Patty James M.S., C.N.C.

Last night in Livermore, California, there was a Food Truck Extravaganza! I was there with my daughter Olivia, her husband David, his brother Brian and his son Gavin, and my granddaughter Brealyn. It was overwhelming at first. We walked the whole circle of food trucks first checking out the offerings. How do you decide between fish tacos, lobster rolls, kimchee quesadillas (when I get home, I’m going to create a recipe for this) and solar ice cream. I decided on the muffelta sandwich once I knew the chef was from New Orleans.

Check out these food trucks-some are pretty famous and all were really fun! No matter what your food preferences there was something for everyone.

The average adult American consumes about 14 grams of dietary fiber a day, far less than the recommended 25-35 grams recommended by The National Academy of Sciences’ Institutes of Medicine. What is dietary fiber, why do I need it and how do I get it? Simply put, fiber is the part of a plant that is not digested (seeds and cell walls) or absorbed by the body, but it is an important determinant of health. Dietary fiber has been shown to lower serum cholesterol, thus lowering the risk of heart disease and possibly lowering the incidence of colon cancer, the third most common form of cancer. Eating a high-fiber diet tends to require more chewing time, giving your body time to register that you are full therefore assisting in weight loss.

Fiber is often classified into two categories, soluble and insoluble.

• Soluble fiber dissolves in water forming a jelly-like bulk in the stools and is found in oat bran, apples, citrus, pears, peas, beans, legumes and psyllium (Psyllium is found in products like Metamucil, but is also available in health food stores.) Soluble fiber slows digestion and helps your body absorb vital nutrients from food. You should consume approximately 10 grams a day of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber can improve blood sugar levels reducing the risk of developing type II diabetes.
• Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water and possesses water-attracting properties that function to increase the bulk of the stool, to soften the stool and shorten transit time through the intestinal tract. Fiber also dilutes the concentration of colonic toxins that may be present, therefore leaving less time for certain foods to deposit impurities and cancer promoting compounds on the intestinal wall.  Insoluble fiber can be found in wheat bran, corn bran, nuts, cabbage and root vegetables.

Most experts advise to slowly increase your intake of fiber to prevent gas and bloating. Adding 2-4 grams a week is a good recommendation. Here are some easy ways to increase your dietary fiber:

• Replace regular pasta with whole wheat pasta
• Sprinkle oat and/or wheat bran in muffins, pancakes and even spaghetti sauce!
• Eat high-fiber snacks such as fresh vegetables and fruits. Leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach, broccoli, figs, prunes and raspberries are all high in fiber.
• Consume pinto, navy, Lima and kidney beans, as well as the legumes lentils and split peas.
• Buy whole grain bread with as much fiber per slice as you can find. Look for breads with 3-4 grams of fiber per slice is ideal.

Remember that when you increase your fiber, you should also increase your water intake. Try for 8 glasses a day.

The ‘fight or flight response’ is our body’s primitive, automatic, hard-wired response that prepares the body to flee or stand and fight from real or perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival. Without our body’s ability to alter bodily functions when we are threatened, humans might not have survived the Saber tooth tiger days!

In our bodies, the stress reaction comprises chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol being released into our bloodstream for quick energy. Our respiratory rate increases, our digestive tract basically stops as the blood is redirected into our muscles and limbs for that quick get-away. Our pupils dilate, awareness is intensifies, impulses quicken and our sight sharpens. We’re ready.

This process is fine and dandy when our lives are threatened by, say, a bear chasing us in the woods, and this type of stress response is acute, meaning it comes on quickly and stops when the threat is gone. It’s instant and was meant to save our lives.

When it’s not acute, it’s chronic, meaning it goes on for days, months or longer, and our health suffers. This fundamental physiologic response forms the foundation of modern day stress medicine. Chronic stress robs the body of certain nutrients, including potassium, zinc, and B-complex vitamins and can put you at risk for heart disease, sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, memory impairment, and anxiety and depression.

Many people reach for salty, sugary, and/or fatty snacks -comfort foods that temporarily make us feel better. Temporarily being the key word. Caffeine and/or alcohol are common choices for some. These are called ‘food stressors’ because they actually intensify stress inside the body, while ‘food supporters,’ including water, vegetables, fruit, and omega-3 rich oils from flaxseed and fish, can help the body fight stress.

By consuming foods that are less than nutritious during stressful times, you further deplete your stores of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, and magnesium, thereby increasing your stress level and upsetting your nervous system, tensing your muscles, and raising your blood pressure. It’s a dangerous cycle and one you can stop.

There are some things that can help us reduce the effects of stress in our lives:

• Remove labels of what you think you can or can’t do, tell yourself you can be and do anything you set out to do. Self-talk with positive intentions is powerful.

• Be aware of your thoughts and feelings: if you are aware, then you can change-if need be-and improve. Part of this is learning to express yourself in positive ways. Check in with your feelings and decide if they are appropriate for the circumstances.

• Pursuit of purpose: find what your passion is, what drives you and live that life. Sometimes we don’t find our purpose, it finds us. Be cognizant and open.

• Think positive thoughts: you’ll be healthier and happier as will those around you.

• Be of service: you feel good when you help others.

• Develop resilience. People with resilience are able to cope with stress in healthier ways. Sometimes that means just putting things in perspective and counting our blessings.

• Calm your mind and body. Relaxation methods, such as meditation, exercising, stretching or breathing deeply can help.

• Take care of yourself! To have good emotional health, it’s important to take care of your body by eating regular, healthy meals, getting enough sleep and exercising to relieve tension. Avoid overeating and don’t abuse drugs or alcohol.

Just looking at this photo is calming for me. What works for you?

That was the question my daughter Olivia asked me after she took L-Glutamine for two days and her sugar cravings stopped. I explained that I didn’t give her drugs… geez. L-Glutamine is not a drug, but is the most widely circulating amino acid in the body. I realized that she wasn’t listening to anything else I said, as all she cared about was that she was no longer stuffing sugar- in its many available forms- in her mouth.

This is one sentence

One of my favorite things is to read a scientific study and find a way to explain it to people who don’t read them all the time. Does this sentence give you chills, or is it just geeky me?

“Individuals possessing a paucity of serotonergic and/ordopaminergic receptors and a increased rate of synaptic DA catabolism due to a high catabolic genotype of the COMT gene are predisposed to self-medicating with any substance or behavior that will activate DA release, including alcohol, opiates, psychostimulants, nicotine, gambling, sex, and even excessive internet gaming, among others.”

In other words, not enough (paucity) serotonin (serotonergic) or ordopaminergic (having to do with dopamine) will make you crave things you shouldn’t—sugar, alcohol and everything else they named. Genetics is a factor, as it is in almost everything. L-Glutamine suppresses insulin to stop further decline of blood sugar levels and stimulates glycogen (a stored form of glucose, your body’s main fuel source) to be released which helps increase blood sugar to normal levels. Blood sugar stabilization decreases sugar cravings-makes sense, right?

L-Glutamine has been noted to help with other health issues besides sugar cravings:

• Helps to promote healing of impaired gut mucosa (your gut lining-think bowel function)
• Improves brain function
• Helps maintain acid/alkaline balance
• Helps with protein metabolism

L-Glutamine is generally taken with the pyridoxal-5-phospahte, the active form of vitamin B6, which regulates the absorption, metabolism and conversion of amino acids. Take L-glutamine before and between meals. If it’s an emergency, say you’re about to eat the whole cake, open the pills and pour right on your tongue for faster absorption. Whew…that was close. Remember that adequate protein intake is an important factor when developing a sugar reduction plan.

This is just the tip of the amino acid therapy iceberg. There are some contraindications with certain amino acids. Please see your health practitioner for advice.

You might have noticed palm oil or palm kernel oil on a food label on cookies you picked up at the store, or perhaps on that bar of soap you just purchased. If you are like most, you didn’t think anything about it.

Here are some reasons why you should.

Palm oil comes from the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the palm seed, generally extracted using a gasoline-like hydrocarbon solvent. A third product, further down the production line, is fractionated palm oil, which is used by food manufacturers who like the melting qualities and stability. All are saturated fats, but there are some health benefits in organic palm oil, which is lower in unsaturated fats and high in antioxidants, particularly vitamin E. Saturated fats are not the devil in small amounts, but when you begin to see this commodity food in everything, it becomes a problem for your health.

The big concern and connection to your health—and the health of many endangered animals—is the environmental impact of palm oil production.

When the U.S. government regulation required that trans-fat be listed on food labels, the use of palm and palm kernel oil increased dramatically. The palm plant is grown primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia on land that has been cleared for its production—namely rainforests and carbon-rich (think oxygen) peat-swamps. The production of this oil is responsible for the destruction of enormous tracts of land that is habitat to many already endangered species, such as the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger and other species.

What can the average person do to help? Limit or eliminate your purchase of food and products that contain palm or palm kernel oil. Vote with your dollar and help to leave some air for your grandchildren!