Read Food Labels and Ingredients Lists

When you go grocery shopping it‘s important to read food labels thoroughly; a lot of nasty chemicals, additives and preservatives can be hidden in the ingredients list.  At first glance, the nutritional information on a packaged product will look fine — no trans fats or only three grams of sugar.  However the chemicals hiding in the ingredients list can still do your body harm.  To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, let’s take a look at the contents of three different kinds of bread, all of which sound pretty healthy: organic whole-wheat, organic sprouted grain, and light whole-wheat.

Whole Foods Organic 100% Whole Wheat (1 slice, 110 calories): whole wheat flour, water, canola oil, vital, wheat gluten, sea salt, yeast, cultured wheat flour, enzymes (wheat flour, enzymes, ascorbic acid)

Food for Life Organic Sprouted Grain Bread Ezekiel 4:9 Low Sodium (1 slice, 80 calories): organic sprouted wheat, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted millet, organic malted barley, organic sprouted lentils, organic sprouted soybeans, organic sprouted spelt, filtered water, fresh yeast.

Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Light, (2 slices, 80 calories): water, whole wheat flour, wheat gluten. oat fiber, soy fiber, molasses, fructose, cracked wheat, yeast, salt, wheat bran, nonfat milk, barley, wheat fiber, brown sugar, dextrose, natural flavor, calcium propionate (preservative), rye malt, soybean oil, sodium stearoyl lactylate, mono and digycerides, guar gum, xanthan gum, ethoxylated mono and diglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, carrageenan gum, propylene glycol, caramel color, ascorbic acid.

Both organic breads only have nine ingredients compared to the 32 ingredients that are in the conventional/non-organic whole wheat light bread.  Think about it: can it really be necessary to add 23 extra ingredients to bread?  The fact is these ingredients are only there to keep expenses for raw materials as low as possible, and to extend shelf-life and increase profits.  Of the three breads examined here, I would definitely pick the Food for Life organic sprouted grain bread—the cheapest and healthiest!  I also understand all of the ingredients, and know that they have not undergone refinement or processing, but are left for me to consume as God intended!

More than anything else, I believe it’s our decisions, not the conditions of our lives that determine our destiny.

—Anthony Robbins

People love to use excuses when it comes to explaining why they are overweight and out of shape: a slow metabolism, a messed up thyroid, a genetic predisposition, can’t afford a gym membership, don’t have day care, have to work, have to watch the kids, bad knee, asthma… the list is endless.  There is no excuse! No matter what your circumstances, there are ways to live a healthy life.  Remember who you are dealing with here!  I was raised in government housing on powdered milk, around lots of impoverished, single moms and battered children—I’ve seen and heard it all!  Yes, there are some stories that are more painful then others, but why make it a competition?  It’s time to take responsibility for your life, and use your experiences to make you smarter and stronger!

My clients who have accepted that they are responsible for their health have a much higher success rate. They recognize that if they had the power to become overweight and out of shape, then they also have the power to turn their lives around.  Those who have not accepted responsibility spend a lot of time making excuses and don’t believe in their own power to change.  They are so busy looking everywhere else for the answer that they fail to look in the mirror.

It’s time to face the truth: no one hid the ingredients list on a box of cookies from you. You chose not to read them.  No one barred you from the grocery store. You chose to eat out. No one forced that soda down your throat. You chose to drink it. And no one cut your legs off. You decided not to use them!

The purpose of getting you to accept responsibility for your state of health is to get you to understand that the same power you used to degrade your health is the same power you can use to improve your health.  The decisions that you make will determine your destiny!

The purpose of carbohydrates is to provide fuel and essential nutrients to our body. There are two types of naturally occurring carbohydrates: Simple sugars and Complex carbohydrates.  Simple sugars are what you find in honey, white sugar, brown sugar, milk sugar and some sweet ripe fruits like grapes, apples, fruit drinks and tomatoes.  Complex carbohydrates are also known as starches and they can be found in grains, breads, cereals, pastas, vegetables, rice, peas and beans.

Simple sugars and complex carbohydrates are both used to fuel your brain and your muscles.   One of the general problems with the American diet is that we are choosing the wrong carbohydrates which are nutrient-poor and high in sugar, salt, and calories that do not nourish our bodies.  Carbohydrates that are processed have lost most, if not all of their nutritional value, and are filled with preservatives to prolong shelf life.  I am going to give you a very easy way to decipher what carbohydrates are good for your body and what carbohydrates are bad for your body.   The bottom line is this: you want to avoid processed foods as much as possible, and choose carbohydrates that are wholesome, high in fiber, low in sugar and as close to nature as possible, untouched by man. It really is that simple.  Choose Whole Foods that are natural and untouched by man!

Bad carbohydrate examples are white bread, white pasta, cookies, cakes, deep fried foods, fruit drinks, sodas, high fat milk, high fat cheeses, high fat/sugar yogurts, fried chips and candies and junk food.

Good carbohydrate examples are: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread with fiber, whole-wheat pasta with fiber, brown rice, nuts,  beans, high fiber cereals and snacks, brown rice cakes, low fat/low sugar yogurt, low fat milk, and low fat cheese.  Choose carbohydrates wisely, looking for choices low in sugar, low in saturated fat, high in fiber and high in nutritional content (vitamins and minerals). Choose Carbohydrates that are whole and unprocessed.  Don’t give man the opportunity to change the biological structure of your food!  Wholesome, nutrient rich carbohydrates should make up 30-60% of your daily caloric intake.  There is 4 calories in one gram of carbohydrate.

I recommend all my clients start off with the 9 day Isagenix cleanse. It will help balance hormones, decrease appetite and decrease blood sugar levels.  It will also cleanse the palate so he/she will be able to taste the flavors from fresh fruits and vegetables. The cleanse will load the blood stream and cells with quality nutrients and give a great weight-loss kick start.

Here is a link to my favorite 9 Day Cleanse! It”s called Isagenix http://bit.ly/gDymgl

PORTION CONTROL:  We Eat Too Much

Portion control is one of the reasons that people become overweight and obese.  You do not have to eat until every last bite is cleaned off of your plate.  We live in a society that sells the notion bigger is better, most restaurants serve a meal size large enough for two or three adults. When you are eating out, consider the meal that you order is two meals.  Eat half at the time you order and wrap up the other half to eat two or three hours later.  Your stomach is made up of smooth muscle and when you overeat, it will stretch out and your appetite will increase. You only want to eat until you’re satisfied, not until you are full. If you already have a large appetite, then it’s going to take a little bit more control at the beginning, but it is imperative that you decrease your portion sizes.  Don’t eat as if the food in front of you is the last meal you’ll ever have!  You can eat again in a couple of hours.  Whatever you didn’t finish on your plate will still be there in two hours.  Eating 6 or 7 small meals and snacks a day will decrease the number of calories you eat, and increase your metabolism which will help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Five Ways to Achieve Fitness Success

by Jeanette Jenkins, Hollywood Trainer

1) Create a Plan. Every success in life comes from an intelligent plan. With a great plan you can get to your goals quicker and with much less stress and heartache.  Every Fitness Plan should include specific workouts and meal plans that are designed to achieve your personal fitness goals: weight-loss, lengthen muscle fibers, run a marathon, sculpt & tone thighs, burn belly fat, relieve lower back pain, compete in a triathlon etc.  To help you design a great plan you should consult with a qualified expert that is trained and educated with your specific goals.

2) Commit & Be Consistent. Yes everyone has days when they don’t feel like getting out of bed but you have to win the mind game.  You will always feel great after your workout is over. The hardest part is getting out of bed. Have a plan so you know what you are getting out of bed for and be accountable to a group, trainer or friend so you will be more committed and consistent. Practice mantra’s and self-fulfilling prophecies. There is power in words. Tell yourself “I am Strong, I Can Do This, It’s time to tap into my Super Powers!”

3) Make the Choice to Make Fitness Fun! If you approach working out and eating healthy as a sad experience and a “pain in the neck” then that is what it will be for you.  You have to make the choice to make fitness fun.  Making fitness fun is a state of mind. Be open minded and look for the positive in this new experience of eating healthy and working out and not only will you enjoy yourself but you will be releasing the happy hormones necessary for fat burning and positive energy flow.  There are many secrets hidden in the activities that you despise. When you change your approach and make the choice to be open minded and try new things with a positive outlook you will receive more than you could have ever imagined.

4) Create a Supportive Environment. Choose to spend your time with people who support and encourage your journey. Create an environment that allows you to be successful. If you cannot workout at home because there are too many interruptions then make arrangements so you can go to the gym for an hour. You must take care of yourself first so you have the strength and happiness to take care of everyone else.

5) Stop Making Excuses and Just Do it! Everyone has a sad story. You don’t have to be a victim of your past and you have complete control of your future.  Push all the excuses to the side and just GET IT DONE!  Less Talking and More Moving! You will feel great!

The first thing to understand is that you MUST adopt a healthy eating plan in order to lose body fat, feel great and function at your best.  The food choices that you make today will have an immediate and long term impact on your life.  If you continuously choose to eat low nutrient, highly processed foods that have been treated with chemicals for flavor and shelf life, your body will suffer.

Millions of you are suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other health related diseases simply because of making poor food choices on a daily basis.  Many of you then start taking prescription medications to help alleviate your symptoms.  Unfortunately, prescription drugs are not the solution to your problem.  A drug is a foreign substance to the human body and with it you have side effects.  So now you have a health related disease and side effects from the drugs you are using to help you deal with the life threatening symptoms from the disease.  Well for many of you it doesn’t stop there.  Why stop at one health related disease lets go for two or three.  Now let’s go for two or three medications to help alleviate the symptoms of all of those diseases.  You cannot continue to pump your body with drugs to try and cure the diseases that you are creating from making poor food choices.   At what point do you say to yourself “Okay SELF,  what is it that I am doing in my everyday life to cause all of these health related diseases (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity…)”  “Maybe I  should make a change so I can enjoy life and get off of all of these prescription drugs”.  You have the choice!  You can wake up and walk to the park with your grandchildren after a breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries or you can wake up and drive through the fast food window for your value meal breakfast on your way to the pharmacy to pick up your prescription drugs!

I know some of you may think that your body only needs a coffee and your favorite meal to function normally but it actually needs some essential nutrients.  The adult body requires the following Essential Nutrients to live and function normally:

2 Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-6 Fatty acid also known as Linoleic Acid

Omega-3 Fatty acid also known as Alpha-Linolenic Acid

21 Minerals- Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulphur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Silicon, Iron, Fluorine, Zinc, Strontium, Copper, Vanadium, Selenium, Manganese, Iodine, Nickel, Molybdenum, Cobalt, Chromium

13 Vitamins- Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, C, E, D and K

8 Essential Amino Acids ( 10 for children and 11 for premature infants) – Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Histidine (children), Arginine, (Children), Cysteine (premature infants)

A Source of Energy (Carbohydrates are the cleanest source, Fats, Protein)

Water

Oxygen

Light

We have every nutrient available at our finger tips but yet the health of most Americans is worse then people living in third world countries. Unfortunately many people are malnourished or deficient in several essential nutrients due to:

Poor food choices

Lack of fiber in their refined processed food diets

Drug interferences with metabolic processes

Increased requirement due to life-style, environment, athletic performance, genetics, poor digestion, poor absorption, food allergies, intestinal injuries

Imbalances in bowel flora.

I recommend taking a multivitamin to make sure that you are getting your essential nutrients.  Choosing to eat organic whole foods will give you the opportunity to receive nutritional benefits from phytonutrients, phytochemicals and combinations of nutrients that are still yet to be discovered.  It is the combining of  nutrients in one piece of whole food that can create a magic or healing process that cannot be duplicated in a multivitamin or supplement.  As people continue to discover that the conventional food that they have been eating is slowly but surely killing them then they will be forced to make a change.

Buzz Words

Light, fat-free, sugar-free, heart healthy, all natural, low sodium, cholesterol free—these are just some of the buzz words and phrases that manufacturers use to make you believe their products are good for you!  It’s up to you to understand what these things mean so you don’t get duped!  The place where you will find the most important information is the ingredient list. Remember, the items that appear at the top of the list are the items that are in the highest quantity.  Therefore if sugar, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup or any other “–ose” word is within the top six or seven ingredients, beware and compare.

Compare the ingredient labels on organic items to those on non-organic/conventional food items and you will see a dramatic difference.  Chances are that you’ll recognize most of the ingredients in organic products. They are real foods that occur naturally on earth.  On the other hand, the non-organic food items have ingredients that you probably can’t even pronounce let alone recognize. They are chemical additives and preservatives that your body doesn’t need or want.

Here’s a short glossary of some of the terms you have to be aware of when you’re grocery shopping for a healthy lifestyle:

Light: less fat per serving but a “light” food can still be very high in calories and can still contain chemicals and preservatives.

Fat-free: no fat but look for chemical fat substitutes and sugar content.

Sugar-free: no sugar but may contain man-made chemical sugar substitutes.

Heart Healthy: low in cholesterol and saturated fat, but a heart healthy food can be refined or processed which is still bad for your heart

All Natural: the product is not man-made, but it can still have added chemicals to preserve it

Cholesterol Free: no cholesterol but a cholesterol-free food can still contain high amounts of sugar, sodium, additives and preservatives.

Certified Organic: the only label that guarantees there are no chemical additives or preservatives, although it is still important to read the ingredients so that you find the best brands and products.  Remember if it is wrapped, canned, or in a box it is probably processed. Organic does not mean unprocessed, it just means there are no chemicals.  It’s your responsibility to find the least processed organic foods by choosing items that are high in fiber.

Organic vs. Conventional

Organic is a label applied to food that has been grown, harvested and transported without the use of conventional pesticides, fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Some organic farmers and manufacturers emphasize the use of renewable resources and environmental conservation. Before a product can be stamped with the official organic label, the farms and facilities where the food comes from must pass inspection and receive certification.  If a food bears the USDA organic stamp it is at least 95% organic.  However, not all organic products are marked with this seal, so you must read package labels for chemicals and look out for signs or ask the staff at your local supermarket.  Be aware of the term “natural” which is not the same as “organic,” and that claims such as “free-range” and “hormone-free” can appear on products that are not organic.

Although the USDA makes no claims that organic food is safer or more nutritious than conventional foods, it’s my firm belief that eating organic is better for you as well as for the environment.  I personally follow a diet that is 80 to 90% organic, and not only do I feel great, but I also appreciate the superior quality and flavor of organic foods.  Food and agriculture are big business, and a lot of the things you’re buying in the supermarket have been produced by corporations that care far more about their profits than your health.  Many people wait until they are suffering from cancer, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes or some other disease before they pay attention to the quality of their food; eating organic is one more way of taking control now, and ensuring you are giving your body top quality fuel.

Choosing and Losing

Let’s start with this simple truth: if you want to lose fat, start feeling great, and functioning at your absolute best, you have to choose to start eating healthier now. Your body requires essential nutrients — vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein, carbohydrates, water, light, and oxygen – in order to burn fat and perform at its best. These nutrients are rarely found in the fast and processed foods that we consume at an alarming rate. Think about how often you settle for a dinner option you know is unhealthy just because it’s easier than cooking up something nutritious.  I know, it happens; but if you continue to choose foods that are low in nutrients and high in processing chemicals, flavor enhancers, and preservatives, you’re setting your body up to suffer.  Millions of people are living with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other ailments as a result of –or least worsened by – making unhealthy food choices. Many of these people are also on medication for one or more of these ailments, with each medication bringing its own set of side effects and risks.  Pumping our bodies full of pills and chemicals as a corrective measure does not address the real source of our health issues—unhealthy food choices resulting in a poor diet. We don’t have to be slaves to a health food store or a highly restricted diet. That’s right, the solution to our health crisis is at our fingertips – we just have to make the right choices in replace of the overwhelming poor choices we make on a daily basis.

Portion Control: When Less Really is More

Aside from making unhealthy food choices the other main reason we have an obesity crisis is our belief that “bigger is better.”  We just eat too much!    Order an entrée in almost any restaurant and nine times out of ten, it’s big enough for at least two or three adults. (And no matter how big the portion, we have been conditioned from childhood to eat everything on our plates because children were starving in other parts of the world!)    Most of us have no idea what constitutes an appropriate individual serving size, and so have no concept that by eating what’s put in front of us, we’re actually eating way past the point of necessity. When we eat too much, the stomach, which is made up of smooth muscle, gets stretched, and the appetite increases.  So the more we eat too much, the more we will continue to eat too much. Restaurants and food marketers may have skewed our sense of normal portion size but we have to recognize that lack of portion control and emotional eating, can become a cycle that will lead down the same path to poor health.  So the next time you’re served a giant entrée at your favorite restaurant, think of it as your next two meals — eat half and ask for the rest to be wrapped to take home. You’ll get twice the satisfaction!

Jeanette’s Rx

With just a little forward planning you can modify your eating schedule to accommodate six or seven small balanced meals a day, instead of two or three big ones.  Eating smaller meals more frequently will not expand the stomach muscles and will allow for more stable blood sugar levels to reduce the risk of diabetes. You will experience less craving and fewer appetite swings. Plus, it’s good for your metabolism, as it keeps your body’s furnace burning fat all day long, rather than letting the sluggish effects of low blood sugar take over.