The Mind-Body Connection

Namaste Nova. Photo cred: Tamara Cox

Happy June my fellow health nuts!

I am feeling very grateful this week as I was lucky to bring in this month at a Yoga Retreat, put on by the wonderful Michelle of yogabeyondthebody.com. We gathered at Namaste Nova, about 45 minutes outside of Halifax, and what a beautiful and peaceful place! Check it out if you are interested in doing a wellness retreat. They are known for Body Talk, a holistic therapy working with animals, and also offer weekly yoga classes in their yurt...yes a yurt! 

The Mind-Body Connection

I see many patients who are always on the go, who suffer from insomnia, who hold tension somewhere in their body, and so on, so I tend to always stress the importance of the mind-body connection. It is inevitable that our bodies will suffer in some way if we continue to live in the "fight or flight" portion of your nervous system, instead of the "rest and digest" portion. For that reason one of my "at home remedies" I suggest to patients is of course yoga. What a wonderful holistic form of medicine. 

I sometimes forget how good yoga makes me feel – physically, mentally and spiritually. That is exactly what I felt after my yoga retreat. As Michelle taught us, there are different forms of yoga - not only moving our body, but using mantras or working through exercises to better understand ourselves. Since it does such good things for me, I wanted to remind you of some of the many benefits of practicing yoga. Whether you are young or old, male or female, flexible or not, it has similar benefits for everyone.

Meditation – One of the best ways to calm your mind, reflect and bring your body into parasympathetic mode (“rest and digest”) is through meditation. It can simply be conscious breathing. Like most, my mind tends to wander, so bringing my attention back to my breathe is helpful. This is especially helpful after a busy and stressful day. Stress can create tension in our bodies, and breathing helps us relieve that tension. I suggest taking time for 10 deep breaths during the day, at yoga, or when lying in bed at night. Meditation and breathing is such a simple tool, yet so powerful.

Flexibility – Sitting at a desk all day, exercising in one position (eg. biking), and stress are all reasons why our bodies may be in contracture. This can lead to poor posture and injuries. Improving flexibility by stretching will lengthen muscles, relieve tension (both physically and mentally), and reduce the likelihood of injuries. So whether you can do the wheel, or a simple hamstring stretch, your body will benefit. You'd be surprised what a slow moving Yin class can bring up and release...I know I was! 

Balance – Back in my ballet days, balance came much easier to me. However, over the years of sitting in classes and getting sucked into reality TV, I wobble slightly more than I would like. Yoga is a great way to increase balance with several poses such as tree or half moon. Balance becomes even more important as you age, to prevents falls and more harmful injuries.

There are many more mental and spiritual benefits of yoga that you can explore and will come to love.

For whatever your reason, step on that mat and thank yourself for practising. I believe you will be better for it! 

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Morning Granola

Deliciouslyella.com

Baked goods and granola are definitely a weakness of mine so when I became gluten free (yes - I do know what that means Jimmy :)) and focused on less processed sugar, I started making my own granola. Have you ever read the label of store-bought granola? It tends to have the highest amount of sugar in comparison to other (healthy) cereals, up there with fruit-loops and captain crunch. I suggest reading labels and aiming for foods, such as cereal and yogurt, to have under 5 grams of sugar. 

Pros of homemade granola:

• All natural sugars instead of processed sugars, eg. honey and maple syrup, and you can control the amount
• Good source of protein with nuts and seeds - helps to balance blood sugar in the morning, helps produce neurotransmitters, eg. dopamine, serotonin, important for mood
• Eaten as a healthy breakfast with coconut milk or yogurt or as a snack on the go
• Can mix and match depending on what you like - I love adding things like ginger, quinoa, coconut

I have my go to granola recipes that taste great but I am starting to crave something different, so I was thrilled when Ella from deliciouslyella.com just put up a new recipe! I can't wait to try it this weekend. Made with buckwheat and ginger, it is gluten and nut free. Great for those of us with nut allergies and the buckwheat adds an extra crunch. There are a couple more steps involved in this recipes, compared to the usual dump stir and bake, but I'm sure it is worth it. 

There are great photos on her post so just click HERE for the recipe. Tell me what you think? 

If you are looking for a nuttier combo check out her cinnamon and pecan granola. I add a 1/4 cup raw quinoa and some shredded coconut for an extra punch. Want a little more spice, check out this spiced brain boosting granola from my fellow ND and friend Dr. Emily Munn. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Collard Green Wraps

After reading about the benefits of a gluten-free diet in my last post, you may be in need of a healthy gluten-free lunch. Why not try these delicious collard green wraps! Wraps without a tortilla you say? You bet!

Collard greens are a great alternative to whole wheat or corn tortilla wraps. I tend to avoid those corn tortillas since they so easily break apart. Collard greens on the other hand are large enough to fit a decent amount of filler, tend not to break apart and are very nutritious.  

A part of the cruciferous vegetable family, collard greens have numerous health benefits. Here are just a few:

• Detox support - Your liver is the biggest organ responsible for detoxification and the nutrients in collard greens, for example I-3-C, support this organ's function. We want to avoid a build up of those nasty toxins of course. 
• Antioxidant support - An excellent source of vitamin C, A and E (to name a few), collard greens lowers the risk of oxidative stress to our cells, which can lead to such conditions as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. 
• Anti-inflammatory benefits - Collard greens are also high in vitamin K and a good source of omega 3s, both of which are anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is the basis of most conditions, including arthritis, allergies, digestion concerns and cancer.   

Collard Wraps Recipe:

• large collard greens (without too many holes!)
• hummus
• sliced grilled chicken
• avocado
• raw greens salad
  • thinned chopped collard greens, kale or swiss chard
  • grated carrots and/or beets 
  • toasted sunflower seeds
  • crushed garlic to taste
  • freshly squeezed lemon
  • olive oil
  • sea salt

Cut the stems off the bottom of each collard green. Blanch collard greens by dunking each one in boiling water for approximately 60 seconds (this makes them more pliable for wrapping). Remove with tongs and let cool. Place a green onto a large plate or cutting board and fill her up (at the bottom or stem end)! Fold the sides in slightly then roll up tightly. Store in the fridge or cut and enjoy right away! (recipe adapted from nourishingmeals.com)

Feel free to change up the filler to your liking but I promise these won't disappoint. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

To gluten or not to gluten?

Gluten free grains and seeds :)

The term "gluten free" is starting to pop up everywhere, from baked goods, condiments, and even take out pizza. So...you may be wondering if going gluten free is right for you, or if it is just a "fad". 

May is Mental Health month and since gluten has been shown to be a silent cause of MANY mental health conditions (Dr. David Perlmutter's Grain Brain goes into much detail), I thought this was the right time to take you through why I believe this "fad" is more that just a fad. It may be your solution. 

Many diets have come and gone. So unlike fads in fashion, which I admit to caving to on numerous occasions, I am cautious when it comes to nutrition and tend to not waver on my recommendations. One of these recommendations however, for many of my patients, IS a gluten-free diet. This diet isn't necessary for everyone but new research is showing that around 1 in 10 people are sensitive to gluten (1 in 300 are celiac - inflammation on overdrive creating an autoimmune reaction to gluten). 

Are you gluten sensitive?

Are you suffering from any of the following?

• feeling sluggish
• brain fog
• headaches
• depression/moodiness
• ADHD
• memory loss
• anxiety
• let's not forget symptoms not associated with mental health - skin rashes, allergies, joint pain or any form of digestive issues

If you answered yes to any (or many!) of these symptoms, gluten may be the culprit. In Naturopathic Medicine, the terms leaky gut and food sensitivities are frequently used. When we frequently experience stress, we spend more time in the "fight or flight" portion of our nervous system and not the important "rest and digest" portion. This prevents proper digestion of food causing inflammation in the gut, which then leaks into our blood stream causing systemic issues. While symptoms could be triggered by a variety of foods because of this process, gluten can cause more issues due to over-exposure, over-processing and its effect on blood sugar.

Let's talk about blood sugar. When digested (if at all), these grains are broken down into glucose very quickly. The glycemic index (or surge of blood sugar) of whole grain bread is higher than a snickers bar or a banana (!), stressing our pancreas to produce more insulin in order to transport glucose into our cells. High blood glucose leads to inflammation - in our gut, joints, skin or the silent organ - the brain! There are no pain receptors in our brain and high glucose (and low dietary fat - but more on good fats later) can wreak havoc without any concrete indication. Inflammation will decrease neurotransmitter levels, which are responsible for keeping us happy and healthy, and affect our neurons and the signals they send for memory and so on. 

Gluten being over-processed, genetically modified and over-consumed is a whole different segway but I won't bore you with that today. Instead let's explore some basics. 

What exactly is gluten?

Gluten is a mixture of proteins, gliadin being one, in many grains. It is responsible for the chewiness of many bread products that we eat every day. It can be found in:

• wheat (most breads, pastas, cakes, cookies, donuts...you get the picture)
• barley
• farro
• kamut
• rye
• spelt
• many pre-packaged foods and condiments (eg. ketchup, soy sauce, salad dressings)

So what can I eat?

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms I suggest cutting out gluten for a month and keeping tabs on your symptoms. If you feel better, thats fantastic - keep it up. If not, more exploration with your ND is necessary. The gluten free trend makes it much easier to replace your bread for bread, pasta for pasta, cookie for cookie etc, but pre-packaged gluten free foods and some flours tend to spike your blood sugar even more. Therefore focus on healthy whole grains and legumes (think quinoa, buckwheat, sweet potato, rice). You'd be surprised what foods are out there when you open your eyes and experiment! The following foods are gluten-free:

• amaranth
• arrowroot
• buckwheat/kasha
• corn
• flax
• millet
• oats
• quinoa
• rice
• tapioca
• potato
• teff

Follow my food Fridays to learn some new recipes or check out my favourite food blogs for some more ideas. If you enjoy baking like I do, try experimenting with buckwheat, quinoa, and coconut flour! 

Its a lifestyle change and I understand it can be hard at first but trust me, its worth it for some people. You may not need to stick with it forever so check in with your ND. 

So clear your brain and get happy! In the words of Pharrell, - "Clap along if you feel..."

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen