Despite popular opinion and overkill in health & fitness magazines, a detox diet is not what you have been told.  Here are a few truths about Detox diets that will help separate fact from fiction and tips you can use right away to get healthy, energize your body and lose weight, followed by a big list of foods that support the body’s detoxification process…and one food that is not good for detox diets!

Click HERE to read part 2 ‘How to Detox’ …

Detoxification is a rather complicated process involving two phases, multiple reactions and lots of work by the liver.  On any given day, on a regular basis, the body breaks down toxins, renders them safe and then excretes them out of the body.   There are specific nutrients & foods that inhibit or enhance our detoxification system.

A true detox program is medically supervised protocols done under the guidance of an expert Naturopath, Osteopath, Chiropractor, Chek practitioner or a progressive physician who practices functional medicine (truly preventative and corrective, as opposed to conventional medicine which focuses on managing symptoms, often ignoring the underlying problem).

So when people talk about detoxing – esp. doing the Master Cleanse or the Blueprint Juice fast, they most often have no idea what they are talking about, but also are shooting themselves in the foot.

Here are two quick reasons you need to know:
Many important nutrients in veggies are fat soluble, meaning they can ONLY be absorbed with fat. Mineral (zinc) deficiency inhibits detoxification. So low fat vegan diets & juice fasts miss the mark.

Please memorize this: Juice comes from fruits & veggies. Fruits & veggies are carbs. All carbs are sugar.

Juice fasting is truthfully a sugar feast, not a fast. With no fat to help absorb the nutrients, you are getting a sugar bomb, which stresses the liver, creates insulin volatility and does not improve health. Yes, vegetables have important flavonoids, carotenoids, lycopenes and phytonutrients, but to ignore the macro content of these foods (carb, pro, fat), although popular, is neither wise nor healthy.

Foods that support Detoxification:

Cruciferous (brassica) veggies:

Arugula, watercress, cabbage, Napa cabbage, daikon, wasabi, turnip, rutabaga, broccoli rabe, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, kale

Cruciferous veggies, not part of our Paleolithic history, first saw widespread use about 7,000 years ago in China before spreading to Europe in the Middle Ages. They are known for medicinal properties and today we know that they have many benefits to human health. But that is not the whole story…

Some brassicas contain more calcium per calorie than milk. The bioavailability of calcium from these vegetables is a little better than that of pasteurized milk and over ten times better than that from spinach. Some of these foods are rich in vitamin C, vitamin K1, beta-carotene and other nutrients.

However, cruciferous vegetables also contain substances known as goitrogens that inhibit thyroid function. If you suspect, or know you have thyroid issues, or have not been able to lose weight despite diet & exercise, I suggest you see an expert and be careful about eating these foods.  Most doctors know very little about thyroid health, and the most common thyroid tests are not good enough, so seek out an expert and get your thyroid tested.

If you use crucifers regularly, it may be wise to boil them rather than steaming, especially if you suspect thyroid problems. So much for ‘raw food vegan’ diets being healthy for all people.

Foods that contain B vitamins

Vitamin B12 - Shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels), liver, beef, trout, wild salmon, grass fed beef, yogurt milk, pork, egg, chicken breast.

Vitamin B5, found in organ meats, egg yolks and whole grains. If you want to eat grains, I only suggest gluten free grains that have been soaked, sprouted or fermented. Although I don’t eat them and I’m not a fan, I do suggest buckwheat, quinoa or millet as good options for some, not all, people.

Vitamin B6 is found mostly in animal products, tuna (yellowfin), chicken breast, liver, turkey breast, cod, salmon, snapper, beef, halibut contributes to the proper functioning of over one hundred enzymes and critical for Detox. Pastured, grass fed animals and wild fish are the cleanest source of animal foods.

Foods containing sulfur
Wild fish, grass fed meat, raw eggs, onions, garlic, turnips, radishes, celery, kale, string beans, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips, sweet potatoes, nuts & seeds kale, lettuce, kelp, seaweed, raspberries, raw eggs, garlic, onions

Foods that contain (or support production of) Glutathione

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from free radical damage. The highest concentration of glutathione is found in the liver, making it critically important in the detoxification and elimination of free radicals. It can be found or synthesize from compounds in certain foods (including sulfur foods above) as well as watermelon, avocado, asparagus, broccoli, and tomato, dark green leafy vegetables, asparagus, potato, acorn squash, strawberries, orange, tomato, cantaloupe, broccoli, okra, peach, zucchini, and spinach.

Asparagus, avocado, and walnuts are particularly rich dietary sources of glutathione.

Cysteine is involved in the production of glutathione, it is found in most high-protein foods including raw dairy, pork, sausage meat, chicken, turkey, duck.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle (Oregon’s Wild Harvest is my favorite brand) is a plant that  is native to Mediterranean region and is part of the daisy family. The seeds (silymarin) have been used medicinally for 2000 years to treat liver disease and protect the lover from toxins. I have personally used millk thistle with great results in my own health. I have also used it with clients recovering from drug abuse or body builders who ate too many processed protein powders and synthetic supplements.

Dandelion Greens

Translated as ‘lion’s tooth’ in French, dandelion greens are wonderful in salads, sauteed or steamed.  They taste like chicory and endive, and are a little bitter.  The addition of a little lemon-juice and pepper adds a nice flavor. The leaves should always be torn to pieces, rather than cut, to maintain the flavor.

They’re higher in beta-carotene than carrots. The iron and calcium content is better than spinach. You also get B vitamins, C, E, D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.

It’s been used medicinally for centuries to support the liver and gallbladder. Dandelion are also an important source for pollen and nectar for bees.

Foods high in Antioxidants

Foods high antioxidants also support your body’s natural detoxification system, and also protect your body from damage.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a standardized method for measuring antioxidant activity of food – the higher the ORAC score, the gretaer the potential for protective ability of the food.

Fruits - ORAC Score
Acai – 18,500
Prunes – 5,770
Pomegranates – 3,307
Raisins/Dark Grapes – 2,830
Blueberries – 2,400
Blackberries – 2,036
Cranberries – 1,750
Strawberries – 1,540
Noni – 1,506
Raspberries – 1,220
Plums – 949
Oranges – 750
Red Grapes – 739
Cherries – 670
Kiwi Fruit – 610
Grapefruit, pink – 483
Grapes, White – 460
Banana – 210
Apple – 207
Apricot – 175
Peach – 170
Pear – 110
Watermelon – 100
Honeydew Melon – 97

Vegetables – ORAC Score
Kale – 1770
Spinach – 1260
Brussels sprouts – 980
Alfalfa sprouts – 930
Broccoli flowers – 890
Beets – 840
Red bell pepper – 710
Onion – 450
Corn – 400
Eggplant – 390

Foods that DO NOT support Detoxification

Grapefruit and its juice inhibit detoxification, so  if you want to Detox , I suggest avoid grapefruit for a certain period of time while taking action to clean up your diet. Protein types need to be very careful with citrus fruits anyway.

If there is one lesson you can take away form this post, its: don’t follow trends. America is plagued – not only by media induced mass hysteria, but by the inability to think for oneself.

Other critical points to consider are raw food vegan diet is not healthy for most people, nor will it save the world as many people falsely believe. Popular Detox, cleansing & fasting programs are not detoxifying at all, in fact, many of them are unhealthy and enthusiastically promoted by people who are buzzed from a sugar high and know little about nutrition or natural health.

21 Day Detox

If you want to see radical improvements in your health, energy and lose weight, here is a 21 Day Detox program for you. Its not so much a program as it is some simple guidelines:

Commit to 21 days of Detox and eating clean. Start today and don’t stop until you look and feel better than you do right now.

Eat the food above, avoid grapefruit and get some milk thistle.

Switch to natural, organic soap, deodorant, toothpaste (sans fluoride) and get green household cleaning products.

Once you get healthy and have a regular diet & lifestyle that supports health & wellness, then your body will better tolerate intermittent fasting. Learn mind-body exercise as well as strength training and spend as much time in nature as possible.

Mental Detox

Make sure what you read, hear, watch or hang out with inspires & supports your personal, professional or spiritual development…and have some fun. Personally, I DO NOT encourage watching the news, especially local news programs. I think ‘reality shows’ which are NOT reality at all, are degrading and insulting to any intelligent person – I find these popular shows toxic. I have friends though that get a kick out of Jersey Shore – so figure out what works for you. I do watch The Office and documentaries often. PAY ATTENTION to what goes into your brain – make sure its healthy and not toxic.

Whatever you do, make sure it is truly serving you and not wasting time.

What to Avoid

Processed grains and flour products: pasta, crackers, breads, cereals, energy bars Vegetable oils: bottled salad dressings and sauces (any other food that come s from a package, can or box)

Crap drinks: Gatorade, vitamin water, anything from Starbucks, sugary drinks (alcohol, juice, soda)

Pasteurized dairy including milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, and yogurt

Commercially-raised meats, fish, poultry, eggs

Conventionally-grown (non organic) produce (fruits and vegetables)

Commercially produced, chemical based cosmetics, skin care products

I have said this many times, if you cant afford all organic and grass fed foods, at least get your animals fats & protein grass fed. That should be your priority.

Coffee – If you are addicted to coffee, which most people are, your best bet is to switch to a healthier version of low acid, shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee. Don’t have it on an empty stomach, have it with food instead. Gradually reduce the amount you consume before your addiction consumes you and your end up burned out and unable to lose weight.

Follow these ideas for 21 days and please let me know what kind of awesome results you get.

When your juice fasting friends start crashing and getting cranky, be kind to them, get them some fat and send them the link for this article.

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All traditional health & healing systems as well as modern, cutting edge wellness and functional / preventative medicine experts understand that the accumulation of toxins (toxic load) can lead to fatigue, weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, disorders and disease.

Cleanses, Fasting & Detox programs are holistic methods that have been used for thousands of years for supporting the health & vitality of the body. These programs, when done correctly, are effective in helping people remove toxins from the body, reduce inflammation and transition off processed foods, sugar or alcohol. The true benefit of these types of programs… are not only physical (optimize health, weight loss, energy levels), but also the healing of the body & mind and the integration of body, mind and spirit.

The more toxic your body becomes, the worse you feel and more difficult it is to lose weight.

In predictable America fashion, detox was understood by a few, then exploited by some, misunderstood, misused and misrepresented by many and demonized/dismissed by the institution it threatens.

Detoxification has been dismissed by mainstream medicine as ‘quackery’ or ‘pseudo-science’ and embraced by alternative healthcare industry who might understand the history & purpose, but are not familiar the science behind it. Both sides propagate false teachings about it and encourage a polarized stance. I found that the truth lies somewhere in between.

The human body is perfectly designed. We’ve evolved millions of years to get where we are today – we are built to be strong, healthy, resilient to certain amount of stress and toxins and not just survive, but to THRIVE!

It’s only been in the last 100 years that we’ve inundated our planet and bombarded our bodies with tens of thousands of man-made chemicals. Toxins in our environment are ubiquitous. Trying to avoid toxins (esp if you live in a city) is like trying to avoid bad 80’s music on the radio. The best you can do is turn off the radio to minimize your exposure and simultaneously strengthen your health & resilience. Unfortunately, we all go to a store, a gym or a friends’ house that will inevitably force us to hear bad 80’s music.

The purpose behind doing a detox is based on undeniable facts about excessive toxic exposure in our modern world – the quantity & quality of new toxins never before seen in human history.

The human body stores toxins in fat. Some toxins cause chaos at the cellular level (cancer), triggering immune response while others disrupt hormonal systems – all of this influences our psychology (mood & brain chemistry) and body fat (accumulation or inability to lose is hormonal) and overall health.

The science behind detox begins with a basic understanding of our body’s natural detoxification system:

Liver – the main organ of detoxification, it performs hundreds of functions and is necessary for metabolism.

Gall Bladder – stores & releases bile which is necessary for digestion and removing toxins

Kidney – Excretes waste through urine. Also involved in regulation of electrolytes, ph balance and blood pressure.

Lungs – intake of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide. Shallow & restricted breathing compromises systems

Colon – absorbs water & some nutrients and excretes waste materials. It houses trillions of bacteria necessary for optimal health

Lymph – part of the immune system, involving many structures, which processes the removal of waste materials.

Skin – absorbs & excretes toxins through sweat.

Steps for a Healthy Detox:

Your body’s natural detoxification system comes installed with an ‘auto run’ feature. Here is how you keep it running clean, efficiently and help you prevent problems of toxic overload.

1 – Drink nothing but clean water. WATER is your auto-run for health, energy & detoxification. Consider a water filter for your tap, and I dont mean a Brita. If you have babies, get a water filter for the bath. CLICK HERE to see more an extensive list of drugs in your tap water.

2 – SKIN – sweat every day. Whether it’s working out or doing something outdoors in the sun. Steam, sauna are also good. Far infrared saunas are best for detox. If you are overweight, DO NOT wear hoodies or sweatshirts when you work out.

3 – Cosmetics & Beauty Products – the insanely unnecessary amounts of harmful synthetic chemicals that are deviously marketed to and misleading women, are some of the most toxic, cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting concoctions that get into the body. Glowing, youthful skin comes from a clean diet and a functional detoxification system, especially the liver and colon.

Whatever goes ON your skin, goes IN your skin.

Choose natural, organic beauty products and especially make up, deodorant, soap and perfumes.
Check out one of my favorite sites:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

4 – LYMPH DRAINAGE – your lymph system does not have a pump (like the heart), so movement, exercise, massage therapy and dry skin brushing encourage the removal of toxins via the lymphatic system.

5 – LUNGS - First, learn how to breath. Seriously, learn how to breath. Find a Chek practitioner, Naturopath, yoga expert or some type of holistic fitness/wellness expert who has an in-depth understanding of how respiratory mechanics and can teach you specific breathing exercises – you will love it!

6 – Get as much FRESH AIR as possible. Take some time every day to get fresh air, early mornings are best. While your at it, take time each week to do nothing but chill in nature. This will have tremendous benefits not only for your health, but in all areas of your life.

7 – You can also get plants and air filtration systems for your home and office. No matter where you live – get as much fresh air as possible.

Part 3 of How to Detox has foods that detox the body and a few more cool ideas to keep your body’s natural detoxification on auto-run.

Thanks for reading. Please comment below and let me know what you think. And if you have questions or other detox ideas, please share them…

Antonio

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I’m in Florida right now visiting my family. My Cuban family lives in Miami where I grew up. Miami is a beautiful city and yes, really hot. It can be cheesy at times, but if you know where to go and what to do, it’s an absolutely amazing place!

My mother, on the other hand, is from New Zealand, where she was the first professional female race car driver. So naturally, I am a big fan of racing sports. This past weekend, I went to the Indy Car Championship Race in Miami and I want to share a cool analogy with you…

In Florida, much like southern California, many people spend more money on their cars than they do on their own health. Then, when they are older, they then spend most of their energy & life savings managing disease and dysfunction.

