Mar
26

The Truth About Cholesterol

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I am going to let you in on something shocking. Cholesterol is not the major culprit in heart disease. I know this may be hard to believe after all we have heard about the dangers of high cholesterol from our doctors, and the media. But the truth is, it is not the cholesterol levels themselves or the cholesterol containing foods that are the culprits in heart disease, it is those foods and any other thing that causes inflammation in your body that is the major cause of heart disease (as well as diabetes and high blood pressure).

What is cholesterol and why do we need it?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells. It’s an important part of a healthy body because it’s used to form cell membranes. Cholesterol also aids in the manufacture of bile (which helps digest fats), and is also important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K. It is the major precursor for the synthesis of vitamin D and of the various steroid hormones (which include cortisol and aldosterone in the adrenal glands, and the sex hormones progesterone, the various estrogens, testosterone, and derivatives ).

How could something so good be so bad?

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Cholesterol has been wrongly accused because upon inspection of the arteries of someone at risk for a heart attack, levels of cholesterol and plaque build up are very high. Cholesterol is actually being transported to tissues as part of an inflammatory response that is there to repair damage. It will only lodge itself onto the artery and cause plaque if the artery has become damaged. Inflammation in the artery is what causes this damage. In fact, it is now known that the coronary disease that causes heart attacks is now considered to be caused mostly from chronic inflammation.

To blame cholesterol for heart attacks would be the equivalent of blaming increased police security in a high crime area. It was not the police that caused the crime, they were just placed there in response to the crimes.

A more important question to ask ourselves, is how do we decrease the amount of inflammation in our bodies so that cholesterol will not bind to our arteries?

We must decrease all of those things that we do that cause inflammation and increase things that decrease inflammation. First and foremost we must stay away from foods that cause inflammation in our bodies. Any food that causes a fast rise in blood insulin levels will quickly cause inflammation in the body. These foods are sugar, white breads, most dairy products and almost all packaged and processed foods. What does this leave you with? Fresh, wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean animal proteins, nuts, and lots and lots of water. Also, taking in lots of omega-3 rich foods will dramatically decrease inflammation in the body (salmon, organic eggs, walnuts and sardines).

What about your cholesterol medication?

Some may be thinking, it is just easier to take a pill and not have to change what I am eating. But you may want to think twice considering the side effects of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). The most common side effects reported are fatigued, headaches, nausea and the most common of them all, severe muscular pains and muscular degeneration. If you remember that cholesterol is essential for the formation of cell membranes, taking a drug that is drastically lowering cholesterol may be causing membrane damage in neural and muscle tissue. Most people on statins complain of neck, back or leg pain.

Millions of Americans are now on cholesterol lowering drugs, but the number of people suffering from heart attacks and heart disease is only increasing. Let’s take a personal responsibility for our health and truly get to the root of the problem. Managing your diet and staying away from those foods that are causing an inflammatory response in your body is your first step to decreasing your chance of heart disease and heart attacks.

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Feb
10

Watching TV can make you Fat

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Watching TV can definitely make anyone fat.  No, not just because it is a sedentary activity, but because the information most commercials are giving is extremely misleading and really confusing, to say the least.

Last week the TV did catch my attention. I was at my parent’s house and my mom had the TV on in the background. I was helping her cook and I nearly chopped my fingers off because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

“Eat Cheerios to lower your cholesterol.” “Three or more glasses of skim milk a day are a great way to lose weight”. Then it got ugly “Splenda is just like sugar and is great for kids”.

The worst of them all (the one where my mother had to nearly restrain me from attacking the TV“There is nothing wrong with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It comes from corn and can actually be good for you.” I nearly passed out.

I can see why people are totally confused about healthy eating. I can also see why obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes are at an all time high in this country and in many others as well.

After I was done hyperventilating, I decided to first turn the TV off (because my heart just couldn’t take anymore) and then write this newsletter to clear up a few misconceptions.

1. Cheerios biggest claim to fame is that eating them will help you lower your cholesterol. I am here to tell you that eating processed grains, especially in the form of cereal can actually make your cholesterol go up! The cholesterol study done showed how soluble fiber can help the body eliminate bad cholesterol from the body. Cheerios has 1 gram of soluble fiber per serving. Woop-dee-doo. Big deal. I can get 2 grams of soluble fiber from an apple, 3 grams from broccoli and carrots, and more than 4 grams from kidney beans. (Beat that Cheerio Man). Honestly, I don’t think there are many foods in a box that are healthy at all. They have to be highly processed to stay shelf stable, many times loading them up with chemicals and fillers that are making us gain weight. My recommendation is ditch the cereal and pick up some wholesome natural foods like fruits and veggies. Natural grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa are 10x’s better than any boxed cereal.

2. Milk does a body bad! That’s really what the commercial should say. Ok, that is not entirely true. Conventional milk does a body bad. If you have read the Dairy chapter in The Diet Solution Program, you know my stance on milk: Organic is a must and Raw Milk is even better.

But don’t go yet until you read #3.

3. Give Splenda to my children? Never! Splenda has not been out on the market long enough to show whether it is actually safe or not. Until then it is a public health experiment (No thanks, I don’t’ want to be your guinea pig). Being the organic chemistry nerd that I am, I know exactly how sugar is converted to Splenda. I will spare you the chem lesson but tell you that Splenda (or sucralose) is a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. Huh? Did you say pesticide? Yup. Many chemists believe this molecule resembles a pesticide much more than it resembles natural sugar. If this is still in debate, I will not be a test subject. I highly recommend you take yourself and your children out of this experiment as well. My tip: Stick to natural sweeteners like whole fruits, stevia and agave syrup and stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal and Sweet & Low.

I could probably go on and on. If I watched TV long enough (or if I actually purchased cable) I could probably find 10, 20, 100 more commercials that are giving us false info, all in the name of selling products.

Now, go shut the TV off will ya?

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Feb
02

Healthy Foods Are Naturally Low in Calories

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Unlike processed junk, healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans naturally raised meats, organic poultry, raw nuts, seeds and organic eggs are naturally low in calories. When you eat reasonable portions of these foods, you automatically reduce your caloric intake and lose weight without feeling hungry, deprived or bitter.

There is so much nonsense in processed foods. When you eat them, your body doesn’t have a clue what to do with the calories; so they just get stored as fat. When you eat nutritious foods instead of processed junk, your body actually benefits from the calories so they are less likely to get stored as blubber.

When you eat protein rich foods, your body releases a hormone that helps you burn fat. Protein also helps make meals more satiating so you eat less (bring on the protein, baby). Some nutritious protein sources include naturally raised lean meats, organic poultry, beans, raw nuts and whole organic eggs.

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Jan
18

Different Types of Vegetarians

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Many people think of vegetarians as one homogeneous group that just doesn’t eat meat. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are different categories of vegetarians as diverse as the reasons for going vegetarian in the first place.

A vegetarian is generally defined as someone who doesn’t eat meat. But someone who is vegetarian could conceivably eat dairy products such as milk, eggs and cheese. A lacto ovo vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, fish or poultry, but does consume eggs, milk or cheese. A lacto vegetarian consumes milk and cheese products, but doesn’t consume eggs.

A vegan is someone who doesn’t consume any animal product or by-product, including dairy food. They eat only vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes. They also don’t use animal products, such as leather. Vegans also don’t use white sugar because it’s often processed with a substance derived from animal bones that whitens the sugar.

There are other categories within the vegetarian community.

Fruitarians, for example, eat only fruit. Their rationale is that fruits, including fruits such as tomatoes, are self-perpetuating and don’t need to be planted to create the food source. They consider it a way of eating that’s most in balance and harmony with the earth, the most natural.

All of the above will eat cooked vegetables, fruits and legumes. There is also a growing movement towards eating only raw or living foods. This based on the assumption that cooking food processes most of the nutrients out of it, and to get all the nutritional value, vitamins and amino acids from food, it’s best consumed raw, or juiced. If cooked at all, it should only be cooked to slightly over 100 degrees, so the nutrients are still retained.

The more restrictive you become with your diet, however, the more educated you need to become to be sure you’re getting all the necessary proteins and vitamins that you need to maintain good health, especially muscle and heart health.

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Jan
12

Magic Foods For Optimal Health

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If there was a magic food that would cure everything (weight gain, heart disease, aging, your annoying boss) would you eat it? Of course you would!

Unfortunately, I can’t say I have found that one magic food yet (as soon as I do, I promise to let you in on it). The good news is there are several foods you can eat that give you some extra bang for your buck. By this, I mean, not only are they tasty and healthy additions to your meal plans, they also provide a chock full of antioxidants to your body.

What exactly are antioxidants?

Antioxidants have been all the rage for quite some time now, but many people don’t know exactly what they are. Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen (in almost everything we do each day), they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage. (Exercise is a good example of a healthy activity that naturally produces free radicals.) Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and help prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, and cancer are all contributed by oxidative damage.

You can see how it’s important for us to get these “free radical scavengers” into our bodies each day, especially if we have made exercise a part of our daily routine.

What foods contain antioxidants?

Lucky for you and me, the list of foods containing antioxidants is pretty extensive: vegetables, fruits, most nuts, fish & shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic are just a few examples of some great, healthy foods that will get you your daily scavengers. There are some foods that are particularly high and famous for their free radical destroying abilities. Here are three of my favorites.

Acai Berries

Acai is a fruit that grows on the Acai Palm Trees in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is small in size (smaller than a grape) and is dark purple in color. Although Acai may be small in size, it is jam packed with antioxidants and amino acids, and is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin. Acai has 10 Times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries.

With that being said, I am not going to tell you that this fruit is the cure all for everything that ails you (like many internet sites trying to sell their Acai berry supplements and going a bit overboard with their claims). The Acai berry is a wonderful antioxidant and it is a great addition to your healthy meal plan, but not a magic potion that will cause the weight loss many make it out to be.

Green Tea

Green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and white tea all come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. All teas from the camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant. Whether it’s green or black, tea has about 8 to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables (although the types of antioxidants are a bit different).

You can see how including a cup or 2 of tea can be a great way to get a mega dose of antioxidants into your day. However, just as people have taken information about the good ‘ol Acai berry too far, they have done the same with green tea. Yes, it is a wonderful addition to any diet, but it is not the miracle drink many people make it out to be. Studies have shown that it may have some metabolism increasing effects and assist the body in fat burning but drinking jugs and jugs of it all day is not going to guarantee long term weight loss. One to two cups is more than enough to receive its benefits. We also want to remember that tea does contain caffeine and some people need to be careful with their daily caffeine intake.

Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a popular exotic fruit whose origins are from the Middle East and Asia. It is also known as the granada, grenade, and the Chinese apple. Aside from its rich flavor and the number of ways to eat and drink it, studies have shown that pomegranate contains more antioxidants than green tea, cranberries and even red wine.

Pomegranates have also been shown to promote healthy blood pressure levels and low cholesterol. Pomegranates may be especially helpful for men as studies have concluded that it may help prevent prostate cancer and growth.

How can I incorporate these great foods into my daily meal plan?

1. Start your day with one cup of green tea. I say the morning, so the caffeine does not affect your sleep that night. You can sweeten your tea with Stevia, Xylitol, or a small amount of raw honey.

2. Eat a pomegranate as your fruit of choice with breakfast, lunch or snack or drink 2-4 ounces of pomegranate juice. I suggest mixing your 2-4 ounces with water and sip alongside one of your meals.

3. If getting in antioxidant rich foods each day is a challenge for you, you can supplement with an antioxidant supplement. Prograde, one if the very very few supplement companies I trust, has a powerful antioxidant supplement I highly recommend. It contains a high-octane extract blend of coffeeberry, pomegranate, green tea, acai berry, wolfberry and Biovin grape.

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Jan
09

A little bit of Exercise Motivation

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Many people know how important exercise is as an integral part of their weight loss and health plan but still have a difficult time fitting it into their busy lives.

One possible reason could be that, yes, exercise can be challenging when you first begin your program or you just give yourself the excuse “I just don’t have the time.”

What I have figured out for myself and for hundreds of my clients that no matter which exercise program they choose, it must be something they enjoy.  Especially when it comes to the setting and location.

For me, I have converted the 2nd bedroom of my house into my “home gym”.

NO, home gym does not mean I have the most expensive, high tech equipment. To be honest, the only items that make up my home gym are: an exercise ball, 2 adjustable weights, an exercise mat, and an old Spinning bike that I bought used from a local YMCA. That’s it! Nothing expensive or high tech about it.

Many times in the past I have joined gyms and told myself I was going to go.  But like many other gym members, I never go!  Now, I do really enjoy exercising so why wouldn’t I actually use my gym membership?

I figured out that I really love my exercise room. It’s my private time to myself and I don’t have to worry about who else needs the equipment or who’s lurking around the gym. I get an hour to myself and it’s a great way to start my day.

I asked myself if this could possibly be what’s stopping many people from exercising. “Is this most people’s problem? Do they not like where they work out so they just don’t want to go?” So it’s really not the actual workout but the environment that they’re in.

Now maybe for you the situation is just the opposite. You don’t like working out in your home and you would much rather get out and be motivated by other healthy people. Whatever the case may be, choose something you enjoy! You will never make a lifestyle change to include exercise on a consistent basis if you don’t enjoy it. Who wants to do something that feels like torture? Not me. I love my morning exercise time and if it felt like torture, I just wouldn’t do it.

My question to you is: What do you have to do to make your workout time enjoyable? Or (heaven forbid) something you actually look forward to? Join an adult sports league?  Start your own exercise group?  Join a new gym? Set up a home gym? Find a workout partner?  The choices are endless.

Try many different options and figure out which activity you would enjoy best and I assure you, exercise never has to be a drag.

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Jan
04

My Favorite Ways to Eat Nut Butters

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Here are some of my favorite ways to use different nut butters…

1.        Almond Butter with apple sauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top – a great after dinner snack if you’re looking for something sweet.

2.       Almond or Walnut Butter on pretty much any fruit.  My new favorite is almond butter on fresh figs…yummy!

3.       Nut Butter and Apple Butter Sandwich – one of my favorite on-the-go breakfast options.  I use 1-2 tbsp of nut butter and 1 tbsp of apple butter on 2 slices of sprouted grain bread and out the door I go.

4.       Cashew Butter on celery sticks – add a few raisins for a little sweet taste.

5.       Walnut Butter in oatmeal – I mix the walnut butter right into my warm oatmeal.  Sometimes I add 1 tsp of honey as well.

All of these options are a great way to get a ton of healthy fats, especially Omega 3’s, into your daily meal plans.

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Jan
02

Is Milk really Healthy

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Is milk really necessary for an effective weight loss plan?  Do we have to drink our milk each day to get a sufficient amount of calcium?

The answer to both of these questions is NO.  We do not need to drink milk as part of a healthy weight loss plan or to obtain a healthy amount of calcium each day.

Consider the following facts:

1. Americans drink the most milk of any other country, yet we still have the highest rate of osteoporosis.

2. Pasteurization kills off all the necessary digestive enzymes in the milk (This is why so many people are now suffering from lactose intolerance).

3. Pasteurization also makes the major part of the calcium contained in milk insoluble, in other words making 50% of milk’s calcium unusable by the body (This contributing to the high rate of osteoporosis).

4. Milk sugar (lactose) converts into sugar your body uses very quickly, leading to blood sugar highs and lows and an up and down energy rollercoaster ride for you.

How could this all be true? Isn’t milk supposed to do a body good? Well, yes it does, but milk was really only intended to be consumed in its natural state (unpasteurized). Sound scary? Many states in the US and most organic farmers will ONLY drink milk if it’s unpasteurized and they are extremely healthy.

The other fact we need to consider is that most cows are being given an excess of growth hormone just to keep them producing massive amounts of milk. This, in turn, makes them sick, at which time they are given antibiotics. The growth hormone and antibiotics get into their blood stream and then into the milk they produce. Who drinks this chemical laden milk? We do! (Actually, I don’t and maybe you’re starting to consider whether you do).

The next big concern is “How will I get enough Calcium?” As mentioned above, most of the Calcium in milk is not absorbed by the body. More calcium is absorbed from foods such as green leafy vegetables, broccoli, sardines (with bones preferably) and salmon. This makes sense that more calcium come from greens since cows preferably eat grass and they have a lot of calcium inside their bodies (Please don’t eat grass. This really only works for cows).

If reducing your risk for Osteoporosis is your goal, do the #1 activity that prevents this debilitating disease: Exercise! Weight bearing exercise has been shown to be the #1 way to prevent osteoporosis. Putting small stresses on your bones via strength training helps to re-build them stronger. No one, and I mean no one, should be neglecting some exercise into their life.

Here are my tips on drinking the right kind of milk, calcium and preventing osteoporosis:

1. If you consume dairy on a regular basis, try to find raw (unpasteurized) milk. www.realmilk.com is a great resource for this.

2. If the thought of raw milk scares you, purchase the next best thing: certified organic milk products. They will be free of antibiotics and hormones.

3. Since most of milk’s calcium is not absorbed by the body, make sure to get your calcium from these other sources: leafy green veggies, broccoli, sardines (with bones) and salmon.

4. Commit to a strength training routine on a consistent basis. Not just for your muscles and for the way you look in the mirror (although this does help) but for your bone’s sake.

Milk and dairy do not have to be a staple in your diet in order to absorb adequate amounts of calcium and achieve an ideal level of health.  You can establish and extremely healthy way of eating, reach your weight loss goals, and feel great each day without drinking milk.

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Dec
27

How to Handle Constipation

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A case of constipation usually means that you’ve had one or fewer bowel-movements in a typical day. This might happen because you’ve just changed your diet from bad food to good food. Your body has to adjust to the different food, so you have to give your body time to get used to it.

Another common cause for constipation is dehydration. If you don’t take in the proper amount of water every day, you will have trouble with your colon being unable to push waste out.

What is so bad about being constipated is all that awful stuff that your body naturally gets rid of stays in side you. This causes discomfort, fatigue, and even weight retention. This condition is like a buildup of poison inside of you: it can cause problems if you let it go too long. So what can you do when you’re constipated to correct the situation? I have some natural and healthy suggestions for this.

1 Drink more water. You should be taking in about half your body’s weight in fluid ounces of water. This means that if you weigh 230 lbs, you should be drinking 115 ounces of water daily.
2 Use flaxseed as an additive to your meals. You can mix a tablespoon of it into your food to give you more fiber ( to help get you moving) and Omega 3s as well.
3 Raw food is important. This means you should eat one piece of fresh fruit or raw veggies. Your system will benefit from the natural ingredients in raw foods that are usually lost when they are cooked.
3 Begin your day with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix it in water and add some Cayenne. This mixture will stimulate your system and help clear out your colon.

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Dec
21

Not All Multi-Vitamins are Created Equal

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I really don’t believe that there is any way any chemist or company could possibly take all of the benefits out of whole fruits and vegetables and wrap them all up in a tiny capsule (I don’t care how many A’s you got in chemistry). Not to mention the fact that our bodies were really designed to absorb vitamins and minerals from food itself, not from some man-made product.

But…here is the problem with my point of view. Not everyone is a veggie and fruit lover like myself. Let’s take my husband for example. He absolutely hates vegetables. I mean he practically goes running in the opposite direction at the site of something green (unless its romaine lettuce which he claims is just a good medium to eat my homemade salad dressing…ok, I’ll take that as a compliment.)

In a case like this, I have to surrender my views and accept that the only way someone who does not get in the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in one day is to take a high quality multi-vitamin each and every day. Otherwise, they may run the risk of being highly deficient in many vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are essential for a healthy body (as well as feeling good each day.)

Now the key word here is “high quality”.

I see way too many people picking up their supplements at the local grocery store or pharmacy and thinking they are doing something healthy for themselves. Well, I’m not here to bash any name brands specifically, but many of these “big name” products are really just made from cheap ingredients and even contain artificial fillers and preservatives that can be doing your body more harm than good.

Why would they do that?

It’s a lot easier to sell your products at a cheap price if you don’t spend the money on the good stuff, right? Again, I’m not into bashing anybody, but many times you really do get what you pay for.

With that being said, I also am not suggesting you spend thousands on your multi (I know I sure can’t). But what I am saying is that the “cheapy” supermarket brands are really not the way to go and we should all be purchasing our multis (and all of our supplements for that matter) from a reputable company.

That takes me to my next point. Many of these products are made by big companies where their employees and even chemists are not as “on top of” the quality of their products as much as they should be. In some cases, these companies do not just specialize in supplements but they make everything from toothpaste to hair gel. I don’t know about you but I want to buy my supplements from a company that focuses only on nutrition supplements. I’d rather not risk that chance of there being hair gel in my multi (ok, maybe that wouldn’t happen…or could it?)

The next question is…Is it better to take your multi in a capsule, powder or liquid form for optimum absorption?

Some might say that taking it in the form of a liquid would result in the vitamins and minerals being more quickly absorbed into the blood stream. Others would argue that nutrients can remain more stable in a pill or powder form. There is some truth to both of these but I have found the differences to be negligible and the quality of the ingredients to be much more important that the form it comes in. Even if your liquid multi was going to be better absorbed, if the ingredients used were not the best of the best, than what are you really absorbing anyway? Possibly not something good.

When looking for a high quality multi-vitamin, here are a few points I want you to consider:

1. Is it made from whole foods? Many brands have this written right on the label while some others may take a little bit more research. A good, reputable supplement company should provide not only their ingredients list right on their website, but also a good description of what the source of those vitamins and minerals is.

2. Where are you buying your supplements? Chances are if you’re just picking up any old vitamins and the local grocery store, the employees are definitely not qualified to answer your questions or give you any information on the product. Seek out a local health food store or specialty store that carries health foods and vitamins and chances are the employees will be much more knowledgeable about their products. If this is not possible for you, seek out a company that you can reach via the internet who will answer any of your questions.

3. Read the ingredients list. This is no different than what you do with the food you are eating. If a particular supplement contains “Red No 40″ chances are it’s not exactly the most natural product and not the best quality. Also watch out for hidden sugars (anything ending with -ose like sucrose), soy and hydrogenated oils (Yes! Some multis actually have hydrogenated oils in them).

4. What kind of company is manufacturing the product? I know this may sound like a lot of work and research but lucky for me and you, the power of the internet has made this much easier. Did you know that one very, very popular multivitamin company that is sold in almost every supermarket and pharmacy also owns Sponge Bob Square Pants? Now does that sound like a company that is passionate about their nutrition products? And I easily found this out right on their website.

I highly suggest you do just a little bit of homework before making any multi-vitamin purchase. If you currently are using a product that you know fits the above requirements and you trust, please let me know. I love to hear about and continue to research new products.

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