Archive for August, 2011

A simple drink that can keep skin healthy, erase sun damage AND reverse the signs of aging!

While there’s no shortage of products on the market that help you look younger, you can also drink nutritious Green Drinks that have scientifically documented anti-aging benefits.

It’s true: Consuming Green Drinks on a regular basis can repair damage, prevent premature aging and keep your skin taut and wrinkle-free. Green Drinks like Vibrant Health’s Green Vibranceare a specially formulated mega-concentration of grasses, green vegetables and natural fibers. They are some of the lowest-calorie, lowest-sugar and most nutrient rich foods on the planet! The power of the nutrients in deep green leafy vegetables to heal and rejuvenate a body is unmatched by any combination of synthetic medicines or supplements.Green Drinks have been credited with everything from cures for cancer to super weight loss enhancers.

How?

Green Drinks infuse your body with easily absorbed vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids,chlorophyll, micro-nutrients and antioxidants in a way that is extremely easy for your body to immediately absorb and put to use. Being highly alkaline which will reduce any physicalacidosis, they also help to boost your body’s energy levels and remove toxins from yourlymph system while encouraging new cell growth.

What’s in them?

Spirulina an amazing blue-green algae, is just one ingredient commonly found in high quality Green Drinks.  According to New York University Langone Medical Center, Spirulina is high in B Vitamins, carotenoids and essential minerals and is loaded with protein. Your skin consists primarily of proteins collagen and elastin, which break down as we age. Spirulina is one of the richest sources of protein and selenium is essential for protein synthesis, states the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Several factors contribute to aging, such as inflammation, sun exposure and free-radical oxidation that damages cells and tissues. There is even some evidence that Spirulina may help fibromyalgia and there are even reports that it aids in weight loss.

At House of Nutrition we carry an assortment of high quality Green Drinks which are as refreshing as they are nutritious:

Here are a couple of Green Drinks that you can carry with you anywhere!

Nature’s Plus Source of Life Green Lightning Energy Drink (20Pkts)

Allergy Research’s ProgreensStickpack(15 packs)

Mix these with your favorite juices!

Kyolic’sKyo-Green Drink Powder

Crystal Star’s Energy Green Renewal Drink Mix

Or try a flavored Green Drink:

Garden Greens SpiruGreens Drink Vanilla

Garden Greens SpiruGreens Drink Chocolate

       You can easily pack-in a lot of nutrition with Green Drinks, but you won’t be getting any of the natural fiber, and the sugars in them will go directly into your bloodstream – so carefully check the label to make sure that you choose one with minimal amounts of sugar. Green Drinks are an extremely beneficial addition to a healthy lifestyle – although it’s not a substitute for a balanced diet. So eat well and Drink Green!

Best Health

-J. Ricks

You can have your vacation AND eat it too!

Relaxation is essential for optimal health, especially a wonderful vacation during this final summer month. Vacation, however, doesn’t mean you have to step away from your eating lifestyle. I commonly hear, “Oh, I’m on vacation, it’s impossible to eat healthily,” or “I’ll get back to my healthy eating habits when vacation is over.” No, it is possible to eat healthily while on vacation and let’s hope that vacation doesn’t take you out of your healthy eating groove.

When you’re at home you have to plan and prepare for your dieting. You have to buy the right foods, you have to have those healthy options in the house and keep those tempting foods far away. So why should vacation be any different? Yes, I understand that it is hard to avoid those deep-fried Oreo’s on the boardwalk. Yes, those $15, all you can eat buffets, are a great bang for your buck, but they’re definitely ways to beat these food demons.

As you plan to leave for your vacation, if possible, bring a bag full of fruits. Apples, pears, peaches, strawberries are all excellent fruits to bring. When you find yourself in the hotel room, and the munchies hit, it would be best to grab an apple instead of heading for the vending machine or room service.

Water is your friend, and it’s always easy to find. Before heading out to that buffet or the boardwalk, drink an ice-cold bottle of water. It will help keep your appetite down and prevent going up for seconds or dare I say, thirds.

What do cheesesteaks, cheese fries, chicken wings, fish and chips all have in common? They’re vacation favorites, and they’ll gladly increase your blood sugar. One way to help control your blood sugar is through fiber. The aforementioned foods all have zero fiber, and fiber is key into controlling your blood sugar and keeping cravings down. Fiber capsules are an easy and convenient way to maintain a healthy fiber intake and to keep those cravings away and keep the belly full. Glucomannan (also know as Konjac on the Dr. Oz Show), a soluble fiber, is a great fiber to cut hunger. This fiber, acts like a sponge in the digestive track. It absorbs water and takes up space in the stomach making you feel like you ate more than you did.

