You might not have given it much thought before, but new research is showing that if you want to stay healthy, active and youthful as you age, taking care of your mitochondria may be the single most important thing you can do

So what are mitochondria?  They are the tiny engines within each cell that are the source of your energy and ultimate overall health and in fact, are the place where our metabolism happens. You can look at them as your cellular batteries or fuel and eventually will wear out .. if not charged up. They make energy from the food you eat and oxygen from the air you breathe. They are essentially little factories producing vital cellular energy which is Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) that keeps us alive and supports every function in the human body. Each cell holds hundreds to thousands of mitochondria and are highly concentrated in heart and the brain.  In fact, we have over 100,000 trillion in our body!

But here’s the glitch, when our mitochondria are damaged, they not functioning optimally or we lose them, this causes them to break down and stop producing enough energy.  We consequently suffer from a whole host of of symptoms from fatigue (the most common symptom), weight gain, low energy, faster-aging, lack of cognitive function, memory loss and chronic pain. 

What Causes Damage to our Mitochondria?

Uncontrolled oxidative stress which is just a fancy word for ‘rusting’ – like the rust on your car or the brown color that appears on an apple when we leave it exposed to the air, is the process of oxidation and this happens within our bodies as well.  Oxidative stress happens when the amount of free radicals exceeds the amount of antioxidants. That’s when oxidation damages our cells, mitochondria, proteins and our DNA (genes).

Weight gain, smoking, toxins, stress, lack of sleep, chemicals, sugar in all forms (top offender of mitochondrial damage), insults, and damages the mitochondria and why fasting promotes longevity. Inflammation in any form damages the sensitive mitochondria which sets off a chain reaction of weight gain, rapid aging and chronic health conditions down the road.  We want to take care of our mitochondria so that are healthy and replicating – so they can thrive.

Eat An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Don’t eat less, eat more of the healthy foods. The care and feeding of your mitochondria every day requires the right foods:  colorful fresh veggies (8-12 servings daily) that are packed with polyphenols that promote an optimized boost, as well as fruits (especially berries), nuts, seeds, healthy fats – avocados, MCT oil, omega 3 fats (help to build mitochondrial membranes) such as wild salmon, sardines, herbs, spices such as turmeric and much more – these foods are full of antioxidants, phytonutrients that protect and repair your mitochondria.

Stop Feeding Your Mitochondria Junk Food

The more processed someone’s diet is (high in things like sugar, artificial ingredients, refined carbs and unhealthy inflammatory fats from oils high in omega 6 such as canola oil, corn oil, vegetable oil or soy oil, the harder the organs have to work to extract nutrients

Avoid Added Sugar or Other Refined Starches

Sugar and other refined starches such as white flour, white rice, chips, pretzels, desserts etc. are the serious drivers of mitochondrial issues.  Always look at nutrition labels for sugars added. Even seemingly innocent foods such as most whole wheat breads can raise your blood sugar as much as two tablespoons of sugar. Sugars and refined starches are serious drivers of mitochondrial issues.

Give Intermittent Fasting a Try

When the cell is able ‘rest’ and to clean itself out via autophagy, cleaning out damaged cells – cellular health occurs including reducing the inflammatory response which translates to a leaner and healthier you. What you eat and the quality of that food determines far more than just your weight – it determines your overall health, metabolism, hormone balance and more.

Intermittent Fasting is a relatively easy action to take in your eating schedule. You will be using fat as your energy source rather than glucose (sugar) and this promotes optimized health, energy and cognitive function.

Get Quality Sleep

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary cause of age-related decline and as we age, we tend to lose quality sleep and energy. Simply look at the boundless energy of a child and how deeply they sleep to see optimized mitochondria. Ensure you get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Deep breathing is a highly effective way to deeply relax the body, promoting sleep. One technique I highly recommend is the 4-7-8 Technique that the Armed Forces utilize during combat – it stops the stress response in its tracks and promotes sleep effectively.  Use this before sleep or if you awaken during the night. 

The 4-7-8 Technique:  Breathe in deeply through the nose for 4 seconds; hold for 7 seconds; exhale for 8 seconds completely. Repeat as often as necessary.

Reduce Stress

Stress, if chronic, can easily become your own worst enemy.  Stress is known to affect all systems in the human body by influencing a vast amount of functions.  Stress worsens inflammation and fatigue while also hindering immune function..ultimately stress hormones affect our mitochondria. 

