Articles – Vibrant Wellness

Health

Asthma and Allergy Awareness

May is Asthma and Allergy awareness month, and at Vibrant, we have worked hard in research and development to create an expanded allergen panel that includes 96 food allergens and 46 inhalant allergens — one of the most comprehensive tests on the market for detecting allergy responses.

Because allergies and allergic rhinitis can often exacerbate asthma, it is important to detect and manage allergies, whether food- or environmentally related. Currently, health statistics indicate that between 10-30% of adults in the world suffer from some form of allergic rhinitis.

Many people are fully aware of their allergies, however, others have vague symptoms which may have some overlap with other conditions, making it difficult to detect whether an allergic response is occurring.

Health

Celiac Disease: Are You Aware?

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month and at Vibrant, we are passionate about both disease management and early detection for Celiac Disease.

Vibrant’s proprietary test for Celiac, gluten sensitivity, intestinal permeability, wheat sensitivity, and wheat allergy, aptly name the Wheat Zoomer, has been a staple in the practices of countless progressive healthcare providers who want to better understand this spectrum of gluten- and wheat-related disorders.

Health, Research

Are you Dairy Sensitive or Lactose Intolerant? What’s the Difference?

With it being Food Sensitivity Week, let’s talk a bit about a common dietary sensitivity that is often not well understood.

Symptoms of a food sensitivity include, but are not limited to, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, runny nose, allergy-like symptoms, and joint pain.

Because cow’s milk is such a widely consumed food in today’s Western diet, it can often be difficult to determine what exactly is causing a food sensitivity symptom. Cow’s milk can be found in everything from dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk, and cream) to baked goods, candy, coffee drinks, butter, ice cream, many protein powder supplements, and more.

Health

Five Micronutrients You Might Be Deficient In.

The human body requires major and minor nutrients in adequate quantities to function optimally. Many people manage to get enough of the macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat); however, some fail to meet the daily requirements of some very important micronutrients. The micronutrients are comprised of the vitamins and minerals that serve as biological catalysts, modulators, and activators within the body. Without them, many necessary physiological functions will be compromised. Here are five of the most common micronutrient deficiencies and how they can impact the human body.

Health

What Is the Gut Microbiome? Why Is It Important to Your Health?

What is a gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome refers to the population of microbes that lives in your intestine. It contains trillions of microorganisms, including a minimum of 1,000 different kinds of bacteria and more than three million genes. But in any given individual, only 150 to 179 bacterial species dominate.

The human microbiome is made up of a combination of bacteria, viruses, archaea, and eukaryotic microbes living in and on our bodies. They assist with metabolic functions, protect against pathogens, aid the immune system and, more or less, affect most of our bodily functions. Perhaps even more fascinating, while one-third of the gut microbes we carry are common, two-thirds are specific to every individual. They’re essentially an identifying blueprint for every individual.

Health

What is a Community Garden and How Can You Start One?

Community Garden?

Community gardens are springing up all over the country, especially in urban areas. A community garden (North America) or allotment garden (British English), is a plot of land made available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing food plants.

Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families. In countries that do not use the term allotment (garden), a community garden can refer to individual small garden plots as well as to a single, large piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people.

The term victory garden is also still sometimes used, especially when a community garden dates back to World War II or I.

Mental Health

Could A Food Sensitivity Be The Reason For Your Migraines?

Do you notice getting migraines after eating some of your favorite foods? This might be caused by an unknown food sensitivity!

Food sensitivity (Food Intolerance) is your body’s response to certain foods that occur hours and even days after a certain food is consumed. This is a delayed food reaction. This shouldn’t be confused with a food allergy, which are immediate reactions to a food and could be life threatening in some cases.

One of the major symptoms of having a food sensitivity are migraine. Due to the delayed reaction to certain foods, this makes it challenging to determine what foods might be causing your migraine. There are a couple of ways to test if you have food sensitivities:

Health

National Garden Week: What is a CSA and How Do You Find One?

Happy National Garden Week!

If you’ve ever had a consult with a Vibrant Dietitian, you know that our dietary recommendations go way beyond “eat more vegetables and fruits.”

Taking in the considerations of pesticide use, and the carbon and economical footprints involved with growing produce in Mexico and shipping elsewhere–we often suggest our patients buy produce locally, in season, and organic. Joining a CSA can be a great way to put that advice into practice!

Health

How Do You Eat Gluten-Free (or Dairy-free) on National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day?

National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day is observed annually on April 12th. Grilled cheese sandwiches are ranked among one of the top comfort foods in the United States.

According to food historians, cooked bread and cheese is an ancient food, enjoyed across the world in many cultures. The United States modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s when inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese became easily available.

Originally, grilled cheese sandwiches were made as an open-faced sandwich. Cheese on top of bread is a culinary concept that dates back to the time of the Romans, but grilled cheese sandwiches as we know them didn’t become popular until the 1920s.

Research

Autism and the Gut Microbiome

April is Autism Awareness month, and while a great deal of scientific evidence in this field remains to be elucidated, an undeniable connection between gut health and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has already emerged.