digestion

Radical Metabolism: boosting energy, enhancing digestion, improving hormone health and blasting fat

August 28, 2018 By Trudy Scott 11 Comments

Ann Louise Gittleman has a new book called “Radical Metabolism: A Powerful New Plan to Blast Fat and Reignite Your Energy in Just 21 Days.”

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to interview her! The book is primarily about weight-loss but I chose to focus on other aspects in our interview. We talked about so many valuable topics for boosting metabolism and energy, enhancing digestion, improving hormone health and reducing anxiety.

She shares that no disease can be healed if your cell membranes – which direct nutrients in and poisons out – are weak and unstable:

Radical Metabolism is all about what to eat to rebuild and fortify those lipid (fat)-based cell membranes, so that toxins are prevented from moving up the chain and gunking up the function of every cell, tissue, and organ in your body, from your brain to your thyroid, gallbladder, liver, kidneys, and skin. This is where omega-6 fats really shine.

Here are some of the highlights of what we covered, together with some related snippets from the book:

– our gallbladders and thyroid health

a study out of Finland found that people with decreased bile production are nearly ten times more apt to experience hypothyroidism. With low thyroid on the rise, this provides great hope to the millions of hypothyroid sufferers who experience metabolic slowdown as well as fatigue, dry skin, and constipation. Besides hypothyroidism, studies have also connected poor quality bile with chronic fatigue, migraines, depression, and autoimmune disorders.

– the importance of bile for digesting fat and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins

Bile is stored in the gallbladder to break down dietary fat and remove toxins from the body. Harvard Medical School research has revealed that subjects with improved bile health showed a remarkable spike in metabolism.

– the metabolic benefits of omega-6 fats – hemp seed oil, sesame seed oil, pine nut oil and ghee

Hemp seeds are one of nature’s greatest gifts, perfect little bundles of benefits for your entire body. You can reap the hemp’s benefits by consuming the oil, seeds (typically these are “hemp hearts” which have had their hulls removed), or by blending them into hemp milk. Hemp seeds are about one third healthful fats and one quarter protein, as well as a magnificent source of natural GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). It’s hard to find a food with a better essential fat profile – hemp boasts a 3:1 omega-6–to–omega-3 ratio.

– omega-6s and pyroluria/zinc absorption (my addition)

– why to include these oils if you’re eating a keto or paleo diet

– why bitters are beautiful – the big one is improving digestion and stimulating bile production!

Studies suggest bitters “get your juices flowing” (literally) by stimulating the release of bile, as well as saliva, HCl, pepsin, gastrin, and pancreatic enzymes.

– watercress as a great bitter food bile booster

Watercress is kind of the forgotten stepchild of the cruciferous family – a peppery-flavored cousin to cabbage, arugula, and mustard greens. Recent studies have put watercress back on the menu thanks to its powerful health-stimulating benefits, which is why it deserves a starring role in the Radical Metabolism plan

Besides being a bitter food bile-booster, in a study led by nutritionist Sarah Schenker a small group of women lost an average of 17 pounds in six weeks on a watercress soup diet. The exceptional antioxidants in watercress pump up your energy while exercising, while at the same time protecting you from exertion-related DNA damage. According to head researcher Dr. Mark Fogarty, watercress contains ten times as many beneficial chemicals as any other fruit or vegetable.

– how coffee and cacao work as bitters and dandelion tea as a good alternative (also bitter) if you can’t tolerate coffee

– and grapefruit as a bitter fruit (and one of the reasons why the grapefruit diet worked!)

– why testing ferritin is so important (and why to avoid cast iron pots)

Here is the audio of our interview. Enjoy!

And here is the recipe for: Creamy Dreamy Watercress Soup

This soup is not only fat-burning, but filling and flavorful. The recipe makes about one day’s worth of soup on the 4-Day Radical Intensive. You can either prepare it daily or cook up four batches in advance—whatever works best with your schedule.

Makes 6 cups

4 cups bone broth, either homemade (page 216) or Kettle & Fire

1/2 large bulb celeriac (celery root), (about one 5-inch bulb), brown exterior removed (do not to remove too much); cauliflower works as substitute

1 bunch leeks, cleaned and sliced

1 daikon radish, roughly chopped

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste

1 Radical Lemon Cube

1 large bunch watercress, roughly chopped

Optional: Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon miso to each warm bowl of soup

Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the celeriac, leeks, daikon, and ginger. Add enough water to the pot to just submerge the vegetables. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy. If too thick, you can always add a bit more water. Stir in the salt, lemon cube, and watercress. Simmer for 5 minutes, then blend again with your immersion blender.

Serve in a mug or bowl with or without the miso.

Note: To make Radical Lemon Cubes: 3 lemons quartered, 1 cup filtered water

Place the lemons and water in a blender or food processor and puree. Spoon the puree into ice cube trays and freeze.

Ann Louise Gittleman, New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and Before the Change, has been revolutionizing the rules of health and nutrition for more than three decades. She holds an MS in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, the title of Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) from the American College of Nutrition, and a PhD in Holistic Nutrition. Gittleman has also served as the Chief Nutritionist of the Pediatric Clinic at Bellevue Hospital and is the former Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, CA. She currently sits on the Advisory Board for the International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology, the Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc. and Clear Passage, Inc. Read more about her at www.annlouise.com.

Grab your copy of Radical Metabolism on Amazon here (my Amazon link). Grab bonus ebooks and details about the private Facebook group here

Enjoy! And do let us know what you think of these tips and the watercress soup recipe. And be sure to leave a review for Ann Louise.

The Anxiety Summit – Anxiety and digestion: the microbiome, stomach acid, bile and the vagus nerve

June 10, 2016 By Trudy Scott 48 Comments

Prof. Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, CNS, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Anxiety and digestion: the microbiome, stomach acid, bile and the vagus nerve

The microbiome – how these microbes are “us” and not different from us
Low stomach acid and the effects on protein/zinc/iron absorption, and candida
Low bile production and fat absorption issues
The vagus nerve, enteric nervous system and neurotransmitter production

Here are some gems from our interview:

So just to start the microbiome itself is not something separate from us but it’s the most newly recognized organ that we have in the human body. And it’s comprised of viruses, bacteria and fungi. And they’re like our rainforest and they live in every epithelial cell surface of our body so they’re on our skin, they’re in your lungs, in your hair, in your nailbeds. They’re in your genitourinary system, in your digestive system, in your nose. They’re really everywhere and I think that we’re also going to find that we have these microbes inside of our brain and inside of our liver and I think the more we learn we’re going to find that they’re really everywhere.

The thing that excites me about them is that they really help run our metabolism, help determine whether we’re fat or thin, help determine what our moods are like and how we feel.

I just love this comment about the microbiome:

And honestly I never know are we just a big bag for carrying around these microbes and they’re really the intelligence in our body or what? Because they’re kind of like the superstars and we’re really a super organism. And without them we don’t function at all.

Here is some of what covered in the gut brain connection section:

We make a lot of neurotransmitters in our gut. In fact we make about 80 to 90 percent of our neurotransmitters like serotonin. We make most of it in our digestive system and not in our brain at all. And when you start looking at it, it’s like wow, you look at dopamine and epinephrine and norepinephrine and all of these are made in great abundance in the digestive system itself and again they help modulate again the microbiome. They help modulate gut motility, so how fast or how slow the food moves through our digestive system.

Here is a fascinating article that covers much of the new research. The tantalizing links between gut microbes and the brain : Neuroscientists are probing the idea that intestinal microbiota might influence brain development and behaviour.

We cover hydrochloric acid and minerals:

So hydrochloric acid is really important for that. It also helps us just break down proteins so that our digestive enzymes don’t have to work so hard. And then it also in the beginning of the small intestine which is called the duodenum -it’s the first 12 to 18 inches – what happens is that the acid is still there before it get neutralized by the pancreas which secretes basically baking soda and neutralizes it because it’s done its job. But in that first big part of the small intestine, the duodenum, is where we absorb iron and calcium and zinc and to a lesser extent magnesium and copper. And so when we don’t have enough acid we’re more likely to get mineral insufficient.

This is the book she mentions in the interview – Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux and GERD by Jonathan Wright

Here is Liz’s fabulous book Digestive Wellness 4th edition

Here is the Stomach Acid/Hydrochloric Acid Test handout

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here.: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, Anxiety Summit Season 3, and Anxiety Summit Season 4.

The Anxiety Summit – Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

May 14, 2015 By Trudy Scott 43 Comments

Dr. Peter Bongiorno ND, author of Holistic Therapies for Anxiety and Depression is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

What is serotonin and why is it often considered the molecule of happiness
The role of serotonin when it comes to anxiety?
How serotonin was first discovered and the 5-HT1A receptor/oxytocin connection
Serotonin’s strong relationship to the digestive tract
The connection between inflammation and serotonin
How to naturopathically support serotonin and the overall neurotransmitter system for optimal mood support: 5-HTP, L-tryptophan and its vitamin co-factors
Serotonin’s effects on our hormones, other neurotransmitters and whole body

Here are some snippets from our interview:

In modern medicine we tend to focus on one thing and tend to work it to death, almost to the point that we believe we are doing things that will be helpful. Many studies have shown that antidepressants are not working any better than placebos in most people and yet we’re still treating it [depression/anxiety] the same way

In naturopathy we look at things from all angles. There can be multiple factors involved and why someone has anxiety. How you’re going to work through these factors successfully is going to be very different for each person.

Here is the 2010 JAMA paper: The Antidepressant Drug Effects and Depression Severity A Patient-Level Meta-analysis

The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial.

Dr. Bongiorno shares how using 5-HTP and tryptophan leads to quicker results for his patients, and unlike drugs you don’t get side-effects. He likes to use acupuncture for this too.

He discusses the co-factors that are needed for making neurotransmitters: the B vitamins like riboflavin, niacinamide and vitamin B6, plus the need for a good multivitamin. Here is a recent Psychology Today article: Multiple Vitamins for Anxiety

Here are Dr. Bongiorno’s two books:

How Come They’re Happy and I’m Not – The Complete Natural Program for Healing Depression for Good

Holistic Solutions for Anxiety & Depression in Therapy: Combining Natural Remedies with Conventional Care

You can download his free gift here: 10 Ways to Boost Serotonin Naturally. Once you sign up you’re taken to a page that has the free ebook about serotonin.

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.