It’s one of those days that feels like the entire day is a deja vu, have you ever had that? I mean if you’ve had deja vu before it’s normally like taht moment, where you get the chills or a weird vertigo thing. And it’s sorta fun, like an out of body experience. But we’re going on a couple hours now - not with that same intensity BUT it just feels like i’ve walked this day before. So who knows what this episode will bring - but it’s a q and a episode which are always my favourtie. We’re talking coffee naps, is your cinnamon toxic, to vitamin c options if theyre too harsh on your gut. Lots of fun, it’s all coming up. And as always, feelgoodery is recorded in front of a life studio dog.
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Not gonna lie I sort of like the deja vu feeling. It’s sort of like when you havent slept well and you feel a little high the next day - youre sorta loopy.
Anyways! It’s the smorgheboarg day, talking about a lot of different things, lots of different nuggets. Spoke about some of these on the morning show, but not everyone is able to catch the show, and a lot of our listeners are outside of Canada and it can be useful information so these q and a episodes are a chance to share it a little further, and also expand a bit more than I’m able to on the morning show becasue of time. So let’s get into it shall we!
Rosemary from Nelson BC asks
Have you heard of a “coffee nap”? What are your thoughts?
A coffee nap involves drinking a small coffee or espresso right before taking a short 20 minute nap. And it can result in more of a pick-me-up than either on their own. And the reason has to do with caffeine, and something called adenosine - which is the compound in our body that makes us tired. It accumulates in our brain during the day, and when we sleep - adenosine is cleared from the brain.
Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain, which temporarily keeps it at bay and helps us feel alert. But it needs receptors to bind to, which can be limited if it’s midday and they’re already being occupied by adenosine. That’s where this coffee nap concept comes into play. Caffeine normally takes about 20 minutes to kick in. So when you have a coffee and go right to sleep - during your nap, the adenosine levels drop, which free up receptors for caffeine to act upon when you wake up. So you really get that caffeine kick and increased alertness. It’s an interesting concept and I find that VERY FEW of us can actually do this successfully - but for the ones who can, it’s great, it’s especially great for truck drivers and shift workers.
Jeremy from Brampton ON asks
Just heard of this . . What is “Caffeine Intoxication”? How do we prevent it?
This made headlines a couple weeks ago. Caffeine intoxication is when you've had way too much caffeine, and way more than your body can handle - and it can cause a range of symptoms from the jitters, to a racing heartbeat and cardiovascular issues to in rare cases, death. So depending on someones genetics, most people can handle around 200-400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is 4-5 cups. For this intoxication level, we’re talking over 12 cups of coffee, and it’s worth noting that a lot of times the intoxication can be the result of things like energy drinks and caffeine pills. And in terms of prevention, it really is about knowing your own tolerance. For some people that TOO MUCH point might be a lot lower than someone else's, so it’s important to know how caffeine affects you, and drink accordingly. And if you are doing over 4-5 cups a day, and having an energy drink, and a preworkout - it might be worth taking stock of why you’re needing so much of it, and take some steps to help support other areas of your life.
Mary Anne from Calgary AB asks
What is “Buffered” Vitamin C? Is it different from regular Vitamin C? Confused!
They’re both Vitamin C, the difference lies in how gentle they are on the gut.
Vitamin C is called Ascorbic Acid - and when you read ascorbic acid on a bottle, it’s just regular Vitamin C. Some people find though, especially if they have a sensitive tummy or are dealing with things like ulcers, that taking this form of a C supplement can be too harsh on the stomach. And so enter, buffered vitamin C. When Vitamin C is buffered, it’s combined with a mineral - like calcium for example - that acts as a buffer to help make it less acidic and easier on the gut. So in that example, it would no longer read Ascorbic Acid on the bottle, it would instead read CALCIUM ascorbate. Other forms include Magnesium Ascorbate and Sodium Ascorbate.
So all this to say, if you’ve tried vitamin C supplements before and they’ve caused some discomfort or irritation, going out and choosing a buffered vitamin C might be something worth considering. It normally will read buffered on the label.
I’ve heard there are different kinds of cinnamon, which offer varying levels of quality in regards to health benefits.. Is any of this valid, or again… is it hype or a fad?
This is somewhat true. Not all cinnamons are created equal. There’s two big sources of cinnamon. The first is Ceylon Cinnamon, which is considered the true and original cinnamon, it’s made from the bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka. This one tends to have a richer flavour, but it is more expensive because it’s more costly to produce. The other one that’s more common is something called Cassia cinnamon, which normally comes from China and is more readily available and cheaper because of this. Cassia cinnamon though, is also higher in a cinnamon compound called coumarin that can be harmful in excess, it can be hard on the liver, but as long as you don’t exceed 2 - 3 tsp a day, there’s not much to worry about. The one thing that can happen with cheaper cinnamons, is that sometimes companies use fillers - like other types of barks and anticaking agents. So just because it’s a lot of cinnamon for a cheap price, it doesn’t mean it’s actually a huge bargain. But if we’re talking about the best cinnamon to buy - Ceylon cinnamon is sort of the top pick. When it comes to the health benefits between the two, we’d really be splitting hairs. Cinnamon in general is a great antioxidant, and it’s very beneficial when it comes to blood sugar support. A little bit goes a long way.
Is trail mix actually a healthy snack? Seems like a lot of fat!
Trail mix is a healthy choice, and we don’t want to be scared of fat, we just want the necessary fats. So when it comes to trail mix - the one thing you want to watch for when you’re buying premade mixes from stores - is that when you read the ingredients - it's just raw, or dry roasted, nuts and seeds. Whenever you see another oil in the ingredients- like vegetable oil or sunflower oil, it’s means they’ve been roasted in oil which does add unnecessary fat and calories to an already dense food. In my opinion. But aside from that, I do like trail mix and it’s one of the easiest things you can make yourself. Get your favorite nuts and seeds, some chocolate, maybe some dry fruit of choice and throw it in a big jar.
Is liquid chlorophyll worth it? Does it do anything?
This is a question I actually get a lot. So Liquid chlorophyll is a concentrated form of chlorophyll, which is the pigment in plants that give it its green colour and is essential for photosynthesis. In animal studies, chlorophyll itself does have anti-inflammatory and antioxidants qualities to it, as well as anticarcinogenic properties or anti-cancer properties - but its’ worth noting that human trails are sort of lacking in this. Some people take it for it’s ability to reduce bad breath and body odor - though again there isn’t a lot of evidence for that. At the end of the day -if money is no object - you can absolutely add it to your water, it is refreshing and in my opinion it would only offer some added antioxidants and nourishment to you. BUT if you’re looking to spend money strategically - I would opt for something like chlorella or spirulina instead, which does contain chlorophyll, but is also packed with other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
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That sound means that it’s time for today’s feelgood thing, which are little weird things that make us feel good that deserve a spot in the momentary spotlight so we can train our brains to start focusing on the good because they are so good at focusing on the bad.
Today’s feelgood thing is the feeling you get when you are actually ABLE TO TAKE A DAMN COMPLIMENT without deflecting. This is something a lot of us are unable to do most of the time. Someone says - i love your outfit - we say, awh really its just something i threw on . someone says you did a great job on that presentation!! We say, thanks but it didnt really feel great. Someone says that was a GREAT MEAL thank you, and we say, ugh i left the chicken in longer than we should.
We’re the worst. ANd WHAT sort of energy are we sending out there if when someone takes thes time to try to LIFT US UP, do we quickly put ourselves BACK down.
And we hear we should just take compliments without any sort of rebuttal. But it’s hard to do.
So that’s why. On those days you are just able to say THANK YOU with a smile, THOSE days, and those moments - are truly worth spotlightling because when you’re able to hold yourself with the value of someone simply worthy of a compliment.. That really is a feelgood thing.
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As always if you got anything out of today’s episode, or know someone who might benefit from a nugget or two from today, please feel free to share this episode, or leave a little review or rating, it does mean a lot.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or dm me on instagram, and i will do my best to answer them as best and as timely as i can.
We’ll leave it there for today, i want to just say thank you for spending some of your time with me today. And if you’re one to be hard on yourself, which - I suspect you are, I hope you give yourself grace today, and recognize that you are of HUGE value simply by just being you. And if someone gives you a complement today, please - for the love of deflectors, hold your head high, smile and simply say thank you. Have a wonderful day, and I will see you next time on feelgoodery.
And now for the legal stuff - the information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please always consult with your health care provider.