February 5, 2012

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Diet is Key in Kicking the Habit

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Quitting smoking for good can be really tricky business.  Reason being it is very easy to switch from the smoking habit right into another bad habit.  The most common switch is from smoking to over-eating, and more specifically, to sugar addiction.

The average person who quits smoking gains anywhere from 4 lbs, all the way up to 30 lbs! This is why many experts are suggesting that smokers stop eating sugar and most carbs before they quit smoking.  This will make quitting smoking much easier and save you from obesity, which happens to be even more deadly than smoking!

Proper Nutrition = Smoke Free Success 

Getting vital nutrients into your body before you begin your journey to stop smoking is of the utmost importance.  Proper nutrition can help you quit smoking in several ways:

  1. If your body is “satisfied” with the proper vitamins, minerals and nutrients, then your craving for nicotine will be much less intense.
  2. Adequate nutrition minimizes depression and anxiety, which can easily occur when you smoking.
  3. When you eat healthy, it helps to strengthen your detoxification pathways, clearing the years of toxins that have accumulated from smoking.
  4. A healthy diet is going to make you feel stronger and more alert, enabling you to have more willpower to quit.

The Best Diet for Smoking Cessation 

A low carb diet is one of the best choices for smoking cessation.  I recommend...


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Filed Under: Healthy Recipes & Eating Ideas, Quit Smoking, January 2012, Recipes, Slideshow Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

To Soy or Not To Soy!

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Soy products are big business in the health food industry. Promoted for its appeal as a natural, low fat, no cholesterol food, it’s easy to see why so many of us would buy into the claim that soy is a health food. Besides, if much of Asia enjoys dietary forms of soy on a daily basis then it must be good, right? Not necessarily. There are seemingly advantages and disadvantages associated with soy that may make you think twice about whether or not it’s truly beneficial to your body.

Nutritional Facts and Figures

Soybeans are nutritious. For vegans and vegetarians, soy is an important source of protein, rich in iron, zinc and calcium. Dr. Mercola, a natural health advocate, is largely against adding soy to the diet unless it’s the fermented variety such as Tempeh, Miso and Natto. Fermented soy may offer many health benefits to the body. Unfermented soy contains large amounts of natural toxins, including enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion.

“They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer,” says Mercola.com

Negative or Positive Results

Research shows that Asian people, who eat large quantities of soy, have lower rates of heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer, fewer hip fractures and fewer hot flashes. However, there is little research to prove that soy is the reason why. Where heart disease is concerned, the AHA does at least support soy foods for good heart health if only because they usually replace less healthful choices, like red meat, and because they deliver plenty of polyunsaturated fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and are low in saturated fat.

Questionably, the biggest pro to adding soy to the diet is its effect on cholesterol levels. In 1999, the FDA endorsed soy as a means to lower cholesterol. However, according to the American Heart Association’s, eating 50 grams of soy each day lowers LDL only about 3 percent. When you consider that 50 grams of soy protein is more than half the average person’s daily protein requirement, that’s a lot of soy for a relatively insignificant decrease. You would need to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of soy milk a day!

Soy provides isoflavones and essential fatty acids. According to the Health Services Agency of Stanislaus County, CA, these isoflavones are phytoestrogens, weak estrogen-like substances made by plants. “They are similar enough to estrogen that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors, possibly explaining how soy might protect against breast cancer.”

Unfortunately, these same phytoestrogens, in large quantities, may also have a negative impact. The Harvard School of Public Health brings attention to a handful of unsettling reports that suggest that concentrated supplements of soy proteins may actually stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. “On August 12, 2000, two senior US government scientists, Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, announced their belief that soy products could cause breast cancer in women, brain cancer in both genders, and infant birth defects. Their internal protest letter within the FDA cited 28 studies showing the dangers of soy products containing isoflavones.

Possible Risks

When we think of soy, many of us first think of tofu – and the Asians. Also known as textured vegetable protein, tofu is high on Mercola’s list of soy foods to be avoided. Why? It’s commercially made in large metal containers and thus contains high levels of aluminum. It’s also flavored with MSG…yuk! But above all, soy infant formula remains top of the worst soy foods list for Dr. Mercola. “Infants fed soy formula have up to 20,000 times the amount of estrogen circulating in their blood stream than infants who are not fed soy formula!”

So…Soy?

To conclude, there is no evidence to show that soy-based foods eaten in moderation as part of a varied diet, are harmful. If you do want to add soy to your diet, to take advantage of the possible cholesterol and cardiovascular benefits, you would be wise to consume soy in moderation and at best only eat fermented forms.

Roger Asmus entered a fitness competition and won the Mr. Teenage Colorado in 1991. He was later named Mr. Mile High in 1996 and achieved his dream when he was proudly awarded the title of Mr. Natural Colorado in 1998. Roger has been highly sought after as a model and authority in the fitness world, appearing in national news and magazines sources. Roger is currently one of the top personal trainers in the country and is president of Core Health Innovations™.

 

 

Filed Under: Go Get Thin, Menopause, July 2011 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ponce De Leon – We Got It! The Good Life!

June 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Declining fitness was once expected at about age 35 – now we know it doesn’t have to.

