Have you ever had a sneaky suspicion that you would feel a lot better and probably lose quite a bit of weight if you could just quit eating so much sugar?

Do you feel frustrated because you constantly think about food and crave sugary snacks?

Have you gotten to the point where your desire to feel better is outweighing the relative ease of staying the same?

In my experience, when people decide once and for all to eliminate sugar from their diet, they usually start to freak out about how hard it’s going to be. It is easier if you have a strong, compelling reason to step outside of your comfort zone!

If you are considering a sugar detox,  you are probably struggling with one of the following:

• You have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes (90% of Americans have not been diagnosed)
• You have belly fat that you would like to lose
• You are overweight and low-energy
• You always crave sugar and carbs
• You have trouble losing weight on conventional diets
• You eat when you’re not hungry
• You get withdrawal symptoms if you cut down or stop eating sugar or flour

If any of these sound like you, what follows is a comprehensive guide to your sugar detox. I highly recommend you detox for a full 10 days.

1. Make a decision to detox

There are lots of other symptoms you may be dealing with including bloating, gas, reflux, irritable bowel, joint or muscle pain, brain fog, memory or mood problems, sinus or allergy symptoms, and more. You know intuitively that these conditions are not normal and are somehow tied to sugar consumption, so by choosing to detox from sugar, you are making a decision to feel healthy and happy!

2. The Tried and True Turkey Approach

The tried and true turkey is cold turkey. You have to go all the way. There honestly is no half-way for this one if you want to reset your body’s neurotransmitters and hormones.

Sugar, as we know, is highly addictive and lights up the same centers for pleasure in your brain as cocaine and other drugs. It’s a sugar “detox” for a reason! Stop consuming all forms of sugar, flour products, and artificial sweeteners, which cause increased cravings and slow metabolism and lead to fat storage.  Ideally, for 10 days, you avoid any food that comes in a box, can, or package, and any food that has a label. Stick to real, whole, fresh food.

3. Detox your Drinks

We forget that juices, sports drinks, and sweetened teas are just as bad as solid food with sugar or flour. In fact, when we drink sugary sodas and juices all that glucose goes very quickly into your bloodstream, raises your blood sugar, causes your body to release insulin, and ultimately begins the cycle that leads to belly fat and high triglyceride levels! Stats: a 20-ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar; Gatorade contains 14 teaspoons of sugar in one bottle.

4. Protein Power

Lean, clean protein at every meal, especially at breakfast, works wonders for balancing blood sugar and insulin and cutting cravings. Traditional breakfasts based on pancakes, waffles, cereal, and fruit are not part of this equation. You are better off with whole eggs in an omelette with veggies, or even a high-quality protein shake. You will have to plan ahead so you can have nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken, or grass-fed meat on hand for protein at every meal.

5. Eat Green Carbs

Did you know that vegetables are carbs? You get to eat as much as you want. Yep, unlimited green carbs … non-starchy veggies such as kale or dandelion greens, anything in the broccoli family (cauliflower, kale, collards), asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, artichokes, and peppers, to name a few. Go sparingly with things like sweet potatoes and beets.

6. Fat is Your Friend

I’ve said this about a million times, but here I go again. Fat doesn’t make you fat, extra calories and too much sugar does. Fat makes you feel satiated, helps balance your blood sugar, and is necessary for healthy hormone production. Along with protein, I encourage you to include good fats at every meal or snack. Sources of good fats include nuts and seeds (which also contain protein), extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and omega-3 fats from fish.

7. Be prepared for the 911

To set yourself up for success you need to think ahead and avoid a food emergency when your blood sugar is dropping and you find yourself in a food desert such as an airport, the office, or a maze of convenience stores, fast food joints, and vending machines. You will need to pack yourself a collection of good snacks that will rescue you when things look grim. Look for things like:

• Justin nut butters that come in single serve packets
• Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds in ziplock bags
• Salmon jerky or turkey jerky
• Fresh fruit or veggies

8. Stress Less

There is a direct link between stress and the hormone cortisol. When you are stressed, your cortisol levels go up. This makes you hungry, initiates that belly fat storage pattern, and leads to type-2 diabetes. The trick here is to be aware that you are feeling stressed out and learn to PAUSE.

Breathe.

Breathe deeply.

Studies show that taking deep breaths activates a special nerve, called the vagus nerve, that shifts your metabolism from fat storage to fat burning and quickly moves you out of the stress state. All you have to do is take a deep breath.

