Guide To Thanksgiving Freedom

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Happy Thanksgiving this week!

A time for gathering with family, perhaps traveling a bit, tons of food, maybe a little drama. If you’re worried about eating too much, saying the wrong thing, or not being enough, check out these tips:

  • Just breathe – take a brisk walk in the morning or jog if you’re a runner. Even for only 15 minutes, take deep breathes getting air down to the base of your lungs. Deep breathing delivers more oxygen to our muscles, tissues, and especially our brain. We can think more clearly and feel happier when our brain gets tons of fresh oxygen.
  • Enjoy a light breakfast with some tea. My raspberry pumpkin muffins are festive and filling. (subscribe to my newsletter to get recipe now). I made a batch this weekend and put them in the freezer so they are ready to bring to Tampa to share, but you know I’ll be enjoying one before we hit the road Thanksgiving morning 😉
  • Stay hydrated throughout the day, drinking in between meals helps nourish our bodies and also distracts us from getting into too many goodies before meal time. With so much food around it’s easy to pick all day and end up feeling full before the main meal then end up eating until we’re really stuffed.
  • Approach the day with gratitude and forgiveness. Appreciate everyone who gathers with you on this special holiday, we are all together to give thanks after all. Think of 3 things you love about each person and tell them at least one of those things. You will make their day and possibly their year!
  • Dress up in something that makes you feel comfortable and attractive. Do this for yourself, it will make you smile more and if anything comes up that bothers you for the day, it’s less likely to stick because you are feeling so great about yourself.
  • At the Thanksgiving meal, chew your food really really well. Engage in conversation. Focus on enjoying the company. Appreciate each bite of delicious food. Put your fork down between bites.
  • Eat dessert, you heard me right! If you love dessert, go ahead and have a slice of pie or cookie. Enjoy that dessert fully. Have it with a lovely cup of tea. Thank yourself for a joyous meal with dessert then relax about it. Take an evening walk to get more fresh air and give gratitude for all the blessings in your life.

What are your best holiday tips? Please share in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!! XOXO

The Link Between Dairy Products and Prostate Health

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I’m very excited today to share with you a special guest post from a highly reputable website created by Dr. Joseph Mercola. He is board-certified in family medicine and practices traditional and natural medicine. My guest blogger today is Adrienne who write for http://www.mercola.com/.

There is reason to believe that consuming pasteurized dairy products can promote poor prostate health. In an analysis conducted by researchers from the University of Hawaii, they discovered that consumption of low-fat or non-fat milk increased the risk of the formation of tumors. The same results were seen with whole milk.

There are other studies also pinpoint the relation between prostate health and certain dairy products. For example, a 10-year study involving 21,000 male doctors – who consumed at least 2.5 servings of dairy food daily – found that they had a higher risk of contracting prostate-related problems than doctors who ate less than half a serving.

Theories on the Link of Pasteurized Milk to Poor Prostate Health

One theory states that high levels of calcium impairs the enzyme responsible for converting vitamin D to its active form (1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D). Vitamin D contributes to many of your body functions, including your immune function.

Many commercial or pasteurized milk brands contain dangerous synthetic growth hormones. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is one of the largest-selling dairy animal drug in the United States. It mimics natural bovine somatotropin (BST), a hormone produced in the pituitary glands of cows. rBGH is used to stimulate milk production in cows.

RBGH-filled milk contains high levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Increased levels of IGF-1 in adults can contribute to chronic diseases.

The Difference Between Pasteurized Milk and Raw Milk

Pasteurization is a heating process that’s used to sterilize dairy products. While it is successful in eliminating harmful bacteria and pathogens, it also neutralizes the beneficial organisms and enzymes in the food.

Pasteurization alters the physical structure of proteins (like casein) in the milk. It changes the shape of amino acids in milk into a foreign protein that your body is not able to break down. The process can also make calcium in the dairy product insoluble.

In 2007, a study cited 25 other studies connecting the increased rates of disease to the consumption of pasteurized milk due to a growth factor called betacellulin found in the whey fraction of milk. This growth factor stimulates the growth of cancerous cells throughout your body.

On the other hand, the nutrients of raw milk are intact. Raw milk also has the beneficial nutrient conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps suppress betacellulin.

How to Support a Healthy Prostate

Regardless of what your age is, it is important to prioritize your prostate health. Certain lifestyle choices can contribute to an unhealthy prostate and raise your risk of health conditions.

There are simple and natural ways to protect your prostate and keep your risk for disease low. These are:

  • Increasing your consumption of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats
  • Exercising regularly
  • Modifying your diet by removing processed foods
  • Avoiding pasteurized dairy products and switching to organic raw dairy products
  • Eating more organic whole foods
  • Getting enough sleep

Research also shows that stress can affect your prostate and tumor growth. Being exposed to a trauma or conflict can make you prone to prostate-related problems. The more intense the conflict is or the longer it lasts, the faster a tumor develops.

If you have any emotional baggage, it is best to address it right away. Try using meditation, yoga, or journaling – to help you release tension.

About the Author

Adrienne is a writer for Mercola.com. She recently completed a series of articles on prostate health supplements like saw palmetto and vitamin D. At present, she is researching how multivitamin benefits one’s overall health.

Thanks again Adrienne for this informative article!

Now I want to hear from you. Do you consume dairy regularly or limit it for health purposes?

Supplementing with Probiotics

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You may have heard about probiotics before and aren’t sure if you need to supplement or not. Here’s a few great tips to help enrich your understanding of probiotics.

This amazing guest post was written by my friend + Stu Lieberman the writer for Nutri-Health.com, an online High Quality Supplement and Health Store. Thanks for the great info Stuart!!

For thousands of years, people all over the world have consumed food rich in live friendly bacteria such as kefir, buttermilk, sauerkraut, kim chee, miso, and other foods. Our ancestors knew what modern medicine is rediscovering—that friendly bacteria—also known as probiotics—are of vital importance to maintaining good health and providing relief for digestive problems.

By the time we are two years old, we have a unique colony of bacteria established that’s meant to last our whole lifetime. The problem is that colony of probiotics is being destroyed by our modern lifestyles and medicines, causing an imbalance in our intestinal flora. The result is a host of digestive problems, including gas, diarrhea, and constipation.

Supplementing with probiotics is one of the best natural remedies for constipation and other digestive issues. Taking a probiotics each day helps restore healthy balance to your digestive system and keep it running smoothly. But, with so many options on the market, it’s difficult to know which is the best probiotic supplement to tackle your digestive problems.

When selecting probiotics, here are some things to consider:

Acid and Bile Resistance: To be effective, probiotics must transit the acid and bile of the stomach and reach the small and large intestine. Probiotic supplements use several techniques to accomplish this. Some products are specially coated to protect the live bacteria inside. Be aware, however, that some types of coating are applied at high heat, which may damage the bacteria. Other products use strains that have been developed to be naturally resistant to the acid and bile of the stomach.

Dosage: The potency of probiotics is measured in colony forming units (CFU) or cell count, not by milligrams or weight. There is no published recommended daily dosage for probiotics, though some experts say for digestive health maintenance, eight to 30 billion CFU daily is a good dosage.

Refrigeration: In the past, the best probiotic supplements required refrigeration. However, advances in probiotic encapsulation have led to the development of new technology that surround each cell with a protective coating that keeps the probiotics from deteriorating. These new processes help to keep probiotics self stable up to two years, making refrigeration unnecessary.

Single or multiple strains: Most of the research on probiotics has been with single strains. However, the normal state of our intestinal flora is to have several hundred strains of many types or species of bacteria. Supplementing with multiple strains and types of probiotics more closely duplicates the normal condition of the intestinal tract. In addition, a comparison review of the effectiveness of probiotic supplements concluded that multi-strain and multi-type were more effective than single strain formulas.

This article is written by + Stu Lieberman the writer for Nutri-Health.com, an online High Quality Supplement and Health Store.  Assisting people and helping them find quality supplements and health products online is what Stu has been doing for over 2 years.  Nutri-Health.com carries Digestive Supplements to Probiotics to Joint Health.

