Monthly Archives: December 2011

5 Suggestions to Control What and How we Eat

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We are all aware that we eat too much sugar and salt and that there is nothing
natural about that! We’re eating approximately seven times more sodium than we
should be eating and 20 teaspoons of sugar daily, which is causing obesity,
illness and a poor quality of life.

Harvard Medical School came out with the 5 suggestions to control what and how we eat, including: 

  1. Modifying your flavor preferences: Appetites for sugar and fat can also be changed, although there’s less experimental evidence for it.
  2. Developing a taste for vegetables: Increase our taste for foods that are certifiably healthful, like vegetables.
  3. Developing a taste for whole grains: If this is a challenge for you and your family, one strategy for making whole grains more appealing is simply to mix in some refined grains.
  4. Giving in to your desire – a little: Research has shown that dieters are more sensitive to food cues than nondieters: when they see an enticing food item, they are less able to stop thinking about it than nondieters are. This holds true even if they are consuming just as many calories as nondieters.
  5. Changing preconceived notions: Although the sensual experience of eating probably has the biggest influence on our gustatory desires, our ideas about food can also shape them. When researchers told college students they were getting an “energy drink” (even though it wasn’t), the students’ pulses rose following ingestion – which did not happen in control subjects.

For more complete information, please click on the following link:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/family-health-guide/updates/controlling-what-and-how-much-we-eat?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=121911-bk1_tw

 

Dr. Oz’ Heart Attack Prevention Cocktail

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During the winter, our blood thickens, which increases the risk of heart attacks.

Here’s a suggestion from Dr. Oz to minimize the risk:

Heart Attack Prevention Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 part pure cranberry juice
1 part flaxseed oil
4 drops of liquid natural stevia

Directions:
Take a shotglass. Fill half the glass with the cranberry juice and half with flaxseed oil. Top off with 1-4  drops of stevia in liquid form.

The cranberry juice in this cocktail is packed full of antioxidants, while the stevia will work to relax your blood vessels. Drink this cocktail in the morning.

The Power of Mindfulness

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During a particularly difficult time in my life, a friend told me that if I really wanted to feel vibrant and grounded, then I should follow a raw food diet. Sounded good to me: Eating non-cooked food preserves the enzymes, proteins that catalyze (increase the rates of) chemical reactions.

I was raw for one year and I never felt worse. My children thought I was pregnant because the food wasn’t metabolizing properly, which caused my stomach to bloat. I felt an elevated level of spaciness. The kicker was when someone in the raw food world recommended that I take digestive enzymes. Huh? Wasn’t improving my digestion a benefit of eating raw?

Then I went to a resort where I dedicated myself to an intensive week long raw juice cleanse. I learned three important lessons:

1. “One man’s food is another man’s poison.” We were encouraged to eat a small amount of grain each day. As soon as I consumed it, I immediately felt more grounded.

2. I was using food as a crutch for relief of the painful situation I was encountering in my life at the time.The leader of the raw juice cleanse group asked me if I had heard of orthorexia, a term coined by Dr. Steve Bratman, MD, author of Health Food Junkies,  which is essentially a psychological obsession with eating pure food. Hard as it is to admit this, I may have had it.

3. Each body composition requires different types of foods to put them in balance. During that week, I met my first Ayurvedic practitioner, who inspired me to embark on my studies of Ayurvedic medicine. Through Ayurveda, I learned that while a raw food diet is great for some body types, it is detrimental to others, like mine.

My body type actually needs cooked foods with fats and oils to help me keep grounded and focused. After adding these back into my diet and loosening up a bit with what I eat, I never felt more vibrant, in control and balanced.

My biggest lesson from this experience: Be true to myself, but that requires mindfulness; that is,

  • Slowing down and being present in the moment – having faith that right at
    this moment, everything is OK.
  • Not getting caught up in the latest trends
  • Surrounding myself with positive, non-controlling people who are genuinely
    supportive.
  • Digging down deep and really knowing what my true strengths and weaknesses are.
  • Letting go and having faith that when I fall, I will land on my feet.
  • It means, more than anything, acting nobel.

May 2012 bring you grounding, peace and love!

MULLED WINE: The Ultimate Healthy Holiday Cocktail to Liven up any Party

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One of the main goals of this blog is to show people that they and their families can ENJOY eatting healthy foods.

Holiday time is among the most stressful times of year when binge eating is pervasive. We celebrate and then feel horrible.

That’s why I LOVE mulled wine, a healthy, delicious cocktail.

Recipe:

  • One bottle (750 mL) of red wine (suggestions: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot)
  • One peeled and sliced orange (keep peel to add zest to taste into cooking pot)
  • 8-10 cloves
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp ground ginger (allspice can be substituted)
  • Serves 4-6

Preparation: To make the perfect cup of mulled wine, combine all ingredients in
either a large pot or a slow cooker. Gently warm the ingredients on low to
medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure
that the honey has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the
ingredients have been well blended it is ready to serve. Ladle the mulled wine
into mugs (leave seasonings behind) and enjoy!

Nutritional benefits: Here are just 4 of the multiple benefits:

1. Mulled wine is warming, which stimulates our metabolism and comforts
us in the cold weather.

2. Ginger: This spice has great anti-inflammatory benefits and is used to
treat the common cold, fever, flu, headache, motion sickness and vertigo, cancer
chemotherapy, nausea (including after surgery), inflammation (including
associated with  arthritis and ulcerative colitis), asthma, backache,
bronchitis, breast cancer, congestion, diarrhea, vomiting, cold sweats, dog
bites, malaria, poor circulation, stomach ache, suppressed menstruation,
swelling, syphilis, tetanus, toothache, and indigestion.

3. Cinnamon: Studies found that it is stabilizes blood sugars
(beneficial for people who suffer from Hyperglycemia and Type 2 Diabetes), has
an anti-clotting effect, relieves arthritis pain and yeast infection.

4. Cloves: Contain antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, plus they’re loaded in nutrients including Omega 3 and manganese.

Do you have any healthy, holiday suggestions?

Craving sweets late afternoon?

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Many of you have told me that by mid-afternoon, your energy starts to dip and you have cravings for sweets. When I ask what you eat for lunch, a typical reply is, “I eat healthy. I had a salad.”

All over the world, with the exception of the US, people eat full meals for lunch. Lunch should be your biggest meal. A rule of thumb is if you’re craving sweets or feel very hungry mid-afternoon, chances are that you didn’t eat a big enough lunch.

Another way to reduce and/or eliminate cravings is to drink fresh, organic juice daily. It may also have the added benefit of lowering your cholesterol and a whole other host of healthy benefits.

A Chiseled, Athletic Body Isn’t Necessarily a Sign of Health

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A 24-year-old, male body-builder called me complaining that he felt bloated as a result of doing drinking too much fresh organic juices. My first question is if he eats diet high in animal protein, which is highly acidic. He does.

When someone who has an acidic system eats highly alkalizing foods, they often end up with bloating, gas and constipation. On the outside, the body looks like a piece of art. On the inside, though, their body is a ticking bomb. The good news is that the body will eventually adjust.

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. I was a competitive runner and triathlete until my early 30s. I thought I had a very healthy diet. One day I woke up and I could barely move. Every step felt like I was walking through hair gel. My
doctor performed several blood tests and found that I had a severe case of
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Epstein Bar. 

I went to see a nutritionist who was well ahead of her time. She told me that 60% to 70% of my diet had to come from alkaline forming foods and that the easiest way to achieve this was to drink fresh, non pasteurized, organic juices. Fortunately I was living in New York City where juice bars were located on practically every corner. Within one week of drinking at least two juices per day, I felt completely rejuvenated.

When we’re young, we feel like we’re infallible, but I can almost guarantee that a poor diet, mixed with heavy work outs and or stress will eventually catch up with us.

Most people should be eating a diet of approximately 60% alkaline foods, but an athlete who is building so much lactic acid, that should probably be even higher.

10 Ways to Prevent/Reduce the Risk of Colds and Flu

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I am extremely fortunate that Dr. John Bordiuk is my primary physician.
Dr.Bordiuk interned for Dr. Mehmet Oz while at Columbia Medical School and is
affiliated with the Marino Center. He is one of the very few doctors I know
who has expertise in both Eastern and Western medical system.

These are his suggestions to prevent colds and flu:

1. Get Sleep

2. Vitamin C – 1000 to 3000mg a day – Reduces URIs in exercisers; reduces duration of URIs; does not work as an intervention. Take every day through the
season.

3. Vitamin D – Keep levels in range (above 40) through the season.

4. Zinc – Cold-EEZE for sore throat/colds. Consider prophylactic 15-20 mg a day.

5. Andrographics – 400mg tid as an intervention

6. Echinacea – 500mg once a day 3 weeks on, one week off through the season.

7. Elderberry – 1-4 tbsp for 3 to 5 (Sambucol) as intervention.

8. Garlic – 180mg Allicin qd through the season.

9. Ginseng – American Ginseng – 100-200 mg bid through the season (watch for
agitation; caution if there is high BP).

10. Probiotics – through the season.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to consume dark leafy greens!

A Novel Way to Relieve Back Pain

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Every morning when my uncle wakes up, his back is stiff and achy. It starts loosening up throughout the day, but the dull ache never really leaves him. He has had to curtail many of his activities, including his beloved golf. He’s done  everything in his mind to relieve the pain, including surgery, pain killers, physical therapy and rest. For a period, his back feels better, but after a while, the pain returns.

There may be another way…

According to Dr. Deepak Chopra, MD, back pain is on the rise and major causes include stress, a poor diet, sedentary life style, overweight and/or smoking. Why smoking?  Because “smoking literally starves your vertebral discs of oxygen and nutrition.” 

He recommends to “eat high-nutrition, whole foods to keep your bones and back tissues healthy, find ways to relax if you’re stressed out, because tension alone can create back pain” and exercise more. 

http://www.deepakchopra.com/blog/view/13/your_back_pain_(and_what_it%e2%80%99s_trying_to_tell_you)

What’s the easiest way to consume the optimal healthy diet so that you can prevent and/or cure back pain? Drink fresh organic juice!

What are you waiting for to feel your best?

Overweight? Constipated? Try these 6 Easy Tips to Get you Flowing

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The cold weather is drying, and believe it or not, this can impede our digestion, slow down our metabolism and cause constipation.

Take a step back and think about this logically. The cells in our body are constantly moving through chemical reactions. Heat speeds up the reaction. Cold slows it down. When you drink cold water, this will slow down your metabolism and warm water will do the opposite. This is also what happens in cold and warm climates.

Here are six easy tips to boost your metabolism and improve your flow:

1. Do not eat within 2 hours of going to bed and make dinner your smallest meal. A rule of thumb is if you are full when you wake up the next morning, your dinner was too big.

2. Make lunch your biggest meal and eat warm foods during the winter. A rule of thumb is if you are hungry mid-afternoon or for dinner, your lunch wasn’t big enough.

3. Drink half of your body weight in ounces of pure room temperature or warm water. Also, it is better to sip than to gulp as drinking too quickly can impede the flow.

4. Consume a diet high in fiber. I am typically do not like supplements, unless they’re whole food supplements and I just found and AMAZING one, called Liquid FiberX by Country Life, which is sold at Whole Foods.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
http://www.country-life.com/moreinfo.cfm?Category=25&Product_ID=477

JOOSbites are also very high in fiber, vegan and delicious and you can order them on our website at https://shop.drinkjoos.com/

5. Consume at least 60% of your diet as alkaline forming foods (fruits and vegetables). That’s why JOOS is such a staple for so many people!

6. Do light exercise daily to get your metabolism moving, even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

I would love to hear your tips about what you do to increase your flow.

 

 

Do artificial sweeteners actually lead to weight gain?

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Studies are showing that the answer is YES, artificial sweeteners are leading to weight gain, and also to so much worse, if that could be possible.

According to David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. Children’s Hospital Boston, “Artificial sweeteners are extremely sweet – hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than table sugar. So people who habitually consume them may wind up desensitized to sweetness. Healthful, satiating foods that are less sweet – such as fruits and vegetables – may become unappetizing by comparison. As a result, the overall quality of the diet may decline. The calories removed from the diet by the sugar-for-sweetener swap may sneak back in, in the form of refined carbohydrates and low-quality fats. In addition, some research has identified sweetness receptors in fat tissue. We don’t know for sure, but that raises the possibility that artificial sweeteners  could cause weight gain by directly stimulating the development of new fat  cells.”

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2011/December/are-artificial-sweeteners-a-good-alternative-to-sugar?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=121611-bk1_tw

So what should we use?

Here are two sweeteners that we love to use that easily substitute for table sugar and artificial sweeteners:

1. Raw turbinado sugar: Minimally processed and therefore, considered a
healthier alternative to table sugar. As you can see in the picture below, the color is brown, which reflects the minimal processing.

2. Honey granules: I just discovered this over the past year and love it. Honey has a couple important benefits that differentiate it from sugar:

  • Honey is subjected to only a minimal amount of heating so the nutrients are retained.
  • Honey contains antioxidants and anti-microbial properties.

I also stumbled upon a blog that gives a great list and explanations for healthy substitutes for sugar.

http://www.organicspark.com/portfolio/technique-how-i-replace-white-sugar/#comment-2464

What natural sweeteners do you use in your home?