It is time again for “Ask the Doctor.” I particularly enjoy this monthly feature because it gives me an opportunity to answer your questions and help you on your path to health and wellness.
If you have a question or health concern that you would like me to address, please visit the Hotze Health & Wellness Facebook page and send me a private message. Mention Katy Christian Magazine in the subject line.
Eating Yeast-Free over the Holidays and Yeast-Free Holiday Recipes
I am starting the yeast-free eating program, but I am concerned that it will be too difficult to stick to it with all the parties and gatherings during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you have any suggestions or yeast-free holiday recipe ideas?
First, congratulations on beginning a yeast-free eating program. Eating yeast-free has so many health benefits such as weight loss, improved gastrointestinal health, more energy, improved mental clarity and memory, improved skin health and it helps reduce your risk of disease. You will also feel healthier with a sense of well-being.
For those of you that are new to a yeast-free eating program, it involves cutting the sugar and simple carbs out of your eating plan. That means no pizza, pasta, bread, cookies, donuts and so on. Yeast overgrowth in your large intestine can cause many health problems, so the goal is to stop feeding the yeast (yeast feeds on sugar) and to kill the yeast and replace it with good bacteria, or probiotics. It can be intimidating to start a yeast-free eating program because it may seem like it takes a lot of preparation, but once you do, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to maintain.
When you go to parties over the holidays, stick to vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meats. You could also have a small yeast-free meal or snack before you go to the party just in case there is nothing yeast-free to eat, and that way you won’t have to worry about it. Take a handful of almonds, cashews or walnuts in a baggie with you in your purse – this is always a good idea to do throughout the day, as well, so you have something handy to munch on.
You can make healthy substitutions in your recipes by subbing almond flour for regular flour and natural sugars like Stevia or Erythritol for refined sugar. Please refrain from using artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet® (aspartame) and Splenda® (sucralose) which are very unhealthy and are toxins to your brain and body.
My yeast-free Optimal Eating Program Cookbook has many tasty recipes for every meal of the day, and even for salad dressings, sauces and holiday desserts. You won’t feel deprived of delicious food at all.
Yeast-Free Holiday Recipes
If you are bringing a side dish or dessert to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, never fear! I have some great yeast-free recipes for you. Your family and friends will love how delicious they are and won’t even realize that it’s sugar-free and healthy.
Here are a few delicious yeast-free recipes to show you that you can still enjoy eating over the holidays:
Yeast-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Yeast-Free Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash Recipe
Thanksgiving Apple Crisp Recipe
Mini Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecakes Recipe
Yeast-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe
Yeast-Free Chocolate Pecan Christmas Cookies Recipe
If you have any questions about doing a yeast-free eating program or supplements to help, visit www.physicianspreferencevitamins.com today or call my Certified Holistic Nutritionists and Vitamin Consultants at 281-646-1659.
Natural Tips for Type 2 Diabetes
Hi Dr. Hotze. I have type 2 diabetes and I am trying to eat healthier since I heard that can help. Are there any supplements that can help control my blood sugar? What else can I do?
This is a great question. Type 2 diabetes is very common today. More than 34 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes. (1)
Insulin regulates the level of sugar in the bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone that allows your body to use the glucose from food to produce energy. It is produced in the pancreas and released into the bloodstream whenever blood sugar levels rise.
With type 2 diabetes, the body develops a resistance to the hormone insulin. This means the body produces insulin, but the cells are immune to its effects. When the body can’t effectively use insulin, glucose (sugar) levels in the blood rise to dangerous levels. This can cause serious health problems if you don’t address it properly.
Many people think that they have to take pharmaceutical drugs such as Glucophage to manage their type 2 diabetes, but that is not so. Glucophage is a drug that has to be detoxified by your liver, and it has negative side effects such as nausea, headache, muscle pain, stomach pain, weakness or vomiting.
The good news is that insulin resistance can be improved, and even reversed, with natural lifestyle changes. Research studies show that by changing your eating habits and exercising regularly, you can prevent and even reverse type 2 diabetes. (2)
Lifestyle Changes to Help Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
- Avoid sugar, simple carbs and grains
- Adopt a yeast-free eating program
- Eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, organic chicken, grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon
- Exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Limit alcohol
Supplements to Help
- Cinnamon and berberine which can help lower blood sugar
- Chromium to help improve insulin sensitivity
Be sure to also have your thyroid function checked, as well. Research shows that hypothyroidism increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. By properly treating low thyroid function, along with a healthy eating plan and exercise, you can reverse type 2 diabetes. (3,4)
Click here to take the symptom checker on my website to find out if you have symptoms of hormone decline.
Research
2. The Prevention and Control the Type-2 Diabetes by Changing Lifestyle and Dietary Pattern
3. Thyroid Function and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study
4. Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Keep Your Questions Coming
I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and to others who are dealing with these common problems. Keep your questions coming! Send me a private message on Hotze Health & Wellness Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HotzeHWC/. Don’t forget to mention Katy Christian Magazine in the subject line. And remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb question.
To learn more about the Hotze Health & Wellness Center and schedule a Free Wellness Consultation, call us at 281-698-8698 or visit hotzehwc.com.
