Hormones, Part 3: Rebalancing

As you read on Wednesday, when our cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin levels are out of balance, our health suffers. It starts with minor symptoms and can progress to more serious issues.

So what are some ways to rebalance these hormone levels? I’ll give you one guess… nutrition! Oh, and exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle choices will help too.

Nutrition

• Never skip meals! When you do, your blood sugar gets out of whack and you tend to experience increased cravings and mood swings. Not to mention your metabolism slows down because it’s waiting for the next time you eat.

• Focus on whole foods and avoid processed or refined foods whenever possible. Whole foods supply us with the vitamins and minerals we need to sustain the processes inside of our body. When we don’t get enough of these important nutrients, our organs and tissues suffer, leading to health symptoms.

• Make sure that each meal and snack you eat contains a balance of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. All of these components are needed for balance. So, for example, instead of having an apple for a snack, try an apple with almond butter for dipping and some whole grain crackers.

• Include fresh fruits and vegetables into your nutrition plan.

• Drink plenty of water each day! Remember, the minimum is half of your body weight in ounces, each day. Increase this if you exercise, live in a dry climate, drink caffeine, consume sugar, or consume alcohol.

Stress Management

This is something that all of us probably need to work on. Why does managing stress aid in balancing the hormones? Because hormones are often secreted in response to stress, which contributes to an excess inside of the body. Make downtime an important part of each day. It can be something as simple as spending 5-10 minutes reading a good book each afternoon, or listening to music before you fall asleep at night. When you are feeling overwhelmed, practice deep breathing to keep yourself centered.

Exercise

It is important to include a variety of exercises into your routine: flexibility and calming exercises; resistance training; and cardiovascular or stimulating exercises. Rather than just running every day or lifting weights a few times a week, try a combination of running, walking, yoga, pilates, and swimming, for example. However, remember that exercising too much can wear the body out and lead to poor health by the buildup of oxidants. It is important to find the right balance and not overdo it.

Lifestyle

The last component to balancing your hormones is your lifestyle choices. Try to make decisions that will add to a healthy environment. Educate yourself on how toxins affect your hormones and your health, whether they are coming from things like lotions or shampoos, laundry detergents, or your food.

There are many components to finding a balance, and if you can work slowly in each category above, you WILL notice a difference in your mood, energy and overall health.

Hormones, Part 2: Cortisol, Adrenaline & Insulin

Now that we know about biochemicals and that hormones play an important role in keeping the biochemicals balanced, let’s learn more about these specific hormones.

Cortisol

Cortisol’s many functions include preventing blood sugar from falling too low, aiding the liver in energy storage and new sugar production for energy, mobilizing energy to the brain so we can think and act more efficiently, and fighting inflammation throughout the body. All good things! However, too much cortisol can lead to a serious imbalance within the body. Cortisol production can become out of balance as a result of STRESS: emotional stress, nutritional stress, chemical stress, physiological stress, or hormonal stress. When we have excess cortisol production, we use up our structural and functional biochemicals very quickly and become depleted. This leads to symptoms such as depression, memory loss, loss of lean body tissue, bone loss, type II diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides, redistribution of fat to midsection, high blood pressure, weakened immunity, and inflammation throughout the body.

Adrenaline

Adrenaline is also known as the “fight or flight” hormone, which I write about every now and then. It is secreted in large amounts when we are under any type of stress, and is secreted in smaller, more regularized amounts constantly to help the body do things like maintain heart beat, access biochemicals, break down food for energy, and break down old cells to rebuild new ones. High adrenaline levels can be addicting in the short-term, because they demand the use of all of our biochemicals which leads to a false sense of optimal health. This is why people may experience a “high” or energy burst when they are under tight deadlines or when they are in a dangerous situation and must act quickly and smartly. However, over time too much adrenaline production can lead to the body using up its storage of biochemicals faster than it can rebuild them. This leads to any of the following symptoms: agitation, anxiety, nervousness, bladder urgency, blurred vision, emotional intensity, excessive sweating, heart palpitations, inability to fall or stay asleep, loose bowels, headaches, mental exhaustion, and flulike symptoms.

Insulin

I write about insulin often in relation to blood sugar imbalances. Insulin is another very useful hormone, as it helps keep the body from using up too many biochemicals and is a major rebuilding hormone (assuming one is eating the proper nutrients). However, lifestyle-based insulin disorders are caused by the under- or over-secretion of insulin due to daily poor nutrition and/or lifestyle habits. These can include a diet too high in refined carbohydrates or processed foods; over-exercising OR not enough exercise; over-consumption of alcohol; smoking or drug use; and more. High levels of insulin lead to oxidation, which is the forming of free radicals inside the body. Eventually one will become insulin-resistant, which causes chronic high insulin levels. The following are symptoms of insulin-resistance: fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, irritability, anxiety, loose bowels or constipation, panic attacks, severe sugar cravings, acne, depression, infertility and/or irregular menstrual cycles, and weight gain. If left untreated, insulin resistance will eventually lead to poor health and disease, including things like high cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension, type II diabetes, coronary and cerebral atherosclerosis, and even cancer.

Now that we know a little more about these three important hormones, we need to know how to rebalance them! On Friday, I will address this issue, including nutritional protocols for rebalancing the hormones.

Hormones, Part 1: The Biochemicals

One of the things I love about holistic nutrition is that when people switch to a whole foods-based diet and significantly reduce or eliminate things like processed foods, trans fats and refined sugars, they experience relief from many symptoms, not just the one they were originally targeting. For example, a client may start to lose weight (the original goal), but in addition they have more energy, begin sleeping through the night, have their acne clear up, or eliminate chronic constipation. This creates a cycle of increased self-awareness and more consistent healthy eating!

These changes take place because whole foods have the power to alter the balance inside the body to a more favorable, healthy state. Hormones are partially responsible for this conversion. Hormones keep our body in (or out of) balance, and many external factors affect this balance.

The first thing to understand is what our body’s biochemicals are. Biochemicals are the different chemicals inside the body that keep it functioning well. They are constantly undergoing chemical reactions and being used up. Nutrients from the food we eat provide the materials needed for rebuilding our biochemicals – a process called regeneration. Metabolism is the sum of all of these reactions. So, without biochemicals, our metabolism slows and we begin to feel symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, digestive distress, anxiety, stress, food cravings, skin rashes or acne, and more. Things like alcohol, processed foods, refined sugars, and stress use up our biochemicals rapidly. But with a whole foods-based diet, we are constantly replenishing our biochemicals and allowing our systems to function more optimally.

There are structural, functional, and energy biochemicals. Structural biochemicals include our cells, organs, glands, teeth, hair, skin, nails, muscles, bones, and tissues. Our functional biochemicals include hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes, cell mediators, and antibodies. Finally, our energy biochemicals include sugar, triglycerides, and glycogen.

One way to keep our biochemicals replenished and functioning properly is to keep our hormones in balance. Later this week, I’ll talk about three hormones that are crucial for internal balance: cortisol, adrenaline and insulin. These hormones are commonly out of balance and are partially the cause of many negative health symptoms that people experience.

Date Sugar

My little sis lives on her own now, and she frequently calls or texts me from the grocery store to ask about a certain food or new product. She is a conscious shopper, which is something I encourage everyone to be. She also isn’t afraid to try new foods. This is so important – if you get into a routine of buying the same things at the grocery store each week, you will never learn about new foods and eating becomes more of a chore and less enjoyable.

This week, sis asked me what I think about date sugar. Although I have baked with dates, I have never tried date sugar before (new food!), so I had to do a little research. What I found is that date sugar is simply dehydrated dates, and it is used as a sugar for sweetening or baking – similar to the way you’d use brown sugar. Bob’s Red Mill makes date sugar, and this is a company that has very reputable products that are minimally processed.

