Leaky Gut

“Leaky gut” is used to describe an array of digestive disorders and symptoms that are associated with increased intestinal permeability. I think it’s important for people to understand how to recognize the signs and symptoms of leaky gut, because the earlier these symptoms are dealt with, the less chance someone has of obtaining a more serious illness.

A healthy intestinal lining allows properly digested fats, proteins and starches to pass through, while keeping out bacteria, foreign substances, and large undigested molecules. In this way, we obtain the nutrients we need from our food but are protected from outside substances that could potentially make us sick.

However, when the intestinal lining becomes damaged, irritated or inflamed, larger particles and foreign substances are able to pass through. These things go directly into the bloodstream, and our white blood cells are alerted that foreign invaders have entered the blood. The white blood cells begin to battle these invaders, and in the process oxidants are produced. Oxidants can cause unwanted issues all over the body, from sore joints to cancer. This is why antioxidants are such an important part of our diet!

When these unwanted foreign invaders enter the bloodstream, we have leaky gut.

Some of the more common conditions associated with leaky gut include acne, autism, Celiac disease, childhood hyperactivity, Crohn’s disease, eczema, food allergies or sensitivities, hives, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, or ulcerative colitis.

Symptoms associated with leaky gut can include abdominal pain or cramping, asthma, chronic joint pain, confusion or poor memory, gas, constipation, indigestion, bloating, mood swings, anxiety, low immunity, fatigue, and skin rashes.

Tomorrow I will touch on the 6 main causes of leaky gut syndrome. It is a very common issue and people can experience leaky gut on a very minor level or it can be very serious. However, the only way to heal leaky gut for good is to use nutrition and lifestyle changes to restore the integrity of the digestive tract.

Alcohol and Your Stomach

As a nutritionist, people often ask me about their vices, looking for some sort of affirmation that it’s okay to drink 3 cups of coffee every morning or have ice cream after dinner each night. It’s actually a really interesting phenomenon: people find out I am a nutritionist, and the first thing they do is “confess” their bad habits with a guilty look.

Alcohol is one of those vices that is often brought up. A recent conversation at a wedding went something like this:

“Ann, what do you do?”

“I’m in school for nutrition.”

“Ohhhh! So what would a nutritionist say about the fact that this is my 7^th beer and counting?”

Alcohol is one of those things that is really tough to ask someone to give up. For most people, having a drink is a very social thing, and can also be celebratory (toasting at a wedding) or part of a family ritual (cocktail hour with your grandparents). Usually, it’s not the occasional drink I am concerned about with a client. It’s the binge-drinking nights out when someone consumes 5 or more drinks, or the people that make drinking alcohol so casual that it becomes more of a habit than something they truly enjoy. But I guess my main goal with alcohol is to educate people on what exactly it does to the body and how it affects your internal balance, so that they can make more of an educated decision to either have or not have an extra drink.

We’ve gone into a lot of detail on digestion in class, including the function of each organ of the digestive system. The way alcohol travels through our digestive system is really interesting, and makes a lot of sense.

Alcohol absorption takes place in the stomach. The only other things that are absorbed through the stomach’s lining are water; electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium); aspirin and some other drugs; and some short-chain fatty acids such as coconut oil, butter, and breast milk (which allows the rest of a tiny baby’s digestive tract to continue to develop and prepare for digestion of other foods later on).

Cells found in the stomach’s mucosal lining secrete an enzyme called ADH that converts alcohol into something more easily processed by the body. ADH production tends to be lower in young females and in the elderly. This helps to explain why young females tend to experience symptoms of being intoxicated more easily than young males. They’re often referred to as “lightweights,” but really they are not producing as much of the enzyme that helps process alcohol! Females also have less body fluid than males of the same size, so their blood alcohol levels tend to go up more quickly when they are drinking.

Another important thing to understand is that ADH production is dependent on the presence of zinc. A person who is zinc-deficient will have a harder time processing their alcohol than someone who has plenty of zinc. I happen to think many of us are zinc-deficient, so this is important to note.

The other component to alcohol metabolism is the presence of fatty foods. Fatty foods in the stomach will actually slow the passage of alcohol into the intestine, which will slow the rise in someone’s blood alcohol levels and allow them to enjoy their drinks with clearer thoughts. Any type of fatty food qualifies – whether you’re eating fresh bread dipped in olive oil or a plate of greasy french fries.

I hope this helps you to understand more clearly what alcohol does inside of you. Remember, it’s not my intent to take anything away from anyone. I want you guys to enjoy eating and drinking! Rather, I want to educate you so you can make your own decisions based on the knowledge you have.

Cultured Foods

Right now for my Digestion & Detox class, we are reading a book called Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski. She talks about how an unhealthy digestive tract can actually be responsible for not only digestive disorders such as IBS, acid reflux and constipation, but also for other issues such as arthritis, migraines and even autoimmune diseases. It’s a really interesting and eye-opening book, and I recommend it for anyone who thinks they may have less-than-perfect digestion and is open to trying some new things.

Lipski spends some time talking about the importance of the balance of bacteria in our digestive tract. We each have about 4 pounds of bacteria in our GI tract, and it is important to keep it healthy and thriving and prevent the overgrowth of “bad” bacteria that can lead to digestive distress. One of the ways to maintain this balance is by eating cultured foods.

Cultured foods are eaten all over the world and have a long history of being used to treat digestive disorders such as ulcers. These foods are rich in nutrients because they contain more beneficial bacteria. The bacteria make extra nutrients for their own benefit, but we benefit from the extra nutrients too! Cultured foods tend to be higher in vitamins A, B-complex, and K. They also are higher in natural probiotics, which keeps our GI tract healthy and aids in digestion. Finally, cultured foods provide many healthy enzymes.

Some examples of cultured foods include yogurt, tofu, miso, tamari, tempeh, sauerkraut, pickles, and even wine. To give you an idea of how much higher in nutritional value they are, yogurt made from full-fat milk has anywhere from 5-30 times the amount of vitamin B12 than milk, and 50 times the amount of vitamin B3 than milk. Yogurt is an easy cultured food to incorporate into the diet, as it can be added to smoothies or eaten with any meal. Remember to go for the plain full-fat yogurt to get the most health benefits and the least amount of added sugars or flavors.

Also, keep in mind that many foods that would traditionally be considered “cultured” in certain countries are not necessarily cultured where we live. For example, soy sauce made in Japan uses several microbes such as yeast and L. acidophilus in the fermentation process, which can be very beneficial. But in the United States, most soy sauce is manufactured from inorganic acids that break down the soybeans, so it doesn’t have the same health benefits.

Flaxseed Oil

After yesterday’s post on flax seeds and the “whole” vs. “ground” debate, I realized I failed to even mention the “oil” option! I’ve talked about flaxseed oil once before briefly, but I thought I’d give a bit more detail on why many use it to enhance their health and balance.

When purchasing flaxseed oil, make sure you buy organic cold-pressed. This is the purest form and will have the most nutritional benefits. The oil is very rich in essential fatty acids, and many call it a “balanced” oil because it actually contains the building blocks for both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Many studies have shown that flaxseed oil reduces the pain, swelling and inflammation of arthritis; lowers blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels; and even helps reduce the hardening effects of cholesterol on our cell membranes. Wow!

People who suffer from dry skin will really benefit from flaxseed oil. In addition, it can help people who have more serious skin issues such as psoriasis or eczema. It will help incorporate more essential fatty acids into the cell membranes, which improves the skin’s moisture greatly.

Some experts estimate that 80% of Americans are not obtaining enough essential fatty acids from their diets. While not surprising, this is significant because essential fatty acids are so crucial to protecting us from diseases such as cancer and heart disease, as well as countless more mild health issues. Some other ailments that can be improved with the use of flaxseed oil include autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, skin diseases, and more.

The best way to consume flaxseed oil is to add it to foods. While not stable enough to use for cooking, it works well in things like smoothies, salad dressings, pasta, or even as a dipping oil for bread (with some sea salt and pepper, of course!).

Have a great weekend!

Flax Seed: Whole or Ground?

People often ask me which type of flax seed they should be eating: whole or ground? My quick answer is to eat the ground flax seeds, because more of the fiber is absorbed. When whole seeds are consumed, they usually travel right through your digestive system and out into the toilet. But, I think a deeper explanation is needed.

First of all, why even eat flax seeds in the first place?

They are a great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, magnesium, potassium and fiber, and a good source of B-vitamins, protein and zinc. Flax seeds are very low in calories. The best part? They’re so versatile! They have sort of a nutty flavor that can be mixed into water or juice; added to yogurt, smoothies, salads and cereals; and I even add ground flax seed into things I am baking for an extra dose of fiber.

The main difference between whole and ground flax seeds is the type of fiber you are getting. There are two main types of fiber – soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel in the digestive tract. As it mixes with other fluids in your body, it expands and makes you feel full. Soluble fiber also slows down digestion, especially digestion of carbohydrates. This is why it is recommended for people with blood sugar issues or diabetes. By slowing digestion, it prevents severe spikes in blood sugar after carbs are eaten.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, but it binds to water and minerals. It feeds the healthy bacteria in the colon, and bulks up stools for healthier elimination. By aiding in bowel movements, insoluble fiber helps the body eliminate toxins more regularly and therefore keeps the internal environment healthier and more in balance.

