Five Chemicals Banned In Europe (Sold in the USA)

Did you know there are toxic food chemicals allowed to be used in the foods you consume and feed your children? And what’s even more shocking if that many other industrialized nations, especially in Europe, have tested some of these chemicals, deemed them unsafe and banned them from their food chains.

However, in the good ol’ USA, we have a totally different approach to food safety. Here, the Food and Drug Administration uses the “innocent until proven harmful” tactic, allowing ingredients into our foods sometimes for decades until and unless someone can show there’s a problem.

Some of these chemicals can cause symptoms from diarrhea to hormone disruption and some are suspected of causing life-threatening diseases like cancer.

So before you take another bite, check out  this list (mean to be a starting point to your own research and self-empowerment with respect to the foods that you feed your amazing body):

  1. rBGH and rBST – available in Milk
  2. Olestra – available in packaged, highly-processed foods
  3. BVO – available in soft drinks
  4. Potassium bromate (bromated flour) – available in baked goods
  5. DPA – available in Apples

4 Tips to an Effective Cleanse at Home

Many people find cleanses and detoxes appealing as a way to reaffirm a commitment to healthy eating, especially at the start of a new year. While I certainly understand the desire dial down cravings for sweets and processed foods and create a pathway toward eating well over the long haul, the trouble I see with juicing and other similar cleanses is that too often, they leave people hangry, sluggish and distracted by constant thoughts of food. 

Cleansing can also lead to unwanted issues, like constipation (from lack of fiber) and bloating (due to excess fructose from juice cleanses).

If you want to reboot your diet in the new year without the unnecessary restriction and potential downsides that comes with detoxes and cleanses, clean up your eating with these coach-approved tips instead. 

GO GREEN (AND ORANGE AND PURPLE AND RED)

Most Americans aren’t anywhere close to meeting their needs. (90 percent fall short of vegetable recommendations and 85 percent aren’t meeting their fruit quota.) To help you boost your intake and your overall health, add sliced strawberries to your oatmeal at breakfast, opt for a summer salad at lunch, and fill half your dinner plate with a steamed vegetable medley. 

And don’t forget snacks! Enjoy sliced carrots, celery and jicama with hummus or a little guacamole with gluten free crackers.

CUT OUT ADDED SWEETENERS

While Americans fall short on fruits and veggies, we’re overdoing it on sugar, consuming close to 20 teaspoons a day. Health authorities suggest capping added sugars at 6 teaspoons (equivalent to about 25 g) a day for women and 9 teaspoons (or about 36 g) for men. Challenge yourself to cut back on added sugar from sweetened yogurts, cereals and granola bars, as well as the usual suspects (soda, cookies, ice cream, cookies and other baked goods). You’ll appreciate the natural sweetness of fruit so much more when you cut unnecessary added sweeteners from your diet.

BE GOOD TO YOUR GUT

Many people are drawn to cleanses to reset their GI system, and these regular cleanses can have amazing benefits! While trying to flush out toxins, take measures to boost your gut health so it can do its job well. 

A healthy gut is important for almost every aspect of wellness — from boosting your mood to helping you sleep, from weight management to preventing chronic diseases, the list goes on and on. To reboot your diet and reset your gut, remember to do a mild, food-based “reset cleanse” on a regular basis.

EMBRACE MILD, FOOD-BASED CLEANSES

Our team does a 3-week purification challenge twice a year, using some meal replacements, herbal supplements and easy-to-digest meals that are perfect for any part of the year. Check out more details about it here.

How To Improve Memory with Herbal Blends

How’s your memory? Do you forget people’s names, can’t remember if you turned the stove off, forgot the wallet yet again!?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Memory decline can happen at any time in our lives, and for a variety of reasons. Your memory and brain work like the memory in your computer. Lots of information is taken in first, then connections are formed.

Your brain then creates specialized messages that are stored as memories in the appropriate “place,” so you can access them later. Stress, chemical changes, poor diet, lack of sleep, age all affect your ability access those “places” and remember things.