Date sugar seems like a good sugar alternative if you like the flavor of dates. However, IT IS STILL SUGAR! That is the key point I want to make. Just because the sugar comes from a date does not make it any healthier or react any differently inside the body. Keep in mind that most of the regular white sugar we see comes from beets – a root vegetable! But that doesn’t mean we’re eating veggies when we consume sugar.

My advice on sugar is this: if you like something sweet every once in a while, choose something that is made with REAL ingredients: butter, eggs, whole wheat flour, and – most importantly – a form of real sugar. This will be more likely to satisfy your craving, and then you can get back to your healthy diet. Artificial sugars have countless side effects to our body and its many systems, including neurological, psychological, gastrointestinal, and endocrine issues. Since our body does not recognize “fake” sugars, they are not processed like real food and instead are deposited into our tissues, where over time they build up and cause symptoms. While symptoms may start small, such as occasional headaches, they can quickly progress to much more serious health issues.

But consuming too much real sugar isn’t great either. Which leads me into my topic for next week: hormones! We have been learning a lot about hormones and it’s one of my favorite topics, because it seems that balancing hormones is one of the major components of health and well-being. Next week I’ll talk more about hormones – specifically adrenaline, cortisol and insulin – and the important roles they play in the body.

Heart Disease & Your Genes

Did you know that you can use nutrition to actually affect your genes?

We read a book last week for my Life Cycles class called Feed Your Genes Right by Jack Challem. It was fascinating to learn about how important diet is in turning on or off the genes we may have for certain diseases and conditions. Recent research shows that genes are NOT rigid determinants of our health. We all have the ability to improve the way our genes function through nutrition and other lifestyle improvements. So, no more blaming things on genes!

Nutrients are literally the building blocks of our bodies. If our nutrition is poor, our bodies will have an incomplete, unhealthy foundation. People often do not realize that genes are not fixed; rather, they are flexible and continuously responding to the nutrients we put inside of our bodies, as well as to our emotions and stress levels.

Certain nutrients affect our genes in very specific ways. For example, sugary foods and refined carbohydrates boost our levels of insulin, a hormone that alters gene activity and increases risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables and seafood actually turn off many of our disease-promoting genes, and foods such as kiwis and berries can both prevent gene damage and also repair genes that have already been damaged. As you can see, choosing nutrients wisely can truly affect your health!

Heart disease is characterized by a thickening of the inner walls of the arteries within the heart (sometimes referred to as atherosclerosis). This reduces blood flow, thereby slowing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Some people have genes that predispose them to cardiovascular disease. However, cardiovascular disease can almost always be offset by healthy eating and lifestyle choices.

There are some different genes people inherit that are related to heart disease:

• There are genes that lead to inefficient utilization of MTHFR, an enzyme necessary for folic acid utilization. This leads to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

• Some genes can cause elevated homocysteine levels in the body, a common risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Homocysteine damages the cells that line blood vessel walls, leading to cholesterol deposits.

• Some genes cause cholesterol-transporting proteins to behave inefficiently. This can lead to higher blood-cholesterol levels and increased chance of heart attack.

• Certain genes lead to LDL (“bad” cholesterol) being more susceptible to oxidation. Oxidation occurs when people have a poor diet that includes fried, fatty or sugary foods. Oxidized LDL triggers an inflammatory response that leads to heart disease. During the inflammatory response, white blood cells capture oxidized LDL and then release them into blood vessel walls, causing damage.

Below are some nutrients that are very important for someone who has genes for heart disease. Try to incorporate them into your diet in the form of whole foods. However, supplementing can also be very helpful.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E helps prevent LDL oxidation. People with high cholesterol have a greater need for vitamin E because there is more oxidation inside their bodies. Whole food sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, papaya, and leafy greens.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C will work with vitamin E to reduce levels of oxidation inside the body. A lot of research has linked vitamin C intake to longevity and decreased risk of heart attack and stroke. Vitamin C also helps manufacture the heart cells and maintain structure and flexibility of the blood vessels. Whole food sources include papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, kiwi, cauliflower and kale.

CoQ10: CoQ10, like vitamins E and C, will reduce oxidation and help keep blood vessel walls clear. People with heart failure almost always have low levels of CoQ10. CoQ10 also helps prevent thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle, which leads to poor function. Whole food sources of CoQ10 include sardines, mackerel, grass-fed meats (especially organ meats like liver), pastured eggs, spinach and broccoli.

Essential Fatty Acids: EFAs work to reduce inflammation in the body. Heart disease is an inflammatory disorder of the blood levels, so EFAs are crucial for those predisposed to cardiovascular disease. Processed and sugary foods provide excessive amounts of the nutrients involved in the body’s inflammatory response. However, EFAs such as omega-3 fish oils have an anti-inflammatory effect. Gamma-linolenic acid, oleic acid and antioxidants also support the body’s anti-inflammatory process. Whole food sources of EFAs include coldwater fish such as salmon, herring and tuna; evening primrose oil; flaxseed oil; and olive oil.

How's Your Inner Ecosystem?

We have spent the past week or two talking about body ecology in class. This relates to the levels of friendly and unfriendly bacteria that reside in our digestive tracts. Everyone has a different body ecology that depends on a variety of factors, such as the ecology your mother passed onto you at birth, the environment you live in, the foods you eat, and more.

Friendly bacteria strengthen our immune system, help us defend against bad bacteria and pathogens, and keep our inner ecosystem in balance. However, things such as stress, food chemicals or additives, environmental pollutants, and medicine use (especially antibiotics and hormones) can disrupt this balanced ecosystem. This leads to a weakened body where unfriendly bacteria begin to rapidly multiply.

When we have too much unfriendly bacteria inside of us, we can begin to experience symptoms like headaches, rashes, food allergies, and more. When we have frequent or long-term antibiotic use, regular use of the birth control pill, regular use of cortisone-type drugs, or a poor diet, we are prone to yeast overgrowth inside the body (sometimes referred to as Candida). Symptoms of yeast overgrowth include the following:

• Food allergies or intolerances

• Skin rashes

• Digestive distress

• Chronic constipation

• Recurrent headaches

• Recurrent yeast infections in women

• Chemical and environmental sensitivities

• Poor memory or mental fuzziness

• Prostate problems in men

• Cravings for sweets, breads or alcohol

• Depression or mood swings

• Recurrent skin fungus such as jock itch or ringworm

• Toe or fingernail fungus or other problems

Symptoms of yeast overgrowth can begin to show up early on, and if identified correctly, you can make appropriate changes to fight the yeast and restore the friendly bacteria balance inside of you. However, if you let them persist, your body can become an environment where more serious disease could begin to take over.

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that can help restore our inner balance. They help white blood cells fight disease, control putrefactive bacteria in the intestines, provide nutrients for building the blood, assist with digestion, help prevent diarrhea and constipation, manufacture B-vitamins, and contribute to healthy bowel elimination.

If you suspect you may have a yeast overgrowth based on some of the symptoms listed above, I suggest doing more research. For someone with too much yeast, diet should include foods such as non-starchy vegetables; lemons, limes, currants and cranberries (other fruits contain too much sugar); freshly-pressed, organic, unrefined seeds oils; olive oil and coconut oil; grass-fed beef and poultry; fish; pastured eggs; raw almonds; flax, sunflower, caraway and pumpkin seeds; and gluten-free grains such as quinoa, millet and amaranth. There are also certain foods that will feed the yeast, and should therefore be excluded from the diet until the yeast is under control. These are foods such as breads and flour products; dairy products; alcohol; citric acid; legumes, beans and peanuts; sugars; and anything processed.

Exercise is also very important, as it helps relieve stress and stimulate the mind. Echinacea, dandelion root tea, and other teas will help strengthen your immunity, which can be down as a result of too much yeast. Finally, encourage your liver to cleanse with things like herbs, probiotics, acupuncture and exercise.

Lesson on Fruits & Vegetables

My parents send me the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter each month. I always enjoy reading it. However, sometimes I am a bit surprised at what I read.

This month, there is a brief article about how Americans are falling short of their fruit and vegetable intake (no surprise). California is the state that ate the most fruit (again, not a huge surprise), and Tennessee scored the most points with veggies (HUGE surprise!). But then I kept reading, and this was the last sentence of the article:

“…orange juice is the most popular fruit choice and white potatoes (often consumed as French fries) are the favorite vegetable.”

Let me just clear some things up. First of all, orange juice is NOT a fruit. I shouldn’t need to explain this, but fruits are whole fruits, and fruit juices are simply not fruits. Juice is the sugar, and some vitamins, extracted from a whole fruit. Most fruit juices have additional ingredients like artificial colors, flavors or additives. They are highly concentrated in sugar and should never be counted as one of your daily servings of fruit! I think parents are quick to assume that if their child is drinking orange juice, they are getting their daily fruit, but I disagree. Freshly squeezed (at home, by yourself) orange juice or other juices made in a juicer will have more nutrients than any juice bought in the store. Store-bought juice does contain some nutrients, but it is mostly a way for you or your child to get sugar into their body quickly. Water is a better alternative! I know some mothers who have never once brought juice into their homes, and I think this is a great idea.

Secondly, French fries are barely considered a vegetable, at least in my book. White potatoes are a starch, and while they do contain some great nutrients like vitamin C and potassium, by the time you have sliced, seasoned and fried them in oil, they hardly resemble a vegetable. I love to eat French fries occasionally, just like everyone else. However, I would never count them in my daily veggie intake. In fact, if anything I’d feel they were working against me.

These things may be clear to you already, but I just wanted to point them out. It’s a good reminder to look closely when you read a study or a claim in this type of newsletter. If Americans are falling short of their fruit and vegetable intake, and the ones they ARE consuming consist of fruits like orange juice and vegetables like French fries, then we definitely have a serious problem! Remember to get plenty of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables each day, whether you eat them plain or cook them into a dish. The best way to do this is to eat most of your meals at home, or pack your meals to go if you need to eat at the office during the day. When you eat out, focus on dishes that are mainly protein and vegetables, and don’t be shy about substituting your French fries for a salad or some steamed veggies.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, PWN!

Today you are 1.

You have taught us a lot over the past year! We learned about the benefits of apple cider vinegar, the truth behind some of our favorite foods like agave nectar and bagels, the importance of eating raw honey, and what bioavailability means. We also learned about the importance of certain foods, like coconut oil and kale, and how certain mechanisms work inside of our bodies, like vitamin D and metabolism.

Looking forward to all that Year 2 has to offer…

Changes at PWN Blog

Tomorrow marks the 1-year anniversary of the PWN blog! I cannot believe that it’s been an entire year since I embarked on this little nutrition blogging experiment. My original intent was to share some bits of nutrition wisdom that I was picking up at school and in my other experiences, and I stuck with this all year. I also set a goal for myself: to blog every weekday, with the exception of a few holidays and vacations when it would be extremely difficult to blog. I am happy to say that I accomplished this!

Unfortunately, my goals for year 2 are not quite as ambitious… at least in the blogging world. I am well into my second (and final) year of nutrition school, and it is much busier than the first. Besides being a full-time student, I am working as an intern at Belly Bliss, teaching nutrition at the University of Denver as part of a 1-year research study in the psychology department, and seeing clients – both over the phone and in person. All of these things are exciting and I absolutely love being immersed in the nutrition world. However, in order to stay afloat, I have decided to cut back on blogging. I should probably also mention that I am 4 months pregnant with our first baby, so selfishly I’d like a little extra time to nest as well!

I’m still planning on blogging – especially when I come across something that I think all of you will appreciate or benefit from. It will just be less frequent – think once or twice per week instead of five days per week. And I hope you will continue to leave me comments and e-mail me with things you’d like to learn more about! It is always helpful to hear from you.

Thank you for being my loyal readers. I hope you continue to follow PWN and continue to learn more about nutrition and health. And an extra big thanks to my #1 fan – you know who you are.

In the meantime, continue to eat well. Please keep me in mind if you or someone you know is interested in nutritional counseling. Right now I am offering my student rate through June. You can check out my website here for more information. Also, remember that I do phone consultations as well as in-person visits, so if you don’t live in the Denver area, we can still work together.

Have a great week everyone!

Feeding Children

One of my recent assignments was to come up with a 1-page client handout on issues that come up with children and eating. Let me begin by saying that there is absolutely NO WAY to fit all of the potential issues onto one page only! Feeding issues with kids can start the moment you introduce solid foods, and can last their entire lives if not handled carefully. There will always be the normal problems like picky eating, refusing to try something new, or only wanting sugar. But these things can be managed if the parents are educated on how to approach the issues. The goal should be to raise a child that has healthy eating habits – not only in regards to what they choose to eat, but also why they eat and how food fits into their life.

So, I did the best I could to make a 1-page handout that at least presents the idea of healthy feeding habits for parents and kids. I’ll provide the highlights here. Each family will do things slightly differently, and that is great! And when issues arise, each child may need a slightly different approach to dealing with that issue. A nutritionist or feeding specialist can help you figure out the best way to create a healthy meal environment in your home.

• At all costs, avoid power struggles during mealtime or snacktime. A child who associates eating with stress will have a difficult time ever having a healthy relationship with food.

• Parents are in charge ALWAYS! They decide WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE their kids will eat. The kids can then decide IF they will eat, and if so, HOW MUCH they will eat.

• It’s okay to serve desserts on some nights. Don’t be afraid to serve it with the rest of the meal, and let your child choose what he eats off of his plate. If dessert is always saved for last and withheld until the child eats the other foods on their plate, they will begin to associate sugar with “yummy” and vegetables and meats with “yucky”. Bottom line: kids always want what they can’t have!

The following symptoms could indicate a nutritional deficiency, allergy or intolerance in your child:

• Dry or rough skin, hair, or nails

• White spots on fingernails

• Constipation or diarrhea

• Constant cravings for sweets

• Hyperactivity

• Irritability

• Difficulty sleeping

• Diaper rash

• Eczema or other skin rashes

• Chronic ear infections

• Stomachaches

• Recurrent respiratory tract infections

Some common nutrient deficiencies in children include essential fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, B-vitamins, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. A nutritionist can help you determine if your child has a deficiency.

Here are some tips for making mealtimes more pleasant:

• Place toddlers in a high chair that allows them to sit right up at the table with the rest of the family. This helps them feel included in the meal time, and also allows them to view how mom and dad and older siblings are modeling good eating habits.

• Mom and Dad absolutely MUST lead by example. Choose a variety of healthy foods and don’t be a picky eater! Most of the time, kids grow up with similar eating habits as their parents.

• Refrain from commenting on how much or how little your child is eating. Do not reward them for cleaning their plate, and do not scold them for eating nothing.

• Include your kids in discussions at the meal table.

• Involve kids in meal planning and preparation to keep them interested and excited. Grow a garden and let them help harvest, or let them choose their favorite vegetables at the grocery store.

Many of these things are pretty basic, but it’s always a good reminder for parents. Another helpful tip I heard was to evaluate your child’s eating based on one week’s worth of meals. One day they may eat only raspberries, and another day they may hate raspberries and eat 3 well-rounded meals. That’s okay! Just as long as they are getting the nutrients they need over the course of a week.