Diabetes

The Early Signs That You Are Becoming Diabetic

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Diabetes occurs when the body struggles to regulate the amount of sugar that’s in your blood. This leads to high blood sugars called hyperglycemia, that over long periods of time these sugars start to weaken your blood vessels which causes damage to your internal organs. Diabetes is one of the most common causes of death in the world and is triggered by prolonged poor eating habits.

Your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin which is the key that allows sugar into your cells and removes it from the blood. However, it’s estimated that over 60% of adults suffer with some degree of insulin resistance, a situation where your cells can no longer accept sugar because they have been bombarded with sugary foods, refined carbs, nitrates, or too frequent meals for many years.

In the beginning this doesn’t usually show up on A1C blood test because your body compensates by pumping out more insulin. For this reason, it is important to recognize the top 12 early signs of insulin resistance and prediabetes to watch out for.

Dark patches of skin

You may start to notice darkened areas of velvety or leathery skin in the folds of your body such as your armpits, neck, or groin. When there’s too much sugar or insulin in your blood the skin cells start to reproduce too quickly and at a rapid rate. These new cells have more melanin pigment making it appear darker then the surrounding skin.

Sugar cravings

After you’ve eaten, when your blood sugars aren’t being controlled properly, you will likely crave the sweet or sugary snack shortly after you finish your meal. This happens because your cells aren’t accepting the sugar normally from your blood which tricks your brain into thinking that you’re still hungry and you crave sugar for a quick energy boost.

Blurred vision

At the early stages of insulin resistance you may begin to develop blurred vision. This happens because your cells are no longer accepting insulin and glucose causing the lenses of your eye to swell with fluid. The high blood glucose could also damage the blood vessels connected to your eyes causing distorted vision, blurriness.

Frequent urination at night

If you have too much glucose or sugar in your blood it binds to water causing your body to hold more fluid. Your kidneys also must work overtime to filter this extra sugar in your blood which causes you to pee more frequently especially during the night. This also makes you thirstier during the day and this causes a vicious cycle.

Puffy face

If you’re eating too many carbohydrates or sugars and your body can’t control your blood sugars, you’ll likely develop puffy face especially around the cheeks. The high amount of sugar in your body is causing fluid retention and making your face appear bloated. You also get darkening and puffiness around your eyes and eyelids. You may notice that if you cut out the carbohydrates for a week or two your face starts to shrink very quickly. This is not usually fat loss but simply a loss of the excess fluid.

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Tingling or numbness in the feet or hands

Tingling, burning, stabbing, or shooting pain in your feet, toes, or hands may be a sign of neuropathy. The high insulin and sugar in your blood is damaging to blood vessels and peripheral nerves causing them to misfire and send odd signals to your brain. This can also worsen into numbness and a loss of function if it develops from pre diabetes into full blown type 2 diabetes.

Skin tags

Skin tags can be harmless but if more continue to grow over time then this could be a sign of prediabetes. High levels of insulin causes the skin cells to reproduce rapidly and as it’s an anabolic hormone, it causes the skin tags to grow. Many people who have reversed insulin resistance with natural methods find that their skin tags naturally start to disappear.

Belly fat

When you have high amounts of sugar in your blood for long periods of time your body must convert this into fat to preserve the energy for the future. Too much insulin and glucose causes your liver to become filled with fat and this starts spilling over into your belly area.

Tiredness

After eating a meal, you should feel energized and alert as you’ve just nourished your body with vitamins and minerals. However, if you notice that you feel extremely tired after eating then this may indicate that you have insulin resistance, and the fuel isn’t getting into your cells properly.

Itchy skin

This occurs because high blood sugar and insulin is damaging to blood vessels which supply nutrients to the skin. It can also make your skin more susceptible to bacterial or fungal infections which may cause boils and abscesses. Eating too many carbohydrates and sugars can also deplete vitamin B3 which is very important for keeping your skin healthy.

Slow wound healing

Higher levels of sugar in your blood causes poor circulation so it can take longer for a minor cut, bruise, or a wound to heal properly. This gets progressively worse as you become a diabetic and can eventually lead to loss of limb.

