Heartburn is NOT a Tums Deficiency!!!

Heartburn is a common condition many have experienced, and unfortunately comes up (quite literally) all too often. Whether your symptoms are minor or major (and I will list symptoms more in detail momentarily) they are typically stemming from one root cause which is ironically and detrimentally the opposite of our commonly held conception that we have too much stomach acid. In actuality, heart burn and related symptoms are most commonly caused by too little stomach acid (Hydrochloric Acid, HCL for short), not too much! Allow me to explain...

HCL is a potent acid necessary for crucial functions like breaking down proteins into amino acids (a process called proteolysis), the assimilation of B vitamins, signaling the pancreas to release digestive enzymes, and killing off microscopic pathogens to prevent us from getting food poisoning. Our stomach environment is acidic, and should/needs to be that way in order to effectively carry out these tasks. Unless we have a gastric ulcer, the stomach is equipped with a mucosal lining meant for containing stomach acid, and we should not "feel" this natural and desirable state of acidity. So the question remains, what is happening when we do?? 


From the moment food enters our mouth and we start chewing it (which I hope you are all doing WELL, as this in and of itself can lead to the symptoms we are discussing), our digestive process is signaled to begin. Once chewed food enters the stomach, HCL and other digestive enzymes are waiting to begin breaking everything down and denaturing proteins, producing an end product called chyme (a delightful mixture of HCL and broken down food). Now, the problem lies in the situation where our stomach environment lacks the necessary acid to break down this food. When this happens, the following symptoms may occur:

• Burning sensation (heart burn)
• Frequent gas and belching after meals
• Feeling that food is just "sitting" in our stomach/not being digested
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Undigested food in stool
• Frequent food poisoning, bacterial infections, parasites
• Candida overgrowth
• Constantly cracking fingernails
• Receding gums (periodontisis)
• Multiple food sensitivities (due to undigested proteins)

Fun!!! So again, why do these things occur? Well, lets be clear that heart burn is not a Tums deficiency! All too commonly, people use antacids to relieve their symptoms on a very regular basis, suppressing our already low HCL levels. HCL is responsible for signaling opening and closing of the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve allowing food to pass from our esophagus to our stomach) and also the opening/closing of the pyloric sphincter (valve allowing chyme to pass from the stomach to the small intestines). When we do not have enough HCL to carry out these tasks, particularly controlling the lower esophageal sphincter, stomach acid is therefore able to pass into the esophagus, which is an alkaline (non-acidic) environment. We then feel that burning sensation, and try to calm it with antacids.

SO HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE LOW HCL, AND WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT???

• First of all, you can self-administer this simple and harmless at home test with beet juice to get an idea if you are low in HCL. See below for more details.
• Use natural digestive aids like 1-2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar in room temperature water OR 1-2 tbsp organic, fresh lemon juice in water 20 minutes before a meal. Another option is the use of digestive bitters.
• High carbohydrate diets (particularly refined carbs like white flour, sugar, processed breads, pastries, grains) can worsen symptoms. Stick primarily to a whole foods diet of quality protein, lots of organic vegetables and fruits, and lots of high quality saturated and unsaturated fats.
• CHEW YOUR FOOD!!!
• Relax (all the time, but especially when you eat). When our nervous system is in its' sympathetic state (aka, fight or flight mode) we physically cannot digest foods. It is essential to be in a parasympathetic state, which does allow digestion to occur. Take 10 deep belly breaths before eating, and try your best to be sitting down, no distractions.
• If the above doesn't work, consult a professional about supplementing for a time with HCL tablets, but not if you have or suspect having an ulcer.

AT HOME BEET JUICE TEST

This test is not 100% accurate, but can definitely give us an idea of our HCL levels. For a few consecutive days, drink about 4 ounces of fresh, pure, organic beet juice with a bit of protein. You may be able to find this at your local juice bar, or steam beets on your own, chop, and put in a blender with some water. Record what color your urine is over these days. If we have enough HCL, the red pigment (betalaine) of the beets should be neutralized and your urine will not appear pink or red. 

