Category: Nutrition

How to Plan Your Meals For Beginners

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It seems pretty self-explanatory, doesn’t it?

But it’s not that easy when you’re not in the habit yet!

You want to eat healthier but….

  1. You have no idea what that means because there are so many diets out there – keto, paleo, intermittent fasting & you don’t know what to choose
  2. You don’t have the time or energy to plan out your menu for the week and learn to meal plan and make a huge grocery list

Watch this video for a quick solution…or scroll to the bottom if you like to read!

https://youtu.be/fa1Lihh8ib8

Solution:                  

Pick 1 day on the weekend: Saturday or Sunday to look at what you have going on in the week ahead.

If you’ll be home later than usual due to longer work hours from a project or extra shifts to help out a friend or extra-curricular activities you’re in charge of, if you’re a teacher, then you’ll need to have food fully or partially prepared.

If you don’t think this is important, think about what happens when you don’t plan ahead. Don’t worry, I’ve been there, I know what happens. When we don’t plan ahead and plan a good grocery shop for the week (and use it to actually cook those meals we end up resorting to:

1) expensive takeout that is not providing you with nutrient-dense food, or even tasty food

2) frozen dinners that don’t nourish you or make you feel satisfied after a long work day

3) Toast or eggs or cereal for dinner. We’ve all been there, and breakfast for dinner can be fun – but typically nourishing. Every. Single. Night.

So we’re agreed – this takes some planning.

Expect to spend approximately 15-20 minutes planning out meals for the entire week – or at the very least dinner. And then make a plan to spend 1-2 hours preparing at least partially some of those meals.

BONUS: Plan for leftovers that are easy to pack for lunch the next day!

Till next week – take good care of your Self,

Dr. Odette

What Does Borderline Blood Sugar Levels Mean?

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Blood sugar balance.

 

I know you’ve heard of it and maybe you’ve had yours tested and told your blood sugar was borderline high – but you don’t know exactly how high or what that even means.

 

Today I’m going to help you make sense of your blood sugar test values so we can get focused on preventing conditions like diabetes and pre-diabetes.

 

What you’ll learn in this video:

0:35 What is fasting glucose?

1:44 What do the different ranges of fasting glucose mean?

2:44 The importance of knowing your fasting glucose values

3:20 How often should you get your blood sugar tested & who should get it tested?

4:11 How to know if your blood sugar levels are optimal for you

4:44 How to proactively address impaired fasting glucose levels

5:21 What is hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C)?

6:25 What do the different ranges for HbA1C values mean?

6:55 A naturopathic approach to improving blood sugar levels

7:46 Other testing for blood sugar balance

8:37 A naturopathic approach to blood sugar testing & management

 

 

https://youtu.be/9d2kT3sI4DQ

 

 

Fasting glucose – also known as Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) or Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS)

 

Fasting glucose gives us an idea of how your body handles blood sugar. This tells us how well your body responds to insulin one of the main hormones involved in blood sugar balance. If you want to know more about insulin please make sure you watch this video about insulin from my Know Your Hormone Series. For fasting glucose testing, you need to fast (no food or drink) for at least 8 hours before the test. (1)

 

So let’s talk about fasting glucose values:

Normal Range Fasting Glucose: 3.6 – 6.0 mmol/L (2)

Pre-diabetes or Impaired Fasting Glucose: 6.1 – 6.9 mmol/L (2, 3)

Diabetes Fasting Glucose: ≥ 7.0 mmol/L (2, 3)

 

So what is borderline high blood sugar?

When your doctor tells you that you have borderline high blood sugar – they could mean that you’re in the impaired fasting glucose range or they could mean you’re right at 6.0 mmol/L. You see, you really don’t know which it is unless you get a copy of your blood work or ask your doctor for the actual number and write it down or take a picture of the results with your phone.

 

Compare your blood sugar test results over the years

If last year, your fasting glucose was 4.0 mmol/L and this year it’s 5.8 mmol/L which is still in the normal range, I would definitely ask some questions around food intake, exercise and stress since all of these can affect your body’s ability to handle blood sugar.

