Fast Your Way to Health

Fasting has been done for over 1,000s of years. Major religions and cultures have built-in fast days as a matter of fact. For example, in Judaism you have a 24 hour fast called Yom Kippur. In the Muslim Religion you have Ramadan from dawn to sunset and in Christianity Lent is practiced. It seems that all of these recognize that a cleaning out so to speak is beneficial. I have been doing intermittent fasting on almost a 12 hour schedule for at least 2 years now without even knowing initially that this is what I was doing.

If you trace the source of most diseases and illnesses, they come from some type of imbalance in the body, whether we have too much or too little of something. Fasting is becoming more utilized because of the new information being uncovered such as obesity leading to Type 2 Diabetes which is just the body’s inability to regulate insulin. It’s something that we do daily like breaking the fast each morning or some time during the day after a night of sleep, but we don’t even think about it. Growing research by a few pioneers who are or have spoken out on this topic, such as Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Eric Berg and the dearly departed Dr. Sebi (who focused on cleansing more so) have the results to back it up. Please see this video by Dr. Jason Fung that explains the concept more in-depth and the benefits of Intermittent Fasting and the stages as the fasting time is prolonged. He has other worthwhile videos as well on getting rid of diabetes.

He describes that if you can get through the 2nd day of fasting, the body begins burning fat and is feeding itself and you begin to feel like you can go on forever, however, it depends on your goal how long you do this. He speaks about the health benefits and the length of fasting according to the goal. I want to show you a few of his high-lights of the video that make it easy to understand the many benefits of intermittent fasting and fasting in general.

Credit due to Dr. Jason Fung, Video on Intermittent Fasting (Complete Guide to Fasting)

So why doesn’t just decreasing calories work???? There’s tons of experimental evidence that has shown that you will initially lose weight but then you will plateau, your weight will begin to rise again, you will have less energy and feel hungry and the method fails. The body will begin to lower your metabolism to match what calories you are taking in so that you don’t die. It’s a built in protective mechanism. The basal metabolism need for most adults is 1400 calories/day in order to keep all of the organs functioning, blood flow and just overall functioning. With intermittent fasting, our body starts to burn that stored food instead of what you eat several times per day the way the majority eat. GIVE YOUR BODY A CHANCE TO GET TO THE STORAGE AS OPPOSED TO CONTINUING TO FEED IT NEW CALORIES!!!!! This is the key. Your basal metabolism will not drop with this method but will drop if you use the method of reducing calories permanently as a method for weight loss.๐Ÿ’ก๐Ÿค” See the below summaries for more details.

Credit due to Dr. Jason Fung, Video on Intermittent Fasting (Complete Guide to Fasting)

The huge metabolic advantage of intermittent fasting is using the storage of fat. It’s about lowering the insulin with foods that don’t increase insulin and the glycemic index. Let your body digest this overstock so to speak. Also, by decreasing insulin, you begin to see how the above major diseases can be avoided and even reversed.

Dr. Fung also speaks about autophagy as one of the huge benefits of doing intermittent fasting, and not only to prevent/reverse disease and arriving at a healthy weight, but also as you lose weight, it helps to eat away at damaged cells and regenerate new healthier cells. The result: YOU WON’T SEE NEARLY AS MUCH LOSE SKIN AS YOU LOSE THE POUNDS!!!

Credit due to Dr. Jason Fung, Video on Intermittent Fasting (Complete Guide to Fasting)

Main points I would like to leave you with:

  • Remember that if your insulin level is high, you’re storing. If insulin is kept low, you’re in a burning/metabolism mode. If you’re eating carbs and eating often, you’re most definitely stimulating insulin and storage is occurring.
  • ALL CALORIES ARE NOT EQUAL!!! There are foods that do not increase the glycemic index or won’t raise your blood sugar. Many of these are a part of the paleo, keto or low-carb diet. These are ancient concepts from a Mediterranean based diet.๐Ÿฅ‘๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฌ๐Ÿง„๐Ÿ’๐Ÿฅ—๐Ÿ†๐ŸŸ๐Ÿ„Here is a great link to begin your research on these types of foods: Foods That Won’t Raise Blood Glucose
  • Severely decreasing your calorie intake may work temporarily but intermittent-fasting has been proven to be more effective, not only for weight loss, but for the above additional health benefits. Pick the right amount of time for you….12 hours, 16-18 hours, 23 hours or more.
  • WHO SHOULDN’T FAST? As with all health information, I don’t know your individual situation or medical history, but you should always consult your health practitioner. With that being said, Dr. Fung states that nursing or pregnant women, children, those under a BMI of 20 and if malnutrition is present.
  • Eat reasonable portions of all food that you intake, drink plenty of water (15.5 cups per day for men, 11.5 cups per day for women), maintain a regular exercise schedule (The Mayo Clinic recommends: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly, or a combination of the two plus strength training for the various muscles two times per week).
  • If you are currently diabetic or pre-diabetic and seeking weight loss and need a more aggressive approach than diet, , there are many medications that can help with this as well. Please speak to your health care provider. Some of the new medications such as the SGLT-2 Inhibitors/Gliflozins such as Jardiance and Farxiga to name a few are used to lower high blood glucose levels in Type 2 Diabetes by aiding in the excretion of glucose in the urine so it’s not reabsorbed into the blood. It’s been shown to help with weight loss, lower Hemoglobin A1C (a marker for how well blood glucose is controlled), very well tolerated and low risk of hypoglycemia.

As always, why not SHARE ITโค๏ธ , LIKE๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฟ , REPOSTโ™ป๏ธ , COMMENT๐Ÿ—ฌ and YES, SUBSCRIBEโœ… by clicking Followโ€ฆโ€ฆThanks so much for visiting, and please be a blessing and be blessed everyone!๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฟ

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Love My Matcha

A few months ago I began a daily detox and juicing challenge. I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and scoliosis of the spine and although a pharmacist, I turn to medications as a last resort.ย  It has been proven that many diseases in the body are a result of inflammation of some sort.ย  I have heard for so long about Matcha Green Tea and the powder and it’s amazing health benefits.ย  The teabags are ok, but the powder is amazingly more potent.

Each morning when I awaken I take about 3 tablespoonsful of apple cider vinegar (it must have “the mother” in it) in a full cup of good quality filtered or bottled water, sometimes with half of a teaspoon of ground ginger powder, ground black pepper and a teaspoon of ground tumeric powder.ย  I drink all of this with the aid of a straw so as not to damage the enamel of my teeth since vinegar is very acidic.

After about 15-20 minutes I drink whatever fruits and veggies that I have prepared from juicing.ย  Strawberries, cucumbers, apples, carrots, beets, pomegranates and kale are great examples of wonderful fruits and veggies that can be used.ย  Usually, I make enough juice for a few days since I have such a hectic schedule.ย  This way it helps me to continue the regimen daily.ย  The key to this gradual detox is to allow it to happen over a period of time.ย  You will notice the inches slowly slip away but you will feel more energy and less inflammation in your body over time.ย  Also, my arthritis pain has decreased and my stomach feels less bloated for the first time in years.

There are some sources that say to drink the Matcha Green Tea at night with honey (non-refined), cinnamon, lemon and ginger before bedtime and it will help you burn calories while you sleep.ย  I prefer to drink my tea at the most stressful time of my day which is sometimes afternoon and sometimes at night.ย  Either way, I have seen some truly amazing results over the last 3 months.

It has helped a great deal in my detox process to minimize my dairy and bread intake.ย  I occasionally have cheese but it is truly not something that I miss eating on a regular basis.ย  I drink almond milk if I want a plant-based substitute for recipes.ย  I can feel a huge difference in how my clothes fit me.ย  Check out my results below!ย  By the way, I had a bit of a relapse in January due to a few frustrations in my life or I believe I would have arrived at these results a month earlier;ย  however, it is really working for me and hope it can help someone else.ย  If you suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions, high cholesterol, liver or kidney disease or some kind of another metabolic disease, it’s always best to consult your physician before making any drastic changes, however, these are just natural things…..healing from food and herbs, the best remedy given by the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth!

