The inspiration for this Beet and Chickpea Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette came on an otherwise uneventful morning walk through the garden. It’s earlier in the season than I have ever harvested mature beets. This year, however, I planted a small stand of beets and chard way back in April. The tops are getting big already. Could it hurt to peek underneath?
Turns out we’re in beets. At least we have a few. Yahoo!!
What can I make with that?
Delightful Golden Beet!
It’s always exciting to begin getting real *food* from the garden. So as I held this delightfully early golden beet in my hand, I asked the universal question. “What can I make with that?” I was in need of something for a few lunches, and I’m biased toward salads.
I reviewed my mental checklist for a successful creative kitchen adventure: something that tastes good, made from healthful ingredients, diversity of plants, source of nitrates, source of polyphenols, satisfying, and satiating. Bonus if I have everything needed on hand.
So what do we have in the kitchen? Chickpeas / garbanzos (whole and split), broccoli, garlic scapes, cilantro, baby spinach leaves, and some beautiful red leaf lettuce just about ready in the garden.
Beet and Chickpea Salad Checks all the Boxes!
This is a lunch to feel good about eating. It tastes amazing; it’s colorful and satisfying. But let’s not stop there. The Beet and Chickpea Salad is super-healthful! Let’s focus on the star player. When it comes to the health of our circulatory system, beets are practically a superfood.
We all know that eating vegetables is good for our health, right? But how? Several ways. Veggies grown under good conditions contain lots of vitamins and minerals. Plant fiber provides an amazing growth medium for the bacteria that makes our gut microbiome healthy. Bright colors provide polyphenols that offset oxidative stress and build the microbiome.
And then there’s nitric oxide, a molecule that, according to a 2018 article by Dr. Nathan Bryan, “maintains normal blood pressure and prevents inflammation, immune dysfunction, and oxidative stress, hallmarks of cardiovascular disease.”
Many vegetables support healthy nitric oxide metabolism, and one of the top players is the lowly beet. Authors Diego dos Santos Baiao and team (2021) suggest that beets are one of the best food-based sources of nitric oxide’s cardioprotective benefits. They’re relatively easy to obtain and can also be prepared in various ways that people enjoy consuming. Yum!!
A brief word of caution: If you find it necessary to limit oxalates in your diet, heads up! Beets are a relatively high oxalate food, so take that into consideration in your meal and portion planning.
It feels so good to get our creative vibe flowing! Let’s get started!
Beet and Chickpea Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette
Fresh garden beet, split chickpeas (chana dal), broccoli florets, and herbs. Marinated in a bright ginger vinaigrette dressing.
3garlic scapessliced into 1/2" pieces; green part only
2tbspfresh cilantro
For the dressing
¼cupolive oilextra virgin
¼cupred wine vinegar
1tbspginger juice
1tspprepared brown mustard
1tspmaple syrup
saltto taste
Instructions
Soak split chickpeas in water at least 1 hour. To shorten soaking time, bring water to a boil and then remove from heat.
Drain chickpeas. Place in a small saucepan. Cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes or until soft.
Peel beet. Shred raw beet using food processor. Place in medium bowl.
Blanch broccoli florets in a small amount of boiling water until bright green – one to two minutes. Drain and either plunge florets into ice water or place in colander and run under cold water. Place drained florets in bowl with shredded beet.
Add sliced garlic scapes and lightly chopped cilantro to bowl.
When chickpeas are cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Add to bowl.
In a separate small bowl, mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, ginger juice, mustard, maple syrup, and salt to taste. Stir or whisk to combine.
Pour dressing over beet mixture and toss to combine.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Serve on mixed greens or in "lettuce cups."
Notes
Notes:
Red or golden beet can be used.
To substitute whole dried garbanzo beans for split chickpeas, increase bean cooking time to 1-1/2 hours. Or substitute canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
Garlic scape alternative: add one clove minced or crushed garlic to the dressing.
Substitute 1 tsp grated fresh ginger root for the ginger juice.
I used Ginger People ginger juice. Santa Cruz Organic also produces a ginger / lemon blend which should also work in the recipe, though not as an exact substitute. It’s more widely distributed. If you try it, let me know what you think! Ginger can also be juiced at home in a juicer.
It’s easy to add a hard cooked egg on the side for extra protein if you prefer.(Not vegan.)
Elizabeth Eckert is a functional health practitioner who learned to appreciate vegetables and creative home cooking very early in life from her health-conscious mom. She enjoys growing a seasonal garden at her home in North Dakota. Elizabeth supports people in learning to maintain healthy microcirculation, microbiome, and mineral balance so they can thrive in life! Distance consultations are available. Tap for info on Functional Health Consulting.
How does our body turn food into fuel? As a functional nutrition practitioner, this is an ongoing question I consider when helping people support their best health. Why? Well, we need good nutrition to build tissue and run every biochemical function in our body. Specifically, we need minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, fiber, water, and oxygen. Each has its purpose. We affect body function when we compromise good quality raw materials.
Food quality makes a huge difference!
It’s important to eat good quality food in the first place, of course. The best we can source, prepared from whole food ingredients. There’s room for individual difference here. Due to unique metabolic needs, we don’t all thrive on the exact same eating style. That said, a whole foods Mediterranean-style eating plan offers a foundation that helps modulate inflammation, while supporting both cardiovascular health and microbiome balance. Many of us can start from that base and make individual adjustments to suit our personal needs.
But what if you’re already eating a pretty good diet and still have some health issues? This happens frequently. It’s possible to do really well in one area and miss something else. We may underestimate the physiological impact of a big “oops.” Like compromised sleep quality, or an unintended toxin exposure, unmanaged stress, and so on. And when we’re under extra stress, it’s easy to skimp on food quality, despite our best intentions.
The food into fuel process involves Digestion and Distribution of key nutrients
Turning Food into Fuel involves a synergistic cooperation between the digestive system and the circulatory system. These functions are mediated by our response to stress.
These very common factors can impact the two “D’s” of nutrient utilization: Digestion and Distribution. In plain language, we need to be able to break down our food into small particles that can be absorbed into the circulatory system. And then our circulatory system needs to be up to speed (literally) in order to deliver those nutrients to our individual cells.
Any time we have unwanted symptoms present, somewhere behind the scenes there is a breakdown in function. Symptoms as diverse as severe body discomfort, blood sugar regulation issues, mood disturbance, difficulty sleeping, bone health issues, or significant immune failure can all be linked to something as simple and ultimately resolvable as low stomach acid.
Bottom line: Too much of the elements we don’t want [toxins, infection, metabolic waste] coupled with too little of certain elements we do want [nutrients including oxygen, delivered in a timely manner to the cells where they are needed] is a deal-breaker for optimal health. Habitual movement patterns can also keep us stuck in mechanical and energetic disharmony.
Energy production inside our individual cells
Nutrients are needed for cellular energy production. This is metabolically where we turn Food into Fuel!
Our bodies largely run on energy that is produced inside the little cellular powerhouses of our individual cells. This process requires good quality materials in proper balance. It’s overly simplistic to think that cellular energy production is the only factor impacting the health of our tissues. It’s not. But it is an important factor, and it’s nutrient-dependent.
“Mitochondrial energy production then powers growth, healing, as well as the complex processes required for adaptation to the changing environment.” Picard et al. (2018)
In a recent publication on the role of nutrients to enhance cellular energy production after critical illness, a group of researchers from the Netherlands (Wesselink, et al., 2019) identified certain nutrients essential for mitochondrial function. Specifically, their research looked at B Vitamins, ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol (component of vitamin E), selenium, zinc, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, melatonin, carnitine, nitrate, lipoic acid, and taurine.
It’s interesting that in addition to considering individual nutrients, they also look at the synergistic aspect of combined deficiencies. Cellular energy production is a multi-step process. If we support one particular nutrient while leaving a downstream nutrient deficient, then the outcome may still not be optimal.
Identifying nutrient imbalances
It can be tricky to tease out exactly which nutrients are adequate and which are not. It’s not as simple as running a blood panel or taking a multi-vitamin. There are many considerations and we’re all unique. Many functional practitioners, given this puzzle, look at the person’s symptoms and history in combination with results from a nutrient test (either Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis or blood micronutrient panel), standard lab-ordered blood work, and urinary Organic Acids testing.
Wesselink and colleagues (2019) explain, “Furthermore, it is questionable whether plasma levels of nutrients reflect actual availability in mitochondria. Plasma nutrient levels may be low during critical illness due to increased losses through body fluids and increased permeability of endothelium, redistribution, altered protein binding, and inadequate intake. As a consequence, their plasma levels do not likely reflect tissue storages of micronutrients during critical illness.” (Emphasis added.) Note: the term “endothelium” refers the inner lining of the blood vessels. Inflammation, an inherent factor in critical illness, damages the endothelium.
It is very good to see this research. While there are still many questions, the fact that researchers now consider this type of inquiry worth conducting is quite encouraging!
