Time to listen: 27 minutes. Answer your cravings for chocolate with naturally sweetened, raw chocolate.  See and feel the results!  Now you can attend one of my Say Yes to Chocolate workshops from your office, sofa or while you workout at the gym.  Of course, you’ll miss the experience of actually TASTING the chocolate treats and accessing the latest healthy chocolate recipes.   Click the above video or this podcast link to discover tips on using chocolate to your healthy advantage.

Time to read: 3 minutes. We’re tired.  And mostly for good reasons!  But getting-back-to-basics, an super-charging with Superfoods, will give you more energy.  LOTS more.  Here’s how to increase your energy level starting tomorrow: naturally, safely and successfully.  I’ll also toss in a surprising, powerful fact about WHY we crave — and how to use cravings to your advantage.

I’m going to lay 4 tips on you today.

1. Eat fruit on an empty stomach
2. Eat more alkaline-forming foods
3. Eat more fat — healthy fat
4. Get your iron — naturally, safely

Jot them down on a piece of paper or post-it note for easy access in days ahead, please.  This way you can pay a little more attention to each — and get your energy back.  And, no, I’m not going to tell you to give up coffee!

Here’s the approach in a nutshell:  Pay a little more attention to your food.  BUT WAIT!  Not in ways that you deny yourself stuff.  Follow me…

Processed foods deprive us of energy

More and more of us lack energy.  For a lot of reasons and a “main one” is food-based.

“How come I eat all the time yet I don’t have any energy?”

Here’s the short answer:

The more processed food we eat the less energy we will have.  Processed foods require energy to digest.  They steal energy.

Is that simple.  You can’t feed your body with what holistic nutritionists call “dead food”… and expect your body to be alive and alert. Let me get a tiny bit scientific with you: Dead matter produces dead matter.  That’s all it can do.  Life and energy cannot be created from life-LESS or life-deprived matter.  And processed foods are mostly dead.

So eating processed foods is a bad idea.  Well duh!  But especially if you need more energy.

Add “living” foods in

This is not so much about eliminating the KFC or Wendy’s.  Let me be clear.  It’s more about realizing that fast foods are working against you.  It’s dead food.  The trick is to ADD FOODS IN — living Superfoods.  These are the energy-producers!

Food is fuel.  Got it.  BUT… what will YOU put in your tank?  Just like gas comes in high octane or lower octane variety so do foods. You don’t put the cheap gas in a Mazarati do you?  More about living foods appears below in my tips.  Experiment with the suggestions below and experience higher energy and elevated mood.

#1: Eat fruit on an empty stomach

Eating fruit in the morning on empty stomach helps you body cleanse — purge itself of stuff that gets in the way of energy production.  You may have heard this tip from mom or a friend.  It gets around.  And it’s true.

Hint: Do not mix sweet fruits (such as apples and bananas) with acid fruits (pineapple, lemon, orange etc.)  Eat melon alone.  Melon takes only 15-20 minutes to be digested by the body.  The point is to maximize nutritional value from fruits by eating them on an empty stomach.

#2: Eat more alkaline-forming foods

If you eat acidic fruits this tip will help.  Foods like leafy greens, celery and cucumber become more alkaline (non-acidic) — as a part of natural digestion.  Eating them balances your tummy out.  That’s important because when your stomach and everything around it is working less…. that’s right, YOU GET MORE ENERGY to use for other things.

Digestion — believe it or not — robs many of us of our energy. The trick is to avoid this by making digestion a piece of cake.  No, not by eating cake, silly.  Gotcha!

Hint: Juicing green leafy vegetables can give you an instant energy boost as they enter your bloodstream 15 minutes after you drink them.  And that’s important because that’s how energy gits distributed around your body.

#3: Eat more fat — healthy fat

All the low or “no fat” products on the market have many people thinking that fats are bad.  But fats are good for you.  They’re energy producers! Fats found in foods like fish (wild Salmon)  give your brain the energy boost it needs to keep you on top of things.

Hint: Eat salmon but also use coconut oil to cook.  Long demonized, the truth about coconut oil is this: It contains lauric acid — anutrient that supports your metabolism.  When heated at high temperatures it does not hydrogenate like most oils.

Coconut oil does not require a lot of energy to be digested. Leaving more energy for you to use!

This is key. Therefore coconut oil is good for you — it gives your body and instant kick of energy.  Also, use hemp seed oil and flax seed oil on your salad… as a dressing.  Hemp and flax oils are great source of omega 3 acids that we hear so much about.  As are chia seeds.  Chia seeds offers a perfect balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

#4: Get your iron

Anemia can be a real drain on your body.  And many of us suffer from low levels of iron to various degrees.

Hint: Make sure you’re getting all the iron you need (150 mg is the recommended dose) each day.  Eat iron-rich foods.  But put down the steak knife and pick up some nori.  Nori is a type of seaweed that is used often when preparing sushi.  You need 2 nori sheets to get your daily iron. It’s a great snack option too. No, seriously.  Snack on seaweed.  Turn some heads at the office.  TRY IT.  And don’t deny yourself the occasional steak.  Just remember how all the research links red meat consumption to developing cancer.

There you have it:

1. Eat fruit on an empty stomach
2. Eat more alkaline-forming foods
3. Eat more fat — healthy fat
4. Get your iron — naturally, safely

I’ll be back with 3 more tips soon!

Photo credit: Whatdavesees

I recently sat down with Dr. Turvill at her store, Healthy Green Goods.  I learned how toxic our lives have become — and what to do about it.

“In 1940 and before there ways almost no cancer — almost no autism, no Alzheimer’s, no Parkinson’s, rare infertility. Diabetes, obesity. The list goes on and on. Now all of these problems are epidemic,” she said to me.

Why?

Chemicals. Toxic chemicals that we have grown to believe should be part of our everyday lives.  Our personal care products. But Dr. Turvill — and other countries across the globe — are calling for the end to the chemical era. The progression of human suffering and disease — and that of chemicals — are joined. The truth is told.

Ending disease is all about removing toxins from our lives — just as much about as it’s about exercising or eating right.  It’s time to detox your body.

Join me as I sit down with Dr. Turvill for 15 minutes that fly by. Feel her passion to help end suffering from disease. No, we’re not just talking about how bad it’s become. Dr. Turvill is providing tips — things you can do tomorrow to improve your health by detoxifying your body.

Listen now!

Time to read: 2 minutes. The personal care product industry is not yet regulated by the USDA.   Yes, USDA Organic labels appear on some products.  But others claim to be organic.  And they’re NOT.  In fact, they contain 1,4 Dioxine.  A carcinogenic chemical.  Isn’t that just special!  Today I’m helping you make sense of fake organic personal care products and offering a surprising, effective alternative to hair conditioner.  Avoid dangerous chemicals is tough today — in an industry that is truly working against consumers.  But here are simple tips you can use to save money and create better health today!

First, always look for the USDA Organic seal on the front of the package.  Don’t be fooled by the word “natural.”  This word lost it’s credibility long ago — simply because there are no requirements to regulate it.

Next, here are the names of brands to boycott, according to the Organic Consumers Association who’s research I respect.

Avalon “Organics”
Desert Essence “Organics”
Earth’s Best “Organic”
Eminence “Organic” (Except for a few products bearing the USDA Seal)
Giovanni “Organic”
Goodstuff “Organics”
Head “Organics”
Jason “Pure, Natural & Organic”
Kiss My Face “Obsessively Organic”
Nature’s Gate “Organics”
Physicians Formula “Organic” Wear

Some of the safe brands are:

Dr. Bronner’s
Weleda
Sensibility soaps

Beautiful hair without the cancer risk

So, are you looking for pretty hear with a carcinogenic touch?  Then go ahead and spend your money on dangerous conditioners.  But if you want my natural secret weapon hair conditioner here it is:

2-3 tbs. raw organic apple cider vinegar. Use it instead of conditioner.  It will not foam like your regular conditioner but will protect leave you with squeaky clean and silky looking hair.  No joke!

Brands to boycott: The research

As recently as March 12, The Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA) held a protest outside of the largest annual gathering of the natural and organic products industry.   Members of the OCA picketed the entrance to the expo using creative visual props including five-foot tall shampoo bottles to mock mislabeled “organic” products while distributing fliers to educate the public about the lack of regulation in the organic personal care marketplace.

The OCA conducted a test on some of the so-called “organic” products.  Here is what they did.  They sent a scientist into a Whole Foods retail store and told them to buy a 100 personal body care products  — and including products that had USDA seal — send them to a cutting-edge lab for testing.  Specifically looking for 1,4 Dioxane ( 1,4 Dioxine is a carcinogenic chemical).

The results were shocking: 47 out of 100 products were not only tested positive for this carcinogenic substance derived from using petrochemicals but the levels were high — 1000 times higher that what the EPA  and regulatory agencies in Europe would consider as hazardous or dangerous.

photo credit: Caseywest

I recently sat down with Dr. Turvill at her store, Healthy Green Goods, to learn more about just how toxic our lives have become — and what to do about it.

“In 1940 and before there ways almost no cancer — almost no autism, no Alzheimer’s, no Parkinson’s, rare infertility.  Diabetes, obesity.  The list goes on and on.  Now all of these problems are epidemic,” she said to me.

Why?

Chemicals.  Toxic chemicals that we have grown to believe should be part of our everyday lives.  But Dr. Turvill — and other countries across the globe — are calling for the end to the chemical era.  The progression of human suffering and disease — and that of chemicals — are joined.  The truth is told.

Ending disease is all about removing toxins from our lives — just as much about as it’s about exercising or eating right.

“Most cleaning products are just dangerous chemicals in water with an artificial fragrance added,” says a passionate Dr. Turvill.

Join me as I sit down with her for 27 minutes.  Feel her passion to help end suffering from disease.  No, we’re not just talking about how bad it’s become.  Dr. Turvill is providing tips — things you can do tomorrow to improve your health by detoxifying your home environment.

Listen now!

Time to read: 1.5 Minutes. Do you know what the most essential food for your health is and where you can get it?  We’ve all heard of antioxidants.  What are the most antioxidant rich foods?  How many antioxidants do we need?  How can I be SURE to get them every day?  Let’s simplify it and discover a surprising way to get them into your body each day — and take pleasure in it.

Antioxidant benefits

First, antioxidants help us to battle with free radicals.  Free who?  Radicals.  These thingies are the teeny-tiny little tidbits of stuff (uhh… crap) that make us age faster.  Get old.  Look like… well you know.  And they contribute to cancer, diseases of all kinds.  These little nasties are in everything.  They’re mostly byproducts of things we do or eat — good and bad.

Here’s the good news.  Anti-oxidants are measured in something called an ORAC unit (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity).   Most of us consume an average of 1250 Orac units (of antioxidants per day).   The minimum is requirement is  5,000 units  and the optimum is 10,000 units.  So most of us aren’t gettin’ enough.

Eating antioxidant rich foods is critical to good health — mental and physical.   Eating high ORAC foods helps you:

• Create more anti-oxidant power in your blood
• Improve memory
• Prevent most diseases — including heart disease and cancer
• Improve energy

So… there are a few natural ways to get your 10,000 daily units (or more) of antioxidants in one serving.

The KING of anti-oxidants:  Chocolate

Raw cacao nibs to be precise.  This is the most consumable form that are fun to nibble on.  This is one natural way of getting your antioxidants — using Superfoods.  Specifically raw cacao nibs.   Put down that Hershey’s bar.  No, no.  That won’t work because it’s been so heavily processed.  But nibs are not the only way to get the job done.  How about some Acai-Chocolate ice cream?  Yum.  The combination of cacao and acai berry antioxidant.

Raw nibs contain 15,280 ORACS in one teaspoon.  WOAH!

Spices and antioxidants: Cloves

Another natural way to get your antioxidants is by using the power of spices.  One  teaspoon of ground cloves contains  10,ooo units.  Clove is a spice used mostly in the Mediterranean diet.  Recent research from the Miguel Hernández University has identified cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) as the best antioxidant spice.  They contain high levels of phenolic compounds, as well as having other properties.

The same team of researchers also evaluated the antioxidant effect of essential oils from other spices used in the Mediterranean diet – oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), rosemary, (Rosmarinus funcionarios cinalis) and sage (Salvia funcionarios cinalis).

So these two ways are the best and least expensive to get your daily antioxidants.  But if you are not up for a spice or chocolate here’s an alternative way to get your minimum 5,000 units.

Antioxidant rich foods: Fruits & veggies

How about these?

3 oz of prunes, 6 oz of raisins, 12 oz of fresh strawberries, 9 oz blueberries, one oz of pecans, 7 oz of broccoli or leaf lettuce, 14 oz of  spinach.

All of them will provide you with the minimum requirement of 5,000 ORACS units.  Enjoy!

photo credit: Taekwonwierdo

Time to read: 2 minutes. No this isn’t an anti-coffee or anti-Starbucks rant. Keep drinking your coffee. But please stop suggesting that “healthy foods & drinks are too expensive” — all the while paying $3.50 for your morning latte.  My point is simple: Superfood-laced smoothies cost LESS THAN TWO BUCKS and can satisfy sweetness cravings AND need for long-lasting energy. Oh and did I mention the long list of customizable mental and physical health benefits? Read on for the proof that nature’s most healthy foods are more affordable than you think.  I’ll show you how to create them FAST in a daily drink you’ll crave.

Already convinced and just want the recipe for my Brazillian chocolate-acai smoothie?  Click here.

Quick analysis: Coffee’s cost and benefits

Beverage: Typical latte
Cost: $2.00 – 5.00
Beneficial ingredients: Milk (if organic!)
Watch out for: Processed sugars, syrups, synthetic supplement powders

Depending on your choice of size and where you buy your morning latte you’re looking at spending $3.50 or more. In return you get that familiar boost of energy, creamy enjoyment and perhaps sugar and spices.

Your latte does offer fat. But not essential fatty acids that your body needs.  Example: omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential to brain function.

But your latte’s fat is NOT the kind of fat that will nourish your brain. The right kind of fat helps you stay focused throughout the day — helps improve your job or school performance. Good fat helps provide energy for playing with your child or grandchild after a long day at work.

The fat in your latte is mostly good for only one thing — to be stored in your body as extra pounds. The same is true for a cup of coffee with sugar and cream. Drink it black? Ok… but you’re still spending $2.00 and getting nearly zero health benefit.

Quick analysis: Retail smoothie shops

Beverage: Typical retail smoothie
Cost: $3.50 – 5.00
Beneficial ingredients: Fruits, vegetables
Watch out for: Processed sugars & syrups, synthetic (non-natural) supplement powders

Most retail shops use simple syrup — processed sugar — in every smoothie they create. And the amount they use can be staggering. The use of these syrups (and syrups used to store fruit) virtually negate the health benefits of supplements you nay add. Again, these processed sugars are, by design, good for one thing — storage on your body. Oh, and maximum profit for the smoothie chain too.

Smoothie shops also use supplements — like protein powders.  Most often these supplements are synthetic, man-made substitutes that the body cannot absorb (make use of) OR get rid of. The result?  Our bodies store them… and that creates a variety of health problems AND promotes disease.

Quick analysis: Your kitchen smoothie

Cost: $1.89 – $3.25
Beneficial ingredients: Too many to list — the choice is yours based on taste desired!
Watch out for: Weight loss, mental clarity, increased energy, muscle strength, detoxification and more

Let see what a home made Superfood smoothie offers us and how much it really costs.  It can be as low as $1.89 using the highest quality, certified organic Superfoods.

Smoothies, pound for pound, are some of the most nutrient dense meals. A green smoothie with some fruit and berries can deliver more antioxidants and phytonutrients than most meals eaten by the majority of people around the world. They’re also easier to digest, since a good blender will break up the plant fibers for better absorption.

In place of processed sugars, Superfood smoothies use natural sugars like honey and dates.  These sources of sugar have a variety of health benefits.  These sugars have nutritional benefits — like honey’s ability to help digest all your foods (via vital enzymes) and a huge number of Vitamin B’s including B9.  PLUS they burn rapidly as they power your body’s routine functions.  Finally they often come pared with things like high fiber — such as with dates.

Easy and loaded with benefits

By preparing a smoothie every morning, you can start off your day with the protection of antioxidants.  Plus an incredible array of vitamins and nutrients. AND you get the energy and calories you need to power you through the day – all without getting hunger pangs an hour after your first meal!

