Archive for RWF

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

May 28, 2014 / / Comments Off on Links To Low Carb Doctors, and What I Learned, Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Category: Carbs, Fats, Hormones, RWF, Sugar, Uncategorized / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Looks Healthy But Isn’t!

May 17, 2014 / / Comments Off on 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.

Category: Carbs, Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't, RWF, Sugar / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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

May 14, 2014 / / Comments Off on 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

 

Category: Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't, RWF / Tags: , , , , ,

Spring Detox – It’s Happening!

May 12, 2014 / / Comments Off on Spring Detox – It’s Happening!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Category: Carbs, Eat on Vacation, Fats, RWF / Tags: , , , , , ,

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

May 10, 2014 / / Comments Off on 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!

 

Category: Cooking, Looks Healthy But Isn't, Mind/Body, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Question of the Week, RWF, Smoothie of Day, Uncategorized / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is Life Passing You By While You Diet?

April 30, 2014 / / Comments Off on Is Life Passing You By While You Diet?

usEasterWow! Mark’s post generated a lot of hits, links, and emails!! He’s promised to do more Man Posts for me soon. He’s a great spokesperson for me because he’s not “Lucky”; he’s come to this place through the same ups and downs everyone else has. He just had many epiphanies along the way; we want you all to have epiphanies too.

Here’s one I hope everyone gets: If a large portion of your daily thoughts focus on dieting, food, calories, the scale, and your weight,.. what a waste of the life God’s given you. Really. Think about that. I’m not saying that judgmentally, I’m saying that as someone who’s wasted a lot of her waking thoughts on those exact subjects, and it makes me feel ashamed. I don’t know God’s plans, but I do know He didn’t put me here on earth to Diet.

Years ago, when I was agonizing over how to stay skinny and succumbing to weekly rebound binges, I knew the calorie and fat count of every food I put in my mouth. I would balance that with my workouts. I’d felt guilty for years over the obsessiveness of my Diet Lifestyle, so I decided to look into an Overeaters Forum. This had a huge impact on me: there were women in their 60’s and 70’s agonizing over their binges and purges…… 60 and 70 year old women were still dieting, binging, and obsessing??? Here was my thought: ” A LIFETIME of Dieting???”

I forget a lot of things, but I vividly remember what I read on that site, and it really scared me. The thought that I’d waste even more decades DIETING, regretting, sneaking food, feeling the horrible after effects of binges, ugh. Unbearable. That was a real wake up call.

At that point, I’d been learning about Real Whole Food, the many benefits of fat, and toying with the idea that chemicals and grains could be harmful for me. I was also tired of eating 5 to 6 dumb “mini-meals” a day, and dealing with painful bloat every afternoon. The more I learned, the more my diet lifestyle seemed wrong. Unfortunately, my Protein Bars that tasted like Snickers, and the Diet Dr. Pepper I drank six times a day – on a strict schedule, along with other Diet Foods, had an enormous hold on me. Addictions 🙁 But I broke the addictions 🙂 You can too.

I’ve had a lot of email, and worked with a lot of clients, who sound just like I did. You can break the chains of dieting, I swear, I promise.

It starts with a new mindset: Food is about nurturing and feeding our body; when this is your attitude, when the Diet Mindset of fear and obsession is gone, there’s a weight off your shoulders and stumbling blocks disappear in your mind. You start to make food choices based on these thoughts: what foods and spices and herbs will build my muscles / energy / mood /hair/ eyes/ immune system/ neurotransmitters/ brain cells/ joints/ thyroid gland/ etc. The days of balancing that calories in calories out scale ( which DOESN’T work ) become replaced with just eating Real Whole Food; and the peace of mind that comes with that is priceless.

BONUS: Eat Real Whole Foods three times a day, quit the dieting, and you free up your mind to LIVE THE LIFE GOD PLANNED.

SECOND BONUS: Eat Real Whole Foods, quit dieting, get Healthy, and YOU BECOME A HEALTHY WEIGHT. Honest!! There’s now a huge Real Whole Foods/Paleo/Primal community out there to prove it.

That said, Addictions and Habits are hard to break, and most of us have grown up in an era of serious Marketing by Big Phuvernment** that has us convinced that Fat is Bad, Low Cal Diets are Good, and you need Special Diet Products to be healthy. It’s a Lie, but it’s an effective lie. If you’re ready to change, get in touch with me. As one client told me this week:

“Yes! I’m eager to keep learning and incorporating nourishing foods into my diet and my family’s. All of this has given me such a better relationship with food. Instead of being fearful of what food will do, I am feeling more excited about what I can get food to do for me. Totally crazy! I never imagined I could be at this place :)”

** Big Phuvernment: the sexual union of Big Business, Big Pharma, and Government.

Category: Fats, Mind/Body, Psychology of Eating, RWF / Tags: , , , ,

Stress can make you Fat and Sick

April 19, 2014 / / Comments Off on Stress can make you Fat and Sick

I’ve had several meetings in the past 2 weeks about health and weight problems that were stress induced.  For those of you who wonder how stress could possibly make you sick or heavy, here’s a couple of reasons out of the many (you’d need text books to cover everything.)

Our adrenal glands, which sit right on top of the kidneys, make dozens of hormones.stessbinge  HORMONES RULE US. PERIOD.  When we feel stress from anything ( an argument, over exercising, traffic, kids, a project, illness/infections, work stress, dieting.. etc) our adrenal glands squirt some “fight or flight” hormones into our blood.  There’s several, but I’m going to lump them all under the one called “CORTISOL”.

Follow me here:  even though most stressful situations do NOT involve having to physically run/kill/chase/escape from a physical danger, the response from our body is as if that was the case.  Cortisol/adrenaline prepares us for a physical exertion. ( It’s a very primal response. ) How?  So many ways..   this is just a couple.

1) When “stress” is felt, sugar is immediately dumped into the blood stream.  Sugar is FAST energy and fat is SLOW energy, right?  If the body is preparing for a threat, it wants FAST energy.  Where does the sugar come from?  First, the liver shoots out it’s teaspoon or so of stored sugar, then, if the stress continues, the muscle cells will be easily converted to glucose/sugar (that’s called “muscle wasting”) and then fat cells will give up their fatty acids and they’ll be converted to sugar.    *************  What if you don’t actually need all that SUGAR/GLUCOSE because your emergency didn’t involve anything physical?    YouGottaProblem.   Excess sugar is ALWAYS CONVERTED TO TRIGLYCERIDES AND STORED IN THE MIDSECTION.  ALWAYS.  That’s why stress causes heart disease, because the cortisol dumps sugar in the blood that’s not needed, so it becomes dangerous belly fat.  ( The many dangers of belly fat are a whole nother lecture, seriously.)

2) Cortisol in the blood immediately causes the heart rate to increase, the blood pressure to increase, and it causes your cells to DUMP their Magnesium (remember, this is the short list).  Studies are showing that most of us are Magnesium deficient, which is bad, because Mag has many, many jobs to do in our body. One of them is to relax our muscles.  When Cortisol is present though, we’re in an “anti-relaxed state”;  dumping Magnesium allows our muscles to contract quickly.  Again, so we can zebra losing spotsrun/kill/chase/escape.   Stay in a stressed state, and the Magnesium deficit just grows.

3) Cortisol shuts down stomach acid, which means it shuts down digestion.  Digestion’s NOT a priority in a “fight or flight” situation.  Stay stressed, and you become nutrient deficient.  Nutrients run and build our body;  consequences are inevitable.

4) Cortisol halts Sex Hormone production, because the same “ingredients” (aka nutrients) are used to make the fight / flight hormones and the sex hormones.  There’s only just so many of those ingredients, and Reproduction is NOT a priority in a “fight or flight” situation.  The body will ALWAYS choose to make fight or flight hormones over sex hormones.  Hormones run and build our body: consequences are inevitable.

I could go on and on and on.  There’s not one single part of us that isn’t negatively affected by TOO MUCH cortisol.  That said, we need cortisol!  It gets us up in the morning, and it’s supposed to be our bodies “anti-inflammatory” response to injury.  Unfortunately, when the cortisol valve doesn’t shut off, the opposite response happens:  INFLAMMATION.  The cause of everything bad:(

If this post is ringing bells in your head because “this sounds like you”,  email me.  Your health, your weight, your moods, your energy, greatly depend on having healthy adrenal glands and normal levels of cortisol.  When damage has been done, you need to undo it, as soon as possible!

Oh, you know what else causes stress/cortisol/inflammation?  Too much sugar, flour, and toxins.  Seriously.  Yet another reason to eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Hormones, Mind/Body, RWF / Tags: , , , , , ,

Chronic Constipation Isn’t From a Lack of Laxatives

April 16, 2014 / / Comments Off on Chronic Constipation Isn’t From a Lack of Laxatives

Wow, I didn’t expect so many responses to Monday’s post on Amanda, Miralax, and the Manuka Honey!  Thank you all for your concern; she’s recovering, going to class, trying to be normal, and so far the new seizure drug isn’t causing any mood side effects; hope that continues to be the case.  She’s still a little beat up, but should be back to normal in another day or two.

vintage exlaxI definitely shocked a lot of you with that report on Miralax, as many of you wrote that your doctor has prescribed it for either your children, your older parents, or you’ve used that or other laxatives yourself.  American’s don’t spend $700 million a year on laxatives because they’re fun, Americans are chronically constipated.  NO ONE’S CONSTIPATED BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH LAXATIVE IN THEM. NO ONE.  Laxative’s don’t even work for a lot of people, and yet, they keep taking them, or worse, they take more in an effort to make things work.

Here’s another shocker:  high fiber grains, and high fiber supplements can make things worse.  Grains/flours get reduced to glucose/sugar in the gut, and then they go on to wreck havoc with blood sugar, pH, and gut bacteria.  Fiber supplements? Here’s the ingredients in Benefiber:

Ingredient: Wheat dextrin                            benefiber
Benefiber Orange also contains Wheat dextrin, citric acid, natural orange flavor, potassium citrate, aspartame, gum acacia, acesulfame potassium, maltodextrin, lactose (milk), triglycerides, sucrose acetate isobutyrate (adds a trivial amount of sugar), modified cornstarch, yellow 6, red 40

GROSS! Wheat, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, food dyes, and cornstarch. YOU DON’T HAVE CONSTIPATION BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT CONSUMING THIS. Honest.

Why the chronic constipation?  So many reasons:  OTC and prescription meds ( which either change the pH of the gut, the motility of the gut, or both),  a diet full of sugars, grains, and chemicals;  sitting too much; not enough exercise;  EMOTIONS greatly affect the gut via either constipation or diarrhea;  and of course, the biggie – what you’re NOT eating: tons of vegetables, fermented/cultured foods and drinks, fruit, good fats, good proteins, and lots and lots of water. ( hey, that sounds like a Real Whole Foods prescription!)

What if you’ve been on laxatives and fiber supplements for years?  You’ve upset the hairdolaxnormal bacterial environment, the normal pH environment, and conditioned (addicted)  the muscles along the gut wall that they’ll be stimulated by chemicals.  It’s going to take some time, along with a real consistent program, to get regular again.  Unfortunately, if living “kind of healthy”, with the occasional/few times a week meal or snack of constipation causing foods or meds is your norm, it’ll be hard to correct the constipation.  Persistence and consistency will be key to reversing this, but wouldn’t “normal” be great?  It’s within your grasp, you just need to be patient and vigilant about the habits and actions of your every day life.  There’s no secrets or tricks, it’s always about planning, shopping, packing, and cooking.  Always.

However, if you’re addicted to chemical stimulants to make you go to the bathroom, get in touch with me.  You’re going to need a program.

Our body wants to be fed it’s necessary nutrients every day, every meal.  Food ALWAYS has an effect, either good or bad.  Always. There are no neutral foods.

I’m going to link to a TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls.  She’s not known for her work with constipation, but no one demonstrates how food affects us like she can.  No one.  She’s an MD who’s REVERSED her Multiple Sclerosis with FOOD.  Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison.  It’s an incredibly slow acting poison (thanks to our body constantly trying to repair itself), so the eventual toxicity/effects can take years to manifest. ( The average disease, from cancer, to heart disease, to diabetes, takes 20 years to develop.)  I honestly can’t think of a better example to demonstrate that our body and our brain, are the result of the manuka garlicfoods we eat every day.  Your child’s body and brain are the result of what they eat every day.   If you’re struggling with staying on track with a Real Whole Foods eating program, watch this youtube.  It’s short, but it’s very, very powerful and motivating.

