Does Insomnia have a hold on you...here are three tips to get a good nights sleep..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

On a rare night when you actually crawl into bed at a decent hour, you stare at the ceiling, eyes wide open, mind racing … and a good night’s sleep feels more like a distant dream with every passing second. You’re not alone. Every year, as many as 40 percent of adults have insomnia, an inability to fall or stay asleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. About 10 to 15 percent of people suffer from chronic insomnia, finding it difficult to get enough shuteye at least a few nights a week.
But regaining entry to the land of nod is key for your long-term health; over time, sleep deprivation can reduce immunity, up your risk of diabetes and heart disease and even make you gain weight. Here’s how to get the Zzzs you crave.


Make Cherry Juice Your Nightcap
Alcohol is a known sleep saboteur — it may make you fall asleep, but it disrupts normal sleep cycles, causing you to wake up in the middle of the night. Cherry juice, on the other hand, may help ensure restful slumber, because it’s naturally high in melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your body’s sleep-wake cycles. In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, participants who drank tart cherry juice twice a day fell asleep sooner than when they drank a placebo beverage.

Relax In a Rocking Chair
It’s well known that babies fall fast asleep when they’re rocked gently back and forth in a carriage or a mother’s arms. Surprisingly, the same trick works with adults, say Swiss researchers. When study participants napped in a hammock-like bed, they fell asleep faster and entered the restorative deep-sleep phase sooner than when they slept in a regular bed. It seems that the gentle swinging sensation primes areas of the brain involved in deep sleep. While you can’t exactly doze off in a hammock every night, try chilling out in a rocking chair before hitting the sheets to mimic the motion and help your body feel sleepy.

Count Sheep… Backward
If your mind tends to race as soon as your head hits the pillow, put the brakes on this sleep-stealing habit by distracting yourself from rehashing the day’s events. One tip Breus offers his patients: Count down from 300 in multiples of three. “Because this task is mathematically complicated to do in your head,” he explains, “it forces your brain to focus on something else besides your worries.”

Good Maintenence Eating ~ Eat Italian — Live Longer!

Tomatoes, basil, and olive oil aren’t just the building blocks of delicious Italian cuisine — they’re also the perfect combination of ingredients if you’re looking to lose weight and eat healthier. How exciting is that? Here’s a look at how each of these superfoods can benefit your body.

• Tomatoes. Tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a phytonutrient and antioxidant. Lycopene has been proven to protect against a whole slew of cancers, including colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic…and it has heart-protective qualities as well! While fresh tomatoes are wonderful for your health, cooked tomatoes, such as those in tomato sauce or even ketchup, actually contain more lycopene than their fresh counterparts.
• Basil. This pungent herb is rich in antioxidants like vitamins A and C and flavonoids, which can help protect your cells from damage and improve your heart health. It can also inhibit bacterial growth — including dangerous strains of bacteria like staphylococcus.
• Olive oil. Not all fats are bad: This monounsaturated oil can be a cornerstone of healthy eating — and can also help you lose weight. Studies have shown that people who follow an olive-oil-rich Mediterranean-style diet have a lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, asthma, and atherosclerosis — and may actually cut their risk of death in half. Be sure though if you are cooking with olive oil that you are not cooking it on a high heat. If you cook olive oil on a high heat it change the balance and actually makes the oil rancid.

So go ahead and serve a generous portion of tomato sauce with your favorite organic meat — or, even occasionally, whole-grain pasta. It’ll be a delicious way to get some key nutrients that will improve your health. By eating delicious, nutritious, wholesome foods to propel you toward a leaner figure, a healthier lifestyle, and an all-around better way of life.

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Two Worst Foods for Your Weight

For people trying to lose weight, here's the good news: Nutrition researchers have scoped out the enemy. And these two foods are the top waistline assassins: potato chips and soda.

Everyone knows to cut back on junk food. But in a recent, large study examining what foods were most associated with weight gain, potato chips and sweetened drinks stood out as the ultimate arch villains.

Not All Snacks Created Equal
The basic blueprint of healthy living is simple: Eat less junk food, stay active, get a good night's sleep, drink alcohol only in moderation, and don't smoke. But scientists have now started to suspect that when it comes to junk food, some snacks are worse than others.

So in a recent study, they tracked more than 100,000 Americans over two decades to see who gained the most weight and what foods they ate. And they found that regularly having potatoes -- especially chips -- and sugar-sweetened drinks was most associated with an expanding waistline.

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The Spice of Life

All those spices and herbs in your spice rack can do more than add a little extra kick to your meals — they can rev up your metabolism and improve your health at the same time. Many spices are considered superfoods because they are full of antioxidants! Consider adding two to three spices to all your meals to make them not only taste great, but also help detoxify your body at the same time. (Don’t you just love nature!?) Here’s a list of some of the herbs and spices that will give a healthy (and flavorful) boost to your foods.

• Basil is rich in antioxidants like vitamins A and C.
• Black pepper increases the hydrochloric-acid production in your stomach, aiding digestion.
• Cayenne pepper is a cardiovascular booster.
• Crushed red-pepper flakes contain capsaicin, a potent anti-inflammatory.
• Cumin primes the salivary glands and improves digestion.
• Curry powder combines all the benefits of cumin and turmeric in one quick pinch.
• Dill is a potent antioxidant and a good source of calcium.
• Fennel boosts levels of vitamin C and contains anethole, a phytonutrient that can prevent cancer.
• Garlic can help regulate the number of fat cells in your body and protect your cardiovascular system from disease.
• Lemon and lime brighten up the flavor of plain water — and boost your intake of vitamin C.
• Mint can help fight cancer.
• Nutmeg can help you get sleepy at night.
• Onion offers similar cardiovascular benefits as garlic.
• Oregano is, pound for pound, one of the most antioxidant-rich foods around.
• Paprika is an excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
• Rosemary may be a weapon in the fight against cancer by preventing carcinogens from binding to cells.
• Sage contains the same cancer-fighting compounds as rosemary.
• Tarragon can aid digestion and help improve heart health.
• Thyme is a relative of mint and a potent antioxidant.
• Turmeric has been shown in several studies to have anti-inflammatory properties — and could help protect against degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
• Vanilla is not only a sweet flavoring but also a stellar antioxidant.

Variety is the spice of life! By learning how to incorporate delicious flavors into your meals, you’ll be one step closer to that lean, healthy body.

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The Hormone Makeover

Traditionally, hormone imbalance has been associated with PMS or menopause. But times have changed. Hormones are being disrupted by lifestyle factors such as refined foods and environmental toxins, in addition to natural fluctuations, and symptoms can manifest in subtle to debilitating degrees. Among women and men, signs of hormonal imbalance often include one or more of these experiences:
"I'm eating less and still gaining weight."
"I don't feel like myself."
"I've lost my get up and go."
"I can't get a good night's sleep."
These types of symptoms may be harder to pinpoint than ones commonly associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, muscle stiffness or incontinence, or PMS symptoms. However, in all these situations, there are underlying lifestyle issues that aggravate monthly or mid-life hormonal fluctuations and, at any age, prompt imbalances.
“Our hormones are like an orchestra,” says Alicia Stanton, MD, an OB/GYN and specialist in hormone balance and wellness in Glastonbury, Conn. “They don’t work in isolation.” Although estrogen and progesterone get a lot of attention among women and testosterone among men, they are only part of the picture. Understanding two other hormones, insulin and cortisol, opens the door to creating balance.

Step 1Solve the Food-Stress SyndromeIn day-to-day life, we continually influence our insulin and cortisol levels by what we eat, and our choices drive hormones into or out of balance. Most often, explains Stanton, imbalance begins when we eat too many refined carbohydrates, as is customary in our culture. Blood-sugar levels spike to very high levels, and insulin works overtime to deliver the fuel to our cells as quickly as possible. And then, blood-sugar levels crash to below-normal levels.
The result is a sudden drop in energy after a “high” from a sugary or starchy treat. The crash portion of the cycle produces physical stress, and in response, our bodies produce above-normal amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone. Life stress also increases cortisol production, but its effects are dramatically magnified by dietary stress.
Abnormally elevated cortisol levels can cause sleep and energy problems, but they also disrupt other hormones. Cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone share the same building blocks, and when too many of these are diverted to produce the stress hormone, the other ones suffer. The most common scenarios, says Stanton, are these:

• Among women, elevated cortisol depletes progesterone, creating an imbalance with estrogen, and this leads to or aggravates PMS and menopausal symptoms. As an example of the dietary connection, a 10-year study of more than 28,000 women in France, published in Maturitas, concluded: “Among dietary factors, rapidly absorbed sugars and snacking were positively associated with the risk of onset of menopausal symptoms.”
• Among men, elevated cortisol reduces levels of testosterone, the “life force” hormone, and this has become a widespread phenom- enon. According to a study of more than 1,500 men in Massachu- setts between the ages of 45 and 79, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, levels of testosterone have declined substantially in recent years, to a degree that cannot be explained by the aging process.

Hormone Makeover Checklist:

You can virtually eliminate the dietary trigger of physical stress and hormonal disruption by using food to keep blood sugar levels stable. These are some key things to do:

• Start the day with a breakfast that includes lean protein.
• Eat small meals every 3 hours or so.
• Throughout the day, avoid starchy and sugary foods and beverages sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.
• Eat lean protein and vegetables at every meal.
• For snacks, choose vegetables or high-fiber fruits (apples, pears and berries work well) and a small handful of nuts in place of starchy foods.
• If you drink regular or diet soda, switch to herbal tea, organic sodas that are naturally low in calories and sugar, or water.
• Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement plus antioxidants to support healthy metabolism.
• Exercise regularly and pick activities that reduce your stress levels.
• Control stress in life. Give yourself a break to relax, if just for a few minutes, each day.

Step 2
Avoid Toxins
For many years, scientists have known that toxins disrupt hormones in humans and wildlife, and in 1996, Congress passed a law requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to screen chemical pesticides and other contaminants for their potential effect on hormones. However, such a program to test pesticides just began to be implemented in October 2009, and it will take some time for changes to occur.
In the meantime, there are simple things we can do to minimize our exposure to these types of chemicals, such as choosing food grown without chemical pesticides and drinking non-toxic water. And we can avoid two specific hormone-disrupting toxins in food and beverage containers and in synthetic fragrance, an ingredient in many beauty, grooming and household products:
BPA (Bisphenol A): Found in plastic containers and the linings of cans, BPA mimics estrogen, and has been linked to obesity, hormone-related cancers, hyperactivity, and brain damage. BPA-free reusable plastic water bottles, food storage containers, and canned foods are available and are labeled as such. Plastic containers marked on the bottom with a 3, 6, or 7 (the number is inside a triangle) are the worst sources of leached BPA. In cans, acidic foods and beverages leach the most BPA.
Phthalates: Pronounced “tha-laytes,” these chemicals also mimic and disrupt hormones. For example, phthalates can lead to artificially depressed levels of thyroid hormone, contributing to fatigue, weight gain, and other problems. These toxins are most often found within synthetic fragrance, which can be in cosmetic products, air fresheners, candles, laundry and cleaning products, and in “new car smell.”

Hormone Makeover Checklist:

These are some ways to reduce your exposure to toxins that disrupt hormones:

• When buying canned food, look for BPA-free cans.
• When choosing any products you put on your skin or use in your home, avoid those containing synthetic fragrance. Instead, select ones scented with essential oils or other natural ingredients.
• Drink water that doesn’t contain toxins.
• Use refillable water bottles made without BPA.
• In particular, avoid buying acidic foods, such as sodas, tomato sauces, and soups, in cans that are not BPA-free, as acidity promotes leaching of the toxin.
• For food storage, use BPA-free plastic containers or glass, ceramic, or metal ones.
• Choose organic foods and beverages whenever possible.
• Keep in mind that “microwave-safe” indicates a food container won’t disintegrate in the microwave; there is no guarantee that toxins won’t leach into food.

Step 3
Establish a Nutritional Foundation
Sound nutrition gives your body a foundation to withstand assaults from an imperfect diet and environmental toxins. While supplements can’t replace a healthy lifestyle, they can certainly enhance one.

