It’s a well known fact that a diet rich in fiber can keep you regular and even lower cholesterol levels. Currently, researchers are also finding that fiber also plays a large role in a healthy immune system. Fiber remains mostly unchanged as it moves through your immune system, basically playing the role of an internal broom. A recently published article in the Journal of Nature found that a plant based diet rich in fiber works with your beneficial gut bacteria and your immune system to promote health as well as possibly prevent a number of different diseases.
The scientists conclude that their current research gives compelling reasons to eat a diet rich in unprocessed whole foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. “The role of nutrition and gut intestinal bacteria in immune responses is an exciting new topic in immunology, and recent findings including our own open up new possibilities to explore causes as well as new treatments for inflammatory diseases such as asthma,” said Professor Mackay.
Archive for the ‘Healthy Diet’ Category
The Benefit of a Fiber Rich Diet
July 19th, 2010 
Soulshine 
Posted in Healthy Diet, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, healthy recipe 
Tags: fiber, morningcoach, Nutrition 
1 Comment »UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet
June 4th, 2010 Soulshine Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says
A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.
As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.
It says: “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”
Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: “Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels.”
The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions.
The panel of experts ranked products, resources, economic activities and transport according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth, they said.
Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist who co-chaired the panel, said: “Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products – livestock now consumes much of the world’s crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides.”
Both energy and agriculture need to be “decoupled” from economic growth because environmental impacts rise roughly 80% with a doubling of income, the report found.
Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UNEP, said: “Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation.”
The panel, which drew on numerous studies including the Millennium ecosystem assessment, cites the following pressures on the environment as priorities for governments around the world: climate change, habitat change, wasteful use of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilisers, over-exploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking water and sanitation, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to particulate matter.
Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, says the report, which has been launched to coincide with UN World Environment day on Saturday.
Last year the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation said that food production would have to increase globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the world’s surging population. The panel says that efficiency gains in agriculture will be overwhelmed by the expected population growth.
Prof Hertwich, who is also the director of the industrial ecology programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said that developing countries – where much of this population growth will take place – must not follow the western world’s pattern of increasing consumption: “Developing countries should not follow our model. But it’s up to us to develop the technologies in, say, renewable energy or irrigation methods.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
Do You Drink Milk? 28 Things You Should Know
May 28th, 2010 Soulshine Posted in Animal Foods, Compassionate Eating, Dairy, Disease, Energy, Exercise, Healthy Diet, Healthy Reciepes, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, Organic, Spirituality, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weight-loss, healthy recipe Tags: Dairy, dangerous, milk, unhealthy 1 Comment »Smart Eating Strategies
May 19th, 2010 Soulshine The First Step in Eating Optimally
The first step we have our clients take at BB3 Personal Training & Performance Center is the most important. It increases energy, helps aid fat loss, decreases joint pain and enhances metabolism.
Do you want to know what it is? It is simple but POWERFUL and yet so many people neglect it.
Your Main Ingredient…
People are always looking for the magic pill, powder or exercise that will magically change their bodies.
What is often overlooked is the foundation from which all others must work from.
Trillions…not millions…not billions…TRILLIONS of chemical reactions are occurring within your body every second of every day.
For each of those reactions to occur there is a common ingredient. In a healthy person it makes up approximately 70% of their body.
It is water.
I have had clients who came to me completely dehydrated, drinking only a couple sodas a day and nothing else, complaining of chronic headaches and back pain.
Then by simply removing the soda and drinking an ample amount of clean water each day the headaches and back pain vanished.
Do not underestimate the importance of hydration and fluid intake.
This one change to your daily routine can improve not only your body but even your life.
How much water should I drink each day?
A simple rule consume 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces (oz) of water each day.
For example if you weigh 200 lbs then you would drink 100 oz. per day.
*For my international friends using the metric system to get your body weight in pounds multiply your body weight in Kilograms by 2.2.
The Challenge
For the next 28 days, drink your target water intake each day and go to Http://www.IgniteWarmup.com to sign up for a FREE 14 Day fat burning Guide!
It will be well worth it.
Live Greatly,
BB3
Billy Beck III
Avoiding Cancer Each and Every Day
May 13th, 2010 Soulshine Last week the President’s Cancer Panel released a landmark report suggesting that thus far public health officials have “grossly underestimated” the role environmental contaminants may be playing in the 1.5 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year. The report called for stricter regulations on chemicals, especially noting the importance of avoiding chemicals during pregnancy when the risk of damage may be highest.
In the report is a startling statistic many of us have heard before but didn’t think we’d actually see on pages such as this, calling today’s babies “pre-polluted.”
The shocking statistic states that 300 different chemical contaminants have been found present in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, hence the term “pre-polluted.”
This report is staggering…but exciting! Hopefully it will help propel Senator Frank Lautenberg’s “Safe Chemicals Act,” requiring manufacturers to provide information about the chemicals they are putting into their products instead of assuming they’re safe until proven otherwise.
So, as we wait for more reaction from manufacturers and government leaders, what does this mean to the rest of us? It means that we need to be our own advocates and to practice caution every day to help lessen our risks of developing cancer.
Here are five things you can do every day of your life to help avoid cancer and why you should.
1. Get Some Air
The air inside our homes, schools and offices is polluted with a host of chemicals that off-gas from the paint on our walls, the padding beneath our carpet, the finish on our upholstery and a lot more. And in the end it’s a whole lot more polluted than the air outside. The EPA ranks air quality 4th in environmental causes of cancer. By cracking your windows every day you help to issue fresh air in and let the bad air out.
2. Eat Well
Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of cancer, expected to surpass alcohol use as its popularity declines and obesity rates rise. Buy fresh organic produce and steam your vegetables to help maintain their nutritional value. Eat a wide variety of foods from many different sources, including nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. Avoid buying and especially heating your foods in plastics as it can cause harmful chemicals to leach into your foods. And try to eat a rainbow of color every day to guarantee your body the full spectrum of nutrients.
3. Practice Greener Landscaping
According to share guide(an online Holistic Health Magazine and Resource Directory), children who are exposed to pesticides used around the home, on lawns and gardens, are up to seven times more likely to develop cancer. And dogs that live in homes where chemical weed killers are used are three times more likely to develop lymphomas. Seek out natural weed deterrents like corn gluten or try vinegar. Its acidic nature gives it the power to kill weeds (be careful to apply only to weeds since it’s non-selective and can harm your grass or flowers just as easily).
4. Get Your D’s
Each year in the U.S., an estimated 24,000 people die from cancers that are due to lack of sun exposure, and thus, a lack of Vitamin D. A recent study showed that people who got 2,000 IU’s of Vitamin D a day had half the risk of breast cancer and one-third the risk of colon cancer. You can take a Vitamin D tablet or get your Ds the natural way. Just 10-15 minutes of sun exposure daily (with 40% of the body exposed) allows you to absorb 2,000-5,000 IU’s of Vitamin D naturally.
5. Get Your Zzzzzs
Sleep is important for your mood, your relationships with others, your concentration and, maybe most importantly, your immune system. According to recent studies, women who sleep less than seven hours a night have higher incidences of breast and colon cancers. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night to reduce your risk of cancer.
The Clean 15
May 5th, 2010 Soulshine Our last blog post presented the newest Dirty Dozen list from the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Shoppers Guide to Pesticides – fruits and vegetables that are the most likely to contain pesticide residue and that should be avoided unless purchased as organically grown.
Now we cover the EWG’s “Clean 15″ – produce that, when grown conventionally, poses the least risk of exposure to pesticides. Keep in mind, while I always recommend eating organic fruits and vegetables, they may be too expensive for those on tight budgets or simply not available. However, according to the EWG, eating five servings a day from this “Clean 15″ list reduces your exposure to pesticides by almost 90 percent compared to five servings daily from the “Dirty Dozen.” Aside from organically labeled produce, it is always a good idea to also look for locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as those that are currently in season.
Now the clean 15:
- Onions
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapples
- Mangos
- Sweet Peas
- Asparagus
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe (Domestic)
- Watermelon
- Grapefruit
- Sweet Potatoes
- Honeydew Melon
Posted in Awakening Spirituality, Compassionate Eating, Energy, Healthy Diet, Healthy Reciepes, Local, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, Organic, Spirituality, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weight-loss, detoxification, healthy recipe Tags: conventional, EWG, fruits, morningcoach.com, Organic, produce, vegetables 3 Comments »“The Dirty Dozen”
May 3rd, 2010 Soulshine The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released their updated “Dirty Dozen” list – produce you should only buy in organically grown varieties as part of their updated Shopper’s Guide. According to EWG, common growing practices make the crops listed below the most likely to contain high levels of pesticide residues:
- Celery
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Blueberries (Domestic)
- Nectarines
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Spinach
- Collard Greens/Kale
- Cherries
- Potatoes
- Grapes (Imported)
If you are not able to purchase organic produce, do try to avoid the ones on the list above. You also want to try and buy locally grown produce, you will not only be making a healthier choice but you are doing your part for the environment. In the bigger picture, its important to eat real, whole living foods, ie; fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes. Stay away from fake and processed junk. Stay tuned to MorningCoach for the the clean 15 list later this week.
Posted in Awakening Spirituality, Compassionate Eating, Disease, Energy, Exercise, Fats, Healthy Diet, Healthy Reciepes, Local, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, Organic, Spirituality, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weight-loss, detoxification, healthy recipe Tags: dirty dozen, EWG, fruits, Organic, vegetables No Comments »Healthy Recipe: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
April 25th, 2010 Soulshine 
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 Tbs. ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
- 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
- 11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided or Daiya Vegan Cheese
- 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
Posted in Animal Foods, Awakening Spirituality, Carbohydrates, Compassionate Eating, Dairy, Disease, Energy, Exercise, Fats, Healthy Diet, Healthy Reciepes, Local, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, Organic, Spirituality, Sugar, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weight-loss, detoxification, healthy recipe Tags: healthy recipe, morningcoach.com, peppers, quinoa, Vegan, Vegetarian 13 Comments »An Alkaline Diet and Mindful Eating
April 13th, 2010 Soulshine Just recently, there has been an explosion in nutrition awareness and conscious dieting. Dieting and proper nutrition is the practice of regulating the ingestion of the types of food to control weight or improve overall health. There have been developments in nutrition, not only in taking on the proper lifestyle changes that make us lose weight, but in consuming foods that are healthy and good for our bodies as well. It is extremely vital to eat an alkaline diet. This diet looks at nutrition with a new angle. It explores the acidic effects of foods and how you can improve your health by balancing your acidic and alkaline food intake.
Most people regularly eat foods that are high in sugar and simple carbohydrates. Breakfast foods such as pancakes and muffins are infamous for containing high sugars and carbohydrates thus increasing high acid levels and pH levels in our bodies. Eating this kind of diet on a regular basis poses health risks as well as develops an unhealthy acid level in the body. Such health risks include heart problems, skin problems, and calcium related issues. Having an imbalanced acid level also makes people prone to illness and causes headaches, anxiety and irritability.
This acid imbalance in the body can be neutralized or balanced out by consuming the right amounts of acid forming and alkaline forming foods. A diet consisting of alkaline foods can create a healthier, more pH-balanced body. An alkaline diet would consist mostly of all vegetables and fresh fruits with low sugar such as oranges and other citrus fruits. This diet also includes potatoes, yams, nuts, and legumes like peas and nuts. The diet also encourages the consumer to avoid acid forming foods such as meat, dairy products, chocolate, bread and all kind of other yeast products. If possible, a whole, living food conscious vegan diet bares the most resemblance. Drinks that are acidic should additionally be avoided. Drinks like alcohol, carbonated soft drinks, caffeinated coffee and tea can increase the acidity in your body as well.
The diet is not only healthy in terms of pH level and alkaline forming foods but most alkaline foods also provide other nutritional values as well as contain even less harmful qualities like carbohydrates and fat. Most alkaline foods give your body a boost of essential vitamins and minerals and healthy fats and enzymes that are natural and generally improve health. It is recommended to people who are lacking in energy and are prone to illness such as frequent colds and flu. An alkaline diet also reduces the chance of kidney stones, osteoporosis and heart related issues.
After a certain time period of consuming these alkaline foods, your body will immediately react to this diet. The alkaline diet restores the ideal pH level of your body as well as extracts acid wastes from your digestive system. Eating alkaline foods also improves your body’s energy levels. You will immediately feel energized and find yourself getting tired, less and less. The diet also improves skin tone and skin health because of the improved acid levels in your body. One of the strongest benefits of an alkaline diet, is the reduced risk of allergies, arthritis, heart problems as well as mental clarity.
Plenty of fresh, purified water should be consumed. Preferably ionized water or water purified via reverse osmosis.
Posted in Animal Foods, Awakening Spirituality, Carbohydrates, Compassionate Eating, Dairy, Disease, Energy, Exercise, Fats, Healthy Diet, Healthy Reciepes, Local, Mindful Eating, Nutrition, Organic, Spirituality, Sugar, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weight-loss, detoxification, healthy recipe Tags: alkaline diet, alkaline foods, Health, Healthy Diet, morningcoach.com, personal evolution No Comments »Green SuperFoods
April 6th, 2010 Soulshine What Are Green Superfoods?
Superfoods are a category of foods found in nature, they are superior sources of essential nutrients-nutrients we need but can not make ourselves. We all may be adding more salads and vegetables to our diets, but concern for the quality of foods grown on mineral depleted soils makes superfoods popular. They are nutritionally more potent then regular foods and are wonderful food sources of anti-oxidants for healthy healing. Superfoods are nutrient dense and calorie sparse.
Green Vibrance Review
An excellent formulation of spirulina, grasses and vegetable powders. Includes a nice selection of “extra botanicals” including bee pollen, ginko biloba, green tea extract, and Astragalus. Contains a slightly high amount of filler/fibrous ingredients, but that’s offset by an excellent price tag. Also has a fruit blend, probiotic cultures and enzymes. The mango powder, cayenne, and ginger are excellent additions. Overall, this is an excellent formulation at a reasonable price.
Manufacturer’s Description
Restorative, concentrated superfood. Supports the four foundations of Health: Nutrition, Digestion, Circulation & Immunity. Designed to rehabilitae the digestive tract, thereby improving nutrient absorption. Delivers a host of trace nutrients. Improves circulation and cardiovascular health in order to deliver those nutrients to every cell of the body. Supports a vigorous and efficient immune system to protect the body from invaders. Supports directly & indirectly the other body systems (musculo-skelatal, neurological, integumentary, respiratory, urinary, endocrine, cardiovascular/circulatory, digestive, reproductive and immune).
Where To Purchase
Health Food Stores
Comes in powder, single-serving packets and capsules.
Taste
Slightly grassy. Slightly Earthy
Pros
Contains a nice array of nutrient-rich food powders, together with a good selection of “special herbs,” such as Astragalus, green tea extract, bee pollen, vitamin E, milk thistle, ginko biloba, Suma, bladderwrack, rockweed, ginger root and cayenne. Good cost-benefit ratio and a very well thought-out formulation.
Cons
Some of the special herbs in this formulation may be herbs that you purchase separately, and so may be duplicating your purchase with this formulation. Many, however, are well chosen, in that you cannot get too much of them (green tea, pollen, vitamin E, ginger and cayenne for example). Contains Fructo-Oligosaccharides and an unknown fiber, trademarked “FiberAid”
Recommended Usage
Mix in juice or water, one Serving per day.
Certifications & Manufacturing
No organic or kosher certifications. The following ingredients are organic: Spirulina, Alfalfa Grass juice powder, Barley grass juice powder, Oat Grass juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice powder, Alfalfa sprout powder, Kamut grass juice powder, Parsley powder, Beet juice powder, Carrot root powder, Broccoli sprout powder, Spinach powder, Nova Scotia Dulse, Rockweed, Whole Apple powder, Acerola berry juice powder, Ginger root powder, cayenne pepper powder.
100% Gluten free
Company tests every ingredient before manufacturing.
Manufacturing is in-house.
Company lists measurements of all ingredients on label.
Price
12.17oz = $46.95 ($3.86 per ounce)
24.34oz = $78.50 ($3.22 per ounce)
Price per oz: $3.86
