by dnshah | Jul 28, 2020 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Virus
Vitamin C is essential water-soluble vitamin; our bodies don’t make it so we have to get a new supply daily. In general It protects us from oxidative stress, the normal “wear and tear” process of living. Some other functions of vitamin C include the following(1):
- Maintaining our epithelial barriers – which means it protects us from the outside world (think COVID19 virus and other pathogens, and leaky gut – aka intestinal permeability)
- Our immune natural killer (NK) cells depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function and movements as they travel through the body protecting us from foreign invaders.
- Our immune macrophages depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function as they travel through the body cleaning up debris – “taking out the trash” to minimize inflammatory responses.
- Our immune T- and B- cells depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function as they target microbial killing to defend our bodies.
While there are NO known clinical trials using vitamin C for preventing or treating or curing COVID19, China is actively doing a clinical trial concluding in Sept, 2020 with it.(7)
The important factor with vitamin C is that since our bodies don’t make it, we must come up with a regular routine of supplying the body with good doses daily. And then we have to ensure our digestion is running optimally so we can absorb the nutrients we need. According to USDA, the daily recommended intake for vitamin C for adults is 75mg (females) or 90mg (males) and much lower for babies and children. Sufferers of malabsorption, macular degeneration, certain diseases, and smokers would need more. Some great food sources include:
There are minimal health risks from excessive vitamin C (GI issues), however there may be medication interactions with vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C and other antioxidant use while undergoing cancer treatment is controversial at this time. Always seek the help from your doctor before making dietary changes.
by dnshah | Jul 1, 2020 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity, Stress Management
Ketogenic diets are the current trend, and people want to learn more about which fats are better for you compared to others. While I’m not a BIG believer of long-term ketogenesis, I have seen that the body performs well during ketogenesis; and I know that keto diets work for short-term weight-loss. And I love when bodies are in a fat-burning mode, because healthy fats are REALLY where it’s at for optimally fueling our brains.
Many decades ago I remember my teenage-self making a weight loss goal, and deciding I needed to cut down on fats. I declared to my family, “no more ghee!” Ghee is a clarified butter (healthy fat) made by heating butter and removing the milk solids. It’s better tolerated because it removes the lactose and casein. Its origin is India, so what I had just announced did not bode well for my Indian household. My grandmother looked up at me and promptly informed me that was a bad idea for my bones and brain. Not seeing any logic to how a little fat in a food was going to help my bones or my brain, I explained to her the western science of cutting down fat to lose weight. My grandmother laughed at me and explained the eastern science of ensuring adequate healthy fats in the body to “lubricate” the bones and brain. I didn’t understand nor believe her… after all I was the SCIENTIST! Fast forward decades, and it turns out… grandma was right! It’s really important to consume healthy fats like ghee for fueling our brains and bones, as well as our skin, hair, and digestion. Today Western science has trials underway to better understand the benefits of healthy fats (especially ghee vs. coconut oil). Ghee contains vitamin K2 which is important for calcium absorption and bone strengthening; and it’s also a great skin moisturizer.
Coconut oil has also been BIG since keto diets have trended and especially after Bulletproof Coffee hit mainframe America. People want their MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) and coconut oil has them! MCTs are the key to getting the body into ketosis, and known for improving brain health, decreasing insulin resistance, decreasing inflammation, and promoting weight loss. And it has unofficially been reported that coconut oil has some benefits regarding Alzheimer’s, Dementia, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmunity, and cancer.
The question that logically comes next is… which fat is better? As an adult woman I’m not going to disrespect ghee (like I did as a teenager). Both coconut oil and ghee have a lot going for them in terms of healthy fat advantages, but both have distinct nutrient profiles.
- One of the main fuels for building cells in the intestine is Butyric Acid. It’s also important for digestive health, decreasing inflammation, and improving IBS issues. Butyric acid is abundant in ghee, and not found in coconut oil.
- MCTs benefit our gut microbiome, so can improve overall digestion. Coconut oil contains 60% MCTs and ghee is 25% MCTs.
So coconut oil may be a better fat for brain health, but ghee seems to be a better fat for digestive health. So it depends upon which goal you desire more. Or… you could combine both the ghee and coconut oil and get BOTH benefits! Some health food stores have already mixed both and offer them together.
Current food specialists warn about the consumption of excessive saturated fats. Both ghee and coconut oil fall into this category. So before changing your diet and lifestyle, always talk to your health practitioner or integrative physician and ensure there are no issues or contraindications with the desired change.
by dnshah | Jul 1, 2020 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects joints. Sufferers have progressive joint damage along with pain and stiffness. It affects women three times more than men.
But there is hope. There are medications that halt the progression by slowing down immune responses. While that doesn’t sound great at a time of COVID19, the medications work and people are able to resume a “normal” life. There has also been success in alternative remedies (diet changes) as well.
People trialed a vegan diet for 3.5 months, and then switched to an egg-free lactovegetarian diet for 9.5 months. The result showed SIGNIFICANT improvement in morning stiffness (in as fast as 4 weeks), grip strength, joint tenderness, swelling, and a drop in disability. Some weight loss was also seen (bonus!). The reason behind the improvement is that their chronic inflammation reduced (seen in inflammatory markers in their blood).
But how could diet affect RA? It’s an autoimmune condition. I use an example in my book, RIGHT Diet for Autoimmunity, where autoimmunity is simply a case of mistaken identity. The body is fighting foreign invaders. It’s normal. But sometimes in the case of mistaken identity, we get a horrible accident – like friendly fire. We accidentally hurt one of our own.
There is this bacteria, Proteus mirabilis, that’s sometimes found in urine (more women than men). In some cases this bacteria triggers an immune response. There is a molecule in this bacteria that somewhat resembles molecules in our joints. So when an immune response launches we have anti-Proteus antibodies (against the bacteria) that inadvertently may begin the process of damage to the joint tissues. And then the process keeps progressing. What started out as a very normal defense process turns into a life-long battle that never was supposed to be.
Researchers wondered what would happen if we could remove that bacteria from RA sufferers; would that cause a decrease in the inflammatory process? Typically a bacteria causes an inflammatory response after some type of infection (like a UTI). That infection is the result of bacteria coming from fecal flora into the bladder. So, the high impact change would be to change the fecal flora…and that can be accomplished by changing our diet!
So you see … step by step… the high impact changes can come from diet tweaks (changes in our gut flora). For over 2 decades we’ve studied gut flora and have seen when people shift away from the standard American diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet, there are SIGNIFICANT changes in the microbiome. We’ve also seen that plant-based diets showed a significant drop in anti-Proteus antibodies, in fact as a bonus there were other beneficial changes to the urine’s composition when shifting to a plant-based diet (like higher number of anti-cancer lignans).
While we see a PROFOUND influence from diet and RA being treated with vegetarian diets, people still need more support and education to learn how to stay on a plant-based diet. That’s where health coaches, nutritionists, dieticians, and nutritional therapists can help to support people until good practices, meal plans, and food choices become NATURAL HABIT!
If you know someone suffering from RA, tell them there is hope with shifting to a plant-based diet and you know a great nutritional therapist that can help them explore a new way of eating!
by dnshah | May 30, 2020 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity, Stress Management, Virus
I’ve recently attended a fasting summit workshop (virtually), and learned quite a bit more about fasting that my Indian culture and background always hinted at.
Fasting has been happening since the beginning of man – the cavemen and women were cycling through periods of feasting and famine. All religions of the world have some time period where food is restricted or one is asked to limit it for a given time duration. This is not a new subject. What is new is that this act of food restriction seems to provide real benefits with autoimmune conditions provided that some conditions structure the practice:
Some of the other findings show that fasting:
So is fasting a go for everyone? No, there are some categories of folks that fasting a not an option for, including:
- People on certain medication (meds for diabetes, seizures, and steroids)
- People with diabetes type I
- Pregnant or nursing women
- Infants and young children
- People with eating disorders
- Anyone severely underweight
- Women who experience symptoms of hormonal imbalance after starting intermittent fasting: irregular periods, moodiness, irritability; lower calorie consumption can disrupt hormones, which are required for ovulation and a healthy pregnancy
- Extreme athletes
- Women on their menstrual cycle
If your doctor thinks it could be a good options for you to try intermittent fasting, seek out a health coach to help you on this journey, because there are some tweaks to enhance the benefits from fasting!
by dnshah | May 4, 2020 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips
Ghee is becoming more mainstream, as it keeps popping up on newer anti-inflammatory recipes … but what is it? Ghee is a highly clarified butter with all the milk solids removed. This means that certain dairy proteins are removed (like casein and whey), and certain milk sugars are removed (like lactose). This is the traditional fat of many Indian households; my mother made it for her household; and today I make it for my household. It doesn’t seem to be laborious, but is time-consuming; and of course I have short-cutted the process! There are slight nutritional content and taste differences also. The main take-away from this information is that compared to butter: ghee is more nutrient dense, is shelf-stable (doesn’t require refrigeration), has a higher smoke point, and when made correctly – it is free of casein, whey, and lactose. It an acceptable food for those that are lactose-intolerant or sensitive to dairy proteins casein or whey.
Store-bought ghee varies brand to brand on how much casein, whey, and lactose still resides in their end product. There are some brands that batch-test and are suitable for those with sensitivities or intolerance.
Beneficial blends ghee is one of the best choices for those sensitive to dairy proteins (casein or whey). I don’t get any special favors from them for saying so!
Alternatively homemade ghee is not difficult if you have time to make it. Here’s the best way I know to make it:
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound (454 g) butter, preferable pastured, grass-fed, organic, & unsalted.
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 225° F.
- Peel the butter out of the packaging, and place in a large heavy oven-safe bowl.
- Place the bowl into the heated oven.
- Cook for 2 hours. Note: Some of the milk solids may foam to the surface and brown. Bubbling may occur with the foaming, and you may smell a nutty buttery aroma while the water evaporates from the butter. All normal!
- Turn the oven off, and allow it to cool somewhat before handling.
