Addicted to Food?

Are you addicted and don’t know it? From time to time, we all stray off of our normal ‘healthy’ or weight loss diet. It’s not a big deal unless you have trouble getting back on track…

doughnut-junk food lgAre you addicted and don’t know it?

From time to time, we all stray off of our normal ‘healthy’ or weight loss diet. It’s not a big deal unless you have trouble getting back on track. Did you know you can have hidden addictions to foods that you eat on a regular basis? These addictions can be as strong as nicotine to a smoker or heroin to a junkie.

For most people, it’s foods containing sugar, grains (especially wheat), and dairy products. While these foods seem to be everywhere, they are also actually highly addictive. And don’t be fooled for a second in thinking that food manufacturers don’t know this little factoid, and do their best to put sugar, wheat and dairy in as many things as they can.

These foods can stimulate opiate-like receptors in the brain, and your body actually responds to these foods just as it would heroin or morphine. The opiate-like ingredients in dairy and wheat are proteins, which coincidentally are also known to be highly allergenic. In dairy, that protein is casein, and in wheat, it is gluten.

These proteins trigger the release of exorphins (very similar to endorphins) that go straight to the brain and create a feeling of instant comfort and pleasure. Think of all the combinations of dairy and wheat that people love and consider as comfort foods, or foods they can’t live without: macaroni and cheese, pizza, bagels and cream cheese, cookies and milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, and on and on.

Are sugar, wheat and dairy your weakness? Think about it. Maybe you weren’t even aware of that addiction.

The tough thing about straying off your diet and eating foods with wheat, dairy or sugar makes it especially difficult to get back on track. You become addicted. And just like the heroin junkie who thinks he can have “just a little”—once you’re off track, it becomes exceptionally difficult to break free from these foods’ grasp.

The interesting thing about wheat and dairy is that most often if you find you have a hard time living without, or staying away from these foods, you most likely are allergic to those proteins—the gluten and the casein. And I don’t mean the kind of allergy that makes you break out in hives, and or makes your throat swell, but it is often an allergy, nonetheless.

What do these allergic reactions cause? Inflammation in the form of stuff like bloating, weight gain, (usually excess water) stomachaches, sinus and nasal drainage, earaches, irritability, depression, fatigue, brain fog, ADHD, acne, joint pain, headaches….and non-stop eating.

This vicious cycle of allergy and addiction can interfere with digestion and your body’s ability to extract nutrients from food. It also affects the immune system, helping to magnify allergies, and weaken it’s defense system, so you become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and yeast overgrowth.

Ironically, the very foods that you just cannot live without are usually the same foods that cause some of the worst reactions, and cause you to overeat. So you are caught in an allergy-addiction cycle.

Think about it.

Have you ever eaten a bowl of cereal and as you are eating it, you get hungrier and hungrier? Next thing you know you’ve eaten three bowls of cereal. Have you ever said, “I just can’t live without my bagels? Or “My pasta”? You need bread and butter at every meal, or just can’t stop when you eat crackers and cheese? Is your favorite comfort food ice cream or pudding?

Take a look at what you are eating…addiction often lurks in your daily habits.

Does this mean you’re weak? Do you lack willpower? No. It’s just that these addictive substances are wreaking their havoc on you and your best laid dietary plans.

Many ‘diets’ actually contain a built-in plan to fail if they contain dairy, wheat or sugar. How many times have you heard the standard “Eat whole grains and lots of dairy” instruction? Some of the most popular diet plans like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig all contain moderate amounts of the big three addictive allergens—wheat, dairy, and sugar. This should come as no surprise. They want consumers to keep coming back and buying more of this stuff.

Having an allergy-addiction to any one or more of these substances is a little like an alcoholic thinking it’s ok to have just a small glass of wine or beer, instead a big one. What would you guess is going to happen at some point? That small portion grows or becomes more and more frequent.

The best solution to break free of the addiction/allergy cycle is to eliminate wheat, sugar and dairy from your diet altogether. While may sound somewhat extreme, you will be amazed at how much easier it becomes to stick to a healthy diet that keeps you at your optimal weight.

If giving up bread or milk makes you feel anxious and deprived, I can sympathize. I too, was once addicted to bread, milk and sugar as well. I’d try to cut back and cut calories to lose weight, only to end up on a (coffee cake, cookie, bagel, cinnamon toast) wheat binge after a few days.

I tried to eat less only to be on that same Merry-go-Round of addiction and overeating. I gained weight, and I felt awful. It wasn’t until I actually tried a two-week elimination diet, that I realized how fantastic and energetic I felt once I had gotten totally away from those foods.

This blog will go into the details of an elimination diet, but basically you totally remove wheat, dairy and any other foods you feel you just can’t live without. Then you re-introduce them, one at a time, and observe your reactions over a period of 24-48 hours

I’ve kinda developed and evolved a dietary strategy that helps me get back on track after a few days of this type of dietary disaster. I’d like to share that with you and hopefully you will be able to adopt this and find success as I have.

First of all, the best thing to do is to go ‘cold turkey’. Take the offenders out of your diet, totally. Remember the alcoholic with the small glass of wine? It doesn’t work. Take it all out—the sugar, the wheat and grains (other grains contain addictive gluten-like substances as well), and the dairy.

Then plan out your meals for the next couple days. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but make it super healthy and high fiber. You’re doing a mini detox basically.

Surround yourself with awesome superfood veggies that are brilliant and brightly colored and will make you feel so spectacular that you won’t want to go back to those addictive foods. Add in some top quality protein and good fats and you’re golden. Cravings go away when you give your body what it truly needs.

So the idea is to load your body up with a ton of powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, powerful nutrition to overcome the toxic load you’ve put in your body. And you want to have a lot of veggies in there that will feed your body what it needs and help to clean house as well.

So I generally plan on a few humongous salads with a good portion of healthy protein added in—free range chicken, grass fed beef, or some wild-caught fish, like salmon.

TAKEAWAY #1

Wheat, Dairy and Sugar are addictive substances, and for many people they produce an allergic, inflammatory reaction in addition to the addiction, making it extremely difficult to eat ‘just a little’. Meanwhile, you make it harder to lose weight and mess with your health.

TAKEAWAY #2

AVOID Wheat, Dairy and Sugar all the time. Avoid all processed, packaged foods and especially avoid “Diet” foods. Just an alcoholic cannot drink once in a while, neither can you eat this stuff “once in a while”.

TAKEWAY #3

When you get off track, quit the grains, sugar and dairy, COLD TURKEY, and arm yourself with a healthy diet plan for the next few days. Load up on veggies and healthy proteins and let your body detox this crap out. You’ll feel better quickly! Have a plan, and have some healthy meals lined up and you will feel satisfied and ‘clean’ again in no time.

Stay healthy and lean, my friends!!

cat

 

 

 

Find out what foods age you the fastest and how to reverse aging here.

The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging

Cat profile close upSM Paleo Carrot & Apple MuffinsCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. 

Cat’s  book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

                           Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

                                Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden Food Addictions Can Make You GAIN Weight

Think—what foods do you eat day in, and day out on a regular basis? Foods eaten daily can often cause chronic health problems. Would you believe that the majority of people have some hidden food sensitivities?

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Think—what foods do you eat day in, and day out on a regular basis?

Often these may not even be foods you realize you are eating, but exist as ingredients in many packaged foods. Foods and food substances, eaten every day can often cause chronic health problems like weight gain, puffiness, inflammation—and even more serious health conditions like migraine headaches, arthritis, osteoporosis, neuropathy, bladder infections and other illnesses associated with long-term nutrient deficiencies.

One of the most overlooked and least understood parts of diet is food allergies and sensitivities. Did you know that a large percentage of the population has food sensitivities and don’t know it? Many allergies and sensitivities come are actually food addictions.

Food allergies or sensitivities do not always occur as a big, full-blown allergic reaction with hives, shortness of breath and anaphylactic reactions. Often these food reactions can occur on a ‘sub-clinical’ level without obvious symptoms. But not always obvious is the inflammation and reaction on the cellular level.

As surprising as it sounds, it is possible to be both allergic and addicted to a food or chemical substance—and this is often the case. The two things go hand in hand.

This sets up cravings with both physiological (physical) and psychological (mental or emotional) discomfort, withdrawal symptoms and cravings when the offending food is not available.

While there often is a much longer list, the top offenders are usually foods that contain wheat, dairy, corn or soy. And if you think about it, its pretty hard to avoid these foods as they are the ingredients in many, many processed or packaged foods—and often disguised as ingredients you may not recognize.

What happens in a food sensitivity reaction? Foods that are partially digested leak through the cell wall of the intestinal lining. Then the undigested particles of food are attacked by the immune system as if they are foreign invaders.

When the immune system is activated, our bodies react in a similar way to fighting off a virus or bacterial invasion. The ability to fight other infections drops, inflammation in the body goes up and some kind of reaction takes place. Often it is a chronic reaction because the offending food is eaten every day.

When reactions occur to foods that are eaten on a regular day-to-day basis, there is constant chronic inflammation that can manifest as a variety of symptoms.

Part of the weight gained from food allergies is fluid retention caused by inflammation and the release of certain hormones. In addition, some foods do not break down and digest properly–particularly carbohydrate–in the intestines which can result in a swollen distended belly, indigestion, and gas production.

Eating these foods actually creates a physiological reaction in the body similar to way we would react to an addictive drug like cocaine or heroin. Foods can release substances in the body that create an almost euphoric high. This reaction is just like when an addict gets “high”.  Endorphins and other hormones are released, the body reacts and then withdraws.

And guess what? All addictions have the same type of reaction – whether cigarettes, coffee, heroin, corn, wheat, milk or other foods. Both addictive and allergic responses to a food allergy can cause uncontrollable eating behavior. Every hear someone say they just can’t live without their _________ (fill in the blank here–bread, pasta, milk, etc.) ?

And it’s not just hives or a rash that come from the allergy-addiction syndrome. Most any chronic physical problem can come from a low grade food allergy. As Dr. Ellen Grant reported in the medical journal, Lancet, 85% of people who suffer from migraines could be symptom-free if they eliminated common food allergens. And, there is also strong evidence that chronic arthritis, asthma and diabetes may be caused by allergic reactions as well.

Huge numbers of people have hidden food allergies, which are manifested in the form of addictions. And the misleading thing is that food allergy reactions are not always immediate and severe (as in the case of hives, shortness of breath and other life threatening symptoms), but often reactions are very subtle and delayed for 24-48 hours, making it difficult to trace back to a particular food.

Food allergies and sensitivities can cause symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, heartburn, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, sinusitis, irritability, yeast infections, migraines, rashes, psoriasis, acne, anxiety, depression, insomnia, PMS and more. Chronic food allergies can affect virtually any system in the body.

Often one of the best ways to detect a food sensitivity or delayed allergy reaction is to look at the foods that you eat every day, all the time. Can you go without them? Think about it–if you cannot live without your daily bread, bagel, cereal, etc., its highly possible you have a sensitivity to that food and is most likely it is causing an inflammatory reaction in your body.

What’s the solution? Anyone who is trying to lose weight or has any kind of chronic health condition should look at food allergies or sensitivities. Become suspicious if you eat a particular food every day—and that includes most of us—or if you have a favorite food that you eat often or crave. Pay attention when you are eating—are there certain foods you just cannot get enough of?

Since the most common offenders are wheat, corn, soy and dairy products, the first step is an elimination diet.  Remove all the foods that contain wheat, corn, soy and dairy from your diet for a minimum period of two weeks.

That means reading every label and scrutinizing everything you are eating. Most processed or packaged foods contain these ingredients in some form, so eating simple one-ingredient natural foods is the easiest way to avoid the allergens—and it’s far healthier as well. So for example, eat an apple instead of something out of a box.

It’s important to note that wheat is the primary content of most all flours (except gluten free) and prepared items, so that means cutting out most all breads—whether its whole wheat, rye or white; pastas, crackers, cookies, cereals, and more. However, it’s pretty easy now to find plenty of wheat and gluten free items to substitute–but watch out for added corn in gluten free items.

Wheat and corn starch are also commonly used as thickeners in sauces and gravies as well, so beware when eating prepared soups or eating out when sauces are served with foods.

Doing an elimination diet is NOT easy. You may feel intense cravings the first 24-48 hours after you start and you could begin to feel sick as your body detoxes the offending substances out of your body.

But–if you stick with it–4 or 5 days into the diet, you may suddenly feel like a brand new person!  Your energy will rebound, you will have sparkling mental clarity, and smooth glowing skin. Not only that, but many lose 5-10 pounds in 4-5 days! As you continue on the diet, you may also continue to lose weight, since you are not overeating certain foods to get your ‘fix’.

After the two weeks, slowly re-introduce the allergenic foods, one at a time. Try adding wheat back in for one full day, then wait 2 more days to record any delayed symptoms. When you add in a food, eat it at all three meals to get the full reaction. You may be really shocked!

Food allergies and sensitivities have been ignored by most medical doctors. Because no pharmaceuticals are involved,doctors don’t tend to diagnose or treat health conditions with elimination diet.

The simplest answer to food allergies and sensitivities is to eat pure, natural, whole foods like grass fed meats, fresh fruits and vegetables with ONE ingredient, and avoid processed, packaged convenience foods and fast foods with multiple ingredients.