Raw Avocado Chocolate Mousse

If you find yourself with a sweet tooth, or just want to seriously impress your friends at a dinner party and have them leave convinced that alternative, healthy desserts can be absolutely as delicious (if not more so) than processed sweets filled with refined sugar and grains, then I strongly suggest trying out this recipe!

This whole foods recipe takes only a few ingredients and a blender. The main ingredient is avocado, which is an incredibly versatile food! Lets take a look at some of the health benefits from one of my favorite website, whfoods.com:

• High in essential nutrients such as folate, vitamins K, C, B6 and B5, and potassium and fiber
• Proven to improve hearth health, primarily because it contains oleic acid essential to the cardiovascular system.
• Avocados contain many anti-inflammatory properties
• Full of healthy monounsaturated fats
• Promotes/supports blood sugar regulation

These are just a few of the many wonderful benefits of avocados, not to mention they are just delicious. Try out this great recipe for another way to incorporate this nutrient dense food into your diet!

RAW AVOCADO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 banana

2 tbsp full fat coconut milk (or almond as a 2nd choice)

3-4 tbsp raw cocoa (or cacao) powder

1/2 tsp vanilla (more or less to taste)

cinnamon and sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Couldn't be easier! Cut open and scoop out the avocado. Throw everything into a blender (or use a hand blender), and mix until creamy. Taste and adjust spices if need be. I served mine with raw cacao nips sprinkled on top, I bet sprinkling a little bit of orange zest could be delicious, too. Be creative!

Wellness and Loving Ourselves

"I celebrate myself, I sing myself," ~Walt Whitman




After reading the above quote, you may be asking yourself, "what does this have to do with nutrition?" I've been thinking a lot lately about the importance (and difficulties, at times) of truly respecting and loving ourselves, and the impact this has on our overall state of wellness. We can nourish our bodies with the best of foods, or physically sculpt them through exercise in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, but if we lack genuine love for ourselves (bodies, emotions, and minds), much of this hard work in other realms of life (nutrition and exercise, for example) is largely undermined. Now, this is not an excuse to eat a package of twinkies if you're having a bad day because it "doesn't matter" (if only it were that simple, right!?). Remember, life is all about balance. So, lets explore one key component to this balance (that I, right along with you, am ever-cultivating), self-love.


We've talked a lot about stress and its' impacts on our mental and physical well-being. Susan Albers, PsyD. in her book Eating Mindfully (see, it does tie into nutrition!), notes that "your mind is in a permanent state of 'go.' Thinking, dreaming, scheming, calculating, processing, contemplating are just a few examples...there is a lot of content or 'stuff' on your mind, but rarely do you slow down and observe what you do with it." For myself, I find that all too often, when my mind is scattered and constantly one step ahead of the present task, a large reason for this occurrence is because it is looking to fill some sort of void. Perhaps it is seeking to fill this void with food, external love or admiration from others, or material possessions. Of course no one can argue that all of those things are important, we all need food, love, and a certain amount of things in our lives. But it is not these things that should create our happiness and sense of worth, this is a state that must be achieved through genuine love and respect for ourselves. This is where emotional eating comes into play, which we'll discuss in a moment. Going back to Albers idea above, when our minds are so constantly on-the-go (and living in a big city makes this hard to avoid) it becomes much easier to focus on our to-do list, relationships with other people, and sometimes even easier to think about what's not going well (or how want it to go) instead of what is. 

Now lets take a quick look at how this relates to eating and health. Albers also makes the astute observation that:

"When you are stressed and emotionally in pain, your body's natural immunity decreases. If you are stressed out about your weight or your out-of-control eating, you may spend more of your time reacting to and dwelling on the painfulness of your problem rather than dealing with it directly. However, resisting all traces of suffering will further limit your ability to overcome stress...there is wisdom to be learned in suffering."


