When problems begin to appear on our skin, it is usually a symptom of a problem we are having within the body.According to Chinese medicine, different parts of the face represent different organs of our body, when something is wrong within the body it will manifest itself on the face.Forehead: bladder and small intestine
Cause: Too many unhealthy foods, alcohol abuse, sleep deprivation and sugar cause slow digestion or stress.
Cure: Raw foods, lots of water, abstaining from alcohol, sugar in moderation and good sleep.
Between the eyebrows: liver
Cause: Your stomach is not getting sufficient rest or you are eating too much meat and might also be allergic to some ingredients (bear in mind the high amount of antibiotics animals are fed today).
Cure: Healthy and fresh foods, exercising, aerobic activity, getting outdoors to get some fresh air and meditation.
Eyebrow arch: kidneys
Cause: cigarette and alcohol abuse and lack of exercise.
Cure: A lot of clean water, avoid caffeine, sweetened drinks and alcohol.
Nose: heart
Cause: Not enough clean air and poor blood circulation or high blood pressure.
Cure: Check your blood pressure, follow the cholesterol level. Organic green tea can help you get rid the toxins. Start some form of physical exercise.
Upper part of the cheeks: lungs
Cause: Not enough clean air or cigarette abuse.
Cure: Physical training, jogging outside in a clean environment would be best.
Cheeks: lungs and kidneys
Cause: Excessive smoking, stress, sleep deprivation and bad diet.
Cure: Start a healthy diet that consists largely of fresh vegetables, drink lots of water and get some rest.
Mouth and chin: stomach
Cause: Poor diet or excessive caffeine and alcohol use.
Cure: Start a healthy diet that consists largely of fresh vegetables, drink lots of water and get some rest.
Jaw and neck: hormones
Cause: Dehydration.
Cure: Drink more water.
As you can see, smoking cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine abuse, along with poor diet, stress and lack of exercise are major problems, by changing these things around you can dramatically improve the quality of your life. If problems do persist though, it is recommended to go see a doctor.
A March 4, 2015 issue of Time magazine report on heart health featured a Finnish study that concluded men on statin drugs for six years had a 46% increased risk for developing diabetes. A Time response from a doctor interviewed left me cold, because it’s based on the conventional medical myth that sells statin drugs.
‘ “It’s a good news-bad news scenario,” says Dr. Robert Eckel, past president of the American Heart Association and professor of medicine at University of Colorado School of Medicine. “Although there is convincing evidence that patients on statins are at increased risk of new-onset diabetes, the benefit accrued [from statins] in reducing risks of heart attack, stroke and fatal heart disease trumps the effects of being new onset diabetics.” ‘
Well, Dr. Eckel authority guy, statins are based on the bogus theory that high cholesterol readings lead to heart attacks. More and more health experts, even cardiologists, are recognizing this. Despite decades of low fat foods and diets to lower cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems have been on the rise.
Instead, high added sugar and fructose (HFCS) added to sodas and processed foods are the major sources of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease along with all those hydrogenated trans-fatty acid oils that were and still are considered wise substitutes to saturated fats like real butter and coconut oil. Old lies don’t die so easily.
Here’s an excerpt from Health Impact on cholesterol/saturated fats:
The biggest study to date examining the scientific literature on saturated fats was the meta analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010: “Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”. This analysis looked at 347,747 patients from clinical studies during a 23 year period and found that there was no link between saturated fat and heart disease.
Now, in May of 2013, we have another excellent study analyzing the existing medical literature regarding dietary fats and heart disease just published in Advances in Nutrition by Glen D. Lawrence, PhD, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY: Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations in the Context of Scientific Evidence
(…) the science actually points to only Omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oils, as being heart healthy, and not Omega 6 fatty acids, such as those found in corn and soybean oil, which comprise more than 90% of the dietary oil market in the U.S.
The study also correctly vindicates the negative bias against saturated fat found in coconut oil and dairy products: “Several recent analyses indicate that SFAs [saturated fatty acids], particularly in dairy products and coconut oil, can improve health. (Emphasis added)
Statins Are Mostly Risk with Little If Any Heart Protection
Well they do reduce cholesterol, which is actually a bad thing. We need cholesterol as building blocks for our cell walls and myelin sheathing on nerve conduits, brain cells, and epidermal. Over the past few decades, we have seen a significant rise in brain and neurological diseases that include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
These increased neurological diseases coincide with the cultural dedication to reducing fat from our diets, and taking statin drugs. Dr. Stephanie Seneff, the MIT researcher who predicted by 2025 half our children will be autistic, has published research looking at the effects of a low-fat diet and statin drugs in relation to Alzheimer’s Disease.
She noticed a strong correlation between insulin resistance in the brain and early Alzheimer’s Disease, suggesting that Alzheimer’s might be considered a neuroendocrine disorder of the brain or so-called “type 3 diabetes”. Interestingly, this corresponds to the recent Finnish study regarding statin use and onset diabetes.
Dr. Seneff’s study included that following: The brain represents only 2% of the body’s total mass, but contains 25% of the total cholesterol.Cholesterol is required everywhere in the brain … as a structural scaffold for the neural network, and a functional component of all membranes. Cholesterol is also …. plays an important role in the formation and functioning of synapses in the brain.
Isn’t that great, Dr. Robert Eckel heart health authority guy – one can be a drooling stumbling idiot with no memory, merely a minor side effect of statins. But here’s the kicker, lowering cholesterol doesn’t do squat for longevity or lowering heart attack risks.
It’s been observed that people with high cholesterol readings live longer than those with lower cholesterol. And their minds and brains are more intact as well. A 2011 VA (Veterans Administration) study concluded: “… after adjusting for other factors associated with longevity, higher HDL cholesterol levels were significantly associated with survival to 85 years of age.”
Here’s more on how lowering cholesterol messes up your health. Vitamin D from the sun is considered the best way to benefit for vitamin D. That’s where those epidermal cholesterol levels come in handy. That epidermal cholesterol is the first phase of transforming UVB (ultraviolet B) rays from the sun into vitamin D in the liver.
So statin drugs also contribute to vitamin D deficiency, which has been associated with several adverse health conditions, especially those that take advantage of lowered immunity. That’s a lot of diseases, including cancer. Oh, statins also diminish CoQ10 absorption, a vital heart nutrient.
There may be a small segment of statin users, estimate at around five percent, who MAY benefit from statins. But for sure, all the rest are harming themselves while feeding Big Pharma annual multi-billion dollar revenues from statins, one of the most prescribed drugs in the world. Ca-ching, ca-ching – keep that cholesterol myth going!
A couple of cardiologists who have written books deconstructing the cholesterol myth are Dr. Dwight Lundell and Dr. Stephen Sinatra. Google those guys and their books and ignore that heart health authority guy. And there’s Dr. Jack Wolfson who spoke out aggressively against the MMR vaccine mob. He had stopped writing statin prescriptions as well.
Paul Fassais a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. His pet peeves are the Medical Mafia’s control over health and the food industry and government regulatory agencies’ corruption. Paul’s valiant contributions to the health movement and global paradigm shift are world renowned.
Not all sugars are created equal, and they’re hidden in most of today’s processed foods. Nutritionist, fitness trainer, and author JJ Virgin has written a new book that helps open your eyes to the way sugars are hidden.
The book also provides practical tips on how to wean yourself from this pernicious ingredient that will decimate your health.
In The Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Sugars to Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks, she tackles the confusion surrounding sugar. Many health-conscious people are still under the mistaken belief that as long as the sugar is all-natural, it’s fine to eat.
Not so. Agave, natural fruit juice, raw cane sugar, and any number of other natural sugars will still wreak havoc on your health.
“[S]ugar is really public enemy number one,” she says. “That’s why I chose to focus on it. I don’t think added sugar is really the problem; I think it’s what’s in a lot of our food that we don’t recognize [as sugar].
Whether it’s having apple juice (which is worse for you than a soda), or having a yogurt sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, or whether you’re just thinking that fruits are free for all, these are all creating problems.
I wanted to create a structured program that could help someone break free of those sugar cravings, drop the weight forever, and then let them go back and [do a food] challenge… in order to connect the dots between what happens when they drink one of those big fruit smoothies that are supposed to be so healthy.”
To End Sugar Cravings, Your Body Needs to Burn Fat as Its Primary Fuel
As JJ notes, whether the sugar comes in the form of a muffin, a fruit juice-sweetened yogurt, or a smoothie, it’s all the same thing to your body. “Food is information,” she says. And she’s right.
Once you break free from your body’s constant need for yet another sugar fix (remember, sugar is more addictive than cocaine!), you’ll experience great levels of newfound energy and clarity of mind. But in order to get there, you need to retrain your body to burn fat as its primary form of fuel instead of sugar.
This can be a real challenge for many. JJ’s book specifically addresses the gradual process of getting from burning sugar to burning fat as your body’s primary fuel, in order to maximize your chances for success.
“There’s got to be a transition period, where you go from sugar burner to getting your body to be able to start to burn fat again,” she explains.
“You have to taper down from where your starting point is, which is what I call a Sneaky Sugar Inventory, of things you would never think about (like sundried tomatoes and marinara sauce) that we’re just using like crazy not realizing how much sugar this is actually adding into our food.”
The Sugar Impact Scales: A New Way of Looking at Sugar
As an initial step, you’ll want to weigh yourself and measure your waist-to-hip ratio, to determine your starting point. Next, you do an initial inventory of all the hidden sugars in your diet.
This means reading the labels on all the foods you eat, including items you might never expect to contain sugar, such as that jar of pickles, condiments, sauces, and marinades, and so on. JJ lists all the sneaky places sugars hide in your diet in her book, and by creating what she calls Sugar Impact Scales, she’s created a new way of looking at sugar.
“It looks at fructose grams, glycemic load, nutrient density, and fiber. Bad are fructose and glycemic load; good are nutrient density and fiber,” she explains.
“Depending on where the food falls, it can either be low, medium, or high-sugar impact. The reason this was so important to me is I keep looking at programs out there, and they either focus on fructose… glycemic index, or glycemic load.
That can be very confusing because it makes things like agave sweetener look great. It makes milk look great… People go, ‘We should have fructose because fructose is low on the glycemic index.’
The difference between fructose and glucose is fructose doesn’t trigger the whole insulin response. Because of that, it doesn’t trigger insulin, leptin, or ghrelin, so it doesn’t tell your body you ate anything. Instead, it just goes to the liver. If there’s no room for it to become glycogen… it starts becoming fat.
