Obesity: Genetics or Environment?

January 28, 2009August 25, 2014Leave a comment

overweight

Does it matter? No. Of course genetics play a role, but since you cannot control them, let’s focus on the environmental factors of obesity! Genetics haven’t changed much in the last few decades, but our diets have changed markedly. So I’m going to venture a guess that environment plays a HUGE role. Get your environment under control, and you’ll get your weight under control too.

No one ever got fat eating vegetables. Eat your vegetables, cut down on the crap, and lose weight. The problem is that you never see advertisements for vegetables. All day, every day, you and your children are bombarded with commercials and advertisements for ice cream, dairy products, colas, pre-made pot roasts, chips, candy, cereals, etc. But how many do you see for fresh fruits and vegetables?

In the last century alone we have seen the rise and proliferation of so many diseases. It’s terrifying to think what will happen to the human race in the next 100 years. It has been said that our generation will see their children live shorter lives than their parents, and I agree completely. Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles are affecting our health and happiness at alarming rates. We used to live in a world where malnutrition was the biggest problem – in North America and spreading elsewhere, it’s malnutrition coupled with obesity! Yes, you can be fat and malnourished, and it’s more common than you think.

Obesity is very difficult to treat when the diet stays the same. People go on diet after diet, trying – sometimes successfully losing weight, but dieting is not enough. Until you realize that dieting is not the answer, you will remain fat and unhealthy. A lifestyle change incorporating good quality whole foods and a consistent exercise schedule is the only way to get trim and fit – and stay there. For some people, this may mean strict avoidance of processed foods, while others may be able to incorporate some of their favourite foods back into their healthy diet once they’ve gotten their cravings under control – but for everyone, it means a diet high in fresh vegetables and some fruits – for life.

If you are a sugarholic, as many people are, you may find strict avoidance of sweets the only thing that keeps you dedicated to your healthy lifestyle. Those who are addicted to sugar are the most likely to suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and are also the people who should avoid sugar altogether. Research has shown that people who eat sugar go through withdrawal symptoms, similar to drug abusers. When you eat sugar, your blood sugar levels spike and insulin is released to store the sugar into your cells. Some will be used as energy, some will be stored in the muscles, but the excess will be stored as fat. Once the circulating sugar is stored, your blood sugar levels will be low, and you will crave another sugar fix. As long as sugar is in your diet, the cycle will continue.

There is not one person that would not benefit from the avoidance of refined foods and the resulting blood sugar stability that comes with a wholesome, sugarless diet. And while you may never be able to completely escape the advertisements and the bombardment of useless CRAP (Coffee, Refined Foods, Alcohol/Acidic foods, Preservatives…etc.), you can keep some awareness as to what you and your children are seeing on a daily basis. The best advice I can give you is to keep CRAP out of the house. You cannot eat what you don’t buy!

If you blame genetics for your problems, stop right there. Genetics may give you the ability to become overweight, but it is your environment that causes it to occur. Don’t give up like Oprah did either – when she started blaming her thyroid for her weight problems. She had a thyroid problem because of her poor diet! If you give up, you’ll never change your circumstances. Whether it’s your weight or any other disease condition – they can all be improved – and often completely eradicated – by a healthy lifestyle. You can blame food companies for your troubles all you want, because they are for sure part of the problem, but that too will not solve your problem.

What you simply cannot do is keep avoiding your dis-ease any longer. After all, how many overweight seniors do you see on a daily basis? My guess is not many. So take control, get the help of a nutritionist if you need the support, and get healthy starting this second! It’s never too late to change your diet – you’ll notice the effects of a healthy diet within days, and a huge difference within weeks! The changes will be so evident that you’ll never want to go back!

A New Earth – Awakening the Body to its Needs

May 3, 2008August 25, 20141 Comment

I just recently started reading A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle, and I’ve got to say it is an unbelievably good read. At one point, Eckhart makes a statement about Bulimia, and how sufferers often make themselves vomit so they may continue eating.

“Their mind is hungry, not their body.”

Now, not everyone suffers from bulimia, but if you or someone you know is struggling with a weight issue, you will know that there is a large body-mind connection to which you or they are not aware. Unless every effort is made to strengthen this connection, any effort to lose weight will be in vain.

It may take some time to become aware of your body’s true needs, but you can do it. The trick is simply to pay attention. There is a connection between the foods you eat and the way you feel. If you’ve ever had a hangover, you know what I’m talking about!

Once you start paying attention, you will notice subtle changes in the way you feel, expecially if you are eating foods to which your body is particularly sensitive. For most people, this will include dairy and wheat products as they comprise the top 2 allergens. You likely eat some form of dairy or wheat every single day, multiple times a day, without awareness. Try going 4 days without eating dairy or wheat products. On day 5, indulge in some ice cream or pancakes and note how you feel afterward.

I say 4 days because that is roughly the amount of time it takes the body to work through, process, and eliminate foods from the cells of your body. You may feel symptoms of “withdrawal” after the first or second day, and it may not let up through the 4th day. In this case, I challenge you to keep on with this little experiment, perhaps going beyond the 4th day, because the fact that these symptoms exist is your body telling you that it is indeed sensitive to these foods, and it needs extra time to expel them from your body due to years of toxic build-up brought on by eating these foods every day.

The results may suprise you. It wasn’t until I did this exact experiment on myself that I realized my body had been telling me for years to stop eating dairy foods. Once I became aware of my body’s needs, I drastically cut down on my dairy intake, and I have never felt better! If you have eczema, psoriasis, acne, or any other dis-ease, I encourage your participation even more because your body is screaming and you are not paying attention.

Once you start paying attention to the messages your body relays, over time it will become easier and easier to tell when you are truly hungry and when you are not. You may become aware that you eat in social situations, whether you are hungry or not – just becasue others are eating. You may find the courage to say no to your eyes when they see ice cream, and listen to your body when it says “I don’t like ice cream, it makes me feel sick.”

Change Your Beliefs!

March 19, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

power

I’m sure by now that you’ve heard of or seen “The Secret”. Among its many teachings, it tells you this: What you think about you bring about. What you focus on expands. If you spend your days thinking about how upset you are with a particular person, how fat you’ve become, or how depressed you are over your financial situation, you are only digging yourself a monstrous hole to lay in. You will get even more angry, fatter, or more depressed…or all three!

Instead of focusing on what is bad in your life, focus on the good! Trust me, you’ll be a whole lot happier! If you want to change your eating habits and sculpt your body, keep a mental picture of what you want to look like! Spend at least 5 minutes looking at a picture of the body you desire every morning. Go through the feelings you would have if you were in that position. What could you do? Think of the confidence you would enjoy! Be sure to do the same thing right before you go to bed.

But, because pain is probably the best motivator I know, I would also like you to think about what not changing will cost you. If you keep going where you’re headed, what will it cost you physically, mentally, emotionally and financially? What will not changing cost your loved ones? If you keep smoking, drinking, overeating, doing watever it is that is causing you your discomfort, what will you feel like? What will you look like? What will the quality of your life be? Theses are all great questions to ask yourself to light that fire deep inside.

So light the fire right now and look at that inspiring picture every day to keep it burning!

Get Healthy – Detox!

February 29, 2008August 25, 20144 Comments

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If you constantly feel tired, find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, are overweight, or suffer from headaches, migraines, digestive upset or constipation, you are in desperate need of some cleansing action. It’s time to reduce the digestive load on your body and cleanse! Toxins are stored in fat, so if you’ve got a lot of it, you’ve got a lot of toxins just waiting to be released! The good news is that our dietary plans are designed to both cleanse and slim your body!

You don’t have to be overweight to be in need of a detoxification program either – some of the unhealthiest people I know are quite slim!

Whenever it has the energy to do so, your body will repair damaged cells and get rid of unwanted toxins. A toxin is anything that irritates and pollutes your body. Internal organs are strained because they have to work hard to process and get rid of these threatening particles. We have little control of some toxins, so we must take special care to deal with the ones we can reduce. If you live in a city, for example, you cannot control the quality of the air unless you wear a mask everywhere you go. Not many people are willing to go that far, so by making you aware of the toxins in your environment, I hope to help you make better choices in your daily life. Toxicity in your body is created by contact with irritants. This includes everything from the soap you use in the shower, toilet bowl cleaner, dish soap, fabric softener, and especially the food and drink you put inside your body. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and other toxic chemicals used in food production are making people sick. Farmers have been hospitalized due to using these chemicals on their farms for heaven’s sake! I don’t want these chemicals anywhere near my body!

Every night while you sleep, your body is hard at work putting nutrients where they belong and exiling anti-nutrients to areas where they can exit your body through urine and solid waste. When you get up in the morning and eat breakfast or drink coffee, you put an end to this detoxification process (and incur a lot more toxins for your body to sort through). Most people do not allow their bodies the time it needs to detoxify. They eat too much food too often and don’t drink enough water to flush out their systems. If you’re not hungry in the morning, don’t force yourself to eat, but be prepared for when hunger strikes by bringing food with you if you’re on the go.

Once you begin to decrease the digestive load on your body, you may feel worse before you feel better. This is a good thing! It means that your body is finally getting a chance to work through old toxins and get them out of your body. Symptoms of detoxification include dizziness, lack of appetite, fatigue, nausea, headaches, increased body odour, rashes, hives, skin outbreaks, increased allergic symptoms, and a general feeling of sickness. It is important to drink plenty of water in order to flush out any toxins you may stir up.

So, how do you detox exactly? Here are some steps you can take:

Eat as Organic as Possible
Eat Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Drink Fresh Smoothies and Juices Daily in Place of Solid Food
Limit Meat and Dairy Consumption During (AND After!) the Cleanse
Exercise on a Daily Basis
Eat Only When Hungry and Stop When You’re Full!

You can take it a step further and do a full detoxification protocol with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist to ensure that you detox safely and effectively. I know an amazing practitioner who will take great care of you – ME! You will learn how to support your liver and safely bind and remove toxins from your body. The best part about a one-on-one detox program is the individual care, attention, and coaching that ensures you are healthier than ever before! I guarantee your friends will give you compliments daily on your radiant skin!

Increase Alkalinity to Increase Weight Loss!

February 20, 2008August 25, 20144 Comments

Simply put – disease cannot exist in an alkaline environment. This alone can be great motivation to increase your body’s alkalinity by adding more alkaline foods to your diet while decreasing overall consumption of acidic foods. Try it for yourself – you can FEEL the difference.

Alkalizing your body can mean a dramatic increase in weight loss. This is because your body stores toxins in fat cells to keep them far away from your delicate organs. The more toxic you are, the more fat you will need to store the toxins and keep the rest of your body relatively “safe”. The more alkaline you become, the less need you have for fat, and the body will safely release its fat stores, given you are not eating an outrageous amount of calories.

Highly Acidic Foods

Dairy
Meat
Sugar
Refined Foods
Processed drinks: Coffee, Soda, Beer, and Alcohol
Bad Fats – Anything that is hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or heated.
Drugs and Chemicals : pesticides, herbicides, aspirin, and tobacco.

Highly Alkaline Foods

Green vegetables and fresh green juices.
Fruit: including citrus fruits!
Essential Fatty Acids: such as Omega 3 and 6.
Filtered water: at least 2L a day!
Exercise! Regular exercise promotes toxin removal through the lymphatic and digestive systems!

In my house, we live by 5 simple rules in addition to avoidance of the highly acidic foods above:

Drink plenty of water.
Sweat once a day.
Drink 1 green juice per day.
Eat 1 salad per day.
Treat yourself! If you really want that slice of carrot cake, eat it and be thankful for it. Be happy and content with your decision to indulge ocassionally. Live in the moment and above all: never feel guilty. Guilt will only serve to stress you out, promote acidity, and keep you fat!

