both of you asked about VPF. It’s the dietary principle I created to help simplify the face of nutrition for my clients, and help them adopt a balanced diet.

If you haven’t already watched it, I explain my VPF principle in the Food pillar inside the Beginner’s Health Roadmap course. Since you can’t access the videos yet, here’s the dropbox link to the VPF video.

 Ok, so electrolytes and bone broth are going to become your best friends this Ramadan!

Adding electrolytes to your water will help you retain your water and help you feel more hydrated. This can be a tsp of “sole” (saturated salt water) in 750ml filtered water, or you can buy an electrolyte powder. Here in Dubai, Humantra is a local brand. It’s flavored with real dried berries/citrus.

LMNT is also available locally (https://longevitypantry.com/collections/electrolytes-1).

And if you prefer food over supplements, bone broth is incredibly hydrating because of the natural trace minerals it contains. So instead of drinking water, sip on bone broth or stock! Of course, as long as you’re not histamine intolerant. Here are common signs of histamine intolerance.

I know you like to cook, so you can try making your own stock. I share a recipe in the resources of my new book UNJUNK (and I’ll also add the recipe to the resources in B Better). Otherwise, you can always buy it ready made from https://bonebroth.ae/ and https://www.cleanlivingcompany.ae/ (certified organic but not local bones) or Broth Lab (not certified organic but they use organic local chickens – they just don’t have the certification). 

Hope this encourages you to stay hydrated and helps alleviate the urge to urinate at night.

 the beauty of the VPF principle is that it applies to any situation, including Ramadan. The addition of carbs is what truly varies from person to person, including the quantity. 

For someone who is struggling with blood sugar regulation, then reducing the amount of starchy carbs to no more than 1 cup of root veggies and 1/2 cup of grains per day, is the general recommendation I provide my clients. And no more than 1-2 whole fruits per day (or 1 cup of cut up mixed fruits). How they decide to break that up across meals is up to them, and what works best for them.

In addition to the timings you provided, can you share what you typically consume at those times. Some people break their fast with the traditional date and lentil soup, go pray, then consume a proper meal shortly after. Others consume a full meal at iftar, and then a light snack before bed. What’s your usual meal schedule?

If you can share what you typically do, and whether or not blood sugar regulation is an issue, that will help me provide you with better dietary suggestions. 

Typically when clients begin changing their diet and focusing on the VPF principle, they begin to sleep better. Was this the case for you too?

 apologies for missing your question. Not sure how we all missed it.  Daniel already gave excellent suggestions, but please share the results if you don’t mind so we can take a look and see if there’s anything else we’d recommend.

it’s always best to know what nutrients you need before supplementing. If you haven’t done any testing, then focus on food therapy. Start by consuming the foods I mentioned in the video “foods for thyroid health” to help bring on board more of those nutrients.

And if you have any thyroid / nutrient markers tested, please share them here so we can guide you better.

If you wish to do some testing, a full thyroid panel includes: TSH, Total T4, Total T3, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, anti-TPO, anti-TG

And since iron, zinc (measure copper as well since they compete with each other), vitamin A, selenium, iodine are key thyroid nutrients – getting these tested too would be a good idea.

Iron, zinc, copper, vitamin A, and selenium can all be measured in blood. Iodine is best done in urine with a “loading” prior. Here’s the video on the best way to test iodine.

 did you find out when they’re back in stock?

 check Amazon and iHerb. Swanson makes it in 250mg capsules.

Parasite testing is very unreliable. They shed their DNA within 15 mins of being out of their environment which is why they are often missed in tests. High Eosinophils, stomach pains and other GI symptoms together with low iron and other nutrients are all indicative of parasites. I wouldn’t recommend wasting your money. Instead use that money towards parasite cleansing. 

However to answer your question, most comprehensive functional stool tests like GI Map and Genova’s stool tests offer parasite testing. You can also check https://www.parasites.org/best-parasite-lab-test/ for a comparison of the different parasite tests, and see the one they offer as well.

 I know she was away for a while, but she messaged me recently saying she’s back and still in business so maybe try again. But I’m sure someone in the FB group will be able to help or my other follower.

 it’s absolutely fine mentioning brand names. And iFarm offers A2, grass-fed cow products so it checks those boxes for sure. I’ve personally visited the farm and can vouch for them.

Kefir grains can be purchased from @healthy.livinguae in Dubai or you get them from someone willing to share kefir grains. I recently shared a post about kefir, and in the comments someone by the account name of @dylanindubai said he has plenty to share. You might want to try reaching out to him. You can also join the UAE Culture Club on Facebook and ask the group if anyone nearby has kefir grains to share.

Hope that helps.

yup – here they all are again from dropbox:
• How to protect your thyroid (this highlights the things to avoid)
• Foods for a healthy thyroid
• Supplements for a healthy thyroid

Thank you for sharing the additional information. Functional medicine is literally like a big puzzle and the more pieces we have, the clearer the picture becomes, so the more information you can share with us, the more we can help guide you with more targeted solutions.

I will reply to your responses 1 by 1 again, to keep things organized.

1. If you haven’t yet watched my Hydration pillar in the Beginner’s Health Roadmap, I share some practical tips that can help increase hydration like an app for reminders and elastics on bottles, and flavoring your water, etc. Here’s the video.

2. If you’re take magnesium citrate in different supplements that amount to 285mg and still constipated, it’s likely that it’s not enough for your needs. As I mentioned before, I usually have my clients START at 400mg, and work there way up or down based on their stool type. It should lead to a type 3-4 on the Bristol stool chart. Here’s a handout for you to see.

3. Ok, big clue here! Not being able to digest fats can indicate an issue with liver/gallbladder function, pancreatic enzyme production and/or low stomach acid. Do you experience bloating, gas, nausea, greasy stools, floating stools? Have you ever measured your liver markers ALT, AST, GGT, Direct bilirubin? If so, please remove any identifying info and upload them so I can take a look.

If you haven’t yet watched the Duodenum video, I explain its role in releasing bile needed to emulsify fats so we can digest it. We also need good strong stomach acid to trigger the release of enzymes like lipase, needed to break down our fats. So this is where I’d encourage you to watch the symptoms of hypochlorhydria to see if you feel that’s at play. If so, I can guide you on the next steps.

4. Correct – “normal” is far from optimal. If you have thyroid results you can share with us, please do so.

5. Do you know the name of the spit test you did? It’s possible that there’s candida overgrowth in the oral cavity and not necessarily in the gut. A stool test would confirm that, but if you have GI symptoms like gas, bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, etc we can safely assume there’s dysbiosis. If you can share more of your symptoms, it would help paint the picture better.

6. With everything you’ve shared about the stress in your life, I think we’ve hit the nail on the head with the possibility of either high cortisol or low cortisol being possibly one of the main root causes, affecting circulation, thyroid function, and therefore motility. Sluggish thyroid = sluggish everything! I share a few different testing options in the adrenal balance course (which you should make time to watch as well) to test adrenal function at home, in blood, and through functional tests (urine/saliva). My preference is the DUTCH Adrenal test. If you have problems with energy when you wake up, I’d go for the DUTCH Plus which includes the Cortisol Awakening Response test which isn’t included in the DUTCH Adrenal. Let me know if you’re interested in pursuing functional testing and I can get you access to it.

And I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I wish words could heal, but I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself. It is a journey indeed. If you feel like you need help with releasing emotions and addressing trauma, I share some healing modalities towards the end of the Adrenal Balance course including a resource for finding Neo Emotional Release practitioners worldwide who offer virtual and in-person sessions. I think working on the emotional component will be a game changer for you. ❤️

 for my clients who need to start lower with D-limonene for the first week or so to gradually get to 1,000mg per day, I recommend the Swanson brand. It comes in 250mg per cap dosage. Once they’re on 1,000mg, they switch over to Integrative Therapeutics D-Limonene, which is costly but I’ve found it to be the cleanest and most effective. They typically never need more than 30-90 days.

Regarding your iron, I personally would not go for the infusion for the reasons I mentioned above, especially with the likelihood of parasites. Again, I can’t tell you what to do, but if this was me, I would wait until after I’ve done a parasite cleanse or two. Speak to your doctor about it please.

Hi  – I like your post title because dairy truly is a dilemma. It’s not that dairy is good or bad, it’s that it’s become such a nuanced topic because dairy today is no longer what it used to be, and there are many factors to consider today.

Plus, there’s also a difference between lactose intolerance and dairy sensitivity. Even if someone is NOT lactose intolerant (i.e. they lack the lactase enzyme to break it down), they may still be sensitive to the dairy proteins, which is an immune response (i.e. either an immediate allergy response IgE or a delayed sensitivity response IgG). There can also be IgA and IgM immune responses which is why food sensitivity testing can be misleading (another debated topic ), which further complicates the answer to your question about whether or not it’s good for someone’s health. For an individual with a sensitivity, it’s best to avoid, work on their gut health, and then try to re-introduce it later.

Putting aside immune responses for a minute, cultured/fermented dairy products like cheese, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, cream, etc from an A2 cow that is grass-fed, raw, and non-homogenized has incredible health benefits.

The question is, can you find that combo? Do you have access to that?

In my clinical experience, I’d say that 95% of my clients are unknowingly sensitive to dairy proteins. Again, this is separate to dairy intolerance. Here’s a handout with the different signs of hidden food sensitivities.

The best way to know if you are sensitive to dairy is to do a 100% elimination challenge for at least 30 days, followed by a re-introduction. If your symptoms disappear, and then re-appear, you’ve got your answer. Here’s a handout on how to perform an elimination challenge and re-introduction.

If you’re asymptomatic, have access to good quality dairy products, and enjoy them, then yes, dairy offers plenty of health benefits.

Hope that helps answer your question.

 I have never seen a vegetarian DAO enzyme, so kudos to you on your research skills in finding one. Too bad it wasn’t effective.

I have experience with the one by Seeking Health and I know it helps degrade histamine, so it’s up to you.

MSM and okra can be purchased as separate supplements, but they are often included in multi-compound formulas for gut healing like GI Revive and Optimal GI for example.

You got it! Here is it: Protect Your Thyroid (Things to Avoid)

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to watch. Glad we’re finding a way to make it work in the meantime.