This is what their top ten were:

1. Keep a food journal.
2. Drink a LOT of water.
3. Plan your meals ahead of time.
4. Watch your portion sizes
5. Don’t diet.
6. Ditch the negative self-talk and the naysayers.
7. Carve time to de-stress and relax.
8. Sleep at least 7 hours a night.
9. Move yo’ body.
10. Be consistent in all your efforts.

For more information on each rule, read the original article. Here is the link to the article again: 10 Rules To Live By If You’re Trying To Lose Weight.

This post comes to us from our friends at Optimal Body Balance.

Most families buy fat-free or reduced fat milk for their families. This is often per the guidance from doctors and pediatricians. The recommendation is based on studies that low fat milk reduces concentrations of bad cholesterol and also the idea that reducing calories will protect against weight gain.

A study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, found the opposite. Pre-school children who consumed fat-free or low-fat milk actually weighed more than their full fat drinking peers. The trend was found to hold up across all racial and ethnic groups as well as socio-economic groups. Other studies have has similar findings. Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that fat-free and low-fat milk consumption also resulted in weight gain among 9 to 14 year olds. Children’s Hospital in Boston found that preschoolers who grew up drinking whole milk has lower BMI’s (body mass index).

Cutting out fat is not helping protect kids against obesity. Calories in, calories out does not work.

Any fat-free or low-fat product is a processed product. It has to be processed in order to remove the fat. And then they usually end up adding more stuff in or taking more stuff out as well. Instead of choosing processed foods, choose foods as close to the state that nature intended them to be. That means you’ll be buying full fat dairy. These high fat foods need to be balanced with protein, vegetables and carbohydrates; that is the key. You can’t just eat as much high fat dairy as you want — you have to balance it.

You also have to get a variety of healthy fats, so not just fat from dairy, but fat from nuts and seeds, healthy oils, olive and avocados, to name a few. One of the reasons including fat in your diet is so important is for satiety reasons. Full fat foods are much more satisfying than their fat-free counterparts. They will fill you up faster and cut cravings; that is what they are supposed to do. If you don’t satisfy your needs, you will find yourself eating more than you should. Full fat, real foods will have you eating less because you’ll get more satisfaction from your food.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/19/174739752/whole-milk-or-skim-study-links-fattier-milk-to-slimmer-kids

This post comes to us from out friends at Optimal Body Balance.

(This post comes to us from our friends at Natural Solutions for a Healthy You.)

Correcting neurotransmitter imbalances often starts with balancing your blood sugar. Eating protein and fat along with plant-based carbohydrates (i.e., vegetables and fruit) at every meal is a good place to start (for loads of recipe ideas, see the Optimal Body Balance blog). In particular, starting the day with some protein is often very helpful to stave off cravings later in the day.

Next, we have to get at each person’s specific neurotransmitter imbalances. This is accomplished by figuring out the exact blend of building blocks your body needs to make up for any imbalances and then taking them at specific times during the day. Determining exactly what you need requires professional guidance; however, once the cravings are under control, you will no longer need professional supervision. The best part is many people see results within days or weeks of starting.

It is essential to address the underlying neurotransmitter imbalances present in cases of cravings, binging and any addictive-type behavior in order to be free of them. No amount of will power can overcome an imbalance in brain chemistry over time; eventually, your willpower will weaken and you will give in. However, once your neurotransmitter function is optimized, you won’t need will power anymore; you will be free to make a conscious choice about what and when you eat, without guilt, despair or longing. You will be free.

To learn more about amino acid therapy, visit www.amino-acid-therapy.com.  To get started, contact us.

(This post comes to us from our friends at Natural Solutions for a Healthy You.)

Tryptophan ® 5-HTP ® Serotonin  

Tryptophan competes with other amino acids for entry into the brain. Unfortunately, compared to other amino acids, tryptophan is at low levels in most foods. This means that under normal conditions, the amount of tryptophan that gets into the brain is very low.

However, the body has a remarkable way of getting around this obstacle. When you eat sweets or carbohydrate-rich foods, high amounts of insulin are released, accelerating the removal of sugar and amino acids other than tryptophan from the blood, leaving larger amounts of tryptophan to be transported to the brain to make more serotonin. The brain is happy again and you experience short-term relaxation, calmness and satisfaction–which provide further positive reinforcement for eating sweets and carbohydrate-rich foods. As a result, obese people frequently consume carbohydrates rather than other foods in order to subconsciously enhance tryptophan uptake into the brain and achieve “feel good” levels of serotonin. This is wonderful until the effect wears off and the cycle starts all over again–a reaction that can happen in a matter of minutes. The process is a double-edged sword; you feel good after eating carbohydrates, but it makes you crave more leading to weight gain. Unfortunately, this process will continue until your body’s neurotransmitters levels are balanced.

Interestingly, this relative serotonin deficiency remains even with substantial weight loss; meaning the cravings continue even if you do manage to lose weight. This is just one more reason why many people who have lost weight struggle to keep it off–willpower is no match for brain chemistry–over time, your “will” weakens and you will crave the very foods that cause you to gain weight and feel out of control.

Part 3 of this series will outline a program to help you eliminate these cravings and get back control of your life.

(This post comes to us from our friends at Natural Solutions for a Healthy You.)

Most of the time, these strong, often insatiable cravings are caused by imbalances in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is often associated with mood; new research is showing that it is also likely responsible for cravings, especially for sugars, sweets, carbohydrates and soda as well as increased appetite.

If your serotonin levels are low, your mood will suffer, and you will also be more likely to crave carbohydrates, especially in the mid-afternoon and evening. For those trying to lose weight, this is a recipe for disaster as your willpower is no match for your brain chemistry, and you will eventually give in to the cravings and “blow” a diet. Whether you are trying to lose weight or not, having these strong cravings can make us feel out of control, which can lead to anxiety, depression, despondent and stuck.

This was a huge problem for me. If I hadn’t become a naturopathic doctor, I think I may have ended up being one of those “speed-eater” guys–the ones that stuff huge quantities of food into their mouths as quickly as possible without throwing up. I’ve seen some of those contests, and I think I would have done pretty well. The reason was that I NEVER felt satisfied, and I was ALWAYS hungry. I never understood when people said things like, “The last bite of food just doesn’t taste as good as the first,” or “I’m stuffed–I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.” Even though I was physically full with a distended stomach to prove it, my brain was still sending the signal to EAT. Somehow, the connection between my brain and my stomach wasn’t working. It wasn’t until I learned about neurotransmitter imbalances that my overwhelming desire to eat finally made sense.

We’ll go over just how this occurs in Part 2 of this series.

Many people have heard of some of the more common neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and are familiar with at least some of their functions in regards to mood (especially depression) and sleep (serotonin is the immediate precursor to melatonin, which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep). What most people do not know is that neurotransmitter imbalances can dramatically affect many other aspects of your health and can cause or exacerbate any of the following conditions:

The key point is that when imbalances in neurotransmitters occur, information is not relayed optimally in the brain which causes symptoms. Most people exhibit more than one of these conditions but fail to make the connection between them. This connection is not made because most health care professionals don’t know much about brain chemistry or how to use amino acid therapy to correct the underlying neurotransmitter imbalances.

We have a novel approach to help those with these disorders substantially reduce and/or eliminate their symptoms.  It is based on underlying biochemical imbalances in brain chemistry, and it works. To find out more, contact us; we’ve help thousands of people all over the world reach a higher state of health and we’d love the opportunity to assist you in achieving your health goals.

To learn more about neurotransmitter imbalances and amino acid therapy, visit www.amino-acid-therapy.com.

Last week, federal health officials reported that only 11% of the 79 million Americans who have pre-diabetes know that they are at increased risk. At Optimal Body Balance, we talk about diabetes and insulin resistance all the time, and we know that everyone has some degree of insulin resistance. In fact, our entire eating plan is designed to balance blood sugar and prevent insulin resistance. 

Pre-diabetes means that you have higher than normal blood sugar levels. If you continue to have high blood sugar levels, you are in danger of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Whether or not you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, you should be concerned and aware of your blood sugar levels. Everyone has some degree of insulin resistance, caused by various lifestyle factors and eating habits. Factors that increase your insulin resistance are: eating too many carbs, skipping meals, eating fast food, not exercising, being overweight and family history, just to name a few.

Making changes in the areas of exercise and diet can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by 58%. That is more than traditional drug therapy used! Metformin reduces the risk of developing diabetes by 31%.

What are some changes that you can make to reduce your risk?

• Eating balanced meals. You need to include a vegetable, protein, healthy fat and carbohydrate at every meal. Most of your carbohydrates should come from fruit. At Optimal Body Balance, we determine the right balance of each of the components for you individually.
• Never eat carbohydrates by themselves! Eating carbs alone (without protein, fat and vegetables) will cause a blood sugar spike. Doing this habitually will lead to high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
• Exercise! 30 minutes of physical activity per day is excellent! At least aim for 30 min, 3 times a week.
• Don’t drink soda of any kind. That includes diet. Regular soda is obviously loaded with sugar, sure to cause a blood sugar spike. Diet soda can still affect your insulin levels! Your body still reads diet soda as incoming calories, it releases insulin in expectation — when no calories arrive, your body freaks out because your hormone levels are off. This causes hunger and and overall increased calorie consumption, as well as eventual insulin resistance.

This post comes to us from our friends at Optimal Body Balance.

Last week we talked about how eating regularly throughout the day can improve your mood by balancing your hormones and controlling your blood sugar. This week, we have three new tips for you. 

Tip #1: eat a variety of whole, unprocessed, real foods

Getting a variety of different foods ensures that you will meet all of your vitamin, mineral and micro-nutrient needs. If you are deficient in certain vitamins or minerals, you can be more prone to mood disorders such as anxiety or depression. You should be eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables of different colors. Different colors of produce contain different nutrients. One great way to get variety into your menu plan is by building it into your grocery shopping by using a flexible shopping list. Instead of writing down apples and grapes on your grocery list, just write down that you need 2 fruits. That way when you get to the store, you can see what is on sale or what is new in season. This will bring greater variety into your meals and hopefully get you trying foods that you’ve never had before. You can do the same for leafy greens and other vegetables.

Tip #2: include healthy fats in all of your meals

You have to eat fat to lose fat, and you also have to eat fat to be a happy person. Hormone balance is dependent on fat intake. If you aren’t eating fat, it’s going to be hard for your body to make all of the hormones it needs. Many vitamins are also fat soluble, meaning you need to eat fat in order to absorb them into your body. You just want to make sure that you are eating healthy fats, no processed trans fats or hydrogenated oils. Healthy fats are things like organic butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado, nuts and olives just to name a few.

Tip #3: avoid processed foods

Processed foods contain all sorts of additives and preservatives that can have negative effects on your body. Many of products are formulated in such a way that they alter your brain chemistry and create an addiction for those foods. For more detailed information on how processed foods can alter your brain chemistry (and also the brain chemistry of your future offspring!) see this post: This is your Brain on Twinkies.

If you are having cravings that you just can’t beat, there could be an underlying problem. Uncontrollable cravings can often be a sign of neurotransmitter imbalance, gut dysbiosis or a food sensitivity. Emotional eating is often indicative of hormone imbalance. You have to correct the underlying problem before you can kick the cravings in these cases. If you’d like help, or to find out if you may have one of these underlying imbalances, please contact us!

This post comes to us from our friends at Optimal Body Balance.

We really hope you will come bearing food, but if you don’t have time to make something to share or if you’re completely stumped on what to make, you can still join us; we just ask that you make a $5 donation to enjoy all the delicious food. All of the donations received will be given to St. Vincent De Paul or the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Here are the rules we do have:

1. Please try to make your dish as allergen-free as possible. Ideally we would like everyone to be able to try every dish. We ask that you try to eliminate these seven foods from your dishes: dairy, wheat, soy, corn, eggs, peanuts and sugar. In place of sugar, try substituting alternative sweeteners, such as agave nectar, stevia, honey or maple syrup. No artificial sweeteners, please!
2. Sign up by email with your recipe and how many people are attending; is it just you or if you are bringing your family?
3. Please bring serving utensils! We will supply silverware and dishes.
4. If your dish does contain an allergen, make sure everyone at the potluck knows it! Label your dish with the allergen it contains.

We will compile all of the recipes and post them to our blog. We are very excited to see all of you and eat some great food! We hope you will join us!

The basics:

• Wednesday, April 3rd at 6 PM
• RSVP to customercare@naturalpathhealthcenter.com with recipe and number of people attending.

What you eat and when you eat it can have a big impact on your mood. 

You can improve your mood and increase your energy by balancing your meals. Many people are in the habit of skipping meals. Because it’s so commonplace, people don’t realize how much better they could feel if they ate regular meals, balanced throughout the day. Skipping meals puts added stress on your body. Your blood sugar levels get out of whack, and you release the catabolic stress hormone coritsol. The problem with cortisol is that it doesn’t like to break down fat, it likes to break down muscle. You need muscle to keep your metabolism running efficiently and effectively. If you’re breaking down muscle, your metabolic rate is going to drop and you’ll have a harder time burning off fat.

Your body also likes to store more fat when you are a habitual meal-skipper. Many people see meal skipping as a viable weight loss strategy. Less calories in equals weight loss, right? NO! To quote JJ Virgin: Your body is not a bank account, it is a chemistry lab. There is so much more going on inside of your body that a simple equation such as “calories in, calories out” simply cannot work for everyone.

Let’s look at breakfast as an example. You wake up and you don’t have time to eat breakfast or you aren’t hungry, so you skip. Your body has been fasting all night while you’ve been sleeping. Now that you’re awake, it is ready for some fuel. When that fuel never comes, your body goes into conservation mode. Not only will your body try to save the fat stores that you already have, it will try to store as much as it can when you finally do eat a meal. That is because your body does not know when to expect it’s next meal.

So you’re storing more fat, you’re not burning fat, your metabolism is dropping, your blood sugar levels are dropping and you’ve got cortisol running through your veins. You’re probably hungry too. So what’s that doing for your mood? You can avoid all of these ill effects and be happier and more energetic if you balance your meals out throughout the day. Eating within an hour of waking up, and then eating lunch, snack and dinner every 3 to 4 hours afterwards will help keep everything in check and your body working the way it should.

Stay tuned for more ways to improve your mood with food.

This post comes to us from our friends at Optimal Body Balance.