Honey Nut Muffins

If you've got those bread cravings or those sweet cravings, then this recipe is for you! The great thing is that it is made with coconut flour (check out the article from the 5th), so the carb content is low! If you're in a maintenance mode or are need in of a treat, these are great little snacks.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 TBSP melted butter
2 TBSP coconut milk
3 TBSP honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/8 cup splenda (optional)
Pre-heat to 400 degrees. Combine eggs, butter, coconut milk, honey, salt, and vanilla. Mix coconut flour and baking powder before adding it to batter until there are no lumps. Fold in nuts. Pour the batter into muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Yields 6 muffins.

Featured Food: Egg

Eggs are not only inexpensive, but they're highly nutritious as well. They're a great source of protein (5.5 grams per egg with 68 calories) and they contain all 9 of the essential amino acids. We all know that proteins are essential for muscle growth and maintenance. They're versatile as well! There are so many ways that you can fix an egg (scrambled, boiled, poached, over-easy, etc.) Not only are they yummy and packed with protein, but they contain all kinds of health benefits as well. Eggs are an excellent source of choline (actually it's found in the yolk, the part that most people think is bad and detrimental to cholesterol). Choline is a key component of fat-containing structures in the cell membrane. Also they're a component of acetycholine, which is a neurotransmitter that carries messages to and from nerves. Studies have shown that people with a higher intake of choline (310mg compared to 250mg) had 20% lower inflammatory levels. They showed that subjects had lower levels of c-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (all of which are markers of inflammation). In addition these are linked to heart disease, osteoporsois, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, and Type II diabetes. Choline is even better when paired with betaine (spinach and beets). Inflammation is caused by oxidative stress. Betaine is formed from choline in the mitochondria, and this oxidation leads to mitochondrial redox stress. It is estimated that 90% of Americans are choline deficient. This is especially detrimental to pregnant women because choline is essential to brain and memory development of fetus. Eggs are a great source of lutein as well. Lutein is a carotenoid that prevents macular degeneration and cataracts. Most believe that spinach contains the highest levels of lutein, but yolks are actually a more bioavailable source that increase the lutein levels many times higher than spinach. Actually to maximize lutein absorption combine eggs and spinach (this is great because look in our archives from May and we have a recipe for eggs and spinach that it is absoultly delicious, doesn't sound or look so appealing, but trust me it's good); plus you'll benefit from the above mentioned combination of choline and betaine! Still more good news! Eggs are one of the only foods that naturally contains vitamin D (check last Tuesday's article). In addition it may lower the risk of breast cancer. Studies showed that women who ate at least six eggs per week had a 44% lower risk of breast cancer! Just another added bonus is that their high sulphur levels promote healthy hair and nails. Now let's address the biggest misconception that eggs increase cholesterol. Recent studies have actually shown that eating whole eggs improves blood lipid levels! They lower the risk of heart attack and stroke, and prevent blood clots. Protein in the yolks prolong fibrogens conversion to fibrin, which is where clumps of platelets are deposited to form clots. With all these wonderful things, how could we have ever doubted the "incredible edible egg". So feel free to go out and buy eggs (eat the whole egg!) and fix them any way that you like and enjoy!

High Stress, too much Cortisol

Are health problems coming from high stress and elevated cortisol? What is cortisol exactly though? It's produced from cholesterol by the adrenal gland. Secretion is controlled by hormones released by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Cortisol is essential, it's part of our "fight or flight" response, however continually elevated levels cause problems.
The "fight or flight" is great when you need it though. It provides burst of energy, heightened senses, and quicker response time. Basically it's like an "adrenaline rush." It's what lets mothers lift cars off their kids or that let our ancestors escape ferocious beast. Physical symptoms of this are: sweating, muscle tension, sharpened hearing, and heart palpitations. In response to a situation, the nervous system releases epinephrine and norepinephrine (commonly called adrenaline). The pituitary gland then secretes ACT II to the adrenal cortex. Then the adrenal cortex distributes 30 different hormones (included are cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, and testosterone) to deal with the stressful situation.
The constant stress that many suffer because of today's busy schedules and hectic lives causes cortisol levels to remain high. High levels can: impair cognitive performance, suppress thyroid function, cause blood sugar imbalances, decrease bone density, decrease muscle tissue, higher blood pressure, lowered immunity and inflammatory responses, in addition to increased abdominal fat (which alone is linked to increased cardiovascular risks). The persistent cortisol levels can cause other mechanisms (digestion, immunity, or endocrine) to shut down.
Not only is your stress raising cortisol, but as a result it wrecking havoc on your whole body. The above listed results should be reason enough to take steps to reduce your stress. It's not that hard we've already talked about some before. Just look at our past articles! Go out and play! Meditate; take a walk (low aerobic activity)! Sleep! Getting your sleep patterns under control and waking without an alarm clock are easy ways to reduce elevated cortisol levels. Decrease elevated cortisol levels and you'll be on your way to a healthier you (not only physically, but emotionally as well-less stress!)

Walking Better than Running?

Most people consummate weight loss with spending extended periods at the gym heedlessly running on a treadmill or elliptical or sweating through a spin class. Is this really the key to weight loss and weight management? Better yet is this enjoyable? Personally I don't want to think that getting up early and running on a treadmill for 30 minutes plus is what I need to do for the rest of my life to "be fit". Yet that's what most people think is good. This article is about low-aerobic cardio training, but research shows that interval training (which we'll talk about next week) is better than running forever on a treadmill. Besides being rough on your joints persistent cardio requires lots of carbohydrates to sustain, promotes hyperinsulinemia (overproduction of insulin), increases oxidative damage, and generates high levels cortisol (which makes you more susceptible to infection, injury, bone loss, and depletion muscle, while encouraging fat deposit). So now that we see that persistent, intense cardio is not the way to go, let's see what works. A balance between short bursts (sprinting) and low-aerobic cardio is key to weight loss.
From an evolutionary standpoint low aerobic cardio makes sense! Our ancestors didn't just run around chasing prey all day, that would be counter-productive. They would spend their days moving around doing what was necessary (like gathering berries), but they weren't exerting greats amount of energy. When the time came for them to hunt then they would be able to expend a short burst of energy to take down their target. Running all day would make them tired, so conserving would save energy and was key to survival. So what can we do today? Engage in some form of low-aerobic cardio at 55-75% of your max heart rate. This is a comfortable level, you can still engage in talking (which makes it more enjoyable if you're exercising with others, rather than panting and gasping to talk). This kind of cardio is foundational for other exercise. It tones muscles, joints and connective tissues so that you have a better base for strength training and sprinting.
Now let's look at all the benefits that studies have demonstrated. They've shown: reduce risk for metabolic syndrome, breast cancer, vascular dementia, and overall systemic inflammation. It also increases capillary network, muscle mitochondria, and production of fat-burning and fat-transporting enzymes. In addition it helps counter stress, which results in improved mood and well-being. This stress relief is especially great because it can lead to so many health problems (and tomorrow we're going to address cortisol and stress even more).
So in today's blog we've learned that we don't need to spend countless hours on a treadmill each week (exhausting ourselves), but we can get better results in a more enjoyable fashion. I've been doing this for the last few months and I really like it. On Sundays and Thursday I go for an hour hike behind my house, and the remaining days I do some barefoot walking (we've discussed the benefits of barefoot before). The options are endless though, and you can incorporate this into your play as well (check last Sunday's article)! Here are some great options to try though: dancing, hiking, bike rides, gardening, brisk walks, playing, mowing the lawn, a light swim (great since it's summer), rollerblading, or yoga (which incorporates yesterday's yoga as well). Find something you like and enjoy!

