Amy Myers's Blog, page 46

Creamy Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Asparagus

Cold, winter nights in our home mean hearty, comforting dinners with warm veggies and rich, umami flavors. This Creamy Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Asparagus is full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. It’s filling, satisfying, and packed with gut-healthy ingredients.

If you’ve never tried spaghetti squash, then let me introduce you to your new favorite vehicle for pasta sauce! This squash is easy to cook and fun to take a fork prepare! Spaghetti squash provides a good amount of dietary fiber, which helps maintain your gut health and keeps your digestion moving. With vitamin C and manganese, the vitamins and minerals in this winter squash also make it a valuable addition to your weeknight menu.

Your roasted spaghetti squash gets topped with a creamy beef and asparagus sauce that boasts it’s own list of nutritious benefits. Asparagus is one of the top-ranked vegetables containing ample amounts of antioxidants. On top of this, the folate in this veggie works with the B12 in ground beef to support cognitive health! The smooth, creamy coconut milk makes this healthy sauce the perfect way to take vegetables to the next level.

This is a creamy spaghetti squash recipe for the nights when you want to feel warm, cozy, and super healthy!

Creamy Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Asparagus






Course

Main Dish


Protocol

Autoimmune Solution (AIP), Candida Breakthrough® and SIBO, Elimination Diet, Paleo, Thyroid Connection




Servings

6 people

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash cut in half and seeded1 tbls avocado oil3 cloves garlic minced1/2 red onion diced1 lb 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised ground beef1 bunch asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces 1 (13.5 oz) can full fat coconut milk1/2 cup fresh basil chopped1/4 tsp sea salt1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Servings:
people

Units:
MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450˚F. On a lined sheet pan, place spaghetti squash face down. Cook in oven for 30-45 minutes or until it becomes fork tender. While spaghetti squash cooks, heat avocado oil in a skillet to medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add ground beef to skillet and cook until no longer pink.Add asparagus to skillet and sauté for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, half of basil, salt, and pepper to skillet. Bring to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until asparagus is fork tender. Remove from heat. Scrape out insides of spaghetti squash with a fork and evenly divide among 6 serving bowls. Top with sauce and meat mixture. Garnish with remaining basil.

The post Creamy Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Asparagus appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

Shamrock Smoothie

I’m sure you’re familiar with a certain, limited edition shake that appears annually in March. Don’t be fooled by its attractive green color! Unlike my Shamrock Smoothie, that ice cream shake is void of any nutritious greens. It instead fills your body with processed sugars and added colors. Skip the drive-through, and make this delicious, healthy smoothie at home.

This Shamrock Smoothie contains essential nutrients such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The spinach lends excellent detoxifying powers with chlorophyll and phytonutrients, and bananas are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They’re also the perfect way to satisfy your sugar cravings. These nourishing ingredients are blended with vanilla paleo protein and full-fat coconut milk to add a creamy texture, and keep you full for the whole day!

To add a refreshing and delightful twist to your morning smoothie or afternoon snack, I added two drops of peppermint essential oil. Peppermint is known to ease digestive discomfort such as gas, bloating, and indigestion so that you feel as free and fresh as wild peppermint.

Anyone who sees’s you with this smoothie will be green with envy. Enjoy!

Shamrock Smoothie






Course

Beverage, Breakfast, Snack


Protocol

Autoimmune Solution (AIP), Elimination Diet, Paleo, Thyroid Connection




Servings

1

Ingredients

1 cup frozen banana1 cup frozen spinach3/4 cup can full-fat coconut milk1 scoop The Myers Way Vanilla Protein Powder2 drops peppermint essential oil1-2 Tbls cacao nibs optional

Servings:

Units:
MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

Place all ingredients except 1 tablespoon of cacao nibs in a high-speed blender. Blend until fully combined. Pour into a glass and sprinkle remaining cacao nibs on top.

The post Shamrock Smoothie appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

Lemon Turmeric Marinade

Marinating your chicken or fish before it’s cooked results in a juicy and tender main dish. This Lemon Turmeric Marinade has the perfect acidic quality to tenderize and marinate proteins, breaking down tissues so more moisture is absorbed. And lemon isn’t the only zippy ingredient this recipe has under its belt…

A few unique Moroccan flavors are brought to the table without any of the inflammatory spices. Garlic, onion, turmeric, and black pepper are versatile and aromatic seasonings you’ll love with the sharp tang of lemon juice, and the rich texture of avocado oil. Your favorite proteins will soak up these amazing flavors, so that you can put a succulent, healthy dish on the table.

Add an authentic Moroccan twist to this marinade with ginger and cinnamon. The zesty, AIP additions take this recipe to the next level.

Your Lemon Turmeric Marinade will also be a delicious dressing for salads, and a tangy sauce for lettuce wraps! Stock up on these ingredients, because this recipe never disappoints!

Lemon Turmeric Marinade






Course

Condiment


Protocol

Autoimmune Solution (AIP), Candida Breakthrough® and SIBO, Elimination Diet, Paleo, Thyroid Connection




Servings

1 1/4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup lemon juice1/3 cup avocado oil1/3 cup apple cider vinegar2 cloves garlic minced2 tsp onion powder2 tsp ground turmeric1 tsp ground black pepper1 tsp tsp sea salt

Servings:
cups

Units:
MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until combined. Store in refrigerator until used as a marinade for chicken. This recipe can also be used as a dressing for salads.

The post Lemon Turmeric Marinade appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

12 Incredible Benefits of Getting More Greens in Your Diet

Leafy greens including kale, spinach, arugula, and chard are the undeniable superstars of the food world. Low in calories, yet high in fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients, greens are incredible for your health in more ways than you would even suspect.

Whether in whole food form, smoothies, or organic greens powders, greens have the power to make you look and feel younger, and can even support healthy aging! If you still need convincing, read on to learn about all the amazing benefits of getting more greens in your diet.

1. Support Optimal Brain Funciton

Want to support memory and reasoning as you enter your golden years? Eat your greens! A recent study published in Neurology found that those who ate the most leafy greens each day had slower rates of cognitive decline compared to those who ate the least.1 In fact, the greens-eaters had the memory equivalent of someone 11 years younger! This was even true after adjusting for other factors including lifestyle, education, and overall health.

