Tuesday, March 30, 2010

You Are NOT What You Eat, Part 3

So far with part 1 we learned that stress plays a significant role in challenging our digestive system and the fact that those who are gluten intolerant may actually be living with undiagnosed inflammation in their gastro intestinal tract, due to the consumption of gluten. This inflammation can lead to many challenges with digestion, immune function as well as adrenal insufficiency.

In part 2 we learned the importance of using a high quality digestive enzyme due to the lack of naturally occurring enzymes in many of our foods today.

Today, in part 3, we are going to discuss bacteria in your gut as well as suggesting a very simple, yet effective way, to assist your body in balancing your digestive system.

Let’s first talk about bacteria. Did you know that there is actually more bacteria in your gut than there are cells in your body. That is astounding and shows the importance of bacteria for an optimal functioning digestive system. Most of the time when you mention bacteria, a red flag goes up for most people because we have been taught that bacteria is bad and this is why we get sick.

It is important to recognize the difference between beneficial and detrimental bacteria. Detrimental bacteria are single celled microscopic organisms that are capable of exerting toxic effects on the digestive system. Our beneficial bacteria though, have a tremendous effect on allowing balance and function within your GI tract. An important understanding is to recognize the significance of allowing the proper ratio of detrimental to beneficial bacteria. Beneficial bacteria will comprise approximately 90% of the digestive tract in a healthy person while the other 10% is comprised of detrimental bacteria.

I believe that there are three main reasons for the lack of bacterial balance in our culture today. Number one is the simple fact that we do not consume raw fermented foods any more. Sure we will occasionally consume some yogurt or kefir from the local market and of course it mentions all the bacteria on the label for our benefit. What the label is not telling us though, is that once this product is pasteurized, the bacteria is killed and honestly, dead bacteria does not provide any benefit for us. In the history of humanity, we regularly consumed raw fermented foods with the benefit of significant quantities of beneficial bacteria. There are some individuals that consume their own naturally fermented foods that they produce at home, or they may have a contact with a raw food coop to purchase these foods. Unfortunately most do not make the time to ferment their own foods or do not have a source, or the financial means, of purchasing these healthy foods.

The other challenge is tied into our high stress life and poor diet. The unfortunate fact is that most of us, are chronically stressed, or we are making poor nutritional choices consistently. This will lead to an over-population of detrimental bacteria. The end result sadly, is the crowding out of the beneficial bacteria which creates a very unhealthy ratio of beneficial to detrimental bacteria.

There are some simple solutions though to improve this ratio. Of course you know that I am first going to mention the importance of reducing your stress and improving your nutritional choices. I would recommend reviewing the blog on Gluten Intolerance and Nutritional ID for this. Beyond these basic shifts, I would recommend that you take a high quality probiotic on a regular basis unless you are going to create a shift in your lifestyle choices by consuming raw fermented foods on a daily basis. Taking a probiotic has been shown to allow for improved balance within the GI tract which in turn will allow your body the ability to utilize your food and nutrients at a higher level. I will share that even though I have a very healthy digestive system, I take a probiotic on a daily basis.

The other benefit is tied into the fact that most of your immune system function originates in the GI tract, so any focus to create balance in the GI, has the ability to assist your body’s immune system function. Remember, a healthy digestive system generally leads to a healthier immune system.

One natural product that I suggest regularly with my Express Track to Health & Wellness program is Ultimate Aloe® Juice which is a rejuvenating tonic made from 100 percent aloe vera, 50 percent aloe concentrated powder, more than 200 nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, including 13 of the 17 essential minerals needed for good nutrition. The aloe concentrate is actually the aloe vera gel with the liquid removed to allow a lesser intake while maintaining the positive benefits of this rejuvenating plant. Studies have suggested that aloe, when consumed orally, imparts a wealth of health benefits, including aiding digestion and supporting the immune system.

If you are interested in purchasing the Ultimate Aloe® Juice feel free to visit www.marketamerica.com/vitalize or refer back to the newsletter where a link is provided for you.

To review all that has been discussed through our three part digestive series, “You Are NOT What You Eat”. Here are just some of life’s imbalances that lead to digestive difficulties:

• Chronic stress
• Gluten intolerance
• Lack of digestive enzyme activity
• Lack of beneficial bacteria

If you can address these you are on your way to allowing your body to balance the digestive system to assist in reaching your health and wellness goals.

Thank you for being a part of this three part series!

Please post any comments or questions as they are presented.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

You Are NOT What You Eat, Part 2

Last week we addressed digestive challenges created by stress and a troubling ingredient in many foods which is gluten. This week we will address an ingredient within our foods that is very often a missing but necessary component. This ingredient is the naturally occurring enzyme activity in raw foods.

It is important to understand that EVERY food that is grown, raised, harvested, or milked for us has within it the necessary naturally occurring enzymes to break this particular food down and assist with absorption and assimilation. There are two challenges presented to us in our world today in regard to this natural enzyme activity. One is that we eat cooked food on a regular basis and anything heated above a temperature of 110 degrees will be void of enzyme activity. The second challenge is that we do not consume raw proteins and fats with much regularity, thus challenging the breakdown of these macro-nutrients due to the lack of proper enzyme activity. I have some clients share that they consume many of their vegetables raw for this enzyme activity but this is incomplete. Eating only raw vegetables does not give you the full compliment of enzyme activity to assist in breaking down some of the most challenging foods which would be flesh protein, fat, beans, and even cauliflower and broccoli. These most challenging foods are the very foods that the Prime Digestive Support is formulated to assist.

The way my clients as well as my family assist in balancing the digestive system and breaking down these nutrients is with the use of the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support. To learn more about this feel free to visit www.DepkeWellness.com and visit the Depke Wellness Store, where you will find the Prime Digestive Support and the supplement facts on our enzyme product.

Let’s learn how the digestive system benefits from a digestive enzyme.

While we do produce enzymes that are released in our saliva, this is not a complete enzyme activity. We also produce enzymes in the pancreas that are released to the break down our foods, but this happens later in the digestive process. There is a period in this digestive process where the naturally occurring enzymes of raw food or digestive enzymes would greatly benefit digestive balance. After mastication of our food in the mouth, your meal will set high in the stomach where it will pre-digest with the limited enzyme activity in our saliva, the naturally occurring enzyme activity of raw food or with digestive enzyme supplementation. This pre-digestion can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, until the further breakdown of our food by our stomach acid production. From there the food is released into the duodenum which is the first 1/3 of your small intestine, where bile is secreted to further break down fat as well as the release of pancreatic juices, glucagon or insulin. This will assist in the further break down and absorption through the lining of the small intestines. To finish the job any remnants continue on to the colon for ultimate release from your body.

Now you can see how a digestive enzyme aids the digestive balance that eludes so many of us. Remember that most of us consume cooked food regularly which is void of naturally occurring enzyme activity. These are the reasons for supplementing with a high quality digestive enzyme such as the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support.

The reason I decided to formulate the Prime Digestive Support is due to the fact that many of the enzymes on the market today are vegetarian based. For those of us, that are consuming animal protein and fat, we are trying to break down these animal based macro-nutrients with a vegetable based enzyme and I don’t know about you, but this does not make sense to me. Our product has, in our opinion, the best animal based enzymes to break down the two most challenging foods for most, which is flesh protein and animal fat. The third most challenging foods I recognize consistently with clients are beans, broccoli and cauliflower. For this we added the best enzyme to assist with this grouping.

Once again for information on the Prime Digestive Support and supplement ingredients and facts, visit www.DepkeWellness.com and visit the Depke Wellness Store link.

Monday, March 15, 2010

You Are NOT What You Eat, Part 1

Do you have problems with bloating or gas? Do you recognize that your digestive is not functioning as well as it used to? Does it feel like your food just sits in your stomach like a lead weight? Do you eat really well, yet still do not feel the benefit of all the time, money and effort put into your nutrition?

If you answered yes to any of these questions or if you are simply imbalanced on any level with your health; this three part series on digestion may just open your eyes to some of the potential challenges you face.

We have all heard the old saying once, if not one thousand times; you are what you eat. I am generally the first person to share that this saying has been an outright lie. You are not what you eat, you are what you absorb and assimilate.

In this three part series, I will address the common factors tied into digestive challenges. This is in no way addressing symptoms of disease or diagnosing anything; this is simply recognizing imbalances within the body and following the positive steps needed to allow your body to balance the digestive system based on your own innate healing ability.

First of all let’s recognize that the gastro intestinal tract has one of the fastest cellular turnover rates in your body. In approximately twelve months you have a whole new GI based on any new positive choices you may be making in your life. With this in mind you can recognize that it will not take a significant time frame to enjoy improved digestion once you are creating balance in your life.

There are two main imbalances that I recognize on a regular basis when clients visit me with digestive challenges and the first is chronic stress. If you think about the fight or flee response built into our body, it makes sense that digestion would be imbalanced for most. To understand, if you were walking along in the wilderness and were attacked by a pack of wolves, you would be pushed into the fight or flee response. Your sympathetic nervous system would kick into high gear, the adrenals would pump out cortisol like there is no tomorrow, your heart rate would increase, your senses would become more acute, more blood would flow to your muscular/skeletal system and less blood would flow to your internal organs (specifically the gastro intestinal tract). This response is perfect though, as it may give you the ability to out run those wolves for a short distance, jump up in a tree and save your life. While this is a perfect response for this life or death situation, do you recognize that your body does not know the difference between being attacked by that pack of wolves and your daily stress of traffic, relationships, kids, work, finances and such? For most of us, we are being attacked by a pack of wolves in most moments of every day. Yikes!

So when this is happening the flow of blood to the GI tract is lessened which in turn will hinder your body's ability to properly digest your foods.

One simple yet effective tip for addressing this is to allow a relaxed space for any meal times. Believe it or not, even if you do not have an excess of time you can still relax. You can do this by taking the time to enjoy three deep belly breaths prior to eating your meal and taking a deep breath in between each bite of food. This will allow your body to relax the nervous system and get you out of that fight or flee response.

To take a deep belly breath, I suggest breathing in through your nose for a count of seven while extending you belly and breathing down all the way to the belly button. Hold that breath for a count of four and then forcefully exhale through the mouth for a count of eight while contracting your stomach muscles to fully release that breath.

The other significant factor I see challenging digestion is gluten. Gluten is an ingredient in many grains that unfortunately is within most of the processed foods we consume today. Most that are intolerant to gluten do not recognize any dramatic symptoms and often this challenge goes unrecognized. If you are gluten intolerant and are eating gluten with any regularity this can eventually lead to inflammation in the gastro intestinal tract. When the GI is inflamed this can significantly challenge your ability to absorb and assimilate your macro and micro nutrients properly.

To learn more about gluten click on the blog archive under the month of January 2010. This will go a bit deeper into gluten intolerance. You could also visit www.DepkeWellness.com and click on the “Gluten Intolerance” page. This will not only give you further information but at the bottom of that page you can click on a complimentary assessment for the likelihood of being intolerant to gluten and also a complimentary list of foods in categories, to separate gluten and non-gluten containing foods. If you want the most comprehensive information on gluten feel free to visit the “Depke Wellness Store” on our website for the DVD titled, “Understanding Gluten Intolerance, Fact or Fad?”

Next week in part 2, we will address a very important missing ingredient to our foods that can assist the body in its ability to digest your food properly.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

March 2010 Express Track to Health & Wellness

Welcome to the Express Track to Health & Wellness Program. I would first like to commend you for making the time and financial commitment to change your health and change your life. With the commitment to follow the program as designed, I am very confident you will enjoy a noticeable improved state of health and wellness, by the end of March. This is a step by step process that is designed to create success, one day at a time and continually build on this success.

This program is built on real life successes with thousands of clients over the years and it works. You've taken the first step by signing up, so now follow my lead and together, we will reach our goals.

Feel free to post any question or concern that arises for you. You are my first priority.

FYI...this particular blog post is reserved for those that have signed up for the March 2010 Express Track to Health and Wellness Program. I thank you for honoring this.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Vibrational Healing

Do you have a friend engaged in Vibrational Healing but shrug this off because you do not have a clue what they are talking about? Have you thought to yourself; I am not sure if this is in alignment with my religious beliefs? Or would you simply like to understand the concept of Vibrational Healing a bit further?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then please read on.

We hear the words Vibrational Healing quite a bit these days but most do not understand truly what these words represent. Often this is tied into some type of mental/emotional clearing or energy techniques and while this is true; it is not a complete representation. The reality is, EVERY healing technique is Vibrational Healing.

Based on the work of Dr. William A. Tiller, the most reasonable representation of all living organisms is listed in this way.

Function interacts with structure, which interacts with chemistry. Chemistry interacts with electromagnetic energy fields which also has an interaction with subtle energy fields.

This was presented in Dr. Richard Gerber’s book, “Vibrational Medicine”.

The way I explain this is the interaction of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual or vibrational body.

When you look at this equation it is easy to understand that anything you do in your daily life, it tied into Vibrational Energy. Here is a short list of what affects your Vibrational Healing.

• The air you breathe
• The water you drink
• The foods you eat
• Your sleep patterns
• Your movement
• Your exposure to the sun
• Your emotions
• Your thoughts
• Your beliefs

These are the fundamental values that I assist my clients in balancing. This list could go on but you get the picture by now.

As mentioned previously, Vibrational Healing is often thought of as being attached to the mental, emotional, and beliefs; but this is only because a nutritionist, as an example, simply does not refer to themselves as Vibrational Healing Consultants. They call themselves nutritionists or dieticians.

I teach my clients the understanding that Vibrational Energy is the foundation of everything else is our life. It is not my job to tell anyone what to categorize or call this energy. I have heard it categorized as vibrational, spiritual, or a movement of light as some examples. I have also heard it called many names such as chi, qi, prana, vital force, life force, God, Buddha, Allah, Jesus Christ, Mother Nature, the universe and the list goes on. It is a very personal decision what everyone wants to categorize or call this energy but it is important for me to share that I feel to be in your best of health regardless of what you categorize or call this energy; it needs to be moving through you in every moment.

Most often, Vibrational Healing has a focus on the emotions, thoughts and beliefs for a very important reason. This is due to the fact that when you can shift to a different state of balance on this level, usually the rest of the choices in your life will follow. As an example: Someone that is living in a state of suppressed anger will generally have a life that is reflecting this state. They will typically be under quite a bit of stress which will inhibit their breathing, restrict their hydration, affect their nutritional choices, challenge their sleep cycles, and restrict movement in many ways. All of these choices, which may surface due to the suppressed anger, will more than likely lead to a chronic dis-ease state. When you can assist in shifting within this underlying belief, thought and/or emotion of suppressed anger, you will generally see every other choice in their life also shift. Due to this your body can once again reach a state of ease.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments on this subject.