Sugar Detox Challenge 2012 {free ebook}
The last couple of years now, we’ve done a sugar detox challenge after the holidays. This year I’ve made a lot of changes for you! Instead of weekly posts or emails, I’ve bundled it all up into a convenient, 24-page, FREE ebook. This way you can download it (for free) and keep it for future reference.
I used to be quite attached to sugar as I’m sure some of you are, but I had no idea how to reduce my consumption and then replace refined sugars with natural ones.
Whether you’re just starting on your journey to ‘real’ and natural foods, or you’ve been on this road for some time and just need a bit of encouragement, this ebook is for you!
As our Standard American Diet dictates, most of us are addicted to refined sugars. Not only do we dump them into our coffee, and inhale cookies, it’s hidden in almost every processed food we buy. And the problem is, the more we eat it, the more our body craves it.
Along with the 8 weekly challenges you’ll also find:
- My Story with Sugar
- What’s Wrong with Sugar
- Know Your Good Sugars
- Dealing with Cravings
- Links to recipes using natural sweeteners
To download this free ebook, just subscribe to either the daily or weekly email blog updates! If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll see a link at the bottom of your email. This link will take you to the page of free subscriber downloads. (also available are the “Naturally Balanced” and “Is Your Flour Wet?” ebooks!)
Daily Updates:
Weekly Updates:
You can also sign up for the Naturally Knocked Up Community to receive support from others working to eat healthier and reduce their sugar intake.
Remember – you don’t have to sign up again if you already get our emails! Just check the bottom of your emails for a link to the subscriber downloads page.
Enjoy!
Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)
All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.
Naturally Warmed Up, How to Raise your Basal Body Temperature
{Learn how to fix your low basal body temperature – a guest post by Matt Stone of www.180degreehealth.com}
Donielle contacted me recently because so many of her readers were complaining of having a low body temperature – something that is very common, practically universal, among women with standard menstrual and fertility issues. Since I’m notorious for making women hot, yeah baby, and I even have a “Hot Chicks Club” for all the women who have obtained a consistent waking luteal phase body temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher… I guess I’m the go-to guy on this issue.
While I could soften it and explain the particulars of the science and massage you into accepting that the advice I have has validity, I think it might be best if I just keep it simple. And slap you upside the head with it. If you would like to find out more about the basis of why the following information works so well (and I have 30,000 comments on my website confirming that it does indeed work very well – for raising body temperature, restoring menstruation, improving fertility, and many other metabolism-related disorders), I have put out several materials on it – the best and most recent being Diet Recovery: Restoring Hormonal Health, Metabolism, Mood, and Your Relationship with Food.
So let’s get on with it.
The quick explanation of the problem at hand is that if the human body goes through the supply of something faster than it is being delivered, the body downregulates metabolism to slow down the rate at which it burns through stuff (namely calories and nutrients). There are other factors involved, most of them hereditary in nature (but can still be overcome with the right approach).
In a world in which we have developed serious calorie phobia, carbohydrate phobia, fat phobia, couch potato phobia, saturated fat and cholesterol phobia, and more – almost all women in today’s society have grown so accustomed to actively eating below appetite, with dietary restriction, and exercising vigorously that they don’t even realize that they are basically engaged in disordered eating.
This is particularly harmful to women who are already coming into the world with a suppressed metabolism, which is becoming increasingly common due to our nutrient-poor diet, the dieting our mothers did (kids of dieting mothers have a known increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes), chronic physiological stressors, and countless other factors.
To make a long story short, if you have a reduced morning body temperature (this is the most important time to check as this is the best indicator of your absolute lowest metabolic rate), cold hands and feet (another powerful indicator of low metabolism), or other signs of a low metabolism (constipation, frequent infection, yeast issues, chronic fatigue, low sex drive, abnormal menstrual cycle, thinning hair, puffy eyes or water retention, poor fingernail growth, poor strength, hypoglycemia, and others) – the typical modern approach of beating yourself into submission with dietary restriction (even just being a health nut) and lots of “cardio” exercise will take you much farther away from a healthy metabolism. It is counterproductive and worsens the underlying disorder.