2. Fight Belly Bloat

If you struggle with bloating, whether caused by diet, hormones, gut infections, or other digestive issues, there’s a secret ingredient in leafy greens that could help. Potassium, a mineral and electrolyte found in abundance in greens, is essential to keep an optimal fluid balance in your body. A diet high in sodium (often due to an overreliance on processed foods) can trigger or worsen bloating, and must be kept in check by adequate potassium intake–roughly 4,700 mg/day according to the USDA’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.2 A single cup of cooked spinach contains a whopping 840 mg of potassium to get you well on your way to meeting your daily requirements.3

3. Make Your Skin Glow

Beta-carotene, the plant pigment that we normally associate with carrots and other yellow-orange veggies, is also hiding in leafy greens. Think of leaves changing color in the fall. As they lose chlorophyll (the pigment that makes them green), you can see the red, orange, and yellow pigments those leaves contain underneath. It’s these vibrant colors that are also responsible for the amazing health benefits of leafy greens.

Beta-carotene can give your skin a youthful glow and even works from the inside-out as a natural sunscreen, protecting your skin from harmful UV rays!4 Kale is one of the top sources of beta-carotene, and research shows that cooking, juicing, or dehydrating greens helps your body better absorb this carotenoid.5

4. Relieve Stress

For a natural way to relieve your stress, start every day with a big green smoothie! Leafy greens are an excellent source of folate, which helps your body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.6

Plus, the magnesium found in green leafy vegetables can help support optimal vascular health.7

5. Support Bone Health

All those “Got Milk?” ads might have you believing that drinking milk is the only way to build strong bones. However, research has shown that milk consumption has no protective effect on fracture risk and may even increase the risk of hip fractures among women.8 That’s yet another great reason to ditch dairy for good! Instead, you can get plenty of calcium for supporting optimal bone health from dark, leafy greens. Green veggies such as broccoli and kale also contain tons of all-important vitamin K.9

6. Support Healthy Aging

Are you looking to age healthfully? Who isn’t? Greens have the power to delay the shortening of telomeres, the protective caps on our DNA that shorten with age.10 Once its telomeres are completely gone, the cell dies.Broccoli sprouts, in particular, seem to have a superb ability to preserve telomere length.

7. Improve Inflammatory Response

Though this may be a no-brainer, I want to re-emphasize how important it is to support a healthy inflammatory response in order to protect yourself from a battery of chronic illnesses. Leafy greens contain antioxidants and polyphenols, the disease-fighting compounds found in plant foods.11

8. Help Balance Sugars

Eating a serving of leafy greens with every meal can support appropriate blood glucose levels. Even just including a little over one extra serving of greens daily can make a big difference!12

Not to mention, if you have a thyroid condition, dramatic swings in blood sugar encourage your body to convert more T4 to Reverse T3, the inactive form of thyroid hormone.

9. Support Optimal Gut Health

Do you struggle with leaky gut, food sensitivities, or autoimmunity? If so, getting more greens into your diet could help. A recently discovered gene known as T-bet that gets switched on by cruciferous veggies such as broccoli or brussels sprouts instructs precursor cells in your intestinal lining to produce innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). ILCs protect your body against gut infections and inflammation, control food allergies and intolerances, support a healthy immune response, and seal the leaks in your gut.13 They also protect your body from bad bacteria, while the fiber in greens feeds your good bacteria, making leafy greens an all-around great choice for anyone dealing with gastrointestinal distress of any kind.

10. Tame the Toxins

Taming the toxins is an essential component of The Myers Way®, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by getting more greens in your diet. Greens are expert detoxifiers, thanks to chlorophyll–the pigment that makes greens…green! Chlorophyll-rich foods such as spirulina, chlorella, parsley, and alfalfa bind to heavy metals and toxins in your blood and carry them out of your body. Chlorophyll also helps cleanse your liver to support your body’s natural ability to detox, and supports immune function to keep toxins from collecting in your body in the first place!14

11. Boost Digestive Enzymes

As I always say, you aren’t what you eat, you’re what you digest and absorb. Digestive enzymes are critical for breaking down and absorbing the nutrients from our food, so if you are deficient in these enzymes you are likely to experience all sorts of gastrointestinal issues including bloating, constipation, reflux, and nutrient deficiencies. Leaky gut it one of the biggest culprits of enzyme deficiency, as well as inflammation from food sensitivities, chronic stress, genetics, and aging. Raw, leafy greens are one of the best foods you can eat to support your body’s natural ability to produce digestive enzymes.

12. Support Your Immune System

One of the most promising benefits of greens may be their ability to support your immune system. Greens such as moringa leaf can support support a healthy response to oxidative damage.15 16 Studies specifically tout the benefits of cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, arugula, and kale.17

The Best Way to Get More Greens Into Your Diet

While it’s ideal to get these incredible benefits from real, whole foods, not all of these foods are commonly available, in season, or grown in optimal soil, and it can be difficult to get enough of them from diet alone. That’s why an organic greens powder is a great option to have on hand for when you’re just too busy to prep a big salad or smoothie, or when you’re looking to stay healthy while on-the-go or traveling.

One scoop of my Organic Greens Superfood Juice Powder is a nutritional powerhouse, containing 14 USDA certified organic plant foods, including green superstars spinach, kale, alfalfa, moringa, and broccoli sprouts. It’s an easy and convenient way to ensure you’re getting your daily greens along with all the disease-fighting, anti-aging, and immune-boosting benefits that they provide!

The post 12 Incredible Benefits of Getting More Greens in Your Diet appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

9 Causes of Estrogen Dominance and What to Do About It

Are you struggling with infertility, PMS, mood swings, weight gain, or low libido? If so, you could be dealing with a hormone imbalance. Having too much estrogen—known as estrogen dominance—is not only linked to a set of frustrating and uncomfortable symptoms, it also puts you at risk for a whole host of chronic issues. From fatigue and irritability to autoimmune conditions, thyroid dysfunction, and cancer, estrogen can wreak havoc on your body if it’s not in proper balance with your other reproductive hormones, such as progesterone.

