I LOVE Pomegranate seeds. I always look forward to fall and early winter when they are in season. Besides delivering tons of nutritional value, they just taste so good! Up until this year, I enjoyed them on salads and in other dishes, but only when I went out to dinner. I never bought pomegranates at the grocery store or farmer’s market…too messy, might stain my clothes, how do you get all those seeds out anyway? Pomegranates were not in my comfort zone, unless someone else prepared them! Which made me think: How many amazing foods do I not eat because they are not in my comfort zone? Do you relate to this? Starting in December, I am going to buy one veggie, fruit, spice, or other type of food each month that I have never tried before or that I have never prepared at home. After all, I have found that going outside of my comfort zone always leads to a big dopamine rush and great rewards, even if only a tasty food or dish that I have never tried before!

How to shop for a pomegranate and what to do with it when you get it home:

Look for one that is already cracked open, if possible. When you get home, fill up a big bowl about half way with water. Gently break apart the pomegranate with both hands; it will break apart easily. Then you will have big chunks of pomegranate. Remove the seeds from the chunks into the bowl of water and just let the seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl. This helps prevent the pomegranate juice from staining your sink or clothes. When you are done (takes 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the pomegranate), put the water and seeds in a colander and let the water drain and seeds dry. I keep the seeds in the refrigerator and eat plain as snacks or add to salads and smoothies. You can also add to hot cereals as well!

If you find this tip helpful, please comment!

I get very excited when it comes to new scientific research and technologies that can have a significant positive impact on our health and happiness! The Human Genome Project was an enormous leap forward in advancing our understanding of our complete genetic blueprint. Now we have the technology to assess our individual DNA and the possible polymorphisms or variants that exist, which make us unique. Having this information with the knowledge and tools to affect the expression of our genes is a HUGE step forward in true custom health care.

The Human Obesity Gene Map was among one of many categories assigned by the Human Genome Project. Out of the hundreds of genes included in this map, a small handful have been researched and replicated multiple times in studies to show a correlation with the risk for obesity. What does this all mean for you?

New technology called full gene sequencing now allows you to have your DNA analyzed to determine how much fat, protein and carbohydrates should be included in your diet to lose weight and maintain your ideal weight lifelong. It gets confusing with so many options out there: Paleo, High Fat, Low Fat, High Carb, and the list goes on! Guess what, you can stop guessing! Your DNA gives you the answer! How does it do this? Let’s look at one example of how this works. One gene marker called Fatty Acid Binding Protein 2 is strongly associated with absorption of fat from your diet. You may have a variant that indicates you absorb a large amount of fat from your diet, up to 60%, while your best friend may have a variant that indicates only 35% fat absorption from his or her diet. The information from this particular gene marker gives you the answer to how much fat you should include in your diet to lose weight and keep it off!

Your DNA can also be analyzed to figure out the best type of exercise for you to do to reach your ideal weight and then maintain it! Do you need to do 90% high intensity exercise or 90% steady aerobic exercise to reach your optimal metabolism? Or does your genotype indicate that you are best suited for a mix of high intensity and steady aerobic? Your genes reveal how your receptors respond to exercise and adrenaline and identify the level of exercise INTENSITY needed for the most efficient response, as well as the QUANTITY of exercise needed to lose weight and/or maintain your weight. In a nutshell, knowing the best exercise type for your optimal metabolism will save you a lot of time in the gym! Which means you get to sleep in longer in the morning! 🙂

And the best part: Even if your test results show that you have genes that favor fat storage over fat burning, you have the power to influence the expression of your genes. You can take action to get your genes to respond favorably by including the ideal ratio of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in your diet and the right type of exercise for you to reach your optimal metabolism lifelong! This is a beautiful marriage of advanced science and practical tools to get you healthy and fit…for as long as you live!

P.S. Genetic testing is easy! Just 2 cheek swabs and you are done!

To learn more about Your DNA Road Map to Weight Loss Program and to sign up for a complementary strategy session to see if you are an ideal candidate for this program, please click here!

Lots of buzz around the bacteria that reside in your gut lately!  What is all the excitement about?  Turns out that medical research is finally catching up to what my mentors have been teaching for years:  your gut health affects your overall health and yes, even your weight!   Why all the published studies in the last year or two?  Good ole’ technology now has the ability to identify the critters that reside in your gut using advanced DNA analysis!

Did you know that you are made up of more bacteria than human cells?  Yes, it is true.  In fact, you host trillions of organisms!  A symbiotic relationship exist with these bacteria (symbiotic = a close and usually obligatory association of two organisms of different species that live together, often to their mutual benefit).  New research shows that your body does best when your gut microflora exhibits more bacteria AND a high degree of biodiversity or richness. A lack of gut bacteria and diversity is a cause for concern.  This makes sense since the bacteria living in you produce vitamins, mature and strengthen the immune system, and communicate with your nerve and hormone-producing cells, among many other functions.

A recent Danish study found that Danish individuals with less gut bacteria and less-diverse microflora were more likely to be obese than their peers.  In addition, these individuals exhibited more insulin resistance, unfavorable lipid profiles, and more inflammation.  The obese individuals in the lower bacteria diversity group also were found to gain more weight over time.  Well, this just applies to the Danes, you might say.  (1)

But wait, the American Gut Project  released on September 17 their first major group of results based on more than 800 people in the U.S. and more than 1,000 different samples.   These are initial findings, and have not been published yet in a peer reviewed journal.  Nonetheless, the results found incredible diversity among our guts!  What makes our guts so different?  Is diet a contributing factor?  Indeed, individual results showed that variations in diet affected the gut flora.  “For example, those on a Paleo diet had lower proportions of Proteobacteria, a phylum that is linked to inflammation. But they also had more Firmicutes, which have been tied to higher rates of obesity.”  (2) Far too early to come to any conclusions about how certain diets affect gut bacteria, but this project is in its infancy and we are going to be hearing a  lot more about it in the years to come!  Check out the American Gut project here: http://americangut.org.  You can even join the project if you are interested in how your gut flora compares to the microflora of other Americans!

What do we know already?  Certain interventions, such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, can alter the makeup of your gut’s microbiota rapidly and dramatically.  And these changes can persist for several weeks.  We also know that overgrowth of specific bacteria is associated with certain health conditions.  For example, overgrowth of Klebsiella pneumoniae is associated with Ankylosing-Spondylitis and UTIs are commonly associated with overgrowth of Aeromonas caviae.  We also know that probiotics can alter the gut flora to some degree, but how much and for how long is debated.

So what can you do right now to support a friendly microflora?  A simple stool test using DNA technology can assess whether you have overgrowth of certain bacteria that can become problematic AND if you have enough of the so called “friendly bacteria”.  This test can even tell you if you have a certain ratio of certain types of bacteria that contribute to weight loss resistance.  And of course, the test will also identify any parasites that might be causing problems for your overall health!  With a DNA stool test, you don’t have to guess at what type of probiotic supplement to take or what foods to eat to support your unique microflora.  For example, my test revealed that I had plenty of the lactobacillus species, but was low in another species. This made it easy for me to choose a probiotic and foods that support a healthy gut for me!

In summary, new technology allows for DNA identification of the bugs that live in your gut.  As we can now look at our genes to identify how much fat we absorb from our diet or how well we burn fats and carbs for energy, we will in the future be able to assess how our microflora impact our metabolism, weight, and overall health!  To learn if a DNA based stool test may help you get on a better path to your optimal metabolism, desired weight, and overall health, click here to apply for  a complementary strategy session with me!

1. Nature. 2013 Aug 29;500(7464):541-6. doi: 10.1038/nature12506. Richness of human gut microbiome correlates with metabolic markers.
2. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/09/18/new-view-into-our-guts-reveals-microbiomes-murky-links-to-health/?WT.mc_id=SA_syn_HuffPost

I recently listened to a lecture presented by Dr. Andrew Weil on optimal diet.   He brought up a good  point.  The different diet camps (Paleo, Low Fat, Raw Foods, Traditional Foods, Vegan, etc.) have created a lot of division among Americans seeking better health and certainly do not pay respect to individual preferences and ethnicity.  And might I add, these diets also do not take into account digestive capacity, lifestyle factors, and religious beliefs.  And some of these diets certainly do not address individual food sensitivities.   The stress of figuring out which foods to eat to be healthy has taken the joy out of eating for many Americans.  I have worked with clients who expressed that they didn’t want to have to deal with eating…it just had become too much of a chore!  Alas, what do you do?

Well, it does appear that most progressive nutritionists, health experts, and practitioners who integrate nutrition into their practices agree on two things:

• An abundance of plant foods are critically important to living a long, healthy, and happy life.  Although there is debate on whether they should be mostly raw or mostly cooked!
• Junky processed foods and beverages have no place in a diet for optimal health.

There is also the question as to what type of diet our planet can sustain.  A recent article from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine cited a study from the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment that the more animal products people consume; the less likely we are to feed future generations.  According to this study, globally, meat and dairy consumption is expected to increase by 68 and 57 percent, respectively, by 2030.  Looking at our eating habits and the health of the planet is a big topic, but not often discussed.

When it comes to the best diet for you, take into account your preferences, lifestyle, possible food sensitivities, health of your gut, and specific nutrient deficiencies caused by medications, too much alcohol, or just poor diet.  You may need a qualified nutritionist to help you out with this.  And then consider looking at your genetic code to further customize your diet and reach your optimal state of metabolism and health.

• Are you hard wired to absorb a larger amount of fat from your diet or a smaller amount?
• Burn carbohydrates from your diet or convert them to fat?
• Break down fat easily when you exercise or not be as responsive to breaking down fat with high intensity exercise?
• Be more resistant to weight loss if you are sedentary?

All of these questions can be answered by your genes!  Your genetic code can help you determine the best diet and exercise program for you to lose weight, maintain your ideal weight, and achieve your optimal metabolism so that looking and feeling good is not such a struggle.  Think of your genetic code as the foundation to build a truly custom diet that paves the way for you to have a happy and healthy life!  Interested to learn more?  Set up a complementary 30 minute strategy session with me to discover if you are a good candidate for a custom program that includes genetic testing to unlock your potential for a healthy metabolism and fit body and mind!

The joys of vacation!  How many times have I heard from friends, family, and colleagues how happy they felt on vacation, how well they slept, how their aches and pains went away, how they ate whatever they wanted without bothersome digestive consequences, and how they felt their vitality increase while away.  Have you experienced this or heard this from friends? There are many reasons why you may feel awesome while vacationing; I would like to explore just a couple areas with you.

Let’s first look at how stress and stress hormones impact your sleep, digestion, joints, and overall happiness.  When you are chronically stressed with your daily schedule, work, chores, and obligations, you are hanging out in the sympathetic state (fight or flight state) and simply do not create enough of the necessary digestive juices to break down your foods properly.  Your body digests best in the parasympathetic state or rest state.  When you eat in the sympathetic mode, lack of energy to the digestive system results in poorly digested foods, which leads to gas, bloating, gut inflammation and permeability, and food intolerances.  Unfortunately, gut inflammation takes you down the path to systemic inflammation which results in a variety of symptoms, including achy and inflamed joints, headaches, foggy brain, fatigue, and the list goes on! Chronically elevated stress hormones like cortisol also impact your sleep big time!  When you go to bed at night, your cortisol levels should be at their lowest so you can easily fall asleep.  When morning arrives, your cortisol levels should be at their highest, giving you energy and alertness when you wake up.  Chronic stress disrupts the natural rhythm of your cortisol levels, disturbing your sleep.  And when you are not sleeping well and have digestive issues and joint pain, you are most likely not at your happiest!

Secondly, I have found that most people are more active on their vacations.  They may travel to Europe and walk everywhere, or go to a coastal town and swim, snorkel, and take longs walks on the beach.  Usually you don’t sit in front of your laptop from 8 to 5 on a vacation.  Humans are designed to move, and movement is so important to the health of your joints, how well you sleep, stress relief, and even how well you digest your foods.   When you are active most of the day on a consistent basis, your joint pains are likely to decrease, you sleep better, and you also digest better!  I just experienced this in Yosemite.  I hiked every day and was asleep by 10:00 pm every night – I could not keep my eyes open later than that!  Such deep and restorative sleep!  Exercising on a daily basis or every other day is a great habit; but how do we incorporate more movement into our daily routines?

So what can you do to extend that vacation mindset and physical sense of wellbeing?  Take a mini vacation every day.  Drive a different way to work and see new scenery (the brain loves “new”, it gives you a dopamine rush!), take a walk with co-workers at lunch, read a fun magazine while waiting in the grocery store line, cook a gourmet dinner on Wednesday night just because, light a candle or read several pages from a romance novel before going to sleep, be a tourist in your own city or town on the weekends.  Try a new restaurant, buy tickets for a ball game or a concert, visit a new park or hike a trail that you have not yet explored, or just take a day trip to a place that you have never been before.  If you live in a city, it is easy to do a lot of your errands by walking instead of driving.  You see a lot more when you walk and it becomes part of your daily movement! I walk to my bank, dry cleaners, grocery store, hardware store, nail salon, acupuncture appointments, and even the farmer’s market.  If you live in the suburbs, you may be able to bike to do a lot of your errands.  At least on Saturdays!

Do you have some more ideas on how to extend your vacation mindset?  Please share!

You have most likely heard the phrase: We are what we eat.  And maybe you have also heard the phrase: We are what we absorb and digest.  After all, it is true that you can eat healthy and nourishing foods, but if you are not absorbing and properly digesting the foods, you will not benefit from their nutritional value.  Have you heard this one?  We are HOW we cook our foods.  With the grilling season now upon us, this is a timely post.

How you cook your foods has an impact on your health and longevity.  Foods cooked using high heat in the absence of water, such as browned and sugary foods (think baked goods), processed foods, grilled meats, roasted turkey, and high heat stir fries form high amounts of toxic compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs for short), and they literally do age you.  These toxic compounds accumulate in the tissues of the body, leading to low grade inflammation and oxidative stress, which accelerates the aging process from the inside out.  Your skin wrinkles, your joints ache, but what’s worse is high levels of AGEs cause your internal organs to age as well.

These AGEs have such an impact on our health that the A.G.E. Foundation’s goal is to have AGE levels recognized as a health marker, just like cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI markers!  Haven’t heard of AGEs?  You will in the next few years!

What can you do to lower your AGE levels?  Try to cook with water as often as possible, using steaming, stewing (crock pot is great), poaching, and boiling over grilling, roasting, and frying.  Water based cooking methods dramatically decrease AGEs.  If you are going to grill, marinate your meat or chicken in lemon juice, vinegar, or another acidic substance before grilling to reduce the formation of the AGEs.  And eat lots of fruits and vegetables which are naturally low in AGEs and also provide lots of antioxidants to combat the oxidative stress caused by AGEs!

When you think of hormones, do you think of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and other sex hormones? Or perhaps you think of thyroid hormones…maybe you are hypothyroid and take a thyroid medication. Or maybe you think of cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is absolutely necessary for stress resilience, but not good for us when elevated all the time due to chronic stress. But how often do you think of your liver and gut when you think of hormones? Yes, there is a BIG connection!

Let’s take thyroid hormone for example. About 60 percent of thyroxin (T4) is converted to triioothyronine (T3) in the liver. (1) Thyroxin must be converted to T3 in adequate amounts for optimal metabolism, as T3 is the more active form of thyroid hormone! This occurs through two main pathways, called glucoronidation and sulfation. To support these pathways, specific nutrients must be present such as cysteine, taurine and methionine. B12, B6, Folate, Trimethlyglycine and Magnesium are supporting agents as well. Still with me?

The intestines also convert about 20 percent of T4 into T3, but only when you have a healthy gut flora! (2) So, long story short, unhealthy gut, sluggish liver, and inadequate B vitamins, minerals, and certain amino acids to support critical detoxification pathways can have a huge impact on the amount of active thyroid hormone you are making! Have you ever thought of increasing fiber intake, decreasing allergenic foods, or taking probiotics to support your thyroid health? Or taking a B vitamin or specially formulated amino acid supplement?

Let’s look at estrogen, our potent female hormone .We have three primary types of estrogen: estradiol, estriol, and estrone. Estradiol is a very powerful form of estrogen, and is produced in the ovaries during the reproductive age of a woman. Estrone is about 12 times less powerful than estradiol, with estriol being the weakest of the three estrogens. Proper metabolism of estrogen is critical to hormonal balance! Inadequate metabolism and excretion of estrogen, for example, can lead to so called “bad” estrogens being reabsorbed back into the body and causing estrogen dominance, with its laundry list of symptoms and problems, including PMS and fibroids.

