Is this drink causing your weight issues?

 

Unsuspecting Ways This Popular Berry-Derived Drink Is Draining Your Energy & Your Health

 

 

The Odd Berry You Probably Didn't Know Existed

 

Even though berries are very small, when it comes to nutrients, they pack a punch.

Berries contain a multitude of antioxidants while also being low in sugar making them

pretty much a super fruit.

 

Although in this case, I think you will be shocked to hear there is one berry that is doing you more harm than good.

 

In fact, there is a good chance this berry is draining your energy and causing you to gain weight right this second!

 

You might be thinking, "I only eat healthy berries like blueberries, strawberries, and

raspberries so that doesn't concern me."

 

Think Again!

 

The truth is if you are like roughly 64% of Americans, you drink a beverage derived from this elusive berry on a daily basis!  Many actually drink this berry beverage multiple times a day.

 

I want to tell you about the only berry that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.  This berry is draining the energy and health from millions of people all around the world.  The worst part about this berry is that it's actually the main ingredient in a beverage that you and millions of others are likely drinking on a daily basis.

 

I am sure you are wondering what this berry derived drink is.

 

The drink I will be discussing is...........COFFEE!

 

YES, that's right coffee lovers,  I said Coffee!

 

Most people don't know that coffee beans actually come from berries.  Once ripe,

coffee berries are picked, processed, dried, and shelled in order to harvest the "bean"

(which is really a seed) inside.  The beans are then roasted to varying degrees before they

are ground and brewed to make coffee.

 

 

 

The Bitter Truth About Coffee

 

Did you know that caffeine is the world's most widely consumed drug and it's main source is coffee?

 

Think about it.....how many people do you know who say they can't face the day without

their cup of coffee?  I am sure your list is pretty long!

 

The next question I have for you is, are YOU on that list?

 

If the answer is yes, well it's time for you to face the facts, whether you like it or not,

that you could be doing more harm to your body than good.  And, especially if you require

coffee to simply function

 

Most coffee drinkers are addicted to the stimulation and energy boost they feel after each

cup.  The IRONY is that the more coffee you drink, the less energy you have and the

more coffee you need to feel that initial caffeine effect.

 

Believe it or not, you favorite quick energy "go-to" beverage is actually robbing

you of your energy and health.

 

The truth is that coffee is negatively affecting your body in 3 unsuspecting ways:

 

1.  It spikes your blood sugar.

2.  It causes your energy levels to crash (after that initial boost) while increasing your risk for adreal fatigue.

3.  And, unless you buy organic, it likely contains high levels of pesticides and toxic mold.

 

 

 

The Dangerous Ingredient That Spikes Your Blood Sugar & Increases Belly Fat

 

When you consume "uppers" like caffeine your adrenal gland will begin to secrete

stress hormones - adrenaline and cortisol

 

Having these two hormones chronically circulating in your bloodstream is not

desirable especially if you are trying to lose weight or having issues controlling

your blood sugar levels.

 

Let me explain what's happening......

 

Cortisol and adrenaline both breakdown your glycogen stores

(stored carbohydrates) which causes glucose (sugar) to be released into your

bloodstream.  When this happens your pancreas is called into action because it

produces and secretes the hormone Insulin.

 

It is Insulin's job to remove the dangerously high levels of glucose (sugar) from your

blood so it can be stored in your muscle, liver, and fat cells.

 

When your blood sugar rises, as it does when you have high levels of circulating cortisol

and adrenaline, you feel an initial surge of energy.  However, with a massive release of

insulin that follows, your blood sugar quickly plummets as much of that sugar is shuttled

out of the blood and into your muscle liver, and fat cells.

 

As a result, that initial jolt of energy has left you feeling out of sorts.  You feel spacey,

foggy, and in need of another caffeine fix.

 

When your blood sugar crashes, so does your ability to make sensible food choices and thus

start craving high sugar foods like cookies, candies, and more caffeine because that's

what will raise your blood sugar level the quickest.

 

If you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, these are obviously NOT the types of foods

you should be eating.  The icing on the weight gain cake is that chronically high cortisol levels

have been shown to cause the accumulation of belly fat.

 

As if all that weren't enough, because of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) causes lethargy

you will also crave more caffeine to boost your energy.  This just sets you up for a vicious

cycle of high-highs followed by low-lows followed by even more sugar consumption!

 

 

Your Adrenals & The Extreme Fatigue Epidemic

 

For the most part, people drink coffee to boost their energy levels.  What they don't realize is that
this "quick fix" solution actually causes adrenal burn out and low energy levels.

Your adrenal glands are little walnut sized organs that sit on top of your kidneys.  Anytime stress
or stimulation appears, no matter what the type, your adrenal glands will begin pumping out stress
hormones to prepare your body.

This means your adrenal glands respond the same way whether the stimulation is from the caffeine
in your coffee or the stress of losing your job.

So, on top of financial stress, work stress, and family stress  you are also throwing caffeine into
the mix.  This means that your adrenal glands never get a break.

How would you feel if YOU never got a break?

When you drink coffee it causes your adrenals to secrete these "fight or flight" hormones.  This is
why you feel that initial surge of energy.

But as you know, that energetic feeling doesn't last forever and it is soon followed by a crash,
which often causes you to seek out more coffee and sugar.

So here lies the problem.

The lifestyle most people lead in this day and age is one of high stress.  Everyone is very "go, go,
go, go, go" and most are  over caffeinated too.

This combination of being overly stressed and overly caffeinated is leading to an extreme
fatigued epidemic.

People seem more tired than ever before even though they are consuming caffeine on a daily basis.

If you can relate to this, there is a good chance you are suffering from either the beginning
stages of adrenal fatigue or full-blown adrenal fatigue.  And, it just so happens, caffeine is one of
the biggest culprits of this condition.

Overtime, continued stimulation of your adrenal glands will wear them down.  When this happens you are no longer able to deal with even the smallest of stresses and you feel instantly drained in
stressful situations.  Your adrenals simply can't keep up the "stress demand" and your body is
thrown into survival mode in which it shifts to storing fat instead of using it.

The Hidden Danger In You Morning Coffee

 

In recent years, consuming specialty coffees from big named coffee shops has become

more popular than ever.

 

But here's what you likely don't know about your favorite coffee drink:

Although you pay a hefty price for it, unless it's organic, it is likely ridden

with pesticides and toxic mold.

 

Most big name coffee shops do not readily serve organic coffee.  This means that the

 coffee they serve is made with beans that are sprayed with pesticides.

 

So basically, your daily specialty coffee could also give you a healthy dose of toxicity!

 

Here's the thing,  the majority of the coffee these shops sell is grown in developing countries.

Unlike the United States, these countries do not strictly regulate the amount and type

of pesticides being used on their crops.

 

Research in the Journal Food and Chemical Toxicology revealed that 18 of 40 coffee

brews from commercially available coffee beans contained a toxic mycotoxin called

Ochratoxin A.  This mold is essentially a type of "natural poison" as it is toxic to the kidneys

and is also believed to be carcinogenic.

 

While measures have been taken to reduce the amount of mold toxins found in coffee

beans, much like pesticides, it is difficult to monitor since most coffee comes from

developing countries.

 

 

Is Decaf Any Better?

 

By now you might be thinking, "Okay, maybe I should at least switch to decaf."

Unfortunately, It could be a maybe but maybe not.

 

Another thing I bet you didn't know about coffee is that it is usually decaffeinated using

chemicals like methylene chloride and ethyl acetateis.  Studies have found that chemicals

like methylene chloride are linked with cancer.  This is why they have banned in other products

like hairspray.

 

The FDA claims that decaf coffee does not contain high enough amounts of either chemical

to cause cancer, yet when it comes to chemicals, the less you consume the better.

 

I do enjoy a nice cup of coffee every now and again.  It's a nice social indulgence.  However,

when I do drink it, I drink decaf and only the kind that has been decaffeinated through

Swiss Water processing.  This method uses carbon dioxide and water rather than toxic

chemicals to decaffeinate the coffee making it a much cleaner choice.

 

You might be thinking, "Okay, so I can't drink regular coffee and I can't drink decaf.  So

what am I supposed to drink?"  I am happy to tell you that you do have options.

 

I'm not here to tell you to stop drinking coffee.

That's for you to decide.  I do know that reducing the amount you drink and, at the very least,

switching to decaf will do you a world of good.

 

However, if you are ready to experience life without caffeine then I've got a few

ideas that can help you.

 

If you are a regular coffee drinker you have two options: taper down your coffee consumption

rather OR quit cold turkey.  The latter will be more difficult initially (due to withdrawal symptoms)

but it provides the most immediate energy benefits once your body has adapted.

 

Another thing you can do to make your transition off coffee a little easier is replace your

daily coffee habit with a healthier more energizing habit. 

 

Here's a couple of options.

 

Tumeric Latte

Here's how to make it :

 

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1 tsp turmeric (organic)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of cloves

pinch of black pepper

pinch of pink salt

1 Tblsp of raw honey

 

Directions :

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and heat until desired temperature is reached.  Whisk

occasionally to ensure it is mixed well.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

Teeccino is also one of my favorite coffee replacements that has many different coffee

like flavors.  It can be brewed like coffee or it's also sold in individual tea bags.

 

Dandy Blend is a powdered tea mix that has a coffee latte taste.  So yummy!

 

Another simple thing you can do to boost your energy is drink more water.  I know that

sounds so boring but it's really what your body wants.  You should aim to drink half

your bodyweight in pounds, in ounces of water each day.  If you weigh 160 lbs, then that would

be 80 ounces of water - almost 3 liters.

 

Instead of that morning caffeine, start your day with half a liter of water ( you can add some

fresh lemon wedges for even more benefit) then continue to increase your water consumption

throughout the day.  If you make this one simple change you will be shocked by how much more

energy you have,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't count calories!

Top 6 Detox Strategies for 2015

 

Counting calories is so 1998, and is probably as helpful as leeching, but for most of us, the new year brings a fervor of “I’ll do better and eat less” mania, which hasn’t helped 99% of us feel, look, or behave any better.

This new year, I invite you to start listening to your body, and stop paying attention to calories and digital scales. Begin listening to what your body is really asking for: real rest, real fun, and real food. Trust me. Join me in welcoming in true healing, nourishment, and balanced energy for the new year:

1. More play, less work: You’ll get more benefit from exercise, and enjoy your life a lot more, if you move in ways that are fun for you. Stress puts you in the metabolic state to keep weight on, while playful fun energizes you while you sweat out toxins. Go play frisbee. Have sex. A lot. Take up archery. Take your friends for a hike and picnic. Dance. Movement that’s fun and laugh-inducing is good for you. You’ll do it more, and it will release the beneficial, metabolism-balancing neurochemicals of pleasure, including dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. Get out and have fun - your body and hormones will respond positively!


2. Sleep: Sleep is the foundation upon which your entire life is either built sturdily, or falls apart. Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep, every night, is necessary for your body to balance hormones, which affect your mood, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Your brain also cleans out unnecessary neurochemicals and waste products while you sleep, that could be responsible for brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s.


3. Watch Your Thoughts: 40% of our thoughts are habit. We think the same things over and over again, and most of them, especially when it comes to our bodies and ourselves, aren’t nice. It’s normal - humans have a built in “negativity bias.” This means your brain defaults to the negative, to try to protect you from mistakes. This constant negativity puts us into a stress state, keeps you going back for comfort foods to relieve the stress, and makes you feel unworthy of the amazing, energized, healthy life that’s waiting for you when you are kind to yourself. In short: you can’t kick yourself into a happy relationship with your body.


4. Media Detox: What you see and hear impacts your health, confidence, and cravings. From magazines that show sized 00 models promoting the latest fad diet next to chocolate cake recipes, to “fitspirational” Facebook feeds featuring toned professional athletes that throw us into “compare and despair” mode, our brains are assaulted with images of how we “should” look thousands of times a year. Turn off the flood of shame-inducing images with a 7-day media detox. Turn off the commercial TV, talk radio, celebrity magazines, and social media that makes you feel bad about yourself. This will help you start listening to your body, and feeling better about how you actually look and feel, rather tha n comparing yourself to others who’ve probably been airbrushed or surgically altered to begin with.


5. Remove the Toxic 6: Calorie counting doesn’t do anything to detox or heal your body, nor has it helped the obesity epidemic. Because calories don’t matter to most of us. What does matter is removing foods to which you are sensitive to. There are six common foods that most people suffering from weight-loss resistance or hormonal imbalance are sensitive to: gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar (including alcohol and artificial sweeteners), and caffeine. Removing these six foods for three weeks to allow your hormones to balance, leading to easy, natural weight loss and better energy. These foods also cause leaky gut, and removing them can begin to heal your digestion.


6. Chew: Mom was right: chew your food! Most digestion of carbohydrates happens in the mouth with mechanical chewing and the enzymes in your saliva. If you swallow half-chewed food, your stomach won’t break it down much more, causing bloating, gas, and bacterial overgrowth. I recommend that you chew each bite of food until it is mostly liquid. This allows for better digestion, metabolism, and, elimination.