The Magic of our Gut Microbiome, a Shopping List for you, and Living in a State of Chronic Inflammation

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 We know that all the magic happens through our gut microbiome when it comes to nutrition, and the healthier our microbiome is, the better our health. Did you know that we can begin creating a healthier gut microbiome in as little as six days?!  The more fiber we eat, the more anti-inflammatory power we get -

All plants have fiber and only plants have fiber. On the other hand, meat produces elevated levels of a compound referred to as TMAO, which is linked to increased heart disease and heart failure, and it greatly affects our gut microbiome in negative ways. It is Meatless Monday and a great day to start a six-day plantification of your plates to truly improve your health! 

On this transition Tuesday, let us start a shopping list for you! In your shopping cart, ramp up veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and grains and preferentially choose organic whenever possible. If it is in a wrapper, going to be fried, or has animal products or sugar added, do not add it to your cart. The best veggies are avocados, kale, spinach, arugula, cabbage, sweet potatoes, tempeh, edamame, peppers, carrots, beets, peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts, but ramp up any veggies you love! and remember fresh is best, frozen is good, and canned is the least desirable. If there is added salt, make sure there are no more salt milligrams than calories on the label. And if you accidentally buy too much, chop it, freeze it, and use it in your smoothies or soup! Have fun in the produce section, and have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

Inflammation is the body's response to injury – a positive thing when we suffer injury. But our standard American diet creates a continual immune response, resulting in chronic inflammation. Additionally, visceral fat – the fat that wraps our abdominal organs deep inside us, is highly inflammatory, sending alarms to our immune system telling us that our bodies are on fire! When we make changes in lifestyles, we can absolutely decrease inflammation. Removing inflammatory foods, adding anti-inflammatory foods, and reducing visceral fat can cool our immune systems down and radically improve our health. 

Yesterday we talked about the chronic inflammation we suffer due to our diets, and the harmful impact on our health. The best anti-inflammatory foods are: 

·         nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts.

·       flaxseeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are the best.

·        spices - cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom

·   veggies like avocados, cruciferous veggies, chilis, garlic, ginger, green leafy veggies,    mushrooms, olives, orange veggies, peppers, tomatoes, beets

·        fruits and in particular berries, citrus fruits, cherries, pomegranates, and red grapes

 Do not forget to be a bean queen! All beans, peas, and lentils fight inflammation. Fill your cart with these foods to live longer and live stronger! 

It is Fix-it Friday and today you will love No-fry Fried Rice!

NO-FRY FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS

TERIYAKI SAUCE

 1 small clove of garlic, crushed.

1 small nob ginger finely grated.

1 tablespoon low-sodium Tamari

2 tablespoons dry sweetener

½ cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon water

UNFRIED RICE

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

2 carrots, diced.

3 green onions, chopped.

4 mushrooms, sliced.

1 8-ounce can chop pineapple, or fresh if available.

2 cups baby spinach

1 red chili seeded and diced.

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 small head of broccoli, diced.

2 cups uncooked brown jasmine rice

 INSTRUCTIONS

Give your rice a good wash and then cook it according to package directions or in a rice cooker. Heat a tablespoon of water over medium-high heat in a nonstick frying pan or wok, until the water begins to simmer. Add the carrots, broccoli, and green onions and cook until the onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, corn, pineapple, spinach, chili, and cilantro. Mix and turn down to medium heat. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time as needed, to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. To prepare the sauce, place the garlic, ginger, tamari, and coconut sugar in a small saucepan. Stir and let it cook for a minute or until the sugar dissolves. Add the ½ cup water. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce, stir well, and let it cook and thicken for a further 2 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, throw it in the pan with the cooked veggies, pour your delicious sauce on top, and mix it all through! Serve immediately. 

Our Blast from the Past! 

It is important to use reputable resources when looking at research studies in nutrition, medications, or other health-related topics. For example, one study’s headline was that patients who ate a cheese diet, meat diet, and low-fat diet ended up with the same cholesterol levels. How can that be? It is important to find out who sponsors studies:  this one was paid for by the dairy industry. To make sure the subjects ended up with the same cholesterol level, they added lots of coconut oil and COOKIES to the "low-fat" diet! The same was done to compare dairy products with dairy alternatives, and to compare meat diet results with tofu diet results. They stuffed the tofu with lard! At least the meat industry had a footnote that said tofu would not usually be accompanied by the addition of lard. NutritionFacts.org does its best to make sure studies are sound. On this meatless Monday, look for validated studies, and know that they consistently show more plants mean better health. 

Yesterday we talked about valid studies in nutrition. This is interesting…the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has the following sustaining partners:  the Sugar Association, candy bar and soda companies, the corn syrup organizations, and the meat, dairy, and egg industries. The meat industry did a study showing that eating red meat does not negatively affect cardiovascular disease risk factors. They did this by swapping one meat for another – using chicken or fish rather than red meat. When it comes to cholesterol, white meat like chicken and turkey is just as bad as red meat, and fish maybe even worse. The good news is when studies compare meats to plant-based foods there is significantly lower cholesterol for the plant eaters. Trade one serving a day of meat with nuts or beans, and you can lower cholesterol, a key risk factor for the #1 killer of men and women. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone and power up your plantified plates today! 

Yesterday we mentioned swapping one meat serving each day with nuts or beans. A single serving of nuts every day is associated with a 22 percent reduction in the risk of premature death. Millions of deaths could be prevented by this one change! And it is not only swapping the meat out and the nuts in – there are fewer heart attacks even for vegetarians if they eat more nuts. Some keys to consuming nuts:  more variety is better, eat raw nuts (never roasted and not salted), soak them overnight to dial up their good enzymes, and because they are dense in calories the serving size is important, so you do not eat too many! One serving size a day would be 14 walnut halves, 24 almonds, 16 cashews, 45 pistachios, and 18 pecan halves - a little less than ¼ cup. It is a wonderful Wednesday to power up your plates with nuts! 

New York City’s public school system made a big change to go to “No Meat Fridays” to introduce healthier food choices to their kiddos. They have meatless tacos, black bean, and corn salads, and many other plant-based options that are high in protein and more nutritious. The Mayor of NYC is vegan and committed to helping improve the health of the city’s youth and the environment. The rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, and other diseases have been on the rise for years, yet if you go into the schools, the food they are being offered only accelerates this healthcare crisis. Here are the sad facts:  only 7% of school-aged children eat the recommended daily serving of fruits, and only 2%, yes only 2%, of all children eat enough vegetables. School meals can make a difference! On this fantastic Friday, why not encourage the schools your children attend to help them be healthier?   

Reference:  Nourish:  The Definitive Plant-based Nutrition Guide for Families by Reshma Shaw, MD, and Brenda Davis, RD