 

In my experience, there’s no need to wait until your fasting glucose rises to 6.3 mmol/L (impaired fasting glucose) to get motivated to do something about it. If you wait and do nothing because you’re told everything’s normal, the chances of that number coming back down into an optimal normal range while eating and exercising (or not exercising) the same as you always have, is not very good.

 

Remember, these blood tests are a sign of what’s going on inside your body, which is a good indication of how well you are taking care of your body.

 

Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C)

Now the next test for blood sugar levels that we want to discuss is HbA1C. I know a lot of you have had this test done and have no idea what it is, or how it’s related to blood sugar levels. So I’m going to explain it to you.

 

Hemoglobin A1C gives us an idea of your blood sugar levels over the last 2-3 months (1). You don’t have to be fasting to have this test done, but it’s fine if you have fasted, as this is often ordered with fasting glucose. Now if you watched my video from week 2, then the word hemoglobin should sound familiar. It’s a crucial protein in our red blood cells. From a chemistry point of view, glucose is a pretty large molecule and if the levels get too high in your bloodstream it can stick to things like protein. Hemoglobin is a protein, and if glucose levels are high enough in the blood, it will stick to the hemoglobin. If we want to get fancy we call it glycated hemoglobin – and that is what HbA1c is (1). It’s a percentage of hemoglobin that has glucose stuck to it – which we do not want, because when glucose sticks to something then that molecule can’t work efficiently.

 

So let’s talk about normal HbA1C ranges:

Normal range HbA1C < 5.5% (2, 3)

At risk HbA1C: 5.5 – 5.9% the body is having trouble utilizing blood sugar levels (2, 3)

Pre-diabetes: 6.0 – 6.4% the body is having even more trouble utilizing blood sugar levels (2, 3)

Diabetes: ≥ 6.5% (2, 3)

 

So knowing those ranges, if you are told your HbA1C is 6.0% which is pre-diabetic, that’s going to be a pretty good motivator to change some nutrition & lifestyle habits.

 

But what about if it’s 5.5%?

 

Would you watch and wait until next year or do something about it?

 

The choice is really up to you. But for my patients – I encourage them to do something about it, and we create a plan that helps them do just that.

 

What other testing should I consider?

 

The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) measures how well you manage blood sugar after consuming a specific amount of sugar. It reflects post-prandial blood sugar levels, or blood sugar levels after a meal providing a good idea for how well your body secretes and responds to insulin.

 

Fasting insulin is another test to consider as it can provide more information as to how insulin is functioning when you are not quite at the diabetes stage. I find it most helpful when there is high normal fasting glucose or impaired fasting glucose, at risk or pre-diabetes HbA1C or other conditions with suspected insulin resistance like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

 

 

My proactive naturopathic approach to blood sugar testing

My goal with patients is always to work proactively:

  1. Identify increasing levels of fasting glucose and HbA1C
  2. Improve nutrition and exercise habits. A LOT can be done with nutrition and exercise – but you need someone to help you individualize what your body needs and help you determine what’s going to work best for you.
  3. Introduce nutritional supplements and/or herbs to help improve your body’s ability to balance blood sugars if necessary.
  4. Retest fasting glucose and HbA1C in 3-6 months depending on your individual test results and see adjust your treatment as necessary.

 

 

Who needs to be screened for pre-diabetes and diabetes?

  • Anyone with the classic signs of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia):
    • Increased appetite
    • Increased thirst
    • Increased urination
    • Fatigue (1)
    • Blurred vision (1)
    • Slow-healing infections (1)
  • Family history of diabetes: parents, sibling
  • History of gestational diabetes (diabetes when pregnant)
  • Cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack)
  • Women with/or with suspected polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
  • People who are overweight with other signs of insulin resistance (1, 2)

 

 

Thank you

I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s Lab Tests Explained video series and found the motivation to take control of your health! Thank you to all who have taken the time to watch, share and comment on these videos. You can always connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube to let me know what you think. And if there are any ideas you would like to see for future video series, I’d love to hear it!

