The Benefits of Soaking
Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins found in most plants, especially seeds, cereal grains, root vegetables, potatoes and beans. When lectins are ingested, it has been found that they may impact gut tissue permeability and function or stimulate the immune system.
For some, this means negative effects on our digestive tract or immune function.
Phytic acid acts as a preservative, storing the nutrients for plant growth. This acid binds with minerals in the intestinal tract that can block the absorption of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.
So why even bother you may be thinking…
ENZYMES!
The definition of an ENZYME is a substance that is produced by a living organism that helps to bring about a specific biochemical reaction.
There are MANY enzymes with MANY different functions, but in the context of digestion, enzymes break down all the food we eat into tiny pieces that can then be absorbed through our intestinal lining and into our bodies. Enzymes are like the little construction workers inside our digestive tract that get in there and break things down.
Now we can produce these enzymes ourselves, by our own bodies, or we can get them from the food we eat. Our bodies produce DIGESTIVE ENZYMES and those that we get externally through food are called FOOD ENZYMES.
Same enzymes, but from a different source.
It’s best to get as many as we can through our food, since we don’t have a limitless supply of our own, as evidenced by the fact that our enzyme production tends to decrease with age. Also, if we get them through our food, that allows our body’s energy to be directed toward other needed functions (like rebuilding and replacing worn out, damaged cells and tissues, etc). So by taking them in from our food, it creates less of a burden on the body.
Additionally, as you can probably deduce, if you are lacking sufficient enzymes, you aren’t able to properly break down all of your food. This can lead to issues like weight gain, digestive stress, inflammation and fatigue. So, enzymes are a crucial factor for our overall health.
By soaking quinoa, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, seeds etc., we are able to neutralize the lectin and phytic acid, increase the available nutrients, and improve digestibility of these foods so that they can be enjoyed by almost all people as part of a nutrient-dense diet!
How to Get Started
Assess your Cookware
The following 3 swaps will help reduce your toxic burden.
1. Buy one quality cast iron skillet and a good knife.
Best Cast Iron Brands: Lodge, Le Creuset, Staub, or vintage Griswold and Wagner.
Knife Qualifications: “full tang” blade (blade is all the way through the handle), hand forged from block of steel, use wooden cutting boards to preserve knife sharpness, 8” chef knife is a great option suitable for most tasks in the kitchen, but if you are wanting a a few- chef, serrated, paring, and utility knives would be my “go-to knives.”
2. Use glass containers for storing and reheating.
If using plastic containers, allow food to fully cool before storing and reheat food outside of the container. Use beeswax wrap when storing food such as onions, avocado, tomato, etc.
3. Swap foil for unbleached parchment paper when lining baking sheets.
Pantry & Fridge Restock
Follow these 5 steps to a whole food lifestyle.
STEP 1: USE IT OR LOSE IT
If you have food that is fresh or packaged and has been lingering in your fridge or pantry, it’s time to get rid of it! Check expiration dates and assess when the last time was that you ate this product. Stale, moldy, almost gone? Pitch it.
STEP 2: EXAMINE YOUR FATS
Here we are replacing refined vegetables oils with nourishing REAL fats. We are replacing standalone and packaged goods.
a. Clean out vegetable oils from the pantry- canola, safflower, sunflower, cottons, soybean, corn, peanut, rice bran, margarine. Replace with: tallow, lard, ghee, duck fat, coconut oil (high heat cooking), olive oil, avocado oil, butter (finishing/low heat cooking)
b. Check packages- if a package has any of the above vegetable oils, get rid of it. If you see “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”- these are trans fats and cause damage to our cells, get rid of it!
* If you are finding these oils everywhere in your items, pick 3-5 most frequently used to swap first and take your time phasing these products out as you finish them.
STEP 3: DITCH THE CHEMICALS
Food dyes, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and flavorings, MSG and thickening agents are just a few of the manmade chemicals being added to our food daily. These chemicals are detrimental to our body’s digestive, endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, and neurological systems. Not to mention, they offer no nutritional value.
Rule of thumb: if you can’t recognize or pronounce an ingredient on the ingredient list, if it has a number or acronym (red #5 or BHT), your body likely can’t recognize how to use it either.
STEP 4: SEARCH OUT SUGAR
Here we want to focus on a good-better-best continuum. If you are someone who has a candy bucket in your pantry, first steps might include switching these out for dark chocolate that is sweetened with organic cane sugar and minimal ingredients.
If you are someone who doesn’t have a lot of sugary pantry items, this may look a little different. Here you are wanting to eliminate as many of the 61 names of sugar used on your food labels. (61….insane, right?!)
Look for the following: Aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame K, Saccharin, Xylitol, Sorbitol, dextrose, maltrose, maltodextrine, invert sugar, glucose solids, demerara, sucanat, turbinado) Typically, if you can’t pronounce it, it is a “no-go.”
STEP 5: REPLACE REFINED GRAINS
We aren’t asking you to go grain-free here! Simply, swap out bleached white flour or wheat flour enriched with synthetic vitamins and minerals because these aren’t adding any value to your diet! If you tolerate grains, looking for pre-sprouted flour and grains at the store such as einkorn, spelt, gamut, sorghum or pseudo-cereals like amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat, are your best options.
If you do not tolerate grains or suspect you may have a sensitivity, this is a great opportunity to try out alternative flours made from coconut, cassava, tigernut, arrowroot, tapioca, etc. Getting creative by using other foods to replace your favorites, such as plantain chips for potato chips or cauliflower crust for your pizza curst, is a great way to get exchange less nutrient-dense foods for more nutrient-rich options.
A lifestyle shift is a process. Give yourself grace in these stages and take it at your own sustainable pace!
By getting a couple staple cooking tools, cleaning out your pantry, and making a few product swaps, you will be well on your way to living a rich, full, enjoyable lifestyle in which you can reap the benefits that the food you eat provides for your body.
All of the Pantry & Fridge Restock steps do not need to be done all at once, especially if you are making this shift as a family and with kids. However, it is recommended to follow the order.
If you want to partner together in this Pantry & Fridge Restock, I offer it as a virtual service and would LOVE to come alongside you. Shoot me an email!
Support Mental Health with Nutrition
Our mental health and diet are a two-way street. We must take care of our mental health in order to take care of our diet. If we take care of our diet, we support mental health.
We are what we eat.
We get to control what we put in our body.
Hormones & Mental Health
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are going to take a look at three key hormones that directly relate to mental health.
Cortisol
Cortisol is the “stress hormone” in our body, therefore making its’ main function to respond to stressors. However, cortisol can also manage inflammation and blood flow. When you are experiencing the often talked about, “fight or flight” response to danger, your adrenal glands produce more cortisol in order to increase your heart rate, blood pressure, inflammation, and breathing. This is an instance where inflammation is a natural and healthy bodily response. However, it is also the reason why it is important that we eat foods that fight the unnecessary inflammation so that our body can function appropriately in a dangerous situation or when fighting an infection. A few anti-inflammatory foods to incorporate into your diet are fatty fish, ginger, tomatoes, and olive oil.
While cortisol is a necessary stress hormone in our body, it shuts down processes in our body such as digestion when we are faced with a stressor. Therefore, chronic stress can cause digestive issues, but also send our adrenals into overdrive and produce that unnecessary inflammation in the body. Sign up before the end of May for this month’s newsletter on Lifestyle Factors on Mental Health. If you are reading this and are interested in this topic, but missed the window, send me a note on my “contact” page and I will send it your way!
Practical steps in taking care of stress with intentional techniques such as meditation, socializing with friends and family, and exercise, can help manage cortisol levels.
Adrenaline
Adrenaline is a hormone that helps our body to respond in a timely manner when we are faced with danger. It does this by sending extra blood to our heart and muscles. While small amounts of stress are normal and healthy to keep our adrenals trained to respond, constant stressors (chronic stress), is significantly unhealthy for our physical and mental health. When our adrenals are working overtime, sleep, mood, libido, immune function, appetite, blood sugar, and thyroid are affected.
Not only are these areas of our health impacted, but chronic stress depletes vital minerals and vitamins in our body such as vitamin C, magnesium, B vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals, due to being in constant demand by our stress hormones. Not to mention, most individuals are already depleted in these micronutrients needed to support hormone production.
We can combat this adrenal fatigue with stress management, whole foods and supplements containing L-Tyrosine, vitamin C, and B vitamins to help support hormone production in the adrenals.
Serotonin
Now…onto the fun, “mood-boosting” hormone. Seratonin supports sleep regulation, learning and memory, digestion, and even some muscular function. Serotonin is associated with promoting a positive mood and was recently linked to increasing life expectancy by as much as 10 years (1). Insufficient levels of this gut produced hormone can cause depression, weight gain, insomnia, migraines, and carb cravings. Chronic serotonin insufficiency can lead to Candida overgrowth or potential small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
So where exactly does mental health come in with this “mood-boosting” hormone? Well, a healthy gut = a healthy brain. If we take care of our intestinal flora and restore balance, we are one step closer to mental restoration. We can support intestinal flora by eating foods high in tryptophan, such as wild-caught fish, cage-free chicken, eggs and turkey. We can also eat fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha, to support healthy bacterial growth in the intestinal tract.
To support a happy and healthy body, we want all of our bodily processes to be working together efficiently. Supporting hormone production and teamwork is just one piece of the puzzle.