Now, I’m all about cars, but if your health and well-being are not currently high on your priorities, then you will be FORCED to make it that way later in life and believe me, it’s no fun at that point. Its much more fun and affordable to do it now and not suffer later.

Real quick, let me clear up one BIG misconceptions that a lot of people have when it comes to ‘health’…

Don’t confuse ‘health’ with disease management – this is a popular misconception. When I talk about managing your health, I’m talking about taking responsibility for what, how & when you eat, sleep, exercise, how well you manage your emotions  and what specifically you do to reduce stress in your life. Taking complete responsibility for your life is how you ‘get healthy’. Using race cars as an analogy works really well, check this out…

FUEL – We put gas in our cars so it can move from point A to point B. We all need food to fuel our daily activities, from normal brain function (thinking, managing emotions, analyzing, solving problems, communication, etc) and for energy to move through different components of life – career, family, exercise/sport and social activities – food is fuel that provides energy for life.

FRAME – Food is also the raw material used to build our physical structures. Indy car frames are made out of a super lightweight, yet strong carbon fiber material, weighing in at 60 lbs. The materials for the engine and other parts are also the strongest and lightest available. The more the car is raced, the more stress encountered, and the more car parts need to be replaced.

The more we use ourbodies in any 24 hr time frame – the more stress we encounter and therfore the more our physical structures need to be replaced. Our bodies (at the cellular level) are constantly being used up & replaced. The more we use or abuse our bodies, the more repair is required. Our body repairs itself from daily stress at night when you are sleeping. The human body, a self-regulating and highly intelligent mechanism, replaces used up materials on a daily basis.

So when you eat, remember that you are providing your vehicle with the materials that will be used to create your new structures, form cells, to bones to muscles, hair, skin and brain, everything…You are what you eat.

When you choose low quality fuel, you get low quality materials & performance, excessive & unnecessary wear & tear (stress) and shorter life-span. Choosing low quality fuel means less enjoyment in life, more work and more money spent managing problems. Choose high quality fuel and get high quality performance, greater fuel efficiency, less stress, you can drive the hell out of it and still have less problems and a vehicle that lasts much longer.

CAUTION – there are snake oil salesmen out there trying to steal your money and sell you garbage disguised as ‘food’. They typically work for large food or pharmaceutical corporations or the US government. They have teams of marketing experts, lawyers, professors, overweight dietitians, seemingly impressive ‘scientific’ research that was purchased and have the support of major medical & corporate media organizations that have the masses fooled into believing its ‘normal’ to use garbage as fuel and that breaking down and becoming dependent on government mechanics is a ‘normal’ part of owning the vehicle. Don’t fall for it.

FUEL MIXTURE – The fuel mixture – or ratio of carbs, fats and protein per meal – for sports cars is different for that of full-size cars, big trucks and motorcycles. Interestingly enough, Japanese cars require different ratios than Eastern European utility trucks which have different requirements than Latino vehicles. Some people tolerate carbs better than others. Some people also require more red meats than others.

You can discover what ratio works best for you by looking at your ethnic background, though trial and error or you can get the only two programs online that show you how to determine your unique metabolic fuel mixture:

Healthy Urban Kitchen OR  Diet Solution Program

ENGINE TYPE – Metabolic furnace. Metabolism is the engine of the human body, it converts food into energy so you can perform in life, work or sports.  It is uniquely designed to be efficient, energetic and support the life of your dreams.

Our metabolism is precisely designed to run on natural fuel sources, also known as ‘food’.  When we eat real food, our engine turns it into energy, maintains all-systems balance and discards what’s left over.

If you choose low quality or processed foods, you will experience metabolic inefficiency, sluggishness, energy fluctuations, brain chemistry & hormonal imbalance and even noxious gaseous fumes coming out both ends. Stomach aches, gas, belching, acid reflux, bloating are all signs of either poor food choices or an engine that needs a tune up (from years of poor food & lifestyle choices). A healthy body runs efficiently, quietly and smoothly.

Eat nothing but real food, the kind that grows on small, local farms and has not been altered IN ANY WAY.

Real food is superior in every way and you should not compromise, ever. Anyone can master their metabolism – however, many people have damaged their metabolism, click here to read more.

Think eating healthy is expensive? Not true. Look at how much you spend on medicines, unnecessary doctor visits, sick days and then look at how most of our parents are spending on managing disease. Yes, SOME organic & grass fed foods are more expensive, but you either pay now, or you pay later.

TUNE UPS – Some people simply don’t care about their vehicles and wait until their cars start breaking down before they see a mechanic. Typically, at this point, they go see an intervention specialist – not a performance specialist – who uses synthetic ingredients to deal with the noises or problems you experience while driving. This is the most popular method, however, it provides a false sense of security and is an excellent way to suffer as you age.

Intervention specialists, for the most part, don’t address the CAUSE of the problem. You may easily forget about the problems your car had once the noises are suppressed, however, the problem still exist. Lack of respectful ownership and lack of understanding proper maintenance is generally the cause of having mechanical problems.

Indy Car Race Miami from Antonio Valladares on Vimeo.

These experts can change four tires and fill a 20 gallon tank of gas in 7 seconds. How organized & efficient are you at shopping, cooking, eating & exercise???

ELECTRONICS – Brain and Nervous System. Your brain controls your movements, manages your emotions (which affect ALL body systems) and requires a constant supply of energy to function at its best. There are certain foods & habits that support optimal function and certain foods/ingredients & habits that damage the system.

Depression, anxiety, ocd, lack of motivation, easily distracted, mood imbalances, overly sensitive, brain fog are all symptoms of a faulty diet. Certain foods like gluten, sugar, artificial sweetener, vegetable oils and chemicals damage your electronic system and cause predictable patterns of dysfunction emotionally and throughout your body.

Your thoughts produce emotions. When you have stressful thoughts, or fear-based emotions, you produce cortisol (stress hormone) that circulates throughout the entire body and interferes with your most important systems. Cortisol is associated with every disease known to human kind. This is why balancing your thoughts and managing emotions is critical. Do not watch TV when eating or falling asleep. Take your time when eating and enjoy the company or the solitude. Practicing an ‘attitude of food gratitude’ will radically improve your health and enjoyment and overall performance in life.

Excellent sources of brain food include mineral-rich leafy green vegetables like Kale, Chard, Collards, Celtic sea salt, grass fed meats, wild game, walnuts, pastured egg yolks and high quality fish oil.

LUBRICATION – Essential fatty acids, saturated fats and water lubricate your joints and keep your movement systems running smooth. You need all three every single day, not once in awhile, every day. Great sources of essential fatty acids are wild salmon, flax seed, pastured eggs and grass fed meats.

TEMPERATURE REGULATION – Hormonal System. When you reduce stress (includes reducing chemicals), eat correctly, drink water and get to bed on time – your hormones will be balanced and your body regulates itself. Specifically, your adrenal glands manage water balance and temperature. Keep your hormonal system (adrenals) balanced and you wont have a problem.

High Performance Tip: put a tiny pinch of Celtic sea salt in your plain water. You shouldn’t taste it, and you don’t need to do this if you drink expensive European brand waters like Evian or Volvic. If you use Poland Spring, Arrowhead or Zephyrhills (or other American) ‘spring’ water – use this trick to enhance performance and maintain proper temperature regulation.

