Recently, I was inspired to get the word out there that heartburn and indigestion do not equal high stomach acid levels.  That being said, I wrote an article that was recently published on-line (click here for article) detailing why these symptoms usually correspond to low stomach acid production.  In summary, we need stomach acid to digest protein and to turn on digestive enzymes lower down in the digestive system.  The other important signal our body receives is to close the lower esophageal sphincter when food arrives in the stomach so that food and acid cannot travel back up the esophagus (causing heartburn).  If acid levels are too low, the signal will not be present or will be weak and the opening to the stomach is left open resulting in heartburn.

Stress is a common cause for the development of low stomach acid, but the good news is with a few simple suggestions you can help your stomach lining to pump out more acid.  By simply drinking lemon water or diluted apple cider vinegar at the onset of a meal, your stomach will respond by gradually increasing its own production of acid.  Please read the full article here in order to fully appreciate the signs our bodies give us in order to make changes and fix ourselves.

I was inspired today to create my own version of a kale salad that I purchased at our local health store.  Kale is a cruciferous vegetable of the same family as cabbage and has been well-known for its many health benefits.  Cruciferous vegetables in general have high amounts of compounds which support liver detoxification.  Additionally, kale contains antioxidants such as luetin and carotenoids to protect the eyes.  The amount of Vitamin A and K in one cup of kale exceeds the recommended daily intake of these nutrients and many more vitamins and minerals are found in good amounts.

This recipe can easily be adapted to what you have on hand.  I would use red cabbage next time instead of savoy which is what I had in the fridge, however it still turned out great.  Add in fresh green onions, cherry tomatoes or sesame seeds to change it up. 



Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped
3-4 large carrots, shredded
1/4 head of cabbage (red, savoy, napa or any variety)
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider, red wine or balsamic)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or 2 tablespoons orange juice

Prepare dressing to taste, you may want to add more tamari but start at 2 tablespoons then taste.  Toss salad ingredients together then add dressing and mix.  Serve chilled.

Insomnia, lack of focus or difficulties with concentration and digestive disturbances such as bloating, gas and loose stools are some of the symptoms that are caused by excessive stress.  On the other hand, fatigue, lack of energy, accumulation of belly fat, cold hand and/or feet and dizziness can also be symptoms of stress.  While these sets of symptoms may appear to be opposite to one another, the spectrum of varying levels of cortisol is often the underlying cause.
In an article that I recently published on-line titled "The Nature of Stress" I explored the relationship between the stress hormone cortisol and the way our bodies will physically and mentally react to both high and low cortisol (I recommend reading it first to give background to the informaiton below about the graph).  Testing how cortisol levels are secreted throughout the day is recommended so that a personalized cortisol curve can be seen which represents adrenal function.

In the curve above, the green zone represents what is an average or "normal" level of cortisol over the course of a day.  Ideally, the curve would fall in the middle as seen by the second line from the top.  Those with high levels of cortisol may be at the top of the green zone in the morning, but also might stay high into the night.  This would explain symptoms such as insomnia or constant "mind chatter".  Others who have low energy and find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and to go about their day, may follow the purple line in which the adrenals are not secreting enough cortisol.  Once a curve is analyzed, treatment protocols can be developed to help raise cortisol levels at certain times of day or to quench levels when required.  Length of treatment varies as it depends on the cortisol curve observed and symptoms that the individual is feeling.  This is an area where naturopathic physicians are the experts as this type of testing and treatment is not available through medical doctors.  Please read my original article by clicking here for more information.  Remember - you don't have to go about life feeling tired and low energy all the time, there is a solution!

I am often asked about what it means to have a food sensitivity (or intolerance) versus a food allergy.  It is important to distinguish between the two as allergies have more concerning symptoms that may require medical attention or hospitalization if ingested.  The classic peanut response in a person who has a known allergy to peanuts can involve anaphylaxis and hence breathing difficulties, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or body and sometimes hives and itchiness.  Those that are sensitive to gluten and eat a gluten-laced muffin may feel any number of symptoms and up to 3 days after eating the offending muffin.  Bloating, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, headaches, fatigue, skin rashes or eczema and joint aches can all be symptoms of a food sensitivity.

