How to manage heartburn with a better diet

1. Eat less acidic foods or foods that increase stomach acid, or cut them out entirely.

Tomatoes, citrus, coffee, alcohol, and fried foods are all known to contribute to and increase stomach acid. If you’re experiencing long term heartburn, avoids foods that increase stomach acid or aggravate your heartburn.

Each of our bodies will react to different foods in different ways. I would suggest keeping a food diary to make note of what you ate before you feel heartburn to help you determine which foods are consistently causing the sensation. You may find that tomatoes do not cause heartburn but french fries do. This will help you get a more accurate sense of which foods to eliminate to avoid heartburn.

2. Sit or stand up straight

Many of us have terrible posture that is affecting our bodies and health in negative ways. Heartburn can also be caused by a posture that is putting pressure on your abdomen. Are you slumping when you sit or stand? You may be squeezing your stomach and worsening your heartburn. Try to remember to sit and stand up straight. Bad posture becomes a comfortable habit over time, so set reminders on your phone over the course of the day or stick a post it note where you can see it to help you re set this habit and sit or stand up straight.

3. Eat more probiotic foods

Probiotic foods have benefit bacteria that can help keep your stomach acid in check. Eat yogurt, other fermented foods, or drink kefir, or kombucha daily to keep your gut in good health.

I would like to note that many of the popular yogurts available in supermarkets today do not have probiotics. These yogurts use corn starch, gelatin, and other thickeners to thicken milk and call it yogurt. Check the ingredients label for latin words that end – us like Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus or the words “contains active cultures” to find a yogurt with probiotic bacteria.

4. Eat less processed and more wholesome food

Eat fiber rich greens, fresh fruits, whole grains, and quality meats. Eat less or no processed foods. Many people can avoid heartburn by just eating healthier. A good well rounded diet will go miles farther to help you maintain normal levels of stomach acid and good gut health than eating fried and unprocessed foods and then attempting to treat heartburn after the fact.

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Five ways to eat more spinach

1. Add it smoothies

Compared to kale or collard greens, Spinach is a soft, less fibrous green that can add creaminess to any smoothie. Add spinach to the blender before adding fruit for an easy to way to eat spinach. Blend a cup of spinach, a frozen banana, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, and some ice for a well rounded breakfast smoothie that will take 5 minutes to make and wake you up.

2. Replace less nutritious foods.

Spinach is highly nutritious. 1 cup of spinach can meet your daily requirement of Vitamin K and A and provides a significant amount of iron, Vitamin B, manganese, magnesium, and folate. So how to get more without eating more food? Replace iceberg lettuce in salads and sandwiches with spinach. A lot of other high value greens are tougher to eat raw, but spinach has a naturally creamy flavor that makes it an easy substitute to any raw or cold dish.

3. Saute with olive oil and minced garlic

Spinach offers a lot of nutrition raw, but cooking it makes its vitamins and minerals more available for absorption by your body. Raw spinach has oxalic acid which can block the absorption of calcium and iron. Cooking spinach deactivates much of this oxalic acid and your body is able to absorb more of the Vitamin A and E, zinc, iron, thiamin, carotenoids and more.

Saute spinach with a little olive oil and grapeseed oil until the spinach wilts. You can actually eat a lot of spinach this way because cooked spinach wilts to about 1/3 of its raw size, so a cup of cooked spinach can equal 2 or 3 cups.

4. Add it to soups, casseroles, and any baked or slowly cooked foods

Since spinach is such a powerhouse of nutrition when cooked, you can take advantage and add it to any food that is going to be baked or slowly cooked like a soup. You can even blend the spinach into a soup with an immersion blender to make it creamy.

5. Make Indian Saag

I don’t know of a recipe that includes more spinach per serving than Saag, which is an Indian slow cooked spinach soup. If you have a hard time with plain soups or raw spinach, this is a hearty and flavorful dish that makes it incredibly easy to eat several cups of spinach in 1 meal. You may have eaten Saag Paneer at an Indian restaurant, but its not difficult to make at home.

Recipe: Peel and dice a medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, and a tablespoon of ginger. Heat oil in a pan at medium heat and add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and cook until lightly toasted. Add onion until, then add ginger, garlic, 1 tsp of turmeric and 2 tsp of Indian garam masala. Dice a tomato and add to the mix. Add 4 cups of frozen or fresh spinach and cook for 4-5 minutes, then reduce to low temperature cooking for another 5 mins. Season and serve. There are also a ton of other recipes and variations available online.

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Does sugar addiction exist?

That said, our current overconsumption of sugar is still a very serious issue that involves difficult to break habits. In fact, it may be the biggest health problem of this decade. There are two kinds of sugar – naturally occurring that already exists naturally in fruits or grains, and added sugar like sugar added to ketchup or yogurt. “Sugar addiction” refers to eating far too much added sugar. A lot of the added sugar we are eating is not just in obvious foods like desserts and sweets, but hidden in foods that marketed as healthy, like pasta sauce, low fat yogurts, or protein bars.

Studies show that added sugar addiction is costing millions a year in dental care, and trillions a year in medical health care costs. And that’s just for the United States, which surpasses every other country in sugar related illnesses and ensuing costs for treatment. We are currently overeating added sugar by several tablespoons on average daily, and our consumption is steadily increasing every year according to national surveys.

So what’s the best way to quit? Here are two ways to quit your sugar addiction.

1. Replace foods

Replace desserts and processed sweets with fruits. The next time you get a craving for a sugary dessert like a chocolate chip cookie or ice cream, choose a fruit instead. If we have gotten into the habit of regularly indulging our sugar cravings, it’s incredibly difficult to quit all sugary desserts cold turkey. So for greater chances of success, divert your craving and try a sliced apple with some peanut butter. If you’re actively trying to eat healthier, it will feel like a victory and you’ll be able to treat your sweet tooth with a food that has naturally occurring sugar rather than added sugar. Many foods with naturally occurring sugars also do not give you immediate sugar high because they gradually enter your blood stream. So these foods will not kick a cyclical sugar craving where you chase a sugar high that is followed by a crash and another craving.

2. Educate yourself

Learn how to read labels. Educate yourself on the numerous names for sugar – there are more than 50 names for sugar. Words that end in -ose are names for added sugars and the higher these are on the ingredient list, the more sugar there is in that food. Be careful of certain words, from obvious sugars that are not derived from traditional sugar cane like brown rice sugar or coconut sugar to less obvious terms like “from concentrate”.

Between now and July 2018, you may have to most of the label research legwork yourself. But by July 2018, the FDA in the United States will require a new row on food labels for added sugars. This row will also show daily value percentage and grams of sugar, and will be immensely helpful for immediately noting the added sugar content of a packaged food.

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Cinnamon, the spice

Even a dash of cinnamon has great nutrition value. Cinnamon is high in manganese, Vitamin K/A/C/E, and folate, and also has calcium, iron, and magnesium. It’s also abundant in amino acids which heavily contribute to many of its health benefits.

Cinnamon health benefits:

1. Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant. It is chockfull of polyphenols and flavonoids that slow aging and protect cells from free radical damage that can cause cancer. It prevents or slows the oxidization of cells which is what leads to various types of cancers.

2. It is also has anti-inflammatory properties which also make it a great natural pain reliever. It increases blood circulation and so reduces swelling and inflammation and can be used to help muscle soreness, arthritis, and even menstrual pain.

3. Cinnamon is a heart healthy spice. It can used to manage blood pressure, cholesterol and reduce LDLs. As it increases blood circulation, cinnamon can help the heart with its natural ability to heal itself as protection from strokes and heart attacks.

So how to eat cinnamon? Well, first you can add a dash of cinnamon to nearly any food. It has a beautiful deep flavor that can enhance a lot of dishes. More specifically, here are two easy ways to eat more cinnamon.

Cinnamon recipes

1. Cinnamon Ginger Tea – an antioxidant, anti inflammatory tea

This is a great general wellness tea that you can also drink for internal or external aches. Add 1 tbsp of minced ginger and 1 tsp of cinnamon to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and let it heat for 5-10 minutes. Strain, add honey to taste, a squeeze of lemon and enjoy.

You can also brew this mix in some mug of apple cider instead of plain water.

2. Cinnamon Almond Butter

On some whole wheat bread or in oatmeal, this makes a great heart healthy morning meal.

Preheat oven to 350 and roast 2 cups of almonds for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool and then add them to a food processor and process for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of grapeseed oil, and 1/2 tsp of salt, and process for another 5 minutes or until it resembles a runny meal. Then add 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 2 tbsp of honey and mix for 2 minutes. Pour into a container and refrigerate.

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Multipurpose natural products for your skin and home

1. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of those those things that seems to do everything. Its high acetic acid content makes it a great weight loss supplement. Or use it as a natural facial toner, hair conditioner, smelly laundry detergent, or add it to a spray bottle with water for all purpose cleaner. ACV packs a nutritional punch with minerals, vitamins, and 17 amino acids, and you can drink it daily as a health boosting tonic during allergy and cold season.

I can’t think of another product that does this much. ACV is the jack of all trades of natural products.

2. Calamine lotion (bentonite magma clay, water, glycerin, rusted zinc, iron)

Calamine is a great all purpose topical for many skin problems as it soothes bug bites, itchy rashes, minor burns, and small cuts or scrapes. The main ingredient is bentonite clay, so use it as a face mask to reduce redness and eczema or spot treat zits. This is my favorite travel product too because one single bottle can potentially treat so many travel-stress induced skin surprises. Calamine lotion is a 1 product first aid kit.

3. Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel is a astringent with healing properties that can used to tone or condition skin, reduce acne, and even to treat ingrown hairs. High in beneficial polyphenals and tannins, witch hazel extracts can also be taken orally to treat routine illnesses like colds, flu, diarrhea, or an upset stomach. Witch hazel is a effective and multipurpose natural alternative to commercial beauty products or OTC medications.

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Can you overdo the booch?

You can definitely drink too much kombucha, especially if you do not drink it regularly. Kombucha is highly acidic, so drinking too much kombucha can upset your stomach. It’s best to start with 6-8 ounces a day and then work your way up to double or triple that amount as your stomach acclimates to the acid.

Many people will thrive on fermented foods, but some people will experience bloating, nausea, or allergic reactions to kombucha. If you have heartburn, stomach ulcers, or a sensitive stomach, you should avoid acidic fermented foods. If you take medication, ask your doctor if drinking kombucha could have any negative reactions with the medicine.

Kombucha also has a small amount of alcohol, a fact that is not marketed well. So if you have religious restrictions against alcohol consumption, please be aware that commercial kombucha can contain up to 2% alcohol and homemade kombucha may have even more. I would recommend that pregnant women and children also avoid kombucha.

Contamination can be a harmful side effect of homemade kombucha, one that can even cause death. Unsterile equipment or a discretely moldy starter can introduce harmful bacteria to homemade kombucha. Over fermentation is also a risk. If you leave the starter in the batch for too long, it can result in a highly acidic kombucha that can damage your digestive system.

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Best way to quit sugar – fast or slow?

I’ve found that personality has a lot to do with how you can break your sugar addiction. Some people have an easier time quitting cold turkey, and many others do better with a gradual weaning off of sugar. Whichever way you pick, the main goal is to reset your tastebuds to that sugar does not taste as good even if your brain craves it. I recommend either of these options to patients.

1. Use 25% less added sugar every week

A lot of people add sugar to their morning coffee or tea and do not like the taste of their drinks without sugar. So a particularly successful method for them can be to reduce the added sugar 25% to their drinks every few days.

Lets say you normally add 1 tablespoon of sugar to your Venti sized coffee every morning. During the first week, try adding only 3/4 tablespoon of sugar to your coffee. On week 2, add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to your coffee. During week 3, you’ll add 1/4 tablespoon of sugar, and no sugar during week 4.

It takes about 2-4 weeks for your tastebuds to normalize to a different sweetness level. Leveling off how much you add in this way feels less drastic. It also helps trick yourself into accepting the new level of sugar, until you’re finally drinking coffee without sugar.

(With coffee specifically, I also recommend that people drink a better cup of coffee that isn’t so bitter and so would not need sugar. We Americans have an odd fondess for our dark roasts but add tons of sugar to mask its bitterness. Try a light or medium roast coffee instead.)

2. Quit all added sugar for 2 weeks (to 4 weeks)

This is especially useful for patients who need to go on a low carb diet and also have a problem with sugar overconsumption. Because they have to cut refined carbs for health reasons, they also should not eat sugar. Cutting out added sugars for at least 2 weeks (up to 4 weeks) helps their tastebuds reset for a much lower level of sweetness. Many patients come back to tell me that even though their brain craves sugar, it is now too much sweetness for their tastebuds. Whereas before their brain craved and their tastebuds delivered, now their own body is helping them recognize unhealthy amounts of sugar.

Quitting altogether is also more effective for people who need more restriction in their diets. Some people just do better with a set of hard and fast rules, like no added sugar for a certain duration. Once they’re able to get through the duration, their previous amounts of sugar consumption will no longer taste good and they’re unlikely to choose to eat in that same way.

Oh, and the next time you see your doctor or nutritionist, please admit that you are eating (or that you think you might be eating) too much sugar. We aren’t here to judge you, and can help you come up with a healthy and tasty diet plan or monitor your health for an adverse affects. Trust me, you’re not alone and we want to help. Who knows… you might even find your medical professional is also working on decreasing his or her own sugar intake!

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