Author Archives: dianne rishikof

Food Allergy? or Food Sensitivity? How to tell!

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Most people have heard (or suffer from) “food allergies”. But sometimes it isn’t a true allergy that they are experiencing. They don’t have a food “allergy” they have a “sensitivity” or “intolerance”. These distinctions are possibly insignificant in the casual conversations with a friend. But as a medical health professional, they are very significant to me. They mean very different things about what’s going on in a person’s body and more importantly how I can fix it!

So, let’s flesh out the differences between these terms:

• Food allergy
• Food intolerance
• Food sensitivity

Food allergies

Food allergies cause an immune response by the body that occurs immediately after any amount of the food is ingested and can be mild or serious and potentially life threatening. The key here is that it is ANY AMOUNT (think peanut breath from one person causing a reaction in another person across an airplane). An allergic response might be itching, hives, stomach cramps, diarrhea, swelling, anaphylaxis, and even death.

Food intolerance

Food intolerance is when digestive symptoms occur after a certain food is eaten and the response time can vary. The food is unable to be digested by your body, so the gut bacteria eat it and this causes symptoms. The amount of food ingested can have an effect on the severity of symptoms. There is a threshold, where you can tolerate a small amount of the food but not a large amount. For example, some people with lactose intolerance are able to consume a small amount of dairy but if eaten in large quantities may experience symptoms. Yogurt and hard cheese are easier to digest because they contain low amounts of lactose. The key distinction here is that this is entirely a DIGESTIVE issue. There is no immune response going on. There are no symptoms outside the digestive tract. A food intolerance may result in nausea, stomach pains, bloating, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Food sensitivities

Food sensitivities are an immune response but a different type of immune reaction from an allergy. They can originate from the systemic immune or digestive immune system and the response can be delayed (up to 3 days!) or even undetectable. The amount of food that causes a response varies (again, a threshold) and symptoms include nausea, stomach pains, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, headache, irritability, joint pain, eczema, lack of energy, and more. Most people’s problems with food fall into this big category.

This blog post is an excerpt from my eBook: Health Takes Guts, Your Comprehensive Guide to Eliminating Digestive Issues, Anxiety and Fatigue. Check it out and learn how to resolve sensitivities and intolerances.

Feeding the Brain: How to Protect the Brain Through Proper Nutrition

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According to the National Institute of Health, as many as 5 million Americans age 65 and older may have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to double for every 5-year interval beyond age 65. But Alzheimer’s is only one of many dementia disorders; an estimated 20 to 40 percent of people with dementia have some other form of the disorder. Part of the aging process will always include memory loss for older American men and women. Not every older American will be at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A healthy lifestyle can play a part in improving your memory.

Foods That Induce Memory Loss

The foods that hinder memory are common staples in the American diet. White breads, pasta, processed meats and cheeses. Research has linked all of these foods to memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
There is a long list of food that may minimize memory function throughout life:

• Processed cheese: American cheese, mozzarella sticks, Cheez Whiz and Laughing Cow- build up proteins in the body that are related to memory loss.
• Processed meats: bacon, smoked turkey from the deli counter and ham- smoked meats like these contain nitrosamines- cause the liver to produce fats that are toxic to the brain
• Beer: Most beers contain nitrites- linked to Alzheimer’s
• White Foods: pasta, cakes, white sugar, white rice and white bread- higher consumption could send toxins to the brain
• Microwave popcorn: contain diacetyl- a chemical that may increase amyloid plaques in the brain

Dietary modifications are not easy to make, but both DASH diet and Mediterranean diet are both beneficial to brain health and memory power. What are best ways to describe these diets? DASH diet means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which makes it lower in sodium. The Mediterranean diet has the incorporation of healthy fats and supper foods.

DASH Diet

The DASH diet may assist dieters to reduce blood pressure by a few points in two weeks. A person’s systolic blood pressure could be lowered by eight to fourteen points, to make a substantial modification in possible health risks. The DASH diet has a focus in veggies, fruits, low-fat dairy foods, as well as modest amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts.

Grains: 6 to 8 servings a day
Veggies: 4 to 5 servings
Fruits: 4 to 5 servings
Dairy: 2 to 3 servings
Lean Meat, Poultry and Fish: 6 servings or fewer in a day
Nuts, Seeds and Legumes: 4 to 5 servings a week
Fats and Oils: 2 to 3 servings a day
Sweets: 5 Servings or fewer in a week

The goal should be to make healthier choices with a wide variety of picks in different food categories. The variety of food choices keeps the daily diet nutritious and to avoid boredom or extremes.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet has a focus of fish, fruits, veggies, beans, high fiber breads and whole grains, nuts, as well as olive oil. Meat, cheese, and sweets are very limited. The Mediterranean diet, an average of 35% to 40% of calories comes from fat. The fats allowed in the Mediterranean diet are mainly from unsaturated oils such as fish oils, olive oil, and certain nut or seed oils (canola, soybean or flaxseed oil) and from nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds), which can be protective to the human heart.
A Mediterranean diet may:

• Prevent heart disease
• Lower the risk of a heart attack
• Lower cholesterol
• Prevent type II diabetes
• Prevent metabolic syndrome
• Stroke
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia
• Depression
• Parkinson’s disease

The customary Mediterranean diet calls for:

• Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables: grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, figs, olives, spinach, eggplant, beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Eating a variety of whole grains: oats, brown rice, and whole wheat bread, pasta, and couscous
• Choosing healthy fats: nuts, olive oils, and certain nut or seed oils like canola, soybean, and flaxseed.
• Limit unhealthy fats: butter, palm oil, and coconut oil. Limit fats found in animal products, such as meat and dairy products made with whole milk.
• Eating mostly vegetarian meals: whole grains, beans, lentils, and veggies
• Eating fish: tuna, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring, or sardines
• Eating moderate amounts of low-fat dairy: milk, cheese or yogurt
• Eating moderate amounts on poultry and eggs
• Limiting red meat: a few times a month
• Limiting sweets and desserts: few times a week

A healthy lifestyle can play a part in improving your memory. The human brain needs healthy fats, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and sufficient vitamins and minerals. Food choices will always play a role in healthy brains.

This blog was written by guest blogger: Tracy Williams. She has her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Dominican University. She enjoys freelance writing and public speaking related to nutrition topics. Please feel free to connect with her at www.tracysplate.com.

Body Love

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When we think about our bodies, we focus on how we look. When we focus on how we look, we usually focus on what we don’t like.

It is certainly a step in a positive direction to notice and appreciate what we do like about our appearance. Instead of zooming in on our saggy butt, we love our beautiful eyes. But this is not the body love I am talking about here.

We need to shift out of the appearance mindset altogether.

How does your body serve you?

It’s time to give your body the due respect it deserves for all it does for you. Your body is your home. It is also your vehicle for getting around in the world. It is an intricate machine that performs incredibly complicated biochemical processes millions of times, every single second of every day. (I can lend you my anatomy and physiology textbook if you don’t believe me).
Without your body, you couldn’t do anything.  You couldn’t walk, see, write, hug, laugh, hear music, or taste delicious food.

Every moment, your body is working for you. Even if you have a chronic illness or disability, there are still millions of things your body is doing right, all the time. It rises to the challenge this world puts on it. It surmounts obstacles and tries its best despite not always being fed the optimal fuel.

Aging also brings out negative feelings about appearance. But aging is just wear and tear, evidence of a life lived and a job well done.

Your body carries you. It allows you to participate in life. You only get one, so take care of it.

Healthy Snacks for Kids

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One of the leading nutritionists for kids, Jill Castle, has released another masterpiece: The Healthy Snack Planner for Kids. 

You know that smart, strategic, nourishing, well-timed snacks are better than grazing on junk all day. But HOW do you plan smart snacks for your kids? She answers this question and as well as many others. How many snacks should your child eat? When and where should they eat them? What foods make healthy snacks? The most common snack mistakes that parents make. And she provides a snack planner to help you step by step. Plus there are 85 snack ideas in the back!

Get your copy here.

A weight loss plan as unique as your genes

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There are a lot of sensible weight loss recommendations (and many non-sensible ones). I have a lot of success helping people lose weight thru cutting sugar and processed starch and raising their protein and healthy fats. If that doesn’t work, I dig deeper and look at their stress hormones, insulin sensitivity, thyroid function and various other medical reasons for lack of weight loss. If that doesn’t work, now I have another trick up my sleeve: genetics.

I have started using GxSlim by Genetic Direction. Through testing your DNA, we find out how your body processes foods and deals with exercise. Then we can develop weight loss recommendations based on your unique genetic profile.

There are 7 components that are discovered through this test:

  1. if your body is resistant to losing weight
  2. how well your body is able to process carbohydrates in your diet
  3. how much body fat you can lose through cardio exercise
  4. how well your body is able to absorb folate
  5. how sensitive your body is to the amount of fat in your diet
  6. how your body responds to strength training
  7. how sensitive your body is to the amount of protein in your diet

This can show us which kinds of foods you should or shouldn’t eat and how you should exercise to optimize your weight loss. Very exciting stuff!

Lyme Disease, what you haven’t heard

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When you or your child gets a tick bite, fear goes straight to your heart. As well it should. Because some tick bites lead to Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria borellia burgdorferi and it can wreak havoc on any and every part of your body, especially your gut and your immune system.

The symptoms of Lyme are widespread, and typically antibiotics are presented as the main and sole solution. Doctors hand out a prescription and send you on your way with no guidance on the healing. While antibiotics are necessary, they don’t provide a whole systems approach to recovery, which you definitely need. Additionally, antibiotics leave your microbiome in bad shape, and with a taxed immune system (from the Lyme), you won’t be able to fight out any bad yeast that cropped up during antibiotic treatment.

What does it look like?

It’s necessary to recognize the signs and symptoms of Lyme, as they are vast and could be masked under other diagnoses.

Early symptoms

  • bull’s eye type rash
  • fever and or chills
  • headache
  • stiff neck
  • painful muscles or joints
  • fatigue
  • swollen glands
  • symptoms can appear within 3-30 days after the bite

Advanced symptoms

  • fatigue (systemic exertion intolerance disease)
  • migratory joint and muscular pain
  • neck and shoulder stiffness
  • daily persistent headaches
  • neuropathies
  • tingling and numbness
  • disordered sleep
  • recurrent flu-like symptoms
  • cognitive dysfunction
  • mood and psychiatric dysfunctions
  • increased sensitivity to foods, smells, light and noise

Because the symptoms are so widespread, it makes sense that Lyme disease has a systemic burden, including ongoing inflammation, immune system exhaustion, cellular oxidative stress, and neurotoxin release.

What to do?

It is hopeful to know that the symptoms of Lyme can be attenuated through different lifestyle, diet, and supplemental protocols.

Sleep should be addressed within a holistic approach to Lyme disease. Sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue are prevalent with Lyme. And sleep is so necessary for healing and building the immune system up.

  • Arrange your schedule to allow for 8 hours of sleep.
  • Practicing good sleep hygiene is important: not using screens for a couple hours before bed, making sure you go to bed at the same time every night and sleeping in a cool dark room.
  • If falling asleep or staying asleep is a problem, there are numerous natural sleep aids: melatonin, passionflower, lemon balm, or GABA precursors.

Stress management is essential. External stress can further the stress inside your body and prevent recovery.

  • Meditation
  • Down time
  • Laughter
  • Deep breaths, taken throughout the day

Diet: the goals of being to reduce inflammation, rebuild the immune system, improve gut health (repair after the pathogens and antibiotics), and nourish the person.

  • Eat whole foods
  • Avoid high sugar and fat foods, such as processed starches, candy and junk food, fried foods
  • Increase intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains
  • Choose organic when possible
  • Eat more anti-inflammatory foods (plant based, omega-3 fatty acids, Mediterranean diet)
  • Repopulate the gut with probiotic rich fermented foods (contraindicated in some people)
  • Address food sensitivities, such as gluten and dairy, as all food sensitivities can increase inflammation, weaken the immune system and worse Lyme symptoms

For gut health, we might need to kill off any yeast or other pathogens that are present. (There are many options for this, but I don’t recommend trying them without supervision from a qualified practitioner.) Then also heal the gut lining from any injury from the Lyme or other pathogens as well as reinoculate with probiotics.

Supplementation should be utilized in order to address and TREAT poor immune function, chronic fatigue, neurological symptoms, muscle spasms, joint pain, and gut and hormonal imbalances.

Some ideas to decrease overall inflammation and inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine production:

  • Curcumin/turmeric
  • Quercetin
  • EPA/DHA (omega 3 fatty acids or fish oil)
  • Alpha lipoic acid
  • Tart cherry juice
  • Antioxidants
  • Coconut oil
  • Green tea

Some ideas to address chronic fatigue or neurological symptoms and boost general immune health:

  • High quality multivitamin
  • Co-Enzyme Q10
  • Acetyl L-Carnitine
  • Vitamin B Complex (with activated Bs)
  • Gamma linolenic acid (GLA)
  • Omega 3 EFA fish oil
  • Alpha lipoic acid
  • Magnesium

Here is a testimonial from a client of mine. She came to me, feeling like crap, after the doctor had put her on numerous rounds of antibiotics for the Lyme:

“My sophomore year of high school I was diagnosed with Lyme’s Disease. This led to multiple rounds of doxycycline and amoxicillin along with my 5 year battle of joint pain, fatigue, and the ever present stomach issues. I finally began seeking help, and was led to Dianne. She put me on a treatment plan, for the lifetime of stress my body’s been under due to the high amounts of antibiotics I had been on, and quickly began rebuilding my gut. Alongside the supplements Dianne recommended, I changed my diet and almost immediately began feeling a change! Within three months I felt like a new person. I have a new lease on life that I had never experienced before and began living a life without fearing of the pain that was coming. I am now studying abroad in France and have the freedom from suffering with fatigue, pain, or digestive issues.”

As you can see a functional approach to Lyme is much more comprehensive than what you will get from the doctor alone. Antibiotics kill the Lyme but don’t support the healing or clean up the mess that the Lyme (or the antibiotics themselves) created.

2 Things That Get Rid of Allergies

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This time of year, every one of my clients starts their session with “My allergies are horrible, what do you recommend”

There are many natural anti-histamines, allowing for relief from allergies without the horrible side effects that the medicines bring.

There are two products I really like:

HistaEze by Designs for Health

This product has stinging nettle, an anti-inflammatory allergy remedy that has stood the test of time through centuries. It also has quercetin, a natural anti-histamine and mast cell stabilizer. It also contains Vitamin C. These ingredients, plus a couple others, balance your immune response during allergy season.

AllQlear by Integrative Therapeutics

This product is actually chewable, so it is fast acting anti-histamine relief. It is made from quail eggs to stabilize mast cells (which release histamine).

If you are miserable, you can try both. They have different ingredients so you wouldn’t be getting double the ingredients, just double the relief.

Both of these are high quality 3rd party tested supplements that can’t be found in stores, but can be bought online through a practitioner’s dispensary. Click here to set up an account and shop!

And this post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the gut. Allergies are linked to the microbiome. So cleaning up your gut and regulating your immune system would help too!

Wondering how to end your binge eating habit?

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Do you have secret issues with food?

I find that a lot of people do, but this is one area where I am not trained enough to help. I often find myself telling my clients that I will fix their gut and weight and fatigue and whatever else but “sorry, I can’t help with binge eating habits”. Well now, I’ve found a resource to recommend.

My friend and colleague Julie Latz is the expert on teaching people how to stop binge eating and putting an end to sneaking and hiding food. She has a free e-book on how to stop binge eating.

It’s jam packed with great insights about…

  • How to handle the out of control feeling you have around food without dieting
  • How to finally lose weight without an ounce of willpower
  • Why eating your trigger foods is actually crucial to stop binge eating

Key # 5 really did surprise me!

You can download your copy here.

She also has a great 8 week program, with daily support. Start with the free ebook and see if it speaks to you! Enjoy!

Foods that are good for the GUT

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(The following is an adapted excerpt from my eBook)

The digestive tract houses 100 trillion microbes. This is referred to as the microbiome. These bugs have tremendous influence over our health and mood. We hope that in our microbiome there are more good than bad bugs. Simply put, if the bugs are good we are healthy and happy, if they are bad we suffer. There isn’t a health condition to which the microbiome isn’t linked. Seriously. (some examples: anxiety/depression, ADHD, Autism, IBS, IBD, Parkinson’s, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, All autoimmune diseases, eczema/psoriasis). If you have a health condition, your gut may need a full overhaul, not just probiotics and prebiotics as outlined below.

Most of us have heard of probiotics. The research on probiotics is overwhelmingly strong and positive. You can ingest probiotics in a pill form. This is a good option for anyone. But especially those who have histamine intolerance or Candida overgrowth or some other condition where eating fermented foods is a bad idea. Make sure your probiotic is a reputable brand (which guarantees to have in it what it says it has in it). The best brands can be bought through Wellevate, create an account and shop away!

In this blog post I wanted to just touch upon the foods that are good for our microbiome.

Fermented foods:

Fermented foods have probiotics in them. Some foods were produced with live probiotics (such as yogurt), make sure these say “active live cultures”. Some foods are fermented with whatever wild bacteria are on the original vegetable (sauerkraut). These need to be found in the refrigerated section and not be pasteurized.

Examples of fermented foods:

  • acidophilus milk
  • buttermilk
  • cheese (aged)
  • fermented meats
  • fermented vegetables
  • fermented grains
  • kefir
  • kimchi
  • kombucha
  • kvass
  • miso
  • natto
  • pickled vegetables (raw)
  • raw vinegars
  • sauerkraut
  • sour cream
  • tempeh
  • yogurt (plain, no added sugar, active cultures)

Prebiotic foods

Prebiotics are fibers that feed the beneficial probiotics in your gut. These are helpful to feed the good so they can proliferate. Sometimes prebiotics are added to foods (bars, probiotic supplements, etc). These are:  galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), oligofructose (OF), chicory fiber, or inulin.

Foods we find prebiotics in:

  • Asparagus
  • Apples
  • artichokes
  • banana
  • berries
  • black beans
  • cherries
  • dandelion greens
  • chicory root
  • chickpeas
  • eggplant
  • endive
  • flaxseeds
  • garlic
  • honey
  • jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
  • jicama
  • kefir
  • kiwis
  • leafy greens
  • leeks
  • legumes
  • lentils
  • mangoes
  • oatmeal
  • onions
  • peas
  • pears
  • quinoa
  • radicchio
  • tomatoes
  • white beans
  • whole grains
  • yogurt

Polyphenols:

These are chemical compunds that come from plants. They are used by your gut bacteria to make beneficial substances. These chemical compounds have names such as flavanones, isoflavones, flavonols, anthocyanins, flavones.

Foods that we find them in:

  • cloves
  • cocoa powder
  • flaxseed meal
  • dried sage
  • berries
  • pomegranate
  • apples
  • hazelnut
  • dried peppermint
  • dried rosemary, dried thyme
  • grapes
  • capers
  • pecan
  • celery seed
  • dark chocolate (70% or higher)
  • chestnut
  • black olives
  • plums
  • lemons
  • tea

How many of these can you eat on a regular basis?

For more help on how to get the best gut you can, read my eBook!

 

Taco Seasoning

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Tacos are a weekly meal in our house. At first I used any old “taco spice” envelope. Tasted good, and who knows what is in it. Then I looked at the ingredients and was horrified at all the sugar and chemicals. So I switched to a spice envelope from Whole foods. Still a little sugar but improvement nonetheless. Then one day I learned I am yeast sensitive. I can’t eat yeast, and that’s an ingredient in the envelope. So now I make my own. It is cheaper and healthier. Plus, it is kid approved, despite having no sugar.

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2  tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp corn starch

Brown 1.5 pounds of grass fed ground beef. Add the powder and 2 tablespoons of water and mix.