Low fat & low calorie diets aren’t just something that weight loss experts recommend. The Center for Disease Control even recommends that in order to stay healthy and lean you should eat a low fat, low calorie diet.

I am going to show you how eating a diet that is low in fat and calories could be making you fat, sick and frustrated!

Fat free foods, or low calorie foods are so easy to find at any grocery store these days. For just about every full-fat version of a food, there is likely to be a reduced version of the same food. And it is no secret that eating a diet lower in calories and fat is the key to weight loss, so why are obesity rates at an all-time high?

Let’s take a look at a pretty typical day of eating a low fat, low calorie diet. For this example you would be eating three meals per day and of course a low calorie snack for dessert, because everyone deserves a treat now and then, right? Since losing weight is the goal, I want to make sure this diet is fairly low in calories, so let’s aim for about 1,500 calories per day.

The meals that I found are random and were found by simply searching the internet for low fat or low calorie food options. These items would be present in any grocery store in the country and would generally be considered to be healthy by many shoppers.

Breakfast: (Calories/Grams of fat)

1 cup Special K Cereal – 120 calories and 0.5 grams of fat

1 cup skim milk – 86 calories and 0.4 grams of fat

Starbucks 12oz cafe latte with skim milk = 126 calories and 0 grams of fat

Lunch:

Lean Pockets Ham and Cheddar – 280 calories and 7 grams of fat

Baked Lays BBQ potato chips – 123 calories and 3.1 grams of fat

Dinner:

Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli – 270 calories and 4 grams of fat

Dessert:

Chips Ahoy 100 Calorie Thin Crisps – 100 calories and 3 grams of fat

I think this is a pretty light day of eating, but if you really had some willpower this would be totally doable. You have your three meals for the day, your protein, a coffee treat and even a snack! So let’s count up those calories and grams of fat and see where we are at.

Total Calories = 1105

Total Fat = 18 grams

This is pretty great news, right? Not only will this diet give you less than 20 grams of fat in a day, but your total calorie count is well below the 1,500 mark. At this rate, you could safely eat another 400 calories of food, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

The reason that this diet is going to fail and make you fat and sick is very simply because when you concentrate only on low fat, low calorie foods, you miss a really important part of the bigger picture. There is an ingredient that is added to more of your food than you may be aware of, and it is hiding in plain sight under the disguise of lower calories and healthy foods. And that ingredient is sugar. More specifically, high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup was introduced in the mid 1970’s as a cheap alternative sweetener that could easily be added to soft drinks. You may have heard that HFCS is a safe product because it is natural, and comes from corn.

While it is true that HFCS is made from corn, it should not be considered safe to consume in any quantity, let alone the quantities that many Americans and people from around the world are consuming it. The truth is, the human body could survive without HFCS without a single negative effect whatsoever.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) obesity rates in this country doubled between 1980 and 2000, to about 60 million adults.[1] While correlation does not equal causation, it is certainly something to think about when you consider this happened just a few years after high fructose corn syrup started being added to a large portion of our soft drinks and processed foods.

And since it is cheaper to add to food than traditional granulated sugar, it is safe to assume that you will be quite likely to find it in a lot of your food that you buy in the grocery store. Low fat, and low calorie foods are no exception to this.

So how much sugar, or high fructose corn syrup is in all of this wonderful low fat, low calorie food that you just ate for your recommended diet?

54 Grams which is about equal to 13.5 teaspoons!

The World Health Organization recommends that a person with a normal body mass index (BMI) consume no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, which is about 6 teaspoons. [2] So right from the start, when you eat a diet similar to this example, which is low in calories and fat, you are consuming twice the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

But that’s not all. Researchers at Princeton have found that high fructose corn syrup is actually worse for your health than regular sugar. In the study, researchers gave two groups of rats the same amounts of “rat chow”, but changed up their beverage a little bit.

One group got ordinary table sugar in a water solution, and the other group had access to high fructose corn syrup. What they saw was that the rats who consumed the high fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than their regular sugar-water rat counterparts [3].

But that’s not all. The researchers also found that the high fructose corn syrup rats had abnormal increases in fat in their abdomen, as well as a rise in their triglycerides. In other words, they were becoming fat and sick. And if that’s not all, they also noted that another group of rats who were given the HFCS over a period of six months began to show signs of metabolic syndrome in comparison to rats who only were given the rat chow.

It is estimated that about 20 to 25 percent of adult Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome. Below are some metabolic risk factors. While it is possible to have any number of these alone, you are considered at risk for metabolic syndrome if you have three of the following conditions:[4]

1. Abdominal obesity, or having an “apple” shape
2. High triglyceride levels
3. Low HDL (good) cholesterol levels
4. High blood pressure
5. High fasting blood sugar

Is high fructose corn syrup the smoking gun in the fight against obesity? The research is not in just yet on that, but researchers are tirelessly working on it. Do you think there may be enough data to show that it is a major contributor to obesity and a wide array of diseases that are costing our society billions of dollars to treat?

This is for you to decide, but you must also decide if it is worth the risk of taking the chance.

If you have ever wondered if weight loss and better health can really be easy, maybe it would be worth it to try a diet that is a way of life, and not the newest fad. Counting calories and grams of fat may mean you eat foods with low amounts of both calories and fat, but if there is even a small chance that you could be at risk for metabolic syndrome and the conditions that come with it, perhaps it is not the best answer.

Sources:

1. Facts About Obesity in he United States
2. Consultation Sugar Guidline
3. A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find
4. What Is Metabolic Syndrome?

(NaturalNews – Mike Adams) A decade-long study of 60,000 women has confirmed that drinking diet soda sweetened with aspartame is linked with a 30 percent increase in heart attack risk and a 50 percent increase in death risk.

The findings, presented at the American College of Cardiology(1), have already been partially swept under the rug with the false explanation that diet drinks don’t necessarily cause these risks but are instead merely correlated with them. “Women who toss back too many diet sodas may be trying to make up for unhealthy habits,” claims an article on CNBC,(2) while citing no evidence whatsoever to support the claim. Keep in mind that any time a synthetic vitamin is correlated with increased mortality, the entire scientific community immediately describes those synthetic vitamins as “causing” death. Correlation is causation only when industry-funded scientists say it is.

Aspartame is a neurotoxin

What scientists refuse to explore — even when the data clearly show a strong death risk association — is that aspartame is a neurotoxin. The reason why women who drink diet soda have a 50 percent increased death risk is, of course, far more likely to be caused by what’s in the diet soda rather than some lifestyle choice.

Aspartame, after all, is made from the feces of genetically engineered bacteria. It is not a natural sugar but rather a chemical compound created in an industrial lab. Used in diet sodas, it breaks down into a number of chemical compounds including formaldehyde and methanol. During digestion, the formaldehyde is oxidized into formic acid, a chemical known to cause toxicity in mammalian biology. Formic acid is also secreted by ants as part of their “chemical weapons” arsenal.

Aspartame linked to long list of neurological problems

Aspartame denialists try to pretend that all this formaldehyde, methanol and formic acid has no effect on human health. Their argument is identical to that of GMO denialists: “GMOs are harmless!” It’s even the same argument as mercury denialists: “Mercury is harmless!”

Why, then, is aspartame so frequently linked to blurred vision, headaches and neurological problems when repeatedly consumed in the form of diet drinks? In fact, there are over 90 side effects linked to aspartame consumption, including headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, rashes, depression, irritability, insomnia, hearing loss, vision problems, loss of taste vertigo and memory loss.

Soda companies and misinformed doctors all try to pretend none of these side effects are real — that people are all imagining headaches, blurred vision, numbness, insomnia and so on. That’s how unethical the soda industry is: they poison their own customers with a neurotoxic chemical, then call them delusional when they suffer neurological side effects.

If you drink diet soda, you are murdering yourself

The bottom line in all this? If you drink diet soda, you are essentially murdering yourself. Call it “slow suicide.”

There are a thousand beverages healthier than diet sodas: tea, fruit juice, mineral water, raw almond milk… even non-diet sodas are better for you than diet sodas! (And diet sodas have been conclusively proven to have no effect whatsoever on weight loss. So drinking them is a useless diet gesture to begin with.)

If for some reason you are still drinking diet soda, find a healthier beverage and stop poisoning yourself to death.

From the American College of Cardiology website:

[A] study led by Ankur Vyas, MD, of the University of Iowa found that postmenopausal women who consumed two or more diet drinks a day were 30 percent more likely to experience a cardiovascular event and 50 percent more likely to die from related cardiovascular disease than women who never, or only rarely, consumed diet drinks. The analysis of 59,614 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, who had an average age of 62.8 and no history of cardiovascular disease, saw that after an average follow-up of 8.7 years, the primary cardiovascular outcome occurred in 8.5 percent of the women consuming two or more diet drinks per day compared to 6.9 percent in the five-to-seven drinks per week group; 6.8 percent in the one-to-four drinks per week group; and 7.2 percent in the zero-to-three per month group. The difference persisted when researchers adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors and co-morbidities. The association between diet drinks and cardiovascular disease warrants further study to define the relationship, Vyas said.

Sources for this article include:
1) http://www.cardiosource.org/en/News-Media/Pu…
2) http://www.cnbc.com/id/101536768

Lemons are incredible little yellow beings of love. While they may seem quite sour and acidic, each one is anything but a crabby little sourpuss. The acidic taste in lemons is actually alkaline.

What is alkaline, you ask? Alkaline and acid are the measurements of pH in your body. Optimally, your alkaline and acid ratios are balanced. Unfortunately, most standard diets are causing our internal systems to be too acidic, causing significant ill health and a terrain of disease. Don’t worry. There is good news! Many foods are alkaline and they can assist your body in maintaining the right levels. And guess what? Lemons are one such food. In addition to helping us achieve balance, lemons have many other great benefits.

Lemons are anti-bacterial and can protect against many types of infections. Think of these sunshine beings as a natural antibiotic.

Lemons are anti-viral. Starting to feel the flu invading your inner peace? Drink a glass of lemon water every two hours to help deter the virus and stimulate your immune system.

Lemons can assist in dissolving gallstones. Anybody who has ever felt the pain of a displeased gallbladder will adore this tidbit. Lemons help dissolve the calcification in your gallbladder and flush it from your system.

These yellow lovers also help improve mental clarity. They act as natural energy boosters and may even assist in improving focus. Do you have a big meeting or a challenging exam? Sometimes just the wonderful citrus smell of a lemon may elevate your concentration.

Lemons assist in detoxifying your liver. Think of your liver as a filtration system for your body. Because lemons are a natural cleanser and anti-oxidant they support the wonderful housekeeping job your liver does everyday.

They can even make you feel happy! Yep, that is right. Lemons are a natural mood enhancer. They can help reduce anxiety, diminish stress levels, and boost those feel good emotions.

Lemon water is a lovely choice. Yet, why stop there? Let the creativity begin!

How about adding lemon to balsamic and olive oil for a great dressing?

Thirsty? Add lemon juice, orange zest, and honey to a glass of warm water for a healthy and fulfilling drink. Take it to the next level with sparkling water and apple juice. Oh, so fancy.

Lemons can be squeezed over your favorite protein. For an added kick, combine lemon juice with coconut oil and garlic for a great marinade.

Love your greens? Of course you do! Add lemon to kale with a minced shallot and feel fabulous.

Enjoy! Healthy is fabulous.

Slugs are classified as gastropods, which makes them a little different from the usual suspects in a garden. They thrive in places of high moisture because they’re mostly made of water, and they need to produce large amounts of protective mucus to stay alive.

They love everything a garden has to offer. They eat several kinds of plants, and slug populations have been known to wipe out entire gardens. Their slime trails can contaminate produce and their eating habits leave gaping holes in plants. Slugs can be difficult to diagnose because they’re not active during the day, but slime trails and patchy leaves are a sure sign that you have slugs in your garden. The bad news for gardeners is that slugs are hermaphrodites and each one of them is capable of laying eggs.

While slugs can be destructive, there are several things a gardener can do to prevent infestations and get rid of them.

Garden Slug Prevention

For those with raised garden beds, seal up and cracks and crevices to restrict the slug access points to your garden. Any unplanted seedlings should be elevated since slugs love these and they’re easy targets on the ground.

Dry out any damp areas in the garden or any unused wood. Anything that a slug can hide under it will use to hide. Slugs like the cool, damp earth and the protection from the sun.  “Spring cleaning” your garden and de-clutter.

Lastly, plants some “barrier plants”. These are plants that will repel slugs because slugs don’t like their smell. These include onions, chives, garlic, thyme, cilantro, Italian parsley, rosemary, and fennel. With these in the garden, you may never have a problem with slugs.

Getting Rid of Garden Slugs

Water in the Morning

Ridding your garden of slugs can be as easy as adjusting a few gardening habits. When you water in the morning, the water has time to seep into the soil and the sun will help dry the soil out again. This reduces the moisture in your garden, making it less attractive to slugs.

Let the Chickens Help

If you keep poultry, you can let them loose in the garden. Ducks and chickens will enjoy a little treat. But don’t leave them in the garden unsupervised or they may damage your plants after they eat the slugs.

Slug Beer Traps

For some reason, slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer. Get a deep dish container.  Plastic cups and yogurt containers work well. Bury the container in your garden so that the rim is parallel with the dirt around it and fill it to the halfway point with beer. Refill it every other day, and check it daily to make sure no other creatures have managed to fall in. A yeast, honey, and water mixture can be used instead of beet. The proportions aren’t too important.  Slugs fall in and drown.

Slugs Hate Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds repel slugs. Create a barrier around the plant’s base. You can also make a spray to use on the soil and plants. If you’re not a coffee drinker, your local coffee shop will probably give you grounds for free.

Iron Phosphate Slug Bait

Many gardeners use this to keep slugs out of the garden because iron phosphate is a compound already found naturally in soil. Most slug baits (like Sluggo) are found in pellet form and should be sprinkled throughout the garden after it has been watered. When a slug happens on a pellet, it eats the bait causing it to stop metabolizing calcium. Slugs stop eating after this happens and they die three to six days later. Even though it takes the slugs some time to die, they will stop destroying plants even before then.

Grapefruit Rinds Attract Slugs

Cut a grapefruit in half and scoop out the fruit leaving behind two rinds. Take them into the garden and keep them inverted. These rinds attract slugs and trick them into thinking they’ve found a sanctuary. Toss out the slugs and rinds regularly and place fresh ones in their place. You can also use overturned flower pots. This method is best done used with other techniques.

Protect Your Garden From Slugs with Egg Shells

Ground eggshells prove to be an uncomfortable surface for slugs to crawl over. You can surround your plants with eggshells as a deterrent. This method doesn’t kill slugs and is best used with other techniques that will.

Remove Slugs by Hand

If the idea of picking up slugs makes you squeamish, grab a pair of tweezers. The best time to do this is in the evening when the slugs start to come out. If needed, bring a flashlight to help you see. After you’ve picked them, drop them in a bucket of soapy or salty water. Be careful not to pour any salt on your soil because it will ruin it.

Slugs Cannot Handle Sand

This is a cheap method that works like the broken egg shells: the rough surface is something slugs don’t like climbing over. Sand works whether it’s wet or dry and is easily replaced. Pour a thick barrier around each plant but take care not to mix it into the soil.

Cornmeal Slug Traps

Similar to the beer trap, this a great alternative if you don’t want to part with your beer. In a plastic cup, put in one or two tablespoons of cornmeal and then bury it in the soil where the slugs are most active. There are two theories about why this works. 1. The cornmeal is too jagged for them or 2. The slugs eat too much, causing them to dry out.

Diatomaceous Earth Slug Barrier

Hard to pronounce and harder to spell, diatomaceous earth is made up of fossilized diatoms that have accumulated at the bottom of old lake beds. It comes in two different grades: pool grade and food grade. In the garden (and in any other capacity) you need to use food grade. Once you have some diatomaceous earth, you can simply do a barrier around each plant. Diatomaceous earth it will dehydrate any slug that comes into contact with it.

Copper Strips Repel Slugs

The theory behind why this method works is when a slug crawls over the strip it gives them a bit of an electric shock. It doesn’t actively kill slugs, but it does repel them. Cut two inch strips and make a fence around the plant. Keep all vegetation inside of the wire to prevent slugs from crawling over the strip. Some companies sell a metallic mesh that can be used around each plant.

Besides these methods, there are a number of other ways gardeners have gone green. With so much information on hand, there is no reason to use chemical pesticides when they are so many efficient, organic methods to choose from. Combine these techniques to help achieve a slug-free garden without compromising your garden’s organic integrity.

Recommended Products:

• Diatomaceous Earth

Do you find yourself wanting to plant a garden every year, but you don’t know how to start? Are you afraid that all your work won’t yield results?

A well-planned garden can save you from many problems, including attacks from pests and diseases.

Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind before you pick up a trowel or open a seed packet.

Plan Your Garden

A complete plan to plant a healthy garden will save you a lot of time and energy later. Everything is important, from selecting the right place for a garden to choosing what you can grow according to the season. Seeds are usually sown in spring, while fall is favorable for planting trees, shrubs, bulbs, and some other perennials.

First decide what kind of garden you want to grow: a fruit garden, a vegetable garden, or a flower garden. Know when to sow and when to reap. Select your planting area according to your plants’ need for sunshine.

It is your garden and it is up to you to plant whatever you wish, but in the beginning, I would suggest that you start on a small scale. Once you understand the nature of your plants, it’s easier to expand the boundaries of your garden.

Clean up the Area

You need to clean up the area where you are planning yourgarden. You can get rid of the sod covering by smothering it with newspaper. Place a layer of five sheets of newspaper with a 3-inch layer of compost (or combination of potting soil and topsoil) on it and then wait for about four months to let the compost and paper to decompose.

 Your Soil Matters A Lot

If you know your soil type, then you can easily manage it and get the best out of it. The three basic types are sand, silt, and clay. And if you can’t recognize which one is yours, then take a sample to a nearby nursery or garden center.

Soil needs a boost as well, which can be done by adding some simple organic matter to it. Such organic material includes the addition of a 2- to 3 inch-wide layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or old manure. It enhances the nutrient level and encourages life-giving soil microbes and worms.

Know when to dig the soil. Digging loosens the soil so roots can penetrate more easily, but digging when the soil is too wet or too dry can ruin its structure. You should dig only when the soil is moist enough to form a loose ball in your fist, but dry enough to fall apart when you drop it.

Mulch, One of Your Garden’s Best Friends

Sun, rain, and mulch are known as the best friends of a garden. A couple of inches of mulch will help keep weeds out and water in. The different sorts of mulch that are available include pine needles, cocoa hulls,and bark chips. For a vegetable garden or bed of annuals, you may choose a mulch that decomposes in a few months. Longer-lasting mulch, such as bark chips, is used for perennials.

Bring Seedlings Home

Bring all the seedlings outdoors (whether home grown or store bought) and expose them to a steadily increasing amount of sun, wind, and temperatures lower or higher than what they were used to indoors. This process of hardening off gradually introduces seedlings to the conditions in your garden. This process may take about 2 weeks.

When to Plant

The ideal time to plant is when there is rain in the forecast and no frost or heat waves expected. In case forecasts are not that helpful, try to plant in the late afternoon or early evening to minimize the time the seedlings bake in the sun. The day before you planting anything, water the soil to keep it moist.

Planting

You should know which species to plant together depending on their similar requirements of soil, light and nutrients. You can either plant a single type or multiple types. Planting different species together may eliminate the risk of attacks from plant-specific pests.

Keep some space between your plants. Spacing is good for their growth and the bare patches can be filled with flowering plants.

Water Wise

(Infographic to the left – Why Gardening Is Good For Your Health).

The most important element in a plant’s life is water. Seedlings should never dry out; they should be watered daily while they are small. New transplants also need frequent watering, every other day or so, until their roots become firm. The rest of the water requirements depend on your soil and climate.

Watering should be done slowly and deeply. The way you water a plant determines its health.

Pests and Diseases

Once you have decided to plant certain species, make sure you know what kind of pests and diseases attack them. Find organic ways to keep your plants healthy enough to avoid any such problem. And be prepared to tackle their arrival. It is better to know your problem beforehand.

And the Hard Work Continues…

A healthy garden is not a single day’s job. You have to keep watering your plants properly and keep maintaining your garden.  Fertilizers may change according to the season, and you will need to fertilize the soil halfway through the season. Keep up with your plants’ needs and take care of them.

Get ready to have a garden of your own and rejoice in your success. You just need to keep investing time and effort. It will all pay off when the plants grow and you can sit back and enjoy the blessing of having your very own garden. A little hard work today will bring plenty of joy later.

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• DIY Solutions for the Garden
• How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Medicinal Herb Garden – What To Grow and How To Keep It Growing All Winter
• How to Make Your Own Compost Tea

We have become concerned about the outside air we breathe, and legitimately so. With factories, automobiles, heavy machinery, chemtrails, and Fukushima to contend with, we have no shortage of clean air supply problems. But what if our inside air was as bad, or worse, than the pollution outside? It’s a very real question, one that we are about to answer.

The Causes of Sick Building Syndrome and the Increased Dangers

“Indoor air pollution in residences, offices, schools, and other buildings is widely recognized as a serious environmental risk to human health,” explains Michael Hodgson, M.D., M.P.H., of the School of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Dr. Hodgson notes that most people in industrialized nations spend more than 90% of their time indoors, that indoor concentrations of pollutants are often substantially higher than those found outdoors, and that small children, the elderly, and the infirm are likely to spend all their time indoors, leading to permanent chronic exposure to low grade toxic factors.

In most cases, problems with a building’s engineering, construction, and ventilation systems are the causes. Studies suggest that symptoms occur 50% more frequently in buildings with mechanical ventilation systems. Among 2,000 office workers in Germany with work related symptoms, there was a 50% higher that average rate of upper respiratory tract infections that were directly traceable to problems with mechanically ventilated buildings. A U.S. study found that 20% of office workers had job-related  SBS (sick building syndrome) symptoms, including a subjective sense of being less productive in their work.

Besides ventilation problems, other sources of indoor toxic pollution include volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) released from particleboard desks, furniture, carpets, glues, paints, office machine toners, and perfumes. All contribute to a complex mixture of very low levels of individual pollutants. Bioaerosols are also indoor contaminants that originate as biological agents from mild spores, allergy producing microbes, mites, or animal dander, and they are distributed through an indoor space by ventilation, heating, or air conditioning systems.

Of buildings classified as sources of SBS, one study showed that 70% have an inadequate flow of fresh outside air. It also found that 50% to 70% of such buildings have poor distribution of air within the occupied space, 60% have poor filtration of outdoor pollutants, 60% have standing water that fosters biological growths, and 20% have malfunctioning humidifiers.

Sick Building Syndrome Symptoms

In the early 1980’s, physicians began using the term sick building syndrome (SBS) to refer to a host of symptoms caused by low-grade toxic environmental conditions found in living, work, or office spaces. SBS symptoms are numerous and include:

• Mucous membrane irritation (eyes, nose, and throat)
• Chest tightness
• Skin complaints (drying, itching, abnormal redness)
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Lethargy
• Coughing
• Asthma
• Chronic nasal stuffiness
• Temporary weight loss
• Infections
• Emotional irritability

All of these depress the immune system, rendering the individual susceptible to long-term chronic illness. Combat SBS by taking more breaks outdoors, investing in plants that filter the air, and by ensuring you support proper liver function to facilitate easier removal of these indoor toxins. Sources for this article include: Trivieri, Larry. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 2002. Print.

There are phases that people typically go through while learning to eat right and take control of their health. For me, the first step was choosing the fast food restaurant that makes those sandwiches fresh, right in front of you.  I also switched from cola to the clear lemon and lime flavored sodas, because I decided to obey my thirst, as the old slogan went. Then, after multiple kidney infections, I finally gave up soda completely, switching to store bought fruit juices. I loved seeing my favorite snack food bar begin to appear at convenience stores. After all, what could be better than whole grains sweetened with brown rice syrup, marketed via a picture of a guy climbing a cliff?

The more I learn, the more I realize how simple achieving good health can be for most people. I have achieved a level of health that few people in this world will ever realize.

We tend to make things too complicated, and we tend to look to replace our bad habits with less harmful bad habits. We tend to use the word “healthy” when “healthier” would be more appropriate.

Here are the common pitfalls we health nuts often fall into that keep us from experiencing a level of health and vitality that we preach about and dream of.

1. Relying on Supplements

Some supplements are great. There are people who cannot get enough nutrition from food. There are people who live nowhere near a farmer’s market and cannot grow their own food. There are people who are very sick and need the targeted nutrition supplements can offer. Personally, I take Total Nutrition daily. It’s one of the few supplements I take regularly. I also use SF722 for Candida, but that’s only for the rare occasion that I ate too much sugar or drank a little alcohol.

In my experience, people tend to turn to supplements and tinctures for a quick fix. I know the tricks. I know what can stop a migraine in its tracks. I know what to do if I am experiencing nausea. If I were to have acid indigestion, I know exactly how to alleviate it naturally and immediately. If I were suffering from insomnia, I know what I could take that will knock me out, without the side effects of prescription drugs. And I can stop a cold or flu from happening quicker than other people even realize they’re coming down with something.

But none of these “cures” get to the root of the problem. And natural remedies that do not address the cause have a very important and overlooked side effect—they mask symptoms, allowing us to continue living our toxic lifestyles. This is not a good choice in the long run.

The foundation of health comes from the food you eat. Supplements should be used to supplement your diet, not to replace your diet.

2. Too Much Organic Junk Food

Just because it’s labeled organic, or vegan, or natural, does not mean it’s healthy. “Healthier” would be a better word for it. But the convenience of prepackaged food certainly has its allure and I understand how hard it is to let go of those all natural cheese doodles when the conventional ones were your favorite snack food.

Refined food, prepackaged food, “snack” food should be severely limited. I used to have a pantry full of organic chips, all natural snack bars, organic soda, and sugar free, vegan something-or-others. Now my pantry contains healthier staples such as dry beans, brown rice, lentils, and quinoa. There was a direct correlation to my health and well being and the elimination of processed foods.

I still eat junk food occasionally. If I go to a movie, I like to sneak in the organic chips and sugar cane juice sweetened chocolates (and fruit). The difference is, my pantry is not stocked with them. They are a special occasion treat. A rarity. And one that feels less and less worth it every time I indulge.

3. Too Much Eating Out

This is a tough one to get over. I loved going out to eat. I loved being waited on, relaxing, enjoying myself, have a good conversation, not having to cook. And these days, there are plenty of healthier restaurants to choose from. There is a problem though. Even the healthiest restaurants still produce food that is not good for you. I know of one restaurant, out of the thousands I have dined at, where I could eat regularly and still feel as healthy as I do now. And only about a third of their menu was what I would call truly healthy.

I realized that I was going out and eating at restaurants, in large part, to get some wind-down time. It was the only way I could have a simple, casual conversation with whichever woman I was dating. It was the only time I took for myself that forced me to slow down and enjoy life. In every other moment of my existence, I was rushing.

And then I realized that the more I took time to cook, to slow down, to take time for myself (and now, my family) the better the meal. I became a really good cook.  Now restaurants, even t he healthiest and best reviewed, generally disappoint me.

Restaurants, for a myriad of reasons, cannot prepare healthy nutritious meals as well as you can at home. The fact is, health food restaurants should be a treat. And conventional restaurants should be avoided.

4. Too Much Sugar

Typically, sugar is the last thing a health nut is willing to give up. Sugar cane juice, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, and every other natural sweetener that comes to mind, save stevia, have something in common; they are refined sugars. And refined sugars feed and/or promote viruses, bacteria, Candida and other fungi, and virtually all other parasites that affect us. They also contribute to cancer, diabetes, and all the other ailments that sugar can be attributed to promoting (which is almost every ailment we humans suffer from).

Sugar Is Sugar Is Sugar!

If you suffer from allergies, or if you’re battling that one last health issue that has been plaguing you since before you give up soda, try eliminating all the refined sugars from your diet for one week. Most are shocked to find that agave nectar was that one last thing making it impossible to get rid of those seasonal allergies, or the one thing they had to eliminate to finally heal their damaged knee they hurt in football 13 years ago (believe it or not, this is common; injuries do not heal well until sugar is given up). Allergies are also a sign of Candida overgrowth. SF722 and FloraMend will get rid of Candida in just a few days or less, faster than anything I know. But if you need constant support for your intestinal flora, your diet is off.

5. Too Much Juicing

The juices and the smoothies with the juice fall under the same category as sugar. When you juice fruits, and the sweeter vegetables, you loose a lot of nutrition. This includes fiber that helps slow the absorption of sugar. In effect, you are refining your own produce, turning it into simple sugars, when you juice.

Juicing regularly has its place. Juicing produce with very little sugar is a nice way to get a lot of nutrition into your body at once (it’s just not so pleasant to my palate). Also, there are people who are so sick that they cannot digest whole foods. Furthermore, when detoxifying, juicing can be a way to get in nutrition easily without making your body work for it while it is overburdened with the release of toxins.

I do juice occasionally. I do ginger and turmeric shots at least a few times a week. I also juice kale, carrots, beets, and granny smith apples a couple of times a month. I love juice. The difference is, it’s not a staple (unless I am detoxifying). Whole, unadulterated produce is my staple.

7. Too Little Produce

In my experience, this is the last step one takes to regaining their health and living a life full of vitality without aches and pains. Fresh, raw, and organic (whenever possible) produce is the key to health. Eighty percent of my diet is raw produce. I eat many more vegetables than fruit. I make myself a large salad almost every single day, containing a minimum of 10 different vegetables. I get a variety of produce, as opposed to sticking to just a few. I eat like a rabbit when I am snacking. For instance, I open the fridge and I pull out a stalk of kale.

I do not let a lack of organic food stop me. I prefer organic whenever possible. After all, I am the chief editor of a publication called Organic Lifestyle Magazine. But it surprises people to find out that I would sooner buy conventional raw produce than organic frozen produce, provided the food is not genetically modified. This means I avoid the following conventional produce at all costs: sweet corn, potatoes, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, and soy (sprouts, beans). Other than that, you’re safe from GMOs with produce.

And I am not saying don’t buy organic. Let me stress that. Buy organic whenever possible! Just don’t let a lack of organic produce turn you towards the less beneficial packaged foods.

Conclusion

It may seem like I have a very limited diet. I don’t. I eat very well, and anyone who comes to my home eats very well, too. Everyone is always blown away at how good, unusual, and healthy my meals are. It takes time, though. I take time to prepare my food. And it took time to get good at cooking (and often, not cooking, as in preparing raw dishes). It also took time to become reasonably quick at it.

There are few shortcuts in life that work, and this holds true for health as well. It takes time, patience, dedication, and discipline. I promise you this: it’s an investment that is well worth it. Health is a hobby for me. Other people live and breathe football, or reality television, or the nightlife. I learned, some time ago, to make family, health, food, and learning my passions. They all coincide nicely. I continue to simplify my life, to let go of the noise, the distractions, and the stuff that doesn’t really matter, so that I can keep my focus on those four passions.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials