6 Hidden Sources of Sugar

Do you know how much sugar you’re really eating every day? We have all heard that it’s healthy to cut back on your sugar, and that it may help you lose weight, clear up your digestion and skin, and give you more energy. All of this is true, among other benefits, but decreasing your sugar intake is often harder than it seems, especially since so many of the foods in our diets are hidden sources of sugar. Here are a few ways to figure out the hidden sources of sugar in your diet.

The American heart association (AHA) recommends no more than 9 tsp or 36 grams of sugar per day for men, and no more than 6 tsp or 25 grams per day for women. If you go through your diet and add up all of the sugar you’re getting in your diet, you might realize you are far exceeding these limits on a daily basis.

Check out these hidden sources of excess sugar and see how much sugar you’re really eating.

1. Beverages

   1. Do you add sugar or creamer to your coffee in the morning or do you end up getting a vanilla latte from your favorite coffee shop a little more regularly than you’d like to admit? Beverages are a huge source of sugar. From the coffee at the beginning of your day, to fruit juice or soda, and alcohol at the end of your day, you may be getting more sugar in your diet from your beverages than you realized. Coffee creamer, juice, smoothies, alcohol, and sweetened milk alternatives all contain added sugar.

      1. A Starbucks Grande Latte has 18grams of sugar. 18grams, and that’s not even a flavored one! Make it a vanilla latte and the sugar in that one coffee drink almost doubles to 35g! So if you’re a man, you’re at your sugar limit for the entire day in that one drink, and if you’re a woman, you’re already well over your limit, in just one drink!

   2. ·Alternative milks, such as coconut, almond, or hemp milk, are great options for those trying to avoid dairy. But make sure you’re buying unsweetened milk, as the flavored ones can be full of sugar.

   3. And that soda that you drink, that’s a full daily serving of sugar in a single can!

   4. Fruit juices are high in sugar too. Many have added sugars but even the amount of natural sugar in one glass of juice is high. You also lose the fiber when you juice a fruit which means you don’t have anything to help stabilize the inevitable blood sugar spike from the fruit juice.

      1. Tip: Making smoothies at home is a great way to get fruit in . By blending the fruit rather than juicing it, you are holding onto the fiber and other nutrients lost in the juicing process. You can even add in veggies like spinach and avocado without altering the flavor much which is a great added benefit.

   5. Your best bet for beverages is water and coffee or espresso, without the cream and sugar. If you need something in your coffee, opt for a small amount of cream or unsweetened milk alternative. A natural sparkling water now and then is okay too.

2. Condiments and pre-made sauces

   1. Ketchup and salad dressings can have a lot of sugar in them. Even things that we think of as savory, like tomato sauce, have added sugars. Make sure you’re reading labels and choosing those with lower sugar, or make them yourself at home!

3. Fast food is a big offender when it comes to added sugars. So much of fast food has added sugars, even in places you wouldn’t expect, like burgers and sandwiches, and even salads.

   1. Tip: Skip the fast food whenever possible. Keep healthy snacks in your car, such as trail mix, organic grass fed meat/pepperoni sticks, or low sugar protein bars so you can have healthier options when hungry on the go.

   2. Subway: A foot long sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich from Subway has 32 grams of sugar! Even as a salad, there are still 23 grams of sugar in it.

   3. Wendy’s: A salad may seem like the healthier option, but a Wendy’s apple pecan chicken salad contains 40 grams of sugar. I was shocked when I read this, and saddened because so many people think they are making a healthier choice choosing a salad, but with sugar levels that high, that’s not healthy by any definition.

   4. McDonald’s: A bacon clubhouse grilled chicken sandwich from McDonalds? While it’s better than that sweet onion chicken teriyaki from Subway, it still has 14 grams of sugar. That’s more than 3 teaspoons of sugar, from a savory sandwich. You might think that getting a fruit and yogurt parfait is a healthier option, but it contains 23 grams of sugar. If that’s your breakfast, you’ve pretty much consumed all of your allotted sugar for the day, likely before 9am.

4. “Healthy” foods – such as dried fruit, granola/nutrition bars, yogurt, oatmeal packets. These foods are often marketed as healthy options, but when you look at how much sugar some of them may have, the true health value of these foods is almost insignificant.

   1. Dried fruit has high levels of sugar. It is natural sugar, but because you are dehydrating it, you are eating much more than you would if you were eating the fruit whole. Many dried fruit products on the market have added sugars too so pay attention to the sugar amount on labels and limit the amount you are eating if you choose dried fruit. Whole fruit is always going to be a better option.

   2. Granola and nutrition bars are advertised as healthy foods but they can have very high levels of sugar. Check the labels! Sometimes you need a snack on the go and nutrition bars that are lower in sugar are a great option. (For example, KIND® bar has many different flavors with 5g of sugar or less).

   3. Yogurt can be healthy, especially when it has live probiotics and no added sugar. Most people opt for the fruit flavored ones though which have sugar from the fruit, plus additional added sugar.

      1. Tip: An easy way to avoid the added sugar is to buy a plain yogurt and add the fruit at home.

   4. Oatmeal packets– this is an easy option for a quick breakfast but flavored oatmeal packets tend to be high in sugar, with some having as much as 14 grams of sugar per packet.

      1. Tip: Making your own oatmeal with a little honey or maple syrup will typically have much less sugar than the pre-made kind. If you’re short on time, do “overnight oats.” (Soak ½ a cup of oats with 1 cup of your preferred type of milk, plus your favorite oatmeal toppings and a small amount of sweetener in a mason jar overnight. Since the oats soak overnight, you don’t have to cook them in the morning- just stir and eat!) Your options are endless as you can add whatever toppings you like with a small amount of your preferred sweetener for healthier homemade oatmeal that’s still a quick morning go-to.

5. Packaged foods

   1. Many of these foods contain added sugars, and much more sugar than you would add if you made them yourself. Read labels, check for added sugars where there shouldn’t be any and know what you’re eating.

   2. Check the labels on what you’re eating at home, and pay attention to how many servings of those you’re actually eating, and you’ll see how quickly those added sugars can add up!

6. Caution against foods marked low-fat or fat-free. The fat is typically replaced with sugar (and chemicals). Not only are you getting added sugars, but the naturally occurring fats used to help reduce a spike in blood sugar have been removed, which make that sugar intake even worse.

   1. You may be wondering why you shouldn’t just choose foods that are labeled sugar-free if all of these foods are full of sugar and sugar is bad for you. Foods that are labeled sugar-free have typically had the sugar replaced with synthetic sweeteners and usually added chemicals to help make up for the loss of flavor from the sugar that was removed. If you are going to have a treat, eat the real thing.

   2. Tip: Real sugar in small amounts is better than chemicals and synthetic foods in any amount. Add your own sugar whenever possible to be able to control the quality and amount of sugar you are using.

   Here’s the thing, you need to know what you’re eating! Always check labels, be aware of how much you’re eating, and choose real food instead of processed or packaged foods whenever you can. Hidden sugars can add up quickly so know what you’re eating so you can make healthier choices and find small ways to cut back on your sugar throughout your day. You’ll start to notice the benefits in no time!

   Dr. Christina Sahni is a licensed naturopathic physician in Portland, OR. She treats people of all ages with a broad spectrum of health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, IBS, adrenal fatigue, and many more. A more complete list of what Dr. Sahni treats can be found here.

   Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule an appointment to get a personalized health plan specific to your individual needs.

7 Menu Planning Tips to help you De-stress your Week

You may be wondering how menu planning can help you. Honestly, I didn’t see the value in menu planning until I started to do it myself. Well, it actually wasn’t until I had been doing it and then stopped doing it that I really noticed its benefits (as I watched my time spent at the grocery store and my grocery bill go up).  I realized that menu planning not only resulted in less grocery store trips and less money spent on groceries but also less food waste, and it eliminated the daily question of “what’s for dinner?”

The key is to make time once a week, or every other week, to establish your menus for the week(s) and everything else should fall into place. I come up with a plan over the weekend with my family, which gives everyone a chance to share their meal requests. From there I use the simple steps below to plan out the menus by day. An added bonus for our household is that we use dinner leftovers for lunch which saves money and time throughout the week.

7 easy tips to make menu planning quick and easy:

1.     Keep a list of your go-to meals and dishes: Keep a list of all of the different dishes that you make, and have it organized by protein and/or vegetables needed, so that you can go through that list and figure out what sounds good, what is on sale that week at our local grocery stores, and what will use up what you already have in your fridge. I always try to pick meals that allow me to overlap ingredients. This way I am not buying a hundred different things just to make a few dinners but can use the same ingredients in a few different meals. For example, when I buy cabbage, I will use it for stir fry one night, and then in a coleslaw another night. They are completely different dishes and you don’t feel like you’re eating the same thing, but you’re not wasting it either. In your list, know your go-to meals. There are some things that you may have every week, like taco Tuesdays for example, that you can use week to week. This makes it easier to plan, and you don’t have to come up with so many different meal ideas every week. To help figure out the meals for the week, pick your protein first. If you decide on beef tacos for Taco Tuesday, then you know Monday and Wednesday will need to be a different protein, such as chicken, fish, or eggs, etc. We try not to do the same protein two nights in a row, especially if you’ll be having it for lunch the next day too.

2.     Plan your grocery trips: if you know that you need to go to a couple of different stores to get everything you need (based on availability, sales, or price), then plan accordingly. I don’t typically want to go to two grocery stores in the same day, so I spread out my shopping trips and plan my meals based on which store I will go to at the beginning of the week, and what ingredients I won’t have until my next shopping trip.

3.     Keep your pantry stocked: I keep certain things in our pantry at all times, and stock up when they are on sale. These include: organic chicken stock, organic canned diced and crushed tomatoes, organic coconut milk, curry paste, rice, spices, oil, BBQ sauce, fish sauce, rice flour and/or garbanzo flour (or your favorite flour for cooking), and tomato sauce. These items stay fresh in your pantry for a while, so you can easily stock up when they are on sale and always have them on hand, instead of needing it when you don’t have it and having to pay full price. (I hate to pay full price for anything!)

4.     Use what you’ve got, all of it! Reduce waste and keep your grocery bill low while decreasing your environmental footprint. By utilizing what you already have in your refrigerator and pantry, repurposing ingredients, and using all of the edible parts of your vegetables, you can reduce waste and your grocery bill.

1.     Use what you already have in your refrigerator. Make sure to check out what you already have before you go grocery shopping. Make note of what you’re low on, what you’re out of, and what you still have plenty of so you don’t duplicate anything. It sounds basic, but how often do you really survey your fridge and pantry before you go to the store? If you’re like me, that answer is “not enough” when it should be “every time!”

2.     Repurpose ingredients. Utilize leftovers for lunch the next day. Throw that leftover steak on a salad or turn that extra BBQ chicken into lettuce wraps for your lunch. Extra chopped veggies can be used in the next night’s dinner, a breakfast omelet or a breakfast frittata on the weekend.

3.     Use every edible part of the vegetable. So much waste comes from us not knowing how to use every part of the vegetable and throwing it away.

1.     The carrot greens on the top of that carrot bunch often get thrown away, but they make a great pesto, or can be chopped up and added into soups, stews, or even dishes like meatloaf.

2.     Broccoli stems can be chopped up and used in risotto, or any recipe that calls for diced vegetables, or grate them and make a slaw. It adds a mild broccoli flavor, without using the florets that can often get mushy in dishes like stews or slow cooker meals.

3.     Keep the peel on your organic veggies-edible peels like on potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and carrots are high in nutrients and fiber. Save yourself some time and don’t peel these!

5.     Pay attention to expiration dates: make sure you look at expiration dates when you are buying food at the store and keeping in mind that meat and produce are best when fresh. There are some things with longer expiration dates, like the above pantry items, so stock up on those when you can. You can buy your meat and veggies week to week so it’s always fresh. Keep your oldest food in the front of your refrigerator so they are what you see first when you open it. It’s a nice reminder of what you need to use up first!

6.     Prep ahead of time. Prepping foods ahead of time makes actually making dinner so much easier. Have a few extra minutes on Sunday? Then get chopping! Prep what you’ll need for the next couple of night’s meals so when you go to make dinner after that long Monday, part of the work is already done for you! Chopping veggies and prepping meat ahead of time can save a lot of time when you go to cook for the night; so can setting out what you need from the pantry the night before. Making dinner shouldn’t be stressful, so let your Sunday-self prepare for the week and help out your Monday-through-Friday-self.

7.     Keep it simple. Menu planning doesn’t need to be difficult or overwhelming. Start with meals that you know are easy to make and utilize what you already have in your refrigerator and pantry and go from there. Picking recipes with obscure ingredients or that have a lot of steps aren’t always feasible after you get home from work starving and just want to eat. If you want new dishes, maybe plan to try one new recipe a week when you know you’ll have more time, such as on a weekend or a day when you typically get home from work earlier. Keep adding to your list of go-to meals this way and soon enough you’ll have a long enough list that you don’t feel like you’re eating the same things all the time, but you’re not overwhelming yourself with new recipes all the time.

Set yourself up for success and have fun with it!

How to Get More Veggies In Your Diet

Getting more vegetables into your diet doesn’t have to mean eating a salad for every meal!

We all know that vegetables are good for us, but still often struggle to get enough of them in our diets. Eating lots of veggies can be difficulty, especially if you‘re not sure how to do so other than eating salad after salad, which can get boring very quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, your options for salads are endless from your choice of greens (lettuce, spinach, mixed baby greens) to a variety of toppings (tomato, avocado, turkey, hard boiled eggs, beets, carrots, cucumber, olives, celery, and any combination of these toppings or any other of your favorites). It’s easy to create variety within your salad but at the end of day, who wants to eat salad for every meal just to get enough veggies in? I know I don’t; I need variety, and don’t always want to feel like I’m eating a ton of veggies (even if I am)!

Follow these easy tips to Swap, Add and Snack on veggies to increase your vegetable intake without even noticing!

SWAP out your grains/carbohydrates for veggies

Swap out rice for:

·         Cauliflower rice– this can either be done with a food processor or a block grater. Trader Joe’s also now sells organic cauliflower that is already riced, both fresh and frozen. Use this anywhere you might use rice to get vegetables. This works great for fried rice too!

Swap out bread for:

·         Lettuce wrapped sandwiches/burgers– this is a great way to not only add veggies but also decrease grains. You can also do lettuce wraps for things such as chicken and/or tuna salad.

·         Portobello mushroom buns– this is a great alternative for a bun that doesn’t involve lettuce. Or better yet, add some lettuce on top of the mushroom and you get both!

Swap out pizza crust for:

·         Cauliflower pizza crust– there are many recipes online for this. This allows you to up the veggies in your pizza while eliminating the grains/gluten. Then add veggies for toppings and you’ll have even more vegetables turning what can be a very unhealthy meal into one full of veggies!

Swap out potatoes for:

·         Veggie fries: Fries without potatoes?! It can be done! Use carrots and/or parsnips to make delicious fries– this is a great alternative to white potatoes. You can roast/bake them in the oven after tossing with some oil (avocado oil is a great high-heat stable option) and salt. Add some chili powder or herbs for extra flavor. Now you may be asking why you need to swap out potatoes when they are a vegetable. Technically speaking, they are a vegetable, but they contain so much starch and sugar that they are doing more harm to your blood sugar (and your waistline) than they are worth. If you really want to keep your potatoes, eat sweet potatoes which offer more nutrients and less starchy sugars.

·         Mashed root vegetables. Instead of mashed potatoes, use parsnips and carrots to make a colorful mash, or try it with parsnips and cauliflower. Martha Stewart has a great carrot and parsnip recipe here (http://www.marthastewart.com/866497/carrot-and-parsnip-puree).

Swap out pasta for:

·         Veggie noodles! Have fun with spaghetti and try zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. You can use a spiralizer or a large-hole block grater to make long noodle-like strips of zucchini. Toss them into salads for flavor and texture or use them like pasta with your favorite sauce. Zucchini pairs well with pesto or tomato sauce. Spaghetti squash is also a great alternative. Use tomato sauce with blended veggies (see next post) for even more vegetables!

ADD veggies to (almost) everything you make at home. This works on everything from breakfast to dinner, savory to sweet.

·         Recipes– double the veggies, keep the amount of meat the same. This works for almost any recipe that calls for veggies. Just make sure to watch the water content in dishes that are supposed to be drier as added veggies mean a higher water content.

·         Blended veggies – this is a great way to hide veggies. When using tomato sauce in cooking, blend up some veggies and add it right into the sauce. You can use any veggies that go with your dish’s flavor profiles (such as greens, zucchini, onion, bell pepper). The tomato sauce flavor is strong and will cover up most veggies. Watch out before adding too much spinach/greens though as it may turn your sauce a bit green. This also works for pesto- you can use a mix of basil and spinach when making homemade pesto, or even some carrot greens (this also saves waste as most people throw out the green tops of their carrots). This is a great way to hide vegetables without changing the flavor profile of your dish!

·         Anything cooked– any recipes that you have can almost always have added vegetables which often enhances the flavor. I add a mix of vegetables to whatever recipe I am using- from chicken gumbo to chili to Moroccan chicken to pulled BBQ chicken. I add mixed greens (such as spinach, kale, swiss chard), bell pepper and any other vegetables I have on hand to almost everything I cook! Every homemade meal is a chance to increase your veggie intake.

·         Eggs– most people aren’t sure how to incorporate vegetables into breakfast. Creating a vegetable omelet or frittata is a great way to start your day with vegetables that still feels like breakfast. Mix in any of your favorite vegetables for a healthy start to the day!

·         Smoothies – adding spinach or other veggies to a fruit smoothie may change the color but won’t change the flavor and you’ll get all of the great benefits of leafy greens. You can also add cooked beets which will add natural sweetness and color.

·         Dessert– This one may sound crazy, but if you’re already planning on making a cake, why not choose a (chocolate) zucchini cake to add some veggies even in your dessert! I always use more zucchini than the recipes call for which not only increases the vegetable content but also helps keep it moist due to the water content in the zucchini, and who doesn’t want a deliciously moist cake?!

SNACK smart

·         Snacks: ditch those chips and use veggies as dippers instead. This works great with your favorite dips like hummus, ranch, and peanut/nut butters. Carrots and celery work great for this, but so can sliced bell pepper, cucumber and even mushrooms.

·         Use left overs. Instead of choosing foods that are typically thought of as snack foods, have smaller portions of leftovers from lunches/dinners earlier in the week. This will provide a more satisfying snack than chips or crackers ever could! Chips, crackers, and foods like them don’t have the protein or healthy fats to make you feel satisfied or full. They tend to leave you hungry which means that you are still searching for something more to eat even though you already had a snack.

Eating out: The above sounds easy enough and now you’ve been able to get lots of veggies in at home, but what happens when you are eating out and some of the above options aren’t available? Here are a few easy ways to solve this:

·         Ask for a side salad instead of fries (I know, we’re back to the salad again, but it is a classic!)

·         Ask for grilled/steamed veggies instead of fries

·         Order your sandwich or burger lettuce wrapped (this one works at home and when eating out)

·         Choose items that naturally contain vegetables, such as a veggie omelet or scramble rather than a meat filled one, salads, dishes that are meat and vegetable based (compared to a sandwich which typically has few vegetables). When choosing appetizers and sides, choose vegetable based dishes. This makes getting more veggies in easier when you’re eating out.

Getting more vegetables in your diet doesn’t mean eating plates full of veggies or salad all the time. Experiment with adding vegetables to your favorite recipes, trying new ones, or using the same vegetables you’ve been eating in new ways. Have fun with it, and feel healthier doing it!

7 Tips for Balancing Your Blood Sugar

Is your blood sugar out of balance?

Do you often find yourself with food/sugar cravings, irritability or a lack of focus if you haven’t eaten for a while or notice depression/anxiety? Do you describe yourself as hangry? If so, then read below to find out to naturally balance your blood sugar now before your blood sugar dysregulation becomes a serious problem! There are many symptoms before blood sugar dysregulation progresses to prediabetes and Type II diabetes and balancing your blood sugar now is the best way to get rid of those symptoms before they progress.

Blood sugar dysregulation and the resulting Type II diabetes is a huge problem in our country.

·         Did you know that more than 29 million people in the US currently have diabetes and 1 in 4 of those people don’t even know they have it?

·         More than 86 million people have prediabetes and 15-30% of those people will develop Type II diabetes within 5 years. The problem is that 9 out 10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it! That is millions of people who don’t even know they have a problem but are heading toward diabetes within the next 5 years.

