The future of farming may be below the soil

“Think of urban farming and the images that may come to mind are community garden, vertical greenhouse or even a rooftop garden.

The farm Steven Dring operates in south London isn’t like that. In fact, it’s not even visible from street level. The operation is situated in an air raid shelter 100 feet underground that has been left vacant since World War II.

Dring, his co-founder, Richard Ballard, and a team of a dozen people grow lettuce and microgreens hydroponically, year-round, in the shelter, which includes two tunnels. The produce is then sold to restaurants and stores around London.

“It does seem completely counterintuive to build a farm underneath the soil, but it’s actually one of the best environments to do it,” Dring said.”

Read the rest of the article at: “CBSNews.com“

Are Digestive Issues and Hormone Imbalances Connected?

The short answer to the question, “Are digestive issues and hormone imbalances connected?” is…YES!

I recently posted something about the relationship between digestive issues and hormone imbalances on my Instagram page and got a lot of response.  The fact that so many people responded only confirms my suspicions that many women are dealing with both digestive issues and hormone imbalances.  Just about every woman I work with in my practice has symptoms of both.  Health issues usually do not stem from a single factor.  My clients often say they are eating clean and feel like their diet is great, so why are they feeling so crappy?  A well-working digestive system and endocrine system (for hormones) are signs of good health.  Achieving this goes beyond good nutrition.

A compromised digestive system can start at birth and be influenced by everything that happens over a lifetime.  Being born via a C- section, being bottle fed (4, both of which may not always be avoidable), taking antibiotics, eating processed food, stress, medication, and toxins are just some of the things that can contribute to poor gut health over time.  I don’t know about you, but I grew up in a time when processed food was in, antibiotics were handed out like candy, and being under lots of stress was considered normal. These things take a toll on your gut health!

How do you know if you have digestive issues?

Sometime symptoms aren’t even present or can show up in subtle ways.  The typical signs include constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pains, bloating, excess or smelly gas, excessive burping, skin issues like eczema, acne, rashes, or psoriasis, and food intolerances.  Other unusual symptoms might include headaches, mood swings, fatigue, coughing, sinus congestion, agitation, and more.  Whether these symptoms show up regularly or occasionally, these symptoms can be a sign of a compromised digestive system.

How are hormone imbalances connected to the digestive system?

The microbiome (bacteria in your gut) plays a big role in our hormones.  Good bacteria can metabolize and recycle hormones in your body.  Estrogen, for example, circulates the body and when it reaches the liver is inactivated.  In a normal functioning digestive system, this inactivated estrogen is then sent to the intestines where it can be excreted in stool.  But if certain bad bacteria are present in your gut, the bacteria can reactivate estrogen and release it back into your body where it continues to circulate and can cause estrogen dominance. (1)

World Journal of Gastroenterology

When your digestion is working well and things are moving smoothly (if you know what I mean) excess hormones like estrogen can be excreted out of the body in your stool instead of being reabsorbed.  The inability to properly excrete hormones can lead to problems like excess circulating hormones.  The body then senses that free circulating hormones are elevated and then will shut down the ability to make new hormone.  Constipation can contribute to hormone imbalances but on the flip side, hormone imbalance can also contribute to constipation, making for a vicious cycle.

Many people today are dealing with low stomach acid and can be experiencing heartburn, GERD, or undigested food in their stool.  Your stomach acid helps to digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.  The process of breaking down these macronutrients makes the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) available for hormone production.  Many nutrients are important for health hormones including zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, and so much more.  If you aren’t digesting properly, breaking down food well, or even poorly absorbing nutrients, your hormones can suffer.

Leaky gut (also know known as intestinal permeability) is when the junctions (or space) between the cells of your digestive system lining remain open allowing toxins, microbes, and undigested food particles to leak into your bloodstream.  This leakiness is a stressor and can raise cortisol (your stress hormone), produced in the adrenal glands.  When stress is high, the body puts priority on trying to deal with that stress instead of on your other hormones. (2)  To make a long story short, leaking is a form of stress which increases cortisol and can lead to other hormone imbalances.

Sex hormones themselves can influence the digestive system.  Imbalances of estrogen and progesterone can influence the movement of food through the intestines.  They can either speed up the process (causing diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain) or they can slow things down (causing bloating or constipation).  Altered estrogen levels can cause hyper-responsiveness to stress, which may promote an immune response and contribute to leaky gut. (3)

As you can see, the digestive system and our hormones are closely linked. In my own practice I have observed the connection between hormones and digestive health.  My clients typically are dealing with both and we work on healing hormone and digestive systems through supplements, eating a balanced diet, supporting the liver and the bodies natural detox mechanisms, getting adequate sleep, reducing stress, and much more.

ARE YOU READY TO INVEST TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY TO GET TO THE ROOT PROBLEM OF YOUR HORMONE AND DIGESTIVE SYSTEMS SO YOU CAN FEEL GREAT AGAIN?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Work With Me

As a registered dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper functional lab testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

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The post Are Digestive Issues and Hormone Imbalances Connected? appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

Meet New Orleans’s Iconic Produce Salesman – Mr. Okra!

Why Not Consider Carving a Turnip Instead of a Pumpkin This Halloween?

“Using this year’s pumpkin shortage in the UK as an opportunity to promote their bizarre turnip carving ways, English Heritage, an organization dedicated to preserving English history, has suggested people in their native country try reviving the original Halloween tradition of carving root vegetables.

According to the Independent, turnips were the OG pumpkins, with Brits carving scary faces into them long before people in the U.S. realized pumpkins were far easier to work with. “The tradition emerged from a folk tale about a man named Jack who, after trying to trick the devil, was forced to roam the earth with only a burning coal inside a hollowed out turnip—or the original Jack o’lantern,” the site writes. Although, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Oxford English Dictionary finds references to pumpkins as jack-o’-lanterns at approximately the same time the term started to appear in England.”

Read the FULL STORY at: “CookingLight.com“

We’re on SNAPCHAT! [Let’s Get Snapping]

We want to be where our fans and fellow gardeners are, so we’ve headed over to snapchat and created an account! We hope you’ll share all of your awesome gardening successes/tips/and learning experiences with us over there.

Let’s be friends! Just use the snap code below to quickly and easily add us and see more great content from us, everyday!

New Urban Farm in D.C. Is About More Than a Food Desert

“On Oct. 14, hundreds of people marched in Anacostia, in southeastern Washington, D.C., to a Giant supermarket. Some held carrots in the air; many carried shopping bags filled with groceries. They were marching to raise awareness of what it’s like to live in a food desert, an area where full-service grocery stores are scarce or nonexistent. In Ward 8, where the march took place, just one supermarket — the Giant — serves about 70,000 people. In Ward 7, directly north, two grocery stores serve another 70,000.

The lack of access to fresh food is a factor in great health disparities in D.C. Residents of Wards 7 and 8 are several times more likely to be obese, and have diabetes and other food-related illnesses than are residents of wealthier communities just across the Anacostia River.”

Read the rest of the article at: “NextCity.org“

Hopes grow for urban farming as city readies pilot project on vacant land

“The city’s launch of an agriculture pilot project on plots of unused land is long overdue but could plant the seeds for a local food revolution, says a well-known Calgary urban farmer.

Operators who’ll farm two plots of land on a two-year lease — one in the northeast and the other in the southeast — are being sought by the city, with a tour of the sites scheduled for Oct. 27.

It’s something Grow Calgary founder Paul Hughes has been advocating for years.

“We proposed that Highfield site in 2009 — it never happens as quickly as we’d want and I wish there was more consultation, but it’s happening,” said Hughes, referring to the three-hectare plot on Highfield Crescent S.E.

“We rank last in North America in getting urban agriculture going, but I’m excited.””

Read the FULL Story at “CalgaryHerald.com“

18 Surprisingly Effective Gardening Tricks That Keep Away Pests, Fight Disease And Improve Your Soil

“Organic gardeners do their best when it comes to using non-harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers. So, in order to keep your plants in the best possible shape, yet completely naturally, you need some tips and tricks, so today we are going to show you some. These natural remedies may seem strange to you at first, but, trust me, you won’t change them for nothing when you see the results!”

READ all 18 TIPS, here!

Spiced Apple Bundt Cake with Apple Almond Butter Frosting (Paleo, Gluten Free)

My oven has basically been on vacation for the last three months due to the 100-degree weather here in Arizona.  I decided today to dust off the cobwebs to bring you this paleo and gluten free Spiced Apple Bundt Cake with an Apple Almond Butter Frosting.  Cake is normally not my first choice when it comes to dessert.  I usually prefer pie or ice cream.  But this cake might just change my mind!

No expert baking skills needed to make this cake look like it came from an expensive bakery. I love the way you can cover this Bundt cake in frosting – makes it look so fancy! This Spiced Apple Bundt Cake is the perfect dessert for your holiday party.  Or you can serve it alongside quiche for brunch.

Let’s take a moment to focus on the Apple Almond Butter Frosting.  It really makes the cake, so don’t skip this part.  I used the technique that I use for any frosting I make, like Peanut Butter Banana Frosting and Pumpkin Frosting.  The frosting is the reason why I make cake in the first place.  If you are like me and hate an overly sweet frosting, then this is going to be perfect for you.  I have plenty more ideas for frosting combinations so I guess I am going to have to develop some new cake recipes to test them out.  What a tough job, right?

If you are looking for another dessert to serve this holiday season then definitely put this Spiced Apple Bundt Cake on your list.  But why wait?  Try it out today!

Spiced Apple Bundt Cake with Apple Almond Butter (Paleo, Gluten Free)

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Author: Sara

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• Cake
• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 cup arrowroot starch
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter or palm shortening, softened
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup apple butter
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Frosting
• ¼ cup butter or palm shortening, softened
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ½ cup apple butter
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt
• chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients for the cake.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients for the cake (butter, eggs, apple butter, vanilla, and vinegar).
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until blended, being careful not to overmix.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 9 inch Bundt pan.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
7. While the cake is baking, make the frosting.
8. Add all of the frosting ingredients to a food processor and whip together until well mixed.
9. Flip the cake out onto a large plate or cake stand (running a knife around the edges to loosen as needed).
10. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting the top.
11. Sprinkle with chopped nuts as desired.
12. Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

3.4.3177

 

The post Spiced Apple Bundt Cake with Apple Almond Butter Frosting (Paleo, Gluten Free) appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

The Most Surprising Little Urban Farm in L.A. Is on a Mar Vista Side Street

“Walk north past the Mar Vista Post Office along Grand View Boulevard and enter a tree-lined, residential street. Less than a block in, on the street’s west side, you’ll find a red ranch house surrounded by wooden furniture, an elliptical driveway, and a wooden stand with a blackboard menu that reads, “Take as many as you want, leave what you think they’re worth to you.” This is the unlikely setting for Casamor Farm, an urban farmhouse run by Andre Kohler that grows produce on-site on a Mar Vista side street.”

“His corrective mission extends to the wild, where Kohler frequently forages for mushrooms, acorns, nuts, berries, herbs, and flowers. His hunt covers the mountains, but also focuses right here in the city, where he snags fruit, avocados, and lemons. He’ll also “forage” frozen fish from grocery store dumpsters to feed his cats. He even prepares a “dumpster Thanksgiving dinner” prepared entirely from “trash,” a vision that brings to mind the dumpster diving documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story.”

Read the FULL STORY at: “LAMag.com“

Ikea’s Hydroponic Garden Concept Uses 90% Less Water Than a Regular Farm

“Ikea is known for its low-cost furniture that comes packed in cardboard boxes, but now it’s experimenting with something entirely different: Cutting-edge indoor farming.

At the London Design Festival in September, Space10 — Ikea’s “future-living” design lab — debuted its concept for a salad bar prototype whose ingredients are grown using an indoor hydroponic farming system.”

Read the original article at: “Mic.com“

Year Round Veggie Gardening Tips [Info-Graphic]

Just in time for spring planting is this cool infographic on veggie gardening from my friends at The Spigot. We gardeners are visual people, so I always love graphics like this one. Remember to check with your local County Extension Office for a more specific list of what to plant and when for your area!

How Much Should You Plant for a Years Worth of Food? [Podcast]

“Most of us aren’t relying completely on what we plant and preserve ourselves, we’re still supplementing with the grocery store. But what if you did have to survive on what you’d planted and put up. How much money would it free up for you and your family?”

Listen to this post and all our episodes of the Pioneering Today Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Keep it Fresh with Herbs [INFO-GRAPHIC]

How to Turn Fallen Leaves into Gardener’s Gold

“Leaf mold is incredibly useful in the garden, with uses ranging from improving soil, to suppressing weeds, to helping make up the perfect potting soil mix.

Leaves from most deciduous trees and shrubs can be used for making leaf mold, but avoid leaves from trees such as walnut, eucalyptus, camphor laurel and cherry laurel, which contain chemicals that inhibit plant growth. Thicker leaves – for instance horse chestnut – take longer to break down. These, along with tough evergreen leaves, can be included in a general compost pile, where the higher temperatures will help them to break down faster.”

How to Turn Fallen Leaves into Gardener’s Gold
Learn more: http://ift.tt/2geYOLd

One Pot Meal: White Bean Chicken Chili

If only it felt like fall was in the air.  Last weekend in Arizona it is hit 100 degrees.  Ugh!  I (mostly) love living here in the desert, but we do have to wait an awful long time for fall temperatures.  Regardless of the overly warm temperatures, October is still soup and stew season.  White Bean Chicken Chili is an easy one pot meal that will help anyone get into the fall spirit.

This White Bean Chicken Chili recipe was inspired by a chili my aunt used to make, but I made a few tweaks to accommodate my passion for real food.  I often suggest this recipe to my clients dealing with adrenal fatigue as a great dinner option.  Those suffering from adrenal issues also have cortisol issues.

Carbohydrates and Cortisol

The timing of your carbohydrate intake can help support healthy cortisol levels in your body.  Eating more carbohydrates later in the day can be helpful.  Cortisol should be naturally lower in the evening.  If little to no carbohydrates are eaten with an evening meal, the body will get glucose from muscles instead of from food.  The body creates glucose by releasing stress hormones (like cortisol), which can keep you awake or make it difficult to fall asleep.

Eating a larger amount of carbohydrates in the evening can help with sleep in other ways too.  Carbohydrates raise serotonin levels, which get converted to melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep).  The carbohydrates you consume should come from nutrient-dense sources like fruit, sweet potatoes, beets, winter squash, or even beans.

Soups also make great freezer meals.  Make a double batch of White Bean Chicken Chili and keep some single serving jars of it in your freezer.  Especially during weeks when you are busier and might not have time to cook.  Help keep stress levels low by having a nutritious dinner in the freezer ready to be reheated.

One Pot Meal: White Bean Chicken Chili

 

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Author: Sara

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut or avocado oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2-4 teaspoons cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 3 cups chicken bone broth (homemade or store bought)
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup salsa Verde or tomatillo salsa (such as Drew's Organic Tomatillo Salsa)
• 2-3 teaspoons of salt (more or less to taste)
• Fresh Cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot heat the oil over medium low heat.
2. Add the garlic, onion, and carrots.
3. Sauté the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until slightly softened.
4. Stir in the seasonings, cumin, oregano, and cayenne.
5. Add in the broth and whole chicken breasts.
6. Allow the chicken to cook threw about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken (cut into smaller pieces to cook faster).
7. Remove the chicken and place in a bowl.
8. To the pot, add the beans, green chili, and salt.
9. Using two forks shred the chicken into bite size pieces/shreds.
10. Add the chicken back to the pot and allow everything to warm threw another 5-10 minutes.
11. Serve with chopped cilantro.

