Have you ever stopped to think how your body *actually* works?
Two words: The. Foundations.
The Foundations are the core of our health. Often, when we want to improve our health is because one or more foundations are out of balance.
The Foundations are:
Digestion
Blood Sugar
Fatty Acids
Mineral Balance
Hydration
A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner’s job is about supporting the foundations so we can achieve optimal health. Our bodies are a powerhouse of mechanisms that work interconnectedly to support us not only to live, but to thrive.
Unfortunately, our Standard American Diet ( also known as SADiet), our sedentary lifestyle and our lack of knowledge about our own bodies contribute to the disease epidemic our modern world lives in, which leaves us feeling disconnected and puzzled.
Let’s talk a little bit about my three favorite Foundations: digestion, blood sugar, and fatty acids and how to best support them.
DIGESTION
Many people think that digestion starts in the mouth- but that’s far from the truth! The digestive process actually starts in the brain when we think about and smell food.
Because digestion starts in the brain, digestion is a north-to-South process; understanding this is key because when addressing digestive concerns, we always want to start from the top. We want to first think: am I eating in a relaxed state? Am I sitting down, free of distractions, etc.? Only when those question have been answered positively, it is when we can then evaluate the rest of the digestive process: chewing properly, watching out for digestive reactions, proper stomach acid, etc.
For the nerds like me: Here’s how digestion works
Our parasympathetic system takes dominance: we relax, salivate, and get ready to ingest. Carbs and fats start breaking down in the mouth, thanks to the enzymes contained in our saliva.
Once ingested, the stomach gets to do a few jobs: protein digestion, disinfection of foods from pathogens, and the release of certain nutrients.
Then we go down to the small intestine- a lot of the magic happens here: the small intestine breaks down food using bile from the liver and enzymes from the pancreas, releasing nutrients.
Most nutrients get transported into the bloodstream.
After everything is broken down, what's leftover is transported to the large intestine (A.K.A the colon): undigested fibers, some water… The colon is responsible for the absorption of water and electrolyte minerals.
Leftover waste is transformed into feces, but FIRST, our microbiome (our intestinal bacteria) takes part by eating what could not be digested (some fibers, starches, polyphenols…) while they’re doing their thing, some vitamins are produced as well: B vitamins and vitamin K2.
Feces are transported out via the anus and that is digestion in a nutshell!
What can happen if my digestion is out of balance?
Literally anything and everything!
Our digestion is key to our health because our gut hosts about 80% of our immune cells. Digestion is what allows us to absorb vitamins and minerals and is a key player in the detoxification process. Digestive issues can really look in 1000 different ways from gut-related issues to other, less obvious things like cardiovascular problems or autoimmunity.
Support your digestion by:
Reducing stressors, especially at the time of each meal.
Chew your food thoroughly until everything is broken down to then swallow.
Avoid distractions while eating (especially electronics like cell phones or tv)
Eat fermented foods to diversify and strengthen your microbiome
Stay hydrated!
OUR BLOOD SUGAR
There are 5 amigos that get the job done when it comes to regulating our blood sugar levels. These are the Pancreas, Adrenal Glands, Adipose Tissue, Liver and Skeletal Muscle. We call them the “PAALS” for short.
WHY IS BLOOD SUGAR IMPORTANT?
The job that our bodies do to regulate blood sugar is perhaps more important now than ever before. Our modern-day eating habits and lifestyle have made our bodies deal with a strenuous task that is actually kind of new: to lower our blood sugar levels.
When we eat foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, when we don’t get adequate sleep, when the everyday demands call for us to stay awake and to perform… our blood sugar spikes and drops so suddenly that it makes our bodies enter an emergency state when we might actually be just sitting at work, sipping on a coffee and eating a donut in search for energy.
The job of the PAALS is super important in keeping us healthy and alive. Our blood sugar should not be too high or too low, it must remain balanced. Let’s take a look at what each of them do for our blood sugar:
THE PANCREAS
The pancreas releases two hormones that are kind of the stars of the show, those are insulin and glucagon.
The main job of insulin is to lower our blood sugar levels by using that sugar (glucose) for energy. When glucose is more than what we need for immediate energy, it gets stored in our liver and muscles as glycogen, and in fat tissue as triglycerides.
What glucagon does is to help release that stored energy from the liver, muscles, and fat tissue out of our cells when blood sugar gets too low.
THE ADRENAL GLANDS
The adrenal glands are endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys. Their function with regards to blood sugar handling is to regulate the stress response, remember that I said that our bodies get into an emergency state when blood sugar is too high?
When we eat something that spikes our blood sugar levels too quickly, a great amount of insulin is released to quickly drop that sudden spike; the problem is, when this happens, glucose levels can actually get too low, calling for the stress hormones to come into play (remember, we want our blood sugar to be balanced, not too high or too low). These peaks and drops are what we commonly refer to as a blood sugar rollercoaster
This stress response is regulated by the adrenal glands, which secrete the stress hormones: epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol.
Epinephrine increases the quantity of available fuel in the body
Norepinephrine is involved in increasing blood pressure and with the fight or fly response.
Cortisol increases the available fuel to the heart and skeletal muscles in the same way epinephrine does.
THE ADIPOSE TISSUE
A.k.a body fat.
The main function of the adipose tissue is to store energy in the form of triglycerides when certain conditions are met: our glycogen storages are full + both blood sugar levels and insulin levels are high. If the conditions are the opposite, then this stored energy can be freed so it can go to our cells, muscles, heart, brain, etc., and converted into ATP (energy).
Adipose tissue doesn’t only store fat, it also can act as an endocrine gland that can synthesize and secrete hormones such as:
-Leptin: inhibits hunger signals.
-Ghrelin: triggers hunger signals.
THE LIVER
The liver is magical! Fun fact: it’s the heaviest organ that we have in our bodies and for a good reason- it performs so many important functions (around 500!)
When it comes to blood sugar regulation, this are some of the functions the liver does for us:
-Converts glucose (blood sugar) into glycogen (stored energy)
-Converts glycogen into glucose
-Converts protein into glucose
-Converts fat into ketones
-Produces cholesterol (important for our hormones, vitamin D and bile)
-Produces bile which aids fat digestion and eliminates toxins from the body
-So much more!
Isn’t it incredible all the organs that are involved with blood sugar regulation? There is a last one, I know you were not expecting to see it in this list.
THE SKELETAL MUSCLE
It plays three key roles in blood sugar regulation
Helps normalize blood sugar levels by taking excess glucose.
Stores excess glucose as glycogen.
Provides protein for gluconeogenesis (the process in which the liver converts protein into glucose)
What can happen if my blood sugar is out of balance?
Metabolic disorders
Diabetes
Lack of energy
Hormonal disorders
Weight gain or loss.
Support your blood sugar by:
Eating meals with a balanced ratio of protein, fats and carbohydrates.
Don’t wait too long in between meals and
Get adequate sleep.
Now, let’s talk about the third Foundation:
fatty acids
FATTY ACIDS
Fatty acids have been demonized for quite a while. Even after it has been proven that they do not cause heart disease or obesity, the general population still feels skeptical to add them into their diet because it’s hard to wash away all those years of bad rep.
But we need fats! In fact, many of them are essential for our survival and optimal function. Fatty acids play different roles in our body, let’s take a look at some of them:
Fatty Acids Aid in the Absorption of Fat-Soluble Vitamins Such as A, E, D and K
Without fatty acids, we wouldn’t properly absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in our food. If you’re eating carrots for its vitamin A content, or broccoli for its vitamin E, without fat then it’s just fiber.
They Help Regulate Energy by Slowing the Absorption of Food
Carbohydrates, especially high-starch, high-sugar foods get digested very fast, which quickly raises our blood sugar, contributing to the energy spikes and drops we talked about earlier on blood sugar regulation. When we pair carbohydrates with healthy fats, the absorption is slower, and our energy is more sustained.
Fat Serves as a Protecting Lining for our Organs
Fats coat our organs, so they don’t rub against each other and to protect them for injury. That’s a pretty big job!
Fatty Acids Make Food Taste GOOD
The greatest thing about fat is that because it makes food taste so good, we’ve always included it in our diets. The fat-free craze was just a unique and a very recent event that ultimately demonstrated that fat is not the enemy. Companies compensated for the lack of flavor in foods by adding in more sugar, thinking that will be a healthier alternative, fast forward now our population is sicker than ever because of our addiction to sugar. Next time you’re presented with the option of whether to sugar or fat, choose fat!
What can happen if my fatty acids are out of balance?
Constant headaches and body aches
Brittle nails and dry skin
Dandruff
Inflammation (a precursor for all chronic diseases!)
Hormonal imbalances
Joint problems
How to support your fatty acids balance
Eat a diet rich in good fats: eggs, salmon, avocado, pastured meats, olive oil, flax seeds, ghee…
Working to ensure these and the other foundations are in balance is the core of nutritional therapy, because these foundations are the CORE of our health.
I hope this post was useful in understanding what’s happening inside your body- it’s a true miracle!
Take good care,