The Great Fish Oil Debate

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Last year I released a blog that revealed the health risks of taking fish oil. No, that’s not a typo. You can read about the risks here.

Today I want to talk about krill oil and cod liver oil because I still get a lot of questions about these. There’s a lot of confusion about harmful versus helpful supplements and I’d like to shed some light on this today for you.

Part of what determines if an Omega-3 supplement is going to be helpful or harmful has to do with the current state of health of your gut.



As you know, your gut healthy is extremely important. Your gut is where you take all the good stuff you eat and drink and transform it into the many building blocks your body needs to make energy, sleep well, maintain a healthy weight, build muscle, and clear out toxins that need clearing out daily so you can thrive. 

It’s also where short-chain fatty acids, like those found in flax, chia, and hemp seed get converted into longer fatty acids that impart the health benefits we are looking for (reducing inflammation, improving brain function, etc). But this conversion doesn’t happen when your gut isn’t function properly.

It is my passion is to work with people like you whose health symptoms–like gut/digestive issues, excess weight, low energy, mood imbalance, and skin & sleep problems–are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 

Krill Oil

Krill are small crustaceans that lives in all the oceans. They are excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA (the long chains that your gut doesn’t need to convert). What’s also really cool about krill oil, unlike fish oil, is that it’s naturally protected from damage by something called astaxanthin (an antioxidant superhero) AND phospholipids. Phospholipids are fatty layers that not only protect the oil from getting damaged before you can absorb it, they’re a primary building block of your own cells!
Ensuring that the oils you bring into your body aren’t already damaged or prone to damage the moment they get into your body is hugely important–otherwise you’re just adding to your inflammation and damaging your cells (which is the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish!).
The research supports that krill is a better option than other types of fish oil for high-quality, undamaged Omega-3’s.

Cod Liver Oil

Without overloading your brain, I want to add that if you are looking for a fish oil that is a good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D, cod liver oil is superior to krill oil. Krill oil has some, but cod liver oil has more.

Most brands of cod liver oil have the same health risks as fish oil as far as their likelihood of being heated and damaged during manufacturing. If you’re going to take cod liver oil, you want extra-virgin, cold-processed, and unrefined. Here is an example. 

Summary

So if you are looking for Omega-3 fats that are safer and least likely to add to your inflammation, eat good quality fish several times per week! Next best way is a high quality krill oil supplement.

If you are looking for natural sources of Vitamins A and D along with (lower amounts of) Omega-3’s, unheated virgin cod liver oils are better than krill oil.

Regardless of these supplements, supporting your gut health with a high quality diet, clean water, enough sleep and rest, stress management, and addressing hidden sources of gut stress like infections is the path to regaining your health so you can enjoy your life fully.

If you need support, email me at rebecca@choosinghealthnow.com or apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Why You Should Avoid Soybean Oil Now

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Most Americans today use soybean oil for cooking, baking, and drizzling. In 2019, Americans consumed 11 metric tons of soybean oil!!! Today we’ll explore how soybean oil can be hazardous for your health and what to use instead.


 
Using traditional animal fats nowadays seem to be unwelcome. You see, people have replaced these fats–lard, tallow, and butter–with plant-based oils because people have been misguided into thinking that animal fats are unhealthy and plant-based oils are far healthier.
 
I can see why it’s confusing.
 
Soybean oil is low in saturated fat, so most Americans see this as a healthy option. But saturated fats are, in fact, healthy and are much better than unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) oils–most especially in cooking.

Soybean Oil is Unstable

 Soybean oil is high in unstable PUFAs. Well, PUFAs are not all bad for you. Actually, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are good. But not all PUFAs are created equal. There are types that are highly unstable, easily oxidized (damaged by oxygen), and pro-inflammatory.
 
I’m talking about linoleic acid–a bad fat. And soybean oil is half linoleic acid.
 
Linoleic acid is already bad news, but when you heat it, it’s worse! It generates oxidized lipids (fats) which cause inflammation in the bloodstream, leading to heart diseases and the hardening of your arteries (atherosclerosis).
 

Soy, Digestion, & Thyroid

Soy products are not easily digested which can cause gas, bloating, and damage to your gut (which can weaken your immune response). Soy can also interfere with proper thyroid function (your metabolic regulator). And… 93% of soy is genetically modified and while we won’t truly know the long-term effects on health for years to come, preliminary data shows that GMO foods interfere with the healthy balance of your gut flora.
 

Soy, Obesity & Diabetes

The massive use of soybean oil has led to an increase in the number of people suffering from obesity and diabetes as well.
 
This occurs, in part, because soybean oil disrupts normal hypothalamus function.
 
By that, I mean soybean oil manages to alter the genes of the hypothalamus, impairing the healthy functions of your organs and hormones.
 
The hypothalamus is a small region at the base of the brain that is responsible for many functions, such as regulating hormones through your pituitary gland, regulating your temperature, controlling your appetite, and managing your sexual behavior among other roles.
 
In other words, the hypothalamus is the control center of the brain. And the soybean oil which many believe to be healthy is disturbing its function.
 
One of the genes that soybean alter is the OXT gene, the one that makes oxytocin. Oxytocin is known as your love hormone, but it is also critically important to your gut health. Oxytocin regulates motility (lack of oxytocin can contribute to constipation, for example), inflammation, and gut lining maintenance.
 

So what does this all mean?

Long-term intake of soybean oil leads to chronic illnesses by interfering with proper gut function, immune function, thyroid function, and brain function.
 
I encourage you to intentionally reduce your consumption of soybean oil–read labels at the grocery store and go through your pantry and freezer. Many sauces, dressings, baked and canned goods contain soybean oil.
 
Most restaurants also use soybean oil, so that’s another reason you may steer away from fried foods when eating out.
 
When cooking at home, choose natural fats like tallow, lard, duck fat, grass-fed butter and ghee. If you want plant-based oils, have coconut, avocado oil, and olive oil. 
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

How to use liminal space to boost health

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Liminal space refers to a time of transition where you are at the threshold between places. On a microcosm, this can occur throughout your day between appointments or meetings. And when we go to bed at night, this is also a time of transition as you are leaving the known (what already happened) and transitioning into the unknown (what will tomorrow bring?).



On a larger scale, liminal space shows up at milestone moments such as learning how to walk, potty train, start school, make friends, get your first job, start (or end) romantic relationships, career changes, get married (or divorced), start a family, and transition into different stages of life.

We don’t really talk about it much, but it’s really helpful to look at how liminal space is affecting your life…your health and happiness.

Some ways that liminal space negatively impacts your health is through worry, anxiety, fear of the unknown, fear of challenges, and all the unhealthy coping mechanisms that go along with these feelings like emotional eating, drinking, avoidance that leads to staying stuck rather than taking action toward a healthy and purposeful life.

Living in the liminal space can be challenging because you are between your old comfort zone and new possibilities. 

Using liminal space to your advantage

Some ways that you can “lean in” and benefit from liminal space is to recognize it as an opportunity to evaluate and take steps toward creating what you want. Liminal space provides a gap, in a way, for us to look at where we are coming from and the direction we are heading so that we can adjust our course.

For example, there’s a lot that is unknown right now with all the changes that the coronavirus is creating. Yet, we know that the more we take care of our own bodies, the more we add to the collective community. The healthier we are, the more able we are to be resourceful and raise the vibration during this challenging time.

Right now we are all in a liminal space of not knowing what is next. If we focus on the fear and worry, chances are, we will weaken our immune systems and feel mentally and emotionally defeated.

So instead, I invite you to take this opportunity to create or reinforce your healthy habits. Start with what you are choosing to put into your body daily. Your body needs nourishing foods and plenty of clean water. Get back to basics! 

For those of you that are already feeling solid with the basics, reach out to me for how you can use this time to take your health to a whole new level.

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

How to balance your immune teeter totter!

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Today I’d like to talk with you about in internal teeter totter you might not have even known you had…and that’s between your gut/immune system and your detoxification system.
Now, we could keep this simple or get really complex. I don’t know how you’re doing with our current pandemic, but chances are, your mental bandwidth is a bit tapped out at the moment, so I’d like to keep today’s health tip nice and simple.


 
You know by now that the gut is the root of your health. It’s where roughly 80% of your immune system is.

All your systems work together to keep you alive (and hopefully healthy). They all require energy to run. When one part is under more demand, your body will divert energy to deal with that increased demand. For example, if your body was working on detoxifying some chemicals that you had inhaled (i.e. pollution) and you all of a sudden accidentally cut yourself or fell down and hurt yourself, your body is going to shift priorities!

Likewise, if your body is busy building more white blood cells and addressing an infection and you take in toxins through your diet (i.e. sugar, processed flour, vegetable oils, pesticides), your body is going to shift some energy away from your immune system to address those toxins. Like a teeter totter, both sides aren’t going to be all the way up at the same time!

An action that you can take to balance and support your immune system right now is to reduce the work that your body has to do to detoxify by eliminating or limiting the amount of toxins coming into your body on a day by day basis.

3 tips to support your immune system teeter totter

  1. Drink plenty of filtered water daily. Water helps to flush toxins AND support your immune system…but not if it’s full of toxins. Check here for what toxins were tested in your local water supply.
  2. Eat clean, unprocessed food. Processed foods are full of energy-draining chemicals (trans fats, vegetable oils, sugar, food coloring, pesticides, synthetic additives)…and they are deficient in the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly. The more simple you can keep your food, the better. Eat whole foods rather than processed versions (chicken versus chicken nuggets).
  3. Set up mealtimes rather than eating all day. Digestion takes a lot of energy and your digestive system needs a break! If you are eating more often than every 3 hrs, you may need to make some adjustments to what you are eating. I know that in the past when I ate a lot of carbs and not enough fat (for my body), I was constantly hungry! When I tested myself and discovered that my body needed a different approach and then made those changes, I got much better results.

I hope that these tips are helpful for you to keep your body strong and healthy!
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Potassium Broth for Immunity and More!

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With the threat of the corona virus going around, I want to share with you a simple recipe to boost your immunity. Potassium broth is a powerful elixir to promote your immune health.
 
Potassium is an electrolyte that works together with sodium to regulate your fluid balance, control your heart rhythm and blood pressure, regulate digestion, and maintain nerve impulses, muscle contractions and pH balance.

 

With that being said, potassium is very important for your body to maintain its vital functions. Lack of potassium results in fatigue, weakness, and constipation. These symptoms can go worse to paralysis, respiratory failure, and painful gut obstructions.
 
Since your body doesn’t produce potassium, you should be getting it from your diet. It is recommended that adults consume 4,700 mg of potassium per day. Sadly, though, less than 2% of Americans meet the RDA.
 

Potassium Sources

You can take potassium supplements, but food sources are healthier. The best food sources of potassium are fresh foods (versus canned or processed).
There are a lot of foods that contain potassium:

  • Bananas, oranges, and avocados
  • Parsley
  • Mushrooms
  • Cucumbers
  • Peas
  • White beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Lentils
  • Lima beans 


Potassium Broth Benefits

Another way to get potassium is potassium broth.

Potassium broth can:

  • Strengthen your immune system.
  • Help prevent you from catching colds and flu (and get over them more quickly). 
  • Fights cancer and diseases.Potassium broth is prepared from vegetables that contain phytochemicals, chemical compounds in plants other than vitamins and minerals. These phytochemicals serve as the plants’ defense against predators, pathogens and competitors. If they can do so for themselves, it means they can also fight pathogens and diseases in our body.
  • Rejuvenates and hastens recovery. Moms who have just given birth or people who have been ill or just came out of surgery need this tonic to regain their energy and aid them back to health.
  • Prevents muscle weakness, twitching, and cramps. For pregnant women and the elderly, leg cramps are very common. A sip of potassium broth every night is a great home remedy for this problem.

A not-so-secret ingredient to increase the absorption of potassium and minerals in the gut is a tablespoon of liquid whey in a cup of potassium broth (omit if you are sensitive to dairy).

Now here are 3 potassium broth recipes you don’t wanna miss:

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

How to Prevent and Recover from Adrenal Imbalance!

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Today I want to talk with you about the connection between your stress response and symptoms you might be experiencing.

If you have nonspecific symptoms such as pain and weakness in different parts of your body, sleep disturbance, and digestive problems in addition to feeling nervous, chances are you may have some adrenal hormone imbalance.
 
When you are stressed, your adrenal glands, which are just situated on top of your kidneys, produce adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones create change in your body to prepare yourself for the threat or potential danger.


