Archive for the ‘Diet’ Category

Tara’s the doctor and the expert.I’m the writer.

I’ll share what I can and then I’ll need to have her fill in the details – and probably correct some details too.

Over the last two weeks we’ve made some changes to our diet that resulted in each of us losing about 8 pounds each.This is somewhat shocking to me as weight loss has been a struggle over the last two years for both of us – and these changes, to be bluntly honest, I expected to actually pack on the pounds.

I also need to confess that these diet changes have not eliminated everything we’d like to eliminate.In this two weeks we’ve eaten pizza at least twice and we’ve had an evening bowl of ice cream (home made) in the range of 7-8 times.Let me just say, there’s no sense of deprivation occurring here.

First, a little history.

We’ve experimented with a variety of diets throughout our marriage.In the earlier years the goal was to find a diet that helped us feel better mentally and physically.Most of my life I’ve tried to gain weight, not lose it.

When we first met (I was 30, Tara 25) we enjoyed going for walks through neighborhoods in Portland.I’d experience complete energy lapses where I felt like I needed to stop and lie down on someone’s front lawn.I think I appeared healthy at that time, but I didn’t feel that way.

We tried numerous diets, including Eat Right for Your Blood Type, The Maker’s Diet, and a number of others that I don’t even remember.The results were mixed.

When we first moved to Sedona I developed a skin condition.Doctors diagnosed it as ring worm.I applied hundreds of dollars worth of topical treatments and later took medication that made me feel rotten, foggy headed.This lasted for six months.

What I discovered at that time was that whenever I ate any sugar, wheat, or product containing processed corn that I itched INSANELY almost immediately.This was good for causing me to *not* want to eat those foods.What I could eat were meats, milk, veggies, yogurt without sweetener, fruit and nuts.

Since I’ve never had a taste for veggies, it was convenient that Tara worked in the juice bar at the local health food store during that time while studying for her boards.I grew to crave those juices.To be clear these weren’t typical Jamba Juice concoctions or bottle of Ocean Spray, but instead juices that might contain fresh carrots, apples, greens, etc.

Eventually we discovered that my skin condition wasn’t ring worm at all – it was an allergic reaction to the juniper in the Sedona environment.Most people sneeze – I get a skin rash.As long as I ate well, the itching was at a minimum.Also note, the eventual cure for my condition was Ozonated Olive Oil thanks to the good Dr. Hutton of Sedona (olive oil infused with ozone) applied topically.

After Tara left that job and Rachel was born we both experienced our first weight gain together as a married couple.This was a stressful time and again my overall health went south.That craving for juices hadn’t left and I had a realization that I loved the taste of raw veggies (some of them anyway), but not cooked.

That was the start of the raw food diet for us – something we’ve done off and on to varying degrees over about six years.The longest we ever went at nearly 100% raw was nine months.During that period, in 2006, my weight was 164 lbs at its lowest.I was a big believer in the diet, primarily for the mental clarity and physical energy impact.The difference isn’t minor – it’s dramatic.

I had two problems on the raw diet however.The biggest is social – food is a big part of social interactions and you become acutely aware of that when you can’t eat anything with others.I also found that people are remarkably – REMARKABLY – offended, somehow, by this diet.

There is truth there however and I felt the proof was in the results.

The second problem was that I still had a craving for meat.To be honest, I don’t like eating meat. Ethically it bothers me.If I had to go out and kill my own food I don’t think I could / would do it.That just feels out of integrity to me, like it’s not something that’s right.Maybe I’ll feel differently one day, but that’s what I feel now and have always felt.

Now, the common argument against a raw vegan diet is that I had a need for protein but I don’t believe that’s accurate.The largest, strongest animals on earth are not meat eaters.Elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes – they don’t eat meat.Where do they get the protein?Well protein is the building block of cells – all cells.Protein is abundant in plants, but not if you cook them.Cooking changes chemistry; sometimes that’s good but usually it’s not.

Pasteurization of milk, for example, turns milk into an entirely different substance.Cooked milk is not, chemically speaking, milk.As a result we lose the true health benefits – and actually consume a product that is unhealthy to most.And there’s more to that story too.

Anyway, the raw food diet was important enough to us that we seriously considered – even invested money – in moving to a proposed raw food community being developed in Ojai, California.

This was much more than a fad to us – it was a lifestyle commitment, at least to me.

The other thing with that diet is temptation – it’s everywhere.A cookie doesn’t lose its appeal;nor does pizza or a BBQ sandwich or donuts.

Whenever we’d cheat on these things, like with my skin condition, the punishment for that transgression was nearly immediate.The result would be a headache, symptoms that resembled being drunk (except not at all fun), and intestinal distress.

I’d meet with a mastermind group once per week at a local Mexican restaurant and on occasion I’d cheat – for the rest of the lunch I’d be foggy headed, like I’d had a few too many beers, and later I’d develop a severe headache.It truly had the same effect on my body as drinking hard alcohol would.

Challenges around the diet increased as our family grew too.It’s just a lot of work for Tara.And gradually we began opting for quicker, easier meals that lead into falling away from the diet more and more.

Oh, and one more problem – expense.Our food bill on the raw food diet was 20-25% higher than normal.For our family we were spending $1000-1200 per month on food.

As we moved away from the raw food diet my weight, for the first time in my life, began to balloon. My weight increased from 164 in late 2006 to 202 by Aug 2009.And I think it’s important to stress that aside from nightly dates with Ben and Jerry and the occasional Domino’s pizza that our diet was relatively, even radically, “healthy” by typical American diet standards.

In August 2009 we went to Hawaii.I knew I didn’t look great, but I didn’t think I looked bad either.Then I saw pictures of myself at the pool and I didn’t like what I saw – I had become the fat, hairy, bald guy at the pool.

After seeing myself in action, I took action: I went back to eating raw, even going with a radical version of the diet called the 80/10/10 by Dr. Graham.

I also began working with a personal trainer.I’d set an initial goal of losing 15 pounds in six weeks; I lost just 5.That’s not the entire truth though, and getting at the entire truth is the goal here.My body fat did drop from 24.9% to 19.7% meaning that I’d actually lost 11 pounds of fat and gained 6 pounds of muscle.

After that six weeks I again reverted in my diet and stopped working out.If only I’d kept doing what I was doing it’s possible over six months that I would have lost up to 44 pounds of fat and gained 24 pounds of muscle transforming myself into a beast.J

I’m sharing this because that, and what happens the next six months, are important with regard to exercise.

My work with the personal trainer never involved using more than 8lb weights.In most workout sessions no weights were used at all.

My trainer, Paul Burke, is a former NFL tight end and has trained many NFL stars.He composed workouts that simultaneously burned fat, built balance, flexibility and strength while being low impact.

It’s called Functional Performance.

To be honest there were times I felt like I could, and should, work harder.Not that these workouts didn’t push me – they usually did – but my thinking was that if I was going to get my money’s worth then I should walk away feeling like I was going to puke.

I now understand the logic – actually brilliance – better than I did at the time.

After the training with Paul ended I was inactive again for two months before joining a health club.

 

 

What’s interesting is that I did these workouts more frequently, with greater intensity . . . and I saw zero change in my weight and body fat percentage.In fact my body fat actually increased.

That was discouraging and I’d remain stuck in this place for over a year, regardless of what I did.

I was eating a mixed diet at this point – usually raw for breakfast and lunch and then whatever for dinner.Oh, and Ben and Jerry came back too but then again Ben and Jerry have always been frequent guests.

But I don’t think this had much of anything to do with diet – not exactly.

I think these high intensity workouts did two things –

1.They made me tired.Most of the rest of my day, after these workouts, and the day after I was *less* active than normal.

2.They made me hungry; the workouts increased my appetite.

My conclusion is that high-intensity is good for building strength and endurance, but it’s not good for losing weight or building muscle.It’s probably more accurate to say high intensity is not good for weight control – because when I was young I over-trained too, hoping to gain muscle, and that wasn’t the result I achieved.I could do 80 plus pushups consecutively when I was 17 – but I was thin as a rail at 147 lbs and seemingly never able to gain weight.

Dr. Graham writes about this in his book.First, overtraining does increase appetite.  He states that it’s a catch-22 and you cannot lose weight that way, unless you starve yourself.  Second, it’s not the workout that causes growth, it’s the rest and healing period.Without adequate rest and healing a body will not respond to physical training and thus becomes sick trying.

In other words, training actually tears the body down.Rest is when it heals and grows.

Anyway, it’s taken this backstory to get us to where we are now.

Here on the farm I’m much more physically active than I was in Sedona.I feel stronger than I ever felt there – but my weight hadn’t changed.  I have probably traded a little fat for a little muscle but the difference isn’t going to make much difference in the eyeball test.  (BTW, I’m not that obsessed with my looks – I don’t really care if I look Fabio good – I just don’t want to look James Gandolfini bad)

BTW, I think it’s important to note that weight is only a number.My goal isn’t to be a thin 164 again.164 with 15% bodyfat isn’t the same as 164 with 5% bodyfat.At the same time I remember when I was in high school thinking that if I could get my weight up to around 164 that I’d transform myself into an athletic stud.LOL.That might have been true if I’d gained 17 pounds of muscle, but not 17 pounds of fat.

Tara began revisiting research by Weston A Price.He was a dentist who studied the dental health of people throughout the world.What he found was startling.

Dr. Price discovered that certain cultures had nearly perfect dental health without dental care.And these cultures had common diet traits.He also found that when specific changes were made to the diets of the cultures that dental health quickly deteriorated.

He believed, and I agree, that dental health was an important indicator of overall health.Future health problems could be predicted based on current dental health condition – and it had nothing to do with brushing.

He also did research – or maybe it was his foundation in later years – on ancient human remains.The finding were again startling.

Maybe you’ve learned that our ancestors had stronger bone structures.It was also found that dental health of most of our ancestors was excellent – again without brushing, fluoride treatments,or Crest.

Analysis of bones found that our ancestors ate a diet of primarily meat.We know this by comparing bone densities of our contemporaries.Meat eaters have a bone density nearly 4 times greater than the bone density of vegetarians.(But don’t assume anything quite yet meat eater.)

Yes, I hate to say that because it directly contradicts something I’d fight for.

And the cultures found in the highest health in contemporary times . . . meat eaters too.

But – and this is what requires all of this buildup and explanation – it’s not the meat and animal products of our times in modern America.It’s something different altogether.

I highly recommend watching films in the vein of Food, Inc.I never knew what our store bought cow ate.And I didn’t understand why it’s important.Those films do a much better job of explaining everything than I can do here – at least as far as why the system is the way it is, which can be summed up as “lots of cheap food is better for the businessman than good quality food”.

In America offering “lots for cheap” makes money – see Walmart.

All supermarket cows are fed a diet of corn.This is because corn is cheap (being subsidized by the government), you can fit 100 times more cows in the same space as if they ate grass (which is what they’re supposed to eat) and it makes them fat (meaning more money from the same animal since they sell by the pound).

OK, sounds great.

Except that corn makes cows very, very sick.It makes them so sick that they must be given antibiotics to keep them from dying before they can get to market.It makes them so sick that even on antibiotics they couldn’t live beyond about six months on that diet.

Could you possibly imagine eating anything that would kill you within six months?

So the goal is to feed the cow as much corn as possible, as fast as you can, propping it up with antibiotics so it lives long enough to make it to market, fat.

In other words, forget mad cow disease – all of our meat supply is sick and diseased.These cows are sick.This is the real reason that we need extreme food handling laws and why eating meat and dairy products result in human disease.

What we should be eating, in good health, is poisoned.

However, since American doctors have yet to embrace the idea that diet has any real impact on health (have you seen the food served in our hospitals?!) how can we expect anyone to correlate that to our meat supply?

A piece of meat is a piece of meat, right?Well, not if we really believe that we are what we eat.

Further, because these animals are not free ranging and healthy they are not rich with the nutrients we all need for good health – such as vitamin D.Why does our milk need to be fortified with vitamin D when it should be naturally rich with it?

Why is it *illegal* to buy raw milk, for human consumption, when milk is naturally sterile and as close to a perfect food as nature can offer?

Because of poor conditions and poor raising – plus the desire to extend shelf life.

A healthy product has been turned into an unhealthy product because it’s profitable and nobody knows the difference.

Here’s a spot where I need to learn more and maybe Tara can fill in the blanks.

In my lifetime an agenda has developed that basically says “Fat is the cause of most human health problems”.Over the last 20 years we’ve seen an explosion in low-fat foods on the market and yet the country now has an obesity epidemic.

Is fat the problem?

I have believed it was and most people do.

Well, it seems that fat isn’t the problem.In fact, Tara’s research is suggestingthat the healthiest things we can eat are foods high in quality fat.

We’re not talking about deep fried Oreos or donuts here.J

We are talking about taboos such as whole milk, butter, bacon, eggs, etc.Except that “milk” isn’t really milk, butter is laden with growth hormones and nutritionally deficient, bacon is full of nitrites and store bought eggs pale in comparison to the farm fresh, free range eggs we’re enjoying.

That’s what we’ve been eating – while cutting out a lot of the processed grains and sugars.

Side note: Many low-fat and fat-free dairy products have non-fat/low-fat dried milk added to them to improve the flavor.The problem is that dried milk has been proven to be a cause of heart disease; not because it’s milk, but because the milk is oxidized through processing.You’ve heard anti-oxidents are good for you?Well, oxidization of food is very, very unhealthy and we need anti-oxidents to counteract them.Don’t consume anything with dried milk in it and you’d be surprised by what that includes.

Now the lingering question on my mind is: Isn’t this unhealthy?Isn’t my cholesterol going to go through the roof?

Again, research suggests that depends on the source of the foods and how they were raised, fed and treated.

A GMO tomato grown in chemical fertilizers in a green house isn’t as healthy, nor does it taste as good, as an heirloom tomato grown naturally in your own garden – not even close.Tomato’s from the store are just as nutritionally devoid as is beef, milk or eggs, from the store.

Both might be called tomato, but they’re not the same thing.  As the guy who gets to pay the food bill around here, I hate to admit that out loud but it’s the truth.

The primary point here is this: much of what we’ve been lead to believe is unhealthy is in fact, healthy.And it’s even more healthy if you attain it from a better, more natural source.

Cholesterol – Tara just enlightened me on this “evil killer”.  Cholesterol is a bandaid of sorts that operates in our blood stream to help heal problems within the body.

There are two types of cholesterol: LDL and HDL.  LDL is often referred to as “good cholestrol” and HDL as “bad cholesterol”.  In reality, each is like a vehicle that is sent out from the liver, or back to the liver.  LDL is sent out for healing purposes.  And HDL is sent back when the problem is taken care of, or more cholesterol was sent than needed.

Cholesterol is a good thing used by the body to heal itself.  Its presence is not the problem – it’s an indicator that there is a problem within the body that the body is attempting to heal.

Therefore cholesterol medication does succeed in lower cholesterol levels but that can be akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

The underlying condition causing the body to move cholesterol for healing purposes still exists – there just isn’t any cholesterol left to help resolve the condition.

Heart disease – I’ll need this one explained to me again.  But here’s my best first crack.  Heart disease was not a significant health condition until the early 1900s.  In fact it was so insignificant that it wasn’t even studied, with research at that time focused on the real killers of the day such as tuberculosis.

The change in the 1900s began with the introduction of artificial – or man made fats such as are included in margarine.  Wait a minute?  Weren’t we told to eat margarine instead of butter because it’s healthier for us?  Well, I guess that wasn’t exactly the truth.  The truth is it’s cheaper to produce than the real thing and the way to sell it is to suggest that plant-derived fats are healthier for us than animal derived fats.

So our current diet looks like this for breakfast –

Two eggs
Two slices of bacon
A serving of grits with butter on them
A small glass of whole milk

Lunch

An apple
A pear
Cheese
A spoon full of peanut butter

Dinner

Beef or chicken stew
or
Mashed potatos
Green beans cooked in bacon drippings
Meat portion
Small salad

As a snack I might eat a handful of cashews or almonds.I love Cuties – those little tangerines.

And Tara occasionally makes a treat that includes milk, molasses and raw egg yokes in the blender.  Very tasty, energizing and filling.

It doesn’t sound like a lot of food, but it’s plenty.

Now, weight loss is great but I also want to stress in the backstory I talked about a desire for better overall energy, physical recovery and mental clarity.

I spend most of my time working – either here at the computer working on my Internet business or outside doing relatively physical labor like chopping wood, digging and moving land.My strength and energy are good – eating the occasional processed food, like pizza, negatively impacts that.

Mentally I’m clear and focused.I’m not foggy headed at all.I’d have to attribute that foggy response mainly to processed goods, especially wheat.

The main thing here is that I want to communicate is that health is an important thing to us and so we’ve done a lot of research – well, Tara has done the most of it – before jumping into anything.It would be ideal to have a before and after blood test, although I think Tara and I are both pretty convinced at this point that blood cholesterol levels actually have little to do with diet.  

We just watched a National Geographic documentary, for example, that correlates plaque build up in baboons to stress related to positions in the pecking order.  Baboons at the top of the order have clean arteries, while baboons at the bottom show serious arterial build-up.  A study of humans working for the government in the UK corroberate that finding.

And as I hope I’ve made the point, “milk” isn’t always milk.And we cannot claim with certainty that a food is bad without investigating how that food came to market.

Weight loss alone shouldn’t be the goal because that can, and often does, come at the expense of good overall health.The goal should be a healthy weight with optimal mental and physical function.

I have not experienced some of the additional health benefits Tara is claiming with this change in diet, some for obvious reasons.

She has had eczema on her hands for nearly a year and that has cleared up.Her skin feels noticeably softer and smoother.She also reports no PMS symptoms.She’s sold on the diet changes.

This is not a well-planned, carefully edited document.Like I said, I will confirm facts with Tara and I’m sure she’ll have an entirely new level of information to share.I’ve always wanted to do something like and it’s just naturally happened.

Personally I think the long-term diet, for me, is a combination of what we’re doing here *and* more raw foods.That’s why we moved to Tennessee, so that we could have plenty of land and a favorable climate for growing most of our food – especially fruits and vegetables.Who knows where this is going and we’re trying not to be attached –

All the best to you, John

Remember when your parents used to load your plate up with veggies and not let you have any dessert until you finished every last bit? They just might have been onto something with all those dark green vegetables.

Take a look at Popeye and his spinach. He would down a can and practically lift a car. Impressive wasn’t it? Maybe the general idea isn’t so far fetched.

Five of the healthiest dark green vegetables include broccoli, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. These vegetables, identified by their dark green color, are rich in antioxidants and usually have large amounts of phytochemicals like Vitamin C.

If you’ve turned on the television in the past three years, antioxidants have been all over the news. They’ve been proven to help reduce the risk of cancer and strengthen the immune system.

Many foods tend to lose nutrients when cooked. The great thing about these dark green vegetables is that you can find them easily in your grocery store and they taste great with little or no cooking, leaving much of their nutrients intact.

Here is some important information about these healthy veggies:

Broccoli is a fun vegetable for kids because it feels like you’re eating a small tree. In fact, the little buds are actually tiny flourettes that contain more than twice the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.

Some facts about broccoli you may not already know include:

• Broccoli is a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It not only meets both types of fiber needs, but it’s also a rich source to add to your diet.

• Research has shown indole-3-carbinol – found in the phytonutrients of broccoli – actually deactivates a metabolite which can become cancerous.

• Broccoli also helps restore sun-damaged skin, reduces the risk of heart disease, and boosts the immune system. At the same time, it also promotes healthy bone growth due to its massive amounts of calcium.

Kale is a slightly bitter, leafy green with a huge amount of folic acid and potassium. Try some kale in your stir-fry. You may just find yourself thoroughly impressed.

• The folic acid found in kale is a great addition to your diet if you suffer from poor hair, skin and nails.

• In addition, the potassium helps to promote the breakdown of lactic acid in muscles after a workout, and is a great food to help prevent muscle soreness in the recovery process.

Swiss chard is similar to spinach, with a little more of an earthy undertone. Rich in Vitamins C and K, as well as calcium, Swiss chard is a great addition to salads.

• Vitamin K helps promote healthy eye and brain function. The next time you have to spend hours staring at a computer screen or studying for that big exam, try some Swiss chard and let your mind be at ease knowing your brain is getting the nutrients it needs.

Spinach is a lean mean green antioxidant-packing machine, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron.

• Spinach is loaded with important vitamins and minerals to promote healthy brain function as well as strong bones and muscles.?

• Next time you have a salad, try it with spinach instead of lettuce for a little variety and a big explosion of taste.

Lettuce may be the last thing that comes to mind when you picture dark green vegetables. While many of the lighter shades of lettuce, such as iceberg, have very little nutritional value, the darker the color, the more they have to hide.

Romaine lettuce, while still made up mostly of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber.

The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease.

Even though lettuce seems so simple, look at some of its complex attributes:

• Lettuce is great for diets since it’s very low in calories.

• Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, does wonders in revitalizing muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.

• The chlorophyll-packed juice in lettuce is very helpful in maintaining normal hair color.

• Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells.

• Lettuce may help in treating insomnia, acid indigestion, colitis, constipation, gout, stress and many other diseases as well.

While you might have been forced to eat your dark green veggies as a kid, now you know why it was so important. Even today, your dark greens are vital to your health and well-being. Try these dark greens in some new recipes; you just might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it!

It may be easy to forget the importance of living a healthy life when we’re going through the daily grind. It may be even easier to get caught up in what’s convenient instead of what’s good for us. However, the benefits you can enjoy with a healthy lifestyle are worth making healthy living a priority!

Here are three healthy living tips you can use to better your health, increase your happiness, and enjoy life to its fullest:

1. Rest and rejuvenate. The biggest healthy living tip that many people overlook is the need for sleep.?Life can get hectic. When we don’t have enough time to get things done, most of us opt to stay up late to make up for the lack of time. Or perhaps our busy minds prevent us from getting a restful sleep in the first place. However, getting less sleep is actually counterproductive to doing anything efficiently, effectively, or well!

• Getting enough sleep enables you to work and pursue your passions vigorously. It rejuvenates your body, mind, and attitude. You should have an ergonomically correct mattress and pillow to ensure you get the best sleep possible.

2. Eat nutritious food. Another healthy living tip is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Many people believe that they don’t need to eat healthy or watch their diet because they don’t need to lose weight. This couldn’t be further from the truth! You should put only the best foods in your mouth no matter how much you weigh, what size you wear, or how fit you look.?

• What you eat affects your entire body, including your brain. You can think clearer, feel happier, enjoy more energy and avoid illness by eating nutritious foods. Strive to eat more raw vegetables and fruits instead of processed or packaged foods.

3. Affirm the positive. Having a positive mindset is the key to living a fulfilling life. Many people don’t realize the importance of living and thinking positively. As a result, they inevitably find themselves allowing negative things to rule their mind and body.?

• Your attitude is one of the most important contributors to both your happiness and health.

Like every other healthy living strategy mentioned, being positive all the time (or even most of the time) may take some effort. However, an easy way to incorporate positive thoughts into your everyday life is to use affirmations.

Many people use affirmations to help them think more positively as they go about their daily life. Positive affirmations are simply statements you can use to replace the negative thoughts running through your head.

• A good affirmation encourages you to live the healthiest lifestyle possible and be the best that you can be.

Positive affirmations often remind you about how important it is to take care of yourself. An example could be, "I can neutralize bad habits with good food, exercise, and healthy living."

This is a simple way to be reminded of how important you are, how important your body is, and how important your mental health is.

You have a whole toolbox and support system at your disposal to help make your life happier and healthier. All you have to do is take action!

Which vitamins and supplements are recommended to take to improve concentration, sharpness and focus?

I feel quite lethargic at work and find it difficult to sharpen my mind and concentrate. I know small amounts of caffeine help the brain stay alert, but are there any supplements that would aid this? I have heard omega 3 and cod liver oil are good, but I’m not sure if this is true or what doses. I’m about to start a new job and I want to be on the ball, not daydreaming.

Just like a diesel engine that will not run on unleaded gasoline, our bodies cannot run optimally without feeding it the proper fuel. Nutrition is as important to our wellness as is drinking clean water and breathing unpolluted air. Most fitness professionals know this, and many of them dedicate their lives to eating clean, which in part means eliminating foods that are processed, overly-refined and calorie dense. The emphasis is on fresh and local produce, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. High-fat and sugar-laden foods are avoided, as is alcohol.

There are many reasons why you should take care when choosing the food you put into your body. Besides eliminating saturated fats in order to maintain a healthy body weight, there is also the issue of getting enough nutrients and avoiding unhealthy food additives. The goal of optimal nutrition is to get all you need from your food, without having to supplement with vitamins. Think about what’s in the food you usually eat. Processed foods will be filled with man-made chemicals, many of which have been linked to thyroid disease, diabetes, and even muscular dystrophy. 

For optimum wellness, choose foods that have been touched as little as possible by man. This means choosing fresh fruit and vegetables, whole or unrefined carbohydrates, hormone-free meats and dairy, and natural sugars such as honey or stevia. Foods from an organic or wild environment are best, and be sure to avoid trans-fats (fats listed as partially hydrogenated). Choosing your food-fuel this way will help eliminate added chemicals and preservatives, while allowing your body to receive all the nutrients Mother Nature’s bounty has to offer.

At the same time, carry this same concept into other areas of your life by considering the quality of your daily activities and experiences.  Do you spend time with positive, productive people regularly?  Or do you find yourself surrounded by negative, judgmental people who leave you feeling drained?  Are you fulfilled by your work, or do you spend much of your day feeling bored and uninspired?  Do you make time for creative pursuits, spiritual connection and personal development on a regular basis?  Or are you so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs that you neglect your own?

Just like poor quality food results in physical deficiencies, constant pressure and dissatisfaction from our life experiences will deplete us mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The greatest challenge is knowing where to start to improve the quality of our lives.  It’s overwhelming to contemplate improving our diets, changing careers, creating a new spiritual practice and more – but we don’t have to do it all at once!

 

Start by reviewing how you feel about the major parts of your life: physical health, mental attitude, relationships with your spouse and family, social connections, career path, financial situation, and spiritual practice.  How satisfied are you with these areas?  Rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being very satisfied and one being not satisfied at all.

With any area that rated high for dissatisfaction, consider just one thing you can do to help improve it.  It might be as simple as reducing your sugar intake, making one new friend, applying for a better job, telling your spouse you love him or her, and so on. 

Small changes can add up to big results if done consistently over time.  As you begin to “clean up” one area of your life, don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel inspired to do more simply because it makes you feel so good to be making positive changes.  However, try to avoid taking on too much at once because burning yourself out is one sure way to fall back into old habits.  Simply take it one step at a time, one day at a time and before long you should see some wonderful changes taking place before your eyes. 

Include Meditation in your daily activities to help you find positive outcomes.  

Visit: http://deep-zen.com and benefit from it’s valuable free demo offer.

Quality Affirmation:

I honor myself with high quality nourishment on all levels.

My body, mind and spirit deserve the best of everything.

If you think about it, our bodies are a lot like refrigerators. They come in all sizes, configurations and colors, and they hold our food and drink for utilization at the necessary time. And like refrigerators, our bodies occasionally get overcrowded, filled with stale or overripe food, and in need of a good scrubbing from the inside out. Over time, toxins can build up in our system, digestion becomes sluggish, and we begin to feel generally ill. Surprisingly, many people don’t realize that what goes on in our gut can affect the rest of our body.

The road to feeling better is as simple as detoxifying and cleansing your system on a regular basis. Some common and less serious conditions that may be helped by an occasional detox include constipation, intestinal cramping, frequent urinary infections and even chronic bad breath. Symptoms of the more serious digestive disorders like Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome may also be relieved. However, detoxifying is in no way intended to treat or cure any disorders that require proper medical care.

Detoxifying your body can be as simple or complex as you make it. If you’re frequently ill, eat on the run, or have digestive issues, a complete colon cleansing may be required to feel your best again. However, if you eat well and rarely get sick, you can cleanse by simply taking part in a 48-hour fast consisting of clear liquids. Just remember you are trying to rid your body of toxins and balance out the natural bacteria in the gut. Many cleansing products on the market help you accomplish this by flushing the kidneys, reviving the liver’s functions, and restoring the bacterial balance. Your body will thank you for the cleaning, trust me.

That’s a great start to get you moving back to wellness, but it’s not just your body that needs occasional cleaning.  When was the last time you detoxed your mind?

Do you ever find it difficult to concentrate?  Do you constantly berate yourself for your “failures” or neglect caring for yourself properly?  If you have spent years besieged by negative or limiting thoughts, holding on to old grudges, emotional traumas and generally thinking badly about yourself, you probably have a lot of mental toxins that interfere with your day to day performance. 

Clearing these toxins out of your mind can be as simple as going on a “negativity fast” for a few weeks. Do your best to turn away from negativity in all forms.  Avoid spending time with people who leave you with much stress or getting you feel so drained.  Turn off the evening news and invest that time into reading positive material. If you absolutely must find out what’s happening in the world, do a quick skim of the headlines on a major news network website – but do not read any of the stories unless there is a compelling reason why you need to do so.  After a few days of this, you’ll quickly realize that the majority of stories don’t affect you personally and you really aren’t missing anything by avoiding them.

Once your mind begins to clear, you’ll probably realize just how deeply enmeshed in negative thought patterns you really were.  After a week or two of more positive thought patterns, you’ll likely find yourself feeling lighter and happier on a regular basis, nurturing your spirit and making your self-care a priority.

 

Cleansing Affirmation:

I release all thoughts, feelings and habits that detract from my inner well-being.

I embrace everything that makes me feel alive, energetic and happy.

 

To learn more on how to Detoxify and Cleanse Yourself and get out of Stress, visit http://holothink.com and find out more reviews and a free demo.

I’m not completely lactose intolerant, but I cannot handle certain dairy products in the morning (I cannot drink milk with breakfast, but I can have cream cheese). As well, it seems that if I eat an abundance of dairy over the course of a couple of days, I can get really sick. It’s very hit or miss however. Is anyone in a similar situation? How could I better describe this to my doctor?

suzi orman, susan orman, susy orman, susie orman,
susy orman

by Suze Orman

A major step toward financial freedom is about getting back in touch with your money and understanding that you have the power to decide how to use it. And it’s about being honest with yourself. Have you ever taken a big wad of bills from an ATM machine, then found yourself, a day or two later, nearly out of cash and unable to reconstruct exactly where you spent it? And even when you retrace all your steps, you still come up $20, $40 or $60 short? It’s upsetting, but most of us feel that way most of the time: a little short, a little panicky, wondering exactly where our money is going.

Where Do You Think You Stand Today?

What does it cost you to live each month? If you are married or living with someone with whom you share expenses, please ask him or her to write down the answer to the same question. Most of us believe we need about $1,000 to $1,500 a month less than we actually do need to go on living the exact same way we live right now. Surprisingly, this figure seems to vary only a little bit regardless of income levels. Where does this month-to-month self-deception lead us? Into financial chaos. Often, our planned spending doesn’t cover expenses that don’t occur every month or expenses that just crop up. For example:

• Do you consider the cost of your gym membership per month even if you pay to renew just once a year?
• Do you pay your insurance premiums twice or four times a year? Do you calculate the cost of insurance in your monthly bills?
• Where did you go on vacation last year? What did that one-time expense cost average over twelve months?

These big expenses hit once or twice a year, probably surprising you every time. And then there are seasonal expenses:

• Come summer, do you forget about how much higher the gas bills run in the fall?
• Do you have your windows washed once or twice a year?
• Did you send your children to summer camp last summer
• Do you get your hair cut and maybe colored every couple of months? How much, then, does it cost every single month?

The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke is financial expert Suze Orman’s answer to a generation’s cry for help….

Here’s another surprise: If you make some sort of payment every week—child care, a cleaning woman, a mortgage payment withdrawn automatically every two weeks—the extra weekly payments will take place in four months of the year.

Plus the smallest expenses add up fast—the ones too small, you might think, to be worth figuring into your budget at all.

For instance, do you go to the movies once a week? When you do, do you buy the tickets for yourself and your partner, have popcorn and sodas, go for a simple dinner afterward, as simple as pizza or a burger and fries?

That’s not so much, is it? No, it isn’t, not on any given Friday night.

Maybe $16 for the tickets, $4 for the popcorn and sodas and $20 for a simple meal. But once a week over a year, that’s $2,080.

And too many of us forget to include expenses so "small." Other "small" expenses add up just as much. Magazine subscriptions, cosmetics, supplies for the yard, oil changes for the car, batteries for the flashlight, charcoal for the grill: Do you know what it really costs you to keep your life running smoothly over a year’s time?

How about special occasions? How many birthday parties, house warmings and baby showers did you attend last year? Didn’t you bring a present to each one? Might you have done that twenty times or more last year?

Finally, you need to allocate $50 to $100 each month for miscellaneous unpredictable expenses: dental work that’s not covered in your insurance, travel to your brother’s wedding.

Most of my clients are shocked to discover by how much they have underestimated—and that’s when they’ve guessed as honestly as they can. It’s a scary realization, but there’s a wonderful flip side to that fear. Once you take this step, you will feel better for knowing the truth. And you will begin to gain power over the money that’s controlled you for so long.

Money Wisdom Money can’t make you happy, but not having it can be very challenging.  Financial planner and best selling author Suze Orman reveals why so many of us have persistent financial problems…

How Much Is Going Out?

Get out your canceled checks, ATM statements, credit card bills, whatever will tell you how you spent your money over the last two years. These papers are more revealing than a diary; they contain the key to how you live your life.

Yes, it will take you some time to do this, but think how much time it will give back to you in the future. You work 40 hours a week or more to earn your money. Take a few hours to take your money out of the darkness, to see it in the light of reality, to see where you stand. Don’t just read these pages—pick up a pen and take action.

• Go through your checkbook, canceled checks, computerized statements, all your records for the past two years.Not one year, but two years. Maybe this year was an extraordinary time – you remodeled the house, bought a new car—but looking at a two-year period, you’ll get a good idea of what it costs you to live the way you are living. All your checks, cash withdrawals, money spent every month, money spent once a year, money spent once a season, holiday expenses, everything.
• Make categories for each month—such as telephone, gasoline, food, utilities, vet bills, golf fees, baby-sitting.
• After all the categories are complete, total each category.Divide each category by 24. This will give you how much you spend per month on average for each category.
• Now add together all the averages in each category.This will tell you what it costs you to live each month. Remember, these are averages. If your average is $3,000, most months you’ll spend less—say, $1,800 or $2,000. But in some months you’ll spend $5,000 or $6,000. To meet your expenses, you need to bring in that average number each month.

The Courage to Be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance (Unabridged) Best selling author and financial expert Suze Orman helped millions of Americans turn toward their money and embark on a true path to wealth…

How Much Is Coming In?

Now write down now all the income from every source that you have coming in. Only calculate an amount you are fairly certain will continue coming in for at least one more year.

• Monthly paychecks after taxes
• Predictable bonuses
• Social Security income
• Disability, rental and retirement income
• Gifts from your parents or children, if you can really count on them year in, year out
• Loan repayments, if they will continue for more than a year

Take this total and divide it by 12, so you can see what you have coming in after taxes on a monthly basis. If you’re like many of us, you’ve just confirmed that you spend more than you thought. Quite possibly you also spend more than you earn. What can you do? You can do one or both of two things: Make more money and/or decide to spend less. Look at each of your categories again, and decide how much in each category you want to spend.

If you’re spending more than you’re earning, this solution is not about creating limitations. It’s about making decisions—determining what you most want to spend your money on. If you can make more money realistically, then you’re in a position where you may be able to earn what you spend and go on living the way you do right now. If you’re like most of us, however, more likely you need to decide to spend your money differently.

This does not mean that you have to take one drastic action that crimps your pleasures and quality of life, such as getting by with one car when you family needs two. Consider, instead, making the decision to spend $25 to $30 less per month from 15 or 20 of your spending categories. Some categories are fixed.

There will be other categories—in fact, the majority of categories—where you can actually decide what the total spent per year will be.

Is there one magazine subscription you can do without?

Can you have three Friday movie nights a month instead of four?

Keep deciding to trim a little here, a little there, until what comes in matches what goes out. With each decision you make, you are gaining power over your money. Put down in writing the yearly total you decided on for each category.

Now keep track of what you spend in each category, month by month. Create a chart or system that will work for you. Each month when you pay your bills, check your spending by category. If you use up any allocation early and want to spend more in that category, you’ll have to make new decisions about what, if anything, you want to do by seeing where you stand with the other categories.

As a reminder, post the categories you’re trimming in your planner or on the fridge. You may find—as have many of my clients—that you can come up with wonderfully creative ways to trim your spending so that you hardly notice.

One family (both parents work and their teenage kids aren’t home much) now has the garbage picked up every two weeks instead of every week, trimming a painless $200 a year.

A single mother now goes to the grocery store every eight days instead of every single Saturday, simply paying more attention to the food she already has in the house. Last year she trimmed nearly $400 from what she allocated for food.

Another client, who described himself as a "compulsive spender on CDs," now weeds out the CDs he doesn’t listen to much anymore and trades them with friends. Last year he trimmed $600 and had just as many fresh CDs to listen to.

That same client also now does his taxes himself with a computer program, rather than going to his accountant.  Savings: $600.

But only when you see in front of you how you spend your money now will you be able to decide how you would rather be spending your money. This is the hardest step toward financial freedom. With this step you have been honest with yourself. Now you know exactly where you stand. Rather than being dictated by a restriction, your actions—and your money—are dictated by the choices you make.

Financial Freedom: Creating True Wealth Now This practical, systematic approach to financial freedom is divided into three parts….

Suze Orman is a best-selling finance author. She has appeared on Oprah, two PBS specials, QVC, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC , Good Morning America and is a columnist for Self magazine and a regular contributor
on NBC’s Today show.

To Contact Suze Orman, click here

Overcoming the temptations of overeating , overspending , and under-appreciating during this holiday season can be challenging. When it comes to the holidays, all of these issues tempt us more than usual. However, you’ll be pleased to discover that there are ways of coping with these stressful situations during the holidays.

Here are some ways to help you avoid the temptations so you can start the New Year happy and stress-free:

Overeating

When the holidays roll in, decorative and highly tempting food platters roll out to greet us with tantalizing turkeys, decked out hams, sides, and every dessert imaginable!

You know as well as I do that it’s really hard to pass on the food when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In many cases, even New Year’s Eve continues the scrumptious dinners and pastries.

Unless you want to be sporting a new bloat come the New Year, it’s important that you learn to resist the urge to indulge in too many of these foods.

To avoid overeating, try these tips:

1.      Avoid the urge to stockpile the food on your plate. Start with small helpings and eat your meal slowly.

2.      Have plenty to drink with your meal. In between bites, sip on a glass of ice cold water, low fat milk, or healthy juice. This can help fill you up quickly so you won’t be tempted by second and third helpings.

3.      Eat a healthy snack prior to going to a family gathering or holiday party. Munching on fruits, vegetables or yogurt will help fill you up so you won’t be starving at the party.

Overspending

It’s so easy to spend more than you anticipate or can afford during the holidays. It’s important to budget your money appropriately so when the New Year comes along, you’re not burdened with debt.

Remember that you do not have to spend a lot on Christmas gifts! You can buy inexpensive gifts or create wonderful and precious homemade presents. No one wants you to go into debt buying gifts for them! Keep this in mind as you shop so you can limit your spending this holiday season.

These tips will also help you to avoid overspending:

1.      Use cash only. Leave your credit cards at home and only spend what you have in your wallet. It’s a wonderful feeling not to have large credit card bills in January!

2.      Chip in on a gift with another family member. If you know the perfect gift for dad is out of your budget, ask a sibling to split the cost with you.

3.      Make a list and stick to it. Only go into the stores where you know you’ll find your gift items and keep the focus on your list. If you don’t have a need to go to the electronics or clothing section of the store, then stay away.

4.      Set a strict budget. Setting a dollar amount for each item can also keep you focused and away from the more expensive gifts.

Under-Appreciation

Once the holiday season begins, it’s quite common to put wish lists together and forget about all the things we already have! Remember to be grateful this holiday season.

• There are many things that we can be grateful for – our job, home, friends, family members, and more! Remember to be appreciative at all times and you’re more likely to enjoy the holiday season.

Christmas isn’t about what you can get or what you didn’t get. It’s a time for sharing and making warm memories together. The attitude that you end this year with is the attitude that you’ll start the New Year with.

• A grateful attitude will bring more things in the New Year for you to be grateful for!

If past holidays brought too much temptation to overeat, overspend, and even to be a little greedy, you can make changes to your holiday season this year to avoid these temptations. The strategies listed in this article can bring you a happier and guilt-free holiday season.

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