Archive for RWF

PMS, Bone Health, Women’s Issues?

October 27, 2013 / / Comments Off on PMS, Bone Health, Women’s Issues?

debbie (43)Went to a Woman’s Health Seminar yesterday and it was excellent:)    We heard about PMS, Menopause, Weight Gain, Bone Health, and the (lack) of sexual desire so many women feel  that it’s the subject of a zillion jokes and pretty much accepted as “normal”.

Here’s the facts though:  PMS, bad Menopause symptoms, Weight Gain, Bone deterioration, and lack of sexual desire isn’t normal and you don’t need Magical Pills to help you get past it.

Once again, it’s ALL ABOUT DIET AND LIFESTYLE.  Your health, your mood, YOUR HORMONES, they’re the result of the Food You Eat, How You Manage Your Stress, Sleep, and Exercise.  There were no Big Reveals, Special Programs, or, like I said above, Magic Pills.   That’s okay though, because Your Health Is In Your Hands:  you have power and control over your physical and mental health, you just need to start exerting it!

PMS:  Low B vitamins and low magnesium stores will cause cramps and moodiness.  If you eat tons of carbs, you’ll burn through your B’s and Mag stores just processing/metabolizing the flours and the sugars.  You can supplement, but if your diet is Oatmeal/cereal/bagel forPMS breakfast, Starbucks midmorning, bagel/sandwich/pasta for lunch,  carby snack mid-afternoon, and then pasta/bread for dinner, then WINE,   there’s NO CORRECTING for that level of refined, processed carbohydrate ( whole wheat, whole grain, whatever, they’re reduced to Glucose/Sugar in your stomach.)

Menopause?   Some other countries don’t even have a word for that.  We’re special because we have some of the worst Peri – Menopause Symptoms In The World.  If you’ve spent your whole life eating  processed carbs, trans fats, and chemicals; drinking wine several nights a week, snacking enough that Insulin is never turned off; not managing your stress so that Cortisol is made Constantly – which means Raw Ingredients for other hormones go to Cortisol – then there is no supplement/pharmaceutical protocol that’s going to fix you.  Changing your diet will though.  So will adding exercise, going to bed hours before midnight, and managing stress.  Seriously.

Bone Health?  American’s eat more calcium, take more Vitamin D, more Bone Building Supplements, than ANY OTHER COUNTRY.  We have MORE osteoporotic fractures than ANY OTHER COUNTRY.  You can’t supplement your way out of a Carby Diet, Unmanaged Stress, Wine Every Night, Little Sleep, and No Exercise.   Just like Weight is ALL ABOUT THE HORMONES, so is your mood, your health, and your BONES.  If you have Glucose in the blood stream  ALL THE TIME ( see diet described above), bone health will be greatly affected.

Sexual Desire?  Doesn’t happen when you’re exhausted, adrenally depleted, have a slow thyroid, a liver that’s clogged, an unhappy attitude about your body, and loads of cortisol.  Again, there’s no Pill or Magic Formula to fix this.   But Lifestyle Works Every Time – honest.

We’ve got ESPN on this morning ( If my husbands home, it’s on.  It seems to have a goodbone fracture with drugs calming effect on him as he doesn’t even sit and watch it, he just enjoys having it in the background.)  So far there’ve been commercials for Doritos ( super happy people), Beer (super happy people), Prilosec ( Happy guy in front of a PILE of food;  Warning stayed on the screen for the duration:  Do Not Take More Than 14 Days.  That’s because it RUINS DIGESTION, REDUCES STOMACH ACID, and INHIBITS NUTRIENT ABSORPTION – it says that on the package too.) and then Cialis (happy people).

If you live your life according to Media Advertising,  this morning’s message is this:  Junk food is wonderful and makes you happy,  Alcohol is wonderful and makes your life better, and Drugs will help you with all the problems you encounter from your Junk Food and Alcohol consumption.

But that’s not true, at all.  Not for men, not for women, and not for children.

Your lifestyle choices Every Single Day are what make or break your health,.. every single day.  Take control of your life:  eliminate the processed grains and sugars,  read your labels so that you can avoid trans fats and chemicals too.  Don’t assume ANY FOOD that comes in a box or bag is healthy, even if it’s in the Health Section.   Do you drink Wine or Beer several nights a week?  Think of alcohol as Liquid Doughnuts, quit fooling yourself that there’s some health benefits, because there’s not.  Treat alcohol as a VERY OCCASIONAL treat; did you know that a serving size of wine is FOUR OUNCES????   Alcohol ruins stomach mucas/gut function, destroys the liver (which compromises about 60% of our Total Daily Calorie Burn), influences the body to convert everything consumed with the alcohol to be converted to fat, induces insulin to be released, damages neurons in the brain and I could go on and on and on, but let’s leave it at this:  Alcohol’s not healthy.

Sleep is IMPORTANT, and lack of sleep does a number on your hormones that lead to all kinds of illness and disease.  Make getting to bed and falling asleep – way before midnight – a priority.   Exercise is IMPORTANT,  you don’t have to do Cross Fit, or Interval Training, but you should move EVERY DAY.  Yoga / dance classes /  walking / 10 minutes on a bike and 10 minutes of lifting / whatever… it’s all good and your mind and body NEED it.    Stress Management:  Practice this.  Read about it, learn about it, focus on it.  If you live a life where stress in unavoidable, you need to learn mental and physical tricks to keep your Cortisol from constantly flooding your blood stream.   Think that’s impossible because  your life is so stressful?  Other people manage it, you can too.  It takes forethought, practice, and effort, just like planning/shopping/cooking and eating well.  But it’s totally do-able.

Our health is in our hands, from PMS, to Osteoporosis, to GERD, to Heart Health, to Diabetes, Cancer, Auto-Immune and everything else.    Practice the habits and actions that lead to Good Health, Good Hormones, and a Good Immune System.  Eat healthy fats and proteins, tons of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, some whole fat dairy( if your stomach agrees).  Exercise or move every day.  Go to bed at a decent time.  Practice stress management techniques.  Drink plenty of water.  Avoid foods and people that are toxic ( some people need to be “mentally” avoided if you can’t avoid them physically).  Take your power and use it.    You can do this!

 

Category: Carbs, Fats, Food Additives, RWF / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cholesterol Clarity, and Some Recipes

October 21, 2013 / / Comments Off on Cholesterol Clarity, and Some Recipes

debbie (22)There’s a lot of confusion and mis-information about Cholesterol, so let’s clear a few things up here:  The fat and cholesterol you eat does NOT go straight to your arteries and clog them.  That’s not how the body works AT ALL.  That’s a fear tactic pharmaceutical companies use to get you on their statins.  Cholesterol is a HEALING molecule, a major building block,  and an  antioxidant; it’s so VITAL to our body that God made EVERY SINGLE CELL IN OUR BODY produce it.  When you see a reading of your Total Cholesterol, your LIVER made most of that.  Very, very little of the cholesterol in our BLOOD comes from the food we eat.

Our brain needs TONS of cholesterol to function; our sex hormones are made from cholesterol, Vitamin D is made from cholesterol, bile is made from cholesterol; every time the body has an injury (say, a damaged artery from Insulin or toxic chemicals), the liver sends cholesterol to the site to Heal and Seal the damage. Even mental stress signals the body to produce more cholesterol.

Lipo-proteins are proteins that carry fat and cholesterol inside of them.  Low-Density Lipoproteins carry fats and cholesterol from the liver to other places in the body, and High Density Lipoproteins carry the waste products back to the liver.  Cholesterol does NOT equal lipo-proteins.  Measuring Lipoproteins is a way (some say an inaccurate way) of measuring the amount of cholesterol in your body.  Lipo-proteins are NOT ALL THE SAME.  Seven have  been identified so far; some are big, fluffy, and un-damaging, some are small, dense, and damaging.  Particle density tests can show the differences, but you’ll have to ask.  Otherwise, your doctor will prescribe the cholesterol test created in the 1970s to make a proclamation about your health.  Sound smart?

Cholesterol has been demonized, but that’s undeserved.  OXIDIZED cholesterol, and OXIDIZED lipoproteins, now they’re dangerous.  How do you Oxidize?  Lots of ways: eat sugars and flours that raise the blood sugar levels above normal;  eat Trans Fats; eat, breath, wear, or slather on chemicals that go right to the blood stream;  or flood your blood stream with Cortisol (your stress hormone),  as opposed to “managing” your stress via your mind, exercise, yoga, meditation, etc.

cholesterol clarityBottom line on clogged arteries?  Sugar and flours raise Insulin levels, increased insulin damages arteries, causes inflammation, completely shuts down fat burning in muscle cells, raises LDL and VLDL, and lowers HDL.   Trans fats and chemicals also increase inflammation and cause damage.  Our Food Matters; every bite we take either makes us healthier or sicker.

