Ease Anxiety With These 4 Basics

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I want to talk with you today about how important your gut health is for having a healthy, balanced mood and easing anxiety.

Quick reminder first that I’ll be co-hosting a free online class on Natural Solutions to Inflammation with Maverick Chiropractic & Wellness Sept 21st. You can find the details and sign up link here.

You may be familiar, from past newsletters of mine, with the gut-brain axis. Your brain and gut communicate with each other through neural (nerve), endocrine (hormones), and immune pathways.

In fact, the enteric nervous system (ENS) is also known as the body’s “second brain.” It controls certain gastrointestinal functions and constantly keeps in touch with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

Your brain affects your gut and your gut affects your brain.

When you are anxious, whether due to a frightening event or chronic stress, stress hormones cause a disruption to your digestion. Stress hormones lead to destruction of friendly flora and overgrown of pathogenic flora in your gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis and a number of gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea. 

The other way around, since the gut and brain talk to each other, your mood and behavior and how you manage stress and anxiety depend on your gut health, particularly the health of your gut microbiome. Studies have led to the emerging concept that modulating gut microbiota may be a strategy in curing disorders of the nervous system.

There’s still more to research involving this connection, but in the March 2020 issue of the Human Microbiome Journal, a new study in humans found that a lower microbiome diversity and altered composition is linked to increased levels of stress and anxiety.

That is evidence speaking for itself–that if you want to reduce stress and anxiety, one way to do it is through your gut. Treat your gut better by doing these four basics. Yes, these are pretty basic (I bet you know them already!), but basic they may be, they are often taken for granted and therefore are powerful when done consistently.

1. Sleep well and exercise.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, you need at least 7 hours of sleep every night if you want to get its maximum benefits. Since it powers the mind, restores our depleted energy, and fortifies every system of the body, it is essential for health and keeps your gut healthy, too.

Don’t miss exercise as well. Keep moving. Those who exercise have more diverse gut microbiota, and that is our goal.
 
2. Manage stress and anxiety.

Stressors are constantly in our lives. It seems that they’re not going anywhere. However, we can choose how to deal with them so that they won’t damage our gut microflora, which in turn increases anxiety.

HeartMath, yoga, journaling, painting, talk therapy, and meditation are some of the techniques that ease stress. Doing one daily can help you cope with stress and anxiety.

3. Take probiotics.

Did you know that your gut microbes also make neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) that regulate your feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress?

But if your gut microbiome is thrown out of balance, the production of these neurotransmitters is affected and results in high anxiety and stress levels. This is where probiotics enter the picture.

Probiotics–either through supplements or food such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha–will help restore the diversity your gut microbiome.

4. Eat the food your gut loves.

Remember that you are what you eat (and absorb–digestion matters!). So if you want a healthy gut, eat foods that make the gut happy: fresh, local, colorful, fiber-rich produce (vegetables, leafies, and fruits) and a mixture of high quality protein and fat. Cut back on alcohol and processed and sugary foods since they destroy your gut microbiome and lead to mood imbalance. 

I hope that this newsletter reminds you how powerful these basics are and that by taking action to integrate them, you experience more ease in your day to day.

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. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

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

Your Brain on Processed Food

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I want to talk with you today about how some of commonly eaten foods are affecting your brain, hormones, blood sugar, and inflammation.
And speaking about inflammation, in September I’ll be co-hosting a free online class on Natural Solutions to Inflammation with Maverick Chiropractic & Wellness. You can find the details and sign up link here.



Let’s begin our discussion with breakfast foods. Many common breakfast foods are processed and resemble dessert–not a great way to start your day!

Ideally, when you break your fast, you eat something nutrient-dense and rich in protein and fiber. A solid meal like that will suppresses ghrelin, the hunger hormone, so it decreases the likelihood of overeating throughout the day. 
 

The Danger of Processed Foods

As I mentioned, many common convenience breakfast foods are ridiculously high in sugar. 
 
