Health

Dairy if You Do; Dairy if You Don’t 0

My name is Lauren, and I work with Mother Earth Products. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), multiple food sensitivities, food intolerances (gluten and lactose), and arthritis in my knees. I’ve experienced inflammation, constipation, weight retention, and inflation (of my digestive system).

I work with a functional naturopathic nutritionist to heal my gut, bloating, hormones, and to get some traction on feeling better. I follow a Gut Friendly Diet, which removes the most common inflammatory foods from the diet. I am currently living this lifestyle (it’s been tweaked several times based on what my body needs). Since the “Foods to Avoid” list can be long, I’m giving you my personal top 5. This is the second month that I’ve been sharing, and I am excited about tell you all about the second food to avoid.

Dairy:

Studies show that dairy is linked to digestion issues (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation), mucous overproduction, and brain fog even for those who don’t necessarily have an intolerance. To be clear: a lactose intolerance (per Webmd.com) involves the digestive system, and involves not having the enzyme lactase to digest lactose (the sugar in milk); but a dairy allergy directly involves the immune system, causing allergic symptoms: rashes, wheezing, hives, trouble swallowing, tightness in throat, swelling of lips and face (often), trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, etc.

Lactose intolerance, according to webmd.com, is common among adults. Nearly 30 million Americans have it BY age 20, but it’s more common in those with Asian, African, or Native American heritage. Also, you’re more likely to have it if you have a relative has it, like a mother or grandmother (my case). If you notice a pattern of what you’re eating - and I did when I drank milk, ate ice cream, and had milkshakes – and how your symptoms are showing up afterward (it could be a runny nose, hacking/ productive cough, diarrhea, constipation, brain fog), I recommend you head to your PCP, to get a reference to get yourself tested by a gastroenterologist to see if you have either a dairy allergy or a lactose intolerance.

This doesn’t mean you stop eating cereal (unless the cereal has gluten, like Month 1 talks about) with milk, but change up your milks, and stay away from cow’s milk and cheese. These days, it’s easy to find a good milk substitute (hemp, almond, cashew, coconut [my favorite], etc. I do not recommend soy), and dairy-free/ vegan cheese has come a long way!

Some people don’t even like the taste of the alternative milks, and go straight to the Lactaid type milk. Some will cut it all out forever, no substitutions. Whatever your case may be, and whatever your diet or cravings may be, I heartily recommend you try a few different milks, like in your smoothies (with our sliced strawberries or blueberries) or coffee, and settle on one or two that meets your needs and tantalizes your palate.

Finding a milk can be fun and experimental, and you can also find different recipes, easily, that you can incorporate your newfound milk into.

The other night, I used coconut milk in an Almond Butter Curry Stew, along with our dried chickpeas, dried sliced garlic, dried carrots, dried zucchini, dried bell peppers, and dried chopped onions. I use coconut milk in my smoothies, and when I drank coffee, I used aerated coconut milk. I have also used almond milk in bread recipes, and you can even get coconut milk, soy milk (which I do not recommend), and almond milk in your coffee drinks at most coffee shops now.

Come back next month for the third item I highly recommend you remove from your diet.

“Food is the most important part of a balanced diet.” – Fran Lebowitz

References:

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-lactose-intolerance#1

World Health Day Could Be The Excuse You Needed to Care For Your Health 0

Living life in the 21st century kinda sucks! From the dysfunctional relationships we've developed with our phones to the air we breathe (shocker, it's polluted!⁽¹⁾), it often seems like the whole world is out to make us weaker by the day - both physically and mentally. What's worse, diseases that didn't exist a few decades ago (such as Ebola⁽²⁾, the Zika virus⁽³⁾, and even anorexia⁽⁴⁾) are making headlines due to their increasingly threatening nature, which means our health is on the line 24/7, especially if we're not careful.

But, the real question behind all these is: Why are we really in danger? Isn't public health a human right? More than that, don't we have a series of top-tier prevention and treatment methods at our disposal to cure what ails us? While the answer to these questions should be a profound “YES,” it's worth mentioning that almost half of the world's population has no access to the public health system; so, it looks like being healthy isn't always a given.

Specifically, according to the World Health Organization⁽⁵⁾ (WHO), half of the people in the world don't receive the health services they need,which is shocking considering we live in an era of artificial intelligence. That's why it's time we embraced World Health Day and made such issues a thing of the past.

What is World Health Day?

Celebrated annually on April 7th, World Health Day⁽⁶⁾ is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness on certain topics regarding health and longevity. Specifically, WHO and several other health organizations sponsor this series of events in an attempt to improve the quality of our lives any way they can, from informing people on how to eat, live, and exercise (among others) to influencing policy makers into changing the health system for the better.

So, on this day, the organizations involved in this initiative orchestrate a bunch of activities - conferences for health workers, educational meetings for young people, teenagers and kids and briefings for local politicians - in an attempt to inform everyone about the current status of the global health system. In some cases, they even set up easy access points where people can get tested for free.

Since 1995, the decision makers behind the celebration adopted a theme-centric approach to increase the celebration's dynamic. Each year, they pick a new theme to highlight as the year's priority area of concern. Some of the most important themes discussed in years prior include the “Emerging Infectious Diseases” in 1997, “Safe Motherhood” in 1998, “Antimicrobial Resistance” in 2011, and “Healthy Blood Pressure” in 2013.

This year's theme is “Universal Health Coverage” which means that for 2019, WHO and all affiliate organizations want to make sure every person in the world has access to high quality health services without suffering financial hardship, even if they live in very secluded areas. With this in mind, we can't help but wonder: Isn't World Health Day changing everyone's lives for the better?

Sickness Doesn't Discriminate Against/For Region

While many may think that WHO's goal for 2019 is to help developing and under-developed countries improve their public health system, the organization's job doesn't just end there. Due to the recent global financial crisis, thousands of people in many Western countries are struggling to make ends meet, often at the expense of their health.

That means that diseases that would otherwise go extinct are still running rampant as our fellow citizens don't have access to treatment, either through a doctor visit or vaccination. As a result, several diseases - measles, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever - are making a comeback, especially in overcrowded countries like China.

What does that mean? Well, you may think that catching a fatal disease is more of a third world problem, but guess what? Sickness doesn't discriminate against/for certain regions – which is why raising awareness on an improved worldwide health system is certainly something we should all work on.

Local Problem Today, Global Problem Tomorrow

Another way in which World Health Day is changing our lives for the better is by reminding us once again that everyone and everything on this planet is somehow connected. What does this mean? Well, we'll let the case of Zika virus⁽⁷⁾ do the talking here.

You see, experts report that the mosquito borne illness was first identified in Uganda, Africa sometime during the 1940s. That was a long time ago, wasn't it? Fast forwarding to today, the decades-old virus not only hasn't gone extinct, but it is still going strong, having made its way to Polynesia and Brazil (remember the latest outbreak?).

With that in mind, it's easy to assume that a more efficient health system on Africa's behalf could have prevented the virus from spreading in the first place. But, since that didn't happen (and it still doesn't in many parts of the world), more and more people get infected by the virus. Caring just for our local health system is pretty short sighted because what may seem like a distant issue at the moment could turn out to be a not-so-distant problem in the near future.

Raising the Stakes Here, Raising the Stakes Everywhere

This year's theme is also making waves by urging the entire global health system to change to the core. Specifically, WHO and the other organizations supporting the celebration want health workers (especially those active in challenging environments) to educate patients on how to promote their health and advocate for their medical needs.

In doing so, the entire system gets an instant makeover, which means the market becomes more competitive. More than that, such positive changes are bound to come full circle back to us one way or the other. So, to put it simply, improving the conditions one hospital or patient at a time could have a positive impact on the efficiency of the global health system, meaning we're doing ourselves a favor in the long-term.

So, what do you think? Is this a cause worth fighting for? If so, we'd love to hear how you're going to celebrate National Health Day.

References:

Introduction to the Healthy Gut 0

My name is Lauren, and I work with Mother Earth Products. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), multiple food sensitivities, food intolerances (gluten and lactose), and arthritis in my knees. I’ve had trouble over the years with inflammation, constipation, and weight retention.

Recently, I started working with a functional nutritionist to help heal my gut, bloating, food reactions, and to get some traction on feeling better, as well as balancing out my hormones. First, she put me on a Gut Friendly Diet, which removes the most common inflammatory foods from my lifestyle, so the body has a better opportunity to fully heal. I am still doing this diet, and it’s become rare that I am constipated and bloated. But, since it is quite a long list, I’ll give you my personal top 5.

Over the course of the next few months, I’d like to share one new thing each month that I cut out of my diet for gut, brain, and energy health.

Wheat (or more appropriately, gluten):

What is gluten? Celiac.org defines gluten as a protein found in wheat (wheatberries, drum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, einkhorn, etc.), barley, and rye. Traces of gluten have also been found in oats. Many people cannot digest foods with gluten, and they all seem to have similar and alarming symptoms: bloating (gas or abdominal pain), diarrhea or constipation, nausea, headaches or migraines, brain fog (this is a big one for a lot of people diagnosed with celiac or gluten intolerance), joint pain, numbness in the limbs, and fatigue.

Personally, every day, before I went to work or class (this was a over 11 years ago), I’d eat Cheerios. Immediately, after eating them, I’d get a headache that I couldn’t shake. I remember posting about my headaches on Myspace. Our local paper ran an article about being Celiac, and the symptoms were listed. I had all of them, except diarrhea. To this day, if I ingest gluten, I get brain fog and joint pain.

If you have any of these symptoms, you should consult your PCP to give you a reference to a gastroenterologist, and stop eating any gluten you’d normally eat throughout the day. If you don’t feel better in a week, give yourself some time. Studies have shown that it can take up to 3 months for gluten to withdraw from your system completely. For a fascinating article on this, read: “The Boy With a Thorn In His Joints” by Susannah Meadows.

There are many alternative flours to use in baking, bread-making, and other pastries – almond, cassava, coconut, arrowroot, quinoa, chickpea, brown rice, etc. I even saw an apple powder for baking at our local Walmart It’s easy to pull some bread recipes off the Internet to meet your needs. I’m not a professional cook, but since I’ve been on the Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle, I’ve had to learn to cook more at home. I enjoy it now.

There are easy recipes for nearly everything you want. Zucchini Bread (we carry the zucchini at our shop). Paleo Donuts (we have the sliced strawberries to use as garnish). French Toast Casserole (we have delicious raspberries to add into your batter) or Blueberry Pancakes (we have the blueberries at our shop). Plain Sandwich Bread (it’s all there!). Just because you’re not eating the food with flour, wheat, or gluten in it doesn’t mean you can’t have it in an alternative way.

Want some ideas? I can recommend some social media influencers who dedicate their career to creating and sharing easy, healthy, and gluten free recipes. I can also point you to a lot of Mother Earth Products food that will enable you to cook easily without having to worry about spoilage or quality, and even add in some snacks to take the craving away for those baked goods.

Don’t let this one intimidate you! Many people across the world, internet, and even in journalism espouse the benefits of giving up any type of gluten. The brain fog goes away, the joint pain fades, and your digestion will start to work correctly again.

I’m already looking forward to next month’s article about sharing the second food group I gave up and why. Remember, it’s possible! Take it day by day. Try something new to cook, and think positive.

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different”? – C.S. Lewis

“Let thy food be thy medicine.” - Hippocrates

References:

https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/magazine/the-boy-with-a-thorn-in-his-joints.html

9 Winter Fruits and Vegetables to Boost Your Immune System 0

It's beginning to look a lot like... winter. The temps are finally down, the cozy blankets are out, and the smell of hot cocoa is everywhere. Even though winter is the season to be jolly, it's also the season to get the sniffles. Luckily, loading up on cold-fighting nutrients is a surefire way to kick any bug.
Before all of you modern-age nose-blowers reach for the medicine cabinet, remember there's a world of winter fruits and vegetables out there waiting to ward off those pesky colds with just a few bites. If you are ready to swap all those pills with actual foods, add these nine winter fruits and vegetables to your MEP shopping cart and enjoy the season the way you should - sniffle-free.

Fruits

Citrus Fruits

Not to sound biased, but citrus fruits are winter's superstars. From orange's orange color to lemon's bright yellow, these juicy fruits can turn any gloomy day into a good one. Of course, their color pop is only the beginning.
Oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, limes, and the rest of the clan are rich in antioxidants⁽¹⁾- vitamin C, in particular- preventing you from getting sick during the cold days of winter. Studies also show that vitamin C⁽²⁾ can reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms in both adults and children. Pouring a glass of real OJ in the morning could be the thing to keep you healthy throughout winter.

Pomegranates

While they started popping up on our Insta feeds only recently, pomegranates are one of the world's oldest fruits. This ruby-red fruit has been around since the Greco-Roman times (or perhaps way before that), but their seasonal nature allows us to feast on them mainly during the winter.
From a nutritional point of view, they're packed with antioxidants – buh-bye, common cold! Their benefits don't end there. Pomegranates are rich in dietary fiber,⁽³⁾ which boosts our immunity through specific metabolic pathways. The bottom line? Add these sweet and tart pods to your winter salad (or weekly meal plan), and you won't regret it!

Kiwis

Even though its popping color and exotic looks conjure up images of tropical smoothies and sandy beaches, kiwi is winter's "child." The emerald green fruit is in season from October through May⁽⁴⁾, but if you want our opinion, kiwi crops harvested in December and January taste the best. Much like other citrus fruits, kiwis are rich in vitamin C, boosting your immunity and sparing you from getting sick.

Vegetables

Cabbage

A close cousin to veggies like cauliflower, the almighty broccoli, and collard greens, cabbage loves cold weather. The winter vegetable is in season during the colder months of the year and hides a wealth of disease-fighting nutrients, like vitamin C⁽⁵⁾, antioxidants,⁽⁶⁾ and fiber. The best part about cabbage is that you can eat it raw as part of a nutritious salad or cooked in the form of hearty stews and crunchy rolls. We recommend you opt for the dehydrated version. It’s easy to add to anything: from stews to salads to casseroles.

Brussel Sprouts

Chances are you've heard all about brussel sprouts and how “yucky” they taste. Over the years, the bite-sized green orbs have endured their fair share of bad press, but it's high time we change all that. Between their high content in antioxidants⁽⁷⁾ and their ability to pair with any vegetable and cheese type out there, brussel sprouts are one of the healthiest and most versatile foods to hit your plate during the colder months. Ready to say no to those sniffles in the tastiest way possible?

Leeks

Most of your immunity defenses⁽⁸⁾ lie along the mucosal lining of your gut. That means that eating the right foods helps you boost your immunity and bring down those flu germs without you even noticing. Here’s where leeks step in.
The winter vegetable is packed with a variety of gut-friendly nutrients, including inulin,⁽⁹⁾a potent prebiotic. Once inside your digestive system, the fiber improves your gut health and reduces your risk of coming down with the flu.
Make sure you keep a batch of dehydrated leeks around and add them to your dishes every chance you get. Your morning frittatas and your supper soup got the healthy makeover they needed.

Kale

Often dubbed as spinach's better half, kale is a healthy eater's dream come true. The cruciferous vegetable is home to nutrients, some of which are known to prevent the common cold (antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber). Unlike other leafy greens, kale⁽¹⁰⁾ is high in carotenoids,⁽¹¹⁾ known for their antioxidant potential.
If you're looking for an easy way to get through flu season without getting sick, this winter vegetable is all you need. PS: At 33 calories per cup,⁽¹²⁾ kale is the perfect low-calorie substitute for anyone looking to lose a few pounds before (or after) the holidays.

Onions

If you think onions are a year-round veggie, we've got some surprising news for you. Onions come in many variations, but experts suggest the best of them are grown during winter. The pungent bulb is high in vitamin C and anthocyanin⁽¹³⁾ - potent antioxidants that help you keep the flu at bay.
Friendly tip: If you think chopping up an onion isn't worth it (after all, the bulb is known for turning on the waterworks), stock your pantry with this dehydrated version, which is just as nutritious and tasty as the real deal. It’s already chopped. No prep work. Who's laughing crying now?

Carrots

This winter vegetable is a nutritional powerhouse. Harvested from October through January, carrots⁽¹⁴⁾ are an excellent source of antioxidants: vitamin C, lutein, beta-carotene, and cyanidins. Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A,⁽¹⁵⁾ a nutrient linked to a strong immune system.
Thanks to their slightly sweet taste, carrots are a great addition to both savory and sweet dishes. You can add it to smoothies along with other fruits and veggies. To avoid all the prep work, stock up on dehydrated carrots and get your antioxidant!
So, which of these winter fruits and vegetables will you eat to prevent colds and the flu? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

References:

Cocoa Butter Versus Shea Butter - Which is Best For Your Skin? 1

To put a rest on the cocoa butter versus shea butter debate, this article will explore different properties of the world renowned skin moisturizers.

Quench Your Thirst with Fruit Infused Water and Get a Health Boost this Summer 0

Water is a vital element required for your nutrition and energy levels. The benefits of water are infinite; however, most people don’t drink enough water, and the main reason they give is the dislike for the plain taste.