Lifestyle shot of a woman cooking breakfast food on the stove.

5 Sustainable New Year Intentions That Stick

Reach your health goals in 2023 by practicing these lifestyle changes Nothing is more synonymous with the new year than coming up with resolutions. Every new year we get motivated and set about making goals to better ourselves. Many resolutions revolve around our health and taking care of our bodies, but will we be doing these “healthy” practices six months from now? Most likely we won’t since only four percent of people actually stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Why is this? The goals and practices that we set for ourselves in January simply aren’t sustainable. If you want to be able to keep your resolutions, the key is to set goals that you’ll be able to maintain. Here are five ways to help you transform your health in 2023 with sustainable lifestyle practices. 1. Eat a higher-protein breakfast Many resolutions tend to revolve around more healthful eating. However, it can be incredibly challenging to change one’s diet overnight. Cutting out processed fat, sugar and otherwise unhealthy food can be beneficial, but going cold turkey and maintaining a new, strict diet could be setting yourself up for failure. Instead, start by altering your diet with a higher protein breakfast. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity showed that eating a high-protein breakfast, can help control glucose levels, thereby providing a more healthful lifestyle. High protein breakfasts include foods such as eggs, turkey bacon, string cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken sausage or protein shakes (be careful of hidden sugars here) coupled with one serving of whole grain carbohydrates. 2. Physical activity Working out is a common New Year’s resolution, the trouble is that people try to go from zero to 60 the first week of January. It simply doesn’t work that way and can lead to fatigue and even injury. It’s best to ease into physical activity. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults get 150 minutes (30 minutes, five days a week) of aerobic activity. Try to go for a 30-minute walk after dinner a few days a week and work up to five days. Or, if you can’t walk for 30 minutes straight, start by breaking it out into three 10-minute walks or two 15-minute walks. The idea is to simply get started, but in a more sustainable way. Additionally, a recent study found that physical inactivity is associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes, so getting in some moderate exercise could be crucial during this time. 3. Optimize sleep Sleep is when your body rests and repairs itself. By including sleep on your resolutions list, you can feel good about squeezing in some extra hours or even a nap. The CDC recommends that adults ages 18-60 get seven or more hours of sleep per night. Not only that, but if one of your resolutions is weight loss, a study showed that people sleeping 8.5 hours a night compared to 5.5 hours lost 55 percent more body fat while consuming the exact same diet. Plus, lack of sleep or burnout may increase risk of COVID-19 infection, so getting those extra ZZZs can be imperative to your health. 4. Optimize vitamin D Vitamin D is a vital nutrient that helps your body maintain healthy bones, is an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and protects muscle and brain activity. Taking a vitamin D supplement is a completely sustainable resolution that can have a tremendous impact on your health. Not only that, but a study showed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a six-fold increase in severe disease from COVID-19 and 15-fold risk of death, so this is a healthful, timely and easy resolution. 5. Reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals Obesogens are synthetic chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system and may lead to weight gain and obesity as well as hinder your body’s natural immune response. They are being let loose at astonishing rates into our environment, with 10 million new chemicals released each year, which is more than 1,000 per hour. The five obesogens most commonly found in the home are Bisphenol-A (BPA), Phthalates, Atrazine, Organotins and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Reducing exposure to these chemicals is as simple as paying attention to the types of products you use or bring into your home, making it an easy resolution to keep. If you’re not sure of your current exposure level, you can ask your healthcare provider for an Array 11 test. The Array 11 test measures a large range of environmental chemical toxins that are found in your system. This will let you know what type of exposure you’ve already had, and then as you make adjustments, follow-up tests make it easy to monitor progress of exposure reduction. These lifestyle changes can make your resolutions stick As you start making your New Year’s resolutions, remember that sustainable resolutions are best. It’s tempting to set ambitious goals, but that’s a sure way to get resolution burnout and set yourself up for failure. There are some easy things you can do to transform your health and lifestyle in 2023 without setting the bar astronomically high. Making simple adjustments like eating a high-protein breakfast and getting enough sleep are easy to do and easy to maintain. Try incorporating the five resolutions above for a new year that will effectively and simply transform your health. Dr. Chad Larson, NMD, DC, CCN, CSCS, Advisor and Consultant on Clinical Consulting Team for Cyrex Laboratories. Dr. Larson holds a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Southern California University of Health Sciences. He is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
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Almonds and whole walnuts being cracked.

