Zika History and Current Spread

The Zika virus was first identified in 1947 by scientists who were researching yellow fever in Uganda. They placed a caged rhesus macaque in the Zika forest. After it became sick with a fever, the researchers isolated the virus from its blood. In 1954, in Nigeria, the virus was first isolated from a human. Up until 2007, confirmed human infections were rare and were limited to Africa and Southeast Asia.

In 2007, an outbreak in Micronesia resulted in 49 confirmed cases and 59 unconfirmed cases. The infections were relatively mild with no associated deaths or hospitalizations. In 2013, the disease reached French Polynesia. In 2014, it reached Brazil and has continued an explosive spread through South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

In most cases, the infection is mild. However, a possible, perhaps probable, link between the virus and microcephaly, a severe birth defect whereby an infant is born with an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development, has catapulted this disease from obscurity to the status of a public health emergency and worldwide headline news. Brazilian health authorities have reported more than 3,500 microcephaly cases between October 2015 and January 2016.

On their website, the World Health Organization states, “Agencies investigating the Zika outbreaks are finding an increasing body of evidence about the link between Zika virus and microcephaly. However, more investigation is needed before we understand the relationship between microcephaly in babies and the Zika virus. Other potential causes are also being investigated.” However, Colombia’s President, Juan Manuel Santos, says there is no evidence that the virus has caused an increase in microcephaly in his country, though they have diagnosed 3,177 pregnant women with the virus.

In January, 2016, The CDC issued a level 2 travel alert to areas where virus transmission is active: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. By February, the virus has been found in 20 countries in the Americas.

On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Zika is now considered a public health emergency of international concern. They estimate that the virus will spread throughout the Americas and will infect up to 4 million people by the end of 2016.

How is Zika Spread?

The primary method of transmission is through mosquito bites. There have also been confirmed cases of sexual transmission. The virus is found in saliva, urine, and semen. Semen has been proven to spread the virus. It is not known whether the virus can be transmitted from females to males during unprotected intercourse or through body fluids other than semen.

Symptoms of Zika Disease

The Zika virus is typically a mild infection. Up to 80% of those afflicted do not exhibit symptoms. General symptoms are a mild fever, a skin rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle and joint pain, and general malaise lasting for 2-7 days. More serious cases can involve neurological and autoimmune complications including Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune illness in which the immune system attacks the nervous system causing paralysis. (Most people afflicted with Guillain-Barre syndrome recover, though some retain muscle weakness.)

The treatment for most cases is the same as another other mild virus – rest and plenty of fluids.

Spread of Zika Virus to the United States

To date, all of the reported cases of Zika disease in the U.S. are from travelers who contracted the disease outside of the country and brought it home. One man was exposed and infected but had not yet exhibited symptoms before coming home and engaging in unprotected sex with his wife. Both tested positive for Zika when they become ill. A woman in Hawaii gave birth to an infant with a small head after catching the disease while visiting Brazil. There are no known cases of infections due to mosquito bites occurring in the U.S. as of February 7, 2016.

How to Protect Yourself from Catching Zika Disease

The same protocols for eliminating the threat of any mosquito bites apply. First, eliminate breeding grounds. Clean, cover, or get rid of containers that capture standing water. Use screens on windows, keep doors closed, and if you live in an area with a lot of mosquitos, consider sleeping under a mosquito net.

Long sleeves, long pants, and light covered clothing are helpful. You will be told to use insect repellent. Rather than cover your body with insecticide, make your own safe, mosquito/tick repellent.

If your partner has been exposed and you are pregnant or have been trying to become pregnant, use condoms. Scientists do not yet know how long the virus can be contracted after an infection, but this information should be common knowledge soon.

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes and the Zika Virus

Spraying reduces mosquito populations by 30%-50%. The recent release of GM mosquitoes in the CECAP/Eldorado district in Brazil resulted in a 90% reduction in the mosquito population. The release, made before the sudden Zika virus explosion, was targeting mosquitos that carry dengue and chikungunya. These are the same mosquitos that carry Zika. The dengue infection plummeted from 144 cases the previous year to only 1 case after the release of the mosquitos.

