Diabetes - A 21st Century Scourge: Nutrients for Weight Loss in Diabetics

Every excess pound above your ideal body weight makes developing diabetes or pre­diabetes extremely easy and reversing the condition exceedingly difficult. There are several imperatives regarding diabetes and weight loss. One, movement equals improvement. In order to reduce inflammation and burn off glycogen released when stress hormones are present you must exercise moderately (when able) otherwise weight management will not happen. Second, your meal plan must meet the demands of reversing diabetes. Finally, taking the right supplements in adequate amounts will help you on your way.

Keep in mind that there is no magic bullet out there to get you where you need to go. Depending solely on supplements is a sure way to not meet your goals. Be sure to think of these recommendations as Sherpas helping you up the mountain of diabetes reversal.

The goal here is to nourish the body in such a way as to trigger your body’s natural ability to reduce fat storage and induce fat cell destruction. Supplement recommendations will be divided into sections: Fat burning, appetite suppressants, increased satiety and energy production.

Thermogenic (fat burning):

●      Green tea (or green tea extracts): used for thousands of years for a range of health benefits green tea and its extracts profoundly increases thermogenic activity in the body. This helps your body increase fat burning over a sustained period of time with no side effects (unless you are extremely sensitive to caffeine). 3-­4 cups of green tea daily and/or 100 milligrams of green tea extract is recommended.

●      Fucoxanthin: a component of fucoidan it is derived from edible seaweed. Asian cultures have used and consumed seaweed full of fucoxanthin for thousands of years and have experienced wonderful health benefits as a result. In recent years it has been gaining more and more interest for its thermogenic powers with new human studies supporting this claim. It is also noted for its ability decrease the body’s ability to store abdominal and liver fat. 5 milligrams three times daily is recommended.

Appetite Suppressants:

●      L-­tryptophan and 5­-hydroxytryptophan (5­-HTP): these amino acids help to control carbohydrate and sugar cravings by helping the body produce more serotonin which naturally deters these cravings. 50­-100 milligrams one to three times daily or 100-­300 milligrams before bed. Serotonin Max may be a good place to start. *Special note: if you are taking a SSRI antidepressants or triptans for migraines please consult with your physician before taking these supplements.

●      N­-acetyl L-­tyrosine: a naturally occurring amino acid that helps the body increase

dopamine and norepinephrine which decreases appetite and improves mood. 500-­2,000 milligrams daily taken on an empty stomach usually does the trick. Avoid taking in the late afternoon as it may interfere with sleep.

Increase Satiety:

●      Fiber: fiber does so many wonderful things for the body like help control sugar levels through various mechanisms but the focus here will be on feeling full. Both soluble and insoluble fiber play a significant role in this process.  It is recommended that most people consume at least 30 grams per day (most only get about 14 grams per day). A high quality fiber supplement split up over the course of the day (10 grams 3x daily) will assist with feeling full, reduce cravings and moderate blood sugar levels.

Increase Energy:

●       Acetyl L-­carnitine: supports, protects and regenerates mitochondria and mitochondrial functions. It is also able to cross the blood­-brain barrier to support and energize brain cells and increase the number of neurotransmitters in the brain. Increased energetic output and mitochondrial function (where energy is produced) helps to reduce weight through desiring to move and then doing so!

*Before beginning any supplement regime it is best that you consult your primary healthcare practitioner or doctor.

Multivitamin Use Absurd and Dangerous? I Think Not Part II

Another major flaw in the studies cited is what really gives me the greatest concern. With the exception of the chelation study the participants were allowed to use any type of multivitamin they wanted. It mattered not to the researchers if those participating in the studies used natural or synthetic vitamins. The quality of the vitamin nor amount consumed did not matter much either. Participants were not guided on vitamin intake except for the request that the upper limits of vitamin consumption as described by the US Food and Nutrition Board were not exceeded. Even the chelation study failed to control for the quality of the supplements used by the researchers.

A word about "natural" vs. synthetic" vitamins

Since the participants could walk into any store or go online and purchase whatever they wanted there was surely a hodgepodge of vitamins and minerals used. Most people succumb to mainstream advertisements as a major source of supplement information and end up purchasing cheap, synthetic versions of the vitamin they want. The old adage "you get what you pay for" rings very true in this case. Most synthetic vitamins are not bio-available (a fancy word that means your body cannot absorb it) while others are ill absorbed and therefore are just plain trash. How is it possible to receive a meaning outcome in a study where you can shout to the world that multivitamins are useless if you fail to control for (or consider in the case of a meta-analysis) what the participants use? Furthermore, an upper limit of how much to take was established but not a lower limit. What if several of the participants decided to take half doses or less? What reasonable conclusions could one make of a study or analysis that does not account for this? 

It is estimated that a fair majority of all vitamins and minerals on the market today are synthetic with some estimates going as high as 90%! With marketers of all stripes and colors jockeying for our supplemental dollars the truth about the efficacy of their products gets more and more fuzzy. Labels like "all natural" or "food source" can be highly legalistic in definition and therefore deceiving. In order to make sure you are consuming natural vitamins that are high in quality you have to know and trust the manufacturer which can be difficult for sure. Until trust in a product is sure I can give you this one tidbit to take with you on you next supplement shopping trip. Be sure to read the labels and know that any vitamin that begins with "dl" is a synthetic. For example, one of the most widely consumed vitamins in the U.S. is dl-alpha-tocopherol which is a cheap and synthetic form of vitamin E. Notice the "dl" at the head of the name. Also, some manufacturers mix the natural version of a vitamin with the synthetic version. This is how some supplements can be labeled "natural" while containing synthetic product so make sure to read the ingredients if a natural vitamin is what you are looking for.

A holistic approach to health often overlooked

Sadly, many people would like to pigeon hole our health into tidy little compartments mostly to our detriment. Some mean well enough while others are more intentional. Either way we are left in a terrible mess when we or researchers fail to consider the big picture to our health. The interesting point to make here is that multivitamin and mineral use is only one part of the kaleidoscope that makes for great health. If you want to prevent or reverse cardiovascular issues several things must be done. Limiting oxidative stress and inflammation in conjunction with a healthy eating plan, exercise and mental stress mitigation are all keys to better cardiovascular health. I find it extremely disingenuous to conduct any such study of vitamin and mineral use without considering these additional avenues of approach. No one should believe that just taking a multivitamin is going to be helpful while remaining sedentary, over stressed and filled to the gills with fast food especially if the vitamin is synthetic and crappy! But that is just what the researchers want us to believe and what's sad is some of us will.

A Healthy Liver Equals A Healthy You Update!

We have come to the end of the first cleansing cycle for our livers. It is certain that this juice combination is powerfully strong and invigorating. If you have followed along I'm sure you agree. I'm also sure you would agree that it takes a bit of getting used to because of its potency.

Still our liver health is certainly worth the cleanse. Just think of these powerful natural juices coursing through your liver to help re-energize and tone the organ that is so vital to our health and well being. Help your body power away the impurities and fatty deposits that have built up over time from poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol use and prescription drug use. Of course there are other ways to cleanse the liver with some being more pervasive than others. The current state of your health should be the determining factor as to how much, how long and how detailed your liver cleanse should be.

Powerful Liver Support Through Herbal Cleansing

If you are seeing this post and have no idea about the liver cleanse that has been discussed allow me to refer you to "A Healthy Liver Equals a Healthy You" where all will be explained! Go in good health.

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Estrogen Dominance in Men and Women Part III

Restore healthy by nourishing beneficial cell growth and regeneration

In this article are some keys to avoiding estrogen dominance and other hormone imbalances caused by environmental factors. These keys include what foods to consume and avoid. Also we need to know where to purchase trusted health and personal care products that will not contribute to hormone imbalances.

Organic and Natural Meat

When it comes to what we put in our bodies there is no better place to start than with the meat we consume. One should make an earnest effort to consume meat that is certified organic or meat that is labeled “all natural“ when the source can be verified. Why? The producers of organic and all natural meat would not use rBGH or any other type of growth hormone which could pollute and harm the body. In addition, these meats tend to be less fatty and absent of excess inflammatory material produced in the body of the animal. Less fat and inflammation in the animal leads to less fat and inflammation in ‘we the people’ but I digress. There is no mistaking that residual hormones do find their way into our bodies and affects our lives.

Where to Purchase Products That Do Not Contribute to Hormone Imbalances

It is a rare thing, indeed, to find responsible stewards that care about our health while maintaining corporate profits. In fact, profits are the very reason why we continue to be poisoned without conviction by many major manufacturers. Some of the largest and most well respected manufacturers of personal care products and cosmetics continue to push their merchandise on the market that contain Parabens, TEA, Phthalates, and DEA to name a few despite the health risk. One company in particular has come along, however, to stop the dizzying madness that has gripped the common consumer. Sisel International has stepped in and made their position plain to consumers and industry alike: Poisonous chemicals (including hormone mimickers) in consumer products are not necessary, are irresponsible and will not appear in our products. Sisel International makes over 120 products at its own manufacturing facility where the products assembled are guaranteed to be free of any known adverse chemical and all nutritional supplements are synthetic free all while being affordable to the masses. For too long these types of products have been out of reach of the common man and set aside exclusively for the monied elite. Well no longer. We must take back our health. Whether it is cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, a liquid nutritional or any of the other numerous products expect quality, affordability and above all else expect to not be poisoned! I am proud to have affiliated myself with this wonderful company and look forward to seeing what other products they can formulate that I would confidently support. For more information on Sisel International and our products please visit: mysisel.com/thoughtfulhealth.

A Word about Soy

Soy gained substantial prominence during the 1970’s and 80’s as vegetarianism really began to take off. Soy was seen as a great meat substitute because of its high protein nutrient value and heartiness which helped with satiety. Besides, soy has been consumed by millions of people for thousands of years. There are some things to consider when consuming soy, however. Soy is well known for its strong estrogenic effects. Many cultures, especially those in Asia, often ferment their soy to combat this. Once again we do not want excess estrogen to gain dominance in our bodies even through our food. Another matter to consider is how often and heavily soy crops tend to be sprayed with harmful chemicals that can also serve to mimic hormones and retard our endocrine systems. Many pesticides work directly on slowing the metabolic rates of pest to the point of death and this is what we consume! Who wants to slow down their metabolism anyway? I’m sure you wash all your veggies thoroughly, though. Even still there is another way to get you. Almost all of the soy crops in the U.S. are now genetically modified and are “Round Up” ready which means the pesticides are built in. You couldn’t wash that out if you tried. It all adds up to this: If you are going to consume soy do so in moderation and insure it is organic and not genetically modified in any way.

It is time for us to be mindful of what we put in and on our bodies. It is time for us to wake up from the slickly advertised corporate nightmare that would have us poison ourselves with great loyalty to the poisoners. It is time for us to take back our lives!

Restore healthy by nourishing beneficial cell growth and regeneration