May 2012 Newsletter – The Dick Diet Works!

Spring is in the air!  At least here in Milwaukee it is finally getting “springlike” this week with warmer temperatures and nature is rising up all over.

Speaking of “springing up” my biggest news is that my book proposal will be sent off to an agent by the end of the week!  I’ve been working feverishly the past several weeks in writing the formal proposal and the sample chapters.  What a project!

I’ve come to learn that an important aspect of the publishing game, particularly for first time authors, is to have an established following.  One way to do this is through social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter.  I have a special request.  If you have not already done so, please “Like” The Dick Diet and Rosen Wellness on Facebook and follow @thedickdiet on Twitter.  And pass it along to your friends too!

 

The Dick Diet® Works!

What did American men spend over $2 billion for in 2011?  Beer?  Chips?  Flowers?  Chocolate?

Well, maybe, but one answer I know for sure is medications for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).  Worldwide over $4.3 billion was spent.  Why?  It is estimated that over 30 million men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction (and over 150 million worldwide) with that number likely to double in the next 25 years.  A landmark study found that ED affects 52% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 and the incidence increases with age.

It is great to theorize about how a dietary program should work, but getting results is the so called proof, dare I say, in the pudding!  Here’s a recent testimonial from a very satisfied gentleman on The Dick Diet®.  And I suppose his wife is happy too!

 

Here’s a sample of what he said, “The best part is that my ‘diet’ consists of more of the things I want to eat vs. things I thought were ‘healthy’ to eat, and I have a renewed confidence that I can perform as I feel I should without depending on any drugs or other unnatural processes.”

For the full story click here http://www.brwellness.com/testimonials.htm#erectileDysfunction.

 

The Digestive Journey Continues

I have added two more installments in our journey through our digestive system.

 

Most of the excitement begins to occur in the stomach, but the esophagus is important too.  Sometimes it is telling us of problems in the stomach (such as acid reflux).

But, it is in the stomach where the so to speak “heavy lifting” – the protein digestion – begins.  What happens in the stomach is most critical because as we know digestion is a north to south process.

For all the interesting details read on.

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2012/05/esophagus.html

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2012/05/stomach.html

March 2012 Newsletter: March Madness

March Madness – Free NRT Offer

You may have noticed that this month’s newsletter is coming a little later than usual.  I had one loyal reader ask me where it was!  She was concerned that my Constant Contact was not working correctly! Well, I was waiting for good reason.  This past weekend I was in Clearwater, Florida for some additional training in Nutrition Response Testing (NRT).  I completed the Intermediate Level Training.  I learned lots of new stuff and I wanted to share it with you.  And, the best way to share is for you to experience it.  My March Madness is to offer you free NRT initial consults for the rest of the month.  See the coupon below and spread the word!  For more information on NRT click here http://www.brwellness.com/docs/2011-Nutrition-Response-Testing.pdf.

 

March Madness and Mental Health

In further spirit of March Madness I’d like to review a couple of articles I have written in the past which show the connection between nutrition and mental health.  The first article reviews the importance of protein and neurotransmitters to how we feel.  If you are following the food pyramid or any other government backed “healthy diet” you are likely not eating enough protein.  This article explains the relationship between protein and how we feel. http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-makes-you-feel-good-sugar-or.html

The second article reviews some of the key minerals that keep us in balance.  Two key minerals are copper and zinc.  Too much copper reduces zinc and well, makes us “copper crazy.”  Here is a link to my article http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/03/minerals-keeping-us-healthy-and.html and here’s one from Ann Louise Gittleman that I helped out on http://www.annlouise.com/blog/2009/06/29/copper-crazy/.

 

The Body Positive – Digestion

I began posting The Body Positive and it all starts with Digestion.  Here are links to the first two installments:

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2012/02/digestion-introduction-body-positive.html

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2012/02/mouth-why-chewing-is-important.html

 

Success Story – Digestion

Going along with the importance of digestion, here again is my favorite testimonial: “My husband said it is now safe for him to go in the bathroom after me.” If you’d like to read a sample of other testimonials they are on my web site. Click here. Testimonials

April 2012 Newsletter: Spring Break for Your Body – The Purification Program

You’ve heard me talk about it many times in the past.  You’ve heard me say I am about to do it and invite you to join me.  Yes, it is that time of the year again: Spring – the perfect time for the Purification Program.  This time of the year also means Spring Break.  What exactly are we breaking from?  For many it is a time of partying – probably the exact opposite of a “break” for the body.  Perhaps this year you should consider a real Spring Break for your body.  Give it a break from processing the everyday load of toxins and treat it to three weeks of healthy eating and living.  We’ll all be doing spring cleaning of the house, spring cleaning of the yard; so why not add the all important Spring Cleaning of the body.  For more information about the Purification Program follow this link http://www.brwellness.com/docs/Purification_Program_Client_Guide_from_SP.pdf  or better yet, give me a call and get started on it!

 

Do You Have a Wheat Belly?

I’m sure many of you have heard of the recently published book called “Wheat Belly.”  I have recently finished reading the book and highly recommend it.  For those of you who follow my articles and blogs you’ll be familiar with much of the information.  So, what makes this book special?  It is written by a Milwaukee cardiologist who found himself obese and diabetic from following his own advice.  He figured out something was not quite right then fixed himself and subsequently many of his patients by eliminating wheat from the diet.  There are a couple of areas where I disagree with him – specifically he is okay with Splenda and soy, but overall he is on the right track.  For more information you can go to his blog at http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/.

 

Bernie’s Doing Ashtanga Yoga?

Yes, that’s right.  This past week I had the pleasure of hosting David Keil, an anatomy guru and Ashtanga yogi, who was in town for our Yoga Teacher Training program.  As an additional offering we had a week of Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga.  I had never done the practice before and I loved it!  Quite frankly I’d become very lazy with my own yoga practice.  I am now re-energized and notice how much better I feel after only eight days of the practice.  I can only imagine how good I’ll feel in another month!  Thanks David.  If you’re looking for a better understanding of yoga and anatomy, check out David’s web site at http://www.yoganatomy.com/.   He has some excellent articles and masterful DVDs.  To learn more about Ashtanga Yoga visit http://www.ashtanga.com/.  And, I’m sure you can find all kinds of information on YouTube.

February 2012 Newsletter

It’s February, one month in to the New Year.  How are you doing with your resolutions?  I’ll give myself a “B-” so far. There are a few “A’s” to report. The number of distracting e-mails has been cut significantly.  Although, I have noticed that some of them won’t let go and even after repeated attempts to unsubscribe they keep coming! My posts are “positive”, although fewer. I’m enjoying listening to Bob and Brian in the morning, although sometimes I keep listening rather than getting up! I’ve ramped up my meditation practice.  The business consulting project that I referred away looks like it will be a dead end, so it is a good thing I didn’t put any of my time into it. And, I’ve been doing my weekly study of The Path of Yoga. Unfortunately, I can only give myself a “C-“ on my book efforts.  I’ve begun, but not close to where I need to be.  That grade may have been an “F” except that I have begun the basis for one of the Chapters.  I call this Chapter “The Body Positive” and you can read about that below.  Since I’ve always been a good student, I want “A’s” – so I expect to ramp it up this month!

In other news, January presented many new clients and re-engagement of past clients. Lots of interest in the cleanse/purification program – an all-time favorite of many clients.   I’ve also had a very positive response to the new Blood Chemistry Analysis service.

I did have some time to watch some of the DVD I had purchased from the Weston Price Foundation 2011 Conference in London.  One of the presenters was Barry Groves.  His was an excellent discussion breaking the great calorie myth that has been thrust upon us.  You’ll definitely want to read my article below and decide for yourself whether or not all calories count!

Calories – Not Created Equal and Perhaps Not All That Relevant

Many diet and exercise programs are based on us “counting calories” and assuming all calories are created equal.  This goes back to the 1870’s and the scientific finding of the First Law of Thermodynamics.  We learn from Wikipedia, “The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed, i.e. changed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed. It is usually formulated by stating that the change in the internal energy of a system is equal to the amount of heat supplied to the system, minus the amount of work performed by the system on its surroundings.”  This theory was applied to the human being.  Resulting in the myth that whatever calories we consume through eating we need to burn through activity otherwise these calories will store as fat and we will gain weight.

For the rest of the article, click here. http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2012/02/calories-not-created-equal-and-perhaps.html

 

Announcing The Body Positive

I have several favorite “nutritional sayings” (as I like to call them) that I use with my clients.  One of these stems from the fact that most of us have no idea how our body works.  How do I know this?  I ask people all the time and I get the same answer.  “I didn’t know that.” So here’s my saying “Unfortunately our body did not come with an Owner’s Manual.”  One of my main objectives in working with any client is education on how the body works and how this relates to our lifestyle.  Over the next year this will be the focus of my writings, newsletters, and postings. The information will be available in a variety of formats – posts on my Rosen Wellness Facebook page, tweets on Twitter, updates on LinkedIn, and articles on my Rosen Wellness blog site.  Each writing will be brief and to the point exploring one particular aspect.

I’m calling this undertaking “The Body Positive” and I hope you’ll join me and as you can see there are many options to do so.  As I experience every day with my clients, when they know and understand how their body works they make different choices – positive ones leading to improved health and happiness.

I have five simple rules: You are what you eat; you are what you eat eats; you are what you digest; you eat what you are; and balance and moderation.  We’ll be exploring these concepts in conjunction with learning some basic anatomy (the parts) and physiology (what the parts do) of the body.

Look for “digestion” coming soon to a social media site near you!

 

January 2012 Newsletter – Happy New Year!

Best wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!

I’m very excited about the New Year.  I’ll be offering new services (see below for Blood Chemistry Analysis), getting additional training on current services (I’ll be taking the Intermediate Level of Nutrition Response Testing), and more!

As is the custom, I’d like to share my resolution with you (actually there are three as you’ll see as you keep reading!).  My number one New Year’s Resolution is to be positive – focus on the positive in thought and action.  Therefore, my posts, blogs and newsletters will all be positive and educational in nature – providing information to guide you to a healthier lifestyle.  I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you have as well, that we are barraged with negative news from all sources.  Over time it creeps into our thought patterns and actions adding to our stress levels.  We all know that is not good for our health or well being.

Much of this inspiration has come from reading the recently released The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom by Rod Stryker (http://www.parayoga.com/learn/thefourdesires.html).  Rod is my yoga teacher and the founder of ParaYoga.  This book guides you in discovering what you desire from life and how to get it.  For the past several years I’ve struggled with writing the book I’ve talked much about.  I’ve worked on the periphery of it, but never the core.

From working with The Four Desires I realized what has prevented me from achieving my goals.  Two things: First is lack of intensity and effort placed towards these goals; second is being distracted by thoughts and fear generated from this aforementioned daily barrage of negativity.  So it is time to turn off the distractions and negativity and turn on the intensity and positivity.  This would be a second resolution – write the book!  To learn what I’ve already done see below.

By the way, here’s an opportunity for someone to jump on – how about a news media that only reported good news and positive stories!

One quick announcement:  I’ll be in suburban Chicago (Lisle) on Saturday January 28 at Prairie Yoga presenting my day long Nutrition Boot Camp workshop.  It’s a great way to spend a day and learn all about how your body works!  For more information click here Nutrition Workshop

New Service Offered – Blood Chemistry Analysis

I’m pleased to announce a new service – blood chemistry analysis.  As part of my Whole Foods Nutrition Certification I was trained to analyze basic blood test results.  I am able to interpret nutritional status and identify areas where supplementation may be helpful.   

Ever wonder why you may feel not quite right, go to the doctor for a blood test, and then be told you are “normal.”  This is because the range the lab is using basically tells you results for people who tested at that particular lab and if you are in range this means you are within the normal curve of 95% of that lab’s population.  This does not mean you are healthy or optimal, just within the 95% confidence interval (remember your Statistics!) and termed “normal”.  By the way, who generally gets their blood tested?  Yes, people who think there is something wrong! 

So, rather than looking at the blood test results in terms of being outside or inside of a pathological range, such as traditional medicine does, I am trained to look at optimal ranges.  If you are not optimal – either excess or deficient – that implies a specific nutritional status that should be addressed.

Help Me Write My Book 

My book, The Dick Diet, is an expansion of my dissertation exploring the connection between nutrition and erectile dysfunction.  While I have all the information related to diet and lifestyle compiled that needs to be communicated in the book I could use a few more real life case studies.  As it is a rather delicate situation it can be difficult to find male volunteer subjects.

So, here’s how you can help.  If you know anyone between the ages of 30 and 65 with this issue and they are willing to work with me I will offer to them free consulting and if need be nutritional supplements at my cost.  To read more about The Dick Diet you can visit my web site or newly re-organized blog – http://thedickdiet.blogspot.com/

A Book Recommendation – My Third Resolution

On the subject of resolutions – I have found a wonderful book that I encourage all of you to read, particularly those of you who practice yoga.  It is Nicolai Bachman’s The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga.  It could also be subtitled “a practical guide to life” (using the Sutras as a base).  Why this book? Rather than presented sequentially as in the original text Bachman breaks the text into short chapters each containing one key concept.  The explanations and examples are brief and clear.  Each chapter closes with thought provoking, self-study questions.  There are 51 concepts explored – just enough to study one per week – a perfect New Year’s resolution.

My First Five Steps to Realize My Goal

I’ve already taken my first five steps:  1. I’ve changed the radio station my alarm is set to.  Rather than wake up to the news, commentary, or infomercial I don’t want to hear, I’ll now hear mostly humorous talk about nothing with Bob and Brian (local DJs)!  2. I’ve removed myself from many e-mail lists which can be a major distraction.  3. I’ve referred potential business consulting projects to others so that I can focus on my goals.  4. I’ve scheduled time to work specifically on the book.  5. And, I’ve recommitted to and deepened my daily meditation practice.

One Last Thought

I should probably have another resolution: get the links working right the first time!

December 2011 Newsletter – Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays – Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

May your holiday season be happy and merry.  There’s those words again – happy and merry – these are not only words, but feelings!  The holidays bring up all kinds of feelings – happiness, sadness, thanks, renewal, etc.  Sometimes we get out of balance and we feel scared, depressed or anxious.  You may ask, what do feelings have to do with nutrition.  The answer is everything! It is important for us to stay balanced, and nutrition is the key to that.  One aspect in particular – we need to eat sufficient protein.  Why?  Protein has many functions in the body, the one related to feelings is the manufacturing of neurotransmitters.  See the article below.

The second article below offers some hints on how to survive the holiday season.  Yes, it is the time of over-eating and indulgence!  Enjoy!  But remember January will soon enough roll around.  That’s when you and your loved ones may seek out nutritional support.  Well – I’ve got a great idea for you – prepare now!  Nutrition consulting gift certificates make a great idea.  Call or e-mail and I can fill you in.

Since it is the holiday season I have a special gift to offer.  I continue to be amazed by the results and finding from nutrition response testing.  If you’d like to see for yourself I’m offering free NRT introductory sessions for the week of December 19.  Call or e-mail for an appointment.  To read more about NRT click here: http://www.brwellness.com/docs/2011-Nutrition-Response-Testing.pdf

One last quick note – the 500 Hour YogaOne Vinyasa Teacher Training program begins in January.  We are excited to offer this in-depth yoga training with co-directors, Meg Galarza and Bernie Rosen, as well as welcoming internationally recognized master teachers: Nicolai Bachman; James Bailey; David Keil; Simon Park; and Rolf Sovik .  For more details click here: http://www.yogaonestudio.com/pages/training500.html

What Makes You Feel Good – Sugar or Protein?

Ever wonder what really makes you feel good?  Many people will answer “sugar” because they notice the “high” as sugar is flowing into their blood stream and giving them energy.  Of course, we all know what follows – the “low” as the sugar runs out and we crave more sugar to feel good again.  As you may have guessed, the correct answer is protein.  It makes you feel good for the long haul.  Why is this?  Because protein is the structural basis for our body – our muscles, organs, glands, nails, hair, vital fluids (blood, hormones, neurotransmitters) and enzymes are all protein based.  For the rest of the article click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-makes-you-feel-good-sugar-or.html

Surviving the Holidays

Uh oh – the holidays are here.  Here are some ideas on how to stay fit and healthy.

http://bodyecology.com/articles/13-ways-to-stay-fit-and-healthy.php

November Newsletter – Yes I Know It Is the Holiday Season, But You Can Still Do Your Best!

It’s that time of the year – the Nutritionists’ nightmare – the holiday season is just beginning.  We’ve had Halloween, next is Thanksgiving, and then the big ones Christmas and New Years. People eat and drink poorly and in excess; they know it and they don’t want to talk about it.  Don’t worry – I’m here if you need me!

I’ve already heard of too many “treats” for Halloween, which to your body are really “tricks.”  If you still have a pile of candy around the house you might want to refresh yourself on the evils of sugar.  For that I direct you to a great website of Nancy Appleton and the 141 ways sugar ruins your health: http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/.

Let’s accept that it is tough to avoid all the Holiday foods.  That’s fine.  However, it means it is even more important that you eat healthy foods to maintain some semblance of balance in the body.  For your review are two past articles Ten Foods to Have in Your Healthy Diet and Ten More Foods to Have in Your Healthy Diet.

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/10/ten-foods-to-have-in-your-healthy-diet.html

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-more-foods-to-have-in-your-healthy.html

 

GreenSquare Center for the Healing Arts Health Fair

Want to learn lots of great stuff about integrative health care and meet some wonderful practitioners?  Come to GreenSquare Center for the Healing Arts on November 13 from 10:00 to 2:00 for a FREE health fair.  For more information click here:

http://www.greensquarecenter.com/view/NOV-2011-Health-Fair

 

Balance Your Gut Flora

One of the areas of the body that can get way out of balance, particularly from holiday excess, is the gut.  This is your whole gastrointestinal tract including the stomach, small intestine, color, and the microorganisms (flora) that live there.  Yes, the flora is part of you.  There is about 4-6 pounds worth.  There are more flora cells than human cells in your body.  There are infinitely more flora genes in your body than human genes.  That’s a lot to manage and balance.  Fortunately Standard Process has developed a new program designed to cleanse and balance your GI tract.  Many of you have done their Purification Program which targets primarily the liver and kidneys for detoxification.  This is different as it targets digestion and immune system function.  For more information please call, e-mail, or click here to read more about the GI Flora Balance Program: http://www.standardprocess.com/display/1686.spi

October Newsletter – Fruits and Vegetables is Not One Word!

Welcome the Fall Season – perhaps my favorite time of the year.  It is also a great time for the purification program, better known among my clients as “the cleanse”.  I started mine this past Monday, after having a bit too much of a birthday celebration!   Since I love to share its joy with others, I’m offering a $15 discount to anyone who starts the cleanse this month.

I am pleased to announce that I have just completed a new nutrition certification. I am now a Certified Clinician in Whole Food Nutrition (CCWFN) from the International Foundation for Nutrition and Health (IFNH).  The IFNH is a great organization and well worth your support.  You can read more about the organization and my certification at their web site www.ifnh.org.

Last, but not least, I have a few workshops going on this month.

On October 1 @ 2:00 I’ll be at Haleybird Studios in Wauwatosa presenting my favorite and most popular workshop – Rejuvenation and Relaxation.  On October 5 @ 7:30 I’ll be at GreenSquare Center in Glendale discussing “Ten More Foods You Should Have in Your Healthy Diet.”  And, on October 29 at 1:00 I’ll be in West Bend leading a special yoga class and Yoga Nidra. For a complete listing of all events click here http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/05/rosen-wellness-news-and-events.html

 

ABCs of Nutrition

In looking back at all the past articles and blog posts I’ve done over the last few years I recently realized that I have neglected a most basic topic.  While my articles have spanned a variety of topics this is one I missed, so here it is – a quick overview of the three critical macronutrients – protein, fat, and carbohydrates.  What they are, what they do in the body, and from what food sources they are available.

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/09/abcs-of-nutrition.html

 

Fructose – Fruits and Vegetables is Not One Word

One thing I’ve learned about nutrition over these past few years is that there is always more to learn.  I recently heard this line, “Fruits and vegetables is not one word.”  I forgot exactly who to credit it to, but it is so true.  While the many benefits to fruit and vegetables are highly touted, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber, there is also one key difference.  Fruit contains fructose or “fruit sugar” which is metabolized differently in the body than other sugars such as sucrose, maltose, lactose, or glucose.  This is where the complications arise.  While we can eat pretty much unlimited amounts of vegetables I am now of the strong belief that we should limit our consumption of fruit.  The following article from Dr. Mercola provides all the information you need to know, plus a chart showing you how much fructose is in different fruits.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/29/is-this-simple-sugar-a-major-factor-in-the-failure-of-the-war-on-cancer.aspx?e_cid=20110929_DNL_art_2

September Newsletter – Back to School for Kids and Adults

The summer sure went by quickly and the kids are back to school today.  Hard to believe my son is a senior!  Not only are the kids going back to school, but time for the adults as well!  And, I’ve got lots of wonderful learning opportunities coming up this month and through the fall and winter.

This month my monthly nutrition and wellness talks begin at my new office at GreenSquare Center for the Healing Arts in Glendale.  The talks are the first Wednesday of each month from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.  We open with “Ten Foods to Have In Your Healthy Diet.”  Let’s establish the basics of healthy eating and go from there.  For a complete list of the programs click here http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/05/rosen-wellness-news-and-events.html

Later this month I’ll be making my annual trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa with some brand new workshops, including “From Head to Toe, What Your Body is Telling You.”  If you are in the Cedar Falls area or know anyone there, please join us.  There will also be a very special event.  For more details click here http://www.fieldofyoga.com/index.php?p=1_22_Workshops-Events

On September 22 my schedule at the Mequon Recreation Center kicks off with “Know Your Nutrients” – an introduction to the major vitamins and minerals and what they do in the body.  Mequon talks are Thursdays at 12:30.

While it is not technically September, on October 1 Haleybird Studios in Wauwatosa is hosting my “Rejuvenation and Relaxation” workshop.  This is a fan favorite as participants learn easy techniques to energize the body and reduce stress.  For more information click here http://www.haleybirdstudios.com/workshops.html

Back to School Nutrition

In the spirit of back to school below is an article on nutrition for kids.  I also urge you to visit the website www.mequonkids.com for some great ideas and recipes.

In the spirit of “back to school” I thought I’d offer a few thoughts on nutrition for kids.  (Of course this advice applies to adults as well.)  In all honesty, it is probably the most challenging aspect of my private client practice.  While it can be difficult to get adults to eat healthier, kids can be even more so.  The food producers and manufacturers have developed special foods that they call “kid’s food”.  If you take the time to read the list of ingredients you will find that most of it is not food and should not be consumed by anyone, particularly our children.  Our children are growing and need the healthiest foods available to properly fuel their minds and bodies.

For the rest of the post click here http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/09/back-to-school-nutrition-ideas.html

Introducing Dr. Melvin Page, Nutrition Pioneer

While I’ve written in the past of the works of Drs. Price, Pottenger, and Lee, I’d like to introduce you to another of their contemporaries, Dr. Melvin Page.  Dr. Page was also a dentist and he took the works of Dr. Price and expanded upon them.  Their key finding was that in healthy human beings the serum calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 2.5 part calcium to one part phosphorus (10:4).  This is what Price found in the native populations he studied and what Page later found with his patients.  Page went on to show that those with higher calcium tended towards heart disease and atherosclerosis, while those with high phosphorus tended towards cancer.  The underlying reasons are actually quite simple – too much calcium in the blood leads to clots and too much phosphorus weakened the immune system.

Page developed a specific diet – the Page Food Plan – that brought his patients blood chemistry into proper balance and they became healthy!  The original plan was developed in the 1950’s and is available on my web site http://www.brwellness.com/docs/2011_Page_Food_Plan.pdf.  However, there is a more up to date version taking into account some of the food availability and quality issues that are present today.  If you’d like a copy of that, please call or e-mail me.

Page did more interesting work, but I’ll save that for next time.  If you’d like to read about my favorite Pioneers of Nutrition, follow the links below.

For the Royal Lee article click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/01/pioneers-of-nutrition-dr-royal-lee.html

For the Francis Pottenger article click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2009/12/pioneers-of-nutrition-francis-pottenger.html

For the Weston Price article click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2009/11/pioneers-of-nutrition-dr-weston-price.html

August 2011 Newsletter – Looking Good at the Beach?

The Dog Days of August are certainly here and many of us are seeking relief from the heat at our local beaches and swimming pools.  While it’s nice to escape the heat, you can’t escape what you see at these places.  The obesity epidemic is pretty much staring you in the face.  And to “tell it like it is” this is driving disease rates and health care costs to new highs.  I just received my health insurance quote for next year.  It’s up 19.8% (on top of the 20% last year) and my agent told me that’s not too bad!  The insurance company tells me the pool I’m in has seen increasing costs – well it certainly isn’t me, but it doesn’t matter.  Too bad we can’t choose our pool.  Why can’t I be in the pool with the other healthy people? The unfortunate situation and reality is that regardless of your health, you are being impacted by everyone else’s poor health, and it is driving your costs up.  I’ll stop with the politics here and move to the nutrition (which actually has its share of politics too!).

While there are many factors contributing to obesity I believe the biggest is our overconsumption of carbohydrates, particularly in the form of sugar, refined grains, and processed foods.  This issue of my newsletter focuses on two areas that directly relate to this – the importance of blood sugar levels and insulin; and starting your day off with a healthy breakfast.

Blood Sugar and Insulin

The bottom line is that to your body all carbohydrates are sugar and if you have too many carbohydrates the sugar is turned to fat.  Yes, we use carbohydrates for fuel, but they are meant as short term energy; we use fat for longer term energy.  Think of it this way – in your personal fire sugar is like paper.  You put it in the fire and it burns up quickly.  Fat is like a log – a nice steady burn.  When our body is working efficiently it will use the correct mixture and we will be “lean, mean, fighting machines.”  Insulin is the hormone that moves blood sugar/glucose from the blood stream into cells for energy or storage.  Insulin is essentially a fat storing hormone.  Again, a simple equation: too much carbohydrate = too much sugar = increased demand for insulin = fat storage.

One of the major reasons we are consuming too many carbohydrates is because the diet dictocrats have told us that fat is bad for us.  If we don’t eat fat, we are left with carbohydrates.  While fat was said to be the culprit behind heart disease, strokes, cancer, and diabetes, the actual truth is this is caused by too much sugar (or TMS as I like to call it).  For a detailed explanation I link to Gary Taubes’ 2007 article in the New York Times Magazine: What if it’s all been a big fat lie?

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html

He also has a more recent article called Is Sugar Toxic?  Another excellent read.  He is the author of the books Good Calories Bad Calories and Why Do We Get Fat?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?ref=sugar

I could go on and on about blood sugar and insulin, but since Taubes has written these excellent articles I encourage you to read them.

Another great source is this YouTube from Merritt Wellness which explains the blood sugar roller coaster.  http://www.youtube.com/user/merrittwellness

Avoid the Carb Overload at Breakfast

I’ve written in the past about breakfast.  As part of the no-fat campaign we’ve been encouraged to eat the “breakfast foods” – cereal, toast, pancakes, waffles, orange juice, and skim milk – all sugar.  Most Americans are starting there day with the blood sugar roller coaster and it continues through the day.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  We are fueling our bodies for the day after 10-12 hours of no food.  You’d think it would want something nutritious.  I have two articles on my blog about breakfast – what to eat, what not to eat, and why.

Breakfast articles:

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/07/not-so-healthy-breakfast.html

http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/06/start-your-day-with-healthy-breakfast.html

Designs for Health Supplements Available From My Website

While Standard Process is my number one supplement brand many of my clients also use Designs for Health products – particularly the Paleo line of products as well as CoQ10 and a few others.  Designs for Health is a Professional product line and as such are only sold through health care practitioners.  You can now purchase these products directly through my web site (Store page) or by following this link: http://brwellness.ehealthpro.com/

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!

Bernie