Inside Health A Better You Starts With What’s Inside InsideHealthMagazine.com Keri Glassman Dietician to the Stars TTriepnsd&s Gut Instinct How Amie Valpone Overcame a Toxic Situation DigesTtunive uep thSeymphony Recipes Gluten Free!
ContentsInsideHealth4A Letter From... 15Immune Health andWoodson Merrell, MD Your Digestive Tract5Tips & Trends 16Heartburn? Choose6 Gut Instinct– Natural SolutionsHow Amie ValponeOvercame a Toxic Situation 17 Stress and Digestion 18Recipes You9Tune Up the Can Make TonightDigestive Symphony 22 Erica Dermer–12 Keri Glassman My Life With FoodCelebrity Dietician SensitivitiesTakes on FoodIntolerance Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 535 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06854-1713. Robert Englander, Chairman and CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice President, Editorial Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg King, Executive Vice President, Marketing Director; Ron Goldberg, Chief Financial Officer; Tom Canfield, Vice President, Circulation. ©2016 Belvoir Media Group, LLC.
Letter from Woodson Merrell, MDWoodson Merrell, MD, ScD (hc), It’s All About Balance understand how our bodies are under constant attacka graduate of Columbia University’s from the modern lifestyle.College of Physicians and Surgeons I am pleased to introduce the inaugural issue of Insideis one of the nation’s leading Health, a journal dedicated to giving you the latest health Diet is another battle we are losing. We are known as aauthorities on integrative medicine. information—with a particular focus on gut health—to “meat-sweet” nation, which refers to our collective over-He is on staff at a medical school help you regain your balance and restore your vitality. consumption of saturated fat from animal protein andand two academic medical centers This is an exciting time in medicine and in the wellness sugar coming from way too many refined carbohydratesin NYC. In 2000, he founded one community, as it seems almost daily we learn more about and junk food. Advertisements everywhere scream outof the country’s premier academic how to improve our health through lifestyle and natural at us to get more of it. This has created an epidemicprograms in integrative medicine. therapies. Inside Health aims to provide insight into this of overweight and obese people (>70% of U.S.Since 1985, he has maintained a high fast-evolving new world of well-keeping. population!) who are unhealthy and, to add insult toprofile private practice in integrative injury, consequently have a much more difficult timeinternal medicine and acupuncture There are five relatively new words and phrases you’ll be repairing the damage they are doing to themselves on aon Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He hearing a lot about—that will increasingly form the basis daily basis. Junk in-junk out---we are what we eat; this isis the author, with his wife Kathy, of of how medical practitioners look at health, wellness and literally the case.The Source / Power Up: Unleash Your disease in the future.Natural Energy, Revitalize Your Health, A year from now most every chemical and molecule inand Feel 10 Years Younger (Simon & • Personalized lifestyle-based medicine our body will be completely replaced, this is the naturalSchuster) and in 2013 of The Detox process of life. Whole organs turn over into new versionsPrescription (Rodale Press) • Precision medicine of themselves, and what the body uses to create this new system is what we consume—the air we breathe, 4 • INSIDE HEALTH • Genomics the water and other liquids we drink, the substances that come in contact with our skin and especially the food • Epigenetics and other chemicals we ingest. These are the building blocks of our bodies day in and day out. • Microbiome I am pleased to be working with Inside Health to help Inside Health will help you navigate these developments you build a better body. In addition to giving you the and incorporate them into your personal health practices. inside scoop on creating a healthier lifestyle, Inside Health will show you how to jump-start your digestive We now have the ability to sequence our genome. The balance: including whether and how to use nutritional first run took 14 years and nearly $1 billion. Now it can supplements in addition to whole foods to help improve be done in a day for less than $1,000. Geneticists are your microbiome and digestive health, notably probiotics rightfully ecstatic at this dawn of a new era---ushering (and pre-biotics that encourage the growth and function in the most precise information we can get about our of the healthiest bacteria) and enzymes that allow for genetic make-up. proper digestive function, immune health and healthy inflammation. But we are not just our genes. In fact, many scientists look at our genome—our DNA—as the hardware. And When we say we are what we eat, we refer not only to this hardware is controlled more by the molecules that our physical selves, but also to our emotional selves. The surround it—the epigene—than by the gene itself. Our gut produces more of the “feel-good” chemical serotonin environmental influences give messages to our epigene than the brain. The work of Columbia University’s Michael to tell our genes what to do (as well as helping repair the Gershon and others has highlighted that the gut even genes). Through lifestyle changes we are able to turn on has its own nervous system---the phrase “listen to your and off many of our genetic susceptibilities. gut” is actually physiologically true. There is so much we have to learn about this interplay. Indeed, experts now say that up to 70% of our health and disease is a product of how we interact with our Inside Health will help guide us through this wild and environment. The air we breathe, the food we eat, our crazy and exciting new era. It will focus on our digestive emotional life, the toxins that flood your system on a system, teaching us how to refocus and retrain what daily basis—all this adds up. Too often this results in a we put into our inner world. It will look at this via all toxic internal stew—a mixture of bad thoughts, stress, the newer lenses: Genomics, Epigenetics, Microbiome, and processed food with multiple artificial ingredients Precision Medicine, and Personalized LifeStyle Medicine- that utilize way too much energy to process. Couple this putting in perspective our relationship with all digestive with constant exposure to pollutants such as plastic and and other lifestyle factors that can allow each of us to pesticide-related chemicals that are hormone disruptors, reach our optimal wellness potential. which have been shown to create disease, and you can
TTriepnsd&s Look and feelTips for Eating to Age Well Great!Build a healthy A multi-vitamin Eat rawmicrobiome a day keeps the… When food is cooked, manyAs we age, the microbiome—bacteria and other of the nutrients and all digestivemicrobes that live in our gut—tends to decrease The importance of vitamins enzymes contained within arein diversity and shift towards more harmful and nutrients in supporting destroyed. Try to incorporate some raw food intospecies. Besides supporting your microbiome the normal function of our every meal, and consider converting 2 or 3 mealswith probiotic supplements, consider natural body are well recognized. The a week into a raw meal. In addition,food sources like yogurt and eat a wide variety multi-vitamins of today are raw food contains ATP (Adenosineof vegetables and fruits to provide material to very different from those in the past. Look for a triphosphate), a key moleculenourish good bacteria. It may be one reason multi-vitamin sourced from whole food, which that transports energywhy eating more produce has been linked to your body is more likely to recognize as food within the cell.longevity. and more easily absorb. Some of the best whole food multi-vitamins on the market also include guaranteed potency probiotics, enzymes and superfoods.Skip soda; drink water Have heart INSIDE HEALTH • 5Sugary sodas cause inflammation and damage The cardiovascular system is one of thethat may shorten telomeres—the protective caps primary areas of the body that can becomeon the ends of DNA. Short telomeres have been challenged with age. With this in mind,shown in conjunction with premature aging incorporate heart-healthy foods into yourand a wide range of other health challenges. diet. Some favorites include fish high inA December 2014 American Journal of Public omega-3s (salmon, tuna, mackerel,Health study of 5,300 healthy adults found that herring and trout), healthy nutsdrinking 20 ounces of sugary soda daily sped like almonds and walnuts, orup biological aging by 4.6 years, which tomatoes, which provideis comparable to the effects of smoking. lycopene, vitamin C and alpha- and beta-carotene. Looking for a supportive supplement? Consider the enzyme nattokinase, which has been shown to break down fibrin (clots) in blood, which encourages healthy circulation.
Gut Instinct How Amie Valpone Overcame a Toxic Situation- and Emerged Healthy and Whole Empowered! by Terri Trespicio Amie Valpone doesn’t saunter through Central Park; she moves. A petite sparkplug of a woman, she walks fast, talks fast, is quick with a joke—and just as quick to laugh at yours. You can learn a lot from her in a short period of time: How to whip up a grain-free butternut squash pizza crust; how to bake delectable brownies without flour, dairy, eggs, or even sugar for that matter; how to make a DIY surface cleaner that’s so safe you can drink it. She’s the picture of a healthy American woman (blonde hair, glowing skin)—and a career success story, having left the corporate world to launch her own popular food blog, TheHealthyApple.com, and start her own business as a recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. In addition to contributing to major publications and serving as a brand ambassador for brands you know well, Amie’s also a newly minted author: Her forthcoming cookbook is Eating Clean: Detox, Fight Inflammation, Reset Your Body, and Get to the Root Cause of Illness (Houghton Mifflin 2016), which gives readers the tools and inspiration for detoxing their lives from top to bottom, and eating more healthfully and happily than ever before (and features a foreword from functional medicine celeb Mark Hyman, M.D.). Inside you learn something about Amie you’d never know by looking at her: That for the past 10 years she has struggled with severe chronic illness, and been diagnosed with everything from Lyme to PCOS to chronic candida, and more than once lay on the floor of her Manhattan studio, in pain, crying, unable to eat a thing or even move. What started one day in her early 20s as unexplained swelling in her legs (40 pounds of water weight that left her unable to wear anything but spandex) and was misdiagnosed as leukemia, spiralled out of control. At one point, during countless visits to hospitals and clinics, she picked up Clostridium difficile (known as C. diff ), a harmful bacteria, and was given 24 hours to live. Her belly, beset by an overgrowth of bad bacteria, swelled to the point where people started asking her if she was pregnant. She went on disability for a year, schlepped in and out of medical facilities all over the country, including the famed Mayo Clinic, racking up nearly half a million dollars in uncovered medical expenses, and giving the equivalent of her body weight in blood every few weeks for years. And after five years of western medicine (including numerous bone marrow biopsies, CT scans, MRIs, colonoscopies, and more) that yielded no real answers, she discovered integrative and functional medicine and embarked on years of self-study into detox, as well as every holistic modality you can think of—plus earned a degree in integrative nutrition. She also created a team of integrative M.D.s (more than 20) who helped her identify the root cause and supported her efforts to get well.6 • INSIDE HEALTH
• Food enzymes are destroyed easily by heat or processingEnzyme • Enzymes are found in all raw foodsfast F acts • Enzyme production naturally reduces with ageBut the question that kept spinning through her head the whole time to scrutinize everything you put in and on your body with an eye towardwas why? When she looked back at her childhood to see what could dramatically reducing your exposure to environmental toxins. “Those toxinshave possibly caused this mess, she came up empty handed. “I couldn’t come from countless places— from processed foods and pesticides, carunderstand it. It’s not like I grew up downwind of a power plant,” she says. exhaust and other pollution, and cosmetics,” Amie explains.“I was lactose intolerant, but that was about it.” She’d always been a healthygirl, with a healthy appetite, eating what’s considered a healthy American While the word detox is thrown around a lot, says Amie, it’s oftendiet. Raised in Sea Girt, New Jersey, a sleepy beach town about an hour misunderstood. Rather than a quick fix you use when you’re coming off aoutside of New York City, Amie is the oldest of two daughters; her mother, bender, the goal of a true detox is to reset your digestion and dramaticallyJoann, was a high school guidance counselor, and her father, Tony, worked reduce and remove your exposure and intake of environmental toxins.for IBM. Amie played on varsity soccer and lacrosse growing up, and wasinvolved in everything from student council to volunteering. She went Of course, any detox effort starts with food. So Amie cut out manyon to earn a bachelor’s in marketing from Boston University, and avoided ingredients that lurk in even the most benign of American meals: gluten,alcohol, drugs, and fast food as a way of life. “I was such a ‘good’ girl,” she dairy, soy, refined sugar, corn, eggs, as well as pretty much anything inrecalls. “I couldn’t imagine how this had happened.” a can, box, or bag. No processed foods, preservatives, fillers, emulsifiers, or dyes. She went on a 21-day food elimination diet (which she lays outAs part of this massive integrative effort, she went through a battery of step by step in her book) to help her identify what foods were causinghighly sensitive tests that picked up on things that Western docs had inflammation in her body (and this varies from person to person, she’s quickmissed (Lyme, PCOS, candida, heavy metal accumulation, mold toxicity, to add). She filled her fridge with fresh organic food—and took out almosthypothyroidism, SIBO and more). One genetic test was particularly telling, as everything else. For a while, when her leaky gut was so bad, she subsistedit revealed that Amie was missing a gene called methylenetetrahydrofolate on veggies and protein powder blended in a food processor, and at onereductase (MTHFR), which 35 percent of people are missing. Carriers of this point, baby food.gene are unable to detoxify as efficiently as everyone else, and as a result,toxins accumulate, causing irritable bowel, arthritis, even cancer. When But detox didn’t stop with food—what went on her skinyou’re missing this gene, you’re also more susceptible to environmental mattered too. So she started drinking filtered watertoxins (herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals), which then bind to only (no plastic bottles). She tossed all her “healthy”fat receptors and compromise your methylation, the process by which your conventional beauty products in favor of cleanerbody repairs DNA and keeps inflammation in check. You need methylation personal care products such as coconut oil for eyeto stay healthy, and she was not methylating, period. makeup remover and toothpaste (it’s been shown to inhibit cavity-causing bacteria and is free of harshIn Eating Clean, Amie goes into great detail about MTHFR testing, as well as chemicals).a list of the most trusted resources for integrative and functional tests thatyou and your doctor can use to chart your best next steps—something She soon started to feel better—a lot better. “I’veAmie wishes she’d had handy 10 years ago. “It would have saved me a ton experienced first hand the effects of toxicity in my body,”of money, time, and frustration,” she says. she says. “And while I had the benefit of great doctors on my team, you also in some ways have to be your own doctor because you know your bodyDetox Overhaul better than anyone else.”Having an integrative medical team was key—but she knew that in order to But is it a bummer to have your food, and your life, so limited? Not to hearheal, and especially given her genetic disadvantage, she had to transform Amie tell it. “There are plenty of foods I can’t eat,” says Amie. “But do I missthe way she was living to give her body a fighting chance. So in addition to them? Honestly? No.” She developed over 200 plant-based recipes for Eatingthe treatments administered by her integrative docs, she did her homework Clean, all of which are gluten, dairy, egg, refined sugar, corn, peanut, andand went to town on her diet and lifestyle. soy-free. “I want to make delicious, clean, healthy food easy for everyone,” she says. “But more than that, I’m on a mission to empower and inspireIn other words, it was time for a detox, in the truest sense of the word—not other people who feel lousy and don’t know why. I want to help them feela trendy 2-day juice cleanse. We’re talking a serious and intentional effort amazing again, and show them how fulfilling and flavorful their food, and lives, can be.” INSIDE HEALTH • 7
When people ask her if she wishes she could go back to when this As for what she’s looking forward to next? Eating eatingall started, and change some things, maybe prevent it altogether, her Clean may be her first book, but it’s certainly CLEANresponse is always the same: “No way—I couldn’t have, and I wouldn’t.” not her last. An avid and enthusiastic speaker,Amie recalls one day when she pulled up to the hospital, feeling sick and she’s also excited about sharing her story at live The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation,confused, and saw a group of construction workers hanging out, smoking, events and on TV. She wants to inspire others to and Reset Your Bodydrinking soda and eating fast food, having a great time. “I thought, how take control of their health and their lives so thatis this fair?” But since then she has learned two things: “One, that I had they can feel normal again. “Normal, trust me, is amie valpone creator of thehealthyapple.comto change my mindset, and see that this was happening not ‘to’ me, but a wonderful thing. There isn’t a day that goes by foreword by MARK HYMAN, MDfor me,” she says. “The other thing is to be happy in the present moment. that I’m not grateful for just that.”That’s the kind of hope and peace I wish for everyone.” Amie’s Clean Eating Manifesto 1. There is no one ideal diet. Everyone’s diet will be a little different, based on your individual makeup. “This isn’t about putting a label on yourself,” she says. “The most important thing is to eat whole, organic, fresh foods that make your body feel good.” 2. If a food makes you feel lousy, it’s not for you. Forget the trends or whatever the buzziest superstar is doing. “You are the expert on what you can eat, and no matter what anyone says, if something doesn’t make you feel good when you eat it, chances are it’s causing inflammation in your body.” Real, clean food should never make you lethargic, bloated, or irritable. 3. Feed your body, not just your belly. “You do not subsist on calories alone,” Amie says. “You need a whole spectrum of nutrientsand vitamins to feed you on a cellular level.” A 100-calorie snack pack is not the equivalent of 100 calories of an avocado. One is pro-inflammatory and the otheris anti-inflammatory. Choose foods with one ingredient, such as an avocado, and you’ll be feeding your body, not just your hunger pangs.For more resources and recipes on clean eating, visit Amie’s website TheHealthyApple.com.Shop smarter Amie’s Top Clean PicksKnowing how to buy food is almost as important as figuring out what Earthbound Farm® Spinach. Conventionally farmed spinach isto buy. Here are Amie’s favorite ways to shop smart and simple: on the dirty dozen list. Earthbound’s products are committed to clean organic greens—this brand of fresh greens is a staple for everyone’s kitchen.Be realistic. This is the best way to not only end up with a fridge fullof groceries that you’ll want to eat, but also to save money. Don’t buy Living Now® Gluten-Free Organic Quinoa Pastas are a great source of protein andquick-to-spoil items in bulk and be mindful of foods you know in your taste and cook just like traditional pasta without gluten, soy, eggs, corn and dairy. They’reheart you’ll never eat. made from only three ingredients – organic rice, organic quinoa and organic amaranth.Streamline. Organize your shopping list by where you’ll find those Barlean’s Forti-Flax feature lightly-milled, organic flaxseeds that provide a cornucopiaitems at the store, such as produce, gluten-free whole grains, spices, of naturally occurring nutrients, including valuable Omega-3, fiber, amino acids andfrozen veggies, etc. Stick to the list and avoid making spur-of-the- amazing antioxidants that is easy to add to your daily diet.moment impulse buys. Navitas® Naturals make organic, delicious gluten-free snacks made via methods such asImprovise. You might have kale on your shopping list, but collards freeze-drying and low temperature processing to preserve nutrition and flavor.are on sale. Go for it; sometimes you have to let your wallet do thetalking. Nutiva® Coconut Manna is a melt-in-your-mouth puréed organic coconut butter made of pure, dried coconut flesh that can be used in cooking or straight from the jar. Stock your freezer. Keeping ready-to-eat homemade foods in your freezer is like finding Branch Basics created 100% non-toxic cleaning solutions including a pure soap ten bucks in your coat pocket, and saves you time concentrate that can be diluted with water to replace virtually every cleaner in the home. and money. Roast or grill veggies and freeze in small batches. Keep berries frozen for morning Erbaviva offers premium organic personal care products (including an effective organic smoothies. deodorant) that blend organic ingredients with European artisanal quality. Take risks. Try one new whole food ingredient Enzymedica produces high-potency enzyme products that are free of any fillers and each week; it will encourage you to get a work great to help you break down your food and feel better after your meal. little creative with your meals. And who knows, you may find a new ingredient Photos of Amie Valpone by Vladimir Weinstein you love! Terri Trespicio is a New York–based writer, editor, and host. Visit her at territrespicio.com8 • INSIDE HEALTH
Energy &BrainpowerDigestive SymphonyTuneupthe By Woodson Merrell, MD INSIDE HEALTH Science AdvisorYour body is a factory fueled by food, and its chief product is energy and brainpower.Making the factory run right begins with a fascinating process called digestion.Everything starts with the mere thought of eating. This is when you Chew, Chew, Chewhave the power to make a decision that will either be toxic (a burgerwith chips and beer?) or healing (Wild Arctic Char and Roasted Take the time to chew. First and most obviously, this is where a lot ofRadicchio and a Hot Tomato Juice?). As soon as you think about the sensory enjoyment of food happens. But even more important,food, your body starts to generate salivary enzymes and digestive chewing kick-starts the chemical and physical processes of digestion.hormones. The digestive process begins with the mere thought of a The teeth grind and pulverize the food—a critical step, as food shouldgood meal. never leave the mouth in anything chunkier than a gruel consistency. The jaw provides brute force that will be hard for the body to make upThe next step in the process is pure aromatherapy. Unlike all the for later. Chewing a good 20 or 30 times makes sense—maybe 12 ifother nerves in your body, which have multiple checkpoints that you’re in a hurry or the food is soft. But three or five bites won’t cut it,slow messages down, the smell receptors in your nose are hardwired and could wreak havoc later. . . as you will see.straight to the brain—no filter. You smell the food, you feel hungry (orreact to foods in some pre-patterned—both positive and occasionally As you chew, the salivary glands release key enzymes to help breaknegative—ways). A cascade of digestive enzymes and hormones is down the food into even smaller chunks. Chewing your food,unleashed—not just in the mouth, but throughout the body. Your obviously, exposes them to these enzymes longer, allowing thembody recognizes that dinner is coming and in its infinite intelligence time to do their work. It’s also a good reason to chew everything,is getting itself ready to receive the food—not just to enjoy the even if you don’t think you need to. If there is nutrition in it, the actexperience, but also to use it for all it’s worth. Don’t bypass this crucial of chewing will help your body unlock that nutrition. It is worth thestep of digestion—stop, look, and smell before you dig in. extra 10 seconds of work—you might even be surprised to find that during the process of chewing these kinds of liquids, you discover a INSIDE HEALTH • 9
new world of flavors in them. You’ll slow down “paying forward” a heavier load for the rest of HCl acted as a machete to crudely hack apartin general, allowing more time for your body to the digestive system to handle and reducing hunks of food in the stomach, enzymes in theregister that it is full. Moreover, chewing triggers absorption of nutrients that need acid to prepare duodenum are more like scalpels, reducing foodthe release of the hormone CCK (cholecystokinin) them for absorption (e.g., calcium). to its molecular components so that it can bein the stomach, which signals ahead to the absorbed in the small intestine. Vitamins, minerals,pancreas and gallbladder to get busy doing their Meanwhile, the stomach lining is busy, too. It’s phytonutrients, amino acids, carbohydrates, fattywork: Dinner is coming! producing the enzymes pepsin, which begins acids . . . all are released from the food and readied to cleave apart protein molecules, and gastrin, to be soaked in and used by the body.Down the Hatch which stimulates the secretion of more HCl. It’s making mucin, which creates the mucous layer Hopefully, you’ve chewed well and your stomachOnce the food is pulverized, nice and moist that protects the stomach lining from all that has had a chance to do its job perfectly; if not, the(another key role of saliva), and ready to go, you corrosive HCl. And it’s triggering the release of duodenum will take up the slack. Here’s the rub: Ifswallow—it’s down the esophagus and into the the hormone leptin, which reduces appetite and larger chunks of food have gotten through, morestomach. This is a one-way ride, unless something acts as an antagonist to the appetite-promoting enzymes and bile will be needed to process thatis wrong and you have a condition like gastro hormone ghrelin. food. That means more stress on the pancreasesophageal reflux (GERD) and the esophageal and ultimately the liver, which will kick up bilesphincter relaxes too much, allowing food and Assimilation Assignation production and send it in via the gallbladder.acid to make an unwanted and unpleasant return. Unfortunately, these two organs have other If all has gone well and the stomach has done its important jobs to do, namely regulating insulinThe stomach works as an agitator to literally grind job, it moves the food in a (hopefully) gruel-like (pancreas) and detoxifying the body (liver). Canthe food it takes in—it is composed of smooth pulp called chyme through the valve at the you see how stressing the system day after daymuscle, built to churn. This mechanical action isn’t bottom of the stomach (the pyloric valve) into the with unchewed, unprocessed, undigested food might result in some unpleasant side effects? “you cannot help but be amazed at how Once food moves out of the duodenum andmagnificently the body has been designed into the rest of the 20 feet of small intestine, coaxed along via peristaltic waves (rhythmic in harmony with the natural world” contractions of the smooth muscles), the heavy work of digestion should have been done, andas efficient or as effective as what the mouth can duodenum. The duodenum is the first part (about assimilation gets going. The design and functiondo, but so long as food is present, its muscular 12 inches) of the small intestine, a small organ of the small intestine (let’s call it SI) is trulyaction is trying to break it down. Bigger hunks of unto itself, with an incredibly important job. marvelous—you cannot help but be amazed atfood mean extra churning. how magnificently the body has been designed As chyme moves into the duodenum, the in harmony with the natural world, and how,There’s help for this churning, of course. The pancreas and gallbladder come into play—and even amidst our best efforts to undermine it, itstomach has lots of chemical allies, chief among digestion begins to overlap with assimilation. keeps on chugging to serve us! To maximize thethem hydrochloric acid, or HCl. If you made it Most people think of the pancreas as the organ absorption area of the SI, it is lined with hundredsthrough seventh-grade chemistry class, you that produces insulin to handle our blood sugar, of thousands of small projections called villi,might remember this one: It’s pretty brutal but that endocrine function is only half its job. which also make a few more enzymes to furtherstuff, eats through (almost) anything, and can Its other function, called exocrine, is producing facilitate sugar breakdown. Here is where thebe problematic if you spill it where it’s not the chemicals the duodenum needs to function most usable nutrition gets passed into the bloodsupposed to go (like onto your jeans or into the properly. Perhaps first and foremost, the pancreas vessels through tightly packed cells (epithelialesophagus). In the stomach, if everything is going releases sodium bicarbonate (or bicarb), tissue) that line the villi, and what is not usefulaccording to plan, the HCl is working to break which neutralizes stomach acid. In the alkaline gets pushed on through the system and intofood down into its tiniest particles and is killing environment of the duodenum, the pancreas’s the large intestine for disposal. The cells thatany microorganisms that might have hitched a enzymes can then take over. Along with bicarb, line these villi are first of all guardians—they tryride in on the food. HCl levels naturally decline the pancreas releases into the duodenum a host to keep out anything harmful. In that way, theyas you age, unfortunately, leaving a little more of enzymes, primary among which are amylase, are the body’s first line of detoxification. Each ofwork for the rest of the system to handle. If you which further breaks down carbohydrates; lipase, them has thousands of tiny channels that opensuffer from GERD or gastric ulcers, a painful defect which breaks down fats; and trypsin, which breaks and close to let in only selective nutrients thatin the stomach lining, you may be prescribed down proteins. Meanwhile, the gallbladder also have been properly prepared. Between each cell,acid-suppressing medications such as proton- squirts some bile, an alkaline greenish-brown there is a tight junction that is meant to preventpump inhibitors (Zegerid, Nexium, Prilosec) or fluid produced by the liver, into the duodenum to leakage of anything into the body—specificallyhistamine-2-receptor antagonists (Zantac, Axid, assist in the breakdown of fats (and it also carries into the interstitial space behind the cells. ThisTagamet). If you take them, your symptoms will some detoxified fat soluble substances from the interstitial space is a soupy area where nutrientsbe relieved, but HCl levels will be suppressed, liver for elimination out the intestines). Whereas (including oxygen) come from the arterial capillaries to supply the cells. This is a heavy exchange zone, as processed toxins and other10 • INSIDE HEALTH
waste and debris (including CO2) are moved into other things). It also serves as a storage area, The skin can release toxins via sweat and oilthe lymphatics (which eliminate fats and heavier most notably for iron and vitamin B12, but also glands. Research on saunas has demonstratedmolecules) and venous capillaries, for elimination for fat. (Too much fat gums up the works; fatty their ability to excrete myriad toxins (includingfrom the body. liver disease is a scourge associated with obesity illicit drugs, toxic chemicals, and even antibiotics). in Western culture. Science is now beginning to The more you sweat, the more toxins areIf the small intestine is damaged (by drugs, show how our overconsumption of fructose is released. So try to sweat every day. All thetoxins, or free radicals) or diseased (as with celiac linked to fatty liver.) Unless the liver is overloaded, substances that made it through the smalldisease, infection, or inflammatory conditions toxins will get processed for elimination here. intestine now need to be eliminated out the largesuch as Crohn’s disease), it can develop “leaky gut intestine (aka colon). The colon has only a smallsyndrome,” in which the normally tight junctions Out You Go role in active detoxification, by the cells lining itsbetween the small intestine cells essentially have interior and by some of the bacteria. It functionsholes punched in them, allowing material to flow Once detoxified, there are a number of mainly to package waste for removal. For this,freely into this interstitial space and be circulated elimination routes out of the body for toxins. the more fiber (and water) you have taken in,within the body—often creating big problems. Most bound toxins are rendered water-soluble the better. Some of the fiber, besides soaking upThis is a problem in celiac disease, when the and released by the cell into the interstitial fluid. water to give bulk for better bowel movements,gluten molecules enter into this space and are They make their way into the hepatic vein, up has absorbed toxins from the small intestinecirculated—even as far away as the brain. It’s to the heart where they are pumped out, and for elimination. In the colon, friendly bacteriaoften hard to know for sure if you have leaky gut, eventually are excreted from the body via the (probiotics) also play a role by trying to keepthough if you have food allergies or sensitivities, kidneys. (Yet another good reason to keep up the more pathological bacteria at bay—thusit’s likely that you do. If so, the treatment is to your water intake!) Some fat-soluble bound toxins reducing the amount of bacterial endotoxinseliminate from your diet and lifestyle all things (processed estrogens are a good example) are released into the body from the colon.that might cause further trauma—such as food put by the liver into bile to be released into theallergens, charbroiled beef, food additives, toxic intestines. Repair the Futureplasticizers (to name but a few of hundreds)—and allow the gut to heal itself. There are two other eliminative organs: lungs By eliminating toxic exposures, introducing a few and skin. The lungs only eliminate gases (mostly key mind-body practices to help you manageThe Liver Spot CO2)—along with whatever the lungs’ mucosal stress effectively, exercising/sweating regularly, lining has been able to trap and move out. But resting sufficiently, and eating a nutrient-dense,Everything—and that means everything —that every bit of tar you have ever smoked is still in the plant-based diet, you can not only detox in thepasses into the interstitial space from the small interstitial spaces, depleting the lungs’ oxygen- present but in the future, too. The nutrients thatintestinal cells is absorbed into the portal vein. absorbing capacity—and, if enough of it is there, feed detox feed everything else that happens inThis is a big vein whose only purpose is to carry causing emphysema and cancer. (Any toxic gases the body—including DNA repair. You can quiteall absorbed things into the liver, which as you you have inhaled have already either damaged literally eat—and act—your way to a brighterrecall is the body’s main organ of detoxification. the lung tissue directly or been absorbed into the future. The growing field of epigenetics isWe’ve already said that the liver creates bile to circulation to wreak havoc elsewhere.) showing how our choices today impact how ourhelp digest fats. It also produces many other genes are interpreted tomorrow, and next monthmolecules that are critical to maintaining human . . . and next year. Now we understand that ourhealth, including clotting factors, most of the genes do not write our story—indeed, we write itcholesterol your body needs to maintain cell ourselves with our lifestyle choices. We write ourmembranes, and steroid hormones (among own code when we choose to exercise (or not), when we sleep (or not), when we connect with others (or not), when we relax (or not), when we eat nourishing foods (or not), when we breathe (or not). Every decision you make about your health will affect your health—will you decide for the good or not? I think that once you experience the benefits, you won’t be able to imagine living any other way. From THE DETOX PRESCRIPTION by Woodson Merrell, MD with Mary Beth Augustine MS, RDN, and Hillari Dowdle. Copyright © 2013 by Woodson Merrell, MD. Published by arrangement with Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold. INSIDE HEALTH • 11
Taking on Food Intolerance With Keri GlassmanDo you hear people throw around the term carbohydrates. In the stomach, the“allergy” like we used to throw around the word enzyme pepsin begins to break“carb?” Many people think they have allergies but down proteins into smaller chains ofreally they have something very different. amino acids. Food is then released into the small intestine, where theThey have an intolerance. There is a BIG pancreas releases enzymes suchdifference. An allergy is an immune response as lipase, amylase and trypsin,and affects about 15 million Americans. An which breaks food down further.intolerance involves the digestion system. Food intolerances can come from deficiencies in the enzymes neededChances are, someone you know has a food to break down certain nutrients inintolerance, and that person just might be you! particular foods.Millions of Americans experience difficulties with“enzymes are your digestive tract’s best friends” digestion that are tied to While there are many foods that can lead to food processed foods in preservatives, artificial flavors specific compounds like intolerance, here are the most common. and artificial colors. In our diet, polyphenols gluten, lactose, casein function as antioxidants to scavenge free radicals and phenols. Gluten: Gluten is a name for a protein and protect us from inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis Gas, bloating, found in wheat and gives elasticity to dough, and neurodegenerative diseases. Some constipation...these and helping it rise and keep its shape and gives the individuals are sensitive to these compounds other symptoms are often final product a chewy texture. Gluten is found and must follow a diet low in phenols by eating the result of incomplete in wheat, rye and barley. Digestive enzymes like raw, unprocessed foods and removing the skindigestion of our food. Our body uses enzymes, DPP-IV can break down gluten to make it easier to and seeds from fruits and vegetables. In childrenproteins that help break down foods, during digest. However, it is important to note that these with phenol sensitivity, symptoms includedigestion and this helps us absorb nutrients. products are not intended for individuals with hyperactivity, headaches and insomnia. In adults,Many individuals simply don’t have enough celiac disease. symptoms include chronic fatigue syndrome,of certain enzymes to break down their meal constipation, and diarrhea. Some people find thatproperly. When food doesn’t get broken down Dairy: Many individuals who are intolerant to using enzymes may help with symptoms.sufficiently, it begins to ferment (think beingeaten by bacteria in the gut). This may cause gas, dairy believe that lactose is to blame. Lactose is Beans and Veggies: Whilebloating or cramping. We’ve all been there, right? the form of sugar found in dairy and can be a problem for raw, vegetarian and vegan diets can beEnzymes are your digestive tract’s best friends many. However, many other incredibly beneficial, fiber can often beby breaking food down into liquid form so we people also have digestive difficult to digest. A wide variety of enzymescan absorb and use the nutrients found in those challenges associated with are often used to break down complexfoods. Different types of enzymes exist to break casein, a protein found in dairy. carbohydrates like fiber. There are two types ofdown different nutrients. For example, proteases dietary fiber - soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiberbreak down proteins, lipases break down fat, Phenols: Phenols are compounds found dissolves in water and forms a gel, which helpsand lactase breaks down lactose. Our digestive bulk up stool and move things along. Insolubleprocess begins with our saliva, which is rich with in nearly all foods. Some foods contain a greater fiber does not dissolve in water, is not digested,amylase that break down starch and concentration of phenols, like nuts, berries, wine and acts like a broom to help move food out of and chocolate. They can also be the body. Cellulose, a common type of insoluble12 • INSIDE HEALTH found in
Intolerance Misunderstandings The most common enzyme deficiency1. Food Intolerance is the Same as Food Allergy is lactose intolerance affecting about 25% of us.Keri says: Absolutely not! While some of the symptoms offood intolerance and food allergy are similar, they are verydifferent. Food Allergies are immune reactions againstcertain foods. Intolerance is the result of incompletedigestion.2. Lactose is the Biggest Problem There are many resources online and at my Don’t Let Intolerance ChangeWith Dairy website, nutritiouslife.com for tips for Who You Are! avoiding these foods. Choosing theKeri says: Many individuals who think right elimination diet depends on We have all had embarrassing digestivethey are lactose intolerant actually your symptoms. Some may just challenges at different times of our lives. It is parthave the most trouble with casein. need to eliminate gluten, while of being human! With so many options availableLactose is a sugar in dairy and casein others may need to remove a wide to conquer food intolerance, there is no reason tois a protein. range of foods, such as dairy, eggs allow them to take over our lives.3. I Should Just Eliminate the Foods grains, and food additives. Keep a food Keri Glassman is a nationally recognizedThat Give Me Trouble journal with symptoms for at least four celebrity nutritionist who knows her food! With weeks to see if symptoms worsen as foods a philosophy of living a Nutritious Life, KeriKeri says: Love what you eat! While elimination are added back into the diet. works with her clients to take a new look atdiets are necessary for some individuals, many nutrition through the eyes of total body health,people find support for their intolerance in While eliminating problem foods from your wellness and beauty. Read more articles fromsupplemental enzyme formulas. cooking at home may be an approachable Keri on her website, NutritiousLife.com. task, be careful when eating out. Those fiber, is found in many vegetables. Bacteria who are very sensitive to certain foods in the large intestine use cellulose and other may experience difficulties with cross- insoluble fibers as food and then release gas, contamination that may occur when foods are which can cause gas and bloating. Cellulose- cooked on the same surface where a problem digesting enzymes may ease digestive food has been cooked. When eating out, digestive discomfort. The enzyme alpha galactosidase is enzymes may still offer a buffer, even if they might used for digesting sugars from beans, grains and not normally eliminate all of your symptoms. raw vegetables. Studies are beginning to show that manyindividuals who have one food intolerance oftenhave multiple. This is where digestive enzyme How Do I Tell If I Have a Food Intolerance?products may also help.What Can I Do If I Have a 1. Keep a Food DiaryFood Intolerance? Keep a list of everything you eat, and then track if youThe good news is that there are protocols in experience any digestive issues. Over time, patterns mayplace for any food intolerance that can providedigestive relief and allow you to enjoy the foods emerge that can point you in the direction of a specificyou love. intolerance.First, it’s important to know that there is an 2. Try an Elimination Dietentire spectrum of intolerance reactions. Someindividuals respond more severely to certain Eliminate a specific problem-food like gluten or dairyfoods than others, so strategies for calming from your diet for four weeks. Then, reintroduce thedigestion will be different depending on the food in a small way, with a single piece of toast orindividual. cheese. If you experience digestive issues, youFor minor to moderate food intolerance reactions, likely have a food intolerance. Remember todigestive enzymes can be a huge help. Look for introduce one food at a time so you are awareproducts that target the specific foods that youhave difficulty with and give them a try. In some of the problem food.cases, all negative side effects may go away, andfor others, these reactions may be lessened but 3. Try a Digestive Enzymemay not go away entirely. Brands like Enzymedica offer a wide range of products for food intolerance. If you think you have trouble with a certain type of food, try a digestive enzyme when you eat and see if you still experience digestive challenges.For those with significant reactions from problem INSIDE HEALTH • 13foods, sometimes the only solution is to eliminatethose foods from your diet.
14 • INSIDE HEALTH
Immune Health andYour Digestive Tract Natasha Trenev President & Founder Natren, Inc.Your digestive tract is not only responsible for and “hogging” resources those undesirable in your gut. That’s where probiotic supplementsbreaking down and absorbing the food you eat – bacteria need to survive. come in. They seed your gut with good bacteriait also acts as a barrier against foreign substances, and help maintain a healthy digestive tract – andincluding undesirable bacteria. Most people Based on this, it is easy to see why it’s important a healthy digestive tract is important for immuneare surprised to learn that 70 to 80% of their to maintain a healthy bacterial balance in your support and overall health.immune system lies in their intestinal tract – but intestinal tract. When there’s an optimal balance Unfortunately selecting the right probioticthis shouldn’t be surprising at all. After all, your of good bacteria, the immune system in your bacteria can be difficult, especially today whendigestive tract is one of the main entry points gut functions best and you have a better chance the health store shelves are full of options, manyfor harmful substances, including bad bacteria, of keeping unwanted bacteria and yeast from of which do not adhere to or follow a publishedto get into your body. That means there has to gaining a foothold and causing problems. Plus, standard. Probiotics are live microorganismsbe safeguards for making sure these undesirable beneficial gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty so protective packaging and careful handlingmicroorganisms can’t take up residence in your acids (SCFAs), which have an anti-inflammatory is imperative. Buy products that clearly list thegut or be absorbed into your blood stream. effect. This anti-inflammatory effect keeps the potency (CFUs). Probiotics are the foundation ofThat’s where the immune system comes in. immune response from over-reacting like we health for the 21st century; educate yourself andDuring birth your intestinal tract rapidly became see in some bowel disorders. In addition, a get to know the published standards to makecolonized with gut bacteria from your mom healthy population of gut bacteria aids digestion certain you are getting the right product foryourand from the surrounding environment. If your and nutrient absorption and is required for the money.mother was not in great health, you were born synthesis of some vitamins, including certainby Caesarian section (C-section), you were not B-vitamins and Vitamin K. THE NATREN STANDARDbreast fed or you were not a full-term baby thebacteria transferred may not have been the ideal Unfortunately, a number of factors can upset the • Non-porous, amber glass bottles protect againstbacteria for inducing health and establishing delicate balance of bacteria in your gut. Drugs damaging light and moistureyour immune system, and if your first exposure can destroy unfriendly bacteria as well as good • Products are refrigerated at time of manufacture, andwas the microbes found in the hospital room, it’s bacteria. This creates disharmony in your gut shipped second day air in thermally controlled boxespossible your health may be jeopardized. David and produces an environment where resistant • Clearly listed potency (CFUs) of each strain guaranteedMills Lab at the University of California, Davis, bacteria can take up residence. Eating a poor diet through an expiration daterecently published an astonishing research article and physical and psychological stress are otheron this very topic showing that one specific factors that can cause gut bacteria to become www.natren.combacteria, Bifidobacterium infantis, dominates unbalanced. The population of bacteria in your UNIQUE & POWERFUL PROBIOTICSthe healthy breast fed infant gut. When they gut is very much influenced by what you eat andprovided it, as a probiotic, to premature infants drink. INSIDE HEALTH • 15it was restorative and protective for those poorlycolonized babies. How can you restore peace to your digestive tract or maintain the peace? After all, it’s prettyProperly selected beneficial bacteria, like those hard to completely control factors like stresstransferred from a healthy mom to a healthy that can disrupt the normal balance of bacteriababy during birth, defend against foreigninvaders and prime the immune system,teaching it to recognize friendly bacteria fromundesirable bacteria. Beneficial bacteria makeit harder for undesirable bacteria and yeast tosurvive by establishing themselves along theintestinal lining creating a natural defense barrier
Heartburn?Choose Natural Solutionsover common drug store medsA recent study shows users of proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole (Prilosec) and others could be at risk for heart complications.More than 20 million Americans each year seek digestive relief from over-the-counter heartburn medicines,also known as Proton-Pump Inhibitors or PPIs. For years, an increasing number of studies have uncovered negative side effects from long-term useof PPIs—from increasing food allergies and fractures to dementia. Now a massive Stanford study funded by the NIH has uncovered a link betweenlong-term PPI use and heart attacks. The study underscores the need for caution and concern regarding OTC heartburn relief drugs. Fortunately,there may be all-natural options available for many of these individuals experiencing occasional heartburn or indigestion.Belly Smart Chew Well Get Up and MoveBe gentle to your digestive system, The enzymes in your mouth While sometimes it is temptingas it may not react well to certain and grinding action present the to take a nap or lie down afterfoods. Hold the sriracha, put down stomach with a pre-digested eating, it is important to stay active.the fried foods and make an effort mush rather than large chunks of A healthy body is one that getsto add healthy alternatives into undigested food. plenty of exercise and sleep.your diet. Tomatoes and acidicfoods are the worst, as well as Elevate Yourself Say Hi to Fiber Get Off the Boozealcohol, caffeine, and tobacco. Cruise A simple change you can make From eating plenty of fruits andHeartburn Buster right away is to elevate your head vegetables, to high grain cereals You know that too much alcohol and upper body while sleeping- and nuts, fiber is the engine that is not good for you, but fewOccasional heartburn and acid --helping prevent gravity from keeps everything in your digestive understand the havoc it can havediscomfort after a meal are often allowing backflow of acid into your system moving. on digestion. Heartburn is oftensymptoms of impaired digestion esophagus. This small step can a result of over-indulgence; tooresulting from a variety of factors make all the difference in helping much drinking can cause excessincluding lifestyle and diet. Reach the flow of your digestive system. stomach acid and inflammation.for a natural dietary supplementlike an enzyme, papaya leaf and Know When to Sayother botanicals. When Even though your grill may be Digestive issues are extremely common, and through these simple tips, overflowing with food for your natural solutions may provide you with the relief you’ve been looking for. summer bbq, be careful how much you overindulge. Your stomach will thank you.16 • INSIDE HEALTH
Recurring stress may result in changes of the brain-gut communication, leading to ahost of digestive issues. Stress may contribute to lower HCl, lower enzyme productionand poor mucosal integrity. Stress may also effect our sensitive gut microbiota.By Woodson Merrell, MD, Inside Health Science AdvisorWe’ve all had the experience of stress making us sick. tipping point is different and it can vary from day to Relaxation as a TherapeuticNow, science has explained that this happens through day. There are many stories about people who survive Interventionthe intelligence of our cells reacting to even just a catastrophic emotional or physical situations andstressful thought, with biological changes all the way tragedies and go on to lead healthy lives. On the flip Establishing breath breaks: The supply of oxygen todown to the smallest particles of DNA. Today we are side we all know people who collapse at seemingly your cells is a major determinant in how much energyonly beginning to understand the subtleties of mind- trifling stress (the cable guy never showed up). you make. By simply increasing the oxygen supply inbody medicine. The point is that you simply cannot allow stress to your blood with deep-breathing exercises, you will accumulate, no matter which kind of stress affects you. be able to make more energy and elicit the relaxationGood Stress vs. Bad Stress response, which simultaneously allows your body to Create the Perception of Control: The thought (even if utilize less energy. The goal is to take deeper, slowerIt is often your perception and handling of an event, it seems initially like an illusion) that you can exercise breaths, which allows a general deceleration of theand not the nature of the stressor, that determines personal choice in a stressful situation has been found metabolism and stress-response systems, along with aits effect on you. For athletes and concert musicians, to be the single greatest predictor of effective stress corresponding conservation of energy and improvedstress can lead to constructive outcomes—the management— regardless of whether or not you alertness.adrenaline rush that releases a burst of energy before actually have control! Taking conscious steps to controla game or performance can improve their playing. your stress, even if it’s something as simple as taking The key to this profound breathing technique isHowever, research has found that this is only true calming breaths just before a major meeting, is an to take abdominal breaths, which means that thewhen a person has prepared thoroughly for a task. important part of the transformation toward a more abdomen, rather than the chest, expands as youThe more control you perceive yourself to have over a energetic life. inhale. (By involving the diaphragm, you draw oxygenstressful situation the less damaging the stress will be. deeper into the lung cells and recruit muscles and A Guide to the Best Relaxation neurotransmitters that significantly enhance theNowhere is the perception of stress better illustrated Exercises effects.) It’s best to sit up straight with shoulders backthan in the latest research on the link between Type to expand your lung capacity.A personalities and heart attack risk. For many years, Practicing just one of the recommended relaxationscientists thought that all Type A personalities— techniques—whether it’s meditation, breath work, You can take breath breaks any time—in the office,hurried, high-achieving, risk-taking people—had yoga, or tai chi—will bring positive energy into in the car, in a conference room, or on an airplane. Bya greater chance of developing heart disease than your life. Some of the techniques—such as breath following these basic instructions you will unfailinglynon-Type A personalities simply because Type As breaks—simply trigger the relaxation response, while experience a softening of your upper body’s usualinvite more stress into their lives. However, it turns out others like acupuncture have broader applications. tension, and a slower, more relaxed breathingthere are healthy Type As and unhealthy Type As—the It really doesn’t matter which technique you choose, pattern—even after you finish the exercise. Studiesdifference is in their emotional coping style and how numerous published studies have shown that all of this technique show that it results in slower pulse,they perceive the stressors in their lives. Type A people relaxation techniques—which promote an altered lower blood pressure, relaxed intestinal muscles, lowerwith positive attitudes and optimistic coping styles live state of relaxed concentration or focused reverie— cortisol and blood carbon dioxide levels. The nervouslonger and have no greater risk of heart disease than have beneficial effects, including a decrease in energy system alone utilizes about 20 percent of the oxygenthe general population. The veil of emotions through consumption.which you perceive your stress to a large degree you take in, so by reducing the nervous systemdetermines the toll it will take on health and energy. activity you preserve energy.Two Coping Strategies From THE SOURCE by Woodson Merrell. Copyright © 2008 by Woodson Merrell, M.D.Move Your Tipping Point: The point beyond which Reprinted by permission of Atria Books, acumulative exposure to stress causes fatigue and Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Content hasillness is a moving target. For each person, the been edited for brevity to fit available space. INSIDE HEALTH • 17
RecipesYou can make tonight!It begins withfresh, healthy foodand fun-to-make recipes.Vegetable Lasagna Vegetable Filling 2 tablespoons olive oilBY MARY CAPONE 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, thinly slicedThis recipe is packed with good-for-you veggies. 1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 medium zucchini, thinly slicedEasy Marinara Sauce ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh Italian flat parsleyThis quick sauce is simple and flavorful. Use ½ teaspoon sea salthigh-quality canned tomatoes for best results. ❧ Pepper, to taste2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in basil To make vegetable filling, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add pepper slices and sauté, about1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, zucchini, parsley, sea salt and pepper.1 tablespoon sugar Sauté until mushrooms are golden brown and veggies are al dente.1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste❧ Pepper, to taste Cheese Filling1/4 cup olive oil 8 ounces fresh mozzarella or dairy-free alternative2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup ricotta cheese or dairy-free alternative 3 tablespoons milk of choicePlace tomatoes with juice in a food processor or blender and process 2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsleyjust until smooth. Transfer tomato puree to a saucepan and warm 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese or dairy-free alternative, dividedover medium heat. Stir basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper into ❧ Salt and pepper, to tastewarm tomato puree. Bring mixture to a slow simmer and cook about ❧ Pinch of ground nutmeg15 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomato sauce resembles a thinoatmeal. Do not overcook. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. In To make cheese filling, cut mozzarella into ¼-inch slices and seta small pan, heat oil and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is light aside. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, milk, parsley,brown or just beginning to color. Add oil and garlic to tomato sauce, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together untilstirring to combine. creamy. Set aside.Pasta1 package gluten-free lasagna noddlesPrepare lasagna noodles al dente according to package instructions.Noodle-Licious! For gluten-free or allergy-friendly lasagna pasta, check out these products: DeBoles Rice Lasagna (deboles.com), Jovial Brown Rice Lasagna(jovialfoods.com), Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagne (tinkyada.com). Not every product sold by every company listed is gluten-free or allergy-friendly. Read labels.Ingredients can change. When in doubt, confirm ingredients directly with the manufacturer.18 • INSIDE HEALTH
Assembling the lasagna mozzarella slices and cheese filling and remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover baking dish with lightly oiled foil.1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 3. Place lasagna in preheated oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until2. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, add ½ cup marinara sauce to baking lasagna is thoroughly heated.dish. Place pasta end to end, covering the bottom of the pan. Layer½ cup sauce over the pasta, 1/3 of the vegetable filling over the sauce 4. Remove from oven and let rest uncovered 15 minutes. Cut intoand 1/3 of the mozzarella slices and cheese filling over the vegetable squares and serve.filling. Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the cheese filling.Place more pasta over the Parmesan cheese and repeat the layering Makes 8 to 10 servings. Each serving with Easy Marina Sauce contains 396 calories,process. Top with more pasta, remaining ½ cup sauce, remaining 23g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 87mg cholesterol, 969mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 8g sugars, 17g protein, 17 Est GL.Pork, Broccoli & Red Pepper Stir-Fry with Asian Brown Rice NoodlesBY BETH HILLSON 1. Place salt and 2 quarts of water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Place noodles inIt’s light but filling. Serve this with a salad of baby spinach, boiling water and cook according to packageorange slices, toasted pumpkin seeds and diced avocado, instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.tossed with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil, if desired, and set aside.2 teaspoons salt4 ounces gluten-free Asian brown rice noodles 2. While noodles cook, slice tenderloin and cut each slice into 3 strips. or gluten-free spaghetti (not vermicelli)2 teaspoons olive oil or sesame oil, optional 3. In a large wok or skillet, heat 11/2 tablespoons1 marinated and grilled pork tenderloin the olive oil over medium heat. Add half the onion, ginger and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add the pork and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. (about 1-1¼ pounds) Add remaining oil, onion, ginger and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Add broccoli and3 tablespoons olive oil, divided sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add red pepper and sauté another minute. Add1 medium onion, cut in thin wedges vinegar and stir.2 teaspoons crushed or chopped ginger2 cloves garlic, crushed 4. In a small bowl, combine broth, tamari, honey and Sriracha sauce. Mix well and1 broccoli crown (about ½ pound), cut into bite-size florets add to ingredients in the wok.1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into strips2 tablespoons rice vinegar 5. Add pork and noodles. Bring mixture to a simmer and heat until noodles are¼ cup gluten-free chicken broth warm, about 1 minute.2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari1 tablespoon honey Serves 4. Each serving contains 379 calories, 14g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 73mg2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, optional cholesterol, 1835mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 8g sugars, 27g protein, 20 Est GL.Grilled Salmon with Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes BY LAURA B. RUSSELL 1. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Top the grate with a grill basket to keep the tomatoes from falling through the Cherry tomatoes offer little bursts of flavor in a grate. salad so why not give them a leading role? In this recipe, the tomatoes are grilled for just a few 2. Put tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive minutes until their skins start to pop. The warm oil. Dump tomatoes into the grill basket and cook until they tomatoes soak in the balsamic vinegar, making start to char and pop, 3 to 4 minutes. Return tomatoes to them a bright, tangy topper for your salmon. the bowl and gently toss with garlic, vinegar, ½ teaspoon A grill basket makes easy work of grilling kosher salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil and basil. Set aside.tomatoes, keeping them from slipping through the grates. If you don’t have a basket,thread the tomatoes onto bamboo skewers. If you don’t eat salmon, this gluten-free 3. Coat salmon with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil andrecipe is delicious with grilled chicken, flank steak, pork and tuna. sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Place salmon on grill skin-side up and cook 4 minutes. Turn and cook until2 cups cherry tomatoes fish is just barely done, about 3 minutes longer. Fish will still3 tablespoons olive oil, divided be translucent in the center. (Grill a few more minutes if you1 garlic clove, smashed like your salmon thoroughly cooked.) Serve fish topped with1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar tomatoes.1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided¼ cup loosely packed shredded basil Serves 4. Each serving contains 458 calories, 33g total fat, 7g saturated fat,1½ pounds salmon fillet, about 1-inch thick, cut into 4 pieces 0g trans fat, 92mg cholesterol, 685mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 3g sugars, 35g protein, 1 Est GL. INSIDE HEALTH • 19
Chicken TacosBY MARY CAPONELightly battered in potato starch, lime juice and roasted spices, these crowd-pleasing tacos can be made quickly. A delicious way to celebrate Cinco deMayo, they’re great with either chicken or tilapia, if fish is tolerated.2 whole chicken breasts, ¼ teaspoon allspice 4. In separate bowl, place lime juice. Dip chicken pieces or fillets in boneless, skinless, or 4-6 lime juice and then in starch/spice mixture. tilapia fillets, about 1 pound ½ cup potato starch (not potato flour) 5. Heat oil in a pan and sauté fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Do2 teaspoons chili powder not overcrowd the pan. For blackened chicken, cook 5 to 7 minutes 1 lime, juiced per side or until meat is firm to touch. Remove from pan and serve½ teaspoon ground cinnamon with warm tortillas and your favorite toppings. 2 tablespoons coconut oil or1 teaspoon Mexican oregano or olive oil, for sautéing Serves 6 to 10. Each taco with corn tortilla contains 171 calories, 4g total fat, 3g regular dried oregano saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 22mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 10 gluten-free tortillas 11g protein.¼ teaspoon ground cloves1. Rinse chicken or fish and pat dry.2. In a small sauté pan, add chili powder, cinnamon, oregano, clovesand allspice to pan. Roast spices over medium heat until they begin tohave a strong fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat andlet cool.3. In a medium-size bowl, blend potato starch with roasted spices. Jules’ Homemade All-Purpose Flour Blend Rustic Apple Pie To make very fine rice flour, process regular rice flour in a food BY JULES SHEPARD processor, blender or clean coffee grinder until very fine. 1 cup cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot powder This home-style pie has a gorgeous free-formed crust that’s light, flaky and 1 cup potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot powder simple to make. The recipe calls for apples and tart cherries but use your 1 cup very fine white rice flour, sorghum flour or favorite late-summer fruit. buckwheat flour Crust ½ cup corn flour, millet flour, sorghum flour or brown rice flour 1 cup Jules’ Homemade All-Purpose Flour Blend (see recipe, left) ½ cup tapioca starch, cornstarch or arrowroot powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons xanthan gum or guar gum 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated shortening or coconut oil Whisk ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. 3 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance buttery sticks Refrigerate in a large zip-top bag or a sealed container until used. 2–3 tablespoons cold water or Makes 4 cups. Each cup contains 522 calories, 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 2 tablespoons vodka + 1 tablespoon water 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 6mg sodium, 123g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water), oil or milk of choice, 0g sugars, 4g protein, 74 Est GL. for brushing on crust20 • INSIDE HEALTH Filling 1 tablespoon lemon juice 5 cups peeled, cored and diced tart apples (a mixture of apple varieties works best) 1 cup pitted tart cherries (drained, if using canned cherries) ¼ cup Jules’ Homemade All-Purpose Flour Blend ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ❧ Demerara sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top 1. To make the crust, combine flour blend and salt in a large bowl or food processor. Cut in shortening and butter and process until mixture is crumbly. Add water gradually until dough forms into a ball. (Err on the side of dough being wetter rather than too crumbly.) Form dough into a disk, trying not to overwork it. Wrap it in plastic wrap and set aside 30 minutes while you make the filling.
2. To make filling, mix lemon juice in a large bowl of water. Place 5. Place filling into crust and gently fold crust edges over toward theapples in the water to coat them with lemon water. Then drain. Stir center of the pie.cherries into apples. Add flour blend, sugar and cinnamon, stirringgently to distribute. 6. Brush dough with beaten egg or milk of choice, reserving some. (This helps brown the crust as it bakes.) Cover the pie loosely with foil3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the middle oven rack with aluminum to prevent over-drying.foil to catch drips. 7. Place in preheated oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, brush4. On a surface generously dusted with gluten-free flour, roll out top with more egg wash or milk and replace the foil. Reduce ovendough to a diameter at least 1 inch larger than the diameter of a temperature to 350°F and bake another 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake9-inch or 10-inch pie pan. Gently lift an edge of the rolled out crust an additional 10 minutes or until filling is thickened and bubbly andusing a butter knife or bench scraper. Lay the edge over your rolling crust is lightly browned. Do not overbake or crust will become tough.pin so that it is supported by the rolling pin as you lift the crust ontoyour pie plate. Gently pat the dough into place, allowing excess crust 8. Remove pie from oven and cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle pie lightlyto hang over the edge of the pie plate. If the crust cracks, wet your with sugar, if desired. Serve warm.finger and press edges back together. Serves 8. Each serving contains 254 calories, 9g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 38mg cholesterol, 158mg sodium, 44g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 22g sugars, 2g protein, 23 Est GL.Raspberry Strawberry Smoothie Cups Coconut Avocado SmoothieBY MATTHEW KADEY, RD. BY MATTHEW KADEY, RD. You don’t always have the time Bursting with tropical flare, avocado gives this fresh- to gather up all the necessary tasting smoothie a creamy richness and plenty of ingredients to make a smoothie. heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. These make-ahead smoothie cups are your answer to a quick, 1 cup coconut water 1 tablespoon refreshing drink. When ready for a 1 cup coconut milk (carton, not honey cold smoothie, just drop a coupleinto a blender with liquid and you’re good to go. For the easiest extraction canned) ❧ Pulp of 1 ripe avocadoof the smoothie cups, it’s best to use bendable silicone muffin cups. ❧ Juice of ½ lime 1 cup frozen mango cubes 2 tablespoons fresh chopped ❧ Dash of salt ½ teaspoon lime zest basil2 cups unflavored hemp milk, switch hits 1. Place all ingredients, except lime zest, into a blender container in rice milk or other milk of choice the order listed. Replace strawberries with1 tablespoon honey chopped plums, nectarines 2. Blend until smooth. Add additional coconut water if the smoothie1 tablespoon coconut oil or peaches. is too thick for your liking. Divide between 2 glasses and garnish with1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract lime zest.1 teaspoon orange zest Try lemon zest instead of½ teaspoon ground cinnamon orange. Serves 2. Each serving contains 304 calories, 17g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat,2 cups raspberries 0mg cholesterol, 190mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate, 10g fiber, 4g protein.1 cup strawberries Use coconut water in lieu❧ Grated dark chocolate, for garnish, of dairy-free milk. Gluten-Free Fruit-Tomato Smoothie optional BY LISA STANDER-HOREL1. Place all ingredients into a blender container in the order listed. Loaded with potassium, calcium and antioxidants, thisBlend until smooth, about 30 seconds. smoothie is a healthy way to begin your day. It may become your new favorite breakfast drink.2. Divide among 12 medium-size muffin cups and freeze until solid,about 4 hours. 1 cup cold pure tomato juice ½ cup frozen mixed mango and/or pineapple pieces3. Unmold smoothie cups and place in a zip-top bag for storage in the ½ cup cold pomegranate juicefreezer. If you have trouble unmolding the frozen cups, try placing the ½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberriesbottom of the muffin tray in warm water for several seconds, being ¼ cup full-fat Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt of choice, optionalcareful not to thaw the contents. 1 teaspoon honey, optional4. When ready to serve, place 1 cup liquid of choice and two smoothie 1. Place all ingredients into a blender in the order listed and pulse untilcups into a blender container; blend until smooth. (If you don’t have a blended. Little pieces of frozen fruit will remain suspended in the smoothie.powerful blender, cut the frozen smoothie cups into quarters first.) Addadditional liquid, if needed, to help with blending and to reach desired 2. Strain to remove seeds, if desired. Serve cold.consistency. Serve topped with grated dark chocolate, if desired. Serves 2. Each serving contains 163 calories, 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mgServes 6. Each serving contains 95 calories, 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, cholesterol, 106mg sodium, 40g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 31g sugars, 3g protein, 14 Est GL0mg cholesterol, 38mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 1g protein. INSIDE HEALTH • 21
My Life with Enzymedica offer tailed enzymes to suit your digestive needs.Food Intolerance There are enzymes inside that are specific to A Q&A with Erica Dermer, what you need to break down. Lactose is used managing editor of Gluten for dairy intolerance to help digest milk. Xylanase Free & More magazine. helps break down certain types of fiber.Erica Dermer is a blogging machine. anything High protein foods can be broken down that I ate – or with the help of protease enzymes. FatIn a few short years she’s become one of the attempted to eat. I was on a can be broken down with the help ofgo-to bloggers in the natural food and strict diet of easy-to-digest foods with low fiber, lipase. Amylase helps digest starchysupplement industry, based on her personal but as the medication kicked in, I added more portions of grains. There are so manyexperiences as a celiac—but also as a person and more food back into my diet. enzymes that together help breakwho has conquered her condition. We down about anything you could eat.caught up with Erica recently to find out how Only later, after visiting yet another doctor, didshe functions in her often topsy-turvy food- I find out that it was celiac all along, and the What made you choose Enzymedica?challenged world. delayed stomach emptying was just a sign that things were really, really wrong in my body. They were an exhibitor at one of the first gluten-What was the first time you thought you free expos I attended. They were handing outmight need additional digestive support? It’s clear you avoid gluten because of celiac, but what about other foods? samples. I was quite impressed at howTo be honest, I’m pretty sure my life is just one big effective their enzymes were. Onceneed for additional digestive support. I’ve always Yes, I avoid beef, dairy, and eggs. These are food I realized how well they worked, Ibeen a type A personality who’s been stressed intolerances -- not food allergies. I’ve been tested become an advocate for their use.pretty much all the time, and that definitely was for anaphylactic allergies and I’m clear.felt in my gut. Nothing I ate ever felt that great, I like that the digestive enzymes I useand it only got worse after celiac disease kicked in. While I do my best to avoid the offending foods, contain no egg, dairy/casein, soy, wheat/ sometimes I do cheat and crave an item made gluten, or yeast. In addition,One night, I got extremely sick after a night of with dairy and eggs. I haven’t reintroduced them they do not include preservatives, salt,wine and bruschetta with friends. My digestive fully yet, and I’m not sure that I plan on doing so, sucrose, nuts, corn, potato, rice, artificial colorstract never really recovered after that night, and I but I at least know I can tolerate them in small or flavors.was stuck with years of digestive distress. Doctors doses with digestive enzymes.tested me over and over again for what was They also offer enzymes plus probiotics, multi-wrong. I was treated for ulcers, which I ended How did you find out about digestive vitamins plus enzymes, etc. It’s nice to haveup not having. I was tested for gallbladder issues enzymes? everything in one pill from a brand you can trust.with multiple HIDA scans. Finally, I was diagnosedwith gastroparesis – delayed stomach emptying. One of my doctors recommended digestive How did you know what type of enzymeBasically my food stayed in my stomach for way enzymes for every day use for anyone with gut to choose?longer than it was supposed to – sometimes even health problems. I started small by using papayadays. My stomach had a hard time breaking down enzymes off the shelf at the grocery store. With multiple intolerances, from eggs to dairy tofood, and my brain didn’t necessarily signal my However, they weren’t specified for any particular gluten to beef, I decided on the Digest Spectrumfood to empty into my intestines either. It was food. It’s not specific for protein, beans, gluten, for any time I eat something suspicious. I neveruncomfortable – I was nauseated and bloated dairy, vegetables, etc. I learned that brands like ever cheat on a gluten-free diet, since I haveand dealt with heartburn and gastritis every day, celiac disease. I know my long-term ramificationsevery hour. if I choose to eat gluten as a celiac. However, I travel all of the time. I dine out with friends,Anything I ate needed help and assistance to family, and my partner. I understand that I willdigest and deliver any nutrients to my body. I have to deal with cross-contamination at sometook multiple prescription medications to help point in my life – some months more often thanmy stomach to empty, but I believe that digestive others. I prefer to cover all of my bases and justenzymes were a big help in making me feel like take an enzyme, knowing that it will all sort itselfmy body was actually doing something with out…inside. Besides Digest Spectrum, I also have Digest Gold and Digest Gold with Probiotics.22 • INSIDE HEALTH When do you typically take these enzymes? Any time I eat meat, or a difficult vegetable – like raw carrots, a lot of carbs, or beans, it’s a good time to take a few Digest Spectrum enzymes. I take a bottle with me on trips, and definitely take enzymes after eating out at new and unfamiliar restaurants.
INSIDE HEALTH • 23
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