Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Getting to the Heart of the Holiday Blues Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND While for many people holidays are a time of joy for other people it can lead to the holiday blues or holiday season-induced depression. Now I am sure your thinking is not holiday …
Holidays and Immune Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND While the holidays are often times of fun, exciting travel and a time to reconnect with family and friends they can also be a time when we are exposed to different pathogens or germs than we are …
Managing Diabetes during the Holidays
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Managing diabetes during the holiday time may seem to be an insurmountable task. But with a little twist to some classic recipes and a little help from classic invite supplements, eating healthy during the holiday is not quite as insurmountable as you might expect! Let us get into it, shall we?
While there are several forms of diabetes in this blog, I will be concentrating on type 2 because it is the most common form that people call to talk about. Type 2 diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar is higher than normal. This can occur either because your body is not making enough insulin or it is not properly using it and glucose is building up in your blood. Diabetes is much more common than you might expect. In fact, approximately 11% of the US population has diabetes.
What is the most common symptom of diabetes? Well, there may be an increase in thirst, a feeling of dry mouth and even more frequent urination. There may be weight loss without any diet changes. You may find yourself feeling more tired than usual. Your vision may be blurry. Any sores or cuts may take longer to heal. There may be an increase in yeast infections. In some case’s there can be numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. (1) Diabetes can have dangerous complications. Please see my blogs on diabetes for more information on complications.
How does this relate to the holidays? As we all know, holiday time is a time that can be incredibly stressful. Stress can affect our blood sugar. Cortisol, the hormone that our body makes when we are under stress, can make it harder for insulin to work. That is because cortisol wants your body to have enough sugar or in other words fuel to “run away” from your stress. That is why the higher the stress, which triggers higher cortisol or stress hormone, the higher your blood sugar! (2)
Travel, another aspect of holiday time, can also impact blood sugar. I know what you are thinking, Dr. Claire HOW can travel impact my blood sugar? Well travel can be stressful and that stress can affect blood sugar. Travel can often lead to motion sickness and motion sickness can affect your blood sugar. (3) Lastly very often it can be difficult to find diabetic friendly options when traveling. Eating foods higher in sugar than you normally do can obviously affect blood sugar.
Alcohol is another common aspect of holidays. However, alcohol can be a concern for those with diabetes because it can raise or in some cases lower blood sugar! This can be dangerous since the symptoms of low blood sugar can be mistaken for those of alcohol or in other words you may think you are just tipsy but you are actually having an episode of very low blood sugar. (4)
Another aspect of the holidays is the sleep disruption. This can happen for a number of reasons. Are you having trouble sleeping in a different space? Is it too quiet or too noisy? If you have company, are you staying up late talking or cooking for them? As you can see, the holidays can wreak havoc on your sleep. Sleep is especially important for blood sugar control. In fact, studies have found that just 1 night of poor sleep can increase insulin resistance. (4)
Last but not least, is the food aspect of the holidays. Some people skip meals to have “space” for later. Then there is the idea that just a little is ok. In my experience a little tends to add up fast and in the case of many holiday foods this can involve much more sugar than you are used to eating. Many people find that after the holidays their treats have led them to having higher blood sugar readings than they usually have.
So, what can you do at this time of year?
Recipes for the holidays!
Cranberry goodness
Take 1 package of cranberries and cook them in water that has 2 scoops Reds Hx and 3 scoops Ribose complex mixed in. (Basically, mix the powders in water and use that water to cook the cranberries.). If it is not as sweet as you like you can add more Ribose complex. Feel free to add some nuts for a fun texture.
Blender muffins of health (lol)
With this recipe feel free to have fun! Take 2 eggs, 2 scoops of Invite Whey protein, 1 scoop Cocoa Hx, and 1 cup instant oats. As you blend add enough water so that it is a muffin like consistency. Generally, between 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup. Scoop into a muffin pan and cook at 350 for 20 min checking to see if they are done. Variations to this include using almond milk instead of water. You can also add fruit and nuts for texture! As I said it is not exact and you can have fun changing things up!
Green bean casserole
Take 16 oz. of green beans and steam until fork tender and put in a baking pan. In a separate bowl add 2 scoops of Greens Hx to 1 can of Cream of mushroom soup. Add ½ can of water (or at least enough water that you can easily pore the mix). Add spices of choice and mix. Place over the green beans. Add a liberal amount of dried onions or shallot. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Spaghetti squash? Yes, Spaghetti squash can be a fun food for the Holidays!
Cook your spaghetti squash as normal and then add the following sauce. To a mixing bowl add precooked onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Add some tomato sauce and the contents of 3 Probiotic Hx, 3 scoops of Greens Hx and 1 scoop of Beets Hx. Add in any spices you like! Mix till well combined and then add to your spaghetti squash.
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Holidays and Digestive Woes Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND As we approach the holiday season family gatherings become more frequent. These family gatherings often include new or different foods that may affect your digestive health. Family gatherings also frequently include travel and even stress, both of …
Stress and Holidays Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Holiday time can be both fun and exciting. However, it is also a time that can induce stress. As a person who has both hosted holiday dinners and attended them, I can confidently say both situations are stressful …
Men’s Health and Thyroid Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Thyroid health can be linked to many distinct aspects of our overall well-being. One of these is women’s health, however it also affects men’s health. Let’s get into it, shall we?
One common misconception about thyroid disorders is that they occur only in women. While it is true that thyroid disorders are more common in women they can and do occur in men and should not be ignored when determining what is causing your symptoms. That being said some of the symptoms of thyroid disorders can differ between men and women. For example, one symptom of underactive thyroid is fatigue. Typically, men will experience more profound depletion of energy and even muscle weakness. Another example is the weight loss experienced with overactive thyroid. While both genders lose weight men tend to have a greater change in weight. Men also tend to lose more muscle mass than women. In addition to these symptoms’ men with both over or under active thyroid typically experience greater cardiovascular complications. What are overall some of the more common symptoms of thyroid disorders? There may be weight changes, cardiovascular changes such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate irregularities. There may be changes in energy levels and even mood fluctuations. For example, there may be depression, anxiety and even just an overall irritable feeling. Symptoms for both man and women are included in the below chart:
| Hypothyroid | Hyperthyroid |
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Now I know what you are thinking but Dr. Claire this is all good but how does it relate to Men’s health? Well to start with thyroid disorders often lead to low testosterone levels. (1) What exactly is the relationship between thyroid and testosterone? Thyroid hormone tells the body to make GnRH which then tells the body to make LH which tells the testes to produce testosterone. If there’s not enough thyroid hormones there is less signal to make GnRH and thus less LH is made and so there’s less testosterone made. (2) What happens if there is too much thyroid hormone or in other words hyperthyroidism? This can lead to low Testosterone because a hormone called sex hormone-binding globulin increases and this increase in the hormone which binds testosterone means more testosterone is bound and thus there is less free testosterone. (3) Thyroid disorders in men can also lead to physical changes such as gynecomastia (male breast enlargement) and reduced muscle mass. There may also be low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and delayed ejaculation. (1) In some cases, rather than delayed ejaculation there may be premature ejaculation. There may be testicular atrophy (shrinking testicles). There may also be infertility due to low sperm count or poor sperm quality. (3) Hair loss is a common symptom in both men and women. (1)
What are the most common risk factors for thyroid disease? A family history of thyroid disease, turner syndrome, too much or too little iodine, being over age 60 or having received radiation therapy. Having any autoimmune disease such as Lupus, RA, Celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes. (4) From a Naturopathic viewpoint we are taught leaky gut can increase the risk of thyroid disorders.
What can you do? Well, it depends on what is going on.
Hypothyroid:
Hyperthyroidism:
In most cases correcting thyroid imbalance will work to correct the low testosterone. There are some nutrients that can help.
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