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When we view health through the lens that “everything is connected” it becomes clear that everyday habits, like caffeine consumption, can have an impact on how we experience major transitions like menopause.
Let’s ground ourselves on what Menopause is and what the symptoms might be: Menopause is defined as “a point in time when you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period”. Prior to this you can run the gammut of symptoms like: hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, cognitive changes, joint pains, muscle aches, weight gain, changes in hair and skin texture among others. Most of these symptoms are due to the hormonal shifts that are happening in the body throughout the 10 year + perimenopausal timeframe. It is a normal part of aging where you are winding down your reproductive years and heading into your golden years. Your ovaries start decreasing estrogen production, which is picked up by your adrenal glands and fat cells. For most of our lives we eat and drink whatever we want. It’s considered “normal” to drink caffeine every day, but in the context of menopause and hormonal shifts, it’s worth asking: What is caffeine actually doing to our body? Let’s take a closer look. How caffeine different body systems Upon ingestion, caffeine is quickly and almost completely absorbed into the bloodstream, reaching its peak about 1 hour after consumption, 80% then goes through the GI tract and 20% is absorbed by the stomach. Once in the bloodstream, caffeine is then distributed throughout the body, nearly every organ system is affected.
What can you do?
Final Thoughts While caffeine may seem like a harmless daily habit, it’s interactions with our body systems and overall health become more significant as you enter into perimenopause and menopause. By understanding how everything is connected, you can make small, meaningful changes to support your body through this powerful transition. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841-menopause Caffeine Blues ~ Stephen Cherniske
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Two years ago, I completed my menopause transition. Perimenopause can last over 10 years and bring many changes. Fortunately, I did not experience symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, or trouble sleeping. My weight shifted and I gained a little, but overall, the transition was easy.
Recently, I had bloodwork done and was shocked to see my blood sugar levels elevated. With a family history of diabetes on my father’s side, it’s something I’ve always been mindful of, consistently making efforts to keep my blood sugar stable. I learned that estrogen plays a significant role in keeping our cells sensitive to glucose, ensuring it’s used appropriately. As estrogen levels decline, our cells become less sensitive. This hormonal shift can also affect cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Knowing and tracking our numbers is essential. When we have accurate information, we can make informed decisions and take control of our health. However, blood sugar management is not always as straightforward as it seems. The medical system often recommends cutting sugar when they see levels rise as they told me. But what if the root issue isn’t just too much sugar intake? As we age and our hormones change, especially during and after menopause, women are more susceptible to blood sugar issues. The cells become less efficient at processing glucose. The question then becomes: Do we need to cut carbs entirely? I don’t believe so. The key is understanding why blood sugar is rising. If your diet includes a lot of processed sugar, then yes, reducing sugar is essential. But what if you primarily eat whole carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables? The answer isn’t always to remove these foods. Instead, we need to assess the diet. Questions to Consider:
When we consume processed, fried, or artificial fats, they can interfere with how our body processes glucose. Imagine insulin and glucose as a lock-and-key system. Glucose knocks on the door of your cells, and insulin is the key that opens the door to let it in. When your diet is filled with unhealthy fats, the locks may get jammed. Even though glucose is knocking, insulin can’t unlock the door, leading to rising blood sugar levels. Taking a functional approach by understanding your unique body, making mindful dietary choices, and addressing lifestyle factors can make a significant difference. Knowledge is power, and tracking your numbers can empower you to make the best decisions for your health. When I started my health journey all those years ago, I didn’t jump in head first. It took time, I read articles, books, I went to the library, I went to every local health event and cooking demos. Back then, I didn’t have the internet at my fingertips. I incorporated everything that I learned slowly.
Through my research, I became more aware of the ingredients in our foods – some of which can impact health. One such ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. What is high fructose corn syrup? High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made using a very complicated process that breaks down corn starch into glucose and then processed further to create fructose. This enables a solid to become a liquid. The process was developed in the 1970s and its use grew quickly. According to the article The Murky World of High- Fructose Corn Syrup the use of sugar declined in the 1990s because high fructose syrup was used more frequently due to it being cheaper for manufacturers because of government subsidies. If you want the full breakdown of the process click the link in the sources. Every cell in our body metabolizes glucose. When a carbohydrate is ingested your body breaks it down into glucose. Your pancreas secretes insulin to help the body absorb the glucose and decrease blood sugar. Fructose on the other hand is primarily metabolized through the liver and small intestine and turned directly into fat more quickly than glucose. Because High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is cheaper to make, it became the “miracle” sweetener. It was even thought to be ok for diabetics because it didn’t raise blood sugar the same as glucose does. So it was added to many of our highly processed foods. Different names for High Fructose corn syrup
How does it affect our body systems?
How to avoid HFCS:
By making small informed choices every day, we take meaningful steps toward better health ~ one ingredient at a time! Sources: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/modern-foods/the-murky-world-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/#gsc.tab=0 https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/high-fructose-corn-syrup-questions-and-answers https://windsordigestivehealth.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup-understanding-the-dangers/ Suicide by Sugar ~ Nancy Appleton, PhD I have always said consistency it key, which means if you are consistent, you will see results.
I have had my infrared sauna for three years now, my husband bought it for me for my birthday that year. I have been consistently inconsistent with going into my sauna due to lack of time. Always “planning” on going in at the end of the day, but never finding the time. Ten minutes is a small amount of time to commit. So at the beginning of May, last year, I decided to start going into the sauna for 10 minutes when I first wake up. Ten minutes per day can lead to daily habits that grow and become part of your routine. This is how I start most habits and even teach it to my clients. There are so many benefits to going in the sauna, the below are just a few that I can attest to.
You wouldn’t think much would happen in ten minutes, but as long as you are properly hydrated you can get a river of sweat going in that time! Another habit in recent years is consistent exercise. In my 20s, I was an avid gym goer, after kids I still went, just not as frequently. Same scenario as above, not enough time and after my second I didn’t have the energy, so I was sporadic at going. When they closed down the gyms during covid, I started using a free app on my phone for exercise. For a bit I only did the daily 7 workouts eventually doing higher time workouts. In the beginning, these were body weight exercises like squats, planks, mountain climbers and burpees. It was so difficult, even though I was used to lifting heavier weights, this was a different type of working out. As I became stronger, it became easier. I then found another app with trainers and the use of weights. I switch between the 2 apps daily. I did return to the gym when they reopened but not for long, just long enough to ignite the fire in my younger son. When I was at the gym, I kept thinking about my app workouts. Why? Because I enjoyed doing them more and was able to fit in the smaller time frame workouts. It seemed more efficient to me. There are so many areas in life that you can apply this 10 minute habit to…
What can you fit into you daily life for 10 minutes a day? This is a testimonial from a client:
Before going to Kerri I had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism for five plus years. At this point in my life I felt sick every day. I was tired all the time, I had achy joints, and stomach discomfort. I started going to Kerri and we did some blood tests and found out that I had antibodies to my thyroid, the antibodies were extremely high. She immediately adjusted my diet and told me what to incorporate and what to avoid. I followed her instructions and in 4 months that number had decreased more than half, I lost 18 pounds and my cholesterol went down about 40 points. I feel better now than I have felt in 5 years! I am so thankful to Kerri, she is dedicated to helping others get well. After my sessions with her were complete, if I had questions she would answer them right away. I felt secure knowing that she was a text or an email away. I am encouraged to keep going on this journey to complete health and well being thanks to Kerri. ~ Angela G. I feel that the above testimonial illustrates why doctors and nutritionists should work together more frequently. Doctors have expertise in diagnosing and treating medical conditions and use medications to manage their patient’s diseases. However, nutritionists can support the work that they do by helping their patients with nutrition and lifestyle modifications. Together, we can help our customers achieve better health outcomes! The above client was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the doctor suspected it was Hashimoto’s, but did not do the additional testing to verify since about 80% of hypothyroid cases are autoimmune. Since doctors treat both conditions similarly, it is not essential for them to conduct antibody testing. In the nutrition world we take a different approach. First and foremost, we don’t treat disease, we support the underlying causes. When a client comes in with a thyroid diagnosis and has their bloodwork, we functionally look at these results. If only the TSH was tested, we can do further testing that includes testing for antibodies. This is important because now we have more information, and can support the body systems appropriately. For hypothyroid, the approach is to support the thyroid. We may incorporate foods sources of selenium or iodine for example. But Hashimoto’s is different. There is an immune system response so our focus shifts to supporting and modulating an overactive immune system, and reducing overall inflammation. Doctors go through extensive training to learn to diagnose and treat diseases. I respect their work and I work with a few doctors that refer their patients to me because they understand the crucial role nutrition plays in overall health. Doctors are typically not taught much nutrition in their education and often once their schooling is completed, they lack the time to dive deep into nutrition science due to their demanding schedules. This is where we, nutritionists, can step in and fill a gap. This is our area of expertise and we can completement their work. Angela’s case is a perfect one to highlight. Even though she was being medically treated, she still felt terrible and struggled for five years. By incorporating diet and lifestyle changes, she was able to experience significant improvement and feel better within just four months! Sticking with the digestion theme, let's talk about gastritis.
What is Gastritis? Gastritis is any inflammation in the stomach that does not involve an ulcer, typically involving inflammation of the mucosa. Doctors have previously believed that gastritis is the result of excess stomach acid and used drugs to decrease the gastric juices. In 1983, researchers discovered that H pylori was the leading cause of gastritis. If you have gastritis, it means that the body’s protective functions are not working properly. Symptoms: Gnawing or burning ache, pain in stomach that gets better or worse with food, loss of appetite, bloating, belching, hiccup, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, dark stools, feeling full even if you haven’t eaten much, weight loss. Causes: There are many possible causes of gastritis: Alcohol, H. Pylori, NSAID use, smoking, chronic stress, bile reflux, drinking poisons or other caustic substance, Autoimmune disorder, Corticosteroids, cancer drugs, antibiotics, excess coffee, organ failure, severe stress or trauma. The top three causes of gastritis Working holistically is definitely a mindset shift. It’s a shift away from quick fixes and pills to finding out why something is happening looking at the whole person including areas that may not seem to be relevant right away. We are connecting dots.
I grew up in a household where my mother was a nurse. If there was an illness, there was a pill for that! Mom being in the healthcare field, you would think our diet was good, right? Well, not really. I grew up after the societal shift when housewives stopped cooking everything from scratch and began making microwave and TV dinners. Everything was quick food and I grew up not knowing there was a different way to eat. So for me a move away from the Standard American diet to a more whole foods, plant based diet was a huge shift. What happened for me to make the change? I was living a life where I was in pain all the time. Not many people were aware because I didn’t complain, but the pain was there and only kept getting worse. This was pre-internet…can you believe there was a time before the internet? I started reading books on headaches, the different types and how to try to ease the pain naturally which led me to hydration, diet, exercise. These headaches didn’t happen overnight. It was due to my diet and lifestyle growing up, but my teenage years were probably what solidified my pain. I ate a terrible diet, lots of sugar and lots of takeout. My pain was a symptom…my body was telling me to pay attention. I was paying attention, it just took a little longer to figure out because the information wasn’t at my fingertips, I had to hunt for it. Back in the 90s, holistic, integrative and functional practitioners where not readily found around where I lived. They weren’t in the yellow pages, so I figured a lot of it out on my own. I am grateful to where this journey has taken me. It has led to where I am now, helping people and feeling so much better in my 50s than I did in my 20s! My journey has not been linear, I don’t think any journey is. There are always ups and downs but in my case each veer off has taught me something… I get to pass my knowledge on to you and I love when you put the pieces together. I ask my clients to come into each session with an open mind. Most of what we talk about requires that, there are so many things we do as a society that damages our health but are considered “normal”. I’m hoping to not only inform my clients, but you reading this. There are so many ways we can improve our health, it takes small changes and a big mindset shift! No one talks about the ill effects of caffeine because it is such a part of our life and because no one is talking, you don’t realize that it is a potent drug that has side effects and withdrawal symptoms. Just try going off it for a couple of days and you will feel the withdrawal symptoms like disorientation, irritability, anxiety, depression, increases in blood pressure and stress hormones, headache, etc. It can take three weeks or more after quitting caffeine before stress hormones return to normal.
When scientists do their studies, the “Normal” consumption of caffeine is considered to be 200-300 mg/day this “standard” is measured as 6 fluid oz so the caffeine content on this is 85 mg per cup. Most people drink way more than the standard 6 oz; a cup is more like 12-14 oz. Ill effects of caffeine:
The effects on children are even worse it stays in a child’s system much longer than adults and can cause cumulative stress and addiction. They are also less able to detoxify the drug. According to Caffeine blues, no scientific study has ever shown that coffee is good for you; the discussion only concerns the degree to which it will harm you. The half life of caffeine can range from 3-12 hours which means there is a very real cumulative effect since most people have additional cups before the first one is even metabolized. Caffeine is a biological poison used by plants as a pesticide. The caffeine gives the seeds and leaves a bitter taste which discourages insect consumption. If pests persist eating it, the caffeine can cause central nervous system disruptions and have lethal side effects so pests learn to leave the plant alone. Even with this, the plant can develop insect infestations so enormous amounts of pesticides and herbicides are applied to control the infestations. Coffee is the most heavily sprayed food or beverage. Decaffeinated coffee is not much better! There is still caffeine in the finished product which undergoes an extraction process that usually uses chemicals that typically leave a residue. The bean is different from regular coffee beans so it is higher in acidity and they still use a lot of pesticides and herbicides. What can you do? Start weaning off coffee. Replace a little at a time with an alternative. There are actually a few...Roasted Dandelion root tea, Chicory root coffee alternative and Teechino. Teechino is my personal favorite. This one can be brewed like coffee or steeped like tea and they have many flavors., all of them are naturally caffeine free. I've been off coffee for over 20 years, the first few days are the worst, but so worth it in the end! I want to hear from you! Let me know your successes in weaning off coffee. Every time I talk to someone about sugar, in my head I’m singing the Archie’s song Sugar, Sugar. If you’re reading this and young, you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about. It’s an oldie but goodie for sure! As a kid we had it on a 45.
Sugar is everywhere especially if you are eating processed foods. The food manufacturers add a significant amount of salt, sugar and fat for that mouth feel we crave. It is added to just about everything and definitely difficult to avoid. Processed sugar is devoid of fiber and nutrients and creates a quick rise in blood sugar followed by a crash. It actually steals nutrients that are stored in your bones to process and digest. This doesn’t happen when you eat complex carbohydrates because they contain fiber which slows down the processing in the body and these foods contain nutrients as well. So, your body winds up being satisfied after consumption. When we think of complex carbohydrates, think of vegetables, beans, intact whole grains and fruit. I know there are plenty of fad diets out there that say sugar is sugar but there is a huge difference between sugar and complex carbs. When I work with clients, I teach them how to properly read labels. We are not looking at the nutrition facts, we look at the ingredients because it tells a proper story. The nutrition facts can be skewed. For instance, a nutrition facts label can read 0 sugars but there are 3 or 4 different sugars in the ingredients all by different names. If these are all .5 grams or under, they can be listed as 0. The ingredients are listed by weight, so the first ingredient is the most abundant in the food. If sugar is the first or second ingredient…put that baby back on the shelf!! Another way the nutrition facts can look skewed, is when an item is full of dried fruit. The sugars are going to look high in the item, but it would be acceptable and a better choice because it contains fiber. I teach my clients how to read labels so that they can utilize this when shopping and bring better foods home. Sugar can be named many things beet sugar, cane sugar, syrup, glucose, maltose, barley malt, lactose, fruit juice concentrate, crystalline fructose, dextrose, agave, high fructose corn syrup to name a few. These are the ingredients you want to identify and try to avoid. You also have better options to look for like maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey (raw and local), date sugar, Sucanat, Molasses Sugar can negatively impact body especially if it’s in excess.
These are just a few ways that sugar negatively affects your body. Nothing in your body happens in a vacuum, if it affects one area it affects the whole. So start looking at labels and cleaning up your cabinets! I’ve been talking a lot about stomach acid lately but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about zinc because there is a symbiotic relationship between stomach acid and zinc. If you have a zinc deficiency you may have a HCL deficiency as well and vice versa. We need adequate zinc to produce HCL and…we need adequate HCL in order to absorb zinc from out food. If one is out of balance, it affects the other. A catch 22!
It’s pretty common to have a mild zinc deficiency especially in children due to their rapid growth and as we age, our stomach acid decreases making it more difficult to absorb zinc and other nutrients. Our standard American diet is high in processed foods and very low in zinc rich foods and processed foods rob our zinc stores (as well as other mineral stores) A telltale sign of low zinc are those little white spots on your fingernails. If you have them, then you are low in zinc. This is just one way your body help you identify deficiencies and possible health issues, so if you’re a lady and you polish your nails, you should pay attention to some of the other signs… You may also have loss of taste or night blindness. Zinc is super important in immunity, tissue growth and bone formation so we want to have plenty available for our cells. If you catch every cold that comes around, have a decreased sense of smell or taste, altered vision, wounds that don’t heal quickly these are indications of low zinc status. You can do a zinc taste test using an Aqueous zinc solution, hold it in your mouth for 30 seconds and describe the taste, if there is one. No taste or varied slight taste after a few seconds is low zinc, a strong unpleasant taste you are sufficient in zinc. Zinc can be found in the following foods: Seaweed Whole (intact) grains Legumes Beans Nuts Seeds (especially pumpkin) Mushrooms Nettles Try adding some of the above foods into your diet. |
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April 2025
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