Cholesterol Clarity is a great, great book with the latest research from 28 Cardiologists and Lipid (fat) Researchers.  It’s an EASY read and honestly MIND BLOWING.   Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and Grain Brain by Dr. David Peremutter are also Must Reads.  If you care about your health, you must take your health into your Own Hands.   Learn how your body works.  No one cares about you, or your loved ones, as much as you do.

Let me end with a couple of recipes.  The first is some granola I had this weekend at an Energy workshop ( it was all about Quantum Physics and Cool Stuff), and it’s called Paleo Granola.  My friend Ginny made it and it might have been the most popular food there.  OMGosh.   Here’s the link:http://www.paleocupboard.com/granola.html.   The next recipe welemon-coconut-balls-sized made here Friday night when a couple of my college girls were home.  It’s called Keto Lemon Coconut Balls -AHHH! these were delicious! We used Creme Fraiche instead of cream cheese, and real lemon juice, and more coconut than it called for. (I can never stick to a recipe)  Can’t wait to make these again! http://ketogenicwoman.com/keto-lemon-coconut-balls/.

Eating well and being healthy doesn’t mean boiled chicken and steamed broccoli.  That’s called “dieting”, and dieting never works.  Instead, eat healthy fats and proteins, tons of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts and seeds, and some whole fat dairy (if your stomach says yes).  Eating well is delicious, and satisfying, and satiating.  Inflammation decreases, healing begins, and your brain will quit screaming at you to keep eating.  Eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Carbs, Fats, RWF / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Hop off the Diet Roller Coaster

October 18, 2013 / / Comments Off on Hop off the Diet Roller Coaster

debbie (43)I don’t know when you’ll be reading this, but I’m writing and posting it right before the weekend hits; it’s supposed to be Weekend Ammunition to Avoid Splurging/Bingeing/Blowing It.  I get a lot of emails about this, but I pull most of my understanding from my own years of weekend-blowing-it experience.  I’d plan my shopping and grocery list to include friday and saturday night treats, and day time treats; I couldn’t wait!  After a whole week of “dieting” / “being good”, I was starving!  Plus, it was a pattern I’d thoroughly established, and nurtured.

Now it’s different.  Now, I just eat well every single day.  My fairly high-fat, high-protein meals have definitely changed the way my brain works.  At 48, I have MORE energy, I’m LESS prone to food whims, and my recovery from workouts kind of amazes me; it’s fast. ( I’ve also added Systemic Enzymes to my supplement routine, which helps a lot.)

I’m finally feeding my body the nutrients it needs to build, repair, and thrive.  Those same nutrients allow my brain to focus on life instead of the next meal.  That’s the opposite of when I lived on high fiber cereal, skim milk, fat free yogurt and bagels, Diet Products, and salads.  Those are the food of death.  (dramatic I know,  but seriously, they’re processed foods loaded with simple carbohydrates, trans fats, and chemicals: the foods of death).

One of the questions I had this week in my Metabolism Class was “can I really lose weight eating high fat foods?”.  My answer:  YES.  Oh My Gosh Yes.  Foods that contain Real, Traditional Fats, i.e clean meats, coconut oils, butter from grass fed cows (Kerry Gold), olive oil, avocados, macadamia nut oil, etc, contain a ZILLION nutrients that make your body and brain run well.  Remember, our brain is 60% fat, our hormones are made from fat and cholesterol, the membrane of EVERY SINGLE CELL IN OUR BODY is made from fat and cholesterol, our bile acids are made from cholesterol, our immune system, our ability to absorb nutrients, these depend on fat and cholesterol.  Deprive your body of fat and cholesterol and see your health, mental and physical, take a nose dive.

Losing weight, feeling good; it’s not a matter of “low cal/low fat/exercise a ton”, it’s a matter of eat Real Whole Foods loaded with Nutrients, get your sleep, and handle your stress.  Hormones Rule; our hormones determine our weight, our moods, our health.  Diet lifestyles make for a horrible hormonal environment loaded with inflammation and one health problem after another.  Besides that, Diets Don’t Work:  studies show that almost 100% of EVERYONE who loses weight by dieting GAINS IT BACK.   Almost 100%.

