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Last newsletter I highlighted the necessity of embracing our bodies with affection and care in order to blossom into authentic health. Nevertheless, during this 2024 National Nutrition Month, I recognize that there is a lot of misinformation out in the world about food. How are you supposed to listen to your body about food choices when the media makes those choices so confusing? Ready for some clarity? Read on. There are gobs of misunderstandings and old information about food and nutrition, and I can’t possibly hit them all here. I chose the topics below because they are ones I hear about most often from clients, family, and friends. I truly would love for you to send me questions about where you are confused so I can answer them! So, I’m sure a bunch of you wonder, “What is gluten, anyway? I heard it’s bad for me!” Is sugar really the devil in granulated form? Raise your hand if you are still confused about eggs, fats, and cholesterol! Let’s go find out! To Gluten Or Not to Gluten? Gluten is a naturally occurring protein found in many grains, especially wheat, barley, and rye. It can show up in products made with elements of these grains, like breads, soy sauce, beer, and, weirdly, some commercial salad dressing (read a list here). Gluten is actually a combo of proteins. It is a binder and creates stretch in dough. We have been eating gluten since we began farming grains for food. Since it assists with making grain-based products more shelf stable, modern processors put more gluten in commercial products than there is in traditionally made ones, like sourdough bread (which has much less). Most people do not have an issue with gluten or grains, or only notice it when consuming a lot over time. But keep reading!! So many of us have inflammation in our digestive tracts that gluten can contribute to health issues, including our digestive problems. When gluten enters the digestive tract, a little chemical called zonulin is released. Most of the time that’s not really a problem. However, zonulin triggers inflammation in the intestines - again, usually not enough to be an issue. There is a single layer of epithelial cells that make up the barrier between the lumen (center) of the intestine and the inside of the body. The junctions between these cells are bound tightly together, forming a wall. When zonulin is present or enough inflammation occurs for other reasons, the junctions become loose, spaces open up, and stuff from the lumen (food particles, bacteria, viruses, etc.) can escape into the bloodstream and contribute to making us allergic or sick. Among the food particles, tiny chains of undigested gluten molecules can travel into the bloodstream. The immune system doesn’t recognize them and really doesn’t like them, and we’re off to the inflammatory races as it tries to get rid of the invader. Most people with autoimmune diseases will feel better without gluten (and no/low dairy) in their meals. So, here’s the deal. 0.586% of Americans suffer from Celiac disease, which is a severe autoimmune disease caused by exposure to gluten. In Celiac disease, the immune system attacks the cells of the intestinal lining, mistaking them for gluten molecules and destroying their ability to digest and absorb critical nutrients from food. Some people have a heightened genetic risk of developing Celiac disease. However, some people develop Celiac disease without that genetic risk and some people with increased genetic risk never develop it. We don’t mess around with gluten when Celiac disease is present. Only complete removal of gluten puts the disease in remission. Guess a primary common thread between developing Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity? Stress on the body from lifestyle factors and/or an existing illness. If you are gluten sensitive (but don’t have an autoimmune disease or Celiac), do you need to remove gluten forever? Maybe not, once you heal your digestion. Then you can experiment with how much and how often. There’s Something About Sugar I will speak heresy now: sugary food can be a true pleasure and has a place in our lives. Sweet is a nice counterpoint after a meal to the bitter, spicy, salty, acid, and/or strongly herbal flavors. Desserts are a festive way to celebrate or share family history. Baking is both a delightful science and a way to show love. Sugary items literally trigger the release of dopamine and energize the cells, giving us motivation and energy simultaneously. Something sugary can remind us of sweet memories or experiences or provide a sweet moment when things otherwise feel kinda rough. It can be delightfully connective - like a grandparent sharing an ice cream cone with a grandchild. Now, do modern corporations and our cultural habits encourage people to eat more sugar and ultra-processed foods (the new phrasing for many commercial grain-based foods) than will leave us well and feeling good? Absolutely. These habits can disconnect us from our bodies and undermine our authentic health. But if you are hangry and can’t get to a solid meal any time soon, a small sweet or processed snack will give your cells the energy they need right now. Ditto for when you’re trying to think something through (ever wanted something crunchy when you’re chewing on a problem?), or even if you’re in the middle of a workout and flagging. Glucose is our body’s preferred fuel, especially our brain cells. A little granola bar or piece of donut could be just the ticket in the moment. That boost from sugar or an ultra-processed food will not carry you the long haul, though, because your cells will burn it quickly and you’ll be back in the same boat. So consume some as desired or required rather than relying on repeated sugary and/or processed foods as your primary fuel. Those will, conversely, leave you undernourished, moody, and hungry. Is sugar going to contribute to poor health? Anything in excess will contribute to poor health. The reason sugar and processed grain-based foods (which are quickly turned into sugars in the body) get such negative press is because they raise blood glucose (BG, a type of sugar). Since blood vessels don’t like having sticky sugars hang around, routinely high BG will go a couple of different directions. After it has been used for energy, excess glucose first will be boxed up for later use by the liver, and the rest will be turned into fat for storage. Over the long haul, cells start turning the sugar away because they are tired of being overwhelmed with it. Insulin is the key that opens the lock to the cell for glucose, and the cell starts blocking the lock. Now the cells are “insulin resistant” and the blood is teeming with glucose. Remember that blood vessels only want to transport the sugar, not host it forever. The reason is that glucose gloms onto red blood cells and other particles floating through the bloodstream. It also damages the blood vessel walls by triggering inflammation (remember, it’s not supposed to stay there, so the immune system comes to try to address the issue). This is how too much sugar over time leads to Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and brain diseases. Some have also noticed that sweets and foods made with refined flours, especially when not eaten with protein and healthy fats, can trigger mood shifts or a level of hyperactivity, an important note for those who have ADHD, anxiety, or related mood disorders. Dysregulated blood sugar can spike and tank your mood, and even contribute to panic attacks and poor sleep. This ties directly to eating intuitively. When we understand what our bodies really need in order to feel well, vibrant, and energetic, we don’t have to deny or restrict ourselves. We can make choices about what to eat and when, and in what amount - sugar and processed, grain-based foods included. You are a unique individual. Know your own body and nourish it accordingly. Now You’re Going to Tell Me That Eggs Won’t Raise My Cholesterol You are correct, my friend. Read the following from this 2022 comprehensive review of research: “A great number of epidemiological studies and meta-analysis indicate that dietary cholesterol is not associated with CVD risk nor with elevated plasma cholesterol concentrations. Clinical interventions in the last 20 years demonstrate that challenges with dietary cholesterol do not increase the biomarkers associated with heart disease risk.” Moreover, eggs are fantastic sources of protein, choline, healthy fats, and some vitamin D, making them terrific contributors to methylation processes and brain health, as well as the delights of brunch. Don’t worry about shrimp or liver, either. So what foods do raise the risk for cardiovascular disease? CVD risk rises with the increase in the consumption of trans fats, saturated fats, omega-6 rich fatty acids, refined grains/ultra-processed foods, and sugars. On the other hand, you’ll see below that some oils and fats are actually deliciously health promoting. It’s all about the amount and frequency of these foods, not about never having them and not about body size. Be aware that physiological stress and a sedentary life are also major risk factors for heart disease. Here are some insights:
So, Can Food Choices Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk? Yep. Whole oats (which contain cardiovascularly healthy beta-glucans) will trap metabolized cholesterol when it arrives in the stool, and the fiber in whole oats keeps the stool moving so we don’t reabsorb it (which will mess with cholesterol levels). Enjoy the benefits of fiber found in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, beans/legumes, and nuts/seeds. Colorful vegetables and fruit prevent oxidation of our cells and mitochondria and assure proper function of inflammatory pathways. You’ve learned that certain fats/oils are rich in health supportive phytochemicals and anti-inflammatory compounds. Take Home Message Surely I have not answered all of your questions about food and health, but I hope that I alleviated some confusion! I’d really love to hear what else you would like to know.
Food can be a pleasure in all its iterations. When we have the knowledge we require to meet our own health and wellness goals, we can listen to our body’s intuition and make more confident choices.
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Last week was Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 26-March 3). I hope you saw as much excellent informational material on your social media as I did. While I don’t work with those who have active eating disorders (that takes specialized care), in my clinical and personal experience most people live in the confusion of disordered eating. It affects both their joy in life and their health. Body distrust and difficult relationships/misunderstandings with food are common threads that run through my clients’ experience. We talk about these a lot. So many folks don’t realize that authentic health may not look like we’re trained to believe. Please read this one through. There’s a lot of opportunity to reorient our relationship with food and our bodies so that we are healthier all around. One newsletter can’t possibly hit it all, but I’d love to share more with you when we work together. Disordered Eating Disordered Eating (DE) is our focus today, although I encourage you to read the facts about eating disorders in the box at the end. Let’s take a sec to look at what DE is, then we’ll consider some new perspectives. Disordered eating very often mimics health promoting behaviors, causing them to be widely accepted by society, especially when they are associated with weight loss. A few of them actually fall on a spectrum from rationally healthy to verging on an eating disorder. It depends on how they are used and the mindset of the person using them. For example, some people follow a vegetarian or vegan food plan for moral and/or health reasons. Or they exercise rigorously on a daily basis. They feel great and they never unduly restrict or deny themselves food or rest. However, some use these as a way to control their food intake and strive for an ever smaller body. Experts identify these ways of eating as yellow flags for a budding eating disorder, particularly when other mental health issues are present. You can see it in teenagers suffering from anxiety and perfectionism. They might suddenly become vegetarian or vegan as a cloak for controlling food intake or extreme dieting. Others push themselves with exercise. Or both. Diet culture surrounds us in advertisements, social media, magazines, and newspapers. Our heads become full of food rules and body perfectionism. We become completely disconnected from what our bodies tell us they need, and our self-care habits become skewed. Did you know that there is a relatively new eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa? When the behavior becomes extreme, orthorexia is diagnosed in people who are perfectionistic about what foods they will eat - everything must be “clean,” organic, “healthy,” no sugar or refined anything, and consumed at exactly the “right” time of day in the “right” amounts. A similar relationship with exercise can also exist. Crippling guilt and anxiety for choosing something outside of this box interfere with daily living. And heaven help us if your body changes (except to be smaller.) We are also bombarded with images of what bodies “should” look like and social media “what I eat in a day” and “healthy swaps.” We become filled with dissatisfaction with our bodies and our food choices as we compare ourselves to these things. Constant dissatisfaction ≠ joy with life - but someone is out there willing to sell you a solution to your body problems! Fear sells products, and make no mistake: weight loss schemes and “healthy eating” are products. What business model other than a diet plan undermines you by telling you you don’t know what you’re doing, repeatedly fails to deliver a sustainable product, blames the customer for the failure, and builds an empire on it? Body disconnection leaves us feeling untethered. If we eat one cookie, we chastise ourselves because it’s a “bad” food. Either we then restrict ourselves further as a means of trying to regain a sense of control, or we perceive ourselves “giving up” and eat the whole sleeve. We’ve “lost” anyway, so why not? But what I want you to know is that enjoying a pleasurable food is not an either-or proposition. Imagine if we stopped being afraid of our bodies and simply embraced them, as they are, with love and compassion? What if we listened and responded with what would make them truly feel their best? What do you suppose would happen? I’d love to hear your response to this. Diet Culture Diet culture is the leading trigger for disordered eating. The Emily Program is an eating disorder recovery program, and their website provides a list of DE behaviors and how they can tip into eating disorders. Here it is, and I made a few additions:
I want to pause here and assure you that you are absolutely doing the best you can with the information you have, and I completely honor that. When you receive supposedly expert advice on how to be healthy (and what it looks like), and then you are surrounded by a culture that applauds you for working to get healthy regardless of how you do it, you’re going to follow that glimmering path of gold. So why trust me? Because there is a large body of research - formal studies and clinically - which describe that restriction, deprivation, weight cycling, and healthism lead to worse health outcomes, both physically and mentally. These are not the paths to authentic health. Yet, authentic health does exist. Out of Touch Toxic cultural messages about our bodies and our health get all up in our heads. We’re triggered into fight or flight and see our bodies as the enemy. We become disconnected from its messages and requests - the body’s innate wisdom. There’s nothing inherently wrong with making food choices, increasing or decreasing the amount of food, moving our bodies (cleanses are another story!), or even seeking a smaller (or larger!) body. It’s the how and why that undermine our physical and mental health. A key to this whole thing is that our bodies are designed to protect the organism - us. The more we crank down on them to force them into shape, size, or “health,” the more they feel threatened and go into protective mode. Deny it food? It will sense starvation and grab back any lost weight and slow down metabolism. Deplete nutrient stores during heavy workouts without adequate rest and nourishment? It’ll draw minerals from bone and break down muscle to make fuel for energy. Neurotransmitters (mental health) and hormones will be thrown into disarray. And the more we moralize and berate ourselves for food choices, the more we want the food we restrict and deny ourselves. There’s solid evidence for all of this. One very readable source that has collected it in one place is the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyce Resch. In my practice I apply the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating defined by this book, which have proven benefits for overall health and wellbeing. They coined the term “authentic health.” Getting Back in Touch When we tune in to the body, we can align our behaviors with its true needs. Authentic health and our natural shape and size tend to follow. Ease and a feeling of safety and comfort fall into place. How nice would it be to feel safe with any food and move your body with pleasure so it feels great and works well? This is all available to you. Be gentle with yourself and your body. Intuition and Hearing The Quiet Voice Here are a few mindset practices that I offer to my clients to help them align with their bodies. To be honest, they are more effective when accompanied by coaching. Please try them, though, and as you begin to get the glimmers of hope, pleasure, and authentic health they provide, send me a note to let me know! And remember, these are “practices,” not “perfects.” All Food is Morally Neutral You may be surprised to know that there is no food that is superior or inferior, good or bad. It’s really true! Every food is available and plays a valid role in our choices. Adopt an abundance mindset. When every food is “on the table,” we are able to select what’s truly right for us in the amount that meets our needs at the time we require it. No restriction, no denial - no under eating, no overeating. In fact, we can even choose not to eat, if that’s best for us. Every food remains available to us, so the choice becomes about true nourishment, not loss or hoarding. Practicing an abundance mindset allows us to assess and decide on what will lead us into feeling the way we authentically want to feel. We no longer have to prevent ourselves from eating any food: we can trust ourselves and our bodies to nourish us well. Language Matters The words we use with ourselves help define how we see ourselves and how we move through the world (our choices and behavior). You’ve heard it before: would you talk to a friend using the words you use with yourself? Would your friend remain your friend if you talked to them that way? We draw closer to those for whom we express recognition, kindness, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion. We listen to where they struggle, tell them it’s going to be okay, and nourish them with healing foods, touch, laughter, and connection. Is it any wonder that we achieve our authentic health more readily when we do this for ourselves? Express Curiosity When we’re friendly with someone, we want to know more about them. So here’s a novel idea: express curiosity about your own experience. Ask questions. Really hear the answer. We’ve all had a lot of diet culture noise in our heads, and it can feel a lot easier said than done to hear the soft voices of our bodies. It may take practice, but the practice will pay off. Identify a point of your day when things are reasonably calm. Take three slow, deep breaths. This is a listening practice. Find stillness and silence. Literally ask, “What’s happening, Body? What do you need?” Feel before you label the answer with words. Maybe scan from your scalp to the soles of your feet, inside and outside. Notice what’s going on. If something is tight or hurts, rest your attention on it for a moment or two. Acknowledge without judgment. Just allow it to be true and then move on. You may notice the rising of emotions, thoughts, or unexpected physical sensations. Be curious about what they indicate about what you need. Everything that comes during the practice is information, neither right nor wrong - merely true. That information is what some people call intuition. Curiosity encourages observation, and observation allows awareness to grow. When awareness is present, ‘knowing’ and then compassion begin to blossom. Our true needs can be identified, embraced, and met with love. Cultivate the Pause In this mindfulness exercise we’re interested in expanding the space between a trigger for a behavior and our actual response. That is, instead of having a knee jerk reaction, we make a thoughtful, satisfying choice. Light (awareness) now can enter that open space so we can observe what’s really happening and use that information to make satisfying decisions for ourselves. It’s a more intentional version of expressing curiosity. You can learn more about Cultivate the Pause here. Take Home Message You have the most beautiful body, and it’s working 24/7/365 to protect you. Have you ever seen such love or devotion? It chugs away, constantly making adjustments to keep you alive and safe. But those adjustments can take a toll on your health eventually if you treat your body like an adversary to be beaten into submission. When you align, listen, and respond with compassion and love, your body is able to emerge from the bunker and heal. It knows what to do with proper rest and nourishment, and everything settles into place. Here are some important facts from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA):
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AuthorI am Mary Virginia Coffman (I go by “Mary Virginia”), a clinical nutritionist who focuses on mental health, digestive health, metabolic health, and nervous system regulation. My unique combination of clinical interventions, education, and coaching will help you feel well in body, mind, and spirit. Archives
October 2024
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