Here’s my Weekend MEAL PLAN and WORKOUT ROUTINE from Thanksgiving weekend. See how I make a batch of food and use it for 2-3 meals. I would love to hear your thoughts, especially on the cheesecake I had for breakfast (ingredients below) or my raw Chocolate Power Shake!

Even though this was a holiday weekend (Thanksgiving), it is still a typical weekend in NYC.

Here is what I ate:

Thursday

Breakfast: 2 eggs (friend in butter, over easy) over bed of jalapeno, carrot, ginger sauerkraut, bacon, 1 apple (lightly cooked with bacon)

Lunch: duck (dark meat), spinach (sauteed in butter), 2 apples

Snack: Shake with coconut milk, maca, mystery butter, grapes, banana, eggs

Thanksgiving Dinner: turkey (dark meat), greens (kale, collard, chard,spinach), cranberry & apple sauce, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie – all gluten free (I didn’t eat the gluten free stuffing or pie crust).

Turkey was from local farm and I drank no alcohol. I didn’t stuff myself, but I did have a lot of pie!

Workout: Total body circuit training, all body weight and advanced swiss ball exercises for 30 min.

Friday

Brunch: 3 duck eggs, bacon, tomato
Lunch: duck (legs, thighs), collard greens (steamed w butter)

Snack: Shake w raw cacao, maca, mystery butter (almond, cashew, some other nut I forgot and tahini), 2 bananas, coconut milk, 3 egg yoks

Dinner: duck, kale (steamed w butter)

Workout: Afternoon yoga with a friend at Kula Yoga in Tribeca (a 90 minute advanced yoga class called ‘Flight School’)

Saturday

Morning Snack: 1 piece of vegan, raw food Cheesecake (cherries, cashews, coconut oil, dates, walnuts, raisins, agave, lemon juice, psylium, vanilla bean, sea salt)

Snack: Green soup (broccoli, kale, kelp, dulse, butter, sea salt), 1 soft boiled egg

Lunch: 3 eggs, bacon, carrot/ginger sauerkraut, apple, green soup

Lunch: ground pork (local, biodynamic) with raisins wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves & tomato, sweet potato (with butter), arugula w lemon, olive oil

Dinner : black bean soup (beans, tomato, jalapeno, corn, cilantro, peppers, onion, garlic, spices, salt), grass fed beef meatballs, Isreali salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, pepper, apple cider vinegar, parsley, olive oil)

Sunday
Breakfast: Shepherds Pie – ground beef (w raisins, onions) topped with steamed, mash sweet potatoes (can use red, purple or sweet varieties, instead of white) & side of kale (steamed w butter). Since I knew I was having brunch soon, I only ate a little.

Brunch in Brooklyn at ‘5 Leaves’: grass fed steak, 2 eggs, avocado, spinach, field greens

Late Lunch: steak (sliced thin) on bed of jalapeno sauerkraut, spaghetti sauce

Dinner: beef stew (w broth, carrots, spinach, celery, butter, sea salt) and leftover meatballs

Workout: After a light breakfast, I rode my mountain bike to Central Park and then out to Brooklyn to have brunch with my friend Jason and watch him crush it in a Brooklyn championship softball game. I then rode back home over the Williamsburg bridge back to lower Manhattan.

Snack while riding – if I ride for more than an hour, I bring a snack such as Chilli Lime Mango (dried organic mango w spices – really good!) or a piece of fruit on the bike.

20 min Yoga routine in evening.

Most of these foods are made in batches, so I will be eating the same foods for several days made into different meals. I often eat ‘lunch’ or ‘dinner’ type meals for breakfast.

SOUPS & STEWS are homemade using bison broth from market. I add water to the broth and make enough soup/stew to last 3-4 days.

GREEN SOUP - Greens were chopped up, steamed then blended. Add butter to hot puree and it melts. I don’t always measure, most of the time, I eyeball what I’m making and it works out fine. It was about 2 stalks of broccoli, one bunch of kale, a little water and salt & kelp, dulse to taste.