Removing foods that you are allergic or sensitive to can have life changing benefits. You can actually change health issues such as depression and anxiety, improve your sleep, have better digestion, clearer skin, reduce asthma, stop eczema and psoriasis,  and end arthritis and joint pain, and more. It’s really worth the effort.

To get help for an elimination/detox diet, contact me at Cat (at) simplesmartnutrition(dot) com. I can help you–I’ve been there!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN,is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease, lose weight, and live their best life ever.
Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

The Fat Burning Kitchen will get you started on the path to a healthy diet, weight loss and vibrant health.You will notice a difference in the first 24 hours! Learn about the so-called ‘health’ foods you may be eating that are actually ruining your health, and causing you to gain weight. And find out the best, fat-burning super-powered nutritious foods to eat to lose fat, gain boundless energy, and feel better than you ever have!

My Quest for Good Tasting Gluten Free Beer

I have been on a quest to find gluten free beer since I went totally gluten free about 12 years ago. I’m no big beer snob, but I do like a full bodied beer that has some degree of good flavor. And I’ve actually found some really good ones out there…

Ok, so I have been on a quest to find gluten free beer since I went totally gluten free about 12 years ago.

The first to appear about three years ago were New Grist and Redbridge. Redbridge is a product of the former AB, now InBev company.

Having gone so many years without a beer to drink, the first offerings in the gluten free beer fare were welcomed with some excitement. I’m no big beer snob, but I do like a full bodied beer that has some degree of good flavor.

I was not overly impressed with either Redbridge or New Grist. Gluten free beers most often have to rely on alternate forms of grain for brewing, and in doing so tend to lose a lot of the full-bodied flavor that most beers have. New Grist and Redbridge are made from sorghum. While I find Redbridge is a drinkable beer, and somewhat welcome in ice cold form on a hot day, I do not enjoy New Grist. I find it too sweet, lacking in any sort of character and a poor substitute for a beer.

St. Peters beer is another sorghum beer that I did NOT like. It was bitter and hoppy with little flavor to enjoy. Not worth trying other than the fact that it comes in kind of a cool bottle.

Branching out a little, I found Bards which, too is made from sorghum, but has a little more of a full bodied taste. It however tastes a bit too molasses-y and sweet for me, but it isn’t bad, and definitely has a different taste.

Daura, from Spain was a fairly recent find, and pretty darn good tasting. I like the fact that it tasted a little different, a little more like a real beer–full bodied and flavorful, with a slightly chocolate aftertaste. I can drink this!  Daura is actually made from a gluten free formulation of a barley malt, so it may taste a bit more like a real beer to those who really miss regular beer. While this process leaves microscopic amounts of gluten in the beer, it is classified according to international standards of “gluten free” which is only 20 ppm of gluten. Good if you are gluten sensitive or avoiding gluten for other reasons, but I would probably avoid it if you are extremely gluten sensitve.

My favorite discovery was Green’s line of beers. Here are some tasty viable alternatives for lovers of craft beer. These are beers from Belgium (they do know their beer there!) and consist of three, well-flavored and full-bodied beers. Green’s uses buckwheat in their beers, giving it less of a sweet taste and a little more of that roasty, toasty ‘real’ beer taste. Their line includes Green’s Discovery, an amber beer—and my favorite;  Green’s Endeavor, a Dubbel–WAY too sweet, malty and heavy for me, and Green’s Quest–a kick you in the butt Tripel beer with good flavor and a high alcohol content.  Be careful with these beers. Not only do they come in a larger, craft beer sized bottle, but they contain pretty high alcohol content, so you are getting twice the beer that you would get in a regular sized bottle. Quest carries a hefty 8.5% alcohol content, with Endeavor at 7%, and Discovery at 6%.

And…[drum roll please!] new on the St. Louis scene at bars, restaurants and Whole Foods is the newest addition to the gluten free lineup of beers. This one is actually supposed to taste great and will taste much like a regular (real), good tasting lager or pale ale.
This new beer is the result of several years of formulation by an Oregon microbrewery, Craft Brew Alliance.  These beers are actually brewed with malted barley (normally an off-limits grain for Celiacs), yeast, hops and water in a special process that removes the gluten from the barley. The chief executive of Craft Brew Alliance was actually diagnosed with celiac disease along with his wife, so he has a personal reason to find a good gluten free drinakable beer.  He has worked hard at developing a good tasting gluten free beer, and it looks like it’s here. “Omission” will make its appearance on the shelves at Whole Foods in Brentwood this Friday, June 22, and at other stores and restaurants in the area as well. I will be one of the first in line to taste this new concoction!

So that’s my basic take on gluten free beers. I may not have covered all of them and there are some great regional gluten free beers,  but these are generally the selection we have here in St. Louis. There is a life after going gluten free, and beer is one of the things you don’t have to suffer without.

You may however,  have to look around for your favorite gluten free beer, and when find what you like, stock up on your home supply, because restaurants have so far been a little slow in catching on to the gluten free beer trend. Email me if you’d like to have a list of places that carry gluten free beer—it’s an ever changing list, and I will do my best to keep track of what’s out there. And keep asking stores and restaurants if they carry gluten free beer or other items. At some point some of these places may realize they will lose business if they don’t get on the gluten free wagon.

P.S. Just got the Omission Pale Ale and I felt guilty drinking it! It tastes like REAL beer! I have to say, even those who are not gluten free will like it.

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean and refreshed!

Look for my new book, “The Flat Belly Kitchen” out on Amazon Kindle soon!

 

DSC 6815 e1335982388100 Never Give Up!! Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

3 ‘Healthy’ Foods to Stop Eating

 

Historically, humans consumed over 80,000 species of edible plants, animals, and fungi, but in our modern dietary world, the average American gets almost 70% of their caloric intake from THREE foods!

And those foods have been pushed as ‘healthy’ but they are actually leading us to multiple chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes–as well as obesity.

What are these so-called ‘healthy foods’ we need to stop eating?

3 ‘healthy foods to stop eating

You’ll see in that article what these 3 foods are, and why it is NOT a good idea to obtain 67% of your caloric intake from only 3 foods. 

This article also has 7 great tips on how to how to eat to get lean for life from fitness and nutrition specialist, Mike Geary.

 

3 Healthy Foods to Stop Eating

 

Till next time,
Stay healthy and lean!

 

cat A Superfood That Improves Athletic Performance and Recovery, Burns Fat, and Helps Your Love Life Too!

DSC 6815 A Superfood That Improves Athletic Performance and Recovery, Burns Fat, and Helps Your Love Life Too! Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.  

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

What Do Migraines Have to Do with Acid Reflux Medication?

 

It’s called, “Heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux or GERD” and, like millions of other people, if you have gone to a doctor about this, most likely they have prescribed medication to reduce stomach acid. Medications like Nexium and Prilosec are some of the most popular proton pump inhibitors. 

Proton pump inhibitors reduce stomach acid.

But there’s one problem.

The acid in your stomach is there for a reason. Stomach acid digests the foods you eat, and turns them into essential nutrients your body can absorb.

If you reduce the acid in your stomach you reduce its ability to break down and digest food, and extract nutrients.

This in turn, causes serious nutritional deficiencies including vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

And when your body fails to digest and absorb the foods you eat effectively, your chances of developing any number of chronic degenerative diseases is almost inevitable.

Even relatively minor vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause fatigue, irritation, anxiety, depression, migraines, dizziness, mania, pychosis and memory loss.

In addition, deficiencies can also cause muscle weakness, tooth decay, bone fractures, hearing loss, osteoporosis, heart beat irregularities, high or low blood pressure problems, hair loss, mouth sores, neuropathy (unexplained weakness or numbness in the arms and legs), and more.

Is it worth it?

Long term, B vitamin deficiency can potentially cause severe and irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system.

And because the acid pH in the stomach as been increased, you lose the ability to fight off certain dangerous bacterial infections such as h.pylori, which is responsible for stomach ulcers, Clostridium difficile, which causes severe diarrhea, salmonella poisoning, a common type of food poisoning, and contagious pneumonia.

Suppressing stomach acid does not treat the disease, it only treats the symptoms, and at a very high cost too, as you can see.

And, once you start taking acid reducing medication, it becomes very hard to stop. It is physically addictive. 

This type of medication causes a severe “rebound” effect. You start taking acid reducing medication to help a reflux condition, and although your doctor may say it is temporary, when you stop after a few weeks, it causes your stomach acid to go into overdrive. As a result the reflux comes back with a vengence.

So what do you do? Go back to taking the reflux medication.

Now you’re stuck…

Did you know 35-45% of the population experiences heartburn? That’s close to half the population! Heartburn or GERD is most profitably treated diagnosis in America. Prescription medications are given out by doctors like candy. Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid are some of the top selling prescription drugs in the world.

It is not normal to have heartburn in spite of the huge numbers who do have it.

What exactly is gastritis or acid reflux?

It is acid that rises from the stomach and irritates the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach.

Gastritis is inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the lining of the stomach. Any of these can be chronic or acute. Acid reflux usually feels like a burning pain in the middle of the chest or stomach. It’s most bothersome at night, when lying down. Sometimes it can even feel like burning or pressure in the chest.

 Over time, this acid wash can damage the lower esophageal sphincter, and lead to a condition called Barrett’s Esophagitis, which is usually considered a precancerous condition. Anybody with chronic reflux or heartburn should be checked out by a GI doctor, to rule out any other serious health conditions.

The interesting truth is, for many, acid reflux is not a result of too much stomach acid, but too little acid, or ineffective enzymes to digest particular foods.

When we don’t have enough of an enzyme to digest a particular food, the body responds by sending out more acid in an attempt to digest it. Taking antacid medication further compounds the problem. If the foods that cause this are foods that are eaten frequently, which is often the case, soon the acid becomes an ongoing chronic irritant to the stomach, and can cause real damage.

There are two ways you can help acid reflux.

One is by taking a good digestive enzyme with meals. As we age we lose some of our digestive enzymes, and also our ability to digest certain foods. The best enzymes to supplement digestion are “Full Spectrum” and include pancreatin. Enzymes should be:

-protelytic (for proteins)

-lypolytic (for fats)

-amylytic (for carbohydrates)

You also want to make sure your digestive enzyme supplement contains betaine hydrochloride (or HCl). It’s plant-based hydrochloric acid which helps your body absorb calcium, among other important nutrients.

In many cases, food allergies or sensitivities can be one of the main causes of acid reflux. So eliminating food allergies is the next step.

Food allergies result when the body’s immune system launches an attack against the offending food item. Some of the most common allergenic foods are: milk, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, nuts, shellfish, and citrus. 

Severe symptoms of food allergies tend to occur with in a few minutes of eating the allergenic substance.  Symptoms can include tingling in the mouth or throat, swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, eczema, hives and asthma attacks. But don’t rule out food allergies even if you don’t have reactions that severe.

Food intolerances or sensitivities (including gluten intolerance) are also often allergic reactions as well, but do not have the dramatic and sudden onset. They often share similar GI symptoms to food allergies but they do not involve the same immune system response. 

The biggest offenders are often commercially prepared dairy products, wheat/gluten, corn and soy.

The best way to find out if your digestive problems are the result of food allergies is to go on an elimination diet. Remove all wheat, gluten and dairy from the diet for a minimum of ten to fourteen days or more, and see if the reflux symptoms subside. Be vigilant and read labels carefully. Lots of gluten and dairy sneak into processed foods under other less obvious names.

For more information on gluten-containing food ingredients, check here: http://www.the-gluten-free-chef.com/foods-containing-gluten.html.

After you have eliminated the offenders, add the gluten and dairy back in, one at a time. Wait 2-3 days between each food trial, and write down all reactions in a food journal. Oftentimes though, it may take a month or more of avoiding the offenders before the acid reflux and gastritis is resolved, so be patient.

Other contributing factors that can cause heartburn/gastritis and GERD are:

* Certain foods cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, thus leading to heartburn. These include peppermint, coffee, alcohol and chocolate. 

* Hiatal hernia: This is a physical condition where part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm.

* Low Acid Production: Ironically, low stomach acid levels can result in heartburn. This is much more common than increased acid.

* Medications: Many medications cause heartburn as a side effect, including, ironically, several acid blockers. These include:

     o Prevacid, Prilosec, Zantac, etc. 

     o Asthma inhalers (beclamethasone, flovent, etc). 

     o Corticosteroids 

     o Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and      naproxen. 

     o Antianxiety medications, such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). 

     o Osteoporosis drugs such as alendronate (Fosamax).

* Overeating

* Pregnancy & Obesity: These are related in that both put pressure on the stomach, decreasing its volume and forcing food and acid upwards.

* Stress: Stress can be the sole cause of heartburn, but often it is exacerbating other causes.

* Smoking: Smoking also causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, leading to heartburn. 

You may have to make some lifestyle changes and keep a close eye on your diet.

Eating large amounts of processed foods and sugars is a certain way to worsen acid reflux, as it will upset the bacterial balance in your stomach and intestine, as well as being hard to digest.

A note about proton pump inhibitors: PPI’s are very popular because they work. However, these drugs create both tolerance and dependence on them, so stopping them suddenly can have serious repercussions.

NEVER stop taking proton pump inhibitors cold turkey. Wean yourself off them gradually or else there can be a severe rebound of symptoms, and the problem may end up being worse than before the medication.

Ideally, get a lower dose, and then gradually decrease your dose. Once you get down to the lowest dose of the proton pump inhibitor, you can start substituting with an over-the-counter medications, Then gradually wean off the H2 blocker over the next several weeks.

 

Till Next Time,

Stay Healthy and Lean!

DSC 6815 A Deadly Epidemic You Can Avoid

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.   

                       Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

               Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

Sources:

 

Dr. Joseph Mercola, Why You Should Get Off Prescription Acid-Reducing Drugs ASAP! Mercola.com, September 09, 2009.

 

Center for Food Allergies, Innate Health Group. www.CenterforFoodAllergies.com, 2006.

 

Tracy Davenport, Health Central, Acid Reflux Connection.com, July, 2007.

 

Dr.Allen Spreen, The hidden dangers of stomach-acid reducers, July 2007.

 

Eat Your Depression Away

The Holidays are over, the decorations put away, and a huge pile of bills sits waiting for you.

Short, gloomy, dreary, cold winter days ahead. 



Enough to make you depressed? 

You are not alone. 



Although depression can make you feel alone, at least 20% of Americans live with depression. 



Women are almost twice as likely to become depressed as men. This is partly due to monthly menstrual hormonal swings, puberty, and pregnancy as well. And because women are often the caretakers of the family, they may feel overworked, stressed, and neglect their own wellbeing. 



Many men go undiagnosed, and fail to recognize depression or to seek help for it. While men can have the typical symptoms of depression, many actually become irritable, angry and hostile instead, and try to self-medicate with alcohol, marijuana or drugs. Suicide is more serious risk for men with depression, who are four times more likely to successfully attempt suicide than women. 



Did you ever stop to think that the pile of cookies you ate last night in front of the TV, or the carton of ice cream you ate after a stressful day, may actually be making you more depressed? 



The causes of depression can vary, but doctors usually never even consider that diet plays a huge role in our mental and emotional wellbeing.

While physicians tend to hand out anti-depressant drugs like candy, these drugs often can have very negative side effects.



Wouldn’t it be better to find natural cures for depression?
While you may not think so, what you eat has a very definite effect on your mood and outlook on life.

We truly are what we eat. 



There are some surprising and very effective ways to fight the ‘blues’ with diet, lifestyle changes and supplements, and you can avoid the trap of having to turn to medical antidepressants with their unpleasant, and sometimes tragic side effects.  



Your brain must have the right chemical balance in order to function optimally. Eating the wrong types of foods will not only alter the brain’s chemistry, but many processed foods have synthetic chemicals, preservatives, and other unnatural additives that confuse or distort your brain's natural chemistry. 

Brain chemistry can actually be changed significantly for better or worse by a single meal.

Some foods like sugar and caffeine can create a seemingly positive effect on brain chemistry immediately, but actually have the reverse effect in the long run. 
So knowing how certain foods can affect your brain chemistry and your mood can be very helpful in figuring out what to eat or avoid.



Did you know that a deficiency of any one nutrient can actually alter your brain function and lead to depression, anxiety, irritability, ADD, and other mental disorders? 



The natural chemicals in the brain that govern your mood are neurotransmitters. The ones that play a role in depression are serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. 

In depression, there are primarily reduced levels of serotonin. Serotonin has a lot to do with your feelings of wellbeing and is involved with emotional control, mood, arousal, and even appetite. 



Along with decreased serotonin, there are lower than normal levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in depressed people as well.

These energizing neurotransmitters create a sense of alertness and excitement, and help you take action. 

Antidepressant medications help mostly by helping to preserve levels of serotonin in the brain, but when you change your natural brain chemistry with medication, you get side effects such as anxiety, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness. Antidepressants can take away interest in sex and cause weight gain, as well as increasing thoughts of suicide.



Yes, antidepressants can actually increase the risk for suicide. 



These drugs have very dangerous side effects if you quit them cold turkey too. 

But there are ways to help our bodies naturally make more of these neurotransmitters, and avoid the harmful side effects and feel better too.
 


Many of the building blocks of our brain’s neurotransmitters are made from the amino acids in the protein in our diets.

The amino acid tryptophan or l-tryptophan as it is sometimes called, is a precursor to serotonin while the amino acid, tyrosine, is a precursor to dopamine and norepinephrine. 

Eating foods rich in protein will help to increase the amount of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in your brain, and serotonin is absorbed better by eating foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates. 



BUT, not all sources of carbohydrates will work for raising the serotonin level.



This is KEY. 



Sugar molecules in complex carbohydrates are bound together by fiber and must be broken down and digested in the small intestine in order to release the sugar into the blood. Because these sugars must be broken down during digestion, they are released into the bloodstream steadily and slowly. 

So the complex carbohydrates found in fresh vegetables, fruits, and starchy root vegetables like potatoes, help your body maintain high levels of serotonin. 



Refined carbohydrates on the other hand, are simple sugars with no fiber, that enter blood stream immediately after the first bite without the long process of digestion. So, blood sugar instantly goes up, creating a quick burst of serotonin (this is why you feel good immediately after eating sweets).  

Simple sugars are burned very quickly and the end result is low blood sugar. When blood sugar levels drop, so does serotonin.

So a diet of sweets and simple carbs actually will make you MORE depressed.

Besides depression, low levels of serotonin also contribute to sleep disturbances, hostility, aggression, and irritability. 

While certain foods act to raise serotonin and prevent depression, other foods can actually trigger depression. These include processed foods, sugary foods or foods containing hydrogenated oils. Alcohol can also contribute to depression, by causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). And while caffeine is a stimulant, too much of it causes anxiety and nervousness. 



So the bottom line is, when you are down and think that going on a drinking binge, or eating a pile of cookies and ice cream to help you feel better, you are wrong.

It will actually make you feel worse, besides what it does for your waistline.



Molecules of certain types of partially digested foods actually affect the body’s chemistry and can definitely have an effect on mood. In many people these foods are not fully broken down during digestion, and the proteins and peptides from these partially-digested foods leak into the bloodstream through the intestines. 

Research on people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) shows that their lack of the right type of digestive enzymes may cause this kind of situation. And depression and irritibility are commonly symptoms of gluten intolerance or celiac disease. 



Casein, (the protein in diary products), is very difficult to digest and can definitely be one of the primary undigested food substances that leak into the bloodstream. These substances affect the amounts of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in the brain, and in turn affect mood. Incomplete breakdown of both casein and gluten leaking into the bloodstream can easily become a source of depression, anxiety, irritability or mood swings, affecting normal levels of brain chemicals.



[Note: casein, the protein molecule in dairy products primarily causes problems when the dairy products have been pasteurized—as most commercially produced dairy produts are. Raw dairy products like raw, aged cheeses or raw milk do not usually cause this reaction.]



It’s not surprising to conclude that intestinal permeability, and digestive enzyme deficiencies can also found in many folks suffering from clinical depression, the once in a while ‘blues,’ and mood swings. 

So if you are suffering from depression, it may be a function of your digestion, food intolerances, and intestinal permeability.

I know I am so sensitive to dairy, and all it takes is a bite to feel really depressed the next day. Try avoiding dairy and wheat gluten entirely for a week or so and see if that helps you feel better mentally and emotionally. 



A diet to prevent or cure depression is rich in natural, unprocessed foods.

Especially plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and organic, or grass-fed meats, organic poultry and eggs. 

Foods like beans, seeds, nuts, and legumes are also rich in protein and contain tryptophan which is what you need to make more serotonin, as well as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Just remember to get some complex carbs with your tryptophan as well. 



Consider that five servings of beans, a few portions of cheese or peanut butter, or several handfuls of cashews provide 1,000–2,000 mg of tryptophan, will work as well as prescription antidepressants—but don't tell the drug companies. 



Tryptophan is really quite easy to get from the foods listed below (in mg):

Lentils 215
Dried peas 250 
  
Navy 200   
Pinto 210  
Red kidney 240     

Soy 525 
Brazil nuts 185
  
Cashews 470   
Filberts 210 
  
Peanuts 340 
 
Peanut butter 330 (natural, not commercial) 

Pumpkin seeds 560     
Sesame seeds 330     
Tahini (ground sesame seeds) 575    
Sunflower seeds 340
Cheddar 340   
Parmesan 490   
Swiss 375
Eggs 210    
Poultry 250    
Brewer's Yeast 700



And, grass-fed beef, as well as fish and other seafood are very healthy, high-protein, dopamine and norepinephrine boosting foods, in addition to their contributions of Omega-3’s, CLA and zinc that help healthy brain function.
 
People suffering from depression generally are missing some important nutrients.

The most common deficiencies are:



Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B6


Omega 3’s


Vitamin C
   

Sunshine or vitamin D3



Folic acid and vitamin B12 are essential B vitamins and work together in many biochemical processes.

In studies of depressed patients, at least half were found to be deficient in folic acid. 
Depression is the most common symptom of a folic acid deficiency. 

A vitamin B12 deficiency (more often a problem in vegetarians) can also cause depression. Correcting a folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency with supplements or diet will quickly result in a dramatic improvement in mood. 



Food sources that are rich in folate include beef liver, pumpkin seeds, leafy green vegetables, and yeast. Vitamin B12 is abundant in animal products such as red meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese and eggs. 



Vitamin B6 is another B vitamin that is often low in many depressed people. The best food sources of vitamin B6 are protein-rich foods such as red meat, fish, and eggs. Other good sources of B6 are quinoa, brown rice, oats, lentils, peanuts, and walnuts. 



The latest research also shows a strong connection between depression and low levels of omega 3 fatty acids.  And the more severe the depression, the lower the level of omega 3 fats. 

Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential part of brain cell membranes in healthy individuals, and a component of the myelin sheaths, which cover nerves and transmit messages properly. Omega-3 fats are generally found in grass-fed meats as well as wild caught fish and organic eggs, or as supplements.  



A depletion of the neurotransmitter called norepinephrine may result in poor memory, loss of alertness, and clinical depression. To make norepinephrine,  amino acids from our diet are changed into dopamine, which then turns to norepinephrine. To do this, it requires a large amount of vitamin C. 

Physicians have had great success reversing depression with large doses of vitamin C, and is a very safe and inexpensive approach to try.



Sunshine or vitamin D3 helps banish the blues as well. When we can’t get enough sun exposure in the winter, obviously a trip to a tropical island would certainly put a smile on your face, but since we can’t all do that, just getting out in the sunshine when you can, and supplementing with vitamin D3 will definitely help brighten your mood as well as protect your health.

And, my favorite natural (very effective) antidepressant is Sam-E.

SAMe (known formally as S-adenosylmethionine) is not an herb or a hormone. It's a molecule that all living cells, including our own, produce constantly. To appreciate its importance, you need to understand a process called methylation. It's a simple transaction in which one molecule donates a four-atom appendage—a so-called methyl group—to a neighboring molecule. Methylation occurs a billion times a second throughout the body, affecting everything from fetal development to brain function. It regulates the expression of genes. It preserves the fatty membranes that insulate our cells. And it helps regulate the action of various hormones and neurotransmitters, including serotonin, melatonin, dopamine and adrenaline.

And without SAMe, there could be no methylation as we know it. Our bodies make SAMe from methionine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods, then continually recycle it. SAMe breaks down to form homocysteine. Homocysteine is extremely toxic. But with the help of several B vitamins (B6, B12 and folic acid), our bodies convert homocysteine into glutathione, a valuable antioxidant.

High homocysteine is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. During pregnancy, it raises the risk of spina bifida and other birth defects. And many studies have implicated it in depression.

How does SAMe improve a person's mood? Scientists are not really sure, except for the fact that it really works well.

Since the 1970s, researchers have published 40 clinical studies involving roughly 1,400 patients. And the findings are remarkably consistent. In 1994 Dr. Giorgio Bressa, a psychiatrist at the University Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome, pooled results from a dozen controlled trials and found that "the efficacy of SAMe in treating depressive syndromes… is comparable to that of standard… antidepressants." Without the side effects of regular medical antidepressants.



Our brains do not require antidepressant medications to function properly.

Instead of masking the symptoms with a drug induced haze, is far far better to find the underlying cause of depression, and diet is KEY. 



Amazingly, a healthy diet not only reduces or eliminates the symptoms, but it also prevents the occurrence of depression by keeping those important brain chemicals in balance. 



The quick fix may be tempting, but in the long run, you will feel drastically better following a healthier diet—without the side effects—and have improved health and well being. 



Studies show our mood and physical bodies favor traditional foods that our ancestors ate. These foods include grass-fed meats, organic and raw dairy and butter, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables.



Avoiding processed, packaged foods with refined flour, sugars, or corn syrups, and preservatives and chemicals is extremely important for those of you with depression.



Don’t go for the quick fix, when you can permanently change your life and health for the better. 



REAL Happiness is just around the corner!


 
Till next time, stay Happy, Healthy and Lean!

 

 


Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.   

                       Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

               Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

References:
Andrew Saul, Depression, Doctoryourself.com, 2007. 
Food Allergies and Depression,
Ron Hoggan M.A. & James Braly M.D.,About.com
Food and Depression,
http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/165_001/papers/manuscripts/_9.html
WebMD, Depression and Diet, Jan 2012

Should We All go ‘Paleo?’

 

Have you heard the new diet trend? It’s the ‘Paleo’ diet, primal diet or the caveman diet.

I guess it’s not exactly what I would call new and trendy, since it is based on the diet that our ancient ancestors ate. ‘The Paleo Diet’ is actually a term that author Loren Cordain, PhD coined for his book.

There have been several variations on this same type diet, including "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson, Weston Price’s Traditional diet, and my own, “Fat Burning Kitchen Program” diet. And if you like Michael Pollen, his dietary principles follow along the same lines too.

Scientists have finally started to figure out that the diet of our ancient ancestors may possibly be the best diet overall for our modern bodies.

This diet is basically avoids all processed foods, grains, sugar, dairy, and legumes.

Is it any wonder that in today’s world there is so much illness, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other disease?

Today’s diet is a far cry from that of our ancestors.

Interestingly enough, our ancient ancestors were strong, healthy and were far more likely to be killed by a woolly mammoth or saber tooth tiger than a heart attack or diabetes.

If you would like to see a graphic presentation of the differences food makes on people, check out Weston A. Price’s book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration–written in the 1940’s by a dentist who traveled the world studying primitive cultures and their diets.

It’s eye opening, to say the least! 

In a single generation, these natives go from the picture of health to unhealthy, diseased and deformed, and it has nothing to do with saturated fat, but everything to do with sugar and processed grains.

These photographs of Dr. Weston Price illustrate the difference in facial structure between those on native diets and those whose parents had adopted the "civilized" diets of  devitalized  processed foods. This occurred in all different primitive groups all over the world.

The "primitive" Seminole girl (left) has a wide, handsome face with plenty of room for the dental arches. The "modernized" Seminole girl (right) born to parents who had abandoned their traditional diets, has a narrowed face, crowded teeth, and a reduced immunity to disease.

This, and my own dietary evolution, has convinced me.

And I am more convinced the further away I move from processed foods, grains, sugars and more towards this ‘primal’ way of life.

The dramatic health benefits that result from this type of diet, seem virtually endless.

It reduces, prevents or cures: High cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, cancers, heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, inflammatory disease, arthritis, joint problems, allergies, digestive problems, depression, ADD, and so much more.

That alone speaks for itself.

Let me add that my own dietary and health journey can vouch for the fact that this diet really seems to be working. In the past, I had health issues like asthma, allergies, celiac disease, arthritis,  depression, frequent colds and flu, digestive issues, fatigue, foggy-headedness, PMS, rashes, and more.

With each dietary ‘tweak’, I moved closer to THIS diet.

Isn’t it another low carb diet? Well…no.

However, our paleolithic ancestors did eat a pretty low carb diet. Different primitive societies did eat varying combinations of animals, plants and carbs, but generally the human diet was about 2/3 animal foods, and 1/3 from plant foods.

And no one cared about saturated fat and cholesterol either.

Along came the agricultural revolution and the cities, civilizations and manufactured foods. And, a boatload of nutritionally-related diseases that were totally unknown to the hunter-gatherers. These new foods are vastly different in so many ways from the real, healthy foods our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate.

So, I guess in a sense, we can blame the agricultural revolution for bringing us most of the chronic disease and obesity that we see in this modern world.

These mostly grain-based foods (cereals, dairy products, grain-fed meats, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars and oils) do not work in bodies that were originally built for a diet of free-ranged meats, fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

The paleo diet is high in healthy omega 3 fatty acids, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid, low in omega 6 fatty acids, low on the glycemic index, high in USABLE natural nutrition, high in antioxidants, and no empty calories, no chemicals, or over-processed carbs.

And here is an interesting study: Medical researchers released results of a study that shows just how beneficial a primal diet can be:

A group of non-obese volunteers were fed a paleo diet for 10 days. Only 10 days!

And the conclusion is… Even very short term consumption of a paleo diet improved blood pressure, glucose tolerance, decreased insulin secretion, increased insulin sensitivity and improved lipid profiles in healthy sedentary humans.

I am not surprised. I’ve seen my lipid profile, my blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. All of them, off-the-charts excellent.

Primal Diet Principles:  

  1. Eat REAL food. No packaged or processed foods. Make your meals from combinations of one-ingredient foods and spices.
  2. Avoid most sugar, including: sucrose, fructose, agave (fructose), artificial sweeteners, and corn syrup. You may have small amounts of raw honey, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, and stevia if needed. 
  3. No grain. Not ‘whole grains’, and especially not refined, processed, white flour. No refined starches. 
  4. Eat plenty of healthy fat–from: grass fed meat, grass fed butter, pastured eggs and free range poultry, wild caught fish, raw dairy, avocado and coconut.  Extra virgin olive oil is ok, although I’m guessing a caveman probably didn’t eat this. 
  5. High quality protein is important. Grass fed, pasture raised, or wild caught–meat, fish and poultry, and eggs. No grain fed, commercially raised meat. 
  6. Eat lots of vegetables–locally grown is best, and fresh, raw or barely cooked. Organic if possible. Some fruit is ok, but our modern fruit is very high in sugar. 
  7. Eat organic. Eat them as close to where they grew as possible and in the most natural state. 
  8. Beware of what you are drinking. While I doubt cavemen drank their ‘cuppa joe’ to get going, drinking one cup of organic coffee or tea won’t ruin the diet. An occasional beer or glass of wine is ok, but a sugary, artificially flavored mixed drink is NOT ok. No fruit juice…these are full of sugar. Drink pure water as much as possible. 
And if you follow this diet, even 90% of the time, you WILL see major health benefits. 
 
Many pro and amateur athletes are gravitating towards this type of diet as evidence comes in that it improves athletic performance and endurance, reduces body fat and helps add lean muscle.
 
So, as of this writing, I am going to follow this diet as closely as possibly during the bicycling racing season this summer, and I will report back to you how it goes.      
 
Looking for more info?
 
There is plenty of information on the internet. One of my favorites is Mark Sisson’s site, Mark’s Daily Apple. This guy knows his stuff. Great articles, lots of entertaining and interesting info, and a lot of awesome recipes to help you get a better idea of how truly good food can be even without grains, sugar, or processed food.
 
And I have to put in a plug for my own website, Simple Smart Nutrition which is based on this type of diet, with tons of great information on various health conditions, from weight loss to maximizing your athletic performance and more.
 
And I have some delicious Paleo-style recipes too.
 
The very best way to check out the Paleo diet is to try it yourself. Even if you just follow principle #1 you will improve your health as you remove all of the junk, fast food, and “frankenfood” in the typical American diet.
 
