Changes, Challenges, Clients and Carbs

       Changes in life keep life exciting, and that is exactly the emotion I have been feeling lately...EXCITED!! These past few weeks have been very exciting on all different levels. For starters, I am working on accomplishing some big things, that truly mean a lot to me; starting my own health and wellness business. 
       
       The past few years I have been working at different aspects of this dream of mine, coming true. The hard work is paying off, little by little. It is very awesome to see. 
      
           I have attained a clientele of mainly friends and family (for now), whom I have been working with, to help them achieve different goals. Some of my clients have goals of weight loss, some needed assistants in building strength after an injury, some just need new techniques, some want to be toned, and some have goals that combine a little of everything I mentioned. I also took on assisting in a gym class for home schooled kids, which after a few weeks, I will be leading. 
     
     I am thoroughly enjoying every second of training my clients. I share the joy with them, as they accomplish their goals. It is so rewarding!! 
     
      In addition to helping others, I am reading and studying (as much as I can), about different recipes, diets, workout techniques, and nutrition information. I find it very interesting and feel like I can't get enough information about it all. 
     
     As for me, I have goals and changes I have put into place for myself. For one, I have learned some new things about hypoglycemia (which I discovered I had when I was about 12 yrs. old). For those of you who don't exactly know what hypoglycemia entails, an article I found by Mary Somon best describes it as:

"Hypoglycemia occurs when the body does not metabolize blood glucose properly. Abnormal metabolism can be caused by a variety of factors such as:

• Excess refined sugar and white flour in your diet,
• Pancreatic or adrenal under activity or over activity
• Excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, and coffee or other products with caffeine
• Overeating of refined carbohydrates
• Allergies
• Severe emotional stress that doesn't go away

       Probably the biggest contributor to hypoglycemia is the consumption of excess refined sugar, white flour and other refined carbohydrates. Our bodies were not designed genetically or physiologically equipped to metabolize the mass amount of refined food, which is stripped of any nutritional value, found in the typical diet of this day and age. This creates a continuous strain and abuse on your bodies' organs, such as the pancreas, the liver, the adrenals and other endocrine glands. The continuous ingestion of empty refined foods leads to malfunctioning of the glandular and metabolic systems."  

       With that being said, I needed to examine my own diet, and make some challenging changes. As I have mentioned, it has been over a year since I've eaten red meat. I have basically been eating a vegetarian diet for the past year, but on a very seldom occasion, I will eat fish or chicken. With this new diet I have put in place for myself, I must eliminate all carbohydrates that are not fruits or vegetables. Meaning that is simply all I eat, or I can add more chicken and fish in my diet to keep things a little less boring. The things I will miss are: granola bars, cereal, alcohol, and my coffee with flavored creamers added--- must be eliminated. For good.
      
       The good news is, I should feel better than ever, and it should help me both physically and mentally. It's a no brainer, this is what must be done. I also found a new gluten free beer I really like. It's called 'Angry Orchard,' it tastes like apple cider.
       
        Last but not least, I am excited to be able to go visit the west coast! I will be spreading the word about my business, and spending time with family!
    

 Citation

          Somon, Mary. "Do You Have Undiagnosed Hypoglycemia?" Weblog post. About.com Thyroid Disease. N.p., 28 Apr. 2004. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.

Your immune system, seaweed, and fighting cancer

     Recently, I have heard more and more, about how eating seaweed, has many nutritional/health benefits. Such as preventing cancer. I even heard, it can cure cancer. I decided to look into it for myself.

    I have had seaweed before. It can be prepared in all different ways. One way I tried, that I wasn't so fond of, was in the form of a strip/sheet. So if you are thinking about giving this a whirl, I am just forewarning you, you might want to look up some recipes, rather than trying those strip things. It's an acquired taste. However, many times Sushi will be prepared with seaweed in it, and that is very good.

     Overall, seaweed supports healthy cell production, and cells make up the tissues and organs in our body. It aids in things such as anti-aging, prevention of cancer, and thyroid health.

     Seaweed is not the only plant that is beneficial to our bodies, there are other plant life in the ocean that are nutritious, and do wonders for our body also. Here are some examples:

Nori: packed with Vitamin C (contains twice as much as an orange), also contains beta-carotene, iodine and iron.

Arame: loaded with macro minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and iodine. All very important in cell production.

Kelp: High iodine content, aids in the glandular function of the thyroid and ultimately the metabolism. Also contains phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It is a great source for Vitamin A, B1, B2, C, D and E. Also amino acids. It tastes salty, yet has low sodium.

Wakame: Iron rich and has 10 times more calcium than a glass of milk.

     Vegetables in general, are great for you! Many contain phytonutrients and/or antioxidants which prevent cancer cells from forming, or at least surviving. Vegetables aid in healthy cells production/function and counteract free radicals. So seaweed (and other sea plants), are no doubt healthy, in some of the same ways. As far as curing cancer, I am not so sure.

    In our body, we have cells that act like "Pacman," they eat harmful cells. It is part of our immune system. The scientific/medical terminology for this is macrophage/phagocytes. They work to keep foreign materials, and harmful cells from making us sick. They also facilitate healing after injury.

    Cancer cells are a little different. They attack tissue. Most Cancer cells mutate, due to carcinogens our bodies have been exposed to. While our body has these little "Pacman" cells going around eating bad cells, cancer cells may reproduce too fast for them to keep up. Cancer cells also typically mimic good cells and are not "marked" as bad cells, or the immune system is not strong, therefore there are not enough "Pacman" cells to keep up with the work cut out for them.

   Eating vegetables (and fruits), such as seaweed, is most definitely beneficial to your health. Seaweed is commonly used in Asian cuisine, and there is quite a difference in the rate of cancer seen in people from that decent, than in Americans. Diets in  Asian countries, as well as in the Mediterranean, are very healthy. Both of them have in common diets that are high in fiber, low in cholesterol, low in fat, and they prepare their meals with different types of fruits and vegetables.

Here is a recipe that I am going to be preparing in the near future!! Check it out:
http://earthmother-intheraw.blogspot.com/2008/11/nourished-by-sea.html?dsq=9507302#comment-9507302