ROTATION DIET - Notice I do my best to rotate protein sources so the dominant protein per day is the same (i.e. Fri is turkey, Fri is duck, Sat is pork, Sun is beef). I dont follow this 100% of the time, but I do my best to choose ONE protein per meal and ONE protein per day. Vegetables are rotated every 3 – 5 days.

FRESH, LOCAL, ORGANIC, GRASS FED - Everything comes from the farmers market in Union Square. It is ALL organic, local, grass fed. The pork is biodynamic.

METABOLIC TYPE – Every meal has a protein, fat and carb. There are NO processed carbs and everything is fresh. If you pay attention to what I’m eating you should be able to tell what works best for me (my metabolic type). I also eat at least 4 times per day.

SWEETENER – I eat agave maybe once or twice a month.

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If you value your health and your freedom to choose unpolluted food, then your help is needed.

The USDA is trying to mandate a program that will be so costly and bureaucratic for small farmers that it will likely drive them out of business.

Why Small Farms Are So Important

Organic food is an essential part of good health because it is not exposed to the nutrient destruction and chemical toxicity of modern, industrial farming practices. Many farmers are pressured into using chemicals and depleting their soil to keep up with the industry. As a result, many of the foods you see in your local supermarket are low in nutrients and are loaded with chemical residues.

Organic farming requires a significant amount of effort and care. With the advancement of chemical based agriculture, industrial farming has become a big business and most large farms are more interested in profits than environmental sustainability and the quality of food they produce. As such, even certified organic food doesn’t always meet the top level of quality that you’d expect it to.

Small farmers are often passionate about what they do, particularly the ones who have embraced organic and sustainable practices. They are less likely to take shortcuts, and because they don’t have the overhead of a big business to deal with, they are free to focus most of their efforts on producing high quality food.

Although not all small farmers can afford to offer certified organic food, small farms still provide a majority of the world’s healthiest supply of food. Because of new legislation that is underway, we are at risk of losing this invaluable resource and it’s up to us to do something about it!

NAIS – The National Animal Identification System

NAIS is an animal identification system that the USDA has been trying to mandate for about 5 years. According to the USDA, the program is intended to improve food safety, but in reality, it’s more likely to worsen it.

Under this program, anyone owning livestock would be required to register their property, tag each animal with a computerized chip, and report the activity of each animal to the USDA. This even applies to some pet owners. For example, someone owning just a single horse would have to register their property and report to the government each time the horse was taken off the property.

While this program could potentially be useful for the regulation of large factory farms, it’s far too extreme for small farmers and can even be considered unconstitutional. Adding insult to injury, farmers would be required to buy the equipment needed to follow the program. If the hassle doesn’t push small farmers out of business, then the expense will!

Food Safety – What a Joke!

As I said, this program is intended to improve food safety. With a mandatory “48 hour traceback”, the USDA argues that they’ll be better able to manage the spread of disease outbreak, but wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for a food safety program to prevent disease rather than just manage it?

Because small farmers tend to follow natural and organic farming practices, they raise healthy animals that rarely get sick. This is in direct contrast to the factory farms where sickness is common and antibiotics are used as a preventative measure. While the practices of small farmers represent what food safety should be about, the NAIS program would make life more difficult for these small farmers than anyone else.

Furthermore, if the USDA is serious about food safety, perhaps they should revisit their own inspection process. In 2007, over 22 million pounds of ground beef were recalled despite every package of it being inspected by the USDA!

Is it About Safety or Politics?

Possibly the scariest aspect of NAIS is the potential control that it gives the government. Based on the political influence of agricultural companies like Monsanto, this control can easily lead to small farmers being forced to implement the highly toxic and destructive practices that these companies promote and profit from. With this in mind…

If you’ve never heard of Monsanto, a corporation that is putting small farmers out of business, destroying the Earth’s top soiI and genetically modifying foods and animals, I highly recommend that you visit:

The Millions Against Monsanto link uncovers this dangerous company and the strong political influence they have over US government.

