Omega 3 Fats – Support for Your Immune System, Adrenals and Fatigue

I love coming up with new recipes that offer delicious ways to meed your needs for basic nutrients that support your in overcoming chronic fatigue, autoimmune conditions and hormone imbalances.  Omega 3 fats are commonly deficient in today’s world, and imbalances here are a major contributing factor in most chronic and degenerative disease.  The proper balance of Omega fats can protect you from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, and any chronic inflammatory condition you can think of.

Getting enough omega 3 fats is a problem.  Most Americans eat a ratio of 25:1 or higher of  Omega 6 to Omega 3  fats.  Omega 3 fats are found in meat, dairy, eggs, peanuts and most vegetable oils, like soybean, canola, safflower, corn and sunflower.  All processed foods contain an imbalance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats.

Researchers estimate that a healthier ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 intake is between 1:1 and 3:1.  Is this possible to achieve?  Yes!  In eastern countries, like Japan, people eating a more traditional diet have ratios of 1.5:1, while those eating a more western diet have ratios more similar to Americans.

There are lots of strategies I teach my private coaching clients and those in my programs, like Balance My Body.  In fact we have several hours of recorded classes on this topic  from last week alone  and I’ve created charts and spreadsheets to assist people in measuring their omega fats and bringing them into balance.

I’ve been playing and came up with a super delicious high omega 3 chia pudding:

Dr. Ritamarie’s Omega 3 Rich Chia Pudding

Ingredients

• 3 T chia seed
• 1 T flax seed, ground after measuring
• 1 T hemp seeds
• 3T finely ground dried coconut (I like Ultimate Superfoods brand)
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla powder of extract or ground bean
• 2 apples, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons pomegranate powder (optional )

Directions

1. Soak the first 4  ingredients in 2 cups of water.
2. Once it’s thick, stir in the alst 3 ingredients.
3. If desired top with nut milk and any other condiments you desire, like raisins, goji berries or raw cacao nibs.

For more pudding and other hearty powerful breakfast ideas, go to:

http://powerbreakfastideas.com/

Check out the video to see me making chia pudding.

Please ost your commitments for the day.

Take Control of Your Autoimmune Disorder

Creating a Vibrant Life

An autoimmune dis-ease is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue.

Autoimmune dis-ease can affect many parts of your body, like your nerves, muscles, endocrine system (system that directs your body’s hormones and other chemicals), and digestive system.

Common autoimmune dis-eases include:

Lupus
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Celiac Disease
Hashimoto’s
and many others

Join Dr. Ritamarie as she uncovers some of the possible causes of autoimmune disorders and how you can take control and begin healing your immune system.

The time to start healing is now.

DATE: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
TIME: 12:30pm – 1:30pm CST

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/Vibrance

Gluten-Free Snack Recipe: Sour Cream and Onion Daikon Curls

On Sunday I hosted a living foods potluck dinner.  It was so much fun.  I thought I’d share a recipe that was so good, it was gone before dinner even started.    This recipe works well with macadamia nuts substituted for the cashews.  I tried a variation with sweet potatoes and carrots when I ran out of daikon and it was delicious.

Daikon is a great choice this time of year because it’s such a powerful immune booster and mucous dissolver.

Sour Cream and Onion Daikon Curls

contributed by Gretchen Burk, Austin Texas

Equipment Needed: Dehydrator, Spiralizer or Vegetable Peeler and Blender

Ingredients

• 2-3 large daikon radishes
• 1 small or 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
• 7-8 cloves garlic
• 1 whole green onions 4 inches of the greens from another green onion
• 3/4 cup cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ume Plum Vinegar (Oshawa brand, available at most natural grocers)
• 3 1/2 tablesooons lemon juice
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon real salt or pink salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Put all ingredients except daikon and the extra green onion tops in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add extra water if needed.
2. Pulse the extra green onion tops in to just break them up.
3. Use the spiralizer on the ribbon setting to create long curls from the daikon.
4. Add the onion sour “cream” mixture to the daikon to just coat. If you have extra, use it as a dip.
5. Place the coated daikon on the mesh dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 12-24 hours to desired texture. They stay chewy.

Variation: use macadamia nuts instead of cashews.  Substitute sweet potatoes or carrots for the daikon.

Gretchen Burk is a gifted healer and a whiz in the kitchen.  I’ve personally sampled her body work sessions and her food, and I’m hooked.  Gretchen’s practice as a healing arts professional includes Swedish, Sports and Deep Massage, Structural Bodywork, Shiatsu  and  energy healing, including Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu.  Gretchen’s advanced body awareness and knowledge of anatomy & physiology significantly enhance her ability to help restore her clients’ health. I always feel great after a session with Gretchen.  She can be reached at 512-971-4543

Fats as Friends, Fats as Foe: The balancing act at the heart of overcoming chronic fatigue and adrenal exhaustion

They’re in the news all the time. They are much maligned in many circles. Yet without then, life ceases to exist. We’re all caught up in the low fat craze. So what’s the truth about fats? Are they really the enemy or are they friends, so long as they stay in balance.

Tune in as I discuss this important matter.

FAts are also very important for hormone balance and mental health.  Without then, you’re at risk for thyroid and adrenal fatigue, hormone deficiencies and depression.

Be sure to eat a good source of omega 3 fats daily, along with a wide variety of antioxidant rich fresh foods.

For delicious recipes using the omega 3 seeds, check out my new book, Power Breakfast Ideas and Dehydration Bliss, an online video course thta teaches how to make delicious breads, crackers and other treats using seeds, nuts and vegetables.

What’s your favorite way to get your daily omega 3′s?  respond in the comment box below.

