What's a Turnip?

I am embarrassed to say that this nutritionist has NO CLUE what the difference is between a turnip and a beet. We got both (I think) in our CSA last week, and as I was juicing them Ed asked, “Is that a beet?” to which I replied “I have no idea.” I know what a beet is, and how to identify one, because we eat them a lot at our house. I always thought turnips were similar, but I’ve never cooked with them before so I didn’t really know.

My mom grew and cooked tons of different veggies when we were growing up, so I always felt like I had a good knowledge base of different foods. But for some reason I never picked up on turnips, and in my head they are similar to beets but in reality I don’t know! So, I thought I’d devote this Friday to solving this mystery (well, it’s a mystery to me, anyway, probably not to the rest of you!).

According to Wikipedia (my trusty source), a turnip is a root vegetable that is known for its whitish bulb or root. Most are white with a little red, purple or green on the top of the root, and the interior flesh is entirely white. Baby turnips come in red, yellow and orange and can be eaten raw, like a radish. It also says that turnips are often grown as feed for livestock. Hmmm.

Turnip greens are commonly eaten because they are so nutrient-dense. Just 1 cup contains 650% of your daily vitamin K; 150% of vitamin A; and loads of vitamin C, folate, fiber and calcium. The actual root part of the veggie is full of vitamin C, folate, fiber, calcium, vitamin B6 and copper, and is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables (along with cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and more). So, it has the same cancer-fighting and other health benefits as these other veggies. Learning all of this makes me want to eat more turnips!

So this mystery vegetable I was juicing was completely red on the outside, but mostly white with some red stripes on the inside. I’m guessing it was more turnip than beet, because beets are so vibrant on the inside. But it didn’t look 100% turnip to me… maybe we’ll call it a turbeet.

Well, at least now I know the difference! I am a little embarrassed about my lack of knowledge but I figure I’m allowed some of that since I’m still a student…

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sleep Deficit

I have a book called Smart Medicine for Healthier Living, and one section of the book talks about how to determine if you are suffering from a “sleep deficit”. When I read it, I couldn’t help but think that most of us are suffering from a sleep deficit based on the criteria presented. The book said that quality of sleep is something to pay attention to, and if you are experiencing any of the following, you may have a sleep deficit:

• Healthy sleepers generally take about 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you are not getting enough sleep, you may fall asleep in 5 minutes or less.

• If you wake up repeatedly in the middle of the night or toss and turn, you may have a sleep deficit. If the alarm clock jars you awake, you are not getting enough sleep. You should awaken naturally without an alarm clock, and feel well-rested upon awakening (if any of you actually wake up at the proper time each morning without an alarm clock, please e-mail me your secrets!).

• If you find yourself nodding off during the day, you may have a sleep deficit. People who are getting enough sleep will feel alert, rested, and will find it almost impossible to nap during daylight hours.

Anyone else just self-diagnose a sleep deficit?! I guess the lesson is that we ALL need more sleep, and it should be a constant priority in our lives.

In addition to melatonin and magnesium, valerian root extract can be helpful for those who don’t sleep very well. Valerian root is a mood-balancing herb that acts as a sedative. It calms the nervous system when someone is stressed or anxious, and studies have shown that it can be just as powerful as prescription drugs used for insomnia. A proper dose would be about 300-500mg taken 1 hour before bedtime.

That wraps up sleep week – hope you guys learned something and will make the effort to get a touch more sleep at night! It’s so important for long-term health and overall well-being, and will make you much happier on a day-to-day basis.

Melatonin

Yesterday I talked about the importance of sleep, some common causes of insomnia, and a few nutrients that can benefit those who are having trouble sleeping through the night. Today I want to focus on a hormone that is critical for proper sleep: melatonin.

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by our pineal gland, located in the brain. Although many don’t think of it as one, melatonin is actually an extremely powerful antioxidant – more so than vitamin C, vitamin E or beta carotene. It has the ability to prevent oxidation reactions, which can eventually lead to health issues such as heart disease, cancer, and more. Melatonin also stimulates the immune system; helps with production of estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones; supports reproductive health; and can even slow the growth of existing cancers.

The most commonly understood role of melatonin, however, is to regulate sleep. It is secreted in response to darkness at the end of each day, and these hormones are what help slow our bodies down before bedtime. When daylight hits our retina as the sun comes up in the morning, neural impulses cause melatonin production to slow and we naturally begin to feel more awake. While lightness and darkness both play extremely important roles in melatonin production, there are other things that influence it as well:

• Eating regular meals helps keep your body in sync with the rhythms of the day. A fairly regular routine, including time of day meals are eaten, will strengthen melatonin production.

