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Health & Wellness News + Upcoming Magical Events with Bernadette Wulf

Mitochondria, Hot Chocolate, Hydrogen Water & Stress Relief

In This Issue: 

  • Feed Your Mitochondria
  • Healthy Hot Chocolate!
  • Hydrogen Water & Mitochondria
  • Quick Fix for Stress

Find lots of healthy recipes in my Whole Food Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Facebook Group

Message from Bernadette Wulf

Welcome the Autumn LeavesGreetings,

September is that magical month where Summer and Autumn dance together (here in the Northern Hemisphere).

Warm days are followed by crisp nights. A few trees take on their Autumn colors, while others still sport their summer greens.

It’s a beautiful time of year! And a good time to unravel the stress of a busy summer and give your mitochondria a little boost to uplift your energy.

That’s exactly what we cover in this month’s newsletter—plus my healthy hot chocolate recipe.

WulfWorks News

I’ve really been enjoying our twice-monthly Moon Circles—delving into the magical and astrological significance of each new and full moon phase and how they might influence our lives.

It’s amazing how spending an hour with kindred souls every couple of weeks can add so much light to our lives. I’d love to see you there.

And a bonus of being a member is free attendance in all Faehallows quarterly and cross-quarterly workshops (or you can sign up separately).

Our next one, on September 21st, will feature guided shamanic journeys to immerse yourself in the wild energy of the Greek and Celtic Nature gods, Pan and Cernunnos. Keep an eye on your inbox for more information—coming soon.

Meet Pan & Cernunnos on September 21st

Have questions or comments? —>>> Email Bernadette <<<— Please use this link and do not hit reply to this post or I may never get your message.

To your health and happiness!
Bernadette Wulf
WulfWorks.com — HealItAll.com — Eat Plants for Life
Visit me on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wulfworks

beets feed mitochondriaFeed Your Mitochondria

What are mitochondria? If you follow health news, you’ve probably been hearing about these little guys… or maybe gals… lately.

Here’s how evolution-health.co describes them:

Mitochondria are found in nearly every tissue in your body (with the exception of red blood cells), and they’re especially dense in muscle, heart, and brain tissue.

Their main job is to convert the energy in your food into ATP, an essential energy source that powers millions of chemical reactions in every cell in every tissue. Without healthy mitochondria, you’d feel sluggish, foggy, and weak—and your risk for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease increases significantly.

Sounds pretty important, right?

So how do you make sure you have enough of these mini powerhouses? The top four mitochondria boosting foods listed by evolution-health.co are:

Food #1: Soybeans Promote Mitochondrial Biogenesis Soybeans are more than just a bean – they’re also rich in a polyphenol known as genistein, which has remarkable effects on mitochondrial health. Genistein is an isoflavone, a class of phytoestrogens found almost exclusively in legumes, with soybeans being the richest source.

Food #2: Cacao Improves VO2 max Cacao is packed with a polyphenol called epicatechin, which has been shown to boost mitochondrial biogenesis and function. Epicatechin is a flavanol found in high concentrations in cacao beans, as well as in green tea and some fruits.

Food #3: Resveratrol – The Red Grape Master Polyphenol [ ] Resveratrol is a potent activator of mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolic health, but supplements are required to achieve clinically meaningful doses. Whole foods like grapes and berries still offer benefits as part of a polyphenol-rich diet.

Food #4: Nitrate-Rich Vegetables Directly Communicate with Mitochondria Beets, along with other nitrate-rich vegetables like spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, celery, and lettuce, are some of the best foods for mitochondrial health. Dietary nitrates are converted in your body to nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels, improves oxygen delivery, and – most importantly – increases mitochondrial efficiency.

I found this list interesting, since soy, chocolate, and beets, are not recommended by the Medical Medium. So many people, including myself, have benefitted from his information, but he doesn’t know everything. After a decade of sticking to his protocols, I found that I could be a lot more flexible without triggering the Lyme symptoms that his protocols cleared.

For the past five years or so, I’ve been adding organic non-GMO certified corn (because I LOVE it), plus occasional organic non-GMO certified soy, and a little organic cacao almost daily. As long as I keep the gluten and animal products out, I continue to feel good and be chronic-pain free. Woo hoo!

Read the hows and whys of feeding your mitochondria here — https://evolution-health.co/post/4-foods-make-new-mitochondria

cacao feeds mitochondriaHealthy Hot Chocolate!

This seems like a good time to share my healthy hot chocolate recipe :

  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 2 Tbs hemp seeds (or sunflower seeds or cashews for milder flavor, but they don’t have the Omega 3s)
  • 2 Tbs raw cacao powder
  • 4 – 5 pitted dates
  • (optional) 1 tsp. coconut butter

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Yum! I’m making myself hungry.

Alternatively, you could use soy milk in place of the water and seeds for more mitochondrial boost, but apparently soy is healthier when it’s fermented (i.e. tempe, miso…), so I’ll pass on that idea.

Molecular HydrogenHydrogen Water & Mitochondria

As you may have read in my previous newsletter, I’ve been trying out hydrogen water for a couple of months now and I’m impressed with the results.

It is another potent way to boost your mitochondria. I looked it up on Perplexity.ai and here’s what I found:

Hydrogen water, also known as hydrogen-rich water, has shown potential benefits for mitochondrial function, mainly due to its antioxidant properties and ability to modulate mitochondrial dynamics and energy production.

Effects on Mitochondria

    • Enhanced ATP Production: Studies indicate hydrogen water can increase mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels, leading to improved energy production within cells.

    • Improved Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Research in animal models found hydrogen water promotes mitochondrial biogenesis by upregulating factors like PGC-1α and Tfam, which are essential for creating and maintaining new mitochondria.

    • Dynamic Regulation: Hydrogen water positively influences mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins (e.g., upregulating Mfn2, downregulating Drp1), supporting healthier mitochondrial networks under stress conditions.

    • Mitochondrial Quality Control: Activation of mitophagy by hydrogen water helps remove damaged mitochondria, supporting overall cellular health and resilience during stress.

Mechanisms of Action

    • Antioxidant Properties: Molecular hydrogen acts as a selective antioxidant, neutralizing harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protecting mitochondrial membranes from lipid peroxidation. This helps reduce oxidative stress—a major cause of mitochondrial dysfunction.

    • Anti-inflammatory Impact: Hydrogen water downregulates inflammation-related pathways, such as NF-κB signaling, which can further protect mitochondria from damage during immune responses.

All that sounds great, but the main thing I notice is that I have more energy when I drink my morning hydrogen water. It just feels good! And it’s affordable, unlike so many of the superfood wonders on the market.

Read the scientific nitty gritty on hydrogen water here — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10816294/

Here’s where you can try out Molecular Hydrogen for yourself — https://humanoptimization.com/products/molecular-hydrogen/

Quick Fix for Stress

Dondi Eden (Donna Eden’s daughter) shares a couple of great little stress relief tips in this brief video.

As you may know, Donna is famous for her energy healing techniques. She even used them to cure her Multiple Sclerosis many years ago.

I love energy healing and I use some of her techniques every day. These ones are also used in EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and Jin Shin Jyutsu.

Quick fix for stress from Donna Eden

Curious whether energy healing really works. Read the comments under the video. Here’s just one:

Ladies. I’ve been with you for a while now. Three weeks ago my home of 15 years burned to the ground. Staying in a hotel with my burned cat. Stress and emotions are maxed out. When I grabbed my ring finger I first felt sorrow but quickly found myself bursting into an almost psychotic laughter of JOY. Thank You.. now and always. 

Watch the Stress Relief video here — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBJL2vVlUrY