Anti-inflammatory Foods for Weight Loss and Hormone Balance
Counting calories, avoiding fats, eating small portions, living with hunger—dieting is a drag and the majority of people eventually gain back the pounds they fought so hard to lose. Diet is limiting and restrictive. Consider nutrition. The word ‘nutrition’ comes from Latin, which is ‘to nourish’. The goal of nutrition is to emphasize and maximize the amount of nutrients that your body needs for optimal health, hormone balance, and sustenance. Dieting can slow down the metabolism and affect hormones that control appetite. This may cause you to become hungrier, and lead to an unhealthy and a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. You’ll have better success if you eat with a focus on meeting your nutritional needs. Proper nutrition and avoidance of the ‘inflammatory’ foods can help reduce constant pain, digestive complaints, skin rashes, autoimmune disease, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, hormone imbalances, and other chronic health issues. You may be surprised to find that not only do those symptoms reduce but you may also lose those unwanted pounds. Eating anti-inflammatory foods may cut out many of your favorites, but it does not require you to be hungry. In fact, hunger can work against you by causing low blood sugar. Basics of nutrition and anti-inflammatory foods Eliminate the following, since they are designed to be addictive all processed foods fast foods sweets and desserts (helps to curb cravings and stabilize blood sugars) coffee drinks sodas Eliminate processed vegetable and hydrogenated oils Eliminate gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other gluten-containing grains You may have other food sensitivities and/or intolerances. Eliminate these foods for about 3 months and observe your reactions upon reintroducing them one at a time (every 3-4 days) dairy eggs soy nightshades nuts In some instances you may need to follow a stricter version of this diet, and eliminate grains, or foods with lectins Increase whole foods found in the produce and meat sections of the grocery store, with an emphasis on vegetables and leafy greens Increase healthy fats, including coconut, olive, or hemp seed oils, and avocados Get enough sleep. Studies show that lack of sleep promotes hunger, stress, and inflammation and is linked with obesity Get regular physical activity, not to burn calories but because it is vital to good health. Overtraining, however, can be counterproductive to your weight loss efforts or good...
Read MoreSeven Reasons of Why You May Be Tired
Feel tired all the time? Having a hard time waking up in the mornings? Do you need a jolt of caffeine to get going? You may be experiencing “adrenal fatigue”, an issue where your body has difficulty meeting the demands of everyday stress, or life. Signs and symptoms of “adrenal fatigue” may include Persistent fatigue Headaches with stress, or regularly come on in the afternoons Frequent colds and flus; weakened immune system Allergies Slow to get going in the morning Craving sweets and stimulants Feeling lightheaded, shaky, or irritable between meals Eating to relieve fatigue Difficulty sleeping; or frequent wakings in the middle of the night Dizziness when moving from sitting to standing Low blood pressure Other Let’s look at a few possible reasons for your adrenal gland involvement. 1. Eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates. When you eat sweets or starchy foods it causes your blood sugar and insulin levels to rise and then drop quickly. In response, your adrenal glands release the stress hormone (cortisol) to help those levels stay balanced. Repeated rises and falls of your blood sugar levels directly impact your adrenals. As a result of this exhaustive cycle, you may reach the state of“adrenal fatigue”, where you now suffer from perpetual low blood sugars, or reactive hypoglycemia. Aim for a lower glycemic, whole foods diet that does not spike your blood sugar, as well as healthy fats, protein, and plenty of fiber. 2. Using caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine, energy drinks, cigarettes, diet pills, and other stimulants cause extra release of stress hormones and can further exacerbate the adrenal glands. 3. Overtraining. Exercise is vital to good health, yet over-exercising can aggravate the body, and taxing the adrenal glands. If your performance during workouts is suffering and you feel tired afterwards, you may actually be overdoing it, or exercising at the wrong time of the day for your body, this can further aggravate the health of your adrenal glands. 4. Food intolerances. Eating foods that trigger an immune reaction also has the capacity to tax adrenal function. One of the more common food intolerances is gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and a few other type of grains. Dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and yeast are a few other common foods that can lead to inflammatory processes and impact your adrenal glands. Doing an elimination/provocation diet can be very helpful. In some instances, certain lab tests can also be useful in helping you decipher which foods you are sensitive to and should avoid. 5. Gut infections. It is not uncommon for many people to have gastrointestinal infections that include overgrowth of yeast, fungus, and/or bacteria. Many people may have these infections for years and not know about them. These chronic infections, however, can lead to chronic inflammation in the gut and the body, which leads to increased stress on the body and can further impact your adrenals. 6. Unmanaged autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity is when your immune system attacks your own body. For example, when the immune system attacks your thyroid gland (Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism), the pancreas (Type I diabetes), or the nervous system (multiple sclerosis). Unmanaged autoimmune disease keeps the immune system on at all times, and this overactive state causes chronic inflammation. This perpetual inflammatory process leads to an increased stress on the body and its tissues, which can further aggravate the adrenal gland involvement . 7. Brain inflammation. Chronic inflammation in the body from poor diet, chronic stress, or autoimmune disease can also inflame the brain. Common symptoms of brain inflammation include brain fog, low brain endurance, poor memory, or slowed mental acuity. Contact us to learn...
Read MoreProtect Your Brain from Inflammation
The brain is an extremely malleable organ that is constantly being influenced by our environment, diet, experiences, thoughts, and emotions. What makes the brain vulnerable is the process of inflammation. This is because the inflammation in the brain slows down communication between neurons. Inflammation in a knee, ankle, or elsewhere in the body typically results in pain. An inflamed brain, however, does not necessarily hurt. Instead, a common symptom of brain inflammation is brain fog, and people complaining that their thinking feels slow and disconnected. Other symptoms of brain inflammation may include memory loss, depression, anxiety, and other types of neurological disorders. Brain inflammation The factors that cause brain inflammation are often the same factors that cause inflammation elsewhere in the body, and stem primarily from poor diet and lifestyle choices. If you have any digestive disorders—stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, gas, bloating, multiple food sensitivities—you may be at risk of brain inflammation. The following are some of the common factors: Food intolerances, particularly to gluten. The brain has been found to be the tissue most often affected by a gluten sensitivity. A diet high in sugar Blood sugar imbalances (low blood sugar, high blood sugar, or diabetes) Leaky gut (a damaged gut wall that allows undigested food, bacteria, and other pathogens into the bloodstream) Unmanaged autoimmune disease, such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism Chronic inflammation elsewhere in the body Hormone imbalances. Estrogen deficiency in a woman can exacerbate brain inflammation. While progesterone has been shown to be very therapeutic after a brain injury. Poor blood flow and oxygenation. Factors that can reduce oxygenation of the brain include anemia, smoking, poor circulation, blood sugar imbalances, chronic stress, and high or low blood pressure. Supporting brain health The factors that support brain health are the same factors that support your body’s health: whole foods diet rich in antioxidants essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fats sufficient vitamin D regular physical activity and adequate sleep healthy social activity stress management and healthy lifestyle choices Contact us to learn how we can help improve your brain health, reduce inflammation, and support your health...
Read MoreEat Your Breakfast: Prevent Weight Gain and Hormone Imbalance
Breakfast is the easiest meal to skip—mornings are rushed and many people don’t have an appetite when they wake up. Some people even feel nausea in the morning, which suggests a possible blood sugar dysregulation. If you skip breakfast you may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts, increasing your risk of weight gain, blood sugar disorders, hormone imbalances, and robbing your brain of energy. Skipped breakfast leads to weight gain and hormone imbalance Breakfast is the first meal after a long night of fasting. In the absence of food, the body must release stored glucose to fuel the brain or create glucose by breaking down muscle tissue. This process is made possible by by the stress hormone, cortisol. Skipping breakfast when your brain and body are starved for energy exaggerates this stress response, forcing the body to continually pump out cortisol to fuel the brain. This persistent increase of nighttime cortisol is what causes some people to wake up and experience nausea. Although it seems counter-intuitive, eating can actually relieve that morning nausea by inhibiting the stress response. The habitual stress response caused by skipping breakfast and other meals can promote weight gain, cause hormone imbalance, increase inflammation in the body, and decrease brain function. It can also lead to symptoms such as migraines, depression, mood swings, shakiness, lightheadedness, brain fog, and sleep disorders. Eating meals high in sugar and carbohydrates also contributes to this problem by causing energy to continually spike and crash throughout the day. Eating breakfast regularly is an important strategy when it comes to preventing weight gain and fatigue. Skipping breakfast leads to overeating and poor food choices Skipping breakfast can increase your chances of overindulging or making poor food choices later in the day. When your energy is crashing and your brain is starving for fuel. A well-fueled brain is better equipped to make healthier choices and not succumb to a mad grab for the nearest source of quick energy (like sugar, or something processed). A recent study showed that those who skipped breakfast were more likely to seek out high-calorie junk foods and that dieters who skip meals are more prone to gain weight over the long run. Their brain scans showed skipping meals stimulated the brain in a way that made high-calorie foods seem more appealing. Those who skipped breakfast also ate about 20 percent more at lunch. What to eat for breakfast Breakfast should emphasize healthy proteins and fat (avoid sugary, starchy breakfasts) to start the day on an even keel and maximize brain function. Eat frequently enough to avoid blood sugar crashes, and include protein, healthy fat, and fiber (vegetables) with every meal to sustain energy and prevent fatigue throughout the day. At our Portland natural health clinic we can help and support you and your health goals. Contact us with all of your questions and to schedule an...
Read MoreHelp Identify Your Food Sensitivities or Intolerances
If you want to ensure success in managing your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, facilitating weight loss, or supporting your fertility keeping a food diary is one of the best paths to success. Oh, yea, and no matter what you choose to do, ‘Stay Away from Gluten‘! Keeping a food diary keeps you honest It’s easy to think you are eating or behaving one way when the reality is strikingly different. Keeping track of everything you eat, portion sizes, and when you eat lifts the veil on bad habits you have managed to hide from yourself, such as how much sugar you really eat, how big your portions are, how frequently (or infrequently) you eat, or how often you eat a food that may be aggravating to you or your symptoms. Keeping a food diary for weight loss Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism poses its own weight loss challenges. Most people underestimate portion sizes or how often they eat. Recording what you eat can help give you a more accurate view of your habits. Knowing you have to record everything is also great motivation to stick to your plan. That tantalizing dessert loses appeal when you see how those extra calories or carbohydrates are going to kill your numbers at the end of the day. On the other hand, jotting down your exercise feels great! It’s also good to tie in timing, location, and emotions with your meals. You may notice waiting too long between meals predisposes you to a binge, make you more irritable, or that a particular person or situation increases your sugar cravings. Keeping a food diary for Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism Food diaries aren’t just for weight loss. Many people must make dramatic dietary changes to manage a chronic health condition. For Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism this means going on a strict gluten-free diet, or sometimes giving up grains and other foods entirely. Other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis also respond positively to changes in diet. Tracking both what you eat and your symptoms not only helps with compliance, but also can show you if any foods flare up your symptoms. For instance, you may be following a gluten-free and dairy-free diet but notice your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism symptoms worsen when you eat eggs. Keeping a food diary to help identify food intolerances, or sensitivities In fact, a food diary is an excellent tool for an elimination-provocation diet. These diets involve eliminating common dietary immune triggers such as grains (gluten in particular), dairy, eggs, soy, and sweeteners for at least 3, but ideally 6 months. After the elimination period you add in each food one at a time every 48 to 72 hours and monitor your reactions. Make notes of any and all symptoms that may appear, even if they seem mild. Most people don’t realize they have a food intolerance because either they eat the food all the time or because reactions can happen up to 72 hours later. By removing the foods for a period of time and then re-introducing them one at a time, will allow the immune system to produce a noticeable reaction if that food is an issue. It’s important to record symptoms as they appear. They can be very diverse and affect the skin, digestive tract, respiratory system, mood, mental function, joints, and/or any other system in the body. Contact us to learn some of the best ways to identify and manage your food sensitivities and/or...
Read MoreDetoxification: Reduce inflammation and support autoimmune disease
I believe ‘health’ is a verb, it is something you do! Health is a journey, a process, and most importantly – health is a lifestyle. Optimal health is not an option. You can do a short-term detoxification program and feel great, yet the real long-lasting health benefits come from a long-term commitment to yourself and your health. I believe that a healthy lifestyle is a daily commitment and requires a regiment of a daily “detox”. To me, “detox” is defined as “movement”. This applies to every tissue, every muscle, every system, every emotion, and every cell in the body. Lack of movement leads to dis-ease. Clean water, clean food, regular exercise, and every lifestyle choice that you make on a daily basis affects your body in either creating movement or creating stasis (i.e. lack of movement). Detoxification Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins, or waste from the body. It is the process of neutralizing and transforming toxic substances into less harmful elements, and clearing excess mucus and congestion. Many of these toxins come from our diet, drug use, environmental exposure, and others, which may lead to both acute and chronic health issues like autoimmune disease and fertility. Internally, fats, especially oxidized fats and cholesterol, free radicals, and other irritating molecules can also act as toxins. Poor digestion, colon sluggishness and dysfunction, reduced liver function, and poor elimination through the kidneys, lymphatic system, respiratory tract, and skin all add to increased toxicity. Optimizing all basic functions of the body, helps to facilitate its normal pathways of elimination and detoxification. Given the appropriate environment, both internal and external, the body has the innate ability to heal itself. The basics of proper nutrition, exercise, rest, fresh air, and sunshine allow the body’s own healing to occur in stages. The body’s own wisdom is the true healer. Environmental Effects on Health We live in a polluted world: our environment, our food, our water, our homes, or the lifestyle choices that we make. I believe there are proactive steps you can take to minimize your exposure, to reduce your overall toxic load, and to help improve your health. Our primary sources of exposure come from both our external, but also our internal environments. Accumulation of toxins can lead to body aches, fatigue, weight gain, or premature aging. Toxicity may also worsen arthritis, cancer, and degenerative diseases. External Sources Pollution inside our homes, the food we eat, as well as the large numbers of medications that most people ingest. Eating and drinking out of plastic containers, using the microwave. Ingesting foods that have been grown with pesticides, drinking unfiltered water. There are studies and surveys of the metropolitan areas in the United States that have discovered high levels of prescription medications in drinking water. The list goes on. Internal Sources Our internal sources that contribute to the overall toxicity, include fermentation and putrefaction of foods, both of which are forms of chemical reactions resulting in conversion of substances (e.g. proteins, carbohydrates, others) into other forms of compounds. Toxic thoughts or emotions can also accumulate as waste inside the body and exacerbate health issues. The list goes on. Lifestyle Poor nutrition places a tremendous stress on the body, which results in the accumulation of toxic wastes. Adding caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or any other recreational drugs overwhelms the system and the bodies accumulate even more toxic material. The list goes on. Our 3-phase detoxification program helps to facilitate the excretion of toxins and support your body’s natural state of homeostasis (i.e. ‘balance’). It helps to reduce the overactive immune system, similar to that of...
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