Start with the basics first before you go crazy with supplements
So you’re taking all these supplements, but are you getting enough sleep? Drinking enough filtered water? Eating a wholesome diet? Getting enough exercise and chill time? Our modern way of life affects your requirement to methylate.
There is a huge array of cellular damage from our toxic environment which damages cellular function. Mobile phones, planes, radiation, water pollutants, industrial wastes, pesticides, chemicals, plastics, radiation, cosmetics and stress. These build up to a point where our body’s self-regulatory processes break down and chronic disease results.
1. Breathing & Thoughts
Many successful and healthy people give credit to the power of positive thoughts. Having a plan, setting goals and then taking action to achieve them is a step in the right direction. We often, subconsciously, focus on what we don’t want rather than what we do want. All stress is in the eye of the beholder so question what causes you stress and see if you can be the mechanic of your mind and fix the cause – way easier said than done. Long term overproduction of cortisol leads to the breakdown of body tissues and fatigue of the adrenal glands, amongst other organs. There are many books, videos and audios available online which that address issues related to your key stressors and how to overcome them. Finding a teacher who has overcome your particular issues can also be very effective.
Meditation, tai chi, qi gong, yoga, floatation therapy, massage, getting a manicure, listening to your favourite music, spending time in nature, drawing, painting, playing music, hugging, laughing and playing are all ways you can move from a stressful (sympathetic nervous system) state to a more relaxed (parasympathetic nervous system) state.
A resource I recommend is Sam Harris’ Waking Up Audiobook. Waking Up is part seeker’s memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality without religion. My personal favourite book is The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. This book shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to live in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and realisation.
Another resource I recommend is The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown. The secret to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body; how you breathe. One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem, namely chronic over-breathing. We often take many more breaths than we need, contributing to poor health and fitness and to a host of disorders, from anxiety and asthma to insomnia and heart problems.
2. Sleep
Despite the availability of artificial, 24-hour light, our bodies are still tuned to the natural rhythm of daily and seasonal light/dark cycles. Whenever light stimulates your skin or eyes, regardless of it being the sun or your smart phone, your brain and hormonal system think it is morning. Your hormonal system naturally releases cortisol which keeps us awake. A few tips to help you get a better night’s sleep:
- aim to get to sleep by 10.30pm
- turn off your phones, computers and TV a couple of hours before bed
- sleep in a room that is completely dark
- avoid coffee from 2pm
- keep hydrated to reduce stress (awake) hormones
- eat a wholesome, minimally processed, balanced diet
- exercise in a balanced way – not too much and not too little.
- try removing all electrical appliances near your bed such as clocks, television and lights.
3. Water.
Humans are composed of about 75% water, with many key roles to perform such as maintaining a stable internal environment for all our cells and metabolic processes, allowing us to acquire nutrition and aid elimination of wastes. The water we consume must be clean and supply all the naturally occurring electrolytes, minerals and trace elements for our bodies to be biochemically in balance. Today, municipal water systems are repositories for millions of tonnes of chemicals, medicines, waste products, fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides from water run-off. Drinking clean, filtered water gives you energy
Get a good quality water filter – reverse osmosis will generally remove most impurities.
Drink out of glass water bottles or toxic-free water bottles.
4. Nutrition
Nutrition has always been controversial and I do not wish to impinge any diet beliefs on anyone. All I can do is offer you what I have learnt over the duration of my career since leaving University and discovering that the food diet pyramid is certainly not the path to health. If you wish, you may like to try some of these ideas and see whether the way you look and feel changes for the better.
I recommend the bulk of your diet to be..
Meats, Fish, Shellfish, Organ meats –grass-fed, hormone/anti-biotic free meats, fresh (not farmed) fish. Proteins high in cysteine, glycine and glutamate will help to top up your glutathione levels. Choose a variety of different grass-fed muscle and organ meats, wild fish and organic, free-range eggs.
Vegetables – Vegetables provide loads of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and anti-oxidants. Dark green leafy vegetables contain folate, which is a methyl donor yet in undermethylators is already high – therefore take care with how many green leafy vegetables you are eating. Eating sulfur-containing foods is key to make more glutathione, so include garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower and kale however the cruciferous (broccoli, kale, cauliflower) also contain a lot of folate so eat moderately.
Fruits – yes I believe they are better than processed foods, particularly when buying organic. Apparently too many citrus fruits can lead to high folate issues in undermethylators so consume moderately.
Quality Saturated Fats – coconut oils, ghee, butter (grass-fed, organic) quality olive oil (not heated)
Eat a diet rich in whole foods that are filled with vitamins and minerals. Eat only high quality fats and proteins.
Limit these foods ..
Modern day vegetable oils (canola, vegetable, sunflower, safflower, sesame, avocado, soy oil, nut and seed oils, margarine, deep fried foods, cookies, pastries, commercial sauces and dressings). Vegetable oils and other polyunsaturated oils are heavily processed and often rancid by the time they reach the supermarket and are not required for human health. These oils are fragile oils which are easily damaged by heat, oxygen and sunlight, which ultimately oxidise in the body (which becomes toxic) causing inflammation and free-radical formation.
Processed foods (toxic vegetable oils, chemical preservatives, food colourings, artificial flavouring, MSG, genetically modified foods, high fructose corn syrup, excessive sugars, and other junk). Processed foods increase the level of metabolic stress in your body and requirement to detoxify. Avoid eating foods which are damaging to the gut, have higher levels of anti-nutrients, are potentially damaging or excitatory to the immune system, and to choose foods that are nutritious.
Grains / Gluten (bread, pasta, cookies, pastries, crisp breads, many condiments, many processed foods and ready-made meals, oats, muesli-bars) which can irritate your gut, enter the bloodstream via a leaky gut and cause inflammatory processes.
Soy. Soy is not a health food. Never in the history of humanity has soy been consumed in the manner it is today. Unfermented soy foods (which include tofu, soya oil, soy proteins, soy flour, soy milk) contain high levels of substances that block mineral absorption (called phytates) and interfere with protein digestion. The phytoestrogens in these soy products are potent endocrine disruptors (they act as an oestrogenic hormone) that have been shown to depress thyroid function, cause premature development of secondary sex characteristics in children and disrupt the oestrogen / progesterone balance in general (effects are numerous). Check The Hidden Dangers of Soy by Dianne Gregg and The Whole Soy Story by Dr Kaayla Daniel.
Legumes, seeds and nuts. Ok in moderation but can cause many of the same issues of grains.
Dairy. Allergies to dairy, which are fairly common, can originate from either lactose or casein. If you have an allergy to a food, and a problem digesting it, it’s likely going to excite your immune system, degrade your gut health, and lead to some health issues. Organic, raw milk (unpasteurised, unhomogenised) is usually well digested and contains a high level of nutrients. Commercial dairy is basically a garbage food – it is pasteurised (high temperature heated) which denatures proteins and destroys enzymes required to digest lactose. Commercial dairy is homogenised (treated to ensure the cream does not separate from the watery part of the milk) which can lead to leaky gut syndrome and other problems. The Raw Truth About Milk by William Cambell Douglas explains the health differences between raw versus commercial milk.
Histamine rich foods: Foods that are associated with high histamine levels include fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha, pickles, wine, yogurt, mature cheeses and fermented soy products. It also includes cured, smoked and fermented meats such as salami and sausage, etc. Tomato paste, spinach and canned fish products also have high histamine levels. Citrus foods are histamine liberators which increase histamine release and so should also be avoided.
Repairing the gut and optimising your good and bad bacteria should be paramount, since toxins excreted by bad bacteria inhibit methylation. Two high quality sources are Mercola’s Complete Probiotics and Floramend by Thorne Research.
Due to the poor condition of modern-day soils, the subsequent poor food nutrient content and the abundance of food processing, it is fairly safe to say that most people are deficient in magnesium and zinc. Improving your body’s levels with a good quality product (expect to pay a little more) can do amazing things for endless body processes – improving your digestion, sleep, mood, hormones, detoxification and production of proteins. Magnesium and Zinc are recommended if you have been tested low in both minerals by your doctor.
A good indicator of how well your body is doing with the food you are putting in, is the poop that is coming out! So first clean up what is going in and then consider squatting to eliminate!If you are having troubles digesting your food, you are not getting all the good nutrients out – consider a digestive supplement that covers protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism using natural ingredients. Studies show the natural squat position improves our ability to eliminate. Better elimination may decrease many modern day ailments including bloating, straining, hemorrhoids and constipation. In the squatting position, the weight of the torso presses against the thighs and naturally compresses the colon. The colon is equipped with an inlet valve (the ileocecal valve) and an outlet valve (the puborectalis muscle). Squatting simultaneously closes the inlet valve, to keep the small intestine clean, and opens the outlet valve, to allow wastes to pass freely. The sitting position defeats the purpose of both valves, making elimination difficult and incomplete, and soiling the small intestine. Get help with your bowel habits by making the squat a natural phenomenon in the bathroom.
5. Movement
Exercise improves your mood, supports better sleep, gets your circulation of blood and lymph going for improved cellular function, nutrient delivery, digestion, waste removal and detoxification. A better aligned body reduces stress on your body, a stronger body makes you feel more capable, improves your quality of life and your self esteem.
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6. Your Environment
Clean up your home and work environment. Here’s a list of some of the various dangerous chemicals that surround us on a daily and constant basis:
- Xenobiotics: styrene (Styrofoam, plastics, etc.)
- dioxin (bleached products from diapers, milk cartons, etc.)
- xylene (exhaust, etc.)
- benzene (gasoline and backing of carpets)
- PCBS (paints, pesticides, gasoline, etc.)
- xenoestrogens (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, plastic wrap, etc.) Environmental estrogens, referred to as xenoestrogens, which mimic animal hormones and act as endocrine system (hormonal) disrupters.
- phthalates (plastics)
- cyanide (almonds)
- heavy metals in the water, air and ground (mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, etc).
Choose wisely and get rid of the things you don’t need. There are many natural products you can use around the house, work and car. Here are some of our favourites:
1. Green cleaning products – Bathroom, kitchen, laundry cleaning and multi-surface concentrate.
2. Natural skin care – body shea butter, body cocoa butter, face and body cleanser/ liquid soap, soap bars, deep cleansing face mask, men’s shaving cream, aftershave.
4. Natural teeth cleaning – Eco toothbrush, natural toothpaste, teeth whitening
5. Natural Hair Care – Natural shampoo and conditioner, natural hair-colouring, natural anti-dandruff treatment.
7. Natural make-up – organic mascara, eye-liner, lipstick, foundation, blush, eye-shadow, bronzers.
8. Camping – all-in-one face/body/hair/dishes/laundry cleaner, water bottles, natural bug spray, insect repellant.
9. Natural Pest Control – Natural bug and insect repellant.
If you have a MTHFR gene mutation, supplements will be warranted. Treatment does vary from patient to patient and usually involves a combination of nutrients.
Find out how to boost your gut health and metabolism and remove toxic heavy metals.