And here’s the hard truth—estrogen dominance is at an all-time high. We’re seeing the rates increase dramatically across the board, in both women and men, across age ranges. And the rates of cancers and chronic illnesses linked with an overload of estrogen are on the rise right along with it.

That’s because we are being constantly bombarded by xenoestrogens. These are industrial chemicals that mimic the behavior of estrogens. They’re everywhere in our modern environment. They’re in our food, personal care products, furniture and clothes. From the water we drink to the food we eat, we encounter a shocking number of these endocrine-disrupting xenoestrogens in the course of a day, without even knowing it.

It scares me when I think about how toxic our world has become, especially since I am the mother of a little girl. That’s why I’m even more passionate about arming you with the knowledge you need to make smart choices for yourself and your family.

In this article, I’ll walk you through what estrogen dominance is and how you’re being exposed to xenoestrogens. I’ll share simple, diet and lifestyle changes you can make to minimize your risk, naturally clear estrogen from your system, and maintain an optimal hormonal balance.

When Estrogen Becomes a Problem

You—and everyone else—naturally produces the hormone estrogen in your adrenal glands and stored fat tissue, as well as the ovaries in women and the testes in men. Estrogen is necessary for many important functions such as childbearing, keeping cholesterol in check, and protecting bone health.1 It’s when your estrogen levels get out of balance with your other hormones that it can lead to a number of issues in both men and women.

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance

Women:

Weight gain, mainly in hips, waist, and thighs
Menstrual problems such as light or heavy bleeding
PMS
Fibrocystic breasts
Uterine fibroids
Fatigue
Loss of sex drive
Depression or anxiety


Men:

Enlarged breasts
Sexual dysfunction
Infertility

Conventional medicine tells us that it’s your lifelong exposure and total amount of estrogens that pose a problem and cause cancer. For instance, if you started your period at a young age, or had children late in life or not at all, you would be at a higher risk. However, that’s not entirely true. It’s really your lifelong exposure to bad metabolites of estrogen that increases your cancer risk. Let me explain.

Estrogen is metabolized by the liver through three different pathways. Depending on the pathway, estrogen will be converted into good or bad metabolites. The 2-hydroxy metabolic pathway is considered good as it has the lowest risk for cancer and other problems. Meanwhile, the 16-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy pathways are considered bad and associated with higher risks of breast cancer.2 Using the 2-hydroxy pathway, your body produces good estrogen metabolites, which support healthy mood, libido, breast tissue, and reproductive health. When your body is converting too many of your hormones using the 16-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy pathways, that’s when you experience estrogen dominant symptoms such as irritability, vaginal dryness, and PMS, and are at a higher risk of developing cancer.

So it’s not about your total estrogens. It’s about your total estrogen metabolites. Nutritional status, liver health, stress, diet, and sleep all determine which metabolic pathways are used. Gene mutations such as COMT and MTHFR also impair your ability to methylate and detoxify your hormones, as do a number of environmental and lifestyle factors that I’ll describe in more detail later.

Health Risks Associated with Estrogen Dominance

Hormonal Cancers

By far the biggest risk associated with estrogen dominance is hormone-dependent cancer including breast cancer in both women and men, uterine and ovarian cancers in women, and prostate cancer in men.3 Breast cancer specifically is more rampant than ever. One in eight women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.4

Hormonal cancers are associated with stored fat, which produces the most potent form of estrogen, estradiol. This type of harmful estrogen is more difficult for your body to detoxify, leading to more circulating estrogen and “bad” estrogen metabolites.

Autoimmune Disease

In some autoimmune conditions, high levels of estrogen can enhance the inflammatory response of the immune system, increasing the antibodies that attack your body’s own tissues. However, it’s not entirely a clear-cut issue. Estrogen is actually protective for some autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). It seems to be the sharp fluctuations in estrogen levels (such as those that happen around childbirth and menopause) that contribute to autoimmunity. It also has to do with the types of estrogens in your system, and whether they are your natural hormones or the synthetic xenoestrogens that exist in our environment.

Because women tend to be more susceptible to estrogen dominance, this helps explain why autoimmune conditions are so much more common among women.5

Hashimoto’s and Thyroid Dysfunction

Excess estrogen increases levels of thyroid binding globulin (TBG) which is the protein that allows your thyroid hormones to travel through your bloodstream. When thyroid hormones are attached to TBG they remain inactive, so your thyroid hormones can’t be stored in your tissues or converted to their active form in order to fuel your body and metabolic processes. I explain this more in depth in my book, The Thyroid Connection.

Candida Overgrowth

Estrogen dominance also plays a factor in Candida overgrowth. Research shows that exposing Candida albicans to estrogen increases its virulence, which is why women taking birth control or traditional hormone replacement therapy tend to be more susceptible to yeast infections.6

Causes of Estrogen Dominance

Every day we are under constant attack by environmental toxins that lead to the creation of bad estrogen metabolites. Hormone-mimicking xenoestrogens combined with your own diet and lifestyle habits can all contribute to estrogen dominance.

1. Food

By far one of the biggest sources of excess estrogen is our modern diet. Commercially raised animals are injected with growth hormones to make them grow bigger and faster or increase milk production. These hormones make their way into your food where they can disrupt your own natural hormone balance.

Plus, any of the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides found on conventional produce are known endocrine disruptors that interfere with your natural hormone activity and metabolism.7 While they may only exist in small quantities on individual fruits and vegetables, the cumulative effect quickly adds up and hasn’t been studied enough to determine what the long-term effects might be.

2. Water

Unfortunately, our water has become heavily polluted with hormone-disrupting compounds including pesticides and fertilizers, synthetic and natural estrogens from livestock and prescription medications, and an unknown number of industrial chemicals from chemical plant runoff or the disposal of plastics and chemicals in landfills.8

Coal-burning plants emit over 70,000 pounds of mercury in the into the air each year, which then settles into our water and impacts our hormonal levels (more on that below).

3. Personal Care Products

Cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, and the numerous other body products we use often contain parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates and other compounds that all have estrogenic activity.9 And since the average person uses 10-15 body products a day, with a total of 126 different ingredients, this exposure can quickly add up!

You’d think that beauty products would be regulated for safety. However, you’d be surprised to learn that they are regulated by an internal review board, so they’re really just regulating themselves, leading to the inclusion of all sorts of hidden endocrine disruptors in these products you use every day.

Xenoestrogens in skin care products are especially harmful because they are absorbed directly into your tissues, and so never have the chance to be detoxified through your liver.10 Be wary of deodorants or other personal care products that contain an unspecified “fragrance,” as this can be virtually anything and it tends to be a catch-all term for hidden phthalates or other hormone-disrupting chemicals.

4. Gut Dysbiosis

Your gut microbiome regulates circulating estrogen using an enzyme known as beta-glucuronidase. When your microbiome is out of balance, as in the case of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), these enzymes can’t properly metabolize estrogens, which leaves you more susceptible to breast cancer and other conditions caused by estrogen dominance.11

5. BPA and Other Plastics

Plastic in all its forms, including in water bottles, food wrap, and storage containers, contain hormone mimicking xenoestrogens that can leach into what you’re eating or drinking and cause major problems for your health. Even products marked “BPA-free” are not safe, and in fact contain chemicals whose effects aren’t as well-known.12

Microwaving, dishwashing, and exposing plastic to sunlight increases the estrogenic activity of plastic even more.

You may not be aware that every time you take a receipt from the store, you are dealing a blow to your hormones. Receipts printed on thermal paper are a major source of endocrine-disrupting bisphenol-A (BPA). People who handle receipts frequently have significantly elevated levels of BPA in their urine.13 And because these xenoestrogens are getting absorbed through your skin, it’s a more direct hit to your system.

6. Heavy Metals

Similar to plastics, heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury have estrogen-mimicking properties. It’s even been suggested that the presence of these endocrine-disrupting elements in our environment may be behind the earlier-onset puberty that has become the norm in our modern societies.14

7. Body Fat

Excess body fat (especially stored in the hips, waist, and thighs) is one of the leading causes of estrogen dominance.15 Not only does fat tissue absorb and store estrogen circulating in your bloodstream, it also synthesizes estrogen from your other hormones.16 Having high levels of estrogen cues your body to make more fat cells, which then produce even more estrogen, creating a vicious cycle.

8. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Birth Control

Hormone replacement therapy medications and most oral contraceptives contain estrogen without the necessary progesterone to maintain proper hormone balance. The hormones used in both HRT and birth control also tend to be toxic, synthetic hormones that are not easily metabolized by the liver, leading to DNA damage and an increased risk for breast and endometrial cancer.17

9. Chronic Stress

When you’re chronically stressed (as so many of us are), your body begins to use the sex hormone progesterone to make cortisol.18 Low levels of progesterone lead to estrogen dominance.

How to Clear Your Body of Excess Estrogens

Now that you know what estrogen dominance is and where it comes from, what steps can you take to prevent it? Or if you suspect you may already be estrogen dominant, how can you clear your body of those excess estrogens and restore hormone balance?

Taming the toxins is a key component of The Myers Way®, and as I explain in my books and programs, I use a two-step approach to help you minimize your exposure and then clear the toxins safely from your body.

Step 1: Prevention

Eat Clean Food: Eliminate all toxic foods from your diet that contain hidden estrogens, including conventional meat, dairy products, and produce. Opt for grass-fed, pasture-raised, and organic whenever possible to avoid added hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers used in conventional farming methods. Be sure to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list for the worst offenders if buying all organic produce isn’t feasible.
Filter Your Water: Thanks to pollution and runoff, hormone-disruptors are rampant in our water supply. To protect your water, I recommend installing water filters on all of your taps and showerheads.
Use Non-Toxic Body Products: Switch out chemical-laden personal care products for safer versions that are free and clear of any synthetic compounds. I get all of my non-toxic beauty products from Beautycounter.
Ditch the Plastic: Replace all the plastic storage containers and water bottles with glass or stainless steel.
Minimize Your Mercury Exposure: Check out this article to learn more about avoiding mercury and how to test your levels.
Consider Hormone Alternatives: If taking HRT, consider speaking to your doctor about alternative methods that address the root causes of your menopausal symptoms. Bioidentical hormone therapy is a more natural option for those who depend on HRT for symptom relief, using hormones extracted from plants that act just like the hormones we produce in our body. The same goes for women using oral contraceptives to treat symptoms such as acne or heavy periods. Though it may help to relieve your symptoms now, it may just be throwing fuel on the fire, leading to estrogen dominance and all its associated health risks in the long run. For both HRT and birth control users, you can try my Hormone Balance Support Kit for relieving menopausal symptoms and supporting a healthy menstrual cycle.
Relieve Your Stress: Take measures to relieve your stress, such as yoga or meditation, and make sure you’re getting adequate sleep at night to let your body detox and recover from the stresses of the day.

Step 2: Detoxification

One of the best ways to clear your body of excess estrogens and achieve proper hormone balance for both men and women is EstroProtect. EstroProtect contains a blend of natural ingredients that support optimal estrogen metabolism and detoxification.

It features Calcium-D-Glucarate, which binds estrogen that would otherwise be recycled and reabsorbed by your body and flushes it out of your system. It also includes Diindolymethane (DIM) to help you metabolize estrogen into more of its good metabolites instead of the bad. And N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC), Milk Thistle, and Alpha-Lipoic acid all support your liver as it works to safely detoxify and clear the estrogens.

Because of our constant exposure to xenoestrogens and estrogens, I recommended this supplement to all of the women I saw in my clinic, especially those who were dealing with estrogen dominance, were exposed to xenoestrogens, had a family history of hormonal cancers, or who themselves had a hormonal cancer and were in remission.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the main sources of estrogen and begin taking the proper lifestyle measures to avoid them in the future, you can start feeling your best again. And you can feel even better knowing you’re reducing your risk for a number of chronic illnesses!

 

The post 9 Causes of Estrogen Dominance and What to Do About It appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

9 Signs You Have a Leaky Gut

Did you know that if you’re dealing with symptoms ranging from seasonal allergies to brain fog to skin issues to hormone imbalances that the true source could be your gut? That’s because the gut truly is the gateway to health. It’s where nearly 80% of your immune system lives and where up to 95% of your serotonin (the primary neurotransmitter responsible for your mood) is produced. If your gut is healthy, chances are that you are in good health.

However, there’s a condition called leaky gut that can lead to a whole host of health problems and set you on the path to chronic illness. The symptoms caused by leaky gut go far beyond digestive issues. And thanks to our modern environment, leaky gut is much more common than you’d think. In fact, millions of people are struggling with leaky gut without even knowing it!

You can also view my video on the topic below:

What is Leaky Gut?

Think of your gut as a drawbridge. Your gut is naturally semi-permeable to let teeny-tiny boats (micronutrients) pass through your intestinal tract and into your bloodstream. It’s how you absorb your food. Certain external factors, including food, infections, toxins, and stress, can break apart the tight junctions in your intestinal wall, leaving the drawbridge open. Once this happens, you have a leaky gut. When your gut is leaky, much larger boats that were never meant to get through (toxins, microbes, and undigested food particles) can escape into your bloodstream. Your immune system marks these “foreign invaders” as pathogens and attacks them. The immune response to these invaders can appear in the form of any of the nine signs you have a leaky gut, which are listed below.

9 Signs You Have a Leaky Gut

Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Food allergies or food intolerances
Brain fog, difficulty concentrating, ADD or ADHD
Mood imbalances such as depression and anxiety
Skin issues such as acne, rosacea, or eczema
Seasonal allergies or asthma
Hormonal imbalances such as irregular periods, PMS, or PCOS
Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, psoriasis, or celiac disease
Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia

Find out if you have a leaky gut with this free quiz!

What Causes Leaky Gut?

The main culprits are foods, infections, toxins, and stress. Gluten is the number one cause of leaky gut. Gluten causes the gut cells to release zonulin, a protein that can break apart the tight junctions in your intestinal lining. Other inflammatory foods (such as dairy) or toxic foods (such as sugar and excessive alcohol) are suspected as well. The most common infectious causes are candida overgrowth, intestinal parasites, and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Toxins come in the form of medications including NSAIDS (Motrin and Advil), steroids, antibiotics, and acid-reducing drugs, as well as environmental toxins including mercury, pesticides, and BPA from plastics. Stress can also contribute to a leaky gut.

The Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Connection

When your gut is leaky and more and more particles are able to escape into your bloodstream, your immune system reacts by sending out wave after wave of inflammation to attack the foreign invaders. This state of high alert causes your immune system to become overstressed and fire less accurately, sometimes leading your own tissues to get caught in the crosshairs. Eventually, this will develop into full-blown autoimmunity if your gut is not repaired.

In addition, your immune system starts making antibodies against the substances that have escaped into your bloodstream. Many of these foreign invaders–gluten and dairy in particular–look very similar to your own body’s cells, causing your immune system to get confused and accidentally attack your tissues. This process of mistaken identity is called molecular mimicry, and is another way that leaky gut can trigger autoimmune disease.

We know from the research of Dr. Alessio Fasano that leaky gut is a necessary precondition for developing an autoimmune disease.1 And, once you have an autoimmune disease, leaving your leaky gut untreated can cause your condition to progress and places you at higher risk of developing another autoimmune disease.

How Do You Repair a Leaky Gut?

In my clinic, and in all of my books and online programs, the very first place I have anyone start is by repairing their gut using the 4R approach, which is as follows:

Remove. Remove all inflammatory foods that can damage your gut such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs, as well as toxic foods, including sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. You’ll also want to eliminate any gut infections you have, whether caused by Candida overgrowth, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), or parasites.
Replace. Replace the good. Adding digestive enzymes to your regimen will help support optimal digestion and nutrient absorption, as well as assist your body’s intestinal repair and inflammation responses.
Reinoculate. Restore the beneficial bacteria in your gut with high-quality, high-potency probiotics to reestablish a healthy microbiome. I recommend 100 billion CFUs (colony forming units) while dealing with a leaky gut, and 30 billion CFUs as a maintenance dose.
Repair. Provide your gut with the essential nutrients it needs to repair itself. My most comprehensive weapon against leaky gut is Leaky Gut Revive powder, which contains powerful gut-repairing ingredients l-glutamine, aloe, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, arabinogalactan, slippery elm and marshmallow root. With these ingredients, Leaky Gut Revive nourishes and soothes your gut cells, restores your gut’s natural mucosal lining, and maximizes gut-mending fatty acid production. Another one of my favorite supplements is collagen which is rich in amino acids that quite literally, “seal the leaks” or perforations in your gut by repairing damaged cells and building new tissue.

Repairing your gut is the first step in restoring your health. By overcoming leaky gut, you can reverse your symptoms, reduce your risk for a number of chronic illnesses, and start living your best life!

The post 9 Signs You Have a Leaky Gut appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

Maple Dijon Salmon

In this recipe, the tender, flaky meat of a perfectly broiled salmon comes together with a delicious maple dijon sauce. There is so much research about the amazing benefits of eating fatty fish such as salmon, and this take on a flavorful classic provides all of them!

Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which support brain health, enhance B cell activation, and antibody production. These help your body’s inflammatory response and support your immune system’s ability to fight off pathogens. I recommend wild-caught salmon because it has different properties than the farmed variety. Wild-caught salmon eat a natural, healthy diet of insects, plankton, and other fish for their entire lives. This keeps them lean and packed with antioxidants. Not only does their diet effect the quality of nutrients, but you can taste the difference too.

The tanginess of dijon mustard, and the rich sweetness of maple syrup glaze the broiled salmon for an ultimate harmony of flavors. My Maple Dijon Salmon will look beautiful, taste amazing, and provide the nutritious benefits your body deserves.

Maple Dijon Salmon






Course

Main Dish


Protocol

Autoimmune Solution (AIP), Elimination Diet, Paleo, Thyroid Connection




Servings

4

Ingredients

1 lb wild-caught salmon1/4 cup maple syrup1/4 cup dijon mustard2 Tbls apple cider vinegar1 clove garlic minced1/4 tsp sea salt1/4 tsp black pepper

Servings:

Units:
MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

Place salmon in glass baking dish. Whisk together remaining ingredients in small bowl. Pour ¾ of mixture over salmon and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Reserve remainder of marinade.Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer salmon to baking sheet, skin side down. Broil for 6 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drizzle on remaining sauce. Return to broiler for 1 minute. Remove from oven and serve.

The post Maple Dijon Salmon appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

2 Foods You Should Never Eat and Why

As you know, diet plays a huge role in your health. I’ve seen firsthand, in myself and my patients, the power of food to reverse chronic illness such as autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto’s, Graves’, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s, and others. I’ve also seen thousands of patients achieve their ideal weight, banish everyday annoyances such as headaches and bloating, and regain their energy and vitality simply through dietary changes. Did you know there are two foods you should never eat if you want to overcome your symptoms and achieve optimal health?

Gluten and dairy are two of the biggest culprits behind the skyrocketing rates of chronic illness and autoimmune disease we are facing today, and removing them from your diet is the single best step you can take to restore your health.

Optimizing your diet is a major component of all of The Myers Way® programs, which are designed to address the root cause of chronic illness in order to enjoy lifelong wellness. I lay out a complete plan for optimizing your diet in my two New York Times bestselling books, The Autoimmune Solution and The Thyroid Connection. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking to make small changes that will have a big impact on your health, then without a doubt the very first step you want to take is to ditch gluten and dairy for good!

Read on to find out how they wreak havoc on your health, why it’s so important to ditch them for good, and how to repair the damage they have caused (in just 30 days!).

The Problem with Gluten

Gluten is a protein that occurs naturally in certain grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. It’s important to mention though, that the gluten we eat today is not the same as the gluten our ancestors ate. Over 100 years ago, scientists began to develop new, hybridized forms of wheat with higher proportions of gluten protein to produce bigger, fluffier breads and pastries. They also figured out a way to deaminate gluten, which allows it to be dissolved into liquids and other products that didn’t previously contain gluten. This is why nowadays gluten can be found in everything from meat substitutes to medications, supplements, and even toothpaste.

As a result, we are not only eating a very different kind of gluten than our ancestors ate, we are eating and being exposed to way more of it. And it’s no coincidence the change in our gluten consumption aligns with a dramatic increase in chronic disease. In fact, gluten has been linked with more than 55 diseases.1

So how exactly does gluten lead to chronic illness? Let’s take a deeper look at why gluten is so harmful to your health.

Systemic Inflammation

The new proteins that are present in our modern hybridized wheat and were not found in our ancestors’ wheat are highly inflammatory, especially in the large quantities that we eat today. Our bodies simply have not had time to evolve properly to digest these gluten-dense forms of wheat and the result is a state of chronic ongoing inflammation. This chronic inflammation can affect your skin, your sleep, your mood, and set you on the path to autoimmunity.

That’s because as your immune system becomes overly stressed as the inflammation just keeps on coming with each bite of bagel, pretzel, or even whole wheat pasta, it can begin to malfunction. The result is that your immune system begins to misfire, attacking your body’s own tissues as it tries desperately to combat the sources of inflammation.

However, gluten doesn’t just cause inflammation from its own proteins, it adds fuel to the fire by opening the door for other inflammatory agents to wreck your health as well. Allow me to explain.

Leaky Gut

When you eat gluten, it travels to your small intestine where it triggers the release of zonulin. Zonulin is a chemical that signals the tight junctions of your intestinal wall to open up, creating intestinal permeability—otherwise known as leaky gut.2

Once your gut becomes leaky, larger proteins (such as gluten) as well as toxins, microbes, and partially digested food particles are able to escape through your intestinal wall. Your immune system reacts to fight off these “invaders,” creating a chronic inflammatory state as your gut remains leaky and the invaders keep on coming. This leaves your body open to a whole host of other issues, from gastrointestinal distress, to seasonal allergies, to autoimmune disease, as we just discussed.

Molecular Mimicry

On top of causing leaky gut, which itself contributes to autoimmunity, gluten is particularly dangerous because of a phenomenon known as molecular mimicry. This is when a foreign antigen (such as the gluten proteins now flooding your bloodstream due to leaky gut) shares sequence or structural similarities with your body’s own tissues. When your immune system is exposed to an invader, it memorizes the structure of that pathogen to develop the perfect defense and recognize it in the future.3

However, your immune system is not always perfect. If the invader looks enough like your own cells, your immune system ends up attacking your own tissues along with the invader by mistake, in an autoimmune reaction. Gluten happens to be structurally similar to a number of your body’s tissues, particularly the thyroid gland. This is why gluten is one of the leading causes of autoimmunity, especially in those with a thyroid condition.

The Dangers of Dairy

Dairy causes inflammation in a huge percentage of the population, either due to lactose intolerance or casein and whey sensitivities. Not to mention, it’s typically full of hormones and antibiotics.

Lactose Intolerance and Casein and Whey Sensitivities

Lactose intolerance occurs in people who do not produce the lactase enzyme, which is required to break down lactose, a sugar found in milk. Around 70% of the population worldwide stops producing lactase once they have finished breastfeeding.4

People who do produce the lactase enzyme yet still experience dairy sensitivity are reacting to one or both of the proteins found in milk, casein and whey. Food sensitivities are a type of delayed inflammatory response triggered by your immune system’s IgG antibodies (as opposed to a food allergy caused by IgE antibodies that create a severe and immediate reaction). Because it could take up to 72 hours for food sensitivity symptoms to appear and they can vary widely, you may not realize it’s dairy that’s causing your bloating, gas, headaches, fatigue, eczema, or other symptoms. As a result your system can become chronically inflamed as you continue to snack on cheese, add milk to your coffee, and slather butter on vegetables, damaging your gut lining with each exposure.

While some people are sensitive to both casein and whey, casein protein is much more difficult to digest than whey, which is why casein sensitivities tend to be more common.5 The casein protein is also very structurally similar to gluten, so the same molecular mimicry that triggers an attack when you eat gluten can also occur when you eat casein from dairy, initiating an autoimmune response. In fact, roughly 50% of those with gluten intolerance are casein intolerant as well.6 If you’re still experiencing symptoms of gluten sensitivity even after eliminating gluten completely, dairy could be to blame.

Hormones and Antibiotics

Food sensitivities, inflammation, and molecular mimicry aren’t the only issues we have to worry about when consuming dairy products. To increase milk production, American dairy farmers inject their cows with the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone rBGH. The increased milk production puts strain on the cows’ udders, often leading to an infection known as mastitis, which is then treated with antibiotics. All of those added hormones and antibiotics make their way into the dairy products you eat and contribute to acne, mood swings, and antibiotic resistance, which in turn could lead to serious illness caused by antibiotic-resistant infections.7 8

9

I’m often asked, “Don’t we need the calcium from dairy for bone health?” It may surprise you to learn that The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which followed over 72,000 women for 18 years, found no protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk.10 And, if you are concerned about osteoporosis, there are many non-dairy sources of calcium that don’t come with all the harmful side effects of milk.

Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

1. Kale

2. Oranges

3. Collard Greens

4. Broccoli

5. Figs

6. Spinach

Along with incorporating these foods into your diet, you can always add in a calcium supplement. The one I carry in my store is a particularly complete form of calcium that comes from cow bones and contains trace minerals, collagenous proteins and peptides, and other micronutrients that support bone growth and structure. I recommend pairing your calcium supplement with vitamin D, as this helps your bones absorb the calcium you are getting in your diet or through supplementation.

How to Repair Damage Caused by Gluten and Dairy

Eliminating gluten and dairy is essential for stopping the assault on your gut, however to fully restore your gut and your health, you’ll want to repair the damage caused by these two inflammatory foods over the years. Fortunately, because your individual gut cells turn over very quickly (roughly every 48 hours), you can repair your gut in just 30 days using my 4R Approach. I cover this in depth in my Guide to the Gut eCourse, and the basics are as follows:

Remove. Aside from removing gluten and dairy from your diet, you’ll want to eliminate any other factors that negatively affect the gut, including other inflammatory foods such as corn, soy, and eggs, as well as toxic foods, including sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Finally you’ll want to eliminate gut infections from yeast overgrowth, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), and parasites.
Replace. Replace the good, adding back digestive enzymes required for proper digestion.
Reinoculate. Restore a healthy balance of good bacteria by reintroducing beneficial bacteria through a high-quality, multi-strain, high-potency probiotic supplement.
Repair. Provide the nutrients necessary to help restore your gut lining. My most comprehensive weapon against leaky gut is Leaky Gut Revive powder, which contains powerful gut-repairing ingredients l-glutamine, aloe, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, arabinogalactan, slippery elm and marshmallow root. With these ingredients, Leaky Gut Revive nourishes and soothes your gut cells, restores your gut’s natural mucosal lining, and maximizes gut-mending fatty acid production. Another one of my favorite supplements is collagen, which is rich in amino acids that quite literally, “seal the leaks” or perforations in your gut by repairing damaged cells and building new tissue.

You can find all four of the gut-repairing supplements listed above (with a 10% discount!) in my Leaky Gut Breakthrough® Kit. You’ll know your gut is healed once your digestive troubles, food sensitivities, and skin issues begin to fade away, your autoimmune labs improve, and you start feeling like your optimal self!

The post 2 Foods You Should Never Eat and Why appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

5 Migraine Triggers Plus 3 Tips for Natural Relief

I’ve got some good news for the estimated 36 million people in the U.S. who experience migraines. After working with patients for the last decade and seeing many with migraines, I have identified five common triggers and three easy, natural ways to overcome them.

If you’ve ever experienced a migraine, you know it’s MUCH different from a regular headache. Left untreated, a migraine can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours. Unlike a typical headache, migraines can be so severe that they interfere with your everyday activities. The pain can be so intense that it keeps you in bed, unable to function. Migraines can make you nauseous and very sensitive to sound and light, and can even cause disturbances in the nervous system known as auras. Symptoms of auras include flashes of light, blurred, wavy vision, auditory hallucinations, pins and needles, weakness, and difficulty speaking.1

The onset of migraine headaches can occur anywhere between 10 and 40 years old.2 The frequency of these headaches vary from person to person, however most people who get migraines suffer from them on a regular basis—usually a few times a month. Women are about three times more likely than men to experience migraines, and that number is rising.3 Researchers suspect the increased prevalence of migraines could be related to our toxic environment, higher stress levels, sedentary lifestyles, and other chronic illnesses that are also on the rise including depression and anxiety, high blood pressure, and autoimmune disease.4,5

Symptoms of Migraines

Throbbing, pulsing pain usually on one side of the head or behind one eye
Dizziness
Nausea and vomiting
Sensitivity to light, noise, touch, and certain smells
Blurred vision
Auras6

The Migraine-Autoimmune Connection

Although typically classified as a nervous system disorder, new research suggests that migraines may have an autoimmune component. Rates of autoimmunity are higher in people who regularly suffer from migraines. For example, migraines tend to be more common in patients with systemic lupus or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).7,8 One reason for this may be due to inflammation.

Inflammation is at the root of nearly every chronic illness, and the more inflammation you have, the further along you are on the autoimmune spectrum. At the same time, patients with a migraine diagnosis tend to have higher levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation. When the blood vessels in your brain become inflamed—whether from stress, hormonal imbalances, environmental toxins, etc.—white blood cells flood the area to ”fight off” the danger, just as they would respond to a scrape or a virus. This can cause swelling that leads to the painful symptoms associated with migraines.

As with autoimmune conditions, migraines also have a genetic component. If one of your parents experienced migraines, you have a 50% chance of inheriting them. If both your parents had them, your chance rises to 75%.9 However, just because you inherit the gene does not mean you will necessarily develop an autoimmune condition or migraines. There are common triggers that can turn these genes “on” and increase your risk. Thankfully, this also means there is A LOT you can do to prevent migraines using simple changes to your diet and lifestyle!

The 5 Common Migraine Triggers
1. Stress

Stress is not purely psychological—it’s an actual inflammatory response. When faced with a stressful situation, your body releases cortisol and other fight-or-flight hormones. Your immune system revs up in response, ready to fight off any danger. Our modern lifestyle, full of chronic stressors, creates an inflammatory state that never lets your immune system cool down after the perceived threat has passed. Migraines can be triggered by stress-induced inflammation, either physical or emotional, which is why it’s crucial to find ways to relieve your stress on an everyday basis. Meditation, deep breathing, or even a short walk outside are all great strategies for managing stress. Find a technique that works for you and use it regularly.

2. Hormone Fluctuations

One explanation for why women are more susceptible to migraines is hormone imbalances. An underactive thyroid, which controls the body’s metabolic rate, can lead to fluctuating hormones (estrogen in particular), which can trigger migraines. This may be why women going through menopause or perimenopause may experience an increase in migraine attacks.10 This connection could be caused in part by the effect estrogen has on serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates pain and mood.11 Estrogen increases serotonin levels, so a significant drop in estrogen can lead to painful migraines, as well as depression and anxiety, which can exacerbate the severity of migraine headaches.12

3. Foods, Drinks, and Additives

Certain foods are known to trigger migraine headaches in some people. These foods include chemical additives such as aspartame, nitrates and nitrites, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).13 In fact, the FDA received so many reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG that these reactions (characterized by headaches, nausea, and facial pressure) were termed “MSG symptom complex”. Avoid these as much as possible, whether you have migraines or not!

Aged cheeses, red wine, cured meats, and other high-histamine foods are also likely to cause migraines, especially in those who have histamine intolerance. Histamine is a neurotransmitter that causes your blood vessels to swell, or dilate. This action notifies your immune system of potential dangers. People with histamine intolerance don’t break down histamines properly, and the buildup from high-histamine foods can cause blood vessel swelling that leads to migraines, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, facial redness, and a host of other symptoms. Skipping these common food triggers can go a long way to reducing the recurrence and severity of migraine headaches. Instead, load up your plate with these 7 foods that fight inflammation.

4. Dehydration

As simple as it sounds, dehydration could be behind your migraine headaches. When you are dehydrated, the fluid balance of your body is disrupted and your brain can actually shrink and pull away from your skull.14 Dehydration can be caused by excessive sweating during strenuous exercise, or simply from not drinking enough water throughout the day. Even being mildly dehydrated can lead to a migraine headache. The good news is that migraines caused by dehydration are easily prevented. Drink plenty of water (aim for at least 8 glasses at intervals during the day) and increase that amount when you exercise or during hot weather.

5. Sleep Disturbances

A whopping half of all migraines occur between 4am and 9am.15 People who suffer from migraines also tend to experience sleep disturbances including insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea.16 Impaired sleep can cause disruptions in hormone secretion and other bodily functions such as blood pressure regulation, which affects the blood vessels in your brain.17 Regulating your circadian rhythm and developing healthy sleep hygiene habits could help you overcome recurrent migraines, especially if you tend to wake up with a migraine.

Finding Relief Naturally

For a quick fix, many people rely on NSAIDs such as Advil, Motrin, and Excedrin to treat their migraines. However, these medications come with their own risks. NSAIDs can disrupt your gut flora and cause leaky gut, which can leave you even more susceptible to autoimmune issues.18 They have also been shown to cause intestinal bleeding, even at very low doses.19

Fortunately, you don’t have to sacrifice your gut health to find relief from migraines. Natural lifestyle solutions such as avoiding common food triggers, managing stress, supporting your sleep, and staying hydrated are all simple measures you can take to help prevent migraines from striking in the first place. Furthermore, I recommend adding the following supplements to your regimen:

1. Curcumin

Consider a daily dose of curcumin! Curcumin, the active compound of turmeric, supports a healthy inflammatory response and optimal blood pressure. It also fights oxidative stress. All of these benefits can help in preventing and relieving pain from migraines.20 What’s more, there are no known negative side effects to taking curcumin.

2. Omega 3s

The most powerful Omega 3s for supporting the immune system and keeping inflammation in check are the ones found in fish oil: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fish oil offers benefits for migraines as well as a number of autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, and lupus.21

3. Magnesium

Prioritizing quality sleep and stress relief can help reduce your risk of migraines. One of my favorite supplements for supporting a relaxed mood and restorative sleep is magnesium. Magnesium promotes optimal blood vessel dilation. Proper blood flow is critical for optimal brain health, including the processes that produce the visual and sensory disturbances characteristic of auras. Blood flow also affect the chemicals in the brain that cause you to feel pain, including Substance P and glutamate (as in monosodium glutamate).22

Migraines can be a disruptive, extremely frustrating condition. However, your genes are not your destiny! You can significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines by minimizing or avoiding the five triggers completely. Plus, adding a few natural supplements to support wellbeing and an optimal inflammatory response, can give you even more tools to take back your health and improve your life.

The post 5 Migraine Triggers Plus 3 Tips for Natural Relief appeared first on Amy Myers MD.

Tropical Yogurt

If you love mixing flavors into your coconut milk yogurt to freshen up your non-dairy routine, this Tropical Yogurt will have you looking forward to breakfast or your mid-day snack. With mango and Liposomal Curcumin, this recipe has a zesty kick with a ton of great benefits!

Liquid Liposomal Curcumin helps your body’s inflammatory response, fights free radicals, and supports your immune function, gut lining, intestinal health and liver function. It also promotes optimal detox pathways. You can do all of that by adding just a teaspoon to your diet every day. My Liposomal Curcumin has a delicious citrus flavor that adds so much depth to this non-dairy yogurt. I just can’t get enough of it.

On top of all the benefits of Liposomal Curcumin, I made this breakfast even better for your gut with coconut-milk yogurt. This dairy-free alternative is a great way to support your digestive system by avoiding the inflammatory effects of milk-based yogurts. Additionally, the healthy fats will help you stay full and satisfied until your next meal.

Try my vibrant and delicious Tropical Yogurt. It is going to be your new favorite!

Tropical Yogurt






Protocol

Autoimmune Solution (AIP), Elimination Diet, Paleo, Thyroid Connection




Servings

1

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk yogurt1/4 cup fresh mango plus addition chopped mango for garnish 1 tsp Liposomal Curcumin filtered water as needed

Servings:

Units:
MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

In blender, puree mango. Add water until thinned just enough to blend together. Stir mango puree into coconut yogurt with curcumin. Top with additional mango chunks if desired.

The post Tropical Yogurt appeared first on Amy Myers MD.