Again, while some of us may "treat" emotional pain (trying to fill a void) with food, others may take this same approach through seeking affirmation from others, accumulation of wealth, emotional detachment, or even obsessively controlling diet and exercise (which could manifest as an eating disorder on one end of the spectrum) I imagine we do this because it's much simpler to control these factors in our lives...wouldn't it be great if we could achieve ultimate joy, happiness and fulfillment by just exercising and eating right? Don't get me wrong, this (for many reasons both mental and physical) can help, but it is absolutely necessary to couple this with a cultivation of gratitude and love for ourselves.

Ok Rachel, this is vague and a little hippy-dippy (get over it, I'm from Portland, what do you expect?). And I by no means claim to be an expert in the field. As I said right off the bat, I am very much on my own path of cultivating these important skills. So what are some tools we can use??

• Create a list of things you are grateful for.
• Consider (and write down) all of the reasons you are amazing, including skills, talents, accomplishments, and mental, emotional, and physical qualities.
• Reflect on your patterns of negative self talk, and ask yourself why you have these thoughts and where they are coming from. Don't judge yourself for having them, but simply observe. Realize that these thoughts are largely untrue.
• Look at your relationships with others and ask yourself if they are mutually healthy and serving both parties. If not, consider why and what you can do to change them. Of course it's not always so simple, but perhaps some of these connections are being held onto only out of self-doubt.
• Consider that, like meditation, cultivating self-love and compassion is a practice that we need to actively work on every day. The first step is recognizing on an intellectual level that some sort of void may exist, but the next (and harder) step is change.

These are just a few ideas that I thought of, and I'm sure you can think of many more! I challenge you (and myself) to really take some time to think about this stuff, as we cannot achieve optimal wellness without knowing we are awesome. As Mae West so eloquently states:

"I don't like myself, I'm crazy about myself!"

Eating For Brain Health!

We commonly associate the foods we eat with our digestion. It is an easy connection to make when we eat something and soon after experience bloating, discomfort, pain, etc. We may even (hopefully) have progressed to be able to make the connection between the foods we eat and energy levels throughout the day, for example when we eat a pastry or anything with refined carbs and sugar and then get that mid afternoon slump when we simply need coffee. Sound familiar?

However, many people do not necessarily make the connection between brain health/function and the foods we eat. How many of you sometimes experience the following, and perhaps chalk it up to "just getting old," "being forgetful," etc....

• Minor memory loss, for example, walking into a room and having no idea what you came for
• "Brain fog," feeling like sentences and thoughts just aren't coming together smoothly, feeling in a sort of daze/fog. Maybe it makes you want to drink coffee or soda to get a boost of energy and clarity.
• Depression, anxiety, mood/behavior issues/disorders
• Anger, irritability, focus on negative thoughts/behavior
• Inability to concentrate and/or very shortened attention span
• Low libido

The good news is, many (if not all) of these things can be improved, relieved, or prevented by eating a nutrient dense diet!!! Quickly, lets take a look at why certain foods affect our brain function and which are the culprits.

Brain Anatomy 101:

This is going to be a very short summary of basic brain function, but a great resource to learn more is Dr. Daniel Amen's book, Making a Good Brain Great. The brain is a soft organ weighing about 3 lbs, protected by the skull and tissue membranes called meninges. Our brain is involved in everything we do each day, and functions by providing communication between neurons in the brain with cells in other parts of the body via neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that relay various commands and messages to different parts of the body. The protective myelin sheath of our cells is responsible for making sure these messages are efficiently related, and bodily function can occur. Aside from diet (which we'll get to momentarily), this process can be disturbed by trauma (major or minor, bumping your head, following off your bike, concussions from sports, etc), and also exposure to chemicals such as household cleaning products, aspartame and MSG (excitotoxins that overstimulate parts of our brain).

Why Foods Can Hurt Our Brain and Which to AVOID:

When we have weak cell membranes and mitochondria (the make-up of our cells which converts food to energy, without them our cells cannot function), poor nutrient and anti-oxidant levels through lack of good food, thick blood, poor vascular integrity, unregulated blood sugar, hormone imbalances, high stress and poor adrenal function, our brain pathways and functions are compromised (Dixie Raile, Protecting Brain Function). 

