How Much Sodium Is In Your Diet?

Welcome to the new year! I wish you a happy, healthy year! Happy New Year!

Let's start off the new year by talking about sodium. Average healthy people should have less than 2400mg (approx. 1 tsp) per day. According to the AHA people with high blood pressure should have less than 1500mg per day.

How much sodium is in YOUR diet? Do you REALLY know? Most of us have way to much sodium in our diets. (and as you will soon see that is an understatement!) Do you have high blood pressure? a hard time losing weight? Get serious about the sodium in your diet!

Take a look at the sodium contents in the entrees at these popular restaurants:

OLIVE GARDEN

MCDONALDS

WENDY'S

HARDEE'S

Panera Bread

Some serious sodium there, huh! Makes one think a little differently about eating out. Eating out indiscriminately is indeed not good for you. You don't have to stop eating out. Just make healthier decisions. Research your favorite restaurants. Armed with the facts you can choose what to eat more wisely.

Read labels when you grocery shop! Not only will the ingredients label tell you if there is sodium in the product; it will also tell you about sodium-containing compounds such as MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG), BAKING SODA, BAKING POWDER, DISODIUM PHOSPATE or SODIUM ALGINATE.

Don't think that taste will tell you about the sodium content of a food. A bagel certainly doesn't taste salty but some bagels have 450mg sodium! READ LABELS or ASK! Also, don't overlook the sodium in condiments.... especially ketchup and mustard!

There are a lot of very tasty spice concoctions to choose from to enhance the taste of your foods! I LOVE the spices at PENZEY'S (No, I am not connected in any way with Penzeys!) There are also a lot of good spices in your grocery store. Be sure to read the label and make sure they are salt-free.

One of the best and healthiest perks of paying attention to the sodium content of your food is you will naturally turn to whole foods! Whole foods are so much healthier than processed foods. Bon Appetit!

Are You Thinking Yourself Sick?

Hopefully, if you are ill you will read this blogpost with an open mind. Lots of ill folks aren't ready to hear what I'm going to say and yes, I will most certainly make a percentage of these folks mad. However, for the people who are ready to hear what I'm going to say this is going to make a huge difference in their life. If I reach even just one person it's worth the rest of you getting mad at me.

Why do people settle for less than a happy and healthy life? Certainly, we would all say we desire to be happy and healthy. But are we all programmed with a mindset which allows us to live happy healthy lives. Obviously not.

As a holistic health coach I keep bumping into a wall. Many people say they want to be well but won't take the actions needed to improve their health. It perplexes me and I'll tell you why. In my own life I got very sick, in fact, my illness and subsequent remission is the reason I went back and earned a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. In my illness I followed my physicians recommendations (and I had an army of docs) but when I heard to many "I don't knows" and was on the verge of being forced to go on disability, I looked outside of my physicians for the answers to getting my life back. I wanted my life back and wasn't going to let the disease run my life. Nor do I believe God (the Universe,Higher Power etc) gives us sickness or intends for anyone to live a life of sickness.

What I have had a hard time understanding (till now) is why some people when diagnosed with a chronic illness will take a hard look at their lifestyle and make healthy changes or when their medical treatment isn't creating a hopeful result go seek answers on their own to get well and take the actions they need to to do so (like I did) while others don't. Most settle for their doctors answers (or lack thereof) and in many cases allow their disease to rule their lives.

I've worked in hospital healthcare for almost 30 years. Thru the years I have seen countless people with a variety of disorders; COPD, Diabetes, Arthritis, Cardiac disease, come in and out of the hospital over and over. I've seen more times than I want to think about; the sad, steady deterioration of these people as they go in and out of the hospital over a period of years. There are some common denominators with this group of people. The vast majority do nothing (or next to nothing) on their own to enhance their health. The overwhelming majority of these people did not live the healthiest of lifestyles before they got sick and did not change their diet to one nutritionally healthier with more physical activity after they got sick. They have spent a lifetime eating mostly processed foods,fast foods and junkfood snacks. They depend on their prescribed medications to regulate their disease (though I would be remiss if I didn't point out some don't even take their meds as prescribed). And when a new problem pops up they go back to their doctor for another medication. I've seen people with a list of 22 medications, who have NOT changed their nutrition or added exercise to their lifestyle.

In thinking about this I realized these people are no different from folks who work at a job their whole life which doesn't particularly give them much satisfaction. I won't address that topic here see this blogpost for that discussion How Are YOU Programmed?" But I will say people stay in situations because they believe they can't change them to something better. In my thinking I also realized the answer to my personal question; "Why did I get my life back from my illness?" I'll answer this in a minute.

Why do people settle for struggling with an illness?

