Dealing with a Sluggish Thyroid

    Symptoms of a Sluggish Thyroid

 

There are many conditions that show a poor thyroid function. It is widely known that your thyroid gland plays a key role in controlling your metabolism and body weight. But did you know that depression, heart disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, menopausal symptoms, muscle and joint pains, irritable bowel syndrome, or autoimmune disease could actually indicate a problem with your thyroid? Continue reading Dealing with a Sluggish Thyroid

Artificial Sweeteners

The Real Truth About Artificial Sweeteners

    If you truly want to detoxify your body, to lose weight, lose belly-fat,and live healthier, know the facts about these three common artificial sweeteners listed below. Positively, if you want to lose weight, belly-fat, and save your brain cells, avoid these three artificial sweeteners at all cost!

  Most people think that using artificial sweeteners are better for them than real sugar. They assume that these artificial sweeteners are healthier because they contain no calories that may get turned into belly-flab. Here are some facts about artificial sweeteners that may change your mind the next time you reach for a soda, “nutrition” bar, frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream. . .

The chemical compounds found in artificial sweeteners replace the ‘sweetness’ of sugar, without the calories. “Fat-free” and “Sugar-free” does not necessarily mean low-calorie. In fact these artificial compounds can actually increase your appetite, or “cravings” for more, which is bad, if you are trying to lose weight. There are also sugar-free products with ingredients that can raise blood sugar. As you can see, “sugar-free” doesn’t necessarily mean “fat-loss-friendly.”

In fact, these compounds can be literally “deadly!”  These three artificial sweeteners can actually “kill your IQ!” Let me tell you about some of the problems associated with the most common artificial sweeteners on the market.

 

  • Aspartame: This is a common artificial sweetener with some side-effects that range from hallucinations to seizures to actual brain tumors. Example brands are Equal and Nutrasweet.
  • Saccharin: This compound is produced by combining anthranilic acid, nitrous acid, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and ammonia. Not only is this compound thought to cause cancer, it is also associated with causing headaches, breathing issues, and skin rashes. Some brand examples are SugarTwin and Sweet ‘N Low.
  • Splenda (often on labels as “Sucralose“): can enlarge both the liver and kidneys and shrink the thymus glands. Other side-effects include skin rashes, panic attacks, diarrhea, headaches,
    bladder issues, and stomach pain.

 

As if these sometimes “deadly side-effects” are not bad enough, the added problem is because these compounds are actually “sweeter” than sugar. This leads to training your taste buds for really sweeter foods. This leads to wanting more and more sweets, rather than satisfying your cravings.

There is a “solution” to these artificial sweeteners, without resorting back to using sugar. Steviais what I recommend to all my family and friends.

     Stevia, is an herb from South America that has been used as a sweetener by theGuarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of this small plant have a delicious sweet and refreshing taste. Of course it is also 100% all-natural with many excellent properties

For one, the body does not metabolize Stevia, so there is no caloric intake and it doesn’t adversely affect blood glucose levels. This makes it an excellent choice for kids, as well as for diabetics.

In learning more about how you can detoxify your body, avoid these artificial sweeteners like the plaque. Also eat more all-natural fruits, which provide your body with anti-oxidants, vitamins and nutrients that your body actually needs.

Are Your Foods Really That Safe?

What is a GMO Food and Is It in Your Food?

 

With all of the technological advancements in scientific discovery, from cell phones to medical achievements, you would think that our foods would be better than they were 100 years ago… Think again. We are living in an age where one corporation is putting more importance to “profit”, than to what is best for the consumer. Let me explain. Continue reading Are Your Foods Really That Safe?

Vegetables – How Important are they?

 Vegetables Are Important For HealthVegetables for detoxification

    Vegetables play a vital role in your health and detoxifying your body. They help in flushing toxins out of the body that have built up over years of eating the wrong foods. They help in your digestion and absorption of the rich nutrients that are necessary for good health.

  1. They are very low in calories. You’d have to eat 5 bags of spinach, or 3 heads of broccoli, to equal the calories of just 1 cup of pasta or 1 tiny tablespoon of butter. So, you absolutely do not have to go hungry on tiny portions when you load up on veggies. In fact, it’s almost impossible to eat too many.
  2. Here’s the next point about veggies. They are high in fiber. This is both good for your digestion and good for weight loss as that fiber expands in the stomach, making you feel full and satisfied. A bowl of spinach has 8 grams of fiber, about 1/3 of your daily requirement. Broccoli, green peas, and other green leafy vegetables are also good sources of fiber.
  3. The third reason fibrous carbs are perfect for fat loss is because they have almost NO adverse affects on blood sugar levels. While it’s still a good idea to balance veggies out with a protein source, even eaten alone they’re okay because they don’t cause an increase in insulin.
  4. And finally, they’re loaded with vitamins and minerals and other very beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants and phytonutrients, that will help you look and feel better, fight off disease, and improve your overall health.

Now with that all being said, you don’t want to eat all these fibrous carbs for every meal. Why? Because of they will not give you an ample amount of energy in the mornings, when you need it most. Fibrous carbs are extremely beneficial for 4 reasons: (a.) they are low in calories, (b.) they are high in fiber, (c.) they have almost no adverse affects on insulin, and (d.) they are loaded with vitamins and minerals and other nutrients that fight off illness and disease.

So we encourage you to load your system up with natural starchy carbs, and/or some fruit, early in the day and then later transition to fibrous carbs. This way you’re giving your body the energy it needs for the entire day early on, and then you’re switching to fibrous carbs as you become less active and move towards night-time when you sleep.

You’ll also find that you have less sugar cravings at night when you eat the right types of carbs at the right times of the day, so there are many reasons this is so important.

Key Points to remember:

  1. Fibrous carbs are extremely effective for fat loss, but that doesn’t mean they should be your primary carb source at every meal.
  2. Load your system up with natural starchy carbs, and/or some fruit, early in the day and then later transition to fibrous carbs.

 

Vegetables Aid in Losing Belly-Fat                             Belly Fat

     The biggest benefit of eating vegetables is ridding your body of dangerous belly fat.   Doctors agree that belly fat dramatically increases the chance of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and Alzheimer’s. The fact remains that this fat is stubborn and near impossible to penetrate and lose. The reasons that this becomes so frustrating are:

  • Your hormones become out of whack. When your body is in chronic stress it produces a fat-storing hormone called cortisol. The more of this hormone the body produces, the more belly fat you store. Then by eating all the wrong foods, the fat-storing hormone insulin skyrockets, which then turns off the fat-burning hormone called glucagon.
  • Your fat-burning furnace is broken. Most people trying to lose this belly fat will unknowingly stress their bodies into starvation-mode, by decreasing their calorie intake. This only magnifies the nutrient deficiencies in their bodies. Then by eating what I call “nutrient-dead foods”, this leads to cravings that start spiraling out of control (If you feel hungry all the time, this is why). This has a double whammy effect on the body. First, the body will decrease the fat-burning hormones that keep the metabolism running correctly. Secondly, the body then increases the hormone, leptin, which is a hunger hormone. As a result, weight loss becomes impossible.
  • Your foods are full of obesity additives. These Giant food manufacturers produce food that have been stripped of belly-burning nutrients and replaced with artificial preservatives that entice the body to create fat cells, which cause a mineral imbalance that result in bloating and water retention. Like cocaine or nicotine, these additives addict our bodies by altering our brain neurotransmitters to make us addicts to these foods. This causes pounds of “toxins” to build up in our digestive tract (up to 15-20 pounds).

Now that you know what the three obstacles are to overcome the frustrating task of losing belly-fat and detoxifying your body, below are the solutions to correct this problem. There are certain foods that KILL belly-fat for specific reasons, and certain foods that CAUSE it. The secret is learning which types of these foods are and how to swap the bad for the good to lose that belly-fat fast.

 

In the first week you should be able to eliminate the toxins that cause your body to retain water and dramatically increase the digestion of vital nutrients necessary for your body. And remember the nasty little stress hormone cortisol, that causes massive amounts of belly fat? Scientists have discovered that there are certain times during the day when you should eat these foods to zap your body’s cortisol levels by as much as 17%.

Foods For Losing Belly Fat

  • Avocadoes – Avocadoes are full of two nutrients that are KEY to killing belly fat: hunger-crushing fiber (11 to 17 grams per avocado), and monounsaturated fats, where studies have shown to actually spot-reduce belly fat.
  • Peanut Butter – but mainly any seed and nuts (which are the best): pistachios, walnuts, almonds (or almond butter), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. These are full of fat-burning minerals and fats that also help keep your belly feeling fuller, which works to reduce hunger cravings.
  • Healthy oils like Olive oil, coconut oil – even the brand name of Udo’s oil and Barleans oil help in burning away belly fat by supplying your body with essential oils it needs.
  • Vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, and cabbage all contain special phytonutrients, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which help to fight against environmental estrogens that add belly fat.
  • Omelets – Eggs are actually nutrient-dense and packed with protein, vitamins B6, B12, A, D, E, and K, folate, choline, lutein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. The best eggs are from the free-range chickens.
  • Dark Chocolate – Dark chocolates are loaded with antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number in strawberries), and also contains stimulants, theobromine and caffeine, which both have a positive effect on fat burning.
  • Oatmeal – Avoid the processed, high-sugar junk that is available. Stick to the slow-cook oats. Add some cinnamon, walnuts, berries and a natural sweetener for added taste.
  • Green Tea – A report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green tea extract boosted the daytime metabolism of its test subjects up to 35 – 43%, not to mention all the potent antioxidants that it contains.
  • Beans – Black beans, navy beans, refried beans and lima beans all have 6 or more grams of fiber per ½ cup. This fiber can clean your system of pounds of toxins and reduce your belly bulge.
  • Berries – Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are loaded with fiber (which slows sugar absorption), plus they are packed with vitamins that can fight hunger cravings (cravings from vitamin deficiencies).
  • Cinnamon – Researchers have found that cinnamon contains a type of antioxidant that increases insulin sensitively and effectively stabilizes blood sugar. This causes less belly fat.
  • Chili Peppers – Studies have shown that the active ingredient of capsaicin in chili peppers not only stabilizes blood sugar levels (which decrease fat storage) but aids in fat burning, and is a powerful antioxidant.
  • Yogurt – Regular yogurt is bad for your belly. It is loaded with belly-bulging sugars (real or artificial) that you best avoid. However, Greek yogurts like Stoneyfield Farms Oikos Greek Yogurt (plain) are loaded with probiotics that fight belly fat.
  • Wild Salmon – Hands-down one of the best bell-blasting foods because of its protein and high omega-3 fatty acid content. Since many people are omega-3 deficient, this food will show miraculous results very fast.
  • Giant Turkey Legs – Turkey meat in general (white meat) is very lean and protein rich. This includes the wild salmon, free-range chickens, whey protein powders, and most especially grass-fed beef because it contains natural CLA, a fat in which studies have shown to really burn away fat. The nice thing about protein is that your body will burn off 30% of its calories after you eat it.

 

I hope you find this article informing and helpful. I welcome your thoughts, opinions and comments. If you know someone who can benefit from this post, please share this with them.

To Your Health!

Detoxifying By Eating Less

 

I was reading an article today about how you can stop, or at least slow down the aging process by taking a diet supplement that has a natural substance called resveratrol. Resveratrol is also a powerful antioxidant and provides a vast array of cardiovascular benefits. This substance is famous for giving red wine its health benefits, which are numerous. Resveratrol has the unique ability to mimic the positive effects of a low calorie diet, even for people who are not curbing their food intake.

From the moment we are born, we begin to age. It is a natural fact of life. For our first twenty to thirty years we seem to be in a hurry to reach this age. I know I was. In fact, when in high school before I was old enough to have a drivers license, I felt like I was stuck in that “In-Between” age, the one where you think you are too old for a bicycle, but too young for a car. Kinda the story of my life.

As we age our bodies start to show the effects of our life-style. If you are prone to extreme physical activity when you are in your twenties, for example, when you reach the mid forties and beyond, you experience physical ailments, like annoying aches and pains, lower energy levels, weight gain, arthritis. Then when you begin to reach old age, your mental alertness, memory loss, lower physical vitality, etc, begin to take their toll and age you excessively fast.

Several years ago scientists were baffled and amazed by discovering that by reducing your calorie intake and eating proper, nutritious foods, that you can actually add years to your life – by as much as ten years! This concept, known as “caloric restriction”, miraculously mitigates the effects of the aging process. Your body was created by GOD and in your body is a built-in survival mode that is activated when it is short on calories. When this happens, the aging process actually slows down! It is like your body goes into a hibernation state.

Do you need more evidence? Walter Breuning, the oldest man ever recorded who passed away recently, told the USA Today that the reason for his enduring health was that he ate only two small meals a day for much of his life. Some of the experts on health have come to the conclusion that this “calorie restriction” played the biggest role in his longevity. It is like his genes were set into a slow-motion in aging.

The thought of adding years to our life may sound very intriguing and exciting, the thought of reducing our eating intake does not, though. It is hard enough to diet for a short time, surely impossible to diet for years, right? Also research has found that diets alone do not work on reducing weight and maintaining that fit and firm body we use to be proud of in the day.

Diets do not work because we are creatures of habit. Simply put, we eat what we like, and don’t eat what we don’t like. If you are required to eat foods that you don’t like in order to follow a particular diet plan, it will be impossible to adhere to this diet for any length of time. Consequently, any weight loss you recorded from the diet will eventually come back, after you have quit the diet.

For any diet or healthier eating habits to make a difference in your life they must be strictly adhered to by changing your life-style. The new eating habit must be as natural to you as brushing your teeth. Losing the toxins your body ingests on a daily basis is a vital part in maintaining a healthier body. Controlling the toxins with a natural diet of nutritious foods will stop the compounding effects these toxins do to your body. But how can you reduce your calorie intake if your stomach is always growling because it is empty?

 

Tricking your Body by Eating Less

According to experts, supplementing your diet with resveratrol can actually slow aging and increase lifespan by up to 70%! What this unique substance does is to trick your stomach into thinking it is full, which curbs you from over eating. By stopping, or controlling this cycle, you effectively do several things that benefit you and your body. First, you reduce the calorie intake, thus reducing the amount of calories that don’t get burned up as fuel and add to your weight. Second, you reduce these toxins from building up in your digestive tract, which would normally decrease your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients from the food you eat.

The big Pharmaceutical companies already know this. Since resveratrol is a natural substance, they can’t patent it and reap enormous profits. In fact, one drug company has already spent over $700 million to create a synthetic version of resveratrol so they can sell it as a drug that costs many more times what natural resveratrol does.

But this is your lucky day, my friend. You can already find this natural “fountain of youth” supplement today and not wait on the synthetic version that the big Pharmaceutical companies will produce soon. You can start to benefit from its miraculous life-extending properties.

If you take this substance in the correct amounts on a daily basis, and the right type, you can not only feel your body revitalized, but you will aid your body in detoxifying itself for the long term. The benefits are many. Adding years to your life is no small feat. But helping you maintain a healthier body will give you the vitality that your longer life span will require. Because there is no point in living longer if you can not enjoy life.

BUT BEWARE! As excited as I am to have learned this, there is actually a real “fountain of youth” available, but there are also fakes and junk supplements flooding the market. Remember earlier I said take the “right type” and in the “right amounts?” Most of the Internet ads are for junk – “anti-aging miracle” resveratrol pills. If you research these products, you will find what I have found, that they are all grossly inferior and contain very low amounts of true resveratrol.

The key to getting maximum benefits is to take a supplement that most closely matches what was used in the actual research. You will need to find a supplement that has these unique ingredients:

  • 400 mg of Pure, Standardized Trans-Resveratrol: this is like consuming 200 glasses of red wine – without the negative effects of the alcohol. The “trans” form of resveratrol is superior to all other forms and is the most natural and potent.
  • 100 mg of Red Wine Extract: This extract is known to contain a wide array of polyphenols that enhance the effectiveness of resveratrol.

So in conclusion about slowing down the aging process, and detoxifying your body, there is hope for us all. I feel that a product or supplement that you can consume that aids your body in rectifying your over eating, will enhance your ability in controlling weight gain. By reducing the toxins we consume by eating less, losing weight will become a natural by-product of our new enhanced diet plan. If we can then add years onto our lifespan, then even better!

 

 

 

If You’re Already Overweight

How You Can Protect Yourself Even if You’re Already Overweight

     Obesity is one of the most devastating conditions in the world today, especially here in America. In addition to diabetes and heart disease, obesity is also associated with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as arthritis and hormone imbalances.

Of the main symptom that all these conditions have in common is chronic inflammation. Obesity has been linked to trigger systematic inflammation due to adipose fat. Studies have been shown that white adipose fat actually operates like an endocrine organ. This fat tissue actually secretes hormones that more times than not causes more inflammation. Detoxifying your body will stop this build up of toxins and reduce the amount of inflammation, and consequently, shrink this adipose fat layer.

Fortunately for us fruits and vegetables help to offset chronic inflammation and reduce your risk for diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It has also been found that high intakes of these certain fruits and vegetables help you lose weight and keep it off, only when they replace the high-glycemic foods that you normally eat everyday.

So the first question you may have is can fruits and vegetables actually offset the dangers of obesity in someone like me who is already overweight? Can a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduce the chronic inflammation often seen in obesity?

FYI, a study has been conducted in Korea where researchers asked 22 overweight women to eat two different diets for two weeks each. In this study proof was found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables actually had miraculous results.

For the first week, they ate a high fruit and vegetable diet that consisted of six servings of fruit and six servings of vegetables every day for two weeks. Then these “testers” were given a two week break and allowed to consume their regular (normal) diet. Then they ate a low fruit and vegetable diet that consisted of just one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetable every day for two weeks. These “testers” were then given a dietary fiber powder to compensate for the fiber they would have gotten with the higher fruit and veggie intake.

The researchers drew blood before and after each given test to monitor a number of biomarkers, chiefly these that follow:

  • Total antioxidant capacity
  • Interleukin-6 (inflammation marker)
  • C-reactive protein (inflammation marker)
  • Leptin (hormone that regulates hunger and appetite)
  • Adiponectin (hormone that helps regulate glucose)
  • Lutein/zeaxanthin (antioxidants)
  • Lycopene (antioxidant)
  • Beta-carotene (antioxidant)

 

It was shown that the diet high in fruits and vegetables had remarkable higher levels of the antioxidants, as well as total antioxidant capacity. What is more interesting is that researchers also found that adiponectin levels were significantly lower after the low fruit and vegetable diet as compared to baseline. This is bad, however, because it indicates poor glucose regulation. Similarly, C-reactive protein levels increased in this diet, indicating a greater degree of inflammation.

The research also found that interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels were all reduced. That is good news. There was not any difference in the levels of leptin, since these test people were also given the fiber dietary powder that raises leptin levels, thus helping to control your appetite.

In conclusion of this research the researchers found that “Eating a lot of fruits and veggies can positively affect oxidative and inflammation changes that normally occur in overweight or obese people.”

New Year Resolution

What a wonderful goal for you to set yourself this New Year. Add, or replace your normal diet of toxin-based foods with more fruits and vegetables. Six servings of each probably does not sound that appetizing, but as an example, below is a menu that will surely help you not only detoxify your body, but ramp-up your metabolic rate and help you lose weight:

For Breakfast

  • (2 fruits and 2 vegetables) – Scrambled eggs with 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped peppers and 1 cup spinach. 1 cup raspberries and 1/2 cup blueberries.
  • Snack – one fruit – try 1 orange or apple with 1 ounce almonds

 

Lunch

  • (2 vegetables and 1 fruit) – 1 cup romaine lettuce and 1 cup Bibb lettuce; 4 ounces grilled chicken; 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • Snack – (1 vegetable and 1 fruit) – 1/2 cup carrot sticks, or 1/2 cup celery sticks, and 1 cup cherry tomatoes (remember, tomatoes are a fruit), or 1/4 cup nuts, like almonds

 

Dinner

  • (1 vegetable and 1/2 fruit) –  4-6 ounces of grilled salmon with mango salsa (1/2 cup diced mango mixed with chopped scallions, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar).
  • 1 cup steamed broccoli, or 1/2 cup brown rice.

 

Dessert

  • 1 baked apple topped with cinnamon.

 

This is only a suggested menu that will help you in detoxifying your body with the proper amounts of nutrients. By reducing the amount of toxins that are present in your usual menu and replacing them with nutritious foods high in vitamins and antioxidants, you shrink the adipose fat that is secreting hormones that cause inflammation. With your inflammation reduced, you will notice a change in your weight and the way you feel.

For more information on what foods to add to your daily intake and what particular nutrient each food supplies, see my other pages on this website.

 

 

 

Flavored Water

I was in the store the other day and while I was getting some things that I knew I had to get I discovered something. It spiked my curiosity so I bought it. It was only $3.28 I believe.  It is “flavoring you add to water” to make it taste good. Now I know there are a lot of flavors that you can buy for water. I grew up on Kool-aid, thank you very much. This stuff actually is not bad for you.. the name of this “miracle flavor” is –>Mio Liquid<–. It comes in a tiny 1.62 fluid ounce bottle that is good for 24, 12 ounce bottles of water…You do the math.

 

Twenty four bottles of flavored water would normally cost you what? Around Three dollars a bottle, if memory holds true. But I bought this flavoring, which, by the way, comes in six different flavors that I could tell. I bought this tiny bottle for $3.28 , which will flavor up to twenty-four bottles of water…..That means that each bottle of water I flavor is only costing me .13 cents a bottle! Thirteen cents a bottle of flavored water! WOW. If I bought a case of the normal flavored water at a discount price of $1.98 a bottle, that equals $47.52!

OK, ladies and gentleman, I saved the best for last. As if saving $44 dollars is not enough, it even gets better! I read the back label this tiny flavor bottle, “fruit Punch” is what I bought. The back label states: Calories 0; Total fat 0g (0%DV); Sodium 0mg (0% DV); Total Carb 0g (0% DV); Sugars 0g; Protien 0g. OMG! Absolutely nothing described here that would ward off any reason not to try it. Like the old Alca-seltzer commercial – “Try it, you’ll like it…So I tried it……”

 

I have been waiting on something like this to get produced because I need to drink a lot more water than my usual one glass per day ritual. The reason I don’t drink water is because there is no taste. I have become spoiled being on this earth for 1/2 century. Give me something that taste good, I’ll drink it all day long. I do drink a lot of coffee, but now I have to wean myself off of my morning favorite cup of java. Or at least cut way back. This flavoring just may be the trick that I need, the spark to ignite my passion for water..

 

I hope that you are not stuck in a similar situation. If you are, then do as I did. It will work because it does work. Have a wonderful day!