Fight Diabetes With A Few Simple Steps

Fight the onset of diabetes with these few simple steps:
1. eat a healthy breakfast daily (no donuts or bagels). within 2 to 3 hours of waking. This controls appetite and daily caloric intake.
2. Get enough sleep. This will keep your cortisol levels regulated. Cortisol spikes raise insulin levels which lead to blood sugar imbalances. Good sleep helps to regulate hormonal levels.
3. Don't eat luncheon meats. They are high in fat, calories, preservatives and salt. Regular intake of luncheon meats leads to more weight gain. Eat more fruits, vegetables and have fresh cooked sliced meat for a sandwich instead of the garbage they label luncheon meat....unless of course, you prefer ground bones, intestines and waste products on your rye bread.
4. Stop smoking...now! Smoking constricts blood circulation. The American Diabetes Foundation has found that non smokers have lower risks of developing diabetes than smokers.
5. Shake your booty. Exercise helps take off those added pounds, helps to control cholesterol, blood pressure and regulates insulin production.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you've been diagnosed with borderline sugar/diabetes, you need to get proactive about it...unless you savor the idea of injecting yourself with insulin everyday for the rest of your life.  I've just given you 5 easy steps to take to help you avoid this daily conviction of self injections and the pain and dis-ease that comes with diabetes.  You have no excuses, no cause to whine....just do it!

Metabolic Syndrome Explained

 Metabolic Syndrome - what is it?  If you are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, you  simultaneously have three or more disorders related to your metabolism.  Three common disorders that occur include obesity, high blood pressure and high levels of blood sugar.  An 'apple' shaped physique is also a common sign that accompanies metabolic syndrome.  Several factors that can increase your possibility of having metabolic syndrome are age,  race (Hispanics and Asians have higher rates of risk than other races), obesity, history of diabetes (familial or gestational), hypertension, cardiovascular disease, PCOS, female hormonal pathologies, and high cholesterol.  If you have been diagnosed with any of the above or are borderline for the same, do something about it today.  Diet, exercise and lifestyle change can mean the difference of living a long and healthy life or a shorter version full of suffering.  The choice is yours to make...choose wisely.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, call or telephone my office today.  I will design a personalized Wellness Program for you that will gradually incorporate food choices, exercise and lifestyle changes to get you fit and healthy!

Want To Live Longer?

The Lancet just published a report stating that just 15 minutes of exercise daily can stretch 3 more years to your life. 

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Exercise is good for prevention of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  Just like taking vitamins, a daily dose of exercise is good for you!  Try some today.

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.

Health and Reality

Over the holiday weekend, I was chatting with a gentleman who recently was placed on anti-hypertension medication.  He hadn't been to a physician in many years for a regular checkup and after speaking with him for a while, he still doesn't understand that his hypertension could have been avoided by small lifestyle changes over the years. My suggestions to alter his diet and alcohol consumption fell on deaf ears.  I suggested that he seek an acupuncturist in his area and take his condition seriously.  The reality is that his unhealthy lifestyle will contribute to increases in his medication over time and his risk of heart attack and stroke will increase proportionately.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you have been placed on medication for any condition; take this as a wake up call and do something proactive for your health.  There's nothing worse than growing older and becoming so ill to the point where you've got bed sores, can't feed yourself, can't speak or can no longer walk.  Get real, and wise up....get yourself into healthy lifestyles today and avoid medications and illness down the road.

Celery Root Puree

Eating Well Magazine just published a yummy recipe for celery root puree (Nov/Dec 2011, eatingwell.com) that I really think is worth sharing.  I've been making celery root puree for years and a great tip is to add nutmeg or cinnamon to the recipe (just a pinch goes a long way!).
Celery Root Puree
(8 servings/ 1/2c each  active time:  30 min  to make ahead, cover for up to 2 days in refrigerator, slowly reheat on the stovetop, adding a bit of milk or water if needed.)
4c low-fat milk
3c water
3lbs celery root, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2tblsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tspn sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste, nutmeg and/or cinnamon to taste

Bring milk, water and celery root to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until very tender, about 30 minutes.  reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain.  Puree the celery root, butter, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth and the consistency of thinned mashed potatoes.  Add some of the reserved cooking liquid, if necessary, for the right consistency (like mashed potatoes...no lumps!).  Garnish with sprinkled ground nutmeg or cinnamon.
per serving:  81 calories, 3g fat (2g sat, 1g mono), 9mg cholesterol, 11g carbs, 0g added sugars, 2g protein, 2g fibre, 192 mg sodium, 368 mg potassium.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: Celery Root puree is a wonderful and healthy alternative to mashed potates with zero added sugars.  Check out the recipe today!

Come Clean Inside and Out

It never ceases to baffle me how fear stops so many people from living their lives fully and with happiness.  Inertia not only prevents us from moving forward, but it stops all relationships around us from growing,  In fact, over time, fear becomes a 'cancer'.  It spreads...manifesting itself via emotional and physical maladies.  It shows on the outside as well - skin eruptions, weight gain/loss, fatigue-induced injuries, limp hair; the list goes on and on.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Whatever it is that stops you from doing your life, stop IT!  Change your motis operandum, look at the 'beast' directly in the eyes, and just kill it....before it tries to kill you.  You'll sleep better, your life will be happier - more fulfilled, and the relationships in your life will flourish.

Resilience Is Good For Your Health

One of the reasons why I like New York City so much (almost as much as Paris) is the resilience of its inhabitants.  During the same week, we've had an earthquake and a hurricane.  Yesterday, after the bulk of the storm had passed over the Lower Manhattan area where I reside, my companion and I went for a walk down to the Battery and along the waterfront in Battery Park City.  There wasn't a tree that had fallen, the squirrels were back out digging for some nuts, and both residents and tourists were out and about their business as usual.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Resilience and a good sense of humor is good for your health.  The ability to 'come back' after an operation, broken limb or illness and do it with a good sense of humor and spirit makes the difference between total healing or not.  Acupuncture can help not only with the physical component of healing, but also the mental aspect of the process.  If you've had difficulty dealing with the stress of the past week, why not come in for a relaxing session?  Your blood pressure and blood sugar will stabilize, you'll have peace of spirit and more energy to get on with the day's tasks at hand.  And remember....nobody likes nor wants to help a sourpuss, so put a smile on your face; it's not only good for your facial muscles but people will respond to you with more empathy and lightheartedness.

Another Reason Why You Should Eat Your Greens

Personally, I really don't care if you eat meat, if you're a vegetarian, vegan....as long as you are conducting a healthy lifestyle and you're feeling fresh and fit - well, that's what counts here.  But for you folks out there (and you know who you are!) who 'poo-poo' eating your greens and fruits and other veggies every day, here's an eye opener for you:
http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  whether you're having the steak, burger, chicken, tempeh, beans or eggs...put some veggies and greens on the plate to go with it!!

Cauliflower Can Be Delicious As Well As Fat Free!

Did you know that cauliflower is regarded as a 'free food'?  It's one of the few foods that can be eaten in unlimited quantities when you're trying to lose weight or feel full.  Cauliflower is not starchy and contains the phytonutrient  sulforaphane (a cancer fighter!), folate and Vitamin C.  Most folks think of cauliflower raw with dip or steamed or just baked with cheese.  But there are so many other ways to have your cauliflower and like it too!  Here's how....

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: 
Creamed Cauliflower with Grilled Chilean Sea Bass and Spicy French Beans
Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower.  Remove stem and chop roughly.
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning for cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning for fish
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon red pepper powder
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon French sweet butter or Italian sheep's butter
Dash of seasalt to taste
Chilean Sea Bass fillet (8oz).  This will give 2 portions.
8 oz or more of French green beans (another 'free' food!).

Directions:
Steam boil or microwave cauliflower until soft.  Drain.  Add Mrs. Dash, nutmeg, red pepper powder, milk, butter into a blender or hand mash until soft and creamy.  Keep warm.
Spray both sides of fish. Either grill in a pan, in the oven or in your George Foreman grill until cooked to your liking.  While  the fish is grilling, spray a little Pam to coat a frying pan.  Toss mesquite rub powder in with beans and quickly toss in pan until tender.

Presentation:
Spoon out a 1/2 cup worth of the cauliflower in the center of the plate.  Gently lay a 4oz portion of the fish on top of the caulflower.  Add the spicy beans to the plate.  Not only does this dish taste delicious; it's low cal, low fat and looks like it's coming from the kitchen of a 5 start restaurant!
Bon Appetit!

Canada Lists Bisphenol A As Toxic

A Repost for you today:
Canada Lists Bisphenol A As Toxic,by Health & Wellness on Friday, October 15, 2010 at 4:50pm.BPA, now listed as toxic by Health Canada, is found widely in plastic bottles and in the linings of aluminum cans.
This week, Health Canada officially declared bisphenol A (BPA) to be a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This decision will lead to government regulation and management to limit the use of this industrial chemical in plastic items to better control risks to health and the environment.
The announcement sets the stage for further action in Canada to minimize the prevalence of harmful industrial toxins in the future.
BPA is used in some hard, clear polycarbonate plastic items such as water bottles. It’s also a component in the production of epoxy resins, which are used in linings of aluminum cans.
In 2008, the government had banned its use in polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and baby food packaging.
To justify the labeling, the Canadian government cites scientific evidence that BPA can potentially act as an endocrine disruptor, mimicking hormones in the body, in low amounts.
Because the chemical has the potential of harming the body’s natural balance of hormones, it may present a risk to a child’s normal development. The chemical may also increase risk of a variety of diseases including type-2 diabetes, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
compound has also recently been named among possible obesogenic pollutants, or “obesogens,” defined as chemicals that may pose risk of disrupting hormonal signaling in fat tissue.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would work with the industry to limit BPA in U.S. products and launch an investigation into use of BPA at low doses.
In the U.S. population, there is also widespread exposure to BPA. A previous report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the majority of people in the U.S. had BPA present in their urine.
The Environmental Working Group has estimated that “6 billion pounds of BPA are produced globally annually.” The group has consistently reported news involving BPA over the recent years and has a timeline of the BPA controversy available on their Web site.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  As you know, I use and advocate Isagenix products because of its high quality. It is a part of Isagenix policy to avoid toxic chemicals such as BPA in any of its packaging. These include all plastic canisters containing Isagenix products including shakes, soups, and capsules. It also includes shakers and blenders.  If you take supplements, protein powders, vitamins or use everyday beauty products and would like to know more about Isagenix, just email me and I'll tell you all about it!
k@kmondesire.com

Vascular Dementia - Another Reason Why You MUST Take Good Care of Yourself!

This weekend, I found out that one of my oldest and dearest friends has vascular dementia.  My friend was (and still is..his illness aside) a brilliant man.  He invented the first solar/wind collector and developed hydroponic farming using his system.  These units are still in use over 30 years later; sometimes, I look up at various buildings in Manhattan and there they are; still going strong.  He was a NASA scientist, financier, philanthropist and one of the funniest and best friends anyone could hope for.  Now, he gets lost going around the block.  Currently, he is in a group home, being well-cared for...a victim of many mini-strokes that followed massive strokes experienced during the past several years.
Vascular dementia can be prevented and here are some facts you should know about this condition:

Courtesy the Mayo Clinic, here is the definition of vascular dementia:
Vascular dementia is an umbrella term that describes impairments in cognitive function caused by problems in blood vessels that feed the brain.

In some cases, a blood vessel may be completely blocked, causing a stroke. Not all strokes cause vascular dementia. It depends on the severity of the stroke, where the stroke occurred and the portion of the brain that's affected. Vascular dementia also can occur when blood vessels in the brain narrow, reducing the amount of blood flow to those sections of the brain.

Risk Factors Include:
■Increasing age. This is one of the biggest risk factors for vascular dementia. The disorder is rare before the age of 65. And people in their 80s and 90s are much more likely to have vascular dementia than people in their 60s and 70s.
■History of stroke. The brain damage that occurs with strokes appears to increase the risk of developing dementia.
■Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis occurs when plaque builds up in your arteries and narrows your blood vessels. This can increase your risk of vascular dementia.
■High blood pressure. Hypertension puts extra pressure on blood vessels throughout the body. This increases the risk of vascular problems in the brain.
■Diabetes. High glucose levels damage blood vessels throughout the body, increasing the risk of stroke and other vascular problems in the brain.
■Smoking. Smoking increases the risk of hardening of the arteries and other vascular diseases, including vascular dementia.
■High cholesterol. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) are associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia, and possibly with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  For years, I would get on my friend's case about what he ate, drank, weight and exercise - he'd always laugh at me and tell me to stop worrying about him.  When I tell YOU to stop smoking, watch your weight, sugar and blood pressure, listen to me, please.  I don't want any of you to experience what this great man is living through.  If you have any of the above-mentioned conditions, start becoming pro-active and get yourself into a wellness program.  Every little bit counts and above all, you gotta have hope!

The Beautiful/Handsome You

How annoying is it when you meet someone you haven't seen for awhile and the first sentence out of their mouths isn't 'how are you?'...it's more like...'wow, you gained weight' or 'wow, you lost weight'.  Why is our identity so hinged on our weight??
Recently, I watched a documentary about young girls in a particular African country who are of marriagable age.  They are sent to 'camps' with other girls where they are force fed over 10,000 calories per day whether they can sustain the intake or not.  The objective is to make them as obese as possible, because if they are as fat as a cow, their prospects of marriage are so much higher (obesity translates to wealth and fertility in some cultures).  These young girls suffer from diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease and a plethora of other health conditions as a result of this force feeding.  If they do not eat, they are beaten.  Conversely, here in the United States, although obesity has been steadily on the rise for the past 10 years, the 'ideal' body image is close to that of a starving dog. 

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.  Healthy lifestyle - diet, exercise, rest and happiness from within is what  makes a beautiful/handsome person.  What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror?  Write in annonymously and share with the group.
For the remainder of this week, I'm going to focus on eating disorders and will post various sites where, if you or someone you know has an eating disorder, help is out there for you.

Sleep More, Lose More, Think More!

The average American only sleeps 7 hours per evening.  Did you know that the average number of sleeping hours you should get is 9??  Sleep (or lack of) affects so many areas of our daily lives.

Sleep is directly connected to losing weight because of cortisol metabolism.  Loss of sleep is tied to reduced levels of growth hormone.  Loss of sleep also can increase your blood sugar levels...this can increase insulin resistance!  That can lead to Type 2 Diabetes...yikes!  Sleep affects memory and coordination.

There are many different reasons why some people cannot sleep:  vivid dreaming,  lifestyle habits, stress, perimenopause, pregnancy, over training for an event, obesity....did you know that Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture and herbal pills) can not only pinpoint the cause of your insomnia or poor sleep, but can treat the dysfunction and eliminate it over time?

Here's your healthy tip of the day:  get more sleep.  You'll lose more weight, you'll have fewer accidents, you'll be smarter, quicker, look and feel better.  And if you are having trouble with your sleep, email me and we'll talk about a consult or visit to get you from 'sheepville' to 'sleepville'!!

How To Dine Out While Trying To Shed a Few Pounds

It's not as difficult as you would think!  Here are a few dining tips:
Instead of alcoholic beverages, order a club soda with a slice of lemon and lime.  It's refreshing, fills you up, and no one will know if there's a shot of vodka in your drink.  If you do want that glass of wine with dinner, start off with a glass of club soda or seltzer when you are seated and drink a glass of water.  Alternate between a sip of wine and a sip of seltzer during dinner.  Chances are you will be unable to finish the glass of wine...that's about 600 fewer calories imbibed at the table.  Order a green salad for an appetizer and ask for fresh lemon and olive oil on the side (or balsamic vinegar).  Add your own dressing on the salad and enjoy the texture of the greens.  Ask that your protein source be baked or broiled with no added salt or toppings - same with veggies...order them steamed or grilled.  You'll avoid any unnecessary sodium which will bloat you and the insidious fats that are added in most restaurants for flavor.  At the end of the day, you'll be proud of yourself!  You will have stayed on track, enjoyed your evening, had a great meal and those goals you've set will be closer to attainment.
To learn more about nutrition, log onto  http://www.kmondesire.com/nutrition.html
There is a plethora of information on nutrition and you will see just how much sodium might be in your favorite condiments and fast food joints...read it - it's food for thought.
For more information about nutritional counseling and my complete LifeStyle Program, contact me via email and I'll tell you all about it!