If you are searching for that illustrious glow, I encourage you to do your best to start eating more raw fruits and vegetables while, again, doing your best to remove some highly acidic foods. Start out slowly and work to incorporate the 5 rules above. It may be tough or it may be easy, but always remember where you started and have a clear vision of where you want to be.

Sucralose: Silent Killer

February 18, 2008August 25, 20148 Comments

Sometimes I find inspiration, and sometimes it finds me. I was recently contacted to endorse a product that flavours and sweetens water. Product names such as natural lemon and natural peach seem legit and at first everything was just, well, peachy! Then I stumbled upon that nasty little “sweetened with sucralose” line that makes me cringe! There is nothing natural about sucralose, otherwise known as Splenda. Use your brain on this one:

Artificial sweetener = Substance messed with using chemicals = Not fit for human consumption!

The creation of sucralose involves substituting 3 hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) on the sugar molecule with 3 chlorine atoms. Have you ever felt the need to drink chlorine? Alternatively, sucralose can be made from ingredients that don’t even include sugar! Sucralose was intentionally and improperly named with the suffix -ose, a move that serves to fool you into believing it is natural (such as fructose, sucrose, and glucose). The reason sucralose contains no calories is because the molecule has been changed so much that the body doesn’t even recognize it as food! Manufacturers claim that this alien molecule passes through the body unchanged. Animal researchers have found that it does not, in fact, just pass through the body. And, some of it breaks down into a molecule known as 1,6-dichlorofructose (just think chlorine + fruit sugar). There have only been a handful of human studies on sucralose, and no long-term studies at all. Better yet, there have been no long-term independant studies. This means that most studies have been controlled by the manufacturers, who desperately do not want to show that sucralose is harmful to the body! Before sucralose was even approved for human consumption, animal studies indicated potential toxicity! It’s aspartame all over again.

Adverse effects reported in pre-approval research include: Shrunken thymus glands (by up to 40%!)(E056), enlarged liver and kidneys (E057 and E161), atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus (E051, E056, E0151), increased cecal weight (E151), reduced growth rate (E057), decreased red blood cell count (E055), extension of the pregnancy period and aborted pregnancy (E134), decreased fetal body weights and placental weights (E032), and diarrhea.

I believe most of these adverse effects are due to the body expelling this toxic substance. (Note: liver and kidney enlargement and atrophy of cells in the lymphatic organs,the spleen and thymus) Diarrhea is obvious…the body is saying “GET OUT!” The body knows when it is in a good enough state to produce a body, and since it is trying so hard to rid itself of this toxic substance, it will have less energy to grow a baby! If you’re having trouble conceiving, I suggest you get yourself to a holistic practitioner straight away, and get your body healthy before heading to a fertility expert.

There are many alternatives to drinking poisonous diet drinks that will keep your waistline slim. Water is the most hydrating and slimming thing I know! But what if you don’t like drinking water, you ask? Well, do you like being alive? Then I’m sorry to say you’re going to have to suck it up and drink up!

But seriously, try these tricks to jazz up your water:

A squeeze of lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit.
Cut up some cucumber and marinate it in a big jug of water. So yummy!
Got a blender? You can obtain natural peach, kiwi, mixed berry, etc. just by throwing some fruit into the blender with your water.
On the run? Throw any of the above into a water bottle and you’re good to go!

Personally, I am not willing to be a guinea pig and wait 10 or 15 years to see what this toxic substance does to my body! I’ve already felt the effects of aspartame, so I’m on a chemical-free diet these days. Are you?

Sources:

Food and Drug Administration “Final Rule” for Sucralose, 21 CFR Part 172, Docket No. 87F-0086.

Hull JS. Splenda – Is it Safe or Not? The Pickle Press, New York: 2004.

Lord, GH, Newberne PM. Renal Mineralization – A Ubiquitous Lesion in Chronis Rat Studies. Food Chem Toxicology 1990 June; 28:449-455.

Labare MP, Alexander M. Microbial Cometabolism of Sucralose, a Chlorinated Disaccharide, in Environmental Samples. Applied Microbial Biotechnology. 1994 Oct;42:173-178.

Hunter BT. Sucralose. Consumers’ Research Magazine, Oct 1990,Vol. 73, Issue 10, p.8-10.

Maudlin RK. FDA Approves Sucralose for Expanded Use. Modern Medicine, Oct 1999, Vol. 67, Issue 10, p57.

Sucralose – A New Artificial Sweetener. Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, 07/03/98, Vol. 40, Issue 1030, p.67.

Q&A: Is Newly FDA Approved Sweetener Sucralose Good For You? Executive Health’s Good Health Report, Nov. 1998, Vol. 35, Issue 2, p.6.

Gain B. FDA Approves J&J Sweetener. Chemical Week, 04/15/98, Vol. 160, Issue 14, p.27.

Lose Weight With Water

February 13, 2008March 23, 20154 Comments

Hungry? Grab some water! Reaching for a glass of water instead of food can save you many, many unwanted pounds over the years. Why does this work? The sensations of thirst and hunger are one and the same, generated whenever the brain is in need of sugar or water. So why do you choose food over water? Because food is so addictive!

I am certain this is due to the highly processed foods we eat. Let’s take white bread for example, a highly processed food that does not exist in nature. Its lack of nutrients and fiber causes it to act like a drug within your body. Broken down quickly, the simple carbohydrates enter your bloodstream and cause a fast rise and fall in blood sugar.

The fall causes the feeling of hunger, causing you to eat in order to increase blood sugar. The need for water goes overlooked because you have created a more pressing need for sugar! This will make you more likely to choose a sugar-laden drink over water and pack on unnecessary pounds. This yo-yo battle with blood sugar can result in constant dehydration since you will overlook the need for pure water. If you ate whole foods (like your ancestors did before the invention of the grocery store) you would keep more constant blood sugar levels and stay in tune with your need for water.

Another mistake that leads to weight gain is assuming that manufactured beverages can replace your need for water. Our bodies need water, not just liquids. Drinking 8 glasses of bottled juice, 8 cans of pop, or any other highly processed drink will not hydrate you. They have many other ingredients that influence body chemistry, none of which do you any good! I’ve come across many people who are adamant about telling me that as long as a beverage contains water, it’s just as good as water. You can fool yourself, and you can argue with me all you want, but it won’t change the fact that every cell in your body needs a pure source of water!

Now, let’s look at someone who drinks upwards of 8 Diet Cokes a day and no water. The caffeine found in coke acts directly on the brain, like a drug. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic, increases urine production, and leaves the body in a constant state of dehydration. This is why you can drink so many sodas and never satisfy your thirst. Then, when you feel “hungry”, you will assume you have drank enough “water” and assume you need food, when your body may actually need water. Overeating and weight gain is caused by the confusion between thirst and hunger. Water 1, Opponents 0.

Let’s talk about another constituent of diet coke: aspartame. Aspartame converts to aspartate, phenylalanine, and methyl alcohol (formaldehyde) in the small intestine. The first two are highly excitatory neurotransmitter amino acids, and cross the blood brain barrier. There is a claim that the body renders the methyl alcohol non-toxic, but their claim has yet to be proven. According to the video “Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World,” aspartame complaints represent 80-85% of food complaints to the FDA, due to its multiple neurotoxic, metabolic, allergenic, fetal, and carcinogenic effects. Aspartame is known to erode intelligence and affects short-term memory! The most frequent complaints about aspartame include brain tumors, birth defects, lymphoma, diabetes, MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety attacks, epilepsy/seizures, migraines, numbness, hearing loss and ringing in the ears, blindness, blurred vision, other eye problems, and stomach disorders. Artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite by spiking insulin levels, which will uptake any blood sugar into the cells, leaving you hungry shortly after eating because your blood needs more sugar. This leads to an increase in carbohydrate cravings and the increased intake of food will stimulate fat storage and weight gain.

Here is my story:

Before learning about the effects of aspartame, I drank about 4 cans of Diet Coke per day. Like many others, I assumed a toxic substance would never gain allowance into our food supply. I was dead wrong. For 2 years I suffered from cloudiness in my eyes. I always had one eye that was so fuzzy that I could not see properly! Now, I cannot tell you that Diet Coke was for sure to blame, but 6 months after I stopped drinking it I realized my vision was completely fine! I don’t believe it is a coincidence. I also have short-term memory problems which I’ve had for as long as I can remember (note: long term memory still intact!) which may be due to heavy Diet Coke consumption – since I started drinking it when I was age 6 or 7. Aspartame is a man-made chemical and has no place whatsoever in your body. Water, on the other hand contains no aspartate, phenylalanine, or formaldehyde.

Water 4, Opponents 0.

The biggest problem with juice is that it is pure sugar and nearly zero nutrients once it has finished being processed. The nutrients that are added back in after processing are often man-made and are not naturally assimilated by your body. Too much sugar in juice form will be absorbed into the blood stream, causing a drastic spike in blood sugar. The drastic spike causes a drastic fall, leaving you craving more sugar. This may lead to drinking even more juice, adding even more calories! Let’s take Ocean Spray’s white cranberry juice for instance. Ingredients: Filtered water, white cranberry juice from concentrate, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and citric acid. In addition to the concentrated juice, there is more added sugar as well as high fructose corn syrup! The term “natural flavors” can mean anything. It can even mean MSG has been added. It is amazing what companies can categorize as natural. Water has no added sugar, no fillers, and no preservatives.

Water 7, Opponents 0.

If you want juice, buy a juicer and make it yourself. It will then be full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes which are needed for every single function in your body. If you have a blender, than try making blended smoothies with fresh ingredients! One of my favourites is this:

Spinach Pear Smoothie

3 cups spinach

1 pear, cored

1 apple, cored

1 banana

¼ cup parsley

juice of half a lime

2 tbsp hemp seeds

add water to cover

Just throw everything in a blender and enjoy the yummy nutrients! Don’t be scared and just try it! You will be amazed. Add more water if necessary!

Even if you already drink water, you need to think about the source of that water. Drinking any old tap water is not good for your cells. Tap water has chlorine, among other things (such as hormones from birth control pills which are not filtered out), added to kill bacteria. The problem here is that it kills both bad and good bacteria. Your body needs good, friendly bacteria to be healthy. Drinking chlorinated water is like taking antibiotics every day. So, it is important that your drinking water is filtered using a respectable filtration system. I prefer carbon filtered water. Specifically I prefer the technology of Nikken’s Pimag™ water system, which reduces volatile organic compounds, lead, cysts, MTBE, turbidity, chlorine, bad tastes, odors, and particulate matter. It literally energizes your water. My mom was in a health food store with her Pimag™ water last week when the man running the store offered to test it. The water scored off the charts in energy, and she hasn’t changed the filter in 2 years! Nikken recommends changing the filter once every year. I’m not sure what the Coca Cola Company does to its water, but I’m sure it’s not going to score very high on any energy test. Water 8, Opponents 0.

How much water do you need to drink? An often agreed amount of water is half your body weight in ounces per day. So, if you’re 160 lbs, you need 80 oz. of water each day. That breaks down into 10 8 oz. glasses or 10 cups of water. You must be sure to sip water throughout the day and not chug 2 or 3 glasses at a time to “make up” for lost glasses. Water taken this way may not become assimilated into the body and pass through the system relatively unused. You need to drink water first thing in the morning, since your body becomes dehydrated through your breathing at night. I personally drink 8-16 oz. of water when I wake up before I eat anything. It will also stop you from overeating!

Water is good for so many things in addition to dropping a few pounds, so you may notice other problems get better, like asthma, hiatus hernia, and pains in the lower back, neck, and heart! Get headaches? Drink water! You will be amazed at the results!

Coffee and the Caffeine Blues

February 7, 2008August 25, 20141 Comment

coffee

I hate to break it to you, but I am hard core against coffee for many, many reasons. If you “just have to have it,” enjoy a cup of organic joe once and a while, but try to make those occasions few and far between. As a holistic practitioner, my goal is to get you flinging out of bed full of energy in the morning, without the coffee!

First of all, most of us have to mask the taste of coffee with cream/milk and sugar just to get it down our throats, especially if it’s not organic. When I stopped eating dairy, my coffee consumption fell dramatically because my tastebuds just wouldn’t have it! Thank you taste buds. The result: consistent energy and avoidance of the caffeine blues.

If you proudly say that you don’t do drugs, but you “do” caffeine and coffee, then you are a drug addict my friend, plain and simple! After all, caffeine is a stimulant drug that acts on the central nervous system. Have you ever felt the effect of caffeine withdrawal? Exactly. Don’t think that because you drink decaf you are off the hook – I’ll deal with you later!

What does abstaining from coffee have to do with weight loss? PLENTY! When you drink anything containing caffeine (especially when you load your coffee with sugar) the adrenal glands are stimulated to increase adrenaline (by an average of 40%) into your blood stream, which increases your heart rate, blood pressure, nervousness, irritability, and releases your energy stores by breaking down glycogen into glucose. This increase in blood sugar signals the release of insulin to take glucose back into the cells. At this stage, hypoglycemia may set in, which is characterized by dizzines, light-headedness, and blood sugar so low that you’ll grab anything to bring them back up.

Odds are you will grab something sweet during this time – such as candy, a coke, a doughnut, or a white bagel, and continue the up and down cycle since these highly processed and refined products quickly dissolve into your blood stream like cotton candy in water, spiking your blood sugar and setting you up for a big fall once again.

But the problem with coffee doesn’t stop there! Caffeine also depleats the “feel good” brain transmitter known as GABA. GABA blocks nerve impulses in the brain, and has a calming influence. Without it, nerve cells fire too easily and far too often. This is yet another reason you may find yourself reaching for the snacks after having a coffee.

Caffeine is also a diuretic. For each cup of coffee you consume, you should drink 3 cups of water to even things out. Since we should already drink approximately 8 cups of water a day, if you add 2 cups of coffee, you’ll have to drink 14 cups of water, which you and I both know is not likely to happen! Most people drink an average of 2 glasses of water each day! Some people drink none at all. I know someone who drinks about 8 diet cokes a day, and calls it water consumption…not so!

Water is essential if you want to lose weight. Not water in the form of coffee, diet coke or juice, but pure water. Pure spring water has feelings. It is alive. Think of it like this: if you were water and someone boiled you, threw in some carbon dioxide or other toasted, roasted chemicals, would you be happy about it? No, you’d likely be very angry water. You are what you eat, consume, assimilate, and digest. It’s all energy.

If your cells are in a constant state of dehydration, they will not perform efficiently. Cell function will be slow, like a low river pushing pebbles along its bottom. Fill the river up, and things will move much, much faster. You can therefore raise your metabolism by properly hydrating yourself!

Other negative effects of coffee include an increased risk of ovarian, bladder, and kidney cancers, a 50% higher risk of heart attacks, a reduction in fertility (more than one cup a day makes a woman half as likely to conceive), a significant loss of nutrients, especially magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins (especially inositol and biotin), and an interferance with iron absorption. Coffee also contains cadmium, a carcinogenic heavy metal that supresses the immune system and promotes growth of the prostate and growth of cancer cells. And caffeine contains polycyclic hydrocarbons, a carcinogen that one of the most widespread organic pollutants. A quick definition of carcinogen: anything directly involved in the promotion of cancer!

If you drink decaf coffee you should know that it could contain methylene chloride, (Dichloromethane) a toxic solvent. Methylene chloride is metabolized by the body into carbon monoxide. It may be carcinogenic and has been linked to cancer of the lungs, pancreas, and liver in laboratory animals, and is able to cross the placenta having direct access to unborn babies. If you buy decaf coffee make sure that it is Swiss water processed as it is a much safer method of caffeine removal.

I admit that I have the occasional cup of organic coffee, as I often recommend if my clients enjoy coffee, but after writing this article, I think I may just reach for a glass of filtered water instead, and I think you may do the same!