Brain fog

This happens when your blood sugars spike and then fall dramatically leaving you hypoglycemic. This means that not enough fuel is reaching your brain causing you to feel foggy.

Causes of Prediabetes/Diabetes

Why do refined, highly processed foods cause prediabetes? The nutrients in these types of foods have been stripped away leaving you with only the energy portion which is glucose. Without these nutrients like B vitamins, for example, your body struggles to process the sugars properly causing insulin resistance.

The second cause is high levels of mental stress. When you’re stressed your body makes more of a hormone called cortisol. Problem is that if you have too much cortisol it breaks down your muscle and fat and turns it into blood sugars which overtime can cause insulin resistance and diabetes.

Another cause is having too frequent meals throughout the day which bombards your cells with so much fuel that they cannot handle anymore. Every time you eat you raise insulin, and our bodies weren’t designed to be eating all day which is why fasting really helps to reverse prediabetes.

Can You Prevent Diabetes?

The answer is yes and here are a few tips to start incorporating into your daily routine.

  • Cut out refined carbohydrates, sugar, flour, and grain-based foods.
  • Replace refined foods with healthy fats to keep your hunger levels down.
  • Consume nutritional yeast to supply B vitamins which reduce cravings and reverse nerve damage.
  • Eat lots of organic, cruciferous vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. These leafy greens are loaded with potassium and magnesium, two key minerals which help to reverse insulin resistance and regulate your blood sugars.
  • Soluble fiber in vegetables also helps to stabilize your blood sugars.
  • Start taking the daily supplement of chromium picolinate. This is a very powerful trace mineral which helps insulin and glucose become more sensitive in the body so that it can be moved into the cells. Chromium also helps your liver to produce the master antioxidant glutathione which also helps to prevent diabetes and oxidative damage.
  • Stop snacking between meals.
  • Try taking a teaspoon of MCT oil at the end of your first meal. This is made from coconuts that keeps you feeling full for longer by providing an alternative fuel source to your cells which are called ketones instead of glucose.
  • Manage your stress levels and get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/chromium#:~:text=In%20one%20well%2Ddesigned%20study,than%20those%20who%20took%20placebo.

Diabetes – The Hidden Cause Of Alzheimer’s?

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diabetes

In today’s society, diabetes is now so common that it’s rare for someone not to know a relative or friend who has it.  There are 30 million people living in the United States alone with diabetes.  2.3 million (roughly) in Canada.  It’s an epidemic health crisis to say the least.  But, before we get into a deep discussion let’s start with explaining exactly what diabetes is.

What Is Diabetes?

When we eat carbohydrates, most are broken down into simple sugars in our bodies.  Our cells then use these sugars for energy.  However, they are not able to get into our cells on their own.  They are shuttled there by insulin.  Ketones on the other hand can also produce energy without the assistance of insulin but we’ll get to that later.

There are two types of diabetes that people are generally aware of.  However, adults with diabetes could benefit from better treatment if the condition was categorized into the full five.

Type 1 Diabetes

This is the conclusion of a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. (1)

Type 1 diabetes is the body’s inability to create enough insulin.  The pancreas is responsible for creating insulin but can no longer do so sufficiently.  Type 1 is thought to be caused by genetics or viruses that early in life infect and break the pancreas’ ability to do its job of creating insulin.

People with type 1 diabetes need to inject themselves with insulin to match what the body would have created to process the sugars.  Because this is a tricky matching process, there is a danger of too much or too little insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is considered a lifestyle disease or an illness created by the standard American diet.  It is also termed insulin resistance.  Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to make enough insulin or use it makes properly.  Insulin is a hormone used by the body to control glucose levels (the amount of sugar in your blood).  Glucose is one of the main sources of fuel for the body.  Providing the body with the energy needed to perform all necessary functions. (2)

Sugar And Its Affects On Our Bodies

After many years of inappropriate levels of sugars in our diet, our pancreas isn’t able to function as it should.  It’s either no longer able to quickly match our bodies sugar intake and/or our body is no longer accepting the insulin that our pancreas is creating to shuttle sugars into our cells.  This leads to rising levels of unprocessed sugars in our blood stream.  Increasing damage excess sugar has on our bodies.  For further reading, click here to read, “These Food Additives are Linked to Cancer, Diabetes and Obesity”.

