Category Archives: Nutrition

Exposure to IQ Lowering Toxins in the Womb – What you can do before and while you are pregnant to protect your baby

Posted on by
Reply

Are you planning on getting pregnant and starting a family? Over the last ten years, many women have joined my cleanse programs to “clean” out before they get pregnant. Perhaps these women felt that they were not eating so healthy or drinking too much alcohol. Or they had been on a round of antibiotics or taking NSAIDs like Advil or Aleve on a regular basis. Regardless, they intuitively felt like they needed to cleanse.

Well, their intuition was right.

I recently listened to a very informative webinar with Professor Barbara Demeneix, author of the new book, The Toxic Cocktail. I highly recommend her book if you are concerned about toxins and their impact on your health and the health of your children. In the meantime, I thought it important to share a quick summary of key points she covered in the webinar.

We now know that many chemicals pass the placenta and are found in amniotic fluid.

The womb is no longer thought to be a safe haven for the developing fetus. Many chemicals contain chlorine, bromine, and fluorine (a.k.a. halogens) that displace iodine. And iodine is needed to make thyroid hormone. And thyroid hormone is needed to make a healthy brain. The big connection…

A mother’s thyroid hormones are needed for the early brain of the fetus to develop correctly. The first 3 months are the most vulnerable! Certain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with the capacity of our thyroid glands to capture iodine and to make thyroid hormone. When this takes place during the development of a child in the womb, it can have devastating effects on cognitive function and resulting IQ.

What chemicals are similar in structure to thyroid hormone and displace this all important hormone? Pesticide metabolites, triclosan, BPA, PCBs, and flame retardants all interfere with thyroid hormone signaling and are found in human amniotic fluid. These chemicals are often referred to as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In a nutshell, low iodine, maternal hypothyroidism, and EDCs that cross the placenta can all affect the baby in the womb and lead to loss of IQ. As research continues in this field, no doubt more will be discovered about the impact of certain chemicals on neurodevelopment.

What can you do now to reduce exposure to these toxins and cleanse them out? Here are ten tips to minimize these chemicals (and metals) before and while you are pregnant (and always!)

  • Avoid plastics in the kitchen. Especially plastic wrap around fatty foods like cheese and meat. Store your cheese in glass containers instead.
  • Drink out of a stainless steel or glass bottle. Avoid plastic water bottles, even the BPA free ones.
  • Cook with stainless steel pans
  • Eat organic whenever possible. It really makes a big difference! Avoid those pesticides!
  • Limit your consumption of BIG ocean fish like swordfish and tuna. Smaller ocean fish like sardines and anchovies are better choices and have less mercury and other toxins. Always avoid farmed raised fish due to high PCB levels! This include Atlantic salmon.
  • Increase your iodine uptake. Make sure your multi vitamin has 150 mg iodine per serving, especially when you are pregnant.*
  • Assess your bath and body care products. Use clean personal care products without added parabens and phthalates.
  • Don’t repaint your house or buy new furniture while pregnant! Avoid off gassing of those brominated flame retardants in new furniture.
  • Avoid use of insecticides in the yard or standard air fresheners in the home. You can use essential oils to freshen up your home.
  • And lastly, make it a priority do do a cleanse program BEFORE you get pregnant. Check out my very favorite cleanse program here!!

 

* Women with Hashimoto’s may be advised to avoid iodine.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

My Five Top Super Foods for Optimal Brain Health!

Posted on by
Reply

Blueberries are loaded with polyphenols and flavonoids.  Long-term consumption of blueberry polyphenols and flavonoids has been shown to improve and even reverse cognitive decline in animal studies.  The cognitive enhancement provided by blueberries is closely related to higher brain production of glutathione (our master antioxidant) and the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity, which prevents excessive breakdown of acetylcholine. In the brain, acetylcholine functions as a neurotransmitter and is important to attention, memory and  motivation.

Broccoli sprouts are one of the richest sources of sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane activates a genetic pathway in our cells called Nrf2.  This pathway controls over 200 other genes that carry out anti-inflammatory and anti-antioxidant processes and the ability to inactivate other harmful compounds that we are exposed to on a daily basis.  Excess inflammation and toxic load have been linked to cognitive decline.

Top your salad with broccoli sprouts or add the sprouts to a veggie wrap! 

For optimal effects, consume ¼ cup of broccoli sprouts 5 times per week.