The popularity of the belief that genetically modified mosquitoes are responsible for either the spread of the virus or the rise in birth defects is baseless. Male mosquitoes feed on flower nectar; females feed on blood. Only male mosquitoes are genetically modified before being released into the wild. They are equipped with a “kill switch” that successfully kills their offspring before the larvae reach maturity (and can feed on anyone).

It is expected that millions of GM mosquitos will be released to combat the current epidemic.

Conclusion

The Zika virus is a mild virus, one that usually results in no symptoms at all or a low fever and a mild rash. Suddenly this disease is linked with causing a devastating birth defect. This correlation may or may not be causation. Many critics are questioning the probability, especially when comparing Brazil’s outcomes against Colombia’s. Some are suggesting the birth defects are due to Brazil’s practice of vaccinating pregnant women with both the DTP and the MMR vaccines and reminding us that rubella and pertussis components in the DPT vaccine are known to cause microcephaly. Other doctors suggest that a pesticide, Pyriproxyfen (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese ‘strategic partner’ of Monsanto), which has been added to drinking water tanks to kill mosquito larvae since 2014, may be the source.  And of course, some continue to blame the new genetically modified mosquitoes. Although it seems unlikely that genetically modified mosquitoes are a factor, the outcome of these experimental practices remains unknown. What is clear is that something is not adding up. As always, we need to follow the money and see who is benefitting from the situation or who has something to hide. Unfortunately, the list of possible suspects continues to grow.

Further Reading:

• How Viruses Work and How to Prevent and Eliminate Them Naturally
• How to Deal with Mosquitoes Naturally
• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Lyme Disease on the Rise and Spreading Across America – With All Natural Tick Spray Recipe
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally

Sources:

• Zika virus – WHO Media Centre
• History of Zika virus – Zika Virus Net
• U.S. adds more countries to Zika travel alert – Reuters
• Colombia: 3,177 pregnant women with Zika; no microcephaly – Yahoo News
• Zika virus: WHO declares global public health emergency, says causal link to brain defects ‘strongly suspected’ – Washington Post
• What is the Zika Virus Epidemic Covering Up? – Green Med Info
• Argentine and Brazilian doctors suspect mosquito insecticide as cause of microcephaly – Ecologist

I enjoy a lifelong love affair with books. My collection had grown to a formidable size before my last three moves. Knowing each living situation would be temporary, I culled my library down to its bare bones—the best of the best. I now have another favorite to add to my smaller, more selective collection that will accompany me wherever I go.

A Wilder Life: A Season-by-Season Guide to Getting in Touch with Nature by Celestine Maddy with Abbye Churchill is a beautiful, informative, thoughtful compilation of facts, recipes, DIY instructions, and more – a book designed to put you a little more in touch with nature and a lot more in touch with yourself.

Celestine Maddy takes you on a season-by-season journey under the headings: Growing, Cooking, Home & Self-Reliance, Beauty & Healing, and Wilderness. The Growing sections include a seasonal growing checklist along with plant profiles and numerous educational articles about various aspects of gardening. Do you want to learn how to make cheese or a simple homemade tomato sauce? How about sauerkraut or the basics of canning? If so, check out the Cooking sections. The Home & Self-Reliance Sections, the Beauty & Healing Sections, and the Wilderness sections read like a cross between the Foxfire books, modern prepper guides, and Mother Earth News with a little bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. You can choose from how to find water in the wilderness and foraging for edible plants to making a tincture, a perfume, or a healing balm. The following is a recipe from the spring Cooking section:

Make a Simple Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian form of fresh cheese usually made with sheep’s milk. Here we’ve substituted fresh cow’s milk and used vinegar as our acid. Experiment with using lemon juice and citric acid in place of vinegar to see how that affects the flavor.

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

• 6 cups whole milk (unpasteurized if possible or not processed using ultra-high temperatures)
• 2 cups cream
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Equipment

• Strainer
• Cheesecloth
• 4-quart pot

Directions

1. Line a strainer with damp cheesecloth and place over the sink.
2. In a 4-quart pot, combine the milk, cream, vinegar, and salt and bring the ingredients to a simmer (but do not let the mixture come to a boil , as this will burn your milk). After about 3 minutes, you should begin to see curds form and separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat.
3. Pour the curds and the whey into the cheesecloth, allowing the whey to pass through the cloth. Let the mixture drain for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the cheesecloth from the strainer and twist the top closed to capture the curds in one ball. Gently but firmly squeeze the curds. You don’t want to remove all of the whey, just the majority of it.
5. The ricotta is now ready to eat or to incorporate into a recipe and will keep refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.

I highly recommend this book. Buy one for yourself and add it to your list of thoughtful gifts for others.

Find it on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, and other sites.

We’ve all met one. The person loudly proclaiming that gluten-sensitivity isn’t a real thing and that all those hipsters paying a ridiculous amount of money for their special gluten free products need to sit down, shut up, and have a sandwich with real bread. As frustrating as hearing that sentiment can be for those who suffer from unpleasant symptoms like stomach pain or diarrhea after consuming gluten, the lack of a definitive, concrete test for gluten sensitivity makes it easier to treat that sensitivity as an imagined condition. Nearly half of American consumers see gluten free as a fad based solely on anecdotal evidence, rather than the complex diet and gut issue that it is. Now, researchers may have found a more effective way to diagnose gluten sensitivity – a protein molecule called zonulin.

Not Your Average Space Invader

Most people have never heard of zonulin. In fact, it sounds more like a bad guy from a movie or show set in space than a molecule responsible for regulating the opening and closing of junctions in the lining in the intestinal tract. But like the public’s awareness of gluten free issues, zonulin is a relatively new discovery, as it was discovered in 2000. Zonulin reacts to harmful bacteria like salmonella entering the gut, opening the digestive lining’s junctions to induce diarrhea and flush out bad guys. Once the bacteria

Zonulin reacts to harmful bacteria like salmonella by opening the digestive lining’s junctions to induce diarrhea and flush out bad guys. Once the bacteria is gone, the digestive junctions close up, and zonulin levels return to normal. A smoothly functioning digestive system is the basis of health, as the lining of your intestinal tract determines how vulnerable you are to potentially harmful bacteria like Candida.

The Gluten Effect

So what does that mean for people with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity? According to a recent study, undigested gluten triggers zonulin in people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. People with these issues have been shown to have higher levels of zonulin. High zonulin levels correspond to open junctions in the gut, which increases the likelihood of harmful particles damaging the gut lining itself and triggering immune responses in other areas of the body. This leaves the gut unable to heal itself which can spiral into serious autoimmune conditions (see Leaky Gut Syndromes, and Autoimmune Diseases) like hypothyroidism and multiple sclerosis (and, of course, many others).

Shut it Down

Zonulin itself is a valuable molecule in the body, and recent information suggests that it could also have an important role in determining people who are at risk for celiac disease. As research into how gluten affects people continues, dismissing gluten-free diets as a fad will become more and more difficult. Learning about the gut ecosystem and it’s massive effect on your health is one of the smartest things you do. Don’t wait for someone to hand you your health on a platter.

Sources & Further Reading:

• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndromes, and Autoimmune Diseases
•  Gluten Sensitivity – Fact or Fiction?
• A Protein in the Gut May Explain Why Some Can’t Stomach Gluten – NPR

Tired of picking up massive dog poo pies?  A change in diet will minimize Fido’s stools, making clean-up easier for you and nutrients more accessible to him. Highly digestible foods are absorbed better by a canine microbiome, and they produce less waste, boost your dog’s immune system, and decrease the risk of obesity.

You’ll find ingredients listed on every dog food can or package.  The first item listed should be a specific meat, such as beef, lamb, or chicken, not “by-products,” which could be virtually any part of the animal from fat to guts to digestate. It should be honest-to-goodness meat.  Sure – when a dog hunts down a rabbit and eats everything consumable, he or she is eating what would amount to by-products.  If the prey is healthy, at least those by-products are fresh and somewhat nutritious. Processed by-products?  Not so much.

After meat, rice is one of the more digestible ingredient fillers dogs can eat. Always avoid foods containing corn, which doesn’t break down well in canines. Corn results in big appetites and big stools.  Some whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and herbs can be beneficial, but be suspicious if you see a laundry list of cheap fillers such as meat or bone meal, fat, flour, protein concentrate, gluten, or potatoes.  If you see a roll call of unpronounceable preservatives on the label, snub the item as you would when choosing your own food. Salt, sugars, flavoring, and coloring should have no part in pet foods.

The law requires pet food manufacturers to add back vitamins and minerals that aren’t found in the primary ingredients or have been destroyed through processing.  So be wary of long strings of supplements at the end of the list.  And keep in mind that the words “natural” and “premium” have no legal meaning or regulation guidelines.

High-quality commercial brands are more expensive, but require fewer feedings to satisfy carnivore needs.  With smarter nutritional choices, doggie dumps will be smaller and your dog will experience less uncomfortable urgency.  Preparing homemade foods for you dog is a satisfying labor of love that will result in a healthier, happier pet.  Foods can be concocted in batches and frozen a month at a time.  Many raw and cooked recipes, along with portion instructions, are available online.  Here’s an example of what might go into an easy pooch pleaser:

• Two types of raw meat (one an organ meat)
• One green vegetable
• Hard boiled eggs with mashed shells
• Several cooked whole grains (rice, oats, wheat…)
• Veggies and fruits on hand

As the techno geeks say, garbage in, garbage out.  Kick the ersatz fillers to improve your dog’s well-being and, in the bargain, make pick-ups easier for you and all of your best friend’s stewards.

Further reading:

• Cancer Cure (for Dogs Only, with Raw Dog Food Recipe)
• Dog Food Reviews – Dog Food Advisor
• Home Family & Pets Dog Food Dog Food Ingredients – Consumer Search
• Reduce Your Dog’s Carbon Poo Print One Flush at a Time
• The Top Five Worst Pet Food Ingredients

Not all people are the same, but when it comes to hormonal imbalance and overall endocrine function, there are common problems that may affect any person at any time, at any place, and at any age. This short guide will explain these factors and how they can impact your health and wellbeing.

Aging

The body’s endocrine system is made up of a special group of cells that are responsible for producing hormones—natural substances that influence target cells, tissues, organs, and systems. Hormones affect growth and development, metabolism, digestion, sexual function, mood, cognitive functions, and stress response and many other body functions.

The way these endocrine tissues work begins to change as we age. Hormone production levels may begin to decrease, and the way the target cells respond to the hormones may also weaken. Hormone levels in the blood may begin to fluctuate, and the metabolism or breaking down of the hormones themselves may become affected. All these changes can lead to many symptoms, including menopause  in women, andropause in men, and the development of diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Diseases and Other Medical Conditions

Many types of diseases and medical conditions can affect hormone levels. There are three basic types of endocrine diseases, namely those that cause hormone hyposecretion (insufficient hormone production), those that cause hormone hypersecretion (too much hormone production leading to excess hormone levels), and benign or malignant tumors of the endocrine glands.

Among Americans, the most common type of endocrine disorder is diabetes, an insulin-related condition that results in high blood sugar levels over an extended period of time. There are many other endocrine disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Addison’s disease, Cushing’s disease, and prolactinoma.

Other medical conditions, like those that have something to do with a person’s genetic information, can also affect a person’s hormonal balance. For example, Turner’s syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that affects the development of girls, can cause low thyroid hormone and estrogen levels. Low estrogen levels, as you might already know, can cause problems in ovarian function and may also lead to osteoporosis.

Exposure To Stress

Various studies have shown that chronic stress can also cause hormonal imbalance, which can be a precursor to other serious ailments.

When a person encounters a perceived threat, the body responds with a combination of neural and hormonal signals. For instance, the adrenal glands work double-time to produce the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which are important in the mediating the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. Adrenaline causes increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure, while cortisol increases sugar levels in the body.

After the perceived threat or stressor has gone, adrenaline and cortisol levels usually return to normal, and their effects on the body also go away. However, when stressors are perennially present around the individual, this person is subjected to chronically high levels of these stress-mediating hormones. Over time, this hormonal imbalances can lead to various conditions, including weight gain, depression, anxiety, memory and cognitive problems, sleep disorders, and heart ailments.

Lifestyle Factors

Various lifestyle factors, like eating an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and sleep deprivation can also seriously affect a person’s hormonal balance. Eating too much sugar, for instance, can negatively affect a person’s insulin, estrogen, and testosterone levels. Lack of any physical activity, on the other hand, can affect insulin response and the production of testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH). Finally, sleep deprivation can also put a person’s pituitary-dependent hormones off kilter. This is especially true if the individual is constantly awake at night when the body is supposed to be releasing a significant amount of HGH into the bloodstream.

Exposure To Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

A lot of people are also exposed to different types of industrial and household chemicals that could have endocrine-disrupting effects. These chemicals mimic the effect of natural hormones in the body.

The abnormal stimulation of targeted cells in the body can result not only in hormonal imbalances, but also in various conditions that can seriously affect the health and quality of life of affected individuals. These problems include birth defects, abnormal sexual development, infertility, and a number of neurological and behavioral disorders.

Poverty

An interesting study by the University College London (published in the journal Social Science & Medicine) revealed that more low-income people have hormonal imbalance problems compared to their more affluent counterparts. For instance, of the more than 1,800 individuals studied, it was revealed that low-income men tended to have lower testosterone levels. This condition is associated with increased body fat, loss of muscle mass, and osteoporosis. Low-income women, on the other hand, had higher testosterone levels. In females, this is associated with conditions like infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The researchers concluded that societal and economic factors can negatively affect people’s hormone levels. Low-income people, in particular, are exposed to greater amounts of stress and are prone to living unhealthy lifestyles.

Conclusion

To summarize, many factors can affect a person’s hormonal balance and endocrine function. It is very important to determine which of these are affecting a patient if  hormonal or endocrine-related problems are identified. Only then can a medical professional recommend a proper treatment plan, whether it is medical intervention to fight a certain disease, biodidentical hormone replacement therapy to bring the patient’s hormone levels back into equilibrium, or just simple lifestyle changes to effect positive change in the patient’s endocrine function.

Recommended Reading:

• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• How to Detoxify From Chemotherapy and Repair the Body
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

Acne or acne vulgaris is a long-term skin disease that occurs when hair follicles become clogged by dead skin cells and oil. Acne is the common cause for spots and it usually affects the face but sometimes may also affect the back, neck, and chest. Characterized by blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and greasy skin; the resulting appearance can lead to anxiety, reduced self-esteem, and in extreme cases, depression.

Causes of Acne

Acne usually occurs when oil glands attached to the hair follicles are stimulated during puberty due to hormonal changes. However, there are cases when acne is stimulated by the following factors:

• Hormones: Adult hormonal activity also contributes to the formation of acne. Acne developed between the age of 21 and 25, though uncommon,  is usually linked to follicular glands that grow larger and make more sebum.
• Genetics: Genetic components play an important role in acne formation. It is believed that there are multiple candidates for genes related to acne.
• Diet: The relationship between diet and acne is unclear, but high-glycemic-load diets have been found to have an effect on its severity.
• Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of developing acne and it worsens it if the person increases the number of cigarettes per day.
• Psychological: A few high-quality studies have demonstrated that stress causes and worsens acne.

Acne Treatment

As per recent research done by NYU Langione Medical Center, physicians who treat acne prescribe ineffective antibiotics and leave patients on the medication for too long. According to Seth Orlow, the study’s senior investigator, physicians need to recognize within weeks, not months, the need to change medications in cases of severe acne.  The study mainly focuses on the overuse of antibiotics in cases of acne. As per the published findings, doctors kept patients on antibiotics for an average 11 months before switching to isotretinoin (former brand name Acutance), a stronger treatment.  As per Orlow, the doctors should limit the use of antibiotics to a maximum two to three months each, or a cumulative total of no more than six months, and then only if significant improvements are seen.

Complacent About Overuse of Antibiotics

As per the research, the doctors and patients have become complacent to antibiotic overuse and the subsequent danger of microbial drug resistance. The main reason for late prescription of isotretinoin is the side effect linked with the medicine. Sold with a federal restriction, the side effect includes the risk of birth defects and some potential threats like causing depression.  It is also recommended to use isotretinoin only when acne therapy has failed.

Nevertheless, the federal restriction is designed to work as a protocol to prevent and carefully manage the risk related with isotretinoin. It does not mean that patients suffering with severe acne must be left on prolonged use of antibiotics, even when they are not helping. It is important to find a better balance between trying antibiotics that may work and getting isotretinoin quickly to patients for whom antibiotics are not working.

Finding balance will not only help to decrease the number of  cases of acne found in young people, quick healing will help boost their confidence.

Recommended Reading:

• Healthy Skin
• Get Naturally Gorgeous Skin with These 4 Home Remedies
• Natural Remedies for Acne
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

For years now, we have been taught to count calories, to balance the ratio of our calories in vs calories out for the most effective way to lose unwanted pounds. But does this system work for the countless number of  people around the world who are diligently counting calories?

Well, the simple answer is no. Here’s why the calories model is outdated and what the new research is telling us to do instead!

Not All Calories Are Created Equal

While it seems simpler to try and think of each calorie having the exact same effect on our bodies, this is simply not the case. Not all calories are created equal. For example, the calories from an apple have a very different effect on your body than those from a snickers bar. Food is information for our bodies and every time you eat, every time you make a choice about what types of foods you are going to consume, you are sending messages to your cells and to your hormones that can have varying effects on a whole range of processes within your body.

Our hormones play a major role in the way our bodies process our food. They tell us when we are full and they signal our body to either burn or store fat. For example, your body has two fuel sources to choose from for energy: fat or sugar. If under stress, the body will produce excessive amounts of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These two hormones signal your body to use sugar as an energy source as it is available much faster than fat, which is a slower releasing energy source. This isn’t helpful if your goal is weight loss as it makes it difficult to burn fat regardless of what you are eating.

It’s Impossible To Accurately Count All Calories

If the calorie in calorie out model did actually work, then you would need to make sure that the calories you are counting are really accurate or risk gaining unwanted pounds. Realistically it’s impossible to accurately determine the calories you eat and trying to can create stress or anxiety around eating. Just imagine you are out for dinner with your friends or family and while everyone is choosing what they want to eat, you are trying to figure out how many calories each meal has to fit into your daily target. Not fun!

Labels Can Be Inaccurate

Little do the calorie counters know, there is an allowable margin of error in product labeling. This simply means again that accurately counting the number of calories in different foods is almost impossible.

We Could Potentially Restrict Ourselves From Eating Healthy Foods

Some foods are high in calories but are high in essential nutrients that actually help your body burn fat, for example, foods like avocados, coconut oil, nuts, and seeds. These foods are full of healthy fats that help your cells function optimally. Adding healthy fats to your meal can also help you feel full faster and stay full longer. They can also help in controlling your cravings and your blood sugar levels. If we focus only on calories, we may miss out on the many benefits that we can get from these foods.

Counting Calories Is Not Sustainable Because It Does Not Address The Root Cause of Why People Overeat

There are several reasons why people overeat or become overweight. Emotional eating, eating when bored, food cravings – all can lead to making poor food choices. How many times have you gone for a muffin or a bag of potato crisps while doing menial tasks at work? If these underlying issues are not addressed, then those who are counting calories will quickly run out of calories before they hit dinner. They then have the option of skipping dinner or “cheating” and having dinner anyway. After eating dinner and feeling guilty, many will overeat or snack while vowing to “start again tomorrow”. This is not a sustainable or healthy way of eating.

In Order For Any Weight Loss Program To Be Sustainable, One Has To Focus on Developing Healthy Habits and Lifestyle

So if we are not counting calories, what works instead? The most effective way to make healthy sustainable lifestyle changes is to choose whole foods whenever possible, real foods like fruit and vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, and organic grass fed or free range meat and dairy products.

All of our bodies are different, so learning to listen to and trust your body can be really life changing. Try to focus on eating only when you are hungry and not when you have nothing to do. Making a conscious effort to eat healthy foods rather than focusing on what you cannot have is an act of self-care, and your body will thank you.

Also, look at other aspects of your lifestyle. Exercise not only helps boost your metabolism, it has a great effect on your mood and energy levels, which makes it easier to make good food choices. Keeping yourself hydrated at all times is also super important as is sleep! Find an activity that will better manage your stress such as meditation, deep breathing, or a restorative practice such as yoga. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just take it one step at a time. The small things you do consistently every day will have a much bigger impact on your health than big changes you only sustain for a week.

Have you tried counting calories in the past as a weight loss method? We would love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

Further Reading:

• How I Lost Over 150 Pounds, and How My Life Changed
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good