Food – Nicole Holovach | Dietitian Nutritionist

How to Lower Stress

A common theme during the last few weeks of the year is increased STRESS. That word stress gets thrown around a lot, but what does it even mean? My favorite definition is this one:

Stress = demands > resources

Stress is when your body doesn’t have enough resources to meet demands. Examples of resources include calories, minerals, sleep, light, and glucose (sugar) in your cells. When that happens, you literally start breaking down. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol elevate to break down your VERY valuable muscle/organ/connective tissue through a process called gluconeogenesis, which converts it into glucose.

As a result, your body adapts to the elevated stress hormones by lowering the metabolic rate. A lowered metabolic rate can present as decreased thyroid function, a down regulated immune system, lower heat production, poor digestion, poor sleep, PMS, low libido, brain function, etc.

We’re never going to completely get rid of stress, but the goal is to not be in break-down mode ALL THE TIME.

So how can you protect yourself during the extra-stressful last few weeks of the year?

Blood Sugar Regulation

I emphasize blood sugar regulation for all my clients. What that means is controlling stress hormone release by preventing blood sugar spikes and dips throughout the day. You can accomplish this by eating balanced meals regularly throughout the day. Balanced means don’t cut carbs!

Please don’t fast, skip breakfast, or drink coffee on an empty stomach. I know all these supposed “health” practices are hot right now and one day I promise to write a whole post about the physiology behind why these practices can be harmful. But I really do trust that most people intuitively understand that fasting, skipping breakfast, and drinking coffee on an empty stomach are just stress on top of stress. Remember: those stress hormones feel reeeeeally good….until you crash.

For many of my most stressed-out, adrenaline-junkie clients, sipping on a Miracle Hydrating drink throughout the day lowers stress and balances blood sugar. Get the recipe in the “What’s my Secret” sidebar.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a notorious stress-buster. Magnesium intake is dependent on our lifestyles and is “burned” up under stress. Most people can actually FEEL it working as it relaxes muscles, increases GABA production, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. My favorite way to get more magnesium for beginners is topically. Life Flo magnesium lotion rubbed into the feet before bed, or all over after a shower. Or make time for an Epsom salt bath a few times a week. My “extra stress-busting” recipe is 4 cups Epsom salts and 2 cups baking soda.

For those who have experience with magnesium supplements, have you tried magnesium bicarbonate water? Magnesium bicarbonate is a highly absorbable form of magnesium that restores tissue magnesium and has the least potential for digestive distress. All you need to make it is seltzer or sparkling water, plus a high quality magnesium hydroxide, like Crucial Four mMagBicarb. The result is a flat, neutral tasting water that is felt almost instantly with most people. Use the discount code WHOLEHEALTHRD for 15% off your initial order.

B Vitamins

Thanks to my UMD intern Alyssa Briske for this B vitamin summary!

Many of the B vitamins play a role in the nervous system and stabilizing moods. Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 are needed in proper amounts to maintain a healthy nervous system. A strong nervous system can help fight off symptoms of stress, but the more stressed you are, the harder that your body must work to fight off stress. The more stressed you are, the more depleted vitamin stores become. Since B vitamins are water soluble, you must replenish these vitamins each day. While most people get enough B vitamins each day through diet alone, if you find yourself more stressed than usual, taking a B Complex supplement would not hurt.

It is important to look for a B Vitamin Complex, not just one, because if you are deficient in one B vitamin, you are likely deficient in one or more additional B vitamins. While each vitamin does play a different role in the body, they still work together to prevent stress in the body. Think of the B complex like a sports team, while each vitamin plays a different position, all of the positions are needed in order to win the game. The same thing occurs in the body with the B Vitamins, if one vitamin is deficient, the whole body suffers.

Whole B is a B Complex that, like the magnesium above, is felt almost instantly by most people. Whole B is unique with its probiotic-fermented B vitamins, all in the active form, making it very bioavailable. A half teaspoon in the morning in a little juice or water is a terrific way to prepare for extra stressful days.

Castor Oil Packs

A “castor oil pack” is castor oil applied to soft flannel or cotton and and then placed externally on specific areas of the body, depending on symptoms and need. This time-tested therapy for healing has been used for decades for good reason.

One of the ways they work is by calming the nervous system, which increases deep sleep and relaxation and can improve digestion.

There are so many videos and articles online on how to do a castor oil pack, but they can be messy and hard to stick with and do regularly. So I was thrilled to find Dr. Marisol’s Queen of the Thrones castor oil pack.

The wrap makes castor oil packs so much easier to do in real life, outside of relaxing in bed. You can watch TV with it on, sit at your computer, get up, do housework, go to bed with it on…

Castor oil packs are recommended for many disorders, with pregnancy being the only contraindication. If you’re trying to conceive, use them only until ovulation.

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I hope you have a healthy end of the year! If you need help implementing some of the above practices, I’d love to work with you! Beat the January rush and start your health journey now. Let’s chat.

November 16, 2021/by admin

Food, Stress, Thyroid

Are You Confused about Health and Nutrition?

Here we go again.

That’s the first thing that came to mind when I heard that a professor at Harvard called coconut oil “pure poison” last week.

I almost laughed, because many in academia call out those the alternative/holistic health sphere for using words like “poison” and “toxin.”

Last summer, the American Heart Association denounced coconut oil, causing the entire internet to freak out (#Coconutgate). There were some good arguments against their conclusion (1, 2).

This post isn’t actually about coconut oil. I’m a fan in case you were wondering, but I don’t recommend you guzzle it or put it in your coffee (it’s still an oil and should be consumed in moderation). I see the fact that it’s saturated as a positive thing. Saturated means very stable – not prone to oxidation like the industrial vegetable oils the food industry wants you to eat. Humans are saturated too – we’re mammals. However, we’re becoming increasingly UNsaturated due to the Western diet (3). But that’s beside the point.

This post is about confusion. Every week, I talk to potential clients who tell me they’re confused about what to eat. Fats and oils are just a small piece of this.

It seems like there is more confusion than EVER about health, nutrition, and what to eat. Sadly, I don’t think that confusion is going away anytime soon.

There is so much information out there. But with all this information about health and nutrition at our fingertips at all times, I don’t think we’re any smarter about nutrition.

And I don’t think we’re any healthier either.

Life expectancy and fertility are decreasing. Diabetes, obesity, and cancer rates are increasing.

Keto. Vegan. Paleo. Pescatarian. Moderation. Portion Control. WAPF. USDA. Clean Eating. The list is endless.

Everyone continues to pick sides, and stay in their bubble.

Everyone uses cherry-picked research studies to support their dogmatic beliefs, and then accuses everyone else of using cherry-picked research studies to support their dogmatic beliefs.

You can support any health belief with PubMed. Really.

I think the real problem that underlies all the confusion is that the word healthy is subjective. The word healthy is often used to describe a certain body type, which many will never attain (not for lack of trying!).

Or it’s used to describe a set of lab values deemed acceptable by insurance companies, who are influenced by pharmaceutical companies. These lab values keep changing over the years (4).

What if we used the word healthy to describe a well-functioning human and we ate in a way that supported that? That might look a little different for everyone, but there are probably principles applicable to all humans. But at any rate, that’s where I see the disconnect:

Eating to attain a certain body type or lab range – at the expense of feeling good.

How about focusing on the health parameters that truly show your body is functioning properly?

Are you warm? Humans are mammals – we’re warm-blooded. A healthy human should be able to regulate their body temperature, meaning you should average 98.6 degrees. Body temperature should rise after eating, not drop. Hands and feet should be warm, not ice cubes.
What is the state of your hair, skin, and nails? They’re indicative of how you’re fueling your body and if your gut can actually USE the vitamins and minerals that you’re eating.
Are you a sloth all day or are you the Energizer bunny who then crashes? Neither are a sign of health. You should expect consistent, good energy levels throughout the day.
Do you have at least one solid bowel movement a day and little to no gas, bloating, or heartburn?
Can you sleep 8 consecutive hours with no urination or wake-ups (minus children, of course)?
Do you have a normal menstrual cycle (28ish days) with little to no PMS, bloating, or cramps; and a healthy libido?
How’s your mood?
Are you sick all the time? Or do you have better than average resistance to colds, flu, and other infections?

There are dozens more, but these are the basic competencies of good physical function that most deserve your attention. These health parameters will tell you more about your health than your weight or any lab test. They all indicate a high metabolism – a high level of cellular energy production.

Master these and you mostly likely won’t need to worry about heart disease (5) or diabetes (6), and there’s evidence that you may not need to worry about cancer either (7, 8, 9, 10).

Master these and a healthy body composition with good strength and muscle tone will likely follow in time.

If Keto/veganism/Paleo/(insert diet of choice) is helping you meet the above parameters – that’s FANTASTIC. If you are failing in one or many of these areas, the problems you are experiencing probably are, at least in part, due to your diet and lifestyle practices.

“Since living cells are the fundamental units of all life, the basic science underlying human health and disease is the science explaining how living cells function. This basic science is cell physiology.” –Dr. Gilbert Ling

August 26, 2018/by admin

Blog, Food, Whole Foods

Milk & Dairy in Context

I’ve been putting off writing about this topic for a while because we’re currently in a period of time where milk and dairy products are vilified foods. I’m a big proponent of the idea that ALL foods have pros and cons, and I think milk and dairy products have way more pros than cons. The inability to digest milk and dairy products is often due to additives, quality, and a person’s gut health and metabolic rate, rather than milk and dairy products being “bad foods.”

Thankfully, my intern, Nosheen Hayat, was up to the challenge! Nosheen is a dietetic intern at the National Institutes of Health and a Gates Millennium Scholar. She received her Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She runs a private practice Hayat Nutrition in Gaithersburg, MD. I am grateful to her for tackling this tough, but timely blog post. Enjoy!

Many people (particularly in the vegan circles) make the argument that humans are the only mammals that drink another mammal’s milk and thus, it is an “unnatural” behavior. However, humans are also at the top of the food chain and the only mammals on earth that drive cars, cook their food, and use technology.

Dairy consumption has been a human practice for at least 8,000 years. In many cultures, milk is regarded as an important food and used to make butter, cheese, yogurt, and kefir.

Despite a long history of dairy being an integral component of the human diet, it has recently been vilified and alternatives such as almond, rice, and soy milk have become popular. One reason why dairy is considered an “unhealthy” food is due to its saturated fat content. Many publications since the 1950s have linked saturated fat with increased risk for heart disease; however, more recent publications are showing this may no longer be the case. Research now shows that saturated fat may not be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events (1).

Milk consumption is associated with reduced risk for a number of diseases, including childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, gastric cancer, and breast cancer; research also shows a positive effect on bone mineral density (2). While humans have been drinking milk for thousands of years, drinking plant-based milk is a new phenomenon and its consequences on health are yet unknown.

Not only is milk cheap and easily accessible for most individuals, it is also a rich source of magnesium, potassium, selenium, vitamins A, B, D, and K. It is a naturally balanced food—containing 87% water, 5% sugar (lactose), ~3.5% protein, and ~4% fat.

However, not all milk and dairy is created equal.

Grass-fed, Organic vs. Conventionally Farmed Milk

Grass-fed milk comes from cows that are allowed to graze on pasture for most of the year rather than being fed a processed diet (i.e. genetically-modified corn and soy). This method of farming creates an environment for happy, healthy cows. Grass-fed milk has a lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which is important for good health and reducing inflammation in the body (3). It also has higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), which are associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease (3).

