Good Medicine Everyday: Sleep

Without sleep, everything else you do for your health is pretty much for naught. Sleep is the baseline, your lifeline. I cannot stress enough the importance of sleep - not just quantity, but quality. Sleep is free and one of the most basic things we can do for our health, but feeling like we don’t have enough time is what gets most people tripped up. Some people even feel guilty for sleeping! I encourage you to drop that right now. It needs to be prioritized. You charge your phone at night, right? No one and nothing else is going to charge YOUR battery for YOU.

So what happens if you don’t get enough sleep?

• You feel tired, obviously

• Poor cognitive function and brain fog

• Elevated blood sugar...

• ...which leads you to crave carbs and sugar…

• ...which puts you on a blood sugar roller coaster all day long

• Bad mood (plus all the things associated with that - like being short with people we love, being a jerk to our coworkers, etc.)

• For some of us, anxiety and depression

• Weakened immunity, which can lead to getting sick more often

• Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight

• Increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes

So how much sleep do we need? We’ve all heard “8 hours” enough times that it’s drilled in our brains. But we also get messages like “sleep is for the weak” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or hear about CEOs bragging that they only need 5 hours. The short answer - everybody’s a little different. Finding your sleep sweet spot will take a little experimentation, but it’s generally between 7 and 9 hours.

New research suggests we should view sleep by how many ninety-minute sleep cycles we get per week, rather than becoming overly focused with how many hours we get per night. We should aim for 35 sleep cycles per week. This includes naps! And this helps take some of the pressure off of always getting 8 hours every night. (which can be anxiety-inducing for some people).

I’ve personally never been a napper and find it really hard to sleep during the day, so I always prioritize my sleep at night. I generally get around 8 hours. I go to sleep between 9 and 10 and I’m usually up around 6. Even when I was younger, I intuitively knew I had to get good sleep to feel good. Fun fact - I’ve never pulled an all-nighter, not even in college. If I had a lot of work to do, I would go to sleep at a decent hour and wake up extra early to work on it. But hey, that’s just what works for me.

A few other tips to ensure the quality of your sleep:

• Sleep in a really dark room - get blackout curtains, cover up lights from devices

• Keep the room cool

• Use the bedroom for sleep and sex only

• Turn off Wifi at night, put your phone on airplane mode or even better - move it out of the bedroom

• No screens 1 hour before bed

• Write down your to-dos for tomorrow or journal to clear your brain of any thoughts that might keep you up

Here's to more and better sleep!

Good Medicine Everyday: Sun

Ahh, sunshine! We love it, but we’ve been made to fear it. We’re told to slather ourselves with SPF 100 and cover up - otherwise we’ll get skin cancer. While it’s true that multiple sunburns and excessive unprotected exposure can damage our skin, we really benefit from the healing powers of the sun.

This might go against everything you’ve been told, but - regular, unprotected sun exposure is actually good for your health. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin D (1) for a few reasons: 1. We obtain very little vitamin D from our diet, because it’s not naturally found in that many foods. 2. Most of us spend our days indoors, and we don’t get outside nearly enough and 3. When we do, many of us use sunscreen that blocks the beneficial UVB rays.

We need vitamin D for healthy bones, a strong immune system, mood regulation, cardiovascular protection (2), and even weight regulation! Rickets is the classic example of extreme vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are widely available, but our bodies have historically received vitamin D through sun exposure.

Experts recommend 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure per day (3). This gives you all the benefits of the sun while minimizing the risk of any skin damage. To make the sun work even more for you, try getting exposure first thing in the morning. This helps to set your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock that sets sleep and wake cycles) for the day. Beyond 30 minutes and when the sun is especially strong, it’s best to wear sunglasses, a hat and other protective clothing, and use a mineral-based sunscreen.

Something else that should not be overlooked is that we feel GOOD in the sun. Have you ever noticed that most people, when stepping into the sun, will look up towards the sky and close their eyes and take a deep breath? What else these days makes people stop and DO that? Sun makes people food good and happy. It’s a lifeforce. And I don’t think that should be overlooked.

The sun is good medicine. Even better? It’s free. In areas where sun is scarce during certain parts of the year, a vitamin D supplement can significantly improve well-being. You could also invest in a sun lamp if that’s something you’re into. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I find that a vitamin D supplement in addition to going outside regularly significantly helps my mood during the gloomy part of the year.

Good Food: The Good Medicine Smoothie Bowl

A better breakfast bowl tastes amazing, keeps you full & gives you the energy you need to get through your day. It’s full of satiating healthy fats, fiber & complex carbohydrates. Best of all, it’s fast to make. While better breakfast bowls are ideally enjoyed sitting down before getting into your day, they’re also portable for those days when that’s just not possible. 

the good

You probably already know this by now, but I LOVE smoothie bowls. They’re delicious, feel really indulgent and give me tons of energy. When I first heard that people were pouring their smoothies in bowls, I was not about it. But then I tried it and I was like Oh. I get it. That’s damn good. Plus this allows you to add a plethora of toppings, and I love a complex symphony of textures and flavors. Which leads me to my next point – a lot of people chug smoothies or sip them through a straw, meaning they’re not chewing. Even though a smoothie is basically pre-chewed food, the act of chewing release important digestive enzymes. By encouraging you to chew, smoothie bowls are ultimately more satisfying and filling.

This is my all time favorite smoothie bowl recipe, which is just sweet enough and totally satisfying from the almond or sunflower seed butter. I usually reserve it for after hard workouts, so it's like a treat - something to look forward to and WERK for. Ya feel me?

Feel free to change up ingredients and toppings to keep it interesting!

the medicine

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and are one of the top anti-inflammatory foods. They’re also lower in sugar than other fruits.

Zucchini is actually a nutrient powerhouse. In this case it adds fiber plus helps bulk the smoothie up without adding excess sugar. Same goes for the cauliflower, but the cauliflower has the additional benefit of being from the cruciferous vegetable family, making it great for liver support and full of anti-cancer properties.

Greens! We know by now that greens are good for you, yes? I love sneaking greens into smoothies because you can’t taste them and they give you a nice nutrient boost. Spinach is my go-to because frozen organic spinach is inexpensive and I’ve literally never been able to taste it.

Almond or sunflower butter add healthy fats, protein, fiber and vitamin E – a potent antioxidant. Before I started adding fat to smoothies, I would be hungry an hour or two after eating them. Fat gives the smoothie staying power.

Toppings like hemp or chia seeds add additional fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, cacao nibs are a wonderful source of magnesium and trace minerals, and nondairy yogurt gives you gut-boosting probiotics.

tips

If smoothies tend to be too cold for you, use more room temperature ingredients or blend for a longer amount of time. I usually add warm water to my smoothie as the liquid because it makes blending easier and takes the chill off.

I always have smoothies with a warm beverage. In Ayruveda, our digestion is thought of like a fire - too many cold and raw foods can dampen the fire. By having a cup of tea with my smoothie, I'm helping mitigate the cold of the smoothie.

My favorite, non-negotiable toppings are: grain-free granola + cacao nibs. Sometimes hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds.

You could use frozen sweet potato in place of zucchini or cauliflower. To prepare these veggies, simply chop, lightly steam them, lay them out on a baking sheet, freeze overnight and then store in bags in the freezer.

If I’ve just worked out or will be working out later I add the protein powder, but I skip it if not. In the case of not using protein powder, I add 1/2 a frozen banana for sweetness. 

Favorite plant-based proteins include: Aloha and Genuine Health

The amount of liquid you use will depend on how thick you like your smoothies! Feel free to experiment to see what works best for you!

If you have to eat on the go, just make sure you're still "chewing" the smoothie after taking sips. It  might feel weird at first, but I promise it will be better for digestion and you'll feel fuller longer.

 The Good Medicine Smoothie Bowl
 

Serves 1

Ingredients
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup steamed then frozen zucchini or cauliflower
2 handfuls fresh or frozen spinach
2 tbsp almond or sunflower seed butter
1 scoop plant-based vanilla protein powder (optional)
1-2 cups nondairy milk or water
1/2 tsp spirulina (optional)

Toppings
hemp seeds
chia seeds
cacao nibs
raisins
granola
shredded coconut
nondairy yogurt
extra fresh fruit
extra drizzle of almond or sunflower seed butter

Instructions

1.    Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
2.    Pour into your favorite bowl and adorn with your favorite toppings.
3.    Enjoy! I hope you feel full, happy & ready to take on your day!