Estrogen is detoxified and metabolized predominately through Phase I (called hydroxylation) and Phase II (methylation and glucuronidation). Although Phase I and Phase II detoxification occur throughout the body, the main site of detoxification is the liver! Hydroxylation produces either the estrogen metabolites 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OH), 4-hydroxy-estrone (4-OH), or 16-alpha-hydroxy-estrone (16a-OH). 2-OH is a weak estrogen and may have anti-cancer properties. (3) The 16a-OH and 4-OH metabolites have been shown to have estrogenic and carcinogenic properties. (4) In other words, you want to have a higher 2-OH to 16 a-OH ratio. (This can be tested, by the way). This hydroxylation pathway is influenced by many factors, including diet! Compounds found in Brassica vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli increase 2-OH. And flaxseed supplementation at 10 grams per day significantly increases the urinary 2/16 hydroxy-estrone ratio, suggesting a breast cancer chemo-protective effect. (5) Flaxseed is a good source of fiber, lignans, and essential fatty acids! Methylation, which renders the metabolites more inert, is supported by many nutrients, including the B vitamins. Glucuronidation is the major excretory pathway of the estrogen metabolites. In other words, it binds the estrogen metabolites so they can be excreted in the bile and stool. Brassica vegetables also improve glucuronidation!

This is just a quick glimpse into how the liver and gut are so critical in hormone metabolism and keeping your hormones in a happy balance. If you are experiencing the not so fun symptoms that go along with your hormones being out of balance, consider taking a look first at your diet and lifestyle, which greatly impact gut and liver health. Or join my virtual Cleanse and Revive program starting May 8th to get the guidance and nutrient support you need to clean up your gut and support your liver!

1, 2 Kharrazian, Datis, Why Do I Still have Thyroid Symptoms? Morgan James Publishing, Garden City, NY, 2010, p 3, 4.

3, 4 Jones, David, Quinn, Sheila, Textbook of Functional Medicine, Institute for Functional Medicine, Gig Harbor, WA, 2005, p 359

5. http://www.metametrix.com/files/learning-center/articles/Estrogen-Metabolites.pdf

Did you know that over 80,000 chemicals are registered with the EPA for use, and over 3,800 are high use chemicals? Where are most of these chemicals found? Yep, you guessed it: in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

The impact of toxicity on the body is far reaching. It impacts the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, and cardiovascular system. In fact, it is of enough concern that the U.S. CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is collecting data on an ongoing basis to estimate U.S. population toxin burdens.      http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/showBiomonitoringTracking.action

In one of the most extensive studies ever done (you may have heard about this one), the Environmental Working Group (EWG) commissioned five laboratories in the U.S., Canada, and Europe to analyze umbilical cord blood collected from 10 minority infants born in 2007 and 2008. Collectively, the laboratories identified up to 232 industrial compounds and pollutants in these babies! And it was the first ever detection of BPA (Bisphenol A) in U.S. cord blood, found in 9 of 10 cord blood samples tested. BPA is found in food, beverages and infant formula sold in metal cans (lined with BPA-based epoxy resin) and drinks in polycarbonate plastic containers . http://www.ewg.org/research/minority-cord-blood-report/bpa-and-other-cord-blood-pollutants

Today there are laboratory tests that can help you determine which toxins are present in your body. What types of toxins are commonly being reported? One family of chemicals, called the Persistent Organic Pollutants, consist of dioxins (from international food trade), DDT metabolites (now found in breast milk), PCBs (from dairy, fish and meats), chlordanes (used in home termite protection) and flame retardants found in mattresses and children’s pajamas. Although DDT was banned in the U.S. decades ago, it has a ½ life of 20 to 30 years, making it very hard to get rid of! PCBs were banned in the U.S. in the late 1970’s, but yes, they are highly persistent! Another family of chemicals, called Ongoing Organic Pollutants, is also commonly reported in laboratory tests. These include solvents (from gas, grease cleaners, and paints), pesticides (from foods, especially non organic foods), and phthalates and parabens (from plastics, shampoos, cosmetics).

If you don’t test, how do you know if you might be carrying around a toxic load? You might develop immune system presentations first, such as allergies and recurrent infections. This can then progress to mood swings, depression, fatigue, and headaches, and then on to endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism and infertility. Or you may develop nervous system symptoms first, and then immune system presentations, and so on. There is no right or wrong to how we manifest toxin overload. And in the midst of all this toxic overload, you may develop weight loss resistance.

Have you moved to a new home or office lately where you have exposure to new chemicals? Or bought a new car? Have you become ultra sensitive to caffeine, cleaning products, or perfume? This may indicate that your body is not clearing toxins very well. What does one do in this world of ever increasing toxins?

Start with a few simple steps that make a BIG impact:

1. Use the EWG dirty dozen list and Clean 15 list to help you decide which foods you absolutely must buy organic. This will decrease your exposure to pesticides, which belong to the family of chemicals mentioned above called Ongoing Organic Pollutants. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
2. Although you may have heard that salmon is a super healthy food, avoid farm raised salmon and choose wild instead. A serving of farmed salmon has up to 40 times more PCBs than other foods. Why? Farmed salmon are fattened with ground fishmeal and fish oils that are high in PCBs. The PCBs concentrate in the salmon’s fat, and then hang out in our fat if not eliminated right away after we eat the salmon! The EPA recommends no more than one meal of farmed salmon per month. http://www.ewg.org/news/news-releases/2003/07/30/first-ever-us-tests-farmed-salmon-show-high-levels-cancer-causing-pcbs
3. To lessen your exposure to phthalates and parabens (also part of the Ongoing Organic Pollutants family), drink water from a glass or stainless steel container (avoid plastic) and switch out one of your body care products or cosmetics for one that has no parabens. Please refer to this helpful guide put together by the EWG. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.
4. To help remove fat soluble toxins (these are the real nasty ones and include PCBs and heavy metals like mercury) from the body, add rice bran fiber to your daily morning routine. Rice bran fiber has been shown to remove PCBs.
5. There are many effective nutrients that you can take to support your body’s detoxification pathways. Start with Vitamin C, which increases glutathione, one of your body’s most important endogenous (made in the body) antioxidants! And Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant as well. Vitamin C is water soluble, so it is better to take it in divided doses. I personally take 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening.

If you are ready to lower your toxic load and go full steam ahead to support your liver’s detoxification pathways to reclaim the energy, focus, and body you so deserve, be sure to check out my virtual group Cleanse and Revive Program starting May 8th! Take advantage of the $50 discount before it expires on April 30th.

Detoxification diets and programs have certainly become popular in recent years, with people reporting health benefits of improved energy, better sleep, and weight loss.

The word detoxification in conventional circles implies the removal of exogenous substances (such as alcohol and drugs) from the body.  In the alternative and complementary health care field, as well as in mainstream media, detoxification has taken on a whole new meaning! 

Detox diets and programs today share the common purpose of reducing intake of toxins and at the same time increasing elimination of toxins to restore health and vitality.

Although detox diets greatly vary in type and length, most detox diets focus on eliminating processed and fried foods, sugar, excess caffeine; addressing potential food intolerances like gluten and dairy; reducing environmental toxins such as pesticides and herbicides from non-organic produce and chemicals from cleaning supplies and skin products, and supporting major organs of elimination such as the colon, the liver, and the skin.

As you can imagine, conducting a double blind placebo controlled randomized trial (gold standard study in the science community) on the efficacy of detoxification diets is no easy task.  Mainly because there are so many TYPES of detoxification programs and many variables to consider (i.e. how toxic is the person to begin with, length of the program, etc.)

A recent article in the Feb/March 2013 edition of Townsend Letter reviewed three pilot observational studies to examine the symptoms and side effects of detox diets.  These pilot observational studies simply compile data in the form of questionnaires, surveys, and phone calls from people that have completed detox programs.  In other words, they ask people to recall their experiences.  Certainly not the gold standard of research since people are relying on their memories, but it is a place to start!

Nonetheless, I found the pilot studies intriguing, particularly the motivations for people to do the detox programs in the first place and also the symptoms reported during and after the detox program. The larger pilot study surveyed 390 students at the National College of Natural Medicine.  This is an interesting group as they have to complete one detox program as part of their training!  The types of detox programs varied greatly (juicing, fasting, dietary changes only, supplement support) and most were shorter in length, up to 7 days.

According to the study, the most frequent motivations to complete a detox program were:

1. Elimination of toxins
2. Improve energy
3. Enhance immunity
4. Lose weight
5. Decrease pain

Detox diets had the greatest impact on energy, with 51% of people reporting an increase in energy and 58% a decrease in weight during the detox program. After completion of detox, 70% of people reported increased energy and 60% reported better moods.¹

I was surprised that enhancing immunity rated third as a motivation to complete a detoxification program, as that is not generally a motivation that I hear very often when I ask my detox participants to state their reasons for doing my Cleanse and Revive program.  However, these are students that were surveyed…and they do tend to get sick more often while at school!

The motivations that I hear most often from my Cleanse and Revive participants are to get healthy, learn better eating habits, and lose weight.  Energy rates high as well!  As far as results of the Cleanse and Revive program, I find that my participants report most often increased energy, body fat loss, better mood (less stressed), and improved sleep.  What are your biggest motivations to do a detoxification program?  And what specific results are you seeking?  I am curious, let me know!

And be sure to join my next Cleanse and Revive program at Pilates Heights in San Francisco starting April 6^th if you are in the San Francisco Bay area.  Register by March 31st to get the early bird rate!

1.  Axtell, Sarah, Birr, Alicia, et al, Detoxification Diets: Three Pilot Studies, Townsend Letter Feb/March 2013, pages 97-102.

Over the past decade, there certainly has been a national emphasis to move Americans away from refined grains and sugars to whole grains that include more fiber and do not contain trans fats. In fact, based on the demonstrated health benefits of switching from refined to whole grain foods, the USDA 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans consume at least three servings of whole grain products daily. All sounds good, right?

Well, not really. According to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers, one of the most widely used industry standards, the Whole Grain Stamp, actually identified grain products that were higher in both sugars and calories than products without the Stamp. So, that supposedly healthy whole grain product might be increasing your daily sugar intake!

“From two major U.S. grocers, the researchers identified a total of 545 grain products in eight categories: breads, bagels, English muffins, cereals, crackers, cereal bars, granola bars, and chips. They found that grain products with the Whole Grain Stamp, one of the most widely-used front-of-package symbols, were higher in fiber and lower in trans fats, but also contained significantly more sugar and calories compared to products without the Stamp.” 1

What do you do when there is so much misleading information at your local grocery store? My suggestion is to make a grocery store trip on a day when you have a little more time (i.e. not after work when you are tired and rushing to get home). My experience is that grocery shopping is overwhelming when you have no time and at the same time are trying to make good choices. So pick a weekend morning and go for it! Give yourself the time to read labels, look for amount of sugar per serving, and especially read “the other ingredients” section at the bottom of the box or package. Unfortunately, big food manufacturers capitalize on the latest health and food trends, and need to make their shareholders happy. A Whole Grain Stamp on the front of a box of cereal or crackers does not mean that the food is healthy. All it means is that it meets certain criteria – it contains at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving. That does not say anything about the amount of sugar added or the “other ingredients”, which may not be healthy at all.

For example, Bob’s Red Mill Honey Oat Granola has 26 grams of whole grains per serving. However, it also contains 9 grams of sugar per half cup, with brown sugar being the 2nd ingredient. Special K Low Fat Granola by Kellogg’s has 31 grams whole grains per ½ cup serving, and also 9 grams sugar, with sugar being the 2nd ingredient and corn syrup being the 3rd ingredient. My tip: look for a product where sugar is further down the ingredient list, at least the 4th ingredient. And remember, sugar can be listed as plain old sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, honey, maple syrup, agave, molasses, and more!

And by the way, with the increasing prevalence of gluten sensitivities, whole grain products may not be a healthy choice at all for an increasing number of Americans. And that will be the subject of my next blog!

P.S. If you have no interest in reading labels, avoid the middle aisles of your grocery store and shop the perimeter where you will find mostly whole foods!

Harvard School of Public Health (2013, January 10). Foods identified as ‘whole grain’ not always healthy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 16. 

New Recipe

One of my favorites while oranges are still in season. The sweet juicy oranges really make it pop! It is so easy and makes a lot, so you have left-overs!

Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Avocado, and Oranges:
Courtesy of Sunset, pg 94. January 2012
4-6 servings as a main course
40 minutes
Per 1 ½-cup serving: Calories: 490 – Fat 26 g – Fiber 10 g

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups quinoa
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp minced garlic, divided
Zest of 1 lime
2 tsp plus 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each kosher salt and pepper, divided
1 lb boned, skinned chicken thighs
¼ cup lime juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 large oranges, peeled and segmented
2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed

Method
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

2. Preheat broiler with a rack set 4 to 6 in. from heat. In a large bowl, stir together chili powder, 2 tsp garlic, the lime zest, 2 tsp oil, and ½ tsp each salt and pepper. Add chicken on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes total. Let cool slightly, then slice and add to reserved quinoa.

3. Add remaining ingredients to quinoa and chicken, toss to coat.