by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist and Author of The Diabetes Fix and The Truth About Testosterone

I recently wrote a newsletter last week about how wild blueberries have powerful health benefits for your gut, inflammation, and for preventing fat gain too… Wild blueberries are even more powerful than regular blueberries for health benefits.

If you missed that newsletter, you can read it here about WILD blueberries and preventing fat gain.

But today, I want to also talk about frozen blueberries vs fresh…

You Absorb 3x More Blueberry Polyphenols from Frozen Blueberries.

Yes, it’s true… It turns out that frozen blueberries have their cell walls cracked open, which allows a type of polyphenol (anthocyanins) to be released and absorbed 3x better in your body than fresh blueberries.

If you’ve ever used frozen blueberries in yogurt or cereal, you’ll see the difference compared to fresh blueberries…

When you use frozen blueberries in yogurt for example, as the berries thaw, you’ll see streaks of blue starting to color the yogurt as you stir it. But with fresh blueberries, those blue anthocyanins stay inside the cell wall and are not absorbed as well in your body.

And those anthocyanins that are 3x better absorbed in frozen blueberries help fight inflammation in your body, while also helping prevent fat gain, and being beneficial for your heart and artery health too.

So the lesson here is that while fresh blueberries are definitely healthy, you get more significant health benefits from frozen blueberries.

Add frozen blueberries to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, and anything else that you love berries on!

QUIZ: Which of these snacks are terrible for your waistline?

According to leading gut health expert and former heart surgeon Dr. Steven Gundry, there’s a handful of “health snacks” that are terrible for your waistline.

One of these foods is even considered a staple in every healthy diet.

Let’s see if you can guess which one it is:

A. Sourdough Bread
B. Cottage Cheese
C. Olives

This is critical news if your goal is to have a slimmer waistline.

Answer revealed here >>

PS: There’s good news too… There is one simple snack that yields a power punch for your microbiome. This means a healthier digestion, less occasional bloating, and even a slimmer feeling physique. Write this name down.

The post Frozen blueberries vs Fresh blueberries: 3x more inflammation killing polyphenols in this one… appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

It just seems inevitable, doesn’t it? Once you get into your 40’s, 50’s and beyond, stiff and sore joints just seem to be a ‘normal’ part of aging. But does it have to be?

Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Arthritis symptoms feel like stiff, aching, difficult or painful to move joints and bones. The pain and stiffness can vary from day to day. There are a number of types of arthritis, but the most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis.

I started getting arthritis in my hands in my 40’s, but by making a few dietary changes, my arthritis improved drastically. To me, longevity and healthy aging are the keys to a great quality of life. Staying active is also one the keys to living longer—and happier. We should all be able to move around pain free.

When you think about it, osteoarthritis is a simply a common inflammatory disease that attacks the joints. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 out of every 4 adults in the U.S. (23.7%) or about 58.5 million people have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. That means the prevalence of arthritis is most likely much higher, since not everyone goes to the doctor for everyday aches and pains.

While arthritis seems like the expected result of aging and general wear and tear on the joints, there are other causes as well. They include:

• Age—especially over age 50
• Previous injuries
• Overweight or obese
• Other autoimmune diseases
• Family history of arthritis
• Muscle weakness
• Poor or tight muscles causing a malalignment of the joints—often in the hips or knees

Osteoarthritis is thought to come from wear and tear on the firm rubbery cartilage that protects the joints from shock and stress. When this cartilage wears down, the result is pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the joint area. Common areas are neck, hands, fingers, knees, feet, and toes, but arthritis can occur in most any of the joints of the body.

At its worst, arthritis can cause bone on bone friction, without the protective cushion of the cartilage. Arthritis can also cause reactive bony growth near the afflicted joint, adding to the pain and difficulty of movement. As joints become increasingly damaged, new reactive bone deposits can form around the joints.

These bone spurs, or osteophytes as they are called, can develop over time in those with arthritis and cartilage damage. Osteophytes often occur in feet, hands, knees, shoulder, and neck area.

Even with heavy wear and tear on the joints, not everyone gets osteoarthritis. Arthritis is primarily a disease of inflammation, so if you can reduce or eliminate inflammation in your diet and lifestyle, you can stop or slow the progression of arthritis—and the pain, stiffness and lack of mobility that accompanies it.

One of the best ways to reduce inflammation is to take a closer look at your diet. It is imperative that you ditch the grains, sugar, and any processed foods first. Many of these foods that you eat on a daily basis cause ongoing inflammation in your body and your joints.

What to Avoid and What to Eat

• Grains–The first step is to eliminate grains from your diet, especially gluten. Gluten is notorious for inflammation and is often connected to arthritis. Some studies have looked at Rheumatoid Arthritis, another form of inflammatory arthritis and there are positive connections to ingestion of gluten and exacerbations of arthritis flares.

It’s a given that gluten will also worsen osteoarthritis. And you don’t have to react to gluten to have it cause inflammation. The inflammation happens anyway.

Corn in all its forms, including corn syrup, corn starch, maize, etc. is also extremely inflammatory, especially to bones and joints. There are many anecdotal reports of diets high in corn causing arthritis and short stature in Native Americans.

Since grains tend to be inflammatory, my suggestion is to ditch all the grains. I personally have noticed that when I occasionally eat a little bit of rice, it’s noticeable the next day in the form of stiff, sore joints, along with brain fog. And avoid “gluten free” products as well. Even if they say “grain-free” they usually contain tapioca or cassava, a refined starch that works well in gluten free foods, but does your body no favors in terms of health or carbohydrate control.

• Vegetable Seed Oils—It’s super important to avoid omega 6 fats as much as you possibly can. Stay away from any foods that contain corn, soybean, canola, sunflower, or other vegetable oils—except extra virgin olive oil. Omega 6 fats from these vegetable seed oils create high levels of an inflammatory cytokine called interluekin-6 (IL-6). In studies, it has been shown that ingesting these fats definitely increases inflammation in joints.

Avoid salad dressings, pre-made sauces, any foods that are fried (especially from a restaurant), and anything labeled “vegetable oil”. These foods generally contain some variety of vegetable oil. Fortunately, there are a few food items available in the grocery stores these days that contain avocado oil instead of vegetable seed oils. Avocado oil is a whole different type of oil and is healthy for you. Just be sure to read the ingredients to be sure that avocado is the only oil used.

Far better fats for your aching joints are the more healing fats like grass fed butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and a diet heavy in fatty fish or omega 3 supplements. These oils are anti-inflammatory to all parts of your body.

• Nightshades–While some people find that nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers of all kinds and eggplant can aggravate inflammatory responses, I have found that just avoiding white potatoes can help ease the pain of arthritis. On top of that, white potatoes are often fried in the above offending oils, so eating foods like french fries and potato chips can often deliver a double whammy of inflammation.

Sweet potatoes and squashes are much friendlier to the body and low on the inflammation scale.

• Conventional Meat–Conventionally raised cattle raised on corn and grains, tend to be higher in omega 6 fatty acids and lower in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. Grain-fed, conventional meat is a potential source of inflammation due to the different fatty acid profile–along with the antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals used in raising that type of meat. Grass fed meat yields a higher ratio of omega 3’s to the omega 6, making it a better choice to avoid inflammation.

Grass fed dairy, pasture raised eggs, and wild caught fish—are all higher in beneficial omega 3 fats.

Foods and Nutrients that Help Relieve Arthritis

• Foods high in sulfur often are beneficial to those with arthritis. Sulfur helps to reduce joint inflammation. Sulfur contains a form of methylsufonylmethane (MSM) which has been shown to lower pain and help to restore function to inflamed joints. Best sources of sulfur containing foods include turkey, beef, eggs, fish, and chicken, as well as vegetables containing allium such as onions, leeks, scallions, garlic. Cruciferous vegetables also contain lots of sulfur, which is why they taste good, but don’t always smell so great.

• Collagen is another nutrient that is excellent for arthritis. Collagen contains two amino acids, proline, and glycine, that are building blocks for connective tissue and cartilage. Bone broth and meat–especially beef, pork, lamb, and poultry contain good quality collagen. Bone broth also contains chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine which are anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Another great source of collagen is chicken feet—try them in a soup or stew, if you feel brave enough!

• Vitamin D3 from the sun or supplements can also improve osteoarthritis. Vitamin D helps to protect and prevent osteoporosis which increases the risk of osteoarthritis. In a study published in Clinical Rheumatology, it was found that participants who had low dietary vitamin D intake had an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis. Low vitamin D levels also contribute to lower bone mineral density, and those participants were at even higher risk of osteoarthritis.

• Omega 3 fats in the form of fatty fish or grass-fed meat have been proven to be anti-inflammatory and soothing to joints. In the Sept issue of the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, researchers reported results of a study with that found omega-3 fatty acids reduced many of the signs of osteoarthritis.

“This study is the first to look at both cartilage and subchondral bone changes with increased dietary [intake of] omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids,” says John Tarlton of the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences. Other clinical studies over the past 20 years have shown repeatedly that omega 3 is essential for inflammatory conditions like osteoarthritis.

• Glucosamine is a natural substance that helps to produce joint cartilage. When a person has osteoarthritis, the glucosamine synthesis is defective. Supplementation with glucosamine, however, is beneficial. In addition to providing raw material for joints, the presence of glucosamine seems to stimulate the body to produce more material to protect the joints. Glucosamine has been shown to slow down progression of the disease and relieve some of the painful symptoms.

• Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is protective for joints and is proven useful in treating osteoarthritis. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide scientific evidence that standardized turmeric extract (typically 1000 mg/day of curcumin) treatment can reduce pain and swelling in osteoarthritis—as well as using medications such as ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium. Curcumin extract is available a supplement, but the most delicious way to enjoy the benefits of turmeric is to eat Indian food and curries.

While it sounds counterintuitive, movement, exercise, and weight training can all potentially help improve the pain of osteoarthritis. Lifting weights helps support the formation of stronger bones and healthier cartilage. But don’t leave out a variety of cardio activities like hiking, biking and even sprinting to help reduce the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis. The toughest part is the start. Once you are warmed up, movement and exercise can feel really good.

One of the more recent findings is cold plunge therapy for arthritis, but more research is needed. One small study conducted in 2011 found that cyclists who completed intense training sessions had decreased soreness after they were immersed in cold water for 10 minutes.

Another study from 2016 of 20 participants showed similar findings. Athletes who soaked in a pool of cold water (12°C to 15°C) reported less muscle soreness than those who had no hydrotherapy after exercising. The reason that cold water helps ease pain and soreness is that the cold water tends to reduce swelling and inflammation. It stands to reason that this type of therapy can also help osteoarthritis sufferers as well.

Not only does cold therapy reduce inflammation, but it also helps to lower levels of anxiety and depression as well. The cold stimulates epinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine, which all contribute to an improved mood. Cold plunge therapy following a workout is especially helpful for those with arthritis.

Although osteoarthritis is a very common disease of aging joints, it does not necessarily have to be a part of aging. Arthritis is a condition of inflammation, so paying attention to diet and lifestyle factors is extremely important to avoid this painful condition. As always, taking care of your health and eating an anti-inflammatory diet, getting good sleep and regular exercise are important pillars for your overall health and optimal aging.

Along with taking care of your health and improving your eating habits, our friends at UpWellness have created this easy 3-Sec Quiz to get your chronic inflammation under control once and for all.  Take this 3-Sec quiz now.

Do you wake up in the morning with stiff joints or pain in your hips, back, knees or elbows? Then chances are you’re feeling the effects of chronic inflammation taking its toll on your body.

The good news is that it is NEVER too late to help get this under control. And the best part is there are certain foods that help you do this naturally, without the need for prescriptions medications.

3-Sec Quiz: What is the #1 Anti-inflammatory Food?

A: Turmeric
B: Onion
C: Pineapple
D: Black Pepper
E: Other

Make your selection above or click here to skip straight to the answer.

Remember, it’s NEVER too late to get chronic inflammation under control. You just need to know how to do it.

Click here to discover the #1 anti-inflammatory food =>

References
https://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/gluten-and-arthritis#arthritis-celiac-disease-and-gluten
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteophyte/
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html
https://www.healthline.com/health/arthritis#symptoms
https://draxe.com/health/effective-all-natural-treatments-for-arthritis/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/arthritis-diet/
https://examine.com/search/?q=osteoarthritis
https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-sulfur
https://www.lifeextension.com/newsletter/2011/10/study-finds-potential-for-omega-3-fatty-acids-in-prevention-and-treatment-of-arthritis
https://www.lifeextension.com/newsletter/2009/12/omega-3-fatty-acids-boost-glucosamines-arthritis-benefit

The post 10 Things You Can Do to Improve Arthritis 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

Back in the days of primal man, they would catch a wild animal to eat and they weren’t just eating boneless, skinless grilled muscle meat. Nope. Primal man basically ate the average land animal from nose to tail. Did you know that close to half the weight of a cow is the ‘non-meat’ stuff? Bones, tendons, skin, cartilage and other connective tissue. There are good reasons for eating all those parts. They are full of collagen. Our bodies actually function best eating not only the muscle meat of an animal but the collagen as well.

While the protein in meat is no doubt healthy, we need the amino acids in the collagenous materials as well. We actually require plentiful amounts of collagen to live longer, healthier, and look and move better.

As we age, we continually lose collagen, so it’s super important to replace the lost collagen. A big part of the aging process has to do with the breakdown of collagen. Sagging and thinning skin, stiff joints, shortened stature, stooped posture, easy bruising are all the visible signs of aging from collagen breakdown.

Collagen actually has far-reaching health benefits that include longevity and protecting your body from some of the more serious diseases of aging.

1. Longevity

Collagen contains the amino acid, glycine, our bodies need adequate amounts of glycine and we cannot create enough on our own. An average person needs approximately 10 grams of glycine to cover all of our physical needs. Unfortunately, our bodies only make about 3 grams per day, most of us only get about 1.5-3 grams from diet—if that. That means we cannot make enough on our own and need supplemental glycine to function optimally.

Collagen is about 1/3 glycine, so a 12 gram serving of collagen—about a heaping scoop of collagen peptides—will give you plenty of glycine to cover the deficit.

Here’s another thing: meat contains a substance called methionine. Studies show that that the more methionine eaten, the shorter the lifespan—unless it’s balanced with glycine. Glycine has been shown in studies with mice to extend lifespan.

There are also some human studies that would suggest this, too:

• People with low glycine levels and high meat intakes have been shown as more likely to have diabetes. However, people with higher glycine levels and high meat intakes had no health issues.
• Meanwhile, high levels of glycine predict better blood sugar control.
• Patients with chronic kidney disease often have low glycine levels.

So, it appears that higher levels of glycine are linked to better health and lower levels of glycine linked to poorer health across a broad range of conditions.

Meat is a very healthy part of a diet, and has been a vital part of the human diet for hundreds of thousands of years, but most of us more modern folks tend to eat just muscle meat—boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lean steak and pork chops—instead of fat, bones, skin, and tendons, etc., and that is just plain not healthy. Increasing your collagen, then, could balance out the meat intake by providing ample glycine.

2. Sleep

Sleep—One of the best, non-drug sleep remedies is a warm drink with collagen before bed. You can also use bone broth which has collagen in it. Why does this work so well?

This goes back to the glycine in the collagen. Glycine enhances our body’s production of serotonin, a brain chemical. Research shows collagen with glycine elevates serotonin, reduces symptoms of insomnia, and improves sleep quality. Other studies suggest it may help you bounce back to a healthier sleep cycle after a period of disrupted sleep or changing time zones.

This is because at night, serotonin is turned into melatonin, our sleep hormone. Glycine also helps to lower the body’s core temperature, which helps someone get to sleep quicker and actually sleep more soundly, with more quality REM sleep. It also helps people perform better the next day as well.

3. Younger, Stronger Skin

Skin contains a lot of collagen. Collagen actually forms the structure of our skin and holds it up and makes it look smooth. Think of the poles that hold up a tent. That’s what collagen does for your skin. It’s when that structure begins to break down that we get wrinkles and deep creases in our skin. The good news is that collagen provides the fundamental substances that help our bodies make more collagen. And the benefits of collagen are well-documented in these two studies:

• This 2014 study, for example, showed that 2.5 grams of collagen a day resulted in a 20% reduction in facial wrinkles from just 8 weeks of collagen supplementation, with the smoothing effects extending even a month or so after supplementation was discontinued.

• Another study found that 1 gram of chicken cartilage daily collagen over 12 weeks led to a 76% reduction in skin dryness and a 13% reduction in wrinkles. Researchers were actually able to see a substantial increase in collagen within the skin dermis that came from the supplementation.

• More good news, 6 months of collagen supplementation even reduces the appearance of cellulite.

However, in order for our bodies to effectively make and use collagen, it’s important to get enough vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C is considered a cofactor for collagen synthesis and to regenerate collagen in the skin. Collagen also needs the help of vitamins A and E and zinc.

Sure, having smooth skin is great for getting compliments from your friends but it’s not just a superficial benefit. The age of your face is actually considered to be one of the better predictors of your overall health, so the quality of your skin reflects the health of your insides as well.

4. Immune Function

Lately, everyone wants to know how to boost their immune function, and that’s a good thing. Collagen not only helps to reduce inflammation—especially in the gut—which is intricately connected to the immune system, but it also contains amino acids very important to optimal immune function. Glycine, glutamic acid or glutamine, and arginine have been shown to help regulate the inflammatory process and support the immune function.

Glycine as we know is a big part of collagen and has long been considered an amino acid that has strong anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it also helps to modulate the immune system, meaning that it helps the immune function work effectively without overreacting.

Glycine also helps boost the functionality of macrophages (our cells’ scavengers) , which in turn, go after damaging free radicals and inflammatory cytokines.

In addition, some research suggests that collagen protein may play a role in fighting infection. In a recent study, it was found that collagen has a positive effect on the immune system by activating Natural Killer cells and macrophages in the lymphatic system.

Another amino acid in collagen is L-glutamine. L-glutamine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in humans and has been shown to help regulate the immune system function. Immune cells largely depend on glutamine’s availability to defend our body against pathogens. L-glutamine also supports the immune system by activating lymphocytes and macrophages, and regulating the availability of glutathione—one of our key protective antioxidants.

Glutamine has been shown to help reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections in athletes, (and other folks as well) according to this article published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

And then there’s arginine. Arginine is also a necessary amino acid. It serves as a precursor to nitric oxide (NO), a compound that plays an important role in many functions in the body, including immune system activation.

Arginine supports both the innate and adaptive immune systems, and the improves the T-cells’ ability to resist infection. Like glutamine, arginine supplementation may be necessary to maintain adequate levels in the body to support optimal immune function.

5. Gut Health

Our gut health has much to do with almost every other aspect of our health, including brain function, immune function and of course, helping digest and assimilate our food. When the gut is inflamed, due to a poor diet of processed foods, gluten, grains and other inflammatory foods, small holes in the very thin lining of the small intestine can leak undigested food proteins into the bloodstream. This can exacerbate inflammation as well as cause food allergies/sensitivities. This happens frequently in people with celiac disease, IBS and Crohn’s.

These disorders can often become debilitating. These painful conditions cause irritation and inflammation in the gut, leading to painful symptoms and nutrient malabsorption, along with severe nutrient deficiencies. Collagen helps restore and heal the gastrointestinal lining, while glutamine, an amino acid in collagen, reduces inflammation.

6. Brain Health

Collagen has actually been found to have protective benefits for the neurons in the brain. A specific type of collagen, type VI, forms a barrier to help protect the brain against amyloid-beta proteins that are believed to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Recent studies have also identified collagen’s amazing ability to help repair and regenerate the Central Nervous System (CNS), making it the perfect material for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injuries, and dementia.

7. Athletic Performance

Collagen plays a fundamental role in the musculoskeletal system including cartilage, joints, tendons, ligaments and bones. To ensure maximum mobility, it is vital that high collagen levels are maintained throughout the musculoskeletal system.

A recent clinical study performed in the UK demonstrated that the subjects who were supplemented with collagen experienced 20% less muscle soreness after intense exercise, compared with those who received a placebo dose. The subjects also reported an increase in sports performance, along with accelerated recovery from training. Because collagen is a protein containing high levels of certain amino acids it offers performance and recovery benefits that go far beyond plain protein supplementation. Collagen not only supplements muscle regeneration, it helps to build and maintain strong tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue.

Studies backing the multiple benefits of collagen peptides in supporting connective tissues include:

• Regenerating cartilage and reducing joint inflammation
• Reducing joint discomfort
• Supporting connective tissues
• Preventing injuries, especially repetitive use injuries

There is good evidence that collagen supplementation speeds up healing time for all types of injuries, whether to the brain, the body tissues, the skin or muscle and connective tissue. It is a safe bet that taking extra collagen can also speed up the healing time from any wound or trauma that requires the laying down of new collagen.

What type of collagen should I take?

Collagen is contained in the skin, tendons and cartilage of meat and poultry–or if you are ambitious you can make your own collagen broth from boiling chicken feet or cooking bone marrow.

If you’re like me, it’s easier to just add collagen powder to your morning coffee, smoothies or nighttime tea. Collagen comes flavored or plain, and generally has no taste.

There are 3 different forms of collagen: hydrolyzed collagen, collagen peptides, and collagen hydrolysate. These types make it easier for the body to break down and utilize. Is there a difference? Not really. All are broken down to make it easier to absorb and put it use.

There are actually 16 different types of collagen, but that being said, types I, II, and II make up about 90% of the collagen in the body. Collagen is made of amino acids. When you ingest any type of collagen, it’s broken down in your body to amino acids so your body can use it. Do you need specific kinds of collagen to work properly for the appropriate body functions? No, not really. The body breaks down the collagen into amino acids and the collagen is used wherever it is needed.

Want to start looking AND feeling younger? Start adding some quality collagen into your daily regimen.

References
https://www.bubsnaturals.com/blogs/blog/collagen-benefits
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210150713.htm
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201902/4-sleep-benefits-glycine
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-collagen-peptides-protein/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15490264/
https://www.vitalproteins.com/blogs/wellness/how-to-boost-your-immune-system

The post 7 Things You Never Knew About Collagen appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.