Tag Archives: Health

Could Gluten Be Making You Sick and Tired?

5 Feb

Artwork by Amanda Kosarin

For most of my life I thought it as normal to have intense stomach pain, bloating and pressure after you eat a meal.  It had been that way as long as I could remember, that I couldn’t recall a time where I ate a meal and didn’t have stomach pain.  Then three years ago I saw a documentary called Food Matters and at the same time was researching how to naturally improve your health.  I began reading about common allergens and how you don’t have to have a full-blown allergy to a food for it not to agree with your body.  You can have a sensitivity or intolerance and not even know it because a blood test will only reveal if you have an allergy.  I heard of people being allergic to nuts or dairy, but I was surprised when I saw wheat as one of the top seven allergens.

I immediately went through the food pantry looking at the back label for food ingredients and wheat and gluten were in EVERYTHING! Gluten is the protein that is found in wheat, barley and rye.  It is what gives bread its spongy texture.  Wheat is a major allergen and surprisingly can be found in foods other than bread, such as sauces, soups and condiments. I didn’t have health insurance at the time so it was going to cost a lot of money to get tested to see if I was Celiac, which is what they call an allergy to Gluten.  It was a blessing as it forced me to take my health into my own hands.

Without hesitation I started an elimination diet to see how I would feel.  An elimination diet is exactly what it sounds like; taking a certain food out of your diet for at least two weeks, to find what effect removing it has on your body. After the two weeks, you reintroduce the food you have eliminated back into your diet for one day.  On that first day you eat the food one to three times throughout the day and then wait to see if any of your symptoms return in the next few days to follow.  It may be  helpful to take note of how you are feeling by keeping a food journal.

I started the elimination diet with wheat and gluten and was amazed at the results!  For the first time in my life I was able to eat a meal and not feel awful afterwards.  I was waiting for the stomach pain, pressure and bloating to come back, but it didn’t.  I was shocked. I got my energy back and I was no longer waking up exhausted. A doctor never told me that I am celiac or that I have gluten intolerance because I never had testing done.  I listened to my body and know that I feel better when I avoid wheat and gluten.  Even more so, you can go to a doctor and be told you are negative for celiac but still have gluten intolerance or sensitivity because the only way to find that out is through an elimination diet.  There are no shortcuts to health!

But generally speaking some of the symptoms of Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease are the following:

  1. Gastrointestinal problems (pain, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea)
  2. Eczema
  3. Skin Problems
  4. Iron- deficiency anemia
  5. Headaches
  6. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  7. Exhaustion
  8. Depression
  9. Irritability
  10. Aching joints

The symptoms vary and you can have more than one or you can have symptoms that are not listed here.  If you have several of the symptoms listed above you may want to consider having an allergy test done.  Either way, if you discover you have an allergy or sensitivity, it will require that you eliminate the food that is causing your discomfort.  You are what you eat. Food Matters!

Find your truth.

The Sunshine Vitamin

3 Feb

Artwork by Amanda Kosarin

Vitamin D3.  What is it? 

We have all heard it mentioned at one point, but why is it so important? It’s made naturally in the body by spending time in sunlight, specifically exposure to the UVB rays.  Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is produced in large quantities in the skin in response to full body exposure to the summer sun.  Vitamin D3 versus Vitamin D is the most active and bioavailable form of the nutrient, meaning the body can better absorb it and USE it!  Vitamin D3 specifically boosts the immune system and helps protect against disease. There is a great deal of research that has indicated a direct relationship between Vitamin D deficiency and disease.

How to get it?

Exposure to sunlight! Specifically bare skin needs to be exposed to the sun’s UVB rays.  The time of day, geographical location, season and skin pigmentation are all factors in Vitamin D3 production.  But generally, you need to be in the sun with bare skin (no sun block) for 5 to 15 minutes during the sun’s peak hours of 10am to 2pm so you can make the most Vitamin D3.  The darker the skin pigmentation the more sun exposure is needed to make enough Vitamin D3.  Darker skin has more melanin, which protects the skin from damage by blocking out ultraviolet exposure, thus allowing less UV to enter the body and subsequently making less Vitamin D3.  Also, depending on the climate you live in, the body is not making Vitamin D3 during the winter months because the atmosphere is blocking the sun’s UVB rays.  But rest assured there are alternatives.  I had the opportunity to talk with David Wolfe, one of the world’s leading authorities on health and nutrition and he recommended a D3 Serum by Premier Research Labs.

Vitamin D3 Deficiency

One problem today is that doctors and media have scared everyone by linking sun exposure to cancer, so now people spend less and less time in the sun or when the do they load on the sunscreen.  Did you know that sunscreen with an SPF as low as 8 can block up to 95% of the Vitamin D production?  Studies have shown that Vitamin D3 deficiency can manifest in the body as Chronic Pain, Frequent Infections, Autoimmune Disorders, Inflammation, ADHD, Osteoporosis, Cancer, Heart Disease, Asthma, Childhood Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, Influenza, Fibromyalgia, Hypertension and High Cholesterol, Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Tooth Decay…and the list goes on. If you are not making Vitamin D3 through proper sun exposure or receiving in through supplements, chances are that you are Vitamin D deficient.  If you want to know for sure though, you can have your doctor perform a 25-hydroxyvitamin D Test, which is a blood test.  Make sure when asking for the results that you request the exact number value or a hardcopy of the results.  This is because sometimes the results will say your values are “normal” or “within range” when in fact they are inadequate and causing you to be deficient.

The Benefits of Vitamin D3

Now that we know there is a link between Vitamin D3 deficiency and a myriad of diseases, one can assume that increasing Vitamin D3 will have great benefits on your health.  Increased levels of Vitamin D3 can improve your autoimmune health by fighting disease and illness.  It also benefits cellular health, bone health, organ health, brain health, heart health, nerve function, protects against depression and regulates hormones.

Find your truth.

 

You + Water = Health

25 Jan

Without Water

With Water

We are still in the beginning of the New Year with lots of momentum for our resolutions, right?  Many of us have the same resolution year after year and we know at the stroke of midnight on December 31 each year we resolve that the New Year ahead will be it…we will finally lose weight and get healthy.  January rolls in and we find ourselves in the gym or at yoga or going for a jog.  For some people that lasts a few weeks and others a few months, but we eventually let the stresses and challenges of life take precedence over our health.  Did you know that there is something even easier than going to the gym that you can do to increase your health?  You have actually heard it before and it doesn’t cost a lot!  It is to drink water.  How much exactly will vary, but generally speaking, for weight loss you need about 96 oz, which is equal to 3 liters.  Most of us know what happens to a plant if it doesn’t get water, it will start to turn shades of brown, shrivel up and die.  Now imagine what will happen if we don’t drink water!  You got it…It’s the same reason you can survive for a short time without food but you can’t survive for more than a few days without water. Knowing that, you would think we would make drinking water a priority, yet most of us wake up and have coffee and then drink soda throughout the day, both of which dehydrate us. But here’s the catch, once you realize you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  Water is essential to our health! Drink Water.

Find your truth.