Nutrition
Mar
08
Combat your sweet tooth

Why some people do have sugar cravings whereas others do not?

Have you ever wondered why or have envied people who say easily “no” to a chocolate bar or a deliciously looking cake?  Why some can say “no” without feeling deprived and others can’t? It’s a combination of factors, it’s partly because of your genes and partly because of your environment which includes what you eat, how you sleep, how stressed you are, how you feel emotionally, physically and mentally.

People who crave carbs have following in common:

  1. Low serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that quiets the brain. Most of it is produced in your gut. One explanation you may be prone to low serotonin lies in your genes.  For example, by having a single nucleotide polymorphism a so called SNP (pronounced “snip”) in a MAOA gene (monamine oxidase), you may be more susceptible to carb cravings. This gene plays a role in metabolism of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine and therefore relates to mood swings and carb cravings. If you have a “fast” MAOA gene, you will process serotonin quickly resulting in low serotonin which can make you feel down, helpless, and pessimistic. Low serotonin will make you crave carbs and sweets to get a temporary serotonin boost. The precursor of serotonin is tryptophan.
  2. Blood glucose swings. Western diets rich in simple sugars and starch (grains) lead to unhealthy glucose blood swings and high production of insulin which has negative short and long term effects on health. When you eat foods made up of simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches), your blood glucose rises and your body releases insulin, a hormone responsible to get the glucose into your cells. Too much glucose and too much insulin affects growth and functioning of many organs, including brain and pancreas, it promotes inflammation, and eventually may lead to insulin resistance and to diabetes type 2. Children are particularly vulnerable, being exposed to processed and sugary foods early in life when their bodies need nutritious building blocks to promote their health and not to undermine it. Glucose blood swings can lead to a vicious cycle of sugar/foods cravings & hunger & thirst, energy picks, tiredness, or restlessness. In addition, the body needs extra micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) to deal with high sugar intake (B-vitamins, chromium, zinc). For example B-vitamins (such as vitamin B3) are involved in sugar metabolism and sugar-addicts are prone to B-vitamins deficiencies. When the blood glucose levels are stable there is less need and cravings for snacks, sugar and carbs.
  3. Low beta-endorphin. Beta-endorphin is a neuropeptide (peptide hormone) that is associated with hunger, pain, self-esteem, and reward cognition. People with low beta-endorphin tend to to feel insecure, helpless, inadequate, unworthy and overwhelmed. Low beta-endorphin results in low self-esteem so to feel better about yourself, you experience drug-seeking behavior (including sugar cravings, exercise, alcohol, codeine, gambling or sex). So, if you have low beta-endorphin you will go for what makes you feel better: sugar for example.

How can you combat carb cravings?

First, you need to work on a strong foundation consisting of nutritious foods, adequate sleep, positive mindset, emotional support and manageable stress levels. The tips below worked for me, my family, friends and my clients.

The key elements you should consider are:

Find your motivation. To make the changes happen, define an important enough reason for you for a sugar-free/sugar-low life. Find something that motivates you. Do you want to feel better and have more energy? Do you want to be healthier? Do you want to prevent having a chronic illness? Do you want to be an example for your children?

Address your emotions. Feeling inadequate, having low self-esteem, feeling that life is out of control can make you more vulnerable to addictive behavior. Looking into emotions and asking yourself why you do it - may help on a journey to break up with sugar cravings.

Eat Real Food and Nourish your body. Have a good nutritional foundation. The quality of the food you eat—and most importantly, the nutrients it contains—is what determines whether you simply survive or thrive. When you don’t nourish your body, it can’t function as it should -cravings begin and disease may develop. Base your diet on real, whole foods like vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, nuts and seeds, and starchy plants like potatoes and sweet potatoes. If your food comes in a bag or a box, be skeptical and read the labels, as often it has nothing to do with real food.

Keep your blood glucose stable. Eating balanced meals will help you to keep your blood sugar stable and neurotransmitters in balance. Thrive for adequate protein, healthy carbohydrates and healthy fats every time you eat. Limit foods with high glycemic index such as refined grains flour and flour products (pasta, bread, crackers), sugar and other sweeteners, processed and refined foods, unhealthy snacks AND have adequate amount of protein with your meals, especially with your first meal (breakfast). This will reduce your food cravings, mood swings, a tendency to binge eating and it will promote more restful sleep.

Distinguish between “good carbs” and “bad carbs”. "Good carbs" are those that are both unrefined and nutrient-dense, such as vegetables, fruits and starchy plants like potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, taro, etc. "Bad carbs" are highly processed, refined, and nutrient-poor, like most things made with flour and sugar. Eating sweet potatoes and whole fruit does not equal eating cookies and cakes.

Have adequate sleep. You need sleep for basic maintenance and repair of the neurological, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal and digestive systems. Allow between seven and eight hours for sleep each night. Sleep deprivation is associated with low grade chronic inflammation and worsening insulin resistance, dysregulation of hormones, as well as increased emotional reactivity, more carb and unhealthy food cravings. The hormone melatonin, a key hormone to good sleep, naturally increases after sundown and during the night in a normal circadian rhythm. To make melatonin we need serotonin so if you are low in serotonin, you may as well have low melatonin and therefore more difficulty to fall and stay asleep. If you eat balanced meals with adequate protein through the day, your neurotransmitters and hormones will be more stable. More stable serotonin = more stable melatonin.

Monitor your stress levels. When you are feeling stressed (emotionally, physically, mentally) you often crave more carbs, right? Stress affects a lot of processes in your body, for example it impairs the production of serotonin from tryptophan (amino acid). Stress can steal your tryptophan. Earlier I have mentioned that low serotonin can increase carb cravings. Now imagine, when you are under a lot of stress - your body instead of making serotonin from tryptophan makes quinolinic acid from tryptophan. As a result, you have low serotonin (=carb cravings) and you have high quinolinic acid (=mood swings, mood disorders). By managing stress, you allow your body to work more optimally, to have more balanced hormones and neurotransmitters; you also promote turning your tryptophan into a happy hormone serotonin and a sleep-well hormone melatonin instead of into brain-damaging quinolinic acid. Stress management is as important to your health and carb cravings as a solid breakfast and proper nutrient intake.

