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“The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition: How to Buy, Store, and Prepare Every Variety of Fresh Food”

Product Description

http://www.amazon.com/Wellness-Encyclopedia-Food-Nutrition-Prepare/dp/B001W9CCQ8/ref=sr_1_2?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285788417&sr=8-2

“Why Omega-3’s Were Removed From The Western Diet and What We Can Do To Replace Them”

Product Description

http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Fats-Omega-3s-Removed-California/dp/0520253809/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285784324&sr=8-1

Fitness enthusiasts use new equipment as both a justification of their commmitment to their chosen athletic endeavors, as well as a significant symbol to others of their serious athletic intent; whether they’re consciously aware of it or not. 

Believe me when I tell you, serious fitness enthusiasts don’t spend a lot of money on a new bike or a new set of wheels just because it’s a couple of grams lighter than the previous editions.  Psychologically, it means so much more than that.

Fresh personal training studios open up every month around the valley and every month neophyte personal trainers attempt to make a buck while learning on your dime.  After a rough go of it… the personal training studios eventually close down or change hands with new owners, while the rookie personal trainers become real estate agents.  Longterm sustainability in a personal training studio and the experience of a tenured personal trainer are pivotal to your health and fitness goals. 

What you don’t know about health and fitness can certainly keep you from your personal objectives.

Regardless of genetics, behavior modification can dramatically reduce illness and premature death. 

Start by reducing your intake of processed foods, excess calories that don’t need consuming, high fat and high sugar foods, as well as restaurant food.  Instead, consume organic produce (i.e. fruits and vegetables) raw and cooked, various lean proteins and whole grains the way nature developed them.

Next, increase your physical activity up to 5 days per week with a combination of progressive resistance training and cardiovascular movement; these modalities of physical training help avoid obesity which is the most important disease risk factor that you can control. 

Absolutely don’t smoke and minimize all drug consumption (legal or otherwise) and drink alcohol in moderation or not at all. 

In addition, learn to manage stress through mitigation of stressful situations or applied techniques learned through various programs. 

Get adequate rest and sleep every night and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Lastly, minimize or avoid reckless behavior… because accidents are rarely accidents.

All these behaviors are healthful and stand alone with great benefit, but when applied in combination, their effectiveness runs very deep.

The concept of prevention is to anticipate what may come to harm us or those we care about; whether physically, mentally or spiritually.

To take appropriate preventive action is to avoid harm in the first place… simply stop doing what may lead to harm in the future… or minimize further damage from harm already experienced.

To be good at prevention – you must learn broadly and deeply and then use that knowledge as a tool to stay safe, aware, healthy and wise.

Researchers analyzed the results of 10 past trials in 3,803 patients who took supplements of glucosamine or chondroitin and a placebo (fake) supplement to treat arthritis in their hips or knees. 

They found neither supplement, taken either separately or together, did any better than a placebo.

As a side note: Chondroitin has never been shown to be useful at anything except for extermination of sharks; shark cartilage is primarily composed of chondroitin.

Let me sternly repeat here “the majority of supplements are garabage and a waste of your money”.

If you’re relying on doctors and the medical establishment to cure your illness and disease when your health declines, you certainly need to rethink your strategy.  The medical profession should be used in dire, emergency situations and not relied upon for long-term physical and mental health. The medical professionals, that we seek out for assistance, have a higher rate of physical and mental disease in many cases than the average American. And as a whole… the medical establishment knows as much about health and fitness as a used car lot. Personal responsibilty for your on-going good health is no one’s obligation but your own. Learn, implement and maintain your good health through a balanced lifestlye (i.e. whole “real” food nutrition, adequate rest and relaxation, progressive and balanced weight training, consistent brisk movement and an on-going personal spirituality.

Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine That Can Transform Our Future

Healthcare is no longer just a public issue; for millions of Americans it is now a crisis on their own doorstep. Cost of medical care today are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy. Although policy makers have weighed in on all sides, in this book, bestselling author Andrew Weil, M.D., identifies the root of the problem. He shows us exactly how we have become embroiled in the present situation and provides a solution that will not only make healthcare affordable, but will also put each one of us on the road to optimum health.

Dr. Weil states that we have a right to good healthcare that is effective, accessible, and affordable. Many Americans would be surprised to know that our national health is far from the best in the world, even though we spend more money on it than any other country. The World Health Organization recently rated America thirty-seventh in health outcomes, on par with Serbia. Tackling head-on the Three Major Myths of American Medicine, Dr. Weil shows how medical schools fail to give future doctors the education they need to care for patients, how insurance companies have destroyed our opportunity to get excellent care, and how pharmaceutical companies have come to rule our lives. The solution involves nothing less than the creation of a completely new culture of health and medicine in this country, one that we can each start building today.

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Our-Health-Matters-Transform/dp/1594630666/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285277541&sr=1-1

When you lose your personal health – nothing else matters.  All the things you busy yourself with daily – no longer matter.  In fact, when your health is greatly diminished or your very existence is in question, all you can think about is being well again.  So why not make health, wisely, your top priority?  Learn and practice healthy preventative behaviors now, before you’re forced to recognize what’s really important in your life.

