Let’s talk about Alkalinity, Acidity & Inflammation! Yeah!

I know, I know…this topic probably sounds like it has nothing to do with you or your fitness goals. Am I getting too ‘technical’ on you? Well deal! Because you need to know about ‘getting more alkaline’ and getting out of an acidic and toxic and inflamed state. So take a few minutes out of your day and read on. (Next post will be about the ‘constricting’ and ‘expanding’ properties of food, I promise).
Blood pH Level ranges from low pH (acidic) to high pH (alkaline). Our body fights to keep our blood pH level between 7.35-7.45 via its internal regulating systems. If the blood pH dips below 7.35 it turns too acidic (acidosis) and above 7.45 too alkaline. So why do I care about this?

“A diet rich in alkaline foods help reduce inflammation in the body…chronic inflammation can negatively impact your health. Experts seem to agree that one of the first ways to reduce inflammation is by assessing your diet and adding in alkaline foods and removing the acid ones.” While, it’s said that acidosis leads to diseases, brain fog, poor mood, irritability, poor digestion, low energy, excess weight, aches and pains and it is said that cancers thrive in an acid state…so this is why pH is so important. Once I got the acid-forming products out of my life, my quality of life improved, do you want to improve your quality of life?

So, what do you do? Counteract acidity by consuming foods that bring your pH up to the alkaline side of the scale. The average western-diet is acid-forming. Coffee, animal meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, bread (even whole wheat), pistachios, peanuts, butter, margarine, artificial sweeteners, sugar, beer, liquor, wine, canned food, microwaved food, processed foods are all foods to stay away from because they are highly acidic! Click this link–> Look on the internet for a chart of acid-alkaline foods.

Almost all vegetables are GREAT for you and alkaline forming, fruits are to be eaten in moderation. Fruits that are alkaline forming are avocados, fresh lemon & limes. Almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and sesame seeds are alkaline forming too. Flax seed and Olive oil are alkaline. Get a pressure cooker, and start cooking up your grains and beans/legumes from their whole and untouched/unprocessed states. Such as whole buckwheat groats and lentils which are on the alkaline side of the spectrum. Again, look up a chart online and make note of what is acid and alkaline forming.

You may read this and say to yourself that getting rid of these ‘foods’ or changing the way I eat to be more ‘alkaline’ would be too difficult. But let me ask you this, “is there not more to life than the food we eat and the clothing we wear…?”. The food you eat should be the fuel to power you through your day!

Is it not harder to go to the gym, stick to your exercise routine 100% day-in and day-out and not see results because you haven’t changed your diet in a way to align with what you want to achieve with your health and fitness? Is it not absolutely frustrating when you feel like crap when you wake up in the morning, and you have a whole day ahead of you of work and errands and life to deal with? Wouldn’t you like to wake up and feel ready to take on the day? Sleep better? Feel energized after a meal instead of tired and weighed down? Walk out your door, look up at the sky and see ‘true blue’ for the first time? Be so clear-minded and on-point that you tackle work stress, work problems and work duties like you’ve never been able to before? Shed excess weight that you can’t seem to lose no matter what exercise routine you do, no matter how many minutes you walk/run a day, no matter how many spin classes you do, or crazy starvation diets you put your body through?

YOU CAN achieve optimal wellness, YOU CAN experience a better quality of life, it all depends on whether you MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO, whether or not you decide that you’re fed up with feeling like crap everyday and you decide that you’re ready to make the changes you need to make to achieve your goals. We all hit rock bottom at some point, but if I were you I’d start before I hit rock bottom.

Once I learn something, I implement it into my life in a way that will make a positive impact on my well being. How can you learn something that is life-changing and not use that new information in how you live your life? Many people out there read about and learn things that could make a positive impact on their well being and the environment, yet they just move on and don’t do anything about it, they are numb, maybe they’re scared, maybe they haven’t hit rock bottom yet. Don’t be numb, don’t wait until you hit rock bottom, don’t wait until you get some horrible health diagnosis from your doctor, you were given life…one life…to be ALIVE, feel ALIVE and see ‘true blue’!