Vera Tweed and Alicia Stanton, MD, provide a comprehensive plan for balancing hormones in their book, Hormone Harmony: How to Balance Insulin, Cortisol, Thyroid, Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone to Live Your Best Life.

Hormone Makeover Checklist:

Stanton recommends the following daily amounts from a multivitamin/mineral, and additional supplements as needed:

• Multivitamin: A product that includes 50 to 100 mg of B1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, up to 1000 mg of B12, 800 mcg of folic acid, 200 to 400 IU of a vitamin E-mixed tocopherol combina- tion and at least 200 mcg of chromium.
• Fish Oil: 3000 mg.
• Vitamin D: 1000 to 2000 IU.
• Calcium: A total (from food and supplements) of 1000 mg up to age 50 and 1200 mg after that.
• Magnesium: 400 mg (glycinate) or 600 mg (oxide) twice daily, with the second dose taken before bedtime for more restful sleep. If you experience diarrhea, cut back.
• Vitamin C: 1000 to 2000 mg and up to 5000 mg during times of stress.
• Flaxseed Oil: As an alternative to fish oil, 1 to 2 Tbsp. or the equivalent in capsules.
• CoQ10: After age 35, 50 mg, and 100 to 200 mg if you are overweight, have high blood pressure, or suffer from fatigue, diabetes, or heart disease.

And for specific situations, Stanton suggests the following remedies:

• PMS and menopausal symptoms: Black cohosh and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid).
• Stress, mood and sleep difficulties: 5-HTP and/or L-theanine.
• Digestive problems: Digestive enzymes.
• Constipation: Ground flaxseed mixed in food or juice.
• Vaginal yeast infections: Probiotics.
• Urinary tract infections: Pure, unsweetened cranberry juice.

This was taken from Better Nutrition Magazine


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The Power Of Sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, you have plenty of company. More than one-third of adults in the United States experience occasional sleep problems, and 1 in 10 suffer from chronic insomnia.
Making sure you get enough sleep is essential for optimal health and well-being. While you’re sleeping, your body performs many restorative functions, including detoxifying, repairing cellular damage, and searching out and destroying foreign invaders. A lack of restful sleep causes mood disturbances, impairs mental and physical performance, wears down the immune system, and even speeds up aging.
Try some of the following strategies and lifestyle changes to retrain your body and mind for a good night’s sleep.
1. Curtail Caffeine
This undoubtedly comes as no surprise, but cutting back on or eliminating caffeine is necessary for restful sleep. Caffeine is a common culprit in insomnia. The stimulant delays falling asleep; it can also cause waking in the middle of the night. People vary in their response to caffeine: some can easily metabolize a cup or two of coffee daily, while others are unable to tolerate even the trace amounts in decaffeinated coffee or tea. Many people also find that they become less tolerant of caffeine as they get older. If you drink coffee or tea, limit your intake to one or two cups in the morning to prevent sleep problems. If you’re relying on caffeine for an energy boost, consider drinking green tea. One cup of green tea contains approximately 20 milligrams of caffeine (coffee weighs in at an average of 125 milligrams per cup; black tea at 60). But green tea is unique in that it also contains L-theanine, a compound that promotes feelings of relaxed alertness. It’s also rich in phytochemicals that have numerous health-protective benefits.
2. Establish a Regular Bedtime
A regular sleep schedule isn’t just for kids–creating a set time for going to bed and getting up in the morning helps your body establish a healthful sleep-wake cycle. Although it’s tempting to try to make up for lost sleep by sleeping in, it’s more important to train your body to wake at a consistent time.
This practice helps to reset your biological clock and trains your body to sleep at night. Ideally, go to bed early enough so that you’ll wake naturally in the morning, but if necessary, set an alarm to help you wake up. Turn the clock face to the wall, though, so that you won’t be aware of time during the night. Fretting over time engages the mind and will only make getting to sleep more difficult.
3. Create a Tranquil Sleep Environment
Make your bedroom a tranquil haven by surrounding yourself with soothing colors. Blues, greens, and purples are traditionally thought to be the most calming shades, but recent thinking indicates that any color can be soothing if it’s a soft hue. If you love the color orange, for example, select a peach tint for your bedroom. Decorate with artwork and fabrics that you find restful, and ban televisions and computers from the bedroom.
Make your bed especially inviting with high-quality natural fiber bedding. Finally, clear away all clutter, including stacks of magazines and books. Be sure to clean under your bed too. According to the principles of feng shui, anything stored beneath the bed interferes with the regenerative energy that circulates around your body during the night.
4. Exercise Outdoors Daily
Studies show that exercise is as beneficial as prescription drugs for promoting restful sleep. Consistent, daily exercise is crucial for keeping stress, anxiety, and depression at bay—all of which are prime contributors to sleep problems. Plan for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, but avoid vigorous exercise within three hours of bedtime or you may find that you’re too energized to sleep. If you exercise outdoors, you’ll benefit from the sun’s effect on harmonizing your body clock. Spending a half hour in the sun every day (particularly in the morning) modulates your body’s production of the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep cycles.
5. Eat and Drink for Restful Sleep
What you eat and when you eat it has a profound effect on sleep quality. Plan to eat dinner at least three hours prior to bedtime to give your body plenty of time to complete digestion before sleep. You’ll sleep better if your stomach isn’t overly full, and you’ll also prevent nighttime heartburn. A light snack before bed, however, can ward off nocturnal dips in blood sugar that can trigger middle-of-the-night awakenings. Stay away from high-sugar foods, and choose instead a protein-rich snack that includes healthful carbohydrates and fats. For example, a piece of cheese or a handful of almonds with fresh fruit is a perfect bedtime snack.
A glass of wine with dinner is a relaxing ritual, but avoid much more than that. Although alcohol has an initial sedative effect, excessive alcohol stimulates the release of cortisol, which can cause restless sleep and awakening during the night.
6. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Ritual
To prepare your body and mind for restful sleep, engage in a bedtime routine. A nightly ritual signals your body and mind that it’s time to unwind from the day’s activities. Avoid stimulating activities in the hour before bedtime: this includes watching television or working on the computer. One hour before bed, begin preparing for sleep by taking care of nightly tasks: feed the dog, make tomorrow’s lunch, brush your teeth—do whatever you need to do to wind up the day. In the final 20 to 30 minutes before sleep, engage in a calming activity, such as listening to soothing music or reading an enjoyable book. Before long, you’ll find that you look forward to this nurturing ritual.

