Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
With Halloween and Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s likely that you’re starting to enjoy pumpkins. While pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie may not be the healthiest options, pumpkins themselves are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help the body work properly.
It’s highly likely that you’ve experienced bloating before, but do you know what causes this issue? Learn about what can trigger this feeling and what can help fight it from Amanda Williams, MPH.
adaptogenic herbs
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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You’ve probably heard us talk about adaptogenic herbs in the past, whether it’s on a podcast or on one of our radio shows. Today, I want to talk about what in the world an adaptogenic herb actually is.†
We know all about stress and we’re always trying to find different mediators to the stress response. Let’s talk about what is actually occurring within the body when we are under acute stress. The body itself has become reliant on this acute stress response to overcome any issues that arise.†
The problem is that many people are not experiencing acute stress and that fight-or-flight response, but they’re experiencing chronic stress. It is this chronic stress that is creating dysregulation within the HPA axis, which is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Once we start to affect that, then we are starting to see more issues when it comes to every single system in the body, including our blood glucose response, blood pressure response and our ability to fend off oxidative stress.†
Chronic stress can create significant health issues by impacting our sleep cycle, immune defenses, microbiome, cardiovascular health, metabolism and mood. This is when we have to start thinking about how we can adapt to or manage this.†
Managing stress in the body is a multi-pronged approach. Obviously, we want to try to make some lifestyle modifications to help minimize our stress as much as possible.†
Then we get into adaptogenic herbs. So what is an adaptogen? Adaptogens are nutrients that have been used for thousands of years to help counteract the negative effects of stress. The way that these adaptogens work is through restoring the body’s natural balance. Research has shown how adaptogens can help to fight off different harmful biochemicals and the emotional effects of stress.†
We need to create balance or homeostasis within the body to avoid the long-term damage of chronic stress and that is what adaptogenic herbs are known to do. For thousands of years, they have been utilized and we now understand the science behind how they offset the negative impact of chronic stress. We can look at the way things like ashwagandha or rhodiola are working to help to normalize a happier cortisol response and at the same time, really heighten the cellular ability to fend off oxidative stress and generate energy. Research has shown how ashwagandha can help to support the cardiorespiratory system and how rhodiola has been used for exercise endurance and muscle recovery, in addition to in the setting of mood and anxiety. We can see how these nutrients work in the body to support our cognitive and physical performance.†
RHODIOLA BENEFITS BEYOND STRESS – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 27. Listen Now>>
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses adaptogenic herbs, an important category of nutrients that help the body fend off the damages of chronic stress. She explains the difference between acute stress and chronic stress and also explains stress affects the body.†
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Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
Did you know that cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide? Many people rely on surgery to help with this issue, but there are also nutrients that can help support healthy vision throughout the aging process.
Did you know that your body has a powerful barrier that helps keep your brain safe from invaders and toxins? This shield, called the blood-brain barrier, can weaken with age. The good news is that resveratrol can help support protection of the brain.
chromium
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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When we think of the human body, we know that we are composed of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and friendly bacteria that help make up the human body. It is through those nutrients that we maintain certain signaling pathways that are used for different enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters being released. But there is one particular element in the body that oftentimes is very misunderstood. Sometimes people will hear about the dangers of chromium. I want to highlight what chromium is, why there is that misinformation when it comes to this element, and why taking this nutrient as a supplement would be beneficial to optimize your overall health and wellness.†
When we look at chromium, this is a trace element or mineral that comes in two different forms. We have the trivalent form and the hexavalent form. When we take something into our body that is not the proper structural form, the body can go haywire. This is what we see in the hexavalent form of chromium. This is the form that is used in the automobile industry and it can be toxic if you inhale it.†
PROMOTING HEALTHY DETOXIFICATION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 360. Listen Now>>
When we are taking chromium as a dietary supplement, this is always in the trivalent form. Trivalent chromium is an essential micronutrient. When we look at what this element is actually doing in the human body, most of its abilities comes into play when we look at its role in glucose and fat metabolism.†
When we’re supplementing with chromium, this can have an effect in terms of helping to support healthy blood glucose or blood sugar levels. When people have elevated blood sugar and they take chromium, oftentimes we see this really nice balance that is produced. It helps to push that high glucose level down. This can also create a dual effect by helping to support fat metabolism. This is why many people have looked at chromium as a wonderful supplement for working out and losing weight.†
When it comes to dietary exposure to this mineral, oftentimes we are not yielding enough. Potential chromium deficiencies can occur because of that lack of dietary exposure. Certain foods such as mushrooms have a trace amount of this element, but that’s only if they’re grown in soil that contains a high amount of chromium.†
Researchers have found that when you partner this mineral with magnesium, this is that one-two punch for helping to support healthy blood glucose response. They found that when they gave this combination to people who had insulin resistance, they started to see a significant lowering of their fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin levels, as well as improvements in markers for insulin resistance.†
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses the important element chromium. She addresses misconceptions about this nutrient and also examines why it is so important for supportive overall wellness.†
Key Topics:
Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.