"Childhood is a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity." Don't allow Obesity to take your child's opportunity to be a child.

Childhood obesity doesn't allow a child to live like a child should with no concerns or worries.  "Childhood is a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity."  Don't allow Obesity to take your child's opportunity to be a child.

If you have an overweight or obese child, give me 5 minutes.

When children's cholesterol levels are suggested to start being checked when they are over 2 and under 10 years of old?

By WakingTimes May 23, 20150 CommentsRead More →

Stay Strong, World Changers

Wes Annac, Contributor
Waking Times

It can be easy to forget why we’re here or why we’re doing everything we are, and it can especially be easy to give up and turn to things that distract us from our purpose and keep us from helping others. We have to persevere when the stresses pile up and we don’t feel like we can handle it all, because we know on a deeper level that we can.

It’s common knowledge in the conscious community that we’re capable of more than we realize at the surface, and to do anything significant to advance our collective evolution, we have to recognize that we’re infinite and find the inspiration to help the world in ways we enjoy.

Along the way, we’ll inevitably meet difficulties and stresses that we’ll have to persevere through, but we’ll come out of it all with a new inner wellspring of knowledge and experience.

The stresses will be difficult to navigate if we don’t learn to tap in to our intuitive wisdom, and our intuition, along with the higher consciousness we access through it, will help us through any hard times that confront us.

Everything gets easier when we realize that we aren’t on this journey alone, and we have the intuitive assistance of the higher self and, I’d imagine, plenty of other guides who can be with us if we request their assistance.

We have to courageously persevere when we face the more difficult or uncomfortable aspects of life, but we aren’t on this grand adventure alone. We’re given more support and assistance than we realize, but we have to be willing to open up and tap into it before we can receive it in earnest.

We have to willingly call on the higher self, which we’re gradually evolving into, before we can receive any assistance. We have to be willing to open the mind far and wide to find the higher consciousness we seek, and we’ll be infinite with this higher consciousness by our side.

We’ll be as limitless as we’ve always wanted to be when we can call on our greater awareness to assist us, but despite how often we call on it, there will be times when we can’t seem to connect.

There will be times when, despite our best efforts to stay connected, we feel cut off from our greater awareness, and this might cause us to feel lonely or like we don’t have any support along the evolutionary path.

We do, but this support is less clear at times and this can cause some confusion and uncertainty.

It helps to keep in mind that any seeming disconnection from the higher self is an illusion that won’t last long, and the connection will smooth itself out as long as we’re willing to routinely call on our higher consciousness and pour the clarity and inspiration that result into our work.

I’ve written a little bit lately about turning away from spiritual teachers or channeled sources and giving that attention to our own higher self, and I’m not necessarily saying we shouldn’t listen to a teacher or a channeling.

They’ve helped a lot of people, including me, but I’m encouraging us all to place the faith and confidence we’ve given these sources into ourselves and our higher consciousness. The words of a spiritual teacher might not help much when we face a dire issue in our personal lives, but our higher consciousness will always be there to assist us.

The pain, suffering and difficulty we experience on a daily basis would be a lot easier if we were consistently connected with the higher self, and in my opinion, we’ll continue to struggle until we can repeatedly call on this inner source of strength, knowledge and inspiration.

We have to stay strong and persevere whether or not we feel connected throughout the day, but things would get a lot easier if we could consciously and continuously maintain this connection. Try staying consistently connected for a full day or two, and see how your life is impacted.

Try to repeatedly connect with your higher self and receive wisdom, guidance and creative inspiration, and see how much more you enjoy your work and your life in general.

Staying connected with the higher self doesn’t have to be hard, but we’ve been conditioned to think there’s no such thing as a higher consciousness and this conditioning can cause us to feel like we can’t sustain our connection.

We have to break through the mind control that’s been forced onto us if we want to maintain our connection with the Self, which is why it’s so important to stay receptive to this higher consciousness while remembering to persevere when we struggle instead of sinking into depression or convincing ourselves we don’t belong here.

We have every reason to be joyful about our existence on this planet, because we have an opportunity to contribute to the greatest planetary changes we’ve ever known as a society. Most people are unaware of the changes that are in the air, and this makes our work even more important.

I can say from experience that we’re going to have bad days. We’re going to have days when we just don’t feel like we can do the things we’ve come here to do, and sitting down in front of the TV or playing a video game will sound much more appealing.

For our sake and the sake of our evolving planet, we have to find the strength to say no to these distracting temptations and continue to fulfill our mission. The more we distract ourselves, the more we fail to achieve in our shrinking time here on earth, so let’s remember how crucial this mission is and try to persevere, even in our most difficult times.

Our creative and spiritual dedication will allow us to achieve more than we currently realize, so we’ll have to have faith that we aren’t working for nothing and that we really are moving toward the goal of individual and collective evolution.

I’m convinced that our creative work, along with our meditations or whatever else we use to elevate our consciousness, are not only uplifting us, but the rest of the world as well.

I think that our creative work causes a ripple effect in the collective consciousness, and if we stay dedicated and continue to pursue our goals, the result will eventually be that everyone’s awake, aware and willing to discover and pursue their roles in this ongoing ascension.

So the next time you struggle or you don’t feel like you can keep on, remember that you aren’t alone. You have the assistance of your greater awareness by your side, and in any moment, there are hundreds of other spiritual seekers who are going through similar difficulties as you.

We’d all like to give up sometimes, but we’re slowly realizing that to give up on ourselves would be to give up on our missions, and subsequently, the collective evolution we’re here to ignite.

We won’t always want to stay strong in the face of all odds, but if we had an inkling of what our perseverance will allow us to achieve, we’d know that backing down now is the worst thing we can do. We’re world changers who are here on a mission to inform, uplift and enlighten humanity, so for the sake of the rest of the world, we have to be strong.

About the Author

I’m a twenty-one year old writer, blogger, musician and channel for the creative expression of the Universe, and I created The Culture of Awareness daily news site.

The Culture of Awareness features daily spiritual and alternative news, articles I’ve written, and more. Its purpose is to awaken and uplift by providing material about the fall of the planetary elite and a new paradigm of unity and spirituality.

I’ve contributed to a few different spiritual websites including The Master Shift, Waking Times, Golden Age of Gaia, Wake Up World and Expanded Consciousness. I can also be found on Facebook (Wes Annac and The Culture of Awareness) and Twitter, and I write a paid weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to for $11.11 a month here.

Myth's Presented On The Benefits of Processed Foods

Separating Food Facts from Food Factoids

MAY 22 • "FOOD" TO AVOID, DIET, GOVERNMENT WATCH, HEALTH • 52 VIEWS • COMMENTS OFF

by PAUL FASSA

A factoid is a datum that is unproven and probably false, but repeated so often by assumed authorities that it’s accepted as true. Regardless of how many authorities think their dietary suggestions are factual, there are still some mythical factoids that are included in many articles on health, especially but not exclusively from mainstream sources.

Many of the mythical factoids presented benefit the processed food and medical business models. The idea that dosage determines toxicity is a centuries old standard that is false.

American Jell-O sold in Europe says, “MAY HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON ACTIVITY AND ATTENTION IN CHILDREN”

It is still used today by a majority of health “experts” and government agencies to assume that if you don’t get violently ill or die immediately after consuming toxic ingredients, those ingredients are safe. The gradual disintegration of our immune systems and inner-terrain homeostasis is ignored, so those ingredients are considered safe for processed foods and beverages, including tap water.

LET’S TAKE ON A FEW BASICS ONE BY ONE

Salt (sodium chloride): It’s assumed that all salt is bad for you and you should avoid it, especially if you have cardiac issues or high blood pressure. There are issues with this.

* Our bodies need sodium and a balance between sodium and potassium is vital.
* Table salt is processed with bleach and during the process several important micro-nutrients are lost.
* Most of the processed sodium chloride that people consume is hidden with sugar in processed foods. Consumers can’t detect it, but it’s vital for the processed foods’ shelf-life and overall flavor.
* Recent studies have determined that the high blood pressure salt connection is virtually non-existent.

Unprocessed sea salt, Celtic salt, or Himalayan salt contain many micro-nutrient trace minerals that bodies can use. That’s what should be added to our whole unprocessed foods. A pinch of this in purified water adds back the trace minerals lost with reverse osmosis.

Fats: Saturated fat was the big taboo long enough that despite current analysis indicating the taboo is wrong, many still cling to it, even health writers and medical professionals. The fact is that greater public health harm resulted from using substitutes such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and margarine instead of butter and coconut oil.

Our cell walls are made of fat. Cholesterol in our skin is needed to begin the transformation of vitamin D3 from sunlight’s UVB rays. Our nervous systems and brains are composed largely of fat. People who take statin drugs to lower cholesterol wind up with dementia faster, along with other health issues.

Refined sugar and HFCS: The item that has caused more obesity and cardiac issues than pure unsaturated and saturated fats, which our bodies need, is sugar with its more pernicious cousin high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). They create metabolic syndromes leading to obesity and diabetes, and create enough inner-wall arterial inflammation to lead into cardiovascular disease.

Ironically, cholesterol is created to patch the areas of arterial damage from inflammation. But it’s blamed for causing the inflammation. Refined sugar and HFCS, which also contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, are much more serious issues that low or no-fat diets, with their added sugars and texture enhancing chemicals create, not solve.

Dairy and Meat: Almost all studies on milk or meat are done with factory farm products. Raw unpasteurized milk isn’t studied because it’s mostly illegal and inaccessible. Yet raw milk from pastured grass fed and not injected into cows or goats is very beneficial. Even lactose intolerant folks usually handle raw milk.

It’s the pasteurized stuff with enzymes eliminated from the heating process and forcibly milked from cows fed GMO grain mush, loaded with genetically modified hormones, and injected with antibiotics that destroy health over time.

Ditto for meats. Only meats from free roaming grass fed livestock treated like their raw milk producing cousins offer health benefits with moderate consumption.

Eggs: Once considered taboo and full of (gasp) fat, true nutritional experts are now raving over the health qualities and omega-3 offered by eggs from, yep, only from free roaming hens that pick and peck natural foods and are not injected with anything.

Bread: Despite the current aversion to gluten, there is a way to have your bread and eat it too. You see, bread has been made toxic with mass production techniques: Chemically bleached white flour is toxic; bromides used in baking block the thyroid’s iodine receptors.

The way around this is to find bakeries that offer whole grain non-brominated, unbleached flour, fully fermented sourdough based breads or sprouted grain breads. Even Whole Foods bakeries, not their off the shelf stuff, offer this.

Ezekiel offers sprouted grain breads usually located in freezer sections. I like their English muffins and use a local artisan bakery where the owner was trained in France to get my unbleached white and spelt breads sourdough breads, freshly baked without bromides.

Tests in Europe and Canada have discovered that breads like these are usually well tolerated by normally gluten sensitive folks.

Running out of space here, so ciao for now. More later maybe. There’s a lot to cover.

Paul Fassa is a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. His pet peeves are the Medical Mafia’s control over health and the food industry and government regulatory agencies’ corruption. Paul’s valiant contributions to the health movement and global paradigm shift are world renowned. Visit his blog by following this link and follow him on Twitter here.

Sources:-http://www.joannablythmanwriting.com/-http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/-http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/time-magazine-we-were-wrong-about-saturated-fats/-http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/16/added-sugar-heart-disease.aspx-http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html
-http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/02/07/eggs-dont-cause-heart-attacks-sugar/#close
Images: USDAgov, foodbabe.com

43 Essential Nutrients News: 43 for Kids Foundation for a Healthy Long Life

43 Essential Nutrients News: 43 for Kids Foundation for a Healthy Long Life

10 Kombucha Brands You Have to Try

BySTEPHANIE ECKELKAMP MAY 1, 2015

Ever since we reported on the booming kombucha trend (or booch, as the cool kids call it), we've been wondering: What is the absolute best-tasting kombucha on store shelves today? So my fellow editors and I got our eager hands on 10 different brands and tried each one so you don't have to regret the $3 to $4 you drop on a bottle that tastes like sparkling cat pee. Spoiler: These brews varied drastically, and oddly enough, the ones with the most sugar were often the least appealing. Here's what impressed us, made us gag, or just made us shrug and say "meh."

1) Health-Ade Kombucha

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Flavors tested: Pink Lady Apple, Beet, Ginger-Lemon
Calories: 60 to 80 per bottle
Sugar: 4-6 g per bottle
If we had to take one kombucha with us to a desert island, this organic, raw brew would be it. Our testers appreciated the great fizz, low sugar content, and the interesting flavors that didn't overshadow booch's signature tang. Pink Lady is like a sophisticated sparkling cider. Ginger-Lemon would be amazingly refreshing when you have a cold. And Beet was surprisingly not gross—"light, refreshing, and not too earthy," one tester said. Plus, the bottle is just begging to be repurposed for your next DIY project.

2) GT's Kombucha

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Flavors tested: Original, Trilogy, Gingerade
Calories: 60 per bottle
Sugar: 4 g per bottle
If you drink kombucha, you've tried GT's. It's one of the most widely available brands on the market, and that's a good thing. Like Health-Ade, it's organic, raw, and keeps sugar content low while packing big flavor and fizz. Gingerade certainly had an addicting bite; one tester joked she "had to spend some time in rehab for it." The Original was deliciously simple with a subtle tea flavor, and Trilogy was fruity and had us wondering how it could have only 4 g of sugar per bottle.

MORE: Kombucha: Wonderful or a Big Waste of Money?

3) Kevita Masterbrew Kombucha
Flavors tested: Tart Cherry, Grapefruit
Calories: 40 per bottle
Sugar: 8 g per bottle (also contains stevia)
This is a solid booch that might appeal more to first-time drinkers. Its sweeter, more approachable taste is accomplished with the addition ofstevia. For purists, though, it may come across as artificial. Testers were torn. Regardless, we appreciate that it's organic and probiotic-packed.

4) Live Kombucha Soda
Flavors Tested: Raw Root Beer, Living Limon
Calories: 60 per bottle
Sugar: 13.5 g per bottle (also contains stevia)
Unusual: That's the first word that comes to mind when sipping this organic fermented hybrid of soda and kombucha. These were sweet and tasted a lot like the sodas they were intended to mimic, though they had a slight stevia aftertaste. "I think I'd like the idea of a probiotic-filled option if I were an avid soda drinker," said one tester, "but the stevia got to me a bit." Also, we're curious why there is even a need for stevia when these still pack over 10 g of real sugar. But the stuff's still way better for you than a can of Coke.

5) Reed's Kombucha

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Flavors tested: Goji Ginger, Coffee
Calories: 64-80 per bottle
Sugar: 14.5 -17.5 g per bottle
Points for creativity, Reed's, as one of the first commercially available coffee kombuchas. Sure, that may sound gag-inducing to some, but it's actually like a slightly fizzy, slightly tangy version of cold brew—yum. You could drink it as an iced coffee alternative on mornings you need an extra kick. Goji-Ginger was decent, but unmemorable, with testers preferring the more potent ginger punch of Health-Ade and GT's ginger flavors. Sugar content for these is a bit high for kombucha, which makes us sad.

6) Unity Vibration
Flavors tested: Grapefruit
Calories: 72 per bottle
Sugar: 18 g per bottle
Unity Vibration is so delicious that we might forgive it for having 18 g of sugar. It also packs a bit more than "trace" amounts of alcohol, unlike the other options here, so you need to be over 21 to buy it. While it won't get you drunk, you can certainly taste the alcohol. It's just boozy enough to satisfy a beer craving and might even make a great replacement for a typically 150-calorie bottle of suds.

MORE: Coconut Water is Lame: Five Drinks that are Way Healthier

7) High Country Kombucha
Flavors tested: Wild Root, Elderberry Hibiscus
Calories: 30 per bottle
Sugar: 4 g per bottle
High Country gets major points for great packaging. But an awesome-looking label doesn't always mean an awesome-tasting kombucha. Reviews were mixed: "Wild Root has an interesting anise flavor that could grow on me, but Elderberry is like old shoes," said one tester. And there was a noticeable lack of fizz, almost like a flat soda. We did appreciate the low sugar content, though, and it might have made a better impression if we weren't also sampling nine of its competitors. In other words, if this is at the store, it's worth trying.

8) Beyond Brewing Company

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Flavors tested: Moroccan Mint, Wild Love
Calories: 75 calories per 12 oz (Moroccoan Mint), 210-250 calories per 12 oz (Wild Love)
Sugar: Unknown
Beyond Brewing Company's kombuchas and kombucha beers are available on draught in the NYC area. Because it's a smaller brewery, no official sugar info is available, but we're still fans, given the company's efforts to use local and organic ingredients. Moroccan Mint is simply akombucha made with a mint tea base, which one tester found to be "very light and nicely minty without the sour edge that some of the otherkombuchas have." Wild Love, on the other hand, is a 7.5% ABV Belgian farmhouse ale that's been brewed along with kombucha, resulting in pure awesomeness. As one tester put it: "Amazing, delicious! Will you marry me?"

9) Kombucha Wonder Drink
Flavors Tested: Asian Pear + Ginger, Green Tea + Lemon
Calories: 60 per can
Sugar: 8 g per can
This is one of the few varieties we tried that was pasteurized, meaning it had been heat-treated to kill pathogens. The upsides: It's shelf-stable, there's no risk of food poisoning, and it's easy to toss a can in your bag without worrying whether it's going to explode. The downside: You're not getting the beneficial probiotic bacteria that booch is known for. As far as taste goes, one taster found it "odd," another found it "very odd, and not crisp or fizzy," and still another said, "OK, I could see myself drinking this." So, it's a toss up, but probably the best pick for hypochondriacs or those with compromised immune systems.  

10) Bucha

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Flavors tested: Lemongrass Ginger, Blood Orange
Calories: 94 per bottle
Sugar: 24 g per bottle
We give Bucha points because it's organic and contains probiotics. But it had the highest sugar content out all the kombuchas we tested, so while it's a good alternative for soda drinkers, it's likely too sweet for veteran booch lovers who are used to a more tart and tangy flavor. One tester thought it had "a very noticeable tea flavor," while another described it as "overly sweet."

High Fructose Corn Syrup Loaded With Mercury And Cobalt, Dangerous Heavy Metals

High Fructose Corn Syrup Loaded With Mercury And Cobalt, Dangerous Heavy Metals

MAY 18 • "FOOD" TO AVOID, HEALTH • 73 VIEWS • COMMENTS OFF

by IAN CROSSLAND

The enzyme, Xylose isomerase, is used to turn glucose to fructose in the high fructose corn syrup creation process; what you find out is that it requires cobalt ions to work.
Cobalt is a metal, heavier than iron, that is added to the isomerase to catalyze the process.  In very small amounts, cobalt is good for your body, being part of what makes up vitamin B12, but such small amounts are regularly found in the air, water and food you eat.
Adding it to food is relatively untested.

Very little research has been done on the health effects of excessive cobalt on humans, but much of what research has been done is recorded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, though, admittedly most research on the health effects of cobalt has been done on non-human animals.

“Studies in animals suggest that exposure to high amounts of nonradioactive cobalt during pregnancy might affect the health of the developing fetus.”

“The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that cobalt is possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

“Short-term exposure of rats to high levels of cobalt in the food or drinking water results in effects on the blood, liver, kidneys, and heart. Longer-term exposure of rats, mice, and guinea pigs to lower levels of cobalt in the food or drinking water results in effects on the same tissues (heart, liver, kidneys, and blood) as well as the testes, and also causes effects on behavior. Sores were seen on the skin of guinea pigs following skin contact with cobalt for 18 days.”

According to Kent and Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology, Chapter 31, on high fructose corn syrup industrial enzymes:  “cobalt ions remaining in the spent fermentation medium constitute a serious environmental hazard,” yet, everywhere you see Xylose isomerase being used, cobalt ions will be present.

Cobalt is just one of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, as Dr. Mark Hyman explains in the second video below.  Fatty liver disease, mercury and other chemicals, both known and unknown, pervade this sweetener.

 Dr. Michael McCabe explains effects of cobalt toxicity:

Dr. Mark Hyman explains the severity of the high fructose corn syrup epidemic:

Sources and References:
Minds.com
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=371&tid=64http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/entry/IPR001998http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/co.htm

The Power of 43. Problem. Solution. Opportunity.

Our food system is broken. If you believe this, watch this video. The Power of 43. Problem. Solution. Opportunity.

Why Do We Overeat? Ways To Stop Binge Eating

Posted on 2015/04/22
TAGS: ADDICTIOn

by Beatriz Jacoste Lozano

The human eating behavior has always intrigued me. I have reached the conclusion that hunger is only one of the reasons we eat. In nutritional science, this phenomenon (eating without being hungry) has been defined as “non-homeostatic eating”. After having read this term, I started doing some research to discover what is it that drives people to act in this way.

Ph.D. Prof. Stephan J. Guyenet, founder of the Whole Health Science institution, studied this issue from a neurobiological perspective and confirmed scientifically that humans eat for many reasons other than hunger.

Among his findings, he pointed out the following:

1.     Our neurobiological hardware is concerned with guaranteeing calorie sufficiency but not with protecting against excess.

2.     This normally leads to overeating or eating more than the energy requirements because humans are innately prone to ingesting calorie-dense products in order to guarantee faster the calorie sufficiency for their system.

Prof. Jane Wardle, from the University College of London, conducted an experiment with a group of children to study behavior patterns in eating. After having had lunch, the children were asked whether they were full and all of them responded affirmatively. The children then, started carrying out other activities and the teachers placed plates with chocolates and biscuits on their tables.

The remarkable thing about this experiment is that it showed the differences in the behavior patterns in humans: even if all of them had eaten the same amount of food and said to be full, some of them were happy to carry on eating while others, paid no attention to the plates.

In short: the size of ones appetite has a genetic basis. Unfortunately, this means not all of us are as lucky when it comes to eating self-control. Some people will have a plate of mouthwatering brownie right over the table and won’t find it appealing if they are already full. Others, the great majority I would say, receive a brain signal encouraging them to devour the palatable dish.

The BBC documentary “Why Are Thin People Not Fat”, portrayed the following: thin people do not eat more than their body needs because their brain doesn’t send an encouraging signal if they are already physically full.

When one takes the decision to stop binge eating, this has to be in mind: “ food is more than about filling up”. We have to start perceiving our body as our temple and the food we eat as the fuel that makes us perform in one way or in another. 

We have to be aware that our performance in life is going to be conditioned by the fuel we use. Therefore, we should ingest products that enhance our performance.

Obviously, this is easier said than done because even if our rationale would support this argument we are not only rational animals. As emotional creatures, what leads our behavior is sometimes far from what logic would suggest and that explains why we see the act of eating also seen in terms of enjoyment.

You name it: birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday brunch or however you prefer but these are moments where to gather with beloved ones and share and enjoy something jointly and this “something” is usually food. We all agree this is a beautiful tradition but if we want to avoid overeating, our habits when in these celebrations should slightly change.

Other reasons that push people into consuming more calories than those they need are being bored, stressed and having insufficient sleep. These patterns of behavior, apart from resulting in weight gain, make us feel depressed.

What we eat when in these circumstances is dense in calories, sugar, starch, fat and glutamate. Eating such products may cause depressive effects as it reduces the production of serotonins (hormones in charge of lifting our spirits).

According to the research done by Prof. J. Guyenet, we ingest 72% more calories when we are in a social gathering. The calorie intake also rises during the weekend and during vacations. The explanation can be structure in these 3 points:

1.    Variety: we are tempted to try all of the multiple dishes that are available.

2.    Calorie-density: the dishes eaten in these social gatherings are denser in calories than the ones eaten on a daily basis. 

3.     Alcohol:  alcohol is normally drank to go along with the food and increases significantly the calorie intake.

Nutritional counseling looks beautiful on paper but is extremely hard to follow because the only restraint we have from eating more is our cognitive function (more known as the will power) and quite frankly, this is a very weak one.

My advice is: be self-loving when making food choices. If you start to listen to your body, that is; you start paying attention to how your system reacts depending on your food choices, you will probably start making better choices.

Nourish fully what you eat: pamper yourself with food that boosts your energy and makes you happy. Test what works best with you! You can keep a diary sharing what you eat and how it affects your feelings and performance.

Keep in mind the causes of overeating and learn how to handle them better: you can still go out for brunch with friends and celebrate your relatives’ birthday without overeating.

Make intelligent food choices: decide whether you would like to spend your afternoon stuck to the couch feeling bloated and down or if you would rather make the best of your time feeling fully energized.

It is all in your hand!  

About The Author

Hi there! My name is Beatriz and I write to help people take control of their own food and health.  For most of my life I ate anything I wanted but I didn’t feel fully satisfied. I started learning that the path to true happiness is very much linked to what we eat and began making slight changes in my purchasing decisions at the grocery store and in my eating habits. I want to share with everyone how to have a richer sense of food as a vehicle for change in their lives.

THIS ARTICLE IS OFFERED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE. IT’S OKAY TO REPUBLISH IT ANYWHERE AS LONG AS ATTRIBUTION BIO IS INCLUDED AND ALL LINKS REMAIN INTACT.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Image Credit

Yevo Food List from Ignite 2015

Newly Revealed Foods List from Yevo bought you by Food Club 43

The most impressive thing is, all of the Foods contain 43 Essential Nutrients in every serving

1. Mexican Frijoles
2. Alfredo Sauce
3. Marinara Sauce
4. Cheddar Sauce
5. Mash Potatoes
6. Baked Potato Soup
7. Tomato Basil Soup
8. Creamy Spinach Soup
9. Curry
10. Power Granola
11. Essential Nutrients Smoothie
12. Oat Cereal
13. Power Rice Cereal

Originally released products

1. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
2. Oatmeal
3. Hot Rice Cereal

Beverages contain 25 Essential Nutrients

1. Green Tea
2. Black Tea
3. Coffee

Learn more about Yevo's Mission (VIDEO)

-Busy Mom’s never have to feel guilty again – Two servings a day will provide 100% of your daily Essential Nutritional needs

-No more empty calories – The company’s nutrient dense food has water soluble nutrients, fat soluble nutrients, amino acids, essential fatty acids, full mineral complex, macro and micro nutrients so the meals are satisfying and filling as they supply the nutrients necessary for health.

-Each food product provides 50% of the 43 Essential Nutrients our bodies need every day

-Each serving is 500 calories or less, but these are NOT “diet foods”

-All of the foods come in a convenient dehydrated form (several patents on this exclusive process) and only need water to be added

-All products for Korea, Japan, etc. will be shipped from within their country

-All of the foods have a shelf life of over 2 years – great for survivalists 

-All foods are lightweight – great for outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, etc.

-The food product line will always be made from whole food ingredients

-Wholesale = 25% less than retail

The Science Behind Yevo (VIDEO)

To Purchase Yevo Foods Click on BEST LIFE above.

Health Benefits of Kefir and Kombucha Probiotics: Candida & Leaky Gut..Need Probiotics?

Health Benefits of Kefir and Kombucha Probiotics: Candida & Leaky Gut..Need Probiotics?: ...

Why You Need to Take Supplements

Dr. Mark Hyman, EcoWatch
Waking Times

“Can I get all the nutrients I need from food?” a patient will occasionally ask. On the surface, this makes sense. After all, if you are eating a whole, fresh, unprocessed foods diet, shouldn’t you be able to get an abundant supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients?

Unfortunately, things aren’t that easy. Even with a perfect diet, the combination of many things—including our depleted soils, the storage and transportation of our food, genetic alterations of traditional heirloom species, and the increased stress and nutritional demands resulting from a toxic environment—make it impossible for us to get the vitamins and minerals we need solely from the foods we eat.

Simply put, the evidence shows we cannot get away from the need for nutritional supplements.

Doctors used to think you got all your vitamins and minerals from food. Any extra nutrients were excreted, or worse, became toxic. But the tide is shifting. Doctors now prescribe over $1 billion in fish oil supplements. Most cardiologists recommend folate, fish oil and coenzyme Q10. Gastroenterologists recommend probiotics. Obstetricians have always recommended prenatal vitamins.

Emerging scientific evidence shows the importance of nutrients as essential helpers in our biochemistry and metabolism. They are the oil that greases the wheels of our metabolism. And large-scale deficiencies of nutrients in our population—including omega-3 fats, vitamin D, folate, zinc, magnesium and iron—have been well documented in extensive government-sponsored research.

Eat your way to Nutrition

Four main reasons we are nutrient depleted

There are numerous reasons most of us are nutrient malnourished, anything from eroding topsoil depleting our mineral supply, to a toxic environment and the abundance of junk food many Americans eat. If I had to narrow nutrient depletion down to four primary reasons, this is what I would say:

1. We evolved eating wild foods that contained dramatically higher levels of all vitamins, minerals, and essential fats.

2. Because of depleted soils, industrial farming and hybridization techniques, the animals and vegetables we eat have fewer nutrients.

3. Processed factory-made foods have no nutrients.

4. The total burden of environmental toxins, lack of sunlight and chronic stress lead to higher nutrient needs.

These are among the reasons why everyone, at the very least, needs a good multivitamin, fish oil and vitamin D. I also recommend probiotics because modern life, diet and antibiotics, as well as other drugs, damage our gut ecosystem, which is so important in keeping us healthy and thin.

Nutrient deficiencies and “diabesity”

Paradoxical though it might seem, obesity and malnutrition often go hand in hand. Processed, high-sugar, high-calorie foods contain almost no nutrients, yet require even more vitamins and minerals to metabolize them. It’s a double whammy.

Obesity and diabetes both stem from malnutrition. Experts have described diabetes as starvation in the midst of plenty. The sugar can’t get into the cells. Your metabolism is sluggish, and the cells don’t communicate as a finely tuned team.

Nutrients are an essential part of getting back into balance and correcting the core problem, which is insulin resistance.

There are two ways in which supplements work:

1. They make your cells more sensitive to insulin and more effective at metabolizing sugar and fats.
2. Special fibers (that I will discuss in a minute) can slow the absorption of sugars and fats into the bloodstream.

This leads to a faster metabolism, more balanced blood sugar, improved cholesterol, less inflammation, fewer cravings, more weight loss and more energy.

If you have diabesity—and keep in mind most people do to some degree—I recommend additional nutrients to reset and correct metabolic imbalances, improve insulin function, balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation.  But first, let’s delve a little further into this perplexing topic.

Why are nutrient studies so confusing?

I’m sure you are confused by conflicting studies about supplements. One day folic acid is good; the next it is found to cause cancer. One day vitamin D is a lifesaver; the next it is found to be not helpful.

This media whiplash is enough to make you give up altogether. The problem with these studies is that they treat nutrients as drugs, where researchers give one nutrient alone and see what happens.

But nutrients work as a team. Broccoli is great for you and can help prevent and cure many diseases, but if all you ate was broccoli, you would get sick and die.  You need to eat a well rounded diet to stay healthy.  Similarly, nutrients work synergistically to maintain the proper balance in your body.

Potential problems with choosing supplements

You know what you are getting when your pharmacist fills your prescription. The government makes sure of it. Over-the-counter supplements are not controlled in this same way. Manufacturers often cut corners and this can become problematic for the average consumer.

The issues you might experience with over-the-counter supplements that you buy at your local drugstore or warehouse store include:

1. The form of the nutrient may be cheap and poorly absorbed or used by the body.

2. The dosage on the label may not match the dose in the pill.

3. It may be filled with additives, colors, fillers and allergens.

4. The raw materials (especially herbs) may not be tested for toxins, such as mercury or lead, or may not be consistent from batch to batch.

5. The factory in which it is produced may not follow good manufacturing standards, leading to inconsistent quality.

I use supplements in my practice as a cornerstone of healing and repair, so I have investigated supplement makers, toured factories and studied independent analyses of their finished products. I have learned there are a few companies I can rely on, many of which you can find in my online store.

Whether you follow my product recommendations or not, be sure to pick quality supplements and ones that contain nutrients and compounds that research has shown to be helpful in the treatment of diabesity and insulin resistance.

Think of them as part of your diet. You want the best-quality food and the best-quality supplements you can buy. Guidance from a trained dietitian, nutritionist, or nutritionally oriented physician or health care practitioner can be helpful in selecting the products that are right for you.

If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to read my book, The Blood Sugar Solution, which provides a comprehensive nutrient plan that discusses the benefits of each supplement. To get you started, I will discuss how the supplements I recommend benefit you and then tell you my basic plan.

The basic nutrient plan

Everyone reading this blog should get on the basic plan of supplements and stay on them for life. Even if you are “cured” of diabesity, you will need to keep taking them, because you need special vitamins, minerals and herbs to help compensate for your genetic tendency toward insulin resistance.

Let’s take a few moments to review the specifics about each of these supplements or ingredients to understand why they are so important in the treatment of diabesity.

High-quality, high-potency, complete multivitamin

The right multivitamin will contain all the basic vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind that getting the optimal doses usually requires two to six capsules or tablets a day. Some people may have unique requirements for much higher doses that need to be prescribed by a trained nutritional or functional medicine physician.

Note that B complex vitamins are especially important for those with diabesity, as they help protect against diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, and improve metabolism and mitochondrial function. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, C and selenium are also important as they may help reduce oxidative stress, which is a significant cause of diabesity.

Vitamin D3

The vitamin D deficiency is epidemic, with up to 80 percent of modern day humans deficient or suboptimal in their intake and blood levels. Depending on what’s in your multivitamin, I recommend taking additional vitamin D. Vitamin D3 improves metabolism by influencing more than 200 different genes that can prevent and treat diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

There are several important things to keep in mind when taking vitamin D:

1. Take the right type of vitamin D—D3 (cholecalciferol), not D2. Most doctors prescribe vitamin D2. Do not take prescription vitamin D; it is not as effective and not very biologically active.
2. For serious deficiencies, you may need more vitamin D, as much as 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day for three months or more. Do this with your doctor’s supervision, if needed.
3. Monitor your vitamin D status with your doctor. Get your blood level to 45 to 60 ng/dl. Be sure to request the right blood test, which is the Vitamin D 25 Blood test to accurately check vitamin D levels.
4. Give time to fill up your tank. It can take six to 12 months for some people. The average daily dose for maintenance for most people is 1,000 to 2,000 IU a day.

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA)

These important fats improve insulin sensitivity, lower cholesterol by lowering triglycerides and raising HDL, reduce inflammation, prevent blood clots and lower the risk of heart attacks. Fish oil also improves nerve function and may help prevent the nerve damage common in diabetes.

Magnesium

Diets low in magnesium are associated with increased insulin levels, and magnesium deficiency is common in diabetics. Magnesium helps glucose enter the cells and turn those calories into energy for your body.

Some people with severe magnesium deficiency may need more than the amount outlined below. If you are concerned you may be severely deficient, discuss the details with your doctor.

Diarrhea is often a sign that you are getting too much magnesium. If this occurs, just back off on the dose, and avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate or oxide. They are the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements but are poorly absorbed. Switch to magnesium glycinate. If you tend to be constipated, use magnesium citrate.

People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor’s supervision.

Alpha lipoic acid

Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant and mitochondrial booster shown to reduce blood sugar and heal a toxic liver. It may also be useful in preventing diabetic nerve damage and neuropathy. It can improve the clearance of glucose from the blood by 50 percent.

Chromium and biotin

Chromium is very important for proper sugar metabolism and insulin sensitivity and can help you make more insulin receptors. Biotin has been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity, lower triglycerides, reduce expression of cholesterol-producing genes and improve glucose metabolism.

Herbs

A number of herbs, including cinnamon and catechins from green tea, are helpful in controlling blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity. Green tea can even increase fat burning and metabolism. The best products provide combinations of herbs in one supplement.

PGX (Polyglycoplex)

PGX is a very viscous fiber from a Japanese tuber or root combined with seaweeds into a super fiber. It has profound effects on insulin, glucose and hemoglobin A1c.

PGX reduces the absorption of sugars and fats into your bloodstream and helps control appetite, weight loss, blood sugar and cholesterol.

When taken before meals with a glass of water, it can be a critical component to overcoming diabesity. It can lower your insulin response after a meal by 50 percent, while lowering LDL cholesterol by 20 percent and blood sugar by 23 percent. I have had patients lose up to 40 pounds just by using this super fiber.

Protein powder for your shakes

I strongly encourage the use of a high-quality, hypoallergenic rice, pea, hemp, chia or soy protein powder. Some of these powders are anti-inflammatory and support detoxification. Soy protein from whole soy foods with isoflavones can lower blood sugar and cholesterol.

A protein shake also makes an excellent breakfast and snack option, helping balance your blood sugar and heal your liver. See here for great shake recipes (and some other easy breakfast ideas).

My basic nutrient plan

Now that you understand what these vitamins and nutrients do for your body,  you might be wondering what your daily regimen should be. Below, I provide an overview of what I suggest for basic supplementation for my patients.  All of the supplements should be taken with a meal, such as breakfast and dinner; PGX fiber should be taken before meals, as directed. Click on the links to purchase top-quality versions of these supplements in my store.

1. A high-quality multivitamin and mineral—you can find an array of multivitamins at my store. This is the one I frequently recommend, especially if you have any degree of diabesity. To find out the degree of diabesity you have, log in and take this quiz.
2. 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3,once a day with breakfast—you can get this as a liquid or
3. 1,000 to 2,000 mg of omega-3 fats (should contain a ratio of approximately 300/200 mg of EPA/ DHA), twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner
4. 100 to 200 mg of magnesium, twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner—you can find several forms in my store, including citrate and glycinate.
5. 300 to 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner. Note the multi I recommended above contains 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid.
6. 200 to 600 mcg of chromium, once a day (up to 1,200 mcg a day can be helpful). The multi I recommended above contains 500 mcg of chromium
7. 1 to 2 mg of biotin, twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner. The multi I recommended above has 4 mg of biotin.
8. 125 to 250 mg of cinnamon, twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner
9. 25 to 50 mg of green tea catechins, twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner
10. 5 grams of PGX, three times a day, 15 minutes before each meal with 8 ounces of water
11. (Optional) A hypoallergenic protein powder to add to a morning protein shake. 1 to 2 scoops of rice, soy, hemp, pea, or chia protein powder for breakfast. Follow the directions on the label. This can be added to your UltraShake.

In addition to these, most people should use high-quality probiotics, but this is optional.

Many of the components listed can be obtained by taking combination supplements. Getting these ingredients in the listed dosage ranges is important. So be sure to look for combination supplements that match my recommendations as closely as possible.  And to make it even simpler for you, I have sourced the best brands I could find to create supplement kits so you can get all you need in one click—follow the links to learn more about my Blood Sugar Solution Basic Plan Supplement Kits—Option 1 and Option 2.

Conclusion

I hope this blog provides you a better understanding about supplements and choosing the right formula for your needs. While many people do very well with this basic program, more advanced conditions require additional supplements. I highly recommend talking with an integrative nutritionist or physician to address your unique needs.