Guest blog by Tanya Fraser, RHN. 

Welcome Tanya! I’m so glad to have you on the blog. You are known in the wellness industry as a non-nonsense truth-talker with loads of expertise. Can you share briefly what led to your wellness passion and business?

Wow, that’s an awesome introduction! Well, there were many things actually and when I add them all together I knew I wanted to work in the wellness business. First, I’ve always been active, when I was younger I was a competitive swimmer and was also a ski instructor. I loved sports and still do. Right now I’m into triathlons. Anyway, because I was so active I had to watch what I ate in order to perform at my best. Second, I’ve always been fascinated by the power of food and how it can be use to heal us. And third, I’ve had some health scares and my father died of a heart attack at the age of 46. All this helped me decided my purpose in life is to help others help themselves, better their health and live a life that is full of health and happiness.

You talk a lot about optimal digestion. Can you share why having proper digestion is imperative for women’s (and hormonal) health?

Absolutely. Everything begins with digestion. Everything. Think about it. You could be eating all the health food in the world but if your body is not breaking it down, and utilizing it correctly then that health food is of no use to you. Every disease and imbalance in the body comes from poor digestion. When I work with clients, I always begin with improving digestion no matter what issue they may be dealing with. Once we get digestion in balance again and working optimally, it’s amazing how it affects the rest of their body. Skin problems have disappeared, joint pain is gone and hormones are balanced. The connection between hormones and digestion is huge and to be honest it’s not something that gets fixed overnight. It’s also a bit of a catch 22, when your hormones are out of balance, digestion is out of balance and vice versa.

If a woman’s digestion isn’t working properly, what symptoms might she experience?

I like to think of our digestive system like our fingerprints, no two are the same. And because we are so different from each other, we experience different symptoms when it comes to poor digestion. But here are some of the more common issues. Heartburn, bloating, constipation or diarrhea or switching between the two, as well as belching and farting. Stomach pain when you eat a certain food, itchy skin, hives or acne, low energy or fatigue after eating. Food allergies, feeling full even if you’ve eaten something small. There are many others and I like said it can be different for each of us. But if you are experiencing any health issue that is a sign that digestion is not working as it should.

What are 3 lifestyle changes she can make to improve digestion?

1. STRESS!!! This is what kills our digestion. When we are in a stressed stated we tend to binge eat or eat foods that are nutritionally void of all things good. Cake, chips, soda, alcohol, fast food, sugar. We may crave these food. If you know you are stressed the best thing you can do is not eat. It’s very difficult for our system to digest food when our body and mind is stress. The first change I would recommend is get control of your stress.
2. Next, I would recommend exercise, some sort of movement. For clients that have never worked out I get them to start walking after each meal if they can. At least lunch and dinner. Movement helps with digestion because it increases blood flow and gives our metabolism a boost. It also provides energy so you don’t feel so sluggish after a meal.
3. And third I recommend good quality sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain and obesity. Sleep loss can increase your hunger and increase those cravings for sugary, high fat foods. 

What are 3 foods she could include in a nourishing diet for gut health?

1. The most important is water. Stay hydrated. I can’t stress this enough. As we age we produce less stomach acid and don’t feel as thirsty, which can be dangerous. Water is so important for digestion and overall health. It helps keep the digestive juices flowing.
2. Fermented foods are amazing for improving gut health and balancing good gut flora (bacteria), they help with elimination (pooping!) and can help reduce bloating.
3. Fibre rich foods. We need two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. Think of soluble fibre like a sponge soaking up all the toxins and waste, insoluble acts like a brush sweeping it all out. I love foods like leafy greens, the skins on fruits and veggies, flax seeds, hemp seeds and chia! 

Is there anything else you feel is important for women to know when it comes to having vibrant health, Happy Hormones and a happy gut?

Laugh more. Honestly, laughing is so beneficial for our health. It releases those feel good chemicals in the brain, it creates positive thoughts and feelings, it gives you a great core workout, and increases circulation of the blood. And who doesn’t feel good after a good laugh!

 
Here’re the professional facts, I’m a holistic nutritionist and personal trainer. I studied nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and became a personal trainer with Can-Fit-Pro. In my day to day work, I do such things as cooking classes and demos, I hold lectures and education classes on nutrition, fitness and living a life that doesn’t suck! I love working with individuals one-on-one either in nutrition and/or personal training. And in a past life, I owned a health food store. That was cool! Here’s the more juicy stuff. I eat meat and chocolate and ice cream and burgers and I also enjoy a glass of ice wine from time to time. Yes, you read all that right. I personally follow the 80/20 rule. I live a healthy life day to day, I drink green smoothies, eat raw food, meditate, exercise, breathe, stretch, sometimes I’m gluten free and vegan and I even detox from time to time. But I also LIVE life and enjoy myself. I know and understand that I am solely responsible for my own health, it’s up to me and only me to make the best of what this life has to offer, so I grab it with both hands and make life happen. You can find out more and connect with Tanya at www.tanyafraser.ca

Why Insulin Problems Cause Weight Gain

1. Imbalanced blood sugar and insulin increases inflammation in the body, and inflammation creates a great environment for weight gain. 
2. Imbalances in insulin lead to increased cortisol (stress hormone) secretion. When your body feels a stressor, cortisol is released. Cortisol will then tell insulin not to store shit like fats and carbs. This is okay if it happens every once in awhile. BUT, if you’re chronically stressed, this will turn off your insulin sensitivity, leading to excess sugar, fats (fatty liver disease, anyone?) and amino acids roaming about. This eventually becomes insulin resistance, where your body just hates on insulin and doesn’t let it do it’s job anymore. Beyond this, diabetes is the next big risk. 

How to Balance Insulin for Healthy Weight Loss

1. Reduce stress: Do something DAILY to reduce your stress like yoga, deep breathing, walking outdoors, taking a bath or reading a trashy novel.
2. Pay attention to meal timing
   1. Breakfast: 8am (or within 1 hour of waking)
   2. Snack: 10am (to prevent the morning coffee/candy bar run)
   3. Lunch: 11:30am-12:30pm
   4. Snack: 2pm (to prevent the 3pm afternoon crash)
   5. Dinner: 5-6pm
   6. Snack: 8pm (2-3 hours before bed, include some protein for great sleep) 
3. Reduce sugar (including grains, fruits and starchy vegetables)
   1. Sugars are anything with cane sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, sucanat, molasses, honey, maple syrup, cane juice, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice, etc
   2. Get your sugars from natural sources in the form of max 1-2 servings daily of whole grains, fruits and/or starchy vegetables
4. Increase healthy protein, fat and fibre
   1. Protein: 20g per meal, 5g per snack (at least)
   2. Fat: don’t worry about quantity here- think more about quality
      1. Avocados + oil, nuts, seeds and their oils, eggs, animal meats, coconut products and oil, olive oil, butter/ghee, etc
   3. Fibre: 35-45g daily
5. Exercise: Moderate exercise increases lean muscle mass on your body, which enhances insulin sensitivity (and promotes healthy weight loss)
   1. Examples: vinyasa yoga, pilates, PiYo, T-Tapp, moderate-pace walking and/or biking, body weight exercises (like planks, squats and push-ups)
6. Supplement with balancers like adaptogen herbs + b vitamins for stress, chromium and/or cinnamon for blood sugar control, and a probiotic for healthy gut and insulin function. 

Do you get ‘Hangry’? What natural interventions have you tried to balance your insulin for healthy weight loss?

Antioxidant

Potential Estrogen Regulator

Fertility

Anticancer

Gut Health

Spinach-Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

2016-01-28 10:46:30

Serves 4

An easy-to-make salad that the whole family will enjoy. Reap the benefits of this extremely nutritious fruit!

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

For the salad

1. 6-8 cups baby spinach, washed
2. 2 tbsp raw pecans
3. 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
4. 1 medium beet, grated
5. 1 medium sweet potato, cubed and roasted

For the dressing

1. 1/2 cup olive oil
2. 1/3 cup pomegranate juice, 100% pure
3. 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4. 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
5. salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl.
2. For the dressing: Put all ingredients in a jar, close it and shake until well combined. Alternatively, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Top salad with dressing.

Notes

1. Pomegranate salad dressing will keep 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
2. I like to roast my sweet potato cubes at 375, with olive oil, S+P, dried rosemary and garlic powder.

By Robyn Srigley

The Hormone Diva https://thehormonediva.com/

How do you enjoy pomegranate? Share ideas and recipes in the comments!

First of all, when I say ‘dairy’ what exactly am I talking about?

Well, any milk-based food that comes from an animal, although I’m mostly focusing on cow dairy for the purposes of this guide.

Here are common examples of these foods (this list is by no means exhaustive):

1. Milk (duh.)
2. Cheese and Cottage Cheese
3. Yogurt and Kefir
4. Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
5. Butter
6. Cream
7. Sour Cream
8. Crème Fraiche
9. Paneer

What’s the Problem with Dairy?

A1 Casein

It’s commonly thought that the problem with dairy is the lactose or the fat it contains. This is not completely true, because there are other factors in dairy that tend to cause many more issues than the above parts.

The fact is, a protein in dairy called A1 casein morphs into casomorphin or BCM7 when your body tries to digest it. Why does this matter? Well, casomorphin is an opiate- therefore inciting brain fog and potentially really strong cravings. I know- I used to crave dairy like a baby cow- especially right before my period. But then acne. . .

Insulin

Remember that A1 casein? Well, that bugger has the potential to really upset your insulin sensitivity. The casomorphin it contains causes inflammation (another Happy Hormones no-no), which in turn impairs your body’s ability to recognize and use insulin properly. When your insulin balance is off- so are your hormones. Your stress hormones like cortisol may become imbalanced, or you may have terrible cycles or menopausal symptoms. Got PCOS? This is your big reason to avoid dairy.

Hormones and Antibiotics

Unless you are getting grass-fed, organic, and preferably RAW milk, then you can bet there’s some weird shit hanging around in your milk. Hormones are fed to cows to keep up their milk supply, and antibiotics are given readily to prevent and treat diseases that come about from the cows being smushed together in small and confined spaces. These hormones and antibiotics then take up residence and/or wreak havoc on your body. Ruining your healthy gut bacteria (probiotics) and influencing how your own hormones work.

And that is why dairy isn’t necessarily your hormones’ best friend.

What Does a Dairy-Free Meal Look Like?

Lunch

• Big pile of mixed greens with julienned veg of choice and grilled salmon.
• Creamy dressing using oil, vinegar, herbs and some full-fat coconut milk.
• Few sprouted or raw crackers.

What to Do When You Can’t Avoid It

Sometimes what you eat is out of your control. True that most of the time we have the power to get what we need to nourish ourselves, some accidental cheese might end up on your plate.

What I suggest is purchasing a bottle of a dairy-focused digestive enzyme supplement to have on hand when these situations pop up- though NOT as a crutch to eat daily dairy. 

Do YOU consume dairy? How do you feel it does or doesn’t affect you? Share in the comments!