The Starkel Nutrition Blog
The latest from the expert team of nutritionists at Starkel Nutrition to help you live healthier, vibrant, and fuller lives.
Adrenal Fatigue: What is it? ...and how to help get your energy back.
First of all, adrenal fatigue is a real thing. Our adrenals sit right on top of our kidneys, and produce numerous hormones like adrenaline, sex hormones, and cortisol—the hormone that responds when we are stressed. We can think of our adrenals as the “fight or flight”...
No More Excuses! The Benefits of Breakfast + An Easy Make-Ahead Recipe
Breakfast is an essential part of a successful day which starts with properly nourishing your brain and body. When you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar may be low because you haven’t eaten since the night before. So when you do eat, it’s important that your...
New Link Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Alzheimers Plus the foods you can eat to protect your brain!
In the July issue of Dr. Glenn Rothfeld’s Nutrition & Healing, the doctor reviewed the association between heavy metals and brain health. He cites studies linking environmental toxins, like heavy metals, and damage to the brain. These toxins were found to directly...
Traveling this Summer? Tips for Staying Healthy on Vacation
I think it’s safe to say we all want to look and feel great on vacation. But what happens when all of your efforts leading up to vacation go down the drain because you view vacation as a free-for-all to eat all you haven’t been eating on your healthy eating plan? We...
The Dangers of Lead Poisoning
Heavy metal exposure is a common and serious problem. You may have heard of Freddie Gray, Jr., the Baltimore native who died after being taken into police custody. His story adds to the dialogue about race, policing, and disparities in America, but we want to talk...
Tell those Heavy Metals to Hit the Road! Heavy Metal Toxicity: Part 5
Heavy metals exist in our earth’s crust. They occur naturally in the air we breathe, the soil under our feet, and the water we drink. In tiny quantities, they are fine, but if they build up in our bloodstream and organs, they can cause harm to our bodies. Some...
Arsenic and Cadmium and Aluminum, OH MY! Heavy Metal Toxicity: Part 4
What’s this all about? In part one of our Heavy Metal Toxicity Series, we increased our heavy metal knowledge by discussing what they are and why we need to watch out for them. In parts 2 and 3 we dove into an overview of a couple heavy metals that we believe to be...
Where is Mercury hiding? Heavy Metal Toxicity: Part 3
When I was in 5th grade, my best friend returned from Mexico with braids in her hair and the most magnificent souvenirs ever. She brought each of her best friends a necklace- each had a tube pendant containing a grain of rice with our name written on it. Next to the...
Lead Poisoning in the Pacific Northwest Heavy Metal Toxicity: Part 2
In 2014, The Seattle Times conducted an investigation on the ongoing issue of lead exposure from shooting ranges. Out of the 10 shooting ranges investigated in Washington, 96 lead based violations were found. The culprits? Lead based ammunition paired with poor...
What are Heavy Metals and why should we care? Heavy Metal Toxicity: Part 1
Summer has come, and ideas of healthy living are looming as images of that tiny bikini we want to fit in to start popping into our heads. We've already covered detoxing, which is a wonderful way to reprogram our lifestyles and get us ready for bathing suit season. Yet...
Sun Protection
From rainy Seattle days, to summer barbecues and beach outings, the sun is everywhere you are. Protecting yourself from the sun is essential to skin cancer prevention, and luckily there are many ways to do that. Firstly, it is important to realize that about 9 out of...
Malaysian Indian Curry-Spiced Beef Burgers Recipe
This burger recipe is elaborate! But this burger recipe is amazing! What a great July 4th recipe, combining an American tradition with immigrant flavors. It's worth taking extra time sometimes to make the ultimate burger... and guess what! It is also a healthy...
Alkaline Diet and Bone Health
We all know diet plays a key role in our everyday life functions. What if we could better our bone health, specifically pertaining to osteoporosis, with diet? That’s just what happens when you adopt an alkaline diet. Alkaline diets have been around for years, gaining...
Low FODMAP Diet
The low-FODMAP diet was created by an Australian dietitian/nutritionist, Dr. Sue Shepherd, to reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in her patients. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-saccharides Disaccharides Mono-saccharides And Polyphenols. FODMAPs...
Men’s Health Tips for Prostate and Heart Health
Staying healthy, active, and up to date with checkups is important for men and women, the elderly, the young—everyone. However, studies have shown that men are less likely to seek medical and nutritional care, and that some men may feel a certain sense of weakness...
Supplement Sale: June 20% Off Evening Primrose Oil, CuraPro, and High Omega-3 Fish Oil
Now at our dispensary, while supplies last! Call, email, or stop by. Contact Us | 206-853-0534 Pure Encapsulations Evening Primrose Oil (E.P.O.) 100 Softgels Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) can be ingested to provide dietary fatty acids, but it is also used to treat a...
Quercetin-Rich Fennel, Avocado, and Mint Salad Recipe With a Pistachio-Caper Vinaigrette
With toasty flavors from pistachio oil, fragrant lemon, and briney capers, this dressing is complex in taste but simple to make. If you can’t find pistachio oil, substitute another nutty oil such as pumpkin seed or walnut, or just use more extra-virgin olive oil. It...
Fight Prostate Cancer with Quercetin – The Plant Pigment that Colors Onions Yellow
The results are in! A March 2015 review published in the journal Oncology Reports has found quercetin, a chemical plants use to protect themselves from the sun, prevents and kills prostate cancer. One way that quercetin acts is to put a stop to inflammation that...
Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tea/Golden Milk Recipe
Ingredients: 2 cups coconut or almond milk 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon honey ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom Directions: Heat all ingredients in saucepan to just...
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Inflammation is our body’s response to stress. Stress can stem from the foods we eat, the lifestyles we live, or even injury. Specifically talking about the inflammation that stems from a low quality diet, a lot of us have that going on and may not even know...
Some Food Additives You May Consider Avoiding
The best thing you can do for your body is to eat whole foods, ones that don’t require a label. We understand, even as nutritionists, that that is not possible all of the time, so being aware of the potential health risks that food additives may cause you is...