Meditation

This may seem like an odd subject for me to cover, but meditation can be an important part of health. We've discussed how there is more to health than just the physical. Wellness is about psychological health as well. How can you consider yourself healthy, when you're stressed out all the time. We've already discussed (Play article) how in today's society we're constantly on the go and stressed (look to Thursday and I'll discuss cortisol). Taking just a few minutes (that's all it takes) a day can help. Meditation is apart of the lifestyle pyramid that I include in my program booklets and I have it posted on my walls.
Most think of meditation as a religious practice or part of yoga. Meditation can be used in several ways though. You could use meditation for Enlightenment, to increase compassion, spiritual guidance, greater focus, creativity, self-awareness, or for a relaxed/peaceful mind. One study showed that those who meditated more had less distress and lower levels of interleukin 6, which is an indicator of cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and some cancers. An article I read on compassion meditation (empathy for those around us) may reduce inflammation and emotional stress. So not only are these studies showing that meditation is emotionally beneficial, but physically as well. Work by Dr. James Austin has shown through functional MRI's that Zen meditation can rewire the circuitry of the brain. In addition meditation plays a role in metabolism, heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure.
So with mediation you can get all these health benefits, but also feel more relaxed (reduce excess cortisol). How do you meditate? You can try yoga or you can simply sit in a comfortable chair, close your eyes and breathe, repeating a word phrase for around twenty minutes. Just keep repeating the same phrase over and over, if a thought comes just let it pass and keep repeating. If that doesn't work for you there all kinds of meditation out there, so find the one that works best for you. Try it in the evening though because it will be better for lowering cortisol and will put you in a restful state for sleep (which we've already discussed the importance of sleep). What's twenty minutes before you go to bed, for a more relaxed, healthier you?

Saturated Fat, Evil?

I've discussed fat already and briefly mentioned it in the coconut article, but now let's delve deeper into the topic with saturated fat. I liked this article that I read on coconut oil. According to it farmers started feeding pigs polyunsaturated fats (like corn oil) to fatten them up. Then the low-fat trend started and consumers demanded leaner cuts of meat. When pigs got closer to slaughter the farmers switched them to saturated fats (like coconut oil) in order to lean them out. At the end it pointed out that grocery stores carry mostly polyunsaturated fats; so in the end people are getting obese, while pigs are getting leaner (it's sad, but really it makes total since). Look at societies in the South Pacific (once again check last Monday's post) where their diets are predominately coconut. They have a great track record of health and lack of heart disease and obesity (at least until they're introduced to western foods). Another example are the Inuit, who consume high levels of saturated fat, especially animal fat and lard like from fish (high in omega-3's as well). They're known for their health.
When you look at a saturated fat (like above), all of the carbon molecules are attached to a hydrogen. This makes it stable, so that it is resistant to high heat damage. Saturated fats are important (half of a cell's membrane are saturated fat) because they have large amounts of fat-soluble vitamins (K2, A, D), in addition to being a great source of energy. What other benefits can we get from saturated fats? They: make cells firm, are important for calcium in the skeleton, lower Lp (indicates heart disease), protects the liver from alcohol, is important to the immune system, helps retain omega-3 fatty acids, the fat around the heart is mostly saturated, protects against microorganisms in the digestive tract, and is used in times of stress.
So why does saturated fat have such a bad reputation if it does all these wonderful things? That cholesterol thing, right! It's true that saturated fats increase LDL levels, but they also increase HDL (the "good" cholesterol). Most assume that LDL's are predictive of heart problems, really we should look at triglycerides (which are a better predictor of health problems; and what increases these? You got it, carbohydrates!) A HDL/triglyceride ratio or Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio are better precursors. Only when LDL is oxidized do we need to worry and saturated fatty acids aren't prone to oxidation.
I know this goes against what most of us believe or have been taught. At first, even I was skeptical about accepting saturated fat. But all the reading on fats makes sense, and I am so convinced that grains, starches, and sugars are the demise of the obesity epidemic; and maybe conventional wisdom and things we are sure of, may be doing more harm than good. My recommendation, grabbing fat before starch: try extra-virgin coconut oil (it's one of my favorite things now). Believe me, I've switched to fat and I've been tested (SIP) and had phenominal results. It works, so ditch conventional wisdom and do what makes true sense.