MOVEMENT SYSTEMS – your muscles, joints and bones are made of protein and controlled by your nervous system. Every human vehicle is designed by nature to perform at a high level. Humans need to exercise 4-6 days a week. You don’t want too little or too much. It doesn’t have to be high performance (interval training, Crossfit, athletic conditioning, MMA, etc) it can be gentle mind-body fitness (chi gong, yoga) or strength training.  If you don’t use it, you lose it. Three hours a week is sufficient for most. Walking is awesome, but I don’t factor that into those 3 hrs.

WARRANTY – Your warranty is determined by the choices we make in life. The choices we make are based on priorities. When you choose to make health a priority and take responsibility for your body, your body runs efficiently at a high performance level, delivers tremendous value and longevity.

The body comes designed to heal, be healthy, energetic and function at peak levels when you support it with real food, eat right for your metabolic type, reduce total body stress, drink water, exercise consistently, get to bed on time and reduce chemicals. Once you know a few simple things, its really quite easy.

The foods you choose to eat should be nothing but FRESH fruits, vegetables, grass fed meats, pastured eggs, butter, nuts, seeds and do your BEST to get as much organic food as possible. This type of ‘diet’ is what humans being are designed to eat. It is nutrient-dense and loaded with anti-oxidants, enzymes, reduces inflammation and supports immune function.

Similar to the pit stop video above, you should create systems and plan for your shopping, cooking, eating & exercise in advance. This way, you will be in and out of the pit stops like an Indy Car, so you can spend your energy living your life.

Don’t abuse your vehicle and wait for signs & symptoms of dysfunction BEFORE you take responsibility. Crisis Management is much more difficult and more expensive than Responsible Management and healthy ownership.

Cortisol is a stress hormone. The secret to anti-aging and extending your warranty is managing cortisol levels. Balance your thoughts, reduce stress daily, spend quality time w loved ones and in nature, get direct sunlight and swim in the ocean or play in the mountains as often as you can, reduce stimulants like caffeine and get to bed on time in order to manage cortisol levels.

SCHEDULED TUNE UPS – Your body repairs and regenerates itself, mentally and physically, every 24 hrs while you are sleeping. It is critical to get to bed by 10:30 PM and get deep, un-interrupted sleep in a pitch-black room. It is wise to schedule regular tune ups with expert mechanics that understand preventative care. I strongly suggest finding mechanics that are strong, healthy & vital themselves. There are many ways to maintain your body: massage therapy, neuro-muscular therapy, MAT, ART or other bodywork systems, corrective & therapeutic exercise, chiropractic, stretching, foam rolling, hydrotherapy, vacations, power naps and pursuing something creative.

CONCLUSION – Team Penske is the most successful team in motor sports history. Penske Racing has won the Indy 500 14 times. If you want to learn how to be a winner in this sport, you should study what they do & approach them. If you want to get healthy, lose weight and prevent or reverse disease – find real experts who are healthy and get RESULTS.

If you want to be fat, sick, fatigued and diseased, follow the lead of the US government and the FDA. They have it down to a science. The U.S.A. is not even a top 10 finisher. We are practically in a pathetic ‘LAST PLACE’ in almost every important health category compared to industrialized nations.

These institutions have hoodwinked Americans into believing that they are here for our best interest, yet they allow thousands of poisonous chemicals into our food supply and heavily promote the most un-natural diet possible, with foods that human beings are not designed to eat.

Although pretty much the losers in world health, the US is convincing the rest of the world to buy their crappy fuels and synthetic parts, these are inferior and cost you more money, lower your vehicles’ value and ultimately end in painful final days before your car needs to be recycled.

Here is a winning strategy you can follow to get the most value from your car, longevity and lots of fun!

• Eat real food – organic and grass fed when possible.
• Eat 4 – 6 times per day and NEVER run out of fuel.
• Exercise, the right way. Cardio, like Greek yogurt or Pearl Jam, is way over rated.
• Exercise only needs to last 30 – 45 minutes, 4 – 6 days per week.
• Avoid the things that cause dysfunction & disease: chemicals, processed foods, too much stress, sugar.
• Eat and live in a way that support your immune system, brain function, energy levels.
• Get direct sunlight – WITHOUT SPF – every day.
• Get to bed on time – don’t watch TV while falling asleep.
• Get clear on WHY you want to be healthy. Keep your eye on the WHY when you are faced with challenges and plan accordingly.

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This is the workout that Sports Illustrated said ‘will change your body forever!’

For more information on BURN Boot Camp for Women in NYC, please click www.BurnWomensFitness.com. Central Park Saturday mornings and on the pier in the West Village.

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A few years ago I offered a very cool & totally unique outdoor workout called Mountain Bike Adventures. It was rated ‘Best Workout in NYC’ and not only did my clients, but I also loved it! It’s such a great way to workout outdoors instead of being cooped up in some gym or crowded health club. I just launched my Mountain Bike workouts again in the mornings in Central Park and along the Hudson River at sunset.  For more details, check out the website and click on the link below….

Click HERE to check out the Mountain BIke Workouts website and sign up for class details. If you don’t have your own mountain bike, you can easily rent a bike & helmet and enjoy NYC like very few people get to. Burn fat & enjoy spectacular views along Hudson river during sunsets in the fall or get up early Saturday mornings and ride through Central Park. Go to www.nycmountainbike.com for more details.

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In my last post I discussed some common psychological reason preventing people from losing weight and getting healthy. This post I am covering physiological reasons that prevent weight loss & optimal health.

If you have struggled to lose weight in the past, there may be a ‘hidden’ underlying reason preventing it from happening, despite your best diet & exercise programs.

These are pretty common conditions and your doctor might not be well versed in these areas.

Modern medicine is great in certain areas like emergency medicine, surgery and dealing drugs like a Colombian cartel in the 80’s, but it tends to be lousy in other areas like identifying the CAUSATIVE factors that lead to poor health & disease.

And just to clarify something thats often misunderstood – PREVENTATIVE medicine encourages getting more tests at younger ages, however, true PREVENTION means NOT DOING THE THINGS THAT LEAD TO DISEASE and DYSFUNCTION in the first place.

I discussed CAUSE vs EFFECT in my last post…this post I’ve listed some common CAUSES that mainstream doctors are not trained to look for, thus they don’t understand these issues and may brush them off as insignificant – even when you feel awful!

These issues, when ignored or not resolved, will lead to more serious dysfunctions & disease so don’t ignore your body when you don’t feel great. Remember, we are designed to look & feel like a SUPERSTAR – all of us.

So, here we go…

1 – Digestive Stress

Most people we know have digestive problems. Being bloated, gassy, indigestion, acid reflux or stomach aches often is not normal – its a sign of a problem.

If you have that low ab bloat, experience gas often or have acid reflux, you likely have a digestive disorder. It could be as simple eliminating crappy processed food that doesn’t digest well OR you have a digestive disorder that needs to be fixed.

There are a few types of disorders like inflammation, infections (bacteria, fungus, parasite, yeast), allergies & deficiency of healthy bacteria.

IBS, in my experience, is not a real problem, its more of a ‘catch all’ phrase used by doctors who are not exactly sure what’s going on. From what I have seen, IBS is a combination of several of these factors listed below and everyone I have met who was diagnosed with IBS had multiple issues going on at once.

Several things cause digestive disorders: unmanaged stress, lousy diet, especially gluten grains, pasteurized dairy & processed foods. Eating in a hurry, traveling to lesser developed countries, some medications, you can get infections from kissing your pets on the mouth or even from your lover.

Simply pay attention to what happens to you AFTER you eat and if you keep a journal you will be able to spot patterns. Look for foods that you eat regularly that trigger digestive stress and then simply eliminate them. Common culprits are gluten, dairy (except butter), alcohol, soy and protein powders. The longer you eat allergenic or inflammatory foods, the more serious the digestive disorder becomes.

2 – Thyroid Problems 

The thyroid is the Master Regulator of the body and controls many critical functions. Much like gluten intolerance, thyroid problems affect a large number of people, yet it goes undiagnosed in many.

Some thyroid problems I have worked with are caused by an adrenal overload. The adrenal glands are intimately connected to the thyroid, so in some cases, the thyroid slows down as a result of the adrenal glands being exhausted.

However, according to one of the world’s leading thyroid experts, Dr Bryan Walsh, 80% of low thyroid cases are an autoimmune issue, known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

You can also have a hyper-thyroid where it speeds up, although it is much less common.

When the thyroid is sluggish, you will experience symptoms like fatigue, cold hands & feet, you can gain weight easily, thinning hair, depression, lack of motivation & constipation to name a few.

Thyroid testing done by general practitioner docs are insufficient. You need a specialized expert to run a different panel of tests, so don’t rely on standard thyroid tests. If you don’t feel well and your tests come back normal – find a better doctor!

3 – Adrenal Fatigue

The adrenal glands produce stress hormone (cortisol) and adrenaline. So the more stress, or the longer you experience stress, the more work for these little guys to do.

Its common for many people today to have adrenal glands that are overworked and cranking out too much cortisol. Eventually, this leads to adrenal fatigue and then they start to slow down and produce much less cortisol. EIther way, you have a problem.

Whenever you have these problems, weight loss is simply NOT A PRIORITY for the human body. Survival is more important.

I actually went through adrenal fatigue a few years back from overworking myself and not honoring my sleep, rest and recovery. This is New York City after all, and I got caught up in the buzz of the ‘city that never sleeps’ which eventually burned me out.

Trust me, I learned my lesson: it took one year to recover my adrenal health and feel normal again.

Whatever you do – don’t fall into adrenal fatigue – it sucks. If you aren’t sleeping well, or are tired when you wake up, tired throughout the day, have low sex drive, forgetful – these are common symptoms of this condition which plagues, in my opinion, 90% of New Yorkers.

4 – Brain Chemistry Imbalance

Mood swings, depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, inability to tolerate stress – these are signs of imbalanced brain chemistry and I will say this again and every friggin day for the rest of my life:

YES, IT CAN BE EASILY CORRECTED.

There is an idea propagated in our culture  that says if your depressed you were born with a deficiency, but it showed up as a teenager. I hear this often and that idea is great for keeping people on medications for life. Medications dont make you healthy, identifying & CORRECTING the problem and getting healthy MAKES YOU HEALTHY.

These issues can also be mental, not chemical – the result of imbalanced thoughts, so remember to balance out any thought that creates a strong emotion so you stayed centered and balanced…but it is quite common to have a chemical imbalance.

Digestive disorders, processed foods, dieting, skipping meals, caffeine, sugar, recreational and pharmaceutical drugs and certain so called ‘health’ foods can cause the chemical imbalances. Grains have mineral blockers which leads to imbalance; dieting starves the brain of important nutrients especially amino acids; sugar, caffeine & drugs deplete the hormones and neurotransmitters that keep us focused, motivated, feeling balanced and help us tolerate stress.

FYI – I didn’t tell anyone here to stop taking meds. If you or your child are experiencing these issues, I strongly suggest you look at your diet first before considering medications.

Again, you simply can’t lose weight – which is a hormonal process – when your hormones and neurotransmitters are depleted.

5 – Food Intolerance / Allergy

I have posted about these before because they are really common. I had gluten and dairy issues for 30+ years and although I wasn’t overweight, I suffered hard! All the ‘best’ doctors, advanced tests and specialized hospitals I went to missed it. Way to go ‘modern’ medicine!

Food intolerance/allergies cause inflammation in the gut and that causes a cascade of problems that interfere with normal hormonal process involved with weight loss and brain chemistry.

Gluten, pasteurized dairy, soy are common. Click here >>> Food Intolerance / Allergies to learn more.

6 – Hormonal Imbalance

There are different types of imbalances and different causes, but skipping meals and dieting causes serious hormonal imbalances in young women.

There are estrogen-like chemicals in the pesticides sprayed on our food; we eat out of plastics which leak xenoestrogens into our foods & water; there’s growth hormones in the meat & dairy products we were raised on; women use TONS of chemical crap cleverly disguised as ‘Beauty Products’ – all create hormonal problems, especially with estrogen, which is a serious problem.

This is a serious and complicated issue and some symptoms can include irregular menstrual cycles in women, low sex drive in men, cravings for sweets, water retention, anxiety, uterine fibroids, mood swings and PMS, just to name a few.

Fat loss is a hormonal process. In order to lose weight, you need a healthy hormonal system.

To summarize…

All of these are serious issues are common and many mainstream doctors are not trained to look for them, especially thyroid and adrenal issues. Many doctors, not all, but a LARGE percentage of mainstream docs don’t understand these issues or nutrition, that well.

All of these will PREVENT WEIGHT LOSS despite your best diet & fitness efforts. Its simply NOT A PRIORITY for the body to lose weight when your health & survival is being threatened.

This list of symptoms is by no means comprehensive, and you dont want to guess when it comes to your health, but they can clue you in to POSSIBLE problems that prevent weight loss and cause serious health problems later down the line. These issues, especially female hormones, require lab testing and proper supervision of trained & experienced experts.

If you think you might have one or more of these issues and you want to get tested, shoot me an email at healthyurbankitchen@gmail.com and either I can work with you or I can hook you up with someone in your area that can set you up, get you tested and get you back in the health and fitness game!

Human beings are designed to be vital, healthy and strong! Sometimes, we need to correct some imbalances from dieting or poor eating & lifestyle choices, but with a little work, you can heal your body and get healthy and only then can you lose weight. Remember this and please share this idea with some people you know…

You cannot lose weight to improve your health, you must improve your health in order to lose weight.

Peace out and talk soon

Antonio

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I work with two types of clients in NYC.

HIgh performance clients that have been eating right and training or playing sports for most of their lives. I fine tune their diet and design training & conditioning programs that help them burn that last stubborn 5 pounds of fat and keep them strong and healthy. I also teach them mind body fitness routines to help them reduce stress. They follow the program and get awesome results.

Then there is the majority of female clients I work with. In fact, the vast majority of people I meet fall into this category as well.

These clients have serious BLOCKS (mental & physical stress) that prevent weight loss: digestive problems, hormonal imbalance, brain chemistry imbalance (depression, anxiety, etc), cravings & addictions, food sensitivities (that they didn’t know about), constipated, eating disorders and thyroid issues. Some are also burned out (technically known as adrenal fatigue).

Others cant get pregnant and all of them cant lose weight no matter how hard they try.

Most of these women have been to doctors or other professionals who couldn’t figure out what was wrong with them and since MOST people in this world are sick, this category of people believe that its NORMAL to be sick, depressed, bloated, gassy, tired all day and have bad skin & PMS.

Most of these women are also trying to desperately lose weight.

But guess what?

When your not healthy, like the majority of people me and my colleagues meet, you simply cant lose weight. These underlying imbalances need to be CORRECTED first before you can lose weight. If you have those imbalances and try to lose weight, you make your life much harder and your health much worse.

I am going to write about these ‘hidden’ physical causes of stress that prevent weight loss in my next blog post.

This blog post here is about mental mistakes I see on a DAILY basis here in NYC. These are the most COMMON reasons many people can’t lose weight. Make sure you don’t make these mistakes and if you have any of those physical challenges, I will cover them in my next blog post.

1) Cause vs Effect

You don’t lose your muffin top, man boobs and get healthy by working out harder or eating less.

We live in a universe of laws, Cause and Effect is one that governs our human physiology. Being sick or overweight is an EFFECT. In order to get healthy and lose weight, you must find the CASUE and address that first.

Ask yourself WHY are you cubby to begin with?

Do you eat because your bored? Do you eat processed foods, artificial sweetener or sugar? Overdo it with coffee? Not enough sleep? Too much stress from your relationship or career? Binge eating or drinking too much alcohol on the weekends? Do you watch more TV than time exercising?

Going to the gym and dieting are the WORST things anyone can do because they don’t address the reason why the FAT is covering your abs to being with. Even if you do lose some weight, you will gain it right back untill you address the CAUSE. Find the cause and address that. The effect (weight loss) will come naturally when you do the right thing and take responsibility.

2) Denial & Defensive

Many people, men and women, young and old, are straight up weird about their bad health and irresponsible behavor.

As soon as I ask them questions they get defensive or totally deny the truth that they are unhealthy. Its strange, I know, but if you want to lose weight and haev OPTIMAL health, you need ot be honest with yourself nad others. There is a reason why people act this way, check out # 3…

3) Food Addictions 

When you hear people talk about COMFORT FOODS, they are generally referring to their food addictions. CRAVINGS can also (not always) be a sign of food addiction.

I will cover this more in the next post about phsyicoal sources of stress that prevent weight loss, but MOST people have food addictions. Addictions drive brain chemistry imbalance which triggers unhealthy mental patterns (lying to self & others, denial, defensive) that prevent health & weight loss.

Sugar and artifical sweetener are very addictive and yes, very damaging to human physiology.

Gluten is a protein found in many grains and is not only damaging to the digestive and nervous system (brian function), but gluten acts as a potent opioid which is highly addictive. Casein, a protein found in dairy products, is also addictive.

If you have food addictions and are in denial about it, you will never get healthy or lose weight. If you want to get healthy, find someone who is not judgmental and who knows how to help overcome these challenges.

Why do you think MOST Americans eat cereal for breakfast every single day for 30+ years and TONS of bread, bagels, pasta and other baked goods?

Why do you suppose practically everyone FREAKS OUT when I tell them the EASIEST way to lose weight and RADICALLY IMPROVE their health is to give up these crappy processed foods????

4) Unrealistic Expectations 

If you have dieted for years, or been unhealthy and eating crap for years, or been overweight and a lazy slug for 15 years – do you HONESTLY think you can lose weight for your wedding in 4 weeks??? Get real. If you have any of those imbalances I discussed earlier, you need to correct those FIRST and that TAKES TIME. If you think that an acai berry diet or following those useless leg lifts thats in EVERY women’s fitness magazines is going to change all that – you are fooling yourself.

Be honest, set realistic goals and get busy baby!

5) You Think its NORMAL to be Bloated, Sick & Depressed

This is COMMON, especially with baby boomers and seniors. Just because the people around your are taking medications and have physical pain or because depression or alcoholism runs in the family DOES NOT SENTENCE YOU TO THE SAME FATE.

Yes, most people are sick – not some, MOST, are sick & overweight in this country, but that means nothing for you and I. This brings me to the last 2 mistakes which have the greatest negative impact…

6) The Know It All 

That’s right, you are coming to see me for a consultation because you cant lose weight, yet you have better ideas than me?

‘I know what works for me’, cardio for weight loss, stretching or that stupid (yet trendy) fitness class down the street is the ‘best’ thing to lose weight because ‘everyone is doing it’.

This has got to be the most annoying attitude and I see it often.

I see this with men who have not worked out or played sports since high school. I also see it with young women (usually in their mid 20’s) who have dieted for years, regularly read trendy (read: crappy) magazines and still struggle with body image, body fat and health issues.

If you have dieted, you are NOT an expert. You were a target. Dieting does NOT make you a diet expert. Dieting damages the female brain and metabolism and you likely need an EXPERT.

If you act like a Know it All, you will continue to struggle like the majority of women in this country.

If you want to lose weight and get healthy – you need guidance. We ALL need guidance in some area of life.

Most of us have accountants, lawyers, travel agents, mechanics, chefs, spiritual teachers, career mentors, tailors, etc… You see my point?

Human health, the science of safe & effective exercise programs and the physiology of weight loss requires an expert for MOST (not all) people.

So, put down the magazines, pick up a book and stop acting like a Know It All. Find a real expert and either become friends, work for them or become their client or take a class. Study everyday and you might even become a real expert at some point, if you so desire.

7) Afraid to be UNIQUE 

There is a LOT of pressure to conform in American culture – every single one of us is strong enough to stand alone and not succumb to this pressure and live the life of your CHOICE, but most CHOOSE to follow the herd like good little sheep.

I do understand that there is TONS of pressure, especially for women . Guys are pressured to act ignorant and tough, but I see more pressure from more sources for women to ‘fit in’.

The problem is the ‘in crowd’ – when it comes to fitness and fat loss – is following the wrong leader and not getting results. Its more important for some people to ‘fit in’ than it is to do the right thing and GET RESULTS.

Cardio is the perfect example. Dieting, diet soda & low fat foods are others.

Eating less and exercising more is a mainstream idea embraced by the masses that doesn’t work for most (most people are not eating enough and don’t forget the underlying imbalances most people have) yet people still follow it.

Many women with the above mentioned imbalances have come to see me (or one of my colleagues that do this type of ADVANCED fitness & nutrition work) and are freaked out when we say NO CARDIO and EAT MORE FOOD.

They are afraid to do a DIFFERENT exercise and eating plan than their girlfriends and don’t understand why they can’t be normal like their girlfriends or peers who are just like they were BEFORE they got imbalanced.

You know what Im talking about dont you … starving themselves and skipping meals, drinking red bull and taking laxatives, desperately trying to lose weight by doing all the wrong things and because EVERYONE is doing it, these clients think thats what they are supposed to do.

Does that make sense?

What MOST people are doing in exercise is UNHEALTHY and INCORRECT and if you have any imbalances, following the crowd is essentially a death sentence.

ANother example is popular fitness magazines. They are very popular yet there is more confusing ideas, half truths, misinformation and conflict of interest in them than there is congruent truthful information.

In order to have OPTIMAL health, lose weight and skyrocket your energy levels as well as prevent disease, you have to love and respect yourself enough to be UNIQUE, stand out from the crowd and not be a SHEEP.

These are common mind traps that you can easily avoid. If you want to get RESULTS, you can. You need to read and study the blogs and books of real experts who are not repeating the same tired message that everyone else is repeating.

My next blog post I will cover those physical barriers to weight loss and I will also give a shout out to some real expert and friends so you know what blogs and books I encourage you to read so you get awesome results.

‘There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.’ -

Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

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I meet people everyday in NYC.

I do consultations weekly. Others I meet while hanging out with friends. I see some interesting things.

Interestingly enough, I have found that many people simply don’t care about their health and often times are lying to themselves about it. Many people have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Some people don’t care until they get sick and diseased and then they are forced to deal with it. Even then, as Carolyn Myss says in her book Creating Health: ‘Most people would rather die than change their diet.’

Then there are the special few that truly want to look and feel better and want an awesome life regardless of their current level of health & wellness. These people are the exceptions – and the most inspiring people to hang out with and work with.

If you really want an awesome life and experience true health & vitality – make sure you don’t make these common mistakes that even the smartest people with the best intentions make.

By the way, what separates these people is not genetics, discipline or willpower…it’s a genuine desire to have an awesome life full of vitality and to look and feel amazing.

1 – You Cannot by Lose Weight to Improve Your Health. You Must Improve Your Health In Order to Lose Weight.

When you are irresponsible in your diet & lifestyle and finally get sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, you may end up desperate. Many people are desperate to lose weight and will try all sorts of stupid things. When you are in a state of desperation, you will make bad choices and suffer consequences because of it.

I see clients who have damaged their metabolisms from years of irresponsible diet & lifestyle (which includes dieting, coffee, sugar & artificial sweetener addiction among other factors). This is common. The biggest mistake these people make is focusing on losing weight, instead of getting healthy.

So if you want to be truly healthy and fit and burn fat – focus first on improving your health and wellness. Go through your life and find times in your life where you were most inspired. Now, ask yourself how can you do that consistently. Then, go do it often.

When you are healthy, your body will naturally – and easily – shed fat and you wont crave junk foods. It may take a little work to get healthy, but it beats the work involved in being sick and tired all the time.

Want to improve your health, look and feel better than ever? Change your mind and your body will follow.

2 – Failure to Connect the Dots

Most people still don’t get this. The food you eat and the way you live determines your overall mood, energy levels and vitality on a daily basis, quality of your skin, your rate of aging, how you look and feel (physically and emotionally) and yes, whether you get disease or not.

Are you constipated? Do you have bad skin? Do you get moody? Do you have belly fat? Do you get tired in the afternoon? Are you tired when you get up in the morning? Are you overweight?

The answer to these is to simply look at your diet.

3 – Using Coffee to Get Things Moving in the Morning?

Not being able to poop is a problem. Coffee is not the the solution. It is a temporary fix that makes you poop immediately but then sets you up for tomorrow’s morning constipation. Temporary fixes usually make things worse. You didn’t get constipated because you had a coffee deficiency.

This can be either a food reaction, chronic dehydration or unmanaged stress. I have found 9 times out of 10, it is stress. A deep sense (deeper issue than most realize) that you simply can not cope with
current circumstances.

Digestive disorders are the result of stress, food intolerance/allergies or years of poor diet. Most people with digestive disorders, need some one to help you rebuild a healthy gut, especially if you have been experiencing this for awhile.

A great starting point is to follow my advice on this blog and cut the C.R.A.P. – Caffeine, Refined foods, Alcohol, Pasteurized Dairy. Second is to drink nothing but water at the right times throughout the
day. Get to bed on time and learn some new coping skills if your stressed.

If you have a job that you don’t love, you will naturally be stressed & unhappy on some level every day.

What’s the solution for that? I know of a bunch, here is a great one…

4 – It’s All in Your Head

There are VERY FEW cases of genetic diseases. Your diet & lifestyle determine whether or not you
express those genetic issues.

Most of the hereditary issues I have seen are, in fact, not genetic at all. They are learned BELIEFS and BEHAVIORS. I am talking about the more common issues like high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Every person I ever met with a family history of these issues is doing exactly what they should to get those issues and using the ‘its genetic’ excuse as their way of dealing with their irresponsible diet & lifestyle.

If your parents have high cholesterol and you CHOOSE to live and eat just like they do…or worse yet, live and eat like the vast majority of Americans do, then guess what?

If you want to learn more about how your thoughts affect your health and discover some of the most cutting edge health sciences that are many, many years ahead of mainstream medicine, check out the Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton.

5 – Avoiding Red Meat Because You Have Been Misled Into Believing It ‘Rots’ or ‘Decomposes’ in Your Gut or Causes High Cholesterol & Heart Disease

Heart disease is also not a mystery. Red meat and butter DO NOT contribute to it and if you still believe this crap, you need to start reading better material and eating better food – especially coconut oil, butter and grass fed animal foods. These foods that are supposedly ‘bad’ for you are, in fact, very ‘good’ for you when they come from organic grass fed sources. They are the raw materials used to produce your brain chemistry and hormones.

The idea that red meat is ‘hard to digest’ or sits in your gut and decomposes and rots is a vegan idea that is not only false for healthy people, it is only true by people who have digestive disorders. For some, the last time they ate meat, it sat in their gut because they were unhealthy. They then conclude that no one should eat it and everyone should become vegan. It’s all false. We evolved 2.5 million years primarily eating on fat and protein and we didn’t get heart disease until the last 100 years.

If you have difficulty digesting meat, you have a digestive disorder that needs to be corrected.

If you dont feel energized after eating red meat, you might be a Carb Type who is not designed to eat red meat often. The first solution is to eat according to your metabolic type.

Then, if you want to learn the truth about saturated fat and cholesterol, here is an in depth book that will shed some light on this topic…

6 – Bad Food = Bad Mood

Depression, anxiety and most brain chemical imbalances are either due to imbalanced perceptions or reactions from food (from food intolerance or chemicals in foods). You don’t need drugs or years of long drawn out therapy for years to resolve these issues.

These issues result from 2 sources: Years of dieting, drug (recreational or pharmaceutical), artificial sweetener or sugar abuse or food intolerance / allergies especially to gluten….or imbalanced perceptions.

Want to know my all time favorite nutrition book and what I use to get amazing results and save yourself from years of dangerous drug therapy:

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read and I use her work in my career daily.

Now your typical ‘guy’ (you know, the guy who reads Maxim magazine and watches more sports than actually plays them, and who says obnoxious comments like ‘she’s got issues’ – what they are really saying, is they have the exact same issues and have yet to understand, own and heal them. We all have issues. Only few people desire to heal them and move on.
You can choose to ignore or deny them, wallow in them and talk about it in therapy for years or you can CHOOSE to heal them and move on.

If it is an imbalanced perception, typically resulting from trauma (or perceived trauma) as a youth, I encourage you to get The Breakthrough Experience by Dr. John Demartini.

This book and the work of Dr. Demartini changed my life and my career. This is a great starting point to healing and is light years ahead of conventional talk therapy.

7 – Why I Eat Healthy Food

I don’t eat the foods I do or live the way I do because I am ‘weird’ or a ‘health nut’ or because ‘I fear some mysterious disease that randomly strikes people later on in life when you’re old.’ This is a huge misconception. I choose to eat the foods I do because of these reasons:

1 – Fresh, organic food taste good, in fact, the taste is superior to the commercially raised synthetic produce and chemical-based processed man made crap that people eat.

2 – These foods and this lifestyle give me ENERGY and make me feel consistently awesome throughout the day.

3 – I personally don’t want to walk around farting, burping, stomach aching, tired with bad skin and foul moods – and yes, those are all resulting from poor food choices.

4 – My food choices give me the ability to tolerate stress much better and help me to prevent the premature aging that most Americans experience. Plastic surgery and drugs don’t really help much when you feel like crap inside.

5 – I don’t want to be sick and a slave to medicine when I’m older which slowly kills you slowly while deceiving you into the false idea that you are managing a disease. I see this everyday. In fact, I am sure you know many people like this.

6 – I don’t eat ‘health food’ – I eat real food that results in improved health. The vast majority of people are eating ‘crap foods’ and need this distinction because they don’t know much about their body, health or our natural, symbiotic relationship with nature.

8 – Pay Now or Pay Later

If you don’t manage your health now, you will be forced to manage it later. Your body is beautiful and designed to be healthy, full of vitality and heal. If you count your blessings and take care of it, it will, reward you. If not, you will experience signs & symptoms of neglect.

The average American family is paying more than $2000 per year on doctor visits and medical costs.

They spend over $500 a year on over the counter medications.

Its about the same $500 for prescription medicines. (New Yorkers spend more than other states).

This does not include spending on illegal ‘black market’ pharmaceuticals, which is a MASSIVE market, by the way.

Two of the top five most widely prescribed medications are for digestive disorders.The other three are for heart disease related and arthritis conditions.

Most doctor visits are for fatigue.

What does all that tell you?

I have not paid one penny for medical costs in a decade. I spend my money on food and occasional surf or snowboard trips.

Please note – I did not say you should not use medicine. Ok, so don’t take things out of proportion and make things up! I am pointing out some interesting facts here.

Oh yeah, these numbers are from several years ago and they have grown every year since.

Another way to see it is this – either you run your life & vitality now or you will be overrun by disease & death. Pretty simple equation if you ask me. I have all my clients get How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek. Paul Chek is a friend and teacher of mine. It is considered ‘the Bible’ of fitness and nutrition by many experts. Everyone should have this book.

Currently it is out of print. It will be available in the next week or two and I will post a link for it.

Until then, use your head, live from your heart and eat real food.

Peace

Antonio

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Yesterday I read an article in the New York Times that really annoyed me. This happens often.

Not that I get annoyed often…but that I got annoyed after reading a ‘health’ or ‘fitness’ article in the NY Times.

The article, ‘Sweeteners: Real Aid or Excuse to Indulge?‘ points out something that the author feels the world needs to know about. But the article topic has nothing, or very little, to do with the ‘take home messages’ that are detrimental to your health, wellness and fat loss.

So, here we go, once again…I would like to thank the NY Times ‘health’ editor for teaching garbage information that keeps people confused and unhealthy and simultaneously keeps processed junk food manufacturers wealthy.

I do appreciate you giving me great material for my blog!

Since the author doesn’t actually work with people and doesn’t have years of experience helping people lose weight, her opinions and conclusions really don’t mean much to me.

Her conclusions, however, will mean a lot to the many millions of uninformed people who will read this and believe that its true simply because is printed in the Times.

To start the article off, the author states ‘…only about 15 percent of Americans regularly consume beverages and foods that contain artificial sweeteners.’

I can tell you from my personal experience working with people for 15 years in NYC that this
is simply not true.

The author doesn’t quote the source for those numbers, but I can tell you from my experience that those numbers are not accurate.

Much like the millions of undiagnosed people who are allergic to gluten and don’t know it yet, they suffer all sorts of weird health problems, many people who eat synthetic chemicals, especially artificial sweeteners, suffer seemingly ‘unrelated’ health issues.

From skin issues to cravings to addiction to mood disorders, artificial sweetener is a potent neurotoxic poison that causes chaos inside the human body and imbalance in brain chemistry.

As soon as my clients gave it up completely, the issues disappear. Here are some facts for ya….

94% of the people I have worked with that were eating artificial sweetener, were addicted to it.

100% of the people I have worked with that gave it up, found radical improvements in their health, well-being and ability to lose weight.

However, the real flaw in the message of this article is the idea that artificial sweetener is ‘part of a healthy diet.’ This is false. Artificial sweeteners are not healthy nor are they safe.

I mentioned this recently on my blog about the Obesity Tax

Mike Geary of Truth About Abs recently wrote about this topic in his free Lean Body Secrets newsletter. If you want to learn the truth from real experts, you should definitely get his newsletter and check out this article he wrote on the topic: Do Artificial Sweeteners Make you Fat?

Another real expert you can learn a lot of nutrition truth from is my friend Isabel De Los Rios, author of The Diet Solution. Here is an article on the topic, I think you will enjoy: Killer Sweeteners.

Another flaw is that the author lumps Stevia together with man made, artificial sweeteners including: aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), saccharin (Necta Sweet), sucralose (Splenda), stevia (Truvia and PureVia), acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) and neotame (similar to aspartame).

The problem with this is she just convinced millions of readers that they are all the same, which is not true and is a huge disservice to people who want to get healthy…in fact, this is detrimental to the health and well-being of people world wide.

Stevia is a natural sweetener that exists in nature. It is a South American herb that has been used for centuries. If you want to learn more about it and see another website that I love, check out Body Ecology Diet.

So please be very careful what you read and pay attention to. I just gave you three powerful resources that will teach you more truthful health and fat loss info than the New York Times & Oprah combined!

Here are a few good guidelines that will actually improve your health and help you lose fat:

There is NO SUCH THNG as an ‘empty’ calorie. There are however, ‘hazardous’ calories.

Focus on quality of food BEFORE considering calories.

Is it fresh?
Is it organic?

Is it a real food that exists on this planet?

Asking those questions will help you much more than ‘how many calories are in this?’

Your best sweeteners are raw honey, maple syrup, and stevia. Period. End of story.
Xylitol also works well, but if you are not sure what it is yet, dont worry about it for now and just stick with the top 3 and use them sparingly. I mean rarely.

Here are a few rules of thumb that work every time:

If it wasnt here 20,000 years ago – dont eat it!

Another rule I live by is:
If it has an ingredient you can’t pronounce, don’t touch it!

If you keep those ideas fresh in your mind, and not the crap circulating in mainstream media, you will get
smarter, healthier, lose fat, flatten your abs and have an abundance of enegy…and your skin will be clear and you will not age prematurely like most everyone else.

No, you wont live forever, but you will look and feel your best and you wont be a sucker to a mega food or drug corporatations that want you to believe that synthetic chemicals are ‘good’ for your health.

If you have a comment or question, pleae share it. If you have been brainwashed into beleiving artificial sweeteners are good for you and you want to argue with me, don’t bother. There are a few things that one should neve compromise on. This topic is one of them. Raw, organic dark chocolate is another.

If you want to ge healthy, please check out those links and search through this blog. Feel free to tell me what you would like me to cover in future blog posts!

Peace

Antonio

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Last week’s radio show on cholesterol is something you dont want to miss.

check it out…http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness

This live nutrition workshop can change your life,

get tickets to this event immediately as it will sell out!

The Oiling of America

Evening Workshop with Sally
Fallon, Author of the bestselling, Nourishing
Traditions and President of the Weston A. Price Foundation

Friday, February 20th, 7-9
pm
Community Church of NY, 40 East 35th
St. (Park &
Madison) Manhattan

Misinformation and deception in heart disease research

The vital role of cholesterol and saturated fats in human biochemistry

The behind-the-scenes influence of the powerful vegetable oil industry

How the cholesterol theory of heart disease has led to our current health crisis

Dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs

What traditional foods are & why they are so critical for our health

Sally Fallon is the founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education foundation that provides science based information on nutrition, cholesterol and dietary fats. She is the author of the best selling cookbook, Nourishing Traditions and Eat Fat, Lose Fat,
both with Mary G. Enig, PhD, the first scientist to warn the public about the dangers of trans fatty acids.

Workshop Fee:
$20

Registration:
Space is limited. Pre-registration is strongly suggested
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/54312

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