I’ve got plenty of meals posted on my What I Eat page, but I still get asked about what I eat or why I eat certain foods.  Here’s yesterday’s meals:

Paul Newman Organic Vanilla Coffee w Raw Cream:  cream is LOADED with vit A/D/K, and healthy fats, and I think organic coffee’s a health food:)

B – Smoothie: chocolate whey protein (amino acids)/beets (good for my liver)/kale(loaded with nutrients)/cultured cream (beneficial bacteria plus more A/D/K, good fats like CLA)/blueberries(antioxidants)cinnamon/ginger(loaded with nutrients) water(can’t get enough) fish oil(Omega 3s-can’t taste this), collagen/gelatin (loaded with amino acids, glucosamine, chondroitin, msm: it’s from bones and joints/good stuff)

L- cod (left over from the night before, probably 4 oz, cooked in butter topped with rosemary, S&P),  coconut oil mixed with a little cocoa and stevia, and then frozen (the fats here are great for my brain and metabolism) All my lunches M-F I pack and eat in the car.

D – Mix: venison sausage/tomatoes/shitake mushrooms/onion/basil;  roasted sweet potatoes w/ butter, S&P

I alternate the whey in my morning smoothie with raw eggs (2) and cocoa/stevia.  Eggs are Nutrient Bombs, which when blended into a smoothie, raw, leaves all the nutrients in perfect condition;  you can’t taste the raw egg (you know, raw eggs are added to most homemade ice cream recipes, it just makes the mix “richer”). (ps: I get my eggs from a farm, not the store. I wouldn’t eat raw commercial eggs.)  I go back and forth between spinach and kale, and have even used  “green powders”.  I make sure I use one or two different spices and alternate between cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. When I’m on my period, I add Blackstrap Molassas for the Iron and minerals.   And of course, I use several different fruits, all frozen:  banana, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries. Sometimes I use Kombucha (fermented tea) or Keifer (cultured milk) instead of water – you can never get enough good bacteria!

So, after years of riding the Diet Crazy Train, I’ve hopped off.  Now I never count calories, or weigh my food;  I’m rarely EVER hungry between meals ( I love that!), I make Paleo treats and eat them without worrying.  I test my blood sugar to make sure it’s low/healthy, and I plan, shop, cook, and pack.  My stomach’s pretty flat, I don’t PMS, and I don’t castigate myself (anymore) for weekend binges that take 2 or 3 days to undue, because I don’t have weekend binges.  You can feel good too!  You can get off the diet roller coaster, be at a healthy weight, lower inflammation, strengthen your immune system, and have more level moods – HONEST.  Just eat Real Whole Foods: plenty of good fats and proteins, tons of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, some whole dairy (if your stomach likes that).  You can change your health and your weight permanently.  I promise.

Category: Cooking, Fats, RWF, Uncategorized / Tags: , , , ,

Why I Eat Fat, and an Apology to my Husband

October 10, 2013 / / Comments Off on Why I Eat Fat, and an Apology to my Husband

debbie (44)Our country, and much of the world, is suffering from an epidemic of obesity, all matters of disease, and mental/neurological problems.  I just finished reading an article in the Atlantic that blames the cause of these issues on fat,  “..science is, in fact, fairly straightforward. Fat carries more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates and proteins do per gram, which means just a little fat can turn a serving of food into a calorie bomb.”   OMG.  This is 2013, and that’s not what the science is saying AT ALL.  But this is exactly the kind of thinking that’s gotten us into this weight/health/mental disorder mess.  Just because fat has twice as many calories, doesn’t mean it’s the CAUSE of our current condition. The lowfat/lowcal/”healthy whole grain” paradigm is exactly what’s caused the current condition.  Body fat wasn’t a problem at all before the current recommendations were put into place and became a Public Mantra.

FACTS:  Our brain is 60% fat; our connections, our memories, our ability to quickly recall details, they go AWAY when there’s not enough good fat and cholesterol in the diet.  Science proves this, read Grain Brain, by neurologist David Perlmutter.
Our hormones?  Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, all the steroid hormones ( there’s a bunch), they’re made from FAT and cholesterol, it’s part of the recipe.   Vitamin D?  (of which there’s a serious deficit),  it’s made from Cholesterol.  Science proves this, read Cholesterol Clarity. 28 doctors and lipid scientists fill the pages with the latest research.cholesterol clarity

The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K?  They can only be absorbed in the small intestine WITH FAT.  Science/proof/read The Great Cholesterol Myth by Drs. Jonny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra.

Want to feel full, and stay full for HOURS?  Eat fat. Want to feel more stable, less moody, less scattered, less forgetful?  Eat fat.  The science proves this, read the Mood Cure by Julia Ross.

Here’s the real science:  when you eat carbs, and put your blood sugar above 100mg/dcl of blood, insulin takes that EXCESS and turns much of it into TRIGLYCERIDES, which need little LDL boats to transport them to our torso area. Current Science:  excess carbs = high insulin= inflammation & triglycerides & high LDLs.  That’s the science.

I’ve eaten more fat in the past two years than I think I have cumulatively my entire life.  For the first time in years and years, my binges and cravings are pretty much gone.  It’s like a thousand pound weight off my shoulder.  I’ve eaten less refined/processed/ healthy whole grain carbs than ever too.  What a WONDERFUL combination.  High fat, medium protein, low carb, with my carb sources being vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.  It’s such a relief to NOT feel preoccupied with thoughts of food, or the next meal.

My weight:  totally stable.  My moods, better than ever.  My fitness level, great.

Confession to my husband:  when you came home last night and said “I smell bacon! Did you save me some?” and I said, “oh hon, there were only 3 pieces, and I ate them.”  There were 6 pieces, and I actually did cook some for you, but I was talking on the phone with Lynda and just ended up eating them all. They were so good.  I’m Sorry!! There will be bacon for you tonight I promise!

We get our bacon from our local IGA, and they’ve been buying a “forested pig” and doing their own curing.  I never knew how much a pig’s diet could change the flavor of the meat, but this is AMAZING.  There’s plenty of places that are doing this now, try www.eatlocal.org to find a place near you.

Let me leave you with a recipe for my favorite treat, chocolate coconut discs; but first, why coconut?  Coconut has enormous anti-viral/anti-bacterial properties, huge.  Seriously, put it on a cut or a cold sore and watch what happens.  It does the same with bacteria and virus that make it past the skin or mouth.  It’s also a Medium Chain Fatty Acid, which means it digests VERY easily, and is mostly used for energy very quickly, as opposed to stored.  It’s being very successfully used in Alzheimer’s and dementia studies right now, for actually REVERSING the conditions; but I like to think about it’s ability to PREVENT the conditions.  I make sure mygirls in richmond kids get coconut flakes, butter, or oil every day. It’s a pretty potent superfood.  Now for my recipe:  I melt a couple tablespoons of coconut butter/oil in a small round, glass bowl.  I add a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a few drops of liquid stevia.  Stir, and freeze.  I have to let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to pop it out.  This is DELICIOUS, and incredibly filling.

Eating well is delicious.  Real Whole Foods taste amazing.  I’m not talking about steamed veggies and lean proteins.  That’s boring and unsatisfying; no one can stick with that forever!  But delicious meats and vegetables covered with butter, olive oil, and cheese? Or sauteed in coconut oil?  Even kids like that – and it’s good for them, and you too.

Tired of feeling tired, or sick, or unable to lose the weight?  Try a different way of thinking.  Try a different way of eating.  Just try it.  Get in touch with me if you have questions.  I promise, there is a better way. Don’t be scared to try it.

Category: Carbs, Fats, RWF /

Satisfries and Jennifer Aniston: Part of a Plot?

October 7, 2013 / / Comments Off on Satisfries and Jennifer Aniston: Part of a Plot?

burger king guyOh gosh, Burger King’s come out with a new french fry called Satisfries.  It’s supposed to have less calories because the crinkle cut inhibits some oil absorption.  The advertising blitz for this is centering on the premise that you can have your french fries without the guilt – it’s practically a Free Food!

UGH.  Satisfries, or any french fry, is a giant pile of quick digesting sugar/carbs, soaked in hydrogenated oil.  Talk about a triple whammy:  high carbs, high insulin, and hydrogenated oils:  cancer, heart disease, diabetes, brain fog, and weight gain (and that’s the short list!).  Every time you expose your body to this, a little bit of damage happens, and the damage builds up.  Parents, the damage happens inside your child’s body also, even if they’re lean and athletic.

What’s really annoying though is that Burger King is preying on the widely held belief that it’s all about the calories.  That’s their Buzz Line:  “40% Less Fat, 30% Less Calories”;  but  CALORIES MEAN NOTHING.  It’s the hormonal effect of food that makes or breaks us. sugar rollercoaster Counting calories is pointless.  The medium Satisfry is 340 calories, 14 grams of fat (all trans fat), and 51 grams of carbs.  51 !!!   That’s almost 13 TEASPOONS of sugar; when our blood sugar rises above 2 teaspoons, Insulin is released, and excess sugar/glucose is converted into Triglycerides to be stored. No satiety (which comes from hormones triggered in the brain) would happen; as a matter of fact, these foods were created in a lab to induce hunger/eating/the desire for more.   Let’s compare that to 340 calories of a burger, green beans, and cheese.  The beef, (let’s imagine grass fed – not soy/corn fed),  has a high Omega 3 content, and CLA (anti-cancer fatty acid), is about 200 calories for 4oz, zero carbs;  an ounce of cheddar has about 100 calories, zero carbs,  and a whole cup of green beans is 31 calories, 7 grams of carbohydrate.  Besides the serious nutritional differences, there are HORMONAL differences:  very, very, very little insulin would be released, and probably NO triglycerides produced and stored, with the second meal.  Satiety hormones would be triggered. You’d eat this and STOP EATING.  Your body and mind would say “okay”.  That doesn’t happen with Satisfries, or any psedo-food.

Here’s something else that’s bugging me:

I just saw something on my FaceBook page that made me cringe; an ad from Weight Watchers that pictures Jennifer Aniston and claims she “lost 6 pounds in 6 days following these Diet Rules.”  First of all, Jennifer Aniston’s skinny!  Where’d the 6 pounds come from?  Supposing smart onesit’s true though,  anyone can starve themselves for a few days and lose 6 pounds of water and muscle tissue. Wrestlers do it all the time.   Fat loss from little bouts of starvation however, is pretty rare.  The body is hesitant to give up fat because fat’s an easy keeper. If you choose to go super low calorie, the thyroid slows WAY down, and the brain and liver signal your muscle cells to decompose down to amino acids, which can be converted to blood sugar for energy.  Repeat:  low calorie eating causes muscle to be used for fuel.  NOOOOO!!!!

Now you’ve got a slower Thyroid, and less muscle tissue; NOT a permanent way to keep weight off.  As a matter of fact, after you “re-bound” eat, you’ll probably end up a little heavier than before your low cal attempt.

What does this Jennifer Aniston piece have to do with Satisfries?  It demonstrates that Big Food and Big Advertising and Big Business know that everyone wants to lose weight, and that most people believe that if they cut calories, the weight comes off.  So that’s the angle their debbie (29)marketing departments are advising.  Probably successfully.  But it just doesn’t work that way. Low fat, low calorie foods and plans DON’T WORK in the Long Run. Ever.  Statistically, almost 100% of everyone who loses weight on a Diet, gains it back.   You need a food plan you can sustain, that makes you healthy and happy and satisfied.  That’s what Real Whole Foods do for you.  Ditch the sugar, the flours, the trans fats, and the chemicals.  Plan, shop, cook in batches, pack. Eat plenty of healthy fats, healthy proteins, tons of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and some whole dairy( if your stomach likes that).   Focus on how you want to FEEL. Foods like Satisfries, or Weight Watches Frozen Meals don’t make you feel good afterwards.   Practice the habits that make you feel good, and the weight comes off.  Eat for health, and weight loss is a side effect.  Eat Real Whole Foods.  Check out my What I Eat Page for ideas.

Category: Cooking, Looks Healthy But Isn't, RWF, Sugar /

Eat to Build Your Immune System, Reach Your Ideal Weight

October 5, 2013 / / Comments Off on Eat to Build Your Immune System, Reach Your Ideal Weight

debbie (22)Eat Healthy, and weight loss is a side effect – I swear!  In my last post, I wrote about what destroys immune function.  This is important as we’re heading into the typical cold and flu season.  The germs are all around us; some people will get sick, some people won’t.  It’s not a matter of whether you take medicine or not, that’s just suppressing symptoms after the fact.  It’s a matter of the strength of your Immune System.  Live to boost your immune system, and it’s the same as living to be at your best weight. (I get too many emails and questions about Weight Loss – I know it’s always an underlying concern for most people).

The most important thing to remember? Don’t suppress your immune system with excess carbs/sugars: 56% reduction of white blood cell activity within ONE hour; inhibits Vit C function; uses minerals and vitamins to metabolize that should be used to build immune system; inhibits fatty acids from properly building cells wells to keep virus and bacteria out; feeds pathogenic bacteria and virus.  ( that’s the short list, there’s more)

What can you do?? Eat foods that both feed the good bacteria in your digestive system (which house 80% of your Immune System), and nurture your bodies ability to keep building immune cells (think of them as soldiers, and our body uses the nutrients from the food we eat to build them).

Here’s a list:

Beef, Chicken, Pork, and cold water Fish:  if you get grass-fed (wild-caught for fish), they’re loaded with Omega 3s, (immune boosting, inflammation suppressing); all meats contain anti-viral/ anti-bacterial properties in their fats (check out this post).  The vitamins and minerals are COMPLIMENTARY , this means that all the co-factors to absorb them (such as  Zinc and the Bs) are PRESENT, as opposed to isolating them individually in supplements.

Coconut meats and oils are loaded with anti-viral/anti-bacterial properties.  Egg yolks are food:medicinenutritional powerhouses.  Grass-fed dairy is LOADED with Vitamin A, D, and K2, along with all the cofactors for absorption.

Remember, all those “fat-soluble” vitamins (A,D,E, and K)   NEED FAT TO BE ABSORBED AND USED.  Fat-free dairy??  Don’t eat it!  Not only are people who consume that stuff heavier than people who consume whole dairy, but the vitamins and minerals in dairy need fat to be utilized.  Period. There’s no getting around that because that’s how God designed it.

Butter (get Kerry Gold, it’s grass-fed and sold just about everywhere now): contains Butyric Acid, which is one of the favorite foods of the GOOD bacteria in your colon.

Cholesterol is hugely important for our immune system (remember, cholesterol is GOOD for you) as it’s a vital component of Vit D.   No/Low cholesterol, equals No/Low Vitamin D levels.  Get yours checked at your next appointment.

Herbs are incredibly powerful in boosting immune function:  Garlic (it needs to sit, crushed/chopped/raw/exposed to air, for about 10 minutes so that the necessary compounds can become activated);  Turmeric (OMG – powerhouse.  If you don’t like it in your food, take it in supplement form);  oregano oil (super anti-viral/anti-bacterial), olive leaf (immune building); cinnamon, and cloves.

Pro-biotics are always a good idea, but get them from a GOOD source.  Commercial, sweetened yogurts are NOT a good source.  SUGAR FEEDS BACTERIA.  Eat super sugary yogurts and you’re defeating the purpose.  Buy plain, and add fruit.  Teach your kids togerms appreciate “less sweet” – that’s a taste that will serve them well their whole lives.  Keifer (a pourable yogurt, that also has cultured yeasts along with the bacteria) is another wonderful food. (Full-Fat, and as little sugar as possible!!).

Kombucha’s being sold everywhere, that’s a fermented tea.  Cultured vegetables are becoming more available, like Bubbies Saurkraut and pickles.  IMPORTANT:  most pickles are just “pickled”, which means sitting in vinegar.  Culturing/fermenting means there’s been a bacterial agent added, which develops that kind of sour taste.

Probiotic supplements are ALWAYS good, but if you’re on antibiotics, you should probably wait til you’re finished with them.  If you don’t want to wait, make sure there’s HOURS between your antibiotic and your probiotic, or you’re just wasting your probiotic money.

Fruits and Vegetables??  A big YES.  Eat as many as you can, ESPECIALLY vegetables, so your carbs stay low. (too many carbs suppress them immune system)

Sleep and Water are HUGE for your immune system – both for it’s strength, and for recovery if you catch something.

Do you see what I mean about eating to build your immune system is the same as eating to be at your optimal weight?  It’s all about avoiding crappy poisons: sugars, flours, bad fats, and chemicals, and eating Real Whole Foods.

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

Category: RWF /

Diets Never Work!

September 17, 2013 / / Comments Off on Diets Never Work!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Category: Fats, RWF /

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

September 16, 2013 / / Comments Off on Weight Loss Class; How to Improve your Joints, Skin, Arteries, and Immune System

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Category: Cooking, RWF /

Weight Loss Class; and Fatty Liver Disease

September 11, 2013 / / Comments Off on Weight Loss Class; and Fatty Liver Disease

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Category: RWF /

You Have The Power To Change Yourself!

September 9, 2013 / / Comments Off on You Have The Power To Change Yourself!

youshouldtryeatingfoodI’ve got to stick with my cooking and packing theme for another day, after all, it’s one of the biggest topics I get emailed about.  More than anything, I want to convince you all that your health and weight aren’t the result of not enough pharmaceuticals or diet foods, but the end product of your everyday food choices and lifestyle habits.  You Have So Much Power to Change Yourself!!!

I love all the new Paleo/ Real Whole Food recipe sites out there, and the Cookbooks that go with them are amazing (although I ONLY use the internet for my recipes).  HOWEVER……  between the FoodNetwork, Food TV shows, the Cooking Channel, internet recipes, and food magazine covers and recipes, there’s this HUGE MISPERCEPTION that to make great food, you need to invest time, money, and a lot of effort.  You. Don’t.

