​Did you start the year with thoughts of a fresh start? New Year, New You!? Many of us do. I know I like to start out the New Year with some goals that I want to achieve and focus on. After all, people who set New Year’s resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than people who don’t. That multiplier of 10 is motivating isn’t it?
 
But here’s the problem…Only 8% of those that set resolutions are successful in achieving them.  That factor of 10 doesn’t really get us very far does it? The reality is that making change is really hard and there isn’t much of a way to get around that.
 
Maybe as February starts up, you’re starting to realize that your resolutions aren’t going as well as you thought they would. Perhaps it is harder than you thought it would be. Well here’s why….
 
Many of our behaviors are automatic or what we know as habits. Even though we think that we are making decisions as we go about our day and are fully conscious of our choices, this is not exactly the case. Some studies show that up to 40% of what we do is pre-programmed and automatic.
 
This is why habits can be tough to break. On average it takes 66 days for a new habit to become automatic and it can take up to 8 months.
 
Because we know how tough it can be, we really focus on how best to support our clients with setting goals and making changes to the habits that support those goals. If you are struggling with your resolutions, try some of these ideas that we find effective:

• We help our clients get in touch with why they want to make change and understanding what the tipping point was for them. Knowing this makes it easier to stay on track when the going gets tough.
• We analyze and dissect the habits that are getting in the client’s way. This deeper understanding makes it easier to break the habit.
• We tackle things one thing at a time or in manageable chunks. It is rare that I see someone completely overhaul their life in one fell swoop and it be a sustainable change.
• We don’t expect instant success. It can be a process and so we are there to help get clients back on track without beating themselves up.
• We educate about the benefits of the new habits we are working on and how they will help support the client’s end goal.
• We help identify potential problems that may come up and make plans to tackle them.
• We offer support and encourage clients to get support elsewhere too.
• We suggest using rewards and celebrations  as motivator.

 
If you’re realizing you need more support with your resolutions around your health and nutrition, we’d love to help. Give yourself a Valentine during this month of love by using one of our Special Deals to support you or if you’re not sure how we can help then schedule a free 15min call to find out.

I always tell people that I’m not a great cook but nevertheless I cook all the time. It's difficult to be healthy without some basic skills in the kitchen and beyond that, some understanding of how to put things together in a healthy way. Here are what I think are some of the most important benefits of learning this fundamental skill.
 
You’ll be more empowered
One of the reasons I was drawn to working with nutrition was the level of dis-empowerment I saw around cooking and food in the US. People are so used to things being ready to go and convenient that they lose the knowledge of how to put simple things together themselves and what real food is made from. If you want to be in charge of your own health then you have to have some knowledge and skills to clean up your diet.
 
You’ll make better choices
Healthy foods like vegetables are much more available and appealing when we choose them from a beautiful selection at the store or market. If you eat out a lot you are unlikely to see as many healthy foods offered. People who eat at home more, eat less sugar and processed carbohydrates and fewer calories.
 
You know what’s in the food
When you cook at home, you are in control. When you eat out, you’re not always sure how the food is sourced or prepared. Did the chef add sugar or use a highly processed oil to cook with? Was the chicken organic or natural or am I consuming hormones and antibiotics? At home, I can use coconut oil and eliminate unnecessary sugar from recipes. I have control of the quality of the ingredients I cook with. As I work to help people understand how to upgrade their food quality they will only reap the full health benefit from that if they cook at home.
 
You’ll save money
If you are someone that balks at the cost of buying organic produce or 100% grass fed beef then you may think that being healthier is expensive but add up what it costs you to eat out and you’ll realize that it would definitely be cheaper to prepare meals yourself.
 
It is an act of self-care
When you prepare meals at home, whether just for yourself or for a family, it is a more mindful experience than simply opening a pre-prepared meal and shoveling it down in front of the TV. The time taken encourages us to enjoy each mouthful and appreciate the meal. The process of digestion actually begins when you start thinking about the meal and preparing it. Your body produces saliva and digestive juices in readiness. You get more benefit from the meal because you are able to better digest it and absorb the nutrients.
 