Go Nuts When Reaching for a Healthy Snack

Nuts just might be nature’s perfect snack food; they taste great and are easy to take with you. Almonds, cashews, walnuts and their relatives are packed with protein, monounsaturated fat and antioxidants that boost heart health and fight inflammation. And if you are worried about calories, a study in The Journal of Nutrition showed that people who regularly ate nuts not only didn’t gain weight but actually lost weight and kept it off. So snack to your heart’s content (literally). Cashews store an arsenal of powerful nutrients including iron, zinc and magnesium, which can prevent anemia and boost your immune system. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids in addition to the most antioxidants of them all—earning the title of “superfood.” Almonds are loaded with great dietary fiber and are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E. They are also lower in calories than many other nuts. Nutritional information from mayoclinic.org and ncbi.org (National Center for Biotechnology Information). Emily Wise Miller is the web editor for Live Happy. Look for some of her other posts: Tomatoes Take a Starring Role and 3 Easy Steps to Healthy Eating.
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Woman eating spoonful of yogurt.

Can Fermented Food Elevate Your Mood?

Scientists have been making some surprising discoveries about what really constitutes a happy meal, and it’s a far cry from the burger and fries you’d pick up at your local fast-food joint. Instead, think kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt and tempeh. These fermented foods are teeming with healthy bacteria called probiotics. You’ve probably heard that word, and also know that these microorganisms are a boon to maintaining a well-functioning digestive system. From belly to brain Now researchers are beginning to use a new term—psychobiotics—to describe the impact probiotics have not only on our digestion but also on our mood. In promising studies done on both mice and humans, boosting the levels of gut microbes has been shown to increase neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin that are linked to happiness. The exciting field began in 2011 when a team of researchers at University College Cork in Ireland, and McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, showed that anxious mice fed a probiotic-rich broth became less apprehensive and more—pardon the pun—gutsy. Dropped into a tall cylinder of water, the mice that were fed the broth spent more time swimming and less time floating in a state of what the researchers called “behavioral despair.” Two years later, a group of scientists at UCLA set out to test whether the human brain might also be influenced by gut bacteria. In a small study, a dozen women ate yogurt that contained live cultures twice a day for four weeks. A control group of women didn’t eat the probiotic-rich yogurt. Chilling out with yogurt At the end of the month, instead of being dropped into a vat of water like the mice, the women underwent fMRI brain scans while resting and while performing a task in which they matched faces to negative emotions like fear and anger. Those scans showed significant differences between the two groups of women in several regions of the brain that are involved in processing sensory input and emotions. In brief, the yogurt eaters reacted more calmly to the angry and fearful faces than did their yogurt-skipping peers. “The contrast was clear,” the lead researcher told reporters. “This was not what we expected, that eating yogurt twice a day for a few weeks would do something to your brain.” Justin Sonnenburg and Erica Sonnenburg, Ph.D.s, husband-and-wife microbiologists at Stanford University and co-authors of the bestselling book The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health, caution that this psychobiotic research is in its infancy. But, they write, “it seems not too much of a stretch to assume that improving the overall health of your [gut] microbiota could have a positive impact on your mental well-being.” Modern-day tonics and elixirs None of this comes as a surprise to Chakra Earthsong Levy. She began fermenting her own beans, seeds and cheese as a teenager back in the ’70s. “My mother had chronic health problems related to her gut,” Chakra says, “and our family life revolved around her flare-ups. I wanted to do everything I could to avoid that.” In 2010, after decades as a nutrition coach, Chakra co-founded the fermented beverage company KeVita. Now a leader in the field, KeVita offers lines of sparkling probiotic drinks, kombucha tea and probiotic apple cider tonics. Although Chakra is careful not to make any health claims for her drinks, she says “it makes sense that consuming live food like yogurt or kombucha makes people feel enlivened and uplifted. I hear that from friends and customers all the time.” For optimal microbiotic well-being, Chakra suggests getting doses of these beneficial bacteria throughout the day. Here are some ways to sneak more of these microbes into your diet. 1. Make miso a base of your salad dressing. For a two-ingredient vinaigrette, simply mix the fermented soybean paste with whatever citrus you have on hand. The Kitchn suggests a ratio of two teaspoons of white, yellow or red miso to two to three tablespoons of fresh orange, lemon or lime juice. 2. Get to know nama shoyu. Use this unpasteurized soy sauce, which is rich in beneficial bacteria, to flavor steamed or sautéed veggies, quinoa, rice or couscous. 3. Pick the right pickles. If they’re not refrigerated they’re not fermented, so skip the jar on your supermarket shelf and head for the cold storage section. “Any product that contains live probiotics will tout the benefit on the packaging,” Chakra points out. 4. Embrace yogurt. It’s the easiest way to get a hit of probiotics. Enjoy it with muesli or blended into a smoothie for breakfast, with fresh fruit for a healthy dessert or mixed with diced cucumber and chopped dill or mint as a relish for chicken or fish. 5. Ditch the afternoon coffee. Swap your afternoon latte for kombucha, kefir or a sparkling probiotic beverage. 6. Taste-test probiotic-rich foods that you haven’t tried. Your local Whole Foods, Sprouts or any well-stocked healthy market will offer a wide selection of tempeh, kimchi and sauerkraut. Chakra’s favorite sources for fermented foods are Wildbrine (their nine kraut flavors include “curry cauliflower,” “ beets & their greens,” “brussel kraut” and “red beet and red cabbage”) and Farmhouse Culture. It suggests enjoying its smoked jalapeño kraut on a grilled cheese sandwich or in a burrito and their horseradish leek kraut with grilled veggies or smoked salmon. Shelley Levitt is a freelance writer based in Southern California.
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Two Nutrients You Can't Live Without