The outer shell of a flax seed contains insoluble fiber, and the inside of the seed contains soluble fiber. Since insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, a whole seed will not break down inside of us. So, we get the benefits of the insoluble fiber but we simply eliminate the soluble fiber. Therefore, when the flax seeds are ground, we release the soluble fiber and can benefit from both types. However, if you are eating crackers or muffins that have whole flax seeds in them, it’s not a wasted effort. You’ll still benefit from the insoluble fiber.

You can buy whole flax seeds and grind them yourself at home, in a coffee grinder, blender or by hand. Or, you can take the easy route and purchase ground flax seed. Once the flax seed is ground, it needs to be refrigerated. Ground flax seed spoils quickly and will lose many of its nutritional benefits if not kept in the refrigerator or freezer.

I hope this helps! Even though many of us knew that ground flax seed was better than whole flax seeds, I think it’s important to understand the “why” behind the choices we make.

Corn Sugar

One of the perks of being publicly interested in health and nutrition is that people send me articles all of the time. While I try my hardest to stay on top of what’s going on NOW with nutrition, it definitely helps when things are sent my way! Yesterday my friend David sent me an article on high fructose corn syrup. Apparently the Corn Refiners Association, which is responsible for producing high fructose corn syrup, has submitted a request to the federal government to switch the name used on food labels from “high fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar”.

Apparently high fructose corn syrup has gained enough negative publicity lately that American consumption of foods containing this product has fallen to a 20-year low. Many believe that high fructose corn syrup is hard for our body to process, and therefore is more likely than sugar or other sweeteners to be stored as body fat and eventually lead to obesity.

The biggest culprit is probably soda. Most non-diet soda is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, and as we all know, kids, teens and adults all drink too much soda. It’s of course also used to sweeten many processed foods, including anything from baked goods to cereals. However, high fructose corn syrup is also found in foods you would not necessarily expect to find it in, such as breads, English muffins, and pretzels.

The president of the Corn Refiners Association says the new name will “help people understand the sweetener better.”

Hmmm. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I don’t necessarily support producers trying to “trick” consumers on food labels. However, I strongly support consumers being proactive, educating themselves on what is in the food they are eating, and taking initiative when it comes to their diet, nutrition and health. So, consider this your education. Now you know that if you see “corn sugar” on a label, it’s just another name for high fructose corn syrup and you should make your decision about whether or not you’ll purchase the product accordingly.

This is just one more reason why I advocate a mostly whole foods-based diet. When you’re eating whole foods, you don’t have to worry about lengthy ingredient lists and foreign ingredients that may or may not live inside your body for the rest of your life, interfering with its natural balance. Whole foods taste better, inspire people to cook and get excited about what they are eating, and are undeniably healthier for you and your family.

A link to the full article can be found here. To read more about high fructose corn syrup and what it really does to your body and health, go here.

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Soup

I hope you all enjoyed guest blogger Jessica’s post on heirloom tomatoes yesterday! If you missed it, be sure to go here to read it. Since many of us are still picking loads of tomatoes from our gardens, I wanted to share a recipe with all of you.

I spent Labor Day weekend with my family on one of Minnesota’s most beautiful lakes. Typically when we’re up at the lake, nutrition is not the main focus. Boat rides to Dairy Queen and glazed doughnuts from the local bakery make it hard to eat well! But, when my mom is there, I rest easy because she always makes nutrition a priority. And she didn’t let us down this year with her fresh cucumbers and peppers from her garden; homemade walnut pesto; homemade almond walnut butter; and heirloom tomato soup.

Not a bad place to spend a few days, right? The soup was welcomed because the weather was pretty chilly. I’d have to go on a morning run just to warm up enough to jump in the lake, and by lunchtime nothing sounded better than a warm bowl of homemade soup. She got the recipe from a Williams Sonoma catalog, and added a few of her own touches. It freezes well so make a big pot and enjoy it all throughout the fall and into winter!

Heirloom Tomato Soup

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup dry vermouth

2 lbs. juicy heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I’d just keep the skin on because it’s easier and healthier)

2 tbs tomato paste

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbs chopped fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, chives)

Above: My mom's heirlooms from one of her many harvests

In a Dutch oven or large pot, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, fennel and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 10 minutes). Add vermouth and cook until evaporated. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, 8-10 minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blender (but wait until it’s cooled), or Vita-Mix, puree soup, leaving some chunks for texture. Season with sea salt and pepper. Stir in herbs just before serving. Serves 4.

I wish I had photos for you but I didn’t think of taking any last weekend. This soup seems really easy to make and absolutely every ingredient is PWN-approved! You can usually buy heirlooms at a local health food store if you don’t have any in your garden. Regular tomatoes will work too – just don’t tell Jessica!

Guest Blogger Jessica: Will Brake for Heirlooms

Remember Jessica? And how much you all loved her? Well, she's back. And she's just in time for tomato season, so pay attention! If you missed her first guest blog on raw honey, you must read it here!

From Jessica...

Tomatoes have been abused. Like other widely utilized fruits and vegetables, they were bound to lose a little bit of their integrity as production increased. With so many fruits and vegetables available during any season, we’ve gotten used the bland, hybridized taste. But a carrot is not a carrot. After buying baby carrots I was shocked to uncover the flavor underneath the peel of a true, out of the earth carrot. The first time I had a strawberry from the farm near my house, I nearly cried. I saw Jesus. I figured out the meaning of life. I started yelling ecstatically in Spanish, and I don’t know Spanish. It was that good that I’d curse about it but I don’t know if that is kosher by PWN standards.

The point is that tomatoes tend to fall in one of the top spots on eater’s dislike list, and I can understand why. That scarlet red, perfectly round tomato from the grocery store that ends up sliced into mealy, tasteless wedges systematically tossed onto salads or slapped onto sandwiches is no all-star. I could never eat one of these tomatoes plain unless I had copious amounts of mozzarella or ranch dressing. This kind of tomato is the American cheese of cheeses, the baby carrot of carrots, the iceberg lettuce of salads. It is “roughing it” in the food sense. They can work for convenience, but when it counts… people please, hold yourself to higher standards!

Yuck.

The Cadillac of tomatoes I’ve come to worship is the heirloom tomato. I reckon even a tomato-hater could eat a salted wedge of an heirloom and pronounce it delicious. I generally mistrust people that eat tomatoes like apples (or string cheese like hot dogs, for that matter) but the taste profile here is so much greater that I actually may acquiesce.

To be classified as heirloom, a plant must be “open pollinated” meaning its seeds will produce plants similar to the parent. While that sounds obvious, the truth is that many typical grocery store bought tomatoes are intentionally bred to be sterile so that consumers must continue to buy seeds every year. That means when you give little Jimmy down the street a tomato to plant and grow his own tomato vine, Jimmy is going to be sorely disappointed when it never comes to fruition. And likely buy his own hybridized tomatoes to throw at your house if he’s anything like the little Jimmy that lived on my street.

Heirloom seeds can be saved and passed around, and cannot be patented like hybrids and GMOs. Some have really awesome Indian names like Cherokee Purple or Fast Horse. Okay, fast horse was actually my Indian name in kindergarten. But Black Bear and Goliath are other actual varietal names.

Hotcha Hotcha, lookin good

You’ve probably seen these oddly shaped and colored beauties at the farmers market or seasonally in grocery stores. With their varying shapes and different washes and fades of color they look like works of art. I willingly admit to having photographed them to be my phone background. I will not as willingly admit to the altercation I got into when I overheard two women calling them ugly tomatoes at the farmers market, when clearly the only thing ugly was their ignorance of food politics.

This brings me to the reason to eat heirlooms aside from their superior flavor. By buying these tomatoes you help keep certain varietals in existence. There are heirloom tomatoes that date back to the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears!! Do you hear the frantic urgency here! You can be taking a bite out of history! Which metaphorically sounds a bit dustier and not as delicious as intended. It is important to keep these strains alive because our modified, hybridized tomatoes have not been around very long. They are all genetically similar. If an insect or disease evolved that affected these tomatoes, it could wipe out the entire crop. Heirlooms have survived the years being exposed to varying conditions and thereby developing different genetic makeups, so it is unlikely one disease would affect all of them.

Look kids it’s heaven! Or an heirloom tomato tasting.

There are other heirloom plants besides tomatoes. Some examples include certain beans, blue corn, and Forbidden rice (which is the crazy black rice that does actually get sold under that name).

We end this broadcast with…tomato fight!!!

Thank you SO much Jessica for educating and entertaining us! Please come back and guest blog again soon!

Nutrients for a Healthy Complexion

One of my friends (a friend with a very pretty face, I might add) asked me to write about nutrition for the skin. I know I touch on this every once in a while, but a refresher never hurts!

There are many aspects of our lifestyle that affect our complexion: diet & supplements, stress, and smoking, to name a few. Since the skin is the largest organ of our body, it is very important to protect it and nourish it each day. It functions as a protective covering, a sense organ, an oil producer, and a detoxifier. The skin is constantly using evaporation and perspiration to maintain internal balance by clearing toxins. In school, we often discuss the skin and the fact that it is an outward reflection of someone’s internal health and balance.

Of course the most important nutrient for healthy skin is water. We are unable to detoxify if we do not have enough water. It keeps our skin clean and pure by transporting nutrients throughout the body and flushing out toxins. Some other good ways to clear and detoxify the skin include using natural beauty products, especially those that contain things like aloe vera, herbs or honey. Egg white facials, dry-brush massage, saunas, and steam rooms are also good ways to open the pores and help eliminate toxins.

A diet that supports a healthy complexion includes nutrient-dense and high-water-content foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, essential fatty acids are necessary for healthy skin. These can be found in foods such as nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil. Fresh fish also contains many healthy oils for the skin.

Some supplements that can benefit the skin include a fish oil supplement, a multivitamin and mineral supplement, and antioxidants. Vitamin A and beta-carotene are important for treating acne, preventing blemishes, and treating dry skin. Someone with a vitamin A deficiency may get sick easily, have tiny red bumps on the backs of their arms, night blindness, and slowly healing wounds or infections.

Vitamin C helps supply antioxidants to the skin, which can slow aging and reduce some of the effects of smoke and chemicals on the skin. Zinc is another important skin supplement. Zinc is necessary for cell repair, DNA and enzyme production, and to keep immunity strong and healthy. Silica, which is highly concentrated in the skins of most fruits and vegetables, helps to strengthen the skin, hair and nails. So, keep that skin on your kids’ fruits and vegetables – they need it!

All of the B-vitamins are essential for healthy skin, and B-vitamin deficiencies are associated with some types of skin disorders. They are needed for cell division, to support tissue health and repair, and to reduce inflammation. Good sources of B-vitamins include wheat germ, beans, peas, nuts, leafy greens, liver, and lean meats.

As you can see, there are many components to obtaining a healthy, glowing complexion. It all comes back to eating as close to a whole-foods diet as possible. Everything you put into your body must come out, and our skin is one means of elimination. Excess sugar, alcohol, sodium, additives or preservatives can cause an unhealthy internal environment and therefore unwelcomed skin problems such as dryness, oily skin, acne, blemishes, rashes, and other skin conditions. Sugar is a great way to really hurt your skin. Not only does it cause skin conditions, but it also depletes our body of many important nutrients, leading to further skin issues.

Have a great weekend!

Iron vs. Calcium

Yesterday in class we talked about iron and calcium, and how the two nutrients interact. Sometimes we are so focused on getting all of our nutrients – whether it be from three meals or from a multivitamin – that we forget about the effect that certain nutrients have on one another and on our ability to absorb and utilize them.

It is important to understand the relationship between iron and calcium. Iron actually blocks the absorption of some minerals, especially calcium. So, if you’re taking a daily multivitamin with both iron and calcium, you are probably not really getting the full calcium amount listed on the bottle.

In addition to iron blocking calcium absorption, too much calcium can interfere with iron absorption. Other things that can inhibit iron absorption include tea, coffee, wheat bran, egg yolks, and even antacids. Vitamin C, on the other hand, actually enhances iron absorption.

If you are iron deficient, I recommend taking your iron supplement at a different time of day than when you take your multivitamin. And if you are worried about having enough calcium, you may want to take a separate calcium supplement, or find a multivitamin that contains calcium but no iron. Iron can also interfere with magnesium and zinc absorption, which is something to keep in mind.

I guess the lesson here is that we cannot just buy a multivitamin and expect it to correct all of our nutrient deficiencies. Supplementing with vitamins can be really beneficial, but it is so important to eat a varied diet as well to ensure we are getting everything we need.

We also touched on pregnancy and the importance of the mother getting enough calcium, especially during the 2nd trimester when the baby's bones are becoming ossified. Even though calcium is found in the prenatal vitamins that most pregnant mothers take, they may not be absorbing all of it. Some doctors or naturopaths recommend they actually take a separate calcium & magnesium supplement during the 2nd trimester, to ensure they have enough. The baby needs that calcium no matter what, so the person who ends up suffering from a deficiency is the mother, in the form of leg cramps, twitches, muscle aches, and even tooth decay.

Some great whole food sources of iron include soybeans, lentils, spinach, sesame seeds, kidney beans, raw pumpkin seeds, garbanzo beans, blackstrap molasses, and lean beef.