People would rather talk sex (and STDs!) versus poop

I look thrilled

Last week, I spent the better part of a day talking about IBS. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and there are two types IBS-C and IBS-D. C and D stand for constipation and diarrhea lest you think my work is glamorous. The panel I was on had a GI doctor (who developed the IBS survey yielding the info in the title), a psychologist and me. Oh, and Wendy Williams was the host and moderator.

I’m going to digress for a minute to note that Wendy Williams has lost a lot of weight, like 50 or 75 pounds so I was a little taken aback when she walked into our rehearsal. She made the discussion livelier and played video of people on the Santa Monica pier being interviewed about their bowel habits. 

My big head

Some salient suggestions for GI problems:

Keep a food journal- I know it’s almost required as a nutritionist for me to suggest this. It's imperative with GI issues in order to determine your personal food triggers.

Some common IBS triggers are fried foods, gluten, sweeteners, chocolate, carbonation and caffeine. However, this is very individual.

Eat fermented foods- not only do these foods (yogurt, fermented cottage cheese, kombucha, kimchi) contain probiotics which can reduce gas and bloating BUT fermentation makes foods more bioavailable and nutritious. Yes, nutrients are produced in the fermentation process.

You should eat fermented foods even if you take a probiotic supplement.

Take vitamin D- there are so many reasons to take vitamin D3 but 82% of people with IBS don’t get enough D.

Beware of your basics- many people come to me with questions about obscure supplements. For constipation, for example, start with getting enough fluids (warm fluids best if binded) and doing vigorous, standing exercise such as running or rebounding. Make sure you're doing the basic, easy behaviors before getting fancy.

Talk to someone on your healthcare team about GI issues especially if they are impacting your social or work life.

On a personal  "GI" note, I’m a big fan of magnesium, kiwis, cocochia and adore my squatty potty, see- it’s easy to share. Any "pressing" digestion questions?

How to Kill Carb and Sweet Cravings

We tend to draw a line between foods we’ll try (anything) and what we’ll suggest to clients and readers. It’s affirming, that we’re headed in a healthier direction, when foods we previously felt were offbeat become mainstream. One such category of foods is fermented vegetables. Consumer Reports, Eating Well Magazine and Foodtrainers’ friend Max Goldberg, of the Living Maxwell blog, all list fermented foods as a trend for 2017.

 If sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles come to mind, you’re on the right track. I realize kimchi isn’t for everyone; there are also carrots, beets and other, slightly more user-friendly, fermented veggies available. As you may know, we’re also partial to shots. I mean, why beat around the bush? Our favorite, fermented food folks at Farmhouse Culture have “gut shots” (see photo). And, just yesterday NYC-based Lulitonix sent us their super shots too.

If being trendy is not a draw (and trust me, food trends are the only trends that interest me), there are still convincing reasons you should have fermented or “ferm”, as we affectionately call them, vegetables in your diet. First, ferm veggies have a staggering probiotic count. One tablespoon has as high a count as many supplements. And if you’re not already obsessed with your microbiome (the state of real estate in your gut), you should be. 

Fermented foods help with mood. The majority of our serotonin is produced in your gut. I got a kick of this study which connects fermented foods to lower social anxiety, specifically “neuroticism”. Fermented foods also play a role in reducing food cravings, specifically for carbs and sugar. They have beneficial effects on your weight via glucose metabolism. Bacteria-free mice were found to have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And higher cortisol leads to weight gain. If mood, cravings and weight aren’t a draw (not sure why you’re reading this blog) it’s worth a reminder that fermented foods help us combat pathogens. They can knock out h pylori, that leads to ulcers, and even eradicate some forms of e coli…yum yum.

There are kits galore if you want to be a home fermenter. I’m less of a DIY-er. Personally, I’d prefer SEDI (someone else do it). As I said above, check out Farmhouse Culture (I’m already babbling but the kraut explosion that occurred, with a package from them, is a sour story for another day).  I mentioned their gut shots but their fermented orange, ginger carrots are delicious too. We also love Bubbies Pickles, Mother in Law's Kimchi and Hawthorne Farm's red cabbage. Look for these foods in the refrigerated section of your health food stores or Whole Foods.We featured ferm veggies as one of our “secret weapons” in our New Year’s Whipping Weeks but we have other ferm friends. Kombucha, kefir and miso are worth checking out. Your goal should be to have 1 “ferm” food daily but when it comes to good bacteria, the more the merrier…or less neurotic. 

