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By Holly Stokes, The Brain TrainerBy Holly Stokes, The Brain TrainerBy Holly Stokes, The Brain TrainerBy Holly Stokes, The Brain Trainer Master NLMaster NLMaster NLMaster NLP Health Coach, Nutritional VitaP Health Coach, Nutritional VitaP Health Coach, Nutritional VitaP Health Coach, Nutritional Vitalogistlogistlogistlogist

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A Lighter You!

The Health Coach’s Guide to Nutrition in Action

By Holly Stokes, “The Brain Trainer”

Master NLP Health Practitioner,

Certified Life Coach, Certified Hypnotherapist,

Certified Nutritional Vitologist, Certified Herbalist

Disclaimer: This book and its content are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure disease. If

you are struggling with a health challenge, you are advised to continue working with your

qualified health professional.

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Welcome to A Lighter You! The Health

Coach’s Guide to Nutrition in Action for

Lasting Weight Loss Success.

You can use the complete A Lighter You! System to

change your mind, change your diet, and change your

body for natural, gentle, and yet effective, and even easy

weight loss!

The food we eat is foundational to how our body operates. If you have an

expensive car, would you continue to put bad gas in your car and expect it

to run at peak performance? Yet, this is often what we are doing to our

bodies!

If you want your body to operate well, if you want to maintain your ideal

weight, if you want more energy, if you want to decrease the effects of

ageing and safeguard your health – you simply must eat the foods that allow

your body to perform its best!

I have had many people complain to me, “I don’t like healthy food, it all

tastes like cardboard.” Well, if you have a history of growing up on macaroni

and cheese, instant dinners, overcooked vegetables and the typical

American diet – your tastebuds have been conditioned to prefer these

choices. But, you can change that. You can actually change what foods you

prefer!

All you need to do is keep an open mind. As you are exploring new food

choices and incorporating healthy alternatives, adopt the mindset of

curiosity!

Holly Stokes, “The Brain Trainer”

M.NLP Coach, C.Ht.

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As I began to explore new foods, I found that my tastes started to change

and I began to crave the healthy choices. To get on your path to a healthier

you – just be curious. It’s okay if there are some new foods you don’t like,

the key is to find the healthy foods that you really like.

How do you know that you don’t like daikon if you’ve never tried it? What if

jicama is one of your favorites, but you’ve just never been introduced? There

could be a whole host of amazing vegetables that you just haven’t met yet!

Have fun with your food. Explore, be curious, meet a new vegetable each

week, and you’ll be on your way to a more health, energy, and vitality – and

your body will thank you for it.

In this guide, I have included wonderful step by step strategies to changing

over your diet, replacing the foods that aren’t so great for you for ones that

are better and that can give your body the building blocks it needs to heal

and repair and nourish you.

Knowledge is key! This book helps you understand how foods work with

your body, so that you can make better choices. However, just knowing

what foods are better is not enough. This guide offers ways to incorporate

this knowledge with weekly exercises and action steps so that you can eat

well, enjoy foods, and live well!

Knowing what to do is a great start – but more often than not, it’s not

enough! We know certain foods are bad for us, but why do we find ourselves

craving the things that are bad? Awareness of the habits can help, but even

though we are aware, we may still find ourselves making poor choices.

As I mentioned before, the diet that you grew up on is probably the diet that

you prefer – you’ve been conditioned to prefer it. But, you can change it. To

help you make this transition even easier – I developed the A Lighter

You!Mind Body Weight Loss Audio Course and the Book: A Lighter You! Train

your Brain to Slim your Body for Lasting Weight Loss Success.

If you have struggled with weight, if you have dieted over and over, losing

weight only to gain it right back – these are the essential tools you need to

stop struggling, end yoyo dieting, and create lasting healthy change for life.

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A Lighter You! The Health Coach’s Guide to Nutrition in Action for Lasting

Weight Loss Success, breaks down nutrition principles into small easy to

digest pieces so that you can start putting nutrition into action in your life!

You’ll find it useful to set aside time each week to go through the section

and put into practice the principles offered in each section.

This is a guide not only for weight loss – but for healthy living. As you apply

the principles and put them into action, you’ll find yourself feeling better,

being more energized, feeling full and satisfied, and slimming down to your

ideal healthy weight. Many of my clients have also found less need for

medications as their blood sugar stabilized, cholesterol levels lowered, blood

pressure normalized, and other health benefits!

How to Use This Book

I suggest that you give yourself 1-2 hours of undisturbed time weekly to go

through the exercises of this book. I advise using this book as a guide, and

going through the 6 week program over and over until you have upgraded

your food choices, changed your food and health habits, and addressed the

underlying patterns. Each time you go through you’ll find yourself adding

one more piece, making even healthier choices, having more energy, and

feeling better about yourself.

This book is divided into six chapters. Take one chapter each week and

begin making the changes to healthier living – and your lighter, freer self. If

you find you need more help and support in making the changes to your

healthy lifestyle – I’ve created some tools to help make the transition easier

for you.

The A Lighter You System gives you the tools you need to make the

transition gentle and effective so that you can slim down to your ideal

weight, and enjoy the body and the life you want!

The book, A Lighter You! Train your Bran to Lose Weight gives you the tools

to understand the mental and emotional patterns connected with the extra

weight and change them. You will identify and transform your cravings,

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discover the strategies to change the old patterns, and experience lasting

positive change. By applying these tools and principles, you’ll find yourself

slimming down naturally, changing your eating habits, easily maintaining

your weight, increasing your energy, and feeling great about you!


From teaching healthy lifestyle and weight loss classes, I developed the A

Lighter You! Mind Body Weight Loss Audio Course, designed to address the

common themes in weight loss. These guided visualizations help your brain

set up the new habits, so that you can think and feel differently about foods,

health and your body, and simply prefer healthy choices. Here are the titles

of the 6 part audio course and a brief description of what they offer.

• Step Into your Health You: This audio helps you visualize your ideal

healthy fit self, so that the process of weight loss is easy for you to

adjust to, incorporating the healthy fit self as part of your identity.

• Curb your Cravings: This audio offers practical mental strategies for

changing how your mind categorizes and sees food choices, and even

trains your brain to prefer healthy choices.

• Enlighten Your Body Image: In gaining weight, a lot of people find a

decline in self esteem and self confidence. This audio helps you let go

of negative labels and feel good about yourself throughout the journey

of releasing weight.

• Release Your Reasons: If you’ve struggled with weight, and found

yourself staying on track for awhile, but then losing motivation, it’s

because a deeper part of your mind, even your unconscious is running

a “program” for being a certain weight. This audio offers a gentle way

of changing any underlying reasons, allowing you to be more in control

of making the change you want.

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• Motivate Your Fitness: This audio gives you new things to think and

feel about fitness. Use it before a workout, or even in those times that

you are just not feeling motivated. Fitness can be fun and enjoyable!

• Boost Your Metabolism: When you focus your mind and attention,

there is a lot you can do to adjust how your body operates. This gives

you the mental tools and focus for increasing your functioning, your

energy and your health.

Visit the website: www.ALighterYouSystem.com to listen to samples, and get

a free introductory download on Changing Your Habits and Cravings.

It’s time to STOP Dieting! It’s time to start living the lifestyle that brings you

health, nutrition, fitness, and well-being. It’s time to design your life with

your mental, emotional, and physical health in mind!

Here’s to your Health and Success!

Holly Stokes, The Brain Trainer, NLP Coach, C.Ht

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE: THE GLYCEMIC INDEX .................................. 11

America’s Health Crisis ................................................................................................................................... 11

What Is the Glycemic Index? ....................................................................................................................... 13

Glycemic Controversy: Deciphering Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load ................................... 15

Sample Menu & Favorites .............................................................................................................................. 23

Focus on your Favorites ................................................................................................................................. 25

Healthy Alternatives ........................................................................................................................................ 27

My Shopping Guide .......................................................................................................................................... 28

CHAPTER TWO: NEW FOOD GUIDES ..................................... 29

New Food Groups: New Food Guides ............................................................................................... 29

The One Week Menu ....................................................................................................................................... 35

Design Your One Week Menu ....................................................................................................................... 37

Don’t Super Size ME: Key to Portion Sizes ............................................................................................. 40

Guide to Reading Labels and Portions ...................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER THREE: STRESS, BODY, AND FITNESS .................... 48

What is Stress? .............................................................................................................................................. 48

Stress in the Body ............................................................................................................................................ 49

Top 10 Tips for Relieving Stress ................................................................................................................. 52

Create Your Stress Relief Plan ..................................................................................................................... 53

Diet and Stress ............................................................................................................................................... 55

Sugar and Stress: ......................................................................................................................................... 55

Vitamins for Stress ...................................................................................................................................... 56

Exercise and Stress ..................................................................................................................................... 59

Create a Fitness Plan that You Love! ................................................................................................ 60

CHAPTER FOUR: KNOW YOUR FATS ...................................... 62

Understanding Fats ................................................................................................................................... 62

Good Fats vs Bad Fats .................................................................................................................................... 63

Inflammation and Fats ................................................................................................................................... 64

Understanding Essential Fatty Acids ......................................................................................................... 65

Healthy Fats ........................................................................................................................................................ 66

Fat and Calories ................................................................................................................................................ 67

Substitutes for Baking .................................................................................................................................... 68

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Actions for Week Four ..................................................................................................................................... 69

CHAPTER FIVE: DIGESTIVE HEALTH & FOOD SENSITIVITIES .... 70

Digestive Health ......................................................................................................................................... 70

Digestive Health Helps: .................................................................................................................................. 73

Food Allergies and Sensitivities.......................................................................................................... 74

Gluten Sensitivities .......................................................................................................................................... 75

Best ways to go gluten free .......................................................................................................................... 77

Actions this Week: ........................................................................................................................................... 78

CHAPTER SIX: SUPER FOODS FOR SUPER NUTRITION! ............ 80

Antioxidants and Free Radicals .......................................................................................................... 80

Highest Food ORAC Values ........................................................................................................................... 81

Top 12 Superfoods ....................................................................................................................................... 82

Phytochemicals .................................................................................................................................................. 84

Benefits of Live Foods ..................................................................................................................................... 88

Actions This Week: Try Superfoods and Live Foods! .......................................................................... 90

References ..................................................................................................................................................... 91

About the Author ........................................................................................................................................ 92

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Chapter One: The Glycemic Index

America’s Health Crisis

The Basics of Low Glycemic Eating to End Yoyo Dieting for Good!

“During the past 20 years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of

cases of obesity. In 2007, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of

obesity less than 20%. Thirty states had a prevalence equal to or greater

than 25%; three of these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a

prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.” From the Center of

Disease Control.

Not only is America gaining weight, even more alarming is the weight

increase among children. We are seeing a rise in obesity rates and weight

related health issues. Statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC):

• “Obese children and adolescents are at risk for health problems during

their youth and as adults. For example, during their youth, obese

children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors associated

with cardiovascular disease (such as high blood pressure, high

cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes) than are other children and

adolescents.”

• “Obese children and adolescents are more likely to become obese as

adults. For example, one study found that approximately 80% of

children who were overweight at aged 10–15 years were obese adults

at age 25 years. Another study found that 25% of obese adults were

overweight as children. The latter study also found that if overweight

begins before 8 years of age, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more

severe.”

Health Consequences: Research has shown that as weight increases to

reach the levels referred to as "overweight" and "obesity," the risks for the

following conditions also increases:

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• Coronary heart disease

• Type 2 diabetes

• Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of

triglycerides)

• Stroke

• Liver and Gallbladder disease

• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems

• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone

within a joint)

• Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)

Americans have been spending billions in the weight loss industry every

year, yet Americans continue to get fatter. The need for medications

increases as blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride numbers also rise.

I am flabbergasted at how quickly doctors will dole out a prescription for

high cholesterol medicine, yet they won’t even mention making some simple

diet changes. We don’t need a new pill or more medications, we just need to

eat better and move more.

Our food has changed so much in the last 100 years with the increase of

packaged and refined foods. It can be confusing to decipher what is healthy

amid the flurry of media and advertising, fad diets, and misleading labels on

food packaging. This guide will give you some general guidelines to know

what foods are good for you – and which foods should be avoided.

Weight loss and health are about the many small choices we make every

day. In this program, you’ll begin to change over your eating to a healthier,

easy to follow plan so that making the transition can be easy and natural for

you. In this guide you’ll find what you need to do to get on the road to

healthy eating, enhance your nutrition and enjoy lasting weight loss success.

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The Basics of Low Glycemic Eating to End “Yoyo” Dieting for Good!

Counting calories is fine for anyone who loves all those numbers running

around her head all day. But if you are like most of us, you are probably

tired of counting calories. Counting calories may tell you the amount of

energy in a food, but it says nothing about the quality of foods you are

eating. I’ve recently been seeing 100 calorie snack packs. Only 100 calories,

yet full of sugars, processed foods, and preservatives! There’s nothing

healthy about them!

The problem with weight loss programs based on calories is, they don’t

account for the quality of foods you are eating. And once you return to old

habits and food choices, and it all comes right back, with even more fat to

boot!

Stop Counting Calories – Just Eat Better! If you are ready to stop the

dieting yoyo, and create a few simple changes by replacing unhealthy foods

with some easy alternatives, read on! When you focus on health and

nutrition, the benefit is weight loss, as your body gets the nutrition it needs,

it is better able to drop the extra pounds. It doesn’t have to be hard, you

don’t have to go hungry or feel deprived or weak, all you need is a few

simple substitutions.

What Is the Glycemic Index?

To determine the GI (Glycemic Index) of a food, it is fed to subjects and

their blood sugar (glucose) levels analyzed over several hours to see how

quickly the ingested foods are converted to glucose. As blood glucose levels

rise, the pancreas releases insulin (a carrier hormone) to take the sugar into

the body’s cells.

Glycemic Index Ratings

• 70+ or more are considered HIGH GI foods

• 55 – 70 are considered MODERATE GI foods

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• 55 or less are considered LOW GI foods

General Guidelines:

• Most fruits and vegetables are low on the glycemic index

• Whole foods are generally lower on the Glycemic Index. A couple of

exceptions are baked potatoes (GI - 85), and popcorn (GI - 72).

• Even though fruit is sweet, the sugar in fruit, fructose metabolizes

slower and so it doesn’t affect the blood sugar levels and insulin levels

as quickly as a white bagel would (GI - 72).

• The more processed or refined, the higher the glycemic index level.

For example, baked potatoes have GI rating of 85, but mashed

potatoes have a rating of 92. The process of cooking and mashing

them increases the glycemic index.

• Beware of White Foods: white potatoes, popcorn, sugar, white rice,

and white flour products

What to Include: Whole Foods Eating

• Fresh Fruits

• Steamed Vegetables

• Whole grains

• Lean Meats

• Nuts and Seeds

Even though fruits are sweet, the sugar in fruit (fructose), is a slow

metabolizing sugar. There are only a few high glycemic fruits: bananas with

brown spots (green bananas are low on the glycemic index), dates, and

melons. There are also only a few high glycemic vegetables. As a general

guideline, where fruits and vegetables are concerned, I don’t worry about

the glycemic index, except in the case of white potatoes and popcorn.

What to Avoid: Processed & Refined

• Fast Foods • Prepackaged Foods

• Food Additives: preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavors, and

colors • White Foods: potatoes, popcorn,

flour products, sugar, • Sugars: artificial sweeteners, and

processed sugars

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Glycemic Controversy: Deciphering Glycemic Index and Glycemic

Load

As Dr. Ray Strand explains in his book, “Releasing Fat,” when the glycemic

index first made its appearance in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

through research studies of Dr. Jenkins in 1981, it was met with shock and

resistence. The glycemic index indicates that not all carbohydrates are

equal. Different carbohydrates break down into sugar in our bodies at

different rates. Even “complex carbohydrates” such as potatoes and bread

were found to have high Glycemic Index ratings.

To better understand this, Dr. Strand explains that the primary factor that

indicates whether a food has a high glycemic index is the degree to which a

particular food has been processed and prepared. For example, whole wheat

kernels have a glycemic index of 41, but when wheat is stone ground into

bread, the rating becomes 55, now if the wheat is refined and further

processed into white bread, the rating becomes 70.

When some people look at the Glycemic Index without the Glycemic Load, it

can cause confusion. Carrots rank high on the glycemic index (the

carbohydrates in carrots turn to sugar quickly after ingestion), and cooked

carrots are even higher. To look at only the Glycemic Index, you might then

think carrots are bad for you. However, the Glycemic Load is the other part

of the equation.

The Glycemic Index measures how quickly food converts to sugar. The

Glycemic Load measures how much of the food you would need to impact

blood sugar levels. A low Glycemic load means the amount of sugar in the

food is low and will have a low impact on blood sugar levels. Carrots have a

glycemic load of 3. The amount of sugar that is in carrots is minimal, and it

would take a serving size well beyond the norm to adversely affect your

blood sugar levels.

Adding fat to the diet will also lower the glycemic index of foods and there

are some cookbooks that I have seen that are based on this premise. Rather

than limiting highly processed flours and sugars, they are simply adding fat.

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By simply adding fat, you may be lowering the rate at which the

carbohydrates turn to sugar, but you are also adding more calories as well.

Fat contains 9 calories per gram whereas carbohydrates and proteins contain

4 calories per gram. This approach also does not help people eat healthier

overall.

Whole Foods: To simplify this, think in terms of whole foods, foods that in

their natural state contain fiber. Eating whole foods is simply eating the

foods that are natural sources of fuel for our bodies. The same diet that our

ancestors lived on for thousands upon thousands of years. These are the

foods that were available before the rampant processing and refining that

have turned our foods into the white, blood sugar spiking, convenience foods

that are now so cheap and available.

The couple of exceptions to note here are potatoes and popcorn, which

might be considered in their whole state as well as a few fruits which are

rated higher on the glycemic index. What you need to be concerned with is

the bulk of your diet. If you are eating mostly whole foods, you are not

going to be adversely affected by a few potatoes and occasional popcorn.

The problem today is that the bulk of the American diet ranks high in the

processed carbohydrates, high in the glycemic index, high in animal protein,

and low in fiber and antioxidants.

This shift in our overall eating habits have contributed to a lot of the health

challenges we are currently seeing in our culture including weight gain,

insulin resistence, metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, chronic illnesses,

heart disease and more.

The Glycemic Index has been accepted by the World Health Organization,

and it is only a matter of time before it becomes more accepted by U.S.

healthcare professionals. The glycemic index is simply telling us why whole

foods are good for us, and how to better support our body.

The answer to rising health challenges is a simple one, even simpler than

counting calories and memorizing glycemic index ratings. We need to return

to our ancestor’s diet of whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean

meats, nuts and seeds. We simply need to be focusing on healthier choices.

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Beware of Big White Five! White sugar, white flour, white rice,

potatoes, and popcorn. These are the number one instigators of extra

weight. First let’s discover why they are bad for your body, and then we’ll

look at what you can do instead.

White sugar is refined and processed sugar from the cane plant. At one

time, it was a natural form, but then it was processed, concentrated, and

finally we get white sugar. Brown sugar is no better, it’s actually white

sugar, and then the manufacturers add molasses (what they separated out

from it to begin with) back into the sugar. The main problem with sugar is

that it’s in everything! I picked up some Organic Butternut Squash Soup,

and as I was eating it, it tasted sweet to me. I looked at the label, and sure

enough, they had added sugar to my soup! Just because it’s organic, doesn’t

mean it’s healthy!

Why is sugar bad? Well, a little is just fine. The problem is that

manufacturers keep adding more sugars because the American palate is

accustomed to super sweet tastes. The other problem is that when we eat

high sugar foods, it turns to glucose (the form of sugar our body uses) very

quickly, which then causes a spike in our blood sugar.

This spike in blood sugar then signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin

is the hormone that acts as a carrier, taking glucose into the cells of the

body’s tissues. Once this happens, there is more sugar in the tissues than

we can use, so what does the body do with that extra energy? It stores it for

later – as fat!

Not only does this high sugar intake cause us to store more fat, but it can

also lead to all sorts of health challenges including insulin resistance,

metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. Even cancer has been linked to high

sugar levels.

In fact, recent advancements in technology have created machines that

measure glucose use in the body, positron emission tomography (PET)

scans. Areas in the body that are using too much glucose are identified as

cancer cells. There still needs to be more research to say definitively that

sugar consumption is related to cancer, but this shows us that cancer cells

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consume more of it. Let’s not wait to get cancer. Let’s stop eating so much

sugar!

Not all sugars are equal, there are many good alternatives (I’m not

talking about chemical compounds such as aspartame and sucralose). It has

never been found that diet drinks help you lose weight. There are some

wonderful, all-natural sweeteners that are much better for your body. Here

are my top all-natural choices:

• Agave syrup (low glycemic all-natural sweetener made from the agave

plant)

• Stevia – this is a super sweetener from a plant in South America.

Because it is super sweet, you only need a pinch. Some people notice

an after taste, so try it out and see if you like it.

• Licorice root- made from a plant, a wonderful sweetener with possible

health benefits. It can have a slightly licorice taste to it.

• Raw Honey- honey in its raw form has a medium rating on the

glycemic scale. Pasteurized honey (because of the heating process) is

ranked as high glycemic.

White flour is the next one to watch for. It’s made from wheat. They grind

the wheat kernels, then polish off the bran, the wheat germ, and the hull.

What is left is pure starch. When we eat white flour products; breads,

pastas, and crackers, the refined flour turns to glucose (the body’s form of

sugar) in the body quickly, which signals the pancreas to release insulin. If

the insulin release is significant, the hormone insulin helps drive glucose into

the cells. Once the cells have reached their limit of usable glucose, it turns

the rest into fat. An indicator of how quickly the body turns foods to glucose

is called the Glycemic Index, and it is already appearing on food labels.

White rice has been processed and polished, removing the fiber and bran,

and what is left is just starch. This again causes the same response in the

body of spiking the blood sugar, spiking insulin levels, and causing the body

to store fat. Skip the white rice- brown rice is better, but still higher on the

glycemic index, wild rice is an even better choice. Here are a couple less

well-known grains that you cook much the same way you cook rice! 1 part

grain to 2 parts water.

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• Quinoa – a tiny grain from South America, very high in protein and low

on the glycemic scale, it only takes about 15 min. to cook!

• Buckwheat – this is a grain, actually not related to wheat so it doesn’t

have gluten protein. It takes about 20-30 min to cook, add a bit of

seasoning as it is a little bland.

• Wild Rice – has the natural coating which has more fiber and minerals,

and is lower on the glycemic index, it is a better alternative than white

rice.

An easy general rule: the more refined and processed the food, the

higher the glycemic index. So, go for the whole grain foods, whole wheat

bread, wheat pasta, and other whole grains. To get yourself used to the

taste, start buying partial wheat, or mix white and wheat together, or

experiment with making your own.

My sister, who is a big Do- It- Yourselfer, says that grinding white wheat

kernels instead of the red winter wheat kernels makes all the difference in

flavor and taste for her home ground flour and home baked bread.

Potatoes are all starch. High on the glycemic index, these little starch

pods can spike your blood sugar and set off that sequence of insulin and

storing fat. That’s one reason that many people have found benefit in the

Atkins diet, they were cutting out the white flour and starches. Where did

the Atkins diet go wrong? People weren’t getting the fiber they needed to

keep their colon clean and working well.

• Instead of white potatoes, try yams. With higher fiber, they don’t

impact your blood sugar and your body the same way.

• Other good substitutes that can give you that creamy texture are

squashes, (I especially love mashed butternut squash), and there’s a

great recipe for mashed cauliflower.

You’ll find more recipes on my website: www.alighteryousystem.com

Popcorn. Who knew that something so low in calories was so high on the

glycemic index? Yes, unfortunately, popcorn has one of the highest glycemic

indexes. Well, there aren’t any great substitutes for popcorn, it’s kind of in a

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category of its own. So, if you are eating popcorn as a low calorie snack, you

might rethink its place in your life, and have it only as an occasional treat,

like you would sweets. Just be aware that eating popcorn (because of its

glycemic effects) isn’t as healthy as we once thought.

Popcorn rates (GI - 72) on the glycemic index scale which is even higher

than a piece of cake with frosting!! I still eat popcorn, but only once in a

while, and I am aware that it has the same effect on my body as cake or

cookies. This rating is from The Glycemic Index Food Guide by Dr. Shari

Lieberman.

When you focus on healthy choices and nutrition, your body can let

go of the extra weight and you’ll slim down to your ideal weight. You don’t

have to feel deprived, hungry or weak. In fact, all of my clients have felt

more mentally clear, reported that their mood stabilized, and found energy

that lasts all day when they follow the glycemic index and whole foods

eating.

Basically, it’s eating foods that human bodies have used for fuel for

thousands of years: Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and

seeds! These are the foods our bodies were meant to use, not the

processed, refined foods filled with preservatives that have only been around

for the last 50 years.

It’s Time to begin eating better. When you do, your taste buds even

begin to prefer the healthier choices! It’s only been in the last 50-100 years

that our diets have become so messed up, and we are seeing so many

health consequences now from poor diet choices.

You may be motivated to make some diet changes now, and it’s a

good idea to focus on adding in the foods that you love. Find the section,

focus on your favorites and write a list of what you normally eat, then see

the section on healthy alternatives and identify some better and healthier

food choices for each one.

When I work with clients wanting to lose weight, I like them to focus on the

healthy foods they love rather than thinking about what they can’t eat, they

focus on foods that are healthy, like your favorite fruits and vegetables. Add

in some of your best healthy indulgences while you are making changes. I

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love mangos, avocados, peaches, artichokes, broccoli, and asparagus for me

are real treats, just to name a few. Above all - keep an open mind and try

out a new fruit or vegetable every week. Variety is the spice of life! Play with

your food and spices too!

We may be motivated, but sometimes our old habits get in the way.

Changing habits can be the most difficult part of eating healthier. Many

times it’s as if part of us wants to change, and part of us doesn’t. This inner

struggle is responsible for self-sabotage, craving the wrong foods, eating for

comfort, eating when stressed, or a whole bunch of other difficulties that can

throw us off track.

A lot of times, we might think, “If only I were more disciplined, I could make

myself do it.” I like to focus on building the motivation of my clients to make

the changes they want. Because of this, I’ve created a couple of tools for my

clients that you might find helpful in breaking old habits and making healthy

life choices easier than ever! See details at: www.alighteryousystem.com

One Week Detox Diet

This Detox Diet comes from Dr. Shari Leiberman’s book, “Dare to Lose.” Dr.

Shari holds two PhDs, one in Exercise Physiology and in Clinical Nutrition.

She has great material on low glycemic eating and she recommends kicking

off your program with a One Week Detox Diet.

Toxins can impair weight loss. They can directly affect our digestion and

slow down bowel function. If things aren’t moving through our bowels

efficiently, they can get backed up, and toxins that should be removed are

reabsorbed into the body. This is called “auto-intoxification.”

Regularly Detox-ing, (recommended seasonally) can help cleanse your colon

and gives your digestive system a break. Detox gives your kidneys a rest.

Because plants contain wonderful compounds that fuel your detox

mechanisms in your liver and help cleanse your bowels. This cleanse gives

your liver a break and allows your body to replenish enzymes depleted and

overwhelmed by digesting your usual fare.

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� First thing in the morning, drink the juice of half a lemon and warm

water to help your gallbladder work more efficiently.

� Eating only fruits and vegetables – plant foods – cleans up your

metabolism so it can respond well to the Glycemic Index program.

� Usually our bodies store enough protein in its tissue to last a month or

more. For most people, no protein for a week is no problem. If you

must have protein 3 – 4 oz is okay, lean chicken or turkey breast, but

a veggie burger is best.

� Drink lots of water and get plenty of rest.

More tips: Plan ahead!

1. Prepare ahead – make it easier on yourself.

2. Have a light workload week – avoid travel or stressful deadlines and

get plenty of rest.

3. Detox your cupboards and fridge: get rid of junk foods, throw out or

give away foods that aren’t good for you.

4. Eat as may vegetables as you like, but limit fruits to 3 servings per

day.

5. No fats: oils, butter, or margarine.

6. Keep it simple: use spices and herbs to enhance flavors

7. Drink at least 8 cups of herbal teas or filtered water a day.

8. Avoid coffee, alcohol, soda, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and

caffeinated beverages.

9. Avoid junk food.

10. Continue to take a good multi-vitamin.

11. Do not engage in strenuous activity – even if you are used to it.

Instead try yoga, gentle stretching, swimming, or walking.

12. You may also want to add a fiber supplement to enhance the

detoxification process.

13. Choose organic products where possible.

14. If you need protein for extra energy add 1-2 oz fish, eggs, turkey,

chicken, or pork each meal to keep your energy level up. Avoid red

meats during this cleanse week.

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Sample Menu & Favorites

Here are some sample menus you can use as a reference for building your

own menu.

Before Breakfast: Juice of ½ lemon and water

Breakfast: a piece of fruit

Lunch: green salad, vegetables, and herbal tea

Dinner: vegetable soup, green salad, fruit salad, grilled vegetables, and

squash.

Snacks: Vegetable sticks, fruit, nuts

These are not complete lists, but they can give you an idea of where to start

exploring more fruits and vegetables and adding in more to your diet.

Vegetables: Have as many as you like: Alfalfa Sprouts, Artichokes, Arugula,

Asparagus, Bean Sprouts, Beets, Bell Peppers, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels

Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard Greens,

Cucumber, Daikon, Eggplant, Green Beans, Hot Peppers, Jicama, Kale,

Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives, Onions, Parsley, Radishes,

Sauerkraut, Snow Peas, Spinach, Tomatoes, Water Chestnuts, Watercress,

Yellow Squash, Zucchini.

Fruits: (limit to 3 a day) Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blueberries,

Cantaloupe, Cherries, Grapes, Grapefruit, Mangos, Oranges, Peaches, Pears,

Pineapple, Raspberries, Strawberries, Starfruit, Tangerines.

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Get Prepared

Before you start your detox week, get prepared. Set a date for when you will

start and end your detox. Then, create your One Week Menu and go

shopping beforehand so that you have all the things you need on hand.

When you take a little time to prepare, you are setting yourself up for

success.

When I will prepare for my Detox Week:__________________________

Date I will begin my Detox Week: _______________________________

What could get in my way of following through?

What I will do to overcome these challenges.

What things can you do to indulge yourself? A massage, bubble bath, some

quiet time? How I plan to take care of myself during the detox week.

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Focus on your Favorites

Focus on your favorite foods. Which vegetables and fruits are your favorites?

Which foods do you prefer? Are there any that are exotic treats for you?

There may be some fruits and vegetables that you really enjoy, but only eat

occasionally. Indulging in your favorites during detox week is a great way to

stay on track and look forward to your week.

My Favorite Vegetables My Favorite Fruits

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

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Create Your One Week Detox Diet Menu

Now use your favorite fruits and vegetables to create your

One Week Detox Menu!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Ways to

Treat

Myself

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Healthy Alternatives

High Glycemic Foods Better Replacements

White Potatoes………………………………………... Yams

Mashed Potatoes……………………………………...Butternut Squash

White Bread…………………………………………....Whole Wheat Bread

White Flour Products……………………………....Whole Wheat or Whole Grain

products

White Rice………………………………………….......Wild Rice, Buckwheat Groats or

Quinoa

Popcorn………………………………………………......Corn Chips + salsa

Potato Chips........................................Corn Chips

Pasta………………………………………………..........Whole Wheat Pasta

Buckwheat Pasta (also gluten free)

Yogurt (beware of added sugars)…………...Plain yogurt and add your own

sweeteners, agave syrup, or fruit

Sugar………………………………………………….......Agave Syrup, fruit, applesauce

Pop and Soda…………………………………………….Seltzer Water + Fruit

These healthy alternatives are based on the glycemic rating of foods. For

example, corn chips are better than potato chips for the glycemic index, but

they can also have extra oil and high fat content. An even better snacking

choice would be carrot or celery sticks. Here are some basic guidelines to get

you started on eating healthier, but use your own good judgment.

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My Shopping Guide

We all have habits in the foods we buy, the meals we fix, and the

foods we eat. Most people continue to put the same 20 or so items in their

shopping cart every week. By knowing the foods you are used to purchasing

and knowing some healthier options, eating for health and wellness becomes

even easier. It starts with what you put in your cart. Create your healthy

shopping list guide by identifying the foods you are used to purchasing at

the store, and then identifying healthier alternatives.

Foods I Typically Buy Better Foods Shop List Guide

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

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Chapter Two: New Food Guides

Congratulations, you’ve made it through the hardest part “Detox Week!” The

detox diet is a great way to kick-start your metabolism, and it can help your

body release toxins that have accumulated through the years. If you find

you are not losing weight for 4 weeks or more, you can revisit the detox

week as a way to help your body get over the hump and slim down to your

next level.

We are all creatures of habit! Habits are the brain’s way of creating

efficiency in our lives. It’s easier to learn new things when basic skills are

automatic. We don’t have to think about tying our shoes or driving a car

anymore. However, some of the habits we have get in our way. If you have

struggled with habits that you want to change, you know they can be

stubborn.

In this chapter we’ll look at making new food habits that will work for you.

By shifting your food pyramid paradigms, you can also make planning and

preparing healthy meals easier. We’ll cover some easy guidelines for

estimating your food choices, portion sizes, reading labels, and more.

New Food Groups: New Food Guides

In order to make healthy choices more obvious, it’s good to change the way

we think about food groups and food categories. America has been using

the standard of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid to demonstrate a balanced

diet. However, this traditional depiction is not the best for our overall health.

The Traditional Food Pyramid Guide doesn’t distinguish between the quality

of foods or between complex carbohydrates or simple carbohydrates. Plus, in

its creation, the meat and dairy industries influenced the recommendations

to better promote their own industries.

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According to many food guides, grains are seen as the foundation of the

American diet. This focus on grain sources has caused us to adopt a high

carbohydrate diet. Since it doesn’t distinguish between good carbs and bad

carbs, people haven’t made the distinction between whole grains and white

flour enriched products. These refined carbs have largely contributed to

America’s expanding middle.

What we all need is simple: we all need more fruits and vegetables in our

diet. This increases our fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals (we’ll talk

more about this in chapter 6) and is a source of good carbohydrates.

By changing how we picture the food guide, we’ll begin to think of our food a

little different and make healthier choices. This pyramid is adapted from Dr.

Ray Strand’s new Pyramid Guide, “Healthy and Lean for Life” in his book,

Releasing Fat. This new food guide is based on science, identifying that the

bulk of our food needs to be from the categories of fruits and vegetables,

and our servings of grains need to be a much smaller portion of our diet.

Plus, you’ll also notice he places dairy, butter, ice cream, and milk in the

“use sparingly” category.

Why is Dairy in Use Sparingly? It’s been common for the dairy industry to

reiterate the need for milk. However, the U.S. has the highest dairy intake,

and yet, we also have the highest rate of osteoporosis. We are not absorbing

the calcium we need from milk. Milk and dairy products are also sources of

saturated animal fats which can contribute to heart disease and

arteriosclerosis. Many people have lactose intolerance, an inability to digest

the sugar found in dairy.

Dairy is meant to take a baby calf weighing about 20 lbs to a full grown cow

weighing 200+ or more in about six months. Plus, dairy also increases

mucous in the body and may aggravate allergies, athsma and inflammatory

conditions. We’ve been told dairy is healthy and even necessary, but it just

doesn’t stack up.

If I’m not eating dairy – how do I get my calcium? There are many

vegetables which are high in calcium: spinach, chard, broccoli, and almonds

to name a few. These plant sources of calcium are typically easier for us to

digest and absorb.

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Vegetables: All vegetables fall in the low glycemic range. Vegetables

provide the fiber and the good carbohydrates our body needs to make

glucose, plus, they are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. All of us

would do well to include more vegetables in our diet, and it should make up

the base of our diet as seen in Dr. Ray Strand’s new Food Guide “Healthy

Vegetables

5-8 servings

Fruits

4-6 servings

Good Oils

Nuts, Olive

Oil, Flax

Seeds,

Lean Proteins:

Eggs, Fish,

Turkey, Beans,

Chicken

Use Lean Red Meats

occasionally

Whole Grains, Cereals,

Wheat Pasta, Rice

Simple Carbs and Dairy: Use sparingly

White potatoes, ice cream, cream

cheese, butter, margarine

Purified Water: 8-10 glasses daily

Modest Exercise: 30-45 min. daily

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and Lean for Life.” Here is a list of vegetables you can use to revisit veggies

you haven’t experienced in awhile.

Alfalfa Sprouts, Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Bean Sprouts, Beets,

Beet Greens, Bell Peppers, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts,

Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard Greens,

Cucumber, Daikon, Eggplant, Green Beans, Hot Peppers, Jicama, Kale,

Leeks, Lettuces, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Okra, Olives, Onions,

Parsley, Radishes, Sauerkraut, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes,

Tomatoes, Water Chestnuts, Watercress, Yellow Squash, Yams,

Zucchini

Action Step: Make your vegetables exciting! One of your favorite

vegetables might be hiding in the produce section just waiting to be

discovered! I recommend trying out a new fruit or vegetable every

time you shop. If you have kids, it’s a great way to get them involved,

have them choose something they’ve never tried, and prepare it with

them.

Fruits: The tropical fruits fall into the medium glycemic range: bananas,

mangos and pineapples. The sugar in natural fruits is fructose, which

metabolizes slower. All other fruits fall in the low glycemic range. Fruits are

also a great source of fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants.

Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Grapes,

Grapefruit, Mangos, Melon, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Pineapple,

Raspberries, Strawberries, Star fruit, Tangerines,

Lean Proteins: I am including a listing of meats and legumes together as

healthy protein sources. Beans are a wonderful source of quality protein and

fiber.

Eggs, Halibut, Salmon, Whitefish, Chicken, Shrimp, Turkey, Lean Pork,

Buffalo, Grass Fed Beef

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Legumes: Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, Lima

Beans, Butter Beans, and more beans!

Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds can be a good source of protein. Nuts in

the past have had a bad reputation because they are “high fat” and so a

higher caloric intake. However research has shown that people who have

nuts in their diet on a regular basis are slimmer and better able to manage

their weight. Be aware that nuts do offer a higher calorie content (even

though they are a source of healthy fats), so a good way to gauge nuts is to

keep it to one serving.

“In the Nurses Health Study, which followed 86,016 nurses for 14 years, found those

who ate 5 ounces or more of nuts per week reduced their risk of dying from heart

disease by 35%. The researchers also noted that the nut-eaters tended to weigh less

than the nurses who did not eat nuts.” WebMd, Weight Loss Clinic – Go Nuts in Your

Diet!

Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, Macademia Nuts, Pecans, Walnuts, Pumpkin

Seeds, Flax Seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds

Nut butters: Peanut, Almond, Cashew, Macademia, Tahini (sesame

seed butter)

Whole Grains: Whole grains provide fiber and carbohydrates. Our intake of

carbohydrates has been the bulk of our diet. In fact, in the current

Traditional American Diet, because we are so carbohydrate based, it’s easy

to go all day without a single serving of fruits or vegetables. Think of this

typical diet: breakfast includes a bowl of cereal and milk, for lunch a

sandwich with two slices of bread, cheese and meat, and for dinner -

mashed potatoes, steak and a token veggie on the side that may not even

get eaten!

In the old food pyramid, it shows grains at the base of the pyramid and

doesn’t distinguish between good carbs and bad carbs.

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Refined and processed foods such as white flour products, white pasta,

cookies, cakes, donuts, and such are really meant to be in the category of

“use sparingly” or “only occasionally.”

We’ve accepted many foods as “healthy” when they really fall into the “use

sparingly” category: Pancakes, biscuits, white rolls, muffins, white breads,

crackers and breakfast cereals. Just because they don’t taste sweet, we

don’t think of them in the sweets category.

However, these refined and processed foods have the same impact on your

blood sugar as a piece of cake or a donut. Think of processed and refined

foods as in the sweets category, and replace your grain sources whole

grains.

Add more whole fruits and vegetables to change out some of the carbs and

your body will thank you for it!

Whole Grain Healthy Choices: Whole Wheat, Whole Oats, Steele Cut

Oats, Wild Rice, Quinoa, Buckwheat

An interesting note: Regular white rice has a glycemic index of 72,

whereas Basmati rice has a medium glycemic rating (58) and would be

a better choice.

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The One Week Menu

We are all creatures of habit. Though we would like to think that we get a

lot of variety in the foods we eat, the truth is, we don’t! Week after week,

we cook the same foods, eat the same snacks, and put the same 20-30

items in our shopping cart.

So- let’s put our habits to work for us. The One Week Menu is a wonderful

tool that comes from my friend, Greg Muller, who spent 10 years on

perfecting a system for simplifying food preparation, planning, and shopping.

Use the worksheets provided and follow each of these steps.

Step 1: Admit you have food habits. That’s okay, we all have them, but

now let’s put it to work for us. In fact, when you listing your favorite meals,

you’ll be hard pressed to list more than 10.

Step 2: Identify your Favorites. What are your favorite breakfasts,

lunches, and dinners? Plan your menu by starting with your favorites. List as

many favorite meals as you can.

Step 3: Consider your Schedule. Put high prep time dinners on nights

that allow you to prepare, and place simpler meals on nights where you

might be working late, or have a heavy workday.

Step 4: Now Design Your One Week Menu by adding in your favorite

breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that fit the whole foods eating plan.

When you create your one week menu, shopping becomes a breeze because

you are just thinking about the breakfasts, lunches and 5-7 dinners you will

have for the week. It takes the guess work out of fixing dinner.

Post your One Week Menu on the fridge and your family may even stop

asking, “Mom, what ‘s for dinner?” I even came home on several evenings to

find dinner prepared because my sweetheart read the menu and thought, “I

can do that,” and what do you know – he did!

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Identify Your Favorite Meals

Breakfasts Lunches Dinners

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

Favorite Healthy Snacks

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

_________________ __________________ ___________________

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Design Your One Week Menu

Sunday Breakfasts

Lunches Dinners

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

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Sample of My One Week Menu

Sunday / snacks Apples Almonds

Breakfasts Scrambled Eggs And Vegetables

Lunches Humus, veggie sticks, apple

Dinners Turkey Chili Steamed Vegetables

Monday / snacks Veggie Sticks Zucchini sticks

Banana smoothie

Chicken salad, spinach, tomatoes

Stir Fry Night veggies, basmati rice/ quinoa, chicken

Tuesday High fiber snack bar

Fruit Salad

Leftovers from dinner bring to office

Fish Night: salmon, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mustard greens

Wednesday Cashews Apple

Oatmeal with apple and Agave syrup

Quinoa Salad, soup, veggie sticks

Grill Night:chicken, roasted roots, brussel sprouts, steamed chard

Thursday Apple, dried mango

Banana Smoothie

Leftovers from dinner bring to office

Salad Night: beans, ground beef/ chicken, carrots, spinach, romaine, dressing, etc.

Friday Fruit and nut mix

Scrambled egg Breakfast n veggies

Hummus, veggie sticks, carrots, apple

Leftover Night- clean up what’s in the fridge and a salad

Saturday Apple, string cheese

Banana Smoothie

Lunch on the Go and snacks

Chicken Sweet Potato Curry, Broccoli salad

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Most of us have less variety in our breakfast choices, I find a smoothie

recipe I like, and stick with it, sometimes changing the fruit, adding different

juices, etc. but the key is to find what you like and what is easy for you.

Once you figure out your one week menu, the idea is to repeat it the next

week. I found more success in repeating the menu if I only used guidelines

like Stir Fry Night, or Fish Night, rather than rigid rules.

Repeating your menu every week allows you to really perfect your recipes.

The second week of your one week menu, play around with the recipe. Did

you like sweet potatoes in your curry? What would you change, add, edit, or

delete? After preparing Stir Fry a few times, you’ll become a master at the

recipe, knowing just how you like it or what variations work best for you.

Keep a file (I like a small photo album) for your working recipes. You’ll soon

develop a list of recipes that you really enjoy.

When you get tired of your One Week Menu – just create a new one. I like to

make a new one each month. That allows me to try out new recipes. Maybe

you want a family cooking night in your one week menu, or if you have kids

let them have a night that they get to choose the healthy meal.

You can get more One Week Menus on my website:

www.thelightenupsystem.com

Now, think of this. When you go to the grocery store, how easy is it to shop?

Your Snacks: Apples, Fruit, Nuts, High fiber whole grain bars,

Your Breakfast items: eggs, oatmeal, protein shake mix, frozen fruit,

bananas

Your Lunch items: humus, veggie sticks, salad mixes, soup, etc.

Your Dinner items: all you have to think about is the 5-7 meals you’ll

be making the next week.

You can see how easy it makes shopping. You don’t even need a list, all you

need to remember is the 5-7 dinners you will make for the week, and ask

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yourself, “What do I want in my stir fry? What do I need for my fish night?

What variations do I want to try out this week?”

Grocery Store Shopping Tip: All the processed foods are in the middle aisles.

Shop around the outside edges of the store first, filling your cart with fresh

fruits and vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds. Then go for the middle

aisles for sauces, condiments, dressings and special ingredients.

Don’t Super Size ME: Key to Portion Sizes

Our Portion Sizes have changed in the last 10-20 years. With the

“super size me” craze, we think we are getting more value from places that

give more food, but then we end up wearing it around our waistline! As a

result, many of us might not recognize regular size portions because we’ve

been so used to getting all that extra. Here is a quick guide to identifying

easy portion sizes.

• A 3-ounce serving of protein = a deck of cards.

• A medium piece of fruit = a tennis ball.

• A 4-ounce serving of fish = a sunglasses case

• 1/3-cup rice = an espresso cup

• 1 teaspoon margarine or olive oil = the size of a quarter

Portion sizes for high fat foods are very important to watch because this is

where a lot of extra calories can add up – even if they are good fats. We’ll

discuss the healthy fats in chapter four.

• 1 tbs. Of mayonnaise or salad dressing = size of a poker chip

• A serving of almonds = size of golfball (12 almonds)

• An ounce of cheese = three dice

• 1 tbs. Of Peanut butter = size of a poker chip

• A serving of walnuts = size of golfball (7 nut halves)

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Building A Better Dinner Plate

The traditional American diet centers around a piece of meat, a helping of

starch, and a token vegetable.

To build a better dinner plate starts with thinking of your vegetables. Rather

than making one vegetable for a side dish, make two vegetables as a side.

You’ll naturally eat more veggies as you’ll take a serving of each.

My guide for building your plate is to divide your plate in 4 sections. 2 of the

spaces should be filled up with veggies, one space for complex

carbohydrates such as wild rice, quinoa, or other whole grain, and one space

for a protein, such as beans or lean meat.

Adding greens has great health benefits as well. Try out a few new greens

each week. Salads, steamed chard, mustard greens, kale, and spinach offer

chlorophyll and phytonutrients that build your blood and cleanse your

system.

Traditional American Plate The Healthier Plate Guide

Veggie or

Greens

Veggie

Lean Protein

Complex Carb

Token

Vegetable

Meat and Starch

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Guide to Reading Labels and Portions

Here are the ideal ranges to look for in reading your food labels, adapted

from Dr. Shari Leiberman’s book, Dare to Lose. The first thing to check on a

food package is the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in the order of the

amounts included in the product, so the main ingredients are listed first.

Here is my easy guide to reading labels:

1. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients or if you don’t know what they

are – don’t eat it!

2. Watch out for sugars. Many of the yogurts on the market have more

sugar than a candy bar! Sugar may also be listed several times under

different names and is found in the most unlikely places including

canned tomatoes and even organic butternut squash soup!

3. Look for high fiber, high protein, and low carb and low fat count.

Sugars: 2-5 grams

In reading labels for sugars, first check the label for total grams of

sugars. Next, read the ingredient list for added sugars, and to identify what

kind of sugar it contains. The kind of sugar is important because some forms

of sugar are better than others in how it affects your body.

Not all sugars metabolize the same way. Some metabolize quickly,

which can spike your blood sugar, and others take more time for the body to

break it down into glucose. It’s this glycemic index that makes some sugars

better than others, see the section Not All Sugars are Equal.

Fiber : 5-10 grams

The higher the fiber the better. In the American diet, we don’t get enough

fiber. Fiber helps move material through our digestive system, it can help

lower cholesterol, and even prevent colon cancer and other digestive

problems. Try to get more than 50 grams fiber daily.

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Dietician’s Tip: Make sure you drink a lot of water which will help your body

deal better with the added fiber in your diet. Gradually add more fiber so as

to reduce any effects of bloating and gas.

Protein: 10-20 grams

Any protein is good. When the protein count is higher, count it more

for a meal replacement rather than a snack.

Carbs – Net Carbs: 2-8 grams

In reading carbohydrates, look for the net carb count. Here is a

formula for understanding the net carb count: Total Carbs minus fiber minus

good sugars (or sugar alcohols) = Net Carbs

Fat: 3-7 grams, less than 2-3 grams of saturated fats, and NO trans

fats.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are

liquid at room temperature. Animal fats, butter, palm kernel, and coconut

oil, as well as hydrogenated oils all qualify as saturated fats. It used to be

that all saturated fats were thought of as bad, but now we know there is a

lot more to understanding fats than just liquid versus solid. We’ll cover the

ins and outs of good and bad fats in chapter four.

Most packaged goods aren’t going to contain the good kinds of fats, so

it’s best to go low on the fat count. It’s best to avoid partially, fractionated

or modified hydrogenated oils.

Beware Trans fats! No Trans fats of any kind. Most trans fats are

created when processing liquid vegetable oils to become solid at room

temperature. They cause an extra burden on your digestive system, they

raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase the risk of heart disease.

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“Like saturated fats, trans fats raise LDL "bad" cholesterol and increase

the risk of heart disease. But unlike saturated fats, trans fats lower HDL

"good" cholesterol and may do more damage, says the American Heart

Association (AHA). The AHA advises limiting saturated fat consumption to

less than 7% of daily calories and trans fat consumption to less than 1%.”

WebMd – Understanding Trans Fats.

Our bodies need fats. In fact every cell of our body is lined with a lipid

bilayer – a ring of fat which allows the cell to regulate itself and keep it

separate from the environment. The problem with the typical American diet

is that we have been getting too much of the wrong kinds of fats. See

Chapter 4, Know your Fats.

Not All Sugars are Equal

Best Natural Sources of Sweeteners: Look for all natural sugar sources

that won’t spike your blood sugar. I included powdered licorice root because

it’s a powerful sweetener, and tastes wonderful in tea. I couldn’t find a

rating for it, but as it’s the powdered form of the plant, it makes a wonderful

all natural sweetener and just a little bit goes a long way.

• Fructose : Natural sugar found in fruit low glycemic

• Lactose: Natural sugar found in milk low glycemic

• Agave Syrup: Natural sugar made from agave plant low glycemic

• Stevia: Natural plant source low glycemic

• Coconut sugar: Natural plant source low glycemic

• Raw honey: Natural honey, non-pasteurized medium glycemic

• Licorice: powdered form of licorice plant not rated

Sugar Alcohols: These don’t spike your blood sugar, the body doesn’t

metabolize these the same way it does sugar so they are virtually calorie-

free. Some of the sugar alcohols can cause intestinal irritation, so pay

attention to how they affect you.

• Erythritol: Good for your teeth Available as Smart Sweet

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• Xylitol: Good for your teeth

• Maltitol

Medium Glycemic Sugars

• Sucrose – table sugar okay in moderation

High Glycemic Sugars – Best to Avoid

• Pasteurized honey

• High fructose corn syrup

• Brown rice syrup

Artificial Sweeteners – Best to Avoid

• Aspartame: brand names Equal, Nutra Sweet

• Saccharin: brand name Sweet n Low

• Sucralose: brand name Splenda: Chlorine bonded with sugar molecule

In reading your ingredients list on sugars, be aware that sugar has many

names and food manufacturers will list them separately so it looks like there

is less sugar in the food. These are all forms of sugar: brown rice syrup,

cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, sucrose,

raw sugar (same as sucrose).

You’ll find sugar added in the most unlikely places. I found it in my butternut

squash soup and canned tomatoes just to name a few. While the amounts of

sugar added to foods may be small, it really adds up, so it’s always a good

idea to read the label and choose less added sugars.

The Truth About Artificial Sweeteners

• Research shows that artificial sweeteners, even though they may

contain no calories, haven’t been shown to help you lose weight.

• Researchers observed rats that were given sweeteners in their water

and they found that when these rats were given the opportunity to eat

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a brownie, they ate 30% more than the other rats. They discovered

that the taste of sweet interfered with the mechanism to know when to

stop eating. From Dare to Lose by Dr. Shari Lieberman.

Personal Note: I will use table sugar before I will use the artificial

sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are chemical compounds that taste sweet,

and as more research is showing, these can have negative effects on the

health of your body. Even though they have been approved by the FDA, it

still doesn’t mean they are good for you! Artificial sweeteners are chemicals,

and they are toxic at higher doses. The question the FDA uses to evaluate

them is: What dose can we use that will not cause us harm? Just because

it’s not obviously creating harm doesn’t mean that its not affecting our

systems. I suggest sticking with all natural sweeteners in the low to medium

glycemic index range.

A word of Caution: Raw honey is a medium glycemic all natural sweetener

that is great, however, it shouldn’t be fed to children under 2 years old due

to the chance of botulism poisoning. This is not an issue for older children

and adults. WebMd- Honey

Action steps for Week Two:

• Create your List of Favorites

• Create your One Week Menu and Shopping Guide

• Explore 1 New Vegetable or Green this week

• Drink Plenty of Water

• Begin Changing Out Refined and Processed foods for Healthier

Choices

Notes:

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Chapter Three: Stress, Body, and Fitness

In this section, we’ll look at the effects of stress on the body, ways to

minimize stress and the role of fitness. Chronic stress can cause the body to

gain weight, when you reduce your stress, your body is better able to keep

internal balance.

What is Stress?

Stress Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and the National

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health research studies have

found:

• Stress is linked to physical and mental health, as well as decreased

willingness to take on new and creative endeavors.

• Job burnout experienced by 25% to 40% of U.S. workers is blamed on

stress.

• More than ever before, employee stress is being recognized as a major

drain on corporate productivity and competitiveness.

• Depression, only one type of stress reaction, is predicted to be the

leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more

days lost than any other single factor.

• $300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the U.S. on

stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity,

absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly

50% higher for workers who report stress), and employee turnover.

Stress and Health:

• Stress is linked to the leading 6 causes of death: heart disease,

cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

(stress.about.com)

• It is estimated that at least 90% of visits to the doctor are for

symptoms that are at least partially due to stress.

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Evidence of Stress (List adapted from Mayoclinic.com)

Stress on the body Stress on thoughts

and feelings

Stress seen through

behaviors:

Headaches

Chest pain

High blood pressure

Digestive problems/

upset

Irregular bowel

movements

Sweating

Sleeping problems

Decreased immune

function

Anxiety / Restlessness

Worrying

Irritability

Sadness / Anger

Depression

Mood Swings

Insecurity

Confusion

Job dissatisfaction/

burnout

Nail- biting

Overeating/

undereating

Maladaptive Habits

Substance Abuse

Social Withdrawals

Relationship Conflicts

Decreased Productivity

Stress in the Body

Our Stressors today are different than what our ancestors

experienced. While our ancestors experienced stress more in the form of

physical danger, from the environment and warring tribes, in our culture

today, we experience stress more as “perceived” threat and stressors.

Although we may not experience the physical danger today, our body

responds the same to physical threats as it does to mental stress or

“imagined threats.”

The autonomic nervous system has two systems that operate opposite of

each other. The two systems are always in flux with each other. We have the

Sympathetic system (Rest and Digest), and the Parasympathetic system

(Fight or Flight). When we are feeling stressed, the body engages the fight

or flight system.

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What happens in our body when we encounter stress?

• It engages the Autonomic Nervous System, and the fight or flight

response which prepares the body the body for physical response –

run away or fight off the threat.

• Increases Blood Pressure

• It moves blood away from the brain and to the skeletal muscles

• Increases adrenaline and cortisol in the blood for quick response

• While the body’s energies are engaged in fight or flight, it diverts blood

supply and energies away from the immune system, digestion and

other functions.

Cortisol: A hormone that regulates glucose metabolism, blood pressure,

insulin release for sugar absorption, immune function, and inflammatory

response. Helps provide quick bursts of energy for fight or flight response,

but can lead to elevated levels and chronic stress symptoms.

When we experience stress or the fight or flight response, our body

prepares to fight off the threat or run away. In our western culture, we don’t

have many avenues for releasing the physical energy, and we absorb the

stress while sitting in a cubicle or saying yes to the supervisor. The problem

is, these hormones can build up over time and if not recycled by the body,

they can lead to negative effects on our health.

• Impaired cognitive function

• Suppressed thyroid function

• Blood sugar imbalances

• Decreased bone density

• Higher blood pressure

• Decreased immune response

• Increased abdominal fat

• Residual cortisol in the body has been shown to increase appetite

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Top 10 Tips for Relieving Stress

1. Regular Exercise: Physical activity is one of the fundamental ways

our body can recycle stress hormones. During the fight or flight

response, our body is actually poised for physical activity. However, in

our western culture, few offices are equipped with a company

punching bag. Outline your favorite fitness activities, and then fit them

into your schedule.

2. Walk breaks: Take a brisk walk during the day, even 10 min. can

help you clear your head, get a new perspective, circulate more blood

back to the brain, and neutralize stress hormones.

3. Meditation: Sitting quietly paying attention to breathing can help

your mind get clear and rebalanced.

4. Journaling: Reflecting on the day and acknowledging your feelings

can help you increase your emotional awareness and gain new

perspectives.

5. Reframe the situation: The words we use to describe our situation

can affect how we feel about it. How can you “reframe” the stress you

are experiencing into a more positive situation. For example, “my

mom is always trying to interfere in my life” could be rephrased as

“my mom loves me and tries to help in her own way.”

6. Breathing exercises: Breathe in 4 counts, hold 4 counts, breathe out

4 counts, hold 4 counts, while touching each finger in succession to

the thumb and while walking.

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7. Brain balancing: Moving opposite sides of the body at the same time

helps to balance the electrical activity of the brain and activates both

brain hemispheres. Cross crawls: touch the right elbow to the left

knee, and then touch the left elbow to the right knee.

8. Guided imagery: Use a hypnotherapy script or your make up your

own guided imagery for relaxation. Some ideas include tropical island

getaway, enjoying peaceful landscapes, or a healing waterfall.

9. Music: Use music to lift your mood and engage both hemispheres of

your brain.

10. Do something you love! Make time for yourself to do the things you

enjoy on a regular basis. What do you love to do? Gardening, hiking,

talking with friends?

Create Your Stress Relief Plan

What are your top stressors? What is your plan for each?

___________________________ ____________________________

___________________________ ____________________________

___________________________ ____________________________

___________________________ ____________________________

___________________________ ____________________________

___________________________ ____________________________

Even finding 5 or 10 minute breaks during the day to relax, focus, and

recharge can help your mind and body better deal with stress.

When can you create 5 or 10 minute breaks to relax, recharge, and refocus?

What could get in the way of your stress relief plans?

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What can help you remember to relax and recharge so you can refocus?

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Diet and Stress

You can support your mind and body through times of stress by also paying

attention to factors of nutrition, paying attention to carbohydrate cravings,

minimizing sugar consumption, eating high nutrition foods; namely whole

foods, fruits and vegetables, and maintaining a regular exercise plan.

Elizabeth Somer describes “The Cycle of Mood and Food” in her book, “Food

and Mood.” This pattern helps to explain what the brain is doing by craving

comfort foods and carbohydrates when we feel down or stressed.

A person feels stressed → the body then releases cortisol from the

adrenal glands → increase levels of Neuropeptide Y alters brain

chemicals, lowering serotonin (Seratonin is known as the feel good

brain chemical, in fact SRI medications focus on making more

serotonin available). → A person then craves and consumes

carbohydrate-rich foods (engaging rest and digest) → Seratonin levels

rise, and then the person feels calm.

Sugar and Stress:

When your body needs mental, physical, and emotional reserves, consuming

high sugar foods causes a spike in insulin (hormone that takes sugar into the

cells), and a rush of sugar into the cells then causes blood sugar levels to

plummet. This alters brain chemistry, notably the balance of dopamine and

serotonin.

Other consequences of sugar is that it replaces nutritious foods, adds extra

calories and can compromise the metabolism. It can lead to insulin

resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

“When sugar intake increases above 9 percent of the total calories, your

vitamin and mineral intake progressively decrease, which compromises your

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immune system and adds further stress to a body under pressure. A high

sugar diet also increases urinary losses of calming minerals, including

magnesium and chromium.” From Food and Mood, by Elizabeth Somer.

High Fat foods and Stress:

A Study from the University of Maryland, reported that high fat diets,

especially vegetable oils, raise stress hormone levels and interfere with the

body’s ability to calm itself even after the stress is over. Cutting back on fat

and adopting a low fat vegetarian diet lowers cortisol levels.

“A low fat diet also stimulates the immune system, while dietary fat,

especially polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils, trans fatty acids,

margarines, shortening and saturated fats in meats and whole milk products

suppress the immune system.” Food and Mood, by Elizabeth Somer.

Vitamins for Stress

Healthy Diet and Exercise

Maintaining a healthy diet with lots of fresh foods and an active lifestyle

with regular exercise is invaluable to maintaining positive levels of stress.

Below are vitamins and minerals that play an important role in handling

stress. Summaries are from “The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book” by Dr.

Shari Lieberman, Ph.D.

• B Vitamins: pg. 106. B vitamins are essential for maintaining healthy

nerves, skin, hair, eyes, liver, and mouth, preserving good muscle

tone, sustaining energy, and metabolizing carbohydrates, fats, and

proteins. The role of B vitamins has been well-documented in nervous

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system function, and led practitioners to alleviate psychiatric

symptoms such as depression, anxiety, nervousness, and poor

memory through supplementation of B vitamins. Deficiencies of B

vitamins have been associated with psychiatric disorders such as

schizophrenia, depression, delirium, and anxiety.

When you are under emotional stress, sick, pregnant, or breast

feeding, your requirements for B vitamins automatically increase.

Food Sources: whole grains: wheat, rice, oats, and rye, liver, green

leafy vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and beans. Most of

the B vitamins are removed when grains are refined.

• Pantothenic Acid: pg. 142-143. D- Pantothene (Vitamin B5) Works

in conjunction with other B vitamins. Pantothenic acid supplementation

has been found to reduce anxiety, depression, increase ability to

handle emotional and physical stress, lower high cholesterol, decrease

joint inflammation, arthritis, osteo-arthritis, and lower symptoms

associated with cardiovascular disease. Pantothenic acid should be

taken in conjunction with other B vitamins in a complex. Dr. Shari

Lieberman warns against supplementing only one B vitamin while

excluding others as they compete in the intestines for absorption.

• Vitamin C: pg. 152-153 Vitamin C is needed by the adrenal glands to

synthesize hormones. Normal levels of ascorbic acid are depleted with

high-stress occurrences such as surgery, illness, infections, injuries,

and the use of birth control pills. A study in Germany showed that

people who took 1,000 mg a day dealt better with psychological

stress, showed fewer signs, and recovered quicker than those who did

not.

• Zinc: pg. 185: Zinc is an essential component of over twenty enzymes

associated with metabolic processes, and contributes to the health of

eyes, liver, bones, prostate, semen, and hair. Zinc has a most critical

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role for cell division, cell repair, and cell growth. Studies have found

large percentages of children to be deficient. There is also evidence

that zinc levels fall following physical and mental stress. Zinc levels

have been found lower for people with injuries, infections, those who

have undergone surgery, or sustained broken bones or wounds. Zinc is

found in many foods, such as whole grains, liver, eggs, fish, and

legumes. Approximately 73% of zinc has been shown to be removed

with the refining process that makes white flour.

Here are some more natural supplements and practices that can be helpful

during times of stress.

• Cut the Caffeine: If you are prone to stress, cutting back on caffeine

intake may help you cope better when stress arises.

• Take a good Multivitamin: Research is now showing that we are

getting less nutrition from our food today than we were 50 years ago.

Taking a good multivitamin along with a healthy diet can help your

body have the building blocks it needs to heal and repair itself, and

keep its systems in balance. Look for a multivitamin that has timed or

quick release, liquid vitamins are easier for the body to absorb than

the pill forms.

• Antioxidants are also helpful in helping the body combat free radicals

produced by excess stress: Vitamin C, ORAC, and Acai, to name a few.

High antioxidants are also found in fresh fruits (see chapter six).

• Kava Kava: All natural herb can help mellow out the feeling of stress.

It has a mild relaxing effect, but do not take it with alcohol.

• Panax Ginseng: From The April 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science

News,Ginseng has been historically used for people experiencing

fatigue and chronic stress in Asia. Ginseng is believed to have overall

tonic effect on the adrenals, immune system and is recommended to

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be used three weeks on, and two weeks off. Recommend ginseng with

care because it may aggravate certain conditions such as hormonal

regulation and hypertension.

• Ashwagandha: This dietary supplement is used to enhance mental

and physical performance, improve learning ability and decrease stress

and fatigue. This herb is a general tonic to be used in stressful

situations and is especially useful for insomnia, nervousness, and

restlessness. The adaptogenic properties of ashwagandha may be

attributed in part to its effects on the output of adrenal hormonals.

Nutrition Science News, April 2001.

Exercise and Stress

Having a regular workout program can help the body re-adjust after an

alarm reaction that sets off the fight or flight response. Here are a few

effects of exercise on body chemistry from the benefits of 20 minutes of

exercise 3 times a week:

• A physical workout releases brain chemicals epinephrine and

noepinephrine which boosts alertness.

• Regular exercise raises serotonin levels, which boosts mood

• Lowers blood levels of cortisol

• Releases endorphins, the body’s own morphine-like chemicals that

boost pain tolerance and promote feelings of euphoria and

satisfaction.

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Create a Fitness Plan that You Love!

To stay motivated with your fitness plan, it is best to focus on activities that

you love. Below, list the top fitness activities that you enjoy:

Activities that you enjoy

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Put it into Practice: Which days of the week can you commit to fitness, and

for how long?

Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.

This Week Action Steps:

� Create Your One Week Menu

� Try One New Vegetable

� Track what you are eating this week

� If you make a less than stellar choice, write down what you are

thinking/feeling when you made the choice

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Notes:

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Chapter Four: Know your Fats

Understanding Fats

Because of diet trends, people often associate losing weight and dieting with

eating low fat. Rather than ‘low fat,’ begin to think of choosing healthier fats.

Your body uses fats and oils to line the nervous system and insulate nerve

signals from each other. Fats are also an essential part of cell membranes.

Each cell in the body is surrounded by a “lipid bilayer” (a tiny ring of fat)

that allows the cell to regulate the flow of water and materials into and out

of the cell. We need fats, and fats play an essential role in our body, in fact,

our brain is 70% fat.

Our body also uses fats as the raw materials for substances that act like

hormones, regulating body functions including blood pressure, blood clot

formation, blood lipids, immune response, inflammation response to injury,

and more.

In the weight loss world, there seems to be a fear of fat, however, now that

you know fat is essential, it’s much more important to know the difference

between good fats and bad fats. Some forms of fat are much more useful to

your body and other forms are not as good for you.

Different fats have different effects on the body. First, we’ll take a look at

the bad fats and the effects on the body. Here’s a quick guide to Good Fats

vs. Bad Fats.

Good Fats Bad Fats

Oils from fish

Vegetable oils and fats

Nuts

Trans Fats

Saturated Animal Fats

Partially Hydrogenated oils and

fats

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Good Fats vs Bad Fats

Fats are distinguished in a couple of ways. Saturated fats are solid at

room temperature, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

Saturated fats include: animal fats, fats in dairy and butter, and coconut and

palm oils. Unsaturated fats include more of the vegetable oils.

Hydrogenation is a process of turning unsaturated fats into artificially

saturated fats. This allows them to be solid at room temperature and resist

rancidity. However, this process changes the chemical structure and

produces transfatty acids, also known as trans fats, which can have negative

effects on the body.

Trans Fats – Researchers have found that trans fats raises LDL (bad

cholesterol) and lowers HDL (good cholesterol, and also increases risk to the

arteries and heart health. Trans fats are found in any hydrogenated oil

products, the most common are shortenings, margarines, and artificially

hydrogenated peanut butter.

Stay away from hydrogenated or fractionated oils and fats and

TransFats.

• Stay away from no-stir peanut butter, choose instead freshly ground

and all natural peanut butters (and store it in the refrigerator). Other

nut butters are also a treat, almond butter or cashew butter can be

found in health food stores.

• Choose soft and liquid variety margarines that have no trans fats, read

the label and watch out for hydrogenated and fractionated oils. Butter

can be a better choice than margarine because of the artificial

hydrogenation of margarine which can contain up to 40% of transfatty

acids. Earth Balance is a good brand with no artificial hydrogenation or

tansfats.

Limit Saturated fats: Saturated fats are hard fats, fats that are solid at

room temperature and include: animal fats, butter, and dairy, artificially

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hydrogenated fats, partially hydrogenated fats, and fractionated oils. Natural

sources of saturated fats are better than hydrogenated, but keep saturated

fats low in the diet.

• Coconut and palm oils although “saturated” fats have been found to

have many health benefits, so although they are saturated (solid at

room temperature), they fall into the “good for you” fat category.

Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats: This relates to the

numbers of hydrogen molecules in the fat chain. Mono-unsaturated means

there is one place on the chain open that a hydrogen molecule could

combine with, and polyunsaturated means there are many open places on

the fat chain. This also relates to how rigid the fat structure is.

Good Fats include: avocado, extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, fish oil

(reduces risk of heart attacks by 50%), nuts (anti-cancer and heart

protective properties), and omega 3 fats from fish oils, found in cold water

wild caught fish, and coconut oil.

Note: Trans fats have extra hydrogen molecules bonded to the fat chain.

When the body clips off the extra hydrogen molecules during digestion,

these become free radicals which then cause arterial damage. When the

body notices damage to its arteries, it fabricates cholesterol as a way to

patch up the damage, which it uses along the arterial walls. Vitamin C helps

the body repair tissue damage. Bad cholesterol levels can be reduced

through healthy eating, vitamin C, avoiding transfats and adding more fiber

to the diet.

Inflammation and Fats

As our body digests our foods and nutrients, there are two pathways that

relate to the amount of inflammation in the body. One pathway leads to

more inflammation, the other has anti-inflammatory effects.

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Inflammation in the body can relate to a lot of different health challenges,

including auto-immune and chronic illnesses, heart disease, diabetes,

arthritis, and more.

Our body needs a balance of different fats, namely Omega 3, Omega 6 and

Omega 9. The typical American diet is largely skewed toward incorporating

more Omega 6 and 9s, and typically we include less Omega 3s.

Here is a guide for qualifying the healthy and natural fats. Focus on adding

more Anti-Inflammatory fats (Omega 3s) into your diet.

Anti-Inflammatory Inflammatory (Omega 6 and 9s)

Omega-3s Omega-6 Omega – 9

Fish Oil Sunflower Oil Extra virgin olive oil

Flax seed oil Sesame oil Hazelnut oil

Wheat germ Safflower oil Almonds

Walnut Peanut oil Avocados

Hemp Black currant seed

Pumpkin seeds Evening Primrose

Understanding Essential Fatty Acids

Most of the fatty acids the body needs, can be fabricated from

carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. However, there are two that cannot be

synthesized and are essential for basic functions. These are called essential

fatty acids and are linoleic, omega 3s, and linolenic acids, omega 6s.

The Role of Omega 3 fatty acids:

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• Required for brain development and make up large part of the

“thinking” structure of the brain.

• Required for development of vision and to form the eye’s retina

• Heart health through anti-inflammatory effects, reduces tendency of

the blood to clot, and important for the body’s immune function.

The Role of Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids:

• The body converts Omega 6 into a wide range of hormone-like

substances known as eicanosoids.

• Important in the body’s healing and repair responses to injury

including immune response, inflammation, fever and pain.

Healthy Fats

The typical American diet is excessive in the Omega 6 and 9 consumption,

and lacking in Omega 3s. Here are some ways to incorporate more Omega

3s in your diet.

• Add coldwater fish into your diet

• Make salad dressing with flax seed oil

• Whole wheat will include more wheat germ

• Add walnuts

• There are many hemp products now including hemp milk, hemp

cheese, and hemp oil.

• Sprinkle your salad with ground flax seeds or pumpkin seeds

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Cooking tip: the best oil you can use is coconut oil (doesn’t change the

structure as it’s heated). Olive oil has health benefits, but is best when used

cold.

Fat and Calories

Fats have more calories per gram than other nutrients. The typical American

diet has more fat (and the wrong kinds of fat) and so is also higher in

calories. Nuts are best when raw and can be a good source of healthy fats,

just be aware that nuts and seeds contain more calories per gram than the

other nutrients. Limit your nut intake to one serving (about 6-8 nuts) =

calories

Comparison of Nutrients and Caloric Content:

Carbohydrates 4 calories per gram

Proteins 4 calories per gram

Fats 9 calories per gram

In the Mediterranean diet, 50% of the calories consumed are from fat,

mostly in the form of olives and olive oil. Those living on a traditional

Mediterranean diet have been found to have less heart disease, lower

cholesterol and better arterial health than Americans, even though the

Mediterranean diet contains more fat.

The difference is in the quality of fats and oils, and a balanced low glycemic

diet.

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Substitutes for Baking

Here are my substitutions for exchanging out fats in recipes.

• When I make cookies, I use ½ butter and ½ vegetable oil, you don’t

even know the difference. Add oats for more fiber, use agave syrup or

mashed banana for sweetener.

• Substitute ½ c. applesauce for ½ cup oil in recipes

• You can also use coconut oil in place of butter in a 1:1 ratio. Great for

cookies, pie crust, and anything that calls for butter or margarine.

• ½ cup yogurt to replace ½ cup oil, best to use unsweetened yogurt.

• If substituting yogurt or applesauce for oil, mix dry ingredients set

aside, mix wet ingredients, and then mix both with a minimum of

stirring, especially when using flours. Otherwise, the texture can be

gluey, it’s not such a problem with whole wheat flour, but oat flour can

be gluey without oil

• Add Omega 3s by adding ground flax seed to muffins, smoothies,

pancakes, sprinkle on salads.

• Use Coconut oil for cooking, such as stir frys, baking and such.

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Actions for Week Four

Notice what oils you are using now, which ones are healthy, and which ones

are not so healthy.

� Eliminate trans fats and artificially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Change out your peanut butter, margarine, and read labels and look

out for artificially hydrogenated, fractionated, and partially

hydrogenated oils.

� Reduce intake of saturated animal fats: bacon, beef, butter and

dairy products.

� Increase Omega 3 essential fatty acids: supplements, coldwater

fish, flax seeds, hemp, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, and walnuts.

� Include more oils from vegetable sources to replace saturated

animal fats, margarines, and shortenings. Use coconut oil for baking,

extra virgin olive oil, avocados, almonds, safflower oil and sunflower

oil.

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Chapter Five: Digestive Health & Food Sensitivities

Our health starts with our digestion. We

can improve our overall health by taking

care of our digestive health and eating

the foods that support us.

Digestive Health

Our digestion begins with our mouth. Our

teeth break food down into smaller

chunks and saliva actually begins

breaking down nutrients.

Cells in our stomach secrete pepsin and hydrochloric acid to break down

protein and carbohydrates. Our stomach uses a churning motion to mix the

food particles together with the pepsin and hydrochloric acid.

Drinking water during meals can dilute the digestive juices, hindering

digestion. It’s better to drink water between meals rather than during meals

for optimal digestion.

Our intestine contains strains of healthy bacteria which help our body to

further break down and absorb nutrients. Antibiotics and medications can be

responsible for destroying the natural healthy bacteria in our intestinal

system. This balance of healthy bacteria can be helped or enhanced by

different strains of probiotics available in health food stores.

Most Americans are dehydrated, not drinking enough water during the day.

Water helps move material through our intestines, regulates blood pressure,

blood temperature, and is essential for carrying waste materials out of the

body. If you are well hydrated, your body will be better able to produce the

digestive enzymes and secretions needed for digestion.

Digestive enzymes are excreted into the small intestine, further helping to

break down and digest nutrients. Small fingerlike projections in the

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intestines (called microvilli) increase the surface area, and enable absorption

of digested nutrients.

Most of our nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine.

Flour products can actually gum up and flatten the intestinal microvilli,

decreasing absorption, and over time even cause damage. The damage of

these microvilli can result in Celiac disease, and inability to tolerate products

containing gluten.

Our large intestine absorbs most of the water content, and carries waste

material to be excreted out of the body.

If you are dehydrated, your body may be less able to move waste products

through the body to be eliminated. This can cause a decrease in bowel

movements, and in the extreme, auto-intoxication. Auto-intoxication is

where the body doesn’t move waste materials out of the body fast enough

and they are absorbed into the body.

As a general rule, you should have at least one bowel movement per day.

Eating plenty of fiber, fruits and vegetables helps your bowels move the bulk

through your system, and keeps your intestinal tract healthy and functioning

well.

Things that can compromise the healthy bacteria of our digestive system:

• Medications • Antibiotics

• Alcohol • Chlorinated water

The use of antibiotics and medications may be compromising our digestive

health system by destroying the healthy bacteria found in our stomach and

intestinal tract. This healthy bacteria helps us digest our nutrients.

Leaky Gut Syndrome also has allergy and food sensitivity connections. In

Leaky Gut Syndrome, it is thought that certain food sensitivities irritate the

stomach lining, causing the stomach to react as it would with an allergen.

The irritation causes a release of histamine, which causes the cells to swell,

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allowing antibodies to get to the site of irritation. Our body uses histamine

as a response to injury, swelling the cells and tissues to allow the larger

particles of white blood cells to get to the site of injury. As the cells of the

stomach lining swell, food particles may escape the gut and “leak” into the

body’s tissues and blood. Because these food particles are in the system

without being properly broken down, the body recognizes them as foreign

invaders, and then creates antibodies to clean up the particles.

Parasites can also cause leaky gut syndrome because parasites bore

through intestinal walls creating holes in the digestive system. It is thought

these holes left by parasites enable undigested food particles to “leak out”

into the surrounding tissues and blood. The body then recognizes these

particles as foreign bodies, and then fabricates antibodies to attack these

undigested food particles.

This connection with parasites, leaky gut syndrome, and undigested food

particles, and antibodies is thought to play a role in auto-immune disorders.

There are several varieties of parasite cleanses available in health food

stores.

To promote the healing and repair of internal intestinal damage, you might

try this herbal combination:

• Mix of 1 part Licorice root powder and 3 parts Slippery Elm: thought to

promote the internal repair of the digestive system.

Here are some affordable supplements you can use to promote better

internal digestive health.

Digestive Aids & Supplements:

• Probiotics –occur naturally in our intestinal system and are important

for us in breaking down our food and keeping a healthy bacterial

balance. Our healthy intestinal bacteria can be compromised from

antibiotics, alcohol, and medications. Probiotics can help restore the

healthy bacteria to the intestinal system. Look for a variety of different

strains of pro-biotics. It’s estimated that the intestinal system has

upwards of 400+ different kinds of healthy bacteria needed to break

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down foods and use nutrients, so the wider array of pro-biotics, the

the better.

• Probiotics can be found in cultured foods, kimshi, sauerkraut, and aged

cheeses. Active cultures of probiotics can also be found in health food

stores.

• Digestive Enzymes: Although our bodies manufacture some digestive

enzymes, if more than 25% of your diet is made up of cooked foods,

it’s a good idea to supplement with digestive enzymes. Supplementing

with digestive enzymes helps your body utilize the nutrients in the

foods you are eating.

• Aloe Vera Juice: Aloe is thought to have healing properties in soothing

and healing the mucous membranes of the digestive system.

• 1 Tbs. Apple Cider vinegar in ½ cup water + 1 tsp cayenne pepper or

cayenne pepper capsule. This combination is a recommended daily

tonic of Dr. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing, purported to have

health benefits on circulation, quality of the blood, and more.

Digestive Health Helps:

• Chew your food well before swallowing.

• Drink plenty of water during the day.

• Drinking water between meals is better than during your meal.

• Have one or more bowel movements during the day.

• If you are experiencing bloating, swelling, signs of gluten sensitivity,

or have a chronic illness, you may benefit from doing a gluten-free two

week trial.

• The stress response (as mentioned in chapter 3) may interfere with

digestion. Avoid eating when stressed and practice mindfulness eating,

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or incorporate some relaxation before eating such as deep breathing or

stretching.

Food Allergies and Sensitivities

The national Centers for Disease Control estimates that some 12 million

Americans have food allergies of varying degrees of severity: 6% of children

under age 3, and 3.5-4% of the overall population.

Food allergies appear to be on the rise in all industrialized countries. The

World Health Organization (WHO) describes them as “important health

issues.” Interestingly, environmental allergies (e.g., hay fever) along with

asthma and other diseases caused by a defect in the immune system, also

have been increasing. Researchers worldwide are trying to discover the

reason for the growing incidence of these diseases.

There are the top eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergy

reactions. These are:

• Wheat

• Soy

• Milk

• Eggs

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, etc.)

• Fish

• Shellfish

Food allergies can account for a wide variety of symptoms including:

• Symptoms of anaphylaxis may include: obstructive swelling of the

lips, tongue, and/or throat; trouble swallowing; shortness of breath or

wheezing; turning blue; drop in blood pressure; loss of consciousness;

chest pain; and/or a weak pulse. People sometimes use the terms

“anaphylaxis” and “anaphylactic shock” interchangeably. This is

incorrect: “Anaphylactic shock” means that a patient’s blood pressure

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has dropped to a dangerously low level—an extremely serious

condition. However, any one of the symptoms listed in this paragraph

is a sign of a dangerous reaction that requires urgent medical attention

• Mild symptoms may include one or more of the following: hives

(reddish, swollen, itchy areas on the skin); eczema (a persistent dry,

itchy rash); an itchy mouth; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal

pain; and nasal congestion or a runny nose.

People can experience a food sensitivity without having allergic reaction, and

so this type of mild reaction can be under the radar for quite some time. Dr.

Shari also identifies that food sensitivities can irritate the digestive system,

causing a more severe reaction, and even turn into a food allergy over time.

In The Gluten Connection, by Dr. Shari Leiberman, she identifies a

strong link between chronic illnesses and food sensitivities and food

allergies. She found in correlation studies that cases of celiac’s and

other food allergies were higher for those who also had chronic

illnesses, and especially auto-immune illnesses such as diabetes, MS,

lupus, and others.

Food Sensitivities can interfere with weight loss because the body may be

swelling, bloating, and retaining extra water. With the mild food sensitivity

symptoms, a person may not notice the symptoms and may be exposing

himself to the food on a daily basis. When this is the case, the food

sensitivity may go unnoticed for years.

Gluten Sensitivities

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley.

Our wheat has been genetically engineered in the last 100 years to increase

the gluten content. The gluten is responsible for making bread soft in the

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middle and crusty on the outside. As a result, the wheat we use now has a

much higher gluten content than the wheat of our grandparents’ generation,

or our ancestors by even an estimated 100%.

Hunter/gatherer cultures had a lot fewer grains in the diet than the cultures

of today.

Different people have different sensitivities. It is estimated that 20% of the

population may have gluten sensitivity or allergy. A gluten allergy unchecked

may possibly develop into a later chronic condition. There has been a

connection found between auto-immune disorders and food allergies. See

Lieberman’s The Gluten Connection. Those with diabetes may be as high as

26% reactive to gluten.

You may have a gluten sensitivity if:

� You feel bloated

� You find your fingers swell up some days that you can’t wear rings

� You feel you gain weight easily by eating bread

� Gluten may interfere with sleep

� You may have an upset stomach after a meal with gluten

� You may feel tired after a meal with an inability to concentrate

� Irritable Bowel Syndrome or a “sensitive stomach” that gets upset

after meals.

To see if you may be gluten sensitive, you can do a gluten-free trial run. You

must be very strict for 2 weeks to make sure that gluten and the gluten

reaction are out of your body. What you may notice: losing a lot of weight as

water weight in the first couple of weeks, reduction of swelling (noticeably

fingers), may even out blood sugar, clear skin,

A Gluten –free diet will not be missing any essential nutrients. Many health

food stores have substitutes, but be careful because a lot of “gluten-free”

labels have substituted rice flour for wheat, making it high on the glycemic

index.

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Best ways to go gluten free

� Avoid packaged foods

� Read all labels, even if it says gluten-free

� Avoid soups and dressings at restaurants

� Avoid soy sauce and Chinese food

If you are doing the 2 week trial test to see if you may be gluten sensitive:

• Keep a daily journal and include a brief summary of your health issues

on a daily basis, for example, if you have inflammation, digestive

upset, swelling, sinus problems, etc. Note when such symptoms are

occurring.

• Include starchy vegetables: yams, lentils, beans, squash, flax seeds

are great for fiber.

• Good substitutes for the gluten grains (wheat, rye, oats and barley)

are: Quinoa, Buckwheat Groats, Wild Rice, Corn Tortillas (medium

glycemic index)

• Health Food stores have great alternatives.

Some food sensitivities may be shifted by changing our mental categories

and associations of the foods that cause the reaction. In studies involving

children it was found that 50% of the children (who had known allergies)

had an allergic response when given an inhaler labeled with the allergen,

although it was only filled with harmless saline. When these same children

were given an inhaler labeled with the anti-dote (filled with saline), 100% of

them recovered.

This study and other studies like these point to a mental connection to

allergy responses. There are more tools now for addressing these underlying

mental patterns, namely NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).

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NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming can address the underlying mental

and emotional aspects of allergies and food sensitivities. In NLP Perspective,

an allergy is simply a mistake of the immune system, the mind and body

have created an alarm reaction in response to certain foods. The body then

reacts with inflammation, and the allergy response. NLP processes can help

re-educate the immune system and the body’s neurology to recognize

allergens as harmless and nonthreatening.

From research, we can see the psychological aspects of allergies as

demonstrated through studies of asthmatic children. In one study, children

with asthma were given an inhaler labeled with a known allergen (although

it only contained harmless saline), and 50% of the children had an allergic

response. When these same children were given the “antidote” 100% of

them recovered immediately.

One client I worked with had a whole range of food allergies including

melons, strawberries, peanut butter and bananas. As we worked with

NLP, she recognized that when she was 5 years old, she was dropped

off at day care, suddenly in a group of strangers with no familiar faces

and felt uncertainty and fear. These were the foods she was given at

daycare, and her mind made the connection between these foods and

high alert. After a few sessions, the allergy symptoms disappeared.

Sometimes the allergies we experience are associations our mind has made

to the foods and the meanings connected to them.

These methods, especially for severe allergies should be supervised by a

medical professional.

Actions this Week:

� Set a date for your Gluten Free 2 week trial

� Visit a health food store to identify gluten free options

� Add pro-biotics to your diet

� Drink plenty of water between meals

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Chapter Six: Super Foods For Super Nutrition!

In order to understand why super foods are super, we need to understand

free radicals and antioxidants.

Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Free radicals are molecules with one or more unpaired electrons which

makes the molecule highly unstable. The unpaired electrons can steal

electrons from other molecules, which then may cause damage to the cells.

When our DNA is copied during cell division, the damage may also be passed

onto new cells. This damage is called free radical damage and is thought to

be the basis of the effects of aging.

The damage from free radicals comes from the unpaired electron that then

steals an electron from another molecule. With the loss of an electron, this

molecule then also becomes unstable, and stealing an electron from another

nearby molecule- setting off a chain reaction.

Our bodies produce a certain amount of free radicals just by our daily

metabolic processes. We are also exposed to free radicals through

environmental factors such as radiation, pollution, tobacco smoke and others

act as oxidants causing free radical formation. Oxidative stress is when our

bodies are lagging behind in the ability to compensate for free radical

damage.

Researchers have identified links between oxidative stress (free radical

damage) and more than 200 diseases including: blindness, arthritis,

cancers, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, kidney disease and complications

with diabetes.

Antioxidants are compounds that have extra electrons which can easily bind

with free radicals, neutralizing them and preventing cell damage. Nature

provides natural sources of antioxidants through fresh fruits and vegetables,

nuts, and seeds, and herbs and plants. Antioxidant values of foods are

called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity).

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In 2007, scientists collaborated on creating a database of the antioxidant

capacities of 277 selected foods. While ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency

Capacity) may show antioxidant values, there are also other compounds in

foods as well, namely phyto-nutrients, that also provide health benefits.

You can access the database here at the USDA United States Department of

Agriculture website:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866

The list below is a sampling of the top ORAC food values published in

documents compiled from the 2007 research. ORAC values for foods as

measured in typical serving size.

One challenge in showing ORAC values is that many spices are typically

higher ORAC per gram, however, the amounts used are very minimal. What

I’ve chosen to highlight here are the top foods from the ORAC charts per

typical serving. Check out number one – that’s right, chocolate is good for

you!

Highest Food ORAC Values

Foods Ranked per typical

serving

Serving size ORAC value:

µmol TE/100g

Unsweetened Baking Chocolate 1 square 14479

Raw elderberries ½ cup 10655

Apples, Red Delicious with skin 1 med 7781

Juice Pomegranate (100%) 1 cup 5923

Plums, dried prunes, uncooked ½ cup 5700

Red wine 5 fl. oz 5693

Raw cranberries ½ cup 5271

Raw pears 1 med 5235

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Pecan nuts 1 oz. 5086

Raw Blueberries ½ cup 4848

High antioxidant concentrations are found in spices, berries, fresh fruits,

vegetables and nuts.

From the World Cancer Research Fund, research studies have found that

people who have higher intake of fruits and vegetables typically have lower

rates of cancer.

Top 12 Superfoods

1. Açaí fruit: This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful

foods in the world. It can often be found in juice form in health food and

gourmet stores.

• This berry has been harvested from the depths of the rainforests of

Brazil by the people who have been using it for over thousands of

years. Açai has everything that you need, vitamins B1, B2, B3, vitamin

E, vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, fiber, proteins, and

fatty acids such as Omega 6 and Omega 9.

• It gives you the highest level of anti-oxidants on the market, with

studies showing up to 33 times the anti-oxidant as red wine grapes.

• Açai gives you the energy from your youth restoring vitality and

stamina you had in your 20's. So try the new "Fountain of Youth" from

this forbidden Amazon Berry and you too will feel the power of the

Amazon.

• Research on Açai has shown that these fatty acids are known to fight

and regulate cholesterol levels in the body. Açai has two essential

fatty acids known as omega 6 (linoleic acid) and omega 9 (oleic acid).

Research shows that both omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids lower LDL

cholesterol levels while maintaining HDL levels.

• Açai mixed with Guarana has been found to increase metabolism,

physical endurance, stamina, and memory.

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2. Anything in the "Allium Family": Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives

and shallots can all help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens.

• Commonly called Russia’s pennicillan, garlic has been used for

centuries to stave off illness and support the immune system.

• Garlic derivatives are also sold in health food stores as a blood

cholesterol reducers.

3. Barley: This can be used as a breakfast cereal, in soups and stews, and

as a rice substitute. Barley's also high in fiber, helping metabolize fats,

cholesterol and carbohydrates.

4. Green Foods: Green foods like wheat and barley grasses can be bought

in powder, tablet or juice form, and offer greater levels of nutrients than

green leafy vegetables. They also help cholesterol, blood pressure and

immune response.

5. Buckwheat: Buckwheat is loaded with protein, high in amino acid,

stabilizes blood sugar and reduces hypertension.

6. Beans and Lentils: You can reduce cholesterol while beefing up on

antioxidants, folic acid and potassium. Try kidney, black, navy, pinto,

chickpeas, soybeans, peas and lentils.

• great sources of fiber and protein

7. Hot Peppers: Both bell and chili peppers contain antioxidants, have

twice the Vitamin C as citrus fruit and work as great fat burners. –

Oprah.com

• Cayenne pepper has long been used as a digestive remedy to increase

digestion and regulate blood circulation.

• Hot peppers used in the diet also have an effect of killing internal

parasites.

8. Nuts and Seeds: You can't go wrong with a handful of nuts a day—

walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia and pistachio nuts contain omega-

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3 fats, which are great for your heart. Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds are

best.

• Nuts also provide sustained energy

• Study conducted by Nutritional Research Center showed that people

who eat nuts are thinner than those who don’t incorporate nuts into

the diet.

9. Sprouts: Numerous varieties of sprouts are great with any meal. They're

a great source of protein and Vitamin C. Try adding them to any dish and

your immune system will get a boost.

• Sprouting your grains and legumes can increase the available

nutritional content

• Sprouts provide a great source of phytonutrients, energy, and fiber.

10. Yogurt and Kefir: These cultured foods contain healthful bacteria that

aid immune function, and the calcium helps burn fat. Try using them as a

base for a smoothie.

• Cultured foods help to maintain the healthy bacteria in digestive tract

• Recent research has shown there are over 400 identifiable strains of

healthy bacteria needed in the gut for proper digestion

• Antibiotics destroy not only harmful bacteria, but healthy strains as

well. Using cultured foods can help restore this healthy bacteria

balance after taking antibiotics.

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are non-nutrient plant compounds that serve various

functions at the cellular level, and may inhibit disease in the body. They are

found in fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds. Phytochemicals are

quickly becoming the subject of much research for their health benefits and

effects on the body.

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From the book Nutritional Concepts and Controversy by Frances Sizer and

Eleanor Whitney, these excerpts cover some of the main known

phytochemicals.

Capsaicin – modulates blood clotting, and may reduce the risk of fatal clots

in heart and artery disease. Food sources: hot peppers

Carotendoids (includes beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and related

compounds), act as antioxidants: may reduce risks of heart disease, age

related eye disease, cancer, and other diseases. Food sources: apricots,

broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes

Curcumin – may inhibit enzymes that activate carcinogens. Food sources:

turmeric a yellow colored spice.

Flavenoids – including flavones, flavenols, isoflavones, catechin and others.

Act as antioxidants, scavenge carcinogens, bind to nitrates in the stomach,

preventing conversion to nitrosamines, inhibit cell proliferation; flavonoids of

blueberries may improve memory. Food sources: berries, black tea, celery,

chocolate, citrus fruits, green tea, olives, onions, oregano, purple grapes,

purple grape juice, soybeans and soy products, vegetables, whole wheat,

wine.

Indoles – may trigger production of enzymes that block DNA damage from

carcinogens’ may inhibit estrogen action. Food sources: broccoli and other

cruciferous vegetables (brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish,

mustard greens

Isothiocyanates (including sulforaphane) inhibit enzymes that activate

carcinogens: trigger production of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. Food

sources: broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (brussel sprouts,

cabbage, cauliflower) horse radish, mustard greens.

Lignans – block estrogen activity in cells, possibly reducing the risk of

cancer of the breast, colon, ovaries, and prostate. Food sources: flaxseed,

whole grains

Monoterpenes – may trigger enzyme production to detoxify carcinogens;

inhibit cancer promotion and cell proliferation. Food sources: citrus fruit

peels and oils

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Organosulfur compounds- (including allicin) may speed production of

carcinogen-destroying enzymes; slow production of carcinogen-activating

enzymes. Food sources: chives, garlic, leeks, onions.

Phenolic acids (including ellagic acid) may trigger enzyme production to

make carcinogens water soluble, facilitating excretion. Food sources: coffee

beans, fruits (apples, blueberries, cherries, grapes, oranges, pears, prunes,

strawberries) oats, potatoes, soybeans.

Phytic Acid – binds to minerals preventing free – radical formation, possibly

reducing cancer risk. Food sources: whole grains

Phytosterols (genistein and diadzein) estrogen inhibition may produce

these actions: inhibit cell replication in GI tract; reduce risk of breast, colon,

ovarian, prostate, and other estrogen-sensitive cancers; reduce cancer cell

survival, may reduce risk of osteoporosis. Food sources: soybeans, soy flour,

soy milk, tofu, textured vegetable protein, other legume products.

Protease inhibitors – may suppress enzyme production in caner cells,

slowing tumor growth; inhibit hormone binding; inhibit malignant change in

cells. Food sources: broccoli sprouts, potatoes, soybeans and other legumes,

soy products

Resveratrol- offsets artery-damaging effects of high fat diets. Food

sources: red wine, peanuts. Other research has found resveratrol to have

anti-aging effects on cells.

Saponins- may interfere with DNA replication, preventing cancer cells from

multiplying, stimulate immune response. Food sources: alfalfa sprouts, other

sprouts, green vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes.

Tannins – may inhibit carcinogen activation and cancer promotion; act as

antioxidants. Food sources: black-eyed peas, grapes, lentils, red and white

wine, tea.

Eat a Rainbow: Create a Colorful Plate! This is a great way to get a

wide range of phytonutrients and antioxidants in your diet. Pay

attention to the colors on your plate.

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Benefits of Live Foods

Fresh fruits and vegetables, and live foods have enzymes that are destroyed

by cooking and processing. Although our body creates digestive enzymes,

our bodies are only able to produce about 50% of the digestive enzymes

that we need in our daily diet. The other 50% we need to get from raw fruits

and vegetables.

Raw and living foods can provide higher nutrient content, lower calorie

content, digestive enzymes, and phytochemicals. Eating a good percentage

of raw and living foods can help your digestion, increase your nutrient

content, increase your fiber helping your body’s digestion, and enhance your

energy.

Sprouting legumes, seeds, and beans can increase the available

nutritional content. From an article, on the Health Benefits of Sprouts,

Steve Meyerowitz writes,

“ Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research

shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also

have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli,

clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals

(plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.

Studies on canavanine, an amino acid analog in alfalfa, has

demonstrated benefits for pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers.

Plant estrogens are also abundant in sprouts. They increase bone

formation and density and prevent bone breakdown or osteoporosis.

They are also helpful in controlling hot flashes, menopause, PMS and

fibrocystic breast tumors.

Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of another

compound, saponins. Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but

not the good HDL fats. Animal studies prove their benefit in

arteriosclerosis is and cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate

the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells

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such as T- lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa

sprouts multiplies 450% over that of the unsprouted seed.

Sprouts also contain an abundance of highly active antioxidants that

prevent DNA destruction and protect us from the ongoing effects of

aging. It wouldn't be inconceivable to find a fountain of youth here,

after all, sprouts represent the miracle of birth.”

http://www.sproutnet.com/Press/sprouts_for_optimum_nutrition.htm

This table on the benefits of Mung bean sprouts shows the nutritional

benefits of sprouting, from the website of www.living-foods.com

Energy content - calories Decrease 15 per cent.

Total carbohydrate content Decrease 15 per cent

Protein availability Increase 30 per cent

Calcium content Increase 34 per cent

Potassium content Increase 80 per cent

Sodium content Increase 690 per cent

Iron content Increase 40 per cent

Phosphorous content Increase 56 per cent

Vitamin A content Increase 285 per cent

Thiamine or Vitamin B1 content Increase 208 per cent

Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 content Increase 515 per cent

Niacin or Vitamin B3 content Increase 256 per cent

Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C content An infinite increase

Sprouts are a great addition to soups, salads, sandwiches, and more. You

can find sprout mixes in health food stores, and here are some other

legumes and seeds that are great for sprouting: lentils, wheat berries, chick

peas, mung beans, alfalfa, radishes, broccoli, and more.

To Make Sprouts:

• Fill a jar 1/3 full of sprouts

• Fill the jar the rest of the way with water

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Let sit at room temperature, rinsing the seeds with water morning and night.

Sprouts are usually ready to eat in 24 hours.

As long as you keep rinsing the sprouts 2 times a day, they will continue to

grow and you can keep them at room temperature for up to a week. If you

want your sprouts to stop growing, simply put them in the refrigerator.

If you don’t wash the sprouts morning and night, they can spoil and will

have a sour taste. Just make sure to keep them washed, or keep them in

the refrigerator.

Actions This Week: Try Superfoods and Live Foods!

This Week, I will Try How I will prepare it

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

Get live food in your day

Live Food Breakfasts Live food Lunches

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

Live Food Dinners Live Food Snacks

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

________________________ __________________________

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References

Lieberman, Dr. Shari, Ph.D, CNS, FACN, Dare to Lose: 4 Simple Steps to a

Better Body. Penguin Putnam Inc. 2003 New York, NY

Lieberman, Dr. Shari, Ph.D, CNS, FACN, The Gluten Connection: How Gluten

Sensitivity May be Sabotaging your Health and what you can do to take

control now. Rodale Inc. 2007 New York, NY

Lieberman, Dr. Shari, Ph.D, CNS, FACN, The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book,

Penguin Putnam Inc. 2001 New York, NY

Sizer, Frances and Eleanor Whitney, Nutrition Concepts and Controversies.

Thomson, Wadsworth 2003. Belmont, Ca.

Somer, Elizabeth. Food and Mood. Henry Holt and Company, 1999. New

York, NY

Strand, Dr. Ray, MD. With Dr. Kay Wallace. Releasing Fat: Developing

Healthy Lifestyles that have a side effect of Permanent Fat Loss. Health

Concepts Inc. 2003. Rapid City, SD.

Go Nuts on Your Diet! Peanuts, almonds and more are good -- and good for

you, WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column, 2003 WebMd.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/go-nuts-your-diet?page=2

LaValle, James B. R.Ph., C.C.N. Stress: The Hidden Factor in Weight Gain.

Nutrition Science News: April 2001

www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/NSN_backs/Apr_01/index.cfm

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About the Author

Holly Stokes, “The Brain Trainer,” Master NLP Health Coach, and

Certified Hypnotherapist, has been working in the field of

personal development since 1994. She began working with at

risk youth, teaching communication skills, motivation, and

leadership. Her work led her to finish B.S. in Psychology at the

Portland State University.

While finishing her coursework, she found the tools of NLP, Coaching, and

Hypnotherapy. The combination of these tools allow clients to quickly change old

habits, negative thinking, and replace old patterns.

As a speaker, she inspires audiences in: motivation, work-life balance, changing

your habits, health and wellness, and creating your mindset for success! She has

offices in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington and works with clients all

across the U.S. by phone. She is passionate about empowering clients to overcome

their obstacles, change the old patterns, and live your best life now!

Services Offered:

• One on One Mentoring

• Group Coaching and Tele-seminars

Visit the website for book, products and programs to change your mental patterns,

cravings, motivation and self sabotage around food and lifestyle choices.


• A Lighter You! Train your Brain to Slim your Body book

• A Lighter You! Mind Body Weight Loss Audio Course six CD set

• A Lighter You Membership Program online

She also works with clients in the areas of Personal and Professional success, you’ll

find more of those programs at: www.BrainTrainerCoach.com

Email Holly at: [email protected]

Or call: 503-351-8021

Follow Holly on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hollystokes

Join the Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/LightenUpWeightLoss

Documents

A Lighter You€¦ · Lasting Weight Loss Success. You can use the complete A Lighter You! System to change your mind, change your diet, and change your body for natural, gentle,