I’m sure most of you have read about the benefits of coconut water, but did you know coconut oil has a much more extensive list of health benefits, including stopping and reversing Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Carolyn Dean has a great summary of research conducted by Dr. Bruce Fife (http://www.naturalnews.com/032727_coconut_oil_Alzheimers.html).
Or go directly to http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/Conquering%20Alzheimers%20with%20Coconut%20Ketones.htm
The recent controversy over the use of UV lamps causing cancer in the nail bed when used to dry has many women concerned and opting for alternatives.
Accusations began with reports finding the UV exposure from drying nails equaled the exposure from a tanning bed. Experts are concerned that exposure from UV lamps leads to the more dangerous skin cancer, melanoma. Melanoma is much harder to cure and has a high mortality rate. Also, keep in mind, even if it’s low level exposure, women are still at risk for other forms of skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. These are caused by chronic low-level exposure to the sun or UV rays. This cancer is easier to cure when detected early.
Some facts about skin cancer:
- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
- Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
- One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
- Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the US. BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring if allowed to grow.
- Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 700,000 cases of SCC are diagnosed each year in the US causing 2,500 deaths.
- An estimated 3,170 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers will occur in the US in 2013.
- About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
- Melanoma accounts for less than five percent of skin cancer cases, but the vast majority of skin cancer deaths.
- Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old.
This statement further explains the issue:
“"Nail dryers use UVA light," Dr. D'Anne Kleinsmith, spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) tells Yahoo! Shine. "It doesn't cause much burning but penetrates the skin more than UVB. UVA radiation is more associated with damage to deeper levels of the skin, wrinkling, and cancer. She adds, "Without the burning, we are more are apt to overdose on UVA."
Nail drying machines are unregulated so it is difficult to determine how much UVA they emit. Older machines may emit higher levels. While more studies need to be done, research published in 2009 indicates a connection between UV nail dryers and skin cancer. Some dermatologists are reporting seeing skin problems around the nail beds of patients with little sun damage on other parts of their bodies. While individual trips to the salon might not be a problem, over time, the exposure adds up. “ (Weir, Yahoo Shine)
The general facts about skin cancer sound pretty alarming to me. Regardless of your thoughts about using UV nail dryers, minimizing exposure to UV rays and taking extra precautions, such as lathering up your hands with sunscreen before placing them under the UV light, seems to be the smart thing to do. While I’m not preaching, remember, those beautiful nails now may come at a much greater cost later.
If only life were sooooo EASY!!!! Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do was eat all the foods labeled “fat-free” and drink “diet” soda (since that has ZERO calories) and we would all be SKINNY!!!! Ha…. Good Luck! Have you tried that theory out? How many of you didn’t lose weight? Dr. Mark Hyman’s blog below explains why eating fat-free foods and/or drinking diet drinks will cause you to be fat. Mind you those are his words. Click here to find out the truth about what you are eating and how misguided you may be.
Diet is 80 % of the equation in weight loss and weight management. Exercise, rest and stress management make up the other 20%. These days’ eating out is just a part of life. Everyone is so busy that taking the time to plan meals, write the food shopping list, go to the grocery store, unpack the bags and then finally cook and cleanup is unrealistic. I understand. When I ask my clients what they eat when they go out, I hear many say “I always order a salad as my main. Of course I know not to order a Caesar salad.”
Recently I came across an article on yahoo health called “6 Salads Worse than a Whopper.” That article got me thinking. I started looking up salads at some restaurants and here’s what I found:
California Pizza:
Caramelized Peach Salad (with a house made white balsamic vinaigrette) with chicken is 1190 calories. Just looking at the calorie count, you’d be saving a few hundred calories ordering the Caesar salad with chicken.
A smarter option is the Chinese chicken salad at 620 calories.
Putting this in perspective, while you ate lunch at California Pizza, your friend or spouse eats at TGIF and lets say orders a 6 ounce Black Angus Steak with fries. That meal totals 660 calories (not far from the Chinese chicken salad in calories).
You go to Longhorn steak house and order a grilled chicken and strawberry salad while your counterpart orders a 6-ounce sirloin with string beans. You consume 530 calories and he/she comes in at 420 calories. If your counterpart orders fries then the calorie count is 660.
I’m not suggesting that everyone should eat steak and fries when dining out. My point is, when you can, look up the menus and nutrition facts online before you head out. At least you will know the calorie and fat count of your meal. Sometimes a seemingly innocent salad is a bit of devil!
Mount Olive New Year, New You Wellness Challenge
What is it? It’s a program to help people get started on living a healthier lifestyle. The Mount Olive New Year New You Wellness Challenge is a collaboration of efforts lead by Mayor Greenbaum and me, Nancy Baccarella-Garcia. Several local gyms have donated memberships for the month of January 2013 (see list below). If the gym isn’t your thing, we also got online fitness company pumpone.com to donate 25 memberships so you can workout at home.
Why are we doing this? Because we care about you, your health, and your family’s health. We want to help Mt. Olive residents weed through all of the confusing messages about weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating. By providing free gym memberships we hope to get you moving in a safe effective way. If the gym isn’t your thing, don’t worry. For those of you who prefer to work out at home, we have an online fitness company giving away free memberships to their online site that has workouts and exercise videos available for you to use any day at any time that is convenient for you.
We also recognize exercise is not the only component to living a healthy lifestyle. That’s why we have teamed up with local chefs and nutrition coaches. Realizing that many of you enjoy meals outside of the home, we have also joined forces with several local restaurants including Frescos, Lepore’s Italian Market, the Publick House, Mamas, and the Long Valley Pub to create healthy low calorie meals (under 500 calories) just for you. We have also teamed up with local nutrition coach Laura Peterson. Laura will be giving a “Sugar Blues” talk on January 9, 2013.
Click here to join and “register” to be in the program. https://www.facebook.com/groups/518621598148569/
Once you are in the group, you can try to win the raffles for free gym memberships (for the month of January), free one-on-one training with me, and also sign up for nutrition lectures we are sponsoring.
Participating Gyms include:
Golds
ZS Fitness
YMCA Randolph
24 Hour Fitness
American Health and Wellness
Riverside Health and Wellness
Pace Karate
I Just Wanna Be Fit
Pumpone.com
This initiative is for Mt Olive residents; however, the initiative will open up to surrounding towns if we feel we need to broaden our outreach - so keep checking our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MountOliveNewYearNewYouWellnessChallenge
Like our page! and Remember to be in the raffle you MUST Join the PRIVATE GROUP!!!! Email me at fit@ijustwannabefit.com if you don't have a facebook account - I would be happy to put you in the raffles anyway!!!
Ever heard of glutathione?
“Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body. It is a combination of three amino acids -- cysteine, glycine and glutamine. The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals. Normally glutathione is recycled in the body -- except when the toxic load becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble.” (Dr. Mark Hyman, Huffington Post 04/10)
Glutathione is the first line of protection against environmental chemicals and toxins. If glutathione levels are low, then the body will not be able to rid itself of the toxins. Stress, lack of sleep, illness, injury and an overload of toxins can reduce glutathione levels.
Why is Glutathione so great?
1. Glutathione protects against oxidative stress of the immune system and allows new cells to attack germs and viruses.
2. Glutathione is the gatekeeper to the cell enabling antioxidants to come into the cell and be synthesized.
3. Glutathione is a detoxifier of the cell; grabbing on to and getting rid of toxins such as arsenic and mercury as well as riding the body of free radicals. A great video demonstrating this is given by Dr. Oz and can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFg7TYSn9zk
4. Glutathione is the only antioxidant that has the ability to recycle itself. No other antioxidant does this.
5. Glutathione protects the nucleus and DNA of a cell.
6. Gluthathione takes amino acids from outside the cell and transports the amino acid inside the cell.
Raising glutathione levels, especially in people who have cancer and other serious conditions, helps some people stabilize or even reverse their conditions. It may also enhance physical performance, mental acuteness, mood, and energy.
How can we increase our glutathione levels?
1. “The overall top food for maximizing your glutathione is high quality whey protein. It must be cold pressed whey protein derived from grass fed cows, and free of hormones, chemicals and sugar. Quality whey provides all the key amino acids for glutathione production (cysteine, glycine and glutamate) and contains a unique cysteine residue (glutamylcysteine) that is highly bioactive in its affinity for converting to glutathione. Glutamylcysteine is a bonded cysteine molecule (cysteine plus glutamate) that naturally occurs in Bovine Serum Albumin – a fragile immune component of the whey. This unique cysteine is exclusive to whey and rarely appears in other protein foods – which makes whey protein the best glutathione-promoting food source.” (Dr. Mercola April 2010).
2. Glutathione supplements are another way to increase glutathione in the body. I have not read any studies as to the efficacy of their use. Some argue that taking a glutathione supplement is a waste of money and time because the stomach acids destroy the glutathione.
3. Supplements in the form of a “precursor” may stimulate the body’s ability to produce glutathione. The body needs 3 precursors to produce glutathione: N-Acetyl Cysteine (derived from L-Cysteine), Glycine and Glutamate. While glycine and glutamate are abundantly found in foods such as broccoli, avocado, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes and spinach, N-Acetyl Cysteine is not. A precursor supplement focuses on giving the body enough N-Acetyl Cysteine.
4. A physician can administer glutathione intravenously. In the Dr. Oz video above, Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale Preventative Research Center, spoke about using the intravenous method with a patient who has Parkinson’s.
Glutathione, with all of its abilities to heal and purify, truly is the body’s own Super Hero.
I can't even help myself! Please read about the latest study regarding GMO products. CBS cites this finding here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57517377-10391704/study-says-genetically-modified-corn-causes-tumors-but-other-scientists-skeptical-about-research/
An interesting Video to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2FOPMG7NGo&feature=related
What’s all this hype about cleansing? What is it? Why should I cleanse? Do you find yourself asking these questions? GREAT…. Here’s a quick lesson about cleansing and how it helps your body become the fat burning machine it’s meant to be.
A cleanse helps clear out toxins in the body. It is very easy for the body to become overloaded with toxins. Think about all the lotions, shampoos, conditioners, hair dye, nail polish, and deodorants you have used on a continuous basis. Unless you are using products that are organic and/or do not have any harmful chemicals in them, your liver has to constantly clear your body of these chemicals. The food you ingest also may have toxins. Most food you buy in the US is genetically modified, so you are ingesting a lot of pesticides with the fruits and vegetables you consume. The animals in the US are feed genetically modified feed and are given antibiotics, so again your liver has to try to filter all of this out.
A cleanse helps clean the liver, lymph system, and/or colon so the body can focus on its other jobs –specifically for our concerns – FAT BURNING!
The liver is not just a detoxing organ, it’s a fat burning machine! The liver performs nearly 400 functions, one of which is the production of bile. Bile is the key to the liver’s ability to digest and assimilate fats. If not enough bile is produced, then fat cannot be broken down – so it is stored. A roll in your waistline may be caused by a fatty liver.
The liver also metabolizes protein and carbs. The liver can convert fat (as well as protein) into glucose when your blood sugar drops. By the way, too much sugar in your diet, whether from eating sugar or from eating too many carbs, makes insulin remain high. Excess glucose can be stored as fat (an active organ which increases inflammation).
Signs of a overstressed liver:
Weight fain around the abdomen
Cellulite
Abdominal bloating
Indigestion
High blood pressure
Elevated cholesterol
Fatigue
Mood swings
Skin rashes
Flaxseed and eggs are great foods for the liver. Flaxseed oil attracts and binds to oil soluble poisons that lodge in the liver and it carries them out of the system for elimination. Eggs help regulate bile production. Garlic, gingerroot, onion, dandelion root, milk thistle, turmeric, and Oregon grape root help keep the liver healthy.
Eating the right foods really helps! Choose organic when possible and non genetically modified foods (Non GMO). If you want to learn more about Non GMO, read my blog post http://blog.ideafit.com/blogs/nancy-garcia.
With regards to meat here is a little blurb about grain fed compared to grass fed:
GRAIN FED ANIMALS COMPARED TO GRASS FED ANIMALS
Meat from a grass fed animal has half the saturated fat than the meat from a grain-fed animal.
A 6 ounce steak from a grass fed steer has 100 fewer calories than from a grain fed steer.
Meat from a grain fed animal has 2-6 times more omega 3 fats compared to a grass fed animal.
Cow’s milk from a cow grazing on a grass pasture has 500% more CLA compared to the milk from a grain fed cow.
Chickens that feed on a pasture have 21% less fat, 30% less saturated fat, 28% fewer calories, and 100% more omega 3 fatty acids than chickens given the high energy feed. Eggs from pastured chickens have 400% more omega 3 fats.
Why do I like the Isagenix cleansing system? First of all, it WORKS!!! And it TASTES GREAT!!! It’s ORGANIC, NON GMO, AND THE WHEY PROTEIN COMES FROM NEW ZEALAND. I lived in New Zealand for 1 ½ years and their animals are grass fed and run around a pasture. The Accelerator capsules contain cayenne pepper, ginseng, cinnamon and green tea – all known metabolic boosters. Isagenix products do not contain any caffeine, ephedra or ma huang. Also, the program requires drinking lots of water. Water is important because:
- Water helps flush out the toxins
- Water helps flush out the kidneys
- Water helps your body release the water it is hoarding
- Water helps speed up the lymph system – a healthy lymphatic system flushes out cellulite
Lastly, the cleanse is easy to do, fits an on-the-go lifestyle, and requires very little preparation.
Questions? Email: fit@ijustwannabefit.com or call Nancy Garcia (973) 727-1018
If you have read my bio, you already know that I’ve been working as a personal trainer for the last 18 years. I am always trying new products to find the BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE ones that will help my clients lose weight while maintaining their lean body mass.
My friend Kathy lost 25 pounds in 40 days. She already had a vigorous exercise program including running, tennis, volleyball and softball. She told me she tried a cleansing program for 11 days and had such great success, she decided to continue until she lost 25 pounds. Then she proceeded to tell me about 20 people (I personally know) who tried this and all had success. Rarely do I find a program that works for EVERYONE.
Initially, I sat in Kathy’s kitchen and read all the labels. While I liked the fact that the products are organic and not genetically modified, I still wasn’t ready to jump on the bandwagon. I asked the rep, Catalina, to come over and explain the system and bring over some samples. After a month of research and debate, I finally convinced myself to give it a try for 11 days. After all, the products meet my criteria of being organic, non GMO (genetically modified), and even the whey protein comes from the best place, New Zealand.
I tried the 11 day program and was blown away. I lost 5 pounds in 5 days. I had energy and felt great. As a trainer, we are taught that 3500 calories = 1 pound of body weight. So, if I use this math, I should have lost less than 1 pound (given my daily caloric intake and exercise expenditure). 3500 X 5 pounds = 17,500 calories. I can’t possibly cut my caloric intake and exercise that much to burn an extra 17,500 calories in 5 days.
What I realized is that the combination of natural metabolism boosting herbs, organic ingredients, and the protein/carbohydrate/fat ratio in the shake synthesizes the excess fat and the pounds literally melt off. It was so easy and inexpensive, especially compared to other cleansing programs.
Is this the only program out there? Of course not! Some other great programs are designed by Ann Louise Gittleman (The Body Fat Flush Plan) and by Dr. Mark Hyman (The Ultra Simple Diet).
If you are considering trying a cleanse, I highly recommend purchasing Ann Louise Gittleman’s book, The Body Fat Flush Plan. She explains, in layman’s terms, why people are overweight. She narrows down the issues to what she calls the “Five Hidden Weight Gain Factors.”
Keep in mind, with Dr. Hyman and Dr. Gittleman’s plans, food shopping, cooking, and packing food for the day is a must. I find just that one factor alone presents issues for my clients. Alternatively, the plan I just finished is portable, convenient and you only have to cook one meal a day. I find this more “on-the-go” plan is easy to incorporate into anyone’s hectic schedule.
If you want more information, please email me at fit@ijustwannabefit.com or visit my affiliate site at: http://ijustwannabefit.isagenix.com
By the way, the company has a money back guarantee. You can return any product – no questions asked (one time allowance).
So, …………..JUST GIVE IT 4 DAYS….. You will see what I’m talking about!
In case you haven’t heard the term, genetically modified organism, “GMO”, let me explain. A GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been changed using genetic engineering techniques. GMO’s are constituents of genetically modified food. Putting this in layman’s terms, take a regular seed and engineer the seed to help the seed grow into a larger, bug resistant plant.
Financially, this makes sense to the big name food producers, such as Monsanto. The plants will not succumb to insects or weeds.
Currently, the most common GMO crops are corn, cotton, soybeans, canola, and potatoes. While these are the most prevalent, the USDA states that there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for GMO commercialization. The altruistic purpose behind genetically engineered crops is to ensure we have an adequate food supply for our increasing population. GM crops may in fact accomplish this. Through careful engineering, the crops:
- Become pest resistant – engineering seeds with Bt means that farmers do not need to use a pesticide to kill the insects that harm the crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides
- Become herbicide tolerant – the seeds are engineered to survive powerful weed killer such as Roundup
- Increase their tolerance to cold temperatures – an antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into the genes of potatoes and tobacco to help the seeds survive cold temperatures
- Increase in nutritional value by adding vitamins and minerals to certain crops, such as rice.
For living in the now, so to speak, these benefits makes sense. But what about 10 or 20 years from now?
Some healthcare critics believe GMO foods negatively impact our health, which in the end, drives up our healthcare costs. Not only are the critics worried about our increased health costs, but they are also concerned about our quality of life. Who wants to be sick with allergies and toxins?
The concern stems from the way GMO’s are created. GMO seeds are either:
- Roundup Ready and/or
- Bt
Roundup Ready crops are herbicide tolerant (HT). These crops are engineered to survive direct application of 1 or more herbicides including glyphosate. Glyphosate limits the uptake of nutrients by as much as 70%, thereby making the plant less nutrient rich. Glyphosate also alters the soil biology by creating harmful super pathogens. “Recent research claims that Monsanto's Roundup Ready genetically modified crops contain an organism, previously unknown to science, that can cause miscarriages in farm animals. Purdue University's Emeritus Professor Don M. Huber presented the findings of the research, which observed the new organism using a 36,000X electron microscope. The organism can cause disease in both plants and animals, a rare feat.” (http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/new-research-finds-that-roundup-ready-gmo-crops-may-cause-animal-miscarriages.html)
Bt crops are crops that are engineered to carry their own internal pesticide, called Bt toxin. Bt toxin ruptures the bellies of the bugs that eat it. Studies have shown Bt has adverse effects on other living beings. According to Natural News, “A new study out of Switzerland confirms once again that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin, the nefarious pesticide produced by certain genetically-modified (GM) crops, is harming non-target species. Published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe, the study reveals that two-spotted ladybird (Adalia bipunctata L.) larvae exposed to Bt toxin experience a much higher mortality rate than those not exposed (http://www.enveurope.com/content/24/1/10/abstract). Contrary to repeated claims made by Monsanto and other biotechnology industry players about the supposed safety of Bt toxin for non-target species, this new independent study reveals otherwise. It also exposes the illegitimacy of the various industry-funded studies that claim Bt toxin is safe for non-target species, including humans, an unfounded claim that has been proven false time and time again.” (http://www.naturalnews.com/035161_Bt_toxin_GM_crops_species.html)
In general, GM crops lead to:
- Growth of superweeds
- Increase in superbugs
- Increase use of pesticides (toxins)
- A newly found organism that has been found to cause sudden death in plants. This organism has also been found to cause infertility and miscarriage in cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, and poultry.
What’s in it for us?
- Ending World Hunger: Initially, GMO development had a noble purpose, that is, to end world hunger. Unfortunately, studies have shown that GMO crops do not have a higher yield than conventional organic crops.
- The Unknown Effects: We really don’t know how GMO foods are affecting us.
- Do they cause allergies? Recent studies suggest allergies have dramatically increased in people who ingest GMO foods.
- Do they make the body more toxic? Studies in animals have shown internal damage to the liver, intestines, and kidneys from ingesting GMO foods.
- Are they causing birth defects and or miscarriages? Given studies have shown this to be true in animals, it is not a far stretch to believe this would occur in humans.
- Are the foods less nutritious? As mentioned above, the plants uptakes less nutrients when treated with pesticides compared to its organic counterpart.
So far, I’m not seeing any benefits that are of interest to me. GMO’s were created to produce higher and more reliable yields, yet critics suggest otherwise. The negative effects, on human, animal and plant health, may outweigh the purported higher yield claims. Given that, the request to simply label all foods that contain GMO’s makes sense to me. I would like to know what’s in the food I purchase. California’s Department of Food and Agriculture estimates that 70% of processed foods in our supermarkets contain genetically engineered ingredients. Even IF all of the research above is false, don’t we have a right to know what we are eating?
