Understanding Leptin (the Hunger Hormone) is Key to Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Leptin, also known as the hunger hormone, was discovered about 10 years ago and has totally changed our scientific understanding of metabolism and the body fat storage process in general.  Leptin is produced by fat cells, and it signals to your brain whether you should be hungry, eat and store more fat, or to increase metabolism and as a result release excess unnecessary body fat. 

Both insulin and leptin work together to control the quality of one's metabolism and, to a significant extent, the rate of metabolism via nervous system control.  Insulin and leptin are the major hormones regulating metabolism.


A problem with leptin arises when one becomes leptin resistant.  When this occurs, the brain does not properly receive leptin signals, which would normally make a person feel full and thus prevent overeating.  The causes of leptin resistance are known, as well as methods that work to restore its normal activity. 

Inactivity, drinking alcohol, and taking pharmaceutical drugs (like birth-control pills, steriods, and diuretics) all contribute to leptin resistance.  So too do diets high in sugars like white bread, pasta, cereals, doughnuts, sodas, white rice, etc.  When sugars are not burned immediately as energy, they create triglycerides.  High triglycerides block leptin from entering the brain and creating a sense of fullness.   The standard American diet itself, rich in these types of refined foods, predisposes people to overeat, even if they have the best of intentions to cut back on their intake.

Calorie restricted diets also interfere with leptin.  These diets' interference with leptin explains their lack of success for many over the long term- as well as why their tendency to cause "rebound" weight gain once the restrictive diet is over.

According to Dr. Neal Barnard, noted nutritional expert and researcher, the best ways to optimize or boost your leptin level and sensitivity include:

1. Following the Rule of 10 :  Take your ideal body weight and multiply by 10. This will give you the minimum amount of calories you need to eat each day.

2. Eating low fat whole foods:   Low fat foods will reduce overall fat which helps your Leptin work better.  Beans, rice and vegetables are good examples. 

3. Exercising:  A simple exercise routine such as walking or jogging 15-30 minutes per day will help your Leptin work better.


References:

"What you don't know about leptin can make you fat," interview with Dr. Rosedale by Dr. Mercola, www.mercola.com.

The Baby Boomer Diet, by Donna Gates.

Breaking the Food Seduction by Dr. Neal Barnard

Why "Going Organic" is more Important for Children than for Any Other Age Group

Choosing organic foods over conventional foods benefits any age group.  However, for children, it is exceedingly important.  Organic foods are produced without using genetically modified organisms or pesticides.  Most pesticides and herbicides are in fact neurotoxins, which is why they successfully kill insects  Because children's nervous systems are in development, they are especially vulnerable to their effects. 

Presently, more than 20% of the pesticides currently registered in the U.S. are linked to cancer, birth defects, developmental harm, or central nervous system damage.  (Others may have side effects that are yet to be discovered.  Pesticides are generally not tested for their long term, cumulative health consequences- or the effect they have in the combinations consumed today.)  Cancer rates steadily rising among children have also been correlated with the increase in the use of pesticides, herbicides, and genetically engineered foods.  Cancer is now the second leading cause of death among children under 15.  Most children, unless their parents' happen to shop at co-ops or health food stores, are heavily exposed to these unnatural substances:  More than half of the food on the typical grocery store shelves contains genetically engineered ingredients, for example, and nearly 100% of it contains pesticide residues. 

One of the most eye-opening studies of the result of pesticide exposure on children was done on preschool children in Mexico and published in Environmental Health Perspectives.  The study compared the development of children heavily exposed to pesticides to children who were not exposed.  The children exposed to elevated levels of pesticides:

- engaged in cooperative (group) play less frequently
- appeared less creative in their play
- exhibited more aggressive behavior
- became more easily upset or angry with minor corrective comments from parents
- tested lower on memorization skills
- showed less physical stamina
- had decreased hand-eye coordination

(In both areas where children were studied, mothers were generally home on a full-time basis and showed interest in their children, indicating that other factors were not a major cause of difference between the two groups.)

Research investigating the link between pesticide exposure and common health issues in children today has also shown promise for the power of organic foods as an aid in reversing damage caused by "chemical overload."  According to Gabriel Cousens, MD, "Some research has shown that when [hyperactive and attention deficit diagnosed] children are put on an organic diet there is a 50% cure rate, without doing anything else." Beyond that, he says, there are supplements and superfoods that can assist with nourishing and restoring brain and nervous system functioning to normal.  Detoxification of heavy metals and chemicals stored in tissues of the body of affected children, according the Cousens, also assists in helping their bodies to heal. 

Children have a higher need for nutrition because they are growing.  The USDA periodically publishes data on the nutritional content of food.  Since the 1940's, along with the increase in chemical farming methods, the average nutritional content of fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods has been steadily declining.  Thus, it is not only the presence of pesticides that makes conventional produce less desirable, it is also the distinct lack of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants in conventional produce that children require for optimal growth and development.  Organic produce tests significantly higher in all four of these categories.  All things considered, naturally grown food is a more nourishing choice for our next generation. 

Resource:

Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

Blueberry Corn Cake and Maca Almond Mylk

I was looking for a way to use some local organic corn meal I obtained at a Vermont Co-op when I stumbled upon a recipe for corn cake from Bob's Red Mill.  I adapted a little bit and added some blueberries to it to add some additional flavor and antioxidants.

Corn is a very interesting, nourishing grain in its organic, natural state (much of today's corn is genetically modified).  According to Paul Pitchford's Healing with Whole Foods, corn:

• Nourishes the physical heart
• Influences the stomach, improving appetite 
• Regulates digestion
• Promotes healthy teeth and gums
• Tonifies the kidneys and helps to increase a low libido

Did you know that corn is the only commonly used native grain of the Western Hemisphere?  According to Macrobiotic theory, food that is grown in your local area (and even mores so, indigenous to your local area) is especially balancing and strengthening.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Corn Cake
makes 18 servings

1 c. organic corn flour
1 c. brown rice flour
4 T. palm (coconut) sugar or whole cane sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt or himalayan salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. xanthan gum
4 T. flax seeds mixed with 5 T. water
1/2 c. rice milk or water
2 T. melted ghee or coconut oil
about 8 oz. fresh or frozen blueberries, preferably wild!

Instructions:

1- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and then add the remaining ingredients.
2- Pour batter into two greased 9-inch square pans.
3- Fold in blueberries.
4- Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Maca Almond Mylk

1 c. almonds
spring water
2 T. raw honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 generous pinches of dry ginger powder
2T. tocotrienols (rice bran solubles)
2 tsp. maca powder
one pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp. raw vanilla bean powder
2 T. coconut oil

Instructions:

1- Place the almonds in a blender.
2- Fill the blender up with water to the 4 c. mark.
3- Blend until creamy and then pour the liquid through a nut milk bag or a fine strainer.
4- Return the strained liquid to the blender and add in the additional ingredients.
5- Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Add probiotics to almond mylk to add friendly, healing flora to your drink and to make it last longer in the fridge. 

Sweet & Sour Vegetarian Kabocha Sandwich

This sandwich is a seemingly unusual combination of ingredients, however, the sweet taste of the kabocha squash is a perfect foil to the sour taste of the sauerkraut... Together they make sandwich magic happen!


Ingredients:

Steamed Kabocha Squash
Raw Sauerkraut
Avocado
Wilderness Family Naturals Mayo (or another natural brand of your choice)
Sami's Bakery Sourdough Millet Bread


Instructions:

1.  Toast the bread and spread mayo on it.
2.  Mush the kabocha squash in a thick layer on one slice.
3.  Add a few slices of avocado.
4.  Add the raw sauerkraut (which is full of enzymes that aid digestion and friendly probiotics!).


5.  Enjoy! 

Raw Vegan Lucuma-Kissed Donut Holes

 

This recipe is full of super foods- almonds, dates, pineapple, sea salt, lucuma, and coconut... And,  it's amazing how their flavors and textures come together to create a healthier version of a favorite food- donut holes!  Bon Appetit! 

Inspired from a recipe in Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo. 

Ingredients: 
1 and 3/4 c. raw almonds
1/2 tsp. sea or himalayan salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 tsp. extract
2 c. dried, unsulphured pineapple
2 c. pitted dates
3-4 T. lucuma powder
1 heaping scoop Sun Warrior Brown brand Sprouted Rice Vanilla protein powder
1 heaping T. coconut oil
2 T. Really Raw brand agave nectar
1/4 c. shredded coconut

Instructions:  In a food processor, place almonds, salt, and vanilla.  Process into a fine powder.  Slowly add chopped pineapple and dates, mixing well.  Add the protein powder, coconut oil, agave and agave nectar, continuing to mix until well incorporated.  Place the "dough" in a large bowl. 

To serve, use an ice cream scooper or spoon to form donut holes.  Roll holes into a small bowl of 1/4 c. shredded coconut. 

Enjoy!

Serving idea:  Have these with Gynostemma tea instead of traditional coffee- or even Teecino for a more reminiscent flavor!

The Sugar-Depression Connection

It's no secret that white sugar is detrimental to health.  It has been linked with diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease and chronic inflammation.  But did you know that sugar has also been linked with depression?  Diet has an intimate connection with brain health and mood, for better or for worse.  Sugar is top on the list of offenders when it comes to throwing off the biochemical balance that keeps us healthy and happy.

Refined sugar and carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, white pasta, etc.) are incomplete foods.  Rather than providing your body with nutrients, they actually nutrients from your body as they are digested.  In the case of sugar, these include B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and trace minerals.  The same nutrients that sugar consumption depletes are responsible for the production of serotonin  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in many body processes, including mood.  Without adequate levels, depression results. 

Even though most people know that sugar is detrimental, they continue to consume it.  The reason why has to do with more than just its sweet taste.  Sugar triggers pleasurable dopamine and opiod signals in the brain, lifting one's mood.  The problem is, the brain can become addicted to stimulating the release of its own opiods just as it would to morphine.  The abnormally high stimulation of the receptors by refined sugars generates excessive reward signals in the brain.  The use of sugar can usurp the brain's natural processes enough that it can become dependent on sugar to feel good.


The solution?  Use whole food carbohydrate sources.  Whole foods contain necessary co-factors- minerals, B Vitamins, fiber and antioxidants- along with the sugars they contain, which means they nourish rather than deplete you.   Good examples are fruits, brown rice, amaranth, raw honey, quinoa or sweet potatoes.  A study of 3,456 middle-aged civil servants, published in British Journal of Psychiatry found that those who had a diet high in processed foods had a 58% increased risk for depression, whereas those whose diet contained more whole foods instead had a 26% reduced risk for depression.  Remember, even small changes in sugar eating habits make a big difference.

References:

"The Most Unhappy of Pleasures:  This is Your Brain on Sugar," by Dr. Mercola

"Depression," available from www.foodforthebrain.org

The Sugar Blues by William Duffy

Raw Pasta Alfredo

It's meals like this that remind me that I'm a health nut.... 

Ingredients:

Raw Green Tea Kelp Noodles
Zucchini, chopped into small pieces
Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
Grape Tomatoes, halved
Alf"raw"do sauce (recipe follows)

Alfredo-   (Adapted from a recipe in Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen.)
1 c. cashews
1 c. macadamia nuts
1 c. pine nuts
3 T. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. coconut aminos
2 T. water

* To make the Alfredo, place all of the ingredients in a high speed blender (such as a BlendTec or Vitamix), and blend until creamy.

1.  Rinse the Green Tea Kelp Noodles and combine with the pasta veggies.
2.  Massage the alfredo sauce into the noodles and veggies until well-combined.
3.  For an extra-special touch, you can add some fresh grated pepper, sliced Kalamata olives, or fresh basil... or, what the heck-  all of the above!

*Raw foods and nuts are best taken midday, when your digestion is the strongest- so this makes a great lunch.  Enjoy!  Let me know how you like it :)