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Health and Wellness Articles

Ayurvedic Diet - Guidelines for Healthy Eating Wisdom for Best Digestion

7/19/2021

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Ayurvedic Diet - Guidelines For Healthy Eating


Ayurvedic Diet - Guidelines For Healthy Eating.

Did you know that as soon as you LOOK at your food, your brain tells your digestive system to start secreting specific enzymes to digest specific foods--it's an amazing historical system that REMEMBERS how to digest foods you've eaten before!

Did you also know your brain prioritizes and engages in a low level of distraction, or sensory input all...the...time?

What does this mean for digestion, you ask? Well, if you're engaged in work, TV, movies, even really intense or emotional conversation, while you eat, your brain will prioritize the other stuff before it works on digestion. Those digestive enzymes, bile salts, etc. aren't going to be produced as accurately or as effectively as they could have been.

This means you're more likely to get gas, bloating, cramping, even diarrhea directly after a meal you ate when watching TV or doing work versus a meal you ate, calmly, free of technology, and in a peaceful environment.

This is why Ayurveda says 80-85% of digestive problems can be solved not by what you eat but HOW you eat.

So next time you sit down, try these Ayurvedic Diet Healthy Eating Guidelines:

1) Step away from work and technology (all screens, including phones, TV, tablets, etc.).  If possible, sit outside or in a peaceful environment.  Make your eating area/dining table beautiful to look at with fresh flowers, pretty cloth napkins, etc.  Make this seemingly mundane habit SACRED.  This is, after all, how you nourish, heal, and produce bodily tissue.  

2) Once you sit down, close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths or say grace, express silent gratitude, or feel love for all the plants, animals, and people who contributed to the meal in front of you.  If you eat with your family or friends, see if they'd like to join you.  If you're shy and in a group, just take a deep breath to calm and ground yourself before digging in--no one has to know.  

3) Once you begin eating, CHEW THOROUGHLY.  This can be life-changing for some.  If you're like me, you've been "scarfing" down your food for a lifetime, maybe always finishing your plate first.   Instead, focus on the act of chewing.  There is no magic number; just try to chew each bite until the food is a consistent texture.  This can take care of SO many digestive issues for most.  

4) If you're alone, enjoy the silence.  It's only a few minutes, after all, and it's a great way to get yourself "used to" being with yourself, especially if you have resistance to a meditation practice.  This can be a big step in that direction.  If you're in a group, keep the conversation uplifting and light; now is not the time to bring up politics or religion...two topics sure to cause indigestion.  

5) Eat only until your are about 70% full.  This will differ from person-to-person, but a nice guide can be your cupped hands.  If you can eyeball what amount of food might fit into them (it's actually quite a bit), you'll just about hit the 70% full mark for your build/structure (ie. the bigger the person, the larger the bone structure/hands, the larger the amount of food; vice-versa for a smaller person with a smaller build and smaller stomach). This is a great way to maintain or get back to your ideal weight for your particular structure and metabolism. 

But give yourself time to find what 70% is .  You shouldn't be hungry for at least 3 hours if you eat just enough.  If you're bloated or not hungry again for 5+ hours, you probably ate too much.  Hungry again after just 2 hours?  You might need to eat a bit more.  Experiment and be patient as you get back in touch with your natural hunger and fullness cues.  It can take time.  

5) After you eat, sit for 10-15 minutes.  I love to use this time to read for pleasure.  It's a wonderful segue between eating/digestion and getting back into the workday.  If you truly don't have time to enjoy a few minutes of sitting after a meal, at least take 3 deep breaths or take one more moment of silence to keep your nervous system calm and grounded before getting back into your workday or activities.  

6) Avoid drinking cold liquids with your meal.  This slows down and impairs digestion.  In addition, limit any liquid with meals to just 1/2 cup of warm or room temperature water or herbal tea.  Any more will, again, interfere with digestion.  

7) Wait to eat again for 3 or more hours before eating again to allow food to pass through all 3 stages of digestion (stomach, small intestines, and large intestines).  If you simply wait until you have natural hunger cues (stomach "rumbling"), you're set.  This, again, just like the 70% full rule might take some time if you're used to working through meals or ignoring bodily urges because of busy-ness or creative pursuits.  

If you eat too soon, you'll take away energy from the stage of digestion in which your last meal or snack still is.  It's like dumping raw rice on top of half-cooked rice...you'll end up with burnt rice, cooked rice, and some raw rice.  Allow your food to fully pass (fully "cook") through all the digestive stages before eating again.  

8) Consider taking an Ayurvedic Digestive Formula, depending on your prakruti and/or vikruti (Ayurvedic constitution and current imbalance(s)).  You'll want to consult with your Ayurvedic Practitioner to know exactly what you need.  I usually make my patients their formulas, but here are the pre-made formulas I recommend from Banyan Botanicals:
​Vata Digest
Pitta Digest
Kapha Digest


To Learn More About The Ayurvedic Diet - Here is a great article from Banyan Botanicals
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How did you eat today? Let me know if you have any questions or comments! 

meghan@meghanhays.com


Sending love and good digestion to everyone out there!

If you would like to learn more about Ayurveda in general - Visit My About Ayurveda Page
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Meghan Hays is an Ayurvedic practitioner in Salt Lake City.
If you are looking for Ayurveda Salt Lake City or in Park City Utah, please use the e-mail above to contact her for your initial consult or Book Now .

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The "Real Mediterranean Diet"

6/13/2021

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This article is a summary of an article from the February 2020 issue of Eating Well magazine.  Link here.  

In 1948, Leland Allbaugh, an American scientist, was intent upon bringing modern medicine, nutrition, and conveniences to the poorest regions of Greece (whose citizens, then, had the lowest per capita income in Europe). When he made it to Crete, whose citizens had the lowest income levels in Greece, he expected to find a sickly and malnourished population. What he found, instead, inspired many future studies about this region of the world and their abundance of health.

Allbaugh found Cretans had a "surprisingly good" diet, as well as an exceedingly low rate of chronic Western diseases. They had barely any incidence of cancer and only suffered about a third of the heart disease-related deaths as Americans at the time. One of the most interesting things to note was that people on the island of Crete had been eating this way for thousands of years (all the way back to the Minoan period around 2000 BC!).

This study inspired Ancel Keys, Ph.D., to travel to Crete about ten years later. Keys used the island's subjects as a "pilot population" for his "Seven Countries Study." His wife, Margaret, termed Cretans exemplary lifestyle and diet as "The Mediterranean Way."

Here are some of the things Allbaugh found in his 1948 study:

Lesson 1: Carbs, Carbs, Carbs!

OK, don't go grabbing your white bread and Frosted Flakes just yet. Cretans ate an incredibly rough barley bread, or "rusk," and this was the staple of their daily diet; in fact, Allbaugh found that 39% of Cretans' daily calories came from whole grains. Archaeologists, who studied Minoan and early civilizations of Crete, found this whole grain bread was so tough that it actually wore down their teeth.

(Tangent alert! If you've read the incredibly interesting and compelling book Breath by James Nestor, you'll know chewing is incredibly important for the structural health of our human skulls and, therefore, our sinus and upper respiratory structures. In fact, when the advent of "processed" grain (ie. soft bread) came about, our human evolution really suffered, giving us everything from crooked teeth to chronic problems associated with mouth-breathing, snoring, and sleep apnea. Incidentally, if this interests you, I highly recommend this book!)

OK, back to whole grains. So what's the modern lesson here?

Switch to 100% whole wheat or 100% whole-grain bread products (look for sprouted grains, like Ezekiel Breads, for an extra punch of nutrition), and get at least one daily portion of wheat-free grains, like oats or barley...stuff you can sink your teeth into and well, chew. Go for at least 28 grams of fiber a day. Want to regulate your bowel habits and reduce your cholesterol? Eat cooked oats every morning. If you commit to this, I promise your colon and heart health will improve dramatically in a very short amount of time.

Lesson 2: No Sugar for You!

This is incredibly un-fun to write, but Cretans basically ate no sugar. They had a measly 50 calories a day from local honey and grape must. This is about 3 teaspoons of added sugar daily. Guess what Americans are averaging these days? 23 teaspoons daily! This is more than Cretans ate in a week. Yikes. So it's safe to say, Cretans (at least from 2000 BC to 1948 AD) didn't eat desserts or pastries. They ate fresh, seasonal fruit. Even the regional delight "Greek yogurt" is unsweetened. Most of us know excess sugar in the diet not only has implications for higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes, but it's also associated with higher risks of cancer and heart disease.

So what's the take-home message here?

Cut out added sugar by reading labels. Aim to get no more than 25 (women) and 36 (men) added grams of sugar a day. Most labels these days differentiate "Sugars/Added Sugars" from "Carbohydrates." What's more, if you aim for those 28 grams of fiber a day, it'll be tough to also get in that added sugar; in other words, you'll more naturally end up eating whole foods and less added sugar.

Lesson 3: Eat Your Greens...and also Fruits!

This is one of the most interesting "tid-bits" from the article that I found. Around 1450 BC, the Minoans ceased to govern their island, and over many centuries, Crete was conquered and occupied again...and again. These foreign invaders exported all of Crete's best produce: namely, lemons, figs, and raisins. Cretans, therefore, were left to fend for themselves and forage in nature.

Lo and behold, there is a bounty out there to be had by scavengers, and a huge part of Cretans' diets became "horta," a broad array of 100 edible plants, like purslane (containing high amounts of short-chain omega-3 fatty acids, shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes) and dandelion greens (you know, that annoying "weed"...also an Ayurvedic wonder-food that can help ward off liver disease and cancer). Not only did Cretans eat an abundance of wild greens, they also ate a great deal of onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and eggplant, which grow easily in extreme conditions and easily in household gardens.

Similarly, Cretans' "staple fruits" are some of the highest in nutrient density: grapes, pomegranates, and melons (they put Americans' top three fruits, apples, oranges, and bananas, to crying shame). Not to mention the average Cretan consumed 432 pounds of produce annually! Today, each American only gets about 220 pounds annually (neither statistic includes potatoes, by the way...pretty sure most Americans get those in the form of fast-food French fries...).

Lesson here:

Eat plants at every meal, and eat the rainbow--the more variety, the better. Get leafy greens (especially the bitter ones that fight cancer, like kale, chard, dandelion, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower) and colorful fruits (especially dark-colored ones like berries and pomegranates with the most cancer-fighting antioxidants) into your diet everyday. I always add half a cup of mixed berries to my morning oatmeal and cook green veggies into my lunch and dinner.

Lesson 4: OK, here's where you might get happy...because it's where we talk about WINE!

So we all know the studies go back and forth...and back and forth...on health benefits of wine. Are 1-2 drinks beneficial, or is alcohol just plain poison?

Here are some scientific facts: red wine is rich in polyphenols, which are the same antioxidant compounds found in olive oil. These guys keep platelets from building up and clotting blood vessels, improve cholesterol, and improve blood vessel function.

Here are some interesting facts to note about the people of Crete and their wine consumption: Cretans drank mostly red wine ("krasi") and always with meals. This is interesting in that some research suggests there is a synergistic relationship between food and wine that promotes heart health better than drinking wine alone. Speaking of "alone"...wine did exactly the opposite for Cretans. As the article states, "[R]egular wine consumption clearly enhanced a general culture of intergenerational sociability--another key pillar in the health and welfare of the long-live Mediterraneans." They weren't drinking to drink; they drank as part of family-style, sit-down meals, everyday, which led to familial and friendship bonds. This strengthened their hearts and supported their mental health. (This speaks to the difference in how many of us consume our food. While every meal was a family or community event for Cretans; for many of us, meals are just something to get out of the way while we stare at a screen.) Allbaugh says Cretans might not have been completely upfront with how much wine they actually consumed out of fear of judgment from the Americans; his research, however, shows that alcohol only accounted for 1% of their total, daily calories. (BTW: two, 6oz glasses of wine account for over 10% of your total calories, if you were to consume 2000 calories in a day.) So maybe they consumed a lot more wine than they appeared to, but they sure consumed it differently from many in today's world.

Bottom line here:

Don't start drinking if you don't already, and approach everything in moderation. Remember, HOW you consume things often matters more than WHAT you consume. So occasional wine with a meal, shared with people you love, could improve your heart health.

Lesson 5: Fat is Friend--Not Foe!

And here's where we talk about olive oil...lots of olive oil. While only 1% of Cretans' daily calories came from wine, a whopping 40% of their calories came from olive oil. In fact, Allbaugh said, to a foreigner, their food seemed to be "swimming" in oil. Olive oil, incidentally, contains monounsaturated fats, which have been shown to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and raise HDL ("good") cholesterol, which probably accounts (among their other habits) for Cretans low incidences of heart disease.

Experts say that Cretans in the 1940's were probably consuming olive oil harvested when the olives were still green or early-harvested, which means their olive oils were even richer in antioxidants than your typical olive oil. Greener olives contain higher levels of oleocanthal, which is a highly potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects. Oleocanthal has been shown to reduce risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Bottom line:

All extra-virgin olive oils have oleocanthal, but it's worth looking for "early harvest" EVOO, which is a bit more "grassy" than average EVOO. Since EVOO has a higher smoke point (rendering its anti-oxidants basically useless), use it to "finish" meals by drizzling it on veggies, grains, and dishes, and make your dressing out of extra virgin olive oil to punch up the nutrients in your salads.

Lesson 6: Protein from Plants is Power

Even though Cretans would have had access to a very lean, low-in-cholesterol meat from goats, the first domestic animal the Minoans brought to the island around 3000 years ago, they only ate about 7 ounces of goat or other red meat a week (many Americans eat this much in one meal...steak house, anyone?). Cretans, additionally, only at about 6 ounces of fish each week and an average of 2 ounces of poultry a week. This blew my mind!

While there was access to a little fresh milk and cheese, the bulk of Cretans protein came from legumes (think: chickpeas, fava beans, and lentils) and nuts, like almonds, chestnuts, and walnuts. This means, combined with the protein from all those whole grains they were eating, Cretans' diets commanded a whopping 76% of their protein from...you guessed it...PLANTS. With all that heart-healthy fiber and phytonutrients, it's no wonder this community of people had such low risk of heart disease.

Lesson learned:

If you want to live as long and healthfully as the Cretans, make beans and nuts your protein staples, and "garnish" your diet (if you are an omnivore) with lean cuts of meat and poultry several times a month.

Start off slowly, however: if your household is full of carnivores, start out with one day a week of plant-based eating (ie. "Meatless Mondays"); begin to replace red meat with poultry (ground turkey instead of beef or pork); add another day of the week in which you eat seafood-based meals (look for wild-caught over farm-raised fish). Take it one meal at a time, and soon, you'll be trimmer and healthier than you ever thought possible!

Finally, Lesson 7: Portion Control...It's a Thing

So here's one of the most interesting (I know, I know--I think it's all interesting) points to note: when Allbaugh described his study subjects back in 1948, he said they were a pretty hungry bunch. Most Cretans only consumed around 2500 calories a day. You're thinking, "That's a lot of calories, isn't it?" Well, it's about as much as the average, modern American eats, and we mostly sit at desks all day. What you must take into account is the back-breaking physical labor most Cretans did every day; so 2500 calories pretty meager in comparison to actual energy needs.

Additionally, Cretans tended to eat 6 smaller meals a day, instead of 3 squares we are so used to; some studies suggest this is a more effective way of keeping cholesterol and insulin levels in check (both risk factors for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, respectively). Cretans also fasted, in accordance with the Greek Orthodox calendar, on Wednesdays and Fridays (not to mention various religious holidays throughout the year that required the same). This, interestingly, mimics the 5 days of eating and 2 days of fasting a week some studies show can promote longer life span and keep blood sugar levels stable. Things that make you go, "Hmmmm," right?

Take-home:

Pay attention to your portion sizes. Ayurveda says to eat until you're about 70% full so you food has room to "mix" and digest. This is tricky, but if you slow down and pay attention to eating your food (instead of staring at your phone or the TV), you'll begin to find what this means for you. This is also the best way to achieve an ideal body weight for your frame. And, don't worry, if you're hungry again in a few hours, do what the Cretans did and eat another small meal.

I hope you found this as interesting as I did! I think some really important take-homes are: eat more plants and less animal protein AND enjoy your food (and wine!) in good company. The Cretans loved spending time with their families and friends, and they loved
to dance. Isn't that what life is all about anyway: whom we love and who loves us? Bring that joy into every meal, and you'll surely live a little longer...or at least a little more happily. Thanks for reading!

Meghan Hays is an Ayurveda Practitioner in Salt Lake City. If you are looking for Ayurveda or an Ayurvedic Clinic in Salt Lake City, please contact Meghan today. 
 

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Ayurvedic Guide to Intermittent Fasting: What Is It?How to Do It Safely Is it Right for You?

3/11/2020

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I'm sure you've heard all the buzz about "intermittent fasting" lately--and I think it's definitely a buzz-worthy topic with lots of health benefits (more on that below). Did you know, however, that the ancient practice and medical wisdom of Ayurveda has always advocated a certain amount of fasting in your everyday-diet? Yep. For thousands of years, Ayurveda has touted the benefits of keeping your digestive system clean, healthy, and strong by:
  • seasoning your food properly (this will depend upon your unique Ayurvedic constitution),
  • eating only until you are 70% full, and
  • only eating again, once your last meal has been completely digested.
This translates as waiting (or "fasting") at least 3 hours between meals/snacks...4-5 hours is truly best, unless you have hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) tendencies.

Not only should you be "fasting" between meals, but, according to Ayurvedic tenets for optimal health and digestion, you should also finish your last meal at least 3 hours before you hit the hay. Yep, you heard me. This means, if you go to bed at a decent hour (around 10pm), you should finish dinner by 7pm. This is a natural, daily fast of, roughly, about 12-13 hours (if you figure that most people eat breakfast around 7/8am).

"Why should I fast overnight," you ask? I will gladly tell you, if you don't mind a little reading. We should start with the liver, an AH-mazing organ. The liver performs over 500 metabolic functions in the body (whoa!). Some of its functions include the manufacture of bile, which helps us break down and emulsify the fats we eat. It also helps "clean up" the blood, by recycling old red blood cells and dumping those into your bile. Also, did you know that EVERYTHING you eat or put on your skin (and therefore into your bloodstream) must pass through the liver for filtration? Your liver is a hard-working organ, my friends.

And wait! Your liver is not just hard-at-work during the day. Nope, unlike you, who's snoozing away and blissfully unaware, the liver is doing its "janitorial duties" at night. The liver cleans up your blood and removes toxins (or substances it might perceive as "toxic," like gluten, chemicals, metals, etc.) that were stored in the cells of your body throughout the day. So if you eat too closely to bedtime, and your liver has to keep busy by aiding to digest your dinner or bedtime snack, it won't be able to do "clean up on aisle 6." In other words, your liver will be too busy digesting food to mop up the possible garbage you introduced into your system during the day.

Think of it this way: just like you, your liver is less effective at doing its job when it has to multi-task, "splitting" its energy among many different jobs. Let's face it, you know what a crappy night's sleep you get when you pig out right before you go to bed: you're hot, uncomfortable, and keep waking up, only to emerge as "rested" as a passenger on a red-eye flight from Los Angelos to New York City. (Rested? Not...at...all.) This all happens because you've overloaded your digestive system and liver.