“Scientists have long known that stressful experiences, on their own, do not cause disease; it’s our responses to stress that have the potential to culminate in disease.”  ~Douglas C. Wallace, PhD

Exercise in Bursts or Zone 2

Exercise is one of the most powerful mitochondrial boosters you can take action on.  Research clearly shows that bursts of exercise such as interval training or HIIT – > where you go super fast and slow for a few determined amount of intervals, has a marked effect on mitochondrial increase and health on its own and if combined with resistance training, shows superior mitochondrial increase and function which speeds up metabolism. 

Zone 2 Training is also very powerful in creating mitochondrial number and the abundance of them. it is 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate or barely out of breath – a slow steady effort you can maintain for a long time.

Utilize Targeted Supplements

Take supplements to help protect and boost your mitochondria for a therapeutic effect.  Combining the right diet, exercise and specific supplements will protect your cells, boost energy and overall mitochondrial health.  Supplementing the following nutrients has been shown to specifically promote mitochondria function:

References

https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/56/11/B475/cleeuwen@ufl.edu

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151202132521.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307155214.htm

Linnane AW, Kovalenko S, Gingold EB. The universality of bioenergetic disease: age-associated cellular bioenergetic degradation and amelioration therapy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1998 Nov 20;854:202-13.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25404320

Pioneer.com: https://www.ptpioneer.com/?msID=15768997-fe01-4674-b10d-451c89bd225a

©2021 DLS HealthWorks, LLC.  Lori Shemek, PhD health and weight loss expert.  Bestselling author of How To Fight FATflammation! and the bestselling author of  ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’ 

We know that a nutrient rich diet is foundational to optimal health and helps protect us from most every illness, disease, faster aging and yes, even weight gain.

When we think of the diseases that affect us the most, heart disease being #1 and cancer #2, it is comforting to know that when we make healthy choices we are actively helping to prevent both.

“Food can truly be medicine since it’s what the body is built on. Making smart choices about what to eat has an impact on everybody – whether you’re young, old, or in between,” says Dr. Samara Sterling, a nutrition scientist and research director for The Peanut Institute. “One easy food to incorporate into a healthy diet is peanuts. They are a powerful weapon because studies have found that a daily serving can deliver significant short- and long-term benefits, including the prevention chronic diseases.”

4 Conditions Where Peanuts Can Help

Heart Disease

Peanuts can be beneficial for heart health due to several reasons:

1. Healthy fats: Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy fats. These fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and lower the risk of heart disease.
2. Fiber: Peanuts are a good source of dietary fiber. Fiber can help lower cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar levels and promote a healthy digestive system, all of which are important for heart health.
3. Antioxidants: Peanuts contain antioxidants, such as resveratrol, which can help reduce inflammation and protect the heart from damage caused by free radicals.
4. Arginine: Peanuts are a good source of arginine, an amino acid that can help improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure, which are important factors for heart health.

There are several factors that can raise the risk of developing heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes. While they may be small, peanuts pack a punch since they are a good source of monounsaturated fats, which have been linked to lowering blood pressure levels and balancing blood glucose.

How about a handful of peanuts twice a day to promote metabolic health?

A 2022 study from the University of South Australia found consuming lightly salted peanuts twice a day before meals led to weight loss, lowered blood pressure and improved fasting glucose levels. And, according to a 2014 study from Purdue University, the benefits peanuts provide for blood pressure are seen regardless of whether peanuts were flavored, salted or unsalted.

Controlling Cholesterol – the Natural Way

Increased LDL cholesterol (aka ‘bad cholesterol’) has been associated with plaque build-up in the arteries, making it harder for them to carry blood to the heart. Peanuts increase HDL cholesterol (aka ‘good cholesterol’) and have healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, like those in olive oil and avocados, and are heart healthy overall.

In fact, a one ounce serving of peanuts contains 19 vitamins and minerals, many of which fight heart disease, including vitamin E, folic acid, niacin, magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, copper and potassium.

Preventing or Controlling Diabetes

Whether you have type 2 diabetes or you are trying to prevent it, the goal is to keep blood sugar levels in check.

With type 2 diabetes, the body loses the ability to use insulin properly. When this happens, blood sugar levels rise and damage blood vessels, which can lead to kidney damage, vision loss, obesity or other complications.

Additionally, prediabetes is when the blood sugar level is higher than what’s considered healthy, but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. In 2021, 97.6 million Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes.

The good news is that you can effectively manage type 2 diabetes with the right lifestyle choices, including a lower carbohydrate diet that includes peanuts, exercise, stress reduction and 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

A 2016 study from Harvard University showed that substituting a serving of animal protein for a serving of plant protein like peanuts and peanut butter significantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Weight loss can be a welcome result of balancing blood glucose.

Reduced Risk for Cancer and Cancer Mortality

Consuming nuts has shown a significant association with a reduced risk for cancer and cancer mortality.

Several studies have investigated the link between peanuts and their cancer-fighting powers:

• A 10g daily increase in nut consumption has been related to a 20% reduction in overall cancer mortality.
• Peanut/tree nut intake has been associated with 84% lower odds of breast cancer when comparing participants who consumed the most to those who consumed the least.
• In a 2008 study, participants who consumed the most nuts had a 40% reduced risk of esophageal cancer compared to those who consumed none.
• Peanut and tree nut consumption were associated with a reduced risk of small cell carcinoma (a type of lung cancer) per 5g/day increment.

Rather than one component working alone, it’s believed that several compounds found in peanuts band together in a synergistic way to help stop cancer cells from developing. Two of these compounds are phytosterols and resveratrol.

Hungry for Peanuts?  Here’s an easy snack – No Bake Protein Balls 

Peanuts are highly nutritious and affordable. Regular consumption may improve heart health, lower diabetes risk, help protect us against cancer and cancer mortality and promote a healthy weight.

Touchless faucets, also known as automatic or sensor faucets, have gained popularity in recent years due to their convenience and hygienic benefits. These faucets use sensors to detect when hands are placed under the tap, triggering the flow of water. This touch-free operation reduces the risk of cross-contamination from touching the faucet handles with dirty hands. In fact, The Crucial Role of Handwashing in Health and Hygiene: Embracing Touchless Faucets for a Safer Future.

1. Hygiene: Touchless faucets minimize the spread of germs by eliminating the need to touch potentially contaminated surfaces.
2. Water Conservation: These faucets often have sensors that control the flow of water, reducing wastage and promoting water conservation.
3. Convenience: They are convenient to use, especially in situations where hands may be full or dirty, such as in the kitchen or bathroom.
4. Energy Efficiency: Touchless faucets can be more energy-efficient, as they can be programmed to shut off automatically after a certain period, preventing water wastage.
5. Modern Aesthetic: They add a modern and sophisticated touch to any kitchen or bathroom, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal.

• Before and after preparing food
• Before eating
• After using the bathroom
• After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
• After touching animals or animal waste
• After caring for a sick person

Many women believe that their metabolism has slowed and they are correct…but why? As we age our metabolism slows ultimately due to a combination of factors such as diet, physical activity and other factors; with two glaring reasons – a loss of muscle mass – the main calorie-burning engine in your body. Coupled with a slower metabolism, it prevents the loss of fat as we once knew it.

Additionally, hormone balance is another critical factor. As you approach menopause or mid-life, levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone fluctuate, This fluctuation in hormones causes a cascade of changes, including lack of muscle, bone density, sex drive and mood issues.

The good news? We can fix it!

The Foundation of Supporting a Healthy Weight

When you think about what it takes to feel better, leaner and more confident about your body, diet is the number one foundational factor. When you eat for cellular health, you are also not only fixing your metabolism, but hormone balance, mental well-being and gut health.

Lifestyle factors are also vital such as moving your body, being proactive about reducing stress, ensuring you get enough sleep and targeted supplementation with your doctor’s approval.

1. Sleep in a very dark room
2. Manage Stress
3. Avoid Blue Light from Phones/Computers at Night 1 hour before bed
4. Get Daylight Exposure (increases melatonin to help you sleep better at night)
5. Tweak Your Diet – Veggies, Grass-Fed Beef, Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, Wild-Caught Salmon etc.
6. Use Supplementation (with your doctor’s approval) Such As: Melatonin, Valerian, Magnesium
7. Create a Bedtime Routine
8. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night

Stress Reduction and Relaxation

One of the most immediate and noticeable benefits of deep breathing is its ability to induce relaxation and alleviate stress. When we engage in deep, diaphragmatic breathing, it stimulates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” system. This promotes a state of calmness, reduces heart rate, and lowers blood pressure, counteracting the effects of chronic stress.

Improved Oxygenation

Deep breathing allows for a more efficient exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs. This means that more oxygen is transported to vital organs and tissues, enhancing their functionality. Improved oxygenation not only boosts energy levels but also supports cognitive function, leading to clearer thinking and increased mental acuity.

Enhanced Immune Function

Research has shown that deep breathing can have a positive impact on the immune system. Through various mechanisms, including reducing stress-induced inflammation, deep breathing supports the body’s natural defenses against illnesses and infections. By fostering a healthy immune response, this practice contributes to overall well-being.

Better Digestion

The relaxation response triggered by deep breathing extends to the digestive system. When the body is in a state of calm, it is better equipped to perform essential functions like digestion and absorption of nutrients. This can lead to improved gastrointestinal health, reduced instances of indigestion, and better overall nutrient utilization.

Pain Management

Deep breathing techniques have been employed as complementary therapies in pain management. By shifting the focus away from pain and redirecting it towards the breath, individuals can experience a reduction in the perception of pain. Additionally, the relaxation response induced by deep breathing can help alleviate muscle tension and promote overall comfort.

Enhanced Mental Well-Being

Deep breathing plays a crucial role in supporting mental health. It has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by regulating the levels of stress hormones in the body. Moreover, regular practice of deep breathing can improve emotional regulation, leading to greater emotional resilience and stability.

Improved Sleep Quality

The calming effect of deep breathing can significantly enhance the quality of sleep. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, deep breathing helps individuals transition into a state conducive to restful sleep. This can lead to better sleep patterns, improved mood, and increased daytime alertness.

Increased Mindfulness and Presence

Engaging in deep breathing encourages mindfulness and presence in the moment. By focusing on the rhythm of the breath, individuals cultivate a heightened awareness of their surroundings and their own bodily sensations. This mindfulness practice can lead to a greater sense of clarity, improved concentration, and a deeper connection to the present moment.

How? 

Here is an excellent stress reduction technique called the 4-7-8 Technique that can be used anywhere or at any time (even to help you fall asleep):

• Breathe in for 4 Seconds
• Hold for 7 Seconds
• Exhale for 8 Seconds
• Repeat at least 6 times

OR

Box Breathing

This is simply breathing in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, breathe out for 5 seconds and hold again for 5. Repeat 6 times or as often as desired. The best part about these breathing techniques is that you can use them anywhere – driving in traffic, on a plane, before giving a speech or at night to fall asleep.

The practice of deep breathing offers a multitude of science-based benefits that extend far beyond the simple act of inhaling and exhaling. From reducing stress to enhancing immune function, the positive effects of deep breathing are vast and well-documented. By incorporating this practice into our daily routines, we can take a significant step towards achieving holistic well-being and living a more balanced, fulfilling life. So, take a moment to pause, breathe deeply, and reap the rewards of this simple yet powerful practice. Your body and mind will thank you.

Whether you’ve overindulged in holiday meals, candies, cakes, pies, drinks and more or you gave up working out too, don’t fret. These simple tips will get you right back on track by healing and repairing all of the ‘damage’ done.

First, the very worst thing you can do right now is to go low-calorie. It is vital to add in quality calories – protein, healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. Generally, many choose low-calorie foods that do not optimize cellular health as a first response. Even worse? These foods crank up the insulin and glucose.

Remember, food is information to our cells. So use the tips below to bring back balance and you’ll very quickly be back on track.

1. Eliminate Refined Foods. Your body is crying out for real nourishment, nutrients that will allow it to function optimally. Eat a small fiber and protein-rich meal such as salmon and roasted broccoli. Salmon is high in protein, healthy fat, antioxidants and broccoli is nutrient-rich, high in fiber and activates the mother of all antioxidants: Glutathione. Both food choices will also re-balance your blood sugar.

2. Add Healthy Fats, particularly fats high in omega 3 fat such as salmon, sardines, fish oil, grass-fed meat or dairy, will help to reduce and reverse cellular inflammation as a result of the excess. Healthy fats to include: fatty fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, whole eggs (omega 3), olive oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, MCT oil, chia seeds, flax seeds. A handful of nuts gives you fat and protein to also slow digestion, keeping blood sugar balanced – very important to optimal health.

3. Add Supplements to help support your healthy change. There are supplements that can reduce and reverse cellular inflammation which is what happens after holiday excess. Examples include:

⋅Turmeric or for a more therapeutic effect, curcumin. The health benefits are powerful.

⋅Chromium Picolinate is excellent to help return your blood sugar back to normal quickly by promoting more insulin sensitivity – again, key to optimal health overall. Most people are deficientin chromium.

⋅Berberine is an herb or root that not only has powerful health benefits, but is excellent in helping to prevent and return high blood sugar.

⋅Magnesium is critical. Magnesium plays a role in reducing inflammation and cellular energy production via our mitochondria. When we eat unhealthy, toxic, refined sugar and other refined carb-laden foods, we literally damage our mitochondria. We need healthy and robust mitochondria in order to thrive. Sadly, most individuals are deficient In this precious mineral and days of unhealthy eating damage our energy source. The good news is that taking a bio-available form of magnesium will get you back on a health cellular track.

⋅Vitamin D3 – Another supplement that helps to reduce inflammation in the body by regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting the proliferation of pro-inflammatory cells. Remember that days of excess equals inflammation.

