Admin – Claremont Colonic and Nutrient Resource Clinic

The Best and Worst Breads at the Grocery Store

The overwhelming amount of options on bread shelves at the supermarket can make it hard to separate healthy bread from unhealthy bread. The healthiest breads are made with whole grains, high in fiber, low in added sugar, and free from unnecessary additives. But with so many brands claiming to be “whole grain,” or “heart healthy”, which ones actually stand up to their claims?

Why Bread Deserves a Place in a Healthy Diet

Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient and your body’s primary energy source. The popularity of Keto diets in recent years has caused confusion around which carbs are good for you. Some diets have lumped whole grains in with refined carbs and encourage people to avoid all carbs in order to burn more fat. While that can work in certain diets, without carbohydrates you’re likely to have lower energy levels and trouble concentrating. The problem isn’t with carbohydrates themselves, but the type of carbs you eat.

Refined carbs are quickly digested and absorbed, leading to blood sugar spikes and energy crashes. These carbs are commonly found in processed foods, and should be limited in most diets.

Complex carbohydrates digest more slowly. This results in a steadier release of energy, longer-lasting fullness, and better blood sugar control. You’ll find these in whole-grain breads, and they are a staple of the Mediterranean diet.

According to health.com, “People who follow diets high in complex carbs rich in fiber tend to have lower rates of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease and colon cancer.”

In addition to complex carbs, healthy breads provide dietary fiber, supporting your digestive health. They also contain key nutrients like iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins that are often stripped away in refined versions.

What Makes Some Bread Unhealthy?

Many breads are stripped of their nutritional value during processing. White bread, for example, is made with refined flour that has had the bran and germ removed, reducing the nutritional value.

Even some wheat breads are primarily made from white flour, with just a touch of whole grain added for color. Avoid wheat breads that have white flour as a top ingredient. These breads are still devoid of the nutrients that whole-grain breads provide.

Long ingredient lists filled with preservatives, added sugars, and dough conditioners have a longer shelf life than other breads, but lack nutritional value.

When choosing a bread at the store, look for whole-grain as the first ingredient, and avoid breads that have an overly long ingredient list, since those are typically filled with additives and preservatives.

The Healthiest Types of Bread
Whole-Grain Bread

Whole-grain bread is made from grains that include all three parts: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Enriched flour removes the bran and germ, and replaces their nutrients using longer-lasting chemicals like riboflavin and niacin. This preserves fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whole grains help lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and support digestion. They’re also rich in antioxidants and plant compounds that promote long-term health.

What to look for: Check that the label says “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat.” Look for at least 3 grams of fiber per slice and avoid terms like “wheat flour” or “enriched flour,” which indicate refined grains.

Sprouted Bread

Sprouted bread is made from whole grains that have been soaked and allowed to sprout before baking. Sprouting can increase fiber content and make nutrients more digestible. According to Dr. Axe, “the sprouting process produces more nutrients, and these breads often contain several types of grains and legumes that provide macronutrients and micronutrients”. Sprouted breads contain many of the same nutrients as whole-grain breads, but in different proportions.

Sprouting makes nutrients like B vitamins, iron, and magnesium more bioavailable. Some studies have indicated that sprouted seeds allow your body to digest more nutrients than typical whole-grains. It can also reduce the bread’s glycemic index and improve gut health.

What to look for: Look for breads labeled “Ezekiel”. Look for “sprouted whole grains” as the first ingredient and minimal added sugar. These breads are usually found in the refrigerated or freezer section of the supermarket, since they do not last long on the shelf, due to their lack of preservatives.

Seeded Bread

Seeded bread includes seeds such as flax, sunflower, sesame, or chia, mixed into the dough or coated on the crust. While seeded breads have more calories than whole grain breads, they offer more healthy fats and a high amount of fiber.

What to look for: Choose breads where seeds appear high on the ingredient list. Some seeded breads sprinkle seeds on top, rather than mixing it with the dough. Choose a whole-grain seeded bread for maximum effect.

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is made from a starter that is fermented and replaces the yeast in the baking process. This gives sourdough a distinct flavor. But that fermentation process does more than just add a chewy texture. According to the National Institute of Health, there is evidence that fermentation “improves micronutrient bioaccessibility, notably for minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, or zinc”. It also supports gut health by producing beneficial acids and compounds during fermentation.

What to look for: True sourdough should list just a few ingredients: flour, water, salt, and a starter. Whole-grain and rye-based sourdoughs will have the most nutritional value.

Gluten-Free Bread

Finding healthy gluten-free bread can be tricky, as they often rely on refined starches that offer few nutrients. Gluten-free breads made with whole grain flours like buckwheat, quinoa, millet, or brown rice can be rich in fiber, antioxidants, and essential minerals. They also provide many of the same benefits as whole-wheat breads, as they contain many of the same nutrients.

What to look for: Choose gluten-free breads made with whole grain flours and look for at least 2 grams of fiber per slice. Avoid brands that are high in added sugars or xanthan gum.

The healthiest breads are those made with whole, recognizable ingredients and as few additives as possible. Before tossing a loaf in your cart, take a moment to scan the ingredient list and nutrition label. You’ll see quickly which brands stand up to scrutiny, and which fill their breads with nutritionless additives.

Contributor: Alternative Daily

6 Signs Your Body Is Desperately Low on B12 — And Why It Matters for Your Memory

If you’ve been feeling more tired than usual lately, or you’ve noticed that you’re forgetting little things — where you put your keys, what you walked into a room for — you might be tempted to chalk it up to “just getting older.” But here’s something worth knowing: for millions of women over 60, those symptoms aren’t simply aging. They’re a warning sign that your body may be running low on one of the most critical nutrients for brain health.

That nutrient is Vitamin B12.

B12 deficiency is remarkably common in women over 60 — and it’s one of the most frequently missed diagnoses. Your body needs B12 to make red blood cells, keep your nervous system functioning properly, and — critically — protect your brain. When levels drop too low, the effects can be wide-ranging and serious.

Here are six signs that your B12 may be dangerously low — and what you can do about it.

1. You’re Forgetting Things More Than Usual

This is perhaps the most important sign to pay attention to. B12 plays a direct role in the production of myelin — the protective sheath that surrounds your nerve cells and keeps signals moving quickly and clearly through your brain.

When B12 is low, myelin production slows. And when that happens, your memory starts to suffer. You might notice you’re struggling to recall names, losing track of conversations, or feeling a persistent “brain fog” that makes it hard to think clearly. The good news? Unlike age-related cognitive decline, B12-related memory problems are often reversible when caught early.

2. You Feel Exhausted No Matter How Much You Sleep

B12 is essential for producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout your body. When your levels drop, your body can’t make enough healthy red blood cells — a condition called megaloblastic anemia. The result is a deep, bone-level fatigue that no amount of rest seems to fix.

If you’re waking up tired, hitting a wall by mid-afternoon, or feeling wiped out after activities that never used to bother you, your B12 levels are worth checking.

3. You Have Tingling or Numbness in Your Hands and Feet

Pins and needles in your extremities — especially when they seem to come and go for no clear reason — can be a neurological signal of B12 deficiency. Because B12 is critical for nerve health, low levels can cause damage to the peripheral nervous system, leading to that uncomfortable tingling sensation.

Don’t dismiss this one. Nerve damage from B12 deficiency can become permanent if left untreated for too long.

4. You’ve Been Feeling Down or More Anxious Than Usual

B12 is involved in producing serotonin and dopamine — the “feel good” chemicals in your brain. When your levels are low, mood can take a real hit. Women with B12 deficiency often experience increased feelings of sadness, irritability, or anxiety.

If you’ve noticed a change in your mood that doesn’t seem tied to anything specific going on in your life, it’s worth asking your doctor to check your B12 levels alongside any other testing.

5. Your Tongue Looks Smooth or Feels Sore

This one surprises a lot of people. A healthy tongue has tiny bumps called papillae on its surface. With severe B12 deficiency, those bumps can disappear, leaving the tongue looking unusually smooth and feeling inflamed or sore — a condition called glossitis.

You might also notice mouth ulcers or a burning sensation. If you’ve been experiencing unexplained mouth discomfort, add this to your list of questions for your next doctor visit.

6. You Feel Unsteady on Your Feet

Balance problems and difficulty walking steadily can be a sign of neurological damage caused by prolonged B12 deficiency. The nerves responsible for coordinating movement can be affected, which is why some people describe feeling wobbly or unsteady, particularly in low-light conditions.

For older women, balance issues also raise fall risk — making this a particularly important symptom to take seriously.

Why Women Over 60 Are Especially at Risk

As we age, the stomach produces less hydrochloric acid — and that acid is what helps your body absorb B12 from the food you eat. This means that even if you’re eating plenty of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy (the main food sources of B12), your body may simply not be absorbing enough of it.

Certain medications also interfere with B12 absorption — including metformin (commonly prescribed for blood sugar) and proton pump inhibitors (for acid reflux). If you take either of these regularly, it’s especially important to have your B12 levels monitored.

What to Do If You Recognize These Signs

First, don’t panic — B12 deficiency is very treatable. Here’s where to start:

Talk to your doctor and ask for a simple blood test to check your B12 levels.
Ask about supplementation — B12 supplements (especially sublingual forms that dissolve under the tongue) are well-absorbed even when stomach acid is low.
In more severe cases, your doctor may recommend B12 injections that bypass the digestive system entirely.
Focus on B12-rich foods: salmon, tuna, beef, eggs, and fortified cereals.

The bottom line: many of the symptoms we accept as inevitable parts of aging — fatigue, forgetfulness, low mood — may actually be your body waving a flag. A simple blood test could be the first step toward feeling like yourself again.

If you recognized yourself in any of these six signs, please bring them up at your next appointment. Your brain — and your body — will thank you.

Contributor: Alternative Daily

Wellness Influencers Blur the Line Between Advice and Misinformation

There are a lot of self‑billed “wellness influencers” on social media who claim, in one form or another, to be health care professionals. And many of them are passing themselves off incorrectly, it turns out, according to a new report.

A little context first. This is a moment when the head of the Department of Health and Human Services has no formal background in medicine or health care. And that has opened the door for a whole slew of so‑called wellness influencers who want to influence your wellness.

A new report from the Pew Research Center finds that many of these influencers, like the current head of HHS, have no background in health care.

According to the study, about 41% of health‑related influencers describe themselves in their profiles as medical professionals. But that’s a loose description because it can include everyone from licensed doctors and nurses to massage therapists.

Meanwhile, 31% of these so-called wellness influencers describe themselves in their bios as coaches. Another 28% call themselves entrepreneurs, or some combination of the two. And another 16% offer no credentials at all.

The Wall Street Journal notes that concern is growing over misinformation spread by wellness influencers, with consequences that include falling vaccination rates, extreme diets, and other health risks.

A separate study out of Australia found that nearly half of Instagram posts from wellness influencers contained inaccurate information.

Put it this way. It’s one thing to seek fashion tips from someone online with a snappy sense of style. It’s quite another to seek health care advice from someone who isn’t qualified to advise you on a headache.

Fashion influencers are everywhere. If you have a good eye and a strong sense of style, that will be apparent to your audience, and maybe they’ll be influenced, and rightly so.

Health care is different. You cross a line. There’s a reason doctors spend years becoming credentialed to practice medicine. Because it’s not easy. And the stakes are very, very high.

So when anyone can go online, hang a digital shingle, and say, “I’m going to influence your health,” be wary.

Contributor: David Lazarus – KTLA.com

Why We Have Nightmares and How to Stop Them

We leave behind our fears of monsters under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhoods, but one can follow us into adulthood and loom over our heads.

Nightmares are more common in childhood, but anywhere from 50% to 85% of adults report having occasional nightmares.

Almost everyone can experience nightmares.

“Dreams do usually incorporate things that happened during the day, leading some researchers to hypothesize that dreams and rapid eye movement sleep is essential for memory consolidation and cognitive rejuvenation,” said Joshua Tal, a sleep and health psychologist based in Manhattan.

“Nightmares are the mind’s attempts at making sense of these events, by replaying them in images during sleep.”

Nightmares are what the American Academy of Sleep Medicine call “vivid, realistic and disturbing dreams typically involving threats to survival or security, which often evoke emotions of anxiety, fear or terror.”

If someone has frequent nightmares — more than once or twice weekly — that cause distress or impairment at work or among people, he or she might have nightmare disorder. Treatments include medications and behavioral therapies.

Addressing frequent nightmares is important since they have also been linked to insomnia, depression and suicidal behavior. Since nightmares can also cause sleep deprivation, they are linked to heart disease and obesity as well.

Trying out these 10 steps could help you ease your nightmares and improve your sleep and quality of life.

1. Establish a sleep routine

Nightmares occur during rapid eye movement sleep, the phase during which our muscles relax and we dream. Waking up during REM sleep enables recollection of the dream and resulting distress, said Jennifer Martin, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s board of directors.

“One of the most effective ways to treat nightmare problems in adults is actually to get them sleeping more soundly (so) they wake up less often,” Martin said.

A healthy sleep routine begets sound sleep. Develop one by exercising, setting regular sleep and waking times, ensuring your room is dark and cool, avoiding stimulating beverages after midafternoon and engaging in relaxing activities.

2. Cut back on alcohol

Alcoholic beverages can induce restlessness and awakenings throughout the night — potentially helping you remember nightmares, Martin said.

“A lot of people use alcohol as a way to wind down and feel sleepy at the end of the day, but it’s really not the right solution,” she added. Instead, try herbal teas and other beverages conducive to sleep. If drinking was the only part of your relaxation routine, chat with your partner or read instead.

One drink more than three hours before bedtime is OK, Martin said. Just pay attention to whether it causes a post-dinner nap and alertness at bedtime, and eliminate that drink if it does.

3. Don’t eat before bed

Snacking can boost metabolism, which causes your brain to be more active and could lead to nightmares, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

While some people sleep better after eating a light snack, you should stop eating two to three hours before bedtime. If you notice that you have nightmares afterward, try avoiding nighttime snacking or heavier meals before bed.

4. Review your medications

Some medications can prompt nightmares by interrupting REM sleep.

“If people can identify that their nightmares either started or increased when they had a change in their medication, that’s definitely a reason to talk to their doctor” about their medication schedule or alternatives, Martin said.

Melatonin, while a popular sleep aid, influences our circadian rhythm that regulates REM sleep, and can lead to more or fewer nightmares. If you want to take melatonin for better sleep, work with a sleep specialist to ensure you’re taking it at the right time and not compounding the problem, Martin said.

5. Practice stress-relieving activities

Progressive muscle relaxation — tensing muscle groups as you inhale and relaxing them as you exhale — has been effective for reducing nightmares.

“Nightmares activate the sympathetic nervous system, the ‘fight or flight system,’ the body’s natural response to imminent danger,” said Tal via email.

“The body also has an innate relaxation system: the parasympathetic nervous system, aka the ‘rest and digest’ system.” Progressive muscle relaxation and other relaxation activities can help activate that system.

6. Journal your worries

Write down your worries to get them all out ahead of time, lest they rear their disquieting heads at night. Journaling can be helpful for alleviating nightmares and stress in general, Tal said.

7. Don’t watch or read scary content before bed

Since our nighttime observations can appear during sleep, “spend some energy engaging with things that are more emotionally neutral or even positive” before bedtime, Martin suggested.

During the pandemic, our everyday lives are looking pretty scary, too. “Reading the news media and then hopping into bed is more likely to trigger disturbing and upsetting dreams than looking through pictures from your last vacation with your family,” she added.

8. Rewrite the ending

Imagery rehearsal therapy is effective “when the chronic nightmares are showing similar themes and patterns,” Tal said.

Since nightmares can be learned behavior for the brain, this practice involves writing down in detail the narrative elements of the dream. Then rewrite the dream so that it ends positively. Just before falling asleep, set the intention to re-dream by saying aloud, “If or when I have the beginnings of the same bad dream, I will be able to instead have this much better dream with a positive outcome.”

“By practicing a rewrite during the daytime, you increase your chances of having them at night while you’re sleeping instead of your nightmare,” Tal said.

9. Use a white noise machine

Silence is key in a sleep routine, but “for people who either don’t like it to be completely quiet or who are awakened by noises they can’t control during the night,” background noise “is a good strategy,” Martin said.

Try a fan or a white noise machine or app for several consecutive nights to help your brain adapt, she added.

10. Check up on your mental health

If nothing works and you’re still having nightmares, talk with a therapist or sleep specialist.

“Nightmares might be a sign of a larger issue, such as PTSD or a mood disorder,” Tal said. “It is possible to treat the nightmares without treating the underlying disorder, but it may also be helpful to treat both the symptom and the disorder.

“There has been great progress on psychological treatments for nightmares, insomnia, anxiety and mood disorders,” Tal added. “Do not be afraid to ask for help; psychotherapy works and it is often short term and accessible.”

Contributor: Kristen Rogers, CNN Health