Did you know these delicious little seeds are a superfood for women? Especially when suffering from the female monthly cycle. These seeds can help with tender breasts, water retention, belly bloat, and mood fluctuations. What a great NutriLicious strategy to help you on a monthly basis.
Some ways to incorporate them into an eating plan are using them as salad toppers, smoothie add-ins, in trail mixes, or just as they are for a quick snack. Most Naturopaths I work with recommend seed-cycling which means you eat the every other day. On the non-pumpkin seed eating days, you can enjoy some other nutritious seeds – like sesame seeds, or watermelon seeds, or chia seeds, or flax seeds. So much amazing nutrition from such a small little package!
According to the CDC, a third of adults don’t get a good night’s rest regularly. Not getting that sleep is linked with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including Type II Diabetes (T2D), heart disease, obesity, and depression. And I think we all know that when we don’t get the rest we need, we are not at our best; in fact, we can become downright cranky, and make poor decisions. I can vouch that as I become more lethargic and worn down, the broccoli does NOT look as good as that cookie! You can see where I’m going with this…
In 2012 there was a study done to find out if there was a connection between lack of sleep and junk food cravings. Some of their findings included that sleep deprivation stimulated appetite, and hence food intake. The sleep deprived reported increased hunger, and their brains showed heightened responses to images of food; in fact, the longer the sleep deprivations, the greater the reward responses in anticipation of foods. To conclude, tired humans crave more food stimuli of higher calorie foods.
As we watch the obesity statistics increase in the US, I can’t help but wonder how much of it could be tied to the fact that we don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. What wonders could be cured if only we could wind down before bedtime and embrace the peace and recovery of slumber.
In 2019 there was a study done to find out if our olfactory circuits impacts our relationship to sleep and hunger. In other words, is our sense of smell partly to blame for this sleep deprivation hunger and reward response to higher calorie foods. How does our sense of smell get tied into this? When we are sleep deprived, our sense of smell goes into overdrive to help us identify foods. Our brain depends upon our smell to take us to more energy-dense options (more calories/gram).
So I’ll take the reverse of the study results here… If we desire to make healthier food choices, we MUST get the rest our bodies need. In this way, rest is key to maintaining body weight and distancing ourselves from chronic disease.
One good thing that has materialized after COVID19 began is that a new mindset has rapidly spread globally. Everyone is trying to become a healthier version of themselves. That’s a good thing and it may help with longevity or quality of life or both! When I think about longevity of life and a quality of life at that last phase, my mind goes straight to blue zones.
Blue zones are the sites on Earth where there exist most centenarians (people over the age of 100) – these are the places where people are forgetting to die… quite literally. These places have become a fascinating topic of discussion for many health practitioners. We’re all thinking what are these places doing RIGHT?
One such place is Okinawa, Japan. A recent article from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (EJCN) explores covid19 mortality rates there in Okinawa compared to the whole of Japan.
Now for a baseline, here in the US our COVID19 mortality rate is about 1.2% (from JHU-see chart). This ratio represents death from confirmed COVID19 cases. Japan has one of the lowest COVID19 mortality rates at 0.5%.
COVID19 Mortality Rates (deaths/confirmed cases) from Johns Hopkins University-Feb28, 2022
Now in Okinawa it was discovered that their COVID19 mortality rate (from 6/16/21) was 0.08%. So that is more than 6 times less than the national rate. WHAT are Okinawans doing to help their health?
Scientists have long observed the Blue Zones and have regarded that the diet and lifestyle are great contributors to the longevity of life there. The Okinawan diet is mostly plant-based with only 3% of calories coming from animal proteins.
Even if we can only substitute some of our animal proteins with plant-based ones, we are able to experience a decreased risk of all-cause mortality. A previous plant-based study also cites increased plant-based substitutions show decreased all-cause mortality. Further previous studies have also shown increased animal-based substitutions increased heart disease mortality. When studies align like this, even across different paths, it’s really good food for thought! After much analysis, the ECJN states that adopting a more plant-based diet could address major risk factors and beneficially impact longevity of life.
What is it? Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Disorder is when all your pelvic floor muscles are not working optimally to provide flexibility of movement, freedom of organ function, and secure placement for organs.
How do you know if you have it? It may encompass abnormalities of urination, defecation, sexual function, pelvic organ prolapse, and chronic pain which translates into significant quality of life issues.
Because this topic can be viewed by some as taboo or “dirty”, many people haven’t been informed about what it is, how it can happen, and what to do about it if it does happen. My colleagues at Fortify understand the importance of awareness of health topics as a first step to begin to bring about change. So that is why we have all merged to sponsor Fortify’s premier mini-summit on Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
We are bringing you the words from leading experts of the medical world & the integrative medicine world. We’ll also bring you the science from the National Institutes of Health as well as our own personal journeys. It will be a phenomenal summit guaranteed to open up an awareness to this taboo subject. Coming soon from Fortify!
Not all stress is “bad”, in fact normal stress allows us to survive and thrive! It’s when stress becomes chronic that we really run into unnecessary responses which become harmful – yes, I’m talking excessive or chronic worry, tension, panic, exhaustion, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, and/or burnout. But did you know that chronic stress can also manifest as gut disorder, weak nails, hair fallout, changes in weight, jaw pain, shoulder tension, cold sores, and headaches?
Stress wreaks havoc, defined as negative reactions and automatic responses that overwhelm us and others around us.
Major Life Stressors
What are the things that Americans say are their top stressors (they could choose multiple stressors)?
The higher the number of stressors, the more signs you have AND the higher your risk of chronic illness.
Signs of Chronic Stress
One can become more irritable, moody, angry, aggressive and wound up with a short tolerance. One can feel overburdened, anxious, nervous, worried, afraid or wired. Gut issues can look like diarrhea, constipation, excess gas & bloating, aches, ulcers, & decreased nutrient absorption. Stress wears out & shortens telomeres, which are the caps on the ends of chromosomes in your DNA. They usually affect how quickly your cells age… and in turn how you age as a whole. So this means chronic stress ages you. Shorter telomeres are also associated with cancers, brain stroke, vascular dementia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
The funny thing about these signs is they can appear in small doses and gradually increase so you don’t even realize you are stressed… until someone asks you to gauge it.
What to do
Luckily there are MANY ways to cope with chronic stress. Ideally you can identify and lessen the triggers or causes so you will permanently decrease the stress you face. When that is not possible, we need more relaxation time – which is time that you are not stressed. Think of activities you can do to escape your life’s stressors: Reading, Sleeping, Talking things out, Physical Movement, Yoga, Meditation, Coloring, Prayer, Self-Care, Journal Writing, etc…. The roles of these activities cannot be underestimated in terms of grounding, calming, and allowing mental rest. In addition to these self-activities, social support should not be underestimated also. Surrounding oneself with supporting friends changes overall mood which diminishes stress. Cleaner eating may help prevent stress from unhealthy sugars and artificial additives.
If you feel like you’d like more ideas or support with managing the stress in your life, contact your local health coach who can explore dietary and lifestyle changes which may help you with your current stress management.
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