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Festive Fizzy Drinks: Alcohol Alternatives

When I began my Bikram yoga practice, I gave up alcohol. The yoga room is 105 degrees and requires hydration. There is no way around it. You either come to class hydrated or suffer. One time I practiced after drinking 1 glass of wine the night before or a craft beer before bed too, if you love craft beer like me see the Best workbenches from the reviewed brewery. If you’re someone who likes beer and would like to make some in the comfort of your own home your own tap system, we suggest the best beer system repair in Orange County. My head was spinning and I thought I was going to suffocate most of the class. I choose hydration.

I also choose health over a little drink that can set me back. My fitness level has always been important to me, but for many years I wasn’t willing to commit a hundred percent.

I’d give into the peer pressure, drink the glass of wine and suffer the consequences. My alcohol tolerances fall way below the average and my body takes twice as long to recover. When my friends could put back four or five beers, I’d black out after my third and spend the next day nursing my upset stomach and throbbing head. College got the best of me. I spent many nights in the ER with excruciating stomach pain triggered by alcohol and the stress I was attempting to manage with intoxication.

Unfortunately it would be six more years until I gave up the stuff completely. My yoga practice became more important than any cocktail. I enjoy being in control of my body and I don’t miss the social aspect of drinking either. The majority of my friends are not big drinkers and alcohol becomes less the focus as I get older.

In terms of health and alcohol’s reaction in the body, it’s no surprise that the few possible health benefits are vastly outweighed by the negative effects. According to Sarah Ballantyne of thePaleoMom.com, alcohol increases leaky gut by feeding the bad bacteria in our gut, causing more damage to an already sensitive system. This explains my frequent hospital visits in college. I was literally feeding my disease, causing immense damage to my digestive tract each night I binged on vodka tonics. When alcohol enters your system, your liver’s primary goal is to detoxify the alcohol first, ignoring it’s other functions. Alcohol can inhibit the breakdown of nutrients and impair their absorption.

Festive, fun drinks are still a part of my life. I toast with fancy sparkling waters flavored with a splash of fruit juice or squeeze of citrus. I put together some fabulous combinations. Ring in the New Year with a glass of bubbly that will have you feeling your best on the first day of the year.

Cheers!

Starfruit Clementine Fizz
Makes 2 servings.

1 starfuit – sliced
2 clementines
18 oz sparkling water – chilled

►Juice the clementines and add 1 oz to each glass. Place two slices of star fruit at bottom of glasses. Fill with 9 oz of sparkling water and slide a star fruit slice onto the glass.

Blackberry Persimmon Spritzer
Makes 2 servings.

½ cup frozen blackberries
1 persimmon – sliced
18 oz sparkling water – chilled

►Muddle ¼ cup berries in each glass. Place three slices of persimmon in each and add 9 oz of sparkling water.

Pear Pomegranate Ginger Sparklers
Makes 2 servings.

½ pear – thinly sliced
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 tsp fresh ginger – grated
½ cup Gingerade Kombucha – I use GTs organic brand
18 oz sparkling water – chilled

►Place 3 pear slices, ½ tbsp pomegranate seeds, 1/2 tsp ginger and ¼ cup Gingerade Kombucha in each glass. Then fill each with 9 oz of sparkling water.

Resources:
The WHYs behind the Autoimmune Protocol: Alcohol by Sarah Ballantyne
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/11/the-whys-behind-the-autoimmune-protocol-alcohol.html

Alcohol, fat loss, and your liver, by Diane Sanfilippo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy6sX1lkq4I&list=UUWAb83pi_eVEzDIWkZuQHcQ

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism No. 22 PH 346 October 1993
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa22.htm

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Milk Allergy vs Lactose Intolerance

Last week I dragged myself into the allergist doctor. I’ve been delaying this appointment for years. Unfortunately I’ve become leery of specialist doctors. There are only so many misdiagnosis a girl can take though.

It all began with the rash on my scalp. When I was 15, the thing popped up almost overnight, covering the back of my scalp and a sliver of my neck. I can’t tell you how many topical creams, shampoos and oils I tried to get rid of the thing. And here I am at 29 with the same rash except now it’s traveled down my neck, to parts of my feet, my eyelids and my chest.

It’s a form of eczema. My sister has it as well. She saw a dermatologist in Las Vegas last week for it, who prescribed a dandruff shampoo and a steroid topical cream. We’ve both tried this care method time and time again. The shampoo leaves my head itchy and dry while the steroid cream comes with a serious side effect. Prolonged use leads to adrenal gland suppression, which reduces the body’s ability to produce its own hormones. Not something I’m willing to risk.

I’m the person who thinks I can cure everything homeopathically and I only saw the doctor because I recently read a story about a women who treated a patch of dry skin with coconut oil and it turned out to be skin cancer. So I went.

The doctor entered the room and I launched into my allergy history. When I mentioned that my seasonal allergies have declined greatly since childhood, she explained that it can take up to three years for your body to adapt to new seasonal allergens after relocating to a new region. It’s very rare to grow out of seasonal allergies. Since high school, I have not lived in a specific region longer than five years. So my body just hasn’t had time to adapt. Give it time, my doctor said, those allergies will be back.

Then we got to the good stuff, food allergies. I’ve been tested for allergies and intolerances over the years but I never committed to the results. The last test I had five years ago showed I was intolerant to cow’s milk, sesame, sole fish, soy and cashews. I gave it a whirl for six months then went back to my old ways, which included a daily serving of greek yogurt. Yeah, not the best idea…

My doctor suggested the skin prick test (SPT). A SPT is used to measure the presence of IgE antibodies for a food. It’s performed by sightly scratching the skin and placing a drop of the food on that spot. After fifteen minutes, the skin will either become inflamed or remain neutral. Well I was 100% neutral except for cow’s milk, which blew up to a big, red bump.

So I am officially allergic to cow’s milk.

Milk Allergy vs. Lactose Intolerance

Allergies and intolerances are very different things. The way your body chemically reacts to the food is not the same. This was news to me. I always thought lactose intolerance and dairy allergy were somewhat interchangeable.

Food allergies cause an immune system response affecting multiple organs throughout the body. An allergy to cow’s milk is triggered by the milk proteins. When these proteins enter the body, your body goes into defense mode, fighting off the unwelcome protein. It can cause hives, diarrhoea, vomiting, eczema or even an anaphylaxis reaction, literally shocking your immune system. Which is why my doctor gave me an EpiPen.

After peanuts and tree nuts, milk is the most common allergen.

You can be allergic to one of more of the proteins in milk: albumin, casein or whey. These are found in various concentrations in different dairy products. When milk is coagulated, it separates into two forms, the curds and the whey. I always think of the nursery rhythm, Little Bo Peep lost her sheep… Anyway… The curds are the casein. Milk is composed of about 20% whey to 80% casein. You can make cheese from whey or casein and proportions vary. Also, pasteurization breaks down whey protein so it’s possible that people with this allergy can tolerate pasteurized products.

Lactose intolerance is the decrease or lack of the lactase enzyme that is required to metabolize the milk sugar, lactose. Without this enzyme the milk sugar ferments in our guts, stirring around and causes distress. Unlike a dairy allergy, it only affects the digestive system, leading to bloating, abdominal pain, gas and possible diarrhea and vomiting.

Those with an intolerance may be able to eat fermented dairy products, like yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk since they contain good bacteria that helps break down the lactose.

Can I still have Butter?

Butter is made of the fattiest part of dairy and contains very little milk protein. The higher the fat content of a dairy product, the lower its protein content. Clarified butter, or ghee, is butter that has had an even larger quantity of the milk protein removed. So those with a dairy intolerance can easily enjoy ghee. I can have butter or ghee occasionally without adverse symptoms.

How is Cow’s Milk Allergy linked to Skin health?

Eczema is commonly triggered by food allergies and often first occurs in infants. For years doctors thought that most babies would grow out of the allergy but a study by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology found this isn’t necessarily so. Children with more severe eczema are more likely to carry their allergy into adulthood. Sometimes eczema can be resolved just by removing that food from your diet. In my case, dairy is just one of the factors triggering my eczema. I still have more testing to do until it’s fully resolved.

Resources:

Diagnosis and management of food allergies: new and emerging options: a systematic review, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25368525

Food Allergy, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538

Milk Allergy, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/milk-allergy/basics/symptoms/con-20032147

Ghee and Milk Protein, http://www.livestrong.com/article/523116-ghee-and-milk-protein/

Spotlight on Dairy Free, http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/spotlight-dairy-free

Natural course of cow’s milk allergy in childhood atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12487205

Children with More Severe Eczema Less Likely to Outgrow Milk, Egg Allergy, http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Media/Children-with-More-Severe-Eczema-Less-Likely-to-Outgrow-Milk,-Egg-Allergy.pdf

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Fat: the Good, the Moderate, the Ugly

Friends often ask me, “what’s the most important thing to change about my diet?” I tell them to eat the right kinds of fat, and best if they can have a weight loss belts to help their diet and give instant results. This has been the biggest shift in my cooking. I’ve learned that fat is not the enemy. In fact, every cell in your body needs good fat to survive and thrive. So why then did I avoid it like the plague for years?

The health community touted the low-fat diet as the be-all, end-all for years and I absorbed every piece of nutrition advice from the media. I think the general consensus for women particularly is to limit fat until we cave and have to eat a whole pan of brownies (What? Don’t act like you’ve never done it.) Documentaries like Forks Over Knives fed my brain with faulty science too. The movie advocates that a low-fat, plant-based diet will combat illnesses. I took it to heart and plunged into this philosophy. Since I was vegan at the time, it wasn’t that difficult to alter my diet. I removed all cooking oils and cooked with water instead. What was the result? I was STARVING all the time! Then I finally did my own research and found that our bodies need fat to thrive.

The Fact: Fat does not make us fat.

I associated fat in food with fat on my body. This is a big fat fallacy. Fat has a long list of health benefits and we biologically cannot live without it.

►You need fat in order to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.
►Adding fat to each meal maximizes nutrient absorption.
►It also contains the essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid which are needed for brain development, controlling inflammation, and blood clotting.
►Dietary fat maintains the structure and function of all cell membranes in your body.
►Fat boosts hormone production needed for healthy reproductive, stress and thyroid glands.
►It’s the most energy dense food source and sends satiation signals to the brain. Therefore we eat less when we consume fat with meals.
►Fat does not affect blood sugar levels and when consumed with carbohydrates, sugar is released much slower into the bloodstream.
►Your skin’s condition is affected by your fat intake. Fat keeps the skin soft and supple.

Now these facts comes with one BIG ole caveat.
Not all fats are the same or should be treated equally.

The Good
Saturated fat is good fat. The nutrition science world recently discovered that their decades of commitment to denouncing animal fat was all wrong. Numerous publications and even media outlets are debunking this school of thought. This year Nina Teicholz‘s published The Big Fat Surprise, where she reveals how the low-fat diet was a failed sixty year experiment on the entire population.

Eating saturated fat along with monosaturated and some polyunsaturated fats will support all the bodily functions I’ve outlined above. I mostly use coconut oil, clarified butter, tallow or bacon fat for cooking. Then I reserve olive oil for cold dishes since it is susceptible to rancidity if heated too high.

Good Fats:
Omega 3 Fats from Fish
Eggs
Coconut Oil/Milk/Meat
Animal fats – tallow, lard, pork fat (only from sustainably raised animals)
Fat that occurs naturally in meat and poultry
Butter (only from sustainably raised animals)
Olive oil
Palm oil
Olives
Avocado
Cheese and full fat Dairy products (only from sustainably raised animals)

And it’s important to add, that there is a naturally occurring trans fat called conjugated lanolin acid (CLA), which is created in the digestive tract of grazing animals. CLA is found in the fat and milk of these animals. It’s know to fight cancer and support metabolism.

The Moderate:
There is a moderate category to cover two bases: First, some oils should not be heated above moderate temperatures or they go rancid. Second, you body needs to maintain the right ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids to combat inflammation.

Vegetable oils and nut oils are fragile and highly susceptible to oxidation. They must be processed with care to prevent this from occurring. When they’re exposed to air or light they spoil quickly. This is why quality olive oil is sold in dark bottles and stored in a dark place. The producers know their product will spoil if exposed to the elements. Oxidation is the chemical reaction of oxygen contacting another element. Oxygen molecules actually begin burning the oil. By heating certain oils, your causing the oil to spoil. And when you consume spoiled oil, it develops inflammation in your body.

Maintaining the right ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 will greatly decrease the overall inflammation in your body. Consuming too much omega 6 correlates with an increase in inflammatory diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Omega 6 competes with omega 3 and can beat out omega 3’s anti-inflammatory effects. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the typical American diet tends to contain 14 – 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids, which are a result of an abundance of vegetable and seed oils from pre-packaged and fried foods.

All the foods listed below should be consumed moderately and balanced with omega-3 rich foods such as oily fish.

Moderate Fats:
Nuts
Seeds
Nut oils (Walnut oil, hazelnut oil, etc.)
Nut butters (Almond butter, Cashew butter, etc.)
Avocado oil

The Ugly
Human-made trans fats and some polyunsaturated fats are the ones to avoid. We all know human-made trans fat falls into the bad category. But why? They are made by forcing hydrogen into an oil’s structure using a chemical catalyst. The hydrogen increases the product’s shelf-life but also makes it unfit for human consumption.

I like how Dr. Eades explains it in The Protein Power LifePlan, “The fats you eat become a part of each and every cell membrane within your body…the trans ones interfere with the functioning of the cell membranes and organs and tissues those cells make-up.” That’s some serious damage being done. Soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil and margarine are among the ugliest of fats and are now tightly linked to the obesity epidemic as well as cancer, heart disease, inflammation and infertility. European countries and many cities across the US have either banned or put limitations on use of trans fats.

Polyunsaturated fats in the form of oil have an unstable chemical structure, making them prone to rancidity. They go through highly refined processing that exposes the oil to heat, light and air. All of this exposure spoils the oil. Then it’s bottled up and packaged for consumers and the oil is bad before it’s even stocked on your grocery store’s shelves.

Ugly Fats:
Margarine and butter substitutes
Soybean oil
Corn oil
Canola Oil
Cotton seed oil
Vegetable Shortening (looking of you, Crisco)
Anything labeled Vegetable Oil

Justin Miller created this Healthy Fats Guide that’s super handy.