Beating the winter time blues

If you’re struggling to get over the winter time blues, check out our 7 tips below. It is not uncommon for people to notice changes in their mood, energy, appetite, sleep patterns, weight, and social activities, in the winter months.

Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, occurs in up to 10 percent of the general population, with even higher rates in those with clinical depression. SAD tends to occur more in the fall and winter months when days are shorter, we get less sun and light exposure, and our sleep is disrupted due to the changes in daylight and light exposure.

Symptoms of SAD, especially fall and winter onset, include:

• increased sleep

• Increased appetite

• Carbohydrate craving

• Weight gain

  While these may look like typical winter patterns, with people often referring to their desire for comfort foods and “winter weight” during the fall and winter months, if they are excessive or accompanied by depression symptoms, you may be dealing with SAD.

Symptoms can also look a lot like those of major depressive disorder such as:

• Depressed mood

• Loss of pleasure or interest

• Change in appetite (increased or decreased)

• Change in weight (increased or decreased)

• Sleep disturbance (insomnia or hypersomnia (increased sleep))

• Fatigue or loss of energy

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt

Symptoms will often resolve on their own when spring and summer roll around, but you don’t have to struggle all winter just waiting for longer days and more sunshine. These tips below can help you get on top of your symptoms to get you feeling better.

1. Exercise naturally boosts your mood by releasing endorphins and has been correlated to decreased rates of depression and anxiety. Bonus: it also boosts your immune system which can keep you healthier during cold and flu season.

2. Get outside. Getting exposed to natural light in the mornings can help support mood throughout the day and nighttime sleep. There is more light outside which has been shown to increase mood and relax people.  Exercising outside has also been shown to benefit your mental health. Outside time, even on gray winter days, can help regulate your sleep-wake cycle and boost energy.

3. Get enough Vitamin D. Without much sun in the winter (and a low UV index when we do get to see it), chances are your vitamin D levels have suffered. Supplement when you need to, and make sure it’s D3 which is the active form of vitamin D.

4. Balance your blood sugar. Blood sugar imbalances can contribute to mood changes including depression and anxiety. Make sure to keep your blood sugar stable by eating balanced meals regularly (think protein, veggie, healthy fat), eating enough fiber, and avoiding excess sugar whenever possible. Avoiding sugar can also help you mange inflammation and excess weight gain, and help you sleep better at night.

5. Get enough B vitamins including B12, B5, B6, and folate. Low levels of B vitamins are correlated with depression. Stress depletes your vitamins too so if you’re not getting enough from your diet or you’re under stress, you may need to be replenishing those B vitamins with food and/or supplements.

6. Eat healthy fats. Fats feed your brain and there is a large link between cholesterol levels and mood. 25% of the body’s cholesterol is found in the brain so make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats to keep your mood stable and your brain healthy. Fats also help feed your adrenal glands which help manage your stress response (and they play a role in other areas of your body including your hormones, skin, and digestive health to name a few).

7. Improved sleep habits, also known as sleep hygiene, can be really beneficial.

   1. Regulate your sleep cycle with a consistent schedule. Make sure you are going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning to ensure regular circadian rhythm and to support a natural melatonin and cortisol cycle.

   2. Sleep in a dark room, removing any night lights, ambient light, and using black out shades as needed.

   3. Relax before bed. Avoid screen time for at least 30-60 minutes before bed.

   4. Drink all of your caffeine early in the day, ending your caffeine consumption by early afternoon.

   5. Avoid alcohol, especially right before bed.

You don’t have to wait for summer to feel better. Addressing each of the areas above can not only help you feel better short term but incorporating all of these habits now can also help prevent seasonal affective disorder from occurring next season too.

For supplements and other products, check out our online store here. Make sure to always check with your doctor before beginning any new supplements or changing your diet.

Tips for Healthy Eating through the holidays

Holiday parties, family gatherings and big meals are right around the corner. That means a lot of food, alcohol, and more holiday treats than any of us really needs.

I’m not going to tell you to not eat all the holiday treats because a) that’s unrealistic and b) that would just be mean. The best way to maintain your healthy eating through the holidays is by keeping yourself and what you’re eating in balance and utilizing the easy tips below.

1)  Choose your cheats and treats wisely. Make sure that the food you are about to eat is worth is. Ask yourself the following questions before digging in:

a) Is it your favorite? Go for it!

b) Is it going to make you feel sick and bloated? Then don’t eat it!

If you don’t love pumpkin pie, don’t eat it! Enjoy the other foods and avoid the ones that aren’t going to satisfy you.

2) Plan ahead. If you know you’re going to indulge in foods and adult beverages that may not be so healthy at a holiday party in the evening, then make sure your breakfast and lunch that day are healthy and satisfying. Get in your protein, healthy fats, and vegetables in the meals before your splurging and then enjoy your splurges. It’s all about balance right?

3) Eat healthy when possible. Most parties will have some healthy options in addition to the unhealthy ones, like veggie and meat trays. Add some veggies and meat to your plate and fill up on these first before reaching for the dessert and other treats.

4) Set yourself up for success. Don’t keep extra treats at home. If you know that having a candy bowl lying around your house means you’re going to grab some every time you walk by, then don’t put it out! Wait until you have guests over and then put it out, and put it away once they are gone.

My guilty pleasure is sugar cookies with sprinkles and I know that if I buy them and have them in the house, I want to eat them all. So, I don’t buy them unless we are having guests! I keep them out of our house until we are having people over that I can share them with because if left alone with them, I will eat them ALL. 

5) Drink water.

a.       Keeping yourself hydrated is important all the time, but especially if you’re going to be splurging on unhealthy foods and drinking alcohol. A lot of times thirst is mistaken for hunger and so making sure that you are drinking enough water will ensure that you’re not overeating on those unhealthy foods when in reality, your body just needs more water. Make sure you’re drinking enough water with these easy tips.

b.      Drinking water helps you detox and so making sure that you’re drinking enough water throughout the day will help your body get rid of the extra toxins and sugars you’re consuming.

c.       If you’re drinking alcohol, you want to drink one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage. By keeping you hydrated and helping your liver detox, drinking water one for one with your adult beverages can also help prevent a hangover. Balance your alcohol intake with water and your body will thank you the next morning.

6) Don’t overdo it. If you’re going to splurge, pick your favorites and enjoy them, but don’t overdo it. What does that mean? It means go for that slice of chocolate cake and enjoy it, but stop at one. You don’t need to have 2 slices of cake plus cookies and candy to enjoy your dessert. Pick your favorite and stop there. Set reasonable limits and feel good about it.

7) Maintain your regular healthy habits. Just because it’s the holiday season, doesn’t mean all of your healthy habits need to go on vacation too. Keep up the exercise, the healthy eating when possible, your water intake, and your regular stress-busting habits.

a.       Maintaining your regular exercise routine is especially important if you know you’re going to be eating less healthy than you normally do. It will help balance out your indulgences by boosting your metabolism, relieving stress, and boosting your immune system.

b.      Traveling during this holiday season? Even if you’re traveling, look for healthy food options when you can and squeeze exercise into your travel schedule wherever you can. This will be of huge benefit to your health and may be the difference between you gaining that holiday weight that always seems to find you during the holiday season, and maintaining your current health!

c.       The holidays can be a stressful time and so keeping up with your regular stress-relieving habits can help combat the extra stress. Looking for extra stress-busting tips? Check out these easy ways to destress naturally.

8) Ditch the guilt and enjoy yourself! Don’t feel guilty about any unhealthy treats, enjoy them. If you are going to eat treats and drink alcohol, then enjoy it. You’re not doing anyone any good by doing it and then feeling bad about it. As long as you are consuming foods that you like and not overdoing it, there is nothing to feel guilty about.

The holidays should be a time of celebration, happiness and family. Don’t let the stress or guilt of the holidays get you down.  From Dr. Christina Sahni’s Portland Naturopathic practice, enjoy all the season has to offer!

Stress, your gut, and your mood

90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Serotonin is responsible for your mood, sleep, appetite, and pain and the cells that produce serotonin depend on your gut microbes to make serotonin. The resident microbiota (the current living bacteria) in your gut help regulate your levels of serotonin and tryptophan, a serotonin precursor. Your diet plays a large role in your gut microbes, and so do your stress levels. If you are under chronic stress, your gut microbiota is directly negatively affected which means that your serotonin levels are affected too.

So what does this mean? This means that your gut greatly affects your mood, sleep, appetite and pain via serotonin production and regulation by your gut and its microbes. It also means that what you eat and how your body processes those foods and your levels of stress play a large role. If you are under chronic (and repeated bouts of acute) stress, then your gut is going to suffer which means your mood, sleep and pain will too. 

Your gut affects your health and the number one thing affecting your gut is what you eat. Diets that are low in sugar and processed foods tend to have a better balance of healthy bacteria. Make sure you’re eating enough fiber (such as lots of veggies and berries) and avoiding foods that are processed and/or high in sugar.

Serotonin, and other neurotransmitters, also play a role in your digestion via nutrient absorption, blood flow, the local immune system in your digestive tract, and gut motility. This helps explain why your digestive symptoms get worse when you are under stress and why digestive symptoms often go hand in hand with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Stress affects your gut health, your gut health affects your digestion and serotonin regulation, and your serotonin regulation affects your sleep and mood. Serotonin regulation plays a role in treating many GI issues including IBS and GERD (more commonly known as heartburn) because of this.

Don’t let chronic stress and poor dietary habits be the cause of your low mood, insomnia, or chronic pain.

Make your appointment with Dr. Sahni today to see how stress and diet are affecting your health and how to make changes to get your health back on track.

Sources:

Stoller-Conrad, Jessica. Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in Gut. April 09, 2015 <https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495>

J Cell Physiol. 2017 Sep; 232(9): 2359–2372. Published online 2017 Apr 10. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772764/>

Trisha A. Jenkins, Jason C. D. Nguyen Kate E. Polglaze and Paul P. Bertrand. Influence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain Axis. Nutrients. 2016 Jan; 8(1): 56. Published online 2016 Jan 20. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728667/>

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/L-tryptophan

Vitamin D

Is Vitamin D all that it is hyped up to be? YES!!!

How do we get Vitamin D? The best source of vitamin D is through UV rays from the sun. Vitamin D is made in the skin upon exposure to UVB rays from sunlight and then metabolized into its active form via the liver and kidney. There is some vitamin D in fish, but getting adequate sunlight will provide you with all of the vitamin D that you need. Children and young adults need just a short time outside two to three times per week to synthesize the Vitamin D that they need.

With the increasing amount of time we spend indoors and the sunscreen we lather on when we do get outside, most people are not getting the amount of vitamin D that they need. Applying sunscreen, with an SPF of as low as 10, reduces UVB radiation by 90%. That’s a lot of vitamin D to be missing out on.

Remember, the farther away you are from the equator, the less UV rays you get from the sun, especially in winter months. If you are unable to get adequate sunlight, supplementation of D3 (the active form of Vitamin D) may be necessary.

Why do I need vitamin D? Vitamin D is essential for:

-          Bone health

-          Immune function

-          Insulin secretion

-          Blood pressure regulation

-          Mood

-          Mineral (calcium and phosphorus) balance

What happens if I don’t get enough Vitamin D?               

-          Muscle weakness and pain

-          Autoimmune disease, including type I diabetes, MS (multiple sclerosis), RA (rheumatoid arthritis), SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus)

-          High blood pressure

-          Increased acute respiratory infections, including the common cold

-          Type II diabetes

-          Depressed mood/Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

-          Anxiety

-          Inflammation

-          Cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease

-          Increased rates of osteoporosis and bone fractures

-          Increased rates of cancer including colon and breast cancers

-          Hair loss

Vitamin D has also been found to be helpful in treating:

-          Atopic dermatitis/eczema

-          IBD – including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

-          Cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and congestive heart failure

-          Mood disorders including anxiety

Get outside and take advantage of these summer months!

Getting your vitamin D levels checked may be advised to determine how much vitamin D you need. Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule an appointment to get a personalized health plan specific to your individual needs.

Dr. Christina Sahni is a licensed naturopathic physician in Portland, OR. She provides healthcare for the whole family, treating a broad spectrum of health conditions, including IBS, allergies, diabetes, adrenal fatigue, and many more. A more complete list of what Dr. Sahni treats can be found here.

Sources:

Linus Pauling Institute < https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D>

Siavash Fazelian, Reza Amani,1 Zamzam Paknahad, Soleiman Kheiri,2 and Leila Khajehali3. Effect of Vitamin D Supplement on Mood Status and Inflammation in Vitamin D Deficient Type 2 Diabetic Women with Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Int J Prev Med. 2019; 10: 17. Published online 2019 Feb 12. 

Food Cravings

Why do food cravings occur?

Food cravings occur for different reasons. Your energy, sleep, stress, hormones, and nutrition can all lead to food cravings. Food cravings tend to have a biochemical explanation behind them.

1. Are you tired and running on little sleep? A lack of sleep actually increases your hunger hormone (ghrelin) which tells you to eat more. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your body is fatigued and the best way to get energy is through food so your body actually increases its release of ghrelin. Insomnia and fatigue are a huge source of food cravings, especially those carbohydrate and nighttime food cravings.  Fatigue increases cravings for high carbohydrate foods more because they are a quick source of energy.

2. Are you under stress? Chronic stress is one of the largest contributors to food cravings. When your body is under stress, your body releases cortisol. Cortisol increases blood sugar to provide your body with energy, diverts attention away from your digestion, and affects carbohydrate metabolism. Under short term stress, this makes total sense as you need an increase in energy to deal with the stress you are encountering. However, under long term and chronic stress, these effects can be detrimental to your health. The increased blood sugar and changes in carbohydrate metabolism lead to carbohydrate cravings as your body’s attempt at increasing its energy sources to combat the stress. This can lead to insulin resistance and increased fat storage leading to type II diabetes and weight gain.

3. Are you lacking certain nutrients that your body is trying to replenish? Your food cravings are often an indication of nutrients that you aren’t getting through your diet. Your body is smart and will find ways to obtain these nutrients, one of which is through food cravings. If you are not eating a well-balanced diet or if you are eating the same few foods all of the time, you may not be getting enough of all the vitamins and minerals your body requires to function.

If you are craving:

• Chocolate: Your body may be looking for sources of magnesium. Dark chocolate contains about 64mg of magnesium per serving, which is the amount of magnesium in 2 medium bananas. Nuts also contain high amounts of magnesium. Other food sources of magnesium include avocado, dark leafy greens such as spinach and swiss chard, and beans.

• Sugar: If your body is under stress, sugar cravings can increase due to the altered carbohydrate metabolism from increased cortisol. Food cravings can also be a learned pleasure response and so you may crave those foods that you have had a positive response to in the past. Sugar is the quickest form of energy available to your body so if you are fatigued, whether that is from a lack of sleep, high stress, or hormone imbalances, you may notice increased sugar cravings as a result. Sugar cravings also occur from imbalanced blood sugar. If you not eating regularly, skipping meals or eating meals with a high carbohydrate content (and low in healthy fats and protein), your blood sugar may be suffering. A great way to combat sugar cravings is to reach for a snack of protein and healthy fats instead – this will feed your body and provide it with healthy nutrients and help keep you feeling full, while helping stabilize your blood sugar to stave off those sugar cravings. Sugar cravings can also be a sign of yeast overgrowth in your gut. Yeast like to feed off of sugar, so they tell you to eat more sugar to benefit themselves. If you notice you’re bloated, and it’s worse after sugar, this could mean you’re feeding the yeast in your gut. Cut the sugar out to starve the yeast.

• High carbohydrate snacks, especially at bedtime: These are really energy (and sleep) cravings. High carbohydrate food cravings, especially those in the evening, tend to be a result of fatigue. Your body wants energy when you are fatigued and high carbohydrate snacks are a quick and easy way to get it, so cue those carby late night food cravings.

• Salt: cravings for salty foods and snacks is often a sign of adrenal fatigue. Your adrenal glands control your stress response and help regulate your blood pressure as a result. When they start to burnout, your cortisol drops which means your blood pressure too, signaling to your body that it needs more salt which presents itself in the form of salty food cravings.

• Nuts: Nuts are a great source of fat and vitamin E (and magnesium). If you’re not getting enough healthy fats in your diet, you may notice your desire for nuts increasing. Healthy fats are essential for your brain, your skin, your blood sugar, and even your eye health. Add fish, avocados, olive oil and olives, and eggs into your diet to increase your healthy fats and decrease those fatty food cravings. Vitamin E is great for your brain and cognitive health, skin, and also your reproductive system and hormones. Olive oil is high in vitamin E, as are tomatoes, spinach, avocados, swiss chard and broccoli. Vitamin E requires fat for proper absorption and transportation so make sure you are getting enough fat as well. While nuts will provide you with vitamin E and healthy fats, too many nuts can irritate your digestive tract and so a variety of foods to get these nutrients is essential.

What you can do about it:

1. Improve your sleep. Whether you are having trouble falling asleep at night or staying asleep, a good night’s sleep is essential for your health and to eliminate your food cravings.

2. Balance your stress and support your body’s stress response. Both short-term and long-term stress affect our adrenal glands and the way our body responds to stress. By eliminating stress where you can, and supporting your body to be able to handle the stress you can’t eliminate, you can help decrease stress-induced food cravings.

3. Eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods to ensure you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need. If you are lacking certain nutrients, your body will let you know. Don’t wait until food cravings are telling you what nutrients you’re lacking, get them in your diet now.

4. Food cravings during pregnancy are often due to the increased need of nutrients that your body needs during pregnancy. The reason we so commonly hear about pickle and potato chip and other salty food cravings is likely due to the increased need for water resulting from an increase in your blood volume. Your blood volume almost doubles when you are pregnant, which means you need extra water to support the increase, and extra electrolytes, such as salt, to help balance the increased fluid in your body. Drinking enough water and taking a high-quality prenatal vitamin can help curb some of your pregnancy cravings. The sugar cravings are likely due to insomnia and fatigue. Make sure you are resting when you can and taking extra care of yourself during pregnancy.

5. Drink plenty of water. Water helps your body detoxify, supports your digestive tract and improves brain function. Dehydration signals are often misread as hunger signals and so if you’re getting food cravings, your body may actually be asking for more water. Stay hydrated to curb food cravings before they begin.

Contact us today to get to the root cause of your food cravings and get an individualized treatment plan based on your specific health history.

Dr. Christina Sahni is a board certified Naturopathic Physician with an integrative functional medicine clinic in Portland, OR. She is a second generation naturopathic doctor with an emphasis on diet and nutrition, physical medicine, stress management, and lifestyle modifications to help people reach their optimal health.

© Dr. Christina Sahni Radie, ND, LLC

Stress Belly

Do you notice that you get bloated after you eat, no matter what you eat? Do you get more bloated when you’re under stress? Do you gain weight when you’re under stress? Do you notice nausea, gas, abdominal pain, and diarrhea or constipation when you are stressed?

This is what I refer to as stress belly. Those annoying (and uncomfortable) symptoms that increase when your body is under stress. This is not a coincidence – your stress levels directly affect your gut. Chronic stress causes adverse effects on the microbiota (the microorganisms such as bacteria) in your gut.

The brain communicates with the gut via the HPA (hypothalamis-pituitary-adrenal) axis and the nervous system. Stress can alter this communication leading to changes in the gut. Chronic stress can lead to:

• Altered gastrointestinal motility—Serotonin (and other neurotransmitters) plays a role in gut motility.  Changes in gastrointestinal motility are the reason that you may experience diarrhea or constipation under times of stress.

• Increased intestinal permeability. Increased cortisol levels affect the barrier function of the gut leading to increased permeability. The increased permeability allows bacteria and inflammatory molecules out of the gut and alters the HPA axis which influences brain function. Probiotic supplementation can decrease the amount of inflammatory cells in the gut and suppress stress-induced intestinal permeability.

• Changes in your gut microbiome, also known as dysbiosis. This dysbiosis, the imbalance of beneficial and harmful bacteria, can lead to digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating, and indigestion, as well as alterations in mood and conditions like SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

Stress belly is often diagnosed as IBS but without many recommendations on what you can do about it. There are many different ways you can treat this to eliminate your digestive symptoms caused by stress.

What can you do about it? You need to reverse the effects of long-term stress on your gut by replenishing your vitamin and nutrient levels, re-balancing the good bacteria in your gut, and healing your digestive system. You also need to treat the stress, or you’ll end up right back where you started, with stress belly.

Nutrition:

• Vitamin C helps feed your adrenal glands as well as boosts your immune system.

• B vitamins. Stress depletes our B-vitamins and so extra B-vitamins will help replenish these vitamins used up by your stressed out adrenal glands. Eating sufficient animal protein, such as eggs, poultry, fish, and red meat can help provide your body with natural sources of B vitamins.

• Healthy fats help feed your adrenal glands as well as your brain (and your hormones too)

  • Omega 3 fatty acids- such as fish oil

  • Good fats in your diet- eggs, olive oil, avocado, butter, fish

• Vitamin D activates genes that release neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) to help balance out your stress response

• Avoid sugar – including sugary foods, starches and refined carbohydrates. Sugar not only feeds bacteria and viruses (as well as yeast and fungus) which can promote gut dysbiosis, but also decreases our immune function and promotes inflammation.

• Eat probiotics – this includes fermented foods and probiotic supplements.

Heal your gut and replenish it with beneficial bacteria to reverse the dysbiosis caused by long-term stress. A balanced gut will decrease the levels of stress hormones in your body, promote serotonin synthesis and improve depression and anxiety.

Treat the stress. You can’t fix stress belly without addressing the underlying stress. Your adrenal glands are responsible for your body’s stress response. You need to treat the cause of your stress and your adrenal glands in order to eliminate your stress belly.

Stress belly is frustrating and uncomfortable. But it’s not permanent. Do what you can to help eliminate your stress, reverse the effects of it, and make your belly and yourself happy.  

References:

Chaiyavat Chaiyasut and Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi (November 5th 2018). Influence of Probiotic Supplementation on Brain Function: Involvement of Gut Microbiome, Inflammation, and Stress Pathway, Gut Microbiota - Brain Axis, Alper Evrensel and Barış Önen Ünsalver, IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.79511. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/gut-microbiota-brain-axis/influence-of-probiotic-supplementation-on-brain-function-involvement-of-gut-microbiome-inflammation-

D’Mello C, Ronaghan N, Zaheer R, et al. Probiotics improve inflammation-associated sickness behavior by altering communication between the peripheral immune system and the brain. J Neurosci 2015;35:10821-30.

Luis G. Bermúdez-Humarán, Eva Salinas, Genaro G. Ortiz, Luis J. Ramirez-Jirano, J. Alejandro Morales  and Oscar K. Bitzer-Quintero. Review From Probiotics to Psychobiotics: Live Beneficial Bacteria Which Act on the Brain-Gut Axis. Nutrients 2019, 11(4), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040890.

The Value of Nutrition

Nutrition is the basis for our health. What we eat affects our vitamin and mineral levels, gut microbiome, mood, immune system, skin, digestion, sleep, energy, and overall health. Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is a necessity for growth and development. It helps prevent various health conditions including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, iron deficiency and cavities (dental caries). A poor diet increases the risk of: becoming overweight or obese and certain cancers (including lung, stomach, colorectal and prostate).

-          Between 2001 and 2010, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for 10% of total caloric intake among children and adolescents.

-          Between 2003 and 2010, most youth did not meet fruit and vegetable (intake) recommendations.

-          Most youth do not consume the recommended amount of total water intake

I value nutrition because I value the health of my family and myself.

Healthy kids: Nutrition supports the immune system leading to less colds and illnesses. Sick kids bring home whatever they have which can lead to sick parents too. Keeping your kids healthy means healthy parents and less missed school days for kids and work days for parents. If your kids are constantly sick and unable to go to daycare or school, you are missing work as a result, even when you’re not sick. Keeping your kids immune systems strong means less sick days for your kids and less missed work days for you. A healthy immune system also means less allergies and asthma.

Weight management: Good nutrition is the best way to manage your weight naturally. When you’re eating right for your body (avoiding food sensitivities and other inflammatory foods), weight management is easier. Eating foods that your body is sensitive to promotes weight gain. Eating in a way that works well for your body, focusing on fat, fiber, and protein at each meal and snack and avoiding foods high in sugar and processed/artificial ingredients, weight is more naturally managed by food and nutrition choices.

Healthier food choices in the future: Introducing your kids to healthy foods early in life helps set them for nutrition success in the future. When they are offered healthy foods and the flavors and textures that they offer when they are young, it is easier for them to eat these foods as they get older. It sets them up to make healthier food choices as they grow up. Your kids are looking to you to teach them how to make healthy choices, so eat healthy in front of them, and make sure you are setting your picky eaters up for success by providing them with the proper nutrition that they need at home.

Brain development and school performance: Nutrition in childhood is important for overall health, cognitive development, learning and school performance. Eating a healthy breakfast has been associated with improved cognitive function, including memory, and improved mood in children and adolescents. Proper nutrition provides your kids with better focus which is important when they are in school and trying to learn and absorb new information. So skip the sugary cereals and breakfast pastries and provide a balanced breakfast with fat, fiber, and protein.

Other benefits of good nutrition and the resulting healthy gut microbiome include:

-          Clearer skin

-          Better sleep

-          Increased energy

-          Better digestion- less gas, bloating, indigestion

 
What do I mean when I say good nutrition? I mean a balance of veggies (and fruit), healthy fats, and protein. It also means cutting back on sugar and processed foods as well as any food sensitivities you may have. If you notice digestive symptoms (such as gas, bloating, or indigestion), acne, fatigue, or any other symptoms after eating a certain food, that typically means that you need to avoid that food, or at the very least, take a break from it. Those symptoms after eating mean that your body isn’t processing that food properly.

Eating a variety of foods allows for a diverse microbiome (microbiota in your gut) and more diverse nutrient intake so that you won’t be lacking any one nutrient. Eating the same limited foods all of the time can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

You feel better when you eat better. Whether that's physically because your digestion is normal, your energy is good, your skin is clear, and you're sleeping better. Or mentally because you know you're doing right by your body and making healthy decisions for a longer and healthier life. Or emotionally because you feel good about treating your body well. Eating better regularly helps you feel better overall.

Eating well means something different for everyone so figure out what makes you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally and feel good doing it. Do what works for you and your family. It might be adding in a salad for lunch, adding in some extra veggies at dinner, or making sure that you are starting off the day with a more balanced breakfast. Eating healthy shouldn’t be stressful so find ways that are easy for you to incorporate into your life. Make changes happen and notice all of the positive health benefits!

Contact us today for personalized nutrition recommendations for you and your family to make sure that you are all getting the nutrition that you need to get and stay healthy.   

Going gluten-free

Your gluten-free diet questions answered!

1. Why go gluten free? There are so many health issues that can improve when you eliminate gluten from your diet. Gluten is the protein found in grains, such as wheat, rye, and bran. Many people’s bodies negative react to gluten creating inflammation in their bodies. People notice the following benefits when going gluten-free:

   1. Better Energy

   2. Better sleep

   3. Less brain fog

   4. Improved digestion

   5. Weight management

   6. Increased fertility

   7. Improved bone health

   8. Better skin

   9. Decreased inflammation

   10. Less joint pain

   11. Improved asthma 

2. Do I need to be completely gluten-free to notices changes? Yes and no. You need to be completely gluten free for at least 2-6 weeks to let your body completely clear the gluten out to get the full benefits. Many people notice improvements in their health way before the 6 week mark, but for some people, it can take the full 6 weeks. Other people will notice significant improvements in their health just by decreasing the amount of gluten they are eating. This varies for each person. Completely eliminating gluten for at least a few weeks is the best way to figure out what your body needs.

3. Is a gluten-free diet for everyone? No. Some people need to avoid all gluten in order to see their symptoms clear up and health improve. Some people can tolerate gluten fine. Others can handle gluten in small doses so they don’t need to be gluten-free 100% of the time, but notice they feel better when they decrease their overall gluten intake. The best way to go gluten free is to do a trial for at least 2-6 weeks where you completely avoid all gluten in your diet, note your symptoms before you begin, after going gluten-free, and then again after you reintroduce gluten into your diet. See what changes you notice and how quickly some of them occur.

4. I'm eating gluten-free but still don't feel better, why? 

   1. You need to be making healthy swaps, not just “gluten-free” ones. There are many unhealthy gluten free foods available. Just because something is labeled gluten free doesn’t mean that is good for you. A lot of times, the gluten is replaced with other grains such as corn and rice. If you are sensitive to either of these ingredients, then simply going gluten free (which will often mean an increase of corn and rice in your diet) may not be enough for you to notice significant health improvements.

   2. Many gluten free foods also have additional additives such as potato starch and added sugars to compensate for the loss of the gluten. These are not beneficial for your health and the extra sugar can actually increase inflammation in your body.

   3. You can still eat unhealthy foods while you are gluten-free. Foods like French fries, potato chips, ice cream, and many of the common junk food items that people eat may be naturally gluten-free, but they are still full of starches and sugar and may be contributing to your health issues.

   4. Are you really gluten free? There is gluten added into a lot of foods that you wouldn’t expect it to be in, such as salad dressings, sauces and other condiments, and other packaged foods. Make sure you are reading ingredient lists to know what is in your food before you eat it.

5. What can I eat instead of gluten?

   1. There are multiple easy gluten and grain swaps that you can try when going gluten-free.  

   2. Instead of wheat flour, use rice flour when baking and cooking. This works for making stew and gravy as a thickener, but also for baking when you need a treat but don’t want the gluten.

   3. Rice and quinoa are both naturally gluten free. So are oats.

   4. If you love pasta, try a gluten free pasta which tend to be readily available in stores now. These can be made from other grains or even lentils.

   5. There are also many gluten-free breads, crackers, and other grain products readily available in your local grocery store.

6. I’d like to go completely grain free, what can I eat instead?

   1. Swap out your regular rice for cauliflower rice. You can even buy pre-riced cauliflower in the frozen section of your grocery store.

   2. You can use garbanzo flour to thicken soups and stews, rather than wheat flour, and can even use it in some recipes for baking.

   3. Find alternative recipes, such as our 2 ingredient banana pancakes

   4. Rather than corn chips, use plantain chips, or many stores now carry tortilla chips made from cassava which are much like your regular tortilla chips without the grains

   5. For pasta, you can make zoodles (zucchini noodles) using a spiralizer or box grater. Spaghetti squash is a great natural alternative to pasta as well.

7. I don’t want to give up my favorites foods. What do you recommend?

   1. I recommend that you go completely gluten free for at least 2-6 weeks as mentioned above to make sure that you are giving it a real shot to work. Use some of the swaps above so that you are still eating foods that you love, just the gluten-free version. Then add gluten back into your diet and see how you feel.

   2. Remember that it doesn't have to be forever or 100% of the time. Figure out what works for you and how you feel the best and go from there. You may find that you can eat gluten sometimes and as long as it isn’t every meal (or every day), you can tolerate it fine. Many people find that limiting their gluten intake is beneficial to their health, even when they can’t do it 100% of the time.

   3. If you decide that they benefits aren’t worth it, you can always add gluten back into your diet.

   4. Honestly, I find that once most people realize how good they feel when they don’t eat gluten, they don’t want to eat it anymore. And when they are really craving a favorite food that has gluten in it, they can enjoy it and still feel okay because they are limiting their overall gluten intake.

8. Can a gluten-free diet really help?

   1. Yes. The long list of improvements that people have seen in their lives by making dietary changes is evidence of that. Diet changes can make a huge difference. I have seen a gluten-free diet create drastic health changes in my patients. I have also experienced firsthand in my own life just how impactful dietary changes can be. I struggled with digestive issues for years before I changed my diet and they entirely cleared up. Try it out and see for yourself!

Probiotics

Probiotics

Why are probiotics important?

-          Probiotics help keep your gut microbiome (the gastrointestinal microbiota that make up the ecosystem of your digestive tract) healthy and balanced. You need more beneficial bacteria in your microbiome than harmful bacteria for the greatest health benefits. Your gut microbiome affects your digestion but the role that your gastrointestinal microbiota play in your health goes far beyond just your digestive tract. These microbiota are critical for normal function of your immune system, inflammation, and your nutrition. Bacteria help produce several B vitamins, vitamin K, folate, and short chain fatty acids in your body. They also help your body more readily absorb nutrients that you eat in your diet.  

What can probiotics help with? The role that probiotics play in your body and their effect on the gut microbiome make them beneficial for people with:

-          IBS

-          IBD (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease)

-          Autoimmune disease

-          Low immune system/frequent illnesses and infections

-          Anxiety and depression

-          B-vitamin deficiency

-          Allergies

-          Eczema

-          And much more

Does everyone need to take probiotics?

-          No. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to your health. While many people will benefit from taking a probiotic, not everyone needs the same one(s), and not everyone needs to take a probiotic. Taking your specific symptoms and health history into account can help you determine if you need a probiotic and which one(s).

How do I know if I need to take a probiotic supplement?

-          A probiotic may help if:

• You experience:

  • digestive symptoms including gas, bloating, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, or heartburn

  • IBS

  • IBD (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis)

  • Autoimmune disease

  • Fatigue

  • Anxiety or depression

  • Eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, and other skin imbalances

• If you have taken antibiotics, especially repeated or long-term

• If you regularly take antacids or prescription medications for heartburn

• If you have recently had surgery

• If you are frequently getting colds and other infections

• If you have traveled internationally, especially to a developing nation or tropical destination

• If you struggle with your weight

-          If you eat a diet that is low in sugar and processed foods and high in natural probiotics (high intake of foods such as kimchi and other naturally fermented foods), then you may not need a probiotic supplement.

Which probiotic should I take? Specific probiotic strains can have different benefits. It is important to select probiotic strains that match the condition you are trying to treat. Probiotics need to be able to survive gastric acid (the acid in your stomach used to breakdown food) and bile in order to reach the small and large intestines where they are needed.

• IBS:

  • Lactobacillus species has been shown to reduce pain, bloating and constipation in IBS

  • Bifidobacteria species help decrease gas, diarrhea and bowel irritations making it very useful in the treatment of IBS

  • Streptococcus Thermophilus decreases IBS symptoms as well as leaky gut symptoms

• IBD:

  • Bifidobacteria species help decrease gas, diarrhea and bowel irritations making it very useful in the treatment of IBD

  • Streptococcus Thermophilus decreases ulcerative colitis symptoms and acute diarrhea

• Poor immune function and autoimmune disease:

  • Bifidobacteria help stimulate the immune response and promotes microbial balance with its ability to crowd out harmful bacteria and lower the pH of the intestine to inhibit growth of harmful bacteria

  • Streptococcus Thermophilus has been shown to increase immunity and help prevent and fight upper respiratory infections

  • Sacchromyces boulardii promotes immune and digestive health as it is resistant to stomach acid and antibiotics.

• Yeast overgrowth and infections:

  • Bifidobacteria species inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, including yeast (candida albicans)

• Acute infectious diarrhea:

  • Lactobacillus species (specifically Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) – has the ability to synthesize antimicrobial substances which give it antibiotic capabilities

  • Sacchromyces boulardii

• Stress and anxiety:

  • bifidobacteria has been studied and been shown to help with mood management including stress and anxiety

• Nutrient deficiencies:

  • Lactobacillus species: Lactobacillus helps synthesize vitamin K

  • Bifidobacteria plays a role in the production and absorption of B vitamins in the digestive tract

• Allergies:

  • Lactobacillus species (specifically Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus acidophilus)

• Eczema:

  • Bifidobacterium lactis has been shown to help decrease the symptoms of eczema and decrease inflammatory responses

• Weight issues:

  • Lactobacillus species have been shown to be the most beneficial for helping to control your weight due to their positive effects on your gut microbiome and resulting overall intestinal health.

• Some of my favorite brands for probiotics are:

  • Thorne

  • Klaire Labs

  • HLC

  • Genestra

  • RAW (Garden of Life)

• Check out our online store at wellevate.me/natureshealingcenter to find the best probiotic for you.

Variety is important. Just like a variety of foods in your diet helps provide you with the different vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body needs, a variety of probiotic and bacterial strains is important for your gut health. The more diverse the beneficial bacteria in your gut, the more valuable they can be. Keep your dietary intake and probiotic supplements varied to increase the probiotic benefits for your health.

Dr. Christina Sahni is a second generation Naturopathic doctor in Portland, OR. She treats gastrointestinal conditions such as IBS, IBD, constipation, heartburn/GERD, abdominal bloating, and leaky gut. She also commonly treats thyroid disease, fatigue, depression, anxiety, headaches, ear infections, and hormone imbalances.

Resources:

Ciorba, Matthew A. A Gastroenterologist’s Guide to Probiotics. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Sep; 10(9): 960–968. Published online 2012 Apr 10. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.03.024 <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424311/>

Tackett, Kate. Buyer’s Guide: Probiotic Species and Strains. Published online 2016 June 22. <https://www.pharmaca.com/projectwellness/snapshot-different-probiotic-species-and-strains/>

<Probiotics.org/strains>

SIBO and what you need to know about Post-SIBO syndrome

Post-SIBO syndrome

Have you been treated for SIBO but you’re still not feeling better? Or you were feeling better on the diet, but now your symptoms are back that you’re trying to reintroduce foods? Post-SIBO syndrome is very common after completing treatment for SIBO and is something that we see often. Thankfully, this is also something that we can treat! Figuring out why you got SIBO in the first place is crucial so that we can treat the underlying cause to prevent your SIBO from coming back!

1. What is SIBO? SIBO is a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that is characterized by Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Your digestive tract is meant to have good beneficial bacteria. We need a certain amount of beneficial bacteria in our gut to help us digest and process food but also to help eliminate the bad bacteria and yeast in our gut. Most of these bacteria should live in the large intestine, not the small intestine though. When there is overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, this leads to multiple and frequent GI symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and indigestion.

2. What causes SIBO? There are many different contributing factors for SIBO, including:

   1. Lack of stomach acid (also known as achlorhydria) which can be caused by long-term NSAID, PPI (proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec) or long-term antacid use. Stomach acid is designed to digest and breakdown food as well as kill off bacteria so that it can’t get into the small intestine where it doesn’t belong. A lack of stomach acid causes food to sit in your stomach longer than it should (because your body can’t properly digest it) and can lead to a delayed transit time of ingested food through your digestive tract. These can both contribute to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.

   2. Poor diet. Your diet plays an extremely large role in the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in your gut microbiome and in your overall digestive health. We need a large amount of beneficial bacteria to help us digest our food and crowd out the bad bacteria and without this, SIBO occurs.

      1. A lack of fiber, probiotics and fermented foods in your diet leads to a lack of beneficial bacteria in your gut. Probiotics and fermented foods provide our digestive tract with beneficial bacteria and many of the beneficial bacteria in our gut rely on fiber as food. Fiber also helps keep food moving through our digestive tract (the reason why fiber helps with constipation) which helps prevent bacteria overgrowth.

      2. Too much sugar and processed food leads to an increase of harmful bacteria in our digestive tract.  Sugar and processed foods feed the bad bacteria and yeast that we don’t want in our gut. These bad bacteria are responsible for the SIBO symptoms that you experience.

   3. Leaky gut. A damaged digestive tract and intestines means that bacteria (and other toxins) are not properly being contained in your digestive tract and are able to leave the digestive tract and get into places where they don’t belong.

   4. Poor ileocecal valve health (ICV is the valve between your small and large intestine). This is a huge factor in SIBO and often overlooked by many physicians. You must address the ileocecal valve when evaluating SIBO. Your small intestine is designed for food breakdown and nutrient absorption. Your large intestine has the majority of the bacteria in your gut and that is how it is supposed to be. When your ICV isn’t working properly, the bacteria (both good and bad) from the large intestine are able to get into the small intestine where they do not belong. If this is happening chronically over time, all of those bad bacteria getting into the small intestine replicate and multiply leaving you with an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine, also known as SIBO. This can occur more quickly if you also have a lack of stomach acid (achlorhydria) to kill off the bad bacteria and a diet high in sugar and processed foods without enough fiber and probiotics.

   5. Gut flora/microbiome imbalance which can be caused by chronic stress, eating too much sugar and/or processed foods, a lack of fiber and natural probiotics in your diet, repeated antacid use, and a history of antibiotic use, especially long-term or repeated antibiotic courses.

   6. Stress. Chronic stress is known to affect your digestive tract and its bacteria. Chronic stress also leads to decreased immune function. This means that your bacteria balance is thrown off and your immune system isn’t working well enough to help fight off any infections or bacterial overgrowth that occurs.

3. Why am I still not feeling better? Studies have found a relapse rate of up to 44% following antibiotic treatment for SIBO. That’s a high relapse rate, so know you’re not alone! There are many reasons why your SIBO treatment hasn’t left you totally symptom free. There are many different causes of SIBO and so treating it with antibiotics (pharmaceutical or botanical) and diet are not always enough. Without addressing the underlying issues that led to your SIBO, you chances of relapse of high.

4. What can I do about it? Fix the underlying issue(s) that led to your SIBO in the first place. There are so many factors that need to be addressed in addition to eliminating the bacterial overgrowth. Taking a look at your diet in the past, your medication history, and what was going on when your SIBO symptoms began can help you figure out what underlying issues you need to address.

   1. Do you have a history of indigestion, heartburn, gas and bloating? Restore your stomach acid and digestive enzymes.

      1. Support your body’s natural digestive enzymes. Focusing on your diet (as listed below) can help with this by managing inflammation.

      2. Supplementing with digestive enzymes and betaine HCl can also help with this while you heal your gut. Digestive enzymes and betaine HCl help digest your food so that you don’t have food sitting in your stomach or digestive tract for longer than it should. These are a key part of your digestive system and are required for digestion and nutrient breakdown and absorption.

      3. Avoid NSAIDS, antacids, proton pump inhibitors, and other medications that decrease your stomach acid.

   2. Do you have a history of eating foods high in sugar or processed foods? Does your diet lack fiber and probiotics? Fix your diet.

      1. Address food allergies and sensitivities. Food sensitivities promote inflammation in the body. Food sensitivities indicate those foods that your body can’t properly process. When eating foods that your body doesn’t handle well, they can sit in the intestine longer, making your digestive tract work harder to break them down and allowing for bacterial overgrowth to occur. They also create an inflammatory response in the body due to the extra stress they create.

      2. Avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar will feed the bacteria leading to an overgrowth of (bad) bacteria.

      3. Avoid artificial sweeteners, preservatives and other food additives. These negatively alter your gut microbiome, allowing for bad bacteria to grow and overcrowd the beneficial bacteria.  

      4. Eat fiber. Fiber helps to keep your gut microbiome in check by feeding the beneficial bacteria and helping maintain a good balance of flora. It also prevents constipation which helps keep things moving through your intestines.

   3. Did your symptom begin after high stress, an infection, trauma, injury or glucocorticoid use? Repair gut damage.

      1. Heal your gut with L-glutamine supports the intestinal walls and lining and improves gut absorption and decreases gut permeability. Stress (such as infection, malnutrition, trauma, injury, glucocorticoid use, and intense exercise) decreases L-glutamine and so supplementation may be necessary to replenish it.

      2. Replenish nutrient deficiencies that may have occurred from your SIBO infection. SIBO can lead to fat malabsorption which can lead to a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, and K. Vitamin B12 malabsorption can also occur due to the role of bacteria in vitamin B12 synthesis and utilization.

   4. Has your diet been less than great? Have you traveled abroad? Did your symptoms begin after a highly stressful or emotional event or time in your life? Improve ileocecal valve (ICV) health. In addition to a poor diet (such as a diet high in sugar, processed foods and artificial sweeteners) and food sensitivities, parasitic infections and stress and emotions all play a role in the health and function of your ileocecal valve.

      1. Follow the dietary advice above to treat the underlying dietary contributors.

      2. Eliminate parasites. A simple stool test can identify whether or not you have a parasitic infection in your intestines. If you have traveled out of the country, swam in infected waters, or ingested contaminated foods, you may be at risk for an intestinal parasitic infection. Parasites can alter our nutrient absorption and the bacteria in our digestive tract. A parasitic infection can make you more susceptible to SIBO and so treating the bacteria without treating the parasite(s) can set you up for relapse even after treating your SIBO.

      3. Treat the underlying stress and emotions. Stress has a large impact on our gut health. If we are under constant stress, have underlying emotions that we are not dealing with, or have poor adrenal function, your gut microbiome and ICV may be suffering. Make sure to address these while treating SIBO.

   5. Did your symptoms begin after a course (or many courses) of antibiotics? Do you have a history of eating highly processed foods, not enough fiber, and a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners? Rebalance your gut microbiome.

      1. Probiotics from foods that you eat or in supplement form are beneficial in restoring and rebalancing your gut microbiome. They will help to increase the amount of beneficial bacteria while crowding out the bad bacteria that are creating your symptoms.

      2. Garlic is a natural antimicrobial that can help eliminate bad bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine.

      3. Oregano is a natural antimicrobial that can help eliminate bad bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine.

      4. Berberine is an herb acts as a natural anti-microbial in the gut to help maintain a healthy balance of normal (beneficial) bacteria. It can also help balance blood sugar which can contribute to an altered gut microbiome.  

Post-SIBO syndrome can be frustrating. You’ve taken the antibiotics, followed the diet and now your symptoms are back and you feel like it was all for nothing. Don’t despair! The antibiotics and diet were a great place to start, but now you need to get to the root cause of what caused your SIBO and treat it to eliminate your SIBO for good!

References:

Jan Bures, Jiri Cyrany, Darina Kohoutova, Miroslav Förstl, Stanislav Rejchrt, Jaroslav Kvetina, Viktor Vorisek, and Marcela Kopacova. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun 28; 16(24): 2978–2990. Published online 2010 Jun 28. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i24.2978

5 ways to beat pregnancy fatigue

Every pregnancy is different. Your pregnancy will be different from your friend’s and your mom’s and your first and second (and so on) pregnancies can very much differ from each other. My second pregnancy has been so different from my first! What worked with the first didn’t work for the second one but luckily with so many options available, I was able to find other things that helped. So if what you used last pregnancy isn’t helping this time or the tricks that your mom swears by for her pregnancy issues aren’t working for you, that’s not only okay, but almost expected. No two women are the same, no two fetuses are the same, and that means that you can expect each pregnancy to differ.

Fatigue – the fatigue of pregnancy can be tough to deal with, especially while you are working out of the house, chasing around a toddler, or both! Luckily, there are things you can do to help.

1. Adrenal support – your adrenal glands are the glands that help control your stress and pregnancy can be stressful both physically and emotionally. Make sure to eat well, get adequate sleep, and take time for yourself. Practicing mindfulness can help keep your adrenals and energy in check.

2. Rest and Sleep – this sounds obvious but the amount of sleep that was working for you may not be enough while you’re pregnant. Up those hours of zzz’s and help restore your energy. Nap when you can too—you’re growing a human and that takes work. You need and deserve the extra rest!

3. Nutrition. Don’t forget to feed yourself well. A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy pregnancy and can help mitigate some of the less enjoyable side effects of pregnancy, like fatigue. Eating a variety of foods, including vegetables and fruits, will help ensure that you are getting all of the different nutrients required for pregnancy and your overall health.

   1. Avoid food sensitivities. Pregnancy often makes people think that they can eat whatever want. This is partly true since food sensitivities typically decrease while pregnant, but keep in mind that it’s not the case for everyone, and sometimes those effects don’t kick in until the second trimester. Eating foods that your body isn’t tolerating can make your symptoms worse, and it can create more work for your adrenal glands by adding extra stress. So if you are experiencing fatigue, nausea, or any other pregnancy symptoms, get rid of those aggravating foods until you’re feeling better. The most common offending foods to avoid are gluten, dairy, corn, and soy.

   2. B vitamins – stress depletes our B vitamins and let’s be honest, growing a baby can be stressful! Replenish with a B vitamin complex or straight B12 (depending on your current diet, blood levels and your doctor’s recommendations). Animal protein (like eggs, fish, and meat) is a great way to get B vitamins in your diet.

   3. Healthy fats and Vitamin C (as well as B vitamins) will help feed your adrenals and keep them strong so that they can continue to support you.

   4. Watch your sugar intake. Too much sugar can take a toll on your adrenal health and contribute to fatigue so keep your sugar intake in check. Make sure you keep your blood sugar stable as well to prevent the fatigue that can come from unbalanced blood sugar levels.  

4. Take a solid prenatal vitamin. A prenatal vitamin will provide you with the nutrients you need for your health and your growing baby. A prenatal can help fill in any nutrition gaps in your diet. Make sure you are taking a prenatal that contains the useable forms of vitamins and minerals to make sure that your body can actually utilize them. My favorite is Thorne’s Basic Prenatal but there are many good ones out there to choose from.

5. Take care of yourself. Make sure that you are taking time to care for yourself helps keep your stress levels down. You can’t care for your growing fetus (and the baby that will soon arrive) if you don’t take care of yourself first.

Always check with your physician before starting any new diet or supplement regimens.

Are You Ready for Allergy Season?

Are you ready for allergy season?

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, then this is for you! Many people suffer from seasonal allergies, especially those who live in the NW, but you don’t have to!!! There are many things you can do to help your body stand up to those allergies and make it through allergy season without itchy watery eyes and a runny nose. Not only does your immune system play a large role in allergies, but so do your adrenal glands- your stress glands. If your adrenal glands aren’t happy, they become more sensitive and reactive and signal your immune system to create an allergic response. Your immune system then reacts with those typical allergic symptoms that we all know- runny nose, watery itchy eyes, itchy skin, and scratchy throat. Taking care of both of these is essential if you want to make it through allergy season tissue (and medication) free.

Keep your immune system strong!

To keep your immune system healthy and strong, make sure you are getting proper nutrition, adequate exercise and enough sleep. You have to treat your body well for it to be able to do its job! If you’re not feeding it well or giving it what it needs, it is likely to slack on the job and that is not what you need heading into (or in the middle of) allergy season! This will also help you make it through cold and flu season with less illness!

·         Nutrition to support your immune system

·         Vitamin A – enhances immunity

·         Food sources: Cod liver oil, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, spinach, kale, collard greens, butter, eggs, cantaloupe

·         Vitamin C – antioxidant that stimulates the immune system

·         Food sources: Red Bell pepper, Broccoli, Tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, Grapefruit

·         Vitamin D- enhances immunity

·         Food sources: Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel, Egg yolk

·         Zinc – required for proper immune function

·         Food sources: Oysters, Crab, Beef, Pork, Chicken/turkey (dark meat), Nuts- cashews, almonds, Beans, Chickpeas

·         Avoid Sugar- sugar inhibits the proper immune response and feeds bacteria and viruses

·         Exercise for your immune system

·         Moderate exercise boosts your immune system to help keep you healthy

·         Exercise can also help decrease stress

·         High stress can decrease your immune system

·         Exercise helps overall circulation through your body which can help boost your immune system’s response

·         Obesity can compromise immune response and lead to increased susceptibility to illness

·         Sleep for your immune system

·         Getting enough sleeps ensures that your body gets enough time to rest and regenerate

·         Adequate sleep prevents your adrenals glands from getting extra stressed out trying to keep you energized on little sleep

·         Sleep deprivation suppresses your immune system so if you’re not getting enough zzz’s at night, your immune system isn’t able to do its job!

Adrenal Glands- Your “Stress Glands”

Your adrenal glands play a large role in keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Not only does keeping your adrenal glands healthy ensure that your immune system is working properly but healthy adrenal glands help decrease allergies by regulating cortisol and histamine. Keeping your adrenal glands happy and healthy is essential to keeping your body allergy free!

Adrenal Gland support:

·         R&R– we all need some rest and relaxation in our lives. Make sure to allow yourself some R & R time to give your body, mind and adrenal glands a break from our hectic schedules

·         Sleep & adequate rest to give your adrenal glands a break from all the stress of our daily lives

·         Over-scheduling yourself in your day to day life can stress out your adrenal glands causing poor cortisol production. Your adrenal glands then have to work extra to get adequate cortisol levels and fight inflammation, including pro-inflammatory histamine that your body is producing from interacting with allergens.

·         Exercise:

·         Know your limits- do NOT over-exercise or over exert yourself

·         While moderate exercise can help aid in stress relief and boost your immune system, overly intensive exercise can actually increase the stress on your body leading to a decreased immune system and poor adrenal function

·         Nutrition:

·         No caffeine after 2pm

·         Caffeine late in the day can negatively affect our cortisol levels and contribute to poorer sleep (which leads to poor immune function)

·         Eat healthy fats- fish, eggs, butter, olive oil

·         Avoid sugar – sugary foods, starches and refined carbohydrates

·         Avoid food sensitivities. Many people have food sensitivities but continue to eat the foods anyway. The most common are wheat/gluten, dairy, corn and soy. When your body is exposed to foods it is sensitive to, it has to work harder to process them which creates more stress on your body. Avoiding these foods can help decrease the overall stress load on your adrenals.

·         Vitamin C (see above)

·         B vitamins- B3, B6, B12, folate. Stress causes your body to use up B-vitamins more quickly than it otherwise would so it’s important to replenish these vitamins for adrenal health.

·         Found in animal products such as eggs, salmon, turkey and chicken

·         Omega 3 fatty acids- such as fish oil

·         Supplements specifically designed for Adrenal gland support (such as Adrenal dessicated, Drenamin, and Drenatrophin PMG by standard process and Adrenal cortex and Cortrex by Thorne Research).

Don’t forget about your liver! Your liver’s job is to help your body detoxify and a happy liver is a liver that knows how to detox. If your liver is not functioning properly, allergies are more likely to be worse. Your liver not only plays a role in detox but in stabilizing your blood sugar and hormone production. Help your liver function optimally with diet and supplements to help you survive allergy season.

·         Diet: Don’t make your liver work harder than is has to!

·         Eat healthy fats to support healthy cholesterol levels (as well as support hormone production). Healthy fats include avocado, avocado oil, olive oil, fish and fish oil.

·         Avoid excess carbohydrates and sugar. Your liver helps control your blood sugar so if it is constantly being given sugar to process, its energy is diverted away from where you really need it- detox!

·         Avoid gluten (and other food sensitivities). Eating gluten and other foods that are stressful on your body creates more work for your liver. By eliminating these extra stressors, your liver can function more efficiently.

·         Limit alcohol intake. Most of us know that the alcohol we drink has to be processed by our liver but don’t realize that drinking excess alcohol makes the liver work harder than it should have to, diverting attention away from its other jobs.

·         Supplements: Your liver needs the proper nutrients to detoxify. The nutrients and herbs below can help provide the support your liver needs.

·         Berberine – helps support a healthy liver

·         Milk Thistle – contains antioxidants to help protect and strengthen liver cells

·         Curcumin- acts as an anti-inflammatory with anti-oxidant activity to help maintain the body’s normal inflammatory response

·         Glutathione- an important antioxidant that supports both phases of liver detoxification

Supplements specific for Allergies:

·         Local honey. Because the bees pollinate local plants and flowers, many of which are causing your allergies, exposing your body to them by eating local honey can help your immune system become less reactive to them when you interact with them outside. Your body has already been exposed to the allergens and is able to mount a proper immune response (aka no response) instead of an allergic one.

·         Omega 3 Fatty Acids- fish oil (1-3g/day). Healthy fats feed our adrenal glands and fish oil acts as a natural anti-inflammatory.

·         Quercitin

·         Bromelain

·         Nettles (Urtica dioica)

·         Specific allergy supplements (such as Allerplex and Antronex by Standard Process)

Check out our online store at www.wellevate.me/natureshealingcenter to get the supplements listed above.

*Caution: Always check with your physician before beginning any new supplements or dietary modifications.

References:

·         Standard Process.com

·         Thorne research

·         com

·         Linus Pauling institute

·         University of Maryland Medical Center

·         http://abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/11/02/3054621.htm

·         http://webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/allergies-allergy

·         http://pamf.org/flu/healthytips.html

·         Boston, Gabriella. “How Pros stay healthy in cold and flu season.” 

Morning Sickness

Every pregnancy is different. Your pregnancy will be different from your friend’s and your mom’s and your first and second (and so on) pregnancies can very much differ from each other. My second pregnancy has been so different from my first! What worked with the first didn’t work for the second one but luckily with so many options available, I was able to find other things that helped. So if what you used last pregnancy isn’t helping this time or the tricks that your mom swears worked for her pregnancy aren’t working for you, that’s not only okay, but expected. No two women are the same, no two fetuses are the same, and that means that you can expect each pregnancy to be different.

Morning sickness occurs in up to 90% of pregnancies. That’s a huge number! You definitely aren’t suffering alone but wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to suffer at all?! There are many safe and natural ways to help decrease your morning sickness so that you can get back to feeling good and excited about your pregnancy.   

Morning sickness

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate or P-5-P is the active form) has been studied and found to help decrease nausea associated with pregnancy. This comes in capsule form or you can get it from your diet, depending on your appetite.

  • Food sources of B6 include: wild salmon, light meat turkey, avocado, light meat chicken, spinach, bananas, and dried plums- if you can stomach them. If not, the capsule is a great option.

  • If you have been on oral birth control prior to getting pregnant, you may be heading into pregnancy B6-deficient so supplementing with B6 in this case is a win-win.

• Ginger comes in different forms so you can find the one that works for you. You can steep it in hot water and make a ginger tea out of it, you can get it in capsule form and there are definitely plenty of ginger candy options out there as well. I personally like the capsules because I don’t love the flavor (or smell) of ginger but pick the one that works for you. There is also ginger ale which combines the ginger with bubbles to help ease nausea, but watch out for the sugar content.

• Sparkling or still water with lemon or lime sipped throughout the day. This not only helps you keep your fluid intake up, but the bubbles of sparkling water can be settling to your upset stomach and the citrus of the lemon or lime can help aid your digestion.

• Grapefruit juice – grapefruit naturally contains B6 and the citrus can help calm digestion. Sipping this throughout the day, adding a splash to your sparkling water, or just a couple of ounces when you’re starting to feel nauseous can be helpful.

• Make sure you stay well hydrated and fed.

  • Dehydration can make nausea and vomiting worse so make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day to avoid being one of the contributing factors to your morning sickness.

  • Often times, smaller meals throughout the day can help more with morning sickness than a couple of larger meals spread out.

  • Avoid food sensitivities. If you have any food sensitivities, continue to avoid them. Pregnancy can decrease food sensitivities, but these effects often don’t occur until the second trimester and eating foods that you are sensitive to can still upset your digestion and make nausea and vomiting worse.

  • Take caution with warm liquids. While broths and soups may be easy to digest, warm liquids often exacerbate nausea and vomiting by relaxing your esophagus (and the sphincter between your stomach and esophagus) so take caution.

• Take your prenatal vitamin in the evening. Sometimes the prenatal vitamins that are helping to keep you and baby nourished can increase nausea. Taking them in the evening can help prevent this as nausea tends to be worse in the morning and on an empty stomach.

Always check with your physician before starting any new diet or supplement regimens.

 Contact Dr. Sahni today for support and to discuss some of the ways your diet can ease your morning sickness!

Leaky Gut

Leaky gut:

What is leaky gut? Leaky gut is the term used when you have increased gut permeability. Your intestines are designed to breakdown and digest what you eat, but also to act as a barrier as to what stays in your digestive tract and what gets out. Increased gut permeability means that your gut is letting cells (such as bacteria and toxins) out into your body and bloodstream that should be contained in your gut. This occurs due to a lack of tight junctions and mucus layer in the intestinal wall. When your gut permeability is increased like it is with leaky gut, this barrier can’t do its job leaving you with an array of GI symptoms and side effects.

What are the signs and symptoms of leaky gut?

Leaky gut has many signs and can cause a wide array of symptoms including:

• Bloating

• Fatigue

• Headaches and migraines

• Abdominal pain

• Gas

• Gluten sensitivity

• Heartburn

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

• Nausea

• Allergies

• Multiple food sensitivities

• Skin rashes— including eczema (atopic dermatitis)

What causes leaky gut? While the exact cause of leaky gut remains ambiguous, there are many factors that we know directly contribute to leaky gut.

• Inflammation in the body can lead to inflammation in the gut. This inflammation causes the cells lining the intestines to break down leading to what we know as leaky gut.

• Gluten intake has been linked to leaky gut by destroying the tight junctions in the intestinal wall. This allows for particles to get through that shouldn’t. Celiac disease is a well-known cause of leaky gut but it has also been seen in many people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

• Other food sensitivities create inflammation in the body. When eating foods that your body doesn’t handle well, they can sit in the intestine longer making your digestive tract work harder to break them down. They also create an inflammatory response in the body due to the extra stress they create. Your adrenal glands control your stress response and your inflammatory response and so stress from food sensitivities can set that inflammatory response into action. Increased food sensitivities can also be a sign that you have leaky gut. Because these foods are getting out of the gut and into your body when they shouldn’t be, your body can become reactive to them due to an inflammatory and immune response that normally wouldn’t occur.

• Microbial imbalance is a large contributor to leaky gut. A good balance of microbes in the gut is key for gut health. It helps break down your food properly so that you can digest it and move it through in a timely manner. With microbial imbalances, food can sit in your gut longer than it should and can cause inflammation and damage to your intestinal cells. This damage can loosen those tight junctions that your gut relies on leading to leaky gut.

• Long-term steroid and NSAID use has been shown to increase gut permeability. Steroids affect your adrenal glands and while they are designed to help control inflammation while you take them, can actually promote inflammation with long term use or once discontinued after short term use. NSAID’s also erode the cells in your stomach and gut lining and can increase permeability and thus lead to leaky gut.

How do you heal leaky gut?

• Probiotics will help rebalance your gut bacteria and microbiome which is key for healing the digestive tract. This includes eating naturally fermented foods as well as supplementing with probiotics.

• Fiber helps to keep your gut microbiome in check by feeding the beneficial bacteria and helping maintain a good balance of flora. It also helps keep things moving and prevents constipation.

• Digestive enzymes and betaine HCl help digest your food so that you don’t have food sitting in your stomach or digestive tract for longer than it should be. These are a key part of your digestive system and are required for digestion and nutrient breakdown and absorption.

• L-glutamine supports the intestinal walls and lining and improves gut absorption and decreases permeability. Stress such as trauma, infection, malnutrition, injury, glucocorticoid use, and intense exercise decreases L-glutamine

• Boswelia is an herb that helps manage inflammation in the GI tract.

• Limit alcohol to reduce the inflammation and stress it causes on your GI tract.

• Reduce stress to decrease inflammation, promote a healthy immune response, decrease over-sensitivity of the immune system to foods and keep your gut flora balanced.

• Avoid food sensitivities. This will help decrease the stress on your digestive tract and reduce inflammation to allow your gut to heal. This can also help prevent any further damage from occurring.

Leaky gut has multiple causes and can have numerous symptoms. Figuring out what is causing your leaky gut and how to help heal it is essential for your digestive and overall health.

The supplements above can be purchased at our Fullscript webstore.

 Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule an appointment to discuss your leaky gut.

*Always check with your physician before beginning any new supplement or diet regimens.

Sluggish digestion (aka constipation)?

Did you know that constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) complaints in the U.S.? It is estimated there is more than $800 million spent on laxatives in the U.S. per year! There are so many other ways to help relieve your constipation that work naturally with your body so that you don’t become dependent on laxatives or require them to go. This isn’t typically a topic we discuss with our friends (or even our family for that matter) but seeing as how common it is, it’s obviously something that we should be talking about.

How to naturally treat your constipation:

1. Water. Dehydration is a huge contributor to constipation. If you aren’t drinking enough water, your body doesn’t have the fluid it needs to help properly flush out your digestive tract which can lead to constipation.

2. Fiber naturally helps you go. Eating lots of veggies can provide you with fiber. Whole grains like oatmeal are a great way to get fiber in your diet too. Make sure you drink plenty of water when taking fiber to help everything move along smoothly.

3. Rebuild your gut microbiome. If you lack the good bacteria in your digestive tract, it can slow down your digestion and worsen constipation.

4. Cut out food sensitivities. Eating food sensitivities can alter your digestion, your gut bacteria, and can cause constipation.

5. Manage your stress and emotions. Emotions play a huge role in our digestion, and elimination. Stress can create indigestion, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. If you notice that your constipation gets worse when you are under more stress or emotionally stressed out, then this is a factor that you need to address (and one that stimulant laxatives definitely won’t help).

6. Magnesium is a great option. This mineral has so many benefits on the body, and one of them is more regular bowel movements. It also supports your muscles and joints which can mean less muscle cramps and aches too! Fish, spinach, swiss chard, avocado, brown rice, nuts, chickpeas, and bananas are all great sources of dietary magnesium.

7. Prunes, prune juice and pear juice are all known to help you have a bowel movement. Their natural fiber and water content can help your constipation.

8. Avoid constipating foods like white rice, cheese/dairy, and bananas. All of these foods can make constipation worse. (Yes bananas can be a good source of but the other foods listed above have a higher magnesium content than bananas. An occasional banana is fine, but if they are a staple in your diet and you’re experiencing constipation, you may want to search for other options.)

9. Stimulant laxatives. Every once in a while this is an okay option to use to help relieve constipation but if you are chronically constipated and find yourself reaching for a laxative more than 1-2x/month, then you need to get to the root of your constipation and resolve the deeper issues. Long term chronic use of stimulant laxatives can alter your intestinal muscles and actually make them weaker over time which makes you more reliant on them the more you use them. They can also affect your nutrient levels as they tend to rush food through your digestive tract quicker than is normal which doesn’t allow for full processing and absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

10. Medications that contribute to constipation. If you are taking any prescription medications, make sure you read the labels and know the side effects. Constipation is a common side effect of many medications which means that you may have to work harder to keep your digestive tract moving if you are taking a medication with constipation as a side effect.

Constipation isn’t something you may want to talk about with your family and friends, but you should definitely be discussing it with your doctor. Contact us today to make an appointment for your individualized treatment plan to get your digestion back on track!

References:

Epidemiology and burden of chronic constipation. Maria Ines Pinto Sanchez, MD and Premysl Bercik, MD. Can J Gastroenterol. 2011 Oct; 25(Suppl B): 11B–15B.

Linus Pauling institute. <https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium#food-sources>

Food sensitivities

Did you know that the following symptoms can all be indicators of food sensitivities?

• Skin rashes— including eczema (atopic dermatitis)

• Bloating

• Fatigue

• Acne

• Headaches and migraines

• Abdominal pain

• Gas

• Heartburn

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

• Nausea

• Irritability, mood swings

• Dry itchy skin (especially at night)

• Frequent ear infections

• Nasal congestion

• Post-nasal drip

• Weight gain or inability to lose weight

• Joint pain

• Asthma

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Puffiness or dark circles under the eyes

• Insomnia

Food sensitivities tend to be multi-factorial. This is one of the reasons why the symptoms of food sensitivities can extend far beyond the digestive tract. The adrenal glands and your stress levels play a role, as does your immune system, and your gut health. Because of this, we are seeing food sensitivities develop later in life, not just in childhood.

Adrenal glands and stress: When your stress levels are high, especially over the long-term, your body can become extra sensitive and reactive to foods. It starts to see them as a threat when under normal conditions (times of lower stress) it would not react. The longer you are under stress, the more likely your body is to be over-reactive to foods. This can lead to multiple food sensitivities over time. Chronic stress can also lead to altered immune system function over time.

Immune system: A large part of the immune system is in the gut, which explains why the immune system and digestive system affect one another. Food sensitivities are often related to a hyperactive immune system which means that your immune system is seeing foods as a threat and reacting as if it is something to get rid of, rather than just a food to be digested by the immune system. This can come from overall poor immune function, long-term stress, inflammation, leaky gut, drug and alcohol use, and poor diet choices.

Gut health: Your gut health is affected by what you eat and also what you don’t eat. Your gut needs a healthy balance of bacteria and this balance is largely determined by your diet.

Things that negatively affect your gut health and microbiome include:

-          Antibiotic use

-          Antacid use

-          Eating processed foods

-          Eating sugar or artificial sweeteners

-          Low fiber intake

-          Lack of probiotics.

So, the best ways to help rebalance your gut microbiome and improve your gut health include:

-          Avoid sugar and processed foods

-          Eat naturally fermented foods and supplement with probiotics

-          Ditch the antacids and antibiotics as much as possible

-          Avoid artificial sweeteners

-          Eat plenty of fiber

-          Eat a diverse diet to maintain a diverse gut bacterial ecosystem

Don’t let food sensitivities take over your diet. Figuring out what your food sensitivities are and what’s causing them is key to helping you get your food freedom back. Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule your appointment and get to the bottom of your food sensitivities.

Get to the root of your Eczema

Eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) is a common problem that affects approximately 11% of children and more than 7% of adults in the U.S. In most cases, eczema presents before age five.

Eczema is more than skin deep. Our skin is one of the main ways that our bodies detox so when skin issues arise, such as eczema, it is often a sign of a deeper process. Eczema is linked to the skin barrier, but also the immune system, diet, food and environmental allergies, digestive health, liver health, and your stress levels and adrenal glands.

Controlling eczema can be difficult and most physicians prescribe steroids without many other options for their patients. Steroids don’t get to the root cause of your eczema either. This is so frustrating as a patient because steroids have side effects and knowing all of your treatment options is important. There are many different ways to approach eczema that focus on getting to the root cause and don’t involve steroids.  

One of the best ways to control your eczema is to avoid your trigger factors. These will vary from person to person and can include food sensitivities and allergies, stressors, dry weather, environmental exposures, and certain body products. Keeping track of when your eczema flares and what you ate and were exposed to prior to the flare up can be helpful in determining your individual triggers.

Check out the 8 following ways to get to the root cause to help you get rid of your eczema.

1. Manage stress. Stress is a common trigger for eczema, even in kids. Support your body’s natural stress response as well as keep your stress levels to decrease eczema flares.

2. Boost the immune system. General immune support helps to keep your immune system strong without it being over-reactive. An over-reactive immune system can cause your body to react to external stimuli (such as foods and inhaled substances from the environment) that it shouldn’t. Part of this can be due to stress which makes managing stress even more important.

3. Treat the gut. A large portion of your immune system is in your gut. Gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in the amount of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract) can cause an array of problems from skin rashes such as eczema to poor immune function. Balance your gut microbiome to make sure that there are enough good bacteria in your gut (and not too many bad bacteria). Your gut impacts your digestive health, your immune system, and your body’s detox pathways, which means it affects your skin too.

4. Avoid food sensitivities. Your gut plays a large role in your immune system and overall health and skin symptoms such as eczema are often a sign of poor gut health. One of the many factors that play a role in this are eating foods that you are reactive to. When you eat foods that you are sensitive to, your body reacts with an increased effort to detoxify in order to get rid of that food as well as increased inflammation. The most common food sensitivities seen with eczema are dairy and gluten, but can also include corn, soy, and many others.

5. Decrease systemic inflammation. Inflammation in your body and your gut leads to decreased immune function, poor detoxification pathways and leaky gut, among other things. This means that you aren’t able to properly digest and absorb nutrients from food and that you can’t detoxify effectively. This then comes out in your skin as eczema.

6. Help your liver detox. Your liver is responsible for a lot of processes in your body, including detoxification. Supporting your liver is one of the ways to help improve your body’s ability to detoxify so that it isn’t relying on your skin to do it.

7. Keep skin moisturized. Make sure you are using natural skin products, especially those that are unscented, to avoid triggering a flare up. Pat dry after a bath or shower to help retain some moisture on your skin before applying lotion.

8. Drink plenty of water. Making sure you are not dehydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps keep your skin moisture level where it needs to be, and also helps your body detoxify.

It’s easy to see eczema as a skin issue and treat it with topical steroids and hope for the best. However, if you or your child have eczema, you know that steroids are only a temporary fix and don’t come without side effects. Make sure to address the underlying issues to help decrease flare-ups and the need for steroids and actually help resolve the eczema.

Contact Dr. Sahni today to find out how to figure out the deeper root causes of your eczema and what you can do about it.

Is your heartburn medication making you sicker?

Is your heartburn medication making you sicker?

If you suffer from heartburn, chances are your doctor has prescribed you a medication (such as Zantac or a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) like Prilosec) to help control it. Heartburn medications work by decreasing the amount of stomach acid you have. Stomach acid is an important part of digestion. Without it, you aren’t able to fully break down and digest your food which can leave you malnourished due to a lack of nutrient breakdown and absorption, and can cause other digestive complaints such as gas and bloating. This is a problem because you need that acid to break down your food and allow your body to pull out the nutrients and actually digest it.

Stomach acid also helps keep you safe by killing any bacteria that may get in so that they can’t enter your digestive tract and the rest of your body leading to infection. Without enough stomach acid, you are leaving yourself more susceptible to infection, including bacterial food poisoning and imbalances in your digestive bacteria. It can also lead to SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) due to an increased number of bacteria entering the small intestine because they were not fully eradicated in your stomach by your stomach acid.

Heartburn is typically caused by a lack of stomach acid, NOT too much stomach acid. When you don’t have enough stomach acid, your body can’t break down the food in your stomach and send it through to the rest of your digestive tract so it sits in your stomach longer than it should leaving you susceptible to heart burn/acid reflux. This means that you are getting the negative side effects of decreased stomach acid without getting to the cause of your heartburn.

Check the label and fine print on your heartburn medication. Did you know that most of them say to not use regularly for more than 2-4 weeks? 2-4 weeks, that’s it! But many people are kept on them for weeks to months to even years at a time with no break. This leaves you susceptible to poor digestion and malnourishment in the long run.

The side effects of these medications are real. Long term use of PPI’s, like Prilosec, can lead to:

• Magnesium malabsorption which can lead to muscle cramps and weakness.

• Calcium malabsorption which can lead to decreased bone density and a potential increased risk for fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine.

• Vitamin B12 malabsorption which can lead to fatigue.

• Iron malabsorption which can cause anemia and its associated symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath.

• Side effects also include changes to the lining of your stomach and kidney disease and has even been linked to SLE (lupus), dementia, and pneumonia.   

The best way to treat your heartburn is with lifestyle and dietary changes and nutritional supplements to get to the root cause of your heartburn. This will help restore your stomach acid and heal your digestive tract rather than just decreasing your stomach acid which only helps your symptoms temporarily and leads to side effects.

Eat small meals frequently. This prevents your stomach from getting overfull which leaves you more susceptible to heartburn. Eating small meals frequently can also help keep your blood sugar balanced.

Avoid trigger foods. Caffeine, tomatoes and acidic foods, and spicy foods are common heartburn triggers. Heavy foods that take longer to digest such as fried foods also fall into this category. Keep an eye out for your trigger foods, and avoid them as best as you can, especially at night before bed.

Avoid eating before lying down to go to bed at night. Larger meals before bed can aggravate heartburn since laying horizontally allows gravity to let food from your stomach into your esophagus more easily. Sleeping with an extra pillow under your head can help this too.

Avoid your food sensitivities which can trigger heartburn or make it worse. Eating foods that your body is reacting to can create increased inflammation, slower digestion and affect your gut microbiome negatively.

Manage stress. Stress has a large affect on our digestive tract and can really exacerbate heartburn. Make sure you are doing what you can to manage your stress to decrease your heartburn.

Supplement with probiotics and digestive enzymes. Probiotics help keep your gut microbiome balanced and make sure that you have enough good bacteria to digest your food. Digestive enzymes are an essential part of your digestion and needed to be able to break down the food you eat and extract nutrients from it. If your digestive tract is lacking digestive enzymes (which come from the stomach and pancreas), then you can’t properly break down your food and you’re at higher risk for heartburn.

Contact Dr. Sahni today to get an individualized treatment plan to get rid of your heartburn, for good!

Nutrition in Pregnancy

Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exciting time and having a comfortable and healthy pregnancy can help you feel even more excited about your new baby on the way, rather than miserable about your pregnancy.

Nutrition: An overall balanced diet throughout your pregnancy is ideal. Your diet and nutrition directly affect your baby including their growth and prenatal health through delivery, and even beyond if you breastfeed.

Food cravings often come from a lack of nutrients and so if you find yourself with a lot of food cravings, it is your body telling you that it’s not getting what it needs from what you are eating.

During pregnancy you need extra:

• Folate – a lack of folate is associated with neural tube defects (such as lesions of the brain and spine which are devastating and can be life-threatening). Taking a prenatal vitamin regularly can help eliminate a folate deficiency but getting extra folate from your diet is beneficial as well. Folate is the active form of folic acid. Most supplements contain folic acid which is the synthetic form of the vitamin but looking for a prenatal vitamin that contains folate instead of folic acid helps provide your body with the active form that you know it can utilize.

  • Food sources: leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, eggs, lentils, beans, avocado, and liver

• Iron – low iron can lead to anemia and anemia in pregnancy can have adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm (early) birth, and neonatal and maternal death. The amount of iron needed in pregnancy increases even more in the second and third trimesters. Iron supplementation can help treat restless legs syndrome (RLS) as well, which is a common symptom of pregnancy. Getting sufficient iron from your diet can help.

  • Food sources: meat, fish, poultry, liver, spinach and other leafy greens

• Protein is vital to grow a healthy baby and your needs for protein go way up in pregnancy. (You also need extra protein when breastfeeding so keep that in mind if you are planning on doing that once baby arrives.) You need protein to help grow fetal tissue, including the brain, as well as for your breast and uterine tissue during pregnancy. Protein also plays a role in your increasing blood supply.

  • Food sources: eggs, fish, poultry, meat

• Calcium is vital for bone health and protein utilization. In pregnancy, calcium also plays a role in the prevention of preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that includes high blood pressure and excessive swelling.

  • Food sources: sardines, leafy greens (kale, collard greens, bok choy), and broccoli. Dairy products are also a source of calcium.

• Water - you need extra water when you are pregnant to help prevent dehydration and keep up with your increasing blood volume.

  • The most common reason that so many people crave salty foods, like pickles, is because your blood volume almost doubles when you’re pregnant which can lead to electrolyte (i.e. salt) imbalances. So make sure you are drinking plenty of extra water to help keep up with your extra blood volume.

  • Drinking enough water can also help with the bloating and puffiness that can occur during pregnancy.

  • Make sure to drink extra water if you exercising, sweating, or traveling.

• EPA/DHA provides you with fatty acids that are beneficial for your baby’s developing brain as well as your brain function, skin, and blood. Fish oil also works as a natural anti-inflammatory.  Many prenatal vitamins have added EPA and DHA but if yours doesn’t, this may be a supplement you will want to add to your prenatal vitamin regimen.

  • Food sources: fish and fish oil. Eating fish 2-3x/week can help you get enough EPA and DHA. Make sure you are eating wild-caught fish with the lowest levels of mercury, which include: anchovies, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, hake, herring, mackerel, oysters, Pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, and freshwater trout.

• Do I need a prenatal vitamin?    Yes! A high quality prenatal vitamin is important during this time to make sure that you are meeting the nutritional requirements that you and your growing baby need, especially if you aren’t getting enough nutrients from you diet.

  • My favorite is Thorne’s Basic Prenatal because it provides you with a reliable source of the nutrients you and your growing baby need and provides vitamins in their active forms to make sure your body can utilize them.

Healthy weight gain – Weight gain is necessary to not only grow a healthy baby but to keep yourself healthy while doing so. You don’t want to focus on not gaining too much weight and sacrifice your baby’s health, or your own health. The average weight gain necessary for a healthy pregnancy and baby is 25-35 lbs (you may need to gain more or less depending on your pre-pregnancy weight). Weight gain comes from a variety of needs including breast enlargement, uterus enlargement, the placenta, amniotic fluid, the fetus, extra blood and fluid volume, and extra fat storage (that you will need to help you recover after labor and to breastfeed).

In order to grow a healthy fetus, and gain a healthy amount of weight, you need about an extra 250-350 calories per day. We are so used to hearing “eating for two” when in reality you’re eating for one plus an extra 250-350 calories a day, not double the calories! Everyone will gain a different amount of weight during their pregnancy, and remember, a healthy mama and baby are the most important things, not the amount of weight you gain (or don’t gain).

Congratulations on this exciting time in your life. Up these nutrients in your diet and your baby and your body will thank you!

Contact Dr. Sahni today to find out how to get your nutrient status checked and what you can do about any deficiencies that you may have.

*Always check with your physician before starting any new diet or supplement regimens.

Are you getting enough nutrients in your diet?

Nutrient deficiencies:

Are you getting all the nutrients that you need? Is your diet providing you with enough nutrition?

The standard American diet is leading to preventable chronic diseases as well as continually increasing rates of obesity. The standard American diet tends to be high in calories and sugar but low in nutrients which leads to many Americans exceeding their caloric needs but not meeting micronutrient (vitamin and nutritionally essential mineral) requirements. More than 80% of the US population do not consume the recommended intake of vegetables (1).

Approximately one-half of American adults have at least one preventable chronic disease (1), and additionally, obesity is a major public health problem in the US, with more than one-third of adults (2) and 17% of children and adolescents (3) classified as obese. The most common inadequacies for micronutrients in the US population, with more than 38% not meeting the daily requirements for them, are vitamin D, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.

1. Vitamin D is essential for immune function, bone health (by helping maintain normal calcium levels), and also plays a role in energy and mood. Vitamin D also helps regulate blood pressure. Vitamin D can help in the treatment of eczema (atopic dermatitis), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), and cardiovascular disease. The best source of vitamin D is from the sun but you can get some vitamin from your diet. Supplementation is often necessary if you cannot get the required amounts from sun exposure and diet.

   • Food sources: fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), egg yolk

2. Vitamin E is essential for hormone and brain function, neurologic function, muscle function, eye health, chronic disease prevention (including cardiovascular disease), and acts as an antioxidant in the body.

   • Food sources: oil such as olive and avocado oil, nuts, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and avocado

3. Magnesium is essential for bone and muscle health and helps regulate your body’s calcium levels. Low magnesium has been associated with several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and potentially osteoporosis.

   • Food sources: green leafy vegetables, fish, whole grains, beans, and nuts

4. Calcium is essential for bone health and preventing and treating osteoporosis (along with vitamin D and magnesium). It is also helpful in treating PMS and high blood pressure.

   • Food sources: Greens (kale, broccoli), sardines, beans, Chinese cabbage, and dairy products.

5. Vitamin A is important for eye health and immune function. Low levels of vitamin A are associated with increased susceptibility to infections, and thyroid and skin disorders.

   • Food sources: beef liver, fish oil, eggs, butter, yellow and orange colored vegetables such as sweet potato, bell pepper, carrots, pumpkin, butternut squash, cantaloupe and mango. It is also in greens such as spinach, broccoli, kale, and collards. 

6. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin in our bodies that we must get from our diet. It helps prevent cardiovascular disease, cataracts, gout, immune dysfunction (such as auto-immune disease). It also plays a role in treating cardiovascular disease, diabetes, the common cold, and asthma.

   • Food sources: broccoli, red bell pepper, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, and citrus fruit

7. Potassium is an electrolyte which helps balance sodium concentration in our cells. Low potassium can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle cramps, and bloating, constipation and abdominal pain. Potassium can even help treat high blood pressure.

   • Food sources: vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, banana, prunes, citrus fruits, beans, raisins, spinach, almonds, and molasses.

There are so many nutrients that our bodies need that we can get from the food we eat but the diet of many people in the United States lacks these key nutrients. Make sure your diet has plenty of vegetables, animal protein, healthy fats, and a variety of foods to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients you need. These nutrients help show why I emphasize vegetables and animal protein in all of my recipes - they help provide a wide variety of nutrients to ensure that you are not lacking any single one. Check out our recipes to get inspiration on improving your diet and getting all of the nutrients you may be lacking.

Contact Dr. Sahni today to find out how to get your nutrient status checked and what you can do about any deficiencies that you may have.

References

1.  US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans December 2015. Available at: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/.

2.  National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Overweight & Obesity Statistics. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity.

3.  US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Bibbins-Domingo K, et al. Screening for obesity in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2017;317(23):2417-2426.  (PubMed)

4.  Micronutrient inadequacies in the US Population: an Overview. Linus Pauling Institute. Available at: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrient-inadequacies/overview.