#37 May 2021 Simplify Health News - Fuel Your Body With Foods For Brain Health

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#37 May 2021 Simplify Health News

Fuel Your Body With Foods For Brain Health

Simplify Holistic Nutrition Consulting & Functional Medicine Health and Wellness Coaching

Hopefully, my newsletter finds you well.

May is the month of Mental Health. Some of you have asked me about foods and a cookbook for brain health. A few years ago, I participated in a class taught by Dr. Daniel Amen, and he became my brain health guru. His clinics have started to send me client referrals, who are local in Massachusetts. Please check out his wife’s "The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook." In case you do not intend to purchase the book, I have added the list of his wife’s basic food recommendations below.

All our mental health and our emotions have suffered during the last year of worry, fear, loneliness, lack of sleep, and over-consuming. Some of my clients who had Covid, feel that their brain is not as focused as before, many have seen their loved ones be sick and the fear of transmitting the virus was extremely scary.

Some of you have asked me about my thoughts on getting vaccinated. I have written about my anti-inflammatory diet recommendations in some newsletters. They are all on my website, so please go back and read if you missed one. I think it is a personal decision, but I am ecstatic since my mom, my husband, our children, and our closest relatives are vaccinated. I sleep better, which gives me so much more energy!!!

Anxiety and depression are both topics that can improve with better food choices. I see so many changes that my clients experience after using the FIT Tests and removing the foods they are sensitive to. Working with the FIT Tests for over 6 years, I have accumulated quite a number of examples and experiences on how to advise my clients best when the results come back. Please let me know if you have questions about the new FIT 176 Test, which I love so much.

Please check out all three FIT Tests I am currently offering on my website.

Stock Up on Brain Warrior Basics

The Brain Warrior's Way Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes to Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Attack Illness and Aging, Transform Pain into Purpose.

Feed your body and your brain with this healthy cookbook, an essential resource for Brain Warriors who want to fuel their bodies with foods that boost energy, focus, memory, and quality of life. This cookbook is the ultimate tool for winning the fight in the war for your health.

Now that most of you have purged your pantry of unhealthy processed foods, you have space for whole, nutritious foods that will fuel your brain and body with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds we all need for excellent health and peak performance. It's time for a trip to the grocery store, health food store, or farmer's market to start stocking up on the Brain Warrior Basics:

Vegetables and more vegetables. Purchase fresh, organic produce when possible and skip the white potatoes.
Small amounts of fruit. The best choices are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, as they don't affect blood sugar as much as starchy fruits like bananas. They are also super packed with brain-boosting antioxidants. However, berries should always be organic, as they absorb more pesticides than nearly any other fruit.
Meat, fish, and poultry, including wild salmon, tuna, herring, chicken and turkey, lamb, and lean beef. Buy meats and poultry that are grass-fed, free-range, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free.
Eggs. When possible, choose organic, DHA-enriched eggs from pasture-raised chickens.
Coconut wraps, zucchini wraps, and other bread replacements.
Raw, unsalted seeds and nuts. Be sure to choose raw nuts and seeds, because when nuts and seeds are roasted, their oils oxidize, and they are robbed of their health benefits.
Fresh and dried herbs and spices. They supercharge your health benefits and contain fantastic flavor.
Healthy oils such as avocado oil, almond oil, macadamia nut oil, and olive oil.
Hummus, salsa, and guacamole. For dipping raw vegetables.
Unbleached sea salt. To be used in small amounts instead of bleached table salt.
Unsweetened almond milk or hemp milk. Drink these instead of cow's milk.
Nut and seed butter. Almond butter and macadamia nut butter are perfect replacements for peanut butter.
Goji berries.
Raw, shredded coconut, unsweetened.
Flax, hemp, and chia seeds.
Ghee. If you prefer a buttery taste and are not vegan, use this for cooking at high temperatures.
Organic, low-sodium tamari sauce or any gluten-free soy sauce.
Coconut milk creamer (plain flavor) or coconut milk.
Stevia sweetener. Use this in place of sugar. Liquid stevia is less bitter.
Raw, unsweetened cocoa. Not commercial cocoa.
Raw cacao nibs.
Dark chocolate, sugar-free and dairy-free. Find chocolate sweetened with stevia.
Dried or canned organic beans and lentils.

Coronasomnia: Sleep Patterns Under Siege
(from Dr. Pescatore's article about this phenomenon)

The physical, mental, and emotional health problems arise simply because patients are struggling with insomnia. These latest findings are deeply concerning.

This data came from an international survey of roughly 3,000 people from 49 different countries. Among respondents, 58 percent reported being dissatisfied with their sleep. And 40 percent responded that their sleep quality had dropped since the pandemic started.

In the beginning of the pandemic, participants reported getting more sleep and had more vivid dreams (an indicator of better sleep quality). But that changed dramatically as the lockdown progressed.

In the U.K., some 70 percent of respondents reported sleep pattern changes. Fewer than half reported refreshing sleep, while an equal number reported being sleepier after the lockdown started.

A constellation of causes

Of course, it doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out why sleep was affected so drastically during the lockdown. Two-thirds of this survey’s respondents said that the pandemic had affected their mental health. And 25 percent reported drinking more alcohol.

Plus, people with suspected COVID-19 infections reported more nightmares and disturbed sleep rhythms. And other research shows that these infections alone can hijack sleep patterns, even long after the virus is cleared. (More than 25 percent of patients reported sleep troubles as long as six months post-infection.) On the other hand, some respondents with mild COVID infections stated they slept two to three hours more.

Of course, we need to consider the problems that sleep loss can cause by itself—low mood, anxiety, and memory problems. When we look at the important role that sleep plays in strong immunity—including a strong immune response to vaccination, we need to consider our sleep hygiene.

I loved this article from Dr. Fred Pescatore, who is also a great speaker at IFM conferences I attend (and will attend again in the future). Many of my clients report better sleep after using the FIT Tests and removing the foods they are sensitive to.

During the last year, I have tried even harder to concentrate on the healthiest life I could live, to make sure I stay balanced during the pandemic tumult. Healthy foods, relaxation times, working out regularly at the Norwell Athletic Club (they did a fantastic job keeping us all safe during the last crazy year!!), talking more with the people who matter in my life, and keeping up with good sleep hygiene kept me sane and energized. Regular detoxing activities and foods are wonderful. NAC offers an infra-red sauna by appointment. Regular sauna visits, Epsom salt baths, and massages help to detox, to relax and hopefully help us all to get back on track to a “Finally New Normal”, after being vaccinated.

Wishing you the best of Health and Happiness,

Silke