Today’s blog is republished from my friends at TheAlternativeDaily, a leading publisher of daily alternative health tips that I personally read every day… The original article can be found here:

There are certain combinations that for some reason just click. Natural ingredients that work well on their own, but when combined create something only just short of miraculous. One such combination, in my opinion at least, is used coffee grounds and turmeric.

The health benefits of coffee and turmeric

The benefits of both these ingredients are well established. Particularly in India and other parts of Asia, turmeric has a long and fruitful history of both therapeutic and superficial use. In literature, turmeric has demonstrated time and again it’s ability to lower inflammation in the body, fight cancer, ease joint pain and swelling associated with arthritis, moderate the symptoms of diabetes, regulate cholesterol, and so much more.

In the beauty world, the efficacy of turmeric is validated more by anecdotal evidence than scientific findings, but the results are no less miraculous. It can be used to speed the healing of wounds and allow your skin to heal faster, it slows signs of aging on skin and hair, it improves skin elasticity, fights acne, balances dry or oily skin, and lightens stretch marks. The studies that have been conducted in this area verify most of these claims. Turmeric reduces UV-induced skin damage and prevents skin carcinogenesis, so why shouldn’t it also improve elasticity or fight the signs of aging?

Turmeric might be at the forefront of the health food industry, but coffee isn’t too far behind. Beyond conventional fears of the high caffeine content in coffee, whole or fresh-ground coffee beans are absolutely loaded with antioxidants and health-supporting compounds. And, in many cases, the caffeine contained within actually helps our bodies utilize these compounds more effectively. Drinking or supplementing with high-quality coffee beans can alleviate pain, increase fiber intake, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, fight depression and anxiety, and protect against neurological disorders.

And the coffee benefits don’t stop there. Coffee is now a familiar face in many holistic beauty treatments. It can reduce puffy eyes, minimize cellulite, exfoliate and freshen the skin, increase circulation to the skin and hair follicles and plenty more.

As you can see, the healing and beauty-promoting benefits of both turmeric and coffee are almost legendary. But combine the two, and you’ve got yourself something quite extraordinary. Here’s how to make an awesome coffee ground and turmeric scrub to promote healthy, supple skin.

Easy coffee and turmeric scrub recipe

This is one of those recipes that you can adjust to suit your needs. Got super dry skin? Why not add in a little milk or aloe vera for an ultra-moisturizing effect. Suffer from infections or icky skin overgrowths like athlete’s foot? You might want to add in a little raw honey for an antibacterial component. Feel free to experiment with what works for you, because everybody’s skin is different!

Before we begin, a slight word of caution: if you’ve ever cooked with turmeric before, you’ll know that it’s amazingly hard to wash out of clothing and even skin — there’s a reason why many cultures continue to use turmeric to dye their fabrics a rich orange color! With this in mind, those of you with particularly fair skin should take care. Smearing a whole lot of this amazing ground coffee and turmeric scrub onto your face may leave your skin looking a little on the orange side for a few hours afterward (don’t worry, it’s not permanent!), so you might want to hold off on using it until after work. And if you apply the scrub just before bed, consider putting an old towel down on your pillow so you don’t stain your pillowslip and unsightly color!

With those cautions out of the way, it’s time to get down to business.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup coffee grounds (fresher is better!)
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)
• 1 Tbsp honey (optional)

Instructions

1. First, you need to have some coffee grounds on hand. Next time you go to the supermarket, buy some whole coffee beans and the next morning, grind up the beans and make yourself a delicious fresh cuppa. Pour the coffee grounds that are left behind into a jar and place in the fridge, to be used in your scrub within the next couple of days.
2. Next, pour two cups of water into a saucepan and add in half a cup of ground turmeric. Simmer the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until a thick paste begins to form. This may take a while, so be patient!
3. After your turmeric paste has formed, transfer the paste into a wide-mouthed jar or bowl and add in your coffee grounds. Stir thoroughly to ensure it is evenly mixed through, and at this point you can add in your coconut oil or honey. The coconut oil adds more of a moisturizing element to the scrub, while the honey adds an antibacterial element. Keep in mind that both these additions can cause the scrub to turn semi-solid below room temperature, so you’ll need to keep it in a warm spot of the house or put it in the sun for a while before you use it.

How to use the coffee and turmeric scrub

Now that your coffee and turmeric scrub is ready, it’s time to use it! Scoop a dollop out with your hand and apply it to your face, like you would a face mask. You can also apply it to any other area of your body you like! Leave the coffee and turmeric scrub on for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove it with a hot facecloth or in the shower. If your skin looks a little stained afterward, simply apply some coconut oil and gently rub the area with a cotton pad to remove it.

Because the coffee grounds are a strong exfoliant, it’s best not to use this coffee and turmeric scrub more than once a week. Even at this low application rate, you’ll likely see excellent results almost immediately.

Scrub away and enjoy!

The post Try This Coffee Ground And Turmeric Scrub For Better Skin appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

If you’ve ever seen dragon fruit in the store, it would certainly catch your eye! It looks almost like it came from another planet, it’s so wild looking. Dragon fruit comes from tropical areas of the world and grows on a particular type of cactus called Pitahaya, as it’s called in Mexico.

Dragon fruit is truly quite delicious and comes in different colors—white, pink, or deep reddish-purple. Inside the rich, juicy flesh are tiny black crunchy seeds. The little black seeds are full of healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

My favorite type of dragon fruit here in Sonora, Mexico is the deep red-purple dragon fruit. This rich deep color contains the highest levels of the antioxidants. I had the opportunity to visit a local dragon fruit farm and sample fresh dragon fruit in the form of dragon fruit cocktails and sorbet. Dragon fruit has a taste a little like kiwi, and is absolutely delicious.

Dragon fruit, as you may imagine, contains several amazing health benefits including antioxidants, slowing down aging, enhancing immune function and improving blood sugar levels. The fruit is enriched with several powerful phytochemical substances that have pharmacological properties. Some newly explored therapeutic applications include its use as an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticancer, and nutraceutical.

Recently this exotic fruit has been gaining in popularity and you may see it showing up in your health food store and as an ingredient in smoothies and energy drinks. Even Starbucks has a drink that combines dragon fruit with green coffee bean extract and other fruit juices.

What makes this unique fruit worth eating?

Antioxidants that Boost Immune Function, Fight Cancer, and Slow Aging

Like many colorful fruits, dragon fruit contains a lot of powerful antioxidants—especially the deep pink/purple types. Dragon fruit has flavonoids and vitamin C, making it great for fighting cold, flu and other infections.

Dragon fruit contains antioxidants betacyanins and betaxanthins. These beneficial compounds neutralize free radicals in the body that can cause cell damage, disease and accelerated aging.

According to the World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the antioxidant activity of dragon fruit is also very helpful to prevent inflammatory conditions in the body, including gout, arthritis, heart disease and some autoimmune diseases.

Dragon fruit also contains vitamins B1, B2 and B3, and calcium, phosphorous, iron, protein, niacin and fiber, all of which keep your body in balance and working at optimal levels.

Antioxidants also help preserve skin health as well. Antioxidants help protect the underlying structures of the skin, keeping it firm, fighting off sun damage and other environmental damage.

Dragon fruit’s antioxidants also help to protect the cells’ DNA and prevent colon cancer.

Dragon fruit also contains phosphorus. Phosphorus is an important mineral found in every cell of the body. One of the main functions of phosphorus is protecting the integrity of the bones and teeth. Phosphorus also helps the body metabolize carbohydrates and fats, and synthesizing protein for growth and repair of healthy cells and tissues. And—phosphorus helps the body make ATP which increases energy in the cells.

Digestion and Gut Health

I’m sure you all know that fiber is good for digestion and that fruits and veggies are full of healthy fiber. Dragon fruit is a very tasty way to load up on fiber, helping keep you regular.

Dragon fruit also contains oligosaccharides which work as prebiotics. Prebiotics help promote the growth of your healthy gut bacteria. Keeping your gut bacteria healthy and well fed contributes to overall health, and happy, healthy moods as well.

Gut bacteria is responsible for creating 90% or so of the serotonin (a brain chemical) in the body. Serotonin helps you feel happy and relaxed.

Dragon fruit specifically helps with the growth of two types of healthy bacteria: lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria.

In addition, dragon fruit also contains some diuretic properties, which help your body eliminate excess fluids.

Blood Sugar Control

Besides helping your gut bacteria, the fiber from dragon fruit also helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Previous studies showed that dragon fruit encouraged the growth of new pancreatic cells that produce insulin.

A meta-analysis from the journal PLOS ONE looked at the effects of dragon fruit on blood sugar with people who had type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. The analysis compared multiple clinical trials, looking at fasting glucose levels. The effects on fasting glucose were significant—especially in those with prediabetes. It was also found that the more dragon fruit eaten, the greater the blood sugar benefits.

Other studies have shown that dragon fruit helps to reduce oxidative stress, which also prevents some of the complications associated with diabetes, as well as reducing risk of developing diabetes.

Fights Cancer

Dragon fruit’s antioxidants, including phytoalbumin, vitamin C and lycopene help fight cancer by neutralizing free radicals and protecting cells from dangerous mutations. Lycopene, a known antioxidant which is also found in tomatoes is especially effective against cancer, especially prostate cancer.

Another study published in Nutrition and Cancer journal, showed that treating ovarian cancer cells with lycopene stopped the growth and spread of cancer cells. And this study showed some powerful activity of a dragon fruit compound slowing growth and reproduction on breast cancer cells. Scientists at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) were able to kill lung cancer cells in vitro, by an extraction from the dragon fruit.