Why grow old gracefully? Even though Ponce de Leon’s efforts to find the fountain of youth were futile, may individuals have continued his crusade.

Aging is a fact of life, and surprisingly, scientists do not know a great deal about this process. For most individuals, the celebration of their 35 birthday begins to mark the decline of physiological functions.

So you’ve slacked off a bit and avoided exercise.

Maybe your job demands too much of your time or you simply fell out of the routine. I have news for you. Whether you’ve taken off one year, ten years or haven’t exercised a day in your life – it’s never too late to start.

You see there are problems with living a life devoid of exercise. Big problems. Your weight rises along with your blood pressure and cholesterol. Your muscles and joints degenerate at an astounding rate leaving you with daily aches and pains. Your body becomes weak, making you susceptible to all kinds of medical issues. Your body stores more fat, time to react lengthens, endurance weakens, osteoporosis sets in, flexibility decreases and joint bones crush. But, with exercise, change how you age.

How Your Body Changes

  • Increase in your fat storage with a reduction in muscle and bone mass results in an elevation in percentage of body fat. A large part of these changes can be accounted for by a less active lifestyle and exercise, and a drop in basal metabolism. This means that fewer calories are required to maintain body weight, while at the same time, fewer calories are expended.
  • Decreases in reaction time can be observed under laboratory conditions, but you probably won’t notice this unless you are in your 50’s. This slowing is a result of decreases in nerve conduction velocities and an increase in the time required for the brain to process the information and to select the appropriate response.
  • The amount of blood your heart can pump per minute also declines along with an individual’s maximum breathing capacity. These factors explain why endurance capacity decreases.
  • Women are particularly prone to osteoporosis or the thinning of bones. This problem can begin as early as age 25, and speeds up as menopause is approached. It is during the first few years after menopause that the rate at which bone density is lost is tremendously accelerated.
  • Decreases in flexibility result from a loss of elasticity in the connective tissue. That’s one of the main reasons which explains why a person will experience initial joint stiffness after being idle or remaining in a set position for a relatively short period of time.
  • The wearing away of the cartilage which attaches to the ends of the bones, will affect everyone sooner or later. Some evidence suggests that activities which demand repeated pounding, or those which require extremely heavy loads to be moved, place tremendous stress on the joints and ten to accelerate this process.

Exercise For Youth

Before you give up all hope and flood the personnel department with requests information about early retirement, results of studies which compare sedentary and active people whose ages from 40-80 years old are encouraging.

The research suggests that you use it or lose it. Exercise strengthens the heart and reduces your risks of cardiovascular disease, as well as osteoporosis. Information does suggest that exercise can postpone the onset of normal age-related deterioration. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain.

Well-designed exercise programs are important for all individuals, but they take on even greater emphasis as one ages. The body is less forgiving when over-used and requires a longer period of time to fully recover from work.

Why Should I Start Now?

You’ve heard about the benefits that consistent exercise bring, but what if you haven’t been consistent? Should you even start at all? This has been the subject of many medical studies and the results are unanimous:

Exercise helps improve your quality of life, even if you start late.

Researchers are constantly finding new benefits to consistent exercise. It’s no wonder that Dr. Robert Butler, of the National Institute on Aging, once said “If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the single most prescribed medicine in the world.”

Imagine if a pill could offer all of these benefits (without harmful side effects):

  • Substantially reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis
  • Decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure
  • Helps to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
  • Contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints
  • Helps relieve anxiety and depression
  • Promotes well-being and reduces stress
  • Is associated with fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and medications
  • Helps prevent and treat chronic medical conditions associated with old age
  • Increases energy levels and promotes sound sleep
  • Strengthens immune system

I know that I would take that pill – wouldn’t you? Exercise may not be something that you can gulp down with a glass of water, but it will offer you all of the above benefits that can greatly enhance your quality of life.

Excuses, excuses, excuses…

I know what you are thinking. Those benefits sound great, but I can’t exercise because:

  • Exercise is painful. Not if you do the type most suitable for you.
  • Exercise is boring. Most people who exercise find it to be quite enjoyable.
  • Exercise takes too long. It only takes 30-60 minutes a day.
  • Exercise is confusing. Not when you work with a trained professional (me).
  • Exercise if for young people. Studies have shown that exercise if for all ages.

Get Started the Right Way

Many people have started an exercise program only to quit days later. Now that you have decided that exercise may be worth your time after all, ensure your success with the following tips:

Make a Commitment

You know the meaning and value of a solid commitment. It’s in your blood. So don’t view exercise as something you will merely try. You will only reap the true benefits of exercise when you stick with it.

A great way to reinforce your commitment is to solicit the support of your friends and family. Tell them how you plan to improve your health and quality of life through exercise – who knows, they may join you.

Set Reachable Goals

This is an immensely important ingredient to your success. Don’t start your exercise program with unreasonable expectations. If you expect to lose all of your unwanted pounds and fat, drop your blood pressure and cure your joint pain all in one week then you will be sorely disappointed. Remember that it took years for your body to fall out of shape so it makes sense that it will take some time to regain it. The key to unlocking all of the benefits of exercise lies in one word: consistency. Only then will your body be transformed.

Rearrange Your Schedule

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This may be because his schedule simply didn’t allow for it. The truth is that as we age there is a tendency to become ‘stuck in our ways.’ The thought of rearranging your schedule may leave you a bit squeamish.

Remind yourself that exercise is worth your time and then think long and hard about your daily schedule. The fact is that you do have time to lend toward exercise – you simply need to find it. Set aside 30-60 minutes for exercise and then stick with it.

Increase the Challenge

You should start your exercise program with the thought of easing into it. Since you haven’t exercised in awhile your body will need to build up strength and endurance. Consider a car that has been sitting in your garage for years. You wouldn’t turn it on and instantly slam down on the gas would you? You need to warm it up.

However, this warm up period should not last forever. Your body has an amazing ability to adapt to new challenges and will grow complacent when asked to do the same exercises over and over. When your routine begins to feel easy take that as a hint to increase the challenge.

Don’t let another day pass you by. You deserve the good life. Take action now.

Nordine Zouareg is a former Mr. Universe, an International Fitness Coach, Speaker and Author of the book Mind Over Body: The Key to Lasting Weight Loss is All in Your Head! He offers world-class advice on health and fitness, inner balance and stress management, and achieving one’s full potential the inner keys to extraordinary performance. An inspiring message of hope and achievement, based on his own extraordinary story. For more information, visit: www.NordineZ.com

 

 

 

Filed Under: Osteoporosis, June 2011, Weight Control, Exercise & Fitness Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Avoid Childhood Obesity: 10 Steps To A Healthier Child

April 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A whopping 22 million children under the age of 5 are obese. Professor Terry Wilken of the Peninsula Medical School tells us that by age 5, “the die is cast.” One million children are now showing signs of high blood pressure and heart disease, presenting a new era of extraordinary challenge of high body fat to our nation’s pediatricians.

According to Dr. Tim Lobstein of the International Obesity Task Force, the scope of these numbers and their implication for mankind is unprecedented.

From smiling clowns at drive-up windows to a beckoning Chihuahua, and a kid whose bologna has a first name; the competition is fierce for market share of your child’s stomach. Drive-up counters have replaced the dinner bell and fast food is no longer fast enough. Not surprisingly, diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes has surged 90 percent, in the last decade alone.

Sugar races into your child’s bloodstream, signaling their pancreas to produce insulin. Trans fatty acids accelerate their risk for heart disease. Preservatives, artificial additives, man-made sugars, white carbohydrates and processed foods add fuel to this internal fire—the building blocks for cellular aberration, degeneration and stored body fat.

If we care about obesity prevention… we need to translate that belief to our children. It starts by recapturing the family dinner and wholesome cooking. Prioritize purchasing locally grown foods and the value of what “live food” can do for the body, mind and spirit. It’s time for us to become nourishers as well as nurturers.

10 Steps To A Healthier Child

1)  Healthy snacks: Seeds are far more nutritionally dense than other foods, particularly those from pumpkin and squash. Add them to a mix with the healthiest nuts like almonds, pistachios, macadamia and pine. They break down slowly and feed you gradually, helping your child avoid hunger and low blood sugar; while bathing their cells with “healthy” fat.

2)  Fruits and vegetables: Seven fruits or vegetables a day “is” doable.  Invest in a great blender, like the Vita Mix 5200, and throw in all things good. You’ll be amazed at how a banana can mask the taste of the most onerous veggie (even fish oil). Consider mixing in some organic” freeze dried” berry powder. Make healthy smoothies or serve fresh vegetable juice.

3)  White Carbohydrates: Eliminate bleached and artificially fortified miracle bread. If you must, opt for sourdough and top it off with healthy Extra Virgin Olive Oil or real organic butter. It’s naturally high acidity, coupled with a topping of healthy fat, slows its entry in the bloodstream, giving your child’s pancreas a break. For pasta dishes, make the switch from white noodles to 100 percent whole wheat.

4)  Organic locally-grown vegetables: Grow your own or purchase them from a local farmers market. Another alternative is Community Supported Agriculture. Go to www.localharvest.org/csa/. Sign up and pick up a beautiful basket of fresh locally grown vegetable produce for a small fee at a local community college. Take control of what your child eats in school as well. Farm to School (www.farmtoschool.org) delivers healthy foods from local farms, to schools nationwide.

5)  Less is best: Serve less food by using smaller plates or share an entrée when dining out. We’ve grown accustomed to eating outlandish portions because they’re there. Serve moderate amounts of animal protein too. As a rule of thumb, never eat a serving of protein larger than a deck of playing cards. Kids need even less.

6)  Make healthier choices: Healthy fats in reasonable amounts help balance blood sugar and reduce internal inflammation. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for higher-heat cooking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for low to medium heat cooking. Dredge that chicken in coconut flour, not bleached flour. Eat the healthiest sources of protein, by choosing grass-fed beef, free-range pastured poultry, and fish from unpolluted waters.

7)  Sugar: Reduce it. While no sugar is healthy, studies show that Xylitol significantly reduces the bacteria and plaque on teeth when used moderately. Even better, use Stevia, an all natural herbal sweetener with none of sugar’s downside. Fill that “sippy cup” with water, not fruit juice; fructose cravings and tooth decay begin at a young age, from sugary foods.

8)  Family Time: A study by Harvard researchers Taveris et al. (Obesity Research, 2005) of more than 14,000 children ages 9-14, concluded that the benefits of eating dinner as a family appear to include improved diet quality, reduced high-risk adolescent behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use, and improved performance in school.

9)  Water: Drink ample amounts of natural spring water without fluoride; approximately half your child’s body weight, expressed in ounces daily. Example: an 80-pound child should drink 40 ounces of water throughout the day.

10) Walk: Studies show countless benefits from brisk walking for as little as 15 minutes a day, from reduced body fat to increased bone density.

Roger Asmus entered a fitness competition and won the Mr. Teenage Colorado in 1991. He was later named Mr. Mile High in 1996 and achieved his dream when he was proudly awarded the title of Mr. Natural Colorado in 1998. Roger has been highly sought after as a model and authority in the fitness world, appearing in national news and magazines sources. Roger is currently one of the top personal trainers in the country and is president of Core Health Innovations™.
Filed Under: Autism, April 2011, Weight Control, Exercise & Fitness Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Holiday Eating

December 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

During this Holiday season we decided to put together some eating tips for alternating recipes and ways to avoid the calorie laden dishes served at every holiday party or meal. These tips should not only get you through the rest of the Holiday season, but they will also serve you well at any social event or dinner party into next year.

Gratefully, there are some very easy ways to revamp your recipes and dinner party strategies so you can make better eating habits.

Healthy Holiday Eating Recipe Tips

  1. Use the lower, healthier fat versions of cream cheese and sour cream.
  2. Instead of half-and-half, use 1% or skim milk and plain, fat-free yogurt can take the place of a whipped topping on a dessert.
    Note about yogurt: some fat-free versions have more added sugar to make up the taste, so read labels.
  3. A tip for baking: Use puréed fruits instead of oil for cakes, muffins or cookies. For example, if a cake recipe requires ½ cup of vegetable oil, use ½ cup of applesauce instead.  You’d be surprised that you get the same flavor, moisture and texture.  For those watching their cholesterol, two egg whites or ¼ cup of egg substitute can replace one whole egg.

Healthy Eating Tips for Holiday Cooking

It’s estimated that the average holiday “meal” contains 3,000 calories – more than most people should eat in an entire day. So, how can you enjoy a tasty tradition without ending up in a calorie coma?

Follow these guidelines:...


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Filed Under: Healthy Recipes & Eating Ideas, Recipes, Shingles, December 2010, Slideshow, Special Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dealing with Stress and Cortisol Control

December 1, 2010 By 1 Comment

Many of us stuffer with stress, some of us more than others. However, few of us are really aware that stress impacts our health. Fear not. There are simple steps you can take to help better manage it.

Usually associated with the physical and mental side-effects of a busy lifestyle, stress is rampant during times such as this. For many people, a bad economy is at the root of money worries, leading to high anxiety. During periods of stress, the body generates chemicals called cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Coritsol is commonly known as the “stress hormone,” this very important hormone is produced and secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate numerous body functions including blood pressure, insulin release, glucose metabolism, immune function and inflammatory response. It also plays an important role in the regulation of emotion, cognition, reward, and energy utilization.

Why do we need to control cortisol?

It’s simple. Excess cortisol is secreted during times of physical or psychological stress, which can alter the normal pattern of cortisol release. When hormones are imbalanced, often due to stress, lack of exercise or a poor diet, a person can experience symptoms such as depression, mood swings, low libido and fatigue.

Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and helps maintain blood sugar levels, which may cause an increase in appetite and cravings for high-carb, high-fat foods. Not surprisingly therefore, high levels of cortisol can also contribute to weight gain and even affect where you put on weight. Studies show that stress and elevated cortisol levels actually cause an increase in visceral fat in the abdominal area, the worst place to store excess fat. There is a strong correlation between abdominal fat and cardiovascular disease.

Lifestyle Changes to Control Cortisol

Sleep is a very important component of any healthy lifestyle. Making sure you get an adequate amount of sleep each night can help keep hormone levels in an ideal range. According to nutrition4health.org, the key to a rejuvenating sleep  is having a normal cortisol rhythm during the day that leads up to a restful nights sleep. In other words, the two go hand in hand.

Although caffeine can function as an effective way to boost metabolism, making sure you don’t exceed 400mg each day is important where cortisol is concerned.

Vitamin C is thought to be a stress buster that can have a positive impact on the hormone cortisol. Psychology Today declares that vitamin C helps reduce the physical and psychological impact of stress. “In one study German researchers subjected 120 people to a sure-fire stressor….Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Such signs of stress as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who got vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin,” reports Psychology Today.

Refrain from drinking alcohol. High levels of intoxication could stimulate cortisol release. A study titled  Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that long-term chronic drinking produces an increase in cortisol both during intoxication and withdrawal.

To keep cortisol levels balanced or as the experts call it, in a homeostatic state, relaxation techniques can be very beneficial. Everything from Yoga, to listening to music, to exercising regularly can have a positive effect on the body’s response to stress.

So, how do you recognize when your stress level may be too high?

Stress Symptoms

  • Feeling excessive guilt when you’re relaxing, and not always staying busy
  • Having trouble getting to sleep
  • Finding it hard to concentrate
  • Experiencing an unusually high level of sensitivity
  • Tension in your body
  • Indigestion, loss of appetite or eating purely for comfort

Stress Management

Making some simple lifestyle changes should help ease many of the symptoms associated with stress. If however, you are experiencing stress or anxiety that is a real cause for concern, you should always talk to your doctor.

  • Take things one step at a time. It’s ok to say no when demands are too high.
  • Talk to someone who is positive and will offer you useful advice.
  • Let out your frustration in a healthy way. Try shouting out load, screaming or even hitting a pillow!
  • Use relaxation techniques such as yoga to help calm your body and mind.
  • Become physically active. Exercise releases endorphins into your blood stream, giving you a feeling of happiness and improved sense of well-being.
  • Take time out from your usual daily routine. Socialize with friends or take time to be at one with yourself.

Stress, high levels of these cortisol can raise blood pressure, increase heart rate and make you sweat more. In addition to this, too much cortisol circulating in the body can lead to weight gain. Excessive amounts of cortisol releases fat and sugar into your bloodstream and even preventing the immune system from functioning properly. Do all that you can to be stress-less!

Filed Under: Go Get Thin, Shingles, December 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Natural Way to Melt Belly Fat

May 30, 2010 By 1 Comment

It seems like everywhere you look there are people making outrageous claims about some new miracle pill or dangerous diet that can help you fight the battle of the bulge.

If you are tired of all the gimmicks and are looking for an ”all natural” way to burn fat; then please read this whole message.

Most don’t work, and the ones that do get you results are usually dangerous.

Who wants to ingest a bunch of synthetic chemicals made in a lab anyway?

But, it sure would nice if there was something safe, natural and effective for melting off stubborn belly fat.

Well, recently, a quote from a very well known celebrity doctor caught my eye:

“…You’d lose up to 10 pounds in 4-6 weeks doing nothing but taking green tea. Green tea increases your daily fat burning rate by 43%.” ~ Dr. Nicholas Perricone, MD, FACN

Now, that sounds like something I could get behind: Replace my morning coffee with green tea and watch the pounds fall off and burn fat!

But, before you load up on green tea, there are a couple of things you should know.

First, there is actually another kind of tea that works better than green tea. In fact, it burns 220% more calories than green tea.* Not bad!

The name of this type of tea is called Oolong, and it had been used in China as a natural weight loss and health remedy for hundreds of years.

Now, before you go out and buy Oolong tea, you must know that all Oolong is not created equal.  In fact, far from it.

It turns out that there is a very special strand of Oolong called Wu-Long that is grown in the WuYi mountains at a very high altitude. Because of the high altitude, the yield is lower on the actual plants. But, what this does is concentrate the polyphenol content of the tea (the part that burns fat), so that…

Each cup of this special Oolong tea burns over 2.5 times more fat than any other strand of Oolong.

This means it would take 5 cups of any other type of Oolong to equal two cups of Wu-Long!!

This is why this is the only strand of Oolong considered “medical grade” in China.

There is only one way to get this tea outside of going to China yourself, and that is through a company called Okuma. They have exclusive marketing rights to sell this tea outside of China. So, anyone else claiming that they supply this tea is simply not being accurate with the truth.

They have been in business for a long time, and were actually mentioned by name by Bill Phillips of Body For Life Fame and on the Rachael Ray show.

Here’s how you can get some for yourself.

Recently, I made contact with Okuma because I wanted some of this stuff and I knew my readers would be as excited as I am.

They are pretty good folks. (They actually sent our office about 3 months worth and we are all pretty much off coffee now, except for on the days when it is absolutely necessary.)

Anyway, they have a bunch of different packages. It is up to you if you want to give it a try.

I think it is a no brainer.

http://bit.ly/ar7TwP

The other health benefits of this tea are too numerous to list. But, a big one is that it can dramatically increase the quality of your skin tone. Check out what this person had to say:

“I was really concerned that Wu-Long would not work for me because I was already a healthy weight. I have used Wu-Long for just 3 weeks now and have lost 10.5 lbs, 2 inches in my waist and 2 inches in my thighs and hips. Also, my skin has a nice glow that I haven’t seen in a while. I am completely satisfied with my results and would recommend the tea to anyone.” ~ Patricia Barnes

http://bit.ly/ar7TwP

*Komatsu T, Nakamori M, Komatsu K, Hosoda K, Okamura M, Toyama K, Ishikura Y, Sakai T,
 Kunii D, Yamamoto S (2003). Oolong tea increases energy metabolism in Japanese females.
The journal of medical investigation : JMI. 2003 Aug;50(3-4):170-5.
Filed Under: Product Review & Recommendation, Recommendation, Special Feature, Weight Loss, May 2010 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dr. Saunders' Guaranteed Rules of Weight Loss

May 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Rules That Will Keep You Slim & Healthy

“I hardly eat anything, and I’m STILL gaining weight!” Angela, a 24-year-old overweight woman is in tears. “I’ve tried EVERYTHING!” She has been on diet pills, as well as all sorts of diets. She has had some success, at times, but just gains it all back soon after losing it. She exercises regularly and tries to eat good food, but continues to gain weight. Her experience is not unusual; it’s very discouraging for many people.

Considering that the history of mankind has been fraught with periodic famine, it’s no wonder that our bodies are made to be very efficient with energy. We absorb it very well, convert it to its various forms (mechanical, heat, electrical, chemical) efficiently, and store anything that isn’t used immediately. Today, we will consider the storage of energy in the body, specifically fat.

The body is made for feast and famine. During times of plenty, the body stores energy, and then during times of famine the energy can be used. Today, though, we have a continual feast, with no famine. This is why there is a weight-control problem in the first place. Most of my patients have never gone a single day without eating. Every study with animals, including monkeys, cats, rats, spiders, worms and even yeast, live longer and better when given fewer calories. Maintaining a healthy body requires limiting calories. Every external method for losing weight, including bariatric surgery (stomach-stapling, Lap-band), medications, diets and so forth, work only because fewer calories are consumed.

One huge misconception is that you could lose weight through more exercise. If this worked, then Sumo wrestlers would be skinny. On the other hand, exercise has many other benefits and should be continued throughout life. For example, it’s the best way to stay out of a nursing home. Exercise won’t make you thin – only...


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Filed Under: Dr. Scott Saunders, Weight Loss, May 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Body Mass Index is NOT a Good Indicator of Obesity

May 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Screen your body for muscle, not fat

As you already know, for every effect there is a cause. But, many people seem to confuse the cause for the effect. As an example, you would think most people could tell the difference between a symptom and a disease, right? Yet, millions of people are tricked into treating symptoms as if they were the cause when they are clearly the effect. This makes drug companies lots of money because the root cause of the real problem is never truly addressed.

The whole weight loss industry is a prime example of how marketing strategies attempt to confuse people. It’s a classic example of the old smoke and mirrors, slight of the hand (or psychological distraction) trick. Sad thing is more people are joining the already frustrated ranks of consumers who are being told that their obesity is a disease. I know some people will disagree with me, but if you follow me on this, the more you read, the more sense it will make.

Perhaps it’s a simple psychological trick of the tail that deceives millions of people to accept radical assumptions about reality that have no real basis. I just hope we can snap out of the trance soon enough to stop a national tragedy from happening. The fact is the American public has gotten the short stick on the whole health care deal to begin with. Blaming America’s obesity epidemic on genetic determinism is not only an act of denial; it is a crime against humanity.

Fact is your genes don’t do anything your cells don’t tell them to do

Encouraging people to take on a victim mind-set undermines their personal authority and betrays true intelligence. People need to embrace their inalienable rights to choose their own destiny, which includes choosing their own health regime. The new science of epigenetics confirms your health is a choice. Genetic diseases only account for about 1-3% of the world’s population, but Big Pharma and the World Health Organization would like to believe the opposite.

Your weight gain issues are not determined by your genetic inheritance. At least, not to the degree some direct marketing campaigns would have you believe.

Why does it seem that anyone that isn’t anorexic is considered overweight, borderline obese or obese according to the Body Mass Index (BMI)? According to the BMI charts, Mr. Universe is obese. It’s no wonder we have so many people trying to starve themselves to death to lose weight. A classic example would be that Michael Jordan?’ BMI was between 27 and 29, labeling him as “overweight” when he was in his prime. How do you think that makes the rest of us feel?

Since 1998, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes for Health (NIH), used these numbers to track the worldwide and U.S. epidemic of obesity. The intention was to establish guidelines for doctors, researchers, dieticians and government agencies that would be better than the antiquated life insurance tables to gauge healthful weight.

After all is said and done, BMI is a screening tool, nothing more

But, even in our public schools this inferior BMI propaganda tool is classifying young athletes based solely on their height and weight. This is not only totally inaccurate; it is causing millions of young girls to feel unnecessarily self-conscious about their bodies during adolescence. These young people are at the stage of life where their bodies are changing so rapidly, that making any conclusions based on these limited criteria is ridiculous and damaging to their self esteem. This type of false science is largely responsible for the rising numbers of girls with bulimia and anorexia.

But, “weight” isn’t really the key. It’s how much fat versus muscle that really determines health and wellness.

There are better ways to measure your percent of body fat by...


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Filed Under: Big Pharma Corporate Arm, Weight Loss, May 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

I Was 50 Pounds Overweight Until I Found This

May 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You don’t need another theory or method.
You need a positive weight loss experience.

Here’s a little known secret that I used to lose 50 pounds in only 90 days. One of the most critical factors of the present obesity epidemic is what’s commonly called “insulin resistance.” Insulin resistance is also known as “glucose intolerance” or “pre-diabetes.” Regardless of the label, it is correlated to your cell membrane health and your cell membrane health is the master key to unlocking abundant health, longevity and especially vital for attaining your “ideal weight.”

Read on!

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about weight loss gimmicks, gadgets and magic bullets – about as much as I am. That’s precisely why I chose to put the latest natural discoveries to the test and, as a result, I lost 50 pounds in 90 days. Now, I get to share how I did it with you. As with anything revolutionary, it may at first seem a little unbelievable, but once you think it through, it’s really quite obvious. So, let me save you some time and cut right to the chase.

The Key To Healthful Weight Loss Is Muscle Growth!

Your muscles are either growing or being replaced with fat; there is no in between. After years of exhaustive research as a medical investigator, I discovered a way to naturally maintain the proper energy metabolism that supports lean healthy muscle growth. You see, insulin resistance, or whatever you want to call it, is another symptom of a low cellular energy metabolism. To make a long story short, this means you have less mitochondrion than you need to maintain a high cellular energy level.

Mitochondria are simply the energy factories inside your cells. They basically convert your calories and oxygen into energy. The more mitochondria your cells have, the more dynamic your overall health.

If you are losing your mitochondria, you will eventually lose your muscle to fat. Insulin resistance is an imbalance which slows down the calorie burning process. This-bogged down metabolism causes fat that should be burned for energy to become stored away – a kind of hibernation effect. By recognizing both your weight issue and insulin resistance as symptoms, it frees you up to address the “real root cause” of the imbalance: UNDERNUTRITION.

In a nutshell, here’s how I lost 50 pounds in 90 days: “It all comes down to simply improving your cell membrane health first.” After researching everything under the sun to do with sustaining optimal health, I kept noticing an amazing pattern coming up over and over again. The world’s latest cutting edge science was showing me the secret way to lose stubborn excess weight. That is to focus on improving cellular health, increase mitochondria production and muscle growth.

So, that’s exactly what I did. At 6’1″ I was weighing in at a sluggish 270 pounds. I suffered from symptoms of heart disease, diabetes and chronic fatigue. Based on what I discovered, I knew if I could address the root cause of the real problem and reverse that health problem, then the unwanted “fat pounds” would just burn away naturally. It did, just like the scientific evidence predicted it would!

My Healthful Weight Loss Was A Side Benefit Of Addressing The Root Cause Of Accelerated Aging

I discovered by simply changing the way I was approaching the whole weight loss scenario, I could accomplish something mainstream media doesn’t really want you to know: obesity is a symptom of heart disease and diabetes.

I was taught obesity caused heart disease, but now I had reason to believe the opposite was true.

If you only focus on losing weight in general, you may end up doing more harm to your health than good. This may shock you, but it’s not all about how much you weigh. The bottom line is how much muscle weight versus fat weight you have, which is called “body composition.” The ideal weight for you depends on a lot of factors including, height, age and even bone mineral density. So, let’s forget about how much you weigh for a few minutes so you can see more clearly how to have the leaner, healthier body Mama Nature meant you to have.

Now, back to this metabolic imbalance called insulin resistance . . .

Insulin resistance is a major determiner of healthy body composition. This is simply because if your energy metabolism is out of balance, your lean-muscle-to-fat ratio will be out of balance, too. Problem is most “overweight” or “out-of-shape” people are suffering from an over production of cellular waste, which is stored in fat cells, and an under production of healthy muscle growth. All that is an effect of insulin resistance.

You should also know muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle is denser and it takes less muscle to weigh up the same as fat. This explains why I can lose fatty inches around the waist and still weigh the same.

The shocking thing is most people who lose weight on a “diet” are losing two things:

1. Water weight

2. Muscle mass

That’s why the majority of people who lose weight rapidly gain it right back, like Oprah. It’s easy to gain and lose weight; it’s called the “Yo-Yo Effect.” The Yo-Yo effect of dieting is not only discouraging, it’s outright dangerous for your health. One of the reasons for this rebound effect is that your metabolic energy level drops in half when you are replacing muscle with fat.

Insulin resistance is a major trigger of increased metabolic waste and loss of lean muscle mass. Most people believe just cutting out sugars (carbohydrates) is the solution. That’s simply not true. Yes, eliminating simple carbohydrates is a significant factor in improving overall health, but your body depends on specific carbohydrates to function properly. These sugars are also called glyconutrients (super metabolic sugars) and they’re used for cellular signaling, repair and regeneration.

Proteins, Cellular salt, Fats and Certain Sugars Are All Necessary for a Healthier You

Increasing your body’s sensitivity to insulin is really the ticket to a balanced and healthy metabolism.

Once you have figured out how to rebalance your metabolic processes, you’ll find fat will simply burn away the unhealthy byproducts you were storing and, in turn, give you more energy and fuel for building healthy muscles. Then, your “weight issue” will take care of itself.

I reversed the cause of my dis-ease and lost weight by simply improving my cellular insulin sensitivity. Let me repeat: I improved my insulin sensitivity by simply focusing on improving cellular health and promoting an effective, energetic and clean burning metabolism.

The only way to improve sensitivity to insulin is to improve cell health – the same thing that reverses heart disease and diabetes!

I know it sounds too simple to be true, but the truth is naturally simple.

The key to attaining ideal weight is so simple you may not believe me at first. But, let me remind you, I did lose 50 pounds in 90 days and beat the Yo-Yo effect once and for all. To my amazement, my remarkable weight loss results stayed the same to this day nearly a year later. After reaching my personal goal, I set a new goal to increase muscle mass. Yet, with my “new improved” metabolism my weight still remained the same. My waist slimmed down, all because I learned how to replace unhealthy fat with healthy muscle while improving my overall health.

I’m as surprised to hear me say this as you may be surprised to read it. I know how frustrating trying to lose weight can be. I have been battling weight issues all my life. After I left the Navy in 1981, I was 6’1″ and 190 pounds. Then, I got married and raised three magnificent children. I’ve reach as high as 285 pounds at one point, but averaged around 265 for decades. Nothing worked for me in the past because I was trying to treat a symptom as if it was the cause.

Almost a year later, I am easily maintaining a healthful weight between 215 and 217 pounds. Plus, I’ve gone from a 42″ waist to a 35″ waist. I still believe in mild exercise rather than extreme exercise, because extreme exercise can lower your metabolism and tax critical nutrients. I love to take long walks, swim when I can and practice my magnetic Qi-gong twice a day. Otherwise, I live a relatively sedentary lifestyle as a medical investigator, musician and author.

It seems everyone is searching for “a method,” or some trick to attaining optimal health and weight. I could take the time to explain to you all the finer details and refer you to all the scientific studies that led me to this breakthrough, but you don’t need another theory or method. You need a positive weight loss experience.

I know your metabolism is different than mine, as is your life style and eating habits. In fact, our bodies are as different as our individual thoughts are. Yet, there is an underlying matrix of implicit order, an undeniable common denominator that is the source of our health, wellness and happiness. Whether you label it genetic, biological or even-intelligent design, it serves us all the same.

All atoms, molecules and cells come from the same source of subtle organized energy fields. That must be why increasing your own intrinsic energy at the cellular level can reverse diseases and maintain an ideal weight – without drugs, surgery or diet gimmicks.

We are all made of the same cosmic stuff, live on the same planet and share the same essential elements to thrive and grow. In essence, you can return to a simpler life, improve your health and lose those unwanted fat cells by tuning into the source of your energy and learning how to sustain natural balance.

Here are some more guideposts to help you find your own healing pathway.

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First 30 Days

A good foundation is switching to a high-protein, plant-based diet consisting of at least 60% raw foods. Some of the best sources of plant-based protein are “The Ultimate Meal,” “Hemp Protein” and Dr. Jordan Rubin’s “RAW Protein Meal” products. I always recommend Dr. Rubin’s Garden of Life products because they are rich in RAW nutrition, including enzymes and probiotics. I stay away from soy-based products unless they are properly fermented to remove the “phyto-toxins,” which are natural insecticides the green soy plant contains. Try it for a month, and if you are ambitious, try 100% raw vegan for 30 days.

A few other things that will help you is to:

  • Drink plenty of water “between meals”
  • Eat your protein before your carbs
  • Use Celtic sea salt and
  • Get your hands on a good full spectrum enzyme supplement, too

Second 30 Days

The second month you can start including grass fed meats like bison, venison and elk to your menu 10-25% of the time. I suggest eating at least 5 to 7 small meals a day. Eating until you’re “80% full” is a good rule to follow. As you get in the healthy habit of eating more often, supplement with enzymes to help break down nutrients, eat at least 40-50% raw, plant-based protein sources, and you will begin to feel more energetic as inches will begin melting away. Pounds lost show more gradually.

You can’t raise your metabolism, grow more mitochondria and develop healthy muscles unless you consume enough protein-rich nutrition. Eating empty calories is basically the same as starving yourself. Under-nutrition is a main cause of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Eating nutritious foods more often, hydrating and introducing mild exercise is all you really need to transform your health fast and effectively.

Throughout your 90-day effort, I also suggest eating a lot of fat. Yes, you read that right, fat. The media has misinformed you about the benefits of good fat. Generally, most animal fats are bad and most plant-based fats are good. Some are better than others, of course. For example grass fed meats and ocean and lake spawned fish have a higher quality fat. Good fats increase cellular health and bad fats trigger inflammation.

You can’t beat avocados, coconut milk and oils, Brazil nuts and raw almonds. RAW is key. Watch out for added ingredients like refined salts, hydrogenated oils and cottonseed oil. I can’t emphasize enough how important Celtic or Himalayan salts are to flushing your system and helping to build healthy nerve and muscle tissue.

Last 30 Days

By your last 30 day cycle, you will have found what you like to eat and will have established a healthy pattern that works for you. Remember these 5 fat-loss tips:

1. Eat your proteins 5 minutes “before” your carbs.

2. Eat only fruits between meals or as an entire meal.

3. Don’t mix nuts and fruits, or meats and fruits or carbs and proteins

4. Drink water in-between meals and snacks.

5. Utilize your enzymes and stomach acids for optimal nutrient absorption.

So, there you have it. Now you can create your own weight loss diet.

Remember, your fat burning genes are “switched on” by eating foods that maximize your energy metabolism and by avoiding the overcooked and processed foods, which trigger insulin resistance and fat production. By following my outline, you will learn which foods to eat to reverse disease and sustain a healthy body composition and, in other words, be healthy, well and happy within your own skin.

Filed Under: The 7 Rungs of the Health & Wellness Ladder, Weight Loss, May 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,