Dr. Atkins perhaps said it best when he wrote…
“…remember that prolonged dieting (this one [meaning the Atkins diet], low-fat, low-calorie, or a combination) tends to shut down thyroid function. This is usually not a problem with the thyroid gland (therefore blood tests are likely to be normal) but with the liver, which fails to convert T4 into the more active thyroid principle, T3. The diagnosis is made on clinical ground with the presence of fatigue, sluggishness, dry skin, coarse or falling hair, an elevation in cholesterol, or a low body temperature. I ask my patients to take four temperature readings daily before the three meals and near bedtime. If the average of all these temperatures, taken for at least three days, is below 97.8 degrees F (36.5 C), that is usually low enough to point to this form of thyroid problem; lower readings than that are even more convincing.”
Keep in mind that the metabolic rate – the active thyroid in your system being a primary factor in your metabolic rate, determines the rate at which pregnenalone is converted to progesterone – the pro-gestation hormone. That’s why, when metabolism is low, fertility is poor. When metabolism increases, your chances of conception and a successful pregnancy skyrocket. I highly recommend going through the following steps to anyone looking to get pregnant – whether having problems or not. Having a high metabolism going into pregnancy, and producing abundant progesterone has all kinds of benefits to the offspring – from increased brain size/development to increased ratio of muscle mass to body fat. And it’s good for moms too. Progesterone increases the elasticity of cervical tissues! Making childbirth a LOT less painful.
Alright, so we’re finally getting to the useful stuff. If you consistently have a body temperature below 98 degrees F when you wake up in the morning (rectal temps being the most reliable), you can fix this. It is not hard, unless you consider being on vacation and spa days hard. It is very common for people of all ages, male and female, to see increases in body temperature from as low as 95F to 98F and above in less than 30 days. It really is that simple and reliable. The hard part is getting people to try it because it sounds so strange in contrast to the exercise more/eat less, ‘carbs are the devil’ and/or ‘saturated fat is the devil’ and ‘no pain no gain’ brainwashing that has taken place over the last half century.
To raise body temperature and increase your chances of having a successful pregnancy…
- Eat as much nutritious food as you can every day. Emphasize the more calorie-dense unrefined carbohydrates like root vegetables, fruit, and grains in particular, but also eat a satisfying amount of meat, fat, dairy products (milk is incredible for body temperature), and whatever else that you find enjoyable. But keep it as nutritious and unprocessed as possible.
- Eat beyond appetite. This is key. Eating more than you want to eat is what forces your body to get out of its low metabolism rut.
- Go at least 12 hours straight per day without food – you don’t want to be overeating for more than half the day. So if you eat dinner at 7pm, have breakfast at 7am. I believe this practice can make the body more responsive to the hormone leptin, probably the most important hormone in fertility (because it raises thyroid and progesterone).
- Get as much sleep as possible. Sleep is an incredibly powerful tool for raising metabolism.
- Avoid vigorous exercise. This is not a permanent recommendation obviously. You can resume getting more vigorous exercise once your body temperature is fully restored.
- Emphasize saturated fats over unsaturated fats. Dairy products, red meat, and coconut products are the best source of dietary saturated fats. You should eat these preferentially over nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, avocado, and other plant fats – as well as pork and poultry, when possible.
- De-stress. While eating a lot, sleeping a lot, and avoiding excessive exercise is inherently de-stressing, it also pays to spend time doing something that you find leisurely or enjoyable and mentally and physically relaxing, which is highly individual. Massage and sunbathing would be my two personal favorites!
And, well. That’s all there is to it.
Enjoy.
Note – you will probably not feel well when you start doing this, but will feel bloated, hungover, and extremely fatigued and drowsy. Those are not bad signs, but signs of deep physiological relaxation and/or signs of adjustment to the new transition. Be patient. Give it a full 30-day trial.
Matt Stone, author of 7 books, is an independent health researcher who emphasizes the dangers of dieting and restricted and restrained eating of many varieties, and raising metabolism naturally. He is the voice of www.180degreehealth.com
Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)
All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.
Iodine, Thyroid, and Hormones
A few weeks back I had an appointment with a naturopath and was reminded of the issues that some of us may have with iodine and our thyroids. It was something I started to look into a few years ago, but when my adrenal issues surfaced, I went about healing those first.
But now my adrenals seem fine and yet I’m plagued with issues coming from……somewhere.
After talking with me for an hour, my naturopathic doctor decided to start treating my thryoid glands and one of the treatments is supplemental iodine.
What is Iodine?
I’ve actually talked about iodine here before, it was part of my Superfoods for Fertility post, and yet it seems even I still struggle to get enough iodine in my diet.
Iodine, a non metallic trace element, is required by our bodies for making thyroid hormones. As in, if you do not have enough iodine in your body you can not make enough thyroid hormones. When our bodies are deficient in this element, it affects our thyroid, adrenals, and entire endocrine system. Not only is it important in a fertility diet, it’s essential in the prenatal and nursing period as well. Infant mortality rates start to climb in areas known for iodine deficiency, and it’s also been linked to higher rates of miscarriage and still birth. – Superfoods for Fertility
Iodine is critical to human health. It forms the basis of thyroid hormones and plays many other roles in human biochemistry. While the thyroid gland contains the body’s highest concentration of iodine, the salivary glands, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, gastric mucosea, breasts, ovaries and a part of the eye also concentrate iodine. In the brain, iodine is found in the choroid plexus, the area on the ventricles of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced, and in the substantia nigra, an area associated with Parkinson’s disease. – WAPF, Sally Fallon, The Great Iodine Debate
Depending on where you live in the country, it can actually put you at greater risk for an iodine deficiency. As for me – I live in what’s known as the “goiter belt”, an area of the country that struggles with getting enough iodine, due to the lack of fresh seafoods in our diet. (The ocean and the animals that live in it are magnificent sources of iodine)
Before the 1920s, iodine deficiency was common in the Great Lakes, Appalachian, and Northwestern U.S. regions and in most of Canada. Treatment of iodine deficiency by the introduction of iodized salt has virtually eliminated the “goiter belt” in these areas. However, many other parts of the world do not have enough iodine available through their diet and iodine deficiency continues to be an important public health problem globally. (source)
Iodine was added to the salt we routinely eat, which has taken care of much of the goiter issue, but are we still deficient enough to cause other health issues? And what about those of us who choose to no longer consume iodized salt?
Food Sources of Iodine
- Fruits and Vegetables grown by the sea, including coconut products
- Blackstrap molasses (158 mcg per 100 grams/3.75 oz)
- Saltwater fish; haddock, whiting, herring (330 mcg per 100 grams)
- Butter from cows fed on iodine rich soil
- Dried Kelp (62,400 mcgs per 100 grams)
- Spinach (56 mcg per 100 grams)
- Milk and dairy products (14 mcg per 100 grams) (at least 20% of iodine is lost during pasteurization so raw is best)
- Eggs (13 mcg per 100 grams)
Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency
- Goiter – Without enough iodine in the body, the thyroid enlarges (develops a goiter) as it tries to keep up with demand for thyroid hormone production.
- Cretinism – a condition commonly characterised by mental retardation, deaf-mutism, squint, disorders of stance and gait, and stunted growth in children of mothers who were iodine deficient.
- Hypothyroidism
- Depression
- Dry skin
- Fatigue
- Increased sensitivity to cold
- Menstrual cycle abnormalities
- Thinning and brittleness of the hair and nails
- Unintended weight gain
- Weakness
Iodine deficiency has also been tied to fibrocystic breasts and breast cancer.
Iodine Patch Skin Test, or Iodine “Painting”
One of the treatments that my naturopath wants me doing right now, is iodine painting, a transdermal supplementation of iodine. Though the use of Lugol’s Iodine Solution I can gage the iodine status within my body and also supplement with iodine at the same time.
Since there is no test that measures the level of iodine in the body, you can actually use this iodine solution to see where your own iodine levels are because your body will only absorb what it needs. And the solution is yellow so you’ll be able to see how long it takes.
Skin Patch Test:
- Use a yellow iodine, like Lugol’s solution
- Place a drop of the iodine on a thin area of skin, like the inside of your arm.
- Note the length in hours it takes to disappear.
If your body has an adequate amount of iodine, the stain should last about 24 hours. Some of it will evaporate and so it’s difficult to know exactly how much you’re absorbing, but it’s a tried and true method used my many holistic practitioners.
The inefficient uptake of iodine from the skin and slow release can be seen as an advantage for those wishing to safely improve their iodine status without medical supervision. This treatment does not seem to provoke a detoxification reaction that often occurs with oral ingestion of Lugol’s. (source)
My patch test lasted for three hours. *ahem*
Over the last 3 weeks I’ve dutifully reapplied the iodine solution (about 3 drops spread over a thin area of skin – about the size of my palm) each time I’ve noticed it has disappeared. It’s slowly been taking longer to disappear, being visible about 8 hours later. I’m hopeful that in a few more weeks I’ll be closer to 24 hours.
There are of course cautions when using iodine, especially when someone has a thyroid disorder.
Taking too much iodine can also cause problems. This is especially true in individuals that already have thyroid problems, such as nodules, hyperthyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disease. Administration of large amounts of iodine through medications (ie Amiodarone), radiology procedures (iodinated intravenous dye) and dietary excess (Dulce, kelp) can cause or worsen hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. (source)
There are also cautions against using it internally due to some detoxifying effects from the iodine, so I suggest you work with a holistic health practitioner if you plan on taking it internally.
Have you ever done the iodine patch test? Or worked on supporting your thyroid through supplemental iodine?
More reading:
Thyroid and Homeopathic Iodine
Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)
All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.
Eating for Natural Hormone Balance
A guest post by Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP
Natural balance is about eating clean and as close to the source as possible. There’s no need to deprive yourself when you’re trying to conceive or balance hormones; there is a vast array of foods that can help you feel great and energized everyday.
Whole Grains
Sticking to healthy whole grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wild rice, cornmeal and oatmeal you’ll realize how much better you feel as these options won’t alter your blood sugar and insulin as dramatically as their white friends will (white flour, white rice, white bread). Try whole grain pasta with fresh tomato sauce and fresh marjoram, a whole grain pita filled with steamed vegetables, almond butter and sesame seeds, create a balsamic quinoa dish with cashews and fresh thyme.**
Fresh Produce
The antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables will do wonders for you and your husband. Try to purchase organic as often as possible; aim for a fresh fruit and veggie at each meal. Try spinach in your morning omelet, red bell peppers and salsa for a snack, berries in your Greek yogurt parfait, bananas in your oatmeal, fresh orange and grapefruit juice as the dressing for your salad, steamed fennel and leeks added to your favorite soup recipe. See how easy it can be to sneak in a few new fruits and veggies into your daily eats?
Fresh herbs are also a great way to add flavor to all of your dishes; I love cilantro, rosemary, marjoram, basil and sage but don’t stop there- there’s a whole garden of herbs that you can experiment with. Try a bit of mint in your evening tea or some cilantro in your tomato sauce; how about basil in your salmon salad?
Plant Proteins
Beans, legumes, peas, nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of protein and can be used in recipes from stews to hummus, salsa to stir-fries, nut butters to chili. Toss some peas onto your lunchtime salad, cook up a batch of black beans to store in your fridge for the week to use in your scrambled eggs, homemade hummus, burritos, wraps and rice dishes. Carry around a Ziploc bag filled with chia seeds for a nice dose of protein when traveling or running errands where there are no healthy protein options; you can sprinkle a bit of these seeds onto your cereal, salads, baked goods, pilafs and smoothies.
Healthy Fats
We all need a bit of healthy fat in our lifestyles and there’s no need to shun the three letter word or be scared of eating foods with fat because we all need fat to survive and for our bodies to properly function. Try a mashed avocado with a slice of whole grain toast with fresh arugula and tomato slices. Or whip up an easy hummus with chickpeas, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil and red beets for a quick mid-day snack that can be enjoyed with crudités, a toasted English muffin or whole grain crackers. Roast some pumpkin seeds in your oven with olive oil, cinnamon and sea salt; store in Ziploc bags for an easy travel snack that you can store in your bag when you need a bit of a blood sugar boost.
White Bean Sage Hummus
Makes 8 (1/3-cup) servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (Great Northern, white kidney or cannelloni), drained and rinsed
- 1 small Vidalia onion, minced
- 1 small plum tomato, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 springs fresh sage, rinsed
- 2 tsp. ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Method of Preparation
1. Drain liquid from beans, reserving 3/4 cup.
2. Place half of the beans in food processor. Add reserved bean liquid and blend. Mix in other half of beans with remaining ingredients.
3. Transfer to serving dishes. Serve chilled with crudités.
4. Enjoy.
Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Culinary Nutritionist, Marketing Consultant, recipe developer and food writer specializing in Gluten Free, Soy Free and Dairy Free Culinary Nutrition. Amie is the author of the gluten-free blog, The Healthy Apple and is the Publisher and Marketing Director of the online gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats.
Amie shares her passion for and approach to ‘Clean Eating’ by focusing on natural, whole foods and ingredients. She’s a Food Media Expert and works hands-on with individuals and groups as a Food Allergy Concierge and Healthy Family Pantry Stylist to guide them through their transition into a healthier lifestyle.
**it’s recommended that all whole grains be properly soaked or fermented before consumption
Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)
All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.
My Thoughts on Supplements
Vitamins are a huge industry and big money-maker here in the United States, but are they necessary? Can we not, and should we not, get our vitamins and minerals from food?
I often get asked this question, and a lot of people want to know what I’m taking and why. So let’s address that shall we?
photo credit: detroitsunrise
When the world was first created, our food was perfect and supplied all of our needs. After the fall of man things changed and the ground became “cursed”, we had to toil in the fields for our food. After the flood, things may have changed even more – plants may not have resurfaced in certain areas, the ground was changed yet again.
And then we humans have done our own damage to the ground we walk on, the same ground that feeds the food we then eat. Whether it’s plant or vegetable matter, all of our food gets its nutrients from the stores in the ground. And our modern-day agriculture has damages this precious source of nutrients quite drastically in just the last 50-100 years. Most soil no longer has the same amount of vitamins and minerals as it once did. And the soil is artificially fertilized with less absorb-able synthetic minerals.
I highly believe that whole foods is the foundation for good health, yet I and many other whole food fanatics still take supplements. And the amount that I take has grown and changed over the years. Yet, how can I justify it? I mean, even my husband asked me at dinner the other night why I feel it’s acceptable to take pills for nutrients.
I feel that in a perfect world, we wouldn’t need them. People who have always eaten and stayed on a nutrient rich, whole foods diet probably don’t need them. But my body has been damaged by 25 years of eating a standard american diet. I went through phases of starving myself to lose weight, I was on the birth control pill for 4 years – my body just doesn’t work like it should and I’m still in the process of healing. So for that reason I take supplements based on my particular symptoms as well as a pre-natal vitamin.
What to look for:
When you’re looking for supplements, the biggest thing to look for is one made from whole foods.many times these will be listed as “raw” or “whole foods based”. Of course, many still have issues, like vitamin A being plant-based and not animal based, maybe folic acid is used instead of the natural based folate. But they will be miles better than regular vitamins.
And you can also look to herbs for vitamins and minerals as well – this way you truly are using whole foods!
A simple whole foods pre-natal is a great choice for those trying to conceive, but if you have deeper issues that need healing I would highly suggest you consult a naturopath, chiropractor, or holistic health counselor who uses nutritional response testing and/or can look at your symptoms and best “prescribe” certain supplements. I’ve had great luck going this route, and the supplements were tailored to my specific issues, allowing for healing.
What am I taking now? Well…… I’m currently healing and building after a miscarriage and seem to have some thyroid issues going on (and I’m working with a naturopath), but I take a raw prenatal, fermented cod liver oil, vitamin C, desiccated adrenal and ovary, calcium/magnesium, and iodine. I don’t always take all of these and I’m looking to get back to taking just the prenatal, fish oil, and calcium/magnesium. But in the short-term, my body needs the extra nutrients.
What are your thoughts on supplements?
Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)
All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.
Connect and Subscribe
You can also find me here:
-
Current Studies
Currently Studying for my Master Herbalist certification through Vintage Remedies.
Click here to learn about subscription options
