Archive: Author: admin

What is the 2nd brain and why talk about it here? Well, obviously, we all know about the brain in our skull; otherwise, how could I write this post unless this were that creepy, cool television episode of Lynda Carter’s “Wonder Woman”.

I’m not going to get too scientific because I’m a firm believer in leaving science talk to those who are fluent in that language. But I do find such information interesting and revealing about our mind + body connection and the vital role both stress & food plays in the success or failure of our mind + body connection functioning optimally.

The “2nd brain” is called such because it operates independently, influences behavior and communicates with our central nervous system. This “2nd brain” is located in our gut and it is called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). When our brain experiences stress it signals the ENS which in turn diverts blood away from our stomach creating ‘butterflies in our stomach’ sensations; or the ENS will change our gut’s normal contractions resulting in nausea. So what does all this have to do with food? You decide … if anything, everything or nothing at all.

It’s estimated 200-600 million neurons are built within our digestive system, which is more than in our spinal cord. They transform food into fuel. Food digestion requires a variety of precise chemical reactions happening at both the right time and place. So what happens when we swallow food containing harmful bacteria? Inside our gut lives nearly 80% of the body’s lymphocyte cells (theses guys are part of our immune system baby!) They alert ENS to protect the body by igniting powerful contractions to remove the toxins via vomit or diarrhea. Who wants to experience that?! Unfortunately, we all have but better out than in because those toxins would hitch rides with free radicals and cause who knows what levels of chaos inside our bodies.

The Enteric Nervous System produces 95% serotonin and 50% dopamine found in our body. Serotonin regulates anxiety, happiness and mood while dopamine helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Indeed, these neurotransmitters control our moods and what impacts them? The food we eat! How does ENS send its signals to the brain and vice versa? By means of the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve is one of the 12 cranial nerves. It is the longest of all cranial nerves extending from the brain stem to the abdomen. In route it passes through multiple organs including the heart, esophagus and lungs. In fact, the vagus nerve branches to all major organs except the adrenal and thyroid glands. It forms part of the involuntary nervous system and controls unconscious body procedures such as keeping constant heart rate and controlling food digestion.

The vagus nerve does the following: helps absorb vitamin B12, helps controls heart rate and blood pressure, helps control blood glucose balance in the liver and pancreas, helps release bile in the gallbladder, helps glucose control in the kidneys among many other vital tasks. When the ENS transmits signals to the brain via the vagus nerve do you think our other organs are effected? Something to think about.

The Enteric Nervous System manages the function of the gastrointestinal tract and communicates with our brain by means of the vagus nerve. The types of food we put inside our bodies and our responses to various forms of stress will either undermine or stimulate the vagus nerve. When this nerve is active great things happen for our bodies and when it is not disease can form. Hippocrates said “All Disease begin in the Gut”.

Ultimately, the human body is wonderfully made!! The intricacies in which our various systems work and the way nerve signals transmit to one another like a highway – no! – better still – like a rain forest!! Every living creature from small to large serves a purpose for the sustainability of the rain forest. Likewise, from cells to glands to organs to nerves they all work together to protect, provide and sustain our body’s existence all without us consciously telling it to do so. Give yourself a big hug! Seriously. Now feed it something good so that the ENS will send feel good signals to the brain!

As I posted on my Instagram page last month I was hired to prepare food for a scene on a television show. Since this was “picture food” I prepared the required dishes using traditional cooking methods. During the process of recreating said dishes the way a restaurant prepares them I had an epiphany: it takes loads of butter, cream, white sugar and the like to achieve the same taste people have grown accustomed.

There was minimal nutrition and all flavor and comfort in the dishes I made. I used 5 different cheeses and butter to make mac n cheese, and crazy amounts of both brown and white sugar on the sweet potatoes. To my chagrin the sweet potatoes were still not sweet enough compared to the way restaurants make them – yet, I refused to add anymore. The banana pudding – we won’t even go there. Was it good? Oh, yeah, you bet it was! But was it good for you? You know it wasn’t.

This experience reminds me of the time I first made ice cream. Not only did I use less sugar, but I also substituted white sugar for a different kind. I avoided egg yolks. I avoided full fat cream. I wanted a “healthier” version but same flavor profile of vanilla ice cream. The result – it was good but it wasn’t oh, my God, I gotta have more! good. It also wasn’t sweet. Everything that makes ice cream ice cream was missing in my quest to be healthy.

Guess what good people?! Healthy and dessert should not be in same sentence! And guess what else? That is OK.

We as a society have become obsessed with low-fat, no-fat, no carbs to the point that we have replaced the fat with sugar which is worse! My mindset used to be if its low or no fat then I could eat twice as much. Fat contributes to being full longer; and longer satiation periods leads to less eating. What’s better for us – a scoop of full-fat ice cream or a scoop of low-fat ice cream?

A scoop of full-fat ice cream is better so long as we don’t go back and add another and another and another … After all, ice cream is a dessert and what are desserts – treats!! By definition a treat is given when something is earned.

Like desserts eating out used to be a treat. We save up our coin ready for the weekend to go grab a bite. At the restaurant we overindulge on butter and fresh bread, a heavy meal satisfying all our taste buds finishing off with dessert that is like an ocean sunrise inside our mouths. Some of us ate out once a week while many once a month and others only on special occasions.

Rich foods and desserts are now staples to our everyday diets. Folks eat out more than they eat at home. Our taste buds are now dependent on rich foods, desserts and processed foods for everyday sustenance.

Food for thought: Does a person desensitized to violence after repeated exposure share the same experience of disconnect as a person who daily eats desserts, comfort foods and processed foods?

If we want ice cream, then darn it have full-fat ice cream. If we want any meal that’s rich, full of fat and carbs, then we should have that too. But should we have these things all the time? Everyday? Such foods should return to being a treat; which means we must earn them. We should earn them. (Should we not?)

Eating right doesn’t mean eating boring. Eating well has as much flavor and umami as our comfort foods and sweets. We get the added benefit of nutrient-dense foods fueling our bodies. Our bodies feel lighter, our brains sharper, our immune systems stronger and our overall well-being functioning to its fullest as designed.

When making desserts or even traditional mac n’ cheese we will substitute processed sugars, flours and the like yet still include everything else that makes it so good – full fat.

Let’s achieve the following together:

“We won’t eat rich foods and desserts all the time.  We will eat a small portion. We won’t return for seconds.

We will Savor every bite.

We will Earn it.

It will be a Treat!”

“Let FOOD be thy Medicine and Medicine be thy FOOD” — Hippocrates

Yeah, yeah beets are good for us. Even those pesky, unruly greens attached at the stems are more nutritious than the beet roots themselves. Yet, the beet roots are still of value just like the leaves. The leaves and roots provide different health benefits and eating one without the other is a disservice to our bodies.

We’re not going to extract what makes each valuable medicinally or nutritionally and place those properties inside a pill – no way man! This negates all the other benefits of eating the total vegetable. Extraction by sheer definition means we’re leaving something out. I don’t want a plate of pills for my daily meals — this ain’t Star Trek: Next Generation. We’re not trying to live exclusively on juices and smoothies neither – after all, we are born with teeth to masticate.

What we are going to do is recognize the medicinal and health properties within the beets in order to not be afraid of eating them more often and in different ways. They appear intimidating and look as if they are bitter, that is, disgusting to eat — but oh, contraire mon frere. Beet greens are nothing like dandelion leaves or mustard greens or any other intensely bitter foods that cause our lips to purse and our faces to frown. Instead they are amazing in flavor and easy to prepare.

But first, Cliff Notes …..

History:

Beets originated in the coastal region of the Mediterranean where it still grows today resembling Swiss Chard.

Health & Medicinal Benefits:

Beets –

-relaxes and widens blood vessels

-fights inflammation

-good source fiber, folate, vitamin C, manganese and potassium.

-taste sweet yet low impact on blood sugar

-boosts stamina

-beets red hue comes from phytonutrient called betalains (good cancer fighters)

Beet Greens – 

-rich in element boron (bone-building properties)

-stimulate the body’s own production of antibodies, which helps strengthen the immune system

-contains protein, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, significant amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron

What about cooking those beet greens?! And they must taste good we don’t care how healthy!

There are many ways to prepare beet greens but this is one of my favorites that’s quick and easy. All we need is olive oil, lots of fresh garlic,  salt and pepper and half lemon. The red color you see is, you guessed it, from the beet leaves. The greens are sweet but not overpowering. We can easily devour all the greens in one sitting.

The result is voila!

When we think about it all fruits and vegetables contain medicinal compounds to fight cancer, alzheimer’s, diabetes and many other diseases plaguing our societies. It’s important to eat the widest variety possible consistently and often. It’s also important to drink plenty of water and manage stress. I know, easier said, but even more so we need to devour the rainbow of fruits and vegetables, the bitter and the sweet with joy and gusto. We’re blessed with the added bonus that they taste good or … can be made to taste good. Every other day this week I’ll post on social media additional ways to prepare beets and beet greens. Now let us dine on beets and beet leaves never discarding our bodies needs!

A string of series are heading your way focusing on specific aspects and impact of fruits and vegetables in our lives. The goal of these series is to acknowledge a greater awareness and appreciation for the paradox of our food from agriculture to our conditioned flavor palette, which usually rejects bitter foods that are often the most nutritious.

“Series #1: Use Everything …”

Series #1: Use Everything focuses on the value of using the whole of a vegetable including what we once discarded. You best believe many of the vegetable’s most nutritious parts are in what we’ve thrown away and should have eaten. Added bonus: eating everything cuts down on food waste plus we’re satiated longer.

Keep a look out April 3rd for the series debut:

Series #1: Use Everything … Beets