Natural Ways to Get Better Sleep (Even If You’re a Mom!)

It is common sense that we all need adequate sleep. Yet, statistics show again and again that we just aren’t getting it. For some (including me) the idea of ever getting a solid night of uninterrupted sleep again may sound wonderful, but unrealistic. My excuse is the constant presence of a child under 18 months in my house but for many others it is insomnia, sleep disturbances, or simply not enough time.

I get it…it is hard to get decent sleep as a mom. A perfect 8 hours of blissful sleep may not work out with really little ones… but there are some things we can do, even as moms, to get better sleep.

Sleep Matters… More Than Diet or Exercise!

 

Sleep is a hormone dependent process, and with all the variables in our lives that can affect proper hormone balance (foods, toxins, artificial light, etc) it makes sense that many people struggle with sleep. This is also why times when hormones change often have a negative effect on sleep (menopause, puberty, pregnancy, etc)

While mainstream thinking might recommend a pharmaceutical option to help deal with sleep issues, artificially augmenting the hormone system to induce sleep isn’t without its problems (just check out the side-effects and warnings list!) and can have an impact on other hormone functions as well.

Often, lack of quality sleep stems from one or more lifestyle causes, and it is important to address these underlying issues as they can impact more than just sleep.

The Problem

Lack of sleep = Stress on the body = weight gain, premature aging, hair loss, hormone imbalances, infertility, and lowered immune function.

Hormone problems that cause sleep disturbances don’t just begin at bedtime, and they can’t be fixed by just addressing them at this time. Ever noticed that animals don’t have trouble sleeping and waking when they are supposed to? They don’t toss and turn to fall asleep and they don’t need pills to help them do so (speaking about outdoor animals… I don’t have any, but indoor animals could potentially have some of the same struggles that humans do).

Proper sleep hormone production (melatonin) depends on proper hormone function during waking hours (serotonin and others). As the endocrine system is a complete system, hormone imbalances (PCOS, Endometriosis, etc) can often lead to poor sleep and vice versa.

Stress hormones can have a tremendous impact on the sleep cycle as well, and it is a two-way street. Lack of sleep elevates stress hormones, and stress hormones can cause sleep problems.

What Happens When You Don’t Sleep?

Sleep is important for optimal health in so many ways. In fact, sleep is the one similarity across the animal kingdom. The amount of sleep needed varies greatly by species, but all animals (humans included) need sleep. Lab rats started dying after only a few days of being kept awake.

Sleep is important for almost every aspect of health:

• Physical Health: The body repairs tissue, including heart and blood vessels during sleep. Long term poor sleep is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
• Obesity: Lack of sleep alone can also make you fat. One study found with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up.
• Hormone Health: Sleep helps maintain the balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested.
• Insulin: Sleep impacts how your body handles insulin, the hormone that controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which can lead to many serious problems.
• Growth & Fertility: Deep sleep triggers the hormone cascade responsible for growth in children and teens. Do you kids tend to get growing pains at night? This could be why! This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens, and adults.
• Learning & Memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.

Understanding Sleep Cycles

Of course, not all sleep is created equal. There are several stages of sleep that the body cycles through during the night:

1. N1-This is the stage when you feel half asleep and still have some awareness of your surroundings. This is also the stage where you involuntarily jerk or kick.
2. N2-Slightly deeper stage of sleep. You actually spend about half of your sleeping hours in this stage.
3. N3– Deep slow sleep where your core temperature has dropped and your melatonin production is going strong. N3 cycles you into the most “productive” of the sleep cycles…
4. REM– Rapid Eye Movement sleep is when most dreaming occurs. In REM, muscles completely relax and the mind and body regenerate at an amazing rate. Only about a quarter of your daily sleep is in REM but it is vitally important.

Research shows that the best sleep happens on a consistent schedule. This is because your circadian rhythm remains constant and your hormone production is optimal. The most beneficial hours of sleep are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., though most adults miss about half of this.

Start By Optimizing Sleep While You Are Awake

To optimize sleep during the night, one must also optimize factors during waking hours including food, supplements and exposure to light/outdoors.

Getting a quality night of sleep actually begins when you wake at the beginning of the day and there are many factors that can have a dramatic impact on sleep length and quality.

Foods to Improve Sleep Naturally

Just as foods can impact health in other areas, foods can contribute to good or bad sleep. To help improve your chances of quality sleep, these are the best foods to consume:

• Healthy Fats– such as coconut oil, organic and pasture raised meats, eggs, avocado and butter all help provide your body with the necessary building blocks to manufacture sleep hormones.
• High Antioxidant Foods– Also important for hormone production and removal of toxins that can impede sleep. Focus on vegetables, high nutrient fruits, and herbal or green teas (green tea early in the day only).
• Quality Proteins, especially at dinner: For best sleep, it is better to stop eating at least 4 hours before bedtime, and preferably by 6pm every night. Your evening meal should include proteins, vegetables and healthy fats. Eating enough protein at this meal will help prepare the body to enter the sleep cycle.

Avoid:

• Sugars: Sugars and carbohydrates, especially at night, can cause a blood sugar spike and crash that will lead to difficulty falling or staying asleep. Many people crave carbohydrates (chocolate, anyone?) in the evening, which is a sign of an underlying hormone problem to begin with but eating carbohydrates late at night can cause problems falling asleep or lead to waking in the middle of the night when blood sugar levels drop.
• Grains– I’ve written before about the negative effect grains can have on health, and if you have an intolerance to grains, this can cause physical stress in your body, which alters the hormone cycle and can impede sleep.
• Vegetable Oils– No one should ever eat them anyway, but I have a theory that just as these artificial fats can cause problems in new skin formation (skin cancer) they can cause problems in the hormone cycle, as hormones need (saturated) fats for production and giving the body the wrong building blocks for hormones can wreak havoc with hormone production.

Supplements to Improve Sleep Naturally

Sadly, it is often difficult to get enough nutrients from foods as our soil is depleted and foods are picked before ripe so they can be shipped around the world. Especially if you struggle from a health challenge or sleep problem, it is often helpful to supplement some key nutrients, at least in the short term, as you build your body back up.

• Quality Omega-3s- I’ve found that taking a quality Omega-3 (this is the one I take) at lunch time seems to improve my sleep, especially over time.
• Magnesium– Many people are deficient in Magnesium and this particular deficiency can have a big impact on sleep quality. Some people find that just adding a product like Natural Calm about 30 minutes before bedtime can really improve sleep.
• Gelatin– Many of us eat a disproportionate amount of animal muscle meat compared to bone broths, organ meats and marrow. If you aren’t a fan of consuming liver daily, drinking natural gelatin (from grassfed sources) can help balance your intake. Consumption of only muscle meats, which are higher in stress hormones, can cause problems in the sleep cycle. Personally, I often drink a cup of chamomile or herbal tea with a tablespoon of gelatin dissolved in it each night a couple hours before bed.
• If you have a solid diet and are already taking the things above, specific sleep related herbs might help your fall asleep. Try my sleep tincture, or some chamomile or catnip to help with relaxation.

A Daily Routine for Better Sleep

A daily (and nightly) routine can make a big difference in how easily you fall and stay asleep. You’ll have to experiment to find out what works best for you but here are some helpful suggestions:

• Wake up and go to bed at the same time, even on weekends to keep your hormone cycle regular.
• Eat a high protein/high fat snack a few hours before bed (7pm or earlier) or consume a lot at dinner.
• Avoid caffeine after 1 pm.
• Install F.lux  (it is free) on all computers and devices to reduce blue light and help you sleep better (it is also easier on the eyes!)
• Drink enough water during the day and stop drinking about 2 hours before bed so you don’t have to wake up to use the bathroom.
• Take a soothing salt bath about an hour before bed with some relaxing music or a great book.
• Dry Brush a few hours before bed– Dry brushing is supposed to help with cellulite but I noticed that the gentle lymphatic movement also helped my sleep. I used these brushes to gently brush my skin according to the instructions.
• Get at least 30 minutes of sunlight each day (even if you aren’t trying to get your vitamin D). The exposure to the wide-spectrum light during the day boosts serotonin levels, which will help improve melatonin levels at night
• Avoid artificial light as much as possible after the sun goes down.
• Pray, meditate or find a way to reduce stress.
• Give yourself a massage before bed to release stress and help relax (Personally, I love this for home-massage)
• Stretch before bed to relax muscles.

Improving Your Sleep Environment

Your sleep environment is also extremely important for sleep quality. Artificial light, warm temperatures, sudden noises, and EMFs can all effect sleep quality, but these things are almost always fixable. Again, you’ll have to experiment to figure out what works best for you, but in general, here are some tips:

• Remove ALL artificial light, including the light on your alarm clock, TV light, phone, etc. I use blackout curtains because we have artificial light outside, and cover my clock light with a towel. Our kids don’t have night lights, and they typically sleep very well.
• Keep the temperature around 65-68 degrees and always below 70 degrees.
• Try some white noise like sounds of rain, ocean or our kids’ favorite, Gregorian Chant (though if any of them ever decide to become a cloistered religious, they will have trouble… chant always puts them to sleep!)
• Trade out your jolting buzzing alarm clock for a gentle sunlight alarm clock that will wake you up much more gently. I don’t know about you, but my dread of the sound of the alarm clock sound always caused me to wake up a few times in the early morning in anticipation of it
• Try an earthing sheet. I am still experimenting with this one, but there is some evidence that sleeping on a grounding mat reduces your exposure to EMFs and improves sleep quality. While I have noticed a big difference on myself, I don’t know how much is mental, so I’m experimenting with having the kids sleep on it without them knowing what it does. The book Earthing explains more of the theory behind this method and I’m working on finding a good source of the mats. According to the book, you can also create the same effect by spending time barefoot outside on dirt, grass or rocks daily for at least 30 minutes (If you garden barefoot in the middle of the day, you’ll get three benefits in one! Exercise, Vitamin D and the negative electrons from the earth)

Just Sleep!

I implore you… please make time to get enough sleep. It is tremendously important for your health and it doesn’t cost anything!

If you can’t afford supplements or organic food or don’t have time to workout, at least make sleep a priority!

I understand how tough it can be, especially with kids when those precious hours at night are sometimes the only time a couple gets alone, but in the long run, the extra hours of sleep will equal happier, more patient parents and hopefully many more years of time together.

I also know how tough it can be to sleep with nursing babies, and my personal solution is to have baby in our room/bed so I don’t have to completely wake up to nurse. There is also some evidence that there are protective hormones for mom and baby that allow mom to wake to nurse baby without ill effect to her sleep patterns.

Do you have trouble sleeping? What is your sleep routine like? Any good tips? Share below!

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Shattering Six Common Pregnancy and Childbirth Fears

Note from Katie: My good friend Genevieve Howland, aka Mama Natural, has one of the top resources for natural pregnancy. She just released her beautiful new book, The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth and is sharing from some of her research today. Enter Genevieve:

Psssst. I want to let you in on a little secret.

If you’re feeling a little, well, freaked out about all the weird or scary things that might happen during birth, you’re not alone.

I remember spending tons of time researching and reading and attempting to empower myself before going into labor with my son, and still having a major case of the jitters. There were just so many unknowns; I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be ready.

Of course, it didn’t really matter if I was ready, because that baby was gonna come out, one way or another. And if you’re pregnant, so will yours. So today we’re gonna bust some myths and shatter some fears around childbirth.

In no particular order, here are the answers to those questions you’ve just been too afraid (or embarrassed) to ask.

Fear #1: Pooping in the Delivery Room

That’s right, I said it. And yes—horror of horrors—some women poop while giving birth, right there in the birthing tub or on the hospital gurney. And while that probably ranks way up there on your list of “most embarrassing things that could ever happen, ever,” it really shouldn’t be all that surprising.

The same muscles used to push out a baby, after all, are involved in emptying your bowels.

Back in the day, women were routinely given enemas in the earliest stage of labor to prevent this from happening, but the practice has largely fallen out of favor. Why?

Enemas Debunked

Because it turns out that enemas provide exactly zero benefits to women in childbirth. Despite earlier reasoning, they:

• do not reduce the length of labor (as was previously thought),
• do not lower the risk of infection (from fecal matter contamination, that is—they may actually increase the risk, due to, ahem, anal leakage),
• can be really uncomfortable.

An enema is probably the last thing you’d want at 40 weeks, in fact.

So What’s a Mama to do About the Doo Doo…

First, know that while pooping during delivery is totally possible, it probably won’t happen. The prostaglandins your body releases to help the cervix efface and the uterus contract also have a cramping effect on the bowels. (In the twenty-four hours before I went into labor with my son, I must have gone to the bathroom no fewer than twelve times—by the time I was ready to push, my bowels were pretty much empty.)

But if you do end up doing the ‘doo, you probably won’t even realize it. Nurses and midwives have plenty of experience quickly and discretely cleaning up any accidents, so as not to distract you from the real work at hand. Seriously, these ladies have seen everything—they just wipe it up and keep it moving.

I can tell you, too, that once you’re in active labor, you won’t give a poop about anything other than getting your baby out.

Whatever you do, don’t hold back during the pushing phase out of fear that you’ll poop in the delivery room. You’ll risk lengthening your labor, increasing the pain, and upping your need for interventions.

Fear #2: What If We Don’t Make It to the Birth Center in Time?

Every woman who’s not planning a home birth has thought about it: What if I end up giving birth in the parking lot? Or worse—in the car?!

The thought certainly crossed my mind, and the second time around my fears were almost realized: As we were driving to the birth center on the day of my daughter’s birth, I very nearly instructed my husband to pull over so I could deliver our little bundle right there in the Volkswagen. Fortunately, we arrived just in time—I was “complete and +2” in case you’re wondering—and very nearly delivered my baby on the gurney.

Despite these totally normal, entirely understandable fears, it is extremely rare that a first-timer will wait too long to head to the hospital. In fact, it’s much more likely that you’ll arrive too early.

Still, if you want to get educated, here are step by step instructions on how to give birth in a car, written by a registered nurse on our team. The post includes interviews with mamas who gave birth in cars, plus several car birth videos.

Fear #3: What If My Baby Is Breech?

So you’ve tried moxibustion acupuncture and visited a Webster-certified chiropractor. You’ve had an external cephalic version. You’ve spent the last nine months balancing atop a birthing ball. But now your due date is merely days away, and your baby is still positioned butt-first. What to do?

Well, you’ve got a few options.

Option A is to accept the situation for what it is, grieve if necessary, and deliver via gentle Cesarean.

Option B is to find a provider who’s got some experience attending vaginal breech births. Breech is really just another variation of normal and delivering babies in this position has become a lost art.

Katie is very well versed on this topic and you can learn more about her:

• Breech water birth
• and her breech VBAC

According to the American Pregnancy Association, you should meet the following criteria in order to safely attempt a vaginal breech delivery:

• You’re at least 37 weeks along.
• Baby is in the frank breech presentation. (Some providers may green-light a complete breech baby for a vaginal delivery, too, as this is the next most favorable position.)
• Baby shows no signs of distress when his heart rate is closely monitored.
• Baby is not too big to pass safely through the birth canal. (Generally speaking, baby should be no bigger than 4,000 grams, or 8 pounds, 13 ounces.)
• Anesthesia is readily available and a Cesarean delivery possible on short notice.
• Labor is spontaneous and progresses steadily.

If you choose to move forward with a vaginal delivery attempt, know that your odds will improve significantly if you’ve got a skilled provider who takes a “hands-off” approach. Mamas who’ve had one previous vaginal delivery may have a higher chance of success than first-timers.

Fear #4: What If I Have “Back Labor”?

Ouch! So, what exactly is back labor? Well, it’s pretty much self-explanatory: it’s when the full force of labor seems to concentrate in the lower back, directly above the sacrum.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, it’s often accompanied by:

• Irregular contractions
• A labor that’s slow to progress, and
• A prolonged pushing stage.

In other words, exactly like my first childbirth!

The most common cause of back labor is the position of the baby. More specifically, the “occiput posterior” position causes the hardest part of baby’s skull to put pressure squarely on mama’s tailbone.

I’m not going to lie to you: this does not feel good. It’s not unbearable, it’s just really, really uncomfortable.

Managing Back Labor

So how do you fix it?

First things first. If you think you’re experiencing back labor, get up and get moving. Lying on your back only encourages baby’s full weight to rest on your spine. (If you must lie down, try lying on your side.)

To encourage baby to move into a more favorable position, try:

• Walking around
• Squatting
• Lunging, or
• Dropping down onto your hands and knees and doing some pelvic rocks

As for pain relief, counter pressure works wonders. Have your partner, doula, or labor support person use a ball type massager or apply pressure to the points located on either side of your spine. Or try leaning forward in the shower and directing the flow of hot water directly onto your back.

You can also soothe your back muscles by using a heated rice sock. (Basically, this is just a DIY hot water bottle: pour some uncooked rice into a tube sock, tie a knot at the top, and heat to the desired temperature in a microwave.)

Fear #5: What If My Labor Stalls?

A lot of “stalled labor” has to do with the outdated guidelines used to determine how quickly a “normal” labor should proceed.

Thankfully, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new guidelines in 2014, redefining the start of active labor as dilation to 6 centimeters (rather than 4) and urging doctors to allow women to labor longer, so long as the baby is not in distress.

According to the new standards, first-time mamas should also be allowed to push for at least three hours, longer if they’ve had an epidural. These changes, however, take time to implement. Your doctor may still adhere to the old standards.

How Can You Lessen Your Chance for an Unnecessary Cesarean?

First, remember that it’s imperative to stay home as long as is safely possible. (This is where doulas can be such a help!)

The less time you spend on the hospital’s clock, the less you’ll be pressured to give birth within some arbitrary time frame.

Once you are admitted, you’ll want to create as calming and relaxing an environment as possible…

• Turn the lights down
• Listen to soothing music
• Diffuse your favorite essential oil
• Practice your childbirth affirmations
• Drown out the distractions around you

All these activities can help create a sense of safety, which can reduce your output of labor-stalling stress hormones.

If at some point, your labor does stop progressing, turn to natural remedies to augment your contractions, nipple stimulation and homeopathic remedies are a good place to start.

Fear #6: What If My Vagina Tears?!

I’m not sure if there’s anything that sounds worse than having a “tear” in your vagina— it just makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it?

But there’s no getting around it: during birth, the vagina and the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus) have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and sometimes that delicate skin just can’t stretch quite fast enough.

Anywhere from 40 percent to 85 percent of women delivering vaginally will experience some level of tearing, according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

However, the severity of the tear can vary widely. In fact, there are four distinct types:

• First degree: A first-degree tear is the least severe, involving only the skin, and will require minimal stitches to repair, if any. It should heal completely within a week or two.
• Second degree: Second-degree tears are a little more serious, in that they involve the skin and the muscle underneath the skin. They typically require a few stitches to close, and heal within two to three weeks.
• Third degree: A third-degree tear involves the skin, the perineal muscle, and the muscle that surrounds the anus (the anal sphincter).
• Fourth degree: By far the most serious, fourth-degree tears include the skin, the perineal muscle, the anal sphincter, and the tissue that lines the rectum.

Here’s the Good News

Third- or fourth-degree tears are uncommon, occurring in just 2 to 4 percent of vaginal births.

Want to Lower Your Risk of Tearing?

I wish I could give you a foolproof solution (with a 100 percent money-back guarantee)—but there isn’t one.

But, Perineal massage can help, as can opting for a natural childbirth (Pitocin and epidurals are both associated with a higher risk of tears).

But Let me Get Real With You

Tearing was my second biggest fear walking into my first birth, right behind having a C-section. And guess what? I ended up with a second-degree laceration.

I didn’t feel it one bit, and it healed up in a snap. In fact, my midwife explained her love and appreciation for the bounce-back-ability of the vagina like this: “Slap it together, put some stitches in it, and it’s good as new.”

Yes, she really did say that.

And, yes, I found her words to be true.

Want to Help Change the Birth Culture in our Country?

It starts by getting informed. I’ve just published the first week-by-week pregnancy guide from a natural perspective. Featuring insights from a certified nurse midwife (who happened to deliver both of my children), as well as a registered nurse and doula, the book is packed with helpful info on:

• Natural remedies for common pregnancy symptoms
• When to get an ultrasound (and when not to)
• Sex during pregnancy
• The truth about epidurals
• How to naturalize a surgical birth
• Natural pain relief during labor
• What to do during every stage of labor
• How to recover naturally
• And so much more

This book is evidence-based, empowering and entertaining. (No boring text books over here!)

If pregnancy is in your future, or if you know someone who is pregnant, please consider picking up a copy.

Support and Help for Mamas

While some mamas do get the birth of their dreams, I know firsthand that it doesn’t always work out that
way. But if we come from an informed place, we can feel good about the experience no matter what.

I hope every mama out there gets the support and resources she needs to have an empowered and grace-filled birth.

About Genevieve: Genevieve Howland, aka Mama Natural, has a wonderful free pregnancy week-by-week series from a natural perspective. I loved her pregnancy materials so much that I signed up for her amazing online birth classes with my last pregnancy. Genevieve is helping to change the culture of childbirth in our country and is taking her mission to the next level with a beautiful new book that is out this week, The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth.

What pregnancy or childbirth fears do you have? Is this info helpful? Share below!

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77: Minimalism with a Family to Decrease Stress and Clutter with Joshua Becker

Minimalism is all the rage these days and today I’m talking to Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist. His mission is to “own less and live more,” and inspire others to do the same.

What Minimalism Adds to Life

For Joshua, the story began years ago as he was cleaning out his garage. His young son was playing outside in the backyard, and had asked him to come play. He struck up a conversation with the neighbor has he cleaned and his neighbor made a comment that maybe he didn’t need to have all of that stuff to begin with.

That offhand comment marked a turning point in his life and minimalism began that day for Joshua and his family.

They began the process of reducing their possessions and only keeping the things that added value to their lives. After donating the majority of their things, they found so much time and freedom that Joshua started his blog to share the message with others.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to get started with reducing possessions without getting overwhelmed
• The first step for someone wanting to live more minimally
• The many things you gain when you start living with less
• How to navigate families and holidays when everyone wants to give your kids stuff

Resources We Mention

• Article: The 10 Most Important Things to Simplify in Your Life
• 10 Reasons to Escape Excessive Consumerism
• 15 Clutter Busting Routines For Any Family
• Book:The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

Special Thanks to Today’s Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley. This company makes one of my favorite on-the-go snacks to give to my kids. Paleovalley beef sticks are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef naturally fermented the old school way. In fact each beef stick contains a billion CFUs of probiotics plus high levels of omega-3s. Go to paleovalley.com/wellnessmama and use the discount code WELLNESSMAMA10 to get 10% off. Or, get up to 40% off when you purchase in bulk, which is how I order.

Paleovalley cows are never given antibiotics, hormones, or grains and their products are gut-friendly, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free (wow!). So, again, check it out paleovalley.com/wellnessmama, with the code WELLNESSMAMA10 to get the discount.

This episode is also brought to you by StudioPress Sites. This platform makes setting up and running a blog super easy, and I wish I had it when I started! Basically it’s an all-in-one solution all for one monthly price, without all the headaches that come with trying to learn it all yourself. It includes hosting, themes, plugins, and much more. Even if you have already started blogging, this tool may save you time and money and be an upgrade from what you currently have. So check it out at wellnessmama.com/studiopress.

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How to Make Better Coffee With Non-Toxic Coffee Makers

Excluding water, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world according to some sources, and it is the second-most traded commodity. Though the health benefits of coffee can be debated, it is undeniable that people around the world are consuming it in large amounts every day (myself included!).

According to legend, the stimulating properties of coffee were first discovered by Ethiopian shepherds who noticed that their goats had extra energy after eating coffee berries. Coffee has a history as rich as many of the sugared coffee drinks popular today and is used in various ways around the world:

• The French philosopher Voltaire was said to have consumed up to 50 cups of coffee a day (the lethal dose is 100 cups/day)!
• Teddy Roosevelt was rumored to have drank 16 cups per day.
• The Italian government regulates espresso because it is considered an essential part of daily life (similar to how carbohydrates and proteins are listed and regulated on food packaging here). Baristas are also highly respected in Italy.
• Bach wrote an opera about a woman who drank too much coffee.
• The word “cappuccino” comes from the similarity of the drink in color to the robes worn by Capuchin monks.
• The King banned coffee houses in England in the 1600s because he thought people were conspiring against him in coffee houses.
• Before coffee gained popularity, beer was the breakfast drink of choice in the US.
• The world’s most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak, costs $600 per pound and is literally coffee beans eaten and excreted by a Asian Palm Civet (a large cat).
• Money may not grow on trees, but coffee does. The coffee “bean” is actually the roasted seed of a bright red berry (making it a fruit).

The world consumes over 2 BILLION cups of coffee a day. This means that the way we choose to drink coffee can have a big impact on our health and on the environment. Timing can make a difference for health too. The optimal time to consume coffee for cortisol patterns is between 9:30 and 11:30 am. Choosing a healthy coffee maker can also have a dramatic impact.

The Problem with (Some) Coffee Makers

Even if you choose organic and fair trade coffee to avoid the pesticides, some unsavory substances may end up in your brew from other sources.

Ditch the Pods!

Unfortunately, some modern methods of consuming coffee carry their own set of risks. The popular coffee pods (or k-cups) for instance, have become an increasing burden for the environment. Over 10 billion of them ended up in landfills last year alone! Endocrine disrupting plastic chemicals from the pods can end up in the finished coffee, and these plastics have been linked to various health problems.

Mold in Your Coffee!?

Even regular coffee makers (and coffee pod machines) contain plastics that come in contact with hot liquid and can leach plastic chemicals into the finished coffee. Additionally, the perpetually dark and warm environment in the tubes of these machines can’t be completely dried and are the perfect environment for mold, mildew, and even biofilms to grow.

Half of all coffee mugs tested contained mold spores, potentially from the tubing inside coffee makers, and the hot water and acidity of coffee is not enough to kill this mold.

Safer Non-Toxic Coffee Makers (That Make Better Coffee too!)

Though modern drip coffee makers are certainly a convenient way to make coffee, there are other options that are much healthier and that (in my opinion) produce a much better cup of coffee. These are some of my favorite non-toxic coffee makers:

French Press

There are some great French Press options and these allow you to have control over the temperature and intensity of your coffee. The water must be pre-heated using another method, but French Press coffee makers don’t require any electricity or heat. They don’t keep coffee warm like a drip coffee pot would but are a great option for making a couple of cups of high-quality coffee. As an added bonus, it can also be used to make tea.

Traditional French Press coffee makers (like this one) are typically glass with a stainless steel interior filter, but there is now also a completely stainless steel French Press machine that won’t crack or break like some of the glass options.

Pour Over

As the name suggests, this method of brewing involves pouring hot water over coffee grounds and letting gravity do the work. Unlike the French Press, there isn’t a way to push down the coffee to speed up the process and the pour over method does take a little longer. This method is used in some high-end coffee shops and I find that the extra time and effort are worth it for the quality of the coffee.

Popular pour-over brewing options include:

• The Chemex– an all-glass system that has won awards for its design and is even on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It does require filters and I personally like either the unbleached disposable filters or a stainless steel reusable filter.
• Cone Coffee Drippers– Slightly less expensive, simple cone filters (like this stainless Brewologist or this ceramic Hario) also use the pour-over method and are typically used to make one cup at a time.

Old-Fashioned Percolator

What’s old is certainly new again, and old-fashioned percolator coffee makers are a great alternative to drip coffee pots. Many of us may remember these iconic machines but they have lost popularity (largely due to modern drip coffee pots and more recent coffee pod brewers). The benefit of these is that they are electric, don’t require any additional equipment or filters and can be plugged in much like a drip machine. They also keep coffee warm like a coffee pot, so they are a good option for anyone who likes having a pot of warm coffee ready for longer than a few minutes.

Just make sure to use a model that is completely stainless steel for both durability and to avoid plastic.

Stainless Espresso Makers

The traditional Bialetti espresso makers are often made of aluminum (my husband has used one since college and refuses to get rid of it, much to my chagrin!) instead of steel. Though harder to find, there are now stainless steel stove-top espresso makers that work just as well and don’t use aluminum. These are a good option for those who prefer espresso to regular coffee.

Coffee Makers: Bottom Line

Don’t let a mold-infested plastic coffee maker ruin a good cup of coffee. Try one of these non-toxic coffee makers. Many have the added benefit of not needing disposable filters and create a better cup of coffee.

Are you a coffee drinker? What is your coffee maker of choice?

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Relaxing Pillow Spray Recipe with Essential Oils

With six kiddos in the house, sleep can be hard to come by sometimes. Fortunately, I’ve found ways to naturally improve sleep quality, including ditching the night lights and using magnesium oil before bed. This relaxing pillow spray is another healthy (and great smelling!) way to promote a good night’s sleep.

So would a simple scent make a difference in your sleep? Good question!

Pillow Spray for Your Sleep Routine

As I’ve searched for answers on sleep over the years … as every parent has I’m sure … I’ve learned a lot about just how essential sleep is for our health. In fact there’s no way to be healthy without good, quality sleep, and enough of it.

It turns out that establishing a solid sleep routine with little cues that it’s time to wind down and get some shut-eye is not just important for babies and kids. Grown-ups need these routines too, whether it be an epsom salt bath, or some self-massage, or just reading a good book.

In the same way, smelling a familiar, relaxing scent every night moments before we hit the pillow can send a strong and comforting signal to our over-wired, over-stimulated brains to prepare for sleep.

Proven Essential Oils for Sleep

Part of the answer is that this pillow spray recipe uses the proven sleep-inducing powers of some great essential oils. I’m sure you’ll recognize some of the players here!

Soothing Ylang Ylang

It may be a little difficult to pronounce, but ylang ylang is a potent relaxer. Its unique scent is frequently used by perfumers (and just so happens to be a featured ingredient in the popular Chanel No. 5!).

Ylang ylang has been used to relieve anxiety and as a sedative for more restful sleep. Even though it has a feminine, floral smell, a 2016 study showed its anti-anxiety benefits were even more pronounced for male mice (interesting!).

Stress-Relieving Bergamot

Bergamot essential oil, like other oils of the citrus family, has an uplifting scent that helps ease tensions. This oil is versatile since it can be used to both rejuvenate the mood while relaxing the mind. (Bergamot is highly phototoxic … but this is more of a concern in a lotion than in a nighttime pillow spray.)

Relaxing Lavender

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils for both its scent and its skin-healing properties. It’s also well known for its ability to relax the mind and improve sleep quality. In one study, sleep-deprived college students inhaled either lavender or a placebo. Those who used lavender slept better and felt more refreshed upon waking up.

A Word on Carriers

Normally when making something with essential oils a carrier oil is used to safely dilute the oils. Honey, glycerin, and even castile soap will also help to disperse essential oils.

Since this spray is meant for fabric, olive oil or honey aren’t really the best options here. This spray uses alcohol to disperse the essential oils. The vodka also evaporates quickly to avoid damaging or staining fabrics.

Relaxing Pillow Spray Recipe

I’ve been using this homemade pillow spray for several weeks, and have noticed that I’m sleeping more deeply and feel more rested upon waking up.

Pillow Spray Ingredients

• 4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
• 12 drops lavender essential oil
• 8 drops bergamot essential oil
• 1/2 tsp vodka
• distilled water
• 2 oz glass spray bottle

Pillow Spray Instructions

1. Put the vodka and essential oils into the glass spray bottle and swirl the bottle to combine.
2. Fill the bottle with water until almost full, leaving room for the lid. Cap the spray bottle, and shake well to combine.
3. To use the spray, lightly mist a pillow a few minutes before bedtime. Be sure to shake the bottle well before each use.

Do you use any scents or essential oils in your sleep routine? What has helped you the most with getting better sleep? I’d love to know!

Sources:

• “Best of Beauty” 2016 Review, Allure Magazine.
• Nan Zhang, et al. The anxiolytic effect of essential oil of Cananga odorata exposure on mice and determination of its major active constituents. Phytomedicine. Dec 2016, 23(14).
• Lillehei Smith, et al. Effect of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene on Self-Reported Sleep Issues: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. July 2015, 21(7).
• Shirley Price. Practical Aromatherapy. Thorsons, 2000.

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6 Ways Camping Improves Health & Circadian Rhythm

Albert Einstein famously said: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

In today’s fast paced world of screens and schedules, we often miss the importance of reconnecting with nature and its many benefits. Even a few minutes in nature on a hike or even just sitting outside can be beneficial. Yet, the most pronounced benefits come from longer exposure to nature’s beauty, and camping is one of the best ways to get them.

Camping… for Health?

Camping may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of ways to improve your health, but perhaps it should!

The Benefits of Camping

Besides being a great budget-friendly family activity, going camping offers a unique way to reconnect with nature. Surprisingly, research has now found several proven benefits to this simple and fun activity:

1. Light Therapy for Circadian Rhythm

A 2013 study from the University of Colorado Boulder examined how camping affects circadian rhythm. They found that participants who camped for a week noticed major improvements in sleep patterns in circadian biology.

In fact, sleep researcher Dr. Michael Breus explains that camping for one week (away from artificial light) resets circadian clocks. More specifically, the study found that:

• The melatonin levels (of subjects of the study) rose two hours earlier when camping than on regular nights around artificial light.
• Study participants sleep schedules all normalized during the camping week. In fact, early birds and night owls all adjusted to the same schedule.

Major health problems (from heart disease to cancer) are often linked to poor sleep quality or lack of sleep. A simple activity like camping may help the body normalize sleep patterns and improve health.

2. Forest Bathing Stress Relief

The Japanese have a national practice called “Forest Bathing” or shinrin-yoku which has been a national public health practice for them since the 1980s. The Japanese have spent millions of dollars studying the effects of this time in nature with surprising findings:

• A weekend in the woods naturally increased the presence of natural killer (NK) cells in the body. This increase lasted for up to a month after a single weekend exposure to nature.
• Forest air contains phytoncide, a natural compound from plants and trees. Some research shows that inhaling phytoncide can improve immune system function.
• Another study found reduced cortisol, blood pressure, pulse and other measures were improved with just 30 minutes a day in nature. In fact, comparing metrics from a person spending a day in the city and a day in nature, it found: “Forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.”

3. Improved Sleep

As mentioned above, camping away from artificial light improves the circadian clock. Logically, it also improves sleep.

Sure, sleeping on the ground in a thin sleeping bag doesn’t sound like the perfect way to relax, but studies show that people achieve deeper and more restorative sleep in nature. One factor may be just that people are not staying up as late watching TV while camping. This alone improves sleep and increases melatonin production.

You may not be the most comfortable while camping, but you are likely getting biologically better sleep.

4. Time to Disconnect & Family Time

One of my personal favorite parts of camping is just the time to disconnect from technology and spend time with family. Sure, we all know we should put down the phone and spend more time with the real people we live with, but this can be hard to do when wrapped up in the business of daily life.

We got each of our children a good quality hiking backpack with their own gear (here’s a good list if you are interested) and they love going camping and getting a chance to use all of their gear.

5. A Breath of Fresh Air

Another tangible benefit of camping is the abundance of fresh air. Experts warn that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air. They encourage opening windows and ventilating our homes often. Spending time outdoors, especially overnight is a great way to get the benefits of fresh air. Areas with a lot of trees have a higher oxygen concentration in the environment and therefore it’s easier to breathe and relax.

6. Exercise in Natural Beauty

One of the best things about camping? The natural boredom. Without TVs, video games, and the many distractions of home, we naturally tend to want to walk around and explore. This naturally leads to exercise in a high-oxygen natural light environment which makes movement even more beneficial!

Tips for Camping

Ready to spend some time in the great outdoors? Here are a few tips to get the maximum benefits:

1. Ditch the artificial light: The studies all noted the biggest benefit from camping away from all artificial light, including flashlights. Stick to natural light sources like a campfire, candles and natural lanterns to avoid the bright LED flashlights.
2. Cook natural foods: Don’t use camping as an excuse to eat marshmallows (unless they’re made like this, of course 😉 )and other junk food. Campfires are wonderful for roasting natural foods like meat, vegetables and even fruit (my kids love roasted apples on the campfire).
3. Stay for the long haul: The studies all showed the most benefits from three or more days of camping. Plan a week long family trip once a year and enjoy all of the benefits!
4. Get good gear: Few things are worse than being caught in a tent that leaks during a rainstorm. Invest in some good camping gear and it will last for years. .

Ways to Get (Some) of the Benefits of  Camping while at Home

Despite all of the benefits, I know a few people who adamantly refuse to camp and even hate the idea braving the great outdoors! If a team of wild horses couldn’t tear you away from the comforts of home, there are a few things you can do to get some of the benefits while at home.

• Reduce the artificial light: One of the biggest benefits to being outdoors is the break from artificial lighting. Even if you aren’t ready to sleep in the woods, you can still manipulate the blue light in your home for better health. We now have lamps with only natural orange spectrum light for at night and I also wear blue blocking orange glasses after dark to reduce blue light exposure.
• Clean the air: Another benefit to being outside is the abundance of fresh air. Keep your indoor air clean with these tips.
• Get enough sleep: Many of the benefits attributed to camping come from sleeping more! This is one health tip every expert seems to agree on, and a free one for the most part. Make sleep a priority and make time to get enough of it. Here are some tips to improve sleep.

What do you think? Are you the next Bear Grylls? Or anti-outdoors? Share below!

Sources:

Article: Could Camping Help Your Insomnia?
Study: Entrainment of the Human Circadian Clock to the Natural Light-Dark Cycle

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How to Grow More in Less Space with a Vertical Garden

Interior decorators know the classic design tip: when working with a small space, look up!

Using empty wall space in creative ways can make all the difference in an apartment or small home (I learned this firsthand), and it can work in a garden too! If your outdoor space is limited, these vertical gardening ideas can take your garden to the next level!

What Is a Vertical Garden?

Put very simply, a vertical garden is a way to encourage fruits, vegetables, herbs or flowers to grow up instead of down on the ground, by means of some kind of support or structure. It can be done in the ground, in containers, on a wall, or even without soil.

The best edible plants for growing in a vertical garden have climbing or vining habits, like cucumbers, tomatoes, pole beans, peas, and even a variety of squash and pumpkins (You can also add vining flowers to your vertical elements for beauty, too!).

While lack of space (such as in an urban or apartment setting) usually motivates the vertical approach, there are many other advantages to this creative way of gardening:

• Disease prevention
• Ease of harvest (no bending over)
• Higher yield
• More shapely produce (no flat side from laying on the ground)
• Visual interest or even privacy
• Portability; some container systems can be moved to follow available sun
• Controlling invasive or wide-spreading plants like squash vines
• Creates shelter for shade-loving plants (or people)

The possible ways a vertical garden might look are endless, from the very simple and cheap to the breathtakingly complex and expensive. With an indoor growing light and the right system, you could even grow year-round produce in your house!

But this begs the question:

To DIY or Not to DIY?

I first became interested in vertical gardening (beyond just staking beans or caging tomatoes) when a friend purchased a Tower Garden system. They are pricey, but the idea of growing lettuce, kale, cucumbers, beans, and even tomatoes in a few square feet on a patio or even year-round indoors? Tempting. (And for someone in an urban setting and with rising cost of organic produce, possibly worth it!)

Of course, I immediately began to think of ways I could make my own, more economical DIY vertical gardening system, and there are many DIY tutorials out there. If it’s a soilless system you’re after, the list of materials can be long and still around $200-250.

For now, I decided to go a simpler route and see what I could do to adapt our traditional outdoor garden beds and make them more efficient, and maybe add a small indoor herb and lettuce garden for the winter.

Before you decide whether to buy or DIY, do some sleuthing around the basement or garden shed. You’ll be surprised what inspiration you can find. Just look for anything a plant could grow in and up. Pallets, mason jars, old shutters, a broken ladder, construction rebar, a piece of trellis, twine, rope–these can all be made into a vertical garden structure.

So while the jury’s still out as to which approach we’ll eventually try, here are 5 intriguing vertical garden ideas ranging from simple to sophisticated!

Traditional Garden with Vertical Elements

If you have an existing backyard garden, plan to add a trellis and climbing plants on the north side of your plot. This keeps your taller plants from shading the rest of the garden. I also suggest using a support that is portable and not permanent, so you can rotate your plantings from season to season.

Here are some ideas for how to grow your plants vertically in a traditional garden bed:

• Cucumbers – try this easy tent trellis or hoop trellis
• Corn, Pole Beans, and Squash – try a Three Sisters Garden
• Squash (Acorn, Butternut, Delicata) – train the vines up the four legs of a ladder or hoop trellis (huge space saver!)
• Tomatoes – use sturdy vertical cages or (if you’re handy) an A-frame trellis

Don’t forget to plant lettuce, spinach, and other delicate, shade-loving plants in the shade these trellises provide!

Patio Planter/Container Garden

If you’re confined to a patio or deck, try gardening tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, or squash in containers. You can create your own garden with individual pots, tiered planters, or a raised garden box. (Although they look beautiful, keep in mind that real terra cotta pots are very porous and prone to drying out.)

Use organic potting soil and consider putting heavier pots on dollies so you can maximize sun exposure–the real key to container gardening. Tie plants to tomato cages and support stakes as they grow up for unlimited space.

Outdoor or Indoor Wall Garden

If you are short on horizontal space but have a wall or fence that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight, try a wall garden. These can even be indoors if you have a very sunny exposure or grow light. A wall garden can be constructed out of wood scraps, small pots, or even canvas pockets (like an old over the door shoe organizer). I love this beautiful DIY version made from cedar wood.

As with all container gardens, it can be tricky to keep a wall garden evenly watered and fertilized (yet not overwatered out of paranoia!).

If you are going to try the garden indoors, consider a system made for this purpose. Unless you plan to mount a grow light, I recommend using something with removable containers for the individual plants so you can move them closer to a window if needed.

Indoor Herb Garden

Windowsill herb gardens are nothing new, but deserve an honorable mention because what is better than fresh lettuce or herbs in the winter? In a warmer climate, a few mason jars on the kitchen windowsill or hanging in pots will do the trick, but in colder climates a grow light kit will almost certainly be necessary.

And I love these ideas on how to use IKEA items for an indoor garden!

Hydroponic Garden

Another type of vertical gardening, hydroponics, has enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent decades. Hydroponic vegetables are grown only in water (no soil) with nutrients and trace minerals added. While this method dates back to the ancient Aztecs, the modern hydroponic method involves a lot of plastic and some synthetic fertilizers, and I’ve held back from exploring it for these reasons. (It can also be expensive, as I mentioned above.)

On the other hand, vegetables grown hydroponically in a greenhouse do not require chemical pesticides. Studies are limited, have even been found to be nutritionally superior (although some would say, not in taste).

If home hydroponics sounds like an experiment you’d like to try, you can make your own if you’re adventurous or check out cheaper alternatives to the Tower Garden system.

What do you think of vertical gardening? Have you had success with these or other methods?

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Are Organ Meats Healthy?

When it comes to discussing nutrition and food, organ meat certainly isn’t the most glamorous subject. For some, the very topic evokes a sense of panic and horror.

Perhaps it brings to mind a memory of being served dense, glossy liver and onions. Maybe it reminds you of walking past a city butcher shop with obscure animal parts displayed behind the windows. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that the culinary term for organ meats—offal—is literally pronounced “awful.”

The History of Organ Meats

There’s an interesting history behind why you might feel squeamish or unsure when it comes to organ meats. Understanding this may help to put the issue into context. It starts with the fact that many of us have become completely removed from the sources of our food.

In recent years, food has become increasingly industrialized, standardized, and commercialized. Grains of all kinds are highly processed, coated with sugar and put into boxes. Heirloom vegetables and unique fruits have been phased out and replaced with generic varieties that are easier to grow, transport and display. Dairy is skimmed, pasteurized and fortified with synthetic nutrients. And every store offers the same cuts of meat—chicken breasts, tenderloins, steaks—all neatly wrapped in plastic and displayed in rows in the refrigerated section.

The Way Food Used to Be…

Our food supply certainly wasn’t always this way. People didn’t always just consume muscle meat. Traditional diets from around the world were rich in dishes containing organ meats and other high protein options. From liver to kidney and sweetbreads to tripe, organ meats were often part of meals.

Many of the world’s healthiest peoples, as studied by Dr. Weston A. Price, ate organ meats frequently. In hunting cultures, organs like heart and brain were consumed first. They were believed to pass on the strength and intelligence of the animal.

Even after the introduction of modern farming, organ meats were savored as special delicacies. Because offal is less plentiful than muscle meat, it was considered somewhat of a rare and special treat often reserved for the wealthy.

Organ Meat: Falling Out of Favor

It wasn’t until around the end of the 18th century when industrialized farming began to take hold that there was a significant shift in the consumption of organ meats. With the spread of commercial techniques and a rising number of slaughterhouses, the availability of meat increased dramatically while the price declined.

Offal, being delicate and difficult to store, eventually became too expensive and time consuming for companies to prepare on this mass scale. It was therefore either discarded or ground and sold off for use in pet food.

The Big Problem of Factory Farming

Factory farming has allowed for the production of large quantities of meat at a good price, but there are consequences to this method that can’t be ignored. It has contributed to substantial pollution, decreased biodiversity, declining nutrient levels in soils and the inhumane treatment of livestock. In it, we’ve also lost the deep reverence that comes along with understanding where our food comes from and the respect that is shown by using the entire animal.

Big Grocery Stores Changed Food Too

Another issue that has contributed to the disappearance of organ meats in the Standard American Diet is the growth of chain grocery stores. Offal is not easily transported and doesn’t keep well for long periods of time, making it a poor fit for large stores. Supermarkets, which first appeared in America in the early 1900s, have also completely changed how people shop for and learn about meat.

Previously there were specialty butcher shops, which provided carefully selected fresh meat along with advice for cooking it. When large stores were built with convenient in-house delis, many local butchers went out of business.

With the closing of these shops came a loss of knowledge on how to prepare and eat unique cuts of meat like organ meats. As a result, only meat varieties that are quick and easy to cook have remained popular.

Losing Out on Nutrients

This scenario is unfortunate for many reasons. From a nutritional perspective, we are missing out on a range of health benefits from organ meats. Offal is particularly concentrated in bioavailable forms of vital nutrients including zinc, iron and B vitamins, alongside specialty nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other foods:

• Heart, for example, is the best food source of CoQ10, an enzyme important for energy balance and preventing oxidative stress.
• Kidney contains an incredible amount of lean protein and folate.
• Liver provides more nutrients gram for gram than any other food, and is particularly rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin A.

Traditional cultures intuitively recognized these health benefits, which advances in nutritional science have confirmed.

Are Organ Meats Healthy?

I have family members who don’t consume organ meats at all because they consider them filters that remove toxins. They assume that, for this reason, they store the toxins and are unhealthy.

Even those who don’t have a problem with the idea of eating organs often have somewhat of an aversion to the taste.

Nature’s Multivitamin

What many people don’t realize is that organ meats (especially liver) are nature’s multivitamins. Liver is an excellent source of many nutrients. Chris Kresser has a great post on the topic where he explains:

Vitamin A

“Liver is an important source of retinol, which is pre-formed vitamin A. Just three ounces of beef liver contains 26,973 IU of vitamin A, while pork liver and chicken liver contain 15,306 IU and 11,335 IU, respectively. If you aren’t supplementing with cod liver oil, you’ll probably want to eat liver a couple times a week to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin A, especially if you have skin problems.

Vitamin B12

Although all meats contain some amount of vitamin B12, liver (especially beef liver) blows everything else out of the water, with almost three times as much B12 as kidney, seven times as much as heart, and about 17 times as much as tongue or ground beef.

Organ meats are also high in folate, choline, zinc and other nutrients.

Food for the Genes

Organ meats are also one of the four foods recommended in Deep Nutrition for optimal gene function. (I highly recommend Deep Nutrition if you haven’t already read it!)

Dr. Shanahan compares liver to other foods for nutrient content:

Do Organ Meats Store Toxins?

This is the most common objection (besides the taste) to consuming organ meats, especially liver. Organs like heart and brain obviously don’t store toxins, but many people are afraid to eat liver or kidney because these organs filter toxins in the body.

While organ meats do function as filters in the body, they don’t store the toxins. The job of organs like the liver is to remove toxins from the body, and as such, they store many fat soluble vitamins and nutrients needed to accomplish this task.

As Weston A. Price Explains:

One of the roles of the liver is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons); but the liver does not store toxins. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot neutralize and eliminate are likely to lodge in the fatty tissues and the nervous system. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients provide the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins.

Sourcing Matters

Of course, we should consume liver from healthy animals–cattle, lamb, buffalo, hogs, chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. The best choice is liver from animals that spend their lives outdoors and on pasture. If such a premier food is not available, the next choice is organic chicken, beef and calves liver. If supermarket liver is your only option, the best choice is calves liver, as in the U.S. beef cattle do spend their first months on pasture. Beef liver is more problematical as beef cattle are finished in feed lots. Livers from conventionally raised chicken and hogs are not recommended.

So, in other words:

To call the liver a simple filter is incorrect. If we want to maintain the metaphor, it’s more like a chemical processing plant. The liver receives shipments, determines what they contain, and reacts accordingly. It converts protein to glucose, converts glucose to glycogen, manufactures triglycerides, among many other tasks, but its best-known responsibility is to render toxins inert and shuttle them out to be expelled – usually in the urine via the kidney. It doesn’t just hang on to toxins, as if the liver is somehow separate from the body and immune to contamination. The liver is part of the body! If your liver contains large amounts of toxins, so do you!

Too Much Vitamin A?

Another concern often heard with liver consumption especially is the presence of too much Vitamin A. But the studies conducted about Vitamin A toxicity looked at moderate doses of synthetic Vitamin A. At even moderate doses, synthetic Vitamin A can be problematic, though the same problems are not noticed in most high doses of natural form.

Many studies, when looking at the effect of a synthetic nutrient in isolation don’t take into account the other nutrients naturally present in foods that balance that particular one. From natural sources, toxicity was only noticed in adults in Arctic explorers who consumed polar bear and seal liver (millions of units of natural vitamin A).

So unless you are an Arctic explorer, it is very difficult to develop vitamin A toxicity from liver. The putative toxic dose of 100,000 IU per day is contained in two-and-one-half 100-gram servings of duck liver or about three 100-gram servings of beef liver. From the work of Dr. Weston Price, we can assume the amount in primitive diets was around 50,000 IU per day.

Bringing Back Traditional Food

It’s important to recognize that if you are iffy on organ meats, you are not alone—it is a perspective that has been shaped by culture and history. There is a shift happening. People are beginning push back on the commercial food system. They are fighting to reclaim traditional foods, to opt for supporting local farmers, to protect the environment, and to eat consciously. As a Wellness Mama reader, I know you’re a part of this real food movement too, otherwise you wouldn’t have braved reading this unique and potentially controversial post.

If you are interested in reviving the tradition of cooking with organ meats, there are several books available on the topic. Two recent favorites are Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal and The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, both of which approach the subject with a spirit of curiosity and culinary adventure. When sourcing organ meats, try to find a local farmer that uses sound farming practices who you can purchase from directly. There are also trusted online sources that ship grass-fed organ meats.

Choosing a Healthy Source of Organ Meats

One fact that is well established is that the health of an animal largely affects the health of its organs. For this reason, just as with any other meat, it is very important to choose healthy sources.

Personally, I strive to eat organ meats, especially liver, once a week or more, especially when pregnant or nursing. I normally purchase organ meats online here when I can’t find a good source locally.

Often, I can find quality meats and organ meats from local farmers and just make sure that the animal was grass-fed, raised on pasture and (if possible) not given grains or antibiotics.

Another Option (For Those Who Don’t Love the Taste)

If the idea of eating organ meats still just isn’t appealing, there are other options to turn to. There are supplements available such as Desiccated Liver and Desiccated Heart, which provide grass-fed, freeze-dried organ meats in capsule or powder form. The capsules can be quickly and tastelessly swallowed, while the powders can be conveniently mixed into foods like soups, stews and chili or patted unknowingly into burgers. This way, all of the nutritional benefits of organ meats can be obtained without extended planning and preparation.

References:

Weston A. Price Foundation: Principles of Healthy Diets
TIME: Supermarket History
Benefits of Coenzyme Q-10
USDA Nutrient Breakdown of Beef
Weston A. Price: The Liver Files
The Vitamin A Saga
Marks Daily Apple: The Liver and Toxins

Do you eat liver or other organ meats? How often and how do you prepare them? Share your tips below!

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