The essential role of oxygen
Oxygen, specifically, limits the amount of energy produced in any given time and place. Like other nutrients, we must first take oxygen into the body in adequate and consistent quantity. Then our circulatory system must deliver it to the tissues. Most of the energy production inside the cell (Adenosine Triphosphate / ATP) occurs as the result of a series of biochemical steps known as the Electron Transport Chain (ETC), or Respiratory Chain. Picard, et al. (2018) state, “As its name implies, the respiratory chain consumes oxygen.”
Oxygen can be considered an essential nutrient.
Oxygen intake must first be robust. It can be compromised under certain conditions — functional impairment of the lungs, high altitude, sleep disordered breathing, and obstructive face coverings are examples. So first things first. Assess, and then if found lacking, address or consider a supplementary source. Oxygen is not optional.
Systemic or localized disruption of the microcirculation as occurs in a significant inflammatory response, toxin exposure, sympathetic nervous system arousal (stress response), departure from the earth’s electromagnetic field, low nitric oxide state for any other reason, compromises oxygen delivery to the tissues.
Aerobic vs. anaerobic energy production
When oxygen is readily available, the body produces energy through an efficient process known as oxidative phosphorylation (aerobic). If oxygen is limited, then a signaling molecule known as Hypoxic Inducible Factor (HIF) builds up. As our body reaches a threshold of HIF, the cell switches to a different metabolic process known as glycolysis (anaerobic).
The process of glycolysis is not only inefficient, it also creates unfavorable byproducts and changes gene expression in the involved tissues. As such, it’s associated with a number of challenging health conditions characterized by non-resolving inflammation or suppressed immunity — such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis, and tumors.
How stress interacts with metabolism
Let’s briefly consider stress, and the impact it has on our body’s efforts to convert food into fuel. When faced with a stressor of any sort, we are innately designed to adapt to it. It doesn’t matter what the stress type. Our bodies will begin the adaptation response if we have a challenging day at work, eat a food that doesn’t agree with us, ingest a toxin, have a short night of sleep, get exposed to a “bug,” speak or think about ourselves unkindly, set a new personal best for the 50 yard dash, or any host of other life events.
What does it mean to adapt? Adaptation calls for a variety of basic and complex functions.
In adapting to stress, our cells use available nutrients to produce “heat energy” for basic operation, communicate needs or shortages, create substances such as hormones and neurotransmitters, and remove waste. The healthier we are to begin with, the better we adapt.
We may need to think of a new solution.
Remember how to find our way home.
Run from a predator or dangerous situation.
Cool our bodies when they’re overheated or warm them up if we’re exposed to frigid conditions.
Laser-focus our eyesight on one particular point or scan the broadness of the whole landscape.
Move extra oxygen-carrying air quickly through our lungs.
Inactivate a stealth “bug” that hitched a ride on our salad greens.
Remove metabolic waste and other unneeded material from our bodies.
Form a clot to stop bleeding.
Heal tissue.
Grow new cells.
Instruct our cells how to survive in the absence of enough of a needed element. Say oxygen, water, or certain nutrient minerals.
Stop an infection.
Perceive the difference between safety and danger.
Inspire hope in a friend or loved one.
And so much more.
Adapting to stress requires a lot of energy!
As we are actively adapting to stress, our energy demands increase. As Picard et al. (2018) state, “Even though, in fact, basic life-sustaining biological functions also require energy for their maintenance, the energy requirement for stress responses is above the basal needs of the organisms; hence, the emphasis here on the link between stress and energy.”
Sometimes, we may have too much stress to handle at once, or over a period of time. As this happens, our bodies are no longer able to adapt successfully. Our ability to turn food into fuel is inadequate. We begin to experience disease or metabolic dysregulation. This can be a complex situation that involves trouble keeping blood sugar balanced, significant mood issues, cognitive issues, disruptions to our sleep / wake cycles, fatigue, cardiovascular disease, formation of tumors, joint and tissue degeneration, immune-mediated challenges, premature aging and so on.
This is a brief introduction to a rather involved topic. We’ll return to it again in future posts. Optimizing adaptation to stress is the essence of functional health care, whether it comes from a nutritional perspective or a medical one. The strategy I take in my functional nutrition consulting is, generally, to decrease stress inputs while we balance nutrients, enhance nutrient delivery, build microbiome health, and explore certain lifestyle factors like mindset and sleep quality. Ultimately, our intent is to become more adaptable and resilient.
Next steps — turning food into fuel
In coming posts, we will explore both Digestion and Distribution of nutrients separately, along with some guidance on the approaches that can make a difference toward enhancing these critical functions. We’ll also be taking a deeper dive into the functional effects of Stress on both these systems. If you would like to explore personal guidance in applying these strategies to your own situation, check out my Functional Health Consulting page, where you will find contact information. I would be happy to hear from you!
Resources:
Cummins, E. P., Keogh, C. E., Crean, D., & Taylor, C. T. (2016). The role of HIF in immunity and inflammation.Molecular aspects of medicine, 47-48, 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mam.2015.12.004
Jennings, A., Berendsen, A. M., de Groot, L., Feskens, E., Brzozowska, A., Sicinska, E., Pietruszka, B., Meunier, N., Caumon, E., Malpuech-Brugère, C., Santoro, A., Ostan, R., Franceschi, C., Gillings, R., O’ Neill, C. M., Fairweather-Tait, S. J., Minihane, A. M., & Cassidy, A. (2019). Mediterranean-Style Diet Improves Systolic Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults.Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 73(3), 578–586. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.12259
Lee, C. C., Wu, C. Y., & Yang, H. Y. (2020). Discoveries of how cells sense oxygen win the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or medicine. Biomedical journal, 43(5), 434–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2020.05.019
Cranial Base Compression — a functional approach to leg pain
Cranial Base Compression affects whole body posture!
A first-time neuromuscular therapy client came in for an initial visit this past week. Part of her issue stemmed from cranial base compression. It was an interesting presentation, and I thought it might be cool to share. I won’t share identifying information; none of the pictures you see here is my client.
Her current main concern is discomfort in her legs. She has had past neck and head issues, but they aren’t bothering her right now. She is quite aware of what’s going on in her body, has some training in a health-related field, and wants to get better.
We started with a postural assessment. “Oh good!” she said. “Nobody has done that yet.”
There were two clear patterns impacting her situation, and she could feel them when I brought them to her attention. Right now, I’m just going to talk about one. Her knee joints were hyperextended — the knee joints were behind her center of gravity line. That’s a problem. It’s an indicator of something “off,” a risk factor for future joint dysfunction, and part of her symptom picture.
A functional approach to resolving pain
How much time do you spend with your head in this position?
Our bodies are very smart. If one major body part is *behind* the center of gravity, you can be pretty sure there is a compensating part somewhere up the chain, most likely *in front of* the center of gravity.
In my client’s case, her head and neck were forward. This is pretty common, especially for people who spend time on phones, computers, and such. Which is nearly all of us these days. Maybe even you?
Compression in the lowest part of the back of the head can be part of the puzzle in this type of situation. It was for my new client. Where our head meets our neck. We refer to that as cranial base compression. It can also contribute to other issues, by the way: headaches, neck pain, back pain, dizziness, and so on. Depends on what else is going on for that person.
Let’s look at some pictures. See how this person’s chin is oriented “up” toward the ceiling and there’s lots of space between her neck and the floor?
Compressed cranial base position
And in the second picture, the person’s chin / head is more level. Her neck is much closer to the floor without a big gap. This orientation is our goal.
Functional Cranial Base Position
Cranial base compression and neck range of motion
When we first started the session, my client was unable to perform the motion of moving her neck back towards the flat surface she was lying on. She understood what I was asking her to do, she just couldn’t create the motion. I was confident she’d be able to get it back. As we worked and the compression began to decrease, she regained the ability to move her neck in that dimension. She was pretty excited!
So we continued to some other areas and ultimately finished up the session. How did this impact her main goal of more comfortable legs? Well, when she stood up after we were finished, I asked her to sense any differences in how she felt in terms of stability and balance.
She smiled & said, “My knees feel like they don’t extend back so much!” This was our goal!
The main thing we did in her session to impact that was address cranial base compression. Her head was less forward, and therefore her knees didn’t need to offset that balance as much. That will take stress off her leg muscles and knee / hip / ankle joints.
Assess. Find the reason. Help the body maintain balance.
See where I’m going with this? If we had not addressed that cranial base compression, any progress we made by working on her lower body / legs would have been short-lived, because we would have ignored the reason behind the muscle imbalance. This is an example of functional health care. One of our main goals is to restore proper function to the body, in as many domains as possible, so that its own wisdom will kick in and help the person maintain any changes we make.
There’s a bit more to to the story here, and so we will continue addressing some other factors in the coming weeks.
As a certified neuromuscular therapist since 1994, this is how I think. It applies to way more body variations than just compression of the cranial base. It’s the same type of thinking that goes into my functional health consulting work. Assess, and then address the reasons why the body is out of sorts — don’t just chase symptoms.
This particular situation is fairly easy to illustrate so you can see it. I hope you found the example helpful!
