by dnshah | Sep 13, 2019 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management
Previously I have discussed the benefits of intermittent fasting, but haven’t yet discussed the experience of fasting. There are many different ways of fasting (refraining from consuming any food for a specified time frame):
- Fasting every other day
- Fasting one day/week
- 12-hour fast (8pm-8am)
- 16-hour fast (8pm-12pm)
Benefits range from improved cognitive function to increased longevity. But how do you manage hunger pangs and cravings? What does it feel like to literally starve? What is normal, and what is above and beyond your capacity? Here are some common questions, and answers based on my experiences.
- Can anyone fast? Fasting has been done for hundreds (maybe thousands) of years. But it is not for everyone. People that are malnourished, women that are missing monthly periods, women with bad PMS, pregnant or nursing women, or people with hormone issues should not try out fasting. Additionally if you are on medications, you need to check with your doctor and ensure the medications/dosages will not be affected by your fast.
- Are you always hungry on a fast? Initially when you change your eating habits – it’s normal to feel hungry if you reduce the amount of food you usually eat. It takes some discipline or motivation to do it at the beginning. But once you get into that routine, then you don’t feel the hunger nor get cravings.
- What’s the best preparation work to help start a fast? Get rid of the sugar 2-3 weeks before you begin a new diet involving fasting. It helps stop the blood-sugar fluctuations which make fasting difficult.
- How should I start an intermittent fast? First, reduce sugars from your diet in general. Then start slow by not eating after 8pm. After a few weeks, don’t eat before 8am and continue this 12 hours fast for several weeks. Track your energy, mood, and overall wellness. Then if you desire more, select a few days/week to try a 16 hour fast (12pm – 8pm). Again track your energy, mood, sleep patterns, and make sure the fast is benefitting you.
NOTE: it takes 8 weeks for a new habit to become routine.
NOTE: If you feel dizziness or start experiencing any other worrisome symptoms, stop fasting and consult with your health practitioner.
Fasting can be part of any of our clean eating events, so if your doctor okays you for trying it out… join us on our next clean eating event in November! There is plenty of time for preparations, and shopping, and even getting a few friends to join you!
by dnshah | Sep 5, 2019 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management
With the exception of raw vegans, most of us eat cooked foods. Heat can destroy nutrients; but sometimes it will softening food tissue making the nutrition more bio-available. Research shows that cooking definitely changes the nutrient and antioxidant values of foods, so what is the best way to cook our foods to preserve as much nutrition as possible?
Looking at nutrition values of foods that are raw, steamed, microwaved, boiled; steaming is considered the best cooking method to preserve nutrition because food’s not water-dunked enabling leaching of nutrients in water nor cooked at excessive temperatures causing negative chemical changes. Microwaving came in second previously. But with new cooking technologies and tools (like the instant pot – pressure cooker), we have to consider if this beats steaming.
So for most food, the longer you cook it, the more antioxidants you can lose. So if you can cook food faster without higher temperatures, theoretically you can preserve the most antioxidants.
- With dried beans/legumes, it’s a no-brainer. Studies show the antioxidant levels of black beans, for example, are 6 times higher for pressure cooking 15 minutes vs. boiling for 1 hour. 3 of 17 amino acids (lysine, cysteine, and arginine) were significantly reduced.
- With vegetables, research showed that cooking did not significantly decrease the phytonutrient content, and it generally increases antioxidant values. Sautéing and pressure-cooking had the strongest values and so similar that they tie for first place, followed closely by boiling. With vegetables however, there was a significant loss of certain amino acids by pressure-cooking vs. blanching. Two out of 17 amino acids (lysine & arginine) were generally reduced in the vegetables.
- With greens, pressure cooking is the best overall, with steaming at #2 with higher ORAC than boiling. How does one pressure cook greens and still have something to eat when it’s all over? Michael Greger’s method to put a layer of water down at the bottom of an electric pressure cooker, drop in a metal steaming basket on top, and then put the greens in and steam under pressure for zero minutes so it shuts off as soon as it reaches the cooking pressure. Then quick release valve it immediately to release the steam. Voila! The greens turn out perfect—bright & tender.
In summary, the instant pot is gaining fame among most health practitioners as a preferred method of cooking plant-based proteins, vegetables, and greens. The only negative thing I found was a decrease of a few amino acids, of which lysine es the only essential amino acid. Lysine is important for supporting a healthy immune system and for boosting athletic performance. Animal-proteins are the well-known sources but since most cooking methods will decrease the value of it, we’ll look at plant-based foods that we may not have to cook. Lysine can be found in dried apricots, avocados, mangoes, beets, leeks, tomatoes, pears, green & red peppers, soy milk, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts, yogurt, cheese, butter, and milk.
My life with an instant pot began about a year ago, and it’s been bliss ever since. It’s great for cooking dried beans, lentils, dals, legumes, grains like rice or quinoa, or cultures like yogurts, or soups, or one-dish meals. The best bit is that you can schedule when it should cook your food, so if you’re going to be gone all day, you can fill it and schedule when it should start/finish.
by dnshah | Jul 24, 2019 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
I am admitting it. I’m addicted to sugar. Many Americans agree with me. I always thought it was because there are so many delectable American desserts (compared to other cuisines). And considering that the Western American diet is highly processed and overly sweetened, it is no wonder. Even food advertisers captivate audiences with taste, taste, taste as though that is the ONLY criterion for consumption. Sugar has gone from a side role to the main focus of ALL foods. Americans consume far more sugar than is recommended for our health. But this is not just a problem in the US, as other societies also have the sugar blues. Last week my aunt from Mumbai was visiting and she checked her blood sugar daily while consuming the meals I prepared for her. For the first time I was able to see the impacts of the meals I was making for her.
It empowered me to challenge my meals in such a way to lower her blood sugar. But in doing so, I saw what can only be described as “withdrawal” symptoms. This made me look at sugar as though it was a drug – complete with addiction and withdrawal issues. So now I ask the question, “Are we all addicted?”
“More, please!”
In order for a substance to be addictive, there should be an effect on the brain which stimulates the release of dopamine. Dopamine of one type of neurotransmitter that gives us a heightened sense of pleasure. Sugar does this… and it feels so good that over time we want more to get the same “high” (buzz/pleasure).
In nutrition school I learned that humans are programmed to love sweetness. Appreciation of the sweet taste of berries/fruits picked off trees was a survival sense to avoid starvation. That same survival sense has evolved today, and now it is expected to have that pleasant aroma and taste at practically every meal, every snack, and every beverage.
Psychological Behavior Change
If the consumption of a substance can initiate a behavior change, it may be considered as addictive. In animal studies, sugar consumption is shown to have drug-like effects as it is associated with sugar-related binges, cravings, tolerance, and withdrawal. There was even one rat study that showed Oreo cookies causing more neural activity than cocaine.
Acceptance
My clients with sugar-related health goals have made overcoming the cravings a primary focus. But how does one do this? The only way is the cut out all sugar, and neutralize the palate. Yes, this means withdrawal. The challenge is often met with scurrying in the kitchen in search of something sweet. I saw this with my aunt’s withdrawal this past week, and as hard as it was to watch – I remained patient and gave her daily goals to work toward. We were duly rewarded with a lowering of her blood sugar levels. But, this is not a 1-day fix, but a lifestyle change to stop the cravings AND keep them away.
Actions
I will not say these are easy actions to take; but if you challenge yourself with them, rewards will follow. They all deal with labels.
- Don’t flock to “diet” labelled foods. Dietary foods are marketing a lower fat or calorie content, but in order to achieve this, they use other flavors/ingredients (usually sugars) to compensate. (think yogurts).
- Check for sugar in the ingredients list and ensure it is not in the first 5 ingredients. If it is (as in sweet yogurt), stop buying/eating these items. Replace them with wholesome ingredients without the sugars.
- Become knowledgeable about the different names for sugar: cane sugar, cane juice, cane juice solids, cane juice crystals, dextrin, maltodextrin, dextran, barley malt, beet sugar, corn syrup, caramel, carob syrup, brown sugar, date sugar, malt sugar, diatastic malt, fruit juice, fruit juice crystals, golden syrup, turbinado, sorghum syrup, refiner’s syrup, ethyl maltol, maple syrup, yellow sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and many more.
- Understand the difference between Natural and Added- sugars.
- Natural sugars from fruits, veggies are usually not an issue because of the FIBER they are contained in. The fiber slows the absorption of the sugars. In the case of 100% fruit juice, if the fibers are removed then the end product becomes refined and harmful to sugar addicts.
- Natural sugars from dairy contain lactose – a milk sugar. While this is not an added sugar, be aware that it can increase blood sugar and should be used sparingly. Yogurts that also add sweeteners should be avoided as this will combine lactose and more concentrated sugars.
- Natural sugars from honey and syrups will increase blood-sugar concentrations, AND keep the palette wanting more sugar later in the day. It doesn’t help to add “a little bit” of these to the diet if one is trying to stop the cravings.
- Words ending in –ose and –ol are sugar alcohols and should be avoided for those trying to stop sugar cravings.
I empower you to challenge yourself to a clean eating week without refined sugars. Even if you don’t have lofty health goals, and don’t for see a problem with your sugar consumption, consider just a week of some healthy meals to neutralize your palette and see if you show any signs of withdrawal. Sign up for the next clean eating challenge here.
by dnshah | Apr 29, 2019 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management
A majority of folks have asked me how they would know that they are experiencing a dietary or digestive issue. The top sign is not a gastro-intestinal one, so people don’t always catch it early. Here are the top 10 signs of a dietary issue (in order of frequency):
- Brain Fog, or other decline in brain function
- Migraines
- Chronic Fatigue (unexplained low energy levels)
- Gastrointestinal Issues (Gas, Bloating, Nausea, Diarrhea, Constipation, Frequent BMs)
- This includes IBS- Irritable Bowel Syndrome and SIBO- Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth symptoms which can be seen by chronic bad breath, GI issues, nutrient malabsorption, and frequent BMs)
- This includes food intolerances which seems to occur after damage to the gut microbiome (“leaky gut”), for those people with a genetic vulnerability to some health issue.
- Joint Pain (or other unexplained chronic inflammation)
- Skin conditions (rash, dryness, flare-up)
- Nutrient Malabsorption (Unexplained weight gain or loss)
- Loss of immune tolerance
- Mood swings (including anxiety or depression)
- Any Autoimmune Condition (Diabetes Type II, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s, Graves’, Celiac, etc.)
The type of diet that can cause these signs involves consuming some ingredients that a body can’t digest appropriately. The challenge is that our digestion is bio-individual. What someone else can digest easily, you may not be able to. Reasons for bio-individuality are difference in genetic vulnerability, environmental factors, and microbe exposures – even identical twins have bio-individual digestion.
To resolve this there are 2 schools of thought:
- Elimination Diet Trials – guess what could be your issue (dairy, gluten, nightshades, lectins, etc.) and eliminate them from your diet for a given period of time to see if conditions improve. Recommended Trial time is 6 weeks for EACH ingredient. So this takes time, structure, and some knowledge of how to balance your nutrition with missing ingredients. Alternatively, you can adopt an existing diet trial that removes common sensitivities – Paleo, Keto, Gluten Free, Pegan, Vegan, etc. My book, RIGHT Diet for Autoimmunity, provides a vegetarian journey without gluten, dairy, or refined sugar.
- Food Sensitivity Testing – Take a blood test and wait for results. The results will indicate which food ingredients are triggering issues within the body’s immune system. This option costs several hundred dollars, but provides immediate answers – often times with a 98% accuracy. Nutritional therapists, Health Coaches, and Functional doctors are able to refer you to the right test/lab as there are many options to choose from.
If you experience any of these signs discussed, FIRST go to your medical practitioner to rule out more SERIOUS issues. Then seek the guidance of a health coach, nutritional therapist, or functional doctor to assist you with elimination diets and/or food sensitivity testing. Any time you make dietary changes, you still want to ensure you are still getting the recommended dietary allowances of essential nutrition. Contact me and I can set up your testing and nutritional consult. Some of the labs I can help you with are published on my site.
by dnshah | Apr 28, 2019 | Diet and Weight Loss, Recipes, Side Dish, Stress Management
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1lb Kale, stemmed & chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup vegetable stock
¼ onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons EVOO
Dash black pepper
METHOD
- In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in EVOO until lightly toasted (1-2 minutes).
- Mix in stock and kale and cover to simmer, lowering heat to medium low.
- Cook until kale wilts (5 minutes)
- Mix in tomatoes, and continue cooking until kale is tender.
- Plate the kale, topping it with lemon juice and pepper.
by dnshah | Apr 28, 2019 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity, Stress Management
For the last 15 years, research shows that diet and lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in general. But the latest information shows that race impacts this risk, for example Native Americans are at higher than average risk of T2D. For the last 10 years, eight pueblos of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation have been trialing dietary changes to prevent and reverse diabetes, namely going plant-based…. and they’ve been successful. Thanks to many experts from the Navajo Nation, the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the director of diabetes education, a four-week plant-based eating challenge was conducted citing these significant benefits.
Now they are expanding with more plant-based cooking classes, plant-based “chef’s special” meal options in their cafeterias, professional development seminars for hospital chefs, and presentations with additional materials. Whether you are at a higher risk for T2D or not, you too can be empowered with strategies to improve your health. Contact us for your first complimentary consultation.