9. Don’t Fuel the Flames

Food allergies and stress can cause inflammation which in turn triggers blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type-2 diabetes. The most common sources of inflammatory foods are sugar, flour, trans fats, gluten, and dairy. We often crave the foods we’re allergic to. This might be the perfect time for you to eliminate gluten and dairy for 10 days. Getting off them isn’t easy, but after just 2 or 3 days without them, you’ll have renewed energy, relief from cravings, and will see many of your common symptoms disappear.

10. Sleep it off

Have you ever experienced not being able to lose weight, being stuck on a plateau even though you’ve been doing all the right things, and then all of a sudden you take a couple days off and get plenty of sleep only to find you lost 5 pounds overnight? Sleep is exactly what you need for your body to heal, to reset hormones, and to decrease stress and inflammation. Let’s be honest, most of us are not getting enough sleep. Without the recommended eight hours of sleep,  you experience a rise in hunger hormones, a decrease in appetite-suppressing hormones, and big cravings for sugar and refined carbs. You literally can sleep your cravings and your weight away.

Let us know the results of your 10 day detox!

Sources:

• Foods That Promote Candida Overgrowth and Lead To Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Healthy Sugar Alternatives
• How to Detox Your Easter Candy Candida

Candida is a more common problem than most people realize. The right supplements can certainly help, but unfortunately, Candida albicans and other species of Candida (there are over 20 of them) will bounce back if you do not follow the most effective and necessary change – radically changing your diet.

Usually, the most effective protocol begins with a strict adherence to a sugar-free, grain-free, GMO-free, and processed food free diet. Over time, as the body restores balance, your immune system will be able to hold Candida in check, and more flexibility in your diet can follow. But during the first few weeks of a Candida detox diet, many foods that are normally very good for you should be avoided. The protocol for moderate-to-severe Candida overgrowth is far more restrictive than mild Candida overgrowth. Perhaps you didn’t know all of the following foods feed Candida.

Fruit

Fruits are high in natural sugars. This is by design after all fruit is nature’s candy. However, it’s important to note that sugar, any kind of sugar, feeds yeast, and Candida is a type of yeast.

For the first few weeks of a Candida detox diet, avoid all fruit. After the symptoms of Candida overgrowth die down, fruit can be reintroduced, but this should be done slowly, a few fruits at a time. Also, the reintroduction of fruit should begin with the fruits that are the lowest in sugar; the high sugar fruits should be reintroduced later. Here are some of the best fruits to initially reintroduce in the diet.

• Lemons
• Grapefruits
• Limes
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Raspberries
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries

Vegetables

The majority of vegetables are great for a Candida detox diet. Raw vegetables should make up the majority of the foods we eat, all the time, whether we are on a detox diet or not. After the body heals from Candida, a diet high in raw produce, with more vegetables than fruit, is the primary diet change that will keep Candida from coming back and making us sick again – and provide the foundation for health.

Unfortunately, there are a few vegetables that should be avoided for the first few weeks, and not eaten cooked while on a Candida detox diet.

Beets are so high in sugars that cultivars have been developed that are grown just to make processed sugar (sugar beets). Especially when they are cooked, beets (any cultivar) feed yeast in a big way. Healthy people without a Candida overgrowth, should consume raw beets regularly, because they are very high in nutrients.

Alcohol

It is common knowledge that alcoholic drinks are drinks that have been fermented by yeast. Candida is also a type of yeast. Even though there are many differences between the kinds of yeasts used to brew alcohol and the kinds of yeast that infect humans, they share many important characteristics. These fungi feed on sugars and release alcohol and other toxins as waste products. Not only are these toxins harmful to us, they are devastating to the beneficial bacteria in our gut.

Just as alcohol can be applied externally to disinfect wounds (killing bacteria), when taken internally, alcohol also kills bacteria, even the beneficial bacteria that help to keep Candida in check. Without competition from bacteria, Candida can very quickly multiply and cause us a myriad of health problems.

Seafood and Other Food With Heavy Metals

Today’s seafood is not the same as the seafood that we used to catch many years ago. Unfortunately, most of our seafood is contaminated with heavy metals, radioactive material, and other toxins. Sadly, farm raised seafood is usually worse. Farm raised shrimp and fish are usually given GMO feed and they are also contaminated with high levels of PCBS, mercury, and other toxins. Also the mercury in seafood kills our beneficial bacteria, clearing the way for yeast to take over our digestive tract.