I am currently accepting new Neuromuscular Therapy clients. If you’re able to come for in-person appointments in my area (north central North Dakota) and would like to explore how this type of work might help you in your personal situation, feel free to email me: wellnessimages@gmail.com .
Let’s take a look at how we identify signs of stress on your hair tissue mineral analysis test. This post is first in a series of about how we can use functional lab testing to learn about your current vitality level. As a functional practitioner, one of my intentions is to support people in becoming more resilient. To identify and minimize the stressors that their system handles on an ongoing basis, and to support adaptability in handling new stressors as they arise. Hair tissue mineral analysis is a high value / low cost functional health test that we can monitor regularly to keep an eye on, among other things, how well your body is dealing with stress.
This is the perfect time to snip a hair sample!
What do we mean by stress? Anything that compromises body function. This includes situational stresses like running late for a meeting, having a disagreement with a loved one, or being concerned about finances. It also includes exposure to environmental toxins or infections that impact our detoxification, immune, and circulatory systems, along with impacting cellular energy production.
Minerals in the body
Minerals, in addition to contributing to tissue structure and stability, are the “spark plugs” that ignite enzymatic reactions throughout the body. One of the main jobs of the digestive system is to break down and utilize nutrients that come from the food you eat. That’s where minerals come from. At the same time, minerals are required to do the job. They keep your teeth strong, support muscle contraction to chew your food, contribute to hydrochloric acid production to break the food down, and support transport of the resulting slurry through the intestines. Minerals are gatekeepers for the passage of nutrients into each cell. This sustains tissue oxygen levels, promotes cellular energy production, helps maintain balanced blood glucose, and so much more. Minerals in proper amounts are necessary for the maintenance of health.
As we prepare to look at our first mineral graph together, let’s orient. The left-most section of the graphs (colored blue) represent this lab’s reporting of nutrient minerals. This test was processed by Trace Elements International Lab, which I work with frequently. The first four minerals listed, reading left to right, are “macro minerals.” They are present in greater quantity in our bodies as compared with the remaining micro nutrients.
The four macro minerals we’ll be looking at here are:
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Sodium (Na)
Potassium (K)
Mineral depletion
Sometimes, we’ll look at a mineral analysis test report and see that many of the major nutrient minerals report low. Long-term stress contributes to this. Under an acute stress reaction, the body utilizes minerals quickly. As a stress state becomes prolonged, resources dwindle. Unless the person continuously replenishes minerals with a nutrient-rich diet or supplementation, excessive utilization depletes the body’s mineral stores. Under these circumstances, we’ll see a depleted mineral pattern such as the one illustrated here. Notice that all four of the body’s most abundant minerals (left-most on this chart) represent well below optimal levels.
Low minerals may indicate the effects of long-term stress.
Another reason for a consistently low mineral pattern is poor assimilation of nutrients. In other words, somewhere along the digestive chain, there is a loss of function. Perhaps food doesn’t get broken down well in the stomach, or it may not be absorbed well in the intestine.
Stress plays a role here, too. When someone perceives lack of safety, their body gears up to fight or flee (or freeze, which is a slightly different story). Stress hormones are unleashed, and the person’s autonomic nervous system prioritizes blood flow into the limbs (to run), lungs (to breathe), and basically any function that primes the person to leap into action to defend themselves. At the same time, circulation is diverted away from the digestive tract and other “non-essential” regions.
Physiologcal stress
Physiological stress also affects nutrient levels. For example, in someone with an intolerance to gluten, the tiny cilia (projections of tissue on the walls of the small intestine) degrade. These cilia normally make up much of the absorptive surface of the intestinal tract. When they aren’t functioning well, the person is unable to absorb the full nutrient value from the food they eat.
With long-term stress comes digestive dysfunction. When we see low mineral representation across the full panel, poor nutrient assimilation related to digestive distress is one of the first things on our radar.
One further physiological stressor that we can observe from this lab graph is the implied presence of toxic metals in the person’s body. Interpretation of a hair tissue mineral analysis test is not always straightforward. Notice that in the section on the right (pink), there are almost no toxic metals represented. We all have exposure to toxic metals. This person is not metabolizing and releasing them well. If toxins are not being moved out, then they’re stored in body tissue, where they influence, among other things, immune function. There are indicators of this in the nutrient mineral pattern as well. Sufficient nutrient minerals in proper balance are required in order for the body to remove toxins and metabolic waste efficiently.
Sodium, stress, and stimulants
Stimulant medications are frequently prescribed for people who experience focus issues. I am not a medication expert, however sometimes the people I work with are taking medications when they arrive. It’s useful to have a basic idea how certain medication types are intended to work. A stimulant “stimulates” the body to increase its production or utilization of the neurotransmitter dopamine (increases feelings of pleasure and satisfaction). It also increases norepinephrine, typically produced in the body during the initial stages of intense stress. It’s part of the body’s alarm reaction. Not all stimulants work in exactly the same way.
Caffeine is a stimulant, right?
Here’s how the effects of norepinephrine can be described. If you’re familiar with what happens to the body during a fight or flight response, then this is going to sound familiar. “In the brain, norepinephrine increases arousal and alertness, promotes vigilance, enhances formation and retrieval of memory, and focuses attention; it also increases restlessness and anxiety. In the rest of the body, norepinephrine increases heart rate and blood pressure, triggers the release of glucose from energy stores, increases blood flow to skeletal muscle, reduces blood flow to the gastrointestinal system, and inhibits voiding of the bladder and gastrointestinal motility.”
We’re all stressed, aren’t we?
Here’s the situation. Most of us are under a fair amount of stress on a daily basis. Even kids, teens, and young adults. Stress increases the metabolic rate, which means that nutrients — including minerals and vitamins — are utilized at a faster rate. At the same time, appetite and gastrointestinal function are decreased. According to mineral expert, Dr. David Watts, “Prolonged stress can result in severe nutritional deficiencies” due to increased nutrient demand. It’s not unusual to hear that a child taking stimulant medications to improve focus is of small stature. The demand for nutrients may exceed availability, which slows the child’s growth.
Consecutive mineral analysis tests – starting a stimulant medication
Consecutive tests from a 22 year old male commencing stimulant medication.
The signs of stress in these hair tissue mineral analysis test results are very interesting. Let’s look specifically at sodium (Na) and potassium (K). When high, these two minerals reflect an active high stress / fast metabolic pattern. Looking at the results on the left, our 22 year old male, the test graph on top shows sodium and potassium above optimal levels. This was his natural state at the time. His metabolism was already pretty fast, and he was burning through minerals quickly.
When the next mineral analysis test results (bottom graph) came in, his sodium was literally off the chart, and potassium wasn’t far behind. I called his mom and asked, “What happened?” Turns out he had started taking a stimulant a couple of months earlier (and they hadn’t mentioned it to me). Talk about stress! But this is what stimulants do in the body. They speed up metabolism, and with it, nutrient activity. The disparity we see here between stimulating sodium (Na) and calming magnesium (Mg) represents a concerning strain on the cardiovascular system. In a balanced state, they would both register as about equal on the chart.
Consecutive mineral analysis tests — going off stimulant medication
Consecutive tests from a 13 year old male going off stimulant medication
Now let’s look at the next set of consecutive mineral analysis test results — from a 13 year old male. In this case, he was already taking a prescribed stimulant when we ran the first test, whose results you see on the top graph. This is a slow metabolic pattern — in a young man whose system is being driven by a stimulant medication. The more sedating macro minerals, Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), are higher than stimulating sodium (Na) and potassium (K). Are you thinking what I am? Something doesn’t add up. This young man’s body was so short of vitalizing nutrients that even an amphetamine couldn’t raise his metabolic rate.
In this case, the young man, at his doctor’s suggestion, stopped taking the stimulant. When we completed the next test in this series (bottom graph), he had been off the amphetamine for a time, and we could see where his natural metabolism shook out. See how the bottom graph shows much lower sodium and potassium? Well below optimal levels. In fact, mineral excretion into his hair is low nearly across the board. So this young man, at age 13, was already showing some concerning nutrient deficiencies as a result of long-term stress. Each of these deficiencies represents limiting factors for healthy cellular function and energy production. We see that there can be far-reaching consequences of driving metabolism beyond the body’s capacity to compensate.
Different stages of stress
In conclusion, stress will initially increase mineral expenditure by the body, supporting a speeding-up of metabolism. This is sometimes referred to as an “alarm” stage of stress. Fight or flight. In terms of health consequences, keep an eye on the cardiovascular system. There may also be the beginning of digestive issues or mood issues where the person may be quick to snap or feel anxious.
But after a time, when the stress has continued unchecked, the “alarm” state is no longer possible to maintain. The body runs low on resources. And then we see nutrient levels start to drop. At the same time, metabolism — out of necessity — slows down. If you ask a person in this stage of stress about their energy level, they’ll tell you they feel fatigued. Maybe they have a really hard time getting up in the morning, or their energy drops in the afternoon. They may not sleep well. In terms of health consequences, this is where we start to see more chronic conditions — blood sugar issues, more complex digestive issues, ineffective immune function, bone health issues, pain syndromes, depressed mood, and so on.
