Archive for September 29, 2013

Grain Brain and Metabolism Class

debbie (41)Switch Your Metabolism Class: set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30pm;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend, or just show up at the door.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

Grain Brain!!  It’s the title of the latest book I’m reading by neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, MD.  You should read it if you’re worried about your brain health, but if you don’t have time, let me condense the message for you.  I’m going to use a bunch of quotes from his book:  “We have a habit of categorizing brain ailments separately from the other afflictions we attribute to bad habits.  …..I believe that the shift in our diet that has occurred over the past century – from high fat, low carb to today’s low-fat, high carb diet, fundamentally consisting of grains and other damaging carbohydrates – is the origin of many of our modern scourges linked to the brain, including chronic headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, ADHD, cognitive decline, and full-blown, irreversible, untreatable, incurable, brain disease.”

He says that carbohydrates from grains along with processed polyunsaturated vegetable oils grain brain(canola, corn, soy, peanut, safflower, etc), have replaced the diet that’s HEALTHY for the brain and the body:  high fat/high cholesterol containing, traditional foods.

He says that diabetes and brain disease are this country’s costliest diseases, yet they are PREVENTABLE and uniquely tied together:  having diabetes more than doubles your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. He uses research showing that gluten, and a high-carb diet are among the most prominent stimulators of inflammatory pathways that reach the brain. ”

“This whole grain goodness, as the US Department of Agriculture is trying to convince us we should focus on in terms of our dietary choices, is the cornerstone of our most devastating diseases. I mean, brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, and obviously, what leads to them, diabetes, which is so prevalent in Western societies. Again, it’s the getting away from fat and the substitution with wheat- and corn-based carbohydrate (high-fructose corn syrup) that really, in my opinion, explains this huge explosion of degenerative conditions that are crippling us medically and crippling us economically as well,” he says.

“But the quality of the fat that we consume is absolutely fundamental. When we’re saying high-fat diet, we’re not talking about prepared foods on the Twinkie aisle at the grocery store that contain modified trans fats; hydrogenated fats that are clearly coffin nails. They’re a great risk for brain disorders, heart disorders, diabetes, etc. We’re talking about these beautiful, natural fats that we have been consuming for more than two million years.”

That’s enough quotes for now.  I get questions all the time, “how can healthy whole grains be bad for me??”  My own husband was recently told by his doctor how good whole grains are, and that he himself eats them all the time.  LISTEN TO ME:  WHEN DOCTORS SAY THAT, OR MAGAZINES SAY THAT, THEY’RE WRONG.  The evidence and research piling up against whole grains isn’t small and it isn’t new.  Between the high blood sugar and high insulin they instigate, and/or the proteins they contain that are extremely difficult to digest ( gluten is one example) causing permeable/leaky gut, Grains Cause Inflammation To The Whole Body.  Inflammation is the root of all disease, whether it’s in the body or the brain.

We’ll be thoroughly discussing this in my Metabolism Class.  If you want to be healthy, and achieve a healthy weight, you need to understand how your body works.  Decades of being told to eat a low fat, high carb diet have had DEVESTATING consequences on us.  Again: the link between high blood sugar and Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and just about every single disease condition out there is very, very strong.

Interested in hearing a great podcast with Dr. Perlmutter?  Listen here.  The more you know, the more you learn about your body, the easier it becomes to say NO to foods that call you.  What are foods that call you?  Refined and processed foods containing sugar, flours, vegetable oils and chemicals that are created in a laboratory to stimulate the addiction centers of your brain.  They’re pretty powerful, aren’t they.  You can break the addiction.  You can change your life, you can change your weight, you can change your health.  What can’t you change?  Established neurological brain conditions.  There’s drugs that might prolong the girls in richmondcondition, but there are NO drugs to END Alzheimer’s or dementia.  None, zero, nada.  The only solution is to not let it happen.  You can do this.  You have power over the state of your body and your mind; you just need to exercise that power.  Hope to see you at my classes; if you can’t make them, contact me and we’ll work one on one.

This last pic is one of my four daughters getting together yesterday in Richmond, Va.  Moms, you can raise a family without refined, processed foods.  We have the opportunity to turn the Health Crisis around; let’s use our power to reverse the direction our Nation’s youth are heading.   Eat Well.

 

 

 

 

Digestion, Stomach Acid, and How to Heal

debbie (27)Switch Your Metabolism Class: set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

If you’ve ever been to one of my talks, or worked with me one-on-one, you know that Digestion is always a big topic for me.  Good digestion, and the health of our gut, reflects the health of our entire body.  More than 10% of Americans have some level of heartburn everyday, and almost half of all Americans have at least one episode a month.

Gas, Bloat, Reflux, Heartburn, GERD, Constipation/Diarrhea,  these aren’t normal – and they’re Fixable!  But not with the OTC or prescription meds you’ve been using ( have they solved the problem yet – on a permanent basis?)  Antacids (like Tums)  and PPIs (proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec and Prevacid) temporarily suppress stomach acid, allowing you to think that everything’s okay.  It’s not.  God put that stomach acid there for a reason:  it digests our food and kills bacteria, virus, and pathogens. Most of those things can’t live 15 minutes in a PROPERLY acidic stomach.  The acid also triggers a cascade of digestive actions that allows our body to cleave off minerals and fatty acids and amino acids and then actually use them.

