QUICK HEALTH TIP

The Top 10 Foods You Thought Were Healthy But Are Actually Not

Diving into 2013 with some new health and fitness goals?  Just be careful out there in the wild world of diet and nutrition. There are some real tricksters who will have you believe certain foods are good for you when in fact they are not only completely void of beneficial nutrients, but also may have some components that are damaging to your health. Why would people lie about this you ask? The big reason these falsities come into being are simple: Somebody out there is trying to make a buck or two or billion. The food industry has got some serious issues. I could go into great detail but this post is not supposed to be about all that. If you’re interested in hearing more on that topic, please leave me a facebook comment and I promise I’ll write on it soon. Back to unhealthy “health foods”… Here goes.

1.) Low Fat, Non-Fat, Fat Free, or “Lite” Anything: Bottom line, not only is fat naturally present in some of the healthiest foods on the planet, but it is also ESSENTIAL for life. We all need to eat fat every single day to survive and thrive. When fat is removed from foods, sugar and chemical additives are put in to make the food taste tolerable. These are MUCH worse for you than the fat would have been in the first place. In terms of dairy products, when the fat is removed from milk, your body processes what’s left in the milk the same way it processes sugars because the natural sugars in the milk are basically all that is left in the product. The fat soluble vitamins have gone away with the fat and your body will not process the protein that is left without the necessary fat. Mother nature put fat and protein in a pretty little package together for a reason and it just is not our place to be messing with that.

2.) Soy Anything: Unfortunately soy contains many components that can be detrimental to your health. Soy is considered a goitrogen which means it inhibits healthy thyroid function. This slows your metabolism and causes weight gain plus a weakened immune system. Be forewarned, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts are also goitrogenic only when eaten raw. These vegetables should be cooked to remove this effect. Goitrogens are still present even in cooked soy. Many other properties of soy make the proteins very difficult to digest. These include lectins, phytates, and trypsin inhibitors. Sorry for getting so geeky sciency on you. Soy is also estrogenic and can negatively imbalance hormones.

3.) Whole Grain Products: Cereals, breads, crackers, and other products that contain whole grains are almost always trying to pull one over on us, trying to make us believe they are healthy. The truth is, the food industry has an awful ton of genetically modified wheat and corn that it needs to sell so they just put it into everything. Even “whole grain” products are very processed and those grains are usually ground up into flour. It will be processed by your body much the same as sugar, causing blood sugar spikes. This is a recipe for poor long term health and difficulty managing a healthy weight.

3.) Egg Whites: All of the vitamins and minerals are located in the yolk of an egg and it is just a sin to toss those yolks. Some folks out there are hanging on to the old advice that the cholesterol in eggs cause heart disease. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most Americans are not getting the vitamins and minerals that they need each day. We need to focus on taking every opportunity for getting them in. If we do this, our bodies will work better, be energized, fit, and able to fight modern diseases. No discrimination, just eat the whole egg.

4.) Diet Soda: The fake chemical sugar like substances in diet soda are very scary in my opinion. Many who have studied the stuff believe it to cause brain damage and cancer. The phosphoric acid in soda battles against calcium in your body creating a major imbalance which leads to unhealthy teeth and bones. Of course the manufacturers and the FDA haven’t officially admitted anything. I don’t know about you, but I’m NOT willing to offer myself up as a subject in this science experiment. I’ll just take some real natural wholesome food instead please.

5:) Energy or Protein Bars:  I am often asked and hard pressed to find a “bar” that is a true nutrition boost. Even the “natural” ones have brown rice syrup (aka glorified sugar) as one of the first three ingredients. Soy protein isolates are not an easily assimilated form of protein at all. Be aware, most of these are just candy bars with healthier sounding words on the package. Opt for raw or sprouted nuts and seeds or a piece of whole fruit instead.

6.) Protein Powder: Again with the soy protein isolates. They just don’t work. Most powders are made with super high heat processing which renders the protein that was there pretty much unusable by our bodies by the time it makes it into your smoothie. There are a couple decent protein powders out there made from grass fed whey that are minimally heat treated but they aren’t easy to find or get your hands on. Also once again, remember how mother nature graciously gave us protein and fat as a package deal? I’m on board with sticking to whole foods. Eggs in the morning take two minutes to whip up and are a perfect protein rich way to begin the day.

