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Category Archives: Diabetes

15 delicious foods to boost detox power

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Quick factoid: While we all have a natural ability to break down and eliminate toxic chemicals and metals, those systems were designed to eliminate by-products of our daily activities—not overloaded by “better living through chemistry and technology”. Our liver, kidneys, and digestive tract are supposed to balance hormones (activate/inactivate as needed), neutralize cell waste products, balance electrolytes, and keep us energized all day long. But instead… Overloaded by environmental pollution, anti-food, medications, stressful lifestyles… our body can’t keep up! We quickly go out of balance, the accumulation of toxic substances creates chronic inflammation. Months and years later, we feel the … Continue reading →

Think fast: what the pH?

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Diagram of entire digestive tract including nutrients absorbed in each section

Thanks go to three of my clients who just this week asked questions about alkaline diet foods and pH: What the pH? Skin care commercials tell us their product will balance our skin, so-called “clean eating” blogs promote “alkaline diet foods”, designer bottled water companies and aggressive multi-level-marketing water filter companies promote alkaline waters, or maybe you retained a basic understanding of pH from biology or chemistry. The idea of an alkaline pH is trendy and in large print on labels. But what does being “pH balanced” or “too acidic” or “alkaline” or even “too alkaline” really mean? And, why … Continue reading →

Gah! Menopausal spread. (Shhhh… it happens to guys too)

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solve obesity, weight loss, hormone imbalance

Isn’t working out five times a week enough to avoid weight gain? And what is setting off that midnight (and morning, and after lunch, and before dinner… ) heat? Susan hadn’t changed her calories—or her workouts—since graduating college. But there it was: that pudge, bulge, and mid-section ten starting in her late 40’s. Why? Anne just wouldn’t lose weight no matter how hard she tried. After learning that midsection fat is the most likely to be associated with chronic inflammation and other health problems, she was ready to change and tried every diet—but her weight wasn’t. Why? Hormones out of whack … Continue reading →

My 6 favorite pro-health and weight-loss hormones

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Hormone (from Greek ὁρμή, “impetus”) n. a signaling molecule produced by glands and transported by the circulatory system to distant organs where they regulate physiology and behaviour. Thousands upon thousands of complex processes going on in your body are regulated by many dozens (and counting) of little proteins or modified cholesterol molecules called hormones. Which, ones are made at what time and in what amounts are regulated by what your body perceives it needs. Hormones influence everything from energy levels, sleep, digestion, fat-burning, fat-storing, sugar handling, hunger… to bone building, inflammation and ability to heal… and more. Hormones can coordinate their … Continue reading →

Solving Chronic Inflammation

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Meet the modern inflammatory diet. We are fatter and sicker—and extremely unhappy about being fatter and sicker—than ever before in history. Except, of course, anyone who has tried to actually do something about their health but given up—moving into the “nothing can be done about it” band. The studies are clear: where “modern” processed foods become the standard diet, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases of inflammation follow. When we abandon our traditional nourishing foods in favor of processed groceries high in sugar, processed grains, vegetable oils, and additives, we get sick. Of the top ten … Continue reading →

Keeping inflammation in check: Your ubiquitous ubiquitin system

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Are Alzheimer’s, weight gain and obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease all the same health problem? I think so. And so do many other researchers today. What they all have in common is excess inflammation in the body. And any time some really interesting new piece of the inflammatory puzzle hits the science headlines, pharmaceutical and biotech companies start promoting how they’ll develop novel anti-inflammatory drugs to block these natural proteins to finally solve the problem of unquenchable pain and inflammation. And one such amazing piece of the inflammatory puzzle—amazing to molecular biology or biochemistry nerds like me—just put together some pieces not before known. For 20 … Continue reading →

Can you out-run a fattening diet? Weight loss theory de-mythed.

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health-based food pyramid

Something rare came across my desk today, a readable yet scientifically accurate weight loss truth, finally! The truth about exercise and weight loss—or at least a place to start. Weight loss myths I’ve known: In 2007 the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommended 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise five days a week “to maintain and promote health.” But there was very little data supporting the idea that those who exercise more gain less weight. The USDA urges us to get 90 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise almost every day “to maintain weight”. There’s no … Continue reading →

Coffee Good or Bad?

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100% natural coffee good or bad

A quick browse on the internet yields “7 health reasons…” “10 ways coffee harms…” “11 good things about coffee…” Do you have whiplash yet? And the media is not helping! One night’s news report conflicts with another’s blatantly contradictory info. So what do we do? Whatever the heck we want, apparantly. The coffee infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans, is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world. After all, that chocolaty aroma… the promise of energy… so is coffee good or bad? My own courtship with coffee. The truth is, I love my coffee. I find this subject … Continue reading →

Control Your Weight, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Heart Health.

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The sun is out and our unbelievable record-setting Alaska winter snowfall is finally leaving. Soon we’ll be wearing shorts, bathing suits and, looking in the mirror, yikes! extra winter insulation has just got to go: time to lose some weight! There is probably no bigger argument in the corporate lobbying dietician/nutrition world than how to get to our ideal weight. Should we count calories, percent of protein, percent of carbohydrate or glycemic index? Which is the most important weight loss strategy (or how can we prevent diabetes, lower cholesterol, improve heart health…) And, of course, we have to shun dietary fat—which … Continue reading →

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