Fill Your Plate Club

We’ve all heard about the "clean plate club" during the time we were growing up when our parents were trying to get us to eat our dinner. I propose that we have a "Fill Your Plate Club." Here’s how it works. At lunch and dinner you fill 1/2 your plate with fruits and vegetables (potatoes don’t count), then fill in the rest of the plate with a protein and a multi-grain carbohydrate. I think if we all started our meals this way and stuck with it, we wouldn’t have too much trouble losing and maintaining weight. If you can use as many organic fruits and vegetables as possible, then that is even better. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Did you know?

Here's some interesting information I just read:

Did You Know?

*90% of money spent on food in the US is for highly processed food.

*Sugar in soft drinks is the #1 source of calories in the US.

Wow!

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The largest organ in your body - Your Skin

Don’t think your skin absorbs much? Try this experiment.....Take a piece of garlic and cut it in ½. Rub the cut section on the bottom of your foot. I’ll bet in about 15 minutes you will taste garlic in your mouth!

I say all this to encourage you to pay attention to what you’re putting on your skin. If you can’t eat it, you might want to reconsider putting it on your skin. I don’t know if you have ever heard of propylene glycol. It is used to make most cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes, flavorings and more, including “as a base ingredient in aircraft deicing fluid and some automobile antifreezes”. Yes, you read that right. For more info check the encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol. Here it states that it is basically illegal to use this substance for cat food, but we lather it all over our bodies, use it in cooking and in our mouths which is the most readily absorbed spot in our bodies. We have found alternatives to these products at our house, but I don’t want to bore you with the details. If you want more info on what we use, just email me and I’ll be glad to help you.

Healthy Eating

Once people start the Isagenix body cleansing program, they tend to desire foods that are better for them. Sometimes they ask me what they should eat to adopt a more healthy lifestyle. Here are my recommendations:

1. Read Labels -Avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract - just to name a few of its’ names), partially hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners. I would go so far as to say that if you see something with one of these items listed in the ingredient list - don’t eat it! MSG causes your body to crave more food and hold onto fat. Some doctors even call these items "fertilizers for cancer".

2. At lunch and dinner, (since you’re having a shake for breakfast :)) fill your plate ½ full with cooked or raw vegetables (potatoes don’t count here). Then fill in the rest of the plate with a fistful of protein and a multigrain carbohydrate if you like. If you eat just a salad for a meal, then you run the risk of being hungry pretty quickly or, worse yet, setting your metabolism too low so that it starts storing fat again. Eat foods closest to their original form as possible. Instead of apple pie, eat an apple.

3.Keep your high temptation foods out of the house. If you have foods or drinks in the house that you know you shouldn’t be eating - KEEP THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE. If you’re concerned that the other people in your house will be upset if these food items aren’t in the house, chances are it is something they shouldn’t be eating either. You might risk some mutiny for a few days, but they will get used to it if you have enough alternative choices available.

For me, I love brownies and cookies. If they are in the house, I eat them. I KNOW that, in large quantities, they are bad for my body, but if they are there I eat them anyways. Can you believe it? You can have 10 different kinds of chips or nuts in my house and I can walk by them 100 times a day and not be tempted by them. I suppose there are a few of you that can have those high temptation foods in the house and not eat them. Good for you! For the rest of us, don’t have them in the house or office!

One thing I have noticed is that if children eat good foods their behavior is much better. Food has a powerful affect on our moods and general well being. You would feel lousy if you ate cookies and chips all day. Do you think your body would respond better to fried bologna or chicken and vegetables? Your body craves nutrients, not calories.

Remember the 80-20 rule. It’s what we do 80% of the time that will lay the foundation for our overall health. There’s room for the occasional treat or nutritional compromise some of the time when we make wise choices the majority of the time.

Healthy Ideas Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Did you ever think about why diets are called "diets?"

What are the first 3 letters of the word "diet". D-I-E. I wonder if the founder of that word knew what he was implying? As many of you know, diets are designed to deprive our bodies of calories in hopes that we will lose some weight. We also lose lean muscle tissue which is very hard to get back.

How many calories can your body handle in 6 hours?

I have heard recently that your body can only handle 600 calories in any 6 hour period. Anything more than that is stored. According to the Zone books by Barry Sears your body can only handle the amount of protein that fits in the palm of your hand. Any excess protein at a meal is converted to fat. On the other hand, he stresses the importance of balancing your protein, carbs and fats. He says to divide your plate into 3 equal sections. One section low-fat protein and 2 sections fruits and vegetables with a dash of unsaturated fat like olive oil, slivered almonds, guacamole, or macadamia nuts. That's what makes Isagenix such a great program. It is formulated to completely balance protein, carbs and fats. I don't have to even think about it!

Here is an interesting article - Cleansing is being talked about all over the news:

"Weight Loss Is Almost Guaranteed with Internal Cleansing"

"There’s an important added benefit to internal cleansing that most people experience: weight loss. With a sluggish, toxic digestive system, metabolism slows down, the energy level drops and we’re simply not strong enough to start burning off stored fat through exercise or other means. An internal cleansing program can help restore balance in the body and increase the metabolism, reactivating the body’s fat-burning mechanism. Plus, after a thorough detoxification program, you’ll find yourself much more inclined to make healthier dietary and lifestyle choices. Through a detoxified system, improved digestion, balanced metabolism and a healthier diet you will have no trouble maintaining a healthy weight."

Other Benefits

"High energy and weight loss are just some of the many benefits you can achieve through a comprehensive cleansing program. In her excellent book, The Detox Solution - The Missing Link to Radiant Health, Abundant Energy, Ideal Weight, and Peace of Mind, nutritionist Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald lists the following added benefits of an effective detoxification program:

- The Prevention of Illness

- An Improvement in Physical Appearance

- A Boost in Emotional Well-Being

- A Sharpening of Mental Capabilities

- An Enhancement in Digestion

- The Elimination of Unhealthy Food Addictions & Allergies

- The Attainment of Ideal Weight

- A Minimizing of the Effects of Aging

- Spiritual Renewal (11)"

The secret to great health


"In my opinion, we are not going to change the catastrophic situation where every second person is chronically ill until we place as much emphasis on internal cleansing as we do on external hygiene, such as brushing our teeth or washing our hands. If you are middle-aged, you’ve taken about 15,000 showers in your lifetime, and you’ve brushed your teeth close to 30,000 times. Still, you won’t stop doing that just because you’ve done it so many times. Here’s an interesting question: If you have to keep cleansing your skin and teeth daily, then wouldn't you think it makes equal sense to clean the inside of your body at least periodically?"

"Of course detoxification should not be limited to the colon. It is just as important to detoxify the liver, kidneys, arteries, and in general, every cell in the body. But internal cleansing must start with the colon, because if this region is kept unclean, it will contaminate every other part of the system."

(Edited to add: Isagenix cleanses ALL the organs and cells!)

"The importance of internal cleansing can best be summed up in the words of Dr. Paul Bragg, one of the fathers of natural medicine in the U.S. and the author of dozens of highly successful health books:

The secret to great health can be described in three words: Cleanse Your Body! Engrave these three words permanently in your memory."

Copyright 2003. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Hardy is a Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Nutritional Consultant. She is the Director of the Global College of Natural Medicine and a member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association and the American Association of Nutritional Consultants."




Health Journal TV

Here is a short video you can watch that was produced by Health Journal TV. Several doctors including Dr. John Gray (Mars/Venus author) are interviewed. http://tinyurl.com/2lv7zd



Do you like yogurt but feel guilty about all the sugar you're eating along with it?

I could never eat cottage cheese or plain yogurt without adding a bunch of sugar to it. Now there is a powder that contains 30 of the world's best fruits that contains only 30 calories, 1 gram of sugar and 1 gram of fat! I add it to my yogurt and cottage cheese and it tastes great. You can even use it to make popsicles - just combine a teaspoon with 8 oz. purified water and freeze in popsicle trays or add it to your Isagenix Shake (especially vanilla). It has NO artificial sweeteners or chemicals. It is sweetened with stevia which is an herb that does not affect insulin levels. This powdered fruit is called IsaFruits and is a great product to have on hand in your pantry.

One-Size-Fits-All?

Lately we have been modifying our health and weight loss coaching to accommodate people’s needs more fully.

If you want:

Gentle/mild cleansing we suggest 1 shake a day and 1 oz cleanse drink at bedtime. This would be for someone that has some health challenges, or doesn’t need to lose weight, or just wants to cleanse at a slower pace.

Moderate Cleansing - 2 shakes a day and 1 cleanse day a week.

Accelerated/Aggressive Cleansing - 2 shakes a day and 2 cleanse days a week. This is the traditional 9 day program and would be for someone who wants to jump start their health and weight loss or someone that wants to lose a large amount of weight on a more accelerated pace.

I hope you all have a wonderful month! Let me know if you have any questions for me.



Heidi

Nutrition and Wellness Coach

May Healthy Ideas Newsletter

Hello Everyone!

Spring is finally here! I just love seeing all the flowers in bloom and growing. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather. Of course, we need the rain to make the flowers grow. I’m not sure we need hail to make the flowers grow though:))

I have some more goodies for you this month, so here we go....

Blood Sugar Issues - Just for Diabetics??

I received a magazine advertisement from Prevention magazine selling their book The Sugar Solution. The ad magazine had some good information so I thought I would share these with you.

If you take control of your blood sugar, you also take control of your mood, weight, energy level, mental alertness and hunger. Our goal is to keep our blood sugar up but not too high. A key tool used in the process of controlling blood sugar is the hormone insulin. I never knew that insulin was a hormone. Watching blood sugar is not for diabetics anymore. When your insulin spikes it triggers your body to store fat.

Your waistline and not your weight is what gives you a determination of your risk of diabetes. The risk factor starts at a 40" waist for men. They don’t tell what the risk factor is for women (I guess they want you to buy the book!).

If your blood sugar stays too high for too long it can affect your eyes. The excess glucose in your bloodstream damages the tiny capillaries in your eyes and makes them swell and burst causing your vision to be impaired possibly leading to blindness.

Too much sugar in your bloodstream can change the chemistry in your bloodstream making the arteries sticky as flypaper. Then the blood clots traveling through your arteries stick to those walls and before you know it you have a blockage.

Did you know that a bowl of instant rice contains almost as much sugar as a bowl of jelly beans? There are some foods that release sugar into your blood stream more slowly and gradually. They encourage people to eat those. So basically they endorse the Low Glycemic Index as a guide. They suggest to eat at least one low GE food with every meal. Here are some suggestions - Popcorn is better than pretzels, oatmeal cookies are better than vanilla wafers, roasted sweet potatoes are better than mashed potatoes.

One of the most powerful blood sugar stabilizing foods is cinnamon! "According to Dr. Richard Anderson, PhD, a chemist with the US Department of Agriculture, taking just 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon every day may be enough to keep your blood sugar in check."

I’m don’t think that a low GI diet would give you the weight loss you desire without Isagenix, but it can sure give you the motivation to avoid letting your sugar levels get too high for too long.

More Sweet Information -

Here are some interesting websites about aspartame for those of you that are interested - especially if you drink diet sodas or use aspartame, Equal or Nutrasweet.

http://www.sweetpoison.com/

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/

Need Some Energy?

Add some protein to your diet (not necessarily meat). I’ve started adding ½ scoop of Isapro (unflavored protein mix from Isagenix) to my shake every morning. I’m amazed at the extra energy I have in the morning and I’m NOT a morning person.

The Case for Water

In his book What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You, Dr. Don Colbert states "Your body can exist for about five weeks without food, but the average person can only live about five days without water. Here are some amazing facts about water:

Your body is about 60% water

Your muscles are about 75% water

Your brain is about 75% water

Your blood is approximately 82% water

Your bones are approximately 25% water.

The average-sized human requires about 3 quarts of water a day. To determine your water needs, take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.

Think for a moment about your brain. Now think about a plum. Without water it shrinks and becomes like a prune. In the brain, cells may become dehydrated due to lack of adequate hydration. Without adequate water, the brain may not obtain nourishment, and it may not be able to properly eliminate waste matter. Thus I believe that long-term dehydration may contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease."

Here’s an interesting quote from Donald Trump -

"If you want something done you’ll find a way. If you don’t want something done you’ll find and excuse."

I hope you all have a wonderful month! Let me know if you have any questions for me.

Heidi