This was taken from Better Nutrition Magazine



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Ways to Boost Your Energy

Fatigue is one of the biggest problems of modern life, but we’re trying to fix that problem in all the wrong ways. Trying to “get” or “find” energy is like trying to grab a fistful of water. If you want water (energy) to sit in your hand, you have to first create the conditions under which it’s possible—in the case of water, keeping your fingers tightly together and your hand cupped while open will do the trick—but trying to grab the water will not. It’s the same thing with energy.
Energy isn’t something you get or grab, rather it’s the by-product of certain conditions that allow it to show up in your life. If your health, attitude, body, and mind are all aligned in the right way, there’s nothing else for you to do but feel energized. It’s the natural “side effect” of a healthful life—it just comes with the territory.
Let’s say you were a swimmer wearing a weight belt, and you wanted to increase your time in the 50-yard freestyle. You could spend a lot of effort researching the latest high-tech swim suit—which might add a second or two to your time—but wouldn’t it be a lot more effective to simply drop the weight belt? Most of us are carrying around weight belts and looking to increase our energy with coffee and stimulants, but if we just dropped the weight belt, we’d automatically go faster.
Some of the items that make up our weight belt are too little sleep, disorganization, toxic relationships, high-carb diets, undetected food sensitivities, and all sorts of other facts of modern life.The following are seven of the most important ways to help drop the weight belt from your energy tank. Do them and you may be surprised at what a boost in energy they give you.

Support Your Liver
You can help your liver do its job more effectively—and boost your energy in the bargain—by taking a daily dose of an herb called milk thistle. Also, eat liver-supporting vegetables, such as carrots, beets, beet greens, garlic, artichokes, and burdock and dandelion roots. I consider the liver the most misunderstood and underappreciated organ in the human body; when it’s not working right, your energy level is the first thing to suffer. Giving the liver all the nutrients it needs to perform its daily tasks is one of the most important things you can do to boost your energy.

Get 10 Minutes of Sun Every Day
“The sun gives you strength, lifts your spirits, and is a source of energy,” says my friend Al Sears, MD, author of Your Best Health Under the Sun. Like a growing body of health experts, Sears thinks we’ve become so sun phobic that we’re missing out on the myriad mood-boosting and energy-enhancing benefits that the sunshine vitamin has to offer.

Disconnect for a Day
One of the great energy drainers of the 21st century is information overload. We’re deluged with stuff coming at us from e-mail, RSS feeds, blogs, social networking sites, TV, magazines, radio, fax machines, Blackberries—you get the picture. Knowledge may be power, but information overload is just … well, noise. Try a media-free day and feel your own energy accumulate rather than letting it dissipate as you attend to millions of distractions, most of which—when you think about it—won’t make much difference in the long run anyway. (If you find the idea of disconnecting for a day is a frightening thought, you are exactly the person who needs to do it the most!)

Get up and move
We all know that exercise helps with energy. Even if it's a walk around your neighborhood or some yoga in your living room. Get up and move!!

Unclutter
 The more stuff you have cluttering up your life, the less energy you have. Believe it or not, the condition of your desk, office. and living space actually reflect a lot of what’s going on in your head.

Take the Right Supplements
While supplements don’t really “give” you energy, they can correct metabolic issues that are draining it. They can also speed along certain pathways that are nutrient- dependent and get sluggish when those nutrients are in short supply.

This was taken from Better Nutrition Magazine


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Organic Strawberries $2.99 ea
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Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

How is Lauric Acid Used by our body?

The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. The Coconut Research Center has compiled various references on scientific research done on coconut oil. Before we move on to the benefits of coconut oil in detail, let us understand its composition.

Composition of Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats (Don’t panic! First read to the last word. Your opinion may change), with traces of few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Virgin Coconut Oil is no different from this. Let us have a bit detailed study of this.

• The Saturated Fatty Acids: Most of them are Medium Chain Triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well. Lauric Acid is the chief contributor, with more than forty percent of the share, followed by Capric Acid, Caprylic Acid, Myristic Acid and Palmitic.
• The Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Linoleic Acid.
• The Monounsaturated Fatty Acids: Oleic Acid.
• The Poly-phenols: Gallic Acid, which is phenolic acid. These poly-phenols are supposed to be responsible for the fragrance and the taste of Coconut Oil and Virgin Coconut Oil is rich in these poly-phenols.
• Certain derivatives of fatty acid like Betaines, Ethanolamide, Ethoxylates, Fatty Esters, Fatty Polysorbates, Monoglycerides and Polyol Esters.
• Fatty Chlorides, Fatty Alcohol Sulphate and Fatty Alcohol Ether Sulphate, all of which are derivatives of Fatty Alcohols.
• Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron.

Hair Care:
Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. Most of the people in these countries apply coconut oil on their hair daily after bath. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.

Skin Care:
Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.

 

Heart Diseases:

There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

Weight Loss

Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Digestion

Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Immunity:

Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

Healing and Infections

When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.

Other:

Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.
Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.
Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis.
Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.
Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.
Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.
Dental Care: Calcium is an important element present in teeth. Since coconut oil facilitates absorption of calcium by the body, it helps in getting strong teeth. Coconut oil also stops tooth decay.
HIV and Cancer: It is believed that coconut oil plays an instrumental role in reducing viral susceptibility of HIV and cancer patients. Preliminary research has shown indications of the effect of coconut oil on reducing the viral load of HIV patients (Reference).
Finally, coconut oil is often preferred by athletes and body builders and by those who are dieting. The reason behind this being that coconut oil contains lesser calories than other oils, its fat content is easily converted into energy and it does not lead to accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. Coconut oil helps in boosting energy and endurance, and enhances the performance of athletes.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's Disease: There are reports of research conducted by Dr. Newport stating that coconut oil is useful for treating Alzheimer's disease. Apart from this there is no scientific evidence or traditional knowledge or coconut oil being used for treating Alzheimer's. It was also not known traditionally that coconut oil helps in the brain function.
Why is Coconut Oil Solid?: Unlike most other oils, coconut oil has a high melting point - about 24 to 25 degress Celcius or 76-78 Farenheit. Therefore it is solid at room temperature and melts only when the temperatures go high. Hence, if you buy a bottle of coconut oil and find it solid, don't think that there is some problem with it. Coconut oil is like this only. And of course, don't keep it in your refrigerator.
How to Use Coconut Oil?: If you are using coconut oil for topical purposes, especially hair care, just melt the oil (if it is solid) by keeping the bottle in the sun or warm water. You can also take some coconut oil out and put it in a small bowl and heat the bowl over a flame (do not use microwave). Then take the oil on your palm and apply it to your hair. If you want to use it for internal consumption, simply replace butter or vegetable oils with coconut oil in your recipes. Remember, you need not switch to coconut oil completely, as you will miss the benefits of other oils and dairy products.
Can I Use Coconut Oil for Cooking?: Yes, in most of the tropical coastal regions, people use coconut oil for coooking.
I Don't Like the Taste of Coconut Oil. What Should I do?: Try using coconut oil in some different recipe. That may help. If you get nauseated after eating coconut oil, don't force yourself. As it happens with any other food item, your body may be allergic to coconut oil and it is best not to consume it.

P2 Deals of the week

King Soopers
English Cucumbers $1
Asparagus .99 Lb
Navel Oranges $2.99

Albertsons
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
English Cucumbers $1

Sunflower Market
Hothouse Cucumbers .77 ea
Red, Yellow and White Onions 2lbs for $1
Red Grapfruit 4 for $1
Navel Oranges .88 lb
Red or Green Lettuce .99 ea
Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious and Granny Smith Apples 2 for $5
Strawberries 2 for $5
Organic Celery 2 for $3
Organic Braeburna nd Fuji Apples 2 lbs for $3
Organic Romaine Lettuce 2 for $3
Fresh Tilapia $3.99 lb
Chicken Breast $2.99 lb
Asparagus $2.99 lb
93% Ground Beef $3.99 lb
Organic Strawberries 2 for $5
Organic Green Cabbage .99 lb

The Problem With "Corn-Fed" besides GMO

Corn is cheap, plentiful, fattening, and it helps livestock and farm-raised seafood get plumper and ready for market a whole lot sooner. So it’s no wonder that most of the meat and fish on the market these days has been raised on corn — however, that’s bad news for us humans.
Even though buying farm-raised meat and fish is cheaper, it’s pennywise and pound foolish — with “pound” here meaning extra pounds of fat! Here’s why:

• These meats may be less nutritious for you. Grass-fed beef is richer in heart-healthy omega-3 fats, while its corn-fed counterparts are loaded up with excess omega-6 fats, which counteract the benefits of omega-3s.
• They may be loaded with antibiotics and toxins. Feeding animals with foods they don’t naturally consume makes them more prone to illness — that’s how E. coli and other dangerous bacteria have ended up infecting large quantities of beef, pork, and other foods. Therefore, farmers often need to beef up their animals’ immune systems with antibiotics and other medications. Many food producers who utilize corn feeding also feed their livestock growth hormones to help speed up their time to market. And guess who ends up consuming those growth hormones and antibiotics in the long run? That’s right. We do. Yuck.
• They may fatten you up. Corn is a high-starch vegetable that fattens you up if you eat it — and if you’re eating meat that’s fattened up on that same ingredient, it’s likely to make you gain weight.

Instead of eating corn-fed meats and seafood, choose wild-caught fish and animals that were raised on their natural diets — it’s healthier for you, and for the animals themselves.


P2 Deals of the week

King Soopers
Roma Tomatoes .88 lb
Foster Farms Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
Strawberried 2 for $5
Gala Apples .99 lb
Navel Oranges .99 lb
Tri Color Onions $1.99 for 3 lb bag
Organic Lettuce $1.99

Albertsons
Snaderson Farms Chicken Breast buy 1 get 2 free
Tilapia buy 1 get 2 free
Petite Sirloin buy one get one free
Asparagus $2.99 ea
Navel Oranges .99 lb
Fuji or Granny Smith Apples $1.29 lb

Sunflower Market
Navel Oranges .47 lb
Strawberries 4 for $5
Rio Red Grapefruit 3 for $1
Sweet Onions .88 lb
Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers .77 ea
Organic Red or Golden Delicious Apples 2 for $3
Organic Re or Yellow Onions .99 lm
Chiken Tenders $2.99 lb

How to Food-Shop for Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Making poor food choices can be all too easy — especially when you hit the grocery store and see aisle upon aisle of delicious, but dangerously unhealthy, foods. If you want to eat more healthfully and lose weight, consider revamping your grocery shopping list and start choosing the most nutrition-rich products at the store. Here’s how to do it:

• If it’s bagged or boxed, don’t buy it. Odds are, if the food comes in a bag or a box, it’s been processed and contains chemicals and preservatives that could add to your body’s toxic load.
• Shop the perimeter of the store. The healthiest foods — fresh produce, meats, and dairy — are often located in the outer aisles, while the interior of the store — or Fake Food Land, as I like to call it — is stocked with the processed foods that will add to both your toxic load and your waist line.
• Check the labels. If it lists something long and unpronounceable, put it down. If you can’t read it and say it, you probably don’t want to eat it.
• Look for clean foods. Choosing organic produce, grass-fed beef and lamb, organic chicken, wild-caught seafood and natural pork will limit your exposure to toxins.
• Avoid refined carbohydrates. White flour, white rice, corn, and most sweeteners are Insulin Triggers that can cause your body to store all the calories you eat as fat — and make it hard for you to burn your stored fat as energy. Look for whole-grain breads and pastas to help avoid the insulin rush.
• Choose the best beverages. Water is the best and healthiest drink, but decaffeinated teas and Swiss Water decaffeinated coffees are also good choices. Avoid sodas, whether regular or diet — the regular kinds are loaded with sugar and trigger an insulin surge, and the diet ones are full of chemicals and toxins you want to avoid.

The foundation of this plan is adopting and adapting to healthy eating habits, and a huge part of that is knowing how to shop for healthy, wholesome food



P2 Deals of the week

King Soopers
Asparagus $1.99 lb
Hot House Tomoatoes $1.59 lb
Celery .69 lb
Yellow Onions .69 lb
Strawberries $2.99 a basket
Texas Rio Star Grapefruit .99lb
Pink Lady Apples $2.99 3lb bag

Albertsons
Strawberries $2.99 lb
93% Lean Ground Beef $3.29 lb
Chicken breast $2.29 lb
Fuji Apples 2lbs for $5

Sunflower Market
Clementines $2.99 3lb bag
Asparagus .97 lb
Rio Red Grapefruit 3 for $1
Navel Oranges .88 lb
Red, Yellow and White Onions .49 lb
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
Cluster Tomatoes $1.99 lb
Super Select Cucumbers .49 ea
Organic Braeburn, Cameo & Fuji Apples 2lb for $3

Kicking Your Soda Habit

Americans drink over 50 gallons of soda per person each year — and most of those soft drinks are full of corn syrup and sugar — and calories. All that liquid sugar serves to spike our insulin levels and encourage our bodies to store energy as fat, which makes us fat in the process. Think you’re off the hook because you drink diet sodas? Think again.

Diet versions aren’t any better — they may be worse because they’re loaded with chemicals that can wreak havoc on your health and your weight. When you drink diet sodas, the brain finds nothing recognizable as nutrition to make healthy cells. And the brain wants to get fed, so it triggers cravings for more food. Suddenly, you’re faced with impossible–to–ignore cravings for fattening foods (hello, french fries!).

Even worse, some of the artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas have been linked to both obesity and brain tumors. So you could be destroying — not protecting — your health by downing these chemicals.

The solution is simple: Skip the sodas and look for more natural ways to quench your thirst. If plain old water simply won’t do, you can try mineral waters or consider jazzing up your water with a twist of lemon or lime. You could also look for carbonated waters, like seltzers or sparkling waters, to get the fizz of soda without the chemicals or the sugar. Your body — and your waistline — will thank you!

Plus it take 26 glasses of water to flush the soda out of your body.


P2Deals of the Week!!

King Soopers
California Navel Oranges .19ea
5lb bag of Yellow Onions $1.99
Chicken Breast $2.79 lb

Albertsons
Chicken Breast $1.77 lb
93% Lean Ground Beef $2.99 lb
Large Texas Grapefruit .69 lb
Strawberries $2.99 ea

Sunflower Market
Navel Oranges $1 lb
Fuji, Jonagold and Braeburn Apples $1 lb
Hot House cucumbers $1 ea
Red and Green Leaf Lettuce $1 ea
Yelow Onions $1 for 3 lbs
Sweet Onions $1 lb
Strawberries 2 for $5
Organic Red, Golden and Granny Smith Apples 2lbs for $3
Organic Red and Yellow Onions .99 lb
Romaine Lettuce 2 for $3
93% Ground Beef 40% off
Chicken Breast $2.99 lb
Asparagus $2.99 lb
Raw E-Z Peel Shrimp $5.99 ln
Oranges and Grapefruit $2.99 for 4lb bag

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth and Still Lose Weight!

Weight loss doesn’t have to come without a little dessert. In fact, some of the most potent weapons in the fight against weight gain can satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time. You can add the following good–for–you foods to your menu to boost your overall health while you slim your waistline:

• Berries. These sweet treats are among nature’s richest sources of antioxidants and phytonutrients, including vitamin C and potassium. They may lower your risk of heart disease and cancer — and even inhibit inflammation in your body. While all berries offer these healthy benefits, the richest sources of these potent nutrients are the darkest colored berries, like blueberries, acai, and pomegranates.
• Yogurt. This calcium–rich treat does more than boost your bone strength — the probiotics fortify your immune and digestive systems and may even inhibit yeast infections and improve your cholesterol levels (they’ll lower your bad levels and boost your good cholesterol). Skip the ultra–sweetened (or artificially sweetened) versions and opt for Greek–style yogurt sweetened with a little stevia or your favorite Capella flavor.
• Dark chocolate. Chocoholics have reason to rejoice — dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants that can help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Don’t bother with the cheap stuff, which is loaded with sugar and fillers. Treat yourself to really good chocolate, with the purest ingredients, minimal sugar, and at least 60 percent cocoa. Xocxai is the brand we carry, and the good news is, you can have up to 3 Power Squares while on the lower calorie protocol.

P2 Deals of the Week!!
King Soopers
Bonless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
English Cucumbers $1
Braeburn and Cameo Apples .99 lb
Celery 2 for $3
Strawberries 2 for $5
Organic Navel Oranges $1.29 lb


Albertsons
Petite Sirloins Buy one get 2 free
Strawberries 2 for $5
Large Navel Oranges .99 lb

Sunflower Market
Organic Gala Apples .99 lb
Texas Rio Grapefruit 2 for $1
Red or green cabbage 2 for $1
Celery .88 em
Sweet Onions .88lb
Organic Red or Yellow .99 lb
Chicken Tenders $2.99 lb

Buffet Dining and Portion Control

In America, our "more is more" culture has had a tremendously negative impact on our health. “All you can eat” is not "all you SHOULD eat"! Unfortunately, ridiculous portions have now become the norm, and decent portions would be considered puny or a "rip-off." Normal size plates have been replaced with buffet plates — and there’s a true correlation there with a healthy-size waist being replaced by a buffet-size waist!

Fortunately, the key to fighting this is simple — eat less. Reconsider living by “more is more,” and return to the original “less is more.” Take a cue from the French, who enjoy a wide variety of foods — a little salad, four ounces of protein, a small portion of rice or potato, beautiful vegetables, and a small sampling of cheese.

The key is to keep it small and light: Enjoy a square or two of chocolate rather than a whole king-sized bar. If you’re eating out, consider having the waiter wrap up half of your (generally absurdly colossal) dinner before it’s even brought to the table.

Need a little help figuring out the right portion sizes at home? Here’s what you should be eating from various food groups at a given meal.

• Protein. Six ounces of protein (about the size of two decks of cards) is the recommended portion size.
• Carbs. Usually the most overeaten of all the food groups! Rather than heaping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes or pasta, consider a half cup of whole-grain carbs .
• Vegetables. Remember to round out your meal with as many non-starchy vegetables as you care to eat. There’s absolutely no reason you should be walking away hungry.
• Fruit. Eat this insulin booster as a snack in between meals — not as part of the main course. The only exception is berries — you can eat a handful or two with a meal as “dessert” every once in a while.

We’ve been raised on huge portions. Therefore, you’ll have to pay close attention to the guide above every time you sit down to eat until you can automatically train yourself to know what a healthy serving size looks like. Then, once you get the concept of reasonable serving sizes under your belt, you’ll find that what’s under your belt is a happy thin body!

P2 Deals of the week!!
King Soopers
Asparagus $2.99 lb
California Navel Oranges  $4.99 for 8 lb bag OR 4 for $1
Roma Tomatoes .99 lb

Albertsons
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
93% Lean Ground Beef $2.99 lb
Large Navel Oranges .99 lb
Jonagold Apples .99 lb
Spinach bunches 2 for $1
Cucumbers .69 ea
Strawberries $3.99 ea
Large Sweet Onions .99 lb

Sunflower Market
Asparagus $1.77 lb
Red, Yellow or White Onions .49 lb
Navel Oranges .69 lb
Super Select Cucumbers .49 ea
Celery .88 ea
Red or Green Lettuce .99 ea
Roma Tomatoes .99 ea
Braeburn or Jonagold Apples .99 lb
Large Shrimp $3.99 lb
Organic Fuji, Cameo, Red Delicious and Braeburn Apples 2lbs for $3
Organic Sweet Onions $1.99 for 2lb bag
All Natural Chicken Breast $2.99 lb
Organic Navel Oranges $2.99 for 4lb bag
Organic Grapefruit $2.99 for 4lb bag

Does Cellular Memory affect weight loss ??

Skin tissue from Generals placed in a Petri dish and monitored with probes for pulse, heart rate, blood pressure and so on had the same reaction as the live host when shown war movies.


Our bodies regenerate new cells at various rates to different areas such as the skin, eyes, and so on. Quantum Physics states that our old cells pass information on to the new cells. Therefore, when trauma, emotional upset or loss has occurred this is permanently stored in the cells of the human body and continuously passed on if not released.


Therefore, if you’re fat and this fat is due to emotional unresolved issues this means that all the trillions of fat cells throughout the body will pass this information onto the new cells as they are regenerated although you may be shedding pounds at the time. If a person does not clear the emotional baggage on a cellular level then the ‘TRIGGERS’ that got you there in the first place will assist you in sabotaging your progress.


Just watch “The Biggest Loser”, on television. One continuous theme through each and every season is that there is a lot of emotional baggage under all that excess weight and the contestants need to let go of all the ‘OLD STUFF’ to continue on their journey. All that trauma and emotional upset is not aligned with their new purpose and it will only interfere with their success if left unattended or ‘STUFFED DOWN’. Oh, it may work for a while but it will not be long lasting or permanent.


The ‘EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE’ can range from rape as a child, death of a parent or you simply felt inferior to your sibling growing up. Yet there is no doubt that there is usually a host of issues that underlie being overweight and obese. As they learn more and more about the issues of obesity and weight loss the doctors and coaches alike are discovering that if a person does not dig deep to clear whatever is holding them back on an emotional level then the odds of reaching the ultimate goal or maintaining a lasting success is slim.


So the bottom line is you will want to take a look at letting go of the ghosts in your closet. I’m not saying it will be easy but it is well worth the effort. It gives a person the opportunity to take responsibility for their health and well-being. Forgive others and forgive yourself for the big and small things. Also, be kind and gentle with yourself. Most important of all learn to love yourself unconditionally. This one is an absolute must. So many women out there, and men, want deep love and intimacy in their lives. We have to love ourselves unconditionally first before we will attract in another person who will be able to love us on that level.


Emotional healing on a very deep level I have learned gives a person more choices in life than they had prior to releasing their issues. You’ll have more tools in your toolbox so to speak.


Releasing weight gives you the opportunity to release emotional trauma and releasing emotional trauma gives you the opportunity to release weight. It’s a ‘WIN-WIN SITUATION’. So let go of that resistance and give it all you’ve got. I am relishing in the knowing that I get to ‘RE-INVENT MYSELF’ and I am ‘ENJOYING THE JOURNEY'

P2 Deals of the week!!

King Soopers
Strawberries Buy one get one free
Asparagus $2.49 lb
Organic Red Grapefruit .99 lb
California Navel Oranges $3.99 for 8lb bag

Albertsons
Chicken $1.99 lb
93% Lean Ground Beef $2.99 lb
Petite Sirloins Buy one get one free
Del Monte Petite Cut Tomatoes $1 ea
Navel Oranges .99 lb

Sunflower Market
Starwberries 1 lb  $1.27 pkg
Red and Green Cabbage 2 for $1
Cucumbers 2 for $1
Navel Oranges .88 lb
Red, Golden or Granny Smith Apples .99 lb
Romaine Lettuce .99 ea
Yellow Onions 2lbs for $4
Chicken Breast and Tenders %50 off!!
Organic Braeburn or Jonagold Apples 2 lbs for $3
Organic Red or Green Lettuce 2 for $3

~Achieving Appetite Suppression~

~Achieving Appetite Suppression~

Finding a level of appetite suppression that allows you to stay with the program is key. Appetite suppression will be the difference between this plan, and most other weight loss programs that you have tried. What does appetite suppression feel like? It is a bit different for everyone. For one person, their appetite may be non-existent. They look at food and feel no crave-pulling effect. They can move through each day and be content with the foods on the plan, and sometimes be unable to finish all of the allotted foods.

For another person, their cravings are still very intact, however, they are able to experience the smells and the memory of how food tantalized their taste-buds, yet continue to resist the temptation to eat the food.

If appetite suppression is not present, the individual will cheat. If adequate appetite suppression is present, the participant will resist food – period – end of statement.
For some, appetite suppression requires a change of mind-set. Our bodies know from birth forward how to digest food. It is an innate response to feel hunger and then eat. Feelings of thirst or hunger become present and we feed those feelings.

Here is where things get mixed up: because we eat extreme quantities, too often, our bodies have developed the habit of constant digestion. We have taught our bodies to expect large amounts of food, and to digest large quantities often! Our bodies are great at adapting.
Believe me, our bodies would love to have more time to heal, regenerate, eliminate, recover, and rest, but, we just keep shoveling in the food so it has to stay focused on digestion ~ all the time! So, when we create a change, like this eating plan, our bodies will react out of habit. We will experience extreme stomach grumbling, “empty pit” feeling, gnawing aches in our guts, etc. These feelings are not the same as being hungry. These feelings are simply the body responding to habit. The HCG is allowing the body to get the calories it needs from our own fuel source. It is not “hungry”.

The uncomfortable feelings are the body’s way of telling us that it is ready to digest ~ we just misinterpret those feelings as “hunger”. See the difference?! Once this mind-set has been changed, adaptation into a new way of looking at food will become easy! The realization of how much energy and time has been wasted on feeding a HABITUALLY TRAINED digestion machine will become clear.
The other side of the coin is that there are times when an individual will feel as though he or she could eat-a-horse! But, this is usually a different feeling than what is mentioned above. This feeling is an uncontrollable desire to fill a void.

This feeling requires that we look at emotional and physiological deficiencies. As I mentioned above, “if appetite suppression is not present, the individual will cheat”.
The minute you begin thinking about, or craving food ~ you should step back and evaluate “why”. There could a few different reasons why you are craving, or longing for, food. Think about it, we have used food as a coping mechanism all of our lives! From the first time our mother handed us a lollipop and said, “here, this will make it all better”, we have developed the need to numb ourselves from our lives with food or drink. The HCG eating plan will help determine how we have used food to cope.

For men, because most are not used to restricting food, the small volume of food creates an emotional feeling of lack. This feeling alone can stir up false “hunger” pangs and cravings for food. For women, restriction of food is kind of common! So, our cravings come from the desire to be nurtured, loved, and taken care of.

Both men and women use fat to “pad” against the world. It could be because of sexual abuse (this is a big one ~ extra fat on the body creates more space between the body, and the abuser). It could be because of a perceived unworthiness (”if you keep eating like that, you’ll never get married because nobody will ever find you attractive”). It could be because the world doesn’t seem supportive and it isn’t “feeding” us.

It is then, that we start realizing how we have used food, soda, and alcohol as coping mechanisms. We use them to suppress any uneasy thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. It is important, when we get unruly cravings, to determine what emotions are in play for us. Ask yourself this question if hunger is ever knocking at your door ~” What part of my life is not feeding me? ”

If there is an area of your life that has been depleted, guaranteed, you have filled it or numbed it with food, or drink. This can be the most transformational part of this program ~ finding ways to fill the void in “healthy” ways, and just flat out, being more kind to our physical bodies!
Now, on to the physiological aspects of cravings:

Our bodies have stored toxins, chemicals, metals, plastics, etc., in our fat because it may not have known how to metabolize or eliminate the toxins safely. We are now “forcing” the body to dump these toxins back into the body, and now, it HAS to deal with them. When this happens, the elements that are pushed back into the system are very acidic. The body then has to use it’s mineral sources to alkalize the acid elements.

When our minerals become depleted, our adrenals glands become stressed. When the adrenal glands get distressed, they make our body crave simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches) to fuel the body quickly. This is a defense mechanism for the body. However, as a result, we feel like we are starving!!! So, it is important to alkalize our body (green drinks, alkalized water, mineral supplements, etc) so it doesn’t have to use its mineral stores to create balance. If we are already doing our best to introduce alkalizing elements, then our mineral reserves won’t get used up and we have a better chance of staying in appetite suppression during this Phase of the diet.

A depleted thyroid can play a part in appetite. There are elements in the HCG Phase 2 product that can be support; however, some individuals would do well to seek out a natural thyroid supplement. If a participant is currently taking thyroid medication, they should seek the advice of their physician to determine the correct dosage of their medication during this time.

Yeast, can play a role in cravings as well. This program is just like being on a yeast cleanse. We are eliminating sugars and starches, which feed yeast. As the food supply for the yeast begins to dwindle, the cravings for simple sugars and starches increases. If we can resist the temptation, there will be a yeast kill-off, and the cravings will subside. Adding Acidophilus or Pro-Biotics during this time could prove to be very helpful.

I am still recommending that individuals get on a good B-Complex and a good trace mineral support while in Phase 2. This will help the body recover at a faster rate, and supply the body with good foundational nutrition during this period of rapid change.

I hope this information has been helpful! There are many facets to this HCG plan, but if you can stick with the learning curve long enough for the body to right itself, you will find great value, and victory!

P2 Deals of the week!!

King Soopers
English Cucumbers $1 ea
California Navel Oranges $3.99 for 8lb bag
Organic Navel Oranges .99 lb
Texas Rio Star Grapefruit .99 lb
Asparagus $2.99 lb
Gala Apples .99 lb

Albertsons
93% lean ground beef $2.99 lb
Tilapia Fillets buy one get 2 FREE
Petite Sirloin Bye one get one FREE
Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
Fuji Apples $1 lb
English Cucumbers $1
Texas Grapefruit $1 lb
Roma Tomatoes $1 lb
Red, Green or Romaine Lettuce $1 ea

Sunflower Market
Select Cucumbers 2 for $1
Texas Rio Red Grapefruit 3 for $1
Celery $1 ea
Fuji, Gala or Braeburn Apples $1 lb
Navel Oranges $1 lb
Roma Tomatoes $1 lb
Sweet Onions $1 lb
Red and Green Lettuce $1 ea
Organic Red, Golden or Granny Smith Apples 2lbs for $3
Red or Yellow Onions $1 lb
93% Lean all natural grass fed Ground Beef $3.79
All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $2.99 lb
Organic Navel Oranges $1 lb