How To Holiday Right - Tips to Enjoy the Holidays Without the Side Effects

As the Holidays approach it is usually hard to avoid overindulging, over drinking, under sleeping and over stressing! Routines may go out the window to make way for holiday parties, last minute shopping or hosting family. On average people gain 1-2 pounds during the holidays and while this doesn’t sound like much, if we are not careful these 1-2 pounds can start to accumulate. Our liver and gut also tend to take a beating this month which ultimately suppresses our immune system and ability to detox. I want to share some simple tips and reminders to keep you on track with your health. 

1. Remember it is a Holi-DAY not Holi-MONTH!

Even though your holiday parties may have already started or coworkers are bringing holiday baking to the office, be careful not to overindulge throughout the whole month and reserve that to the actual holiday you are celebrating. Cave into small cravings but keep a mental record of how many sweets or drinks you’ve had that day or week. Writing it down could be helpful. Festive alternative could be pomegranates or clementines and don't forget that there are actually health benefits to eating a few pieces of dark chocolate! 

2. Find Balance!

Holding out for the party food this evening and avoiding calories during the day? That is setting you up for disaster as you will be starving when you actually get there and end up eating much more than your body needs. I suggest sticking with balanced meals throughout the day and even eating something small before a party to avoid the ravenous hunger hands. For example, an omelet with veggies in the morning, a protein shake or bar late morning, a healthy salad or soup with hummus and crackers for a late lunch, then a handful of almonds before the party. Sound delicious?! 

3. Don’t stray from your Routine.

I say it time and time again, our body LOVES routine and when we stray from that for late nights out, or missed exercise for family or shopping our body suffers. I see this leading to fatigue, depression, weight gain etc. Commit to a brisk walk, a 20 minute HIIT workout or yoga in the morning to start your day off on the right foot. Exercising on an empty stomach can help boost metabolism and aid in weight loss. Try to head to bed at a decent time as well even though I know another Christmas movie is tempting. You may want to try magnesium bis-glycinate, melatonin or cortisol reducer to help you sleep, which I carry at the clinic.

4. Save your Gut.

For those bigger holiday meals we don't want to avoid try boosting enzymes and stomach acid to aid in digestion and prevent bloating. Some things that could help are a basic digestive enzymes, bitters in liquid tincture form, or simply sipping on apple cider vinegar before your meal. These things will help with detoxification as well! If you have strict food sensitivities, stick with them as best you can to ensure you feel well for the rest of your holidays. 

5. Day after support.

I am not immune to a few too many drinks over the holidays but I make sure to support my body before and after. If you are heading out to a holiday party, think about drinking more clear liquids instead of heavy booze and sugary drinks. The less sugar the better. Enjoy cocktails? Have 1 then switch to something lighter. During that night be sure to drink plenty of water. For food, instead of reaching for greasy food the next day, make yourself a big salad filled with healthy greens, cruciferous veggies and fat, such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, or avocado. Some supplements I suggest the day before and after are B vitamins, liver support and antioxidants! 

6. Pamper yourself!

There are 2 reasons I suggest this. One is to ensure stress levels do not rise too high, which suppresses our immune system. The other is to aid in detoxification after our Christmas cocktails. Find a hot sauna (infrared is best), a hot yoga class, take a hot bath with epsom salts, or invest in a dry skin brush to create a mini spa experience before jumping in the shower. These ideas increase circulation, sweating and ultimately detoxification - they are relaxing as well!

There you have it, my top solutions to survive the holidays and support your body! Any questions, let me know! 

Happy Holidays! 
Dr. Karen

Benefits of Eating Seasonally

With the colours changing on the trees, it is time to take advantage of those last good trips to the famers market and stock up on delicious, nutritious fall foods. There are several reasons to eat foods that are abundant at this time of year. We want to eat a seasonal and varied plant-rich diet to support our body and its natural processes. Michael Pollen says “eat foods, mostly plants, not too much.” I would add (among many things) to eat seasonal foods, mostly plants, not too much because of their benefits. 

It is so easy to forget about seasonal eating with modern day food processing and worldwide distribution. The lines have gotten blurred as to what foods are appropriate when, creating a monotone diet that was not possible in the past. Here are a few reasons why eating seasonally is important:

Most flavour and nutritional value:

Foods travelling less km will lose less nutrients and therefore provide greater freshness, flavour and health benefits. Plants get their nourishment from the sun and soil so when that changes so do their nutrients. Have you ever eaten a spaghetti squash in the spring and realized it is much harder to shred and tastes bland? Or a peach in the winter that tastes nothing like the fresh ripe juicy peach from the summer? This is exactly what I am talking about. Nutritional changes in food have been studied often for example a Japan study found 3 times more vitamin C in spinach harvested in the summer versus winter. 

Eating seasonally supports our health-promoting microbiome:

What is your microbiome you ask? It is the abundance of good bacteria that resides in our digestive system (and all over actually) that help your overall health including immune health, digestive health, skin health, blood sugar balance, weight management and so much more! Our gut bacteria is ever changing for the good and eating seasonally contributes to this. Fall foods contain things like resistant starch (in foods such as onions, leeks, garlic) which feed the good bacteria, as well as polyphenols providing antioxidant support. A highly processed diet with sugar, unhealthy fats and carbs can negatively shift the microbiome within 24 hours! Luckily with can remain calm in knowing it can shift back within that time frame by eating a plant-rich healthy diet. So you can forgive yourself for indulging over the weekend. One idea is that in the fall we want to limit fruit that we indulged in in the summer as too much fructose-rich fruit and a more sedentary life may cause a yeast overgrowth leading to feeling bloated, moody and with skin changes. 

Lower prices:

Due to an abundance of produce that is easier to grow prices usually drop.

Decrease carbon footprint: 

I am all for outsourcing foods such as avocado, superfoods such as matcha or acai berries, and cold pressed coconut and olive oils but we should take advantage of what we have close to us to reduce our food mileage. 

Community: 

Finally there are many studies on the benefits of building a community around you to live longer and feel happier and what better way to do that than around food! Take advantage of those friendly faces at the farmers market stalls or CSA pickups while getting your seasonal foods, but why not build a community around cooking those foods as well. It could be with family on the weekend prepping meals for the week, or with friends one evening during the week to break up the mundane work work. Get creative :)

Check out a list of seasonal foods below. These foods are rich in phytonutrients and fibre, along with delicious resistant-starch options:

• Acorn Squash
• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Butternut Squash
• Celeriac
• Delicata Squash
• Escarole
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Rutabega
• Spaghetti Squash
• Sweet Potatoes
• Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes
• Turnips

Seasons should form the natural backdrop for eating and in Canada we have wonderful seasons to take advantage of for our overall health. 

In heath & happiness, 

Dr. Karen 

IBS Diet - Why A lowFODMAP Diet Is Not Advised Long-Term

More and more digestive patients of mine tell me that it has been suggested they go on a low-FODMAP diet (easily fermentable foods) to help/cure their IBS symptoms. Sometimes they are even told to stay on it longterm despite not seeing a big benefit. Unfortunately this is not the best suggestion and can actually cause some long-term side effects leading to worse digestive issues. Only a few digestive condition warrant a low-FODMAP diet, including something called SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and only for a short amount of time. To simplify, SIBO basically means that bacteria have ascending up from the large intestine into the small intestine where they are not supposed to be and cause symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, bloating, gas, and pain. Yes, many patients with IBS do have SIBO, however it is important to accurately test and properly treat, instead of staying on a restricted diet long-term. We want to treat the root cause, not just decrease symptoms.

A low-FODMAP diet keeps symptoms of SIBO under control simply by starving the bacteria in your small intestines. When they don’t have food, they aren’t able to ferment that food and produce unwanted gas. It doesn’t always solve the problem however. Longterm, this can starve the bacteria in your large intestines that have a beneficial role in our gut and overall health as well as potentially set patients up for reoccurrence of SIBO. Studies have shown that a long-term low-FODMAP diet can reduce the diversity and quality of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.  

Yes this diet can reduce symptoms IF you have IBS/SIBO, however dietary changes alone are often not enough to treat. We want to actually eliminate the bacteria vs starve them into a dormant state. A low FODMAP diet (or similar low carbohydrate diet) is only one portion of my SIBO protocol and should only be used for about 6-8 weeks in the final phase, or short term at the beginning to lessen symptoms. As mentioned, my main goal is to eliminate the unwanted microbes with antimicrobials. This phase does not happen for long as well, only about 6-8 weeks typically.

In the long term, we want to eat FODMAP foods to feed the beneficial bacteria in the large intestines. We also want to keep our diet as diverse as possible to allow greater nutrient density and get a wider variety of nutrients. 

My last point is that SIBO is often a symptom of a deeper digestive problem, therefore after properly treating this condition we then address the root cause, which could be low stomach acid, gallbladder issues, intestinal motility issues, scar tissue, stress and so on. 

Therefore if you have been advised to start a low FODMAP diet, or have been on it for even a few months already, please consider seeing a Naturopathic Doctor like me to consult on whether this is the right treatment path for you, to get tested for SIBO, or to help get to the root cause of your digestive concerns. 

Any questions? I'm happy to help!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Digestive Health - Where is the pain?

When someone tells me they have stomach pain I always ask them to point to where the discomfort is, since we tend to use that reference loosely. The abdomen is complex with lots of parts (remember the game Operation?!) therefore pointing to the area of pain gives me the best reference of which area or organ is the actual issue. 

I continue to see a lot of digestive concerns in my practice and treat it differently depending on the area of discomfort. An abdominal exam also gives me an idea of what to treat…something that many of my patients claim no one has done yet throughout their years of abdominal complaints! 

So where is your pain?

Let’s go through the main areas of the abdomen along with the common issues in those areas. This is quite simplified, however it may help you zone in on the true cause of your concern and possible treatment options.

Upper abdomen: 

• Esophagus 
• Stomach

Common concerns:

• Heartburn, reflux, GERD - Pain in the upper chest or under ribs in the middle is typically due to low stomach acid instead of high stomach acid (refer to this blog for a full explanation if your mind is blown!), creating a weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES). We want to strengthen the sphincter, sooth the stomach and ultimately increase stomach acid.
• Food feeling heavy or sits there - This is a common symptom of low stomach acid, or silent reflux.
• H.pylori - This bacteria has run rampant in your stomach and is now causing damage. It is treated with triple or quadruple antibiotic therapy along with natural remedies to sooth and protect the stomach lining. Some options are DGL, marshmallow root, melatonin and even broccoli sprouts.

Middle abdomen:

• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Pancreas
• Upper intestines 

Common concerns:

• Gallbladder insufficiency - Is there a mild pain under your right lower ribcage, worse when eating fat or fibre? When the digestive juices (HCl, bile, digestive enzymes) are not stimulated properly there is stagnation in the liver/gallbladder causing issues. We need to stimulate bile production and release with bitters, choline or other herbs. 
• Gallbladder stones or sludge - Prolonged stagnation eventually creates stones or sludge. People on an oral contraceptive pill, taking a heartburn medication such as Nexium, or have a history of parasites have a higher risk of creating stones. We need to be more careful with treatment in this case.

Lower abdomen:

• Lower intestines/colon 
• Appendix 
• Uterus/Ovaries 

Common concerns:

• SIBO (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth) - To put it simply, bacteria that should only be in your large intestines has ascending upwards into the small intestine. There are several causes of SIBO to long to discuss here. Symptoms could vary from bloating and heartburn, to chronic constipation and/or diarrhea. Getting tested with your ND is helpful.
• Constipation - If SIBO is not the root cause, common reasons for constipation would be lack of routine, bacteria imbalance, magnesium deficiency, lack of fibre in the diet or even dehydration. 
• Chronic bloating - The more common reasons for chronic bloating are food sensitivities, bacteria imbalance, or SIBO. A simple detox or elimination diet can do wonders in decreasing bloating at times.
• Endometriosis - Do you have disperse pain, worse during your menstruation? Endometriosis can cause scarring and adhesions within the abdomen leading to more pain during certain times of the month. These cases require more extensive testing and treatment. 

These concerns are covering the more common and simple causes of digestive complaints. I suggest consulting with a Naturopathic Doctor like myself to help with correct treatment or with support for more complex cases. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen