Tag Archives: #healthandwellness

July Exercise Challenge: Lose that Arm Jiggle!

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Ask and ye shall receive! I was asked for more upper body sculpting in the July challenge….however there was a lot of dislike for the June Challenge push ups (which are a fabulous upper body workout!) So, despite the fact that I have been trying to keep these workouts as “prison” workouts (i.e. you need nothing more than your own body to make them happen), we will be stepping it up this month and we need to use dumbbells for this one, so use whatever weights you are comfortable with (2lb-6lb to start) and then increase as you feel comfortable throughout the month. We want to strengthen our triceps and biceps, to make the upper body, shoulders, and arms looked toned and taught.  In conjunction with the planks, squats, push ups, and bicycle crunches we’ve been doing, our bodies should be rocking right now!!

We will we focusing on two main exercises:

Bicep curls: Tone your upper arm muscles AND make activities of daily life easier, like carrying kids, groceries, lifting various items, and you will look better in sleeveless outfits! hold your dumbbells, with you feet shoulder width apart, palms facing forward, shoulders and back straight, elbows in to your sides, and squeeze your biceps to pull the dumbbells up, then slowly go down to the starting position.

 

Starting point

Starting point

Chair Dips: Helps to get rid of arm jiggle and tone, strengthening those

Ending point

Ending point- Bicep Curl

triceps! How to do it? Sit on the edge of a chair, while sitting on the chair, grasp the side of the seat, move your butt off the edge of the chair (with your legs straight in front of you), keeping your back straight and shoulders at a neutral position, lower your self down as far as you can go, then pull yourself back up in a slow controlled motion.

 

 

For everyone who has been doing the previous challenges (April, May, and June) , I encourage continuing with 75 crunches a day, 5 minutes of planks, 50 bicycle crunches, and 25 push ups….and some cardio (at least 15-20 minutes of brisk walking, running, biking, etc) then we are adding these on top! This is starting to get REAL 🙂

The July Challenge Schedule:

1: 5 Chair Dips and 10 Bicep curls

2: 10 Chair Dips and 20 Bicep Curls

3: 15 Chair Dips and 25 Bicep Curls

4: 15 Chair Dips and 30 Bicep Curls

5: 20 Chair Dips and 35 Bicep Curls

6: 20 Chair Dips and 40 Bicep Curls

7: Rest Day

8: 25 Chair Dips and 45 Bicep Curls

9: 30 Chair Dips and 50 Bicep Curls

10: 30 Chair Dips and 55 Bicep Curls

11: 35 Chair Dips and 60 Bicep Curls

12: 40 Chair Dips and 70 Bicep Curls

13: 45 Chair Dips and 80 Bicep Curls

14: Rest Day

15: 50 Chair Dips and 90 Bicep Curls

16: 60 Chair Dips and 100 Bicep Curls

17: 70 Chair Dips and 110 Bicep Curls

18: 75 Chair Dips and 120 Bicep Curls

19: 80 Chair Dips and 130 Bicep Curls

20: 90 Chair Dips and 140 Bicep Curls

21: Rest Day

22: 100 Chair Dips and 150 Bicep Curls

23: 100 Chair Dips and 160 Bicep Curls

24: 110 Chair Dips and 170 Bicep Curls

25: 120 Chair Dips and 175  Bicep Curls

26: 125 Chair Dips and 180 Bicep Curls

27: 130 Chair Dips and 190 Bicep Curls

28: Rest Day

29: 140 Chair Dips and 195 Bicep Curls

30: 150 Chair Dips and 200 Bicep Curls

Remember if you are having pain or discomfort, focus on your body positioning, and you may need lower weights, or just to take a break.  I have added in a break every 7 days, but listen to your body and if it needs it, take a break; you will be sore, so drink plenty of waters to flush out the lactic acids, but if you feel more than sore, and you feel pain, then reassess and take a break, if you need to.  And, as always, if you have a medical condition, please check with your Healthcare Provider (HCP) that it is OK to be a part of this challenge.

*And don’t forget to join our Facebook group for added tips and group support!

Yours in Good Health

B

Eat for Exercise: Nutrition is the key to success

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It is kind of true “you are what you eat” especially when it comes to pushing yourself with exercise. I have many people that have joined me on the exercise challenges in the past few months, and I made comments about certain workout days being rougher due to poor diet the day before and that always brought on a slew of questions wanting me to clarify further, so I thought I would! Plus, it is crucial to eat correctly when pushing yourself physically, so that your body can work optimally, otherwise you put yourself at risk for overtraining and getting hurt or sick.

What should I focus on?

There are a few different schools of thought, and it does truly depend on your goals of working out.  For example, if you are looking to build large amounts of muscle, you will need to significantly increase your protein intake (lean proteins).  But, if you are someone who is doing a workout challenge, and the goal is to tone up and perhaps slim down, you want to focus more on endurance, so that your body is able to keep up the intensity with exercise, and you aren’t starving all of the time, but you are eating clean and healthy to maybe lose a few extra pounds.

You should start your day out right, whether you eat breakfast or drink it (in smoothie form) you really should include oatmeal: it is a complex carbohydrate that is full of fiber, so it is slow for your body to digest, and it helps keep your blood sugar at a steady level, so you don’t get a sugar crash, and it will help keep up your stamina for the day. So either eat oatmeal in the morning with some fruit OR add it to your smoothie. Smoothies are great because you can get your calcium from dairy, carbs from oatmeal, and your daily fruits all in one meal!

Oats, Flax, and Chia (all parts of my morning smoothie)

Oats, Flax, and Chia (all parts of my morning smoothie)

For a snack, eat either nuts or peanut butter, almond butter, etc to boost protein and despite a high fat content, it is good for you because it gives you the energy you need, satiates your hunger, and also gives you that boost of protein power. I like to eat peanut butter on celery or carrots to get my vitamins and nutrients from the vegetables and also get that extra bit of protein. You can also make a trail mix with dried fruits and nuts to boost your energy and get in some endurance boosting proteins.

Your lunch and dinners should consist of vegetables and lean proteins. Honestly, for people on the go, the Bolthouse Farms Protein shakes are a great alternative (the salted caramel latte is my FAVORITE), and what I normally drink for lunch; at work I rarely have time for a sit down meal so they help me to get my protein and a bunch of nutrients on the go!

The vegetables that help to boost your stamina are: red beets (I really don’t like them, but they have been shown to increase your muscle stamina), spinach (filled with fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and  calcium), green cabbage (filled with phytonutrients that fight off free radicals and help heal damage), watercress (full of Vitamin A, B, C, Iron, magnesium, and calcium), and pumpkin (has anti-inflammatory effects to soothe those hard worked muscles and fiber filled). But truly, as long as you get your favorite veggies in, and they aren’t laden with butter (use extra virgin olive oil instead), your body will be happy.

Lean proteins should also be included in your diet: fish (shellfish and regular swimming fish), chicken, quinoa, chia seeds, and beans. If you are looking to boost muscle mass, you can always eat your proteins atop a protein, like eating some black beans, and maybe using the alternative of a bed of quinoa instead of rice.

You should be getting carbohydrates from your veggies, remembering that the more colorful your plate, the more vitamins and nutrients you are getting, which is good for you! And, of course you can eat breads, but make sure that they are whole grains and eat veggies with your carbs (think toast with some avocado atop it for breakfast!)

The cleaner your diet, with more protein the night before your hard workouts, along with your 2 liters of water throughout the day, your body will feel strong, you will feel good about yourself, and you will have the stamina and endurance to get through your hard workouts. Eating things that are high in fats will not make you feel good, and your workouts will reflect that….that being said, everyone has a cheat day on their diet, just make sure to use those cheats sparingly and your body will thank you!!

P.S. Don’t forget to join the June Exercise Challenge on Facebook!

Yours in Good Health

B

Does eating yams increase fertility or rates of twins?

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Well, I heard one of the “housewives” on the Atlanta series make a statement that eating yams increases ones rate of conceiving twins, but I honestly did not think much of it….until I was sent numerous emails to from various readers asking about this one.  There is some research on the topic, but since it seems to be a hot topic with my readers, I wanted to just settle this one, once and for all.

yamsWhat is the deal?

There was a study in 2008 focusing on an African tribe that as rather high numbers of twins and multiple births in their village.  A main source of their diet is yams, and yams are said to effect certain female hormones, that may relate to a 1% higher rate of twins, but yams would need to be ingested in significant amounts to have even a minimal effect (think three times a day). So because the people of this tribe, who eat yams as a mainstay of their diet (due to a their environment), so the conclusion was made that the high yam diet was related to the multiple births by the women of the tribe. The research has not been validated (proved again), so  I am not convinced that eating yams will help you conceive twins.

The highest rate of multiples (or twins) are born to those that have a family history of twins, are older when attempting to get pregnant (the eggs can mutate and split causing twins), or the use of fertility drugs. There are also some rumors that immediately after stopping birth control, you are more likely to conceive twins, but that is not necessarily true; what IS true, is that your fertility is usually increased for that first month as your body is surging with hormones.

It’s a bummer for those of you who wanted to eat (or were already force feeding yourselves) yams in hopes of having two babies all at once, it’s not looking like that is the answer for you.  Your best bet is to find a man with a history of twins and see what sort of magic you two can create…unless you want a designer baby, in which they are genetically designed, which is quite pricey, but you can talk to your OBGYN about your options if this is something super important to you. I am being tongue in cheek, and not at all suggesting that you daddy shop for a man who has a history of twins! But unless you love those yams, you can chill on them and just eat a healthy well-balanced diet; there is no magical food that can increase your rate of twins.

I can’t believe that a fact from “the Real Housewives…” would ever be incorrect!! 😉 Just goes to show you that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear!

Yours in Good Health

B

Not enough sleep? Weight gain will become a problem.

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You hear it all the time: If you don’t get enough sleep, you will gain weight. When I think about it, it doesn’t totally make sense because you aren’t sleeping, so you are being more active, right? Then I think about those days after I work a night shift, when I am getting things done in a haze, my brain is not fully functioning, and thinks happen a little bit slower, I feel miserable, and when I have a chance to stop and rest, I take it…so I begin to understand a bit more the whole weight gain portion.

sleep and weight gainWhy exactly does sleep make me gain weight?

When you do not get enough sleep, you are feeling tired and energy levels are low, leading to the use of caffeine and/or sugar to boost your energy levels to help you get through the day, which leads to energy crashes later in the day.  For those of you who exercise in the afternoon, it usually means that it doesn’t happen, because your energy is zapped. And if you are a morning exerciser, you tend to feel to exhausted to get to your workout; a lack of energy leads to a lack of drive.  And when you become dependent upon stimulants to get through the day, it can become a cycle, as sometimes you can overdo it with the caffeine and then have trouble shutting it down, even if you do have time to sleep. When you are tired and sluggish, you also tend to be more lazy; you don’t shop for healthy foods and/or cook for yourself, so you tend to eat what is available and easy.  None of these things are particularly good for your waistline.

There are two main hormones that regulate your eating cycle: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the hormone that tells you when you are hungry and you should eat, and it is at much higher levels when you are sleep deprived. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating because you are full, and unfortunately it is in lower levels when you are without sleep. A lack of exercise, high ghrelin, and low leptin levels is basically the trifecta for weight gain.

Add on top of that, your body is not functioning optimally with a lack of sleep, so it’s not just your brain that feels fuzzy, so do the cells in your metabolism, so they aren’t working at their best either. It’s not as if one night with a lack of sleep is going to make you gain 15lbs immediately, but when it becomes a cycle of sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night, and we are frequently reaching for comfort foods, eating more than we normally do, skipping on our exercise, and relying on stimulants to get through the day, it’s not healthy, and you will gain weight.

What can I do?

Cut back on the stimulants and don’t have any after 12pm, and start making a bedtime routine (essentially set a bedtime for yourself) to try to break the cycle.  Also, forcing yourself to get some exercise, even though you already feel exhausted, even if it is just a long walk, really will exhaust your body….in a good way!  It will help to relax your muscles when you are done, and get your brain ready to shut down and get a better sleep/rest. Also try to avoid heavy meals and alcohol right before bed, it can make you have troubled sleep and increase the risk of heartburn. Also, maybe a soothing lavender bath/shower before bed, to help calm your system and ready yourself for sleep.

Once you start sleeping regularly, you will feel a boost in energy, be more efficient, and be healthier.  You can get into a health and wellness cycle by getting regular exercise, and eating healthier, which will lead to a really easy drop in weight…all by making one lifestyle change!

If you DO get 7-8 hours of sleep at night but it is troubled sleep or you always still feel exhausted in the morning you should see your Healthcare Practitioner (HCP) because you may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) or another process going on that requires a sleep study or more in-depth review.

Try to set a routine, and breaking the habit of caffeine can be miserable (I used to be a complete caffeine addict and have sleeping issues, so I KNOW how hard this is) but it is so worth it to be able to cut the cord and feel yourself without relying on caffeine and starting to be healthy again.  It seems impossible sometimes, but, I promise, it isn’t!

Yours in Good Health

B

Beware of “Pneumonia Weather”!

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I know that my Mom has many “mom-isms” (sayings that are specific to her), and growing up I believed these to be common knowledge or fact, which now I know that some were completely special to our family. But, to her credit, her declaration of “pneumonia weather” was based upon when I would get it (as I did as a child due to severe asthma) based upon different weather patterns and, by George, she was onto something! The number of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) going around right now are staggering. and for most of us in the US, it is “pneumonia weather”.  To be clear, while I am referring to it as “pneumonia weather”, as that is what my mom calls it, I am just referring to RTIs, which are the leading cause of people missing school and/or work annually.


RTIWhat is “pneumonia weather”?

It always chimes in the back of my head when I see people, who are real positive thinkers, wearing short-sleeved shirts in this cold weather in the end of March and beginning of April  because they feel like it should be warm, so they are pushing the limits, and really freezing in the high hopes that it will get warm, which it does in the middle of the day (with sun) then right back to cold. Now, it has nothing to do, per say, with being under dressed for the weather, it is more just a time when not only are humans confused but so is nature.  The allergens from the trees and flowers starting to bloom, mold spores from the old leaves from fall that are now seeing the light of day after our winter thaw, are all out in the air floating about, and people are getting outside more (which is great) to get more active as it is more tolerable to exercise outside now. But, that cooler air can still cause airways to become reactive, and add in the allergens (which no one ever thinks about this early in the season), add people starting to get in shape and exercise outside again, and you have the perfect setting for people to get RTIs, especially for those who are high risk: people with asthma (or other chronic lung diseases), seasonal allergy sufferers, smokers, the very young and old, those with weakened immune systems, and people with obesity.

*This “pneumonia weather” can also happen when the seasons change from summer to fall with leaves on the ground, mold spores in the air, and newer chilly weather outside.

What is a RTI?

A respiratory tract infection is any sort of virus that causes a response, in any part of the respiratory tract: nose, ears, throat, lungs.  So it can be an ear infection, a sore throat, a runny nose/sinus infection, bronchitis.   All of these are considered respiratory tract infections, as all (minus your ears) are a part of the system that our bodies use to breathe and/or to help filter out the air that we breathe before it gets into the lungs.  So, the more allergens in the air, the more we are breathing in, the higher the risk of a reaction, especially if you are someone prone to respiratory tract infections. RTIs if severe enough, along with a chronic disease and a lowered immune system, could lead to pneumonia.

How do I prevent it?

Follow the normal precautions that you take to prevent illness, such as eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water, washing your hands frequently, and staying clear of people who are sick (says the nurse; but you all know what I mean, keep your distance if someone is actively showing signs of illness and coughing/sneezing everywhere, as best you can).  But on top of these measures, if you are someone who tends to suffer from seasonal allergies, start taking allergy medication early in the season, i.e. now, because even though the allergen levels aren’t through the roof, they are much more than we have been experiencing, so be aware of that and pay attention to your body. If you are just getting back into shape, ease into it and don’t over-train or over exert your body because on top of your body trying to recover from an increase in exercise and responding to that, if you are also exercising outdoors, you are adding all sorts of allergens too, which can make you more at risk to react to the allergens and get sick. There are some small claims that probiotics can help to prevent RTIs, so it is worth a try, if you are at risk!

If you do get an RTI, rest, drink fluids, eat a clean diet, and stay home from school/work so you don’t infect others.  While you feel miserable for a few days, only about 15% of them are actually bacterial infections, so they are usually viral and will clear up on their own.  If you have a high fever that won’t break, are not getting better, or have difficulty breathing, you should not hesitate to call your Healthcare Provider to get checked out….but don’t push for antibiotics, they will prescribe them if they are necessary 🙂

Stay healthy and enjoy spring!

Yours in Good Health

B

Home Treatments: Wart removal

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Ah, the dreaded and unsightly wart. They can happen to anyone, at any time. I know that if you go to see an HCP, the will suggest getting it burned off in the office, but there are other options and some things that you can try at home to save yourself the co-pay and the time of getting to the office!

Why do we get warts?

All warts (which are flesh-colored, cauliflower like growths on the hands and feet) are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) when they occur in your genital region, it’s a different ballgame because they can be sexually transmitted, but warts that occur elsewhere on your body are usually not sexually transmitted, but you can get them through a cut, scrape or opening of the skin. For example, people who bite their cuticles (the skin around the nailed) a lot tend to get warts, mostly because we touch a lot of things with our hands daily, and with openings in the skin, you have the perfect source for infection. Usually, with a normally working immune system, your body will kill off the wart within a six-month timeframe (roughly) anyway, but for young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems due to chronic disease or medications that cause immunosuppression.

warthand

Neat.  How do I get rid of these warts faster?

If you are interested in the warts leaving sooner than your body might get rid of them, then here are some tricks that you can try at home:

*Please be certain that what you think is a wart, IS actually a wart, and if you are not sure, seek expert consultation.

– Duct Tape: (This is based on a study in 2002 published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine which found a high rate of non-return of warts and fast removal) Place a piece of duct tape over the wart and leave it for 6 days, if it falls off then replace it. At the 6 day mark, soak the wart until it is soft and file with an emery board, then replace the duct tape. Repeat until the wart is gone.

–Salicylic Acid: (sold commercially as Compound W or Dr. Scholl’s clear away and studies have found it to be just as effective as burning them off) You will need to soak the wart to soften the tissue to allow the medication to penetrate it; apply before bed at night and wash off in the morning, then reapply for the daytime. Once or twice a week, file the area with a pumice stone (or a nail file), but don’t use it on any other area as the active HPV cells could possibly infect another area. Repeat this process for however long it takes for the wart to disappear (can take 2-3 months).

–Cryotherapy: (can be performed at your HCPs office, but now available for Over-the-Counter use as Dr. Scholl’s Freeze away) You combine two different chemicals onto an applicator, hold the applicator to the wart for around 20 seconds, then remove. The color of the wart will change, burn a bit, and the wart should fall off in 10 to 14 days.  If  it does not, then you can repeat the treatment.

**There are other methods such as using a banana peel or rubbing a bean against the wart to remove them, but there is no scientific proof that these methods work.

As I said earlier, you want to make sure that you are actually treating a wart, and use whatever method works for you. Obviously the duct tape method takes longer, but it is also a very cheap method to treat/remove warts. And the priciest and fastest method is the cryotherapy. Use whatever works for you, and if nothing you try is working, then you may have to go see your HCP for a more intense treatment.

Yours in Good Health

B

An Ease for Morning Sickness?

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Morning sickness, which is kind of a misnomer as it can happen at any point during the day and may come and go sporadically, is very common during the first couple of months of pregnancy. Some people are able to dig deep and get through it because their symptoms are quite mild, whereas other people can have very severe nausea associated with their pregnancies.  For those with milder to moderate symptoms, a group of HCPs (Healthcare Practitioners) created Preggie Pops and Preggie Drops to help alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness.

PreggiepopsWhat are they made of?

These HCPs created the Preggie Pops using some alternative therapies based upon some accepted alternative therapies and some old wives tales. For example, they are made with a sour flavored base, as this has been handed down by generations of childbirth educators as a treatment for a sour stomach and to squelch a nauseous stomach. As well, they are made with mint and lavender which are aromatic and thought to promote relaxation (lavender) and aid in digestion (mint) along with ginger, which has long been known as a treatment for nausea, to help settle an irritated stomach lining. They are made with sugar, and sometimes nausea can start to occur in pregnancy when the blood sugar starts to get low, almost like a signal that you need to be eating some more because your body (and the baby) need nourishment, and because you are sucking on these pops/drops slowly, you are getting small amounts of sugar, instead of eating large quantities at one time, which totally makes sense!

Do they Work and are they Safe?

They have many testimonials stating that people have used them not only for morning sickness but also for nausea associated with surgery and other illnesses. But, they are a homeopathic treatment that is not FDA approved; they do not contain any drugs, but they are using homeopathic treatments that are untested. On their website they state that they are safe because they are all natural….there are many things that are all natural but they are not safe for your unborn child, or for you. So I urge people to take heed and caution, check with your HCP before using this product or any other for morning sickness/nausea associated with pregnancy, just to really make sure it is safe and you are under the care of an HCP, in case there are any side effects.

At the risk of your health, and your unborn child’s health, it is best to consult with an HCP before taking any sort of supplementation while pregnant.

Yours in Good Health

B

Can your Antibiotic cause an Untimely Death?

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So many people know about the broadband antibiotic Azithromycin, also known as the Z-Pak, and many times people will call their Healthcare Practitioner (HCP) and ask for it by name. And over 55.3 million prescriptions were written for the Z-Pak last year alone! Not only is that a bad idea because using such a powerful antibiotic and not necessarily treating the appropriate organism can lead to antibiotic resistance organisms, but a new study is showing that the use of Z-Paks can also lead to heart arrhythmias, stroke, and death.

Z-PakWhat can happen?

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study, showing that people who took the Z-Pak were more likely to die of a heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, or an arrhythmia (abnormal beating of the heart) than those prescribed other antibiotics. The Z-Pak is used so much because there are less pills over a shorter period of time than other antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, and there are many people with penicillin allergies that cannot take amoxicillin, so there is an increased use, because patients may be more likely to actually take the medicine appropriately and for the prescribed amount of time. All Medicaid patients on the Z-Pak and other antibiotics from 1992 to 2006 were looked at, at it was found that those on the Z-Pak were 2.5% more likely to die than those on other antibiotics. And, certain patients had a 10% increase for risk of death. Unfortunately they are still looking into the exact mechanism that maybe causing certain patients to die, but they are still researching that further.

Am I at Risk?

Now just because this study came out, and you may be taking a Z-Pak to treat a bacterial infection, it does not mean that you are going to die! The subset of patients that had a higher risk of cardiac death had a history of cardiac disease and/or arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) for various different reasons. So, while that particular reason is being studied, HCP’s need to ensure that they are utilizing the Z-Pak appropriately and when needed, and using more bacteria specific antibiotics, especially when patients have a cardiac history.  Also, it is important to only use antibiotics when you have a bacterial infection; many people go to their HCP in the throes of a viral infection and insist upon antibiotics, and clearly there are risks.

Trust your HCP that they will treat you with an antibiotic, if necessary, and realize that asking for a specific brand, may not be the most appropriate course of treatment, just because they have more advertisements! Asking for drugs by name, and pressuring your HCP for a specific treatment may not be the best thing for your health.  Seek treatment when necessary and have some faith that your HCP knows what is best!

Yours in Good Health

B

Give me Liberte….or nothing!

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I do love yogurt, but after living in the UK and getting hooked on real life Greek yogurt, it was hard to come back to the states and get a yogurt that compared with the consistency and flavor.  Honestly, I was a total Chobani convert, as that was the closest I could find, and I like it.  It wasn’t quite the same, but it’s decently priced, full of probiotics, and delish, so I was a pretty happy girl. But a few weeks ago, on my trip up to the Natural Food Market that I have to travel to for my raw milk, I was perusing the aisles and looking for some new products, mostly because I’m a nerd and that’s what I like to do, and a yogurt brand I had never seen caught my eye.  I saw a brand called Liberté, which is not local to me in New England, but from Colorado, and from a smaller company, as opposed to the larger corporations that usually sell yogurts nationally.  Of course I bought it in every flavor to give it a try!

LIBERTE What is Liberté?

It is a small family owned company that began in Montreal, Canada in 1936 as a kosher dairy farm and in the 1980’s changed their focus to yogurt, but still only using pure, clean ingredients, to make a pure product.  They now produce out of Colorado, and use only dairy products that are antibiotic and hormone free, certified, and from local resources. Plus, they do not use anything artificial at all in their products; their cultures are specific to their product and all yogurts are hand-processed. They use skim milk and real fruit, which makes this yogurt not only 100% real, but 100% amazing. It is almost decadent how delicious it is, and for 130 calories with 0 fat per serving? I’m sold! It truly has a perfect texture, so much like the Greek yogurt from Greece, and it just tastes so fresh.  Each flavor was really yummy, of course they have plain, but they also have five others: blackberry, blueberry, lemon, peach and passion fruit, and strawberry.  The price was slightly more than the large corporation equivalent, but for getting a pure and clean product, it’s totally worth it to me!  I must say, I am a huge fan of Greek yogurt, but they also make a Mediterranean yogurt that has a thinner consistency for those of you who don’t dig the Greek.

To clarify, I am in no way sponsored by Liberté, I just like to bring to you healthy products that are made in the freshest, healthiest, and least processed way.  Plus, supporting smaller companies that use local resources for their products is something that I feel very strongly about; if you know where your products come from, the better your chances of getting products that are clean without fillers or anything else not listed!

Give Liberté a try, and see if you can taste a difference form your regular yogurt. I have made the switch, and love every second of it! Go out and get some.

Yours in Good Health

B

Sodium: Is how much you ingest bad?

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For years and years and years HCPs have been telling you to cut out sodium as much as you can from your diet, and I feel like it is everywhere that people know they shouldn’t eat too much sodium, but, why?  And some ways to make sure you aren’t being duped into eating more sodium than you have intended!

SaltmillWhy is too much sodium bad?

Sodium is necessary for your body to thrive because it helps with a lot of the body processes like muscle contraction and relaxation (like with one of the most important muscles: our hearts), so it helps with blood pressure and also functions in our brains. But too much sodium can lead to a body retaining too much water, increase our blood pressure (due to the extra fluid retention related to the sodium), but this puts you at a higher risk for heart attacks and strokes.  For something that is a pretty attainable, lowering your sodium intake, it’s a great way to he healthy and protect your heart.

Where is sodium lurking?

If you are healthy with no medical issues, you can take in up to 2300mg of sodium per day (that’s about a teaspoon of salt) but if you have chronic kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, or are over 50 years old, the suggested daily amount of sodium is 1500mg (which is not very much at all).  Sodium is in almost everything, and if it is pre-made or pre-packaged, the sodium content is usually unbelievably high!  So, if you are on (or should be on) a sodium restricted diet, there are some things you should skip or use sparingly:

– Pre-made foods from stores ( both fresh AND frozen, unless they are labelled as low sodium, but read the labels to be sure)

– Canned foods (even veggies/beans are loaded with sodium as a preservative; I have been buying dry beans and giving them a super soak, much healthier and no sodium added!)

– Condiments (including various spices!)

– Processed meats

– Fast foods

– Processed snack foods (potato chips, cheese curls, etc.)

– Cheeses

– Soups (even low sodium still has a lot of sodium, so I tend to make my own and not add any salt!)

And remember that fresh foods like fruits and veggies naturally have sodium in them, so even though you might think that you are not eating any extra sodium, you might be. Plus, always read the labels to be sure how much sodium is present in various foods! Many different beverages, including some bottled waters have sodium in them, so your best bet at sticking to a low sodium diet, is to reach for foods labelled as “low sodium”, reading package labels, shy away from beverages other than water, and don’t add any salt to your foods when you are cooking!  Plus, half the battle is being aware of how much sodium you should be taking in, and making an effort to stick to it.

And, if you do splurge, make sure to drink a lot of water, and get some exercise to help flush that extra sodium out of your system.

Yours in Good Health

B