Let’s Chew On This (or How to Take Care of Your 2nd Brain)

Bread CrustDo you remember the mantra about taking time to chew your food?

Chances are, it was your grandmother who proffered this advice, the idea being that you chew thoroughly, at every meal. (My husband’s grandmother had a hard and fast rule to chew each bite exactly 33 times).

Do you scoff at the very thought? Do you also firmly believe that you don’t have TIME to chew every.single.bite – or you’d never leave the table?

Well, guess what?

It turns out your grandmother was right all along!

Chewing your food thoroughly is such a critical part of the digestive process, because it primes your stomach and your digestive juices for the task ahead.

Not only that, the entry point of your meal – your mouth – is also where the Gut-Brain connection happens!

What do I mean by that?

Your gut and your brain are closely connected – to the point that what happens in your gut affects your brain, and vice versa.  [Read more…]

How Not to Feel Like Crap by New Year’s

Eat Less Sugar on Paper Note with texture backgroundHow’s your stress level these days?

Are you obsessing over the holidays? Wondering how you’ll survive?

I hear you! It’s a common refrain, for sure.

Another thing I’m hearing from my clients is this:

“I don’t want to feel like crap by January 1!”

Perhaps you’re also wondering how you can rein in your appetite when so many temptations abound? Let’s face it – the holidays can be extremely stressful, with so much to do and so little time.

Plus stress is a huge compounding issue for any health concern you might have – especially your digestive health!

So today I’m sharing 3 of my favorite tips for managing your stress during the holiday season, so you don’t feel like crap come New Year’s!

[Read more…]

Are You Losing Your Mind?

AlzheimerDo you ever have days where you’re feeling super forgetful?

Like not remembering the name of your favorite book, or movie, or that ‘thingy’ you’ve been meaning to buy for weeks – what was that called again?

Maybe you’ve realized that the lines have blurred over the sequence leading up to an event that – even though it happened years ago, used to be so clear in your mind.

A ‘Brian Williams’ moment, if you will.

Then again, maybe you’re thinking one thing, but the words don’t come out quite right.

What the heck is that all about?

Are you losing your mind?

[Read more…]

Is Gluten Toxic?

assortment of baked breadThe bigger question, of course, is “Do you have Celiac Disease?”

Or, “Do you have a gluten-related disorder, most often referred to as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – or Gluten Intolerance?”

Did you answer “yes” to either question?

In that case, gluten certainly is a toxin, at least to you.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t appear to have a sensitivity to gluten – that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely off the hook.

According to Dr. Tom O-Bryan, who refers to himself as the Gluten-Free Doc, “Everyone should be checked for a gluten sensitivity. And if you have the celiac gene, you definitely want to be checked every two years or so. You might be fine now, but at some point you will likely cross the line.

Why is that?

[Read more…]

Meet Your Anti-Nutrients

Donuts and CoffeeWhy anti-nutrients?

Because they rob nutrients from your body:

  • Gluten
  • Sugar
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Processed Foods
  • Stress
  • Lack of Sleep
  • Overly processed Oils
  • Antibiotics
  • Eating the wrong foods for your unique physiology
  • Toxic overload
  • Over exercising (excessive exertion)

Does that last one surprise you?

The fact is, strenuous exercise is very stressful on your body. Not that surprising, really – we often feel the after-effects of exercise on our joints or muscles – a sure sign that we’ve overdone it.

It’s simply another type of stress that you might be dealing with – but it’s one you might not think of as stress.

 

What Are You Craving?

“Sugar is a food fraught with layers of emotional meaning, inextricably linked with your sense of comfort and well-being”.  Andrea Nakayama

 

Do you sometimes crave a certain food?

Or is “often” a more accurate description?

Whether ‘sometimes”, or  “often”, cravings are usually a sign that something is out of balance in your body.

It could be due to hormones, a nutritional imbalance, low blood sugar or even stress.

Of course, any food can become a substitute for what we’re really craving in the moment.

However, for many of us, our go-to comfort food is Sugar.

If your downfall seems to be Sugar, you’re not alone.

In fact, the more you crave a certain food, it’s often your Body’s way of telling you in an oh-so-subtle-way to cut back.

And while you may not be able to ditch those sugar cravings completely – after all, we’re biologically programmed to love anything sweet – it is possible to get your sugar cravings under control by ditching soda and processed foods.

In lieu of refined sugar, consider alternate ways to satisfy your sweet tooth.

At the same time, keep in mind that alternate sweeteners such as agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and sucanat – to name a few – are still Sugar.

They may seem to be easier on your blood sugar levels – but the bottom line is still this:

Sugar is Sugar.

That’s a tough one to swallow, I know.

Consider too, that the very foods we often crave are often the very foods we’re highly sensitive, or allergic to!

(Yet another reason to avoid them).

A strange anomaly, yes, but also fascinating, if you take the time to think about it.

Then again, perhaps salty – rather than sweet – foods are your downfall?

[Read more…]