Holistic Tip of the Day: Easy Detox
April 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Plenty of Fiji water and oat bran fiber will help to rid your body of unwanted, rancid toxins and free up stored energy!
Michele Romeo M.S.
Nutritionist
Lake Grove, NY
Holistic Tip of the Day: Diet Means Denial
February 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Instead of diet, which means denial, begin a weight loss program by adding a new leafy green vegetable to your meals one time per week. Try something new, like collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, or try a different type of lettuce in your salad. By adding whole foods instead of giving up everything that you love to eat, you can begin to change your patterns of eating, while experiencing the challenge of something new.
Joan Bond HHC
Holistic Health Counselor
Tucson, AZ
www.qiguide.com/profiles/enrich
Holistic Tip of the Day: Chamomile
February 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Chamomile tea is great to help a person relax but it can also ease stomach spasms.
Marilyn J Leach HHP
Holistic Health Practitioner & Certified in Clinical Herbology
Myrtle Beach, SC
www.qiguide.com/profiles/MarilynLeach
Holistic Tip of the Day: Daily Detox
February 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment
We live in such a toxic and highly polluted world that we need to take control and look after ourselves by maintaining a healthy immune system.
Here are a few tips on how to achieve this
Breathe Deeply - this will stimulate the deeper lymphatic vessels in the abdominal region thus encouraging the steady flow of lymph and more importantly, Oxygen is vital to life!!!
Daily Body Brushing - Always brush towards the heart and preferably in the bath or shower using the water as a medium. Dry body brushing can cause broken blood vessels, especially on fragile skin. This again will stimulate the lymph vessels and increase the rate at which toxins will be removed from the blood stream.
Listen to your Body - Rest and Relax often, get a massage and use Aromatherapy to enhance and balance the health of your body and mind
Exercise Regularly - Muscular and skeletal movement will stimultate your circulatory and immune systems
Eat a Healthy Balanced diet - remember the old saying “You are what you eat”
Stay Hydrated - drink plenty of water throughout your day, especially in Colorado!
Laugh, smile and love with all your heart! It can do magic!!
Nicola T McGill LLSA, MIFA, BMLDA, NCBTMB
Aromatherapist
Nicola McGill Complementary Therapies
Boulder, Colorado
www.qiguide.com/profiles/Nicola_Aroma
Holistic Highlights: A Guide To Popular Diets
February 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Like many of you, I found myself wondering what the differences were between the various popular diet programs. What I discovered is that all of the major diet books are well written and share many similarities. None of them offered a “silver bullet” to weight loss - it primarily comes down to keeping your calories burned greater than your calories eaten and eating whole, unprocessed foods. There are theories presented about glycemic index, good vs. bad carbs, etc., but at the end of the day it’s about calories, exercise, and food quality, in my opinion.
The Abs Diet
This book is written by David Zinczenko, the editor of Men’s Health Magazine. The diet likes the number 6 - promising “6 pack abs in 6 weeks,” by eating 6 meals a day. Each meal is built around the “power 12″ foods. There is a strong emphasis on whey supplements. The fitness program was easy to follow but perhaps too strenuous for beginners and seemed better suited to men. Strong points are excellent nutritional content and strong exercise. Weak points are questionable claims about rapid weight loss and “6 pack” abs, and mediocre meal plans. Average recommended daily calories are 1,890, with 7 fruits and vegetable servings.
The South Beach Diet
The SB Diet is a slightly more permissive version of the Atkins low-carb diet. It is based on the premise that eating low-glycemic foods (foods that don’t raise blood sugar) decreases cravings for sugar and refined carbs. Like many of the diets, there are two phases. In the first phase, fruits, sugar, and grains are banned outright. Phase 2 allows some fruit, high-fiber grains, and dark chocolate. The simplicity of the diet might appeal to many busy dieters. However the emphasis on the glycemic index and insufficient exercise sections are a drawback. Recipes are easy to prepare, but some called for unusual ingredients (a clever cook could make substitutions). Average recommended daily calories are a mere 1,340, with 13 fruits and vegetable servings (mostly veggies).
The Sonoma Diet
The Sonoma Diet is an updated low-carb diet with a Mediterranean theme. Again, it is broken into two phases, called “waves.” In “Wave 1,” the dieter is banned from eating most sweet or refined foods. The much longer “Wave 2″ permits fruits and wine. It has a unique method of calculating portions by filling sectors of small plates with specified food categories. The diet is healthy but complex. It is also very restrictive, which makes it more difficult to stay on. Also, the book doesn’t offer enough on exercise. The recipes were tasty but elaborate to prepare. Average recommended daily calories are a mere 1,390, with 10 fruits and vegetable servings.
Ultra-Metabolism
The Ultra-Metabolism Diet is designed around the assertion that people get fat because their body’s systems become toxic, inflamed, and imbalanced. Again, this is a two phase diet. Phase 1 is an initial “detox” period. The longer Phase 2 is a “rebalancing” period. Overall, the dieter must eliminate white rice, refined grains, most red meats, and caffeinated beverages. The theory of your body requiring detoxification goes beyond any scientific evidence and rings a bit of late night television “miracle detox bowel-cleansing pills.” The diet is fairly restrictive and complicated. The exercise section was brief but practical. Average recommended daily calories are 1,660, with 12 fruits and vegetable servings.
Volumetrics
The Volumetrics Diet is based on Penn State research. It aims to maximize the amount of food you can eat for a given caloric intake. This is done primarily by eating reduced-fat products, adding in lots of vegetables, and using low-fat cooking techniques. It encourages eating a first course of broth-based soup or low-calorie salad (not heavily laden with dressing, cheese or bacon) to take the edge off your appetite. Recent clinical studies have shown this diet to be very effective. The recipes are appetizing but time consuming. Average recommended daily calories are 1,500, with 14 fruits and vegetable servings.
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet was designed to keep your blood sugar and hormones at optimal levels so that you can better fight obesity and diseases. It requires that each meal consist of 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs (based on calories). The diet allows many fruits, but almost no grains except oatmeal. The meals are simple to prepare and nutritionally balanced. But having to keep to the 30/30/40 balance is very tedious and requires lots of preplanning. Recent studies showed that the overall weight loss was below average. Average recommended daily calories are 1,660, with 17 fruits and vegetable servings.
Eat More, Weigh Less
The Eat More, Weigh Less (Ornish) Diet is a low-fat vegetarian diet that bans all meat, fish, oils, alcohol, sugar, and white flour. Their clinical studies suggest that strictly following the diet can prevent or reverse some diseases. Ornish argues that it is easier to make drastic changes to diet rather than small ones. The diet offers the most food per calorie of any of the diets. It is actually lower in fat than current USDA guidelines recommend. Studies have shown good long term weight loss, but a relatively high drop-out rate. Average recommended daily calories are 1,520, with 17 fruits and vegetable servings.
Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
The Atkins Diet is the grand daddy of them all. As with many of the other diets, it is divided into two phases. The first phase is a two week induction period that bans nearly all carbs. The second phase is only slightly less restrictive, but does slowly add more vegetables, fruit, and wine. Research has suggested that Atkins’ dieters are less hungry than on many other diets. But the diet is difficult to adhere to and has a high drop-out rate. Long term weight loss has been shown to be average. The single most glaring concern with the Atkins diet is that the nutritional profile is far outside conventional dietary guidelines. (We’ve all known people eating handfuls of bacon, eggs, and cheese for breakfast, claiming they were on a diet). Average recommended daily calories are 1,520, with 6 fruits and vegetable servings.
Written by Arthur Bradley, author of “Process of Elimination” - an intense thriller in which a martial artist, a greedy corporate attorney, and a sexy conspiracy theorist team up to stop a world-class sniper from killing presidential candidates.
Please feel free to review more diets below:
Holistic Tip of the Day: Reflexology
January 7, 2008 | 1 Comment
Reflexology is an excellent therapy for stress reduction, muscle relaxation, increased range of motion, relief and elimination of pain, decreased calcification between nerves, improved organ and gland function, increased immune system function, improved lymphatic drainage and detoxification, and increased circulation resulting in better oxygen and nutrient supply to all cells.
Michele Peterson
Now & Zen Healing Arts
Reiki Master, Reflexology Practitioner, Thai Yoga Massage Therapist, Ear Candling and Zen Facelift Therapist
Lakeville, MN
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/nowzenhealingarts
Holistic Tip of the Day: Clean Bowels for Optimal Health
January 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Dr Kellogg (founder of Kellogg’s Cereal) reported in the 1917 Journal of American Medicine that in the treatment of gastrointestinal disease in over 40,000 cases, he used surgery in only 20 cases. The rest were helped as a result of cleansing the bowels, diet, and exercise.
Quinn Raines RN RN, I-ACT Colon Hydrotherapist
Warm Springs Wellness Center
Murfreesboro, TN
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/warmspringswellness
Holistic Tip of the Day: Evening Primrose Oil and Pregnancy
January 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Evening Primrose Oil in the last 4 weeks of Pregnancy helps to soften and ripen the cervix for a smooth delivery. Avoid during the beginning of pregnancy and take in oil or capsule form beginning at 35-36 weeks. Consult you OB/GYN or physician prior to beginning the supplement.
Latham Thomas HHC, AADP, RYT, LMT
Holistic Health Counselor, Registered Yoga Teacher, Licenced Massage Therapist
Tender Shoots Wellness
New York, NY
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/Latham
Holistic Tip of the Day: Try The Japanese Art of “Feeling Full”
December 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The Japanese Art of “Feeling Full”
Here’s an interesting Japanese concept that would be great to go with the holiday season’s eating frenzy: hara hachi bu. Literally, in Japanese this means “stomach 80 percent” - the discipline of eating only “until you’re 80 percent full”.
Residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, who are among those in the world who enjoy great longevity and good, stable health, have perfected this practice over the years. In fact, according to several studies focusing on eating behaviors among different ethnicities, Okinawans eat 10 percent to 40 percent fewer calories than Americans. Scientists believe that if westerners themselves would adopt this habit, much can be done to head off problems in obesity and diseases associated with it, particularly cardiovascular issues and diabetes. Okinawans also consume more anti-oxidant rich, plant- and fish-based diet, and this aspect is continuously being studied.
Serving portions in Japan (and the whole of Asia in general) are of course smaller than in the United States, but the principle is really more of how food is perceived. Americans, for instance, love the idea of “super-sizing” and everything gets finished off the plate. In Japan, it is in bad form to heap the plate, and even worse to leave food on the plate. The habit, therefore, is to just have enough on the plate to give “80 percent fullness”, discouraging wastefulness and gluttony.
Nutritionists suggest this strategy: try eating until you feel mostly full, then wait 20 minutes. Studies seem to point that individuals actually are satisfied after following the 80 percent rule, even though they had consumed less. This is because the stomach’s stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is - and 20 minutes after stopping, people actually feel full.
So, go out and have fun this holiday season, and enjoy the bounty often set before you. Hodgson Mill enjoys being a part of happy, memorable times times with your family and friends. But just remember: Hara Hachi Bu. Eat until you are 80% full, and you will enjoy 100% of what the season, and more of what life has to offer.
Holistic Tip of the Day: Phenylalanine is a Hidden Danger
December 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Phenylalanine is a hidden danger to anyone consuming aspartame. Most consumers don’t know that too much Phenylalanine is a neurotoxin and excites the neurons in the brain to the point of cellular death.
ADD/ADHD, emotional and behavioral disorders can all be triggered by too much Phenylalanine in the daily diet. If you are one in ten thousand people who are PKU or carry the PKU gene, Phenylalanine can cause irreversible brain damage and death, especially when used in high quantities or during pregnancy. Phenylalanine is 50% of aspartame, and to the degree humans consume diet products, Phenylalanine levels are reaching a dangerous peak.
It is important to learn about the ingredients within your foods, especially isolated amino acids like Phenylalanine. They are in combination within nature for a reason - they don’t belong in isolated form for the healthy human diet.
This is found in everyday foods - chewing gum, diet sodas, yogurts … read labels!
James M Shinol MSOM, L.Ac
Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist
Huntington Station, NY
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/JShinol