Drinking your calories is the easiest way to a big belly. Alcohol, contrary to common belief, is more calorically dense than protein and carbs. A gram of alcohol gives your 7 calories, whereas protein and carbs give you 4, only to leave at 9 calories per gram. Thus, it is very easy to drink a meal of beer or liquor. Those happy hours can be fun, but try sticking to light beer or avoid calorically-dense mixers like soda or fruit cocktails.

I am not a food saint; I do overeat or splurge at times, so I understand that we like to enjoy ourselves on vacation, but it is a good idea to know how often and when to enjoy your meals.

We all, consciously or not, try to prepare for the beach body, but let’s try to continue the plan even after the beach.

P.S: I highly recommend bringing digestive enzymes with you on vacation. If you’re not used to eating out a lot, it might be wise to bring those enzymes to lessen the stress on your digestive system.

Here are a few products that may make your vacation much easier:

• Nature’s Way Glucomannan: http://www.houseofnutrition.com/gluc2.html
• Yerba Prima’s Soluble Fiber: http://www.houseofnutrition.com/046352001869.html
• Nature’s Plus Acti-Zyme: http://www.houseofnutrition.com/097467044548.html

The most common discouragement to sitting outside enjoying the evening with your friends and family is BUGS!  Many people’s response to theannoyance of mosquito bites is to slather on the insect repellent -especially on their children. Most folks reach for a DEET based repellent – reportedly a whopping ⅓ of the US population, but DEET based repellents arenot just hazardous to mosquitoes. From a human health point of view, mosquito bites are just a tinynuisance when compared to thevery serious health threat which DEET presents.Choosing a botanical based repellentfrom House of Nutritionsimply makes more sense, but let’s take a closer look.

Why You Want to Avoid DEET: DEET is short for N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and member of the toluene chemical family, which is asolvent used in rubber and plastic cements and paint removers. Ask yourself – “Is that really something that I want to put regularly on my skin?” 

       DEET doesn’t appear to affect the insect’s ability to smell carbon dioxide, as had been falsely suspected earlier. DEET serves as a true repellent in that mosquitoes intensely dislike the smell of the chemical repellent.  A type of olfactory receptor neuron in special antennal sensilla of mosquitoes that is activated by DEET, as well as other known insect repellents such as eucalyptolhas been identified.

       The most serious concerns about DEET are its effects on your central nervoussystem. Dr. Mohamed Abou-Donia of Duke University studied lab animals’performance of neurobehavioral tasks requiring muscle co-ordination, and found that lab animals exposed to the equivalent of average human doses of DEET performed far worse than untreated animals. Abou-Doniawho has speny 30 years in the study of pesticides, also found that combined exposure to DEET and permethrin, a mosquito spray ingredient, can lead to motor deficits and learning and memory dysfunction.Still wanna slather this on your kids?

       DEET is especially dangerous for small children. Even insect repellent manufacturers’ warn – Seizures may occur in small children that are consistently exposed to DEET on their skin for long periods of time.

       DEET is absorbed through the skin and passes into your blood and directly past the blood/brain barrier. The Medical Sciences Bulletin, published by Pharmaceutical Information Associates Ltd. reports, “Up to 56% of DEET applied topically penetrates intact human skin and 17% is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.” Blood concentrations of about 3 mg per liter have been reported several hours after DEET repellent was applied to skin in themanufacturers prescribed fashion. DEET is also absorbed by your stomach lining which is why side effects from prolonged exposure include: moderate-to-severe stomach irritation; nausea and vomiting.

       For adults, Health Canada has now banned products with DEET concentrations over 30%, citing health risks and evidence that increasing the percentage does not do much more to repel insects. Health Canada has also banned two in one products which combine sunscreen and DEET, saying they create the potential for people to be exposed to too much DEET.So why should we be less safe than Canadians?!

       Which brings us neatly back to safe – effective – natural botanical based insect repellents from House of Nutrition for yourself, your kids AND your pets!

For example: Kiss My Face’s Sun Care SwyFlotter Insect Repellent 4ozwhich contains Lemon Eucalyptus. In a recent study, Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent provided 120 minutes of mosquito protection, while a repellent with 4.75% DEET (Off ‘Skintastic’ for Kids) provided only 88 minutes of protection.  And try: All Terrain’s Herbal Armor Spray.

And for quick relief from the inflammation, itching, swelling and soreness of your insect bites try:

Liddell’s Insect BitesORNewton Rx Insect Bites #38

How about your pet’s comfort?! All Terrain’s Pet Herbal Armor Insect SprayClinically proven to be 100% effective for over two hours, 95.8% effective for three hours and 77.1% effective for four hours. Unique formula w/five natural essential oils recognized by the EPA as repellent

Best Health,

-J. Ricks