Love, health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

http://www.freshnfunliving.com

7 Essential Strategies for Optimal Hormone Balance

If you think that the symptoms of hormone imbalance are limited to the discomforts of PMS, hot flashes, and other common menopausal discomforts, and that the solution is medication or “white knuckling it”, you’re not alone. Hormone imbalances contribute to a myriad of common complaints that most people don’t consider hormone related, including inability to shed excess body fat, fatigue, hair loss, palpitations, skin problems, and a host of others. Chronic and debilitating diseases like fibromyalgia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease are hormone related as well.

There are 7 essential, yet often overlooked strategies for balancing your hormones that are crucial keys to living a vibrant, healthy and balanced life.

1)   Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude. Stress is one of the key contributors to hormone imbalance.  When you’re in a stressful situation, your body produces a cascade of chemicals—hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters –– that mobilize your body to escape or fight. This is what’s often known as fight flight mode, and most Americans live there 24/7.  When this is chronic, the excessive demands of on your adrenal glands, the “stress soldiers”, causes less nutrients and hormone precursors to be available to make other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA. Studies show that you can transform a stressful state through the power of deep breathing and appreciation. Take frequent deep breathing and appreciation breaks throughout the day to support your hormones.

2)   Get Enough Sleep. While there is not a one size fits all prescription concerning the amount of sleep you need, you do need to figure out what your body really requires, and get it on a consistent basis. During sleep, your body takes out the broom and mop and goes to work cleaning up from the “mess” of the day. Insufficient sleep will leave you tiredfrom the metabolic debris that doesn’t get cleaned up and will throw your hormones into a tailspin. One particular hormone, called leptin, is particularly sensitive to variations in sleep cycle. Leptin controls your appetite and metabolic rate.  Insufficient sleep will result in lower leptin levels leading to slower metabolism and weight gain.

3)   Optimize your Digestion. Eating on the run, eating processed foods, trans fat containing foods and hard to digest, heavy meals will lead to undigested food particles, damage to your digestive track and physical stress. This can affect the adrenal glands just as significantly as physiological stress, leading to the same hormone imbalances as being “stressed-out”. Stick to unprocessed, whole fresh foods, eaten slowly and with gratitude. You can also take enzymes and probiotics to help your digestion purr.

4)   Avoid plastic drinking and food containers. These contain what’s known as xenoestrogens, which are estrogen look alikes that bind to estrogen receptors.  Xenoestrogens can cause endometriosis, ovarian cysts, breast cancer and fetal abnormalities. Other sources of xenoestrogens are detergents, some skin lotions and soaps, commercially raised meat and dairy,  spermicides, and herbicides. The xenoestrogens leach from the plastic food containers into the food or water. Heat increases the amount of xenoestrogen that gets into the food or water. Use ceramic or glass as much as possible, NEVER heat anything in a plastic container,and use only pure, chemical free body and home care products.

5)   Do periodic cleansing. Your liver works hard to keep your blood clean, but the overwhelming

number of toxins from both external and internal sources can overwhelm its capacity.  As a result, toxins are stored in fat, leading to resistant weight loss. In addition, when the liver is overburdened by toxins it can’t adequately convert “used” hormones,  to water soluble forms for excretion. As a result, these”used” hormones recirculate and bind to hormone receptors, thus displacing the active hormones. This is particularly problematic for estrogen, and can lead to such symptoms as PMS, hot flashes, mood swings and uncomfortable menses. Periodic breaks in the action with a green juice or green smoothie cleanse can restore balance.

6)   Eat plenty of sea greens. In addition to containing all the minerals known to be important in human health, and most likely many that have yet to be discovered, sea vegetables are powerful detoxifiers.  They have the ability to bind heavy metals and carry them out of the body. Heavy metals can disrupt hormone balance. A study in 1998 in the Journal of Human Reproduction linked heavy metals with recurrent miscarriage. Their conclusion was that heavy metals negatively impacted both ovarian and pituitary function. Sea vegetables are especially important for thyroid hormone hormone production, as they contain iodine, a mineral that’s  deficient in land vegetables due to mineral depletion of our soils. Studies have shown that a particular species of the sea vegetable kombu, called laminaria digitata actually contains T3 and T4, the thyroid hormones.

7)   Run away from heated fats. When heated above about 118 degrees, unsaturated fats oxidize, producing free radicals that damage your glands, organs and cells. Free radical damage is one of the key underlying causes of hormone imbalance and most other health challenges. The heated oils disrupt your natural production of prostaglandins, small messengers that regulate everything from hormone production to smooth muscle contraction. Eat fats in their raw and unprocessed state and be sure to get enough omega 3 fatty acids daily, in the form of chia seed, flax seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed and blue green algae.

Hormone balance is a complicated process. When the conditions are right, your glands will function normally and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel. It takes a bit of time and diligence to make the lifestyle and diet changes needed to have healthy hormone balance, and it’s worth it. Give yourself time to incorporate the changes. Seek the support of a natural health practitioner who can personalize your program, and add specific herbs and foods that support your uniqueness. Remember to stay focused on the solution rather than the problem, and appreciate the choices in front of you. While this is not a comprehensive list, it’s a great place for you to start to balance your hormones and live a happy, healthy life.

To learn more about how to balance your hormones, rebuild your libido and age gracefully, join Dr. Ritamarie and Kevin Gianni for a 3 part telecourse called “Ageless Woman’s Health.”

Here’s where to go to be a part of this educational event…

WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration

There are limited slots and the telecourse starts on the 8th of September at 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST. And each session is recorded just in case you can’t make one.

WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration

Love, health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie