Blog Posts

Coconut Oil: Miracle Cure or Hype?

7/27/2014

One food item people often ask me about is coconut oil. Probably one of the most hyped-up natural remedies since apple cider vinegar, coconut oil has been touted as the cure to everything from tooth decay to Alzheimer's disease. But is it really? Can this tropical nut oil truly do all that the stories circulating the internet claim?

Today I will address some of those claims, and also share some facts about coconut oil in an attempt to clear up the confusion about this subject.

First, the hype. From the fact that a search for "coconut oil" pulls up 16 million hits on Google, you can tell that a lot of people are talking about this topic! From the Dr. Oz show, to the New York Times, coconut oil has been making headlines for a few years now. But how to separate the fact from the fiction?

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How to Eat Less Crap: Part 2: Salt & the Solution

7/20/2014

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As we discussed last week, part of the reason it's so hard to stop eating junk food is because we are biologically conditioned to love the taste of fat, sugar, and salt. (No, it's not your fault!) Last week we discussed why you love fat and sugar - if you missed it, click here to check it out! This week, we're going to address the final piece - salt, and then offer some simple solutions to help you curb the junk food habit, and eat (and be) healthier.

Here's Why You Love Salt:

As with fat and sugar, you are hard-wired to love the taste of salt - and it's no wonder why, as salt, like fat, is also essential for health. However, unlike fat (and sugar), your body can't produce salt on its own - it has to come from dietary sources. Salt is included in many, many bodily processes - and I won't get too technical here, but if you're an athlete, you know how important electrolytes are for maintaining hydration and keeping your bodily functions going. Salt is included in every bodily fluid, and sodium chloride is the major electrolyte that your body uses to keep your cells properly balanced and functioning. Salt also helps transport toxins out of the body, conduct electrical impulses in the brain and body, keep your blood at the right pH level, and much more. As with fat, you would die without salt. Your taste buds know this - and so do the food processing companies! So they give it to you - and a lot of it - in just about every processed food known to man.

Personally, salt is my main craving. I can do just fine without sugar (unless I've become temporarily addicted to it - which happens a couple of times per year - especially around the holidays), and I love fat, but I don't feel deprived of it, since I make sure to include enough good fats in my diet. I can walk right by a plate of brownies, cookies, or a cake at a party, with barely a glance. But that bag of Doritos is another story.... (Yes, I - a self-proclaimed health nut - love me some spicy nacho cheese Doritos!) Who knows why that's my weakness? The rest of my family are all sugar-a-holics, but I've always been all about the salt.

Back to Our Sugar Addiction for a Moment....

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How to Eat Less Crap: Part 1: Why You Love Fat & Sugar

7/13/2014

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Eating junk food and processed foods is probably the main cause for obesity in this country. And it's not that people aren't aware of this - we all understand there's a reason they're called "junk foods" - it's because nutritionally they're junk. Or to put it plainly, we know they're bad for us, and yet we all eat them anyway!

Now, I'm not talking here about things like the difference between good and bad fats, or whether fat or carbs are worse for you, or the mountains of conflicting and confusing information about nutrition that are thrown at us every day. Today I'm not talking about any of those seemingly complex issues (although you can find many enlightening posts on those topics on this blog - just click the "Food & Nutrition" category).

Today, I'm talking about the highly processed and nutritionally unhealthy foods that the majority of Americans already know as "junk food," and guiltily eat anyway - many of us almost daily. (And with all my passion for health, you may be surprised to learn that....I'm not immune to junk food cravings! More on that later....)

So why do we eat them? If we know they're unhealthy, we know they're bad for our bodies, we know they make us fat, what keeps us returning to the bag of chips over and over? Why do we continue to scarf down a half package of Oreos at a time, when we know it can only have negative consequences? Are junk foods really addictive? Do food processing companies add some secret substance that makes us unable to control our urges to eat more and more of them, despite knowing they are bad for us? And beyond that, is there anything we can do about it?

This week and next, I will unpack answers to all of these questions and more.

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The Truth About Butter

7/6/2014

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It both amazes and frustrates me how pervasive the low-fat myth has become. Despite dozens of books, and hundreds of research studies, articles, and reports in medical journals demonstrating proof to the contrary, the vast majority of people still seem to believe that foods like butter (and other saturated fats) are bad for you.

In actuality, this was never a proven fact to begin with. As I explained a couple of months ago, the originator of this myth, Ancel Keys, actually described his conclusion as "the lipid hypothesis" (meaning it was only a theory). But somehow, the idea got into the mainstream media, and before you know it, the low-fat frenzy was on. With thousands of food companies now mass producing low-fat processed food products by the millions, and doctors still recommending a low-fat diet to patients right and left, it's going to be a slow process to turn the tide of public opinion.

That's why I was both surprised and elated to see BUTTER featured on the cover of Time magazine last month!

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The Lie of Balance? (How to Live Well & NOT Have It All)

6/29/2014

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I saw the title of this article on LinkedIn this week, and just had to read it: The Lie of Balance & Having It All. Obviously we talk quite a bit about balanced living here - it's even in our tag line! So I was interested in what the author had to say. (Feel free to check it out - it's a quick read.) While I don't disagree at all with her 3 main points (make honorable choices, surround yourself with good people, and seek strong community), I fail to see where this precludes living with balance. But maybe it is her understanding of balance that is throwing me off....

Firstly, I don't see balance as at all the same thing as "having it all." Living with balance for some people - including myself - often means simplifying - having less, not more. The more you accumulate and add to your life, the harder it is to maintain balance - at least in my view.

Secondly, I admit that I don't have children (yet), and from what I've heard, life becomes infinitely more chaotic once that happens. However, I do have a busy full-time job, two online businesses (including 5 blogs), a new husband, and am in the process of buying a home, as well as fixing up my husband's home to sell. Life is a complete whirlwind!

I also freely admit that despite my best efforts, I don't always live a balanced life! However, seeking that is a value that guides me, and I am able to achieve it to some degree more often than not. So before you give up on balance altogether, consider these 3 points:

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Do You Really Need Nutritional Supplements?

6/22/2014

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There has been a lot of controversy over the past several years about the value of taking vitamins and nutritional supplements. Some swear by them, and others say they are unnecessary and expensive. Conflicting studies have shown they have no effect, and conversely that they are very helpful in maintaining health and preventing (sometimes even treating) various diseases and conditions.

So what is the truth?

Should you take supplements or not, and if so, which ones?

As with so many things when it comes to health, the real answer is...it depends.

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Borrow for Your Dream? Cracking the Code of Financial Irresponsibility

6/15/2014

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As promised last week, I'm back today with a post about finances. I'll try not to rant too much in this one, but I can't make any promises! Some things just get me going, and irresponsibility is one of the big ones - health-wise of course, but also as it relates to finances - and our country has got to be one of the worst offenders in both categories. But it's not just this irresponsibility itself that really gets me; it's the assumption that this is totally okay, and a completely acceptable way to live! But let's get specific here - no sense in beating around the bush, right?

Here is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I was standing in line at the bank one evening after work, waiting to deposit a couple of checks into my checking account. The bank branch I frequent is located inside a large grocery store, but they have their own little corner, filled with signs and propaganda for loans, home mortgages, and such. You know - the glossy brochures, "Ask us how you can own your own home today!", etc. Only the tag line they were currently using on their brochures was a blatant display of encouragement to irresponsibility, and I was rather shocked, not to mention disgusted, by the complacency of our populace that we just accept such a thing as a matter of course....

"Borrow for your dream!"

declared the brochures in large bold print. I might have actually chuckled out loud in disbelief. Our grandparents would roll over in their graves if they knew how much debt their grandchildren carry.... And not just carry, but lug along with them throughout their lives as a matter of course, without a second thought.

What ever happened to SAVING for your dream?? When was the last time you saw a promotion that said THAT?

A dream used to be something you worked hard for. Something you saved for for years and years, and when you finally saved enough to buy it, finally having it was so, so sweet. (Maybe some of you remember feeling this way when you were children, and saved up your allowance for that special doll, bike, model car, etc.) But nowadays, the mindset seems to be, why spend all that time saving, when you can just borrow the money, and have your dream now?

I'll tell you why: because borrowed money is not real money. People throw around credit cards like they're cash - but they're not. Borrowed money is not money at all - it's CREDIT, and there's a big difference, because credit always comes due. No matter how you shuffle around low-interest rate cards, choose zero-interest promotions, or try to work out some way that you will come out ahead of the banks and credit card companies, you never will. It will always come due at some point, and then you will have to pay up. Only by then, you've borrowed for 5 more "dreams," and it's a never-ending cycle. Borrowed money is not real money - it's a rope around your neck.

In fact, there's really only one good way to borrow - and that is to borrow from yourself. Huh?? What in the world does that mean? Isn't borrowing from yourself the same as regular spending? Not when done honestly.

Let me explain....

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Review: Fresh: New Thinking About What We're Eating

6/8/2014

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We're back!! Jamaica was amazing - beautiful, relaxing, and fun - everything a honeymoon should be.... I'm still getting caught up on all of the things I missed while gone, so I don't have a long rant or expose' for you today. Instead, I thought I would review for you one of my favorite food-related movies I have seen; it's called Fresh: New Thinking About What We're Eating. It's definitely worth a watch, and here's why.

I watched the documentary film, Food, Inc. a few years ago, after it was recommended to me by several different people, many of whom described it as "shocking," "appalling," or "you'll never look at food the same way again." While I'm sure they felt that way, it didn't do much for me. Already being familiar with so many of the atrocities committed by our industrial food system, the film contained little that was new to me, and I was left wanting more.

For me, Fresh is that "more." In a way, Fresh picks up where Food, Inc. left off.

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#1 Worst Food That Causes Aging

5/26/2014

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I actually didn't have time to write an article for you this week because.....I'm getting married this weekend!

That's right guys - this gal is officially off the market! :-)

Luckily, I've got a great guest post for you from one of my favorite health and fitness "gurus" - Mike Geary. Mike is best known for his great courses on fitness and weight loss, but what I like best are his hard-hitting articles exposing the truth about REAL health and nutrition. This week he's talking about the #1 food that causes faster aging. For those of us wanting to stay young and healthy as long as possible, you'll definitely want to sit up and take notice.

Also, due to honeymoon/travel plans, we will not be posting next week, but be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for a special peek at an article that goes hand-in-hand with this one - on a certain type of exercise that actually AGES you - you'll want to stop doing these exercises right away!

Check out the article below, have a wonderful week, and enjoy your Memorial Day!

Rose.

The #1 WORST Food that Causes Faster Aging
by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist
& Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN

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In Love: Part 2 - What Women Really Want

5/18/2014

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Welcome back! This week we're covering the other gender with what women really want and need in relationships. If you missed last week's post on what men really want, be sure to check that one out too! While our needs are somewhat similar, and everyone does need all of these to some extent, our top relationship needs are a bit different between the sexes.

And men, while you may wonder if you should really take the time to read this article, remember that a happy woman who is getting her needs met is one who is happy to meet your needs as well, including that one need that every man thinks about often, even if he may not say it to his partner - the need for more s-e-x. :-)

So without further ado, let's get right to the juicy details! As I did last week, with each crucial relationship need, I've also posted a tip on how to meet this need for your woman, so you can put it into practice right away and watch your relationship improve.

Relationship Need #1: Caring

This pretty much goes without saying if you're a woman, but we really need to know that our man cares for us! And we don't just need to hear it, we need to feel this on a deep level. Some men have trouble expressing how much they care for their partner, and obviously since this is need #1, this can cause great problems in a relationship. To complicate matters further, each woman has her own definition of what makes her feel that you love and care for her. It's no wonder we sometimes drive you guys crazy!

Caring Tip: It really can make you crazy trying to figure out the ways to best show your woman that you care - especially if this is something that doesn't really come natural to you. For this particular need, I would suggest checking out the book "The 5 Love Languages", by Gary Chapman. It's a short read, and gives you a simple way to determine how your partner likes to be communicated with. For example: my primary language is physical touch. If yours is something completely different - say, acts of service - it doesn't matter how many nice things you do for me - if you don't touch me often, I'm still not going to feel loved, even though you are doing all these things to show me that you love me. (Luckily, even though it's not his primary language, my fiance knows it's mine, and he is really great at communicating with me in that way.) :-) It's a great book to help any couple learn to communicate better and make each other happier.

Relationship Need #2: Empathy

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