Blended News

I'm writing about Blended For Health Care today. It's a huge piece of our 'why'; we know that going through personal health hurdles, and caregiving for those that are, is really damn hard.

For those of you that don't know our story, The Blended concept was born from the experiences of developing highly nutritious smoothie blends for people close to me who were going through critical health hurdles, along with my own need to nourish a busy, demanding life.

Here at Blended, we're committed to helping people keep healthy and support recovery during health-challenging & demanding times. In addition to our health-focused blend categories, please we have focused blends for these key areas: Oncology Nutrition, Nutrition For Seniors, Postpartum Nutrition & Post-Surgery Recovery.

Next month, we'll be announcing an exciting new addition to our Health Care category.

We'd love your feedback on health-care needs and experiences where complete nutrition blends can help/have helped. Please email me your thoughts.

xo

Deanna, Blended Founder & CEO

Blended For Oncology Nutrition

We've teamed up on a support program with the nutrition team at BC Cancer Oncology to help nourish people going through a Cancer journey. 

The following blends have been identified as top-pick options for those that are currently in-treatment (selected for their high nutrition value, caloric density, protein levels, exclusion of boosters that may interact with chemo, digestibility and ease on stomach). 

Depending on the type of Cancer and treatment program, more blends may be appropriate. Please reach out to us with questions and talk to your dietician about other factors that should be considered with your particular diagnosis. Once a treatment program is completed, additional blends should be explored. 

Read more on the program here: Blended For Oncology Nutrition

Blended Nutrition For Seniors

Our blends and overall recommendations for seniors are the same as for everyone else: a-blend-a-day is an amazingly easy way to getting energizing, high quality essential vitamins & minerals, protein and fibre every day. Over the last years, I've been big on my parents having a daily smoothie (if I can get my Dad to drink a daily smoothie, even the green ones, so can you). 

As your elderly loved one moves into needing more critical health care nutrition and other factors come into play: stomach and digestive sensitivity, viscosity (blend with more liquid for a thinner texture), and pallet changes, the go to blends are:

Please email me if you have with questions on which blends are best for your elder person's taste buds and health needs. I am also here to offer some additional tips on nutrition and ways to navigate this challenging health-care time. 

Blended For Postpartum Nutrition 

Feeling anxious more often than usual or regularly? It might be time for a hormone check-in. 

Some of the hormones that play a role in increased or decreased levels of anxiety are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, oxytocin, cortisol and adrenaline. The drop in estrogen and progesterone that occurs with a women’s menstrual cycle can cause anxiety and other mood symptoms (similarly experienced during peri-menopause and menopause). Low levels of testosterone have also been linked to anxiety because it partially controls the release of cortisol (lower levels can set off a rise in cortisol production).

Symptoms of hormonal anxiety:

Symptoms of hormonal anxiety:

• Restlessness or feeling wound-up
• Being easily fatigued
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty control 'worrying'
• Sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness etc)

Three Nutrients for Hormonal Anxiety Support

What you eat plays a huge role in your body's ability to regulate and balance hormone levels. Nutrient-dense foods are going to give hormone regulation support while refined sugar, processed foods, alcohol and high levels for caffeine are going to throw them out of whack.

Three vitamins & minerals that can help reduce hormonal anxiety:

ZINC

Zinc is an essential nutrient, meaning that your body can’t produce or store it and you need a constant supply through your diet. It’s critical to brain health and the regulation of neurotransmitters, which send messages throughout the brain and body, and hormones (namely our “happiness” hormones: serotonin, and dopamine).

Bonus: it also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Blends High in Zinc:

Shroom Energy, Maca Energy, The Daily Chai, Nutty Chocolate Lover, Choco Banana Hero, Chia Energy Bowl, Greens Immunity Soup

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium, like Zinc, also plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitters. It is believed to affect the hypothalamus (part of your brain), which helps regulate the pituitary and adrenal glands. These glands are responsible for your response to stress.

Blends High in Magnesium:

The Lime Mojito, The Remedy, The Athlete, The Nutty Athlete, Greens Immunity Soup, The Cherry Bomb

VITAMIN B6

Vitamin B6, also an essential nutrient that we get from our diet, can increase GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) production, which decreases nervous system activity by blocking and inhibiting certain brain signals, and is known for producing a calming effect that can help with processing stress and anxiety.

Blends High in Vitamin B6:

Green Beginnings, The Green Mo, The Daily Chai, The Remedy, Greens Daily Dose, The Cherry Bomb, The Pumpkin Patch Soup, Greens Immunity Soup, Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

Three blends picks that are high in all of zinc, magnesium, and Vitamin B6:

The Daily Chai, Greens Immunity Soup, Shroom Energy

Connect with us by email if you'd like recommendations on which blends are right for your taste buds & health goals.

Please talk to your health care provider and/or nutrition expert if you suspect a hormonal imbalance or before taking high dose levels of any supplement.

May is Mental Health Month. We've put together a 2-part series to support both the education and how-to of nourishing a healthy mind.

Today, we're sharing some of our top nutrient picks for your healthy mind and setting you up with one of our top blend picks for mental function support.  On Wednesday, we're getting into recipes & other easy tips on showing your mental big nutrition love.  

Let's dive in......

Mental health is having a huge impact on Canadians: 1 in 5 people are living with a mental health condition and/or struggle. We love that the conversation around this is now louder, but we've got a long way to go.

Increasingly, research is showing that nutrition plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of depression and other mental disorders. We will continue to learn and develop products that support your mental, not just physical, health.    

Here's a high level on some of our learnings:

1. Diet quality plays a part in the presence and severity of depressive symptoms across population groups. Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish may reduce the risk of depression in adults.

2. Studies have associated depression with levels of specific nutrients. For example, zinc deficiency has been associated with increased depressive symptoms. Folate deficiency has been observed in individuals with poor response to anti-depressant treatment. Vitamin D deficiency and low levels of antioxidants have also been linked to depression risk.

3. The important sharing of knowledge on how dietary patterns can influence mental health and the inclusion of nutrition as a part of a full treatment program is not happening at the rate it should be.

sources: Dieticians of Canada, CMHA

NUTRIENTS FOR YOUR MIND

Below are some of our favourite foods, vitamins and minerals for supporting mood and mind:

Maca: a natural mood elevator, hormone balancer and energy-booster. Find it in: Daily Chai, Maca Energy and Shroom Energy. 

Zinc: activates hormonal, neurotransmitter and signaling pathways in the gut which modulate brain functions like appetite, sleep, neurogenesis, cognitive function and mood. Find packed into our Nutty-Chocolate blends. 

B12: this essential nutrient can be easy to miss (especially on a plant-based diet), but it's a mood-booster and can help ease the symptoms of depression. Find it boosted in our The Remedy blend.

Vitamin B6: important for normal brain development and keeping the nervous system healthy. Top B6 blends: our Sweet Potato Coconut Soup, Green Beginnings, The Nutty Athlete, The Athlete.

Vitamin D3 (the "sunshine vitamin") is fat soluble, so we recommend combining with healthy fats to get your max absorption. Take a supplement with any of our blends (they contain the nutrients for supporting absorption).

Folate: a B-vitamin that's needed to convert carbs into energy, which your brain uses to function. Top folate blends: Greens Daily Dose, Daily Greens Keto, The Remedy The Green Mo, The Athlete.

Lions Mane: research has found that this mushroom extract may protect against dementia, reduce mild symptoms of anxiety and depression, and help repair nerve damage. Find it in our Daily Chai and Shroom Energy.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids: essential for healthy brain function; a good source is chia seeds, which can be found in our: Lime Mojito, Daily Chai, Green Mo, The Cherry Bomb, Sweet Sleep, Blue Coconut Keto, Vita-C Immunity Chia Energy & Acai Bowl blends.  Our Superseed Mix is a great brain booster for all your fave blends.

For a big health boost, mega-nourish your mind and body with one of our 3-Day Cleanse Plans, which have shown to help clear brain fog, reduce inflammation & energy-boost.

Beat Fatigue & Stress with Food

In this Blended For Wellness, we wanted to share some nutrition tips that can help prevent/reduce/manage fatigue and stress.

 Nutrition for Fatigue

Your body runs off what you feed it. The best way to keep your energy levels up and fight fatigue is to consistently eat highly nutritious foods every single day. Energy-giving foods we love:

• Avocado
• Chia seeds
• Bananas
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, Brazil, pine)
• Slow-cooked oats
• Boosters: Lions mane, Maca, ginseng
• Water with lemon
• Anti-inflammatory foods like ginger & turmeric
• Leafy greens

Get the above with your Blended daily habit. Want recommendations on which blends are right for you and your health needs? Email us anytime at info@blendedforyou.com

Nutrition for Stress Support

When stressed, your adrenal glands release the stress hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol is unhealthy for our bodies and may be the culprit of hormonal imbalance, weight gain, insomnia, digestive issues, immunity weakness, cognitive dysfunction, and circadian rhythm, all of which can result in chronic health issues. When we’re able to adapt to stress, we significantly reduce the negative impact it has on our bodies. Adaptogens help our bodies fight against stress. Here's how:

What are Adaptogens: adaptogens are herbs, and certain mushrooms, that may help support our resistance to, and reduce the negative impacts from, physical and mental stress. An adaptogen is believed to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect on bodily processes.

The Three Criteria of an Adaptogen

• be non-specific and must assist the human body in resisting a wide range of adverse conditions, such as physical, chemical, mental or biological stress
• bring the body back to equilibrium and regulate processes
• not harm the normal functions of the human body (non-toxic, non-addictive)

Given that different adaptogens may support/help your body in different ways, it’s important to learn about each and talk to a nutrition practitioner as needed. Here are some of our faves & the key benefits they’re touted for:

Ashwagandha: reducing stress & anxiety, boosting immunity, adrenal fatigue

Maca: hormone balance, adrenal function

Turmeric: inflammation reduction, brain function

Reishi: reducing stress & anxiety, boosting immunity, sleep quality

Cordyceps: boosting energy & stamina, adrenal function

Lion’s Mane: brain function, boosting energy

Astragalus: boosting immunity & energy

Rhodiola: reducing stress, adrenal fatigue

Holy Basil: digestion support, lower blood sugar

Asian Ginseng: boosting brain function, memory, immunity

It is important to note that while adaptogens may help support your body through stressful periods, avoiding the negative impacts of prolonged stress requires lifestyle changes that often include a healthier diet and the addition of positive mind-and-body health habits.

Blended For Stress

Three of our fatigue & stress-support heavy-hitting blends:

Vita-C Immunity - Ashwagandha in out Vita C supports stress and anxiety management.

Shroom Energy - boosted with Lion's Mane to light up our brains (in that good productive way) & Cordeceps to help our bodies produce and balance cortisol & stress levels in a lower orbit.

Sweet Sleep - thanks so the melatonin, Reishi & ashwagandha it helps us let go of some of the stress and get a sweet sleep, which is essential in keeping fatigue and stress levels down.

If you have any questions about the blends or which blends would be best for you, please email us at info@blendedforyou.com.

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