Your Diets Don't Work!

By Chad Tackett

Many Americans view a healthy lifestyle as something difficult to attain--and something that's not much fun. Traditional diets have taught us that to lose weight, we must count calories, keep track of everything we eat, and deprive ourselves by limiting the amount--and kinds--of foods we eat. Diets tell us exactly what and how much food to eat, regardless of our preferences and individual relationships with hunger and satiety. Dieting can help us lose weight (fat, muscle, and water) in the short term but is so unnatural and so unrealistic that it can never become a lifestyle that we can live with, let alone enjoy!

While very few diets teach healthy low-fat shopping, cooking, and dining-out strategies, many offer unrealistic recommendations and encourage health-threatening restrictions. Even more important, diets don't teach us the safest, most effective ways to exercise; they don't teach us how to deal with our cravings and our desires, or how to attend to our feelings of hunger and fullness. Eventually, we become tired of the complexity, the hunger, the lack of flavor, the lack of flexibility, the lack of energy, and the feeling of deprivation. We quit our diets and gain back the weight we've lost; sometimes we gain even more!

Each time we go on another diet of deprivation, the weight becomes more difficult to lose, and we become even more frustrated and discouraged. Then we eat more and exercise less, causing ourselves more frustration, discouragement, depression. Soon we are in a vicious cycle. We begin to ask ourselves, "Why bother?" We begin to blame ourselves for having no will power when what we really need is clear, scientifically-based information that will help us develop a healthier lifestyle we can live with for the rest of our lives.

Deliberate restriction of food intake in order to lose weight or to prevent weight gain, known as dieting, is the path that millions of people all over the world are taking in order to reach a desired body weight or appearance. Preoccupation with body shape, size, and weight creates an unhealthy lifestyle of emotional and physical deprivation. Diets take control away from us.

Many of us who diet get caught in a "yo-yo" cycle that begins with low self-acceptance and results in structured eating and living because we lack trust in our body and are unwilling to listen and adhere to our body's signals of hunger and fullness. On diets, we distrust and ignore internal signs of appetite, hunger, and our need to be physically and psychologically satisfied. Instead, we depend on diet plans, measured portions, and a prescribed frequency for eating.

As a result, many of us have lost the ability to eat in response to our physical needs; we experience feelings of deprivation, then binge, and finally terminate our "health" program. This in turn leads to guilt, defeat, weight gain, low self-esteem, and then we're back to the beginning of the yo-yo diet cycle. Rather than making us feel better about ourselves, diets set us up for failure and erode our self-esteem.

The attitudes and practices acquired through years of dieting are likely to result in a body weight and size obsession, low self-esteem, poor nutrition and excessive or inadequate exercise. Weight loss from following a rigid diet is usually temporary. Most diets are too drastic to maintain; they are unrealistic and unpleasant; they are physically and emotionally stressful. And most of us just resume our old eating and activity patterns. Diets control us; we are not in control. People who try to live by diet lists and rules learn little or nothing about proper nutrition and how to enjoy their meals, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle. No one can realistically live in the diet mode for the rest of their life, depriving themselves of the true pleasures of healthy eating and activity.

We Don't Fail Diets; They Fail Us!

Decades of research have shown that diets, both self-initiated and professionally-led, are ineffective at producing long-term health and weight loss (or weight control). When your diet fails to keep the weight off, you may say to yourself, "If only I didn't love food so much . . . If I could just exercise more often . . . If I just had more will power." The problem is not personal weakness or lack of will power. Only 5 percent of people who go on diets are successful. Please understand that we are not failing diets; diets are failing us.

The reason 95 percent of all traditional diets fail is simple. When you go on a low-calorie diet, your body thinks you are starving; it actually becomes more efficient at storing fat by slowing down your metabolism. When you stop this unrealistic eating plan, your metabolism is still slow and inefficient that you gain the weight back even faster, even though you may still be eating less than you were before you went on the diet.

