Pumpkin Extract
More than 70% of type 2 diabetics saw a decrease in their blood sugar after 90 days of taking a pumpkin extract. After seven days, only 20% saw results. Therefore 90 days is the best time frame. They took three capsules at each meal either just prior to, during or immediately afterward, and if the blood sugar at mealtime was higher than 200, additional capsules were consumed. The reduction in blood sugar was about 10-60%.1 (more…)
So the discovery of probiotics—live (good) bacteria such as those found in yogurt—is nothing short of miraculous when you consider that, when ingested, they provide immediate health benefits to your gut and ultimately, your whole body.
The idea behind ingesting live bacteria came from the discovery that increasing beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract could promote longevity by reducing toxins. Study after study proved this to be true and because of them, science has made it easier for us to participate in the health benefits by creating probiotics.
It seems that you cannot pick up a loaf of bread, a box of cereal or a breakfast bar these days without being inundated with marketing for “dietary fiber!” It’s everywhere, you need it every day, and yet no one really seems to understand fiber except that it does wonders for constipation. Well, I did a little research of my own and found some truly enlightening facts. I thought I’d share…
What is fiber?
The textbook definition of fiber, according to the Food and Nutrition Board and outlined by MedicineNet.com is: non-digestible carbohydrates… that are intrinsic and intact in plants. This includes plant non-starch polysaccharides (for example, fibers contained in oat and wheat bran), oligosaccharides, lignin and some resistant starch. In laymen’s terms, “Dietary fiber is the term for several materials that make up the parts of plants your body can’t digest.”1 (more…)
For many of us, the holidays are over and that’s a good thing. From Halloween to New Year’s Day, diet and exercise have no place on my busy schedule, so when they’re over and it’s back to work or school, I am ready for some serious detoxification. Here are six of the biggest changes I make to my diet in the new year:
1. Eat less and start to cut back
Portion sizes during the holidays are, let’s face it, excessive. And while that’s OK on Thanksgiving and a few other stuff-your-face occasions, it’s not OK on the 360 or so days the rest of the year. So lighten up and practice portion control. You cannot do this overnight. Cut back little by little, day by day, until you start to re-adapt to your normal caloric intake. When that happens, then you can begin to cleanse and detox. (more…)
Four Weeks to Healthy Eating: Week Two—Adding Whole Grains to your Diet
Fact: There is almost zero nutritional value in white flour. That’s a little disheartening when you think of how pervasive white flour is in breads, cereals, pastas and restaurant food. Womenfitness.net has a great article called “Ugly Truths About White Flour,” in which the writer explains why white bread is white (bleached like your clothes!), how the benefits of the actual wheat are lost in the process of making white flour and what white flour ultimately does to the body—fattens it up and makes it struggle to work harder during digestion. My personal opinion on white flour: AVOID IT. Whole grains, like barley, brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, millet and bulgur, haven’t had their bran and germ removed during the refining process so they are definitely better than any refined flours. Our bodies respond well to the fiber offered by bran and germ and so the less of it we get, the less our bodies are able to process and digest food. When that happens, organs like the pancreas have to work harder. (more…)
The Top Ten Healthiest Foods for Your HeartWhen I was a kid I had no concept of food other than what tasted good. I never grasped the concept of eating for health, or that anything I repeatedly put into my body would have consequences, good and bad. And despite being raised by an Italian mother who insisted on veggies and dark leafy greens with all her homemade meals (huh?), I still ran out to McDonald’s every chance I got.
A steady diet of hamburgers and fries lasted only so long. And soon (about the time I had babies) I thought that popping a vitamin would solve all my problems. (more…)
This week’s blog post was put together by our Chief Research Consultant, who, in my opinion, knows everything there is to know about the best supplements for extrem
e health. So…without further ado, here are the big five:
1. Multi: Not just any multivitamin, but one that has Vitamin D3 in it, and a whole slew of other good stuff.
A good multivitamin (100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) of all the vitamins and minerals) can help supplement the diet and ensure daily vitamin intake as it’s nearly impossible to eat enough fruits, vegetables or whole foods in a normal diet to get the same effect. Be sure your multi has B vitamins, A, C, E, and Folic acid. There are also “whole foods” vitamins, “green” vitamins and heart specific vitamins for special needs. (more…)
Res-Q Consultants offer their stories on how small changes had big consequences.
My mother always used to say, “When you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, you’ll do something about it [insert difficult situation here]. You’ll change.” And she was right. All of my greatest moments of self-motivation came when I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. The day I quit smoking came from lying flat on my back with bronchitis for two weeks straight. The day I decided to join a gym and lose weight came after giving birth and dealing with postpartum depression. And yet, little changes in lifestyle (adding more fruits and veggies to the diet, walking upstairs instead of taking the elevator) still have the power to transform a life. This week, we’d like to share some stories from Res-Q consultants to show how little changes (and big ones!) changed their lives. (more…)
If you’re anything like me at this time of year, you get excited about the spring and also a little panicky about trying to slip back into a bathing suit for summer. Don’t distress or let the calendar scare you. Summer is a good three months away, and a perfect amount of time to get back in shape if you’ve spent the winter months packing on a little weight for warmth.
For starters, remember that getting in shape takes brainpower, motivation and a pretty sturdy determination to be healthier. If that sounds like a lot, don’t fret. Start small. Building endurance for a healthier you takes time and patience. The three areas you need to focus on are nutrition, fitness and mind. We’ll address all three—but first, nutrition. (more…)
High cholesterol leads to heart disease. In fact, high cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and the higher your cholesterol is, the greater your chance of developing atherosclerosis, fatty deposits formed from cholesterol that collect in the arteries and restrict blood flow. According to the American Heart Association, “As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart disease.”
However, this major risk factor is a risk factor that you have the power to change! (more…)
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