The Health War: Don’t let the medical community rule with an “iron” fist

March 15th, 2010

I will get to how amazing this weekend was at the natural products convention throughout the week.  A lot of companies I will tell you about loved The Body Blog community.  So please keep inviting your friends and co-workers to read the blog and join our Health and Wellness Education facebook group.  I don’t want to leave you all hanging on the iron thing I spent two days talking about.

Here is how I see it which still leaves me confused but not worried about how I am going to explain it.  There is one kind of iron found in nature and it can change its makeup due to environment.  Generally from what I can tell, plants absorb iron from the soil when they grow and develop.  Imagine the iron being surrounded by a shield.  When animals (including humans) consume vegetables our bodies kind of break down that shield which attracts the iron inside to be absorbed into our tissues and blood.  We don’t break all the shields though so a lot of the iron passes through.

When we eat meat (other animals) they have already broken down iron from the vegetables they’ve eaten.  So when we eat meat we are consuming the “shield-less” iron which is attracted to us like a magnet.  It is my feeling that eating too much meat and not enough vegetables gives our body too much iron.  See you can’t eat too many vegetables and overdose on iron because our bodies just won’t break the shields on the plant iron and will just let it pass through.  With the animal iron we can absorb too much.  What happens in a moist environment with oxygen and iron??  It rusts.  Well there is a growing theory in science that a contributing factor in those that die young may be that we are literally rusting from the inside out.  Women menstruate every month and the theory postulates that this may be a contributing factor in them living longer because they lose that excess blood and iron.

Don’t get me wrong, we need iron to live.  It is a building block of our blood cells and we need it for respiration and energy conversion.  However, this hype in the medical community that so many people are now anemic and the only solution is to give them iron pills is a dangerous assumption at best in my opinion.  Dairy products appear to interfere with iron absorption so I would cut those out to start.  They also say that spinach and some substance in beans also interferes with absorption but that doesn’t make sense to me.  Nature is set up to be harmonious.  If some of the most iron rich foods (beans and spinach) are said to hinder iron absorption there is something wrong with the logic.  I tend to think it is that you body doesn’t want the total amount of iron that they have to offer (maybe its too much) so your body doesn’t break the shields and just lets it pass through.

SO what did I reveal to you today?  Well hopefully you will think twice before submitting that you are anemic and taking an iron supplement will solve your problems.  There is a lot more to this story of iron and I hope you do some research or send me a message and we can talk more.  As I find out more and if it reliable enough information to pass on, I will do so on the blog.  Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.

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Let’s “iron” out some of these details

March 13th, 2010

Yesterday I mentioned a little bit about iron deficiencies.  I have my theories about the issue and I wanted to expand upon them, but before I do I am going on a re-con mission today.  Heading back to Natural Products Expo West where a lot of supplement companies are, I will make sure to visit some iron supplements today.  Obviously, I won’t tell them what I am doing, but I want to find out what kind of science they are pushing in trying to sell iron in mass quantities to the public.

Should be fun!  I am making some great contacts for our Facebook group to get some (hopefully) good discounts and start some new promotions.  Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.

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March madness and the “iron unkind”

March 12th, 2010

I wanted to get this blog entry out this morning before I go to the convention I mentioned yesterday.  Some real quick thoughts of mine that you can add to your own assessments of Jen’s log yesterday:

No surprise that she feels good not eating dairy.  Most of you know by now that dairy is always the first thing I recommend cutting out of your diet for immediate and noticeable health benefits.  You can search this blog or the rest of the internet for the downfalls to your health of eating dairy products.

Keeping the refined products to a minimum will really help energy levels.  The less refined sugars you consume and the more sugars you get from fruits, vegetables and whole grains the better.  These natural sugars within the plant are absorbed into your blood at a more stable rate because the fiber of the food naturally moderates this.  Most processed foods have been stripped of their fiber and so when you eat foods with added sugar and less fiber it causes blood sugar spikes.  These blood sugar spikes require more insulin from your pancreas which results in more work for your liver to clean out the extra hormones.  These organs working overtime could be the reason people “crash” because they need time to recharge.

Last point for the day is about iron.  I have a feeling that a lot of the information about iron out there in space is a little off.  A lot of people tell me they are tired, therefore think they are anemic.  The recommended amounts of iron are based off of the Western style diet that is rich in animal products.  When you switch to eating a (more) vegetarian diet its possible you may be getting just as much iron as before because vegetables and legumes are naturally high in iron.  However, the iron from vegetables is not absorbed as much (which is a good thing) so one may have lower iron which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I know I am scratching the surface but we will get more in depth as the process moves forward.  i just want to start out with some basics to think about and we’ll get more in depth later.  To end with this if you are eating more vegetables and less meat.  Vitamin C helps in the iron absorption process so if you eat raw veggies instead of cooked ones the vitamin C has not been destroyed and will help the process better.

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Can you lose weight without exercise? YES!

March 11th, 2010

I wanted to setup the rest of the cleanse experience with a little testimonial.  There is a great organization called the “21 day vegan kickstart” and their website is www.21daykickstart.org.  I am not affiliated with them, but I love what they do.  Simply put, they promote eating a plant based diet.  I support what they do and think for the most part their nutrition advice is pretty sound.  There are a couple things I would change, but like I said the most important thing is learning what cutting down and cutting out animal based foods will do for your overall health.  They use celebrities like Ruben Studdard to promote their agenda, and The Body Blog uses everyday celebrities like Jen Caponi to promote ours.  Check out Ruben Studdard’s amazing story before or after you read about Jen’s week 2 after the cleanse.  Feel free to also check out our Facebook group: Health and Wellness Education.

Let me ask all of you to do something a little more interactive.  Read through Jen’s week and analyze it a bit for yourself.  See what makes sense to you and what is a possibility for you.  I will add some more in depth conversation about Jen tomorrow.  Really excited for this weekend.  I am going to a 55,000 person Natural Products Expo West full of organic food companies, new technology companies and the like.  Basically, for someone like me, it’s like your parents telling you when you’re 5 that you are going to spend the weekend at Disneyland.

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Jen Caponi Month-long Clean Eating Experiment

Day 1

Breakfast: green energy smoothie (2 servings, ate one froze other)

2 oranges, 1 small apple, 1 c. kale, 1 frozen banana, ice

Also had 1/2c. quinoa with ¼ c. slivered almonds, mango,

blueberries, strawberries and agave nectar.  ¼ c almond milk

Lunch: 1 c. quinoa, 1 c. carrot and zucchini onion sauté.  Salad with 1 c.

red leaf lettuce, 1 c. arugula, 1/8 c cranberries, ¼ c, walnuts,

olive oil and plum vinegar. Followed it up with 1 choc. Truffle.

Dinner: salad…same as above except with my homemade Italian

dressing.  1 beer.  ½ serving mahi mahi fish from TJ’s in

chimichurri sauce.  Roasted sweet potato and butternut squash.

lime, honey, olive oil, sea salt, rosemary.

Day 2

Breakfast: 2 pieces sprouted grain bread with 1.5 tbs. flax almond

Butter.  Second serving of green energy smoothie.

Lunch: mixed salad…same as above w/ oil and plum vinegar.  Raisins

instead of cranberries.

Snack: 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, dry.  1 smoothie, peanut butter

power up:  1 tbs. almond/flax butter, 1 frozen banana, ¼ c. ice,

1 tbs. slivered almonds, 2 tsp. flax oil, ¼ tsp. almond extract, 1/3

cup almond milk.

Dinner: 1 c. quinoa with roasted mushrooms, garlic and olive oil.  Also

steamed asparagus and 2 c. arugula

Day 3 (fri.)

Breakfast:  “Slim-ed” smoothie:  1 c. frozen mixed berries (blackberries,

blueberries & raspberries), 1 orange (plus enough water to =

1 c. fluid after I “vitamixed” the orange, 3 tbs. vanilla flavor

protein powder, 1tbs. flax oil, squirt of agave nectar.

Lunch: avocado mashed with red onion, cilantro, salt and lemon juice.

1/3 large cucumber

Dinner: ½ baked potato, peanuts, mixed salad (same as above salads) BB

Day 4

Breakfast: smoothie:  1 tsp. each of honey, flax oil.  ¼ c. each of frozen

pineapple, rice milk and lite coconut milk.  1 orange and

vanilla flavored protein powder.  About an hour later, 1 slice

spelt bread with about 1 tbs. almond/flax butter.

Lunch: ½ c roasted squash (leftovers from prev. night), salad with kale,

arugula, olive oil and plum vinegar.

Snack: 1 avocado mashed with salt, 6 chopped green olives, red onion,

lemon.  Dipped 2 med. carrots and ¼ large cucumber.

Dinner: 2.5 pieces of home-made pizza.  Tomatoes, olive oil, garlic,

spinach, giardinara (carrots, cauliflower and celery!), red

pepper flakes, mushrooms.  May have had just a smidge of rice

cheese from the other half of the pizza which was my boy-

friend’s side!  Whole wheat crust.

Day 5

Breakfast: smoothie, same type as day before.  Few hours later after my

run….restaurant oatmeal with my own rice milk and

walnuts!  Raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon provided by

restaurant.  Also shared fruit plate, so a few strawberries,

about 1/3 banana, honeydew.

Lunch: Warm Kale salad:  1 bunch or kale, ripped and set in a bowl.

Sauté red onion and garlic in home-made veggie broth (per UEC

remove from heat and add olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Toss

with the kale.  YUM!

Dinner: home-made veggie chili. 1 slice spelt bread.  1 coconut almond

energy bar.

Day 6 (mon)

Breakfast: smoothie…same as last two days with addition of piece of

kale.  1 piece spelt toasted with 1 tbs. almond/flax butter.

Lunch: Warm kale salad. 1 c. quinoa with green beans, almond slivers,

lemon, olive oil, salt, parsley.

Dinner: Turkey tacos.  3 whole grain tortillas, lettuce, home-made

guacamole, ground lean turkey, chipotle salsa

Day 7

Breakfast: “slim ed” smoothie w/ 4 tbs. hemp protein powder.

Lunch: Huge salad made with red leaf, kale and arugula.  Cranberries,

walnuts, plum vinegar, olive oil and ½ bunch lightly steamed

asparagus.  2 pieces of warmed spelt bread.  2 pieces of coconut

almond bars.  Ate too much!

Dinner: veggie pizza….same as a few nights ago, except no cheese any-

where on the pizza.  (The crusts came in package of 2 so I HAD

to make pizza again (wink wink))!

Here is a breakdown of the supplements I have been taking since the start of week 2.  They are based on the results from my blood test.  All the supplements except for the fish oil and the b12 are from Apex Energetics.  In the morning I take two Hemevite (k-26).  This is my iron supplement and it absorbs best with citrus.  I have been including citrus in almost every smoothie I have in the morning, so this is when I choose to take the iron.  I also take 1 super digestzyme (z-22) (at every meal actually) and 1 HCL Prozyme (z-26) (at every meal as well).   I take a B12.  I take 2 H-PLR (k-32) and 2 Methyl-SP (k-14).  One is for my liver health, since my liver enzymes were elevated, and one is a natural anti-viral, since a lot of the numbers on my test indicate that I have some sort of viral infection that I am fighting.  At lunch I take 2 fish oil and the digestion enzymes. At dinner I take all the supplements that I took at breakfast, minus the iron.

I had a lot more energy this week. I think the addition of the protein powder has helped greatly.  I also started taking the fish oil supplement and an extra b12 (so now over 30,000 my daily value…..but not peeing yellow, so I guess I am absorbing all of it!) as well.  I ran just over 20 miles over the weekend and felt pretty darn good doing it.  It is getting down to crunch time for my races the end of this month, so I have been putting on a lot of miles the last few weeks….and will continue to for the rest of the month!

I must admit I actually have felt pretty energetic after the two times I ate flesh…fish the one time, turkey the other.  I have not seemed to notice any adverse effects from anything I have slowly added into my diet since the cleanse.  I have still stayed away from soy.  I think the addition of the HCL supplement has helped greatly with my digestion. I have had really no bloating or gas after anything I have eaten.  I am finding that I am able to get full on mostly fruits and veggies.  I am eating 4-5 meals a day most days and I feel like that keeps my hunger at bay and my energy levels up.  I have noticed that since day 1 of the cleanse I have not had any mid-afternoon “bonks.”  I think part of that is the fact that I have cut the simple sugars out of my diet.  It is possible that I may have an issue with dairy and since I have cut it out I am feeling better.  I removed dairy from my diet years ago, when soy milk first became popular, but did not notice any adverse reactions when I introduced it again.  I will have to keep an eye on that.

I made my coconut almond energy bars (recipe listed in my notes on facebook), and I eat a small one of those when I have a craving for something a little sweet or am thinking I need a bit of energy.  I also have my vegan/raw coconut chocolate truffles as an after dinner “dessert”.  That recipe is also on my notes in facebook.  They are really rich and tasty, so just one satisfies any craving, and all things considered, they are not unhealthy!

Bonus…I lost 6 pounds during the cleanse phase and I have not gained any of it back yet.

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Introducing Grace Taing

March 10th, 2010

Man, it is hard to put out a blog everyday.  I am committed to growing this concept so I will keep working as hard as I can with my schedule to give you all a quality product as often as I can.  I hope you all will continue to invite people to The Body Blog and share this concept with everyone you know.  A healthier world is a happier world.  I would love to take an extra day off of work each week to develop this thing better and I hope to be able to do that soon.  I have some good follow ups to get out to you, but I want to make sure to do the participants justice and use their stories to educate.  For today I wanted to let you meet Grace and read about her cleanse week.  More to come tomorrow with follow ups!

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Full Name: Grace Taing
Resides: Huntington Beach
Age: 27
height: 5’7

I am a full time student and I work around 20-25 per week.

My typical diet consist of 16oz of Vietnamese coffee in the morning and a small bowl of pho (if I have a late class), or sometimes a piece of fruit (usually a banana). For lunch I usually go home and eat whatever is in the fridge, which usually is leftovers from the night before, or buy a turkey sandwich at 7-11, surprisingly they are actually pretty good! Dinner is never consistent; I’ll eat dinner super early or super late. If I have to eat late I try to keep it light with steamed veggies and chicken breast. Throughout the day I’ll snack on fruit (apples, oranges etc…). The worst thing about my diet is like Mylene I too am a sugar addict! I love anything sweet, chocolate, and fruity. I think if I cut back the sweets my diet would be somewhat healthy, I don’t eat anything fried, or too heavy.

My favorite foods…hmmm..I love grilled salmon, Vietnamese “crack” coffee, fresh spring rolls, Thai food, Korean food, fruit (i.e. strawberries, blue berries, fuji apples, oranges), dark chocolate cover almonds, and sushi. Since I eat out quite a bit, my average weekly food expense is approximately $50-$60 a week. I don’t drink or smoke.

I don’t work out as often as I like, If I’m up early enough I like to jog down to the beach and back which is about 30 min (maybe once a week). I usually use work as my exercise. I have a 24 hour fitness gym membership but haven’t used it in over a year, sad I know. But I am looking forward to changing all that with the start of this cleanse.

For fun I love hanging out with my family and friends, which usually consist of us eating, and shopping. Relaxing at home and watching movies. I don’t drink or smoke. And I get sick about twice a year, nothing too severe, but usually last about a week or so.

Day 1 Saturday 02/06/10
Woke up at 8am, and made master cleanse. It wasn’t too bad I drank a third of it; it was basically drinking spicy lemon water. I took all 11 capsules, and had some strawberries and a banana. For lunch I had a spinach salad with half a avocado, lemon juice and a little extra virgin olive oil, and finished the rest of the master cleanse; I took the nine capsules and went to work. An hour into work and I was starving! I had a banana and drank as much water as I could. For dinner I had steamed veggies (broccoli, snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, and asparagus) with some lemon juice. Before bed I had a tangerine and finished the rest of the capsules for the day. I went to bed around 3am and not looking forward to the liver flush.
Day 2 Sunday 02/07/10
Woke up at 8:30am, went for a light 20 min jog. I made the master cleanse and liver flush, the flush was HORRIBLE!! I drank about half the master cleanse and had a banana. I took all fifteen capsules and drank a little more of the master cleanse. Ran some errands, and finished up on some reading. Lunch I had a spinach salad with half of an avocado, lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Not a big football fan so I went shopping with a friend while the boys watched the game and barbecued. After 2 hours of shopping and we were feeling super hungry and we went to Brodard and I had two vegetarian spring rolls, and did a little more shopping afterwards. Went home and had some steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, shitake mushrooms, snap peas, and asparagus) one cup of cooked quinoa and a tropical fruit bar from Trader Joes for dessert. Took the rest of the capsules for the day and went to bed around 10pm, thinking about salmon and sourdough bread.
Day 3 Monday 02/08/10
Woke up at 7am, and feeling pretty good, wasn’t as groggy as usual. Made the master cleanse, and liver flush. I grabbed a banana, took the capsules and off to class. For lunch I had a spinach salad with grilled veggies (onion, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic) and a cup of cantaloupe. Finished my last class of the day and went home. Dinner: ½ of quinoa, grilled asparagus and mushrooms. I did not get a chance to work out today. Before bedtime snack: one Fuji apple. Went to be at 11pm.
Day 4 Tuesday 02/09/10
Woke up at 7am, feeling completely rested and full of energy, went for a 30 min jog. I made master cleanse and liver flush. Before class I had a banana. For lunch it was a spinach salad with half a avocado, tomatoes, kidney beans, and cucumbers with a little lemon juice. Snack: a cup of fresh strawberries. Dinner: Steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, asparagus, and shitake mushrooms) with a little lemon juice and black pepper. Surprisingly I haven’t been craving any meat, or dairy, wish I could say the same for sugar. Russ gave me a good suggestion to help with the sugar cravings, dried mango!  Went to bed around 12:30 am.
Day 5 Wednesday 02/10/10
Woke up at 7am relieved that the liver flush was finally over! Did 30 min of pilates, and afterwards made master cleanse and had a fruit bowl (banana, strawberries, blueberries) for breakfast. Lunch: spinach salad with avocado, cucumbers, and a little lemon juice. For a snack I had a Trade Joes tropical fruit bar. Dinner: one cup cooked quinoa and grilled veggies (shitake mushrooms, asparagus, and zucchini). Went to bed at 10:30pm.
Day 6 Thursday 02/11/10
Woke up at 6:45 am, and for the first time in years without the alarm clock!!! I’m feeling very well rested and ready to start the day! I did 30 min of pilates and made the master cleanse and took the morning set of capsules and had 8oz of freshly juiced fruits (apples, oranges, cumbers, carrots). For a snack I had one banana. I’ve realized the key to helping me stay full is drink lots and lots of water. Lunch: steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, and mushroom) and 1 cup of brown rice. Dinner: just some fresh strawberries. Just one more day of the master cleanse left! I’m really looking forward to this weekend!! I’ll be in San Diego celebrating Chinese New Year with the family, Can’t wait to get my grub on! Went to bed a 10pm.
Day 7 Friday 02/12/10
Last day of the master cleanse! Woke up at 6:30am and went for a 30 min jog. Made the last master cleanse and took the morning set of capsules. Breakfast: a bowl of fresh fruits (strawberries, banana). Snack: dried mango. Lunch: grilled veggies (broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms) and one cup of brown rice. It was off to work for about 6 hours, after that I was so tired I had no appetite to eat anything, so before bed I had one banana and fresh strawberries and finished the rest of the capsules.

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Cleanse phase 2

March 8th, 2010

So until now we have been following everybody doing their cleanses.  You have a good idea that changing your diet to all fruits and veggies can have some dramatic impacts on your mood and energy level.  However, it is good for cleaning out the system and re-setting your body inside.

We still have a couple people that I will get you the end of their cleanses, but now we are going to focus on phase 2.  Phase 2 involves healthy eating for the rest of the trial month.  So for 3 weeks there will be no dairy, no eggs and meat in the form of poultry or fish will only be consumed a maximum of twice per week.  Not two days of meat, but two meals where meat is consumed.  Refined sugars will be cut out or way down as well as fried foods.  After the cleanse we have already started changing the food preferences of our bodies and now we will continue to feed it fresh fruits and veggies while including whole grains, sprouted breads, beans and nuts.  This is the ideal diet for the experiment and the one that is most proven (scientifically) around the world to promote long term health and minimize disease.

In addition to reporting people’s progress I will be asking them questions throughout the month and also providing some critical analysis of their progress for you to get a deeper understanding of how these changes affect the body.

Thank you to The Ultimate Energy Cleanse for sponsoring phase 1.  For phase 2 Yerba Prima fiber and Nordic Naturals fish oil will be the primary sponsors as we continue to clean out and rebuild our bodies.

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There’s something fishy going on in the supplement world

March 5th, 2010

Most everyone knows that fish oil is my favorite supplement.  If you didn’t–FISH OIL IS MY FAVORITE SUPPLEMENT.  I don’t take very many supplements because I believe that the majority of our nutrition for optimal health should be coming from fresh food.  Learning what to eat, how to eat and how to take care of our planet responsibly is what we do here on The Body Blog.  Everyone has a slant though and ours is learning what and how to eat to achieve longevity (live the most amount of years possible) in a vibrant and healthful way (not getting diseases or cancers) while be responsible to the planet.

Both goals are intimately connected.  Taking it a step further, I believe that in addition to living disease (and sickness) free lives, we are learning how to slow the effects of aging on our bodies which will result in living longer while staying healthy.  Imagine how amazing it will be at 80 years old to run, jump, play like you’re in your 30’s or 40’s.  Wouldn’t it be amazing at 100 years old to be living in your own home, keeping house enjoying all the advancements in future technology and experiencing all that life has to offer?

Exercise is king, nutrition is queen and correct supplementation is the jack.  The ace in the hole is being lucky enough to survive the tragic uncertainties life throws at us.  It is becoming scientifically evident that eating less meat and more vegetables is a major factor to long-lived health.  Also at the same time science is proving that enriching our diets with a plentiful amount of omega-3 fatty acids is health promoting and longevity enhancing.  The most abundant form of long medium and short chain omega-3s comes from sea creatures.  Fish have proven to be the most sustainable, healthy form of this supply.  If eating more fish isn’t the answer (refer to earlier blogs on the safety/dangers of eating more fish) then how do we get more of the fatty acid from the fish?  Fish oil.

All are not created equal though and there are some major differences with fish oil manufacturers.  Just like any major purchase you tend to get what you pay for.  Fish oil can have a negative net impact on you if you end up consuming a brand of rancid fish oil or one with toxins or heavy metals etc.  Sometimes giving your body supplements ends up hurting you if they aren’t high quality and pure.  Vitamins can be the same way.  If you’re going to spend your money to get an inferior or ineffective product, you may as well save it instead of flushing it down the toilet.

So, fish oil, my favorite supplement; friend or foe?  Friend, BUT you’ll want to hear about this: http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2010/03/04/lawsuit-filed-connection-undeclared-pcbs-fish-oil-supplements_201003043556.html

This is what led me to Nordic Naturals fish oils years ago.  This is why I felt good about negotiating a 15% discount with them for all Body Blog readers and members of our Health and Wellness Education group on Facebook.  That is why the founder of the company felt compelled to write this letter for all of us in response to the lawsuit:

March 4, 2010

Dear valued customer,

In an effort to address recent media announcements, Nordic Naturals would like to assure all of our loyal supporters that we have and will continue to ensure safety and purity for our products. We would like to reiterate that all Nordic Naturals products surpass all PCB standards set by California’s Proposition 65, the GOED voluntary monograph, and all international standards. Nordic Naturals products were not listed in the lawsuit filed in California alleging that eight fish oil companies did not properly label products regarding PCB levels under the state’s Proposition 65. In fact, we believe our fish oils are the purest in the world.

Since 1995, Nordic Naturals has been setting the standards for fish oil excellence while delivering third- party test results that reveal industry-leading purity and freshness. We believe that consumers should have access to accurate information about environmental contaminants and that complete transparency around freshness and purity is essential.

We have always taken a proactive approach to provide individuals with information regarding the purity, safety, and efficacy of our products. Using the most advanced testing methods to detect PCBs, third- party tests show that all our fish oils have no detectable levels at one part per trillion of Non-Ortho and Mono-Ortho PCBs (the most harmful PCBs, which are not covered by Prop 65) and total PCBs are well below the Prop 65 limit of 0.09 μg/kg (90 nanograms, 0.09 ppm, or 90 ppb).

Nordic Naturals starts with the best raw material available—fish low on the food chain, which naturally contain low levels of impurities and high levels of omega-3 fats. Our multi-patented manufacturing processes, accompanied by leading-edge processing technologies, deliver fish oil with exceptional freshness and purity levels. Nordic Naturals fish oils are documented to be completely pure, with no detected heavy metals or environmental contaminants when third-party tested at levels 10 times below the stringent European Pharmacopeia, CRN, GOED, and IFOS standards.

As a pioneer and innovator, Nordic Naturals has created a new definition of fish oil quality as it relates to freshness, taste, dosage, and, most importantly, purity, reinforcing our commitment to conduct business truthfully and authentically in the fish oil industry.

We greatly appreciate your continued trust and support. In health,

Joar Opheim CEO

Phone: 831.724.6200 | Toll Free: 800.662.2544 | Fax: 831.724.6600 94 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076 | info@nordicnaturals.com | nordicnaturals.com

Remember that if you are going to take a step forward to better health, knowing what and how to do is just as important as doing.  Nordic Naturals is in my opinion the best fish oil available and with the 15% discount they have given us, they are even more affordable to get the best health possible.  I’ll have future blogs comparing supplements and talking about quality for more than just fish oil.  Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.

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The Health War: Soy benefits?

March 4th, 2010

Halt on the cleanse for a minute.  Here on The Body Blog we have been advocating a diet more rich with plant foods, less processed foods, and minimal meat consumption.  For anyone who eats the typical American diet, this can be a tough pill to swallow.  We are change averse as humans and so to open our minds up to new things generally takes a tremendous amount of will power.  For people used to eating a lot of meat, even if they are considering eating more plants, they tend to look at meat-like substitutes.  Generally, this means soy and the wide array of soy based products available in the market place.

A common obstacle for people is a crap load of conflicting information about soy.  Is it good for you?  Does it promote breast cancer?  etc etc.

This type of press usually evokes a sense of fear and since people as a rule are change averse gives them a reason not to have an open mind.  I would like to remind all the readers out there that the Japanese diet, specifically studied in Okinawa is rich with soy products and they have had some of the lowest cancer rates in the world.  I say that to remind you when you are reading an article knocking soy to think logically.

Here is a recent article that gives some scientific evidence about the benefits of soy:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neal-barnard-md/settling-the-soy-controve_b_453966.html

I just wanted to make the case for eating a healthier, less processed, more plants, higher fiber diet while you are reading about everybody making changes with their cleanses.  You can do it too.  You should do it (for better health).  Thanks for reading and tomorrow I have a special revelation about my favorite supplement: fish oil.

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Mylene’s first couple days on the cleanse

March 3rd, 2010

So I introduced you to Mylene yesterday, and now I wanted to let her share the first two days with you.  Some cleanses are a couple days, so me a few weeks.  Some don’t want you to eat which would be more accurately a fast and some don’t specify you change anything about your eating habits.

I will point out that fasting is completely different although not a bad thing.  The purpose is the same, to encourage and stimulate your body to release toxins that are stored in your fat stores and organs but they just do it in different ways and to different degrees.  The Ultimate Energy Cleanse remember is designed to clean out some toxins and encourage your body to reset a little bit while eating very healthy foods.  The healthy foods are key because hopefully after the cleanse you will want more of them and less “bad for you” food.  We are getting close to the time when I will start giving you post-cleanse updates for people so make sure to subscribe to The Body Blog (top right of the home page) at www.worldhealthhub.com

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Mylene Jimenez

Hello hello! Just to refresh your memory my name is MYLENE JIMENEZ! I’m one lucky girl to have such a great friend like Russ in my life to guide me through this cleanse and hopefully a great life changing experience. Let me just remind you all that I probably wouldn’t have done this cleanse if I didn’t trust both RUSS and the product. Before I bore you with my personal diary I just want to also remind you that though it may sound like I was having a tough time with this… I am not your typical 9-5 working girl… I’m a restaurant manager at PF Changs and during this cleanse I was in the midst of working 9 straight long days! Might I also add that I love COFFEE and pretty much anything and everything sweet! My typical day would consist of at least 2 cups of coffee and something sweet….

Day 1 Saturday 02/06/10I woke up late today at 11am and had to rush and buy ingredients for the cleanse! I was taking so long I had one of my best friends Grace make my master cleanse and bring it to work for me! I took all the capsules needed for the morning….Breakfast: 1 banana with almond butterLunch: bowl of berries (strawberries and raspberries) 1 banana and took all the capsules needed. Dinner: Buddha’s Feast from PF Changs, which include the following vegetables: shitake mushrooms, carrots, snap peas, broccoli and asparagus. I ordered this dish steamed!I came home from work at around 11pm and took the rest of the capsules I had to take! This was one tough start for me…. I worked from 3:30pm till about 2am the night before and was feeling exhausted from the moment I woke and by the end of the day I was feeling horrible….. The caffeine and sugar withdrawal was kicking in already

Day 2 SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!! 02/07/10I woke up at 7:30am this morning and made my master cleanse and hurried to work by 9am! I made it early and made my liver flush which turned out quite thick! I didn’t have a super juicer like the VITA MIX or anything … I just used a normal blender that was conveniently at the work place. Breakfast: For breakfast the liver flush kept me quite full for the most part. I finished the other half of the grapefruit after it took me about 30 minutes to drink the thick liver flush! Lunch: Bowl of mixed berries with raspberries and strawberriesI was able to go home today by 3:30pm to watch the rest of the Super Bowl!!! So I was actually able to fix myself something to eat! When I got home my boyfriend and his friends were all chowing down on delicious looking sub sandwiches and chips and salsa not to mention pecan tarts that looked so delicious! Being it was only my second day … I had to keep strong.. I had only just begun.. I was determined not to crumble… with that said for dinner I had the following…Dinner: ½ cup of quinoa with broccoli, red onions and avocados … let me remind you that today was SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!! Ahhhhhhhh… this was one tough day… I took all the capsules needed today… the only thing I had issues with was chugging down the thick liver flush I had made!!!

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Introducing Mylene Jimenez

March 2nd, 2010

Going from the tallest guy to now the shortest girl, Mylene is an awesome person I must say and know how she ate before this cleanse I would just like to say:  If she can do it, so can you!  The Ultimate Energy Cleanse can be a challenge as Billy described yesterday.  It takes discipline and determination.  Think about it though: what worth doing in life doesn’t?

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Mylene Jimenez

Irvine, Ca

28 years old

5′1

I am a Restaurant Manager @ PF Changs and I work around 50+ hours a week!

My typical diet consists of at least 2 cups of coffee with a lot of cream and sugar.  I try to eat breakfast as often as possible and when I do I normally eat cereal..(cereals like Apple Jacks, Cheerios, ) for lunch I eat whatever is convenient… I love sandwiches, soups, salads, fruits sushi, rice.. I LOVE FOOD and I love to try all kinds of things…I’m very open minded when it comes to food…I recently tried Venezuelan Food and loved it!!!  I usually end up stuffing myself at lunch and usually don’t have an appetite for dinner…  If there is one thing you need to know .. it is that I LOVE, LOVE anything sweet!  I’m definitely a sugar addict!!!  I don’t smoke or drink.. my only little vice is sugar :)

I DO NOT CONSIDER MY DIET HEALTHY.  I try but it gets ruined by all the sugar.

Favorite food???  I love anything and everything… I just love anything that has good flavor… I especially love anything sweet like apple cobblers, cupcakes you name it I love it.

Weekly food expense?? $100 bucks??

I just got a membership at LA Fitness and I work out 3 times a week now!  I do at least 30 minutes of cardio and about an hour of weights.. I do change it up and try to take classes as well… Working on getting fit!

FOR FUN?  I like to hang out with friends and eat out!  Thats really all I have time to do… I love to relax at home and watch tv shows I never have time to watch on HULU!

I DO NOT DRINK OR SMOKE!!

No KIDS, boyfriend only

I get sick hmmmmm… maybe once a year…it’s quite mild when it does occur…

Mylene’s first 2 days on the cleanse on The Body Blog tomorrow.

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