Team up. If you find it difficult to go through the process of reducing/eliminating sugar too challenging, team up with other people who go through it. Look for support groups and friends who have the same challenge.

It’s easy to get into a vicious cycle of carb cravings when you are on a poor diet, when you are under a lot of stress, when you are sleep deprived and when your genetics make you sugar sensitive but there is a lot you can do about it. My take home massage for you to significantly decrease or eliminate sugar and starch cravings includes eating right (adequate protein), reducing sugar and starch intake, finding an emotional balance, managing stress and sleeping deep.

If you need more support, seek some professional help.

Diseases, Microbiome and gut health, Nutrition
Feb
28
Abdominal bloating nightmare

Many people suffers from abdominal bloating and if you are one of them you know that’s no fun. Majority of people that come to see me struggles with it, therefore I decided to give it a brief attention. If bloating interferes with your daily life, your work, your social of recreational activities, it’s something you need to look into.

Symptoms

Your abdomen feels bloated when your GI tract increases its volume due to presence of air or gas. It is a nasty feeling of fullness, swelling, tightness, or hardness. You may also experience pain, flatulence, abdominal distension, nausea, burping, belching, or gurgles. Some people feel like they “look pregnant” when bloating strikes.

What are the most common causes of abdominal bloating?

There can be various causes of being bloated, some of which are quite easy to tackle and some may need a professional help.

Consider following if you feel regularly bloated:

Eating and drinking too fast. Eating too much. When you eat and drink fast you may swallow too much air and promote gas formation, also rushing while eating impairs digestion. Chewing gum, smoking may also worsen the problem. Our digestive system has certain capacity to digest efficiently, if we eat too much food (too fast) it will obviously not be able to digest optimally. Eat slowly, not too much and chew your food thoroughly for better digestion.

Diet rich in starch and/or nuts. Overconsumption of starch (grains), nuts, processed foods, sugar, difficult to digest meal combinations such as high starch and high protein content in one meal. Overconsumption of starch intensifies the complaints related to candida and intestinal parasites.

Low gastric acid & indigestion. Low gastric acid and/or deficiency of digestive enzymes can result in abdominal bloating. I write about low gastric acid here.

Microbial GI dysbiosis. When your gut microbes get out of balance resulting in dysbiosis (beneficial and bad microbes are out of balance), the bloating may occur. Think of candida (Candida albicans) or other yeast overgrowth, parasitic infection (Dientamoeba fragilis or Blastocystis hominis), gastric Helicobacter pylori infection, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Food Intolerance (lactose, histamine, fructose). People with inability or decreased ability to break down lactose (milk sugar), fructose or histamine may feel bloated.

Reactivity to gluten. You may feel bloated when your body does not tolerate gluten, sometimes it’s just too much gluten in your diet and sometimes it is a non-celiac gluten sensitivity or a celiac disease.

Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis. People with intestinal inflammation such as in Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis may experience abdominal bloating as well.

Impaired pancreatic function or bile production. Pancreatic -under or -overactivity, too little or too much bile can influence digestion of fats, starch and as a result aggravate the abdominal bloating.

Constipation. If you have a bowel movement only every few days, your abdomen will have a tendency to bloat because of an increased abdominal pressure.

Dehydration. The more dehydrated your body is, the higher chance you may feel bloated. Drinking too much alcohol, too little water and eating salty snacks can promote bloating.

Hormonal Changes such as during PMS and period. Due too hormonal changes and hormonal imbalances many women tend to feel bloated before and/or during their period.

Abdominal Water retention. Abdominal water retention called ascites takes place when fluid fills the space between the lining of the abdomen and the organs. It usually occurs as a result of liver problems.

What can you do?

Find the root cause.

First, you can experiment yourself by eating slowly, chewing properly, avoiding drinking with meals, eliminating processed and junk foods, eliminating sugar and starch rich foods, excluding diary, gluten, or histamine rich foods. If after your detective work you still experience abdominal bloating, get yourself tested. I would suggest starting with a fecal analysis that would include your microflora profile, parasites, digestion profile, inflammation markers, gluten reactivity markers, pancreatic elastase, bile salts, histamine) and a blood test.

For occasional bloating you can have a peppermint, ginger, fennel or chamomile tea, or other herbal remedies. Preferably avoid gassy fruits and vegetables, sodas, artificial sweeteners, sugar, starch, gluten and diary.

Life style, Nutrition
Feb
15
How to boost immunity all year long
Winter is not over yet and as every year many people around get sick. If you are one of them, you may wonder how you can support your immune system and minimize the risk of getting sick. Below I share with you my proven tips. One of the most important aspects of avoiding catching a cold or flu is by boosting the immunity. There are many factors determining whether you get sick or not, such as your genetics, the condition of your immune system, your nutritional status and your health, the type and the virulence of the infectious agent. Some of the factors we can influence whereas others we can’t. Now, let’s focus on the ones we can influence which are primarily related to adopting the healthy-living strategies.

Superfoods for super immunity

Since about 75% of your immune cells are located in your gut, this is the place you want to nourish by knowing what you put in your mouth. For a healthy immune system you want to:
  1. Eat Real Foods. Real Foods equal health. Invest in meals made from real foods and not factory packed food like substances. For example real plant foods, apart from being a source of nutrients (protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals and water), are complex packages of biologically active compounds, a so called phytochemicals or phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are bioactive compounds primarily important for the growth and survival of the plant but they also support you, they are indispensable for the optimal function of your immune system. Think of herbs such as oregano or thyme and their powerful anti-microbial properties. Human beings rely on these plants for health and survival as these plant foods contain thousands of intricate cells and biochemicals working in harmony and living in synergy with us – with humans and other animals. Moreover, antioxidants (majority is of plant origin) such as vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients support your body to rid off “free radicals”. If you have real foods on your plate, foods laden with phytonutrients and antioxidants, your immune system will be positively triggered. A white bread sandwich with margarine and commercial cheese will not provide you with this sort phytonutrients but a salad with leafy greens, tomatoes, and a dressing of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, fresh basil, sea salt and pepper will do. Realize that no supplements can replace these phytonutrients. Eating real foods, eating colors, eating diversity of foods,  and using herbs should be your priority for a healthy immune system.
  2. Eat Cruciferous vegetables. They contain protective micronutrients and phytonutrients that are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancerogenic and immune boosting. Include broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, radish, watercress, cauliflower, or bok choy in your daily menu if you want to boost your immune system. If you want to get the most benefit from eating these vegetables, chew them very well, do not overcook them so they are not too mushy, you can also chop, blend or puree them in soups and stews.
  3. Eat Mushrooms. Mushrooms are super foods for your immunity, they are rich in glyconutrients such as mannose, galactose, fucose, or N-acetylglucosamine and other phytonutrients with immune-modulatory and disease-fighting properties. Nutrients from mushrooms immobilize your immune system and help against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, in addition being also powerful anti-cancer agents. There is a variety of mushrooms to choose from such as shiitake, Portobello, oyster, reishi, maitake, or chanterelle.
  4. Eat Onions and Garlic. Onions, garlic, chives, scallions and other allium family of vegetables add more than just flavor to your dishes. They provide anti-oxidants, they are anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. For a reason, the past generations have been using garlic and onions to fight a cold, flu or cough; if you eat them on regular basis you reduce the risk of getting sick. Their powerful compounds such as organosulfur compounds, glyconutrients and prebiotic fiber make them shiny stars in terms of immune boosting properties. Best eaten raw.
  5. Eat superhero fruits such as Berries and Pomegranates. Their colors speak for themselves. They are laden with phytonutrients that promote your health on various levels, starting from their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. Indulge yourself with these nutrient dense fruit bombs for optimal healthy.
  6. Eat seeds for their amazing package of nutrients. Under right conditions, seeds can initiate a new life because they are packed with essential nutrients. For example, they are a good source of vitamin E (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds) and omega-3 fatty acids (flax seeds, chia seeds). You can get some minerals and nutrients from seeds as well. Seeds are a great addition to salads or can be eaten as a snack.
  7. Eat 3 x P = prebiotic rich foods, probiotic rich foods and polyphenol rich foods to boost your beneficial gut bacteria. Probiotic rich foods include fermented foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi or kefir. Prebiotic rich foods serve as food for beneficial bacteria, food = dietary fiber = complex carbohydrates. By eating vegetables, fruits (skin especially), or seeds you get the fiber to feed your beneficial gut microbes. Polyphenols (flavonoids, tannins and more) are plant phytonutrients that to become active undergo diverse intestinal transformations thanks to the action of your digestive enzymes and gut microbial metabolism. By eating polyphenol rich foods (onions, apples, grapefruit, plums, broccoli, citrus fruits, tomatoes, green tea, cocoa, banana, berries, chickpeas, beans, soy, parsley, thyme, celery, walnuts, grapes, flaxseed, apricots, peaches) you not only benefit from their anti-inflammatory properties but you also promote the growth of your beneficial gut microbes.
Now, only imagine how you can support your immune system just by regularly eating cruciferous greens, mushrooms, onions and garlic! Moreover, these foods apart from providing you with nutrients, they also provide food (prebiotic) for your beneficial gut microbes. So, you are actually boosting your immune system also by nurturing your beneficial microbes. Your gut microbes interact with your immune system constantly so they better be in your gut, well fed and happy.

“Fundamentally, the best immune boosting strategy comes from eating real foods, having adequate sleep, being physically active and managing stress”

What else can you do for your immune system?

Get adequate sleep. You cannot be healthy without adequate sleep. Sleep is absolutely essential for basic maintenance and repair of the neurological, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal and digestive systems. Be physically active, in moderation. It’s in human nature to be physically active, yet we’ve become a world of sitters. Physical activity provides a sort of triggers, release of hormones and neurotransmitters that enhance your immune system. Studies show that people how have regular physical activity have fewer and milder colds. Whether you walk, jog, bike, play football or swim – just find something you enjoy doing and do it regularly. Enjoy life. Do things that give you pleasure. Manage your stress. Stress management is very important because no matter what diet you follow, how much you exercise and what supplements you take, if you’re not managing your stress it will compromise your immune system. Doing things that give you pleasure can counter-balance the negative effects of chronic stress. Avoid sugar. Sugars (processed, simple sugars) undermine your immune system and promote the growth of pathogenic microbes in your gut. Wash your hands frequently to reduce the exposure to disease promoting bugs.

Tips on when your immune system fails and you get sick or you are about to get sick

Rest…rest… and rest again - as much as you need Stay properly hydrated Have garlic/onions Have elderberry, berry flavonoids or echinacea Sip on ginger tea or nettle tea, or on warm water with lemon juice, (raw) honey and cinnamon   Eat light and easy to digest foods – meals prepared like for a baby, well cooked, blended and easy to digest. Soups or bone broths are preferable. Consider supplementing with zinc (50-100 mg daily), vitamin D3 (2000 IU daily), vitamin C (1000 mg x 4 daily), omega-3 fatty acids (cod liver oil), probiotics, allicin (garlic extract), or oregano oil. If these tips do not enhance your immune system, look further for an underlying cause. Do tests, talk to a professional as it may need a special attention or a treatment.
Diseases, Nutrition
Jan
26
Could dehydration be the missing link in your diagnosis?
The easiest way to stay healthy: HYDRATE YOURSELF PROPERLY Let’s talk about the most basic nutrient: WATER, something so simple yet so powerful. I am constantly amazed how proper hydration helps me and my clients to feel better and to function better. Proper hydration is key to your overall health. Water is a major compound in the human body. About 70% of what we have within our bodies is water. Water is essential for our life. We can’t live without. When we provide too little water we will function but function poorly. Water facilitates many important processes to keep our body and mind in shape. I start my day with a large glass of (warm) water with a bit of sea salt or Himalayan salt dissolved in it (you can add a pinch of salt in your glass of water or if you want to be more precise about a quarter teaspoon of salt per 1 liter water. Do not overdo salt however; your total daily salt intake on average should not exceed 2-3 grams) or with a glass of warm water with a freshly squeezed lemon juice. It sets a good hydration start for the rest of the day. Sea salt enhances hydration, helps to balance electrolyte levels, and offers many other benefits. Through the day I will have a smoothie, drink more water (with and without salt), will have 2-3 herbal teas, and on some days a soup or bone broth. I recommend drinking ambient temperature water or warm water. Why do you need this basic nutrient? Water is your:
  • It serves as a solvent for ionic particles such as salts, glucose, amino acid. Thanks to water, various ions and molecules can move and reach various destinations within your body.
  • Building block. Water molecules occupy every space not taken by other molecules, within our cells and outside our cells. Water also facilitates the folding of amino acids to proteins to form proteins of proper structure and integrity.
  • Lubricant. Together with other molecules water lubricates surfaces and protects tissues functioning. Think of synovial fluid in joints, mucosal lining in GI tract, tears, or saliva.
  • Medium for biochemical reactions. Water as a medium facilitates the biochemical reactions constantly happening in your body. Water as a reactant also actively participates in the hydrolysis of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Water is also a by-product of protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
  • Transport medium. Water carries nutrients and waste products that need to move from one location to another location. Water helps nutrients reach cells and helps waste products on their way out of cells and out of the body. Water is the most basic nutrient of your blood and facilitates the functioning of the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous and urinary systems.
  • Thermo-regulator. Water - thanks to its capacity to absorb heat, to hold it, to help to release it (perspiration) and to resist temperature changes - supports body homeostasis by maintaining body temperature.
  • Shock absorber. Water acts as a sort of gel assisting cells to maintain their shape and form and as a sort of cushion assisting tissues against the shock of movement. It provides the cushioning effect.
How do you know you drink too little water?  If you experience the symptoms listed below there is a high chance your body is not properly hydrated.
  • Headache
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Dry skin
  • Dry mucus membranes in the nose, mouth or throat
  • Nosebleeds (especially in dry air)
  • Dark and concentrated urine produced in small quantities
  • Constipation
  • Intestinal cramps
  • Nausea
  • Irrational behavior
  • Irritability
  • Low blood pressure
  • Shallow, rapid breathing
  • Weak, irregular pulse
How do you lose water? Via Skin, kidneys, respiratory and digestive tract. How much water do you need? Your optimal water intake may be affected by physical activity, exercise, metabolism, diet, health status, humidity and ambient temperature. If you sport and sweat you obviously need to drink more water. The average recommendation for adult females is about 2,5 liter daily, for adult males about 3-3,5 liter daily. When do you need even more water? If you lose more water, for example when you have a fever, you vomit, you have diarrhea, you have a respiratory discharge; you need to drink more water to compensate for the loss. Also get adequately more water if you follow a high protein diet, take diuretics, are on a plane, or live in a warm/hot climate. What about water versus other beverages? If you want to stay properly hydrated, pure water should be your first choice because of its highest osmotic power due to the least amount of solutes. It hydrates the body at the cellular level. Osmosis is reduced when you drink coffee, tea, sodas, or drinks containing sugar, protein, or artificial additives. Some common conditions can be improved by water Dehydrated body can’t function optimally. Point. As mentioned above, water facilitates a lot of important processes in your body so if you have too little of it, these processes will be impaired, impaired at the cellular level. If you are chronically dehydrated, at some point you will start experiencing signs and symptoms (listed above) of your body craving water. Just listen to your body. Take care of proper hydration in particular if you struggle with:
  • Hypertension
  • Low stomach acid and peptic ulcers
  • Arthritis
  • Low back pain
  • Coronary heart disease
  • Headaches (non-migraine, migraine, hangover)
  • Constipation
  • Colitis
  • Obesity
  • Edema of unknown origin
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Asthma and allergies
Sources:
  1. “Water: the most basic nutrient and therapeutic agent” Herb Joiner-Bey. Natural Medicine text book, fourth edition. J. Pizzorno & M Murray. Elsevier 2013.
  2. “Thirst and hydration status in everyday life” Mindy Millard-Stafford et al. Nutrition Reviews. Volume 70, Issue suppl_2, 1 November 2012, Pages S147–S151.
Diseases, Microbiome and gut health, Nutrition
Jan
11
Stomach acid

I want to share with you some stomach acid know-how essentials. It may surprise you that many health issues, not only digestive ones, are related to low stomach acid. Many people who come to see me have low stomach acid. I used to have it as well, without realizing it. Changing my eating habits and using some of the tips below helped me to restore my gastric acid production and as a result to feel better.

Why do you need stomach acid for?

Gastric acid (hydrochloric acid HCl) found in your stomach facilitates digestive enzyme secretion and protein digestion. Your stomach (muscular sac) acts as a sort of blender breaking your food physically (churning action of the stomach muscle) and enzymatically (the right gastric pH and activity of digestive enzymes). Low pH (1,5-2,5) of gastric acid is essential for digestive enzymes to become active and to digest. Apart from facilitating digestion, we need gastric acid as a first line of defense against food poisoning (Campylobacter, Salmonella), parasitic (Giardia, worms), bacterial (Helicobacter pylori, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), and fungal (Candida) infections. Without adequate acid, we do not digest our food, we are at risk of mineral and vitamin deficiencies, and we are more vulnerable to various infections. Low stomach acid compromises our immunity. Therefore, you need stomach acid and it’s good for you.

Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) has been associated with many common health problems.

What symptoms to look for in association with low gastric acid?

  • Bloating, burning, burping, and flatulence right after meals
  • Abdominal fullness after meals
  • Poor appetite
  • Stomach upsets easily
  • Diarrhea or constipation 
  • Undigested food in stool
  • Nausea after taking supplements
  • Reactivity to foods (food allergies, food sensitivities)
  • Iron deficiency
  • Chronic intestinal infections
  • Chronic candida infections
  • Acne
What symptoms to look for in association with low gastric acid?

What can you do about low gastric acid?

Improve your digestion and restore your gastric acid production.

Imagine that if you are not able to properly digest your food and absorb the nutrients, cells within your body will not get the fuel, the nutrients they need for proper functioning. Because of impaired digestion and absorption you may experience some health issues. Digestion process starts even before you eat. When you see food, smell it, or think about it your senses are triggered, your brain is triggered, your digestive system is triggered. You may start producing saliva, gastric acid, hormones, and other molecules to prepare you for a meal. This is how digestion process begins.

Compare it with a scenario when you sit on a coach in front of TV, and while watching an interesting move you pop something in your mouth without realizing what and without realizing you eat. How well will your digestive system be prepared then to perform the task of digestion? Expectedly, not that well as if you eat mindfully.

It reminds me of something. One of my former colleagues years back, an Indonesian women, was always eating very mindfully. She was eating slowly and chewing her food very well. When she indulged few bites of her meal, my meal had already vanished. I was eating like it was a race and it always stroke me why she was eating so slowly, too slowly I thought then. But she simply knew that to digest well you need to eat well. In cultures where food sources are limited, people tend to eat more mindfully and slowly. They chew every single bite very well simply to extract as much nutrients as possible and to properly switch the digestive machinery on. Sound simple to do, right? Yet, in the current era of constant rush and stress it can be quite a task to do. Let me provide some guidelines that can change how you feel.

How can you digest better?

  • Chew your food thoroughly. Proper chewing is essential in order to promote gastric acid production and digestion. Try to chew your foods 20-30 times before swallowing. Eat smaller meals so the body can process your food properly and has possibility to heal. You may consider fasting or intermittent fasting as an additional boost for your general health and stomach. Part of your body healing is letting it recover. If you’re continually eating food from morning to sundown every day, your body doesn’t have the time to recover and heal.
  • Eat mindfully and relax. Relaxation promotes digestion whereas stress inhibits digestion.
  • Add bitterness to your menu. Include bitter herbs, bitter foods and bitter drinks. Bitterness increases secretion of saliva, gastric acid, pepsin, bile, and digestive enzymes so all we need to digest properly. Check your health-food stores for bitter/digestive herbal teas or bitter tinctures (Swedish bitters).
  • Drink adequate amount of (salty) water. Drink water with sea salt/Himalayan/Celtic salt every day to promote healthy gastric lining. You can mix 1-1,5 liter of (purified) water with about 1-1,5 gr of salt and drink it through the day (best after waking up, 30 min before lunch and before dinner, and before going to bed).
  • Avoid drinking (large quantities) during meals or shortly after your meals.
  • Have Apple cider vinegar (ACV). Some people find that ACV makes wonders for their digestion. Drink about 50-100 ml of water with 1-2 tablespoons of ACV 15-20 min before your (protein) meals. You can also add some ACV to your salads. You may need to gradually increase the amount of vinegar until you get the desired effect. Note: do not use ACV if you have histamine intolerance.
  • Take Digestive enzymes. Another help is to take digestive enzymes prior meals, also possible to take them with the apple cider vinegar. Digestive enzymes will help breaking down the nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) you take in. Too high stomach pH does not allow for efficient food (protein) digestion. Take the enzymes until your stomach acid balances out.
  • Add betaine HCL (with Pepsin) with protein rich meals. If above tricks do not work, consider taking betaine HCL (with pepsin). Now, the trick with betaine HCL is you want to take the right amount, always start off with one capsule and see how you feel. Gradually increase the dosage from 300-750 mg to 1000-2000 mg per meal. When you get warmness/discomfort in your stomach, cut back by one capsule per every next meal. If you feel discomfort because of too high betaine HCl intake, you can neutralize the acid by drinking water or milk with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Some people need one capsule; other people may need to take up to few capsules of betaine HCl. Once you have established a dose, continue this dose. It may however change over time as your digestion is improving, so stay vigilant and decrease the dosage when needed. With smaller meals, you may require less betaine HCl. Take betaine HCl only if you’re eating protein dense meals (with meat). Important: if you feel discomfort (heartburn) at the lowest dose of betaine HCl, it suggests you have a healthy response, no issue with low stomach acid and no need to take betaine HCl.
  • Try umeboshi plums. Umeboshi plums are salted and pickled plums helpful to relief indigestion. You can get them in Asian food stores, use them as umeboshi vinegar, as the base for tea or add as a salad dressing instead of salt and vinegar. ‘
  • Try acupuncture and/or chiropractic care.
  • Avoid processed foods and overeating.

Antacid?

Many people think they have too much stomach acid and therefore they take antacids. Antacids may relief some symptoms but most of the time the problem is not in too much acid in your stomach but in the fact that your stomach acid may just be in the wrong place, where it does not belong such as in esophagus. It may lead to acid reflux. I realize that the symptoms of too much and too little acid are similar, such as belching, burping, feeling of fulness after meals but be aware that too low acid is most of the time to blame for the symptoms described above.

