Hoodia Information

Beware of “Fake” Hoodia when searching for a Hoodia supplement, make sure the manufacturer can document the source of the ingredient. Be wary of products called “hoodia,” which are actually another species of Hoodia that may only have weak or altered benefits.

Grill outside and enjoy the sunshine.  Grill meat and fresh vegetables, just on the grill or in kabobs.  Pineapple is also good.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are showing up at farmers markets everywhere.  Just to be outdoors is fun.

Cool summer smoothie

1 cup watermelon chunks
1 cup strawberries
½ cup raspberries
¼ cup crushed ice 

1   tsp protien powder 
Need an afternoon pick-me-up? Try this. Simply blend in the blender for 30 seconds. Garnish with a fresh berries.

Believe in Yourself and Lose Weight.  You can transform yourself if you believe in yourself and do a few  things too expedite that transformation.  Stay away from people who don’t support your activity or program.  Keep temptation out of sight.  The foods that tempt you should be put out.  Keep expectations low and concentrate on today.  Tomorrow will soon be today and you can deal with it then.  Stay in today.

Low-cal breakfast smoothie

1   tsp protein powder
½ cup non-fat plain yogurt
½ cup Orange Juice 
½ cup fresh Strawberries½ banana
¼ cup crushed ice 
Perfect on your way out the door in the morning, or post-workout. Blend ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Garnish with a strawberry or orange slice.

How to outsmart weight gain
By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.
by EatingWell Magazine, on Wed May 13, 2009 7:19am PDT

I’m one of those people who lives to eat. Luckily, I’ve been able to keep any unwanted extra pounds at bay thanks, in part, to my passion for running and also, in part, to my commitment to eating as many fruits and vegetables a day as possible.
My love of food (it’s an obsession, actually, according to this quiz: Are you obsessed with food?) is so great that for years I’ve been dreading the day my metabolism hits the brakes and slows down. Metabolism slows by 1 to 2 percent each decade after age 30, and that’s just around the corner for me.
But a slower metabolism is most marked in one’s sixties and beyond. Why? There’s a significant decrease in muscle in your sixties, particularly in women. And since muscle is a calorie-burning powerhouse, muscle loss equals fewer calories burned.
So while the aging-metabolism situation isn’t as imminent as I’d assumed, I’m determined to age gracefully (I love these 7 Foods to Keep You Young) and outsmart any weight gain by preserving muscle mass with strengthening exercises. Regular exercise can help offset reduced muscle metabolism and help you stay lean.
And, of course, I plan to eat a diet a bit lower in calories. That said, it’s hard to know just how many calories you should be eating each day to maintain, or lose, weight. I like to use EatingWell’s calorie calculator—it’s a quick and easy way to calculate your calorie goal.
Overall, remember that the key to managing an aging metabolism is to maintain a healthy weight (check out these 8 Tips to Shape Up Now) and exercise regularly, making sure to include some strengthening exercises.

Give your mother a sweet Mothers Day gift from the heart.  Give her a membership in a gym.

Sugar:  8 Shocking facts

• by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance, On Yahoo, Shine 

In case you haven’t heard, sugar is quite the bad boy for a healthy diet.  Part of the reason for this is because the more sugar you consume, the more you crave it.  And while sugar is an ingredient that is definitely worth indulging in once in awhile, over indulging can cause many health problems, both in the short term and the long term. Why, however, has it become such a problem?  In a recent teleconference that we held, expert Allison Reyna enlightened us on some very interesting factoids about the sweet white stuff and why it has become such a topic of concern in recent years:

1. Today’s Consumption: Today, an average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week.  While at the end of the 19th century (1887-1890), the average American consumed only 5 lbs. per year.
2. A Continual Rise: Over the last 20 years, sugar consumption in the U.S. has increased 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year.
3. Hidden Culprits: Sugar consumption includes highly refined sugars that are incorporated into many of the foods we eat (bread, peanut butter, condiments, sauces, etc.).  Some of these are better known as sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup.
4. 4 Classes: 4 classes of simple sugars (Sucrose, fructose, honey, and malts) are deemed “harmful” to optimal health when long-term consumption is over 15% of carbohydrate calories ingested.  Hint…complex carbohydrates (veggies, beans, legumes, whole grains) are the way to keep this number below 15%.
5. Health Issues: Simple sugars have been documented to contribute to and/or aggravate health problems, including: asthma, mood disorders, mental illness, nervous disorders, diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, and arthritis.
6. Insulin Impacts: Sugar raises insulin levels, inhibiting the release of growth hormones which depresses the immune system.  Further, too much insulin promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat foods that are high in sugar, you’re enabling rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease.
7. Degenerative Disease: Sugar has no real nutritional value (minerals, vitamins and fiber) and as a result, has a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system, causing sugar consumption to be one of  the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.
8. Cancer Culprits: Turns out that cancer’s preferred fuel is none other than glucose. Controlling one’s blood-glucose levels through diet, exercise, supplements, meditation and prescription drugs - when necessary - can be extremely important to a cancer treatment program.

So next time you think of having a lump of sugar in your coffee, remember, a long time ago, people found a way to drink their coffee without the sweet taste of sugar.

This was in Goodhousekeeping, Diet and Health

Best Anti-Aging Foods  Two Secret Age-Defying Treats

These six food groups hold the “power” to help you lose weight and turn back the clock.

By Samantha B. Cassetty, M.S., R.D. and Delia Hammock, M.S., R.D

Two Secret Age-Defying Treats

 They seem like diet no-no’s because of their calorie load, but dark chocolate and a handful (not a canful) of nuts have longevity and weight-loss benefits. This just in: Nuts give you a surprising diet edge. A recent study found that despite being a high-fat, high-cal food, they don’t promote weight gain. The reason: People find nuts filling and after eating them, offset some of the calories by eating less later on. Best of all, up to 20 percent of the calories in nuts don’t get absorbed.Craving something sweet? Dip into dark chocolate. The latest evidence suggests that cocoa flavanols (more predominant in dark chocolate than milky versions) may lower inflammation, keep blood pressure in check, prevent platelets from clotting (which could, in turn, prevent strokes and heart attacks), and boost brain power. 

This was in Goodhousekeeping, Diet and Health

Best Anti-Aging Foods  6. Red Wine

These six food groups hold the “power” to help you lose weight and turn back the clock.

By Samantha B. Cassetty, M.S., R.D. and Delia Hammock, M.S., R.D

 6. Red Wine and Other Drinks  What other diet recommends red wine? Ours does because the ruby beverage’s resveratrol is a potent antioxidant, inflammation damper, and artery protector. Plus, animal research suggests that high amounts of resveratrol may counteract cell death in the heart and brain, which could mean this compound has even greater potential to prolong your life. Limit yourself to one five-ounce glass a day; more could be harmful.If you’re not a wine drinker, no worries: Put on the coffeemaker or the kettle instead. Coffee appears to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, and evidence suggests that java drinkers have a lower chance of dying from heart disease. Some of the benefit may come from caffeine, but coffee also contains chlorogenic acids, antioxidants that might also play a protective role. Drinking tea may lower your risk of heart attacks, strengthen your immune system, protect tooth enamel, and help fight memory loss associated with aging. Choose green, black, white, or oolong — their leaves all come from the camellia sinensis, or tea plant. And their polyphenols (antioxidants), fluoride, and caffeine — which are thought to contribute to these health benefits — are largely missing from herbal brews.