So what, exactly, am I trying to tell you?

WE SHOULD ALL BE "INTERMITTENTLY FASTING" ANYWAY, EVERYDAY, ABOUT 12+ HOURS, BETWEEN ABOUT 7PM AND 7/8AM.

Now, are there studies, showing health benefits of longer fasting times? Yes! But what I've just described is a really simple way to get started. Why would you want to try to fast for 14-16 hours (which is what most studies are suggesting you'll want to eventually aim for to really reap the benefits of intermittent fasting), when you can't even go from dinner to breakfast without having a snack? Start with the overnight fast, people--I promise you will suffer so much less!

So what are the benefits of going a little longer on your fast (say, going 14-16 hours, or only eating during an 8-10 hour window)?
  • Well, for starters, you'll probably shed a few pounds. In one study, there was a 3% reduction in weight, BMI, and percent body fat, as well as a 4% reduction in waist circumference for those who limited their eating to about 10 hours out of the day (that's a 14-hour fast).

  • Improved digestion and sleep: I have clients who have all but cured themselves of acid reflux, heartburn, and even insomnia by simply laying off food for just 12 hours! I highly recommend giving this practice a shot if you suffer from any of these disturbances.

  • And while that's nice, the bigger benefits come in the area of blood sugar. Because we have been told for a few decades now that "snacking," or eating every 2-3 hours, is "really good for our metabolisms" (which, I will point out, has absolutely no scientific basis or factual evidence to support it), our blood sugar is constantly elevated. Our liver never gets a chance to grab all that stored fat in our cells because we're constantly supplying it with a usable source of energy/sugar (ie. all those snacks you're eating!). People who fast for 16 hours at a time (which is basically skipping breakfast or dinner), have much healthier and responsive blood glucose markers AND lowered cholesterol (probably because the liver has been better able to process fat/lipids/cholesterol).

  • Additionally, when we give the liver a "break" between meals (just like when we're sleeping), it can do a little clean-up and help rid the body of toxins, dead cells, and even bacteria and viruses. Worried about your immune system these days? Who's not? By fasting (even just overnight, like we should be anyway--see above), you'll improve your immune system and do a "mini-detox" everyday!

  • FINALLY, the cells in your body undergo a process called "apoptosis," which essentially means that a cell dies when it's time to die. If this doesn't happen, the un-destroyed cells could go on to replicate and further destroy cells around them. These out-of-control cells are called "senescent" cells (they're, in effect, "senile"!). This is (in a nutshell) how abnormal cells become cancerous. When you fast, this triggers natural apoptosis. What am I saying? When you fast, you reduce your risk of cancer!!!
Here's what I want you to take away from this little rant of mine: THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO FAST TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH, AND THEY DON'T ALL HAVE TO BE EXTREME. Here are the steps you can take to see what works for you and ensure that you don't pass out from hunger or take everyone down around you in a state of hanger:
  1. If you're a newbie to fasting, start out by simply waiting to eat your next meal/snack until you are actually, genuinely hungry. (Remember those things called "hunger pangs"? Yeah, you should try to get to know them again.)
  2. Once you've mastered this, stretch out the time between meals a little further. I try to wait about 5 hours between meals. Yes, I get hungry because my liver is telling me, "Hey! We're out of sugar in here!" But guess what? If you don't feed it, it HAS to draw upon stored fat to create more fuel. Score! At that point (and you may have experienced this), your hunger pangs will probably go away for another hour or so. Again, if you are prone to hypo-glycemia or really, truly suffer when you're hungry, this might not be right for you. In this case, go back to #1 and proceed to #3.
  3. Finish dinner 3 hours before bed. Go the natural 12 hours between dinner and breakfast that nature intended for you. Give your liver a chance to do its amazing, all-natural, "detoxication" processes overnight, and you'll never have to do a "cleanse" again...unless you just like drinking green juice. (I have to admit: I do!)
  4. Once a week or more, stretch out the window in which you fast overnight. Have breakfast a little later or eat dinner a little earlier. Eventually, you might find that you can go 14-16 hours without eating. (I do this most mornings by just sipping herbal tea and water. Then I eat an early lunch around 11:30am. And yes, I also eat an early dinner around 6pm.)
  5. Once you've created a more "flexible" metabolism (it doesn't send you into shock when you skip a meal), try going a whole day with just water and herbal tea to really give your liver and digestive system a break. See how you feel. Many people do this once a week or once a month. One doctor in the field of fasting says that, if everyone would do a 3-day water fast just once a year, we would reduce our risk of cancer by 99%!!! I'm not there yet, but let me know if you do this. Many people are finding health benefits from fasting a few times a year or even a few times a month.


FINALLY, and most importantly, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. IF YOU HAVE ANY DIAGNOSED HEALTH CONDITIONS, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH CARE SPECIALIST BEFORE TRYING ANY OF THE ABOVE SUGGESTIONS

Feel free to email me with any questions--I hope you found this informative and helpful! I love sharing this information with you!
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Fish Oil Supplementation for Heart, Brain, Cancer & Inflammation Protection

2/15/2020

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I'm sure you're aware of omega-3 fatty-acids, and maybe you even know that they're considered "good," or beneficial, fats. Perhaps you know fish oil is one of the absolute best sources of omega-3 fats around. Did you know, however, that most Americans are extremely deficient in this important source of fat?
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Before I dive into why we aren't getting enough omega-3 fatty-acids in our diets, you'll need to know about omega-6 fatty-acids. Omega-6 fats are found largely in vegetable oils (sunflower, canola, soy, and corn) as well as processed foods (fast foods, baked goods, "junk foods" like cookies and chips, etc.).

In ancient times, humans ate a diet, composed of an ideal ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s, or a ratio close to 4:1 (omega-6 is a little higher than omega-3). Today, the average American consumes close to a whopping 20:1 ratio of omega-6s to omega 3s. WOW!

So what's the big deal? This imbalance of omega-3s to 6s is a huge contributor to the most common of age-related diseases: cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of disorders, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and high risk for Type 2 diabetes), not to mention general inflammation (a state that sets us up for auto-immune diseases, chronic illnesses, and cancers).

While omega-6 fatty acids, in abundance, seem to cause inflammation in the body, omega-3 fatty-acids actually reduce inflammation in the body by reducing the production of compounds that cause inflammation.  

Omega-3 fatty-acids are also extremely important for proper function of the brain and nervous system. Omega-3 fatty acids comprise your brain cell membranes, which generate and conduct electrical impulses, which play a role in everything from movement, to speaking, reasoning, and memory formation/recall. Omega-3s also make up myelin, which insulates the fibers of your nerve cells, AND omega-3s increase levels of a hormone-like protein, which promotes "brain-plasticity." This helps the brain respond to changes, form new memories, recover from injury, and maintain cognitive function.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Omega-3 fatty-acids keep our brains healthy and young! With the rise of diagnosed dementia and Alzheimer's, it seems like a no-brainer (no pun intended!) that we'd want to get as much of this in our diets as possible. 

From an Ayurvedic standpoint, those who are naturally drier and more prone to anxiety (vata dosha in Ayurveda) would benefit greatly (maybe even the most) from Omega-3 supplementation in that the Omega-3s pacify an overly-active nervous system and reduce dryness throughout the body.  Those who are more prone to heat, inflammation, and intensity (pitta dosha in Ayurveda) would also greatly benefit from more Omega-3s their diets, due to Omega-3's anti-inflammatory and soothing effects on the nervous system and tissues of the body.  Those prone to weight gain and tissue accumulation, which can include plaque accumulation in the vessels of the body, compromising brain and heart health (kapha dosha in Ayurveda), would likewise benefit from an increase in Omega-3s in that it reduces risks associated with high cholesterol and heart disease.  Bottom line:  WE COULD ALL BENEFIT FROM THIS AWESOME NUTRIENT!


Here are a few more reasons to increase your Omega-3 fatty-acid intake, especially from fish oil:
  • For Autism and ADHD: lower intake of omega-3s in early life is associated with autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
  • For general brain health: supplementation with fish oil in adulthood helps maintain cognitive function
  • For Alzheimer's disease: taking fish oil containing 1700mg of DHA and 600 mg of EPA, daily for 6 months, slowed the rate of cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease!
  • For Depression: people who suffer from depression have lower levels of omega-3 fatty-acid intake
  • For Post-Partum Depression: pregnant women taking omega-3 fatty-acids (with 1206 mg EPA and 609 mg DHA) saw a decrease in symptoms of post-partum depression
  • For Heart Attacks and Stroke: when supplementing with 2000 mg fish oil (930 mg EPA and 750 mg DHA), patients at high risk heart attacks and stroke saw a reduction in heart attacks by 70% and other coronary events (like stroke) by 60%
  • in a similar study, omega-3 supplementation reduced the rate of death due to cardiovascular causes by 20%, reduced heart attacks by 31%, and reduced strokes by 28%
  • a recent study on fish oil showed a 28% reduction in heart attacks, a 50% reduction in fatal heart attack risk, and 22% reduction in angioplasty procedures (opening a narrowed coronary blood vessel, often with a stint)
  • For High Cholesterol: high concentrations of EPA in fish oil have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels
  • For Risk of Death from Any Disease: those with higher blood levels of omega-3 have a reduction in the risk of death from any cause, with a 7% lower overall risk of dying from any disease gained by each additional 200 mg of fish oil consumed per day
  • For Skin Cancer: in one trial, 4000 mg of omega-3 supplement each day protected the skin from the harmful effects of solar radiation - the damage caused by sun exposure was reduced, including a 35% improvement in sunburn protection and significant reduction in DNA damage (which contributes to skin cancer)
  • For Colon Cancer: in one study, 2000 mg of omega-3s daily reduced the number of precancerous cells on colonoscopy inspection, reducing the risk of colon cancer
  • For Prostate Cancer: in a clinical trial, participants with prostate cancer were given 5000 mg of fish oil daily, leading up to surgery; when they underwent surgery, pathologists found that those men demonstrated a significant reduction in proliferation of cancer cells (less aggressive tumors = better control with treatment and long-term survival)

And the list goes on...and on.

So how much should you take? Experts agree that daily doses of about 2400 mg of EPA/DHA from fish oil is important for maintaining blood levels, which benefit the brain, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and all the cells of the body. NOTE: "EPA" and "DHA" are two sources of omega-3s found in fish; they are the most bio-available (easiest for the body to digest, absorb, and put to use) forms of omega-3. Unless you live on the water and eat fresh fish at every meal, it's really tough to get 2400 mg of EPA/DHA into your diet, so supplementing is optimal.

Are there vegetarian sources of omega-3s? Yes, "ALA" is a vegetarian source of omega-3s (found in flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and seaweeds); however, your body has to undergo several metabolic processes to convert ALA into EPA, and not everyone's body is efficient at these processes. This can largely depend upon your genetics, as well as your diet and nutrient levels in that the body needs an adequate supply of B3, B6, magnesium, and zinc to undergo these conversion processes. With overfishing of our ocean's fish populations and pollution (mercury content in fish), I wouldn't blame you if you decided to go with a plant-based approach to your omega-3 consumption. So again, if it works for you, supplementing with fish oil is ideal, but amping up your intake of plant-based omega-3s is always a great idea!

If you're having your blood levels tested, you'll want an omega-3 index of 8% to 12%.

If you're going the fish oil route, you'll also want to make sure you use a high-quality fish oil with maximum EPA and DHA. Here's the brand I use (I take 3 capsules a day with meals for better absorption).

I hope this helps elucidate how omega-3 fatty-acids and daily fish oil supplementation can assist to improve your health. As I mentioned, it's not a "magic pill," but it sure is an amazing one!
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