Archive for May 31, 2014

Am I Scared Of The Norovirus? No. Am I Scared Of Anti-Bacterial Soap? YES.

norovirusI’ve got one more Post in me about the Low Carb Cruise, but it’s not info I learned from the doctors and speakers, it’s about the Norovirus, and this will apply to YOU, I promise.

Mark and I have gone on six cruises now, and we’ve both been asked, several times, “aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”,  or,  “have you ever gotten sick on a cruise?”.  The answer: no.  I used to worry about the Norovirus; how could I not after hearing news reports that hundreds of people on the same ship would get sick with it.

What is this odd virus that thrives in Cruise Ships?  Would it get me?  Our latest ship had “Purell Liquid Gel” stations everywhere, with crew members standing by them, encouraging everyone who walked by to use it.

We didn’t, not once.  That stuff’s dangerous – seriously, and useless, as I’ll explain.

As a matter of fact, I haven’t used a commercial soap product in 3 years now, and that includes two Nascar races ( do you know how many people go to those things?), Verizon Center, 4H shows, the gym, airports, trains, etc.

Why?  Me not getting sick has more to do with the strength of my IMMUNE SYSTEM, than any soap or alcohol-based hand gel.   That’s 3 separate issues:  Purell gel, anti-bacterial soaps, and the immune system.  Read this, because this applies to our kids also.

One:  studies on Purell’s effectiveness against the Norovirus actually show it’s IN-effectiveness against the Norovirus.  Check out the research done at Emory University, School of Public Health, here.   Obviously, Purell didn’t fund this study.   The results:  Purell doesn’t work very well against the Norovirus;  soap and water were more effective.
What I found most interesting?  30% of everyone PURPOSELY INFECTED WITH THE NOROVIRUS – DIDN’T GET SICK.   Now that caught my eye.

Two: studies on commercial anti-bacterial soaps that contain the agents “triclosan” and “triclocarbon”  show some pretty damning evidence.  An expert panel convened by the FDA determined that there’s “insufficient evidence” that anti-bacterial soaps actually offer any more protection than soaps minus the anti-bacterial agents.

Here’s the REAL bad news on anti-bacterial soaps: our skin is actually SUPPOSED TO BE TEEMING WITH BILLIONS OF BACTERIA.  It’s a line of immune defense put there from God.  Studies show that when these bacteria are exposed repeatedly to triclosan and triclocarbon, Genetic Mutations Happen.  This is bad. I can’t even link to one study – there’s too many.  Google it if you’re interested.

Studies also show that triclosan disrupts thyroid function, muscle function ( your heart is a muscle), and imitates estrogen ( a xenoestrogen). So, it slows thyroid, muscles, and imitates estrogen? Hello body fat, fatigue, and moobs!

Want further reason to stay away from antibacterial soaps?  Triclosan was introduced in 1969… as a Pesticide;  and today it’s still registered as a pesticide, although aside from this and its uses in personal care products, it’s also widely used for industrial uses, for instance it is incorporated in conveyor belts, fire hoses, dye bath vats, or ice-making equipment as an antimicrobial pesticide.  ( More reason to read the labels.)

We rub this stuff on our CHILDREN!!

Okay, point 3.  Our Immune System.  30% of people PURPOSELY infected with Norovirus in the study DIDN’T GET SICK.

WHEN WE GET SICK IT’S NOT BECAUSE WE’RE DEFICIENT IN CHEMICALS OR PHARMACEUTICALS. EVER.  We get sick when our immune system is weak and can’t fight pathogenic virus and bacteria. 

What do Most people do on a Cruise?  Drink EXCESSIVE alcohol, eat EXCESSIVE amounts of immune depressing foods(sugar and processed carbs), and stay up way too late.  This is the PERFECT RECIPE FOR DEPRESSING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.  Seriously, it’s perfect.

How do we keep ourselves strong and resistant?  Eat Real Whole Foods, stay away from grains, sugar, and chemicals, SLEEP, practice stress reduction,  and exercise.   Simple.  As for handwashing, use pure soaps, like Castile soap, or Dr. Bronners.  Want to know more?  Read this.

Again, our health really is in our own hands.  Pun Intended.

 

Links To Low Carb Doctors, and What I Learned, Part 2

us on shipWe’re home from the Low Carb Cruise – and missing it! If you read my blog and you’re on a weight loss mission, I highly encourage signing up for next years Cruise. If you’re a Health Nut, like me!, I highly encourage signing up for next years Cruise. The speakers were fantastic, the people were wonderful, and then there’s the whole “cruise” part of it – I LOVE CRUISES!!! Theme cruises are the best!

Today I want to give you the blogs of the doctors who spoke to us (information = power over your own health), and some of the facts I learned at the lectures.  Most of the doctors who spoke are members of the American Bariatric Physicians ( not bariatric surgeons, that’s different).

Jimmy Moore is the leader and creator of the Low Carb Cruise, and this is the link to his site. You’ll find hundreds and hundreds of free podcasts loaded with information from top doctors and scientists who are literally at the forefront of Real Information ( as opposed to Pharmaceutical Sponsored Information).

Dr Eric Westman, from Duke University led the lectures, he runs a weight-loss/ketogenic clinic at Duke that I’ve been invited to attend and “shadow” this summer – YES!!!  Dr. Westman is the current President of the American Society for Bariatric Physicians.  Link to his clinic and information here.

Dr. Jeffrey Gerber is Denvers Diet Doctor, check out his blog here.  His May 26 blog post contains the pdf link to the Power Point on Cholesterol he presented at our conference.

Dr. Adam Nally hails from Arizona, check out his blog here.  I loved this guy and will definitely be following him.  He’s incredibly passionate about health, God, and Country.

Col. Phillip Blair, MD, is in Florida. He was a Family Physican for his first 20 years, but now specializes in Chronic Disease and Kidney’s. Read about him here, and then click on the HOME PAGE for the Space Doc site – wow. This one is jam packed with information on cholesterol, fat, the latest studies, etc.  Got a question about a statin, your ratios, or what something means, go here.

Dr. Michael Fox, Reproductive Endocrinologist/Fertility specialist, doesn’t have a blog, but here’s a link to a podcast with him.  He talks about diet’s role in fertility, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and hormonal health.  Hint:  hormones are made from fat and cholesterol !

Dr. Jayson and Myra Carlton run Carlton Nutrition, with an ENORMOUS focus on food quality, and how to do the Real Whole Food lifestyle. Find them here.

There were a few presenting docs who don’t have sites:( , and some professors who didn’t either:(, but these 7 provide more than enough resources to make a difference in your health, or the health of someone you love.  I hope you check out their blogs; the only way to make an improvement in your health is by treating the root cause of your symptoms.  Band-aiding symptoms with drugs DOESN’T EVER SOLVE A PROBLEM; DRUGS MASK PROBLEMS AND ALLOW THEM TO QUIETLY CONTINUE.  These doctors aren’t Main Stream/Pharmaceutical Driven docs who just treat symptoms with drugs.  They get to the ROOT OF THE SYMPTOMS!

What I Learned, Part 2.  Here’s some bullet points:

– Dr. Blair talked a lot about Glycation; or the dangerous effect high blood sugar has on the proteins in our blood and our body ( proteins form our brain, kidneys, thyroid, joints, etc).  He said to picture the outside crust of a grilled cheese sandwich and apply that to the proteins that make your body.  FYI, glycation in a nutshell is when sugar/glucose IN-APPROPRIATELY attach to proteins (cells), damages them, and then ruins their ability to function and communicate.  Example:  Our skin is protein (collagen), the Wrinkles and Age Spots you see?  That’s Glycation.  That’s happening on the inside too.

– Cancer Cells are LOADED with INSULIN RECEPTORS.  If you’re eating carbs, you’re feeding your cancer.  That’s simplistic, but accurate.

– Cancer cells LOVE sugar/glucose; and they’re morphed/demented ( what’s the right word?) in their formation so that they absorb MUCH more glucose than normal cells ( thanks to the excess Insulin Receptors).  Apparently, we have cancer cells in us all the time, we either feed and nurture them, or we don’t.   We have some control over this. Take control. 

– Ketones suppress tumor growth.  ( from me:  Ketones also have “anti-seizure” effects.)

– Every single group in America, the young, the old, different races, the rich, the poor, and the middle class, have GAINED WEIGHT since our government instituted a Low Fat, High Carb paradigm.  Despite Unbelievable Failure, the policies continue.

– Number 1 Cause of Obesity:  Insulin Resistance  ( and what makes the pancreas release Insulin?  Carbohydrate.).   Number 2 Cause:  sedentary lifestyle.   Number 3 Cause (5 – 10%):  metabolic deficiencies, i.e. thyroid, cortisol, etc.   THIS IS SO IN OUR CONTROL.

– Fat Cells make at LEAST 100 Hormones; and the bigger a fat cell gets, the sicker it gets.  Some of the hormones?  Estrogen, and Inflammatory Cytokines.

– If you are Insulin Resistant, (and there’s a good chance you are if you live in America and eat carbs several times a day),  Insulin stays in your blood for up to 12 hours!!  When Insulin is in your blood, ZERO FAT BURNING HAPPENS. ZERO. ZERO.

– Alcohol.  There’s just no way to make this come out good for us; we’re not French Women or Italian Men.  We’re Americans, and we’re metabolically damaged:(  Alcohol ALWAYS induces insulin, even if it’s glucose and fructose free;  ALCOHOL becomes ETHANOL in the LIVER, the ETHANOL is converted to TRIGLYCERIDES (triglycerides are Fat), and the triglycerides are stored in the liver and fat cells.

– Eat a lot of fruit,  or drink fruit juice, or worse, High Fructose Corn Syrup?  Fructose always induces Insulin, raises the bad cholesterol, raises the bad triglycerides, and raises blood pressure.  This applies TO OUR CHILDREN ALSO.  They’re not immune to damage just because they’re young or skinny.

Whew.  That’s enough for today.  The take away:  our health is in our hands.  When we get sick, we’re not drug deficient; we’ve messed up our cells.  Our body wants – and can – repair and rebuild; but if we’re destroying our body faster than it can fix itself, we’re in trouble.

Repeat to yourself: Real Whole Food, Real Whole Food.

Does Our De-Stressing Cause Erectile Dysfunction and Belly Bloat?

st thomasThe Cruise is Great, the lectures fantastic and I promise a synopsis soon, but today I need to write about something different: De-Stressing. And I’m glad to be writing this Memorial Day Saturday, a weekend that’s typically associated with a lot of excessive drinking and parties, because….. it’s Memorial Day, and that’s what we do, right? Party on a holiday because we need to and deserve to and it’ll make us feel better.  Right?  Wrong!  I think we’ve all been hypnotized into believing that we need to remedy our stressful days, weeks, and lives with alcohol, bad food, and staying up late. This belief is very apparent on a ship more so than in real life, because a ship is a FishBowl. You see everything.

Over the past few days I’ve heard moans and groans about weight gain, hangovers, and exhaustion – on THE CRUISE SHIP. The food’s free, the alcohol’s not but it’s unbelievably plentiful and available, and the entertainment and fun literally don’t stop.
But that doesn’t mean we should do it to excess. If our forms of “de-stressing” actually makes us feel stressed, guilty, anxious, depressed, and tired – later – that’s not real de-stressing. If our forms of “de-stressing” cause us to gain weight, harden our arteries, have erectile dysfunction, belly bloat, and feel like a bomb went off in our head, we’ve done NOTHING to de-stress in the Real Sense. We’ve just made ourselves more tired, more adrenally depleted, more hormonally off balance, and more set up for INFLAMMATION AND EVERY DISEASE OUT THERE. We age faster; who feels happy about that?

I know everyone’s plans are already set for this weekend, but entertain this thought for me: maybe all the over eating and excessive drinking is a HALLUCINATION OF PLEASURE. Not the real thing.

Real Pleasure, real De-Stressing – makes us feel great afterwards: no regrets. Zero, zip, zilch. Relief, energy, calmness, strength for upcoming challenges, that’s de-stressing.

Eating Real Whole Foods means examining our habits and thought patterns; we need to apply that same principle to our Entire Life. What’s really good – long term – for our body and soul? Long term. Long term. Remember these words this weekend and meditate on them: The Hallucination of Pleasure. Is that what we want?

Obesigens, Weight Gain, & Sex Hormones, and Sexual Urges! Oh My!

shipCruise Day 3 – WOW!!! The Low Carb Cruise Lectures Have Begun!
Oh My Gosh, did I learn a lot today at the seminars! I hope you’ll read each of these synopsis, because I guarantee you’ll see information that applies to you.

Have you ever heard of the site, www.liveto110.com? It’s run by Wendy Myers; she gave a great talk on Obesigens and how they make you gain weight. What are obesigens? They’re chemicals in our food, personal care products, cleaning supplies, water bottles, and more, that absorb into our body and mimic estrogen. Except they’re not really estrogen, so instead of the benefits of estrogen, we get the hazards of “pretend estrogen”: cancer, disease, hormone disorders, thyroid issues, and weight gain.
Two take aways: (a) Yes, organic products are more expensive, and homemade products take time and effort, but the regular stuff we buy in the store? It’s killing us. Start one by one replacing what you’re using with NON-TOXIC options. Just one product at a time, don’t stress, but it matters, it really does. (b) Detoxing these chemicals out of our body is IMPORTANT!!!

Next up was Dr. Eric Westermen, Internal Medicine Doc at Duke, and President of the American Bariatric Society. He’s a huge believer, researcher, and practitioner of the Low Carbohydrate, High Fat diet. He’s got the studies and experience to back it up; and we got to hear some of them. What he mostly talked about though, was that, “Research Is Politics”, his quote; and getting funding for anything that’s going to upset the Big Food, Big Business, Big Pharma Apple Cart is almost IMPOSSIBLE. ( my term for that is “Big Phuvernment) In other words, the funding necessary to do expensive studies testing Food as Medicine, is incredibly difficult to attain.   (not a lot of profit there for anyone)

Then we heard from “Reproductive Endocrinologist”, Dr. Michael Fox. He explained himself: he did an OB/Gyn residency, then followed it up with a fellowship that resulted in him now working in Reproductive Endocrinology, or, sex hormone problems. FASCINATING!! For all my clients who are struggling with infertility, PMS, menopause difficulties, low sperm counts, ED, PCOS, etc, listen up! He says after decades of work with men, women, and hormones, he finally realized that there was a link between all of it: the male and female infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, PMS, lack of libido, gestational diabetes, menopause symptoms, and pre-clampsia: Insulin Resistance! Why does anyone get Insulin Resistance? From TOO MUCH INSULIN, which gets released in response to CARBS. He takes all his patients off carbs and puts them (even the pregnant ones) on a ketogenic diet. He said the pregnancy/birth rates in his clinic have skyrocketed to 90% success!!
More gems from Dr. Fox: He thinks Aerobic exercise is HORRIBLE for humans, both male and female, because it screws up their hormones so badly. He says that STRESS must be controlled, because CORTISOL has BAADD effects on INSULIN, which has bad effects on sex hormones.

He thinks VEGETARIAN DIETS are worse than AEROBIC exercise!

He says physicians today are taught “Cookbook Medicine” and practice “party-line protocols” that have nothing to do with solving the root of the problem.
Oh, one more gem from Dr. Fox: for patients who have difficult pregnancies with hypertension or gestational diabetes, he said that they’re looking at themselves in 10 to 15 years if they don’t get off the Insulin/Carb train. This guy had a lot of energy and passion – I loved him!

We ended the day with two Evolutionary Biology Professors from Austin College in Texas; these two were a hoot! And just as passionate as everyone else. They threw several interesting facts at us ( don’t miss the Sexual Urges – Vegetarian connections), let me bullet-point:
*Starvation Diet Studies conducted after WW2 had participants reducing their intake to 1570 cal/day. It worked – they starved, you should see the pictures! Odd that TODAY, 1570 calories is NORMAL for a lot of people, but they GAIN weight, instead of lose weight. What’s happened?
*At 1570 cal/day, people in the study lost their libido, their thyroid function, their mental focus, and they became weak and lethargic. Hmmmm. Sound familiar?
*Japanese Samurai ( the warriors) ate diets of meat and fat; the peasants were fed a diet of rice.
*Monks have always used a Vegetarian Diet, with SOY, to suppress sexual urges.
*Reverend Graham, who came up with the Graham Cracker, was an Avid ANTI-SEX crusader. He preached a Vegetarian Diet to suppress sexual urges.
*Dr. Kellogg (yes, the Cereal Kellogg) was another Anti-Sex crusader ( and sadistic in his experiments on suppressing sexual urges – google them), he also promoted a Vegetarian Diet to suppress sexual urges.
Hmmm.
*We looked at ingredients lists of several dog food brands, and saw over and over pure crap: sugar, grains, artificial colors and flavors, and chemicals. No wonder our pets are fat and sick.
*We talked about the Defense Mechanisms of Plants, which illustrated that the High Carbohydrate/High Insulin value of grains isn’t the only problem with them.
*Grains contains “anti-nutrients”, actually, all plants do, it’s their defense against being eaten.
*These anti-nutrients contain: TOXINS, DIGESTIBILITY REDUCERS, and HORMONE MIMICKERS.
*The result? Grains, make us sick, fat, affect our brain, ruin our gut ( leaky gut and nutrient deficiencies), and pretend to be estrogen. (soy, flax seed oil)
*They ended reminding us that BIG BUSINESS SPENDS BAZILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO MAKE PRETEND FOOD “SUPER STIMULATING”, and incredibly addictive.

What a great day!
Oh, food and workouts!
-30 minutes shoulder and chest (the lectures started at 8:45am and went to 4:15, so not a lot of time for working out)
-whey, greens, and flax seed, 2 big carrots
-detox pack
-lunch: fish, turkey burger, on watercress and vegetables, lots of olive oil and balsamic
-detox pack
-dinner: seafood ceviche, spinach salad, roasted chicken, broccoli, bite of chocolate bar
-detox pack
& 7pm show “the Platters”, 10 pm bed. Sounds early – but we’re rarely tired – that good, right?
We’re getting off the ship and exploring St. Thomas today; I think our phones are supposed to work there, so I’ll take pics and put them on Facebook!

Cruise Details, Detox Report, and What I’m Eating On A Ship:)

freedom of the seasCruise Day 1
-up at 3:25am, out of the house by 3:42, and on the road to National Airport
-no food, no water, no nothing, too early
-airport by 4:45am, on board the plane by 5:30 ( I don’t like the way SouthWest is first come – first seated!!)
-morning pills ( systemic enzymes to combat inflammation, l-tyrosine for energy, GTA -which is a Biotics porcine thyroid glandular with no t3 to t4, all these are my normal pills/not detox) at 5:45
-a bottled water on the plane
-Jay Robb bar and carrot at the Atlanta airport, 8 am, another water
-a bottled water on the second plane ( I always drink a LOT when I fly)
-Jay Robb bar and carrot while standing in the ship boarding line, 12:15
-napped, walked the ship, napped, walked the ship
-dinner with our fellow Low Carb Cruisers at 5:30: coconut based seafood soup, spinach salad, cod, broccoli, carrots, and baked potato
LOVED our table mates! None of them are professionals, they’re all seeking weight loss, direction, and motivation. What an investment they’re making in their health! There’s over 200 of us here for the Low Carb lectures. Saw Jimmy Moore, Wendy Myers, and Dr. Gerber; the cruise is Jimmy’s baby, and the other two have their own websites, and are two of the week’s lecturers. Our lecture days are Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, the days we’re at sea. The topics sound FANTASTIC, here’s a few: Keto-Adapted Diets; Obesegens:Chemicals that make you fat; The importance of building muscle and becoming strong; Busting saturated fat myths: the biggest health blunder in history. There’s several more and I’ll be sure to give you the details for each 🙂
-7 pm Show ( a cirque-de soleil routine that was amazing followed by a great comedian); walked the ship
-first Detox Pack – they were in my luggage, which didn’t arrive til after we got back from the show
-asleep by 10 ( we’re early-to-bedders!)

Cruise Day 2
-up at 5:30 ( if you’re a client or a friend of mine, you know by my emails I’m an early riser; hopefully, we’ll sleep in a little longer each day)
-morning pills ( enzymes, tyrosine, GTA)
-hot lemon water, black tea
-breakfast: Jay Robb protein ( I’d ordered Mercola, but it didn’t get shipped in time), mixed with greens powder and flax seed, and a couple carrots, DETOX Pack

(We travel with a lot of food, supplements, and Raw Milk – yes, Mark brings that ON THE PLANE, and ON THE SHIP.  )

-gym ( OMGosh you should see the gym! It’s got to be a few thousand square feet at least, biggest one I’ve ever seen on a ship): legs for 30 minutes, vinyasa yoga 1 hour, SAUNA 25 mins. ( sweating removes TOXINS).
-lunch: salad with fish and chicken, DETOX Pack
-pool all afternoon
-dinner: we skipped the Formal Night in the sit down restaurant (we’re SO NOT into formal nights), and went to the buffet instead: fish, chicken, TONS of vegetables in every way you can imagine! Even watercress! DETOX Pack. Had a bite of Mark’s dark chocolate bar afterwards.
-7 pm show, Broadway Night!
-water all day with a little Apple Cider Vinegar in each cup ( gotta have good stomach acid on a cruise ship to kill any bugs!)
-asleep by 10
Met a few more Low Carb Cruisers today – they’re definitely a weight-loss group, trying to figure out what will work for them. Nice, nice people! We’re all looking forward to the lectures tomorrow, I think there’s 8? I’ll be doing synopsis of each one. I know the info will be great!

p.s. we’re ONLY taking the stairs – and this ship is 13 stories – GREAT leg workouts!!

p.s.s. Internet costs a FORTUNE!!  Posts are going to be brief!

Looks Healthy But Isn’t!

We leave tomorrow morning for our Low Carb Cruise, and we’re totally ready for our Partner Detox!  I’ve got the detox kits, the lemons/knife, detox teas, my supplements, protein and greens powder, and Jay Robb bars.  I’ll be sure to post our routine each day, plus pictures.  If you’re not friends with me on Facebook, friend me!

Let me leave you with a few “looks healthy but isn’t” to think about. barbaras high fiberThe first one is Barbara’s High Fiber Cereal.  People still believe they need this kind of stuff to poop.  Not True, ( Big Food’s done a great job convincing us otherwise).  The amount of SUGAR in ONE HALF CUP is 43 grams.  This will raise your blood glucose which raises your insulin which causes most of this to be remade into FAT (triglycerides) and deposited in the belly.  If you look at the Nutrition Label, you might think I’m wrong because it says, “sugar..8 grams”.   That’s MISLEADING; it’s just referring to added sugar, not naturally occurring sugar.  ALL CARBS ARE REDUCED TO SUGAR IN THE GUT.  The total carbohydrate count is what you need to look at.

kirkland baby wipesNext, look at the ingredients in these “natural, aloe vera based” baby wipes.  Ugh.  We rub kirklandthese toxic chemicals all over our little babies delicate skin, they absorb immediately, and are in the bloodstream in seconds.  MOMS:  SWITCH TO PAPER TOWELS AND WATER.   No, they’re not as “biodegradable” as these wipes, but rubbing cancer causing chemicals on your babies skin is worse I swear.    Want a great breakdown of these chemicals?  Read this.

Last, please quit using “coffee creamer”; even the So Delicious Coconut based creamer in the healthy aisle has chemicals: Organic coconut milk (organic coconut cream, water, guar gum), organic dried cane so deliciousjuice, colored with titanium dioxide, dipotassium phosphate, carrageenan.   Coffee mate’s even worse: COFFEE-MATE, FAT FREE LIQUID NON DAIRY CREAMER INGREDIENTS: Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and/or Cottonseed Oil, (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat), and Less Than 2% of Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate, (Milk Derivative), Not a Source of Lactose Color Added, Artificial Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Carrageenan, Salt, Betacarotene. Color.

If you want cream, buy Organic Cream and use that.  Even better, find a source of Raw Cream. Real Cream is loaded with vitamins A and D, minerals, phytonutrients, and even anti-cancer fatty acids, like CLA.  Plug into www.localharvest.org to find a list of farms in your area.

What we put in our mouth – and on our body – matters!!  Our food doesn’t just affect our weight,  it affects our Hormones, our Brain, our Energy, our Mood, our Immune System, and everything else about us.    JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKS REAL AND TASTES GOOD DOESN’T MEAN WE SHOULD EAT IT.   Processed food, no matter how it looks or tastes or smells, isn’t Real Whole Food, not by a long shot.  Read your labels,… plan, shop, cook, and pack.  Take control of your life and your health;  be a Real Whole Foodie.

Toxic Drinks for Pregnant Moms and Their Babies? It’s Part of the System.

I’m on a mission:  I want to convince everyone that we all have the power to be in charge of our own health care.  I want to convince everyone that handing over your health to the Conventional Medical System (Big Phuvernment**) is crazy.  I’m not saying doctors are useless, but that our bodies have ENORMOUS capacity to heal and regenerate; and if we invest some time in learning what makes the body run well, and then taking the actions to implement what we’ve learned, our health, our energy, our outlook on life, could be so Optimal. Like I always say, no one is sick because they’re deficient in meds, no one. 

Do you ever read FoodBabe?  You should, she’s an activist who’s been a driving force in getting a few Big Companies to quit using  deadly chemicals in their food products.  Her post yesterday was on the glucose drink they feed to Pregnant Mothers when we go in for the glucose test.  I want to say that again:  the drink they have pregnant mothers, and the little babies growing inside of them, drink to test for gestational diabetes.

Here’s the Ingredient List, read it and weep that babies get soaked in this crap:

glucose drink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s enough toxic chemicals in that drink to kill a bird, and yet it’s given to pregnant women and their babies.  Please read the whole article here,  it’s pretty enlightening.

News about the Medical Establishment failing us isn’t new, and statistics are astounding.  Here’s some words from Dr. Mercola’s post today on the Dangers of Modern Medicine:

Preventable medical mistakes are the third-leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer. In all, preventable medical mistakes may account for one-sixth of all deaths that occur in the US annually. Despite spending more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined, the US ranks last in health and mortality when compared with 17 other developed nations. We may have one of the best systems for treating acute surgical emergencies, but the American medical system clearly gets an “F” when it comes to treating chronic illness.

Please don’t blindly throw yourselves at the mercy of your doctor, the pharmaceutical Meg Macchu Pichucompanies, Big Food, and the Government.  You ARE capable of staying healthy, improving your health, and losing weight if you need too.

Real Whole Food, sleep, controlling your stress, and exercise, these are the foundations for Optimal Health, and they’re all within our control.  Evaluate where you are with each of those factors. We can always take steps to improve our health, and it’s never too late to start.  Carve out some time to make a plan, then post the plan everywhere. Commit to your plan! Don’t wait for next week or next month, start now.  You have the power and the ability, now use it.  Let me know if you need help, or a jump start.  I’m good at that!

On a less serious note, here’s a picture of my oldest daughter, Megan, who’s in Peru. This is Machu Picchu.

Remember, Mark and I are doing a Partner Detox next week while we’re on the Low Carb Cruise.  We’ll be posting and/or facebooking every day about the steps we’re taking in the Detox.  If you’re not friends with me on FB and you want to be, find me under Debbie Brockett Abbott.

**Big Phuvernment: the sexual union of Big Food, Big Pharma, and our Government

 

Spring Detox – It’s Happening!

DDTI’ve posted on Detox before,  but I’m posting today because Mark and I are starting a Partner Detox in 6 days, while we’re on a cruise!!  A few people have expressed shock and dismay at this, ( “but…. the cruise food??…”); not a problem, (1) I love my Detoxes, (2) we always eat good food, so the thought of binging on cruise food doesn’t stimulate us ( that’s what happens, right, the thought of all that food is very stimulating?) , and I’m excited because Mark hasn’t done one before, and if you’re 50 and you haven’t detoxed, YOU NEED TOO!

Why do I believe in Detoxes, or Cleanses?  Because, we live in a pretty toxic world:  our water is full of chemicals and drugs, our make up and personal care products are full of chemicals that the FDA acknowledges cause cancer and disease but give the “okay” on, the food we eat is full of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and growth hormone,  even the air we breath is contaminated ( chem-trails anyone?).

There’s mercury in our fillings and vaccines, aluminum in our deodorant and cookware, there’s even toxic by-products left on dry-cleaned clothes that we put on our body.  Trust me, I could go on and on and on.  Have you ever heard of a book called, Slow Death By Rubber Ducky?  It’s pretty eye-opening.  The facts are, you really can’t escape toxins in 2014; and judging by the amount of sick, overweight people, and sick, not over weight people,  the built-in detox systems of the liver/kidney/skin/lung/colon are seriously congested.  That’s a problem.

Here’s our plan:  I’ve bought 2 detox kits from Biotics ( I’ve used these before and love them; let me know if you want one.  They’re very focused on liver/gallbladder/gut health).  We’ll skip the breakfast and lunch buffets, which we usually do when we’re on a cruise, and stick to (HIM) his raw milk (yep, he brings it on cruises and airplanes, honest);  and (ME) grass-fed, organic, zero antibiotic/growth hormone whey (Mercola) with a good greens powder (Mercola), plus some flax seed/chia seed that I’m bringing.  That’ll help me poop – because traveling usually messes that up and you MUST poop when you Detox! (If you’re healthy and normal, you poop every single day of your life, at least once.)  For the days we’re out at lunch time, on an island or something, I’ll bring my own Jay Robb bars. ( I quit all bars and powders at home last year, but for traveling, they’re perfect.)  Dinner will be fish, chicken and a ton of vegetables ( pretty normal for us ), but not red meat.  (While I LOVE red meat, it’s harder to digest, and I’m trying to eat things that AREN’T hard to digest for the 10 days of the Detox.)  Two things I need to give up for the Detox:  Coffee and cheese 🙁   But I’m working on my mind set, so it’s more like:   No Coffee and Cheese 🙂

I also always travel with my Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemons, favorite teas, and all my supplements.  Gotta be prepared!

The cruise itinerary is exciting!  It’s called  “The Low Carb Cruise”, and here’s the link if you want to see the speakers and the topics.  The focus this year is on Ketosis, which means the effect you get when Fat is your primary fuel and your body burns a lot of “ketones” instead of sugar.  The science behind why this is healthy for neurological conditions, cardiac conditions, the brain, and weight loss, is at this point, pretty hefty.   Our daughter Amanda, who has epilepsy, isn’t 100% ketogenic, but she’s close.  That said, eating a lot of healthy fats, tons of vegetables, some good protein, and no sugar or grains,  is good for everyone.

PS:  Ketosis doesn’t equal Keto-acidosis, which happens primarily to Type 1 diabetics whose pancreas has stopped working.  Long explanation, but worth hearing if you’re interested.

Mark has promised to do his Second Man Post while we’re on the cruise, so look for that next week, and we’ve also committed to either posting or facebooking every day about our Detox, our meals, and what we learn at the lectures.  If you’re not friends with me on Facebook, friend me at Debbie Brockett Abbott, and we’ll be able to keep in touch that way.

Here’s to eating Real Whole Food, and always prioritizing your health!

Does a Fast Food Meal Here and There Hurt? Habits Are Everything!

Yea!  It appears my blog is fixed!  Thank you so much Sarah Albright of Web Designs by Sarah Albright:) She figured out a pretty big problem for me and I really, really appreciate it!

I’ve had some great questions this week from busy people about eating on the run.  (really, who’s not busy??)  I relate to this.  Work, kids, driving, that’s Real Life, right?   This is an area of stress and anxiety that Big Food has (successfully) spent a lot of time and money on.  Some of the messages:  ” If it looks real, it’s good for you.”  and   “A fast food meal or two during this busy time can be incredibly time saving and helpful. No harm done and your kids will LOVE you for this! “.  It’s an incredibly effective strategy because the message LET’S YOU OFF THE HOOK FOR COOKING.  This has made us sick and fat, and created a generation of kids who take more medications than anyone could have ever imagined.

So how do we manage to eat Real Whole Food when we’ve got work/kids/clubs/appointments/traffic/pets/etc?  We Plan Plan Plan Plan, and then Plan; stick to the plan, and make the smartest choices possible when we HAVE to eat on the run.  Here’s some solutions, but first, please take a look at the ingredient lists for 2 of the most popular fast food items IN THE WORLD.   Look at those ingredients and ask yourself,  “how could this NOT cause harm??”

mcdonaldsf9new2

There’s 7 oils, all of which are either hydrogenated or Omega 6 (cancer/disease/inflammation), artificial color, preservatives, and ANTI-FOAMING AGENT ( what the heck?);  here’s the ingredients in the SALT:  silicoaluminate( also called ALUMINUM SODIUM), dextrose ( SUGAR), and potassium iodide .  Umm.  That’s not really salt.

KFC boneless

 

 

 

Extra Crispy™ Boneless Chicken – White Meat
Skinless White Chicken Pieces, Potassium and Sodium Phosphates, Salt, Seasoning (Potassium Chloride, Rice Flour), Monosodium
Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder,
Natural Flavorings, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, With Not More Than 2% Calcium Silicate Added as an Anti
Caking Agent.
Contains Wheat.

Gross.  Two sources of MSG, sugar, phosphates (good bye bone and kidneys), and “anti-caking agents”.  Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking that a little bit of this can’t cause damage, because it can.

Want a Plan?  Sit down on Sunday with your schedule in front of you, note everything that both you and your kids have to do.  Plan accordingly.  When can you power cook batches of food?  When can you shop/chop/prep/baggy and freeze?  When do you need to pack for yourself, and your kids?  What needs to go on the grocery list so that happens? Are there evenings with multiple practices in a row that necessitate you stopping somewhere?  At least make it one of the less offensive Fast Foods, like Chipolte or Panera.  These meals aren’t even close to making Real Whole Food at home;  there’s always going to be a degree of Chemicals, Flour and Sugar that are unavoidable when eating out.  So just think of these as Emergency Options.  ( Kind of like my “Emergency Bras“, which is when I forget to pack a bra for after my gym shower, and need to immediately consult or train someone.  When this happens, I head to Walmart for a $10.00 Emergency Bra and put it on in the car.) ( I just realized I’m much more likely to forget to pack a bra or underwear than to ever forget to pack a lunch and water bottles!)

About the Emergency Options:  emergency’s don’t happen every day.  Things that happen every day are HABITS.  There really aren’t that many emergency’s in most of our lives, percentage-wise.  Really, there’s very few surprises day to day, and I’m a working mom of 4, one of whom’s an Epileptic who surprised us a few times a month:  “Surprise, I’m about to have a seizure.  The day needs to change right now.”    95% of our days STILL aren’t a surprise with even that scenario.  *** ( to my friends whose children have issues much, much, worse than mine, your days do contain more surprises; focus on your health and energy as much as you can.)

Worried because living life by the seat of your pants is your norm?  You were brought up that way or have nurtured those habits for years?  Just because you’re an adult and haven’t established these Planning Habits yet, doesn’t mean you can’t.  You can.  Everyone can Create and Establish Good Habits.  Initially, this’ll cause some stress, because we’re forcing ourselves to take actions that are better for us in the LONG TERM than the SHORT TERM.  The other day I was at a lecture called “Solutions for The Overactive Brain”, the neurologist giving the talk said that our BRAIN DOESN’T WANT TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR US, IT WANTS TO DO WHAT’S EASIEST FOR US.  Wow.  I can’t stop thinking about that.

The stress we feel when we commit to living our life according to what’s best LONG TERM depends on HOW MUCH PRACTICE WE’VE HAD DOING THAT.  Parents!!  It’s really important that we teach our kids boundaries and self control. Apparently, those skills are muscles in the brain, and they’re stronger with use.  However, just like any muscle, they can be built any time with focus and effort.

One last tip for eating on the run:  it doesn’t have to be special or delicious, it just needs to supply nutrients.  Turkey/cheese roll ups, bags of nuts, fruit and nut butters, hard boiled eggs, chunks of cheese and fruit, celery and pb and raisins, leftovers in a tupperware, heat up a good sausage or one of the new hotdogs that aren’t full of disgusting ingredients.  Tell your kids that you’re packing because eating out is too expensive.  When I said, ” We don’t have the money to eat out”  that was rarely met with resistance.  If I  said “pack your dinner for after soccer because after that so and so has gymnastics and we’re not stopping at McDonalds because it’s gross”, now that was met with resistance (whining, begging, arguing).   (ps – Macy, you’re not really just “so and so ” to me, you’re much more than that honey.)

A long term result?  I have 4 kids who hate fast food, and are great about throwing little baggies in their back packs for long days.  They also pack their own water bottles.  It’s a habit they were trained in, and it’s never too late to develop habits.

What have I been eating lately?  Here’s a smoothie, a lunch salad, and a dinner:

Smoothie: Raw Keifer/blueberries/carob/stevia/avocado/spinach/raw egg/cinnamon/ginger/rose hips/hemp seeds, topped with coconut

breakfast smoothie and waters

 

 

 

 

 

Packed Salad for Car Lunch:  greens/broccoli sprouts/whole shredded beet and carrot/salmon/gouda/walnut oil and balsamic

salmon salad

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner:  brussels/onion/leeks/garlic/cabbage/bacon/lots of butter, herbs, and salt – this freezes and re-heats GREAT, and tastes good cold!

brussels bacon

 

 

 

 

 

I get asked for recipes often.  I NEVER use a recipe.  Half the time I use my hand to measure the spices and herbs.  Real Whole Food tastes delicious so you can’t go wrong with it.  If cooking is stressful, start with recipe books or sites, build up your skills and confidence, and go from there.  Start simple!  Don’t make recipes with 17 ingredients because your stress ( and cortisol) will go through the roof ( hello belly fat!).  Set up a podcast, or TV, or talk on the phone with an ear piece (not wireless – those EMFs are horrible for us!), because multi-tasking does work sometimes:)  You can do this! You can become healthier, thinner, and more energetic, and you can instill good habits in your kids.  We have Power, we just need to use it!

 

Blood Chemistry Analysis and Health Pearls

5 of us snorkelingMy blog’s been a little quiet lately because I’m having a few issues with it. I’ve got help on the way and by the end of this week, all should be well in Rock Solid Land:)

I’m writing regardless because I have so much information to pass along.   I attended a seminar this weekend where I was trained in Blood Chemistry Analysis!  Oh My Gosh was it fascinating!  I’ve got a computer program which allows me to input data from any blood panel, along with personal and specific health information.  The computer uses an algorithm to look at all the test results and information from an Integrative, Comprehensive point of view, and then spits out recommendations based on WHAT CAUSES THE SYMPTOMS, as opposed to a focus on just the symptoms alone.  It’s Brilliant!!  It also recommends supplements and foods to address those issues.

For instance, why is your blood pressure high? why are your cholesterol numbers off?  what’s up with the thyroid?  why are your sex hormones off?  what’s going on with your white blood cells? and so on and so on.

I’m installing the program this week, and after I work out the bugs, I’ll let you know.  I can’t wait to use this!

The doctor teaching this has FOUR medical degrees, plus he speaks multiple languages – smart man.  The pearls of health wisdom didn’t stop flowing, so let me pass some on in no particular order:

* If you have unresolved constipation, despite loads of fiber filled fruits and veggies, and a ton of water, think GALLBLADDER.  The gallbladder squirts bile into the small intestine. That bile is supposed to break down fats and CREATE PERISTALSIS IN YOU INTESTINES.  No Bile, No Peristalsis.

* Pumpkins and Sunflower seeds contain several nutrients that are good for bringing down an enlarged prostate.

* Raw eggs are Nutritional Powerhouses ( YES ME!!)  Their nutrients are more potent when undamaged by heat;  very gently cooked is good too.  Don’t do this with STORE BOUGHT EGGS.  Only with Farmer Eggs.

* Cortisol shuts down Gut Function.  Shuts It Down.  If you’ve worked with me, you know I talk about this all the time.  You can have the most perfect diet in the world, but it’s not benefitting you much if physical and/or mental stress are causing cortisol problems.   You’ll need to either employee stress reduction techniques and / or use adrenal supplements to normalize your cortisol.

* PPIs and other acid reducing drugs cause SEVERE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND EVEN DEATH. ( What did you think is the end result of severe nutrient deficiencies??)  Our body builds, runs, and repairs from nutrients.  We need a HIGHLY ACIDIC STOMACH, like the one God designed, to break down our foods, kill pathogens in the gut, trigger the pancreas and the gallbladder, and essentially flip the switch of every single digestive action from the gut to the butt.

* PPIs (acid reducers)  are only approved to be used for 6 to 14 weeks, and they’re NOT approved at all for children and babies.  Do you really want your child to NOT be able to get their nutrients?  They’re trying to GROW!

*Alzheimer’s and Dementia are the fastest growing conditions in the US.  7,000 Americans a MONTH are being diagnosed.   The brain is 60% fat.  Feed it, and don’t poison it with sugar, grains, or chemicals.

* Have you seen the recent news on pregnant women taking SSRIs and the link to Autistic babies?  Google it.

* Licorice ( not the candy kind, but the real herb) can raise low blood pressure, and DGL ( deglycerized licorice) can lower it.

*Take your Magnesium at bedtime on an empty stomach.  Magnesium binds to fat which can inhibit absorption.  You want that Mg inside your cells.

* Avoid prescription drugs as much as possible – their side effects are very real.
Every year, more than 2 million Americans suffer from serious adverse drug reactions. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these reactions cause about 100,000 deaths per year, making prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the country.

* If you’re eating real Sushi, raw meat, or  even cooked fish, take your HCl.  It’ll kill the bugs. ( Hydrochloric acid, the same thing our stomach makes – if it’s working.  It’s not working in most people.)

* You need great gut flora/bacteria to convert your T4 to T3 ( these are thyroid hormones).  You need lots of acid in the stomach to have great gut flora in your large intestine.

* Americans take about 75% of the Pharmaceuticals In The WORLD, yet remain fat and sick.   CDC predicts weight and disease rates will continue to climb for at least the next 30 years.  How are those pharmaceuticals working for us?

* Our health depends upon us treating our bodies like temples, not destroying it with drugs, sugar, grains, chemicals, and stress.  Take control of your health.  It really is in our own hands.