Revealing Here the Health Benefits of Pistachio Nuts

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Why pistachios not only taste delicious, but are also jam-packed with nutrition for a lean healthy body, and improved gut-health!

Some people mistakenly think that pistachios are a “fattening” food… but despite having loads of healthy fats, these yummy little snacks can actually HELP you to burn off stomach fat. Let’s see why…

Do you remember eating pistachios when they used to be dyed a deep pinkish/red? They were always so delicious, but after eating a bunch of those bright “red” nuts, your fingers and hands would be stained red.

Pistachios, as we now know, do not grow as magenta-colored nuts but come in a nice natural tan colored shell with a mild-tasting, crunchy, green and yellow interior. Nuts have risen in popularity lately, but did you know that pistachios are probably one of the most nutritious of all nuts?

It’s hard to compare anything to the nutritional benefit of nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans… but pistachios give them a run for the money!

Just a one-ounce serving of pistachios will give you over 30 vitamins, minerals and other super nutrients.

One of the best things about nuts in general, is that they are full of minerals that are VITAL to our body’s proper functioning. And if you have paid much attention to nutrition news lately, you may be aware that minerals are getting harder and harder to obtain from our diet, and many people are mineral-deficient in one way or another.

So What Are These Great Nutrients in Pistachios?

Well for starters, pistachios are full of copper, phosphorus, and manganese (different from magnesium).

Copper is made up of multiple enzymes that help to create many of the necessary biochemical reactions in your body and also forms connective tissue. 

Manganese also helps form connective and skeletal tissue, and is instrumental in growth, reproduction and (this is good!) carbohydrate and fat metabolism. 

Phosphorus is very important for strong bones and teeth and works with calcium to prevent osteoporosis.

Other important minerals are magnesium — necessary for more than 300 different important biochemical reactions in your body, and good for your heart and blood pressure. 

Potassium –an electrolyte that keeps the body in the correct acid/base balance and also helps in forming proteins, metabolizing carbohydrates and building muscle.

And There is More to This Nutritional Powerhouse…

Pistachios are a rich source of B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for good nerve transmission, muscle building, a good mood, lots of energy, and infection-fighting power.

Pistachios are also one of the highest protein nuts (as well as healthy fats), so they make a great satisfying snack that keeps your blood sugar and insulin at a good steady level.

In one study on pistachios and antioxidants, pistachios ranked up in the group with the highest amount of antioxidant activity above over 100 other foods. Antioxidants help to prevent free radical damage, which saves your cells and prevents aging and disease among other things.

We hear a lot about eye health and nutrients for the eyes lately, and guess what– pistachios contain generous amount of lutein and zeaxanthin which prevent macular degeneration and other eye diseases related to aging.

Fiber

Pistachios are full of appetite satisfying fiber — as much as a serving of oatmeal, but without all of the starch that oatmeal contains, which is generally just empty calories unless you’re a super active athlete.

Nuts in general are a great source of fiber, which is valuable for fighting cancer, controlling blood sugar, and aids in a feeling of fullness.

Most people only get about half the recommended amount of fiber they need in their diets, so eating pistachios will help add to your dietary intake.

Pistachios & Gut Health

Recent research has found that pistachios are one of the most powerful foods in the nut family for improving gut health through the unique antioxidants and fibers that feed good bugs in your gut.

A University of Florida study showed that people who ate 3 oz of pistachios for 19 days during the study had improved levels of beneficial gut bacteria, and an increase in beneficial butyrates, which are substances formed from good bacteria that help to heal the gut lining. This study also found that pistachios had more gut health benefits than almonds did.

With the increase in gut disorders and leaky gut lately (which can be a cause of autoimmune issues), this is good news that pistachios can be an important food to help heal your gut.

Healthy Fats

While eating extremely large quantities of pistachios would be a LOT of calories… the good news is that the protein, good fats and fiber in them are nutritious and satisfy so much of the nutrient needs of your body, it’s VERY difficult to overeat them.

Even when only eating small servings of these nuts, they have been proven to provide a high rate of satiety. Besides, having to shell all those pistachios actually ends up making you eat them much more slowly, so the message to your brain that you are full happens on less nuts than if you were eating something already out of its shell.

Unfortunately, whenever we buy a big bad of pistachios at our house, they seem to disappear really fast, and I have a hard time getting any…turns out my wife is a huge fan of pistachios and does her squirrel impersonation as I always catch her with a huge pile of shells at her desk or near the couch. Oh well, good for her!

Enjoy your delicious pistachios and stay lean!

Watch this video – 12 Health Benefits Of Pistachio Nuts You Should Know Today

Written by The Alternative Daily

Author Bio:

The Alternative Daily seeks to inform, encourage and empower readers to make healthy choices that will positively impact individuals, families and our planet.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Revealing Here the 5 Best Supplements for Leaky Gut

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

It’s hard to believe, but a few years ago, very few people were familiar with the term “leaky gut”.

Now, everyone’s talking about it, and I even wrote a whole book on the subject. One of the main reasons that people are talking about it so much is that leaky gut has affected (or will affect) the vast majority of the population – thanks to many modern conveniences that we enjoy daily.

We oversanitize. We use antibacterial cleaners to wash away harmful bacteria that could make us sick, but they also wipe away beneficial bacteria that could boost our immune systems.

We rely on pre-packaged, highly processed foods, which are full of genetically modified foods, chemicals, and other toxins. They feed bad bacteria and kill off the good bacteria, which naturally occurs in our guts.

We pump our bodies full of antibiotics and other drugs at the first sign of a stuffy nose. Meanwhile, our go-go-go society has us checking email 24/7, bouncing from one meeting to the next, and feeling more stressed than ever. And all of these factors contribute to the development of leaky gut.

While the root causes of leaky gut are basically the same in everyone, the results can vary considerably, including psoriasis and irritable bowel syndrome. The good news is that you can start healing your gut, no matter what your symptoms are. In addition to a clean, healing diet, supplements are a great place to start.

Here are the five best supplements for healing leaky gut:

Soil-based Probiotics

Probiotics are absolutely essential when it comes to healing leaky gut. They can help restore the balance of bacteria in the gut by replenishing the good guys and crowding out the bad ones.

(Experts estimate that a healthy ratio is 85% good/neutral bacteria to 15% bad bacteria.) But not all probiotics are created equal.

Our ancestors didn’t have to take probiotic supplements because they spent the majority of their lives outdoors, and they planted and harvested their own foods.

So they regularly came in contact with all the beneficial bacteria that occurs naturally in the soil. You don’t have to eat dirt to fix your leaky gut. Try a soil-based probiotic pill!

Today, we have soil-based probiotics (SBOs) that are designed to mimic these bacteria. Because SBOs are formulated to mimic bacteria that thrive in harsh, natural, outdoor environments, they can also withstand the harsh conditions of the human digestive tract.

In other words, they’ll actually arrive at their intended destination – where they can start taking root and flourishing. That can’t be said about many commercial probiotics, which are actually destroyed in the body before they ever reach the gut.

Digestive Enzymes

Food is the very thing that’s supposed to give you energy and strength, but when you suffer from leaky gut, food can become your worst enemy. In many cases, the digestive system has been compromised, so most foods are not properly broken down.

The increased permeability of the gut then allows these undigested food particles to leak through the gut and into the bloodstream – where they wreak all kinds of havoc and cause allergies, skin rashes, and other issues.

One way to combat leaky gut is through the use of digestive enzymes.  There are many full-spectrum enzymes on the market, which work to break down proteins, starches, fats, and dairy. They ensure that there will be fewer food toxins passing through the gut and causing further damage.

L-Glutamine

L-glutamine is an amino acid supplement that is critical for healing leaky gut. By definition, a leaky gut is damaged. It has increased permeability (i.e., tiny holes) that allow toxins, undigested food proteins, and others foreign particles to pass into the bloodstream.

L-glutamine coats the intestinal lining and starts repairing that damage. It also helps thicken cell walls and prevents future infections.

DGL Licorice Root

Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) is an adaptogenic herb that’s one of my favorite supplements for correcting leaky gut. It helps maintain the mucosal lining of the stomach, while also improving acid function (a key way to properly break down food).

Licorice is also beneficial in the treatment of adrenal fatigue, which can be a side effect of stress-related leaky gut. In addition to taxing the adrenal glands, cortisol (the hormone that’s elevated when we feel stressed out) inhibits the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, while also allowing the bad bugs to proliferate.

Licorice can help keep cortisol levels under control, which will put a stop to the domino effects that trigger leaky gut. Licorice can heal your gut while also fixing adrenal fatigue.

There are multiple formulations of licorice root on the market, but generally speaking, the removal of glycyrrhizin makes it safer for a large portion of the population.

When taken in excess, glycyrrhizin can cause certain side effects, including increased blood pressure, reduced potassium levels, and edemas.

This overdose can be particularly problematic for pregnant women, as well as those with blood pressure and liver and kidney issues.

Collagen

Bone broth has been the health food du jour of late, and for good reason. Among other health benefits, it contains the amino acids proline and glycine, which are instrumental in repairing a damaged intestinal lining.

Bone broth can also help boost gastric juices (and again, restoring healthy digestion is key) – as well as a healthy mucosal lining.

But for those short on time, you don’t have to constantly simmer gallons of bone broth to get those benefits. The key component of bone broth that is behind those miraculous benefits is actually the collagen, which is readily available in powder form.

Watch this video – The Top 10 Supplements to Take for Leaky Gut — Dr. Salamay

Written by Dr Josh Axe

Author Bio:

Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNS, is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist and author with a passion to help people get well using food as medicine. He recently authored Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and Five Surprising Steps to Cure It, and he operates one of the world’s largest natural health websites at www.DrAxe.com.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

What is Carrageenan and How It Disrupts Your Gut Health?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Is Hidden Carrageenan Disrupting Your Gut Health?

You might be eating this gut-disrupting additive every day. Here’s how to identify carrageenan, and why you want to avoid it.

You can find carrageenan in everything from heavily processed boxed pizza to dairy-free kefir – and even coconut water.

The truth is, carrageenan might be disrupting your gut health. Here’s what the research says about this food additive, what happens when you consume it, and how you can avoid it.

What is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan is an additive derived from red seaweed. It’s found in all sorts of packaged foods, including organic nut milks, yogurts, and other “creamy” foods, where it’s used as a thickener, binder, and emulsifier. It contains no calories nor any beneficial nutrients like you may find in pure seaweed.

While many people assume this additive can’t be that harmful because it’s derived from seaweed, studies surrounding its safety are shaky at best.

There are two types of carrageenan: degraded (or poligeenan), and undegraded. The main difference between the two is that poligeenan is not approved as a food additive. Instead, it’s used as a dye for x-rays.

How Carrageenan Changes After You Eat It

Certain acids process poligeenan to create a slightly different compound. However, your stomach also uses potent acid to break down much of your food. This leads researchers to speculate whether your stomach acid could turn regular carrageenan into poligeenan in your stomach.

This could be dangerous, since animal studies show that poligeenan can cause inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases like colitis, as well as tumors.

However, other studies conflict with this claim, stating that carrageenan does not degrade in the digestive tract. Since these studies were only on animals, it’s hard to know the true effect in humans.

Let’s delve into some more modern studies to see why the food-grade might affect your gut health.

Why Should You Avoid It?

Studies conflict on the safety of carrageenan. Certain animal studies show that it can cause ulcers and other gut issues in rodents. However, these are older studies from the 1970s, which raises the question of if they’re even relevant using today’s study methods.

Unfortunately, modern research remains spotty. Some animal studies show food-grade carrageenan impairs glucose tolerance and increases insulin resistance, which are two big concerns when it comes to preventing and managing diseases like diabetes and obesity. Other animal and human studies find that it causes inflammation.

Studies on rats also reveal that food-grade carrageenan could promote tumor growth in liver cells, although scientists aren’t exactly sure how this happens.

Carrageenan and Gut Health

One of the biggest ways carrageenan impacts gut health is through inflammation. Studies show it activates inflammatory cell pathways in your gut that might lead to gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s and irritable bowel syndrome.

In fact, many individuals suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and other inflammatory bowel diseases claim completely removing carrageenan from their diet significantly improved their symptoms. However, these are simply consumer reports.

Other animal studies have suggested carrageenan may increase intestinal permeability, which could lead to leaky gut. This is a condition where food and other particles are able to pass through a damaged gut lining and cause an immune reaction and inflammation.

However, some other animal studies on different species show no reaction to carrageenan, which shows its effects may be species-dependent. In other words, it could negatively affect humans, or it might not. It’s hard to tell because research is so limited.

How to Avoid Carrageenan

Many natural food products contain carrageenan. Here is a list of the most common items:

• Non-dairy ice creams, yogurts, and cheeses
• Nut and rice milks, including almond milk
• Coconut milk (both canned and boxed)
• Deli meats
• Kefir
• Coconut water
• Packaged foods like dips, snacks, and pizzas

Vegan and vegetarian products often contain it as a way to replace gelatin. Be sure to look under “other ingredients” on the label of all packaged foods, where you’ll see it listed.

Also, know that in 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted to remove carrageenan from the list of substances approved for use in food items labeled “USDA Organic”, so you can enjoy organically-labeled foods without worry.

Watch this video  – Carrageenan Warning! This “Healthy” Ingredient Causes Cancer, IBS and Gut Inflammation!

Another (and probably one of the best) ways to avoid this harmful additive is to consider making many of these products yourself. Check out these DIY recipes to see how:

• DIY Almond Milk
• DIY Coconut Yogurt
• Cheesy Gluten & Dairy Free Veggie Quiche: Easy Paleo Cooking
• Almond Dairy Free Cream Cheese | Vegan Keto Paleo

You can also check out this shopping guide that tells you which brands use carrageenan, and in which products. Keep in mind, however, that some companies may use it as a processing aid in the products, so it’s not present in the final ingredient list.

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Why Berberine is Good for Healing Your Leaky Gut?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Berberine, The Missing Ingredient to Your Gut Health

If someone told you there was a safe, natural weight loss supplement that could also support healthy blood sugar and gut health, would you try it?

Berberine is so well-studied that it’s considered as effective as pharmaceutical drugs for certain conditions. It’s been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat various ailments.

So why haven’t more people heard of it? Berberine is widely viewed as an over-the-counter drug, but on its own, it gets overshadowed by trendier supplements that promise faster results (although less proven). Here’s the scoop on this little-known, yet powerful supplement.

What Is Berberine?

Berberine is a component (known as an alkaloid) extracted from the roots, rhizomes, stems, and bark of certain plants like Oregon grape, barberry, goldenseal, and tree turmeric. It was used in ancient China both medicinally and as a fabric dye, due to its bright yellow coloring.

Modern science proves that berberine is an effective health supplement.

How it works: berberine is absorbed in the digestive system and sent to the bloodstream, where it is taken into the cells. From here, it interacts with specific metabolic and molecular processes and can literally change components of cell function.

This is especially beneficial for people with chronic conditions. It can even change the way certain genes express themselves, and is influential on the energy levels of cells.

7 Proven Health Benefits of Berberine

Here are seven of the most effective ways to use berberine to boost your health. As always, speak with your doctor before adding a supplement to your health routine.

1. Fights Bad Gut Bacteria

Berberine is antimicrobial, making it great for the digestive system and microbiome. In particular, berberine can help to destroy the ulcer-forming bacteria H. pylori when taken twice daily for six weeks.  It can also be used to fight other types of bacteria and fungi, such as staph and candida.

Supplementing with berberine can also modulate “bad” gut bacteria, which can have destructive effects on the body like insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity.  It is also helpful in cases of SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and can work as an antibiotic treatment without the gut-disrupting side effects.

2. Balances Blood Sugar

Berberine can lower blood sugar levels, making it a great alternative to pharmaceutical medication when treating type 2 diabetes. It not only treats diabetes itself, but the serious complications of this disease as well, like nerve problems, slow wound healing, and even stroke.

Specifically, berberine helps diabetes by increasing the ability of cells to take in glucose, lowering the amount of circulating glucose, dropping blood sugar levels, and improving insulin sensitivity. The positive effects of berberine for type 2 diabetes can be seen after two to three months when taken twice daily.

3. Increases Heart Health

Berberine works to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while also promoting normal blood pressure and defending against plaque build-up in the arteries, irregular heartbeat and even heart failure. When compared to medications aimed at lowering both systolic and diastolic levels, berberine wins.

4. Promotes Natural Weight Loss

While berberine is far from a “miracle” weight loss drug, research shows that it can help lead to weight reduction in those with obesity.

Berberine helps improve insulin sensitivity and normalizes blood sugar levels, while also helping to regulate the hormones that control appetite and satiety. It also works to speed up metabolism as it revs the engines inside each individual cell.

This helps decrease body fat percentage, along with actual weight. In one study berberine helped people drop from obese to overweight in just three months by reducing belly fat and improving overall health markers. This study relied on 300 milligrams of berberine, three times daily, for three months.

5. Lowers Cholesterol

Berberine can help to lower blood lipids like LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which, when elevated, can lead to heart disease, stroke, and many other inflammatory conditions.

While cholesterol in and of itself isn’t a bad thing – it is used to transport nutrients in the body – when LDL cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is associated with plaque build-up in the arteries and heart disease.

6. Improves Mood

If you’ve been feeling down lately, berberine may be able to help. It functions as an antidepressant in the brain by increasing the neurotransmitters that produce a stable, regulated mood: serotonin and dopamine. 

While berberine alone won’t replace your prescribed antidepressants (in fact, you shouldn’t take them with this kind of medication at all), it might be a great supplement for those with mild, unmedicated depression.

7. Boosts Fertility

PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is one of the leading causes of fertility problems in women. It is associated with insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders, as well as ovulatory problems. Research shows that berberine can help to decrease these effects of PCOS on the reproductive system and can balance blood sugar, lower testosterone, and improve cholesterol balance.

Berberine has also been used successfully during fertility treatment to improve the pregnancy outcomes of women who have PCOS. It works as effectively as metformin, the pharmaceutical treatment for PCOS, without all of the unpleasant side effects that include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.

Is Berberine Safe?

Berberine is not known to have serious side effects, but like all supplements, it can interact with other supplements and medications. You should always talk to your doctor before talking any new supplement.

When taken as recommended, berberine produces little or no side effects, but when taken in higher doses, it can cause nausea and constipation.

The average recommended dose of berberine is 500 milligrams two or three times daily, but practitioners may recommend different doses for different conditions. If you’re just starting berberine, start at a low dose and work your way up to taking it three times daily at the full dose.

Berberine isn’t safe for long-term, endless use. It’s also not safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children, or for people who are taking blood thinners, antidepressants, or any medication aimed at lowering glucose or insulin levels.

Always take berberine with a meal to avoid an upset stomach and to improve its effectiveness.

How to Take Berberine?

Berberine can be found in a few different forms, but the highest quality is known as “berberine HCL”. It can be found in health food stores or online retailers that sell supplements.

To be effective, berberine needs to be taken two or three times daily, spread out, because it has a short half-life and will not remain in the bloodstream if you only take it once a day.

The Bottom Line

Berberine is a well-studied supplement with a host of beneficial possibilities. In the age of focusing on gut health, it’s another way to naturally support the microbiome while also boosting other aspects of health.

Watch this video – DIY Healing Your Leaky Gut

Written by Aimee McNew

Author Bio:

Aimee McNew is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid problems, infertility, and digestive wellness. She ate her way back to health using a Paleo diet, lost 80 pounds, and had a healthy baby after numerous miscarriages. She focuses on simple nutrition practices that promote long-lasting results.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook