Paleo diet Archives - Hudson Valley Chiropractic & Wellness

Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

July 13, 2016 by drchrista Leave a Comment

Reverse Type 2 diabetes

I once read a statistic that the U.S. spends $4.4 billion dollars annually for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its sequelae. Yes, that’s billion, with a ‘b,’ That is a lot of money for one condition and what’s even more frustrating is there is absolutely no reason to bankrupt ourselves for treating this disease! You can reverse type 2 diabetes! So why aren’t you being told this by your doctor?

Unfortunately, there are two huge reasons why:

Gigantic food product corporations profit from subsidies for corn, wheat and soy that they turn into cheap processed foods, full of cheap processed chemicals like high-fructose corn syrup. They make massive profits on selling these processed foods.
The pharmaceutical industry is making a mint off of selling drugs like metformin and insulin to treat T2DM.

Let me be clear, your doctor is (probably) not a co-conspirator in this scheme. They often know that diet & exercise can reverse type 2 diabetes, but they often don’t have to the time to walk a patient through how to accomplish that in a 5 minute visit. It’s also difficult to know how to guide patients when the diabetic associations are recommending diets that upwards of 60% carbohydrates. In short, the system at large profits when patients believe that they are powerless to reverse type 2 diabetes.

My own father was an example of this. He has two prescriptions for diabetes (there are other meds as well)- Metformin and Lantis (insulin). The insulin prescription was $100 a month- just for the copay! His doctor told him that if he could lose some weight and get his blood sugar numbers down, he could reduce and maybe even come off the Lantis altogether.

He started about three months ago very simply: eating fewer carbs and walking an hour a day. He rarely eats bread, pasta, pizza or processed foods anymore. Instead, he eats mostly salads and healthy proteins. There is a great rail trail nearby and he & my mom walk at least an hour on it most days. Simple right? But does it work?

YES! In that short amount of time, he has lost 30 pounds and 6 inches on his waist (from size 44 to 38!). His hemoglobin A1C just came back and it has dropped from 8.2 to 6.5. Continuing at this rate, he will have reversed his type 2 diabetes inside of 6 months with just diet & exercise changes.

I think it’s important to note that both of my dad’s parents had Type 2 diabetes. (Grandma even lost part of the lower part of her left arm to it in the last year of her life.) He has the genetics for the disease. And yet, he’s still able to change the numbers and move towards a life without diabetes, even as a 62 year old. Furthermore, he’s doing himself a huge favor- he’s going to be able to enjoy the his coming retirement, which he has worked very hard for all of his life, much more without countless doctor visits and going into the Medicare “doughnut hole” because of pricey medications to control this disease.

You too can reverse type 2 diabetes. And it’s not as hard or as difficult as you may think. If you need some help and direction to get started, call my office at 845-687-6387 today.

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Primal Beauty: My non-toxic skincare regime

March 9, 2016 by drchrista 1 Comment

Did you know your skin is your largest organ? It’s a huge part of our detoxification pathways. Yes, skin is a barrier system, but it also absorbs things through it’s membrane and allows other things out.

I’m always flabberghasted when in one breath, we are told not to worry about chemicals in our beauty products being absorbed through our skin (the FDA has different safety standards for things that go ON your skin as opposed to IN your body), and then that same organization approves the use of a hormonal birth control patch. Errr…. um what?

Personally, I made the transition to non-toxic skincare and beauty products long ago because that didn’t make much sense to me. It also seemed that if I was going to do a lot of work caring about what I put in my body, I should also think about what I put on it as well.

The biggest problem with non-toxic skincare products is of course, finding ones that work half as well as their chemical-laden counterparts. The demand for non-toxic skincare has greatly increased the choices available however, and has even brought these products out of the back aisles of out-of-the-way health food stores to major chain retailers throughout the world. This unfortunately has lead to many products being marketed as ‘natural’ when really they are anything but. So how do you find effective and truly good for you skincare products?

For starters, look in your kitchen. There’s the axiom, ‘if its safe enough to go in your body, it’s safe enough to go on your body.’ This is why they call their products ‘skinfood’ over at Primal Life Organics. (Also because it’s deeply nourishing for the skin!) The great thing about using kitchen products is that you can make your own beauty products yourself. You can save money and know exactly what is them!

Being pretty busy though and having a pretty tiny kitchen, I don’t have a lot of time or space to make my own ‘skinfood,’ so I was thrilled when I found Primal Life Organics. I’ve been using their products almost exclusively for over two years. Here’s a few of the products I personally use and love!

Peppermint toothpowder. You don’t need a lot or even any foam to get your teeth clean and freshen your breath. Especially if you are eating a low sugar, lower carb diet, you may notice like I have, that you don’t get that funky build up on your teeth. (Carbohydrates are the only macronutrients that start to be digested in the mouth. They are broken down to small sugars and as these sugars build up in the mouth, they feed the bacteria there. These bacteria ferment those sugars for food, and in the process, create acids that can erode the enamel of your teeth, leading to cavities & gum erosion.) This toothpowder is a fine clay that creates a gentle polishing paste, without any added sugars or weird foaming agents. I’ve had no complaints from my dentist since using it. I also find that it makes an excellent toothpaste for camping because I can practice Leave No Trace ethics and simply swallow it with a bit of water- without wanting to throw up (like I would with regular toothpaste).
Dirty ‘poo. My hair has been a constant source of frustration for me. It’s super fine, there’s not a lot of it, and it’s pretty limp. I use to wash it everyday, otherwise, it would look greasy and the extra oils would weigh it down. A few years ago, I tried the ‘No ‘Poo’ method of using just baking soda and it was much too harsh for my fine hair. It broke a lot of my hair off at or near the root and I’m still trying to grow out some of those funky layers! Enter Dirty Poo, which has some baking soda in it, but is mostly clay based. The clay absorbs the dirt and excess oil which gets washed out when I rinse the clay out of my hair. The result is perfectly clean hair! I’ve also switched to washing my hair 2-3 times a week instead of everyday and this has cut down on the amount of oil that builds up. (The oil actually builds up in response to being constantly stripped away by typical shampoos.) Dirty Poo has kept my hair much more healthy and even allows it have some of its natural body!
Stick Up deodorant stick. It was a hard transition to just deodorant. I’m definitely a sweat-er and I’m pretty active. It’s taken some time to get use to sweating after years of anti-perspirant use. At first, it seemed like the floodgates were opening and my armpits were making up for all the sweat they were forced to block for years. It’s finally settled out where I don’t sweat much unless I’m being really active and what I do sweat doesn’t have quite the odor to it. This detox and transition to just deodorant took me the better of a year but I’m glad I didn’t give up on it. Coconut oil, baking soda and some essential oils are all that is in my deodorant. No weird propolyene glycol chemical like even some of the ‘natural’ deodorants have. (Sweating is important for detoxing some chemicals!)
Sugar-based hair spray. Given that I have some pretty fine, limp hair, I like to give it a little spritz with this and then scrunch it to give it some body and texture. It washes out easily and isn’t overly drying to my hair.
Fallen face serum. My skincare regime in pretty simple. After a shower, I use some organic witch hazel on a cotton ball to cleanse & tone the skin, then I moisturize with this serum. It’s jojoba oil based, which closely resembles the chemical structure of the skin’s own natural oil. Hence your skin doesn’t have to replace as much oil because it’s not constantly being stripped away. The Fallen serum has essential oils from pumpkin that smell DEVINE and I love using it all the time- not just in the fall.
Fallen body butter. I buy this two jars at time in the fall, when it’s made, so that I have enough to last all year. With a bit of cinnamon essential oil in it, it smells wonderful and the combination of oils is deeply hydrating- no more scaly, dry winter skin!

That’s it! Those are the only 6 non-toxic skincare products I need to use on a regular basis. All are completely organic with ingredients that come directly from nature. Most I could find in my kitchen. My skin and hair skin look great and are healthy too, and most importantly I don’t worry about the future health consequences of my beauty regime.

Paleo Diet: Top 5 Mistakes People Make on Paleo

February 24, 2016 by drchrista 1 Comment

The Paleo diet has been gaining in popularity. I see many patients come into my office having tried it, but not quite getting the results that they hoped for or expected. Based on their experiences, I wanted to share what I think are the top 5 mistakes people make on the Paleo diet.

Not eating enough vegetables. Meat & veggies are like yin and yang to each other. There’s evidence that the antioxidant chemicals in vegetables are what helps reduce the potential cancer-causing properties of meats. (Read more in this article I wrote after the WHO linked meat to cancer and nearly broke the internet.) I like the hashtag Stacy Toth at Paleo Parents uses on their Instagram account #morevegetablesthanavegetarian. Could you say the same about your plate?
Not fully eliminating grains for at least 30 days. I see some folks who say that a Paleo diet didn’t work for them and then upon further investigation, they are still ‘cheating’ with a slice of pizza or having oatmeal for breakfast. Or maybe they are trying, but haven’t checked other foods for hidden gluten-containing ingredients- like sauces and salad dressings. As a functional medicine doc, I use a Paleo protocol as a way to jump start healing of a leaky gut and to reduce inflammation. The interaction of gluten proteins with the lining of the gut is happening on a microscopic, cellular level. This means, any amount of grains is too much. (Certainly if you can see enough of it to put it in your mouth it’s too much!) I support folks experimenting and finding out what works best for them and even finding ways of ‘relaxing’ a bit about food, but this should come after a full elimination period. So if you don’t see the results you want after 30 days on Paleo, but haven’t been honest about grain consumption, well please don’t tell your coworkers that Paleo failed you and is somehow all bunk. Ditto all of the above for dairy.
Still relying on processed foods. Because of the increased popularity of the Paleo diet, a whole cottage industry as grown up around making Paleo processed foods. It’s a nice convenience, but it can be a reason people don’t achieve the results they want. Paleo bread might not have wheat or other grains in it, but the food has still been processed since it’s original form. As I tell patients- there is no Bread tree or plant that one can simply go and harvest loaves of bread from- Paleo or otherwise. Also, if you’re constantly making treats or using lots of almond flour to ‘bread’ things, you may be very quickly and easily exceeding your needed caloric intake with the fat content of the almonds (Fat is like what your first grade teacher said about glue- “a little dab will do ya!“) The goal is to have most of your food come from WHOLE sources with the most ‘processing’ it having gone through before you put it in your mouth is when you cook it. Beware of any foods that come in any package- but particularly a bag, a box or a can. If it bears a government-mandated nutrition label, that’s another clue that it’s no longer a ‘whole’ food. It’s not that these foods should never be apart of your diet, but the majority of your food intake should be real, whole sources, not processed foods.
Not finding your best macronutrient ratio. Many folks assume Paleo is “low carb” or just another form of Atkin’s. I think that what sets a Paleo diet apart from just another Atkin’s diet is the emphasis on food quality and vegetable intake and also the emphasis on flexible macronutrient ratios. Though a Paleo diet is “low carb” compared to the S.A.D., the amount of carbohydrate can be flexible and based on an individual’s needs. For example, I think of 100-150g of carb/day as the ‘sweet spot’ that will be effective for most people, while still helping to maintain thyroid and adrenal health. However, in someone who is trying to address blood sugar issues or pre-diabetes, they may have a period where they need to go lower than that with their carb consumption in order to see results. Once they restore insulin sensitivity, they may be able to handle a slightly higher carbohydrate intake. The point is, we see a variety of macronutrient ratios in the diets of healthy, traditional cultures. Do some experimentation (with real, whole foods!) to find the ratio that works for best for you and bear in mind that this ratio may change as your health status or goals change.
Not giving it enough time/expecting the quick fix. A Paleo diet can do wonders and change lives in very short order. But- usually when it has amazing results it’s because a person is reasonably healthy and still has good metabolic flexibility to begin with. If you have a chronic health condition that you have been trying to address for years, it’s not realistic to expect to see everything to be reversed within the span of a month. Many patients come to me with weight loss as their main goal. If they have had a pattern of chronic inflammation and immune system imbalance, it often happens that they have to heal from that before they can take on weight loss in a healthy way. Fat is the like an energy savings account for the body. If your body is getting constant signals that it is in crisis mode, needing to survive, it’s not going to give up or dip into that critical savings account easily. Be patient. Focus on healing and improving your health. Paleo is not another crash diet to try for short term results, but a sustainable philosophy and way of eating that can have powerful & positive impact on your life.

I’d love to hear what you think. Have you made one or more of these mistakes yourself? (I know I have!) Is there another mistake you think people more commonly make than one of these 5? Let me know in the comments section!

Hudson Valley Gluten-free: Celiac disease vs. Gluten sensitivity

February 2, 2016 by drchrista Leave a Comment

Hudson Valley Gluten-free folks- are you eating gluten-free but still having symptoms such as joint or muscles aches, headaches, skin rashes, eczema or psoriasis, migraines, peripheral neuropathy, brain fog, inability to focus, hair loss, or weight loss resistance? Are you taking several long-term prescription medications to address any of the above symptoms or other chronic health conditions? Are you looking for a natural way to feel better, without more drugs?

Let’s start by addressing two common conditions that lead people to adopt a gluten-free diet- Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Despite common misconceptions, these are not the same thing. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where the ingestion of gluten causes antibodies to be made. These antibodies then mark & tag the cells of the small intestine for destruction by the immune system. Most of the symptoms of Celiac disease are related to the GI track- chronic diarrhea and or constipation, abdominal pain and bloating, even gas.

Gluten sensitivity on the other hand is a genetic predisposition, but not a full-blown autoimmune disease (though it can lead to the development of autoimmune disease!) In this case, ingestion of gluten creates inflammation in the gut. This causes microscopic holes to open in the gut that can let toxins and particles of undigested food cross into the bloodstream, causing more inflammation. And because it has now reached the bloodstream, this inflammatory response can show up in any vulnerable tissue- muscles, joints, thyroid gland, sinuses, even the brain. This is why there can be a such a wide range of symptoms of gluten sensitivity.

A key thing to know is that other grains contain gluten proteins as well. Gluten is a class of proteins as opposed to just one specific one. (The specific problematic protein in wheat is known as gliadin). Because of the similar structure in this class of protein, its common for there to be cross-reactions where the body reacts to other grains in the same way it reacts to the gluten in wheat.

This means that if you are eating gluten-free either because you have Celiac disease or have suspect you have gluten sensitivity, your symptoms will likely improve further by cutting out all grain products from you diet entirely. This can be achieved most readily by adhering to a Paleo diet type diet.

If you are in the Hudson Valley & gluten-free, struggling with Celiac disease or symptoms you believe are related to gluten sensitivity, a grain-free diet may be the solution. If you need help from someone experienced in working with people just like yourself, I invite you to call my office today at 845-687-6387 for your free 15 minutes consultation to learn how I can help you feel better, have more energy and lose weight.

Should you try The Paleo Diet?

December 21, 2015 by drchrista Leave a Comment

Paleo. Some call it a “fad diet.” Many associate it with uber-lean, muscle-bound Crossfit-types. It’s been confused with Atkins and the low-carb craze. It’s philosophical underpinnings have been the subject of TED talks and scathing critiques throughout the media. Maligned by vegetarians and vegans, this juggernaut diet trend isn’t going anywhere.

The Paleo Diet is here to stay.

You may be curious about it yourself. You have a coworker or neighbor or fifth cousin-twice removed who lost a ton of weight and swears by it. Or maybe you are thinking that any diet where bacon is heartily embraced is your kind of diet. Perhaps you are enticed by the idea of not having to count calories and still losing weight.

Is The Paleo Diet the right choice for you?

Despite what the detractors say, the Paleo diet is not about trying to recreate the life of a caveman. We can, however, gain some important insights into how our bodies function best by looking to our past. The fact is there is a lot of very modern scientific research that backs up this intuitive & ancestral approach to eating. That’s why having my patients adopt a Paleo-type diet is one of the first steps in their nutritional treatment protocol. It’s about more than just rock hard abs. Here’s why I recommend it and why I think you should do it too:

Nutrient-density. The Paleo Diet is the most nutrient dense diet on the planet. A paper published by Mat LaLonde, a chemistry professor at Harvard, showed that for the same number of calories, a Paleo Diet contained more vitamins, minerals and essential fats than the SAD (Standard American Diet.) Not especially surprising, but what was enlightening is that even when he tried to add dairy or whole grains, he could not come up with more vitamins & minerals without adding more calories. This raw data for this came straight from the USDA’s own database of the nutritional content of foods. When you give the body the nutrients it needs, it doesn’t crave more empty calories in a misguided attempt to get them. While eating a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet, most people spontaneously lower their calorie consumption, without trying or having to resort to willpower.
Anti-inflammatory. Wheat, dairy, soy and peanuts (a legume) are common allergens, yet are absent from a typical Paleo diet. Gluten in particular has been shown to increase the amount of an inflammatory protein in the gut called zonulin. This protein opens up spaces between cells of the gut lining called tight junctions. When these tight junctions are opened up, it leads to a leaky gut. (In the scientific literature this is referred to as ‘increased intestinal permeability.) Pieces of undigested proteins than cross the gut lining where they meet the GALT- Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue. Made up of the same white blood cells as the rest of your immune system, its estimated that up 70% of your immune system is hanging out in your gut. When the GALT starts having to react to pieces of undigested protein, it creates inflammation, both in the gut itself as well as the rest of your body. If you have aches or pains, brain fog or memory loss, depression or hormone imbalances (all of which can be caused by inflammation), you really should give the Paleo diet a try.
Whole-foods based. We can argue all day long about what cavemen did or didn’t eat and whether those foods still really exist, but at the end of the day I think we can all agree that whole-foods are way better and more nutritious for you than anything processed. Fresh meats and eggs from pastured and grassfed animals, wild seafood, plenty of vegetables in an array of colors and some fruits. Nuts and seeds. These are not controversial health foods, they’re just common sense.
Sustainability. Diets that leave you hungry and starved are not sustainable. For sustained fat loss and long-term recovery from inflammatory conditions, a diet has to be one that you can follow over the long haul. There are so many resources now; the number of Paleo cookbooks has exploded in recent years and the number of Paleo recipe blogs has grown exponentially. There really is no legitimate reason for getting bored on the Paleo Diet.
Lifestyle Factors. There’s more to health & fitness than just food, yet so many ‘diets’ fail to account for this. Many people will say that Paleo isn’t just a diet, it’s lifestyle. What that means is that food is just the start. Beyond diet, a healthy lifestyle should also include plenty of quality, restorative sleep, stress management, frequent movement & exercise, good posture & alignment, relaxation and time in nature. To heal from a chronic disease, all of these factors must be addressed.

Is Paleo the right choice for you? I think it happens to be the right choice for anyone who wants to build or maintain their health. Want some help getting started on your journey to more energy, less fatigue, clearer skin and less pain? Call my office today at 845-687-6387. I help people like you implement and tailor a Paleo approach to meet their health goals.

January is just around the corner. If you have been thinking of starting a Paleo diet as part of your commitment to get healthier in the coming year, but are a bit overwhelmed or unsure how to get started, check out my New Year, New You! whole-foods based cleanse program. To learn more, click here.

WHO links red meat to cancer- what you need to know

October 27, 2015 by drchrista 1 Comment

On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that processed meats like bacon & sausage were classified as “causing cancer” and red meat as “probably causing cancer.”

Let’s just say, its caused quite a stir. So does this mean that a Paleo or low-carb diet is going to kill you???

No. But there are a few things you should know before eating loads of bacon with impunity.

The risk is small

The report stated that 50g of processed meat a day (less than 2 pieces of bacon) caused an increase in colorectal cancer of 18%. What does that 18% increased risk really look like though? Let’s say 6 out of 100 people get bowel cancer in their lifetimes. And all of those 100 people eat an extra 50g of processed meat a day. An 18% increased risk means 7 people will develop develop bowel cancer instead of 6. That’s one extra case of cancer per 100 people eating 50g of processed meat every day.

The risk is still smaller than that from smoking or alcohol consumption

Cancer Research UK put it this way- 21% of bowel cancers can be attributed to processed and red meat consumption whereas 86% of lung cancer can be attributed to tobacco. In the larger context, 19% of all cancers can be attributed to tobacco, whereas just 3% of all cancers can be attributed to red and processed meat. So it would make no sense to stop eating red meat if you’re going to continue to smoke or drink alcohol excessively.

Red meat can cause cancer

There are several mechanisms by which it appears that red & processed meats can cause cancer. (And it should be noted that these mechanisms have NOTHING to do with whether the meat is of the grain-fed, feedlot-raised variety. That is, eating only grass-fed red meat will not protect you from these potential cancer-causing pathways.) One of those pathways is the digestion of the heme protein. Cytotoxic compounds can be created that damage the gut lining and can lead to cell proliferation- and increased cancer risk. Another mechanism is the metabolism of L-carnitine, an amino acid particularly abundant in red meat. Gut bacteria metabolize L-carnitine into a compound called TMA (trimethylamine). TMA crosses into the blood stream, goes to the liver and is metabolized into TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide). TMAO is strongly linked to cancer and heart disease. Another potential mechanism are mutagens that can be created when cooking red meat, particularly grilling and frying (heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).

All these mechanisms are modified by vegetable consumption

Chlorophyll (the compound that makes plants green) and heme have almost identical chemical structures. Because of this similarity, chlorophyll can block the metabolism of heme into toxic, gut-destroying compounds allowing it instead to be metabolized to inert (inactive) compounds.

Indoles found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower have been shown to suppress the growth of tumors caused by heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

As for the link between L-carnitine and TMAO, that is a little more complex. In turns out that a particular species of gut bacteria, Prevotella, is mostly responsible for increased blood levels of TMAO from L-carnitine consumption, according to a 2013 study published in Nature Medicine. Conversely, gut microbiomoes that have more Bacteroides sp. instead of Prevotella converted significantly less L-carnitine into to TMA and eventually, TMAO. Prevotella specialize in fermenting polysaccharides in grains (but not those in fruits & vegetables), so they appear to predominate in the microbiomes of those with high consumptions of grains. Though we can’t say this conclusively yet, it appears from what we currently know, that eating a grain-free diet and getting most of your fiber from vegetables helps moderate the danger of processed and red meat consumption from this particularly pathway.

So I don’t think anyone needs to give up red meat or enjoying bacon from time to time. It comes back to the same, basic, intuitive advice: eat a variety of foods (mix in white meats & fish in for protein sources) and make sure to get at least 5 servings of vegetables a day. That means that there should be veggies on your plate at every meal. I encourage folks to think of building their plates around 4 ounce of animal protein (about 1/3 of their plate) and to fill in the other two-thirds of plate with vegetables. Not only is it a simple way of creating a meal, but it helps ensure that you get the healthiest balance of animal to plant foods.

For further reading check out here and here.

Heal your gut with this simple (and simply amazing) food

September 25, 2014 by drchrista Leave a Comment

As the air turns crisper, we naturally start to crave warmer, moist foods. It’s a perfect time to make simple, nourishing bone broth.

Why bone broth?

For one, its a nutrient dense food. The minerals in the bones dissolve into the broth and are easily digested and absorbed. Bone broth is also rich in the amino acid glycine, which helps nourish and heal the gut. It’s also an extremely economical food. Grassfed beef bones can be bought for mere cents per pound and leftover veggies can be used to fill out the flavor profile. And if that’s not enough to convince you, bone broth will make you a rock star in the kitchen. Add it to soups and stews to make them more flavorful or braise meats in it. My homemade beef broth is what makes my pot roast a perennial crowd favorite. Don’t be surprised if people start asking where you got your mad skills in the kitchen!

You can make bone broth from both beef bones or chicken bones. I’ve found that you can buy the beef bones by themselves, but the best way to get chicken bones is to buy a whole, pastured chicken. Roast the whole chicken and serve it for dinner one evening. Pick the carcass clean and use those bits to make a chicken salad for lunch the next day. Then place the bones into the stockpot and cover with water (3 meals from one chicken makes the investment in a pastured chicken worth it! Also the broth will be more nourishing if you use a pastured chicken). Add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar (1/2 cup for beef bones) to the water and let it sit for 30 minutes. For beef bones, I like to use a combinations of marrow bones and knuckle bones. The knuckles have more collagen in them, which will add more good nutrients and amino acids to your broth.

After the broth sits for 30 minutes, add some peeled cloves of garlic, a pinch or two of sea salt and some pepper if you’d like. Bring the water to a boil and skim off the foam that rises to the top, then turn the heat down and let it simmer, 24-36 hours for chicken bones, up to 48 hours for beef bones. This is a simple broth, but you can get fancier and add more flavor by adding onions, celery and carrots. Once your broth is done cooking, let it cool. You can skim off the fat that rises to the top, or not. Strain out the bones and vegetables, if used.

Once you have made your nourishing bone broth, enjoy it straight up for a super-nourishing meal or freeze the rest and use it as needed for a soup base, to make stews or to braise meats in. Drink daily for optimal gut health.

Why going ‘gluten-free’ is not enough

September 22, 2014 by drchrista Leave a Comment

Gluten-free is all the rage now with major restaurant chains offering gluten-free menus and even the smallest grocery stores having aisles dedicated to gluten-free products. With the proliferation of gluten-free offerings, one might be tempted to think we are making healthier choices.

This is not the case.

I remember when I first started working with Hashimoto’s patients. After delivering the news that their thyroid condition was in fact an autoimmune condition, I informed them that they needed to go gluten-free in order to prevent their bodies from making antibodies that attacked and destroyed their thyroid gland. Knowing that this can be quite a drastic change for some people, I tried to encourage them by reminding them that this was an opportunity to eat healthier by filling out their diets with vegetables instead of processed wheat products. What quickly became apparent though, is that people simply started swapping their processed wheat products for processed gluten-free products.

Let me be plain: Gluten-free foods are NOT health foods.

Gluten-free products are highly processed. It takes the marvels of modern machinery to make something made of rice flour to not taste gritty and chalky.
Gluten-free foods are high in sugar. What’s the best way to cover-up that chalky taste? Sugar. Lots of it!
Gluten-free foods are terrible for blood sugar regulation. Another way to improve the taste & texture of a gluten-free food, besides adding a lot of sugar, is to using highly refined starches like cornstarch, potato starch & tapioca starch. These are very fine powders that are often a solution to that ‘gritty’ texture of rice flour. The problem is that they are so refined, there is nothing to digest and their carbohydrate content hits the bloodstream very quickly, provoking an insulin spike. This is very hard on the pancreas and is the same mechanism that leads to the development of Type II diabetes.
Gluten-free foods use refined vegetable oils. Fats are another way to cover up the chalky taste & texture. This wouldn’t be so problematic if we were using heat-stable, traditional fats like coconut oil or butter. However, most refined foods have refined fats in them like canola and soybean oil. These oils are not stable at high temperatures and have gone through a complex treatment process to deodorize and clean them before they are even sold to you. Why would they have to go through this process? Because they are so delicate, they become rancid just going through the extraction process. They have to be cleansed and deodorized or they would be too disgusting to eat. While the smell may be gone, the artery-destroying free radicals and inflammation-promoting omega 6 fats are not. Avoid these.
Gluten-free foods are not a good source of nutrients. This is a problem with any processed food. Processing removes and/or destroys the nutrient content. The more highly processed, the more of the nutrients that have been destroyed. Compared to vegetables, grains aren’t that great a source of nutrients to begin with. Refining them further into flours and even starches, removes what little there was to begin with. If health is really your goal, its best to swap out gluten-free wanna-be foods for real, whole foods that are naturally gluten-free. Like vegetables 🙂

It’s for the above reasons that I started recommending a Paleo-type diet when I need my patients to go gluten-free. Paleo is about whole, real foods. It’s also about healing the gut. Because here’s the other thing I began to notice when my patients just started swapping their processed wheat products for gluten-free processed products: they started developing sensitivities to other grain products- particularly the ones that they started consuming more often in the processed gluten-free foods. In the scientific literature this is known as ‘cross-reactivity.’ This occurred because the underlying problem- often a leaky gut- was not fully healed by simply switching to a ‘gluten-free’ diet.

I also noticed this pattern in my Celiac patients. Their symptoms greatly improved on a gluten-free diet, but they still didn’t feel fully well or healthy until they started eating more whole foods and less processed food. Again, years and years of irritation and inflammation in the gut could not be fixed simply by going gluten-free. All grains needed to be eliminated and more nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and bone broth needed to be added.

If a product has to be labeled ‘gluten-free,’ its probably not healthy for you. If health is truly your goal, you would be better off investing in naturally gluten-free foods like animal products, vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Ancestral Health

August 20, 2014 by drchrista Leave a Comment

We have more access to more information about health and disease than at any other period of human history and yet, we are arguably the most unhealthy we have ever been.

Here in the U.S., the sky-rocketing rates of obesity are a daily news story. Rates of chronic illness like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and autoimmune disease are increasing at alarming rates. Diseases we thought only happened in aging adults are occurring in younger children.

Ironic isn’t?

If you’re old enough, you may remember a time when obesity was rare; when cancer was rare and only your rapidly aging grandpa has developed ‘diabeetus.’ So what happened? What has caused such a profound change in our health?

There are many answers to that question and as of yet, no proven smoking gun. Searching through the myriad of possibilities would take time we don’t have. What we need is a framework for understanding what effects health and gives us a blueprint to search for the place where we seem to have gone off the map.

The concept of ancestral health is that framework.

We think that cavemen lived ‘short, brutish’ lives, but archeology says that is not really the whole story. Sure, life expectancy was low, but that was a population average, mostly skewed because childbirth was such a dicey proposition. There were plenty of early humans who survived well into old age if they managed to survive disease epidemics, broken bones or becoming a meal for another creature. The point is, even if they made it to past all those hurdles, obesity heart disease and poor health weren’t destined for them simply by virtue of having reached that age.

From what archeology studies tell us, hunter-gatherers were lean, well-built with little tooth decay and no need for orthodontics. By studying modern hunter-gatherer tribes, we have inferred that they spent an average of 20 hours a week engaged in activities necessary for survival, spending the rest of their free time visiting relatives, creating art, or engaged in other leisure activities.

Can you imagine? All your needs met in the space of a part-time job? Very little stress and plenty of time to kick back, relax and enjoy life. No running yourself ragged, running in literal circles, going to gym to keep fit. No having to watch every last piece of food you ate in order to stay trim. No smartphone constantly ringing with requests from people who need something from you…right now! Growing old gracefully, with a strong, supple body. Getting plenty of restful sleep each and every night. Unburdened joy. Not sounding so bad, eh?

So how do this relate to health?

Well I’m glad you asked because you see, we have those same bodies. Bodies that want to be lean and fit and healthy and strong. It is our genetic potential and can be our genetic reality under the right circumstances. The problem is that we have changed the rules of the game much faster than our ancient bodies can keep up with and adapt sufficiently to. Since World War II, we have introduced 50,000 novel chemicals into our environment. We haven’t studied the long-term safety of most of these, let alone the combinations of them that we are exposed to daily. GMOs in our food supply, animals raised on grain instead of grass, pharmaceutical drugs, indoor lighting, smartphones, tablets and laptops, constant stress, automobiles- all are things that are completely new to humans beings in the last 100 or so years. All are interacting in ways that eroding our health.

The sad fact is that many of us don’t eat real food anymore. Many of us spend hours a day only exercising the tiny muscles in our hands while sitting on the biggest muscles of our hips and thighs. This is not how our bodies were designed to function and it is slowly killing us.

Using this framework, I make recommendations to my patients to get their current reality to be more congruent with their ancient genetics. Why? Because when these two are aligned, improved health is often the outcome. I may encourage patients to eat a more whole food diet, or to sleep in pattern that aligned with their brain’s ingrained circadian rhythms or to move and exercise in way that builds so-called ‘functional movement’ patterns. In doing so, we honor the innate wisdom of our bodies and their desire to be healthy.

Natural remedies for acne

April 10, 2014 by drchrista Leave a Comment

There’s no two ways about it, acne sucks. It’s even more embarrassing when you’re an adult and supposed to have grown out of it. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to heal and prevent acne without more creams, chemicals and trips to the dermatologist!

First, let me explain a little about WHY acne occurs so that you can understand better what to do about it. Basically, it works like this:

Clogged Pores -> Inflammation -> Bacteria invade

Usually what clogs the pores in the first place is sebum, or the oil that your skin normally produces to lubricate and protect itself. “Dirt” can also clog pores, this can be make-up, hair care products or even dirt on your hands if you touch your face in the same places all the time.

Once the pore is clogged, a local inflammation reaction happens. This is when the clogged pore gets red, swollen and pus-filled. If some bacteria decide to show up to the party, then it may get even MORE swollen and pussy. Ewww, right?

So now that you know the basics, you can start to see the problems with some traditional strategies for dealing with acne. For example, washing your skin religiously with harsh soaps and detergents may remove the dirt, but it also strips away the skin’s natural lubricant, sebum. In reaction to this your skin secrets even MORE sebum, leading to extra oily skin and MORE clogged pores. Taking antibiotics is another bandaid. It might get rid of the bacteria contributing to the issue, but since they aren’t the root cause of the problem, it doesn’t really fix anything long term.

So how do you get rid of acne naturally?

Great skin is made from the inside out. Step one is to eat anti-inflammatory diet. Get rid of sugar. Nix common allergenic foods like gluten, dairy, soy and tree nuts. Build your meals around high quality proteins like wild caught fish, grass fed beef, lamb & bison, and pastured chicken and eggs, then round out the rest with PLENTY of vegetables. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to flush out toxins and and keep the skin hydrated. (You could noticeably improve skin quality just by drinking more water!!!)
Stop washing your face with soap and water. Use something like the Oil-Control Method instead. With the oil-control method you apply a mixture of castor oil, which draws out impurities, and a carrier oil depending on your skin type. Use a hot, moist washcloth to work the mixture into your skin. Then, wipe off the excess and apply a moisturizing oil like jojoba oil. The reason this method works is because when you are no longer stripping away every bit of lubricant your skin makes,and instead moisturizing it, it doesn’t need to replace the oil and slows down production.
Use natural skin care products with antioxidant ingredients. Have you looked at the ingredients on your skincare products lately? There’s probably a bunch of big, unpronounceable chemicals in it. They chemicals CAN and DO get absorbed by the skin into your body, so if you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin. Not only do natural skin care products ditch the chemical nasties, but they often have fruit and vegetable extracts that are rich in vitamin antioxidants that help decrease inflammation. I love the Carrot Seed Primal Face products from Primal Life Organics as well as the Blueberry White Tea skincare line from Faerie Organics. (Bonus: the Blueberry White Tea moisturizer contains probiotics that help crowd out those bad-acne causing bacteria as well!)
Manage stress! Stress increases levels of androgen (primarily male) hormones that can increase acne by turning up the rate of oil production. Stress also increases inflammation, which can exacerbate acne. Meditate, do yoga, seek therapy, spend time in nature, do whatever you have to minimize stress in your life!
Get your hormone levels checked. If you are woman who tends to break out more around ovulation, this is when androgen hormones are high and increased oil production is a problem. This normal response can be even further exacerbated by too much insulin, which is another reason to eat according to the anti-inflammatory diet outlined above. If you tend to break out more in the week or so before you period, there is a problem with your estrogen-to-progesterone balance. In most women this will be the result of estrogen dominance, but you should have your levels checked in case you are one of those women who has too little progesterone.
Sleep. Sleep deprivation only aggravates inflammation and insulin resistance. Combat both by making sure you get at least 7-9 hours of quality sleep EACH night. You may also want to consider changing your pillowcase nightly to make sure your pores are not getting clogged up with dirt & oils from your pillowcase.