Two Nutrients You Can’t Live Without

I’m a psychiatrist, and a few years back, I changed how I practice medicine. A new class of medications was causing a series of side effects for the patients in our clinic. While these medications were often necessary prescriptions, patients began to gain weight at an alarming rate and frequently developed diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthy eating and exercise were major interests in my personal life, and I’d been a vegetarian for about a decade, but I hadn’t been talking to my patients about food and lifestyle choices. Food became a focus of my work. Increasingly curious about what my patients ate, I was also determined to find out what I should advise them to eat based on scientific evidence. The power of nutrients I started reading about the recent advances in the science of nutrition, and felt foolish as I realized that the standard advice I was offering—“don’t eat cholesterol or fat”—was both scientifically wrong and woefully inadequate. I also learned that my vegetarian diet wasn’t likely the healthiest. In my new book, Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health, I identify the 21 nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, plant-based phytonutrients and health-promoting bacteria) that are essential for the health of our bodies and brains. I’ve selected them based on science and on the reality that Americans are missing a number of key nutrients in their diets. The simple and scary truth is that the majority of people eat a diet lacking the most important nutrients for health. Let’s look at just two of those nutrients and why you require them. ZINC Zinc, a mineral, is key to your immune function (your body’s defense system that protects you from infections, cancer and excess inflammation). Zinc is one of the main reasons you need to eat seafood or meat to get all the 21 vital nutrients (“eat complete”). Plants contain zinc, but they hold on to it quite tightly—so tightly that you don’t absorb much. And while grains contain zinc, 80 percent of that zinc is lost when grains are refined, which is one of several reasons that you should always eat whole grains. While doctors routinely check for the levels of many minerals, they do not test for zinc because it is nearly impossible to diagnose low levels of it. Stress can cause zinc levels to drop, as can illness and heavy exercise. The symptoms of zinc deficiency are very diverse because zinc is central to so many functions—your immune system, your ability to burn fats and carbohydrates and even the ability for your cells to divide. Zinc is so crucial to your health that if you are deficient in it, you also become functionally deficient in vitamin A and folate, two of the other 21 essential nutrients, as zinc is needed for those substances to be effective. Taking too much zinc in supplement form can impair immune function and cause gastrointestinal distress—all the more reason to get the zinc that you need from the food that you eat. VITAMIN B12 (COBALAMIN) B12 is one of two vitamins that predict the rate of how fast your brain shrinks as you age. It’s a depressing thought, but all brains eventually shrink as you grow older. To slow that shrinkage, maximize your absorption of vitamin B12 by keeping the stomach and gut healthy, and eat the most concentrated sources of B12. Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause irreversible damage to brain and nerve cells at any age. And an actual B12 deficiency causes depression, anemia and even psychotic symptoms such as extreme paranoia or hearing voices. B12 deficiency is common in many populations, with vegans and vegetarians at the greatest risk as meat and animal products such as dairy are the only sources of B12. Vegans must take supplements, and vegetarians must rely on dairy and/or supplements. Deficiency is also common in people over 50, as some people produce less stomach acid as they age, and this is a crucial element for B12 absorption from food. Acid reflux medications also decrease acid production and interfere with the body’s ability to absorb B12. Listen to our podcast with Dr. Drew: Happier With Every Bite Zinc Facts Amount you should eat per day: Women, 8 milligrams; men, 11 milligrams. Insufficient dietary intake: 42% of U.S. population. Deficiency risk factors: Vegetarian diet, pregnancy and lactation, and heavy alcohol use. Diuretic medication can increase excretion by the kidney by 60 percent. Top five food sources: Oysters (413% of your Recommended Daily Allowance can be found in six oysters), steak (175% in one 5-ounce steak), sesame seeds (34% in ¼ cup), pumpkin seeds (31% in ¼ cup) and ground turkey (23% in 3 ounces). B12 Facts Amount you should eat per day: 2.4 micrograms for women and men. Insufficient dietary intake: 20% of U.S. population and 73% of vegans have blood levels that are deficient or insufficient. Top 5 food sources: Clams (1,401% of the Recommended Daily Allowance can be found in 3 ounces), beef liver (1,178% in 3 ounces), mussels (833% in 3 ounces), sardines (338% in 3 ounces), crab (127% in 3 ounces), trout (106% in 3 ounces) and wild salmon (82% in 3 ounces). Dr. Drew Ramsey is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Drew uses the latest findings in brain science to help people live their healthiest, happiest lives. His forthcoming book, due out in April, is Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health.
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Farmers Market

Catch the Wholesome Wave

“Superfood” is a buzzword that’s been thrown around a lot recently. It’s generally used to tout the health benefits of specific nutritionally dense foods. But the folks at nonprofit Wholesome Wave have shown that in addition to being essential for vital health, fresh, locally grown produce actually has many other superpowers, as well—such as helping economically disadvantaged families stay healthier, for a start.Imagine this situation that low-income parents face daily: You rely heavily on government benefits to get food on the table, and regularly have to stretch just a few dollars to buy and cook dinner for your family. When a pack of ramen noodles costs under 20 cents and boxed mac ’n’ cheese can be had for 50 cents, a parent faced with hungry children is unlikely to choose a $2 head of organic broccoli (that she then has to prep and cook) instead of inexpensive convenience foods, which are precisely engineered to tantalize kids’ taste buds.The hidden costs of “cheap” foodThis situation is leading to a public health catastrophe, and the consequences will be immense (and costly) if it is not curtailed. Because many of the least expensive and most accessible foods are also over-processed and filled with fat, salt and sugar (as well as other additives), the number of overweight and undernourished children and adults has risen greatly, along with rates of obesity-related diseases found in very young children.Studies show that children from poor families are most likely to be obeseand mothers in food-insecure families will often limit their food intake so their children can eat, setting them up for obesity as well.Farmer, chef and healthy food advocateBy making fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables available and affordable, Wholesome Wave enables underserved community members to make healthier food choices. Founder Michel Nischan is the son of farmers who became a celebrity chef and award-winning author. He then followed his convictions and his passion, founding Wholesome Wave in 2007 in order to advocate for a more healthful, organic and sustainable food future.Innovation at workWith Nischan at the helm, Wholesome Wave has rolled out several trailblazing programs that help improve health outcomes among low-income families, generate additional revenue for small- and mid-sized farm businesses, and bolster local and regional economies—as well as reducing the ecological food footprint. Programs are currently running in 25 states and Washington, D.C., with more than 3,500 farmers and 350 markets participating.One such program, the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Programworks hand in hand with physicians, families and farmers marketsto provide resources for overweight and obese children and their families.Another, theDouble Value Coupon Programdoubles the value of low-income consumers’ federal nutrition benefits when spent at farmers markets on locally grown fruits and vegetables.Ride the Wholesome WaveIf all that great news has whet your appetite to learn more about the state of our food system and what we can do to help, follow along with the Farm to Table Cycle: A Journey for Change. Sponsored by Wholesome Wave, photographer, bicyclist and advocate Glenn Charles is taking a 16-day, 400-mile journey, cycling through New England to raise awareness about local food systems.Check the web updates to keep up with Glenn, and to learn more about farming and sustainability, dairy and livestock production, farm-to-table chefs, local food processing and institutional food purchasing.“What you will see is that "farm-to-table" is the way of the future," says Michel. "This ride tells story of so many Americans who work tirelessly to shape our food system into one that is more equitable, more sustainable and more delicious.” In Michel's estimation, and now in his own experience, “food can fix anything.”
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Beautiful fruits and vegetables

7 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

It’s not breaking news that eating healthier can contribute to our happiness, but when you're working with limited funds, it’s easy to get sticker shock in the organic section. If you’re on a tight budget, it can seem impossible to afford the good stuff. Here are seven ideas that will help you shop, cook and eat healthy without breaking the bank. 1.Get with the (meal) plan Having a meal plan ensures that there are tasty and healthy options readily available. Although the long-term financial benefits of a healthy diet are huge, there are immediate monetary payoffs to meal planning as well. First, “cheap” fast food meals aren’t all that cheap when compared to a far more nutritious home-cooked dinner. Also, planning meals ahead also saves on the cost of waste. (We’ve all seen produce meet an untimely death in the back of the crisper.) Thinking ahead—and cooking ahead, such as making a large pot of stew or soup on the weekend that you can eat all week—is well worth it when it comes to healthy eating. 2. Let an app do it for you Meal planning can be tedious: finding recipes, making shopping lists....Today, a number of apps will do the work for you; many are inexpensive and some are free: Plan to Eat is under $5 per month and Pepperplate is free. Cook Smarts ($6-8/month) even provides a meal plan for you each week that can be modified based on your dietary preferences, including gluten-free, vegetarian and paleo. 3. Go fresh, go local Buying fresh, organic produce in the supermarket can add up quickly, but sticking mainly with what’s in season will save you money. When you buy apples in summer, they are shipped in from New Zealand or Chile and may cost more (not to mention the effect on the environment). Likewise, eggplants in winter are shipped in and will be less fresh and tasty, as well as more expensive. It’s definitely better to buy organic when possible, but if the cost is prohibitive, it’s better to buy non-organic fruits and vegetables than to forgo them altogether. If you can, purchase your in-season produce at a farmers market near you. One study done in Vermont showed an average of almost 40 percent savings on organic produce at farmers markets versus grocery stores. Another option to make saving even easier is joining a co-op or CSA Farm Community-Supported Agriculture), many of which will deliver locally grown, organic produce right to your doorstep, saving not only money, but time, too. If you are an omnivore, many farmers markets, CSAs and local farms are great resources for saving big on eggs and hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats. 4. The big chill Frozen vegetables will save you cold, hard cash and also taste a lot better than the canned variety. They are fantastic when you are in a pinch and need a quick, healthy side dish. Heat them up and add some olive oil and salt and pepper, if you like. Buying good quality, minimally processed frozen fish and chicken breasts can also save money and time; if you have these healthy proteins on hand, you are less likely to resort to fast food. And because frozen items last longer, there is much less risk of waste. 5. Rice and beans, a magical combination Brown rice is a powerhouse of nutrients, including B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, protein and fiber, to name a few. And at less than 15 cents for one half-cup serving of organic brown rice, it’s also a boon for those seeking a bargain. Make a large batch and store leftovers in the fridge for use during the week in a quick stir-fry, side dish, or even rice pudding for breakfast. (For those who know of brown rice’s benefits but still prefer the taste of white, no need to worry—white rice is still nutritious as well as inexpensive.) Beans and rice taste great together, but more important, they make a complete protein. Beans are chock-full of fiber, B vitamins and minerals. A one-pound bag of dried beans will only set you back about $1 and makes 10-12 servings! Whipping up some red beans and rice, or sautéing cooked lentils with seasoned spinach or kale are a couple of great ways to make a budget-friendly meal that is both tasty and healthy. 6. Meatless Mondays Most omnivores find they can sink their teeth into a hearty veggie- and grain-based meal at least once per week. Because meat is often the priciest ingredient in recipes, by going meatless on Monday (or any other day), you are not only improving your health, but your balance sheet, too. Black bean burgers and lentil tacos are delicious and filling, and mushrooms have a meaty texture that is sure to satisfy cravings. 7. Pack it in With Americans spending an average of close to $1,000 yearly on lunch (and some spending up to $5,000), brown-bagging it more often is a great way to save money and gain nutrition. Without much extra effort, packing up your healthy leftovers into individual portions makes it easy to throw together a midday meal to take to the office or heat up at home. Your co-workers will be green with envy.
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Hands holding bowl of blueberries

Foods That Heal

Today, I am one of the happiest people I know: I have great relationships with my friends and family—and most importantly, with myself. My body is healthy and vibrant, and I am doing meaningful work that I love. But it wasn’t always this way. Just a few short years ago, I was clinically depressed, suffering with an excruciatingly painful and debilitating disease, stuck in a dead-end—all while my second marriage was ending painfully. Luckily, I learned that making changes to my meals, mind and movement had a huge impact on the way I feel—physically and mentally. Chasing a diagnosis Although pinpointing a diagnosis was difficult and time-consuming, with possibilities ranging from multiplesclerosis to lupus to rheumatoid arthritis, one thing was prettyclear: My body was attacking itself. For some reason, my immune system had gone into overdrive. All of the experts agreed, an autoimmune disease was ravaging my body. MRIs showed that my joints were literally dissolving away. The pain and disability were so pervasive that it was incredibly difficult for me to care for my children, keep my business going or even perform regular activities of daily life. I finally got a diagnosis: “destructive bilateral polyarthralgia with bony erosion.” Doctors said my condition would continue to deteriorate. They recommended starting with a course of chemotherapy, which would then be followed by injecting myself weekly with immune-suppressant drugs for the rest of my life, and/or the possibility that I might end up in a wheelchair. Because I have four children (and all of the germs that come along with them), I was hesitant to suppress my immune system for fear of being taken out by the common cold. The long list of side effects scared me to death, not to mention that the price tag for the injections—a whopping $5,000 a month! (At around the same time, I was also diagnosed with major depression. Again, I was reluctant to follow the recommended treatment: antidepressants with an endless list of side effects.) Hitting bottom Most of my doctors respected my hesitation to follow the recommended regimen, but responses ranged from compassionate understanding and thinly veiled pity to downright anger. One doctor even yelled in my face, accusing me of being a horrible mother if I continued to reject the treatments. Even my best friend, who had accompanied me to that appointment, was swayed by the sheer force of this doctor’s opinion and begged me to go on the drugs. Although my confidence faltered when confronted with such conviction, I still felt I owed it to my kids—and myself—to see if I could figure out a way to heal myself without causing more damage. So I set out on a mission. For five years, I searched high and low. I tried every possible cure I found on the Internet, heard about from a friend of a friend, or saw on late-night TV. I ate bunches of gin-soaked raisins for a stretch of time, introduced copious amounts of gelatin another and even subjected myself to freezing-cold ice baths—all with no resolution of my symptoms. A generous friend paid for a visit to an acupuncturist, but it wasn’t enough. I tried cutting out all nightshade plants from my diet, became a strict vegan and tried any supplement that promised to help… all to no avail. Finding functional medicine Just as I was about to give up hope, my husband at the time was given an out-of-state job transfer, and in a last-ditch attempt to salvage my failing marriage, our family relocated across the country. In these new surroundings, I found myself without the friends and family I had relied on when I needed help due to my limitations. My husband was starting to believe that the drugs might be the way to go, but I still wasn’t convinced, so we struck a deal: If I couldn’t figure out a cure within the next three months, I would follow doctors’ orders and begin the chemo/immuno-suppressant treatment. Two months later, I was given a referral for a chiropractor who is also a practitioner of what’s called functional medicine. Functional medicine takes a holistic approach to health and wellness, looking at the root cause of illness as opposed to treating the symptoms. She asked me about my daily activities, family dynamics, work, stress, exercise and diet. She ran all kinds of tests and counseled me about what I should and shouldn’t eat. Although I had already undergone testing by an allergist, she explained that food sensitivity testing would pinpoint items that may not cause immediate symptoms such as hives or anaphylaxis, but were nevertheless doing major damage. Immediate results Sure enough, once I eliminated the foods that the testing found I was sensitive to, along with cutting out processed foods, I felt the difference. I underwent a cleanse protocol which included probiotics along with vitamins and supplements. Almost immediately after I began filling my body with nutrients instead of toxins, my body was able to do what it was designed to do: heal itself. Within a week, I noticed I was able to move with less pain, rashes and headaches subsided. As a happy bonus, the extra weight that I had not been able to budge began melting away. Within a few short months, the change was amazing: I was able to play with my kids again, and I was strong enough to carry them without fear. Along with almost complete relief of my pain, my thinking was clearer, I was bubbling over with energy, and I had hope for the future. Meals that heal In my case, the journey towards health and happiness began at the end of my fork. It turned out that what I was eating was playing a huge role in the deterioration of my physical condition, as well as my mental condition. Even before receiving my lab test results, Dr. Ridley instructed me to cut out gluten, dairy and processed foods. I wasn’t sure how I could possibly accomplish this! Pizza and cheeses of all types were among my favorite foods; I couldn’t just break it off. But eventually I learned that I had non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and I knew that if these changes could make me healthier, I had to do it. I have to give up pizza? At first, changing my diet and learning to cook life-sustaining foods was a daunting task. As a working mother of four, I had fueled myself on frozen dinners and diet soda for decades, and heavily relied on processed convenience foods to get dinner on the table quickly. But at this point, I would have done anything to get my life and my health back.I researched ingredients, combed through thousands of recipes, spent hours going to store after store, only to come home and spend several more hours tweaking intricate recipes to meet my new standards. And the payoff was well worth it. I now knew how to create meals that were life-sustaining, and I was feeling so much better. But it still has to taste good As much as I was unbelievably grateful for this new lease on life, turning mealtime into a full-time job was keeping me from doing other important things, like spending time with my family and working on projects that were meaningful to me. With as much dedication as I put into overhauling my diet, I set out to create a new way of cooking. I held my meals to three standards: 1) they had to contain only real, whole foods—nothing processed and no chemicals, 2) they had to be quick to throw together and 3) they had to be tasty!While I would have been willing to subsist on kale and aloe alone when I was desperate to regain my health, I was beginning to realize that part of the nourishment we derive from the food we eat is the pure joy of experiencing delicious tastes, textures and smells. Not to mention that my family was certainly not excited for a menu of nothing but greens and sprouts. I developed several go-to weeknight meals that met my criteria so we could enjoy tasty, healthy dinners without spending hours preparing them. Sharing the knowledge Full of gratitude after regaining my own health, I went to work in the functional medicine field, hoping to help others like myself. I found that many of the physicians I was working with, as well as their patients, had difficulty with the same problems I faced in trying to eat healthfully. While they knew what to do (cut out processed foods, eat more fresh produce, etc.) they, and their patients, were struggling with how to maintain their busy lifestyles and balance other commitments while creating tasty meals that would contribute to their health and wellbeing. I began sharing my recipes with the doctors I worked with, and offered to speak with their patients and do cooking demonstrations for them. Eventually, I created and presented a teaching series at Baylor Medical Center, “Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Stress-Free,” to share my research and recipes for quick and easy meals and lifestyle tips. If you are struggling with low moods or physical challenges, be encouraged. It is possible that making a few small, relatively simple changes really can put you on the road to health and happiness. So many of the “bad” things that have happened in my life were truly the best opportunities for me to learn and grow. Now, it's my mission to share what I've learned, and continue to learn, with anyone who can benefit from it. Because life is meant to be lived, food is meant to be enjoyed, and the better you feel physically and the happier you are with the way you look, the more you can focus on fulfilling your dreams and achieving your personal goals.
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Woman at a farmers' market

5 Foods to Boost Your Mood

With the help of Dr. Drew Ramsey, author of the Recipe for Happiness blogand the books Fifty Shades of Kaleand The Happiness Diet, we’re making eating happy simple. Here are Drew’s picks for the top five happiness-boosting foods you should add to your shopping cart on your nextvisit to the supermarket.1. KaleIt’s the current darling of the nutrition scene, and it’s also one of the healthiestthings you can put on your plate.Plus, this leafy green veggie can beprepared more ways than you everdreamed possible.Why it makes you happy: Kale ispacked with phytonutrients, plant-basedmolecules that help our brains, as wellas folate, a vitamin often used as a supplement to treat depression.How to work it into your life: Greatnews—kale isn’t just for salads anymore!Make fresh, crispy kale chips withyour choice of seasonings, add it to asmoothie, even bake it into brownies!2. SeafoodSure, you’ve heard that you need to eatwild-caught salmon, but there are manymore options to fish around for. Mussels,clams and oysters are also great brainfood, and if you must order pizza, makesure you add the anchovies.Why it makes you happy: Seafoodis loaded with omega-3 fats, essentialnutrients for many bodily functions but,in particular, it helps make us happy.However, fish brings a lot more than justfats to the table, including B-12, iodine,selenium and DHEA, all of which arevital for a healthy, happy brain.How to work it into your life: Fish isa popular main course, but if you wantto work your way into it, there areplenty of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres,from the classic (shrimp cocktail andsteamed mussels) to the exotic (stuffedmushrooms with clams, red pepper andanchovies) that can help you diversifyyour palate.3. NutsNuts have finally gained a well-deservedreputation as sources of heart-healthy antioxidants and healthy fats. Just anounce a day can help improve both yourphysical and mental health.Why they make you happy: Almonds,pecans and walnuts are among the nutsthat contain calcium, which can helpoffset hormonal imbalances in women aswell as alleviate symptoms of anxiety,depression, irritability and impairedmemory. In 2012, a study published inthe Journal of Proteome Research alsolinked them to higher serotonin levels,which make you feel calmer and happier.How to work them into your life: Bythe handful! Eat them as a snack, tossthem into your cereal and salads, or pairthem with yogurt. You really can’t gowrong, so…go nuts!4. BeansThey’re extremely versatile as well as anaffordable way to keep your healthyeating on track. Whether you want themon the side or as a main course, you’redoing yourself a huge favor by workingthem into your list of favorite foods.Why they make you happy: Beans areloaded with iron, a mineral that canboost both your mood and your energylevels. They’re also filled withphytonutrients, helping ward off disease and letting the body function properly,as well as essential folate and fiber.While blueberries are often heralded fortheir antioxidants, half a cup of redbeans has 1 1⁄2 times the antioxidants ofa cup of blueberries.How to work them into your life:Sprinkle them on a salad, make beandip, mix them with red pepper and eggsfor a spicy Mexican dish, or add them tolasagna instead of meat. There arecountless ways to befriend beans!5. EggsThese took a beating a few years agoand got a bad rap for their cholesterolcontent. But even the American HeartAssociation has backed away from thatstance and agrees eggs are a great wayto start the day. But these days, theyaren’t just for breakfast.Why they make you happy: Eggsdeliver B-12, folate, protein and healthyfat—all of which are very importantin terms of brain function. The yolkis packed with carotenoids, giving it itsyellow color, and recent studies atHarvard have linked carotenoids to optimism.How to work them into your life:Start the day with them scrambled,sunny-side-up or poached. Later, youcan have them hard-boiled and tossedin a salad, stirred into noodle disheslike pad thai, or even blended intoyour smoothie.
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