Archive for Looks Healthy But Isn’t

Supplements for Cold and Flu Season

This Post really is about supps for colds and flu, but first, read this excerpt from an October 12, 2015, Medscape newsletter on the upcoming Gastro Conference:

“A prominent theme of the meeting — the way food affects health — will be reflected in a lecture on food allergies, sensitivities, and food-related illnesses by William Chey, MD, professor of gastroenterology at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and coeditor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The association between food and gastrointestinal ailments has received renewed attention in the past 5 years; however, little credible research has supported specific dietary interventions for gut disorders, Dr Chey told Medscape Medical News.”

Wow, the Gastroenterologists are going to be considering that “food affects health and the gut”,  even though “little credible research supports dietary interventions for gut disorders”.

And this folks, is why we need to quit putting our full trust in the medical establishment, who think we’re sick from a lack of pharmaceuticals, and become very responsible for our own health.

We are, literally, made out of the food we eat ( sleep, movement, and stress management play a big role too.)  Everything we put in our mouth has an effect on us, good or bad.  Everything.

Which brings me back to Supplements:)  I got a cold about 10 days ago, darnit. My goal:  support my immune system so it’s able to overcome the virus that got me.  Here’s the routine I used to get well.

20151022_072817Fire Cider!  This is Powerful!  I’ve used a homemade version of this the past 2 winters, but since I didn’t get sick, I just used it preventively: 20151022_072834 a couple teaspoons in a big jar of water everyday, or sometimes on my salads.  This particular cold caught me off guard.  No homemade hooch so I had to buy it at my favorite health food store, Natural Market in Warrenton.  If you’re not from my area, and you don’t want to DIY, you can find the Fire Cider here.

This year, I just poured the Cider in a shot glass and downed it – WHEW.  It has a kick, and it’s effective. If you’re a wuss when it comes to food, and will only eat things that taste like pie, this could be tough.  That’s a weakness to over come though because a lot of healthy foods are bitter, sour, or hot. If I can develop my taste buds, you can you, I promise.

Next, I used oregano essential oil ( Plant Guru ), and DoTerra On Guard, which is a blend.  I also used a ton of eucalyptus oil, both Plant Guru and Arbor Oil.  I kept one in my car, and carried the other with me.  Eucalyptus is wonderful because you can rub it directly on your nose and in your nose; it opens up sinus passages fast.

Speaking of sinus passages, the Neti Pot is awesome.  Gross, but awesome.

About essential oils:  some can be rubbed directly on your skin or in your cheek, and some will burn the heck out of you if you don’t dilute them with a carrier oil like coconut oil.

I accidentally got cinnamon oil on my raw nose skin and that really stung!  There was nothing I could do, it just had to kind of “burn out”:(  I’ve also had a few minor disasters with oregano oil, and geranium oil, (I use geranium oil on my face, and I’ve learned to always put my carrier oils on first, heavily.)

I actually tried some oregano oil in my Neti Pot.  It was horrible!  I did it 4 times anyway, dumped it out, and switched back to salt water.  Much more pleasant.

I went through a whole lot of Elderberry Syrup, garlic and Manuka honey, and liquid zinc ( zinc is huge for good immune function.)  I took Biotics products “Bio-immunozyme” every morning and every night, along with A.D.P.

To sleep, I used a tonic with Valarian, Hops, Passionflower, and Skullcap, along with a Biotics Melatonin w/ B6 and Magnesium.  I slept mostly great, which is totally necessary since we repair best when we’re asleep.

I made sure to eat a huge variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices; I had liver more than normal, more lemon than usual, and more turmeric and ginger. ( I put turmeric in every single morning coffee, a habit I’m going to keep.)

20151022_082312And last, I got an ear infection, which I thought was just for kids.  I used Mullein Garlic oil: eardrum soothed, and infection gone.  Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics has changed their position on ear infections to “watch and wait”?  Most ear infections are viral, and most clear up – untreated – in a week.

I did a pretty good job staying away from sugar(which seriously and immediately suppresses immune function), except for a dive into Trickling Springs ice cream on Saturday night.  I was weak.  And made sure I got outside every day to move in the sunshine.  Vitamin D and fresh air – remedies for everything!

Here’s what I didn’t do:  use conventional cold meds.  Why?  One, suppressing symptoms while ruining my liver and other organs scares me now.  Besides, I used that stuff for years, and it never seemed to suppress the symptoms well anyway.

Sneezing, dripping/runny nose, watery eyes:  that’s our immune system expelling germs from the body.  Why would I get in the way of that?

Two:  take a look at these ingredient lists.

Vicks Dayquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Citric acid, FD&C yellow 6, flavor, glycerin, polyethylene glycol (aka PEG, I wrote about this in the Miralax post), propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate, sucrose.

Active Ingredients: Acetaminophen ( #1 cause of Liver Failure in the U.S.),Dextromethorphan HBr, and Pseudoephedrine HCl ( banned from store shelves since 2006).

Vicks Nyquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Acesulfame potassium, alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No 10, FD&C Green No 3, FD&C Yellow No 6, flavor, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate.

Active Ingredients: 650 mgs Acetaminophenm Dextromethorphen Hbr, and Doxylamine succinate.

No wonder we’re such a sick society!

It’s the end of October, start stocking up for your family now.  Colds, flus, sore throats, ear aches,… tis the season.  Make sure you and your family are covered.

Remember, no one “gets” us sick.  We come into contact with germs every day, all the time, every where.  Our immune system is either strong or weak, and our life style determines that.  Our choices determine that.  Let’s choose to be strong, and do what’s best for our body.

Success Story: Pain Gone and Weight Off

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI love it!  Another client who’s lost weight, eliminated pain, and – this isn’t in her story – got rid of daily bloat and IBS.

Its. The. Food.

But it’s not “diet food” that you need, as a matter of fact, Chrissy lived on a diet.  A typical low fat, healthy whole grain diet.

That doesn’t work, not for weight loss, and not for inflammation; no matter how intuitive it might sound that to lose fat, you shouldn’t eat fat, it’s the exact opposite of the truth.

Chrissy didn’t see me for weight loss, she already looked great.  Her weight loss was just a bonus side-effect of eating for health.  She came to me because of the daily pain she experienced, which wasn’t getting resolved despite multiple attempts with doctors-tests-drugs.

Her back pain, and her bloat-IBS, were just symptoms of inflammatory chemicals in the foods she was eating.  “Healthy” foods by normal standards, but foods I believe are causing terrible health, pain, and weight gain in most people.

Grains and sugars and chemicals aren’t good for any of us, that goes for our children who often recover quickly from any acute damage they cause.  No one can recover forever though.  Eventually, the side-effects of grains/sugars/chemicals will present themselves, every day.  

If you have issues you’re dealing with, from PCOS, to headaches, to sore joints, poor immune system, issues other than just weight, you’re not deficient in medicines, you’re nutrient deficient and damaged.  You can fix that!  

Read Chrissy’s story, and then get in touch with me.

“I’ve been dealing with terrible back pain since September 2013. I’ve had every medical test you can get – sonograms, X-rays, CT scans, MRI, back injections, physical therapy, blood work and finally a colonoscopy. I was tested for celiac. No one could give me an answer as to why the pain would come and go and vary in intensity. Meanwhile, I was LOSING days every single month because I couldn’t get out of bed due to the extreme pain. I was becoming very depressed and starting to lose hope I’d ever be out of pain. Until a follow-up with the gastro doc in January – 16 months after the pain started. They said all this pain could be food related. Rather than go on the diet they wanted me to go on, I got in touch with Debbie Brockett Abbott -a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner – and she has absolutely changed my life! Within 5 days of going grain and gluten free, 95% of the pain was GONE. ALL the pain was gone within 1 week of the diet change. Very quickly I realized that I have a terrible reaction to corn and that corn is in everything! I’m back in pain if I get even the tiniest bit of corn – corn starch, dextrose from corn, corn syrup, etc. It’s crazy. Yes, this way of eating takes time in the kitchen cooking and it took hours just to de-grain my kitchen. But my family has been incredibly supportive because they finally have a happy and FUNCTIONING wife/mom back in the house! And I’ve lost 6 pounds in the almost 2 months of eating this way and have a ton of energy – total BONUS for me! If you are dealing with any sort of pain, do some research. Look at food labels. See if eliminating certain foods could be an answer for you. We’ve all heard we are what we eat – I was eating way too many processed foods and cooking with things that had hidden ingredients I wasn’t even aware of. And if you are local, meet with Debbie!! She’s truly awesome. I’m learning so much about food and nutrition and am finally PAIN FREE! Whoo, hoo!!

