What's In Your Coffee?

Going out for coffee may be hazardous to your health, as you can see from the photo, courtesy of FoodBabe.com. This proves that trendy and tasty do not equal healthy, even in a world where organic and gluten-free are the fastest growing food market niches.

So many of us are avoiding dairy and soymilk is a poor choice if you value your thyroid health, but we want something to put in coffee. For me, Almond milk does not cut it and has too much almond flavor, and coconut creamer is not rich enough, and often has added ingredients like carageenan that may be a concern.

Carrageenan is a seaweed extract that is used in the natural food industry to thicken foods and beverages. Degraded carrageenan has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. It seems to be destructive to the digestive tract. Undegraded carrageenan may not cause cancer, but it is still linked to leaky gut and damage to the gut lining. So, it may compromise your immune system.

The other dilemma is how to get more good fats in your diet, like butter, especially if you are cutting down on bread and grains.

Bullet-proof coffee or tea solves both problems!  Add a pat of butter (or coconut oil) and swirl your coffee or tea in a Bullet or blender to mix and emulsify the fat. Now you have the creamy texture of coffee or tea with milk or half and half, without the concerns about dairy reactions. If you are super-sensitive to dairy, you can use ghee, which is butter that has been heated to remove all the milk solids an leave just the fat, known as clarified butter in French cooking.

Coffee is a herb, like tea, and has antioxidants. For most people, in moderate amounts, coffee is safe to drink. It is dehydrating, so be sure to increase your water intake and don't substitute coffee for water! For even more antioxidants, add an organic green tea bag to your fresh hot brew.

So, now you can have rich coffee, without milk or oream, and get more butter in your diet. Butter has natural A and D and with all the concerns about Vitamin D, butter is a natural source. Notice that Nature always pairs Vitamin D with Vitamin A, as in fish oil. And butter is a great fat for hair and skin.

Let me know how you like Bullet-Proof Coffee. There is even a new coffee shop in Culver City called Bullet Proof Coffee, so butter as an alternative is spreading and maybe we will see it at Starbucks. Always choose organic butter or a grass-fed butter like Kerrygold from Ireland to avoid hormones and pesticides.

Have a great week!

Do You Know the Signs of Heavy Metal Toxicity?

All of us are exposed to heavy metals in the Western World.  Metals may be food, air, or water borne. You may work in an environment that uses heavy metals such as construction, agricultural, manufacturing or other industries. Corrosion may cause an exposure when a metal was used as an element, such as lead in pipes.

A metal may be a trace metal in tiny amounts that is essential in the body, such as copper. But even a vital metal is a problem when it overwhelms the body’s ability to excrete excess, and stores in the body, eventually causing cellular damage. Many metals are toxic to nerve cells, for example. Heavy metals will cause organ damage and often store in the small intestine, wreaking havoc with digestion and compromising the immune system in the gut. They are also known to be cancer-causing.

The good news is that toxic metals can be removed from the body by getting a substance to bind with them and pull them out, or increasing the body’s ability to push them out through detoxification pathways. When the heavy metal burden is reduced, the opportunity for healing the organ or tissue is greatly improved.

Here are some symptoms of metal toxicity: Fatigue, weakness, joint pain, digestive issues, brain fog, constipation, ulcers, sperm damage, headache, poor attention span, irritability, loss of memory, lower IQ, decreased attention span, anti-social behavior, kidney damage. Metals will interfere with enzyme function or cause DNA damage. If you are considering pregnancy, it may be very important to reduce your heavy metal burden before getting pregnant. If you want to prevent cancer, there are few steps you can take that would be more helpful than reducing your toxic metals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144270/

The most toxic metals are mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Knowing if you have an over-burden of these metals can help you take charge of your health, and protect your cells and organs in the long term. https://public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/HealthyNeighborhoods/LeadPoisoning/MedicalProvidersLaboratories/Documents/HeavyMetals.pdf

Now there is a simple dried-urine test (pee on a strip) that identifies if you have toxic metal over-load. The test also reveals your levels of the essential trace minerals of iodine and selenium, which are vital for heart health and to protect you against cancer. Bromine can bind with cell receptors to prevent you from being able to utilize iodine and the test checks your bromine level, also. Bromine is a common ingredient in commercial bread products.

The price of the heavy metal test is normally $205. For the month of October, get a $20 discount. If you have a heavy metal over-load, supplements or a detoxification program can reduce the burden. This may improve your symptoms and will reduce your risk of serious health issues. We live in a toxic environment. Until we can reduce the environmental toxins by getting industries to clean up their act and stop poisoning us, all we can do is help our bodies to cope with the health consequences.

The test is a simple test you take at home and send it to the lab. The results may change your life. Every step you take to rid your body of toxins, chemical, metal or pathogenic, will improve your chances of feeling your best, and reducing your risk of serious disease. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/metalsheavy/

Call the office to order your test kit. You don’t need an appointment and we can also mail the kit to you and send you the supplements, as well, if the results indicate that you need to reduce heavy metals. Find out if you are at risk and help your body stay strong.

Anne Dunev, PhD, C.N. has over twenty years experience helping people feel better by finding the root cause of what is causing their symptoms. Addressing that with the correct natural and nutritional medicine is her strength. With help restoring balance and function, thousands of people are living happier, healthier lives.

Fighting That Afternoon Slump?

You know, right around three or four p.m. when you can barely keep your eyes open. You just run out of juice. And you want coffee, sweets or a shot of Red Bull just to keep going.

Since coffee at that hour may interfere with nighttime rest, sweets are not a good solution, and you know that Red Bull is not healthy, what can you do to get through your day? And how can you avoid eating the wrong snacks, when you are tired and your willpower is low?

First of all, how much sleep are you getting? If you are running on empty in the sleep department, your body will give out when it needs more rest.  So, listen to the signals.  If you routinely burn the midnight oil and stay up until one-two a.m. you are doing yourself a serious disservice, unless you can sleep ‘til noon. For the vast majority of us the body needs at least seven hours of sleep per night, and some need more. The consequences of insufficient sleep go beyond the afternoon yawns. Weight gain, lowered metabolic rate and risk of more serious disease states are all possible. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences

This varies from person to person, but sleep deprivation is not a good way to catch up on your work. You will most often find that you don’t perform as well, drive as smartly, or act pleasantly, when you are sleep deprived. So, hit the sack earlier on a gradient. Get your adrenals checked if you routinely stay up and get a second wind. If you cannot go to sleep earlier, seek help. Call the office and make an appointment so that we can get your body resting well.

Secondly, consider what you eat at lunchtime. A carb-ful lunch may spike and then crash your blood sugar. Instead of a sandwich, pasta or pizza, choose salad and protein. Food intolerances may be revealed by how you feel after you eat. If you feel speeded up, drowsy, or lethargic, or have indigestion, you may have an intolerance to a food. If you are eating the same foods every day, it may be a food you eat commonly. I will be writing more about this in upcoming blogs. I have seen some dramatic improvements in health and well-being when a food intolerance is identified and the offending food omitted.

Third, even if you are eating well, if you are even a bit over your ideal weight chances are your metabolism and blood sugar are out of synch. A blood sugar balance program can put you on the right path and help you find out how energetic you can feel when you are eating correctly for your metabolism. You always hear people talking about eating for health, such as veggies and whole foods. These days there is more to it than that. You have to eat so that you don’t release too much insulin, causing the cells of the body to become resistant to the constant high levels of insulin. Insulin is the door opener to the cells to allow fuel (sugar in the blood) to enter. How do you know if your blood sugar is out of balance? Afternoon slump is one sign. And if your waist is bigger than your hips, that is another sign. Get help. Estimates that up to 30% of the population has Diabetes.https://www.diabeteseducator.org/news/aade-blog/aade-blog-details/karen-kemmis-pt-dpt-ms-cde-faade/2017/07/26/the-2017-national-diabetes-statistics-report-is-here

And many more are pre-Diabetic. Many people can be helped so that their Diabetes is arrested and their pancreas repairs. Pre-Diabetics don’t have to progress to a disease state. Diabetes Type II is one of the most easily controlled diseases, but it does take a firm plan and changes in your eating.

Fourth is being significantly overweight. An overweight body is a body that is burdened by the excess pounds that require miles of extra blood vessels and a strain on the muscles and tendons to manage the extra pounds. A pick-up truck is not built to carry the load that an 18-wheeler can handle. And our bodies are supposed to be like small trucks, not the big rigs. It is the crapo-hydrates that pile on the pounds. No one gains weight on greens, broccoli and fish. And when your body needs the extra nutrients to make the miles of new blood vessels and support the tendons and joints you can get hungry. And the more crapo-hydrates eaten, instead of healthy foods, the more hungry a person can become. It is a Merry-go-round ride of hunger, junk food and fatigue. The only answer is to get off. But don’t jump. Stop the Merry-go-round first, by doing a Detox/cleanse. Not only do people lose weight but they report feeling better than they have in years during and after the cleanse. And there is plenty of food allowed, so no hunger.

Find out what your particular needs are and get a game plan to help your body feel energetic all day long. If you are fighting that afternoon slump, we can help. Ask yourself if you really think it will get better if you don’t change something you are doing. Call the office to book. And meanwhile try some of our herbal supplements to give you a natural boost that still allows you to sleep at night.

How Much Sugar Is Too Much- Part 2

See Part 1 https://anne-dunev-gqev.squarespace.com/natural-health-and-nutrition-blog/2015/9/19/how-much-sugar-is-too-much

10. Maple syrup is mainly sucrose, but contains some minerals and amino acids (building blocks of proteins) because it is made from boiling the tree sap from Maple Trees.

11. Honey is flower nectar acted upon by enzymes that make is suitable for long-term storage by the bee. To further assist the storage the bees fan the honey to speed up the evaporation process, making the honey thicker. Beeswax, a secretion from the abdomen of the bee, is used to seal the honey into the comb. Honey will keep indefinitely once the process is complete. Honey is 82% sugar and 40% of the sugar is fructose. Honey has trace minerals and antioxidants. Honey will raise blood sugar, but not as much as white sugar. It also appears to lower inflammation. Honey should only be eaten raw and it is antibacterial and safe to put on a wound for healing (but should not be used on a puncture wound.)

12. Xylitol is made from birch trees. It contains 30-40% less calories and is slowly absorbed compared to other sugars. Xylitol can reduce cavities and is a good choice for chewing gum. It has also been shown to reduce the incidence of middle ear infections in children. Xylitol is a better choice for individuals who are suffering from hypoglycemia or Diabetes. It may cause gas and diarrhea if consumed in high quantities. It is toxic for dogs.

13. Coconut sugar is also made from tree sap. Coconut tree sap is heated until the water has evaporated and the crystals are left. Coconut sugar contains trace minerals and a fiber called inulin, a prebiotic, which helps feed healthy gut flora. It contains the same calories as refined white sugar.

14. Stevia is an extract of a South American plant leaf. It is not technically a sugar, but it stimulates the sweet receptors on the tongue and is perceived as sweet. It is 200-300 times sweeter than white sugar, so should be used in small quantities. It is safe for Diabetics to use.

Americans consume over 19 teaspoons of sugar per day, on average, not including fruit juice. This is added sugar, and does not include the sugar Nature provides in fruits, vegetables and grains. Regular soda contains one teaspoon of sugar per ounce.

We obviously enjoy the sweet stuff. And the body was designed to extract the sugar from whole foods and use glucose for fuel. When we consume refined sugars, the sugar does not have to be extracted, but transports directly into the blood, and that is what creates havoc. In a sense the body can become drunk on sugar, just as too much alcohol causes inebriation. Either too much sugar at one time, or not enough sugar when we skip meals or starve, throws off the balanced flow of energy to the cells. Too much sugar sends our pancreas and livers into over-drive to try and compensate for the deluge. There is a delicate mechanism to maintain a correct balance of sugar so the brain, as the central computer system, works optimally. Sugar has a “burning” effect on cells and may well be the main cause for inflammation in the arteries leading to heart disease. Cancer and candida cells love sugar and feed off sugar. Excess sugar is quickly converted to fat cells and does not just get deposited at waist and hips. Fat deposits in the liver interrupt normal liver function.

So, basically there is nothing helpful or healthy that comes from eating too much sugar. There is nothing healthy about eating any processed, refined sugar at all. We may be able to handle a few teaspoons a day, but we don’t need any added sugar in our diets. If you are trying to lose weight, eliminate fruit also, and see if your body lets go of excess pounds more easily. Think of bread and pasta as sugar, also, since the body will metabolize (break down) grains and starches as sugars.

To end sugar cravings, you have to eliminate it. Just like alcohol (which also breaks down to sugar) you have to go on the wagon to stop the cravings. Add in more protein and healthy fats, and that will help. Get your adrenals checked, as both sugar and salt cravings are indicators of adrenal fatigue.

Do our 10-day Sugar Detox program and see how good you can feel off sugar! Have more energy, sleep better and tame the sugar monster, while also doing a detox. Book a free 15 minute consultation to find out more. 818-562-1400.