Check out these results and decide for yourself:

November 1, 2019

Bust:ย  36.5, Waist 33.5, Hips 41, Upper arm 11.5, Upper thigh 22.5 (inches)

November 16, 2019

Bust:ย  35.5, Waist 33.5, Hips 40.5, Upper arm 11.25, Upper thigh 22 (inches)

December 2019 & January 2020 Relapse๐Ÿ˜ฅ

Bust:ย  36.0, Waist 33.5, Hips 41, Upper arm 11.5, Upper thigh 22.5

After adding the Matcha Tea Powder to the regimen for one month (in addition to the match tea bag that I was already using)

February 12, 2020

Bust:ย  35.5, Waist 32.5, Hips 39.5, Upper arm 11.0, Upper thigh 22.0

Total inches lost to date:ย  4 inches!ย 

And I only use about 1/2 teaspoonful of the Matcha Green Tea Powder daily!

I never weigh myself as a rule because it’s not as important to me as total inches lost.ย  Also keep in mind that you should exercise at least 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes, even if it’s just walking or incorporating it into your busy day by taking the stairs everywhere you go.

Still not convinced?ย  Okay, just take a look of these proven benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder:

  • Anti-oxidant effects
  • Boosts metabolism
  • Increases brain function
  • Helps prevent cancer
  • Helps protect the liver and the heart

See this link for more in-depth information:ย ย Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder

Also, check out this great video on how to prepare the Matcha Green Tea from the powder and for more health benefits.

As always, why not SHARE IT๐Ÿ”—๐Ÿ™Œ, LIKE๐Ÿ‘, ย REPOSTโ™ป, COMMENT๐Ÿ’ฌ

and YES,ย SUBSCRIBEย ๐Ÿ‘by clickingย Follow?

Thanks so much for visiting!

Oh Honey, How Sweet!

 

Since first posting this article about honey, I have used it a lot more to get through the Winter. ย It has been amazing for colds, flu and allergy symptoms for my family as well as a sweetener to cut our use of refined sugar! ย Hope you will incorporate it into your diet on a regular basis in order to be more healthy.

honey-823614_1920

Honey is such an amazing food. ย It has some very unexpected health benefits and because it tastes so good, we donโ€™t mind using it. ย Here are just a few things that you can benefit from by using honey:

Think about it as a natural way to give yourself a boost of ENERGY.

We all have experienced that run down feeling at some point in time if we are over doing it and have not gotten enough rest. ย Honey is a wonderful source of carbs and an important component of our energy source for our bodies. ย If you take honey, it will give you an immediate boost in your ability to get the task at hand done and hold on until you can get something that is even more sustaining into your body. ย It decreases muscle fatigue for athletes and because of its natural sugars, you can use it as you exercise.

Here is how it worksโ€ฆ.two important properties of honey are that it contains glucose, which breaks down very quickly to give us immediate energy, and fructose, which breaks down over a slower period of time to help us to sustain the energy. ย Honey is also known to stabilize blood sugar more as compared to other things we use to sweeten our food.

  • Take it in the morning as an energy booster in your tea or as a cleaning tonic on an empty stomach with the juice of half a lemon, a bit of warm water and a teaspoon of honey (see recipe below).

It not only works to cleanse your body as it works as an antimicrobial and antifungal, it also helps to boost your immune system, hopefully preventing illnesses. ย It has very powerful antioxidant properties that give want to be diseases a PUNCH!!!

  • Honey has been said to help fight cancer. ย See below references for more on this.
  • One of my favorite uses: ย a natural cure for treating wounds due to its antiseptic properties. ย Next time you or your little ones have an OWIE, try a bit of honey on it. ย It also is known to work to help heal minor burns. ย There is a brand that has been shown to be good for this in the link below called UMF Manuka.
  • If you have a sore throat or cough, try a drink of honey with warm water and lemon as mentioned above.
  • Got insomnia, try honey and warm milk before turning in. ย This is an old remedy that has been proven to work by many grandmothers. ย You can even use the honey in tea such as chamomile. ย My favorite is green tea and honey. ย It seems to have such a soothing effect.
  • Honey and vinegar have been reported by many to decrease their pain from arthritis and work as a home detox.
  • Honey and lemon are said to be good for weight loss

Overall, you canโ€™t beat a food that has so many HUGE benefits and tastes so SWEET!

So next time you are low on energy, instead of reaching for that candy bar or granola bar, give honey a try.

Check out this recipe below:

Honey and lemonlemon-91537_1280

Mix one tsp of raw honey with the juice of about 2 tsp of lime or lemon in a glass of warm water. ย Make sure not to use boiling water and definitely not tap water. ย Try to use distilled or at least a good quality bottled water such as FUJI. ย The pH of Fuji bottled water is reported to have a pH slightly above 8 which is healthier for us. ย Use this drink in the mornings before eating anything. It is effective in detoxing the body and as a digestive aid after a particularly oily meal. ย This along with exercise and a healthy diet will hopefully help you to shed the pounds naturally and make it a part of your lifestyle change.

References:

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-and-lemon.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264667.php#the_possible_health_benefits_of_honey

http://www.medicaldaily.com/liquid-gold-7-health-benefits-honey-could-heal-your-whole-body-325932

Now, why not share this article with someone you love!!! ย Click below & drop some knowledgeimages!

Oh Honey, How Sweet!

honey-article

Honey is such an amazing food. ย It has some very unexpected health benefits and because it tastes so good, we don’t mind using it. ย Here are just a few things that you can benefit from by using honey:

Think about it as a natural way to give yourself a boost of ENERGY.

We all have experienced that run down feeling at some point in time if we are over doing it and have not gotten enough rest. ย Honey is a wonderful source of carbs and an important component of our energy source for our bodies. ย If you take honey, it will give you an immediate boost in your ability to get the task at hand done and hold on until you can get something that is even more sustaining into your body. ย It decreases muscle fatigue for athletes and because of its natural sugars, you can use it as you exercise.

Here is how it works….two important properties of honey are that it contains glucose, which breaks down very quickly to give us immediate energy, and fructose, which breaks down over a slower period of time to help us to sustain the energy. ย Honey is also known to stabilize blood sugar more as compared to other things we use to sweeten our food.

  • Take it in the morning as an energy booster in your tea or as a cleaning tonic on an empty stomach with the juice of half a lemon, a bit of warm water and a teaspoon of honey (see recipe below).

It not only works to cleanse your body as it works as an antimicrobial and antifungal, it also helps to boost your immune system, hopefully preventing illnesses. ย It has very powerful antioxidant properties that give want to be diseases a PUNCH!!!

  • Honey has been said to help fight cancer. ย See below references for more on this.
  • One of my favorite uses: ย a natural cure for treating wounds due to its antiseptic properties. ย Next time you or your little ones have an OWIE, try a bit of honey on it. ย It also is known to work to help heal minor burns. ย There is a brand that has been shown to be good for this in the link below called UMF Manuka.
  • If you have a sore throat or cough, try a drink of honey with warm water and lemon as mentioned above.
  • Got insomnia, try honey and warm milk before turning in. ย This is an old remedy that has been proven to work by many grandmothers. ย You can even use the honey in tea such as chamomile. ย My favorite is green tea and honey. ย It seems to have such a soothing effect.
  • Honey and vinegar have been reported by many to decrease their pain from arthritis and work as a home detox.
  • Honey and lemon are said to be good for weight loss

Overall, you can’t beat a food that has so many HUGE benefits and tastes so SWEET!

So next time you are low on energy, instead of reaching for that candy bar or granola bar, give honey a try.

Check out this recipe below:

Honey and lemon

Mix one tsp of raw honey with the juice of about 2 tsp of lime or lemon in a glass of warm water. ย Make sure not to use boiling water and definitely not tap water. ย Try to use distilled or at least a good quality bottled water such as FUJI. ย The pH of Fuji bottled water is reported to have a pH slightly above 8 which is healthier for us. ย Use this drink in the mornings before eating anything. It is effective in detoxing the body and as a digestive aid after a particularly oily meal. ย This along with exercise and a healthy diet will hopefully help you to shed the pounds naturally and make it a part of your lifestyle change.

References:

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-and-lemon.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264667.php#the_possible_health_benefits_of_honey

http://www.medicaldaily.com/liquid-gold-7-health-benefits-honey-could-heal-your-whole-body-325932