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IS GLUTEN SENSITIVITY PREVENTING YOUR INJURY FROM HEALING?

Gluten sensitivity, what is that you ask. Gluten is a protein found in the endosperm of grains, especially wheat, rye, spelt and barley. It constitutes about 80% of the proteins in wheat, and is composed of the proteins gliadin, and glutenin. Gluten is also used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent found in ice cream, soy sauce, ketchup, beer, and many other food items. Gluten provides elasticity to dough, which gives breads and bagels their chewiness.

It is estimated that somewhere between 3 and 10 million people have gluten sensitivity just in the U.S. alone. That’s a large quantity of people who are over eating food that is inflammatory.

Some of my clients are rehabbing various joint and spinal injuries so it is important to understand that one of the primary ways that gluten affects people is through inflammation.

It’s actually been shown that there are protein components within gluten that can attach to the cartilage and create inflammation in the joints, prolonging knee, hip, shoulder and low back pain. This inflammation not only prolongs an injury, but in some cases pre-disposes a person to injury. The bio-chemistry becomes very important because although exercise is extremely beneficial in rehabilitation remember that the building blocks for the joints, the cartilage, the tendon, the bone, and the muscle come from bio-chemistry. It comes from what we eat directly.

If those foods are promoting an inflammatory process or an inflammatory pathway, then what is actually going to happen is we are not going to have adequate recovery. We see this example many times with professional athletes who are prone to injury. They have the best rehab specialists in the world at their fingertips yet they continue to injure themselves. One of the biggest reasons happens to be some of the food they are eating. Talking specifically about Gluten and how that can effect things.

We know that certain foods like hydrogenated fats create an inflammatory kind of chemistry within the body. We also know that eating a diet high in grains and processed grains causes inflammation in the gut which in turn through bio-chemistry causes inflammation in many other parts of the body. For example; One of my clients was diagnosed by her physician with rheumatoid arthritis. Upon my suggestion, she completely eliminated gluten from her diet. She'd been on numerous prescription drugs (some with awful side effects). The very first day of her gluten-free diet was amazing. After years of hell, her pain and suffering surprisingly disappeared. She stopped taking the drugs and has never looked back. That positive response has also been found in clients with osteoarthritis as well. I know the focus here is joint rehabilitation, but just a side note, I also have a client who was diagnosed with depression and put on anti-depression meds (which are horrible for your body & mind) and with a change to a gluten free diet, she is now off meds and feeling quite happy and normal again.

Here are some conditions related to Gluten Intolerance; (If you have any of these conditions, you may have gluten sensitivity)

Alcoholism, Arthritis, Allergies, Anemia, Brain Fog, Hypothyroid, Candida, Infertility, Depression, Rosacea, IBS, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, Eating Disorders, Osteoporosis, Autoimmune Disease, Celiac Disease, Hypoglycemia, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Gut Inflammation.

Symptoms of gluten intolerance can vary per individual. Children may experience allergies, asthma, anemia, a constant upset stomach, or milk intolerance.

Gluten intolerance is often misdiagnosed or undetected. One estimate says that 97% of all sufferers (non-celiac gluten sensitivity) don’t even know they’re intolerant to gluten since most doctors are unfamiliar with it. Even more astonishing is a review in the New England Journal of Medicine which listed 55 diseases caused by gluten! Many of the diseases are neurological and psychiatric including anxiety, migraines, epilepsy, neuropathy, schizophrenia, dementia, depression, and autism. 

If you have any of the conditions discussed in this article, removing wheat and gluten from your diet should be high on your list of priorities.

BUILDING MUSCLE CUTS DIABETES RISK

A recent study (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) found that having a higher muscle mass was associated with better insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of diabetes. In fact it was even mentioned that a very low muscle mass was a risk factor for insulin resistance. So the take home message is to build quality muscle through various types of resistance training. Some of the best muscle-building exercises are push-ups, pull-ups, inverted body weight rows, squats, leg press, deadlifts and bench press and lat pulldowns.

WANT MORE MUSCLE MASS?

Then you need to remember this important point. Progressive Resistance! When you are training, doing the exact same thing for a long time, lifting the same weight for the same number of reps, you will not force the body to adapt in any way. Why should it? After all it 's comfortable stuck in that groove. You have to keep striving to add poundage to the amount of weight that you use, to keep the muscles under constant stimulation. In fact the body will respond more when the weight is increased for the same exercise versus switching up the exercise on a frequent basis. With progressive resistance, don't think this means to add 10 pounds a week to your bench press, it may take a while to make strength increases. Even if you only add 5 pounds a month, your headed in the right direction.

Nine Healthy Foods For A Healthy Weight

        

Lentils. High in protein, lentils can help prevent spikes in insulin levels that can cause your body to store excess fat.

Kale. This leafy green provides fiber, iron and calcium and it is a low calorie way to fill up.

Blueberries. A good source of antioxidants, blueberries have over 3.5 grams of fiber per cup, which can help to fill you up and keep your digestive system running smoothly.

Wild Alaskan salmon. An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can help improve insulin sensitivity, which helps build muscle; the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. Sardines are another good omega-3 and protein-rich fish option.

Steel-cut oats. An excellent source of fiber, eating steel-cut oats is a good way to fill up without a lot of calories.

Quinoa. A healthy alternative to white rice, quinoa can help curb hunger via its fiber and protein content.

Apples. A calorie-efficient way to curb hunger, apples contain antioxidants that may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat.

Quinoa pasta. Unlike regular white-flour pasta, quioa is high in fiber and contains protein, making it more satiating, so you eat less. Try quinoa noodles in place of spaghetti.

Olive oil and avocados. Both contain heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Many people find that increasing their intake of healthy fats makes them feel fuller while keeping insulin - which helps conduct fat into the cells for storage - low and steady.

HYPOTHYROID

Are you unable to lose weight? Feel anxious or depressed? Experiencing hair loss? Low energy levels? Overly sensitive to cold weather? Is the outer 3rd of your eyebrow thinning? If so, you may have a sluggish thyroid.

Your thyroid is vital to your health and it is the master of your metabolism. It is your body’s internal thermostat, regulating temperature by secreting two hormones, T3 and T4 that control your ability to burn calories and use energy. The thyroid controls your weight, body temperature, heart rate, energy levels, menstrual regularity and muscle strength.

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped, hormone-producing tissue the size of a walnut located at the lower front of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. Every cell in your body needs small amounts of thyroid hormone to function optimally.

Hypothyroidism is a health condition in which there’s insufficient thyroid activity. Approximately 27 million Americans are experiencing a thyroid disorder, and less than 25% of those with an under active thyroid have been properly diagnosed or treated. Some early symptoms are mistaken for fatigue, anxiety, or aging. Untreated hypothyroidism dramatically increases your risk of serious health concerns and degenerative diseases.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is secreted by the pituitary gland in your subconscious brain. In early stages of hypothyroidism, the pituitary gland releases more and more TSH, causing elevated TSH levels. This causes the thyroid to work overtime to secrete more thyroxin (T4) and T3, the biologically active form of thyroid. Most of the T4 produced is converted to T3 by your liver. If the TSH is more than 0.5 and less than 3.0, there is a 90% probability it’s anterior pituitary hypo-function.

Measuring different hormones in the blood can determine if the thyroid gland is working properly. To most effectively screen for hypothyroidism and other thyroid imbalances, request blood tests that also include thyroid antibodies. It’s recommended that all individuals be tested for hypothyroidism by the age of 50 as well as women who are or are planning to become pregnant.

Most doctors only test TSH. TSH alone is not a thorough screening of thyroid function.

One study showed that individuals with TSH values more than 2.0 have an increased risk of developing clinically significant thyroid deficiency over the next 20 years. Other studies show that TSH values more than1.9 indicate risk of autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. Another study showed that TSH values more than 4.0 increases the likelihood of heart disease in postmenopausal women.

 

Suggested Thyroid Testing

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). Beware most all of the so called “normal” ranges, they are simply dead wrong. The ideal level for TSH is between 1 and 1.5 mIU/L.  

                                                                                                                                                               T4 panel

• Free T4 – The normal level of free T4 is between 0.9 and 1.8 ng/dl.
• T4 Thyroxine – optimal levels are 8-12.5
• Free Thyroxine Index – optimal levels are 1.5-5
  

                                    T3 Panel

• Free T3 – Optimal ranges are between 1.8-5.4
• T3 Uptake – optimal levels are 27-37
• T3 Total – optimal ranges are 72-170
• Reverse T3
  

• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody – optimal ranges are 0-19
  

LET'S TALK ABOUT BODY FAT

It's all about your body fat. This is why when you see a man with ridiculously ripped abs, guess what, the rest of his body is shredded too! This is because there is very little body fat between his skin and muscles. When you see a woman with buff shoulders, arms and legs, she will have wicked abs too! It's all about overall body fat. This is why if you want great abs, you must loose overall body fat.

This cannot be accomplished with doing a ton of sit-ups, crunches, side bends, or swivel twists. To slash overall body fat, you must do compound weight exercises that hit several muscle groups at the same, while sticking to a good diet. A few of my favorite compound lifts and a good place to start, are dead lifts, squats, bench press, lat pull-down, push-ups, pull ups and chin ups.

Working out with weights, body weight exercises or against resistance, increases lean muscle tissue and gives you a great cardio workout all at the same time. The more lean muscle tissue that you have, the faster your resting metabolism will be. Resting Metabolic Rate is how much energy your body requires just to function as well as how many calories and how much stored body fat gets used for baseline energy.

Vigorous strength workouts increase production of two key fat burning hormones: growth hormone and testosterone. Woman do produce testosterone, but in very tiny amounts. In greater amounts, these hormones will improve the body's efficiency at using stored fat for energy.

Intense training with weights recruits more fast twitch muscle fiber than do lengthy, steady paced cardio sessions, which rely mostly on slow twitch muscle fiber. Fast twitch muscle fiber requires more calories to function.

Lifting weights (which can include working out with resistance bands and cable machines too) shapes and hardens the body, creating the look of more fat lost than what actually shows up on the scale. This is because tight, toned muscle takes up less space than does loose, flabby muscle.

Here is a couple of questions for you about abdominal fat. What type of muscle burns more fat? A small, weak muscle (like in the abs) or a big naturally strong muscle (like in the thighs)? Slam dunk answer: the big naturally strong muscle. That which does not require much power does not require much energy. Low energy needs = tiny amounts of fat burned during exercise (like sit-ups). Tiny amount of fat burned = no change in the appearance of your mid-section.

Take away message: To shrink the stomach, focus on exercises that target the largest muscles of the body because they burn the most fat.

IS IT OK TO TRAIN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH PRIOR TO A MORNING WORKOUT?

I get asked this question a lot by people who think if they do not eat breakfast in the morning prior to working out, they will lose weight faster. I know there is differing opinions on this subject, but here is mine and what I tell my clients.

If you don't eat before you train, your performance will suffer at higher intensities and longer durations. When you wake up, your body is in a fasted state. You might have trouble just turning on your television without a cup of coffee, so you can't expect to perform your best without fueling up and hydrating first.

If you are not hungry in the morning it could be a sign that your metabolism is too slow or you are eating too late at night. If eating early upsets your stomach, experiment with different foods that are easy to digest rather than skipping breakfast entirely. Start with a small bowl of oatmeal or two slices of sprouted grain toast with a tablespoon of Almond or Peanut butter. Hydrate with a 8 to 16 oz glass of filtered water or coconut water. Aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates for breakfast with 10 to 20 grams of protein and a little healthy fat to balance off your meal.

The body just wants fuel in the morning, whether it is a meal or a protein drink or whatever form you like. What matters is getting the nutrients necessary to support your training session. Make it a habit and you will stay focused and power through your workout, increase your strength and power, and burn more calories during your session.

FISH OIL OR FLAX OIL?

Aren't they both omega 3 fats?
While most people are aware of the health benefits of omegs-3 fat, there is still a lot of confusion regarding the different omega-3 fatty acids. It is important to clear this out because not all omega-3 fatty acids are of equal effectiveness.
The major sources of omega-3 fats are fish oil and the cheaper flax oil. While they are both omega-3 oils, they provide different omega-3 fatty acids. Flax oil is a source of the parent omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), while fish oil is a source of the longer chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The important distinction lies in the fact that it is EPA and DHA which are the active omega-3 fatty acids that give rise to health benefits such as fat loss, cardiovascular health and brain function.



While our bodies can convert ALA to EPA and DHA in the body, this conversion is extremely inefficient. It has been shown that the conversion of ALA to EPA is only between 0.3% and 8%, and the conversion of ALA to DHA is often undetectable in men. Conversion of ALA to long-chain n–3 fatty acids appears is more efficient in women. Up to 21% of consumed ALA in woman is converted to EPA and up to 9% is converted to DHA. Even so, it is not enough to get an effective dose of EPA and DHA (2-3 g), which can only be obtained by consuming fish or supplementing with fish oil, krill oil or algae oil. Algae oil is a vegetable source of DHA, while fish oil contains both EPA and DHA. The low conversion efficiency of ALA to EPA and DHA is a concern for people with less than optimal health and the elderly. This is another reason to supplement with fish oil instead of flax oil for most people.



Therefore, to ensure adequate amounts of the active omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which is around 2-3 g, intake of these fatty acids via fatty fish and/or fish oil and algae oil is recommended, since we cannot rely on our body’s conversion of ALA.
To obtain the optimal benefits of fish oil and find the highest quality fish oil, you need to do three things;

1. By a product that only sources its fish from pristine waters.
   
2. By only a product that uses the process of molecular distillation, which will remove any existing impurities.
   
3. By only a product that uses a fish source that is naturally high in DHA and EPA, because not all are.
   

Now this is not to say that you should not take flax oil at all, because ALA's do serve other functions in the body. Some of the best ways to get your other omega 3s are through plant and nut sources too.

SWEET DANGER

We wonder why there is such an increase in allergies, asthma, arthritis and cancer in this country. I say the reason is because we have fewer nutrients and more toxins available to us consistently.

Let's talk about another disease that's sweeping the nation. ASD or Artificial Sweetener Disease. And you will notice that the government, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and the media are not mentioning one word of it. By keeping ASD silent, doctors can prescribe expensive pharmaceuticals while maintaining that repeat business. They'll call it headaches, migraines, muscle pain, arthritis, depression, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS and Chrohn's disease, but they don't call it what it really is, ASD. If we were to call it what it really is, the pharmaceutical companies would not be able to make billions of dollars annually.

As for the cure, STOP EATING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

It's no coincidence that 80 percent of fibromyalgia cases affect women since women consume more diet products than men. The human body is designed to consume nutrient rich food, in it's unaltered state.

Contrary to what we are being told by the food and pharmaceutical companies, and contrary to what the FD A applies by approving the sale and consumption of these toxic substances, we are not designed to consume chemicals, and there are repercussions for doing so.

Avoid toxic artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Equal, Splenda and anything containing Aspartame.
Some of the long list of side effects associated with these artificial sweeteners are, increased risk of heart disease, headaches, cravings for carbs and sugar, brain seizures, bloating and digestive distress, rashes and hives, weight gain, multiple sclerosis and cancer.
You are better off using Stevia if you are looking for a zero calorie sweetener.

DON'T GOT MILK? THAT'S OK!

Cows milk - Is it really good for us? Or should we eliminate milk from our diets all together?

The dairy industry has been advertising the truth about baby's needs for milk, but it has been twisted out of context to apply it to a completely different product, their product -- cows milk not breast milk. And the sad result is that most Americans still think these statements about our babies needing cow's milk is true. 

So, in an effort to undo the damage caused by this manipulation, let us consider the differences in human breast milk versus cow's milk, and further examine the physical problems caused by humans trying to survive on the milk of another species well past the age when no mammal should be drinking any milk. 

A good place to start in analyzing the distinction between milk of different species is to begin to understand how nature works. As Dr. Frank A.Oski explains it in the book “Don't Drink Your Milk!” "The milk of each species appears to have been specifically designed to protect the young of that species. Cross-feeding does not work. It is a dietary error to cross species to get milk from another animal. Heating, sterilization, or modification of the milk in any way destroys the protection."

 

Human infants take about 180 days to double their birth weight, and human milk is 5 to 7 percent protein, while calves require only 45 days doubling their birth weight and cows milk is 15 percent protein. This is much more protein than young human's can absorb. 

In addition to the difference in the amount of protein in these two different types of milk, there are also major differences in the composition of this protein. The primary type of protein in cow's milk is casein. Cow's milk has 20 times more casein than human milk, which makes the protein from cows milk difficult or impossible for humans to digest or absorb.

When protein cannot be properly broken down, it weakens the immune system, causing allergies and many other problems. Allergies caused by cow's milk are extremely common.

In fact, when a single food can be isolated as the cause of an allergy, 60 percent of the time, that food is cows milk. Symptoms of this allergic reaction to cow's milk in infants can include asthma, nasal congestion, skin rash, chest infections, irritability and fatigue. 

 

Another reason many people suffer from various digestive symptoms from drinking cow's milk is that they may be "lactose intolerant," meaning they cannot digest lactose, the sugar in milk.

An enzyme known as lactase is required to digest lactose, and between the age of 18 months and 4 years old most children gradually lose the lactase activity in their small intestine. This reflects the fact that nature never intended lactose-containing foods, such as cow’s milk to be consumed after the normal weaning period.

In fact, so many people have bad reactions to drinking cow's milk that in 1974 the Federal Trade Commission felt compelled to take legal action against advertising claims made by the California Milk Producers. The ads claimed "Everybody Needs Milk." The FTC prosecuted the milk producers for "false, misleading and deceptive" advertising. The FTC complaint cited the high incidence of lactose intolerance, allergies caused by cow's milk and the increased risk of heart disease. The FTC won and the milk producers had to come up with a new slogan for their ads: "Milk Has Something for Everybody."

 

But don't we need to drink milk to get calcium? No. The best way to add calcium to your diet is to eat more fresh green vegetables. BUT, cows milk is high in calcium… YES, but the problem is that it is in a form that cannot be absorbed very well by humans.

The mucus created by dairy products causes other problems as well. It is well-known that dairy products cause excessive mucus in the lungs, sinuses and intestines. This excess mucus in the breathing passages contributes too many respiratory problems. Two very common problems with infants are colic and ear infections, both of which can be caused by cows milk. Medical studies have found cow's milk can contribute to these problems either directly, when the infant drinks cows milk, or indirectly, when the infant breast feeds from a mother who has been consuming dairy products.

Colic, suffered by one out of every five infants in the U.S., is characterized by severe stomach cramps. When a mother eats dairy products, milk proteins pass into her breast milk and end up in the baby's blood; some studies have found that cow's milk proteins (from milk drunk by the mother) might trigger colic-like symptoms in infants fed only human milk and no cow's milk.

Makes sense doesn’t it? If your baby has colic, observe what you are eating. Cut out dairy products and see if you baby’s colic subsides.

Ear infections. You just don't see this painful condition among infants and children who aren't getting cow's milk into their systems.

Removing dairy from the diet has been shown to shrink enlarged tonsils and adenoids, indicating relief for the immune system. Similarly, doctors experimenting with dairy-free diets often report a marked reduction in colds, flu, sinusitis and ear infections."

So, what do we drink instead? For the newborn infant, breast milk from a healthy mother. After a child is weaned, there is no reason to drink any milk. We shouldn't drink any liquid with our meals either because this dilutes our digestive fluids. When we are thirsty, we should drink distilled or filtered water. Or, if you want to drink something nutritional between meals, the best choice is fresh vegetable juice, Coconut water, unsweetened Almond milk, Rice or Hemp milk.

If you are someone who loves dairy, but suffers from dairy related symptoms, remember there are some great dairy alternatives available these days.