All of these findings indicate the power of dragon fruit’s ability to fight cancer. Some scientists feel that extracts of dragon fruit may one day be used as a cancer-fighting compound.

Delicious to Eat

Dragon fruit has a sweet, smooth taste that is very palatable and works well in many different types of dishes and drinks. You can try dragon fruit in:

• Smoothies
• Cocktails
• Desserts
• Salads

If you can’t find dragon fruit in your local supermarket, you may have better luck in a specialty food store or Asian market. Fresh dragon fruit is a little harder to find, but you want to look for one that is bright red or deep pink colored.

Dragon fruit should be slightly soft when you’re testing it with your finger. If it’s overly firm, you can still bring it home and leave it on your counter to ripen.

Peel and cut it into sections when you’re ready to eat it. Like avocados, you should eat the flesh and discard the tough outer skin. You can also cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon or melon baller. Dragon fruit is found frozen in the frozen fruit section at your grocery store as well.

References
Photos courtesy Greg Hovey Dragon Fruit Farm “Rancho Pitahaya”, San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/dragon-fruit-benefits/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324655#add-to-the-diet
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dragon-fruit-benefits
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/get-to-know-the-incredible-edible-dragon-fruit/

The post What is Dragon Fruit and Should I Eat It? appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

You may be seeing mushrooms as ingredients in everything from kombucha to coffee drinks to protein powders and supplements to healthy snacks lately. Mushrooms are everywhere and they have been discovered as the new ‘superfood’.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries around the world to fight cancer, enhance or modulate immune response, boost brain power and focus, increase antioxidants, lower blood pressure, help with sleep and relaxation and more. Mushrooms are reported to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular-protective, antidiabetic, liver-protective, and anticancer properties.

While mushrooms are not the richest source of common micronutrients like magnesium, calcium, and vitamins, they are full of harder-to-get nutrients like selenium, copper, and pantothenic acid—as well as having some unique nutrients you can’t get in other foods.

Did you know you can take fresh mushrooms, lay them out in the sun for a couple of hours and they will synthesize more vitamin D? Yes, indeed. Pretty awesome.

The most interesting properties of mushrooms come from the rare and unique compounds that won’t show up in any nutrient database. Many edible mushrooms contain substances that perform with therapeutic, medicinal, or pharmacological-like effects.

Some of the more popular and well-known medicinal mushrooms include shiitake, reishi, cordyceps, maitake, chaga, cordyceps, turkey tail, and lion’s mane.

While these are often ingredients sold in powdered form, many of these are also showing up in the produce section of your favorite health food store.

Nootropics are a new form of supplementing to increase brain power, focus, mood, memory, and fight dementia. Several varieties of medicinal mushrooms fit in this category, including, chaga, lion’s mane, cordyceps, maitake, and reishi. And what college student or aspiring professional doesn’t want to increase their brain power?

Mushrooms are also known for their powerful immune-enhancing properties. Many medicinal mushrooms not only make the immune system stronger to fight off pathogens, but these mushrooms also help the body destroy cancer cells as well.

Some varieties of mushrooms can help to modulate the immune system in a way that helps the immune system become more balanced. Strong enough to fight off dangerous pathogens and cancer, but calm enough to lower inflammation and auto-immune health issues.

Here’s an in-depth look at some of the most powerful health-enhancing mushrooms:

Shiitake

Primary Benefits: Best for strengthening the immune system, better liver function, and supporting the cardiovascular system.

Shiitakes are one of my favorite mushrooms, aside from their major health benefits. Shiitakes have a delicious, earthy, almost meaty texture, that makes them a beneficial addition to soups, stews, meat, and vegetable dishes. Shiitakes are denser and higher in protein and iron than many other types of mushrooms.

Shiitakes contains an antioxidant called “L-ergothioneine” which specifically protects the cells from oxidative damage. This amazing antioxidant can only be obtained through diet—most notably, shiitakes.

Shiitakes also contain a polysaccharide—a type of special carbohydrate—that has cancer tumor fighting properties along with immune boosting abilities. This substance, lentinan, is very effective for the immune system. In fact, for people who are immune-suppressed or immune-depressed, lentinan provides added protection.

Reishi

Primary Benefits: Calming, anti-anxiety. Sleep aid and immune modulator.

This mushroom is a very popular medicinal mushroom in that helps alleviate anxiety, depression and help people sleep better. In addition, this powerhouse mushroom helps lower inflammation, fight cancer, and aid in weight loss.

Other reishi mushroom benefits include blood sugar regulation, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and tumor-fighting capabilities.

What makes this mushroom stand out, however is the calming properties it contains. Reishi contains a compound called triterpene which is the active ingredient in its mood-boosting abilities.

Reishi is also valuable as a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. A study in Thailand treated subjects with reishi mushroom or placebo. At the end of the study those who were using the reishi reported a significant increase in quality of life, compared the placebo group.

Reishi supports the growth of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which helps boost learning, memory, and longevity.

Many of the polysaccharides contained in reishi mushroom are associated with immune function, and will help modulate the immune system. It is also known to improve sleep, reduce stress and fatigue.

Lion’s Mane

Primary Benefits: Mental clarity, brain function and nerve growth and regeneration.

Lion’s mane is an interesting looking fungus, looking like a big white puffball or even—at first glance—a little like cauliflower.

Do you ever struggle with brain fog? Lion’s mane will help re-establish your mental clarity. This puffball of a mushroom is full of antioxidants and helps immune function, like many other mushrooms.

However, lion’s mane strength comes from the fact that it boosts the production of Nerve Growth Factor and myelin, which is the all-important insulation around your nerves.

NFG and myelin are critical to brain and nerve health. When things go awry, it results in serious neurological diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and MS. Lion’s mane protects from these life-changing illnesses.

In addition, lion’s mane helps improve cognition, making it an excellent learning aid, while calming anxiety and irritability. Sounds like a college student’s best friend.

Lion’s mane also helps to enhance chemotherapy treatments in cancer patients and minimizes the toxic effects.

Cordyceps

Primary Benefits: Increases energy, physical strength and endurance, aids in muscle recovery.

Cordyceps has an interesting history. In the wild, cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that grows on a particular type of caterpillar. Cordyceps is now cultivated so it does not have to be grown on caterpillars, although it still retains its amazing medicinal properties.

Over 200 clinical studies show cordyceps mushrooms improve athletic performance by increasing blood flow and boosting ATP synthesis for greater energy and strength. ATP is the compound that gives our cells energy.

In addition, cordyceps helps to enhance lactate clearance. Lactate is the substance that builds up in muscles during strenuous exercise and creates that muscle ‘burn’ and fatigue. Cordyceps is also known as an antioxidant and reduces oxidative stress, making it the ideal medicinal mushroom for improved athletic performance and better recovery.

In fact, cordyceps first gained a lot of attention, when, in 1993, Chinese female athletes began breaking world records in distance running. Their performance was attributed to a nutrition regimen that involved cordyceps supplementation.

Another study from Japan showed significant increases in creatine and catecholamines in men supplementing with cordyceps. Catecholamines help the body respond to stress, and help the body with “fight-or-flight” reactions. Catecholamines are made in the adrenals as a reaction to stress. The primary catecholamines are epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and dopamine.

And yet another study on endurance cyclists found that cordyceps not only improved cycling performance but it also helped prevent overtraining syndrome (OTS), due to the high levels of antioxidants cordyceps contains.

Researchers concluded that during prolonged exercise ingesting cordyceps helps to elicit superior efficiency while saving energy.

Cordyceps also acts as an immune stimulator by increasing cancer-fighting T cells and ‘Natural Killer’ cells, while prolonging the life and power of our body’s white blood cells. This increases its ability to fight pathogens, infections, and cancer. Cordyceps also acts as an immune modulator, keeping it from overreacting in autoimmune situations. And cordyceps also has a powerful effect on the gut’s immune function as well.

Last but not least, cordyceps helps men increase their testosterone production. Testosterone is necessary for normal sperm development and sex drive. Cordyceps has long been used for the enhancement of sexual function in human beings. Evidence shows that cordyceps can improve reproductive activity, enhance the libido, and restore reproductive function in both men and women. A specific protein found in cordyceps may increase blood flow and help the penis trap blood to improve erections, thereby improving sexual function.

Chaga

Primary Benefits: Boosts immune function, supports liver health, brain health and longevity.

Chaga is not your typical mushroom. It is a fungus that grows on the bark of birch trees in northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Northern Europe, and Korea.

Chaga is one of the most potent sources of antioxidants on the planet, so chaga is very efficient at fighting free radicals, stimulating the immune system, protecting the liver, and lowering inflammation. Chaga can also slow aging of the skin, help to lower LDL cholesterol and prevent or slow the growth of cancer.

Chaga’s action on the immune system specifically enhances the activation of NK cells – natural killer cells. These powerful immune cells are part of the innate immune system—our first line of defense—against viruses, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.

Studies on chaga in animals show it to help preserve acetylcholine for better brain function, learning and memory. Acetylcholine is a brain chemical which is critical for creating new memories, reasoning, focus, cognition, and growth of new synapses. Lack of acetylcholine can result in diseases like ADD, ADHD and Alzheimer’s. Chaga, lion’s mane and reishi are the top three medicinal mushrooms for better brain health.

Avoid chaga if you take blood thinning medication, diabetes medication or if you have kidney disease. Chaga is higher in oxalates, which may prevent the absorption of some nutrients and can bother those who are sensitive to high oxalate foods.

Turkey Tail

Primary Benefits: Boosts immune function, increases natural killer cells, fights cancer

Turkey Tail mushroom is one of the best-researched medicinal mushrooms. It grows on dead logs all over the world, and gets its name from the brown and tan rings that look like the tail feathers of a turkey. It’s very pretty.

Many of the medicinal mushrooms exhibit strong anticancer properties, probably due to their high levels of powerful antioxidants. But turkey tail takes it a step further.

Turkey tail improves the body’s immune function by stimulating cytokine production, which helps to increase the body’s supply of natural killer cells (part of the innate immune systems—your first line of defense) and other immune-boosting functions.

Turkey tail contains a special compound called “polysaccharide-K” that stimulates the immune system, especially in fighting cancer. PSK is so effective that it’s become an approved anticancer prescription drug in Japan.

Turkey tail has also been shown to improve the survival rate of people with particular types of cancer, including gastric cancer. Due to the beneficial compounds it contains, turkey tail is often used with traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy as a natural way to fight certain cancers.

Turkey tail can also strengthen the immune systems of those cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, enhancing the ability of chemotherapy to work on cancer cells. Turkey tail contains some of the highest levels of beta-glucans of all mushrooms and keeps our immune systems healthy—especially when turkey tail is taken over extended periods of time.

Maitake

Primary Benefit: Helps regulate blood pressure, immune function and relieve depression.

The maitake mushroom is native to northeastern Japan. Its name is derived from the Japanese words for dancing mushroom. Another legend says it was named after people dancing with happiness upon finding it because of its incredible healing properties.

This mushroom, like many mushrooms, is a type of adaptogen. Adaptogens help the body with physical and mental stresses. They also work to help balance any unbalanced systems in the body.

Maitake mushrooms are known to help regulate the immune system by stimulating specific immune cells such as the white blood cells, natural killer cells, and T cells.

The mushroom contains polysaccharides such as beta-glucans, which have been linked to healthy cell growth and turnover. Maitake mushrooms support certain cancer therapies, help chronic fatigue syndrome, protect the liver, fight allergies, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

It’s primary value as a nootropic (brain boosting chemical) comes from its ability to help relieve depression. Studies with animals show that supplementing with maitake helps alleviate depression by sensitizing certain receptors in the brain.

Basic Tips on Mushrooms

If you plan to eat the mushroom as a food (and many of these are delicious to eat), be sure to cook them. Raw mushrooms are difficult to digest or metabolize. And many mushrooms are slightly toxic when raw.

The best way to cook most any mushroom is to sauté them in butter or olive oil with some garlic. Add sea salt and cracked black pepper and serve alongside a juicy, grass-fed steak and you will be in heaven.

Dried mushrooms—especially from an Asian grocery store—are far less expensive and work great added to soups and steps or sauces.

There are many types of mushroom supplements available in health foods stores, as well as powders, mixes and proteins that contain mushroom extract. Mushroom extracts are now available in ready to serve coffees, kombuchas, and other drinks as well.

References
https://www.realmushrooms.com/7-medicinal-mushroom-benefits-for-health/
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/best-medicinal-mushrooms-to-try#for-brain-health
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/smart-fuel-mushrooms/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/shiitake-mushroom/
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/nootropics-smart-drugs-overview
https://teelixir.com/blogs/news/mushrooms-for-brain-health
https://bionatures.com/blogs/news/5-medicinal-mushrooms-and-their-health-benef

The post The Magic of Medicinal Mushrooms appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Do you take zinc to help prevent colds, flu and Covid? If not, you should be getting zinc on a daily basis.

Zinc is an amazing mineral that has many benefits, including powering up your immune system, helping your body heal wounds, maintain healthy testosterone levels, balance metabolism, helping with nerve function, assisting proper brain function, cell growth, protecting vision, and assisting in better taste and smell.

Getting adequate zinc also helps keep hormones in balance, and even a small deficiency can result in an increased risk for infertility or diabetes.

Zinc is the one of the most abundant trace minerals in your body and is contained in every cell. In fact, cell division and healthy growth of cells is dependent on zinc’s ability to protect the cells’ DNA.

The mineral zinc has powerful antioxidant properties and helps to activate roughly 300 different enzymatic functions in the body.

Since the body cannot make zinc on its own, it is essential to obtain zinc from dietary sources and/or supplements. Some of the best sources of zinc include red meat (preferably grass fed), oysters, lamb, chicken, eggs, chickpeas, nuts, and pumpkin seeds. Vegetarians and vegans often have difficulty getting enough of this vital mineral in their diets if they are not eating meat.

Let’s look at some of the most important benefits of zinc:

Powerful Immune Function

You may have heard a lot of discussion on zinc in the past couple of years because zinc is a powerful tool to help fight off viruses such as colds, flu and even Covid. Zinc works as a preventative for illness and also works to help the body fight off pathogens, once infected.

It’s been reported that patients with low zinc levels developed much worse cases of Covid-19 with poorer outcomes. Zinc deficient patients with Covid developed more complications, prolonged hospital stays, and more respiratory difficulties. The same goes for those with influenza and other illnesses as well.

Zinc can be taken as a natural remedy for fighting the common cold, flu and Covid, etc. Studies show when zinc is taken for at least five months, it may reduce your risk of becoming sick with the common cold — plus supplementing once you already feel sick may speed up the healing process.

How does zinc do this? Once zinc gets into the cells where it functions best, it helps to interfere with virus replication, and helps maintain the body’s inflammation to prevent elevated out of control inflammatory responses like cytokine storms. Zinc also helps the function of the long-term memory T-cells, and B-cells, which help the body to retain memory of previous pathogens, and to actively fight any invaders.

Other research shows that this mineral helps interfere with the biological process that causes mucus and bacteria to build up in the sinuses and nasal passages.

If zinc is to work effectively in the body to fight off viruses, the zinc must be able to get inside the cells. This requires something called an ‘ionophore’.

An ionophore is a substance that allows zinc to travel across the cell wall into the center of the cell. This is where viruses gain entry and replicate. One of the most obtainable and inexpensive ionophore for zinc is a supplement called quercetin.

Quercetin is a naturally occurring plant pigment found in red onions, apples, dark grapes, berries, and green tea. Quercetin is one of the most abundant antioxidants found in our diet and contains strong anti-viral properties. So, if you are taking zinc to fight colds, flu, and other viral infections, be sure to get some quercetin to take with zinc. Quercetin is also readily available as a supplement.

Testosterone Production and Female Sex Hormones

Testosterone for men is not just for sex drive; it’s an important hormone that helps protect men’s health. While it is responsible for maintaining the sex drive, it is also important to prevent erectile dysfunction, muscle growth and bone strength. Testosterone levels generally peak in young men in their early twenties, and then begin to drop.

In the United States and other industrialized countries, there has been a recent drop in testosterone levels of men—resulting in an epidemic of erectile dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, and infertility. Lowered testosterone levels also contribute to physical changes like gynecomastia, loss of strength, fatigue, and lack of drive.

While there are a few contributing causes, including excess use of plastics and chemicals in our environment which create chemical estrogens (xenoestrogens), low testosterone levels may be as simple as a zinc deficiency—especially if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Zinc is necessary for males to produce adequate amounts of testosterone and to help maintain those levels. In one study, dietary zinc restriction in normal young men was associated with a significant decrease in serum testosterone concentrations after only 20 weeks. Conversely, zinc supplementation of marginally zinc-deficient normal men for six months resulted in a significant increase in serum testosterone levels.

Zinc levels also have an impact on female sex hormones and partially responsible for the creation and release of eggs from the ovaries.

Several studies show zinc deficiency in women can cause problems with hormone levels, including impaired synthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), abnormal ovarian development, disruption of the menstrual cycle, prolonged gestation periods, miscarriages, still-births, birth defects, difficult deliveries, pre-eclampsia, and low birth weights of infants.

A diet high in foods that contain zinc, as well as supplementation can enhance and balance hormone levels in both men and women.

Helps Fight Diabetes

Zinc helps to manage hormones including hormones involved in diabetes. This includes insulin, primarily. Zinc helps to find to insulin, helping to maintain blood sugar levels better.

Zinc also helps with efficient utilization of digestive enzymes, helping to break down food better, and helping glucose to be used for fuel, rather than being stored as fat.

Zinc helps to improve insulin receptors, prolong the action of insulin, and promote healthy lipid levels. It is thought that abnormal levels of copper and zinc seem to accompany diabetes and may be implicated in many of the complications of diabetes as well. Zinc supplementation may possibly have clinical use as an adjunct therapy for preventing or managing diabetes.

Acne and Wound Healing

Zinc is essential for healthy skin, and is involved with encouraging growth of healthy tissue. Zinc also promotes the growth of collagen, along with vitamin C. Collagen is the structure that supports the skin, forms connective tissue, ligaments, and cartilage.

Zinc is often used for patients with severe burns, slow-healing wounds, or infections, and to prevent scar formation. Because zinc helps support the immune system, it also helps to fight infection in the skin as well.

Zinc also helps those who struggle with acne and helps to prevent breakouts. It’s considered to be one of the best natural treatments for acne.

Zinc is also of benefit for atopic dermatitis (rashes) and diaper dermatitis. Zinc makes a great natural barrier against moisture and irritation of diapers in babies.

Because zinc is also a powerful antioxidant, zinc helps prevent heart disease, fight cancer, aids in nutrient assimilation, helps build muscle, fights ADD/ADHD, helps get rid of depression, improves macular degeneration, and protects the liver.

Brain Health

Zinc benefits also extend to brain function. Neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and the nervous system. These important cells are responsible for receiving all the sensory input from the from the external world, for sending commands to our muscles to move, to help with thought processes, and for transforming and relaying electrical signals.

Zinc is actually used by the body to help create new neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. The hippocampus of the brain is the place where memories are developed. It helps to synthesize memories, emotions, and other sensations all together. Once a memory is put together in the hippocampus, it is sent to another portion of the brain to store as a long-term memory.

When zinc levels are low, the process of forming memories is inhibited, causing long-term and short-term memory problems.

When communication amongst the brain cells is slow due to inflammation or other issues, you may experience brain fog. Brain fog is the inability to focus or concentrate to think clearly. Brain fog can impair a person’s ability to reason, make decisions, and problem solve. Because zinc is effective at reducing inflammation, zinc also helps to clear brain fog and get rid of brain fog.

The brain also needs zinc to create dopamine. Dopamine is a ‘feel-good’ hormone that is also very important for memory and focus. Studies show a zinc supplement improves focus and memory, while reducing impulsivity.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are common development disorders that often affect both children and adults. It was found that circulating levels of zinc were significantly lower in those with ADHD.

Zinc deficiency is also connected to a variety of other neurological disorders including autism, seizures, depression, and anxiety disorders.

Zinc Deficiency

Zinc deficiencies are common, especially amongst those who don’t eat meat.

Since zinc plays an important role in many biochemical pathways including the digestive system, nervous system, immune system, reproductive system, and skeletal system, deficiencies can cause many health issues.

Signs of zinc deficiency include:

• Getting colds, flu, and other illnesses easily
• Fatigue
• Blood sugar issues
• Inability to concentrate or sit still
• Poor growth
• Skin infections and poor wound healing.

People who avoid meat, poultry, and fish and at the highest risk for zinc deficiency. Even though some plant foods contain zinc, it is best absorbed in the presence of animal protein. People who suffer from celiac disease, digestive problems, or alcoholism and liver disease are also at high risk of being deficient.

If you don’t feel you are getting enough zinc in your diet, it’s best to supplement. Keep in mind that too much zinc can become toxic, so it’s best to keep your zinc intake in the therapeutic zone.

Zinc supplements come in several forms including:

• zinc gluconate
• zinc sulfate
• zinc acetate
• zinc picolinate
• zinc citrate
• zinc glycerate

According to Dr. Josh Axe and other nutrition experts, the tolerable upper limit to be around 40-50 milligrams per day. Some studies have found that higher doses can help fight off colds, flu and Covid, but check with your doctor first. And—avoid taking zinc if you haven’t eaten, zinc is best taken with food to avoid stomach upset.

Most people never think about zinc when it comes to their heart — but research shows low zinc levels weaken arterial walls, fuel inflammation, and accelerate plaque buildup. Worse, without enough zinc, blood platelets clump together more aggressively, raising the risk of dangerous clots. The result? A silent vulnerability hiding in plain sight — and a simple deficiency that could be putting your heart at serious risk.

Duke MD: “#1 heart attack sign is not chest pain, cholesterol, or BP”

The first sign of a heart attack is almost never chest pain…

High cholesterol… or high blood pressure.

The new discovery of a top Duke University doctor has stunned cardiologists worldwide:

If the levels of this one nutrient in your heart are LOW, your chances of heart issues skyrocket.

(Hint: it’s not Omega-3s.)

This common deficiency leaves no trace on standard blood work panels.

Which means even with perfect cholesterol & normal blood pressure, you could STILL be at serious risk.

“Almost everyone forgets their heart is a muscle. And like any muscle… it needs protein-like nutrients to stay strong,” says Dr. Rick Cohen.

Dr. Cohen’s natural solution has helped thousands of people enjoy a healthy heart without living on drugs.

And he’s released a short video revealing a simple pre-shower technique to keep your heart strong.

Watch it here:

>>> Duke University MD Reveals The #1 “Heart Strong” Nutrient Backed By 600+ Studies

References
https://www.healthfirstdc.com/blog/the-importance-of-zinc-and-quercetin-during-pandemic
https://www.healthline.com/health/testosterone-and-zinc#zinc-deficiency
https://draxe.com/nutrition/zinc-benefits/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/zinc-benefits/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/benefits-of-zinc
https://www.mdriveformen.com/blogs/the-driven/what-are-the-benefits-of-zinc-for-brain-health
https://renuerx.com/mental-clarity-can-zinc-and-other-supplements-help-you-focus/

The post 6 Powerful Benefits of Zinc: Your Immune System, Hormones, Brain Function, and so much more appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Black garlic looks a bit like a cooking mistake that should be thrown away instead of eaten. But this specially aged garlic not only tastes unique and amazing, but it has amazing superfood powers as well.

Black garlic was used centuries ago in Asian cuisine, but it has been ‘discovered’ here in the western world and it has become a favorite secret ingredient amongst chefs, home cooks and health fanatics.

Black garlic is made from Allium sativum, which is the regular garlic we all know and use. Black garlic, however, is aged with specific heat and humidity for several weeks, which changes the flavor and intensifies its health benefits.

Regular raw, white garlic cloves when aged turn almost black and become soft, sticky, and gooey, much like richer roasted garlic. The heat process takes the sharp flavor of raw garlic to a much mellower flavor—more like a molasses-caramel flavor that tastes both sweet and savory.

The aging of garlic converts the harsh, irritating compounds in raw garlic–such as allicin, to stable, unique, and beneficial compounds. Allicin is one of the key compounds found in raw garlic that’s responsible for many of its health benefits and its distinct biting taste.

However, raw garlic is also lower in antioxidants, and studies show that black garlic actually contains concentrated amounts of these disease-fighting compounds.

1. Black Garlic is High in Antioxidants

We hear about antioxidants all the time in many healthy foods. Antioxidants help stop or slow down free radicals that cause damage to our cells and can lead to chronic disease. This review, published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, discusses black garlic’s antioxidant powers on the human body.

This study shows that aged garlic creates a marked increase in antioxidant activity, peaking at about 21 days. What causes this dramatic antioxidant increase?

During the aging process, the active ingredient in garlic, allicin, converts to more powerful antioxidants. This fermentation process concentrates the antioxidants in the garlic. These antioxidants can regulate cell signaling, reduce inflammation, protect the brain and nerves, prevent heart attacks and strokes, help prevent the long-term complications of diabetes and fight cancer.

2. Brain Health

Black garlic’s powerful antioxidants help to lower inflammation in the brain, which helps prevent common diseases of aging such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Most neuroscientists follow the theory that the accumulation of a protein compound called ‘beta amyloid’ causes the inflammation in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease.

Aged black garlic has been shown to improve memory in rats, while lowering inflammation and oxidative stress.

3. Immune Health

We are probably very aware of the importance of our immune systems. Our complex immune systems fight off viral infections, bacteria, and other pathogens. Our immune systems also work to prevent cancer and fight other chronic diseases as well.

Antioxidants fight free radicals which reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and prevent oxidative damage to your cells. We’ve known that regular raw garlic is a very powerful tool for our immune function, but a 2012 study compare black garlic and raw garlic on immune function. Black garlic had more powerful effect on stimulating the immune system and increasing antioxidant activity.

Black garlic’s immune-boosting effects may help those with allergies and autoimmune disorders, as well as those fighting off acute illnesses.

4. Toxic to Cancer Cells

In addition to strengthening the immune system, black garlic’s antioxidants show strong anticarcinogenic effects on cancer cells. Certain components in black garlic have been shown to inhibit tumor growth and spread of cancer cells. This 2014 study shows black garlic extract kills off and reduces the growth of colon cancer cells.

Researchers found that the black garlic extract solution was toxic to lung, breast, stomach, and liver cancer cells within 72 hours. Other studies have found that black garlic caused cancer cells to start dying off in human colon and stomach cancers. And this study shows it causes cancer cell death in leukemia as well.

And this meta review of 25 different studies on black garlic showed beneficial effects on cancer in almost all of the studies.

5. Heart Health

Garlic has had a long-standing reputation of protecting the heart and being a big player in preventing heart disease. Black garlic’s high level of antioxidants show at least as much promise as raw garlic in protecting against disease.

Two hallmarks of heart disease risk are an elevated LDL cholesterol level, and elevated triglycerides. Studies show black garlic has the ability to lower these dangerous markers for heart disease, and raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Another study compared raw garlic with black garlic on rats recovering from heart damage from heart attacks. Researchers found both types of garlic helped to increase blood flow and circulation to the heart and were equally effective in minimizing damage to the heart from ischemia.

Yet another study was conducted on 60 people who had elevated cholesterol. The study subjects were given either black garlic extract or a placebo for 12 weeks. The black garlic increased the HDL (good) cholesterol and reduced other heart disease markers.

People who consumed black garlic daily for 6 months increased their antioxidant levels, while improving other heart health indicators, over those who were given a placebo.

So, it’s apparent that black garlic is an effective preventative for heart disease, and can lower LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. Black garlic may also help to increase levels of HDL cholesterol.

6. Lowers Blood Sugar

Long-term, chronic higher than normal blood glucose is one of the primary reasons those with diabetes end up with serious complications involving the eyes, nerves, blood vessels, kidneys, and skin.

When certain proteins or fat combine with excess glucose in the blood, Advanced Glycation End products are the result. High levels of these damaging substances have been shown to cause excessive oxidative stress and inflammation. This excessive oxidative stress and inflammation increases the risk for serious complications in diabetes patients.

In fact, high levels of AGE’s have been linked to the development of many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, and Alzheimer’s, as well as premature aging.

Aged black garlic and a component of aged garlic S-allyl cysteine have been shown to significantly reduce the formation of AGE’s and therefore help to prevent many of the complications of diabetes.

Aged garlic extract inhibits the formation of AGEs more effectively than fresh garlic extract, and this suggests that daily consumption of aged garlic extract might be beneficial for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes.

This study also reported that aged black garlic exerted stronger antioxidant activity against oxidative stress from diabetes, thereby helping to prevent diabetic complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, retinopathy, and neuropathy.

Adding black garlic to a healthy diet also helps to maintain normal blood sugar levels, according to another study from Korea.

Other studies on rats show black garlic to have very beneficial effects for those with obesity or diabetes. Researchers in Spain found that black garlic lowered inflammation and improved vascular function, as well as helping to reduce weight gain.

7. Supports Liver Health

Our livers are constantly exposed to a wide variety of toxic chemicals, medications, pathogens, and even alcohol. The liver performs a vital role in metabolism of substances, secretion of bile, creating cholesterol, and the detoxification of substances in the body. Poor dietary habits and lifestyle can cause prolonged exposure to oxidative stress and free radicals which can accelerate the severity of liver damage.

Black garlic may protect the liver from the damage that comes from these toxins in the liver.

Black garlic has also been found to protect the liver against any further damage, such as in the case of non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome.

Black garlic antioxidants were also found to be protective and improve liver function in cases of chronic alcohol-induced liver damage.

Research from 2018 also suggests that supplementing with single-clove black garlic extract could help restore liver tissue and reduce cellular damage of liver.

Where to Get Black Garlic?

Black garlic has become very popular lately and can be found in specialty cooking stores, gourmet grocery stores, and in some Asian markets. It’s also readily available online.

Black garlic comes in whole heads, peeled cloves and as black garlic infused oil. You can also purchase powdered black garlic, but the health effects will be greatly reduced.

Black garlic is rather expensive, so if you would rather, you can make your own at home. The key is to create just the right temperature and humidity levels. To age garlic, it must be fermented at 140-190 degrees F under high humidity levels for about 3-4 weeks.

One of the easiest ways to make black garlic is with a home rice cooker. Putting garlic in the rice cooker on the keep warm setting with a lid for 4 weeks will produce a well-aged, high antioxidant mellow black garlic.

Use it in dishes as you would with roasted garlic — added to sauces, smeared on fresh bread, rubbed into wild fish, or mixed in with pasta dish and high quality olive oil. Black garlic can also be pureed into a paste with olive oil and used on salads and marinades—or mix it up in a food processor with a stick of butter for use on a variety of dishes. Black garlic is delicious mixed into humous and other dips as well. Black garlic is even mellow enough to use in desserts like cookies, ice cream and brownies.

Invite your friends over for dinner and everyone will be wondering what delicious ‘secret’ ingredient is in your meal.

Bon Appetit!

References
https://draxe.com/nutrition/black-garlic/
https://www.bestproducts.com/eats/food/g3563/where-to-buy-black-garlic/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-black-garlic#1
https://www.thespruceeats.com/black-garlic-4165384
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-garlic-benefits
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1021949816301727
https://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/nutrition/is-black-garlic-better/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/black-garlic/
https://www.wellandgood.com/black-garlic-benefits/

The post 7 Good Reasons to Use Black Garlic appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I used to walk past those ugly big knobby root ‘things’ in the grocery store but I never really knew what they were used for. Celeriac is not the prettiest of vegetables, but it certainly is tasty!

Celeriac is a root vegetable that is closely related to celery but is not the actual root of celery stalks that we purchase at the store. It came from the Mediterranean and belongs to the same family as carrots, actually. Celeriac comes in different sizes, but it looks like a really ugly, brownish, misshapen turnip with a lot of little knobby roots. Inside, it has smooth white flesh, kind of like a turnip.

Beneath its knobby and gnarly exterior is a firm-textured root vegetable with a nutty, slightly sweet and mellow celery-like crunch. Celeriac, or celery root can be eaten raw or cooked. Celeriac is super versatile. It can be grated and added to slaws and salads or used as a crudité for dipping. Cooked celeriac is awesome mashed, baked, roasted or mixed with mashed potatoes. It’s mild flavor brings out the flavor of fish and chicken dishes, but it actually tastes great with most everything!

Celeriac contains some powerful nutrition worth noting. It is packed with great fiber, which is great for gut health. It’s also full of vitamins B6, C, and K along with phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese—not to mention a few important antioxidants. Celeriac only contains 5-6 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams of cooked vegetable, which makes it a great low-carb alternative to potatoes. It is also a source of antioxidants lutein and Zeaxanthin.

The antioxidants in celeriac fight free radicals in the body, helping to prevent heart disease, strengthen the immune system, improve moods, fight cancer, lower inflammation, fight diabetes and obesity, and slow the aging process.

Helps Banish Anxiety and Depression

B vitamins can help calm your nervous system, helping to prevent anxiety and depression, and easing stress. B vitamins are water soluble so they can easily wash out of your system, so it’s important to replace them frequently. Celeriac contains a healthy dose of B vitamins to help soothe your nervous system, helping the brain and nerves function better.

Great for Digestion and Healthy Gut

The high fiber in celeriac feed your gut bacteria and keep them happy. Eating lots of healthy fiber also keeps your digestive system functioning well, filling you up and making you feel satisfied—so you eat less.

Fiber is also essential in preventing colon cancer, eliminating waste and toxins, and improving nutrient absorption. Because the fiber helps to fill you up, celeriac is a great food to eat when trying to lose weight as well.

Helps Fight Diabetes

Almost 1 out of three people either have diabetes or pre-diabetes, but a healthy diet, low in carbohydrates and sugar can help fight or reverse this serious condition. An interesting finding for a recent study found that for people who ate the most root vegetables, their risk of diabetes was 13% lower than those who did not. And a high intake of all types of vegetables lowers all types of chronic disease.

Heart Health

Celeriac’s antioxidants including the powerful vitamin C, provide nutrients that keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Vitamin C has been found to moderately lower blood pressure—even in smaller doses. In addition, the potassium in celeriac has also been found to help regulate blood pressure and balance out too much sodium in the diet. Potassium lowers the risk of strokes as well.

Other potential health benefits of Celeriac including helping to suppress Parkinson’s symptoms, improve bone health, and soothing indigestion.

It Tastes Amazing!

Oh, and did I mention—celeriac tastes delicious! Chop it up and add it to a roasted root vegetable mélange, or cook it up and add it to your mashed potato recipe to extra flavor and nutrition. Try this celeriac fries baked in the oven, or grate it and make it part of your next coleslaw recipe.

Celeriac Fries

First, chop your celeriac into 1cm width fries. Lightly coat them with some smoked paprika and a sprinkling of Pink Himalayan salt. Roast for 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius – and that’s it!

Celeriac fries are also delicious roasted with a little salt and pepper, then scattered with a grating of parmesan.

Check out this celeriac soup recipe, adapted from Mark’s Daily Apple. It’s amazing—warm, tasty, filling and delicious—especially topped with bacon.

Celeriac Soup

• 1/3 stick butter
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot (or 1 leek, sliced)
• 2 pounds celery root, (about two large roots) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 cups bone broth or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 4 slices of bacon crumbled

Instructions:

Over medium low heat, melt the butter in a deep pan. Add celery and shallot/leek and sauté until soft but not overly browned, about five minutes. Add celery root and sauté a few minutes more, then add 6 cups of broth or water and turn up heat slightly. Bring to a boil then turn the heat lower and simmer with a lid on for 35-40 minutes until the celery root is easily pierced with a fork.

Working in small batches puree the soup in a blender, or with a hand blender, until very smooth. If you prefer soup with more texture, only puree half of the celery root and leave the rest in chunks. Use the remaining 2 cups of broth or water to thin out the soup to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with generous amounts of bacon!

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/celeriac
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/silky-celery-root-soup/
https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/our-blog/2019/02/7-impressive-health-benefits-of-celeriac-celeriac-fries-recipe/

The post This Ugly Duckling Root Vegetable Is Crazy Good for You—5 Good Reasons to try Celeriac appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Have you ever noticed that in the fall there are a lot of vegetables that are orange, red or yellow colored? Pumpkins, squashes, carrots, beets and sweet potatoes are all heavy on healthy antioxidant. These foods also contain alpha carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin, which protect your cells and keep them healthy.

The powerful antioxidant, beta carotene not only turns into vitamin A in the body, but also protects against heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Pumpkin contains both vitamin C and vitamin A that help to strengthen the immune system—which is perfect timing for protection against colds and flu. Pumpkin’s powerful antioxidants also help to fight cancer.

That vitamin A from pumpkin also helps to strengthen the eyesight and protect against diseases like macular degeneration. Beta-carotene also helps prevent diabetes, along with the healthy fiber that pumpkin contains, which is low glycemic, keeping blood sugar low.

The fiber and rich taste of pumpkin are also very filling without being fattening. The low-glycemic attributes of pumpkin help to keep the body in fat-burning mode—not fat-storing mode. And pumpkin’s natural fiber helps to feed those healthy bacteria in the gut, while increasing your brain’s level of serotonin, the ‘feel good’ brain chemical.

Beta carotene also protects the skin against sun damage making it a healthy way to ‘eat your sunscreen’, and it also promotes younger, smoother, healthy-looking skin.

Pumpkins also contain plenty of potassium which balances out sodium and helps to decrease blood pressure. Increased potassium also reduces your risk of strokes, protects against heart disease, and helps the body to preserve bone density.