How Cool! Egg Shell Calcium – Smells Like Dessert, and It’s Healthy!

20150228_081827These are before and after pictures of my eggshells:  whole, and then powered.  Holy Cow do they smell delicious, like meringue. This is my new, favorite way to get my calcium, the most 20150228_081926abundant mineral in our body.

Years ago I took calcium supplements; I actually used them as my “candy”, and so did my kids.  Ugh.  Big mistake.  Most calcium supplements use a form of calcium that doesn’t actually make it into our bones.  Worse, many calcium supplements contain junk we don’t want in our body.  Look at this ingredient list of Viactiv:

 Calcium Carbonate, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Sweetened Condensed Milk (milk , sugar), Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Glycerine, Contains 1% or Less of Cornstarch, Artificial Flavors, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K1

Really?? Yet many in the health profession recommend this to “keep our bones strong”.

Here’s the scoop on calcium in a nutshell.  Our bones and teeth should hold about 90% of our bodies calcium.  When we eat absorbable calcium (like the kind in eggshells, raw dairy, bones, almonds and greens, all Real Whole Foods), our body puts the calcium where it belongs: the bones and the teeth.

When we eat processed foods and calcium supplements, which contain cheap and poorly absorbed forms of calcium, our body puts the calcium where it doesn’t belong:  arteries (that’s what “hardening” refers to), kidneys (stones), skin (scleroderma), eyes (cataracts), joints, even the prostate and ovaries, which also can become “hardened”.

Several recent studies nail calcium supplements for dramatically increasing the risk of heart attack:  “A large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk.”  FYI: It’s crappy calcium that’s added to “fortified” foods, like orange juice; another reason to just eat Real Whole Foods.

Most ironic of all, study after study shows that calcium supplementation doesn’t increase bone density, and that countries who supplement the most have the highest rates of bone fractures.

Back to my Egg Shell Calcium beginning, we need good calcium! Not just for strong bones and teeth, but for our nerves, our enzymes, and every cell of our body. Good calcium makes us normal – one of my biggest goals!

Here’s the exciting part: studies show that eggshell calcium actually stimulates bone and cartilage growth, and decreases arthritic pain.

Here’s the DIY how-to’s:

Save all your egg shells in a big cup, and keep the cup in the fridge until you have 10 or more.

Boil the shells in a pot of water for 10 minutes.

Dry the shells in the oven on 200 for 10 to 15 minutes.

Grind in a coffee grinder; a blender or food processor’s blades will be too big.

One teaspoon of eggshell calcium contains about 800mg of calcium, so use accordingly.  Recommendations for adults are around 1000 mg a day, more for pregnant and lactating women, less for kids.

I’ve been putting mine in my morning smoothies or hot drinks, anything with fat because fat is absolutely essential for calcium absorption into the bone, as is Vitamin K2 (not K1, a la Viactiv) and Vitamin D2.

Isn’t nature cool?

Raw Honey, a Superfood and a Medicine. Make Sure It’s Real!

Want a SuperFood with a long list of scientifically proven benefits that tastes delicious?  Real Raw Honey.  If you don’t keep a jar in your kitchen at all times, I hope you will after reading this.

Raw Honey isn’t just a natural sweetener, it’s a medicine. Since I’m working hard to eliminate toxins in our lives, honey’s become a pretty common go-to for all of us, and not just to sweeten tea.

Here’s what we use honey for in our home:

– Cuts, burns, and topical infections.  You can either coat the wound/cut/burn with raw honey and bandage it, or use this product here, which is a combination of raw honey and a natural gel substance that keeps the honey in place.  Scientific proof of honey’s healing abilities to both heal wounds and kill bacteria: Here and Here.

– Coughs.  Study after study shows Honey is JUST as effective as dextromethorphan (DM), with none of the side effects. By the way, DM is used by teens as a means of “getting high”. What the heck does it do to our brains?   Honey alone is incredibly useful against coughs, but combine it with a few other anti-inflammatory and soothing herbs, and you’ve got powerful medicine.  Ginger, lemon, marshmallow root, chamomile, and cinnamon pack a whopper punch when used together.  Check out this HomeMade Cough Syrup from Wellness Mama; it keeps in the fridge for 2 months.  Make this soon so it’s on hand when you need it.

Herpes – Seriously.  Look at this from Green Med Info: A 2004 study published in the Medical Science Monitor, showed that topical honey was far superior to the drug acyclovir (trade name Zovirax) in treating both labial (lip) and genital herpes lesion.  “For labial herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 35%, 39%, 28% and 43% better, respectively, than with acyclovir treatment. For genital herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 53%, 50%, 49% and 59% better, respectively, than with acyclovir.”

Healing gastric damage from aspirin, alcohol, and other toxins we put in our gut.  Even WebMD – which is about as conventional as you can get, touts the benefits of Honey for killing bacteria and healing cell damage.  

Something I think is amazing?  Honey induces much less of a Glycemic Index rise than plain sugar in Type 1 Diabetics; which means that for all of us, honey raises blood sugar less than regular sugar does.  That’s always a good thing.

And of course, the pollens in Raw Honey, especially if they’re local, pack a powerful punch against allergies. Small amounts of pollen act as an inoculant against large amounts in the air that trigger reactions like the runny nose and itchy eyes of hay fever.  Sounds better than allergy shots!

Convinced?  Go buy some Real Raw Honey, which is absolutely NOTHING like regular honey in your grocery store.  A large study published just this year out of Texas A&M University showed that of the 60 different store brands tested, 76% contained NO pollen, no live enzymes, no live beneficial bacteria, or any of the other dozens of nutrients in Real Raw Honey. As a matter of fact, these 76% contained added sugar, corn syrup, and FLAVORS.  You’re going to have to buy Real Raw Honey from a Natural Food Store, a Farmers Market, a Co-op, or something along those lines.  (By the way, 100% of honey tested at drug stores had NO pollen or other nutrients, 100%.)

For major anti-bacterial/anti-viral action, buy Manuka Honey.  It’s a honey out of Australia made from Manuka Bushes, and this honey’s anti-pathogen action is even stronger than local raw honey.  Check out my Super Duper Germ Killer, garlic and honey, here.

Just as with other Real Foods, you can use the resource www.localharvest.com to find Raw Honey in your area.

Making ourselves, and our family, healthy should be one of our biggest priorities.  Real Whole Foods are at the top of the pyramid when it comes to health, along with sleep, stress management, and good exercise.  The best part about using Real Whole Food as medicine?  No nasty side effects, it’s cheaper than drugs, and it tastes delicious.

Weight Loss: Gluten Free Foods Keep You Sugar Burning Instead Of Fat Burning

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAClients I work with often make the mistake of thinking that Gluten Free Food PRODUCTS are not only healthy, but Weight Loss Inducing.  That’s a Big Mistake.

Gluten Free Food Products are missing the damaging gluten protein – that’s true.  But Gluten Free products like pasta, bread, cereal, and cookies, are made with High Glycemic, very easily digested and absorbed, SIMPLE SUGARS.

When we eat Simple Sugars, our blood sugar levels and blood insulin levels skyrocket, and damage happens, always.  Whether the simple sugar is from white flour, brown flour, rice flour, or corn flour, i.e. gluten-free or NOT, simple sugars flood our blood stream quickly and easily wreck havoc – every. single. time.

I love to say that a Carb is a Carb is a Carb.  No matter the source, our gut digests Carbs to the single sugar/simple sugar GLUCOSE, which then goes through the small intestine wall and into the blood stream.  When our blood sugar and insulin levels are high our arteries become damaged, our brain accumulates plaque, our blood becomes thick and sticky, and proteins and fats in the blood and affixed to the body ( our thyroid, our intestine walls, our skin..) become “Glycated”, or damaged – permanently.

These Simple Sugar Gluten Free Products also make us fat.  Here’s how:  when our blood sugar is high, anything above 100mg/dcl, insulin is released from the pancreas to lower it.  Some blood sugar can go into muscle cells (or not), a tiny bit of blood sugar can be stored in the liver (or not), and ALL THE REST OF THE EXCESS IS REMADE INTO TRIGLYCERIDES. Triglycerides = Body Fat.  

Glucose/blood sugar/carbs don’t make ANY part of us, not our hair, our eyes, our bones, our teeth. Carbs are just an energy source, and we can’t even store very much.  Excess ALWAYS gets made into Body Fat.  Always.

Another undesirable result of High Blood Sugar from Gluten Free Products:  Insulin Resistance.  When you have insulin resistance, your body’s ability to literally use FAT FOR FUEL is SHUT DOWN.  Instead, your body burns sugar.  Period.  This isn’t healthy or normal.  WebMD says at this point at least 34% of all Americans are fully Insulin Resistant.  Imagine what the number would be if it included everyone who was hovering at full Insulin Resistance??  50%?  60%?  More?   We’re 70% overweight in the country;  the correlation between ANY belly fat and insulin resistance is very high.   Got Belly Fat?

If you diet and exercise, and can’t lose weight, you’ve got a problem.  It’s not normal.  When you’re a Sugar Burner, your body sets itself up to mostly burn glucose.  Even in the absence of food, it still wants to burn Sugar not Body Fat.  This means that when Sugar Burners cut calories, or increase exercise, the body would rather break down muscle tissue and convert it to glucose than burn body fat.  It’s easier, and the body ALWAYS does what’s easier.

If you want to quit burning so much sugar for fuel, and start burning your fat stores, you’ll have to (1) cut out the grains and sugars, even gluten free grains, and (2) up your healthy fat intake.  Seriously, if you want your cells to become acclimated to burning fat, there’s a whole set up of enzymes and protocols that go along with that.  As long as there’s excess sugar in your body, from any source ( gluten free products, grains, and sugars, sometimes even fruit) YOUR BODY MUST BURN SUGAR.  It takes a real consistency of effort before your body believes you and sets up fat burning mechanisms in your cells.

Something that struck me in the book Keto-Clarity, was how many doctors were quoted as saying that before several decades ago, because the average American diet was much lower in carbohydrate, and higher in healthier fats, it would have been normal to burn both Glucose and Fat throughout the day and night.  Low states of Ketosis, where ketone bodies were burned, would also have been very normal.  There’s entire cultures that ran on Ketone bodies and fatty acids easily and with great health, throughout the world, throughout history and even today. ( For instance, very Northern  and Desert cultures with little access to plants or grains)

If you can’t lose weight, there’s a good chance you’re insulin resistant, you’re a sugar burner.  Even if you DON’T need to lose weight, but eat a high carb diet, you’re a sugar burner;  inflammation is happening.

If you want to STOP burning so much sugar and START BURNING YOUR FAT STORES,  Contact me and let’s get started.  It’s time to turn your metabolism around and make it work FOR you, not AGAINST you.

Angel Food Cake! What I’m Eating To Be Ketogenic, Pictures, and Recipes

angelfood cakeHere’s something that for a long time I considered “Healthy”, but it isn’t:  Angel Food Cake.  I remember my mom making it when I was a kid because my dad was told he had High Cholesterol, and Angel Food Cake had zero cholesterol, which meant healthy (in the old days!).  Then she’d make a fat free pudding with skim milk, and Viola!:  Healthy Dessert!

Here’s the Ingredient list for Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake mix:

Sugar, Wheat Flour Bleached, Egg White, Corn Starch, Leavening (Baking Soda, Citric Acid), Calcium Chloride, Modified Soy Protein, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Artificial Flavor, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (A Whipping Aid), Nonfat Milk. Freshness Preserved By BHT And Sodium Ascorbate.

If you cut the cake into 12 pieces, there’s 32 grams of sugar per piece, along side a giant dose of Cancer Causing, Liver Damaging, CHEMICALS.

Here’s the Ingredient list for Jello-O Instant Fat Free Vanilla Pudding:

Modified Food Starch, Maltodextrin, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate And Disodium Phosphate (For Thickening), Contains Less Than 2% Of Nonfat Milk, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Salt, Calcium Sulfate, Xanthan Gum, Mono- And Diglycerides (Prevent Foaming), Aspartame And Acesulfame Potassium (Sweetener), Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Artificial Color.

Thanks to a big dose of Aspartame, this pudding only has 8 grams of Sugar per serving, mostly, this pudding is a Giant Chemical.  The food dyes alone make it Poison, but the rest of those ingredients are just as bad.

