By Kris Carr on May 6, 2009
Glitter glam!
Before I get started on todays post, check out the newest items in our store! The number one question we get at CSL is: What juicer and blender do you use and where can I get them? Finally, we have our top picks.
OK, Food & Lifestyle Journal time…
Here are some basic questions that will guide you through the 28 days. It would be wonderful if you could answer them at the end of each day. This way you can track your progress and identify your weaknesses. I look at these questions like a road map. You’ll see where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going. Hope my 20 questions helps. They sure keep me in line!
1. What did you eat today and did you juice? Please include breakfast, lunch, dinner and any in between snacking. Remember to choose from a wide variety of healthy (organic when possible) veggies, leafy greens, sprouts, gluten-free grains, beans, nuts and seeds. If you can get your hands on some wheat grass – good for you! One 2 oz shot on an empty stomach can really perk you up.
2. How much purified water did you consume? My Suggestion: drink up to half your body weight in ounces. Example: I weigh 128 pounds. 128 divided by 2 = 64 Oz. So I need to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water. You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation.
3. Did you abstain from coffee?
4. Did you abstain from alcohol?
5. Did you abstain from gluten?
6. Did you abstain from animal protein?
Note: I suggest that you eliminate all flesh and dairy products for the 28 days. If that isn’t possible please reduce your flesh consumption to no more than twice per week. Remove dairy completely.
7. Did you choose low-glycemic sweets – if at all?
8. How were your cravings?
9. Did you have any detox symptoms?
10. What supplements did you take?
11. How was your elimination?
12. Did you dry brush today? How about exercise? Did you move your body for at least 35 minutes?
13. Did you meditate for 15-20 minutes?
14. Did you chew your meals mindfully?
15. What time did you stop eating? 3 hours before bed is optimal.
16. What time did you go to sleep and for how long? 8 hours is optimal.
17. How did you feel emotionally physically?
18. How do you feel emotionally?
19. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you love them today?
20. Did you spend time in nature? Even 5 minutes is better than nothing.
Bonus question: On a scale from 1-10 how do you rate your overall energy and attitude today?
If you would like to include a record of your pH in this journal that would be helpful. Remember that pH fluctuates all the time. Use it as an educational tool and not as the be all end all guide.
You can start tracking and graphing your urine pH 3 times per day for about a week to get a basic snapshot of your acid/alkaline level. Although the blood pH is more accurate, urine is a helpful gauge worth exploring. Urine is far more accurate than saliva. You don’t have to get you’re blood pH tested unless you’re really curious. If your sick, tired, overweight, etc, more than likely your pH is acidic.
Remember, the first reading in the morning will always be acidic due to the metabolic process of overnight repair. Therefore, start with the second reading and take the others BEFORE eating meals. You can find many litmus papers (pH strips) online or at health foods stores. A good measure falls between 6.5 and 7ish. Happy testing!
Peace & scribbles,
Kris
ps- Congratulations to our April Contest winner, Jessica Stone from Ripe London. Here is her raw Dulce de Leche Bars recipe…
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By Joel Fuhrman MD on March 18, 2009
In the last 30 years we have been led to believe that drugs are the answer for all of our ailments. The reality is our diet and lifestyle better determines our overall health and longevity, not drugs. It is no different for osteoporosis. Exercise and proper nutrition are more effective than drugs, and the drugs commonly prescribed for osteoporosis have potentially serious side effects.
Millions of women have been falsely convinced that calcium intake is the most important factor determining bone strength. In recent years we have learned to achieve normal bone health it takes much more than just calcium. It takes muscle-building exercise and superior nutrition. Nutrition with adequate vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts that not only contain calcium, magnesium, potassium and vegetable protein, but critical micronutrients and phytochemicals that are also important for bone strength.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is vital for bone health. Our bodies produce vitamin D after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and functions as a hormone because it sends a message to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and stimulates bone growth. Research studies have corroborated the fact that most Americans are Vitamin D deficient and more and more health authorities are recommending that additional Vitamin D be taken over and above the 400 IUs typically present in most multivitamins. Most women need over 1000 IU for adequate bone health.
Another vitamin to be mindful of is Vitamin A. Research has shown vitamin A is linked to calcium loss in the urine and osteoporosis. For example, an important study found that subjects who took a supplement that contained Vitamin A had double the hip fracture rate of those who did not. Even if you take a multivitamin with the standard 5000 IU of Vitamin A, you could be weakening your bones. Instead, the body can naturally self-fabricate Vitamin A from the carotenoids in real food, such as green and orange vegetables, and fresh fruit.
We know that the size and strength of muscles and bone decrease with age, and that certain factors can accelerate or slow this decline. Nine out of ten hip fractures result from falls and the risk of falls is better tied to strength and balance skills than to bone density. The strength and density of bone over time is directly proportional to the muscle strength that moves that bone. Just as muscles build with regular exercise, the bone strengthens and increases its density too, right along with muscle. It is essential to exercise, and, in particular, to exercise the back and legs. In fact, muscle strength is an accurate way to predict bone strength and strengthening muscles has been shown to be the most effective way to strengthen bone and protect against osteoporosis-related fractures.
I have put together a comprehensive approach that combines dietary advice, supplements and special exercises that together offers a significant improvement over drug-treatment for osteopenia and osteoporosis. I want to give people the information they needed to put an effective plan into action, so I put together a DVD called Osteoporosis Protection For Life to demonstrate the best 10 exercises, such as squat jumps, and side lunges to effectively build your strength and bone mass and improve balance. It takes only a few minutes a day or fifteen minutes twice a week to run through the exercises.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. has discussed the benefits of Nutritional Excellence on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN and the Discovery Channel. He is a frequent key note speaker at events and is interviewed for radio, magazine, and newspaper articles across the country. Dr. Fuhrman is the author of the critically acclaimed top-selling books Eat to Live and Eat For Health.
Visit his website at: www.DrFuhrman.com
And official blog: www.diseaseproof.com
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