I could go into detail about what that excess sugar does to your body (one thing is it is stored as fat) but I want to get to the main reason for this article.  What excess sugar does to your brain!

Type 3 Diabetes

Type 3 diabetes is not a common term that people have heard of unless you read a lot about health.  It is however becoming more mainstream.

Type 3 diabetes is what excess sugar does to your brain’s ability to keep itself fueled.  It is like saying Type 2 diabetes but the brain edition.  Your brain’s ability to run requires that it be given constant energy.  Much like a car needs X litres of fuel per 100 KM.  That is unless you own a tesla / run your brain on ketones.

Your brain needs a steady source of energy.  For most of us, that is coming from carbohydrates (sugars).  However it would be great if we could use ketones …. Oops, getting ahead of myself ….

As we constantly expose our bodies to excessive simple carbohydrates and thus simple sugars our bodies begin to take notice.  It then creates a safety mechanisms to protect us from the excess damaging sugar.  One of these mechanisms to protect the brain is called the blood brain barrier.

Alzheimer's Disease OR Diabetes Of The Brain?

Internal Special Forces – Brain Security

Our brain is protected by our body and the blood brain barrier is like Brain Security (special forces level, not mall security).  This barrier only allows what it thinks is the most important nutrients, fats and energy sources into our brain cells (neurons, etc.)

As we constantly expose our bodies to excess sugars, our body’s resist the insulin/sugar energy source and we get Type 2 diabetes.  Our cells want energy but our body’s security “protects us” from the excess onslaught.  So much so that our cells are actually getting less energy than they need.

The excess sugar that is not allowed past is stored as fat.  So the more security turns away sugar, the more fat is stored.  The more the body needs energy, the more carbs we eat to give it that energy.  That cycle continues until we are fat and tired (and sick).

The brain’s security guard does the same thing.  It starts to turn away insulin/sugar because it is protecting the brain.  However, this security guard doesn’t care that the brain needs all that energy.  It is designed for short term protection, not constant protection.  Thus, the brain gets less energy than it needs to function properly.  It’s like putting your foot down on the gas pedal and your car starts to slow down.  The engine is not getting enough gas to keep your speed let alone speed up.

Health Issues & Risk Factors Of Diabetes

Researchers believe that Type 3 diabetes (Type 2 diabetes of the brain) plays a strong role or is responsible for mental health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia, and other brain illnesses.  Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and other types of dementia … (2)

We conclude that the term “type 3 diabetes” accurately reflects the fact that AD represents a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain and has molecular and biochemical features that overlap with both type 1 diabetes mellitus and T2DM. (3)  Type 3 diabetes occurs when neurons in the brain become unable to respond to insulin, which is essential for basic tasks, including memory and learning. (4)

If your brain isn’t getting fueled properly, it only makes sense that it won’t run properly and that it will manifest itself in some noticeable way.  In the beginning it could be fatigue, brain fog or memory issues.  However, in the end it could become a serious mental health issue.

The Superior Solution For Sourced Energy

So, you are wondering, Keto Jack, when are you going to get to the Ketone part?  Ketones are the other superior source of energy that your body can use to fuel your cells and to fuel your brain.  Ketones can be derived from the breakdown of fat in your body which will occur only when levels of insulin is low enough.  Your body likes to concentrate on using one fuel at a time or they can be ingested.

A ketogenic diet is one way to generate ketones.  However, it’s a very hard way.  Intermittent fasting gives your body small windows of no sugar intake and therefore your body doesn’t need to produce insulin.  Rather, it can generate ketones from your fat.

Another way is to drink pure therapeutic ketones.  There are naturally fermented and bioidentical versions available that your body sees as no different than if you had burned fat and made ketones.  For a great keto recipe, click here to for a great keto brownie recipe!

