Optimal Health
Week of March 23, 2019
The Great Microbiome: Impacts on Health When Out of Balance
Did you know that you carry more bacteria in your gut than the number of human cells in your body? Scientists are discovering that bacteria in your gut impacts so much more than just your digestion. Gut bacteria are connected to aspects of health that we never suspected, including inflammation, body weight, cancer, immunity, brain function, and more. Norma will discuss the benefits of gut bacteria and its impact on our health when out of balance.
The Top 10 Ways to Heal Your Gut & Maximize Your Microbiota!
Considering the amazing benefits of our gut bacteria and its implications on our health, how can we be sure we are eating to maximize our microbiota? Our gut bacteria is influenced by our diet, environment, age, activity, hygiene and stress level. Norma will discuss better foods, supplements and lifestyle choices that heal and support a healthier gut.
The Brain-Gut Connection: A New Understanding of Mental Health
Did you know that nearly 40 bacterial strains have been identified that produce or regulate our brain neurotransmitters? Research is now just scratching the surface and there is already clinical data showing how gut bacteria influence anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. Learn how the presence of disease contributes to mood disorders that start from the gut, and how rebalancing the microbiome can ultimately improve mental health.
Epigenetics: The Power of Nutrition to Improve Genetic Expression
Our DNA was originally thought to be pre-programmed and could not be changed. We were stuck with what we got! That has all changed with the new understanding of Epigenetics, which is the ability of nutrition and other environmental factors to turn human genes on or off. In other words, our food intake and lifestyle behaviors have an effect on how our genes are expressed! How about those “bad” genes that run in our family? There is new hope! Learn how genetic testing can point out deficiencies that can be supported with nutrition, supplements and changes in your environment.
Norma Flood, MS, RD
Integrative Nutrition for Brain Balance and Gut Health
Norma has a background in Pharmacology & Toxicology, researching at Viagene-Center for Gene Therapy. Personal health issues then moved her to get a master’s degree in nutrition and become a registered dietitian at UCSD Cancer Center, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, SDSU Student Health Services and Athletics, and finally in Private Practice treating eating disorders and addiction. Wanting to delve deeper, she studied the neuroplasticity of the brain, as it relates to nutrition, the microbiome and alternative treatments.
She currently applies biomedical nutrition to effectively prevent or treat mental health issues that result from gut imbalances and genetic deficiencies, digestive issues, and eating disorders. Norma is a mother to a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son in Poway, California. During her free time, she loves hiking, yoga and time with family and friends.