WellBelly

Well Body

Holiday OverEater’s Survival

Eggnog and wine; Christmas cookies and candies; and just too, too much fun can leave your belly uncomfortable and bloated.  Tea, baking soda and vinegar can rescue your digestion and your waistline.

Digestive Teas –The warmth of hot tea is comforting in the winter season and these herbal teas bring a cozy feeling to an over-worked belly.

Ginger tea stimulates digestion by increasing blood flow to relive that sluggish feeling. Ginger works throughout the digestive tract to activate digestion and prevent the formation of gas.

Peppermint tea stimulates bile flow which works to digest fats.  Fats slow digestive action. Too much brie cheese can slow digestion to a near standstill.

Chamomile and licorice root teas calm the digestive tract.  Sit down, put your feet up, sip your tea and fully relax your belly for optimal digestion.

Chai tea is made from ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper all of which aid in various aspects of digestion and absorption.  These spices added to black tea and milk are effective and delicious.

Apple Cider Vinegar –  is a tried and true kitchen remedy to increase the stomach acid required to  breakdown foods and prepare nutrients for absorption.  1-3 teaspoons in a glass of water taken 15-20 minutes before a meal increases the production of HCL.

Only 50% of those with symptoms of acid-reflux or GERD actually have too much stomach acid.  The other 50% have too little stomach acid causing poorly digestion food to ferment generating a reflux of fermentation acid – not stomach acid. Apple cider vinegar is an easy antidote for the 50% with too little stomach acid  while baking soda handles the symptoms of too much stomach acid.

Baking Soda –  1-2 teaspoons dissolved in about 4 ounces of warm water can neutralize the unpleasant symptoms produced by too much stomach acid.

Evening Constitutionals  – once a way of life in earlier  centuries.  Men and women took a mild walk after the evening meal to aid digestion and discuss world affairs.  Bring back the evening constitutional to unwind from the day while aiding digestion.  Gentle physical movement aids digestion while focusing thoughts on the day’s blessings reframes your mood for restful sleep.

OverEater’s Tonic  is a great antidote for over-indulging during the holidays.  This tonic combines several digestive aids to sooth the belly.  Epicurious is one of my favorite sites for menus and recipe ideas.  This month Epicurious published a recipe for the Overeaters Tonic. Click for the  Overeater’s Tonic recipe.

Magical Sleep

Tranquil scene of a young woman dreaming and sleeping on a cloud up in the sky

Oh, for a Good Nights Sleep!  Waking refreshed from deep, restful sleep really is magical to rejuvenate the body and mind. Add some magic to your nighttime habits with these six tips:

1. Warm Bath Warmth coaxes your body to relax.  Dissolve one cup of epsom salts in your bath water and you will benefit from magnesium, the relaxation mineral.  A few drops of essential oil of lavender in the water engages your sense of smell to enhance the relaxation experience.

2. Sleep Snacks Choosing small bites of the right snacks enhances sleep chemistry.  A warm glass of milk, cherries, walnuts and honey are high in  the amino acid tryptophan.  Tryptophan makes  melatonin… your natural sleep sedative hormone. Remember the turkey coma after Thanksgiving dinner?  It was the high levels of tryptophan in the turkey that did it.

Potassium and magnesium are minerals that promote relaxation.  Sweet potatoes, low sodium popcorn (oil popped), rice cakes and potato chips are high in both potassium and magnesium.

Pistachios are high in the vitamin B-6 required to make melatonin.  If you do not recall your dreams, you may be low in B-6.

Dark Chocolate, one ounce of 70%  or greater cocoa, is a superstar snack containing potassium and magnesium while promoting serotonin, which proceeds the production of melatonin.  Yum.

3. Lights Out Total darkness stimulates your brain to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin.  Yes, that translates into no reading, TV, computer, Kindle or Facebook on your smart phone thirty minutes before going to bed.

4. Soothing Sounds Your choice: nature sounds, soothing instrumentals or white noise intices the brain to surrender into a relaxed rhythm.

5. Sleep on Your Left Side  Sleeping on your left side aids digestion thus reducing heartburn. Left-side sleeping, also, works with gravity to move lymph fluid along it’s natural course toward the heart.  Circulation of lymph fluid boosts  immune activity and the elimination of toxins.

6. Count Sheep One by one, appreciate the positive things in your life.  Research has shown gratefulpeople sleep better.

Developing sleep habits creates body memory to expedite your transition into quality sleep.  As you practice your sleep ritual it will, soon, take less effort to fall asleep and enjoy better sleep.   Good night, sweet dreams.

Zinc…More May Not Be Good

Zinc…More May Not Be Good To Manage Your Cold

It is important to read the labels of all natural cold remedies to know how much zinc you are taking to manage your cold (use the information below on zinc for best results and avoid damaging the balance of micro-organisms in your gut).

Zinc is one of 24 micronutrients essential for survival.  It is found in meat, egg and legumes.  Oysters are particularly high in zinc.  The benefits of zinc include:  optimal function of the enzyme, hormone and immune systems; a potent antioxidant; testosterone booster; treatment of acne; and an anti-microbal effect similar to an antibiotic.

Like many nutrients, some is good, too much may be harmful.  High doses of zinc can can change the gut microbiome and even make the gut susceptible to infections such as Clostridium difficile or C. Diff.

Which brings us to how high much is too much?

The most frequently recommended dosage of elemental zinc is in two to three small doses equaling a total of 50 mg. per day.

However, different forms of zinc result in varying doses as follows:

50mg elemental zinc in the form of zinc citrate, equals146 mg zinc citrate.

50mg elemental zinc in the form of zinc sulfate, equals 220 mg zinc sulfate.

50mg elemental zinc in the form of zinc gluconate, equals 385 mg zinc gluconate.

50mg elemental zinc in the form of zinc monomethione, equals 238 mg zinc monomethionine.

Dr. Sandy’s Cold & Healthy Gut Remedy*:

  • L-lysine, 2000mg. twice daily to discourage virus replication
  • Vitamin D-3, 5000mg. twice daily to activate immune activity
    • (D-3 5000, 1 cap AM & PM)
  • Vitamin C 1-2000 mg. as tolerated, twice daily to boost the immune system
    • (Bio C 1:1, 2 caps AM & PM)
  • Saccharomycin boulardii, 500mg., daily, to prepare the gut lining to house healthy bacteria
    • (Saccharomycin DF 1 daily)
  • Probiotics to restore health bacteria
    • (ProbioMax DF, 1 cap daily)
  • 50 mg. of elemental zinc, an antimicrobial similar to an antibiotics.
    • (Zinc Glycinate, 1 cap AM & PM)

*High-quality, bio-available recommended brand and dosage is in bold and available through the Xymogen e-store.  Good quality L-Lysine can be purchased at your health-food store.

Enjoy your holidays cold-free:  identify the form of zinc in your remedy and take the appropriate amount to maintain a healthy gut.

SIX WAYS TO KICK-START YOUR CHILD’S LIFETIME HEALTH

New research shows that children who have developed a diverse micro biome are resistant to developing asthma, food allergies, eczema and other immune-related conditions.

Children acquire their micro biome at birth, optimally as they travel down the birth-canal and drink breast milk.  No mater the circumstances of birth, however, a healthy micro biome can be developed at any stage of life.  Here are six ways:

  1. Plan meals with lots of fiber and vegetables.  Picky eaters?  Disguise vegetable in a fruit smoothie.
  2. Use antibiotics only when necessary.  Explore herbs and homeopathic alternatives to treat colds and flu. These natural remedies can be powerful and shorten the duration of symptoms.
  3. Get a dog.  This one will make you a hero in your house.  Contact with dogs increases a child’s friendly-bacteria diversity.
  4. 4 Encourage outdoor play.  Again, increased exposure to diverse bacterias.
  5. Wash hands with plain soap and water, not antibacterial.  Antibacterial soap destroys the natural micro biome that lives on the skin and often contain unwanted chemicals.
  6. Don’t fear dirt.  But still wash produce before eating.

 

Move-up a Grade-Lunchbox 101

 

happy-kidsDust has settled and kids are back into the school routine.  This year it was your goal to pay more  attention to what you are packing in the kids lunchbox and maybe add some diversity to your own brown bag.   

Time is precious, kids are picky and sandwiches are quick and easy but boring after a while and not always the most nutritious. 

In my own quest to think outside the (lunch) box for my grandson who just started pre-school I discovered some simple, quick and appealing ideas for

Ten Sandwich-Free Lunch Ideas for Kids and Grownups .  Click Healthy Lunchbox Ideas to view ten easy ideas for your brown bag and your child’s lunch box. 

I think you will be surprised how easy it will be to get an A+ and maybe a warm hug from your child this year.

Tending Your Gut-Garden with Fibre

istock_000016837339_medium

Fibre plays an all-star role in the mini-ecosystem within our body known as the gut microbiota (gut- garden flora).  Discover the evolving science surrounding your personal gut microbiota and the ten foods to tenderly cultivate your gut-garden.

Importance of the Gut Microbiota

Science is just uncovering the benefits produced by your gut microbiota garden of primarily bacteria with some fungus and virus and a bit of non-threatening free-loaders.  So far we know that the gut microbiota is fundamental to our immune defenses as it shields against opportunistic pathogens; synthesizes vitamins B and K; aids in the absorption of calcium; makes our food digestible; impacts mental and emotional health as well as metabolic functions of energy production and calorie storage.

Comprised of 40 trillion cells, (it only takes 30 trillion cells to make the human body) from 30-40 different microbe species, the gut microbiota was designed to be self-regulating to maintain balance among the microbes of bacteria, fungi and viruses.

However, maintaining balance in this ecosystem has become a challenge for all these little guys in today’s world.  The gut-garden flora we humans inherited from a single ancestor some 15 million years ago is essential for sustaining life.   Since then, these microbes have evolved for better or worse as a consequence of our environment resulting in unique personal gut-garden microbiota.

Your individual gut-garden got its start in the birth canal and has been altered in numbers and specific microbes ever since by mother’s milk, diet; ingested chemicals, medications and medical treatments involving radiation.

Environmentally-altered imbalances in the gut garden are associated with chronic inflammatory disease, auto-immune conditions, obesity and psychological well-being.

Tending your Gut Garden

The gut-garden flora is dynamic and imbalance can be restored to this delicate ecosystem.  Much like tending a garden, discouraging weeds of environmental assaults that destroy the flora and fertilizing growth of healthy flora will allow your gut microbiota to flourish.

A diet of whole, organic foods vegetables and fruit provides the fiber required to fertilize your gut-garden.  This necessary fibre is soluble having both simple (fructooligosaccharides) and complex (inulin) features. Plant sources of these two types of fiber include:  blue agave extract, bananas, onions, garlic, asparagus, jicama, leeks, chicory root, wild yam and whole grain wheat.

New bacteria microbes can be added to your garden with fermented foods that contain live bacteria such as cow-milk-based kefir and yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, pickled fruit and vegetables and fermented meat, fish and eggs.

Two types of supplements are available to complement your diet to both fertilize and add new microbe flora.  Pre-biotics containing both fructooligosaccharides and inulin can fertilize your garden.  Probiotics containing a wide variety of strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium common to human guts can add new microbes to your gut garden.

Tending your gut garden with both all-star fibre and fermented foods remain the most natural, effective and least expensive path to a thriving gut-garden microbiota.

Ole! Healthy Mexican Dining

Guacamole with raw veggies occupies your appetite and aThe word Fiesta written on a sandy beach, with sombrero, traditional serape blanket, starfish and maracas (studio shot - warm color and directional light are intentional).voids starchy, deep-fired appetizers like the chips and salsa.

Fajitas is your healthiest  entree choice.  Combine chicken, shrimp or lean meat with salsa, onions, peppers, black beans and guacamole on top of a big salad.

The salad encourages you to skip the tortillas unless they have gluten-free corn tortillas.  Skip the empty calories by skipping the cheese (cheese look-alike), sour cream and rice.

If you enjoy a Margarita, request a “skinny” one.  It’s made with lime juice, tequila and agave.  No agave? Request a splash of simple syrup and No, No on the sweet and sour.

Ole!

 

 

Stress-less Dining Out

Dining out is such a treat…a great social time with friends and so convenient when I just don’t want to cook.

restaurant, eating pizza and drinking red wine.

Yet, I am cautious about where to go and what to order.

Enjoying an evening out should not mean trading in health and post-meal belly comfort.

Today begins a series on healthy dining out in a variety of restaurants.  Let’s begin with some basics:

Hello!

Beware! not all probiotics are suited for human consumption.  Probiotics have taken center stage with engaged health care consumers.  These supplements fill the shelves at commercial pharmacies and health food stores.  Choosing the right one is critical.

Although, many probiotics may be soil derived strains of organisms; human derived strains of organisms are best suited for the human body.

You are not a plant and you do not derive your nutrients by planting roots in the soil.  You are human and you derive your nutrients through an intestinal tract populated by uniquely human strains of organisms.

Learn more about the Problems with Soil Based Organisms

Page 3 of 3

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén