Triphala, Kidney Disease, Vitamin E, B12 & Stroke, Women’s Health Numbers

Triphala, Kidney Disease, Vitamin E, B12 & Stroke, Women’s Health Numbers

In This Issue: 

• Have You Heard of Triphala?
• Prevent Kidney Disease
• Importance of Vitamin E
• B12 and Stroke Risk
• Important Health Numbers for Women

Find lots of healthy recipes in my Whole Food Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Facebook Group

Message from Bernadette Wulf

Greetings,

It’s that spooky time of year again, when black cats roam and witches come out of their broom closets. I love using AI face swaps to get myself in the mood for the holidays. I can do it for you too if you’re interested.

Wishing you a Happy Samhain/Halloween this month!

I hope the massive storms and flooding around the world, and particularly in the hard-hit areas of the U.S., have not brought you any hardships. May you and all your loved ones be safe and protected.

Be prepared for anything!

My Latest News

I am delighted to announce that I finally sent my novel manuscript and cover files off to the publisher yesterday, so now I’m just waiting to hold the book in my hands. I never would have guessed it would take me 40 years to get it finished, but I’m glad it did, because it has turned out a lot better than it would have if I’d finished it years ago.

So, House of Mirrors will soon be a physical book! Get on my book announcement list if you want to be the first to know when it’s available.

My other big news is that I am starting a Magical Circle membership group to connect you with our clan of kindred spirits — plus you’ll get a lot of Faehallows School of Magic events and products included in your membership. I think it’s going to be awesome!

I’ve been trying to think of a better way to support my students and foster a sense of community for all of us and this feels like the perfect way to do it. I hope you will be able to join us. I’ll be letting you know when sign-ups are open!

Health News

This month I found quite a few excellent articles to help you stay on top of your game health-wise. For starters, I think everyone should know about the amazing trio of herbs called triphala, because it has so many benefits.

Then we have some great articles on preventing kidney disease and strokes (who wouldn’t want to prevent those?), along with strong encouragement to take your Vitamin B12 supplement — and you’ll even get my personal recipe for making delicious mayonnaise from sunflower seeds and aquafaba. We wrap up with an overview of the top health tests for women (and pretty much everyone else) and why you might need them.

Have questions or comments? —>>> Email Bernadette <<<— Please use this link and do not hit reply to this post or I may never get your message.

To your health and happiness!

Bernadette Wulf

WulfWorks.com – HealItAll.com – Eat Plants for Life

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Have You Heard of Triphala?

I learned about triphala many years ago, and I always take it along when I travel, because it is so good at preventing traveler’s constipation. But I didn’t realize how many other wonderful things it can do!

Triphala comes to us from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition and the name is a Sanskrit word meaning “three fruits.”

From theartofantiaging.com:

The three fruits— amla (Emblica officinalis), bibhitaki (Terminalia bellerica), and haritaki (Terminalia chebula)— are all dried and ground into a powder to make triphala. The powder is considered to be tridoshic, meaning helpful for each of the three dosha constitutions in Ayurveda, and has five of the six tastes (lacking only saltiness).

These three fruits work synergistically to give triphala more potency than any of them taken separately.  Read article for info. on each of the three fruits.

Here are some of the benefits of triphala:

• Rich in Antioxidants & Anti-Aging Power
• Digestive Tonic
• May Protect Against Cancer
• Combats Inflammation & May Ease Arthritis Symptoms
• Boosts Oral Health
• Promotes Detoxification
• Supports Healthy Skin & Hair

 

Triphala is so well loved in Ayurveda that whole books could be written about it, but it is relatively unknown elsewhere. I just want to make sure you know about it, because it might be exactly the thing you need to improve your health and digestion.

Read more about the benefits of triphala and how it can support your health and well-being — https://theartofantiaging.com/what-is-triphala-top-triphala-benefits/

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Prevent Kidney Disease

What do CoQ10, B-complex vitamins, vitamin E, and lipoic acid have in common? They are all powerful nutrients that help prevent kidney disease.

From Naturalhealth365.com:

Chronic kidney disease – in which waste products accumulate in the body due to the kidneys’ inability to properly filter them – currently affects 30 million Americans.  Aging adults are particularly at risk for this potentially life-threatening condition, and scientists expect rates of the disease to rise steeply over the next ten years.

However, four nutrients – CoQ10, B-complex vitamins, vitamin E, and lipoic acid – are proving their value as safe, low-cost, and effective interventions to minimize the risk of kidney disease.

Did you know that you can increase your CoQ10 by eating leafy greens and spending time in sunshine? That’s pretty cool!

Sprouted seeds are loaded with B-complex vitamins. And the best way I’ve found to get adequate Vitamin E is by including one or two tablespoons of sunflower seeds each day. I even created a yummy sunflower seed mayo (replacing eggs and oil with sunflower seeds and aquafaba) to make it easier than ever — see next article.

And you’ve probably heard that eating too much protein can really damage your kidneys, so ditch the animal products and stick to whole plant foods for kidney health.

Read more about how to protect your kidneys — https://www.naturalhealth365.com/tap-into-natures-defense-against-kidney-disease-with-4-powerful-nutrients.html

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Importance of Vitamin E

Speaking of Vitamin E, it’s not just good for your kidneys. It also fights free radicals and protects your heart health.

From Naturalhealth365.com:

Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, is a fat-soluble compound with potent antioxidant properties.  This vitamin is crucial in protecting your body against free radicals – unstable molecules produced during normal metabolic processes that can cause oxidative stress.

Over time, these free radicals can damage cells and tissues, contributing to premature aging and various chronic diseases.  Vitamin E helps maintain cellular integrity and overall health by neutralizing these harmful molecules.

The article goes on to say that “Just one serving of sunflower seeds, or about 1 ounce of them [ ], contains nearly 40% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin E.”

I bet you want my sunflower seed mayo recipe by now, so here it is:

• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• Aquafaba from one can of organic chickpeas (1/2 – 3/4 cup if you cook the chickpeas yourself)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (or more)
• 1 tsp prepared mustard made with apple cider vinegar (not white vinegar) — Whole Foods brand is a good one
• 1/2 tsp Indian Black Salt

 

Optional 2 tsp chickpea miso (for slightly longer storage)

If you prefer to avoid vinegar completely, try adding a pinch of dry mustard powder in place of prepared mustard.

Blend all ingredients in blender (high-speed is best) until smooth. Use within three or four days.

Read more about the benefits of sunflower seeds and Vitamin E — https://www.naturalhealth365.com/try-this-delicious-and-nutritious-snack-to-get-more-vitamin-e.html

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B12 and Stroke Risk

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that is often neglected, even by vegans and vegetarians who may need it the most.

 

New studies are showing that B12 may prevent strokes by lowering homocysteine levels and improving arterial function..

From nutritionfacts.org:

Unfortunately, many vegetarians resist taking vitamin B12 supplements due to “misconceptions,” like “hold[ing] on to the old myth that deficiency of this vitamin is rare and occurs only in a small proportion of vegans.” “A common mistake is to think that the presence of dairy products and eggs in the diet, as in LOV [a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet], can still ensure a proper intake [of B12]…despite excluding animal flesh.”

Now that we may have nailed the cause, maybe “future studies with vegetarians should focus on identifying ways to convince vegetarians to take vitamin B12 supplements to prevent a deficiency routinely.” 

[ ] Interventional studies have demonstrated that vitamin B12 supplementation can improve arterial function in vegetarians with subnormal B12 status. This suggests that addressing B12 deficiency may mitigate the increased stroke risk associated with plant-based diets lacking sufficient B12 intake.

But it’s not only vegans and vegetarians who need B12 supplementation. Many meat eaters are also deficient, particularly as they get older.

Because our food supply is so sanitary, we no longer get the microbes that create B12 in our guts. Most of us would benefit from regular supplementation. It’s a water-soluble vitamin, so you don’t have to worry about getting too much. Any excess will be excreted in your urine.

Why not reduce your stroke risk, by adding a B12 supplement to your daily routine? Or you could even get away with taking a larger dose once or twice a week.

Read more about preventing strokes with Vitamin B12 — https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/what-about-homocysteine-vitamin-b12-and-vegetarians-stroke-risk/?mc_cid=5c7b3bf0a9&mc_eid=b3ae4ef632

Also from nutritionfacts.org:

If you’re plant-based and have been taking your B12, but your homocysteine level is still too high (above 10 mmol/L), is there anything else you can do? Well, inadequate folate intake can also increase homocysteine, but folate comes from the same root as foliage. It’s found in beans and leaves, concentrated in greens. If you’re eating beans and greens, taking your B12, and your homocysteine level is still too high, I’d suggest taking 1 gram of creatine a day as an experiment, then getting your homocysteine levels retested in a month to see if it helped.

Read about the B12, creatine and homocysteine connection — https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/creatinine-to-normalize-homocysteine-in-vegetarians/

Testing for B12 — https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/testing-for-vitamin-b12-deficiency/

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Most Important Health Numbers for Women

These numbers are important for everyone, but some are particularly important for women.

It’s been a few years since I’ve had most of these tests done, but my dentist always runs a blood pressure check. Mine was 113/64 a few days ago when I went in for a checkup. I’m guessing that’s a result of my 50 plus year vegetarian and 10 year vegan diet.

Since I never eat anything containing cholesterol, there’s not much chance that I have high cholesterol, but I’m curious about the other numbers. Time to schedule a blood test!

Here’s the list of important numbers from prevention.com:

1. Blood Pressure — 120/80 max
2. Cholesterol — total score below 200. Generally, you want your LDL or “bad” cholesterol below 100, and your HDL or “good” cholesterol above 60
3. TSH — between 0.4 and 4.5 milli-units per liter (mU/L)
4. Blood Sugar Levels — A1C of 5.7 or less
5. Bone Mineral Density — between 1 and -1 *see notes
6. Waist Circumference — 35 inches max
7. Complete Blood Count (CBC)
8. Liver function test (LFT)
9. Creatine test (to assess kidney function)

*Notes:

• According to Dr. McDougall, it is natural for post-menopausal women to lose some bone density. He said, “We do not recommend a program of screening menopausal women for osteoporosis by measuring bone density. In other words, BMD testing does not accurately identify women who will go on to suffer a fracture as they age, and is, therefore, unable to accurately distinguish women at low risk of fracture from those at high risk.”
• According to The Bone Coach, a Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) scan is much more helpful in assessing risk of fracture than a bone density test.

Read more about important health tests for women — https://www.prevention.com/health/a20503198/9-health-numbers-every-woman-should-know/

 

That’s All Folks!