Ever wonder why you want to eat all the time? I know I have. Well, part of the reason has to do with Leptin, a hormone primarily secreted by adipose (fat) tissue. This hormone tells has when we're satisfied and have eaten enough. We've all heard of insulin resistance. Well there's also Leptin resistance. You may have an excess of Leptin floating around but it has to get into the cells. That's where the challenge is.

Melatonin has been shown to help regulate Leptin and you get the added benefit of a good night's sleep. Three other nutrients that helps regulate Leptin are the amino acid, L-Carnitine, CLA and Omega 3s. We sell all of these at the Gem Clinic from pharmaceutical grade nutrient suppliers. Come see us!

Soy is certainly not as healthy as has been promoted. Originally soy wasn’t intended for human consumption – it was used in crop rotations in Asia for its nitrogen-fixing properties. Soy is incredibly difficult to digest because it has powerful enzyme inhibitors that essentially prevent its own digestion. It is really only fully digestible when it has been fermented, a process that neutralizes these enzymes. Thus it is a healthy food only when eaten in traditional, fermented forms such as miso, tempeh, and the Japanese dish natto. Unfortunately, this isn’t how we’re eating most of our soy.
The trouble with soy in the North American diet is that it’s all-pervasive. Soy derivatives (soybean oil, soy protein isolates, soy isoflavones, and soy lecithin are just some examples) are in all sorts of processed foods: in meats (yes, meats – as a filler), salad dressings, low-carb versions of high-carb foods, cereals, and many other processed foods. And of course there’s the abundance of soy products positioned as alternatives to animal products.

Unfortunately, soy is packed full of anti-nutrients, the enzyme inhibitors I mention above are just one example. Soy also contains oxalates and phytates, two compounds that block the body’s ability to absorb vital minerals such as calcium, zinc and iron, and isoflavones, or “phytoestrogens,” estrogen-mimicking plant hormones that affect reproductive system in both men (lowering testosterone) and women. An interesting anecdote is that soy was fed in large quantities to monks in monasteries in part because of its libido-reducing effects.

To top it all off, soy is also one of the top eight food allergies, and has goitrogens, which have been shown to damage the thyroid.

The story of soy in our diet is actually a fascinating one, and if you’d like to read more, The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN is an excellent read.
 

Sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon and dip into almond butter. Go easy on the almond butter. A little goes a long way. The advantage of the almond butter is enough protein and fat to slow down the absorption of the apple's fructose in your blood stream. What this means for you is sustained energy and no post sugar crash.

Be sure to use an almond butter without hydrogenated fats. You'll know by reading the label. If it says partially hydrogenated, it has trans fats. Another way to tell is if the oil isn't floating on the top. The purpose of hydrogenation is to keep oils from turning rancid thereby increasing shelf life. Good for the store--not good for you!