You look at that and you go, ‘Okay, food is information. What does fructose say?’ It says, ‘Hey, make fat but don’t tell us we ate. Stay hungry.’ What a nightmare!”
So what are the basic symptoms of having high-sugar impact? Gas and bloating are common, as sugar feeds yeast, fungi, and detrimental bacteria in your gut. Other symptoms include joint pain, headaches, fatigue, inability to lose weight or weight loss resistance, and sugar cravings.
By grading yourself on those and other symptoms, while tracking your waist, hip, and weight, you’ll get a clearer picture of how sugar impacts your body, and your progress in terms of retraining your body to burn fat instead of sugar as its primary fuel.
The Three Cycles of the Sugar Impact Diet
The first cycle is a one to two-week long taper cycle, in which you switch from high sugar impact foods to medium sugar impact foods. As an example, if you typically eat regular pasta, you’d switch over to quinoa pasta.
She also recommends scheduling your meals to where you’re not eating every two hours; rather you stretch the time between meals to prevent insulin spikes. This is one form of intermittent fasting. At the end of this taper-down period of one or two weeks, you retest yourself on the sugar impact quiz, to see how you’ve done.
If all is going as planned, you should notice a reduction in your symptoms. At that point, you move on to cycle two, in which you’re really resetting your taste buds and reclaiming your sugar sensitivity, meaning your ability to taste how sweet a food really is.
“What I’m doing is I’m getting rid of all of the fructose. We’re getting down to five grams or less [per day], just as low as possible because you don’t want your body to be good at processing fructose. One thing we know is that the more fructose you eat, the better you get at handling fructose, which means the faster it goes to your liver, the faster you start making fat, and the more fat you make.
If someone’s used to eating fruit, they eat more fruit, they eat more fruit, and they can handle it. If you never eat any fruit, and you ate a bunch of fruit, you’d be bloated, you’d be gassy, and it’d be horrible. I take fruit out altogether except for things like lemons, limes, avocado, tomato, and olives. And we go down to all low-sugar impact foods. But you’re still eating great stuff. You’re eating wild salmon, grass-fed beef, kale, avocado, nuts and seeds, a little quinoa, legumes, and lentils.”
Most people can make the shift from burning sugar to burning fat as primary fuel in this second cycle of the program in a couple of weeks, although it may take longer if you’re seriously insulin/leptin resistant. “The reason it can happen so fast is number one, you’ve got to do that initial one-week [taper] period,” she explains. “Whenever you look at a program, you want to jump right into the most intense part, but you can’t because you’ll fail.”
In the third cycle of the program, you start to challenge yourself by reintroducing some of the medium or even high sugar impact foods. Most people will now find that they’re overwhelmed by the sweetness, or they’ll feel bloated or downright ill by the high-sugar food. As a result, the psychological grip of sweet foods lessen, as you simply do not want to go back to feeling horrible once you’re feeling really great. Interestingly, sour taste, such as that from cultured vegetables, helps to reduce sweet cravings, too.
This is a doubly-beneficial thing, as fermented vegetables also promote gut health. “It’s a sweet tooth strategy,” JJ says. “One of the things that I do in these books is I try to keep it simple and give people simple strategies. But I’m always thinking, “How am I healing their gut with this? How am I improving their gut flora? How are we reducing inflammation?”
Healthy Snack Alternatives
Nuts, which are one of my favorite snack foods, are also great for satisfying the occasional hunger pang. Typically, when I’m at home, I only have one meal a day, a very large salad. But I will snack on nuts, specifically macadamia nuts and occasionally pecans, because of two criteria:
1. They’re very high in fat – the good fat, oleic acid, which is similar to olive oil, and
2. They’re low in protein, so you won’t run the risk of eating a whole day’s worth of protein in a few handfuls of nuts (which could be the case if you eat a lot of almonds)
That said, as JJ warns, be aware of your food triggers, and if you cannot keep a jar of nuts in your house without polishing off the whole thing in one sitting, you just turned a good thing into something bad. While nuts do contain healthy fats, they also tend to be high in calories, so moderation is in order.
“If you know something’s your trigger, don’t bring it into the house. It doesn’t matter if it’s healthy or unhealthy. But I think if you put them into little serving baggies, that’s a perfect way to go with it. I also like that because most people aren’t home all day long, so I say, ‘Put one in your car. Put it in your purse. Put it in your office so that you have them scattered around if you ever get in trouble.’
Another healthy snack that is much harder to overdo is dehydrated kale chips. I’m in the process of planting six dozen kale plants on my property to create a surplus for this very reason. That way I can have kale chips year-round. Roasted Brussels sprouts are another alternative that you can’t really “overdose” on.
Last But Not Least—The Maintenance Phase
It’s quite rare to find someone who’s not burning sugar as their primary fuel these days. To check yourself, simply observe how frequently you feel hungry. If you’re hungry every two hours or so, you’re burning sugar. You’re craving food because sugar is fast burning, and your hunger is an indication that your body wants to be refueled. Once you’re burning fat as your primary fuel, you can easily go five to six hours or longer without feeling hungry, as fat is a far slower-burning fuel. Sugar cravings are also virtually eliminated once you’re burning fat rather than sugar.
