Lets talk about orange juice. I hear it all the time. Orange Juice is good for us right? Well, you would think so considering it is made from oranges, but it's one of those foods that been tampered with to the point that it is no longer just the juice of an orange. This is what we do in this county, we mess around with our food until it's no longer good for us. The sad part is that most people are not aware of the problem, which is evidenced by all the disease in our country. The more we tamper with our food the sicker we become.
Here's my first issue with orange juice.
- When its processed it is held in giant stainless steel vats, and since it spoils quickly they remove all the oxygen from the vats which then allows the juice to hold for up to a year. Unfortunately, when they remove the oxygen it removes the flavor as well. So how does the orange juice industry solve that problem? They develop "flavor packets" to put taste back into the juice. They actually hire flavor specialists to create a taste they can add back into the juice. It's also one of the ways they ensure the product tastes the same every single time you buy it.
- They can put whatever they want in these flavor packets because they are not required to put this information on the label. Be aware that when you buy this product you really don't know what all is in it.
- When you buy a product that says 100% fresh juice you need to know that really is not the truth. The next time you buy a carton at the market remember that it's been sitting in a tank for a year. A YEAR!!!! I don't know about you, but that is not fresh in my book.
Here is my second issue with orange juice.
- Orange Juice is loaded with fructose and fructose has been linked to a whole host of health issues. A typical 8 ounce glass contains 25 grams of fructose. I don't eat 25 grams of sugar in a whole day so to have this in one glass of juice is asking for trouble.
- Fructose has been written about quite a lot lately because of the health risks associated with it. You might want to do some research on it, but I tell all my clients to remove fructose from theirs diets. Because it is digested in your liver it immediately turns into triglycerides which means fructose is basically poison for your liver.
If you still want to drink orange juice buy fresh squeezed juice from the health food store that has no added sugar, that way you will know it's juiced within the last few hours. Of course you can always juice your own at home, that would be the best choice. But these days most people don't have that kind of time. I recommend to my clients that they eliminate orange juice from their diets. It's not a good thing to put into the body for optimum health. Your best bet? Eat an orange instead.
Our house is chemical free. I want it to be a toxin free zone and, therefore, I am always on the lookout for homemade cleaning products and all natural items I can make myself. Many of these items also have the added benefit of saving money. I feel better about using them in my house, and I save a few bucks by not buying the junk in the stores.
I recently made this laundry detergent. I made the trial size so I could use it and check it out before I committed to the larger size. I got the recipe from One Good Thing by Jillie. She always posts really great DIY projects on her blog. Thanks Jillie!
It was not easy to find the washing soda. I went to every local store and no one carried it. I found it at my local Ace Hardware.
So here are the recipes for both sizes:
Trail Size
2 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
3 cups Borax
1 bar Felsnaptha Soap
4 1/2 cups Oxygenated Bleach
3/4 cup Baking Soda
Large Size
1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 box Borax
3 bars Felsnaptha Soap
2 tubs Oxygenated Bleach
2 cups Baking Soda
Get out your food processor. Chop the bars of felsnaptha into small chunks, put in the food processor and blend into a powder.
You might want to do this next part outdoors as it will release some of that powdery dust when it's all mixed together. I did it on my balcony.
Get a large bucket or bowl, pour the felsnaptha in, then measure each item and add to the bowl. Mix well with a big spoon or scoop. Pour the product into the container of your choice, I used large size canning jars. I labeled them and lined them up on my shelf above my washer.
Use 2 tablespoons per load.
Getting a good nights sleep in one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Unfortunately lots of us have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. I've personally had several phases in my life where I did not sleep well and it made such an impact on my ability to function. It's a very unpleasant experience and it raises your risk level for several diseases.
People who experience insomnia get so desperate they ask their doctors for sleeping pills and then find that they are addicted to them. Once you are dependent on them it is very difficult to get off and therefore, I always recommend trying a natural sleep support product first. I found a product called Guna Sleep that I think is a good safe product and many folks have had success with it. I've tried it myself and it worked for me. I like to combine it with essential oils. (I use Balance blend from doTerra) Between the two I get into a relaxed state, my mind is at ease which is what allows me to sleep. I also practice all the recommendations listed below.
About Guna Sleep. The ingredients are an all natural herbal blend and address many issues:
Avena sativa 6c nervousness
Chamomilla 6c restlessness
Helleborus niger 6c mental stress
Ignatia amara 6c restlessness
Interleukin 1 beta 4 c immune support
Melatonin 4 c hormonal regulation
Melissa officinalis 6c anxiety
Pineal gland 6x 12x 30x hormonal regulation
Pulsatilla 6c mood suport
Serotonin 6c hormonal support
Valeriana officinalis 6c restlessness
For people with insomnia the usual underlying issue is anxiety and most people don't realize that that is what they are experiencing. It seems people don't want to admit to feeling anxiety and it takes some time to get them to realize that if they treat the anxiety the sleeplessness with take care of itself. As you can see from the list there are agents in Guna Sleep that help with anxiety and relaxation.
