Ditch The Soda!

It’s no groundbreaking news that obesity is on the rise in our country.  Between 1986 and 2006 (20 years) the number of deaths due to excess body fat was 18%.  As this becomes more of a trend, that number will increase, lowering life expectancy for the first time in two generations.  Today’s generation will be the first generation EVER to have a shorter life span than their parents.

Even though so many factors are to blame on this phenomenon, portion sizes are definitely one of the culprits.  Some of today’s restaurant portions are really family sized portions, big enough to serve four people.  Imagine the uproar created if a party of four were to go into a restaurant, order one entrée and inform the server that they need it split four ways---talk about anarchy!

But the single most blatant factor in this dismal obesity epidemic is the prevalence of what I call soda-addiction in our society.  Go anywhere and everywhere, and you are bombarded with advertisements, marketing campaigns and endorsements for soda.  Cheap soda, diet soda, “healthy” soda, soda in different languages…you name it, it’s everywhere.  For something that is so mainstream yet so damaging to our health, you would think that there would be widespread understanding of not only its damaging implications to our health, but its calorie content alone as a factor in unwanted pounds.  Unfortunately, what you won’t find in those who are “soda-addicted” is common sense.

I mean, I’ve seen overweight children in 7-Elevens filling up their Big Gulps.  Or how about the co-worker who declares that she’s “on a diet”, yet arrives every morning to work with a 44-ounce cup filled with soda.  Surely these people are not enjoying great health, and in addition,   these are the people who believe that what they are eating is making them overweight! 

Take a look at these numbers:

·         A “Double-Gulp” is 64 ounces (that’s a half gallon, folks)  and contains 744 calories

·         An “Extreme Gulp” is 52 ounces and contains 585 calories

·         A “Super Gulp” is  44 ounces and contains 510 calories       

·         A “Big Gulp” is 32 ounces and contains 365 calories

·         A 20 ounce bottle of soda contains 240 calories

·         A 16 ounce bottle of soda contains 200 calories

·         A 12 ounce bottle of soda contains 140 calories

Wow!  A “Double Gulp” gives you almost a half a day’s worth of calories!

Seriously, why would anyone willingly want to do that kind of damage to their body on a regular basis?  Where’s the common sense in it?  Sadly, there is none.  Instead, there is only ignorance.  I mean, who really believes that they can consume that many calories on top of their regular/food calories and NOT GAIN WEIGHT?  What I believe is true is that a huge majority of people do not even believe that drinks have calories at all; that they are “safe” because, well, it’s a drink.

Newsflash!  With the exception of water, ALL DRINKS HAVE CALORIES!!  Your body is made up of over 60% water –that’s more than half.  It needs water to function, not soda.

So, Ditch the Soda!  It’s that simple, and one of the best health improvements you can make.  And if you use the examples set forth above, eliminating just one of those drinks daily will save you almost the equivalent of a pound’s worth of calories in just one week.

I bet you can smell the pounds coming of now.  Or is that the soda you’re smelling?

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Farm Subsidies 101

With so much talk about subsidies and The Farm Bill, you may be asking yourself, "Um...what, exactly, is a subsidy, and why the big fuss about it?"

Let me help you here.  

A subsidy is a safety net paid by the government to provide financial incentives for farmers to grow certain crops in the place of others. Because farmers can only plant so many crops, these subsidies basically dictate what farmers will grow.

Over the past 15 years, our government paid nearly $150 billion in subsidies to U.S. farmers: $77 billion to plant corn between 1995 and 2010; $32.4 billion to plant wheat; and $24.4 billion to plant soybeans. Every last penny of that money came from American taxpayers. The question: did we receive any benefit at all from these subsidies?

The use of subsidies is controversial because they mess with the balance between supply (crops) and (market) demand for the food and fuel they produce. This manipulation of the market has a number of benefits for taxpayers, like keeping the prices of subsidized crops (corn, wheat and soy) low and the economic ripple effects that follow.

The basic math behind subsidies is that in a perfect world, taxpayers see a 100% return investment, because of the surplus of the subsidized crop (let’s say corn, for instance).  If every farmer plants corn, there will be a surplus, which keeps prices low.  BUT!!  Because there is such a surplus, corn then becomes a commodity, and therefore isn’t used for just food, but for fuel (and feed).  This low cost corn is supposed to keep ethanol (gas) prices low, however, what it really does is line the pockets of corporations and increase profit margins. 

In a nutshell, we have a surplus of these three crops-- two of which are GMO btw—so these three items are ridiculously cheap, and therefore can be used as an ingredient to virtually make all kinds of processed food items at a ridiculously low price.  Get it?  This is why junk food is so cheap:  because most junk foods are made from these three subsidized items that manufacturers get on the cheap (corn, soy, wheat) which helps them make profits. It is also why fruits and vegetables are NOT cheap, because they are NOT subsidized.  And it is why “factory-farmed” beef, chicken and pork are cheap, because they are fed these cheap subsidized items too.

So now you have a little background of why our (food) system is so incredibly bass-ackward.

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Source:  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/the-insanity-of-our-food-policy/?_r=0

Your Second Brain

For hundreds of years, fermented foods have long been a way of life.  Think about it, when there was no refrigeration, fermenting was necessary to maximize your harvest.  Before our diets became accustomed to processed foods, we ate fermented foods daily, and there was no real need to supplement with probiotics.  

It’s neither here nor there whether our moods have evolved to our detriment, but study after study has shown that there is a parallel between the rise in disorders like ADHD, anxiety and depression and the fall of the number of beneficial bacteria in our guts.  Fermented foods have been found to supply the types of bacteria that act as “the clean up crew” to toxins and harmful organisms in our bodies by attracting them and then literally carrying them out of your gut in your waste. 

Making fermented foods takes less time than cooking dinner, and in 7-10 days you (your gut and your disposition) got yourself a real treat.  Check out different websites on fermenting like this one from The Nourished Kitchen (http://bit.ly/19NN6Gn) :  all you need is a couple of jars and some good sea salt.  Get creative, add your own twist to the standards, like my Purple Kimchi here.  

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/18/mcbride-and-barringer-interview.aspx

Chemical-Crustables

Okay now:  how many of you Moms (and Dads) are guilty of this UnCrustable sin?  It’s just plain heinous, I tell ya!

The first time my daughter (who was six at the time) asked me to buy these because her cousins had them, I thought, “ok, sure”…I was just glad there was something that she liked that I could pack in her lunch, and hey, I didn’t have to make it, right?  (so I was naïve then; it was pre-nutrition education, alright?!)  So when I got to the market and turned the box over---HOLY CRAP!!  I counted at least 40 ingredients.  That’s right, I said “Fuggedaboutit!” 

So for Olivia to save face at school, I had to get a little creative:  I got our “good” bread, you know the kind that doesn’t have all the crap in it; the “good” jelly (ditto) and the “good” pb…cut the bread into rounds with a round cookie cutter, slapped the pb&j in the middle, pressed the two pieces together and used a fork to “crimp and seal” the edges (like you would a pie).  TA-DA!

It was a little ghetto, but those other six-year-olds didn’t have a clue…and Momma could sleep at night knowing that I wasn’t  servin’ up a Chemical-Crustable to a six-year-old!  

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Get Busy Livin', Or Get Busy Dyin'

Good health does not mean freedom from disease, nor does it mean you get a pardon from sickness. Everyone gets sick: it’s just a matter of degree, the state of your immune system and how quickly you recover. If you are in good health, yourbody has what it needs to do its job and recover. Good health means being proactive and taking responsibility for the state of your health and immune system, so that you are able to lessen or eliminate your chances of acquiring modern diseases like hypertension, heart disease, cancer and diabetes - all of which have the ability to cause much more long term damage to our bodies. Good health does not mean looking like the celebrities on t.v. or in the movies, nor does it mean being skinny or looking like a competitive athlete, because these people get diabetes and heart disease too.

Your own “good” health is as individual as you are. There are healthy people of all sizes (excluding the obese). Even though it is a certainty that we all must die, we don’t have to die from these modern “plagues”; we do have a choice. Our bodies are the most amazing machines on this earth: they have the ability to withstand decades of neglect and abuse, yet still “reinvent” and heal itself. There are no quick fixes and there never will be. Good health is a lifestyle based on commitment and discipline. If you don’t at least make steps in the direction of good health, then your alternative is choosing a lifestyle to which the above mentioned diseases are certain.

It’s all up to you.

Thanks for reading,

Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

O Mg!!!

Food processed in a factory removes over 80% of magnesium.  Over 80% of Americans eat processed food, and this means that over 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient, and we don’t even know it.  Typically, if you are deficient, you're feeling:

Insomnia

Anxiety

Poor appetite

Nausea

Muscle cramps

Irritability

Kidney Stones

Arrhythmia

Dysmennhoria

A lot of you have these very symptoms, right?  The likely contributors to these symptoms are an unhealthy digestive system (Crohn’s, leaky gut, etc), overworked kidneys (stemming from diabetes), excessive alcohol intake, age (absorption decreases), diuretics, antibiotics and oral contraceptives – all of which deplete the magnesium in your body. 

But, did you know that if our bodies didn’t need abundant amounts of magnesium, it couldn’t function?  I mean, our hearts wouldn’t beat—because it has to have magnesium to carry this out!

•           Magnesium is responsible for the action of your heart muscle, the regulation of blood sugar levels, proper formation of bones and teeth, relaxation of blood vessels (blood pressure), and proper bowel function
•          Magnesium is responsible for the regulation and quick recovery following abnormal heart events (cardiac arrest & arrhythmias)
•          Magnesium is responsible for the keeping calcium in your cells so they can do their job better

By far, the best way to get your magnesium on is through organically bound magnesium, which is found in organic green, leafy vegetables:  swiss chard, spinach and kale to name a few.  Organic foods usually contain more magnesium, particularly if the farmer replenishes his soil with magnesium-rich fertilizers. (Factory farms tend to use fertilizers rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to make plants grow and appear healthy.) 

Other great ways to get your magnesium in are pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, almond butter, dried unsweetened cacoa (woohoo!), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and avocados.  Fermented foods improve magnesium absorption.  (what can I say—fermented foods rock!)

If you must supplement, bear in mind that there are many different kinds of magnesium on the market, and there is no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement because magnesium must be bound to another substance.   The substance used in any given supplement combination can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different health benefits (that’s why getting nutrition through food is ALWAYS the best way).   Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that may provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability – great for anyone trying to correct a deficiency; and Magnesium threonate which is a newer, emerging magnesium supplement that appears promising due to its ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, making it possibly the best magnesium supplement on the market. 

And of course, smoothies or juicing your vegetables is always a great way to get your magnesium...at least that's how I roll.

Thanks for reading,
Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/16/higher-levels-of-this-mineral-linked-with-lower-heart-attack-rate.aspx

http://www.ontariohealth.org/blogs/michael-long-nd/magnificent-magnesium-supplements

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx

Chemistry

We were designed perfectly.  Our bodies are an example of perfect science -- a study in chemistry.  For each molecule of a food, there is a receptor in our bodies ready, waiting and needing it.  Each and every component in a real food can be used by our bodies:  to build, repair, transport, transfer, deliver, unload and store.  A real whole food is made up of what is called nutrients - substances our bodies need to carry out the abovementioned functions.  These substances are macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and they all have a chemical structure that our bodies need to survive.

When you eat a whole food, each and every part of that food is used by your body for an essential function - every part.  When you eat food that is made up of man-made chemicals, there are no receptors in your body to receive and process these things.  Your body will accept what it recognizes, then in most cases store what it doesn't recognize in your adipose tissue (fat cells).  Think about it:  if you have stored up toxins in your excess fat stores, how good can that really be for your health?  Answer:  Not good.  Not good at all.  These toxins can and will leach out causing illness, chronic disease and disruption of your body's other essential functions.  Fascinatingly, when your body doesn't get enough of what it does need, it starts dipping into its inferior, substandard reserves (think Oreos, Doritos, "Uncrustables", etc.) to build its cells -- and if your body is desperate enough, it will end up using this toxic stuff that has been lurking in your adipose tissue to rebuild your cells with!  I don't know about you, but I really don't want the walls of my arteries to be made out of Cheetos...

When you eat foods that your body can use completely, you are optimizing your body's health and integrity.  Conversely, when you eat garbage in the form of man-made chemicals, you are contributing to your body's demise and sacrificing its integrity, plain and simple.  There is no receptor in your body waiting to receive some sodium stearoyl lactylate to get busy with.

Build your body and your health with species specific food:  real food, not chemicals.  It's not an old wives tale; you really are what you eat.

Thanks for reading,
Judith

"Planting your nutrition seed for the day."