The answer is simple. People settle for struggling with an illness because they believe they can't get well. Why did I get my life back from my illness? In their notes my doctors referred to me as "steroid dependent" and "unfortunate". My doctors basically told me I couldn't get well; that I would never get off of steroids and was doomed to live the painful life I was living. I refused to BELIEVE that.

If you truly believe you can't get well you aren't going to take the actions needed to get well. I'll go one step farther; your body and mind talk to each other; if you don't believe you can be well nothing you do will get you to a place of wellness. I didn't buy into my doctors negativity, therefore I was able and motivated to look outside of them for answers. I was fortunate to have people in my life who reinforced the belief I could be healthy and who alerted me to the body/mind connection and the power of nutrition.

Let's back up for a minute, how are you programmed to get sick to begin with?

Well, how much tv do you watch? News shows are filled with negativity. Many television shows and movies have negative story lines. Negativity affects you. Additionally, television commercials are designed to brainwash you to a certain way of thinking and to take certain actions. What do you commonly hear in television commercials? Eat this processed food, drink this soda, take this drug, eat this snack, slather on this skin cream, etc. Television commercials reinforce unhealthy habits. How many commercials are you inundated with during an evening of television? How many of those foods, drinks, snacks and skin creams do you use?

Seemingly insignificant remarks made to you in childhood by your parents and teachers may have reinforced a belief you "weren't strong". Children internalize the comments they hear. A comment that a child is "not strong" creates this belief in the mindset of the child. Children who grow up with a "sickly" mindset become sickly adults. (That was me.) Comments regarding a childs "sickliness" start a negative "I'm sickly" pattern of thinking in the childs thoughts. Thoughts repeated over and over become beliefs and finally manifest in your life.

Many people work so hard at their career health is put on the back burner. They are programmed with core beliefs about working hard which put them at risk of neglecting and thus, harming their health. (That was me too.) Balance in life is imperative to have a healthy body/mind.

Think about the people with which you spend the most time. Are they positive or negative? Do they uplift you? Hanging with negative people keeps a negative tape going in your thoughts. Negative people enable you to stay sick. Don't hang out with people who don't uplift you. It is hard to cut an old friend out of your life but for the sake of your health this may be what you need to do.

How do you begin to change your sickness situation?

1. If you have a negative doctor find a positive doctor. Do not allow a doctor to attach negative labels to you. Also understand your doctor is one person. One person can only have a limited view of the options open to you. Research your options. Keep your doctor apprised of what you learn and/or do to improve your situation. In the sixteen years my disorder was active not one of my physicians asked about or made any suggestions about my nutritional intake. Nutrition was paramount in my remission.

2. If you belong to a disease support group where the meetings are focused on each member discussing their lousy fate get away from these people. This kind of support group will keep you sick because it is illness-focused. I used to be a support group leader of a group just like this until I realized this was not the way to help people. Disease support groups which focus on the negatives happening in the participants lives enable the continuance of a victimhood thought pattern. Wellness is not created by focusing on illness.

3. Change your thoughts. Thoughts affect your beliefs. Beliefs affect your health. When a negative thought enters your mind replace it with a positive one. Keep an index card with you with positive health affirmations written on it. Review these affirmations often during the day.

4. Do something nice for someone else every day. Don't be focused just on yourself and your illness. What you give out comes back to you.

5. It is of paramount importance to give yourself whole foods. Unlike processed foods whole foods have the enzymes, vitamins, minerals your body needs to fight disease. Banish artificial sweeteners, processed foods (and their accompanying chemicals) and sugar from your life.

6. Socialize with positive people who uplift you. Cut negative folks out of your life. Get your health back. When you are stronger you may or may not decide to see those folks on a limited basis. (If you must have them in your life.) Who knows? Maybe your positive modeling will encourage them to change.

7. Concentrate on the positive. Start a gratitude journal. Each morning or nite write about what you are grateful about. Write about the good things in your life. You might also keep a log of the healthy whole foods you ate and your feelings about them.

People settle for the bad things in life because they don't believe they can change them. But many bad things start inside of you in your mind. You have thousands upon thousands of thoughts every day. If you tell yourself in your thoughts over and over that you are sick; you aren't giving yourself the possibility of being well. Your thoughts create beliefs. Give yourself permission to take the actions needed to rebuild your health. Give your body the chance to fight to get well. Make your thoughts positive. Determine to manifest a healthy happy life.

Supplements, Healthstyle and Change

Are supplements worth the money you pay for them?

A recent study,the Health Impact Study IV, commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance showed that:

In a five yr period, if all Americans who are enrolled in Medicare took calcium with vitamin D daily, it could result in 776,000 fewer hospitalizations for hip fractures. If everyone over the age of of 65 took 1800 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids daily, coronary heart disease would be reduced so that 374,000 hospitalizations would be avoided. If people with age-related macular degeneration took 6-10mg lutein with zeaxanthin daily 191000 sufferers could avoid needing skilled help at home or moving into nursing homes.

These are only a few of the supplements available to you. As you can see they do help. It is important to remember, however, supplements do not make-up for your nutritional sins. Their purpose is to SUPPLEMENT your nutrition. Note that in 2002 the Journal of the American Medical Association recommended everyone supplement their diet with a quality multi-nutrition product.

The body runs on vitamins and minerals. Give your body the "tools" it needs and amazing things happen.

Nutrition and supplements, supporting my immune system gave me back my life. Very few of us, me included, live a perfectly healthy life. Regularly look at your healthstyle and discern what you can do better. Do you eat to much food which is processed, manufactured, or fast foods? I've had clients who didn't think they did until I had them keep a journal. You might try keeping a journal for a while.

And it's not just nutrition which you should be aware of; how stressed are you? Do you schedule time to wind down? Do you get enough exercise?

A study in Psychological Science (2008), "The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature" showed the benefits of relaxation. It showed walking in a nature environment was more recuperative than taking a walk in a city environment. Nature is restorative, relaxing, allows our brains to not be as active, whereas city sights and sounds require attention and keeps our brain working. So when you can take a walk in a park! Get back to nature. Visit a zoo.


Very few, in fact only 8% of American adults, engage in all five major behaviors promoting health:

1. Maintaining a healthy weight
2. Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily
3. Exercising at least 12 times a month
4. Drinking alcohol only in moderation
5. Not smoking

Where do you need to focus?

What can you do better?
Add a salad everyday.
Schedule exercise time.
Get a personal trainer?
Add a couple fruits a day.
Get adequate rest.

Make one change at a time.

You can do it.

Vitamin Depletion?

Are you aware most OTC and prescription drugs deplete/disable nutrients you need?

For instance:
Aspirin - inhibits the body's ability to absorb vitamin C. It also can reduce the levels of iron and folic acid.
Acid blockers - reduce levels of iron and zinc
Contraceptives - deplete the body of vitamins B6, B12, zinc and magnesium

You can view a prescription drug depletion chart here:
http://tinyurl.com/yfgqedv

In June 2002 the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recommended everyone supplement their diet with a quality multi-nutrition supplement.

There were a few reasons for this:
1. Thanks to modern agriculture the vitamins/minerals in our produce is diminished
5-40% from what it used to be. This means you can't eat enough veggies/fruits to get the vitamins/minerals your body needs.
2. The degree of processed foods people are eating. Unfortunately 65% of the average Americans daily diet is comes from nutrient-poor processed foods.

One must definitely incorporate more whole foods and a quality multi-nutrition supplement to their daily nutrition. You might consider supplementing with VitaOne http://tinyurl.com/kuj58a

Minivans and Lunchables: A Culture in Crisis

As many of you know I had a long battle with Lupus and am now in remission. Along my road to wellness I discovered the power of nutrition and the lack of nutrition in the standard american diet (S.A.D.). What I learned fueled my reasons for heading back to school to earn my Masters in Holistic Nutrition.

Let's look at it in a historical perspective .... we used to eat whole foods. We grew them in our gardens, bought them at the local market, prepared them in our kitchens.

Then the Industrial Revolution happened.... modern farming practices were introduced, the food industry changed...... produce was trucked from one area to another. In order to get produce from one area to another without going bad it was picked green thus leaving it nutrient poor. Eventually moms went to work outside the home. The era of minivans and lunchables was launched. Industry was all to happy to provide easy, convenient meals for mom to fix. I remember my own mothers gleeful buying of tv dinners. Read the ingredients list of those easy, convenient meals and you will find a laundry list of chemicals. Chemicals your body was not designed to assimilate. As industry grew so did the list of chronic illnesses and obesity. The worst thing industry did (in my humble opinion) is market frankenfoods to children. There's a place in hell reserved for those who market frankenfoods to children.

Today we have a cultural nutrition nightmare.

Families need real mealtimes and real food. Whole foods. Fresh veggies and fruits. What you and your children eat today impacts your/their future health.

The body runs on real nutrients. Nutrients you aren't getting if your diet is predominantly processed, manufactured or fast food. Every cell in the body is made from the nutrients you give it.

In 2002, it was recommended in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Assoc) everyone supplement their diet with a quality multi-nutrition product. The USDA food pyramid was changed to include more servings. Why? Because our produce contains 5-40% less minerals and vitamins than it used to. We can't eat enough to get the vitamins and minerals we need. The problem is magnified with the fact that many, if not most of us to begin with don't always eat the healthiest .

Consider that 85% of all disease can be directly attributed to lifestyle. 70% of all cancer can be PREVENTED thru good nutrition. 95% of office visits are due to symptoms arising from stress. Kids are showing up with Type 2 diabetes and obesity. The number one killer of kids is cancer. Chronic diseases are skyrocketing.

We MUST change.

We need to stop the insane busy-ness which feeds into our need for easy, convenient "foods". As a culture we need to set aside time for family connectedness and mealtimes of real food. True nutrition. Not a run thru a fast food place. Not microwaved processed food eaten in front of the tv. We need to sit down as family. Connect with each other and eat real food. Whole foods. Fresh veggies and fruits. Our lives depend on it.

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Healthy Hope and Change

Hope and change. We were promised hope and change. And yes, our healthcare system needs some hope and change. I think we all agree on the basics. We know what we want the end-product to look like. It's the "how to" which trips us up. We have world-class healthcare here in the great United States of America. That is why people from other countries (with universal care systems) come here for care.

Free market systems encourage innovation and our country leads in development of new technologies and treatments. We must not make thoughtless changes which stymie innovation. It would not only hurt our people, but people the world over.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

As I read the various proposals for healthcare changes, seems to me folks are suggesting planting some very bad seeds. My heart sank as I read. The lack of reverence for life I see in these proposals is appalling. Every life is precious. One is not more precious than the other. Every life has a purpose. And every life is important to the world. It is a profound loss to the world to not value our elderly. Their wisdom is the worlds salvation. It makes me cry when I wonder how many scientists, poets, leaders and thinkers have been aborted. What a loss to the world.

Yes currently end of life care is costing us greatly. But why are we talking about mandated end of life discussions? Why are we planning lessening care? We should be stressing encouragement of healthy healthstyles! Providing nutrition education! Why aren't we talking about exercise? Why not provide exercise classes (not just for the elderly) for everyone? Exercise should be a lifelong daily activity. Why not stress the importance of exercise in schools? Mandate an hour of exercise every school day. And why do we allow processed foods with unhealthy ingredients to be marketed to our children?

As a 30 yr healthcare professional I have seen the difference between a 65 yr old who did not lead an active healthy healthstyle life and one who did. I've seen 90 yr olds spryer than folks in their 50's. Their spryness and bright mental acuity was due to their healthstyle and remarkable positive outlook on life. When exercise and good nutrition are lifelong partners ills are prevented. As a country our healthcare costs are greatly impacted by the healthstyle of our people. It's time to change the standard american diet and lifestyle.

As I read the various proposals for healthcare changes it occurred to me most want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We do not need to overturn our whole healthcare system in order to "fix" healthcare. Nor should we do anything which would lessen the quality of care. As a 30 yr health professional thats what I see in these proposals; a lessening of quality of care. Nor should there be pork and payoffs in the healthcare proposals. The betterment of healthcare should only be about healthcare. Time to overhaul congress way of doing things. We need politicians with backbones and honest values. I'm anxious to see who steps up to the plate.

Let's fix the problems with with the systems we have. Price gouging needs to stop. Stop the unfairness regarding pre-existing disorders. Put the decisions fully back into the hands of physicians. Reform liability laws. Put a cap on lawyers fees. Put a stop to frivolous lawsuits. And go after the fraud in the medicare system. Nor should the tax dollars of our people be used to reward those who enter our country illegally.

Let's fix what's wrong with what we have. Not enact a monstrosity which would create more government. We can provide healthcare to our people without doing that. Let's remember the tenets upon which America was founded and hold true to them while providing the best healthcare in the world.

But remember always healthcare starts with YOU. The government is not going to make you healthier. Not even your doctor can do that. YOUR healthstyle determines your quality of health. Take responsibility for it.

Observations From a Wheelchair

Wow! For various reasons I won't go into I recently had occasion to spend some time in a wheelchair. Life is interesting from chair view.

Once I put my feelings about being in the wheelchair aside.... I observed some things. Lots of folks aren't happy. I've never seen so many scowls and wrinkled foreheads. Not to mention lots of folks are inconsiderate. And most everyone is stressed. Hey, I was at SeaWorld ... shouldn't be a place for scowls, frowns and wrinkled foreheads. Where were the smiles I should have seen at a fun place? Are folks so stressed they can't even relax when they are supposed to be having fun?

Do you realize that 90% of doctors office visits are related to symptoms arising from stress?

What does that tell you? It tells me maybe a lot of people need to make some changes in their lives. Do YOU? We all need to from time to time get off the merry-go-round and take stock of our life. IF we aren't happy and healthy we need to make changes.

Are you passionate about what you do for a living? Or is it just a job?
Do you get enough sleep?
Do you schedule fun? Yeah I said SCHEDULE. Stop being a work-aholic!
Do you give your body the nutrients it needs?
Do you put up with tolerations?
Are the people closest to you positive? Do they support your endeavors?
What is YOUR mental outlook? Are you positive? or do you engage in negative self-talk?

Answer those questions honestly. Your life depends on it.





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