As I listened to several speakers at the Menopause Summit a few weeks ago, the idea that certain foods cause inflammation kept coming up again and again. These were medical doctors who moved to functional practices to widen the options for meeting the needs of their patients. Instead of a pill for every ill, they discovered that many imbalances can be addressed by removing certain foods from the diet.
They called these high intolerance foods: gluten, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, peanuts and artificial sweeteners - all the ones I had to remove from our family meals years ago for healing from autoimmune and leaky gut.
It can be so difficult to learn to cook a whole new way. Here are some substitutions we find work well to keep the flavours we love with a new set of ingredients!
Here's what I often use instead:
Gluten - can cause chronic inflammation that leads to symptoms like stubborn weight gain, bloating,
joint pain, and headaches.
Substitutes: millet flour, almond meal, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, gluten-free oats - millet flour is great for thickening and almond meal is a favourite base for baked goods like muffins and cookies. For noodles we like quinoa pasta for its texture and nourishment. We love these crackers: Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers, 482 g | Costco (costcobusinesscentre.ca)
Corn - the highest GMO product that elevates blood sugars and causes inflammation.
Substitutes: Grain Free Tortilla Chips for nacho chips, Rice Wraps, Green Superfood Wraps, spiced almonds for snacks, protein bites
Soy - can mimic estrogens and cause hormone imbalance.
Substitutes: Almond Milk, Oat Milk, Milkadamia, Hemp Milk or Coconut Milk instead of Soy Milk. Try to find a version without food gums since their inclusion can create digestive problems. Chocolate without soy lecithin - Made Good Chocolate Chips, Cocoa Camino Chocolate is ethically sourced and fair trade. Mint chocolate lovers might join me in loving this one!
Eggs - can be an awesome source of quick, easy protein, but for many of us with chronic illness, they can be a source of abdominal cramping, fatigue, headaches and uncomfortable bloating.
In Baking, substitute: Flax Egg - 1 tbsp Flax Meal in 3 tbsp Water for baking recipes.
Dairy - If you have any of these symptoms: skin breakouts, sinus congestion, headaches, and gut issues - take a break from dairy for a few months to let it out of your system to see how you feel.
Substitutes: For Cheesy sauces try Coconut cream with pureed cashews in water. Sprinkle Yeast Extract like Parmesan on Spaghetti. Daiya has improved its flavour for a grated cheese option. The kinds of milk listed above work well on cereal as a milk substitute.
Peanuts - as a legume, they can often impact people with candida imbalance and create inflammation.
Substitute with other nuts and seeds. Costco has a great nut and seed blend that we love for flavour and better pricing. It works well to replace peanut butter in recipes. If nuts are an issue, look for a seed butter you can tolerate.
Artificial Sweeteners - sucralose or aspartame for sugar, you might be surprised to hear that they are linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other serious diseases. I also have to be careful with sugars or grains that convert to sugar due to the candida connection to chronic fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
Substitutes: Raw honey, Pure Maple Syrup, Stevia, Krisda Monk Fruit Natural Sweetener and Coconut Sugar.
Nightshades: - Eggplant, Tomato, Potato, Peppers are high in lectins and many people with autoimmune do best by limiting or eliminating them. A Comprehensive List of Nightshade Vegetables - Gundry MD
Cheers to eating to heal!
Here are some family favourite recipes that avoid these sensitivities:
For more on this topic, this is an excellent article: Top 10 Most Inflammatory Foods to Avoid - DrJockers.com
July 30, 2017
Last week I had a moving-quickly-in-a-distracted-haze kind of moment. I was washing dishes with quick efficiency, determined to re-find my countertop. I turned to see what was left to be washed and grabbed the cookie sheet that was behind me on the stovetop - with both hands. It was hot. Fresh from the oven in fact. My son had just lifted his lunch off the baking sheet onto a plate behind me. The pan clattered to the floor in my haste to stop the burning feeling in my fingers.... I quickly put both hands under cold water and filled the sink so I could immerse them while I thought about my next move.
I remembered reading from my Essential Oils pocket reference that a French scientist discovered "lavender's ability to promote tissue regeneration and speed wound healing when he severely burned his arm in a laboratory explosion." I decided to put a drop of lavender and a drop of frankincense (another oil noted for its skin support properties) in some calendula lotion and slather it on the hot spots on my fingers. I pictured many days of inconvenience as I tried to cook, clean, type, drive, and live with two burnt index fingers and several other fingertips. I covered the worst areas with a bandage and went lightly on hand use that day.
Within an hour, the heat had gone out of my hands. By evening I removed the bandages and was stunned to see that my hands were a normal healthy pink with only some white spots that would have been blisters. The skin hadn't blistered and was no longer sore. My hands have been ready for action all week with no ill effects from my hasty blunder. They have a slight dullness in sensation at the worst spots but are healing remarkably fast.
Thanks Young Living!
At a Camp Staff Event I asked the Wilderness Leaders what superpower they would like to have? This is a question I have often found intriguing and have heard many great responses. Some would choose super speed, others would choose teleportation or flight. I have heard invisibility, time travel, elasticity, swimming through the air, shape shifting. But the one that remains the most appealing to me is the power to heal. Maybe it is because I have worked hard to regain my health after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome when I was in my 20's. Or maybe it is that as a parent, my guys look to me when they are weak and sick wanting me to make them feel better.
I have learned that the human body is a complex marvel... and healing involves our whole self. When I first became sick, I was praying and asking God to show me where the problem was. I figured illness could be physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual in nature - but which one? I wanted a quick fix. Twenty-five years later, I am a lot healthier than I was in my 20's, but I have learned that the answer to my question was 'all of the above. I prayed for an instant miracle, but instead felt gentle nudges to follow a path of healing and slow choices adding up to a healthier life.
This blog will be my place to explore and share some of the processing and learning of these years of searching & gaining a sense of wellness. My quest - to thrive - and to create a community where we can thrive together.
Essential Oils are not regulated in North America. This means that as long as there is some essential oil in a bottle, it can be labelled 100% pure essential oil - even if there is only 5% oil and some chemical or synthetic extenders. It is not mandatory to label other ingredients used in the processing of the oil or the growing of the plant. Essential oils are so concentrated that even a small amount of chemical fertilizer or pesticide used in growing becomes much a large percentage when distilled. So how do we navigate the shopping malls to find therapeutic, natural, safe, effective products?
I was excited when I was learning about natural ingredients like lavender, arnica and calendula that these ingredients were on the labels of some Yves Rocher products available. They are a company that specializes in botanicals, so I assumed they were always choosing the best ingredients available to put in their body lotions, soaps, and cosmetics. Seventh Generation products are based on the philosophy that they are planning ingredients for their products with the next seven generations in mind. I love that. But both company's put Sodium Laurel Sulfates in their dish detergent, shampoos, and body washes. I want my shopping experience to be easy - to trust brands to do the homework for me so that I don't have to read every ingredient list. Unfortunately, because companies aren't forced to issue warnings on products that contain ingredients that Health Canada has issued warnings about, we are left in the dark unless we do some homework.
For years, every winter my hands would be cracked and bleeding they were so dry from the soaps I was using. Changing to a healthy hand soap has meant no more need for daily moisturizer before I head out the door. I've always hated housework - it meant stirring up allergies and making my skin irritated. I didn't know it was the products I was using that were so harsh.
So, let's get educated on what to avoid in our shopping aisles.
+Chemical Fragrance:
Often just listed as "fragrance" or "parfum." Short term toxicity can include coughing, skin irritation, rash, wheezing, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and irritability. Long term toxicity can include cancer, lung disease, heart disease and reproductive disorders. In most products tested it was a hormone disrupter.
Found in: scented candles, perfumes, lotions, cleaning products and more
+Triclosan:
Used in many formulations as an antibacterial agent to prevent or reduce bacterial contamination and registered as a pesticide by the EPA. Topical absorption of triclosan has shown disturbances to the endocrine system, and is believed to lead to birth defects and uncontrollable cell growth
Found in: soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, shave gel, first aid spray, kitchenware and children’s toys.
+Phthalates:
A low cost endocrine disrupting chemical that in lab studies has shown to interfere with hormone production in rats and mimic estrogen in human studies.
Found in: plastic food packaging, lotions, skin moisturizers, fragrance, cleaners, glues and nail polish.
+Formaldehyde:
This is a known carcinogen and recognized as such by the Cancer Institute. Exposure can cause eye irritation, asthmatic response, skin irritation, headaches and nausea. Long term effects include cancer and possibly leukemia. Although products generally contain small amounts, when this chemical is used in many common everyday household items in addition to being present in our wood, sheetrock and furniture, our exposure adds up. To make things even more alarming, this isn’t an easy ingredient to find. The ingredient is often listed as it’s fragmented names Methanal, Formalin, Oxymethline, Urea, 1,3-Dioxentane, Quaternium 15, Methylaidehyd, Methylene Oxi, Formic Aldehyhy, Oxmethane F, Phenol Formal.
Found in: baby shampoo, pet shampoo, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, sunblocks, cosmetics, baby wipes, toothpaste, some cleaners and more
For a handy little wallet sized shopping guide see www.DavidSuzuki.org/whatsinside
David Suzuki expands the list to include: BHA and BHT, Coal tar dyes, Cycolmenticone and Siloxanes, Dibutyl Phthalate, Parabens, Petrolatum, PEG, Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS).
My friend, Kimberley led me to a tool that is quick and easy to use even while I shop. There is an app that installs on your phone to rate products for safety. The 'EWG Healthy Living' app is an easy way to learn about the potentially toxic ingredients like hormone disrupters and carcinogens in your cosmetics and personal care products. Just scan the product barcode and 'Think Dirty' will give you easy-to-understand info on the product, its ingredients and display the warnings from Health Canada and other health organizations! Although it is focussed on beauty and personal products you can look up the ingredients that are in your household cleaners or for products that aren't in the database. This app has been featured in The National Post, Time Magazine and TED Blog as well as many other media outlets. This app is a great shopping companion to ensure that the products you put on your skin and bring in your home are supporting your goals to live healthier.
If you find all of this just too much work in a busy life, you can choose to trust companies that have earned it. Every product our team has tested with the Think Dirty App from Young Living has come out as a three or lower. No safety concerns. Young Living takes health seriously and only puts their seal on a bottle of oil or a product they have made after it has passed their rigorous seed to seal process. They have supplements, essential oils, soaps, household cleaners, cosmetics, lotions and more that are not only free of harmful chemicals, but are formulated for their therapeutic value. They support the systems of the body in maintaining balance and optimum wellness.
So, when navigating the shopping aisle, don't be deceived by marketing that has jumped on the aromatherapy band wagon. Pull out your app, read your labels and stay in control as the gatekeeper of your home. Shop to Thrive.
September 2018
We have been fighting a cough around here since Nate and James came home from camp. Camp is awesome, but lack of sleep and changes in environment and diet can do that. James' cough cleared up with rest, probiotics, and our immune support roller - a blend of Thieves essential oil, RC Eucalyptus blend EO, and Lemon EO mixed with coconut oil in a roller bottle. But though we were able to loosen Nate's cough with the same protocols, it never went away and even shifted to lingering sinus congestion.
A trip to our Naturopath confirmed allergies to mold, dairy, wheat and peanuts. He has been gluten free for awhile and had a few years when he was young of avoiding dairy and peanuts. The allergies were back and creating excess mucous and distress in his body and clogging up the path to healing. So, now we are eliminating the allergens and switching up our immune support to a roller of tea tree oil, helichrysum, copaiba and rosemary since we have been using the others for several weeks. It's good to vary essential oils for effectiveness.
My teammate Krista identified 39 Young Living oils last night that have been approved by Health Canada for their cold and flu busting properties. I don't have all thirty-nine, but I have enough of these little bottles at my fingertips to create a good first line of defense.
Chronic sinusitis in my teen years led to overuse of antibiotics throwing off the balance of good bacteria in my body. Chronic Fatigue and yeast overgrowth in the digestive tract led to 8 years of sidelining sickness. My health has never fully returned. So I want to try another path with my boys. I will use antibiotics when I need them... but I'll try a more natural approach first. Today is better than yesterday. Hopefully we are now on our way.
