Digestive Health: Gut Feelings And More

When I am talking about gut feelings, this blog is not necessarily referring to our intuition. It’s actually about the steps I’m taking to support my digestive health along with figuring out more natural ways to sleep.

After visiting with my gastro doctor and going through all the wonderful tests and rule out various things, he suggested that I start taking a daily probiotic called Culturelle, which is good for promoting good bacteria in our gut. This particular brand has a lot of evidence behind it, compared to some other brands. He gave me a few samples to try out and to be honest, i’m not sure if I immediately felt a difference, but after a couple of weeks, I did notice a lot less bloating and all that fun stuff. I’ve been taking the vegetarian capsules for several months now. My only beef, even with coupons, it’s expensive!

I will be the first one to say that I've never been one for taking pills, but as I age (ugh), it seems like i’m not able to absorb all the nutrients that are really essential to our health. Initially, I just added Vitamin D3 to my daily regime. However, last year, I felt like a total zombie and I had no idea at all that I was low in B12.  I went to my doctor and she suggested to check my levels and although they weren’t extremely low, it was not as high as she would have liked and so I was advised to take a daily supplement. I could have also taken a B12 shot, but I rather not take shots, unless totally necessary.  There are many different forms of B12 that you can get in supplement form. I found Jamieson's B12 fast dissolving sublingual tablets worked best for me.  When I went for a blood test a few months ago, my B12 levels were great, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on that.

Along with taking a suitable probiotic, trying digestive enzymes was next up on the list after  being advised to see a new practitioner who could help with these issues and also aid with nutritional counselling. I think they helped a bit, but honestly, I didn’t see that much of a difference in symptoms, so instead of getting a refill, it was suggested to try a loose leaf tea that had a lot of de-bloating and gentle herbs, instead of swallowing a supplement. Tummy-ease is fantastic!  I really love the minty flavour and with the various herbs, it actually seems to work as a calming agent as well.

Loose leaf teas

Also, I was advised to change the way I prepare food. For a lot of us, it’s interesting to note that raw food is not all it’s cracked up to be.  I used to snack on raw carrots and veggies, so that has changed. Everything is warm. Even fruit, I either chop up to cook on the stove or microwave. A few extra steps, but worth not having a stomach-ache.  Although no pic, I also take a nice heap of ground flax with my cereal in the morning, which has been a great addition.

I'm still for the most part dairy-free, which I do think has helped and I've cut back a lot on red meat since it can be quite difficult to digest. I'm eating more plant-based style, but I still do incorporate chicken, pork and fish a few times per week.

Sleep. We’ve had a weird relationship over the last few years. I’ve been in “fight or flight” mode for a long time. I really started to notice my quality of sleep decline and if you’ve ever woken up feeling like someone took a vacuum and sucked all the life force out of you, and not even a cup of java helps, you get my point. I was advised to try a natural sleep aid called Pascoflair, which has a well-researched herb in it with passion flower. The product is supposed to calm down your nervous system and promote a restful sleep. After taking it for several weeks consistently, I did feel a lot calmer, maybe too calm at times. Within about a half hour of taking it, my eyes started to close and that’s all I remember.

Truth be told, I did notice some heart palpitations after taking it and then once again when I woke up in the morning, so I am not sure if that is from my normal anxiety or if there was an ingredient in there that didn’t jive with my system.  It’s a bit of a mystery there. I tried to take it only a few times per week and that symptom weened off a bit, but I still felt a little uneasy.  Also, I don’t doubt that maybe there is some level of "placebo effect" happening in some form or another, but i’m okay with knowing that.

To be on the safe side, we swapped the tablets for a gentler sleep remedy.  I was given a sleep tea called Nighty Night tea in loose leaf format, which has ingredients like: skullcap, valerian root (known for aiding in sleep), passion flower and other herbs. I cannot say that it has solved the sleeping issues for me entirely, but when I take a cup, it does relax my body, so then I proceed with my nightly stretches, meditation and guided imagery to quiet my mind for sleep. It also helps having some nice cuddles.

I am feeling positive that my body is slowly healing from a physical and emotional perspective. I still have bad days, but i’m human. Stress really is the ultimate destroyer. Whatever you need to do, get it under control. I am fortunate that I found so many great resources to guide me along the way.

I will update again soon!

*I should mention my usual disclaimer to make sure to always consult with your trusted  healthcare practitioner(s) before starting any kind of vitamin, supplement or sleep aid.*

Healthy Yet Fiery Start To Autumn

I made this delicious vegetable dish today that I wanted to share with my readers.

It has chopped kale, broccoli, zucchini, roasted sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. I sauteed everything in a pan with a few squeezes of fresh lemon (i'm kind of on a lemon kick right now), and then topped with some sunflower seeds. I also added a bit of balsamic dressing afterwards and it was really tasty!

I was ready to snap a photo when I started to hear loud bangs, followed by people screaming outside. THIS was actually what was going on about a block away. A shed caught on fire somehow and it just escalated from there. Thankfully it seems like the fire department has things under control, so i'm back in the house, safe and sound. *breathe*

Saturday fire on Balfour St.

Back to my veggie bowl...

What are your favourite veggies for this season? :)

Food: Nutrition of Green Beans

It is technically not quite summer yet, but I am seeing a lot of delicious produce and when those sales come on, it's easy to pack away the frozen vegetables for a later time and opt out for fresh.

Green beans are a personal favourite of mine. If you didn't know, they are packed with a lot of nutritional value, like Vitamin A, C, K, and of course dietary fibre, which you read more in depth from this site here that has a lot of good articles on health and nutrition:  Nutrition of green beans 

They were in a giant crate at Metro for $1.88/lb, so we bought a good amount to last us the week. We used them as side dishes, and incorporated into our salads.

I know that some people can wash green beans and then consume them raw, but personally I find this extremely difficult on my stomach and digestion.  Once they are cooked, I have no issues eating them cold, but that's as far as I go!

Anyhow, just a quick photo of some fresh green beans that I steamed up, sprinkled with a bit of oregano, maple bacon salt, and a little melted butter. Yum!

How do you like your green beans? Send me an e-mail or leave a note under this post!

Snack Review: Valuing The Good Taste Of Nature

I think we are truly blessed as a society to be able to have the luxury of choice. It can be a double-edge sword, however, because of the overwhelming amount of choice that we are faced with every single day, especially when it comes to snack foods.

You can find just about any flavour out there, but sometimes you are sacrificing taste for something healthy. Or you’re just delving into a sea of sugar that will satisfy your immediate craving, but leave your waistline unhappy and your energy levels depleted.

I recently came across a snack bar by a Canadian company called Taste of Nature, whose facility is in Markham. Going to their website, I noticed the usual participation in the Non-GMO Project, gluten-free (this lifestyle choice can come with its own risks for those who are not celiac, as many gluten-free products contain loads of sugar in comparison to gluten ones; watch those labels), being vegan and kosher, as most organic companies are nowadays.

However, what really made me stop was the variety of choices that fit with the Glycemic Index. This is a number associated with a particular type of food that indicates the food’s effect on a person’s blood glucose.

Informing consumers about what number each product is on the GI scale was the most impressive. So kudos to Taste of Nature for creating a snack that is low in sodium, sugar, and high in the areas that we should be consuming more of like fibre, protein, omega 3’s, and other important vitamins and minerals.

The one problem I have, though, with a lot of so-called healthy foods is that they taste awful. They may be packed with a great deal of health benefits, but there has to be a balance for me. I think I found it with Taste of Nature.

As you can see, they have so many flavours. It’s hard to actually say which one is my favourite because they all have very distinct tastes, but I have quite a liking for the California Almond Valley. It has a nice blend of raisins, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds, agave syrup, and a hint of rosemary extract.

Photo by: Melissa Arditti

I don’t get a weird aftertaste which I have experienced with other bars. The texture is perfectly chewy so it’s not a struggle to bite into. And it’s portioned well so you’re not overindulging, but reaping the nutritional benefits, too.

Some bars are a little sweeter than others, like the Louisiana Pecan Parade, but I can honestly say that any of the bars are a great post-workout snack, super for kids’ lunches, or a good alternative from hitting the fast food joint or coffee shop for a donut.

Another plus is many of their green business practices which include recycling food waste to farms for use as animal feed and priding themselves on reducing their carbon footprint as much as possible.

I will also applaud them for excellent customer service since I initially contacted them regarding their Taste of Nature Snacks that Care promotion, which wasn't working online. For my inconvenience, they sent me out a care package as a “token of our thanks for being so patient with us as we worked to get the contest fixed.”

Photo by: Melissa Arditti

Founded on the basic principle to, “work together as a family to create a food company that makes a simple, great tasting product that would give back to the world more than it took,” Taste of Nature has surely succeeded.

For more information, you can visit their website: Taste of Nature