Dr. Samantha’s Top Ten Tips for Healthy Eating on Vacation

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On April 24, 2012

Pin It

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a patient about my upcoming vacation. She said “you’re going to really enjoy yourself, right?” I asked her what she meant and she said she supposed I would just eat whatever I felt like eating because I was on vacation.

I answered yes, I do eat whatever I feel like eating when I’m on vacation, but after years of eating things that don’t make me feel well, I now pretty much always feel like eating food that makes me feel vital, energetic and incredibly satisfied. Even on vacation.

Here’s the deal. On occasion I eat something that isn’t “healthy,” but across the board I stay away from foods that don’t agree with me. Yes, it’s sometimes challenging logistically but I’ve worked out the details over time and I know how to navigate vacations so I can take care of myself. Here are some tips so you can too.

1.     Book an apartment or a suite with a kitchen instead of a hotel room. Often it’s no more expensive but even if it is, you can usually make up for the price difference by by cooking a few meals in instead of going out to eat. I’ve had (mostly) great luck on airbnb, usually paying 30-40% less than I would have on a decent hotel room with more space as well as a place to cook. VRBO is another good option.

2.     If you do end up in a hotel, make sure the in-house restaurant can accommodate your needs. A quick phone call to the kitchen will get that answered for you. Often they are happy to take care of you. If not, there is usually another hotel option nearby.

3.     Also, if you end up staying in a hotel, ask them to put a small fridge in the room before you arrive for restaurant leftovers and a few things you may pick up at the store (cereal, milk, etc.) Many hotels have these available for free. You can always empty out the honor bar in a pinch.

4.     Scout out grocery store locations before you get to where you’re going. Where do you usually shop for healthy foods at home? The perimeter of a regular grocery store? Costco? The health food store? Trader Joes? There’s a good chance you’ll find something similar where you’re going.

5.     Pack some healthy snacks to go. If you have special foods you may not be able to find when you get to your location, bring them along.

6.     Scout out restaurants before you go as well. There’s no harm in looking at reviews before you even head out, regardless of dietary needs. Almost all restaurants have menus on line these days and you can get a pretty good idea of what may or may not work. Just like when you’re at home, choose your meal not just by what sounds good, but by what sounds good AND is good for your body.

7.     Consider your ability to eat healthfully and get exercise as part of your choice of destination. For example, if you know that on a cruise you will eat too much and not get enough exercise, skip the cruise and go to a city that’s good for wandering.

8.     If you’re visiting family, let them know ahead of time that you’ve made some changes to your diet and you’re feeling great. If they can’t accommodate you, or you don’t want to ask, no problem. Take care of your own food, or do the best you can. There is a great deal of harshing going on these days toward people who choose to avoid certain foods because it’s a ‘fad.’ I say stand firm in your knowing that you are choosing to eat in a way that makes you feel well and is in integrity with what you want for your body and for your health. If people don’t understand that, it’s their problem.

9.     You may choose not to be as strict as usual when you’re on vacation but vacation doesn’t mean throwing your progress away.  Spend some time thinking before you go about why you have made the diet changes, and why you might (or might not) want to stick with those changes while you’re on vacation. Getting clear about this before you go can be very helpful.

10.  Do your best and don’t stress. It’s not what you do some of the time, but what you do most of the time that counts. These are just some ideas to support you, but take it easy on yourself. It’s vacation after all.

Do you have any to add?

Enjoy!

-Dr Samantha

 

 

 

It’s Spring: To Detox or Not to Detox?

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On April 14, 2012

Pin It

This may draw the wrath of my colleagues but I’m not the biggest fan of a detox. Mostly because “detox” so often comes with the idea that there is something that needs to be purged from the body.* You overdo it with foods and habits that are harmful to your health, then do some strict plan and go right back to where you left off when it’s over. I’m not all that sure there’s much benefit in that, to be honest.

Detox programs can be extreme, forcing low blood sugar or purging the digestive tract with laxatives. You may feel better when doing this kind of detox, but often this improvement is because you are avoiding unhealthy foods, fast foods, sugar and alcohol.

Now, that said, spring is a great time for new beginnings and I think that instead of a “detox” spring is a great time for a “reboot.”

Almost every year in the spring my husband and I take a month (or so, depending on our goals) to avoid all of the foods that may be hard on our bodies and focus on treating ourselves well, inside and out. This includes increasing our dedication to our self-care regimens and committing time and space to the things we do that serve to improve the health of our bodies, minds, and spirits.

