Food, tips & recipes
Let's Face: Life Can Be Stressful
But what exactly does that have to do with functional nutrition?
When you're stressed, insulin secretion wanes. Your food does not get where it needs to go. The digestive process is constrained. Simple food molecules, like glucose, are left to freely wander the bloodstream without being delivered to the cells.
Meanwhile, your stress hormones are pumped up to take the blood supply that they need for you to fight or flee. And not surprisingly, several doctors and researchers have found stress to be the major reason for digestive disturbances from heartburn to gas to irritable bowel syndromes.
Don't stress out! You're going to be OK.
There's something we can do to help this and I think you know the answer.
It's the same for all of us ~ RELAX
Easier said than done, we know! Yet there's a reason why the counterpart to fight-or-flight is called rest-and-digest.
A few tips on how to set yourself up for success when it comes to relaxation for digestion.
* Sit down to eat. (This may sound funny to some of you, but I know there are other standers out there.)
* Take a few deep breaths to relax and calm the body before eating.
* Don't forget to chew your food well.
* If you are excessively wound up when sitting down to eat, focus your mind on a healing word, phrase, or sound of your choosing before taking a bite.
* Try invoking some attitude of passivity where distressing thoughts at mealtime are acknowledged, but not engaged.
It may take time to implement these tips. But if it'll help your food get where it needs to go, it'll be worth it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP
-
Sleep is a non-negotiable. If you're not sleeping, you aren't ready to move forward with other treatments, recommendations, or interventions. THAT'S JUST A FACT.
-
A good night's sleep supports immune, neurological and hormonal function.
-
It helps balance the microbial diversity in the gastrointestinal tract and is one of our most critical (and natural) forms of detoxification.
-
If you aren't getting a proper amount of sleep to meet your body's unique needs, you're likely to show some of these symptoms:
-
detoxification challenges
-
constipation
-
impaired immune function
-
hunger
-
moodiness
-
addictive behaviors
-
Sleep disorders are one of the most common, yet also most frequently overlooked health problems.
-
Getting a good night's sleep isn't always as easy as getting your body into bed at the proper time.
~ 3 FACTS ABOUT LEMON'S LIFE-LENGTHENING LEGACY ~
1. Lemons are a superfood. We tend to think of foods like goji berries and acai as superfoods, but don't forget about the lemon!
2. A compound in lemons called Limonoid has been shown to aid in the prevention of cancers in the mouth, skin, lung, breast, and colon.
3. Lemons seem to have antibiotic effects and has been shown to have a significant role in protecting against specific bacteria-borne illness.
Chai Matcha Latte
INGREDIENTS:
-
2 tsp matcha green tea powder
-
1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk
-
6 whole cardamom pods
-
6 whole cloves
-
8 whole black peppercorns
-
1 cinnamon stick
-
2 cups just-boiling water
-
2 dashes ground cinnamon
-
1 pinch allspice
-
1 pinch sea salt
-
8-10 drops liquid stevia or 1 tsp raw honey or maple syrup
PREPARATION:
-
Place the whole herbs in a jar or glass measuring cup. Pour just-boiling water over the herbs and let it steep for a minimum of five minutes and up to overnight.
-
Pour milk of your choice into a blender or into another glass jar where you can whisk the ingredients together.
-
Add the matcha green tea powder, ground cinnamon, allspice and sea salt and blend or whisk until well combined.
-
Pour the steeped water through a strainer and into the matcha-milk slurry.
-
Add choice of sweetener. Blend or whisk again and taste for desired sweetness.
-
Bonus: If you'd like your latte hotter, pour ingredients into a small pot and gently heat before drinking to your health!
Leftover Ideas
Green Tea
You probably know green tea is good for your health. Let's look at the WHYs and HOWs of some of the green tea's goodness.
GREEN TEA AND YOUR METABOLISM
Green tea has thermogenic properties, meaning it helps to produce some heat in your body to burn fat and keep you warm. The antioxidants in green tea have been found to extend the release of the neurochemical norepinephrine in the bloodstream and keep it circulating for longer than other caffeine drinks.
GREEN TEA'S ANTIOXIDANT POWER
Green tea's powers come from polyphenols that provide antioxidants to neutralize free radicals in your body. Inside your body, you're constantly manufacturing unstable molecules. It's these unstable molecules that can lead to internal inflammation and cancer growth. Those unstable molecules are called free radicals, and they cause harm to other cells in your body. Antioxidants, like those in your green tea, cruise through your body, looking for those free radicals. The antioxidants can not only annul the free radicals but may even lead some repair to the damage they've already caused.
GREEN TEA AND YOUR BRAIN
One of our favorite forms of green tea is matcha green tea, which comes in a fine powder made from baby tea leaves. The young green tea leave, which includes those used for making matcha powder, contains one of your most ZEN amino acids, the L-theanine. The L-theanine creates a sense of relaxation and calms about 30 minutes after ingestion. It stimulates the same alpha waves you activate during meditation. These effects can help counter the jitters that many experiences when consuming caffeine. At the same time, those great antioxidants, which are called EGCG, help protect brain cells, keeping them alive and alert and in less danger of cell death.
So power up and drink up when stressed out! The benefits of green tea go on and on! For now let's digest these nuggets and start experimenting with some green tea for health, happiness, and hormonal harmony.