Take meds to suppress the stomach acid, and you cause a detrimental shift in your gut bacterial environment (there goes your immune system), and leave yourself wide open to nutrient deficiencies( goodbye B12, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, niacin, iron, and zinc – just to name a few).  Let’s take that mentioned list, and apply it:  no B12 = high homocysteine levels; folic acid makes red blood cells and prevents birth defects; niacin improves HDL levels and lowers triglycerides; calcium and magnesium are important for heart and bone health; iron is necessary for oxygenated blood; and zinc is vital to the immune system and to make testosterone.  They’re important.

What to do if you have regular reflux?  So many options!!!  None of which would involve suppressing stomach acid – after all, we need to think Long Term, not short term. Band -aiding problems NEVER solves the problems, it just covers them.

If you’re over 40, there’s a strong chance that the cells which make the acid (parietel cells) have slowed down. There are also several OTC and prescription drugs, and chemicals in municipal water sources, that decrease stomach acid.  HCL (hydrachloric acid – the same thing that our stomach cells produce) supplements are available from any health food store. cavepeople Digestive enzymes can also help (our stomach’s HCl normally triggers the pancreas to release those enzymes, not so with insufficent acid). A little Apple Cider Vinegar added to water and consumed before the meal can make the stomach more acidic, which makes food digest quicker.  That said, if you’ve let this condition continue for years, you could have an ulcer (low stomach acid allows Hpylori to proliferate), and in that case, you’d need supplements to heal the ulcer and the gut lining.  Probiotics are probably also necessary.  These would also be available from a good Natural Health food store.  Email me if you have any questions about this.

What should you not do?? Don’t do anything that exacerbates the condition.  Got stress? Work on controlling it, because cortisol wrecks havoc on the parietal cells, it literally shuts down their HCl production in order to shift the bodies focus to a more “fight or flight” mode.  Alcohol for “relaxation”?  Alcohol destroys the thick mucus membrane that protects the stomach from the acid.  Sugar and starches? Excess ( which is EASY to consume) cause an up and down blood sugar response – that triggers cortisol.  Excess carbs also feed bacteria and yeast – hello Hpylori and candida.

Once again, what we eat, what we drink, matters.  Every bite matters.  Not only do excess carbs put on undesired weight, but they cause a really bad gut environment, and a bad gut environment leads to reflux, ulcers, nutrient deficiencies, leaky gut, a poor immune system, and just about every single disease condition.  Your food either builds you up or tears you down.  There are no neutral foods.

Eat for health, and weight loss will be a side effect.  Fill yourself up with tons of vegetables, clean meats, healthy fats, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and some full fat dairy (if your stomach says yes).  Don’t starve yourself – it always backfires.  Try to let hours lapse between your meals.  Keep your endgame in mind and let it guide you through your day.  You have the power to change your health, your energy, and your vitality.

The Myth of Mini Meals; Sugar Burning Vs Fat Burning

debbie (27)Switch Your Metabolism Class: set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

I’ve got an idea for improving health and losing weight that might seem blasphemous to all the hardcore dieters out there:  step away from the Mini Meal.

All these years of diet and supplement companies advising us that eating 5, 6, even 7 times a day will “speed up our metabolism” and help us lose weight?  Well, the “eat all day long” idea has certainly taken hold, but how’s that working out for health and weight loss?  Not so well, and no wonder.  The theory behind it is completely wrong.

Mini meals don’t speed up metabolism. If you eat 2000 calories in a day, divided by 3 meals or 6, it takes the same amount of energy (thermogenesis) to digest that food.  Sadly, thermogenesis doesn’t actually account for much of our calorie burn at all, so as a weight loss tool, it’s ineffectual.  As a weight GAIN aid, it’s a huge possibility, here’s why:  one, the habit of eating all day is waaayyy too easy to establish.  For everyone who’s tried this form of eating, you know that dependency and excitement about the next meal (every 2 hours or so) becomes a mental focal point. Eating happens whether there’s true hunger or not, or whether the body actually needs the nutrients or not.  Eating happens because “it’s time to eat”.  The real disaster comes from the constant presence of glucose/sugar in the blood stream.

When glucose is present in amounts over 100mg/dcl (you’d know this if you used a food bowl ran outglucometer), that’s considered TOO MUCH GLUCOSE in the blood (remember: excess glucose is TOXIC to the body).  Your pancreas releases the hormone Insulin, which takes the excess glucose and (1) puts it in needy muscle cells  (2) puts in empty liver cells (3) takes all the leftovers and remakes the glucose into TRIGLYCERIDES.  The body does this very easily.  Wondering if this is happening to you?  Look down at your stomach.  The body deposits most of these homemade triglycerides in the abdominal area. In addition to belly fat, excess glucose and excess insulin dramatically create/cause inflammation in the body.   A condition we DON’T want.

Here’s another story:  you only eat 3 meals a day; you eat mostly healthy fats and proteins, tons of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts and seeds, some whole fat dairy,  your blood sugar/glucose stays under 100, you have hours WITHOUT insulin in your blood.  Then your pancreas releases the hormone GLUCAGON.  Glucagon “taps” the fat cells holding those triglycerides, takes them to the liver, which remakes them into glucose for the body to burn. You’ve literally “burned fat”.

I’ve got to say something else about Metabolism:  More is NOT always better.  NORMAL metabolism is better.  Faster metabolism means faster aging, a slow metabolism means poor health.  Normal means normal, and that’s what we should aim for.  Who wants to age faster?

Back to the mini meals.  Please don’t worry that you’ll “crash your metabolism” if you don’t eat every couple of hours.  That’s ridiculous.  Your metabolism is at the mercy of your HORMONES; the hormone insulin BUILDS, the hormone glucagon TEARS DOWN.  Anabolic and Catabolic.

Worried because you can’t seem to go more than a few hours without STARVING?  You’re a sugar burner.  Sugar burners have built systems for digesting and storing sugar/glucose, and because that system runs so fast, you’re genuinely hungry all the time.   Fat Burners can go HOURS without feeling hungry, even through hard workouts.  IT FEELS GREAT TO BE A FAT BURNER.  Honestly!  For years I was a 5/6 mini-meal a dayer. I know what I’m talking about, but the science is backing me up.

lean cuisineMy Metabolism class will be discussing this in detail, I promise.  You’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about going from a Sugar Burner to a Fat Burner.  It’s a life changer.  Not just because it’s healthier and promotes permanent weight loss, but because being a Sugar Burner is like carrying a very heavy weight on your shoulders.  Thoughts of the next meal are pervasive and intrusive and overwhelming.  Maybe you’ve never thought about it in those terms before; but I promise you, when constant thoughts of food are no longer dominating your brain, there’s a freedom; and it’s very, very liberating.

Hope to see you there:)

Metabolism Class; A Looks Healthy But Isn’t; and Happy People

am i skinny yetSwitch Your Metabolism Class: set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

Who here has heard of the Ideal Protein Diet?  Probably several, because it’s really getting it’s products and name out there.  Ideal Protein promises quick weight loss because it supposedly puts you into a ketogenic state.  I’m all for a ketogenic state – I think ketones are healthy!  According to all the current science, our brain LOVES to run on ketones instead of glucose.  If you’re struggling with weight loss due to years of yo-yo dieting, ketosis could be the answer (or not; everyone’s different.).

My pharmacy markets Ideal Protein, so I picked up a box the last time I was in there;  the product I choose was called “Chicken Flavored Patty Mix”.  The ingredients included: wheat, wheat gluten, soy, and yeast extract (that’s FDA approved tricky talk for MSG).

Oh. My. Gosh.  That stuff’s poison!  Wheat, soy, and neurotoxic chemicals?  There goes the gut, the thyroid, and the brain!  (not to mention what all the chicken- like flavors are doing to liver function) And who on the Ideal Protein diet is actually testing their ketones to make sure they’re in Ketosis?

Please don’t be fooled by weight loss gimmicks.  Diets don’t work – ever.  Statistics show that almost 100% of EVERYONE who goes on a diet to lose weight gains it back, and statistically, they gain back more than they lost.

smiling dogOn a different subject ( but applicable!), I wanted to let you know about a lecture tour traversing the state of Virginia ( and several other states), called The Habits of Happy People. This is hosted by the Institute for Brain Potential, and wow does it sound great!  All lectures provide continuing ed credits for all healthcare providers, from social workers, to dentists, to physical therapist/nutritionists/nurses, etc etc etc.  Some of the topics covered:The Science of Happiness and Health; Wanting, Liking, and the Hedonic Brain; Forming Happiness-Enhancing Habits; Mindfulness, Meaning, and the Calm Brain; The Depression Resistant Mindset, and more.

The website for info is:http://www.ibpceu.com/.  Click on Live Seminars, then your state, then the PDF icon for info on this all day workshop.

Why do I say it’s “applicable”?? Because our thoughts hold tremendous power over our health.  The research area of Cortisol and Health is huge right now. Learning to focus your brain, to keep it on a positive, forward path,(as opposed to down the rabbit hole)  is essential to your health and wellbeing.  Imagine combining the power of Real Whole Foods with a strong, positive mindset! Oh the possibilities…..

Cholesterol Clarity Book Review

debbie (44)Switch Your Metabolism Class: set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

 

I’m just about finished the book, Cholesterol Clarity.  If you’re at all interested in your cholesterol or your heart health, you should read it. (In Nutritional Therapy School, one of our basic tenants is “the health of the Heart reflects the health of the Body”.)  Jimmy Moore interviews 28 Cardiovascular experts and Lipids experts (scientists who study fat), all who are on the cutting edge of today’s science, and they really blow the roof off of common MISconceptions still championed by most doctors today. (By the way, his website, livinlavidalowcarb has the BEST podcasts!!)

Here’s some quotes from the book:  “The way the body transports fats and cholesterol into thecholesterol clarity body is really interesting bc it doesn’t go directly into the bloodstream from the gut.  Instead, much of it gets shipped through the lymph nodes and it arrives right at the big vein that goes into the heart.  Basically, it wants to direct cholesterol and fat toward the heart to give it first dibs.”  Stephanie Seneff, PhD, Senior MIT Research Scientist.   Did God make a mistake here?  Nope.

“We have this issue of cholesterol being the number-one cause of heart disease in the eyes of most of my cardiologist colleagues.  That would have some merit if it was 1963.”  Dr. William Davis, Cardiologist and Asst Professor of Medicine, check him out at WheatBellyBlog.com.

“The idea of cholesterol being dangerous has become such a deep part of our culture that it is now automatically synonymous with cardio-metabolic risk.  Until we make a change in our thinking about cholesterol, it will be difficult to convince people.  And frankly, you’ve got to first convince a lot of medical providers to shift those particular terms bc we can’t seem to get away from the idea that cholesterol is the bad guy.” Dr. Philip Blair, you can check him out at SpaceDoc.com/Blair_Phillip_MD

“We’ve long known that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. In the absence of inflammation or injury to the endothelial cell, the cholesterol would never go through the arterial wall and it would never stay there.”   Dr. Dwight Lundell, TheCureForHeartDisease.net.

“Over the past decade we have found that cholesterol causality is nothing but a massive con job organized by Big Pharma.  Cholesterol has nothing to do with atherosclerosis, which helps to explain why, in over half of new heart attacks, the cholesterol levels are normal or well below normal.  Dr. Duane Graveline  SpaceDoc.com (different from Dr. Blair).

Remember, every single cell in our body produces cholesterol.  It’s an antioxidant, a healing molecule, and comprises part of all our sex hormones, Vitamin D, and much of our brain.  Again, cholesterol is NOT a big accident by God.  We need it for health and survival and vitality.

I could go on and on, but I hope you’ll take the ball and run with it because (one more quote):

“The population will become split between the smart and the dumb.  The smart ones will begin taking their health into their own hands bc they’re already seeing that what we are doing is not working.  Our diet is not working bc 70% of us are overweight and obese, we have 29 million diabetics and 75 million more prediabetics.  People are realizing that what we’re doing is not working and they are looking for other ways.  That’s where do-it-yourself healthcare and self-monitoring will become norm.”  Dr. Dwight Lundell.

This might be my favorite quote, because this is what I’m all about – being responsible for your own health.  Our doctors are great, but science is constantly evolving and current science on fat and cholesterol has debunked several invalid medical “truths”.  We especially can’t count on Big Pharma, which is a business who’s primary goal is to make money.  The statin drugs alone bring in more than 29 BILLION in profits.  Do you really think that Big Pharma’s going to halt their push to educate doctors and the public that cholesterol is dangerous and we need to lower it?

The take-away:  Eat a diet that’s really good for your cholesterol, and see your weight and all other health markers improve.  Ditch the “healthy whole grains”, starchy carbs and sugars,  and move to a Real Whole Foods diet of clean meats, healthy fats, tons of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts and seeds, and some whole dairy (if your stomach says yes).  This is a diet that lowers inflammation, improves mental focus, lowers insulin and glucose values, is anti-cancer, and puts you at your healthy weight.

paleodietcavemanFat and cholesterol don’t make you fat and unhealthy, GLUCOSE (from flours and sugars) and INSULIN (the hormone that gets glucose out of the bloodstream), TRANS FATS, and TOXIC CHEMICALS  drive Inflammation, Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s, and every disease out there.

Every bite matters.  Food either helps us or hurts us, there is no “neutral” food; our body breaks it all down to it’s barest nutrients and they all have either a positive or negative effect.  Your foods break down to become YOU.

In the Switch Your Metabolism class we’ll be talking a lot about glucose and insulin, and how to track it using glucometers.  It’s important to know how your body reacts to fruit, dairy, coffee/tea, starches, etc.  It’s the only way to go from being a Sugar Burner to a Fat Burner. We’ll also be exploring Ketosis, and if that’s a state you should aim for.  Hope to see you there!

Diets Never Work!

debbie (27)Switch Your Metabolism Class set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Ketosis, Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

I got another Sad Monday/Full of Regret email.  I understand.  I really do.  For years and years I thought there was only two ways of eating:  being really good and having lots of vegetables and protein,  or binging/indulging/having fun/treating myself w ice cream, pizza, and whatever else I wanted.   It was born out of the “Cheat Meal” idea that originated about 15 years ago on the Body For Life program, and has since been picked up and advocated by just about every diet program out there.  After all, if you want people to buy your books or products, you need to wave some incentives in their face.   There’s nothing normal about eating this way, and wow, can it make you crazy.

For me, every Monday showed a 5 or 6 pound weight gain that I worked til Wednesday to get off, I could be incredibly strict; Thursday’s were fine, and Friday morning I would start looking forward to the upcoming Food Party. What a disaster.  That’s the Diet Roller Coaster in full swing, and a terrible way to live.

Now, I just eat normal, it’s such a relief.  You can be a normal eater too – Honest.

Here’s the problem.  Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Advertising have all seduced us into thinking that we can “KEEP THE BINGE AND LOSE THE BULGE” , in other words, Diet Ice Cream, Diet Chips, Diet Soda, Diet Food, Diet Pills,  etc, can help you lose weight and balance that scale.  It’s. Not. True.  All we need to do is look at the statistics: almost 100% of EVERYONE who loses weight on a diet gains it back, and statistically, most people gain back more than they lost.  How does that happen, (and why put yourself through that?)?

Diet foods ruin your liver, your thyroid and other hormones; they’re often loaded with refined carbs that spike your blood glucose and insulin, they contain chemicals that cause sugar rollercoastercancer/hyperactivity/gut issues and more, and they stimulate areas in your brain that MAKE YOU WANT TO EAT MORE.  There goes any opportunity to be a “normal eater”.  That’s what a “product” is created and designed to do; a business is selling them and they want you to buy more so that they make money.  And it works, doesn’t it?  The Diet Industry is a multi-billion dollar business, but their success isn’t translating to our success.  Just the opposite.  The more we Diet, the heavier and sicker we become, and not just us, but the whole world.  For the first time ever, overweight people outnumber underweight people.  American children’s lifespan is predicted to be shorter from now on.  We can change this!!

We can focus on our Health, and watch weight loss be a side effect.  We can quit buying the products and the programs and instead focus on our: gut, our blood sugar levels, our thyroid hormones, our sex hormones, our adrenal hormones, our heart, our liver, our brain(and weight loss will be a side effect).  We can focus on eating foods that build our body, not contaminate it or destroy it.  Eat Real Whole Foods three times a day.  Get plenty of good fats, good proteins, and tons of vegetables, some nuts and seeds, some fruit, and some whole fat dairy if your stomach tolerates it.  Eat normal sized meals, with some dark chocolate or a homemade treat here and there.  What if you were so satisfied that you DIDN’T look forward to the weekend or any other day or event  to over-indulge because you eat so well every day?  What if your BRAIN was completely satisfied and not screaming at you to FIND MORE FOOD?

paleo magHave you checked out my “what I’m eating today” page?  I eat 3 fairly big meals a day, and I try to make sure I have plenty of fat in each meal.  Not just because fats contain so many nutrients, but because I LOVE not being hungry. Honestly, after years of chronic hunger, not dreaming about the next meal is such a pleasure.  Still scared of fat?  You’ve been mislead.  Fat doesn’t make you fat, it doesn’t go right to your butt or arteries; that’s not how our body works.  Foods get digested down to their barest molecules in your stomach and small intestine, and then those molecules get sent various places in your body to do jobs.  However, eat chemicals, trans fats, sugars, and flours, and all kinds of disaster happens.  (If you have a Diet Product in your house right now, go read the label.). And nothing dictates fat deposition more than Blood Sugar (this will be a big focus in the Strategies class).  Empower yourself, eat Real Whole Food, and change your life.

 

Weight Loss Class; How to Improve your Joints, Skin, Arteries, and Immune System

debbie (27)Switch Your Metabolism Class set for Mondays: Oct 7,14,21, 6 – 7:30;  and Wednesdays: Oct 9,16,23, 1 – 2:30.  The goal: to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology, not a low cal/low fat diet that never works, ever; and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.  Phone and Skype sessions are available if you’re long distance.

Repeat after me:  If I eat for Health, Weight Loss will be a side effect.  If I eat for Health, Weight Loss will be a side effect.  Repeat again, and work on believing that, because it’s true.

Want to know of a Power Food that will improve your skin, your joints, your hair, your nails, your arteries (your Health)?  Bone Broth.  Keep Reading Please!  Sounds like an old fashioned, boring food, but really, it’s a Secret Elixier, and you should definitely work on incorporating it into your eating plan.

Here’s a few reasons why:  in her book, Deep Nutrition, Dr. Cate Shanahan says,“The health of your joints depends upon the health of the collagen in your ligaments, tendons, and on the ends of your bones. Collagens are a large family of biomolecules, which include the glycosaminoglycans, very special molecules that help keep our joints healthy.”    

Bone broth is LOADED with collagen, and all the cofactors your body needs to use and incorporate it.  Collagen is actually a family of biomolecules, which include:  glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and more which together are called glycosaminoglycans.  Glycosaminoglycans encourage Fibroblast Cells in your arteries, skin, joints, etc, to lay down their own collagen. (“collagen away your wrinkles!”)

Are you paying for those nutrients in supplement form? Are they working? Are they expensive?  Getting your nutrients from Real Whole Food sources is ALWAYS a more effective form than supplements;  as I said above, all the “co-factors” are included in RWFs.

Another reason to incorporate Bone Broth?  Gut health, especially as a remedy for Leaky Gut.  The cells of the intestinal lining are supposed to be slightly permeable, that way nutrients can leak into the blood stream.  Thanks to a Standard American Diet and Lifestyle ( gluten, cortisol/stress, pharmaceuticals, poor diet, etc) most peoples guts are too permeable. Hello allergies, auto-immune, and chronic illness.  Bone broth is actually a very popular, old, and proven remedy in many gut healing protocols, like the GAPS diet.   The Gelatin in Bone Broth has nutrients your intestinal walls LOVE – let the healing begin!

Your skin? Your hair? Your arteries?  They’re all made of the same nutrients that compriseforgot allergic to peanuts Bone Broth.  The amount of amino acids (which combine to make proteins) and minerals is EXTENSIVE.  The fatty acid profile depends on which animal it comes from; if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that animal fats from healthy animals have anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties, in addition to building and repair.

Real Whole Foods, like Bone Broth, contain the actual nutrients your body uses to build and repair itself.  They also signal hormones in your brain that convey satiety, which would be completely different from commercially made broths that contain flavors, vegetable oils, and MSG, all of which are appetite stimulating (and health destructive).  Reminder: read your labels!

Unsure of how to make Broth, or incorporate it?  We’ll be talking about that in my Weight Loss Strategies Class (because eating healthy is the KEY to weight loss).  For now though, here’s some pointers:  when you buy meat, buy BONE-IN (not just for the broth, but because those minerals and nutrients leach into your meat = higher nutrient value), and SAVE YOUR BONES.  I keep mine in the freezer in large ziplocs.  You don’t need to make your broth until you want to.  Simmer your bones in a large pot for at least 24 hours and up to 48.  Add a tablespoon of vinegar (white or ACV) because it helps break down the bone matrix (= more nutrients leach out).   When it’s done, filter out the bones and bits thru a sieve/colander, keep some in your fridge, and some in your freezer.  Some people freeze portions in ice cube trays for easy add-ins to vegetables or small meals.  I keep mine in jars in the fridge, and ziplocs in the freezer – I’ve had bad experiences freezing glass:(   When I transfer the frozen broth to the fridge, I thaw it first and then pour it in a jar.  It’s less likely to spill and easier to store in the fridge that way.

cat cookbookLooking for recipes?  Google “bone broth recipes” and you’ll get a little over 2 million.  I don’t just use it in recipes though, I cook most everything in it:  fish, chicken, vegetables.  And I always add it to casseroles, and even scrambled eggs ( it cooks right up, the same as if you added milk or cream).

Back to the original thought:  eat for your health, and weight loss will be a side effect.  Real Whole Foods are honestly the key.  If you’ve been a store-bought, restaurant-bought, processed food fan, and want to make the change, now’s the time!  Planning, prepping, cooking, packing, they’re just skills and habits that become second nature once they’re practiced enough. The difference it will make in your life, and your families life, is enormous.

Weight Loss Strategy Class; Heart Disease Facts; a Recipe

box:fatIt’s a Saturday, and my brains brimming with Fun Facts to share!  First of all though, my Weight Loss Strategies classes, two options:  Monday’s in October, the 7,14,21, from 6 – 7:30, or Wednesdays in October, the 9,16,23 from 1 – 2:30.  The goal:  to teach you how to be a Fat Burner and not a Sugar Burner.  We’ll cover the Paleo Diet, Digestion, Blood Sugar (you HAVE to understand your biology to lose weight and get healthy), Power Cooking, Compliance Strategies and much more.  The class will be held at the Marshall Community Center (4133A Rectortown Rd, Marshall Va), which is right off Rt 17 and Rt 66 – it’s easy to get to.  The total cost: $100.  My goal:  to help you understand that your weight and your health are a matter of your Biology;  low cal/low fat diets never work, ever, and that you have the Power to change yourself.  Email me if you can attend.

I’ve got some interesting facts today on Heart Disease.  Did you know there’s a difference between a blockage, and hardening of the arteries?  A blockage, which is a plaque patch the liver puts together, is sent to heal damage to the endothelium of the artery (they’re  the delicate cells lining the artery)done by Insulin, Glucose, Cortisol, Homocysteine,  Chemical Toxins (cigarette smoke, yard products, cleaning products, etc) and Trans Fats ( studies show that Margarine actually causes MORE damage than cigarettes).  This usually happens in the larger vessels, and it’s called Atherosclerosis.

This is different from Arteriosclerosis – which is a hardening of the artery.  Here, the artery becomes so weak, from Insulin, Cortisol, Homocysteine, Chemical Toxins, and Trans Fats (hmmm, same list), that the liver sends minerals, mainly Calcium, to “stiffen” the arteries.  This usually happens in the tinier vessels.

In each of these situations, the plaque or the hardening, the body is attempting to save our lives by “fixing” the damage we’ve caused.  Add high blood pressure to this mix, and wow, recipe for disaster.

What’s the damage that causes both of these?  Inflammation, from the above list of irritants.moose in sprinkler  Inflammation drives ALL disease, so what we really want to focus on is keeping our Inflammation waayy down.  What’s one of the main drivers of Inflammation?  Grains. Drop sugar and flours, and you’ll see an IMMEDIATE drop in your levels of inflammation.  Grains cause inflammation on a number of levels:  high levels of glucose and insulin are caustic, inflammatory, and damaging, for instance, the cells of the arteries don’t have the ability to say “NO” to the insulin (which is called Insulin Resistance, it’s the step right before full fledged Diabetes T2), so the cells are continually (if you eat carbs all day) “scoured” by the glucose and the insulin.  This makes the artery very weak, the “hardening of the artery” with minerals is an attempt to keep the wall intact.  Unfortunately, it loses it’s elasticity.  When it loses it’s elasticity, the Red Blood Cells have a hard time squeezing through.  You don’t need to be overweight for this to happen.

Another way grains drive inflammation?  They’re loaded with “anti-nutrients”, gluten, gliaden, phytic acid, and lectins that are very very difficult to digest – and often aren’t broken down.  These go thru the digestive tract causing all kinds of damage.  And just in case you’re wondering, I’m taking about ALL grains: healthy/whole and processed/refined.  They’re not good for you and they’re not necessary for life no matter what Main Stream says.

What about the Chinese and The China Study?  They’re small, and they eat TONS of grains in the form of Rice, right?  If you’re keeping up with the news lately, you know that China now has the HIGHEST RATES OF DIABETES IN THE WORLD.  And know this, Diabetes and Heart Disease go hand in hand.

In the US, Heart Disease rises every single year, from almost “non-existant” in 1910, to our number one cause of death today.  Several decades of “Advice” to eat Low Fat, Low Cal, and exercise hasn’t helped at all. 

racoon kittensHeard a great podcast on Inflammation and Heart Disease the other day, great information in Diet, testing, inflammation, etc: http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/the-llvlc-show-episode-724-binx-selby-helps-you-grow-younger-by-battling-inflammation/19741.  You should take a listen.  The researcher’s name is Binx Selby, and he was a great talker.  He’s worked with thousands of patients in his clinic and he had something really funny to say about COMPLIANCE:  he said his most compliant patients overall are those with RA, because when they have a reduction in their pain via reduction in inflammation, they’re more than willing to give up the sugars and grains and do whatever it takes to stay feeling good.

But then he said that when it comes to Occupations, the most compliant ones are Engineers and Accountants, and the least compliant are Doctors and Airline Pilots.   Hmmm.

And finally let me leave you with a recipe for Coconut Flour biscuits (I’ve tried a bunch of recipes and it’s a relief to finally find one my kids like):  1/2 c coconut flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda,  MIX;  add 4 large eggs and 3/4 c melty butter, drop and bake at 400/13-15 minutes.  Delicious!

You Make Yourself Either a Fat Burner, or a Sugar Burner

absWant to be a fat burner instead of a sugar burner?  Sugar burners just use the glucose/sugar that’s always in their blood stream.  Fat burners metabolize and use their fat stores.  You’re either one or the other, and you’ve trained your body to be whichever it is.  If you’ve been living by a “calorie in / calorie out” paradigm, you’re probably a sugar burner.  If you’ve been keeping your intake of sugar and flours low, and letting hours pass between meals, you’re mostly likely a fat burner.

Here’s an idea I’d love to ingrain in everyone’s head: ”  a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. ”   What’s that mean?  All calories are not equal.  If you’ve been struggling with your weight, starving on a low-fat/low-cal diet, exercising your heart out, and not seeing permanent, positive results, this is the reason why. When we eat meat, or fat, or vegetables, or grains, or processed, refined foods(PRFs), our body breaks them down to their barest nutrients and metabolizes them in completely different ways.  These nutrients all have completely different effects on our body.  Letting a number be your guide, as in 1400 calories a day, or 1800 calories a day, etc, is futile.   Losing weight and getting healthy are about the foods we eat and the hormone responses they induce.  The whole “if I don’t eat much, maybe I’ll burn my fat stores” theory – Un.True.   If you don’t eat much, your thyroid will turn down the metabolic rate of your entire body, and muscle will be burned BEFORE fat will.

But I digress.  What happens to the different foods/calories?

Protein is broken down to amino acids and used for building and repair. Examples: building brain neurotransmitters, building hormones, building enzymes, building muscle cells, building bacteria and yeast (yes, they’re protein).

Fat is broken down to fatty acids and used for building and energy. Examples:  building the brain (60% of your brain is fat), building the heart ( which is riddled with fat), building your hormones,  building connective tissue, generating electrical currents, building the immune system, building nerves, building bone (marrow), etc etc.  It’s also several organs favorite food: the heart, the muscles, and the liver, all prefer fatty acids over glucose.

Carbohydrates are broken down to glucose and fructose; glucose is used for a tiiinnny bitoatmeal of the bodies energy needs, and…. nothing else.  Carbs don’t build or repair anything.   As a matter of fact, an adult can only store about 500 grams or so of carbohydrate;  the same adult can store several several thousand grams of fat; this is why our body ( the liver) turns excess carbs into fat.  High levels of glucose/carb in the blood are dangerous; excess glucose causes big damage. When our body converts that into fat, it’s actually doing us a favor ( hmmmm…).

If you read the last post on Fructose, you know that Fructose, another sugar molecule, is just as harmful as Glucose.  Fructose can’t be burned or stored at all. Period.  It has to be converted immediately in the liver into something else:  Fat.  Actually, an assortment of fats:  free fatty acids, triglycerides, and VLDLs (very low density lipoproteins, the baaaad cholesterol). Fats our body makes from glucose and fructose tend to be stored, but not before they’re carried through the body by either the caustic, damaging hormone Insulin (which carries glucose), or the prone to oxidation triglyceride carrier, VLDL.  Hello Inflammation!

So besides making us fat, Glucose and Fructose damage our organs, arteries, liver, eyes, and brain. only remember after weightlossBack to my above comment:  low-fat/low-cal diets cause Muscle to be burned before Fat.  Here’s what I mean in simple words:  Muscle cells are metabolically active, they take a lot of calories to sustain.  Fat cells are much less metabolically active, and take far less calories to sustain.  When the body perceives a lack of nutrients, it gets rid of the cells that use up the most nutrients first in an effort to save itself.  That’s our muscle cells.  That’s why when you go on a low calorie diet, you can PERMANENTLY down regulate your metabolism.  Not a good idea, and one that leads to a never ending pattern of cutting calories, slowing down your metabolism, cutting more calories, slowing down your metabolism.   Does this make sense?

This brings me all the way back to the beginning:  want to be a sugar burner, or a fat burner?  Want to gain muscle or lose muscle?  Want to have healthy hormones, and a strong immune system?  It’s your food, it’s the nutrients.  It’s not the calories.  This is going to be the focus of my Weight Loss Strategies class.  Hope you can make it!

Weight Loss Class; and Fatty Liver Disease

high metabolismThe Weight Loss Strategy Class is almost written in stone, I still have to finalize the dates with the Big Kahuna, who’s out of town.  It’s looking like the the first 3 Mondays in October, 6pm, and the first 3 Wednesdays in October, 1pm.  The Monday and Wednesday classes will be interchangeable, so you can attend either or both.  Skype and Phone options are available if you’re from out of town.

Why attend?  Because I can give you the Biological Facts and the Mental Strategies that will lead you to permanent weight loss and improved health – I promise!!  How do I know?  I’ve got a history of success at this, with clients and with myself:  I’m a 48 year old mother of 4, and this is how I live.

We’ll cover gut health, digestion, blood sugar, thyroid, hormones, the Paleo Diet, ketosis, eating plans, power cooking,  and more.  Once you understand how your body works and how this is all inter-related, you can’t help but be successful.  Email me if you’re interested.

On a different subject, I’ve had some questions about Fatty Liver in the past couple of weeks, specifically, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, which considering that about 1/3 of ALL Americans have now, seems like a good topic to cover.  If you’re overweight, there’s an 80% chance you have some stage of this condition, but even if you’re not overweight, you just eat a lot of processed, refined foods, you could also have this condition.

Up until 1980, the only “fatty liver” disease was encountered by alcoholics.  Alcohol metabolizes to about 20% ethanol, which is metabolized (broken down) in your brain, organs, stomach, and intestine.  The 80% alcohol left is metabolized by the liver.  The liver reduces alcohol to glucose, fatty acids, VLDL (the BAD, small, dense LDL cholesterol), and triglycerides.  The VLDL transports the triglycerides to your fat cells for deposit, wrecking havoc both in the liver and along the way.  These newly made fat globules accumulate in the liver (Fatty Liver, and eventually Cirrhosis);  they also cause Insulin Resistance in your muscle cells.  Not good.  It used to be you only needed to worry about this if you were a drinker.  Not anymore.

Like I said above, about 33% of All Americans now have Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, this stat includes children.  Your liver is supposed to perform several hundred functions every single day.  It’s vital that it’s running in tip-top shape.  What’s going on here?  Fructose, and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is metabolized EXACTLY LIKE ALCOHOL.  100% of fructose is metabolized in the liver.  Your muscle cells, your brain cells, your organs, they can’t use fructose for energy, they can’t break it down.

Remember what you just read about alcohol metabolism?  Here’s what happens with fructose:  the liver immediately converts Fructose to F1P (Fructose 1 phosphate),  the F1P produces Uric Acid (goodbye Nitric Oxide, Hello high blood pressure and sore soft tissues.)  F1P is turned into “pyruvate” , which in turn creates Free Fatty Acids, VLDLs, and Triglycerides (just like alcohol).  Fructose also stimulates “activated glycerol”, which causes increased fat deposition into fat cells.    Free Fatty Acids wreck havoc by accumulating in the liver ( Fatty Liver), and causing muscle cells to become Insulin Resistant.

What’s going on that this has become epidemic?  It’s the Standard American Diet:  70% processed, refined foods LOADED with fructose and HFCS.  It’s in everything: diet products, baby formulas, condiments, breads, sweets, chips, cereals, etc etc etc. If it’s premade, it probably contains it.

There’s a few leading authorities on NAFLD, especially Dr. Robert Lustig.  He has a YouTube called Sugar the Bitter Truth that describes the Smart Version of what happens in your liver.  It’s a great watch if you’re interested.  Dr. Mercola and Dr. Richard Johnson also have a LOT to say about Fructose/HFCS, and NAFLD.

go ahead honeyFor now though, this is one more reason to eat Real Whole Food, and to feed your family RWF.  It matters.  Every bite matters. The condition of our livers has an enormous impact on our health and weight.   That said, PLEASE eat your fruits and vegetables, which do contain a little bit of fructose.  They also contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.  NO ONE IS SICK OR FAT FROM FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Let me know about the Weight Loss Strategies Class via email-