So, how to get those brain areas to work more efficiently so you can remember things better? Well, with my trusted herbal blends, of course! Here are 3 of my favorites:

REMEDY NO 1: GINSENG

-stimulates nervous system

-increases concentration

-reduces mental fatigue

INFUSION

1 tsp, 1 cup of water

1x / day

4 weeks

REMEDY NO 2: SALVIA

-antioxidant activity

-improves brain activity

-improves memory

INFUSION

2 tbsp, 1 cup of water

1-2x/day

daily

REMEDY NO #: GINGKO BILOBA

-improves blood flow

-blocks free radicals

-activates the brain

INFUSION

2 Tbsp, 1 cup of water

1-2x/day

Whiter Teeth At Home In 5 Minutes A Day

You love teas and herbal remedies as much as I do… but after months of drinking teas, coffee and other drinks, your teeth are looking a bit yellowish… what do you?

Whitening gels bought in stores can be very abrasive and irritating to your gums. And similar procedures at the dentist office can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. What to do?

Check out my one-two teeth whitening routine that will get you a beautiful smile in a giffy.

1. Coconut swish / oil puling

3-10 mins TOPS per day

You don’t want to aspirate some of the oil into your lungs

Always spit out the oil in the trash, never in the pipes

ALWAYS brush your teeth immediately after oil pulling.

2. Activated charcoal

Gets rid of free radicals and pollutants too

Use a thin layer of charcoal

Brush LIGHTLY, never too harsh

Do it 3-4 days in a row, then rest for 3-4 days

After brushing gently, I follow with another brush and clear water, to remove the charcoal excess from my tongue, gums, etc.

6 Sugar Craving Hacks

Today, most of us struggle with sugar cravings and more than a few of us are downright sugar addicted! So what to do?

While there are a dozen options I can recommend, especially involving herbal remedies, I wanted to share here the top 6 hacks: quick and easy ways that are scientifically proven ways to help you reduce your sugar cravings in the short term and give you a chance to slowly learn to control and reduce your sugar intake.

Check them out here:

1. Breathe – activates parasympathetic nervous system
2. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – Take it in pills or liquid (1 TSP in a glass of water)
3. Cinnamon spice – use in your smoothies, oatmeal, breakfasts and even soups
4. Shake around or walk around for just 5-10 mins drastically reduces your post meal sugar spike
5. Eat sour foods. When you crave sugar, eat foods that are sour and bitter. This helps to counteract sweet cravings. Include bitter ingredients like endive, dandelion greens and kale into your green smoothies or green juices. I also recommend drinking lemon-infused water daily.
6. Add fat to your meals – slows down your gastric empty

Do you know of any others? Let me know in the comments section below!

Detox Oil Massage (Abhyanga)

An Abhyanga Massage is a warm oil, self-administered massage that helps balance your physical constitution, moisturize the skin, helps the skin to release toxins, and is known to help tone muscles all over your body.

You can use a variety of oils and Ayurveda, the science of life and Eastern medicine traditions in India, recommends sesame or almond oils for Vata types, coconut and sunflower for Pitta and corn and olive oils for balancing Kapha. However, if you don’t know your Ayurvedic type, do not despair: simply pick sesame and almond oils in winter and coconut or sunflower in summer.

The massage can be done in the morning before your shower, or in the evening before bed. I often do it once a week in the evenings.

Check out the video and the description on how to do another version of the Abhyanga massage below the video:

How to Do The Massage

  1. Start by warming the oil to skin temperature, and drizzle a small amount of oil into the palms of your hands. (Warm the oil by holding the bottle under warm water, never use a microwave).
  2. Massage the top of your scalp (on days when you wash your hair), pay particular attention to the circumference of your ears, and the soles of your feet.
  3. Massage with long strokes on your limbs, and round strokes on your joints.
  4. It’s best to leave the oil on the body for 20 minutes before washing it off in a warm shower or bath.
  5. Try not to use a lot of soap, let the water rinse out the excess and the towel get rid of the rest. At the end of the shower, your skin should feel silky but not oily.

I hope you love it as much as I love it. Let me know in the comments below!

7 Herbs To Detox During Fall

Autumn is the best time of the year to cleanse your body of unwanted toxins and get rid of the excess waste that may be keeping you feeling slow and without energy. Feeling fatigued, bloated, lacking in energy, experiencing hormonal imbalances or skin disorders are symptoms that can be attributed to an overloaded system.

There are many beneficial herbs that are incredibly detoxifying and help support the liver, lymphatic system and GI tract in the elimination of excess debris. There are a handful of incredible herbs that can help push the cleansing process even deeper and get your results faster and more effectively.

I often offer two or more of these to my clients during my herbal coaching sessions because I know first hand how amazing they are.

On today’s video, I describe 6 of these amazing cleansing and detox herbs. See today’s video below:

Have you tried any of these? If so, which one?

Which one are you hoping to try next and why? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Best DYI Mosquito Repellent

What’s The Daniel Diet

Have you heard of the Daniel Diet? It is based on the book of Daniel on the bible, which is often credited as the ancient foundation for a plant-based diet. On Chapter 10, the book describes the vegan fast the Prophet Daniel followed: “I ate no delicacies, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.”

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What Does It Mean When You Crave Salt (And How To Stop It)

Do you feel like you crave salt regularly? Think you eat way too may salty foods? Or maybe not enough? Yes, eating too much salt is bad, but eating too little is bad too. Salt is necessary to control the balance of body fluids, provide vital trace minerals and is crucial for growth and reproduction. So do you have cravings?

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How Constellation Therapy Can Affect Your Weight, Health And Happiness

There’s a unique type of detox (or cleanse) work that is more energetic and has to do with family dynamics. Your relationship with your family can affect your weight, health and happiness. I’ve interviewed here a Familiy Constellation facilitator and therapist to learn a bit more about this powerful type of work.

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The Power Of Words

Every day for a month I said negative and demeaning words to what I called the “bad apple”. Things like “you’re nasty, fat and ugly. You’re stupid and incapable. You can’t do anything right. Why do you even try! You suck and I hate you”.

The other half, the “good apple” heard beautiful words of encouragement. I told her things like: “you are so smart, amazing, sweet and gentle. You are amazing and I am in awe of you, you are the best, I love you”. The first 7-10 days not much was happening… but then things started to change.

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Food Allergy Elimination Diet

Ever wonder how to do a food allergy elimination diet? IF you are having food allergies or intolerances, you might want to eliminate certain foods from your diet for a few weeks, allow your body to heal and then slowly re-introduce foods to help you learn what helps and what doesn’t.

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This is the WORST protein powder EVER! – WHEY

Do you even know where Whey comes from? It’s a byproduct of milk that is produced during the cheese making process. By definition, it is the waste of the cheese processing industry. It is a very popular supplement that many doctors consider toxic! So what is it and why is it bad for you?!

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Moxibustion for Injury Healing

I had abdominal surgery a few weeks ago to remove benign (but pesky) tumors in my uterus (also known as fibroids). I’ve been using a few alternative treatments to help me recover faster and more effectively. Using a moxa stick or moxibustion is one of the ways I’m managing pain and reduce inflammation associated with major surgery.

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Quinoa’s Dirty Little Secret

The price of quinoa has tripled since 2006, making it almost impossible for the people of the Andes, the original consumers of quinoa, to afford it any more! If you’re a vegan or vegetarian or someone who is just trying to eat a little more consciously, you probably consume quinoa fairly often. You probably consider things like sustainability, water and energy footprint and in general are aware of the effect your choices make on the lives of thousands around the world.

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Recovering from Fibroid Surgery the Holistic Wellness Way

I’ve been home with friends and family recovering from abdominal surgery to remove a pesky fibroid (myomectomy) that sort of died inside of me and was wrecking undo havoc in my life. I’m getting stronger and feeling better and I wanted to share here some of the alternative holistic treatments I’m doing from home to help speed my recovery.

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Why I’m Switching To A Bamboo Toothbrush (And Get A Chance To Win One)

Throughout the years, as I continue learning about how to be respectful and honor myself and my home (planet earth), I’ve made major changes that I believe are better for my body and for the environment. So with my latest switch, I wanted to tell you a bit about my experience in hopes that it can help you make a conscious decision. And here it is: A Bamboo Brush!

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Are You Concerned About The Spread Of Ebola?

People are so concerned about Ebola -which is a highly contagious, terrifying and yet rare virus, with the media and our collective voices slowly creeping up to near panic
While nobody seems terribly concerned about the chemicals and toxins in our food that are killing your loved ones by the millions.

Ebola has killed 1 human in the US as of mid Oct 2014 and heart disease killed 500k in the last 12 months.

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I Want A Plant-Based Diet (But Don’t Call Me A Vegan!)

Are you ready try a plant-based diet, but having trouble going 100% vegan? Maybe you’re the kind that says I just can’t give up your cheese plate or you just want to order the occasional fish plate when you go out to dinner. Or you just simply need some structure to help you add more veggies into every single one of your plates.

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How Do You Get Rid Of Cellulite?

Can you really get rid of cellulite? This is the age-old question for the roughly 80% of women out there suffering from pesky cellulite. The short answer is YES! I believe you can. The long answer is, this is a very complex question and the answer can vary from person to person, depending on your diet, lifestyle, genes, even your level of toxicity (which varies from person to person).

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The Food For Thought Summit Coming Soon!

Food For Thought: The Mind, Body, Spirit Summit! From April 14th-18th, I’ll be interviewing top wellness experts (doctors, nutritionists, therapists, coaches, best-selling authors) on how they manage to sustain a healthy lifestyle. All interviews will be available online at the Food For Thought website.

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Watch Me Get Hypnotized!

In this follow up video about the topic of hypnosis, I actually went a little crazy and agreed to let Grace hypnotize me in front of the camera! I thought it would be awkward and that I’d have to delete the video but the experience was very very sweet. Check out my mini-hypnosis session and see for yourself what it is all about!

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The Power of Hypnosis

Do you believe in hypnosis? I must admit I didn’t until I met the woman I’m interviewing on this video. In fact, I tried hypnosis as part of a therapy session years ago and I thought it was a bunch of bologna! But when I met Grace, she was very graceful (and patient), explaining to me what hypnosis was and more importantly, what it wasn’t!! Check out this interview to learn more.

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My Issues With Body Image Issues

I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of the skinny obsession in this country. It’s bullshit. WOMEN, we’re supposed to HAVE CURVES! I have yet to meet a man that doesn’t like curves in a woman’s body.
For me, this is a highly spirited topic and I hope this video will help motivate you and see your own beauty and worth!

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My Birthday Wish For You

As many people out there, I take the days leading up to my birthday to reflect on the previous year, toss away what didn’t serve me, and make space for new experiences that will help me move forward and become a better, bigger, wiser, kinder, better person. This year, I want to be open to receive and in order to do that, I need to embrace giving (you know, to open up some room for all that receiving coming my way!)

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Breakfast Smoothies In 5 Minutes Or Less

I get people telling me all the time that they want to juice and blend but that they have no time. That the prep time is too long, or the clean up is a pain.

BULL CRAP! I’ve been juicing almost every day for 10+ years and blending for the last 5 or 6 and if I learned one thing during this process is that WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY!

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5 “Healthy Habits” That Are Not That Great For You

I spend my days educating people how to create lifestyle changes that will help them be healthy, stronger and extend their longevity. I also spend a lot of time debunking myths and helping people move away from habits that have long be considered “healthy” but that may be some of the stupidest things we do that are keeping us from reaching our wellness goals.

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The Raw Almond Milk That Will Change Your Life

Interview with a wellness warrior and founder of Mylkman, a milk alternative delivery company in Southern California. His name is Jeff Leaf and ever since I first tasted the “mylk” I wanted to meet him and pick his brain about the goodness of his product, his personal wellness journey and how’s he’s helping the world become healthier, one bottle of mylk at a time.

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How To Eat Healthy When Traveling

One thing that I struggle with a lot when traveling, especially to place with traditionally little to no healthy alternative, is how to stay true to my lifestyle and making food choices that will keep me healthy and strong while on the road. Check out this video for some common sense tips that could make or break your travel experience.

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Easy Healthy Picnic Alternatives

Do you like picnics as much as I do? But don’t care for some of the typical Picnic foods that people eat. Those bags of chips, fatty cheese and embutidos (or sausage-like substances) only lead to inflammation, acidity and nastiness. Not worthy when you’re trying to have a great time.

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Can Your Health And Productivity At Work Live In Harmony?

Whether you work in an office, for yourself or are still going through school, inevitably there will be times when you are not paying attention to your diet or your personal growth practices and that could lead to a downward spiral of pure trouble and can eventually wreak havoc in your health, state of mind and your productivity at work.

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