Is MSG bad for you?

When you start to look at food additives and their effects it brings a whole new meaning to the slogan 'Once you pop, you can't stop.'  MSG changes the way your body reacts neurologically to the food and makes you desperately want more of it.

What is MSG?

MSG, or Monosodium Glutamate is a salt of the amino acid - Glutamic Acid (glutamate).  A salt is the chemical name for a molecule held together by opposite charges.   Basically one (mono) sodium atom is "stuck" to the amino acid glutamate.

It occurs naturally in some foods and is not harmful in this situation unless you are sensitive to it.  The problem is the way it is concentrated and put into everything.  This is when it may become unsafe and cause problems. It increases your appetite for the food you are eating and can make you overeat.  Some people have severe reactions to food additives such as MSG.

To find out whether what you are eating contains MSG you need to be a detective.  It can be hidden under labels such as:

Autolyzed Plant Protein
Autolyzed Yeast
Calcium Caseinate
Carrageenan
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid
Hydrolyzed Anything or Anything Hydrolyzed
Maltodextrin
Monopotassium glutamate
MSG
Monosodium glutamate
Senomyx
Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein
Vegetable Protein Extract
Yeast Extract
Yeast food or nutrient

Be aware that if something says 'NO MSG' all over the label.  It may have a similar additive that goes under a different name instead.

Choosing natural foods made from scratch is the safest way of knowing what you are putting in your body.

Josie.


http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm

How do I lose weight. Some advice and my 5 Top Tips.

This is a terribly common question we all ask ourselves once in a while.  Some people ask it most days, some at the end of Christmas, some every six seconds. 

Some don't ask themselves at all until suddenly they have a ring of fat around their middles in their forties that they are totally unfamiliar with and not entirely pleased to meet.  This is often the hardest to lose as it is what we call 'visceral fat' and it lies deeper within the body, possibly caused by a fatty liver.  This kind of fat can impair organ function and is often the onset of type 2 Diabetes. 

Excess fat cells (adipose tissue) release 'cytokines' into the body which are pro inflammatory and disrupt the body's chemistry causing cells to mutate and degrade.  Someone who is obese (and if you look at the charts, obese is actually not that big at all) will be at risk of developing a lot of nasty illnesses as the body is in a constant battle with itself (http://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/15/11/2792.abstract)

These alone are reasons to shift any excess weight before it thinks it is in charge, without even mentioning the lovely wardrobe of suits or skinny jeans people are hoarding in shame and desperate to get out.  Imagine how those clothes feel?  So abandoned. 

But do not fret, your cast aways shall see the light of day again.  Fat is one of those things that can be tackled easily with a few small steps.

Ok, so weight loss does differ depending on the individual but having a higher muscle mass is definately a good starting point to burning fat.  So exercise is the first point of call.  Some cardio, some resistance training.  But definately about half an hour a day.  Schedules are tough and it can be hard, so do what you can.  Walking rather than taking the car or bus everywhere will make a massive difference.

We have an energy balance in the body which is relatively simple when you look at it crudely.  We need to take out some calories and increase our activity to lose weight, it should be that simple.  But some people have food addictions.  Others have binge eating problems.  Some have thyroid imbalances.  Some people actually have slower metabolisms than others. 

My advice for all of you is to start with a detox diet or full fast.  This puts you on the right track by stripping your body of its cravings, giving you a head start in weight loss and giving you the positive boost you need to take that first step forward.

My Five Tips for Weight Loss with Food!

1.  Keep your Sugar Levels Balanced to avoid cravings.  Choose slow release carbohydrates like brown rice and other whole grains.  Avoid white bread and rice and all refined pastries and snacks.  They play havoc with your blood sugar and take away your control over what you eat with massive physical cravings. These foods use nutrients for your body to process without giving you any nutrients!  This makes your body want more food to get nutrients into it.


2.  Fresh Vegetables in salads or steamed can never do you any harm (as long as you wash them well).  Use them in everything.  Vegetable soup is a great weight loss tool, as are large abundant salads.


3.  Green Smoothies with a good blend of greens and flax seed.  The flax seed and greens slow the release of sugar from the drink and give you a good boost before the gym or mid morning.


4. Don't Avoid Fat.  You need fat to transport hormones around the body.  So your metabolism will be slowed down if you avoid all fat.  Choose good fats in flax and other seeds, nuts, oily fish, avacado, olive and coconut oils.


5. Keep Active.  Instead of flopping on the sofa try and do something active. Doing anything, however small, but staying active is still constantly burning calories.  The TV is your worst enemy if you are trying to shift pounds, unless you are watching Mr Motivator on plasma widescreen (what a terrifying thought).

Be reassured that how ever long you have been battling a few extra pounds, you can definately make a difference with a few simple steps.  Don't be too hard on yourself, you will get there, just take it one step at a time.

Here are some related posts that might interest you.

Detox with food:

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2011/11/not-ready-for-full-detox-cleanse-your.html


Fasting Detox:

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2011/05/detoxing-is-dangerous-necessary_15.html

Binge Eating:

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2011/04/binge-eating-you-are-not-alone.html

Good Fat:

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2010/10/fatit-not-all-bad.html

Good Luck.

Josie

Vitamin C Video...Why it is amazing!

How do I get healthy? How do I actually start?

One of my most precious friends has asked me to write a blog on how to get started on the path to health.  I see him as someone who is pretty healthy, but he obviously knows otherwise! 

I guess some of you feel like there is too much information.  It is so confusing. Who is right and wrong?  Do I need to be so extreme to be healthy? Most importantly, how do I add something to my muffin and coffee diet to make it more appeasing to my cells?  

Today I am going to give you three steps to start getting healthier.

I will try and bring a few of the tips and ideas from my posts into something you can work with today. I have put it into three steps to get going, as that seems manageable, even for those of you who live on croissants.  

Step 1: Getting your Nutritional Profile Sorted

Our body needs about 40 nutrients a day, YES a DAY!  Those include vitamins, minerals and macro nutrients.  Most of you are going to be busy working and playing and not able to focus on getting all of those nutrients through your food.  Who has the time? Most don't. (Life is good right?  So many fun, unhealthy pursuits to engage in.)  But, oh, the guilt!

Even a raw organic diet needs constant care to get all of those nutrients, so it makes sense to take a supplement.  Go to your local health shop and ask for a good multi vitamin that includes all your B vitamins.  I also suggest you take at least 1000mg of Vitamin C a day, your adrenal glands use more vitamin C than any other place in the body and stress instantly drains them of it. 

I recommend Vital Greens as a superfood supplement that gives you a great all round boost if you can get hold of some, it is more easily absorbed than pill supplements and contains all of the nutrients you need.
http://www.revital.co.uk/Vital_Greens.

Step Two: Eat More Raw Food

You don't have to be extreme and eat only raw food.  Try and get one really big salad in everyday and plenty of fresh fruit.  Raw food has a great affect on the body as it contains vital enzymes which aid digestion; the food does the work for you!  Raw food is also much higher in vital vitamins, minerals and proteins than a lot of cooked food so getting some in everyday is a great start.

That is not to say cooked food is bad, there are arguments for both, so in this scenario I always hedge my bets and do a combination.  Use the information available and make an educated decision.  I was having a conversation today about MSG and whether it really is bad for you?  My conclusion is if there is chance it is terrible, why take the risk?


Step Three: Green Smoothie a Day

Ok, I know I bang on about these all the time, but that is for a very good reason.  A green smoothie is the best way to get as many of the nutrients you need in an easily absorbed instant boost. If you feel you don't have time to make it in the morning, put all the ingredients in the blender the night before and whiz it before you go to work.  If you don't have time to do that?  MAKE TIME.  Eugh how bossy, but it's true.  Your health is the only thing you cannot buy (apart from that private island you so long for) so take care of it!

Instructions are on this post: http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2010/09/surrender-to-smoothies.html

Finally, oh god I KNOW, it is Christmas and you are all going to have so much temptation, but just try and get a balance, even if you are getting loads of rubbish thrown in, please make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs as well.  Give it a bleedin’ chance to recover from each onslaught!

LOVE you liver, Adore your adrenals and have as much fun as possible along the way because we only live once in this body and therefore a bit of care and carelessness is in order here.

Josie

Is colonic irrigation good for you?

Some people may find the idea of colon cleansing off putting and I can understand why it may seem strange, but the benefits of this healing tool are long documented.  Most people are interested by the idea but are not sure what it really involves or if it is necessary...

Want to know more?

There are a range of terms for colon cleansing which is done using water or coffee or other cleansing potions to clean the large intestine.  For the sake of this blog I shall use the term 'Enema' and describe 'water' as the liquid for the process.  


Colinic Irrigation: This normally refers to a Nurse/colonic therapist administered pressure system.  She puts the tube in, she is in charge, you watch the waste go through a clear tube. 

Colema/Enema: Self administered system using gravity to let the water flow in.  You are in charge, you call the shots.  You are alone in the bathroom.  Some use a 1.5 litre bottle, some use a 10 litre bucket.  Both are effective.


All methods do the same thing, which is to allow water to gently enter the body through the rectum and around the colon (aka large intestine/bowel) cleaning inside and carrying waste naturally out of your bottom.  I understand that it may seem very strange, but I can assure you the results are amazing.


Besides, this is nothing new, it was practised for thousands of years in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Chinese and Indian civilisations, and referred to in the gospel of Angels (The Essene Gospel of Peace) (regimes.http://www.solarhealth.co.uk). It has existed as a natural cleansing treatment for centuries, the health benefits of this treatment are long documented.

Compacted fecal matter that gathers as a result of our low fibre, high simple carbohydrate diet becomes sticky and clings to the wall of the colon, creating blockages and a toxic overload on the liver.  Our poor liver which has so much to do already.  The blood which circulates to the liver from our small intestines and colons can be extremely toxic if our digestive tract is clogged with old rubbish and our livers take the toll, leaving us tired and sluggish.  Perhaps even ill.


The large intestine has a one way valve where it meets the small intestine so the water will never go further than the colon.  The pressure of the water feels like the urgency of needing to go to the toilet RIGHT THIS MINUTE and with practice you can retain the water and allow it to flow further into the colon to cleanse even deeper. 


I can understand that it repels people, but done correctly by cleansing the small intestine first with a cleansing high fibre diet/supplementation, twinned with good bacteria/probiotic supplements post-enema, there really is no space for anything but magical healing power.


So, this is a simple introduction to give you an idea of what this process involves and how it can be beneficial to the body.  Ultimately enemas can cleanse your blood, your liver, your skin and leave you feeling energised and radiant as well as relieving or abolishing many illnesses.  They are contraindicated for certain conditions so do your research first.




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How can I detox without fasting?

It is not realistic that everybody take the plunge today and eliminate food for a week or more.  Full fasting cleanses, juice fasts, water fasts and herbal cleansing are an unrivaled way of pressing the reset button and renewing your body.  But not everyone is ready for this step and not everybody has the time or patience at the moment, especially as the weather is getting colder in some parts of the world!

So, instead of going the whole way and cleansing full steam ahead, why not try a cleansing diet for a week before and then after Christmas (or through it if you are hardcore).  The detox centres on the island are FULL at this time of year I can assure you, Christmas day is not a holiday for me, it is spent looking after a full house of fasters trying to escape the Christmas abuse the body takes and the extra pounds of unwanted fat it stores as a result

Ok, so I have put a sample day together for you to work from.  This day includes nuts and spelt crackers and quinoa which give you grains and fats to keep you going if you are working. 

If you are off work or have a pretty relaxed working day you could try being even more alkaline in your diet (eating only alkaline forming foods) by adding more greens and vegetables and losing some of these more sustaining foods which take more digesting.  Drink plenty of water, about 8 glasses a day, but best to check your wee to see if it is clear for a true guide. 

Example Day

-Wake up and drink warm water with lemon juice and ginger.

-Wheatgrass or Spirulina Powder mixed with water.

-Psyllium husk shake (available from health food stores/mix with water to cleanse colon)

-Breakfast: Fresh Fruits and Quinoa porridge (quinoa is a grain high in protein) and a green smoothie.

-MId morning: Some soaked raw nuts that have been sitting in water for over 8 hours or a nut spread such as peanut/pumpkin/sunflower on spelt crackers (all available in health food stores)

-Psyllium husk shake

-Lunch: Large salad with as many different colours as you can possibly get in.  Tomatoes, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, if it grows, chuck it in.  As a dressing mix organic apple cider vinegar with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. 

Mid afternoon: homemade guacamole (recipes online) with carrot and cucumber sticks.

-Psyllium Husk Shake

-Dinner: Another MASSIVE salad full of wonderful stuff.  Mix through some brown rice and sprouted mung beans for a power punch.  Another great dressing is Tahini, a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of water all whizzed in the blender: creamy and delicious.

(or)

-Spicy Lentil Soup


Ok, so this is going to give someone on a regular western diet a massive cleanse already!  Those of you who eat simple white carbs like white bread and rice, pastires and cakes.  Those partial to daily coffee and sweet teas and certainly those who drink alcohol regularly will get a massive cleanse from doing this sort of diet for a week.

To take if further after a couple of days with this diet go raw completely and see how you feel at the end of the week!  Amazing I can assure you.  Go to this site for ideas:
http://www.rawfoodrecipes.co.uk/

So if you don't have time to even think about a full detox, you can at least give your body a rest and a re-boot.  It will use all those nutrients to repair, rebuild, strengthen and protect your body for the colder months ahead.  Then you may even find you keep some of these good habits and carry them through the season.

If you have any questions regarding where to get any of these ingredients or get meal ideas, just send me a message or email, I will be be happy to help!

Josie