If you are trying to achieve or maintain your ideal weight, you might fall victim to some of the many dieting myths that are rampant in mainstream media. Today, let’s look at and bust 4 of the most common dieting myths together.

1. Carbs are fattening – Not at all, if you eat the right types and amounts of carbohydrates. Carbs include all vegetables, fruits, grain, beans and legumes (which also have protein but are high in starchy carbs and fiber), and of course processed foods derived from these natural forms of carbs (this is where most of us get into imbalance quite quickly). In their natural form, carbohydrate foods are a source of energy, minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese, and B vitamins. Carbs also contain fiber which supports digestion, diversity of your gut microbes, and helps you feel fuller for longer. So carbs aren’t inherently fattening and supply a lot of health building elements. However, carbs can be unhealthy if you rely primarily on processed versions of the whole foods (aka pasta, bread, cereal, pastries, etc) that are pretty much only supplying starch, a little fiber and a sliver of nutrients. Carbs are also fattening if they lead to overeating. Overeating anything is going to lead to increased fat tissue! But certain foods are much easier to overeat than others, certain combos of food are easier to overeat (high starch + high fat, for example), and certain metabolisms respond to higher carb consumption by craving more and more carbs or more food in general…which of course will lead to extra body fat. So, these are the real reasons why being mindful of the types and quantities of carbs, rather than vilifying ALL carbs, will help you to achieve or maintain your ideal weight.
2. Skipping meals helps – Skipping meals is not something I recommend as a general rule. Not eating when you aren’t hungry, however is. We live in a very food-focused society. We encourage snacking between meals and high-calorie drinks…our bodies are overloaded! Rather than skipping meals to speed up weight loss (which is not sustainable over time and your metabolism will slow down to counteract this if you aren’t taking in enough nutrients or calories), focus your efforts on eating high-quality, nutrient-dense meals with protein, fiber and produce (chicken with broccoli, salmon and asparagus, tofu and veggie stir fry) that will satisfy your appetite so you don’t reach for more calories from foods or drinks throughout the day–this will help you build gut health, support a healthy weight, and a healthy metabolism. 
3. Low-fat foods are healthy – Because the label says it’s low fat doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Definitely read the nutritional facts of any product because sometimes, the fats in low-fat foods are replaced with more sugar or salt to help preserve the original flavor of the product and are NOT healthy. Fats are incredibly important for your hormone production, sleep, sex drive, cholesterol balance, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K…and fats help you feel satisfied from your meal. As I mentioned earlier, high fat combined with high starch is a brutal combo that tricks your brain into wanting to eat a lot more than is healthy…but skimping on healthy fats like nuts, avocados, coconut, olives, eggs, organic butter, fish and pastured animal protein…that’s not something I advise. These foods have a lot of health benefits and going too low-fat will lead to health problems for most people.
4. Intense exercise is the only way to lose weight – Intense or vigorous exercise is not the only way but a way to support weight loss if combined with proper calorie intake. Also, vigorous exercises are not for everyone, especially if you have certain medical conditions (high blood pressure, COPD, certain types of arthritis or chronic fatigue, for example). You may opt for moderate exercises instead, such as walking, biking, dancing, and strength training.

I hope that this newsletter was helpful to you! 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

Mushroom coffee isn’t new, but I do get a lot of questions about it, so today I want to shed some light on the pros and cons of mushroom coffee.



Before I do that, I want to make sure that you don’t miss out on my free webinar today. There’s still time to sign up if you want to learn How Stress Wrecks Your Digestion and What You Can Do About It! Click here for details or to register.

What is mushroom coffee?

Mushroom coffee is a growing trend in the modern health food world. Though it’s getting attention recently, people have been consuming mushroom extracts and broths from powdered mushroom species for thousands of years. In traditional Chinese medicine, mushrooms were used as a medicinal food. 

How to make mushroom coffee?

You can’t just toss coffee and mushrooms in a cup and drink it because that would be less than delicious!Mushrooms undergo a thorough drying and extraction process to get the beneficial compounds before it’s added to coffee. The following are the two most common ways to make coffee:

• Mushroom powder in coffee – Prepare your regular coffee (caffeinated, decaf, half-caf), add a teaspoon of mushroom coffee and mix well to dissolve the mushroom.
• Mushroom-coffee blend – This comes in a single-serving packet containing pre-measured mushroom powder and instant coffee with the option of containing sweetener and/or creamer.

The most common mushrooms added in coffee blends include:

• Reishi
• Chaga
• Lion’s mane
• Cordyceps

Regardless of how you would like your mushroom coffee prepared, its growing benefits are truly undeniable. Let’s explore on these benefits:

• Packed with nutrients – just a teaspoon of mushroom powder in your coffee is equivalent to 2000 mg or 2 g of “functional mushroom” (mushrooms with medicinal or adaptogenic health benefits beyond their nutritional composition) AND provides added nutrition including the low-calorie source of protein, B vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds that support your body’s equilibrium.
• Supports brain and nerve health – particularly Lion’s mane coffee, the bioactive ingredients of mushrooms support brain health and regulate healthy mood.
• Supports healthy blood sugar – Try adding maitake mushroom powder to your coffee when you’re eating a high-carb meal. Maitake may lessen the carbohydrates digested and absorbed in the intestines.
• Helps combat stress – Add reishi powder to your coffee to help you de-stress and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
• Promotes healthy gut microbes – A teaspoon of mushroom powder every day adds to your fiber consumption and increases the growth of healthy gut microbes.
• Provides antioxidants – Chaga, specifically, is rich in antioxidants that prevent tissue damage due to oxidative stress and free radicals.
• Contains anti-inflammatory compounds – Mushroom coffee supports your body’s natural response to inflammation. It actually contains anti-inflammatory compounds like polysaccharides and carotenoids.
• Limits cholesterol absorption – In a study among rats, ergosterol, which is found in the cell walls of mushrooms, suppresses the absorption of cholesterol and increases its excretion through the GI tract.
• Supports healthy immune response –  A teaspoon of turkey tail powder daily activates your immune system.
• Supports your workout – If you’re looking for something to support your stamina and oxygen capacity and help muscle recovery, then cordyceps mushroom powder is just right for you.

What are the downsides of mushroom coffee?

Not many! Primarily, mushroom coffee should be avoided if you have an allergy or intolerance to mushrooms. Also, certain fungal, yeast imbalances, or mold illness could potentially be worsened by consuming mushrooms so you’d want to check with your practitioner first. Secondly, although mushroom coffee is exciting, the studies on it are limited to test tubes and animals. More human research is still needing to be done. Lastly, which is minor, is the higher cost–functional mushrooms are not commercially farmed but harvested in their natural habitat.

Not a coffee drinker? Me neither! I am a big fan of functional mushrooms though and I consume dandelion tea with mushroom powder (Teeccino is a delicious brand!).

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

I’m excited to talk about this topic with you today, but before we dig in, I want to make sure that you are aware of a free webinar I am giving next week with Park Avenue Fitness on inflammation. You can view the details and sign up free here.
Okay so let’s talk about oats! Oats, which are formally named Avena sativa, are a gluten-free whole grain from the Poaceae grass family of plants. Well technically, all grains have gluten (a storage protein), but the gluten that everyone talks about as harmful is found in wheat, rye, barley and anything cross-contaminated with these.
While oats have nutritional value, there are a few reasons why oats are not good for everyone.

First, oat is a grain and thus contains anti-nutrient properties just like other grains, including phytic acid which has been known for stripping your body from absorbing the nutrients in the oats and other foods (zinc, calcium, and iron). Luckily, proper cooking of oats reduces this anti-nutrient.

Second, oat is rich in starch and carbs. Meaning, it can unnecessarily increase your blood sugar level.

Lastly, since oat is a bland food, many people end up adding sweeteners and/or fruit to it, which can further add to blood sugar imbalance, inconsistent energy, and also increase body fat. 

Types of Oats

If you want to eat oats, there are forms that are healthier. You see, oats are available in different forms according to the processing they undergo. The least processed forms take longer to digest, so they have a lower glycemic index (blood sugar measurement) compared to other forms.

• Oat groats – refer to the dehulled oat grain. They contain the bran, germ, and endosperm. Only the inedible hulls are removed.
• Oat bran – refer to the outer shell of the oat groat seed.
• Steel-cut or Irish – oat groats, minus the bran, that has been cut into two or three smaller pieces with a steel blade.
• Scottish oats – oat groats, without the bran, that has been stone-ground into a meal and yield to a porridge-like texture when cooked.
• Rolled oats – oat groats, without the bran, that passed through a steam roller and flattened into flakes. Moisture is then removed so they are stable to be stored on the shelf.
• Quick or instant – oat groats that are steamed for a prolonged period and rolled into thinner pieces. Quick or instant oats are the most processed form, and many brands come sweetened or flavored. 

In summary, the oat bran simply means the outer part of the oat groats, while the oatmeal is the cut, rolled, or instant form of the oat groats. Let’s check out the difference between these two main categories.

Cooking Time

Oat bran cooks faster than oatmeal (2-3 mins).

Nutrition 

Oat bran outshines oatmeal nutritionally.

Take a look at the comparison of their nutritional values in the table below (spoiler alert: oat bran is higher in fiber and protein and lower in starch/sugar and calories than oatmeal). 

Soluble FiberOat brain also contains more beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that has many health benefits. Specifically, the beta-glucan found in oats has been proven to improve cholesterol and LDL levels.

Because oat bran is richer in soluble fiber, you will feel fuller after eating a bowl of oat bran, which can last for 4 hours. However, eating a bowl of oatmeal tends to provide less satiety.

Taste and Texture

With taste, both oat bran and oatmeal taste the same. With texture, oat bran is creamy and mushy while oatmeal is chewy. You can bake with either as well.I hope that this newsletter was helpful to you! 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