We've been getting a lot of questions about calories and weight. Of course, people see our weight loss, not the nutritional aspect of our now changed lives - of course that's the first question!
Did you know you can be completely malnourished and overweight? I was! Your body is crying for nutrients and sends a signal to eat more of the same sugar and crap you've always eaten - searching for nutrition. I never gave my body the nutrition it needed and it started to shut down on me. It started doing things I just 'got used to' and 'lived with' - or I went out and trusted my doctors (12 in fact) to give me something to make me 'well.'
When you eat something (like a donut) your body has stages that donut goes through to process it and take from it what your body needs. If it can't find anything usable, it simply takes it from YOU. This is why we lose bone density - it has nothing to do with calcium! If you juice vegetables, you have already 'chewed' your food (you juiced it and broke it down) so your body can simply take all those wonderful nutrients and move it out of you. Keep in mind - that full (and often overfull) feeling isn't a sign you're finished eating - it is a sign your body cannot process what you have put in it well.
ON CALCIUM
Found this cool article:
In my experience, the most common mistake that people make is eating dairy. Many health practitioners routinely advise their patients to get anywhere from 1200 to 1500 milligrams of calcium every day, and many people turn to milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products to meet this requirement.
The truth is, it's impossible to say how much calcium you need each day for strong and healthy bones. The health of your bones depends on a number of factors, and how much calcium you get through your diet is no more or less important than all of the other factors that influence your skeletal health. If you have trouble believing this, consider that countries that rank higher-than-average in dairy consumption - such as the United States, England, and Finland - also have higher-than-average osteoporosis-related fracture rates.
The Nurses's Health Study, conducted by Dr. Walter Willet and his team at Harvard University, looked at the milk-drinking habits of 72,000 women, and found that regularly drinking milk did not translate to a lower risk of experiencing a hip fracture. In fact, the Nurses's Health Study found that women who drank milk two times a day were just as likely to experience a fracture as women who drank milk once a week.
A 2003 Swedish study that looked at more than 60,000 women found no association between dietary calcium intake and risk of fracture.
Finally, The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study looked at 43,000 men, and found no association between dietary calcium intake and bone fractures.
A number of respected physicians like Dr. Willett believe that when all of the other factors that influence bone health are being addressed, the body needs anywhere between 500 and 700 milligrams of calcium each day, about half of conventional guidelines.
My research and clinical experiences have led me to believe that it's best to rely mainly on plant sources of calcium to build and maintain strong bones. In traditional Korean culture, calcium is obtained mainly from green vegetables (including seaweed), mineral-rich broths (made by boiling vegetables and sometimes bones), and sesame seeds and leaves.
Sesame seeds are especially good for building and maintaining healthy bones because they are naturally rich in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are three of the most important micronutrients needed for optimal bone health.
If you're not sure how to get sesame seeds into your diet, I encourage you to try the following recipe for tahini dressing. Tahini is a creamy paste that is made by grinding fresh sesame seeds. When you blend tahini with a little water, lemon or lime juice, sea salt, and garlic, the result is a creamy dressing that goes beautifully with salads, steamed vegetables, rice dishes, potatoes, falafels, and any other foods that you enjoy with a rich, creamy dressing.
Tahini Dressing Recipe
Ingredients:
2 heaping tablespoons of raw, organic tahini
1/2 clove of garlic
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Water
Directions:
Blend all ingredients, adding water slowly until desired consistency is reached.
Sadly, today's generation of Korean and other East Asian children are being raised with regular doses of milk, yogurt, and baked goods that contain dairy, and the vast majority of their parents have no idea why chronic ear infections, sinus infections, digestive disturbances, skin disorders, autoimmune illness, symptoms of estrogen dominance, and cancer among younger people are all on the rise. (And yes, all of these and other chronic health challenges can be caused in whole or in part by regular consumption of pasteurized dairy products.)
And equally as sad, millions of doctors around the world continue to encourage their patients to drink milk to keep their bones strong, even in the face of chronic health challenges that stand a good chance of disappearing with a predominately plant-based diet.
If you know anyone who is concerned about osteoporosis and is eating loads of dairy, please consider passing this article on. Thank you.
NOTE: Hubby did some research. he got curious as to who in the world had the strongest bone density....so he checked. Turns out, certain tribes that live in Africa and consume LITTLE TO NO CALCIUM have the strongest bones in the world! they get their selenium, magnesium and zinc from plants. Interesting.
People that take calcium supplements are compounding the problem - we need to get calcium from plants, not pills. In fact, it isn't calcium that is important for bones - its magnesium, zinc and selenium! Tricked! I know a lot of people taking those big white nasty calcium supplements and they actually feel worse! It causes arthritis and bad calcium deposits. Calcification always leads to inflammation - so if you have swelling in your joints.....
I could go on and on (and will in more posts) but here are three books hubby recommends on the subject of health:
The UltraMind Solution (book)
Enter The Zone by Barry Sears (book)
Longevity by David Wolfe (book or audio book)
The secret to longevity is calorie restriction and nutrition. Now, I don't worry about calories - and I'm told that I don't have to because of the way I eat. Sugar is void of any nutritional value and causes insulin spikes. The job of insulin is to carry nutrients to all of your cells and ensure your body works properly. You don't want a huge insulin spike - that's what makes us lie down on the couch at Thanksgiving or after a huge meal (it's not the 'chemical' in a turkey!).
Small meals throughout the day ensure a slow and steady flow of insulin the way your body needs to process it. Too much insulin creates fat - it becomes stored in your belly, hips and ass. Nice huh? yeah - thanks, insulin! :)
Good fats found in nuts and seeds send a signal to the brain to stop eating when you have had enough. They slow down insulin spikes and don't give you that horribly full feeling. I can actually say I am never 'hungry' - my body doesn't send me that signal. I eat several smaller meals a day - all raw (mostly raw) and LOVE not having joint pain, aches or that rock-stomach feeling.
ON SUGAR
Sugar actually causes your immune system to create growth hormones that then depresses the immune system If you want to avoid disease - this is not good. Continually doing this creates the "cry wolf" syndrome - so when your body does get attacked, your white blood cells are busy off fighting the sugar that they see as a foriegn invader....and that nasty cold/flu bug sneaks in!! Cut out the sugar and you will see a HUGE difference in a short time.
Bad bacteria and viruses really love sugar, fat and processed starches. You aren't helping YOUR body - you're helping THEIRS. You are feeding an invader. Good bacteria thrive on the raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds etc and produce vitamins such as Vitamin K that your body needs - a vitamin that is essential for normal blood clotting and the body's absorption of calcium! This essential vitamin exists in several structurally related forms including phytonadione, menaquinone and menadione. It is a cofactor that activates at least three proteins involved in bone mineralization, formation, repair and health.
60% of your immune system is in your gut - and your doctor won't tell you that that precription for antibiotics he/she gave you will not only kill the bad bacteria, but the good too. You need to replace the good bacteria after you've finished your round of antibiotics (I simply avoid them). Acidophilus is great for that!
One small container of Goji berries mixed with almonds, cacao nibs, organic raisins, raw peanuts and pumpkin seeds make a great trail mix and are loaded with essential nutrients and no insulin spike. You'll feel satisfied for HOURS - and not hungry. Cooking your food kills the enzymes your body needs to digest it and turn it into usable energy.
Excess belly fat in men actually lowers testosterone. This means that the spare tire is trapping estrogen....and they get man boobies. Sure, they are fun to joke about but they are not healthy! That spare tire is also dangerous because it effects the heart and penile function. Yep - I said PENILE. Get used to it. We're gonna talk about poop one day too! :)
A high fat diet (trans fat, animal fat) causes red blood cells to clump together. Many capillaries (tiny blood vessels) will only allow one red blood cell at a time - that's how small they are. So when they clump together, they can't circulate through the small capillaries and leads to poor circulation. I had bad circulation for years and just chalked it up to somethig I could justify. Needless to say, my circulation is great!
The world of health is so vast and so deep we certainly don't know it all. We may never know it all - but what we've learned so far and continue to learn has changed us! We can't ever unlearn what we've learned and we don't want to! We are healthier, much happier and addicted to knowing how to get ourselves in the best health (shape is not health) we can be.
Over exercising isn't good for you either! YAY! No worries there (I hate it!). The average man should burn no more than 2000 calories a week exercising. Sure, you'll be in great shape on the outside - but you're causing premature aging.
Calories are not the important part - that will take care of itself.
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