- Remove the bowl from the oven, and skim off the top crust of the milk solids with a strainer or slotted spoon, and discard those solids.
- The remaining mixture is a yellow liquid (ghee) with a white/brown milk solid on the bottom. The white/brown solid is what needs to be removed from this bowl.
- If the milk solids on the bottom are amber/brown, you can begin the separation; otherwise return the bowl to the oven and allow it to continue gently cooking longer until the bottom portion is amber/brown in color. Ensure the milk solids don’t burn.
- Once the milk solids are amber/brown, allow the butter mixture to cool slightly at room approximately 10 minutes.
- Line a large mesh strainer or metal colander with a fine cheesecloth/nut bag/or color-safe fabric, and set the lined strainer over a large metal/glass bowl (heat-safe).
- Slowly and carefully pour the top yellow layer (ghee) into the lined strainer & bowl ensuring that the white/amber milk solids do NOT pour in accidentally. Slow & steady is the trick!
- When you get to the danger zone (when the milk solids may pour), stop pouring the ghee. Set the remainder milk solids + small layer of ghee mixture down for later.
- Transfer the already poured ghee into a clean Mason jar with a lid.
- If you have sensitivities to dairy, you are done. Discard remaining mix that has milk solids in it.
- If you don’t have dairy sensitivities, then you can still get more ghee out of the remaining mix with the following steps.
- Carefully pour the remaining milk solids+ small layer of ghee into a taller glass/ bowl with lid.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Note that the ghee will have solidified at the top. The milk solids are liquid at the bottom. In order to remove most of the milk solids, use a knife to create a hole from top to bottom (removing a corner will give you the best angle), and tilt the bowl over the sink to discard the milk solids underneath the solid ghee. The ghee should remain firmly as one surface sheet, while the bottom solids should leak out of the hole created.
- Now you are left with a sheet of solid ghee and leftover milk solids which are stuck on the bottom and not able to escape.
- Heat the remaining milk solid residue/ghee mixture in the microwave to liquefy once again.
- Now this mixture can either be used up first (if there is only a small amount left) or place mixture in the refrigerator once again.
- Repeat steps 17-20 until the portion remaining can be used up at one time for a particular dish.
- The ghee in the Mason jar is a pure ghee mixture, free from casein, whey, and lactose. The remaining ghee/milk solids mixture may not be completely free from casein, whey, and lactose but it is good enough to be used in place of butter for any recipe, provided there are no sensitivities/intolerances to butter.
- Ghee is shelf-stable for up to 3 months, or refrigerator-stable for up to 1 year.
by dnshah | May 4, 2020 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity, Stress Management
Sounds awful… but many are enhancing their cup of Java – not for flavor, but to increase health benefits. There are several different ideas floating around… Mushroom coffee is one that seems to have gained popularity, as now some cafes across the country are carrying it.
Mushroom coffee is basically a regular coffee that has been combined with powerful medicinal mushrooms, such as cordyceps, lion’s main, and chaga, to boost health benefits and brain function. Can there really be merit to this fad?
Benefits
Side Effects
One should ALWAYS consult their doctor before taking any supplements.
- Mushroom coffee can interact with various drugs and prescription medications.
- For some people, the caffeine in coffee can cause jitteriness, nervousness, insomnia, and nausea. For some people, mushroom coffee can cause IBS type of symptoms.
- There are rare cases of side effects with medicinal mushroom supplements. One example of an adverse reaction involves Reishi mushrooms. It was linked to fatal hepatitis for a small percentage of consumers. Researchers attribute this to some interaction with prescription medications.
Special note that this is a new concept to the US, and mushroom coffee has not been studied directly in controlled scientific studies, so optimal dosages for coffee in combination with medicinal mushrooms have not been established. Nutritionists have referred to the recommended doses of coffee and respective mushrooms separately to create this products for the effective purpose of boosting immunity and cognitive function.
Available Products
I believe mushroom coffee is great during flu season (or a pandemic/endemic) or for anyone with a compromised immune system due to its immune-boosting properties. I especially like the easy delivery system for those of us with a daily habit of a hot beverage in the mornings. I don’t get any incentives for talking about these products, but I do use the last one mentioned!
- Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Mix is ideal if you want to swap in mushroom coffee into an already-established coffee routine, and can be made with any standard coffee maker. You can even use it to make a cold brew if that’s what you prefer.
- SOLLO Chaga Immunity is a K-cup style mushroom coffee that combines arabica coffee with chaga mushroom extract.
- Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Instant Mix is best-suited for making instant coffee on the go. It contains a blend of lion’s Mane, chaga, rhodiola and instant coffee powder.
- Super Organics Energy Boost Coffee uses fair trade and organic coffee with extracts of cordyceps maca root, other herbals, and probiotics.
- Naturealm Mushroom Coffee Creamer (what I use) is a dairy-free creamer (coconut milk) with a blend of maitake, cordyceps, and lion’s mane, so you can turn your favorite coffee beans into a mushroom coffee. If you typically don’t use a coffee creamer, then this is not for you.
