Why I love Sourdough Bread, and include it in my diet;

Let’s talk about sourdough bread!

Sourdough bread was an ancestral staple, and is currently, a modern wonder. Ingredients are everything, so to be clear, I’m talking about organic, wild ambient yeast, slow fermented [24-72 hours] sourdough bread. Y’know, the traditional kind. The kind made with water, salt, flour, and time. No creepy additives, stabilizers, commercial yeast or industrial seed oils (looking at you @Wholefoods).

So, now that we’ve defined ‘sourdough.’ Let’s move on.

First of all, I’m sure most of us have been taught that whole wheat bread is the healthiest bread for us. This is actually very misleading on account of anti-nutrients. Remember those? Briefly explained they are a plant’s defense mechanism against being eaten, and they are toxic to humans and animals. Typically anti-nutrients are strongest in unripe fruits, around the seeds, hull, germ, bran, shell, etc., or in the sprouts of plant foods. This is all done in the best interest of allowing the seed to survive until it can be germinated and matured properly. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but— plants don’t give a shit about you.

That also means that sprouting seeds and nuts raises anti-nutritional factors, in many cases— which is one reason why I’m not thrilled with sprouting most things. Suffice it to say, there is nuance in everything we do as humans, and until you build a mental framework for understanding the nuances, it’s best to focus on the basics.

So, back to the basics!

Traditional sourdough is a nourishing staple, suitable to nearly any dietary preference. It provides a source of probiotics [good gut bugs], as well as prebiotics [food for good gut bugs]. The fermentation process has yielded the minerals found in wheat [potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc] mostly [meaning up to 90%] bioavailable to the consumer. It’s done this by successfully breaking down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that binds to minerals rendering them useless to us, by continuing to bind to them even once inside your body.

Essentially, long fermenting your dough is a process of pre-digestion outside the body, so once we ingest it, it’s more bioavailable to our bodies. Personally, I prefer to use organic white flour, to reduce the anti-nutritional factors that I begin with, but I love the complexity of a whole wheat sourdough, or one with rye incorporated. There really isn’t a ‘right’ answer to this quandary, other than just long fermentation, all the way, across the board, no matter what flour you use and when you are not fermenting your wheat, try using unbleached, organic, and white, especially if you are dealing with sensitivities.

Learning from history and science

During the fermentation process the bacteria and native yeasts ‘eat’ the other lectins, as well as most of the sugar, while breaking down the gluten as much as 95% in long fermented doughs. In wheat these anti-nutrients are found primarily in the germ, and the bran. This is why it’s actually better for you to make and eat white bread, not ‘whole wheat.’ Unless it’s long fermented, in which case it’s a tough argument, because it’s all good. 

Traditionally, white bread was something that the upper class ate, because it was known to be easier on your stomach, and better absorbed; whereas whole wheat was made for the lower classes who couldn’t afford the pricier ‘white’ flour which had been separated from it’s germ and bran [the parts that give wheat color, but also contain the anti-nutritional factors]. Using whole wheat was cheaper due to requiring less work overall, and fermenting it offered better digestive absorption. We now understand this gut acceptance is due to substantially better bioavailability of nutrients, and a massive decrease of antinutritional factors due to the predigestion of the fermentation process. 

This is why using whole wheat to make sourdough is not a ‘bad thing’, because the fermentation process renders most of the minerals and polyphenols bioavailable, by significantly lowering, and almost removing entirely the potency of the anti-nutrients. Sourdough also delivers breads with higher fiber [soluble and insoluble] and higher resistant starch content [food for our good gut buddies!].

Where your so called ‘wheat sensitivity’ is most likely coming from:
Hint: It might not be the infamous gluten.

One particularly heinous anti-nutrient found in grains and legumes is called WGA [wheat germ agglutin] is very toxic and bioactive on human immune cells. It damages the epithelium layer, contributes negatively to intestinal permeability, and triggers weight gain, by instructing cells to make fat from any sugar floating around. It also attaches to insulin receptors in the body, which prevents insulin from docking and results in your muscles and brain being unable to get the sugar they need to thrive, which makes your brain scream to your cells, “I’m still hungry!!” causing you to overeat and in the long run this winds up killing off (starving) brain cells and peripheral nerves, which results in degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s and dementia and more. Yummy. It’s so toxic to our human bodies it demands its own article in the future.

It has also recently been found to inhibit cells from accumulating the vitamin D receptor, possibly a big reason for the uptick in vitamin D deficiencies today. Many people who believe they suffer from wheat intolerances actually are sensitive to WGA, phytic acids, and other anti-nutritional factors, which could be resolved by buying organic white, or whole wheat flour, and making long fermented sourdough bread without industrial fillers.

On top of anti-nutrients in wheat, most modern wheat [and other grains] is routinely sprayed with with a well-known toxic, carcinogenic pesticide called Roundup, a despicable modern invention that is actively destroying our guts. I won’t go too deep down this rabbit hole, but if you care, google Monsanto & Roundup [Bayer, also an aspirin producer], as well as glyphosate.

There has been a massive and ever growing body of the research on the detrimental effects of these pesticides on the environment and our bodies for DECADES. This research is easy to find and access, and abundantly clear that this pesticide is a known cause of cancer, specifically non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as others. Instead of taking the product off the shelves, or giving them a well deserved cancer warning label, companies like Bayer and Monsanto have opted to simply pay out settlements to whistleblowers. As an excerpt from an article in the New York Times states, “Now Bayer is moving to put those troubles behind it, agreeing to pay more than $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims while continuing to sell the product without adding warning labels about its safety.” Obviously, this is a company we can trust with our personal health journeys and mass food and pharmaceutical productions! *She says in a desperately sarcastic tone.*

So with all that in mind, we’ll suffice it to say— YES, ORGANIC ACTUALLY MATTERS, especially in grains, and soft bodied veggies, and animal foods. Okay, in everything.

Delicious solutions to malicious problems:

My suggestion to you is the same as always— educate yourself, for yourself. Remove yourself from mainstream programming, and dive deep into the research available. Please use the resources at the end of every one of my posts as an optional starting point.

In the meantime make small substitutions in your diet to ever greater choices towards food freedom. That can be as simple as going from whole wheat to white bread. Then from white bread to sourdough bread, then on to long fermented sourdough, and finally to long fermenting it and baking it in your own kitchen, and using the toss bits to create crackers, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, crepes, pancakes, waffles or any of your other bread-y needs.

I petition you to start eating sourdough bread. Armed with this knowledge, and the fact that grass fed butter has a naturally occurring perfect ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, sourdough toast and butter is an excellent snack! Or easily made into a meal by adding an egg, and maybe even using marrow butter instead of regular butter. 

Marrow butter is a nourishing food made by flash roasting bones with accessible marrow, scooping it out and blending it with pastured, organic butter, salt, spices and herbs. You can plop it on veggies, plaster it on toast, use it to cook with, or heck, I don’t know, eat it with a spoon!

Delicious solutions to malicious problems! Eating healthy should NOT be a chore. It should be an exciting journey into un-taming ourselves and re-incorporating our bodies into the natural world through the foods we eat, what we put onto our bodies, and into our surroundings. Getting outside and learning how to become a part of nature again, as we were always meant to be.



Resources:

Phytochemicals and Anti-nutritional factors

What is an ‘Anti-nutrient’?

Phytochemicals are the various chemical compounds produced by plants. Some might be able to offer health benefits under specific conditions, and others can be deadly. Phytochemicals can be confusing because there are thousands of different kinds, many of them are capable of being beneficial to the body, but none are strictly necessary, or essential.

Phytochemicals are produced for the survival of the plants, which is why many are harmful to us, though others are beneficial. There is some evidence that they might offer similar benefits to us that they offer to the plants producing them. This is exemplified in phytochemicals produced by plants to protect against ultraviolet light, offering us the same protection when consumed.

Often phytochemicals can be put into both categories at the same time, based on what foods they are being extracted from, whether they are being taken in a supplement form, quality of food pairings, therefore mineral pairings, and the concentrations of them consumed, as well as the concentrations stored in your body. There’s a lot at play when you’re working with plants— think of how herbalism is it’s own category of science, and that’s just herbs.

Even though scientists have discovered over 10,000 phytochemicals, they aren’t completely understood yet, in fact we’re very near the beginning of our understanding of their complex reactions in our bodies. What we’re learning is that as with any food or substance we put into our bodies, phytochemicals are mostly good up to a certain point. Or put another way, they may have biological significance, but are not strictly essential nutrients, as they may be harmful in excess.

Here’s what we know so far:

We believe that phytochemicals may play an important role in disease prevention, to be used as medicine, as they often are already. Most modern medications are synthesized by separating specific phytochemical compounds out of a plant and concentrating the dose.

If you’re not a chemist, phytochemicals are delicate and easily removed or destroyed by modern processing. The best way to obtain them is through eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and beans in their most complete form, with at home processing methods like soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and cooking, but NOT industrialized methods of any kind.

As I mentioned before the negatives of phytochemicals come from the overload of them in your diet, and especially the overload of the ‘wrong’ kinds. ‘Wrong’ being the types that are already found in excess in the plant, and the food they’re found in is one that we frequently eat in large quantities, by the hundreds or thousands in a meal. The foods I’m referring to are mainly nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and grains, and that is why proper, minimal, home processing of these foods is so crucial.

What is an Anti-nutrient?

‘Antinutrient’ is a reference to the affinity of certain phytochemicals, in certain doses, to bind to minerals like magnesium, iron, zinc, and others. This prevents proper absorption, and contributes to deficiencies, especially mineral deficiencies. Antinutrients aren’t going to kill you, but they will make your body and your brain pretty damn miserable. Just like any food compound it’s more about the amount you’re taking in, in relation to the other foods in your diet, as well as the way you are preparing the foods you eat. Antinutrients are not necessarily a class all their own, but they are a subclass of phytochemicals with adverse effects on humans specifically.

What’s good about phytochemicals?

Most phytochemicals have properties that make them useful to plants, animals, and humans. Some of these benefits are:

—antioxidant properties, protection against oxidative cell damage, and lower risk of developing cancers in proper doses
—antimicrobial properties, blocking certain toxins from bacterias
—anti-inflammatory
—anti-viral
—they contribute to physiological activities, like binding to cell walls to interfere with the ability of pathogens to bind to those cell receptors
—they affect our hormones, by modulating hormone metabolism, this can be good or bad
—help stimulate the immune system
—help modulate the detoxification of enzymes
—help decrease platelet aggression

…And much more.

The 9 most prolific Phytochemicals:

The best research I could find on the topic focused on these nine phytochemicals; flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, phytate, haemaglutinin, saponins, tannins, oxalate, and phenols. I will talk about most of those, with a focus on the ones that have studied both positive phytochemical properties as well as anti-nutritional factors.

Flavonoids

First, Flavonoids. Flavonoids are a polyphenolic compound, and extremely common in the human diet. They are generally found in foods such as citrus, berries, apples, and onions. They are relatively safe in high doses of the whole foods that contain them, and even have many benefits. They can be anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, anti-carcinogenic, and may have the ability to modify allergens. In vitro [outside the body] studies have shown that they also have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-diarrheal activity. As well as specifically anti-viral activity against several viruses, including poliovirus. 

On the flip side, flavonoids, have a a tendency to chelate, or bind to metals like iron and zinc, thereby reducing the absorption, or bioavailability, of these nutrients. There are other negatives being studied, but they are in their infancy, just a handful of not statistically significant results. Though one experiment did show that flavonoids can be strong topoisomerase inhibitors, which are compounds that block the action of the enzymes that control the changes in DNA structures, which may induce DNA mutations.

So overall, they can be beneficial in smaller doses but you need to be aware of your pre-existing conditions, your intake, and the foods you pair with it. Iron deficiency is currently the most commonly prevalent condition in the U.S., and zinc is important for developing bodies, your sense of taste and smell, fighting off viruses and bacterias, as well as building DNA and more. So it’s very serious if these minerals are being chelated by the flavonoids in your diet.

Alkaloids

Next, Alkaloids. Alkaloids are found in leaves, bark, roots, or seeds of plants, and they’re probably one of the phytochemicals we’re all most familiar with, though we may not know it. A few well known alkaloids are caffeine, codeine, morphine, nicotine, and quinine. Sound familiar? I’m sure it’s easy to see how most of these could easily be helpful, or deadly, depending on the dose.

Alkaloids have diverse biological functions, like stimulating the nervous systems, causing paralysis, elevating blood pressure, or lowering it, they can be pain relievers, tranquilizers, or uppers. High levels of alkaloids are toxic, and exert adverse effects on humans, especially physiologically, and neurologically, and often lead to extreme discomfort and then, death. However, in low, carefully controlled doses they can be used therapeutically, as analgesics, to reduce blood pressure, kill tumour cells, or stimulate circulation and respiration.

Phytate or Phytic Acid

Phytate, or Phytic acid, is the main storage form of phosphorous for plant tissues, namely bran and seeds. Humans, and non-ruminant animals cannot digest phytate, because we lack the enzyme phytase that removes phosphate from the inositol in the  phytate molecule. Ruminants are able to digest phytate, as well as inositol, and phosphate, and then they can turn them into useable sources for us through their meat. Inositol is a carbolic sugar abundant in the brain, and other tissues in mammals [including humans], responsible for mediating a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors.

Phytic acid also chelates, or binds to certain ‘minor’ minerals such as zinc and iron, as well as ‘macro’ minerals, like calcium and magnesium, making them unabsorbable to us, or not bioavailable. In excessive amounts, which are easy to come by if you eat a lot of grains, and seeds, phytic acid also forms insoluble complexes with copper, zinc, calcium, and iron, and reduces bioavailability of proteins and starches.

All is not lost though! Proper preparation of foods containing phytic acid can reduce it’s content to a significant degree, negating most of these anti-nutritional factors. However, these foods should still be eaten in small infrequent doses even when properly prepared, always as sides.

Phytic acid in very low doses, preferably those found in fresh fruits and some ‘veg’, as well as occasional properly prepared grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes can have some protective effects when done right. We believe they may have anti-cancer agency against colon, soft tissue, metastatic lung cancer, and mammary cancer. It can reduce iron-induced oxidative injury, by binding to small amounts of iron, reverse tumour formation, can be used as a food preservative, and reduces blood glucose in diabetic patients, due to slowing the rate of starch digestion, but that can also be done through eating resistant starches.

Haemagglutinin

Haemagglutinin is any substance that causes the agglutination of red blood cells. Phytohaemagglutinin [PHA] is a lectin found in legumes and other plants. Ricin is a good example of an extremely toxic haemagglutinin from the seeds of the castor plant. We are not actually sure what the function of Haemagglutinin is in plants, our best guess is that they mimic antibodies in their ability to agglutinate red blood cells. Most of these are deadly to humans or at the very least, highly inflammatory. They should be mostly avoided in any diet, but especially during rehabilitation of the gut.

Lectins

Lectins are a form of plant Haemaglutin, they are found in high concentrations in seeds, nuts, beans, cereal grains, and raw potatoes. These can be harmful to humans causing gut sensitivities, and gastrointestinal distress due to the interaction of lectins with gut epithelial cells. They can also cause inflammation, or immune/allergic reactions, as well as nutritional deficiencies. Recent research suggests that this is due to the interference of the repair of already damaged epithelial cells.

Lectins can also cause leptin resistance, which could be responsible for obesity in humans with high levels of leptin. Leptin is simply put, the hormone responsible for inhibiting hunger, or controlling appetite, if you become leptin resistant your body will not know when to stop eating because it won’t ever feel satiated. 

The only known benefit of lectins are within a clinical setting being used for blood typing. They are NOT your friends, therefore the foods that contain them are also NOT your friends, especially when trying to heal the gut.

Saponins

Saponins are in the terpine category of phytochemicals, specifically, terpene glycosides. They are secondary metabolites found in abundance in various plants. They are always perceived as very bitter, and even throat irritating to humans and other mammals, they produce soap like foaming when shaken in aqueous solutions.

They are highly toxic to cold-blooded animals, due to their haemolytic properties [rupturing of red blood cells, and the release of their contents into surrounding fluid]. They have been found to reduce nutrient utilization and conversion in ruminants as well as causing bloat and photosensitization [skin sensitivity to the sun]. They act as a growth inhibitor to monogastric animals. In humans it affects protein digestibility by inhibiting trypsin and chymotrypsin, and other digestive enzymes.

There may be biological benefits to saponins such as anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-HIV, anti-atherosclerotic, as well as gastro-protective, hepatoprotective [liver protection], and hypolipidemic [lipid lowering] effects, but only in therapeutic use. They may also help to prevent peptic ulcers, osteoporosis, and platelet agglutination in small doses properly prepared and paired doses.

All of these benefits are from medicinal use, not over-consumption in diet. Again, small quantities of leftover saponins, or other phytochemicals in the diet can have protective effects, the adverse effects show up when foods are not properly prepared [soaked, sprouted, fermented, or cooked] and are eaten in excess. Bitters are a good example of medicinal use of saponins and also tannins, but you only need to take between 1-5 drops.

Tannins

Tannins are astringents, which are bitter polyphenolic compounds that bind to proteins, amino acids, and alkaloids, as well as other organic compounds, rendering them unusable to your body, and especially wicked when paired with meat dishes. If you already have trouble synthesizing proteins, building or maintaining muscle, and absorbing nutrients these would not be a good addition to your diet.

They have shown potential antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic effects in medicinal uses. Certain tannins may be able to inhibit HIV replication selectivity, and be used as a diuretic. For plants they play a role as a natural pesticide, protection against predation. 

Tannins create digestibility and palatability issues for humans and animals. They inhibit growth rates both by means of inhibiting digestibility of proteins as well as palatability, leading to less overall consumption. They may also bind bacterial enzymes forming indigestible complexes with cell wall carbohydrates, meaning .

Personally I’m super allergic to tannins, which means no wine, no legumes and I mostly avoid nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes, except at certain times or prepared certain ways.

Oxalates

Oxalates form insoluble precipitates with many metal ions, such as calcium oxalate, which is a common cause of kidney stones. Oxalate is found in many plants, synthesized via the incomplete oxidation of carbohydrates. Oxalates may chelate many toxic metals such as mercury and lead, which sounds great, but actually it could trap those heavy metals in the tissues of living organisms [you] inhibiting elimination.

It also traps calcium and iron in the form of crystals, which your body then excretes through urine. These crystals are very sharp and cause micro-abrasions to nearly any tissue it comes in contact with, which in turn increases inflammation. In this way, it can wreak havoc by depleting iron stores, leading to less red blood cells, and encouraging the formation of kidney stones.

Animals and humans consuming high oxalate foods too frequently, such as sorrel [a perennial herb], or spinach and other ‘leafy greens’ can lead to kidney disease, and death due to oxalate poisoning. There are now documented cases of people dying from green drinks, case numbers growing.

However rare that may still be, it’s always a good idea to reduce oxalates in your diet, whether that be by reducing oxalate rich foods or balancing anti-oxidants [anti-oxalates, if you will] in your diet, or both! Just be mindful that what the media touts as ‘anti-oxidant’ is often not at all what your body receives as antioxidant. Animal foods are the real antioxidants, protectors, and nutrient carriers— not plants. Plants have some capacity for being antioxidant, but only when used properly.

Phenols or Carbolic Acids

Phenols, or carbolic acid, are present in vegetative foliage to discourage herbivory. Poison oak is a good example of this. They are not all strictly toxic, especially not to humans. Some phenols may be diluted and used as antiseptics, though strong solutions can be caustic and scarring. They’ve also been reported to exhibit antitumour, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects, as well as hypotensive effects [lowering blood pressure], and antioxidant properties.

Sources of natural phenols that may be beneficial to humans are berries, tea, beer, olive oil, chocolate or cocoa, coffee, pomegranates,  popcorn,  yerba maté,  fruits  and  fruit  based  drinks  [including  cider,  wine, and vinegar], herbs, spices, walnuts, peanuts, algae, and vegetables. Though many of these may be harmful to different animals, especially household pets. Many of these foods are also high in tannins so they should not be consumed willy nilly when trying to heal.

Phenols can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, abdominal pain, sore throat, mouth ulcers, dark urine, respiratory, and cardiovascular effects if consumed in excess or too high frequency. 

Wrapping it up!

Phew! That’s a lot!! I hope that above all this helps you to understand the duplicity of food, and the importance of variation in the diet as well as, the balance of food pairings and proper preparation of your food to reduce the harmful effects of such substances as phytochemicals, and allow the beneficial factors of them to shine through due to proper dosage. 

When I began writing this I was intending it to be about antinutrients, but as I delved deeper into the research available, I discovered that antinutrients are just a small piece of a much larger phytochemical puzzle. So this became about phytochemicals and their anti-nutritional factors, as well as their health benefits, because it’s important to keep a balanced worldview. Moderation in everything is the best general health advice out there.

Vitamin D, the sun goddess;

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that works like a hormone. It’s CRUCIAL to our bodies. Literally every single cell has a receptor for Vitamin D. Every. Single. Cell. Vitamin D is so crucial to our survival that our bodies have developed a way to synthesize it themselves—through the sun.

In order to synthesize it our bodies need plenty of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol comes from saturated fats from animal foods, the rest your body makes itself.

Foods that are high in vitamin D are:

  • cod liver oil [be careful with this one, most are highly oxidized before they reach the consumer]

  • pastured organic egg yolks

  • caviar

  • cheese

  • livers

  • lard

  • butter

  • salmon

  • sardines and herring

  • tuna fish

  • wild mushrooms [not technically plants, they’re a class all their own]

  • raw milk and raw cream

These same foods are great sources of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Vitamin absorption is largely determined by the cholesterol and saturated fats you get from your diet. If you’re not eating cholesterol rich foods you’re most likely not absorbing your vitamins. Anyone who tells you that you can get adequate vitamin D from plants sources is full of it. Fortified foods are NOT the same as whole foods that are full of naturally occurring nutrients. Your body always do it’s best work with the tools you give it, but it’s your responsibility to feed it foods that it can interpret into nourishment.

Our bodies are survivalists. They will do everything they can to scrape the nutrients out of anything you put in them, or to simply detox from whatever you’re putting in them. If all of it’s energy is focused on detoxing from the junk you dump into it then it will have less energy to use the real stuff you give it, and it will be bogged down by spending extra energy on detoxing and last minute protections.

An example of this with regards to vitamin D is that in the absence of vitamin D, 10-15% of dietary calcium and 60% of phosphorous is able to be absorbed; with vitamin D this absorption increases to 30-40% for calcium and 80% for phosphorous.

Outside of calcium metabolism [calcium being the most abundant nutrient in your body, so very important function!], vitamin D stimulates insulin production, prevents IBS, affects myocardial contractility, modulates the function of activated T and B lymphocytes, helps in the treatment of psoriasis [topically & in vivo], aides in wound healing, energy levels, mood heightening, and to prevent hair loss. Vitamin D also promotes calcium reabsorption in the kidneys [a good thing].

What could possibly go wrong?

Vitamin D deficiencies, however, wreak all kinds of havoc in the body. In children it causes rickets, and prevents them from reaching peak bone mass and genetically determined height. In adults, it results in abnormal mineralization of the collagen matrix in bone, which creates weak bones and increased risk of fractures, or osteomalacia—soft bones. This can be quite painful to experience—many report aching bones and muscle pain. So now your body is dealing with a whack-a-mole of new issues stemming from not having the proper tools to adapt and grow. It’s like sending soldiers into a Civil War era battle but letting them know that you don’t actually have any weapons for them to use, so they’ll just have to use their bare hands, and uniforms didn’t come in so they’ll have to go without armor, and maybe even without winter coats— but good luck, fight well!!

Another side of the issue that comes up when Western Medicine leaning practitioners try to correct this deficiency is vitamin D toxicity. This is can be much louder than the deficiency because it also involves an immune system reaction, since it is a foreign, usually synthetic version of vitamin D2 and not what I, and your body would consider ‘real’ vitamin D, which is D3. The most pressing problems from vitamin D intoxication come up when things in our bodies start to calcify. Hypercalcemia leads to symptoms of nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, kidney stones, constipation, polydipsia [extreme thirst], polyuria [excessive urination], confusion, brain fog, sluggishness, loss of appetite, and neuropsychiatric disturbances. This type of hyper calcification in the body is also linked to a future diagnoses of Alzheimer’s, which *coincidentally* is becoming dramatically more prevalent every year.


Can’t I just get vitamin D from the sun?

It is true that your skin is able to synthesize vitamin D through the use of UVB rays from the sun. However, melanin in the skin also absorbs UVB radiation which then prevents the necessary conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D. This is why people with increased pigmentation [melanin] need more time in the sun to synthesize the same amount of vitamin D as people with fairer skin. Beyond that, sunscreen is designed to ‘protect us’ from UVB rays which drastically reduces and almost eliminates our cutaneous production of vitamin D. An SPF of 8 reduces cutaneous production of UVB by 95% and SPF 15 will reduce this more than 98%. 

In addition vitamin D toxicity from the sun doesn’t happen because our skin destroys excess vitamin D. It only happens from supplementation of vitamin D2 [irradiated wheat], or less often from supplementation of vitamin D3 [the natural bioactive animal derived form] without the proper ratios of vitamin A and vitamin K2. It does not happen from eating whole foods with high levels of vitamin D, especially since vitamin A protects us from vitamin D toxicity, and guess what—they’re both found only in animal products, and usually in the same ones!

So in perfect conditions— i.e. no sunscreen, spring/summer/autumn sun, fairer skin, or long sun exposure with darker skin— at the high end you are only able to synthesize up to 50% of your vitamin D from sun exposure.

So the answer is: Yes and No. You can get a good amount of vitamin D from the sun, and a really bioavailable form of it! [D3] But only when you have been eating adequate saturated, protective, cholesterol rich fats from animal sources, and only when you are getting your sun exposure as often as possible [optimal:daily], without sunscreen and without a buildup of industrial seed oils [which are a HUGE contributor to skin cancers, as well as chemical sunscreens, due to high oxidation and many other factors].

Why is it important to get Vitamin D from my diet?

Since most of us don’t prioritize our daily sun exposure like we need to we are getting drastically less than this while we have also cut out nearly every vitamin D rich food in our diet. Luckily, it’s equally easy and beneficial for all humans to get vitamin D from their whole food sources, even in today’s world. Eat the yolks! And the fat, and the organs, and the bones, and the connective tissues!

In the U.S. it is estimated that 50% of children ages 1-5, and 70% of children ages 6-11 are vitamin D deficient. Those are serious numbers that directly affect your child's health, growth patterns, and gene expression. Of the adult population one review found that 41% of all adults in the U.S. are deficient in vitamin D, as well as 69% of Hispanic adults, and 82% of African American adults. Those numbers are staggering.

An American biochemist began irradiating yeast and other plant foods in 1923 and found that it produced a type of vitamin D. It was labelled vitamin D2. This is what we use to fortify the food-like substances found in our grocery stores, as well as being the form found in nearly all supplements. This is not the same thing as vitamin D3, the bioactive form found in animal products. Most textbooks will hide this truth. 

When dealing in the world of nutrition you have to be ever aware of the money trails. Follow the money, and use your critical thinking and evaluation skills to decide whether Monsanto, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and other big names who pay for most of the misleading research out there really have YOUR best interest at heart or THEIR OWN BOTTOM LINE. Then decide if you want to take their hired word for it, or if you would prefer more unbiased sources of information. And that’s the case, you are responsible for seeking this information out.

With that in ming, the fact remains that vitamin D2 is an inferior form of this nutrient that is not as effective, nor is it as bioavailable as D3, and is much more likely to result in vitamin D toxicity, but it’s cheaper, and easier to produce than D3, so. :) It does raise serum levels of vitamin D in the body, but it does not perform all of the functions that D3 does. You will be able to find research that suggests it’s helpful in some cases, to me it’s like picking a beyond burger over a steak for ‘health reasons.’ 

The ins and outs of supplementing Vitamin D:

I believe that vitamin D should not be supplemented, except in extreme cases. You are perfectly capable of getting more than you need by getting outside every day, especially in the spring and summer. Naked is ideal, don’t wear sunscreen, and listen to your skin. When it starts to pink up or feel too hot, dip in water to cool off quickly—this will slow down your ‘burn time’ and allow your skin another chance to synthesize without burning. Then lay out to dry. If it feels hot, itchy, dry or uncomfortable rub your skin with a tallow based lotion and take a break. Start with 5-10 minutes on each side in the winter, and graduate up to however long you want. My sweet spot is 3 hours in peak summer after acclimating my skin, people with darker skin than me can tolerate up to 6 or more hours without adverse effects.

I am NOT advocating for you to get sunburned!! It is YOUR responsibility to learn how to read your skin and know when you need to take yourself out of the sun. I can’t tell you that. It’s different for everyone, and it’s different everyday. Yesterday I spent almost 2 hours in the sun, today only 10 minutes. Tomorrow I will go back up to 2-3 hours. And repeat until winter.

I also have a steady stream of red meat, fat, bones, and organs in my diet. I rotate through different types of eggs, duck, chicken, quail for eggs and I stop eating them in the winter when birds would not be naturally laying. I also eat these fowl as meat, and use their bones for broth. I only cook with tallow, suet, lard, and butter, and I use olive oil and coconut oil sparingly as salad dressings, energy bars, or dessert additions, and only from sources or brands that I trust. Even when I ‘trust’ a brand I still read the labels, because companies are notorious for switching ingredients to cheaper ‘substitutes’ when no ones is looking. I’ve never supplemented vitamin D, nor needed to, even when living in winter climates.

There’s no simple answers here if you’re refusing to work with nature’s intelligence. Nature has provided us the most nutrient dense building blocks in the universe in the form of animal foods of all ilk. The more variety of animals the better for you and for the planet, the sooner you accept that the sooner you will realize what real health feels like.

The best way to find out where your vitamin D stands is to get a blood test one at the end of winter and one at the beginning. There is no need to test more frequently because it takes time to build up. Beyond that there are subtle signs from your body that you’re living in a state of lack. Those are below. 

Things to look out for:

1. If you get sick or get infections easily or often— especially with respiratory infections.

2. Tiredness and Fatigue.

3. Bone, back and muscle pain—especially lower back pain, arthritis.

4. Depression, even Seasonal Affective Disorder.

5. Wounds that don’t heal as well, or struggle to heal.

6. Bone loss.

7. Hair loss—especially in women.

7. Hypercalcemia


Resources for personal reading:

  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441912/

  • Nourishing Fats by Sally Fallon Morrell

  • Eat the Yolks by Liz Wolfe

  • The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz

These next two are just for quick reference lists. Healthline isn’t a completely trustworthy source of information, it’s important to check their sources. They are still largely hooked on government recommendations for diet which are consistently some of the most heinous recommendations I’ve ever seen. So take these with a scoop of salt.

  • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-foods-high-in-vitamin-d#The-bottom-line

  • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms#12

Proper Preparation of Grains, Legumes, and Beans

Some effective ways to reduce anti-nutrients in plant based sources such as nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, grains, and lentils are soaking, sprouting, and fermenting. These 3 methods have been used consistently and successfully for generations on generations, even before we had the science to prove its necessity.

Humans originally began soaking, sprouting, and fermenting because it made these plant foods more palatable, and easier to cook. We now know that these techniques hold the added benefit of breaking down and discarding up to 95% of anti-nutrients found in these plant foods, making them easier on digestion.

What does that mean for us, practically? Less flatulence, less general stomach discomfort, and less whole, undigested grains in our poo later, as well as vastly better overall nutrient absorption or bioavailability, and in the case of fermenting, added nutritional value, to name a few.

Remember, nutrition facts on a label do not translate directly to nutritional value gained.

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It’s crucial to learn soaking and sprouting techniques for each of these foods, especially on a plant based diet. Fermentation will be a huge nourishment bonus, especially in this day and age of antibiotics and medications for every ailment. I will be posting about general guidelines for each of these techniques, along with easy to read charts on specific soak + sprout times for nourishing plant foods.

Grains, beans, legumes [we’ll get to nuts & seeds later]— which ones should you eat and how do you prepare them for ultimate bioavailability?

There’s really no simple answer to this. All three of these foods are a relatively new addition to our diet [think less than 10,000 years], and all of them are fillers; meaning that they are meant to plump you up to survive a long winter, not meant to be eaten in mass on the daily. Possibly another reason why so much of the American population (70%!!) is overweight.

The good news is, as with anything edible, these grains still contain phytonutrients that can help us thrive, but the catch is—they are only bioavailable with proper preparation. Also, most grains do precious little by way of nourishing our bodies and make worlds of difference in harming them.

Here’s a short list of the grains, beans, and legumes I keep on hand, and think are worth consuming [infrequently and properly prepared].


Grains: Quinoa, sorghum, millet, wild black rice, white basmati rice

Beans: Black beans, Kidney beans

Legumes: Split red lentils


It’s a short list, I’m aware. But it’s a damn good one. I’ll go into each of these foods and proper preparation below—let’s start with quinoa.

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Most of us know you’re supposed to rinse quinoa before you cook it, that’s a good start. But did you know that quinoa with its lectin content can be just as bad for you as corn, and possibly worse?

There is a way around this, soaking, fermenting, AND cooking your quinoa fully breaks down [up to 95%] the lectin content in quinoa rendering it’s profile of complete protein [all 9 essential amino acids], fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E, and various antioxidants, bioavailable to you.

Notice I said “and,” the bioavailability of these nutrients are highly impacted by the lectin content and protective coating of this pseudo-grain, and only with the combination of all 3 preparation methods is this a viable, nourishing food.

First step, rinse. Place quinoa in a sieve, or tiny mesh colander, rinse under running warm water. Then place in a glass bowl or jar of warm water with a splash of lemon juice, ACV [apple cider vinegar], or really any natural acid for 12-24 hours at room temp, rinse and repeat every 8 to 12 hours, to rinse off the bitter saponins.

The acid in the ACV or lemon juice should be enough to start the fermentation process, but it’s best to do a second ferment at 24 hours rinse the quinoa really well in a sieve, you’ll even notice it may have begun to sprout at this point, just a tiny bit. Add the rinsed quinoa back into a clean bowl with a scoop of yogurt, ACV, or lemon juice and leave for another 12 hours, then cook with less than half the ‘normal amount’ of broth for 10-12 minutes and voilà bioavailable quinoa. I like to start with a half cup and add more liquid as needed.

It may sound daunting, but it very worth it, and the actual amount of time you spend tending to the quinoa is minimally more than you would have originally spent. Most weeks we just leave a bowl of quinoa soaking and fermenting on the counter all the time, so that it’s always ready to eat when we are.

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The soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and cooking process is very similar for each item listed above. Essentially, the process is the same, but the times and ratios are different. So from here I am simply going to write the name, soak time, rinse time, and ratio of liquid for cooking. 

Sorghum: soak 12-24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid

Millet: soak 12-24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid

Wild Black Rice: soak 24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid, refrigerate 12 hours, then reheat, this transforms it into a resistant starch

White Basmati Rice: soak 24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid, refrigerate 12 hours, then reheat, this transforms it into a resistant starch

Black Beans: soak up to 12 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker, for at least 10-12 minutes

Kidney Beans: soak 12-24 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker for at least 10-12 minutes

Split Red Lentils: soak 12-24 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker for at least 3 minutes


Each of these should be soaked in filtered water with some sort of naturally acidic agent, [vinegar, lemon juice, plain yogurt], thoroughly rinsed every 6-8 hours, and then covered again in filtered water with natural acidity. Rinse well before cooking, and if you would like to ferment, after the second rinse you may replace acidic water base and leave out for another 12-24 hours before draining, rinsing again, and cooking. The acidity should help the fermenting process begin in the first few hours. 

In my current understanding sprouting is more for nuts and seeds, so I will do a separate post on those later.

Hot Tip: Anyone who has known me in the last couple years knows that I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot. It’s the single greatest kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned, even above my VitaMix and my food processor, though I also adore those little buddies. The Instant Pot though takes the gold, especially for this last minute ‘planner,’ It can cook a 12 hour pot roast in 55 minutes, and new research has found that cooking your grains, legumes, and beans in a pressure cooker can remove most of the lectins found in these foods especially after proper preparation techniques have been used, rendering them nourishing and safe to eat! Plus it fully cooks beans and legumes in under 10 minutes!

Nutrient Bioavailability

What is nutrient bioavailability?

The most common and easiest understood definition is the proportion of a nutrient [vitamin, mineral, or protein] that actually makes it through our digestive pathways being absorbed and metabolized into good use in our bodies. This is almost always quite different from the nutritional components found in the foods or supplements we are putting into our bodies. Meaning ‘nutrients contained in foods’ are NOT equal to ‘nutrients absorbed by the body.’

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For example, in a vegan diet it can be quite difficult to obtain the ‘essential amino acids,’ defined as those that your body cannot synthesize on its own and therefore must obtain through outside sources, i.e. diet, ideally. This is made difficult as the most quantifiable and qualitative sources of EAA are found in whole foods such as red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. In these sources you will find the most bioavailability [read as absorbable, readily metabolized, and therefore, viable nutrients].

It is not hopeless for vegans to obtain these EAA, however, it is much more difficult. Because while plant foods may contain EAA—think nuts, seeds, legumes, and beans— you have to be eating a wide variety, daily in order to meet your quota, in often obscene quantities, and even then the bioavailability of these plant sourced EAA is much lower than that from animal sources.

As a general rule, plant based EAA are much more fragile and easily hindered or damaged throughout our digestive pathways than those from animal sources. A good example of this phenomenon is iron.

Iron deficiency is currently the most commonly prevalent condition in the US. The World Health Organization estimates that half of anemia cases worldwide are due to iron deficiency. Anemia is when your blood is lacking an adequate supply of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin, resulting in weakness from oxygen starved organs and muscles.

Some of you may already know that there are two main sources of dietary iron—heme and non-heme iron. The main difference being heme iron is from animal sources and non-heme iron is from plant sources. It gets a little confusing because meat sources [meat, poultry, & seafood] contain both heme & non-heme iron, while plant sources, dairy products, and eggs contain only non-heme. So there’s no viable way for plant based people to obtain heme iron.

The next difference between these two types is bioavailability of the iron. Heme iron has a very good rate of absorption [high bioavailability; 15-35%] and comes from hemoglobin and myoglobin molecules, which are responsible for oxygen transport & storage in our blood. The heme molecule binds to the central iron atom acting as a protective barrier as it moves through our systems. This acts as a shield from interacting poorly with other nutrients, and keeps the iron content soluble and absorbable in the gut. Also, eating heme iron [meat] in addition to non-heme iron [plants] increases absorption of non-heme iron.

One big reason why plant nutrients are less bioavailable to us is due to the interaction of nutrients inside our bodies at absorption sites. Nutrients can enhance or inhibit each other and sometimes cancel each other out before being utilized. This is what happens with most non-heme iron.

One example of this phenomenon is that non-heme iron is easily blocked by the presence of calcium. Calcium essentially acts as a guard, blocking passage through the gut lining. That is, if any of the delicate non-heme iron actually survives the trek through our intestines, which is a harsh environment for such a delicate iron source.

Road trip snack; pan-fried, grass fed & finished steak in butter and garlic with a side of spinach sautéed in butter and pink salt.

Road trip snack; pan-fried, grass fed & finished steak in butter and garlic with a side of spinach sautéed in butter and pink salt.

Spinach is a great example of this. Spinach has been touted as a ‘high iron food’ even though its total iron content is much too low for that descriptor [between 2.1 & 2.7mg/100g, while high iron is considered 4.2mg/100g, by definition] and its bioavailable iron is even lower. The iron absorption rate from meat is 15-35%, while for spinach it’s as little as 2%!

Why is that rate so poor?

Because as we just read, non-heme iron is not very resilient, especially as it travels unprotected through our harsh gut environment, unlike heme iron which maintains its own protection. Spinach also contains high levels of oxalic acid, known to bind to iron and inhibit absorption in the gut.

Can oxalic acid be reduced? Yes, but not removed. Soaking spinach for 80 minutes at 172 degrees F can significantly reduces oxalic acid, as well as boiling spinach for 12-15 minutes, which can reduce oxalic acid from 30-87%, and also makes folate more bioavailable. Raw spinach is higher in Vitamin C, and Vitamin C is known to enhance the absorption of both types of iron. However, calcium is known to inhibit or completely block the absorption of non-heme iron. Other inhibitors include grains, legumes, tannins, teas, and coffee, as each of these contain various anti-nutrients I’ll be talking about soon.

For now, suffice it to say that while there are plant based foods that do contain the proper, life sustaining EAA their bioavailability is much lower than that of animal sourced EAA and therefore it takes an extremely conscious and aware eater to be truly nourished on a vegan diet.

And then you still have to delve into proper preparation of these foods for optimal bioavailability, as all plants are protected by natural defenses labeled ‘anti-nutrients,’ some of these include: phytochemicals, phytic acid, saponins, polyphenols, lathyrogens, alpha amylase inhibitors, and lectins.

The long and the short of it is that nutrition facts on a label do not translate directly to nutritional value gained. Just because a food is “fortified with vitamins A-X!” doesn’t mean that any of those are useable to your body, or ‘bioavailable.’ This is a crucial concept and a foundational understanding in true nourishment, and real nutrition. It’s going to come up a lot as we talk about different foods, food preparations, and supplementation, a complicated topic all it’s own. I hope this has given you a good, basic understanding of bioavailability.