These numbers are astonishing and need to change! Type II diabetes is the end point of blood sugar dysregulation so the earlier you start balancing your blood sugar, the less likely you are to progress toward diabetes. There are many different ways of balancing your blood sugar before you get diabetes, or even prediabetes. The symptoms of blood sugar dysregulation (and Type II diabetes) are completely preventable and the best time to start doing something about them is now!!!

Benefits of well-balanced blood sugar:

·         Improved mood. Unstable blood sugar can promote mood variations and can swing as wide as worsening anxiety and depression. Balancing your blood sugar can also help balance your temper and prevent you from having a shorter temper or getting “hangry” (angry from hunger).

·         Improved sleep. Drops in blood sugar overnight can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night, especially around 1-3am, disrupting your night’s sleep. Balanced blood sugar can help you sleep through the night so that you can wake up feeling more rested and refreshed.

·         Improved energy. Making sure you are eating regularly and keeping your blood sugar stable can help improve your energy by avoiding those energy slumps that you feel when your blood sugar drops too low (usually if you haven’t eaten for a while but also caused by large swings in blood sugar, up or down).

·         Better mental focus. Having a balanced blood sugar ensures that your brain is fed all day long so there are no sluggish afternoons or trouble concentrating. You can stay focused and be more efficient.

·         Diabetes prevention. Keeping your blood sugar in check is the best way to prevent diabetes.

·         Improved diabetes control. If you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, getting your blood sugar under control is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Diabetes eventually affects your blood flow affecting your heart, kidneys, nerves, eyes, brain, and limbs, so making sure that blood sugar is well controlled and stable once a diagnosis of diabetes has been made is very important.

Balancing your blood sugar involves keeping a steady blood sugar to avoid any extreme in either directions (highs or lows). Large blood sugar jumps in either direction are not good and can cause health problems including fatigue, mood disturbances, obesity, disturbed sleep, prediabetes and Type II Diabetes, and many others.

Follow these easy tips to stabilize your blood sugar and reap the great benefits.

1.     Eat regularly. Eat at least a small amount of food every 3-4 hours to avoid drops in blood sugar which can lead to spikes in blood sugar.

2.     Eat balanced meals with vegetables, fats, and proteins. A mix of healthy fats and proteins is what helps you feel full, and keep you feeling full for longer. This prevents any blood sugar highs and lows that you get with a meal lacking fat and/or protein and allows your body and mind to get fueled the right way.

Check out our blog for delicious and easy recipe ideas at https://www.gutsyandco.com/recipes

3.     Avoid sugary foods and beverages. Eating foods and beverages with high amounts of sugar leads to high spikes (and subsequent lows) in blood sugar, which over time contribute to a decrease in insulin sensitivity and can lead to diabetes.

4.     Avoid foods marked “fat-free” or “low-fat.” The fat is typically replaced by sugar and chemicals. Fat helps stabilize blood sugar, so by replacing the fat with sugar, your blood sugar rises from the extra sugar and there isn’t the fat to help stabilize it.

5.     Eat Fiber. Fiber is usually associated with preventing constipation, but fiber also helps stabilize blood sugar by promoting healthy glucose and insulin responses (and can even help improve cholesterol levels!). Fiber is found in many vegetables as well as beans. It is a common misconception that grains or supplements are the only way to get enough fiber. Pile up your plate with leafy greens and veggies like broccoli to ensure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet.

· Veggies high in fiber include: spinach and leafy greens, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, artichoke hearts, winter squash and mushrooms, among many others

6.     Exercise. Physical activity helps to metabolize sugar in the blood as well as increase insulin sensitivity and increase insulin receptors (which means that your body can process sugar that you eat better and not leave it in your blood leading to high blood sugar). Physical activity is one of the best ways to help lower high blood sugar and can even help decrease the need for medications for those with diabetes.

7.     Water. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration often leads to hunger signals, when your body really needs water. Drinking enough water throughout the day also helps prevent overeating at meal time.

Make your appointment with Dr. Sahni today to get a personalized plan to balance your blood sugar and get it where it needs to be!

Statistics provided by the ADA, http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

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)

*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.” 

Treating Insomnia Naturally

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Treating Insomnia Naturally

Insomnia and fatigue are two of the biggest complaints I hear from my patients. Whether you are having difficulty falling asleep at night, staying asleep, or simply don’t wake up feeling rested, no one enjoys insomnia and the fatigue and grogginess that follow a night (or many nights) of poor sleep. From the frustration of not being able to sleep, to the fatigue and poor concentration (among other things) it causes, everyone wants a solution. Poor sleep can even lead to increased anxiety and depression, and weight gain due to increased appetite and poor blood sugar control. Our bodies are designed to get restful and rejuvenating sleep nightly, and without it, our bodies and minds cannot function at their full capability.

There are different types of insomnia.  The two main types include difficulty falling asleep and difficulty staying asleep.

Difficulty falling asleep is being unable to fall asleep even once in bed at night, regardless of how tired you actually feel. There are different factors that can keep us up at night. Some of the most common are:

·         Stimulation/stimulants before bed

·         Stress/anxiety

·         Poor sleep schedule: sleeping in too late, going to sleep at a different time every day

·         Lack of exercise/physical activity during the day

·         Poor sleeping conditions (room not dark enough, room too warm or too cold)

Difficulty staying asleep includes waking multiple times throughout the night or waking once and being unable to fall back to sleep, or waking up too early in the morning.

The most common causes of this are:

·         Blood sugar dysregulation causing a drop in blood sugar in the middle of the night

·         Poor sleeping conditions (room not dark enough, noise disruption)

·         Stress/anxiety- if you fall asleep worried, stressed or anxious about the following day (or anything), your body will often wake you up prematurely due to its lack of being able to fully relax

Tips to a better night’s sleep: Say “Goodbye!” to insomnia and “Hello!” to a restful night’s sleep!

·         Create a bedtime routine

·         We all had a bedtime routine when we were kids, but somewhere along the way we lost it. If you are having trouble sleeping, now is the time to bring it back! It will differ from when you were a kid (or maybe not!) but creating a routine helps your mind and body prepare for what is coming. Your routine will start to signal to your brain that sleep is coming, and help your body get ready.

·         Maintain a regular sleep schedule

·         Supporting the body’s natural sleep cycle helps promote better sleep at night. Your body naturally produces melatonin when it is dark out to promote sleepiness and produces a spike in cortisol in the morning to help you wake up. Our bodies do very well on schedules and a sleep schedule is no different. Of course there is no one correct bedtime for everyone, so it’s more about consistency rather than timing. Creating a healthy sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time each morning can help regulate both melatonin and cortisol which makes it easier to fall asleep at night, and wake up in the morning!

·         Going to bed at the same time each night can help you avoid going to sleep before your body is ready or staying up too late which can cause your body to become over tired making it difficult to fall asleep at night..

·         Waking up at the same time every morning helps promote healthy cortisol production. Cortisol production should spike in the morning to provide energy for your day. Waking at the same time can also help you avoid sleeping in too late which can prevent you from falling asleep at night. It sounds simple enough to not sleep in too late (and for some of us, sleeping in late is not something we even have the option of (“hello parents of babies and toddlers!”)) but when we don’t have a regular sleep schedule, waking at different times each morning makes it harder to fall asleep at the same time each night which is vital in being able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep.

·         Create a sleep friendly sleep environment. Decrease stimuli and make sure the room is dark (reduce ambient light, turn off all screens and make sure there are no other lights on). Black out curtains are also a great option to reduce outside light from infiltrating your sleep space.

·         Relax before bed

·         Relax: do an activity that is relaxing before bed to help your body get ready for sleep. Find whatever relaxes you, such as a warm bath, reading a book, or simply chatting with your partner in bed before you go to sleep.

·         Avoid screen time before bed.

·         Avoid screen time (television, computers, tablets, and cell phones are all included in this) for at least 10 (but preferably 30-60 minutes) before bed. The bright lights from screens (even when they are dimmed) is very stimulating to our brain and nervous system and make it harder for our bodies to determine between day and night which alters our cortisol/melatonin production and makes it difficult to fall asleep when we want to.

·         Sleep as long as necessary to feel rested (usually six to eight hours for adults)

·         Do not force sleep. Find a bedtime that suits your schedule and is approximately 6-8 hours before you need to wake up. Trying to make yourself go to sleep before your body is ready often leads to more frustration.

·         Resolve stress, concerns or worries before bedtime

·         De-stress. Decreasing stress is all about finding what works for you. Not everyone is relaxed by the same things and what one person may find relaxing may actually stress someone else out. So make sure to find what works for you!

·         Deep breathing and meditation are two great options. They take our focus off our day to day lives and stressors and help calm our minds down.

·         If your mind is running and keeping you up at night, try to write down worries/stresses before you go to bed so that they are “out of your mind” or create a plan of action on how to tackle the issues keeping you up at night.

·         Example: If you are constantly thinking about all of the things you have to do the next day, make a To-Do list for the next day before you go to bed. This helps you feel more in control of your day and better able to tackle the tasks ahead.

·         Eat a bedtime snack: Do you often wake up in the middle of the night around 1-3am? If so, then your blood sugar may to be blame!

·         Protein and fat at bedtime can help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily. A snack about 30-60 minutes before bed will help to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night so that you aren’t being woken up (often between 1 and 3 am) due to low blood sugar.

·         Foods such as turkey, chicken, hard boiled eggs, and avocado are great bedtime snacks. Turkey and chicken contain tryptophan which can help promote sleep and the protein helps keep your blood sugar stable for longer. Turkey, chicken, spinach and salmon also contain Vitamin B6 which help promotes sleep. Other snack ideas include: vegetables with hummus or guacamole which will provide the fat and protein needed to stabilize blood sugar.

·         Avoid stimulants before bed. This includes coffee/caffeine, sugar and alcohol. This also includes nicotine (but I recommend that everyone avoid this one anyway!).

·         Caffeine: Don’t drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages after 3pm to avoid causing a spike in energy and your cortisol when there shouldn’t be one. Drinking all of your coffee by lunchtime is best.

·         Sugar: This includes anything that can spike your blood sugar- sugary foods and desserts, soda, bread, white potatoes, and pasta. (These foods should be limited in your diet anyway, but if you do eat them, try to do them closer to lunch rather than dinner.) Blood sugar spikes before bed can cause a crash in the middle of the night which will cause your body to wake up in an effort to regulate blood sugar.

·         Alcohol: Many people think that an alcoholic beverage before bed helps them sleep, but this in unfortunately not the case. Alcohol affects your nervous system and blood sugar and can cause poor, disrupted sleep. While some people often think a drink before bed can help them fall asleep, the quality of sleep tends to be poor and you will actually wake feeling less rested.

·         Exercise regularly, at least 3-4 hours prior to bedtime

·         Exercise during the day can help you fall asleep at night more easily

·         It is best to avoid exercise at least 3-4 hours before bed. Exercising right before bed can actually be stimulating. Giving your body a break between exercise and sleep allows your body and nervous system to recover properly allowing you to fall asleep easier.

·         Avoid daytime naps longer than 20 to 30 minutes and avoid naps late in the day

Using the tips above can help you make sure you are getting a full and restful night’s sleep every night!

Make your appointment with Dr. Sahni today to get to the root cause of your insomnia and receive a personalized sleep plan specifically for you!

Supplements to Promote Sleep. Make sure you have followed the above guidelines before adding any additional sleep aids. It is best to get to the root of the problem rather than using medications and/or supplements. Supplements can be very helpful for short-term insomnia but using them long-term can create dependence just like prescription sedatives can.

• Melatonin– The body naturally produces melatonin when it is dark out to promote sleep. Supplementing with melatonin at night can help promote falling asleep. This has its limitations however as melatonin only helps signal the brain to fall asleep; it does not help you stay asleep.

• 5-HTP - this is the precursor to serotonin which is required for melatonin synthesis. Taking 5-HTP can not only help boost your mood but also improve your sleep.

• Valerian is calming herb which is great for those who find it difficult to fall asleep due to an overactive mind at bedtime.

• Passiflora, Chamomile, Kava, and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) are great relaxing herbs for the nervous system which can help decrease anxiety and create a general sense of relaxation and well-being. Taking these before bed can help promote a calmer state to allow the body to more easily fall asleep and stay asleep.

• Lavender essential oil is a calming essential oil to help decrease stress and anxiety. Putting a couple drops on your pillow can help promote better sleep.

*Make sure to consult with your physician before beginning any new supplement. Supplements also vary in quality and efficacy so make sure to get your supplements from a reputable source.