Darla Taylor

High quality proteins found in foods like lean mats, fish and yogurt boosts levels of the amino acid tyrosine.  Tyrosine is essential to production of two neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine.  Studies have found that these chemicals boost energy, ehance motivation, and speed up quick thinking.  The ideal high energy diet consists of complex carbohydrates, for the raw power needed to maintain overall vigor, balanced by small amounts of protein, for opitmal brain chemistry.

More good reasons to put into practice what we already know!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  That has been my motto for quite a few years and I have to say it has served me well.  What can you do to protect yourself from foreign invaders to the integrity of you well being.  Number one in my book, think good thoughts.  A happy and thankful heart and especially on that is voiced does your body good like a medicine.  Number two, make the majority of what you put in your mouth useful for the reproduction of cells.  All foods have the ability to do either good or bad in your body, you have to make the choices for healthful foods be much greater than the picks for junk.  Don’t forget good quality vitamins and herbs as supplements and helps.  Number three, get rest, rest for your body and for your mind.  Work, play and sleep!  Four, don’t forget the great benefits of water.  It is the cure to a lot of ailments!  Out with the soda, and even really limit juices, etc. and learn to enjoy and be refreshed and replenished by water.  Five and final for today exercise, there must be something you can do, even if it is seated exercise.  It gets that good energy going, energy makes energy.  It is addictive!   If you’ll find a form of exercise you like you will be bound to it.  Try these 5 things, maybe you are already successful in some, great, add the others and see if you stay more healthy.  When everyone else is getting sick, it will just pass on by you!

Vitamin D: Did you Know? It is needed in the intestine for the absorption of dietary calcium. It has also been found to be important in protecting the body from a wide range of diseases. This long list of diseases could be linked to vitamin D deficiency: several forms of cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, and even type 2 diabetes, depression and schizophrenia. How do we help prevent vitamin D deficiency? Well most of us already know, adequate sunshine, of course. I happen to think sunshine is so invigorating. It can really change my ho hum attitude attitude into a happy one. I don’t need to see documentation, a little walk out side can really give me a boost. (Sunscreen and or having yourself completely covered can block the adequate exposure to the sun.) Cod liver oil, good quality only, and or other supplementation.  Routine vitamin D screening has been rcommended as part of an annual physical.

Stress, who doesn’t have it? With the busy and demanding lives we lead it is hard to keep stress at a manageable level. Too much stress can affect us in various ways. Our hormone balance can be disrupted.Hormones are chemical messengers that travel through the blood to affect specific target cells. It affects our mood, our sleep patterns and can keep us in a fatigued state. The adrenal glands produce cortisol (a hormone), one of the main hormones that allows our body to deal with stressful situations without “falling” apart. The more stress we go through the more cortisol gets produced by the adrenals.  When this happens, symptoms of fatique, anxiety, weight gain, and general unwellness continue to worsen.   You may need extra nutritional support and to try to change some of your lifesyle issues in order to enjoy your life more.  See a nutritionist and or your personal trainer for some valuable options.

My son and his new wife had the pleasure of going to England for their honeymoon.  At one of the restaurants where they ate the food came in some packaging that had a message the above mentioned title that I thought was excellent and wanted to share with you.   It was an interview with loads of french women, a few Italians and some Spanish as well.  Here is their advice on eating well and keeping a good figure.

1:  Insist on nutritious, fresh, natural, quality food without any nasties in it!  (I’m all for that, but I can’t go to “Pret” in England to get it!)

2:  Eat three times a day and don’t pig out.  No grazing.  Don’t count calories.  Simply eat with your head.  Think about what you’re eating (before you eat it).  (I do agree with that, although there are definately some who do better with six small meals a day, know yourself)

3:  Lay the table, sit down, get a plate. (Americans, we are always in a hurry, I Know I need to work on this myself) And when you’re nearly full, stop eating.

4:  Don’t diet…diets are rubbish.  Being on a diet is a constant losing battle.  (so true!)

5:  Crisps, (not sure what that is) cookies and candy are not ‘treats’.  Eat them at your peril. (can’t say I’m in agreement with that 100%, got to enjoy a little!)

6:  Drink lots and lots (and lots) of water every day and, dare we say less alcohol?

7:  If you hate exercise don’t worry (don’t feel guilty).  Eat and drink properly and you’ll be fine. (being and exercise enthusiast I can’t agree with that, but I can tell you, eating has more to do with your weight than exercise from my observations)

8:  Behave slim and you’ll stay slim.  Slim is a state of mind.

I really enjoyed reading such a thing on food packaging from a restaurant, I hope you do too.

The new commercial about high fructose corn syrup is leaving out some important truths. The commercial makes you think that high fructose corn syrup is just a natural product and you should be able to consume it without concern.  However, Gabe Mirkin, MD can shed some light on the possible negative effects of high fructose corn syrup and I want you to know what he has to say.  You need to have all the facts in order to make an educated decision. In an article by Gabe Mirkin, MD, he writes, “Evidently something in soft drinks makes people eat more food than they would otherwise.  High fructose corn syrup may be that factor.  It is the leading sweetner in the US today with 4.5 billion dollars worth sold each year.  Several recent studies have shown that fructose is processed differently in the body than the far more common sugar, glucose.  Glucose causes the pancreas to release insulin which drives sugar from the bloodstream into cells.  Glucose causes fat cells to release leptin that makes you feel full so you eat less.  Glucose prevents the stomach from releasing ghrelin that makes you hungry.  Fructose does not react the same way. This mean that fructose increases hunger to make you eat more.  Futhermore, the liver converts fructose far more readily to a body fat called triglyceride, that it does with glucose.  High triglyceride levels raise blood levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and lower blood level of the good HDL cholesterol, which increases heart attack risk.”

“Recent data shows that large amounts of fructose cause insulin resistance, impair glucose tolerance, produce high levels of insulin, raise triglycerides, and cause high blood pressure in animals.”  All this has not yet been replicated in humans, but there is enough evidence to know that there are adverse effects on th human body and certainly, there are better options out there.  High fructose corn syrup is found in almost all soft drinks and fruit beverages, not to mention hidden in many processed foods.  Always read the ingredient list in the products you;re thinking of purchasing, be an educated CONSUMER.