• At nighttime, as melatonin production begins, digestion slows. Eating a lighter meal at night and waiting a couple of hours between dinner and bedtime can help with proper melatonin production. If you happen to eat a large meal right before bedtime, melatonin production will actually slow or stop the digestion process, causing digestive discomfort and difficulty sleeping.

• Avoiding stimulants such as coffee, soda, and other energy drinks will help support and protect your melatonin production process.

• Late night exercise or other forms of intense activity can actually delay melatonin production at night. The best time to exercise for those who have insomnia is in the morning light.

Supplementation with melatonin can be very helpful for those who are not producing enough on their own. There are many reasons someone may not be producing enough melatonin, including poor diet, blood sugar issues or hormonal imbalance. Melatonin supplements can be taken by both adults and children who suffer from insomnia, and there are very few side effects. They are also used to ease PMS symptoms, boost immunity, prevent memory loss, and support those who have heart disease, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Supplements should be taken within 2 hours of bedtime, and should sustain you throughout the night without making you feel groggy in the morning. If you do feel groggy, you are taking too much and should reduce your dosage.

Note: Although there are not necessarily toxic levels of melatonin, some people should talk to their doctor before taking it. Pregnant or nursing women should avoid taking melatonin, as well as those trying to conceive, as it is known to act as a contraceptive. People with severe allergies, autoimmune disease, lymphoma, or leukemia should also avoid taking melatonin. Finally, melatonin supplements can suppress your natural production of melatonin, so if you do not have difficulty sleeping I don’t recommend taking melatonin supplements or it will throw your natural rhythms off.

The Value of Sleep

Most of us love doing it but don’t get enough of it. Although much about sleep is still a mystery to us, one thing is certain: we need it. Lots of it. And if you don’t look like this girl every night – sleeping peacefully, calmly and effortlessly – then you may benefit from a little nutritional advice when it comes to sleep.

Things like impaired sleep, altered sleep patterns and sleep deprivation can significantly hurt mental and physical function, both in the short-term and the long-term. One statistic I read says that about 1/3 of all Americans experience insomnia on a regular basis, with about 10 million people using prescription drugs to help them fall asleep (Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Murray & Pizzorno). That’s shocking! Or, maybe not...

The most common causes of insomnia are depression, anxiety, grief and tension. However, there are also compounds in certain foods, drinks and prescription drugs that can interfere with sleep. Usually, it’s a combination of psychological factors and something in the person’s diet that cause the insomnia.

A lack of calcium and magnesium can really affect sleep. It may not prevent someone from falling asleep, however it can cause them to wake up after a few hours and have trouble falling back to sleep. Calcium has a calming effect, and magnesium helps relax the muscles. The magnesium helps calcium become absorbed, and when taken together they can improve sleep for some people.

There are some other evening habits that can improve sleep for many. Eating right before bed is not good. As I’ve mentioned before, your body doesn’t love multi-tasking. So, when you eat right before bed you are asking your body to make a decision: digest, or sleep? If it chooses to digest, your sleep will be restless. If it chooses to sleep, you may wake up a few hours later with an upset stomach. So, allow yourself about 2 hours after dinner to digest your food before you jump into bed.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning it cannot be created by our bodies and must be obtained from food. It’s a precursor to serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that converts to melatonin, which helps us sleep. I’ll talk more about melatonin tomorrow, but the point here is that we all need to include foods containing tryptophan in our diet on a regular basis. Foods high in tryptophan include oats, dates, bananas, figs, nut butter, tuna, turkey, whole grains, yogurt, eggs, fish, chickpeas, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Oh, and let’s not forget chocolate! (But, unfortunately, chocolate also contains caffeine, which can impair sleep…).

Over the next couple of days I’ll talk more about the things that can help you obtain better quality sleep. It’s so important, and sometimes really small changes can make a huge difference.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10, called CoQ10 or ubiquinone, is one of those “new” nutrients that we’ve been hearing a lot about lately. It’s an antioxidant that plays a very important role in energy production for each cell of our body. CoQ10 is found in all of our tissues and helps with circulation, boosts immunity, increases oxygen flow to our tissues, and has strong antiaging effects. Things such as periodontal disease, diabetes and muscular dystrophy are all linked to CoQ10 deficiency.