In the article written for a new health-related website called Healthy Directions, an excellent look at food allergies versus sensitivities is examined.  It can be found here.  Naturopathic doctors have the ability to diagnose both allergies and sensitivites as is mentioned in the article.  The test is performed in-house and sent off to a lab usually the same day.  Results are available within 1 week to 10 days and the road to recovery starts quickly.  My personal journey with food sensitivities came with a diagnosis of multiple food sensitivites around 6 years ago.  With a change in diet and proper supplementation, I am now back to eating most foods and feel great.  Take a look at the article above and contact me using the contact form if you would like more information.

When I saw the posting for Martha Stewart's Easter Egg craft using foods as colourful dyes, I knew we had to try it.  My son who is 7 was excited to get crafty and we decided to use beets, red cabbage and turmeric to make the dyes.  Martha's blog has an excellent colour-coding chart to show how to get the colours that you want and how long to let the eggs sit in the dye.  Pretty soon my daughters (age 12 and 10) were making their own creations with some fantastic ideas.  Using stickers that had strong adhesion and interesting shapes, they were able to create white designs on the eggs by placing them on the egg and then putting the egg in the dye.  To get the white coloured, we removed the sticker after the first dye then put the egg in a second dye.  There are so many possibilities.  Not wanting to waste foods, we used some hard-boiled eggs and some hollowed eggs and reserved the whites and yolk for an afternoon omelette and kept the beets and cabbage to add to a stew for dinner tonight.  However, the hollowed eggs float and are hard to get a strong colour.

Traditional holiday crafts and foods have been adapted well so that people with sensitivities and those striving to eat and exist more mindfully can take part.  Growing-up in a Jewish home, I always looked forward to Passover and eating matzo.  As I identified gluten as a strong sensitivity about 6 years ago, I haven't had it or some other traditional foods since.  This year I went on-line to see if I could track down a gluten-free matzo recipe or if there was a product already made and I found it!  Next year, we will give it a try.  

Raising our kids in a mixed-marriage, whole-foods, naturopathic-minded house means that they are exposed to many new and different foods that maybe their friends at school are not.  Protein shakes, baked kale, gluten-free desserts and quinoa are common foods around here yet are new to many friends of our kids that come over for a meal or sleep-over.  It is odd for them to see a house without milk in the fridge or ice cream in the freezer but I'm hopeful that the excitement about good, healthy options will carry home to their families too.

Anyway, getting back to the eggs - I hope that this post didn't come too late and that naturally dyed eggs will be decorating tables over this long weekend.  I added a teaspoon of salt as was recommended in the comments to hold the colour.  And as I am learning all of the time, there are always adaptations and options for people who eat differently than others.  Usually a quick Internet search will lead you to substitutions or alternative recipes so enjoy!

Every day that I am at the clinic with patients, I am going over food sensitivity testing and explaining the foods that should be cut out of the diet for the near future.  Quite often dairy, gluten or eggs are at the top of the list.  At first glance patients look at the results and think “ok, this isn’t so bad”.  Then favourite foods come into mind and questions are plenty!

One of the most helpful tips that I can give is a list of resources for recipes and ideas for substitutions to common ingredients.  One bonus of figuring out which foods are causing physical and mental symptoms is that it helps push people back to making their own meals and avoiding many processed foods.  My favourite cookbook, which I have mentioned many times on my social media sites, is “Whole Life Nutrition” by Alissa Segerstein and Tom Malterre.  They have published 2 cookbooks which are gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and egg-free (1st book only is egg-free, the 2nd seems to be pretty heavy on the use of eggs) and I personally use the first book several times per week to cook for my family.  You can purchase the cookbooks at their website at www.nourishingmeals.com or at both of my clinics.

Along with the cookbooks, Alissa Segerstein keeps an excellent blog at the site above that holds many recipes along the same lines as the cookbooks.  There is also a special section on the elimination diet which can be followed as a cleanse or to help determine food sensitivities.  You can sign-up to receive the new posts and recipes as they are published which is nice to have some inspiration for up-coming meals.

My second-favourite gluten-free/dairy-free recipe and blog site is the Gluten-free Goddess Recipes http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca where you can find just about anything.  There is a “how to go gluten-free” section, recipes for vegetarians and vegans and an FAQ section.  In fact, I just made these delicious peanut butter, quinoa flake cookies for my daughter and her friend for their sleep-over tonight.  I would suggest reducing the sugar by 25-50% which I will do next time and add in some dark chocolate chunks (Enjoy Life brand has an allergen-free variety) for fun.

On a final note, if you are becoming gluten-free it is a good idea to maintain a wide-range of baking ingredients for all of these exciting new recipes.  About once a month I make a special trip out to Galloways http://gallowaysfoods.com on Marine Drive just into Burnaby.  This is a specialty store that carries all of the alternative flours such as sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca, buckwheat etc. at a better price than our local natural health food stores.  You can buy the flours and sweeteners that you use more of in larger quantities and find just about any ingredient used in whole food baking.  The best vegan gluten-free bread that I bake at home is the Honey Whole Grain bread found in the Whole Life Nutrition cookbook and all of the ingredients are at Galloways.

I hope that you find these resources as helpful as I do.  If there are any additional allergen-free sites or cookbooks that you would like to share, please leave a comment to tell us all about it!

When you sit down to a healthy, home cooked meal it feels good.  Not just the pride involved with doing something good for your body but also knowing each ingredient used ie – no additives and preservatives, perhaps no GMO foods and maybe cooking with mainly organic choices.  Left-overs to bring for lunch the next day or to provide a quick dinner for a day or two to come are also beneficial.  So for today’s blog, I thought that I would take a step back from the details of the foods that should be consumed to more of a guideline of what your plate should look like when you sit down.

Going through naturopathic medical school, there was an excellent nutritionist/ND who taught nutrition for several terms.  She introduced me to the 25-25-50 rule and I have used it just about with every patient to explain how to eat healthy.  When looking down at your plate, you should see 25% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 50% vegetables with a metaphorical drizzle of healthy oils on top. 

Carbohydrates 25%.  This represents complex carbohydrates, which are important for energy and metabolism as well as containing many important micronutrients like B vitamins and minerals.  The portion size is around ½ cup of grains such as brown rice, quinoa and whole grain pasta.  This category also includes starchy vegetables for example corn, potatoes, yams, squash, beets and other roots.  Try rotating through different carbohydrates to get a wide variety of nutrients within a week.  One of my favourite sides is mashed roasted sweet potato with rosemary, garlic and olive oil.

Protein 25%.  A portion of meat or fish is around the size of your palm, corresponding to about 3 ounces.  Tofu and beans/legumes are other good sources of protein when mixed with a grain to provide a complete protein meal containing all of the essential amino acids.  Choosing good quality meat is important - look for organic or non-medicated, grass-fed or wild.  Non-vegetarians should have a few vegetarian meals per week, perhaps 2 or more with fish, another 2 with poultry and a meal per week of red meat.  Try buffalo or bison as an option as it is usually free-range, grass fed and hormone-free.

Vegetables 50%.  This is where most often patients are telling me that they need to increase the amount consumed.  Remember that the 50% vegetables do not include starchy vegetables so we are looking at mainly greens.  Salads, leafy greens such as spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard as well as brussel sprouts, peas, green beans, broccoli, zucchini and so on.  Since raw vegetables can be more difficult to digest for some, lightly steaming them is the preferred method.  See below for a delicious recipe for homemade gomae.

Healthy drizzle of oil.  By cooking with healthy oils or using nuts, seeds or avocado in your meal, this component is covered.  Olive oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil are all very nutritious and can handle higher temperatures without oxidizing.  Other oils such as sesame and specialty types are best used after cooking as an added flavour or dressing.  A serving of nuts or seeds is a small handful and about 1/4 – 1/3 of an avocado contains all of the good fats that you need.  The gomae recipe below covers both the vegetable component and healthy oils.

Dinning atmosphere.  Another faculty member told us that she lights a candle at each meal to promote a restful and relaxing setting for meals.  Every bite is chewed slowly and the meal itself takes a good 30 minutes to eat.  While this might be unrealistic for most of us with busy lives and families, the concept is important.  In order to properly digest, we need our bodies to return to parasympathetic mode, or “rest and digest”.  This is the best way to absorb all of those nutrients that you have spent time and effort preparing into a great meal.  So, try not to eat at your desk or have dinner standing up in the kitchen.  Take the time to settle, sit and enjoy!

Homemade Gomae:
This yummy dish is packed full of nutrients, you will never make enough to satisfy everyone.  My kids will eat a half bunch of spinach each and still ask for more!

Ingredients:
1-2 bunches of spinach, washed and trimmed

5 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1.5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

honey or unrefined sugar to taste

Steam spinach until wilted, remove from heat.  Gently squeeze to remove some of the extra water.

To prepare the sauce, using a coffee grinder or other electric blender, grind the sesame seeds until a thick paste forms.  Remove from grinder and place in a small bowl.  Add the sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil when I can find it), tamari and honey and mix with a fork until combined.  Taste and add more sweetener if desired.  Add sauce to spinach and refrigerate as often gomae is served cold.  Enjoy!

It is becoming more mainstream knowledge that garlic has antiviral and antifungal properties and that ginger can soothe digestion and nausea.  People are taking their health into their own hands using foods that are commonly found in their kitchens and getting great results.  Many of our culinary spices have medicinal properties that were promoted for use in cooking by healers of long ago.  Below is discussion of a handful of herbs that can be used to create delicious foods and have extra health benefits.  The BBC website has an eclectic mix of recipes that are worth checking out.  Follow the links at the end of each herb discussion, please send us an email or write a comment if you have feedback on any of these delicious looking recipes!

Fenugreek Trigonella foenumgraecum.  An herb commonly found in Indian, Persian and Ethiopian dishes as a spice (the seed), vegetable and flavouring (dried or fresh leaves). In medicinal circles, fenugreek is used for gastrointestinal inflammation to soothe and reduce gastric upset.  It also lowers blood sugar and blood levels of cholesterol making fenugreek an excellent diabetic herb.  Nursing mothers rely on fenugreek to increase and promote breastmilk production and an Australian study completed in 2011 showed that men who took fenugreek extract for 6 weeks had an increased libido by 25%.  The following link has more information and recipes on using fenugreek in cooking. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/fenugreek

Cinnamon Cinnamomum species.  A tasty addition to your morning bowl of steel cut oats and baked goods, this herb has many properties of healing including lowering insulin resistance in diabetes and blood sugar regulation.  It can be used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent and provides pain relief and decrease of excessive menstrual flow or other bleeding irregularities.  Small amounts can be used to soothe digestive irritation and correct nausea and vomiting.  Try adding a pinch of cinnamon to your daily routine. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/cinnamon

Cayenene, Capsicum frutescens.  This spicy culinary herb does more than just set your mouth on fire.  In small doses cayenne can stimulate appetite and be used as a gargle for sore throats due to its antiseptic nature.  Topically in an ointment of cayenne extract called capsaicin, it can be used as a vasodilator to promote blood flow to an injured area and reduce pain by depleting substance P (a communicator of pain to our pain receptors). If ingested it can stimulate circulation while lowering blood pressure and helping to break down clots. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/cayenne_pepper

Tumeric Curcuma longa.  This root is in the same family as ginger has too many medicinal properties to properly address.  Commonly used in curry dishes, the active medicinal ingredient is called curcumin and can be used for a wide variety of health concerns ranging from gallstones to cancer to cardiovascular disease, arthritis and gastric ulcers.  Curcumin is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties for use in auto-immune diseases, inflamed joints, digestive disorders, atherosclerosis and cancer.  It protects the liver and can be used in cases of liver disease such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.  Curcumin must be extracted properly and placed into supplements in forms that are absorbable so it is not recommended that generic brands of curcumin be used for medicinal purposes. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/turmeric

There are many more culinary herbs that are commonly used in naturopathic medicine such as alfalfa, anise, caraway, cardamom, fennel, garlic, ginger, lemon balm, licorice, oregano, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage and thyme.  Watch for Part 2 of Spices that Heal coming soon!

- Dr. Jennifer Luis ND

Dr. Luis is a Naturopathic Physician practicing at Downtown Wellness Centre in Vancouver. Educating her patients on nutrition and lifestyle is part of every treatment plan and is combined with supplementation, acupuncture, IV therapy and/or homeopathy to help achieve optimum health.