Nutrition and Whole-Body Wellness for the Maturing Athlete
Author: Jamie
Hey there, I'm Jamie. I am a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), Restorative Wellness Practicioner (RWP), Functional Hormone Specialist (FHS), former competitive athlete, and Chemical Engineer with a background in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. My own health journey, love of research & self-experimentation, and perseverance has allowed me to take back my health and find my energy again. Along the way, I also learned how important it is to find balance in the way I approach food to feel and perform my best!
I would love to work with you and support you in achieving your health goals!
This recipe was a big hit at the winter markets a a few months ago! While squash is typically seen as more of a fall food, they are actually seasonal in the Mid-West in late summer (which is right around the corner!).
This is a dairy free sauce that even the dairy lovers couldn’t believe was free of dairy! However, I do provide dairy options for those who don’t have the non-dairy supplies at home.
This “sauce” could easily be made as a soup as well. You can thicken or thin the puree to your liking – just by adjusting the amount of bone broth you add to it. Try it over noodles, rice, veggies, or top with fresh basil and eat as a soup!
It doesn’t get more versatile or easy and nutrient dense! Use the link below to download the recipe!
If you are struggling with your health and nutrition goals and need suppport – reach out! As a NTP with deeper training in GI and Hormone health, I can help support you in your journey.
We have all been there, you are feeling like garbage, you have low energy and can’t focus and you just want to feel good again! Then you hear someone talking about this detox program they are doing, and they feel amazing and you want to feel amazing too, so you jump in headfirst. You feel great at the start of the detox and then towards the middle…well, you think you might actually feel worse!
Unfortunately, if you don’t support your body foundationally before starting a detox, you could actually do more harm than good. This starts with getting your body into a parasympathetic state. And this is where I talk about blood sugar balance again! Detoxification is final downstream consequence of chronically high blood sugar that I’m going to discuss. Remember that roller coaster analogy that I used the last time? This stress and subsequent cortisol release actually create a buildup of free radicals as well as a general catabolic state; where the nutrients that are needed for detoxification, are used up in response to the higher stress demand. This makes these nutrients unavailable to help aid in Phase 2 detoxification. By properly supporting your body foundationally though proper blood sugar regulation, you ensure that your elimination pathways are open to allow for detoxification (clearing) of the damaged cells.
Let’s discuss the two phases of detoxification. In Phase 1 toxins are broken down into intermediate metabolites in order to make the toxins water-soluble in order for them to enter into phase 2. This is where most detox efforts go right. Maybe you’re eating detox supporting greens, eating less or perhaps even doing a little intermittent fasting. And this is where, at first, you feel great. But then all of these intermediates build up and many are actually more toxic than the initial toxin load. But your body is struggling because it needs Phase 2 support, and it cannot clear the toxins out of your body. This is when you might get side effects like headaches, fatigue, mood dysregulation, or even feel physically sick as if you had a virus.
Phase 2 is all about conjugation or binding of toxins to enzymes which will help carry the toxins thorough the various detox pathways (there are 6) and out of the body via bile, urine or feces. Of the 6 pathways, sulfation is typically the weakest in most people since alcohol, excessive exercise and chronic disease can deplete glutathione in the blood which is a critical antioxidant needed for clearing free radicals and heavy metals though the sulfation pathway. So, lifestyle factors and diet are big here for supporting the sulfation pathway. In addition, you should be sure to properly hydrate in order to support the kidneys efforts to flush toxins via the urine.
To support Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification we can do the following: · Support the detoxification system by eating a nutrient dense, whole food diet · Support the liver by eating macronutrient balanced meals which keep the blood sugar roller coaster minimal since the cortisol spikes will stress the liver · Consume foods high in B vitamins B6 and B2 (riboflavin) which are needed to support liver enzyme functions as well as detox enzymes (cytochromes P450) · Consume high quality protein from well-sourced eggs, fish, meat which nourishes the amino acid and sulfation pathways · Consume fresh fruit and veggies (organic when possible), particularly sulfur-containing cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.) to support Phase 2 activity
Food list to support detox: · Wild caught fish, grass-fed beef and pastured poultry, eggs and pork · Organic low glycemic fruits (berries are great low glycemic fruits) · Organic cruciferous veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts · Organic colorful veggies – bell peppers (orange/yellow/red), sweet potatoes, squash of all kinds, carrots, spinach, lettuces, etc.
Notice that this list does not include juice-only or raw vegan protocols. All you need is to bulk up on nourishing whole foods in the right ratios! And protein is super important, so don’t leave out the meat! Without proper amino acids (from protein sources) you will lack the Phase 2 pathways to clear the toxins you have just released. If all of this is on point, then you might play around with some intermittent fasting and see how that feels; however, start slow (12 hr fast) and pay close attention to what your body is telling you. Back off immediately if it doesn’t feel good or if you feel like biting someone’s head off and for women, avoid doing longer fasts (>16 hours) more than once a week. Try eating meat and veggies only (no grains) for 2- 4 weeks and try to make it a habit to cycle into again every 4-6 months.
If you still don’t know where to begin, reach out! This is where an NTP can help support you and guide ways to make healthy swaps and support you in your journey. You might also need strategic supplemental support along the way based on your bio-individual needs. Click HERE to book a free Discovery Call Today!
Last time we talked about how blood sugar regulation affects the endocrine system. The cool thing about the human body is that everything is connected! So when it comes to the immune system, blood sugar regulation is key to proper function. But probably not in the way that you think…
You see, inflammation is your body’s reaction to a stressor, and the more stressors you put on your body, the more it weakens your body’s natural defenses. You might think of this stress as filling an imaginary ‘bucket’ and once that bucket overflows, your body reacts…either by getting physically sick, showing up as digestive distress, or having skin conditions pop up (among numerous other reactions). In fact, chronic stress can lead to autoimmune diseases and other chronic health conditions. In order to protect your long-term health and avoid overflowing your ‘bucket’ you want to strengthen your defenses (your immune function) and remove the stressors (blood sugar imbalances, mental stress, environmental stress, potential food reactions, etc.). Dr. Terry Wahls discusses this at length in her book The Wahls Protocol ® (2020) and how finding this balance can improve symptoms associated with a number of autoimmune conditions.
Blood sugar imbalance was discussed in a previous post but as a refresher; every time your body sees those high peaks (spikes) in blood sugar, it sees it as a stressor and your hormones react accordingly. The graphic below demonstrates dysregulated blood sugar control.
Over time, this stresses your HPA (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) axis and can cause dysregulation and inflammation. Your immune system is always working hard to address any causes of inflammation to achieve homeostasis (aka balance). And every time blood sugar spikes, so does your cortisol. Over time, this leads to chronically high cortisol which can lead to a number of health issues, inflammation, and imbalances. I really like the graphic below for showing the relationship of cortisol to other imbalances. You can see just how many systems a cortisol imbalance can affect with some direct and many indirect impacts on the immune system.
This is why finding a macro balance that feels good to your body is key to long term health. By balancing your intake of all of the macronutrients, you can keep your blood sugar more stable, so if you graphed your blood sugar levels, it would look more like rolling foothills and not the peaks and valleys of a mountain pass. Chronic blood sugar dysregulation is the start of a cascade of imbalances that are regulated by the HPA axis as shown in the graphic below.
So by avoiding blood sugar dysregulation, we can prevent some big imbalances in our downstream systems. This is key since when our downstream systems are out of balance, our immune system is compromised. This is because our body is working hard to bring these systems back into balance. This stress makes it harder for the body to activate our immune “soldiers” and fight off “invaders”.
The biggest change you can make today is look at your carbohydrate intake relative to protein and fat. The majority of people heavily lean towards carbs. By making some minor tweaks to include more protein and fat on your plate and reduce your carb serving, I think you will quickly find yourself feeling more satiated (fuller longer) and reaching for snacks less often! Essentially, you always want to pair your carbs with a protein and/or fat.
Here are some balanced snack/meal ideas: ● Gluten free avocado toast and 2 eggs ● 1 piece of fruit + a handfull of your favorite raw or dry roasted nuts ● Hummus and plantain chips ● Cheese and apple slices ● A meat stick and almond flour crackers ● Yogurt (unsweetened greek) + drizzle of raw honey, berries and a sprinkle of pecans
If you struggle with cravings and finding the right way to step into finding macro balance, let’s get in touch, I’d love to support you!
You may have heard about the endocrine system, but do you really know what it does or what it is? Its actually a really cool system as the various glands in this system create some very important hormones. Imbalance in the endocrine system can present itself in several ways – hypothyroidism, sexual hormone dysregulation, and auto-immune conditions just to name a few. Put simply, this system of glands is a master regulator of your hormonal regulation.
Why are hormones so important anyway? Well, we rely on hormones to communicate to our cells for some critical functions. These include contractions of smooth and cardiac muscle fibers, immune activities, metabolism and energy balance, your circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle), and reproductive function. There are many glands included in the endocrine system which are most easily shown in the diagram below (side note: the hypothalamus is actually an organ, not a gland).
Today I’d like to discuss functional ways we can support the endocrine glands and hence support the balance of hormones throughout the body. In particular, I want to discuss blood sugar regulation. Over the next few posts Ill be discussing how blood sugar regulation is oh-so important for supporting a number of downstream functions. It’s actually very underrated!
You may have heard people refer to the HPA Axis – Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal. As seen above, these are all part of the endocrine system and get a lot of attention because they are involved in the body’s stress response. However, some other endocrine glands are also involved in the production of the majority of our hormones. The graphic below is used to introduce them as well as their main functions.
So does it seem strange that blood sugar regulation can support these glands? Looking back at the post about blood sugar, I discussed how the adrenals are responsible for cortisol production. And when your blood sugar spikes or dips too severely, your body triggers your fight or flight response and releases cortisol. Then, as blood sugar comes back into equilibrium, signals are sent back to the hypothalamus and pituitary to regulate and back off the release of cortisol (as well as epinephrine and norepinephrine). Chronic cortisol spikes will tax the adrenal glands over time and cause fatigue and general “burn out”.
For women of menopausal age, it becomes even more important to support your adrenals (and your entire endocrine system). This is because the ovaries stop producing estrogen and instead, the adrenal glands start taking over this function! Crazy stuff, huh?! This is why it’s important to stop constantly taxing your adrenal system so your adrenals will be healthy and ready to take on this new job.
I think it is important to note that blood sugar regulation is not just foundationally supported by eating macronutrient balanced meals but can also be affected by mental stress as well. If you are constantly stressed about work or family matters or are generally just not very good at managing stress (cause, we all have it, right?!), your blood sugar can be difficult to manage. This is because you are still spiking your cortisol and your body is reacting in much the same way as if you had eaten a donut! Of course, if you are doing both…eating the donut and stressed out, you are getting a double whammy, so by all means, start with the dietary changes and then slowly work on some stress management tools as well!
To sum up…by supporting your blood sugar regulation you will support your endocrine system and avoid that stressed and tired feeling. In fact, stable blood sugar will leave you with solid energy throughout the day, for workouts, playing with your kiddos, or just general life!
I wrote this blog while traveling 2 years ago and never got around to posting it. I am currently craving travel in these post-COVID times and yearning for the day I can travel to Europe again. I hope you enjoy and comment below on your favorite travel spots! Thanks for reading!
I love my boys (i.e. husband and 5 yr old son), oh how I love my boys. And while its hard every single time I leave them, there is also this small part of me that feels fulfilled and balanced when I have some alone time. Maybe its my introverted nature or maybe everyone just needs some time alone to unplug from the everyday? Im not sure.
Im 42 and, until this week, Ive never traveled alone internationally. Technically not in the states either unless you count multiple 12 hour drives back to my home state – but that was just traveling alone, not exploring alone. Exploring alone is a whole different thing. In one way it sucks not to have someone else to explore with and then later recount the sights and experiences from your memories of the trip weeks or even years later. But there is also a freedom to exploring alone. You go where the wind takes you, stop and have a coffee when you want, the photos you want, and pick your own pace.
I used to get antsy sitting alone at dinner. I’ve come now to appreciate the quiet and slow pace I can take eating along over the frantic rush of shoveling food into my face AND my distracted kids face at the same time so that he actually eats his dinner.
I was on my way to Europe for a work trip and decided to go a couple days early and explore Athens, Greece and see the historical sites Ive only read about in books. The Acropolis hill top was pretty awe inspiring and the history of Greece is fascinating. While cold and windy that weekend due to a storm that had blown through, I made the most of it and the lack of big crowds. I went on a bike tour (which just happened to be a private tour b/c it was so cold I was the only crazy person interested in a bike tour that day) and either foot or bike is the absolute best ways to explore a city. Athens has all kinds of diagonal, snaking, zig-zag roads with cafes on every corner and plenty of fantastic Mediterranean food options.
Of course you have to be smart traveling alone, especially as a woman. I said hello (apparently too friendly) to a man working a booth at the open market which started a conversation about if I was traveling along – “No” I said. He pursues and asks if its with a friend. “Oh no, with my husband.” I lied. He continues and tries to encourage me to leave my husband at the hotel and come have a coffee with him. At that point I just laugh, wave my hand and walk away. Part of me getting a little nervous just because the reality of being there alone hit me. Honestly, that whole market was a little unnerving. It was in a more industrial part of town and not as nice. Once I got out of there and back to the quaint little streets, I was much more comfortable. While its good to do things that put you out of your comfort zone, you have to read your environment and know when to be cautious.
It was only for 2 days, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in a new city by myself and I plan to do this again another time soon. Anyone have good suggestions in Europe for solo female travelers? Rome is definitely high on my list.
Daily Bag of Goodness 