Stuffing and SLEEP

My clients love when I give them the assignment of getting more sleep. One of my clients lost 17 pounds in 6 days just by adding natural sleep supplements. This helped her increase her sleep from 2 hours a night to a high quality 7. I say “high-quality” because a night brought on by Tylenol PM or alcohol is not quality sleep. Quality sleep is when our bodies get into the rapid eye movement state. REM or rapid eye movement sleep is a peak time for growth and repair and if we don’t get enough, our health and metabolism will suffer.

Sleep deprivation impairs our ability to metabolize carbohydrates and increases our stress hormones. This can lead to high blood sugar, high insulin levels and weight gain. Our society seems to reward people for working more and sleeping less. The pharmaceutical industry encourages this dysfunctional sleep pattern by offering drugs to help you fall asleep and drugs to help you wake up. Chronic sleep deprivation can have a variety of effects on the metabolism and overall health. Here are some problems that follow sleep deprivation:



1. It decreases leptin production, which causes an intense desire for carbohydrates.
2. Reduces human growth hormone production, which is our ‘fat-burning’ hormone
3. Causes imbalances in our neurotransmitters and increases depression and anxiety
4. Increased risk of diabetes
5. Increases blood pressure
6. Increased risk of heart disease
7. Increases obesity
8. Increase rates of breast cancer
9. Increase memory loss
10. It interfere with the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates and causes high blood levels of glucose, which leads to higher insulin levels and insulin is our “fat-storing” hormone.

To read more on how to get quality sleep through food and supplements, check out my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism.

To find healthy supplements to aid in quality sleep, click HERE.


PROTEIN BREAD:
(or use "Healing Bread" recipe)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup unflavored egg white or whey protein
3 ounces sour cream or cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate the eggs (reserve the yolks for cream brule). In a clean and dry bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Then add the whey protein until smooth. Using a spatula, gradually fold the cream cheese/sour cream into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites. Grease a bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Makes 16 slices.

STUFFING:
1/4 cup onion , chopped
8 oz portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 batch of Protein Bread (from above)
OPTIONAL: sausage and drippings

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Sauté the celery, onion and mushrooms in butter and spices until tender and translucent. Cut up the protein bread into small 1 centimeter cubes. Place the protein bread cubes in the pan with the vegetable mixture. Add the broth and mix well (you can add more if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg. Bake, covered, in a greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown on the top. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Stuffing = 179 calories, 8.8g fat, 2.9g protein, 22 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Stuffing = 95 calories, 7.5g fat, 5.2g protein, 2.2 carbs, 0 fiber

The Sleep Chart is found at www.nature.com

"Faux"tato Chips and TIRED TOXIC LIVER

Your liver plays a major role in weight loss. The liver is a chief organ in the body for metabolism functions. Keeping our liver at optimal health should be a main focus of your weight loss plan. I write a chapter in my book, Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism, called Tired Toxic Liver...this is my mom's favorite sub-chapter because it all makes sense!

The liver makes and secretes bile for storage in the gallbladder. During digestion, the bile is moved to the intestine to break down fats. But, if the liver is congested, it doesn’t produce enough bile for fat to be broken down. The liver can become congested from chemicals, toxins, drugs and heavy metals. Evidence of a "fatty liver" is often shown by a roll of fat at the waistline, which happens because the liver has stopped breaking down fat and started storing it. Only once you bring your liver back to full function, will you lose this fat. This is why I list specific ingredients like "aluminum free baking powder." All of these steps help the body in little, yet important ways.

Like every American, you're probably totally puzzled on which is the right weight loss plan. You've been flooded with emails of new miracle diets, and wondering if there are any health risks associated with them. Before choosing a weight loss programs, you need to discover if your liver could be to blame for your issues. When the liver is overloaded and toxic, every organ in a person's body is affected and weight loss efforts are stalled. Some signs of a toxic liver are weight gain, cellulite, abdominal bloating, indigestion, fatigue, mood swings, depression, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and skin rashes. Many people struggle with weight gain and a sluggish metabolism most of their lives, and go through lots of yo-yo dieting unsuccessfully. “So why doesn’t anything really work?” we may ask. We have been tackling the symptom when we should be addressing the cause; weight gain is often due to poor liver function.

The liver performs more than 400 different jobs, and is the body's most important metabolism-enhancing organ; it acts as a filter to clear the body of toxins, metabolize protein, control hormonal balance and enhance our immune system. Your liver is a “worker bee” that can even regenerate its own damaged cells! But our liver is not invincible. When it is abused and lacks essential nutrients, or when it is overwhelmed by toxins, it no longer performs as it should. Fat may build up in the liver and just under the skin, hormone imbalances can develop, and toxins increase and get into the blood stream.

The liver metabolizes not only fats, but proteins and carbohydrates for fuel. It breaks down amino acids from proteins into various pieces to help build muscle; which directly impacts your calorie burn. It also transports amino acids through the blood stream for hormone balance; which is critical to avoid water retention, bloating, cravings, as well other undesired weight issues. Amino acids also help move waste, such as damaged cholesterol, and used estrogen and insulin to the liver, for detoxification and elimination through the kidney.

The liver's most important function, and the one that puts it at greatest risk for damages, is to detoxify the numerous toxins that attack our bodies daily. Working together with the lungs, kidneys, skin and intestines, a healthy liver detoxifies many damaging substances and eliminates them without polluting the bloodstream. When we cleanse the liver and eat the right foods, liver metabolism will improve and we start burning fat. As liver function improves, so does energy. With more energy, fitness improves, because we have the ability to exercise more and improve our muscle tone.

The following are the most common symptoms of a toxic liver; being edgy, easily stressed, elevated cholesterol, skin irritation, depression, sleep difficulties, indigestion, kidney damage, heart damage, brain fog, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor memory, PMS, blood sugar imbalances, allergies, or obesity. The liver also plays a role in migraines. If this vital organ is overloaded with toxic substances, it can cause inflammation that triggers migraine pain. If you have tried many ways to improve your health and energy level and nothing seemed to help, it is possible that your tired liver is triggering your difficulties. Restoring liver function is one of the most essential actions you could ever do for your health. When the liver gets congested it will remain that way and get worse until it gets cleaned and revitalized.

THINGS TO AVOID
1. FRUCTOSE: Are you consuming fruit for a snack or breakfast? Grabbing a banana for breakfast is a bad thing to do for your liver, yet so many people do this thinking it is helpful for weight loss. Fructose, the sugar in fruit is really hard on our liver. Think of fruit (and only the low-sugar berries) as an occasional treat. Agave should also be avoided since it is chemically 90% fructose (sugar is 50% fructose).

2. SUGAR: Sugar is also a terrible and very common liver stressor. You may say you don't consume sugar, but you may be ingesting it from a lot of prepared food quite unknowingly. Always read the labels; it is hidden in marinara sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, the list is scary. In the process of being metabolized, sugar robs your body of important nutrients; for example zinc, is essential for liver function. Sugar also restrains your liver's production of enzymes, needed in the detoxification process.

3. HYDROGENATED OILS: A major liver stressor is trans-fat found in solid fats or semi solid fats like margarine. Trans-fat obstructs your liver's ability to burn fat. Our body will never learn how to process those “plastic-like” man-made fats.

4. Some liver stressors are caffeine, sugars, trans-fats, chocolate, soft drinks, many over the counter medications, cholesterol lowering drugs, anticonvulsants, and an inadequate intake of fiber. Women detoxify caffeine slower than men because of hormonal interactions with caffeine. Birth control pills also increase the time to detox caffeine by twice as much.

5. ALCOHOL: Alcohol is terrible for our liver. Overwhelming evidence has proved that alcohol itself is toxic to the liver, even when nutrition is adequate. Alcohol interferes with the liver’s ability to metabolize hormones, which are important for maintaining blood pressure. Having one drink can cause acute liver inflammation. As the liver breaks down alcohol, by-products are formed, such as acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is approximately 30 times more toxic than alcohol, and is a major cause of hangovers. Drinking alcohol depletes a store of a liver peptide called GHS, which helps us detoxify chemicals. Much of the cell damage that occurs in liver degeneration is believed to be caused by free radicals, highly reactive molecular fragments, liberated during alcohol metabolism. The damage caused by free radicals can include the destruction of essential components of cell membranes. Acetaldehyde appears to be the key generator of free radicals. Alcohol also stimulates the liver to make more triglycerides, and even a 2 oz. glass of wine a week can raise triglyceride levels. Stay Away!

If you want more ideas on food to eat for your liver, see the chapter TIRED TOXIC LIVER in my Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism Book.

One "Liver-Healing" Food that I write about in my book is the artichoke. If you wanted other ideas to use artichokes, click HERE for my "Easy Pasta."

Faux-"Potato" Chips
Here is a new vegetable for your family to try...a Jerusalem Artichoke. They are similar to water chestnuts in taste. Jerusalem artichokes resemble potatoes except the carbohydrates composing 75 to 80% of the tubers are in the form of inulin rather than starch, which will keep our insulin from rising. In this recipe, the important step to making them into crispy chips is to slice them very thin.

1 lemon, sliced in half
4 Jerusalem artichokes
Celtic sea salt (to taste)
Coconut Oil or other unrefined oil

In a deep pan, heat about 2 inches oil to medium-high. Wash and peel fresh Jerusalem Artichokes. Using a mandolin, slice into very thin strips (like you would a potato). Once the oil is hot, add a few slices to the pan, fry until they are golden brown. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Once they are golden brown, remove and pat dry. Dust with sea salt and serve with lemon. Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 1/2 cup serving)
Traditional Chips = 170 calories, 24 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Chips = 109 calories, 13 carbs, 1.9g fiber

Miracle Mineral

Here is a small piece from my book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism:

What mineral is needed by every cell in the body, yet odds are you don't get enough of it? Hint: It's not calcium. Give up? Magnesium. It gets little attention now, but rising evidence implies that magnesium benefits your heart and bones, plus it may help prevent diabetes and migraine headaches.

Deficiencies also cause muscle spasms and pain, insomnia and fatigue. Magnesium assists in maintaining muscle and nerve function, maintains heart beat, helps our immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium is also great for diabetics because it helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Magnesium is also being researched as a natural way to curb food cravings. It is found that as magnesium deficiencies increase so do food cravings. Supplementing with a therapeutic dose of 600milligrams of a magnesium supplement has been shown to significantly calm food cravings.

Early signs of magnesium deficiency include nausea, fatigue, or weakness. As magnesium deficiency gets worse, restless leg syndrome, numbness, muscle cramps, seizures, mood changes, or irregular heartbeats can occur.

I take 600mg of magnesium-glycinate (NOT Magnesium oxide)every night before bed to enhance my health in many ways (including helping me to fall asleep). Magnesium has been proven to;
-Aids in fighting depression
-Reduces food cravings
-Beneficial in the treatment of PMS
-Relieves restless leg syndrome
-Particularly important for maintaining a normal heart rhythm and is often used by physicians to treat irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
-Beneficial for bladder problems in women, especially common disturbances in bladder control and the sense of "urgency."
-Helps in the treatment of high blood pressure
-Beneficial in the treatment of neuromuscular and nervous disorders
-Helps prevent kidney stones and gallstones
-Vital for a healthy immune system
-Keeps teeth healthy
-Magnesium is used by the body to help maintain muscles, nerves, and bones.
-Energy metabolism and protein synthesis
-Helps regulate blood sugar levels
-Adequate intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D coupled with overall proper nutrition and weight-bearing exercise throughout childhood and adulthood are the primary preventive measures for osteoporosis
-Useful in treatment of polio and post-polio syndrome
-Useful in the treatment of prostate problems
-Helps reduce stress

Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however therapeutic doses of magnesium in supplements can promote unfavorable effects such as diarrhea. Choosing the correct form of magnesium will help prevent this undesired effect. Magnesium oxide is found in Milk of Magnesia…so of course that version of magnesium will cause diarrhea. Choose magnesium-citrate or magnesium-glycinate; which are highly absorbable forms and cannot be found in your typical retail store; these are found in health food stores, your local nutritionist or chiropractor. These versions are a little more expensive, but you are ensuring you are absorbing the nutrient; it is money well spent.
I recommend taking magnesium around 30 minutes before going to bed. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that helps our sleep. I recommend 400mg for most people; if someone is suffering from a medical condition or is on medication that depletes magnesium, they may require more, up to 1,000mg per day. In addition to supplements, taking baths with magnesium salts is extremely helpful. Absorbing magnesium through the skin stimulates the production of DHEA, the anti-aging hormone.

Click HERE to find Magnesium Glycinate.