Most everyone watching this would benefit from applying a program such as the one JJ has put together. The question is, once you’ve successfully made the switch, how long do you have to continue eating this way? What does maintenance look like?
“The maintenance phase is different from the weight loss phase,” JJ explains. “It’s like dating and marriage. Totally different beasts, right? During the maintenance phase—for weight loss—it’s about setting new goals and doing different fitness activities. The biggest thing that I want someone to do is to connect the dots between what they’re eating and how they feel. It’s to lose that sweet tooth that they had and reclaim their sugar sensitivity so they really say, ‘Oh, wow, that’s how sweet a blueberry really is.’
[In the maintenance phase] you’ve got to mix up your exercise; you’ve got to mix up your food… [F]ood is information. You want your food to tell your body to burn fat not sugar, keep steady energy, great focus, and reduce inflammation. It’s the same with exercise. Exercise can be therapeutic or destructive. I do no endurance training at all. I do not believe in endurance training. I did so much endurance training [when I was younger, yet] I was always slightly overweight. I was never lean.”
JJ recommends high intensity interval-type exercises over endurance training, and for good reason. Endurance training is actually among the least effective forms of exercise when it comes to weight loss, and research has shown that the benefits of high intensity exercise are not necessarily related to calories burned. Rather, it creates beneficial metabolic changes that promote health and muscle growth while boosting fat burning.
These metabolic changes, which include boosting human growth hormone (HGH), do not occur when you’re doing endurance training such as long-distance running.
She’s also a big proponent of exercising in a fasted state, as this actually helps repair, restore, and rejuvenate your muscle tissues. A conflicting approach calls for loading up on carbs and protein before and after exercise, to boost performance and muscle building. So which one should you follow? It may be worth taking JJ’s advice, and experiment to determine what works best for you, depending on your fitness and weight loss goals:
“I kind of play with both of them. Because if you eat a little bit before you work out, you can generally work out harder. If you’re doing resistance training, a lot of times you’re better off having a little bit [of food] before. If you’re doing burst training, ideally here’s what you would do: on burst-training days, do it first thing in the morning. It doesn’t take long anyway. It’s 15 minutes at the most. Ideally, do that a couple of mornings a week, two or three mornings a week. You do your resistance training two times a week, have a little bit of food before; have something really good afterwards, and you’re set.”
More Information
If you’ve tried cutting calories while still eating foods like gluten, pasteurized dairy, and processed fructose, yet failed to lose weight, the problem lies not in insufficient calorie restriction. Rather, you were still eating the wrong foods, albeit in smaller amounts. Once you start viewing food as information, you can begin to appreciate how certain foods, fructose in particular, instructs your body to store fat and not let any of it go…
What you eat makes all the difference, and when it comes to successfully losing weight, a major key is switching your body from burning sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel. In order to do this, you need to cut down on the fructose-laden foods that tell your body to:
-Store the sugar as fat
-Eat more (as fructose doesn’t trigger insulin, leptin, or ghrelin to the same degree as glucose, which means it doesn’t tell your body you just consumed a whole bunch of calories)
The development of science once more suggests that the best medicine can be found in the diet, and the most knowledgeable doctor is the Nature. In this case, broccoli, or even more potent, broccoli sprouts, have been proved to possess the capacity to prevent numerous health issues.
This vegetable has been repeatedly shown to be one of nature’s most valuable health-promoting foods. Broccoli sprouts are more than beneficial in cases of:
Many researchers suggest that eliminating cancer stem cells may be key to controlling cancer. Sulforaphane, a sulfur compound, has been shown to kill these cancer stem cells, thereby, it has the potential to slow down the growth of cancer.
This is a thing that cannot be done by chemotherapies, but it can be done through our diet! The cancer- fighting power of broccoli has been proved on various occasions, ever since studies in the mid-1990s showed that the broccoli compound glucoraphanin, which is a precursor to sulforaphane, boosts cell enzymes that protect against molecular damage from cancer-causing chemicals. (9, 10 )
Moreover, studies have also found that sulforaphane normalizes DNA methylation.(11) This is a process by which a methyl group is added to part of a DNA molecule.
The methyl groups consists of one carbon atom attached to three hydrogen atoms. DNA methylation is crucial in regulating gene expression, and is also an extremely important a part of normal cell function, allowing cells to “remember who they are and where they have been”.
This DNA process also suppresses the genes for things we want to avoid, such as viral and other disease-related genes. On the other hand, abnormal DNA methylation plays a critical role in the development of nearly all types of cancer.
The sulforaphane found in broccoli activates more than 200 different genes. To be more concrete, broccoli possesses the needed ingredients to activate genes that prevent cancer development, and deactivate the opposite ones, the genes that help the cancer to spread. What is even better, you do not need large amounts of broccoli to use its benefits and feel ots effects.
Actually, PLoS One (12) found published a study in 2008 which studied the effects of broccoli. The researchers collected tissue samples over the course of the study and found that the men who ate broccoli showed hundreds of beneficial changes in genes known to play a role in fighting cancer.
In addition, their findings showed that four servings of broccoli per week are enough to protect from prostate cancer. One serving of broccoli is about two spears, which means that the enough quantity is only 10 broccoli spears per week.
Various Cancers Can Be Cured With The Use Of Sulforaphane
One rather disturbing aspect of chemo- protection strategies is that they are rarely organ-specific. In particular, chemo- protection produces a general cancer protective effect which blocks multiple steps that are common to cancer formation. This is probably a reason why broccoli appears to work against a variety of different types of cancers.
There have been numerous studies on the sulforaphane’s effect on breast cancer, and it has been discovered that it hinders the growth of human breast cancer cells as well, at least in the laboratory. Moreover, it was also proved that it acts by disrupting the action of protein microtubules within the cancer cells, which promote cell division and growth.
What makes broccoli even more suitable for this matter is the fact that certain cancer drugs also work in this manner, but, of course, its use does not bring any of the side effects associated with synthetic drugs.
Furthermore, PreventDisease.com (13) also reports that: “Previous research has also proven that the compound blocks the formation of breast tumors in rats, and it can even force colon cancer cells to commit cell suicide. It seems that sulforaphane works its magic on the detoxification enzymes that try to defend the cancer-promoting substances.”
Sprouts Have Even Bigger Power
As we previously mentioned, about 10 broccoli spears per week has been shown to offer protection against prostate cancer. Nevertheless, fresh broccoli sprouts have been shown to be far more capable and powerful, allowing you to eat far less in terms of quantity, which is excellent for those who do not like the taste or smell of broccoli.
In terms of research, (14) even small quantities of broccoli sprout extracts have been shown to markedly reduce the size of rat mammary tumors that were induced by chemical carcinogens.
“Three-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds found in mature broccoli heads, and may offer a simple, dietary means of chemically reducing cancer risk.”- according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. (15)
Another good thing related to broccoli sprouts is that you can grow them at home quite easily and with low costs. Moreover, it is an advantage that they do not need to be cooked. They are eaten raw, usually as an addition to salad.
When compared to either broccoli or cauliflower, which also contains sulforaphane, (16)three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain anywhere from 10 to 100 times higher levels of glucoraphanin, compared to the mature varieties.
If you prefer mature broccoli heads, always opt for a variety of high potency, since the chemo- protective abilities of samples from 22 varieties of fresh and seven brands of frozen mature broccoli varied greatly, as tests showed. Fresh broccoli sprouts, on the other hand, are far more uniform in their potency. (17)
Furthermore, an extract of broccoli sprouts was discovered to be capable to protect your skin from sun damage, which could potentially lead to skin cancer.
Actually, Dr. Paul Talalay, a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore investigated this issue and claims that:
“Cells contain an elaborate network of protective genes that code for proteins that protect against four principal injurious processes to which all of our cells are exposed and which are the causes of cancer, degenerative disease and aging. Those four processes are: oxidation; DNA damage; inflammation and radiation, namely ultraviolet radiation. The cells’ protective system normally operates at about one-third capacity, so the real question is what would ramp up that system.
The highest doses of sulforaphane extract reduced UV-induced redness and inflammation (erythema) by an average of 37 percent, although protection varied from 8 percent to 78 percent. If you apply an extract of broccoli sprouts that contains high levels of sulforaphane to regions of human skin, you can protect them very substantially.”
Grow Your Own Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli sprouts are easily grown at home, even if you have limited space. What is extremely important is to always pick organic seeds, and a pound of seeds will probably make over 10 pounds of sprouts. When you try, you will discovered that it is very easy to grow a continual supply of broccoli sprouts, and the benefit of your homemade- grown broccoli is more than evident.
Your productivity is directly impacted by what you eat. If you want both your mind and body to perform at optimal levels then you need to practice good nutrition.
It sounds great, but what does “good nutrition” mean?
With so much conflicting diet and health information online, it can leave you with more questions than answers most of the time.
What is a good mid-day snack to maintain high energy levels? Not candy bars and Red Bull — unless you want to trigger a blood sugar spike followed by a crash.
What we eat as well as when we eat it contributes to high productivity, and that’s why EBOC teamed up with HubSpot to create the infographic below, highlighting the food types that will help you maintain high energy levels and productivity throughout your day.
Use this as a guide to help you make better food choices, and don’t forget that every person will have different dietary needs — so consult your doctor or healthcare professional.
Herbal therapies are astoundingly popular and their interest is growing as the dangers of pharmaceuticals become widely known and accepted. In 2008 statistician Patricia M. Barnes of the National Center for Health Statistics and her colleagues reported that almost 20 percent of children and adults in the U.S. had used an herbal medicine during the past year. That percentage according to some experts has doubled. A team led by physician David M. Eisenberg of Harvard Medical School determined that use of herbs for physical and mental problems including anxiety had risen 380 percent in seven years.
The use of plants as treatments dates to at least 3000 b.c. although some theories propose humans have been using plants has medicine for as long as we’ve existed. Today this practice is part of a broader movement that has been fueled by the high ineffectiveness of prescription drugs, their side effects and the fact that these drugs do not work for everyone. Natural remedies come with little to no risk and if you find the right one for your condition, you can use it for life. That being said, always consult with a Naturopathic Doctor before initiating any herbal treatments for diagnosed conditions, especially if you are already taking medication.
1. Cannabis
Cannabis has very powerful neuroprotective properties with an incredible ability to regulate emotional behavior and may be the most reliable medicinal plant available as a therapeutic target for the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. A study conducted with mice suggests that beta-caryophyllene may be useful in treating anxiety and depression. The findings were published online in the journal Physiology & Behavior.
2. Valerian
Valerian root (valeriana officinalis) is derived from a plant native to Europe and Asia and has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for various ailments. It is believed that valerian root has an impact on the availability of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that is responsible for regulating and specifically for inhibiting the activity of the brain’s neurons. Extra GABA in your system promotes relaxation and lowers stress levels. For this reason, valerian root is known as a sedative. Valerian is very effective at relieving stress itself and insomnia caused by stress.
3. Honey
The nutrients in honey produce a calming effect, especially when taken in significant amounts. Honey can also be mixed with a suitable beverage for a good night’s sleep!
4. Lemon Balm
A large amount of published data has emerged on the benefits of lemon balm for alleviating anxiety and mood disorders in humans. In the past five years alone, the powerful relaxing effects of lemon balm extracts have been documented by scientists around the world. These studies confirm what herbal practitioners have long known–that lemon balm in combination with other herbal agents is effective in addressing conditions related to stress and anxiety. In one study of healthy volunteers, those who took standardized lemon balm extracts (600 mg) were more calm and alert than those who took a placebo.
5. Passionflower
Natural sedative relieves occasional anxiety and mild panic attacks. Passion Flower is a woody vine that bears small berry-like fruit called grandilla. The brightly colored flowers and above-ground portions of the Passion Flower vine are used to derive medicinal compounds that relax the central nervous system and promote emotional balance. In the United States, Passion Flower is classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the Food and Drug Administration. Substances that receive a GRAS classification have maintained a long, safe history of common use in foods or have been determined to be safe based on proven scientific research.
6. Winter Cherry
Relieves nervous tension, occasional anxiety and mental fatigue. Winter Cherry, or Ashwagandha Root, is among the most prominent herbal preparations used in Ayurveda, a holistic system of medicine that originated in India. The root of this small evergreen shrub is primarily recognized for its adaptogenic properties, meaning it naturally increases the body’s resistance to physical and emotional stress. Practitioners of Ayurveda traditionally prescribe Winter Cherry to promote gentle relaxation and emotional balance. Research has shown that Winter Cherry is a safe, natural sedative that produces the most noticeable benefits following daily use for two to six weeks.
7. Lavender
Lavender is a common herb used in aromatherapy for mental health and mood. Lavender is a part of aromatherapy for headaches and depression. Lavender is a part of several scented products like perfumes soaps, shampoos and sachets. The plant is usually extracted into an oil and used in aromatherapy for mood, stress and anxiety. Lavender should be used with the recommendation of a physician, because it can interact with other medications. In one German study, a specially formulated lavender pill was shown to reduce anxiety symptoms in people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) as effectively as lorazepam (brand name: Ativan), an anti-anxiety medication in the same class as Valium.
8. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb from the roots of Withania somnifera, a plant in the nightshade family. It has long been prized for hundreds of years for its ability to help the body deal with stress. It has also been used to boost the immune system, improve memory, and to promote overall wellness.
9. L-theanine (or green tea)
Research shows that L-theanine helps curb a rising heart rate and blood pressure, and human studies have found that it reduces anxiety. In one study, anxiety-prone subjects were calmer and more focused during a test if they took 200 milligrams of L-theanine beforehand. Astonishingly, even extremely short-term use of theanine had remarkable effects on manifestations of anxiety.
10. Rhodiola Rosea (Arctic Root)
Relieves occasional anxiety and positively supports the body during periods of stress. Arctic Root is a plant indigenous to Siberia, where it thrives in high altitudes and dry arctic climate. The primary medicinal compounds of Arctic Root are derived from the root of the plant.
In Russia, Scandinavia and much of Europe, Arctic Root has been traditionally recognized for its adaptogenic properties. An adaptogen is a physiological agent that naturally increases the body’s resistance to physical and emotional stress. Rhodiola Rosea has been clinically shown to stimulate Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine activity, and may help to support healthy neurotransmitter balance.
11. St. Johns Wort
Natural reuptake inhibitor that supports a healthy neurotransmitter balance. St. John’s Wort is an aromatic perennial herb with an abundance of golden-yellow flowers. Tiny perforations filled with phytochemical-rich oils cover the aerial (above- ground) portions of St. John’s Wort and yield an extract that gives the plant its primary health benefits. Current usage statistics indicate that millions of Americans supplement their daily diets with St. John’s Wort to promote positive mood balance. The medicinal components of St. John’s Wort, which include Hypericin and Hyperforin, have been clinically shown to promote a healthy neurotransmitter balance, which can help to provide positive mood support following two to six weeks of continued use.
12. Chamomile
There is good evidence that chamomile possesses anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties and can be used to treat stress, anxiety and insomnia. In one study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, in Philadelphia, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who took chamomile supplements for eight weeks had a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients taking placebo.
13.Skullcap
Skullcap is the anxiety remedy for people who experience anxiety along with restlessness, muscle tension, and jaw clenching. If you tend to toss and turn in bed, or if you feel like you can only relax when you’re out walking (but sitting still makes you want to jump out of your skin), or if you feel like “climbing the walls” when you’re stuck inside during a bout of anxiety, skullcap can help you to unwind not only your anxiety, but also the accompanying muscular tension and restlessness. Skullcap is effective in tea or tincture (a tincture is an herb extracted in alcohol) form, but if you can tolerate small amounts of alcohol I think 20-40 drops of the tincture (for a 150-pound person) is the most effective form.
14.Kava Kava
The known active ingredients in kava are phytochemicals called kavalactones. Kava Kava is best-known as a ceremonial South Pacific beverage. Six major kavalactones are used to identify the chemotype of variety as they represent greater than 90 percent of the total amount of kavalactones within the kava specimen. These kavalactones give kava its stress fighting, muscle relaxing, anxiety reducing effects. The are also very effective for depression and sleeplessness.
15. Licorice Root
contains a natural hormone alternative to cortisone, which can help the body handle stressful situations, and can help to normalize blood sugar levels as well as your adrenal glands, providing you with the energy necessary to deal with the stressful situation at hand. Some claim licorice stimulates cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, thereby calming the mind.
Neurotransmitter Support is one of the best formulations on the market for brain energy metabolism. It is a feast for brains in need of restoration, providing the optimum combination to facilitate the transport of vital nutrients into brain cells, and assist in re-establishment of neuronal function. And it’s a healthy snack for an aging brain, as well, giving it all the essentials necessary to support our mood, memory, and cognitive abilities, which tend to slow down as the years pass by.
The health effects of coffee are quite controversial. Depending on who you ask, it is either a super healthy beverage or incredibly harmful. But despite what you may have heard, there are actually plenty of good things to be said about coffee. For example, it is high in antioxidants and linked to a reduced risk of many diseases. However, it also contains caffeine, a stimulant that can cause problems in some people and disrupt sleep. This article takes a detailed look at coffee and its health effects, examining both the pros and cons.
Coffee Contains Some Essential Nutrients and is Extremely High in Antioxidants
Coffee is more than just dark brown water… many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the drink.
A typical 8oz (240 ml) cup of coffee contains (1):
•Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 11% of the RDA.
•Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 6% of the RDA.
•Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): 2% of the RDA.
•Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 2% of the RDA.
•Folate: 1% of the RDA.
•Manganese: 3% of the RDA.
•Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
•Magnesium: 2% of the RDA.
•Phosphorus: 1% of the RDA.
This may not seem like a lot, but try multiplying with 3, 4, or however many cups you drink per day. It can add up to a significant portion of your daily nutrient intake.
But where coffee really shines is in its high content of antioxidants.
The average person who eats a typical Western diet actually gets more antioxidants from coffee than fruits and vegetables… combined (2, 3).
Bottom Line: Coffee contains a small amount of some vitamins and minerals, which add up if you drink many cups per day. It is also high in antioxidants.
Coffee Contains Caffeine, A Stimulant That Can Enhance Brain Function and Boost Metabolism
Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world (4).
Soft drinks, tea and chocolate all contain caffeine, but coffee is the biggest source.
The caffeine content of a single cup can range from 30-300 mg, but the average cup is somewhere around 90-100 mg.
Caffeine is a known stimulant. In the brain, it blocks the function of an inhibitory neurotransmitter (brain hormone) called Adenosine.
By blocking adenosine, caffeine actually increases activity in the brain and the release of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine. This reduces tiredness and makes us feel more alert (5, 6).
There are numerous studies showing that caffeine can lead to a short-term boost in brain function… including improved mood, reaction time, vigilance and general cognitive function (7, 8).
Caffeine can also boost metabolism (calories burned) by 3-11% and even increase exercise performance by 11-12%, on average (9, 10, 11, 12).
However… some of these effects are likely to be short-term. If you drink coffee every day, then you will build a tolerance to it and the effects will be less powerful (13).
There are also some downsides to caffeine, which I’ll get to in a bit.
Bottom Line: The main active compound in coffee is the stimulant caffeine. It can cause a short-term boost in energy levels, brain function, metabolic rate and exercise performance.
Coffee May Help Protect Your Brain in Old Age, Leading to Reduced Risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of dementia.
Studies have shown that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (14, 15, 16).
Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and caused by the death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain.
Coffee drinkers have a 32-60% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. The more coffee people drink, the lower the risk (17, 18, 19, 20).
Bottom Line: Several studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease in old age.
Coffee Drinkers Have a Much Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugars due to resistance to the effects of insulin.
This is a very common disease… it has increased 10-fold in a few decades and now afflicts over 300 million people.
Interestingly, coffee drinkers appear to have a significantly reduced risk of developing this disease, some studies showing that coffee drinkers are up to 23-67% less likely to become diabetic (21, 22, 23, 24).
In one large review study that looked at 18 studies with 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee was linked to a 7% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (25).
Bottom Line: Numerous studies have shown that coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk of Liver Diseases
The liver is an incredibly important organ that has hundreds of different functions in the body.
It is very sensitive to modern insults like excess alcohol and fructose intake.
The end stage of liver damage is called Cirrhosis, and involves most of the liver being replaced with scar tissue.
Coffee drinkers have up to an 84% lower risk of developing cirrhosis, with the strongest effect for those who drink 4 or more cups per day (26, 27, 28).
Liver cancer is also common… it is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Coffee drinkers have up to a 40% lower risk of liver cancer (29, 30).
Bottom Line: Coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The more coffee they drink, the lower the risk.
People Who Drink Coffee Are at a Much Lower Risk of Depression and Suicide
Depression is an incredibly common problem.
It is the world’s most common mental disorder and leads to a significantly reduced quality of life.
In one Harvard study from 2011, people who drank the most coffee had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed (31).
In one review of 3 studies, people who drank 4 or more cups of coffee per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide (32).
Bottom Line: Studies have shown that people who drink coffee have a lower risk of becoming depressed and are significantly less likely to commit suicide.
Some Studies Show That Coffee Drinkers Live Longer
Given that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of many common, deadly diseases (and suicide), it makes sense that coffee could help you live longer.
There is actually some good evidence to support this.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 looked at the habits of 402,260 individuals between 50 and 71 years of age (33).
In this study, people who drank coffee had a much lower risk of dying over the 12-13 year study period:
The sweet spot seems to be at 4-5 cups per day, with men having a 12% reduced risk and women a 16% reduced risk.
Bottom Line: Some studies have shown that coffee drinkers live longer, which makes perfect sense given that they have a lower risk of many diseases. The strongest effect is seen for 4-5 cups per day.
Caffeine Can Cause Anxiety and Disrupt Sleep
It wouldn’t be right to only talk about the good stuff without mentioning the bad.
The truth is… there are some important negative aspects to coffee as well (although this depends on the individual).
Consuming too much caffeine can lead to jitteriness, anxiety, heart palpitations and may even exacerbate panic attacks (34).
If you are sensitive to caffeine and tend to become overstimulated, then perhaps you shouldn’t be drinking coffee.
Another unwanted side effect is that it can disrupt sleep (35). If coffee reduces the quality of your sleep, then try avoiding coffee late in the day, such as after 2pm.
Caffeine can also have some diuretic and blood pressure raising effects, but this usually goes away with regular use. However, an increase in blood pressure of 1-2 mm/Hg may persist (36, 37, 38).
Bottom Line: Caffeine can have various negative effects, such as causing anxiety and disrupting sleep, but this depends greatly on the individual.
Caffeine is Addictive and Missing a Few Cups Can Lead to Withdrawal
One issue with caffeine, is that it can lead to addiction in many people.
When people consume caffeine regularly, they become tolerant to it. It either stops working as it used to, or a larger dose is needed to get the same effects (39).
When people abstain from caffeine, they get withdrawal symptoms like headache, tiredness, brain fog and irritability. This can last for a few days (40, 41).
Tolerance and withdrawal are the hallmarks of physical addiction.
A lot of people (understandably) don’t like the idea of being literally dependant on a chemical substance in order to function properly.
Bottom Line: Caffeine is an addictive substance. It can lead to tolerance and well documented withdrawal symptoms like headache, tiredness and irritability.
The Difference Between Regular and Decaf
Some people opt for decaffeinated coffee instead of regular.
Each time this is done, some percentage of the caffeine dissolves in the solvent and this process is repeated until most of the caffeine has been removed.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that even decaffeinated coffee does contain some caffeine, just much less than regular coffee.
Unfortunately, not all of the health benefits of regular coffee apply to decaffeinated coffee. For example, some studies show no reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s or liver diseases for people who drink decaffeinated coffee.
Bottom Line: Decaffeinated coffee is made by extracting caffeine from the coffee beans using solvents. Decaf does not have all of the same health benefits as regular coffee.
Things to Keep in Mind in Order to Maximize The Health Benefits
There are some things you can do in order to maximize the beneficial health effects you get from coffee.
The most important is to NOT add anything unhealthy to it. This includes sugar and any sort of artificial, chemical-laden creamer.
Another important thing is to brew coffee with a paper filter. Unfiltered coffee (such as Turkish or French press) contains cafestol, a substance that can increase cholesterol levels (42, 43).
Also keep in mind that some of the coffee drinks at places like Starbucks can contain hundreds of calories and a whole bunch of sugar. These drinks are NOT healthy.
Bottom Line: It is important not to put sugar or a chemical-laden creamer in your coffee. Brewing with a paper filter can get rid of a cholesterol-raising compound called Cafestol.
Should You be Drinking Coffee?
There are some people who would definitely want to avoid or severely limit coffee consumption, especially pregnant women.
People with anxiety issues, high blood pressure or insomnia might also want to try limiting coffee for a while to see if it helps.
There is also some evidence that people who metabolize caffeine slowly have an increased risk of heart attacks from drinking coffee (44).
All that being said… it does seem clear that for the average person, coffee can have important beneficial effects on health.
If you don’t already drink coffee, then I don’t think these benefits are a compelling reason to start doing it. There are downsides as well.
But if you already drink coffee and you enjoy it, then the benefits appear to far outweigh the negatives.
I personally drink coffee, every day… about 4-5 cups (sometimes more). My health has never been better.
Take Home Message
It’s important to keep in mind that many of the studies in the article are observational studies, which can not prove that coffee caused the beneficial effects.
But given that the effects are strong and consistent among studies, it is a fairly strong indicator that coffee does in fact play a role.
Despite having been demonized in the past, the evidence points to coffee being very healthy… at least for the majority of people.
If anything, coffee belongs in the same category as healthy beverages like green tea.
