The Art of Eating …

Indulging our sensors  – smelling our foods, seeing our foods and tasting our food — make the whole eating experience (including digestion) into a powerful way to embrace our health and enjoy all the whole colorful (real) food that we have available to us. It seems easy but with all the media and fancy new names for foods and sugars…. it’s overwhelming.

On my past posts, I have spoken about the processing and negative aspects of white ( and brown/light) sugar but I wanted to give you a few sweeteners that are better alternatives. The key thing to remember is to look for sweeteners that have very minimal refining or processing and are nutrient rich.

Raw Honey

In almost every town, you can find a bee keeper/farm and if you have kids, they will LOVE to go out to the farm and learn all about the bees as they are truly fascinating! Raw honey is packed with not only nutrients and antioxidants, but enzymes which aid in our digestion. However, for this reason, I prefer to use honey in non-baked treats (we will drizzle it on our baked mochi with a little cinnamon and apples) – I do not want to destroy the enzymes during heating.

A honey side note: Honey is also anti-microbial.  Raw honey contains propolis also referred to as bee glues that act as a barrier against bacteria in the beehive. This substance helps boost and protect our immune systems.

Dark Maple Syrup

Lucky for me, as a kid, I had a friend who lived on a farm with maple trees. Every fall, we would spend a day collecting the syrup from the trees and making it into a delicious syrup. I use a dark maple syrup for baking especially my Good Cookie recipe. Click here for the recipe.

A maple syrup side note: Manganese and zinc are the two power nutrients found in maple syrup.  Manganese is a mineral that aids in fighting free radicals that are mostly in our cell’s mitochondria  – where energy is made. Maple syrup also has a good amount of zinc, which not only supports the immune system, but plays an important role in the health of our blood vessels in our heart.

Date or Coconut Sugar

Date and coconut sugar are good substitutions to brown sugar as the tastes are simpler.

A side note: Both contain a good amount of potassium, which will help reduce hypertension, regulate blood sugar levels and aid in transmission of nerve impulses.

Dr. Heather’s health tip: Including a protein source with each meal will help stabilize your blood sugar, and curb your sweet tooth. Remember, take the time to enjoy your food, keep good company at your meals, and most importantly, be gentle on yourself when making your dietary changes as even moderate changes will make a profound difference.

Be well

Although our taste buds may enjoy the indulgent of sugar, the rest of our bodies suffers as most to all nutrients are destroyed. No nutrients means no nourishment for the body, however, the worse crime is that sugar actually robs the body of nutrients in order for it to be processed in the body.

The mineral magnesium is one of the nutrients that are robbed from our cells and tissues in order for sugar digestion.

An interesting side note: side effects from magnesium depletion are muscle cramps, high blood pressure, insomnia, osteoporosis, and depression – all very common modern day problems.

Other nutrients affected are the b vitamins, specifically B1 or thiamine. Thiamine aids in glucose metabolism and has an important job of blocking pathways which excess blood sugar may cause tissue damage – in your blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and nerves. If we have an excess blood sugar then we have a greater risk of depleting our thiamine storage.

A sugar side note: The endocrine system in the body regulates hormones and is extremely reliant on nutrients (minerals like magnesium) to function optimally. As we age, our hormones decline yet we do not want to stimulate this more (or earlier) by eating too much sugar. Time to make a change now.

Sugar Suppress the Immune System

Bacteria, viruses, germs and tumors (think cancer) thrive on sugar. Sugar makes them strong, reproduce easily and very powerful. This is tough on the immune system’s army of white blood cells.

A HBD side note: Battle with the Bugs (the second case in the Human Body Detectives kids’ book series) writes about this. Check it out here: Amazon or HBD shop.

A sugar study: Loma Linda University studied the effect on the behavior of the white blood cell – neutrophil – after sugar was ingested by a subject. The subject’s blood was drawn before and after the study. After the initial blood draw, subjects were given a dose of 100 grams of glucose, and fructose. Their blood was drawn to determine the reactions of the neutrophils. It was noted in the study, that sugar eating didn’t decrease the number of neutrophils but actually decreased their responsiveness (not so good!). This ultimately means that every time you eat sugar, your white blood cells are not able to optimally perform which makes you vulnerable to many illnesses from bacteria, viruses, parasites and diseases.