There are some aspects of a spring reboot that are beneficial to everyone: avoiding dairy, gluten, soy, and other foods that may produce an immune response or sensitivity. Also, everyone benefits from avoiding alcohol, coffee, and sugar. But when I suggest a spring reboot to my patients, I focus on a plan that meets their specific health goals and needs. For some patients I focus on an anti-inflammatory program, others gut healing, and others liver support. And some really just need to address the emotional issues that come up when they stop eating sugar every day (this is no small task, I may add.)

Then, when the month is over, foods can be reintroduced one at a time and you have the opportunity to experience how your body really feels in response to each food. (The metaphor I use is that if you hit yourself on the head all day with a hammer, after a while it won’t hurt so much, you’re used to it. But if you stop hitting yourself for a month and then start again, it may hurt even more.) And, perhaps more important than reintroductions, the spring reboot offers the opportunity to choose not to reintroduce things that you know don’t serve you, be it something you’re sensitive to or simply things that no one should be eating such as hydrogenated oils and corn syrup.

This spring, consider taking some time to look at your health goals. Are you eating in a way that works for you? Are you ready to finally stop messing with diets and figure out what foods are right for your body? Do you think that eating more healthfully would help you feel better? Yes? A spring reboot is a great place to start.

You in?

-Dr Samantha

*There are cases where people actually do have a build up of heavy metals or other chemical toxins but this should be diagnosed with testing and treated by a qualified physician.

Cows Don’t Shoot

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On April 9, 2012

Pin It

Please check out my guest post on MizfitOnline, a fabulous blog on fitness and life. I write about taking health headlines with a grain of salt. You know which ones I’m talking about: “Red Meat Kills!” Really folks? I don’t think so.

Seasonal Allergies? Already?

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On April 5, 2012

Pin It

Every year around this time I get an influx of patients who are sick. Runny nose, cough, irritated eyes, full ears. And often enough it’s the same patients year after year. I get out my thermometer, stethoscope, peek in their ears and ask “Are you sure it’s not your allergies acting up?” “Oh, right! But isn’t it too early?” Some hop right on Claritin or Zyrtec and it’s a done deal. For others, this doesn’t work as well as they would like or there are too many bothersome side effects. And in some cases it doesn’t work at all. Most who seek care with me are willing to take a medication if it’s a last resort but would prefer to address things as much as possible on their own. Or at least with a lower dose or a less heavy hitting medication.

If you’re a regular reader you’ll notice that I tend not to write entries that suggest that you ‘do this’ or ‘do that’ to treat any given condition. That’s not about keeping secrets, it’s about doing my part to advocate for what we do best as naturopathic physicians. What makes our approach unique is that each person is treated with a slightly different approach, no matter what the “diagnosis.” In our office, anyway. We believe simply that there isn’t one test, drug, herb, nutritional approach or supplement that should be thrown at all patients.

So given that, there are four basic tenets to how I (we, that’s Dr Butler too) approach allergic patients. Though there are some things that are very patient specific there are also some things that anyone can do to help decrease symptoms.

1. Avoid exposure to your offending allergens. If you don’t know what they are, get tested. You don’t necessarily have to treat them the way the allergist wants you to, that’s your call, but knowing specifically what you’re allergic to may help you figure out how to at least decrease your exposure. Here are some other ways to decrease general allergen exposure.

  • Neti pot or other sinus irrigation. Please use distilled or boiled water or you may end up with a brain eating amoeba (ok that’s unlikely but it did happen once, somewhere, so better safe than sorry.)
  • Use air purifiers in as much of your home as you can. Non –negotiable in the bedroom.
  • Wash your hair before you go to bed, or rinse it at least. When you’ve been walking around all day you get pollen in your hair then roll your face around in it all night.
  • No “day clothes” in bed. Or even get out of outside clothes entirely when you get home if you have severe allergies.
  • If you suspect a dust mite allergy at all (via testing or waking with allergic symptoms.) Get barrier covers for your mattress, sheets AND comforter. If you use blankets, wash them weekly.
  • Don’t dry your clothes outside.
  • If working in the yard really irritates you see if you can pawn this off on another family member or source it out. Wear a mask if you need to.

2. Thin mucus.

  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Consider supplements that have this function. We call these mucolytics. There are a number out there and this is one of those places where it is really best to tailor prescribe.

3. Stabilize mast cells- the cells that release the chemicals that cause allergies into your bloodstream and local tissue.*

  • Vitamin C.
  • Quercetin and bioflavonoids.

4. Balance the immune system. This is the most complicated part of addressing allergies. Allergies are your immune system inappropriately overacting to a stimulus. Folks who suffer with allergies often get sick more often than their non-allergic peers because their bodies are so busy fighting off that crazy dangerous pollen they don’t have the resources to fight off a virus, or bacteria. Not to mention that viruses and bacteria find the dark damp milieu of the allergy sufferer’s respiratory tract the perfect environment for settling in and multiplying.  It’s a fine balance that we address with personalized nutritional recommendations (though for everyone, watch the sugar- it decreases immune function, and watch the dairy, it makes more mucus.)

* I’m working on a short video that explains the nuts and bolts of this process, so if you’re interested, sign up for our weekly newsletter. The plan is to give a weekly health tip, links to our new blog posts, and a running list of current important bits of health news!

Seriously, HOW did you get your kid to eat that?

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On February 12, 2012

Pin It

 

Green Stuff.

Simple. Start from the beginning. Of course there are some kids that no matter what you give them they won’t have a taste for healthy foods, but in my experience that’s the very rare exception. Naturopaths who have an emphasis on nutrition most often have children who eat a wide range of foods including varied vegetables, spices, whole grains, game meats, healthy fats, and even take herbs, fish oil, vitamins and other remedies without batting an eye. What’s so different about how we feed our kids? We give them healthy foods. Period. And call me a zealot but I say kids should get healthy foods and healthy foods only for as long as you can possibly manage it.

Children’s palates are a blank slate. They learn foods as they eat them. Now that said, some children do have an immediate dislike for certain textures or tastes. My friend Michelle posted a video on her blog a few years ago that proves this point swimmingly (please do not try this at home, folks.) But even if your child rejects a food, try it again every few weeks, you’ll be surprised at how your child’s tastes change.

A child who has never had white bread will be satisfied with whole grain. A child who hasn’t had food smothered in cheese won’t ask for mac and cheese for dinner. Oh, and by the way, dairy isn’t a nutrient, calcium is, vitamin D is, but your child will be fine if she doesn’t eat dairy on a regular basis as long as she’s getting enough calcium and vitamin D. But I digress.

 

After J licked the spinach out of the bottom of the bag. Really.

Here are some tips to start your child off right. And trust me, the earlier you start the better off you’ll be.

  • Don’t give any food that is strictly sweet. Make sure there are other flavors: sour, bitter, salt, spicy, and umami. Example: Sweet potatoes? Add pureed chard, kale, and spinach. We actually added this to everything our son ate until he was off of pureed food. Everything. Oatmeal? Green. Eggs? Green. Chicken? Green. All of it. Sometimes that and a bowl of all green. See photo above titled “green stuff.”
  • Avoid the trap of “children need cake.” A mom actually said this to me when my son was under two. It sounds nuts but many (dare I say most?) parents feel it is depriving their children to not give them sugar when they’re little. It’s not.
  • Yes, feed your child what you are eating (once she’s old enough) but that means YOU need to eat healthy food. Of course your child will eat pizza if you’re eating pizza. But a child raised on healthy food will also eat halibut with olive tapenade wrapped in organic prosciutto with a side of sautéed spinach.
  • Every meal should be served with a vegetable. Most meals with more than one. Including breakfast.
  • If you’re feeding packaged foods to your child, even from the health food store, read the label. If the food contains hydrogenated oil or corn syrup, drop it. If it has artificial colorings and flavorings, chemicals or preservatives, think twice. You want your child to be satisfied with the taste of real, whole food.
  • With every plate of food you prepare for your child ask yourself “how could I make this healthier?” And do it. Only a few veggies? Add more. No protein? Add that. If a child starts with meals that are served with several kinds of vegetables, that will become the norm.
  • Serve veggies first, when your child is hungry. We call it the appetizer and although our son will eat veggies with his meal we can get more in him if we start with a big bowl of them while we’re getting dinner ready.
  • Add fresh herbs and spices to the foods you serve your child. From the beginning.
  • Breast feeding mamas- eat plenty of varied foods, including vegetables. If it causes your child digestive issues watch it but otherwise know that if you eat bitter veggies your child will more likely develop a taste for them.
  • If there is a food your child doesn’t like, mix it with something she does like to get her accustomed to it. For the little miss in the video above, Michelle could have tried mixing the avocado with sweet potatoes (and kale!)

    Caldo gallego soup. Extra kale, please.

 

ETA: I just read this post to my husband and he pointed out I should add that another healthy tip is to skip dessert entirely. Just because you’re used to dessert, there is no reason to give it to children. Dinner can be complete, should be complete, without a sweet ending. How many adults wish they hadn’t developed that habit of wanting something sweet to eat at the end of a meal?