What in the world is MTHFR? (And why you should care)
Although it looks like an acronym for a dirty word, MTHFR stands for methyletetrahydrofolate reductase—which is an enzyme that converts folic acid (vitamin B9) into its usable, active form—called methyl-folate (5MTHF). Active methyl-folate is important because it plays a crucial role in a biochemical process called methylation. Methylation is heavily involved with your body’s ability to detox itself, as well as enzyme, hormone and neurotransmitter production, and it even affects your DNA! Methylation is...
Could this be the reason you can’t lose weight?
Here’s an eye-opening statistic--currently, nearly three out of four Americans are overweight or obese. And those numbers are not going down. Of course, the begging question here is: What in the world is going on? Why is it our “new normal” to be overweight? Well, there are a lot of factors behind the scenes, including processed/fast foods, lack of exercise, and our expanding reliance on medications. But there’s another sneaky, often-missed factor that can...
Perpetually pooped? Packing on pounds? This could be why
Two of the most common health concerns people report to their doctors are gaining weight and losing energy. This Nutrition coach hears a lot of that too, by the way. But the problem is that trying to pinpoint the underlying cause of weight gain and low energy is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Could it be thyroid? Menopause? Nutrient deficiencies? Depression? Medication side effects? Not exercising enough? All good possibilities....
- Tags: Healthy Living, Hormones, Immune Health
Feel blue? Putting on weight? Tired? This could be why
When it comes to your health, many times the cause and effect relationship is abundantly clear. Cut your finger as you’re slicing vegetables? You can count on seeing blood (maybe even stitches). Come into contact with something you’re allergic to? You’ll be sneezing and your eyes will water in no time. Fall down the stairs? Hopefully bumps and bruises are the only things you have to worry about! But there are other issues where...
- Tags: General Health, Healthy Eating, Hormones, Mental Health, Stress
10 Ways to boost your energy fast!
I’m going to go out on a limb today and guess that you don’t always have nearly the level of energy that you’d like to have. Fair statement? It’s not surprising. Lacking energy is one of the most common reasons that people consult their doctors. But what makes this challenging is that there are many potential reasons why you may be resembling Dagwood Bumstead on a regular basis. So it’s important to figure out...
Are you missing these crucial warning signs?
Similar to your car’s “check engine” light, often when something is wrong inside of your body, you get warning signs. For example, back pain usually means inflammation; heartburn is a sign your digestion is off; or if you wake up with a sore throat and runny nose, you probably have a cold. But sometimes the signs we get are rather vague …so we might not suspect there is trouble brewing. This is especially true when...
- Tags: Cholesterol, Hormones, Liver Health