Top 5 Benefits of Glycine Supplements

How often do we think about the health of our brain? Do we have the potential to think more clearly and improve our memory? What can we do to help prevent age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia? There is so much we can do to keep our brain healthy and being ‘mindful’ now will help us out in our later stages of life. There are many avenues in which you can help support your overall cognition: Exercise your brain Yes, you can exercise your brain! When you do this, you challenge it to make new connections and strengthen old connections. There are some simple activities you can do to exercise your brain and keep it sharp and healthy. Reading, doing word puzzles and crosswords are great exercises for your brain. You can also try using your non dominant hand to write with or perform everyday tasks, such as moving your mouse on your computer. These are simple yet effective exercises for your thinker! If exercised consistently, it can have a profound effect on the health of your brain. Supplementation When it comes to the health of our brain, Lion's mane is great for cognitive support. Lion's mane is known is a nootropic, which is a substance that may help improve memory, enhance creativity and basically support overall brain functioning. Mushrooms, especially Lion's Mane, are great for whole body support, but when it comes to supporting your brain, this mushroom is the king of cognition! Eating right, exercising and getting good quality sleep are some of the most important things you can do for your brain health. Eating right Too much sugar in the diet can have harmful and lasting effects on the brain over time. We are now seeing a rise in what experts call type 3 diabetes. This is a condition like type 2 diabetes, but the brain is the organ that is resistant to insulin. Having type 3 diabetes is thought to lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Long story short, too much sugar can cause a lack of clarity, fatigue and early progression of age-related brain disease. Complement a healthy diet with exercise Exercise brings fresh blood flow to the brain and with that, vitamins and minerals. Exercise also helps control blood pressure which is key in preventing stroke. Sleep Good sleep quality is possibly the MOST important avenue to help protect your brain and keep it healthy. Your body repairs during sleep, especially your brain! There is so much evidence emerging on the importance of a good night sleep and the effects it has on the brain. Extra late nights may be worth ‘rethinking’ and enhancing the quality of your sleep should be priority. When thinking of your overall health goals, don’t forget to include your brain in your health regime. Always talk to your Naturopathic Doctor or healthcare provider before making any major changes in your daily regime, such as strenuous exercise or supplementation.

Tips for keeping your digestive tract happy. “You are what you eat and what you digest.” So much of gut health has to do with what you put inside your body. Safe to say how you digest the food you eat ultimately get absorbed at the gut level. It’s important to take care of your gut by providing it with nourishing and healing foods and supplements. We asked our Registered Holistic Nutritionists to weigh in on how to improve gut health and keep it healthy. Eat a diet full of fibre and probiotics Fibre is a plant-based carbohydrate (do not panic at that word) that helps to reduce the risk of many diseases of the heart, digestive system, and more. The two types (soluble and insoluble) are beneficial. It works to stimulate the growth of healthy gut bacteria, it helps to slow down the absorption of glucose, and helps to carry out wastes from the body. Probiotics are healthy gut bacteria that can be found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi and kombucha. Probiotics help keep the gut happy by supplying the beneficial bacteria that helps keep everything calm and balanced. Healthy gut bacteria is linked with less inflammation, irritability, and digestive issues. Learn more about protecting your microbiome here. Safe to say ensuring you are eating a diet with root vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, as well as whole grains (if you do consume grains), along with fermented foods will help improve your gut. Take gut health support supplements Collagen and or Bone Broth Collagen has amino acids that support gut health by reducing inflammation and healing the actual gut. Particularly bovine collagen has been shown to be specifically helpful for gut health. You can also go beyond collagen and take bone broth. Bone broth includes collagen, gelatin as well as other ingredients that may help with tissue healing and calm the inflammation of the gut’s lining. Gelatin is essentially the cooked version of collagen. They both provide the same amino acids and provide the same benefits. Want to have both? Full Spectrum Collagen 1,2,3 combines both collagen and bone broth! Probiotics We talked about the essential role probiotics play in gut health. To be sure you are getting the gut bacteria your body needs, it’s often suggested to take probiotics supplements daily. Providing your gut with these daily will allow the digestive system to be prepared. Probiotics + Prebiotics is a winning combination because it not only provides the beneficial gut flora, but also offers food for the beneficial bacteria (prebiotics) to thrive. Enzymes Part of gut health is the ability to digest the foods you eat. If you feel sluggish or bloated, you can take digestive enzymes that speed up the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Full Spectrum Plant Enzymes are good for digestion which in turn will help with gut health. Move your body Getting exercise daily will help to build your gut health. How? Essentially the muscles involved in digestion strengthen with exercise, this in turn helps with peristalsis (moving digested food throughout the gut). Exercise also plays a role in promoting healthy bacteria in the gut (which we always need a good balance of). In fact, studies have suggested that exercise has the potential of altering the gut flora and promoting wellness. It literally feels good to move! Limit Your Alcohol and Coffee Intake The gut’s bacteria don’t particularly like heavy alcohol consumption. Excessive drinking can lead to digestive upset, but also inflammation of the gut’s lining. When this happens, the gut becomes susceptible to discomfort, ulcers and even infections. For the same reason, if you feel you are getting an upset stomach after consuming caffeine, consider cutting down the amount to 1-2 cups a day. Decrease the stress A common piece of advice for health in general, but most definitely stress has a negative effect on gut health. Studies have shown that there are associations between anxiety and depression and matters of the gut, and vice versa. Therefore you may notice stomach pain following a stressful set of events; the mind and gut connection are very much in sync. Work on calming the mind and body, or consider stress support, such as Enhanced Collagen Relax. This is a great supplement to add into a beverage or water after a stressful day. Enhanced Collagen Relax gently takes the “edge off” without any drowsiness as it has collagen + Magnesium Bisglycinate And L-Theanine (stress and relaxation supportive supplements). Improving your gut health doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Take it one good habit at a time and remember that your whole-body health starts with your gut.

When it comes to sleep, it is not only important that you are getting enough, but it is also important that are you getting good quality sleep. Sleep is important for physiological reactions all throughout the body, such as hormone regulation, mediating mood, and healing and supporting our immune system. Basically, if your sleep is off, everything will be out of balance. In North America, it is more common than ever for individuals to be sleep deprived. This may be due to many different factors. It really comes down to the health, environments and lifestyles of the individual experiencing sleep issues. There are some common practices that can help improve the quality of a person’s sleep. Below are what I find to be most important when working towards a healthy sleep regime. 1. Blue Light Blocking In today’s society, we are surrounded by blue light; both natural sources such as the sun, as well as unnatural sources like LED lights. Backlit devices (blue light) is artificial light that surrounds us in our homes and is on all screens including smartphones, TV’s, tablets and computer monitors. Staring at these screens into the evening hours can be disruptive to our hormones that play a role in helping us fall asleep. Melatonin is an important hormone involved in helping us to fall asleep and stay asleep. Melatonin is produced in a small part of the brain called the pineal gland. The production of this hormone is stimulated by our natural circadian rhythm regulated by the setting of the sun. When it gets dim out, melatonin is produced making us feel sleepy. If instead we are staring at and surrounded by bright lights come sunset, our melatonin production is inhibited, and we struggle with falling asleep. Consider the below modifications to help keep your melatonin regulation optimal: No screen time two hours before bed. Depending on current habits, this may be something you take small steps to work towards. Start small such as 30 minutes and work your way up to two hours. Unless you have the latest iPhone that automatically is programmed with a blue light filter, you can download an app called f.lux for all of your screen devices. This blue light concept is not new, and there are programs and apps available to filter the blue light from your screens. Consider putting a few red lightbulbs in lamps around your home. When the sun begins to set, turn off the main lights and switch on the red lamps instead. Putting salt lamps near the bed or in the bathroom for those middle of the night trips is a calming way to see your surroundings without stimulating yourself too much in the night with blue light. Another option to block blue light is to buy blue light blocking glasses. You can purchase those on Amazon or at your local department store. You can purchase some orange safety glasses and wear them in the evening hours. The shade of the glasses will block blue light. You may look funny, but trust me, your sleep health is worth it! 2. Make your room sleep-friendly Blackout your room. This means putting up blackout blinds and place a towel in front of the door where light might shine in. There is a ton of research on the adverse effects of even a small amount of light exposure while you are asleep. Light exposure in the middle of the night may make for a groggy morning. Do your best to make your sleeping accommodations as dark as possible. Keep your room simple. You should use your room for sleeping and cuddling only! Try and avoid studying or doing work-related tasks in your bedroom. Keep your bedroom free of clutter. Leave the technology out of the bedroom. 3. Create healthy habits that will enhance your sleep quality Practice going to bed and waking up at the same time every morning. When you are trying this keep in mind that if you are not falling asleep after 30 minutes, it is best to get out of bed and go back when you are ready to sleep. However, if you get up and out of bed, remember your blue blight blockers! When you wake up in the morning, expose yourself to natural light. Head outside for an early morning walk. Exposing yourself to early morning light for as little as 20 minutes will help regulate your natural circadian rhythm. Eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime. This is important because digesting food takes a lot of energy. If you eat close to bedtime, your body’s energy will go towards digesting and absorbing food instead of other actions such as efficiently producing hormones that help you with sleep. Meditate before bed. Try and slow down your mind in the evening. If meditation is not your jam, try reading a book or magazine. Sleep is important! When we are not sleeping properly we will notice it! Weight gain, negative mood changes, and weakened immunity are just some examples of the many problems we encounter with poor sleep quality. The above lists are suggestions that may help to improve your sleep, starting with incorporating one or two small things into your daily routine is a step in the right direction for improved sleep quality. Depending on each individual, there are many ways to help improve sleep quality including supplementing with vitamins, minerals and herbs. If you struggle with sleep it is best to talk to your Naturopathic Doctor to find a health regime that best suits your unique needs. Sleep well, be happy, be healthy! Amy is a certified nutritionist with over 7 years of experience working in the health and fitness industry. She is currently in her third year as a Naturopathic Medical Student and has a special interest in gut and brain health. Find her on Instagram: @amy_kwilson