$100 Dollar Night Cream vs. The Sweet Potato: Eating for Healthy Skin

There are hundreds of creams and serums on the market that are supposed to make your skin the most beautiful it can possibly be.  Most of them cost an arm and a leg.  On top of that, you usually need one for day and one for night. Before you know it, you have a hundred dollars worth of lotions cluttering up your medicine cupboard.  In reality, a better diet and drinking more water will do more for your skin than any lotion, no matter how "specially formulated" that lotion is.

I think it is somewhat easy for us to forget that skin is an organ.  And, like all of our other organs, our skin will function better if we eat a nutrient rich diet.  The best foods for achieving beautiful, glowing, healthy skin are the orange foods because of their high vitamin A content.  Vitamin A is also useful in treating acne and psoriasis.  Canteloupe, apricots, carrots, and yams are among the best foods you can consume to improve the health of your skin. Biotin is another nutrient that can affect your skin health.  It is most commonly found in eggs and salmon.  Biotin deficiency can cause a facial rash as well as hair loss.  Omega-6 is also quite instrumental in healing damaged skin.  Omega-6 is found in avacados and nuts.  Aside from healing your skin, this powerful nutrient is also linked to good brain activity and function.

There are some foods that will actually damage your skin and/or increase eczema flare-ups.  These include pretty much all processed foods and dairy products, especially milk.

While increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin A, biotin, and omega-6 will do a lot to improve your skin, simply eating a balanced and varied diet will also do a lot to help you out.  And, even though these foods will help you, drinking plenty of water will do just as much for you.  The other beverages we love to comsume like tea, coffee, and sodas are dehydrating.  For balance, you should drink two glasses of water for ever cup of coffee, tea, or soda consumed.

What to Know About the Juice Craze

There is a juice craze in our nation.  With the concept of juicing gaining popularity, there seems to be an influx of "health" juices crowding market refrigerators.  There are even fusion juices that claim there is a full serving of fruits and vegetables inside every serving of juice.  This is a lie.  For any juice to remain on a shelf or in a refrigerator for more than three days it has to pasteurized.  Pasteurization is excellent at killing microorganism that will make us sick.  It is also excellent at killing the enzymes and vitamins that will make us healthy.  Therefore, any bottled juice cannot contain a full serving of fruits or vegetables because the enzymes and vitamins that make those foods worth eating have been eliminated.

Juicing for health requires you to press or squeeze your own fruits and vegetables.  Advantages to making and consuming raw juice includes instant absorption of the available nutrients.  Your body doesn't have to work as hard to process carrot juice as it does to process a serving of raw carrots.  Juicing is an excellent idea for people who are facing health concerns or anyone who is having problems with a vitamin deficiency.  The problem with juicing is that it requires a commitment free of shortcuts.  Drinking juice bought off of a store shelf or out of a store refrigerator does not produce the same effect and can even lead to a vitamin deficiency.

We are a culture looking for quick fixes.  When something is wrong, we want a pill and when we are told to improve our diets we want a miracle shake.  The easiest and cheapest way for you to be the healthiest person you can possibly be is to buy and consume raw foods.  Baby carrots, nuts, and grapes require no preparation aside from washing.  These foods are ready to go any time of day and when eaten raw or made into raw juice provide you with nutrients that will help you reclaim your health.

Be cautious of marketing strategies at the store.  Just because something claims to be organic, all-natural, or vitamin rich does not mean that it is. 

Steak and Potato Syndrome: Certain Foods Cannot Be Properly Digested Together

If you are looking for the culprit behind your indigestion, acid reflux, IBS, or other similar digestive disease you likely don't need to look any further than the American "square" meal.  Your body secretes special enzymes and juices to break down food.  Protein, fat, carboyhdrates, and sugars all require different enzymes for digestion.  And, unfortunately, your body cannot secrete the various enzymes needed to digest the average meal at the same time.  Some enzymes live in acid based juices while others live in alkaline based juices.  Eating foods that produce acid along with foods that produce alkaline will inhibit the proper enzyme secretion needed to digest your entire meal.  When foods go undigested for too long because the proper enzyme is not being secreted, they ferment in the digestive tract releasing gases and eventually being converted to stored fat.  This can eventually cause nutrient deficiency and weight gain.

The most unhealthy food combination in terms of digestion is eating a high level protein with a high level carbohydrate.  I call it "steak and potato syndrome."  Eating proteins and carbs together will inhibit your ability to properly digest either food.  It is also unwise to mix proteins in the same meal.  There is not one enzyme or juice that takes care of digesting all proteins.  Each protein requires a specific enzyme and a specific time release to be digested. Eggs, nuts, cheese, and animal proteins should not be eaten together.  Sorry folks, but cheesburgers and surf and turf have got to go.

Fats inhibit the secretion of some digestive juices, specifically those required to digest proteins.  The body will naturally break down the protein first in the instance that fat and protein are in the body simultaneously.  Fats will then remain undigested in the body until the protein is fully processed, which takes about six hours.  When you eat fatty proteins like meats and nuts your body follows the same process of protein first, fat later.  This is why eating a handful of nuts can help stave off  hunger.  Because most proteins also contain a considerable amount of natural fat and take so long to digest, it is in your interest limit other fats like oil and butter so your body has time to process what is already available.

When acidic fruits are combined with carbohydrates or proteins, the result is bloating.  The body will process the acidic fruits first and delay the breakdown of protein or carbs.  As previously mentioned, protein takes several hours to digest.  Delaying the processing of protein and carbs causes more fermentation in the body which causes gas build-up and the gas build-up in turn causes the bloating.

If you eat sugar and starch together, the sugar will prevent your body from producing any of the enzymes needed to break down the starch.  That's right, pastries and danishes really are bad for your digestion.  This news makes me sad too.

There are two common foods that should never be consumed with any other foods.  These are milk and melon.  Milk is not digested in the stomach.  Because it contains protein strands that will not be broken down in the stomach, it can prevent nutrient absorption from other foods.  In general, milk is not a healthy choice for children or adults.  But, if you insist on having it, drink it seperately from meals and snacks.  If you are concerned about getting enough calcium, up your intake of dark, leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and arugula.  Melons are meant to break down rapidly in the digestive system.  If they are eaten with other foods the breakdown will be delayed and this can result in discomfort.  Any type of melon is better consumed away from meal times.

So far, this post is depressing.  It basically says to not eat anything you like.  Let's talk about some alternative combinations that will taste good and work well with your digestive system.  Instead of having your steak, chicken, or fish with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, serve it over a nice spinach salad or alongside some asparagus, green beans, or another low starch vegetable of your choice. Some of the best news you will receive today is that it is okay to eat fat and starch together.  Go ahead and have buttered corn with your mashed potatoes (use organic butter).  Or, if you want a nutrient rich combination, feel free to stir some coconut oil into your mashed sweet potatoes.

Of course your diet should always contain a broad spectrum of nutrients.  Just remember it is best to not consume the full spectrum every time you eat.  Feel free to snack instead.  Eat smaller "meals" several times a day and make them simple.  Have a fruit salad for breakfast, a starch with a vegetable medley for lunch, and a protein with a salad for dinner.  Eat melon in between ;)

Soy Products: Friend or Foe?

In recent years, soy has become thought of as something of a wonder food.  Vegetarians near and far rely on it as a protein source.  Soy is best known for its isoflavones, which are high in antioxidants as well as being anticarcinogenic.  Isoflavones are only present in fermented soy products.  Examples of fermented soy products include miso and tempeh.  Eating fermented soy products is a good health choice.  Eating everything else made of soy, however, is another story entirely.

Unfermented soy products like soy milk, soy-based vegetarian foods, edamame, and tofu are being linked to an increasing number of health problems.  Unfermented soy contains phytates, an anti-nutrient that actually blocks vitamin and mineral absorption from other foods.  Alarmingly, magnesium, calcium, and zinc are among the mineral deficiences associated with diets high in soy.  Soy is also linked to excessive estrogen production which can cause problems with hormone imbalance and fertility. Eating excessive amounts of soy is also linked with poor thyroid function and can even cause the thryroid to become unnaturally enlarged.  Poor thyroid function, along with poor circulation is attributed to decreased libido and weight gain.

You may be thinking that cutting out soy is easy enough.  Many of you probably were never that into tofu anyway.  But, think harder.  Soy is hiding in just about every processed food on the market.  It is in your breakfast cereal, potato chips, snack crackers, some processed cheeses, fast food, frozen dinners, and canned soups.  It is difficult to come by any packaged food product that does not say either "May contain soy" or "processed in a facility that uses soy"  The truth is that we are ingesting hydrolyzed soy on a daily basis without even seeking out a soy product.  Over time the anti-nutrients are building up in our bodies and making it harder for us to get the vitamins and minerals from the healthy foods we choose.

So, next time you decide to make a vegetarian stir-fry at home, switch out the extra firm tofu for tempeh and remember that healthy proteins are also easily found in beans and sprouted grains and in bean and alfalfa sprouts.

Stressed Out? Put The Cocktail Down!

We all go through times in our lives when stress and anxiety are running the show.  There seems to always be something uncomfortable that needs to be dealt with and sometimes there seems to be a million uncomfortable things to deal with at once.  I don't know about you but my reaction to a long, trying day is usually to consume lots of coffee (my caffeine of choice) while trudging through the day, and to have a glass of wine, a beer, or a cocktail (maybe sometimes even two or three) at the end of that bad day.  When we do this, we are only making things worse for ourselves.  Stimulants can increase anxiety and associated symptoms, such as quicker heart rate.  If you really want to help yourself, simply do what you should do anyway-put the cocktail down and eat your fruits and veggies.

Green, yellow, and orange vegetables all contain nutrients that help to keep anxiety at bay.  Foods containing tryptophan such as bananas, peanut butter, sesame seeds, and nuts are also known to have a calming effect.

Next time you have a bad day, try having a spinach salad with shredded carrots, avacado and yellow bell pepper slices, and sesame seeds.  Once you are feeling a little better you can have that tempting glass of wine for dessert.

The Right Fat Won't Kill You. It Will Only Make You Stronger

Our ears are full of negative thoughts on food these days.  We hear about how obese and disease ridden our nation is.  We hear about weird dieting tricks and intense weight loss programs.  One guy comes out with a book that says eat all the fat you want, but don't eat any carbs.  Then another guy writes a book that suggests you eat all the carbs you want, but leave out fat.  Some people say to eat only or mostly protein.  My opinion is that all of this is mumbo jumbo.  Our bodies are designed for us to be omnivores and omnivores only thrive when they consume a wide variety of foods.  We need the carbs, the fats, the proteins, the vitamins, enzymes, and minerals.  We need all of it.  Maybe we should stop blaming certain groups of foods and look at the bigger picture.  Though there is an insanely vast availability of food in this country, the quality of the food leaves much to be desired.

Do you ever wonder why portion control at meals is so difficult?  I believe it can be attributed to the lack of nutrients found in the most common foods at the market.  We consume more of everything because our bodies need us too in order to get the proper amount of nutrients.  If we were to eat more nutrient dense foods that were grown organically and cooked properly, we might just naturally adjust our food portions to a more appropriate size.

Healthy fats come in many forms.  Avacados, conconuts, olives, nuts, and seeds all contain fats that our bodies need to thrive.  Most of us who do get these fats likely get them from oils pressed from these foods.  While olive oil is always a healthier choice than vegetable, canola, or corn oils, it may not be as healthy as you think.  There are two ways of extracting oil from fruits and seeds-heat pressing and expeller (or cold) pressing.  Heat pressing is the more common form used because this process produces more oil.  But, it also kills the nutrients in the oil and can even convert those nutrients to toxins.  Cold pressed oil retains those nutrients, specifically powerful antioxidants that keep the oil fresh and help our bodies to clear toxins out.

While olive oil is a fine choice to have on hand, the best oil you can use is cold pressed cocount oil.  This oil is so good for you that it is among the top ten superfoods worldwide.  First off, coconut oil has the least amount of calories compared to any other known fat source.  Coconut oil improves digestion, contains fatty acids that help fight off fungi, bacteria, and viruses, aids in absorption of the right kinds of calcium and magnesium, helps regulate the thyroid gland, regulates hormone production, helps your body properly use essential fatty acids, and increases metabolism thereby aiding in weightloss.  The effects of this oil are best felt if it isn't cooked.  While it can still make an excellent marinade, it is best used as an ingredient for salad dressing or drizzled on other foods toward the end of their cooking time.

An easy use would be to add it to a tuna or salmon salad as it will help you absorb and use the omega-3's in those foods.

The Sweet Life: Tricking Your Taste Buds With a Top Ranking Superfood

 I think  all of us Americans can agree that we live in a culture that is addicted to sugar.  We say we can't get through the day without our soft drinks.  When hungry and busy we reach for granola bars or whatever else is nicely packaged and only 100 calories per serving. We can be quick to reach for a frozen dinner.  We know these things are destroying our futures.  But, they are also destroying our daily lives.  Full of refined carbohydrates, refinded sugar, and an ingredient list that is 2/3 preservatives; these "foods" (if they even deserve such a title) actually just make us feel tired and weak.  We know they are bad.  But, we eat them anyway.  Why?  Because we are too busy, overtired, and stressed to the max.  And, in the moments when we feel we can't take it anymore, we are quick to satisfy our sugar addiction.  Worry not.  There is a way to satisfy your addiction and take excellent care of your body. 

The answer is honey.  Of the 10 top ranking superfoods, honey is the only one widely harvested in the continental U.S. and it has far more uses than a way to make your herbal tea a little more palatable.  However, like so many other foods that have been made widely available to us, not all honey is created equally.  First of all, honey is only worth your money if you buy raw honey.  Pasteurized honey does not contain any enzymes whereas raw honey is full of them.  The enzymes in raw honey are so good at fighting off infection that honey is used medicinally for ear and sinus infections and can even speed the healing of open wounds when applied directly.  Consuming raw honey is also known to aid in weight loss and helps you to absorb the minerals in other foods.  It is also very important that you use organic honey.  Bees farmed organically consume natural flower pollens from their surrounding environment.  Bees not farmed organically are often actually fed high fructose corn syrup.  Honey gets its enzymes from the pollen the bees are consuming so if you don't buy raw organic you may as well stick with that sack of white cane sugar. 

While not imperative like being organic and raw, I also recommend that you try to buy local honey.  If you consume honey made from the plants in the area where you live, the honey can actually work as a histamine blocker and reduce the effects of seasonal allergies. 

Use raw organic honey anytime you would normally use sugar or syrup.  Drizzle it over your waffles at brunch, stir it into your cookie and cake batters.  It also makes an excellent homemade salad dressing ingredient or marinade for fish or vegetables.
I find that combining a couple of tablespoons of oil with about 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, and 2-4 tbsp of raw organic honey and 1 tsp of dried oregano makes an excellent marinade for a nice piece of wild caught salmon.