The bottom line is that excess sugars in our diet is causing not only damage from the neck down, but just as importantly damaging our brains!  So, cut back and/or eliminate added sugars.  Eat whole foods!  Save your brain so that when you are older you can still remember the advice I just gave you.  Your children and grandchildren will really appreciate it when you remember their names…For further information, click here to read, “Keto Diet and Chiropractic – What Do They Have in Common?”

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As always, if anything I have written resonates with you, leave a comment.  If you have any questions or would like more information about drinking ketones, making ketones or healthy eating, feel free to send me an email ([email protected])

I am here to serve! (I just won’t serve you dessert ? )

Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/therealketojack/ and Instagram @ketojack
Jack Lauzon, B.Sc. Honors Physics, Health Educator

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The Brain Adjustment: The Shift You Must Make For Your Health

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The Brain Adjustment

When it comes to health, most everyone understands that it affects every part of life and so the desire is for more and better health.  What most people don’t understand is that every part of life affects health – that health and life are intimately linked.

See, going on a diet generally isn’t good for your health and the reasons are likely many.  For starters, let’s consider the first 3 letters – die… but with jokes aside, the main reason is that they are usually time bound.  One might say for example, “I’m going to eat a certain way until I get to a desired weight,” but once the weight target has been reached they will likely revert back to their previous lifestyle and almost invariably more weight “climbs” back on. 

This is largely because we as a society have become so near sighted and confused cause with effect.  We view symptoms like excess weight, pain, poor flexibility, even cancer as problems that need to be treated rather than symptoms of an underlying approach to living (the cause).  We are far too caught up with how we feel right now, giving little thought to what we’ve done to get there and where this current approach to life is taking us – are you regularly taking some time to consider your trajectory?  Quite frankly, we are becoming less and less responsible – less and less able to respond most effectively to the stressors and strains that all of us face in this life.

Take for example the world’s fastest growing chronic degenerative disease; type II diabetes.  In a nut shell, here’s how it’s caused: a person is consuming excess carbs and sugars so their pancreas produces insulin to convert it to fat and store it. As the excessive consumption of carbs and sugars continues more fat is stored and when their body (that is the amazing innate intelligence flowing through the nerve system) recognizes that they are too fat, it reduces their insulin sensitivity to stop more fat being stored because it doesn’t want the body to be any fatter (this is a protective mechanism just like pain is a warning to protect from further damage).  What most people do, rather than take responsibility and reduce carbs and sugars, is go to their medical doctor who prescribes insulin to help their body store more fat, meaning they take pills or injections to help them get fatter which is the reason the insulin sensitivity is reducing in the first place!

If we want to be healthy we need to be responsible and this requires self discipline – the proverb “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”  This is so true when it comes to health.  Optimal health requires taking a proactive approach to optimizing each area of our lives because we all come under attack from the 3 Ts (toxins, thoughts and trauma) right throughout life.

This makes sense yet why aren’t we as a society more proactive?  We’ve lost or allowed our VISION to be taken from us.  Without vision people will go with the flow and when a symptom or sickness arises they may take a healthier approach to life to get rid of it but that is an ‘away from’ motivation.  As soon as they are ‘far enough away’, there is no motivation to keep on with this healthier approach and they go back to their old way and often end up in a worse state.  Another proverb that rings true “without VISION people perish.”

So the key for health is having a VISION for your life!  Here are some examples; enjoying life with your grandkids, playing golf/tennis when you are 80, serving your community in your retirement or travelling the world if you want to.  Having a vision will enable you to do the less desirable thing and forgo the instant gratification (eat more of the spinach and less of the ice cream) and achieve a much greater reward.  Having a VISION, with targets along the way and a plan to carry you through is vital for the best life.  A final warning, the quick fix is far more costly… consistency is the driving force behind positive change and remember, your health will never exceed the VISION you have for your life!

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Blog by Guest Author:

Dr. Thomas EganDr. Thomas Egan – Gonstead Chiropractor.

Established Peninsula Chiropractic that is now located on East Main Street in Welland in April 2013 – a patient centered family practice with a loving caring team consisting of Lisa, Melissa and newest addition Jessica.  Lives in Welland with his wife Sarah, 1 year old son Malachi (who is brother of a yet to be determined boy or girl).  Born and raised in Australia and from there graduated as a chiropractor in 2004 from RMIT.  Practiced in Melbourne until 2013 before migrating to Welland, Canada.  Has been practicing the Gonstead method since July 2000 (half way through 1st year university) – a method geared around getting to the root cause of the problem and making the most specific correction/adjustment toward normal (vastly different from a manipulation) to help the person get as good as possible as quick as possible and doing it in a way that helps them stay that way for as long as possible.  Believes chiropractic, when applied in the most principled way, is gospel re-enactment on a physical level pointing to the ultimate adjustment given by Jesus who restores the relationship between the head (God) and the body (us). 

You Can find Dr. Egan at:
[email protected]
727 East Main Street Welland, ON. L3B 3Y5
www.peninsulachiropractic.ca
https://www.facebook.com/PeninsulaChiropractic

 

Become a Fat-Burning Machine

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Become a Fat-Burning Machine

Today’s society has taught us the foundational habits that put us on the fast-track to obesity, chronic illness, disease and a shortened lifespan. One of the most dangerous habits practiced by nearly everyone you know and very likely you too, is poor nutrition. Ouch! But it’s true… Read on!

Our culture has fostered in each of us eating habits that has made us a society of heavy carb-consumers, carb-burners, carb-cravers and fat storers! And it’s these habits that have set the stage for many of the devastating plagues of the day – namely diabetes, heart disease, cancer and as a result, a shorter life.

So what does this have to do with burning fat and becoming a fat burning machine?

Everything! Yes, how we eat has literally programmed our bodies to crave fast fuel carbohydrates as our predominant fuel source and subsequently for many, to store fat on our bodies at an alarming rate.  And we hate it because it makes us look and feel crappy. Possibly the most upsetting reality is that many of the  ‘experts’ have literally taught us it’s the right way to eat to be healthy.  Well, not if you look at the science. In fact, research has shown countries who consume the highest percentage of fat, particularly saturated fat have been shown to have the lowest risk of heart disease! It’s the exact opposite of what we’ve been taught.

Truth be told, it’s very simple — you burn what you eat. If you keep eating sugar (carbohydrate)  you’re going to burn sugar and sadly you’ll store the excess as – you guessed it!   FAT!   But if you consume more fat, much more fat – particularly healthy fats, you’re going to teach your body to preferentially burn fat as it’s primary fuel. And it’s not just the fat you ate at dinner, but also that unwanted body fat will start to burn away too. If there was a secret to this then that’s it. If you want to burn fat, you have to eat fat. Eating fat does not make you fat, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Eating fat makes you an efficient fat burner. It can actually make you leaner. Not only that, healthy fats are crucial for many body processes not the least of which is your brain function. In fact, your brain cannot function properly without fat. 

All the while, many nutrition ‘experts’ still tell us to eat a low fat diet to stay lean and avoid cardiovascular disease and outright heart attacks. Unfortunately the science just doesn’t support that. Not only that, but observation and experience doesn’t support that either. After decades of avoiding fat we’re more overweight, even obese than ever before in history and cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer with the incidence going up, not down. What we’re doing is not working.

The next logical question would then be, ‘What kind of healthy fats should I be eating?’

Some of the best sources of healthy fat are avocados and avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil (but olive oil not heated to boil or smoke point), butter from grass fed (pastured) cows, MCT oil and organic pastured egg yolks are a great place to start. Healthy omega 3 fat sources (that are essential for optimal brain health) would be flax seeds and flax seed oil, and fish oils, particularly sardines, anchovies, salmon or krill oil. Fats to avoid would be the trans fats in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Avoid these like the plague. Run, hide and be very afraid! They’re dangerous to your health. If you’re going to be consuming more fat, eating the right kind of right fat is key.

So now we know which fats to choose, the next question is how much fat do we need.

Although the simple answer is more, the latest science recommends that healthy fats should comprise anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of your overall energy intake. That is easily 2-4 times what that we’ve been told to eat!  So definitely more. However, remember that fat is higher in calories but small in terms of volume so when you look at how much space it takes up on your plate, the largest portion should still be vegetables.

At the same time, it’s a good idea to cut back on those unhealthy carbohydrates – namely bread, pasta, cereal and baked goods, not just the obvious — cookies, chips, bagels, and  french fries, sugar and sweets – the blatant no-no’s. Also avoid processed or added fructose, particularly high-fructose corn syrup which is staple in nearly every soft drink out there today. Do your body a favour — Read labels!

But remember, everybody is different and unique in their exact needs. While making the move to a diet that is higher in healthy fat, proportionately lower in carbohydrates and moderate in protein will make huge health strides for the vast majority of people, our specific needs are individual so it’s important to know there’s not an exact ratio that’s perfect for everyone. Getting to know how your body runs best can be measured with various tests, but also by how you perform and feel.

So if you’re like nearly everyone out there today that wants to become that fat burning machine to shed that excess body fat and body weight, while at the same time significantly lower your risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, you’ll want to strongly consider upping your intake of healthy fats and and proportionately cutting back those unhealthy carbs. It truly can be the formula for you becoming a fat-burning machine, a you that is efficiently losing weight, feeling great and living a longer, healthier life.

Blog by Guest Author: 

Dr. Mark FoullongDr. Mark Foullong has prided himself for over 20 years in delivering the highest quality of health care to Orangeville and surrounding areas.  Dr. Mark graduated with honours from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic with a 4-year Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree.  Prior to that, his studies were in Honours Biochemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.  Because of his passion in helping families maximize their health and well being and also his love of children, he further completed 1 year of specialized training in Paediatrics granting him Fellowship status from the International Chiropractic Paediatrics Association (F.I.C.P.A.).  He does what he loves and loves what he does.

Dr. Mark has been in private practice in Orangeville since 1995.  He has built, and now alongside Dr. Trevor Middleton and Dr. Jess Willox, run the largest Chiropractic practice in Dufferin County.  Dr. Mark and his team constantly strive to be the best they can for their patients and to stay on the cutting edge of the latest technology and information in health delivery.  As such, the team is involved with regular continuing education and training.  They travel thousands of miles and spending hundreds of hours every year to remain the health leaders in their community and their profession.

Find Dr. Mark Foullong at: 

web:  www.orangevillechiropractor.com
facebook:  @dufferinfamilychiropractic
Twitter:  @OvilleChiro
Youtube:  Orangeville Chiropractor – Dufferin Family Chiropractic
Instagram:  @Orangeville_Chiropractor

Ditch Soda Altogether, Diet or Not

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Ditch the soda

Although the label on a diet soda may indicate that it is a healthier version of its full sugar counterpart, when you look at the studies on how diet soda impacts your health, you’ll be thinking twice before indulging again.

First things first…this post is not a debate as to which soda product to consume.

Regardless of the type of soda that you may be consuming, I want to be clear that consuming this product raises very significant health concerns.

Soda of any kind is highly acidic and can contribute to tooth decay as well as affect the pH of the body. Consuming a diet that is high in processed foods and beverages creates an acidic environment in the body, which creates imbalances in the body. To counteract the acidity of the body, calcium can be leached from bones and teeth to raise the pH closer to neutral. 

Living in a state of acidity also allows for diseases to form in the body including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, just to name a few.

This message is directed at those people that drink diet pop and truly believe that they are doing their body a service by not indulging in the more sugar-laden stuff. So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty on how drinking diet soda can specifically negatively effect your health and future wellbeing.

Tooth Decay

If you are concerned with keeping your pearly whites in good condition, then ditching your soda habits is imperative. The acidity from the pop eats away at the enamel and can cause tooth decay. Imagine how your teeth would hold up if submerged in battery acid. Well, the acidity of pop (pH of 2.5) isn’t far off from that of battery acid (pH of 1). Remember back to high school chemistry class that water is neutral with a pH of 7. With a pH of 2.5, there is no wonder that pop can wreak havoc on our body so quickly.

Cardiovascular Disease

As if there aren’t enough, lifestyle factors that can trigger the development of cardiovascular disease without a beverage that is marketed as “diet” and “sugar-free” to confuse consumers. Do yourself a favour and remove all sodas from your diet. The consumption of diet pop has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Weight issues

Like many “diet” products that don’t help you to lose weight magically, the same is true of diet soda. The artificial sugars in soda also trigger insulin to be released, much like regular pop does, and initiates fat storage in the body. The best options are to replace pop with water and herbal teas.

Kidney Damage

Think of your kidneys as a filter responsible for cleaning out unwanted substances and excess fluid in your body and releasing it as urine. Now imagine what happens to a filter when it is full of “junk.”

It is believed that the sweeteners (“junk”) used in diet pop cause kidney function to decline with regular consumption of diet pop.

Now that you have the lowdown on diet pop, steer clear of it and any other beverage masking itself as “diet” or “sugar-free.”

Breastfeeding and Immunity

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breastfeeding and immunity

There has definitely been more than enough negative social media coverage over the past few years regarding public breastfeeding.

What those people with negative comments probably don’t realize is that they are impacting the way some parents are raising their children.

Shaming a woman for feeding her child is the absolute last thing that should ever occur, yet it is still happening. Education and support for young families is vital to remove some of the stigmas that comes with breastfeeding an infant.

It is important to understand that the benefits of breastfeeding to mom and baby last a lifetime. Providing a newborn with the most perfectly composed breast milk provides them with such a wonderful opportunity to thrive, grow, and develop.

As compared to formula, which has a set nutritional composition, breast milk changes as the baby grows and their nutritional needs change. Early on, breast milk is higher in lactose (sugar) and water, and as the baby gets older, breast milk becomes higher in fat to support the baby’s growing caloric needs.

Possibly one of the most important benefits of breastfeeding is the fact that breast milk contains antibodies that aid in developing the infant’s immune system.

It has been reported that babies that are breast fed have fewer illnesses than babies that are formula fed. In addition, babies that are breast fed have a lower risk or developing diabetes, childhood cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, obesity, allergies and asthma. It is also reported that there are fewer cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies that are breastfed.

If that evidence is not convincing enough, then how about the fact that breastfed children tend to score higher on IQ tests and academic performances. The nutritional components of the breast milk and emotional bonding with mother help to promote cognitive development in infants.

The benefits of breastfeeding for the mother are also quite significant. The most obvious benefit would be the bonding time that is spent as the baby is nursed several times a day. In addition, it has been shown that mothers who breast feed have a lower risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer later in life. Breastfeeding also helps gradually restore the body to its pre-baby weight as more calories are burned daily to produce a steady supply of breastmilk. It has also been reported that women who didn’t breastfeed or who stopped breastfeeding early on had a higher risk of developing postpartum depression.

What To Do If Breastfeeding Isn’t An Option

We can certainly appreciate the fact that not all new moms have the opportunity or the ability to breast feed their children. In that case, there are options for mothers to explore. One of those options is to look for milk donors, who are other women with a sufficient milk supply to pump and freeze their extra milk.

If this option is not available, then the next best thing would be to research organic formula options and choose one that best fits your comfort level. Remember to do some serious research on what the ingredients are in the formula you choose. Just because it is organic does not mean that it is suitable for your baby.

Sitting Too Much is the New Smoking

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sitting

The amount of sitting that we do in a day has quickly become a concern for our health and longevity.  Studies reveal that the health impact of sitting for too many hours a day can be compared to the effects that smoking has on our health.

A sedentary lifestyle has been linked to;
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Weakened immune system.

Let’s explore some ways to ensure that you don’t fall symptom to these diseases.

Shocking!  How Many Hours Of Sitting We Do In A Day

There is the time in the car on the way to and from work.  The 8 hours at the office.  All in addition to spending time each night on the couch in front of the television, computer or on your phone.

The winter months in Canada can be particularly difficult to get motivated to work out or to be more active.  But there are some simple things that you can add to your daily routine to increase your activity level without having to brave the elements of winter.

Set A Goal To Be Active 10 Minutes Each Hour That You Are Awake!

If you wake up at 6 am and go to bed at 10 pm, then you have 160 minutes to fill with activity.  Don’t panic.  Activity doesn’t mean that you have to be actively exercising.

Activity could be as simple as;
  • Standing at your desk while you make phone calls
  • Tidying your house
  • Preparing dinner
  • Walking to the car (I suggest parking at the far end of the parking lot at work and the grocery store to increase your activity) 
  • Taking a walk on your lunch break
  • Taking a yoga or pilates class, or any other form of exercise that you enjoy

Click here to read, “10 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day”.

If you are pressed for time to fit in exercise, try multitasking.

When you drop the kids off at their extracurricular activities, rather than sitting and waiting for them to be finished, use this time to do an impromptu workout.  Walk around the block or if the weather isn’t nice, go to a nearby shopping centre and do a quick lap around the store.

If you are prone to watching a lot of television during the winter, then during the commercial breaks, get up and do a small work out.

Do three reps of 15 squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, or go through a quick yoga flow of stretches.

Get a fitness tracker and aim to hit around 10,000 steps per day.

Especially if you are the type of person that needs to visually see your progress throughout the day.

The benefits of an active lifestyle are far reaching and include;
  • Higher energy levels
  • More restful sleep
  • Lower body mass index
  • Detoxification
  • Better mental clarity

By bringing awareness to our level of activity we can easily make adjustments to our lifestyle.  All this to ensure that we are taking care good of our health and maximizing our longevity.

With Sources From:

http://www.nchpad.org/403/2216/Sedentary~Lifestyle~is~Dangerous~to~Your~Health

Are you still consuming this poison that causes your brain cells to self destruct?

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This is one of the worst substances ever created in the laboratory. And it has been systematically added to our food supply for the last few decades.

This artificial sweetener is hiding in many of your foods and it is important to be diligent in reading labels to be sure you are avoiding it.

Aspartame is a neurotoxin – which means it actually chemically toxifies your brain cells to death with poison.

It is used as a sweetener in diet drinks, yogurt, gum, and many pre-packaged foods.

There is overwhelming evidence (over 900 studies) stating that it creates irreversible damage in the body, with over 92 known side effects.

You can imagine that it can be somewhat difficult to pinpoint the cause of your symptoms if you are unknowingly ingesting this sweet poison.

For example, some of the known side effects include epileptic seizures, aggression, heart palpitations, migraines, brain damage, hives, nausea and blindness. Also, multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and brain tumours.

The side effects can either build up gradually over time, or can be an acute reaction.

According to Lendon Smith, M.D. there is an enormous population suffering from side effects associated with aspartame, yet have no idea why drugs, supplements and herbs don’t relieve their symptoms.

Are you being poisoned by Aspartame and don’t even know it?

You are being poisoned if you are using any of these products:
• NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Amino-Sweet
• Children’s Tylenol chewable tablets
• Centrum Jr. and Silver Vitamins
• Metamucil (sugar free)
• Some Flintstones vitamins
• Dimetapp
• Some Gerber hydration solutions
• All diet sodas
• Smucker’s sugar free products
• Kool-Aid
• Crystal-Light
• Jello
• Most brands of gum and mints
• Sugar free candies
• Some sugar free yogurts
• Some breakfast cereals and granola bars
• Most items that are labelled sugar free

There are many more products that aren’t on this list that also contain aspartame. It’s important to read the labels of everything you consume, to be sure you are not inadvertently poisoning yourself or your family.

Also look for anything that contains Asesulfame K or Acesulfame Potassium. They can also mimic aspartame and are sometimes used in conjunction with each other.

So how do you avoid Aspartame?

The easiest way to avoid aspartame is to eat real food. Shop in the perimeter of the grocery store and spend 90% of your time in the produce department. Choose foods that do not require a label. For example, an apple is an apple. It doesn’t need a label to identify the ingredients that are inside of the apple.

If you used to sweeten your coffee with an artificial sweetener, switch to real food!

Honey has amazing health benefits and tastes great. Pure maple syrup also contains a great deal of nutrition. Use these sugars sparingly, as they are very sweet and can add several calories to your beverage. However, those calories come with a lot of nutrition, and no matter what, they are SO much better than aspartame.

This is a very informative short video outlining the dangers of Aspartame and how to avoid it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6L9S_jc5E

With Sources from:

visit http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx