Welcome to Nutrition 101!
Our goal for this section is to educate you in the care and feeding of your body. Whether that means working towards health from your present not-so-healthy state, or maintaining your current glowing health were sure you will find helpful information in this section. This is by no means a comprehensive guide to nutrition, we only want to give you a very basic grasp of the mechanics of food and its role in your health.

We hope you enjoy yourself here and that you may even find ways to improve your daily health regime.

BASIC FOOD GROUPS

Protein

Significant amounts of protein can be found in lean meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products. On a sliding scale, legumes (beans) and grains such as quinoa and amaranth, as well as vegetables, nuts and seeds, offer varying amounts of protein. Animal protein and vegetable protein generally have the same effects on health. It's the balance of other nutrients like fat and fiber that make them different. Foods with the highest protein content come from animal products. However, animal products are high in saturated fats, low in fiber, and lack the phytonutrients* found in colored vegetables. Balance, then, becomes a key in selecting protein foods. Protein foods, when digested properly provided the body with the necessary amino acids that are the key ingredients in the maintenance, repair, and renewal of all of the tissues in the body. *Phytonutrients - plant compounds that are thought to have health-protecting qualities.
Proteins present in food appear as chains that fold, origami-like, into intricate, three-dimensional structures. The chains vary in length, containing a unique shuffle of amino acids. The body requires a daily supply of amino acids because it doesn't store them, as it does fats (triglycerides) or carbohydrates (glucose). Protein is found throughout the body— as the structural components of muscle, bone, skin, hair, as well as molecular components of enzymes, hemoglobin and neurotransmitters, to name just a few. Twenty or so basic building blocks, called amino acids, provide the raw material for all proteins

You may have heard the old adage “you are what you eat;” with regard to protein the case can definitely be made that you are what you absorb. An individual can eat adequate amounts of protein and yet become protein deficient due to poor digestive and absorptive function. Dietary protein entering the stomach arrives as tightly folded coils. The task of stomach acids, which operate at pH levels equivalent to battery acid, is to bathe the tightly coiled protein, causing the coils to relax exposing “pop bead like” strands of amino acids.

A stunning number of factors have to happen at just the right time, in the correct amounts and at the optimal environmental pH to insure that food protein is deconstructed into amino acids. Ultimately the fate of amino acids is to be repackaged into other proteins that will be vital to maintaining healthy organ function, tissue repair, memory processing, emotional balance, meeting cellular energy demands, and hormone and enzyme production. Over twenty amino acids have been identified; ten are termed essential meaning they must be obtained from foods you eat, while others are termed conditionally essential and non-essential. The conditionally essential amino acids can be manufactured in the body by using one or more of the essential amino acids, however they can become essential during periods of stress and chronic illness.

Essential Amino Acidss	Conditionally Essential Amino Acid
Histidine	Arginine
Isoleucine	Cysteine
Leucine	Glutamine
Lysine	Glycine
Methionine	Proline
Phenylalanine	Taurine
Tryptophan	Tyrosine
Valine

The two most common causes of amino acid deficiency are failure to eat adequate amounts of protein and/or an inability to fully deconstruct protein due to poor digestive function. Insufficient absorption of protein results in declining levels of amino acids. This may be observed as dull hair, brittle nails or wounds to skin that don't heal quickly. More serious amino acid deficiency may be experienced as declining vision, a weakened immune system or mood and emotional imbalances. Because amino acids make vital chemical messengers for use in the brain, inadequate protein intake or absorption can result in poor mental function such as an inability to focus, feeling blocked and scattered or having a short attention span. Unbalanced brain chemistry can lead to a number of negative health issues including depression, anxiety, insomnia, lowered pain tolerance, or procrastination issues.

Many health disorders begin as simple amino acid deficiencies. How did you score in the Brain chemistry section of the website’s “health check”?

Complete Proteins vs. Incomplete Proteins

In meal planning the important concept to consider with protein are complete proteins. Complete proteins foods are those that contain all of the essential amino acids. The protein in meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, quinoa and soy is considered complete. Incomplete protein foods contain some but not all of the essential amino acids. Foods such as whole grains, legumes (beans) and vegetables fall into this category. Thoughtful choices made in combining incomplete protein foods, however, can provide a full, complete protein meal that will supply adequate amounts of essential amino acids. For instance, combining rice and beans, peanut butter (preferably organic) on bread or leafy green vegetables and root vegetables makes for a balanced protein meal. These foods do not need to be eaten at the same time in order to be used by the body to build protein; you just need to eat these complementary proteins within 24 hours. 
Along with poultry, fish, eggs and soy, I encourage you to add whole grains and legumes and vegetables to your diet to assure that you are eating quality sources of protein. Beans provide a terrific source of quality protein but are largely ignored in meal planning, possibly due to there reputation for developing intestinal gas. Consistent exposure to the fiber in beans will naturally reduce the gas issue for most people If you avoid eating beans or other foods because of bloating and/or gas, consider taking digestive enzymes following meals.

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Proteins Role in Brain Chemistry

Because amino acids make vital chemical messengers for use in the brain, inadequate protein intake or insufficient amino acid absorption can result in poor mental function such as an inability to focus, feeling blocked and scattered or having a short attention span. Emotional balance can be affected allowing depression and anxiety to overwhelm or result in emotional eating or other dysfunctional eating habits .

Emotional eating is generally associated with either imbalanced brain chemistry or an emotional wound. There are several things that may contribute to imbalances in brain chemistry:

1) Protein deficiency - this may occur from failure to eat enough protein rich foods or from inadequate digestive enzyme activity that can lead to poor protein absorption

2) Prolonged stress - stores of brain chemicals are used up during periods of prolonged stress. When your body's own natural pain relievers, sedatives or stimulants are used up you may find yourself eating foods that deliver similar effects of these waning brain chemicals.

3) Inhibition of the production of the brains natural chemicals - over consumption of food products such as sugar and refined carbohydrates or using addictive substances decreases your own natural mood enhancing brain chemicals.

4) Inherited deficiencies - certain genes program the amount of vital mood chemicals our brain needs for healthy, balanced emotions. Parents who have low supplies of naturally stimulating or sedating brain chemicals can pass these deficiencies along to their children, resulting in children who are anxious, depressed or become those who abuse food or alcohol as a substitute for the brain chemicals they need.

Sometimes it is difficult to know if emotional eating is set off by unbalanced physiology or by a need for emotional comfort. In evaluating the source of the use of junk food or overeating, I look first to see what emotions may be attached to what, to when and to why you eat. We advise anyone who describes a mood-food connection to keep a mood/food diary, recording not only what they eat but the emotional circumstances in their life when they find themselves overeating or snacking too much. Common triggers for emotional eating are; eating for comfort, eating because you are depressed, eating when bored, eating when angry, eating to numb painful memories or banging and purging to elevate your mood. In most instances people have not connected eating certain foods with mood. When it is pointed out to them adjustments are made. Individuals whose emotional eating or eating dysfunction appears tied to emotional trauma are encouraged to seek the assistance of a psychotherapist.

When a patients best efforts come up short, if sugar, bread or chocolate cravings do not abate it's time for laboratory analysis using metabolic function testing. We begin this phase of evaluation by measuring amino acid levels in the blood.

Some of the amino acids found in protein foods are reconfigured into neurotransmitters in the brain and used as chemical messengers to control mood and satiety. Amino acid levels can be evaluated in a variety of ways, from a simple finger prick test called a blood spot amino acid test, to analysis requiring a blood draw or a sample of urine collected from a 24 hour urine collection. Based on the results an amino acid formula is custom blended and used to modify amino acid imbalance. If amino acid deficiency is part of your health picture, supplementing with custom amino acids can be the key that unlocks the door to emotional balance and vibrant health.
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FATS and OILS

Many people have come to believe fat is bad but you should recognize that fats are an essential nutrient and play a vital role in good health. Fats and oils contribute to healthy skin and hair, regulate hormone balance, insulate internal organs, repair damaged tissue, strengthen immune function, reduce joint inflammation and promote optimal mental function. A gram of fat provides TWICE as much caloric energy as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. In fact, eating foods that assist your body in burning stored body fat will provide you with sustained energy throughout the day and decrease cravings for sweets and the simple carbohydrates found in
bread and potatoes.

