The Brain of the Gut

What do I mean by ‘The Brain of the Gut’?   

Our brain/spinal/nervous systems and our digestive systems started out as the same embryonic tissue.  

This rod of tissue at some point divided in two.  One half developed into the brain, spine and nervous system.  The other half become a hollow tube and became our digestive system.  

There are more nerves surrounding the stomach than any other organ in the body.  Often we teach ourselves to ignore our 'gut' reactions.  Even a dog knows not to eat while fatigued, upset or under stress.  Humans will even go so far as to condition themselves to eat specifically when they are upset.  Many people can't discern when they are hungry or differentiate between hunger and thirst.

It takes the first 8 years of our life to create an engine of digestion.  Some people do not achieve this development for many reasons.  Unrelenting stress, socially, nutritionally, or ecologically can have a detrimental effect on the growth and strength of our digestion system for the rest of our lives unless effort and attention is taken to heal this system.  

Elaine Gottscall's work as been helpful for many to reclaim digestive balance.  Fermented foods such as yogurt, keifer, sauerkraut and sourdough can educate our digestive tract to handle dairy foods, vegetables and grains.

Digestive Enzyme supplementation can really make an improvement if one often feels comatose, bloated or gassy after eating.  Often it is not only a matter of what one eats but whether there are enough plant enzymes to ‘catalyze the fire’, turning food into energy on a cellular level.  For some people, there is a need to ‘prime the pump’ and get the digestive secretions going.  Digestive tonics such as Agrimony Combo, Cheladonium Plex or bitters like artichoke or dandelion can really aid in creating a more efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients.

 

Food supplements are just that; they expand the body’s ‘nutritional pool’.  Supplements will not make up for habitual ongoing poor food choices. When I recommend nutritional supplements I want to find the big performers first. What nutrition specifically increases a person’s energy and vitality by 20% or more?  The form and source of these supplements may be a big concern for those who have a suffering/struggling  digestive engine.

Working through digestive issues requires patience and care. The digestive system is such a sensitive system which we impact with every aspect of our lives.  I recommend Specialized Kinesiology food testing, as much to see what foods do work well in the system.  Sensitive testing methods will help people to make personalized choices. It gives us a chance to know what foods to avoid as well. For example some people have trouble digesting gluten or the starch/protein combinations that are present in most grains and beans.

Amaranth, teff and quinoa have been used by many people as staples to replace other grains in the diet.  These are all gluten free and easy to digest.   Generally, rice is another good choice. 

I have never cooked with teff, but  Phoo-d knows how.  Miss Phoo-d has been an adventurous and committed Foodite blogger.  I have enjoyed following her for the last year or so.  She has made some extreme adjustments to her diet for health reasons  and (lucky us!) shares her food knowledge and experiences with us.

 How to work with Quinoa

Find (1Cup) of the largest, whitest Quinoa you can find (organic Bolivian)

Quinoa has a resin on the outside which will be bitter is you don’t rinse like mad

Put the one cup of grain in a large measuring cup add cool water.

Whisk vigorously and drain carefully

Repeat this rinse at least 5 times and cover with clean water to the 4 cup mark

Soak for at least 2 to 8 hours on counter. If you are not ready to cook it right away you can put grain and water and all in the fridge.  What you are looking for is that the quinoa grain will almost triple in size

Before cooking drain carefully and rinse and whisk the Quinoa another 5 times.

Transfer to a good rice pot and add (1 cup) of water

Bring to a full boil and stir well. 

Put lid on and turn heat to lowest setting

Time for 15 minutes then take pot off heat and let rest for another 5 minutes.  You want an el dente grain. Don’t overcook!

Take off the lid right away and fluff with a fork.

For a side grain, serve as is.  As a salad grain, let it cool.

Quinoa Tabouli

Soak ¼ Cup Sunflower seeds and ¼ Cup pumpkin seeds in filtered water for 1 hour (I use a mason jar)

Mix basic white wine vinaigrette, in a medium salad bowl,

½ Cup light tasting oil, I like Koroneiki Olive Oil

¼ Cup white wine vinegar

Herbamere/Sea Salt

1 Cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 Cup Cucumber diced

½ Cup Green onions chopped

1 Cup Red pepper diced

1 Cup Parsley chopped

Rinse and strain the seeds and add to vegetables

Mix well to coat with dressing.

Add quinoa and toss gently to mix

Quinoa has a very delicate flavor and can be overpowered by strong herbs or strong flavoured oils, so keep flavours light 

Cover and marinate in fridge for 1 hour or so. 

Food and health are so profoundly connected.  Our food styles are very unique and personal to us.  Diet choices are always evolving as we evolve.  I think that awareness (intuition and knowledge) is the key. 

Enjoy the bounty and keep well_

Nelda

Sports and Female Nutrition

Women are exceptional and successful world class athletes, but women have the extra stress of the female cycle.  Hormones and menstruation are a huge factor in athletic performance.  Higher and cyclical nutritional needs require a constant monitor and awareness of the flux in a woman’s body.

What makes an athlete?  It is the exceptional ability to pump huge volumes of blood quickly through the heart, liver and lungs.  Blood cleansers such as Red Clover, Nettles and Chlorophyll can help to clean the blood and decongest the liver.  For women, herbs such as Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry) are helpful to bio-degrade hormones in the liver.

Notes on iron
Track your cycle to make sure your iron is up before your period starts, this can be done with beets, blue and black berries, beet greens, red meat, barley malt, and black strap molasses. Miso and tamari sauce are good to increase B12.  Floradix liquid tonic by Salushaus (Flora) is the only worthy iron supplement is my opinion.  It also will work as a mild detoxifier for the liver.  If you have had problems with constipation while on iron supplements, this highly digestible and absorbable food form will be a much better choice.

Antioxidants

Athletic performance increases the body’s production of free radicals. We choose to exercise to feel better and look younger, but end up damaging and aging our cells at an increased rate.

Free radicals are reactive compounds that can damage the cells that they come into contact with. Although impossible to avoid, we need to minimize our exposure to free radicals while simultaneously supporting our body’s ability to neutralize them.  Unless kept in check, excessive free radicals can cause a chain reaction that contributes to the erosion of good health. This is why berries and specifically a concentrated berry supplement should be thought of as one of our most effective defenses.

What is ORAC?  The latest scientific standard for measuring the antioxidant properties of food is in ORAC units (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). ORAC measures the total antioxidant capacity of a food or nutrient and can help us to understand its antioxidant strength. This is where berry concentrates really shine. 

Green food supplements

Each little scoop offers the health promoting properties of a whole days’ worth of veggies. Greens foods are highly alkaline, full of wonderful phytonutrients and should be considered one of the cornerstones of any supplement program. A berry supplement should be thought of in the same way.

Berry concentrates and green foods both offer tremendous health benefits, but the most complete nutritional strategy includes a serving of each.

In praise of the noble Avocado

Many years ago I had a friend who bicycled over 40 miles so that she could purchase one avocado.  At the time I thought she was stark raving bonkers!  I now can understand why she saw the Avocado as an essential food worth going ‘the extra mile’.

It is interesting that the signature of the avocado is shaped like the womb and cervix of the female and it takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. It contains about 141 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition including Essential Fatty Acids, glutathione and Vitamin C.  When a woman eats one avocado a week, it helps to nourish the glands and help to balance the hormones. It feeds the brain, joints and skin.

This amazing fruit easily adds a creamed texture to any food.  Mashed and added to a vinaigrette is instantly becomes a cream dressing loaded with nutritional value.  It can be whipped with a little agave syrup and vanilla extract to make an amazing dairy free ‘whipped cream’ dip for fresh fruit. Try it in sandwiches and salads.  Try it as a milkshake by adding it to rice, almond or soy milk.

Getting More Food-based Calcium

Japanese Gomasio

Rinse 1 cup of organic brown sesame seeds in sieve under tepid running water

Let drain

Use dry cast iron skillet –medium, medium-low heat 

Cut dulse into very small bits

Toast dulse in pan until it is dry and crisp

Add 1 tsp Celtic salt –ground fine

Up end sieve and dump in sesame seeds all at once

Spread lightly over bottom of skillet and leave it to dry for a bit without stirring

When it releases from the bottom, stir gently and fairly constantly (you may need to reduce heat)

This is ready when seeds are fragrant, slightly golden and hollow

Cool slightly and store in an airtight jar.

To release the calcium and minerals inside the seed, grind the seeds coarsely with a mortar and pestle or small coffee grinder just before serving.

For an interesting and calcium rich salad dressing, grind about ¼ cup with mortar and pestle, or small coffee grinder and add to any Balsamic Vinaigrette. 

To get more calcium working with foods, remember anything that has structure, has more calcium.  For example, brussel sprouts have more calcium content than leaf lettuce.

Just as soaking beans for 8 hours activates the enzymes and makes the beans easier to digest, so is true with nuts and seeds. 

Soak organic almonds overnight in pure water.  Drain in the morning and eat 6 or so 2x daily.  Soak organic pumpkin and sunflower seeds in pure water for about one hour.  Drain and add as a topping to salad or rice.  Instead of a dry waxy crunch, you will now have a tender and fresh food crunch.

Boil a heaping teaspoon of Oatstraw in a pint of water for 5 minutes and then use this water for making tea.  Nettles would be a safe choice to increase iron as well as performing as a natural diuretic.  Mineral rich Alfalfa would be a great choice.  Put something else fun in it for flavour.  I like cranberry juice, or lemon/lime juice.

Keep in mind that it is not only the calcium we ingest, but the calcium that we deplete. 

Nutritionist, Anna Marie Colbin has a published a great deal of research regarding the calcium bandits and their effects over a long period of time.  Acid based foods draw calcium to buffer from our system.  Coffee, and sugar and especially carbonated beverages are huge calcium thieves.  So it’s not only what we eat, but what we don’t.

A Miracle Grain

Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that is a nutrient power house. Quinoa is very high in protein (14% by mass) and is also considered a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 amino acids required for a human diet. It is high in calcium – making it a great selection for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant. It also has good amounts of phosphorous, iron and fibre.

Higher in monounsaturated fats than wheat and grain, quinoa is very heart healthy. It also contains small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.

At one time only available in specialty or health food stores, quinoa is now widely available at grocery stores. The standard quinoa is off-white, however black and red quinoa is also available. It is an extremely versatile ingredient and can be substituted in for a recipe that calls for a whole grain. The flavour is mellow enough that it can accompany many flavour profiles.

Quinoa is cooked similarly to rice. When cooked, quinoa will quadruple in volume (1 cup dry will yield 4 cups cooked). For the most part, quinoa should be rinsed before cooking

Cooked quinoa can be enjoyed hot or cold. Store dry quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge for three to six months. Cooked quinoa can be stored refrigerated about three days.
 Quinoa flour is also available and is used commonly in gluten-free baked goods.

Cooking Quinoa

(1Cup) of the largest, whitest Quinoa you can find (organic Bolivian)

I have found a great brand from Cosco – ‘Tru Roots’ organic

*Quinoa has a resin on the outside which will be bitter is you don’t rinse like mad

Put the one cup of grain in a large measuring cup add cool water.

Whisk vigorously and drain carefully

Repeat this rinse at least 5 times and cover with clean water to the 4 cup mark

Soak for at least 2 to 8 hours on counter. If you are not ready to cook it right away you can put grain and water and all in the fridge.  What you are looking for is that the quinoa grain will almost triple in size

Before cooking drain carefully and rinse and whisk the Quinoa another 5 times.

Transfer to a good rice pot and add (1 cup) of water

Bring to a full boil and stir well. 

Put lid on and turn heat to lowest setting

Time for 15 minutes then take pot off heat and let rest for another 5 minutes.  You want an el dente grain. Don’t overcook!

Take off the lid right away and fluff with a fork.

For a side grain, serve as is.  As a salad grain, let it cool.

Option:  Throw in chopped spinach or swiss card and let the greens wilt.

Quinoa Tabouli Salad:

Soak ¼ Cup Sunflower seeds and ¼ Cup pumpkin seeds in filtered water for 1 hour (I use a mason jar)

Mix basic white wine vinaigrette, in a medium salad bowl,

½ Cup light tasting oil, I like Koroneiki Olive Oil

¼ Cup white wine vinegar

Herbamere/Sea Salt

1 Cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 Cup Cucumber diced

½ Cup Green onions chopped

1 Cup Red pepper diced

1 Cup Parsley chopped

Rinse and strain the seeds and add to vegetables

Mix well to coat with dressing.

Add quinoa and toss gently to mix

Quinoa has a very delicate flavor and can be overpowered by strong herbs or strong flavoured oils, so keep flavours light 

Cover and marinate in fridge for 1 hour or so.

In regard to the Quinoa Salad, I have used the basic recipe but substituted cooked rice or wild rice/rice or even potatoes that were cooked and left over.

I always have fresh mint/parsley growing in pots outside and add this to any food I eat during spring/summer/fall.  For potatoes, I like a lemon/olive oil dressing.  By soaking nuts and seeds you have easily digestible essential fats and a way to up your protein.

Mineral Balance
The other addition I might suggest if you are beginning to exercise or are in the peak of training/competition especially in the summer heat is a supplement called Endurolyte, which is a supplement that replaces electrolytes lost during exercise.  It is much like Gator-aid but without the sugar and nasty colour chemicals.

Women Who Run
There is little difference between ‘running’ and ‘on the run’.  Any woman who has a lifestyle that is extra demanding can use extra nutritional support.  Often women look after everyone else and let themselves get run down. 

The one constant in life is change
A Specialized Kinesiology assessment can determine what your current personal nutritional needs are.  We are at our best when we follow a personal and individualized program that changes as our lifestyle changes. 

Bridging the Gap between Food and Health

Why is it that as a Medical Intuitive I go on and on about food? 

I am seeing more and more people who have chronically disregard the relationship between good health and good food.  Over the past 24 years of private practise I have dramatically osculated back and forth from looking at the needs of the physical body as a priority vs. focusing on the mental, emotion and spiritual issues. Truly it is both. 

 In the past few years I think I have found a balance. 

The current ‘politically correct medical and scientific group-think’ would have you believe that there is no reason to alter your food or make any dramatic changes to your lifestyle even if you’re faced with a debilitating and uncomfortable health issue.  This kind of stupidity drives me crazy.  To me it is obvious that most common health complaints have at least one chronic root. Your first clue to this truth is that bridging the gap between food and health won’t make anyone rich.  Living consciously is just good sense.

I am a Medical Intuitive who will rag at you to eat better generally and specifically.  Truly a person can hardly begin to do the much needed deep inner work or have the gumption it takes to confront wrongness in the home.  The stamina to correct and restore intimate relationships can hardly happen when one is starving and exhausted.  This is true even if the social ‘wrongness’ is at the root of our exhaustion.  In most cases our healing priority includes building up the physical body and creating some reserve stamina in our glands, tissues and bones

. 

The science of nutrition will analyse the enzymes and vitamins and minerals to the nth degree.  Energy Practitioners however look to the vibration of food and assessing food through its optimum energy value. For example if one finds themselves chronically tired and run down, a good place to begin is a review of their food choices.    

As much as it is important to eliminate most of the non-food items we consume and lean towards fresh food, I invite you to go further and ask some deeper questions.

• ·         Are you eating food from grown from exhausted ground?

• ·         Is your produce grown in toxic ground because of agri-business chemical residues?

• ·         Is your food grown using sustainable farming methods?

• ·         Is the ground nourished with natural fertilizer?

• ·         Is your food produced locally (within 100 miles)?

• ·         Do you know your food producer well enough to ask about current growing conditions and challenges?

• ·         Will your food producer entertain making changes to meet your personal needs and preferences in any way?

 

Our growing season (read ‘our personal health-building window’) is so short; do take the time to set up the best supply of real food that you can find in your locality.

• ·         Cultivate a little backyard garden or experiment with container gardening. 

• ·         Rent a plot in a community garden.

• ·         Sign up for a CSA Garden share (Community Supported Agriculture).

Find a creative way to grow your own paradise.  The bottom line is that when we feel strong and nourished we can more easily take on the rest of life’s problems.

Keep well, eat well and have a lovely summer_ 

Nelda