So as it turns out, signs of stress on your hair tissue mineral test are pretty clear to see. This low cost / high value test provides an excellent way to keep an eye on someone’s state of nutritional health over time. It’s really valuable, because we can monitor for changes and then make adjustments to change the trajectory, often before anything too serious gets locked into place.
Ready to check your own mineral balance?
Hair tissue mineral analysis testing is a high-value option to see how your body is handling stress even BEFORE any thing major goes wrong! Once we get the lab information, I work together with you to develop a strategy to bring about more balance, creating a more resiliant you.
Hair. Most of us have some. Some of us have a lot!
References and recommended reading:
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 1999. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 33.) Chapter 2—How Stimulants Affect the Brain and Behavior. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64328/
Dean, Carolyn, MD, ND. (2007) The Magnesium Miracle. New York: Ballantine Books.
“We investigate functional process. The systems that affect efficiency of your cells, tissues, and organ systems. How is stress affecting your body? Are you able to break down your food and use the nutrients? Does your particular mix of gut bacteria favor an efficient metabolism or a clear mind? How well does your body deliver nutrients to the cells and remove metabolic waste? How are you being affected by environmental toxins? Do we see any evidence that your immune system is challenged? And so on.” This is how I answer when people ask what a functional health practitioner does.
Seeking stability in functional process
Visible symptoms
We’ll often use the image of an iceberg to describe how function relates to symptoms. On the surface, we notice problems: trouble sleeping, low energy, crummy mood, foggy thinking, sore back. The symptoms are often what gets our attention. But the symptoms are not the main problem.
How well does your body manage stress?
The issue is underneath. Below the surface — in the functional process. This is completely individualized. Two people can have a similar symptom — say, trouble sleeping through the night — for very different reasons. One may have sluggish circulation that causes their oxygen levels to drop; another may have trouble balancing their blood sugar. Someone else may have a disordered metabolic response to stress. A sleeping pill may knock them out for the night (their sleep will be non-restorative), but it won’t solve any one of the underlying issues. Which, if left unresolved, will lead to further trouble.
As another example, what role does your digestive system play in supporting your state of health? Are you able to break food down well to get the nutrients you need? Do you have the best mix of bacteria to keep your gut lining intact, maintain robust metabolism, protect you from anything unintended (toxins, opportunistic bacteria or other “bugs”) that comes in on your food, and keep inflammation levels down? Your circulatory system and immune system both depend on robust gut function in order to work well. Your brain and your gut communicate back and forth with one another — all day long. Gut health impacts both mood and cognition, and your brain’s alert or calming response impacts gut health.
There’s really no body system that is incidental to the health of the whole. Where would you be without bones? Muscles? Lungs?
Just like with the iceberg, though, we often don’t know what’s going on beneath the surface. We can’t feel our circulation. The reason for our acid reflux, skin rash, low energy, or other issues remains a mystery. We may even think we’re “ok” and yet be careening unaware toward trouble. It’s easier to turn things around before they get bad.
Where do we start?
So how do we take stock of where we are? This is where we’re so fortunate! There are state-of-the art functional lab tests to reliably assess functional processes such as digestive health, hormone balance, nutrient sufficiency, and the effect of environmental toxins on a person’s state of health.
From taking these assessments into consideration alongside the individual’s personal story, we can uncover specific areas where we’ll likely have the greatest impact. As those insights appear, we work out an individualized plan to begin taking manageable steps toward the goal of greater resilience.
As Dr. Jeffrey Bland says, “Function can move both forward and backward. The vector of change in function through time is, in part, determined by the unique interaction of an individual’s genome with their environment, diet, and lifestyle. “
Finding resilience
Feel the path beneath your feet…
We start with small steps. Targeted nutrients, eating style, sleep, lifestyle habits, circulation support. And eventually, when we gaze back at the road we’ve walked, we find that we’ve landed in a calmer, more resilient place.
Key point: I am sorry to announce that I’m now closed for neuromuscular therapy appointments until further notice. However on a very happy note, I am OPEN for functional health consultation! I’ll be posting further about what that means, or feel free to send me a message.
Mindset Monday
Now, since I normally post a “Mindset Monday,” today I’ll share a little anecdote about having options.
30-ish years ago I was changing careers — out of arts management and into — I wasn’t exactly sure. I’d started a Master’s degree program in lifespan developmental psychology and had just graduated from massage school.
We can learn a lot while producing opera!
One day, we were over at the Fisher Theatre (Detroit) having a daytime dress rehearsal of “Follies” with leading women Juliette Prowse, Nancy Dussault, and Edie Adams. There was a glitch with the dressing room situation, requiring a change. It was a very busy show for both the costume and wig / make-up crews, and we needed to check with them about the proposed adjustment before we put it into place. They were in the middle of a bunch of quick changes, so we were going to have to catch them during the intermission shift.
It was, as I mentioned, daytime. And I needed to get back to the office. An incoming staff person was visiting to get a feel for how our company operated, and he was hanging out at the theater. We decided I’d head back to the office and he’d handle implementing the change.
I think the best option would be…
And so I started explaining. “I think the best solution is this… But if it doesn’t work for some reason, then the next best option is probably that…”
A conversation ensued. Incoming staff person wondered why we needed a second option. 😅 I knew from experience that the costume and wig / make-up crews knew their needs better than I did. We had to include them in the decision.
It was then that Dave, our burly technical director — who had been standing by listening — spoke up. “There’s something you don’t know yet. Elizabeth ALWAYS has a Plan B.”
Wow, I so appreciated Dave at that moment! Well, I actually appreciated his commitment and dedication to doing his best all the time — but this was extra special.
Do you usually have a Plan B?
It’s true. I nearly always have a Plan B. Which sometimes turns out to be better than “A.” There may or may not also be a “C” or “D.” This applies to more than how I manage my own life. It’s also how I work to support others in acquiring a more resilient state of health. Which is potentially good news for you. 😃
So thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more. Now back to completing a few website tweaks.
Did you ever have one of those days? You’re committed to serving a whole foods lunch. Of course you’re going to eat your veggies! Wheat is in your dietary doghouse. And yet sometimes a person just has the vibe for an egg salad sandwich. What to do?
How to increase veggies and eat your egg salad sandwich too!
Sometimes when people take the first steps to move into a more healthful eating style, their intentions are great! But they just don’t know what to eat. If you’re someone who’s been eating a sandwich for lunch for decades, what are you supposed to do? Well, you could just buy a loaf of gluten-free bread and make your sandwich on that.
Let’s be candid. That may do in a pinch, but on its own, it’s really not a very healthful meal. In fact, there’s been some interesting research showing that people who commence a gluten-free diet, unless they select the right alternative foods, can actually decrease populations of healthy gut bacteria (1, 2). If you think that’s detrimental to increased healthfulness over the long term, you’re right!
The solution you’re looking for is to change the composition of your plate. More plant foods will provide the fiber and nutrients you need to support those beneficial bacteria, create a healthy gut environment, and support general health.
Make vegetables the star attraction of your lunch plate!
Egg salad add-ins: small beets, a clove of garlic, pickled radish, and turmeric
First things first. The egg salad. Here’s a little rule of thumb I try to live by. Add vegetables everyplace you can. Even into your egg salad. I was following my “what’s in the fridge” rule of thumb when I started rustling around for ingredients. What did we have on hand? Small beets (golden and red) left from the fall garden harvest, a clove garlic, and some brine-pickled (fermented) radishes. If there had been a carrot handy, a chunk of that could have gone in as well.
I just chopped the veggies up fine in my handy chopper. So easy! And added a bit of turmeric for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Then added the chopped hard-cooked eggs (4 this time) and mixed it together with a spoonful of organic mayo. Feel free to use an alternate product. So already, we’ve got small quantities of four different vegetables right in the egg salad! Small quantities do count. Especially if you make enough to serve again.
But wait. Aren’t we making a sandwich?
Sure, sometimes I’ll do a green salad for lunch. But it’s January right now, and I live in the north. We’re out of season. I’m always on the look-out for something to stack sandwich fixings on top of. I’ve used slices of cold baked potato and recently planned-over latkes. But in a pinch, I generally keep a bag of rice cakes on hand. They work perfectly, and I don’t mind eating them occasionally. So today, that’s what’s on the plate.
Then you’ll want some toppers. Depending on what you have on hand, you could use avocado slices, sliced tomato, shredded greens, baby greens, veggie slaw, pickled beet slices, beet relish, or do as I did today and grab the jar of homemade pickled red onions. They’re delicious and oh-so-colorful.
I added another 5 veggies to the count with today’s toppers: three baby greens from a bagged greens mix, red onion, and raspberry (a formerly secret ingredient in my pickled onion recipe).
Do you spy a side salad?
Depending on your appetite and what you have on hand, you could serve two of the topped rice cakes and call it good. I’ve done that for sure. But for this meal, there was a special treat. I’d just made a batch of this Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing, to which I’d added some chopped red cabbage. It’s quickly become a favorite around here! So I served up a scoop of that yummy deliciousness as a side salad.
