researchers found that chickpeas supply a hefty enough amount of tryptophan to raise our seratonin levels. This means eat your hummus! It is delicious, provides protein and makes you feel better. Of course, eating fresh, clean, whole foods that are pesticide-, GMO-, and radiation-free will supply the basic nourishment our bodies need to stay healthy and strong.
A last food-related way to improve mood is to become free of refined sugar–especially if you crave it! Sweets may seem to improve mood, but they always let you down with a crash (when you blood sugar takes a dive). For more information about how to get off sugar with a five-day freedom detox, join my free teleseminar, Sweet Success, on Tuesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. EDT. Watch for details and registration on my website, www.yourhealthpotential.com.
Tags: blood sugar, chickpeas, cravings, delicious, detox, diet, eating, exercise, Fall, fresh food, GMO, healthy, light, mood, natural, Nordic Track, nourishment, nutrients, pesticide-free, Peter Gabriel, radiation-free, refined sugar, SAD, seratonin, strong, success, sugar, sunlight, sweet success, tryptophan, vitamin D, vitamins, whole foods
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August 9th, 2010
Is time whizzing by for you? I find that many of my good intentions float in and out of my brain and if I don’t capture them on paper (or computer), weeks and months pass and I haven’t gotten around to them.
My husband and I recently tried to make things easier on my clients and me. We created a Health Log that has the food, activity, allergy, and self-care entries to help me to align my intentions with my actions. I know, it’s one more thing to fit into an already busy schedule, but I figured that with the categories already laid out, a quick update here and there would be easy. After I try it out for a bit and get some client feedback, I’ll be posting it on my website: http://www.yourhealthpotential.com.
So far so good in terms of my commitment to log in on a daily basis. What I am learning is that just having a category of self-care actually makes me think about it. As women, we often put ourselves last on the list of things to take care of, and that leads to quick-fix eating, online shopping, and other pacifiers that don’t really fulfill our needs. We often feel worse afterward, because we think we have been weak and indulgent. No so!
First, any behavior, misguided or not, is driven by a genuine need to feel better. If we actually think about how we were feeling just prior to our “slip,” we can usually decipher the motive for our behavior. For example, this morning I awoke feeling sunburned and tired from too long a day at the beach yesterday with my sister. I didn’t listen to myself as I was thinking, “I’ve probably had enough sun,” and I paid the price. I also have a talk about getting off the sugar roller coaster that’s coming up tomorrow at a local Country Club. I don’t like the idea of going to talk about health and being sunburned–doesn’t fit with what I feel is taking good care of myself, you know?
So…as I was reading my email this morning, one of my favorite shoppping sites indicated that the were having a sale and, voila! Out popped my credit card. I could rationalize this all day, but the fact remains that I hadn’t intended to buy any clothes today and spent money I could have used on something I do need. I won’t actually have the outfit for tomorrow’s talk, but I admit I felt instantly better thinking about being dressed in it. However, a more direct and less expensive solution to my feelings might have been journaling and working them through. Later, a planned treat, like an Epsom Salts and Baking Soda bath to relieve the sunburn and relax might be just the right pick-me-up.
The key is to interrupt the action with another solution. I often rehearse with my clients what they might do in a social situation, for example, when someone automatically serves them dessert. If they have practiced a graceful way to refuse, they won’t feel cornered between their desire to improve their health and their desire to please their host. Any discomfort in such a situation is only momentary, anyway. I have found that people don’t really care what we are eating, as long as they can enjoy their food and know we are content.
One more thought on the subject–whether it’s logging into a health journal or writing down how we feel, I know positive action leads to more of the same. It is the way we actually change situations in our lives that we are frustrated about. If I were to continue to focus on my “slip” and make myself feel worse, I am almost guaranteed to do it again and again and again. Whereas, if I use it to think through what is happening with me and what I want to do next time, I’m much more likely to act differently. It’s a matter of becoming our own best friends. We comfort ourselves when we’re down and encourage ourselves when we start to change.
Then, in another few months when we look back, we will see amazing progress and growth. That, in itself, is life-changing and empowering. So, go for what you want in your life, no matter how big or small and record your successes. Penning a few notes along the way help create big gains in the end.
Tags: allergies, behavior, change, desserts, empowering, health log, journaling, life-changing, motive, quick fix, self care, shopping, slip, success, treat, women, women's health
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July 23rd, 2010
After a brief trip to NH to visit family on vacation, I’m happy to be back to my normal eating routine. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the occasional ice cream cone or grilled chicken dinner with the gang, but I have food sensitivities and most people don’t really understand why some of us need to avoid certain foods.
A very common flavoring to meats and vegetables like garlic and onions can hammer me with a migraine ( a typical delayed onset food sensitivity). The tough part is that not only can’t I order a dish made with these vegetables, but I can’t have meat cooked on the same grill either. To my garlic loving family, this definitely puts a damper on meal time. That’s why I wanted to bring this up.
If you have food allergies, there are a few alternatives to the standard seasonings and maybe it’s time we educated our close friends and relatives about what we can enjoy with them. For instance, I use horseradish root as a seasoning substitute for garlic and onions. It adds a delicious flavor to all kinds of dishes. I recently made veggie lasagna for my husband’s birthday and our friends and family raved about the dish!
Another common food sensitivity is wheat or gluten. Our breads now routinely contain 10 times more gluten than they did 40 years ago, and more people are becoming sensitive as a result. Some people find that they can better tolerate sprouted wheat like Mana bread. Others opt for brown rice or another gluten free bread. Tortillas made with corn or brown rice are a great substitute for wheat and arrowroot powder may be used as a thickener instead of wheat flour.
If you have difficulty with dairy, try coconut milk ice cream (heavenly!), almond, hemp or rice milk and sheep’s or goat’s milk yogurt. The proteins in the sheep and goat’s milk are usually better tolerated than those in cow’s milk. A delicious breakfast combination is fresh berries, a dash of cinnamon, half a banana and goat’s milk yogurt. Goat cheese with fresh herbs is another option that tastes great in a salad or sandwich.
A fourth category that can cause an adverse reaction is eggs. I buy only farm fresh eggs and avoid the “wash” that may cause irritation. If eggs don’t work for you, though, you can always substitute organic tofu and scramble it in olive oil with sea salt and pepper.
Traveling with your own tried and true foods is always helpful when possible. I usually bring snacks like apples, almonds, dates, gojiberries or brown rice cakes, because they travel well. However, more restaurants and inns are becoming aware of the growing number of people with food allergies. In fact, our inn in NH questioned us about food allergies before we arrived, so every morning I had options on what to eat for breakfast. If you let your server know that you have food allergies, many places are happy to prepare your food free of the aggravating ingredients. The more we ask for what we need, the more restaurants will become accustomed to “special orders.”
If you would like to know more about food allergies and how to detect them, feel free to visit my website at http://www.yourhealthpotential.com/articles/2010/news1003A.htm or contact me through the site. Summer picnics and cookouts can be fun for everyone with a little planning and communication.
Tags: alternatives, bread, breakfast, chronic symptoms, cow's milk, dairy, delayed onset, delicious, diet, eating, eggs, flavor, food, food allergies, food sensitivities, food substitutions, fresh food, garlic, gluten, ice cream, inns, milk, onions, restaurants, sheep's milk, special orders, summer, wheat, wheat-free, yogurt
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