Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Could Eating More Healthy Fats Help You LOSE Weight?


Extrapolated from a VERY recent and VERY pertinent article by Dr. Mercola. "...if you cut carbs from your diet, you need to add fat. The Atkins Diet is one popular example of the theory that you can lose weight on a low-carb, high-fat diet. Unfortunately, Dr. Atkins did not pay much attention to the QUALITY of the fats so his recommendations did work but had long-term problems. Remember, eating fat does not raise your insulin levels; eating grains and sugars does.

So, if you want to lower your insulin levels and reduce fat accumulation, simply cut the amount of grains and sugars you eat; NOT vegetable carbs. .You actually need to radically increase the amount of vegetables you eat as you need to replace the grains with vegetable carbs and by volume they are much larger than dense grains.

But you do need energy, and this is where the fat comes in.

Saturated fat is actually the preferred fuel for your heart, and it's also used as a source of fuel during energy expenditure. Fats also slows down absorption of your meal so that you feel satiated longer, which in and of itself can help you shed some pounds if your problem is frequent snacking due to constant hunger. In addition, saturated fats are also:

Carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes
Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)
Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid)
Useful to actually lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)
As you can see, eliminating saturated fats from your diet can have a significantly detrimental impact on your health. Grain carbs, on the other hand, can actually be eliminated from your diet entirely, without any ill effect! Sources of healthy fats include:

Olives and Olive oil
Coconuts and coconut oil
Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans
Organic pastured egg yolks
Avocados
Grass fed meats
Palm oil
Unheated organic nut oils
Keep in mind, however, that olive oil should NOT be used for cooking. Instead, use coconut oil for cooking, frying and baking, and save the olive oil for salad dressing. Also, if you need to increase calories you will need large amounts of these types of fats. When I am in need of fat, I increase my intake of healthy fats. I typically combine four tablespoons of raw butter with coconut oil and some chia seed powder and a scoop of Pure Power Protein, and it is an absolutely delicious snack that fills me up for some time.

Lastly, another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year." - Dr. Mercola.

Green Super Smoothie!



Let this nutritious blend of organic foods, roots, herbs and superfoods empower your blender daily!

Some of the ingredients used in my Super Green Smoothie:
coconut milk
raw cacao powder
goji berry
coconut butter
fossilized phytoplankton
spirulina
agave immune support formula
cold-processed whey protein
cinnamon
cayenne
raw vanilla bean powder
maca powder
mushroom-immune POW-der (shiatake, maitake, reishi blend)
barley grass
wheat grass
spinach
acai
bee pollen
cholorella
flax seed
astragalus
green tea
sea kelp
FoTi
pygeum
royal jelly
dulse
ginger
nettle
acerola cherry
strawberries and raspberries
alflafa
broccoli sprout
an array of pre and pro-biotics, and digestive enzymes.
Plus a lot more!!
Experiment with your own version and see what you like.
To your health. Enjoy!!

(Note: many listed here are available in a formula called "Greens Today", and the others I have added separately. =)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Kale and Avocado Salad



Brilliant and Simple salad, makes a nice change from the regular, garden variety, mixed green salad.

Kale and Avocado Salad:

1-2 bunches of Kale (OR Whole Foods does a pre-packed, washed, chopped kale salad mix which is perfect)
1 ripe avocado
EVOO
himalayan salt (to taste... a little goes a long way, so be careful!)
1-2 ripe heirloom tomatoes or grape tomatoes sliced.
olives (optional)
1 bunch scallions diced (optional)
shredded carrots (optional)
juice of 1 lemon
pepper to taste (optional)

Chop kale into small pieces, drizzle the EVOO onto the kale and sprinkle a bit of salt onto it and massage it a good 2 minutes..
add in the avocado and massage it onto the kale leaves
add additional chopped toamtoes, scallions, olives and mix well
add lemon juice and mix all together.

serve and enjoy!