Vinegars

Vinegar is made by fermentation in a two-part process. First, yeasts metabolize the sugars into alcohol and then Acetobacter bacteria are added. These bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid. Most vinegars can cause inflammation of the gut, and this can make us more vulnerable to yeast infections. Apple cider vinegar is an exception, and most people with Candida overgrowth benefit from consuming it, especially the raw, organic kind. Sensitivity to vinegar does vary somewhat from person to person. Some don’t experience inflammation from any type of vinegar, while others can’t tolerate any type at all, even apple cider vinegar.

Nuts

Nuts are often contaminated with mold. Small amounts don’t pose that much of a problem for us. But since mold is a type of fungus, our bodies are less able to handle the toxins present in mold if we are besieged by Candida, and many molds contain antibiotic properties as well. As you probably guessed, mold can kill off our beneficial bacteria, and we need as much beneficial bacteria as possible to battle Candida.

Beans

Beans are notoriously difficult to digest; that’s where the gas comes from. Any foods or food combinations that are difficult to digest should be avoided when you’re on a Candida detox diet. If you can’t fully digest food that you consume, you are feeding Candida. Beans are one of those foods that are good for us when we are healthy, but not good at all when we are dealing with Candida overgrowth.

Grains

Most people consume far too many grains. Eaten in moderation, some grains are okay, but when on a Candida detox diet, or any kind of detox diet for that matter, grains should be avoided.

Many of us have been taught how to choose the foods we eat from an outdated food pyramid, or the more recent myplate.gov, which is barely an improvement. Following the government recommendations for eating grains leads to chronic disease, with Candida overgrowth being the first and most common symptom that leads to other diseases.

Agave

Most agave nectar that is sold in stores is actually a mixture of corn syrup and agave nectar. After all, corn syrup is cheaper to produce. Agave nectar has been marketed in the U.S. and abroad as a healthy sweetener, and at first glance, this appears to be true. Agave nectar is very low on the glycemic index so it appears to be good for those with blood sugar problems or those who are merely trying to watch what they eat. In truth, agave nectar is worse than high fructose corn syrup.

The reason that agave nectar is sweet is that it is very high in fructose. While fructose is very difficult for the body to digest, Candida goes to town, easily feeding off of it. Consuming high amounts of fructose impedes liver function and promotes obesity. Agave nectar is higher in fructose than high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately, there is nothing healthy about agave nectar, especially when trying to rid the body of Candida.

Artificial Chemical Ingredients

It’s tempting to think that something with zero calories, like diet soda, is good for us. It’s a comforting thought, but it has no basis in reality.

Aspartame, MSG, Splenda, Sweet N’ Low, Equal, nearly all preservatives such as nitrites and nitrates, and any other difficult to pronounce or mysterious ingredients such as “artificial flavorings” should be avoided.

These are all recent additions to modern diets, and there is no evolutionary justification for eating them. Despite what the FDA would have us believe, we are not meant to eat synthetic chemicals that come from laboratories. There are far too many artificial ingredients for us to list here, but none of them belong in a Candida detox diet.

Other Foods

Sugar feeds Candida, so sugar needs to be completely avoided. A sweet tooth leads to a leaky gut. When sugar is consumed, it feeds Candida and too much sugar transforms Candida into an invasive fungus, robbing us of our health. Candida overgrowth can even penetrate our intestines. It sounds like something out a horror movie, and many people find this hard to believe, but it’s true.

This invasive form, called “mycelial form,” actually produces rootlike tentacles called “rhizoids.” These roots can then penetrate through the lining of the GI tract, causing a pain­ful condition known as “leaky gut,” which is increased intestinal permeability. When you have a leaky gut, partially digested food particles are able to pass through the intestinal lining and directly enter the bloodstream. Not only that, but toxic waste produced by the candida passes right into the bloodstream, too. When this happens, food allergies can result, as well as symptoms of excessive bloating, gas, belching, heartburn, diarrhea and constipation. Don Colbert M.D.

Most dairy products should also be avoided with the exception of unsweetened yogurt and kefir. Dairy contains lactose, a sugar that is difficult to digest, but Candida thrives on it.

How to Eat to Eliminate Candida

It is no small wonder why Candida overgrowth is so prevalent among people these days. Take for instance the most well known all American meal, a cheeseburger and French fries. Eating foods like these promote Candida overgrowth in multiple ways.

The cheese is usually cultured from mold, which is problematic. Usually the cheese is also full of artificial ingredients, and the cow that produced the milk that made the cheese was usually fed GMOs, given hormones and antibiotics, and kept in overcrowded disease ridden conditions. That’s also where the beef came from.

The bread likely contains GMO wheat, as we have been unable to control GMO cross contamination of our food even though all GMO wheat was ordered to be destroyed years ago. Even if the wheat isn’t genetically modified, it most likely was grown with chemical fertilizers, treated with pesticides, and then doused in Roundup just prior to harvest. Also the bread is likely to contain azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in yoga mats, and of course it isn’t good for us.

The French fries are from potatoes grown in chemical fertilizers and treated with potent pesticides, then fried in genetically modified, hydrogenated oils that are high in trans saturated fats.

The healthiest foods in the meal are the lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion but even those foods do not escape the chemical onslaught typically used in conventional agriculture to produce them. The pickle probably contains GMO sugar, artificial flavors, and artificial colors. What’s worse is that out bodies cannot easily digest a meal that is high in both carbohydrates and protein, even when we are healthy. A different approach to food is needed, and there is a better way.

A truly healthy diet consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic, produce, with more vegetables than fruit. On a Candida detox diet, fruit should always be eaten on an empty stomach; it is easier to digest that way. Starches should never be mixed with protein, and the majority of meals should be made up of vegetables. This is easy to do and very satisfying when salads are regularly consumed.

A healthy salad is made up of lots of raw organic vegetables like collard greens, kale, chard, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, onions, beets, beet tops, carrots, zucchini, radishes, cucumbers, raw garlic, (can be pressed into the salad dressing), tomatoes, avocadoes, sprouts, and, a sprinkle of a few nuts or seeds. If you eat animal products, you can add eggs, meat, and sheep or goat cheese. This is an example of a meal that heals rather than harms us.

It is far better to feed our beneficial bacteria and nourish our bodies than it is to feed parasites. Whenever we make a decision about what we eat, we are making life or death decisions. This may sound melodramatic, but it is the way our bodies work. The old adage is true: we are what we eat.

No matter how strict a Candida detox diet is, if the Standard American Diet is resumed afterwards, Candida overgrowth will quickly return. If you want to be healthy, adopt an organic lifestyle. If the bulk of the diet is made up of raw vegetables, than Candida overgrowth will never be a problem again.

From The Editor:

Below, our list of recommended supplements is a protocol that I put together based on what people have found the greatest success with to balance gut flora and heal the intestinal tract. You can take them all together except the FloraMend should be taken without other supplements. If you’re looking for a topical solution, nothing works better than SF722 (both internal and externally), but it causes a burning sensation that is very intense. It does not damage the skin but it hurts until the Candida is dead.

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse (kills parasites, heals the intestinal walls, sets up hospital home for health flora)
• Formula SF722 (undecenoic acid, kills candida and other fungal infections better than other antimicrobials)
• FloraMend-Prime by Thorne (a strong probiotic designed to pass through the stomach acid and into the intestinal tract, all other supplements can be taken together, but take this one separately like early morning and late night)
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations (a parasite killer, works pretty well on Candida, but works even better on many other parasites)
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox (This is necessary only for those with seriously damaged intestines, anyone who has recently been vaccinated, or those looking to do a thorough detox)

Further Reading:

• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• How To Kill Candida, Fungi, Yeast in the Body
• How to Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem
• The Fascinating Bacteria in our Gut, and How it Affects Our Whole Lives
• How to Cure Candida
• After taking antibiotics, this is what you need to do to restore healthy intestinal flora
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Foods to Avoid on the Candida Diet – The Candida Diet
• The Vinegar Institute – Versatile Vinegar
• The Bible Cure For Candida – Don Colbert

Think about it. We all live downstream. Everything we dump down the sink, or flush down the toilet enters our water supply. When you fill that cup from the tap, how many pharmaceuticals do you think are in the water?

Medications are manufactured and sold as over the counter drugs, prescription drugs, and drugs developed for use only within a medical setting (such as vaccines, anesthesia, and drugs used for medical tests). Last year, 4,002,661,750 prescriptions were filled in the United States. Yes, that’s more than 4 billion, 2 million prescriptions. And these were just the prescriptions. Approximately 2.9 billion trips were made to the pharmacy or other retail store to buy over the counter drugs. So all in all, Americans purchased close to 7 billion drugs last year, not counting the medications used in hospitals and clinics.

In households, medications accumulate. In the typical medicine cabinet you will find a combination of drugs:

• Medications currently prescribed and taken on a daily or on an as needed basis.
• Medications purchased over-the-counter to be used if/when needed.
• Prescriptions partially used due to patient non-compliance or a change in prescription.
• And all too often – a full collection of outdated medications!

Prescription and over-the-counter medications are dangerous. If they are not kept under lock and key, the risk of medications being taken by others is great. Small children mimic their parents. Pre-teens and teens experiment. And children of the household are not the only possible culprits. Their friends will surely check out your medicine cabinet, if given the chance. In fact, it isn’t that uncommon for adult visitors to steal a few pills here and there.

Obviously, it is best to dispose of unused and expired drugs, but all too often they are flushed down the toilet. Even if we didn’t dispose of them improperly, drugs would end up in our water. Whatever drugs we take are excreted in urine and feces. This is true for both humans and animals. Now that conventional factory farming has become the standard, these over-crowded, inhumane meat and dairy factories are filled with animals that are injected and fed hormones to speed up growth and fed antibiotics to survive their abysmal, unhealthy conditions. The waste runoff goes into groundwater and contaminates nearby creeks and rivers.

In addition, many medications come in the form of creams and salves. These are also washed down the drain along with all of the chemicals contained in our personal care products, our cleaning supplies, soaps, and laundry detergents.

All chemicals in the water are beginning to be a problem. Though all sorts of pharmaceuticals are found in our water (antibiotics, hormones, psychiatric drugs, heart medications, and more), the experts say the levels are not yet high enough to affect us, but they are high enough to affect aquatic life. This is a problem in itself and also a sure sign that the levels are rising and will soon become a health concern.

Some pharmaceutical companies allow nursing homes and hospitals to return meds. But what are we supposed to do?

You can check with your county government or city government to ask if they have a medication disposal program in place. They may have an ongoing program or like our county, have a bi-annual medication disposal day. While a twice a year program does help keep meds out of the water, it does little to keep excess medications out of the home.

Check with you pharmacy to see what programs they may have in place. Walgreens and CVS both sell envelopes for $3.99 to ship non-controlled substances to a disposal facility where the unopened envelope is incinerated. And although they say they do not open the envelopes, you are not supposed to send in controlled substances.

Some argue that the cost, the lack of availability, and the emissions from incinerating medications make throwing meds away a better option. They suggest emptying pills and mixing them with nasty garbage to discourage anyone from picking through garbage to retrieve pills.

It’s too bad the obscenely rich pharmaceutical companies are not required by law to take back unused and expired medications for disposal for free. But with their track record of deceit and corruption, they would probably just repackage them for resell.

If you’ve decided to clean up your act and dispose of all your unneeded medications please do not flush them. Either find a program of throw them away.

If you want to get off of pharmaceuticals and leave the conventional medical model behind, true health starts with a nutrient dense, whole food, plant-based diet consisting of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits. Include healthy fats; they are essential. If you choose to eat meat, choose only organic meats to avoid antibiotics, hormones, and meat from animals that were fed GMO feed and raised in inhumane conditions. Avoid all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Avoid processed sugar, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and all genetically modified foods. Eliminate cow dairy and gluten as well if you suffer from any kind of auto-immune disease or chronic condition.

Further Reading:

• 80% Raw Food Diet
• How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials
• What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and For Drinking?
• Symptoms of Dehydration & Benefits of Proper Hydration – Are you Getting Enough Water?

Sources:

•  Economic Impact: The Biopharmaceutical Industry Helps Strengthen the U.S. Economy – PhRMA
• Total Number of Retail Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies – The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
•  Statistics on OTC Use – Consumer Healthcare Products Association
• Best Disposal Method for Old Medications Found – livescience

If your child is challenged with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, chances are you have both doctors and educators demanding you put your child on medication. Take heart. There are natural ways to help your child.

First and foremost, diet plays a crucial and primary role in managing your child’s health and symptoms. Diet management is simple, but overarching. Your child needs the healthiest possible diet, but then again, don’t all of us?

Diet

The healthiest possible diet consists of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. This means salads, chopped up veggies to snack on, carrot slaw, coleslaw, kale salad, spinach salad, apple salad, fruit salads, smoothies and more. Whole foods are both nourishing and healing. If you eat meat, be sure it is organic. If you eat dairy, choose goat or sheep milk and cheese. Be sure to include healthy fats in the diet like coconut oil, avocados, and flax seed oil or a high quality, beneficial fatty acid supplement. Make sure your child’s diet is high in B vitamins or supplement B complex. Of course choose a whole food vitamin if you are supplementing – never synthetic.

If your current diet resembles the American Standard Diet, you’ll be focusing more on what not to eat that what to eat. To begin with, eliminate all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. No BHA, BHT, MSG, trans fats, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup), and seriously limit or eliminate all sugars except raw honey. Never, under any circumstances, feed your child artificial sweeteners. It wouldn’t be a bad idea (at least in the beginning) to eliminate gluten as well. After several weeks on a really clean diet, you could add it back in and monitor results.