Eat these foods to keep eating in check Memorial Day weekend

Me/laptop and bulletin board (why crop)

 Thank goodness there’s a shift away from tiresome calorie counting. If you counted the calories in your breakfast, step away from My Fitness Pal. it’s not a real pal. Instead, think about the quality of your food. What your food to do for you (as always it’s all about you). Do you need more energy? Maybe some “GI” assistance, I discussed a reliable remedy for that in Tuesday. Or are you hungry all the time? Do you you overeat? Often want something more after a meal?  I hear you.

Last week, I sat down with CBS at the beautiful, new Madison Square location for Dig Inn. The topic? Foods that cut your cravings, at Foodtrainers we dubbed these foods Full Foods.

Here are five foods to keep you satisfied longer:

1. Yogurt- yogurt is a fermented or probiotic food. Greek yogurt or Siggi’s Skyr is also higher in protein. Fermented foods improve appetite signals to the brain (shortens that lag between eating and realizing you ate) and protein at breakfast results in eating less later in the day.
2. Raspberries- every food group has a hierarchy. For fullness, raspberries are on top. They are the highest fiber fruit, 8 grams per cup, and they’re also in season (if you’ve read Little Book of Thin you know that I warn about overfruiting so stick to that cup of raspberries). And I’m not lying when I say some (favorite) clients reported rereading LBT as a refresher. Swear. Try it while you eat your raspberries.
3. Avocado- full disclosure the avocado people are involved in these avo-studies I reference but I don’t care. Half an avocado at lunch reduces snacking later in the day and makes lunch worthwhile. So long snack monster. And potassium in avocados is a “delicious debloater”. Pack avocados in your overnight bag, snap a photo if you do. 
4. Eggs- eggs may be the numero uno Full Food even though I’m listing it forth for no reason. Eggs decrease ghrelin (horrible hunger hormone, I always envision Little Shop of Horrors “feed me Seymour feed me all night long”). Boil half a dozen eggs and use them on salads or as snacks.
5. Beans- I said during filming no bean jokes. If you’re worried about “beaniness” at the beach stick to mung beans- the gas free bean. After eating beany meals people reported they were 30% more satisfied than similarly composed bean free entrees. Not legume-inclined? Try these bean pastas I mention in the segment.

Have a great weekend. No need to be hangry (or gorging), got it?

What are your “Full Foods” that satisfy you most? Are these five a part of your diet? Do you calorie count?

Should you be apple cider vinegar-ing?

Today we sent out our Monthly Morsels newsletter. May’s topic is what we call Ferm Foods (fermented/probiotic…too many syllables). We are Ferm freaks at Foodtrainers.  If you’re wondering what these foods can do for you, here you go.

One of our Ferm faves is apple cider vinegar (ACV). It seems there’s nothing ACV can’t do. While we remain leery of food miracles tied to ingesting any one item, we’re fans but have our limits. We’re not washing our hair with it (yet) or curing our foot odor (Foodtrainers don’t smell). Instead this ferm food slows the conversion of carbs to sugar and stabilizes blood sugar.  And if this didn’t resonate the benefits of better blood sugar include more energy and less excess sugar stored as…you guessed it fat.

Not sold? ACV is also great for seasonal allergies, gas and constipation.  And seems counterintuitive but ACV and ferm foods reduce reflux (or GERD). There’s also interesting information on ACV and Lyme. 

Of course all vinegar isn’t created equal. We like this ACV- first it’s palatable. Also, your ACV should be cloudy and not clear. You want “the mother” present which is that goopy stuff (where all the goodness exists). How much? Don’t go crazy- 1 Tbs. before breakfast diluted with water (if you like your tooth enamel) and a squeeze of lemon works. Going to twice a day is fine too.

And be careful sugar and especially fructose (fruit sugar) can undo the work ferm foods do, with summer nearly here be careful you don’t overfruit.

Do you ACV? Do you use it at meals or solo? Does your bottle have a mother?

Pinch me, Brie for your heart and bones?

I’ve been working on a heart healthy post for Fitbit since February is Heart Month.

Some of my advice will be expected, you know eat your omega-3 foods and exercise but I’ve become obsessed with a vitamin I didn’t know that much about before. I know this sounds strange, after all vitamins aren’t exactly like snacks items popping up all the time. This vitamin K2 plays key role in the prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis and even cancer and wasn’t on my radar before.

If vitamin K sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of K1 (as I was). K1’s key function is blood clotting and if you or a family member has been on a blood thinning med you probably know K (think leafy greens) plays a role. K2 can be produced by K1 but we can also get K2 from certain foods and bacteria in our guts can produce it.

Without getting too sciencey, K2 is sort of like an advisor or therapist for calcium and vitamin D.  K2 encourages calcium and vitamin D head to our bones and teeth and discourages calcium heading to arteries where it can calcify (not good for our hearts).  Most of the plaque in our arteries is produced by calcium.

You can supplement K2 but there are different types and some derivatives of K2 may be better or worse “advisors” if we use this analogy. So let’s talk about food sources of K2.

First there’s natto. It’s a fermented soy food. I’ll be honest and say I haven’t natto-ed as it has a reputation for tasting nasty.

If you’ve read this blog you know I’m sort of a fermented (probiotic) food fanatic and K2 is another reason to include these “ferm foods” as we call them in your diet.

BUT not all fermented foods have K2 as only certain bacteria produce it.

Many fermented vegetables contain K2. I love Farmhousekraut, Hawthorne farms fermented carrots and Mother in law kimchi

K2 is also found in full-fat grass fed dairy. If you haven’t tried Kerrygold butter or omghee, I was on that bandwagon before I realized their K2 potential.

And finally, K2 is found in certain cheeses. It’s found in the highest amount in Edam (I don’t Edam), also very high in gouda (OK, I can eat gouda but wouldn’t do a jig for it) but K2 is also abundant in…Brie. Did you hear that? And it’s not that these cheeses need to be grass fed but rather the bacteria and process used to make them that results in K2.

In terms of how much K2 that’s complicated as dietary guidelines don’t differentiate K1 from K2 but especially with the widespread use of Vitamin D supplements it’s a good idea to consider adding these foods to your diet.The fermented veggies can be used freely. With the ghee and kerrygold, 1 "good" fat be meal is a good guideline. I suggest weight loss clients keep cheese to two or three times a week and I still stand by that but you can add gouda or Brie to your shopping list. Remember, as I say in LBT, your portion should be no larger than lipstick size. I have been nerding out reading about the different types of K2 and will be circling back with more information.

In the mean time, you’re welcome.

Have you heard of K2? Do you eat fermented vegetables? Have you tried natto, should I?

Will this popular, healthy drink make you drunk?

If you’re not kombucha-conscious, kombucha is a fermented tea. It tastes tart and is slightly bubbly. It was been brewed and consumed for thousands of years. Kombucha is made using something called a SCOBY (which I thought was Scooby for the longest time) but stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.  And this is what results in a finished beverage teeming with good bacteria and good yeast yum yum.

I’ll admit my bias; I love the stuff. I first enjoyed the gingerade from Synergy, love the blue green from BKkombucha, the cayenne Kombucha from Heathade and most recently fell in love with the milder kombuchas from Organic Avenue. Everyone at our office is dying to try Buchi’s sea buckthorn kombucha. Buchi- can you help us out?

I have always been aware kombucha contains trace amounts of alcohol. But while wine is generally 10 to 14 percent alcohol and spirits 40-something percent kombucha usually is .5 percent. So I was shocked when a client came in saying, “I had a few sips of kombucha and I felt something, was I drunk?” I hadn’t ever heard that, I thought about GT Dave the Synergy brand founder who drinks a gallon or two of kombucha a day “like it’s his job” oh wait, it is.

Back in 2010 there was a blip for the kombucha producers. Many kombuchas were pulled from the shelves. There was investigation into the alcohol content. The more sugar in kombucha the more alcohol it can ferment. Generally speaking the longer kombucha ferments, the more alcohol produced. Companies looked at their protocols to see how they could eliminate the alcohol without compromising the benefits. You can pasteurize and “solve” the problem but in order to have the probiotic benefits, kombucha needs to be raw/unpasteurized. Companies found ways to reformulate their brews, probably changing the SCOBY in order to control the alcohol content. Generally speaking unless in recovery/AA or pregnant continue to knock back kombucha.

Detractors will say “no real evidence” but as a superstar nutritionist (who has been at this for way longer than I have) said on a phone call last week “for many things in our field there will never be studies.” Kombucha is helpful for joint pain (contains building blocks for glucosamine) and helps with digestion (many clients report reflux improvements). Ironically, given the subject matter today, kombucha’s beneficial effect on the liver makes it an excellent hangover remedy.

So why did my client feel loopy? I dug around, spoke to some fermentation experts and there’s something I was unfamiliar with called histamine intolerance. Some people react to fermented foods with symptoms that mimic drunkenness as they lack an enzyme called DAO that breaks the histamine down. You can read more about histamine intolerance here.  There are digestive enzymes you can use if the thought of avoiding fermented foods (which help with mood and cravings not to mention immunity and more) worries you.  My only issue with kombucha is that Lindsay Lohan loves the stuff, ick. Are you a kombucha drinker? Do you make your own? Should I try? Do you have a favorite brand? Any kombucha concerns?