 
You might even have fun!
Cooking can be enjoyable. If you buy good food and take the time, it tastes great!  You can also share the process and the food with family and friends. I always tell my clients to have fun with it when they are trying out new foods and branching out. Getting healthy should never be about deprivation!
 
Because it is so important to me to empower my clients, we now offer cooking classes through Ways to Optimize. Our Chef Dee Iraca provides some cooking courses that she tailors to you! She is a culinary nutritionist so focuses on what is tasty and healthy. We also combine her cooking classes with our nutrition offerings to fine tune things for you even more.  We have some really great Special Deals that you can purchase until the end of the year to get started now or kick off your New Year with a healthier focus.
 
Enjoy your holidays!

​ A lot of people ask me about supplementation.  Here are the most common questions:

Do supplements really do anything?  Are they necessary?
You may have heard me say, "Not all supplements all are created equal." I would agree that many of the supplements out there are not helping because they are poor quality. For that reason we only use professional grade supplements with our clients.

Can't I get what I need from food?
Of course I am a strong believer in striving for a nutrient dense diet, and Supplements are just that, supplements to a healthy diet.  What I have found in my practice is that most people can definitely use the support of supplementation. When I do dietary analysis, it is rare to find someone getting 100% of all the recommended daily amounts of their nutrients and blood testing often reveals nutritional deficiencies or borderline levels in my clients.

Why are people’s diets nutrient depleted?
After all, we are living in one of the wealthiest nations on the planet.

There are 2 main reasons why today’s diets are depleted of essential nutrients:
Our busy lifestyles.
Modern lifestyles involve juggling work, family and other activities and don’t leave much time for quality food choices and meals. Additionally, nutrition is not a priority for most people. A survey of 2,000 adults showed that people rank convenience and taste as the most important factors in choosing their lunch followed by cost and then, last of all, health! Wow!

The declining quality of our food supply.
Even for those of us that try really hard to be healthy, it is still difficult to get what we need because food quality has declined. A comparison study looked at the changes in nutrient content of 43 fruits and vegetables between 1950 and 1999 and found, for example, a 38% decrease in riboflavin (vitamin B2) content, a 20% decrease in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content etc.. 

What is causing the declining quality of our food supply?
Multiple factors are likely to be responsible:
Storage time for food: Nutrients are harmed during storage and transportation. For this reason, buying local is a great option.
Harvesting  before maturity: This diminishes nutrient content potential.
Farming practices: Factory farmed animals produce meat and dairy that is less nutrient rich. I recommend buying 100% grass-fed animal products for this reason.
Plants grown over and over again on the same land, have robbed our ground of nutrients. They are depleted faster than replenished, and the gap continues to widen. While soil does get nutrients from fertilizer, typically it does not include a comprehensive profile of nutrients.

What else causes nutrient depletion?
Another reason why we are depleted of nutrients is the balance in the nutrients we need vs. the nutrients we consume.  This can happen because of several issues:
Pharmaceuticals
Americans are, overall, participating in pharmaceutical drug use more and more. Did you know that pharmaceutical drugs deplete the body of nutrients? Specific drug categories impact specific nutrients. Contact us here, if you’d like help figuring out if your medication could be impacting you.
Mal-absorption of nutrients
Damage to our GI tract due to poor diet and lifestyle choices can impact our ability to absorb nutrients. This often shows up in micronutrient testing and we can help restore the gut to health.
Stress 
Stress on the body can mean we are burning through more micronutrients and have a higher than average need which may need compensating.

How can we help?
We are focused this month on helping you with supplementation so check out our Special Deals for April. Whether you just want access to great quality supplements at a 15% discount to retail or whether you’d like some help figuring out what to take, we have something for you! We use our a variety of methods to determine your needs including our intake form which covers your health history, current symptoms and current supplements, discussion during our sessions, your food journal, micronutrient and other blood testing and dietary analysis.

