5 Ways to Kick Start Your Spring Detox...

Happy Spring Everyone! I am about to complete my holistic nutrition program and am doing some detoxing to rid the winter blues away!! I thought I would share some information and guidelines that I have been following throughout  the last week!! Please feel free to contact me for guidance!

Spring is here, which means: sunshine, playing outside, the beach, less clothing, longer lit hours of the day, strawberries, asparagus and the list goes on.... Why not start this new season out by getting rid of some toxins too!! They’ve most likely built up over the winter. Richer foods, cold nights, less fresh vegetables and fruits, lowered immunity, and lack of sunshine — all contribute to a general feeling of stagnant and heavy energy. Toxins get stuck in any extra insulation we may have accumulated over the colder months. So now seems to be the perfect time to transition, not only to warmer weather, but to a lighter and brighter you!

Spring is a wonderful time for a deep cleanse,  not just to lose extra lbs, but to get brighter skin, look younger, and most importantly feel better.  Here are some simple tips to get your  spring detox started without doing a major juice fast or cleanse!

1. Move that bod. Yoga, running, walking, swimming, biking, surfing, hiking, playing with your kids, having a dance party, deep cleaning the house; do whatever you can to move your body in as many ways as possible. Seriously, anything you can do to vary the way your body moves and stretches is going to stimulate the  lymph system and literally wring out your internal organs. Toxins are released through body fluid, and that includes sweat. So go ahead and sprint, climb, jump, have sex, whatever makes you use your muscles and heart and produces some cleansing sweat. Exercise also boosts your mood, which makes you want to move even more; so exercise in any form is definitely at the top of the list!

2. Breathe. While it’s important to move around, it’s also important to be still. Cleansing the body also involves cleansing the mind. So take some deep belly breaths. Feel the breath travel down into your belly and maybe even down into your pelvis, your knees and your toes. Then feel it travel all the way back up through the body, using a count of 4-8, if that helps even and steady it out. Inhale fresh oxygen and exhale acidity in the blood (carbon dioxide). If someone were next to you, imagine that they couldn’t tell when you were breathing in and breathing out — that’s how steady and even you want to make each inhale and exhale.

3. Eat fermented foods. Every culture all over the world has always included a form of fermented foods in their diets as a way to help digestion, immunity and vitality. Unpasteurized, fermented foods are full of beneficial bacteria (probiotics), enzymes and lactic acid, which our bodies need for optimal food assimilation. So eat fermented veggies (sauerkraut, kimchee), miso, wheat-free tamari , kombucha, raw pickles, and if you can tolerate dairy, you can incorporate raw yogurt, or raw milk into your spring diet for increased longevity, extra detoxification and lots of alkalizing action.

4. Get some spirulina. And put it in/on everything.  It goes with both savory and sweet things (salads, soups, smoothies, puddings, raw treats, chocolate, ice cream, superfood blends, juices, and spice mixes .  Why should you be eating lots of spirulina? This powdered algae is one of the highest sources of protein (in both the plant and animal kingdoms). Spirulina contains all eight essential amino acids; is rich in many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals; contains as much iron as red meat; has tons of enzymes and essential fatty GLAs that fight inflammation; helps fight allergies; gives you glowing skin and hair; and is an overall detoxifier and superfood that your body will thank you for consuming in large quantities!

5. Drink one of your meals. Have a shake, smoothie, juice or soup for one of your meals. Ideally it would be breakfast or dinner when your digestion is least strongest. A shake for breakfast eases your body into the day with tons of nutrition (especially if you add spirulina!) and energy, since your body won’t have to immediately start digesting a heavy meal and can be free to power you through your busy day, hydrated and energized. Add healthy fats to your smoothie, soup or juice blend such as coconut butter/milk, almond butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocado, or a handful of nuts or seeds. You’ll be satiated for hours until lunch, which is ideal for optimal digestion. If you have a liquid meal at night, you’re freeing your body up while you sleep to boost your immune system, cleanse toxins and repair systems in your body rather than spend that time digesting a heavy evening meal.  This is where breakfast gets its name... BREAK- FAST. You are literally breaking your fast, giving your body optimal time to repair and detoxify itself. If you eat/drink your dinner around 7pm, do not have your break-fast until 7 am.. Make sense?

So drink up and clean those toxins out!

ALSO: Another way to detox your body is to do an elimination diet for a few days/weeks. My recommendation is to eliminate processed dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, red meat, soy, peanuts and corn. Eat mostly fresh vegetables, whole non-gluten grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, booster foods, herbals teas, bone broths, and of course drink plenty of good-quality purified or spring water.

For  more information on how to help start your detox, or just for some recipes or nutritional information..

email me @ borrelli.torie@gmail.com or leave me a comment and i would love to work with you !! 

Adopted from Kris Carrs Crazy Sexy Cancer site.

Check out Crazy Sexy Cancer: by Kris Carr stage 4 cancer survivor from changing her diet!!

http://crazysexylife.com/2012/spring-

Why do I drink Chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll more like boraphyll????

Chlorophyll is the green pigment that is created by plants which helps them absorb elements including sunlight to perform photosynthesis. Photosynthesis in it’s most basic explanation, is a process where plants take sunlight and turn it into food and energy. Chlorophyll has a green pigment and it is this compound that gives plants their green color. The richer the color the more chlorophyll it has!

Chlorophyll is miraculous. It has many health benefits, making it a super food.  The chlorophyll molecule is chemically similar to human blood, except that its central atom is magnesium, whereas that of human blood is iron. It performs metabolic functions in plants such as respiration and growth. This means that when ingested, chlorophyll actually helps to do the job of hemoglobin (hemoglobin is so vital to the health of our blood – in fact, blood is approx 75% hemoglobin). It helps to rebuild and replenish our red blood cells, boosting our energy and increasing our wellbeing almost instantly.

Few Facts About Chlorophyll

Helps promote the natural blood-cleansing functions of the body.

Its molecules have magnesium at their core.  Every time our heart beats, it uses magnesium – so it’s a critical mineral.

It cleanses the blood and stimulates the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout our bodies.

It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties.

It purifies the liver by helping remove old toxic material and heavy metals from the body.

It helps thicken and strengthen cell walls, and (via the A, C and E vitamins) neutralizes free radicals that damage healthy cells, both of which support the immune system.

It relieves both constipation and diarrhea.

Strengthens cells.

Studies also show that chlorophyll may help keep carcinogens from binding to DNA in the liver and other organs.

Recommended Sources:

• Natures Sunshine Chlorophyll:  this is one of my top, top supplements – a concentrated, dense, minty source of liquid chlorophyll that you can add to any drink (water, juice, smoothie) to give your body a constant source of chlorophyll. It is amazing the difference it makes to your energy. And unlike most liquid chlorophyll supplements it isn’t refined and highly processed (killing the goodness) or packed full of sweeteners.
• Green Food: The darker the greens the better! Kale, chard, mustard greens, spinach, broccoli, Asian greens, green capsicum, asparagus, peas, string beans, artichokes etc. Any food that is green is that way because it contains chlorophyll, so eat up!

GO GREEN!! Eat, drink, take it in however you can.

Through my personal experience I recommend going green, becoming more alkaline and getting a mass of chlorophyll daily dose absolute WONDERS for your health and energy. You really notice the difference! So if you want more energy, go get yourself some.

The Obesity Epidemic

Here is some useful information that I made for one of my homework assignments!!! This should make you really think about what you are putting in your body!! Don't forget=>    you ARE what you EAT !!

you also are what the animal on your plate ate!!!

Obesity Epidemic in AMERICA

Obesity rates in the United States are among the highest in the world, with 74.6% of Americans being overweight or obese.

• Obesity currently results in an estimated 400,000 deaths a year in the United States and costs the national economy nearly $122.9 billion annually.
• Childhood obesity affects more than 15 percent of the population under 18 years old that is classified as overweight.

What defines Obesity?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the term overweight refers to body weight that is at least 10 percent over the recommended weight5 for a certain individual.

Recommended weight standards are generated based on a sampling of the U.S. population or by body mass index (BMI), a calculation that assesses weight relative to height. In common terms, “overweight” refers to an individual with a BMI of more than 25. Of course, it’s important to remember that being overweight may not only be the result of increased body fat, but the result of increased lean muscle as well;

Obesity is generally defined as an excessive amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass7. In numeric terms, obesity refers to a body weight that is at least 30 percent over the ideal weight for a specified height8. More commonly, obesity refers to any individual with a BMI of more than 30.

Childhood Obesity

• Approximately 17% of children and adolescents from the ages  2—19 years are obese.
• Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled.

Ways to Help

• Set realistic goals
• Promote healthy eating and nutrient rich foods
• Promote daily exercise
• De- stress and seek help
• Family support and stability

So what happened four or so decades ago?

Cultural changes, dietary changes and technological changes had a major impact on the evolution of obesity from then on. Americans, as well as many other countries, now live in a society that encourages excessive food intake, including non-food food-stuffs like processed foods and snacks, and discourages physical activity.

Overall, some of the the more likely causes of obesity are:

1. The modern-day food system: It encourages eating big portions of high fructose corn syrup, refined grains, processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners, a perfect recipe for weight gain.

2. Sedentary lifestyles: Generations ago people had no choice but to exercise; they did it for their very livelihoods or at least to get from one place to another. Today, many people sit behind a desk for most of the day, then get in their cars to drive home. Leisure time involves more sitting, either in front of the TV, computer or video game system.
3. Stress and negative emotions: It is very easy to get caught up in using food as a security blanket, a distraction from boredom, or a way to cope with stress -- and once you get used to using food to feel better, it’s hard to break the routine. Further, the stress response itself, encourages us to raise our cortisol levels which then makes us gain weight.
4. Exposure to environmental pollutants: Exposure to low levels of pesticides, dyes, flavorings, perfumes, plastics, resins, and solvents may make you put on weight.
5. The make-up of bacteria in your gut: This is related to your diet, but if you eat a lot of sugar and grains, it can negatively influence not only your insulin and leptin levels, but also the bacteria in your gut, contributing to obesity.
6. Lack of sleep: This disrupts vital hormones and proteins in your body, which may also increase your risk of obesity.

Processed and artificial foods may increase risk of obesity

So why is it that when people from other countries move to America, or when American influence overtakes traditional cultures, the result, inevitably, is ill-health? The answer is simple: food. Americans treat food as a source of immediate gratification. We want it tasty, we want it cheap and we want it now. To meet this demand, American manufacturers pump their food full of sugar, salt, hydrogenated oils, saturated fats, preservatives, dyes, artificial flavors, and a host of bizarre, unpronounceable chemicals that, if you saw them in their pre-processed state, you would never consider putting in your mouth. Our food is almost unrecognizable as food.

These additives and preservatives often replace all the nutrients and fiber that is removed from the original food source. So while processed food might taste good, it essentially lacks all the beneficial nutrients needed to nourish the body, maintain blood sugar levels, and ensure proper digestion. In addition, the chemicals and synthetic ingredients found in many processed foods are foreign to the body. The body stores anything that the digestive organs can’t process, most often in fat tissue.⁹ Scientists have considered that this process may also contribute to the development of obesity.

Calories that have no nutritional value - such as those found in sugary soda and many fried foods - are called “empty calories.” Empty calorie foods are quickly broken down, causing blood sugar levels to spike. As a result, the body secretes insulin which leads to hunger signals, so you eat more at your next meal. Researchers suggest that these types of foods - highly refined, processed, and starchy - may be a contributing factor to our obesity epidemic.

Another factor in gaining or losing weight is the quality of the food you eat rather than how much you consume. According to a June 23, 2011 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants gained weight with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sweetened beverages, unprocessed red meats and processed meats. They lost weight with the intake of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt.¹⁰ It's another nail in the coffin of fast foods.

Fast-food is costing us our health and our money

Fast-food joints have not only come to dominate the American landscape, they are also the most visible American export around the globe. Unfortunately, fast food contains almost no nutrients and is loaded with added salt, sugar, refined flours, fat, and preservatives. The irony is that for every dollar we spend on fast food, and every second we save at a drive-through, over a lifetime we put ourselves at serious risk. These risks include huge, direct medical costs and the indirect impact of productivity losses due to illness and premature death associated with diet-related illnesses linked to a meat-based diet that includes highly processed foods laden with fats and artificial ingredients.

Here are some DISTURBING facts:

-Firearms will kill about 30,000 Americans in 2008, but obesity will kill two and a half times as many people.”

- “Since the 1970s, the U.S. obesity rate has doubled; two-thirds of our population is now overweight.”

- “Diabetes eats up one of every $5 Americans spend on health care.”

- “And today, a whopping 35% of our weekly caloric intake is consumed in restaurants. That’s up from 23% in the 1970s.”

- “At Outback, the Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing comes loaded with 2,900 calories and 182 grams of fat.”

- “In a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, consumers presented with obviously high-calorie restaurant foods still underestimated the nutritional heft of the items by an average of 600 calories.”

- “Eating 600 unexpected calories just once a week would add an extra 9 pounds to the average American’s weight each year.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO??

Eat foods that come from the earth not from a factory. It is as simple as that. If you can't identiy where it came from, you most likely shouldn't be eating it.

If you have any questions regarding diet/ nutrition/ cooking send me a message. I am a certified holistic nutritionist that would love to help!

skinnyfatkids.wordpress.com

Sources:

http://www.obesityinamerica.org/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/health/14obese.html

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States