Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole

(Delicious, Dairy Free and Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti Squash

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Pound of ground beef

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, chopped

1 Teaspoon oregano

1 Teaspoon paprika

½ Teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon thyme

½ Teaspoon turmeric

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 egg, whisped

1 Teaspoon salt

½ Teaspoon pepper

First cook the spaghetti squash:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds. Place cut side down onto a cookie sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender. Scrape the insides of the squash out. It should look like spaghetti!

Next, make the casserole:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions. Cook until onions are tender. Add garlic and stir. Then add the ground beef and spices. Once the beef is brown, add the tomatoes and spaghetti squash as well as the salt and pepper. Add egg to the mixture, stir well, and then pour it all into a greased casserole dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden on top.

Enjoy!

What in the world is hydrogenated oil or trans fat? And why don't I want it in my body?

What in the world is hydrogenated oil or trans fat? And why don't I want it in my body?

Food companies began using hydrogenated oils as a way to increase shelf life of foods and save costs.

Hydrogenation is the process of adding hydrogen into an unsaturated oil to make them harder at room temperatures. It was created primarily to be used as a cheaper and less perishable substance than the original oil. Let's take a look at the structure of an unsaturated oil versus a saturated (or hydrogenated) oil.

Notice how the unsaturated state is bent while the saturated state is straight. This simple change in shape is the cause behind a lot of cardiovascular problems. We might be inclined to think that the bent shape would become more stuck in arteries than the nice straight shape of the saturated fatty acid, but look at the next picture below. Which pile will blood be able to flow through more easily?

Unsaturated oils and fats stay more separated whereas saturated oils and fats pack tightly together. Obviously, the tightly stacked pile is going to be harder to get through and cause more problems in our arteries and cardiovascular system. There are some naturally occurring saturated fats in nature, mostly found animal products. However, we want to avoid the unnatural ones when possible. Check the nutrition labels for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated products before buying. 

Now let's talk trans fats.

Trans means that it is bent in the opposite direction. Our bodies have a much harder time processing it than the more common cis configuration. Trans fat can be found in nature, but it is extremely minimal, and again, only in some animal products. Never before have our bodies had such an overload of trans fat as they do today. Fast food french fries are made using about 50% trans fats and many sweets, pastries, and processed foods can use anywhere between 20-60% trans fats. The FDA has placed a ban on partially hydrogenated oils, which is the major source of trans fats, which will continue to take place over the next two years. In the meantime, it is important to do your best to decrease the amount of saturated fats and trans fats you put into your body!

6 Rules To Avoid Eating Trans Fats

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

Proven Ways To Get Kids To Eat More Vegetables!

Proven Ways To Get Kids To Eat More Vegetables!

Go from this.......

to this! (Well done stock photos, well done.)

1. Set an example

By far the best predictor of a child’s eating behavior is the eating patterns of their parents. If vegetables and healthy foods are relegated to an afterthought in your household, it’s tough to expect your kids to take to them. Kids eat what they know, and they won’t ask for a special meal if they do not know it is an option.

2. Get them involved

Children are more invested in a meal if they help with its preparation. Taking your kids with you to the farmers market or grocery store and letting them pick one or two things to cook for dinner can make them far more excited to eat it later. Better yet, start a garden and teach them how to plant and harvest their own. Letting them clean carrots, snap beans, mix the dressing and set the table gives them a sense of pride and makes them more enthusiastic and cooperative at meal time.

3. Enforce the “one bite rule”

Research consistently shows that children who have initially rejected a food must be exposed to it at least 8-10 times for the food to be accepted. Many parents have had success with the “one bite rule,” requiring the child to try at least one solid mouthful of a rejected food whenever it is served. After enough exposures the food will be more familiar to the child and usually they begin to rate it more favorably.

4. Don’t force them to finish

One bite is different from finishing your plate. One of the biggest misconceptions among parents is that forcing their child to eat a food she doesn’t like will get her to change her behavior. However, fighting and punishments create a negative meal experience, and the child will learn to associate food with the bad feelings. Negative food experiences have the opposite of the desired effect and actually increase picky eating tendencies. Require one bite, but try not to start a fight.

5. Reward good behavior

On the other side of the coin, creating positive food experiences can decrease picky eating tendencies. Research has shown that rewarding a child for trying one bite of a rejected food makes it easier for them to try the food. They are also more likely to rate the food positively in the future. Rewards can be as simple as saying “thank you for trying that” and “good job” to something more substantial like a sticker on a rewards chart or an extra 10 minutes of playtime/tv/video games.

6. Understand their values

Children don’t see the world as adults do, and as a result they have very different values. They could care less about health—most kids think they’re invincible—so telling them a food is healthy is unlikely to get you very far (and can often backfire). On the other hand, most children feel limited by their size and wish to be bigger and stronger. Explaining that broccoli “helps you grow” is therefore more effective than, “it’s healthy” or “because I said so.” For older children, understanding what sport, athlete, or celebrity their interested in can be extremely helpful. Many athletes and celebrities post how they eat on the internet, and you will find that many eat mostly vegetables and meat and cut out the other junk. When your teen understands that their heroes eat this way to be better at their sport, help them think more clearly and do better in school, they will be more inclined to want to change how they eat.

7. Offer diverse food colors

One thing you have working in your favor is that children like colorful foods. You can expose them to more colors by adding more vegetables to their plates. While adults tend to like flavors mingled together, children often prefer them separate. So you may have better luck making separate vegetable dishes instead of a big, mono-color casserole.

8. Use flavors, like garlic and bacon

There’s nothing wrong with adding additional flavors to vegetables to make them more appealing to children. For a picky child, the most important thing is that he gets comfortable and familiar with the rejected food. If that means serving it along with something you know he’ll enjoy, like bacon, that’s fine. I encourage you to use ingredients that are as close to real food (minimally processed without strange chemicals) as possible, but children can handle a few extra calories, especially if it helps them learn to enjoy spinach.

9. Keep at it

Some children will be more difficult than others, and will require more effort and patience. It’s important to realize, however, that the habits they develop at a young age will remain with them long into adulthood. For your sake and theirs, it is worth solving picky eating problems as soon as possible. Continue to set a good example, create fun, positive experiences around food, let them help in the kitchen, enforce the one bite rule and do anything else you can to keep exposing them, in a pleasant way, to the healthy foods they reject. Your persistence will pay off in the future with their continued good health!

yours in health,

dr. samantha boldt

Communication Takes Care for Baby Boomers and Beyond

Communication Takes Care for Baby Boomers and Beyond

Treatment for Hearing Loss, Speech/Language Issues, and Swallowing Disorders Can Contribute to Vastly Improved Quality of Life

The ability to speak, hear, and understand language and the ability to swallow are central to almost every aspect of daily life. Yet, these skills are often taken for granted until someone loses them. For older Americans, communication disorders are among the most common challenges they may face. Unfortunately, these disorders may go untreated for years—or may never be treated. Often, lack of treatment or treatment delays are due to myths about certain disorders (such as “they are just part of the normal aging process”) or outdated perceptions of treatment.  

Types of Communication Disorders

Hearing

Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health conditions, affecting 50 million Americans. It is highly prevalent among adults, often with serious impact on daily life and functioning. In fact, 8.5% of adults aged 55–64 have disabling hearing loss. Nearly 25% of those aged 65–74 and 50% of those who are age 75 and older have disabling hearing loss. Unfortunately, among adults aged 70 and older who have hearing loss and who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30%) has ever used them. This is in spite of the fact that hearing loss may affect everything from mental health (anxiety, depression, and feelings of social isolation) to vocational success (including premature departure from the workforce). Treatment advances and today’s hearing aids are more effective and less noticeable than ever.

Speech, Language and Swallowing

Many disorders of voice, speech, language, cognition and swallowing may affect older Americans. Some may be the result of another health condition and some may occur on their own. Difficulties may result from medical conditions such as stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s Disease, MS, ALS, open heart surgery, cancer or as a consequence of aging. Treatment for these disorders is critical to daily functioning and improved quality of life.

The Role of Loved Ones

In the case of older adults, loved ones such as a spouse or adult child are often significantly affected by a family member’s communication or swallowing difficulties. These loved ones are also the people who are in the best position to influence the decision to seek treatment. If you have a concern about a loved one’s speech or hearing, encourage them to seek an evaluation from a certified audiologist or speech-language pathologist. If a course of treatment does follow, loved ones play an important role in providing support—from accompanying the person to treatment visits and helping to provide medical information to being compassionate and understanding throughout the process.

Finding Help

Hearing and balance disorders are treated by Audiologists, and speech/language and swallowing disorders are treated by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP). People seeking treatment for themselves or loved ones should look for professionals who are certified. These people will have the letters “CCC” following their names when representing themselves professionally (CCC-A for Audiologists and CCC-SLP for Speech-Language Pathologists). The CCCs indicate that the person has met the highest standards of professional excellence in his or her field.  

For more information, contact  Kris Albertson, CCC-SLP at www.flatironshealthandwellness.com

The Nightmareof Nightshades

The Nightmare of Nightshades

What is a nightshade?

Nightshades are a botanical family of plants that are also known as Solanaceae. This is because they contain a chemical known as solanine, which some people are very sensitive to. The list of edible nightshades is pretty short, but the list of toxic ones is extensive, with the most well known one being Belladonna or "deadly nightshade." The fact that some plants containing solanine are so harmful to the body make many people weary of ingesting any of this substance. People with autoimmune disorders, who may already have leaky gut or heightened inflammation in their body, are especially susceptible to reactions from this class of plants. Nightshades have been associated with fibromyalgia, arthritis, migraines and headaches, irritable bowel syndrome or disease, and skin conditions. 

Which edible plants are in the nightshade family?

The most commonly consumed nightshades are white potatoes, peppers of all kinds, eggplant, and tomatoes, but there are also others as listed below.

• Ashwagandha
• Bell peppers 
• Bush tomato
• Cape gooseberry 
• Cocona
• Eggplant
• Garden huckleberry 
• Goji berries 
• Hot peppers (such as chili peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, chili-based spices, red pepper, cayenne)
• Paprika
• Pepinos
• Pimentos
• Potatoes 
• Tamarillos
• Tobacco
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes

And I shouldn't eat them because of Sola-what?

Solanine. Glycoalkaloids are a natural pesticide produced by plants. Solanine is the one produced by nightshades. It helps protect plants from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and insects by binding to certain structures of a predator's cell membranes and causing them to burst. They can also act as a neurotoxin by disrupting certain enzymes, leading to paralysis, convulsions, respiratory arrest, and death. These symptoms are seen with un-edible nightshades that are very toxic to humans. However, even the edible nightshades can cause some reactions.

Some people say they are good to eat......

In laboratory studies, not human ones, nightshades have shown to possess antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects. This is what nature designed them to do after all, kill things. However, they are not very specific in their destruction. While they might help in ridding the body of these bad guys, they normally end up destroying just as many good cells as well. Red blood cells and mitochondrial cells (our energy producers) are especially susceptible to destruction by glycoalkaloids. 

                                                                                              (A cell wall bursting)

Should I be worried about nightshades?

At low doses, humans normally only experience minor symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, headaches, and some inflammation or swelling. Because these symptoms can come on quickly or take days due to transit time in the intestines, it's hard to associate these symptoms with what you're eating. Many people will have very little reaction to nightshades, and possibly none at all. If you are having any issues though, try taking nightshades out of your diet for two weeks and see if it makes any difference. Just make sure to substitute in good food and not junk to make up for the loss!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

Folic Acid Vs Methylfolate

 Folic Acid VS. Folate

       For years, health professionals have been spouting the wonders of folic acid (the synthetic form of B9). Especially the need for it to be taken by all pregnant women. However, folic acid is a completely man-made supplement found nowhere in nature. It can eventually turn into folate (the natural form of vitamin B9) in the body, but it has to go through an extra step first.

      Folate is the natural, dietary form of vitamin B9 and has a slightly different make-up,  Due to this difference, an extra step by the body is required to convert folic acid into folate as shown by step 1. This step is slow and only so much folic acid can be converted at once. (266 micrgorams to be exact.) 

         The rest of the folic acid is released into the bloodstream as unmetabolized folic acid. So what’s the big deal? Does it matter if you have excess folic acid in your blood. The answer is yes. Unmetabolized folic acid has been shown to promote certain cancers and to decrease the amount of natural killer cells in the body, which are cells that help protect against cancers and viruses. They continue to use it in supplements because it is cheaper and easier to produce that way.

       Instead of taking folic acid supplements, try eating it naturally. Folate rich foods include, lentils, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, and avocados. 

 If you do want to take a supplement, make sure that supplement says folate, methylfolate, L-methylfolate, or 5-MTHF, (All the same name for natural B9....crazy, I know!) and not folic acid. Your body won’t have to do as much work and you won’t have to risk the unhealthy side effects of unmetabolized folic acid!

yours in health,

dr. samantha boldt

Know Your Plastics!  
(It's all about the numbers)

Whether it's for food storage or to drink out of, it's important to know what the container is made from. So many materials these days are made from plastic, and if you look around your home, I'm sure you will have no problem finding it everywhere. However, the problems start when we begin looking at which chemicals they're leaking into our food, beverages, and other household substances which we then ingest or use on our body. Many plastics contain chemicals that are carcinogenic, disrupt our hormones, and are toxic to the nervous system, and they don't always stay where they're supposed to.

When it comes to plastic safety, it's all about the numbers. There should be a number on the bottom of all plastic containers which denotes what materials were used to make it. Some of these have been shown to be safer than others.

Plastic #1: PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

PET is used to make most bottles for water, soft drinks, sports drinks, juices and containers for condiments, dressings, and other food items. The problem with PET is that it has been shown to leak antimony, which is toxic to the human body. However, more common than the antimony problem is the problem with bacterial build-up. Long storage time on the shelf or being stored in warm areas, like garages, leads to excess bacteria in the container which we then consume. This bacteria can wreak havoc on the careful balance of good bacteria we are supposed to have inside our digestive tract.

Plastic #2: HPDE (High Density Polyethylene)

HDPE is often used for milk and juice containers and, sometimes, water bottles. It is also commonly used in bottles for cleaning supplies and hair care. It has been found to leach estrogenic chemicals into whatever substance it is containing. Excess estrogen in the system is rarely a good thing, and disrupts certain functions of the body as well as increasing the risk for certain cancers.

Plastic #3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

PVC is commonly used in deli and meat wrapping, children's toys, tablecloths, and many construction materials. This plastic contains pthalates, which are a group of "gender-bending" chemicals due to their ability to block male hormones. They are known to lower sperm count, cause testicular cancer, and have a feminizing effect on males from estrogen dominance.

Plastic #4: LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
LDPE is commonly used for produce, garbage, and bread bags as well as paper containers and cups. Like HDPE, these have also been found to leak estrogenic chemicals.

Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene is used in multiple food packaging containers, especially take out meals and the plastics used in the containers or plates at grocery stores for pre-made food. It has a high heat tolerance, and is unlikely to leach chemicals into food or beverages. As with all plastics, however, there is a possibility and some tests have shown that at certain temperatures, toxic chemicals do leak out.

Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene is also known as Styrofoam, and is used to make cups, bowls, plates, take-out containers and more. It leaks styrene into the food, a known carcinogenic as well as a neurotoxin. The warmer Styrofoam gets, the more styrene leaks out. Using Styrofoam for warm beverages or foods is one of the worst ways for your body to store and transport hot food.

Plastic #7: Other
Plastic #7 is used when the material does not fit into any of the above categories. While it's hard to say exactly what chemicals have been used, there is a good chance that it contains BPA or BPS. Both of these are endocrine disrupters, meaning they interfere with your body's hormones. These hormones are essential for regulating metabolism, temperature, mood, healing, growth and development, as well as sexual function and reproduction. 



Plastics #2, #4, and #5 are the "safest" for human consumption. My recommendation is to avoid all plastics when possible and replace instead with reusable glass water bottles and containers. However, if you are going to use a plastic, these three are your best bet. Also, try to never heat plastic up or put hot foods into plastic containers. The lower the temperature, the less likely the material will leak any harmful chemicals into the food or drink it's containing.



yours in health,
dr. samantha boldt