That adds broccoli, red cabbage, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, and cranberries (5 plant items) to the plate. The salad has red onion in it as well, but we’ve already counted that once. Fair is fair.
The final plant count
In place of an old school egg salad sandwich, we’ve created an abundant plant-focused plate of goodness that features 15 different plants, counting the rice in the rice cake. Add a piece of fruit and count 16. Not bad!
Wellness Images offers functional nutrition testing and consultation. If you’d like to optimize your gut health, check out our program offerings. Contact me for a free 15-20 minute conversation to see if we’re a good fit to work together.
One day last week, I got the idea to make Latke Tacos. I’d never made latkes before, but a friend started talking about them and… What can I say? My creative muse took over. The next day, I set out to use only items on hand to whip up a batch of Latke Tacos.
Quick summary of the back story. In addition to the functional gut work I’ve been offering for several years now, I’ve lately been studying the human gut microbiome in some depth. We’ll discuss this separately, but let’s just quickly mention that bacterial diversity in the gut is really good for your health. It’s possible to fairly easily determine where you stand with respect to good bugs / not-so-good bugs. Who is present in your gut? How do the numbers look? How does the balance look? What’s to be done to improve upon it? (We can answer these questions for you as an individual if you’re intrigued and want to optimize your health.)
Whole Plant Food Diversity
For the last several months, I’ve been playing a little game with myself (and a few friends, and a few functional nutrition clients). Our goal is to consume, on average, 40 distinct whole plant foods in any given week. No single food is off limits, though some of us do have select foods that we avoid or keep to a minimum for one reason or another.
From there, it’s not hard to develop a simple supplementation strategy to skew the balance in your favor. Food choices have a lot to do with how well this all shakes out. Specifically, eating a diversity of whole plant foods.
In addition to diversity, I’ve been considering a few other factors. Polyphenols. Resistant starches. Whenever possible, I’m creating more complex dishes, including reds, purples, and dark colored foods, and looking for opportunities to eat some of my starches at room temperature or cooler. (Think potato salad, rice pudding, leftover refried beans.)
“If we had leftover latkes,” was my thinking, “then we could make tacos on top of them! Latke tacos! And the latkes themselves would be resistant starch.” Brilliant! (My creative muse has a funny sense of humor.)
Important note!
You’ll notice that this isn’t exactly a “recipe.” It’s some thoughts on how to creatively craft a diverse plant food dish. Let your muse out and have some fun!
Step 1: Make the Latkes
My first step was “Only items on hand”. It was the day after a major holiday and snowing. Grocery shopping was not high on my agenda. But I do keep a fairly well-stocked pantry. Here’s what went into the latkes (yield = 15 latkes):
Two good-sized red potatoes, shredded with food processor
A couple of onions from last summer’s garden, minced
Diversity add-ins (Let your mind go wild — I had a chunk of daikon and a red carrot in the fridge, so I shredded them with the potatoes. Other ideas are beet, sweet potato, turnip, kohlrabi, or something else of a similar texture. The more the merrier!)
Two eggs. For an egg-free or vegan version, I think “flax eggs” would work. If you try this, please leave a comment and let me know.
Two Tablespoons of “flour”. I used chick pea flour. Any type of flour or thickener should do the trick.
Salt to taste (optional)
Putting the latkes together:
You’ll want to get some of the moisture out of the veggie mixture. Put the potato / onion / add ins into a square of cheesecloth and hung it over a bowl for ten minutes or so. Then squeeze out as much moisture as you can, discard that, and place the squished veggies into a mixing bowl. Mix in the eggs, flour, and salt.
Latkes ready to pop in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. If using parchment, check the box to see what temperature your brand is rated for. Mine said 420 F.
Latkes are usually fried on the stovetop. I’m not a big fan of that cooking method. Plus I wanted to leave the door open for room-temperature leftovers (resistant starch) and I didn’t think a fried version would work very well in that situation. I baked them.
Spread a little butter or coconut oil on parchment paper with just-washed fingers. (Or use a glove or spatula.) Put that on a baking sheet. Then scoop out 1/3 cup of the mixture and flattened slightly. See the pieces of red carrot? Festive, eh? Bake 15 minutes on one side, then remove from the oven and flip them. Bake 10 minutes on the other side.
Two latkes on a plate. Left = baked; right = pan-fried.
I wanted to see if the stovetop version would be better than baked. I put a little butter into a frying pan and pan-fried a few test latkes. Here is a sample of each. The baked latke is on the left, and pan-fried on the right. The pan-fried latke looks more moist. Once they were topped with the taco filling, I couldn’t tell the difference. It’s up to you how you want to cook them.
Step 2: Make the taco topping mixture
Taco topping mixture
Next make the topping mixture. This will make your plain latkes into Latke Tacos! Keep in mind I was using only items on hand. Here’s what went into the mixture:
Dried beans. I used 1/3 cup black beans and 1/3 cup red beans for diversity. Other options would be garbanzos, great northern, or navy beans. You’re aiming for about 2/3 cup of dried beans. Pre-soak, then cook (about an hour) — preferably ahead of time. If you’re in a hurry, use a can of pre-cooked beans.
Organic canned corn — I had this in the cupboard. If your family doesn’t use corn, I would substitute chopped red (or green, or a mixture) cabbage.
Diversity ingredients: You could add additional shredded vegetables here. Zucchini, carrots, or parsnips come to mind. Maybe beets. I’ll bet that a bit of cooked / pureed pumpkin or winter squash would be delicious, especially if you use a less saucy tomato product than I did.
Tomato — I had home-canned tomato paste from garden tomatoes. An 8 oz jar. It’s a bit saucier than commercial paste. In the summer, I would use fresh tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes should be really nice! If your family doesn’t do well with nightshades, try a combination of well-cooked and pureed beets + pumpkin instead. Let me know if you try it!
Pepper — one dried Anaheim (left from the summer garden).
Chopped onion (left from the summer garden).
Chopped garlic (left from the summer garden).
Seasonings: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon each of cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt, to your family’s taste. If you like cilantro and have some on hand, add that as well.
How to put it together:
In a medium frying pan, warm some coconut oil (or whatever you prefer to use). Saute the onion, garlic, and cabbage if using. When they’re softened, then add remaining ingredients and heat through.
Step 3: Plate and top your Latke Tacos
For each adult serving, put two of those yummy baked or pan-fried latkes on a medium plate and spoon taco topping on top. You’ll probably also want a garnish. Here are some ideas:
Pickled red onion — I’d made this previously and had it on hand in the fridge. Pretty festive, eh? Will post the recipe separately.
Guacamole and olives — Oooh, oooh. This was such a yummy variation with some of the leftovers. Yep, I had a ripe avocado on hand. Mashed it up with a little lemon juice, a clove of minced garlic, and some salt. Yum.
Avocado chunks — in case you don’t want to make it into guacamole, just cut an avocado into chunks.
Tomato chunks — in season, I might cut up some cherry tomatoes as a topper
Sour cream / cheese — for those who enjoy dairy, this might be just the thing. Let me know if you try it!
Let your creative muse inspire you. Leave a comment below & share your ideas!
So there you have it! Latke Tacos! This batch yielded 4 hearty servings + extra latkes. Serve with a side salad or slaw if you like.
Plant Food Diversity Update
In my original version, my count came to 12 plant foods. (I’ll share here that there is a secret ingredient in the pickled red onions — garden raspberries from the freezer. Oh yum.) Substituting guacamole and olives on the leftovers round added two more plant foods to the week’s tally.
If you’d like to get in on the Whole Plant Food Diversity experience, follow the WellnessImages Facebook page for updates. Also, if you’d like to learn more about what’s in your own gut, along with individualized strategies to balance things out in your favor, consider one of the functional nutrition testing / consultation options you’ll find on the Wellness Images website.
Happy feasting!
Latke Tacos topped with guacamole and green olives
In a lot of cases, part of the answer is “inflammation.” Gut inflammation may influence other parts of the body. That’s how I got into studying functional nutrition. Neuromuscular therapy clients started showing up with what appeared to be systemic inflammation. Bodywork can’t fix that. It’s nutritional. Sometimes, wheat sensitivity may be involved.
As we talked, people began asking questions like this: “Could gut upset be part of my situation even if my symptoms are somewhere else in my body (joint stiffness, mood issues, headaches, fatigue, and so on) and I poop like clockwork every morning? Where does it come from? What can we do?”
The answer: “It depends.” We explore it case by case.
Beautiful wheat fields can be found all over North Dakota!
I now live in the state of North Dakota, having moved here from metropolitan Detroit 17 years ago. I work with functional nutrition clients from this local area as well as from other parts of the US.
One thing I probably don’t have to mention about North Dakota. Agriculture is the primary industry here. The primary commodity crop is wheat. In fact, according to the North Dakota Wheat Commission, 9 million acres of our state are planted in wheat crops each year.
Wheat!?
Today, let’s look at one piece. Wheat sensitivity.
I know a lot of wheat farmers. They’re awesome people who mean you no harm. I mean them no harm by sharing this information. The truth is a lot of people do not tolerate today’s wheat-containing food products very well. Even some of the wheat farmers.
Fortunately, objective testing is available. If my clients want to know whether their body has an immune reaction to wheat (hellooo inflammation), it’s pretty easy to find out.
Objective Testing for Wheat Sensitivity
The test results pictured are from someone whose main health concern was a GI issue. I honor their courage in wanting to find out the effect that wheat might be having on their system.
Objective testing for wheat sensitivity shows multiple immune system responses.
Here’s what we learned from running a test called Wheat Zoomer. First, all the celiac disease markers came back negative. My client was happy to hear that! Next, intestinal permeability is an issue. (These markers are not illustrated.)
In addition (see graphic above):
They registered an immune reaction to wheat germ.
Five of the six gluten peptides explored on the test triggered an immune system reaction.
They registered an immune reaction to all five of the additional non-gluten wheat proteins measured.
Bottom line: In order to tame the fire in their gut, this person needs to strictly avoid both wheat (even wheatgrass juice / powder) and gluten (including barley and rye). It’s an adjustment. Fortunately, awareness of wheat sensitivity is becoming much more common, and the social aspect of trying to explain to Aunt Tilly that you can’t have a piece of her birthday cake is getting easier.
If you suspect that gut challenges may be slowing you down, I offer two suggestions:
#1. Pot luck tip: Contribute something you can eat!
It went in to bake on a Wednesday evening after I’d cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen next, but my plan was to invent a salad that allowed me to consume the potato cold and therefore take advantage of its resistant starch.
I’m eating for microbiome health. Championing plant food diversity. Of course I’d also like my food to taste good, look good, and keep me satisfied from one meal to the next.
I’m playing around with different ways to increase the number and variety of plant foods I consume within any given week. One strategy, since I cook for one, is to make a dish with many ingredients and make enough quantity to have leftovers for a few days.
But I’m also cooking for you. You with a family to serve. A family who probably doesn’t want to eat the same supper four nights in a row. A family with different taste and texture preferences. So I’m also playing around with dishes that have fewer ingredients, that may be finished up in one sitting, that can be combined in different ways.
And let’s get real. It’s mid-week. My weekend food prep items were running low. I needed something to tide me over without running to the store. Something that could be prepped ahead of time and served quickly, since I work right up to mealtime on weekdays.
Enter the potato. Now known as future potato-broccoli salad.
Soon to become a potato-broccoli salad side dish.
On Thursday after supper, I opened the fridge. What did I have on hand? Some broccoli and a couple of carrots from the supermarket. Small onions and dill seed from the garden. Beets from the farmer’s market. Plus salad greens, eggs, and some pantry items.
First things first. Let’s honor our star, the potato (previously cooked). It was respectfully chunked and placed into a glass mixing bowl. Then I chunked and lightly steamed the carrots and broccoli, minced the onion, and added dill seed, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. (4 plant foods, not counting dill) Mixed everything up. Potato salad done!
Resistant starch
Ta da! Potato broccoli salad from items on hand on a Thursday night. 🙂
Let’s have a word about cooked and then cooled potatoes. Since we’re eating for microbiome health, it’s useful to talk briefly about resistant starch. Basically, cooked and then cooled potatoes contain a particular type of starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine, and is instead broken down in the colon. There are some good things about this. They feed the microbiome. Basically they form a substrate that supports certain beneficial bacteria that produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate — which supports healthy gut tissue.
And since they’re metabolized slowly, they provide a longer-term energy source without raising blood sugar to the same extent as starches that the body consumes in the small intestine. Isn’t that great?
More variety, please. What about those beets?
At this point, I’m aiming to consume 40+ distinct plant foods in any given week. The potato-broccoli salad was cool, but not enough. And I had beets on hand. Beets are rich in polyphenols, those bright colors that also do your gut a world of good.
I quickly recalled a recipe for beet tapenade from one of the specialty cookbooks I picked up a number of years ago: Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads. Its main ingredients are beets, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. (2 plant foods) It’s very easy to prepare, and so I did. Between the beets themselves and the balsamic vinegar, this flavor is a bit sweet. It’s a nice contrast with the potato salad, and so colorful!
Legumes, any one?
Legumes provide additional benefits as a bacterial growth substrate, and I’ve been including them, when possible, every day. The easier-digesting ones, like garbanzo beans, great northern, black beans, maybe a few pintos. Well-cooked, please! I usually prepare mine from dried, and so before turning in for the night, I put equal portions of garbanzo beans and great northern into a pan to soak. (2 plant foods) The next morning, it was really easy to turn the burner on low so they could cook as I went about my weekday morning routine. (If you’re prone to getting distracted, please set a timer!)
Potato-broccoli salad is served!
18 plant foods salad, inspired by one lowly potato.
You can do this part differently. Here’s where I found myself. In the fridge, I had the potato-broccoli salad, beet tapenade, the cooked garbanzo / great northern combo, some salad greens (spring greens mix – 9 plant foods), and hard cooked eggs. I piled greens into a bowl and then added a bit of everything on top. Sprinkled with sunflower seeds for crunch and additional variety (1 plant food). And ta da — lunch! It was colorful and hit the spot for sure. (18 plant foods in total)
For different diners, it would be easy enough to use the two side salads as an accompaniment for a piece of cooked salmon, a chicken breast, or maybe a burger. It could be your main meal for the day, and ready to go in a jiffy. You might even get a high five for creativity, flavor, or presentation.
Take home guidance on the potato-broccoli salad inspiration.
Here’s the thing I hope you’ll take home from my little kitchen adventure. If you don’t have these exact ingredients in your kitchen at any given moment, then use what you have. In place of the broccoli, I could have used cauliflower, green beans, or Brussels sprouts. We could add something or leave something out. Put a little garlic into the dressing. It could really be nearly any combination. For mid-week inspiration, just look in the fridge and use what you have.
Everyone, please meet my beautiful dog Skye. My previously fearful dog is well on her way to becoming a confident little pumpkin. Earlier this week, she turned four. I’d like to share a few recent events that would likely not have been possible — certainly not at the same level of calm that we were able to enjoy — had we not found Tellington TTouch training for companion animals.
Skye is curious about the ND state fair parade line-up. She looks on from a safe distance.
You see, at about 6 months of age, Skye started to become concerned about certain things. Unknown dogs were at the top of the list. Fearful behavior and lots of barking. We’re not going to talk about that today, though. We’re going to talk about how things are shifting for her and her life now.
Just over a month ago, Skye and I went for a mid-day walk around the perimeter of an unoccupied-at-the-time dog park in our town. She had a great time sniffing and exploring the area at a time of day when I expected we would encounter very few dogs. Such fun!
When we got home from the walk, I noticed that Skye was favoring her left front leg. I recalled that earlier that day I’d heard her walking with an uneven gait rhythm, but it hadn’t fully registered at the time. I felt her paw, explored in between the pads, and touched her leg all the way up to the shoulder. She did not show a pain reaction, and I didn’t feel anything unusual. I decided to wait a couple of days to see if it resolved on its own.
Off to the Vet!
Skye, just a few minutes after being in the vet clinic lobby with two great Danes, an Australian cattle dog, and a small mixed breed dog.
It did not resolve, so off we went to the vet. As we waited our turn, we shared the lobby with an Australian cattle dog. I put as much distance and visual barrier as possible between us and the other dog, and Skye stayed pretty calm. Then came the great Danes. Two dogs, two handlers. Bit of a challenge for a formerly fearful dog. I could feel Skye’s respiration increase. She was nervous. Who could blame her? They were huge! But I stayed calm. I stroked her ears and did some TTouch circles on her back. Skye coped really well. Her only real give-away was the faster than usual respiration.
Fortunately, we were soon called into an exam room. This photo is my beautiful girl just a few minutes later. See how she calmed down? I was so proud of her. She allowed the veterinarian to examine her without any apparent concern. He did basically the same things I had — felt her foot, leg, and shoulder. Nothing. So they took an x-ray and determined that she had a calcium deposit on her left bicep tendon. We came up with a short-term management strategy (anti-inflammatory medication and keeping her activity level minimized) and we were off. Easy peasy.
Imagine having a dog who is so fearful of the outside world that she escalates a stress response when obtaining needed medical care. That could have easily been us. But it’s not. I haven’t trained Skye specifically to relax at the vet. I’m working with her to become a more confident dog.
Skye explores a ball pit game!
Skye checks out the ball pit. I think she’s looking for treats!
Given our activity restriction, it seemed like a good time to introduce some new games. I built the dogs a ball pit — mostly out of re-purposed items we already had. Skye is a really good solution-finder, and she follows scent like nobody’s business. The boys (Jade and Kiefer) weren’t so sure this game was a good idea, but Skye went for it right away. She had a blast finding the treats I’d scattered among the balls while Jade looked on. I’ll add more balls for greater challenge.
Two things to think about here. First, each dog is different. Jade and Kiefer have other things that come easily for them. Second, whenever you are able to offer your dog a safe new opportunity, it gives them a chance to engage the thinking part of their brain. Their ability to choose a behavior rather than automatically react is enhanced, and this begins to carry over into other situations as their confidence increases.
Skye goes to the state fair parade!
We live just a block or so off the line-up route for the North Dakota state fair parade. I usually like to take one or more of the dogs over to explore the new sights and sounds. Last year, a horse riding club had its line-up point just beyond our yard. Boy was that fun! Jade and Kiefer did really well with experiencing horses for the first time, but it just didn’t seem wise to take Skye. If I suspect that something is going to be too big a step for her, then whenever possible, we choose another option. I’m trying to help my formerly fearful dog feel safe in the world.
This year, the horses were nowhere to be seen. I took Jade — social butterfly of the family — first. Then Kiefer. Both boys seemed to enjoy the experience. Would Skye like to go, too? It would be her first time. I finally settled on a plan. I’d put her harness and lead on and take her out to the yard. If she seemed curious and wanted to explore the parade activity, then I would allow her to guide me over. Otherwise, she could just sniff around in the outside-the-fence yard area.
Skye goes social!
Well, she did do a bit of sniffing in the yard. We moved a little closer to the activity, stopping to get our bearings every so often. I didn’t want her nose to get her into a situation that would scare her when she looked up. I wanted her to be fully aware of her surroundings and make sure she felt safe as we approached. It seemed possible. Skye tends to be concerned about fast-moving things. Parades are slow. The major factors I needed to watch for were other animals or entries that had fast-moving parts.
Next thing we knew, Skye was on the front lines of the ND state fair parade. Whoa! We only stayed a short time. I wanted to make sure we left *before* anything overwhelming happened. We did. I think it’s fair to say my previously fearful dog had another good experience!
Skye on her 4th birthday walk
Skye and Jade had their 4th birthday last week. To celebrate, we went on special walks. I took Skye first. We drove over to a walking path adjacent to our local dog park. It’s fairly close at the entry point — 30-40 feet? There were a few dogs present. We arrived around 5 pm, just as dogs and their people were starting to get into the swing of their evenings.
Skye rockin’ her 4th birthday walk — right past the dog park.
As we got out of the car, Skye became so engaged in sniffing that she wasn’t remotely interested in the dog park. We got past the “close” zone quickly and had an interesting but uneventful next segment. As we returned back along the same route, approaching the car, we were again within fairly close range of the dog park.
By this time, some more dogs had arrived. They were running and playing. Skye noticed. She barked a single bark. Nothing major, but still, she was not comfortable.
So… we adapted. We changed our walking pattern. Put a little more distance and the occasional pine tree in between us and the dogs. It worked. She immediately settled down. There was one more single bark after we reunited with the walking path, but by that point we were nearly to the car. She had exposure to the dogs, let me know when she was a little concerned, and I helped her diffuse the concern. No major outbursts. Nothing bad happened. All in all, another good experience.
Going forward: Calming a Fearful Dog
So this is our basic strategy as we take Skye from fearful dog to confident pumpkin:
Increase Skye’s experience of the world as a safe place.
Increase her confidence and adaptability through new thinking experiences in a controlled environment.
Gradually expand the boundaries of what feels safe.
No rush. No deadline.
Honor the uniqueness of who she is as a dog.
All in all, Skye is a calm dog most of the time. She hangs out at home with me and two other dogs. We all get along. She checks in with me several times during the day. Right now as I’m typing, Skye and her brother Jade are both resting on the floor next to me. Kiefer is across the room in his favorite dog bed. We have a fenced yard where we can all get outside to commune with nature. And we make sure to include outings from time to time (weather permitting) to keep things interesting! Skye does have her moments, of course, but don’t we all? Happily, she recovers quickly.
Do you have a fearful dog? Does your dog become stressed or concerned in certain situations?
I help people enhance their dogs’ confidence, adaptability, and resilience through private TTouch sessions. If you live in north central North Dakota and would like to learn more about how this might benefit your dog and your family, check out our page at ChillDogTTouch.com. Or email me at info@ wellnessimages .com to set up a phone call where we can talk about your situation.
If you live elsewhere and would like to locate a practitioner in your area, you’ll find a practitioner directory here: TTouch.ca.
In the functional health world, we have many approaches to addressing chronic, debilitating headaches. Even migraine headaches. There are so many factors that can contribute!
Hormone imbalance
Nutrient imbalance
Build-up of chemical toxins, biotoxins, heavy metals
Sludgy liver function
Gut dysbiosis
Food sensitivities
Mood issues
Insomnia
And so on…
Most of us, headaches or no, will feel better after clearing those factors. But what if you’ve done it all? You’re eating clean, your liver function is seamless, and your gut microbiome is the envy of all you meet.
And yet you still have headaches. Bad headaches. Lots of them.
Let’s not forget mechanics.
It’s true. Mechanical factors can play heavily into a serious headache pattern. No amount of clean eating is likely to unseat them. You need a different approach.
Could cranial misalignment be a factor in your headaches?
Check out this graphic for just a few possible ways that cranial / cervical alignment may be impacting your migraine headaches.
Look at the royal blue arrow, #43. That’s the internal jugular vein, depicted on the left only as it is not visible on the right. For this person, venous return of blood from the head must have been compromised.
Now look at the red arrows, the mandible or lower jaw.
And then the light green arrows, the transverse processes of the atlas (C1 vertebra).
Notice how the relationship of these structures is very different on the right and left sides of the body. Oops!
Look at the yellow arrows, the medial pterygoid muscle, which contributes to closing the jaw.
Look closely at the muscle position on the right side of the picture. See how it’s compressed between the two bones? Did this person have a TMJ issue? Yes.
Look at #24. It’s the spine of the C1 vertebra. Notice it’s off center.
Finally, check out the difference in the tissue health of the two obliquus capitis inferior muscles (light blue arrows). See how the one on the left is more fibrous than the one on the right, due to chronic tension pattern. Neck pain? Sure. Trigger points (to the head)? Likely.
Cranial Alignment is Key
Tension patterns in the cranial fascia and membranes (connective tissue) may influence position of the bones.
The photo above illustrates a cranial alignment issue. It can be addressed. It’s soft tissue work — working with the cranial fascia and membranes, along with mobilization of the cranial sutures (joints). This is the original work of Paul St John. Once the cranial alignment has stabilized, the cervical spine can come into balance.
The magic is not in the license a person works under, but in how they see the body.
How does cranial misalignment arise?
Cranial sutures, the joining places of the different cranial bones, can be visualized in this model.
A common question people ask upon recognizing that their body alignment is imbalanced is, “How did I get this way?” In the head, this confusion is compounded by the outdated belief that the cranial joints (sutures) don’t move.¹⋅² In clinical practice, it’s possible to both feel and see the malleability of the cranium, and to feel effects of the changes.
So how does the cranium become misaligned? We can’t always say for sure, but a careful history may include experiences like these:
Any kind of slip / fall where the head hits a hard object
Sports injury involving the head
Person was delivered with assistance of foreceps or vacuum extraction (or, practically speaking, by any other means)
Neck injury, especially involving sudden deceleration
Shoulder injury
Abdominal tension pattern
Pelvic misalignment for any reason, including injury or anatomical leg length difference
Any other significant stress or trauma
After reading the above list, you may suspect that cranial misalignment is common. It is. Sometimes it results in headaches, including migraine headaches. Not always, though, which is fortunate. There are other ways in which cranial alignment can impact health. We may explore some of them in a future post.
¹ The Controversy of Cranial Bone Motion Joseph S. Rogers, MS, PT, Philip L. Witt, PhD, PT. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy199726:2, 95-103
The calendar says it’s spring! Where I live, the outdoor conditions haven’t quite caught up yet. But we’re close. So close. It’s time to make plans for a Spring Reset!
I live in the north, just an hour’s drive south of the Canadian border. Winter is a long season here. It’s ok. We’re used to it. It’s not hard to imagine, though, that a couple hundred years ago things would have been quite different.
Imagine life in the northern plains 200 years ago during a harsh winter. Lacking some of the conveniences we have come to rely on: central heat, indoor plumbing, electricity, weather forecasting. Trees are not plentiful here on the plains, either for building materials or for heat. Frigid weather can persist for months, along with significant snowfall. Careful planning was a must in order to make it through to spring with enough food and sufficient heat.
I can about imagine the anticipation the earlier people must have felt. Warmer days bring the opportunity to enjoy the morning sun on your face, walk barefoot on the earth, and harvest the first fresh greens you’ve seen in months. Such abundant luxury! A spring reset! For free!
We can do it, too. With a bit of attention to the change of seasons, we can do our own spring reset. Kind of like spring cleaning for our wonderful bodies. It can be simple or deep, depending on what you want to accomplish. Regardless, there are certain things available to nearly everyone, at low cost and high value. Here are three.
Spring Reset #1: Enjoy the morning sun!
Nearly everyone enjoys the feel of the morning sun on their face. Regardless of circumstances, the sun is available to just about everyone, and it’s free. If you’re unable to get outside, then please do your best to find a window. Pure sunshine is the ultimate spring reset.
For those of us with the liberty to go outdoors in the early morning, that’s an ideal time. Early morning sun helps set your body’s circadian rhythm, and it’s not so strong as to burn fair skin.
Most people think of vitamin D levels when they think of the health benefits of sunlight. Indeed, a healthy person will metabolize vitamin D from sunlight, lighter-skinned people absorbing more than those with darker skin. We’ll save an in-depth discussion of vitamin D for another day. However most agree that the active form 1,25(OH)D supports health, specifically calcium and phosphorus levels, various metabolic functions, and bone mineralization.¹
Sun exposure has a number of additional benefits besides vitamin D metabolism. It increases production of the melatonin precursor, serotonin, leading to a positive outlook coupled with calm, focused energy. Early morning sun exposure also functions as a “stop” marker for nighttime melatonin production, leading to a healthier sleep pattern overall. Finally, sunlight exposure modulates the immune system, supports production of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (which decreases during certain instances of chronic inflammation), and positively affects mood by increasing blood levels of endorphins.¹
One of the easiest and least costly spring reset strategies for most of us, by far, is to step outside into the light and enjoy a reasonable amount of sun exposure. Preferably in the morning. Not so much as to produce a burn.
Spring Reset #2: Walk barefoot on the earth
Physicians and researchers Karol Sokal, MD, PhD and Pawel Sokal, MD, PhD hypothesized that “regulating factors that are universal in nature, … the action of which could be disturbed by contemporary civilization”² might be responsible for some of the chronic ill health they were observing in clinical practice. Observing that many of us have gotten away from frequent connection with the earth, they further hypothesized that the earth’s charge might be one such factor.
In order to explore their hypothesis, they conducted a study in which they measured certain physiological responses to “Earthing” which, for the sake of consistency, they arranged through use of a grounding device. They connected a copper plate attached to the subject’s leg to a second plate placed on moistened earth outdoors. The subjects slept in this fashion.
The results indicated that the Earthed subjects had changes in:
calcium-phosphate homeostasis (consistent with a decrease in bone mineral loss pattern associated with osteoporosis)
concentration of electrolyte minerals
increase in the T4 thyroid hormone (free thyroxin), increase in TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), and decrease in the T3 thryoid hormone (free tri-iodothyronine); this is consistent with an increase in metabolic rate
decreased serum glucose levels in a group of patients with non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes
increased immune response (triggered by administration of a vaccine during the experiment)²,³
This complex research was meant to investigate the positive effects of something that you can most likely do for free (once the snow melts, if that applies in your area): walk barefoot on the earth. Or lie on it. Sit in a chair and watch a movie with your bare feet on the ground. Whatever works best in your situation.
Spring Reset #3: Make friends with the lowly dandelion
In the many parts of the world where dandelions grow, they tend to be prolific. They’re easy to come by. In my area, the pretty yellow flower is one of the first signals that spring has really arrived.
Good news. Dandelion is edible! All parts may be eaten as food. If you (or someone you know) has a healthy crop, and presuming no herbicide has been applied, you can add a few tasty young leaves to your next salad.
Dandelion has also been used traditionally as an herbal medicine. The root is often used for liver support, the leaf for digestive support and as a diuretic. Dandelion has also been studied for anti-inflammatory and immune modulating properties. The root may be brewed into a tea or tinctured.
Dandelion leaf, when eaten as a food, is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and the B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin.⁴
Perhaps you have a non-sprayed yard or garden that sports these beautiful plants. If so, harvest freely. If not, you may be lucky enough to have a neighbor who does not apply herbicides. (Like me!) If so, I’m guessing they’d be happy to have you stop by and carefully dig to your heart’s content. Or failing that, if you live in an area where dandelions do not grow abundantly, you can very reasonably purchase dried dandelion root from a company such as Frontier Natural Products and brew tea or make a tincture.
A deeper approach
So there you go. Three spring reset options for little to no cost and potentially high value. I encourage everyone who has the ability to utilize these to do so.
Perhaps you’re ready for a deeper approach, too. Spring is also a great time for a general assessment, and in particular, for optimizing digestive health. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, I encourage you to consider a Functional Nutrition Consultation. If this speaks to you, I’d be happy to hear from you to discuss an individualized one-on-one program.
I’d like to set a bit of a theme for 2018. Choose love. We’re not talking about romantic love, though that isn’t excluded.
What we’re talking about is how you hold a situation (or person — even your dog) in your heart. Is love the dominant feeling, or is it something else?
What if you were to identify just one confusing, perplexing, challenging, or stressful situation in your life? Just one. We all have them. And then for a period of time — a day, a week, a month — take notice every time it enters your mind.
Next, notice what your “feel” about it is. Is love the dominant feeling, or is it something else? If the answer is “something else,” then choose love. It’s really that simple.
It’s really that simple. Choose love.
Maybe it’s a situation (or person; your dog) that you already love or appreciate?
Ah yes. Are we talking about your best friend? Your child? Your sweetheart? Your boss? Your beloved dog? Your dog’s veterinarian? Then it’s all the more important to clear things up. Don’t wait! Choose love.
In even the best of relationships, there’s frequently a sticking point. Even in casual relationships, things slip up. “I don’t understand why he said this.” “I just don’t get why she did that.” You don’t need to. Simple solution. Let it go. Choose love.
If you have a long history with the person / situation, it may initially seem a bit harder to shift. You’re bucking momentum. But consider this. If in your heart of hearts this is someone you feel “safe” with, no matter what the outside circumstances may look like, then that feeling diminishes the risk considerably.
The point of power is always with you.
Here is the simple truth. You have a choice about how you show up. You don’t have much to say about circumstances like the weather, what happened last week, or if your friend got a flat on the way to work. None of those really matter anyway. How you show up does. It’s never going to help a situation if you walk in with a chip on your shoulder. Ditch the chip. Choose love.
You may not do it perfectly. There may be times when you fall flat on your face. Back in my karate training days, we learned and lived by a Japanese proverb that loosely translates, “Seven times down; eight times up.” No matter. Just brush yourself off and go again. Choose love. Keep going until the day comes when the dominant feeling in your heart when you think of that situation (or person; your dog) is genuinely love. It’s a sweet moment.
Tools: A strategy to help you choose love
Choosing love may be simple, but it’s not always easy. In the heat of the moment, you may not have the time or clear thought needed to invent something from scratch. It’s helpful to have a “go-to” strategy in mind.
There are so many options. I always appreciate the foundational work of Louise Hay. (Yes, you’ll want to funnel some of this unconditional love toward yourself, and you may end up healing your life in the process.)
And yet what’s been working well for me lately is the Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono. Check it out if you’re wanting a deceptively simple tool to bring balance to your life. Then fasten your seat belt. And choose love. I’d love to hear your experience when you do!
I’ve been thinking about learning a lot lately. Seems I am drawn to the challenge like moth to a flame. Today I’m remembering a chilly day in January, 1994. A hotel meeting room in metro Detroit. My Neuromuscular Therapy certification exam, administered by Douglas Nelson.
I had studied and studied. Repeated all but one of the seminars, watched and re-watched the review videos, and had spent every available minute of the previous three months studying anatomy, physiology, and protocols. Despite that, there was one certain protocol I had completely forgotten. And guess what? It was on the test!
The plantaris muscle. When it comes to resolving a physical pain problem, precision can make all the difference.
Doug was very encouraging. “You know this. I know you do. Just think about it for a minute.”
But I didn’t. I had to throw in the towel and admit that it completely escaped me.
I passed the test anyway (whew!) and the very next day went back to work for a full day of client sessions. My last client that day … guess what? Had that exact problem. What were the chances? She needed the strategy that I’d anchored in, through completely missing it on the test, just the day before. In her case, it was a sports-related injury. I was so thankful for the previous day’s misstep. That mistake is what ultimately allowed me to help that young woman get back to playing soccer after work (which she loved!) pain-free.
Fast forward to now
So now here we are nearly 24 years later. Guess what happened today? Someone came in with the same problem. Different onset, but the symptoms and more importantly the effect in her life (pain, frustration, feeling held back from what she wanted to do, fear that it would never resolve) were essentially the same. The potential benefits for her are essentially the same as well. Something that she really wants to do is back on the menu. Big sigh of relief. Life keeps moving in the direction she wants it to.
Dog can be wonderful teachers.
For myself, once again, I feel thankful for those moments in which I am challenged to learn something that doesn’t come easily. That I don’t master perfectly on the first try (and believe me, I have a lot of experience in this arena).
Over the years, I have learned something about the process of learning. Taking the extra time and effort to master the fine points, the precision, is so worth it. In the case of Neuromuscular Therapy, I joined the St. John Seminars teaching staff, on which I served (all the while deepening my own knowledge base) for 11 years. It was a commitment and an investment.
There is a very special place in my heart and mind for those people, Doug and many others, who have supported and/or otherwise drawn forth the extra effort and tenacity I need in order to learn a subject well.
I could have given today’s client a nice relaxation massage. She would have walked out with a more relaxed version of the same problem she came in with. That was neither her agenda nor mine.
