Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Green Food Movement
This is a great terminology to describe the best and biggest recent food related movement. There are many themes and concepts linked to this concept - it is primarily about going back to nature to provide the most nutritious foods and in a sustainable manner. Superfoods fit into this movement nicely being raw, organic and nutritious. The themes are: organic foods, locally produced, in season foods, consuming quality natural over processed quantity, slowing down and enjoying. Another great thing.. sustainably-sourced food tends to be better for you and tastier. Join the movement! Here is a great video related to this movement with a metaphor to the Titanic:
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The bonus of eating high nutrient foods!
Not only will you look and feel better and help prevent disease... you also have the privelge of Discretionary Calorie Allowance! This is an allowance of ‘extra’ calories you can consume without gaining weight, because you have met your need for calories. 
For instance if your energy requirement is 2000kcal/day, and you meet your nutrient needs from a nutrient-dense diet that only provides 1740kcal you would have a DCA of 260kcal. This would allow you to eat a small slice of cake without gaining weight. However, if you were to consume a diet of low nutrient density you might not have a discretionary calories left....
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Cacao - the raw form of chocolate
There’s always some sort of research being conducted on chocolate and every time the findings are always positive. This goes to show that chocolate is indeed good for us, but if you’ve noticed, the findings are always in favor of dark chocolate, a chocolate with very little sugar content. If you travel a little backwards and see, the origin of chocolate, that is, the cacao beans are actually much more than a source of chocolate. These are superfoods in themselves and have some amazing health benefits.
Cacao has a fascinating history with plenty of legends surrounding it, but what can be deduced is that until sugar was added, the drink made from cacao was considered highly potent.
Here are some amazing benefits of using cacao:
-Increases blood flow to the brain and enhances brain function
-Has a high concentration of anti oxidants. Anti oxidants as we all know are the holy grail of youth and a disease free life.
-The magnesium in cacao is good for the heart, helps prevent constipation and even eases menstrual cramps.
-Cacao also has iron, which makes it a great weapon to fight against anemia.
-Cacao contains chromium, a trace mineral which works wonders to maintain the balance of blood sugar.
-Zinc, another mineral that cacao contains is known for its essential role in enhancing our immune system.
-Raw cacao contains essential omega 6 fatty acids. An important thing to note is that cooked and processed chocolate contains rancid omega 6 fatty acids or trans fats which are not healthy for you.
Cacao can be found as cacao beans with or without the skin, cacao nibs, cacao butter, powder or paste and ideally it should all be organic. A great idea would be to buy raw cacao products and include them in your usual drinks such as tea or coffee or even coconut water. You can also use cacao nibs in desserts but ideally if you love dark chocolate, you should be able to adjust to the bitter taste of raw cacao which can do so many wonders for your body.
Cacao has a fascinating history with plenty of legends surrounding it, but what can be deduced is that until sugar was added, the drink made from cacao was considered highly potent.
Here are some amazing benefits of using cacao:
-Increases blood flow to the brain and enhances brain function
-Has a high concentration of anti oxidants. Anti oxidants as we all know are the holy grail of youth and a disease free life.
-The magnesium in cacao is good for the heart, helps prevent constipation and even eases menstrual cramps.
-Cacao also has iron, which makes it a great weapon to fight against anemia.
-Cacao contains chromium, a trace mineral which works wonders to maintain the balance of blood sugar.
-Zinc, another mineral that cacao contains is known for its essential role in enhancing our immune system.
-Raw cacao contains essential omega 6 fatty acids. An important thing to note is that cooked and processed chocolate contains rancid omega 6 fatty acids or trans fats which are not healthy for you.
Cacao can be found as cacao beans with or without the skin, cacao nibs, cacao butter, powder or paste and ideally it should all be organic. A great idea would be to buy raw cacao products and include them in your usual drinks such as tea or coffee or even coconut water. You can also use cacao nibs in desserts but ideally if you love dark chocolate, you should be able to adjust to the bitter taste of raw cacao which can do so many wonders for your body.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Visceral fat - solution .....
Exercise and diet. Foods that provide incredible nutrients and a variety of exercise, movement and weight. The biggest concern for the baby-boomers: "Somatopause"—the decline of your body's hormone production as you age, which includes dwindling production of human growth hormone.
Somatopause affects 80 million baby boomers in the U.S. and millions more around the world, causing:
•Weight gain
•Energy loss
•Wrinkling skin
•Muscle loss
•Bone strength loss
•Increased body fat
Visceral fat (aka, belly fat or abdominal fat) is the fat that builds up around your internal organs and may be the most dangerous fat in your body.
Visceral fat, together with elevated blood pressure, unstable blood sugar and unhealthy levels of cholesterol make up what we call "metabolic syndrome," which in turn increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Nearly one in four people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, and it is my belief that most can be reversed with the appropriate diet and exercise regimen.
Put in the effort and the body will respond to what you put in it and what you do with it.... good luck with your good efforts.
Somatopause affects 80 million baby boomers in the U.S. and millions more around the world, causing:
•Weight gain
•Energy loss
•Wrinkling skin
•Muscle loss
•Bone strength loss
•Increased body fat
Visceral fat (aka, belly fat or abdominal fat) is the fat that builds up around your internal organs and may be the most dangerous fat in your body.
Visceral fat, together with elevated blood pressure, unstable blood sugar and unhealthy levels of cholesterol make up what we call "metabolic syndrome," which in turn increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Nearly one in four people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, and it is my belief that most can be reversed with the appropriate diet and exercise regimen.
Put in the effort and the body will respond to what you put in it and what you do with it.... good luck with your good efforts.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Quality Nutrition vs Pills
Nutrition should not to be defined by the effects of isolated nutrients. That's pharmacology, a strategy now known not to work, in spite of the $25 billion or so that Americans annually spend on nutrient supplements. Unequivocal evidence now exists to show that nutrition, when provided by the use of whole, plant-based foods, can control the expression of our mischievous genes that otherwise would lead to serious ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, certain autoimmune diseases and many lesser ailments. There is no other strategy in contemporary health science or medical practice that comes close to the breadth and depth of health benefits achievable by nutrition. We must begin to understand, communicate and apply this knowledge if we ever hope to reduce health care costs by reducing the burden of disease. We will never do this by depending on outmoded notions of what single (or even a few) genes, single nutrients or single chemicals (i.e. drugs) will do to create health. That thinking generates wealth for a few at the expense of health for the many. It is time to recognize the natural and harmonious biological complexity of health processes, and choose the lifestyle strategy that best maintains and restores that harmony. Nature has had eons of time to work this out. It's also time to develop a professional science of nutrition that serves the biological health of the population, not the economic health of commerce.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
THE SUPERFOOD LIFESTYLE
Look better, feel fabulous, and live longer. You look after your car – look after your body.
My rule about food is first, eat REAL food. Second, supplement it with superfoods to increase your nutrient density. And third, buy organic wherever possible and avoid highly processed foods like the plague. Anything that's artificially altered (homogenized, hydrogenated, hydrolysed) or contains chemical additives (food colours, MSG, aspartame, etc.) is to be avoided entirely.
It's a simple yet powerful formula for healthy eating. And it's part of the reason why I carry no health insurance and never visit doctors. Why would I? I eat anti-cancer foods every day, I follow a healthy, living foods diet that's rich in nutrients, so my risk of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, liver disorders and other diseases is also about as close to zero as you can reasonably get in modern society.
I let my food be my medicine, and in doing so, I save about a thousand dollars a month compared to the expenditures of a typical consumer who is buying health insurance and prescriptions. My health insurance: real food, superfoods and exercise.
My rule about food is first, eat REAL food. Second, supplement it with superfoods to increase your nutrient density. And third, buy organic wherever possible and avoid highly processed foods like the plague. Anything that's artificially altered (homogenized, hydrogenated, hydrolysed) or contains chemical additives (food colours, MSG, aspartame, etc.) is to be avoided entirely.
It's a simple yet powerful formula for healthy eating. And it's part of the reason why I carry no health insurance and never visit doctors. Why would I? I eat anti-cancer foods every day, I follow a healthy, living foods diet that's rich in nutrients, so my risk of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, liver disorders and other diseases is also about as close to zero as you can reasonably get in modern society.
I let my food be my medicine, and in doing so, I save about a thousand dollars a month compared to the expenditures of a typical consumer who is buying health insurance and prescriptions. My health insurance: real food, superfoods and exercise.
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