Wild salmon:

Rich in the Omega 3 fatty acids which decrease systemic inflammation and help keep our cell membranes fluid.  This fluidity allows all of our cells to communicate better, including our neurons!  We do not want rigid cell membranes!

Purslane plant:

Purslane is an edible weed with a juicy, lemony flavor.  You will find it at farmers markets in the summer. I recently learned at a conference on the topic of neuro-inflammation that it is very high in Alpha Linoleic Acid (an Omega 3 fatty acid). In fact, 100 grams of fresh leaves contains 300-400 mg omega 3’s! It is also very high in melatonin, a hormone that’s great for regulating sleep.

Pull the leaves off the larger stems and toss them with lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Pretty simple!  Or combine with other greens like kale!

Cocoa:

Flavanols in cocoa have been studied for many years. They have been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, prevent blood clots, and fight cell damage. And cocoa is such a nice treat too. Just make sure that you are not consuming the cocoa with a lot of sugar!

BONUS:

Rosemary:

Although technically a herb, I include rosemary on this list because it is so good paired with food! Among the most important group of compounds isolated from the plant are the phenolic diterpenes that account for most of the antioxidant and many pharmacological activities of the plant. Rosemary diterpenes have been shown in recent years to inhibit neuronal cell death induced by a variety of agents.

Add rosemary liberally to your foods. It pairs especially well with roasted chicken and vegetables!

 

Save

My Top 5 Supplements for Optimal Brain Health

Posted on by
Reply

Over the past six months, I have been attending practitioner training’s and conferences to learn all I can about the brain and why our memory and overall brain performance starts to slip. I did not expect there to be a simple answer. After all, a drug that prevents Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) would have been invented by now if the answer was easy.  But nonetheless, my calling is to help all people preserve their precious brain function, including memories. I just don’t want to bear witness to another member in my family being diagnosed with AD, and don’t want to see anyone else go through this traumatizing experience either.

As the incredible Dr. Dale Bredesen has outlined in his research, there are multiple “types” of AD. It is our responsibility to figure out what is driving the neurodegeneration in each person. Is it inflammation, insulin resistance in the brain, low hormone levels, nutrient deficiencies, toxins that have crossed the Blood Brain Barrier, or a vascular issue?

As I attended these training’s and conferences, I observed that the experts in this field mentioned several key supplements over and over again for optimal brain support and to help reverse cognitive decline. So here are the five top supplements I suggest to support your brain for optimal performance and cognitive function:

 

  1. Acetyl L-Carnitine is the acetylated ester of L-carnitine. It participates in cellular energy production and in the maintenance of neurons. It also repairs neuronal damage. In a nutshell, research shows that Acetyl L- Carnitine helps to energize the brain, increase levels of important neurotransmitter chemicals needed for memory and focus, and repair the damage done to brain cells by stress and poor nutrition.
  1. Phosphatidyl Serine (PS) is a nutrient essential for optimal brain function. Because PS is crucial for the overall health of brain cells, research on PS has shown that it benefits a wide range of brain activities such as mental focus, memory recall, and performance on tasks. PS helps neurons talk to each other, which is essential for memories to be both formed and recalled.
  1. High DHA fish oil: DHA is a structural molecule in all cell membranes, including neuronal membranes. DHA is a precursor to docosanoids, which have anti-inflammatory, immune regulatory and protective actions in the context of various inflammatory responses. Optimal DHA status may be associated with a lower risk of dementia. See UltraDHA for an example of a high quality and high potency DHA fish oil.
  1. Curcumin has been shown to decrease inflammation throughout the body, including the brain! Curcumin reduced development and severity of AD in animal models by reducing plaque aggregation and plaque induced oxidative stress. (1)  Curcumin is also protective to the heart, the liver and the gut. It also helps decrease allergies and is great at reducing joint pain!  Note: most forms of supplemental curcumin are poorly absorbed. CurcumEvail has demonstrated superior absorption in plasma.
  1. Huperzine A is a natural cholinesterase inhibitor (inhibits the acetylcholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, thereby increasing the levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine). It is derived from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata. In the brain, acetylcholine functions as a neurotransmitter and a neuromodulator. It plays an important role in arousal, attention, memory and motivation. There is evidence that huperzine A may compare favorably in symptomatic efficacy to cholinesterase inhibitors currently in use. In addition, huperzine A has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties that suggest that it may be useful as a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

 

Suggested doses of these above mentioned supplements depend on whether you are using them for optimal brain performance or to help reverse mild cognitive decline.  Please set up a strategy session with me if you are concerned that your brain is not functioning optimally and you are ready to take a preventative approach to cognitive decline!  Remember, Alzheimer’s Disease does not suddenly start when you are 60 or 70 years old.  Dr. Dale Bredesen recommends taking a preventative approach starting at age 40!  Please see my previous blog  “Are You Afraid of Getting Alzheimer’s Disease?”

 

Reference:

  1. Baum L, Ng A. Curcumin interaction with copper and iron suggests one possible mechanism of action in Alzheimer’s disease animal models. J Alzheimers Dis. 2004 Aug;6(4):367-77.

Save

Save

Save

Five out of thirty women sleep well? Starter tips to sleep soundly!

Posted on by
Reply

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a three day women’s retreat at Mayacamas Ranch in Calistoga, hosted by Julie Mikos-Houlihan at The Healing Farm. I went with no expectations and decided to be surprised by what I learned and experienced over the course of the retreat. At the end of the long weekend, I learned that what I needed most that weekend was community with 30 beautiful women who were all there to learn, heal, and figure out their paths moving forward. Surprisingly, I did not journal once and only read my book for about ten minutes each evening.

What surprised me most, though, was a moment during Dr. Amy Nett’s lecture on balancing female hormones. There were so many questions on supplements to help with sleep and anxiety. This prompted Dr. Nett to ask how many women in the room actually slept well. Only five of thirty women raised their hands! Wow, this is an epidemic, I thought. One woman I talked to said that she had given up and just accepted that she was sleep deprived every day.

If you don’t sleep well, be assured that there is help! Often it is a minor tweak that needs to happen and sometimes it is necessary to look at more aggressive supplementation or hormone replacement therapy for a designated period of time. Believe me, as a woman that struggles with sleep, I have gone through rough patches. But I keep on learning and adjusting and trying something different and my sleep improves!

beth yawn

The topic of sleep is vast and there are hundreds of recommendations to improve sleep. Here are five tips that I have found most useful over the last several years as a woman in my late 40’s! A good place to start if you are wide eyed and anxious in the middle of the night!

  1. Take stock of how much caffeine you are drinking and when you are drinking it. Keep caffeine to a minimum and stay away from it in the afternoon and evening. If you are a slow metabolizer of caffeine and find it makes you jittery, this is especially important. You may even find that coffee or tea in the morning affects your night time sleep. About five years ago I was drinking a lightly steeped white tea in the afternoon. The caffeine content was low, so I did not correlate it with my inability to fall asleep. When I removed it from my afternoon routine, I fell asleep within five to ten minutes of hitting the pillow! I replaced it with a decaffeinated tea and found I did not need the caffeine in the afternoon anyway!
  1. Several years ago, one of my doctors “prescribed” reading a novel (the old fashioned paper kind) before going to sleep. This forced me to shut down my electronics at least thirty minutes before going to sleep, to allow for reading time. Wow, what a difference this has made for me…when I follow the prescription! My sleep is restless when I shut down right before going to bed. It is peaceful and more deep when I read for awhile right before bed. All that blue light from our laptops, phones, etc. raises our hormone cortisol which is supposed to be going down at night…not up! If reading novels is not your thing, consider journaling in a notebook, coloring therapy, or another fun activity that does not involve your laptop.
  1. What you eat during the day and especially the evening affects your sleep. If you are eating a big dinner an hour before going to bed, you are still going to be digesting when you are trying to go to sleep. Eating too many processed carbs or sugar at night will also affect your sleep. Most likely, you will wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 am in the morning and feel alert. Your blood sugar has likely dropped too low after a big processed carbohydrate or sugar spike and it has signaled your brain to release adrenaline. On the other side, eating too low of a carbohydrate diet and not getting any healthy carbs in the evening can lead to low serotonin levels in some women, which then negatively impacts sleep since you need serotonin to make melatonin, your sleep hormone! Experiment with what you eat in the evening to see what works best for you. Substituting 1/2 sweet potato for processed carbs like pasta or a sugary night time snack along with some fat like 1 TB olive oil or coconut oil might just do the trick! P.S. Although I love dark chocolate, eating even one square in the evening can disrupt my sleep. And I have also heard this from many other women!
  1. If you do wake up in the middle of the night, try deep belly breathing and focus on all that you are grateful for. Deep belly breathing helps to relax you and being in a state of gratitude dispels worry and fear of not getting enough sleep. I love that science has proven all this now…we just have to remember to practice it!
  1. Start with the supplement magnesium to help you sleep. Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions in our body! Stress depletes magnesium, yet the more stressed we are, the more magnesium we need! Magnesium is found in plant foods, but most of us do not get enough through diet due to deficient minerals in our soil and our lifestyles. I suggest starting with 300 mg Magnesium Citrate or Magnesium Malate before bed and increasing to 450 mg if you need to. I cannot tell you how many women have reported sleeping soundly with just the addition of a magnesium supplement!

 

If you are still having problems sleeping through the night after trying these five tips, please contact me to set up a complementary strategy session to discuss what we can do to help you sleep peacefully again!

 

Save

Save

Are you afraid of getting Alzheimer’s Disease?

Posted on by
Reply

What chronic disease are you most afraid of? I was asked this question many years ago by my instructor in one of my nutrition classes. At the time, I answered cancer. And yes, I am still afraid of getting cancer today. But what I am more afraid of is Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

Scanning of a human brain by X-rays

I watched AD take away all my grandma’s memories and then her bodily functions. So subtle at first: forgetful, having to write everything down, getting appointment times mixed up. Then the progression to leaving the stove or oven on, partially assisted living, and the ever so slight glazing over of her eyes. For my grandma, one of the hardest moments was when her driver’s license was taken away. She loved to drive her big old Cadillac. She then moved in with my aunt where her AD seemed to pick up speed. I was prepared for the day when she didn’t know me anymore. I knew it was coming. But it was heartbreaking when she no longer recognized her son or daughter. I know my dad and aunt could never have been prepared for that.

I also witnessed my uncle on my mom’s side of the family deteriorate to the point where he no longer recognizes his family. Although still alive, his body is not cooperating anymore. He is lucky to have a family that has been so incredibly supportive. Just recently my boyfriend’s mother was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s Disease. I want a different outcome for her.

The good news is that we know a lot more now that we did even five years ago about Alzheimer’s Disease. New research shows that AD is actually several different diseases and custom protocols based on individual testing are essential to stopping the progression of AD and reversing it in the early stages. I am excited to announce that I will be attending a practitioner training in early December to learn about Dr. Dale Bredesen’s protocol designed to combat cognitive decline in individuals displaying varying degrees of memory loss associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment and early Alzheimer’s Disease. Stop the progression and reverse early stage AD? This is ground breaking!!

But this is KEY to understand. Alzheimer’s Disease does not suddenly start when you are 60 or 70 years old. It starts long before that due to many factors, including unmanaged blood sugar and insulin levels, gut infections and viruses not addressed, exposure to environmental toxins coupled with poor detoxification ability. Dr Dale Bredesen recommends a series of tests including blood sugar and insulin levels starting at age 40! Yes, start a preventive approach to AD at age 40!

You can get genetically tested to determine if you carry a higher risk of getting AD. However, remember that you control the EXPRESSION of your genes through diet, lifestyle, and managing stress levels. Genetic testing helps you determine your weak links and where you need to focus more attention on a preventative approach. The rest is up to you! It is a commitment to take a preventative approach and make changes in your diet and lifestyle years in advance of symptoms, but is it worth saving your brain? Your precious memories? Yes!! And starting early also gives you a sharper brain NOW!

You also are at higher risk of AD if you have previously suffered a concussion or head trauma or have family history of AD. I applied to be in a healthy brain study about 15 years ago and was turned down because of a concussion when I was in junior high and because of family history of AD. Apparently I did not have a healthy brain. And I guess all those snowboard falls when I whacked my head (before we all wore helmets) weren’t very helpful either. It is my hope that the lifestyle I have chosen for the last 15 years has made a positive impact on my brain health and now I get to learn how to put together customized protocols for everyone at high risk for AD and for those already suffering from mild cognitive decline. Let’s catch it early and reverse it!! And even more importantly, let’s prevent it from happening in the first place!

Stay tuned…I will keep you updated on what I learn and how I can help.

 

Beth

Save

Navigating the world of supplements: Do I need to take them and how do I know if I do?

Posted on by
Reply

Should I take supplements?  Do I need them? Can’t I get everything I need from food?

 

These are questions my clients have asked me since my first days of nutrition consulting! And valid questions indeed!  Unfortunately, there is not one blanket answer. Your diet, lifestyle habits, stress levels, alcohol consumption, over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications that you take, gut health, and so much more influence the decision whether or not to supplement.  Thanks to better and better technology, we now have many methods to test for nutritional deficiencies and make decisions based on testing whether or not to supplement.

 

Certain symptoms also point to nutritional deficiencies…you just need to know what to look for. For example, symptoms of a vitamin B6 deficiency include dermatitis, cracked and sore lips, inflamed tongue and mouth, depression, and insomnia.  Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, and in more severe cases abnormal heart rhythms.

 

When I work one-on-one with my clients, I assess current diet, lifestyle, past and current health conditions, medications, stress levels, and toxin exposure to determine whether supplementation is necessary.  I have witnessed so many people taking loads of supplements without really knowing why and with no real plan.  Assessing your current status, testing, and putting together a plan is the best way to go to restore balance and correct any nutritional deficiencies! You can check out my Targeted Nutrition programs here: http://www.nutritionwithbeth.com/targeted-nutrition/

 

With that being said, I recently listened to a great podcast with guest Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, an incredible physician and healer, on the topic of supplements. She pointed to the fact that MANY Americans are deficient in Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Essential Fatty Acids.  Women are twice as likely to be deficient in Vitamin B6 than men, especially if taking oral contraceptives. And guess what, vitamin B6 is required to make serotonin and melatonin.  And dopamine too!  So if you are depressed, anxious, or not sleeping well, be sure to get your vitamin  B6 levels checked!

 

Most OTC drugs and prescription medications deplete vital vitamins and minerals.  And sadly, most of the time these nutrients are not being replaced!  There is a really long list of medications that deplete nutrients; here are several more commonly prescribed and medications and OTC drugs that you should know about:

 

  • If you are on oral contraceptives, please be aware that they deplete vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, and magnesium. Note that these B vitamins are critical to positive mood, energy, good brain health, and proper cell division…very important in the child bearing years!
  • OTC non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen and Naproxen deplete folic acid. And aspirin decreases Vitamin C, folic acid, and iron!
  • Antibiotics wipe out your friendly gut bacteria, and general antibiotics deplete all B vitamins and Vitamin K.
  • Statins (which lower cholesterol )are notorious for reducing Coenzyme Q10, which is vital for energy!! Anti-diabetic drugs also reduce CoQ10.

 

Please email me at info@nutritionwithbeth.com for a more comprehensive list of OTC drugs and prescription meds that induce nutrient depletions.

 

Although I prefer to work with you individually and test first, here are general recommendations to cover your bases when it comes to supplementation:

 

Take a quality multi vitamin mineral formula.  If you are a male or a female that is no longer menstruating, choose a formula without iron.  Take extra magnesium before you go to bed if you have trouble sleeping, your muscles feel tense or cramp, or if you experience frequent constipation. See the list of other magnesium deficiency symptoms above.

Have your Vitamin D levels checked by your primary care physician.  Do this first before supplementing with Vitamin D so that you know how much to take.  If you do not like fish or rarely eat it, supplement with a triglyceride form fish oil a few times per week.  I recommend eating fermented foods like kefir, unsweetened yogurt, and sauerkraut.  If you are not a big fan of fermented foods or they are not a regular part of your diet, choose a multi strain probiotic. We are still learning so much about the gut microbiome, but this is a good place to start!

 

Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Twice Daily Multi: does not contain iron so men and post menopausal women can take this multi.

Magnesium Buffered Chelate: one of the best absorbed forms of magnesium

OmegAvail Hi Po: true triglyceride form of fish oil (more easily digested and absorbed)

Probiotic Synergy Spheres: A multi strain probiotic that uses the most advanced patented delivery and shelf stability technology available to ensure maximum potency and viability.

 

I hope you find this helpful in navigating the world of supplements!

Beth

Save

Goats and llamas and cheese, oh my! Take a summer day to visit a local farm!

Posted on by
Reply

beth at farm
It is pretty crazy that many kids growing up today do not even know where carrots originate! Do they grow on trees?  Or maybe they come out of a big orange machine?  Packaged baby carrots taste like they came out of a machine! So maybe as a kid it is reasonable to think they come from a factory.  We need to do a better job not only educating kids on where their foods come from, but also as adults pay more attention to the types of farms we are supporting when we buy our foods.

It is pretty awesome to know exactly where your food comes from!  A couple months ago, I started asking the farmers at my local Sunday market if I could visit their farms.  Most farmers have been extremely welcoming.  Some farms do ask that you come on certain “open days”, as they don’t have the staff to handle visitors on a regular basis.

My mission this summer and fall is to visit the farms that grow the veggies and fruits I love so much and produce the olive oil and the cheese that go so well with my veggie salads and other dishes.  And to visit the farms that sell delicious eggs from their pasture raised hens!  I will share my experiences and photos with you to inspire you to visit your own local farms and support the farmers that are employing sustainable practices and providing really delicious foods!

First stop last weekend: Harley Farms Goat Dairy in the small and quaint town of Pescadero between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, CA.  And what a beautiful day for a coastal drive and to visit the goats!

beth goat barn

Harley Farms had almost 300 babies born in the spring!  The young goats were a bit awkward, still getting the walking thing down!  Once they are adults, they start contributing to the production of goat milk.  The Harley goats are milked each morning beginning at 7:00 am. It takes about 2 minutes to milk a goat and each goat produces about one gallon of milk which makes one pound of their famous goat cheese. Although the goats have free access to the outdoor pasture, most of them prefer to be inside when it is hot outside! The llamas, however, were enjoying the outside pasture and are there to protect the goats from mountain lions, bob cats, and coyotes.

According to Harley Farms, the secret ingredients that make their cheese so good is a special mix of pasture grass and clover that the goats enjoy! They also grow all of the flowers and herbs used to decorate their cheese.  Goat compost is spread each year to nourish the soil in the garden. And yes, over the years, the goats have bust through the fence several times and chomped away the entire garden!

beth decorated goat cheese

Not only did I actually see and touch the goats that produce the goat cheese I enjoy, it was also just a really fun day out in the sunshine exploring a new place and tasting a variety of goat cheeses: the lavender honey was amazing!  And if you have kids, visiting a local farm that offers tours is a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday and helps your kids get connected to the foods they eat too!

P.S.  For folks that cannot tolerate cow dairy, goat dairy may be an option!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Grilling This Summer? HOW You Cook Impacts Your Health From the Inside Out!

Posted on by
Reply

You have most likely heard the phrase: We are what we eat.  And maybe you have also heard the phrase: We are what we absorb and digest.  After all, it is true that you can eat healthy and nourishing foods, but if you are not absorbing and properly digesting the foods, you will not benefit from their nutritional value.  Have you heard this one?  We are HOW we cook our foods.  With the grilling season now upon us, this is a timely post.

How you cook your foods has an impact on your health and longevity.  Foods cooked using high heat in the absence of water, such as browned and sugary foods (think baked goods), processed foods, grilled meats, roasted turkey, and high heat stir fries form high amounts of toxic compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs for short), and they literally do age you.  These toxic compounds accumulate in the tissues of the body, leading to low grade inflammation and oxidative stress, which accelerates the aging process from the inside out.  Your skin wrinkles, your joints ache, but what’s worse is high levels of AGEs cause your internal organs to age as well.

These AGEs have such an impact on our health that the A.G.E. Foundation’s goal is to have AGE levels recognized as a health marker, just like cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI markers!

What can you do to lower your AGE levels?  Try to cook with water as often as possible, using steaming, stewing (crock pot is great), poaching, and boiling over grilling, roasting, and frying.  Water based cooking methods dramatically decrease AGEs.  But we all love to grill during the summer months, right?  A good tip: marinate your meat or chicken in lemon juice, vinegar, or another acidic substance before grilling to reduce the formation of the AGEs.  And eat lots of fruits and vegetables which are naturally low in AGEs and also provide lots of antioxidants to combat the oxidative stress caused by AGEs!  So indulge in a colorful salad to go along with your grilled chicken or steak!

Need more energy to get through the day? Are you supporting your mitochondria?

Posted on by
Reply

The hot topic these days in the field of nutrition is how to best take care of our mitochondria, the little but mighty powerhouses in our cells that create energy!  I attended the National Association of Nutrition Professionals conference last month and listened to a great lecture by Dr. Robert Rountree.  I am sharing with you some important take aways from his talk and steps you can take to care for YOUR mitochondria!

 

Why is this important?  Because the most prominent roles of mitochondria are to produce the energy currency of the cell, ATP!  We need ATP for all of our chemical reactions in the body.  And the more ATP we have, the better we function and the more energy we have!  Mitochondrial dysfunction has been tied to all types of diseases as well as accelerated aging. And who wants that?

 

What are some basic steps to reverse mitochondrial dysfunction?

 

  1. Decrease excess free radical exposure by avoiding or limiting alcohol, damaged fats ( i.e. fried foods), refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup, excess calories, and by reducing stress.
  2. Identify and treat sources of inflammation. Inflammation is caused by repeated injuries, poor diet, food allergies, a sedentary lifestyle, over-training, and chronic infections (like gum disease for example). A nutritionist or holistic practitioner can help you with this step!
  3. Resolve digestive or other GI issues. It is Important to address your gut issues now to decrease inflammation and prevent further damage to your mitochondria. A nutritionist can definitely help you if you have digestive issues.
  4. Remove environmental toxic exposures. Please refer to my previous blog for simple steps to reduce daily environmental toxins.

 

Simple dietary steps to support your mitochondria:

 

  1. Minimize processed sugar, refined carbs, and high fructose corn syrup!
  2. Eat a wide range of colorful berries, veggies, spices and tea.  The Farmers Markets are alive with colors right now!
  3. Increase beets and arugula which are rich in nitrates.
  4. Eat a liberal amounts of healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, omega 3’s (found in wild salmon and other fatty fish, flaxseeds, etc) and coconut oil.
  5. If you do not have a blood sugar imbalance, try going 12 to 14 hours without eating. This helps to clean up the garbage in the cels.  For example, eat dinner at 7:00 pm, and then eat a late breakfast at 9:00 am.  If you are on the go in the morning, a protein smoothie will come in handy.
  6. Eat less, but go for nutrient dense when you do eat. In other words, make your calories count.
  7. And lastly, make sure that you are getting all the critical vitamins and minerals to support the making of energy via the Krebs cycle. Remember learning about the Krebs cycle in school? This is my favorite supplement to support the mitochondria and optimal energy levels: Mitochondrial NRG.

 

So how do you support mitochondrial biogenesis?  The making of NEW mitochondria?  Keep glucose and insulin levels low!  So this means avoiding foods that spike your blood sugar like refined sugars, processed carbs, sweetened beverages, and excess tropical fruits.  Next time you visit your physician, ask them to test for hemoglobin A1c.  This is a test that measures glucose levels over a period of about three months.  You want this number to be low!

 

 

 

 

 

Calm Down to Focus: GABA to the rescue!

Posted on by
Reply

Do you have days that you just cannot focus?  Do you feel scattered and wonder if you have a bad case of ADD?  You have so much to do yet you cannot seem to concentrate on anything??

I can relate!  And it is the worst feeling. And what makes it even worse is that you get more stressed as time ticks away and you are not getting done what you need to do!

To the rescue: GABA! I LOVE the supplement GABA.  I sometimes take it at night to slow down my busy brain and get to sleep.  In the day time, I usually go for more energizing nutrients to “charge my brain”, like B vitamins, a few cacao nibs, and even a little caffeine from green tea.  And these often do the trick!

But the other day, feeling overwhelmed, scattered and unable to focus, my “charge the brain” supplements were not the right fit!  What I needed was a calming agent (but not too calming) that helped me focus at the same time. Ah, yes, my GABA supplement.  Introducing one of my all time favorite products: Stress Arrest!  Stress Arrest contains both GABA and glycine.

What is GABA?  Gamma-Aminobutyric acid is an amino acid and is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It plays the principal role in reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. Glycine is also an amino acid and an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, especially in the spinal cord, brainstem, and retina. So we are talking calming here…not excitatory!

Wow!  I took one Stress Arrest and 15 minutes later I felt calm and focused!  I was able to easily finish my project that just 15 minutes earlier I could not handle.  And not only was I able to finish that project, but I quickly finished another one that was on my plate!

I don’t believe in magic bullet drugs or supplements.  But my Stress Arrest is now my “go to” when I feel overwhelmed, scattered, and can’t focus.  And yes, this does happen even on days that I do morning meditation or yoga!  🙂

Please note: GABA is contraindicated with certain medications, most notably anti-epileptic drugs.  Consult your physician before taking GABA if you are on a medication.