In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa is discussing keto diet and metabolic flexibility with best-selling author and Naturopathic Doctor Bonnie Nedrow. As you age and have hormone fluctuations, it can be challenging to dial in the right amount of carbs while still supporting ideal fat-burning and metabolism. Listen in to learn how you can achieve stable energy without eating frequently, reduce your dependence on carbs and train your body to burn fat in perimenopause and menopause.
Dr. Bonnie Nedrow lives in the redwoods of northern California, her home base for naturopathic tele-medicine, her membership platform and on-line courses. She is passionate about the effects of environmental chemicals on health, the core subject of lectures she has presented nationally and internationally to the public and her peers. Dr. Nedrow is President of the National Association of Environmental Medicine and the co-author of three books, Metabolic Flexibility: How to Heal Your Metabolism with a Ketogenic Diet, The Cleanse Companion Cookbook and The Seasonal Cleanse Workbook. For more about her work, visit DrBonnieNedrow.com.
In this episode, we cover:
How metabolic flexibility helps you to easily shift from using carbohydrates for fuel to burning fat for fuel
The importance of intelligently experimenting with your macronutrient balance, caloric intake and eating patterns for your metabolism and enjoyment of life
How to listen to your body so you can gravitate towards the best healing foods for you
The importance of getting a physical exam and blood work to prepare your body for a ketogenic diet
How other factors like your levels of exercise, alcohol intake, sleep, gut microbiome and your sleep have an impact on fat metabolism
The importance of testing levels of ketones through blood to get an accurate picture of what your keto diet looks like – without tracking, you don’t know
How getting off the blood sugar roller coaster with a higher fat diet takes the stress off your adrenal glands so your hormones can be supported during the menopausal transition
The benefits of being fat adapted in perimenopause and menopause, including fat metabolism, weight loss, higher energy, improved sleep and mood
When to think about intermittent fasting during your menstrual cycle
How staying on a keto diet too long is harmful for your metabolism
The pros and cons of using exogenous ketones or keto snacks when you are using a keto diet to get fat adapted
What to eat for breakfast to support your fat metabolism
How being keto adapted is important if you are intermittent fasting so you don’t lose your muscle mass
The importance of liver detoxification for fat metabolism
You can purchase Dr. Bonnie’s Metabolic Flexibility book here
Dr. Bonnie is a big fan of nurturing bidirectional respect with her kids
Dr. Lisa loves her Month of Love activity of cutting out hearts to write something she loves about another family member and posting it on their door.
Thank you for joining us today!
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode. You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni discuss natural ways to manage symptoms in perimenopause and menopause. In this part 1 of 2 episodes, they share what the research is showing about how to manage weight and metabolism, as well as some surprising research about beer and perimenopausal symptoms.
The goal of treatment in perimenopause:
Reduce and manage symptoms
Enhance your quality of life
Prevent disease associated with declining hormones
Osteoporosis
Heart disease
Not to get your menstrual cycle back to being regular
What can you do about body fat and weight gain in perimenopause?
Research shows that 8 years before menopause, you can experience a steady increase in weight and body fat with decreased muscle mass
Ways to support your metabolism includes:
Eating more protein
Aim for 1.2g – 1.5g protein per kg of body weight for muscle maintenance
Animal protein is linked with longer lifespan in both men and women
What can you do about hot flashes and other symptoms in perimenopause?
Research has shown that different phytoestrogens can impact hormone balance and reduce different symptoms in perimenopause:
Beer is the main food source of isoxanthohumol, a precursor of the strongest known phytoestrogen
Moderate intake of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer significantly reduced the severity of menopause-related symptoms in postmenopausal women
Moderate intake of non-alcoholic beer improved the lipid profile and decreased blood pressure in postmenopausal women
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Lisa loves reading daily and was inspired by Gretchen Rubin to read 13 books so far in 2021.
Dr. Toni is a big fan of reality TV shows like Survivor and Selling Sunset.
Thank you for joining us today!
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page where you can find out how you can join us for our monthly patron webinar where we do a deeper dive discussion about all things perimenopause,
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa talks with business coach Lianne Kim about how she supports women who play with the idea of changing careers or starting their own business but don’t know where to start. If you are starting to question if you have made the best career choice to live your purpose and feel fulfilled, you need to listen to this episode.
Lianne Kim is a Business Coach and the founder of Mamas & Co. – a community for mama entrepreneurs. She is the host of the wildly popular podcast ‘The Business of Thinking Big’ and the author of the brand news book ‘Building a Joyful Business’. Lianne is on a mission to help women make a great living on their own terms, doing what they love.
In this episode, we cover:
How you can start to get out of the daily autopilot mode
Follow your bliss 🙂
The importance of being willing to fail
Follow the process: do, fail, grow, repeat!
How to quit your 9 to 5 job: episode 105 of Lianne’s Business of Thinking Big podcast at
The importance of remembering your why behind your business
The concept of asking what brings you joy when you look at your schedule – do a time audit Marie Kondo style!
Why your mindset can be a struggle to manage and how to support your belief in yourself
How you can nurture an entrepreneurial spirit in your kids
You can connect with Lianne on Instagram @liannekimcoach at https://www.instagram.com/liannekimcoach/ and learn more about Mamas & Co Mamapreneur Week HERE and on Instagram @mamasandco at https://www.instagram.com/mamasandco/
Dr. Lisa is a big fan of her light box with 10,000 lux to start the day.
Lianne loves doing her own hair with Nice N’ Easy hair color while doing her mindset work and finances.
Thank you for joining us today!
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page where you can find out how you can join us for our monthly patron webinar where we do a deeper dive discussion about all things perimenopause,
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are back together again, discussing: how to test for vitamin D; what an optimal level is; how to enhance absorption, and all the health benefits it has on the body and mind. Vitamin D isn’t just needed for bone health; could low vitamin D be the cause of your aches, pains and low mood?
Vitamin D deficiency is still underdiagnosed, under prevented and under treated in between 60-90% of the worldwide population. In Canada 59% of population are vitamin D deficient (below 75 nmol/L).
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is best absorbed as a supplement when taken with food.
What increases your risk of experiencing vitamin D deficiency?
Dark skin
Obesity
Older age
Malabsorption
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (due to malabsorption and inflammation)
Sunlight overprotection and/or deprivation
Chronic use of prednisone and other anti-inflammatory steroid derivatives, anticonvulsant medications (due to upregulation of liver detoxification, promoting excretion of vitamin D and metabolites)
Why should you care about vitamin D?
Vitamin D plays many roles in the body! It’s not just for bone density, which can decrease as estrogen decreases in perimenopause and menopause.
Vitamin D is known as a pro-hormonesynthesized in the skin and activated in the liver and kidneys. Cholesterol is its precursor.
Why do you need vitamin D in your body?
Reduces cellular growth
Improves cell differentiation
Regulates and controls genes
Reduces inflammation, risk of cancer, autoimmunity
Reduces muscle aches/pain, fibromyalgia
Improves mood (and energy)
Enhances bone health
“The most common manifestations of vitamin D deficiency in adults is:
Depression
Infection
Chronic Pain”
Alex Vasquez (vitamin D monograph available at academia.edu)
Low vitamin D status or deficiency can manifest as:
Bone and muscle pain
Fatigue
Depression
Infections/dysbiosis
Frequent falls and cognitive impairment
Statin intolerance and myalgia
Preterm birth
How does vitamin D support your vagina?
Research shows that vitamin D supports the proliferation of vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. After using a suppository with 1000IU vitamin D over 8 weeks, vaginal pH decreased, while vaginal dryness and pain significantly reduced.
You can think about your skin and mucous membranes (including epithelial cells and immune cells) are like bricks in a wall, with tight junction proteins acting like mortar and weather proofing or waterproofing provided by antimicrobial peptides, as well as lysozyme and secretory IgA, on surfaces.
Mucous membranes are present in your mouth, digestive tract, genitourinary tract and respiratory tract. Strengthening your exterior barrier defenses prevents infection.
Research shows that people with low vitamin D levels are 27-55% more likely to get an upper respiratory tract infection. Higher doses of vitamin D are more protective, improves lung function and decreases inflammation.
Synergistic nutrients for vitamin D include:
Magnesium – cofactor in the synthesis of vitamin D from both exposure to sunlight and dietary sources
Vitamin K2 supports getting calcium into bones and teeth
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) produced in skin and consumed in diet, preferred form for supplementation.
Food sources provide low amounts: fatty wild fish like mackerel, herring, sardines, trout, salmon, cod liver oil, egg yolk, milk, soy milk, fortified foods, beef liver, cheese
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) produced by irradiating fungi and mushrooms, less efficient precursor to biologically active 1, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol), also potentially less effective and more toxic.
Some examples of research using cod liver oil as a source of vitamin D:
study with 10 patients with multiple sclerosis over 2 years, daily supplementation of 1000mg calcium, 600mg magnesium and 5000IU vitamin D (from 20g cod liver oil) reduced number of exacerbations with an absence of adverse effects
studies with cod liver oil showed significant reductions of type 1 diabetes, while a study of more than 10,000 infants (less than 1 year of age) and children with 2000IU of vitamin D daily reduced incidence of type 1 diabetes by almost 80%
How do you know if you’re getting enough vitamin D?
Get your blood tested!
Reference ranges for serum 25 (OH) vitamin D3 in adults can vary:
Example:
Deficiency: <20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L)
Insufficiency: 20-40 ng/ml (50-100 nmol/L)
Proposed optimal: 40-65 ng/ml (100-160 nmol/L)
Excess: >80 ng/ml (200 nmol/L)
Proposed updated ranges:
Depletion: <20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L)
Insufficiency: <32 ng/ml (80 nmol/L)
Marginal sufficiency: 30-40 ng/ml (75-100 nmol/L)
Sufficiency: 40-50 ng/ml (100-125 nmol/L)
Proposed optimal physiologic range: 50-90 ng/ml (125-225 nmol/L) – based on levels found in pregnant rural Africans, lifeguards in USA/Isreal, farmers in Puerto Rico
Low vitamin D associated with insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in diabetics and young adults who are apparently healthy
Healthy adults with higher vitamin D levels had better insulin sensitivity than those who were vitamin D deficient
HIgher vitamin D status related to 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity (vs. 13% by metformin)
Cardiovascular Disease:
-risk of heart attack twice as high for those with vitamin D less than 34 ng/ml (85 nmol/L) than for those with vitamin D status above this level
– patients with congestive heart failure recently found to have markedly lower levels of vitamin D than controls
-vitamin D deficiency as a cause of heart failure has been documented in numerous case reports
Hypertension:
It has been demonstrated that blood pressure is higher in the winter than the summer, increase at greater distances from the equator and is affected by skin pigmentation – all consistent with a role of vitamin D in regulating blood pressure
When treated with UV light 3x/week for 6 weeks, patients with hypertension increased vitamin D levels by 162% and blood pressure fell significantly
800IU of vitamin D3 for 8 weeks lowered both blood pressure and heart rate
Depression:
Vitamin D is known to have antidepressant effects by impacting neurotransmitter and neurologic function, as well as inflammation
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – for more info, see Episode ?
-recently, a dose of 100,000IU of vitamin D was found superior to light therapy in the treatment of SAD after one month
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):
-condition characterized by polycystic ovaries, irregular menstrual cycles, increased hair growth, insulin resistance and obesity – for more info, see Episode ?
-study of 13 women with PCOS showed vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent and supplementation with 1500mg calcium daily and 50,000IU vitamin D2 weekly normalized menstruation and/or fertility in 9 women with PCOS-related menstrual irregularities within 3 months of treatment
Cancer Prevention and Treatment:
-vitamin D has anti-cancer effects mediated by anti-proliferative and pro-apoptosis mechanisms
-researcher Grant proposed that adequate exposure to UV light and/or supplementation of vitamin D could save more than 23,000 American lives per year from a reduction in cancer mortality alone
-more research needed at higher levels and longer durations
New research shows that physiologic requirement of vitamin D supplementation is 3000-5000IU/day and blood levels plateau only after 3-4 months of daily supplementation.
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing monthly info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective begins again in 2022. You can get on the waitlist at wildcollectivetoronto.com
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Lisa is a big fan of board games for lots of family fun, including Despicable Me Minion Game of Life, Mousetrap and Don’t Make Me Laugh.
Dr. Toni loves her emulsified vitamin D drops by NFH plus vitamin D/K for the whole family.
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
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