3.4.3177

 

The post One Pot Meal: White Bean Chicken Chili appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

‘We Are A Desert’: Community Builds Urban Farm

The community welcomed “Gangsta Gardener” Ron Finley from Los Angeles to celebrate the progress they have made as a neighborhood. “It’s beautiful, I mean the snow, it’s beautiful,” said Finley after touring the garden, “It’s a Winter Wonderland.” Finley gained nationwide recognition for planting fruits and vegetables in a small plot outside of his home in 2010. He had to convince city leaders what he was doing was necessary and get policies changed in order to make that curb strip of dirt he turned into a garden legal.

Read the original article at: “Denver.CBSlocal.com“

Giving Away Food for Free at the “FoodIsFree Laneway”

Who else thinks every community should have something like the Food Is Free Laneway Ballarat?

The Domed Greenhouse: Urban Farm BioDomes Mimic Nature’s Designs

“It is predicted that by the year 2050, well over 70% of the human population will be made up of urban dwellers.  Modeling a sustainable and scientific approach to growing, the urban farm domed greenhouse challenges city infrastructures to address the urgent need for creating fresh, abundant local food sources.

BioDome projects are rising to meet the challenge of responsible environmental stewardship through earth-based science.  Forging a new era and working toward the future of life on Earth and beyond, NASA’s BioDome is a working model of such an enclosed, controlled and self-sufficient eco-system.”

Read the original article at: “PacificDomes.com“

This is How One Organic Farmer Grosses $100K An Acre

“We need GMOs to feed the world like a fish needs dry land. A controversial farmer in California is proving that a veritable bumper crop can be had using new farming methods that don’t require GMO pesticides, herbicides, or even weeding, and require 10 times less water than the average farm. The best part – he earned $100K per acre last season without even harvesting all of his land.

What kind of super-fertilizer allows Paul Kaiser to grow so much food on a mere 8 acres? Lot’s of rotten food scraps and rotten plants – otherwise known as compost. And he uses loads of it.”

Read the full article at: “EcoNewsMedia.com“

Chip Drop – Get Free Wood Chip Mulch, DELIVERED!

Chip Drop is a web service that helps homeowners and gardeners get free wood chip mulch from local tree companies who work in the area. It’s been operating since 2014 and has facilitated +22,000 deliveries of wood chips to 25 cities across the US and Canada. It was founded by Bryan Kappa in Portland, OR, and is rapidly expanding to serve most major metropolitan areas in the US. There’s a good chance that Chip Drop already serves your area, so check out their website to find out how you can get a delivery to your home or garden.

Using wood chip mulch in your yard is a great way to suppress weeds and retain water and nutrients in the soil. It works great for landscaping along paths and around garden beds. It also works as a soil amendment for most gardening applications.

Using local tree mulch is a great way to help your local economy and save money. It keeps green waste out of landfills, reduces drive time of heavy trucks on the road, and keeps the plant material in your neighborhood in the same location. There’s no way to get a more local mulch product than getting it straight from an arborist!

Here are some common questions people have about the service, and getting wood chips from arborists in general.

Q: How much wood chips come with a delivery, and is there a way to ask for a small or specific quantity?

A: Most arborists will not deliver a partial load of wood chips, because it takes too much time for their crew to set up the delivery, and lost time is their number one cost. Tree companies are willing to deliver wood chips only because it is fast and easy for them, and for this reason, you must be willing to accept a whole truck load, which is about 10 – 15 yards in a single delivery. We always encourage folks to share a delivery with their friends and neighbors on nextdoor.com. It’s a great way to meet some folks and share a valuable resource.

Q: What about logs, leaves, pine needles, trash, etc. in a delivery? Are they ‘clean’ chips?

A: The short answer is ‘no’, they are not clean chips that you would buy from the store. They are usually a mixed variety of species and size and they always have leaves and pine needles mixed in. You can specify whether or not you’re willing to accept logs in your load. You can even sign up for a load of all logs if you’re looking for a cheap source of firewood. There is sometimes a small amount of trash in the pile that you’ll have to pick out, although it should be a very small quantity. The crews who do the tree work are often raking and sweeping up along the side of the road, and all kinds of interesting things can end up in the load.

