SWEET DANGER

We wonder why there is such an increase in allergies, asthma, arthritis and cancer in this country. I say the reason is because we have fewer nutrients and more toxins available to us consistently.

Let's talk about another disease that's sweeping the nation. ASD or Artificial Sweetener Disease. And you will notice that the government, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and the media are not mentioning one word of it. By keeping ASD silent, doctors can prescribe expensive pharmaceuticals while maintaining that repeat business. They'll call it headaches, migraines, muscle pain, arthritis, depression, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS and Chrohn's disease, but they don't call it what it really is, ASD. If we were to call it what it really is, the pharmaceutical companies would not be able to make billions of dollars annually.

As for the cure, STOP EATING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

It's no coincidence that 80 percent of fibromyalgia cases affect women since women consume more diet products than men. The human body is designed to consume nutrient rich food, in it's unaltered state.

Contrary to what we are being told by the food and pharmaceutical companies, and contrary to what the FD A applies by approving the sale and consumption of these toxic substances, we are not designed to consume chemicals, and there are repercussions for doing so.

Avoid toxic artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Equal, Splenda and anything containing Aspartame.
Some of the long list of side effects associated with these artificial sweeteners are, increased risk of heart disease, headaches, cravings for carbs and sugar, brain seizures, bloating and digestive distress, rashes and hives, weight gain, multiple sclerosis and cancer.
You are better off using Stevia if you are looking for a zero calorie sweetener.

DON'T GOT MILK? THAT'S OK!

Cows milk - Is it really good for us? Or should we eliminate milk from our diets all together?

The dairy industry has been advertising the truth about baby's needs for milk, but it has been twisted out of context to apply it to a completely different product, their product -- cows milk not breast milk. And the sad result is that most Americans still think these statements about our babies needing cow's milk is true. 

So, in an effort to undo the damage caused by this manipulation, let us consider the differences in human breast milk versus cow's milk, and further examine the physical problems caused by humans trying to survive on the milk of another species well past the age when no mammal should be drinking any milk. 

A good place to start in analyzing the distinction between milk of different species is to begin to understand how nature works. As Dr. Frank A.Oski explains it in the book “Don't Drink Your Milk!” "The milk of each species appears to have been specifically designed to protect the young of that species. Cross-feeding does not work. It is a dietary error to cross species to get milk from another animal. Heating, sterilization, or modification of the milk in any way destroys the protection."

 

Human infants take about 180 days to double their birth weight, and human milk is 5 to 7 percent protein, while calves require only 45 days doubling their birth weight and cows milk is 15 percent protein. This is much more protein than young human's can absorb. 

In addition to the difference in the amount of protein in these two different types of milk, there are also major differences in the composition of this protein. The primary type of protein in cow's milk is casein. Cow's milk has 20 times more casein than human milk, which makes the protein from cows milk difficult or impossible for humans to digest or absorb.

When protein cannot be properly broken down, it weakens the immune system, causing allergies and many other problems. Allergies caused by cow's milk are extremely common.

In fact, when a single food can be isolated as the cause of an allergy, 60 percent of the time, that food is cows milk. Symptoms of this allergic reaction to cow's milk in infants can include asthma, nasal congestion, skin rash, chest infections, irritability and fatigue. 

 

Another reason many people suffer from various digestive symptoms from drinking cow's milk is that they may be "lactose intolerant," meaning they cannot digest lactose, the sugar in milk.

An enzyme known as lactase is required to digest lactose, and between the age of 18 months and 4 years old most children gradually lose the lactase activity in their small intestine. This reflects the fact that nature never intended lactose-containing foods, such as cow’s milk to be consumed after the normal weaning period.

In fact, so many people have bad reactions to drinking cow's milk that in 1974 the Federal Trade Commission felt compelled to take legal action against advertising claims made by the California Milk Producers. The ads claimed "Everybody Needs Milk." The FTC prosecuted the milk producers for "false, misleading and deceptive" advertising. The FTC complaint cited the high incidence of lactose intolerance, allergies caused by cow's milk and the increased risk of heart disease. The FTC won and the milk producers had to come up with a new slogan for their ads: "Milk Has Something for Everybody."

 

But don't we need to drink milk to get calcium? No. The best way to add calcium to your diet is to eat more fresh green vegetables. BUT, cows milk is high in calcium… YES, but the problem is that it is in a form that cannot be absorbed very well by humans.

The mucus created by dairy products causes other problems as well. It is well-known that dairy products cause excessive mucus in the lungs, sinuses and intestines. This excess mucus in the breathing passages contributes too many respiratory problems. Two very common problems with infants are colic and ear infections, both of which can be caused by cows milk. Medical studies have found cow's milk can contribute to these problems either directly, when the infant drinks cows milk, or indirectly, when the infant breast feeds from a mother who has been consuming dairy products.

Colic, suffered by one out of every five infants in the U.S., is characterized by severe stomach cramps. When a mother eats dairy products, milk proteins pass into her breast milk and end up in the baby's blood; some studies have found that cow's milk proteins (from milk drunk by the mother) might trigger colic-like symptoms in infants fed only human milk and no cow's milk.

Makes sense doesn’t it? If your baby has colic, observe what you are eating. Cut out dairy products and see if you baby’s colic subsides.

Ear infections. You just don't see this painful condition among infants and children who aren't getting cow's milk into their systems.

Removing dairy from the diet has been shown to shrink enlarged tonsils and adenoids, indicating relief for the immune system. Similarly, doctors experimenting with dairy-free diets often report a marked reduction in colds, flu, sinusitis and ear infections."

So, what do we drink instead? For the newborn infant, breast milk from a healthy mother. After a child is weaned, there is no reason to drink any milk. We shouldn't drink any liquid with our meals either because this dilutes our digestive fluids. When we are thirsty, we should drink distilled or filtered water. Or, if you want to drink something nutritional between meals, the best choice is fresh vegetable juice, Coconut water, unsweetened Almond milk, Rice or Hemp milk.

If you are someone who loves dairy, but suffers from dairy related symptoms, remember there are some great dairy alternatives available these days.

ADRENAL FATIGUE

Adrenal fatigue affects close to 80% of the population and causes a multitude of health problems, from exhaustion and weight gain to decreased immune function. Adrenal dysfunction can result in mood disorders, insomnia, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, fungal infections, hypertension, hypothyroid and kidney disease…the list goes on.

Most people with weak adrenal function don't realize their adrenals are the cause of their symptoms, or that they can heal themselves naturally. The majority of medical doctors ignore adrenal dysfunction unless it’s severe or part of an illness such as Addison’s (an underproduction of cortisol) or Cushing’s (an overproduction of cortisol). Your adrenal glands weigh less than a grape. They’re two tiny walnut-sized glands located above each kidney. The adrenals are the control center for many hormones including cortisol, adrenaline, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), progesterone, aldosterone, estrogen and testosterone. Cortisol is produced in response to stressors such as pain and inflammation, glycemic control and psychological overload.

The primary role of the adrenal glands is to control your energy levels and keep you alive during stressful events. Studies have shown that for every minute you experience stress, it takes 60 minutes to remove the flood of adrenal stress hormones from your bloodstream. Chronic stress creates a continuous production of cortisol which in turn overproduces cell-damaging free radicals causing your body to break down.

What happens when cortisol levels are consistently high or low? Muscle and bone atrophy, digestion is impaired, healing and normal cell regeneration decline, destruction of T-cells, the thymus gland shrinks, aging accelerates, all other hormones and brain chemistry are disrupted, along with a weakening of the immune system.
Do you experience?

• Asthma, bronchitis, frequent colds
• Bloating and/or swelling
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Body fat levels that don’t lower in response to sufficient physical exercise (excessive abdominal fat – spare tire)
• Chronic heartburn and digestive difficulties
• Crave salt and/or sugar
• Decreased or zero sex drive
• Dizzy when standing up suddenly
• Elevated LDL cholesterol (excess cholesterol is manufactured in times of psychological stress and dehydration)
• Excessive urination
• Have to have a cup of strong tea or coffee in the morning to get going
• Hypothyroid
• Inability to tolerate or handle stress; Irritable; Mood swings
• Insomnia
• Intolerance to Exercise
• Low blood pressure
• Osteoporosis and muscle atrophy
• Poor memory and concentration
• Puffy and dark circles under the eyes
  

• Severely cracked, painful heels (also an indication of essential fatty acid deficiency)                                                                                                                   
• Tend to be a night person

• Tendency to “need” to wear sunglasses; sensitive to light

• Tenderness at low back under the 12^th rib area
  

Your adrenals are your backup pharmacy. When the adrenals are depleted and chronically overworked, they’re unable to produce sufficient amounts of hormones.  Cholesterol is a precursor to all hormones, and DHEA is a precursor to the hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Insufficient DHEA contributes to fatigue, bone loss, muscle atrophy, decreased sex drive, depression, achy joints, and impaired immune function.

Adrenal hormones act as important reserves in menopausal women and andropausal men. Therefore, if the adrenals are exhausted, menopausal symptoms will intensify. Before menopause or andropause, the adrenals produce 40% of your sex hormones; after menopause or andropause, the adrenals produce 90% of the sex hormones. The stronger your adrenals are, the easier your menopause or andropause symptoms will be.

For optimal health, vitality, longevity and fat loss, it is vital that we prioritize the health of our adrenal glands. Each person is individual in susceptibility to adrenal dysfunction based on their genetic make up. A child or fetus in the womb that experiences trauma whether physical, emotional, electromagnetic, environmental or psychological has a lower stress threshold in adult life. It’s important to remember that the nervous system, endocrine system and immune system are all interconnected.

What causes adrenal dysfunction? Any physiologic imbalance that taxes one’s physiology in its attempt to maintain homeostasis results in an alteration of stress hormones including:

• Addiction to stimulants
• Consistently staying up late at night (past 10:30 pm) and getting up early
• Eating foods your body is sensitive to and cannot tolerate
• Insufficient rest and relaxation
• Long-term steroid drug use for arthritis, asthma, allergies, or MS which cause the adrenals to shrink in size
• Over exercising and excessive cardio/aerobic exercise
• Persistent injuries that cause inflammation and chronic pain
• Prolonged stress
• Skipping meals and blood sugar imbalances
• Exposure to toxins
• Digestive dysfunction
• Infections
• Liver Dysfunction
• Unresolved emotions
  

Adrenal burnout is almost entirely caused by a poor diet and a high-stress lifestyle. You can never overcome adrenal fatigue if your blood sugar is not stable! You can’t nourish and support your adrenals if your digestive system is in chaos! You can never re-balance your estrogen, progesterone or testosterone if your adrenals are exhausted!
The good news is, you can heal your adrenals through nutrition, the correct supplements and proper exercise. Although adrenal dysfunction is extremely common, you can restore and recover. It can take 4 months to 1-1/2 years to fully heal the adrenals. Remember, it’s a journey and you don't have to do it alone, contact me today to get started! 

GO NUTS AND LOSE WEIGHT !

A healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, plenty of fiber, plenty of essential vitamins and minerals, and high-quality lean proteins will help trim your waistline. Having a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner are great ways to maintain adequate calories for weight loss. However, sometimes you get hungry mid-morning or mid-afternoon and you have trouble finding the right snack to eat.
Nuts are a great food to snack on. They are full of fiber, healthy fats like mono and polyunsaturated fats, and low in saturated fats. Nuts are full of high quality proteins and provide a great pick-me-up during those hungry times during the day. A handful of nuts can be great for satisfying your hunger and helping you to lose weight. 
                                                                                                                                                               Here are 7 of my personal favorites:

1) Almonds     Almonds are a little powerhouse of nutrition. With heart healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats, almonds have been recommended to help reduce total cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Almonds are low in carbohydrates, but high in fiber. Almonds also have high levels of Vitamin E, which is great for the eyes and skin. Almonds also have phytosterols found in the almond skin, which have been shown helpful in reducing cholesterol and protecting the heart. 
 
2) Cashews     Cashews are a great nut for helping battle Heart Disease. Cashews do have a higher fat content than most nuts, but the fat found in cashews can be considered a healthy fat. Higher levels of mono and polyunsaturated fats make this a perfect snack for heart patients or people looking to watch their dietary fat intake. Cashews have adequate levels of magnesium and copper, which are minerals needed to maintain a healthy functioning body.

3) Peanuts       Not only are peanuts loaded with fat-fighting fiber, but they are abundant in plenty of vitamins and minerals that have been shown to fight some diseases, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Peanuts have niacin, Co-enzyme Q10, and plenty of other amazing antioxidants, and Resveratrol, which has been linked to reduction in cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

4) Walnuts      Walnuts are a great source of heart healthy fats, with high levels of polyunsaturated fats, which has been linked to lower cardiovascular risk factors. Considered by some to be the best nut for better heart health, walnuts have been shown to decrease damage from free radicals to certain cells. The reason for this: walnuts are chock full of antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce damage caused by oxidative stress.

5) Pecans        At 10.4 grams of fiber, you are getting roughly 10% of your daily intake in 1 ounce of pecans. So if the fiber content blew your mind, wait for this: Pecans have an immense amount of the heart healthy fats that can help lower LDL cholesterol, and raise our good HDL cholesterol. Under 200 calories per serving, pecans provide a healthy supply of Vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and other trace minerals that our body needs for optimal functioning.

6) Macadamia Nuts     Macadamia nuts, like other tree nuts, have been shown beneficial in helping to reduce total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and are recommended in a heart healthy diet. Having a high amount of mon-unsaturated fats, these nuts can be an alternative to other nuts for helping reduce cardiovascular risk factors.

7) Pistachios     Pistachios are another nutrient powerhouse that is low in carbohydrates with zero cholesterol. Full of healthy fats and low in saturated fats, this nut can provide you with a moderate amount of calories and nutrients from essential vitamins and minerals, namely potassum, calcium and Vitamin A. This nut provides plenty of nutrition.

Nuts can be a great source of heart healthy fats and plenty of high quality proteins and fiber. Eating nuts in moderation for a snack, in recipes, or as a topping, can add plenty of healthy calories to your meal, and provide you with essential nutrients that can help you lose weight, and keep your hunger at bay in between meals. Although nuts are naturally low in fat, low in carbohydrates, and sodium, the way the nuts are processed is just as important as the type. Make sure to buy natural, raw and unsalted brands.

POST WORKOUT SHAKES

While all athletes need both carbs and protein in their post-workout shake to replenish energy stores and help repair muscles, regular folks need a good ratio of carbs to protein to fully re-energize themselves after a hard workout too.  To jumpstart recovery, boost energy, and improve performance, mix up a post-workout shake that has roughly a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. A 3:1 ratio is more appropriate for a lower intensity/shorter distance endurance training session (say, about 30 minutes to 90 minutes of training) and a 4:1 ratio for longer, harder workouts (typically over 90 minutes). Aim to have your post-workout shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.
Here are a few post-workout shakes that offer the right balance for proper recovery:

1. Fruity banana shake. Vanilla Whey protein powder, 1 banana, 4 oz yogurt, ½-1 cup fruit juice, and ½ cup ice (75 g carbs, 25 g protein).
2. Berry yogurt shake. 1 cup Greek yogurt, ½ scoop EAS whey protein powder, 1 banana, ½ cup berries, ½-1 cup of fruit juice, ½ cup ice (70 g carbs, 25 g protein).
3. Chocolate peanut butter shake. 1 cup low-fat chocolate milk, 1 banana, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, ½ cup ice (60 g carbs, 18-20 g protein).

Do you have a recipe for a delicious post-workout shake? Share it in the comments section below.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

Shorter duration exercise has a built in motivational factor- it's over quicker! This eliminates the dread of an hour on the treadmill or elliptical after a long day at work. Instead, rest assured that quicker more intense workouts will leave you burning fat for hours after the workout is over. Your biggest challenge is knowing what to do now that you don't have the cardio machines to depend on.

Short-duration, high-intensity exercise improves body composition. It is also a great way to spice up the traditional mundane cardio workout. For the fitness enthusiast not familiar with HIIT, it is alternating between short bouts of high intensity exercise, lasting seconds to minutes, with resting intervals.

HIIT not only packs a huge metabolic punch in a short amount of time, but there is scientific evidence to show that a single short duration , high intensity workout (as short as 1 – 5 minutes) not only burns more fat and calories during the workout, but also post workout. The ripple effect can last hours after a single one minute burst of all out effort. It is my belief that long duration, continuous cardio is not only inferior to HIIT in terms of body composition effects, but also leaves people who are short on time, chained to a treadmill, burning fewer calories and less fat no matter how long their on the machine. A person can sprint faster for 10 seconds than for 10 minutes and achieve greater metabolic gains.

The first step in putting together a short, high intensity workout, is to scope out your surroundings. For example; if you are near a school, use the track or stadium steps. If you are near a park, look for staircases, low walls, benches, walkways or short steep incline paths. Being that you do not need any equipment to perform these exercises, you can do many types of body weight only exercises such as, pushups, dips, step-ups, and squats. Ramp up the intensity as you advance by incorporating plyometrics or jumping movements like squat jumps, switch ups and bench jumps. Throw in a little sprinting too and you can achieve a full body workout. Perform each exercise in an allotted amount of time instead of reps or sets. The goal is to complete as many repetitions in the allotted time, keeping tight form, before moving on to the next exercise.

Remember the only caveat to shorter workouts is they must be intense to get results. Sprints are are not fast jogs, they are panting, out-of-breath bouts of all out exertion. Squats are low, lunges are deep, and pushups go to the floor. Since the workouts do not require any weights, it is important to contract the muscles as if you had weights. Finally remember to stay safe and listen to your body. High intensity workouts should and will push you outside of your comfort zone. Take rests and adjust exercises according to your current fitness level. If you are new to this type of workout, it is my recommendation that you contact me or your current fitness professional for proper instruction and a fitness assessment to make sure you will not injure yourself and are capable of performing the exercises correctly.

THE INCREDIBLE EGG

It’s finally time to crack the misconception that eggs are bad for our health, because they’re absolutely not. It’s unfortunate, but many people still think that you cannot eat more than one egg per day, or even more than 3 eggs per week because if you do, you’ll develop high blood cholesterol levels and fatty arteries. But this could not be farther from the truth.
So, why do we think this way?
In the 1960’s consumers were first “warned” about eggs as being a major player in the development of heart disease… without any conclusive evidence to back up this claim. News articles overwhelmingly focused on the egg- cholesterol - heart disease link when there was no real proof for this message.
Eggs were so demonized that egg substitute products became all the rage for cooking and baking, but they were no better, and sometimes far worse, than the whole egg itself.
Today, consumers need to understand that eggs are not evil, but in fact are healthy and important components of our diets. First and foremost, eggs an inexpensive source of high quality protein that almost everyone can enjoy in various ways – from scrambled eggs to deviled eggs to green eggs and ham, eggs are a versatile way to quickly and easily get more protein in your diet. And, they’re not just for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner too!
In terms of protein quality, most foods rich in protein are measured in terms of the availability of that protein to effectively promote growth (cell growth), and this term is known as biological value. Based on the amino acids contained in an egg and its ability to stimulate growth, egg protein is only second to mother’s milk for human nutrition. Eggs are among the few sources of naturally occurring vitamin D and K, which are known for cancer protection and longevity.
Eggs contain the highest source of dietary choline (125mg/egg), which is a nutrient necessary for proper nervous system development and structural integrity of cell membranes; particularly, choline is necessary for brain development in infants to impart lifelong enhancement of memory and attention.
They supply 6.3grams of high quality protein, 5 grams of fat primarily consisting of an even balance of saturates and monounsaturates, with less polyunsaturates, and barely no carbohydrates at all; they’re the perfect low carbohydrate food. Eggs contain up to 200 mg of DHA, the essential omega-3 fatty acid needed by all humans for normal development and functioning, and prevention of depression and memory loss.
The whole egg contains 166 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin, two super antioxidants that contribute to eye health and prevent common causes of age-related blindness; research shows that the bioavailability of these nutrients from eggs is higher than other foods with higher contents.

So you see, if you have high cholesterol, it probably was not caused by eating eggs. More than likely it was caused by an overload of unhealthy types of fat, trans fats, to many overly processed carbs and foods loaded with processed sugars.