So how did fat get its bad reputation? A serious misunderstanding of the role of fat in the diet caused the health care community to incorrectly link all dietary fat to serious health disorders. Because we were
led to think all fats were bad, those that had important health benefits, the essential fatty acids, were
excluded from the diet as well.

Saturated fats, generally found in animal and dairy products, are solid at room temperature (butter, lards, bacon grease etc.) and should be eaten sparingly. Unsaturated fats come from plants or fish and are normally liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are thought to be health enhancing and are found in oils like olive, grape seed, expeller pressed canola, walnuts, Brazil nuts and seeds from flax, pumpkins, perilla and chia. Because fats, especially unsaturated fats, can easily become rancid all fats, even oils, should be stored in the refrigerator, including nuts and seeds.

Suggested amount of dietary fats: I recommend that twenty percent of your daily calories come from desirable fat sources.

Essential fatty acids or EFAs are essential because your body cannot produce them. There are two main EFAs, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). You may know EFAs as Omega-3 (alpha linolenic acid) or Omega-6 (linoleic acid) acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are more common in the American diet and found in safflower, corn, sunflower, and soybean oils as well as almonds and sesame seeds. The omega-3 fatty acids are found in flax, borage, canola and evening primrose oils, walnuts, dark leafy green vegetables and cold water fish.

EFAs produce beneficial hormone-like compounds called prostaglandins that affect the function of virtually every system in the body. A balance of Omega3/Omega6 oils promote healthy prostaglandin levels, the look good - feel good hormone-like substances responsible for cell membrane integrity and cellular communication in the brain which supports mental health. Prostaglandins regulate pain and swelling, maintain normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels and promote fluidity in nerve transmission. And they definitely play a role in many important women's health issues.

EARLY SIGN OF EFA DEFICIENCY: fatigue, poor memory, chronic skin disorders, hair loss, mood swings/depression, cardiovascular problems, immune weakness and weight gain.

Where are EFAs found? Because the amount of EFAs needed by most people is significant, supplementation with EFA capsules is usually necessary. The richest and most beneficial EFAs come from cold water fish. The EFAs are called EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are also considered part of the Omega 3 family of oils as is the oil that is obtained from crushed flax seed (flax seed oil). Other plants such as borage and evening primrose provide a rich source of GLA gamma linoleic acid, and an Omega 6 oil. Fats should be included in each meal. Beneficial fats can be found in nuts and seeds, avocados and a modest amount of dairy. While media and science once believed that fats are making us a country of obese citizens, more current studies point to the consumption of sugar as the true villain in obesity. The new mantra is“eating fat won’t make me fat, eating sugar will.” I encourage my patients to eat about five to six hundred calories per meal with about 150-200 calories of that dedicated to food containing good fats.
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CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates supply the body with glucose, a vital energy source.

Knowing how various foods affect glucose levels is important to anyone who wants to be in the best possible health. All carbohydrates are ultimately converted to glucose. It is the rate of conversion to glucose that provides us with the tool for managing blood sugar fluctuation. Consuming foods that convert to glucose quickly (high glycemic foods) contribute to increased appetite and cravings for sweet and this, of course, leads to weight gain. Significant health problems such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are associated with over consumption of foods with a high glycemic load.

Glycemic load and blood sugar levels - The difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is how fast they convert to glucose and raise blood sugar levels. The measure of how quickly foods in a meal are converted to glucose and how fast they raise the blood sugar levels is known as the glycemic load. The glycemic index ranks foods according to their glycemic load.

Generally, foods containing fat or protein are not rated as they do not increase glucose levels. Foods containing simple sugars or refined flour increase your glycemic load and your blood glucose. Choose grain foods wisely avoiding highly processed and refined ones in favor of unrefined whole grains. Refining or processing grains increases their glycemic load. Fats, proteins and fiber work to lower the glycemic load in a meal, promoting balanced blood sugar.
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Facts About Glucose

Glucose is a sugar (simple carbohydrate) that is the prime source of fuel for cellular activity. It is an important source of fuel for your brain and red blood cells. Glucose can be obtained in a variety of ways from digesting foods like simple and complex carbohydrates, by burning existing body fat stores or by breaking down and using the proteins in muscle tissue.

Maintaining glucose within an optimal range in the blood is critical to good health. Intricate physiologic mechanisms are in place to monitor blood glucose levels. Should blood glucose levels move out of optimum range, the body sends out warning signals. If levels fall too low physical symptoms arise like craving sweets, feeling sleepy and/or losing the ability to concentrate. When blood glucose moves above a healthy range symptoms may manifest as excessive sweating upon mild exertion, frequent thirst along with a frequent need to urinate, mental fogginess or, in a worst case scenario, unconsciousness. As you can see a number of physical and or mental processes are affected by low or high glucose levels.
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Facts About Insulin

Glucose is a very large molecule. As such, it requires a special transport vehicle to move into the cells of your body for conversion to energy. Insulin is this transport vehicle. When insulin comes in contact with a cell membrane glucose is carried inside the cell. So actually, insulin is a messenger and its message is "let us in."
In this way insulin acts to lower blood glucose levels by storing glucose.

A small amount of glucose can be stored in skeletal muscles or in the liver as glycogen. Glycogen is stored for use as an extra reserve. You might tap into your glycogen reserves during some physical activity that uses up all available glucose in your blood. Perhaps you went out for a walk or a run and had to take a detour which added unanticipated length to the route or you had an office meeting scheduled for an hour that lasted two hours. Because of these handy glycogen reserves, you had the energy to make it home in good shape or you sailed through the office meeting without losing your mental edge.
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Insulins Role in Fat Storage

Insulin does something else with glucose besides storing it as glycogen. It will store any excess calories you eat at a meal as fat. Calories that cannot be used within an hour or so after eating are stored in your body fat as triglycerides. Insulin is a fat storage hormone. Insulin's role in fat storage is likely a throwback to our past when food in winter wasn't always a sure thing. A person could depend on their fat reserves to get them through thin times. In today's times of plenty, we don't need to have as much in our fat store as we once did and by consuming more than we can use up in an hour we end up carrying around a spare tire draining us of our much needed energy.
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Ideal Regulation of Glucose

Normal glucose/insulin interaction goes something like the following: About 30 - 60 minutes following a carbohydrate-containing meal glucose enters your blood stream raising blood glucose levels. This event triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas. There is a range for blood glucose levels that, if maintained, insures optimal physical and mental function. The release of insulin will aid the body in gradually bringing rising glucose levels back into this ideal range. Both insulin and glucose levels rise slowly, in parallel, and return to normal in much the same way. This interaction does not occur as a solitary activity away from other systems in the body. Regulation of blood sugar is a complex process requiring input from other organs such as the liver and adrenal glands.

When you frequently consume foods high in simple carbohydrates, your body's ability to maintain a
normal glucose/insulin balance is taxed. Reliance on sugary foods and foods containing refined or
processed grains support the development of serious blood sugar disorders.
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BLOOD SUGAR DISORDERS

Hypoglycemia

For many people the first step on the road to glucose/insulin imbalances is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Blood sugar levels normally fluctuate throughout the day in response to food intake, physical demand and emotional/mental stresses. Episodes of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia are normally balanced spontaneously by the endocrine systems use of chemical messengers. When lifestyle stresses and poor food choices converge to chronically stress this delicate system of checks and balances the ability of the endocrine system to catch falling blood sugar levels is compromised. Now, the fleeting symptoms of low blood sugar, the ones you are used to controlling with caffeine, sugar or nicotine, become harder and harder to ignore. Suddenly you notice the occasional symptoms of low blood sugar are more frequent (your adrenal system is being taxed) and disrupting the quality of your work and your life. At this point you would be diagnosed as having hypoglycemia.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia:

· tired all the time
· tired for no reason
· restless, can't keep still
· confused
· have trouble remembering or concentrating
· easily frustrated
· irritable
· easily angered

Problems with unstable blood sugar that go unaddressed will eventually manifest themselves as symptoms of low serotonin or low beta-endorphin levels, important chemical messengers in the brain.

Symptoms of low serotonin:

· feeling depressed
· acting impulsively
· feeling blocked or scattered
· having a short attention span
· feeling suicidal
· craving sweets and/or starches

Symptoms of low beta-endorphins:

· feeling tearful, isolated, hopeless
· having low self-esteem
· feeling done to by others
· having low pain tolerance
· feeling emotionally overwhelmed
· craving sweets or alcohol

Our misunderstanding of what constitutes healthy food, especially carbohydrates, is at the heart of the increasing rate of people being placed on anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications. I have yet to interview a patient who, when complaining of depression or anxiety to their medical physician, was asked about their diet before being prescribed medication for their complaints. Balancing the gylcemic load of the foods you eat throughout the day will keep your blood sugar stable and give you every opportunity to enjoy balanced brain chemistry and vibrant health.
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The Deadly Low Fat/High Carb Myth

Misinformation about which foods to eat and when to eat them arose in the 1980's and 1990's. Health gurus promoting foods low in fat/high in carbohydrates were publishing book after book and were seen in infomercials touting the slenderizing effects of low fat/high carb eating. That philosophy is directly responsible for the obesity epidemic in our country today.

Americans have become CARBOVORES™, addicted to the wrong kind of carbohydrate (simple sugars and refined flours). Simple carbohydrates can overwhelm the body with a high glycemic load, shoot blood sugar sky high and encourage fat storage NOT fat burning. Removing fat from foods can also increase the glycemic load. A high carb diet should really mean eating a variety of vegetables (4-5 1/2 cup servings daily), legumes, whole grains and fresh fruit. Fat is a necessary macro nutrient and should also be a part of a balanced meal.
If you have not read information about fat go there now.

Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance
(for basic information on Insulin Resistance first read Facts About Glucose)

Insulin resistance (IR) is a term coined in the 1980's by Gerald Reaven, M.D., PhD a Stanford medical researcher, to explain a variety of health disorders that he related to high levels of insulin in the blood. Dr. Reaven's work led him to conclude that frequent blood sugar elevations, like those seen in patients consuming a diet high in refined carbohydrates, begins to blunt the role of insulin, making its job of lowering blood glucose levels less effective. Insulin lowers the amount of glucose and fat (triglycerides) in the blood by storing these nutrients in your body's cells. Over time, the constant output of insulin into your blood stream in response to escalating glucose levels from eating high glycemic foods renders insulin increasingly ineffective at storing glucose. The resulting insulin resistance interferes with insulin's ability to lower blood glucose. The blood stream of an insulin resistant individual is loaded with glucose and fat yet their tissues are starved for glucose because the insulin delivery mechanism has become ineffective.

Long before an individual is diagnosed with IR, there will be a history of chronic consumption of simple carbohydrate foods leading to carbohydrate sensitivity or intolerance. A visual indicator that a person is developing carbohydrate intolerance is trunkal obesity as increasing fat storage is seen as increasing abdominal girth or as ever expanding buttocks.

If you think your weight or health issues may be associated with carbohydrate intolerance that is leading to insulin resistance, begin substituting simple carbohydrate foods and snacks with complex carbohydrates from vegetables, legumes and whole grain foods. Educating yourself about the glycemic load of various carbohydrate foods will guide you in a healthful direction when making food choices. As I mention several times in Nutrition 101, breakfast is the critical meal of the day. For an individual who is carbohydrate intolerant breakfast is a very important meal because it sets your glucose levels for the rest of the day so choose foods high in protein and the good fats that promote fat burning.
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Ancestry and Risk for IR

The physiologic and metabolic pathways in the human body are complex and have evolved over centuries to make optimal use of unrefined, whole foods. Sugars were only experienced in fruits and vegetables and fiber was a staple of the diet. Animal protein was infrequent and fats were a luxury. Look at your heritage, what did your great grandparents eat? Their diet probably consisted of a variety of legumes, squash, root and cruciferous vegetables, seasonal leafy greens and whole grains with meat for a special occasion. You need to eat like your great grandparents did. If you're ancestry includes Latino, African American, Native American, Celtic or Scottish your risk for being extra sensitive to simple carbohydrates is HUGE. IR is linked to obesity, heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes. Try to get back to simple, whole foods that nourish the heart and soul.

ADRENAL FUNCTION

The adrenal glands are paired, walnut sized organs resting atop the kidneys. These small powerhouses of activity are responsible for a variety of chemical reactions in the body. One of the mainstays of the endocrine system, the adrenal glands harmonize the autonomic nervous system by orchestrating balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic endocrine function. Text books can be written about adrenal function alone. Along with the ovaries/testes the adrenal glands make your reproductive hormones. The hormones epinephrine, cortisol and DHEA are made by the adrenal glands to assist the body in stabilizing blood pressure, balancing blood sugar levels, maintaining mental alertness and cognitive function as well as the fight or flight response to help us through stressful situations.

Stress coping hormones such as epinephrine, cortisol, and DHEA are secreted into the blood stream at the first sign of emotional upset or physical danger. Epinephrine is deployed during the initial moments of stress or perceived stress and activates the fight or flight response. In response to epinehrine your senses sharpen, your heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, blood moves into your skeletal muscles as your body prepares to get you out of harms way. This hormone stays in the blood for about fifteen minutes. When the stress is prolonged cortisol and DHEA take over. Living life in the fast lane can cause our adrenals to get stuck in the overdrive position causing our whole endocrine system to remain in a fight or flight mode. If such a state of adrenal alarm progresses other systems in the body try to compensate. Ultimately the toll on the body results in lowered metabolic rate (exhaustion), depressed immune function, loss of libido, sleeping disturbances and fragile coping mechanisms.

The adrenal system is one of the oldest physiologic systems in the human body. It evolved in prehistoric times in response to imminent dangers such as woolly mammoths and sabre tooth tigers and to help with prolonged stressors such as famine. This delicate endocrine organ and the fight or flight response was designed for very occasional use. In today's modern world the adrenal system finds itself assaulted by a barrage of stress,
both real and created.

Example:
Modern day real stress: finding that your extra foam latte has only regular foam (after you have left Starbucks, of course).

Modern day created stress: worrying about things you have no control over, like your co-workers anger.
Reversing the assault on the adrenal system includes self-evaluation of activities and life style habits that push the adrenal system further into exhaustion and a commitment to change or eliminate factors that contribute to poor adrenal function. Medications such as oral contraceptives and anti-depressant drugs labeled SSRIs, like prozac, zoloft etc., can elevate cortisol levels. Over a few months time persistent elevation in cortisol levels contributes to weight gain seen as increasing fat stores and causes the body to shift the way in which it stores and utilizes fat. High cortisol levels encourage the development of carbohydrate intolerance, the first stages of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is one of the major contributors to obesity and to a persons inability to regain ideal body composition, a desirable body fat percentage to lean muscle mass. Additional information regarding carbohydrate intolerance and insulin resistance can be found in Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance.
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Adrenal Rehab

Strengthening adrenal function is critical to the healthy function of the entire body. Weakened adrenals negatively impact the body in many areas particularly its ability to maintain balanced blood sugar levels and a strong, active immune system. Having said that we must add that rehabilitating a weakened adrenal system often includes modifying or eliminating habits or lifestyle factors that tend to weaken the adrenal system.

The Chinese wisdom of yin and yang apply to life as restful, nurturing, healing (yin) or as revved up, exciting, taking care of business (yang). The obvious key to being well is finding a balance in the activities of life. From the dietary perspective reducing sugar, refined flour, harmful fats and caffeine is a necessary first step to support healthy adrenal function. Harmful exercise regimens (no pain, no gain and extreme cardio) need to be put aside in favor of tai chi, yoga, or a pleasant walk.

In our fast paced, quick-fix world it is tempting to approach any healing regimen with the magic Pill approach. While we do use products that assist the adrenal system in rebalancing itself, they play a small role overall. The most important aspect of adrenal rehab is a personal commitment to change unhealthy lifestyle habits . Making healthy changes in food choices and in the pace of your life will often soothe and heal an overworked adrenal system.
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Overview of the Digestive System

Our digestive system has the herculean task of having to taking large pieces of food and reduce them to microscopic size particles that can be transported in your blood and disseminated around the body for nourishment; preferably without belching, bloating or flatulence.

The digestive system is really a chorus of different organs pitching in at the right moment to maintain harmony in your body. The organs are:

Mouth: foodstuffs are mechanical broken down by chewing; saliva is added as a lubricant

Esophagus: conduit between stomach and mouth

Stomach: (1st tenor) where chemical action begins, disassembling of protein, and where pieces of food are reduced to liquid form.

Liver: (1st soprano) the center of metabolic activity, its major role in the digestive process is to provide bile salts to the small intestine for digesting and absorbing fats.

Pancreas: major role providing enzymes to completely breakdown carbohydrate and further digest fats and proteins.

Small Intestine: An exciting place to be (like back stage passes). This is where the final stages of chemical digestion occur and where most nutrient absorption takes place.

Large Intestine: Water is absorbed, fermentation takes place, some B- vitamins are made from friendly bacteria and feces are formed. The digestive system is really a disassembly plant that employs a variety of tools to achieve its objective. Systematic muscle contraction of smooth muscle fibers in the esophagus and intestinal wall are used to move food into the stomach and then push food particles along the length of the intestines. Various acids in the stomach and enzymes in both the stomach and the small intestine play the crucial role in disassembly. Because digestive activity is under direct control of the parasympathetic nervous system optimal digestion will only fully and completely take place in a physiologic and emotional environment that is tranquil. Translated into simple terms EAT IN A CALM, QUIET ENVIRONMENT: the area where you eat a meal should be free of noise, distractions and glaring lights. Be mindful of the experience of eating, make it a pleasant one not a chore you check off of on your to do list.

A significant number of Americans experience gastric (stomach) dysfunction as heartburn, acid reflux, bloating or intestinal gas after meals. Medical wisdom blames heartburn and acid reflux on over production of stomach acids. Complaints to your MD that some foods cause you to feel bloated and gassy are managed by removing them from your diet. But you should be able to eat bell peppers, spicy food and beans without paying for it later. The unpleasant side effects of bloating or intestinal gas following meals or consuming certain foods means that your stomach and pancreatic enzymes are not sufficient for the digestive job. Add digestive enzyme capsules (like our Ultra Enzyme Support) during or following a meal.

In the larger picture, chronic gastric dysfunction affects the disassembly of large food pieces into microscopic nutrients and interferes with the absorption and the replenishment of nutrients required by the body. The chance for becoming sub-clinically or clinically malnourished is great. When your body cannot repair or renew tissues the aging process accelerates, you wear out and/or become chronically or acutely ill.
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Digestive Enzyme Activity and Allergic Symptoms

Food particles that are not reduced to microscopic size pose a problem. As food nutrients leave the intestinal tract they are transported to the liver via the portal vein. Partially digested food particles carry chemical labels called antigens. These antigens identify all particles in our blood as self or non-self. Fully digested food is unlikely to have an antigen marker that catches the attention of our immune cells. But partially digested food particles are met with an immune onslaught and treated as foreign invaders that require neutralization by antibodies from our own immune white blood cells (antibody/antigen reactions = allergic reactions).

Long standing gastrointestinal under functioning places a burden on your immune system by constantly initiating a histamine release. Many people experience a significant reduction of allergy/asthma symptoms when they add digestive enzymes to each meal.

Thank you for visiting Nutrition 101; our hope is that you enjoyed yourself and were able to gain insight into the improvement and maintenance of your health. 2Beingwell is an ever evolving site where information will be updated and added to when Dr. Culp finds new research she feel is important for all of us to know. So please check back with us occasionally to see what's new and to read Dr. Culp's Nutrimation(™), where you will be able to catch up with the latest in health care/nutrition related topics and more.
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