Someone astonished me recently by proclaiming that they never eat carbohydrates (or carbs). As I probed for understanding, I discovered that their definition of carbs was limited to white bread and pasta. Our conversation inspired this week’s blog where we explore the definition of carbs and how they affect our health. What are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates get their name from their chemical composition of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The term was introduced by the Commission on the Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry in 1969. Carbs are one of three types of macronutrients; the others are fat and protein. Our bodies use carbs to make glucose, which is the fuel that energizes our body. We need glucose to survive. Carbs are composed of fiber, starch, and sugars. In this context, the term sugar this is not just the white stuff you might stir into your coffee. Of the four types of sugars found in carbs, simple sugars (like monosaccharides and disaccharides) are quickly converted to glucose during digestion. Table sugar is a disaccharide. Complex sugars (like oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) and starch take longer to digest avoiding a blood glucose spike. Fiber passes through our system undigested. Carbs Are Not a Food Group Although a food may be primarily one of the macronutrients, most foods contain elements of all three as shown in the table below. It may be surprising to note that foods like milk and almonds contain comparable amounts of carbs and protein. All Carbs Are Not Created Equal From an organic chemistry perspective, broccoli is primarily carbs—but so is a donut made from white flour and drizzled with icing. When we consider the nutritional value, broccoli provides vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene, and fiber while the donut doesn’t. Preparation Matters Is broccoli a nutritious food? It depends on how it is prepared. We can eat broccoli raw, roasted, or boiled until all the fiber breaks down and drown it in butter. Or we can order vegetable tempura at a Japanese restaurant--broccoli dipped in batter and deep fried. From a nutritional perspective, there’s a big difference between eating broccoli raw or boiled to a mush. On the shelves in the center of the grocery store we find boxes of highly processed carb-laden foods such as crackers, breakfast cereals, and snack items. These products have much of the fiber removed to extend shelf life. Many also have added sugar to improve palatability, which keeps consumers coming back to buy more. Carbs Are Not Your Enemy The popularity of low carb diets has waxed and waned for decades. I remember my mom going on a low-carb eating plan when I was in high school (so…50 years ago). A resurgence of low-carb diets made the cover of Time magazine in November 1999. These regimens persist because they can trigger dramatic weight loss but long-term maintenance may be challenging due to the prevalence of carbs in so many foods. In evaluating the efficacy of any diet, we need to consider what the person was eating beforehand. Someone who previously ate a lot of sugary processed foods, could see a health improvement by eliminating high-carb foods. Likewise, we need to consider the protein sources they choose. In the 1990’s, many adoptees were binging on bacon and bun-less cheeseburgers - foods high in saturated fat, low in fiber and vitamins. There’s More to Health Than Food As an energy healer, I believe that we are all a complex intermingling of body, mind, and spirit. Wellness requires paying attention to all aspects of ourselves. When we focus on diet, we are zeroing in on the physical aspect. Personally, I lost 20 pounds when I learned to manage my stress and make peace with my inner critic. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to signup for my free weekly newsletter by joining my Intention Circle at IntendWell.US. References Physiology, Carbohydrates USDA Food Central Database The Low-Carb Diet Craze The Diabetes Plate Method Harvard Healthy Eating Plate

Can eating the components of a meal in a designated sequence help manage blood glucose and insulin levels? In a study out of Cornell, prediabetic participants tested this theory by consuming identical meals (leafy green salad with oil and vinegar dressing, chicken breast, and bread) on three separate occasions with a week in between. Each time they consumed the three items in a different order. Glucose and insulin levels were measured before the meal and at 30-minute intervals up to 180 minutes later. As you can see in the charts, both glucose and insulin spiked when the bread was consumed first. Researchers concluded that beginning a meal with fiber (leafy greens) and fat (oil in the dressing) slows the conversion of starch (bread) into glucose thereby flattening the glucose / insulin curve. You may recall from last week's newsletter that repeated insulin spikes leads to insulin resistance over time. Insulin resistance introduces serious health concerns including Type 2 diabetes. Since there were only 15 participants in the Cornell study, I dug deeper into the research locating 3 meta analysis reviews that involved 7, 11, and 30 studies. Protocols varied by study, but they all reached a similar conclusion. Watch the video for the full story. Visit IntendWell.US to join my Intention Circle or signup to receive my daily 1-minute intention setting videos. Thanks for reading! Research on the Effect of Meal Sequencing on Glucose, Insulin and Weight Management The Impact of Food Order on Postprandial Glycemic Excursions in Prediabetes Ordered Eating and Its Effects on Various Postprandial Health Markers: A Systematic Review A Review of Recent Findings on Meal Sequence: An Attractive Dietary Approach to Prevention and Management of Type 2 Diabetes Impact of Nutrient Type and Sequence on Glucose Tolerance: Physiological Insights and Therapeutic Implications

Carbohydrates (or carbs as they are commonly called) have an undeserved reputation as enemies to our health. Carbs are one of four types of calories: carbs, protein, fat, and alcohol.  Both carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram, while alcohol serves up 7 calories per gram and fat weighs in at 9 calories per gram. All the nutritional folklore about calories persists like tales told around the proverbial campfire. When it comes to nourishing our body, however, the quantity or type of calories doesn't matter. Carbs can be our friend or our foe depending on the circumstances. It is past time to stop paying attention to them. Someone struggling with high blood sugar told me recently that they NEVER eat carbs. That's impossible unless one only ever eats meat. We shouldn't label foods as one type of calorie since most foods (with the exception of meat) contain a combination of carbs, proteins, and fats. Even an orange has nearly a gram of protein and a trace amount of fat. According to the CDC, 38% of Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes in 2021. Although diagnosed by chronically high blood sugar, the culprit lurking in the shadows of prediabetes is insulin resistance. A long list of health risks are associated with insulin resistance (watch the video for details). Oh, and that juicy steak? It may not contain any calories from carbs but it will still spike your insulin level 😲 The NEW Daily Intention Club An intentional life is filled with intentional days. This week I rolled out the NEW Daily Intention Club for people who want to be more intentional every day.  Since my daily intention videos are garnering thousands of views every week, I decided to make it easier to get your daily dose of intention setting by delivering each morning's video straight to your inbox. Visit IntendWell.US if you want to sign up. Of course, you can still watch the daily intention video every morning at 6:00 AM Eastern on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram.

Recently I have been breaking my fast with this quick, healthy yogurt bowl concoction using whatever fruit and nuts I have on hand. Start with unsweetened plant-based yogurt. Avoid dairy products and yogurt with added sugar. If you are consuming dairy because you believe it strengthens bones, please watch my video on The Calcium Paradox. Add fresh or frozen fruit with no added sugar. I like chopped apples, or berries, grapes and fresh pineapple. Sprinkle on seeds such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to add fiber and keep you feeling full longer. Top with unsalted nuts. I like cashews, almonds, or pistachios. Unsweetened coconut is a nice touch. Stir gently to blend everything together. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Yogurt can be tart but resist the urge to add sweetener. As a former sugar fiend, I speak from experience when I say that in time your taste buds will adjust. If you are in a hurry, put all the ingredients a sealable container. Tuck into an insulated lunchbox with a spoon and enjoy on the go. For more healthy eating ideas, check out the Intentional Nutrition playlist on the Intend Well YouTube channel. Never miss a video by joining my Intention Circle. Every Friday I will send you links to all my content for the week. It's free and I make it super easy to unsubscribe.

The Calcium Paradox is a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN) in response to a meta-analysis revealing that hip fracture probability rates were significantly lower in countries with low consumption of dairy and dairy products. The meta-analysis involved 72 studies from 63 countries conducted over a 60-year period between 1950 and 2011. The criteria to consider when reviewing scientific studies includes: How old is the study? How many people participated? How long were participants studied? Was the study published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal? Who funded the study? When it comes to studies about nutrition and bone health, here are some additional considerations: Any long-range study is going to rely on self-reported data. The researchers don’t confine participants to a lab and control everything they eat. Nor can they reach back in time. For example, studies concluding that high milk consumption during adolescence increased the risk for hip fractures later in life are relying on participants’ memory of how much dairy they consumed a teenagers. We typically eat a variety of foods. When a study focuses exclusively on one food item, that may overlook the impact of other foods on bone health. For example, whole wheat interferes with the absorption of calcium. So if people consume their calcium in the form of milk atop a bowl of cereal or in a dish of macaroni and cheese, the presence of wheat impedes absorption of the calcium in that meal. Environmental considerations may impact bone health. Weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones so someone who works in an active job may have stronger bones than someone who sits at a deck all day. Someone who works outside gets plenty of sunshine and vitamin D. An eighteen year study involving 72,000 postmenopausal women concluded that,“An adequate vitamin D intake is associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet appears to reduce risk.” And finally, do the differences in the milk production process matter? In 1993 the FDA approved a bovine growth hormone that increased milk production in cows by nearly 33% from 15,000 pounds of milk per cow per year to nearly 20,000 pounds of milk per cow per year. That’s nearly 55 pounds of milk per cow per day. But Canada and the EU banned the sale of milk from cows treated with this hormone due to animal welfare concerns. So the milk consumed by people in those countries could be chemically different from milk consumed in the US. Let’s return to the Calcium Paradox. Despite all the unknowns such as sunlight exposure and exercise, one thing is still clear -- people in countries with low milk consumption are at a much lower risk for hip fractures. How much calcium do we need? The answer depends on who you ask. The WHO recommends 500 mg / day, whereas the UK advises slightly higher 700 mg / day. The USDA recommendation is double the WHO recommendation at 1,000 mg / day for people under the age of 50 and 1,200 mg / day for older adults. According to a 2020 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendation is based on a study involving 155 adults over a period of 3 weeks which is consistent with information I found on the USDA’s website. This is a very remarkably small population and short duration for measuring nutritional impact on health. While I was on the USDA's site, I ran across an article from 2007 stating that the guidelines may be excessive. Despite this article on the USDA's own website, the official guidance still stands. The USDA replaced the Food Pyramid with MyPlate in 2011, which recommends three servings of dairy products per day. Interestingly, MyPlate encourages consumption of low-fat dairy products although the article from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates: “Among 12,829 adolescents followed for 3 years, intake of low-fat milk was positively associated with gain in body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), but intakes of full-fat milk and dairy fat were not…”. In 2017 Harvard Medical School published their version of My Plate called the Healthy Eating Plate which recommends limiting dairy to 1-2 servings a day. In the accompanying text it states, “MyPlate recommends dairy at every meal, even though there is little if any evidence that high dairy intakes protect against osteoporosis, and there is considerable evidence that too-high intakes can be harmful.” In closing, this is an excerpt from the conclusion of the 2020 article in the New England Journal of Medicine: Pending additional research, guidelines for milk and equivalent dairy foods ideally should designate an acceptable intake (such as 0 to 2 servings per day for adults), deemphasize reduced-fat milk as preferable to whole milk, and discourage consumption of sugar-sweetened dairy foods in populations with high rates of overweight and obesity. I invite you to join my Intention Circle. It's free and every Friday you will receive my latest content delivered to your in-box. I promise not to sell your email and I make it super easy to unsubscribe.

Breath is life, yet many people breathe in a less than optimal manner, perpetuating the stress response in their bodies. We can learn to conquer stress through intentional breathing. When the stress response is triggered, the body undergoes complex physiological changes. Heart rate accelerates, nonessential functions—such as digesting food, dispatching virus, and generating new cells—are put on hold, and respiration becomes fast and shallow. However, in today's world where stressors are frequent and often immaterial to physical activity—after all, I cannot outrun nor battle my way out of a traffic jam—a biological response designed for occasional use is constantly activated to some degree. By intentionally breathing with long, slow inhales and exhales, we invite the body to return to homeostasis. This helps optimize functions such as digestion, immune system response, and cellular growth. Key aspects of intentional breathing include: The diaphragm, a thin muscle between the lungs and the abdominal cavity, should ideally extend downward during inhalation, causing the belly to slightly distend. The exhale should be longer than the inhale. Pausing for several seconds between respirations reassures the body that it is safe to discontinue the stress response. Intentional breathing should be practiced daily, not just when you’re feeling stressed. I've created a guided video to coach you through two minutes of intentional breathing. Pick a time in your daily schedule and breathe with me every day to promote your overall well-being.

They may be subconscious, but we all have innate expectations about how things are supposed to be in the world, including how other people are supposed to conduct themselves. These expectations can be a source of distress when they are not met. For example, a parent may have expectations for their child's behavior. If the child does not meet these expectations, the parent can become frustrated. There are two ways to close the gap between expectations and reality. The first way is to try to convince the other person to behave the way you expect them to. However, this does not usually work. The second way to close the gap is to release your expectations. Instead of expecting certain behavior, be curious about the reality of the situation. Why is the other person behaving the way they are? What core beliefs and life experiences shape their behavior? We can also be curious about our own expectations and where they come from. Why do we expect what we expect? Realistically, the only expectations we can manage is our own. By exploring our unfulfilled expectations, we can better understand ourselves and others. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join my Intention Circle at no charge. Every Friday you will receive a link to my latest video plus bonus content curated exclusively for Circle members. By exploring unmet expectations, we can better understand ourselves and others.

Have you felt unexplained aches, fatigue, or recurring illness despite good medical care? Traditional medicine may not have all the answers. Modern science is beginning to validate how disruptions in our energetic biofield can lead to physical dis-ease. Energy medicine can clear blockages and support your body's natural healing abilities. Energy medicine is an umbrella term for various treatment modalities rooted in the correlation between the flow in our energetic systems and our overall well-being. Referred to as chi in Tai Chi, or prana in yoga, National Institutes of Health (NIH) introduced the term biofield in 1992. It delineates the energy that flows through, and emanates from, all living beings. Clearing congested energy restores an unimpeded flow of life force energy, allowing the body to heal itself. Using electromagnetic devices to promote healing is common in traditional Western medicine. Healthcare providers use therapeutic ultrasound to promote the healing of soft-tissue injuries. A 2020 article in the Journal of Pain Research  concluded that electromagnetic-field therapies were a safe, noninvasive, and effective treatment for pain from musculoskeletal disease, while advising that more research was needed to determine the optimal frequency calibration. According to a 2003 article in Techniques in Orthopeadics, the magnitude and quality of energy emitted from the hands of Therapeutic Touch practitioners was comparable to the waveforms from the electrical-stimulation devices doctors use to heal fractures that do not respond to standard treatment. Acceptance that a human healer, who does not require calibration, can mimic the effects of a mechanical device has been slow. Yet techniques like Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch are taught in nursing schools and offered to patients in hospitals, Veteran’s Administration facilities, and outpatient cancer treatment centers. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) teaches energy medicine to licensed mental health professionals. Despite growing use, research involving human healers is limited, as it is easier to obtain funding for a marketable product than studies that corroborate our ability to heal each other and ourselves. Comprehensive guidelines for researching biofield therapies were not published until February 2024. If this content appeals to you, you are invited to join my Intention Circle. For a limited time, new members receive a 25% discount on an energy healing session.

We have two brains. One is our original survival-oriented reflex brain that reacts without thinking. The doctor taps our knee with a rubber mallet and our leg jerks. Hence the phrase, knee-jerk reaction. Sense a threat, move away. Sense a pleasure, move closer. Sense food, eat it. As human skulls evolved, our expanding foreheads created space for our rational brain that we can use to identity options, weigh pros and cons, and solve complex problems. When we feel safe, our rational brain dominates. When we feel threatened, our reflex brain kicks in and our ability to make wise, informed decisions is impeded. Stress hijacks our brain. Scammers influence our behavior by activating our reflex brain. For example, the email that appears to have been sent from Amazon indicating that your credit card is about to be charged $3k. "Click the link below to cancel the order," it says. Since our reflex brain responds faster than our rational brain processes, the scammers are betting you click the link before your rational brain is fully engaged. In the past 4 years, we have collectively experienced a lot of threats. First, there was uncertainty about how to protect ourselves from a novel virus. As pandemic fears eased, there was uncertainty about the economy. Shuttered factories restarted gradually leading to supply chain issues. Low supply / high demand led to rising prices. As schools reopened, the learning loss became apparent. Our social support systems dwindled as many of us continued to work from home. In 2023 the Surgeon General of the US declared an epidemic of loneliness as detrimental to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We continue to experience major storms, droughts, and wars. As uncertainties mount, our survival-oriented reflex brain revs in overdrive. We feel worried, overwhelmed, isolated, or angry most of the time. We seek to restore a sense of safety and predictability by controlling our circumstances, including the people around us. Although differences of opinion are nothing new, people who are not part of “our tribe” seem more threatening than in the past. Despite the triggering news reports, most of us are not in any immediate danger--but our reflex brain doesn't know that. As long as reflex brain senses danger, it grasps the rudder ordering rational brain below deck. Reflex brain is critical to our survival but it is not designed to captain the ship. Considering all the stressors coming at us, we should spend time every day soothing our nervous system. There are videos on my channel that will guide you through techniques such as intentional breathing, tapping, or grounding that silence the alarm bell allowing rational brain to take the helm. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join my Intention Circle. It's free and every Friday you receive bonus content created exclusively for Circle members. Join by noon Eastern on Thursday, February 29 to be entered to win a one-hour energy healing session.

Electrical systems, including the human energy field, need a grounding wire to prevent short circuits. The hara, or Line of Intention, extends from above our head, through the origination point of each major chakra, deep into the earth. When we are grounded, the energy flows freely through our field. When we are ungrounded, thoughts zap around our mind like the bouncing white ball on a spinning roulette wheel. No matter how much we try to channel our inner Idina Menzel, we just can't "let it go." Direct, uninsulated contact with the earth is one way to ground ourselves. When a barefoot stroll is not convenient, we can also ground ourselves through intention. Learn how in this week's video. If you want to experience energy healing firsthand, I'm giving away a one-hour session. Register at IntendWell.US by noon EST on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Illustrations depicting the chakras show rainbow-colored symbols extending from the red Root chakra at the base of our trunk to the violet Crown chakra at the apex of our skull. Thank you to Intention Circle member, Lisa, for this question, "If everything is energy and all energy vibrates, why are the chakras fixed?" Your comments and questions always inspire me. I appreciate it so much! Leave me a comment below or email me carolyn@carolynpitts.com. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join our Intention Circle at IntendWell.US. Every Friday you will exclusive content tailored specifically for Intention Circle members. It is free to join and you may unsubscribe at any time.

What do you notice when you first meet someone? Perhaps their age, gender, height, weight, coloring, clothing? We are biologically wired to constantly scan our environment for potential threats to our safety. It is our human survival instinct to assess and judge other humans. Our brain evaluates the visual input about a person's appearance based on our beliefs, our interpretation of life experiences, and information from sources that we trust. Do I feel safe around this person? Can I trust them? A 16-month study conducted across 10 US hospitals in 2015-2016 surveyed over 4k patients' impression of a physician’s trustworthiness and competence. Over half had a more favorable perception when the doctor was wearing a white lab coat. Another study in 2021 with nearly 500 participants came to the same conclusion. How someone looks seems like important information but what does it really tell us? Anyone can buy a white lab coat. The criteria that we use to evaluate a person’s appearance is subject to change. I could have an experience today that prompts me to reconsider my interpretation of past experiences, which could lead to a change in my beliefs. What’s changed in your belief system? When I was a child, I believed that Santa Claus left gifts under the tree because that’s what my parents told me and I trusted my parents. We can carry a belief for years until a day arrives that the belief no longer serves us. We cannot ignore how someone looks nor can we cannot override our primal instinct to judge their appearance. But understanding how our brain works frees us to notice the assumptions that our brain makes. A beautiful thing about humans us that we can think about our thinking. There is within each of us a divine spark that is our true essence. We embody that divine spark our entire lives regardless of our age of physical appearance. Through every weight gain or loss, outfit change, or bad hair day - our spark persists. In qigong it is called the Dan Tien. In energy healing, we call it the Core Star. I like to practice connecting with other people’s divine spark. Try this the next time you are checking out in a store. Imagine a thread of white light connecting your heart to the clerk ringing up your purchases and see what happens. How does it change your initial perception of them? How do they respond to you?