Pumpkin is the perfect vegetable to add to soup. It adds a satisfying richness and creaminess along with its healthy additives. This creamy version also contains cauliflower puree to add to the thickness and creaminess without adding dairy, making it a perfect low carb soup. The added sausage makes it high in protein, along with the kale to round out its amazingly healthy ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 lb turkey, chicken or pork Italian sausage, remove casings
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 15 oz can pure organic pumpkin puree
• 2 cups baby or dinosaur (lacinto) kale chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter (grass-fed)
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Feta cheese for garnish

Instructions

In a soup pot, add olive oil and brown the sausage, breaking up into smaller pieces. Add garlic, onion, peppers, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the pumpkin, broth, and kale and continue to cook for a 5 or so minutes.

While pumpkin mixture is cooking, chop the cauliflower into fine pieces in a food processor, and cook 10 minutes with some butter and about a ¼ cup of water until soft. Let cool for a few minutes and add back to food processer and blend until smooth. Add cauliflower mixture to the soup and mix well.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with feta cheese if desired. Makes about 6-8 servings. Enjoy any time of the year!

Get your FREE copy of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Looking for easy, tasty recipes that help you burn fat, then look no further…

This free recipe book is packed with over 80 fat-burning Keto recipes, such has mouth-watering chicken, beef, pork meals and more…

Best yet, every single recipe uses a slow cooker. Spend less than 20 minutes in your kitchen whipping up these delicious meals.

The post Delicious Pumpkin, Sausage & Kale Soup (packed full of inflammation-fighting nutrients) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, BSN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Kale used to show up on people’s plates as a barely edible garnish, but in the last several years, it suddenly skyrocketed to fame as health fanatics everywhere discovered its many nutritious attributes.

Kale now takes center stage as a salad ingredient, a smoothie standby, chips, food additive, or main dish ingredient. Unfortunately however, kale has fallen from grace as the superstar superfood, to one of the “Dirty Dozen”, as one of the most herbicide/pesticide-contaminated vegetables in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Working Group (EWG) that rates produce for their herbicide/pesticide content.

This year, kale ranks third, just behind strawberries and spinach. According to the EWG, the average kale sample contains over five different types of herbicides or pesticides, in spite of being thoroughly washed. One of the more contaminated samples actually contained up to 18 different pesticide residues.

Do these pesticides outweigh the value of the nutrients in kale? Well, studies have shown pesticides to be linked to cancer, diabetes, autism, ADD/ADHD, and other serious health issues.

One of the primary pesticides showing up in kale is an herbicide called DCPA, or Dacthal. Dacthal has been used as a weed-killer for strawberries, many other vegetables, beans and cotton. But in 2005, Dacthal use was curtailed because of concerns that it was leaching into groundwater and was toxic. While the European Union prohibited all uses of this herbicide, the United States still uses Dacthal on sweet potatoes, eggplant, turnips and, of course, kale.

The problem with Dacthal, however, is that even the EPA has found evidence that Dacthal can cause cancer. The organization has listed the herbicide as a possible carcinogen based on a two-year study that linked DCPA to thyroid and liver tumors in rats, and while the effects on humans haven’t been tested, it’s a safe bet to believe it’s not healthy for us, either.

The EWG analysis also found that 30% of the kale samples contained bifenthrin and cypermethrin, two other pesticides that have been classified by the EPA as possible human carcinogens based on studies in mice. Exposure to these chemicals could cause nausea, headaches, and neurological issues, such as tingling and numbness.

The biggest problem with kale and these toxic pesticides is that kale is a leaf, so it will absorb these toxic sprays. There is no peel you can remove to help reduce the exposure and washing the kale does not help. These pesticides permeate the kale through and through.

Kale and Your Thyroid

For some people, the thought process goes like this–if a little bit is healthy, then a lot should be REALLY healthy. Unfortunately, for many things, including kale, this is not true. Kale in larger quantities, especially in the form of juicing, can actually be harmful to healthy thyroid function.

Kale is considered a goitrogenic food, meaning that it contains substances called goitrogens that can block proper thyroid function. Cruciferous vegetables, like kale, are considered goitrogenic. Other goitrogenic vegetables include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens, turnips, and watercress.

These veggies contain a substance called thiocyanate, which in larger amounts, can interfere with our bodies’ ability to utilize iodine, a key nutrient for production of thyroid hormones. Exposure to high amounts of thiocyanate can interfere with the normal thyroid function and cause hypothyroidism, or low thyroid. This creates symptoms like weight gain, depression, slow hair growth, lowered immune status, and more.

The health benefits of eating kale and other cruciferous veggies generally outweighs any issues with thyroid function, but eating larger amounts of cruciferous vegetables like kale, can definitely interfere. The biggest problem with kale and thyroid function is when it is juiced. Juicing requires large amounts of the vegetable to create a small amount of juice. But juicing creates a very concentrated product with larger than normal amounts of thyroid-interfering goitrogens, among other things.

The risks of lowered thyroid function may be exacerbated in those who are already iodine deficient, especially vegetarians and vegans—often just the folks who are juicing and drinking large volumes of veggie juices with kale.

Other Toxins in Kale

Several years ago, research conducted in California by a molecular biologist by the name of Ernie Hubbard connected complaints of fatigue, brain fogginess, nausea and other symptoms in patients at a health clinic to high kale consumption.

Hubbard found higher than normal levels of the toxic mineral thallium in locally grown kale, as well as in the patients’ urine. Hubbard also found traces of other heavy metals including cesium, cadmium, aluminum and arsenic in other cruciferous vegetables. And it seems that the organically grown kale accumulates more of this heavy metal than conventionally grown kale.

While the source of the thallium was not determined from the soil or the vegetable, it was determined that the complaints from patients, combined with their reported kale consumption, urine test results, and the thallium levels found in the kale and soil suggested low-level thallium poisoning.

Other studies have found similar results. A study by Czech Republic agricultural researchers in 2006 investigated kale’s uptake of thallium from soils with a naturally high amount of the element, and concluded it could seriously endanger the food chain. This Chilean study published in 2009 examines the presence of thallium in potatoes grown in the northern region of the country, and finds an “important risk.” And this Canadian review in 2004 by researchers at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, noted thallium “can be transferred from soils to crops readily and accrues in fuel crops.”

Unfortunately, when it comes to thallium, even low-level exposures can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, hair loss, and peripheral neuropathy. This means that people who eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables, including kale, may be exposing themselves to high levels of thallium.

How Much Kale Can You Safely Eat?

If you are an occasional kale eater, you shouldn’t worry too much about interfering with your thyroid function, or thallium. The most important though, is to choose organic kale.

Kale is jam-packed with nutrients. A single cup of raw chopped kale gives you more than 200% of your daily allowance of vitamin A and almost 700% of vitamin K. It’s also full of vitamins like B6, calcium, vitamin C, and potassium.

Plenty of research also suggests that cruciferous vegetables like kale can protect against certain types of cancer. Kale is also high in antioxidants including beta carotene and vitamin C, along with various flavanoids, and polyphenols.

Kale also contains the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, which are found in relatively large amounts in kale. These substances in kale have been studied thoroughly and have powerful heart-protective, blood pressure-lowering, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-depressant and anti-cancer effects, to name a few.

Bottom Line

Kale is a very healthy superfood. Just don’t overdo and eat tons of kale on a daily basis, or you may be ingesting large amounts of pesticides, herbicides, thallium, and goitrogens that will have a negative effect on your health and your thyroid gland. Be especially careful of drinking kale juice. It takes a large quantity of kale to make juice, and you end up drinking concentrated amounts of the above toxins. Instead, enjoy a wide variety of superfoods on a daily basis.

References
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/hypothyroidism/news-update-can-kale-cause-hypothyroidism
https://www.sciencealert.com/kale-is-now-one-of-the-most-pesticide-contaminated-vegetables-and-the-dangers-go-beyond-eating-salad?fbclid=IwAR2rA8S0nP76V0fAFPE6Gvp0Qyvh_T_5qkT35oDawZAPSLupY30gv_rQNco
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale#section9
https://craftsmanship.net/sidebar/information-research-thallium-gathered-hubbard-dr-rosenblum-click-tap/

The post The Dark Side of Kale appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Nearly everyone talks about doing a ‘detox’ diet, especially as a New Year’s resolution. But almost anytime is a good time to detoxify your body. A detox can help you make a starting point for a clean diet that results in better health, weight loss or fighting cancer. A detox diet can be a healthy way to get back on track both mentally and physically, and to clear out toxins so your body knows exactly what it needs to do to optimize your health. Think of it as a way of cleaning house.

Our bodies have the ability to be constantly detoxifying. Our skin, our kidneys, our digestive system, our livers, lungs and lymph system are all working hard to continually detox our systems from toxins that come from our environment, the air we breathe, pesticides and chemicals in our food, and toxins in products we use on our bodies.

The problem comes when things like stress, a buildup of chemicals from ultra-processed foods, air pollution, or other toxic substances overload our system and clog up the body’s natural ability to clean. A toxic system means increased inflammation, a lowered immune response, mutated DNA and unhealthy cells, and an open door to serious, chronic disease like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia and cancer.

Removing the ‘toxic sludge’ so to speak will help get your body back in balance and allow it to detoxify and remove unhealthy substances, absorb and assimilate nutrients better, and rebuild. It is a great way to ‘reset’ your system. You will feel more energy, feel clearer headed and be in a better mood, sleep better, recover from exercise better and enjoy life more with a clean, healthy, functioning system.

If you have ever been diagnosed with cancer, or maybe you fear you may get it at some point—or even if you have just gotten way off-track with your diet, now is the time to detox.

Even if you are perfectly healthy, your body is invisibly fighting off cancer cells, infectious pathogens, inflammation and serious disease, so a detox is a good way to ‘clean house’ first as a healthy foundation for optimal health. Serious disease like cancer, is a sign your body has been poisoned, so cleaning out the dirt and muck will allow your own body’s defenses to take over and optimize your health and well being.

YOU are in control of your body and YOU are in control of your health.

There are many different types of detox diets available online. Just do a search of “detox diet” and you will find hundreds. Don’t feel like you have to buy bushel baskets of raw vegetables and juice every day. A good detox diet just needs to supply plenty of super-food antioxidant nutrients that your body needs, while also cleaning out the chemicals, sugar, junk and added ingredients that it doesn’t.

Following a few easy guidelines and incorporating some detox foods into your diet is the best way to optimize your body’s own built-in detox system and supply your liver, kidneys, and digestive system with the tools needed to clear out toxins efficiently.

Basic Detox

1. Remove the sugar

Cancer cells LOVE glucose and feed off of it! While the explanation for how sugar affects cancer cells is somewhat controversial and complex, sugar of all kinds promotes cancer, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and obesity. In addition, sugar weakens the body’s immune defenses.

Removing all sugar and refined carbs will help to starve cancer cells, reset the body’s fat burning ability, and lower blood sugar. Cut out ANY foods that contain sugar, refined carbohydrates, grains, and even fruit—for now. Especially be sure to remove any fructose or high fructose corn syrup—this is like cancer ‘fuel’. Avoid all of these types of sugar:

• fructose (natural sugar from fruits)
• lactose (natural sugar from milk)
• sucrose (made from fructose and glucose)
• maltose (sugar made from grain)
• glucose (simple sugar, product of photosynthesis)
• dextrose (form of glucose)

Remove all processed carbohydrates such as breads, pastas, muffins, cookies, crackers, chips, cereals, etc. While these foods are often considered ‘healthy’, they are not. They are full of added sugars, highly refined grains (which turn into sugar in our bodies), additives and pesticide residues including glyphosate, a known carcinogen.

Avoid convenience meals, frozen dinners, and fast foods. Baked or fried carbohydrates are also full of advanced glycated end products, or AGE’s as well. This substance contributes to aging and chronic disease including cancers.

2. Keep it Ketogenic

On a detox, you want to not only help your body remove toxic sludge, but you also want to reset your blood sugar levels and your body’s primary energy source. Too many carbs and sugars in the diet will cause your body to not only store all that excess glucose as fat, but you will also stop burning fat for energy—your body’s best energy source.

While the body can easily burn through sugar and carbohydrates for energy, it is meant purely to be an emergency fuel for the ‘fight or flight’ response. A keto detox diet consisting of vegetables combined with select organic, naturally-raised meats/poultry/fish and healthy fats will turn your body back into a fat burning machine, lower inflammation and starve cancer cells in the process. Burning ketones for fuel (your body fat), helps you think more clearly, reduces hunger, eliminates excess fluids, lowers blood pressure, boosts fat loss, and improves your cholesterol.

Studies now show that a ketogenic diet can help lower risk factors for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. In addition, a keto diet starves cancer cells, reduces seizures in epileptics, helps the brain recover from brain injuries better, and improve symptoms of Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.

3. Move more

Start pumping the oxygen naturally by getting in some light to moderate exercise each day for 45 minutes. When you exercise, you get your heart pumping harder, which increases your circulation and circulating oxygen.

Exercise also helps to stimulate your immune system and get your lymph system in gear removing toxins and clearing out dead cells. Exercise and oxygen actually help to starve cancer cells as well. And, exercise helps improve your mood by increasing your endorphins—your ‘feel good’ chemicals. A positive mood actually helps the body heal better and faster.

However, keep in mind your body is working hard to rid itself of toxic waste and you may be tired, so keep exercise moderate, and avoid heavy weights and high intensity workouts for now.

4. Get plenty of sleep

Part of a detox is allowing your body to rest and reset. A good detox will most likely make you feel more fatigued and lethargic, and possibly moody as you being to mobilize toxic substances out of your body. Your body needs to focus on cleaning and healing, so be sure to give it the rest it needs to do its best work. After a couple days of fatigue and rest, you may feel especially energized as your body starts to regain its balance and strength.

5. Distance yourself from electronic devices

Cell phones, WIFI, computers, electronic pads, even televisions all emit electromagnetic waves that can totally disrupt not only our own bio-electric functions, but they have been linked to a variety of cancers, especially brain cancers. To be safe, keep your cell phone as far away from your body and your head as possible, and avoid being bombarded with WIFI if you can. Try to limit your time on electronic devices and if you cannot avoid WIFI, at least get outside and far away from it as much as possible!

6. Remove the chemicals

Commercially-prepared shampoos, soaps, lotions, creams, hair products and deodorants are all loaded with hormone-disrupting, DNA damaging chemicals and carcinogenic ingredients. Revamp your toiletries by tossing out the chemical-laden ones and replacing with organic, natural products or stop using them all together. Also avoid using plastics and aluminum foil and baking dishes for cooking food storing leftovers, drinks, or microwaving.

7. Use only natural cleaning products

Home cleaning products are often extremely toxic. Avoid using window cleaners, antibacterial hand soaps, commercial laundry soaps, toilet cleaners, bathtub/sink scrubs, dish-washing liquids, etc. These products are full of carcinogens that get released into the air, onto surfaces, and absorbed by your body.

Replace all with natural cleaning supplies like vinegar, water, essential oils and natural/organic cleaning products. And if you are using any chemicals on your lawn or weeds like weed killer, bug spray and fertilizers, toss these out immediately! Better to have a weed or two in your lawn and garden than to have cancer!

8. Hydrate

Drinking copious amounts of clean spring water helps to cleanse and detox the kidneys, liver and digestive system and even improve cellular function. You should aim to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of clean, pure water either from a reverse osmosis system or fresh spring water. You can also add in a pinch of sea salt or Himalayan salt to get necessary nutrients, trace minerals, and electrolytes.

Organic herb teas contain powerful nutrients and antioxidants which help to purify and strengthen the body. Herb teas also contain natural detoxifying antioxidants and immune boosting ingredients such as green tea, rooibos, peppermint, dandelion and licorice root.

Include lots of lemons in your water. Fresh lemon juice contains an atomic structure similar to the body’s own digestive juices and the stimulate the liver into producing bile, which moves waste through and out of the body. Lemon water also acts as a mild diuretic, draining your system of excess fluids and furthering the detoxification. And lemons are full of vitamin C, an important antioxidant for your immune system.

9. Eat REAL organic, naturally-raised foods

Eat only one-ingredient/real, mostly plant-based foods, including lots of raw foods, naturally-raised meats/poultry/fish and healthy fats including coconut oil, grass fed butter and avocado, along with lots of nuts and seeds.

• Include lots of bitter greens—like dandelion, chard, kale and mustard greens—which help cleanse the kidneys, liver and gall bladder, as well as the digestive system. Dandelion greens, arugula, mustard greens and watercress contain powerful detox chemicals which cleanse and strengthen the body. Also include other deep green leafy veggies like chard, spinach, and kale. Cilantro and parsley naturally remove toxic metals from the body, and contain massive amounts of chlorophyll, phyto-chemicals, antioxidants and magnesium to boost your health.
• Brightly colored organic vegetables like deep green leafy veggies, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and kale, red peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic all contain the highest amounts of antioxidants. These are super-foods and will not only help to detoxify the body but will strengthen and build up the body’s defenses by adding in tons of powerful phyto-chemicals, antioxidants and massive amounts of vitamins and minerals.
• While many detox diets recommend you follow a purely plant-based diet, there are many good reasons to include small amounts of high quality, organic, and naturally-raised/wild caught meat/poultry/seafood.

Grass fed and grass finished beef, bison, and poultry along with wild caught fish are full of healthy, anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats. Omega 3’s not only help to strengthen cells, lower inflammation, power up the immune system, but they also help to fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and other chronic conditions. Omega 3’s help supply your brain and nerve cells with the healthy fats they need to work efficiently.

A study at California State University also showed that the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of healthy fat in grass fed/grass finished meat helps fight cancer, discourages weight gain, and helps build healthy lean muscle. CLA is also in butter from grass fed cows.

After a few days to a week or two of a detox diet, you may want to consider Intermittent Fasting. Researchers have also found that intermittent fasting lowers the risk of degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia and even helps with recovery from strokes. It is thought IF protects the neurons against various kinds of damaging stress.

The point of intermittent fasting is that the periods of food deprivation allow your body to rest, further detoxify, renew and regenerate. Plenty of scientific studies on both animals and humans show that periodic fasting not only helps you lose weight but also increases your longevity.

Caloric restriction through fasting also helps to turn on genes that repair DNA and cells. This adaptation of IF may allow certain cells to actually live longer, preserving the body’s energy, according to a study published in the journal, Cell Metabolism. This may also be part of the reason that fasting helps to extend longevity as well.

There you have it. A good detox diet can open the doors to better health and well being and keep you on a healthy eating track. And, the basic principles of a detox diet like this can be utilized long term to help you sustain a healthy diet beyond a few days or a week—or help you get back on track after a period of poor food choices.

Stick to these basic rules of thumb, and include the healthy, detox-boosting foods in your diet regularly to stay on track with your health!

Most people who want to detox are looking to release a few pounds from their body while lifting brain fog, gain more energy, reduce bloat, and just simply feel better.

If that’s you, I urge you to read this.

This is especially important if you’ve tried one (or really ANY kind of diet at all) in the past, and failed. There’s a very specific reason it didn’t work for you, and this page explains everything.

Go here to read it now.

References
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/garlic-fact-sheet
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/12-ways-to-prepare-detox-cleanse/
https://draxe.com/detox-diet/
https://draxe.com/cancer-fighting-foods/
https://drjockers.com/plant-based-ketogenic-diet/
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/cancer-fighting-benefits-of-curcumin/
https://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2016/11/How-Pomegranate–May-Protect–Against-Cancer/Page-01
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/ginger-cancer-treatment/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321410.php
https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/fact-sheets/cancer-reishi-mushroom-fact-sheet/article/647081/2/

The post The Best Detox Diet appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

The newest diet trend is NOT eating. That’s right. Intermittent Fasting. It certainly makes sense, given that our primal ancestors went through periods of not eating while searching for food, as well as periods of feasting when food was plentiful. Our bodies were made to adapt to that—not regularly timed, three meals a day, 7 days a week readily available food. So it makes biological sense to skip a meal or two occasionally.

Taking a break from eating has several proven dramatic health benefits including slowing down aging, increasing Human Growth Hormone for muscle growth, increasing insulin sensitivity, and overall fat burning.

In addition, IF has been shown to help fight cancer, disease, diabetes, and other serious diseases, according to this study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Additionally, according to other scientific studies, IF benefits extend to asthma, allergies, infectious diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, Tourette’s syndrome, cardiac arrhythmia’s, hot flashes from hormonal fluctuations, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s and more.

Intermittent fasting can also increase energy, help with focus and clear thinking, and improve mood as well. Practicing IF helps reduce symptoms of depression. This study published in the Journal of Nutritional Health and Aging found a significant reduction in anger, tension, confusion and low mood in a group of older men who were practicing IF.

Researchers have also found that intermittent fasting lowers the risk of degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia and even helps improve recovery from strokes. It is thought the fasting protects the neurons against various kinds of damaging stress.

During a period of intermittent fasting, the body switches its energy source from glucose (unless you are fully ‘fat-adapted’, to burning fat for energy. When we fast for a longer period of time, we use up all glucose stores and convert body fat to fatty acids or ketones. It is a way of helping to flip your ‘metabolic switch’ and help your body become better at being ‘fat adapted’.

A scientific review, published in the journal Obesity, shows that it is likely that intermittent fasting may be more healthful than other dieting strategies, as ketones put less stress on cells than the byproducts of other diets. In addition, IF helps the body become better and more efficient at utilizing fat for energy, especially if IF is done on a regular basis. It also helps the body switch back to fat burning if you have gotten off-track and carb heavy with your diet. It is, in essence a way to get back on track.

The point of intermittent fasting is that the periods of food deprivation allow your body to rest, renew and regenerate. Plenty of scientific studies on both animals and humans show that periodic fasting not only helps you lose weight but also increases your longevity. Caloric restriction through fasting also helps to turn on genes that repair DNA and cells. This adaptation of IF may allow certain cells to actually live longer, preserving the body’s energy, according to a study published in the journal, Cell Metabolism. This may also be part of the reason that fasting helps to extend longevity as well.

Scientists think that the IF acts as a form of healthy stress that revs up the cellular defenses against molecular damage. Fasting mice have been found to have higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a protein that prevents stressed neurons from dying. Low levels of BDNF have been tied to depression, anxiety, and dementia.

Fasting also ramps up autophagy, a kind of garbage-disposal system in cells that gets rid of damaged molecules, including ones that have been connected to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases.

Intermittent fasting has also been shown to reduce cancers resulting from oxidative damage, and to help maximize the positive effects of chemotherapy, while minimizing the negative effects of cancer treatment.

The question is—should you try it? Intermittent fasting obviously can be a powerful tool to maximize health, but it’s important to carefully weigh its effects. Intermittent fasting can last for a period of hours or even days, but generally it entails a brief fasting period of 12-24 hours. Most of us may already be fasting from dinner time to breakfast, and if you skip breakfast, you are fasting—provided you only drink black coffee, tea or water during your fast.

There are a few primary types of intermittent fasting to follow, and you can switch them around as much as you want—the point is to create episodic eating/fasting/eating similar to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. So, you don’t really need to follow any particular fast–just surprise your body every once in a while with 24 hours of little or no food.

One of the easiest ways to incorporate IF into your routine is to just skip breakfast. Ignore the old saying of “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, and just drink black coffee, tea or water in the morning.

After a full night’s sleep, you wake up with the perfect hormonal terrain for burning fat. Low insulin and high glucagon levels make delaying your first meal an effective strategy for prolonging this fat-burning period.

Types of Intermittent Fasts

Skipping Meals–Every week or so, skip breakfast and don’t eat until lunchtime or dinner. Or just eat a late lunch and skip dinner and breakfast. Listening to your body and eating when your natural hunger occurs, instead of sticking to the meal clock and eating every morning, noon and night is a good way to readjust hunger.

Condensed Eating Window—One of the more popular and easier to follow IF routines is to condense your food intake into a set number of hours, usually about 8 hours. This generally means you eat an early dinner, and a late breakfast, much like the 16:8 plan. For sixteen hours you avoid eating, and eat only during a compressed time of 6-8 hours during the day.

24-hour Fast—Generally this works for most people by eating a normal dinner and then fasting until the following evening. Others can choose to extend the fast until the following morning. For many people, this can be a weekly or monthly routine.

Why Women Should Be More Cautious About Fasting

Fasting sounds like a terrific way to improve health and lose weight, right? Well it’s a little different for women and there’s a few things to consider, if you are a woman, before you jump headlong onto the fasting wagon. Some of the great health benefits do not extend to women.

We women have hormones that help to regulate our cycles and fertility. IF is a hormone stressor, so for men this creates an adaptive response that is positive for health. For women, IF can interfere with fertility and menstrual cycles. Because women’s bodies are meant to nourish and support a pregnancy, our bodies are extremely sensitive to calorie restriction.

Fasting affects the hypothalamus in the brain which can disrupt the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is responsible for releasing Luteinizing Hormone, and Follicle Stimulating Hormone, both important for menstrual regularity and fertility.

When these hormones cannot communicate with the ovaries, you run the risk of irregular periods, infertility, poor bone health and other health effects.

Even if you are not planning on having children, fasting creates nutritional stress, which decreases fertility, and even decreases ovarian size.

Where IF improves insulin sensitivity in males, females don’t often see the same positive results. In fact, one study showed exactly the opposite results—glucose tolerance worsened. One study compared caloric restriction to intermittent calorie restriction in overweight and obese women. Both groups lost a similar amount of weight, but unfortunately, the intermittent restriction group lost significantly more lean body mass. This is muscle, the kind of body mass you want to keep.

Another looked at healthy men and women doing moderate intensity morning cycling either fasted (overnight) or fed (breakfast). Although both men and women displayed greater increases in VO2 max and resting muscle glycogen concentration in response to fasted cycling training, only men showed greater skeletal muscle adaptations when fasted. Women had better muscle adaptations when fed.

So what does this mean for women? IF can be beneficial, just be cautious if you are trying to have a baby, nursing a baby or have menstrual irregularities. Instead of aiming for the longest fast you can tolerate, aim for the shortest fast that gives results.

Fasting for women is good if:

• You have significant amounts of fat to lose.
• Your oncologist giving you the go-ahead to try using it to improve the effects of chemotherapy.
• Your neurologist giving you the go-ahead to try using it to improve brain function in the face of cognitive decline or dementia.

Be aware–fasting in an extreme or unhealthy way can be a symptom of an eating disorder.

Fasting for both men and women can have some major health benefits, especially done in a controlled and safe manner. Just be careful you don’t take it too far. Prolonged fasting has also been associated with:

• increased cholesterol
• pancreas damage
• worsened insulin function (which increases the risk of diabetes)
• irregular heartbeat, headaches and fainting
• slight reductions in athletic performance, exercise ability and muscle mass

Note: Fasting is not recommended for those who need a regular supply of nutrients for their health, including pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with certain medical conditions. Possible side effects related to fasting include malnutrition, dehydration, disordered eating and even death in some cases. But serious risks are rare and usually related to prolonged fasting, not IF.

The Best Type of Intermittent Fasting…

Deciding to do Intermittent Fasting can be pretty scary, but there’s one method I trust more than the others…

In fact, this method of Intermittent Fasting has been shown to help people lose upwards of 7 pounds in the first 5 days, and some have lost 4 pounds OVERNIGHT, as well as boosting sex hormones for both men and women, improving your energy, skin, & brain function, and so much more.

The great thing is that the fat loss from THIS type of Intermittent Fasting is the most stubborn fat on your body – the fat you’ve tried to lose for years, but just won’t go away. But please keep in mind that this is so effective it’s only recommended you do it once, maybe twice, a week…

Click here to discover this powerful Intermittent Fasting method and lose up to 4 pounds overnight

References
https://draxe.com/intermittent-fasting-women/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-intermittent-fasting-might-help-you-live-longer-healthier-life/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/
https://www.ecowatch.com/health-benefits-of-fasting-2610033142.html?
https://www.ecowatch.com/health-benefits-of-fasting-2610033142.html?utm_campaign=RebelMouse&socialux=facebook&share_id=4021616&utm_medium=social&utm_content=EcoWatch&utm_source=facebook
https://blog.paleohacks.com/whats-the-best-way-to-do-intermittent-fasting/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-and-intermittent-fasting/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321690.php
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.22065

The post Intermittent Fasting Slows Aging, Fights Disease, Builds Muscle, and Burns Fat appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.