 
This may be controversial, some may reject this topic, I don’t care and don’t knock it until you try it. What I do care about is helping others ‘see the light’. I’m sharing what I know and learn in hopes to help others have a better quality of life. Take what you will from what I tell you, but just remember you were given one life…to live, be well, and do well…
 
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. What I write in my blogposts is simply information that I have gathered over the years from reading and researching several health related topics from credible resources as well as personal experiences. I urge you to consult with a physician before changing your diet. The purpose of my blogposts are to share my experiences and fitness knowledge with everyone I possibly can to help others in their journey to improve their state of well-being.

Health & Happiness,

Natty Mac

Ginger & Miso Tea: Calm, Relax, Re-energize & Soothe

Day #9 here on the Macrobiotic/Vegan challenge and I finally made THE TEA! (Yes, Kara…it took me this long). Kara, is the wonderful lady leading me and my group in our macro-vegan adventures this fabulous month of May. So this tea that I made up today is all thanks to her!
Miso is fermented soybean paste. I got Organic Chickpea Miso, so to avoid soybeans. I like the taste of it! Never bring the water to a boil if you’ve added Miso to it because it will kill the active enzymes and goodies in Miso! Whenever you add Miso to a soup or for tea, let the water heat up to the point where Miso begins ‘pillow’ up to the top of the water. Why Miso?

“Fermented foods and drinks help build your inner ecosystem. When your inner ecosystem is healthy, it is full of friendly microflora (beneficial bacteria in your intestines), that help you digest and assimilate nutrients and boost your immunity. In fact, healthy microflora actually go to work for you, creating the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay strong and energized.”
“Miso has been eaten in Japan and China for many centuries and has been attracting the attention of many of us because of its health and anti-aging benefits. It’s also quite delicious. When you aren’t feeling well a bowl of miso soup can be especially soothing.”
 
“Making miso is an art form in Japan. It is made of soybeans and koji, a culture starter made from beneficial molds, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. As long as you choose unpasteruized miso, you will be getting the benefits of live friendly microflora for the health of your inner ecosystem.
 

Miso Benefits:

  • Reduces risks of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.
  • Protection from radiation
  • Immune strengthening
  • Antiviral — miso is very alkalizing and strengthening to the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.
  • Prevents aging – high in antioxidants, miso protects from free radicals that cause signs of aging.
  • Helps maintain nutritional balance – full of nutrients, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, miso provides: protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid and lecithin.
  • Helps preserve beautiful skin – miso contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps your skin stay soft and free of pigments.
  • Helps reduce menopausal complaints – the isoflavones in miso have been shown to reduce hot flashes.

The other ingredient in this fabulous tea (or soup), is ginger. FRESH ORGANIC GINGER ROOT. ‘Peel’ skin off small piece of ginger and grate ginger. Deposit about 1-2 tsp of the grated ginger into the bottom of your tea cup. Ginger is SO fabulous too! Use on salads in a ‘ginger vinaigrette’ dressing, in cooking or in your tea! It soothes and calms not only your digestive tract and your body, but your mind too! Use ginger root to “heal digestive troubles and decrease inflammation”.

Ginger Benefits:

  • Osteoarthritis. Ginger is an effective osteoarthritis treatment, specifically for the knee.
  • Inflammation. Ginger contains powerful anti-inflammatory agents called gingerols.
  • Nausea and vomiting. People experiencing motion sickness often use ginger to alleviate their symptoms.
  • Morning sickness. Pregnant women have found relief using ginger to eliminate morning sickness.
  • High blood pressure. Ginger can decrease blood pressure and acts as a blood thinner.
  • Digestion. Ginger promotes the production and secretion of bile from the liver and gall bladder, helping to improve your digestion of fats.
  • Free radical damage. Ginger is an amazing antioxidant and offers considerable protection against free radicals.
  • Radiation exposure. Ginger has been shown to protect your body from radiation, possibly in conjunction with its antioxidant capabilities.
  • High blood sugar. Ginger can help regulate blood sugar levels.
  • High cholesterol. One study found that ginger can lower blood cholesterol levels, possibly pointing to ginger as an effective treatment for heart disease.
  • Cancer. In lab tests, ginger extracts were found to destroy ovarian cancer cells. Another study found that the gingerols may inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer.

If you’re trying to overcome a craving for something sweet or salty, making this tea is a great way to get past grabbing for that twinkie!

Ginger & Miso Tea:

1-2 teaspoon freshly grated organic ginger root. Put grated ginger root in bottom of tea cup.

Pour 1-2 cups of water in a small pot, place on stove top, turn on burners to medium-high.

Grab your Organic Chickpea Miso, add 1-2 tablespoons to the pot of water.

Stir in Miso and wait for water to heat up. Again, DO NOT BRING WATER TO A BOIL! You’re just heating it to be hot water for your tea or soup.

Once the Miso starts ‘pillowing’ up to top of the water it is ready! Pour Miso tea water over top the freshly grated ginger root that is in the bottom of your tea cup & enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Nat

Lunch with Kara Mejia – Macrobiotics Chef – SO GOOD!

I met with an amazing woman yesterday. Her name is Kara Mejia and she is a macrobiotics chef/natural health advocate. She recently moved to the area from NC where she used to offer cooking classes to groups of people as large as 50 – 100 per class and has helped so many people get over disease, illness, overweight, or just feeling crappy all the time.


For lunch yesterday we had an Open face brown rice and lentil grain burger, Garden slaw with a kiss of red lady slipper apples… And sinfully delicious, chocolate, date truffles dusted in cocoa, coconut, and pecans…Sorry, no picture. We ate them all:) Next time …

After having lunch with her today (she prepared a meal for me personally in her very own home, what a treat!), I totally 100% can say I agree with her approach to nutrition and health and would recommend her to anyone looking for answers to their health & wellness dilemma’s or questions in general regarding nutrition and how macrobiotics can help.

She follows a vegan diet that consists of whole foods/unprocessed/prepared to avoid disturbing the enzymes/nutrients they contain that our bodies need. Her website is www.cookingwithkara.com and email is cookingwithkara@gmail.com. If you’d like to contact her in regards to your health or macrobiotics or whatever, she is amazing!

This Thursday she is offering (to anyone willing to commit & lives in the general Baltimore area) a 30 Day Cleanse/Challenge to get themselves on track and on the path to wellness. It will entail 6 consecutive Thursdays from 7-9pm in which she will teach cooking/prep/rotation know how & questions/answers and is supplying with a grocery list/plan to get you through the 30 days. It is similar to the ‘raw’ approach to diet in that you prepare foods in a way that your body can digest and obtain the vital nutrients it needs to function properly, but there is ‘cooked food’, look up ‘macrobiotics’ to get a better understanding or check out her website. If there was anything I’d ever suggest someone try out and give a go-ahead for 30 days, it would be this. She is ‘rolling out’ her business here and offering this 6 week (30 Day Challenge) FOR FREE only once. If you want to join me in this challenge, contact me a.s.a.p. so I can send you the details so that you can decide on whether you’d like to commit to this. Or contact Kara Mejia at the email I listed above.

Info, share with friends & family: 30 Day Natural Body Makeover beginning Thursday, April 26th, from 7 -9pm. This will be a 2 hour Introductory cooking and weight loss program re-introducing folks to the deliciousness of whole foods. It will run for 6 consecutive Thursday evenings and the best part…. It is absolutely FREE!!! For further details they can get in touch w/Kara directly by calling (706) 970-9505.

Kara also shared a book with me, in which I’ve already read a good amount of it, and I’d recommend to ANYONE and EVERYONE. It really helps spell out all the improvements/changes/ways to go about eating/diet to assist someone in becoming very knowledgeable on what is good and bad for the body! It’s called, ‘Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition” Third edition, by Paul Pitchford.

Health & Happiness!

Natty Mac

Soy & Estrogen & Weight Gain…Part 2

Please Read These Articles!

Take a few moments of your day to quickly read these short articles. I have been doing some research about estrogen levels and health problems including weight loss and thyroid problems and came across this very important information…it could save your life!

“Environmental Estrogens”:
http://www.energeticnutrition.com/vitalzym/xeno_phyto_estrogens.html

“PhytoEstrogen and Its Food Sources”:
www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php
“Estrogen Foods”:
http://www.endo-resolved.com/diet_phytoestrogens.html

Health & Happiness, Nat

The Soy-Craze & It’s Unknown Adverse Health Effects – Please Read!!!

If you don’t know, now you know….this is for all those who drink soy milk, eat tofu, or consume any products that use soy and claim it is a ‘healthy’ option…POP! I am now going to burst your bubble…
I’m not a doctor, biologist, certified nutritionist (although in process of getting that!) BUT this is information gathered that is relevant and true to the best of my (and other certified doctors, nutritionists, etc.) knowledge. Take this information and use it to change or not change your diet, it is up to you (and you may also want to speak with your primary care physician before changing your diet). BUT I care about me, my family, my friends, my readers, and anyone who breathes and I want to spread the warning about soy!

It is unfortunate but true, here in the U.S. and all over the world, there are so many food and beverage options available to us in this modern technologically advanced world which are harmful to our well-being. A LOT of companies and products claim to be ‘health products’. BUT do your homework first before taking their word over what un-biased research tells us.

I used to eat tofu, tempeh, soy milk. I was so happy that I found soy and soy found me…low fat, you can make tofu taste like anything and it isn’t animal protein, soy milk replaced my dairy (after I found out that dairy was not meant for humans and has adverse health effects)…and then one sunny day, my world fell apart…Okay, my world didn’t fall apart BUT I found out that soy is secretly NOT that great for my body! Damnit!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like many others, I wanted to get to and maintain a healthy weight/physique. I wanted my body to operate at optimal well being and capacity. I wanted energy, strength, a long life, yada, yada, yada. No, really, health is SO important to me and should be to you, it affects everything you do and how much you can enjoy your life. Everything you consume should be taken into consideration as to how it will positively or negatively affect your well-being.

Soy…the unfortunate truth. No matter if your soy is organic or GMO, it contains ‘anti-nutrients’, toxins and plant hormones.

  • Protease inhibitors that interfere with protein digestion
  • Phytates which block mineral absorption (zinc, calcium and iron deficiencies)
  • Lectins & Saponins that lead to gastrointestinal and immune disorders
  • Oxalates which can promote kidney stones
  • Oligosaccharides (cause gas)
  • Phytoestrogens or Plant Estrogens – “strong enough in numbers to cause significant endocrine disruption, leading most often to hypothyroidism with its symptoms of weight gain, fatigue, brain fog and depression”. And cause fertility problems!


What the?! POP went my bubble of love for soy. All along I was shopping at the supermarket with a big smile on my face, picking out all these soy products, when little did I know I was harming my body and my ability to achieve my optimal wellness! If you want more in depth information about soy, I have included one of the articles written by a doctor that I read about the adverse affects of soy. SOY IS BAD FOR YOU ARTICLE.

So, if you have been complaining about your inability to lose weight, you think…do I have a thyroid problem?, or are eating soy daily…now you know! Soy is in SO MANY foods on the shelf in your grocery store, so check the ingredient list. Unfortunately, “soy is now an ingredient in more than 60% of the foods sold in supermarkets and natural food stores, with much of it hidden in products where it wouldn’t ordinarily be expected, such as in fast-food burgers, breads and canned tuna” (SOY IS BAD FOR YOUR ARTICLE).

What to eat now? Use whey protein as a protein supplement for shakes and meal replacement. I use unsweetened Almond milk in my coffee and shakes. Whole foods, no more processed crap. Read the ingredient list on everything you eat. And for all of you who are vegetarians…combine nuts, seeds, unprocessed grains, beans to make sure you are getting complete protein.

AND SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY!

Health & Happiness, Nat