I’ve always been into fitness and worked out (definitely had some slumps here and there of course, haha), and have always been under the impression that long bouts of cardio = fitness. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been anything close to a marathon runner or of that sort but have always been under the impression that endurance cardio training is the best choice for changing body composition and improving overall health. Apparently that’s not the case! As I’ve adopted the Paleolithic lifestyle and been introduced somewhat recently to CrossFit training, it has come up time and time again how long-distance type exercise is actually detrimental to our body.

It all has to do with increased Cortisol levels and inflammation. Too much cardio exercise will cause elevated Cortisol levels, which in turn eats away at your muscle fibers and reverses the effects of training! So how do we get the most out of our training program and work to achieve optimal fitness levels??

This article covers 6 essential factors to take into consideration:

1. Keep your weight training workouts less than an hour
2. Limit your Cardio
3. Nutrition
4. Relax
5. Sleep
6. Limit caffeine intake

Yams have been a consistent part of my diet for the past several years. Up until recently I have always eaten them cooked – most commonly cut into fries, tossed with olive/coconut oil, sprinkled with sea salt or Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash and baked in the oven (YUM!!!). Lately I’ve found myself snacking on them raw, which took a bit of convincing at the beginning, but now I love it! One of my favorite crunchy snack foods!

Yams are members of the Dioscoreaceae family and were first introduced into North America in the mid-twentieth century. In order to distinguish this moist-fleshed, orange colored sweet potato  from the white-fleshed sweet potato the word “yam” was adopted from nyami, an African word for the root of the Dioscorea genus of plants. It is uncertain in which country yams originated, however they are one of the oldest food plants known. They have been cultivated in Africa and Asia since 50,000 B.C.

Yams, in addition to being delicious, are a nutritional powerhouse providing our bodies with many vital nutrients. Yams are a very good source of dietary fiber, close to 7 grams per serving, almost twice that of other potatoes. This makes them an excellent fuel source providing a slow steady release of energy. They are rich in vitamins B6, B1 and C and beta-carotene (vitamin A) and minerals such as potassium and manganese. One cup of yam contains 24% of the daily value of B6!

What’s your favorite way to eat this wonderful superfood?

I wanted to dedicate this week’s Health Nugget to the newly opened (well soon, haha) CrossFit Brandon!!

For those of you who do not know what CrossFit is, here’s a brief little overview…

CrossFit strives to build “functional fitness”, the stuff that translates into your everyday life. CrossFit is an amalgamation of things that aren’t unique on their own:

• Gymnastics & bodyweight movements – pull ups, push ups, hand stands and handstand push ups, air squats, sit ups, back extensions, ring movements like ring dips and muscle ups, climbing rope.
• Traditional conditioning methods – running/sprinting, rowing
• Weight lifting – olympic weight lifting (clean & jerk, snatch) with all variations, power lifting (deadlift, bench press, overhead presses, squatting), kettleball movements, dumbbells, and other unique combinations of lifts like front squat & push press (thruster)
• Plyometrics – box jumps, burpees, jump rope (single & doubles)
• Medicine ball training – med ball cleans, wall ball shots, slam balls

The equipment is very minimal compared to conventional fitness type gyms, and usually consist of pull up bars, wooden boxes, medicine balls, barbells and bumper plates, some rowers, a place to run, medicine balls. “Work Outs Of the Day” or WODs  are a combination of these movements and are performed at high intensities for short periods of time per session.

Check out their WEBSITE and FACEBOOK page for more information!

Great job and congrats Anna and Geoffrey Dumas!!

Kashi and Kellogg’s are currently facing a class action lawsuit which lists 14 claims including making false, deceptive and misleading representations and omissions, negligence and negligent representation, false advertising, and conspiracy. (Here is the entire class action lawsuit.)

Based on testing, a recent report from the Cornocopia Institute (a tax-exempt public interest group that supports sustainable and organic agriculture / a food watchdog organization) shows some of Kashi’s products contain GMOs and hexane-extracted soy protein. The “hexane bath” used to process the soybeans consists of more than 50% n-hexane, which is a known neurotoxin.

Due to very lax marketing laws, companies such as Kashi often use the term “Natural” on their packaging and in their advertisements because marketing research has shown that many people would choose a product listed as “natural” even before one listed as “organic”. The term “natural” is basically meaningless and is meant to confuse and mislead consumers.

Kashi and Kellogg’s are not the only companies guilty of this “green-washing” and it is my guess (or maybe my hope) that we are going to see more and more lawsuits of this sort pop up. (Frito Lay got sued for labeling their chips as all natural when using GMO canola oil; Bear Naked cereals have recently been pulled from some store shelves for containing GMOs, etc).

If your goal is to avoid GMOs from your diet it is important to read labels. Choose certified organic or Non-GMO Project certified products, especially if those products contain soy, corn or canola oil. Almost ALL soy, corn and canola crops grown in North America are GMO unless they are Certified Organic or Non-GMO Certified. You are responsible for what you put into your body – read labels, know what you are buying and make informed decisions for you and your family.

Does the concept of sitting down to a delicious looking burger only to find out it has been made from meat grown in a test tube freak you out a little? Yah me too!! It’s one thing when we have to be concerned with what sort of environment our meat is obtained from (i.e. cattle in feed lots, pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, etc) but if we have to start wondering if it came from an actual cow?? Isn’t that going a little far out of our comfort zones? I know it is for me!

Check it out though: Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands has successfully produced a fatty hamburger-like substance in test tubes.

Blech….

Excitotoxins are amino acids that also serve as neurotransmitters in the brain. The nervous system needs amino acid transmitters to function properly but when the dose is too high or it builds up due to daily intake, these amino acids cross the blood brain barrier and excite the neurons of brain cells to a point of absolute exhaustion. At which point these brain neurons die. There are glutamate receptors or channels also found throughout the nervous system, the heart and intestinal tract – so it is not only the brain that is affected by excitotoxins.

Major culprits that are consumed at an alarmingly high rate in our society are MSG and Aspartame.

These excitotoxins have been found to dramatically promote cancer growth and metastasis – researchers have discovered that when they increased the glutamate level, cancer grows like wildfire, and then when they blocked glutamate, it dramatically slowed the growth of cancer cells. There is a formaldehyde byproduct formed in the body as it metabolizes MSG or aspartame. Over time the formaldehyde binds with DNA and causes massive cellular damage which leads to all sorts of diseases, even cancer.

Excitotoxins wreak havoc on our nervous systems and it has been proposed that there is a possible (probable) connection between our exposure to these toxins in our food and the explosion in neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimers, ADD, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, etc. For more information I would recommend a book written by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, “Excitotoxins: The taste That Kills”.

So obviously it is of utmost importance to try and avoid consuming these on a daily basis – which can be easier said than done as they are in such a vast amount of food products. Even eating out a restaurant almost ensures that you will be consuming at least some MSG (even if they don’t “add” it). Aspartame is the easiest to recognize as it is in many sugar free processed foods, diet sodas, sugar free sports drinks, etc.

MSG on the other hand is a little trickier and it can often be disguised with several terms. Here are some common names for MSG used on food labels:

• MSG (monosodium glutamate)
• Monopotassium glutamate
• Glutamate
• Glutamic acid
• Vegetable Protein extract
• Gelatin
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
• Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
• Autolyzed plant protein
• Sodium Caseinate
• Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)
• Calcium caseinate
• Textured protein
• Yeast extract
• Yeast food or nutrient
• Autolyzed yeast

Eliminating excitotoxins from the daily diet can go a long way in improving your overall health and alleviating many symptoms such as migraines, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, allergies, hyperactivity, and the list goes on and on. Never stop educating yourself – it’s your health, your responsibility.

This brightened my morning to see a new report predicting a 50+% decrease in antidepressant drug sales by 2016. WOW!

So many all-natural treatments are at our disposal that are non-habit forming, free of side effects, and can actually repair (gasp!) imbalances in the body aggravating/causing depression in the first place! A combination of clean eating, regular exercise (gotta love those endorphins baby!!) and a customized supplement plan equals long term success!!

Please contact us for more information regarding a treatment plan. This is especially important if you are currently on any antidepressants and are looking for more natural alternatives. These natural remedies are completely safe but are also very powerful and may not be completely compatible with your current medications, thus it is very important to consult a professional.

This article, “Eating, Seen Through Your Child’s Eyes” by Dina R. Rose, PhD is intriguing. She has a very interesting outlook on the disconnect that can exist between parents and children regarding eating habits. If you have picky eaters at home, have a hard time getting your kids to choose certain foods, or would just like to incorporate new foods into their diet have a look!

Hold Onto Your Balls Boys!!

Did that get your attention?? Good, because this is important!

Spring has sprung, and thus the gardening / yard work season comences. Rakes and hoes in hand we get to work on our lawns and gardens hoping for the best season yet! Many of you will likely be running out to stock up on weed killers such as “Roundup”… STOP! This is where you need to pay attention – especially you, GUYS!

Recent studies have been published outlining the dangers of Monsanto’s Roundup – it’s been found to destroy testosterone and lead to possible male infertility. You’re thinking, “Sure but I only use a small amount of it…I’m probably fine…”. They found that even in dilutions of one part per million (ppm) (much lower than typical exposure would be), Roundup caused severe hormonal disruption that reduced testosterone levels by 35%!

Please take a couple minutes and educate yourself! (ARTICLE)

Why not do something healthy for you, your family and the environment and try some all natural pest/weed control ideas this year? Check out this site.

Making truly healthy food choices at the grocery store and in our daily lives can be quite a challenge. Food labeling and marketing makes this confusing and can often result in us thinking we’ve chosen something “healthy”, but in reality we’ve just been duped. We all know that reading labels is important; however this article delves into 5 of the most misleading words that can be found abundantly in food industry marketing: “Natural”, “Multigrain”, “Artisan”, “Moderation” and “Wholesome”.

Worth the read…check it out here.