Hydration- the key to all is H2O

Water plays the most important role of all the things that we take into our bodies from the external world and many Americans actually live in a state of chronic dehydration without even realizing it.

Besides making up about 60% of the body and being required by every cell in the body to function, it is also the solvent which allows us to absorb vital nutrients, like electrolytes and glucose and distribute them to our cells where they are used to make energy. Water is essential for digestion, lubricates the joints and improves blood circulation, helps regulate body temperature, flushes toxins out of the body, helps cells maintain their electrical properties, and many other vital functions. We can go up to eight weeks without ingesting food, but only mere days without water.

Just like with everything, individual requirements vary from person to person based on bio-individual needs, but there are a few good rules of thumb that may help you get the most from the water that you are drinking:

-       Most importantly, drink clean water!

o   The environmental working group has shown that there are as many as 38 low level contaminates (such as fluoride, disinfectants, arsenic, lead, medical waste, birth control, antibiotics, agricultural run-off, nitrates etc…) in our tap water. Berkey filters makes a great product that removes 99.99% of harmful pathogens from water, and another great way to get water is to go to find a spring and look for a local spring to visit and bottle your own water (preferably in glass for storage).

-       Add a pinch of unrefined Himalayan pink sea salt to your water

o   Adding a bit of sea salt that is high in mineral content to your water is a great way to increase the absorption of that water through electrolytes and also adds trace minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.

-       Drink the bulk of your water away from your meals

o   The idea behind this is to avoid diluting your stomach acid, thereby negatively impacting digestion.

-       Don’t drink too much water

o   Consuming too much water can be just as harmful to your body as not getting enough. Most people should not be drinking more than a gallon per day, and it is most beneficial to drink water in small sips rather than chugging large amounts all at once.

Blood Sugar Regulation- Own your mood!

Between our current agricultural practices, heavily processed foods and fast paced lifestyles, blood sugar dysregulation is a roller coaster that many do not realize they are even on each day, or have a choice to get off of.

We have been taught that it is normal to wake up groggy, shuffle out of bed, chug coffee while focusing on all the overwhelming tasks of the day, hustle our kids out the door, grab something easy to-go (generally carbs/sugar) on the way out the door (or skip breakfast all together), while throughout all of this our blood sugar is rapidly rising. When our blood sugar rises too high or too fast, our body starts to overproduce insulin, which can in turn cause blood sugar levels to drop rapidly. The pancreas then releases glucagon to try and regulate it, but if it is not able to release these stored forms of glucose at the right time or in the right amount then the HPA axis comes into play and the adrenals immediately release epinephrine and cortisol to attempt to rectify the imbalance, causing the body to develop insulin resistance when this cycle is repeated time and time again. We feels this as energy spikes and crashes, cravings for carbs and sugar, afternoon exhaustion, waking up with adrenaline at all hours of the night and not being able to fall back asleep, nightsweats, feeling on the verge of hypoglycemia all the time, being ‘hangry’, and brain fog.

Our bodies have brilliantly evolved to endure stress in acute forms, and believe it or not, this type of stress is actually good for our bodies in short spurts when we are able to return to homeostasis afterwards. It is when we encounter mid level stressors throughout the day and as a result, throughout the night as well, that we get stuck on the blood sugar rollercoaster that has been increasing steadily since the industrial revolution and exponentially since the advent of the low-fat diet, when fat was replaced with sugar. Never before in history have we had the emergency need to lower blood sugar. The increased consumption of processed and refined foods, environmental toxicity and stress, create this unique and critical need.

Stable blood sugar is maintained by eating a diet that is balanced in fat, protein and complex carbohydrates (vegetables). When the body is breaking food down into building blocks, energy and storage, there is consistent energy throughout the day, metabolic flexibility, and reduced stress on the body.

Digestion- "we are what we absorb"

Because every cell in our body relies on our ability to properly transform and transport the nutrients in our food, it is even more important to consider how this system is taking things in, than it is what we are putting into it.

Digestion is a north to south process, meaning that it starts in the brain with the thought, then sight and smell of food. Before our food even touches our tongue, digestive enzymes are being produced to start our food’s southern journey. Therefore, if any part of this system is in a state of dysfunction, the rest of the sequence is likely to experience some consequences as a result.

Digestion is a parasympathic process, meaning that we must be in a state of calm and rest to be able to properly digest. When we are in a cortisol-dominant sympathetic state, blood is shunted away from our digestive system and brought to the brain for focus and acuity, and the muscles for speed and strength. So while it may seem obvious that while running from a saber toothed tiger is not a great time to eat thanksgiving dinner, in our modern society we are actually doing some version of this almost at all times when we eat. Whether we are sitting at our desk between meetings, shoveling down refined carbohydrates, or feeling slightly annoyed at our children for picking out all of the ‘green things’ from their meal after we’ve had a long day of working and then laboriously preparing a nice dinner for them, simply put, if we are stressed we are not going to properly digest.

Therefore, it is certainly possible to have a really great diet and also experience symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, heartburn, disbiosis etc… all of which likely indicate an imbalance in a northern aspect from where the symptom is showing up.

If you are experiencing digestive discomfort of any sort, try a combination of any or all of these simple things:

-       Really take in your food before you eat it. Take in the sight and smell of it, and think of all the ways you are grateful for the miraculous natural processes and human labor that went into bringing it to your plate.

-       Make time and space especially for eating, try to really give yourself enough time to chew your food fully (20-30 times/until it is the consistency of a smoothie) before swallowing. This is not only an important part of how carbohydrates are broken down, but also this chemical digestion happening in your mouth signals the start of gastric digestion in the stomach.

-       Use digestive bitters before a meal to boost HCL (which is how we digest protein and kill pathogens that potentially ride in on our food), to stimulate digestive enzyme production, and assist in signaling to the gallbladder to release bile which helps with fat digestion.

-       Papaya enzymes are great to take after a meal to further help with nutrient absorption and gastric signaling.