Our Environment

You may wonder why I would be concerned with the environment when my passion is nutrition, but I think it goes hand in hand. We have to be more concerned with our environment because our food, water, and air are our resources that are being effected by our life styles.






Today's cause is to drop the bag. If we all took steps to make a better environment we could make big changes. Our oceans are becoming very toxic with the garbage that is Blow, dumped, and washed into it. There is a area larger than the state of Texas, where it goes for miles down with garbage debris. If we learn to make small steps to clean up our garbage, and use the recycling centers near you, we can make big changes. It starts with you and me, and it starts with educating ourselves. Please visit the web site and make a commitment to DROP the bag. The seafood we eat are becoming toxic for this reason. If we want to have fresh seafood, and not Mercury high farm raised seafood as our only choices, than please read more and not continue to look the other way.



I have 6-7 canvas bags that I use for my shopping needs, for the weekly groceries, and I try two keep 1 or two bags in my car for those quick stops. If you start today....you will be making a difference.



Ocean conservancy

and

drop the plastic bag

Workout Wednesday.. P90X update

You all know I love the P90X workouts. I have started the 90 day challenge again. I went from a 10/12 to a size 6 the first time around. So I am hoping to make some big improvements with tone and definition. Another dress size down will be a big benefit. Its only day 3 of the 90 days, but I'll keep you posted on the improvements.
 You have all heard at one time someone talk about P90X. Many, many people are do the workouts. I love the P90X routine, but you could also find a different program that fits you better. Go to. beachbody. for more information.

This is the workout you will buy as an investment that you NEVER get tired of. It makes you exhausted, haha, but you never get sick of doing it.


Have a Healthy and Blessed Day.

Its Detox Tuesday.....

OK, So since I did the Master Cleanse, I have loved how my body feels, physically and emotionally. I will be doing the whole cleanse every 3 months, but what I do for weekly up keep, is a once week cleanse. I will make a pitcher of lemons and water in the morning and drink Lemon water all day. Loaded with Vitamin C for one thing, and then for lunch and Dinner I will make a different veggie and fruit shakes. If you are a little hunger than just a shake at dinner than have a nice vegetable soup puree. The things about today is that I am eating no meat, grains, cheese, anything that is a little harder to digest. The veggies and fruit are packed with vitamins, mineral, and FIBER. So I am cleaning and detoxing throughout the whole day. On a liquid diet, your digestive system gets the nutrients and is allowed to rest and recoup for the rest of the week. Its amazing and when you make it a routine you love the way your body runs better.


Here is a shake idea.

1 whole cucumber
4 sticks of celery
2-4 handfuls of spinach
8 lettuce leaves
Any other greens!
Optional boosters: parsley and fresh alfalfa sprouts
Juice all ingredients and mix 50/50 with distilled water. Add optional lemon juice to taste and Prime pH to boost the alkalinity of the juice

Another

3-4 Carrots
125g Fresh Spinach
Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley
2-3 Sticks of Celery
Juice all ingredients (putting celery through last). Mix with juice to taste or drink.

New Nutrition Monday....top Vitamin C foods.

In no specific order....
Oranges
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Green peppers
Red Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Kiwi
Guava
Grapefruit Juice
Vegetable Juice blend

If you can incorporate these in a daily diet one or a couple a day, rotating, having a assortment of these it will keep you out of the cold and flu discomforts and out enjoying this beautiful fall/winter weather.  Just as a side note, oranges are NOT the frood with the most Vitamin C.  Its actually on the lower end of the poll.  THats why you want to mix it up and get a little of all these fruits and vegetables in.  Make your own Vegetable shakes with these and say GOOD BYE flu and cold season. 

Have a Healthy and Blessed Day

The herb of the week...is all about Vitamin C

OK, I think most of us our concerned with this years cold and flu season, I know I am.  So a great way to get some extra fluids, that taste great, is to have a nice cup of tea loaded with vitamin C.  There are a few herbs that can help with this, but the top most packed with Vitamin C is the Accerola Fruit.  It is loaded with Vitamin C from 1,500 mg to 14,800 mg of Vitamin C. 

Fruit: Fruits are round to oblate, cherry-like but with 3 lobes. They are bright red (rarely yellow-orange) with thin skin, easily bruised. The pulp is juicy, acid to sub-acid occasionally nearly sweet, with a delicate flavor and apple notes. The fruit is very high in Vitamin C, up to 4,000 mg per 100 g fresh weight, but typically around 1,500 mg C. Green fruits have twice the Vitamin C level of mature fruits. Fruits develop to maturity in less than 25 days. Seeds typically three with fluted wings, forming a triangle. Many aspects of seed viability have not been studied.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/acerola.html for more information.

Very beneifictial in areas of cold, flu, lung disorders, skin, and more.  You can find it in tea bags at you local Health food store or start to grow your own, beautiful Schrub.

Have a Healthy and Blessed Day.

My Detox shake for today

Ok, I am going to be blogging more later, but for those that wish to get a head start on detoxifying the sugar today. This is what we are having. Lots of greens and berries.


1/2 cup Orange Juice, fresh
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
2 celery sticks
4 strawberries
1 cup blue berries
ice for texture you wish

Its all in the blender and blend through stages 1 to the liquefy. And its a beautiful purple color. Enjoy and have like 3 of these today. Slowly decreasing the berries and increasing the greens. The color will become greener with less blueberries. I will be posting later today as well.

Great Ideas for Halloween

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ok, Parents I know some of you are concerned with the amount of sugar that is consumed during the holidays. We know that sugar lowers the immune system and increases our risks for illnesses. So think about all the candy we indulge in this night. We are all scared and concerned with the H1N1, and we should be. So lets keep our defenses stronger. Here is a few ideas.

1. Be sure to eat a full nutritious meal for dinner. Have plenty of vegetables, and fruit. There are some great ideas in Taste of Home with apple slices and almonds to look like a ghouls teeth, and cheese sticks that look like a vampires fingers. Be creative with natural foods, everything fun does not have to be laced ion sugar.

2. Allow them to collect candy and have fun in the event, but tell them you still have to inspect the candy as always for any hidden dangers. What we do is get the candy home and then after inspection , allow them 5 pieces to indulge in.

3. The next morning do the big exchange. They exchange their bag of candy for a new 5 dollar bill. They can buy something great at the store. It shows them there are rewards for giving it up, and its done and over. Its actually better to consume a larger amount of candy at one time, then spacing it out daily. The body burns up the candy and you feel terrible, but you can get back into a normal diet and help detox. When you give them a little every day, that's everyday that they are lowering the system more and more. You also have major behavioral issues because of that. Also, sugar has a drying effect on the skin. Its getting colder and they are going to be having itchy skin not from the change in temperatures, which will not help, but the sugar.

4. Also think about going to a community event where they give out not just candy and treats but also activities and toys.  It does not have to be just about the treats.

You have tocheck this one out.....Truely health neat snacks for kids on halloween.  Celery claws, beetle juice, eyeball eggs, ghost toast...you have to check it out to plan for tonight and make it healthy.

http://www.greatgrubclub.com/?location_id=148

If your wondering what to do with your pumpkin seeds check out. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spiced-Pumpkin-Seeds/Detail.aspx

Ways to increase Resveratrol's

Blueberries 1 cup

Purple grapes 1/2 cup, twice a day

Peanut butter 2 tbsp

Red wine one 4.5 ounce glass

Cranberry Juice 1/2 cup

What is a resveratrol?

Resveratrol is found in grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts, and berries, including blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries. Resveratrol is found only in the skins of grapes. "Resveratrol has been found to inhibit the proliferation of a variety of human cancer cell lines, including those from breast, prostate, stomach, colon, pancreatic, and thyroid cancer". Published at Organ State University. It is also being said to have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. Studies have also shown that resvertrols have antioxidant activities , which decreases oxidized stress in tissues that leads to cancer. With Cancer one of the top three killers in the United States, because of the diet and lifestyle we lead, increasing these specific items would be of great use.

I would plan to incorporate these in along with the omega 3's daily planner. We are past trying to eat well. We are now working in specific areas of health. To know what fruits and vegetables can help within the areas of our bodies we can identify when something feels off or not right.

That is why having vegetables and fruits as a major source of dietary intake helps fight disease and health problems. Every source of vitamin and minerals helps a specific area to give you better health.

At times we think that we have a disease of health problem due to parents having genes to that. Science is now showing that even though you may be PRON to those health risk, it is in your hands to stop it before it happens. Lets take diabetes as an example. If a parent had this, it does not mean you WILL. If you know it is a risk for you this is where you can increase and decrease certain foods to keep the door shut on this problem.
Being Proactive is the best way to keep you healthy. So often we are Reactive, we do something about it after we get the lab results in. At this stage the damage has been done and now you can only maintain a balance. Be Proactive and take control now to stay away from cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke.

Omega 3's and how to increase them to your diet.

Ways to increase Omega 3's

Wild Salmon 3-4 ounces ( deck of cards)

Spinach 1 cup steamed ( baseball)

Walnuts 1 handful

Soymilk 2 cups (16 ounces)

Flaxseed 2 tbsp

DHA eggs 2 eggs

pecans 1 handful

Tofu 1/2 cup raw tofu

Wheat germ 2 tbsp

Soybean oil 2 tbsp

Alaskan Halibut 3-4 ounces

Collard greens 1 cup steamed

Pumpkins seeds 1 handful

chunk light tuna 3-4 ounces

Soy nuts 1 handful

Sunflower seeds 1 handful



You have a few combinations to put together, and learning the combinations will be of great benefit to make sure you get these in. Try to make it second nature because that's what this mounts up to, life choices.

Benefits of omega 3 include lowering triglycerides (fats in our bodies we get from eating animal products and saturated fats) in the blood, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, and decreases the production of inflammatory chemicals produced by the body.

Omega 3 and 6's can not be produced by the body. These have to be incorporated in to the diet. Unfortunately processed foods such as white bread and white pastas contain higher levels of omega 6's that usually carry hydrogenated oils and increasing the disease causing trans fats. Limit these by increasing the omega 3's above and limiting the white carbs. When you create a environment in your body with omega 3's, its tougher to develop cancer, heart disease, muscular degeneration, obesity, cardiac arrhythmia, and decreased mental function.

Here are some ways to get them in beneficial daily combinations.



 Wild salmon, spinach, walnuts, soymilk, flaxseed.


 eggs, spinach, walnuts, tofu, wheat germ, soybeans.

Alaskan halibut, spinach, soymilk, flaxseed.

 Pecans, soymilk.

eggs, collard greens, pumpkin seeds, tofu, flaxseed.

 Chunked tuna, soy nuts, flax seed,

 eggs, spinach, walnuts, soymilk, wheat germ
These are a few ways you can incorporate them in a daily routin.

I mentioned more about the Master Cleanse.

I have so enjoyed the Cleanse. It has given me the energy that I needed to start working out again, and its helped to detox the junk we eat from time to time. I must say even though I am a huge advocate of Organic fruits and vegetables, I am not always able to eat from the organic produce, we are limited there. So its very beneficial to do a cleanse to clean out toxin in the blood, colon, and tissues. When we cleanse you not only reset your metabolism, but your energy and emotions as well. There we days that I said to my husband, "wow, I just feel really happy, and I don't know why." Then I read that that's one of the things you notice when you detox.
If you have a bad diet, the normal American Diet, then you would want to do this cleanse every 3 months. It's recommend for at least every 6 months.
Here is the link that you can read more about it, but start soon. You would be doing your colon a favor.

http://therawfoodsite.com/

There you can read about others that have done it, and what more to expect. Check it out.

Check out this clip to hear more about it and what it can do for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFZsWAluoUs&feature=player_embedded