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How Hormones Can Affect the Quality of Your Skin

11/9/2020

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Hormones don't just regulate reproduction, weight, appetite, and sleep.  They affect EVERYTHING our bodies do. They also play a huge role in the quality and appearance of our skin.  Yes, our skin!  Think of the times in our lives when our hormones are out of whack:  puberty, pregnancy, periods, and menopause, almost ALWAYS affected our skin. Fun times.... NOT!

Women's skin is especially sensitive to hormonal changes because estrogen, progesterone, and even testosterone play an important role in skin health and appearance. While hormonal balance during puberty, pregnancy, and periods may cause temporary skin problems such as increased oiliness or acne, the steady and progressive hormonal decline during perimenopause through post-menopause seem to cause women the most concern.  Hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are produced in much lower levels in menopause, and this decline can begin as early as your thirties but is more likely to occur in the forties and fifties. Women typically experience a slow and steady decline in firmness, elasticity, brightness, and overall skin quality... and a lack or imbalance of hormones are a big contributing factor. Wrinkles and saggy skin creep in, and this affects many aspects of their lives: self-esteem, confidence, feeling of lost youth, and more. 
  


Role of Hormones on Skin
The hormone that may have the most impact on skin health in menopause is estrogen, though progesterone and testosterone play a role too. But perhaps what is more important than any one, single hormone, however, is that these hormones must be balanced with each other in order for the skin to reap benefits, in ALL stages of life.

Here’s a quick overview of what role our hormones play on our skin (1):

Estrogen
  • Increases collagen- which maintains skin thickness
  • Maintains skin moisture
  • Reduces wrinkles by effecting the quality of elastic fibers and collagen in the skin
  • Decreases wound healing time


Testosterone:
  • Plays a  role in collagen and skin elasticity
  • Increases secretions of sebaceous glands (oil producing cells on the skin)
  • Excess testosterone relative to estrogen causes acne in women at midlife


Progesterone:
  • Increases elasticity and firmness of the skin
  • Maintains skin hydration
  • When balanced with estrogen levels, it can help estrogen function more effectively
  • Synthetic progestins can mimic androgens in the skin and cause or exacerbate acne

 
Our bodies naturally go through many changes and phases in our lifetime.  Hormonal changes are normal, and a natural part of the process. In perimenopause and menopause, women begin seeing changes in their skin and start to notice fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, loss of elasticity, and dull looking skin. However, other factors that play a role in skin health, integrity, and appearance that should be considered in addition to hormonal influences, are:
  • Genetics
  • Diet, nutrition, and lifestyle factors
  • Water intake
  • Emotions and moods
  • Smoking
  • Excessive sun exposure


Frequently, women resort to applying estrogen or progesterone creams that may temporarily improve the look and appearance of their skin, but this approach comes with health risks.  Often, doctors will also prescribe synthetic drugs or birth control pills to increase estrogen in a woman's body to help alleviate skin problems. However, research has revealed that these approaches may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer.  Also, although topical hormones may have fewer risks than the pill form, it could result in the unwanted exposure of your loved ones (and even your pets) to these hormones (2).




What Can You Do?
I often work with women to help them learn how to balance their hormones naturally with a food-based approach that is in "sync" with their natural cycles.  We develop a plan together that includes seed cycling, phytoestrogenic and phytoprogesterone foods, and herbs that help balance a woman's cycle. Even women who are in menopause and no longer have their periods have a "natural cycle" and still need to balance estrogen and progesterone.  A food-based and herb approach encourages your body to naturally produce estrogen and progesterone, instead of artificially slapping it on the skin. 

In addition to balancing hormones naturally, I also recommend that women (everyone, really) stop using commercial skin and personal care products to reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals and hormone disruptors. Instead, choose natural ingredients and adopt the Oil Cleansing Method that I outline in my free guide AGE PROOF:  How to Create Younger Looking Skin.  Nature really does provide the best ingredients for happy, healthy skin (and hormones). In fact, many women find that once they stop using so-called "skin care" products, their skin quality actually improves despite whatever miracle cream they were previously using!  

Not to toot my own horn, but I often get told I look much younger than I am.  My philosophy to correcting skin issues and improving the quality of women's skin can be achieved by using natural skincare ingredients, incorporating a healthy lifestyle, avoiding chemicals and hormone disruptors, keeping hydrated, and addressing proper hormone balance. And I do this everyday... so can you!


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How Inflammation Accelerates Aging

10/20/2020

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​Inflammation is actually a product of our immune system, and is our body’s natural protective response to injury, dangerous bacteria, viruses, or toxins. Normally, it is part of a healthy immune response to prevent dangerous invaders from taking over our bodies. We don’t always notice this type of inflammation like we do when we are hurt or injured and there is redness, pain, or swelling.  It often goes unnoticeable for a long time, and is sometimes referred to as “silent inflammation”.
 
When our immune system is triggered, it creates an inflammatory response to protect the body from further damage or from an invader.  This inflammatory response ends up damaging our own cells in the process. Many of the foods, additives and chemicals in our daily environment are substances that turn on our body’s defenses. Over time, chronic inflammation can lead to breakdown of collagen, destruction of the joints, blood vessels, digestive system, brain and nerve tissue and other organ systems, premature aging, disease and ultimately, death.
“Inflammatory factors predict virtually all bad outcomes in humans. It predicts heart attacks, heart failure, diabetes, becoming fragile in old age, cognitive function decline, and even cancer...”
                                                                           -Russell Tracy, Professor of Pathology and Biochemistry
Inflammation can be a very subtle process—one that you may not even be aware of. Often low-level inflammation in our bodies is nothing like the raging infection, high fever or allergic reaction that you can’t help but notice. Most chronic inflammation appears to be silent, but as inflammation in various parts of the body increases over time, damage begins to accumulate and our whole body ages and breaks down.
 
The good news is that aging doesn't have be accompanied by inflammation, meaning that many of us can live a long and happy life without chronic disease. Reducing inflammation, before it ages you faster and causes disease, is key and can be largely controlled with the right diet.

Fats and Inflammation

Our bodies NEED fats to build hormones, keep our cell membranes flexible, insulate our bodies, provide a clean and stable source of energy, make our skin soft and supple, and protect our nervous system. But it needs the RIGHT fats.  Unhealthy polyunsaturated oils like safflower, cottonseed, sunflower, corn, peanut and soy, are primarily made up of omega-6 fatty acids. In modern society, our diets now have an overabundance of omega 6 fats, which creates an unhealthy imbalance between omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.. Without enough omega 3 fatty acids to balance the ratio with omega 6 fats, the body turns the omega 6 fats into excess arachidonic acid, which is highly inflammatory to the cells in our body.
 
The proper balance of omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats is about 1:1. Unfortunately, most diets (heavy in grains, vegetable oils and grain-fed meat) are out of balance with regard to omega 6 and omega 3 fats. A typical standard diet often has a ratio of about 15:1, (omega 6’s to omega 3’s), and a diet this heavy in omega 6 fats increases inflammation in the body.
 
Unnatural fats and hydrogenated fats, like trans fats, create free radicals that damage healthy cells and trigger inflammation. Trans fats are made by processing oils to extreme high heat and pressure --to a point where there is a change in its chemical structure making the oil more oxidized and more inflammatory. Then extra hydrogen atoms are added to make it more stable for food preservation. If that’s not enough, industrial solvents such as hexane are used to extract the last amounts of oil from the soybean or cottonseed, which adds to the inflammatory characteristics of the oil.
 
These unhealthy trans fats compete with omega-3 fats in our cell membrane (which is made up of fatty acids). When the cell membrane is made up primarily of omega 6 fats and trans fats, the membrane actually becomes less resilient and brittle, and reduces its ability to function properly and absorb nutrients. It eventually weakens and dies.
 
Both trans fats and excess omega-6 fats encourage the storage of body fat, especially in the abdomen. Excess belly fat, which can be measured as a waist size of 35 inches or more for a woman and 40 inches or more for a man, means higher levels of inflammation, since abdominal fat produces inflammatory chemicals in the body. A diet heavy in omega 6 fatty acids actually increases wrinkling and aging of the skin as well leading to more cancerous changes from exposure to the sun.
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Fats Can Speed Up or Slow Down the Aging Process

Recent scientific research shows omega 3 fats can actually slow down the rate at which telomeres on chromosomes shorten. The more your telomeres shorten, the more you age. The latest study conducted by scientists at Ohio State University (2012) on omega 3’s and their effect on telomeres appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
 
The study showed that those that had the highest levels of omega 3 fatty acids also had the slowest rates of telomere shortening over five years. And the patients with the lowest levels of omega 3’s had fastest rate of telomere shortening.  What’s more, taking omega 3 supplements actually lengthened the telomeres in the participants’ DNA.

Whaaaat?!
 
In other words, those with the highest levels of omega 3 fats aged much more slowly. Supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids also was also found to reduce the oxidative stress from free radicals—which is another reason for accelerated aging. And omega 3 fatty acids also lowered inflammation in this same study group.


How to Reduce Inflammation and Slow Down the Aging Process

​If you are looking to slow down the aging process, look and feel younger, prevent age-related diseases, and reduce wrinkles, you need to reduce widespread inflammation in your body. Anti-inflammatory diets, such as the Ketogenic diet, consists of eating a high ratio of healthy fats, particularly Omega-3's found in fatty fish and other seafood (especially cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines), nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts), and avocados. Research studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in the the Ketogenic diet, can actually slow down or even "regrow" our telomeres!  This means that it is totally possible to reverse the aging process!
 
As you already know, inflammation and oxidation are key to the beginnings of many chronic health conditions and is thought to be one of the reasons for advanced aging. Obviously anything that reduces inflammation has anti-aging benefits as well. Omega 3 fatty acids have a very long list of health benefits including: preventing heart disease, protecting the immune system, helping weight loss, keeping skin smooth and preventing wrinkles, improving mental health, preventing cancer, and fighting overall inflammation.
​

Want to reduce inflammation and the signs of aging?

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How Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Are Harming your Hormones

9/6/2020

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Millions of women and men around the world use cosmetics and other personal care items to enhance or change their appearance. Women commonly use makeup, such as foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush, lipstick. nail polish, while both men and women often use body wash and moisturizers, perfumes, and hair coloring or styling products.

​But did you know that cosmetics and personal care products contain a mix of chemicals that can profoundly affect human health? Some chemicals are classified as what is called "endocrine disrupting", which means they  interfere with the body’s hormones and cause serious adverse health effects (1).


​
​DID YOU KNOW…

• One in eight of the 82,000 ingredients used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors.
-Dr. Suzuki


• The average woman will absorb up to 10 pounds of lead from her lipstick in her lifetime. 
- Dr. Sara Gottfried


• A research study conducted on the umbilical cord of newborns revealed over 230 chemicals...
​It's not a question of whether or not we are toxic, it's a question of how toxic are we.
- Dr. Brenda Watson


​Many chemicals, both natural and man-made, can actually mimic and interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. These chemicals are called endocrine disruptors, and are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems (2). Endocrine disruptors are found in many everyday products and things in our environments, including some plastic bottles and containers, liners of metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, pesticides, cosmetics, and personal care products.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires U.S. manufacturers to report the safety of their cosmetic products to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But unfortunately, cosmetics are not required to undergo the same strict regulations for approval as drugs do, and as a result, many harmful chemicals end up in many of the products we use every day.

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When absorbed in the body, an endocrine disruptor can decrease or increase normal hormone levels (left), mimic the body's natural hormones (middle), or alter the natural production of hormones (right).
           
​                                                                                 - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences



​Common Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine (hormone) disruptors are found everywhere and are absorbed by our bodies through the air we breathe, through food we eat, and what we put on our skin.  Things like pollution, second hand smoke, carpets, synthetic fabrics, pesticides, fragrances, air fresheners, laundry and cleaning products, and personal care products are filled with toxic chemicals. 

The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 different ingredients daily. Many cosmetic chemicals are designed to penetrate into the skin’s inner layers, and they do. Consequently, some common cosmetic ingredients turn up in people’s bodies. Among them: industrial plasticizers called phthalates; parabens, which are preservatives; and persistent fragrance components like musk xylene.

I bet if you ran to your bathroom and looked at the labels on your typical makeup, shampoo, body wash, shave gel, deodorant, moisturizer, and hair products, you'd find a bunch of ingredients that you either don't recognize or can't pronounce.  That's because they're probably chemicals - and chemicals do not belong in the human body and have adverse affects on our health. Here is a list of some commonly found chemicals that we are exposed to on a regular basis:
​
  • Bisphenol A (BPA) — used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers
  • Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste burning and wildfires
  • Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water and fireworks
  • Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick pan, paper, and textile coatings
  • Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices
  • Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers
  • Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products, like liquid body wash





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How Do These Chemicals Harm Us?

 The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reports that even low doses of endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be unsafe. It further states that the body’s normal endocrine functioning involves very small changes in hormone levels, and that even these small changes can cause significant developmental and biological effects. This observation leads scientists to think that endocrine-disrupting chemical exposures, even at low amounts, can alter the body’s sensitive systems and lead to serious and even lifelong health problems (3). 

Research done by the National Library of Medicine  and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH) did a study on users of mouthwash and sunscreen.  They concluded that people who used mouthwash on a daily basis had significantly elevated urinary concentrations of mono-ethyl phthalate, methyl and propyl parabens, and BP3" compared to those who NEVER used mouthwash.  Similarly, individuals who reported ALWAYS using sunscreen had significantly higher urinary concentrations of triclosan, methyl, ethyl, and propyl parabens, and BP3 (59%, 92%, 102%, 151%, and 510% higher, respectively) compared with NEVER users of sunscreen (4). Further, several studies have linked the  feminization of American baby boys to those whose mothers were exposed to a common fragrance chemical called diethyl phthalate during pregnancy (5).

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that adolescent girls’ bodies are contaminated with chemicals commonly used in cosmetics and body care products. In fact, they detected 16 potentially toxic chemicals — phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks — in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption.
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To make matters worse, teens may be particularly sensitive to exposures to hormone-disrupting chemicals, given the complex role they play during puberty – precisely when girls typically experiment with an increasing number and variety of body care products. When the EWG surveyed them, the teen study participants reported using an average of 17 personal care products each day, 40 percent more than an adult woman (6).

​

How to Reduce Your Chemical Exposure 

Decreasing the toxins that your body absorbs through food and your environment will not only improve your overall well-being, it will also help your body to shed fat cells (toxins are often stored in body fat), balance hormones, and maintain a healthy metabolism.  Here are some general tips you can start implementing to reduce your exposure and help your body rid itself of toxic chemicals:

  • Eat organic produce to avoid chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides
  • Choose only clean, quality organic meat without antibiotics or hormones
  • Exercise and/or use infrared saunas
  • Bathe in Epsom Salts to help draw toxins out from your skin
  • Use only chemical- free cleaners and laundry detergents
  • Choose natural and chemical-free beauty & personal care products or make your own
  • Don’t wear perfume – use essential oils
  • Use glass or stainless steel cookware and bake-ware
  • Get a shower filter to avoid absorbing chlorine and chemicals through your skin
  • Get a good quality air purifier/filter for your home 
  • Put lots of house plants around your home (they help produce oxygen and purify the air)
  • Avoid scented air fresheners and deodorizing room sprays – light a chemical-free candle that is scented with essential oils
  • Wear cotton against your skin whenever possible 
  • Use cotton bed sheets
  • Choose a wooden cutting board to cut fruits and vegetables (a separate one for preparing meats)
  • Do not heat food in plastic containers/plastic wrap in the microwave
  • Detox your body regularly (at least 4 times per year) with a whole foods approach and engage in daily detox activities for optimal health


​I encourage you to implement as many of these tips as you can so that you can reduce the amount of chemicals you are exposed to.  Making your own cleaning and personal care products is also an easy (and inexpensive) way to reduce your risks.  Here are a couple of simple recipes for you to try:

Household Cleaner:
Mix 1 part water with 1 part white vinegar and add 10-20 drops lemon or orange essential oil. 
 
 
Luxurious Homemade Ultra-Rich Lotion with Natural Oils, Beeswax, and Shea butter
Author: Wellness Mama
 
Ingredients:                                                  
  • ½ cup almond or olive oil (can infuse with herbs first if desired)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup beeswax
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter
  • Optional: Essential Oils, Vanilla Extract or other natural extracts to suit your preference
 
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients in a pint sized or larger glass jar. I have a mason jar that I keep just for making lotions and lotion bars, or you can even reuse a glass jar from pickles, olives or other foods.
  2. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat.
  3. Put a lid on the jar loosely and place in the pan with the water.
  4. As the water heats, the ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Shake or stir occasionally to incorporate.
  5. When all ingredients are completely melted, pour into whatever jar or tin you will use for storage. Small mason jars (8 ounce) are great for this. It will not pump well in a lotion pump!
 
Use as you would regular lotion. This has a longer shelf life than some homemade lotion recipes since all ingredients are already shelf stable and no water is added. Use within 6 months for best moisturizing benefits.




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As someone who struggled with skin issues my whole life, I discovered that one contributing factor to these skin issues and premature aging was my use of commercial products. They rarely did what they claimed or only worked for a while.  Plus, the chemicals made me toxic and caused major problems with my hormones.

Once I discovered that natural and homemade skincare not only reduced my exposure to harmful chemicals, but  also dramatically improved the quality and appearance of my skin, I never looked back! I  personally love using the Oil Cleansing Method ( recommend this to all of my clients) instead of commercial skincare products, and I've been using this method for years to keep my skin clear, bright, soft, and virtually blemish-free. While it's impossible to completely avoid all the chemicals and hormone disruptors we are exposed to, it's important to take action NOW for our health  and for  the health of our families.


  Learn more about the Oil Cleansing Method and DIY natural beauty recipes here.



​I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment below:

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7 Key Nutrients to Strengthen Your Immune System and Reduce the Risk of Illness

4/7/2020

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When it comes to preventing illness, most people know their immune system is important, but might be confused about what exactly our immune system is and how to support it. Many people are desperately searching for pills, potions, and powders to “boost” their immunity, which may be somewhat beneficial, but the place they need to start looking is what they are putting on their plate everyday.  What you eat is directly connected to everything that goes on inside your body because your food becomes the building blocks for your cells and how they function.  Your diet and lifestyle are indeed determining factors in your overall health and how your body responds to illness. 



​What is Your Immune System and How Does it Work?

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the immune system is made up of various organs, cells and proteins and has a vital role in human health (1).  Your immune system protects your body from harmful substances, germs and cell changes that could make you ill.  
​Without an immune system, we would have no way to fight off things that enter our body from the outside, or deal with harmful changes that occur inside our body. The main tasks of the body’s immune system are:
​
  • to fight disease-causing germs (pathogens) like bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi, and to remove them from the body,
  • to recognize and neutralize harmful substances from the environment, and
  • to fight disease-causing changes in the body, such as cancer cells.

​When your immune system is running smoothly and doing its job, you don’t notice that it’s there because you feel fine. But if it becomes weak or can't fight particularly aggressive germs – you can become ill. Germs that your body has never encountered before are also likely to make you ill until your immune system can create antibodies to fight them.  That's why some germs will only make you sick the first time you come into contact with them, such as childhood diseases like chickenpox.
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Image courtesy of: https://www.roswellpark.org/cancertalk/201809/if-your-immune-system-protects-you-why-do-you-still-get-sick
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Basically, there are two small subsystems that make up your immune system.  These are scientifically known as the innate (non-specific) immune system and the adaptive (specific) immune system (2). Both of these subsystems are closely connected to one another, and work together whenever a germ or harmful substance triggers an immune response.

The innate immune system works as a defense against harmful germs and substances that enter the body through the skin or digestive system.  It uses immune cells such as natural killer cells and phagocytes (“eating cells”) to fight pathogens in our bodies.

The adaptive (specific) immune system is the part that actually makes antibodies and uses them to specifically target and fight certain germs that the body has previously come into contact with. This is an “acquired” (learned) or specific immune response.  The adaptive immune system is constantly learning and adapting so that the body can fight bacteria or viruses that change over time.

​

How We Get Sick

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There are many things that can make us sick.  The earliest physicians thought that illness and disease were a sign of God's anger or the work of evil spirits. Later, Hippocrates and Galen proposed the concept that we get sick from imbalances of the four basic substances within the human body, which they identified as blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. Paracelsus, a Renaissance-era physician, was one of the first to suggest that sickness comes from outside sources, rather than from within. (3)
 

Today, we know that there are two major kinds of diseases: non-infectious and infectious. Non-infectious diseases aren't caused by pathogens and can't be spread person-to-person. These diseases are more likely to be caused by a variety of factors including the environment, a person's lifestyle choices, and genetics. For example, skin cancer is usually the result of people spending too much time in the sun without protection from the sun's UV rays, which is considered an environmental factor. A condition like heart disease may be caused by a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet, or it may be caused by a family history of the disease. (4)
 
Infectious diseases, on the other hand, are caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, which can enter the body through the air we breathe, the food we eat and drink, or through openings in the skin, such as cuts. For example, a person who has a cold may cough into their hand and then touch a doorknob, placing the cold virus on that doorknob. The virus may die on the doorknob, but it's also possible that the next person to touch the doorknob will pick it up. If that person then touches food with the unwashed hand and consumes the food, the virus is now inside the body.
 
Not every germ that enters the body results in illness.  Have you ever noticed that some people are always getting sick while others rarely get sick?  That’s because people that have a strong immune system have a better chance of fighting off sickness, while those who have weakened or compromised immune systems will find it harder to fight off an invading pathogen.  

The good news is that there are plenty of things that we can do to prevent illness.  A proactive approach would include adopting healthy lifestyle choices, avoiding risk factors, and choosing to eat healthy foods that contain key nutrients to strengthen and support our immune system.

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​7 Key Nutrients that Support Our Immune System

While there are many supplements that can help you to strengthen your immune system, what you're putting on your plate will have the biggest impact because supplements can't always be absorbed and assimilated like food can be.  Your body instinctively knows exactly what to do with the food you eat, which is why it's important to ensure you are eating a whole foods, nutrient-dense diet if you want to be healthy.

While a healthy diet provides many necessary nutrients to keep us well, there are 7 key micronutrients that specifically support and strengthen your immune system:​

1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a powerful anti-oxidant with a critical role in enhancing immune function. This micronutrient is involved in cellular immune response and provides enhanced defense against multiple infectious diseases.(4)
​
Vitamin A is found in bright orange and yellow foods like sweet potato, mango, carrots, bell peppers, and dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli.


2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the most well-known anti-oxidant, and thousands of people take high-dose supplements with hopes of "boosting" their immune system. However, research shows that vitamin C from food at a dose of 100 mg to 200 mg per day is effective at preventing respiratory infections.(5)

You can get vitamin C from whole food sources like citrus fruit, cabbage, strawberries, cauliflower, red bell peppers, garlic, mushrooms, and mango.

​3. Vitamin D
It is now clear that vitamin D has an important role in supporting the immune system. Research has demonstrated that Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection.

Vitamin D is often taken in supplemental forms, but can also be obtained from responsible sun exposure and foods such as fatty fish, beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, and mushrooms.
​
4. Vitamin E
Vitamin E plays an important role in immune function and supplementation has even been shown to reduce respiratory infection in the elderly.(4) Most typical diets do not provide adequate vitamin E, but symptoms of a deficiency can be so subtle that individuals may not know if they are deficient.(6)

Rather than relying on supplements, deficiency can be prevented through adequate dietary intake of foods like nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and healthy, plant-based oils as a way to keep the immune system functioning optimally. One reason for a significant decline in cellular immunity associated with aging could be due to inadequate intake of anti-oxidants like vitamin E. Diets high in vitamin E naturally improve immune function, even without supplementation.(7)


5. Selenium
Selenium is an essential mineral that acts as a powerful anti-oxidant. Adequate dietary selenium is required for the function of almost every aspect of the immune system and deficiency can have serious consequences when it comes to fighting infections.(8)

Brazil nuts are extremely high in selenium, but can easily exceed the daily required limit and can even cause toxicity if eaten frequently. Two Brazil nuts a day can easily satisfy your daily requirement. Sardines are also an excellent source of selenium that can be eaten more frequently (if you can handle the taste) and provide anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats which also have beneficial effects on the immune system. Pork, beef, turkey, chicken, fish, shellfish, garlic, mushrooms, dairy, and eggs also contain high amounts of selenium.

6. Zinc
​Like selenium, zinc is an essential mineral critical for immune function. Even mild to moderate zinc deficiency can weaken your immune function and increase the risk of respiratory infections. Adequate dietary zinc should be a priority for anyone looking to protect their immune system.(9)

Zinc is found in nuts, seeds, dairy, eggs, shellfish, mushrooms, and meat so eating a diet high in these whole foods is key to getting enough zinc. Like vitamin C, zinc supplements are often used once a person becomes ill, but keeping zinc levels up through your diet means supplements won’t be needed to reverse a deficiency later on.


7.  Probiotics (Bonus Tip)
Although probiotics are not actually micronutrients, they are important living microorganisms that reside inside our digestive track (gut microbiome) that help to support our immune system.  Specifically, our gut "microbiome" has been found to positively influence our immune system and can induce regulatory T cell activation (10). 

A healthy human being should have approximately 100 trillion good gut bacteria living in the digestive tract, which equals about 3-5 pounds of friendly flora. While taking a probiotic supplement is useful, including naturally fermented foods in your diet such as cultured coconut, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and other fermented vegetables is a better alternative. 
  
Food sourced probiotics will benefit your immune system by providing a higher inoculation, a wider array of strains, and built-in prebiotics which they feed on. 
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​What You Can Do Now

In order to be healthier, you need to make healthy choices.  The first step is to improve your lifestyle choices and eating habits.  Getting plenty of rest, avoiding toxins, washing your hands frequently, drinking lots of water, and eating nutrient-dense whole foods, will make a world of difference.  Eating foods that contain vitamin A, C, D, E, selenium, and zinc, as well as naturally fermented foods or probiotics, will strengthen your immune system and help to protect you against pathogens. Of course, there are other nutrients that help support our immune system such as adequate intake of vitamins B(6), folate, B(12), copper, and iron. Eating a well-balanced whole-foods diet that provides your body with a wide variety of these vitamins and minerals, such as a clean, well-formulated Ketogenic diet, will help keep you healthy and reduce the need for supplementation. 
  
It’s important to remember that while no single food or nutrient can prevent or cure viral infections or other illnesses, consistently meeting requirements of key nutrients will support your immune system every day and reduce the risk of health issues.
 
 What you eat on a daily basis matters!
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How Sugar is Destroying Your Health and Slowly Killing You

3/31/2020

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Humans love sweet things. Even before we started refining sugar, we sought out foods with sweet tastes. Growing up, I remember my grandmother trying to find ways to get me to eat vegetables.  Often, she would sprinkle sugar on them to make them "taste better".  For example, she would take a few leaves of iceburg lettuce, sprinkle some white sugar on them and roll them up like a wrap. A sugar/lettuce wrap. She would also put brown sugar in and on everything from coleslaw, to turnip, to toast, dips, sauces, and meats. So I began doing the same at home, because, well, it WAS GOOD! I remember discovering that one of my favourite snacks, well into adulthood, was a peanut butter and sugar sandwich on white bread, or toast with brown sugar and cinnamon. It all seemed harmless, right? 

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Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit. ​However, refined table sugar, also called sucrose, is very different. Extracted from either sugar cane or beets, it lacks vitamins, minerals and fiber, and thus requires extra effort from the body to digest. The body must deplete its own store of minerals and enzymes to absorb sucrose properly. Therefore, instead of providing the body with nutrition, it creates deficiency. It quickly enters into the bloodstream and wreaks havoc on the blood sugar level, first pushing it sky-high—causing excitability, nervous tension and hyperactivity—and then dropping it extremely low—causing fatigue, depression, weariness and exhaustion.  Does this sound familiar?


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Sugar Destroys Your Health in Many Ways

The United States is the largest consumer of sweeteners and one of the largest global sugar importers. It started in 1689 when the first sugar refinery was built in New York City. Colonists soon began to sweeten their breakfast porridge with refined sugar, and within 10 years individual consumption had reached 4 pounds a year. The average American now consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar and sweeteners per year. In contrast, Americans consume an average of about 8 pounds of broccoli. The USDA recommends we get no more than 10 teaspoons per day (which is still A LOT), yet most Americans eat about 30 teaspoons per day—that’s three times the recommended daily value. 


While most of us know that sugar isn’t good for you, many people may not be aware of the  ways that sugar can ruin human health.  There is much scientific evidence that demonstrates how sugar is linked to many health issues, and prolonged use can contribute to severe neurological diseases.

According to Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., here is a list of just 30 (out of 146) ways sugar can negatively impact your health:​​
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​1. suppress the immune system. 
 
​2. upset the mineral relationships in the body. 
 
3. cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children. 
 
4. produce a significant rise in triglycerides. 
 
5. contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases). 
 
6. cause a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you lose. 
 
7. reduces high density lipoproteins. 
 
8. leads to chromium deficiency. 
 
9. lead to cancer of the ovaries. 
 
10. increase fasting levels of glucose. 
 
11. cause copper deficiency. 
 
12. interfere with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 
 
13. can weaken eyesight.

14. raise the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which creates addiction
15. can cause hypoglycemia. ​ 
 
16. can produce an acidic digestive tract. 
 
17. can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children. 
 
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease. 
 
19. can cause premature aging. 
 
20. can lead to alcoholism. 
 
21. can cause tooth decay.

22. contributes to obesity 
 
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. 
 
24. can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers. 
 
25. can cause arthritis. 
 
26. Sugar can cause asthma. 
 
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections). 
 
28. can cause gallstones. 
 
29. can cause heart disease. 
 
30. can cause appendicitis
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Sugar and Your Brain

Consuming sugar can be particularly damaging to your brain. According to neuroscientist, Dr. Russell Blaylock, there is new evidence to illustrate that high levels of sugar in your diet can damage your brain.  He reports that in a recent study of 980 elderly people followed for four years, those with the highest intake of calories from sugars had a 50 percent increased incidence of dementia.  Dr. Blaylock suggests that eating a lot of sweets and carbohydrates can increase your risk of dementia for three scientific reasons: 

Reason 1: Sugar dramatically increases your metabolism, and high rates of metabolism become a major source of free radical production. (Free radicals damage your cells and impair their function.) 

Reason 2: High levels of sugar in your body cause the sugar to react with various critical proteins, including enzymes that repair DNA damage caused by free radicals. 

Reason 3: Continued high sugar consumption prevents your cells from absorbing the sugar needed to produce energy — a condition called insulin resistance. Another recent study found a high incidence of insulin resistance in those with Alzheimer's dementia. The worst form of sugar is high Fructose corn syrup. 


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Two Reasons Sugar Qualifies as an Addictive Substance:

1.  Eating even a small amount creates a desire for more

2. Suddenly quitting can cause withdrawl symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings, and fatigue.


​Sugar Addiction is a Real Thing

Did you know that sugar is eight times as addictive as cocaine? 

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, being addicted to sugar is not an emotional eating disorder. It’s a biological disorder, driven by hormones and neurotransmitters that fuel sugar and carb cravings — leading to uncontrolled overeating and obesity in America. In fact, nearly 70 percent of Americans and 40 percent of kids are overweight.

​In one study, Harvard scientists found that a high-sugar milkshake (compared to a low-sugar one) not only spiked blood sugar and insulin and led to sugar cravings, but it actually caused huge changes in brain activity by lighting up the addiction center in the brain. So basically, the more you eat, the more you want. 
 
Some people are aware that their blood sugar levels fluctuate wildly on a sugar-induced high, but they often don’t realize the emotional roller-coaster ride that accompanies this high. We feel happy and energetic for a while and then suddenly, seemingly for no reason, we find ourselves angry or moody.        

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Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Today, sugar is found in many of the obvious foods such as cakes, cookies and candy. But you will also find it in canned vegetables, baby food, cereals, peanut butter, bread, salad dressings, low-fat foods, processed foods, ketchup and tomato sauce, and even frozen fruit. It is often disguised in fancy language, labeled as corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose or fructose.

​Even some so-called healthy foods contain sugar. A lemon poppy seed Clif Bar has 21 grams of sugar, or 5 teaspoons. Compare that to a chocolate-glazed cake donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, which has 14 grams of sugar, or 3 teaspoons. You may think your afternoon cup of coffee only has a little sugar, but a 16-ounce Starbucks Frappuccino actually contains 44 grams of sugar, or 10 teaspoons—that’s like eating three donuts! Overconsumption of refined sweets and added sugars found in everyday foods has led to an explosion of hypoglycemia and Type 2 diabetes. 


If you find yourself often eating sugar it's not because you're weak-willed, it"s because you have become addicted to a substance that is hidden in your food supply and has been fed to you for years. An addiction is an uncontrollable, compulsive behaviour, despite the health and social consequences. If you suspect you have an addiction to sugar, ask yourself these questions: 

1. Do you ever need sugar as a pick-me-up? Perhaps a sweet snack/chocolate/cookie with your mid-morning coffee? A dessert after a meal? A sweet protein or dried fruit bar after your exercise?

​2. Do you struggle to walk past a sweet treat without taking just one? 

3. Are your favourite foods sweet rather than savoury? 
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4. If you have a whole day without sugar, do you suffer mood swings, headaches or low energy? 
 
If you answered yes to just one of the above questions, you are most likely addicted to sugar.  Sugar is associated with many health problems, including the obvious things like obesity and Type 2 diabetes, but its effect on the human body are far more reaching and destructive than most people are aware of.   
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How to Overcome Your Sugar Addition

​Sugar and artificial sweeteners can have a negative and detrimental impact on your health, so let’s look at some ways that you can learn to deal with sugar addiction and reduce the amount sugar in your diet.
Here are 12 strategies you can try: 

1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine. The ups and downs of heavy caffeine consumption (coffee, energy drinks, some teas) include dehydration and blood sugar swings, and may cause sugar cravings to become more frequent.  This is heightened if you add sugar to drinks like coffee or tea.
 
2. Drink water. Sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration because your body needs energy. Before you go for carbs or sugar, have a full glass of water with a pinch of quality sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and wait a few minutes to see what happens. Often, once we hydrate ourselves, we feel better and have more energy and don't crave sweets.
 
3. Eat sweet vegetables and low glycemic fruit. They are naturally sweet, healthy and delicious. The more you eat, the less you’ll crave sugar. Non-starchy veggies such as greens, the Brassica family (broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, kale, collards, etc.), green beans, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, artichokes, and peppers are loaded with nutrients and will naturally fuel your body without spiking blood sugars. Enjoy moderate portions of berries, lemons, and limes which are low in glucose but naturally sweet and provide antioxidants and bioflavanoids to boost your immune system. Avoid grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and beets for now as these can quickly convert into glucose. 
 
4. Use natural sweeteners that don't spike blood sugars.  Use those allowed on low-carb or Ketogenic diets. These include liquid stevia (powdered or granular often contain dextrose), monk fruit, or erythritol. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar so you don't need much, while monk fruit and erythritol taste very similar and can pretty much be interchanged with regular sugar in most recipes, in coffee, or tea.  Avoid sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar, and molasses as these produce blood sugar spikes.
  
5. Get physically active. Start with simple activities like walking or yoga. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase. Being active helps balance blood sugar levels, boosts energy, and reduces tension which will eliminate the need to self-medicate with sugar! 
                
 6. Get more sleep, rest and relaxation. Not getting enough sleep drives sugar and carb cravings by affecting your appetite hormones. In human studies, depriving college students of just two hours of the recommended eight hours of sleep led to a rise in hunger hormones, a decrease in appetite-suppressing hormones, and big cravings for sugar and refined carbs.  Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night and get to bed by 10 p.m.
 
7. Eliminate fat-free or low-fat packaged snack-foods. These foods contain high quantities of sugar or harmful artificial sweeteners to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on the roller-coaster ride of sugar highs and lows. 
 
8. Experiment with spices. Coriander, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings. 
 
 
9. Slow down and find sweetness in non-food ways! Every craving is not a signal that your body biologically requires sugar.  Cravings often have a psychological component (such as eating a tub of ice cream after a breakup).  By identifying the psychological causes of food cravings and substituting lifestyle and relationship adjustments accordingly, you can begin to find balance and take charge of your health.  When life becomes sweet enough itself, no additives are needed! 

10. Eat protein at every meal: eating protein at every meal - especially breakfast - is the key to balancing blood sugar and insulin and cutting cravings. Start the day with whole farm eggs or a protein shake. Use nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken or grass-fed meat for protein at every meal. A serving size is 4-6 ounces or the size of your palm. 
 
11. Fight sugar with healthy fat: Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does. Adding healthy fat to your diet makes you full, balances your blood sugar, and is necessary for fueling your cells. Those following a low-carb or Ketogenic diet regularly eat more healthy fats and therefore report balanced blood sugars, fewer cravings, and more energy. Along with moderate amounts of healthy protein, have good fats at every meal and snack including nuts and seeds (which also contain protein), extra virgin olive oil, coconut butter, avocados, and omega 3 fats from fish. 
 
12. Be Prepared:  Avoid putting yourself in a food emergency when your blood sugar is dropping and you find yourself needing a food fix and fast.  Always have an emergency stash filled with protein, good fats, and good snacks so you never have to make a bad choice. Try nut butters and coconut butter, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, salmon jerky or turkey jerky, hard-boiled eggs, or unsweetened wild blueberries. 
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How a Ketogenic Diet Can Help

Eating a well-formulated Ketogenic diet is one of the best ways to overcome sugar addiction.  This low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein eating style eliminates foods that trigger the addiction centre in the brain such as sugars, simple carbohydrates (breads, pasta, crackers, grains, and processed foods) and starchy vegetables. Instead, it promotes the consumption of above ground vegetables, healthy fats, low-glycemic fruit, and quality proteins which nourish the body, are satiating, and promote healing and balance within the body. Plus. a Ketogenic diet can include low-carb "treats" made with natural sweeteners that don't spike blood sugars.  This is perfect for those who are looking for a way to transition into healthier eating and finally get off sugar.
Try this sugar-free brownie recipe that you and your whole family will love...
Make it tonight!
DECADENT LOW-CARB FUDGE BROWNIES
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Can the Ketogenic Diet Actually Boost Your Immune System and Help You Fight the Flu?

3/24/2020

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It's true that a well-formulated, alkaline Ketogenic diet can significantly transform a person's health and offer a myriad of benefits such as effortless weight loss, improved health markers, stable blood sugars, better mental cognition, increased energy, hormone resetting, better sleep, improved gut health, and more. It's even been used to combat age-related diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.  Now, there's new research that suggests that a Keto diet may even boost the immune system to help combat colds or the flu.
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​Keto Activates Specialized Immune Cells

A research team at Yale University studied two groups of mice that were administered a lethal dose of the influenza A virus: one group was fed a Keto diet and another that was fed a more standard diet. The Keto mice consistently survived and fared better overall while showing a stronger resistance to the influenza A virus.


The researchers discovered that a Keto diet appeared to activate genes that produce a specialized type of immune cells called gamma delta T cells. When tissue samples from the lungs of mice in the Keto group were examined, it was confirmed that they had higher levels of these T cells. The researchers suggested that these elevated levels of gamma delta T cells killed infected cells in the mice's lungs, and they also appeared to increase mucus production in the lungs, helping to trap more of the virus.


Further experiments confirmed that ketosis itself, rather than just a low-carb diet, seemed to be the triggering factor. They showed that mice fed a ketogenic diet and infected with the influenza virus had a higher survival rate than mice on a high-carb normal diet. Specifically, the researchers found that the Ketogenic diet triggered the release of gamma delta T cells, immune system cells that produced mucus in the cell linings of the lungs and trapped the virus before it became worse— while the high-carbohydrate diet did not. The research team had shown that the Ketogenic diet also blocked formation of inflammasomes which can cause harmful immune system responses in their host. Thus, it was concluded that ketosis was somehow upregulating, or "turning on" these genes.
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'This study shows that the way the body burns fat to produce ketone bodies from the food we eat can fuel the immune system to fight flu infection.'
                            
                                                                  -Vishwa Deep Dixit, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of
                                                                                            Comparative Medicine and of Immunobiology. 



​While acknowledging that this research study was done on mice and not humans, we cannot automatically assume that the Ketogenic diet does in fact trigger T cell activation in people.  However, a well-formulated Keto diet has been shown to significantly improve a person's overall health.  



​How Keto Can Boost Your Health

ELIMINATES PROCESSED SUGARS AND ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Consumption of sugar-loaded or producing foods and artificial sweeteners are responsible for causing inflammation in your gut and may contribute to damage and malfunction. The Ketogenic diet strictly eliminates harmful sugars and artificial sweeteners, all grains, wheat, rice, pasta, potatoes, and beans, while limiting other carbs to reduce sugar levels in the bloodstream.  ​Sugar has been demonstrated to inhibit the immune system for up to 6 hours and is detrimental to human health.

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INCREASES PROBIOTICS 
A well-formulated Ketogenic diet promotes gut health and the consumption of naturally fermented vegetables and the use of probiotic supplements. These will supply the body with healthy gut bacteria called “probiotics”.  Probiotics play a vital role in the removal of bacterial traces from your gut, and they speed up your gut’s cleansing mechanism. Eating fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut, as well as supplementing your diet plan with recommended probiotics is more likely to eliminate harmful bacteria and replace it with healthy bacteria in your gut, which boosts your immune system.

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UPGRADES YOUR DIET
Maintaining a healthy diet plays an essential role in the maintenance of your gut flora. It could potentially improve or aggravate the condition and function of your gut.  Adopting a Ketogenic diet is helpful because you will eliminate the consumption of saccharine-heavy food and replace it with items that are enriched with a moderate level of protein, high fat, and healthy carbohydrates. It promotes consumption of nourishing bone-broth and nutrient-dense foods in the form of green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, berries, lemons and limes, herbs, and high quality protein. It also promotes eating salmon and fish because their Omega 3 fatty acids which can instantly boost your immune system. ​
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EAT BETTER QUALITY FOOD
A properly formulated Ketogenic diet promotes eating fresh organic whole foods whenever possible. Processed or commercial foods can aggravate and damage the condition of your gut and can contribute to Leaky Gut Syndrome. If you have poor gut flora, you should immediately eliminate ALL processed foods and start incorporating healthy Ketogenic foods into your diet plan. Converting your diet plan to organic may be challenging, but it will improve the condition of your gut flora in the long run. You’ll probably find that when you cut out processed foods and junk foods, there will be more money in your budget to put toward healthier options such as organic produce, grass-fed/pasture-raised meats, and wild caught seafood. 

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INCORPORATES ORGANIC COCONUT OIL 
The Ketogenic diet promotes high consumption of healthy fats including coconut oil because coconut oil promotes the production of ketones. In addition, coconut oil helps to maintain a healthy gut and support a stronger immune system because it has antibacterial and antiviral properties. It can prove beneficial in reducing the inflammation of your gut, and supporting healthy gut flora. Organic coconut oil is edible and can improve the overall condition of your gut and is great for your skin, hair, and nails!
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What You Can Do?

While it has been demonstrated that a Ketogenic diet activated immune T cells in mice and helped them recover from influenza A virus, one can only speculate that this could be true for humans.  Thousands of research studies on the Ketogenic diet illustrate its effectiveness for significantly improving a person's overall health ranging from weight loss to seizure control, to lowering blood pressure, to improving triglycerides, to better brain health. Being a diet that consists of cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, berries, healthy fats, and quality protein, the question becomes, then, why not give Keto a try and see for yourself? 


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TIPS FOR EATING OUT ON THE KETOGENIC DIET

2/26/2020

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Being on a Keto diet doesn’t mean that you can't enjoy eating out. Life is for living! You can occasionally dine out with friends and family and enjoy your time while still eating healthy Keto foods. The best part about a Keto diet is that you can stick to it easily while eating out or even on vacation! It isn't as hard as you might think.
 
Simply follow Keto dietary guidelines be sure to avoid:
  • Starchy Vegetables (sweet potatoes, squashes)  
  • Fruits (bananas, oranges, apples, and others) 
  • Grains (wheat, corn, rice, cereal, etc.) 
  • Sugars (honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.)  
  • Artificial Sweeteners (such as aspartame and sucralose) if possible


Helpful Things to Remember: 

  • Avoid all buns, wraps, and bread (such as the bread basket, breaded items, or croutons on your salad)
  • Skip the pasta
  • Read ingredients before ordering salads, and go for low-sugar dressing
  • Restaurants often have nutrition sheets for their menu items and these can be used to see how many carbs are in a given item.   

When looking at a menu in your hand, you will notice that most of the delicious and tempting foods offered in the majority of restaurants and fast-food chains are rich in carbs. Don't be tempted! Grab onto your willpower, keep your goals in mind, and order your Keto meal with confidence.
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​BE CONSCIOUS WHILE ORDERING STARTERS 

Usually, the appetizers contain starchy products that you are not allowed on a Ketogenic diet. Remember, your daily carb requirement is only 20 to 30 grams. Try to stay in this range and avoid anything made with bread (breaded items included), pasta, oatmeal, starchy veggies (like yams, potatoes, yucca), sweet fruits (including bananas and cherries), beans, etc. Order the appetizers that come with leafy greens, like lettuce and spinach, and/or fats.
 
Although fruit has nutritional benefits, remember they contain too much sugar to be consumed on your Keto diet, except perhaps berries. Say no to high sugary foods. When in doubt, ask your server how their starters are prepared. Servers at all restaurants should be well-informed of how their menu options are prepared or should be willing to go ask the chef. 
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​CHOOSE A FAT-RICH DISH FOR THE MAIN COURSE 

Combining low-carb, fibrous veggies with high-fat food is the best way to maintain your Keto diet when you're in a restaurant. 
 
Go for a high content of fats to satisfy your appetite. The aim of your Keto diet can be fulfilled by getting enough fats found in certain foods, like coconut oil, cheese, butter, and cream. A great example of what you can order is a beef steak, double serving of broccoli, or other green veggies, and/or a salad. Don’t forget to order some extra butter for those veggies. 

If the restaurant doesn't serve low-carb veggies (or ones that you like) you can simply order a salad with low-sugar dressing and without croutons or fruit in it.


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​BE CREATIVE WITH YOUR FOOD ORDER 

If you don’t find any suitable options in the entire menu, don't get discouraged.  You can use your imagination to be a little creative. For instance, if you want to have a burger, ask your server to completely eliminate the bun and just eat it with a knife and fork (I personally do this all the time), or replace it with lettuce leaves. Substitute fries with a salad.
 
Similarly, if you have doubts about the sugar content used in the sauces, ask them first or ask for sauce or dressing on the side. Finally, if you don’t find any main course suitable, you can order two or three Keto-friendly appetizers instead and add in a salad.

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TACKLING DESSERTS

It's highly unlikely that you will find a dessert in a restaurant (unless it's a Keto restaurant) that isn't completely drenched with sugar or carbs.  You may find options like fresh berries or a cheese platter which will do just fine, otherwise, you could simply bring one of your own fat bombs with you and eat it at the end of the meal or when you leave.  Just saying....


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YOU CAN DO THIS!

As you can see, it is quite easy to adopt the Ketogenic lifestyle without having to give up very much! Eating in restaurants is pretty simple if you're creative and stick to these simple guidelines. Little successes like these are very empowering and help you stay on track. Plus, because you will feel satiated and not have blood sugar spikes, you'll feel fantastic afterwards!  It's a win-win.  



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5 Ways the Ketogenic Diet Improves Gut Health

10/11/2019

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​Your digestive system is connected to EVERYTHING that happens in your body, so it only makes sense that when it isn’t working properly, any number of problems can occur.   Having a healthy gut means more than simply being free of bloating or heartburn! It is absolutely connected to your overall health and well-being.  Many health concerns have been linked to a poorly functioning digestive system, such as: 
​• Arthritis 
• Autoimmune disease
• Rashes
• Acne
• Chronic fatigue
• Mood disorders
• Autism
• Dementia
• Cancer
• Bad breath
• Gas, bloating,
   abdominal pain 
​• Toxemia
• Candida yeast overrun
• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fogginess
• Lowered immunity
• Impaired digestion &
   absorption
• Irritable bowel
   syndrome
• Migraines
• PMS
​• Hormonal imbalances
• Vaginitis
• Asthma
• Fibromyalgia
• Weight gain
• Food allergies
• Chronic fatigue
• Yeast infections
• Depression
 
 …and more!
A wide range of factors can influence how well your digestive system functions, including dietary habits, medications, and emotional wellness. Most people are affected by at least one of these factors. In fact, an estimated two-thirds of women suffer from gastrointestinal problems, which often lead to poor absorption of nutrients.  Are you one of them?
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"...All disease begins in the gut."
- Hippocrates (Father of Modern Medicine)
                   

​Why Are We Suffering From Unhealthy Guts?

​It is no secret that sound health relies on a healthy gut, and if your gut is unhealthy, you could find yourself experiencing a number of problems and diseases. A major portion of your immune system is associated with your gut. Our intestines contain delicate proportions of both harmful and healthy bacteria that harm and protect our body, respectively. If the harmful bacteria attack your intestines, the healthy bacteria are alerted to defend your body and gut.

We are often prescribed antibiotics to manage illness, but overuse can end up killing off healthy bacteria from our guts, enabling the harmful bacteria to proliferate. This is called “dysbiosis”, and can set the stage for an unhealthy and leaky gut. A Ketogenic diet improves the function and condition of your digestive system and helps sustain the integrity of the gut wall and the presence of healthy bacteria in many ways. 
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​How Does an Unhealthy Gut Affect Us?

​An unhealthy gut can negatively impact our health. Overuse of antibiotics, stress, and poor diets can significantly reduce the number of healthy bacteria in your intestines, allowing harmful bacteria to take over your gut and rapidly multiply. High levels of harmful bacteria in your gut can lead to inflammation and begin to degrade the quality of your health. It can also contribute to poor digestion, slow nutrition absorption, deterioration of the immune system, inflammation, gut leakage, and may eventually manifest as a chronic disease. Other symptoms of an unhealthy gut include bloating, food intolerance, joint pain, autoimmune disease, allergies, and fatigue.
 
If you have been experiencing these symptoms, especially severe fatigue, you may consider visiting a doctor or natural health care practitioner, and perhaps make major health, diet, and lifestyle changes. Adapting to a Ketogenic diet will help you benefit from increased energy, natural weight loss, clearer thinking, healthier hair, skin, and nails, and most importantly, a healthy gut and a strong immune system!
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What is a Ketogenic Diet and Why is it Recommended?

The Ketogenic Diet was introduced to treat the symptoms of epilepsy in children. It consists of low carbohydrates, high levels of healthy fat, and a moderate amount of protein. The Ketogenic diet enables the body to focus on burning fat rather than carbohydrates.  It is a scientific and proven fact that carbohydrates are catalyzed and converted into glucose, which is further transported to your body via the bloodstream and plays a vital role in fueling your brain function. Low carbohydrate meals, however, result in the conversion of fat to fatty acids and ketone bodies. These induced ketone bodies are transported back to the brain, and they become a primary source of sustainable energy in your body. If high levels of ketone bodies are in the bloodstream, it creates a state of “ketosis”, and is crucial in keeping epileptic seizures under control. 

​The Ketogenic Diet is also adopted by people who suffer from an unhealthy gut because it often helps restore the healthy function of their digestive system. Consumption of a Ketogenic diet has become an essential diet plan of many people suffering from a severe gut ailment because it helps them to recover quickly. 
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​​The Ketogenic Diet Helps to Stop Cravings

​Recent studies have begun to show a connection between intense cravings and our gut. It is widely accepted that our microbiome (healthy gut bacteria) acts as one of the most significant contributing factors in changing our behavior. Our guts’ microbiome is highly responsible for igniting food cravings, and, if the cravings are not satiated, it could further aggravate our cravings. The presence of harmful bacteria in our guts makes us crave sugar-laden foods and carbohydrates, and can lead to a leaky gut.
 
Transitioning to a Ketogenic diet keeps the consumption of processed and sugar-laden foods at a minimum, while incorporating healthy treats and snacks that are made with healthy fats and natural sweeteners like erythritol, xylitol, or monk fruit, rather than harmful sugar. This also helps keep cravings at bay because you don't feel deprived.

It can be challenging to switch meal plans, but it is guaranteed to improve your lifestyle. A Ketogenic diet starves harmful bacteria of the food they need for their reproduction by eliminating sugar and reducing carbs, and thus causes them to die off more easily.
 
Several doctors and scientists have speculated that transitioning to a Ketogenic diet alleviates the number of episodes associated with epilepsy. It is further suggested that a human’s brain more instinctively prefers ketones rather than glucose for energy.  Studies show that a majority of the people studied have observed a drastic change in better energy levels, better moods, reduction in mood swings, less lethargy, improved alertness, enhanced mental clarity, and peace of mind.

One particular hypothesis suggests that previous generations of humans were ketogenic, and this trait was passed on to the descendants, making them more evolutionarily disposed toward using ketones for fuel rather than glucose. The Ketogenic diet is essentially engrained in our DNA.
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​5 WAYS THE KETOGENIC DIET HELPS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH

1. Eliminates Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners
Consumption of sugar-loaded or producing foods and artificial sweeteners are responsible for causing inflammation in your gut and may contribute to damage and malfunction. The Ketogenic diet strictly eliminates harmful sugars and artificial sweeteners, all grains, wheat, rice, pasta, potatoes, and beans, while limiting other carbs to reduce sugar levels in the bloodstream. 
2. Increases Probiotics
The Ketogenic diet promotes consumption of naturally fermented vegetables and the use of probiotic supplements. These will supply the body with healthy gut bacteria called “probiotics”. Probiotics play a vital role in the removal of bacterial traces from your gut, and they speed up your gut’s cleansing mechanism. Eating fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut, as well as supplementing your diet plan with recommended probiotics is more likely to eliminate harmful bacteria and replace it with healthy bacteria in your gut, which boosts your immune system.
3. Upgrades Your Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet plays an essential role in the maintenance of your gut flora. It could potentially improve or aggravate the condition and function of your gut.  Adopting a Ketogenic diet is helpful because you will eliminate the consumption of saccharine-heavy food and replace it with items that are enriched with a moderate level of protein, high fat, and healthy carbohydrates. It promotes consumption of nourishing bone-broth and nutrient-dense foods in the form of green leafy and cruciferous vegetables. It also promotes eating salmon and fish because their Omega 3 fatty acids which can instantly boost your immune system. 
4. Eat Organic
The Ketogenic diet promotes eating fresh organic whole foods whenever possible. Processed or commercial foods can aggravate and damage the condition of your gut and can contribute to Leaky Gut Syndrome. If you have poor gut flora, you should immediately eliminate ALL processed foods and start incorporating healthy Ketogenic foods into your diet plan. Converting your diet plan to organic may be challenging, but it will improve the condition of your gut flora in the long run. You’ll probably find that when you cut out processed foods and junk foods, there will be more money in your budget to put toward healthier options such as organic produce, grass-fed/pasture-raised meats, and wild-caught seafood.
5. Incorporates Organic Coconut Oil
The Ketogenic diet promotes high consumption of healthy fats including coconut oil because coconut oil promotes the production of ketones. In addition, coconut oil is helps maintain a healthy gut because it has antibacterial properties and is classified as an MCT, or medium-chain triglyceride. It can prove beneficial in reducing the inflammation of your gut, and supporting healthy gut flora. Organic coconut oil is edible and can improve the overall condition of your gut.  It’s also great for your skin, hair, and nails!
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8 Reasons You May Not Become Keto-Adapted

10/2/2019

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 The Ketogenic diet has been proven time and time again to be the fastest, healthiest way to lose weight and improve many health ailments.  But, it can be challenging!  If you're not getting the results you wanted - don't worry!  Everyone is different, with different metabolisms, habits, lifestyles, and goals.  Occasionally, clients will come to me in frustration because they aren't losing weight like they thought they would especially since the Ketogenic diet is THE most effective weight loss protocol out there.  Is this happening to you?

The Ketogenic diet needs to be followed quite strictly...especially in the beginning.  It is important that you follow the macronutrient ratios of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% net carbs in order for your body to become fat-adapted, or Keto-adapted.  This is the sweet spot where your body is consistently using body fat for fuel, you have lots of energy, reduced appetite, and you feel fantastic! 

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However, a common mistake that many people starting out on Keto do is try to "wing it". As a result,  they are having trouble reaching or staying in ketosis, not losing weight or reaching their goals, and get frustrated or give up!  I don't want this to happen to you! So, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you about common pitfalls and explain how to overcome them.


1. Not eating enough fat.

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Indeed, going Keto means increasing healthy dietary fats.  Why? Because when you reduce carbs and flood your bloodstream with fatty acids, your liver will convert those fatty acids into ketones for energy.  This is necessary to train your body to burn fat instead of glucose so it can make that metabolic shift and become fat-adapted.  

2. Eating too much protein.

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Don't confuse the Ketogenic diet with a high protein diet, like Atkins. You only need to eat a moderate amount of protein because excess protein will be converted into glucose through a process called "gluconeogenesis".  If you're eating 3-6 ounces of protein at each meal and you're still hungry, add more fat or have a fat bomb after your meal.

3. Not eating enough vegetables/keto fruits.

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Vegetables are important for overall good health, especially on the Ketogenic diet.  Yes, they have carbs, but the high fibre makes them a low NET CARB choice.  Cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens provide the body with much needed potassium and minerals that is often lacking during the first phase of Keto-adaptation. Plus, these vegetables are free from lectins which are known to damage the gut lining. A healthy Ketogenic diet is balanced, nutrient-dense, and alkaline.  Most of your NET CARBS need to come from cruciferous and leafy green vegetables.  Feel free to also enjoy keto-friendly fruit such as lemons/limes, or 1/4 cup of berries and fresh herbs for added antioxidants and nutrients.

4. Not drinking enough water.

It is well documented that drinking enough water is essential for good health, and is crucial for everything your body does... including burning fat.  When you first start out on Keto, your body has reduced insulin and inflammation, and starts flushing out excess fluid and toxins so it is important to drink lots of water.  Drink at least half your body weight in ounces, and add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt to provide electrolytes and minerals for your body during this critical first phase of Keto-adapation.
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5.  Eating too many carbs/calories.

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Foods like cream, cheese, nuts, avocados, Keto treats/breads, and some condiments (ketchup, salad dressings, sauces) can be higher in carbs and calories, or even have hidden sugars which can knock you out of ketosis.  Also, although calories are not usually an issue on the Ketogenic diet, if you are over-consuming calories for your needs, you may see a stall in weight loss. Yes, I know, they're delicious, but please use these foods in moderation and watch out for high carbs and hidden sugars in prepackaged foods.  

6.  Not enough sleep.

Adequate sleep is imperative for weight loss and general well-being.  Without enough sleep, your body can feel stressed and can produce the stress hormone "cortisol". This will trigger your body to  hang on to fat.  Plus, when you're tired you often overeat and crave carbs.  I suggest getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night, and know that your body is using that time to burn fat without you doing a thing!
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7.  Not managing stress.

Mental stress (and extreme physical stress) makes your body produce high levels of cortisol which can trigger your liver to produce glucose (sugar) even if you’re not eating carbs/sugar!
Glucose = insulin = fat storage ≠ ketosis.  Although it's impossible in today's world to avoid stress, find ways to manage it or avoid it when you can.  
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8.  Not tracking your macros.

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Many people who start off doing Keto try to "wing it".  They are happily going along eating lots of fat, moderate amounts of protein, and keto-friendly carbs/treats.  Life is great. The problem is that they are NOT keeping track of WHAT they are eating,  and whether they realize it or not, everything is out of whack.  They may or may not be eating enough/too much fat, their protein is way off, or they are consuming WAY too many carbs (carbs easily add up).  Until you become fully Keto-adapted, YOU NEED TO TRACK YOUR MACROS!  Otherwise, how can you possible know if you are eating 70% fats, 20% protein, and 5% net carbs?  This was a big mistake that even I made in the beginning, as have some of my clients, but once we started tracking, we started to see results!  Choose from a wide variety of mobile apps that are super easy to use.
Although starting Keto can be challenging, the results are totally worth the effort.  Whether you’re KETO-curious or you’ve been following the diet for a while, chances are you may be getting a few things wrong. It’s common to get out of balance with nutrients and even jeopardize long-term health.

It's important to focus on the basics, avoid common mistakes, and eat healthy, alkaline foods to ensure you achieve your weight loss goals and improve your overall health.
Learn more...

Want to start the Ketogenic diet but not sure how?



​Grab my FREE Getting Started Guide today!
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How the Ketogenic Diet Differs From Other Diets

4/3/2019

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The Ketogenic diet is a moderate-protein, low-carb, high-fat diet, which has surged in popularity because of its many benefits.  It is one of the most effective weight-loss tools out there.  Also, because people are eating delicious, healthy, filling foods and not starving themselves, they can stick with the diet.  Other benefits of the ketogenic diet range from stablizing blood sugars, improve mental cognition, more energy, better skin, to combating age related diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.  
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The goal of the keto diet is to get the body to produce ketones, which are little energy molecules built from fatty acids in the liver.  This fuel souce is used for both the brain and the body very effectively and efficiently.  One huge benefit of the ketogenic diet is that once you're keto-adapted, your body provides an endless supply of fat that can be converted into fuel.  Another benefit is that fat is a much cleaner source of fuel than glucose, creating fewer free-radicals within the body. It is also the preferred fuel by the brain. However, because it's a low-carb diet, it can often get confused with other diets out there.
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What make the Ketogenic diet unique?

This is where it can get confusing for some people.  Just because a diet is low carb doesn't mean it's keto.  Keto isn't Atkins, Paleo, other low-carb diets or high-protein diets. It is unique in its macronutrient ratio, which is typically 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% net carbs.

Usually, keto is confused with the Atkins diet, where one initially cuts carb intake to less than 20g per day.  Most people think that keto is a high protein diet like Atkins, but it's not.

How keto is different from other diets:
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                                           Ketogenic Diet:​

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  • Triggers the production of ketones in the body
  • High fat, moderate protein, low carb
  • Increase energy, endurance, mental focus and improved body composition
  • Keto-Adaptation is possible

                                                         Atkins Diet:

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  • Improved weight loss by restriction carbohydrates. Ketosis is achieved in the beginning
  • Re-introduce carbs to a tolerable level 
  • Protein/carb intake may be too high and ketosis is usually stopped.

                                                           Paleo Diet:

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  • Improved weight control by only eating foods that were avaible to Paleolithic man
  • Eat vegetabels, fruit, nuts, roots, and meats (but not dairy, grains, sugar, or legumes)
  • Lack of sturctured macronutrients may lead to higher protein, fat, and carbohydrate consumption.  Ketosis is not typical.



​Before You Start a Ketogenic Diet

Whatever your reasons for wanting to start a Ketogenic diet, it's really important that you understand a few things first:
  • You'll need to change the way you think about weight loss:  eating fat does not make you fat - carbs do
  • Keto is not a high protein diet
  • You need to be strict at the beginning until you become "fat-adapted" in order for your body to make that metabolic shift into becoming a "fat-burner"
  • You need to eat at least 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% net carbs
  • Be prepared to track your macronutrients until you adapt so that you'll get a "feel" for how you should be eating
  • Keto may not be for everyone.  It is not recommended for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding; those with impaired kidney/liver function; gallbladder disease; diabetes Type 1; children, or those with eating disorders.  If you have a medical condition, please consult a health care practitioner to find out if Keto is right for you


​Tips to Get Started

Don't try to start this diet gradually - it's not really something that you ease in to.  You will need to drastically cut your carb intake to between 20g-50g per day.  To keep satiated, consume plenty of healthy fats, fibre (mostly in the form of cruciferous vegetables), and moderate amounts of protein.  If your goal is weight loss, aim for 1 gram of protein per kilogram of your target weight.


I suggest starting out by making yourself a meal plan and look for keto recipes that appeal to you.  Go shopping and stock up on a range of foods that are low in carbs and high in fat, and on foods that you can make quick keto snacks with. You can include foods such as coconut oil, heavy cream, and cheese if you are dairy tolerant,


Next, use an app to track your macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbs).  You can find handy online apps that include keto calculators to make tracking super easy so you don't have to calculate everything yourself.  Examples are MyFitness Pal or Keto Diet Tracker. In addition to tracking your macros, you may want to pick up some urine test strips to check your ketone production to see how often you are in ketosis.  


Finally, include various types of exercise (daily if possible) to help deplete glycogen stores in your body.  By doing this, you will train your body to look for fat for energy.
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​Keto Adaption Does Not Happen Overnight

Becoming keto-adapted is a complex, metabolic process which doesn't happen overnight. Although you can be in "ketosis" in a few days, it doesn't mean that your body is maximizing the use of ketones. It takes quite a bit longer for the body to get used to burning fat and ketones as its main source of fuel, and is different for everyone.  Be patient and stick with it and you will be reaping the benefits before you know it!




Don't want to go it alone?
30-Day Ketogenic Program Made Easy

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KETO CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOU YOUNGER

3/27/2019

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When I started on a Ketogenic lifestyle, I had expectations that were completely blown away. I was eating foods that were so delicious, I couldn't believe I was losing weight without exercise!  I ate butter and cheese, whipped cream and berries, chocolate, and even pizza! I felt amazing and had tons of energy.  My skin looked nicer, too!! 

Sure, I lost weight. 
Sure, I felt slimmer!
Sure, I finally started reducing nasty cellulite!
But, it helped me look and feel A LOT YOUNGER!!!

But going Keto isn't just about weight loss. It's so much more than that. While it can help us melt away unwanted fat in a hurry, it also makes us look and feel younger.  It can actually  and slow down and reverse the aging process!

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​How We Age

​Did you know that the DNA in our cells is coded with a life span? At the ends of each chromosome lies something called a ‘telomere’. Telomeres protect chromosomes and prevent them from fusing into rings or binding with other DNA. Think of telomeres as being kind of like the little hard plastic ends on the ends of shoelaces. They keep the laces from coming undone. Telomeres do a similar thing with your chromosomes.  Check out this graphic below:
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When a cell divides, as they do thousands of times every day, strands of DNA get snipped to in the process. The places that are snipped are the telomeres. These telomeres get shorter and shorter with each cell division. Eventually the telomere gets too short, and the DNA becomes damaged, putting a halt to the cell’s ability to reproduce. This is when the cell dies, and where aging occurs. 
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Although we all want to look younger, aging is not just about how we appear on the outside. It affects our WHOLE body, inside and out.  Every single cell. Many of the signs of aging are actually the beginnings of chronic disease. The wrinkles, weight gain, memory loss, loss of physical strength, loss of sex drive, inability to sleep, fatigue, and bone loss are what many have come to accept as part of the normal progression of aging.  
 
Diseases like heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes are so commonplace in our society now that many people just accept this as a part of growing old. But adopting a healthier lifestyle and a Ketogenic Diet can drastically improve how you look and feel, and determine the quality of life you will have as you get older.
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​How Keto Slows Down the Aging Process

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By now, you know that the Ketogenic diet consists of eating a high ratio of healthy fats, particularly Omega-3's found in fatty fish and other seafood (especially cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines), nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts), cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, and avocados.   Research studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in the the Ketogenic diet can actually slow down or even "regrow" our telomeres!  This means that it is totally possible to reverse the aging process!

In fact, one study showed that those that had the highest levels of Omega-3 fatty acids had the slowest rates of telomere shortening (aging slower), while those with the lowest levels of of this Omega-3's and high amounts of Omega-6 fatty acid had fastest rate of telomere shortening (aging faster). 

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What Does All This Mean?

The typical Western diet is aging us.  ​It is full of unhealthy fats, sugars, carbs, and chemicals.  The Ketogenic diet is typical of the way our primal ancestors ate -  a diet much higher in omega 3 fats from wild caught fish, grass-fed meat and dairy, and wild game. The omega 6 to omega 3 ratio many years ago was around 2 to 1. Today a typical modern diet in America or other westernized countries has about 15-20 times more omega 6 fats than omega 3 fats. 
 
Omega-6 fatty acids come primarily from grains and processed vegetable oils. Commercially raised meat, chicken and farmed fish are raised on grain, making these foods high in omega 6 fatty acids as well. On the other hand, Ketogenic foods such as grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild caught meats and fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids. 
 
Omega 6 fats are found in potato chips, corn chips, French fries, bottled salad dressings, corn oil, soy oil, and other vegetable oils. Almost everything you purchase pre-made from the grocery store has this type of fat in it. 

This unnatural balance of essential fatty acids causes excess inflammation and negative health effects. Studies show that eating excessive amounts of omega-6 fats appears to be one of the fastest ways to accelerate aging, so by adopting the Ketogenic Diet, you'll be able to reverse wrinkles and saggy skin, increase energy levels, improve mental clarity, reduce the risk of age-related diseases, and have a healthier body overall.
 


​Want to look and feel younger?

Go Keto for 30-Days and feel the difference!
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How and Why You Should Become a Fat-Burner

3/14/2019

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With the steady and consistent rise of disease and obesity in North America, and around the world, more and more people are experiencing illness in many forms.  While other factors are at play such as stress, environmental toxins, and genetics, nutrition is really the root of this global epidemic.  Poor eating habits lay the foundation for widespread obesity and metabolic dysfunction which commonly leads to health issues like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol, cancer, digestive problems, arterial sclerosis, and even neurological diseases such as Alzeheimer's and Parkinson's.  But it doesn't have to be this way.

Research studies have shown that a high carbohydrate diet is associated with increased insulin levels, which triggers the body to store fat around organs, tissues, and arteries, and can lead to many of the chronic diseases we see today,  High insulin levels also create unstable blood sugars, mood swings, brain fog, hunger, carb/sugar cravings, fatigue, and illness.

The result?  Fat, sick people. 


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The Ketogenic Diet Can Help

In order to break this nasty cycle, you need to change the way your metabolism works.  The Ketogenic diet helps you to switch from using carbs as fuel to using a cleaner, more stable source of fuel: FAT.  The Ketogenic Diet is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet, that trains your body into utilizing its own fat stores for energy, rather than glucose from carbs.  The result is quick and easy weight loss, stable blood sugars, mental clarity, improved energy, just to name a few. 

​Here's how it works: 
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​Other benefits of the Ketogenic diet are:
  • reduces bloating, digestive disturbances, helps repair gut lining
  • boosts memory, cognition, (human brain is 60% fat + ketones cross blood/brain barrier)
  • improves cell integrity/fluidity
  • cleaner source of fuel for the body than glucose – fewer free radicals
  • anti-aging: improves hair, skin, nails, lessens the appearance of wrinkles (whoo hoo!!)
  • combats chronic & age-related diseases (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer's, Cancer)
  • lower blood pressure     
  • lower triglycerides 
  • fewer migraines 
  • improved mental clarity
  • better cholesterol profiles 
  • hormone regulation 
  •  improved mood 
  • seizure control
  • reduced appetite
  • reduced inflammation


Going Keto Can Change Your Life

For many years we’ve been told that fats are bad and we should follow a low-fat diet to lose weight and be healthier, but research has discovered that this is not the case. While going Keto will take some getting used to, the benefits will be well worth the effort. Imagine eating delicious foods, full-fat desserts, pizza, nachos, and more!  It seems to good to be true - but it works... I promise! You just have to do it right.
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The basic premise of the Keto diet is to drastically cut your carb intake while drastically increasing your fats.  It's all about macronutrient ratios:  75% of your calories should come from healthy fats, 20% of your calories should come from healthy proteins, and only 5% of your net carbs should come from healthy carb choices such as above-ground vegetables & leafy greens and Keto-approved fruit. ​Keto-friendly desserts, breads, and treats are allowed in moderation.​
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​The biggest change to your eating habits when following a Keto diet may be reducing the intake of carbs and increasing the intake of fats. However, the biggest challenge about going Keto is to change the way you think about weight loss.


​Want to lose the fat?

Go Keto for 30 days
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THE KETO DIET ISN’T JUST ANOTHER FAD DIET

11/21/2018

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Historically, the Ketogenic diet was discovered as early as the 20th century and was (yet still is) an effective solution for individuals suffering from epilepsy. In the early times, bodybuilders used to apply it without knowing the science behind it by following a “fish and water” diet. Additionally, it is the diet that humans historically adhered to naturally before processed sugars became so readily available.  
 
The popularity of the Keto diet is rising day by day. Numerous people are adopting this lifestyle not only for reducing body weight, but also to gain numerous other benefits, such as lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides, better cholesterol profiles, increased memory, cognition, clarity, seizure control, and fewer migraines. This high fat and low carb diet is also useful for patients with cancer, diabetes, and some cardiovascular diseases. 
 
As you can see, this is not just an ordinary fad diet. It is much more than that and offers several advantages, such as: 
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  • Burning fat and build lean muscle tissue
  • Reduce inflammation and pain
  • Improve mental focus and concentration 
  • Improve blood sugar levels
  • Improve overall health and energy levels
  • Improve skin, hair, and nails
  • ​Reduce or eliminate bloating, gas, and other digestive issues
  • Combat age-related diseases 


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​WHAT IS KETOSIS? 

The primary goal of a ketogenic diet is to allow your body to reach the state of ketosis. But do you know what ketosis is? Are you aware of how, why, and when this happens?  
 
If the body takes in carbs, it causes your pancreas to release insulin (fat storage hormone) and create an insulin spike. So, if you reduce carbohydrates through a ketogenic diet, then fewer calories will be stored as fat.  
 
When your body has very few carbohydrates as a source of energy, your body must look for a new source: fat.  Your body will learn to break down body fat and utilize it as energy rather than carbohydrates. When your body switches from burning dietary carbohydrates as its primary energy source to burning body fat as a new source of fuel, the condition is called ketosis.  
 
“Ketosis” is a metabolic state where your liver produces organic molecules which we call ketone bodies. Consider ketone bodies the alternative fuel (fat-burning) that your body uses to maintain the normal functioning of all body systems and organs. 

In short, you WANT your body in ketosis and burning fat instead of sugar. By following the keto way of eating, you’ll naturally decrease your carbohydrate intake, increase your fat intake, and allow your body to get rid of excess fat and lose weight, while keeping muscle. Research and studies show that ketosis is not only beneficial in losing weight, it may also be helpful in managing both diabetes and neurological disorders.  
 

HOW A KETOGENIC DIET CAN HELP YOUR AUTOIMMUNE SYMPTOMS 

This ancestral diet has lots of advantages not only for those who want to lose weight but also for people experiencing autoimmune disorders. Experts discuss the many advantages of this diet for treating, reversing as well as preventing autoimmune conditions.  
 
This diet is about ratio. It is a high fat, moderate protein, very low carb approach. People who are experiencing autoimmune issues can reverse their conditions with the use of whole foods rich in essential nutrients.  
 
To ensure the benefits of the keto diet for autoimmune conditions, only utilize healthy fats including olive oil, avocado, duck fat, pasture butter, lard, and ghee as well as meat from pasture-raised animals. You also need to avoid processed fats such as canola, margarine, and safflower oils. Unlike other diets out there, the keto diet does not leave you starving. The fat in this kind of diet promotes satiety so you will be less enticed to consume unhealthy foods. 

KETOGENIC DIET AND ANTI-AGING 

Diseases have a big impact on your longevity. The effect of ketosis on the diseases is worth considering.  
 
Here are some of the ways on how ketones are beneficial to your health:  
 
• A ketogenic diet had positive results on patients with Parkinson’s disease.
• Patients with Alzheimer’s disease improved their cognition when given ketones orally.
• Ketones have a protective effect on neurotoxicity in brain cells.  There are also studies on humans showing that a ketogenic diet helps in protecting from physical decline as people age.
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One thing I love about being a fat-burner on the Ketogenic diet is that fat is a cleaner source of fuel for your body than sugar or carbs are.  This makes for fewer free-radicals which break down our tissues and age us – inside and out! 
 
So, not only does eating Keto help us to lose weight quickly and effortlessly, have an endless supply of energy, and keeps our blood sugars in check, it helps us look and feel younger. Who doesn’t want that?

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NOT ALL LOW CARB DIETS PUT YOU IN KETOSIS 

There are several other diet approaches that include a low intake of carbs but not all these plans get you into ketosis.  
 
You might have heard about the Atkins diet. This one is also a low carb diet and is usually suggested for weight loss. This diet recommends low consumption of carbohydrates and significantly high consumption of fats and proteins. Although it is effective in weight loss, it is not as beneficial as ketosis is.  
 
The keto diet is easy to follow and easy to maintain. It involves precise eating to change the metabolism. On the other hand, the Atkins diet does not include any quantity guidelines. It does not bring as many health benefits and positive outcomes as ketosis does. 
 
​Similarly, the Dukan diet is another low carb diet. It is actually a protein-based fad diet that is associated with weight loss. It includes four phases; two for losing weight and two for maintaining the weight loss. It can cause a nutritional deficiency, disturb the cholesterol level, and cause digestive issues.  Just because you are restricting your carbs, you may not necessarily enter ketosis.  
 

Want to know how you can adopt the Ketogenic lifestyle for yourself?

Learn more here

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Get Amazing Skin from the Oil Cleansing Method

1/4/2018

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We all have the desire for beauty. Beauty is a sign of health and therefore our primal instinct is to reproduce with other healthy humans. This gives the species the greatest chance of survival. 
The desire to have flawless and wrinkle-free skin is a quest that most of us share.  We want to look good so we can feel good about ourselves.  Cosmetic companies have recognized this and have targeted men, women, and youth with marketing strategies that have led to a 532 billion dollar beauty industry (1).

Almost daily we are bombarded by deceptive marketing strategies trying to convince us that beauty is only as far as the latest anti-aging cream. In fact cosmetic and skin care companies are trying to brainwash you into thinking that you need their artificial and expensive beauty products. The problem is that these products are often containing chemicals and ingredients which are damaging to the skin, hormone regulation, and internal organs, and do more harm than good in the long run, and sometimes even create the very problem we're trying to get rid of!

Although many known causes of aging, breakouts, and wrinkles are a complex combination of environmental, dietary and internal changes, many people think the answer is to spend hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on dermatologists, expensive anti-aging creams and potions, injections of toxic substances and fillers, or going under the surgeon’s knife. Just think of how much money you’ve spent on skin care, cosmetics, and other beauty products (or even cosmetic procedures) in your lifetime.  I bet the thought of it is scary! But don't worry... creating beautiful, youthful skin is as simple as looking to nature for help.

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Nature is the Answer

​I used to suffer from breakouts, premature wrinkles, and dull oily skin.  I mean, how embarrasing to be in your 40's and have pimples AND wrinkles!!  The more I tried to correct the problems with super expensive acne products and wrinkle creams, the worse it got - literally!  It cost me a fortune and I even had prescription creams to help with breakouts.   I washed my face with even the most gentle soap (baby soap) and it dried out my face.  This in turn made my skin produce even MORE oil! UGGHH!!! Plus, the wrinkle creams and serums didn't really work and sometimes made my face red and blotchy. Has this ever happened to you?

Then I discovered something called the Oil Cleansing Method. Since stumbling upon the Oil Cleansing Method, my skin has undoubtedly become more soft, clear, and virtually wrinkle-free, and I always get compliments.  The best part - everyone thinks I'm much younger than I am!! The OCM method has many benefits that you need to know about if you want to have beautiful, glowing, younger-looking skin! 

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What is the Oil Cleansing Method?

​Cleansing your skin with an oil is an ancient Korean beauty ritual that many credit for clear glowing skin. Oil cleansing is a method that balances oil production, heals acne and melts your makeup right off while nourishing and hydrating your skin leaving your skin feeling silky smooth. This method of cleansing your skin operates on the scientific premise that "oil dissolves oil". Think of a mechanic with dirty, greasy hands.  The mechanic will use a hand cleaner made of oils to remove the dirt and grease quickly and effectively.  The OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) uses this same principle: Like Dissolves Like.

In Nature, your skin naturally lubricates itself with oil, called sebum, and this is a built-in method of protection that our bodies have developed.  Not only does your sebum help lubricate, but it also heals, protects, and moisturizes your skin so that it may do it’s job. Properly functioning skin is beautiful, clear, and glowing. Our skin NEEDS oil to be healthy, so don't be afraid of applying oil (the RIGHT oil) to your face. I was petrified to use oil on my skin because, well, I suffered from oily skin and thought that applying more oil would make it worse,  I was WRONG! Oil, alone, will not produce blemishes. 

Oil Cleansing is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to clean and nourish your
skin. When you continually strip the natural oils from your face with commercial soaps, cleansers, and astringents, your body tries to compensate by producing more oil, leading to break outs, and skin disorders. On the other hand, when you provide your body with the correct nourishing oils, the overproduction does not occur and your skin becomes more stable and balanced.

​

Benefits of the Oil Cleansing Method

The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) has many benefits.  Here are just a few:

​ 1)  Gently But Thoroughly Cleans Skin - Clean, nourishing oils and skin oils lift excess sebum, the oily substance produced by glands on your skin, clean out clogged pores like blackheads and whiteheads, and remove dead skin, pollutants, and makeup (many commercial makeup removers contain oil)

2) Can Protect the Natural Lipid Barrier - Commercial soaps and cleansers can damage the lipid layer of the skin. Using oils instead can help protect the natural lipid layer of the skin and the good bacteria that live there. Recent research shows that the bacteria that thrive on our skin can help protect against infection like acne (2).

3) Can Help Balance and Nourish Skin - Traditional cleansers can irritate the skin, cause excessive dryness, aggravate acne (3) and ultimately result in the skin overproducing oil after washing. Oil cleansing, on the other hand, can help balance the skin and lock in hydration.In addition, oils used for cleansing may also have healing properties, important nutrients, or other skin-boosting benefits. and help dry, mature skin.

4) Is Cost Effective - Commerical cleansers, makeup removers, anti-aging creams and serums, moisturizers, and night creams are very costly.  Oils used for the Oil Cleansing Method costs only pennies a day.

5) Does Not Contain Hormone Disrupting or Cancer Causing Chemicals - Almost all commercial cosmetic and beauty products contain harmful chemicals that can disrupt our hormones or be linked to cancer! Some examples are triclosan, triclocarban, toluene, phthalates, petroleum distillates, parabens (specifically propyl-, Isopropyl-, Butyl-, and Isobutylparabens), methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone,  fragrance.


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Popular Oils to Use

When adopting the Oil Cleansing Method, there are many types of natural oils you can use either individually or a combination of oils.  Here are some of the most popular you can try:

  • coconut oil
  • olive oil
  • castor oil
  • sweet almond oil
  • grapeseed oil
  • avocado oil
  • sunflower oil
  • apricot kernel oil
  • argan oil
  • jojoba oil

Each oil produces a different result for different skin.  For example, castor oil is very cleansing and is great for acne-prone skin, while argan oil is highly moisturizing and is great for mature or dry skin. Regardless of what oils you choose, it’s important to buy high-quality oils. When possible, look for cold-pressed, unrefined, virgin oils that are meant to be used on the skin, or are food-grade oils. 

It may take a week or two for your skin to adjust. “Purging,” or breakouts that are caused by new products bringing bacteria to the surface of your skin, isn’t typical in oil cleansing. However, if you’re getting an increase in breakouts, especially after you’ve been oil cleansing for a couple of weeks, you may need to change the oils you use, or use 50/50 (or weaker) diluted apple cider vinegar and water solution as a toner after cleansing.  This will help remove any excess oil, balance the pH of your skin, and make your skin brighter.  

Try It

I hope this inspires you to take control of your health and your beauty.  I've personally been using this method for cleansing my skin for over six years with fantastic results. Many of my clients have also loved the results from adopting this approach, and you can too! If you would like to try the Oil Cleansing Method and learn other natural ways to have great skin, grab my FREE guide:
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Try it!
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Good Digestion, Good Health

5/5/2017

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​Did you know that our digestive systems are intimately linked to our immune, endocrine, circulatory, and central nervous systems? Pretty amazing, huh?  Our digestive system profoundly affects all of these interlocking systems with an amazing world of beneficial bacteria: the microscopic "good guys" that must be present in your intestines for you to be healthy. The health of your gut determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out, and therefore it is directly linked to the health of your total body.

​

“All disease starts in the gut.”
-Hippocrates
​


Hippocrates (Father of Modern Medicine) said this more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was. Research over the past two decades has shown us that gut health is critical to overall health, and that an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.
 
More and more, science is finding that tiny creatures living in your gut have a definite purpose. Known as your microflora, or microbiome (MIKRO-by-ome), these bacteria populate your body, particularly your intestines and other parts of your digestive system. 
​

​The human body carries about 100 trillion microorganisms in its intestines, a number ten times greater than the total number of human cells in the body.

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​In fact, 90 percent of the genetic material in your body is not yours, but rather that of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that compose your microflora. The human body contains over 10 times more microbial cells than human cells with over 400 known diverse bacterial species.  Our microbiome can weigh somewhere between 3 and 5 pounds!  In fact, you could say that we’re more bacterial than we are human!  Whoa… that’s really something to think about.
 
 
Although some of the bacteria living in our gut are bad, the majority are good, and they work together to help your digestive system and keep you well. Beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics, along with a bunch of other microorganisms, can influence your:
  • genetic expression
  • immune system
  • brain development, mental health, and memory
  • weight
  • hormones
  • risk for illness and disease (such IBS, diabetes, cancer, autism, depression, and anxiety) 

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​Did you know that your gut is sometimes referred to as your second brain? 

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​Yep! Your gut is like a nervous system.  In fact, it contains more neurotransmitters than your brain, and is where 95% of your serotonin is produced! It is highly wired back to your brain where intricate messages travel back and forth. When those messages are altered for any reason in any direction – from the brain to the gut or the gut to the brain – your health will suffer.
 
Even in a perfect world, our gut has a hard time keeping things balanced. But in our modern world, there are many things that make our digestive system off balance.
 
Here are some common things that can damage our digestive system:
  • A low fiber, high sugar, processed food, nutrient poor, high calorie diet feeds all the wrong bacteria and yeast in the gut leading to a damaged ecosystem and an overgrowth of harmful bacteria.  This condition is known as dysbiosis.
  • Overuse of medications that damage the gut or block normal digestive function – things like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, acid blocking drugs, and steroids.
  • Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasites, or even more serious gut infections.
  • Toxins damage the gut such as chemicals, heavy metals like mercury, and mold toxins.
  • Lack of adequate digestive enzyme function – which can come from acid blocking medication use or zinc deficiency.
  • Stress can alter the gut nervous system causing a leaky gut and changing the normal bacteria in the gut.
 
More than 100 million Americans have digestive problems, so it is highly likely that you are suffering from things like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, gas, or more. As a health coach, almost all of my clients came to me complaining of some type of gut issue, so if you’re suffering, you’re not alone!
​

Create a Healthy Gut​

​​​In order to experience vibrant health, you must have a healthy, strong, and effective digestive system. Chances are if you have a leaky gut or some type of autoimmune disease, digestive problems, headaches, joint pain, unbalanced hormones, skin problems, weakened immune system, or other ailments, then you probably have unbalanced or weak gut flora.  Rebuilding healthy gut flora and restoring the integrity of your intestinal barrier is critical if you want to be truly healthy.
 
The most obvious first step in maintaining a healthy gut is to support a healthy gut flora and avoid damage the intestinal barrier. But of course, that’s not always possible, especially in the case of chronic stress and infections. Sometimes rebuilding a weak, damaged, or inflamed digestive system is necessary.
 
Gut rebuilding is indeed possible but takes time and patience! Here are just a few simple but important steps you can take to begin restoring your digestive system:
  • Properly chew your food and don’t overeat (food should be liquefied before swallowing)
  • Reduce inflammation and remove all food toxins, intolerances, and sensitivities from your diet
  • Maximize your digestive capacity using natural methods or supplement with  HCL acid and digestive enzymes
  • Eat plenty of fermentable fibers (starches like sweet potato, yam, yucca, etc.)
  • Try the principles of Food Combining
  • Reconsider eating grains and other foods containing phytic acid
  • Eat fermented foods like kefir, coconut yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc., and/or take a high quality, multi-species probiotic
  • Take steps to manage your stress (stress kills off the "good guys")

Try this super simple gut healing recipe:

EASY COCONUT YOGURT
Makes 2 Servings
 
1 can full-fat coconut milk (BPA-free can)
1 probiotic capsule (at least 50 billion)
1 glass jar with lid (sterilized)
 
 
 
PREPARE YOUR CANNED COCONUT MILK. Keep the coconut milk at room temperature for about an hour while it is still in the can so that the fat chunks are soft.
 
ADD PROBIOTICS TO COCONUT MILK. Remove the coconut milk from the can, and place it in a sterilized jar. Add the contents of the probiotic capsule. Mix the contents well, and tightly close the jar.
 
INCUBATE YOUR YOGURT. Place your jar of coconut milk in the oven with the light on and tightly close the door. Do not turn the oven on. A closed oven with the light on generates heat of about 105 to 110° Fahrenheit. Incubate your yogurt for up to 24 hours. 


​

Want to learn more about gut health and how to improve it?  
​Sign up for my FREE 7-Day online digestive health mini-program,
​How to Create a Healthy Gut for Life

​What you'll learn:
  • Why good digestion is vital for good health 
  • Organs and systems involved in human digestion
  • How a poor digestive system is making you bloated, sick, wrecking your skin, aging you, and packing on the pounds
  • Are you even absorbing nutrients from your food?
  • Critical steps you need take in order to create and support a healthy gut for life


Get started today!
(For a limited time only)
SIGN ME UP
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WHAT ARE TOXINS?

2/4/2017

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Toxins this. Toxins that.  That's all we seem to hear about these days, but for good reason.  We ARE all toxic to some degree or another.  Although our bodies naturally detox every day, our modern world, environmental toxins, chemicals, and waste build up in our bodies are putting increasing stress on our organs and making us weak, sluggish, fat, and susceptible to illness. 
​

Wild Rose College of Natural Healing defines detoxing as “clearing out toxins and debris in your body that may be stopping you from having vitality.”

​

While many believe that toxins are environmental chemicals and pollutants that enter our bodies, according to Ayurvedic principles, there are three different types of toxins that can impact the body. 
 
The most common type of toxin is the waste product of incomplete or weak digestion. Sticky, white and foul-smelling, it forms in the digestive tract when the food you eat is not digested properly. This is usually caused by eating foods unsuitable for your body, by eating too much or too little, by eating before the previous meal is digested, by going to sleep on a full stomach, or by eating foods that are left over, processed, old or fermented (not in a good way). If this build-up continues to be produced over a long period of time, it can leave the digestive tract, travel to a weak area elsewhere in the body and settle there. Usually it blocks the micro-circulatory channels and disrupts the flow of nutrients to the area as well as the body's natural waste removal systems.
 
The second type of toxin is a more reactive form of toxin and forms when waste settles in one part of the body for a long time. This more toxic, reactive type of toxin and must be dealt with during detoxification.
 
The third type of toxin, and unlike the other two, is what comes from outside the body. Included are environmental toxins such as chemicals, preservatives, poisons, air and water pollution, genetically engineered foods, synthetics and chemicals in clothing, synthetic drugs, chemicals in household cleansers, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and asbestos. These also include toxins from spoiled foods.
Most women (and men) rely on anti-aging creams, moisturizers, skin care products, makeup, and other personal care items to keep them young looking and beautiful.  Maybe you’re one of them.  But, while striving to keep young and attractive looking, you may actually be causing premature aging, damaging your skin, and increasing your risk for cancers and other diseases!
 

SO, WHY DETOX?

One in eight of the 82,000 ingredients used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. 
-Dr. Suzuki

Did you know that the average woman will absorb up to 10 pounds of lead from her lipstick in her lifetime?  
- Dr. Sara Gottfried
A research study conducted on the umbilical cord of newborns revealed over 230 chemicals.

It's not a question of whether or not we are toxic, it's a question of how toxic are we.
- Dr. Brenda Watson
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Let's face it.  We all live in a toxic world. No matter how clean we try to eat, toxins can form inside our bodies and enter the body from the outside on a daily basis through the air we breathe and through common beauty and household products. When the toxic load spills over or blockages occur, we begin to see signs of imbalances and toxicity, including:

  • Digestive distress such as IBS, acid reflux, constipation, indigestion, or food allergies and intolerances
  • Belly bloat or excess weight
  • Headaches
  • Skin problems or rashes
  • Poor sleep and fatigue
  • Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
  • Spaciness or brain fog
  • Emotional eating
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Illness and chronic diseases
 
These imbalances present themselves to you as symptoms, to warn you that things are not quite right.  At first, your body may whisper to you with symptoms you may not even notice at first.  Eventually, if these symptoms are ignored, your body will begin to present more intense symptoms, illness, or chronic disease.  Some of the most notable warning signs may be things that you have slowly gotten used to experiencing, but these, my friend, are not normal or healthy.


Our bodies were meant to be healthy by default and innately designed to detox naturally every day. Just as we regularly clean the house or the car, clearing the body of built-up wastes improves the functioning of its natural detoxification pathways. 
 
Detox brings your body back into a state of ultimate health on a cellular level. Your cells need the following to thrive, regenerate and renew.

  • Oxygen
  • Healthy foods containing key nutrients and minerals
  • Proper hydration
  • Healthy functioning of the detoxification pathways, including the liver, lymph, blood, colon, kidneys, lungs and large intestine
 
The benefits of detoxifying are myriad. Doing a whole foods detox such as my seasonal Real Food DetoxTM will allow you to safely and to effectively:

  • Lose unwanted weight and bloat
  • Help to balance hormones by assisting the body to clear out old or harmful hormones
  • Improve your digestion and boost your immune system
  • Enjoy clear skin
  • Reduce cellulite, where toxins are stored
  • Reduce joint pain
  • Sleep better
  • Increase your energy and feel more alive
  • Boost your sex drive
  • Kick the sugar and caffeine cravings
  • Reduce mood swings and depression
  • Think more clearly
  • Have better skin quality and brighter eyes
  • Develop healthier, more lustrous hair and nails
  • Help stave off disease by reducing inflammation in the body

Heath experts recommend detoxing at least four times per year, with each new season, to purify and rejuvenate your body.
​

Detox doesn't have to be scary.  A specially designed whole foods detox is not about starvation and deprivation, rather it is about reducing foods that do not serve you while building the body up with nutritious, delicious foods that will support the body on a cellular level.

Try these delicious, super simple detox recipes from one of my 14-Day Real Food DetoxTM programs to see for yourself:

PINEAPPLE FLAX BLAST SMOOTHIE
Makes 1-2 servings

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk or water
1 pear, cored
1/2 cup pineapple chunks      
Handful of cilantro
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
2-3 tablespoons hemp seeds 

Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

​GRAIN-FREE MUESLI & BERRIES
Makes 2 servings
​
 2 cups non-dairy milk
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
4 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup berries (OR 1 banana)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
​
Warm your non-dairy milk on a stove top for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove from the stove, and add it to a cereal bowl. Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and ground flax seed meal and let soak for 2-3 minutes.  Top with berries, coconut flakes, and cinnamon.
You can also enjoy this muesli with cold non-dairy milk.


LEEK & SWEET POTATO SOUP
Makes 4 servings
​
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons cooking fat like coconut oil or clarified butter (ghee)
2 or 3 large leeks, top part removed, and softer part sliced in rounds
4 cups spring water OR vegetable or animal soup stock (homemade)
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can full fat coconut milk (BPA free)
Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Fresh ground black pepper
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Sauté the onions, leeks, and garlic with the cooking fat in a large sauce pan over a medium heat for few minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the onions from burning. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes until soft and golden brown. Sprinkle in the cumin and combine well.
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Add the stock and the sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft.

Remove the soup from the heat and slowly mix in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree the soup in a blender and serve (may also be served by simply mashing with potato masher).

​

Learn more about detoxing here  


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Healthy Holiday Treats You Can Feel Good About Eating

12/21/2015

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Traditional holidays are a time for celebrating family, friends, and delicious food, including a wide array of sweets and desserts.  Unfortunately, even most homemade treats are made from harmful ingredients such as refined sugar, gluten, processed dairy, and unhealthy fats which contribute to fatigue, bloating, headaches, weight gain, and sickness.

 My question to you is this:
“If you are going to eat a dessert, why not use the most nutrient dense ingredients that nourish and support your body, and leave you feeling energetic rather than sluggish and tired?”

Many healthy holiday desserts and treats will satisfy your sweet tooth and are free from gluten, diary, refined sugar, grains, and other inflammatory foods.  What you’ll be using instead are foods that contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, natural sugars, fibre, and healthy fats.  You will be fueling your body and nourishing every cell.

For example, pure maple syrup is often used as a sweetener because it has a lower fructose component than other sweeteners and contains calcium, magnesium and manganese. Other options are stevia, raw honey, or lumuca.  

Cacao butter or grass-fed butter, raw cacao powder, cashews, dates, coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and berries are excellent nutrient dense ingredients that will nourish your body and provide all the rich, luxurious taste of traditional holiday treats - without the sugar and gluten.


Try these decadent holiday recipes:

SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(gluten-free)



​Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cold grass-fed butter
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  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. In a bowl, stand mixer, or food processor, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, and sea salt. Add the maple syrup and mix until combined.
  3. Drop the grass-fed butter into the mixing bowl in 1 tablespoon increments for easier incorporation. Pulse a few times until a crumbly ball forms.
  4. Place the ball of dough in between two pieces of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll into a 1/2 inch thick disk. Cut into small bricks or cut using biscuit cutters. Use fork to press edges and make small holes as decoration.
  5. Place the cut cookies onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
  6. ​Once baked, place on a cooling rack to cool. Once fully cooled, store in air-tight container or bag in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA BARK

​

​Ingredients:
12 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate (aim for 85 – 90% cacao), break into small pieces
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
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  1. Heat 2/3 of the chocolate in saucepan on the stove. Create a double boiler by filling a pot with a few inches of water then balance or hold a smaller pot filled with the chocolate just above the water line. As the water gently boils, the steam will melt the chocolate in the smaller pot without burning it. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, removing from heat as soon as the chocolate melts completely.
  2. Remove the melted chocolate from stove. Add the remaining hard chocolate to the hot melted chocolate, stirring vigorously until it melts as well.
  3. Stir the macadamia nuts into the chocolate.
  4. Line a rimmed dish, such as a casserole dish, of your choice with parchment paper or wax paper. The size of the dish will determine how thick the bark is. A 2-quart square baking dish makes thicker bark. A larger dish will obviously yield thinner bark.
  5. Spread the chocolate evenly in the rimmed dish. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, longer if chocolate isn’t solid yet. Use a knife to cut the bark into squares or misshapen pieces. Store the bark at room temperature.

Want more? 

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Grab your FREE holiday treat guide

I am thrilled to bring these decadent recipes to you and I know you’ll be amazed by their quality and taste.  Just remember that when it comes to these decadent yet healthy desserts, you need to watch your portion size. Although all of the ingredients are highly nourishing, you may find them quite rich and calorie dense, Serve yourself a small piece and savor every mouthful.
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Feeling Bloated?  Retaining Fluid? This could be why...

10/20/2015

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​If you're feeling bloated or retaining fluid, then your rings may feel tight, your face may look puffy, or your clothes could be fitting a little too snug (picture laying down on the bed trying to flatten your belly just to zip up your jeans).  Not pretty, huh? Well, there may be a hormone deficiency to blame!

 
Progesterone is an important female reproductive hormone. It performs many important functions in the female body. For example, it is required to regulate your  menstrual cycle along with estrogen, another important female reproductive system hormone, by reducing the dominance of estrogen in the body. Progesterone is also required to initiate and maintain pregnancy and infertility is a common problem among women who cannot produce sufficient amount of progesterone. In our body, it increases the body's immunity, and its actions are anti-anxiety, anti-depressive, a diuretic (meaning it allows us to excrete excess fluid) and it allows us to burn body fat as an energy source. 

Some common symptoms of low progesterone are:
  • Mood changes, anxiety, nervousness, irritability
  • Depression
  • Headaches, migraines
  • Hot flushes (also known as hot flashes or night sweats if they occur at night).
  • Low sex drive / libido
  • Menstrual problems such as irregularity or heavy bleeding
  • PMS
  • Menopause and peri-menopause problems
  • Breast disorders, pain, tenderness
  • Endometriosis
  • polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
  • Postpartum depression
  • Weight gain and/or bloating
  • Infertility or miscarriage

Progesterone is essentially an animal hormone. Did you know that the only food source of progesterone is placenta? Certain animals eat their placenta after birth which gives them the required progesterone surge. Some women also have their placenta made into caplets that they subsequently consume as a source of progesterone.  

(And you thought you’ve heard everything…but it’s true!)

However, (and thankfully!!!) there are other ways that you can increase progesterone in your body.  Making important lifestyle changes and consuming certain plant and animal sources are key. 
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​3 Ways to Increase Progesterone Naturally

#1   Treat the adrenal glands:  This is another way of saying “help your body adapt better to stress”.  Because progesterone is produced in both the ovaries and adrenal glands (that also regulate your stress responses) these important glands need to be strong. Reducing chronic stress by taking even small steps to support the adrenals through lifestyle changes (more sleep, improved diet, and moderate to light exercise).  You can also time your meals and snacks so that you don't go hungry as this can put extra stress on the adrenals.

#2    Detoxify the liver:  The liver metabolizes hormones so in order to ensure proper ratios of estrogen to progesterone, you must support the liver on an ongoing basis. I also suggest doing a whole foods detox/cleanse that will support your liver and other detoxification pathways.

Quick tip: Consider a simple step such as a glass of warm water with lemon every morning to start stimulating the liver’s detoxification processes. 

#3    Nutrition:  Progesterone-like substances can be found in certain plant and animal sources. Although this is not the progesterone found in humans, science shows that it mimics the properties of progesterone inside the body. There are many herbs and nutrients that can assist in bringing up progesterone, but some of my favourite ones include: 
 
Brassica vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. These help to reduce the load of harmful estrogen in the body, which in turn increases the ratio of progesterone to estrogen.

Vitamin B6: walnuts, beans, bananas, spinach, lean red grass-fed meat. These help the liver to detoxify estrogen.

Zinc: shellfish, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, raw chocolate. These stimulate progesterone production.

Magnesium: beans, pumpkin, raw chocolate, nuts, spinach.  These support adrenal glands and is useful in every enzyme reaction in the body which in turn helps produce hormones.

Try this delicious hormone balancing recipe: 
Kale and Fig Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

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​Massaged Kale:
1 head of organic kale    
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare the kale:
1.    Rinse kale leaves and pat off water with dish towel or paper towel.
2.    Remove stem from each leaf. 
3.    Cut leaves into small strips and place in a bowl.
4.    Add lemon juice, salt, and olive oil to leaves and massage thoroughly with hands. (This will soften kale and reduce leaves in size.) Set aside.

Dressing: 
1/2 avocado
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoons Braggs apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon raw honey 
 

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until well combined.  Toss dressing with kale leaves until mix well.

Toppings:
•    6-8 dried Turkish figs, stems removed and chopped 
•    2 tablespoons hemp seeds
•    1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped (optional) or raw pumpkin seeds
•    pinch of black pepper




​If you would like more tips and recipes to help your body achieve balance, join my tribe or schedule a FREE strategy session with me today!

You have the power to change your life! I give you the tools and show you how.
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Leptin Resistance Could Be Making You Fatter

5/5/2015

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If you're having trouble losing weight, dealing with intense cravings especially for junk food, or having trouble sticking to a healthy way of eating, you could be suffering from something called leptin resistance.  

Leptin is a hormone that is produced by adipose fat tissues in the body and is responsible for making us feel full and controlling our hunger.  According to Mark Sisson, “Leptin is the lookout hormone – the gatekeeper of fat metabolism, monitoring how much energy an organism takes in. It surveys and maintains the energy balance in the body, and it regulates hunger". 

In theory, the more fat tissue a person accumulates, the more leptin should be secreted to signal the body to stop eating.  Unfortunately, many people who have damaged metabolisms, hormonal imbalances, or are overweight may have leptin resistance.  This is a condition where the leptin is unable to produce its normal effects to stimulate natural weight loss and have the person return to a healthy weight. This leptin resistance is actually sensed as starvation within the body, so multiple mechanisms are activated to actually increase fat stores, rather than burn excess fat stores. From there, a cyclical pattern emerges where the more fat accumulates, the more a person's appetite is triggered and the more they eat.

Factors that Contribute to Leptin Resistance

Leptin resistance is a complex condition that can be aggravated by many factors such as:
  • Consuming fructose (especially in forms like High Fructose Corn Syrup)
  • Having high levels of stress levels
  • Consuming simple carbohydrates (bread, pastries, cookies, bagels)
  • Insufficient sleep
  • Having high insulin levels in the body
  • Overeating
  • Exercising too much, especially if your hormones are already damaged
  • Consuming lectins - grains of all kinds (especially wheat), legumes (especially soy), nuts, dairy, and nightshade plants (e.g. eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers).


If you suspect you may have leptin resistance, the good news is that it can be corrected with the appropriate strategies.  Of course the best place to start is to avoid the factors that aggravate leptin resistance, but in addition, you could implement effective steps toward recovery.

Tips for Leptin Resistance Recovery 

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  • Avoid all simple starches, refined foods, sugars and fructose (includes fruit and natural sweeteners)
  • Eat a large amount of protein and healthy fats first thing in the morning, as soon after waking as possible. This promotes satiety and gives the body the building blocks to make hormones. For example: 2-3 scrambled eggs, vegetables and left over meat from the night before cooked in coconut oil.
  • Get sufficient sleep: you should be getting 7-9 hours per night (in bed by 10 pm).  This is imperative.
  • Be outdoors as much as possible during the day, preferably barefoot on the ground, in mid-day sun with some skin exposed.  
  • DON’T SNACK!!! When you are constantly eating, even small amounts, during the day it keeps your liver working and doesn’t give hormones a break. Try to space meals at least 4 hours apart and don’t eat for at least 3-4 hours before bed.
  • Avoid workouts.  If you are really Leptin resistant, this will just be an additional stress on the body so it's important to let your body heal first.
  • When you do exercise, do only sprints and weight lifting. Walking or swimming is acceptable but don’t do cardio because it produces too much stress on the body.  Resistance training or weight lifting in the evening are more beneficial because this supports hormone levels without the stress from excess cardio. 
  • Remove toxins from your life as these are a stress on your body.  By getting rid of processed foods, commercial personal care products, and eating organic as much as possible will go a long way! Well formulated, whole food detox programs (like these ones) are also very beneficial to help reduce toxins, sugar cravings, and improve sleep.
  • Increase your Omega-3 fatty acids (wild caught fish, grassfed meats, chia seeds) and minimize your Omega-6 consumption (vegetable oils, conventional meats, grains) to reduce inflammation in the body and to help support healthy leptin levels.
  • Avoid severe calorie restriction. Too much dieting inhibits leptin secretion. In fact, drastic reductions in caloric intake reduce leptin levels.  An anti-inflammatory diet, such as the Ketogenic diet, will help to reset your leptin levels because it does not restrict calories, it reduces inflammatory carbohydrates.  

Need some inspiration? Try these leptin friendly recipes from my seasonal detox programs:

BAKED EGGS & AVOCADOS
Makes 2 servings
2 ripe avocados
4 fresh eggs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives or green onion 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the avocados in half, and take out the pit. Scoop out about two tablespoons of flesh from the center of the avocado, just enough so the egg will fit in the center. Place the avocados in a small baking dish so they fit tightly.

Crack an egg into each avocado half. Crack the yolk in first, then let the egg whites spill in to fill up the rest of the shell.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of your eggs and avocados. Just make sure the egg whites have enough time to set. Remove from oven, then season with pepper, chives or green onions.

CHIA BREAKFAST
Makes 1 serving
3 tablespoons chia seeds
 1 cup dairy free milk
 Dash cinnamon
 ½ teaspoon vanilla
 1 teaspoon stevia
 Warm or serve cold
 1 tablespoon shredded coconut (optional)
 1 tablespoon ground sunflower seeds (optional)

ASSEMBLE THE NIGHT BEFORE. The night before you want the pudding for breakfast, mix dairy free milk, chia seeds, vanilla and cinnamon in a container with a lid, shake well and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. 

THE NEXT MORNING. The next morning eat pudding cold or transfer the pudding from the container to a pot on the stove. Warm it for 2 to 3 minutes and serve it in a bowl.  

SERVING SUGGESTION. Add stevia (if desired) and optional shredded coconut or add an extra boost of protein with sunflower seeds. 


If you would like more information about how I can help you achieve your weight loss goals, schedule a FREE strategy session with me today!



Sources:
http://wellnessmama.com/5356/fix-your-leptin/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/leptin/#axzz3ZIUjkyYs
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How to Ignite Your Fat-Burning Systems

4/27/2015

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As a Certified Health Coach, I have many of my clients come to me in desperation because they are trying to lose weight and are frustrated because many diets and programs they've tried don't work. The biggest reason for failure is because they are only focusing on Weight Loss Myth #1: Calories In vs. Calories Out.  

The truth is, is that many people often overlook the BIG PICTURE.  In order to achieve your optimal weight, your body and organs must be functioning well, especially the liver, without the impact of inflammation and toxic load that so many of us have. So, one of the first things you need to do when having trouble losing weight is to address the health of this vital organ.  

The liver is the body’s second largest organ after our skin. It sits just behind your right rib cage. Its primary role is detoxification.  While detoxification is a process that goes on inside us, all day every day, toxicity can influence how efficiently the liver is able to do its job.

A well-functioning liver works as our body's fat-burning organ, and converts nutrients from the food we eat into essential blood components, storing vitamins and minerals, and producing proteins and enzymes to maintain hormone balances in our bodies. Our livers also help our immune system fight infections, remove bacteria from the blood and make bile, which is essential for digesting our meals. 

Did you know that the liver filters approximately 2 quarts of your blood every minute?

Unfortunately, our livers can become sluggish and function poorly from being overloaded with toxins, chemicals, and other harmful substances.  Imagine a fish tank with a motorized water filter. If the filter is clogged with toxins from the tank, the entire tank becomes filled with the same contaminants. In our system, the filter is the liver, the tank is the body, and the fish that has to live in it is you.

Signs of a toxic liver
How do you know if you have a toxic liver? According to health experts, if you suffer from any of the following on a regular basis, your liver may have a toxic burden: 

  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Skin problems (such as acne, moles, skin tags)
  • Fatigue
  • Digestive issues
  • Bloating after a meal
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Hot flashes
  • Cysts on Ovaries
  • Menopausal problems (such as heavy, clotty, or irregular periods)

Top 10 suggestions for supporting your liver and reducing its workload: 

  1. Eliminate the toxic load of what you ingest through food and drink. Try to eat organic when possible. Keep alcohol consumption moderate.
  2. Reduce toxins in your home by choosing natural beauty products and cleaning products when possible.
  3. Consume warm water and lemon every morning upon rising.
  4. Stay hydrated by drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily. 
  5. Practice food combining during your meals.
  6. Support a healthy colon by making sure you're getting enough fiber. Fiber is vital for removing toxic wastes from the colon.
  7. Eat foods that naturally cleanse the liver (apples, lemons, limes, and bitter greens are excellent).
  8. Have a green juice or green smoothie every day. Liquefied nutrients make them easier to digest and assimilate.
  9. Close the kitchen three hours before bedtime. Sleep is when the liver begins to clean the body of wastes.
  10. Do skin brushing every day to help support the body’s natural detoxification pathways.


Try this liver supporting recipe from my Spring Detox program:

Lemon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
serves 2

1 pound of Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
2-3 cloves minced garlic (optional)
 
Preheat oven to 450°. Cut off the bottom ends of the Brussels sprouts and discard, cut remaining parts in half and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and mix. Add garlic (optional).
 
Place Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes making sure to toss them at 15 minutes. During the last five minutes, top the sprouts with lemon juice. Finally remove sprouts from the oven, place in a bowl and top with lemon zest. 

Add a large salad and a healthy protein, and (drum roll please).....You have a delicious detox meal!

Enjoy!





If you would like to learn how to better support your body, lose weight, and improve your energy with food, I invite you to schedule a 
FREE strategy session with me today!




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Migraines: How I Struggled with this HORRIBLE Health Problem

4/27/2015

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How often do you hear the saying, "...well, as long as I have my health..." OR, "...if you don't have your health, you don't have anything..." 

If you have a health concern that you are struggling with, you'll agree that good health is priceless!  I used to really struggle with severe migraines for years.  They would strike without warning and present themselves as excruciating pain along with what the doctors called "visual aura". The pounding in my head was bad enough to deal with, but the aura was like a bright lightening bolt in front of my eyes and would slowly take over my vision to the point where I was nearly blind.  Even when I closed my eyes it would not go away.  There was no escaping it. Sometimes it would last for 10 minutes, and other times it would last for hours. It was horrifying and really scary. 

A CT scan revealed that there were no apparent underlying causes (which was great news), so the doctor just gave me pain killers to take whenever I got a headache.  BUT, nothing changed.  I continued to get migraines and they affected my entire life. 

It wasn't until I started cleaning up my diet and lifestyle that I noticed I was getting them less and less.  The more I cut out processed foods and junk, and started taking care of myself, the better I felt (imagine that....).  

Now, I NEVER get migraines or headaches anymore.  

You see, back then I didn't make the connection between what I ate and how it affected my body but now I know that there is definitely a direct connection. 

If you are struggling with symptoms such as headaches, bloating, fatigue, insomnia, aches and pains, or weight gain, I urge you to take charge of your body.  Many ailments can be corrected through healthy eating, reducing toxins in your body, and adopting a healthy lifestyle.  I know because I've done it for myself and many of my clients are experiencing improved health too!
What You Can Do 

One small step you can take (but with BIG results), is to reduce your toxic load, eliminate foods that are causing inflammation in your body, and eat whole, delicious foods that NOURISH YOU.

I urge you to make some healthy changes and invest in yourself - you're worth it.  The rewards are limitless, and really, can you afford not to?  Think of all the things you spend your hard earned money on. Which of those things really make a difference in your life? 

Eating healthy can be a rewarding and delicious experience and does not have to mean deprivation.  Tantalize your taste buds with a SNEAK PEEK sample detox snack recipe that I, my clients, friends, and family absolutely LOVE:

Coconut Protein Balls
Makes 4 balls
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons ground hemp seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter
3 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flax seed meal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl -- EXCLUDING the unsweetened shredded coconut. Line a tray with wax paper. Form the ingredients into little balls. Roll each ball in the unsweetened shredded coconut. Add the balls to the tray, then put into the freezer for 30 minutes to form. Enjoy!

If you would like to learn more about eating clean, schedule a free strategy session with me today!
Free Strategy Session
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Detoxing During the Spring Season

4/20/2015

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Eating with the seasons supports your body's natural detoxification. While winter is a time for conserving energy and turning inward, spring brings with it a feeling of renewal, new life, and expansive energy. In Chinese medicine, in which each organ is associated with a season, the spring is about the liver and the gallbladder.

The liver is the body’s second largest organ after our skin. It sits just behind your right rib cage. Its primary role is detoxification.  While detoxification is a process that goes on inside us, all day every day, toxicity can influence how efficiently the liver is able to do its job.

A functioning liver works as our body's fat-burning organ, and converts nutrients from the food we eat into essential blood components, storing vitamins and minerals, and producing proteins and enzymes to maintain hormone balances in our bodies. Our livers also help our immune system fight infections, remove bacteria from the blood and make bile, which is essential for digesting our meals.

Did you know that the liver filters approximately 2 quarts of your blood every minute? 

Unfortunately, our livers can become sluggish and function poorly from being overloaded with toxins, chemicals, and other harmful substances.  Imagine a fish tank with a motorized water filter. If the filter is clogged with toxins from the tank, the entire tank becomes filled with the same contaminants. In our system, the filter is the liver, the tank is the body, and the fish that has to live in it is you.

Some substances that can sabotage liver function:
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Trans fats
  • Sugars, including fructose and sucrose
  • Synthetic substances, e.g. pesticides, medications, skin “care”
  • Infections e.g. viruses such as glandular fever (Epstein-Barr virus) 



“The proper functioning of the eyes, the heart, the brain, the gonads, the joints, and the kidneys, are all dependent on good liver activity… If the liver is impaired from constructing even one of the thousands of enzyme systems the body requires, there is an impairment in overall body function and a resultant greater metabolic stress on the individual.” -Dr. Karl Maret, M.D. 


Signs of a Toxic Liver

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How do you know if you have a toxic liver? According to health experts, if you suffer from any of the following on a regular basis, your liver may have a toxic burden:

  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Skin problems (such as acne, moles, skin tags)
  • Fatigue
  • Digestive issues
  • Bloating after a meal
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Hot flashes
  • Cysts on Ovaries
  • Menopausal problems (such as heavy, clotty, or irregular periods)

The liver and gallbladder work in harmony to support a strong immune system, balanced moods, and healthy digestion. The liver is responsible for filtering and neutralizing harmful substances in your body. It has 500 metabolic jobs, which it cannot perform optimally when overburdened with toxins. Chinese medicine also believes the liver to be responsible for the smooth flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body.  

Why is the gallbladder so important? Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. A toxic and overburdened liver leads to impaired release of bile from the gallbladder, which affects the breakdown of fats and overall digestion. 

As you rid your body of toxins, you will feel cleaner, lighter, more focused, and your mood will balance as well. Chinese medicine holds that each organ is associated with an emotion. The emotion associated with the liver is anger, and resentment is linked to the gallbladder. If you have found yourself feeling irritated or angry, this detox should help you release those blocked emotions and find a sense of peace.

Allowing emotional toxins to arise and release during the program is just as important as the physical side of the detox. If you find emotions coming up, give yourself the space to sit with them. Journal, take a bath, go for a run, or talk to a trusted friend. The spring is about letting go of the old and allowing a fresh start. You are giving yourself the best possible gift this season by detoxing the liver. By following a whole foods detox program, you are eating foods in season that naturally cleanse your liver and support a harmonious body. 
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If you would like help with a safe, effective detox program, email me at jenniferhale@health4lifewellness.ca or check out my 14-Day REAL FOOD Spring Detox program.

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You Can't Fake Nutrition

3/18/2015

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Have you noticed that there is a lot of hype over these new-fangled protein powders, shakes, and cleanses these days?  It appears that many people are jumping on the band wagon to use these miracle products that promise to help them lose weight, increase energy, and improve their health.  While they may help in the short term, there are many problems with this “quick-fix” and “one-size-fits-all” approach that may eventually leave your health at risk.

Although these products contain some “natural” botanicals, they also contain a long list of big words and potentially harmful ingredients like “natural flavours” (a term often used by the food industry to disguise MSG), whey protein (dairy), reverse-osmosis water (mineral leaching), maltodextrin (hydrolyzed corn starch), and magnesium stearate (immune suppressor).  According to nutrition experts, these common ingredients have been identified as potential health risks for many people.  The fact of the matter is that these types of products were designed to look good, smell good, taste good, and ultimately sit on a shelf in a container for long periods of time. 

Oh, and make companies rich.

One major problem with depending on these “miracle” meal replacement shakes and bars is that they are not sustainable.  Sure, you may lose some weight quickly and go down a few sizes, but then what?  Are you really going to continue buying these products for the rest of your life?  What if you can’t afford it or get sick of it?  What are the long term effects on your health?  This type of eating style is not natural and you really have to ask yourself if this is a realistic approach to improve your health.

Another problematic scenario is that many of the representatives selling these products do not have formal training and knowledge in nutrition or the long term effects of the products on their customers.  They make a great living and are well-meaning entrepreneurs that can recite the ingredients list, but do they actually know what these things are?  Often, these products can be ordered right off the internet and a person’s bio-individuality or health history is never taken into account nor is a holistic assessment ever done. 
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As human beings, we are designed to acquire nutrients through whole, natural foods.  Period.  Our body knows exactly what to do with it.  It is able to identify the food, then break it down into the smallest particles, absorb it and assimilate it into our blood stream and then into our tissues.  It’s a beautiful thing.  When we start trying to force it to process “food-like substances” that are manufactured by scientifically synthesizing real and artificial ingredients through cellular manipulation and extrapolation, we are asking our bodies to do unnatural things.

One must realize that anything concocted in a lab is not naturally occurring and therefore the “nutrients” cannot be assimilated completely by our bodies.  Experts in the health and wellness industry know that when our body encounters a substance that is not recognized as natural, it does not know what to do with it and thus stores it in our cells as a toxin.  

However, real food provides you with a myriad of fibre, cells, tissues, micronutrients, macronutrients, phytochemicals, minerals, and vitamins that are all perfectly balanced by nature to nourish you and to be completely absorbed and utilized by the human body.  You cannot extract one nutrient out and expect to get the same results as you would from eating that whole food.  Unfortunately, big bucks and powerful marketing promote manufactured products as a solution, but the reality is that people need to take responsibility for their own health and stop looking for a magic bullet. 
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If you are looking to improve your health, do yourself a favour and invest in learning how to eat real food.  By choosing nutritious foods that are right for your individual body and adapting healthy lifestyle habits, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of good health.  You will experience a healthy weight, an abundance of energy, vitality, and optimal nutrition that was intended for you by nature, not by a lab.  However, there is one side effect of eating whole foods:  you might be inspired to plant a garden…

The bottom line is:  You can’t fake nutrition.

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    Jennifer Hale is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who specializes in detoxing, the Ketogenic diet, and anti-aging.  She provides premium online programs and private coaching to clients nationwide who want to lose weight, improve their health, and look and feel younger.

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist. I do not hold a degree in medicine, dietetics, or nutrition. I make no claims to any specialized medical training, nor do I dispense medical advice or prescriptions. This content is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. It is intended to be provided for informational, educational, and self-empowerment purposes ONLY. Please consult with your doctor or wellness team if you have any questions regarding my whole foods program, and then make your own well-informed decisions based upon what is best for your unique genetics, culture, conditions, and stage of life.  ​

Photo used under Creative Commons from davidstewartgets