Healing the Gut with Bone Broth

What is bone broth?

What the @&*$ is bone broth and why is everyone talking about it and its medicinal benefits. First, bone broth is simply stock! Chicken or beef bones are usually used although you can use venison/lamb/pig etc. They are simmered for over 24 hours or more along with vegetables/herbs etc. The more gelatinous the broth, the more nourishing it is. Simmering the broth breaks down the bones and bone marrow releasing calcium, phosphorus, collagen, cartilage, glucosamine, silicon, chondroitin, and essential acids including proline, glycine and glutamine.

The benefits of bone broth include:

Reduction in joint pain and inflammation– because of the chondroitin and glucosamine

Inhibits infection—“Jewish penicillin”–it apparently activates macrophages/natural killer cells/ B- lymphocytes etc that are important in the immune response to colds/viruses.

Fights inflammation–with the essential amino acids. glycine, proline and arginine all have anti-inflammatory effects.

Promotes strong bones –because of the calcium and magnesium –collagen provides the lattice-work for mineral deposition to build strong and flexible bones

Promotes healthy hair and nail growth– this is from all the gelatin in the broth–there is even some thought that it can eliminate cellulite

There is an excellent interview here by Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN whom has studied “broth” for over 20 years.

Now—the quality of the soup is only equivalent to the components that you put in it–are the vegetables organic? Are you using bones from pastured animals etc. So if you are making it yourself (the cheapest way) it is very important that you use quality, organic, non-processed ingredients.

I am now drinking bone broth for its primary benefit of healing leaky gut! I have made my own bone broth which isn’t difficult but it is time-consuming for busy working families.

I recently ordered some bone broth from Lance Roll “The Flavor Chef” that I really love.

Buy your own bone broth HERE! —The Brothery.com

If you are interested in making your own bone broth—let me know in the comments below and I will post some good recipes! It is much cheaper and as you know “chicken soup is good for the soul!”

I just found a new place to buy bone broth! KETTLE AND FIRE

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Whole Food 10 Comments

Check this out guys!!

So I was so excited to be offered the opportunity to do an interview on The Food Heals Podcast! This is my new favorite podcast after Sean Croxton retired from Underground Wellness. (By the way–check him out now on “The Sessions with Sean”). My 45 plus minute commute to work is über long and the time passes quickly if I listen to a health podcast rather than the Smiley Morning Show. (Don’t get me wrong –I love Smiley but I feel more productive learning about my passion of reversing disease). I stumbled upon “The Food Heals Podcast” which has been called the “Sex & the City for Food” on iTunes. These two gals are super fun and share all kinds of great information. They even have a great documentary completely worth watching. “Food Heals”- is a film starring Joe Cross, John Salley, & Kerri Kasem who have used food over drugs to heal! Remember Joe Cross from the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead“? He’s the guy with the sexy Australian accent that was able to overcome chronic urticaria (AKA –REALLY BAD ITCHY HIVES ALL OVER THE BODY) by going on a juice fast. Fortunately, the universe was in my favor when they asked me to share Susan’s empowering story. She was able to overcome an autoimmune disease by changing her diet and removing processed foods (Red Dye #40)

Here are the links —

Link to the episode on iTunes:
http://bit.ly/AngelaMD

The Food Heals Nation Web site:

Home

The link to the episode blog post:

75: Let Food Be Thy Medicine with Dr. Angela DeBord Henriksen

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Angela in disease, Humor, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Natural tips to lower cholesterol

Like some of you —I have an icky family history of high cholesterol and I’m not a huge fan of taking any medication if you can do natural / dietary changes to remedy the problem. So when checked my cholesterol for my IU HEALTHY RESULTS test last week —I realized that I have slipped up some in the past few months. I’m going to get back to the basics and practice what I preach. Here are a few tips that might help you out.

First—the inflammation in your arteries is what is causing your high cholesterol — this inflammation causes the liver to make cholesterol to patch that inflammation in those damaged vessels. So really– high cholesterol is a symptom of an inflammatory diet.

We must remove the DANGER foods from our diet for any of these natural tips to help. I would remove sugar (sorry:( ) along with conventional grains like cereal/flour and wheat products. Also, this is a bad time to talk about this one but excess alcohol and caffeine are inflammatory also.

Take healthy / high quality supplements. I have almost everyone add a quality fish oil to their diet to help bring triglycerides down—here is my fish oil supplement that I love (I have been out for over 6 weeks now and apparently my numbers have suffered)

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—about 2000mg to 3000mg should work. Remember that you can put them in the freezer to prevent the dreaded “fish burp”–but, don’t forget to take them if you put them in there. Eating high quality wild caught fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna will give you tons of the good Omega 3’s. I try to eat these at least 2-3 times a week. Grass fed beef/venison can give you those as well. Don’t forget about organic eggs.

