Do you know the extent to which drinking carbonated, caffeinated, sugared, or artificially sweetened beverages harms your body? Many people have consumed sodas for most of their lives and cannot even fathom giving up their favorite soft drinks. But after reading all the negative effects sodas have on our bodies could cause you to reconsider.
Here is a list of several reasons why you should consider giving up soda to improve your health:
• No nutritional benefits in soft drinks. Soft drinks generally consist of filtered water and refined sugars. Yet the average American drinks about 57 gallons of soft drinks each year!
• Weight gain and obesity are linked to soda consumption. The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. Also, surprising but true, studies have tied consumption of diet soft drinks to obesity. This is for those drinking 2 or more daily servings.
• Diabetes- Drinking soda not only contributes to making people fat, but it also stresses the body's ability to process sugar. Some scientists now suspect that the soft drinks may help explain why the number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has tripled from 6.6 million in 1980 to 20.8 million today.
• Weakened bone and osteoporosis – Many experts believe that the acidity of colas may be weakening bones by promoting the loss of calcium.
• Kidney damage - If you're wondering how soft drinks cause kidney stones, it's due to the acidity and radical mineral imbalances. Your body must buffer the acidity of soft drinks with calcium from your own bones. As this calcium is eliminated through your urine, it slowly forms kidney stones.
• Impaired digestive system – Soda is the most acidic beverage you can buy. Why does that matter? Before the acidity of soft drink reaches the stomach it passes through all the other organs involved in the digestive system which causes an abnormal acidic environment. The linings of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus are highly sensitive to acids. The phosphoric acid present in soft drinks competes with the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and affects its functions. When the stomach becomes ineffective, food remains undigested causing indigestion, gassiness or bloating. (emedexpert.com)
These are only a few reasons to give up soda. If you desire to feel better, have more energy and take up less space, removing soda is one of the many ways to do this. In my classes, I recommend a detox to help the cravings of soda and remove toxins. Contact me if you need some coaching to help you get on the right track.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Eating Low Glycemic
One of the most important aspects of your lifestyle changes that you need to consider when striving for "Optimum Health" is to eat correctly. I highly recommend learning how to cook low glycemic and eat lower glycemic foods if you want to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle.
What is the GI Diet?
GI stands for Glycemic Index and is a measure of the impact of food on your blood sugar. Foods with a high GI tend to quickly raise your body's blood sugar levels; by contrast foods with a low GI will raise them more slowly and over a longer period.
Eating lots of high GI foods has two disadvantages:
• The rush of energy given by high GI foods does not last and is soon followed by an energy lull. So you get hungry and want to eat more.
• After eating high GI foods you will have a lot of readily available energy in your blood. Your body will use this energy first rather than body fat. This makes it harder to lose weight.
By eating meals that are low GI you will feel full longer and your body will be satisfied. Whereas, eating high GI foods such as white potatoes, corn or white bread, your body does not get the nutrients it needs and you will feel hungry much sooner. On the GI diet your desire to snack or over eat should be greatly reduced, therefore by eating fewer calories you can control your weight.
Here are some examples of low GI meals I like:
Breakfast:
• Two egg white omelets with spinach & feta cheese, or any veggies
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt with ¼ cup fruit and 2 tblsp granola (less than 7 grams of sugar)
• 1 Cup of steel cut oats with 1 tblsp of honey, and ¼ of berries
Lunch:
• Taco Salad: Romaine lettuce with 4- 6 ozs, (8 ozs for men) of lean chicken or turkey, ¼ cup canned black beans (rinsed & drained), ¼ cup diced avocado, and organic salsa
• Veggie burger on a whole wheat wrap with 2 tblsp of hummus, tomatoes and lettuce
Dinner:
Balsamic Salmon: 6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets , 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon white wine, 1 tablespoon honey , 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard , Pepper & dash salt if desired, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano. Cook sauce in sauce pan until thick. Pour over salmon sprinkle oregano, and bake at 400 degrees until tender.
If you would like more low GI recipes contact me. My book on low GI recipes and testimonies will be ready soon!
What is the GI Diet?
GI stands for Glycemic Index and is a measure of the impact of food on your blood sugar. Foods with a high GI tend to quickly raise your body's blood sugar levels; by contrast foods with a low GI will raise them more slowly and over a longer period.
Eating lots of high GI foods has two disadvantages:
• The rush of energy given by high GI foods does not last and is soon followed by an energy lull. So you get hungry and want to eat more.
• After eating high GI foods you will have a lot of readily available energy in your blood. Your body will use this energy first rather than body fat. This makes it harder to lose weight.
By eating meals that are low GI you will feel full longer and your body will be satisfied. Whereas, eating high GI foods such as white potatoes, corn or white bread, your body does not get the nutrients it needs and you will feel hungry much sooner. On the GI diet your desire to snack or over eat should be greatly reduced, therefore by eating fewer calories you can control your weight.
Here are some examples of low GI meals I like:
Breakfast:
• Two egg white omelets with spinach & feta cheese, or any veggies
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt with ¼ cup fruit and 2 tblsp granola (less than 7 grams of sugar)
• 1 Cup of steel cut oats with 1 tblsp of honey, and ¼ of berries
Lunch:
• Taco Salad: Romaine lettuce with 4- 6 ozs, (8 ozs for men) of lean chicken or turkey, ¼ cup canned black beans (rinsed & drained), ¼ cup diced avocado, and organic salsa
• Veggie burger on a whole wheat wrap with 2 tblsp of hummus, tomatoes and lettuce
Dinner:
Balsamic Salmon: 6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets , 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon white wine, 1 tablespoon honey , 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard , Pepper & dash salt if desired, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano. Cook sauce in sauce pan until thick. Pour over salmon sprinkle oregano, and bake at 400 degrees until tender.
If you would like more low GI recipes contact me. My book on low GI recipes and testimonies will be ready soon!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Transforming Your Mind Will Transform your Body
Transforming your mind is the first thing that must be done in order to lead a healthier lifestyle. Many of my clients cannot seem to make progress because they cannot seem to renew their thoughts. Your emotions are tied to your thoughts, and that is what hinders us from making changes or making progress.
If you examine your undesirable habits closely, you will find that they all have something in common. They all give you some type of feeling that is rewarding to you. Why do people spend hours watching mindless television? Why do people who drink alcohol continue to drink it? They do it because it gives them a certain feeling, in this case, relaxation, stress reduction, or pleasure. Read more: http://www.motivational-well-being.com/developing-habits.html#ixzz1HuIRBGOjny
Many people are emotional eaters. For example, you might overeat and feel bad afterwards, but while you were eating, you probably had a big smile on your face as you stuffed that big piece of chocolate cake into your mouth. It made you feel good at the time and probably brought back good memories that you relate to eating the cake.
This is the main reason why people set a goal of developing a good habit, such as regular exercise, and fail. They associate dreadful feelings to it instead of good ones. So how do we associate good feelings? Just think of disciplining a child. If you want a child to do something without forcing them, you reward them; give them something that makes them happy and feel good. So the secret is to find a way to associate good feelings to the activity you want to develop as a habit. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
• Reward yourself immediately after you’ve taken action. Give yourself something that will make you feel good, something that you normally wouldn’t do. Just make sure it doesn’t contradict the habit you’re trying to create. Don’t reward yourself by binging on fatty foods if your habit is to eat healthier foods.
• Focus on the end result. Why do you want to create this habit in the first place? Think about the results you would get if your habit was already developed and how that would make you feel.
• Think about the consequences of NOT following through. Generate and associate pain to not following through. Imagine where you’d be years down the road.
• Think about what feelings you’re looking for and find other things you can do that give you the same feeling and combine them. For example, if the habit you’re trying to create is to workout everyday and the feeling you get is a feeling of power and confidence and you happen to have a particular song that when you listen to gives you that sensation, listen to it while you workout.
There is much more to say on transforming your mind to lead a healthier lifestyle, so I will continue this article next week. I invite you to come to my next Transitions Lifestyle Overview, April 7th, 6:30pm at Spirit of Life Church. Contact me if you would like to come and transform your life.
If you examine your undesirable habits closely, you will find that they all have something in common. They all give you some type of feeling that is rewarding to you. Why do people spend hours watching mindless television? Why do people who drink alcohol continue to drink it? They do it because it gives them a certain feeling, in this case, relaxation, stress reduction, or pleasure. Read more: http://www.motivational-well-being.com/developing-habits.html#ixzz1HuIRBGOjny
Many people are emotional eaters. For example, you might overeat and feel bad afterwards, but while you were eating, you probably had a big smile on your face as you stuffed that big piece of chocolate cake into your mouth. It made you feel good at the time and probably brought back good memories that you relate to eating the cake.
This is the main reason why people set a goal of developing a good habit, such as regular exercise, and fail. They associate dreadful feelings to it instead of good ones. So how do we associate good feelings? Just think of disciplining a child. If you want a child to do something without forcing them, you reward them; give them something that makes them happy and feel good. So the secret is to find a way to associate good feelings to the activity you want to develop as a habit. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
• Reward yourself immediately after you’ve taken action. Give yourself something that will make you feel good, something that you normally wouldn’t do. Just make sure it doesn’t contradict the habit you’re trying to create. Don’t reward yourself by binging on fatty foods if your habit is to eat healthier foods.
• Focus on the end result. Why do you want to create this habit in the first place? Think about the results you would get if your habit was already developed and how that would make you feel.
• Think about the consequences of NOT following through. Generate and associate pain to not following through. Imagine where you’d be years down the road.
• Think about what feelings you’re looking for and find other things you can do that give you the same feeling and combine them. For example, if the habit you’re trying to create is to workout everyday and the feeling you get is a feeling of power and confidence and you happen to have a particular song that when you listen to gives you that sensation, listen to it while you workout.
There is much more to say on transforming your mind to lead a healthier lifestyle, so I will continue this article next week. I invite you to come to my next Transitions Lifestyle Overview, April 7th, 6:30pm at Spirit of Life Church. Contact me if you would like to come and transform your life.
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