Green smoothies are easy and fast to prepare.  You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to create your own drink.  They’re fun and help our bodies get all the nutrients we need to perform well.  Last but not least they’ll help your body detoxify (get rid of the toxins) we store in our fat cells.

The smoothies that I help people create:

• Increase energy levels
• Help foster weight loss — quickly and safely
• Detoxify and cleanse their systems from harmful pollutants and chemicals
• Build muscle and strength

By starting to incorporate green smoothies in everyday life you’ll share the message of great health to others too.  That’s the fun part!

The choice is yours.  Where are you going to invest your money? In McDonalds, Wendy’s, Starbucks — or simply in your HEALTH.

Ready for a South American taste sensation?

I’ll give you a little help by teaching you how to make my Chocolate-Acai  non-dairy ice cream.  You can, of course, make it as a smoothie too.  Just use less ice.  Your children and your husband will fall in love with it too.  Mine did!  We discovered it while on a public speaking, hang gliding and rock climbing adventure in Brazil.

1 cup almond milk

2 Tbs. cacao powder

1 Tbs Acai

5 dates

splash of raw honey

1/2 banana

1 cup ice

Put together in the Vitamix or any other blender. Blended for 2 min.   Voila! Chocolate Acai Ice cream to die for.  Enjoy.

Need to purchase the ingredients?  No problem — look here!

Time to read: 3 minutes. It’s challenging enough to eat healthy IN the office.  If you’re on a plane 3 or 4 days a week how can you be expected to even come close?  I’m here to help, road warriors!  I know you’re tired of the unhealthy food choices at the airport.  I know the little bags of roasted peanuts leave you wanting more of them.  I know what it’s like “living at the airports and hotels.  And I’ve got a rock star solution.  No, it’s not water.  It’s a Superfood that you drop into water.

Very Barry

I was working in a large financial services office in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago — and it was time to meet the big boss…  Barry.  Now Barry was always on the road.  No, ALWAYS.  I don’t know how he did it but he was doing it then and he’s still doing it today.  He’s the boss, after all.

Barry was on a diet.  Forget about which one.  He was traveling with his weight scale in his carry-on language.  No, seriously.

Barry said he needed his scale because every time he ate something he needed to weigh himself.  Why?  To figure out if his body was “agreeing with the food” he ate or not.   Yes, seriously.  These are the crazy things we do when on diets.  We’ve all been in Barry’s shoes at least once.

Barry was trying to eat right for a lot of reasons.  One of which was his need to arrive fresh.  Ready.  Focused.  No fooling around.  Barry was The Man.  Coffee wasn’t going to save him just like it won’t save you.

Superfood to the rescue

Travel is challenging.  But when we need to be fully focused after a long flight it can become nearly impossible.  Yes, flying first class help for stretching your fleet.  But it won’t help you stay on top of your game.  Whatever your game is THIS can help you.

Yes, carrying Superfood snack packs can help you.  If you missed that article be sure to check it out. But aside from a Superfood trail mix my biggest secret is marine phytoplankton.  I simply cannot live or function without it given my hectic lifestyle, travel and balancing mommy duties with business.

Marine phytoplankton.  Say it out loud.  Don’t fear it.  What is it?

Well, phytoplankton are the food utilized by the worlds largest and longest living animals and fish.  Blue whales, bowhead whales, baleen whales, gray whales, humpbacks and right whales all eat plankton.  They live between 80 and 150 years old and maintain great strength and endurance throughout their lives.  Hmm.

Show me the phytoplankton money!

Simply stated, marine phytoplankton it’s is the world’s most powerful Superfood we know.  It’s the most nutrient-dense food on Earth.  This concentrated solution is highly beneficial to human health.  It contains more than 90 ionic and trace minerals.

People that use it often report experiencing enhanced brain function, improved immune function and improved immunity (it has antiviral/antifungal/antibacterial effects).  PLUS it helps improve cellular repair, protects against harmful radiation (that we come in contact with daily), aids in detoxification (getting rid of all the toxins we’re exposed to daily).  It also has anti-inflammatory properties for those sore muscles.  It offers extreme levels of antioxidants and has been known to help improve blood circulation.  Heart function?  Helps that too.  Allergy/asthma relief?  Yes again.

An all natural remedy

Now this isn’t some kind of wonder drug.  It’s NATURAL.

In summery, it help you stay mentally focused — able to perform at your best.  You’ll be on-task after a long trip.  But it will also help protect you from all the nasty bugs that are passed through the plane’s ventilation system (or just aimed in your direction by thoughtless passengers).

Please, do not be scared.  You won’t look like a whale by eating like one.  But you’ll enjoy many of the same benefits that some of Earth’s most remarkable life forms exploit.  Open your mind and take advantage of it.   And best of all it comes in a very convenient 1 oz bottle.  You won’t have to worry about customs taking it away!

Now get some marine phytoplankton and go enjoy your trip… and arrive focused and on task!  Just add 1-2 drops into your water and va-voom!

Time to read: 1.5 minutes. Planes, trains and automobiles — oh my!  They can be scary places to eat consciously, with good health in mind.  But here are a few surprising secrets for doing so.   Yes, you CAN eat frugally, deliciously and prepare quickly.  Read on and I guarantee you’ll be enjoying “good-for-you” foods while traveling for work or play.  Yes, you’ll be satisfied by them — even more than those tempting snack packs.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…

The 100 Calorie Hunger Pack

Ever notice how those “100 Calorie Snack Packs” just increase your appetite?  They’re designed to.  They lack nutrients needed to create energy.  Our body can’t use the snacks to create energy.  So hunger increases.  And when traveling there’s only one thing you can count on: When hunger strikes you’ll eat anything that is around!

When flying, the trick is to arrive at your destination NOT HUNGRY.  The only way to do this is to give the body what it needs to create energy.

Ever freak-out because you have a long trip ahead and your child will be accompanying you?  Or do you fear knowing you’ll make lousy choices — because you just don’t have the time to prepare something healthy?  I did too… but there’s nothing to worry about.

We all know where the worst food is being served right?  Airports, airplanes, gas stations, etc.  Well, that’s half the battle.  I remember the first time I traveled to Europe with my 11 months old son.  Sure, Lufthansa is one of the best airlines out there with great service and decent food.  But I was prepared with more for our 10 hour flight.

Simple, easy & healthy snacks when traveling

Here’s how you can prepare — whether you’re traveling with kids or alone on business.  No matter what the distance.

The day before:

1. Buy all your organic Superfoods such as goji berries, inca berries, cacao nibs and your/your child’s favorite nuts.  Remember in order to obtain all the nutrients from the nuts they should be in a raw state.

   My favorite are macadamia nuts, cashew and Brazilian nuts.  Even if you don’t get ALL raw nuts the more the better — the more benefits you receive (energy, mental clarity).

2. Mix all of them together for a simple Superfood trail mix that will satisfy your hunger and supply your body with essential nutrients.

3. Bring some apples and bananas along.  If you are brave enough, make your own sweet and/or salty “kale chips.”  Kale packs more nutritious punch than you can imagine.  Benefits include getting your calcium, fiber and a handful of difficult-to-acquire vitamins, especially A and K.  Check out the recipe below.

It’s time to be shamelessly frugal and remarkably healthy on the road.  These days, being thrifty is no joke.  It’s a downright necessity.  These tips will give you what it takes to arrive at your destination ready to work or play hard!

Kale chips recipe

1. Organic kale
2. Olive oil
3. Raw honey or agave nectar
4. Lemon juice
5. Salt

In a bowl mix:
3tbs. olive oil, 3tbs. raw honey (or raw agave nectar), juice of ½ lemon and pinch of salt.  Cut the stems off one bunch kale leaves and put them in the bowl with the mixture you just created. Leave it for at list 1 hour and make sure each leaf is well covered with the marinate. Bake at the lowest setting on your oven for 2 hours (it’s best to dehydrate at 115 degrees if you can using a dehydrator). These kale chips will last for a few weeks if store in a air tight container. Enjoy and let me know what you think after you tried them!

A long international trip over the Atlantic ocean or just domestic one can be a lot of fun with Superfoods snacks.