Sugar can rob you of your youth, health, and beauty. I am not exaggerating when I say that.

Sugar causes problems for your skin via glycation. This is a natural process that takes place within the body. A Miami and New York dermatologist, Dr Fredric Brandt, has researched this in depth. The sugar will attach to various proteins when it is consumed and moves into your bloodstream. The compound created are then called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

In turn, glycation actually increases the more sugar you eat. As the number of AGEs in your body increases, it will begin to show in your skin. It damages the cells, particularly the elastin and collagen, so your skin will begin to look older.

Collagen is one of the most important elements of your skin and has three types – I, II and III. The latter is the longer lasting of the three. However, an increased amount of sugar will cause III to degrade and turn into I. This will then degrade your skin and cause rapid aging.

AGE proteins also neutralize antioxidants and they therefore leave your skin open to damage from the environment and attacks from within via the free radicals that antioxidants are supposed to neutralize.

Eating pro-inflammatory foods with sugar shows up on the skin as a loss of radiance, dark circles under the eyes, the loss of tone, puffiness, an increase in fine lines and wrinkles, the loss of facial contours and increased pore size. These foods can also exacerbate acne, which is a systemic, inflammatory disease. I am not exaggerating when I say that sugar can rob you of your youth, health, and beauty.

CUT SUGAR CONSUMPTION

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics revealed that 10-15 percent of the calories consumed by kids come from fruit drinks or soda. These beverages may be big offenders, but our kids are getting too much sugar in almost everything they eat. Instead of waiting for New Year's Day, why not make a Halloween resolution? Starting November 1, slowly institute some changes in your household. When you read our articles on sugar substitutes, baking without sugar and how sugar ages your body, you'll be all fired up to get the whole family on the road to better health. 

We have two sugar alternatives, Stevia and Somersweet here at http://www.DesiredReflectios.com/

Strawberry Sorbet (P2 friendly)

1 1/2 c frozen strawberries (semi-thawed)
1/2 c water
Vanilla stevia (to taste)
Strawberry Capella drops (to taste)

Put in freezer for 2-3 hrs

**When you get to P3 you could add a scoop of a protein mix**

P2 Deals of the week!!

Sunflower
Lettuce .88 ea
Roma Tomoatoes .88 lb
Super Select Cucumbers 2 for $1
Organic Celery .99 ea
Strawberries 2 fo $5
Organic Mild Yellow Onions .99 lb

King Soopers
Asparagus 2lbs for $5

Albertsons
Petite Steaks Buy one get TWO FREE!!!
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
Vidalia Onions .99 ea

Boost Your Heath With Minerals

Minerals are essential to life, but you may not be getting enough of them in your daily diet to keep your body healthy and maintain your ideal weight. Here’s a quick rundown of the most vital metallic minerals out there — and why they’re key to your good health.

·         Zinc. This helps maintain the enzyme systems and protein creation. It’s important for brain function, insulin, and the prostate. If you’re short on zinc, you might experience amnesia, apathy, brittle nails, depression, diarrhea, lethargy, a weak immune system, and other signs of ill health.

·         Manganese. This facilitates your body’s proper utilization of vitamins B and C and helps create thyroxine, the principal hormone of the thyroid gland. It also plays an important role in the digestive and nervous systems. You might experience fatigue, memory loss, and irritability if you’re low on manganese.

·         Potassium. This mineral works hand in hand with sodium to regulate your body’s water balance and normalize heart rhythms. You need potassium to help dispose of body waste, regulate blood pressure, and fight allergies.

·         Iron. Iron is critical to oxygenation of the blood and the creation of hormones and prostaglandins that affect your blood, muscles, and enzymes. Iron deficiency causes anemia, brittle nails, constipation, dizziness, fatigue, and more. Just be careful about supplementation — too much iron can cause dangerous symptoms, including shortness of breath, dizziness, and vomiting.

·         Magnesium. Up to 85 percent of us are deficient in this important metal, which helps your body process calcium and vitamin C and allows for normal functioning of your muscles and nerves. It promotes heart health and fights stress and depression. A lack of magnesium can cause anxiety, heart problems, insomnia, restlessness, and weakness.

·         Copper. This metal is necessary for converting iron to hemoglobin and helps your body utilize vitamin C. If you lack copper in your diet, you may develop anemia, arterial damage, fatigue, hair loss, and fragile bones.

If you believe you’re deficient in these key minerals — supplement, supplement, supplement! I can’t stress it enough. Food just isn’t what it used to be. As a result, nowadays supplementation is crucial to a healthy, balanced body. A good multivitamin will help close the gap, but you may also need to utilize individual supplements that offer a full day’s supply of the key nutrients mentioned above.

We have a great line of supplements at http://www.itworkswithhcg.com/

  P2 Deals of the week!!

Sunflower
Hot House Cucumbers .99 ea
Vidalia Onions .99 lb
Strawberries 2 for $5
Tilapia $2.77 lb
Top Sirloin Steak $3.77 lb
Chicken Tenders $2.99 lb

King Soopers
Tomoatoes on the vine 2 for $3

Albertsons
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
Petite Sirloins Buy one get one FREE

Bleu Cheese(p3)

1 ½ cup plain yogurt

½ cup bleu cheese crumbles

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp parmesan

1 tsp vinegar

1/8 tsp pepper

*Combine all ingredients

Sleep Your Way to Slimness and Better Health

Sleep Is Good for You

We’re all trying to cram more and more into our lives. And often, when life gets busy, the first thing to go is sleep — many people are getting by on five hours of sleep a night or less.

But constant sleep deprivation can have side effects beyond the typical dragging feeling and a need for a caffeine fix. A lack of sleep increases the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and insulin, which can cause your body to store fat. It can also work the other way around. When stress is high, cortisol is high, and when you’re stressed, you’re probably not sleeping well. And by cutting back on sleep, you’re also giving your body less time to repair itself, weakening your immune system and damaging your overall health. Chronically high cortisol levels have been shown to be a factor in heart disease, increasing your chances of heart attack or stroke.

Fortunately, there’s a really easy fix that can improve your health — and help you lose weight as well: Commit to getting at least seven to eight hours of good quality sleep every night. Here’s how to get yourself there:

·         Consider using melatonin. This hormone serves as a natural sleep aid — and your body starts to produce less of it after you turn 40.

·         Look for products made with lemon balm, which contains chemicals that seem to have a sedative, calming effect.

·         Try using chewable GABA (gamma–aminobutyric acid), which can relax your brain and help ensure a deeper night’s sleep.

·         Darken your room. Get light–blocking shades for your windows to keep out the street lights, and ban TVs, computer equipment, and other light producers from your room — or opt for a simple sleep mask to block out the light. Total darkness helps lower your cortisol levels, ensuring you have a good night’s sleep.

Remember, sleep has been provided by nature to do the body’s healing work. A good night of rest is essential for health and helps control your appetite. I sleep eight hours nightly, and I’ve never felt better. By adapting a good sleep schedule, you'll enjoy renewed energy, a better mood, and a slimmer body — and you deserve it all! 

 

Caesar Dressing (p3)

1 cup mayonnaise

Juice of 2 large lemons (6-8 tbsp lemon juice)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup parmesan

¼ cup water

¼ tsp garlic powder

*Combine all ingredients

Names of HIDDEN SUGARS found in foods!

 

The biggest problem with refined sugar is that it is often hidden in processed foods under other names and consumers are unaware that they are actually eating as much sugar as they actually are. Unless you are eating a totally natural food diet, avoiding processed foods altogether, you are probably consuming more refined sugars than you realize. Sugar is added to most packaged foods even if they are not sweet. It is actually hard to see how much sugar is in a product by simply reading the ingredient list. This is because there are many names used for refined sugar and a number of different ones can be used in a single product. You therefore need to know the various names of the hidden sugars in processed foods so that you can be an informed consumer.

To make it easier to identify the sugars in packaged food products, here is a list of a hundred alternative names for hidden sugars:


Amasake
Apple sugar
Barbados sugar
Bark sugar
Barley malt
Barley malt syrup
Beet sugar
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Cane juice
Cane sugar
Caramelized foods
Carbitol
Carmel coloring
Carmel sugars
Concentrated fruit juice
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Date sugar
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diglycerides
Disaccharides
D-tagalose
Evaporated cane juice
Florida crystals
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
Galactose
Glucitol
Glucoamine
Gluconolactone
Glucose
Glucose polymers
Glucose syrup
Glycerides
Glycerine
Glycerol
Glycol
Hexitol
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Inversol
Invert sugar
Isomalt
Karo syrups
Lactose
Levulose
"Light" sugar
"Lite" sugar
Malitol
Malt dextrin
Malted barley
Maltodextrins
Maltodextrose
Maltose
Malts
Mannitol
Mannose
Maple syrup
Microcrystalline cellulose
Molasses
Monoglycerides
Monosaccarides
Nectars
Neotame
Pentose
Polydextrose
Polyglycerides
Powdered sugar
Raisin juice
Raisin syrup
Raw sugar
Ribose rice syrup
Rice malt
Rice sugar
Rice sweeteners
Rice syrup solids
Saccharides
Sorbitol
Sorghum
Sucanat
Sucanet
Sucrose
Sugar cane
Trisaccharides
Turbinado sugar
Unrefined sugar
White sugar
Xylitol
Zylose


Most of us like some sweet things. The best alternatives to sugar and high fructose corn syrup can be found in natural, whole fruits. If you need something sweet added to tea or to cook with, you might consider a little honey or if you can get hold of it, Stevia is a very sweet natural herb that you need very little of to gain a sweet benefit. Avoid artificial sweeteners entirely. They are not safe. Aspartame (NutraSweet) should be particularly avoided as it is a neurotoxin and poses a grave health risk to human beings.

Vinaigrette(p3)

¼ cup vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

¼  tsp basil

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp celery salt

5 tbsp olive oil

*Mix all ingredients, chill