The food industry has done a plethora of research on consumers and their eating habits.  The summation of all this research overwhelmingly shows that taste, value and convenience are most important to American consumers. 

Until there’s a priority change, within the food industry, brought on by “us” the consumers, diseases such as obesity, cancer and heart disease will continue unabated.   

Healthy and Nutritious are more important than “Value” and “Convenience”!

“A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, the author, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  But the lecture he gave–“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.”

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Lecture-Randy-Pausch/dp/1401323251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284959834&sr=8-1#_

Personally, I like to listen intently, without judgement, to what people have to say to me, then… I simply observe what they actually do to get to the truth of the matter.

This is a convenient place to purchase quality Organic Food (especially whole grains) for the single person; but for the majority of families it’s probably a bit too expensive due to the smaller serving sizes per cost.  They offer various organic products and recipes as well on their site.

http://www.edenfoods.com/

Quotes from “Disease Proof”:

If you avoid the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables you can reduce your pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by some recent studies.  The pesticide contamination tests were performed on washed produce; washing is NOT sufficient to remove pesticide residue.

We cannot rely on authorities or the U.S. government for protection. The EPA is mired in complex legal issues (delaying tactics) with chemical companies and is not an effective watchdog for our safety. Rather than preventing exposures and putting the burden of proving safety where it belongs (on pesticide and toxic chemical producers), most dangerous pesticides remain on the market with no threat of regulatory action. People are exposed to hundreds of chemical compounds in their diet every day. We will never have 100 percent accurate data on the potential risks from such consumption, so the consumer is wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

Buy organic produce when dealing with these items below:

Statistics from “Healthy Reader”:

1. PEACHES: Over 94% tested positive for traces of 45 different pesticides.

2. CELERY 94% tested positive for 29 different pesticides.

3. APPLES: 92% tested positive for 36 pesticides.

4. SWEET BELL PEPPERS: 68% tested positive for 39 different pesticides.

5. CHERRIES: 91% tested positive for 25 different pesticides.

6. IMPORTED GRAPES: 86% tested positive for 35 different pesticides.

7. NECTARINES: 97% tested positive for 26 different pesticides.

8. PEARS : 94% tested positive for 35 different pesticides.

9. POTATOES: 79% tested positive for 29 different pesticides.

10. RASPBERRIES: 59% tested positive for 39 different pesticides.

11. SPINACH: 83% tested positive for 36 different pesticides.

12. STRAWBERRIES: 90% tested positive for 36 different pesticides.

The definition of “organic” is vague and otherwise blurred in many areas of the food industry. 

Highly processed organic foods, containing synthetic chemicals and additives, are common and allowed by federal law, even at Whole Foods Supermarkets where they market the natural food and product experience to their customers in proverbial bucket-loads. 

In many cases, we’re simply paying more for the organic label and the “feel good experience” of doing what we think is right for us, our families and the health of our community… when in reality, we’re simply wasting our money on fancy marketing. 

For example, organic milk products are considered “organic” if the dairy producing cattle are fed an organic diet of corn.  The problem is that cattle shouldn’t be eating corn – they should be eating natural grasses.  Corn simply leads to malnutrition, sick animals and more problems for our diet and ecosystem. 

However, organic produce is still a good idea!  The soil is much richer and more nutrient, pesticides and fungicides are normally not permitted by law when cultivating the produce and the organic food grown is of a higher nutritient quality as well.

Organic doesn’t mean healthy… so carefully spend your money on quality products.  Otherwise, we’re going to have a bunch of unhealthy organic proccessed food, full of more chemicals and additives, to choose from in the future.

Side note 1:  Organic foods are trucked in from copious distances by diesel and refrigeration; soiling the organic label even more.  Buying local is more important in many cases than buying organic if the environment or your local community is especially important to you.

Side note 2:  Organic cuts of red meat, butter, cheese, whole milk and other various foods made of full-fat animal products, are no more healthy for you than conventional items.

To reduce a naturally grown vegetable or fruit to a reductionist scientific way of thinking, where we tease out one particular vitamin, mineral or antioxidant and attempt to bottle it as a healthy alternative to eating produce, is superficial thinking and wrong-headed.   Life requires, in many instances, a sense of mystery and acceptance of what we don’t know and sometimes can’t know.  Believe me when I tell you… current food technology has no idea what makes a fruit or vegetable so healthy for our physiology; so don’t succumb to oversimplifications and fancy bottles, pamphlets and marketing campaigns – simply eat the real thing!

A professional personal trainer and their private personal training environment lends itself to your personal  improvement through, not just a balanced fitness program, but what they’re feeding your thoughts while training.  Your emotions and thoughts and what they’re exposed to, while working together with your trainer, are just as important as the exercise.

Tomatoes get all the attention concerning lycopene, a pigment that reduces your risk for heart disease and may help to fend off various forms of cancers, but watermelons naturally supply even more lycopene than tomatoes.  Watermelons are also brimming with citrulline and arginine, micronutrients that increase systemic blood flow and keep arteries healthy. 

All this while delivering very few calories… watermelons are mostly water that just happen to be loaded with micronutrients!

An inexpensive steamer that’s great for preparing vegetables, fish, brown rice and hardboiled eggs.

Product Features

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00019G8IS/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00073HLMU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=192AVBHDJKQ00Y3DSYH8

Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of the Four Meals By Michael Pollan

It’s an enlightening, yet troubling journey up and down the food chain.  From the flora and fauna found outside (as well as inside) our supermarkets… to the end product we find on our dinner plates.

Here’s the Amazon link to the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283833734&sr=8-2

Hydrogenated oils (fully or partially hydrogenated) are man-made artificial fats (otherwise known as trans fats) that are extremely dangerous to our health… and I don’t use the word dangerous lightly here. 

Using hydrogenated oils in foods is a strategy employed by many companies of all sizes, to enhance the taste of their foods and extend the shelf-life and shelf-stability of those foods while saving their money; trans fats are considerably cheaper to use than natural fats.

The risk to us?  On-going destruction of our cell membranes without notice until disease has fully established and shown itself; from myriad cancers to strokes, to ubiquitous heart disease – no one is immune to its hazards.

Your goal is to avoid it’s consumption at every turn, don’t merely minimize it – some will slip into your diet anyway because its everywhere. 

Don’t buy anything in the store with hydrogenated oils included in the ingredients.

Fried food is often fried in hydrogenated oils, making an already unhealthy method of food preparation a complete and total disaster to our health.

Restaurants serve food loaded with hydrogenated oils – don’t eat out frequently.

Select your own food, prepare your own food and know your own food, before you consume it.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is merely another sugar… and sugar we simply get too much of already.

On the other hand, Partially Hydrogenated Oils are a dangerous and toxic ingredient at any measure and they should be eliminated from our diets.

Are you sure that you’re hungry? 

When at home… if you aren’t hungry enough to select a nice quality piece of produce, such as baby carrots, sliced apples, segmented oranges, a pre-cooked sweet potato or the like, then you’re simply not that hungry; you’re merely bored, stressed or thirsty.

Overeating leads to weight gain of course in the majority of people and being overweight makes all of us more susceptible to heart disease, various cancers, type 2 diabetes, strokes, depression and disabilities, among other things.  Yet, the simple fact of overeating, in and of  itself, also promotes cell division, otherwise known as cancer.  While, on the other hand, eating less food has been shown to increase longevity and vitality in myriad laboratory studies encompassing many years.

The StrengthLab adage to “eat less, eat better and move more” still rings true.

Economizing when buying food is a twofold mistake.

First, buying relatively inexpensive, processed food lowers the quality of our overall nutrition and endangers our long-term health.  Secondly, by purchasing relatively lower quality, processed food we’re supporting the very companies who make it available to us.

Eating better does frequently cost more, but remember… we’re voting with our dollars every time we buy the right things from the right companies.  We need to support the farmers, stores, markets and restaurants who are making a healthful difference and while doing so, we’ll be helping ourselves, as well as our future generations.

Recommendation: pay more for quality food, prepare it yourself and eat less of it!

In order to stay healthy, we need to invest more time, effort and resources into providing for our well being through whole food. 

Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined (or as little as possible) before being consumed.  Whole foods typically don’t contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, fat, chemicals, artificial preservatives, colors or sweeteners.  Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains; fruits and vegetables; unprocessed meat, poultry and fish.

Fast, easy and cheap food comes at a high price. 

Plan your food… keep produce fresh and available, know what’s for dinner and don’t rely on what’s simply available when you get hungry.  Educate yourself concerning food and put some thought into what you eat.

A whole piece of fruit is full of natural fiber and this fiber slows the release of its sugar naturally… that’s benefit number one. 

Benefit number two… is that the whole fruit contains minerals and micronutrients that would have been lost, had it been separated from it’s natural flesh and squeezed. 

In addition, all mass marketed juices are pasteurized (or flash super heated) to extend the juices shelf life (even Naked Juice flash heats their products) which destroys much of its valuable health properties. 

Juices that are freshly squeezed that day are still no match for the whole fruit – don’t let the juicer infomercials fool you.

Brussels Sprouts offer a phytonutrient that can help clear away carcinogenic substances in your body naturally says the American Dietetic Association. 

But this superfood is only getting started with that aforementioned quality; it’s loaded with other health properties and it’s really inexpensive. 

Steam them and eat them plain for best results.  C’mon don’t be afraid… they’re good for you.

Sprouts Farmer’s Market is the best place to buy conventional produce… especially if produce availability, consistency and low prices are important to you.  Although Sprouts does have organic produce, it’s quite limited in it’s quantity and availability most of the time. 

www.Sprouts.com

Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills, and Techniques to Enhance Your Practice and Your Life

http://www.amazon.com/Total-Life-Coaching-Techniques-Practice/dp/0393704343

Orthorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive focus on healthy food and healthy eating. 

Really? 

In my opinion, the only way this could be a legitimate problem for someone is by misunderstanding what healthy eating really means in the first place.  In fact, I wish more (nutritionally educated) people were diagnosed with this problem everyday.