Purchasing organic milk can reduce the amount of pesticides in your milk and guarantee that the feed provided to the cows is not genetically modified. However, it does not imply that the cows your milk comes from are allowed to graze on pasture or be unconfined.

Conventionally farmed milk typically comes from cows that are fed a processed diet, consisting of soybean, corn, and other grains as well as antibiotics. Additionally, these cows are not allowed to graze on pasture and live in very unsanitary and stressful conditions.

Homogenization of Milk

The purpose of homogenization is to ensure that the fat or cream of the milk does not separate from the liquid. This is done by forcing the fat molecules through small holes or mesh at high pressure. One problem with homogenized milk includes the breakdown of casein micelles, which result in calcium phosphate soaps that can irritate the gut lining and decrease the bioavailability of calcium and phosphorus found in milk (4).

Homogenization can also introduce oxygen into the milk product, which can cause excess bloating and gas when it interacts with the bacteria in the gut of individuals with gastrointestinal issues. Lastly, homogenization can inactivate a protein called lactoferrin, which exhibits anti-bacterial properties by binding up iron and reducing its access to gut bacteria (5).

Opt for a non-homogenized milk, if possible. However, if you can’t get access to a non-homogenized milk, it’s no reason to avoid milk! Homogenized milk is still a great source of protein, minerals, and vitamins.

Pasteurization of Milk

When milk is pasteurized, it is heated to a specific temperature for a length of time and then cooled immediately. The temperatures and length of time vary based on type of pasteurization. Heat treatment is used to destroy potentially pathogenic bacteria; however, it can also inactive enzymes and reduce the percentage of nutrients found in milk.

Unpasteurized or raw milk is not heat-treated. However, raw milk is illegal in most states and difficult to find. If you live in a state that allows the sale of raw milk (i.e. California), it is important to visit the sourcing farm and see their practices to ensure cleanliness of their operations and proper care of their farm animals.

Low-pasteurized milk is heated in small batches at a lower temperature but longer period of time than regular pasteurized milk—to 145ºF for 30 minutes.

Regular pasteurized milk is heated to a temperature of 161ºF for about 15 seconds and then cooled immediately.

Ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to a minimum of 280ºF for at least two seconds. The higher temperatures kill more bacteria and ensure longer shelf-life of milk processed with ultra-pasteurization.

Pasteurization can reduce the amount of immune-modulating proteins in milk, such as lactoferrin; it can inactivate enzymes and reduce the amount of vitamin C, B6, iron, manganese, and copper (4). Ultra-pasteurization further reduces the vitamin and mineral content of the milk, cause formation of lactulose (a laxative) through lactose isomerization and Maillard reaction products, which can reduce the bioavailability of proteins and minerals in milk (4, 6).

While low pasteurization to no pasteurization is the best option, it can differ person to person depending on their digestive health. Individuals struggling with digestive issues may have symptoms of bloating, gas, and abdominal pain when drinking raw milk. These individuals may do better with a pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized milk product. Or vice versa, these same individuals may do better on raw milk or low-pasteurized milk. It is important for you to look out for symptoms after drinking milk to see if the type of milk you’re drinking is working for you.

Context of Drinking Milk

Now that we’ve discussed what to consider when purchasing milk, let’s talk about the different physiological contexts of drinking milk.

Many people cannot drink milk due to lactose intolerance, which occurs when not enough lactase (a digestive enzyme that breaks down the sugar lactose) is produced. Often times, a lack of lactase production is considered “unfixable,” however, underlying issues such as hypothyroidism or a low metabolic rate can be the root cause of a lactose intolerance. Digestive enzymes and stomach acid production decreases in a hypo-metabolic state, not only because the body is now in a stress response state and shunts resources away from the rest and digest system, but also because a slower metabolic rate requires less caloric intake and therefore, less inputs to the digestive system are needed (7).

Lactose intolerance can also present itself as a symptom of underlying gastrointestinal issues, such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (8). Microbiota dysbiosis usually occurs when there is an imbalance in the number of good to bad bacteria. Good bacteria thrive off of sugars and produce useful byproducts, such as acetic acid and butyric acid, which are subsequently absorbed into the bloodstream or used to activate thyroid hormone in the gastrointestinal tract. However, bad bacteria produce an excess amount of gas, which presents itself as flatulence and bloating, when they have access to sugar molecules (i.e. dairy sugar lactose, a disaccharide). And they subsequently suppress the growth of good bacteria by reducing their access to nutrients as well as over-proliferating.

For individuals who may struggle with gastrointestinal issues, you can reduce the likelihood of bloating, gas, and pain with drinking milk by opting for warm over cold milk. The optimal temperature for digestive enzymes is 98.6 degrees. When we drink cold milk, we reduce the temperature of our digestive tract and reduce the effectiveness of enzymes responsible for digesting our food.

It’s also important to note that individuals who have lower metabolic rates are likely unable to convert the amino acid tryptophan in milk to a B vitamin called niacin. In individuals with high metabolic rate, tryptophan is easily converted to niacin, which is used to break down carbohydrates, protein, and fats from our meals, support liver and digestive function, and much more (9). Eating a balanced meal prior to drinking milk ensures that the tryptophan in milk is converted to niacin, as opposed to the stress hormones serotonin and melatonin (10).

Milk is a balanced food with many nutrients that can be used to support good health. For people with low metabolic rate and gastrointestinal issues, it can be difficult to consume milk. Addressing the metabolic rate and GI issues almost always results in better digestibility of milk and therefore, increased access to a great source of nutrients.

Cheese

Cheese, like milk, is a great source of nutrients. However, the problem with cheese is the excess ingredients manufacturers add to them, such as whey protein, gums, carrageenan, enzymes, GMO cultures, food coloring, and “natural” or artificial flavoring. These additives can make it difficult to digest the cheese products, which is why it’s important to look for a cheese with the least number of ingredients (9).

For example, when searching for organic ricotta cheese, look for a brand that only has skim milk, salt, and vinegar on the ingredients list. Also, look for cheeses that have animal rennet as opposed to enzymes or other types of rennet, which can be allergenic. Many European imports still make cheese the traditional way with animal rennet.

Yogurt

Individuals who struggle with hypoglycemia, a sluggish liver, or are hypo-metabolic should eat yogurt (and other fermented foods) in small quantities. Lactic acid from yogurt, when absorbed, can cause a stressful response in the body by forcing the liver to use its glycogen stores for energy to convert the lactic acid into glucose.

When consuming yogurt, choose a low-fat Greek option, which will be lower in lactic acid (because it has been strained); will have less additives; and more calcium and protein.

References

July 26, 2018/by admin

Blog, Food, Stress, Thyroid, Uncategorized, Whole Foods

Cholesterol Through a Metabolism Lens

Did you hear? The latest version of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, released earlier this year, has removed the recommended limit on cholesterol in the diet. Cholesterol is no longer a nutrient of concern. While most of us in the nutrition world have known for a long time that cholesterol in the diet does not affect risk for heart disease, we also know that it sometimes takes a while for policy to catch up with science.

So if cholesterol in food doesn’t cause high cholesterol, what does? While some might blame saturated fat and fructose (the latest fad), I’m going to dive in and explain to you a more in-depth, big picture view of cholesterol labs and your health.

The most important thing to know is that is that cholesterol isn’t this bad-for-you-you substance that it’s made out to be. Most people think, the lower your cholesterol, the better. If you could just get it down to zero you’d be in great shape! However, cholesterol is absolutely vital to the proper function of the human body. Your body makes cholesterol, regardless of your dietary intake, for good reason. If you had no cholesterol in your body, you would be dead! It plays an important role in digestion, Vitamin D status, hormone production and balance, and many other human body processes.

You also need to know that high cholesterol isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a symptom. Just because you have high cholesterol, doesn’t mean anything bad will happen! The words ‘high cholesterol’ inspire a feeling of dread as something akin to a death sentence. The mainstream narrative on cholesterol is that arteries are like pipes and cholesterol is like gunk. The pipes get clogged up with cholesterol, and then you have a heart attack. This is a powerful image, but it’s not accurate at all. First of all, at least half of all people who suffer a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels (1, 2). Second of all, after age 65, high cholesterol is associated with health and longevity (3). Third, plaques that “clog” arteries are actually made up of calcium and oxidized LDL particles (think rancid – more on that later), and they form under the artery wall (4). So get that vision of “clogged arteries” out of your head, and if you are a health professional, quit using those test tubes full of fat to scare people at health fairs!

Instead of looking at your high cholesterol labs with a sense of doom, let’s look at how cholesterol levels in the blood rise and when it becomes a problem.

One of the basic functions of cholesterol is to stabilize the mitochondria (the energy powerhouse of the cell), preventing their destruction by stress. Anytime you’re under a stressful situation, cholesterol rises as a protective response to the stressor. Yes, you read that right: cholesterol is a protective substance! Stress also lowers intracellular magnesium, which also causes cholesterol production to increase, since magnesium regulates the enzyme that makes cholesterol (5). Stress can be anything from psychological stress like that from jobs, family, money, etc., to physiological stress like skipping meals, not getting enough sleep, and eating poorly.

In youth and those with high metabolisms (good thyroid output AND uptake of thyroid hormone by cells), cholesterol is converted inside cells into pregnenolone, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, and other important protective hormones. You cannot make these hormones without cholesterol!

Cells need two things to make the conversion: Vitamin A in its active form and thyroid hormone. As humans get older, their ability to convert beta carotene into active Vitamin A decreases, most Americans don’t eat much active Vitamin A in their diet, and metabolism decreases. In fact, up until about 40 years ago, high cholesterol was diagnostic of hypothyroidism, and routinely treated with supplemental thyroid hormones.

So high cholesterol is a problem because you’re not making youthful, protective hormones. But it’s also a problem because cholesterol oxidizes if it hangs around in the blood stream long enough, losing its protective functions. The cholesterol — or more accurately, the lipoproteins like LDL that are carrying cholesterol — get damaged by oxidation, and then the immune system’s response to that oxidative process is what causes the buildup of plaque and then ultimately the rupture of plaque and heart attack.

So the real question everyone should be asking when it comes to atherosclerosis and heart disease is: “what causes LDL to oxidize?”

There are three main ways oxidized cholesterol builds up in your bloodstream (6):

eating commercially fried foods, such as fried chicken and French fries
eating excess polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in vegetable oils, packaged food and restaurant food
cigarette smoking

Your doctor, and most dietitians for that matter, will tell you that polyunsaturated fats from refined vegetable oils, margarine, nuts, seeds, and other plant foods lower your cholesterol. And they’re right! But given what you just learned about cholesterol, do you really think lowering your body’s protective production of cholesterol is a good idea?! Within this framework, the effect of polyunsaturated fats is the same as the effect from statins, which come along with nasty side effects. I hope after reading this, you’ll start to understand physiologically why statins have the side effects they do, and why they’re not very helpful for most people (7).

A note about Paleo diets and fructose. Paleo bloggers and gurus have been pretty hard on fructose recently, blaming carbs and sugar for raising cholesterol. “Quit sugar and watch your cholesterol plummet!” Yup, also watch your libido and energy tank from lack of fuel for the liver and brain. Don’t fall for the low-carb trap when trying to lower your cholesterol. Fructose has pretty much been absolved of any wrongdoing in my book (8, 9).

If you have high cholesterol and your doctor is concerned, here is what I would advise:

Ask your doctor for a cholesterol particle size test (LDL-P). Small LDL particles are more likely to oxidize and form plaques under the artery walls (10).
Know your calcium status. One of my favorite things about Mineral Analysis, is the crucial information on tissue calcium it gives me. Coronary calcium scans will also give you good information about your tissue calcium buildup (4).
Have your thyroid status checked. This involves more than a TSH test! Blood lab work, including TSH, will tell you if your thyroid gland is producing enough thyroid hormone, but tells you nothing about your cells’ ability to use it. Broda Barnes was an American physician who was able to reduce heart disease incidence in his almost 2,000 patients by 90 percent. He used basal body temperature first thing in the morning as an indicator for thyroid uptake. Anything less than 97.8 degrees was considered functionally hypothyroid (11).

If you want to lower your cholesterol in a physiologically-sound way, that ensures proper body function for years to come:

Make sure your diet has plenty of sources of active Vitamin A. Eggs, liver, and grass-fed dairy are examples. Hmmm, imagine that….all potent sources of cholesterol! It’s like nature has a plan or something…
Make sure your diet has plenty of Vitamin K2, active Vitamin K. K2 is a calcium director and can remove calcium buildup from the arteries (12). It’s found in, again, eggs, liver, and grass-fed dairy. This is sounding more and more like a French diet. It’s not genes or the wine protecting them from heart disease (13).
Eat plenty of potassium-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables (14). You are likely not eating enough.
Eat more magnesium and supplement if needed. Cooked dark leafy greens and organic dark chocolate are good sources. Magnesium is also absorbed topically through the skin.
Destress!
Focus on all the things that improve thyroid uptake by cells: get enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, potassium and other minerals, good estrogen metabolism, and good liver function – AKA all the things I work on with clients!

July 25, 2016/1 Comment/by admin

Blog, Food, Uncategorized

Are You Eating Enough?

In case you didn’t know/don’t remember, I veered off on a newish career path ten months ago when we moved. I went from working in nutrition policy and communications to counseling people on nutrition at an integrative health clinic. Integrative medicine and nutrition (also called functional medicine/nutrition), addresses the underlying causes of disease. It focuses on the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. The doctors I work with are more interested in finding the ‘why’, rather than covering up symptoms with prescriptions.

I have been interested in integrative health since I became an RD in 2007. I even started this blog as an outlet for my musings in 2009, so it seems funny to me that I waited so long to explore this type of nutrition career. I really am loving it. It’s very rewarding and satisfying to talk to people about nutrition and their diet. Most days, I feel like I really make a difference.

I’ve learned so much in the past months, but the most significant, surprising thing I’ve learned is in regards to weight loss. The mainstream approach to overweight and obesity emphasizes energy balance – calories in/calories out. Cutting calories equals weight loss, right? Well, I’m going to tell you that 8 out of 10 of my overweight/obese patients don’t eat enough.

Patients think they’re being so “good” when they tell me that they had yogurt for breakfast, a “healthy” frozen meal for lunch, and a grilled chicken salad with light dressing for dinner. “Why am I always hungry? Why am I not losing weight?” Patients are always flabbergasted when I tell them to eat more.

Not eating enough means the body isn’t getting enough fuel to function properly. Think about this – function properly. Your body needs fuel in the form of calories to do anything – make hormones, fight disease, grow hair, digest food properly, build muscle, etc. The list is endless. The body will do whatever it can to burn fewer calories, including burning muscle for fuel, because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. That’s a double whammy for those trying to lose weight.

Most people can realistically consume 2000 calories a day. Sound like a lot? Plug in your info into these calculators:

Track your calories with MyFitnessPal or LoseIt for two weeks and then tell me you don’t feel better all around. Some people can naturally and instinctively consume the number of calories that will support a healthy weight, but most people need a little retraining. That’s why I recommend calorie counting, if only for a short amount of time. People need to see how much food 2000 calories looks like.

Stop eating the puny breakfast. Stop binging at night or eating massive restaurant meals. Eat three squares a day, a healthy snack or two, and fuel your body!

May 24, 2013/by admin