One of the best reference books that I use for my business is my Nutritional Pathology book. I can look up any disease or disorder and get the best holistic recommendations to support the body. A big part of these recommendations is dietary and they vary depending on the condition. But there is one thing all the dietary recommendations have in common. It is to give up coffee, tea and caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is an artificial stimulant that dehydrates you. If you suffer from headaches or migraines, caffeine is the first thing off your list. And water is the first thing on it. There is actually something called a caffeine withdrawal headache. I don't know about you, but if you are actually having withdrawal symptoms from a beverage, that can't be a good thing. Coffee is also the worst thing to drink first thing in the morning. You are already dehydrated from your sleep and all the metabolic clean up that is done during the night. You want to flush out these metabolic toxins with a big glass of filtered, room temperature water. This will help to support your liver and kidneys and get things moving in the morning. When you are drinking your first glass of water in the morning you will be surprised how truly thirsty you are. I know you might be thinking...that's easy to say but I'm still not giving up my coffee. You are probably also thinking, what does she know about this coffee withdrawal thing. I would have agreed with you if I hadn't experienced it for myself. I had a long love affair with coffee. And no real history with headaches. But when I was caffeine free for the first few days, I experienced caffeine withdrawal headaches. Surprisingly, by giving up coffee, you have better mental clarity and more energy. This is probably the reason you started drinking coffee in the first place. And you'll sleep so much better, too. Giving up caffeine is also good to reduce your stress levels. Chronic stress causes adrenal fatigue and elevated cortisol levels. This leads to accumulating abdominal fat among other things. My article 'How to Deal with Chronic Stress' also covers the importance of giving up caffeine. Or if you have any inflammation issues stop drinking coffee. Caffeine is an inflammatory 'food'. It is also highly acidic. So, it's bad for your bone density as it affects your blood pH levels. You can drink all the herbal teas you can stomach hot or cold. You can start weaning yourself off caffeine with a good quality organic decaf. Or you can try mushroom teas which you can find at your local health food store. Or you can buy this product featured in the picture. Dandy Blend dandelion tea tastes and looks like instant coffee. It contains chicory root which also helps it taste like coffee. You can find it at a good health food store. It is expensive but in comparison to the price of coffee it is great value. Because you only need a teaspoon to make a full cup. Dandy Blend is non-GMO, gluten free, 100% caffeine free, no acidity and no bitterness. It contains over 50 trace minerals in each cup. Also, you won't experience caffeine withdrawal headaches when you switch to Dandy Blend. I heard about this product by watching a FMTV improved lifestyle seminar. I thought it sounded like a great alternative to health damaging caffeine. Give it a try, your body will thank you for it. Spring is a month away. It’s time to get your body ready as best you can before the pollen starts flying. Facial masks have been helpful in the past. But as restrictions lessen, here’s some holistic solutions to pollen allergies. TEN COMMON-SENSE TIPS
FOODS TO CUT OUT Cut out dairy during allergy season. It is one of the most common food allergens and just makes your symptoms more pronounced. Start reading food labels and cut out foods containing the following additives:
What does all this have to do with allergies? According to Dr. Adrein Morris's article, 'Food additives have been implicated as triggers for chronic non-allergic rhinitis and avoidance may benefit up to 8% of rhinitis sufferers.' FOODS TO ADD Now you are saying.... what’s left to eat? That's my whole diet! Well, here is yet another amazing coincidence. The best diet to help you get through pollen season is a whole food plant-based diet. So, if you suffer with allergies, what better time to get going on a clean eating plan. Check out my book BREAK THE CYCLE or my 6-week HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS Challenge to get started. Here’s a list of foods with anti-histamine properties that you can start using more of today:
LOCAL HONEY FOR NON-VEGANS Locally produced honey. This means the bees are collecting pollen from our local trees. The same trees that give you all those allergic symptoms. Take a tablespoon of local honey every day starting a month before pollen season. This is like inoculating yourself against the same pollen that causes you so much misery. However, I want to point out that honey is basically sugar so if you have a sugar addiction, skip this suggestion. You don’t want honey to get in the way of your weight loss. But if you are at your goal weight and pollen season is unbearable, give honey a try. SUPPLEMENTATION Everyone knows I am a huge proponent for spirulina. You would think that I would be selling it myself. Maybe I should because I believe in it so much. As I mentioned in my book, spirulina is great for stabilizing blood sugar. As an added bonus, it also helps with seasonal allergies. Spirulina alleviates sinus issues. It benefits the body by reducing the inflammation that causes people to experience sinus problems, according to numerous studies. Compared to placebo trials, spirulina is effective at reducing itching, nasal discharge, nasal congestion and sneezing. Take as directed on the bottle. Start today to put in place these common-sense tips. Eat a whole food plant-based diet. Focus on foods with anti-histamine properties. And use spirulina so you can get through this season feeling much better. Here’s to getting through Spring with clear nasal passages! References:
An ion is an atom or molecule with an electrical charge. They are super small. Some ions are positively charged. Others are negatively charged. They are all around us and come from both natural and man-made sources. NEGATIVE IONS ARE GOOD FOR US We feel alive when near waterfalls or a natural spring. When it rains or during thunderstorms. Walking on the beach or in the woods. This is because there are plenty of negative ions in the air. Negative ions counteract positive ions. This leaves us feeling invigorated, healthier and energized. POSITIVE IONS ARE BAD FOR US The following things all give off positive ions:
Positive ions can turn into free radicals in the body. Free radicals can damage healthy cells and decrease the pH of the blood. Free radicals in the body are linked to aging, tissue damage and some diseases. Most particles found in the air inside buildings have a positive charge. In nature, negative ions are generated by sunlight, lightning, waves, and waterfalls. That's why people feel so invigorated in these settings. But indoors, negative ions are lacking. So, negative ion generators were developed to improve air quality inside businesses and homes. The science behind it is that negative ions will be attracted to positive ions in the air. When there is lot of negative ions in the air, they will attach to positively charged particles. This causes the particle to become too heavy to remain airborne. As a result, the particle will fall out of the air. This prevents it from being inhaled into the respiratory tract. Inhaled positively charged particles can trigger breathing and health problems. The claimed health benefits of negative ion generators are:
The cheapest ways to incorporate more negative ions into the home are: SALT CRYSTAL LAMPS Salt crystal lamps are natural ionizers. The salt crystal binds the negative ions with the excess positive ions. When the lamp becomes warm, it absorbs moisture and the crystal will be damp on the surface. This builds up the ion field. Through the lamp, the positively charged atmosphere of the room can be neutralized. Also, the colors of the salt crystal stones can have a healing effect. The prices range depending on the size of the crystal starting at $25.00. That's the price I paid for the one pictured above. INDOOR WATERFALLS: Indoor waterfalls and desktop fountains provide a constant source of running water. Running water reduces stress factors in the environment by producing negatively charged ions. Also, they create white noise which can help neutralize irritating sounds. You can buy these online between $50-$100. NEGATIVE ION GENERATORS: The third way, is to buy a negative ion generator, an air ionizer or an air purifier (all the same thing). They are not so pretty and cost between $150-$400. So, that's why I opted for the salt lamp and the waterfall. By the way, any one of these make great gifts for the people that you love. (Including yourself.) If you want to learn other methods to reduce stress in the home, click the button below to go to my article. If you have a varied healthy diet with lots of green vegetables and you do weight bearing exercise regularly like walking or jogging, you are doing a lot to help your bones. One of the reasons we lose calcium from our bones is that it acts as a buffer to keep our blood at the correct pH level. However, calcium is difficult to absorb in supplement form so the body, in it's efficient wisdom, will take calcium from the bones on a as needed basis. Bone density loss can NOT be remedied by supplementing calcium tablets. Bone density is maintained by an intricate interplay of many nutrients including; protein, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, boron, silicon, vanadium, B-complex vitamins, and vitamins K and D. Calcium needs vitamin D along with other vitamins and minerals to support absorption. If the calcium is not absorbed and utilized, the burden falls on our kidneys to get rid of it. As a result, kidney stones could develop. The best way to ensure absorption is through calcium-rich foods. The easiest way to stop calcium from leaching from your bones is to have an alkaline diet and remove foods and triggers that make the blood more acidic. And what a coincidence that the way of eating that I promote in my book and courses is predominantly alkaline. The average adult requires 1000 mg of calcium per day. And this is totally doable if you follow my guidelines of eating two pounds of non-starchy vegetables every day. Three Ways to Alkalinize Your Diet: Foods to Add:
'Phosphorous and calcium have an inverse relationship with each other in the blood. High phosphorous will encourage calcium excretion by the kidneys. While milk might be a good source of calcium, it also has lots of phosphorous, and it lacks magnesium necessary to solubilize calcium. Meat also contains large amounts of phosphorous as do carbonated drinks, and so will be associated with calcium losses.' 2. Avoid coffee, tea, caffeine, and stimulants.
3. Avoid sugar, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners. There are other factors that affect bone density but here is a good start of what you can implement today to protect your bones. Take baby steps today by making some dietary changes to avoid bone loss. * I do want to point out that if your doctor has suggested that you take calcium and vitamin D supplementation, take it! Some medications leach calcium from your bones. I don't know what medication you are taking, so follow your doctor's orders. But also make sure you are getting your daily needs met through proper nutrition. Reference: Brenda Lessard-Rhead, Nutritional Pathology, Second Edition, CSNN Publishing, Richmond Hill, Ontario, 2013. |
Karen WarwickI am not a doctor but I am a RHN. Here is what I would do, if I were you. Archives
May 2022
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