Q: How will I know when to expect a delivery?

A: You won’t know when a delivery will be showing up, so you’ll need to have a drop site that is clear and accessible all hours of the day until a delivery arrives. That means making sure cars won’t be blocking the drop site. It’s also important to make sure there are no low overhead power lines or tree branches that might block the lift bed of the truck. You typically need about 15′ – 20′ of overhead clearance for the trucks to be able to deliver.

Fun Facts:

• Chip Drop has helped keep 70,451 tons of wood waste out of landfills to date.
• It has reduced the driving distance of arborists by 81,459 miles.
• It has distributed 220,160 yards of affordable, locally sourced mulch to gardeners, schools and community gardens.
• It has helped homeowners save 248,990 gallons of water per day, a total of 107 million gallons since 2014.

How to Know If You Have Adrenal Fatigue: Signs and Symptoms

I get this question all the time: “How do I know if I have adrenal fatigue?”  Paying attention to the signs that your body is giving you is the first step.  Symptoms often occur even after disease is already present so it is important not to ignore your body’s warning signs.  There can be hundreds of symptoms of adrenal fatigue.  The worse the adrenal fatigue, the more symptoms you might have, which is one reason I recommend that all my clients check their hormones (including cortisol).  The earlier you can catch an imbalance, the better off you will be.  I am sharing my top 10 ways to know if adrenal fatigue is an issue for you.

1|  Get Tested

The only real way to know for sure is to get properly tested.  Cortisol is the most common way to measure the function of the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis.  I use DUTCH testing on my clients to evaluate the adrenals.  The two main cortisol markers on the DUTCH test are metabolized cortisol and 24-hour-free cortisol.  Metabolized cortisol is the total cortisol production for the day.  Free cortisol is the total amount of active cortisol available to tissues of the body for the day (it only represents about 1-3% of total production).  The DUTCH test also shows the pattern of free cortisone (the inactive form of cortisol). Cortisone helps us understand what the free cortisol in our body is doing and its link to our adrenal function.  You can see how testing is an important step if you want to know if adrenal fatigue is an issue for you.

2|  Low Blood Pressure or Light Headed Upon Standing

When the body is under stress, blood pressure usually increases first.  If the adrenals become compromised and are unable to properly respond to stress, our blood pressure can drop below normal.  Key hormones responsible for blood pressure regulation include aldosterone and cortisol, both released by the adrenal glands.  Low aldosterone and cortisol levels can lead to low blood pressure symptoms, including being dizzy and lightheaded.

3|  Sleep Disturbances

The normal pattern of cortisol is to be highest in the morning and gradually decrease throughout the day.  Cortisol should be at its lowest at night, triggering melatonin to be released.  Melatonin is the hormone that helps control your sleep and wake cycles.  If your adrenals aren’t producing cortisol properly (too much or too little) then this can ultimately disrupt the daily pattern.  Elevated cortisol at bedtime or throughout the night can affect melatonin production and contribute to poor quality and quantity of sleep.

4| Blood Sugar Issues

Can you guess one important hormone that is responsible for proper blood sugar regulation?  Cortisol!  If you blood sugar drops below the optimal levels, then your adrenal glands kick in to release hormones that help raise blood sugar back to normal.  Low blood sugar can be caused by eating too much sugar (which can raise blood sugar and then cause a crash), not eating enough carbohydrates, skipping meals, or too much exercise without enough fuel.

5| Hormone Imbalances

If you already know or suspect that you have other hormone imbalances including thyroid or sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone), then there is a good chance that your adrenal hormones have been affected.

6| Feeling Wired but Tired

The explanation for this feeling can go back to having an altered cortisol pattern.  People with adrenal dysfunction can wake up exhausted from a poor night’s sleep.  You can push through the day feeling tired but when you get home you might start to feel normal again.  As bedtime approaches, you know you should get to sleep, but now you feel wired and can’t shut down for the night.

7| Fatigue

You may get a seemingly good night’s sleep but you wake up still feeling tired.  Or you feel tired in the afternoon, many hours before it is even time for bed.  You may feel like you need caffeine to get going in the morning or to keep going throughout the day.  The adrenal glands should be releasing just the right amount of cortisol all day long.  Stress can change the cortisol pattern, which can ultimately impact energy levels.  Drinking coffee and relying on caffeine to sustain energy isn’t helping your adrenals function properly, in fact it can make the issue worse.

8| Craving Salt or Sugar

A craving for salt in people with adrenal fatigue is usually due to low aldosterone.  Aldosterone is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands.  This hormone helps regulate blood pressure in your body.  Just like cortisol, aldosterone levels can go up and down.  Low aldosterone can alter electrolyte balance, particularly an imbalance of sodium.  Craving salt can be one way your body is trying to get back into balance.  The need for salty potato chips can be a sign your body wants and needs more salt.

The same can be said for sugar cravings.  Since cortisol helps regulate blood sugar, a craving for sugar can be a sign your blood sugar is out of balance.

9| Feel Exhausted After a Workout

Instead of getting a boost of energy after a workout, you feel more exhausted.  There is that old saying, “no pain, no gain.”  Many women end up pushing themselves in the gym only to find that their weight isn’t budging and they feel more tired.  I was there!  I would do a high intensity workout thinking that I was improving my health only to find myself falling asleep on the coach immediately afterward.

10| Belly Fat

According to Dr. Lam the central abdomen contains a lot of cortisol receptors and cortisol can store energy (in the form of fat).  When continuously stimulated by cortisol, the tissue attracts fat and starts to store it.

If all of these symptoms sound familiar, you may be dealing with adrenal fatigue. Let’s find out! Are ready to get tested? Are you motivated to start rebuilding your health? Let’s get started. There’s no reason to continue feeling this way.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTOM BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Work With Me

As a Registered Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

The post How to Know If You Have Adrenal Fatigue: Signs and Symptoms appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea: Yummy Drink Packed with Healthy Benefits

How have I never thought to put these ingredients together before?  I can’t take full credit for this combination.  My husband and I went out to breakfast one weekend at FirstWatch and this iced tea was on their seasonal menu.  It inspired me to make a Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea for myself at home.

Ginger’s Benefits

Ginger is an amazing ingredient.  Some people love it and others hate it.  I am definitely in the “love it” group.  Ginger supports a healthy inflammatory process, which can be helpful for pain or digestive issues.  Digestive problems often have an inflammation component so adding herbs like ginger can be one way to support a healthy gut.

I like to think of ginger as nature’s Tylenol or Advil.  These over-the-counter medications are not ideal for long-term or regular use because they can contribute to damaging the gut lining and can even cause stomach ulcers.  Ginger is a great natural alternative.

The benefits don’t stop there: carrot juice not only gives this Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea a beautiful color (perfect for fall!), it also boosts the nutritional content.  Carrots are loaded with vitamin A, which helps with skin health, bone growth, immune support, and vision.  Tip: use the leftover carrot pulp to make these Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies.

Of course this tea would be amazing any time of year, but I picture this being the perfect drink to have as summer transitions to fall.  It isn’t too cold yet for iced tea, but fall flavors are just around the corner. Enjoy Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea!

Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Sara

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups hot water
• 4 organic chai tea bags
• 1 cup carrot juice, about 4-5 carrots
• 1-2 inch piece fresh ginger root
• Ice

Instructions

1. Steep the chai tea bags in the hot water for 10 minutes.
2. Allow the tea to cool.
3. Run the carrots and ginger through your juicer.
4. Strain the juice if your juicer leaves some pulp.
5. Add the carrot and ginger juice to the chai tea and mix.
6. Store in the fridge before ready to drink and serve over ice.
7. Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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The post Carrot Ginger Chai Iced Tea: Yummy Drink Packed with Healthy Benefits appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

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