Although CoQ10 can be synthesized within the body, deficiencies still exist. Certain nutritional deficiencies can cause the body to slow production of CoQ10. Also, if tissues are damaged from injury, poor nutrition, or something else, more CoQ10 is needed and therefore one could become deficient. Since people over the age of 50 tend to have increased CoQ10 requirements (due to normal wear and tear on the body, prolonged nutritional deficiencies, or other health issues), many of them become deficient and therefore experience decreased immunity and other complications.

Since the heart is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body, it is especially sensitive to CoQ10 levels. About 50-70% of those who have heart disease are also deficient in CoQ10 (Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Murray & Pizzorno). In addition, certain cardiovascular diseases such as angina, hypertension, and congestive heart failure all require an increased level of CoQ10. In a study done at the University of Texas, people who were being treated for congestive heart failure using CoQ10 in addition to conventional treatments had a 75% chance of survival after three years, compared with those who used only conventional treatment and ended up with a 25% chance of survival (Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Balch).

Another use for CoQ10 is to fight histamine. Therefore, those with allergies, asthma or other respiratory issues can benefit from increased CoQ10 as well.

For those who decide to supplement with CoQ10, most dosages are between 50 and 100 mg and can be taken anywhere from 1-3 times per day. Oil-based forms are the most bioavailable to our bodies, and if you can find one that contains a small amount of vitamin E, that is even better. Vitamin E helps to preserve the CoQ10 until it is taken. Since CoQ10 is oil soluble, it is best absorbed when taken with oily or fatty foods.

Some whole food sources of CoQ10 include mackerel, salmon, sardines, beef, peanuts and spinach. However, for people with any of the above issues, supplemental forms are most helpful in addition to getting it from whole foods. As always, consult your doctor before beginning any supplements.

I wanted to do this quick piece on CoQ10 because I think many of us hear about it but possibly do not fully understand when and why it is used. For the remainder of the week, I’d like to focus on something that is very important for each one of us: SLEEP! The nutrition / sleep connection is a strong one, so check back tomorrow for some important information…

Recipe: Stuffed Zucchini

I made these twice in the past week and both times they turned out great, so I thought I’d share. This was inspired by the e-mail newsletter we receive each week from Grant Family Farms, the farm that provides our CSA veggies. They always include recipes that you can try with your weekly vegetables, which is very helpful! Anyway, they had one for stuffed zucchini and I adapted it to include the ingredients we had. Enjoy!

Recipe

2 zucchinis or summer squash

1 large tomato

1/3 large onion

3-4 garlic cloves

8 olives, pitted

2 tbsp capers

fresh herbs (I used parsley, cilantro and basil from our garden)

olive oil

sea salt and pepper

Soak herbs and let dry. In the food processor, finely chop the onion and garlic. Sautee in a pan for 3-4 minutes (I used coconut oil for this). Set aside.

Chop tomatoes in food processor and put into a bowl. Chop herbs and olives and add to tomatoes. Add cooled onion and garlic to the mixture, as well as the capers, a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Mix well.

Slice zucchinis or summer squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the middle “pulp” to create a boat. Scoop the veggie & herb mixture into the zucchini halves. Bake at 360 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until zucchini has softened.

This would probably taste wonderful if you topped it with some fresh parmesan cheese. Also, any veggies would work in the mixture – portabella mushrooms would probably be really yummy!

Last night, I served it with chicken sausage and shrimp, and steamed rainbow chard and cabbage. It made a great dinner!

More Juicing!

Yesterday I talked about the benefits of juicing for optimal health. For those of you with juicers (or, potential juicer-owners), I’m going to provide a few more recipes today for good juices that target certain health issues. Enjoy!

Anxiety, Stress, & Panic Attacks

Healing fruits and vegetables for those who suffer from occasional or even chronic anxiety include apricots, bananas, broccoli, carrots, celery, fennel, leafy greens, onions and watercress. Some herbs that are helpful include alfalfa, borage, garlic, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm and parsley. Other helpful foods include almond milk, dulse, honey, kelp, almonds, tofu, and oats.

Foods rich in B-vitamins, such as leafy greens and whole grains, will help support the nervous system, which helps us cope with stress and anxiety. Some foods to avoid during times of anxiety or stress include caffeine, alcohol, refined flours and sugars, artificial flavors and colors, and any foods you may be allergic or intolerant of.

Juice for Anxiety, Stress & Panic Attacks

1 cup spinach leaves

1 cup kale leaves

1 beet

2 celery stalks

1 apple

Optional: dandelion root or blackstrap molasses

Cancer Prevention

The risk factors for cancer, as most of us know, include tobacco and alcohol use; exposure to toxins in food and/or environment; and family history of cancer. A diet of mainly whole foods that includes large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables can be a powerful tool in cancer prevention, along with exercise.

Foods that help with cancer prevention include apples, apricots, berries, citrus fruits, figs, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, peaches, watermelon, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and watercress. Herbs that are helpful include burdock root, calendula, echinacea, garlic, green tea, parsley, sage and turmeric. Other great cancer prevention foods include extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, flax, legumes, nuts, seeds, wheat grass and whole grains.

Juice for Cancer Prevention

¼ head cabbage, chopped to fit juicer tube

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 clove garlic

3 sprigs fresh parsley

1 beet

1 apple

1 spear broccoli

Hangover

As many of us know, a hangover can include things like headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, depression, cravings, and more. Alcohol severely dehydrates the body, increases acidity in our digestive system, causes the loss of potassium and other vitamins, and affects our liver.

Healing fruits and vegetables for a hangover include apples, bananas, lemons, limes and leafy greens. Herbs that can be helpful include cumin, evening primrose oil, ginger, chamomile and lavender.

Hangover Helper Juice

2 apples

1 small piece gingerroot

1 lemon

Optional: 2 starfruits, crushed lavender buds

Note: Much of the above information was adapted from The Juicing Bible, by Pat Crocker

Juicing for Allergies

Juicing has become big recently. Not only are people juicing more at home, but juice bars are popping up all over the place, and smoothie places are beginning to serve freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices as well. Some people juice daily – it’s sort of like their multivitamin for the day. I’m more of an irregular juicer – I have a book called The Juicing Bible, but it’s more like a juice doctor for me. It has a juice remedy for any condition – hangovers, stress, allergies, indigestion, nerve support, and adrenal fatigue, among others.

Juicing is a way of separating the liquid of a fruit, vegetable or herb from the solids. The enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins A, C and E, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium and iodine found within a whole fruit or vegetable are often times trapped inside the indigestible fiber and therefore are not wholly absorbed by the body when eaten. However, when juiced, these nutrients become extremely available to us and will enter our cells within 10-15 minutes after we drink the juice. Juicing is particularly helpful when we need to save our energy, such as when we are recovering from a sickness or right before or after a workout. This is because it takes very little energy to digest juices, yet we still get tons of nutrients from them.

Juicing has a detoxifying and cleansing effect on our digestive tract and colon. This helps increase nutrient absorption and jump-start our metabolism. Many believe that one glass of fresh fruit and vegetable juice daily can help boost immunity, increase energy, strengthen the bones, clear up the skin and lower our overall risk for disease. Obviously it is also important to consume whole fruits and vegetables, in addition to the juice. Both will work together to create a well-balanced diet.

The pulp of the juice can be saved and used for baking or smoothies, or it can be composted.

Since summer allergies are in full effect, I thought I’d provide some allergy juicing tips today. Asthmatic symptoms are caused by inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s response to an injury – it's way to begin the healing process. Allergies tend to reflect chronic inflammation, and certain foods can reduce this inflammation greatly. Healing foods for allergies include apples, blueberries, grapes, mangoes, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, beets, carrots, onions, red and green bell peppers, spinach and watercress. The flavonoids and antioxidants in these foods help promote a proper immune response to the environment. Essential fatty acids from foods like fish, flax and walnuts are also anti-inflammatory and can help with allergy discomfort.

Allergy Juice

3 beets, with greens

1 apple

½ cup berries

1 cup spinach

Parsley

I decided to make this juice today because we’ve gotten so many beets lately from our CSA. I’ve made beet soup, beet salads, and beet slaw, so I think it’s time to juice a few.

Tomorrow I’ll provide a few more easy juicing recipes, including our favorite around here, the Hangover Helper!

Seltzer Water

A couple of weeks ago, a PWN reader asked me about seltzer water. Is it okay to drink this on a regular basis? Does it have the same hydration qualities as regular water? Since many of us like to drink seltzer water, I decided to do a quick post on it.

Seltzer water is simply carbonated water. The regular, unflavored stuff has nothing else added to it. The carbonation is purely for taste and has no impact on the hydrating qualities of the water. So, plain seltzer water is a fine choice if you prefer it to regular water occasionally! The carbonation can make some people gassy, which is something to be aware of.

There may be some confusion, however, between all the different “waters” out there. Mineral water, club soda, tonic water and seltzer water are all different from one another. Mineral water has added minerals and is also carbonated. This can actually be beneficial for people with mineral deficiencies. Someone may have a mineral deficiency if they are not eating enough mineral-containing whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, seafoods and meats; or, they may be eating the right foods but not absorbing the minerals for whatever reason. Club soda or sparkling water tends to have added sodium. And tonic water is typically sweetened, which is something to watch out for.

There are also seltzer waters that are flavored. Beware of artificial flavors or sugars in your seltzer water, as they are not great for overall health and balance. Adding seltzer water to some freshly squeezed juice or 100% fruit juice can be a refreshing beverage. I know a 2-year old who loves a “spritzer” every once in a while!

I like my seltzer water with some fresh blueberries and mint – a perfect summer drink!

Triglycerides

Triglyceride levels are typically measured at an annual doctor’s appointment, along with blood pressure and cholesterol. However, it seems like people take blood pressure and cholesterol levels more seriously and tend to ignore or be more relaxed about a high triglyceride reading. So, I thought I’d take a few minutes to just explain what triglycerides are, ideal ranges, and what a high reading can mean about your health.

About 95% of the fats inside our bodies are made up of triglycerides, and they are found both in our blood and our tissues. When we eat too many calories (essentially, more than we can burn up each day), triglycerides are stored as fat inside our bodies. Unsaturated fatty acids make triglycerides more fluid, whereas saturated fats are straight and therefore make the triglycerides more rigid and solid. High triglyceride levels are one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, and since excess triglycerides are stored as body fat, they are directly linked to obesity as well.

The Blood Sugar & Triglyceride Connection

This can be a bit confusing but it's really important, so pay attention!

When we consume glucose in any form from any food, our pancreas releases insulin so we can get that glucose into our cells quickly to be used as energy. This, in turn, inhibits the release of triglycerides (because if we have glucose, we don’t need to use our triglycerides for energy).

However, when blood sugar imbalances are present and insulin resistance is occurring, we may have plenty of glucose in the blood, but no insulin to help get it into our cells to be used for energy. And when we need energy, our bodies respond. If the cells don’t have glucose, they turn to triglycerides. Therefore, our cells will continuously release triglycerides into the blood so we have something to burn as energy. However, if our triglycerides are constantly being used up, our liver is stimulated to produce even more triglycerides, which overloads the blood with them. This creates blood that is overloaded with triglycerides, glucose, and unproductive insulin – all risk factors for heart disease.

In a healthy, balanced body, insulin does its job of grabbing glucose as soon as the meal is eaten, placing it into the cells, and therefore supplying the energy needed to go on with the day. The liver is not stimulated to produce triglycerides, so blood levels stay healthy.

Elevated triglyceride levels can result from a number of different things. A chromium deficiency can increase triglycerides, as can too much vitamin E in the diet. Cirrhosis of the liver, a diet too high in carbs and too low in protein, too much alcohol, hypothyroidism, and poorly controlled diabetes can also lead to high triglycerides. However, most often elevated triglycerides are a result of one of two things: either someone is eating more calories than their body needs for daily energy, or their blood sugar is out of balance and so their body is confused and is producing more triglycerides than it really needs. A combination of these two things is also often the cause of high triglycerides.

Fish oil is one way to lower triglycerides. Supplementing with 2-4 grams of EPA and DHA (combined) daily has successfully lowered triglycerides in many people, along with reducing inflammation, reducing blood clotting, and stabilizing the heart.

Dietary changes can lower triglyceride levels as well. Balancing your blood sugar is a great way to lower triglycerides. I talk about blood sugar often – go HERE to read more about it. Other dietary measures that can help lower triglycerides include reducing calories to only those you need each day; reducing fat from non-whole food sources; increasing omega-3 fatty acids to 4 grams per day; reduction in alcohol intake; and weight loss.

NOTE: A triglyceride level of less than 100 mg/dL is desirable. “Normal” triglyceride levels are less than 150 mg/dL, borderline high is 150-199 mg/dL, and high is anything over 200 mg/dL.