 
We call this the fight-or-flight response. At this stage, you may feel your heart pounding and your energy level increased. Your body is ready to face whatever source of harm there may be.
 
When the stressful situation is gone, your cortisol–which is famously known as the stress hormone–goes back to normal as your adrenal now stops producing it in excess. Your body starts to function normally and your vitals go back to their regular normal rhythm.
 
You weathered the stress. Thanks to cortisol.
 
But when stress is constant (as it has been for many of us lately!) and when you’re always in that fight-or-flight response, this wreaks havoc on your hormones.
 
Adrenal hormone imbalance starts when cortisol levels shoots up. As I mentioned, at first, you’ll be full of energy and you may even feel good during this time. However, if you don’t take control of your health–I mean, you’re not making lifestyle changes to ease your stress, your cortisol will soon drop down. You’d then experience tiredness and some other symptoms I mentioned above until you’d be too exhausted to even do your basic daily activities.
 

The Gut-Adrenal Connection

Now, there’s an important link between your adrenals and your gut.
 
Two adrenal hormones play a role in gut health by boosting immunity and reducing inflammation. One is cortisol (as we’ve been talking about), and the other is DHEA (stands for dehydroepiandrosterone).
 
Cortisol is the main anti-inflammatory hormone in the gut. BUT, when cortisol gets imbalanced in the way I’ve been discussing, that imbalance actually leads to an INCREASE in inflammation and can lead to develop digestive issues.
 
DHEA is a repair and maintenance hormone. DHEA also protects your gut from disease-causing bacteria, so it’s important in preventing gut infections and repairing damage to your gut cells that occur for all of us during our lifetime.
 
It’s important to keep these 2 adrenal hormones balanced. As you can see, they are very important to your overall health, especially your gut health. If your gut health breaks down, it’s just a matter of time before you’re at increased risk for symptoms and disease.
 

4 Tips for Supporting Your Adrenals

Here’s how to support your adrenals so you can prevent adrenal imbalance or help your body recover from it:

  • Detox from coffee – Caffeine keeps you in the fight-or-flight mode (which is part of why we like it!). It actually increases brain activity, triggering the pituitary gland to stimulate the adrenal glands to produce hormones. When you are already stressed and already have a demand to produce more stress hormones, it’s not a healthy combo. It leads to burnout. To reverse that, try replacing your daily cup of coffee with coffee that has adaptogens that support your adrenals (like Alphay “RIch Black” or Four Sigmatic). You can slowly mix your regular coffee with one of these healthier versions or you can slowly switch to decaf which is another good option. If you’re used to drinking multiple cups per day, consider swapping some of them out for other beverages like hot or iced tea or a bubbly water.
  • Get enough sleep – This is timeless advice. I think I have repeated this a gazillion times! Your body needs 7-8 hours of sleep each night. This is especially important during this stressful time in history, so be kind and make sure you support yourself to get enough good quality sleep.
  • Eat healthy – Yes, this never goes out of style! Eat natural, whole-foods–fresh vegetables and fruits, protein, and healthy fats. Kick high-sugar foods and processed foods out of your life (at least out of your normal routine)
  • Manage stress – If you haven’t yet tried self-care practices to keep your stress levels low, then now is the time to do it. How about mindfulness practices such as yoga and meditation? If you are anxious about something, journal, talk with someone or think of some solutions you can put into action. My favorite way to manage stress is HeartMath. I’ve been using these tools for many years and they are so helpful to shift the inevitable feelings of stress/worry/frustration that come up on a daily basis! The important point is to make some form of healthy, effective stress regulation part of your daily life.

I bet a lot of us have our fight-or-flight mode on right now due to the pandemic. I don’t want to see you get burned out and health compromised. We have to take care of ourselves more during these trying times.
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Replace Fear With This!

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Replace fear with this!

As many of you know, I have long since been an advocate for boosting immune health, gut health, energy levels, and mental-emotional wellness through HeartMath stress resilience tools. Now more than ever, we have to “self-regulate” our stress levels to be able to survive (and thrive) during this tumultuous time. 

How we act over these next weeks and months will have a huge impact on our lives and how we are able to look back on what feels pretty darn overwhelming right now.
This is an opportunity to built your resilience muscles. Choosing an attitude of hope and replacing fear with an alternative, what the HeartMath community is calling “managed concern”, is something each of us has the choice to do. Managing your fear day by day will benefit yourself, and make your immune system stronger, your community, and the world.



I will be using this tool daily and I invite you to do the same. Let’s not only get through this hard time, but come out stronger by using all the health building tools available.

Care Focus Tool (by HeartMath Institute):

“The tool is intentionally simple but effective. 
           
1.  While breathing in a relaxed pace, pretend you are breathing through your heart or chest area and imagine calming your mind and emotions with each breath. (Calm emotions help to create a space that enables intuitive access for clearer discernment and choices when evaluating situations.)
2.   As you breathe, visualize mental and emotional calm and poise streaming into your mind and into all your cells. Hold a conscious intention in your heart to change feelings of anxiety or fear into feelings of managed concern. Practice will increase your capacity for maintaining care and compassion for humanity’s challenges without creating burnout in your own system. Remember, any progress is a lot of progress when reducing fear. Be patient.
3.  Let’s close by radiating compassionate care and calm into the global energetic field to help reduce the fear and see people making smarter, less stressful choices from a perception and attitude of managed concern. This leaves people more in charge rather than a pawn of fear and mental scatter. The Coronavirus is a perfect situation for this effective practice for transforming the fears and anxiety which suppress much of our life force and power to create a better life. “
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

COVID-19 and Obesity — Everything You Need to Know

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The COVID-19 pandemic has the world on lockdown. Many of you have paused their lives, trying to find ways to stay healthy. There are some of you who are at increased risk of having a more severe reaction to the virus or having life-threatening complications. Today we are going to look at how obesity and excess body fat contributes to being at increased risk of infection and complications.

According to the World Health Organization, 650 million people were overweight in 2016. That same year, the global rate of obesity was three times what it was in 1975, according to the obesity statistics. 

Now, with the lockdown, obese people can’t visit the gyms or proceed with their weight loss plans, and this is devastating to them. Here’s why obese people are at a higher risk than others: 

  • People with heart disease and diabetes are more prone to COVID-19 infection 
  • Obese people are harder to treat in the in-patients setting, challenging to diagnose, and difficult to transport
  • The pandemic has them trapped inside with limited weight loss opportunities
  • Their wish to lose weight might be suppressed by COVID-19 anxiety 

If you or someone you care about falls into this category, this may inspire you to make some healthy changes or continue with your healthy habits.

Look Around You

Stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at yourself. It doesn’t matter how you’ve reached this point in your life right now. What matters are the choices you can start to make. Start out by asking yourself these questions:

Do I want to feel restricted in movements and/or feel constant pain in my joints? 

Do I still want to be dependent on others to help me in regular activities around the house?

Do I want to be exposed to the COVID-19 risks mentioned above?

Weight loss, to the point of reaching a healthy weight that feels good to you, reduces health risks. It’s good for you and all the members of your family who love you unconditionally, who support you and wish you well.  If it’s too daunting to focus on exercise and meal plans, try shifting your focus to the people in your life and how everyone benefits when you feel better.

There are people in your corner who want you to succeed: friends, family, and/or professionals! What is one action you can take today, no matter how small, to upgrade your habits to support a healthy weight?

Read Success Stories

The Internet is full of success stories of overweight people who were dedicated to their goal and reached it. The ones that keep it off transformed more than just their physical habits: they transformed their mindset as well. You can learn from their experiences. Use their success stories to boost you up and give you strength when you feel you need some motivation or whenever you feel like giving up.

Make mental notes on the time those people took to lose weight, what they did to change their habits and what helped them the most. Isolation is the perfect time to think about how you can upgrade your game plan. It’s important to know that you can be a success story too! You can feel better and be an inspiration for others. 

Summary

If you’re obese or overweight, know that continuing to take action will reduce your risk of getting COVID-19 and complications associated with this virus. You are worth it and you don’t have to do it alone. Look around at who can support you. Sometimes, a simple message to a trainer or a training buddy, a therapist, a nutritionist, or health coach can help you stay on your weight loss journey. I’m rooting for you!

In health,

Rebecca Hazelton & Dusan Goljic