Health and Fitness Tip #246 - Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional Supplements

Do we really need to take nutritional supplements? ⁣

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No, not as long as we follow a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, eating only wild plants, game, and fish; live where the air, water, and soil are pure and untouched by pollution; get lots of physical exercise and direct sunlight; sleep soundly nine hours a night; and stay untroubled by the stresses and anxieties of modern living. If that describes your life, feel free to keep scrolling and skip the rest of this caption. ⁣

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Most people I talk to are confused about supplements. Even doctors, nutritionists, and other health experts are uncertain of how to advise their patients. Why? ⁣

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Because there’s so much conflicting information out there. First we’re told that supplements are an important part of a healthy lifestyle; then we read that we’re wasting our money on worthless junk that may not even contain what it says on the label. ⁣

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Let’s start with a little background. Every one of the thousands upon thousands of chemical reactions that take place inside our bodies every second is made possible by the work of enzymes and coenzymes. Nearly all coenzymes are vitamins and minerals. ⁣

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Magnesium and zinc, for example are responsible for activating more than 200 enzymes, folic acid is critical for creating neurotransmitters, regulating our DNA, and determining which of our genes are turned on and off. ⁣

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That plays a crucial role in preventing (or allowing) cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Most of us don’t eat enough leafy greens and other vegetables to maintain proper levels of these nutrients. That’s why I use supplements in my practice. ⁣

Health and Fitness Tip #245 - Artificial sweeteners

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners actually trick your metabolism into thinking sugar is on its way. This causes your body to pump out insulin, the fat storage hormone, which lays down more belly fat, leaving you hungrier and craving even more sugar and starchy carbs like bread and pasta.

In a study of heart disease, people who consumed diet drinks every day had a greater risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Artificial sweeteners have proven to be carcinogenic in animal studies. They wreak havoc on your gut microbes, destroying beneficial bacteria and causing glucose intolerance. 

Something that tastes sweet but contains zero calories may sound like the perfect cure for sugar addiction. But it’s not, and here’s why. Normally, when you eat or drink something sweet, it’s accompanied by lots of calories. But not when you consume artificial sweeteners. This confuses your brain. It senses that the taste of sugar without the accompanying calories from glucose and fructose is wrong, and it tries to correct the imbalance by making you hungrier. 

Not only that, but it also confuses and slows your metabolism down, so you burn less calories every day.

Bottom line: There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They still (or even more) increase cravings, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. And they are addictive.

Motivational Monday - Stop Stressing Over the Future!

Stop Stressing Over the Future!

I once had someone tell me "if you stress too much about something before it happens you basically put yourself through it twice".  This really hit a chord with me, and every time I catch myself worrying over something that hasn't happened yet, I remember these very wise words. It has made me the person I am today and helped me through many difficult times.

When we feel stressed over something that is not even happening we are basically sending signals to our bodies that that thing is actually happening even though it is just in our minds.

Imagine for a moment if you flipped this on its head.  What if instead of worrying or stressing, you imagined the most amazing and most desirable outcome instead?  What kind of signals would this send to your physical body? How would this change your health?

When coaching people in our Keto Reboot system, I find many people imagine the worst and stress endlessly over going 60 hours with no food.  What would happen if we instead imagined how amazing we will feel when it's done? What if we embrace the fact that we GET to do this for ourselves and our health? How would this change the way the Reboot goes for us?

Do you worry about the future? How do you get out of this thought pattern?  Is this post something that resonates with you and will you start thinking about the future more positively because of it? 

Health and Fitness Tip #244 - Environmental Toxins

Environmental Toxins

For example, plastics, pesticides, phthalates in plastic bottles, BPA (bis-phenol A) in cans, parabens in sunblock and make-up, chemicals in our food and water: all of these things interfere with our thyroid function, which acts like the yellow canary in the coal mine that died when the air went bad. 

In addition to that, nutritional deficiencies may also be causing the problem. Iodine, vitamin D, selenium, zinc, omega-3 fats, and vitamin A are all important for optimal thyroid function. You have to have optimal nutrient levels for your thyroid to work properly. For example, you can’t make thyroid hormone without iodine. You can’t convert the inactive to the active form of thyroid without selenium, and the thyroid can’t work on your cells without vitamin D and vitamin A.

Another big cause of thyroid dysfunction is heavy metals, such as mercury and lead.

What can you start doing to support your thyroid function?

Clean up your diet. Get rid of the sources of pesticides and chemicals. Filter your water. Eat organic when possible. Eat safe fish. Minimize your exposure.

Eat foods that support your thyroid. These include vitamin D-rich foods like mushrooms, sardines, and herring; vitamin A-containing foods like green leafy vegetables and carrots; iodine-rich foods like seaweed, fish, and shellfish; and zinc-rich foods like pumpkin seeds and oysters.

Eat It Up Wednesday - Salad Making

Salad Making!! 

Though cooking doesn’t come naturally to everyone, there are many skills and kitchen hacks that can help you find your footing in the kitchen and begin preparing nourishing meals at home more often. 

It’s incredibly easy once you learn a few basic skills. These two methods of cooking make it extremely easy to get started: 

TO MAKE A SALAD: 

Just get a couple of different types of greens (think kale, red lettuce, arugula, spinach, etc.) and a variety of colorful vegetables (peppers, radishes, mushrooms, onions…). Chop everything up however you like and wash with a salad spinner or colander and allow to drip dry. 

If you’re not yet comfortable cooking protein at home, throw ½ cup of canned beans or lentils (from BPA-free cans) on top or use a can of wild-caught salmon. 

Then just drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle with coarse sea salt—marvel at the amazing meal you just made

TO CHOP, SEASON, AND SAUTE: 

Grab ½ lb. of grass-fed ground beef and chop up a variety of non-starchy vegetables into 2-inch pieces, like zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and peppers. Shoot for 3 or 4 cups. 

Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 teaspoons of avocado or coconut oil (these oils are better for medium to high heat, something like olive oil is better for low to no heat). Once the pan is hot, add the veggies and continue to stir so vegetables cook evenly. 

After about 3 minutes, when vegetables are evenly warmed and fragrant, add the beef. Season with several good shakes of garlic powder, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper, and stir together. 

Sauté everything together, continuing to stir, for about 5 to 7 minutes, browning beef. You’ll know it’s ready when no pink remains—just chop a bigger piece in half to check. Add more sea salt or some balsamic vinegar to taste and you’ve got a complete meal ready for two.

Monday Motivation - Restrictive Eating Doesn't Breed Healthy Behaviors

Restrictive Eating

I had this conversation yesterday and believe it’s important to share. 

She expressed how restrictive eating lead to bing eating & why restrictive dieting is not heathy. 

Although I see her point of view, I beg to differ. 

DISCLAIMER: 

I do not advocate for long term restrictive diets.  However it is effective and necessary in certain scenarios, when trying to lose weight and meet certain goals. 

Here’s the deal... 

Restrictive eating is ok for a short period to reach those goals. However it should never be looked at as a long term lifestyle. (Unless of course it is for heath reasons/ allergies/ etc). 

Whole Foods should always be the main percentage of your consumption PERIOD!  

That’s not restrictive eating, that’s eating the way we were designed to eat and for health!

Also, I believe it’s about living for health, not perfection. 

Allow yourself treats... but treat yourself smarter!(Trying to avoid the poison that’s in most processed foods >>> get educated!) 

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When we look at the root of eating disorders or behaviors, restriction actually isn’t the problem. 

The way we view ourselves & our motives & beliefs of our selves, are. 

When we do not believe we are of value the way we are, we begin to place our value on how we look and what the scale reads.  

When this is the case, we then do things to control our food intake or exercise in order to increase our belief in our value. 

It breeds the belief of...

“If i only weighed X  amount then I would be (pretty) enough” 

As a result, image becomes an obsession, and yet although you may actually lose the weight, you still fall short and are never enough.

Our behavior is driven by our belief. 

In the past, when I was starving myself, obsessing over the scale, working my self to death in the gym, 

it was not driven from the restriction diet, the restriction diet was driven by my lack of self worth and value. 

