Food and People can be Impostors

Here are the top 8 Food Impostors plus a bonus:

1. JUICE Juice comes from fruit and fruit is healthy for us right?  Eating the fruit in its natural state is best.  Once the fruit is reduced to a liquid form you only have about 20-30 minutes to consume it otherwise it’s flavored water.  The juice enzymes break down and the nutritional benefits are dissolved. So now, when you go to the grocery store and you see a whole aisle of juice, just keep on walking.  With your own mixer or juicer, make your own fresh juice and drink it asap!
2. EGG  WHITES:  Egg whites are not healthier than the whole egg.  Actually, the majority of the nutritional benefits are in the yolk!  Eggs do not increase your cholesterol.
3. CANOLA OIL:  Now used in most salad dressings, this oil is genetically modified rendering it a cheap and unhealthy substitute for the healthy and expensive EVOO; extra-virgin olive oil.
4. FROZEN YOGURT:  Frozen yogurt, as opposed to its unfrozen counterpart, is loaded with chemicals.  Best to just get the real mccoy; ice cream!
5. HEALTH BARS:  Loaded with processed carbs and tons of sugar, best to avoid them altogether or just eat half of a candy bar, the effect on your body is the same.
6. CEREALS:  Most cereals are made from “enriched” flour.  Enriched means synthetic vitamins.  Synthetic vitamins are not compatible with our bodies and actually do more harm than good.  Cereals tend to be highly processed carbohydrates.
7. FARMED-RAISED:  Avoid farm-raised as the conditions are no where near the same as their natural environments.  Talapia is a popular farmed fish that is from over crowded, filthy conditions.  Wild, sockeye salmon cannot be farmed, the fish die.  I’d say that is a red flag as to why farming fish is not healthy!
8. SODAS: Whether “zero” calories or not, sodas are one of the biggest unhealthy products ever.  Loaded with chemicals, cancer-causing aspartame and no nutritive value whatsoever, sodas are a huge marketing “success” story.
9. BONUS IMPOSTOR:  Not only are there many food product impostors, but people can be impostors too.  I sight Tiger Woods and the iconic photo depicting him as a loving family man.  Many people are walking around as “impostors”, not being honest with their thoughts and feelings, following trends instead of their passions and are just plain lost or stuck in relationships that are not god-honoring.  Too afraid to change or to be authentic, many people stay stuck in relationships that are not healthy.

If you want to get unstuck with your food and lifestyle choices, contact me.  Start now and be done by then!

Totally Cool Baby!  

How to keep cool Saudi style: Many of you know or don’t know that I lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for five years; from June of 1996 until January of 2001.  Most wives left for the States during the hot summers where temperatures would reach above 130F.  I chose to stay.  The Saudi newspapers never reported the temps above 125F because it was in the contracts that the construction workers would get the day off. So if you want to survive the summer heat like a desert camel, please read on.

• Keep covered from head to toe.  Saudi men wore white full length, loose-fitting, long-sleeved silk robes.  Women wore full-length, long-sleeved black silk robes.  Both men and women covered their heads.  Both the cotton and silk fabrics “breathed” which allowed air to be exchanged and remain cool to the skin.  While dressing this way was part of the cultural choice it was also an adaptive quality based on the local climate.
• Stay well hydrated.  Water is a natural blood thinner.  Water also supports our body’s ability to regulate temperature and our moods.  Drinking ice cold water actually may make your body work harder to regulate the temperature.  Think about it; ice water is at an unnatural temperature for the body so the body responds by trying to increase the temperature.  While sometimes a glass of ice water makes you feel better at the time, tepid or slightly cool water works best to maintain a healthy body temperature.  It’s best to drink moderate amounts of water frequently.  Drinking fountains were everywhere in Saudi and outside all housing compounds for the bedouins, or desert nomads, to have access to water.
• Adjust your activity.  Saudi’s were night people pretty much year round but especially in the summer.  So their culture was to sleep during the summer heat and shop and dine out during the cool evenings.  Many businesses were opened from 4pm until midnight during the summer.
• A little less fat.  Eating fat doesn’t make you fat but it does rev up your metabolism in a healthy way.  Eating fat helps your body ward off cancer as well.  Going a little lighter on fat during the summer will help keep the body cool.
• Eat high water content foods.  Salads with vegetables are a great way to help the body keep cool while meeting your nutritional needs.  Fruits are generally high in water and fiber but limit consumption to 2-3 a day since they are high in natural “sugar”.
• Modify physical activity.  Limit outdoor physical activity to the early morning and later evening when temps are at their coolest. If your employment requires outdoor work then apply all of the other tips listed here.
• Air conditioning.  A/C is a double-edged sword so to speak. On one hand it keeps us cool in the house, office, stores and car but at the same time, it makes the adjustment of going outside in the hot temps all the worse.  What about fresh air too?  Keeping the A/C off or at a slightly higher cooling temperature will help the body better adjust to hot temps.  Sleeping with a ceiling fan going and the windows open is a way to enjoy the cooler nighttime temps while getting fresh air.
•  Keep your cool mentally.  Tempers tend to flare more in the excessive heat then during cooler temps.  People with hypothyroidism also tend to have difficulty maintaining a steady body temperature and have difficulty in extreme hot and cold temps.  Knowing how  extreme heat affects you can allow you to adjust and recalculate your moods and your food and lifestyle choices and adaptations.

Even with all of our so called modern amenities we still have to make adjustments to our food and lifestyle habits to keep us well and prevent illness no matter the climate.  If you want to achieve total health and happiness contact me now for a free 30 minute consultation.  In the meantime, keep cool!

Forgive 2015, Love on 2016!

Well, how did 2015 go for you?  Some good, some not so good, and the “same old, same old?”  Quite honestly, I’m not a big fan of the “New Year” hoopla of large crowds and drinking alcohol.  I stopped whooping it up for New Year’s when I was single and in my 20’s, content to either stay home or be apart of a small, more personal gathering.  However, I do like the idea of newness, a rebirth, and changing for the better. We don’t need a new YEAR for each new DAY holds the promise of hope and the possibility of “betterness.”

Who doesn’t want better health, better relationships and a better job?  How about a better financial situation, a better outlook and a better relationship with food and exercise?   Haven’t we made these same resolutions year after year after year? What if I told you to forgot all of that?!

What if I suggested a new kind of new year?!

Here are my top 5 NEW new year tips:

1. LOVE  One of the biggest problems in this world is the lack of healthy physical affection and emotional love.  If we aren’t given healthy love and affection as babies then we grow up unfulfilled, hurting and downright emotionally damaged.   Or if we are traumatized somewhere along the way in our lives then we still end up hurting, angry or withdrawn. How about resolving to learn unconditional love: giving and receiving, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  Think of it as changing the direction of your love turn signal.  That’s right, change directions, change from the current course you’re on, especially if it isn’t working for you.
2. FORGIVENESS  Only when we forgive and let go of the past or someone who has hurt us can we move forward to a healthy arena.  It doesn’t mean that nothing happened or that you condone someone treating you poorly.  It means you’re freeing yourself of the emotional and physical chains that keep you stuck.  A good visual would be to picture yourself holding the key to the door of your own prison.  By using the key of forgiveness, you unlock your own prison door.  Now you can leave the junk, baggage and hurt behind and have the freedom to move forward.
3. GUILT & SHAME  When we don’t take care of ourselves or make the best choices in our lives we can feel guilt and possibly shame.  Ok, so your kids didn’t turn out the way you had hoped, your marriage is suffering because of your affairs, you eat too much or you eat “bad” food.  When you go back to #1 and #2 you may be able to resolve your unhealthy choices and make better ones in 2016. Otherwise, the burden of guilt and shame can destroy health, relationships, families and lives. 
4. COMPARISON  Americans are notorious for comparing and competing against one another.  The only person to compare and compete with yourself is…YOURSELF. After all, there is only ONE YOU.  How can you possibly compare yourself to her, to him, or your kids to theirs, etc? Embrace your “YOUniqueness” and you will be a lot better off.  You being YOU makes the world a better place.
5. SIMPLIFY   “I’m too busy” and “I have no time” are all too common scenarios.  Cut back on perfection and busyness.  Make time for family and friends above all else. Make time to be PRESENT in your own life and others.  Prioritize who is important in your life and make it a point to show them.  Take time off, take vacations and be social, make new friends too. Everyone needs someone.

The only way a new year can actually be new is to do it differently than you have done it before. However, if you still want to lose weight, eat better, exercise better, overcome cancer, depression and other ailments, I am here for you.

I will be offering some great & exciting changes in 2016, more classes & new offerings. CONTACT ME for a better you in 2016!

Have a better new in the New Year!

For decades Vitamin C was considered a powerful antioxidant to fight against cancer even though “modern” medicine has always had its doubts and rarely uses food and lifestyle to treat any disease or symptoms. A recent article now declares with scientific proof that the amount of Vitamin C in 300 oranges has proven to reduce and/or eliminate cancer.

Why are oranges the standard for Vitamin C? It’s because of good, old-fashioned marketing. In other words if you tell a lie long enough, the lie becomes the truth.

Oranges have been marketed as having the highest Vitamin C content and therefore being promoted as the primary source of this nutrient. However, there are at least ten other fruits and veggies that have a higher Vitmain C content. See below the Top Ten food sources that have a higher Vitamin C content than oranges.

Also, did you know that ascorbic acid is a man-made or synthetic/fake form of Vitamin C? If you’re taking Vitamin C as a supplement, it is best to check the origin of the Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid is actually not healthy to take as a vitamin C supplement and certainly not healthy as an additive in food products.

If you want to prevent cancer then eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to not only get the vitamin C but also to get the variety of other much-needed nutrients. Getting the nutrients in their natural or original state is always superior than chemical extraction or synthetically made.

I tend to stay away from the “just eat this,” or “just do that” approach to improving your health. No one food has only one vitamin or mineral anyway. All foods have a combination of nutrients and therefore isolating one particular food means that other food and lifestyle factors will be overlooked. Besides, when it comes to cancer, cancer is a multi-faceted ailment. Banking on one vitamin to overcome cancer is like putting only pennies into your bank account. All elements of food and lifestyle play a role in one’s health and in the prevention and triumph over cancer.

The Top Ten Fruits and Veggies per serving that have a higher Vitamin C content than Oranges (70mg):

190mg Red Bell Pepper (this is why they are so expensive)
137mg Kiwi x2
132mg Broccoli
128mg Cauliflower
122mg Mango
122mg Green Bell Peppers
108mg Chili Peppers
88mg Papaya
84mg Strawberries
80mg Kale