What makes us fat?

With over one third of Americans classify as obese, it is time for change.
Here are 10 Foods Guaranteed to Make You Fat:

1.     Artificial Sweeteners:
Diet soda does have less calories and less sugar than regular soda, but a study found that people who drank two or more diet sodas a day had waist size increases six times greater than people who didn’t drink it.
Research has also shown that Nutrasweet, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, leads to the same surge of insulin as white carbs (see No 7 food below) – because of sweetness detectors in the small intestine.

2.     White sugar is full of calories that sabotage healthy eating and prime your palate to crave sweets.
The world is filled with sugar addicts. When our blood sugars are high we are high.  When our blood sugar is low, we feel totally run down and exhausted and want more sugar. Sugar has no vitamins or minerals, just lots of fat building calories. Watch for hidden sugars.

 3.     Cheese can be a fattening food.
It contains a large amount of fat. Fat has nine calories per gram, protein and carbohydrates have only four. The most fattening food in the world is considered to be cheese fries.

 4.     Gluten rich foods are fattening but so are most common gluten free packaged products.
Read the labels; they are full of starch and sugar. A study discovered that it was easy to eat too many slices of bread in one sitting.

5.     Potatoes were found to be the top food making us fat. However, the way potatoes are prepared is really the culprit here. Every serving of fries eaten in a day was linked to weight gain of more than three pounds, while eating an extra serving of potato chips led to a gain of 1.69 pounds.

6.     Alcohol blocks the body from burning fat. Alcohol increases the release of the hormone cortisol that breaks down muscle and retains fat. The loss of muscle can slow down metabolism making it easier to gain weight. Also, alcohol causes a drop in testosterone in men, a hormone which helps burn fat.
Fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73 percent after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Alcohol dehydrates the body which needs to be hydrated to build muscle and burn fat.

7.     White Carbs (white rice, pasta, white bread, and starches) are fattening because they are high glycemic index foods. White carbs makes it hard to lose body fat.

8.     Fats and Oils are fattening especially when they come as deep fried foods and baked goods.
Fats and oils also contain 120 calories per tablespoon.  Even olive oil has lots of calories even though it has significant health benefits.

9.     Processed Foods are loaded with calories and almost no nutrients!
Diet microwave meals and frozen meals are high in sodium and calorie rich fat to make the stuff taste good. Eating them will have you retaining water in your arms and legs, leaving you puffy.
Research by the London University College team, suggests that a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression.

10.  Processed meats (lunch meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs - even the vegetarian versions) are high in calories, fat and sodium. Sixty eight percent of bacon’s calories come from fat, almost half is saturated fat and each ounce has 30 milligrams of cholesterol. Too much salt in your body leads to water retention and bloating. NO amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Let’s not short change our body with an abundance of the above foods filled with fat, sugar, and chemicals. If you are still eating many of them try to start decreasing the quantity till you are in control.
The best way to do that is to fill up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and quality proteins first.

Magnesium for Children

Magnesium is the most relaxing mineral of all and crucial for growing children. It helps build strong bones and balance blood sugar. A magnesium deficiency can cause irritability, restlessness, poor sleep, and muscle cramps. Research has shown a tendency for overweight children to be lower in magnesium and this can be easily addressed by eating magnesium rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, spinach, sesame seeds, cashews, almonds, raw cacao and sea vegetables such as dulse and kelp. - Hungry for Change

(I always find wisdom on the Hungry for Change website: http://www.hungryforchange.tv

Pain Relief

We all are very grateful for medication when it is needed for pain. However let’s look at pain. It is a good thing, it serves as a warning of deeper, underlying problems, which otherwise may have gone unnoticed. So it is extremely important not to simply ignore or mask your pain, but rather to seek out and address the problem that is causing you to be in pain. Once that problem is addressed, it’s likely the pain will subside. In the event that it doesn’t, here are some methods you can try to reduce and eliminate pain, without relying on prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

1. Deep and proper sleep. Sleep is the time when your body is able to do repair work. So whether you’re in pain from an injury or due to an underlying condition, your body will be able to fight and work toward healing that pain while you sleep. Pain and sleep can be a “catch 22” though, in that often people with pain have trouble falling asleep. You can try taking a natural relaxant like Valerian Root and Magnesium and getting some exercise during the day.
2. Prayer. Prayer has been found to be as effective in reducing pain as prescription drugs.....so get that communication going!
3. Stretching. Stretching helps to reduce tension in your muscles, improve flexibility and range of motion, and may slow the degeneration of your joints. The act of stretching alone will also improve your blood circulation and help you to relax -- a key to pain relief.
4. Reduce/Prevent Inflammation. When your body is in a chronic state of inflammation, the inflammation can lodge in your muscles, joints and tissues. Over time, this can lead to physical pain, as well as a number of diseases including heart disease. Emotions (too much stress), diet and lifestyle all contribute to inflammation. You can lower inflammation by eating ANTI-inflammatory foods (fruits and vegetables) and limiting or avoiding all together the PRO-inflammatory foods (highly processed foods, high-sugar foods, trans fats, etc). (you knew that was coming!)
5. Regular exercise. Although you may be tempted to not move around much when you’re facing pain, a regular exercise program can help to relieve pain. Exercise works by prompting your body to release chemicals called endorphins that actually block pain signals from reaching your brain. (be practical and don’t hurt yourself, start slow)
6. Hot or Cold Packs. Applying a hot pad or cold pack to your area of pain can provide temporary relief. Hot pads are helpful for sore muscles, while cold packs work by numbing the affected area and reduce swelling. Rule of thumb: cold for immediate injury and swelling; hot for chronic pain and sore muscles. Be careful not to use a pad that is too hot or too cold, and when using a cold pack, wrap it in a towel so you don’t expose your skin to the cold (speaking from personal experience on this one - ouch!) A hot bath in epsom salts may also be very beneficial.

If you are still in pain there is nothing wrong with taking a pain med, however if you can find a natural way to relieve your pain first your body will thank you for it. Every med has a side effect, but in the short term it shouldn’t cause damage. Listen to your body and find the best pain relief possible for YOU.

Brain

Keeping the brain active is as important as keeping the rest of your body active and healthy. How do you exercise your brain? Games! Sudoku, word puzzles, card and board games. Even something as simple (and mindless) as switching to your non-dominant hand for everyday tasks can stimulate the brain. Try brushing your teeth or writing with your left hand (if right handed). These small tasks will challenge your brain. Let me know some creative ways you come up with to keep your brain active.

Avocados

Avocados are probably my most favorite way to get healthy oils into my diet.  So many people are concerned that they are getting too much fat from avocados. If you are adding it to an already fatty diet from processed fats, than maybe there is cause for concern. If you are eating all natural fats in the whole food form, then there shouldn't be any concern.

Here are a few facts about avocados that you may find helpful:
1. They are baby friendly. They mush into the perfect baby food. (Fun fact: Avocados are the size of a baby in the mother's womb at 16 weeks.)
2. They are fiber rich. There are 10 grams of fiber in one medium-sized avocado. There are two grams of fiber in one serving, which is one-fifth of a medium avocado. It contains both insoluble and soluble fiber (which speeds up the passage of foods) accounts for 75%, with the remaining 25% as soluble fiber (the fiber that makes you feel full).
3. They have natural packaging. The thick skin protects them. You can't eat the skin, but it shields the green goodness inside, making avocados perfect for travel.
4. They lower bad cholesterol. Avocados are one of the only fruits that contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat (the good-for-you fat) that helps boost good (HDL) cholesterol and lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol.
5. They upgrade your dips and spreads. An avocado serving size is 50 calories, which works out to be 3 thin slices or 2 tablespoons mashed. There are fewer calories than the same amount of butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, peanut butter, almond butter, olive oil, and coconut oil - plus avocado has over 20 vitamins and minerals to upgrade your natural diet! Use avocado as a substitute today!
6. They're gluten free, dairy free, vegan and cholesterol-free. Avocados are naturally full of nutrition, so there's no need for special labels. They're full of flavor; think of all the meals you can healthify (I like that word!) with avocados.
7. You know when they're ripe and ready. Avocados are ripe when they feel heavy for their size, yield to light pressure and are dark in color. But don't squeeze them too hard. Not ripe? Put in a brown paper bag for 2-4 days, or you can speed up this process by putting a banana or apple in the bag. If you have many ripe ones on hand, place them in your vegetable crisper in the refrigerator to extend the life.
8. They're an anti-aging powerhouse. Avocados are one of the most inexpensive anti-aging tools for your skin. Skincare from the inside out.
9. Yes, avocado is a fruit and it matures on the tree, but ripens off the tree. The avocados we get in non growing areas are picked hard and green and kept in coolers until they reach their final destination. Avocados must be matured on the tree to ripen properly. In a perfect world they would fall off the tree and ripen on the ground naturally.
10. Avocado trees do not self-pollinate; they need another avocado tree close by to bear fruit.

Now that you know the basics of avocados, incorporate avocados into your own healthy lifestyle.