Low stomach acid may be caused by pernicious anemia, chronic Helicobacter pylori, long-term term treatment with proton-pump inhibitors, autoimmune gastritis, or stress.

If your symptoms do not resolve after applying provided here tips, do consult it with you physician.

Diseases, Nutrition
Feb
02
Do you react to foods?

ALLERGIES vs SENSITIVITIES vs INTOLERANCES to FOODS

Food allergies and food sensitivities became more prevalent over the past few decades. Some common food reactions keep raising. It certainly has a lot to do with the way we live (stressed, overstimulated), with the quality of foods and drinks we consume (processed and toxic), the air we breathe in (polluted) or the cosmetics, detergents we use. These factors can make us more vulnerable and susceptible to all sort of maladies. Our bodies have to work hard to process everything from surrounding us environment and ingested foods, to stay in balance and to provide our bodies with what it needs for optimal functioning. When our body is overwhelmed our immune system and other parts may overreact inducing food reactions.

Reactions to foods we may experience include:

  • Psychological reactions (exorphins present in wheat/gluten and diary/casein bind to opioid receptors within our body influencing our brain, our behavior)
  • Toxic reactions (food contamination or food poisoning)
  • Immune-mediated reactions such as food allergies and food sensitivities (type I, II, III, or IV hypersensitivity)
  • Food intolerance reaction (enzyme deficiency)

There is often confusion around what is what and sometimes “allergy”, “intolerance”, and “sensitivity” are used improperly, which may  depend on naming convention as well as on how you look at the reaction to foods; whether you look at the reaction itself or symptoms it causes. Without going into depth and complexity of these reactions, I describe below the key differences.

What are they?

Let’s focus here only on two immune-mediated reactions (IgE & IgG) and food intolerances. Be aware that a person may also experience a combination of food reactions after ingesting one food, which may involve an immune reaction and non-immune reaction, cell-mediated food reactions.

Generally, we can distinguish:

  • immediate and often severe immune responses to IgE antibodies for food allergies
  • milder and delayed immune responses to IgG antibodies for food sensitivities
  • metabolic or gastrointestinal responses caused by a lack of enzymes or other inability to digest certain foods for food intolerances

Food allergies (IgE mediated) are associated with immediate-type gastrointestinal hypersensitivity, oral allergy syndrome, acute urticaria and angioedema, allergic rhinitis, acute bronchospasm, and in severe reactions anaphylaxis. Some symptoms include: reddening of the skin (hives, itching); swelling (lips, eyelids), tightness of the throat; impaired breathing; vomiting; or diarrhea. Most of these symptoms appear right after eating the offending food, for example nuts, fruits, raw vegetables, eggs, diary, or chicken. A person is always aware of symptoms and reaction to the allergenic food. In some people it’s a lifelong reaction whereas in others it disappears.

Food sensitivities (IgG mediated) involve delayed (hours, days) allergic-like responses/hypersensitivities that can last for days. The mechanism is based on triggering an immune system by producing IgG antibodies after a repeated exposure to a food antigen. The reaction can be dose-dependent and often involves common foods. Some delayed food sensitivity symptoms can include fatigue, abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, asthma, joint stiffness, swelling and pain, skin itching, rushes, hives, psoriasis, memory disturbances, behavioral changes or fever. A person is not always aware about having this food reaction as it can be difficult to connect a particular food reaction with its delayed symptoms. It disappears weeks/months after elimination of a trigger food.     

Food intolerances are associated with an inability (often genetically determined) to break down particular food compounds caused by a lack of enzymes or their low expression. This type of reaction does not directly involve the immune system and in some individuals response can be dose-dependent. It typically causes abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, bloating, sometimes headaches. The most frequent food intolerances include lactose intolerance, histamine intolerance, or fructose intolerance.

Do reactions to foods have health consequences?

Exposure to foods causing allergic, intolerance reaction or food sensitivities can be a contributing factor in many health conditions such as arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, muscle pain, chronic fatigue, as well as in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). So if you have chronic health complaints it is worthwhile to give your food reactions a closer look.

CAN I TEST MY REACTIVITY TO FOODS?

There is a number of ways to test for food reactions and the methods become more sophisticated to meet the growing demand. Different tests are appropriate depending on the immunologic reaction a person is trying to discover. Most common methods include elimination/challenge, skin testing, patch testing, ELISA antibody tests for IgG, IgE, IgG4, and IgA antibodies, biochip technology, and energetic testing methods. Each and every method has its advantages and disadvantages and particular methods investigate only a specific aspect of food reactions. For some people, laboratory testing results can be a great motivational trigger to promote dietary changes serving as a “proof” that a particular food is reactive. Also tests can be recommended to people unwilling or unable to do an elimination diet or for those who can’t easily identify the food related responses. Elimination diet you can do on your own and it is in principle very easy but it takes the time and diligence and can be overwhelming whereas an accurate and reproducible food allergy test allows nutritious foods to remain in a patient’s diet while removing offending foods. If you want to do some testing discuss possibilities with your health care professional. Below I provide the principles of an elimination diet.

Elimination & Challenge Method

The most common solution currently available is to begin identifying potential sensitivities by following an elimination and challenge of the specific foods. The basic idea is to eliminate a suspect food for a period of time to see which symptoms subside and then reintroduce it to see which symptoms reappear.

How to do it:

  1. Eliminate a single suspect food, group of foods (for example nightshades) or the 10 most common food allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, grains, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, sugar and alcohol) for a certain period of time (from days to weeks or months)
  2. Reintroduce one food at a time for three days, eaten 1-3 times a day (Note: this type of testing should not be done with foods known to cause a severe or anaphylactic reaction).
  3. Keep a diary to record how you feel for up to three days after a food is reintroduced. Some reactions may appear 24-72 hours after food consumption.
  4. Follow the same steps for each food.

a)  If a food causes a reaction such as brain fog, fatigue, itchy skin, stool changes etc., then eliminate it. Wait with introducing a new food for two-three days.

b)  If you don’t have a reaction, preferably leave that food temporarily out of your diet and put it back into your diet at the end of the food-reintroducing phase.

The food elimination/challenge approach can be time-consuming, carries a risk of producing a severe reaction (especially for IgE-mediated food allergies), can be difficult to reproduce, coincidental factors may affect the outcomes and it may result if false negatives. Therefore, it’s good to have some background info before applying this or any other testing approach.

Sources:

  1. “Adverse food reaction and functional gastrointestinal disorders: the role of dietetic approach” F. Pasqui et al. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis, September 2015 Vol. 24 No 3.
  2. “Food allergies” Wendy Hodsdon. Natural Medicine text book, fourth edition. J. Pizzorno & M Murray. Elsevier 2013.
  3. “Testing for food reactions: the good, the bad, and the ugly” G. E. Mullin et al. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, Vol. 25 No 2, 2010.
Diseases, Nutrition
Jun
12
Can probiotics prevent flu and colds?

Respiratory tract infections and probiotics

During the 2013-2014 winter, my family accounted many episodes of Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs). I, my husband, and both my daughters were experiencing recurrent RTIs, and this saga lasted for about 6 months. My older daughter missed about 60% of her daycare days and my younger one about 90% of daycare because of RTIs. It was a tough burden (physically, emotionally and financially) for me and for my husband. Luckily, the last winter of 2014-2015 was much better; my daughters were only sick a few times and it was quite mild. Having the entire family suffering from recurrent RTIs, it was a wake-up call for me to look for ways to improve our health. The changes we have made were mostly around our diet and included the consumption of probiotic supplements, more fermented food, more vegetables, more salads, more fiber, more bone broths, less sugars, reduced intake of diary milk products, reduced consumption of wheat and gluten, and no processed food.

Even though it's not the season of colds and flu now, I want to give some attention to “RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS AND PROBIOTICS”. RTIs typically include cold, upper respiratory tract infections, influenza-like illness and flu, the majority of which is caused by a virus.  Associated symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, sometimes fever and may last between 5 to 10 days. Children, on average, suffer from 6 to 12 RTI incidents annually, whereas adults average from 1 to 5 incidents. The management of RTIs typically includes the use of over-the-counter medications to relieve some of the symptoms.

The average cost of an RTI incident is by itself low, however the high incidence and recurrence leads to a high burden for the individuals affected, their families, health care practitioners and health care systems worldwide. High recurrences of RTIs affect the quality of life, leading to absenteeism at work or at school, and may involve extra costs such as hiring a baby sitter.

It is well known that a healthy, diverse and balanced diet, regular physical exercise and no stress contribute to one’s wellbeing, but what about probiotics? Can probiotics have an effect on the prevention, recurrence, duration or severity of RTIs?

BASED ON CLINICAL STUDIES…

Probiotics, in comparison to placebo, were shown to contribute to:

- lower risk of RTIs

- lower incidence of RTIs

- reduced number of days with RTIs related symptoms

- reduced antibiotic use

- fewer abstinence days from work, school, or daycare

Below you can find a summary of results from relevant clinical studies.

ECONOMIC PERESPECTIVE

Based on the results that probiotics may reduce the RTI duration, reduce absenteeism at work, at school, and reduce the use of medications, could the use of probiotics have an economical aspect in the management of RTIs? In order to answer these questions, a health-economic analysis (Lenoir-Wijnkoop et al)  was undertaken to determine the public health and budget consequences of a generalized probiotic intake in France. Scientists used the existing data from the two meta-analyses (Cochrane meta-analysis and YHEC meta-analysis) and applied it to the French population to estimate common RTI events, comparing subjects on and without a probiotics regimen. They looked at the cost savings related to the decreased incidence of RTIs, reduced number of sick days, number of antibiotics courses, sick leave days, and other related costs. Based on one of the analysis, authors estimate that probiotics’ economic impact could save the society, during the 2011-2012 winter, €84.4 million according to the YHEC data, and €253.6 million according to the Cochrane data. The authors emphasize also that the incidence of common RTIs during the 2011-2012 winter was low compared to the average rate over the five last winters.

TO USE PROBIOTICS OR NOT?

This is the most important question for the consumer: should I use probiotics for the prevention and management of RTIs? And if yes, then which?

There is no wonder probiotic strain against all RTIs and no wonder probiotic strain that works in all individuals. Everyone’s gut microbial make-up is unique so the probiotics may have different impact. The clinical findings available now are certainly encouraging, but on the other hand, there are also conflicting results where the users seem not to benefit from using probiotics in the prophylaxis and the management of RTIs, such as in a recent study with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (Hojsak et al). Therefore, all published data needs to be confirmed in larger and more homogenous study populations. There are differences in study designs, including the various numbers of participants, various group ages, different sex, and different durations of the studies, different probiotic strains given, and different probiotic preparations, at different concentrations and at different times. This heterogeneity makes definite conclusions and recommendations – on whether, when, which probiotic and at what dosage in management of RTIs – difficult. We need to have a better understanding of the effects of different probiotic strains in the prevention and management of RTIs, and more specifically on their immune-modulating potential.

I believe that if we gain more knowledge we will be able to select the most beneficial probiotic strains for the management of RTIs, based on their proven properties.

(POTENTIALLY) BENEFICIAL BACTERIAL PROBIOTIC STRAINS IN THE PREVENTION AND/OR THE MANAGEMENT OF RTIs

To help you to select appropriate probiotic strains, I list below the bacterial strains shown to have, to greater or lesser extent, a beneficial effect in the prevention and/or the management of RTIs.

Lactobacillus strains:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC53103), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LC705), Lactobacillus casei (DN-114 001 and 431), Lactobacillus paracasei (8700:2), Lactobacillus gasseri (PA 16/8), Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus (CUL21 and CUL60), Lactobacillus plantarum (HEAL9), Lactobacillus brevis (KB290)
Bifidobacterium strains:
Bifidobacterium breve (P), Bifidobacterium lactis (BB-12 and CUL34), Bifidobacterium bifidum (MF20/5, R0071 and CUL20), Bifidobacterium longum (SP 07/3)
Other strains:
Streptococcus thermophilus

SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM RELEVANT CLINICAL STUDIES

The study of Hojsak et al has shown that children (376 children) receiving probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG were at a lower risk of respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, vomiting episodes, and diarrhea when compared to the placebo group (366 children). Another study (Rautava et al) with infants (probiotic group) receiving daily formula supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 until the age of 12 months showed that infants in the probiotic group, in comparison to the placebo group, had lower incidence of RTIs, of ear infections (acute otitis media) and of antibiotic courses. Moreover, Japanese clinicians (Waki et al) demonstrated that schoolchildren receiving a probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus brevis KB290, for 2 months/5 days per week had lower incidence of influenza infections, with a more pronounced affect in children not vaccinated with the influenza vaccine. The authors of this study reported no significant difference in incidence of common cold or gastroenteritis between the probiotic group and the placebo group. Another recent study (Garaiova et al) investigated the efficacy of probiotic consortium containing bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL21 and CUL60, Bifidobacterium bifidum CUL20, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CUL34) and 50 mg vitamin C for prevention of respiratory tract infections in 69 healthy children aged 3-6 years. Children received probiotic (28 children) daily or placebo (29 children) daily, for a period of 6 months. The authors observed significantly reduced incidence of upper RTIs, reduced numbers of days with upper RTI associated symptoms, and reduced absenteeism from preschool in the placebo group. In addition, children on probiotic and vitamin C regimen used cough medicines, painkillers, nasal sprays, and antibiotics for shorter periods of time than children receiving a placebo.

Furthermore, probiotics – in comparison to control groups – were found to contribute to the prevention and reduced rate of RTIs, also in reduced antibiotic use, as based on the Cochrane meta-analysis (Hao et al, updated Hao et al) of 10 clinical trials with 3,451 participants (infants, children, and adults). These results, however, did not find any effect on the duration of each single sickness episode. Yet, another data review (King et al) including a meta-analysis revealed the effectiveness of probiotics (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains) on the duration of RTIs in children and adults. The meta-analysis including 20 clinical trials revealed that participants receiving probiotic, in contrast to placebo participants, had shorter illness episodes by almost a day, had fewer abstinence days from work, school, or daycare.

The above studies report no adverse events associated with probiotic intake. Probiotics used in the studies – Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria – are generally considered to be safe. Patients at high risk for a probiotic-induced sepsis include immunocompromised patients and premature neonates.

Nutrition
Jun
09
Sauerkraut

Ingredients (for about 2 liters)

  • 1 kilogram white cabbage
  • About 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

Equipment

  • Widemouth jar or ceramic crock
  • Plate that fits inside jar/crock
  • Smaller jelly jar (filled with water) that fits inside the larger jar/crock or clean stones, marbles, or other weights for pressing ferment under brine
  • Cloth cover (towel or kitchen cloth) for covering the jar

Instructions

  1. Clean all equipment properly
  2. Chop the cabbage finely. I first cut the cabbage into quarters, cut the core out, and slice each quarter further into fine pieces.
  3. Place chopped cabbage in a big bowl and sprinkle salt over the cabbage. I massage cabbage with my hands to distribute the salt into all cabbage pieces. Thanks to the salt, water will be pulled out of the cabbage making a brine solution, after about 10 min the cabbage will become watery. Presence of salt keeps the cabbage crunchy but it’s also possible to make sauerkraut with less or no salt at all.
  4. Optionally, you can add other vegetables, herbs or spices to the mix if you like. I like plain cabbage the most but you can get creative by adding onions, garlic, beets, brussels sprouts, or dill seeds, and more.
  5. Pack the cabbage into the jar. Use handful portions of cabbage (including any already released liquid) at the time then tamp it down hard using your fist. Tightly tamped cabbage will release more water.
  6. Weight the cabbage down. Once all the cabbage is packed, place a small plate or other glass/ceramic lid inside the jar to cover kraut. On the top of it place a clean weight (smaller jar filled with water, clean rocks). It will keep kraut submerged under the brine and will force more water out of the cabbage. Note: I have also made sauerkraut without weighting it down with weight, just with a lid on a jar, and it worked fine.
  7. Cover the mouth of the jar with a cloth to keep dust and insects away.
  8. Press the weight down every few hours until the brine rises above the cover (after about first 24 hrs). It will add pressure and force more water out the cabbage. Add extra liquid with salt (about 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water) if the brine does not rise above the cabbage by the next day.
  9. Leave the cabbage to ferment for about 3 to 14 days but it’s up to your own preference on how fermented you like it. In general, the lower the storage temperature the slower fermentation. Also, smaller batches ferment quicker than larger batches.
  10. Taste the kraut every day or two. Each time you take some kraut out of the jar, make sure that the remaining kraut is packed tightly in the jar again, and the cover and weight are clean before weighting the kraut down. Add more salty water if necessary. When you are happy with the result just enjoy it. You can transfer it to a smaller jar and refrigerate your batch for 1-3 months!
  11. As the fermentation proceeds you may see some white layer, foam on the top, it’s often called “scum”. You can skim it off of the surface.
  12. I love eating sauerkraut with chopped red onion, some salt & peper and olive oil. It’s simple and delicious! Don’t forget that sauerkraut juice is a great digestive drink.