Oh! One more thing!  About the Manuka honey, here’s my tried and true Immune Boosting Magic Elixir:   garlic that’s been allowed to “air” for 15 minutes (that activates it’s beneficial nutrients) with the honey.  I swear, it kills germs FAST.  Swallow fast without chewing and it’s no big deal, honest.

 

 

 

 

Category: Food Additives, Gut bacteria, Looks Healthy But Isn't, Question of the Week, RWF / Tags: , , , ,

Man Post, Seizures, Constipation/Miralax, Green Smoothie

April 14, 2014 / / 2 comments

Where’s Mark’s Man Post?  It was due on April 13!  We hit a snag with our weekend plans.   Our epileptic daughter Amanda ended up in the hospital much of the weekend with “break-thru” seizures.  She’s pretty beat up.  She was put on a new anti-seizure drug a month ago which caused such a depressive state of mind;  she quit cold turkey last Sunday.  She should have weaned off the brain med; however, she’s had plenty of seizures when she’s been on her meds too.

Epilepsy Sucks.  That’s all I can say.  No, actually, I have to say she’s amazing.  Last night, after a she got home and took a nap, because there’s no sleeping in a hospital, she worked on a problem set due at 11 today.  And this morning she’s going to get up and make the walk across campus for her 11 o’clock class.  She’s the toughest person I know.

Testosterone post coming soon, I’ll let you know the date.

In honor of meds causing side effects, today’s post will be about constipation, Miralax, and it’s dangerous side effects; inspired by the lady in the bed beside Amanda.  Her name was Susan and she had a brain tumor that was causing seizures.  Her most recent seizure, that landed her in the hospital, was “different” .  Her words.  (There’s ZERO privacy in the rooms, so I heard all her conversations with the doctors, plus her conversations with her husband and daughters.)  Susan’s on Miralax twice a day, and has been for MONTHS, and Colase, once a day, but now will take that twice a day also, per doctors orders.  Poor thing can’t poop, probably a combination of her meds and Standard American Diet (SAD).  ( She was eating pudding, fiber cereal, and pancakes, with a diet pepsi, in the hospital bed.)

Did you know Miralax, an incredibly common laxative, has had a FDA warning on it since 2011, stating that it’s correlated with “NEUROPSYCHIATRIC EVENTS“?  Besides Miralax, this warning also applies to these other meds:  Movicol, Dulcolax, Colyte, Colovage, Co-Lav, Clensz-Lyte, ClearLax, GoLYTELY, GaviLyte C, GlycoLax, Go-Evac, GlycoPrep, E-Z-Em Fortrans, Halflytely, Lax-a-Day, LaxLyte, MoviPrep, Macrogol, NuLytely, OCL, Peg-Lyte, Prep Lyte, Softlax, TriLyte, and all other brands with Polyethylene Glycol 3350 (PEG for short) as their active ingredient.   PEG breaks down to toxic byproducts that first affect the central nervous system (CNS), then the heart, and finally the kidneys.

People give this stuff to babies and children, with a doctors blessing. Please read on, because American’s spend more than $700 MILLION on laxatives a year, and STILL remain the most constipated people on earth.  We’re also the most medicated people on earth, consume the most fiber supplements, and consume the most high carbohydrate fibrous grain products.  Not the most Fruit, Vegetables, Water, or Probiotic Foods,  which are actually the Fix For Constipation.   Of course, there’s not a lot of money to be made on Real Whole Foods, so Big Phuvernment’s* not going to be pushing that real hard any time soon.

PEG is classified as a “NeuroToxin”.  The scary term, “neuropsychiatric events”?  That means “neurological conditions”, such as autism, MS, Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, seizures, etc.  (Miralax and it’s sisters work by artificially stimulating the nervous system so that you can squeeze out a poop. Apparently, listening to Susan, it doesn’t always work.)  PEG has several other side effects that don’t include the Nervous system, and I hope you read about them all here; medications always come with side effects, even meds that are deemed so normal that they have a tag line like this:  “MiraLAX® is safe and effective – and available without a prescription.”  It’s not safe.  The FDA has ONLY approved it for adults, and ONLY for a maximum of 7 days.  Pregnant women and children who’ve used it should be very worried, as it’s consequences for small, undeveloped or developing brains is very serious.  Please read the full report here.  There’s this blind trust that we’ve put in the medical system and pharmaceuticals that is very, very undeserved.  Know what you’re putting in your body!

