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The Good and Bad About Inflammation

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Inflammation has become a popular word with health professionals, doctors, and communities and not in a good way.  Before we talk about why inflammation can be bad, let’s first understand why it is good and necessary for our body.  Inflammation is our body’s natural defense system.  It’s the process that senses foreign invaders and sets off a series of events where white blood cells and other special chemicals protect us.  Inflammation is a good thing when it happens normally protecting and healing our bodies.  Examples of this good acute (short-term) inflammation:

  • We get a cut, bruise, scrape, or have a virus and our body reacts with pain, swelling, and fever.  Inflammation flushes out the bad and harmful stuff.
  • After a hard workout, your muscles are extra sore and it’s hard to walk up the stairs or sit on the toilet. This soreness is caused by inflammation in your body repairing and strengthening itself to be stronger and protect itself from injury.

Things start to go south when inflammation is chronic or constant in your body.  In these cases, your immune system is out of balance, inflammation is out of control, causing a constant state of defense in your body that contributes to disease and weight gain.  The causes of chronic inflammation are sugar, high doses of the wrong oils and fats in your diet, hidden food allergens like gluten intolerance, lack of exercise and movement, chronic stress and hidden infections.   These causes can trigger a raging, unseen inflammation deep within our cells and tissues.  It can lead to major chronic diseases of aging like disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia.

The scary part of chronic inflammation is it can go undetected for years and wreak havoc on your body.  If you are dealing with chronic inflammation, it becomes critical for you to cool off your internal defense system and prevent a series of damaging events.

Here are two ways to start reducing inflammation in your body:

  1. Reduce adding processed or real sugar to food and drink.  Sugar causes inflammation and is the root cause of obesity and chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or neurological problems like depression and autism.  Start by reducing the sugar, real or artificial, you add to your food or drinks.  For example, if you add sugar to your coffee, reduce it by half the first week, and work your way to not needing it.
  2. Reduce stress.  Chronic stress negatively impacts our bodies.  It has become the norm in our modern lives where our schedules are packed and our ability to multi-task is the only way to accomplish all we have to do.  Stress will be part of our lives but we need to manage it so we can get the rest we need, enjoy time with our loved ones, and not feel overwhelmed.  Management might mean you need to stop doing some things, start a meditation practice, exercise regularly, or visit with friends.

Hope this was helpful,
Chrissy xo

How I lost 4 lbs on the Potato Diet

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The potato diet has been around since the 1800’s as a weight loss approach for those living too luxuriously and in need of a digestive system reset.  It has recently become popular through Tim Steele’s website and book, The Potato Hack: Weight Loss Simplified. I decided to try the potato diet or potato hack on myself because I have clients who eat clean, sleep 7-8 hours a day, exercise regularly, and have not been able to lose weight.  Losing weight isn’t easy, if it was, it wouldn’t be a $65 million dollar industry.  My health goals this year were not to lose weight but I’m glad I did because there was weight I needed to lose and even though my diet is pretty clean, there were changes I needed to make to the volume and ratio of foods I was eating.

The reason why the potato diet has worked for people to lose weight and resets the digestive system is because:

  1. Immediately reduces calorie intake which is the reason it leads to significant weight loss.  The theory of food reward is a hard-wired evolutionary mechanism that helps us survive during times of food scarcity.  The more rewarding foods are, the more we will eat them.  We eat a lot when food is bountiful and much is in season because our bodies wants to fill itself with the macronutrients and be satisfied by the variety of tastes and textures in our mouths.  If we only have potato to eat, we will only eat enough to satisfy our hunger but no more.
  2. Eating nothing but white potatoes may sound crazy because you would think eating all of that starch would elevate blood sugar.  If you eat potatoes that have been cooked and cooled, the starch is converted to resistant starch.  Resistant starch is a fiber so it is not absorbed by humans, but rather it feeds our good intestinal bacteria and has insignificant effect on blood sugar.  Reheating cooled potatoes is ok because it keeps the potato as a resistant starch.  It’s recommended, especially if you have problems with blood sugar, to check your blood sugar with a glucometer after the first few potato meals and if your blood sugar spikes, switch to eating cook and cooled potatoes.

On the potato diet I ate:

  • Boiled 3 – 4 lbs of red, white, or russet potatoes.  This was enough for a days worth of potatoes for me.
  • I timed the boiling to complete right before a meal time and then would eat a meal of hot potatoes.  Once the potatoes cooled, I would store them in the refrigerator and would either eat cold potatoes or reheat the potatoes for the rest of the meals during the day.
  • Ate potatoes with a little sprinkle of salt.
  • Drank hot tea.  This warm drink gave me a sense of fullness.