Finally, consider who benefits most from NAIS. Technology companies will certainly benefit from the tags and computer systems that the program requires. More importantly, agricultural companies like Monsanto will benefit by their products being a part of the “best practices” imposed on farmers to control disease outbreak. In contrast, the small farmer gets nothing but grief and we lose the ability to choose where our food comes from. In my opinion, this sounds a lot more like corporate cronyism than a food safety program!

Take Action!

If you have any regard for your right to choose where your food comes from, please take action by opposing NAIS! The following website makes it very easy to send a letter to the USDA stating your opposition.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Unfortunately, speaking out against NAIS may not be enough. New legislation has been proposed in Congress that will combine the USDA and FDA into a single “Food Safety Administration”, but also create a backdoor for the USDA to mandate the NAIS program.

You can voice your opinion against this legislation as well through the following link:

For more information on NAIS and this proposed legislation, visit:

No to NAIS

The Death of Organic This is a radio show hosted by my friend Sean from www.UndergroundWellness.com

Why NAIS Must be Stopped. A video presentation about by the Environmental Conservation Organization

Monsanto Punishing Farmers. An article by Linn Cohen-Cole describing the political connections of Monsanto in regards to this legislation.

This post was written by my friend Vin Miller. Vin is a certified Holistic Nutritionist & Lifestyle Expert and Certified Personal Trainer. Vin’s expertise comes through rebuilding his own health and is passionate about helping others to do the same. Check out his website http://www.naturalbias.com

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I have specialized in women’s fitness and fat loss in NYC for 15 years. I don’t work with everyone who applies to work with me. The reason is that not everyone is ready for the work that is involved in getting awesome results…seriously, millions of people are big talkers or they are still looking for the ‘quick fix’

So I recently asked my most successful clients what worked best for them for staying lean and healthy. Here are some of their responses…(notice what NONE of them talk about). This is Francesca…

Francesca originally was a client of mine for several years and also went through my Fitness & Nutrition Coach Development Program and is now a very successful woman’s Fitness & Nutrition Coach. Here are her favorite tips for staying lean, healthy and fabulous…

1. Focus on thinking & making statements in line with what you want not what you don’t want. i.e thinking/saying “I’m beautiful” or “I love the way my arms look” rather than “I’m fat”.

2. Don’t listen to what “everyone else” is doing. Learn what works for you which may mean changing your diet and exercise habits completely the other way.

3. Take it one day/one step at a time, keeping the big picture in mind.

These 3 tips come from my own experience. I’ve never been more confident or happier about myself .

This is Jaime, co-author of Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook…Jaime was on a raw food vegan diet which wreaked havoc on her body and mind.

She is a protein type, her body requires more fat and protein than other people…she lost 30 pounds and 3 dress sizes and got off all her meds simply eating more fat and protein and eliminating common food allergens…NO, I do not encourage everyone go out and eat more fat and protein….we are all unique. But here are a few tips that work really for her…and as you can see, she is lean, healthy and has tons of energy!

I shred up super quick if I do these things daily:

Notice they didn’t say anything about ‘dieting’….I have some more client success stories that will inspire you and show you that we are all unique and that we all deserve an awesome life of happiness, confidence and a lean, healthy, sexy body ….it’s not that hard to do when you know a few simple truths.

So for those of you who just want to get ’skinny’ or ‘lose weight’ – remember this…

You cannot lose weight to improve your health..you must improve your health to lose weight.

Of course, you can be like the 98% of dieters that won’t listen to that tip and desperately go for the quick fix…if you focus on ‘weight loss’, you might miss out on an awesome life of health, vitality and
looking and feeling your best!

Stay tuned for more tips from my most successful clients

Antonio

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In an effort to confuse consumers while preserving the poor health of the American people and massive profits of mega-food corporations, some of the nation’s largest food and beverage companies have agreed to create a new label: ‘Smart Choices Program’

It’s a brilliant way to fool already sick and overweight people into thinking that a select few ‘Smart Choices’ labeled, highly processed junk foods are better than the rest of their own unlabeled, highly processed junk foods.

Great- another ground breaking, earth shattering American ‘nutrition’ program designed to make you think that junk foods develop by mega-food manufacturers are going to help us get healthy!

Does anybody actually buy into this?

Do not be fooled. The people running these companies would actually have to be healthy themselves and be concerned about the health of consumers to create foods that were actually healthy – that’s a bit of a stretch for any major American food manufacturer.

The companies include Coca Cola, Con Agra, General Mills, Kraft, Pepsi and Wal Mart among other junk food giants – you know, the same companies that produce the very products that are loaded with sugars, synthetic, damaging & addictive ingredients which are the primary reason America is so fat and sick.

I have a better plan. How about sticking to foods that are grown on the planet and dont need a label or scientifically engineered ingredients that improve shelf life or have ingredients that are well known by many real experts to be poisonous to human beings.

Want to get healthy? Stick to whole foods, not processed foods with meaningless labels.

DO you trust the food manufacturers to tell you whats healthy? I wouldnt. Find real experts who work with real people if youwant to know aht really works. If you want health and fat loss — choose real, whole foods that are grown by real farmers in your region and get organic as often as possible.

talk soon

antonio

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Check out my new blog!

Looks good doesn’t it?

I’m going to be adding all kinds of cool features including videos, interviews and a cool forum so you guys & gals can participate a bit more….

The forum should be up in a few days.

You will be able to meet others around the world who share similar interests in holistic health, fitness, fat loss, organic food, etc

You can ask questions and get answers from me or my team of experts, some of my friends and even my clients will be in on all the action!

We will also have sections for Recipes, Eating Disorders and Cancer Recovery

Now, back to hidden causes of weight gain…

Remember, getting fat has very little to do with eating fat…

It has more to do with eating sugar, processed foods, not eating for your unique metabolic requirements, skipping meals and eating these hidden food allergens or other problem ingredients that can trigger all sorts of health problems, weight gain being just one of them.

After these past 3 or 4 posts, you should have a pretty advanced understanding of common food issues that can make you sick, fat and tired.

You should have also learned that the smartest way to get healthy and lose fat is PAY ATTENTION to how you feel after you eat and look for patterns. This will help you identify food allergens or even common crappy foods that are labeled ‘health food’ that you may not work well for you.

The next most important lesson I have for you is a question…

In order for me to make this blog more exciting and more focused on YOU and your concerns, I need y’all to speak up a bit…

What is your most pressing health question?

What is it that you really want to know?

What questions do you have that keep you lying awake at night???

Is it Fat Loss?

Is it your pooch belly???

Do you want to know more about organic food or how to balance your brain chemistry through foods?

Do you want to know the truth about the raw Foods Diet or other trends?

Do you want me to review popular books or magazines so you don’t waster your time with crappy ones?

Do you want to know what to eat?

Please feel free to share your opinions, questions and concerns with me on this blog.

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Here are 2 more food allergens that may be ‘hidden’ causes of stress, weight gain, digestive problems or mood swings.

Eggs
- This is definitely one of the least common food allergens I have seen, but is a
problem for many people, including children. If you don’t know about
possible food allergies you might have, remember what I told you
before: use a food journal and record your response to eating eggs. If
you feel great, energized and don’t show any reaction, then you should
be good to go.

The best way to cook eggs are soft boiled,
poached of fried in butter or coconut oil. I suggest only eating
scrambled eggs or omelets once in awhile.

Soy -
If you have been reading my blog for awhile then you should be familiar
with certain myths and misconceptions about food & Nutrition. Soy
is probably the biggest ‘health food’ myth today. Soy is linked to
infertility, breast cancer, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer and many
other disorders.

Not only is it the 2nd most common food
allergen, but its a nasty little bean that has been shown, in hundreds
of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies that it is linked
to:

Malnutrition
Digestive distress
Thyroid dysfunction
Cognitive decline
Reproductive disorders
Infertility
Birth defects
Immune system breakdown
Heart disease
Cancer

And NO, Asians don’t eat nearly as much as Americans are – not even close.

Here are some myths & facts about soy you might not know about:

Men
who eat soy-based foods may be harming their fertility after a study
found a link between soy-rich diets and lower sperm counts.

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.

Truth:
Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246
BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods
like tempeh, natto and tamari.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.

Truth:
Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about
2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a
condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.

Truth:
Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in
soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and
increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.

Truth:
Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino
acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures
fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.

Truth:
The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the
human body; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.

Truth:
Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and
affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin
inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods
increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones
and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced
bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and
development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks
cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and
nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been
implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual
development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.

Truth:
Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed
for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood,
lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy
foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.

Truth:
A British government report concluded that there is little evidence
that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of
cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.

Truth:
In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but
there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol improves one’s risk of
having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.

Truth:
Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they
can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating
as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result
in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain
and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.

Truth:
Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and
cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with
difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.

Truth:
A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in
their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese
Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the
occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.

Truth:
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the
FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of
protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS
status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the
presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.

Truth:
Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in
animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men,
indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu
to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment

Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment.

Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.

Truth:
In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and
transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to
multinational corporations.

Taken from http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz

Soy Dangers Summarized
taken from http://www.westonaprice.org

High
levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium,
copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by
ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow
cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.

Trypsin
inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause
pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors
caused stunted growth.

Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine
function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote
breast cancer in adult women.

Soy phytoestrogens are potent
antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid
cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to
autoimmune thyroid disease.

Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.

Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.

Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.

Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Free
glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food
processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.

Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

Until next time – have a great week and PAY ATTENTION to how you react to food!

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Ok, so there are more than 10 on this list so I will post shorter blogs and
give you great info so you can LEARN and see if you have any problems
with any of these foods.

Also, everything on the list is not
really a food, but, the point is this: there are foods that trigger
serious health issues in many people and these may be ‘hidden’ sources
of stress or weight gain.

If you have been working out and
‘eating right’ (whatever that means) and you’re still not getting
results, simply use a food journal and see what’s going on after you
eat and this will clue you in to possible problematic or allergenic
foods.

What’s next on the list?

Caffeine -
similar to alcohol, there are a lot of false teachings in the media
about this stimulant. Caffeine is a stimulant that disrupts your
metabolism and triggers your ‘fight or flight’ (which is an emergency
response system, not a daily lifestyle system) into FULL EFFECT.

Personally,
I have never seen anyone in NYC who drinks coffee that isn’t
experiencing some type of negative consequence of drinking coffee.

Typically,
people argue that there is some health benefit or they read some
article that touted the benefits of coffee. What they fail to realize
is that, like alcohol, even if there were some benefits, the negatives
FAR OUTWEIGH any of these mythical benefits.

Caffeine is a
stimulant that triggers the release of cortisol (stress hormone) that
is associated with practically every disease known to mankind.

The
primary reason people drink it in NYC is because they are sleep-deprived and exhausted. Sleep deficiency, although popular, is not
cool, nor healthy and makes you age prematurely. Whenever you drink
coffee to ‘get you going’ – you continue a cycle of exhaustion that
gets harder and harder to break as you age.

And for my friends
who are drinking coffee to help with ‘number 2′ (going pottie)….the
caffeine is one of the main reasons why you cant go in the first place,
fyi.

The other reason is because it dehydrates the human body, despite what the NY Times coffee-addicted ‘health reporter’ says.

Coffee
beans are also the most heavily sprayed crop on the planet and the
acids in the beans are damaging to your digestive tract.

Enough said?

If you really want to drink coffee, at least find some good organic stuff and dont drink it on an empty stomach.

Seriously
though, caffeine addiction is a widespread problem and a MASSIVE factor
in hormonal imbalance (depression), burnout and weight gain.

Want to improve your health, look good and not age prematurely???? Ditch the drug addiction.

Oh,
and for the hundreds of people that may say something like ‘I got
headaches last time I tried to quit’ –> Getting headaches is not a
reason for continuing your caffeine addiction. Headaches are a symptom
of drug withdrawal and there are many things you can do to alleviate
this. But any addiction comes with a price and if getting headaches is
a minor consequence, than thats something you will have to deal with.

Peanuts -
I am aware that most Men’s Health and Shape magazines tell you that
peanut butter is a good source of protein and when I was a teenager I
thought the same thing. I have since discovered that not only is it a
common food allergen, but its also a very low quality food source and
loaded with mold. That’s right. Even the healthy versions are full of
nasty little critters that can make you sick.

Peanuts are also
difficult to digest for many people. Want a better alternative? Try
almond butter. You can also find cashew nut butter or macadamia nut
butter and they are absolutely fantastic! Unless of course you can
tolerate tree nuts…

Tree Nuts
- as long as you dont have a nut allergy, most other nut butters are
better than peanuts. However, another common food allergens are tree
nuts.

Here is a list of common tree nuts and foods or products that may contain them:

Cashews
Pecans
Macadamia nuts
Almonds
Pistachios
Brazil nuts
Pine nuts
Hazelnuts
Walnuts
hickory nuts
Beech nut*
Butternut*
Chestnut*
Coconut*
Ginko nut*
Lichee nut*
Pili nut*
Sheanut*

natural nut extract
artificial nuts
nut meal
caponatanut meat
nut oil
nut paste (such as almond paste)
gianduja (a nut mixture in some chocolate)
nut pieces
pesto
mandelonas
marzipan/almond paste
nan-gai nuts
nougat
pralines
nut butters

Other names for tree nuts
Anacardium nuts
Mandelonas (e.g. peanuts that have been altered to look and taste like tree nuts)
Marzipan (almond paste)
Nu-Nuts ™ (e.g. peanuts that have been altered to look and taste like tree nuts)
Nut meats
Pinon

Common Sources/Foods Containing Tree Nuts
Artificial nuts (peanuts altered to look and taste like almonds, pecans and walnuts)
Baked goods (cakes, cereal bars, cookies, doughnuts, energy/granola bars, muffins, pastries)
Baking mixes, cereals, crackers, muesli
Coffee grinders
Dressings/gravies
Chinese food
Gianduja (chocolate and chopped nuts mixture found in premium or imported chocolate and ice cream)
Ice cream/frozen desserts/frozen yogurts/sundae toppings
Natural flavorings and extracts
Nut butter
Nut-flavored coffee/liqueurs
Sauces (barbecue, pesto, Worcestershire)
Salads (Waldorf salad, curried chicken)
Spreads (almond paste, cheese, chocolate nut, nougat, Nutella)
Trail mixes

Non-food sources of tree nuts
Hacky sacks
Bird seed
Cosmetics, hair care products, lotions
Pet food

As always, use extra precaution when eating out at restaurants or eating foods prepared by others.

*As
of 10/2006, the FDA has added these as tree nuts for the purposes of
FALCPA (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act).

Here is a great resource, provided you DONT HAVE ANY NUT ALLERGIES and CAN DIGEST THEM WITHOUT A PROBLEM.

www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com
www.sweetwatermarket.net
www.bluemountainorganics.com

These are great websites with awesome products – check them out.

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Are you ready to discover the 11 most allergenic foods and see if any of these
are causing you to be fat, bloated or fatigued?

Why is it important to know about food allergens??? Just ask yourself these questions…

Are you sick of getting bloated?

Have you struggled with anxiety or depression and can’t figure out WHY?

Have you struggled with skin issues and acne?

Are you trying to lose weight but nothing seems to be working?

The answers to these and many other similar questions have EVERYTHING to do with what you are eating.

More often than not, most people are eating crappy foods to begin with.

What also happens quite often is people who are trying to be healthy and lose weight are eating foods that trigger all sorts of health problems as a result of food allergies, sensitivities and intolerance.

I’ll give you the list of foods and I suggest you pay attention over the next
couple of weeks and see how you react after you eat these foods.

This is one of the many reasons why Food Journals work so well.

Not for counting calories or obsessing over what you eat. But for paying
attention and noticing how you react to certain foods.

You might be surprised to find that some of these common ‘health’ foods are
anything but healthy.

The most common allergenic foods are:

Gluten - a protein found in wheat and most grains. Gluten is implicated
in every single digestive disorder I have seen. Gluten is found everywhere, from BBQ sauce to
‘whole grain’ energy bars and everything in between. It is also responsible for all kinds of
neurological dysfunctions and mood imbalances.

Pasteurized Dairy – this is a HOT topic! I will cover more of what you need to
know in the next few newsletters…you may want to hold off on your low fat yogurt
(which is nothing more than glorified junk food) and get ready for this one!

Sugar - not just white table sugar, sugars come in many shapes and sizes.
Did you know that ALL Carbs are sugars? And
not everyone tolerates the carbs the same way?
Did you know that sugar acts the same on the brain as cocaine? Imagine
mixing it with caffeine and other synthetic ingredients and feeding it to
children? Actually, you don’t have to imagine. It’s happening right now.

I wrote a controversial article on the topic of marketing sports drinks to kids
that was immediately BANNED by some major corporations…wait till you hear
about this one!

The dramatic results people experience when they finally realize these issues and stop eating problematic foods are absolutely amazing.

I am going to save the rest of the list for the next newsletter, but don’t
worry. It will come much sooner than the last two.

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Do you know anyone on a ‘special diet?’

I don’t mean the obnoxiously trendy ‘drop a dress size in one week’ weight loss quick fixes that we see everyday in magazines & TV.

I am talking about really specialized and therapeutic nutrition programs like gluten free, casein free, anti-inflammatory, anti-candida, elimination or rotation diets?

People usually go on these programs to correct some sort of health problem –typically a digestive dysfunction, neurological condition or disease.

Experts in functional medicine and cutting edge nutritional science have been using these therapeutic nutrition programs for years with great success. Some of these approaches have also been used successfully by alternative and holistic experts in health and nutrition.

Many people who don’t feel well and who have chronic digestive issues, cravings, addictions, mood imbalances as well as infants with developmental issues (or who are constantly getting sick) have found relief by eliminating certain foods from their diet.

Also, some people go through several doctors and didn’t get an answer as to why they don’t feel well. They eventually find their way to a real expert that helps them discover certain foods that trigger reactions.

Some food proteins are allergenic and when someone eats them, they usually see a myriad of immediate issues like runny nose, throat swelling, asthma, wheezing, sneezing, skin rashes (hives, eczema), nausea and diarrhea.

These are less immediate but very common results from eating problematic foods:
Digestive Dysfunction (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, reflux, IBS), headaches, inability to focus (ADD/ADHD type behavior), fatigue, mood swings, joint pains, unexplained weight gain/loss, infertility, muscle aches and pains.

For people with celiac disease, anaphylactic shock and death can occur from an allergic reaction to gluten.

People who continue to eat foods they are intolerant to typically end up with more serious conditions, including:

Anemia
Psychological & Behavior dysfunction (schizophrenia, depression, inability to focus)
GERD & Dyspepsia
Headaches & migraines
Higher mortality rates
Infertility, miscarriage, low birth weight babies
Neural tube defects due to folate deficiency
Nutritional deficiencies
Intestinal cancers
Multiple food intolerance
Osteoporosis, osteopenia

People who want to get to the bottom of their unusual health issues have to search high and low because of at least 5 reasons:

First, the majority of mainstream nutritionists and doctors in the US are really unhealthy themselves.

Second, many people accept small signs of poor health as ‘part of life’ or believe that’s ‘normal’ to feel like crap, have bad skin, be bloated, fart and feel foggy headed or depressed.

Third, modern medicine is not designed to address the root cause of health issues – it is designed to suppress symptoms or ‘manage’ disease.

Fourth, most people are totally unaware of how their food affects their mood, energy and overall health until they get sick or a disease. Even then, some people would rather die than change their diet & lifestyle.

Fifth, because we eat often, it takes a big commitment and a skilled eye to find a food culprit.

Don’t forget there are also over 3000 chemicals added to our food supply and 400 pesticides in use today.

Are you starting to see the big picture?

My next blog will list the most common food allergens and certain foods that people eat often that are causing all sorts of problems…

talk soon
Antonio

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Do you want to know how food affects your mood?

Do you want to know the truth about why so many people are overweight, overwhelmed, exhausted, depressed, anxious, moody and craggy all the time?

It’s true….it’s scary as hell, but its true.

The FDA, you know, that jolly group of healthy, vibrant, compassionate individuals who loves us so much, allows 3000 chemicals in our foods – from food additives, colors, flavor enhancers and other strange things.

There are also 400 pesticides as well that are known to cause serious damage to your hormonal system and nervous system.

The craziest thing is this –> no one knows what happens when you mix these pesticides together or when you combine this noxious bug killer cocktail with the food additives.

Did you know there are laws governing the waste and removal of these poisons – laws specifically governing the mixing of these chemicals when they are disposed of — but mixing them on our produce when they spray them seems to be ok. Way to go FDA!

If you didn’t know – your moods are controlled by your hormonal and nervous system.

If you are eating foods that you are sensitive to – including any number of these harmful chemicals, or combination thereof, you can experience digestive issues which will inhibit the absorption of the foods you ate which means your body doesn’t get what it needs to have normal function.

In fact, it may be getting what it needs to be dysfunctional.

Even if it your digestion isn’t affected, you could be ingesting multiple chemicals that directly affect your brain function.

You know what’s interesting?

The experts that are reversing autism and developmental disorders in children and helping people recover from serious life threatening diseases like cancer –> you know, the ones you don’t hear about on TV, one of the first steps they have their patients do is eat organic, whole foods to get the chemicals out of their foods.

The next step is to eliminate foods that are common allergens.

Its easy to see how important foods are when we think of diseased or developmentally challenged people or children.

But what about the rest of us?

The absolute most important step anyone who wants to improve their health and lose fat and have normal brain function is to simply Go Organic.

What’s more important than eating organic fruits and vegetables – is finding meats and fats that are grass-fed and organic.

Animals and humans store toxins (chemicals) in fats. That’s right – the more fat a person or an animal is, the more toxic they are.

So eating meats and fats (eggs, butter, beef, lamb, chicken, etc) that are GRASS FED are better than meats that are only labeled ‘organic.’

But if can only afford one or the other — if you have to choose between organic produce and meats – choose meats.

I will have a list of the least sprayed produce in my book so you can still choose some produce that is non-organic if you have to and be safe.

One of my favorite places to get grass-fed meats is here in NYC at the Union Square Green Market.

For those who don’t live in the Big Apple, check out: http://www.eatwild.com/ and you can find a source in your area.

For my readers and friends who live outside the USA, please send me your favorite website that you use to find grass fed and organic foods! I appreciate it!

If you choose grass fed meats whenever you can – you will be taking a massive step in reducing your exposure to these toxic chemicals.

Also m the more these smaller family run organic farms that have animals that are grazing on grass (as they are supposed to be) — the less support these mega corporations that are producing crappy foods will have which means the organic industry will only continue to grow and that means it will become much easier to find organic and grass feds foods everywhere!

Stay tuned as next post will cover common food allergens that are producing allergic reactions, digestive dysfunction and brain chemistry imbalance in 90% of the client I have worked with in NYC – which means, it may also be happening to you.

Eat Clean – Go Organic and Grass Fed!

Peace
Antonio

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