7.) Sports Drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, etc): FULL OF SUGAR PEOPLE! NOT HEALTHY! And they contain high fructose corn syrup too. Yuck! Even worse! More fake sugar made in a chemistry lab instead of a kitchen. Just don’t go there. The most perfect electrolyte packed beverages are simply water with lemon and a bit of real salt, vegetable or bone broth, and herbal teas. This is a case of more people trying to sell you something you don’t need.

8.) Vegetable, Canola, Corn, Sunflower, and Safflower Oils: If you could see the way these oils are manufactured, I highly doubt you’d want to eat them ever again. The high heat treatment that they are subjected too leaves them similar in chemical makeup to hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats), a big huge health no no. Stick to minimally processed oils and healthy animal fats like olive oil for dressings and low temp cooking, and coconut oil, butter, or ghee for sautéing and roasting.

9.) Flavored Water: Crystal light anyone? I know the whole zero calories thing is tempting but it’s just not worth it considering the fact that it’s yet another dose of dangerous fake sugars from the chem lab. This is what I like to call a “nutrition withdrawal”. If you’re going to have that crystal light, you better make some serious deposits in the form of fresh whole fruits and vegetables to re-balance your nutritional checking account. Water with fresh fruit, cucumber, or ginger taste great! After a while you will never miss the fake stuff and seriously wonder why you ever liked it in the first place, I promise.

10.) Dried Fruit: Now this one is okay as a once in a while treat food. It is a natural real food which I like, but the issue is how most people tackle eating these tasty little buggers. You can eat a whole lot of them, and these sweet little guys are a source of concentrated sugar. They can mess with your blood sugar just like candy and cakes can. Imagine what your dried fruit would have looked like when it was a full whole fruit, before it was dried. Just a piece or two would be a normal serving size of whole fruit. You can’t eat more of it just because it’s now shrunk in size. This makes the whole will power issue come into play since they are so yummy. Always eat your couple pieces with some nuts and seeds to help fill you up and slow the release of sugar to your bloodstream.

Good for you for wanting to get healthier! Now get out there, turn the package around and read those ingredients lists instead of the health claims on the front.

Taken from a great friend Cristin. Check out her blog:

http://www.quickhealthtip.com/post/39494677269/top-ten-foods-to-avoid

Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream

Well its warm everywhere else in California... so why not try out my new ice cream maker my awesome cousin Kylee just sent me!!!! And yes when I say "ice cream" I mean a delicious dairy-free goodness. I promise you would never tell the difference!

All-Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes

All-Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes

Use these all-natural dye recipes made from household ingredients to create Easter eggs in beautifully subdued shades.

Food dyes are one of the most widely used and dangerous additives. While the European Union has recently placed regulations on labeling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks, the United States has no such requirement. Artificial food preservatives, food colors and flavour enhancers, many of these can be dangerous chemicals added to our food and are known to be linked to Hyperactivity, Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD), Asthma, Cancer and other medical conditions.

Here are some of the most common food dyes used today, according to the Food Freedom Network:

▪   Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)

An unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. What it's in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products.

▪   Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)

Causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. What it's in: Colored beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs.

▪   Citrus Red #2

It's toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. What it's in: Skins of Florida oranges.

▪   Green #3 (Fast Green) 

Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. What it's in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics.

▪   Red #3 (Erythrosine)

Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. What it's in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies.

▪   Red #40 (Allura Red)

This is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. What it's in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics.

▪   Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)

Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. What it's in: Pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Here are some comments from Dr. Mercola:

Every year, food manufacturers pour 15 million pounds of artificial food dyes into U.S. foods -- and that amount only factors in eight different varieties, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

These dyes are so common in U.S. foods -- especially kids' foods -- that parents don't think twice about giving their children rainbow-colored cereal or fluorescent blue "juice," and adults don't consider bright orange cheese puffs out of the ordinary, either.

But you might do a double take if these food packages contained warnings detailing what these artificial food colorings may really be doing to your health, and that of your children.

Well, in the European Union at least, they do. As of July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes were labeled with warning labels stating the food "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The British government also asked that food manufacturers remove most artificial colors from foods back in 2009.

In the United States, however, consumers are still snatching up artificially colored foods with fervor, as most are completely unaware of the risks involved … and let me just say, hyperactivity in children is only the tip of the iceberg.

To get started you will need:

• Hard boiled eggs (preferably white eggs since they take on the dyes better than brown eggs)
• Ingredients to make your dyes, which I will discuss in more detail below – As a guideline, use up to 4 cups for vegetable solids and 3–4 tablespoons for spices per quart. Mash up fruits.
• White vinegar (2 Tablespoons for every quart of water)
• Several pots and bowls
• Optional: stickers, rubber bands, and crayons for decorating the eggs and making interesting patterns
• Egg cartons for drying the dyed eggs

Natural egg dyes can be made from a variety of ingredients. Here’s a list of what I used last year along with comments on the colors that resulted.

Color Combos:

Bluish-Gray Mix 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature, and remove blueberries.

Blue Cut 1/4 head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and remove cabbage with a slotted spoon.

Jade Green Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Green-Yellow Peel the skin from 6 yellow apples. Simmer in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer 4 oz. chopped fennel tops in 1-1/2 cups of water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Orange Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Red-Orange Stir 2 Tbsp. paprika into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Yellow Rich yellow: Simmer 4 oz. chopped carrot tops in 1-1/2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Mustard-yellow: Stir 2 Tbsp. turmeric into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Various shades: Steep 4 bags of chamomile or green tea in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Pale yellow: Chop 4 oz. goldenrod and simmer in 2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Faint yellow: Simmer the peels of 6 oranges in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. vinegar.

Brown-Gold Simmer 2 Tbsp. dill seed in 1 cup water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Brown Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup strong coffee.

Pink Faint pink: Chop 4 oz. amaranth flowers and simmer in 2 cups water; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer the skins from 6 avocados in 1-1/2 cup water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Mix 1 cup pickled beet juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Lavender Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Have a great Easter !!!

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/24/are-you-or-your-family-eating-toxic-food-dyes.aspx

http://science-news.org/artificial-food-coloring/artificial-food-coloring-dangers/

http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/04/04/how-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally-a-tutorial/

Hungry For Change Documentary: Free World Premiere

Watch this FREE NEW documentary ON HOW TO CREATE LONG LASTING WEIGHT LOSS, ABUNDANT  ENERGY AND VIBRANT HEALTH!!! Not only is it INSPIRING and INFORMATIVE, but FREE to watch online for 3 MORE DAYS. Take this awesome opportunity to learn something about the food you put into your body everyday, and how it will effect you for the rest of your life.

Watch free from March 21- 31. 2012, all you have to do is register and you can watch it instantly.

It is about the food system and what we are putting into our bodies. It has great information and is easy to understand. Even though it is long break it up into pieces and watch it when you have time time!! It is worth it!!

http://www.hungryforchange.tv/

http://www.hungryforchange.tv/online-premiere

Why antacids and acid reflex drugs are bad!

Here is a great post by my friend from class! check out her awesome blog:  http://sonobrio.com/sonobrio/Home.html

Why antacids and acid reflux drugs are a BIG problem

Let’s dive right in, shall we? Yes I know, these drugs work to reduce symptoms but you pay a big price along with that relief and there is a much better way to get symptom free long term without their use, I promise!

Let me explain how stomach acid works... Think of your stomach as a tank for this stuff. If your tank is full of stomach acid, you are going to have severe symptoms. But, did you know that if you’re tank is close to empty, the symptoms are also going to be quite severe? I betchya didn’t. I bet you also didn’t know that almost all people with acid reflux fall into the too low stomach acid category and there are very few out there with too high. Having a nearly half full tank is where we all want to be. This is where our stomach acid needs to be to do it’s job of beginning the important process of protein digestion. What the antacids do is wipe out your stomach acid 100%. Having none at all will take away the symptoms, but also means you can’t digest your proteins or properly absorb your vitamins and minerals especially B12 and zinc. Think of it this way...

Full Tank = acid reflux symptoms.

Half Tank = no symptoms and you are digesting and absorbing properly.

Nearly empty tank = acid reflux symptoms (almost all symptomatic individuals fall here), also improperly digesting and absorbing.

Empty tank = Individual is on antacids and is symptom free, but not digesting or    absorbing.

What can you do about it?

First do this easy at home test to test yourself to see what the status of your stomach acid is.

Directions:

• mix one quarter teaspoon of baking soda in eight ounces of cold water
•  first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything except water.
• Drink the baking soda solution.

If your stomach is producing adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid you should probably burp within two to three minutes.

Early and repeated belching may be due to excessive stomach acid.

No burp within 5 minutes means you don't have enough acid.

Seeing a certified nutrition consultant is the best way to get back on track and get off the medications. They will help you use whole foods to build your stomach acid to it’s ideal level.

What you can do:

A simple way to work on building up stomach acid is to mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass of water and drink this cocktail with every meal. Do this for a week or two and see if symptoms subside. This trick totally worked for my dad! He struggled with heartburn for as long as I can remember and now a bottle of apple cider vinegar later, is 100% symptom free without any drugs at all.

The TRUTH about your Thanksgiving TURKEY!

The Truth About Turkey

How much do you know about your Thanksgiving turkey? If you buy your turkey from a typical grocery store–and most Americans do–you might not realize that the approximately 46 million turkeys consumed every year come from a factory farm.

But if Thanksgiving is truly about offering gratitude for what we have, it seems fitting to also be grateful to the turkey that many of us will eat for dinner. We ought to think about how that turkey lived before ending up on our tables. With that in mind, let’s first take a look at the life of a turkey in an industrial farm.

Turkeys on factory farms are hatched in incubators mostly on large farms in the Midwest or the South. A few days after hatching, turkeys have their upper beaks snipped off. Once the beak is removed, the turkey can no longer pick and choose what it wants to eat. In their natural environment, turkeys are omnivores. But in a factory farm, turkeys are fed a steady diet of corn-based grain feed laced with antibiotics.

Industrially produced turkeys spend their first three weeks of life crammed into a brooder with hundreds of other birds. In the fourth week, turkey chicks are moved from the brooder to a giant window-less room with 10,000 other turkeys where bright lights shine 24 hours a day. With the lights constantly blaring, natural sleeping, eating, and fertility patterns are completely disrupted and the turkeys are, for the most part, kept awake and eating non-stop. Turkeys have an instinct to roost, or to clutch something when they sleep, but on the floor of a crowded room there is no such opportunity. If this is starting to sound like torture to you, you’re on the mark.

As a result of these unhealthy and crowded living conditions, farmers must feed the turkeys a constant supply of antibiotics. Pesticides are also widely used to inhibit the spread of disease. Antibiotics are also known to promote weight gain in farm animals and this connection is being made in humans now as well. In an effort to maximize the more profitable white breast meat, farmers have genetically selected and bred the white broad breasted turkey, which become so top heavy that they can no longer stand or reproduce and as a result, all industrial turkeys are created by artificial insemination. Turkeys are then brought to slaughter, often in a brutal way.

If that wasn’t enough to make you reconsider your Butterball, there’s more. Thanksgiving is also a time when we honor the abundance of the harvest represented by the bounty on our tables. But supporting a Big Turkey farm (or any factory farm) contributes to the devastation of our natural environment and imperils the safety of our food supply.

According to the USDA, factory-farmed animals in the U.S. produce 61 million tons of waste each year–130 times the volume of human waste. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that hog, chicken, and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. Polluted runoff from factory farms and other industrial farms is the biggest water pollution problem in the U.S., according to the EPA.

Human health is impacted in other ways by factory farming. Just this past August, Cargill announced a recall of 185,000 pounds of ground turkey due to Salmonella contamination. With recalls and food-borne illnesses on the rise as a result of conditions in factory farms, it seems wise to avoid these foods for that reason alone.

Factory farmed meat is also implicated in long-term health consequences. Resistance to antibiotics is now a growing concern among many in the medical field and it is largely due to the 29 million pounds administered to factory-raised animals every year. As it stands today, one out of six cases of Campylobacter infection, the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning, is resistant to the antibiotic most used to treat it. And nearly all strains of Staphylococcal infections have become resistant to penicillin, while many are developing resistance to newer drugs as well. Indeed, 80 percent of all antibiotics used in this country are used on factory-farmed animals according to an FDA report.

