If you work at a desk job, here is your guide to staying healthy during the day.
 
Your body was designed for full range of motion, and simply standing does not optimize your physiology either. The key is movement, not simply standing statically. Sitting can also be healthy when done correctly. It is key to always maintain good posture. So try to keep your back straight, your feet on the ground, keyboard close to you, and monitor at eye level. Research from Dr. James Levine shows that for every hour we sit down, our life expectancy decreases by about two hours. For comparison, every cigarette smoked reduces life expectancy by 11 minutes. That means sitting down can be far more hazardous to our health than smoking, which is a shocking revelation for most. But, and this is very interesting, we cannot simply replace sitting with standing. Our body was designed for full range of motion, and simply standing does not optimize our physiology either.

STRETCHING
In addition to staying active, it is also very beneficial for your health to stretch. Especially those tight hip flexors, the lower and upper back, and shoulder complex. Find simple stretching exercises that can alleviate pain. Laying over a Swiss ball for a few minutes can assist in stretching that lower back and open up the shoulder blades.

GET CONNECTED

If you have any questions please feel free to connect with DannyTheCoach.
 
For help with creative development, from digital design to social media content, please reach out to PoeticaFilms.com. This video was produced by Poetica Film & Design. Poetica specializes in helping brands to find unique ways to tell meaningful stories.

Your brain is an extremely important organ. It is the hub of everything. It is in charge for learning, cognition, memory, thinking, and individual growth. Keeping your brain healthy is obviously critical. Brain autophagy is a process that allows your brain to regenerate, get rid of old and unhealthy cells, and replace them with new and healthier ones.

The trouble is that as you age, there is an increasing risk of brain degeneration. Leading an unhealthy lifestyle and toxic environmental factors can lead to a decline in brain health and function. The good news is that making some lifestyle changes using natural brain-supporting strategies can help to enhance brain autophagy, support your brain function, and prevent brain degeneration.

As stated, brain autophagy is critical for promoting brain health and preventing brain degeneration. There are a number of different strategies you can apply today to support your body’s ability to heal and repair brain cells.

I would be more than happy to discuss any of these strategies in more details. If you have any questions or would like to start a dialog, please contact me.

Always Tired?

There are many possible reasons for why you feel tired all the time. Some causes are very simple and easy to address, while others may be rooted in chronic conditions that require a more thorough approach. Fatigue can impact your life to the point where it's negatively affecting your work, relationships and other aspects. I found this great article that I'd like to share with you.

Below are a few potential causes and how they can be addressed. And a list of very simple things you can do to improve your sleep. Check it out:

Besides the ones mentioned above, fatigue can come from myriad underlying medical conditions. The list below sheds light on the most common culprits:

So What Can You Do?

Below a few practical solutions to help prevent being tired all the time - some easy tips for sleeping better at night:

For the full article, sources & references - click here.

5 Body Signs of Nutritional Deficiencies
Nutritional deficiencies left undetected or without cause for alarm over long periods can lead to life altering health problems. Different areas of your body can signal that something is physiologically wrong. Being in tune with your body's needs and being aware of these signs of nutritional deficiencies are critical to whole body wellness.
Optimal vitamins and minerals are required by the body to properly eliminate toxins from the body, promote the health needs of your digestive system, cardiovascular system, metabolism and total body strength. Signs can be both external and internal and can be caused by the over consumption of one vitamin or mineral which can leave your body out of balance and deficient in other minerals.
Learn the 5 body signs of nutritional deficiencies below so that you can better detect how your body is functioning. Learn how to enable you to heal faster if you notice something is wrong. These small signs are fixable today and they can prevent you from long term health problems.

Sign #1: Hair Loss and Skin Rash
Nutritional deficiencies affect a person's entire life. Not only do these nutritional deficiencies lead to a decline in physical health but many problems can influence work and social life.
Hair loss and face rashes may impact one's desire to feel comfortable in public settings and may be the first indicator that there is a hormonal imbalance or other physiological concern stemming from inadequate nutrient intake.

Supplements
When biotin levels are low, many times other B vitamins are low as well. Such as B2, B6, folate and often B12. For general maintenance a supplement with 300-400 mcg (100-133% of RDA) of biotin daily is a good option.

Sign #2: Oral Health Problems
Oral health reflects the relationship you have with consuming proper nutrients in your diet. Please consider that many vitamins and minerals are responsible to protect the oral cavity.  Nutritional deficiencies can manifest in various ways in the oral cavity and develop into more severe health challenges down the road. For instance, consider the following nutrients and there effects on supporting structures in the oral cavity:

These symptoms of nutritional deficiencies are often associated with vegetarians who do not consume enough essential nutrients through diet because animal products contain many of the fat soluble vitamins needed to maintain oral health.
Individuals also susceptible to nutritional deficiencies in which symptoms manifest in the oral cavity include people with gastrointestinal diseases, thyroiditis, autoimmune disorders, and people who consume proton inhibitor medications

Related Deficiencies
Common vitamin and minerals associated with poor oral health include a complex of B vitamins including riboflavin (B2), B12 and niacin (B3) as well as minerals like iron and zinc. The effects of nutritional deficiencies for each nutrient listed above can result in the following problems:

Remedy
Nutritional deficiencies in any of these nutrients can result in weakened immunity and a higher risk for infection. Unless you have specific dietary restraints, excellent protein sources containing iron, zinc and B vitamins are found in wild caught salmon, free-range poultry and organic and free range sourced eggs.
Watch out for phytate containing foods such as grains, legumes and nuts. These phytic acids bind to minerals like zinc and iron and reduce our ability to absorb them. Always soaking and sprouting nuts and seeds removes the phytic acids and enhances the bioavailability of the nutrients in the nut or seed. Additionally, be sure to use fermented foods which have a higher amount of B vitamins and good bacteria and enzymes to enhance the digestive process.
Add more vegetables to your diet high in vitamin C to boost the availability of iron into the body. Foods include kale, cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli, tomatoes, red bell peppers and citrus fruits like lemons and limes. Especially if you follow a specific diet, it is crucial to receive B vitamins from foods like avocados and dark leafy green vegetables.

Sign #3: Muscular Cramps in Legs
Frequent muscle cramping in the calves, arches of the feet and a stabbing sensation in your toes may be a sign that you are deficient in one of the critical nutrients that work in balance to control other ions.
You may just be working up a sweat more often than before which increases your loss of electrolytes. However, whether your cramps occur over short or long term periods this symptom should be treated accordingly.

Remedy
Excellent sources of magnesium in foods are found in avocados, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened cacao while Brazil nuts and almonds contain high amounts of both magnesium and potassium. Both calcium and magnesium can be received in combination with a healthy ratio of vitamin D3 to regulate calcium absorption in fermented foods like kefir, yogurt and milk from 100% grass-fed animals. Coconut water and coconut water kefir are great sources of potassium.

A good and effective combination includes doing 3 Epsom salt baths each week, 3 days of sunbathing at least 30 minutes with 40% or more of the body getting high quality sun exposure, using fermented foods and drinks like coconut water kefir and an avocado daily. In addition, I recommend using generous amounts of Real Salt on food and hydrating well throughout the day. Consume some dark green leafy veggies each day for calcium and anti-oxidants.

Many essential oils have natural antispasmodic qualities, which help inhibit problems associated with spasms, cramps and muscle pulls. Some good ones include lavender, chamomile, rosemary or cypress. You can massage these onto your legs, diffuse them in your home and put them into your Epsom salt bath.

Sign #4: Itchy Red Rashes, Acne & Blemishes
Several skin problems are associated with nutritional deficiencies. Skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, severe acne and even skin pigmentation disorders may have you trying to alleviate the problem with skin moisturizers and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Related Deficiencies
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that vitamin A deficiency is a public health concern affecting more than half of the globe and vitamin D is virtually an epidemic considering 90% of the population is deficient in this critical nutrient.
Most people are also deficient in the long chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA as well and this can result in more inflammation in the skin and sebum glands and the development of acne.

Remedy
Foods rich in vitamin A include liver, organic eggs from pastured chickens, dark green vegetables, carotenoid containing produce like carrots and sweet potato as well as milk from 100% grass-fed cows. One of my favorite sources of vitamin A is organic, grass-fed butter or ghee. I use these generously each day. I love butter!

A great source of the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA is through a purified fish oil.  I personally recommend and use Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil because it has high amounts of fat soluble vitamin A, 1000 IU of vitamin D and a healthy dose of EPA and DHA.

#5: Abnormal Sensations in Hands or Feet
Have you ever experienced a tingling in your toes? How about a numbness in your hands or the sensation of pins and needles in your feet? These minor and seemingly insignificant symptoms can be a sign of a serious health problem. Symptoms may be slow to develop but become more severe and lead to serious health consequences over time.

Related Deficiencies
Vitamin B12 & Folate (Vitamin B9): Since the intrinsic relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and disease was first recognized in 1849, researchers have fought to understand the many metabolic roles this vital nutrient plays in maintaining health. Vitamin B12 is involved in a key reaction that regulates nerve function, supports DNA synthesis and helps regulate specific amino acid levels like homocysteine from becoming toxic.
Folate is another B vitamin involved in similar neurological pathways. A deficiency in vitamin B12 and folate are associated with inflammatory conditions throughout the body. However, severe problems that can arise from a vitamin B deficiency like Crohn's Disease may be masked by less problematic symptoms early on. One of these early body signs is neurological damage manifested as numbness or tingling in areas of the body such as hands and feet.

Remedy
Foods containing a complex of B vitamins are primarily of animal origin such as meat, eggs, dairy and poultry. This is why vegans and vegetarians are at an increased risk of vitamin B deficiency. Although vitamin B12 is bound in protein in animal products, vitamin B6 can be obtained from meat as well as green leafy vegetables.
Some individuals have genetic issues such as pyroluria that cause them to need much higher B6 levels.  Other people have a dysbiotic gut and the bacteria are unable to produce adequate B6 levels.  This is where fermented foods can be especially helpful sources of highly absorbable B6.

Reasons for Nutritional Deficiencies
There are several reasons why someone may have nutritional deficiencies. These include a diet that is low in micronutrients and high in sugar and processed foods. The lesser known reasons include low stomach acid and leaky gut syndrome which cause poor nutrient absorption.
Additionally, poor blood sugar balance and chronic stress deplete key nutrients and lead to nutritional deficiencies.  All of us have had one or more of these factors for a period of time in our life and it is quite possible you are struggling with one right now that is contributing to nutritional deficiencies in your body.

Key Nutritional Tips:
Above all, consuming a wide variety of nutritional antioxidants sourced from all the colors of the rainbow in fruits in vegetables can help prevent nutritional deficiencies. Consider eating a superfood every day and choose to have a salad as one of your meals. Be sure to choose organic produce to consume foods with the highest nutritional density.

Click here for the entire article, with references and additional info.

1. The Plan
I am a firm believer that exercise is a powerful instrument that greatly influences your aptitude to be completely healthy. Let me ask you: "Have you made the commitment to work out, but you’re just not sure where to start?" Does that sound like you? If so, I can help you. Let's connect and we'll work on a simple 8 week program can get you going. It will be tailored to your needs, your circumstances, your life. Nothing cookie-cutter here.  Everybody is different and has different needs. I'll show you the ins-and-outs of a customized workout routine that fits your schedule AND budget.

2. Isometrics
Isometric exercises are contractions of a particular muscle or group of muscles. During isometric exercises, the muscle doesn't noticeably change length and the affected joint doesn't move. Isometric exercises help maintain strength. They can also build strength. The muscles are stable, done in one position so that there is tension but no change in length. Isometric exercise is also known as static strength training. Examples include the plank and side bridge as well as the wall sit and many yoga poses such as chair and tree poses. Isometric exercise is one of the safest strength training techniques you can do. Why? Because, you do not have to lift heavy weight or move / burst with high intensity, rather you control the resistance and you control the results. You have immediate response to your body’s needs.

3. Tracking
Inactivity is the fourth biggest killer of adults worldwide, responsible for 5.1% to 12.5% (average 9%) of premature deaths, and walking more could go a long way toward reducing this risk - says the WHO. Studies show that compared to women who averaged 2,718 steps a day, women who walked 4,363 steps per day were 41% less likely to die in the next four years, and taking 5,905 steps was associated with a 46% lower mortality risk. Women who took 8,442 steps were 58% less likely to die in the next four years, but additional analysis revealed benefits maxed out around 7,500 steps per day. So track your steps.

4. Yoga
It can improve your brain health and brain function. Yoga can also help lower stress, stave off cognitive decline by strengthening brain regions involved in working memory, advance overall brain function and neuroplasticity, decrease body image dissatisfaction and anxiety, and much more. Research shows experienced yoga practitioners have greater gray matter volume in several brain regions compared to matched controls, suggesting it has neuroprotective effects.

5. H2O
Please stay away from any sports drink or any energy drink. They're loaded with sugars, bad sodium and food dyes, toxic ingredients like artificial colors and high-fructose corn syrup. When exercising or doing other strenuous activities, be sure to drink sufficient amounts of pure, clean water to ensure proper hydration. Drink about half of your body weight in ounces. Example: at 180lbs you should be drinking about 90 ounces of pure water. I suggest adding a pinch of unrefined, unprocessed, unfiltered sea salt (electrolytes) and a squeeze of lemon juice (taste and blood cleanser).

6. H I I T
I'm a big fan of this type of workout. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), a type of exercise that combines brief sessions of high-intensity activity with bouts of rest, can improve heart function in most people. In a study, a HIIT group also increased their VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can handle while exercising; this can be utilized as a measure of cardiovascular fitness, by 15%. It can be hard to believe that shorter workouts can lead to similar or even greater gains than longer workouts, but the secret lies in the intensity. By pushing your body to near its maximum, you reap greater benefits faster.

7. Fasting
Intermittent fasting covers a variety of different meal timing schedules, but generally speaking involves cutting calories in whole or in part, either a couple of days a week, every other day or daily. When you eat throughout the day and never or rarely skip a meal, your body adapts to burning sugar as its primary fuel, which down-regulates enzymes that utilize and burn stored fat. If you’re new to the concept of intermittent fasting, consider starting by skipping breakfast; eat lunch and dinner within an eight-hour timeframe, and make sure you stop eating three hours before you go to sleep. Let's connect if you have questions.

8. Stretching
In just 15 minutes a day you may improve your flexibility and enjoy greater balance, an improved ability to perform daily living tasks and less pain in your shoulders and lower back. The technique you use matters, as doing static stretches just before a workout may reduce your muscle strength. Instead these stretches may be used at a time outside of your fitness routine or while working out "the kinks". It helps to finish your workout with a foam roller or "the Stick" as it also helps improve flexibility, mimics myofascial release treatments and improves blood flow to the area worked; research shows it reduces arterial stiffness, improves balance and increases flexibility

9. AM Workouts
If you're in the habit of using time restricted eating, exercising before your first meal of the day will also allow you to take advantage of fasted exercise, which has a number of important metabolic benefits. Exercising while in a fasted state boosts fat shedding and maximizes the impact of AMPK, which not only forces the breakdown of fat and glycogen for energy but also plays an integral role in autophagy. Exercise and fasting together also yields acute oxidative stress, which benefits your muscle, and trigger production of BDNF, which helps rejuvenate your brain.

10. Balance your Meals is Key
Some use carbohydrates to fuel muscle during endurance races, but to gain muscle mass and lose fat, use healthy, high quality fat foods and intermittent fasting together with strategic meal planning and preparation. Muscle growth and definition also requires exercise and optimal amounts of vitamins A, C, D and B complex for protein synthesis, muscle repair and stress reduction. Muscle growth and strength are also important as you age to maintain independence and your ability to easily do activities of daily living, such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries
 
If you have questions to any of these tips & suggestions, let's connect. Contact me anytime and let's start a conversation. I'm here to help.

3 easy tips
A few healthy tips below to help you boost your immune system. Incorporating any of the following, or better yet, all three, into your daily routine can go a long way in strengthening your body's defenses.

1.   Shake Your Way To Improved Lymph Flow 
   First is a super easy (and free) immune-boosting activity that anybody can do just about anywhere. It involves improving the circulation of your lymph system with physical movement. You can do this is by shaking your body in an up-and-down motion for a couple of minutes every morning. (It's an ancient Tai chi practice, but works for us modern techies too!) Similar effects are seen with the use of a rebounder trampoline, vibration plate, and other forms of exercise like swimming and yoga. When your lymph flow improves, toxins are more easily cleared out of your system; and the "G-forces" created by rapid up and down movement, sweating, and stretching enhance this process.
   
   
   
2. Eat Antibacterial, Antiviral, and Antifungal Superfoods
   Next, incorporate as many immune "superfoods" (coconut oil, garlic, medicinal mushrooms, chia seeds, oregano products, etc.) to provide antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal compounds that support your immune system. Plant foods rich in fiber can provide pre-biotics for the immune-supporting pro-biotic bacteria in the gut to eat. Many vegetables, eeven when consumed with the dirt still on them if you dare, will then add soil-based pro-biotics that diversify the gut and support the immune system. You can also get an additional gut boost by adding in fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and natto for a concentrated and diverse source of probiotics. Google can help you find simple and cheap ways to make them at home with all that extra time you probably have on your hands!
   
   
   
3. Take Immune-Boosting Supplements
   And finally, certain immune-boosting supplements can provide a substantial dose of antibodies such as Immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM), all of which help to fight pathogens in the intestinal tract. Colostrum can help you with this. The growth factors in colostrum stimulate the gut to patch up holes created by excess inflammation and damage by toxin exposure thereby restoring a leaky gut lining to normal permeability levels. Also garlic, omega-3 fatty acids (nuts, wild salmon, mackerel, flaxseed oil) and zinc-rich foods (oysters, crab, lean meats) can help.
   

Let's connect if you have any questions or need some help.

10 Tips for Working Successfully from Home

We are all trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy by limiting our social contacts. Therefore, more of us are working from home than ever before. While some of us work from home regularly, others are doing so temporarily.
During the past several years, remote work has become both more widespread and easier to accomplish, given ready access to high-speed internet, video conferencing software, instant messaging, and a high-quality set of headphones. Below are 10 tips for successful remote work.

1. Establish a dedicated workspace
Working from home does not provide the natural boundaries of time and space that a workplace provides. You don’t leave your work behind by leaving your place of employment.
Therefore, it’s vital to create some sort of physical boundary at home. Although if you are only working from home temporarily you might not have a dedicated home office, it’s important to find a room or a part of a room you can temporarily use as an office space to help you develop a boundary between your work and your home life. It's key to separate the two!
Ideally, it will be a silent space where you won’t be interrupted by family members or other distractions. But, please do not use your bed, that needs to be set aside for sleep. Also an important aspect of finding a dedicated workspace.

2. Develop a morning routine
Even though it’s enticing to roll out of bed and start working right away, or even check your email on your phone while you’re still in bed, it’s highly recommended to develop the same type of routine you would have if you were commuting to work. Wearing PJs and sweatpants all day can be awesome at first, but the novelty wears off pretty fast.
Get up, take a shower, get dressed, put some face cream on, have breakfast, drink a big glass of water, take your supplements, have some coffee, exercise - whatever you would do if you were commuting. Keep your routine or develop a slightly modified version. It needs to work for you.
 
3. Establish time boundaries
According to a 2019 survey, 43% more remote workers than onsite workers say they work more than 40 hours per week. Although this may be because they are enjoying what they are doing, or are caught up in a project they want to finish, or some other grounds, it’s very vital to establish a work routine.
Particularly if you are working with co-workers in different time zones, it’s tempting to want to make yourself available over several time zones, which can result in a 10+ hour day. Although that isn’t the ideal arrangement, if it works best for you and your team, then be sure to build in time in the middle of the day for an exercise break, take care of personal business, go for a walk, hike up the mountain, or just relax and do some meditations.

4. Socialize with co-workers
When you work in an office setting, part of your daily routine involves chatting with co-workers about non-work issues, whether it’s over lunch, brief chats in your office, by the bathroom area, or whatever. But working remotely you can have meetings with co-workers but they may be all business.
Therefore, it’s important to build in a modest chat time - either at the beginning or end of a Skype meeting, via a brief IM chat, or other means. A day shouldn’t go by without a quick, “Hi, how are you doing?” between yourself and another co-worker. Otherwise, the well-known hermit syndrome can result.
 
5. Create a project schedule for yourself
While there are typically less distractions when working from home than in an onsite work setting, it’s still important to make a list of projects you are working on and assign priorities to the projects.
It also helps to share your completion goals with your teammates to remain accountable. Sticking to a plan is easier when working remotely because you are less likely to be pulled into unforeseen meetings.
If you’re working in a team where some are onsite and some are remote, then your strength as a remote worker is being able to complete projects - writing projects, for example - while onsite teammates might be involved in troubleshooting, organizing, and engaging in multi-team meetings.

6. Take a lunch break
Don’t forget to eat. It's important! Stay well nourished. It’s easy to get caught up in what you’re doing and forget to stop for lunch. Take a good half hour away from your computer - and don’t sit and eat while working. If  possible, go outside and have your lunch in the sunshine. Some fresh air can help clear your mind, too.

7. Don’t forget to move
While you’re working onsite it’s more likely you will have occasion to get up and move - to go to a conference room for a meeting, to chat with a co-worker in another office, walk upstairs to chat with another department member and so on.
But when working alone at home, it’s easy to sit for hours and forget to get up and move. Try to get up and move for at least a minute or two every 30-45 minutes. If necessary, set a timer to remind yourself. Walk up and down the stairs, walk around the house, chase the cat, or play with the dog, do 20 push-ups, squat 40 times, throw in 10 jumping jacks, add 20 lunges, you get the picture!

8. Drink water
Just like any other time, it’s important to drink plenty of water. Keep a bottle of water next to you to sip on throughout the day. This will also cause you to get up and move once in a while. Ideally, you drink half of your body weight in ounces every day. YES, every day. So for example, if you're 200lbs, you should drink at least 100 ounces of water. Just in case you don't like water, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice in your water and add a pinch of clean, unrefined, unfiltered, unprocessed sea salt. This will also help you add vital trace minerals back into your system along with natural electrolytes.
 
9. Remote doesn’t mean less than
Even though remote work has become the format of choice for some large companies, the stereotype image of the remote worker as a slacker in PJs lounging on the couch still exists.
It’s easy to feel inferior, less than, that you’re missing out on important information, etc. In fact, there is even a syndrome - impostor syndrome - that describes the insecurities associated with remote workers. Remember, you are still a valuable member of your team. If you feel out of the loop, schedule a meeting with someone who can bring you into the loop.

10. Create a hard stop
When you’re done for the day, be done - shut down your computer, turn off the lights, leave your work area and close the door. Unless there’s a good reason, don’t continue to check your email on your smart phone throughout the evening. There is always tomorrow. Establishing good remote work hygiene is just as important as developing good sleep hygiene and will go a long way toward making it a successful endeavor, whether temporarily or long-term.

Below are 10 super easy exercise options you can do at home, at your local park or pretty much anywhere you are, even the hotel room.
All you need is a little bit of dedication, a little dash of will-power and you're on your way.

Enjoy. If you like what you see, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel - click here.

Here the YouTube Link to the Playlist - click here.

Here a few simple yet very effective full-body workouts you can incorporate into your daily routine.
Enjoy!

Coronavirus: Symptoms & Natural Solutions
The coronavirus, aka COVID-19,  is all over the news and social media. It is a new strain of coronaviruses that first started in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It causes fever, coughs, shortness of breath, and upper-respiratory symptoms.

In this article (original source link below), you will learn what the coronavirus is, how it spreads, what are its symptoms, and who is at risk of the infection. You will learn about some major lifestyle factors that can cripple your immune system and put you at greater risk of any virus or respiratory infection. This article will also show some natural solutions that can help to prevent viruses, respiratory infections, and illness this season and help you recover quickly if you do get sick.
 
What Is the Coronavirus
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large group of viruses. Different strains may cause different illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV, or SARS) or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV, or MERS). Coronaviruses tend to be zoonotic viruses, which means that they can be transmitted between people and animals. For example, SARS was transmitted from civet cats to humans, whereas the MERS originally spread from camels to humans. There are various strains of coronaviruses that are circulating between animals but have not infected humans so far.
If you check the news and read about the coronavirus, they are referring to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) or Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new strain of coronaviruses that haven't been previously seen in humans and has been spreading since late 2019.

Symptoms
Symptoms are similar to the flu and the common cold, however, may become severe and lead to complications in those with chronic health issues or in older people. The mortality rate is at 2 percent in Hubei providence in China where the outbreak started and less elsewhere. This is much better than SARS, which had an over 10 percent mortality rate or MERS which killed about 35 percent of those infected.

The CDC currently believes that the incubation period of the virus can be up to 2 weeks, and symptoms may appear within as few as 2 and as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. This is very similar to what we’ve seen in the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) back in 2012.

Symptoms of the coronavirus infection are very similar to symptoms of the flu (influenza) virus. Based on what we know, symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Not feeling well

Symptoms may range from mild symptoms to severe. In some cases, people may develop a more severe illness, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, and in severe situations, it may result in death.

Who Needs to Watch Out?
According to the current understanding, the coronavirus spreads very similarly to other coronaviruses and other upper-respiratory infections. The virus mainly spreads person to person between people who are in close contact, or within 6 feet, of each other.
It spread via respiratory droplets coming from an infected individual's coughs or sneezes. When a healthy person nearby inhales these droplets into their lungs, they may get infected. While this is not the main way to get sick, the virus may also spread by touching one's own mouth, nose, or eyes after touching an object or surface with the virus on it.
Based on what we know, the coronavirus is the most contagious when someone is the most symptomatic, however, it may also spread before someone shows any symptoms. However, at this point, we don't know enough how contagious the coronavirus is.
 
How Do You Get Infected by Coronavirus?
What we know for certain is that in order to get infected by the coronavirus, you have to be in contact with someone who is sick or perhaps with an object a sick person has touched recently. According to February 26, 2020, there are 14 confirmed cases in the United States, 12 of these are travel-related and 2 are person-to-person spread. Out of the 80,239 cases, 77,780 are in China and most other cases are in the Western Pacific Region of Asia, including South-Korea and Japan, as well as Italy.
If you are in the United States, at this point, there is little reason for you to be worried. However, since the virus is spreading, experts speculate that we may be facing a pandemic situation soon, it is important to be up to date and educated.
For up-to-date information, including travel warnings, you can check the CDC's and the WHO's website.

 
The BIG questions....So What Can I Do?

 
5 Lifestyle Activities That Cripple the Immune System
Your immune system's job is to protect you from infections and illnesses. Your immune system is the one that helps you recover if you get sick. Having a strong immune system is absolutely critical to protect your body against viral infections, including the coronavirus.

The problem is that there are several lifestyle activities that many people engage in that can cripple your immune system and make you more vulnerable to illness.

The top 5 lifestyle factors that may prevent your immune system from functioning optimally.

Here the short list - details below:

1. Too Much Sugar & Carbs
2. Sleep Deprivation or Poor Quality Sleep
3. Drinking Unfiltered Tap Water
4. Staying Indoors All Day
5. Chronic Dehydration

 

1. Sugar and Your Immune System
   It's not the first time you've heard about the negative effects of sugar on your health. Sugar not only causes blood sugar fluctuations and weight gain, but it can also cripple your immune system. Sugar can deplete your body from critical immune-supporting nutrients, such as zinc, vitamin C, and glutathione. It also feeds parasites in your body and may lead to abnormal tissue and cancerous growth.
   
   When we are talking about sugar and your immune system, we must discuss the link between sugar, vitamin C, and immune function. In the 1970s, Dr. John Ely discovered the Glucose-Ascorbate-Antagonism (GAA) theory, which found that glucose (sugar) and ascorbate (vitamin C) have a very similar chemical make-up. The problem is that both of them depend on the pancreatic hormone, insulin's signaling to get into your cells. Sugar and vitamin C basically end up competing for the same spot in your immune system.
   
   If there is too much sugar, vitamin C will likely lose this race as too much sugar can restrict vitamin C from entering your cells. When this happens, your body needs to pump more insulin to get enough oxygen to your cells. Vitamin C is critical to handle oxidative stress and fight pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms in your body. If sugar prohibits vitamin C to support your body, your system weakens and becomes more vulnerable to illness and disease, including the coronavirus infection.
   
   
2. Sleep Deprivation
   Your body needs regular sleep to rest, repair, and rejuvenate. Regular sleep deprivation will surely lead to fatigue, exhaustion, and low concentration. However, sleep deprivation also leads to heightened stress response, reduced immune coordination, and increased inflammatory processes. This can lead to compromised immune function and higher vulnerability to infections and illness, including the coronavirus. 
   
   
3. Chronic Dehydration
   Drinking plenty of water and proper hydration is critical for your immune system, circulation, nervous system, and all organ function. Chronic dehydration can result in too much histamine in your body.
   All that histamine will aim to ensure that your organs get enough fluids even when you are dehydrated, however, elevated histamine may also increase inflammation, allergies, headaches, chronic pain, digestive issues, and immune system problems. The consequence of chronic dehydration may also increase your risk of infections, illness, and disease.
   
   
4. Drinking Tap Water
   You already know how critical hydration and water is to your immune system. However, it is crucial that instead of simply tracking your water intake, you also pay attention to the kind of water you are drinking.
   Municipal water can be toxic loaded with environmental chemicals, such as chlorine, DBP's, arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals. These toxins can destroy your immune system. Drinking clean water using a high-quality reverse osmosis system or high-quality mineral or spring water is much better for your immune health. 
   
   
5. Staying Indoors
   Historically, our ancestors spent most of their lives outdoors. We do the exact opposite by spending 90 percent of our time inside. Our jobs and schools are indoors. We go to indoor grocery stores and shopping malls or shop online from our couch. We attend indoor events or simply hang out inside of our homes. Of course, staying indoors protects us from certain weather conditions, such as rain, snow, or even heat. However, unfortunately, too much indoor time also increases your exposure to indoor pollutants.
   By spending so much time indoors, you are also missing out on the protective factors you may receive in nature, including vitamin D from the sun, fresh air, and electrons from the ground when walking or standing barefoot from on the ground. To protect your immune system, it is critical to find balance and create some time to be outdoors regularly.

 
Top 10 Natural Solutions For Coronavirus
There are currently no vaccines to prevent the coronavirus and there are no anti-viral or other medications to treat the illness.
Supporting your immune system is absolutely critical when it comes to the prevention and treatment of the coronavirus and other respiratory viral infections.
Below are 10 natural solutions to boost your immune system and protect your body from illness and infections.

Remember, these are great tips not only when it comes to the coronavirus, but for the common cold and the flu as well.
 
1. Eight Foods to Support Immune Health
Eating a nutrient-dense diet is one of the best and non-negotiable ways to support your immune health. It is important that you eliminate refined sugar, refined oils, artificial ingredients, processed foods, and junk food, and instead, focus on a diet that’s rich in greens, vegetables, herbs, spices, fermented foods, fruits, and healthy fats.
Certain foods are particularly beneficial for your immune health because they have higher immune-boosting properties than others. It is important that you add them to your nutrient-dense diet.

These foods include:

• Lemons and limes: Lemons and limes are some of the best sources of vitamin C and antioxidants, and help to alkalize and cleanse your body
• Bone broth: Bone broth is rich in vitamins and minerals and is soothing for respiratory conditions
• Garlic: Garlic may reduce inflammation, support your immune system, and effectively fight infections
• Onions: Similarly to garlic, onions are powerful infection fighters that boost your immune system and reduce inflammation
• Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar provides great disinfectant support against even the most resistant bacterial strains and viruses and offers antioxidant support
• Olive oil: Olive oil is a great source of monosaturated healthy fats which is incredible for your immune system
  
• Ginger: Ginger is one of the most potent medicinal spices that help to reduce inflammation, boost your immune health, improve sore throat, and lower pain levels
• Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms are fantastic immune-boosting and inflammation-fighting superfoods 

2. Good Hydration
If any way possible drink half of your body weight in ounces of clean water minimum a day. For example, if you're 200lbs you should drink 100 ounces of clean water every day! If you are exercising or doing physical labor, spending time out on the hot sun, sweating a lot in a sauna or hot tub, recovering from an illness or infection, or otherwise feeling dehydrated, make sure to drink more.
To ensure that you drink high-quality, clean water, use a high-quality reverse osmosis system that purifies your water by removing all the toxins.
Make sure to use a stainless steel or glass bottle to avoid toxic chemical residue from plastic bottles. It is also important that you eat plenty of hydrating vegetables and fruits and drink green juices, bone broth, or herbal teas in addition to your water intake. Avoid sugar, sugary drinks, energy drinks, and too much coffee that may dehydrate your body. 


3. Good Sleep, Fresh Air & Daily Movement
Keeping your body healthy is more than just food and water. Getting good sleep, fresh air, and daily movement are all crucial for a healthy immune system. Get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep on a regular basis. If you are feeling sick, make sure to honor your body, and rest plenty. Get some fresh air on a daily basis.
Go for a walk, do some grounding by standing or walking barefoot on grass or dirt, or just simply open your windows and air out the rooms. Do some daily movement. Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes 5 days a week, and keep an active lifestyle through nature walks, stretching, yoga, dancing, walking your dog, and playing with your kids. Even if you are feeling sick, it is important to stretch or do some small movement as much as you can handle. 


4. Keep Stress Down & Practice Gratitude
Keeping your stress levels down is key to your immune health. Practice gratitude daily. Upon waking, think about the things that you are grateful for. Stop and appreciate the small things throughout the day. Keep an evening gratitude journal. Say a daily prayer or engage in the spiritual practices that uplift you.  Journal regularly.
Try meditation and breathwork. Say daily affirmations. Practice positive thinking. Talk things out with your friends, family, or therapist. Make sure to have some 'me-time' regularly. Surround yourself with positive people and uplifting activities as much as possible.

 
5. Diffuse Essential Oils
Diffusing essential oils may be beneficial for both the prevention and treatment of infections. They may help to open up your airways, reduce mucous, improve coughs, calm sore throats, and reduce sinus issues. Essential oils that may benefit coronavirus, cold, and flu symptoms include eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, frankincense, oregano, thyme, geranium, cinnamon, nutmeg, bergamot, cypress, and tea tree essential oil. These essential oils may offer antioxidants and immune-protective qualities.
It is important to mention that some people may be sensitive to certain essential oils. Start out with a small amount, preferably, when you are feeling well. Pay attention to your body and reactions.
 

6. Garlic Salve For Coronavirus
Whether you have the coronavirus, the flu, the common cold, or other upper-respiratory issues, if you are symptomatic, try homemade garlic salve for coughs and colds. It's simple to make and easy to use.
Use:

• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 10 drops lavender oil (it’s incredibly calming and soothing)

How to use it:

• Rub it onto the soles of feet. Apply generously. Put socks on to help hold the salve in place
• Rub it on your chest
• Repeat every 2 to 3 hours until your condition improves

 

7. Take Vitamin C for Coronavirus
There is a reason mothers give vitamin C supplements and orange juice when you were sick as a child. Vitamin C is one of the best vitamins when it comes to illness. Research has shown that it has incredible benefits for lung infections and it is one of the most important vitamins for your immune system.
Vitamin C rich foods include lemon, lime, oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, guava, strawberries, papaya, pineapples, kiwi, sweet green pepper, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Remember that sugar is the enemy of vitamin C, so make sure to eliminate any food with refined sugar and reduce your overall natural sugar (carb) intake as well.
Try Thorne's "Buffered Vitamin C" supplement (Amazon link).
 

8. Optimize Vitamin D & Zinc
Vitamin C is awesome, but let's not forget about Vitamin D and zinc either. They are both essential to support your immune system, yet most people are not getting enough. Sunshine is the best way to improve your vitamin D needs, however, with our indoor lifestyle or colder seasons, it is impossible to meet all your needs. To boost your vitamin D levels, try a daily Vitamin D/K2 supplement for both prevention and treatment.
Zinc is another nutrient that people seem to not get enough through diet alone, especially when not eating a nutrient-dense, immune-boosting diet. This can lead to immune dysfunction and more infections and illness. To improve your zinc levels and keep illness way, eat lots of zinc-rich foods, including pumpkin seeds, asparagus, chicken, salmon, and grass-fed beef regularly.

 
9. Use Elderberry & Astragalus
Elderberry and astragalus are fantastic for coughs, congestion, and other respiratory illness symptoms. Use them to strengthen immune defenses that defend against colds, the flu, the coronavirus, and other infections and to aid recovery if you get sick

 
10. Use Specific Herbal Support Formula
Herbs are the best friends of your immune system. However, it is important that you are strategic when you are using herbal support and use a specific herbal support formula that’s created to support your immune system, lungs, and respiratory tracts.
Find natural respiratory support formulas that use powerful blends of herbs and essential oils, including lovage root, eucalyptus leaf, peppermint left, lemon balm leaf, lungwort leaf, orange leaf, plantain leaf, chapparal leaf, menthol, elecampane root, lobelia flower, and peppermint essential oil, to encourage lung, sinus, and respiratory tract health.
 
Source - click here.

Here is a very simple strategy for you to try to help your digestion - Every time you eat a meal, chew each bite of food twenty-five to thirty times.

Yes, twenty-five at a minimum. Your mouth is full of digestive enzymes. Therefore, by taking your time and chewing, you're giving those enzymes a chance to do their job. You're also allowing optimum time for your gallbladder to release bile into your stomach. Chewing thoroughly can also activate hormones that will make you feel fuller faster, stimulate hydrochloric acid to break down proteins, and even stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system so that you are not eating in a stressed state.
So next time you are having dinner with friends, slow down and chew your food. You may want to put your fork and knife down while you're chewing. That simple little trick can help you focus on chewing your food more fully.

5 Ways Fasting Can Improve Your Lifespan & Overall Health
 
Is fasting really good for you? These days, you can't have a health conversation without talking about fasting.

Fasting is now considered a promising way to help people live longer, just one of the many health benefits of fasting we're now seeing in the research.
 
How to slow down the negative effects of aging with fasting
A recent literature review published in the New England Journal of Medicine has concluded that, based on years of prior data, fasting can help you live longer! This is consistent with other data from institutions such as the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Louisiana's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where researchers found that daily fasting improves health and longevity in animal models – independent of what or how much the animals ate!
 
Here are five other benefits of fasting based on the current research:

1. Lowers blood pressure – so may reduce your risk of heart disease
2. Promotes fat loss and may help treat or prevent obesity
3. Enhances blood sugar control by boosting insulin resistance – and thus may treat or prevent type 2 diabetes
4. Slows tumor growth and therefore poses as a promising holistic treatment against cancer
5. It may promote growth hormone production, which helps build stronger muscles and a healthy metabolism

 
5 tips on how to fast successfully

1. Medical Supervision: Fasting has been studied on individuals from all walks of life, and it's shown to be safe and effective even for people with chronic health conditions like obesity and cancer. However, fasting isn't for everyone, and there are some risks (such as dangerously low blood sugar in people with diabetes). Get your doctor's approval prior to testing out fasting for yourself, especially if you're about to explore a prolonged fast lasting 24 hours or more.
2. Find Fasting Template For You: Whether you choose an alternate day fast, time-restricted eating, 5/2 fasting, or some other model, it helps if you find something you actually like, and it should fit into your lifestyle. This may require some front-end research and trial & error on your part, but be willing to give fasting an honest go. Maybe find a app that can support (try “Zero”).
3. Water: You must drink lots of pure (clean) water. This will keep you hydrated and keep those hunger pangs at bay. Most fasting practitioners also say that calorie-free beverages like black coffee, teas, and seltzer waters are A-OK on a fast, too. To keep yourself from getting cramps or headaches, add a pinch of sea salt (Real Salt) to replenish your electrolytes.
   
4. Stay Active: If you're already a regular exerciser, feel free to be active during your fasting window.  Just don't overdo it. Some research suggests that performing aerobic workouts in a fasted state may enhance endurance and muscles' ability to use oxygen. Just use caution, stay hydrated and modify or stop what you’re doing if you start to notice any exercise intolerance symptoms like lightheadedness or heart palpitations.
   
5. Break It: Break your fast with a normal sized meal but try not to gorge yourself, as this could cause gastrointestinal upset. And if you want to extend the fat-burning state your body is in after a longer fast, consider eating a meal that’s rich in proteins and healthy fats, along with some low-carb foods like kale or cabbage.

 
Let me know how it goes.

Avoid These Top 10 Inflammatory Foods
 
Inflammatory foods can be major players in the development of the suffering in our society.  This is because the process of inflammation is at the root cause of most chronic health issues. Learn what foods you should eliminate and what diet to follow to reduce inflammation, pain, and disease. With so many dietary advice out there, it can feel confusing to find the right one. 
 
The truth is that eating healthy is actually rather simple. Once you understand what foods may damage and what foods may protect your health, you can finally eat a nutrient-dense diet with a worry healing your body with every bite.

 
What Is Inflammation
Inflammation is your body's natural defense mechanism to fight against potential harm, such as infections, injuries, and toxins. It is part of your body's inherent immune response that promotes healing an recovery. Inflammation itself is not bad. Acute inflammation helps you to repair tissue damage when you have an injury and help you recover from colds, illness, or exposure to allergens.
The problem is chronic inflammation, which is the result of an excessive stress load on your body, including physical, emotional, and chemical stress. Being exposed to constant stressors, your immune system becomes overwhelmed and increases the inflammation response.
This can lead to more white blood cells, cell changes, and eventually tissue and organ damage. Chronic inflammation plays a role in a variety of chronic pain symptoms and health issues, including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune conditions.

 
The Role of Diet & Inflammation
Diet plays a major role when it comes to inflammation. An inflammatory diet that is low in nutrients is one of the main causes of modern-day inflammation. Cytokines are proteins secreted by your immune system to regulate your immune response. Certain foods can trigger your immune system and lead to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the underproduction of anti-inflammatory cytokines
The good news is that your diet also plays a role in preventing and reducing inflammation. While, inflammatory foods, such as sugar, refined oils, and gluten may increase the risk of inflammation, eating an anti-inflammatory diet may help you to overcome chronic inflammation and improve your health.

 
Major Nutritional Factors for Inflammatory Foods
Several major factors that play a role in chronic inflammation.   When we consume food it will have an impact on our physiology and these 3 factors are key considerations when it comes to the foods we choose:

1. Blood Sugar Impact
2. Damaged Fats
3. Chemical Toxins

 

Blood Sugar Impact
An inflammatory diet with too much sugar may lead to blood sugar imbalances in your body. This may cause inflammation and the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines increasing your risk of insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels leading to further inflammation, pain, and disease.
 
Damaged Fats in Foods
Your body needs fats for fuel, but not all fats are created equal. Polyunsaturated fats, such as corn, soybean, safflower, and other vegetable oils are highly unstable and prone to oxidation when exposed to heat, light, or air. During the cooking processed they also become damaged or oxidized making them even more inflammatory and destructive to your health. These oils are particularly bad for the endothelial lining of your blood vessels and for your skin and greatly contribute to the formation of acne, aged spots and wrinkles. 
 
Chemical Toxins in Foods
Environmental toxins are everywhere, in our air, food, water, and products. Long-term exposure to environmental toxins may overwhelm your immune system and increase chronic inflammation. An inflammatory diet with lots of processed, refined, and non-organic foods are high in toxins. Choosing and anti-inflammatory, organic, and healing diet, however, may lower inflammation.

 
Top 10 Inflammatory Food List

1. Gluten
2. Sugar
3. Refined Carbs
4. Conventionally Raised Meat & Dairy
5. Farm-Raised Fish & Seafood
6. Processed Conventional Meat
7. Trans Fats (Partially Hydrogenated Oils)
8. Food Additives & Preservatives
9. Highly Processed Vegetable & Seed Oils
10. Artificial Sweeteners

 

Top 10 Inflammatory Food List Details

1. Gluten
   Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains, including wheat, rye, and barley. It's found in bread, pizza, pasta, cereal, and other food. Gluten is particularly dangerous for and must be completely eliminated by individuals with Celiac disease or gluten allergy. What is more common, however, is gluten sensitivity that may cause a low-level chronic inflammation, a variety of symptoms, and leaky gut. Eliminating gluten may lower inflammation levels and improve your health.
   
   Alternatives: Gluten-free Alternatives
   Choose gluten-free flours, including almond, coconut, quinoa, and amaranth flour. Use lettuce for burgers and sandwiches, collard green for wraps, cauliflower for pizza crust, toasted sweet potato for avocado toasts, portabella mushrooms instead of buns, zucchini or cucumber noodles instead of pasta, and veggie sticks instead of crackers.
   
   
2. Sugar
   Probably not surprising to see sugar on this list. Sugar is one of the most inflammatory foods, yet, refined sugar is lurking everywhere from candy, snack bars, baked goods, pastries, sodas, sugary drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, pasta sauces, condiments, and more. When you eat too much sugar, your body simply cannot process it quick enough. As a result, it releases pro-inflammatory messengers called cytokines. It may damage your immune system and lead to blood sugar issues.
   
   Alternatives: Low-GI Whole Fruits, Vegetables, and Natural Sweeteners
   If you are looking for something sweet, low-glycemic index fruits, such as berries and green apples, and sweet vegetables, such as beets and carrots provide plenty of sweetness with lots of nutrient and fiber to help to slow the break down of sugar. Natural sweeteners, such as monk fruit and stevia may also sweeten your teas and baked good without disrupting your blood sugar balance and resulting in inflammation.
   
   
3. Refined Carbs
   Refined carbs and refined flour are found in most baked goods and other foods in your grocery stores, including white bread, bagels, crackers, pasta, flour tortillas, and breakfast cereal. Besides possible being full of gluten, they are inflammatory and low in nutrients. Refined wheat flours are high in sugar. They are stripped of nutrients and slow-digesting fiber. Hence, your body breaks them down way too quickly leading blood sugar spikes, pro-inflammatory response, inflammation, and health issues.
   
   Alternatives: Unrefined Flours and Creative Options
   Look for gluten-free and unrefined flours. Get creative by eating kale chips or sweet potato chips cooked in coconut oil instead of potato chips. Use veggies sticks instead of wheat crackers, collard greens and lettuce instead of bread and tortilla, coconut wraps instead of flour wraps, cauliflower rice instead of white rice, baked sweet potato fries instead of French fries, and zucchini noodles instead of pasta. 
   
   
4. Conventional Raised Meat & Dairy
   I'm a big fan of meat and I think it is extremely important for your health. BUT, the kind of meat you eat matters. Any meat that is not organic and animals are not treated by the highest standards is full of hormones and not the best option. Hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs coming from grain-fed animals are highly inflammatory. Historically, dairy has been part of a healthy human diet. Unfortunately, in recent decades, man-made refineries manipulated the dairy-creation process turning these once-superfoods into inflammatory foods. Conventional dairy is not organic and not obtained from pasture-raised animals. It's full of growth hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, and toxic pesticides making them highly inflammatory and disruptive to your gut microbiome.
   
   Alternatives: Grass-fed, Raw Dairy, and Non-Dairy Options
   It is important that you make sure that the meat you eat comes from animals that were raised humanely and fed a diet that is meant for them to keep them healthy and are not treated with hormones. Make sure to eat pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed beef, pork, and lamb, and wild-caught fish. Grass-fed raw dairy, including raw milk, grass-fed butter and ghee, and fermented yogurt or kefir are generally healthy for most. People with mild to serious inflammatory conditions and immune dysregulation may have a difficult time tolerating even raw dairy. Try taking out dairy for 90 days, then add it back to see how you tolerate raw and fermented dairy in small amounts. Non-dairy alternatives include coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut kefir, and macadamia nut milk.
   
   
5. Farm-Raised Fish & Seafood
   Fish and seafood are healthy sources of anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids and protein. However, as always, it's important that you know your source and chooses seafood that supports your health. In most cases, farm-raised fish are raised under crowded conditions, often given antibiotics, and fed a less than optimal diet. Farm-raised fish and seafood generally have more inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids, higher chemical exposure, and less protein than wild-caught counterparts.
   
   Alternatives: Wild-caught Fish
   If you want to eat fish, go for wild-caught fish. Choose fish that is low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, tilapia, chunk light tuna, mullet, herring, anchovies, and sardines.
   
   
6. Processed Conventional Meat
   I believe eating meat is extremely important for your health. However, it's crucial that you eat healthy meat. Processed meat, such as deli meat and cured meat are not organic, highly processed, full of hormones, additives, and other unhealthy ingredients. No wonder, they are highly inflammatory.
   
   Alternatives: Pasture-Raised and Wild-Caught Options
   Try to choose pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed beef, pork, and lamb, and wild-caught fish. If you have trouble finding these at your local grocery store or health food store than you can order virtually any type of meat and various cuts through US Wellness Meats and they will deliver right to your door.
   
   
7. Trans Fats
   We all know the news: trans fats are bad. There are two types of trans fats you may encounter in foods: naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally occurring trans fats are made in the gut of some animals and they may make in small quantities to milk and meat products. The real problem though is with artificial trans fats that are produced in an industrial process by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to solidify them. Partially hydrogenated oils are the primary dietary source of trans fatty acids in processed foods. Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't recognize them as safe. They are highly inflammatory and may raise your risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.
   
   Alternatives: Grass-Fed Butter and Healthy Oils
   Try grass-fed butter or ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
   
   
8. Food Additives & Preservatives
   If you carefully look at the ingredients of some processed foods at the grocery store or even in your own pantry, you will spot several food additives and preservatives. These ingredients are used to enhance flavor, texture, or color, or to extend shelf life. They have no nutritional value and are often inflammatory and harmful to your health. Monosodium glutamate is used to enhance the flavor of some savory dishes at fast food restaurants. It has been associated with metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and other health complaints. Artificial coloring, such as Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6 have been associated with allergic reactions, inflammation, and some cancers. Sodium nitrate found in processed meats may lead to inflammation and cancer. Other food additives and preservatives you should avoid include high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, sodium benzoate, trans fats, and any artificial flavoring.
   
   Alternative: Organic Whole Foods
   Choose organic whole foods and organic natural products without additives and preservatives.
   
   
9. Highly Processed Vegetable & Seed Oils
   When it comes to fat consumption, it is important that you understand the importance of a healthy Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio to control inflammation. A diet too high in Omega 6 fatty acids is highly inflammatory and may contribute to the development of pain and disease. Omega 3, on the other hand, is anti-inflammatory. While it is impossible to avoid omega 6 fatty acids, and some nutrient-dense foods, such as almonds, and other nuts have some in them, it's important to make sure that omega 3s dominate your ratio. Vegetable oils, such as corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, and peanut oil are high in omega 6 fatty acids. They are also damaged during processing and are highly inflammatory.
   
   Alternative: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
   As a healthy source of fat and oil, try organic virgin coconut oil. It's rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that may be converted into ketones to further benefit your health.
   
   
10. Artificial Sweeteners
    You already know that refined sugar is not good for you. However, you need to watch out for artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers as well.  Although not technically foods these ingredients can be used to create inflammatory foods. Aspartame, acesulfame potassium, monosodium glutamate, sucralose, and other artificial sweeteners may add a sweet flavor to your food, but they are not healthy. They are highly inflammatory. They have a neurotoxic effect on your brain and may lead to mood disorders and brain-related cancer. 
    
    Alternative: Natural Sweeteners
    Don't ban sweetness from your life. Monk fruit and stevia are natural, low-calorie sweet alternatives that don't raise your blood sugar. You may add them to your tea, coffee, and healthy baked goods without adverse health effects.

 

What To Do? - Healing Diet
Follow a healing diet to reduce inflammation, lower risk of developing chronic disease and improving your overall health. Eating a healing diet can reduce inflammation in your body, stabilize your blood sugar, reduce toxic load, fuel your body with foundational nutrients, and support your healthy blood pH.

Try these steps:

1. Eliminate sugar and grains such as:
   - white pasta
   - bread
   - rice
   - pizza
   - crackers
   - cereals
   - canned goods
   - ketchup
   - fruit drinks
   - deli meat
   - candy
    They are full of sugar and carbs and highly inflammatory.
   
   You need vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants from:
   - greens
   - vegetables
   - herbs
   - sprouts
   - fruits
   
   
2. Get rid of bad fats. Remove the following:
   - hydrogenated soybean oil
   - hydrogenated corn oil
   - hydrogenated palm oils
   - vegetable oil
   - canola oil
   - safflower oil
   - peanut oil
   
   Instead, focus on these healthy fats
   - coconut oil
   - avocado oil
   - pasture-raised poultry
   - ghee
   - nuts & seeds
   
   
3. Change the meat you eat.
   Eliminate all processed and conventional meat. Go all organic, grass-fed/finished beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs.

 

Why Magnesium Rich Foods Are Essential for Your Health

Magnesium rich foods should be used in nearly every meal we consume.  Our current society is plagued with magnesium deficiency affecting an estimated 80% of individuals in the United States today.  The average standard diet consists of 175 mg/day of magnesium down from an average 500 mg/day representative of diets in the 1900's. Most people are just not consuming enough magnesium rich foods.

Dr. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. is an American neurosurgeon and a pioneer in pain medicine.  He says, "Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency," and that, "magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body.  A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient deficiency."

The top 12 best food magnesium rich foods outlined below will allow you to replenish your magnesium levels and support your overall vitality and well-being.


Essential Role of Magnesium to Health
Magnesium plays a key role in intra-cellular health. It manages the electrical gradient within cells so that the nervous system is not easily excited. More than 300 enzymes alone require magnesium to perform their biological roles in tissue and organs.

The body relies on optimal magnesium absorption for:

• Memory function
  
• Regulating mood and stress
  
• Muscle relaxation and sleep
  
• Blood sugar control
  
• Healthy bone density
  
• Cardiovascular support
  
• Detoxification pathways in the liver
  
• Normal gut motility
  

The RDA for magnesium ranges accordingly:

• Children up to 13 years of age: 80-240 mg/day
  
• Females over 14 years of age: 310-360 mg/day
  
• Pregnant and nursing women: 310-400 mg/day
  
• Males over 14 years of age: 400-420 mg/day
  

Most natural health experts agree that these levels are considerably lower than they should be and yet close to 80% of our population is not even getting this level.


Calcium to Magnesium Ratio
Unlike our ancestors whose balance of calcium to magnesium levels were equal, our lifestyle habits today lead to an imbalance in this key electrical gradient. The result is a 10:1 calcium to magnesium ratio. This ratio disrupts the healthy balance of electrolytes within cells making nerves more susceptible to stress and pain perception.
Declining magnesium levels in Western societies is dictated by a wide range of variables. Most common are chronic stress and poor dietary habits such as high sugar intake, over consumption of processed foods and too little intake of plant-based nutrients found in the magnesium rich foods.


Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms
Deficiency can lead to a variety of health disturbances and diseases. Do you have any of the following top symptoms of magnesium deficiency?

• Poor cognitive thought
  
• Headaches and chronic migraines
  
• Constipation and related disorders like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
  
• Fatigue (physical, mental and emotional)
  
• Insomnia
  
• Muscle spasms
  
• Cramping
  
• Chronic Pain
  
• Heart arrhythmias
  
• Numbness and tingling
  
• Fibromyalgia
  
• Mood disorders such as ADHD, anxiety and depression
  

A staggering list of widespread diseases is associated with magnesium deficiency. Some of these include Alzheimer's disease, type-2 diabetes, premenstrual syndrome, hypertension, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and chronic immune disorders. Consuming magnesium rich foods can make a world of difference in these conditions.


Top Magnesium Rich Foods
Consuming magnesium rich foods in your daily diet can help you reduce complications associated with metabolic and inflammatory issues.  The biggest things that drain magnesium levels include blood sugar imbalances and chronic stress.
If you notice you are under an increased amount of stress or have enjoyed a high carbohydrate meal or dessert, then look to consume more of these magnesium rich foods and consider adding in a good magnesium supplement which I discuss at the bottom of this article.  Try to make at least 10 of these 12 magnesium rich foods staple parts of your daily nutrition plan.

1. Swiss Chard
   
2. Spinach
   
3. Grass-Fed Dairy
   
4. Avocados
   
5. Pumpkin Seeds
   
6. Sea Vegetables
   
7. Sea Salts
   
8. Nuts
   
9. Dark Chocolate
   
10. Wild-Caught Fish
    
11. Sprouts
    
12. Coffee
    

Below are details on all of these 12 superfoods.

1. Swiss Chard
   Dark leafy greens and are some of the richest sources of dietary magnesium. Green vegetables like Swiss chard offer nutrients like magnesium that buffer the pH of the body from the effects of acidic foods. Increasing dietary magnesium levels is critical to this homeostatic process because it prevents the minerals in bones from being depleted to perform this buffering effect.
   Women are uniquely susceptible to the effects of magnesium deficiency because of changes in estrogen levels. When estrogen concentrations are elevated, magnesium intake is required in higher amounts to improve the balance of calcium to magnesium in the blood. Increasing dietary magnesium in these women can lower the risk of cardiovascular events like thrombosis.
   
   
2. Spinach
   Spinach is a fiber-rich food loaded with nutrients like folate, potassium and vitamin B6 and is one of the best green vegetable sources for magnesium. Adding spinach to your diet is also easily accomplished. Use it in salads, add it to smoothies, prepare it in fresh juices and incorporate in almost any dish like omelets. The anti-inflammatory benefits of spinach will encourage muscle relaxation and reduce symptoms of constipation. Eating spinach regularly offers an effective and natural way to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches and limit their severity when they do occur.
   
   
3. Grass-Fed Dairy
   The acidity from conventional dairy products causes magnesium and other minerals to leach from bones, joints and muscle tissue. Raw grass-fed dairy, however, supplements the body’s nutritional need for magnesium. These sources also provide anti-inflammatory and sugar stabilizing nutrients like omega-3 fats and vitamin D.
   If you experience lactose sensitivity or intolerance from consuming pasteurized grain-fed dairy milks and cheeses, switching to raw dairy may be a natural solution to overcoming this problem. Raw milks and cheeses contain higher concentrations of the enzymes need to digest lactose and absorb magnesium and other nutrients. If a lactose allergies persists, grass-fed ghee or clarified butter is also rich in magnesium and contains only traces of lactose.
   
   
4. Avocados
   Avocados are a rich source of magnesium, B-complex vitamins, vitamins A, C, E, K and healthy fatty acids. Consuming avocados regularly can help slow the progression of neurological decline and stimulate serotonin and dopamine pathways in the brain.
   Half an avocado provides 20 mg of magnesium and is an excellent way to promote vascular strength and regulate insulin levels. Consume half an avocado in your post-workout smoothie to combat fatigue and elevate your mood. Magnesium inhibits fat absorption helping weight management and was shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in a follow-up study of almost 40,000 men.
   
   
5. Pumpkin Seeds
   Total health is dependent on the optimal function of the gastrointestinal tract. Cleansing the intestines is essential for eliminating toxins and impurities that can lead to systemic complications. The magnesium in pumpkin seeds improves gut motility by decreasing the amount of time it takes for waste to leave the colon. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that stimulates stool movement in the bowels. Relieve symptoms of constipation and replenish your magnesium levels under times of high stress by snacking on pumpkin or chia seeds which are excellent magnesium rich foods. Consider adding sprouted pumpkin seeds to salads, omelets and combine into dessert recipes.
   
   
6. Sea Vegetables
   Known for the deep chlorophyll rich color, sea vegetables are also one of the top magnesium rich foods. The combination of chlorophyll and magnesium prevent the toxic accumulation of carcinogens in the nervous system while boosting nerve and brain function. Sea vegetables up-regulate antioxidant pathways to combat oxidative stress and prevent the depletion of magnesium levels.
   Try incorporating seaweeds like dulse, nori and kelp into your diet to boost your magnesium concentration and support immune defenses.  Kelp is one of the top magnesium rich foods with 121 mg of magnesium in 100 grams of kelp.  Sprinkle Bragg’s Organic Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning or Herbamare to enrich the flavor and nutrient profile of any dish.  You can also enjoy Sea Snax which are a very tasty way to enjoy sea vegetables.
   
   
7. Sea Salts
   Compared to table salt which is toxic and can inhibit the proper absorption of magnesium into the body, sea or pink salts provide vital trace minerals for health. Examples are Himalayan pink salt and Redmond’s Real Salt mined from volcanic sea deposits. The trace minerals they contain are reflected in their natural pink hues.
   The purity of clean sea salts makes them a great dietary source of magnesium for improving electrolyte balance. They also contains nutrients like iodine, manganese, potassium and zinc. Consider adding a pinch of sea or pink salt into your water following an intense workout or extended period of sweating to stabilize your electrolyte imbalance and prevent magnesium deficiency. Doing so will reduce symptoms of dehydration and prevent muscle spasms and fatigue.
   
   
8. Nuts
   Almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts contain magnesium to help preserve bone density, support cardiovascular health and regulate blood sugar levels. The magnesium in nuts increases testosterone levels aiding in strength, muscle recovery and protein synthesis for metabolism. Nuts are an excellent snack for any athlete to offset the magnesium deficits that occur from increased sweat and urination.
   Consuming almonds in one study was associated with a reduction in blood sugar levels following a meal by 40 to 50%. Nut consumption has been found to reduce the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in 7% of patients following only one serving of nuts weekly. Brazil nuts are the highest source of magnesium and the trace mineral selenium.
   
   
9. Dark Chocolate
   You might be surprised to know that unsweetened dark cocoa powder is one of the highest sources of magnesium rich foods. A single ounce of dark chocolate provides 95 mg or about 24% of the recommended daily value of magnesium. Just be sure to consume non-processed chocolate that is greater than 70% cacao for its full health benefits. The highest concentrations are in the raw cacao form but minimally processed dark chocolate is also good.
   A greater need for magnesium can manifest as cravings for chocolate during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Seen again, greater compulsion to eat chocolate occurs when individuals are overwhelmed by emotional stress and seek a feel good trigger. The magnesium in chocolate provides the stimulus the brain was lacking to improve a person’s mood by balancing hormone levels and brain function.
   
   
10. Wild-Caught Fish
    Wild-caught fish like wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, and halibut offer about 80mg of magnesium in a 2.5 ounce serving which makes them one of the best magnesium rich foods. This food source has a deep nutrient profile because it is also a fantastic source of healthy fats, vitamin D and trace minerals.
    Consuming wild-caught fish low in toxicity improves neurological and cardiovascular function as well as protects against bone degeneration. With the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease expected to reach 104 million by the year 2050, it is critical not to overlook the superfood powers of wild-caught, omega 3 rich fish. Weekly consumption can reduce the occurrence of cognitive decline and alleviate symptoms of dementia.
    
    
11. Sprouts
    Sprouts offer anti-carcinogenic properties and are packed with magnesium amongst a wide array of vitamins like A, B, C and micronutrients. Magnesium in sprouts provides health benefits for the skin, hair and slows the aging process.
    Choosing organic broccoli, cauliflower and kale sprouts is the best way to ensure you are receiving the greatest concentration of nutrients. Researchers have found that eating 5 servings of sprouts weekly provides the maximum impact to support a healthy gut, reduce inflammation, and detoxify the body of pollutants. Toss sprouts over salads, in a stir-fry, or add to wraps and slaws.
    
    
12. Coffee
    Given our fast-paced lifestyles, it is no surprise that coffee provides the number one source of antioxidants for Americans today. Drinking coffee in excess can deplete the body of its magnesium stores, but when consumed in normal concentrations, coffee is one of the great magnesium rich foods. Limit your coffee intake to about 1–2 cups as long as you feel good with that.  About 20% of the population are poor caffeine metabolizers; these individuals will have anxiety and irritability when consuming coffee and should avoid it.
    The magnesium in coffee is associated with improved metabolic rate and a lower risk of insulin resistance. Researchers have found that coffee intake reduces the risk for type-2 diabetes in both men and women. Along with the health benefiting polyphenols also active in coffee, magnesium intake has been directly shown to lower fasting insulin levels. Drink organic coffee to avoid chemical residue from fertilizers and pesticides.

Source - click here.

Overeating and what happens to your body. Post-Binge Biology (and 8 Things To Do Afterward)

Feasts happen on a regular basis. Candy is given and received as gifts. And there are parties immeasurable, at work, with family, with friends, where calorie-dense, rewarding food is handed out, like, well, candy. The holiday season is a practice in overeating, and it can be very hard to avoid. You may not want to even avoid it; there’s something to be said for letting loose now and again on special occasions, especially when holiday cheer is in the air.

But what happens to your body when you overeat? And what can you do about it?
The type of overeating most people do across the holidays is high-sugar, high-fat, and relatively low protein. These are your cakes and cookies. Your brownies and fudge. Your pie for breakfast. This is the worst kind of overfeeding you can do. Research shows that just six days of high-sugar, high-fat, low-protein overfeeding rapidly increases fat deposition in the liver and muscle. Seven days of overfeeding reduces whole body insulin sensitivity, inhibits glucose clearance, and impairs endothelial function.

If you keep doing it, say, over the course of a month, bad things pile up. You get incredibly insulin resistant. Your liver fat increases. Your body weight and overall body fat increase. Your C-reactive protein increases, an indication of inflammation. A class of antioxidants called plasmalogens also increase, which means your body is fighting oxidative stress.

One problem with the studies is that you have to distinguish between quality and quantity; overfeeding with different foods elicits different effects. For instance, in the study that looked at overfeeding’s effect on lipid metabolism, the subjects overate by eating more cookies, potato chips, and cheesecake and drinking an oil-based liquid supplement. Overeating a bunch of that junk food is different than overeating steak.
In fact, research shows that overfeeding protein has little to no impact on fat or weight gain compared to carbohydrate or fat overfeeding.

Also consider individual variability. Some people are “obesity prone.” Others are “obesity resistant.” In one study, obesity prone and obesity resistant subjects had different responses to three days of overfeeding. The obesity prone people saw their fat oxidation rates drop during sleep; they burned less fat. The obesity resistant subjects saw their fat oxidation rates unchanged during sleep; they continued burning fat like normal.

So, when we talk about the effects of overeating, we have to keep in mind that the effects will differ between individuals and vary if you’re eating a pound of roast lamb versus eating half a pie. But the general point still stands: Overeating can make you gain weight, gain liver weight, induce oxidative stress, cause insulin resistance, increase inflammation, and make you sicker, fatter, and more unwell the longer it goes on.

Here are 8 tips for scaling back and minimizing damage.

1. Favor Protein
2. Eat Vinegar
3. Exercise
4. Accept It As a Positive Experience and Move On
5. Have Some Black Tea
6. Go For a Walk
7. Get Out Into the Cold
8. Don’t Throw In the Towel and Continue Overeating For the Foreseeable Future or “Until the New Year”

Details to these 8 tips:

1. Overfeeding protein has more neutral metabolic and body composition effects than overfeeding fat and carbs. Some effects are even positive, like boosts to energy expenditure during the day and during sleep. Load up on the turkey, the lamb, the beef rib roast and keep portions of mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, stuffing, candied chestnuts, and cookies more reasonable. One advantage of overeating protein is that eating less of the other stuff tends to happen inadvertently.
   
   
2. Vinegar, whether it’s organic apple cider vinegar with the mother still swimming in it or standard white vinegar from a two gallon jug, improves glucose tolerance and keeps postprandial hyperglycemia and insulin tamped down. The trick is eating the vinegar (maybe a side salad before the big meal dressed with a vinegar-y dressing) 20-30 minutes before you overindulge.
   
   
3. It’s simply physiological common sense. You consume a ton of calories, calories in excess of what your mitochondria can process and convert to energy. What makes more physiological sense - just sitting there, letting that extra energy circulate and eventually accumulate on your body, or creating an energy deficit so that the extra energy is utilized? It’s about throwing a ton of energy toward your mitochondria and giving them a job to do - or letting them languish in disuse. It’s not about “weight gain,” necessarily. It’s about energy excess and the oxidative stress and inflammation that results. It’s about not being wasteful. If you introduce a ton of energy and then do nothing, you are wasting that potential.
   
   
4. That overeating induces oxidative stress enough to trigger the release of antioxidant compounds may mean the occasional acute bout of overeating can act as a hormetic stressor that makes you stronger in the long run—provided it stays acute and hormetic. It could actually be good to overeat once in awhile. Yeah, go with that.
   
   
5. It turns out another benefit of the stuff is that it actually speeds up digestion after eating. It beats alcohol, espresso, and everything else that people tell you helps digestion.
   
   
6. Right after you overeat, a 20-30 minute walk will reduce blood glucose and speed up gastric emptying - helping you process the meal much faster and reducing the feeling of fullness. Longer walks are even better and can also reduce the postprandial insulin spike. It has to be immediately after though; waiting even 30 minutes will suppress the effects.
   
   
7. It’s the perfect season for cold exposure (in most places). Even mild cold exposure - just 18°C or 64.4°C for 2.5 hours - is enough to increase energy expenditure without increasing hunger or subsequent food intake. That’s downright comfortable for a lot of people. If you went out into sub 50°F weather, I bet you could get the same effects even faster.
   
   
8. A consistent finding in the literature is that people gain weight during the holidays and never quite lose it. They don’t do this because they had an extra slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or five cookies on Christmas morning. They gain and retain the weight because they consistently overindulge for the entire duration of the holidays. They figure “Oh, I ate badly yesterday, which means this week is shot. I’ll just do better next Monday,” and then keep that mindset going for months. Well, one way to break that cycle is to stop that “this week/month is shot” mindset. No, just because you ate badly yesterday doesn’t mean you should eat badly today and tomorrow. That will compound your problems and dig an even deeper hole. Stop overeating immediately. Overeating happens. It’s okay, or even beneficial if used judiciously. There’s nothing like filling your belly with your grandma’s signature dish, or really letting loose with your favorite people in the world. Humans are feasters by nature. We like to make merry and eat big to ring in the good times. Just make sure you contrast it with leaner days. (Intermittent fasting around the holidays is great for this.) A feast no longer qualifies as a feast if you do it consistently. A party’s not a party if you party every day. Contrast is the stuff of life - heed that rule and all will be well.

Source - click here.

Delicious Sugar Free Cookies

The holiday season is time for family, celebration, and tasty food. While this can be a grand time to unwind and relax, many people tend to overindulge in many of the wrong foods, sending them several steps back in their health.

Many people will choose to forgo the healthy eating for a few days and deal with the consequences later. But as many people would love to substitute traditional recipes for very similar ones that are more conducive to health. Look no further.

Here you go – 4 of my favorite recipies:

Keto Vanilla Almond Christmas Cookies

• Prep 25 mins
• Cook 10 mins
• Total 35 mins
• Yield 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 10 tbsp. melted grass-fed butter/ghee/coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 pastured egg
• 1/2 cup Honest Keto Maple syrup
• 15 drops vanilla cream stevia
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:

• Step #1:  Mix flours and baking soda together
• Step #2:  Whisk egg, melted butter/oil, vanilla extract, almond extract, maple syrup and stevia together
• Step #3:  Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients. Mix everything together
• Step #4:  Let cookie dough sit on counter for 10 minutes
• Step #5:  Form into balls and slightly flatten on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Step #6:  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes

Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are a classic holiday cookie. They are somewhat similar to the Vanilla Almond cookies, but with a winter spice added. The fiber and healthy fats make this a blood sugar friendly dessert recipe with the added anti-oxidant and blood sugar stabilizing benefits of cinnamon!
If you are looking to make this holiday more of a ketogenic style, these are another great option.

• Prep 10 mins
• Cook 10 mins
• Total 20 mins
• Yield 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 pasture-raised eggs
• 2/3 cup of melted pasture-raised butter (or coconut oil, but butter is more flavorful)
• ½ cup of Honest Keto Maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 20 drops of vanilla cream stevia extract
• 1 tsp of pink salt or celtic sea salt
• 2/3 cup of coconut flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp of aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

• Step #1:  Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, stevia and keto maple syrup
• Step #2:  Add in the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Step #3:  Form the mixture into balls and flatten slightly
• Step #4:  Bake these at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes

 
Snowballs
This one is both nutrient-packed and festive. Combining a few simple ingredients and forming into shape makes for a simple, raw nutrition dessert that resembles a snowball! Please forgo the snowball fight with these, however.
These use a combination of ground chia seeds, coconut flour, raw cacao powder, and natural sweeteners. Combined, these ingredients provide a powerful combination of omega 3 fats, plenty of fiber, and antioxidants.

• Prep 15 mins
• Inactive 1 hour
• Total 1 hour, 15 mins
• Yield 10 snowballs

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. chia seeds (ground in coffee bean grinder)
• 2 tbsp. coconut flour
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp. Honest Keto Maple syrup
• 1/3-1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raw coconut shreds
• 1/2 tsp. pink salt

Optional Ingredients:

• Replace the keto maple syrup with 5-10 drops of liquid stevia
• 5 drops for a more mild sweetness and 10 drops for a stronger sweetness.

Instructions:

• Step #1:  Assemble all the ingredients
• Step #2:  Mix ground chia, raw cacao and coconut flour together
• Step #3:  Add maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt
• Step #4:  Form into balls and roll in coconut shreds
• Step #5:  Freeze or place in the fridge for an hour
• Step #6:  Enjoy!  Keep extra's in the refrigerator

 
Banana Bread
While this dessert is technically not sugar free, it is absolutely delicious and much healthier than what you could buy in a store. Made with whole-food ingredients, it is loaded with fiber, healthy fats, clean protein, and delicious flavor.
If you are a banana bread person, definitely give this one a try this holiday season. It will fill your home with a delicious soul-warming smell that is perfect for the holidays. If you love banana bread and are concerned about the extra sugar, you can even substitute keto maple syrup or liquid stevia for the honey and maple syrup.

Grain Free Banana Bread

• Prep 20 mins
• Cook 45 mins
• Total 1 hour, 5 mins
• Yield 8 slices

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 tbsps of almond butter
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ cup of coconut flour
• 4 pasture-raised eggs
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tbsps of grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tbsp of raw honey or grade B maple syrup (Can also try liquid stevia or keto maple syrup for a lower carb version)
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• Pinch of Real Salt (sea salt)

Instructions:

• Step #1:  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line your loaf tin
• Step #2:  Combine and mix coconut flour, baking soda, and salt in one bowl
• Step #3:  In another bowl, combine bananas, almond butter, lemon, eggs, butter, honey or syrup, and vanilla and blend until smooth
• Step #4:  Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined
• Step #5:  Pour mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out cleanly. Enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions. Contact Us.
Source - click here.

Is It Harder to Be Skinny Today Compare to The 80-is?

This article below explains why it may be harder today to be skinny compare to 20 years ago. Keep on reading! If you have questions, let's connect!


A study finds that people today who eat and exercise the same amount as people 20 years ago are still fatter. The 2016 study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise.

The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006. They grouped the data sets together by the amount of food and activity, age, and BMI.

They found a very surprising correlation: A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.

"Our study results suggest that if you are 25, you’d have to eat even less and exercise more than those older, to prevent gaining weight,” Jennifer Kuk, a professor of kinesiology and health science at Toronto’s York University, said in a statement. "However, it also indicates there may be other specific changes contributing to the rise in obesity beyond just diet and exercise."

Just what those other changes might be, though, are still a matter of hypothesis. In an interview, Kuk proffered three different factors that might be making harder for adults today to stay thin.

1. People are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight.
   
   
2. The use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the '70s and '80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain.
   
   
3. Kuk and the other study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now. It’s well known that some types of gut bacteria make a person more prone to weight gain and obesity. Americans are eating more meat than they were a few decades ago, and many animal products are treated with hormones and antibiotics in order to promote growth. All that meat might be changing gut bacteria in ways that are subtle, at first, but add up over time. Kuk believes the proliferation of artificial sweeteners could also be playing a role.

The fact that the body weights of Americans today are influenced by factors beyond their control is a sign, Kuk says, that society should be kinder to people of all body types.

"There's a huge weight bias against people with obesity," she said. “They're judged as lazy and self-indulgent. That's really not the case. If our research is correct, you need to eat even less and exercise even more” just to be same weight as your parents were at your age.

Source: The Atlantic - click here

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First snow has fallen in many places.

What Natural Remedies Work and What Don't
Watch out! The cold season is coming! Time under sunshine is down and with it are Vitamin D levels. People are confined indoors. Kids are walking virus carriers. And the lovely drug stores are advertising free flu shots. Guess what? It's that time of year. A few of you are probably already sniffling or maybe trying to disregard the pain of swallowing with a sore throat.
Colds seem like an inevitability, maybe not so much since you've cleaned up your diet, but nothing is 100%. You most likely will get sick. You probably will catch a cold. Or someone close to you will. What can you do for yourself? For your sick kid or partner? Are there any natural cold remedies that actually work?

Here you go. 12 Possible Natural Remedy Suggestions That Could Help

1. High Dose Vitamin C
   Most studies find that vitamin C supplementation has little to no effect on the duration or severity of a cold. But not all. What seems to help, if anything, is a mega-dose of vitamin C.
   In one study, taking 8 grams on the first day of the cold reduced illness a bit more than taking 4 grams.
   A meta-analysis of studies concluded that taking 1 gram as a daily supplementary dose and 3-4 grams as a therapeutic dose at the onset of a cold could reduce the duration and severity.
   Verdict: Vitamin C can't hurt, so it's probably worth a shot. Try 3-8+ grams when you feel the cold coming on, and supplement 500 mg-1 g during cold season.
   
   
2. Zinc
   Having good zinc levels are a great preventive. A strong baseline intake of zinc-rich foods like shellfish and red meat is the first line of defense against upper respiratory infections.  But once you have a cold, or you feel one coming on, pounding zinc citrate lozenges or smoked oysters won't make much of a difference. What can work is taking a specific type of zinc acetate. Studies show that zinc acetate works very well at reducing the duration of colds, especially when you catch it early. Try using these lozenges every 1-2 hours when a cold first hits and letting them dissolve slowly in the mouth. It takes about 20-30 minutes for a single lozenge to dissolve, but this slow process is vital for actually getting the cold-busting effect. Don't chew.
   Verdict: Zinc acetate taken at the onset can help. Other forms of zinc are important for prevention (and general health), but probably aren't therapeutic.
   
   
3. Elderberry
   Elderberry probably has the coolest name ever, like some folk medicine out of a Tolkien story. Plus, it works.
   In intercontinental air travelers (a population at much greater risk for colds), taking elderberry syrup reduced total days with a cold (57 versus 117) and cold symptom score (247 versus 583, with higher being worse).
   In a meta-analysis of controlled trials, elderberry syrup was also shown to reduce overall cold symptoms.
   This elderberry syrup is very high quality, and even comes in a sugar-free (glycerin-based) form if you want to avoid any excess fructose.
   Verdict: Works.
   
   
4. Chicken Broth
   Does "Jewish penicillin" work? Yes, yes it does. Evidence confirms that chicken soup made from real chicken broth eases nasal congestion, improves the function of the nasal cilia protecting us from pathogen incursions, and reduces cold symptoms.
   Does it have to be chicken? As most cultures include broth-based soup in their list of effective cold remedies, it's suspected that it's the goodness of the broth that's important and any true bone broth-based soup will work.
   Verdict: Yes.
   
   
5. Garlic
   Garlic is legit. Garlic can improve immune function and reduce the occurrence of common colds. It can be one of the best anti-cold foods around.
   If I feel a cold coming on, I'll crush (let it sit for 10 min) and then dice up an entire head of garlic and lightly simmer it in a big mug of bone broth. Another way you can eat garlic is to use black garlic, garlic that's been aged for months until it turns black, soft, and sweet. Delicious and even more potent.
   Aged garlic extract can also be an effective supplement.
   Verdict: It works.
   
   
6. Acupuncture
   Acupuncture is controversial. Does it work for colds? There are some studies where it seems to help against the common cold. Like this study out of Japan or this series of case studies out of Korea. Both studies indicate the need for placebo-controlled trials to truly determine the efficacy, though. In 2018 there was a published "protocol" for just such a study, but results don't seem to be published yet.
   Even if it doesn't lessen the severity of the cold itself, I know some friends who go for acupuncture toward the end of a cold to help speed sinus drainage.
   Verdict: Unknown but perhaps.
   
   
7. Echinacea
   Echinacea is a medicinal herb native to North America, where it was traditionally used as a painkiller, laxative, and anti-microbial agent (although they didn't know what microbes were of course). Today, it's best known as an immune modulator that reduces symptoms of the common cold. Does it work?
   A Cochrane analysis of controlled trials found no benefit against colds, but it did note that "individual prophylaxis trials consistently show positive (if non-significant) trends."
   In other words, it very well might work, but we don't have gold standard evidence in either direction.
   Verdict: Might work.
   
   
8. Oregano Oil
   Oregano oil has a long history of traditional use in treating infectious diseases, and it has potent anti-bacterial effects against a broad range of microbes. It fights athlete's foot. It's broadly anti-fungal. But there simply isn't any strong evidence that it works against the common cold.
   Verdict: Not much evidence it works for colds.
   
   
9. Steam
   Get in a really hot shower, close all the windows and doors, and read a good book as the steam loosened up the nasal passages. It could work, albeit not for long. If the cold virus was still present, the nose usually clogs right back up afterwards.
   Verdict: Good for momentary relief of clogged nostrils, like right before bed.
   
   
10. Spicy Food
    Spicy food probably won't destroy a cold outright, but it can safely (and deliciously) reduce the most annoying cold symptom: stuffy noses. Capsaicin, the chili pepper component that produces a burning sensation in mammalian tissue, reduces nasal inflammation. When your nasal blood vessels are inflamed, the walls constrict; the space gets tighter and you have trouble breathing. Studies indicate that capsaicin is effective against most symptoms of nasal congestion.
    Verdict: Good for stuffy noses.
    
    
11. Nasal Irrigation
    In Sanskrit, "neti" means "nasal cleansing." The neti pot is a exactly what it sounds like. You fill a tiny plastic kettle with warm saline water, tilt your head over a sink, and pour the water into one nostril. It flows out the other one, clearing your nasal cavity and letting you breathe again. The scientific term is "nasal irrigation," and it really does work, although only against one cold symptom. But let's face it: the worst part of a bad cold is the stuffy nose that keeps you up at night, gives you dry mouth, and makes food taste bland. Neti potting can fix that right up.
    Also, it's better than antibiotics in kids with rhinosinusitis. It even improves symptoms in infants with bronchiolitis, another kind of viral infection.
    Verdict: Works.
    
    
12. Cod Liver Oil/Fish Oil
    Standard childcare practice across the world, but especially in Northern European countries, used to be a big spoonful of cod liver oil every day on your way out the door. Cod liver oil is a great source of vitamin D, vitamin A, and omega-3s—all of which figure prominently in immune function. But studies of the individual nutrients in cold prevention or treatment have had unimpressive results. What might work, though, is cod liver oil.
    One recent study found that while vitamin D levels or supplements had no effect on whether a person got a cold or not, the only thing that was associated with lower incidences of colds was taking cod liver oil (or even just regular fish oil) in the last 7 days. It's not a huge effect, and it's not necessarily causal, but it's good enough for me to recommend it.
    This is a great cod liver oil. This is a great fish oil (made by yours truly).
    Verdict: Works (and is healthy otherwise, so might as well).

So, there you go: a good list of therapies, supplements, foods, and nutrients to include (or not) in your anti-cold regimen this season. If you have any suggestions, any recommendations, or questions, contact us or add your comments below.

Source: Mark's Daily Apple - click here