Healthy and feeling good is normal.
 
Feeling tired, getting sick, gaining weight and all those other health issues are not normal. And, if you decide you just can’t commit to a Paleo diet, try following a few of the principles above and I guarantee you will see and feel so much better!
 
 
Sources:
Mark Sisson, The Primal Blueprint, Mark's Daily Apple, 2011.  Jennifer Pinkowski, Should you Eat Like a Caveman? Time magazine, Jan 2011. Dr. Loren Cordain, the Paleo Diet, 2010-2011.  
 
 
Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist.
In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.
 
Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.
Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.
     

Avoid These Grains!

 

Cave men didn't eat grains; at least nowhere close to the form we eat today.

But our country has been steadily increasing its consumption of grain for the past 30 or more years. Along with that are the rising numbers of obese and overweight people.

In the 1970’s, the average American ate 85 pounds of flour, 84 pounds of sweeteners, 8 pounds of fried potatoes, and 39 pounds of cooking oil.

Even then, not so good.

Fast forward to the nineties…

By 1997, each of us was consuming 122 pounds of flour, 105 pounds of sugar or other sweeteners, 20 pounds of fried potatoes, and 50 pounds of vegetable cooking oils.

That's almost a pound of knowingly bad-for-you foods per day!

And that doesn’t count a whole lot of other junk food…but clearly, the reason many are overweight or obese today. And today, flours are more refined than ever, missing fiber  and essential nutrients. Processed white flour (alias "enriched wheat flour" or "wheat flour") is missing the two most nutritious and fiber-rich parts of the seed: the outside bran layer and the germ (embryo).

Eating a high starch diets will make you feel fatigued, malnourished, constipated, jumpy, irritable, depressed, and vulnerable to chronic illness.

And, refined/bleached wheat and corn flour fuels high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar leads to insulin release, immediate fat storage, and further hunger.

The more refined foods a person eats, the more insulin must be produced to manage it. This leads to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain. The refined carbohydrates turn to glucose very quickly once in our systems, stimulating the body to produce insulin.

A vicious cycle occurs: insulin promotes the storage of fat, making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, inflammation and atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

"Enriched flour,"  is very misleading, because only four vitamins and minerals are typically added back, compared to the 15 nutrients and essential parts of the grain that are removed, along with most of the fiber and other beneficial substances such as antioxidants that are removed.

Eating wheat can cause one to feel lethargic, foggy, groggy, puffy and bloated, irritable and depressed.

Many would never connect these symptoms with eating grains; but weight gain, emotional, physical, and mental symptoms are fairly frequent with gluten sensitivity.

Gluten is the protein portion of wheat, rye and barley. It is so widespread in standard processed food today; it is very hard to escape. Unfortunately gluten sensitivity is on the rise (notice the “gluten free” sections at the grocery store?) and it can cause a host of problems.

Best to avoid processed flours altogether!

The American food supply is also heavily based on corn.

Bumper crops of corn help to keep corn prices low which in turn helps to keep many of the items we buy at the store low-priced. Contrary to popular belief, corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and is really not appropriate as a dietary staple for several reasons—one of them being that corn has a high sugar content.

When civilizations such as the Mayans and Native Americans changed their diet to a corn-based one, rates of anemia, arthritis, rickets, and osteoporosis skyrocketed.

Our bodies were not made to exist on grain-based foods. This evidence shows up in the archeological records of our ancestors. When archaeologists looked at skeletons of native Americans in burial mounds in the Midwest who ate corn as their primary staple, there was a 50% increase in malnutrition, four times as much incidence of iron-deficiency, and three times as much infectious disease, compared to the more hunter-gather ancestors who primarily hunted and did not eat grain.

Keep in mind that we are not just talking about corn-on-the-cob (sweet corn) here… we are also talking about corn cereals, corn chips, and other modern corn-based foods that are promoted by food companies as “healthy”.

There are several reasons researchers give for the nutritional problems and the weight gain caused by a corn-dominated diet:

* Corn contains lots of sugar, which raises insulin levels, causes you to be hungrier and causes your body to store calories as fat. Don’t be mistaken, just because corn does not taste obviously sweet, doesn’t mean it isn’t full of sugars. Once eaten, your body quickly turns corn products into sugar.  Even the starches in corn products can be broken down quickly by your body spiking your blood sugar levels, and causing cravings for more carbohydrate-based foods.

* Corn is also an poor source of protein, usually deficient in 3 of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. The essential amino acids are so-named because they must be obtained from the diet, since the body is unable to manufacture them.

* Corn contains a high amount of phytate, a chemical that binds to iron and inhibits its absorption by the body. So, consequently, a diet high in phytate can make people more likely to have iron-deficiency anemia and fatigue. Phytate is also a nutrient blocker and inhibits other vitamins and minerals from being utilized.

* Corn is a poor source of certain minerals such as calcium and some vitamins such as niacin (B3). Deficiencies of niacin can result in a condition known as Pellagra, which is common in civilizations that eat a lot of corn. It can cause a variety of symptoms such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and depression. Since we are now a nation of corn-eaters, it wouldn’t be surprising that this is more common here than we realize.

It's not just people who eat too much corn.

A large amount of the nation's corn crop ends up feeding commercially raised cattle, which are cheaply fattened on corn and other grains before slaughter. Beef from corn-fattened cattle also has much higher ratios of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than healthier grass fed beef. Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed animals.

Because corn and other grains are an unnatural diet and difficult to digest, cattle raised on corn develop higher stomach acidity, which is a breeding ground for the dangerous E. coli O157:H7, the deadly strain of the bacteria.

While eliminating refined grains such as corn and wheat (yes, it seems they are in everything!) can seem a very daunting task, the reward is a return to wonderful health, sparkling eyes, clear skin, clear thinking, weight loss as the body is once again able to extract appropriate nutrients from food, and a resolution of nutritional deficiencies from the lack of absorption.

Once you commit to eating a diet of whole and natural foods, you will begin to eliminate a large amount of these grains.

Although many grocery stores, health foods stores, and online companies are now offering a wide selection of wheat-free/gluten-free foods including breads, bagels, cookies, cake mixes, doughnuts, etc; it is best to avoid these as much as possible. While they are made without wheat, they still contain other refined and process grains and wheat substitutes such as tapioca flour and corn flour.

Best thing to do is avoid grains–especially wheat and corn–all together. Substituting another processed grain may bring about a small improvement, but not the drastic improvement necessary.

Try two weeks with no grain products. I guarantee you will see some drastic improvements in your weight and general outlook!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean!

 

 

cat Healing Chicken Soup

 

 

 

DSC 6815 Healing Chicken Soup

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.   

                       Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

               Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.