Instant oatmeal, many cereals, granola bars, fruit yogurt smoothies, protein bars–while fast and cheap, are all laden with sugar.
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran has 16 grams per serving (that’s 4 teaspoons!). 
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks is 56% sugar.  According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, children especially are on sugar overload–they get half of their daily average intake of sugar at breakfast. That’s huge! An 8 oz glass of orange juice has 26 grams of sugar–a little over 6 teaspoons!
 
And it starts in childhood for many of us. According to the American Heart Association, kids are to be limited to 3-4 teaspoons of added sugar per day. But in a typical American breakfast, especially in schools, it gets extremely high up to 11 teaspoons.

How do processed sugary breakfasts affect your brain?

Well the damage starts in childhood if that’s when the habits start.
Sugar captivates your brain’s reward center like cocaine does. So as kids we get hooked on sugar early. That’s why we are seeing an increase in type 2 diabetes and liver diseases in children.
 
Dietary sugar is made up of two molecules: glucose and fructose. Glucose is converted into energy, so we can sustain our biological functions, or deposited as fats to be used at a later time. Fructose can also be an energy source, however, there’s no biochemical reaction in the body that requires fructose. But here’s what you need to know: Fructose is metabolized in the liver similarly to alcohol. This is the reason why, when fructose is taken in huge amounts, it can be as toxic as alcohol. Even without any alcohol consumption, you can develop diseases typical of alcohol abuse such as type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.
 
The intestines and liver usually clear the majority of fructose, but with huge amounts, fructose can get into the brain and alter brain metabolism. Fructose gets into the astrocytes, the cells that nourish the neurons (brain cells), and cause glycation and oxidative stress–two of the eight subcellular pathologies of metabolic disease.
In addition to that, fructose disrupts two growth factors that help the brain develop and organize connections. These are leptin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
 
Leptin is a hormone that comes from fat tissues and is known as the satiety hormone because it helps inhibit hunger and regulate energy balance. But aside from that, leptin has an important role in brain function and cognition.
 
BDNF works in the memory center of the brain, the hippocampus, by laying new connections.
 
If this is how fructose works in the brain, then we shouldn’t wonder why high sugar diets and processed foods create symptoms like brain fog, poor memory, and difficulty concentrating.
 

What should you do?

First off, reduce both sugar and fructose in your diet.  Here are some recipes to help you out. If eggs don’t appeal to you, opt for unsweetened Greek yogurt (many dairy free options these days). Or skip traditional breakfast foods and opt for a meal more closely resembling a healthy lunch or dinner. 

You can choose options that are convenient AND healthy. If doesn’t have to be one or the other. Your health depends on it.

Also, the damaging effects of fructose can be counteracted by consuming Omega 3, which can be found in fish, seafood, nuts and seeds, and other foods.

These changes can make a huge difference in your health and well-being. After all, your health is your greatest wealth.
 
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. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

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

Lifestyle Hacks to Help Prevent Migraines

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Are you one of the almost 40 million Americans who experience migraines? If yes, this is for you.

A migraine is a headache, only worse than any other. It is characterized by a throbbing or pulsating sensation, usually on one side of the head. It can involve symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and having an aura or visual disturbance.

What’s worse with migraines? They are not usually relieved by pain medications.

AND migraines last for hours or even days! If you get them 15 days a month, you are considered to have chronic migraines.

If you get migraines or know someone who suffers from them, you know how how extensively they can affect a person’s quality of life. It’s frustrating to deal with such a complex condition that brings so much physical pain. Fortunately, studies have been conducted to know some probable causes as to why migraines occur.

Though the real cause of migraines is unknown, it can be a hereditary condition. Those who have migraines have overactive nerve cells that trigger the release of substances that send pain signals to the brain. This occurs when there are external and internal triggers, such as bright lights (external) and dehydration and blood sugar fluctuation (internal).

Studies have shown that the abnormal activity of nerve cells starts in the hypothalamus, the almond-shaped structure in the brain that keeps the balance of your internal environment (what we call homeostasis). Basically, it regulates your body temperature, controls your appetite, and much more. Migraineurs seem to have a sensitive hypothalamus. Any external or internal disturbance can cause it to not function properly and cause a migraine attack.

