Probiotics

Happy Mommy Monday! I thought I'd start your week of talking about probiotics. I feel like they're one of those hot topics that you hear about... but not everyone is really sure what they are and what they do. Let me enlighten you. 

Probiotics are a dietary supplement (sometimes food) containing live bacteria or yeast that supplements normal gastrointestinal flora. Basically what that sentence means is they're "good" bacteria that live in your gut. Quick science lesson: there's bacteria everywhere. Some is good and beneficial, others are bad and cause us to get sick. When everything is balance that is when we are the healthiest. Probiotics are used to help keep your good bacteria supply up... especially for times when you're on things like antibiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, even the good kind. That's why sometimes when you're on antibiotics you might get diarrhea or even a yeast infection, the good bacteria that is usually there helping to keep you healthy has been killed. You don't need probiotics for your body to go back to normal, but it could help speed up the process or help you to not even get sick in the first place. 

Side note: I want to take a second to talk about PREbiotics. Confused? PREbiotics are foods that stimulate good bacteria growth. PRObiotics are basically just the bacteria that you put into your gut through supplementation or eating fermented foods. Examples of PREbiotics are oats, bananas, onions and even some honeys. 

Okay, back to probiotics. There are two main types of probiotics: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. There's other types, but these are the most studied and found to be the most beneficial. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that probiotics, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Here's the thing... we still don't know a ton about these things, but we do know that there is evidence that supplementing with probiotics can help your gut health. Diarrhea, constipation, and IBS all have strong evidence showing that the use of probiotics is beneficial to these conditions. 

There is no FIRM evidence for the rest of the claims with probiotics, BUT..... there are studies showing promise in children with colic, reflux, respritory infections, UTI's, allergies, asthma, eczema, colitis, and even Crohn's disease.  What does that mean for you as a parent? If you have a child that (or even you yourself) struggles with one or more of these conditions, probiotics may be beneficial for you. It also means if you or your child struggles with constipation or diarrhea, these definitely could benefit you. So here's your next step... talk to your pediatrician and see if they feel supplementation for your child is the right thing to do. I can tell you personally that my son struggled in the beginning with his gut health. My pediatrician was very helpful and told me to start supplementing with the probiotics and to follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. Make sure if you have an infant you're using the infant probiotics and if you have an older kid you're using the children probiotics, specifically for the dosage information. It made a world of difference for us.  It is important to note that the FDA does not regulate probiotics, so do your research, talk to your doctor, and buy a reputable brand. 

If you don't feel comfortable giving your infant probiotics and you're a breastfeeding mom, I have good news. You can take the supplement yourself and your baby will reap some of the benefits through your breastmilk. You can also up your intake of yogurt, sauerkraut, cottage cheese, and kombucha however, the amounts of probiotics aren't as strong as taking a supplement. And, just in case you were wondering what the Academy of Pediatrics has to say about probiotics... in 2010 they stated that they are generally safe, but they are unsure of what the long term effects or their effectiveness are. I have a feeling as more and more studies are done we will be pleased with the evidence that we get concerning these little bacteria. 

In closing... I'm not saying probiotics are a cure all... but it wouldn't hurt to talk to your pediatrician and see if supplementing could be beneficial for you, your kids and your guts. 

-Leslie

2014 Health Food Trends - Cauliflower

As promised, I'm going to do a couple of posts on some upcoming trends that have been named as the next up and coming things for 2014. You'll totally be able to impress your friends with your nerdy nutrition knowledge when they bring up things like teff and freekah. I don't really know who decides these things are going to be cool every year… but they're pretty spot on. Last year it was quinoa and kale, which have become a staple in a lot of households, but honestly before last year how many people really cooked with quinoa on a regular basis or had even heard of it for that matter?! Anyways, now you'll be ahead of the game, you're welcome.

They're saying cauliflower is going to be the hot new "it" item in the veggie world. Sure, cauliflower isn't new to most, but I think people honestly have no idea just how good this little guy is for you. I remember having to eat it at the dinner table when I was little. It was one of those veggies that I had to choke down or else I wouldn't get dessert. Now, I love the stuff. Hopefully by the end of this post you will too.

It's kind of an ugly looking vegetable, isn't it?! Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable…. that always makes me think of crucifix which then makes me think of the word horcrux for some weird reason (shout out to my HP nerds!). Anyways, it's the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it's a great source of vitamin C and full of lots of other antioxidants, another little tid-bit you might not have known. These things are all great, but one of the coolest parts (yes, i realize that even using cauliflower and cool in the same sentence makes me a total nerd) I think about cauliflower are it's anti-inflammatory properties. This little veggie has high amounts of vitamin K and Omega 3s - these aid in decreasing inflammation. That's good news for those of you that suffer from things like arthritis and diabetes. Regular consumption of this bad boy just might aid in relieving some of your symptoms. Pretty neat, huh?!

