Nibble on This! Drink Water!

by Nan Sprouse, FNP-BC  Each month we give you tips on increasing your nutrient intake through foods and supplements. This month’s tip will be on increasing one of the most important nutrients: water! Most people do not get enough water, especially during these hot summer months. Lack of water or dehydration, can cause many health problems, sometimes severe. These include fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, light headedness when standing, headaches and more. You can get water through the foods you eat and fluids you drink. A good starting place to determine how many ounces of water you need each day is to divide your weight by 2. Ex: 150 lbs / 2 = 75 oz/day A refreshing twist to plain water is Cucumber-Orange Water:  Ingredients: 6 cups water 6 thin slices cucumber 5 thin slices orange Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Keeping track of your water intake has never been so easy! Stay motivated to live healthy with this free iPhone app:  The SparkPeople Food & Diet Tracker Track your water intake Track your food intake Access meal plans Track your fitness and calories burned View your calories eaten and burned for the day Weigh-in and view weight progress graphs Monitor your progress with detailed weight and calorie reports Nan Sprouse, FNP-BC, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Carson Newman College, becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse with specific research in Women’s health. Nan is working toward a fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.  This Nutrition Update is brought to you by Seasons. For more nutrition tidbits, visit our website at www.seasonswellness.com. For a personalized nutrition consultation with Nan Sprouse or Karen Smith, call Seasons at 675-9355 and schedule an appointment.

Nibble On This! Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day!

by Nan Sprouse, MSN, FNP-BC  September is Better Breakfast Month Your mom was right…breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Breakfast is quite literally “breaking the fast” that you have been in all night. During the night your body is using up a large portion of your stored carbohydrates. Once morning comes, you need to refuel and replenish that storage to provide energy for the day. Without starting your day with a plentiful breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and start breaking down your muscles for fuel. If weight control is your concern, this is the last thing you want to do. Make sure you include a protein, fat and carbohydrate at each breakfast. Try this smoothie for a quick and easy start to your day. Strawberry Banana Bonanza Ingredients: 4 fresh strawberries ½ medium banana 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp honey 4 cubes of ice ¼ cup milk 3 tbsp plain yogurt Directions: Combine yogurt, ice and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Next, add strawberries and banana and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and honey and blend until smooth. Enjoy! Nan Sprouse, MSN, FNP-BC, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Carson Newman College. She is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner with specific research in women’s health. Nan is working toward a fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. For more information about the Seasons approach to wellness or to schedule a consultation, call 865-675-WELL (9355).

All Estrogens Are Not Created Equal

There is a lot of confusion in the medical and non-medical communities regarding estrogens. Many today think there is only one estrogen. Many today think bioidentical estrogens and synthetic estrogens are identical in structure and function. Many today think estrogen production stops after menopause or after a total hysterectomy. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The body never stops producing estrogens. The body, in fact, produces 3 types of estrogens: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. These are the natural estrogens native to the body and the foundation of bioidentical hormone replacement of estrogen.

A woman’s body produces estrogens in various places. Most people knows that ovaries produce estrogens. But did you know that the adrenal glands and fat cells produce estrogens, too? Think about that for a minute. This explains why women of all ages continue produce estrogen. Our adrenal glands don’t disappear at menopause. And fat cells certainly don’t. So how do we know if a woman needs estrogen?

Let’s look more closely at the 3 main estrogens produced in the body.

• estradiol
• estrone
• estriol

Estriol is a good place to start. Estriol is the weakest of all Estrogens. A woman’s placenta produces very large amounts of estriol during pregnancy. However, estriol is not confined to pregnancy. The liver produces small amounts, too. Estriol primarily affects a woman’s hair, nails, skin, and her vaginal lining. Studies also suggest estriol has potential in breast cancer prevention because estriol binds to specific receptors (beta-receptors) in the breast that inhibit breast cell growth. All other estrogens would be expected to increase breast cell growth (which can lead to cancer) through activity with alpha-receptors.

Estrone is the second most potent estrogen. Estrone is predominately produced in fat cells after menopause. Overweight women have high circulating estrone levels. Unfortunately, 63% of American women are overweight or obese, so many women have high estrone levels. Estrone levels rise even more after menopause, and estrone has been implicated in breast tumors in animal studies. (Scientists say this because estrone has a 5:1 affinity for alpha breast receptors, but that’s pretty technical.) Just remember that alpha-receptors increase breast cell growth. You could say estrone encourages breast cell growth, and that can lead to uncontrolled breast cell growth. We call that breast cancer.

Estradiol is the most potent estrogen. Estradiol is produced predominately from the ovaries. This means a woman will have less estriadiol after menopause because her ovaries are producing less. Estradiol is the main stimulus for growth of the lining of the uterus in the first 2 weeks of the monthly cycle, and it helps in triggering ovulation. Like estrone, estradiol has been implicated in breast tumors. It has a 3:1 affinity for alpha-receptors in the breasts, which promote breast cell growth and can lead to cancer.

That’s a lot of information for one blog post, I know. But remember the overall point. Bioidentical hormone therapy is much more than the use of bioidentical estrogen. It is about which estrogens your body needs to maximize efficacy, reduce side effects, and prevent disease.

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