Migraines occur twice as frequently in women than men, and this may be because women have monthly hormonal fluctuations (and for some women, they get migraines before or during their menstrual period).

A review of 56 articles shows that poor metabolic health and insulin resistance are associated with migraines–which relate to blood sugar balance. In a study, men and women migraineurs have higher insulin levels compared to the healthy control group. The brain contains many insulin receptors, and insulin has behavioral and metabolic effects on the brain. Furthermore, insulin may stimulate gonadotropins, a reproductive hormone that is known to trigger migraines.

Another way insulin resistance causes migraine attacks is that an increased insulin level in the blood is correlated with increased nitric oxide stress, which is another migraine trigger.

Given that insulin-resistance plays a role in migraines, it is reasonable that lifestyle changes will help reduce or prevent migraine attacks.

So how?

The primary causes of insulin resistance are obesity, inactive lifestyle, insufficient sleep (fewer than 6-7 hrs/night), and a diet high in carbohydrates. Making the diet and lifestyle adjustments to support insulin balance is worthwhile–achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, committing to yourself to be more active every day, hydrate, get sufficient sleep, manage stress through HeartMath and/or meditation, and eating plenty of protein, food quality fats, and nutrient-dense carbs from vegetables and low sugar fruits.

A ketogenic diet has also been found to be effective in preventing migraine attacks. However, more research is needed on how the keto diet helps migraineurs.

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. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

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

How to Maintain a Well-Balanced Immune System

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As we continue to navigate a pandemic, one thing has become very clear:  keeping a balanced immune system is undeniably one of our best defenses against acquiring and surviving any disease.

Your immune system is a complex system that protects you from both external and internal threats. External threats are foreign microbes that can make us ill, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Internal threats include the development of cancer. Your immune system keeps on scanning and monitoring the body for any of these threats and fights to protect you. Your immune system is essential for your growth and longevity.

When your immune system is weak, it fails to protect your bodies from infections ranging anywhere from life-threatening infections to the common cold or flu. 

On the other side of the spectrum is when your immune system is hyperactive or dysregulated. This condition leads to the development of autoimmune disorders, meaning, the immune system does not differentiate the self from the non-self: It attacks its own. Diseases like Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis are autoimmune disorders.

We have learned that one of the biggest complications of Covid-19 is when the immune system overacts…like all gas and no brakes, which leads to an inflammatory immune response that is out of control!

So our goal is to have a functioning, well-balanced immune system: not weak AND not hyperactive. We can achieve this by the following ways:

Avoid things that weaken the immune system.

Steer clear of smoking. Nicotine makes your body produce more cortisol and reduces the formation of B cell antibodies and T cells’ response to antigens. Even e-cigarettes are not good for you because the vapor contains free radicals that cause the airways to be inflamed and thus more prone to infection.

Be active but avoid excessive exercise. Too much of anything is not good for you. Being inactive weakens your immune system, meaning it is more likely for you to acquire ANY infection because your defense system is low according to the study of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2012. However, doing too much strenuous exercise is also not good for you, and will lead to immune system suppression, So make sure you exercise and move your body (30-60 minute moderate physical activity, stretching, strength training) without overtraining.
 
Avoid excessive drinking of alcohol. The metabolite of alcohol, which is acetaldehyde, impairs the ciliary function in the airways. The cilia or hair-like projections are part of the immune defense that sweep the microbes and foreign bodies up to the airways away from the lungs. If they are impaired, the lungs are more prone to bacterial and viral infection.

Get UV rays…but not too much. Getting 15-30 mins of sun on most days is super important for a regulated immune system and gives your body essential vitamin D. However, like everything, too much is not good for you. Too much sun and UV rays weakens the immune system.

Manage stress, loneliness, and grief.

Stress, loneliness, and grief are associated with increased cortisol levels and impaired or suppressed immune system. It is understandable that people today might be feeling more stressed, lonely, and sad because of this pandemic. But we also have to bear in mind that we need to process these feelings in a healthy way, or else they will take a toll on our well-being.

Get support from friends, family, support groups, counselors, therapists, coaches as needed. Practice relaxation techniques. Set your priorities to take care of your mental health.

Eat well-balanced meals.

According to a June 2014 review published in Nutrition Journal, a diet high in sugar, salt, gluten, omega-6 fats (corn, canola, soy, and other “vegetable” oils), and saturated fat and low in omega-3 fats, impairs the immune system. If you want a reliable immune system, start with good nutrition.
 
Get a good amount of sleep.

Did you know that, according to research, people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get ill after their exposure to a virus or bacteria and that lack of sleep slows down your recovery?

Having a good night’s sleep of about 7-9 hours must be non-negotiable. After all, it is a necessity to keep your immune system up and running.

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. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

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

Busting 5 Common Weight Loss Myths

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The foundation of maintaining a healthy weight is having the right mindset and information, so today, let’s bust these 5 common weight loss myths.

Myth #1. A low-fat diet is the key to losing weight.

A low-fat diet is not sustainable or healthy for many people. Fat gives taste to food, leads provides essential fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and E and is necessary for healthy hormones. Eating low-fat or fat-free foods are usually tasteless, thus less satisfying and tend to get overeaten (your body is smart, it knows something is missing!).

Foods labeled low in fat or fat-free are not even even necessarily low in calories. Why? Because food manufacturers have put in additives, salt, and of course, lots of sugar to make up for the lack of taste that fats can give. 

So if your goal is to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, don’t think choosing foods with the low-fat or fat-free label are the magic bullet.

Instead, include healthy fats in your diet.  These include olives and olive oils, avocados, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, CLA from pastured animal products (ghee, butter, pastured eggs and meats), and coconut oil.
 
Myth #2. Counting calories is a priority.

No, actually. While counting calories can be helpful, you have to consider where these calories come from. Eating 100 calories from junk food is not the same as eating 100 calories from a healthy, well-balanced diet. Foods are not the same, and they go through different metabolic pathways.

So instead of focusing on counting your calories, be conscious of the quality of food that you eat. And yes, eating too much of anything will lead to weight imbalance, so there is truth to calories matter…but focusing on a healthy diet first will help you more easily achieve healthy caloric intake, especially if you are getting plenty of protein in your diet to satisfy you.

Myth #3. Healthy food is more expensive.

While it’s partly true that junk foods are cheap and whole foods are quite expensive, your health is worth the investment. Imagine this: you save on buying processed foods and fast foods but you’ll probably be spending more trying to get your health back when all the chemicals and junk from these foods take a toll on you.

The decisions you might make out of convenience add up over time. They become the new normal. If your mindset is “food has to be quick and easy” versus “my food can be healthy AND pretty quick and easy”, think of what it will ultimately cost you. Your mindset will make or break your big picture health outcome. Stack the odds in your favor with a “can do” attitude when it comes to food choice, planning and prepping. 

Myth #4. It’s okay not to exercise as long as you’re limiting your calories.

Exercise is VERY important for overall health. When it comes to weight loss/maintenance, if you just limit your calories, you’ll end up losing more muscle mass resulting in a slower metabolic rate, which makes you prone to regain the weight you’ve lost. Plus, that approach is NOT good for your bones. So make sure to keep your lean muscle mass and bone density healthy through exercise (strength training and cardio!) and reap the reward of weight loss and maintenance.

Myth #5. Losing weight is just about willpower.

Not true! People may say that losing weight is all about willpower. A certain diet plan that may work for others may NOT work for you…because losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all approach! Your body is unique and different from others.

Plus, though it may seem like it, losing weight is not the ultimate goal. Sustaining a healthy weight is.

So dieting hard for a certain period of time is only a temporary solution. What you need is a permanent lifestyle change that includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, proper sleep, stress management, and embracing the habits and mindset that create vibrant health.

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. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

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