Ben Brown, Nutritionist, Owner, Body Systems Healing & Performance

As you may already know, the process of digestion begins not in the mouth or the stomach, but in the act of smelling, tasting, touching and even thinking about food. These sensory mechanisms allow our body to prepare for the digestive process by stimulating the production of saliva, chyme, stomach acid (HCl) and pancreatic enzymes that facilitate the breakdown, absorption and assimilation of food literally, from our eyes, through or digestive system and ideally into our trillions of bodies cells. The ability for one to effectively utilize this digestive process is being recognized as a major limiting factor in how healthy we can be. Numerous physical symptoms and disease processes are being linked to poor digestion and gut health. In order to optimize this process, one must fully understand the many factors associated with complete digestion along with the steps involved in identifying and repairing an already compromised stomach and digestive tract.

Easy Ways to Immediately Improve Digestion

• Eat and Prepare your OWN food:

In a perfect world, there would be little disconnect between the foods we eat and where they come from, however, this is simply unrealistic and impossible for most people. Regardless, it is not unrealistic to make a concerted effort to shop local, sustainable, and organic, as well as try and do the majority of your cooking at home. Spending time with family preparing, and cooking your quality food will impart significantly greater nutrition as well as ensure a more relaxed and healthy environment for you to enjoy and adequately digest your foods.

• Chew, Chew, Chew…and Chew Some More

As one of my mentor’s once said, “drink your food and chew your water”, essentially saying, we need to savor our food and beverages a little more before swallowing, as this ensures better nutrient breakdown and ideally absorption.

• Drink Water

Adequate hydration is crucial for necessary enzyme and stomach acid production. Often times, simply being under hydrated can be a major cause of digestive symptoms as water is essential for the cellular hydration needed to supply and protect the mucosal barrier that protects us from our strong stomach acid.  Try drinking a glass of water 30min before each meal, but limit fluid consumption during and immediately after meals, as it can dilute the stomach acid needed to break down our foods.

• Stress Less

I’ve mentioned before about how our parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the digestion and detoxification process. Conversely, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for our fight or flight response. Ideally we should have a balance between these two systems, but because of too much stress, sugar, caffeine, and lack of sleep, most Americans are living in a prolonged sympathetic state. This is hardly conducive to adequate digestive enzyme production. As Paul Simon said in 59^th St. Bridge, “Slow down, you move too fast…”

• Food Combining

Try and avoid mixing proteins like meat, fish, eggs or cheese with concentrated starches like potatoes, cereals, breads, pastries, or refined sweets at the same meal. Starches when combined with protein dilute stomach acid and inhibit protein breakdown. The starches can essentially act as a sponge, soaking up the important stomach acid, thereby mitigating it’s effects. This can lead to food fermentation, putrification, and a build up of toxins and bad bacteria taking place. Gross!

Identifying Poor Digestion

Have you been diagnosed with excessive stomach acid or GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux disease)?  Do you suffer from bad breath, body odor, loss of taste for protein containing foods, burning or “acid” stomach, gas shortly after eating, indigestion after eating, difficulty digesting fruits or vegetables, undigested food in your stool and upset stomach from acidic or spicy foods?

Dr. Jonathon Wright, author of “Why Stomach Acid is Good for you”, has tested thousands of patients using the Heidelberg capsule (considered the gold standard for hydrochloric acid determination) suggests that as many as 75% of people over the age of 60 could suffer from low stomach acid.  While young people will typically have more stomach acid than an older person, we often confuse digestive symptoms with excess stomach acid, which 98% of the time is in fact hypochloridia, or too low stomach acid. Here’s how to determine how much hydrochloric acid you need.

Food Allergies/Sensitivities

Individuals who do not secrete enough digestive enzymes often suffer from multiple food allergies and sensitivities.

Failure to digest food coupled with a weakened mucosal barrier in the digestive lining allows for large molecules of undigested food to be absorbed and cause such problems as food allergies, leaky gut syndrome, colitis, and immune system weakness. These digestive enzymes are essential in keeping the bodies immune response from attacking it’s own body tissues.

Using Digestive Support

The pancreas produces enzymes that are required for digestion and absorption of food. Enzymes produced by the pancreas include lipases that digest fats, proteases that digest proteins, and amylases that digest starch. Production of your own digestive enzymes declines 1% every three years after age thirty and is additionally affected by other factors like stress, sugar and sickness. For many, it is beneficial to supplement these pancreatic enzymes for optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients from food.

Most plant based digestive enzymes in the health food store will help, however, here are the products that I recommend.

Digestzymes:

Start with 1-2 capsules in the middle of a protein containing meal. Increase dosage up to 7 capsules with each meal. If you feel warmth or burning after your meal, decrease by 1 capsule and maintain dosage assuming no burning. If you need multiple capsules per meal, then upgrade to Betaine-Pepsin HCl, as each capsule is equivalent to 2-3 Digestzymes.

For better instructions, check out the “Acid Test” Video

Purchase your digestive supplements

Healing The Stomach

For most people, therapeutic doses of hydrochloric acid will fix many digestive problems, but for some just starting out, seemingly low doses could make the problem worse. This is an indicator to stop HCl supplementation and take steps to heal the mucosal lining of the stomach before any HCl supplementation can be beneficial.

The first step involved in healing is to abide by the aforementioned guidelines to improve digestion, especially drinking adequate amounts of water. There are a few products that work very well for improving digestive symptoms while helping to repair the stomach and intestinal lining. There are two products that work very well for gut healing:

Glutamine: Glutamine has been recognized as a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that under normal circumstances the body can make (synthesize) adequate quantities, but, during times of stress, including fever, illness, dieting, and chemotherapy, the body cannot make a sufficient amount.

Scientific research has found that glutamine also aids in the normal functioning of the intestines. It has been recognized as the second most important fuel for the cells lining your colon and helps clear out waste through the kidney and liver.

Dosing Glutamine: 1 tablespoon first thing in the am and last thing before bed in 4-6 oz water. An additional 2-3 tablespoons throughout the day will add even more healing benefits.

You can find glutamine at any health food store or supplement store. I personally like to mix a heaping tablespoon of glutamine with Natural Calm Magnesium powder at night, as it helps sleep and digestive health.

GI Revive: This product contains things like deglycerized licorice and slippery elm that are geared toward increasing the integrity of the mucosal barrier as well as creating an environment that is not conducive to the growth of bacteria.

Dosing GI revive: 1 teaspoon, 3x/day on an empty stomach.

Honorable Mention: PROBIOTICS

No healthy gut protocol can be complete without a good probiotic. These are healthy microorganisms that support intestinal and digestive health, but are often decreased because of antibiotic use as well poor food quality . These probiotics come from fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, but also can be found as a supplement in your local health food store, typically in the cooler section. Look for acidopholis and bifidobacteria together in one product. I highly recommend a probiotic for all people, especially children. If your kids are too young to swallow pills, simply separate a powder capsule and sprinkle onto a bite of yogurt or applesauce. These probiotics are live microorganisms, so keep them away from heat and stored out of sunlight, preferably in the refrigerator. Even breast feeding mothers can help their child by sprinkling some probiotic powder on their nipple while feeding. This is a fantastic way to build a strong immune system in your baby as well as yourself.

This should give you a very good start on healing the gut and improving digestion so that you can feel better, sleep better, be healthier, lose body fat, gain muscle and reduce inflammation and disease.

The health of our digestive system really is key in establishing any kind of health related goals, as we’re only as strong as our weakest link. For many improved digestion is the missing link in improved health and longevity.

* This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your physician. You should consult with your physician or health practitioner prior to implementing any supplement regimen.

References:

1. http://www.tuesdayminute.net/heal_the_stomach-biotics_research.html. “Healing the Stomach”, Biotics Research
2. http://www.tuesdayminute.net/food_combining-biotics_research.html. “Food Combining”, Biotics Research
3. Getoff, David NMD. Supplement DVD series – Digestive Enzymes.
4. Digestive Enzyme Studies: http://preview.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&cmd=historysearch&querykey=1
5. Designs for Health product tech sheet: Digestzymes180: http://catalog.designsforhealth.com/Digestzymes-180

Follow this link to learn more about setting realistic goals and how to achieve them

“Everyone is curious to how to lose weight and get in shape. I am no professional but I do get asked a lot on how I did it. I am not even top form in my physique. There is so much to cover.

First, get your dedication in check. It is crucial! Without it, you’re done before you start. Don’t have the “I just want to get a feel of this first attitude”. There is so much information on the internet for you to research.

My favorite place is www.bodybuilding.com. There is a overwhelming amount of information on the their site. I am sure there is many more websites out there with good information. But, for me this is my one stop shop.

Second, I am not going to use the term “diet”. This is not short term. One meaning of the word is: “The usual food and drink of a person or animal.” Thank you “http://www.thefreedictionary.com/diet”, for the reference. Most people use this word in means to eat healthier to make healthier gains. A diet is not “short term” it is a lifestyle for which you choose to live. Now, with the vocabulary lesson out of the way. Let’s move on! Changing the way you and your family eats is not easy. You try something and give up on it to try another. Try to make the same thing with different ingredients as well as bring more things. Getting a variety is awesome. It does get boring eating the same thing day in and day out. As my friend Ben would say, “change it up”. That seems to be a key phrase with everything when improving physique and health. He also says, don’t eat the same meal at the same time every day”. Ugh! That one was brutal for me. Eggs are boring but I find them the easiest to make at 5:30 in the morning. So, the grill is fired up frequently at that time. There is a balance and definitely a give and take. I eat grilled chicken, Steak and eggs with yams, grilled zucchini, grilled bell peppers, or Haricot Verts every day. Occasionally, I will have white fish or salmon. Although, I should have it more frequently. I am still tired of it from 6 months ago. Get the diet down and all the work you put into exercise will enhance and increase phenomenally, at least for me and many others it did.

Here are a few ideas:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10_beginner_recipes.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/5-fit-meals-anyone-can-make.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/creamy_hamburger_noodle_casserole.html

( I would use gluten free noodles)

There are so many way to make delicious healthier foods. Now some of these may not be ideal to shred. If you are looking to do that. Then you need to go back to the basics.

Now at one point, I figured I needed to step it up a notch. So, I hired a good friend that does nutrition http://www.scottsdalefitnessandhealth.com/. Thanks Ben! In the first week I dropped a 1% body fat and in 3 weeks I dropped 2.5%. It didn’t stop there. I continue to drop to 6.4%. Not bad for a 37 year old man that weighed 206 lbs 6 years prior. Probably somewhere in the mid 30% body fat range.

My son eats all the grilled food I eat. He even eats grilled tilapia and grilled chicken for breakfast with peas, white potato for him or rice. He is 9, 4’6″ tall and weighs 67 pounds. For his age, he should be at 4’1″ and 62 pounds. Thanks to “http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/height-weight-teens.shtml” He might have good genetics. But, I don’t know where he got them from.

Third: Exercise, For me, this is easy. I think working out is fun and I have a blast doing it. The more people I sense in the gym the more power I feel, to work harder. But, form and doing the right exercises for the body parts you are about to workout for the day is important to figure out. Form needs to be figured from the beginning the right exercises I think, can come in time. If you decide to get a personal trainer, That’s great! Although, they are like most things in life, “You get what you pay for”. So, if you are going the cheap route, which is fine in the beginning. But, if you want to maximize your time and health efficiently then you need to get someone that is known for producing results. For me that place is “http://personalpowertraining.net/. Thanks Garret for busting my ass to get it done and thanks to Scott “the owner” for sending the right guy. Now, I had worked out and had great results on my own. But, my knowledge and routine had come to a plateau and these guys took me to the next level.

There are other places that I know that produce great results as well. I don’t want to leave them out. They are people that are friends of mine here on Facebook. I even know one in Jacksonville, Florida.

If you decide to start up on your own, here is a get link to help you find different workouts you can do.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmaintrain.htm?sel=exercises#exercises

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/list/muscle/selected/abdominals

With all that said, it doesn’t mean you need to go to the extreme to eat and workout the way I do or the way many others do. If you seek those kind of results, you will need to. Find a goal that makes you happy and go for it. If you are not seeing results after a month. Then there is something to be said about it. Most likely it is what your eating. There is no “but I am eating better” there is only what will work and what isn’t working. If no results, it isn’t working. ”

Good Luck!

You’re Friend,

Michele’

You Are Your Goals

Most people set goals this time of year, usually revolving around weight loss through increased exercise and “better” food choices.  While these are perfectly normal and healthy goals to have, we often fail to create a realistic plan of action as to how we’re going to attain these goals. It’s not uncommon for our expectations to far exceed what’s realistic or even practical.  Often we throw out random numbers with the hopes and dreams that we’ll somehow get there, but no concrete plan as to how.

Do any of these common New Year’s goals sound familiar?

“I want to lose 20 pounds!”

“I’m going to start exercising every day”

“I’m going to stop eating carbs”

While these may be realistic and attainable for some people, regardless of whether or not they have a plan, most will not make it very far. While we all have good intentions, there’s a few things you need to know that will help you not only set appropriate goals, but allow you to achieve them through planning, hard-work and some inspiration.

Step 1: Write down your goals

We all have hopes, wishes and dreams, which are usually the “goals” that we throw out every New Year’s. All commendable, but they need a specific action plan. And, those that write down their goals are much significantly more likely to achieve them.

Step 2: Goals are specific and measurable

“I want to bulk up” is not as good as, “I will put on 5 lb of muscle in the next 5 weeks”

Step 3: Goals should have a specific timeline

A timeline ensures that you know exactly when it’s going to happen and therefore, makes the goal that much more real.

Step 4: Goals are realistic

We’re used to seeing quick and seemingly easy weight loss through the media, that people don’t have a basic understanding of what it takes to lose and maintain healthy weight loss. For example, losing 20 lb of body fat could take a year for some people, but most of us don’t think about it like that, nor do we factor in levels of commitment and previous experience. For many people, they want to get healthy by losing weight, but all too often, the weight loss happens by getting healthy first!

Step 5: Find your inspiration

It’s easy to throw out a random goal, like, “I will lose 8 lb of body fat in 8 weeks.” In fact, this sounds like a pretty good goal, given it’s specific, measurable, and seemingly realistic. However, if the goal doesn’t have a motivating factor for someone, then they’re unlikely to have the desire to follow-through. On the other hand, if it’s their daughters wedding in 8 weeks and they need to fit into their dress, then it’s likely that their motivation is high and will do what it takes to achieve the goal.

Step 6: Understand the difference between outcome goals and behavioral goals

An outcome goal is the intended result, i.e., “I will lose 8 lb of body fat in 8 weeks.” or “I will be able to do 5 body weight pull-ups by May 1^st”, as these are the objective measures of ultimate success.

A behavioral goal is the hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that you need to complete in order to achieve the outcome goal, i.e., “I will exercise 5 days/week for the next 8-weeks” or “I will eat breakfast every day for the next 8-weeks”. These are under the complete control of the individual and developed in such a way to make the outcome goal attainable.

Ultimately, your behavioral goals are the most important behaviors that you can realistically commit to RIGHT NOW, that will immediately effect whether or not you attain your outcome goal.

Some examples of behavioral weight loss goals that you may be able to implement immediately:

“I commit to exercising three days per week with a trainer and two days per week on my own.”

“I commit to stop drinking alcohol during the week, and only having 1 glass on wine on the weekends with food.”

“I commit to shopping and preparing all of my meals for the week on Sunday.”

Sit-down, whether you’re on your own, with a partner, or with a health professional, and outline the steps that you think will be necessary to reach your outcome goals. Even if you implement one new behavioral goal each week, you’ll be much more equipped to accomplish your goals than before.

By following the aforementioned goal-setting steps, you are giving yourself the opportunity to be successful. Just like if you were to write a research paper, start a business, or plan an event, you would need a plan with specific, measurable and realistic steps to facilitate your end goal. This is how you should treat your health-related goals for optimal success.

Ben Brown is the owner of Body Systems Healing & Performance in Scottsdale. He specializes in corrective exercise and weight-loss programs as well as individualized supplement and nutrition plans. For more info, contact Ben at ben@bodysystemsaz.com or visit www.bodysystemsaz.com.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours

Feeding yourself frequently throughout the day ensures that you are regulating your blood sugar levels and stimulating your metabolism to burn fat. This will allow you to “burn hotter” throughout the day, utilizing fat as fuel.

2. Eat protein with every feeding opportunity

Protein, ideally from quality animal sources is highly thermogenic. That means that you burn calories simply through the process of digesting these foods. Protein is a key building block in skin, muscle, organ and joint health and should be eaten with every meal. The word protein actually means “of first importance”.

3. Eat vegetables with every feeding opportunity

Dive into a couple brightly colored servings of vegetables with each of your meals to ensure your getting all the nutrients and fiber you need. This will help fill you up and keep you from eating too much dessert.

4. Earn your sugary treats with exercise

Plan for those delicious holiday desserts, by saving them until after a hard weight training or cardio session. The 2-3 hours after exercise is the best time to eat sugar (of course it’s better if you don’t) because your cells are more insulin sensitive and can use that sugar as fuel rather than store it as fat.

5. Expect to cheat

Be realistic. If you think you can make it through the holidays without giving in to sweets, then good for you, but for most of us, that’s not going to happen.  So plan ahead and decide what and how much you are going to eat ahead of time. Then be proud of yourself for following thru.

For more strategies on staying fit, Contact Us today!

I took some pictures of the ingredients and cooking process for better understanding and implementation.

Cooking utensils/pans needed:

1. Crock pot or large soup pot
2. Large wooden or metal spoon
3. Knife for chopping onion
4. Strainer

Ingredients (All can be purchased at Trader Joes)

1. 2 lbs lean ground turkey breast (you can add dark meat if you want for more flavor) – I like to do 2 lbs white and 1 lb dark meat.
2. 1 carton turkey stock (16oz)
3. 1 yellow onion, chopped
4. 1 package (16oz) “Healthy Eight” veggie mix – in produce aisle at Trader Joe’s
5. 1 large can organic chopped tomatoes
6. 1 can organic black beans (optional)
7. 1 can organic kidney beans (optional)
8. 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil – for sautéing the onions
9. 3-4 tablespoons chili powder
10. Sea salt and pepper
11. 1 avocado – for garnish

Recipe:

1. Start with 2 tbs olive oil or coconut oil in pan over med-high heat.

• If you’re using a crock pot, you will need to sauté the onions and meat in stove top pot, then transfer to crockpot to complete the dish

1. Add ground turkey and break apart with spoon. Cover and let cook through, stirring frequently
2. When turkey is cooked through, empty into strainer.
3. Add tablespoon oil to pan and add onion and healthy eight veggie mix. Cook for 5min until onions are translucent and veggies softened.
4. Add can of tomatoes
5. Add turkey
6. Add 2 cups of turkey stock
7. Add 3-4 tablespoons of chili seasoning and sea salt and pepper to taste
8. Cover and simmer for 15-30minutes
9. Add beans if desired last 10 minutes
10. Serve up and garnish with avocado or cheese if desired.      
    
11. 

Read on about coconut water and it’s many health benefits

Read more about what you can do to make Halloween healthier

Pain and soft tissue are two things that go together. Using a variety of techniques and a holistic approach to reaching your goal our soft tissue sessions are designed to  improve range of motion, decrease pain and stiffness, and enhancing the overall healing process.

Some techniques used include neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, sports massage, muscle energy techniques, movement integration, and muscle reeducation.

Some specific treatment areas: frozen shoulder and rotator cuff injuries, sports specific performance improvement, neck and headache pain, low back pain, hip dysfunction, TMJ dysfunction, improved range of motion and stretching,

Soft tissue pain can come from a minor injury to a life long problem. Restricted, sore, and injured tissue can be improved with therapeutic massage.

Stumped?

They all need more minerals in their food and water. In fact, every single person in the US is most likely mineral deficient. Did you know that in order to meet the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamins and minerals, you’d have to eat close to 5000 calories of food, every day! The fact of the matter is we just don’t have the nutrient dense soil of our ancestors and need to fortify those minerals any way we can.

One of the best ways to get your daily dose of minerals and trace minerals is from the liquid inside young green coconuts aka Coconut Water.

Yes, coconut water is the hottest trend in health drinks, but did you know that the healing properties of coconut water go way beyond just sports fuel. Doctors have actually used coconut water in IV’s for it’s blood plasma-like similarities and hydrating properties. Because coconut water is rich in electrolytes, it has gained international acclaim as a natural sports drink for oral rehydration.

Benefits of Coconut Water

Not only can coconut water rehydrate, because of the mineral-rich composition, it’s been used for:

• The treatment of infectious disease that cause dehydration, like cholera, dysentery, and influenza.
• It’s therapeutic effect on the treatment of bladder infections, kidney stones, and improves sexual vitality.
• Strengthening the heart, reducing high blood pressure and improving circulation
• Blood sugar regulation and improving insulin sensitivity
• It’s anti-aging effect on human cells and tissues
• A nutrient dense energy source
• Improving digestion and bowel function
• Helping relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome
• Reducing inflammation
• Supporting thyroid function

Coconut water has made its way from the tropics to local grocery stores, yoga studios, running shops, and continues to spread amongst health-minded individuals like wildfire. What many thought to be fad, has turned into a nutrient-based phenomenon. While the coconut itself has numerous benefits, ranging from food to fat source, it’s the sweet water inside that contains a complex blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates, antioxidants, enzymes, health enhancing growth hormones, and other important nutrients.

How to Use for Health and Sport Performance

Best used as a pre and post-workout aid, coconut water has 15 times the amount of potassium as most sports and energy drinks, significantly less sugar, and no high fructose corn syrup – a waistline killer. In addition to potassium, coconut water is a good source of major minerals like calcium and magnesium, and trace elements like zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, manganese, boron, molybdenum, and others. These are all derived from volcanic soils and seawater from which the coconut palms are grown.

When we perspire, we lose minerals (electrolytes) in our sweat that need to be replaced. Simply drinking purified or tap water is not good enough because they do not contain the same mineral composition that our body needs to be able to bring water into the cells for hydration. That’s why drinking coconut water during and after a workout is so beneficial for optimal recovery. It seems that mineral composition of coconut water is best for those engaging in short-moderate bouts of higher intensity exercise and may actually have too much potassium for excessive consumption during endurance events. The higher cost of top brands of coconut water may be a turn-off for some, but compared to popular sports drinks, you’ll get much more bang for your buck. (see comparison chart).

One thing the coconut water manufacturers won’t tell you is that you can get similar hydrating and electrolyte benefits by simply adding some unprocessed sea salt to your water at significantly less cost. And there are several electrolyte powders and capsules on the market that can be used as well. So, if you can afford some coconut water and like the taste, go for it, but if you think it’s gonna break the bank or too trendy for you, then there are alternatives for you. Either way, get them in because we need them.

Drink it straight out of the fresh young coconut, pound a bottle post-workout, or sip a coconut water smoothie as a snack during the day. Any way will be beneficial and help boost those minerals that we can’t get from our foods. Hawaiians call coconut water noelani (no-way lah-nee), which means, “dew from the heavens”, and has a long history of use as both a food and as a medicine. Add some coconut water to your active lifestyle and enjoy improved hydration and health.