And finally, there is the nitty-gritty of nutritional value in these factory-farmed foods. Studies show that pastured-based meat and dairy are far more nutritious than their conventional counterparts. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C and contain far more Omega-3 fatty acids. Turkeys that are raised on grass and allowed to roam around and practice normal turkey behavior are healthier, safer to eat, good for the environment, and get to live a happy life. Our best option is to eat high quality meat and a lot less of it.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s be grateful to the turkey that we’re eating and opt out of supporting a system of abuse and environmental destruction. Eat a pasture-raised turkey or make a vegetarian alternative for this year’s Thanksgiving feast.

Eat Wild is a valuable resource for pasture-raised meat and animal products. Brooklyn Based also lists pasture-raised turkeys available for sale in New York City. Slow Food USA has information and resources for heritage breed turkeys. Meatless Monday offers 10 tips for cooking a meatless Thanksgiving.

100 VERY COOL FACTS ABOUT THE BODY!!!

EVERYONE should read these facts.. they are not only interesting but important to our health!!!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1UPSo0/www.globalone.tv/profiles/blogs/100-very-cool-facts-about-the

AND WHILE YOUR ADD IT... read this !!

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/10/17/just-1-in-7-u-s-workers-are-normal-weight-without-chronic-health-issue/?mod=wsj_share_facebook

Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables ??

In yesterdays New York Time Article Mark Bittmin discussed... SUMMARY:

WHAT will it take to get Americans to change our eating habits? The need is indisputable, since heart disease, diabetes and cancer are all in large part caused by the Standard American Diet. (Yes, it’s SAD.)

And — not inconsequential during the current struggle over deficits and spending — a sane diet could save tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs.

Yet the food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods. And whether its leaders are confused or just stalling doesn’t matter, because the fixes are not really their problem. Their mission is not public health but profit, so they’ll continue to sell the health-damaging food that’s most profitable, until the market or another force skews things otherwise.

The average American consumes 44.7 gallons of soft drinks annually. Sweetened drinks could be taxed at 2 cents per ounce, so a six-pack of Pepsi would cost $1.44 more than it does now. An equivalent tax on fries might be 50 cents per serving; a quarter extra for a doughnut.

Simply put: taxes would reduce consumption of unhealthful foods and generate billions of dollars annually. That money could be used to subsidize the purchase of staple foods like seasonal greens, vegetables, whole grains, dried legumes and fruit.

This program would, of course, upset the processed food industry. Oh well. It would also bug those who might resent paying more for soda and chips and argue that their right to eat whatever they wanted was being breached. But public health is the role of the government, and our diet is right up there with any other public responsibility you can name, from water treatment to mass transit.

Right now it’s harder for many people to buy fruit than Froot Loops; chips and Coke are a common breakfast. And since the rate of diabetes continues to soar — one-third of all Americans either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, most with Type 2 diabetes, the kind associated with bad eating habits — and because our health care bills are on the verge of becoming truly insurmountable, this is urgent for economic sanity as well as national health.

Currently, instead of taxing sodas and other unhealthful food, we subsidize them (with, I might note, tax dollars!). Direct subsidies to farmers for crops like corn (used, for example, to make now-ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup) and soybeans (vegetable oil) keep the prices of many unhealthful foods and beverages artificially low. There are indirect subsidies as well, because prices of junk foods don’t reflect the costs of repairing our health and the environment

The need is dire: efforts to shift the national diet have failed, because education alone is no match for marketing dollars that push the very foods that are the worst for us. (The fast-food industry alone spent more than $4 billion on marketing in 2009; the Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is asking for about a third of a percent of that in 2012: $13 million.) As a result, the percentage of obese adults has more than doubled over the last 30 years; the percentage of obese children has tripled. We eat nearly 10 percent more animal products than we did a generation or two ago, and though there may be value in eating at least some animal products, we could perhaps live with reduced consumption of triple bacon cheeseburgers.

To read full article go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24bittman.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1