I rarely ever, ever, ever, make a “recipe” in the past couple of years.  I don’t really need to anymore.  I did when I cooked lowfat/lowcal, because you need a LOT of tricks to make bland, fatless food taste good, but that’s just not necessary when you use Real Whole Food with Fat Attached.  Honestly.    All the years of combing through chicken recipes, (I have one old cookbook called “1,000 Chicken Recipes”) , marinating the chicken, coating it, sauteing it, blahblahblahblah, and sometimes it still came out tough and dry.  Now I buy bone in/ FAT ON chicken, pop it in the oven on 400 for 40 minutes with salt and pepper, and it comes out lovefoodnotgetfatperfect EVERY SINGLE TIME.  I slow roast meats with the “fat up”, with salt and pepper, and it comes out perfect every single time.  I cook fatty lamb sausage, or pork and venison sausage, and don’t drain off all the fat, and it comes out perfect every single time.  Vegetables??  Top liberally with butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, and some hard grated cheese – it’s perfect every single time.  I cut up potatoes or spaghetti squash, top with butter and cheese – everyone loves it. Kids eat vegetables when they have butter and cheese on them!!

My point:  we’ve been corrupted by decades of low fat thinking and cooking.  Good food isn’t hard, and it doesn’t need to be time consuming – recipes aren’t necessary.  Real food mixes perfectly with good butter ( get some Kerrygold – it’s grassfed and sold everywhere), or good olive oil ( get extra-virgin, first cold pressed),  good hard cheese, salt and pepper, and that’s good enough.  Quit stressing yourself out that you’re not Martha Stewart or Giada. You don’t need to be.

Still worried about the fat?  Please, go over my fat and cholesterol posts.  Fat is GOOD for us; our body needs cholesterol; these are necessary nutrients, and best of all, they’re satiating.  Repeat this:  Real fats don’t make me fat; processed, refined carbs do.   Eat Real Whole Foods, including fats, and you’ll feel full and satisfied.  This is in opposition to eating processed, refined, or (most)restaurant foods:  they’re full of sugar/flour/chemicals/and transfats that stimulate your brain into wanting more, and damage your liver, your immune  and your digestive system.

succsmorningStill worried because you’ve built such a high wall between yourself and cooking?  Don’t be.  Keep wrapping your mind around this new point of view: “Fat is good; cooking is relaxing; I can do this.”  That said, use the cookbooks/recipe sites/magazines if you want to, I’m just saying don’t be intimidated or fooled into thinking complex, lengthy recipes are the only way to make a good meal because they’re not.  Cook enough and pretty soon you’ll be comfortable taking what ever’s in your fridge and throwing it in the pan, adding a few herbs / spices and having it come out wonderful.  Here’s what I’ve been making all summer:  in a frying pan, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Cook down.  Add a meat and some grated parmesan, and  Wa La! it’s perfect.

Here’s something else we’ve done a hundred times this summer:  eggplant or zucchini pizza.  Cut zucchini into round discs, about 3/4 inch thick, or slice a medium zucchini length wise. Spread tomatoes or tomato sauce on, top with crumbled meat, some veggies, and plenty of mozarella, bake at 425 for 20 minutes.  It’s delicious.

This weekend we went to visit one of our daughters at her college and attended a 3:30 football game (Oregon is AMAZING!), we packed our lunch and ate in the parking lot: a shredded roast from 2 weeks ago that we got out of the freezer before we left, and some raw vegetables.  No, it wasn’t gourmet and it wasn’t even that delicious. It was just healthy food that filled us up. But we were going out to dinner and didn’t need to over-indulge.  We were fine and that was even after a big leg workout for both of us that morning.

A lot of changing your weight and changing your health will rest on changing your view of meg:reese:careating and cooking.  Real Whole Foods are delicious; they can also be simple and fast.  Not every meal needs to be a culinary experience, but every meal SHOULD nurture your body and satisfy your mind.  Real Whole Foods do that; processed, refined foods do neither.

Details on Weight Loss Strategies Classes coming tomorrow.  This Class will focus on Food/Biology/ and the How-To’s of permanent weight loss, which is a combination of Real Whole Food and Positive Thoughts and Attitudes.  Food is everything, but if you can’t break your self-defeating habits, thoughts, and patterns, you’re sunk.  We’ll fix that!

This last picture is my sweet Reese and oldest daughter Megan.  Talk about a positive image!

Category: Cooking, Fats, RWF /
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