In addition, low-calorie diets cause you to lose both muscle and fat in equal amounts. However, when you eventually gain back the weight, it is all fat and not muscle, causing your metabolism to slow down even more. Now you have extra weight, a less healthy body composition, and a less attractive physique.

Diets require you to sacrifice by being hungry; they don't allow you to enjoy the foods you love. This does not teach you habits which you can maintain after the diet is over. Most diet programs force you to lower your caloric intake to dangerously low levels. The common theory is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its life-sustaining activities, you're actually losing muscle in addition to fat. Your body breaks down its own muscles to provide the needed energy for survival.

Traditional diets which use calorie restriction to produce weight loss are no longer appropriate. Most weight-loss programs measure success solely in terms of the number of pounds lost per weight loss attempt. Diets don't take into account the quality of the process used to achieve that weight loss or the very small likelihood of sustained weight loss. For long-term good health, you need to move away from low-calorie diets and focus on enjoyable physical activity and good nutrition. Exercising regularly and eating lean-supporting calories, protein and carbohydrates, and reducing fat-supporting calories will not only help you look and feel better, it will also significantly reduce your risk of disease.

America spends billions of dollars on different ways to fix people. If we focused more on prevention and on improving our day-to-day behaviors, we could cut health care costs in half. Contrary to popular belief, leading a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be difficult; it doesn't have to painful or time-consuming. Making gradual, simple changes in your diet and physical activity will make great improvements in your health and well-being, and they can drastically reduce your risk of disease.

If your weight management program is to be a success, everything you eat and every exercise you do must be a pleasurable experience. If you're not enjoying yourself, it is unlikely that you'll continue your program. It's that simple. These small, gradual changes are not painful or overwhelming but rather the core of an exciting lifestyle that you will look forward to.

Take the frustration, guilt, and deprivation out of weight management, and allow yourself to adopt gradual, realistic changes into your life that will make healthy eating and physical activity a permanent pleasure. You will soon discover what your body is capable of and begin to look, act, and feel your very best. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

* Be sure to check with your health care professional before making any changes in your activity habits.



Chad Tackett, the President of Global Health and Fitness (GHF), has degrees in Exercise and Heath Science and Nutrition, is a Certified Personal Trainer, and is a regular guest lecturer to both professional and lay audiences on the principles of effective exercise and good nutrition. Visit GHF (http://www.global-fitness.com) and you'll find easy to follow fitness recommendations, hundreds of exercise instructions and video demonstrations, customized programs, healthy recipes and meal plans, a free nutrition analysis, health club and personal trainer directories, and much more!

Weight loss : Sensible Diet Tips

Start your diet with a food diary, record everything you eat, what you were doing at the time, and how you felt. That tells you about yourself, your temptation, the emotional states that encourage you to snack and may help you lose once you see how much you eat.

Instead of eating the forbidden piece of candy, brush your teeth. If you're about to cheat, allow yourself a treat, then eat only half a bite and throw the other half away. When hunger hits, wait 10 minutes before eating and see if it passes. Set attainable goals. Don't say, "I want to lose 50 pounds." Say, "I want to lose 5 pounds a month." Get enough sleep but not too much. Try to avoid sugar. Highly sweetened foods tend to make you crave more.

Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Water itself helps cut down on water retention because it acts as a diuretic. Taken before meals, it dulls the appetite by giving you that "full feeling." Diet with a buddy. Support groups are important, and caring people can help one another succeed. Start your own, even with just one other person.

Substitute activity for eating. When the cravings hit, go to the "Y" or health club if possible; or dust, or walk around the block. This is especially helpful if you eat out of anger.

If the pie on the counter is just too great a temptation and you don't want to throw it away, freeze it. If you're a late-night eater, have a carbohydrate, such as a slice of bread of a cracker, before bedtime to cut down on cravings. Keep an orange slice or a glass of water by your bed to quiet the hunger pangs that wake you up.

If you use food as a reward, establish a new reward system. Buy yourself a non-edible reward. Write down everything you eat - - everything - including what you taste when you cook. If you monitor what you eat, you can't go off your diet.

Weigh yourself once a week at the same time. Your weight fluctuates constantly and you can weigh more at night than you did in the morning, a downer if you stuck to your diet all day. Make dining an event. East from your own special plate, on your own special placemat, and borrow the Japanese art of food arranging to make your meal, no matter how meager, look lovely. This is a trick that helps chronic over-eaters and bingers pay attention to their food instead of consuming it unconsciously.

Don't shop when you're hungry. You'll only buy more fattening food. Avoid finger foods that are easy to eat in large amounts. Avoid consuming large quantities of fattening liquids, which are so easy to overdo. And this includes alcoholic beverages. Keep plenty of crunchy foods like raw vegetables and air-popped fat-free popcorn on hand. They're high in fiber, satisfying and filling. Leave something on your plate, even if you are a charter member of the Clean The Plate Club. It's a good sign that you can stop eating when you want to, not just when your plate is empty.

Lose weight for yourself, not to please your husband, your parents or your friends. Make the kitchen off-limits at any time other than mealtime. Always eat at the table, never in front of the TV set or with the radio on. Concentrate on eating every mouthful slowly and savoring each morsel. Chew everything from 10 to 20 times and count! Never skip meals.

Submitted by Joe R.

Why People Fail At Weight Loss

Why do so many people fail at losing weight? Is it because they are lazy? No. Is it because they are addicted to food? No. Is it because they aren’t good at exercising? No. Failure at weight loss stems from a few main factors:

1) People don't truly understand the risks of being overweight. Why do most want to lose weight? Most would say to look better. Looking better certainly is a benefit of losing weight, but this shouldn’t be the sole reason to lose weight. There is a 1000 pound gorilla in the room and it’s often ignored. Being overweight for a long period of time kills thousands of people each year. Thousands of studies have show and proven without any doubt that losing body fat will improve and lengthen your life. This eBook will give you a picture of the dangers of being overweight. Knowing the dangers of being overweight is a tremendous motivator to not only lose fat, but to keep it off.

2) People don't commit to permanent lifestyle changes. So many people think of a "diet" as something temporary. When they are on a "diet" they restrict themselves so much that they are miserable. Sooner or later failure is inevitable because of the unreasonable demands of most "diets." Some of these diets force you to only eat certain foods (e.g., no carbs, special soups etc…) You, like myself, have probably tried them before. The key to losing weight long term is to make gradual lifestyle changes you can stick to forever.

3) Most individuals are not provided the truthful facts of losing weight and becoming healthier. With the conflicting information in the media, and all of the different lose weight quick fad diets, it’s understandable why so many people really don’t know the truth about losing fat and keeping it off long term. We will go over the no-nonsense truth.

4) Most people don't understand they are constantly either gaining fat, or losing fat. There is no in-between. Some people justify binging or giving up because they hit a small road-block. This isn’t an all or nothing game. For example, when I was overweight, if I ate an unhealthy lunch, I’d go ahead and eat an unhealthy dinner since I already "messed up" the day. Or I’d say, I’ll start eating healthy on Monday since I’ve already eaten poorly this weekend. Every person at times eats too much. The successful people will not let a road bump completely derail their entire lifestyle change. If you are not implementing positive lifestyle changes and losing weight, you are gaining weight. Again, there is no "in-between."

5) Most people don't realize what they consume each day. So many overweight people eat thousands of extra calories and fat without realizing it. It’s tough to know if you are gaining weight or losing weight each day unless you are keeping an eye on what you’re consuming. Later in the eBook you will be given an easy way to keep track of your consumption.

This article was written by Rob B, the creator of FreeWeightloss.com, and the author of the Ultimate Weight Loss eBook.

Diets And Artherosclerosis - An Interview With Molly Gee - The Diet Channel, An Award Winning Web Site

Below is an interview with Molly Gee, a highly respected Registered Dietitian, on the topic of Diets and Artherosclerosis:

Eric Enge: Can you start us with a background on yourself and how you got into the Baylor College of Medicine?

Molly Gee: I am a registered dietician, and for the past twenty-five years I've enjoyed working in the Texas Medical Center. I first started with the teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine, the Methodist Hospital, in their preventive medicine center. And with that, primary prevention is really the area that I've spent most of my career. And this relates to diet, managing stress, stopping smoking. And that crosses over into all of the major chronic diseases that unfortunately Americans know too well. For the past five years I have gone back to Baylor College of Medicine as a project leader, and have been doing more human trial research on topics like obesity and diabetes. And you know, it's just been just fascinating understanding some of the things that we can do to help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Eric Enge: Right, yes it is a very interesting topic area. Can you give us a definition of atherosclerosis for our readers?

Molly Gee: The simple one is hardening or narrowing of the arteries, so that adequate blood supply and oxygen nutrients don't get too our body. Originally we thought that this was just a disease that progressed with age, that naturally with time the cholesterol, the lipid would build up. But with research, we have really discovered it truly is a disease, and that some people, unfortunately, are more genetically disposed to atherosclerosis, but the good news is there is a lot of things we can do to prevent it. And it is a true disease, and not just a plumbing problem.

Eric Enge: Now, isn't there a distinction between the arteries beginning to harden and the actual process by which they being to get plaque build up and clot?

Molly Gee: Right, I think that sometimes people segment plaque into two different kinds. Certainly there is the type that we've traditionally thought about as a hardening of the arteries, and that build up goes with time and that's sort of in the inside of the arteries, which can result in restricting blood flows. And then the other, which is often more unstable, and as that builds it can actually rupture. And this is where you hear about plaque being released and traveling through the arteries, and that itself blocks an artery or the blood supply to the brain, and leads to a stroke. Still catastrophic, regardless of the type of plaque.

From a symptoms standpoint, when you do have the narrowing of the arteries, this is when people first get first symptoms where they have pain upon exertion, because of an inadequate flow of oxygen. So again it really demonstrates itself in a lot of different ways. And some, unfortunately, are completely asymptomatic, and by the time that they have an event, they weren't even aware they had a coronary artery disease. Unfortunately, this is happening at an earlier and earlier age.

Eric Enge: I imagine a lot of that is driven by poor diet practices. Clearly there is a component which is hereditary, and some are just more predisposed to it than others. But, a number of people are affected just because of poor diet.

Molly Gee: Absolutely. I think that when you are looking at the traditional American diet, we want things quick. We want things fast and convenient and a lot of times some of your quicker meals are higher in fat. And then, we have the other element of super sizing. I would say that one of the key things we can do for ourselves is maintain a healthful weight. And you know, the best way to approach that is taking a look at the guidelines put out by the USDA as well as the American Heart Association in achieving a healthy weight by taking a look at a variety of foods. We can focus first on fat, and trying to cut down on the amount of saturated fat or animal-based fats. You know, that's key. And a very simple way of doing that is, take a look at the amount of lean meats and protein you are taking in each day. And again, making sure that it is lean meat. A very simple thing is making sure that the meat you have is less marbled. And then, if you are having poultry, removing the skin, because that's where most of the fat lives, right on the skin and right under. And taking a look at incorporating more fish meals. There has been research that definitely shows that having fish twice a week, because of the benefits of some Omega-3 fatty acids, may actually lower your risk of a coronary artery disease. So, that's another wonderful preventive measure. Then taking a look at any product from an animal source like dairy products. You know, you need dairy products, but you can also select fat-free, low-fat dairy products, and still get the benefits from the dairy group.

Eric Enge: Right, so skimmed milk instead of whole milk.

Molly Gee: And you know, I would say, if you are trying to cut back from using whole milk exclusively, just gradually accustom your palate by trying low-fat milk or 2% milk first before you dive into say the fat-free or the skimmed milk. Again, you will be surprised at how easily you can get accustomed to that.

Eric Enge: D you have any recommendations for a range or level of fat consumption that you'd make, and the make up of Omega-3 or good fats?

Molly Gee: Sure, just to start off, with try to keep the amounts of fats at 30% or less of total calories. That's tried and true. And by doing that you also magically control your calorie intake as well. Also, trying to substitute more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, that's really what you are going to be striving for, is to substitute those kinds of calories for the fat calories. The goal for saturated fats is to have it at 7% or less. And then I'd be remiss, if I didn't mention just taking a look at your cholesterol level. There are two kinds of cholesterol. That is the kind that you actually find in foods and then the kind that your body naturally makes.

Now lets talk about those risk factors that you cannot control.One of these is the genetic component. Some people have a family history and just make more cholesterol, or their bodies are just unable to clear the cholesterol their body makes. But in turn, there is the cholesterol that we take in in the form of foods. And one easy thing that I try to help my clients remember is that any food item that had a mother or father contains cholesterol. So anything from an animal source does contain cholesterol. So what you are trying to do is, limit your cholesterol to under 300 mg/ day. So, that would be a goal.

Eric Enge: Right.

Molly Gee: You know, I don't want anyone to feel like they have to be a CPA or become a registered dietician just to follow these guidelines. And I think, this is where suggesting, limiting your animal protein intake to about seven cooked ounces a day, paying attention to choosing lean cuts of meat, taking the skin off poultry, that's a real easy way to achieve the more detailed guidelines of about 7% or less of saturated fat. And again, we are getting a lot of press right now about trans fats, that's all in the news. And I would say that one way you can cut back on trans fats is eat less processed foods. That is, foods that have been prepared like commercial baked goods, and traditional snack foods. This is where we are going to find more saturated fats. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Eric Enge: Right. And, a lot of whole grains.

Molly Gee: Yes, absolutely. They've even suggested having at least three servings of whole grains per day. And you I know, I think a lot of times you would say whole grains, alright. Try to enjoy things that perhaps you hadn't thought about before like, in my culture rice is sort of the mainstay and just combining brown rice with just white rice, that's a way of sort of sneaking in some whole grains. Barley is another wonderful whole grain. During this cold weather time, incorporating barley in soups and other dishes is great, and who doesn't like a good bowl of oatmeal. Those are some examples of how you can get whole grains in.

Eric Enge: Right, and there is a variety of whole grain cereals available.

Molly Gee: Absolutely! And you know, food manufacturers, kudos to them because they recognize that they want to make it easier for their customers to get whole grains in. So, they are finding ways to reformulate tried and true favorites and get those whole grains in.

Eric Enge: Yes indeed. So let's go back to some technical aspects of atherosclerosis for a moment. How is it usually diagnosed and what can be done?

Molly Gee: Well I would say that if you know that you have a family history of coronary artery disease, heart disease, or you have someone in your immediate family that has had a cardiovascular event, regardless of your age, you need to be checked. And just a general good visit with your physician, and getting a good history and a physical, and then also taking a look at whether or not your physician feels likes doing an electrocardiogram. A lot of this depends on your age and other risk factors. For example: you know if you are overweight, or if you have high blood pressure, or diabetes, which are other risk factors for heart disease, take more of a prudent route and do more tests.

Anything from a chest x-ray, to a blood test, to checking your lipid profile, all the way to a stress test. And then there are different levels of stress tests, depending on your risk factors. Checking the size of your heart through an electrocardiogram and then certainly the gold standard is where they really take pictures with a cardiac catheterization. So you know, depending on your risk factors, and if you are having any signs or symptoms, really determines the level of diagnostics that your physician or cardiologist would do.

Eric Enge: Isn't there a correlation between visible build up of plaque in your peripheral arteries and problems with your heart?

Molly Gee: Right, and again, that is a wonderful screening process, and I would really suggest that you develop a relationship with your physician, and to have this checked out. You need to have a baseline and to see what changes occur with time. Because this way, you can see if there are any trends that warrant further treatment. Once you have it, what do you do next? You know there are things you can do to reverse it, depending on the severity and the degree that you have it. Certainly, diet and exercise, and certainly some of the pharmacotherapies have made such big progress in reversing coronary artery disease.

Eric Enge: Right, this is one of the questions that I wanted to ask about, was the process of attempting to reverse it. As I understand it, what you want to do is you want to work on getting a bad cholesterol number which is not only below the danger signal range (Editor: i.e. below 110 ????), but actually more like the seventy to eighty range or something like that. Am I understanding that correctly?

Molly Gee: That's correct. As you look over time, as more research is being done, you've seen the standards for target total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, orLDL, and good cholesterol, or HDL, change. The LDL range has gotten lowered because they have seen that you can perhaps prevent atherosclerosis.

In addition, people should maintain a good weight, and be more physically active. You know, my plea is if they won't do it for themselves, think about the next generation. You know, our children are watching everything we do. And consequently, if we are not taking care of our bodies, and we are not nourishing it properly, keeping it at a good weight and being physically active, what does that tell our children? And this is what's really alarming, is that people are dying of heart disease at earlier and earlier ages.

So that's why I say, don't wait until you have some kind of chest pain or angina, don't wait until maybe you're having a little shortness of breath. I mean find out what shape you're in now, where do you stand, what's your score, what are your numbers? People need to know their numbers.

Eric Enge: Can we talk about heart disease and women for a moment?

Molly Gee: We used to, very much, think that heart disease was a man's disease. But for women heart diseases is the number one killer. I think breast cancer is the most feared, but heart disease is the number one killer. The American Heart Association, with their Red Dress Campaign this month, is really trying to educate people more about this.

Eric Enge: So, when we tried to get back to the diet world and now we are in the situation where we know we have artherosclerosis and we are trying to do things to reverse it. There are certainly drugs that might be prescribed like Statins, but aren't there also certain kinds of foods that are thought to have beneficial effects like garlic, or pomegranate, or grape seeds?

Molly Gee: Well, there are a number of foods that have antioxidant and anti-aging effects. Research is showing that things like blueberries, pomegranate, and garlic do help. Those are wonderful foods, and I think embracing those and getting more berries on your cereal is good. But at the same time, we need to know that there are no magic foods.

Eric Enge: Right.

Molly Gee: I think that finding a good healthy weight that you can maintain is probably first and foremost, finding regular physical activity, if you can get in at least thirty minutes of physical activity, most days of the week, then you are doing such a great thing for your body. Crowding out the fats as much as possible. One way to do that is reduce the amount of fried foods you eat. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables, and then also paying attention to whole grains and higher fiber foods, these are all ways that you can reduce cholesterol in your diet, reduce the fat content of your diet, and that's probably the most important thing. And then, if you are going to be choosing fruits and you love blueberries, blackberries, if you enjoy pomegranate, that's great too. There is research being done that shows that they do have antioxidant properties, that they can reduce our aging.

Eric Enge: Excellent! So, do you have any other dietary recommendations that you would make at this point?

Molly Gee: In addition to what we have talked about above, I would say getting into more fresh foods versus processed foods, taking the salt shaker off the table, that way you can control the amount of salt-sodium in your diet, and then if you use alcohol, do it in moderation, no more than two servings of alcohol per day. And when you are eating out, watch those portion sizes.

Eric Enge: Can you add a few words about the research that you are working on?

Molly Gee: One of the wonderful things that they are doing here at Baylor is primary research on how we can reduce the bad cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol, and then how we can increase the good cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol. And so there are lots of studies that are going on both in taking a look at the different pharmacotherapy solution, the statin therapy that may be able to reduce coronary artery disease. We are also taking a look at some other items like niacin, and its role in trying to increase HDL cholesterol.

Eric Enge: I really want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Molly Gee: Well listen, it's been great!

Molly Gee, RD, M.Ed, is a registered dietitian and communications consultant with more than 25 years experience in health/nutrition communications and the clinical management of obesity. She currently is a project leader for the Behavioral Medicine Research Center, department of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston. From 1992 to 2001, Molly reported on nutrition and health on KTRK-TV, the ABC network affiliate in Houston. Prior to health reporting, she was the nutrition expert on "Good Morning Houston." In recognition of her dedication and contributions to dietetics, Molly received the ADA's Medallion award in 2004 and is co-founder and past chair of the ADA's new Weight Management Dietetics Practice Group.

The Diet Channel is an award winning web site that provides a wealth of authoritative information and support for dieters and health conscious individuals. Founded in the mid-90's, it has twice garnered a Forbes "Best of the Web" award as one of the web's most trusted, useful, and interesting sites. The Diet Channel has hundreds of current, professionally researched and written articles, including more than 500 new articles added in the last year, as well as reviews of many popular books, diets, web sites, and other diet resources.

source: www.thedietchannel.com

HEalth: Morning Rituals and Meditation

Morning Rituals and Meditation

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Some people meditate, others do yoga; some have a protein shake every morning for breakfast or a green drink like fresh vegetable juice or wheatgrass as a morning ritual.

This morning, I got out of bed fifteen minutes after my alarm went off (a morning ritual I'd like to shake).

I went to my desk and did my morning written meditation - 3 written pages based on the concept of Julia Cameron's "morning pages" to clear my mind and harmonize my thoughts and feelings. I find that writing or doing any ritual first thing in the morning helps me to connect with what is happening on the inside of my psyche. It enables me to break through the barriers of my wide awake, conscious mind to learn what's going on underneath, stabilizing and calming both my body and my mind.

I have another morning ritual that I follow at least 5 days a week - vegetable juice before breakfast. I have a great little juicer into which I'll stick anything from organic carrots, half of a lemon, celery or apples slices to lettuce, bitter chard or kale, and live, protein-rich sprouts! Juicing is one of the best things you can do for your health. A fresh juice just before breakfast - particularly one with something green in it - sets your body up with a wealth of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to support you through the day. Organic fruit and veggies are especially good for you to juice.

I usually add an ounce of wolfberry antioxidant juice and some hemp seed oil for omegas, and sometimes a fiber supplement. It's an acquired taste, but by now I love green juicing and I can feel the good it's doing for me.

What do you do for your wellness and health as a morning ritual? The discussion boards are open and I'd love to hear from you.

Diet: Protein in dietary balance

Protein in dietary balance

How much protein you need may vary, depending on what else you're eating. Raw foods and juicing includes enzymes that balance blood sugar in ways a processed diet won't.

The really interesting thing about dietary protein, as far as I’m concerned, is how the standard varies with who you ask. Most general food guidelines recommend that 10-15% of our diet come from protein. This number can vary depending on your body’s individual metabolism and your daily activity, and holistic practitioners tend to recommend more rather than less protein. Bodybuilders and athletes have been known to eat about 35% protein to support the growth of lean muscle mass - yet many nutritionists claim that this is not necessary and that, like the Atkins diet, athletes who consume this much excessive protein are putting their heart and kidneys at risk.

I have type A blood - the blood type that is typically considered the least protein-dependant and most condusive to being vegetarian. However, I tend to feel tired, dizzy, or get a stomach ache if I haven’t had enough of a complete protein at a meal - particularly if there are a lot of starches, sweets (even healthy ones) or other carbohydrate foods involved.

When I focus my diet on raw fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, my need for protein to balance the blood sugar high of the carbs decreases - thanks primarily, I think, to the high count of enzymes in the raw produce. I notice a particular difference when I'm juicing (green vegetables, lemons, and whatever else I have on hand) first thing in the morning, as I have been lately. Despite the high sugar content of most raw fruits and veggies, the sugars don’t hit my system the way processed carbs do, and I feel less need for protein when I’m eating a more raw diet.