Nutrient content of crops has declined

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According to a study published in 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the nutrient content of crops had declined by as much as 40 percent between 1950 and 2004 when the study was conducted. The declines were related to efforts to create crops that grew faster, yielded more and resisted pests.

“Emerging evidence suggests that when you select for yield, crops grow bigger and faster, but they don’t necessarily have the ability to make or uptake nutrients at the same, faster rate,” said lead researcher Dr. Donald Davis.

Another study published in “Nutrition and Health” found that magnesium levels declined by 24 percent in vegetables, by 17 percent in fruit, by 15 percent in meat and by 26 percent in cheeses over the period from 1940 to 1991.

Low magnesium levels contribute to heart disease and cardiac arrest, depression, kidneys stones, muscle cramps and twitching, nervous system problems, low kidney function, and a host of other problems. In all likelihood, your magnesium levels are dangerously low.

This is why, even if we eat ‘healthy’, even if we eat a varied and inclusive diet, we are unlikely to obtain all the nutrition we need, and judicious supplementation is a must.

Bob Livingston

11 Science-Backed Tips For Your Best Sleep Ever

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Here’s a look at some of the most fascinating sleep studies published this year. Use them to achieve more quality shut-eye in 2016 — and better health overall.

1. Mindfulness meditation promotes better sleep.

Compared to adults who underwent a standardized program designed to teach healthier sleep habits, participants who incorporated simple mindfulness techniques into their routine reported fewer symptoms of insomnia, depression, and fatigue.

2. Interrupted sleep is actually worse than short sleep.

Eight hours of shut-eye might not be all that restorative if you’re constantly being interrupted, suggests recent Johns Hopkins Medicine findings. After just two nights of poor sleep, subjects who were woken up several times throughout the night had worse moods compared to those who slept for less time overall but weren’t interrupted.

“When your sleep is disrupted throughout the night, you don’t have the opportunity to progress through the sleep stages to get the amount of slow-wave sleep that is key to the feeling of restoration,” explains lead study author Patrick Finan, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

3. Problems controlling your emotions could lead to insomnia.

Are certain personality types more prone to insomnia than others? Maybe, according to new Swedish findings. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 adults about their emotional regulation (like impulse control or emotional awareness) and sleep habits at the start of the study and again 6 to 18 months later.

They found that survey-takers who had gotten worse at regulating their emotions over time were 11 percent more likely to develop insomnia compared to people whose emotion regulation had stayed the same.

The takeaway? “These findings … suggest that teaching people strategies for regulating their emotions might help prevent new cases of insomnia to occur and decrease the risk of persistent insomnia,” explains lead researcher Markus Jansson-Fröjmark.

4. Nature could be the key to better sleep.

Whether it’s a tree-lined park or a serene beach, the great outdoors can help some people avoid counting sheep. In a large-scale survey of more than 255,000 people, researchers found those who reported the most nights of poor sleep were less likely to have access to natural spaces. The link was particularly strong for men and adults over 65.

People who lived near green spaces tended to be more active, and it’s well-known that exercising regularly can help you sleep better. “If there is a way for persons over 65 to spend time in nature, it would improve the quality of their sleep — and their quality of life — if they did so,” says study author Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, a University of Illinois professor of kinesiology and community health, as well as a faculty member in the University of Illinois’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

5. You probably need fewer sleep meds.

Sometimes, your doctor might decide that taking sleep meds is the right strategy for temporarily treating your insomnia.

But new research shows you might need less medication than you think. A sleep medicine study involving 74 participants found that taking half of the standard amount of Ambien (5 mg instead of 10 mg) is effective as a maintenance dose.

“The full dose may or may not be required to get the initial effect, but certainly maintaining the effect can be done with less medication,” said the study’s senior author Michael Perlis, Ph.D., an associate professor in Penn’s department of psychiatry and director of the Penn Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program. Still, always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your medication regimen.

6. Kids sleep better with a nighttime routine.

If bedtime has turned into a battle with your little one, you might want to think about instituting a nightly routine, according to recent research from the American Academy of Sleep medicine.

In a study of more than 10,000 children under age 6, experts found that having a regular bedtime helped kids fall asleep faster, wake up less throughout the night, and sleep longer. And those who also had a consistent bedtime routine — like a bath or a story before bed — slept an hour longer each night and had fewer behavior problems during the day.

7. Napping can help you think more clearly.

A full night’s sleep isn’t the only thing that can boost your brainpower. According to a recent University of Michigan study, taking a 60-minute nap can make it easier to solve difficult, frustrating problems and make you less impulsive.

The findings, researchers say, could be especially important for people who need to recharge while working long shifts, like health care workers. Fortunately, we know that shorter naps can help those with standard 9-to-5 jobs work smarter, too.

8. Eating less at night can help you deal with sleep deprivation.

Whether your obstacle to sleep is a new baby, a tight project deadline, or a pet that wants to play all night, there will be nights when eight hours of quality sleep just isn’t achievable. In those cases, limiting the nighttime snacks can help minimize the unpleasant consequences.

Recent University of Pennsylvania research found that eating lighter at night helps stave off the lack of alertness and difficulty concentrating that tends to accompany a night of fragmented sleep.

Researchers still aren’t sure how eating less minimizes the effects of fragmented sleep. But if you know you won’t be getting much sleep, consider eating lighter fare like soup or salad for dinner.

9. Experiencing insomnia? You should address it ASAP.

Taking steps to address insomnia as soon as it starts is more effective than waiting until it turns into a chronic problem, says a recent study published in the journal Sleep. The fix is actually easier than you would expect.

When adults who had been suffering from insomnia for less than three months underwent an hour of cognitive behavioral therapy, 60 percent reported improvements within one month, and 73 percent reported improvements within three months.

10. Sleeping too much is really unhealthy.

You know that logging eight hours of snooze time is essential for your health and well-being. But sleeping for longer than that appears to increase the risk for stroke by as much as 46 percent, found a University of Cambridge study of more than 10,000 people.

“We need to understand the reasons behind the link between sleep and stroke risk. What is happening in the body that causes this link? With further research, we may find that excessive sleep proves to be an early indicator of increased stroke risk, particularly among older people,” says lead study author Kay-Tee Shaw.

If you’re consistently sleeping for more than eight hours a night, it might be worth setting an alarm to prevent oversleeping.

11. Melatonin helps you sleep better in a noisy environment.

Whether you live in a bustling city or have roommates who love staying up late, taking melatonin can help.

When Chinese researchers studied the sleep quality of 40 healthy adults who were forced to snooze while listening to recordings of loud noises, those who took melatonin supplements slept better compared to those who used earplugs or eye masks. They felt less anxious in the morning, too.

Be Healthy.

4 Essential Supplements Everyone Should Take

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4 Essential Supplements Everyone Should Take

One of the most common questions I’m asked is “should I be taking daily supplements and if so, which ones?” If you have heard me speak you know I always say, “ it’s not what you eat, it’s what you can digest and absorb.” In an ideal world, your diet would be pristine and your gut would be in perfect shape to digest and absorb all of the micro and macro nutrients you need to stay healthy. Unfortunately, the modern world looks very little like that anymore.

Our Western diet is filled with nutrient-poor and calorie-dense processed foods, GMOs, and pesticides. Even our soil has become devoid of nutrients, which means that the food that’s grown in it has declined in nutritional value. We are constantly exposed to toxins in our food, water, air, and even personal care and cleaning products. Our stress levels have skyrocketed and many people are dealing with gut issues, such as Candida and SIBO, which interfere with proper nutrient absorption.

This combination of a decrease in nutrients in our food and an increase in stress, toxins, and gut issues like leaky gut is why we can no longer get all of the vitamins and minerals we need from food alone, and I believe everyone should use a few key supplements to maintain optimal levels of nutrients.

Because we are all unique individuals and biochemically different, the answer to which supplements should you take is not so black and white. In today’s world, I do believe that everyone should be taking supplements of some sort, but the best supplement regimen for you may be different than what’s best for your mother or sister or brother. That being said, there are some essential supplements that I recommend for everyone to take.

 

1. High-Quality Multivitamin

Since there is no way to know exactly which nutrients you’re deficient in without proper testing, I recommend a high-quality multivitamin to all my patients and their families.

The multivitamin I recommend should be high-potency and designed for optimal absorption and bio-availability, because like I said before, it’s what you can digest and absorb that counts. It should provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals, as well HCL to help with digestion and powerful carotenoids.

 

2. Omega 3

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are widely publicized. They reduce inflammation and may help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. And, because they are highly-concentrated in the brain, omega-3 fatty acids are also important for memory, cognition, and behavior.

In addition to maintaining sufficient levels of Omega 3, it’s also important to ensure you have a proper omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in your body. You need both of these fatty acids to stay healthy, but problems arise when your intake of omega-6 fatty acids (which are often inflammatory) outweighs your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids (which are anti-inflammatory).

Research suggests that humans evolved on a diet consisting of an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1:1. The modern diet, which is full of processed foods, refined oils, and not enough fruits and vegetables, supplies an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 15:1 to 17:1. This ratio is highly inflammatory and a recipe for disease. This is where Omega 3 supplements come in.

You want to be particularly careful about the source of your omega 3 supplements because they are extracted from fish, so many of them contain mercury. The ones you use should be tested and certified mercury-free by a third-party. It should contain EPA and DHA – two omega-3 fatty acids that help balance your fatty acid ratio, reduce inflammation, and improve brain function. Those with rheumatoid arthritis or any other chronic pain condition can take up to 4 grams (8 softgels) a day to reduce inflammation and pain.

 

3. Probiotics

The future of medicine is turning toward your microbiome, the ecosystem of bacteria and other microbes that live in your gut, to prevent and reverse many diseases. We now know that nearly 80% of your immune system is located in your gut, and up to 95% of your serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood) is produced in your gut.

This means that if the balance of bacteria in your gut is thrown off, it can lead to a whole host of problems, including autoimmunity, depression, anxiety, and leaky gut, to name a few. Taking a probiotic every day can help keep your microbiome in balance, which promotes a healthy GI tract, relieves digestive discomfort, promotes a normal bowel pattern, and supports overall wellness.

Not all probiotics are created equal, though. Many probiotics contain a mixed bag of bacteria strains, are often grown using dairy, soy, or yeast, and usually need to be refrigerated, making them difficult to travel with. It’s best to take a broad-spectrum probiotic that includes bacteria strains that are naturally found in your gut, and have been researched and proven to boost gut health and immune response.

I recommend 100 billion units daily for healing gut damage, infections, and imbalances, and 30-60 billion units daily for maintenance.

 

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is unique in a couple of important ways. First, your body can make its own vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Second, vitamin D is converted into a hormone in your body. Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers, they travel through your blood to your tissues and organs activating chemical reactions that control everything from metabolism to growth and development to mood. Over 50,000 of the chemical reactions in your body require the presence of adequate amounts of vitamin D in your blood. The vitamin contributes to bone strength, heart health, and cancer prevention. Vitamin D also plays an important role in your immune system, and can be a determining factor in whether or not you develop an autoimmune disease.

Conventional medicine defines vitamin D3 levels of 30 to 100 ng/mL as normal, but I always recommend keeping your vitamin D3 levels around 60 to 90 ng/mL for optimal health. If your vitamin D3 levels are low, you can take 5,000 to 10,000 IU per day until you reach your ideal level.

Never take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day without a physician’s supervision and regular blood testing.

It is wise to accept that supplementation, with the best quality ingredients, is essential to Stay Healthy.

 

The Million-Dollar Question: “How Much Sleep Do I Need?”

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Based on the 2013 International Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 25 percent of Americans report having to cut down on sleep due to long workdays. On average, Americans get only 6.5 hours of sleep on weeknights, although 7.25 hours is needed in order to function optimally. Canadians fare slightly better in this regard. On average, Canadians get just over seven hours of sleep per night.

Sleep is imperative for physical and mental health. Remember, cutting back on even just a few hours of sleep every night can have serious, far-reaching effects on your health.

As a general rule, children, especially infants, need significantly more sleep than adults. Sleep experts recommend the following for different age groups:

How Much Do Newborns Sleep
    • Toddlers (1 to 3 years old ) – 12 to 14 hours a night
    • Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) – 11 to 13 hours a night
    • School-aged children (up to 12 years old) – 10 to 11 hours a night
    • Teenagers – About 9 hours a night

Use your child’s mood as an indicator to determine if he or she is getting enough sleep. Excessive fussiness, irritability, crying, or tantrums are often linked to lack of sleep. Frequent yawning throughout the day is another dead giveaway that your child may need more snooze time.

How Much Do Newborns Sleep?

Babies do not have regular sleep cycles until they’re about 6 months old. While newborns sleep about 16 to 17 hours per day, they may only sleep for 1 or 2 hours at a time. As babies get older, they need less sleep. However, different babies have different sleep needs. It is normal for a 6-month-old to wake up during the night, and to go back to sleep after a few minutes.

To ensure your baby will always get a good night’s sleep, I advise you to follow these safe sleeping habits:

  • Let your baby sleep on his/her back at night or even during nap time to avoid chances of accidentally rolling onto his/her stomach.
  • Remove toys or pacifiers with strings or cords from your baby’s crib or sleeping area to prevent risks of choking or strangulation.
  • Make sure the room’s temperature is not too hot or too cold for your baby (preferably somewhere around 70 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Keep your baby’s sleeping area smoke-free at all times.
  • Shelter your baby from exposure to toxins by using only organic beddings and mattresses free from harmful chemicals and chemical flame retardants. These dangerous compounds can also be found in nursing pillows, car seats, changing table pads, high chairs, strollers, portable cribs, sleeping wedges, walkers, and other baby care products.

How Much Sleep Is Too Much?

Too much of something can be bad for you. While there are a lot of Americans who lack sleep, there are also some who may be sleeping more than they should – a habit that can also have negative effects on your health.

Sleep Deprivation

In one study, researchers revealed that people in their 60s and 70s who sleep nine hours or more each night have a more rapid decline in their cognitive function than those who sleep between six and eight hours. Surprisingly, the long sleepers (9 hours or more) comprised a large portion (40 percent) of the 2,700 study participants. Another 49 percent were considered normal sleepers (6 to 8 hours), while 11 percent slept just five hours or less.

To find out if you’re getting enough sleep, observe how long it takes you to fall asleep. If you fall asleep within a few minutes of your head hitting the pillow, chances are you’re most likely sleep deprived. A well-rested person, on the other hand, will take about 10-15 minutes to fall asleep at night.

5 Simple Secrets to a Sound and Restful Sleep

If you’ve been tossing and turning in bed and have been experiencing some difficulty sleeping at night, I recommend giving these simple lifestyle changes a try:

  • Stop watching television or using any of your electronic gadgets at least an hour before going to bed. The blue light from these devices tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime and messes up your circadian rhythm.
  • Do not eat a heavy meal or spicy foods close to bedtime.
  • Take note of key factors that disrupt your body’s healthy melatonin production. These include electromagnetic field (EMF) sources and too much light in your bedroom. Switch off Wi-Fi devices and remove all electronics from your room. You can also wear an eye mask or turn off all the lights so you can sleep in total darkness.
  • Keep the temperature in your bedroom at 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). According to studies, the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 to 68 degrees F (15.5 to 20 degrees C). However, keeping your room cooler or hotter than that range can lead to restless sleep.
  • Make sure your pillows and mattresses are made from wholesome organic materials that do not contain harsh substances like chemical flame retardants. Studies have shown that flame retardants have numerous side effects, especially in children. In fact, approximately 90 percent of Americans have some level of flame retardant chemicals in their bodies.

Sleep well and Be Healthy.

4 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Bone Broth Every Day

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Dr. Kellyann Petrucci
bone-broth

Bone broth reportedly helps with weight loss, reducing wrinkles, and digestive function.
If you’re battling weight creep, fatigue, wrinkles, and other signs of aging, I know it’s tempting to reach for an artificial “fix”—a diet pill, an energy drink, or a shot of Botox. But I have a better prescription for you. It’s one of the world’s most powerful healing and anti-aging foods: bone broth.

Bone broth is trendy right now, with everyone from NBA stars to celebrities like Shailene Woodley and Gwyneth Paltrow raving about it. But that’s not why I tell my patients to drink this slow-simmered broth made from the bones of meat, chicken, turkey, or fish.

In fact, I was a fan of bone broth years before it became the “in thing.” More than a decade ago, I discovered the healing and fat-melting properties of this liquid gold and made it the core of my anti-aging and weight loss transformations. In addition, I drink it myself every day. Here’s why.

Bone broth heals your gut

Bone broth is packed with collagen, which turns into gelatin when you cook it — gelatin is one of the most potent gut healers on the planet. Gelatin is loaded with glycine, a powerful anti-inflammatory amino acid, and it’s rich in other healing nutrients including magnesium, proline, and arginine.

Gelatin’s gut-healing properties are important because in order to stay slim and healthy, you need to have a rock-solid gut. In fact, as a clinician who specializes in transforming sick and overweight patients into healthy, slender people, I can tell you that nothing is more important to your health than a strong gut. Here’s the story.

Your gut is home to the trillions of microbes that scientists call your microbiome. Think of this microbiome as an ecosystem — one that’s either in balance or out of balance. If it’s in balance, you have a wide diversity of good microbes and very few bad ones. If it’s out of balance, two very dangerous things can happen:

The bad microbes can multiply rapidly, churning out toxic chemicals.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can occur. In SIBO, microbes overpopulate your gut, overwhelming it.

There are many reasons why your gut can get out of balance. Here are some of the primary ones:

Antibiotic use, which kills trillions of good microbes.

A diet of the wrong foods, which starves them.

Stress, which poisons their environment.

Antacids, NSAIDS, and other gut-altering medications, which change the “chemistry” of their ecosystem in harmful ways.

When bad microbes gain too much control in your gut, or when good microbes multiply too rapidly, they produce chemicals that cause inflammation. This inflammation damages the wall of your intestine, causing intestinal permeability, or a “leaky gut.” This allows bacteria, toxins, and waste to escape into your bloodstream where your immune system identifies them as alien to your body, triggering a flood of inflammatory chemicals.

When your immune system keeps encountering these escaped gut toxins day after day, it eventually gets stuck in the “on” position. Your warrior cells keep releasing toxic chemicals, even though there’s no war to fight. This causes chronic inflammation — and we now know that this chronic inflammation underlies every disease of aging, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and cancer.

Gelatin helps transform a leaky gut into a strong barrier, healing chronic inflammation and making your entire body healthier. As a result, you’ll lose extra pounds more easily, feel more energetic, and even discover that skin problems like eczema start to clear up.

Bone broth erases your wrinkles

High-end wrinkle creams are packed with collagen, which firms and strengthens the cells in your skin. However, it’s far more effective to build collagen from the inside . When you drink bone broth, it’s like mainlining the components of collagen to your skin.

Bone broth also contains hyaluronic acid, which hydrates your skin, erasing fine wrinkles. (Babies’ skin is loaded with hyaluronic acid, which is why it’s so soft.) Again, you can pay big money for skin creams containing this wrinkle blaster — or you can feed it straight to your cells, the natural way.

Bone broth helps you lose weight fast

Unlike the watery broth you get in a can, bone broth is rich, hearty, and satisfying. When you drink a cup, you’ll feel like you’ve eaten a full meal, even though you’re only taking in around 50 to 60 calories. As a result, you won’t experience cravings, even if you cut down drastically on your food intake.

When my patients need to lose weight rapidly, I tell them to do two semi-fasts a week, eating nothing but bone broth on those days. Many of them initially aren’t sure they can do it. However, they quickly discover that the weight melts right off them, and they’re amazed at how effectively bone broth stops their cravings for sugar and junk food.

Bone broth protects your joints

Your joints contain cartilage, a slippery Teflon-like coating that allows the joints to slide over each other without grinding. Similarly, animal bones contain cartilage. In addition to being rich in collagen, cartilage is packed with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate — the same nutrients many doctors prescribe as supplements to keep joints young and healthy.

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial in 2015 found that oral chondroitin and glucosamine were as effective as the arthritis drug Celebrex in reducing pain, swelling, and functional limitations caused by knee osteoarthritis. And because they’re natural nutrients, glucosamine and chondroitin have a perfect safety profile — unlike Celebrex, which is a potentially dangerous drug.

You can make bone broth in your own kitchen

Here’s one of the best things about bone broth: You don’t need a prescription for it! All you need is a big pot or a slow cooker, several pounds of bones, some spices and vegetables, and a few hours to let your broth simmer.

Think about it: What other medicine can help you lose weight, make you look younger, give you more energy, heal your joints, and erase your wrinkles without a prescription, a trip to the drug store, or any side effects other than a warm, happy, satisfied feeling? That’s why bone broth is the core of my weight-loss and anti-aging transformations… and why it should be the core of your own health regimen as well.

It’s always simple to Stay Healthy.