Nourishing Your Body, Renewing Your Life

Welcome to Your Renewable Life

This post is for a case study I had. For privacy, I will call her Elise.


Elise’s top 4 health concerns as listed on her initial interview intake form are migraine headaches, unexplained weight loss, speeding heart rate, and heightened anxiety. Each of these concerns may have a connection to compromised immune function. She also seems to be expressing some hyper-adrenal symptoms which can cause an immune function imbalance. We will begin by discussing and focusing on the foundations. Below are some of the callouts I observed between Elise’s Initial Interview Form and Food & Mood Journal, and I would approach her about potential food and environmental sensitivities that are compromising her health.

  • The system is stressed – Discuss the importance of being in a Parasympathetic State for digestion, sleep, chronic stress levels, hormone balance, and immune health. Undereating & Overtraining, not enough sleep, parasympathetic state, work stress, long days, toxic environment, running on fumes with energy drinks and caffeine, lots of exercises, and minimal fueling.
  • The body is nutrient deficient – dehydrated, less than half of daily water needs, electrolyte/mineral imbalance suspected, meals are minimal in calories, nutrients, and long periods in between.
  • The supplements she is taking may not be right for her. Fish oil only could be causing imbalance 3-6-9, providing 3 only. Probiotics used long term could be promoting dysbiosis (unbalanced microbiome).
  • Constipation probably results from dehydration, mineral, and fatty acid imbalance, along with dysbiosis.
  • Immune health and hormonal imbalance are probable due to overtraining, undereating, a stressful job, and dehydration. Migraines are triggered by hormonal changes, but high histamine-containing foods (and artificial sweeteners) could be exacerbating migraines. Perimenopause symptoms she is experiencing seem more like they are from the various stressors mentioned above.
  • Possible food sensitivities to peanut butter, egg, coffee, aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners. I’d like to find out if foods with high histamine levels are regularly in her diet even though they weren’t highly apparent in her food journal. Introduce her to the Coca’s pulse test for testing for specific food sensitivities and potentially an elimination diet.

Here are my recommendations for Elise:

1. Drink more clean, plain water – (NOT distilled) How much is enough? Take your weight and divide it by 2. This is the minimum number of oz. you need per day. For every caffeinated drink, juice, or carbonated beverage you need to add an additional 1.5 oz of water to the number of oz other beverages you drink. You also need to make up for the loss of fluid during exercise. A gallon (128 oz) of water per day with a couple of pinches of natural sea salt is a great place to start. (Hydration, Mineral Balance)

2. Increase food intake by adding more nutrient-dense whole-food nutrition to your diet. For your height, weight, and activity level, you should be eating a minimum of 2500 calories per day to maintain. The macronutrient breakdown to strive for is 40% Carbs, 30% Protein, and 30% Fat. (Nutrition, Blood Sugar)

3. Test for food sensitivities. A good place to start is foods that are generally highly inflammatory: Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Corn, Soy, Alcohol, Artificial Sweeteners, and anything you suspect could be an intolerance for you. Follow the instructions I’ve provided for home-testing of food sensitivities. Let me know your results. An elimination diet removing these foods for a few weeks will gauge how your symptoms improve over this period. (Digestion)

4. Make sure you are eating a variety of high-quality fats from grass-fed, grass-finished meats, and organic cold-pressed oils like olive, avocado, coconut, nuts, and seeds. These fats provide energy, improved cellular function and communication, and allow you to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, among many other processes. (Fatty Acids, Nutrition)

5. I also recommend removing high histamine-containing foods from your diet to see if you find improvement with migraines, rapid heartbeat, and heightened anxiety. *The most effective therapy for histamine intolerance is the limitation of foods rich in histamine. (excerpt from Histamine, histamine intoxication, and intolerance. Allergologia et immunopathologia. 43. 10.1016/j.aller.2015.05.001.) Refer to the list of histamine-rich foods I provided you with.

6. Really focus on being in a relaxed, focused state for each of your meals. Remove distractions. No phone, TV, books, etc. Be thankful for the meal you are eating. Focus on the taste, texture, and desire for more (or not). Take small bites and chew thoroughly (20-30 times). Allow your body to get into “Rest & Digest” mode (Parasympathetic State) (Digestion)

7. Create and stick to a bedtime – set a regular bedtime, and turn off all electronics 30 minutes before bed. Strive for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Improve sleep, which improves stress, allows the body to rest and repair, and has fewer cravings when rested.

After these initial recommendations have been followed for about 4 weeks, we can reassess and see what next steps are needed.


In my nutritional consultations, we always start with a foundational approach to finding the root cause of health concerns. Finding the root cause will improve the side effects that it causes. In this example, Elise’s health concerns are side effects of at least one root cause. After addressing the foundations of health, we move a little deeper into her specific epigenetics – such as environmental and lifestyle factors that may be proving toxic to her body. However, that is a lot to cover all at once, so the first steps are just that, first steps. If we clear up her concerns with these changes, fantastic. If they aren’t resolved, that’s when we look deeper, perhaps with supplementation and additional testing. Typically, I see something as simple as drinking more water or eating more magnesium-rich foods, for example, clearing up a client’s chief concerns. However, in another client, it could be something completely different. For example, hidden food allergies or mold toxicity. It’s really amazing how bio-individuality works. This is why there is no diet that works for every person.


Remember, you are unique and beautifully made. Your body systems are meant to work in harmony with one another. Let food be thy medicine.


Be Well,


Lisa

Published by lisasodolak

My name is Lisa. I live in Texas and have been married for nearly 25 years. My husband and I have just become empty nesters upon sending our younger son off for his first year of college. The purpose of this blog is about finding optimal health; mind, body and spirit. I've always been fascinated with health, nutrition, fitness and even how the mind works. For decades (let's face it, all my life!), I've had a HUGE sweet tooth. I've always said, "I know how to lose weight" or "I know how to eat healthy", I just need to do it! Have you ever said that before? Well, I am finally learning that these statements are not necessarily true. You see, I'm an emotional eater, so it isn't until I heal that part of me that I can truly practice what I preach. Join me on this journey and we will find your Fit Brain & Body, and love the process!

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