⋅All B Vitamins – B vitamins work metabolize carbohydrates more effectively so that the carbs we consume contribute to our sustained energy level and healthy brain function instead of getting stored as fat.

⋅Fish Oil – Fish oil helps to reduce carbohydrate cravings and to control your appetite by enhancing insulin sensitivity.

4. Drink Water. Drinking water can help flush out the excess glucose in the body. Additionally, sugar creates an acidic environment that can impair enzyme function and decrease your body’s water storage capacity. Your body needs to dilute the large amount of sugar which is necessary to metabolize all the extra sugar. Drink half your body weight, in ounces, of water daily. For example, if you weight 120 lbs, drink at least 60 ounces of water a day. Mild dehydration that comes with eating sugar and refined carbs impacts cellular function. Without enough water, cellular function slows not allowing enough energy for you and more.

5. Add Cinnamon to Your Diet. Cinnamon can improve your body’s ability to metabolize and use carbohydrates (sugar is a carbohydrate).  Cinnamon also induces the feeling of being full (satiety) to prevent continued overindulgence of sugar and the after-meal spikes in blood sugar and insulin that result.

6. Exercise Eliminates the Toxic Effects of Holiday Excess. Research shows that exercise may blunt the negative health effects of sugar. During exercise, your body burns sugar (glycogen) and improves insulin sensitivity – a key marker of optimal health. Remember that any type of movement will help. Add in any form of resistance training, or weight training, has the greatest effect. Muscle is literally a storage depot for excess sugar in the body. The more muscle, the less glucose circulating and the more insulin sensitive you are. Exercise also returns the physical energy that excess sugar can deplete.

7. Avoid Added Sugar. Be vigilant about avoiding added sugar to your diet. Look at the ingredient list on products to determine if they contain added sugar. Watch out for packaged foods, they tend to be high in sugar – whether sweet or savory. Instead, get sugar from natural sources, such as low-sugar fruits (berries, green apples, kiwi, grapefruit). You can also try healthy sweeteners such as monk fruit sweetener, erythritol, allulose, stevia. Others such as sorbitol, maltitol, and mannitol may cause bloating and gas but won’t effect blood sugar.

8. Intermittent Fasting can provide a therapeutic effect to quickly reset your insulin and glucose levels. When you are not eating, whether for 8 hours, 12 hours, 16 hours or more, you are flattening the insulin and glucose in the body. This gives your system, cells time to improve, clean house and much more. You also activate certain enzymes, hormones changes that help clean-up the excess induced during the holiday season. 12 hour fasting example: dinner at 7pm and breakfast at 7am = 12 hours of fasting. Four big benefits of Intermittent Fasting in just 12 hours: 1. Improved Brain Health 2. Enhanced Detoxification 3. Reduced Inflammation 4. Weight Loss/Management.

These tips will immediately help you to optimize your health so that you can go on to live a healthier and happier life with a leaner body, better gut health, heart health, improved mood, improved brain health, immunity and much more.

You know the old adage “Just Do It”  Let’s go! 

© 2023 DLS HealthWorks, LLC. 
Lori Shemek, PhD, CNC, health and weight loss expert is the best-selling author of How to Fight FATflammation! ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’ The Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting and The Ketogenic Key!

So many are struggling with weight gain, vitamin deficiencies, type 2 diabetes, memory loss and more and yet there is good news: adding peanuts to your diet can be a powerful game-changer for your health, weight and brain health.

Science has shown that many of the foods we eat can either help or hurt our bodies. Choosing foods that help prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes, is one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the onset of disease.

So, what we want to do is make a plan to optimize our health and peanuts can be a delicious and powerful addition!

For example, if you feel exhausted in the morning, what we eat the night before can have a big impact on how we feel the next day. Try having 1 serving (or about 1 handful) of peanuts as an evening snack to calm cravings and avoid the pull of choosing unhealthy processed and inflammatory foods. 

You may feel ‘hangry’ and run down by the afternoon. Try adding a serving of peanuts to your breakfast. Having peanut butter on multigrain or low-carb toast provides a 1-2 punch of protein and fiber for greater satiety (or satisfaction) to help you through lunchtime and beyond.

The problem of snacking too much is common and peanuts to the rescue again. Try out recipes  rich in fruits and vegetables like the Mediterranean or MIND Diets, which help satisfy hunger AND have shown great additional benefits for health — including a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, and a delayed onset of Parkinson’s Disease. Or just enjoy a handful of peanuts as an after-dinner snack!

Peanuts and peanut butter are a superfood and an ingredient for good health

What are some of the benefits of peanuts?

