Your Second Brain

For hundreds of years, fermented foods have long been a way of life.  Think about it, when there was no refrigeration, fermenting was necessary to maximize your harvest.  Before our diets became accustomed to processed foods, we ate fermented foods daily, and there was no real need to supplement with probiotics.  

It’s neither here nor there whether our moods have evolved to our detriment, but study after study has shown that there is a parallel between the rise in disorders like ADHD, anxiety and depression and the fall of the number of beneficial bacteria in our guts.  Fermented foods have been found to supply the types of bacteria that act as “the clean up crew” to toxins and harmful organisms in our bodies by attracting them and then literally carrying them out of your gut in your waste. 

Making fermented foods takes less time than cooking dinner, and in 7-10 days you (your gut and your disposition) got yourself a real treat.  Check out different websites on fermenting like this one from The Nourished Kitchen (http://bit.ly/19NN6Gn) :  all you need is a couple of jars and some good sea salt.  Get creative, add your own twist to the standards, like my Purple Kimchi here.  

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/18/mcbride-and-barringer-interview.aspx

Chemical-Crustables

Okay now:  how many of you Moms (and Dads) are guilty of this UnCrustable sin?  It’s just plain heinous, I tell ya!

The first time my daughter (who was six at the time) asked me to buy these because her cousins had them, I thought, “ok, sure”…I was just glad there was something that she liked that I could pack in her lunch, and hey, I didn’t have to make it, right?  (so I was naïve then; it was pre-nutrition education, alright?!)  So when I got to the market and turned the box over---HOLY CRAP!!  I counted at least 40 ingredients.  That’s right, I said “Fuggedaboutit!” 

So for Olivia to save face at school, I had to get a little creative:  I got our “good” bread, you know the kind that doesn’t have all the crap in it; the “good” jelly (ditto) and the “good” pb…cut the bread into rounds with a round cookie cutter, slapped the pb&j in the middle, pressed the two pieces together and used a fork to “crimp and seal” the edges (like you would a pie).  TA-DA!

It was a little ghetto, but those other six-year-olds didn’t have a clue…and Momma could sleep at night knowing that I wasn’t  servin’ up a Chemical-Crustable to a six-year-old!  

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Get Busy Livin', Or Get Busy Dyin'

Good health does not mean freedom from disease, nor does it mean you get a pardon from sickness. Everyone gets sick: it’s just a matter of degree, the state of your immune system and how quickly you recover. If you are in good health, yourbody has what it needs to do its job and recover. Good health means being proactive and taking responsibility for the state of your health and immune system, so that you are able to lessen or eliminate your chances of acquiring modern diseases like hypertension, heart disease, cancer and diabetes - all of which have the ability to cause much more long term damage to our bodies. Good health does not mean looking like the celebrities on t.v. or in the movies, nor does it mean being skinny or looking like a competitive athlete, because these people get diabetes and heart disease too.

Your own “good” health is as individual as you are. There are healthy people of all sizes (excluding the obese). Even though it is a certainty that we all must die, we don’t have to die from these modern “plagues”; we do have a choice. Our bodies are the most amazing machines on this earth: they have the ability to withstand decades of neglect and abuse, yet still “reinvent” and heal itself. There are no quick fixes and there never will be. Good health is a lifestyle based on commitment and discipline. If you don’t at least make steps in the direction of good health, then your alternative is choosing a lifestyle to which the above mentioned diseases are certain.

It’s all up to you.

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

O Mg!!!

Food processed in a factory removes over 80% of magnesium.  Over 80% of Americans eat processed food, and this means that over 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient, and we don’t even know it.  Typically, if you are deficient, you're feeling:

Insomnia

Anxiety

Poor appetite

Nausea

Muscle cramps

Irritability

Kidney Stones

Arrhythmia

Dysmennhoria

A lot of you have these very symptoms, right?  The likely contributors to these symptoms are an unhealthy digestive system (Crohn’s, leaky gut, etc), overworked kidneys (stemming from diabetes), excessive alcohol intake, age (absorption decreases), diuretics, antibiotics and oral contraceptives – all of which deplete the magnesium in your body. 

But, did you know that if our bodies didn’t need abundant amounts of magnesium, it couldn’t function?  I mean, our hearts wouldn’t beat—because it has to have magnesium to carry this out!

•           Magnesium is responsible for the action of your heart muscle, the regulation of blood sugar levels, proper formation of bones and teeth, relaxation of blood vessels (blood pressure), and proper bowel function
•          Magnesium is responsible for the regulation and quick recovery following abnormal heart events (cardiac arrest & arrhythmias)
•          Magnesium is responsible for the keeping calcium in your cells so they can do their job better

By far, the best way to get your magnesium on is through organically bound magnesium, which is found in organic green, leafy vegetables:  swiss chard, spinach and kale to name a few.  Organic foods usually contain more magnesium, particularly if the farmer replenishes his soil with magnesium-rich fertilizers. (Factory farms tend to use fertilizers rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to make plants grow and appear healthy.) 

Other great ways to get your magnesium in are pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, almond butter, dried unsweetened cacoa (woohoo!), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and avocados.  Fermented foods improve magnesium absorption.  (what can I say—fermented foods rock!)

If you must supplement, bear in mind that there are many different kinds of magnesium on the market, and there is no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement because magnesium must be bound to another substance.   The substance used in any given supplement combination can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different health benefits (that’s why getting nutrition through food is ALWAYS the best way).   Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that may provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability – great for anyone trying to correct a deficiency; and Magnesium threonate which is a newer, emerging magnesium supplement that appears promising due to its ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, making it possibly the best magnesium supplement on the market. 

And of course, smoothies or juicing your vegetables is always a great way to get your magnesium...at least that's how I roll.

Thanks for reading,
Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/16/higher-levels-of-this-mineral-linked-with-lower-heart-attack-rate.aspx

http://www.ontariohealth.org/blogs/michael-long-nd/magnificent-magnesium-supplements

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx

Chemistry

We were designed perfectly.  Our bodies are an example of perfect science -- a study in chemistry.  For each molecule of a food, there is a receptor in our bodies ready, waiting and needing it.  Each and every component in a real food can be used by our bodies:  to build, repair, transport, transfer, deliver, unload and store.  A real whole food is made up of what is called nutrients - substances our bodies need to carry out the abovementioned functions.  These substances are macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and they all have a chemical structure that our bodies need to survive.

When you eat a whole food, each and every part of that food is used by your body for an essential function - every part.  When you eat food that is made up of man-made chemicals, there are no receptors in your body to receive and process these things.  Your body will accept what it recognizes, then in most cases store what it doesn't recognize in your adipose tissue (fat cells).  Think about it:  if you have stored up toxins in your excess fat stores, how good can that really be for your health?  Answer:  Not good.  Not good at all.  These toxins can and will leach out causing illness, chronic disease and disruption of your body's other essential functions.  Fascinatingly, when your body doesn't get enough of what it does need, it starts dipping into its inferior, substandard reserves (think Oreos, Doritos, "Uncrustables", etc.) to build its cells -- and if your body is desperate enough, it will end up using this toxic stuff that has been lurking in your adipose tissue to rebuild your cells with!  I don't know about you, but I really don't want the walls of my arteries to be made out of Cheetos...

When you eat foods that your body can use completely, you are optimizing your body's health and integrity.  Conversely, when you eat garbage in the form of man-made chemicals, you are contributing to your body's demise and sacrificing its integrity, plain and simple.  There is no receptor in your body waiting to receive some sodium stearoyl lactylate to get busy with.

Build your body and your health with species specific food:  real food, not chemicals.  It's not an old wives tale; you really are what you eat.

Thanks for reading,
Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Eat to live - live to eat.  As a culture we really live to eat, even though historically it has always been the other way around.

It usually comes as a shock when we find out how little we are really designed to eat on a day to day basis. Upon this shocking revelation, it is then hammered home how we have evolved to eat increasingly more and more - so much so that on a daily basis most people consume just about double (if not more than double) the amount of calories their bodies require.  It's no mystery what the end result of this type of evolution is:  excess weight.

It's also no mystery that portion sizes have just gotten way outta control, and our health bears the brunt of this phenomenon in terms of skyrocketing obesity, diabetes and heart disease.  Some may remember how years ago those old fashioned portion charts were commonly used as reference guides to dole out servings:  a fist sized portion of pasta, a deck-of-cards sized portion of meat.  In today's world just try to get away with serving someone a meager portion like that!  Your phone will probably stop ringing, friends will mysteriously fade away...

And so, let's take a look at a what a typical caloric requirement is and how much food it actually translates into.

Meet Steve.  Steve is a 40 year old averaged sized man, 5'10", medium build, 175 lbs. and exercises three times a week.  Based strictly "on the numbers" (age and height), Steve ought to weigh anywhere between 130 lbs. and 175 lbs.  This wide range takes into account his skeletal frame size:  a smaller boned man will weigh less than a larger framed man.  In this case, Steve's weight is teetering at the upper end of the spectrum because he is of medium build, but nevertheless he is in the healthy range.

Okay, so again, based strictly on numbers, the caloric need for a man of Steve's size is 2250 to 2350 calories per day, which we will set at 2250.  Remember, calories are a unit of measurement to determine the amount of energy that is in a food as well as how much energy (units) a food is going to give your body.  Our bodies need energy to run, just as a car needs gas to run, so this number - 2250 - is the amount of energy that Steve's body needs to run:  to breathe, pump blood, remove waste, digest, stand up, walk, talk...you get the picture.  2250 sounds like a big enough number, right?  Ahh...this is where the truth steps in.

Here is Steve's food log:

Pretty humbling picture, right?  Here's why:  we've already established that Steve exercises three times a week, yet even with a steady diet similar to what is shown above, he is still over his allotted calories and he is still hovering at the upper end of his weight range.  Upon first glance, it looks as if he really hasn't eaten all that much.  Plus we're left to assume that he's only drinking water - imagine if a glass of juice and a soda were added!  Get the picture?  Then to add insult to injury, his portion sizes would be considered less-than-average if not chintzy today.

Here's kind-of what he had for dinner:  

Here's what we are used to having for dinner:

Wow...

The very first step in modifying your eating habits is always always always reducing your portion size.  And now you can see why.  If Steve had eaten the second dish, he would have more-than-doubled just his dinner calories.  Again, we're just talking dinner here.

Subliminally, you can also see how those  "extra" calories like those that come from sodas and beer, not to mention "blind nibbling" like the four forkfulls of macaroni salad he ate - all count, and all have the potential to make the pounds creep up on you, leaving you scratching your head and saying "But I hardly eat anything!"

Thanks for reading,
Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

*Here's a link to a pocket-sized portion guide:  portion-size-pocket-guide

Your Physical Health Affects Your Emotions and Your Spirit Too...

Good health is not just about the body.  To be completely healthy, you have physical health, mental health/health of the mind,  and spiritual health.  Our bodies are not compartmentalized; if one area is compromised, the other areas compensate and therefore become imbalanced and compromised as well.  Nurture one area, and your efforts naturally bleed over into the other areas.  When we choose to feed our bodies good food, the nutients in that food not only feed our physiological needs, but also "feed" our mental state by giving our brain the nutrients it needs, which then stimulates the desire to continue the overall sense of well being achieved by nurturing your soul --be it by meditation, "quiet time", going for a walk or listening to music.

Conversely, feeding your body garbage like any of the myriad packaged chemical concoctions  that currently make up most of our diets perpetuates ill health all around.  You figure, the digestive process begins with your eyes:  as soon as your eyes spot what it knows will be entering your mouth, your body begins "prepping" for the process of digestion and readying itself to get nourished with nutrients.  However, when these chemicals actually hit your digestive track and bloodstream, you trick your body with these substances it doesn't recognize as nutrients (because they're not) nor does it know what to do with them.  Really, the only area of your body that has benefitted from this "scam" is your happy center:  your dopamine and seratonin receptors -- and this is very, very short lived -- because your body is now angry.  It quickly realizes that no nutrition has been received, and now must overcompensate to work with these foreign invaders who are interfering with your body doing its job.  

The end result is that your physical health gets compromised, which in turn affects your mental health.  And when your mental health is compromised, your spirit cannot thrive.  Think about when you eat something that is chock full of nutrition --and how you not only feel great after you eat it (if you don't feel great after you eat something, this is your first indicator something is not right), but you have also fed your "happy center" correctly, boosting your sense of well being.