When you have a high belief in your value & worth, 

the reason behind how/what you eat, and exercise comes from a place of love, and not distain. 

It removes the striving for something, and instead gives you the freedom & motivation to eat properly and exercise out of a place of already being valued. 

You no longer obsess over the scale, you no longer beat yourself up, you no longer starve yourself... 

The root is never the behavior... it is the belief.  

So work on that! 

Work on building a healthy BELIEF first, to breed healthy behaviors 

XO

Health and Fitness Tip #243 - Skin and What Causes it Too Look Good

Skin and What Causes it Too Look Good

What causes you to have good skin, which is the largest organ in the human body, and what wreaks havoc to create bad skin?

If you believe the dermatology, plastic surgery, and cosmetic industries, you should slather on numerous products to get great skin and make you look better. Of course, these industries have a wide range of these products to sell you!

I take a different approach. What if I told you the secret to healthy skin is not about what you put on your body, but what you put in your body?

The dirty secret these industries don’t want you to know is that beauty really does come from within. You can heal many skin issues by balancing your hormones, changing your diet, optimizing your nutrient status and healing your gut.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of yourself from the outside. There’s good stuff I recommend you use to maintain healthy skin, but that’s not ultimately going to solve the problem if you have skin issues.

Some of the stuff that dermatologists give, such as steroid creams, peelers and antibiotics taken by mouth can harm you long term by wrecking your gut. Using antibiotics for acne, like other invasive procedures, only buries the problem.

For overall skin health, I find these nine strategies can help tremendously:

1. Eat less sugar and processed foods.

2. Eliminate food sensitivities. 

3. Fix gut imbalances. 

4. Eat an omega 3-rich diet. 

5. Optimize nutrient status.

6. Exercise and sweat regularly.

7. Get great sleep.

8. Curb stress levels with active relaxation.

9. Be careful with toxic skin products.

Eat It Up Wednesday - Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup COOKED Cauliflower Rice
2 cups broccoli
1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
1/4 cup Coconut Milk (or milk of choice)
1 TBSP Coconut Amino Acids
1oz Miyokos Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp Nutritional Yeast

Directions

1. Cook 1 bag of Cauliflower Rice
2. Steam or Roast 2 Cups of Broccoli at the same time. ( I have done both)
3. Once Cauliflower is cooked transfer to bowl
4. Add Milk
5. Add Mozzarella Cheese 
6. Stir the cheese and milk with the rice till melted and makes a cheezy subtance. 
5. Add Steamed Broccoli
6. Add 1/2 tsp salt
7. Add TBSP of Coconut Amino Acids
8. Top with 1 TBSP of Nutritional Yeast
9. Mix well together
10. Enjoy!

Monday Motivation - Tap Into Your Purpose

Whats Your Purpose?

This concept is so deeply connected to our wellbeing—spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. 

In fact, research has shown that having a sense of purpose produces longer, happier lives. Having a greater purpose in life was consistently found to predict lower mortality risk across lifespan, showing an equal benefit for younger, middle-aged, and older participants. And, the longevity benefits of feeling a sense of purpose were apparent even after other indicators of psychological well being, like relationships and emotional status, were accounted for. 

We’ve also seen feeling purpose can benefit brain health, as studies have shown those who maintain a greater sense of purpose in life have a lower risk of stroke. It’s clear that our internal dialogue is intimately connected to our physical body. 

So how can we tap into our own sense of purpose? Here are the top three tips that helped me find my own calling and led me to a fulfilled life:

1. Notice what makes you feel your best. 

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” holds truth. It’s useful in discovering what you’re really passionate about, along with what unique skills you are able to offer the world and how these skills can benefit others

2. Make time to encompass activities that support it on a regular basis. 

Get rid of the distractions that are sucking away your precious time. Skip that last hour of TV and go to bed earlier, so you can wake up earlier to tackle a project that energizes you. Prioritize the things that ignite you and make you feel alive.

3. Be open to possibilities. 

You most likely have more than one purpose in this life, so it’s important to realize how all of your different passions can coexist and mold into something truly special.

It’s never too late to tune into your sense of purpose and identify ways to strengthen its role in your everyday life.