Fructose is Everywhere, So Beware!

I was reading an article on fructose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I was astonished to find this fact:  the average American should only ingest 40 lbs of sugar per year.  In truth, the average American is ingesting 140 lbs of sugar yearly!  It seems fructose is added to just about everything these days:  fruit juices, most processed foods, jams, soda pop, crackers, and bread.   Fructose  in the form of HFCS is metabolised in the liver and, unlike a natural form of fructose (eg:  an apple contains fiber and fructose and thereby is metabolised slowly by the body), it has no nutritional value.  It doesn't trigger insulin, create glucose (energy) and inhibits leptin (this is what makes your body think you are full).  Baby formula contains HFCS....think about all the obese babies we have in the USA today; how did they get so fat at 6 months of age?

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Consume all natural and fresh foods whenever you can.  When you do your grocery shopping, start looking at the labels.  If you see high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an ingredient, put the item back on the shelf.  You'll be putting less garbage in your body and doing yourself a huge favor.

Form is Everything When Working Out

I know you've all heard this, read it and have been told time after time on every infomercial you see....form counts for everything when you're working out.  You cannot achieve optimal results if your form is not correct.  For example, the past 3 months, I've been working with tension bands for arms, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps....with minimal results.  I just couldn't figure out why I wasn't achieving results when I was working hard....at least I thought I was working hard!  My exercise buddy took a good look at my form 2 weeks ago, and a simple adjustment to my posture has made a world of change.  Now, when I workout, I walk away feeling like I've really 'worked and used' my muscles.  I already notice my muscles are firmer and my overall appearance is beginning to change.  This second round of P90X is going to see big changes in my life!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Whatever sport or form of exercise you engage in, double check your form.  It make the difference between great performance or not, major physical changes or not.  If you want to join my workout team...it's free.  It's a virtual place where we all will share our experiences, questions and life experiences on our road to fitness and health.  If you want to be part of a winning team, log onto https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=114448
Join me - a winner - and become a champion!

Why Some of Us Should Not Eat Soy

Some of us are meat eaters, some of us are vegetarians/vegans and any variation of diet that's out there today.  But, why can't some of us tolerate soy?  Here are some facts on soy that you may not know about.  As always, everything in moderation is fine in the diet and soy should be viewed in the same manner by which one would moderate alcohols, fats, meats, etc.  Here we go:  
"...

• Soy is the second-most genetically modified crop in the United States.  Only corn beats soy in this arena.
• Soy never neutralizes its 'anti-nutrients' (phytates, protease inhibitors, lectins and saponins).  These 'anti-nutrients' are the elements that are contained in the soy to protect the seed and plant and this is a huge reason why many of us cannot digest soy (usually the same folks who cannot digest corn as well). 
• For most of us, having soy in moderation in our diet is not a problem, but too much soy can lead to damage of the stomach lining and some other digestive ailments.
• If we ate fermented soy, there would be fewer digestive problems involved with the ingestion of this protein.  Most Americans ingest soy through soy milk, tofu, additive to other foods or as a textured vegetable protein (TVP).
• Feeding soy milk to babies may not be the best idea.  Soy milk has been linked to autoimmune thyroid and pediatric problems, aluminum toxicity and early puberty (because of its high estrogen content).  It affects protein digestion and pancreatic function.  It lacks vitamin D and reduces the bioavailability of zinc, iron and lacks cholesterol (necessary for nerves, hormones and brain development).  Soy is a huge comoponent of baby formula...another 'health' food on the market for the second largest crop..."
• For the breast cancer patient...if your cancer cell is estrogen/progesterone receptive and you eat soy; you are feeding the cancer cells!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  be smart!  Read more about soy online and educate yourselves about this food as you would read up on any other food source.  Just because  you hear 'it's good for you' on the television, doesn't mean it's good for you in particular! 
Today's material was provided to you via the hard work and research of Dr. Marlene Merritt, DOM, LAc, Can and the complete article 'Food Myths:  Bamboozled By The Soy Hype', can be found at www.acupuncturetoday.com January 2011, volume 12, Number 1.