High Protein Diet - A Heart Saver

According to a Harvard Medical School study, a heart-healthy high-protein diet can lower harmful LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. 'A high-protein diet doesn’t have to be all steak and eggs, according to Dr. Frank M. Sacks, the editor of the report and Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Harvard Medical School. And not all low-carb diets are the same.

The most successful diet plans of any type have certain elements in common, including an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.' More from Medical News Today...

Juice Plus+ is made by juicing 17 different fruits and vegetables, a cup of vitamins and a tablespoon of apples, all for health. When you start with a juice, and then you add another, you get a healthy mix. Juice plus is made with an orange, a lot of orange juice, that gives it a lot of nutrition when a cup of results and lemon is added. Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, juice plus, and juice nsa plus is a way to get health with juice plus vitamin, so if you are a distributor juice plus, then the gummies juice plus is juice plus supplement. The juice plus scam that we see do not hold much credence, but it is a juice plus problem. You may have read a juice plus review that is similar to acai juice plus. If you are interested in any juice plus product and you want to learn if there is any benefit juice plus, then look at the juice plus research. Breville fountain juice plus is not one of the things that is available, but a complete juice plus line can be found at www.juiceplusorder.net. If you have a complaint juice plus, then any distributor juice nsa plus can help you. Juice noni plus is not something you can find when you try to buy juice plus. Every single ingredient juice plus has fiber juice plus and can be found in the capsules. Don't get ebay juice plus because you can't be sure of the quality. You may use to find inc juice nsa plus for you diet, but don't expect to use a breville fountain. If you look for the capsules or the pills, be sure to consider thins, the vineyard, and even the gummy. There is dog juice plus and gummy juice plus, too. Use juice plus for any pregnancy as a perfect alternative to most vitamins on the market. There is a juice plus study, actually many that validate the quality and effectiveness of the nutrition. Juice Plus+ is made by juicing 17 different fruits and vegetables, then with a cup of vitamins and a tablespoon of apples, you get a healthy start. When you start with a juice, and then you add another, you get a healthy combination. Juice plus is made with an orange, a lot of orange juice, that gives it a lot of nutrition when a cup of results and lemon is added. Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, I get apple with my convenient and inexpensive meal, juice of one many way but only one way to add more fruits and vegetables to add more nutrition to your diet, and the sugar and water are removed through a drying process that leaves you with orange juice. Do you know the juices from which juice plus is made? Apples, oranges, pineapples, cranberries, peaches, cherries, and papaya juice - and that's just the fruit juices! Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, I get apple with my convenient and inexpensive meal, juice of one many way but only one way to add more fruits and vegetables to add more nutrition to your diet, and the sugar and water are removed through a drying process that leaves you with orange juice.

We know from the experience of many people that a balanced diet that is higher in protein will produce excellent weight loss results. People like our friend Jimmy Moore who have lost a significant amount of weight, understand and are proof of the effectiveness of such an approach.

Whatever type of diet you choose, one thing is for certain - building a healthy lifestyle takes time and repetition so that you build healthy habits. While there are many ways to lose weight, there is one approach that allows you to be healthy - consistent healthy actions.

Be sure you get the nutrition in your diet that allows you body to function properly, be healthy, heal faster, and prevent disease.

Carpe Diet!
Julia

The Golden Rule for Dieting and successful weight loss!

I heard the most amazing message recently. It was on Thanksgiving Day.

The message came in the form of a story about a woman who was in the hospital and very ill with cancer. Whenever anyone went to visit this woman, they asked her how she was. Every time that she was asked, she always responded "Great!" Her answer was never followed with a "but" like many of us use when asked how we are. I have caught myself many times say "I'm fine, but my back is sore...or my head aches....or I didn't sleep well last night, or but it's too cold out", etc. She never answered with a "but". Sometimes however, she would answer with an "and", such as "Thanks, I am great, and how are you? Or "and it is a beautiful day".

When asked why she never complained, the woman responded, "because I live my life by a simple rule, the rule is to allow only ONE complaint a day...and I just haven't found anything to complain about yet today!"

Wow. I wish I had met this woman. She really must have been amazing to know.

It got me thinking about weight loss, like all things in life do, and I realized how much more pleasant our journey would be, if we allowed only one complaint a day.

Sometimes we can complain so often, about so many small trivial things that we lose sight of the big picture. So let's end that and get some more clear focus on the solution to our complaints!

One way that is woman did this is that she lived her life with an attitude of gratitude. She was truly thankful for what she had and did not dwell upon that which she did not.

That is something that we can do easily when it comes to losing weight! We can take inventory of all that we have to be thankful for:

• The ability to change our habits, behaviors and health.

• The ability to choose healthy foods over unhealthy foods

• The abundance of healthy food choices

• The ability to prepare food in a healthy manner

• The ability to reverse health problems brought on by obesity

• Hope

• The opportunity to move our body and get some exercise

• The chance to improve upon yesterday and make tomorrow better

• The resources that we need to educated us as to what is healthy

• People who are dedicated to seeing us succeed and supporting our endeavors

• Sewing machines, to take our clothes in as our body loses inches

• Compliments!

• No longer feeling despair over HOW to lose weight

• No longer yo-yo dieting

• That we are no longer depriving ourselves of optimal health

I am sure there are so many things that I am missing from this list....add to it, won't you. Tell me what you are thankful for!

Isn't that a whole lot better than focusing on the Twinkies that you won't be eating and complaining over it! An attitude adjustment may be just what you need to realize your attitude of gratitude!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Juice Plus+ is made by juicing 17 different fruits and vegetables, a cup of vitamins and a tablespoon of apples, all for health. When you start with a juice, and then you add another, you get a healthy mix. Juice plus is made with an orange, a lot of orange juice, that gives it a lot of nutrition when a cup of results and lemon is added. Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, juice plus, and juice nsa plus is a way to get health with juice plus vitamin, so if you are a distributor juice plus, then the gummies juice plus is juice plus supplement. The juice plus scam that we see do not hold much credence, but it is a juice plus problem. You may have read a juice plus review that is similar to acai juice plus. If you are interested in any juice plus product and you want to learn if there is any benefit juice plus, then look at the juice plus research. Breville fountain juice plus is not one of the things that is available, but a complete juice plus line can be found at www.juiceplusorder.net. If you have a complaint juice plus, then any distributor juice nsa plus can help you. Juice noni plus is not something you can find when you try to buy juice plus. Every single ingredient juice plus has fiber juice plus and can be found in the capsules. Don't get ebay juice plus because you can't be sure of the quality. You may use to find inc juice nsa plus for you diet, but don't expect to use a breville fountain. If you look for the capsules or the pills, be sure to consider thins, the vineyard, and even the gummy. There is dog juice plus and gummy juice plus, too. Use juice plus for any pregnancy as a perfect alternative to most vitamins on the market. There is a juice plus study, actually many that validate the quality and effectiveness of the nutrition. Juice Plus+ is made by juicing 17 different fruits and vegetables, then with a cup of vitamins and a tablespoon of apples, you get a healthy start. When you start with a juice, and then you add another, you get a healthy combination. Juice plus is made with an orange, a lot of orange juice, that gives it a lot of nutrition when a cup of results and lemon is added. Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, I get apple with my convenient and inexpensive meal, juice of one many way but only one way to add more fruits and vegetables to add more nutrition to your diet, and the sugar and water are removed through a drying process that leaves you with orange juice. Do you know the juices from which juice plus is made? Apples, oranges, pineapples, cranberries, peaches, cherries, and papaya juice - and that's just the fruit juices! Add fountain water without some breville and juice fountain, although fruits and other juice is the convenient way to get nutrients but many convenient even if you have apple juice. When I have fresh and useful product, I get apple with my convenient and inexpensive meal, juice of one many way but only one way to add more fruits and vegetables to add more nutrition to your diet, and the sugar and water are removed through a drying process that leaves you with orange juice.

Lose 5 Pounds by the New Year!

Is is possible that before January 1st you could lose 5 pounds? Yes it is. Is it statistically a good bet that most people will? No it isn't. Most will gain 5 pounds. So if you could realistically lose 5 pounds in the midst of all the Holiday festivities, deserts, and available treats, would that get you excited? I hope so.

So here's what you're going to do over the course of the next two weeks that will practically guarantee that you lose weight... or, at minimum, gain nothing. Each morning over the course of the next two weeks, I recommend that you eat the following for breakfast. This is all you are going to change so you won't feel overwhelmed and you won't have to put much effort into it. This is the recipe I recommend:

What you'll need to pick up from any major supermarket:

1. Quaker Oats - (plain, the large oats, not the small)
2. Wheat Germ - (should be in the cereal isle with the oats, it comes in a jar; we use Mother's)
3. Milled Flaxseed - (get milled not whole; Bob's is a good brand, others are ok, too)
4. Soy Milk - (plain, non-fat)
5. Cinnamon - spice.
6. Honey

Pour a cup and a half or so of your soy milk into a medium sauce pan with heat on medium high. Once it is hot (about 2 minutes) slowly add oats until mixture is even but not too viscous. Sprinkle in Cinnamon and stir occassionally for about 3 - 4 minutes. Pour into your serving bowl. Add a good tablespoon heaping of your flaxseed and a tablespoon of wheat germ and stir into your oatmeal. Add just a little honey to taste (not more than a teaspoon or 2).

Have this for breakfast each morning for the next two weeks and you will feel fantastic come the New Year! ... and maybe just a little lighter than you are now! Be sure to drink at least 12 ounces of water with it as well, and a banana is ok, too! This makes for a great cholesterol-lowering diet also!

Happy Holidays!
Carpe Diet!
Julia

Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Nutrients from fruits and vegetables

What Happens When You Drink a Coke

If you need more details that will make the harm of a regular soft drink (Coke, for instance) to your body, read the basic response the body has after drinking one. (I'm sure there are plenty more bad effects on the cellular level that aren't listed here) --

[Copied from HealthBolt]

"Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
  
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)


• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dialate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.


• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.


• 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.


• 60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.


• after 60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, [peed] away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda."

Julia's Thoughts:

In order to live at a healthy weight, have lots of energy, and avoid sickness and disease (at least giving yourself the best chance of longevity without sickness and disease), then follow the simple formula of eating fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water, eat fish and lean meats, and plenty of exercise. We also recommend a supplement to get needed nutrients from fruits and vegetables since most people (95%) don't eat enough of them.

You'll find that living healthy is a lot easier and gives more opportunities in life!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Childhood Obesity Becoming a Global Concern

How sad it is that there are millions of children in many countries around the world who don't even get one small meal per day and many who might get a few morsels. But it is even more disappointing that there are more children who are getting too many calories and too much food.... too often.

Childhood obesity is becoming a problem around the world and all you have to do is type in Child Obesity in any search engine and you'll find the concern spreading to all corners of the world. If you think about the size of our solar system and relate that to how close a well-fed (actually 'overfed') country is to those that are starving, it seems impossible that everyone on the planet can't get a meal at least twice a day.

But the problem is the spread of calories but not healthy calories like that from fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. Where you see obesity becoming a problem where it wasn't before, you see the growth of fast-food restaurants and soft drinks (which are predominant in those restaurants). It is statistically proven that with the introduction of soft drinks in a country, specific health problems appear that were not present (in any significant way) before.

I was criticized when I brought a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for their ridiculous Drink Choose Live campaign that has only been referred to now as My Coke Rewards, but if those naysayers would look at the bigger picture, the long-term outlook of what is happening as companies continue to push the growth of their high-calorie unhealthy products around the world, they would see that there is no benefit.

Be aware and beware of the repurcussions of letting your children use fast food and/or soft drinks for their drinking or eating pleasure or source of energy. In the long run their health will be compromised. And as my friend Dr. David Katz has said, "There's no reason to think that the current generation of children may not outlive their parents" because of the increase in health problems from a continued decline of a healthy diet.

Choose good nutrition. Choose health. Choose life.

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Fat Actress...again?

TMZ.com---Kirstie Alley showed off a reduced figure on Oprah just a month ago, but this past weekend she was spotted looking as though she'd already packed on holiday pounds.

Kirstie was spotted getting a manicure with daughter Lillie before heading out for some shopping. The Jenny Craig spokeswoman might find herself looking for a new job in the new year -- if Alley continues adding to her fleshed-out frame.
--------

Kirstie, I feel for you! Being overweight and the struggles that we endure as a result is hard on anyone, but having to do it under the microscope of the paparazzi? I wouldn't wish that on anyone!

Obviously, Jenny Craig as been a very effective way for you to lose a great deal of weight to this point, but if you, like all of us, desire to keep it off, you need to now focus on the "inner work" necessary to make weight loss improvements last for the rest of and BEST of your life.

You need to take a long hard look at and identify those foods which you "love"--those foods when we are trying to stay "ON" a diet call to us, we crave and usually cave in and eat despite the fact they aren't on our eating plan and clearly outside of the realm of healthful eating---once you figure out those foods or "vices"--BUST them!

Forever! You need to live a life that is free of the control that they have over your eating habits and health. Embrace the fact that a life without a particular food is NOT a life of deprivation; rather eating it deprives you of realizing your goals and dreams!

You can do this, we all can! Anyone wanting help with busting their vices, check out http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/ I promise it is going to take up to 50 pounds OFF of your body for GOOD in 26 weeks!

Respectfully,
Julia

The Environment Diet

I learned something last night reading my daughter's homework assignment. It was for her personal finance class and they had to read an article by sales expert Jeffrey Gitmor titled "The environment you create will dictate your success.”

When I say success environment what do YOU think about? He is NOT referring to the retirement destination of luxury living as a mark of success environment but rather "your surroundings; both mental and physical"

Your mental environment begins with a positive attitude and grows to your acceptance of new things, new people and new ideas -- your mental willingness to see the bright side of everything and your mental ability to turn obstacles into opportunities.

If your environment isn't set up for success, it is YOUR responsibility to make it a better one.
I LOVE this article! Now, like most things in life, it got me thinking about weight loss and how what I just read could apply to our journey. It applies perfectly!

In my book "The Vice Busting Diet" (http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/), I talk about the need to get rid of clutter -- cleaning up your house, finishing projects that are lying around undone, finishing what you start, etc. I can’t tell you how many people write me and ask what that possibly has to do with losing weight and I will tell you what I tell them it has everything to do with it.

If you live in a chaotic environment, your life will be chaotic. If you live in a messy environment, your life will be messy. If you live amongst clutter and unfinished projects, YOU will be just another piece of clutter-filled unfinished junk with a lot of potential but no results. Ouch!

Hey, the truth hurts, but sometimes it’s just the kick in the butt that we need to kick it in gear!So what are the truths we can apply to weight loss?

If I asked you what success meant to you, what would you think of? WRONG! It is NOT reaching a specific measure on the scale, yet that is what universally comes to mind when thinking of a successful weight-loss journey.

How many people, including yourself, do you know who have lost weight, been “successful” on their weight-loss journey reaching their goal weight only to gain it all back and then some? HOW is that success? WHY should we continue to measure our success by the one tool that continually hinders real success? I am talking about the scale and pounds.

The true environment of success for a lasting, successful and healthful weight-loss journey is based on the actions of healthy living! A life that consists of adequate daily water intake, a healthy well-balanced diet, regular exercise, an active schedule and a positive attitude are essential for lasting weight loss. If you bring to your weight-loss journey an old and tired defeatist attitude -- "this isn’t going to work" -- you will be right. If you think that you can keep doing what you have always done, eat what you have always eaten, but in this case somehow realize different results, you are only kidding yourself.

If you think you can get to a predetermined measure on the scale and then revert back to your old habits, you are going to get whiplash as the yo-yo string reels you back to your starting weight.

While a healthy diet is one aspect of this journey, and certainly pounds lost is a goal, who you become along the way is the real measure of success. The real goal should be becoming a person who has a healthy lifestyle, who exhibits healthy actions at all times and embraces health not for pounds lost but for the gains in preventing future illness and disease, for movement, flexibility and stamina, for a zest for living.

That is who you should strive to become and what your new environment should be like.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You've seen Julia on the QVC home shopping network and the Wayne Brady Show, in USA Today, The National Enquirer, Glamour, Bride's and more! She's been called "America's weight-loss Cinderella, someone with the passion of Tony Robbins, enthusiasm of Richard Simmons and the humor of Jerry Seinfeld." To get your copy of Julia's blockbuster motivational book, Awaken the Diet Within, From Overweight to Looking Great -- If I Can Do It, So Can You! click here. Email Julia with your comments at julia@juliahavey.com. You can also visit her website at http://www.juliahavey.com/ or http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/.

Heart Attack Grill--nutritional pornography?

OHMIGOD!

OK, do I have your attention? In a recent MSNBC article, I read the nurses are outraged by the "nurse" costumes worn by the staff at the Heart Attack Grill. THAT'S the controversy? The UNIFORMS?

Excuse ME!?

How about the food itself? Just the name should tell you 'stay away!' The article goes on to say, the Heart Attack Grill opened a year ago with a Hooters-like formula of red meat and sexy waitresses. Diners choose from among four cheeseburgers: the Single, Double, Triple and Quadruple Bypass. The Quadruple is a towering monstrosity with four half-pound beef patties, four pieces of cheese and a mound of bacon.

“Essentially, it’s nutritional pornography. It’s so bad for you it’s shocking,” Basso said.

Basso OWNS this place and calls his food "nutritional pornography"? Why nurse costumes, why not have the burger flingers wear undertaker outfits and pass the food out in little coffins? In a day and age where 2.6 MILLION people DIED prematurely last year across the globe because of Obesity and Overweight related causes, do we really need a restaurant peddling sure death and mocking it while they do?

I completely am for clever business ideas and companies making profits, but this just isn't funny and it is a HORRIBLE idea. They even do the extra step and offer wheelchair service to your car after eating their Guadruple Bypass burger! Their motto is "A taste worth DYING for!"--are they serious? They can't be. I swear I am ready to go ballistic on this one!

The only thing I find funny about this is that nurses are upset saying that nursing has too many sexual fantasies connected with it already. Ok, in a day and age where nursing units across the nation hold "Thunder Thigh Thursday" and many nurses are themselves overweight and in poor health--the UNIFORMS are what they are choosing to issue?

My challenge to the nursing profession and those threatening to sue the establishment over the sexy nurse costumes; get a backbone and take a stand on the really important issue! The fact that if people eat this crap, you are going to have more and more patients dying on your watch from Obesity and Overweight related causes and a few of them might even be your own peers.

If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem! I know I am right in what I am saying. I have more teachers and nurses as readers and clients than any other professions collectively. You are all "thanked" by patients, parents, administrative staff with FOOD! You know I am right and you know it is time to take a stand.

Nurses against nutritional pornography needs to be your cause, not nurses against naughty attire!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Sick Care vs. Health Care

Sick Care vs. Health Care - Do you know which side you are on? There is a difference, and these are not two phrases that we can throw around anymore as if to joke about the truth of most medical care (aside from emergencies and some antibiotics, in my humble opinion). Sick care is waiting until you get sick and getting medicine to "heal" you, while the side effects tear down your body and your immune system, only to have you back to the MD's office needing more "healing" (drugs). This spiraling downward can go on for YEARS, until one day you don't wake up... or you wake up to the truth that you need to just eat right and exercise to be healthy!

The Overweight Epidemic (from Paul Zane Pilzer)

"In the past, we have always associated poverty with being terribly thin, mostly due to starvation. When I was young I wanted to grow up to be a “rich fat man.” Today, the tables have turned; “poor” and “fat” have become synonymous, and “rich fat man” has become an oxymoron! Centuries ago, the only corpulent people were royalty and wealthy landowners. Today, the lower the income, the more we see obesity, and the higher the income, the more we see men and women who are fit and trim, defying their age. [Get a copy of his book, The Wellness Revolution]

Since 1980, we have more than doubled the percentage of overweight and obese people in the United States. In 1980, 15 percent of the population was obese; by the year 2000, that number had jumped to 27 percent—that’s 77 million clinically obese people! Today, 61 percent of the U.S. population is overweight and headed towards obesity—which has increased 10 percent to almost 30 percent of the U.S. population. As a result, 18 million Americans have diabetes and another 41 million over age 40 have prediabetes. Most people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes in 10 years. Sixty-five percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke, and the medical costs alone to treat diabetes now exceeds $100 billion a year.

Moreover, overweight and obesity are also symptoms of poor nutrition. Typically someone who is obese is also vitamin-deficient and suffers from fatigue and arthritis or other ailments that all stem from poor nutrition. Our food industry, which represents about one trillion dollars annually, exacerbates the problem by catering to the “lowest common denominator” of poor nutrition.

What about our health care? The truth is, what we call “health care” is not really the health business but the sickness business. Our medical industry today has very little to do with health. The $2 trillion we spend on medical care, which represents one-sixth of the U.S. economy, is concerned almost exclusively with treating the symptoms of illness. It has very little to do with preventing illnesses or with making people feel stronger or healthier."

If you want to be healthy, you've got to start by taking control of your own daily habits - mental, dietary, and exercise. Start by building positive thoughts and a belief in yourself, then work on busting your diet vices, add some exercise, and what I believe to be a great nutritional supplement... and you've got the combination for prevention, good health, and a good life!

Don't wait. Start today.
Carpe Diet!
Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Healthy Juice Nutrition Plus: http://www.jpsupplement.com/

Sugary Diets Raise Risk of Pancreatic Cancer Sharply

Sugar has plenty to answer for from a public health perspective. And dental caries are far from the worst or even the most likely consequence of overindulging one’s sweet tooth. (Crackers and other sticky carb-rich snacks generate cavities more reliably.)

Modern food manufacturers add sugar to almost every packaged product, and their motivation derives from the effects of human evolution. Our primeval craving for simple carbohydrates, especially sugars, causes us to respond to sweet tastes by sending a signal from palate to brain proclaiming “dude, this is high-value food”.

But what once served as a critical capacity—one that helped early humans choose the most energy-rich forage--now causes us to over-consume sugary sodas, coffee drinks, pastries, candies, and gratuitously sweetened processed foods of every description.

And sugar now comes in many forms, from the traditional cane sugar (sucrose) and honey to the manmade high-fructose corn syrup found in everything from tomato sauce to mayonnaise. The direst dangers of excess sugar are increased risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with many studies showing that excess blood sugar leads to “glycation” of LDL cholesterol and thereby to build up of arterial plaque.

Not coincidentally, elevated levels of an inflammation marker called C-reactive protein enhance uptake of glycated LDL cholesterol by immune system cells: an effect that promotes formation of arterial plaque (Zhong Y et al 2006).

This recently discovered effect may turn out to explain why elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein--and the pro-inflammatory diets that cause them—are associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Sugary drinks and snacks seen to raise risk of killer cancer. Thanks to revealing new research from Sweden, we can now add increased risk of pancreatic cancer to the list of sugar’s evil effects (Larsson S et al November 2006).

Scientists at Stockholm’s respected Karolinska Institute have been publishing a series of cancer studies based on large population surveys, designed to reveal any dietary risk factors. (See “Fatty Fish Seen Curbing Women’s Kidney Cancer Risks” and “New Cancer-Risk Findings Rank Seafood and Poultry Far Safer than Processed Meats”.) The new study involved almost 80,000 healthy women and men, and the results points an accusatory finger at sugar with regard to pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is an uncommon but frequently fatal form of cancer, and it is promoted by the chronically elevated levels of insulin associated with poor glucose control: a dysfunction induced by sugar-heavy diets. The new Karolinska study began in 1997 when scientists asked the participants about their diets, and ended in June 2005, when they used the Swedish cancer registry to identify 131 people from the group who’d developed cancer of the pancreas.

As lead author Susanna Larsson said, “It is perhaps the most serious form of cancer, with very poor prognoses for its victims. Since it’s difficult to treat and is often discovered too late, it’s particularly important that we learn to prevent it.”

The Swedish findings indicate that the risk of developing pancreatic cancer correlates closely with the average amount of sugar in a person’s daily diet. Compared with people who rarely drank sweetened beverages or creamed fruit (a popular Swedish treat), those who did so habitually ran sharply increased risks.

1. People who consumed sweetened soda or fruit-based drinks twice a day or more were 90 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
2. People who added sugar to food or drinks (e.g. coffee) five times a day or more were 70 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer.
3. People who ate creamed fruit at least once a day were 50 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

The new results present the first evidence that overindulging in sweet foods and drinks raises the risk of this especially dangerous cancer. In addition to cutting back on sugar consumption, recent research suggests that higher intake of vitamin D may help prevent pancreatic cancer. (Sockeye salmon is the richest food source by far: see “Vitamin D Seen Slashing Risk of Pancreatic Cancer”.) Diets rich cruciferous veggies (e.g., cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts) also seemed to provide some anti-cancer protection to the pancreas (Larsson S et al Feburary 2006).

PJ, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1171-6.

Hakansson N, Naslund I, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to pancreatic cancer risk: a prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Feb;15(2):301-5.

HG, Roser BJ. Atherosclerosis and glycation. Bioessays. 1994 Feb;16(2):145-7. Review.

TJ. Glycation and oxidation: a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Am J Cardiol. 1993 Feb 25;71(6):26B-31B. Review.

Nutritional support - juice nutrients from fruits and vegetables
Carpe Diet!

DNA is NOT DESTINY!

Back in 2000, Randy Jirtle, a professor of radiation oncology at Duke University, and his postdoctoral student Robert Waterland designed a groundbreaking genetic experiment that was simplicity itself. they started with pairs of fat yellow mice known to scientists as agouti mice, so called because they carry a particular gene—the agouti gene—that in addition to making the rodents ravenous and yellow renders them prone to cancer and diabetes. Jirtle and Waterland set about to see if they could change the unfortunate genetic legacy of these little creatures.

Typically, when agouti mice breed, most of the offspring are identical to the parents: just as yellow, fat as pincushions, and susceptible to life-shortening disease. The parent mice in Jirtle and Waterland's experiment, however, produced a majority of offspring that looked altogether different. These young mice were slender and mousy brown. Moreover, they did not display their parents' susceptibility to cancer and diabetes and lived to a spry old age. The effects of the agouti gene had been virtually erased.

Remarkably, the researchers effected this transformation without altering a single letter of the mouse's DNA. Their approach instead was radically straightforward—they changed the moms' diet. Starting just before conception, Jirtle and Waterland fed a test group of mother mice a diet rich in methyl donors, small chemical clusters that can attach to a gene and turn it off. These molecules are common in the environment and are found in many foods, including onions, garlic, beets, and in the food supplements often given to pregnant women. After being consumed by the mothers, the methyl donors worked their way into the developing embryos' chromosomes and onto the critical agouti gene. The mothers passed along the agouti gene to their children intact, but thanks to their methyl-rich pregnancy diet, they had added to the gene a chemical switch that dimmed the gene's deleterious effects.

"It was a little eerie and a little scary to see how something as subtle as a nutritional change in the pregnant mother rat could have such a dramatic impact on the gene expression of the baby," Jirtle says. "The results showed how important epigenetic changes could be."

Our DNA—specifically the 25,000 genes identified by the Human Genome Project—is now widely regarded as the instruction book for the human body. But genes themselves need instructions for what to do, and where and when to do it. A human liver cell contains the same DNA as a brain cell, yet somehow it knows to code only those proteins needed for the functioning of the liver. Those instructions are found not in the letters of the DNA itself but on it, in an array of DNA Is Not Destiny

The new science of epigenetics rewrites the rules of disease, heredity, and identity.

FULL STORY...

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To add the best nutritional support to your diet: http://www.jpsupplement.com/

Hot diet book "The Vice Busting Diet" reaches Amazon.com best seller list!

(from the LA Times)

"When eDiets Master Motivator Julia Griggs Havey says that giving up just one bad eating habit can help you change your life forever, she is speaking from experience. Unlike many of weight-loss advisors out there who can do little more than talk the talk, Julia has personally completed the journey from being overweight to looking great… one small step at a time.

Get a copy of Julia's newest book for FREE copy, go to http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/ and get Julia's entire 26-week motivational program for your FREE copy.

Loyal eDiets readers already know how this popular columnist and best-selling author made the remarkable transformation from being morbidly obese to winning the crown at the 1999 Mrs. Missouri pageant. Julia lost more than 130 pounds, and perhaps more importantly, she has managed to keep that extra weight off for more than 10 years now. Before writing her own success story though, Julia took a detour and tried just about every fad diet and weight-loss gimmick available.

“I think that what happened to me is what is happening to the whole country,” Julia tells eDiets. “We’re dieting ourselves into a state of obesity.”

As a member of the eDiets team of experts, Julia regularly bares her soul to our members in hopes that they won’t make the same mistakes she did. After years of helping other people lose weight, Julia has come to the conclusion that the answer to the obesity problem in the United States lies with each of us overcoming our diet vices.

“It is important to eliminate the foods that control us,” Julia says. “I spent 15 years dieting, and all the foods I shouldn't have been eating were still out there tempting me.”

According to Julia’s definition, a diet vice is any habitual action that is keeping you from reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. For example, if you eat a dozen chocolate-chip cookies every day at noon, Julia says you can rest assured that cookies are one of your major diet vices. Though she struggled with many different diet vices though the years, eating ice cream was the most difficult one for Julia to overcome.

In fact, at one time in her life, she admits to polishing off as much as a half gallon of ice cream every single night. Julia finally gave up eating ice cream completely and found other ways to reward herself, such as getting a manicure. Now that she has made it her mission in life to help other people achieve a healthier lifestyle, Julia encourages everyone to take control of their food choices.

"We need to bust our vices," says Julia. "It is important to eliminate the foods that control us."

To help you break your worst food habits, Julia’s newest book The Vice-Busting Diet provides a 12-week approach to help you change the way you eat. Julia doesn’t subscribe to the long-held belief in the diet industry that you can eat the foods you love and still lose weight. She says it is often easier to abstain than to beat your head against the wall trying to eat your favorite foods in moderation. After all, Julia reasons that if most people could eat the things they love in moderation, we wouldn’t have a pandemic of obesity.

Get a copy of Julia's newest book by click here. For a FREE copy, go to http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/ and get Julia's entire 26-week motivational program.

“Deprivation is not living without certain foods but living with them and being deprived of your true health and happiness,” Julia says.

In an eDiets survey, 91 percent of the respondents admitted to having one or more diet vices. Julia says chips, candy, soft drinks, pizza and ice cream were identified as the most common ones. More than 70 percent of the respondents with a food vice admitted their dieting efforts were knocked off track either daily or weekly due to cravings for these foods.

"People turn to food when they are depressed," Julia says. "And, some people eat because they are feeling lonely. The problem is that the minute you have finished that last bit of Twinkie, you are still lonely. However, now you are also angry with yourself."

Now, in this eDiets exclusive, Julia reveals the three most common diet vices:

Can the Soft Drinks:

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, carbonated soft drinks are “the biggest source of refined sugars in the American diet.” In fact, The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) reports that the average American consumes more than 53 gallons of soft drinks every year.

“Most people don’t believe that soft drinks could possibly be the reason they are overweight,” Julia says. “Especially when beautiful people like Britney Spears appear on soda ads.”

Slow Down on Fast Food:

According to statistics from the U.S. Foodservice Industry, there are at least a quarter of a million fast-food restaurants in this great nation of ours. And more of them are being built all the time. In fact, the number of fast-food restaurants in this country more than doubled between the years 1972 and 1995.

“I was completely hooked on fast food,” Julia admits. “It kept the kids happy, but it was just a snack for me. Then I would go home and eat another meal.”

Step Away From the Television:

According to the latest research, the average American watches at least four hours of television every day. Though TV definitely has its place, Julia says sitting in front of the boob tube shouldn’t take up more than a quarter of our waking hours.

“I was completely hooked on television,” Julia says. “I used to live to see the Emmy Awards and the movies of the week. Now, I don’t allow myself to watch television unless I have done my exercise for the day.”

Julia invites anyone who is currently struggling to take off extra weight or rebuild self-esteem to email her. She says the average person who visits her website has spent at least 20 years dieting.

"The reason that past weight loss attempts may not have worked is that you probably tried to do too much too fast,” Julia says. “Slow and gradual changes lead to huge weight loss over time. Most popular diets are the hare, but my approach is the tortoise. Just remember who wins the race in the end.”

To order your copy of Julia’s newest book and start the race for yourself, click here.

For a FREE copy, go to http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/ and get Julia's entire 26-week motivational program.

What's YOUR excuse?

"For every difficulty that supposedly stops a person from succeeding there are thousands who have had it a lot worse and have succeeded anyway. So can you."
--- Brian Tracy ---

I really like that quote! I have gotten thousands of emails from people telling me the difficulties they face on their road to self-improvement. I have always responded that difficulties do exsist, but that they do not make the desired results impossible, only more challenging!

In trying to rationalize unhealthy choices many people will use excuses or situations such as:

1. I have a family to cook for, they don't to eat healthy foods.

2. Healthy food is too expensive.

3. I don't like water.

4. I hate exercise.

5. Eating is my companion, my friend.

6. My whole family is fat, I am genetically disposed to this weight.

7. I have tried dieting, it doesn't work.

8. I can't stay motivated for longer than a week.

9. I think my spouse should accept me the way I am.

or, they may use the following reasons for wanting to change:

1. I want to weigh 125, or I want to lose 43 pounds.
2. I want to lose weight for my upcoming wedding, reception, daughter's wedding.
3. My spouse wants me to lose weight.
4. I want to find a partner.

Well, I don't like any of them! So, if any of these could be your words....toss them out and read on!

1. Your family needs to eat the same healthy foods as you do, regardless of their weight!
2. Health complications brought on by obesity are more expensive! Just ask the government about the 45 Billion spent annually because of our excess weight!
3. Then you don't like yourself, your body is made up mostly of water and it needs water to function properly--not soft drinks!!
4. Try living in a body that WON'T move as you want it to! Why not try thinking of exercise as a thing that you are lucky enough to be able to do! It WILL do your body good!
5. Nope. It never has been and never will be your friend. It is food..it is fuel. Get a dog or cat if you are lonely....but not something that is harmful to your health and hindering to your realizing your dreams and goals!
6. What does your whole family eat? What exercise does your whole family do? I suspect there is a lot more going into your jeans than your genes!
7. You need to try healthy living this time! Try changing your life, it works!
8. It is hard to be motivated when you are changing too much, too soon. Try ONE step at a time, one change at a time! Each permanent change that you make empowers you to make the next one!
9. Do YOU accept your body the way it is? It is hypocyrtical if YOU aren't happy with the appearance of your body, but expect someone else to take it or leave it. Maybe, just maybe they love you so much that they want to grow old with you and know that being overweight is shaving years off of your romance?! Give them, and yourself a break!

and finally,

1. The scale isn't the point...seek healthy improvement not scale validation!

2.Wrong! If you lose weight only for an event...then what?! Can you say "Yo-Yo"?! NO more of that thinking! Seek health improvement, not short term fixes!

3. That is just another way of saying "I love you", "I want to grow old with you" and I want to find you as sexy and desireable outside as I know you are inside!

4. Find yourself first!

Get your started on your lifechanging journey today....and this time next year....YOU will have much to be thankful for when you gather with family to reflect on what you should give thanks for!

Are we clear?! Good! Now, get busy DOING!

Julia

The 3 Biggest Diet Vices of Fast Food, Soft Drinks and TV--Fattening up Africa!

It is hard to believe this but now more than one-third of African women and a quarter of African men are estimated to be overweight, and the World Health Organization predicts that will rise to 41 percent and 30 percent respectively in the next 10 years.

When we picture a epidemic in Africa visions of poor starving children with swollen bellies from malnurishment come to mind, yet that is no longer the case.

“We have gone from undernutrition to overnutrition without ever having passed healthy nutrition,” said Krisela Steyn, the retired director of the South African Medical Research Council’s Chronic Disease and Lifestyle unit.

Surprisingly, the poor suffer from this more than you would think. Ironically, the poorest are often most vulnerable. Children born with low birth weights to malnourished mothers tend to be more at risk of becoming overweight as adults. They are also more prone to obesity as family members give them too much food to help them catch up, according to experts at a recent conference on chronic disease in Cape Town.

It isn't that the people of Africa are becoming overweight because they have too many fresh fruits and vegetables to eat or that water is too plentiful. It is that "modernization" has brought them Coke, Big Macs and Cable!

In Africa, as elsewhere in the world, high-fat, high-sugar fast foods, snacks and fizzy drinks are in. And, like elsewhere, growing urbanization has led to less walking and other exercise and the spread of television has led to a generation of couch potatoes rather than athletes.

Please, read the rest of this article, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15954744/ it is alarming and should be a MUST read for everyone. We have to act quickly to end our global dependence on cheap, unhealthy and obesity causing fast foods and soft drinks and increase physical activity if we hope to win our fight to end the Obesity Pandemic the world finds itself in.

My book, The Vice Busting Diet, is the ONLY "diet" book to attack the fast food and soft drink industry and directly point a finger at TV as the root causes for Obesity and to also offer a realistic and gradual solution to the problem.

I have contacted WHO and volunteered to become a Special Ambassador to help fight the Global Pandemic of Obesity. This is a fight that we must win and that with busting our vices of fast food, soft drinks and TV--we WILL win!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Juice nutrient plus supplement: http://www.OfficialJuicePlus.com

Flu Shot or Not: A Healthy Debate

While flu shots have become such a standard action for so many people each year, no thought seems to be given as to whether or not it is really necessary. In my opinion, the drug companies have done such a good job of lobbying and marketing the need for everyone to get their flu shots because 'it's flu season' afterall.

Here's what I do understand: people with compromised immune systems - i.e. the elderly who are already sick or suffering from a disease, or someone undergoing treatment for a disease that requires some strong drugs - are those who may actually need a flu shot. But what I don't believe is that just anyone needs a flu shot because 'it's flu season.' Do you know that people die each year from immunizations? And thousands actually get sick or the flu from getting a flu shot? I heard a radio host discussing flu shots and he didn't understand why Michael Jordan wouldn't have gotten flu shots each season since he gets paid so much to be healthy so he could play basketball. What?! Have we become that conditioned to believe everything we're told? Maybe he didn't get them because he exercises and eats healthy (and did more so them, I'm sure) - unlike 65% or more of Americans.

My point is this: if you're eating right and getting regular exercise - and supplementing your diet to be sure you're getting the nutrients you need from enough fruits and vegetables - then you don't need a flu shot. You're body is equipped with an army of enemy-fighting cells that attack anything that it knows doesn't belong - all without you even thinking about it! Yet we (that is, the drug companies whose 1st goal is profit) think that we know better how to handle the body. If more people knew how the body worked - I know very little - I think we'd be amazed and would question what if any drugs that we need.

Live healthy and you'll be healthy. Your body is not lacking anything but good nutrition. Don't deny the natural goodness that it needs.

Carpe Diet
Lose weight and live healthy - http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Supplement your diet with nutrients from 17 fruits and vegetables: http://www.OfficialJuicePlus.com

Thought for the Holiday Season

"Shoes"

I showered and shaved............... I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat.............. In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer......... As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side...... I thought,
"Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't
bother him much.
A prayer began: "Our Father"............. I thought, "This
man with the shoes.. has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!"
"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
The shoe man said............... a quiet "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer....... But my thoughts were
on his shoes again
Aren't we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?
"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought, Glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer was ended............ And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters......... His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man's voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering......... And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out............ What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink" . as when silver hits tin.
The sermon really bored me.......... To tears, and that's no lie
It was the same for the shoe man..... For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service........ As is the custom here
We must greet new visitors.. And show them all good cheer.
But I felt moved somehow............. And wanted to meet the shoe man
So after the closing prayer.......... I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark..... And his hair was truly a mess
But I thanked him for coming......... For being our guest.
He said, "My names' Charlie.......... I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes......... But he had a large, wide grin
"Let me explain," he said........... Wiping tears from his eyes.
"I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"
"I know that my appearance........."Is not like all the rest
"But I really do try................."To always look my best."
"I always clean and polish my shoes.."Before my very long walk.
"But by the time I get here........."They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."
My heart filled with pain............ and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize......... For daring to sit so near.
He said, "When I get here..........."I know I must look a sight.
"But I thought if I could touch you.."Then maybe our souls might unite."
I was silent for a moment............ Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison... I spoke from my heart, not my head.
"Oh, you've touched me," I said......"And taught me, in part;
"That the best of any man............"Is what is found in his heart."
The rest, I thought,................. This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my soul
***********************************************************************

American Diabetes Association trouble

Does the ADA - American Diabetes Association - need to reconsider their position with the largest promoter of diabetes-causing products (Coca-Cola)? The New York Times has a very interesting article about the ADA and its reconsideration of continued sponsorship associations with companies that promote supposedly "healthful eating" products. Please click here to read the four page article.

You can also read more here on this BLOG.

Know the truth before you even consider having soft drinks. The bottom line is that we don't need foods or drinks with HFCS - high fructose corn syrup. We need to drink more water, we need to eat foods that don't have high amounts of processing or sugar. We need to eat more fruits and vegetables. Diabetes that is genetic is one thing. Diabetes that is caused by lifestyle and diet is more about ignorance. The body was designed to have fruits and vegetables and lean meats and fish.

If you need help with your lifestyle and losing weight, go here: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com
We also recommend that you supplement your diet with juice nutrients plus because most everyone does not eat enough fruits and vegetables. Learn more...

Live healthy.
Carpe Diet!

The Fast Food Nation Diet

This week, a must see movie hits the big screen, Fast Food Nation. But the movie only addresses the problem of Fast Food, it does little to address the solution, or atleast a step by step approach to busting fast food from an individual's life.

Why must we bust? Because 2.6 million people died last year because of the illnesses brought on by eating this crap and drinking Coke--along with other equally unhealthy and high calorie vices. And, if we don't do something now to reverse this trend, "this is the FIRST generation NOT expected to outlive their parents"--Harvard, not me.

“We take Joe Camel off the billboard because it is marketing bad products to our children, but Ronald McDonald is considered cute,” says Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. “How different are they in their impact, in what they’re trying to get kids to do?”

Not much, says Eric Schlosser, author of the 2001 best-selling book Fast Food Nation. His book, for instance, pointed out that nine of every 10 U.S. kids go to McDonald’s at least once per month, and that the hamburger mega-chain is one of the world’s largest toy distributors through its promotional efforts.

To that end, Schlosser used his book’s final chapter to urge consumers and Congress to take action. He called for legislators to more closely regulate how fast food is marketed to kids. But those legislators haven’t done much in the last five years to stop the fast food express, a juggernaut that threatens to help ruin Americans’ health over the next 20 years. One government estimate projects that the number of Americans with diabetes will increase from 21 million to nearly 30 million U.S. adults battling diabetes by 2030. Read more: http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148751&GT1=8717

However, it isn't going to have ANY immediate impact in the lifes of those afflicted with Obesity to simply write congress--those suffering from Overweight and Obesity related issues MUST take a healthful stand today and BUST their VICES out of their lives permanently in order that they get healthier and lose weight.

The ONLY "diet" book or expert who addresses the Fast Food issue AND offers a realistic, effective and quite easy approach to breaking the habit of eating it is my The Vice Busting Diet!

It has been endorsed by Oprah's Dr. David L. Katz, Dr. Mehmet Oz and may others.

The question would beg to be asked; why haven't we heard more about it? Well, there's a good answer. Who spends the most money adverstising on shows like Today, The View, Oprah? Soft drink companies like Coca-Cola and Fast Food pushers like McDonald's. An exective with CBS told me personally "there is NO way we can book you as a guest; you (rightfully) sued Coca-Cola and go after both them and McDonald's in your book--and you mention TV viewing as the 3rd contributor to the Obesity Pandemic--if we promoted you, they would cut or cancell their advertising AND we would be shooting ourselves in the foot!" That's a real quote folks!

They can run, but they can't hide! Fast Food, Soft Drinks and TV/sendentary lives ARE the 3 biggest contributors to the Obesity Pandemic and we are going to BUST them before they bust us!

Want a FREE copy of The Vice Busting Diet? http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/, you will get a personalized signed copy with your 26-week; 50 pounds OFF guaranteed lifestyle modification program! You will get a workbook, daily emails, daily audios, dozens of lessons and more....all for only $197, that less than $8 a week

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Urine analysis a test for diet

One of the suggestions that I've had in the past in regards to health insurance was providing discounts or money back to those who are in good health - based on factors like limited doctor visits, blood work that is all within normal range, and even data on frequency of exercise if possible. But now there comes an additional test that may provide doctors - and dare I say insurance companies? - with a gage of the patient's dietary habits and therefore health. A Canadian study finds that a urine test may able to detect a poor diet based on the levels of potassium.

According to the research: "The study found a link between increased levels of potassium in the urine, a healthier diet, and lower weight, blood pressure and heart rate. These findings suggest, for the first time, that the amount of potassium in the urine is a valid, objective indicator of diet quality," researcher Dr. Andrew Mente, of the Prosserman Center for Health Research in Toronto, said in a prepared statement.

I think two things are making their way into our society: 1) greater awareness and therefore more people being proactive about their health; and 2) more accountability by way of new tests that will provide better markers for diet and health. Which means if you don't take responsibility for your health now, you may be forced to later.

Which is why the greatest diet in the world is worth nothing without the inspiration and motivation that we all need to live healthy, happy, and productive lives. You don't need to be told that you need more fruits and vegetables. You probably know that. What you do need - and we all need - is to be inspired to a healthy and fit life!

Find inspiration here: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Carpe Diet!
Here is Healthier Eating 101 and 102 - some good information (but not the inspiration) for a healthy diet: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/305_eat.html

The Hell is McFreezing over Diet to end childhood obesity!

OHMIGOSH, Hell just may be freezing over!...or NOT? If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck; odds are it's a duck. Or my personal favorite line, IF it is full of salt, fat, high fructose corn syrup and calories, it MUST be a Big Mac and a Coke!

Ten major food and drink makers, including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Campbell Soup, announced today that their child-oriented advertising will do more to promote health foods and exercise.

The companies, which account for two-thirds of child-targeted food and drink commercials on TV, agreed to reduce the use of outside characters — think Shrek and the Little Mermaid — to pitch unhealthy foods. They also said they would not advertise in elementary schools and would ensure their online “advergames” either promote good health or healthy products, among other measures. Half their ads will focus on foods that qualify as healthy or on nutrition and exercise issues.

The companies said they had no plans to stop selling or promoting sugary cereals or fatty French fries, and critics were quick to say the voluntary restrictions will have little effect.

Read the rest of the hype: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15718236/

OK, now for the truth:

• they have NO choice but to use different characters since Disney and other companies are distancing themselves from their unhealthy food/drink offerings!
• they can show Ronald McDonald playing basketball all day long, but kids aren't dumb, they KNOW who he is and where to find is food.
• Coke can take their high fructose laden regular Coke out of schools and try to look like the good guys, but to simply exchange "sports" drinks, sugar filled "waters" and "energy" drinks in place OR keep chemically sweetend cancer punch DOES NOT help kids get health. Want to help solve the Obesity Pandemic Coca-Cola, stock your machines with WATER and stop bogus contests (http://www.drinkchooselive.com/) that encourage consumption of extreme weight gaining and or deadly levels of your crap!
  

Don't fall for their ploy! This is nothing more than having the wolf agree to change his tactics when getting near the sheep--he doesn't have to advertise; he knows the sheep will continue to graze and he will slaughter them same as before. You still have a fat wolf and dead sheep, or in our case profit rich corporations and 2.6 million dead people a year who died prematurely because Coca-Cola and McDonald's, the two worst contributors to the Obesity Pandemic are allowed to set their own rules when watching the flock.

Carpe Diet.

STOP! Before you follow Victoria Beckham's diet...

It caught my eye that Victoria Beckham (former Spice Girl "Posh") had been quoted as saying that she survives on Diet Coke and low-calorie snacks and has for years (Read more...). This strikes me as sad because of the image and example that she sets for millions of young girls around the world who would love to look like and I'm sure at one time be like, her. She states that she hasn't even had water in years because she doesn't like the taste. This has got to be one of the unhealthiest recommendations - the truly unhealthiest would be recommending regular Coke and no water - for a person of her celebrity to be doling out to a public that desires her figure. Don't be fooled by the outside appearance when it comes to being healthy.

But it doesn't stop there. This next point really caught my attention. Something I didn't know about one of her children - and why would I except that it she is in the news enough that you can't help but read a story or two about her and her husband. Her 4 year old has been diagnosed with epilepsy. So I did a little research - and I'm not a scientist, and I am empathetic to those with epilepsy and family members who have children with epilepsy - with the thought that maybe the two had something to do with each other (again, before knowing much at all about epilepsy). My first thought when looking into this was "could drinking Diet Coke all the time, when she was pregnant, and not water be a possible cause of the epilepsy?

What I found is that epilepsy doesn't have one exact cause and the diagnosis can be difficult because there are many types of epilepsy. Here is a basic description:

"Epilepsy is a brain disorder. The neurons fire an abnormally high number of times in a short period. Injury to the brain may certainly cause epilepsy. This includes deprivation of oxygen at birth, trauma to the head at any time of life, and stroke or injury to part of the brain caused by blockage or haemorrhage of one of its blood vessels, or improper brain development."

But could it be possible that Diet Coke with the aspartame, phosphoric acid, and other harmful ingredients contribute to the cause of brain problems - starving the brain of oxygen and proper development (during pregnancy)? Doesn't water contain oxygen? Don't soft drinks dehydrate cells? A possible cause, I'm sure. With all of the possible birth defects that are out there...well, I'll stop there.

Before you run out and follow "Posh's" diet, take a second look at the chemicals and/or poisons that are in many of these foods and drinks and look at the consequences that are possible before deciding to consume them.

If we at least cut down on the number of possible preventable causes, we can more clearly identify some real causes - i.e. genetics. Better to get lots of good nutrition and exercise to look and feel great and have a great quality of life, than to starve yourself into an unhealthy slim figure.

Carpe Diet!
More info on Epilepsy: http://137.172.248.46/epilepsy.htm
Good resource: http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_kids_causes.html

Kid's need to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet. And you can make up for what they're missing through supplementation. Learn more...

Chef Jamie Oliver tells it like it is...

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is telling it like it is when IT comes to the obesity problem - along with poor health - in Britain and the United States. "England's the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," he say. And he is right. If ever we needed more celebrity chefs (i.e. George Stella, who changed his chef ways and lost over 200 lbs) to stand up and tout the unhealthy ways of the world, now couldn't be a better time. Read the full story... Jamie knows how bad the problem is in the U.S. - he comments that he doesn't have the energy to take on the problem here. No kidding.

Let's continue to bring more awareness to the problem in order to spawn new actions from every level - coorporate, government, and individual responsabilities. Turning this ship around is going to require many more hands, but the motions are starting to take place. You can help by making healthy choices.

Live healthy. Improve your quality of life.
Carpe Diet!

Motivational lifestyle weight loss healthy living - http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
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Coca Cola Getting Ripped...

Finally, more support comes in the direction of healthy living when Health Minister Tony Abbott (Australia) says that Coca Cola is contributing to childhood obesity. It's nice to see that the dollars of influence won't make a difference in the Health Minsister speaking the truth... unlike other countries which receive millions in "donations" for supporting and approving Coca Cola products into their nations.

The truth is there. It just takes enough people to create a movement and a tipping point. Join that movement and make it easier for others to start living healthy and free from the burdens of diet vices.

Carpe Diet
Julia

Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Nutritional support: Recommended nutritional supplementation

Our Kids Our Fat, Give Them...Drugs?

Children with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and diabetes, are showing signs of narrowing and hardening of the arteries, conditions normally associated with adults, a study said.

An increasing number of children suffer from these and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including obesity, but testing for future heart conditions is not standard practice, according to a report presented at the annual American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

Testing should include regular blood lipid and glucose level testing, said the report’s lead author, Sanaz Piran, a resident at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, she said. Read the rest of the story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15698567/

But honestly, that was enough for me.
"Earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs!"

Here's a thought, why not have earlier treatment be getting the kids vices of FAST FOODS, soft drinks and other unhealthy foods busted AND get them exercising!?

Isn't it always the BEST or should atleast be the earliest or first step to try to get kids healthier and living healthier lifestyles than pumping them full of "more aggressive cholesterol-lowering drugs!?

What a world we live in!
"This is the first generation of children, NOT expected to outlive their parents"--Dr. David L. Katz sounded the first alarm of this dangerous prediction and Harvard concurres.

This is in most part because of their DIET and sedentary lifestyles! Dr. Katz further goes on to say that "well, they MAY live, but what quality of life remains to be seen, after all we can keep them alive with new hearts, drugs and life support."

MORE AGGRESSIVE drugs?

That's the best that the respected American Heart Association can come up with? Grow some spine, shun your big buck donating fast food and soft drink companies and tell it like it is; to save the lives of our children we MUST help them break their addication and reliance on FAST FOODS, unhealthy "JUNK" foods and sugar-filled soft drinks, sports drinks and yes, "energy" drinks! We must encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats/proteins and WATER and get their bodies moving!

I almost bought my 13 year old son Clark a Glaceau "Vitamin" water after his soccer game, it was vitamin enriched after all and WATER. But thankfully I read the label. It was also sugar enriched: 2.5 servings and 50 calories per serving or 150 calories total; DUH! I could have bought him a Coke and done the same damage to his immune system, his diet and his overall health!--as my friend Dr. David L. Katz likes to say "Caveat Emptor"--Latin for buyer beware!

That is really the solution to the predicted fate of early painful fat-filled deaths that our children face!

KNOW what you are putting in your body, in the bodies of your loved ones and monitor and control (yes, we can control what our kids do!) what your children consume!

Respectfully,
Julia

Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.juliahavey.com/
A healthy lifestyle transition: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Juice Nutrients Plus+ Supplement: http://www.JPsupplement.com

Are Soft Drinks Causing Cancer?

Are Soft Drinks Causing Cancer? - Dr.J. Patrick Havey

The correlation may not be proven but the headline should grab your attention because the possibilities are real. A new report about the quantity of BENZENE in soft drinks claims that the levels are low enough not to be of concer. First, what is benzene? Here it is defined ... straight from OSHA's website --

Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is produced by the burning of natural products. It is a component of products derived from coal and petroleum and is found in gasoline and other fuels. Benzene is used in the manufacture of plastics, detergents, pesticides, and other chemicals. Research has shown benzene to be a carcinogen (cancer-causing). With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia. Long-term exposure may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death.

Now Benzene has also been shown to be the by-product of Food Additives plus Vitamin C. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the maximum levels allowed in drinking water at 10 parts per billion. A report out of Australia (by the government) says that their soft drinks are below that level. More about that report here:http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1640806.htm

Dr. Kate Hughes who is quoted in the above referenced article points out that "it is significant that the presence of benzene is an unanticipated reaction between a food additive and vitamin C." Did you get that UNanticipated! So you have to ask yourself what other possible chemicals are present as a result of an unanticipated by-product from the addition of certain chemicals to our foods?

The point to keep in mind here is that benzene is a carcinogen, that is a cancer-causing chemical. Do you want to take a risk of consuming a product - soft drinks are reference here, so we'll stick to this one in particular - that has a loaded amount of unhealthy calories and could be cancer-causing? I hope not.

One source (here) puts Benzene in the top ten of hazardous chemicals. Now you have another reason to avoid soft drinks. Learn more about Benzene and how to avoid it HERE.

Add more fruit and vegetable nutrition to your diet to help fight the toxins that you are exposed to everyday. Learn more here: http://www.juliahavey.com/motivation/juiceplus.aspx

Lose weight the healthy way: http://www.lifechanger.us/

Sing like an American Idol--Guzzle Coke!

Coca Cola is running ads on American Idol, telling the millions of viewers to "DRINK COKE, earn rewards and enjoy the rewards" (NOT DIET COKE, NOT DANSAI WATER--but COKE). They show prizes the people can win, they show the dream life that someone can have, even "record like an Idol" is one of the rewards--WHO wouldn't want to aspire to THAT?
http://mcr.us.icoke.com/index.jsp

"DRINK, CHOOSE, LIVE" is their slogan.
The dream.....the American dream of success!

http://mcr.us.icoke.com/getRewardDetail.do?rewardId=2438

Only ONE tiny problem. It takes 41600 points to win the "sing like an idol" prize. So, the consumer will go out in droves and they will buy Coke.(on the site, you learn diet coke applies but on the ADS--ONLY coke is shown). They drink the COKE--afterall, it doesn't say BUY, POUR OUT and WIN--you are to DRINK, CHOOSE and LIVE!

They earn rewards/prizes and modest ones at that, only after theoretically CONSUMING and redeeming:


Codes from 20oz, 1 liter, 1.5 liter, 2 liter and 3 liter sizes of participating Coca-Cola products. = 3 points

Codes from 12 pack of 12oz cans (fridge pack) of participating Coca-Cola products. = 10 points


Let's do some math folks:

To "sing like an Idol" it will take 4160 12 packs of COKE at 10 points each, or 6,938,880 calories, which would only pack 1982.5 pounds on a human body at the rate of 3,500 calories per pound. Why, my goodness, that's just 17.5 pounds shy of a TON of fun! 1 short ton = 2000 pounds!

BUT, not to worry! The American Beverage Association http://www.ameribev.org/health/obesity.asp says very clearly that drinking ANY beverage is good, it's fine, and that moderation must rule our actions but that drinking drinks, such as Coke and other sugar-filled beverages are not to blame for Obesity and that drinking just water is not necessary. Sounds great and official, only one problem; they are a fully funded subsidiary of Coca-Cola--how self serving! http://www.ameribev.org/about/bod.asp With a board like this, do you think any other answer would do?

OK, so the good guys running Coke, Pepsi, et al are "voluntarily" taking soft drinks out of schools within the next couple of years, but in the meantime, they are encouraging if not soliciting the consumption of almost 7 MILLION calories so that the consumer can "sing like an Idol". Yes, they will sing like an Idol, but it will be Obese Ruben and Obese Mandissa who was decried by Simon Cowell for being Obese and said "we will need a bigger stage". We will need a bigger world thanks to Coke's campaign, more just more coffins.


I think this is one competition of which I would like to be voted off!

Oh yeah, the fine print, just in case someone is going to try to drink 4160 12 packs to redeem enough points to actually get to "sing like an Idol", they had better get sipping because the contest ends December 31, 2006, so that leaves 151 days, so they will need to drink 27 - 12 packs a day by then! Good luck, you're gonna need it!

I am actually crying as I type this note to you. I am so upset about this I can't stand it. HOW am I, one person going to fight and WIN this battle? I am up against Coca-Cola and their millions of dollars in marketing dollars.

They are telling you to drink COKE and LIVE, when I know anyone drinking COKE and especially enough of it to "sing like an Idol" is likely to join the ranks of the 2.6 million people who died prematurely last year due to Obesity and Overweight complications.

Choose wisely. You can drink sugar-filled beverages and HOPE to acquire enough reward points to get something really great, or you can change your lifestyle, get healthy and ensure that your LIFE will be really great! I will do all that I can to help you to that end.

I hope this brings you empowerment!

Carpe Diet!
a VERY frustrated Julia--aka David, fighting Goliath, aka Coca-Cola!