Modern Day Stress Management

Did you know that the stress of a romantic break-up triggers the same hormonal, neuronal, and metabolic response as falling through thin ice on a frozen pond? So, yes, all stress is serious, and unless dealt with properly, a detriment to health. Instead of having the unrealistic goal of removing stress from your life, it’s important to reframe your mindset into the very attainable goal of reducing and managing stress, since it’s impossible to live a life devoid of stress.

This begins by identifying and naming the things, people, and situations that cause you stress. Once you know where your stress stems from it’s possible to strategize how to avoid it. I’m not suggesting avoiding your problems, or ‘the ignorance is bliss approach’; I’m advocating for identifying, addressing, and assessing your stressors in order to figure out how to minimize them, or at least your reactions to them. 

As for the people who cause you stress, it is both okay and highly recommended for you to set boundaries with them, or remove them from your social sphere, if you feel it’s necessary. You are the only person who can make these decisions for yourself, and it’s crucial that you are honest in your assessments. The work that you are doing nutritionally or with exercise will matter much less if you are highly stressed throughout it.

When we are stressed out our bodies respond physiologically with a massive influx of ‘oh shit’ hormones meant to help us evade a life threatening situation or to give us the energy to think and move quickly on our feet. However, since in today’s world we don’t often find ourselves in these sort of life threatening situations our stressors have changed.

They have become much broader and much more difficult to avoid. Yes, it’s difficult to avoid being chased by a wild animal, running for your life, but it’s arguably much more difficult to avoid being stressed out by the job that you are required to attend 5 days a week in order to survive, or the person you’ve married, or the people who came with them in the package deal, or the taxes you owe, or the credit report you tanked, and don’t have the means of fixing for a while, or now, the state of the world in apocalypse mode, the list goes on indefinitely.

Our stressors today are much less life threatening and much more all encompassing. Which has lead to stress becoming the threat on our lives. This leads to chronic stress in many adults, and even some children. We know know that chronic stress has its own health risks, including, but not limited to, contributing to loss of sleep, high blood pressure, obesity, and brain changes that result in anxiety, depression, or addiction. It even promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, possibly another reason for skyrocketing Coronary Heart Diseases in the last 50 years? [opinion]

What is happening to us now, chronic stress, is actually, physically, changing our brains. It can rewire the way you think and feel about stress. Little things become big, you can be quick to react to stressors and slow to come down from them. Your body will learn to hold on to stress like any other emotional trauma, and release at will. Tension will build, and stress may become more difficult to deal with. Beyond that, many of us formed our coping mechanisms as children, when we were even more ill-equipped to handle stress and emotional traumas than we are now, and yet I would wager that most of us are still walking around utilizing our young coping mechanisms on auto-pilot. Yet another reason why it’s so important to address stress directly.

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When you are stressed your brain activates your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) which regulates blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, sleep patterns, hunger and thirst, reproductive functions, and you guessed it, stress responses. Your hypothalamus signals to your pituitary glands to release hormones to either stimulate the release of hormones that inhibit certain glands from doing their job, or release even more hormones to communicate a new function, because hormones are your bodies messaging system. Your pituitary gland releases substances that signal and regulate growth, sex, skin color, bone length, and muscle strength. It also releases adrenocorticotropin [ACTH], the hormone that activates your adrenal glands, which you may know are responsible for your fight-flight-or-freeze response. This response also begins at your hypothalamus, and cascades down.

Your adrenal glands are what really get your stress response going. They are the guys responsible for releasing dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol [what we think of as ‘stress hormones’]. When these hormones aren’t being released in proper doses it can have disastrous effects on the body. Their essential function was originally to slow or stop any bodily functions that aren’t completely, immediately necessary to get out of harms way, so you can see how deleterious this can be when we’re not actually in harms way, but our adrenal glands would beg to differ. 

These hormones being released out of whack can be responsible for high blood pressure, restricting airways, and contributing to asthma and diabetes, low cortisol production, which can result in obesity, heart disease, or osteoporosis, while too much can make women take on masculine traits, and for men, can contribute to balding, and for both sexes it can kill off brain cells needed for memory. Whether you see it as a direct or indirect relation, this series of hormones regulate your vital systems, and can wreak havoc on those systems when they are not regulated responsibly. The issue is that most of us are on a learned autopilot of stress reactions that are much too serious for our everyday affairs.

Let’s break it down further.

Your amygdala triggers an emotional response, and sends this information to the hypothalamus, which communicates with the pituitary glands, which communicate with the adrenal glands to trigger a stress response, this chain is referred to as your sympathetic nervous system, which acts to trigger stress responses, and your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for calming you after the need for stress has passed. These two systems working in synchronicity are known as the autonomic nervous system which is responsible for keeping you in homeostasis, when it’s not necessary to be stressed. Homeostasis is your body’s ability to maintain a relatively stable inner state in all functioning regardless of the outside world, especially with regards to your organs, stress response, and temperature gauge. Your body’s ability to react to stress can also be referred to as allostasis, which is ‘obtaining stability through change’; so your body’s stress response is actually designed to change things up internally to be able to manage what is occurring externally, in order to regain homeostasis [peace & balance] as quickly as possible.

We have linked stress with depression and aggression through its effects on serotonin, just another way that stress can affect our health. If you remember, adrenal glands are responsible for releasing dopamine and epinephrine which are neurotransmitters that can throw off the levels of other neurotransmitters, like serotonin. These complex chemical reactions in our brains can, and will, trigger physical reactions in the brain and body.

One way that stress can inhibit your immune system is through the release of nerve growth factor [NGF], released by the pituitary gland during stress response, NGF is attracted heavily to disease fighting cells, and it inhibits their ability to ward off or fight infections. We also know that corticotrophin-releasing factor [CRF], which is the hormone released by the hypothalamus in order to signal stress to the pituitary glands, interferes with the immune system. The pituitary glands release prolactin in stress response which triggers cells that cause swelling in joints. Finally, the hormone adrenocorticotropin [ACTH] released by the pituitary gland impedes the body’s production of endorphins [natural pain relievers], as well as triggering excess serotonin, which is linked to bursts of violent behavior. 

We are currently working on charting the exact pathways that stress hormones take throughout the body in order to map the links between stress and disease, and lines of communication between brain and body, hopefully minimizing or erasing the line between biological and psychological stress. Stress, like emotional trauma can continue affecting you for 50 [or more] years after the initial stressor, or trauma. We believe this happens through sensitization, meaning extreme, or chronic stress changes the patterns of stress response in your brain and body, deregulating stress responses to either over or under produce the chemicals triggered in stress response. This can, and does, lead to physical changes in the brain and body, like shrunken brain structures or stress induced heart disease. 

As you may be noticing, stress can trigger a chain of reactions within your body and brain that only impede health, and wellness, especially when the stress is chronic, as it is for so many of us. The danger is not stress, but continued stress, unacknowledged, or ignored stress. The danger is that now our psychological stress can trigger the same responses as our physical stress, literally shutting down ‘non-vital’ body functions until the threat is gone, but in today’s world the [psychological] threat is never gone. So this leaves so many of us with over exposure to cortisol and epinephrine [yes, also called adrenaline] which can cause ulcers, muscle atrophy, elevated blood sugar, excessive demand on the heart, suppress the immune system, and digestive system, as well as leading to the death of certain brain cells. If you don’t believe that stress can affect nearly every aspect of your wellness, and physical, or psychological health, then I hope this can change your mind, because that view is simply, wrong.

Cortisol breaks down bone, muscle, fat, and other body tissues in order for the liver to convert these into sugar to supply the brain and heart with energy and nutrients in crisis. It literally triggers a self-digestion, which is a problem when stress is chronic.

What this means for us in our stress management journey, is that we need to look at stress as a chain reaction that may be highly tied to past trauma, making our stress response to a seemingly inane situation feel very disproportionate. This is not wrong, and can be amended through therapy or a closer look at ties to our past. This should be done carefully, with patience, grace, and understanding. Many of us are still reacting to stress like children because the stress we are experiencing is still tied to the stress responses we didn’t deal with properly as children. This is through no fault of our own, children are simply ill-equipped to emotionally deal with or understand their stress, which is why as adults most of us are still working through these things. There is no shame in working through past trauma, or current stress responses.

There is still so much for us to learn and study about stress response, and how to deal with old stress, and triggers, but for now, observation is key. Do your best to non-judgmentally observe your reactions to things, and in that observation try to become aware of what feelings or sensations come to mind as you experience stress. Try to discuss this experience with a trusted someone, or a therapist. I guarantee you will be amazed at what you have been unconsciously holding on to. 

A word of warning, from someone who has been there, and is still working through many things, it’s extremely likely that it will get worse before it gets better. Oftentimes what happens when we begin working through these things is that our bodies begin releasing the stress and trauma that has been pent up since the original event, this may be in the form of compulsory twitching, or convulsions, heavy tears, or emotions that may seem much more extreme than the situation calls for. Try to be gentle with yourself, and don’t be afraid of your body’s compulsory reactions, try to allow them to move through you in a safe space, preferably with a trusted loved one, who is prepared to be witness and support to this, or with a trained professional. All of this is perfectly natural and will get better with time, but the twitches and convulsions and emotions do need to be allowed to release, before you can find relief. 

Once you move through this state you will find a renewed sense of peace, that will only get stronger and more stable with each cycle of release, and pretty soon you will find a rhythm. You may decide when it’s good for you to begin introducing day to day stress management techniques. Often people find it overwhelming to do all of this at once, allow yourself to move at your own pace. There is no wrong answer, or wrong move here.  Stress is highly personal, you need to find what works for you. Try new things, and ask for suggestions. Often you will find that the simple act of creating a safe space for old stress and trauma to move through you at it’s own pace, is, in it’s own way, stress management and relief. You may find it calming to know that this is a great way to dissipate stress, and you may just get quicker at spotting triggers, allowing them to move through you or past you, and observing where they’re coming from. 

Beyond that, getting out in nature frequently and exercising when you feel up to it are always good places to start with stress relief and management. Try to become aware of your body, and the sensations within it whenever you can. The more in tune with your body you are the quicker you can find release. Some people call this meditation, and if that works for you, then wonderful! If you’re like me, trying to relax will only make your stress worse, and create judgment.

Instead, I like to work on becoming aware of my immediate experience and needs without deciding how I feel about their “rightness.” Instead of judgment, I like to ask “why.” As in, “I’m feeling scared.” ‘Why?’ “Because this situation closely resembles a situation from my past that was frightening.” ‘What happened then? How did it make you feel? How is it making you feel now? Are you currently in the same situation? Are you in danger physically? Do you feel like you are capable of creating a safe space right now? If not, what is stopping you? Can you change your physical space?’ etc. Essentially, hold a conversation with yourself, an inner dialogue, where you take back control of your situation, and therefore, your life.

I cannot stress this enough, but be patient with yourself. Be gentle, kind, and work towards understanding, not guilt, shame, or adding insult to injury. Allow yourself to have your process, cultivate the people around you until they are all great supporters of you, and your unique journey. Recognize that sometimes the people you love cause you the most pain, and set boundaries, out of love for yourself, and them. Keep an open dialogue and conversation with yourself, and with a trusted inner circle, which may or may not involve a therapist, or coach. How you do the work is not as important as if you do the work.

Remember that your process is your own and no one else’s, and you have every right to remove people from your process when they are no longer helping, or especially if they are making it worse. This never has to be forever. You make the rules. You are renegotiating your life on your terms. Removing yourself from people and situations that harm you, until you can heal. And if you identify with chronic stress, then there is real healing that needs done. No one can or should tell you how to live your life.

Please feel free to contact me if you feel I could be of service to your stress reduction process in any way.

Resources:

  1. Allostasis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/allostasis

  2. Chronic stress: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199601/stress-its-worse-you-think

  3. Homeostasis: https://www.livescience.com/65938-homeostasis.html

  4. Stress Management: https://www.brainline.org/article/stress-management-how-reduce-prevent-and-cope-stress

  5. Stress Response: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

Drug-free Menstrual Pain Relief

Let’s start with what causes cramps? Menstrual cramps are triggered by hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are lipid autacoids derived from arachidonic acid [AA], both of which are a necessary part of the body’s inflammatory response, both in promotion and resolution of inflammation. It is hypothesized that the higher your level of prostaglandins, the more severe your cramps, we call this dysmenorrhea. A certain level of pain during your period is normal and expected, it is possible to relieve most of this pain through a healthy diet and lifestyle, and without the use of pharmaceuticals.

Prostaglandins stimulate the contraction of blood vessels leading to the shedding of your uterine lining, they are also responsible for inducing labor, and for period poops. This is because they stimulate uterine muscle contraction in order to remove the endometrium, but that also affects your bowels, because many of the muscles are shared. So period cramps are essentially muscle cramps.

Nutritionally, there is a lot you can do to have easier, less painful, or even pain-free periods. None of these include taking NSAIDs [Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; i.e. ibuprofen], or other over the counter pain relievers, which I don’t recommend, except in rare, extreme cases. Why? Because while they might fight inflammation and pain in the short run, they end up causing and contributing to it, and worse in the long run, especially if you have gut sensitivities.

First, you can up your intake of Vitamins A, B6, C, D3, E, and K2, as well as magnesium paired with vitamin B6, and in some cases, iron [if you struggle maintaining your levels]. You can also take bromelain, and papaya enzymes, eat balanced omega 3’s and omega 6’s [1:3 ratio], get plenty of sleep, adequate exercise, drink water consistently, and manage your stress. Manganese and calcium are also currently being studied for menstrual pain relief. It will take your body a minimum of 2 months to acclimate to these positive changes before seeing steady improvements, so be patient. In the meantime, that’s what bromelain, heating pads, papaya enzymes, and chocolate are for.

To be clear, I’m not recommending the use of any supplements, except bromelain and papaya enzymes, everything else on this list is best if found in whole foods in your diet. This is much easier to do than you might think, as most of these things are found in delicious foods, that you’ll probably crave anyways.

For example, your entire list of vitamins can be found in whole fat cheeses, cream, butter, eggs, animal fats, liver pate, or other organ meats, and fish, or seafood. So eat those oysters you’ve been craving, or the shrimp, or salmon that sounds delicious with a hollandaise sauce, have cheese, pate, and sourdough bread with butter, eat dark chocolate, and whole fat ice cream [straus is the only brand i’ve found without god-awful additives, and unnecessary industrialized seed oils]. Put whole fat cream in your coffee! Eat the fatty cuts of meat, drink bone broth, or cook your grains, beans, or legumes in it. Eat like a queen as often as you can!

Hot tip! Regeneratively raised butter and properly prepared bread are the perfect balance of omega 3 to omega 6. So eat toast and butter for the first day of your period, throw an egg on there, go crazy!

Now for the details:

Our first supplement is Bromelain. Bromelain is an enzyme that aides in digestion and is also a natural painkiller. It’s found in papaya and pineapple, and it helps to break down proteins, and might also be used to help treat osteoarthritis, or relieve sinusitis. Bromelain also reduces inflammation which may be one reason why it is so effective at relieving cramps. Research is currently being done to determine whether it reduces certain compounds associated with cancer inflammation or tumor growth, in preliminary cell and animal studies the results are positive.

Personally, I use bromelain in combination with papaya enzymes for a natural menstrual pain relief, which for me is much more effective than ibuprofen or midol as long as i take it consistently every 4-6 hours. I usually begin taking it the day before I start, and continue until day 2 or 3, or until I can comfortably exist without pains. It works like a charm and I would recommend it to anyone with 5 stars. It also works for non-menstrual pain, though which types have not been specifically studied. Whenever I experience pain related to my gut or digestion I this is my go-to. I haven’t had success with bromelain for migraines, or back pains, unless directly related to my shark week [menstruation].

Another great way to relieve menstrual cramps is magnesium. A number of studies have confirmed that magnesium helps with period cramps, and possibly other muscular cramps. This is due to it’s relaxing effect on muscles. It has this effect by playing an active role in the transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a crucial process in muscle contraction, as well as nerve impulse conduction and a regular heart rhythm.

Magnesium has been shown to be highly effective for relieving cramps when paired with vitamin b6 [found in fish, beef liver, and other organ meats]. This treatment requires consistency, and as with anything, I suggest beginning in your diet and supplementing only as necessary. What this looks like for me, personally, is eating green leafies, and cruciferous vegetables, paired with red meat, whole fat dairy, and occasionally seafood. On the days when I feel like I didn’t get enough through my diet I supplement with a magnesium tablet or CALM drink, and a vitamin b6 tablet.

Next up is Vitamin C. Again, I try to get mine from my diet, so including lots of citrus, berries, and tropical fruits. Vitamin C helps in a few ways, for one thing, you may have noticed that your immune system crashes just before the onset of your bleeding. During your natural cycle, your immune system will be suppressed during ovulation, to allow sperm to enter, and during menstruation while your body is shedding your uterine lining. This has to do with hormone fluctuations.

Sex! Masturbation! Orgasms! Specifically, orgasms help to relieve menstrual cramps due to the contracting and releasing of uterine muscles. Also, when we orgasm from sex, or masturbation, our bodies release endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, testosterone, and prolactin. Endorphins are your bodies natural pain relievers, and dopamine and oxytocin help you feel good and relax, while testosterone, has been called the hormone of desire, it may help motivate you and give you stamina. Prolactin influences your mood and immune system. Beyond all of that sex and masturbation are wonderful distractions and usually a bit time consuming, with excellent side effects. 10/10 would recommend for anyone.

If you are concerned about period sex due to it’s messy nature, I highly recommend buying a large black towel or sheet and keeping it on hand for this experience, and then just jump in a hot shower immediately after, with or without your partner, and continue the relaxation. If blood frightens you, this is a great time to try sex with the lights off. Don’t worry about the mess, think of it as extra, free, organic lube! Period sex often feels great, but listen to your body and don’t be concerned if you notice that you are less sensitive during this time; that’s also perfectly natural and can just be used as an opportunity to play with different sensations and pressures, or maybe introduce a sex toy for added sensation. It’s perfectly safe for a partner to go down on you during your period. It’s a very personal choice, and if it doesn’t bother either of you, then there’s no harm. If it does bother either of you, opt for different methods.

To summarize, relieving period cramps nutritionally begins long before you begin bleeding, and continues throughout. Magnesium [especially magnesium + vitamin b6, paired], vitamins A-E, and balanced intake of omega 3’s and omega 6’s [meaning a 1:3 ratio], and orgasms are all very important. Equally important are the foods to avoid or limit.

It’s necessary to avoid or eliminate things like alcohol, refined sugars, refined carbs, and really, refined or processed anything, as well as industrial seed, nut, and vegetable oils, which is a topic for it’s own post. It’s important to avoid caffeine, especially if it’s found in highly processed, sugary coffee-like drinks or energy drinks. Try black coffee, or green tea, or coffee with heavy cream, or bulletproof instead. Avoiding high sodium foods is a good idea, merely because high sodium usually equates to highly processed, but there is no reason to avoid salt. Salt only contributes to water retention and bloating if you are not drinking adequate water, and if you follow these guidelines, bloating should be a thing of the past anyways.

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me.

Resources:

  1. Sex for Cramps: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/sex-during-periods#benefits

  2. Cramp Relief: https://www.healthline.com/health/severe-menstrual-cramps#relief-tips

  3. Masturbation for cramps: https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/masturbation-effects-on-brain#focus-and-concentration

  4. Bromelain: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323783.php#benefits

  5. Magnesium for cramps: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208934/

  6. Prostaglandins: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3081099/

  7. Prostaglandins II: https://drbrighten.com/how-prostaglandins-cause-painful-periods-what-to-do-about-it/

  8. Vitamin c for menstruation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2479725/pdf/ulstermedj00184-0081.pdf

  9. Vitamin Bioavailability: https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/4/1349S/4686865

Bone Broth: What’s so great about it?

  Our first nutrient dense must-have is bone broth. Why bone broth? Bone broth has so many incredible, healing nutrients within. The key players are Collagen, Gelatin, Glutamine, and other amino acids, and Glycosaminoglycans.

      Collagen is already a well known nutrient, gaining popularity in the mainstream, and for good reason! It’s the most abundant protein in the human body and in the animal kingdom. Collagen is what makes up the elasticity of your skin and muscles, and every other connective tissue in the body. Your body synthesizes its own endogenous collagen while relying on outside sources and nutrition to receive exogenous collagen, which helps repair body tissues. Nutrients that support the production of collagen within your body are proline, anthocyanidinis, vitamin C, copper, and vitamin A. Most of the collagen we need is endogenous, and produced by your body, but supplementation from foods, like bone broth, can help with that process as well as providing outside sources of it.

      Gelatin is the byproduct of collagen, when it is boiled or simmered. Chemically, they are extremely similar, but gelatin is the breakdown of collagen protein peptides into smaller protein peptides. Gelatin contains the essential amino acids of lysine and valine, as well as the conditional amino acids of glycine, proline, and arginine, which become essential when we are sick or stressed. Gelatin is a great source of protein, better than any protein powder on the market, by far. It aids in digestion, by promoting a healthy mucosal lining in the gut, as well as stimulating the production of gastric juices. The lysine found in gelatin helps absorb calcium into the bones, creating stronger bones. The glycine found in gelatin may improve sleep and is currently being studied to see if it might improve blood sugar control in people with type II diabetes. It may ease joint pain by helping to reduce inflammation in the body. And finally, it may play a role in controlling hormones associated with hunger, due to its high protein content and the nature of protein to signal ‘fulness’ or satiety. 

Homemade Gelatinous Bone Broth, 4 hours in the Instant Pot

Homemade Gelatinous Bone Broth, 4 hours in the Instant Pot

      We need to understand glutamine and what it does for us. Glutamine is an amino acid, classified as ‘conditionally essential’ [though not considered ‘essential’ it is highly effective in most bodily healing protocols]. It is an essential nutrient, even if not an ‘essential amino acid.’ It’s crucial for maintaining a healthy gut lining, which keeps your food, waste and chemicals from entering your bloodstream from your gut [leaky gut]. It’s also an essential nutrient in immune functioning, fuel for any cells to divide quickly, especially immune cells, and gut lining cells, helping your body to absorb more nutrients. There is more glutamine in your body than any other amino acid, and it’s a favorite protein for your brain. Some people are convinced that it helps allay sugar cravings, though there is no hard evidence to support this beyond the fact that eating more protein often leads to less need or desire for sugars, due to the alternative energy source. Foods that are high in protein are naturally high in extremely bioavailable glutamine, meat is going to be your best quality/quantity source, followed by fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, and beans. We will discuss bioavailability in a later post. 

      Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to make proteins. Your body needs these for the proper functioning of your organs. When proteins are broken down, amino acids are left, and they in turn help your body to build different essential proteins. Your body can produce it’s own amino acids, but there are some that it cannot synthesize, that we must get from outside sources—i.e. our food. These are called ‘essential amino acids,’ of which there are 9— histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Then there are ‘conditional amino acids’, meaning we only need them in times of sickness and stress—arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline, and serine. Finally, there are nonessential amino acids which our bodies produce, of their own accord, even when we are not getting them from our diets, those are—alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.

How to Make it at Home:

Chicken bones often fully break down after one 3 hour session in the Instant Pot and beef bones can sometimes take up to 3! sessions to fully break down due to their size and thickness. I like to cook my bones until they can easily break at the thickest point with light pressure from my fingers, that’s when i know they’re used up.

I also love to mix bones i.e. use bones from all of our dinners throughout the week or put chicken in with cow, or chicken/cow/lamb, pork/lamb, etc. Variety is the spice of life & all that. I just think it produces a better, more complex flavor profile which is nice if you like to start your morning with salted, seasoned bone broth like I do. Plus, the different animals yield different nutrients, & balanced nourishment is the goal!

I always put a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar, [no more than a tablespoon in a 3 quart yield, otherwise that’s all you’ll taste] into the water with the bones because it’s supposed to help pull out the nutrients during cooking, I haven’t found a study to confirm this yet, but I figure, it doesn’t hurt. Never salt your bones before cooking though, as the salt concentration can become too extreme during cooking just salt to taste as you use it.

I have learned to roast my sustainably sourced, regeneratively raised beef bones at 375-400 for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the bones. I like to roast them until they are brown and crackly, because it adds great flavour to the broth. You can also add herbs or veggie scraps to your broth for added nutrition and flavour, however, these need just a fraction of the time and pressure to release their flavours and nutrients, so it’s best to make your broth without them and then add in your herbs at the end, and allow it to slow cook for 10-30 minutes. A better way to put it might be, your herbs will appreciate 5 minutes or so of a warm bath to release flavours, and your hardier veggie scraps will appreciate 10 + minutes, neither will appreciate being pressure cooked.