Eat soluble fiber like chia seeds, berries and green leafy veggies— you can add all these to a morning smoothie

Eat healthy herbs —-in particular rosemary, basil, and turmeric (the yellow spice often used in curries and mustard) are excellent and cutting down chronic inflammation.

Use olive oil (extra virgin) which will naturally raise HDL (good cholesterol) —- 1-2 Tbs daily will help

Don’t forget to MOVE —20 min of exercise just 3 times a week will help.

I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful holiday season and let’s keep these tips in mind for setting our resolutions.

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Angela in Diet, Nutrition 1 Comment

Robin Williams

I’m devastated at the tragic death of Robin Williams. However, I am grateful in so many ways. I’ve seen testimonials of depression, addiction, and imperfection posted on social media sites all day. Robin’s comedy entertained us with wicked humor, but his death provoked a new set of emotions. He now demonstrates the issue that mental health is a disease. In my world, he is still teaching and entertaining on a whole new uncomfortable level.

Unfortunately, my profession holds me hostage to stories of despair, victimization, and contempt of disease states. Stories of suicide and the aftermath are hard to hear . Unfortunately, I’ve found myself attracting them into my life via my confused emotions on the subject.

Depression is a disease. Is it hereditary? maybe—-Are you predisposed and destined to get it? NO, I think not.

I believe that illness evolves into disease based on everyday choices. Nobody chooses to be depressed or sick. I get that. Robin Williams’s death is a call to action. He had the coveted wealth, fame and stardom-but, it wasn’t enough. Please reach out to those struggling quietly around you. I hope this post helps! A few of my closest friends and I will be doing the suicide prevention walk –I hope you can join us!

For Lucy and Maggie …

Countless hours spent on the deck discussing the uncertainties of life. Innumerable days of listening to our children giggle, play, fight and cry together. Tears shed watching one another battle the ups and downs of family life in the 21st century. These experiences have made our former neighbors become our dearest friends and confidants. They are our “wolf pack”.

This week, the Henriksens, and their dear friends watched their families bond together once again as they faced yet another frightening event. An event that would forever change the way all ten of us view life and the ambiguity of the world. We will become different people having experienced this sad tragedy.

Our dearest friends’ daughter has known one of the most vivacious, loving, talented and endearing girls for many years. The two girls were kindred spirits at the mere ages of 15 and 16. To the shock of everyone, she took her own life this week. She battled depression for years. Unfortunately, the disease won the strenuous fight. Sadly and despite her suspected perception, young Maggie was never alone.

Most all of us probably know someone whose life has been affected by depression, either directly or indirectly. We may not know that someone is suffering from depression, they may not even know themselves. Two out of three people who struggle with depression never seek help resulting in untreated depression as the leading cause of suicide. In America alone, it’s estimated that 19 million people live with depression, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death among those 18-24 years old.

Perhaps you have seen the countless photos on social media of outstretched arms with the word “love” scribed on skin and merely thought it some new type of arm art fad. There is a much deeper meaning to these sharpie tattoos.

Renee was a troubled Florida teen. Described as one who “has felt the touch of awful naked men, battled depression and addiction, and attempted suicide” she at one point used her cocaine-cutting razor to carve “F—k Up” on her arm adding to the other fifty self inflicted scars there. A group of concerned friends finally convinced her to go to a drug treatment center but she was deemed too “high risk” due to her distinctive markings and denied treatment. Fearing for her life, they designed a T-shirt selling drive in hopes of raising enough money to pay for her care. Their experiences led them to realize the greater need beyond just Renee.

Together they organized and formed TWLOHA, a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people lost in depression, addiction, self-destruction and suicide. You can read their complete story and Mission Statement here: http://www.twloha.com. Their efforts caught on and went viral. Photos of teens with “Love” on their arms began popping up in dramatic fashion. Famous bands and the Hollywood elite began wearing their trendy T-shirts. “Why do you have that written on your arms?” “What does that T-shirt mean and where can I get one?” All were keen efforts to raise awareness for this cause and show those in need that they are not alone. By metaphorically applying “Love” as a pressure bandage to the self inflicted ugly wounds of the story’s character, this band of persistent friends helped not only Renee, but began to define and fulfill TWLOHA’s vision including:

The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.

The vision is the possibility that we’re more loved than we’ll ever know.

The vision is hope, and hope is real.

You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.

Lucy, I won’t let this be the end of Maggie’s story either . . .

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Angela in disease, Exercise, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Gluten-free on the run!

Superhero Sandy has been so kind to share more of her journey with us!!! My kudos go out to her for sticking to this journey!! It certainly isn’t easy! Of note–she is already feeling better!!! She has more energy and that is amazing!

Sandy shares:

“I think it’s time for a gluten-free update now. Lots has been happening around here lately, but through it all I’ve managed to stick to my new eating style. Sometimes when I’m lazy that means a piece of watermelon and a cheese stick for dinner, but most of the time I’m inspired enough to cook something decent. Those King Arthur muffins I made last night, and added blueberries to, were fabulous, and I’ve put most of them in the freezer for a quick breakfast bread or a snack of some kind. Given my experiences of the past week or so, I think I’ll be very happy to have them. I hope to figure out some more stuff I can have on hand to grab and go. A piece of fruit is great for that sort of thing, but sometimes you gotta have something “stick to your ribs” to go with it.

The hardest thing is being out running errands or keeping appointments and thinking “what do I do for lunch?” Last week, there were two full days when I drove an hour to attend awards day with my grandkids, hung out with them, took them to lunch, and then drove another hour to get home again. Under those circumstances it’s easy to stay on the gluten-free part of eating, but it’s harder to eat several small meals a day and keep your metabolism perking along at full speed. I didn’t manage that part so well. I took each kid to O’Charley’s for lunch, and I somehow managed to resist their dinner rolls while eating a salad with grilled chicken one day and some cedar-planked salmon the next. And broccoli. Not bad. But getting up early and rushing out to a 9 a.m. school program meant I had a gluten-free toaster pastry for breakfast one day and a banana the next and then nothing until the big lunch. And then nothing until I got home. Not good. But still gluten-free.

I don’t crave fast food so much as I crave the fast food experience. “Give me one of those, two of these,” and you pay and go sit down or drive off and eat it. Eating in a white tablecloth restaurant is simple. They serve salads and vegetables and meat, so all you have to avoid is the bread mostly and anything breaded and fried. And dessert.

Usually in the middle of the day, I’m not looking for a restaurant meal though. I’m looking for something fast, easy, and filling. I’ve found that I can stop at Panda Express and order steamed brown rice, some mixed vegetables and whatever I see that isn’t coated in breading and sweet sour sauce. They do have some teriyaki pork or chicken that is just meat with sauce that you apply yourself, so I think that’s pretty safe with the brown rice. You have to look for it though, and you have to ask for the steamed brown rice. In the one I go to most often, I find the teriyaki near the end of the line, where they keep the egg rolls and crab rangoon.

I’m also told that you can find good things at Mexican restaurants, particularly Chipotle Grill and Qdoba. I haven’t tried either of those yet though. I’ll study the menu online and see what they have. Speaking of Mexican, one of my lunch favorites around the house is one of those little individual packets of Wholly Guacamole, some pico de gallo from the produce department, and a little sour cream all piled together in a bowl with some Mission corn chips, which are gluten-free.

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Weight Loss 2 Comments

Lose Those Medicines!

Can exercise, food help you kick the meds?

By Lauren Lowrey Updated: Tuesday, April 15, 2014, 6:40 am Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2014, 5:47 am

AVON, Ind. (WISH) — Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, according to research by the Mayo Clinic and many of those drugs are for problems considered to be avoidable if you change your lifestyle.

“People that are on medication don’t have to be,” says Brooke Huffman a Shelbyville mother and Realtor.

Huffman was in severe pain last fall with pain in her joints, burning feet and tremendous swelling. The pain prevented her from exercising, which led to dramatic weight gain.

“We ran a lot of testing on Brooke and found that she had an intolerance to gluten,” says Angela Henriksen, MD. “When she eliminated that from her diet, all of her symptoms went away, 100 percent.”

By changing her diet, Huffman was able to eliminate the anti-inflammatory medication she was taking as well as reduce the dosage of her thyroid medication twice. She was able to exercise again and lose 50 pounds.

“What I think is really shocking is that we as clinicians don’t understand nutrition as well as we should,” says Henriksen. “So, it’s important to go back and look at what the diet options are and how important it is to get your nutrients through your food and not through supplements.”

Four years ago, one of Henriksen’s patients had frequent skin rashes, severe joint pain and inflammation. She was placed on immune suppressive drugs, which caused her to gain weight and worsened her symptoms. Henriksen worked with the patient to change her diet to include only real whole foods. The patient is now pain and symptom free and takes no prescription medications.

The experience was the catalyst for Henriksen to create a health and wellness blog called Angela M.D. focusing on diet, exercise and healthy living. She also operates a Wellness Clinic out of her office at IU Health West Hospital where patients can sit down with a nurse every two weeks to review a food journal.

“We need to figure out how to use food as medicine and prevent disease before we get into a situation where we’re spending a lot of money on meds that we don’t need to take,” says Henriksen.

Poor diet is a major contributor to the leading causes of chronic disease and death in the United States, including heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that about 70% of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese.

Nearly one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure according to the FDA, and 11 percent of people in the U.S. are taking drugs to lower lipids, such as cholesterol. Both conditions are considered controllable with diet and exercise. After reviewing 305 randomized controlled trials, researchers found exercise was equally as effective as medication for pre-diabetes and heart disease.

“I’ve gotten rid of the Diet Coke and I also do a lot of fresh foods, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits,” says Huffman. “Medication is expensive, it has side effects and if you can change just a few simple things and feel better, why wouldn’t you try?”

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Be Mindful, Stay Healthy, and Always Be Yourself!

food as medicine