You may have given little thought to micronutrients. Often when we hear about nutrition and health, the focus is on caloric intake. We have been told for years “calories in vs. calories out” is all we needed to monitor to stay trim. Whilst we do need to pay some attention to calories from our macronutrient intake (proteins, carbohydrates and fats), I would say this is just a small piece of what matters to your nutritional health. Not enough emphasis is placed on MICROnutrients and their health promoting qualities.

Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and antioxidants. We only need these nutrients in small quantities, (hence the term “micro”), as compared with the calorie providing macronutrients. Deficiencies in micronutrients are associated with diseases and symptoms because almost every physiological function in the body requires micronutrients as part of the process. Think of your body as one big chemistry lab with reactions going on all the time. Micronutrients are key ingredients in these reactions and are necessary to keep all of the chemistry happening and our body working as it should. For example, magnesium is involved in over 300 essential metabolic reactions in the body.
What kind of symptoms might I be feeling?
Almost all chronic conditions that people suffer with, can be linked with micronutrients. Acne, allergies, mood conditions, diabetes, hormones, migraines etc.

Since we only need small amounts of micronutrients, you might think this is easily taken care of. Unfortunately, the odds are against us in getting enough of what we need.
Reasons why we may become deficient:

• The statistics on dietary intake of micronutrients are alarming. According to the data reported in a large national survey (NHANES), and true to the experience I have with clients, more than 90% of Americans are deficient in their intake of at least one micronutrient and many people have multiple nutrients where they don’t ingest adequate amounts on a regular basis. Much of our food supply has low micronutrient content due to mass food production and processing, so that these days you have to work extremely hard to make sure you get all of the micronutrient intake you need.

• We may think we are supporting our body by using a multivitamin but many of the supplements available in the grocery or drug store are poor quality. They may or may not actually contain the nutrients they say they contain. Many are packed with binders and fillers and baked hard so that they are difficult for our body to digest. Often they actually contain toxic ingredients!

• Medications deplete our bodies of micronutrients. Given that almost half of the adult population and over a fifth of children use at least one pharmaceutical, this is causing a drain on our collective micronutrient reserves.

​

• Everyone is metabolically and biochemically unique so micronutrient needs can differ from person to person. Our needs can also be influenced by excessive physical activity, smoking, alcohol, stress, high sugar diet, mal-absorption of nutrients due to digestive issues and more.

What can you do?

• Eat a nutrient dense diet. The best way to do this is to eat whole, unprocessed foods.

• Find out where you might be deficient. Your symptoms are definitely a clue to where you need support but it can be helpful to narrow it down. We offer both micronutrient blood testing and dietary analysis to help you figure this out. When we have more complete information we can support your body in the most effective way. Check out our Ways to Love Yourself in February Special Deals.

• Work to get your health to a state where you no longer have to rely on pharmaceuticals.

• Adjust your lifestyle to reduce or remove those stressors that drain your body.

I didn’t want to leave you hanging! So, following up on my last article about identifying sex hormone imbalances and issues with the conventional approach to dealing with imbalances, let’s continue with what you can do about it.

Some Basics about Hormones.
What are they? Chemical messengers that travel through the body via the bloodstream. They start at endocrine glands and take messages to the cells. We have many endocrine glands and a multitude of hormones, which can interact with one another. In other words – it’s complicated!

Sex hormones are a just a few of the many hormones in the body. They are steroidal hormones, which means they are made from cholesterol.

“What!?”, you say, “I thought cholesterol was bad for me”.

This is a common misconception that results in many people avoiding eating foods containing cholesterol despite the fact that we now know that eating cholesterol and saturated fat does not cause heart disease.

What can go Wrong with our Sex Hormones?
When we don’t ingest cholesterol and fats, the liver has to make cholesterol in order that we have the ingredients to build our sex hormones. If the liver is under stress (and it may well be in our toxic world) it may not be doing that as effectively as we would like.

Nutrition Tip #1
Take the burden off the liver from making cholesterol. Provide the body the foundational ingredient for your sex hormones.
Eat cholesterol containing (animal) foods and don’t be afraid 
of fat.

•  Eat fattier cuts of meat (grass fed, organic)
•  Eat full fat dairy (if you tolerate dairy)

•  Eat Pastured eggs

What else can go wrong?
Stress
Our stress hormone, cortisol, is also a steroidal hormone, made from cholesterol. It regulates bloods sugar and metabolism in response to a threat. Even though our stress may be low grade, our body can still be in fight or flight mode. This survival function is prioritized above sex hormone production and they take a dive!

Nutrition Tip #2
Reduce stress on the system. Avoid these stressors as much as possible: sugar, junk food, alcohol, trans fats, industrial seed oils. If you suspect you may food sensitivities or have issues with your gut then you may be irritating your system. Get in touch to find out how to work through this one. It can take some detective work.

Nutrition Tip #3
Support the body with handling stress by making sure you get enough B vitamins such as pantothenic acid and B12.
Adaptagenic herbs can be supportive to your body too and help modulate your stress response.

Problems with Detoxification
Unfortunately our modern environment comes along with a variety of xenoestrogens and other hormone disrupters. Supporting the detoxification of excess and unhealthy hormones and supporting the liver can help the body stay in balance.

Nutrition Tip #4
Fiber is important for this as it helps the body excrete excess hormones so include plenty of fibrous vegetables in the diet.
The cruciferous vegetables, as well as supplements like DIM and Calcium D Glucarate, support the liver with hormonal detox.

Nutrition Tip #5
Get rid of toxins as much as you can. Nutritionally you can upgrade your food to organic and grass fed options that do not contain toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones.

If you answered the questionnaire in my last blog, Sex Hormone Imbalance and you think you have hormonal imbalances, what do you do next? You can start by adjusting your nutrition and lifestyle with some of these tips. If you need to go deeper or need more specific help, that’s where we come in. Our micronutrient and hormonal blood testing as well as education and coaching can help you get there!

​Since May I have had the opportunity to do several talks on Sex Hormones. My favorite thing about speaking on this topic is that typically people are entirely unaware that they can influence their hormonal balance with nutrition. 

Many of us believe that certain symptoms and imbalances in our sex hormones that we experience are both inevitable and normal. It appears that we are destined to be using “Little Blue Pills” and dealing with a lack of sex drive as we age.

We believe and accept that men are supposed to lose their sexual function as they age and inevitably they will need Viagra to sustain their sex life.

We believe and accept that women have to suffer with mood issues and behavior swings from puberty, PMS, perimenopause and post-partum depression. Also that they will lose their emotional, physical and sexual vitality as they age.

The truth is that all of this suffering is largely unnecessary. It is caused by our habits (both nutritional and lifestyle related), which put stress on our adrenal glands, the very organ that is responsible for the production of our sex hormones later in life when our reproductive organs phase out production. The symptoms your body experiences are its way of telling you that you need to pay attention to your health. Because sex hormones are not needed for your survival, they will take a back seat if your body is lacking nutrients. Those nutrients that are available will have to be used for survival instead.

Take a look at our sex hormone balance questionnaire below to see if you are dealing with sex hormone imbalance. The number of symptoms you are experiencing and the severity is a good indication of the degree of imbalance you are experiencing.

Next time, some tips on supporting your sex hormones with nutrition. In the meantime, if you would like help getting things back to realignment we’d be happy to help you. In addition to helping you understand what nutrients your body needs to make sex hormones, we offer micronutrient and other blood testing (such as sex hormone levels) so that we can get a window into what’s really going on with you and help you in a targeted way.

Sex Hormone Balance Questionnaire:

Women, do you have:
( ) PMS (and perhaps cravings for sugar and salt)?               
( ) Weight fluctuation throughout the month?                       
( ) Unexplained weight gain, especially around the middle?  
( ) Edema, swelling, puffiness, water retention, bloating?      
( ) Headaches or PMS migraines?                                      
( ) Mood swings?                                                            
( ) Tender breasts?                                                           
( ) Depression or anxiety?                                                
( ) An inability to cope?                                                    
( ) Backaches, joint or muscle pain?                                            
( ) An irregular cycle?                                                      
( ) Infertility?                                                                   
( ) Fibrocystic breasts, breast cysts or lumps?                       
( ) Uterine Fibroids?                                                         
( ) Hot flashes?                                                               
( ) Insomnia?                                                                  
( ) Low libido?                                                                 
( ) Dry skin, hair, vaginal tissue?                                        
( ) Heart palpitations?                                                       
( ) Unwelcome hair growth?                                              
( ) Poor memory or concentration?                                     

Men, do you have:
( ) Reduced libido and vitality?                                          
( ) Trouble achieving or maintaining an erection?                          
( ) Infertility or low sperm count?                                       
( ) Loss of muscle?                                                           
( ) Increased abdominal fat?                                             
( ) Fatigue and low energy?                                              
( ) Loss of direction and sense of purpose?                                   
( ) Bone loss or bone fractures?                                         
( ) Increasing cholesterol?                                                 
( ) Increasing insulin or blood sugar?                                  
( ) Physical weakness?                                                              
( ) Depression?                                                               

​So last time we talked about why it is so hard for people to stop eating sugar and what chemistry is at play that keeps us hooked. So this time I wanted to discuss why we should try to kick the habit.
I’m pretty sure everyone now realizes at this stage that eating sugar is not healthy.  It makes us fat, right?  Empty calories and all that.  Rots our teeth…we all know this.
Well that’s true but that makes us think that if we want to splurge on sugar then we just cut back on calories elsewhere or work a bit harder in the gym and all will be well. And we all brush and floss so what’s the problem?

Well the fact is, excess sugar consumption is detrimental to our health in many other ways that you may not be so aware of:

Glycation
I’m putting this one near the top to appeal to your vanity. It’s not the biggest but maybe it is a motivator for you. Sugar bonds with protein molecules and impairs functioning causing stickiness in joints. It is particularly drawn to collagen and elastin in the skin. Here’s a picture of glycated skin – pretty isn’t it?!

So one of the most crucial anti-aging steps you can take is to get off sugar.

Depletion of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
Here are a couple of specific examples that illustrate how sugar depletes our storage of minerals but know that mineral deficiencies can cause leg cramps, muscle tightness, low blood sugar, diabetes, low blood pressure, PMS, ADD, depression and many more!

• It takes 56 molecules of magnesium to metabolize on molecule of sugar leaving many of us magnesium depleted and a prevalence of high blood pressure, poor sleep, neurological problems and immune issues.
• Calcium stores are drawn on to neutralize the affects of sugar.  We see direct links between sugar consumption and osteopenia.

Immune System Repression
White blood cells do not function well in a sugary environment.  It depresses our ability to fight viruses, cancer and parasites and especially bacteria.  1 tsp of sugar depresses the immune system for 5 hours.  Continued sugar consumption results in immune suppression and opens the door to infections and degenerative disease.
In a battle to gain entry to the cell, sugar wins over vitamin C which most of us know is one of our main immune boosting vitamins.

Feeding Cancer Cells
As adults we do not have many actively growing cells in our bodies except for cancer cells. Cancer cells move through each of us all the time and when we have a high sugar levels they gobble it up for growth. Remove the food for cancer cells and it is going to have a harder time taking a grip.

Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes
When our system is continually bombarded with excess sugar our cells start to become resistant to the insulin produced to deliver the glucose. The body tries to compensate by producing more insulin in the battle to get circulating blood sugar levels lowered (high blood sugar is toxic). When insulin is raised continually, the body is storing fat and there is weight gain. The consequent high blood sugar is also causing damage to the nervous system, suppressing the immune system and all that we talked about above.

Stress on the system
High blood sugar causes adrenaline production, which puts stress on the adrenals and the entire system. Many of us live in a constant state of stress anyway so our adrenals are already exhausted.  When your adrenals are working overtime they may be using up resources needed for other systems like digestion, sex hormones, thyroid hormones etc.

Inflammation
Sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation in the body. We’ve talked about it before so I’ll keep it brief here. Inflammation shows up as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, and even autism, ADD, ADHD, eczema, asthma—even anger and aggression.

Candida
Candida is a fungal organism that is sometimes known as thrush or a yeast infection. The yeast is always moderately present in your intestinal tract but it can actually loom elsewhere in your body. Candida yeast cells live among the bacterial flora present in the gastrointestinal tract, mucosa, esophagus, small intestine, as well as on the body’s surface. In a balanced healthy state, candida is controlled and mitigated by beneficial bacteria and your immune system. Candida is a sugar-fermenting organism, feeding on blood sugar so it becomes problematic when we eat a high sugar diet. Also it can be a problem if we have a weakened immunity or we possess low levels of beneficial bacteria. Women are typically more susceptible to yeast growth but everyone has a potential to develop a yeast condition.


Does that all motivate you or depress you? It’s a tough one I know! Shifting something in your diet is not easy and particularly with sugar because of its addictive nature and prevalence, not to mention it is wrapped up with so many emotional connections (rewards, treats, celebrations). Most people need help to make lasting change in this area and sometimes it is helpful to check your nutrient levels to have something to really motivate you.  We offer support in these areas so please reach out if you need us.

You don’t just “get” cancer or “catch” diabetes!  Our medical system is based on the premise that diseases just appear.  This approach came about due to the germ theory of disease which basically said that the germs and bugs were out there and some people just came into contact and got sick – the unlucky ones. When antibiotics came along as a way to kill bacteria they worked so miraculously that it seemed to confirm this theory and now society still looks for magic pills to cure every disease.

But here’s the problem….this completely ignores what is really going on!

Yes, antibiotics do kill bacteria but it is not just by a pure stroke of luck that some people get sick and others don’t.  An undernourished individual is more likely to pick up an infection than someone with a strong nutritional status.  Here the “environment” provided to the germs – the healthy or unhealthy body - plays a key part in the outcome.

In a similar way, the cause of most modern disease is a result of the interaction between our genes and the environment that we provide them. These diseases neither result from mystery bugs nor because our genes determine it but due to lifestyle factors that play into the environment that surrounds our genetic material.

It’s true - our genes are fixed! However, most people have an average of about 1000 genes that include a “typo” know as a gene SNP instead of the “normal” gene.  These SNPs can mean our genes are more inclined to express themselves in an unhealthy way BUT this only occurs if lifestyle factors provide a poor environment for the genes.  If we provide a good, healthy environment the genes behave well and we don’t get sick.  So even though we might know about various health issues that we have been prone to in the past, or perhaps we know something about our own or our family history, we still have control over the situation.

Your Genes are NOT Your Destiny!

Maybe that’s an inconvenient concept for some people who for example might prefer to blame their diabetes on their family history and use prescription drugs to manage things.  For those of us seeking optimal wellness though, this information is very empowering.  It puts you in the driver’s seat because instead of running to the doctor for a solution to your chronic ailments you can work on a healthy environment for your genes – aka a healthy lifestyle.

Take a look at the aspects of your lifestyle mentioned below and consider how you are doing.  Don’t let your genes dictate your destiny!

If you feel a need to make change and need some direction then please get in touch.  We specialize in empowering people with a healthy lifestyle by helping them navigate change in a realistic way.

Quick Lifestyle Review:

• Your exposure to toxins – Are you eating processed foods containing additives, preservatives and dyes? Are you eating foods that have been exposed to pesticides, hormones or antibiotics? Do you use toxic cleaning supplies?  Does you work expose you to toxins? Etc.

• Your stress levels – Think about your relationships, family, work & money.  Are you managing your stress levels well?  Do you have good ways to combat stress?

• Your exercise routine – Do you move your body regularly and incorporate stretching & strengthening to allow it to function in the way it was intended?

• What you eat – Do you eat whole foods that provide your body all of the nutrients it needs to function properly?  This is surprisingly difficult to do due to the quality of our food supply.