Here are a list of foods to avoid for brain health:

• Trans-fats (anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated like fake butter products)
• Vegetable oils like canola, safflower, corn, sunflower, soy
• Refined sugar and flour (commercial baked goods, breads, pasta)
• Soda and diet soda
• Aspartame and MSG
• Commercially raised meats 
• Non organic fruits and veggies (pesticides/herbicides)
• Avoid as many chemicals in your daily life as possible, including household and cosmetic products

Here are a list of foods to include for brain health:

• Lots of healthy fats! Our brain is largely comprised of fat (approximately 60%) and needs good sources of dietary fat to function. This includes abundant Omega 3 fatty acids from wild caught fish such as salmon, halibut, and sardines. Other important fats are those found in coconut oil, olive oil, grass fed butter and ghee, avocados and raw nuts/seeds.
• B Vitamins found in nutritional yeast, grass fed meats, organ meats, raw nuts/seeds, avocados, organic eggs.
• Magnesium rich foods (essential for stress and relaxation) such as dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds.
• Include a large variety of fresh, organic fruits (especially berries) and vegetables (strive for a minimum of 5 cups/day), think "all colors of the rainbow," particularly dark, bright colors which are rich in anti-oxidants.
• Make sure you are getting enough quality protein (ideally from grass fed meats, organic poultry, organic eggs, raw nuts and seeds). Think of 20-30% of your daily calories coming from these sources.

Between eating a diet rich in these foods and staying as active as possible, we can help to make sure our brain is functioning at its' best, and therefore live our lives to the fullest! Don't let bad food slow you down!

Grain Free Burger "Buns"

The other night I made some delicious cilantro turkey burgers, and while I usually go sans bun, I was having guests over who I thought might miss out on the bread part of the burger (this, admittedly, can take some getting used to!). So I experimented with making a gluten/grain-free bun, and it turned out delicious! This is also a wonderful "bread" to spread with some raw almond butter for a snack, or replace in many other situations in place of conventional and inflammatory bread.

If you've been following my blog for some time now, you've read all about the inflammatory nature of gluten-containing foods, as well as know that for many, even whole grains can be inflammatory as well and lead to a host of issues, many of which relate to leaky gut syndrome (aka, increased intestinal permeability). With that in mind, try out this fantastic alternative!

Grain-Free Burger Buns
Adapted from paleoplan.com


Makes about 4 (tops and bottoms)

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
4 tbsp coconut flour
4 tbsp almond flour
4 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (both flours, baking powder and sea salt) and mix thoroughly with a fork. Next, combine eggs and coconut oil separately. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and mix. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it lightly with coconut oil or grass fed butter or ghee. Spread mixture evenly over baking sheet and bake for 10  minutes. You can either shape them into buns before baking, or make more of a flat bread and cut after they have cooled.

Kale Chips!

I was experimenting with different seasonings for kale chips yesterday, and this one turned out pretty good!  Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods out there. It can be prepared in many ways, steamed, sauteed, roasted, or raw. Making kale chips are a wonderful method of preparation, and kids absolutely love them.

A quick look at some of the vast health benefits of kale according to whfoods.org:

• Cholesterol-lowering properties (especially when steamed)
• Proven to lower risk of certain cancers, particularly bladder, breast, colon, ovary and prostate.
• Great in supporting detoxification.
• Full of anti-oxidants and very anti-inflammatory, which fights oxidative stress.

Also from whfoods.org (a fantastic website, by the way, that I highly recommend), see the following chart for a more detailed look at the nutrients in kale:

RECIPE: SPICY SESAME KALE CHIPS

Ingredients: 

Kale (any type, as much as you want, remember it cooks down to at least 1/3rd its original size)

Unrefined, cold pressed sesame oil

Sea salt (celtic or himalayan are great for their trace mineral content)

Black pepper or lemon pepper

Cayenne Pepper or red chili flakes (optional, add if you like spice)

Curry Powder

De-stem kale and place in a bowl (make sure its completely dry). Add above ingredients (all of which are optional and to taste, play around to see what you like best), and mix well, making sure all of the kale is coated with oil (but not too much, you don't want it soggy). Spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees. Take out and mix/turn every 10 minutes or so until they are crunchy...the timing on this will depend how much kale you are making.

Enjoy!!

Nutrition and Back Pain

I hope you had a fabulous holiday season and are back in the swing of things, happy and healthy! 

For this article, I wanted to touch on a subject that is all too prevalent: back pain. If we do not suffer from it ourselves, we surely know someone who experiences back pain to a certain degree, whether it be day to day aches, pains, and stiffness, herniated (also known as ruptured or slipped) disks, spasms, surgeries, and much more. According to Anasuya Batliner, Holistic Nutritionist and Massage Therapist in her article, "Alleviating Back Pain with Diet and Supplements," back pain is one of the most common health problems in the US, with 7 million new cases occurring each year, ranking second amongst reasons people visit the doctor. Wow!

Back pain and subsequent problems can stem from a host of problems, including poor posture, repetitive injury, sudden impact, and obesity which can all put pressure on and break down cartilage. Our back is a network of tissues which work together in protecting the spinal cord. According to Batliner, on its own the spinal cord could barely support 5 pounds, however there are many muscles and ligaments working to give it strength. Our vertebrae are the bones stacked on top of each other, each divided by discs, made of cartilage, which (ideally) allow us to withstand compression. Cartilage is largely made up of water (65-80%), which gives it its pliability. 

Now this is a very basic run-down of the back structure, however when talking about cartilage in particular, here enters the great importance of nutrition! Again according to Batliner, "a nutrient deficiency can cause the nucleus of the disc to lose its ability to hold the water that makes it so compliant. Over time, the nucleus starts getting harder...any unusual body movement can force the nucleus to push its layers out farther or, worse yet, the nucleus can shoot through its layers like the spitting out of a watermelon seed." Ouch.

Ironically, while obesity is rampant in the US, so is malnutrition. People are eating nutrient void foods, and this (along with endless other conditions and disease) can cause and/or exacerbate back pain. The Standard American Diet (SAD), is rich in trans fats, refined sugar and flour, inflammatory substances like coffee, alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals. All of these can lead to the degeneration of cartilage and bones. Contrary to popular belief, consumption of commercial (non-organic, pasteurized vs. whole, organic, and preferably raw) milk, can actually lead to calcium deficiency and deteriorating bone health. (Visit http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html for more info on this subject). This is for another article, but has to do with commercial milk being fortified with synthesized D vitamins which can interfere with calcium metabolism. The following information is from Dr. Khalsa in his informative book, The Pain Cure.

DIETARY CAUSES OF BACK PAIN:

• Overeating, leading to obesity, demotivation, lack of movement.
• Undereating, leading to low blood sugar which increases our pain sensitivity and nutrient deficiencies.
• Food allergies/sensitivities, leading to inflammation.
• Hormonal dysregulation, leading to chronic pain due to depression, anxiety, lethargy, and stress.

IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS TO CONSIDER (remember organic, grass fed whenever possible):

• Vitamin A found in liver, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, collard greens, chard, kale, winter squash.
• Vitamin B complex found in nutritional yeast, nuts/seeds, egg yolks, asparagus.
• Vitamin C found in collard greens, onions, broccoli, mustard greens, kale, parsley, sweet peppers, grapefruit, papaya, lemons, oranges, beet greens, chard.
• Vitamin E found in nuts/seeds (sunflower seeds and almonds are great), spinach, chard, papaya, mustard greens.
• EFA's (essential fatty acids) found in deep sea fish, flax seeds.
• Calcium found in raw milk and dairy, sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, leafy greens
• Magnesium found in leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, salmon, halibut, almonds.
• Zinc found in oysters, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast

If you'd made it with me to this point, thanks!! I hope you've learned a bit about back health, and as always, please come to me with further questions...the more the better!! I'll wrap it up with a quote I recently came across from Nora Gedgaudas in her book Primal Body, Primal Mind:

"No one will ever be more invested in your mental or physical health than you."