Week 1: 3 consecutive days on the potato diet, rest of the days ate my regular diet (free of gluten, dairy, added sugar, and processed food)

Week 2: 1 day on the potato diet, rest of the days ate my regular diet (free of gluten, dairy, added sugar, and processed food)

Week 3: 2 days on the potato diet, rest of the day ate my regular diet (free of gluten, dairy, added sugar, and processed food)

I am very happy with my experience on the potato diet.  Even though my health goals this year were not to lose weight, I am happy I lost 4 lbs.  I have been doing a lot of Crossfit the past two years and have more muscle mass and realize I need to lean out.  Most importantly, removing all of the food on the potato diet made me think about the meals I usually eat (but couldn’t). I realized I was eating too much protein and not enough vegetables.  On the days I wasn’t on the potato diet, I made sure my  meals were 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 protein.  I’ve been able to keep the 4lbs off because I’m eating more vegetables and also less because my appetite has decreased from the days I just eat potatoes.

If you are interested in trying the potato diet, here are the guidelines:

  1. Eat nothing but white potatoes for three to five days. They can be cooked and cooled and then reheated prior to eating if you want to reduce blood sugar impact. It only works with white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are not allowed because they don’t form resistant starch in the way that white potatoes do.
  2. Eat two to five pounds of potatoes each day whenever you are hungry. You don’t need to count anything while you’re doing this diet. Most people will not go above five pounds.
  3. No other foods are allowed on the potatoes—no butter, no sourcream, no cheese, and no bacon bits. And now that you understand the concept of food reward—where the more variety you have, the more different tastes and flavors and textures, the more you’ll eat—you’ll understand why that prohibition is there.
  4. A little bit of salt is one exception. It’s discouraged, but it’s an option for people who just cannot do the potato diet without a tiny bit of salt. If people feel it needs salt for other reasons, then they could consider having just a glass of water with some sea salt in the morning, apart from the potatoes.
  5. Drink when thirsty—coffee, tea, and water only.
  6. Light exercise such as walking, yoga, gentle cycling, and swimming only on the Potato Hack days.
 Let me know if you give the potato diet a try.  Would love to hear your experience.

C xo

What You Need to Know About Legumes

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There is a lot of conflicting information about eating legumes, also known as beans, peanuts, alfalfa sprouts.  When I first started to heal myself with food, I followed a strict Paleo diet which eliminated all legumes and beans.  As I’ve come to personalize my nutrition for my body, I’ve found that I can eat some types of beans and peas, and cannot tolerate white beans.  If you are considering adding or eliminating legumes, here are the things to know:

  • Legumes are not essential to human health.  Humans only started eating legumes and beans 10,000 years ago.  We started eating meat 2.5 million years ago.
  • Legumes are not very nutrient dense and eating a lot of them should not replace more nutrient-dense foods like meat, fish, and shellfish.
  • Legumes are a source of protein but plant protein is not as good of a source as animal protein.  Adults are required to eat 60 – 90 grams of protein a day.  To fulfill this requirement, you would have to eat 3 cups of beans with 100 grams of carbs to equal 6 oz of meat with 0 grams of carbs.  Eating this any beans and carbs would require a lot of planning and effort, and would be more then the average person could handle.
  • Legumes contain plant proteins which have very little leucine, the amino acid needed to build muscle.  Animal protein is the best source of leucine, and this is very important because as we get older the loss of muscle is a primary cause of accelerated aging and disease.
  • Legumes contain proteins called lectins that can cause leaky gut, inflammation, and all kinds of other problems.  Many people can tolerate beans because the majority of these harmful lectins are destroyed by heat and cooking, and lectins also bind to sugar so they are prevented from entering our bloodstream. Peanut lectin is an excption because a lot of people eat peanuts raw and peanut butter. (ex: peanut butter). You will be introducing the foods you have eliminated (gluten, dairy, legumes, etc) one by one after the Whole30 and this is the best way to see if you show symptoms of not tolerating legumes.

Hope this was helpful,
Chrissy xo

Healthy Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year

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Chinese New Year is a very exciting time of year where the prosperity and good fortune from the current year and new year are celebrated.. In the Chinese culture, good fortune is associated with having a long life and good health. During Chinese New Year, the symbolism of good health can be found everywhere from decorations to food. Here are healthy ways to celebrate the new year:

Eat lots of long leafy green vegetables
Every Chinese New Year celebration meal will have a dish of long leafy greens. The long leaves symbolize long life. The color green symbolizes everlasting freshness.

Give and eat oranges
Oranges (橘, ju) is similar to the Chinese word for lucky (or gold/wealth) (聚, ju). Oranges contain vitamin C and micronutrients that helps the cells in the body communicate with each other. Eat them the days and weeks leading up to Chinese New Year and afterwards to keep good luck going as long as possible.

Eat whole fish and chicken
Wholeness is an important concept in Chinese culture. When something is whole, it is seen as in harmony and balanced. This is the reason why ending the year with the reunion dinner is just as important as beginning the year with a new year meal. Eating a whole fish and chicken from head to tail is also very healthy because the liver, heart, and bones for broth are nutrient dense.

Schedule time with family and close friends
Spending time and connecting with loved ones is as important to good health as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Chinese New Year is a time of celebration, joy, happiness, and togetherness. Organize gatherings and meals to celebrate all of the accomplishments from the year and good fortune for the new year with family and close friends.

Give yourself enough time to prepare and plan
There is much to do to prepare yourself, your home, and family for the most important Chinese celebration of the year. The preparations of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, take effort and time and can be overwhelming. Spend at least 2 weeks to plan and avoid being overly stressed, instead prepare a little each day to have enough time to get everything done and really enjoy this happy time.

Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy new year!
Chrissy xo

新年快乐

Chinese New Year | Multicultural Kid Blogs

Welcome to our fourth annual Chinese New Year blog hop! Lunar New Year, more commonly known as Chinese New Year, starts on February 16. It is the beginning of the Year of the Dog, and we have lots of great ideas for celebrating it with kids! Don’t miss our series from last year, 2016 and 2015, and you can find even more on our Chinese New Year Pinterest board:

 

Participating Blogs

Creative World of Varya on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Earth Dog Year Fun Facts
Bicultural Mama: Chinese Soup Dumplings (Xiǎo Lóng Bāo): What They Are and How to Eat
Crafty Moms Share: The Year of the Dog
Miss Panda Chinese
Creative World of Varya
the gingerbread house: Simple Chinese New Year Lantern Craft for Kids to Make
ChrissyJee.com

Sex reduces stress – 3 Healthy Ways To Be Ready for It

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The excitement of private intimate time with a loved one can be felt from your lips to under your skirt. As healthy as sex is for our bodies by reducing stress, boosting our immune system, deepening connections, our busy lives do not allow us the time or the desire to have it.   After a long day multi-tasking, making hundreds of decisions, caring for little ones, it’s hard to fathom having the energy for sexual desire.  It would be in our best health to have our bodies ready for sex. If you haven’t felt this desire for many days, weeks, even months, here are the lifestyle and diet changes you can make to bring it back.  And if you have a special occasion coming up where sex could be on the agenda, start preparing yourself at least two weeks before.

Be rested
Sexual attraction is both physical and psychological. Exhaustion from a busy day can quickly kill both. We need to be well rested to be ready for an evening filled with engaging conversation, witty responses, and to choose sex over sleep. Get 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night to be well rested.

Avoid gluten, dairy and sugar 
An instant buzzkill to feeling pretty, fun, and playful is feeling bloated and gassy.  Gluten, dairy, and sugar are known to trigger inflammation in your body and the symptoms are bloating and gas.  

Exercise
Sex is physical and requires energy and endurance.  You can keep yourself in shape for it with daily movement, high intensity exercise and yoga. Take the stairs and walk instead of elevators and driving.  High intensity workouts boost metabolism and aerobic capacity and yoga provides a low impact way of improving flexibility and strength. The combination of these two types of workouts will give you the energy and endurance necessary for sex so attend these classes at least 3 times a week. Remember not to overdo exercising so it doesn’t add to your daily exhaustion.

Paleo Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu)

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One of my favorite things to eat when I would visit my grandparents in Chinatown growing up was char siu or barbecue pork.  The strips of pork hung in the windows and my family would eat them for lunch over rice and noodles.  I’ve been on a mission to make barbecue pork at home that is nutrient dense without gluten, dairy and processed ingredients.  Here is the recipe and share photos of the barbecue pork on Instagram with tag #chineseporkwednesday.

Ingredients

Equipment

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place the pork shoulder on the cutting board.

Slice the pork shoulder into slabs that are 1/2 inch thick.

Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.  Place the baking rack on top.  Spray the rack with the cooking spray or brush oil/fat on with the silicon brush.  Place the slabs of pork on the rack.

Sprinkle salt and white pepper on both sides of the meat.

Place the tray of meat in the oven.  Cook the meat for 15 minutes on each side.  Set the timer.

After you have placed the meat back in the oven to cook for the second 15 minutes, put the stove on medium and pour in the coconut aminos and five spice powder.
When the liquid starts to bubble turn the low so that the liquid starts to thicken.
Once the liquid is covered with bubbles, stir slowly with the silicon brush.

While you are making the barbecue sauce, the meat will finish cooking.  Take it out of the oven and set aside to cool.

The sauce will be ready a couple minutes later.  Is ready when it has thickened to the point you stir it with the brush and it takes a couple seconds for the liquid to come together.

Place the meat on the cutting board.  I use my wooden cutting board to cut non-raw food.  Brush the meat with the sauce.

Cover both sides of the meat and the edges with the sauce.

Barbecue pork is ready.  Slice and serve!

The Dumpling Mama xo