How to Eat Healthy(er) Over the Holiday Season

How to Eat Healthy(er) Over the Holiday Season

It's that time of year again where a holiday party and a buffet of sweets is around every corner. There's been a myth going around that the average American gains anywhere from 7-15 pounds over the Holiday season. Luckily for most of us, that myth is unfounded, and it is normally only 1-2 pounds. However, studies show that most people don't lose this extra weight by the next year and tend to continue the trend through January. Our brains are still hard-wired to eat sweets and other not-so-good for you foods, and it can take a month to retrain the brain. So now, the average American is gaining 2-4 pounds during the winter season and keeping on about half of it until the next year. After a few years, this really adds up!

Here are a few helpful things you can do to eat healthier this holiday season!

1) Substitute Xylitol into recipes instead of sugar. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in small quantities in many fruits and vegetables. Why should we be using it? While it has the same amount of sweetness as sugar, it has almost zero effect on blood sugar levels and our insulin receptors. Most people in America consume way more sugar than they should and our insulin receptors are constantly being stimulated. Over time, our insulin receptors become less sensitive, and this is the beginning of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Replacing sugar with Xylitol allows our insulin receptors a well needed break and lets our body better self-regulate itself.  Xylitol also has 40% fewer calories than the normal sugar we eat. It is refined, meaning that these are empty calories, but so is the other sugar! Bottom line: Xylitol is not a health food and would be only marginally better than normal sugar if eaten in the same amounts. However, we do not eat it in the same amounts, and so we are not normally over-doing it. Switching to Xylitol for a season will at least give our glucose (sugar) regulating system a chance to normalize.

2) Control your desert intake! I know this seems like a no-brainer, but many people go to parties or events and want to try one of everything. That's no problem! However, don't feel like you need to eat a whole desert. Instead, take only a bite size portion of each desert, and then walk away from the table and don't go back! This way, you get to try everything without going totally overboard. Don't let anyone tell you that you're being wasteful or feel bad for splitting up the deserts. Your health is much more important!

3) Eat a small salad before going to a party.  This will help fill you up a little and not leave your body craving something to eat. Even if you feel like you're still gorging on the deserts, studies show that people who eat a salad beforehand with lots of fiber and protein consume 30-43% less calories once out at the buffet table.

4) Chew! Have you ever started eating a cookie and all of a sudden you're 4 or 5 cookies in and you don't know how you got there? When we're eating sweets, our bodies tend to go into binge mode. Especially over the holiday season, it is important to remember to chew and savor our food. Chewing each bite 20-30 times (yes that much!) is not only extremely beneficial to digestion, but it also allows time for our stomachs to feel satiated and send signals to our brain to stop eating.

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

Thanksgiving Recipes!

Thanksgiving Stuffing!

For most people, Thanksgiving is a time of family, friends, and food! More often than not, many of these recipes don't contain the healthiest of ingredients. However, it's hard to have Thanksgiving without the stuffing. Luckily for you, there are some delicious stuffing recipes out there without all of the bad stuff. Below is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

•  1 pound ground pork
•  2 cups diced onions
•  2 cups diced bell peppers
•  4 cups (about 1 pound) diced mushrooms
•  2 cups diced apples
•  8 oz fresh cranberries
•  1 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
•  ~ 2 T duck fat, bacon fat, or coconut oil. 
•  1 T fresh rosemary, minced
•  1 T fresh thyme, minced
•  2-3 leaves fresh sage (or 1/2 t dried)
•  sea salt
•  4 eggs
•  1/4 cup chicken or turkey stock
•  2 T coconut flour

Directions

Prepare all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350°.

1. Melt about 2 teaspoons of your fat of choice in a large cast iron or stainless skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the pork and cook until it just browns, 3-4 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Pour off excess liquid from your skillet and add another teaspoon of fat.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions. Saute until golden brown and soft, 6-8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the pork.
4. Add another teaspoon of fat, and saute bell peppers for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
5. Throw in yet another teaspoon of fat, turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the mushrooms. Saute for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
6. To the large bowl, add the apples, pecans, cranberries, herbs, and a good pinch of salt.
7. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, chicken or turkey stock, and coconut flour. Add a pinch of salt if you’re stock isn’t salted.
8. Pour the liquid into the large bowl and mix.
9. Pour the whole thing into an oven safe casserole and bake for one hour.
10. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating. It will firm up a bit.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

Same Calories, Same Amount of Exercise, Bigger Waistline

Same Calories, Same Amount of Exercise, Bigger Waistline
Why It's Harder to Be Skinnier Today Than 30 Years Ago

Researchers have found that millenials (born in the 1980s - 2000s) weigh more now than their parents did in the 70s and 80s, even if they were eating the same amount of calories and doing the same amount of exercise. BMIs of millenials were up 2.3 points higher in 2006 than someone of the same age in 1988. These studies show that weight loss is no longer as simple as calories in versus calories out. 

So what else is affecting our waistlines adversely?

Most evidence points to endocrine disruptors and excess hormones in our food and envrionment. Endocrine disruptors are things that can interfere with the hormone systems in the body. Examples of hormones include:

~T3 and T4 (thyroid hormones) - Regulate the body's metabolism

~Cortisol -  Helps the body react to stressful situations

~Estrogen - Female hormone (found in both men and women)

~Testosterone - Male hormone (found in both men and women)

~Leptin - Decrease of appetite and increase of metabolism

~Amylin - Helps you feel full and inhibits digestive secretion

The list goes on and there are over 50 different hormones circulating throughout the human body. After reading through the ones above, however, it becomes easy to see how changing the levels of hormones in the body can cause easier weight gain. Many hormones affect metabolism, fat storage, appetite, and digestion. Even if you are exercising a lot and eating very little, if your hormone levels are off, you might still be carrying around more weight than you want to.

Where do endocrine diruptors and excess hormones come from?

In today's world, it is very easy to absorb these things from our food and environment. 


The 5 biggest sources are:

~Meat Products - Hormones are added to meat products to help animals grow faster and eat less.

~Dairy Products - Cows are given hormones in order to produce more milk and to produce it constantly.

~Make-up and Beauty Products - Many endocrine diruptors in the forms of different chemicals are put into make-up, hair care products, and skin care products. This is one of the reasons women are more susceptible to autoimmune diseases.

~Food and Water Storage Containers - Many of the plastics contain chemical endocrine disruptors, which is why it is a good idea to switch to glass food and water containers.

~Non-Organic Food - Pesticides are huge endocrine disruptors. While they like to say that our body doesn't absorb them, it is easy to find research showing that our fat cells are more full of pesticides than ever before, and rising.



What can you do?

It is very important to buy meat and dairy products that are hormone and antibiotic free. Try to find beauty products that don't contain synthetic chemicals and try to wear and use less stuff on your body. Switch over to glass food and water storage containers. Finally, stop eating pesticides! Organic food is worth it. Not only does organic food contain higher nutrient levels which our bodies need, they contain much less chemicals than their non-organic counterparts. Making a change to even just one of these things will help decrease the effect on your hormone system!



yours in health,
dr samantha boldt

The Power Pose

The Power Pose and How it Can Change Your Life

Did you know that you can change certain hormones just by changing the way you position your body? 

Certain hormone levels lead to feelings of more power and control while at the same time relaxing the body. Higher levels of testosterone in both men and women are related to being more confident. Lower levels of cortisol are related to feeling less anxiety and improving the ability to deal with stress.

People with higher testosterone and lower cortisol, or who are more confident and relaxed, tend to position their bodies in what are known as "high power" poses. People with lower testosterone and higher cortisol, or who are more insecure or anxious, tend to position their bodies in "low power" poses. 

But what if you were told to change how you naturally position your body for just two minutes? What effect would it have on your hormones levels?

A study was conducted to determine just that. First, participants had their saliva collected so that their testosterone and cortisol levels could be measured. Next, they were told to either stay in a high power position or a low power position for two minutes. After two minutes, their saliva was tested again and the hormones were measured. The results were shocking! High power poses increased testosterone by 20 percent and decreased cortisol levels by 25 percent.

All of a sudden, the phrase 'fake it 'til you make it,' becomes a lot more clear. Even if you are feeling stressed out or uncomfortable in your surroundings, by positioning your body in a "high power" pose, you will actually begin to feel calmer and less anxious. This effect has numerous health benefits. Our day to day lives are extremely stressful and anything we can do to reduce that stress and feel more confident is well worth it.

How to make this work in real life:

1.  Stand in a power pose for two minutes every day in the morning to get your day started.

2.  Throughout the day, notice the position of your body. If you begin to get small or shrink into yourself, open up! 

3.  When you do enter a situation that you feel insecure in, fake it 'til you make it. Pick a power pose, or two, and stay in it. While you may not feel overly confident, you'll come off as more calm and relaxed to others and also start changing the hormones in your body. Before you know it, that situation won't seem as stressful as before!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

Know Your Plastics!

Know Your Plastics!  (It's all about the numbers)

Whether it's for food storage or to drink out of, it's important to know what the container is made from. So many materials these days are made from plastic, and if you look around your home, I'm sure you will have no problem finding it everywhere. However, the problems start when we begin looking at which chemicals they're leaking into our food, beverages, and other household substances which we then ingest or use on our body. Many plastics contain chemicals that are carcinogenic, disrupt our hormones, and are toxic to the nervous system, and they don't always stay where they're supposed to.

When it comes to plastic safety, it's all about the numbers. There should be a number on the bottom of all plastic containers which denotes what materials were used to make it. Some of these have been shown to be safer than others.

Plastic #1: PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

PET is used to make most bottles for water, soft drinks, sports drinks, juices and containers for condiments, dressings, and other food items. The problem with PET is that it has been shown to leak antimony, which is toxic to the human body. However, more common than the antimony problem is the problem with bacterial build-up. Long storage time on the shelf or being stored in warm areas, like garages, leads to excess bacteria in the container which we then consume. This bacteria can wreak havoc on the careful balance of good bacteria we are supposed to have inside our digestive tract.

Plastic #2: HPDE (High Density Polyethylene)

HDPE is often used for milk and juice containers and, sometimes, water bottles. It is also commonly used in bottles for cleaning supplies and hair care. It has been found to leach estrogenic chemicals into whatever substance it is containing. Excess estrogen in the system is rarely a good thing, and disrupts certain functions of the body as well as increasing the risk for certain cancers.

Plastic #3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

PVC is commonly used in deli and meat wrapping, children's toys, tablecloths, and many construction materials. This plastic contains pthalates, which are a group of "gender-bending" chemicals due to their ability to block male hormones. They are known to lower sperm count, cause testicular cancer, and have a feminizing effect on males from estrogen dominance.

Plastic #4: LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
LDPE is commonly used for produce, garbage, and bread bags as well as paper containers and cups. Like HDPE, these have also been found to leak estrogenic chemicals.

Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene is used in multiple food packaging containers, especially take out meals and the plastics used in the containers or plates at grocery stores for pre-made food. It has a high heat tolerance, and is unlikely to leach chemicals into food or beverages. As with all plastics, however, there is a possibility and some tests have shown that at certain temperatures, toxic chemicals do leak out.

Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene is also known as Styrofoam, and is used to make cups, bowls, plates, take-out containers and more. It leaks styrene into the food, a known carcinogenic as well as a neurotoxin. The warmer Styrofoam gets, the more styrene leaks out. Using Styrofoam for warm beverages or foods is one of the worst ways for your body to store and transport hot food.

Plastic #7: Other
Plastic #7 is used when the material does not fit into any of the above categories. While it's hard to say exactly what chemicals have been used, there is a good chance that it contains BPA or BPS. Both of these are endocrine disrupters, meaning they interfere with your body's hormones. These hormones are essential for regulating metabolism, temperature, mood, healing, growth and development, as well as sexual function and reproduction. 



Plastics #2, #4, and #5 are the "safest" for human consumption. My recommendation is to avoid all plastics when possible and replace instead with reusable glass water bottles and containers. However, if you are going to use a plastic, these three are your best bet. Also, try to never heat plastic up or put hot foods into plastic containers. The lower the temperature, the less likely the material will leak any harmful chemicals into the food or drink it's containing.