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Sunlight, and Vitamin D, Could Help You Lose Weight, Really.

0702161140aWeight loss isn’t about calories-in/calories-out;  being a healthy weight (and STAYING THERE), is about being Normal.  We’re a chemistry set, not a math equation.

Sunlight, and optimal levels of Vitamin D, are a crucial to being Normal.  They help make our chemistry what it should be.  Being normal doesn’t just allow us a healthy weight, it also means improved immune function, and prevention and reversal of disease.

There’s a lot of science behind those statements, here some of it:

We make Vitamin D when the cholesterol on our skin cells is hit with the UVB rays of the sun.

Low levels of Vitamin D correlate to higher incidences of diabetes and insulin resistance more than obesity does! ( Vitamin D is more hormone than vitamin.)  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/29/vitamin-d-insulin-resistance.aspx

Vitamin D positively affect thousands of genes, but Vitamin D’s effects are more far reaching than that:

-Optimal Vitamin D makes cell membranes more “sensitive”, or open, to insulin, which means blood sugar/glucose can be stuffed in a cell rather than being remade into triglycerides/fat

-Optimal Vitamin D lowers hyperglycemia induced from statin drugs, and anti-psychotic drugs

-Optimal Vitamin D lowers the risk for ALL cardiovascular diseases

-Optimal Vitamin D is crucial for the prevention of auto-immune diseases, which are on the rise everywhere

-Optimal Vitamin D up-regulates the production of testosterone and progesterone

-Optimal Vitamin D is used to repair DNA and up-regulate immune function

-Optimal Vitamin D slashes our cancer (all cancers) risk by 60%!!

IT’S ACTUALLY MORE CANCER PROTECTIVE TO GET SUN EXPOSURE THAN NOT TO. *

-Being Vitamin D deficient increases the risk of all neurological conditions, from depression to Alzheimers to Parkinson’s, by 31%

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/29/vitamin-d-insulin-resistance.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20160629Z1&et_cid=DM109461&et_rid=1550781528

Sunlight, which contains a spectrum of rays that interact with our body and mind in a myriad of ways, is crucial for:

-Nitrous oxide production, which lowers blood pressure

-Serotonin production, which is a feel good hormone  (who knew??)

-Melatonin production, which is a hormone that regulates not just sleep, but our whole circadian rhythm and it’s also intricately related to the female hormonal cycle

-Beta endorphin production, another happy hormone

-Successful treatment of several skin conditions, including psoriasis, vitiligo, dermatitis, and more

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3427189/

Americans spend less time out doors than ever in history.  When we are out doors, we’re slathered in toxic/cancer causing sunscreen.  0703161325

Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic.

If you’re convinced that the Sun is your Enemy, please, please, read the link attached below from The Truth About Cancer.  Look at both the research, and who’s presenting it. *

We live in a world full of contradictory health advice. It’s up to us to do the work and learn what’s right for us.

I hope you decide to get Normal!  Go outside and relax, or go outside and move, but go outside.  Encourage your kids to go outside… and go with them.  Be sun-smart; baking for hours causes it’s own set of issues, but, large areas of skin do need to be exposed to the sun for Vitamin D to be made and for the sun’s rays to interact with all the magic buttons on our skin cells.

After you’ve been out for a while, put on a t-shirt and a hat.

Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, which are incredibly sun-protective, every day.  Take astaxanthin, which is the most powerful carotenoid-antioxidant available.

Quit eating poison, it makes you weak, vulnerable, and sick.

If you’re in the search for healthy sunblocks, check out EWG’s list here:  https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

Happy Summer!

Sun Exposure: Cancer Cause or Part of the Solution?

Don’t Give In Just Because It’s December!

elf eating spaghettiI’ve heard this more than a few times in the past couple of weeks: “Forget trying to be good.  It’s the Holiday’s.  It’s impossible! Can you help me lose weight in January?”

My answer:  Sure I can help you in January, but, GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF.  Having a specific date when you’re going to be “good”… that’s crazy talk.  That’s kickin the can down the road, like our government does with the federal budget (which keeps our debt constantly growing. Make the analogy).

When we pacify ourselves with promises to compensate later for over-indulging today, we actually reinforce the habits and desires that got us either overweight or unhealthy or both.

Here’s some blasts from the past to help you stay committed to Real Whole Food, and making good choices, even in December.  It’s critical to change our thoughts about food; food is medicine, or food is poison.  Food brings us energy and healing and beautiful skin, or food brings cancer, fatigue, gut issues, headaches, diabetes, and heart disease.

Fill your mind with thoughts that make you powerful.  Be purposeful about what you allow your brain to dwell on.

Click on the highlighted link to read the whole post, or just read the displayed paragraphs. Santa-Paws-Christmas-card-holiday-dog-pet-funny-hilarious-saying-sayings-500x338

From December, 2013:

I’ve heard from more than a few people expressing sadness about weight gain, specifically, weight gain since Thanksgiving. You’ve got a choice here, you either go with the line, ” I’ve already blown it, New Years Day is right around the corner, I’ll start then.” or this line, “More vegetables, more fruit, more healthy fats and proteins; I’m going to plan the next few days well and get back on track because I don’t like feeling this way.”

Pick a line and go with it. If it’s the second line, MEDITATE ON IT. Choose your thoughts; quit letting a momentary whim lead to actions that make you feel horrible later. Do this for me: next time you want some food that’s not healthy, set a timer on your phone and see how long the desire lasts. Unless you’re genuinely starving, Hunger Is Temporary. Seriously. If you turn out to still be starving in 15 minutes, evaluate what you ate at your last meal. Was there enough fat, enough protein, enough vegetables, enough Real Whole Foods, or did you do the “diet” thing and now you’re hungry? Give your body the nutrients it needs, and that compulsive desire to eat will start to fade away. Weight loss (if you need it) is a side-effect of eating healthy.

Reasons to be scared of Flour and Sugar:

I’m going to blast some facts at you, because : All Behavior Is Belief Driven. Think it’s hard to walk past platters full of doughnuts, cookies, or bagels without eating any? It depends on your belief: do you believe that flour and sugar are literally toxic to your brain and body, or do you still look at food as calories that you can work-off or starve-off later?

Fact: flours that contain Gluten (a group of proteins that are in grains) have ADDICTIVE properties, they literally stimulate pleasure centers in your brain that make you want more.

Fact: no human being on earth has the digestive enzymes to break down glutens from wheat, barley, or rye. Think you don’t have a problem because you’re not a Celiac? Celiac disease is an AUTO IMMUNE reaction to the glutens. That happens to some people. For the rest of us, the damage accumulates over YEARS: the undigested proteins leak thru the gut wall, inappropriately; our immune system responds to the foreign objects, and wherever we’re most vulnerable (joints, brain, nervous system, thyroid, etc) gets attacked.

Fact: sugar has addictive properties. Studies show that it’s more addictive than Cocaine! In 1700, the average American ate 4 lbs of sugar a year; in 1800 it was 18 lbs; in 1900 it was 90 lbs, in 2009, it was 180 lbs.

Read the details of this Post for supplement and exercise tips; here’s the gist:

Three emails this weekend about Holiday Weight Gain are prompting a Post. Don’t Diet In December; don’t despair if you’ve gained a few pounds since Halloween; don’t “throw in the towel and restart in January”; and don’t kill yourself with extra hard workouts.

All that stuff would be SHORT TERM THINKING, and short term thinking never produces good Long Term Results.

What should you do instead? CHILL. Honestly. It’s the holidays and we’ve all got about 50 extra things on our to-do lists. Stressing about it = CORTISOL, which = WEIGHT GAIN and ILLNESS ( come January or sooner).

In addition to all our “extras”, is the assumption we’ll eat more just because it’s the holidays; constant indulgence = CORTISOL + INSULIN, which = WEIGHT GAIN AND ILLNESS ( come January, or sooner).

Blood sugar becomes a complete mess, and the impulse to soothe stress with food or alcohol feels irresistible. Here’s what to do instead-

And finally, from Holiday Eating Gone Bad, 8 Facts To Scare You Straight:

It’s the holiday season, you’re busy, you’re struggling, you want motivation, so I’ll be fast and effective.

I’ve had several emails and comments in the past two weeks full of regret and remorse over Eating Gone Bad. There’s definitely the sense of, ” I couldn’t help myself because…”

A client friend said to me yesterday, ” I want to become scared of flour and sugar, like you are.” I want ALL OF YOU TO BECOME SCARED OF FLOUR AND SUGAR, like I am! Let me scare you straight, quickly.

Simple carbs from Grains and Sugar cause high levels of sugar and insulin in your blood/arteries/veins. The negative health effects from this are PROFOUND:

1) Excess blood sugar ( from sugar and grains) is converted to Triglycerides and stored in our fat cells.

2) Excess blood sugar “GLYCATES” proteins and lipids in our blood and body. EXAMPLES OF GLYCATION ARE WRINKLES, AGE SPOTS, AND IMPOTENCE. Alzheimer’s is being called Diabetes Type 3 because of the plaques/glycation of the brain, which is composed of fats and proteins.

3) Alzheimer’s, Migraines, Dementia, and all sorts of Neurological Conditions, including ADD and Mood Disorders, are highly associated with high blood sugar and insulin.

4) Cancer cells are covered with Insulin Receptors. Cancer cells eat SUGAR. The insulin receptors that cover cancer cells make sure those cells get all the sugar they want and need to grow and thrive. APPLY THAT THOUGHT TO YOUR KIDS THE NEXT TIME YOU FEED THEM MAC N CHEESE WITH A SIDE OF BREAD. Seriously. That stuff is poison!

5) Heart disease is caused by several conditions initiated by sugar and insulin: excess sugar thickens the blood; excess sugar robs the heart of it’s favorite mineral – Magnesium, and it’s favorite vitamin – the Bs ( that’s because digesting/metabolizing sugar requires an enormous amount of Magnesium and B vitamins ); and excess sugar and insulin severely damage artery walls, in several ways.

6) Damage to the artery walls ( whether those arteries are near your heart, in your neck, or MEN: IN YOUR FAVORITE ORGAN THAT FILLS WITH BLOOD!!) means they need to be “fixed”. In an effort to mitigate the damage we do, the liver puts together PLAQUE patches, and sends them to the sites of the damage. This keeps us alive for years, but eventually, the high blood pressure, the thick blood, the extra stress on the heart, comes back to Bite Us In The Butt.

7) Excess sugars can completely change the Bacterial Composition of your entire gut: from the stomach, which needs to have just a tiny bit of H-Pylori and a TON of acid to be optimal, to the small intestine, which should be intact but more often then not is “LEAKY” or plagued with SIBO ( small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. If you bloat badly, ask me about this.), to the large intestine, which should house at least a few POUNDS of beneficial bacteria that perform literally THOUSANDS of jobs for our bodies. Constipation, Bloat, Reflux, Diarrhea: NOT NORMAL! It means you’re not breaking down and absorbing your nutrients which sets the stage for all sorts of disease and dysfunctions.

8) Excess sugar and insulin suppress your immune system, IMMEDIATELY, for up to 24 hours. This means if you let your kid eat a breakfast of pop tarts or crappy cereal, and then send them to school to sit by someone on the bus or in the classroom who’s coughing or sneezing, they’re an EASY TARGET for the germs to set up house and proliferate. Same for you: a quick muffin or sugar/chemical drink at Starbucks, then off to an office/gym filled with bad germs? You’re a sitting duck!

I could go on and on, but say this to yourself: Food Is Medicine, or Food Is Poison; for me, and for my kids.

Then, delete the ancient notion that eating well means Dieting; eating low fat/no fat chicken and steamed broccoli is a recipe for a Rebound Binge.

That’s why I love the Paleo Diet: Real Whole Food with plenty of good FAT, good meats and proteins, TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and GOOD dairy if you can tolerate it. The Paleo Diet even includes Real Whole Food DESSERTS, what’s not to like? ( Christmas Paleo Party at my house, 12/12/14, from 12 -2. Everyone’s invited, and you’ll get to see just how good Real Whole Food is!)

If Food Addiction is your struggle, then all the common sense/information in the world doesn’t help too much. Read my last post. If you have trouble staying away from grains and sugar, know that they contain compounds that trigger addiction centers in your brain, and your child’s brain. That doesn’t happen with Real Whole Food.

Finally, in this stressful, busy season of the year, acknowledge that “eating for stress relief” doesn’t actually Relieve Your Stress, it makes you MORE STRESSED afterwards. Just the opposite of sitting down to a Real Whole Food meal, which actually satiates your mind and body.

Change today. Don’t wait til the season is over. We’re talking about your health, your mind, and the example you’re instilling in your kids. The food you put in your mouth matters. I’ll say it again: Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison.

Supplements for Cold and Flu Season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two:  take a look at these ingredient lists.

Vicks Dayquil:

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

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

Vicks Nyquil:

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

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

No wonder we’re such a sick society!

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

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

Are Your Meds Making You Sad, Overweight, and Sicker? Probably!

IMG_9068Have you ever considered that your muscle aches, brain fog, joint pain or other maladies could be caused by your medicines?  Even weight gain can be a side effect from everyday meds.   Disclaimer:  I realize that sometimes medication is absolutely necessary; my #2 daughter is epileptic. This is about the bigger picture.

Keep reading for the nitty gritty details, and to see family pics that have absolutely nothing to do with this Post:)   (Descriptions:  Shelby and I were in NYC last weekend;  Amanda started an Internship at the Epilepsy Foundation, and we celebrated Macy’s 21st birthday.)

Every year, prescription drugs cause over 81 MILLION adverse reactions and result in 2.7 million hospitalizations. 

Worse:  EVERY WEEK, prescription drugs kill more than 2,400 people. 

“This epidemic of harm from medications makes our prescription drugs the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Including hospitalizations and deaths from prescribing errors, overdosing, and self-medication, drugs move up to third place.”

Medications are the 4th leading cause of death in the US – did you know that? 

At anyone time, 70% of us are on at least 1 prescription or OTC drug.  Old, young, skinny, fat, whoever.  We take a lot of drugs in this country, and we’re having an epidemic of side effects.  

Most of the time these side effects are treated – by us and our doctors – as another disease, that needs the remedy of a drug.  It’s a viscous cycle. 

Americans take more drugs than people in every other country in the world. IMG959154952And I’m talking literal prescription numbers, not the amount spent on drugs; which is also the most in the whole world.  To say we’re highly medicated is an understatement.

It hasn’t made us healthier.  Despite 70% of the country on drugs, we have higher rates of chronic disease than almost every other country in the world, and the CDC predicts that every single disease, from heart disease to cancer to obesity, will continue to rise through 2030 at least.

We need to start drawing some common-sense correlations here.

Healthcare, which = drugs and doctors and hospitals, does NOT necessarily = healthy.

How many drugs site “ damage to the liver” on the side effect list?   More than half?  Who feels damage happening in their liver?? NO ONE.  No. One.  Statins cause damage to the liver. Auto-Immune drugs cause damage to the liver.  Pain relievers (OTC and prescription) cause damage to the liver. Tylenol is the #1 cause of liver failure in the US; we give Tylenol to babies.  

Liver damage brews for years before symptoms manifest.  

20150715_185716Most diseases take about 15 years to manifest symptoms obvious enough to pinpoint the disease.  Take diabetes T2, the diabetic doesn’t just become diabetic over night, or in a few months.  It takes years of high blood sugar and corresponding high insulin to become diabetic.

Statins carry the risk of actually CAUSING diabetes T2.  It’s on the side effect label.  It’s on the commercials.  It’s a real possibility.  From PubMed: “Statin use is associated with a rise of fasting blood glucose in patients with and without diabetes. This relationship between statin use and rise in fasting blood glucose is in-dependent of age, aspirin use, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.”

Other drugs also raise blood sugar:  steroids, diuretics for high blood pressure and edema, some birth control pills, and decongestants.

Chronic high blood sugar and high insulin cause ED and glycation of the skin, aka, wrinkles and age spots.  One doc on the Heart Summit called ED the “canary in the pants”.  Consider these symptoms of Heart Disease, because they are.

Diabetes is predicted to affect about HALF our population by 2020 – that’s right around the corner.  Diabetes is DANGEROUS, and EXPENSIVE.  If we watched our carbs and meds, T2 is almost fully avoidable, and reversible.

What about Diabetes drugs, like Metformin, which force sugar into cells that have self-protectively shut? Metformin causes serious digestion issues. Gastro-paresis and GERD, here you come. Besides, God had those cell receptors shut for a reason, it’s not a mistake, it’s self protection for the cell.

What if your T2 has progressed to the point of Insulin, what then?  Insulin, in excess (it’s “excess” if you’re a T2) is a caustic hormone.  It zooms through the arteries causing inflammation and damage.  AKA, Heart Disease.

What about a life style change instead of statins or diabetes drugs?  After all, heart disease and diabetes are caused by our life style, which is our every day choices.  To reverse or avoid them, stop eating grains, sugars, and chemicals, and start eating Real Whole Foods, sleep more, move more, and practice stress management.

20150712_101243It’s a no brainer!

Let’s move to pain relievers, which we give to our babies.

Did you see the news release last week about NSAIDS and heart disease? The FDA says that NSAIDS, from Advil to Aleve to Celebrex, can cause heart attacks and stroke – even in people with NO RISK FOR HEART DISEASE AT ALL.

If you take NSAIDS, please read this link.  Apparently, the whole “COX-Inhibitor” action of the NSAID isn’t the advantage we’ve been lead to believe.  Research has discovered that the inflammation they cause is then followed by repair.  COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes unstick platelets and prevent clots.  Blocking them with Advil or Celebrex (or other NSAIDs) encourages clots.

Birth control pills also cause blood clots.  How many young women take both daily?

Back to statins:  Liver damage – check. Blood sugar increases – check.  Muscle pain – check. Testosterone depletion – check. Memory loss – check. CoQ10 depletion – check.  

Hey!  There’s a pill for all that! ( sarcasm )

Is heart disease because your body is low in statins?  Is pain because your body is low in NSAIDS?  Is diabetes because your body is low in metformin?  Nope.

We don’t get sick from a lack of drugs.  Usually, we get sick because of our actions and choices.  When soda, alcohol, bread, sugar, pasta, fast food, junk food, too little sleep and no focused attention on stress management, are a normal part of our life, of course we’re sick.  

Why do we take so many drugs?

We’re one of 2 countries IN THE WHOLE WORLD, who actually allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to us, the consumer.  In 1997, Congress revised a law allowing pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly without covering most of the possible side effects.

20150711_115653Numbers wise, seeing these advertisements has made us want drugs a whole lot more.  We actually ASK our doctors for these drugs now, which is the whole goal of advertising.

In 1997, spending on ads was $280 million; by 2002, it was $2.8 BILLION. Now, it’s $3 BILLION. On average, if you take one prescription drug you’ll be exposed to 70 potential side effects. Some of the more commonly prescribed drugs average around 100 side effects each — and some drugs even carry over 500!

Back to my beginning:  drugs can cause death and disease. Yes – sometimes they save a life, absolutely.  But when we’re talking Chronic Disease, and that’s what MOST people are taking drugs for ( 88% of all health care spending is on Life Style/Chronic Diseases), the only thing that can really REVERSE a disease, and not just manage symptoms, is a Life Style Change.  That’s it.  Life Style Change.

Real Whole Food, Moving, Sleeping, and Stress Management.  These are choices we need to make and focus on.  Choices we need to teach our children.

Our health is the result of our actions and choices and even our thoughts.  We have power over all that, let’s take it.

Reasons To Exercise You Didn’t Even Know About, and How To Fit It In.

debbie (27)Who loves to workout?  I do!  I have plenty of friends and family who do, and I work with several clients who do.

Even if you don’t, READ THIS POST.  Exercise, or more accurately, moving, is so crucial to a normal healthy brain and body, that science tells us not moving is probably more unhealthy than smoking.

Exercise balances and normalizes our testosterone and estrogen.  Men, you want more testosterone as you age?  Exercise.  Women: bad periods, rough PMS, menopause?  Exercise exercise exercise.  Moving our muscles and stressing them, reduces the inflammatory conditions of these cyclical changes.  Ever been PMSing, worked out, and then felt so. much. better.?

More benefits: exercise, any exercise that makes our muscle move and feel a little stress, causes the muscle cells to make special proteins that go through our blood, into our brain and GROW IT.

Parents, this applies to kids too.

When our muscles move, they create a protein called BDNF ( brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor).  BDNF literally goes to the brain neurons, and waters and fertilizes them.

When our muscles move, our neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, GABA) are “balanced”.  The percent of studies showing that exercise reduces anxiety and depression better than every single drug on the market?  About 100%.  With no negative side effects.

As a matter of fact, looking at us biologically and ancestrally, we’ve been created to move (forage/hunt for food, shelter, mates) to stimulate productive brain activity.  Moving makes us smarter and better able to cope with life.

Several studies show that if we want to learn new skills or facts, exercise first.  It stimulates pathways that allow us to build memories/learn in our brain.  There’s a caveat though. If you think you’ll do your learning while you exercise, say, studying on the elliptical or treadmill ( one of my preferred methods when I went to Nutritional Therapy school), keep the exercise “steady state”, and not anaerobic.

Exercise that’s too hard temporarily shuttles nutrients away from our learning centers; exercise that’s easily doable increases nutrients to the learning centers.  That’s just a word of caution on learning while exercising, not a warning against hard exercise, because the benefits of hard exercise are numerous.

Or not.  It depends on how you feel about it.

Here we get to exercise and stress.  I said that of the thousands of studies comparing all the drugs on the market to exercise for relief from anxiety and depression, exercise wins every time.  Hands down.

When we feel “stress”, we’re actually feeling the results from a whole bunch of stress “chemicals”.  (we’re a chemistry set, not a math equation).  Whether our stress is real or imaginary, from traffic or a fight with a spouse or an actual threat to our lives, the chemistry is the same.

Our adrenal glands release epinephrine and cortisol to prepare us to physically defend or save ourselves.  Our heart rate increases.  Our blood pressure increases.  Our digestion stops.  Our arteries constrict.  Our muscle cells dump their magnesium (magnesium relaxes us, but the brain thinks we need to be tense), and **** cells become Insulin Resistant.

When cortisol is in the blood, FAT CAN NOT BE BURNED, JUST STORED.  In this state,our body actually tears apart muscle tissue and converts it to glucose/sugar to burn instead of using the fat in our butt.  

We need to manage our stress, and exercise does that! Most of the time.

Unfortunately, some people are so scared of exercise, so adverse to a whole – imaginary – negative scenario they’re created in their minds, that they have “Exercise Induced Anxiety”.  I stole that from one of my clients who used that term to describe herself.

I get it.  Gym class was traumatic for a lot of us.  It left some scars.  But I know former athletes who don’t like to workout anymore either.  Their younger athletic years were formed by coaches and teammates telling them what to do and how.  Independently exercising, which is pretty much Adult Exercise, isn’t appealing, or motivating, so they don’t do it.

The latest stats from the CDC on who exercises show us that only 20.4% of adults over 18 exercise regularly.

No wonder we have 70% overweight and on pharmaceutical drugs in this country!

What to do? Be determined. Set your mind that you’re going to move every day and you’re going to like it.   Honestly.  It’s that simple.  Oh, and have a plan.  Write it down.  Use alarms and calendars and verbalize to friends and family your intentions.

If you already work out every day, you’re golden.  If you struggle with with either fitting exercise in or moving at all, listen up.

1) Pick something that doesn’t sound scary:

-walk with a friend or a kid or a dog

-play a game in the yard with your kids

-set an alarm on your phone and walk up and down the stairs (in your office or home) 4 or 5 times a day

-set an alarm on your phone and do a wall squat or plank 4 or 5 times a day

2) Pick something fun:

-join Zumba

-join a weight lifting class

-join a beginner yoga class

-join a beginner group fitness class

3) Set Your Self Up For Success

-pack your clothes the night before

-pack a bag and water bottle the night before

-pick a sport or a class or an activity that’s appropriate for your fitness level and not something you’re going to be so sore and fatigued afterwards that you never want to come back

-put it on your calendar, and then stick to the schedule. If you have kids that need to be included, either driving them to the gym or having them with you, CONSIDER THAT.  It takes time to get kids in the car – out of the car – into the gym. Learn to become a Time Master, and teach them how to do it too.  That’s a pretty crucial skill to have.

Honestly, we can’t afford NOT to exercise or move.  Our body was designed by God for us to move.

Want a great book to inspire you to get off your butt and sweat a little it?  Spark, by John J. Ratey, MD.  It’s loaded with information that even I’ve never seen before, and I read everything about exercise that I can get my hands on.

One more reason to exercise:  Exercise GIVES us energy, it doesn’t steal it or drain it, it creates it.   Who doesn’t want more energy?

Will a Cleanse Fix PMS, Man Boobs, and Resistant Weight Loss? Yes!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI get asked about cleanses all the time, literally.  Which ones are good, are they necessary, are the real,… you get the drift.  Here’s the facts, and trust me, this is interesting – and applicable to you, I promise.

First the Scoop, and then, every day Solutions.

Cleanses are Real, they’re Important, and they’re Necessary (I’ll explain why in a minute).  Unfortunately, “Cleanses” have been hijacked by the Diet Industry; when we think of a cleanse, we think of ingesting something that will make us poop away all the blubber in our stomach. Right?

That’s faulty reasoning. Delete it.  If our stomach has blubber on it, it’s not from impacted intestines, it’s Body Fat, and all the pooping in the world won’t reduce that.  

However, we could have excess body fat because our liver is Toxic, Sluggish, and Fatty.  Slow livers also impact our moods, our immune system, and our sex hormones. Struggling with any of that?

Our liver is the seat of our metabolism.  It performs between 400 and 500 jobs a day. It burns more calories than our muscles. It metabolizes fats, proteins, and carbs.  It filters every single chemical that goes in our mouth or our skin. It makes cholesterol.  It makes bile.  It breaks down all our old hormones.  It transports amino acids through the blood.  The list is endless; the point is:  guess what happens when it’s not working correctly?

Dr. Mark Hyman says we become “toxic waste dumps”.  I love that analogy!

 

Our liver deals with all the chemicals that we breath in, slather on, bath in, and ingest.  Some studies say that 80% of all liver toxicity is from pharmaceutical drugs.  Ever taken a Tylenol?  It’s the most popular drug in the US, and the #1 cause of Liver Failure.  More than 900 prescription drugs are known – it’s listed on their fact sheets – to cause damage to the liver.

Enough scare tactics.  What To Do About It?  I used to advise a liver cleanse once or twice a year, and I still do.  But I’ve expanded my thinking:  I personally cleanse my liver every day.  Every day I eat or drink Liver Loving Foods.  Every day I take herbs that are good and helpful for my liver.  Every day I avoid as many chemicals as possible.

I think of myself as a person in a row boat that has a leak in it.  The water (toxins) keep coming in, but I have buckets that I use to scoop the water out, so I don’t sink.  That’s what we need to do:  keep up with the constant assault of chemicals in our world.

By the way, anxiety, stress, depression, and anger, all the negative emotions, can have negative effects on our liver.  The Brain, the Nervous System, and the Liver are INTIMATELY connected.

Here’s some Cleanse Particulars: foods; herbs; with how-to’s on incorporating them; and actions that make a difference.

1)  Eliminate any and all Processed Foods.  Really.  #1 Thing To Do – quit putting chemicals, refined carbs, and toxic vegetable oils IN YOUR BODY.

2)  Use natural cleaning products.  Here’s a link to EWG’s Guide to what to use and what not to use.  MOMS: cancer, heart disease, auto-immune, behavior disorders – they’re all on the rise in our children.  Let’s protect our kids by investing time in learning about this.

3) Use make-up and skin care products that aren’t loaded with cancer causing chemicals.  Read this Post to learn what’s in Clinique lotion; a recipe for homemade lotions; and a link to EWG’s beauty data base to research everything you rub on your body.

Oddly, I still talk to people who think that what we rub on our body couldn’t possibly harm our liver or brain.  Wrong. Our skin is our bodies largest organ. It’s filled with pores.  There’s a fast and direct connection to our blood stream.  The blood goes through our liver and our brain.  Of course what we rub on our skin affects us!

4) Add these Foods to your grocery list, and use them every week:

* garlic * grapefruit * beets * carrots * leafy greens * green tea * avocados * olive oil * cruciferous vegetables * LIVER * cabbage * walnuts * turmeric * .

These foods contain specific nutrients the liver uses to break down chemicals, toxins, and old hormones, and convert them into something we can poop or pee out.

What about All Vegetable Diets, or Juice Fasts for cleansing?  I don’t recommend them.  The liver uses a LOT of amino acids to do it’s jobs.  Go too long without eating amino acids (proteins), and your body will break down MUSCLE TISSUE for the amino acids.   You don’t want to lose muscle tissue!

Do you have to eat all these foods every single day?  I have garlic, turmeric, and leafy greens every single day. I hate grapefruit, so I never eat it.  The other foods I rotate in.  Make the effort.

5) Herbs to incorporate, either through teas, or pills, or tinctures:

* milk thistle(I use Herb Pharm) * dandelion(tea, greens, or tincture/Herb Pharm) * chicory root(tea) * turmeric * yellow dock * chlorella ( I add to my smoothies).

There’re a lot of great herbs on the market.  Try your local health food store, or order from Mountain Rose Herbs, Yogi Teas, or Jon Barron.

Dr. Group has a great liver tincture, as does Herb Pharm.  I also like the Biotics 10 Day Cleanse and have used that several times.  Mark is finishing one up right now. Email me if you’re interested in that.

6) Sweat.  Seriously. Like, go to Bikram, or a hot yoga class once or twice a week, or a sauna. We can eliminate toxins through our pores – use that pathway!

7) Give Up The Alcohol.  Yes.  Do it.  Alcohol converts to fat that gets stored in the liver.  Alcohol contains “aromatase”, which converts testosterone to estrogen.  Alcohol contains fructose, which builds up as fat in the liver.  Alcohol raises blood sugar, which has to be converted into triglycerides in the liver.

Repeat This:  Alcohol is Liquid Donuts.

8) Pray and Meditate.  Remember I said there’s HUGE links between our moods, emotions, and our liver?  We’re a giant connection, and the enteric nervous system connects our brain to our liver and gut.  It’s important to get control of our minds, we need to “think about what we’re thinking about”.

9) Drink a TON of water.  All day.  The liver needs water not just for “flushing”, but also for doing it’s jobs.  We all know this, so make water a priority.  Fill a bunch of water bottles or pitchers at night or in the morning and get through them.  Add some lemon or lime if you want – they’re liver loving:)

Does this all make sense?  If we want to be vibrant, sharp, stable, and healthy, we need to do everything possible through our food and lifestyle to make that happen.  Nurturing our liver, every day, is a huge part of the puzzle.  Take these ideas, read the links, and invest time in learning how your body functions.

 

You’re Not Lazy and You’re Not Crazy; It’s Just Your Hormones.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI recently tested my estrogen and progesterone levels – at home. 🙂  I’m 50 in a few weeks, and passed the “12 months no period = menopause” mark in January. I was curious.

It’s not the first time I’ve tested my sex hormones.  Three times in the past, I went through my OB-Gyn for hormone blood tests, covered by insurance; and then 3 times I did both saliva and blood spot tests through a Functional Medicine doctor, and payed a fortune out of pocket.  I also tested my cortisol levels throughout the day.

Not this time!  Same lab, same tests, I paid $70, and had the results sent right to me.  Freedom! I’ll explain how you can do this at the end of this post.  First, let me explain why I think it’s a good idea to know what’s going on with our hormones.

Hormones Rule Us.  This isn’t a Post on menopause, it’s a Post about body weight, and how we can use information to really tailor that whole “Food is Medicine” thing.  It’s also a Post to reinforce that our body is a Chemistry Set, not a Math Equation.  The whole calories in/calories out….. we don’t run that way.

Let me bullet point some facts about food and hormones to illustrate the futileness of believing that weight loss comes from calorie deficits, and the hormonal effects when we employ traditional diet methods, or even a Standard American Diet.

* The thyroid gland slows down production of thyroid hormone – which slows down metabolism – as soon as it even suspects a lack of food.  Our thyroid gland is supposed to protect us from starving.  The result of a few rounds of dieting?  A thyroid that stays sluggish even when calorie consumption rises.

* When we eat grains and sugar (all grains digest to sugar in the gut), the result is high blood sugar.  High blood sugar induces high levels of the hormone Insulin.  Insulin is a building, storage hormone, it’s also a caustic damaging hormone when in excess.  For most Americans, insulin is in excess.

* Studies show that chronically high blood sugar actually destroys the thyroid gland, lowering metabolism even more via less thyroid hormone.

* When the hormone Insulin is elevated (say, after a breakfast of cereal, or a dinner of pasta), our cells are literally prohibited from burning fat for fuel.  They’re only allowed to burn sugar. In our body, that’s a rule we can’t change.  It’s part of our design.

* What happens when Insulin remains high – a la Insulin Resistance?  Insulin resistance leads to Leptin resistance.  Leptin is a satiety hormone.  “Resistance” means the hormone can’t get into the cells to deliver it’s message.   Leptin resistance means constant hunger.

* Ghrelin is a hunger hormone. It’s supposed to rise when our stomach is empty, and fall after we eat.  Studies show that in people who eat “diet food”, ghrelin doesn’t fall, or fall properly.  The result:  we stay hungry.  We need Real Whole Food to make the hunger hormones and the satiety hormones function correctly.  Diet Coke with a Protein Bar won’t work; actually, that’s a recipe for hormonal disaster.

* Estrogen Dominance is pervasive today, in men, women, and children.  Too much estrogen causes low testosterone in men.  Excess estrogen causes low progesterone in women.  These are both hormonal situations that lead to weight gain.

* Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands in response to the brains perception of stress, any kind of stress, even fake stress as in a scary movie.  Cortisol production inhibits sex hormone production.  Chronically high cortisol means chronically low sex hormones.  Chronically high cortisol is linked to insulin resistance ( it blocks insulin receptors on cells) and belly fat – and heart disease.

* Lack of sleep messes up more hormones than we can count.  One of them is ghrelin.  Lack of sleep raises ghrelin, which increases hunger.

* Thyroid hormone – again, responsible for our metabolism – is negatively affected by consumption of soy, fluoride, and chlorine.  Think protein bars, processed food, and municipal water.

* Drinking alcohol, any alcohol, causes an enzyme called aromatase to convert testosterone into estrogen.  This happens to both men and women, and it causes “estrogen belly”, formerly know as “beer belly”.

*A diet full of processed foods, flour, sugar, and chemicals, severely disrupts our gut flora (even if this diet is low calorie).  Our gut flora are highly involved in whether we burn predominantly fat or sugar.  One example, and there’s many, is that the more diverse our gut species are, the better our liver gets rid of old hormones, like estrogen.  Poor gut flora means poor elimination, and those hormones stay dangerously high in the blood.

* Numerous studies show that Vitamin D – which is actually a hormone, greatly influences both weight loss and inflammation levels.  Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic!

* Numerous studies show that excessive exercise and chronic dieting raise levels of cortisol in the blood.  Just like when Insulin is high, when cortisol is high, the body doesn’t burn fat, it burns sugar.

* Both Fructose and Trans Fats (present in most prepared foods, “diet” or not) both cause Insulin Resistance and raise markers of inflammatory hormones, again, inhibiting fat burning in the cell.

All that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Hopefully it was enough to convince you that losing weight isn’t about starving yourself, mini meals, excessive exercise, and diet foods.  All that stuff does the opposite of permanent weight loss; those kind of diet efforts put you into a hormonal state that makes weight loss impossible.

How does this tie in with me testing some of my hormones at home?  My health doesn’t come from my doctor; my health – and a healthy weight – comes from me paying attention to my body and making changes when I need too.  Having normal levels of sex hormones is really important, to my weight, my brain, my energy, my immune system.

Everything is so connected.  We’re not a bunch of individual parts that work independently, not even close.  I also test my blood sugar, at least a couple times a month, and just recently I did an A1C ( which shows a 90 day average of blood sugar – a great marker for Alzheimer’s and inflammation ).

Food is medicine, or food is poison.  When I know what’s going on in my body, I can literally use food as my medicine.  For instance, now that I know how low my estrogen is, and that I’m fully menopausal, I’m using particular foods and herbs to naturally raise my estrogen, and progesterone.  I’ll test again this summer and see how that’s working.

Last year I got really into Bikram yoga.  A friend of mind wondered if that level of heat stress caused a cortisol release, which causes high blood sugar.  So I took my glucometer to the studio and tested a couple times.  I’ve also tested after I’ve taught some tough boot camp classes.  Exercise doesn’t stress me, I know that now because my blood sugar was good each time.

However, I’ve also tested after tornados blow through my house and seen that my blood sugar is high.  ( we’re a big family who loves each other but … stress happens. )

Testing at home is fun, affordable, and while a full CBC panel can be confusing to interpret, a hormone panel, blood sugar numbers, and A1C aren’t, at all.  And they give you some real black and white answers about the state of your health.

I encourage all my weight loss clients to regularly test their blood sugar as it’s such a strong tool for weight loss:  if blood sugar’s high, the hormone Insulin is high.  When insulin is high, fat loss doesn’t happen.  Notice I said fat loss not weight loss.  You can starve some weight off, but if insulin is high, and worse, if the hormone cortisol is high from the stress of dieting/hunger/excessive exercise, the weight comes mostly in the form of muscle tissue, not fat tissue.  Less muscle tissue means a lower daily calorie burn.

Again, we’re a big cycle.  Here’s the links to the tests, if you want help with using them to lose weight or get healthy, or both, contact me and let’s work together.

To order the hormone panel:http://www.johnleemd.com/store/prod_test_kits.html

To buy a glucometer/blood sugar meter:http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Testing-TrueResult-TrueTest-Active1st/dp/B00PX2T58I/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

To buy an A1C:http://www.amazon.com/4303514-Bayer-hBa1C-Waived-Diabetes/dp/B00D7C6YWQ/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0YN868HAH518CN8NCF45

Struggling With Real Whole Food, No Grains or Sugars? Look At What I’m Eating, and A Candy Recipe

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMichael Pollen has a line that goes something like this:  Real Food are foods your great-grandmother would recognize.  YES THAT’S A PARAPHRASE, but it’s close.

In reality, there’s big differences between our time and Grandma’s.  For one, the wheat is totally different.  Since the 1970s, we have Dwarf Wheat varieties that are NOTHING like previous varieties. Dwarf wheat is loaded with gluten proteins.

Gluten proteins cause more problems than I want to detail right now, but if you’re reading my blog, you already know this.

Next, we have access to fruits and vegetables year round.  This is good, and this is bad.  Bad because many of these are grown with chemicals that cause cancer and disease.  Good because if we eat the ones grown WITHOUT chemicals, we’re getting a load of nutrients that prevent cancer and disease.

Look at my What I Eat page for ideas.  Real Whole Food without Grains and Sugars is COMPLETELY DOABLE, even for a big family and working moms.  It takes thought, practice, planning, and the right attitude, but anyone – and I mean that – can do it.

Chocolate Coconut Candy:

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Coconut Butter

2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder

EITHER: 1 – 2 tbsp powdered Swerve or Full Dropper of Liquid Stevia

Recipe Makeovers: Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and Caesar Salad Dressing that make you Lean and Healthy

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI received an email from a reader, asking if I could do another post on weight loss soon.

My response:  EVERY SINGLE POST IS ON WEIGHT.  Food is Medicine or Food is Poison, and our weight is a side effect of that fact.

If Weight Loss is our first priority when it comes to food, We’ll NEVER SUCCESSFULLY LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. Ever.  95 – 99% of everyone who loses weight on a Diet gains it back.

Low calorie foods, low fat plans, starving ourself, skipping meals, exercising a ton, and STRESSING ABOUT OUR WEIGHT are literally guaranteed to make us gain weight in the long run, because we’re eating toxic food and/or employing toxic behaviors.  Poison.

Weight Loss is never a priority for our body or brain.  For women particularly, losing weight is the last thing our body wants to do, even when we carry excess fat.  Fat’s crucial not just for building our Brain, Glands, Organs, Bones, and Immune System, but our body makes many of our Hormones from fatty acids.

Healthy fats, vegetables, herbs, spices, clean proteins, seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds…..Medicine.

My point?  To lose weight and keep it off, we HAVE to eat Medicine Foods.  Also, cut the Grains, Sugars, and Chemicals; those things ruin our liver, our brain, our arteries and destroy our hormones. Permanent weight loss is impossible as long as they’re a regular part of our diet.

Here’s some recipe makeovers that I promise are husband and kid approved. These recipes contain Nutrient Dense Real Whole Foods (Medicine) guaranteed to satisfy our body and brain, and help us lose weight.

WARNING/ADVICE:  Sometimes with picky kids and husbands, it’s best NOT to tell them what’s in the food.  Don’t set yourself up for snide (or worse) comments about the ingredients or your efforts to make you and your family healthier.  Just do it.  Stay strong and determined no matter what mud a teenager slings at you.  The great thing about Real Whole Food is that fat, herbs, and spices make EVERYTHING taste good.  Broccoli with butter, parm, and sea salt?  DELICIOUS.  Chicken with skin on/bone in?  Delicious.  Bacon, brussels, butter, sea salt and pepper?  Delicious.  Stay with the program, be persistent, and eventually,… you’ll win.

Here’s a picture of our dinner last night:  Cauliflower Pizza and Caesar Salads with homemade dressing.                                                      dinner 1:4

If you look online for Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipes, you’ll find 1.6 million; they’re nobody’s secret, and they’re all pretty similar.  (Helpful hints to follow) Here’s the recipe I use:

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Full head of cauliflower, RICED ( in your food processor or Vitamix )

1 egg
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of your favorite cheese.  You’ll see recipes that use goat, parm, mozzarella, and cheddar, just pick one.

Directions: Set oven to 450.  “Rice” the whole head of cauliflower, and then either steam it ( more dishes, but better ) or put it in a pot of 1″ water and cook it, just for a couple of minutes.

IMPORTANT:  YOU HAVE TO GET ALL THE WATER OUT OF THE CAULIFLOWER.  Don’t whine.  Think positive thoughts, like, you’re going to have pizza and you’re not going to feel stuffed/bloated/or regretful the next day, PLUS, you’re eating a sulfur containing cruciferous vegetable that prevents cancer and disease.  Good thoughts.

I put my cooked cauliflower in a fine mesh strainer and press with a big wooden spoon, then I put it in a dishtowel and twist and wring until even more water comes out.  Cauliflower contains a lot of water, and you need it fairly dry.

When you’re done, mix it in a bowl with all the other ingredients; if you used a big head, you have enough for 2 pizzas, or one very thick crust. You only need about 2.5 cups per thin crust. Thicker crusts may not act like “real” pizza, i.e, you’ll have to cut them with a fork instead of holding them.  MOMS:  if your kids are suspicious of your efforts, make the crusts thin so they’ll stay together when they’re held. I’ve been at this long enough that I can make a thick crust and we all use forks, but switching the family diet from Fake Foods (poison) to Real Foods  (medicine) needs to be done gently, and wisely.

Put a piece of parchment paper on your stone, and use your hands to form your crust, then bake it for anywhere from 10/12 minutes for a thin crust, to 25 minutes for a thick crust. (read my hints at end of post)

When it’s baked, load it with your favorite toppings.  Last night I used slow roasted tomatoes, sausage, onions, herbs, and cheese.

Back in the oven at 425, for 16 minutes, and you can make your salad and dressing.

Caesar Salad and Dressing:   Look at these ingredients! How did we ever start thinking that brain food like this could be bad for us???

3 eggs ( I use farm fresh eggs, but use pasteurized if you want )
1 can anchovies
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c parm
1/2 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil

Directions for dressing:  put the first 8 ingredients into your BLENDER or VITAMIX, and blend for a minute.   Then sloooowly pour in the olive oil; you’re emulsifying it, that means you need to drizzle the olive oil into the mix for it to set up thickly.

Pour this over a bowl full of romaine, shredded parm, and bread crumbs made from COCONUT MILK bread croutons.  Or just make your favorite salad, and use this dressing because it’s absolutely delicious and your family will love it.

A few last words of advice:

1) I’ve heard juicing the cauliflower is the best way to go, no wringing, but I haven’t tried it.

2) If your cauliflower head is extra big, add an egg white.

3) Judge your crust by how it looks more than time; it should turn light brown and “crusty”.

4) If after all your efforts the “dough” is still pretty wet, add 1/2 to 1 tbsp of coconut flour.  Coconut flour absorbs liquid;  start with the 1/2 tbsp and go from there.

5) To make croutons with Coconut Milk Bread, cut off a slice, tear into pieces, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and bake for 10 minutes on 350.  Judge from there if they need a few more minutes.

 

Want to Lose Weight, Reduce Inflammation, Gain Energy, and Look Younger?

me in kitchenJudging from my email, and comments at the gym, it’s been hard to stick to a healthy food plan over the holidays.  Long, busy days and less sleep derail even the best intentions.  Don’t stress about it; stress hormones just make everything worse.

We’re 2/3 of the way through December.  How about this January, you commit – in your mind starting today – to a cyclical Low Carb/High Fat Diet / Way of Eating?   Here’s what I mean:

Since I did the Keto Diet this summer, I’ve cycled my eating to be either Low Carb days that include a starchy vegetable or fruit, ( potatoes, bananas, plantains, or winter squash ), with days when I eat VERY High Fat/Low Carb and ONLY green or cruciferous vegetables.  I haven’t done this for my weight, as my weight never really changes ( IF YOU HAVE WEIGHT TO LOSE, YOU’LL LOSE IT EATING THIS WAY I SWEAR, IF YOU DON’T HAVE WEIGHT TO LOSE, THERE’S A MILLION BENEFITS TO THIS WAY OF EATING), but WOW, does it do a number on energy and inflammation.  It’s the High Fat component I’m sure, as I’ve been plain old Low Carb for years now. ( Yes, Low Carb has several health and weight loss benefits independent of High Fat!)

Here’s what I’ve experienced in the past 6 months:  My varicose veins, which I’ve had since my 2nd pregnancy 22 years ago, are GONE.  It’s weird.  Some age spots I had on my chest…. GONE.  My eyebrows, which had kind of disappeared on the outside ( a sign of poor thyroid function ), have grown back.  Inflammation and soreness after a I teach a hard class or have a heavy leg day… much less.  And I haven’t been this “regular” in 10 years.

I had to go off a strict Keto plan because my blood pressure went too low ( one night it was 60/40 ), but if you struggle with High Blood Pressure, or Diabetes, or Heart disease, or need to lose weight, then a Keto Diet would be great for you.  Interestingly, cycling my days between High Fat/low carb and plan old Low Carb, has allowed me to see low levels of Ketones on the sticks whenever I test.

However, most people I work with don’t want to do a Keto Diet every day; it sounds too hard, and I’ll admit, it takes a LOT of fat, and counting your carbs, to see ketones on the meter or the keto sticks.  If you read my summer Posts, you know there’s several advantages to having a low amount of Ketones in your blood, everything from cell repair to cancer cell inhibition. Several decades ago, it would have been normal for us to float in and out of mild ketosis as high fat /low carb/low sugar diets were the norm; NOT ANY MORE.

Now, studies show that burning predominately glucose ( sugar ) is our New Norm.  If you’re primarily a sugar burner, that means your body STORES FAT instead of burning fat, even during exercise.   Ketones are an excellent fuel source;  our muscles, heart, and brain LOVE to burn ketones and literally PREFER to burn ketones or fatty acids OVER glucose.

If you’ve been struggling with weight or health issues, you should do a Cyclic Keto Diet, at least for January.  Give it a try.  Start today focusing on not only ditching the grains and sugar, but upping your fats, greens, and cruciferous vegetables.  It’s NOT boring, and it’s not hard once you get into the swing of things.  Look at my What I Eat page for ideas.  In the meantime, don’t go hog wild thinking a big diet’s coming up so there’s no sense holding back.  That’s a ridiculous mindset that causes weight gain, hormonal havoc, and illness.  Stop it.

Instead, focus on LOOKING FORWARD to healthy proteins, healthy fats, and tons of vegetables. Take control of your thoughts and PLAN to succeed at this.  There’s even delicious Keto Desserts you can eat every day if you want.  I’ll post my meals throughout the month of January.  Don’t let this be just about your weight; read and learn about the benefits of Low Carb and Ketogenic eating, there’s so much science now and you need to get that science in your head if you want to make real changes.

Two of the best books out there are Keto Clarity, and The Art and Science of Low Carb Living. Order at least one of these and start reading today.

Hesitant?  Sound daunting?  Afraid to give up bread, pasta, pizza, and sweets?  You’re addicted.  Quit listening to that part of your brain.

Where were you a year ago in your weight and health?  Are you still there today?  Has anything changed for the better in the past year?  Stop the crazy train diet cycle.  You can be different, you can be better, you can be really, really, happy with yourself!  God didn’t make losers.  Manifest a positive, productive mindset.  Order the books, take control of your thoughts, and determine to be better every day in 2015. Next year, on December 21, 2015, you could be a whole different, better you!