Are Lectins Bad for You?

One of the most relevant connections between lectins, the leaky gut, and irritable bowel syndrome is the fact that lectins are not properly processed by the body and the human metabolism system cannot digest most lectins properly. Lectins are plants’ natural defense system against insects, pests, and destructive microorganisms. They are so strong that they can pass through the human digestive system intact; they can enter the bloodstream with everything unchanged. Symptoms of excessive lectin consumption are similar to those who have irritable bowel syndrome or a leaky gut. Lectins are found in all plants, but raw legumes (beans, lentils, peas, soybeans, peanuts) and whole grains like wheat contain the highest amounts of lectins. 

Lentils and beans contain resistant starches that your gut bacteria can break down and produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acids to provide fuel for your colon cells. You see, we co-dependant on these good bacteria in our gut. How to reduce lectins in the food so you can still enjoy their amazing health benefits?

Soaking: If you are a legume lover, make sure that you soak beans and legumes overnight, and change the water often. Drain and rinse again before cooking. You can also add some baking soda to the soaking water to help neutralize the lectins further.
 
Fermentation: You can enjoy some fermented products from legumes and beans, such as tofu, tempeh, tamari, natto, and miso. Fermentation allows beneficial bacteria to digest and convert those harmful substances, and render them to harmless ones. However, keep in mind that not all lectins are completely destroyed by these methods; some still remain in these foods.

Cooking your beans and lentils in a high-pressure pot can also help break down lectins in them. You can also add some herbs such as bay leaves in the lentils during the cooking to help reduce lectin content.

By the way, I will be at the Alchemy of Gathering Event next Sat. This event is full of activities such as live music, interesting arts and a variety of healing modalities. Everyone is welcome. Please check my poster below for more details and I am looking forward to meeting you there. 

 

Self-care Tips for Your Neck

Today, I introduce two spots for stiff neck, and neck and shoulder pain. Your neck is holding a head that is about 10-12 lbs all day long, no wonder it gets stiffness without regular self-care. Did you know the head and neck contain a rich and elaborate lymphatic network of more than 300 nodes and their intermediate channels? The lymphatic drainage of the head and neck is very unique and many lymph nodes are located in your head and neck region. This is why taking care of your neck is so important for brain support and lymphatic drainage. Let’s talk about the solutions.

Neck Tendons – An Important Switch for Your Brain and Neck

Massaging two big tendons in the front neck and behind the ear in the side of your neck on both sides with your hands can help relieve:

1. A stiff neck
2. Neck and shoulder pain
3. Cough and cold
4. Headaches and migraines
5. Poor memories

Stiff Neck Spot

Chengshan (BL-57) acupoint location: Directly below the belly of the gastrocnemius muscle and between the two heads of the muscle at the junction of the head of the leg muscle. Massaging this spot on both legs can quickly relieve a stiff neck due to strained neck muscles. While you are stimulating this spot on your legs with your hands, you should also move your neck gently to improve and speed up the result.

For more information on self-care tips for your health, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.

Add This Magical Ingredient to Your Water

Many people are aware of the amazing health benefits of lemon water, for example, it helps detoxify the liver and dissolves gallstones, but the little lemons go way beyond these. Just list a few here.

Heart Health: Lemon helps keep blood vessels soft and reduce rigidity, thus helping reduce high blood pressure. Lemon also has a high potassium content, which can benefit your heart health. According to the research, women who consume a high amount of citrus fruit had a 19% lower risk of ischemic stroke than women who consumed the least amount. Pectin in lemons can protect your heart by lowering cholesterol.
 
Kidney stones: Lemon water is high in natural citrate, which may prevent the calcium in your body from binding with other components that lead to kidney stones.
 
Skin health: The vitamin C from lemon water also provides benefits to the outermost layer of your body - the skin. To have natural sun protection, the skin needs a protein called collagen. However, collagen needs vitamin C to regenerate the skin. Lemon water is a good source of vitamin C. Lemon water also helps the skin rehydrate and stay moist.
 
Why Warm Lemon Water?

Did you know warm drinks stimulate the production of your stomach acids?

• Cold: Every digestive process in the human body requires energy. The by-product of energy production is heat. When drinking an icy cold beverage, overall body temperature is decreasing and therefore the digestive system has to work harder to restore balance and process the beverage itself. When lemon water is served and consumed cold, there is a chance that the body may not be able to fully utilize all the enzymes and nutrients that exist and are available in the lemon water.

• Hot: In general, nobody wants to drink anything served at a boiling hot temperature. It is commonly accepted that boiled vegetables lose a good deal of their nutrients during the cooking process. The same thing applies to lemon because some of its nutrients are destroyed by an overly hot temperature. Fortunately, there is a middle ground: warm water. 

Regardless of how beneficial lemon water is to the human body, there are some important considerations:

1. Lemon water is not for people who have citrus allergy or stomach ulcers.
2. Some women suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort and heartburn during pregnancy, lemon water will aggravate the symptoms. Listen to your body and limit foods that aggravate the symptoms.
3. Some drugs may interact with drugs; it is a good idea to check the instructions of your drugs to avoid harmful reactions from the food-drug interaction.

For more information on natural remedies, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.

Natural Remedies for Estrogen Dominance and Hormone Imbalance

Estrogen dominance among women has been more and more prevalent in the past few decades due to the increased exposure to xenohormones and environmental toxins, and our liver is just not able to keep up with the tasks. Estrogen dominance can lead to PMS symptoms, PCOS, certain cancers, and weight gain.

H. Leon Bradlow, Ph.D., a well-known breast cancer researcher, discovered women with breast and uterine cancer made very little of the good metabolite of estrogen such as 2-hydroxy estrogens, and too much of the bad variety including 16-hydroxy estrogens, which can result in mutations, abnormal growth, and an increased risk of breast cancer. Overproduction of 16-hydroxy estrogen is also linked to obesity and exposure to various environmental estrogens such as plastics, pesticides, and petroleum-based skin and hair products.

What are the solutions for estrogen dominance? Eliminating toxins from your personal products, your home, and your environment is the first step, the second step is to opt for a clean and healthy diet and boost your liver detoxification capacity. Some natural remedies can help reduce estrogen dominance symptoms. Let’s dive into it.

DIM is a phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, mustard, and turnip. When you eat cruciferous vegetables, your stomach acids break down indole-3-carbinol into Di-indolylmethane (DIM), which helps promote healthier estrogen metabolism. DIM is beneficial in creating a healthy balance of estrogen and testosterone. This is because DIM converts the more potent form of estrogen - estradiol into the weaker form -estriol. Estradiol is considered the more “potent” form of estrogen. The key difference between estriol and estradiol is their function. Estriol is dominant during pregnancy and helps support both the mother and fetus, while estradiol is dominant in nonpregnant women and helps regulate the menstrual cycle. Low estradiol levels can cause irregular menstruation cycles, while higher than normal estradiol levels may cause acne, weight gain, low libido, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, and irregular cycles. Your body contains estrogen receptors, when estriol occupies an estrogen receptor, it prevents the signal of estradiol.

To learn more, please check my recent video.

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