Your Nutrition Ally

07/04/2024

What foods do you love? Which ones do you hate?

Ruth Alexander, of the BBC “Food Chain” program, recorded this interesting interview with scientists who study the inner workings of the protein receptors on our taste buds, and why there is such a range of taste preferences and aversions, even between family members.

“Just like you’re born with your blood type, and you carry that with you your whole life, we have many receptors on our tongue and they’re all different from one person to the next…”

Have you found yourself inclined to judge your friends for what they refuse to eat? “Taste isn’t a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of biology.”

The discussion ranges from horseradish, kale, and cilantro, even foods that are too sweet -- and for 10 minutes starting around 16:00, preferences for acidic or sweeter wine, and trends in the wine industry to appeal more to personal preferences.

It’s a 30-minute listen here:

How your perception of taste is informed by your DNA

05/31/2024

What’s so bad about eating organic popcorn?

I love to make my own popcorn using coconut oil and sea salt. Perhaps I didn’t realize that by making it regularly I was pushing myself into a high sensitivity zone when it comes to corn. Popcorn would be the main form of corn that I consume, but I also love me a side of tortilla chips now and then.

What I learned from doing my own functional laboratory tests for gut health recently as part of a new therapeutic certification, is that as “clean” as I eat, I have been pushing it on the popcorn. Seriously? That’s as bad as news can get – just kidding. But the fact that I have commonly ingested popcorn or other forms of corn, even if organic, does not change the fact that my body is taking a bit of a beating by corn proteins. I know, because my level of sensitivity to “corn” is pushing into a danger zone.

This isn’t something I “feel” on a physical level, which is another reason these types of tests are so helpful. They show what is happening deep down in my cells, and with that knowledge I can use strategies and protocols to assist recovery. The goal is to assess and lower causes of inflammation to prevent worse conditions from developing.

So, what can I do? I have removed all forms of corn from my diet for 3 months and will re-run one of the tests before bringing corn carefully back into my menu. The good news? I’m half-way through those 12 weeks! I’ve added targeted healing supplemental supports, as well, but honestly – it’s about giving my body a corn-break so my gut can have a chance to heal.

Corn and its many byproducts are everywhere in American foods. Corn starch, corn syrup, corn oil, dextrose (a corn-based sugar), you get the picture. And I’ve said it before, but corn and soybeans (that fun appetizer, edamame, and tofu's parent bean) are among the most heavily adulterated crops in the U.S. when it comes to the use of chemicals. When you enjoy them, in any form, go organic.

What are your default foods? Do you use spinach in your smoothie _every morning_? Do you always have a handful of cashews or almonds as an afternoon snack? Do you generally only eat chicken as an animal protein? Mix up your intake to avoid adding to your inflammatory burden. Inflammation is the root of nearly EVERY modern disease, from achy joints to skin breakouts to brain fog.

Photo credit: matthewsjackie on pixabay ❤️

03/14/2024

I just met a new oncology nutritionist online and thought I'd share her informative, quick read on increasing health in our daily wake-up beverage routines. Check it out for ideas to increase the wellness take-away from your morning coffee and tea! Thank you to Vanessa Harris, Master Nutrition Therapist

Calling all coffee and tea lovers! This article is for you if you’re interested in turning your morning cup of joe (or tea) into a nutrient-dense and health-boosting beverage. Coffee and tea consumption has been

02/20/2024

What's in your breakfast oats? A chemical known for causing fertility issues in other mammals has been found in a number of oat-based products we Americans often eat to start our day. Chlormequat (aka cycocel) is a pesticide used on crops to inhibit a certain enzyme and cause the stalks to grow stiffer and shorter as a way to benefit the harvesting process. So, while producers experience greater ease on the collecting end, we consumers are likely subjecting our bodies, and our children's bodies, to reduced fertility and stunted development.

In pigs, a sow's estrus cycles have been altered and in mice, a "buck's" semen has been found to show reduced s***m competence.

Much of the US's oats come from other countries, but in the past five years, our federal government has taken steps to allow the use of chlormequat on grains produced within our borders.

A study released this month by the Environmental Working Group found that between 2017 and 2023, 9 out of 10 people tested had concerning levels of chlormequat in their urine. In food products, 92% of non-organic (conventionally raised) oat-based foods had detectable levels of the toxin. One of seven organic food products did. Of nine wheat-based foods, two were found to contain it.

On a daily basis, our best bet is to consume only organic sources of food grains such as oats. Share this information with family members who may be pregnant or dealing with fertility challenges. Using care with our product choices is one simple way to reduce the hazards and hurdles our bodies are facing. Human-focused studies are needed before this chemical is cleared to become even more pervasive in our food.

For all of us within the United States, speak out against the EPA's proposal to allow our food growers to use chlormequat on the food we grow. Visit ewg(dot)org to read the news, visit links on the research, and add your voice.

[photo, with thanks: jorono from Pixabay]

01/19/2024

What whole food ingredients can you find in this edible product ingredient label? ____ Hmm. I see a trace of light cream and a bit of skim milk, but those have already had most of their natural fats removed, thus, they are no longer considered whole. Nothing else in this list comes close to qualifying! Water takes top billing, then corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, with preservatives and emulsifiers rounding it out. Your tastebuds may be fooled, but your deep-down cells will not!

If you love a dab of whipped cream on your dessert now and then, it takes only about 5 minutes to mix up your own. Before you start, chill a stainless steel or glass bowl in the fridge. Pour cold heavy cream (or the creamiest part of whole-fat, organic coconut milk from a can) into the bowl. Add a dash of vanilla extract and a pinch of unrefined sugar or your favorite natural sweetener. Whip on high speed with an electric mixture until soft peaks form.

Enjoy, knowing that the beautiful smoothness of REAL whipped cream is a welcome friend on your insides.

12/23/2023

Every December, my mom would set out a beautiful wooden bowlful of mixed nuts in the shell. It would take a prominent spot on the kitchen counter and frequently be moved to the center of the dining table near a glowing candle for group sharing while we chatted. As a kid, I was intrigued by the stainless nut-crackers and deadly looking picks that I was allowed to handle. In no time at all, I could make a happy pile of empty shells in front of me! I still love nuts and seeds, and it makes me feel cozy and cared for when I think of that simple provision during my family's festive winter holidays.

On a most recent visit to my local bulk food store, I saw that the large bin of nuts in the shell was nearly empty. It makes me happy to think that I am not the only one for whom this is a nourishing winter tradition. :) Simple pleasures!

What is a fond holiday food memory for you?

Happy Holidays! I wish each of you peace and good health!

- your Nutrition Ally

12/14/2023

Among the top US promoters of a plant-based diet is Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, 90. His research on the reversal of heart disease caught the eye of now-NYC mayor Eric Adams in 2016. Adams was in physical misery with aches, pains and swelling, and he had begun to go blind from type 2 diabetes. What Eric’s doctor said would be a lifelong need for medication, Dr Esselstyn taught wasn’t actually true.
Adams writes, “He said that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease; it doesn’t happen unless we let it happen. When we gain weight from an unhealthy diet, fat builds up in our muscle cells, which blocks insulin from ferrying glucose to our cells. The problem is made worse when you eat a high-fat diet—that is, one with a lot of meat and dairy.”
After one week on this new approach to food for wellness, Adams said “I hitched my belt one hole tighter. … I no longer felt exhausted by 3 P.M. Better yet, my vision cleared up entirely. Within two months of going plant based, I had shed 35 pounds.”
When his original doctor next ran labs, Adams’ A1C was below 6.0. He said: “It’s like you were never diabetic at all.” His book is _Healthy at Last: A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses_. By Eric Adams, Hay House Inc., 2020, and the excerpts are taken from pages 9, 12-13.
I appreciate Adam’s historical reflection on “slave food” turned “soul food”, the problem with real (unprocessed produce) food being harder to find in some urban areas. He describes how he made it a priority to welcome new foods and focus on nutrient density. When you do that, he said, there is no need to focus on calories – they actually become more of a distraction.
It’s true that going 100 percent plant-based can reset a body, particularly if a person chooses whole foods and eliminates the sugars, chemical additives and industrial oils in packaged and processed foods. By returning to real food, as opposed to his former fast-burger, bucket of chicken lifestyle, Adams’ body got the nutrient fuel it needed to regain balance.
In 2013, I experienced a similar body response by going plant-focused for 8 months following an unsettling diagnosis. These days, I employ the whole of my nutrition-science training to stay well and keep disease on the far horizon.
My client work tailors recommendations for a full range of whole-food nutrition, healthy fats from plants and low- to moderate portions of clean-sourced animal products, to bring about not more restriction in life, but greater freedom and energy. Nutrition therapy addresses the root cause of chronic symptoms. My clients’ satisfaction is backed up by their lab results. Real food is medicine, and yay for plants!!

salad image by user14908974 on Freepik.

11/17/2023

Metabolism. This simple word encompasses all of the building-up and taking-apart processes that happen within the body to assimilate new materials, produce energy, detoxify, and excrete.

It begins in the mitochondria, which are tiny workhorses within the nucleus of each cell in our bodies. When mitochondria are well fed, they perform well – energy production is strong and appropriate damage-control is enacted on cells and our DNA to help prevent problems. If mitochondria are malnourished, we begin to see a pattern of frequent illness and ultimately, long-term disease. “Metabolic Syndrome,” a condition that has become common among people of all ages in the past 80 years, happens when our mitochondria are under-fed.

Sugary and refined foods, which offer little to no nutritive value, processed vegetable oils, which compound an inflammatory environment, and exposure to toxins in air, water, and body products, along with high stress and lack of quality sleep, all contribute to under-performing mitochondria.

Do you know anyone dealing with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, PCOS, high blood pressure, anxiety, obesity, or persistent fatigue? These are just some of issues caused by struggling mitochondria.

An abundance of leafy greens, veggies, and fruits in many colors provides a wealth of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins to support well-functioning mitochondria. Other important food sources include clean-sourced meats in modest portions for a range of amino acids, organic-fed, pasture-raised eggs, and healthy fats including grass-fed butter and ghee, coconut oil for medium-chain triglycerides, and avocados. Whole grains, seeds, and legumes help to provide B vitamins and important minerals such as zinc and magnesium.

With consistent, supportive nutrition, predictable good sleep, regular exercise, and selective supplementation, mitochondria can recover.

Starting in one of the tiniest parts of our bodies, high-quality nutrition is key to consistent, long-term energy production and disease prevention!

Illustration credit: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320875

11/02/2023

Look at this beauty, a red castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)! This stunning red specimen grew this year in a friend’s Midwestern garden.

Castor beans, the seeds themselves, are toxic for a particular enzyme they contain, but the oil pressed from the seeds has been used in health-giving ways for centuries. It is often used in skin care products, and can be applied directly to the skin to decrease inflammation inside and out, and to moisturize. Ricinoleic acid, the main oil in castor, is known to decrease inflammation and to provide natural moisturization. One cozy treatment, a “castor oil pack”, employs a tablespoon or two of the oil on a part of the body, for example the abdomen, which heats gently when a hot water bottle or other warmed compress is placed on top of a cloth layered against the oil. Dry winter skin benefits from simple application of the thick oil, which can also be mixed with jojoba or another cold-pressed natural oil.

In addition to snapping several photos of this beauty, I was gifted a bundle of dried pods to carry home to try in my garden next spring. I’m excited to welcome their exotic shape and vivid color! Castor bean plants can grow vigorously to heights of four to six feet, and can provide a natural, botanical screen. They die off after exposure to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but will grow even taller as a perennial in warmer areas.

09/04/2023

Hello, gardener! Now that you've hunted down all of those sneaky zucchini plants growing near the tomatoes and basil in your yard, what will you do with them? I offer this quick and almost-comfort-food-qualifying recipe for zucchini patties, made with pastured eggs and a little flour to bind them together, with onions and a bit of shredded Parm. You may just be surprised!

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, it matters not. Find the recipe here: https://www.yournutritionally.com/recipes #/zucchini-patties/

08/25/2023

Here's our Smoothie-Challenge follow-up!

Thanks to each of you for sharing your smoothie recipes last week! This chart gives us a color bar comparison, with macronutrients measured in grams. (Protein is dark blue, Fats are orange, Carbs are gray), plus any added sugars (yellow) in the recipe ingredients (e.g., cane sugar added to a yogurt or kefir), and fiber (light blue) – included because we all need more than we typically get in a day!

When fruits form the majority of a smoothie’s ingredients, we’ll see that the measure of carbohydrates shoots up. Ideally, we’d find a way to balance with some natural protein (e.g., walnuts, perhaps some natural nut butter) and additional fats from healthy sources (Medium Chain Triglycerides [MCTs] in coconut oil, avocado oil, avocado flesh, and nuts or seeds) to slow our body’s digestion and conversion of those carbohydrates to glucose in the bloodstream. Healthy fats are not inflammatory, but provide long-lasting energy and help us feel full.

Our measures of carbs (“sugar”) in the recipes ranged from 38 grams (Jen’s), to 51 (Julie’s). Natural sugars in fruits are fine, and the more we can use natural peels (apple and grape skins, peach peels) and other fibers to slow their uptake, again the better it is for blood glucose levels.

Keeping sugars low keeps inflammation low, which helps immensely to reverse and prevent chronic illnesses. When a meal or snack contains over 20 grams of carbs/sugars, it’s absolutely critical to keep healthy fats and proteins in closer balance to slow down the uptake of that sugar. Some strategies: reduce the number of higher-sugar fruits you’re using (or, as a couple recipes showed, use part of a banana and not the whole thing). Use a no-sugar-added yogurt or kefir (avoid artificial sweeteners) and add a few drops of liquid stevia if you like it sweeter.

Pineapple and tart cherries are great sources of important vitamins and antioxidants! Berries are low-sugar and powerhouses for anti-inflammatory compounds. Ground flaxseed adds natural fiber and helps to balance hormones. Mushroom powders are kick-butt immune-boosters, and kale, spinach, and cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower) are proven cancer-fighters. Keep the “rainbow” of fruits and veggies in mind and vary what you use throughout the week.

Those who add a protein powder to their recipe will obviously raise the grams of protein they’re taking in, and if it’s an organic source that’s another big plus! However, powders are still lab-produced into these isolated forms of protein, so we lose a lot of what the whole-food once had to offer. Too much isolated protein can potentially be inflammatory. Protein intake at a much higher ratio (than complex carbs and healthy fats) is also worth investigating – are you seeking an influx for a workout or for muscle repair? If not, and your smoothie is “just a meal”, I’d suggest pulling back a bit on the manufactured protein powders to bring that into better balance with the fats and whole-food carbs.

For space reasons here, anyone interested in seeing the full nutrition label for their specific smoothie recipe is invited to email me at your(dot)nutrition(dot) ally (@) gmail.com by August 31. I’ll send it right out to you, with a couple of observations. If what you learn nudges you to tweak your recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Thanks to each of you, and happy blending! – your Nutrition Ally

08/16/2023

Smoothie challenge! I invite each of you to share your favorite smoothie recipe. What do you love to throw into the blender and slurp up -- either for breakfast, as a protein option in place of a meal, or just a cool treat? As a nutrition therapist, I have been disappointed when researching smoothie recipes to find that so, so many are loaded with SUGAR. That's not a great option for clients looking to shift into an anti-inflammatory diet!

So, what can you share with the rest of us? I'd love to see what foods and flavors make you happy!

In true functional fashion, I'll select a handful of recipes to run through a nutritional analysis, and share it back here. We'll all learn what sugars lurk in some of our top blends, and consider some ways to make a change. (And just as a reminder, I'm more tuned into to grams of sugar than I am to calories for long-term wellness, so bring on the blended avocado if that's what you crave!)

Take a minute to share your recipes here! Thanks!

Photo: Image by Milada Vigerova on Pixabay