Jump Start Your Health With A Plan and Get the Support You Need

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Feeling a bit nervous with the holiday season now upon us?

I wrote some helpful tips and shared them on Vitacost.com in a guest post:

http://blog.vitacost.com/wellness/tis-the-season-for-sugar-how-to-ditch-cravings-stay-on-track.html

For more support, sign up for a single session jump start session with me. You will get my signature Yummy Good Eats E-cookbook and my 11-Day Signature System loaded with tons of healthy recipes, food diary, clean eating plan, awesome self-care and stress management toolkit. This plan will set you up for success not only during the holiday season, but all year round.

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Purchase the 11-Day as a DIY for $25 or get the Guide plus my e-cookbook and single session for $75. You are so worth it and it will make this holiday season easy breezy for you! XOXO

For more information, check out my Work with Me page: https://www.totalhealthcounseling.com/work-with-me/ or contact me directly at: totalhealthcounseling@gmail.com or 561.267.5369.

To your healthy life,

Pam

Skip Spooky GMO Candy: Healthy Halloween Treats and Candy Alternatives

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Halloween is just a few weeks away! This was one of my favorite holidays all year as a kid. I loved going out to trick-or-treat every single year (even as a high school senior – yes I’m that cool!). Now as a homeowner, we get to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. I love answering the door to say hello and see their costumes and give them a yummy treat. I wouldn’t call candy healthy but it’s a time honored tradition and just so much fun. What spooks me now is that so much of the candy we grew up eating is full of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).
Why skip GMOs?
GMOs are bad for the planet and your body, here’s why:

  • GMO foods are bred for herbicide tolerance (they kill weeds and bugs) – this has resulted in superweeds and superbugs (Yikes!)
  • GMOs kill bees which are needed to pollinate the fruits and veggies that grow on farms
  • Increased allergies in people
  • Antibiotic resistant bacteria that requires stronger antibiotics to clear up
  • Over 60 countries ban GMOs and/or require labeling, sadly not the US
  • GMOs have not been fully studied, why eat something we know could harm us but we don’t know exactly how

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GMO filled candy: Hershey’s, M&Ms, Mars, Milky Way, Snickers. Most of the popular brands we all know and love are full of GMOs. Boohoo, but there’s a better way!

Now here’s a list of non-GMO candy: Endangered Species Chocolate, Unreal brand candies (they have snickers, M&Ms, reese’s cup type candies only made with real ingredients), Annie’s brands, Yummy Earth Organic Candy.

For non-GMO candy and other foods, check out this website from non-GMO Verified Project: http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/

Avoid spooky GMOs in your Halloween candy. Last year I bought Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Grahams so cute and wonderful. Mix with dried fruit and nuts for a healthy snack. And Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops.
Skip candy altogether and handout these fun items:

  1. Stickers or temporary tattoos
  2. Halloween prizes from Michaels, Dollar Tree, Target
  3. Fruit leather
  4. Whole fruits such as apples or mini tangerines
  5. Mini notepads or pencils
  6. Magnets
  7. Mini apple juice boxes

A Healthy Attitude, Positive Outlook on Life, and Clean Living

If you need support in keeping your hands out of the candy bowl or nervous about the upcoming holiday season in handling stress and overeating junk. Contact me today to get the support you need. I coach over the phone, in person, even via e-mail for the super busy person.
E-mail or call: pam@totalhealthcounseling.com or 561.267.5369

Up Your Healthy Eating Game with Yummy Good Eats!

I am so proud to share with you my very first e-cookbook!!
Are you looking for some new and yummy recipes to try?
Let me show you how eating healthy can be so yummy and satisfying!!
Check out the details here:
https://www.totalhealthcounseling.com/work-with-me/

I created this e-cookbook as a collection of my personal book of go-to recipes. I know they are quick, easy, and healthy. Heman enjoys them too and he’s mister picky.
I can use this book to prep for parties, make easy weeknight dinner and healthy desserts. All at my fingers tips. I printed this out and it’s in my kitchen but I can also pull it up easily on my computer or phone. I’m loving this new e-cookbook and I know you will too. XOXO, Pam