• A single serving of peanuts, which is about a handful, is packed with 19 vitamins
  and minerals and contains seven grams of plant-based protein. A single serving
  of peanut butter is two tablespoons.
• Peanuts are considered an energy-dense food thanks to the plant-based protein
  and healthy fats they contain, which means the body taps into them for
  long-lasting fuel.
• Peanuts are high in three macronutrients – protein, fiber and healthy
  monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – so they help you feel full longer.
• Research has shown that the consumption of small amounts of peanuts or
  peanut butter has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease
  and diabetes.
• For a mind and mood boost, a mid-morning peanut snack is just the ticket. A recent study of college students (ages 18-33) conducted by the University of Barcelona found that daily peanut or peanut butter consumption was associated with improved memory, a reduction in stress and decreased anxiety and depression.
  
  

Additionally:

• Burn more calories at rest. One trial noted an 11% increase in subjects’ REE (resting energy expenditure) after 8 weeks of peanut consumption.⁴
• Peanuts have a low glycemic index. That means they won’t spike your blood sugar the way sugary snacks or sodas might, which is what leads to the feeling of “crashing” later.
• Keep Your Mind Sharp. Peanuts contain the antioxidant resveratrol, which has shown to increase blood flow to the brain.⁵
• Greater satisfaction with fewer calories. 18% of calories from peanuts and peanut products are not absorbed by the body — which means they can help you stay satisfied without weighing you down.

Below is a delicious Moroccan inspired recipe Spicy Eggs with Smoked Peanuts to try out and power-up your health:

Spicy Eggs with Smoked Peanuts

Ingredients

2 Green bell peppers, peeled, seeded

2 Chile peppers, green or red, peeled, seeded

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups water – divided use

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoons chili paste

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of toasted or smoked peanuts

8 whole eggs

Chickpeas for garnish

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Black olives, whole and pitted for garnish

Instructions:

1. Dissolve tomato paste in one cup of the water and set aside.
2. Toss the bell pepper and chile pepper into a food processor or blender and puree for 10-15 seconds.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat; add the pureed peppers, tomato water, paprika, chili paste, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Pour in the remaining cup of water. When mixture reaches a boil reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Then increase heat to medium for an additional 10 minutes.
4. Place mixture in large paella pan. Add in smoked or toasted peanuts.
5. Crack the eggs into the pan without breaking the yolks and cook in sauce over medium heat until they set, about 15 minutes.
6. Garnish with cilantro, chickpeas, and black olives. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Per Serving: Calories 422; total fat 36g (saturated fat 6g, calories from fat 324); cholesterol 190mg; sodium 758mg; potassium 509mg; carbohydrates 14g; fiber 5g; protein 14g; sugar 5g; vitamin A 15% DV; Vitamin C 68% DV; calcium 9% DV; iron 17% DV

Enjoy peanuts with the assurance you are helping to optimize your health!

But what if I told you it doesn’t have to be that way?  Many times during this time of the year we fall short nutritionally, we are lacking quality sleep with an excess of holiday stress thrown in that puts our health in potential ‘jeopardy’ jail.  

In order to stay healthy during this busy time, sometimes we need an extra bit of help in order to optimize health, weight, sleep, stress, detox and gut health. This is where supplements can be powerful not only in optimizing overall health, but increasing energy, providing better sleep, stopping a cold in its track, promoting better digestion and more. When you add supplements, you are (just as the name says) supplementing where deficiencies or other types of gaps that may exist or to simply improve a certain condition or state.

Here are My Top 8 Supplements to Optimize Holiday Health:

Stop Sugar Cravings with L-Glutamine

The holidays come with sweets and this leads to increased sugar cravings. To help stop these cravings while balancing blood sugar, the supplement L-Glutamine is powerful to help stop sugar’s incessant call.

We all know the stress that comes with the holidays and a very short-lived relief is sugar or really any high carbohydrate comfort foods. L-glutamine will help empower you to say no to the decadent desserts and prevent you from excess holiday eating.

Feel Great and Reduce Stress with Ashwaganda

One of the hallmarks of the holiday season aside from the holiday fare is good old-fashioned stress. Stress, at any time of the year is not fun, but you can absolutely be proactive in helping to prevent holiday stress. Along with deep breathing and other proactive stress reduction choices, Ashwaganda is one of the best all-around supplements for stress but for so much more such as this amazing herb has numerous benefits.For example, it can boost brain health and function, protect against cancer, balance blood sugar and stress cortisol levels while helping to improve stress, anxiety and depression.

Calm Digestion with Digestive Enzymes

Did you overindulge on all those fatty, sugary foods at the holiday party?

Eating an excess of fatty, sugary, holiday foods can leave us with heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating and more. We naturally lose enzymes as we age and digestive enzymes play a key role in allowing us to extract all of the nutrients from the foods we eat to optimize health, weight and digestion.  I can’t stress enough the importance of using digestive enzymes to create a healthier gut, improve health and weight loss. 

CBD To Help Ease Stress, Improve Sleep and Reduce Pain

The new kid on the block is CBD or Cannabidiol is a very popular natural remedy used for many common ailments and for good reason..it works and a perfect choice to move through the holidays healthy, happy, with enough sleep and stress + anxiety free.

CBD or Hemp does not contain Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is the main psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. This means there is no ‘high’ associated with it at all.

What it can do is help relieve pain, reduce anxiety and depression, help to facilitate quicker and quality sleep, can help to alleviate cancer-related symptoms, may improve brain health, may benefit heart health and much more.

What better way to go through the holidays with enough sleep, less stress and more than with CBD.

Melatonin for Duration and Quality of Sleep

How does melatonin play a part in your holiday survival kit?  As you may know, sleep is often lacking when we have decorating, parties to attend, gift wrapping, relatives galore, cooking and more. To ensure a good nights sleep that will result in a healthier and stress-free you, melatonin can help. Stress can equate to lack of sleep and a lack of sleep can promote stress. Remember that sleep is a core component of a healthy life.

Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant and delivers other benefits outside of sleep such as: boosting immunity, reduces oxidative stress in the body, reduces inflammation, protects the mitochondria in the cell and inhibits cell death and much more.

STOP a Cold in its Tracks with Patented Zinc Acetate

We know that sugar consumption rises during the holidays and so does the cold and flu season – coincidence?  Maybe not. Sugar depresses the immune system leaving us vulnerable to head colds.

To stop a cold in its tracks, have on hand the patented form of Zinc Acetate. This nutrient is highly effective in stopping the replication of the cold virus particularly when taken at the first sign of a cold. I can personally attest to stopping a cold completely with zinc acetate. Keep on hand and take at the very first sign of a cold to be most effective.

Elderberry Extract To Halt the Cold and Flu Virus

You do not have to get the flu, cold or upper respiratory infection during the holidays or ever when you use Elderberry extract daily or therapeutically when you do have the flu or a cold. It is considered one of the most powerful healing agents.

Research shows the use of elderberry extract can prevent and shorten the duration of flu and colds by about three to four days, along with lessening symptom severity if taken within the first 24 hours of having the flu.

Elderberry contains hemagglutinin protein has been shown to stop the virus’s capability to replicate by inhibiting its ability to penetrate the cell wall preventing or if one already has the virus, preventing it from spreading.

Oregano Oil For Colds and Flu

Another secret weapon during this cold and flu season is Oregano Oil that can shorten the duration, make you feel better during and safeguard you from both. That is great to know particularly when you have the obligations of the holiday season.

Oregano Oil is used to ward off respiratory illnesses like colds, influenza, coughs, sore throats, colds, and bronchitis and has many health benefits outside of healing.

It is important to use the most therapeutically beneficial oregano oil which is produced from wild oregano. 

Here is to a very healthy and happy holiday season!

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796090

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24046237

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23439798

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001216/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0188440913000799

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395631

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768712/

©2023 DLS HealthWorks, LLC.  Lori Shemek, PhD health expert and weight loss expert.  Author of How To Fight FATflammation! and the best-selling author of  ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’  

As a clinical gastroenterologist and research physician who studies the microbiome, I’m often asked by friends, family, and patients – What is your best advice for a healthy gut? I have admittedly given this a bit of thought over the years, and even struggled with an issue or two of the gut kind myself!  

Ask my family and they’ll tell you from the earliest of ages, in the expression of kid humor, I had a serious case of gut-on-the-brain. Having perhaps graduated now from potty jokes to punny jokes, I continue a fascination with what affects us at a profound level from the inside out –– my three daughters and wife would attest!

The advice that I give my family and friends, and that I have for you, can be distilled down to three simple letters – the F’s, C’s, and M’s – conveniently remembered as FulCruM Health. What’s important is to consider the gut is impacted by a larger context of overall health and environment, AND the reverse is true too – the gut truly impacts our overall health and environment.  The world is interconnected, and to a gastroenterologist, the gut’s right at the center of it all! 

In the inspiration of “you are what you eat,” food is an obvious place to start and the categories of foods that grow a healthy gut microbiome can be simplified to the Four F’s:  Fiber, Phenols, good Fats (e.g. Omega-3), and Ferments. Yes, one’s phonetic! These have all been shown to be prebiotic foods that grow a healthy microbiome and help promote production of molecules critical for our health and not present appreciably in our diet like Butyrate!  