 

Join me next week for a new video series that you’re not going to want to miss!

 

Take care until then!

 

 

References
  1. https://labtestsonline.org/tests/hemoglobin-a1c
  2. LifeLabs normal blood value ranges
  3. http://guidelines.diabetes.ca/docs/CPG-quick-reference-guide-web-EN.pdf#page=2

 

 

 

Summer Self-care: Support Liver Detox

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It seems like (almost) everyone loves the summer and many of the people I work with tend to feel better when it’s sunny and warm (although it is really hot, right now!).

 

So you might think – why bother with a Summer Self-care series – everyone already takes it easy in the summer, don’t they?

 

But – ask yourself these questions:

 

Do you generally feel rejuvenated, restored and reinvigorated from your summer vacay?

 

OR

 

Do you tend to feel more tired, drained and like you’ve gained back the 5-10 lbs you worked so hard to lose for the summer from all of the social get-togethers, extra iced coffees, beer, coolers and wine?

 

If you’re like most of the amazing, busy women I treat in clinic, you probably picked the second option.

 

So my goal over the month of July is to share with you some Summer Self-care tips that will help you minimize the negative effects of overindulging  – by helping to keep your hormones balanced. That way you can actually get the rejuvenation your summer vacation is intended to give you.

 

So we’re going to start by balancing out so many people’s favourite way to cool off during the summer: some form of alcoholic beverage or an iced coffee (or cappuccino or americano …you get the picture!).

 

I’m not saying we need to avoid these completely for Self-care. But I am saying we need to be:

  • Responsible when we drink – moderation is key
  • Mindful of our individual health needs. Remember, it’s our liver that needs to detoxify our body to keep our natural hormones levels like estrogen, progesterone, cortisol in balance. And it may have more trouble doing that efficiently if we overindulge in alcohol and caffeine.
  • Aware that both alcohol and caffeine can make you more dehydrated. With the heat warnings we have been getting in Toronto, you’ll want to make sure you replenish with water.

 

The general rule of thumb:

For every cup of caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you have – aim for 1 to 1.5 cups of water!

 

The Problem:

Water is boring. I don’t think it is – because I love water, like literally – I drink it all the time). But I totally get it. When I say drink more water, I’ve been told people don’t like the taste of it. You don’t get excited about it. So let’s make it a bit more exciting, and with more flavour!

 

Let’s get started!

 

https://youtu.be/IJ_sUZGbyEI

 

Here’s how I make these tasty fruit water options:

 

Cucumber water
  1. Peel ¾ cucumber. With the peeler, make long strands of cucumber – about 1/4 of the cucumber or enough to give you about 1/4 or 1/2 cup. Place cucumber strands in a large, clean mason jar.
  2. Fill jar with pure, filtered water. Stick in the fridge for at least an hour – overnight is even better.
  3. Pour into a glass (or just drink out of the mason jar – so on trend still!).
  4. Refill that mason jar with cold water as it empties throughout the day (because you’re drinking so much tasty cucumber water!), right over the existing cucumber. Every time you refill it, let it sit for a little bit and it’ll taste just as good as the first time.
  5. Compost the cucumber at the end of the day. Clean out the jar and add some fresh cucumber to make more for the next day. Or try one of the other fruit waters below!

 

Strawberry water
  1. Wash & de-stem 2 organic strawberries. Slice them thinly. Place in a large, clean mason jar.
  2. Repeat steps #2 – 5 as per cucumber water.

 

Watermelon water
  1. Wash and chop watermelon into triangular wedges. Slice ½ of one wedge thinly. If you like, slice thin slices a few more times like I did to increase the watermelon goodness into the water.
  2. Repeat steps #2 – 5 as per cucumber water.

 

 

Who could benefit from this?

Remember the first week of Everyday Detox series, where I discussed the importance of hydration for healthy bowel movements and detoxification? It’s super important for women with:

  • Hot flashes/permenopause
  • Heavy, painful periods
  • Difficulties trying to conceive that are related to excess weight, estrogen dominance or autoimmunity like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
  • But really anyone – male or female – who needs to hydrate more (but hates the taste of boring water – just kidding water, you’re not boring, you’re amazing!)

 

BONUS:

Don’t forget these liver loving vegetables in salads and on the grill to further help your body detoxify effectively.

 

Let me know which one of these fruit waters you like best. Or if you come up with your own that you wanna share, I’d love to know!

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

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It’s the final week – week 4 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and I’m going to show you why the Mediterranean-style of eating is so great for hormone balance (and P.S. it’s been shown to support fertility as well!)

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

Dressing:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – a staple in the Mediterranean diet because of its healthy monounsaturated omega-9 fats. So great for heart health. A variety of healthy fats help support hormone balance and decrease inflammation in the body.

 

¼ freshly squeezed lime juice

 

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

 

Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste

 

The Goods:

2 organic eggs – A complete protein source and also provides cholesterol. Don’t be afraid women! Cholesterol is an important part of the structure of many of your hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. If you want more animal protein, you can replace the eggs with a palm-sized portion of good quality chicken, fish or lean beef.

 

1/2 – 1 cup shredded purple/red cabbage – Cruciferous family veggie – so great for estrogen balance. Also packed with fibre for additional estrogen and insulin balance (fibre helps balance blood sugars!). Its beautiful deep pigmented colour is a sign that it contains a good amount of antioxidants. Remember, antioxidants are crucial to decrease inflammation and protect the body from oxidative stress – both important to overall hormone balance, health & longevity.

 

1.5 – 2 cups baby kale (or other leafy greens) – another of my favourite Cruciferous family vegetables. BUT if you have a thyroid condition due in part to low iodine, definitely be careful with too many raw Cruciferous family vegetables as they can prevent the thyroid gland from using iodine to make thyroid hormones. If this applies to you, talk to your healthcare professional about how much you can have raw and then enjoy the rest of this family of vegetables cooked.

 

½ cup spiced chickpeas – provides some plant protein as well as more fibre to stabilize blood sugars (and insulin & cortisol), and estrogen levels. You can definitely add in plain chick peas, but for a bit more flavour you can lightly sauté some chickpeas in some of your favourite spices. I used cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder – and can’t believe I forgot turmeric, but I would definitely add turmeric!

 

1 radish chopped – the bright red colour is a hint there are lots of antioxidants in this little guy – go back and read purple cabbage if you forgot about why antioxidants are so great!

 

How this Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl comes to life:
  1. Bring eggs and water to a boil. Set timer for 10 minutes – adjust as desired to get softer or harder-boiled eggs. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients (seriously, this whole thing will be done in 10 minutes!)
  2. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk (with the same fork you will eat it with – BONUS!)
  3. Arrange each of the rest of the ingredients around the bowl to make it look pretty if you plan to Instagram it or share it on Facebook. But if not – just toss it all into the bowl, resting the eggs on top. Give it a good toss to get all of the dressing mixed in.
  4. If you have any remaining ingredients (because you chopped too many like I always do), throw the rest into mason jars for lunch tomorrow, or if you have a lot of leftover ingredients, put into separate mason jars for easy assembly throughout the week.
  5. Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you!

 

That concludes are Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series. Thank you for watching, commenting and sharing these videos. I hope you learned something that will help you take charge of your health. I will see you next week for a brand new video series.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Satisfy Your 3 PM Snack Craving!

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It’s week 3 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and one area that I know a lot of my patients struggle with is snacking. I know many of us (yes, even me sometimes!) find ourselves crashing around 3-4pm during the workday.

 

And what do we typically crave?

 

Carbs of course!

 

The carbs most of us crave can be sugary quick-fixes like donuts and cookies or the salty, crunchy carbs like chips. Either way, they may satisfy you in the short-term (like for 10 minutes), but then you’ll feel hungry right after!

 

So I’m going to walk you through how to make one of my fave snacks to beat those sugar cravings AND stabilize your blood sugar levels, insulin, cortisol and estrogen.

 

And YES – they taste good and really satisfy that sweet and salty craving!

 

I give you….

 

My “Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites”!

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

1 cup gluten-free oats – Oats add some good fibre to help stabilize blood sugar (which means more balanced insulin and cortisol release) and it also supports healthy bowel movements for optimal detoxification of estrogen. Why gluten-free oats? Oats will have some gluten due to cross-contamination unless they’re grown in specific environments to prevent this. Assume all oats have gluten unless labeled gluten-free. Gluten is a protein found in many grains and while not everyone has a true gluten allergy (known as Celiac disease), many people have a sensitivity to gluten which can range from mild to severe symptoms. The more you consume foods you have a sensitivity to, the more inflammation you’ll have and this adds additional stress to the body signaling the release of cortisol.

 

2/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut – Adds good texture and additional fat to help slow the release of sugar into the blood. Try to buy sulphite-free options like I used, if you want to avoid possible sulphite sensitivity (yes, it’s a thing!).

 

½ cup organic ground flax seeds or ½ cup hemp seeds – The store was out of the flax seeds I usually get so instead I used hemp seeds. I prefer ground flax seeds for their texture, fibre and healthy fats, especially the omega-3s – both of which help support healthy estrogen levels in the body. And of course the fibre and fat also help stabilize blood sugar so that’s great for balanced insulin and cortisol levels…do I sound like a broken record yet?!). But hemp seed are a good substitute because they also have omega-3 fats, a bit more protein (but do provide a bit more omega 6 fats as well).

 

BONUS TIP: If you are not going to be grinding the whole flax seeds yourself (which I know you probably don’t have time for!), make sure you purchase the ground flax seeds in freeze-dried bags and transfer to freezer after opening package to prevent the omega 3 fats from going rancid for as long as possible.

 

½ cup dark chocolate chips – Gives that hit of chocolate to satisfy your cravings plus magnesium to help your cells make energy more efficiently. And if it’s over 72% dark chocolate bonus points for more antioxidants. If you are very sensitive to sugar or don’t like chocolate (What?! Who are you?! Just kidding!!), feel free to omit this!

 

1 tablespoon chia seeds – More healthy fat, protein to regulate blood sugar, insulin and cortisol

 

½ cup raw natural nut butter – I used cashew nut butter, but feel free to use almond or peanut butter – just be sure to use natural (no added sugar, salt and definitely no hydrogenated oils or shortening!). The healthy fat from the nuts plus some protein both help to stabilize the sugar in this recipe

 

½ cup organic honey – I just finished a 2-week detox which included eliminating added sugars (including honey), and I found these bites just a bit too sweet with this much honey so I’ll be experimenting with cutting it back to 1/3 cup next time I make it. Will definitely let you know how it goes!

 

How to bring these bites to life!

 

  1. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Give it a quick mix to combine.
  2. Add the wet ingredients (nut butter & honey). Mix well by hand until thoroughly combined.
  3. Cover and stick in the fridge for 30 minutes to make the mixture less sticky and easier to mold.
  4. Remove from fridge and spoon out enough mixture to make about a 1-inch ball. I find a combination of pressing the mixture into the palm of my hand then giving it a quick roll works the best. Place in a glass container. Repeat for the rest of the mixture and definitely make sure to taste test it when you’re done to make sure they’re edible 😉
  5. Cover and stick in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so the shape sets and they’re not super sticky to handle and pack for work!
  6. Enjoy 2-3 at 3 pm to energize the rest of your work day!

 

This recipe was adapted from Ali’s recipe over at Gimme Some Oven’s No Bake Energy Bites – she’s got lot of other awesome recipes, that I’ve tried and will be sharing in the near future!

 

If you make this, I’d love to know what you think about it! Post a picture & tag me on Instagram @odettebulaongnd or Facebook Odette Bulaong ND because I’d love to know if you love it as much as I do!

 

See you here next week for our final hormone balancing recipe of the month!

 

Take care until then!