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Posted by Health , , Friday, November 5, 2010 11:22 AM

era health

Is Milk Really Healthy?

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 03:33 AM PDT

 



Is milk really necessary for an effective weight loss plan?  Do we have to drink our milk each day to get a sufficient amount of calcium?

The answer to both of these questions is NO.  We do not need to drink milk as part of a healthy weight loss plan or to obtain a healthy amount of calcium each day.

Consider the following facts:

1. Americans drink the most milk of any other country, yet we still have the highest rate of osteoporosis.

2. Pasteurization kills off all the necessary digestive enzymes in the milk (This is why so many people are now suffering from lactose intolerance).

3. Pasteurization also makes the major part of the calcium contained in milk insoluble, in other words making 50% of milk's calcium unusable by the body (This contributing to the high rate of osteoporosis).

4. Milk sugar (lactose) converts into sugar your body uses very quickly, leading to blood sugar highs and lows and an up and down energy rollercoaster ride for you.

How could this all be true? Isn't milk supposed to do a body good? Well, yes it does, but milk was really only intended to be consumed in its natural state (unpasteurized). Sound scary? Many states in the US and most organic farmers will ONLY drink milk if it's unpasteurized and they are extremely healthy.

The other fact we need to consider is that most cows are being given an excess of growth hormone just to keep them producing massive amounts of milk. This, in turn, makes them sick, at which time they are given antibiotics. The growth hormone and antibiotics get into their blood stream and then into the milk they produce. Who drinks this chemical laden milk? We do! (Actually, I don't and maybe you're starting to consider whether you do).

The next big concern is "How will I get enough Calcium?" As mentioned above, most of the Calcium in milk is not absorbed by the body. More calcium is absorbed from foods such as green leafy vegetables, broccoli, sardines (with bones preferably) and salmon. This makes sense that more calcium come from greens since cows preferably eat grass and they have a lot of calcium inside their bodies (Please don't eat grass. This really only works for cows).

If reducing your risk for Osteoporosis is your goal, do the #1 activity that prevents this debilitating disease: Exercise! Weight bearing exercise has been shown to be the #1 way to prevent osteoporosis. Putting small stresses on your bones via strength training helps to re-build them stronger. No one, and I mean no one, should be neglecting some exercise into their life.

Here are my tips on drinking the right kind of milk, calcium and preventing osteoporosis:

1. If you consume dairy on a regular basis, try to find raw (unpasteurized) milk. www.realmilk.com is a great resource for this.

2. If the thought of raw milk scares you, purchase the next best thing: certified organic milk products. They will be free of antibiotics and hormones.

3. Since most of milk's calcium is not absorbed by the body, make sure to get your calcium from these other sources: leafy green veggies, broccoli, sardines (with bones) and salmon.

4. Commit to a strength training routine on a consistent basis. Not just for your muscles and for the way you look in the mirror (although this does help) but for your bone's sake.

Milk and dairy do not have to be a staple in your diet in order to absorb adequate amounts of calcium and achieve an ideal level of health.  You can establish and extremely healthy way of eating, reach your weight loss goals, and feel great each day without drinking milk.

To get started on your own Heatlhy Meal Plans right away.

Daily Health Tips Blog

Is Whole Wheat Bread fattening?

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 12:49 AM PDT

People often think they are doing something healthy for themselves by switching their white bread for whole wheat bread.  Although this is a better option than white, whole wheat bread can still be preventing you from losing your unwanted weight.

I am not a big fan of bread or bread type products. Actually, I think most people could feel a thousand times better if they stopped eating so much bread every single day. Toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, bread basket at dinner…we could feed a small village with the amount of bread I see some people consuming in one day (or several villages depending on who you're talking about).


No, I am not saying to never have bread ever again (Hey, its life, you gotta enjoy it, right?). What I am saying is that 4-5 servings of some kind of bread type product every day is making thousands of people gain weight, preventing them from losing their unwanted weight and worst of all, bringing about diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.

I don't eat very much bread at all and I really don't even miss it. I guess I have just come to enjoy all the other delicious food I eat each day that I don't even feel bread is missing from my meal plans.

Here are my "bread free" strategies and exactly how you can lower your own bread intake each day:

1. When you think of breakfast, don't automatically think toast, bagels, or a roll. A couple of hard boiled eggs over sliced tomatoes is delicious. You can also make a quick batch of oatmeal and add walnuts and berries. How about cottage cheese and pineapple? The breakfast options are endless.

2. Pack snack foods and take them with you to work. In less than 2 minutes, I can throw natural peanut butter, raw almonds, dried fruit (no sugar added), an apple or banana and baby carrots all in a bag and be out the door. Taking these food items to work with you will help you stay away from the employee room bagels or donuts. (Don't even get me started on how evil donuts are). Slap some peanut butter on an apple and munch away at that, all while making fun of the people eating donuts (Just Kidding, that's not nice.)

3. Don't depend on sandwiches as lunch every day. How about some salmon, broccoli and brown rice? Leftover chicken from last night and a sweet potato? Imagine that lunch is another version of dinner and not just a mid day sandwich inhaling contest.

4. Make "the bread basket" a once-in-while experience. You really do not need to be serving a bread basket for dinner at home if you are offering healthy carbohydrate choices like salad, cooked vegetables, brown rice, millet, or quinoa.

5. Oh, and how could I forget? Don't think that eating "100% Whole Wheat" is any better. It is still refined flour (maybe just not bleached) and a huge contributor to weight gain. I could go on and on about this but I have covered all the details about how detrimental wheat products are to your weight loss efforts in Chapter 9 of The Diet Solution .
Start to think outside the "bread box" today for healthy alternatives to your daily bread intake. What one thing can you do today to get started?
Find out what foods may be preventing you from reaching your own fat loss goals here: The Diet Solution

Daily Health Tips Blog

The Diet That Works, Great Lessons from Caveman

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 12:56 AM PDT

What is one thing cavemen knew much better than we know now? How to survive in the wild? Yes. But more importantly, they knew how to survive in the healthiest way possible. There were no diet programs in those days nor were there shelves full of diet books. What cavemen knew instinctively was exactly what the best diet that works for them.
Let's all take a quick lesson from our ancestors and see which elements of their diet are tips we can begin to incorporate right way to lose unwanted body fat and improve our health.
  1. Cavemen only ate what they could kill or find in the wild. By no means am I suggesting you begin to kill and hunt for your own food (we do have grocery stores now a days, thank goodness) but we still would benefit greatly by following this method in our own 21st century kind of way. If the food on your plate is not something your fellow caveman friend could have hunted, gathered and found himself, chances are you shouldn't be eating that food. For example, a plate of lean hamburger and vegetables, followed by fresh fruit is perfect (for you and your new friend) but add a piece of bread or some pasta and now you have confused your fellow cave friend. These are not foods that existed during those times and are foods we are much healthier without.
  2. Cavemen only drank what they could find. Do you know what people have been able to find for centuries? That's right, good old fashioned H2O (water that is). Water is truly the magic potion to weight loss and increased health. Unfortunately a great majority of people are walking around severely dehydrated and suffering from many negative side effects which could all be easily resolved by drinking more water. Hunger, headaches, constipation, and digestive discomfort are just a few of the many symptoms that can easily be resolved by a few cups of water. Make sure to drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water each day (i.e. 200 lbs should drink 100 ounces).
  3. Cavemen stayed active for a majority of their day. I know this isn't exactly part of their Best Diet but it is an essential and integral part of fat loss and optimized health. Tell your new caveman friend that he has to sit in an office chair all day and then go home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night and he will look at you like you are crazy (not that he doesn't already think you are crazy but this would make matters worse). Move, move, move. Movement doesn't always mean formal exercise. Take the stairs to your office, walk the parking lot a few extra times, get up and walk around the office a minimum of once per hour, anything to prevent you from sitting all day long. Today if modern man even tried to keep up with the daily activity and regimen of a caveman, they would quickly fall over in exhaustion.
The Best Diet and the Best Lifestyle plan can be easily established by just modeling the daily activities and food choices of cavemen. Use this question today to establish your own caveman habits "Is this food or drink something I could have found in the wild thousands of years ago?" If the answer is no, don't eat it and find yourself a food that is more natural. Of course, don't forget to share with your new caveman friend!
To get started on your own Healthy Meal Plans right away

Daily Health Tips Blog

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