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Eat Healthy, Lose Weight

June 1, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

Food for thought:

Traditional fats from healthy animal sources and tropical oils don’t make you fat; they’re actually an enormous source of nutrients from which our body builds cell walls, hormones, and brain tissue.

Too many carbs, enough that raise your blood sugar over “normal”, i.e very much over 100mg/dcl, often get remade into Triglycerides, and stored in the stomach.

“Healthy” whole grains contain very hard to digest proteins, which often don’t get digested, and end up creating tears in the small intestine, i.e. “leaky gut”.

Diet Food Products are pure chemical concoctions that wreck havoc on your liver, which is the MAIN source of “metabolism”, making weight loss almost impossible, and weight gain a given.

High blood sugars are one of the main sources of INFLAMMATION in our body. Inflammation is the culprit behind almost every disease /health condition.

These aren’t facts you’d hear from many main stream doctors or registered dieticians. They were educated in schools whose funding comes from Big Food and Big Pharma, and there’s a party line that they often stick too. Don’t believe me? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) represents 74,000 nutrition professionals, and a few of their main sponsors are: Nestle, Coco-Cola, Kraft, Con-Agra, and General Mills. Who’s interest do you think these companies will make sure are represented when they donate their money? This explains Standard Nutritional Advice: eat low fat, low calorie, and you’ll lose weight. NOT.

How bout the American Diabetes Association’s advice, to diabetics, that they can eat up to 60% carbs, and that whole grains are good for them? Blood Sugar Rises From Carbohydrate! No diabetic following that advice will get better, instead, they’ll deteriorate daily, and spend their days chasing their high blood sugars down with medicine or insulin – both of which do plenty of damage with their lists of side effects. Who are the ADAs biggest sponsors? Pharmaceutical companies that sell the medicine or insulin: Abbott, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer, to name a few.

If you’re interested in the reasons behind Main Stream Health Advice, please read this report by Health Lawyer ( who knew there was such a thing) , Michelle Simon. Wow. What an eye opener.

If you’ve been struggling for years to lose weight or get healthy, or your health has deteriorated, know this: it’s the food you eat. Our body’s main “ingredients” are Water (60%), protein (16%), fat (15%), minerals, (4%), carbs (2%), and vitamins (2%). Plan your meals around clean meats, healthy sources of fats and oils, TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, some dairy(if you tolerate them). Get healthy, and if you need to lose weight you will. Losing weight is a SIDE-EFFECT of eating healthy.

Eating Real Whole Foods, cutting down or cutting out the starchy carbohydrate sources (from grains), improves your mood, your digestion, your immune system, your blood pressure, your headaches, your lipid panels, your triglyceride levels, and I could go on and on. It also REDUCES BELLY BLOAT. Who doesn’t want that?

Category: Carbs, Fats, RWF, Sugar /

You’ve Got To Believe To Make It a Lifestyle

May 28, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

If you read my blog, you know I’m advocating a Paleo/Primal/WestonAPrice/Real Whole Foods Diet that’s low on sugars and grains and chemicals, and high on fats, proteins, and vegetables. This low carb/RWFs plan is an obvious way to lose weight, not something too many people argue with anymore. But how many people can stick to it, day in day out, week after week, month after month? (How many times have I heard, “I could NEVER give up bread/pasta.”, “Kids won’t eat anything else.”) I. E., make it a LifeStyle??

Well, if it’s all about Weight Loss, people don’t stick to this plan any better than Weight Watchers, the Grapefruit diet, the South Beach diet, Jenny Craig, or ANY OTHER DIET (less than 1-5% stick permanently). Because when it’s all about WEIGHT LOSS, you’re going to restrict your calories and fat. Even on the P/P/WAP/RWF plan, you’ll try to “not eat too much”. This NEVER amounts to “lifestyle”, it’s just a weak desire to be leaner.

Here’s the bottom line about Calorie Restriction and Fat Restriction: You’ll NEVER ever fight your BIOLOGY and win. Ever. It’s impossible. Your body wants Fat; Your body needs Fat. Fat comprises 60% of our brain; fat runs thru our heart muscle, fat makes all of our sex hormones and steroid hormones (that’s the fight/flight). Fat escorts most minerals and vitamins ADE & K to wherever they need to go. Fat surrounds our organs and protects them. And that’s just a brief synopsis.

Try and stay “low fat”, and you will end up binging. Either you’ll eat fat – which your body will use; or you’ll eat tons of carbs, which your body will turn INTO fat. Either way, your BIOLOGY will trump your desire to eat low fat/low cal, and lose weight.

What’s the answer? Fill your brain with all the reasons we should eat certain foods, and shouldn’t eat others. Become a believer in the DEEP, SERIOUS, CONNECTION, between every single bite we put in our mouths, to our moods, our body, our weight, our health, our emotions.

Here’s some reasons to meditate on:

Sugar, and refined grains (pasta, bread, cereals, etc) are absolutely 100% involved with Inflammation, Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s, Migraines, Depression, Anxiety, and MORE. The correlation is absolute, because these carbohydrates induce a big Insulin response from your Pancreas. This starts a blood sugar roller coaster that has devastating effects on The Whole Body.

Your Liver takes a hit, your Brain takes a hit, your Nerve Endings in your extremities and eyes take a hit, your Arteries, your Hormones, your Neurotransmitters, and your Waistline takes a hit. Your CHILDREN are similarly affected, even your skinny, active kids. Poor health/weight problems “accumulate”. Behavior, mood, attention – all of these are HEAVILY influenced by diet.

Let’s talk about Digestion. Bloat, gas, indigestion, Crohn’s, colitis, gastritis; NOT NORMAL. When these conditions happen, it’s NOT because you’re low in Pepcid or some other Antacid. You’re just eating foods that either aren’t breaking down well due to compounds in them, and/ or you’ve caused damage somewhere in your gut from years of eating foods that don’t break down well.

Then there’s the whole Negative Thoughts Cascade that gets released, for several hours to a day or so, after consumption of large amounts of bad carbs and crappy foods. Talk about a hit to your energy, your demeanor, your thoughts, your decisions.

How to make RWFs a LifeStyle? Focus On Feeling Good. Honestly, it works. When you’re out, and everyone’s having bread and dessert, think LONG TERM: how do you want to feel later? or tomorrow?. When you’re at the store, and you’re tempted by a box of cereal or crackers, think LONG TERM: how do you want to feel later? or tomorrow? When you’re making dinner and the pasta seems so simple, think LONG TERM: how do you want to feel later? or tomorrow?

It feels GOOD to feel Good. If you’re plagued with gut issues, inflammation, sugar/carb ups and downs, or mood imbalances, imagine how it would feel — not to be plagued with those issues. Imagine feeling good almost all the time. It’s amazing. It’s amazing to feel relaxed with yourself, not to be beating yourself up over splurges, or binges, or indulgences.

That said, give your self a break; because Change isn’t Linear, even when you do start believing. It takes time, effort, and focus, to really change thought patterns; but it does happen.

I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting everyone who’ll be at my workshops (5/31 or 6/5). I promise to fill your head with a boat load of reasons to make RWFs a Lifestyle, and not a temporary effort at leanness. Eat well, feed your body the nutrients it wants to be healthy, and if you need to lose weight, you will.

Category: Carbs, Fats, Psychology of Eating, RWF, Sugar /

Why Am I Always Hungry??

May 24, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

If I counted how many times I’ve heard, “I could never just eat 3 meals a day, I’d starve. I think I have low blood sugar. I can’t go more than a few hours between meals.”, it would be in the hundreds.

Folks, you’ve been hypnotized into believing: you need to eat constantly to keep your metabolism up; you’ll waste muscle cells if you don’t constantly feed them; you NEED to eat every couple of hours or you’ll get so hungry you’ll binge and eat a horse. This is all propaganda designed to get you to eat processed, refined food products – seriously. This line of thinking started in the muscle magazines about 15/16 years ago, I know, because I was a devotee of every muscle mag out there for about 20 years. Protein bar and Protein drink makers – successfully – pushed the idea that if you ate some protein every couple of hours, you’d build muscle and get lean. Wow. Is that an idea that just took off. Their advertising and articles were accomplanied by pictures of incredibly fit bodybuilders who ate 6 or 7 mini-meals a day, a combination of real foods like meat and broccoli, with protein powder or protein bars.

A picture’s worth a thousand words, and these people looked great. However, if you read their blogs, and kept up with research on food timing, you’d be privy to the problems of constantly eating. First of all, these are pictures of COMPETITORS, who despite eating 6 or 7 times a day, have an incredibly low calorie consumption – that’s how they get ripped and lean. Second, if you attended any Body Building shows, or followed their blogs, you’d know that they cycle in and out of incredible leanness, and some degree of “not lean at all”, to plain “overweight”. Plus, jokes about chronic stomach distress, low energy, and ammenorhea (lack of menstrual cycle), are the norm, not the exception. Does that sound healthy?

When you eat low cal/low fat, the fact is that you will be Constantly Hungry. You will be consumed with thoughts of food. (study after study after study confirms this) Low Cal/Low Fat starves the body and brain of nutrients. Our body is made of: water (60%ish), proteins (16%ish), fats (15%ish), carbs (2%ish), vitamins, and minerals . The brain is 60% fat. If you’re not taking in enough FAT and Protein – your body and brain will send CONSTANT signals to get you to eat. Try to live on vegetables and lean meats, or worse, “diet foods”, and you are setting yourself up to fail.

As a matter of fact, THE BEST WAY TO GAIN WEIGHT IS TO GO ON A DIET AND CUT YOUR CALORIES AND YOUR FAT INTAKE. It’s a guaranteed “sure thing”. Plenty of studies prove this.

Need to lose weight? Eat Real Whole Foods: healthy portions of good meats and eggs, plenty of healthy fats, TONS of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts/seeds, some dairy if you tolerate it. Feed your body the nutrients it needs to thrive, and if you need to lose weight you will. What about hunger? It OFTEN – but not always – abates, when you regularly consume foods that nuture your body. I’ve worked with many, many people who thought they couldn’t eat that many calories, or just eat 3 meals, or consume that much fat, but they could and they did and they lose weight and feel great. I’ve also worked with some people who are so addicted to food and eating that it’s way more than a physical endeavor, it’s mental also.

Food addiction is something I’ve had a lot of experience with, so if this is your problem, get in touch with me. You can escape food addiction – I promise. There is hope and a future free of self-hate, negativity, and castigation.

Whether that’s your problem or not, changes in your health and weight are completely possible.

Back to the original thought about weight and meal frequency and metabolism. It’s all a big sham and here’s a few reasons why:

1) Studies show it doesn’t matter how many meals you divide your daily calories into, it still takes the same amount of energy to digest (not “burn”) that food.

2) Constantly eating means constantly high levels of blood sugar/glucose, which means high insulin. High blood sugar leads to low blood sugar, that’s the Blood Sugar Blues (weight gain, health issues, and attitude problems). Insulin and excess Glucose are caustic and inflammatory – to just about the whole body.

3) High insulin + High blood glucose = High Triglycerides.

4) Constant eating has a BAD effect on your hormones (that’s the real reason people gain weight), because constant eating means high Insulin and high Cortisol. Taking breaks between meals allows blood sugar to stablaize, and Insulin to recede, which means GLUCAGON can be released, and this hormone taps fat cells to release their energy. You could call this “fat burning”.

5) Frequent meals lead to ….. hunger, and a desire to eat more. Eating becomes habitual.

6) Back to Metabolism! A high metabolism is a sign of fast cell turnover. Fast cells are HUNGRY cells. People with fast metabolisms need to eat more often. Slow metabolisms mean slower cell turnover; theoretically, these people SHOULDN’T be as hungry. But, in America, with 70% overweight, hunger isn’t just about nourishment or an empty stomach, it’s about desire and want. (back to addiction and habit – get in touch with me)

Once again, the path to lean and healthy is “just eat Real Whole Food”. Don’t be afraid of good fats, and let hours go between meals. Food for thought.

(Don’t forget my Blood Sugar and Digestion workshops:http://www.rocksolidnutritionandwellness.com/workshops/)

Category: Carbs, Fats, Psychology of Eating /

Butter Vs Margarine

April 24, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

I want to talk about Fat, which is a subject we’ve been fed a line about for the past 60 or 70 years, with devastating consequences. Here’s something I think everyone’s heard by now: (1) partially hydrogenated fats/trans fats are really really bad for you, and (2) the average American eats way too many Omega 6s, and not nearly enough Omega 3’s.

Here’s something you probably haven’t heard though: saturated fats from animal and tropical fruit sources are GOOD FOR US. Saturated fats make up at least 50% of every single cell membrane in our body. (saturated fats make a whole bunch of other things in our body too, and I’m not referencing fat cells.)

I’m going to stick to Margarine and Butter today. Here are the facts.

In the late 1890s, Proctor and Gamble needed an alternative to expensive Lard and Tallow they used to make soap and candles. By 1907, they’d bought 8 cottonseed plants in Mississippi, and their scientists had learned how to fire cottonseed oil with “hydrogenation”. Unfortunately, right around then, electricity was replacing candles. What to do with their hydrogenated cottonseed oil? Well, it looked like Lard, so they decided to sell it as food. Seriously!

In 1911, it was introduced as a healthier, cheaper, and cleaner product than butter or lard. P&G promoted the white vegetable spread in womens magazines and gave away free cookbooks. They branded their new product “Crisco”.

In the 1950s, the Vegetable Oil Industry (by that time it wasn’t just P&G ), spread the word that “animal fats cause heart disease.” Food companies and restaurants quit using coconut oil, butter, and lard, and that is how , waa-laa, Polyunsaturated, Omega 6 loaded, Partially Hydrogenated Trans fats came to be so incredibly prevalent in our food supply.

Here’s how you make Margarine:
“Begin with polyunsaturated, liquid vegetable oil, rancid from extraction under high heat. About 85% of all hydrogenated oils are from soybeans. Mix with tiny metal particles, usually nickel oxide. In a high pressure, high temperature reactor, shoot hydrogen atoms at the unsaturated carbon bonds. Add soap-like emulsifiers and starch to make it soft and creamy. Heat/steam away foul odors, bleach away gray color, dye with artificial dyes, and add artificial flavors.” (Real Whole Food, Nina Planc)
And this ladies and gentlemen, is what we all grew up on. And many people still eat. Do not be fooled at Big Foods latest attempts at healthier margarine’s. They’re still loaded with Omega 6’s and hydrogenated fats (made from Trans Fats). They stay under the FDA allowance of disclosure for trans fats when mixing the ingredients, but they’re in there.

Here’s a little fact: heart disease exploded in the 1950s, but by then US consumption of saturated fats had already declined, and the consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils was much much higher. Before WW1, Americans ate 12 grams of trans fats daily, by 1985, it was 40 grams a day. Today, the average American eats 81 grams of trans fats a day. OMGOSH. By the way, you ONLY get that much by eating processed and refined foods. RWF contain almost 0 trans fats. The average American eats 70% of their diet from processed and refined foods. Processed and Refined foods are LOADED with Trans Fats. (Am I drilling this in enough?). No wonder we’re in such a health crisis.

If you ask the Scientific Experts who study this stuff, which is worse: the Sugar/Carb consumption, or the Hydrogenated Fat consumption, you’ll just get a big argument. And both have plenty of ammunition for their case, because Sugar and Hydrogenated Oils are both bad.

All margarines, and healthy spreads, are composed of trans-fats. What happens when we eat them? Well, these fats are ALWAYS chemically unstable, damaged, and oxidized. Always! Their chemical structure is wrong for our body. But if that’s what we’re eating, our body USES these damaged fats to make up our Cell Membranes. This is Bad Bad Bad! Also, some doctors and chemists refer to Trans Fats as Frankenfats, because they can MORPH healthy fats into an unhealthy structure.

So what about butter? It’s been vilified for decades. Unrightfully so. It’s actually a health food, and there’s PLENTY of science behind that statement. First of all, butterfat helps the body digest protein, and saturated fats help the bones lay down calcium. Cream contains great amounts of fat soluble vitamins A and D. You need D to use Calcium and Magnesium. Butter also has carotenoids and antioxidants. Find butter from grass-fed cows (KerryGold) and you’ll get Omega 3’s, more A, more D, more carotenoids, and more antioxidants. You’ll also get CLA – a fatty acid that has enormous Cancer Fighting potential (CLA comes from grass). All butter also has lecithin ( this does too many jobs to even list), anti-inflammatory fatty acids, and medium chain triglycerides – which encourage fat burning. Butterfat also contains: manganese, zinc, chromium, copper, selenium, and iodine. Butter also contains Butyric Acid, which has strong anti-fungal properties as well as anti-tumor effects.

How in the heck did this become such a Taboo food all these years? Big Food, Big Money.

Again, Eat Real Whole Foods. Pay attention to what you put in your body. What we eat affects our health, our weight, our mind and our moods.

Category: Fats /

Fat Bullet Points

April 18, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

Here’s a post on Fat I did during a 30 Day Real Whole Food Challenge.

How’s everyone digesting my (possibly) radical information on fat so far? Maybe you’re kind of bucking and kicking, and backing up. Thinking, no way is there actually a good fat out there. Fat is bad. Fat is evil. Fat makes me fat and gives me high cholesterol.
Please, if you feel this way, just hold on and keep reading. Give me a chance to prove that healthy fats are healthy and necessary for your body.

I’ve got a few more days left in Fat Week, but there’s so much information I want to pass along, that today, I’m going to do bullet points.

Your brain is composed of 60% fat. 60%! Almost half that fat is DHA (that’s one of the fish oils). Imagine what effect the past several decades of low fat/no fat/bad fats have had on our brains. Researchers are tying depression, anxiety, learning disorders, cognitive disorders, dementia, and Alzheimer’s to our low-fat / no-fat / bad fat diets.

Your brain – if it’s healthy – is full of healthy cholesterol (as opposed to oxidized, damaged cholesterol). Cholesterol is used to build cell membranes, ALL our sex hormones (want your testosterone, men? ), and Vitamin D; our liver uses it to make bile (which emulsifies fats), and it’s a huge component of brain and nervous tissues. Just like low fat, low cholesterol is tied to depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, and mood disorders. One of the main effects of cholesterol-lowering meds is memory loss.
Have I mentioned the amazing research on Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s? There’s a lot of information on this, but if you’re interested, google : Dr. Mary Newport. She’s literally reversing her husbands Alzheimers disease. She has a book out called “Alzheimer’s Disease, What if there is a Cure ?”(Amazon), and she’s all over the net. You-tubes, podcasts, news shows. She’s just the tip of the iceberg in this field, but she’s compelling, and a great place to start if you’re interested.
Olive oil. Olive oil’s a super fat, just make sure you’re buying the right kind, and then house it properly. Olive oil is a “mono-unsaturate”. Mono-unsaturate (MUFA) fats are more stable than PUFAs (poly-unsaturated fatty acids), and less stable than Saturated fats. That means they can take a little more heat, a little more light, and a little more air than PUFAs before they turn rancid. This takes me back to my first sentence. You want to buy “extra virgin, first cold pressed”(EV/FCP), that means No Heat was used to extract the oil from the olive. If heat is used, and it is with lesser qualities oils, then you’ve got a damaged fat in the bottle. (and your body uses damaged fats if you eat them) If you buy the EV/FCP varieties, make sure you keep them in a dark bottle, or a dark pantry. You DON’T want your olive oil sitting on the counter.
Olive oil is rich in Vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants called polyphenols; both nutrients prevent heart disease and cancer. ( If you buy heat-extracted oil, the vitamin E and polyphenols are destroyed.) Olive oil also inhibits blood platelet stickiness, lowers blood pressure, and reduces inflammation. Monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol. Studies show that the polyphenols also provide protection against colon, skin, and breast cancer, heart disease, and aging.
Don’t buy “light” olive oil. That’s a joke. It’s a marketing gimmick to make you think it has fewer calories. Really, it’s just been refined to remove color, scent, and flavor, and in doing so, the vitamins and antioxidants are removed also. Then, it’s no longer a health food.
Flaxseed oil and walnut oil are polyunsaturates, loaded with Omega 3s. As such, they should NEVER be heated, or exposed to light. Both should actually be stored in your refrigerator, not the pantry. They’re very good in salad dressings, pestos, and mayonaise.
And one more bullet point: if you cook vegetables for your kids, and top them off with delicious butter or olive oil, S&P, and maybe some grated hard cheese, they’ll probably eat them, and like them. We’ve got a couple generations growing up with either steamed plain jane vegetables, or no vegetables at all. God made fat for vegetables!! Not only does it make them taste great, but the fat allows all the Fat Soluble Vitamins and all the minerals to be absorbed and used. We want those nutrients!

Category: Cooking, Fats /

Question about Butter..

April 18, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

Debbie – I don’t know if you have time to answer emails, as you probably get a ton of questions. Right now I am using Smart Balance Light Butter & Canola Oil Blend (spreadable). Fat content:

Total – 5g

Saturated – 2g

Trans – 0

Polyunsaturated – 1g

Monounsaturated – 2.5g

Ingredients (in order) are water, butter, canola oil, 2% buttermilk powder, fish oil, plant sterols, salt, lactic acid, distilled monoglycerides, natural flavor, pectin, PGPR, potassium sorbate, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene color

I am wondering if this is a good choice for me (it contains polyunsaturated fat). I have high cholesterol.

It looks good because the fat content is low ( and we’ve been led to believe that important); also, the Canola Oil Lobby has done an incredible job promoting their product as healthy. I don’t think it is and here’s why: Canola Oil is an Omega 6 oil, that means it’s “poly-unsaturated”. Our body needs PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), that’s what Omega 3s are. But of all the oils, their chemical structure is the most UNSTABLE. This matters. Unstable fats are 100% prone to damage in the presence of heat and light and oxygen (unlike Saturated fat, which is HIGHLY stable). The body will use damaged fats to build cell walls and cell membranes if we eat them. Imagine building a brick building with rocks from the drive way and trying to make it work. Is that a good picture?

The ONLY way to “expel” the oil from the seed of the canola (actually the plant is called RapeSeed, they call the oil Canola to make it sound more pleasant), is ….thru heat. Period. So when it gets to the bottle, it’s already damaged. If you’re cooking with it, you’re damaging it even more.
But let’s look at the rest of the ingredients in the artificial butter-like spread product.

Buttermilk powder: When you see this, or skim milk powder, which legally does NOT have to be identified when added to milk products, know that it’s Oxidized. Oxidized Fats are super, super bad for us. They damage artery walls. Talk about skyrocketing LDL levels.
Distilled Monoglycerides: This is fascinating. Mono and Di-glycerides are Hydrogenated Palm Oil. As in , it’s a Hydrogenated Fat. (bad bad bad). But when the chemists who discovered how to do it went for their patent, they applied for it as an EMULSIFIER, not as a Hydrogenated Fat. So when you see mono and diglycerides on the ingredient label, they do NOT have to be included in the fat identification. Ugh. Thank you FDA.
Natural Flavor: Read MSG and a TON of chemicals (how else do you make butter flavor out of thin air?)
PGPR: An emulsifier from castor beans usually used to make cheaper chocolates thin and viscous. Moussalini force fed this to prisoners to give them dirrehea and stomach problems to make them talk. I guess food scientists are just always keeping their ear to the ground for inventive ways to use neat products.
Potassium Sorbate: This has a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status, because the FDA says we would only see side effects (nausea and migraines) with long term use. hmmmm. What the heck do they consider “long term use”?

Go back and look at the ingredient list for Butter, (that’s a trick question, as it just real butter just contains cream). Compare that to this “healthy, low fat, butter substitute”.

And finally, to partially address the “I have high cholesterol” and since this contains PUFAs, it must be good, right?
Read this: There is NO Good Scientific Link Between Healthy Saturated Fats and High Cholesterol. Cholesterol is going to be another email unto it’s self, so I’ll just point you in a couple of directions if you’re really interested: go on WheatBelly.com, and ChrisKressler.com and put cholesterol into their search bar. Look at the research instead of listening to marketing via pharmaceutical makers.

Back to this product and cholesterol. There’s damaged, oxidized buttermilk that raises cholesterol, there’s damaged PUFAs that raise cholesterol, and there’s chemicals that go thru the body and cause damage, and that raises cholesterol.
Cholesterol is used by the body as a healing substance. Seriously. God did not make a giant mistake when He designed our bodies so that almost EVERY SINGLE CELL we have produces cholesterol. And the liver produces tons. Where there is INFLAMMATION, from Insulin, from Sugar, from Chemicals, and from Damaged Fats, the liver sends CHOLESTEROL to patch or fix it. …… Reread that last paragraph.

You want lower cholesterol? Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Want to lose weight? Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Want to get healthy? Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Fats, Looks Healthy But Isn't /

Coconuts…

April 18, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

Here’s a post from my 30 Day Real Whole Food Challenge

How is the Real Whole Food effort going? Remember, this is about Awareness and Effort, not Perfection. No one changes habits overnight. Resolve to Evolve. Continue to pay more attention to what’s in the food you feed your body, and continue to learn about and solidify the fact that the food you eat either makes you more healthy, or less healthy. We are literally what we eat.

Keeping with the “Fat Week” theme (kind of like Shark Week), today’s RWF is Coconut – as you can tell by my menus, it’s a favorite of mine. Coconut meat, coconut oil, and **** coconut butter**** ! Not only is coconut delicious, but it’s a SuperFood. It’s fallen out of favor in the U.S. for the same reason animal fats have: saturated fats are bad for you (blah blah blah, Not True), and Omega 6/hydrogenated/trans fats are good for you (again, Not True). Before the mid 20th century, coconut oil and palm oil were common fats in baked goods. Then Crisco and it’s ilk invaded and dominated the market; they’re cheaper, they’re incredibly shelf stable (like, forever), and those oils have an tremendous amount of marketing and money behind them.

The fact is, Partially Hydrogenated/Hydrogenated/Trans Fats, which come from Omega 6 laden Vegetable Oils, are Killers. Disastrous for you, for your kids, for your family.

Back to Coconut. Coconut flesh contains fiber, protein, good fats, Vitamins B, C, and E, and calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium. It’s solid at room temp, but softens or melts at about 76*. The oil is 64% Medium Chain Fatty Acids (you’ll see MCT oil on labels), that have amazing properties. The main fat is Lauric Acid, which is antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral. (Breast Milk is LOADED with Lauric Acid, butter has a little, those are the only sources.) Lauric Acid kills “fat coated viruses”, like HIV, measles, herpes, influenza, leukemia, hepatitis C, epstein-barr, and bacteria like Listeria, H-Pylori, and strep.

MCTs are metabolized differently than other fats: they don’t get emulsified by bile, which means they are used for energy very easily (read – burned). BTW, this makes them GREAT for people who’ve had their GallBladders removed. Lauric Acid has the same effect on metabolism that protein does; as in, it raises it. Several studies indicate that coconut oil raises body temperature and causes weight loss, and that it actually improves thyroid function.

Because coconut oil is saturated, that means it’s very stable (unlike polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which are very unstable). You can heat it with no damage to the fat molecules. This is important. Damaged fats, like the kind in the fry oil at restaurants, or in processed foods, get used by our cells INCORRECTLY. This means the nutrients getting into the cell, and the wastes coming out of the cell are impeded; interfered with; stymied; blocked; stonewalled. (www.thesaurus.com). You get the picture. Bad fats are bad news. Our body’s 3rd component is FAT. When healthy fats are used as building blocks, all is good. The body runs like it’s supposed to. When damaged fats are used, all is NOT good. I’m simplifying something that’s actually a really, really, big deal.

What about coconut oil and cholesterol? (I can’t WAIT to talk about cholesterol) Study after study after study shows that coconut oil IMPROVES cholesterol ratios, because it raises HDL and lowers LDL. FYI, Palmitic acid, a fatty acid in Palm Oil, has the exact same effect.

Here’s another positive about healthy saturated fats like butter and coconut oil: your body needs saturated fats to effectively retain and use Essential Fatty Acids (you know, fish oils like EPA and DHA). Americans don’t get enough EFAs, so we need to be prudent with what we do get. It would be a shame to waste any.

Coconut oil comes in a couple of different grades. The best is “unrefined or virgin”, which means it was cold pressed and wet milled. The next best is “expeller-pressed or refined”, which is gently deodorized to remove scent and flavor (great for hair and skin). I use coconut oil to sauté chicken and fish and cook eggs in, and it’s great in desserts. Canned coconut milk is perfect for making ice cream and puddings and soups, and good flaked or shredded coconut is delicious in salads and smoothies (make sure it’s UNSWEETENED).

Coconut oil has no meat in it; the oil is pressed out of the meat. Coconut butter is throwing the meat into a giant food processor, and processing. The meat and oil are blended together to make the butter. It’s not really the same texture as “butter”, but a little more firm. It’s heavenly. Safeway is now selling Artisana Raw coconut butter, and so is IGA (for the locals). You’ll have to check your stores to figure out what’s available to you. Everyone is selling unrefined coconut oil now. Unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds are a little harder to find. Wegmans carries a few brands, one is Bobs Mill.

Tropical traditions is a great site to order coconut products from, so is Nutiva. There’s a great new site that sells amazing coconut butters,www.nikkiscoconutbutter.com that I can’t wait to try out, her butters sound like dessert:)

Category: Fats, RWF /

LHBI Chicken, and Healthy Chicken

April 18, 2013 / Debbie / Comments Off

****<strong>The average American’s diet consists of 70% processed food. ****** 70% of all American’s are overweight. Hmmm.

Let’s do a LHBI (looks healthy but isn’t) Chicken:)
Perdue Chicken Breast Meat Nuggets:
Chicken Boneless Breast Meat With Rib Meat, Water, Potassium Lactate, Sodium Lactate, Salt,Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Diacetate, Flavoring, Breading :, Wheat Flour Bleached, Water,Wheat Flour Bleached Enriched (Enriched With Niacin, Iron Reduced, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB)) , Corn Flour Yellow, Corn Meal Yellow, Dextrose, Whey Dried, Salt, Sugar, Yeast, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate,Sodium Bicarbonate) , Potassium Sorbate, Spice(s), Soybean(s) Oil, Calcium Propionate, Guar Gum, Flavoring, Paprika Extractives color(s), Spice(s) Extractive

Note the sugar sources in the breading, and the chemicals up top, right after chicken meat. Here’s a little info on them: Sodium Phosphate has laxative properties, and is the main ingredient in several enemas, including Fleet brand. Sodium Diacetate, which gives “a distinct vinegar flavor” is listed as contraindicated for pregnant women, possibly causing renal issues (kidney) and fluid retention. Also note the “Flavoring” ingredient, because that means MSG. Here’s a product we feed to our children, and it can cause headaches and behavior issues (MSG) and kidney/fluid issues.

Here’s the Panera Chicken Salad sandwich on Artisian Sesame Semolina (sounds fancy) :Sesame Semolina Bread (Flour Enriched Durum and, Semolina Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron,Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB)] , Water, Flour Unbleached [Wheat Flour, Barley Malted Flour] , Sesame Seed(s), Salt) , Chicken Salad (Chicken [Water, Food Starch Modified, Salt, Chicken Fat, Flavor(s) Chicken] , Dextrose, Corn Starch, Flavor(s),Sodium Phosphate, Mayonnaise [Water, Soybean(s) Oil, Vinegar, Food Starch Modified, Egg(s) Yolks, Egg(s) Whole, Corn Syrup, Spice(s), Salt, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate Preservative, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate] , Celery, Lemon(s) Juice, Onion(s) Powder, Garlic Powder, Parsley, Pepper(s) White) , Tomato(es), Onion(s),Lettuce, Mayonnaise (Soybean(s) Oil, Canola Oil, Egg(s) Yolks, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Water,Salt, Spice(s), Calcium Disodium EDTA To Protect Flavor) , Mustard, Alfalfa Sprouts, Salt,Pepper(s)

We’re covered a lot of these chemicals, but with over 3,000 chemicals approved for our food supply, we haven’t even scratched the surface. Here’s some info. Propylene Glycol Alginate, which is approved for both food and several industrial uses, like automotive anti-freeze and runway de-icer, can have harmful effects “on fetus of any age”, and is contraindicated for people on liver and kidney medications. It’s also used as the: “killing and preserving agent in pitfall traps, usually used to capture ground beetles” [10].
Add this to multiple sources of sugar, MSG, and Calcium Disodium EDTA (remember that one?). There’s also Sodium Benzoate (allergic reactions, hives, asthma), and I have to point out that the actual chicken is literally flavored with “..Flavors, Chicken”. Huh?? Chicken flavor – which is a chemical concoction that tastes like chicken, is added to the chicken.

Here’s the ingredients in Chick Fil A Classic Chicken Sandwich: Chicken (100% natural whole breast filet, seasoning [salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika], seasoned coater [enriched bleached flour {bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening {baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate}, spice, soybean oil, color {paprika}], milk wash [water, whole powdered egg and nonfat milk solids], peanut oil [fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added]), bun (enriched flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, folic acid], water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: liquid yeast, soybean oil, nonfat milk, salt, wheat gluten, soy flour, dough conditioners [may contain one or more of the following: mono- and diglycerides, calcium and sodium stearoyl lactylates, calcium peroxide], soy flour, amylase, yeast nutrients [monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate], calcium propionate added to retard spoilage, soy lecithin, cornstarch, butter oil [soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, TBHQ and citric acid added as preservatives, and artificial color]), pickle (cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, lactic acid, calcium chloride, alum, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate [preservatives], natural flavors, polysorbate 80, yellow 5, blue 1).

Wow, I hesitated even printing that entire list. I’m afraid I’ll lose you. Be assured that this list is very similar to every other fast food list.

What about rotisserie chickens, from the grocery store? They look real, and you can see them actually turning in the Rotisserie ovens. Here’s the Costco facts.
Ingredients: whole chicken, water, salt, sodium phosphates, modified food starch, sugar, carrageenan, soy lecithin, flavorings, xanthan gum.
Again, this was very similar to every other grocery store list I looked at. Apparently, they’re injected with solution before they leave the chicken processing factory.

How bout this: buy and cook your own chicken! It’s delicious and nutritious, an excellent source of protein, and even a great source of fatty acids. Chicken fat is mostly Monounsaturated, and composed of Palmitic Acid, which is highly anti-microbial. That’s what gives chicken soup actual healing properties. Buy and cook “bone-in”, and you’ll have minerals, glucosamine, msm, collagen, and more goodies leach into the meat. And cooking chicken is simple! Just roast in the oven, with S&P, or boil in water and shred.

What you eat affects your health, your mood, and your weight. What you feed your kids affects their health, their mood and their weight. Choose RWFs.

Category: Fats, Looks Healthy But Isn't /

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