There’s NO MEDICATIONS that don’t have SOME negative effect on your digestive system: they either slow motility of the bowels, or affect the pH of the gut, or both.  And I mean, NO MEDICATION.  Some of the worst offenders?  Anti-depressants, pain meds, antibiotics,  and diuretics.  Again though, Every Single Medication affects the gut in one way or the other.

Some people are going to read this and think, No Way.  If the medication was that bad or that dangerous, it wouldn’t be on the market.  Wrong.  Money Talks,… loudly.  In 2012 a petition was filed with the FDA in an effort to get PEG out of our medicine and FOOD supply:  For the pdf look here.

“As of March 2012, the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System showed 2257 reported adverse events related (in any way) to PEG products – up from 7 in 2001. Included in the adverse events reported are serious kidney, urinary, bowel, blood, skin, and neuropsychiatric symptoms – and at least 3 children’s deaths.”  

Note the word, “products”, because PEG’s not just in laxatives, it’s in several other products also:  “food grade polyethylene glycol (under the Carbowax Sentry trade name) is commonly added to chewing gums, table-top sweeteners, and energy drinks. It is also used as a base in solid and liquid soaps, shampoos, bath and shower gels; body and face creams and lotions; toothpastes, ointments and suppositories; as a tablet binder in drugs and supplements; as a lubricant in vaginal gels and eye drops; and as a solvent in cough medicines and elixirs. ”

The resource for this post is a scientist named Konstantin Monastyrsky.  He runs a site called “gutsense” and it contains more specific and applicable information about the gut and constipation than I’ve seen anywhere else.  You should really check it out if you want to learn the super gritty nitty details of what you can do if you have chronic constipation.

In the meantime, what about Amanda’s reliance on pharmaceuticals for her epilepsy?  We can’t stand it.  She’s been on a pretty solid ketogenic diet for almost a year, and she doesn’t drink alcohol, which has to help, but she’s in college.  College life is NOT conducive to epilepsy, at all.  The stress, the deadlines, the lack of sleep.  We feel tied to these horrible drugs yet want more than anything to get off them.  In her own words, she “wonders who she is if she wasn’t on brain medications.”….  We’ve been seriously investigating Medical Marijuana, which isn’t legal in Virginia yet, but hopefully will be soon.  What is legal is Hemp oil ( it’s lacks THC, which is the illegal substance, and contains Cannabidoil, which is deemed by some scientists to be the most Anti-Inflammatory substance in the world.)  We’ve ordered some and will be trying this in conjunction with her meds.   We’ve got to get the laws changed so that more studies can be conducted in the US.  Other countries are light years ahead on this and so far, the science looks incredibly promising.  All neurological conditions and cancer seem to be the main focus, and there’s some great information on this site here.

smooth4:11I want to end on a lighter note:  my morning Smoothie!  Today’s ingredients:  raw keifer, frozen spinach, frozen avocado, frozen cranberries, scoop of dark cocoa, spoon of Stevia, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, chlorella, and topped with coconut.

The two jars next to it are my waters that I take with me, and that little jar?  Manuka Honey – a powerful antibiotic honey from New Zealand.  Great immune booster:)

** Big Phuvernment: the sexual union of Big Business, Big Pharma, and Government.**

 

 

Category: Gut bacteria, RWF, Smoothie of Day / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Food: The Good (my Green Smoothie), The Bad(Balance Bar), and The Ugly(Quaker Oats Bar)

April 11, 2014 / / Comments Off on Food: The Good (my Green Smoothie), The Bad(Balance Bar), and The Ugly(Quaker Oats Bar)

I met with a nutrition client this week and our main discussion was gut issues, as in, she has Major Bloat every day, has for years, and it’s affecting her life.  Not a surprise, Bloat is epidemic;  these outward symptoms ( bloat, skin problems, heart burn, allergies, etc) are SIGNALS from our body that “all is not well” inside.  Everyone, listen to your body when it talks to you – seriously, it’s important.

The average disease, from cancer to diabetes to heart disease to an auto-immune condition, takes about 20 years to manifest.  Usually, those 20 years are spent taking either OTC medications to suppress the symptoms, or prescribed medications to suppress the symptoms.  Taking medications for your symptoms allows the REASON for the symptoms to continue on quietly, plus, you get to accumulate all those medication side effects ( for example, Tylenol – #1 cause of liver failure in the US)  Don’t let that be you; the temptation to quickly suppress symptoms so you can continue unbothered is very strong, but the end result of that is never good.

Back to Tina.  This case was easy, she’s a new client, just diving into Real Whole Foods, and she eats a lot of “bars”.  Oh, the lure of the Bar…..  I’ve been there.  Sometimes I still miss my bars…. even though they made my stomach bloat to about a 5 / 6 month pregnant roundness every afternoon.  Actually, that was the bars plus the whole box of Kashi I used to eat in 2 days.  In addition to the Bloat, was excessive farting – which never happens any more Thank God!  ( my family Thanks God too.)

I keep digressing, bars bars bars.  Bars have an undeserved healthy reputation, after all, the weight lifting/fitness industry created them.  Zero Carbs, or Zero Fat, Tastes Like A Snickers!!!!  What’s not to love?  The ingredients – pure poison!

Here’s some of the ingredients for a Carmel Nut Blast Balance Bar: soy protein isolate, fructose, glucose syrup, sugar,fractionated palm kernel oil, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, carrageenan,  artificial colors, artificial flavors, glycerine, soybean oil, and dextrose.  After that there’s a whole slew of synthetic vitamins made in China.  Sound like a solid food for building a healthy body? Not.  Something to pack in your kid’s lunch box so that their brain will focus well?  This is “anti-brain function” food!

What about the Doctors Carb Rite Bar, it has the word Doctors in it, so maybe it’s good?  Nope.  Here’s some of the ingredients:  isolated soy protein, maltitol ( several times), sugar free white coating, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, maltitol syrup, polydextrose, lecithin, natural flavors, and glycerine.  Bring on the Bloat.

Let me finish with Quaker Oats Granola Bites, Chocolate Flavor: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, WHOLE GRAIN PUFFED CEREAL (WHOLE GRAIN WHITE CORN, WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, BHT [A PRESERVATIVE]), SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL AND PALM OIL*, NONFAT DRY MILK, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, POLYDEXTROSE, SOYBEAN OIL, DRIED WHOLE MILK, SOY LECITHIN, COCOA, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, MOLASSES, HONEY, SODIUM BICARBONATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS.   This is gross, just like the first two.  They’re all candy bars loaded with artificial and real sugars, grains, and chemicals.  I made this the “ugly” bar because it’s so obviously marketed to kids, so this isn’t just a “diet” gimmick, this bar is supposed to make you believe it tastes like candy but actually has health benefits for your child; in other words, feel good about letting them eat this.  Oh please.

They’re all created in labs by brilliant food scientists who want to addict us, and advertised by brilliant marketing executives who know how to appeal to us.  These fake foods will always cause harm and disease for our body, always.

What to do?  Eat Real Whole Foods.  Need something fast for your kids?  Buy nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate chips in the bulk bins and throw together your own mixes.  Make a big batch of homemade cookies or bars, cut up, baggy up, and freeze. Fruit/celery and nut butters; meat and cheese. ( It’s not complicated, just a different way of thinking.) Are there any good bars on the shelves?  Oh yeah! Read the labels and find ingredient lists that contain ONLY Real Whole Foods, like nuts and seeds. If there’s words you can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.  Plan, shop, cook, and pack.  You can do this, honest.

smoothie411On a different note, I get asked about my morning smoothies a lot, so I’m going to post them for the next couple of weeks.  Here’s this mornings:   Raw Milk Keifer, chia seeds, frozen avocado, frozen banana, frozen chard/dandelion greens, carob powder, raw egg, gelatin ( Great Lakes brand), spirulina, ginger, nutmeg, and coconut flakes, and *** something new I just learned last night is great for the liver:  carrot seed oil!!   Have I told you I’m really into Essential Oils?  I’ve been using the Carrot Seed Oil ( along with several others) on my face…wrinkle prevention.  This morning, it’s in our smoothies.

Hey, don’t forget, guest post by Mark coming this Sunday.  He’s turning 50 on Saturday, and he’s promised me he’d write a post on how to stay fit, energetic, and full of Testosterone despite 80 hour work weeks and long commutes.  And being old enough to get an AARP card!

Category: Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't, No Recipe Paleo Meals, RWF, Uncategorized / Tags: , , , , , ,
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