Cauliflower also is a great source of your B vitamins, manganese, and phosphorous. B vitamins are essential for growth, development and a ton of other bodily functions. Manganese is another antioxidant and phosphorous is important in the creation of RNA, DNA, and ATP (ATP is the energy your body uses to do anything). Last but not least, cauliflower is a good source of fiber… which means it cleans our your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances (aka it will make you poop).

So… now you know why should eat it, but what about how? I mean, you could go the boring route and just steam it and eat it, but I can almost guarantee that means you won't be eating much of it. The good news is people have gotten really creative with their cauliflower game. I've seen it roasted, curried, made into soup, added to pasta dishes, and a personal favorite… mashed and used in place of mashed potatoes. If you google cauliflower recipes right now I guarantee you'll find a whole bunch that you'll want to try. Cauliflower is no longer boring. So, get ahead of the trend and impress your friends with your cauliflower skills at your next dinner party.

Next post we'll talk about teff... I wish I could track how many of you are going to google what that is now haha.

Thanks for reading!

Leslie

Fad Diets

2014 is a week and a half away. You know what that means… hundreds of thousands of people will be jumping on the diet bandwagon.

I love New Years, something about feeling like you get a fresh start really resonates with me. I always tell myself that this year will be my year. I always have resolutions… I don't always follow them, but I always have them. I always have some sort of health or fitness goal in the mix, probably like most of you. So, in the spirit of shedding those holiday pounds I decided to talk about fad diets.

We've all heard the term Fad Diet, but what exactly is it? I'm sure some of you can guess the master cleanse and Atkins diets are on those lists… but what about the south beach diet and blood type diet? What makes a fad diet a fad diet? I'm glad you asked.

Fad diets make really bold promises. Things like, "you'll lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks" and "all you have to do is eat grapefruits all day every day and you'll find yourself at the epitome of health". Hopefully your bullshit meter is going off when you read these things… if not let me help…. your bullshit meter should be going off when you read these things. Any diet that promises rapid weight loss, requires that you eliminate or severely restrict entire food groups (cough, cough carbs), need to eat foods in specific combinations or tell you that you don't need to exercise should raise some kind of suspicion with you.

On a quick side note… I want to mention that one of the latest fad diets is the tube feed diet. Yep, that's right, perfectly healthy people are choosing to have tube feeds installed to lose weight. Isn't it just easier to make healthy choices?! I mean seriously, that is probably one of the craziest diet trends I have ever heard.

I want to bring up a couple of points. How many of us have said "ok, this is the year, I'm going on a diet, I'm losing 20 pounds and I'm never eating an unhealthy thing again ever in my life". Maybe not that extreme, but I'm pretty sure most of us have decided to go on some kind of diet or restrict some kind of something from our diet. How long did you last? Here's the thing with these fad diets. They're not fun and they're not as easy as they want you to think they are. Sure you might lose 10 pounds like that with the master cleanse, but is it worth not being able to go anywhere for 10 days because you are pretty much living on the toilet? And while I'm at it, if you were able to do some of these fad diets and lose some weight… how long were you able to keep the weight off before you gained it back? In my experience, most people who lose 20 pounds on a fad diet end up gaining 30 pounds as soon as they are off of it.

Rapid weight loss scares me. When you lose weight that quickly you're not really losing body fat, you're losing muscle, bone, and water. When you gain weight back, you gain fat. What that means is you could have someone who isn't that overweight but is at 40-50% body fat because they have been a victim of rapid weight loss for years. All weight loss is not created equal.

So, what does healthy weight loss look like? If you want to lose weight and KEEP that weight off then you should be shooting for 1/2-1 pound per week. You didn't gain that extra 15 pounds over night and you shouldn't plan on losing it overnight either. If you want results that are going to stick then you need to can the fad diets and start making choices that will be way more sustainable. Telling yourself that you will never ever have another bite of carbs again is ridiculous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the chances of you actually sticking to that are slim to none. And, if you're anything like me, the second I tell myself I can't have something, it's all I can think about. So maybe, instead of completely cutting things out we need to make the decision to pick healthier things more often than the not healthier things.  Hello balance!

How can you set yourself up for success in 2014? First off, it's going to take some planning. Trust me, taking 20 minutes to plan your menu out every week will save you thousands of unwanted calories in the end. Before I go grocery shopping I sit down, decide what meals I'm going to make that week and get all the necessary supplies. That way, if I'm having a busy day I don't have to come home and try to figure something out, which ultimately means I'm probably going to just go out and get myself something unhealthy. Meal planning should be your best friend.

Secondly, you need accountability! It's easy to slip up when you're the only one keeping track of yourself. When you have to report to someone else, it's a whole different ballgame. This goes for working out too. And you might have guessed this, but you have to work out. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, you could even just go for daily walks… but some kind of physical activity is a must. It's the key for good health and weight management. You should shoot for 30-60 minutes most days of the week.

Finally, you need to love yourself. Cheesy, I know… but so true. If we don't start loving ourselves where we are at and celebrating our small victories, then it won't matter if you hit your goal, you'll still find something to be unhappy with. I used to struggle so much with this. I would look in the mirror and only see the things I didn't like. I'm not really sure what happened, but one day I changed my outlook and it changed my life. I still have areas that need some work, sure. But, I love myself where I'm at. I'm actually proud of my body. If we start focusing on the good, it's crazy how things really start to fall into place. So, even though this is totally nerdy… next time you look in the mirror tell yourself three things that you love about yourself physically. Hopefully, those three things will turn into five things and so on and so on.

Thanks for reading!

Leslie

fatty mc faterson.

I remember when i was little snackwells was a huge thing. they were the no-fat or low-fat snack. it's funny, the different trends that surface and resurface in nutrition... back then, fat was the enemy. fast forward 15-20 years and i think peoples relationship with fat has come a long way, but there's definitely still some room to grow.

So probably by now you're used to me telling you how each of the things i've chosen to write about are things our bodies really, truly need. fat is no different. Dietary fat is essential for the digestion, absorption, and transport of the fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and lycopenes. It depresses gastric secretions, slows gastric emptying and facilitates digestion. basically all that boils down to… you need it. (Side Note: your fat-soluble vitamins are A, E, D and K)

Another topic related to fat that might have heard of are fatty acids. Again, the name refers to its chemical structure… which isn't really that important for you to know. what you do need to know is that they are important sources of fuel because when the body metabolizes them they yield large quantities of ATP (ATP=the energy your cells need to do anything). 

So lets talk about the different kinds of fat. the not so nice fats are your saturated and trans fats. saturated fats come mainly from animal food sources. this is your cheese, fat on a steak, full fat dairy products (think solid at room temperature). These fats can raise your LDL in your cholesterol, which is bad. There's also a potential that they can aid in developing type 2 diabetes. trans fats are mostly synthetically made through food processing. When looking at the ingredients list you'll see things like "partially hydrogenated palm oil". These fats can also increase your LDL (bad cholesterol) and decrease your HDL (good cholesterol). 

Now for the good stuff. monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). Studies show that a diet rich in MUFAs and PUFAs can improve your blood cholesterol and fight against heart disease and may even aid in preventing type 2 diabetes. foods made up of these fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil. you'll also find them in things like avocado, nuts, and even some fish and poultry. 

as you can see, there's some really good choices when it comes to putting fat in your diet. fat should be 20-35% of your diet every day. i'll say that again in case you didn't get it the first time… fat should be 20-35% of your diet every day. So while i'm all for egg white omelets and no dressing on salads, and all that good stuff… but maybe, just maybe, we are depriving ourselves of something our bodies really need in our strive to be healthy. 

I'm definitely not saying to go crazy in this category. but i am saying maybe it's okay to add a full egg to your omelet. maybe it's okay to make your own salad dressing with some olive oil, and it's definitely okay to add avocado to anything and everything. when it comes to dairy, stick to the low-fat options. You could go no fat too… i just think the low fat stuff tastes better. if you guys haven't figured it out yet i'm trying to teach you that it's all about balance. there's no tricks or gimmicks to being healthy. depriving yourself and not giving any wiggle room in your diet…. in my experience those are the types of things that cause us to give up on being healthy. i find that with my diet when i restrict something… it's the very thing i later end up binging on. And if you think your diet is really healthy and you workout all the time and don't see any results… maybe it's time to start digging a little deeper into what you eat. 

on the flip side, there are some of us that have no problem indulging in dietary fat… aka fast food, ice cream, etc. word of caution my friends… you could be setting yourself up for some serious health issues. do i love in-n-out? heck yes i do. Do i eat it every week?… sadly, no. i let myself indulge, but in my day-to-day diet i really try to be aware of what i'm putting in my body. and that's really the bottom line here… balance. hopefully i've given you some food for thought here. questions? you know the drill, email me, message me, text me, call me, we'll chat. 

Leslie