What’s fascinating is these foods are also present in high amounts in populations around the world where people live disproportionately to be 100 years old! – the so-called Blue Zones – Sardinia, Ikaria, Okinawa, Nicoya, and Loma Linda.  They are also the foundation of the most extensively studied diet in the medical literature–the Mediterranean diet– a diet that has been shown to correlate positively with health outcomes like low rates of obesity and diabetes.

But nutrition, while an important part of gut and overall health, is just one part. For the next level, we need to consider other environmental inputs that can be summarized as the Four M’s:  Molecules, Microbes, Motion, and Mind. Molecules are simply food and their flipside – toxins –  like some pesticides, recreational drugs, tobacco, and excessive alcohol. Microbes involve embracing the good bugs that live on and around us! Ultra-sterility is not always a good thing for our microbiomes. Motion entails simply getting the body moving. Even a two minute walk after meals has been shown to make a difference in digestion. Mind highlights the importance of mindfulness and good sleep. Calm your mind and calm your gut!  (For more information see the Four M’s here.)

But to what end is health? Why are these healthy practices important? My own bias is that, in the end, it has to do with community which is what provides some of the greatest meaning to our lives. This brings us to the Four C’s: Community, Connection, Caring, and Construction.  Building a community together through caring and construction that is increasingly rich and interconnected is perhaps where all of our best-intentioned efforts are ultimately headed.

So there you have it!  A long way from GI jokes, but in the end, not a long way from where we started. Sharing gratitude to my own family, friends, and community.  And a special thanks to Dr. Shemek for her partnership in spreading the good word of evidence-based nutrition & health!

For deeper dives on these topics including references and more practical advice for the F’s, C’s, and M’s, please feel free to follow this link to Gut Bites MD.  

A Votre Santé et Bon Appétit! 

Chris Damman, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington

Chief Medical and Science Officer at Supergut

Former Gut Health Lead at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Between the late ’70s and late ’80s, obesity rates climbed to 22-25 percent.  What happened?  The food industry substituted processed vegetable fats (extremely unhealthy) for animal fats and would also substitute sugars for fats – yet calories stayed the same. You may remember the countless products sold with ‘zero-fat or low-fat.’  When people saw a ‘low-fat’ product, they equated it with ‘healthy’ not realizing it had just the opposite effect. Additionally, high-fructose corn syrup was introduced. Between these two factors, weight sky-rocketed.

Sadly, this has had a disastrous long-term consequence upon our health as well as leading many to avoid fat. Generally, the belief is that fat is overall unhealthy and leads to weight gain.

And it is important to note that with more fat-free products than ever, the parallel was that… Americans got fatter.

It is crucial to add healthy fat to one’s diet. Your body needs fat for energy, cushioning, hormone production, nerve and brain function, vitamin and mineral conversion and absorption, and a host of other biological processes.

Healthy Fat Helps To:

• Promote Energy
• Hormone Production
• Nutrient Absorption
• Cell Growth
• Optimize Cell Membrane
• Creates Satiety
• Brain Health
• Fat Loss
• Reduces Inflammation
• Promote Healthy Skin

Examples of Healthy Fats:

• Avocados
• Chia Seeds
• Dark Chocolate
• Olive Oil
• MCT Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Olives
• Fatty Fish
• Whole Eggs
• Nuts and Nut Butters
• Seeds
• Grass-Fed Butter
• Ghee
• Grass-Fed Beef

So, what about bad fats?  These fats wreak havoc with our health:

• significantly increases our risk for heart disease
• causes inflammation
• can damage the inner lining of the blood vessels
• could drive insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

What are these fats?  All highly refined processed oils such as canola oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, soy oil, cottonseed oil and more. They are also very high in omega-6 fat creating an imbalance in the fragile omega-3 to omega-6 ratio the body requires for optimal health. Most individuals have an excess of omega-6 fat that is creating arachidonic acid leading to inflammation and other health conditions. An excess of omega-6 fat is one of the most salient dietary choices that are in part responsible for many of the metabolic health conditions we are seeing now such as obesity. Additionally, an excess of omega-6 fat stiffens the cellular membrane and matrix which is where health occurs. The nutrients cannot pass through the membrane leading to deficiencies and in general slowly degrading health.

The aforementioned oils, sadly, are generally paired with sugar which is another inflammatory ingredient making it a double whammy of inflammation and found in most processed, packaged foods. However, used as a cooking oil, it is then condensed dose of omega-6 fat.

So, remember, do not fear fat!  Healthy fat is your friend.