The book is “The No-Grain Diet” and it is not for weight loss, but for getting healthy.It explains in great detail how the grains and sugars we eat train the body into expecting them, almost like an addiction. But, if you can stop eating them cold turkey for ONLY 72 hours, you will lose your cravings! I tried it and it worked. After 3 days I could look at chocolate cake and TAKE it or LEAVE it. It was awesome. The cravings for cake seem to come back a little at “that time of the month”, but I can do without grain most of the time. And if I fall off the wagon and eat a bunch of cakes and cookies, I can do the 72 hour “cleanse” again and VOILA, they don’t tempt me anymore.

So, here is the recipe – it’s easy to understand, difficult to be faithful to, but you only have to do it for 3 days: Fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, fish. No sugar, wheat, processed food (because they usually have wheat or gluten), no fruit juice (corn syrup and fructose are sugar), no cookies, cakes, pudding, bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, rye, barley, etc. After the 3 days, you can eat rice, oatmeal and some small amounts of real cane sugar or stevia, but the main point is that after this point, it won’t be as difficult because you won’t have to fight the cravings!

Don’t worry about fat or calories for now, this is one step at a time.  And once you don’t have to fight those wheat cravings you will lose weight natiurally because wheat and sugar are so full of empty calories. Eating only fruits, veggies, meat, fish, and nuts, you will automatically cut alot of calories from your diet.

For more info, I read the book “The No-Grain Diet” and the “recipe” is explained fully by Dr. Joseph Mercola.  This website http://www.paleodiet.com/ has numerous suggestions, recipes, scientific research articles and other helpful information.  There is something for everyone on this comprehensive collection of “Caveman” diet information.

Eat healthy, Be healthy.

Take care of yourself,

Valerie Johnson

http://www.4naturalwellness.com/Services.html

 Share now!

1. Eat in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Be very thankful for the food you are given to eat. In most cases something that was living was sacrificed so you could eat. Taste and enjoy every bite you take.

2. Don’t over-eat. Only eat until you are 80% full. You will notice that about ten minutes later you will feel full.

There is a slight time delay between eating the food and your body registering itself as full. That is usually why you feel tired weighted down after eating everything on your plate at a restaurant.

Your brain and taste buds are satisfied, but your body has to pay the price. Once you get used to this you should also see an increase in energy levels because the body is getting the right amount of food.

3. Chew all of your food thoroughly. You also should limit how much you chew gum, it stimulates your digestive juices unnecessarily.

4. Drink at least 8 cups of purified water every day. You should drink water between meals only. I know it may seem crazy that I have to mention this, but: soda, juice, and coffee are not water.

I have had many of my clients tell me that they don’t need water because the drinks I just listed usually have water within the ingredients. Every time I respond, “are you kidding me!”

5. Do not consume large amounts of liquid right before, during, or after any meal. This diluted your digestive juices. That also goes for frozen drinks with meals because they freeze digestive enzyme cells, which interrupts the digestive process.

6. Do not eat fruit and meat together. This can give you an upset stomach.

7. Allow your digestive system some rest time. This means that you should try not to eat within at least two hours of your bedtime. Your body requires a fasting period (not eating) of usually ten to twelve hours in order to cleanse and rejuvenate itself properly. Try it, you will wake up with more energy.

8. Include raw(uncooked) vegetables with each meal, that way you provide your body with enzymes that break down the food particles you eat.

9. Please choose healthy food choices. The above recommendations will do little to no good if you eat a lot of fast food, and other junk food. Remember you are as healthy as what you put into your body.

10. Eat spicy! It helps cleanse the body and it increases your metabolism. Pay attention next time you eat something spicy, as long as you don’t eat too much food, you should feel a lot of energy afterward.

I am not asking you to burn your tongue off or go into convulsions, but you should eat as much spicy food as you can tolerate. If it does get to hot, drink milk or something creamy, not water. Water makes the burn worse.

I have followed these healthy eating habits for the past two years and have been able to lose weight, keep it off, my energy levels have sky-rocketed (now I want to exercise every day instead of forcing myself), and my mind is clearer. Follow these same rules and you should see the same results!

 Share now!

You may wonder what kind of eating habit is a healthy one. The first question I would like to ask you here is do you have three meals a day? As a matter of fact, a lot of people will skip the breakfast. Yet it is not healthy to do so. You should never skip any meal. This is especially true for your breakfast. Skipping your breakfast will mean that you do not have a meal for at least 15 hours. You will be starving and you will tend to eat something high in fat content when you have your lunch. You should try your best to keep having three meals a day. This will be the first thing you need to do if you would like to have a healthy eating habit.

Remember, you should always avoid fast food. Of course it will not hurt if you only have fast food once two weeks. However, it will certainly be bad for you if you eat too much fast food. As a matter of fact, the calorie you get from a burger is enough as a one meal. However, most people will think that a burger will not be enough to make them feel full. Things such as French fries will also be bad for you. The fat content of fries are very high and you should not eat too much otherwise you will never be able to lose weight. It may also have adverse effect to your health in the long run.

Sometimes we will want to have some snacks. Some of us will eat some chips as snacks. Do you think these chips will be good for your health? The answer is certainly a NO. You should try to eat some healthy snacks. In most cases fresh fruits will be your perfect choice. Remember, it is totally alright for you to have snacks. However, it is not a good idea for you to eat unhealthy snacks.

If you can follow the above points, you will be able to have a healthy eating habit.

 Share now!

—-What is too healthy? Why go to extremes? —-

A diet that is too healthy means eating only a limited selection of foods specifically for their purported health properties. The lady who refused the Easter egg may be one who thinks that she will live happy and healthy in a body free from ‘bad food’ – she may even snack continually on carrots for better eyesight. Obsessive behaviour is one reason why people may go to extremes in their healthy eating. Other reasons include a health scare (at risk for osteoporosis), or an excuse to overindulge (red wine and dark chocolate). Many healthy eating extremes are also triggered by the concept of health-crazing.

—What is health-crazing?—

The evidence of health-crazing can be seen on checkout conveyor belts; punnets of blueberries, cans of salmon, and boxes of green tea. ‘So what?’ you might say, ‘What is the difference between the familiar food pyramid and the blurb on a box of tea about the powers of antioxidants?’ Basically, health-crazing is when diet is focused on one food rather than a total approach to health through a balanced diet. Health-crazing isn’t necessarily bad unless it influences the fundamental balance of nutrients within the body.

—When health-crazing goes too far—

Even those of us who aren’t strict with everything in their diet may tend to favour one food. Over a period of about eight months, Suzie* ate three bran muffins each day, and a bowl of bran cereal for breakfast. Sure, she was ‘regular’ but then she was too regular, causing a rectal tear, pain and lethargy. Bran also reduces iron uptake; an explanation for her low haemoglobin level. The solution? She cut down on the bran, and increased so-called ‘stodge’ foods like fats. But what drives the craze that made Suzie fixate on bran? Or an office colleague gulp down their morning blueberry smoothie? The answer is money. Why else would someone steal an entire blueberry field in Canada after the health craze for blueberries reached fever pitch?

The recipe for the smoothie may have come from a women’s magazine, a TV show, or any number of advertisements that bombard us with the latest in food with properties to burn fat, give youth, and arouse libido. But how can you tell if this advice is even genuine?

—What is genuine advice?—

Remember our office colleague at the beginning of the article? Eventually we got her to eat the Easter egg – we used the magic words: ‘Scientists say it’s good for you’. But who are these scientists and can we believe them? There are ways to recognise whether advice used in heath-crazing is genuine.

The hallmarks of dubious advice include…

++ vague source of information – common phrases are mentioned, such as ‘scientists say’ or ‘it has been proven’. There is no reference to who the scientists are, and whether they are from public or private enterprise.

++the entertainment angle – current affairs shows are notorious for their thinly researched stories of magic water and fat loss foods as they know that these topics have sure-fire ratings.

++ marketing angle/money to be made. For example, advertorials about the benefits of high calcium intake from a company that just happens to sell calcium enriched milk.

Genuine advice is…

++ sourced from a thorough study – peer reviewed, trialled and the product/thoery is used over a period of time.

++ endorsed – if a government body also endorses scientific findings then this adds credibility to the discovery. But be wary of endorsement that sounds important but is really just a front for commercial organisations eg the ‘Tobacco Information Service’ run by the Tobacco Merchants Association.

++ able to be researched for yourself – look for a source, such as in a medical journal. Then go and read the full article. Look for how the study was conducted, how many participants, what was the error margin, etc.

Does all this reading and double-checking sound like a lot of effort? Who do we believe? Thankfully there is an answer to a truly healthy diet and it doesn’t involve hard work or sacrifice; it’s about getting the balance right.

The Recommended Daily Intake - RDI – is a proven scientific analysis of all the nutrients the body needs to function at optimal level. Each macronutrient (eg carbohydrate), vitamin (eg Vitamin C) and mineral (Eg Calcium) has a measurement that the body must intake each day, ranging from micrograms to grams. But how do you know if you’re meeting this level, or exceeding it?

Read the labels on the packaging, for example, a slice of typical wholemeal and grain bread has 7% of the RDI for iron. Be aware of which nutrients have an upper limit that must not be exceeded or else adverse health effects may arise. For example, any more than five carrots a day (Vitamin A Carotene) will cause skin to tinge orange. Fat soluble Vitamin A Retinol found in liver and fortified milk, in the short term can cause headaches and vomiting and in the longer term, hair loss and liver damage if consumed in greater quantities than 3000 milligrams a day, which is approx three times the RDI usually caused by exceeding dosages in vitamin supplements.

Being too healthy can be harmful to your health unless you follow genuine advice within scope of the RDI. The key to a truly healthy diet is balance; never ever eat too much of one thing, and allow some indulgences like Easter eggs. After all, the Easter bunny eats carrots, but he eats chocolate too.

* Name changed.

And if you doubt the facts in I’ve written, then good, I’ve proved my point.

Go read more about where I got the information:

+++Carrots turning skin orange: www.dietitician.com/vitamina.html

+++Too much Vitamin A retinol: Department of Health and Ageing and Ministry of Health, 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Executive Summary, Commonwealth of Australia. PDF From www.nhmrc.gov.au

+++Stealing a Blueberry farm: http://bluecrabbouevard.com, Sep 21 2006

+++What happens when you overdose on vitamins: Note, can you trust these sources?: LifeForce Hospitals, 1999, ‘Vitamin Overdose’ `http://chemo.net/newpage35.htm 1999 and

Changing Shape, ‘Vitamin, mineral, chart’, www.changingshape.com/resources/references/vmchart.asp

Tobacco Merchants Association: www.tma/org tobacco

Typical bread iron quantity: Burgen bread, www.burgen.co.nz

 Share now!

Your heart and your diet

Doctors and nutritionists have known this for years. Heart disease can be brought on by a diet that includes lots of saturated fats. Overweight People are more prone to heart disease. Consumming too much sodium in your diets will lead to high blood pressure.

By following these tips you can keep your heart healthy as well as improve your overall physical well being.

Include various types of fish in your diet

Salmon, Tuna, Herring and Sardines are all great suppliers of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3 oils are widely considered to be excellent at supplying good cholesterol and lowering the bad.

Choose healthier oils and fats

Heart Disease and saturated fat rely on each other.

It’s found in various meats and butters, as well as fast food. If your levels of cholesterol are already high you will definately want to cut these down. Seafood and Peanuts are a much better substitute and will help you get your daily proteins.

Monounsaturated fats like olive oils are believed to actually protect your arteries and heart. Making the switch to olive oil is actually quite easy. You will probably not even notice and difference in taste. You can use olive oils for cooking, sauces as well as dips.

Fiber will help lower your cholesterol

Fiber has been accepted from a medical standpoint as being helpfull in lowering cholesterol levels. Fiber comes in whole grain products and should be consumed daily in your diet. Fiber will also help your digestive system process sugar, wich will keep your stomach healthier.

Which carbohydrates are healthy

Bad carbohydrates to stay away from are cookies, ice cream, cakes, doughnuts that are laced with sugar that will just make your heart diseaes worse. Healthy types of carbohydrates are made from whole grains such as, whole grain pasta, brown rice and getting as much fruits and vegetables in your diet will help reduce cholesterol.

Healthier cooking techniques

Using canola and olive oil to cook your food with, is much better for your heart than frying in butter. Always remove the skin from chicken when cooking it. The skin is loaded with fats. Buy a wok and stir fry your foods as you cook.

Avoid frying meats and opt for baking instead. Use spices to add flavor. Spices also contain antioxidants which are good for you. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by cutting out stops for fast foods, that are high in saturated fats.

To lower your bad cholesterol, you must stick with a healthier diet. It will take some time to see results. In the end you will feel much healthier and your heart will benefit from the new changes in your diets.

 Share now!

Unfortunately many people are beginning to realize that using healthy eating weight loss programs do not work on their own and you need to actually do some form of exercise as well.

However if you do decide to look for a healthy eating weight loss program the best thing you can do before making a final decision on which one to use is to talk to your doctor first.

Even if you do find it difficult to discuss your weight problem with your doctor it is important to remember that they are there to help you and to ensure that you live the happiest, longest and healthiest life possible.

Also what is important to remember is that these types of programs are not a quick fix solution to your weight problem and will need to stick with it in order that you can lose the weight and then keep it off. However the most successful types of weight loss programs should combine the following: -

1. Healthy Eating – They should ensure that you are get sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other essential products in order that your body remains in top condition even while you are trying to lose the weight.

2. Nutrition should be balanced – These programs should ensure that the nutritional value of any weight loss program will not cause any problems to your body and yet still allows you to lose the excess weight.

3. Regular Exercise – This is an extremely vital part of any weight loss program as without exercise you will find that you lose some weight but after a while you may find that you regain it.

In many cases combining a good eating habits with exercise will help you not only to lose the weight but also help to keep it off, plus you will find that you are much better to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

A great way of ensuring that you are sticking to any healthy eating weight loss programs that you decide to use is by changing your favorite dishes to low calorie versions. This is pretty simple to do and if you were to carry out a search of the Internet there are plenty of sites that are offering low calorie version recipes of some if not all of your favorite dishes.

 Share now!

Eating healthy will energise your body for the day, while giving your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to stay strong for you to enjoy activities which will in turn help you to maintain a healthy weight.

Below, you will find tips designed to aid you with healthy eating.

1.  Do not skip any meals

Three meals a day with snacks in between is the ideal way to maintain both your energy and to keep a healthy weight. When you skip meals and get hungry, you are to a higher degree likely to select foods that aren’t really healthy for you.

Whenever you are eating away from home, take the food with you or know where you will be able to purchase healthy food.

2.  Learn about how to prepare foods

Rather than choosing to deep fry, attempt to grill, stir fry, bake or even boiling your food.  You should also consider fresh or even dried herbs and spices to bring flavour to your food.  Prior to you consuming any type of meat, make sure to trim the fat and skin away.

3.  Avoid a large amount of sugar

Beverages that contain sugar are a major source of empting your energy levels.  What this implies, is that the beverages hold a lot of energy that your body might not need, and it does not contain any vitamins or minerals.  Whenever you plan to drink sugary beverages, do not go overboard – limit yourself to 1 a day.

4.  Avoid thinking of dieting.

There are neither good foods nor bad foods.  All food can become part of a healthy diet, when consumed in moderation.  You do not need to purchase low carb, fat free, or even so called diet foods, as these foods normally have lots of additional added ingredients to replace the carbohydrates or fat.

Happy Eating.

 Share now!

Below, you’ll find some myth busters on healthy eating.

1. Working out on an empty stomach.

If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the rumbling is trying to tell you something. Without listening to them, you are forcing your body to run without any fuel. Before you exercise or do any physical activity, always eat a light snack such as an apple.

2. Relying on energy bars and drink.

Although they are fine every once in a while, they don’t deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent cancer. Fruits and vegetables are your best bets,as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid,and fiber.

3. Skipping breakfast.

Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as breakfast starts the day. Your body needs fuel as soon as possible, and without it, you’ll be hungry throughout the day.

4. Low carb diets.

Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and the storing of energy.

5. Eating what you want.

Eating healthy and exercising doesn’t give you an all access pass to eat anything you want. Everyone needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or not, as well as fruits and vegetables.

6. Not enough calories

Although losing weight involves calories, losing it too quickly is never safe. What you should do,is aim for 1 – 2 pounds a week. Always make sure that you are getting enough calories to keep your body operating smoothly. If you start dropping weight too fast, eat a bit more food.

7. Skip soda and alcohol.

Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for active people. You should drink often, and not require on thirst to be an indicator. By the time you get thirsty, your body is already running a bit too low.

Changing how you eat is always a great step towards healthy eating and it will affect how your body performs. The healthier you eat, you better you’ll feel. No matter how old you may be, healthy eating is something you should strive for. Once you give it a chance, you’ll see in no time at all just how much it can change your life – for the

better.

 Share now!

A vegetarian is someone who avoids all types of meat,whether it be hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, or even fish.Vegetarians are also sometimes classified by the type of food they are or aren’t willing to eat. For example, Lacto-ovo vegetarians will avoid animal flesh yet they will eat eggs and most dairy products. A Vegan on the other hand, will avoid all food that has any trace of animal origin.

Because they don’t eat meet, vegetarians will often wonder how they’ll get enough protein. Although you may not realize it, the average American actually consumes more protein than he actually needs. For the lacto-ovo vegetarian, dairy products are an excellent source of protein. Vegans on the other hand, get their protein from nuts, seeds, and soy products.

Along the lines of beans, there are several to choose from, including green or red lentils, peanuts, split peas, pinto, soy, kidney, and many more.Some of them you are already familiar, such as kidney beans in chili, refried beans in Mexican dishes, red beans and rice, and pinto beans.

Although some beans taste good as they are, others are available with different flavours to help enhance their taste. Nuts are hihg in protein,although they deliver a lot more fat than beans,which means you should enjoy them in moderation.By having one cup of cooked beans, you’ll get the same amount of protein as eating two ounces of meat!

The nutrients of concern for vegans, who avoid all types of animal food, are vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D.In the average North American diet, the primary source for B12 is animals. To have an adequate intake of B12,vegans should reguarly consume vitamin B12 supplements or foods, which contain vitamin B12, such as soy products or milk.

For calcium, vegans can rely on orange juice or soy milk, as they are fortified with calcium. Beans and leafy green vegetables will also contain some calcium as well.

Although all types of vegetarians rely on simple food groups, controlling your vitamins and calcium intake is something you should always do. This is very important for eating healthy, as well as staying healthy. If you control what you eat, you’ll have many years of healthy eating ahead of you.

 Share now!

Starting off your with a healthy well balanced diet is the best thing you do for yourself and your baby. This way, you’ll only need to make a few adjustments during your pregnancy.

Your first trimester

If you find it tough to maintain a balanced diet during your first trimester, you can rest assured

that your not alone.Due to queasiness, some women will eat all of the time and gain a lot of

weight in the process.Other women have trouble getting food down and subsequently lose weight.

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration are your most important factors during first trimester.

Calories

When you are pregnant, you need to consume around 300 calories more than usual every day. The best way to go about doing this is listening to your body when you are hungry. You should try to eat

as many foods as possible from the bottom of the food pyramid.

If you gain weight too slow, try eating small meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet.You should always eat when you are hungry, as you are now eating for 2 instead of one.

Calcium

By the second trimester, you’ll need around 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day for your bones and

your baby’,which is more than a quart of milk.Calcium is something that’s missing from many diets. Along with milk, other great sources for calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified juices, and even calcium tablets.

Fiber

Fiber can help to prevent constipation, which is a common pregnancy problem.You can find fiber in

whole grains, fruits, and even vegetables.Fiber supplements such as Metamucil and Citrucel are

safe to take during pregnancy.

Protein

Unless you happen to be a strict vegetarian, your protein intake is not normally a problem for women

who eat a healthy diet.

Iron

A lot of women will start their pregnancy off with a bit of iron deficiency.Good sources of iron

include dark leafy green vegetables and meats.Iron supplements should be avoided, as they can cause internal symptoms such as cramping, constipation,or diarrhea.

Vitamins

Seeing as how you get a majority of the vitamins you need in your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal vitamins with your doctor.Folate is one of the most important, and if you are getting enough of it, you may be able to avoid vitamins all together – just ask your doctor to make sure.

 Share now!