If your child has any known food allergies, completely eliminate offending foods.

Detox

Children with ADHD often have issues with heavy metals and other substances they need to detox. For children, it is best to work with a knowledgeable health care provider who practices chelation therapy and detoxification protocols.

The proper diet (as mentioned above) provides on-going detoxification the natural way. Make sure your child’s diet includes fresh garlic, onions, and cilantro – all of which aid in detoxification and chelation.

Sleep

Adequate, quality sleep is essential for ADHD challenged children to maintain impulse control and focus. Do you know how many hours your child requires? Do bedtimes in your home allow for this much sleep, including wind down time to fall asleep?

• Age 3-5 years: 11-13 hours
• Age 6-13 years: 9-11 hours
• Teenagers 14 and up: 8-10 hours

If your child has difficulty sleeping, again, this is another area where B vitamin supplementation may help.

Exercise and Earthing

Hyperactive children need to run and play. The more they exercise, the better they sleep and the more control they have over their bodies and their attention.

While skateboards, roller skates, bikes, trampolines, and the like will all be great aids for these kids, don’t forget that lack of impulse control leads to risky behaviors. Increased supervision may be required.

Encourage contact with the ground. Barefoot in the grass, laying in the grass, connecting with the earth – however it is done can help. (see below).

Unconditional Love and Positive Regard

Identify and celebrate your child’s strengths and unique abilities. Your child needs to develop a healthy self-esteem and there is little to no chance this will happen through the school system.

Throughout this child’s formative years, the message from most of the adults in his or her life will be one of disappointment, disapproval, and possibly disbelief ADHD is real.

Your unconditional love, respect, and appreciation will provide the emotional foundation your child needs to develop a healthy sense of self.

Conclusion

ADHD is caused by poor functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain. Everything that can be done to improve gut health, hormonal balance, and overall health, will help control symptoms. Grounding or Earthing may help as well.

Recommended Supplements:

• Vitamin B Complex

Further Reading:

• 80% Raw Food Diet
• Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium
• Bouncing Off the Walls
• Nutrition needs For Your Children
• 5 Simple Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Eat More Fruits & Veggies
• Artificial Food Dyes and Kids: Not a Good Mix

Sources:

• Children and Sleep – National Sleep Foundation

Indigestion can seriously mess you up. I mean, think about it. One of the most important systems that your body has isn’t working properly and starts glitching. There’s going to be some inner turmoil.

If you’re prone to indigestion, you know what I’m talking about. Yeah, you might want to leave it a minute there before you provoke the stink-o-palypse.

So, you want to sort that out ASAP.

Where do you go? You have the option of popping down to your local drugstore, but let’s face it- that binge of chips and cheese you had last night probably has a lot to do with it.

No, this is between you and your gut. There’s no reason to get anyone else involved. So start at the root and get these five superfoods down your chute. They are guaranteed to save you from the embarrassment of the century. Don’t say we never did anything for you.

Moringa

Moringa is one of those old-as-time secrets that we were just extremely slow at catching onto. Indeed, we now know that it’s probably been used as a medicine for indigestion for a millennia. That’s a ridiculously long time to think about.

Because of its high fiber content, it works like a mop in your intestines (and for the boys, around your colon) to clean up any of that extra grunge left over from a greasy diet. Not to mention its anti-bacterial composition, great for ousting any unwanted visitors that get in the way of healthy digestion.

Extra gut perk? Moringa’s packed with isothiocyanates that’ve been shown to act as a natural antibiotic against H. pylori, a pathogen that’s a major cause of gastritis, both gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer.

Aloe Vera

Oh, aloe vera. You’re probably more used to smearing this on you whenever you get a bad cut, but aloe vera also has surprisingly good traction inside the body. It contains things called mucopolyaccharides (we’re not even going to bother offering a pronunciation), which are present in every cell of our body and have a ton of vital jobs.

Among these are helping our digestive tract to absorb nutrients, getting body fluids to flow smoothly, and building a wall in the intestines which stops toxic and harmful chemicals right in their tracks. And it’s proven, too; a 2004 study showed that ulcerative colitis patients saw a significant improvement after taking the stuff twice a day for four weeks.

Chlorella

Chlorella is a kind of freshwater algae, originating from East Asia. It’s set apart from other algae thanks to its detoxifying agent, which helps to remove harmful substances from the body- particularly around the liver. Its heavy fiber content helps to toughen up the lining of the intestines and fight constipation head on, keeping your bowels regular and your body feeling feeling much lighter.

Kefir

When people talk about kefir, they’re usually talking about milk with kefir grains added in- known quite simply as milk kefir. But it’s the added grains that make kefir especially beneficial. They work essentially the same as yoghurt- adding more “good” bacteria to crowd the bad, but they have a lot more beneficial qualities than your standard, store-bought yoghurt. They help to soothe inflamed intestinal cells whilst the collection of friendly microflora found sends in new recruits for the battle against harmful gut flora.

Kimchi

Kimchi (pronounced kim-chee) is the national dish of Korea and has seen more of the universe than most of us will ever see. In fact, there was a type of kimchi bred by scientists for the sole purpose of being safe to eat in space!

Loaded with anti-oxidants and with enough fiber to leave your intestines sparkly clean, kimchi offers pure benefits with almost no calories or fat to speak of. Kimchi goes through a process of fermentation that creates helpful bacteria. One of the star players in kimchi is lactobacillus, which helps regulate gut flora.

We all have moments where our digestive system just doesn’t want to cooperate, but you don’t have to put up with it. Changing our diet is probably the most effective way we have of treating indigestion, since a lot of the time the reason our tracts are taking a hissy fit is because we’re not giving them enough of the good stuff!

Further Reading:

• How to Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem
• How to Cure Candida
• The Fascinating Bacteria in our Gut, and How it Affects Our Whole Lives

Recommended Supplements:

• Floramind-Prime by Thorne (Probiotic)
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse (cleans intestinal tract, kills parasites)
• Formula SF722 (kills Candida and all other fungi, yeast)

A staple in the Mediterranean, extra virgin olive oil can be found in most dishes originating from the region. The oil is also a main ingredient in the Mediterranean diet that was developed as a way to safely lose weight while improving your overall health. High in essential fatty acids, plant sterols, and even vitamin K, there are several benefits associated with extra virgin olive oil that include its great taste.

Improve Your Immune System

Extra virgin olive oil is high in certain antioxidants that can help strengthen your immune system, along with vitamin E and natural carotenoids. These compounds are necessary for your body to successfully fight off certain cancers and diabetes and prevent inflammation and coronary artery disease. These naturally occurring antioxidants are also responsible for the distinctive flavor of the oil and are also beneficial in helping to prevent some types of degenerative nerve disease.

Relieves Aches and Pain

The nutritious oil is also high in oleocanthal, which acts like a natural pain reliever. This compound mimics the active ingredients found in ibuprofen and is a natural and safe way to ease various aches and pains due to inflammation. Extra virgin olive oil can also help treat the discomfort associated with sore and swollen joints that are usually caused by arthritis.

Weight Loss Aid

With the growing popularity of the Mediterranean diet, many people are discovering the great taste of the extra virgin olive oil, which can make it easier to eat healthily and lose the extra weight. While it is high in fat and calories, it can also help you shed the extra pounds. The calories contained in olive oil are used for energy while the fatty acids are essential for your general health. It can also improve digestive health, which is always beneficial even if you are not trying to lose weight.

Improve Your Sex Life

The compounds found in extra virgin olive oil can also improve your sexual performance, along with your general health. The plant sterols can reduce cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing heart disease while the essential fatty acids improve blood flow and circulation. Increased blood flow can treat several sexual dysfunctions, and prevent any from occurring. When your entire body is healthy, it is easier to have a satisfying sex life.

Prevent Loss of Brain Function

One of the biggest fears people face when they are growing older is the loss of brain function. The vitamin K in extra virgin olive oil has proven to be successful in preventing damage to the neurons, a key step in treating and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin K can also increase bone density, and prevent osteoporosis.

Reduce Signs of Aging

Along with helping to prevent and treat arthritis, memory loss, and osteoporosis, this healthy and natural oil can also improve the appearance of your skin. The vitamins and plant sterols can help fight the signs of aging, along with minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. High in essential vitamin E, adding extra virgin olive oil to your daily diet can help improve cellular regeneration. This can not only “erase” tiny wrinkles, but the beneficial compounds can also even skin tone for a fresh and radiant appearance.

Improve Overall Health

Along with being an effective weight loss aid, extra virgin olive oil can improve your overall health. The naturally occurring antioxidants can reduce your risk of developing certain diseases while the plant sterols work to lower cholesterol and improve the health of your heart. Essential vitamins improve your skin tone and digestive system while also helping to treat and prevent several health conditions. This delicious and nutritious oil can also improve memory function, along with your sex life.

Summary

It is hard to believe that this natural oil can offer so many health benefits while also making salads, pastas, and even bread taste unbelievable. Used for centuries in the Mediterranean for its nutritional properties, it has now become a popular choice for many people looking to lose weight and improve their health. Extra virgin olive oil can be used in cooking, as a dressing for vegetables and pasta, or to simply dip your bread in. It will improve your digestive system making it easier to lose weight safely, and its natural compounds work to improve the health of your body. As a bonus, this natural oil does not contain any allergens and is generally considered safe for anyone to ingest.

References:

• OliveOil – Wikipedia
• Multiple Articles – Consumer Health Digest
• Multiple Articles – Glozine

Coconut has been traditionally cultivated for its raw coconut meat, oil, milk, water, and most recently for its flour. The Philippines is now the largest coconut producing country and was first to produce flour as a byproduct from its production of coconut milk (1, 2). The growing demand for the use of natural, non-toxic plants as medicinal aids to prevent and treat illness has highlighted the various health benefits of consuming coconut products.

Many researchers now recommend the addition of coconut flour to supplement any healthy diet because of its many benefits including antibacterial and antifungal properties. Whether you are on a strict paleo diet, seeking an allergy free flour source, or you simply desire to stimulate your digestive and immune system, coconut flour is an excellent addition to your meals and a pantry staple.

What is Coconut Flour?

Producers of coconut flour originally sold the nutritious coconut milk byproduct to farmers in the form of coconut meal. Farmers understood that coconut meal was an excellent source of organic fertilizer and animal feed supplement. In the past few decades, as more research emerged supporting the numerous health benefits of coconut flour, human consumption of the valuable superfood also increased. (3)

Coconut flour is derived from grating the meat of fresh coconuts. The meat is then dehydrated and defatted which means the oil is extracted. The result is a fine powder that looks and feels similar to wheat or grain flours. The most pure and organic form may even fool a seasoned foodie because of its lack of coconut flavor. (3, 4)

Coconut Flour is Gluten-Free

Coconut flour has different health benefits than those of other coconut products such as the oil for instance and it offers a great alternative to conventional flour. Considered a functional food, coconut flour exhibits properties that significantly benefit health and is a valuable source of nutrition (1). This functional food is a great source of dietary fiber, is high in protein, does not contain gluten and has a low glycemic index (GI) (5).

Coconut flour is especially recommended for those with inflammatory issues that result when wheat or gluten is consumed. Coconut flour is safe for consumption in individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, leaky gut syndrome, as well as those with diabetes.

Advice on How to Use Coconut Flour

Despite the fact that coconut flour may look, feel, and perhaps even smell like conventional refined flours, coconut flour can be frustrating and costly to cook with without some guidance. Don’t forget Dr. Fife’s description that coconut flour is like a sponge and cooking with such an absorbent food provides its own challenges to be overcome.

A few tips follow on how to achieve success in substituting 100% coconut flour in recipes for wheat flour:

1)  Use as a Thickening Agent:  Due to the high absorbency, coconut flour is an excellent thickening agent for soups, stews, and even smoothies. For this reason, it is also recommended to store coconut flour in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to avoid moisture clumps.

2)  Experiment to Find What You Want:  In general, for every one cup of traditional flour you only need approximately 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of coconut flour.  You may like it with a little more or less flour so try experimenting to see what gives you the desired texture you love.

3)  Binding Ingredients:  Recipes commonly include an additional protein source such as extra eggs or hemp powder to make up for the binding properties that gluten normally would provide. Flax seed is also an excellent binder and contributes it own health benefits to your coconut flour recipe.

Great Coconut Flour Recipes

Do you enjoy, cookies, pizza, bread, blueberry muffins, and donuts?  Try making them with coconut flour next time.  Some of my favorite coconut flour recipes include the following:

• Coconut Flour Cookie Dough Bites
• Coconut Flour Pizza Crust
• Coconut Flour Bread
• Coconut Flour Donuts
• Coconut Blueberry Muffins

Sources:

• Dietary fiber from coconut flour: A functional food – Science Direct
• Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.: Arecaceae): In health promotion and disease prevention – ScienceDirect
• Gluten Intolerance, Digestive Function, and Coconut Flour – Coconut Research Center
• Dr. Bruce Fife says, “Go Cuckoo for Coconuts” – The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore! !
• Glycemic Index of Coconut Flour Products in Normal and Diabetic Subjects – Food and Nutrition Research Institute