Don’t do it!! Don’t be fooled by pretty desserts that promise no Fat and low Calories.  Our body NEEDS fat, and nutrients!  All those chemicals aren’t just potentially cancer causing, they’re bad for our LIVER ( the BIGGEST source of our Calorie Burn), our Heart ( oxidized cholesterol), our WEIGHT ( all that simple sugar will raise Blood Glucose right out of the normal range), and our Brain ( some of those chemicals are “excito-toxins”, and literally stimulate brain neurons to death!)

At the bottom of this post I’m attaching a recipe for an AMAZING Angel Food Cake from Maria’s Mind Body Health blog;  Shelby says it’s the best thing I’ve ever made, and Shelby’s a tough critic 🙂

I keep getting questions about What I’m Eating to put myself into Ketosis.  It’s been 19 days on the Keto Diet, and I’ve been updating my What I Eat page pretty frequently.

Monday, my Ketones finally hit the “Medium” range, ( took a while!), my weight’s been incredibly stable at 129/130, my energy and sleep are great, and I’m finding this really do-able. That’s probably because I was already Real Whole Food/Paleo for the past few years, and said goodbye to grains and sugars a long time ago.

That said, on August 1st, I’m going back to my Real Whole Foods diet, with my occasional Potatoes, Bananas, and any vegetable I want! I’m glad I dove into the Keto Diet to figure out the nuances, because I think it’s incredibly Therapeutic and Beneficial for a number of health conditions, including:  Insulin Resistance, Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Thyroid disorders,  and Diabetes, to name a few.  Oh, and for those who are having a difficult time losing weight:  It’s fantastic!  

Before I show some food pics, and post the Angel Food cake recipe, here’s a little info on my upcoming weekend.

I have the DCAC Fitness Convention Thursday night through Sunday; I’m packing my breakfasts and lunches, but I’ll eat out each night.  I’ll be sure to update food and workouts though out the weekend.  I LOVE the DCAC!!

Here’s some of my Keto Meals from the past several days:

chicken:cauliflower

 

This was bone-in/skin on Chicken that I cooked on foil ( less pans to wash), and in the skillet: 6 tbsp butter, 1/4 c water, a whole head of cabbage, cauliflower, onion, and chives.  Topped with Cheese:)

 

sausage:onion:cauli

 

 

To the right, that’s crumbled sausage, zucchini, cauliflower, chives, and garlic cooked in butter and you can’t tell, but there’s a whole skin from one of those chickens cut up and cooked in the pan too.  Topped with cheese of course!

And here’s the Angel Food Cake recipe, my notes are in BOLD throughout the recipe:

“HEALTHIFIED” ANGEL FOOD CAKE
12 egg whites
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1 cup Jay Robb strawberry protein powder (or EGG WHITE powder if Dairy Free) ***I USED VANILLA, NOT STRAWBERRY BC I DON’T HAVE IT**
1 cup Swerve confectioners’ sweetener (or powdered erythritol) (I USED REGULAR SWERVE, NOT CONFECTIONERS – WORKED FINE)
1 tsp strawberry extract (or other extract) ( I USED LEMON EXTRACT BC I DON’T HAVE STRAWBERRY)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift whey protein and confectioners erythritol together and set aside. In a large clean bowl, whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy (save the yolks for “healthified” creme brule, “healthified” coconut custard, OR “healthified” ice cream). Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until very stiff (you will be able to put bowl upside down and the whites won’t fall out). Add your favorite extract flavor. Quickly fold in whey mixture. Pour into a greased 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Makes 14 servings.

 

*****MY OVEN WAS TOO HOT – LAST NIGHT I BAKED AT 325 FOR 38 MINUTES******

“HEALTHIFIED” CUSTARD

12 large egg yolks
1 cup unsweetened almond milk *****I USED COCONUT MILK FROM CAN – WORKED PERFECT
3/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1/4 tsp stevia glycerite) I USED HALF SWERVE, HALF STEVIA
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted – **I USED HALF OF EACH**

Whisk egg yolks, almond milk, and sweetener in medium metal bowl to blend. Slowly mix in the melted butter so the eggs don’t cook unevenly. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk mixture constantly and vigorously until thickened and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 5 minutes total (or coats the back of a spoon). Remove mixture from over water. Serve warm or chilled. (If serving chilled, it can be prepared 1-3 days ahead and refrigerated. Re-whisk before serving.) Makes 4 servings.

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.

 

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

 

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!