Besides using an all natural sleep aid it is important that you practice several things to help insure a long restful sleep:
- establish a regular sleep and wake schedule
- unplug at least one hour before bed, no TV and no computer
- develop a relaxing evening routine one hour before bed, take a hot bath or read
- reserve the bedroom for sleep and sex only
- maintain a very dark room, no electronics or LED lights
- keep the temperature cool
- limit afternoon naps
- avoid vigorous exercise in the late evening
- avoid excessive alcohol, it interrupts the sleep cycle
- eliminate caffeine in the late afternoon and evening
- manage your stress level. This is one of the most important items because your stress level will keep your brain going and prevent you from shutting down. Try meditation to clear your mind.
Andrew Weil, MD is the founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and a partner in True Food Kitchen. He is the author of several bestselling books including Spontaneous Happiness, The Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Aging, and 8 weeks to Optimum Health.
I've been following Andrew Weil for years. I subscribe to his newsletters, read all his articles on health, and have such a deep respect for the man because of his integrative school in Arizona. He feels that our doctors come out of medical school not knowing anything about nutrition or how to help their patients achieve wellness through diet so he single-handedly opened the first integrative school to teach this to doctors. He is effecting the way medicine is taught in this country and now others are following in his footsteps. He is a guru in the wellness community.
The book is based on eating an anti inflammatory diet. Why is this important? Because inflammation is the root of all disease. If you can reduce the inflammation in your body you will reduce your risk of disease.
Dr. Weil has always taught diet first, medicine second, but when he decided to open an actual restaurant showing people how to eat I immediately had to see it. Fortunately for me there is a location close to my house in Newport Beach California. I then purchased the book and started making some of the dishes in my own kitchen. I am a pretty healthy eater anyway but having a cookbook like this makes eating right all the more enjoyable. The recipes are not difficult and color photos are so nice to see. It's fun to make a dish and then see if you end product looks like the photo. Trust me they won't look as good!
I am not a broccoli fan but the Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan made me a believer. Now I can eat it without saying yuck. The Kale Salad is one of the best selling items at the restaurant and it is in the book. There is a Citrus Sesame Sauce recipe that I use on everything. He shows it on green beans but you can make a batch and put it literally on anything.
Good eating should be enjoyable but also do something healthy for the body. The recipes in this book do just that.
Diabetes. Where do I begin. This is an emotional issue for me. I get very upset at the toll this disease has taken on our population. I have spent the past few years doing considerable research on this topic and I find some of the activity in our country criminal. Therefore, in this post I am going to try and explain what is going on and why more and more of our population is needlessly suffering with this disease.
America's diabetes rate is increasing at such a rate that the Wall Street Journal calls it a growth industry. Public health officials estimate that by 2050 one third of all Americans will have diabetes.
Diabetes trade shows and expos display the latest prescription drugs and devices for diagnosing and treating the illness. TV commercials feature celebrity endorsements, there are diabetes magazines, newsletters, blogs, on line forums for articles, food blogs, classes. Despite all this few Americans improve enough to avoid the nerve damage, foot pain, frozen shoulder, vision loss, confusion, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol profiles, fatigue, heart disease, chronic infections, and gangrene that are all considered normal complications. Why?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has for years touted the low calorie, low fat, low protein, high carbohydrate diet, that emphasized fruit, milk, bread, and very little fat and be sure to measure everything you eat. A typical suggested breakfast was non fat milk, banana, orange juice. The body recognizes all of these as sugar and therefore glucose levels would rise after eating this meal. This diet was basically supporting the diabetes, keeping the glucose levels high, as we now know. And the emphasis on measuring does no good when you're eating the wrong foods to begin with.
Some wellness practitioners were wise to this and starting putting their clients on low to no carb diets eliminating potatoes, rice, cereals, breads, fruits, low fat items like milk and yogurt and refined sugar. They started to see glucose levels go down and people started losing weight. Many were able to go off their medications.
Gary Taubes is a journalist who wrote the books Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why we Get Fat and through his extensive research discovered that the low fat, high carbohydrate diet recommended by the ADA, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has never been supported by scientific research. The diets they recommend might be ok for people with normal blood sugars but for those who are overweight or have insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, or diabetes these diets can be disastrous.
Unfortunately most doctors follow these guidelines mentioned above and as we have seen, the rate of diabetes continues to rise. Doctors are following the advice of these organizations, and it is clear that doctors are not helping people reverse this disease. As long as we continue to follow these flawed guidelines the disease will continue to escalate.
Another issue is with our insurance programs. Insurance won't pay for many diabetes prevention programs and therefore people do not get the help they need. It's mind boggling to me that insurers won't pay the $150 for a diabetic patient to see a podiatrist who could help them prevent foot ailments from the disease, but they would pay for the amputation costing more than $30,000. Patients have trouble getting reimbursement for $75 to see a nutritionist who can counsel them on their diet but will pay for the $315 per dialysis treatment for patients who have destroyed their kidneys. We spend far more money on the effects of the disease than we can ever spend on prevention. It's important for people to understand that if they are willing to spend a few hundred dollars out of their own pockets they can get help with this disease. Don't let your insurance company keep you from getting the help you need.
If you suffer with this disease do not make the mistake of only following your doctors orders when it comes to this disease. It has been proven time and time again that the people who go outside their doctors office and find other forms of assistance are the ones that beat this disease. Our medical doctors are not trained in nutrition. They do not have the latest diabetes information nor do they have the time to coach you and follow up with you. Many are afraid of lawsuits so they stay with the status quo. All they can do is give you medication to help manage the disease. (In fact many of these medications make the disease worse and cause other complications, but that's another article.) You must take it into your own hands to find a program that can teach you what changes you need to make in your diet. Then you work the program, along with seeing your doctor and making adjustments to your medications as you improve your numbers. With changes to your diet, you can lower your glucose numbers rapidly and this will in turn allow you to reduce your medications and finally get off them for good.
But this takes work and you must be prepared to do the work. There are a number of very good books out there now that give people the information they need to make life changes. I can recommend a couple for you if you are interested.
Resource: The Well Being Journal March/April 2013
When agave nectar came out in the 1990's it seemed like an answer to our prayers. Those of us who are health nuts are always looking for natural sweeteners, and there are not many, so this was exciting news for us. We were told that because it was fructose it was a good choice for diabetics because it did not spike glucose levels like regular sugar. Since that time I've read countless articles and medical papers about both the benefits and the evils of agave nectar. Well, the jury is in.
Agave nectar is not a natural sweetener as it was first touted. Plus, it has more concentrated fructose in it than high fructose corn syrup! When I first laid eyes on the bottle labeled Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar I assumed a couple of things. One that is was organic , two that it is raw, and three that is was from the blue agave plant. None of that is true!
If you do the research you will find out that it is actually made from the starch of a pineapple root. The Weston A. Price foundation website contains information I have used here.
The principle component of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complete carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules. Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave. The process by which the glucose and inulin are converted into nectar is similar to the process by which corn starch is converted into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The agave starch is subjected to an enzymatic and chemical process that converts the starch into a fructose rich syrup, anywhere from 70 percent fructose. Compare that to the typical fructose content of HFCS at 55% and you can see that it's a concern.
I've heard it time and time again, agave is low on the glycemic index and so it's safe for diabetics. There are some differences in the way the body digests sugars and I could get into a lengthy explanation, but I will spare you. The gist is that fructose is digested in your liver which is immediately turned into triglycerides or stored body fat. Since it doesn't get converted to blood glucose like other sugars it doesn't raise or crash your blood sugar levels and therefore the claim that it is safe for diabetics.
The only problem is that is isn't.
It can cause weight gain, and the ugly kind, visceral fat, the most dangerous. It's also associated with chronic disease, particularly metabolic syndrome. It also increases insulin sensitivity, increases LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL which put you at higher risk of heart disease. While high fructose agave syrup won't spike your glucose levels, the fructose in it may cause mineral depletion, liver inflammation hardening of the arteries insulin resistance leading to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
My advice. Stay away from the stuff.
I will be writing a more through piece on fructose in the near future so stay tuned.
Coconut oil has been written about a lot lately and lots of people are changing over to this miracle oil, for everything because it's not only great for cooking and baking, it's wonderful for the skin and hair. You can even brush your teeth with it.
During these cold winter months my skin has been so incredibly dry. One night in bed, literally in the middle of the night, I started scratching my leg, and it kept itching, so I kept scratching, and it kept itching, so I kept scratching. Before I realized it I had drawn blood. Yes, blood. I had this for a couple of weeks. I wondered if I was going to have a scar but alas once I started using this body butter it healed quickly.
Now I don't know what you use for a body lotion but I love body butters. I've bought many, and while they feel nice when you first put them on they really don't keep the skin moisturized for very long. In addition, I now only buy all natural products so there are no emollients for agents at work. It can take some getting used to when you first switch over. The reason I switched is because the toxic load in your body can get heavier the older you get. It is important to me to try and keep the toxins I put in, and on, my body to a minimum which allows my liver and lymph system to do the work they need to do.
I whipped this up, put it in a plastic jar and put it in my dressing room. I use it twice per day. Once in the morning immediately after my shower, and then again at night when I change into my pajamas to go to bed. I am amazed by the results. It does feel oily when you first put it on, but it goes right into your skin and after a few minutes most of the oil will be gone. That's why I do it right out of the shower. I put on my robe, do my hair and makeup, and by the time I get dressed I don't have to worry about getting oil on my cloths.
Recipe:
1 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil
few drops of essential oil
I used my KitchenAid stand mixer for this. The idea is to whip some air into it. The coconut oil must be solid, do not allow it to melt or it won't whip. Turn the speed up and allow it to whip for about 6 minutes.
You can use the fragrance of your choice. I used lavender essential oil because that's what I like, and you should use what you like, perhaps a citrus, flower or herb smell you love.
I've been using this body butter on a regular basis for weeks now and I can see that I'm going to be whipping up a batch of this on a regular basis. Its also inexpensive at approximately $2 to $3, which is much cheaper than anything I can find in a store.
I hope you love it as much as I do.
