Kate Deering
Personal Trainer / Fitness & Nutrition Coach
For over 20 years Kate Deering has been involved in the health and fitness industry helping men and women of all ages achieve optimal health and wellness. Read More…
Nuts and seeds…Too much of a good thing?
Nuts and seeds…Too much of a good thing? For years, nuts and seeds were a BIG part of my diet. Nuts, seeds, nut and seed bars, and nut butters were staples when it came to my everyday food plan. I ate almond butter in my oatmeal in the morning, a bag of nuts for a snack, a few nuts on my salad for lunch and a scoop of peanut butter in my protein shake later on in the day. Nuts and seeds, seeds and nuts…how could you lose with such a tasty nutritious snack? The only problem, were some digestive issues: stomach bloating and seeing the undigested nuts and seeds in my stool (I know…too much information). Quite honestly, I didn’t think much about any of these things because I knew how healthy they were for me. I thought of nuts and seeds as a good source of protein, filled with anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals…plus they were convenient and tasted great… right? These days, almost every-health conscious person loves their nuts and seeds. Almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts… these crunchy, tasty snacks go great with any salad, casserole or just eaten by themselves as a snack. Eating nuts and seeds has become a staple for individuals who want a healthy snack, that’s easy and taste great. BUT — (you knew there was going to be a BUT)—have any of you, like me, ever had digestive upset, bloating or undigested nuts and seeds in your stool? I’ll guess most of you will say “yes,” and for those of you that said “no”, you may... read moreHow To Heal Your Metabolism
How to Heal Your Metabolism Lately, as many of you know I have been deep in reading and researching about the systems of the body, healing the body, nutrients, foods that heal and how they are all related in increasing metabolic function. I think we can agree that we would all like to increase our metabolism…right? As we get older we are led to believe that our metabolism will just naturally slow down. We will have to work harder and eat less just to stay thin and feel good about ourselves. Do these statements ring true to you? They certainly did for me…of course, until now. You see, for many years, I believed the only way that I could increase my metabolic expenditure (increase calories burned) was to add more muscle to my body and/or to exert more energy through increased exercise load and intensity. However, there is actually a third way to increase your metabolism. One that is not discussed very often, either because people do not know about it or they just do not understand it. Are you wondering what it is? Oh, I bet you are… Over the last few years of my studies, I have begun to look at the body and its functions very differently. I have realized that the health of our metabolism is more than just how much we move and how much muscle we have; a healthy metabolism is about what is happening in every cell of our body and the actual respiration of every cell of our body. Thus, if we can increase cellular respiration we can increase metabolic function.... read moreFacebook Posts
What should I do if my digestion is compromised?
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In today's world of processed food, fast food, GMO's, pesticides, herbicides-glyphosate, crappy water, crappy air, EMF's, recreational drugs, Pharma drugs, alcohol, stress, stress and more stress, digestive issues are one of the most common health issues I see. I would say 99% of people I talk with have some sort of digestive issue.
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Years ago, I was one of those people. I had done a number on my gut with crappy supplements, alcohol, "diet" foods, and LOTS of "healthy" hard to digest foods (raw leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, grains and soy).
Bloating, constipation and bouts of diarrhea were my norm. The more digestive issues I got, the more fibrous foods I consumed. And (not) surprisingly, I only got WORSE.
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WTF?
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Well, NOW I understand when your digestion is compromised, the LAST thing you should be eating is TONS of hard to digest fibrous foods.
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Here is why.
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A sluggish Metabolism usually results in a sluggish digestive system.
👉When metabolism slows, HCL decreases in the stomach, leading to poorly digested foods.
👉Pancreatic enzymes can decrease, decreasing food break down
👉Undigested foods enter the small intestine creating a breading ground for bacteria. The slower the transit time, the more time for bacteria to grow. This "bacterial overgrowth" can lead to SIBO, candida, constipation and/or diarrhea.
👉If transit time continues to be slow, more bacteria will grow.
👉This usually results in someone eating MORE fibrous foods, along with taking medications and supplements, which only create more intestinal irritation, increasing intestinal permeability, resulting in leaky gut, allergies, histamine issues, MAST cell activation, food sensitivities, aches and pains, firma, CF, and the list can go on and on.
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-Of course, this does not even address what might be happening with the liver, kidneys, and gallbladder. Which can ALL be affected when your body is having a hard time digesting food. But, this is a discussion for another day.
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So what should you do?
1. Remove the S@*t creating the irritation. This means processed foods, crappy supplements, alcohol, hard to digest foods like nuts, seeds, raw leafy-greens, legumes, most grains, polyunsaturated fats, etc.
2. Eat the raw carrot salad 1-2x a day. Best consumed 15 minutes prior to lunch and/or dinner
3. Add cooked mushrooms or cooked bamboo shoots a few times a week.
4. Consume easy to digest sugars (low fiber) to fuel your metabolism for adequate fuel and nutrients. YOU NEED fuel to heal!
5. Address your stress. STRESS is going to drive energy and nutrients AWAY from your digestion. When you are stressed your body wants to fight or fly--NOT rest and digest. *This is the hardest part to address for most people.