The Hub November 2022

Brain Fuel

Barb Anstead

Holistic Nutritionist

Nurture it & nourish it well!

SCAN ME

Your life is your life. It will be what you make of it regardless of what you are handed. Your mindset informs your body and your very cells. It is the most powerful of tools. What you nourish and fuel your body and brain with are the other factors we have a massive degree of control over!!

We see people grow and age with grace, curiosity, and adaptability. For others, aging appears to be something to be endured with an expectation of deterioration, decline, pain, and suffering. “The Golden Years” is our fastest-growing demographic. How many people say that the only thing that’s golden as they age is their pee?

Society is experiencing high levels of chronic, inflammatory health issues across all life stages, lifestyles and income brackets. People are overfed but undernourished. There is abundance and reckless abandon on one hand, and poverty and food insecurity on the other.

There is a balance, and there is a way, but first, there needs

to be a desire, a mindset, and a willingness to learn and make changes. We have a deadly attraction to all things sugar, fueling destructive inflammatory processes and either worsening or causing dis-ease that is preventable or, at the very least, more easily managed.

Calories (food energy) are not all “equal”. Calories of any form, from any source, if consumed above the quantity needed for basic function and normal energy expenditure, are stored as triglycerides, which keep blood sugar levels elevated, which increases harmful inflammatory compounds. This upsets the gut microbiome, which informs the brain. This causes the brain to be unhappy, which causes mood and behaviour imbalances. Day in and day out, the damage is real, and it’s all very correctable!!

Let's use a simple calculation and go with a 2000-calorie diet to start. As an example only, the popular oreo cookie has 240 calories in a serving (2 cookies). A large iced cappuccino has 418 calories, and a plain bagel typically has over 300 calories. As you can see, we are approaching half of that 2000 calories quickly, with well over 100 grams of sugar in this combined example!!!

Sugar equals inflammation, inflammation equals pain, excess caloric intake equals weight gain, and weight gain equals joint pain, and possibly heart/cardiovascular issues. Are you eating yourself into dis-ease unwittingly?

75grams of sugar reduces immune response by about half for 5 hours. Going into cold and flu season, you can see why this may not be optimal! If sugar is being consumed all day long, the immune system and your body can’t even begin to recover or repair from injury or dis-ease.

It’s far too easy to fill up the calorie quotient without taking in any nutrients. A food diary or journal is a powerful, no-cost way to start keeping track of habits that are harming, or not serving your health. Email or contact me to pick up a copy. Balance and moderation are possible.

Nutrient-dense, whole-food diets provide you with the nutrients your body requires. The right balance of macro and micronutrients inform your cells. Nutrients provide the tools your cells require to satisfy the hormones that have you craving more and more. You aren’t likely as hungry as you feel, but your body is still asking for more because of elevated insulin, blood sugar levels or dysglycemia. Metabolic Balance works, I know firsthand as a coach and participant, but there are other options for those not looking for a full program.

Your body wants to be well. We are geared toward health at the cellular level.

Your gut informs your brain. Your intestinal terrain (your microbiome), along with the microbiome on your skin, are critical components of your immune and overall health. Feed your body, feed your brain. Use your body, use your brain. Your life, your tools, your future. Book a consult today: Your best investment is your health.

Barb Anstead NNCP: (519)410-3544 | barb@healthywellandwise.ca Dover Apothecary: (519)583-3784 | customerservice@doverapothecary.ca

MICHAEL MARINI, B.Sc. Phm. Pharmacist

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