A worthy side note: Dr. Sears mentions that sugar will depress the immune system for up to 5 hours!

Inflammation

Inflammation will occur in the body from a rapid rise in blood sugar and this may cause biochemical changes (glycosylation) in the cell. Staying away from sugar and high-glycemic (simple) carbohydrates, which the body rapidly converts to sugar, is one of the best ways to decrease inflammation. (re read this post: Classification of sugars)

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a key factor of inflammation. In a major study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people with elevated CRP levels were 4 1/2 times more likely to have a heart attack. CRP is a good lab test to ask your doctor to run as it maybe a much better indicator of heart disease versus cholesterol. In addition, high CRP levels have turned up in people who are overweight, pre-diabetic, and diabetic.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia occurs when there is an abrupt drop in blood sugar levels. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include fatigue, dizziness and even seizures. This can occur after a high sugar meal, which results in a peak of blood sugar and then a rapid decline.  Many people will feel this “sugar high’” and then once the sugar levels drop will create a craving for more sugar. A very viscous (and potentially dangerous) cycle.

The Adrenal Glands

Each time there is a spike in blood sugar, the adrenals glands will release adrenaline. This adrenaline rush will raise your blood pressure, increase respiration, slow down digestion, and dilate the pupils. If the adrenal glands are constantly in this state, long-term effects on the body can lead to quite serious complications.

A sugar side note: When women enter perimenopause and menopause, their adrenals will help out the ovaries by making female hormones. If the adrenal glands are also exhausted from months or years of high sugar intake, then menopause may be a difficult.

A sugar side note: The gateway theory suggests that the use of softer type drugs may lead to the use of harder drugs. Some believe that children who overindulge in sugar may have a tendency for other addictions – like (sugar laden) alcohol – later in life. In effect they are trading in one addiction for another. And this craving boils down to a sugar addiction. Once this is determined as a route cause, and diet is addressed, a cure will be obtained.

The BIG take home:

• Carefully choose foods that may contain sugar, that are also fiber packed.
• This will help slow down the absorption of sugar thus giving the body time to optimally do its job.
• Spiking of sugar highs and lows will not occur.
• Fiber packed foods usually are nutrient packed therefore the body will not be robbed of its own reserves to metabolize the sugar.

Be well

I have written about glycemic index and load in the past but thought I would touch on it again….

The glycemic load is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions.

The glycemic index (gl) is the ranking of foods according to how quickly the food – glucose – will be absorbed in the bloodstream. Basically it is defined during a 2-hour blood glucose response after ingesting approximately 50 grams of a carbohydrate. The higher the GL, the more rapid the raise in blood sugar in the body.

The glycemic index is not the best glucose indicator as some foods may have a high glycemic index but have many other quality aspects – packed with nutrients and fiber- that benefit the body.

The glycemic load is a perfect predictor of blood sugar values in different types of foods putting emphasis on both the quality (key) and quantity (also key) of the food. It is basically the effect of our blood sugar and insulin levels after eating. The formula is:

Glycemic Load (GL) = (glycemic index x carbohydrate gram per serving) divided by 100.

I am all about visual example so to really grasp a concept.

Carrot (fiber and nutrient rich):

GL = (47 x 7.5 grams of carbohydrate) divided by 100

GL = 3.5

White bread (no fiber, no nutrients):

GL = (95 x 50 grams of carbohydrate) divided by 100

GL = 48

The key to remember here is the more fiber and nutrients the food has to offer, the more beneficial it is in the body and thus will have the desired lower GL index (for example; cornflakes has a GL of 84 and oatmeal (has more fiber) has a GL of 42… therefore the latter being the better choice. It really all boils down to eating more whole, colorful, fiber packed, and nutrient rich foods. This is the basis of good health!

Next post will be on, what sugar does in the body.

Be well

It’s important to learn the basics of food chemistry. It is empowering to bring this awareness into light, however, I realize that it can be a tad overwhelming so my hopes are to provide you with the basics in a simple to understand way.

The basics…

1. Carbohydrates are actually built of sugar molecules, called saccharides which are further broken down into 3 main groups – monosaccarides, disaccarides and polysaccarides.
2. Basically everything ending in “ose” is a sugar.
3. A sugar chemical makeup consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Their configuration and amounts of each will differ slightly depending on the type.

Monosaccharides are simple sugars. They include glucose, galactose, and fructose. The primary difference between these are how your body will metabolizes them.

• Glucose is the most basic form of sugar and is required by all cells in the body for energy even the brain and red blood cells. Glucose is the only form in which sugar can be transported directly into the bloodstream.
• Galactose is that sugar that is found in lactose or milk. The chemical structures of glucose and galactose are very very similar yet because of this slight structural difference galactose will need to go to the liver – not the directly into the bloodstream like glucose – where it will be converted into glucose. This adds more work plus enzymes and nutrients – for the body.
• Fructose is a fruit sugar. Again the chemical make up is different and therefore the body – digestive system – will need to treat and absorb it differently. Similar to galactose, fructose will need to travel to the liver where it will be converted into glucose and then used by our body’s cells.

Disaccharides are double sugars in which 2 monosaccarides are bound together. This is what we normally find in our foods.

• Sucrose, table sugar, is the meeting of glucose and fructose.
• Lactose is the joining of glucose and galactose.
• Maltose is the joining of 2 glucoses.

Polysaccharides are mostly our plant and our complex carbohydrates sugars as they are chains of many many monosaccarides.

The two classifications of carbohydrates

Basically the classification depends on the chemical structure of the carbohydrate food and how quickly it is digested and absorbed in the body. The more nutrients and fiber in the food, the more likely it will be a complex carbohydrate ( and better for you!).

Simple

Simple carbohydrates are broken down quickly in the body. Some simple carbohydrates – like fruits, milks – have beneficial nutrients in them; however, others like processed and refined sugars – store bought baked goods, candy, table sugar, syrups, and soft drinks – are void of any nutrients (vitamins, minerals and fiber) and actually create more work for the body to digest it. And this creates a very large problem in the health of the body.

A sugar fact: In general, the sweeter a sugar is the simpler it is.

Complex carbohydrate

Complex carbohydrates are chains of 3 or more single sugar molecules and are called our polysaccharides.  Cellulose, another type of complex carbohydrate, is the main component of fiber (fiber slows the digestion and absorption of sugar – a great thing) and gives structure to plants.

Foods: Think color and whole grain. Broccoli, legumes, whole wheat, leafy greens.

Why carbohydrates are important

Many people think carbohydrates are not needed in the body but in fact, if eaten in moderation – complex carbs that is – are extremely important.

1. The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body
2. Amylase is the main enzyme to help break carbohydrates down into glucose
3. Your body prefers to use glucose as the main source of fuel for daily activity
4. Your muscles need glucose to move and your organs need glucose to function, including your brain

The key is to eat the right type of carbohydrate which we will talk about in later posts.

Be well

Sugar… we all love its’ delicious sweetness it offers to our foods but do we need to be concerned about the effects it has on our body? Well, yes, we do. The bottom line about sugar and really, to lay it out straight; sugar is highly addictive, nutrient depleting, immune suppressing, and a food for bacteria, viruses and tumors.

Years ago, I read an article from a doctor speaking about sugar addiction with a patient. He broached the subject on why she craved so many sweets. She had no response. He decided to dig a little deeper and discovered, along with her, that she was craving sweets because she did not have enough sweetness in her life. This revelation allowed her to make some big changes in her life and allowed her to get off her sugar high and more on a life high. I plan to talk about this amongst other things but first, I will tell you a little bit about the history of sugar.

It is thought that the sugar cane was first discovered in India. During the invasion of India from the Persia, the sugar cane was described as the: “reed which gives honey without bees.”

The sugar cane was kept secret as the people realized it could be exported for high profit. Close to 1000 years later, their secret was revealed with the invasion of Arabs. Knowledge on how to grow the cane and process it led to the journey of sugar traveling to Europe and North Africa. Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the sugar cane and later brought it to America.

Interesting fact: Centuries ago, sugars were quite expensive to produce and only affluent people were able to afford it. What’s interesting is that these affluent people had a higher rate of disease than those who could not afford the sugar. Sugar was referred to as the “evil” as they determined that sugar contributed to disease. Hmmm… I will talk about why this is in later posts.

The Processing of Sugar

Sugar or more specifically sucrose is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable.  Sugar occurs in greatest quantities in sugar cane and sugar beets from which it is separated for commercial use.

In the first stage of processing the natural sugar stored in the cane stalk or beet root is separated from the rest of the plant material by physical methods. For sugar cane, this is accomplished by:

a) pressing the cane to extract the juice containing the sugar

b) boiling the juice until it begins to thicken and sugar begins to crystallize

c) spinning the sugar crystals in a centrifuge to remove the syrup, producing raw sugar; the raw sugar still contains many impurities

d) shipping the raw sugar to a refinery where it is washed and filtered to remove remaining non-sugar ingredients and color crystallizing, drying and packaging the refined sugar

Beet sugar processing is similar, but it is done in one continuous process without the raw sugar stage. The sugar beets are washed, sliced and soaked in hot water to separate the sugar -containing juice from the beet fiber. The sugar-laden juice is purified, filtered, concentrated and dried in a series of steps similar to cane sugar processing.

All this processing stripes away all the nutrients – fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, fat -  that the original plant had to offer. To me, this is a crime.

Next post,  I will dive more into the effects of sugar in the body.

Be well

Kids lead a stressful life. When babies, they are constantly learning – crawling, walking, talking – and as they become older, they are taking tests, dealing with everyday social issues and the emerging hormones.

Stress is a part of everyday life for all, however, the key to handling stress is how you react to it. All stress will negatively affect many parts of the body, especially the immune system, therefore learning tips to handle our everyday stress is very important as a  compromised immune system will adversely affect children’s health. We can help our children by showing them positive ways to deal with everyday stresses and healthy lifestyle ( diet) habits. To have a clearer understanding of stress in the body and the benefits to boost immune system, lets discuss the physiology.

The Physiology of Stress

The big stress hormone we hear about is cortisol. We need this amazing hormone to function everyday in response to stress and anxiety. It begins in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus that will sense a need for cortisol. The hypothalamus will then send a message to the pituitary gland to inform the adrenal glands ( located on top of each kidney) to release cortisol. The majority of cortisol is released in the early mornings – and one could even say that it is the hormone that helps us get out of bed – and then tapers off during the day. On a very positive note, it keeps us going and moving throughout the day, helping us handle everyday stress. However, if too much cortisol is released ( possibly due to increased stress and anxiety) blood sugar and  cholesterol will increase and immune function will decrease. These can led to serious illnesses.

A parents note>: Many parents ask me why their children are fine during the day but as soon as it is bedtime a fever or ear ache will erupt. This is because cortisol is in minimal amounts at night thus the body is more sensitive to pain.

Hans Seyle, M.D wrote a well-known book called the, Stress of Life>. It was given to me during my medical school years and I found it quite a helpful theory in understanding stress and the ability of people to adapt to the pressures of daily life, injury, disease, and relationships. In his book, he spoke about the three stages of adapting to stress:

1.       Alarm – “fight or flight”

2.       A resistance to the stress ( adaption where the body adapts as stress continues)

3.       Exhaustion

The  “fight or flight” is a normal physiological reaction, however, if continually used, the body will adapt and eventually become completely exhausted. In general, stress may be due, on a physical plain, with poor nutrition, poor sleep, pollution, infections, alcohol and/or from a mental state of grief, over worked, anxiety, relationships, anger, aging.

People can make changes to their physical states by eating whole ( non-processed ) colorful foods, and decreasing exposure to pollution and household chemicals. With the mental state, it is not so much whether the situation is pleasant or unpleasant but more so how we react to it.

Tips to Help Handle Stress

Exercise: How? For prevention, take a 15 minute walk outside with the kids. When in a moment, have everyone stop and do 10 jumping jack ( usually everyone will begin laughing which will add more stress reduction!)

Color: How?  Eat whole ( non processed) colorful nutrient packed foods at every meal. Avoid white foods: sugar, bread, rice which are all simple carbohydrates and will peak blood sugar levels and may cause emotional outbursts.

Structure: How?  To keep the blood sugar levels stable eat a structured and regular meal plan – 3 meals a day – plus healthy snacks in between. Adding a protein source to each meal is helpful in stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Drink: How?  Drink pure filtered water. If plain water doesn’t excite the kids, infuse with colorful lemons and oranges.

Sleep: How?  Choose a peaceful CD and listen to it only at bed or nap times. This will help relax kids and allow for a full night sleep.

Laugh: How? Get in the habit of telling jokes as laughing strengthens the immune system.

Teach: How? Teach your children to take deep belly breaths.

The key is to be aware of what is going on in your life as well as your child’s and finding more ways to bring joy, laughter and happiness in.

Bringing the green indoors

Not only do houseplants bring both beauty and peace in our homes and they are able to break down these toxins by breathing in carbon dioxide and churning out oxygen thus making indoor air quality much cleaner. Yes, remembering to water them maybe challenging but engaging kids to help, can aid in the keeping them alive.

Here are some suggestions (and they are quite easy to find at a nursery).

• Most palms are great but others include: areca, lady, and dwarf date palm
• Rubber plants
• English ivy
• Peace lily
• Spider plant

Greening your household cleaners

It’s time to get under your kitchen sink (or wherever you keep those cleaning products) and take some notice to the cleaning products you are using. Take a moment to look at the label. Most store bought cleaners are filled with harmful ingredients that have been linked to many diseases – from asthma to skin irritations and possibly a contributor to cancer.

Be wary of:

Chlorine bleach – It is a poisonous gas (and make sure, if you do use it, never to mix it with acid or ammonia-containing cleaners as it becomes a highly toxic gas).

Phosphates – You will find these mostly in your dish soap and laundry detergents. Phosphates are harmful because when there are more phosphates in our waters, algae blooms will occur and begin to deplete the oxygen in the water. Not good for the fish and other water dwelling animals.

Glycol ether, alkylphenol ethoxylates found in window cleaners and laundry detergents may be a contributing factor to many nose, throat and lung irritation ( liver too, as, it has to detoxify it!), and skin irritation.

Labels need to be read fully even if they read, natural, biodegradable or nontoxic.

Begin using:

Lemons (cuts grease, smells great and even can lift stains) and, white vinegar (mix with water – 1/4 cup of vinegar to 1 cup of water).

Mr. Myers, Ecover, Bon Ami and Seventh Generation products are fabulous eco- friendly companies.

The Spring is the perfect time to optimize your liver function. The liver works hard in our body and has a major role in metabolism – detoxifying, making bile, hormone production to name only a few. Not only will your liver appreciate the TLC but your whole body will benefit  from the extra attention.

12 foods the liver adores

This is a perfect place to begin. They will all help in their own ways to revive a sluggish liver (congestion) and help with any inflammation.

Apples

Artichokes

Beets and Beet greens

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower

Turmeric (spice … good to add to rice)

Garlic

Olives

Radish

Raspberries

Kale

Cherries

Liver loving teas

Sip on these flavors during the day and even make an iced herbal tea pitcher to keep in the fridge.

Green tea, white tea, dandelion tea, milk thistle.

What is an emunctory?

An emunctory is an organ or duct that removes or carries waste from the body.

Emunctories allow the body to cleanse out the unwanted wastes (carbon dioxide, toxins, cholesterol)  in our bodies through the skin, urinary, digestive, and respiratory systems. Sometime our bodies get a little overwhelmed and need some help to get the emunctory systems working optimally. Here are a few tips to help out our bodies:

1. Sweat

• There are 2 things I suggest to people to get sweating … one is exercising and the other if getting in a sauna. I personally love doing both and encourage my patients to do the same.

2. Hydrate

• Drink more water. A few years back, I had a 7 year old patient who was having constant headaches. After careful observations ( and a check- up with her ophthalmologist), we realized she drank no water. We switched her juice intake to herbal iced tea and water infused with lemons and oranges. Not only did she feel better, she preformed better at everything she was partaking in.

3. Eat more fiber (and colorful foods)

• The easier way to get more fiber in your diet is to color your plate. The second easiest way is to add seeds (flax, hemp, chia), and nuts to your smoothies, cereals, cookies, and salads. Fiber will bind to toxins in the body and will help them to be eliminated through the digestive system (stool).

4. Breath

• Take 3 deeps belly breaths and exhale out. This is hard for many as in general, we have a tendency to shallow breath. Deep breathing helps the lungs push out the carbon dioxide that the body has accumulated and it also, calms and centers us.

These four suggestions are simple, easy to implement and can really make a great difference in your health.