Glutathione: Power Antioxidant

Glutathione is the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of immunity. GOOD NEWS, our body produces it. BAD NEWS, when the body becomes overloaded with toxins, it switches off the gene that allows for Glutathione to be created and recycled within the body.

Nearly every person who suffers from chronicfatigue syndrome, heartdisease, cancer, chronicinfections, autoimmune disease, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer‘s disease, Parkinson‘s disease, arthritis, asthma, kidney, liver disease and more is missing the functional ability of the GSTM1 gene.

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Aging Well; My Favorite Secrets To Beautiful

Shayna Robinson

1) Change your diet: Eat anti-inflammatory.

There are certain foods that reduce inflammation and cause positive cell turnover. I try to eat a diet rich in spinach, kale, blueberries, coconut water, olive oil, agave and peppermint. Watermelon and cantaloupe can be great during the summer. The best athletes will also supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals. My essentials include a proprietary blend for liver detoxification (NOW brand Liver Regenerator and Detoxifier), Thyroid health (NOW brand Thyroid Energy), Raw B Complex (Vitamin Code Brand), Undernatured Type II Collagen (NOW brand UC-II) and a hair, skin and nails proprietary blend (Nature’s Bounty Brand).

2) Sweat: Work out hard enough to detox.

Some argue sweat causes breakouts, but that’s only if you don’t shower immediately after a workout. Sweat is your bodies natural detox process, and it also helps maintain body temp and water balance. When you sweat, your body causes your metabolism to adjust to a burning mode. It’s struggling to maintain the internal body temperature, and your thyroid is engaged producing endorphins that make exercise feel easier so your body is more efficient. Sweating should be part of your goals in exercise to maintain healthy organs.

3) Electrolytes: Refuel the right way.

Both muscle tissue and neurons are considered electric tissues of the body. Muscles and neurons are activated by electrolyte activity between the extracellular fluid and intracellular fluid. Electrolytes work to aid the body in transferring water in and out of cells. Without proper electrolytes the ability of muscles to contract is weakened and can cause muscular contractions (such as cramping). It’s important to maintain this electrolyte balance when exercising so that there is proper contraction of muscle and nerve fibers in addition to maintaining the proper strain on the kidneys. In terms of aging, constantly being dehydrated can lead to cell death and a diseased cell turnover. Keeping yourself hydrated results in healthy cell turnover, muscular strength and correct rapid firing of the nerves. I love coconut water for it’s hydrating benefits. It makes my skin glow and unlike other sports drinks, it has a natural electrolyte component, as opposed to synthetically added electrolytes in Gatorade.

4) Regimen: Set your routine.

Your body functions better and more efficiently when it knows what to expect from your level of care. When you nourish your body with good food, exercise, sweat and electrolytes, it responds in the best possible way–glowing skin, a young complexion, a body that rivals a teenager and recovery from the common daily routine. Send your body a positive message in these three ways on a daily basis and it will function better and look better in 4-8 weeks.

 

 

 

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Sip Away Stress

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The way to banish stress may be a sip away. Green tea is rich in catechins, an antioxidant compound, and contains high levels of EGCG, a polyphenol that has been previously found to reduce levels of oxidizing compounds that contribute to physical and mental fatigue. Tohoku University (Japan) researchers analyzed data relating to tea consumption, psychological distress, and lifestyle factors collected on 42,093 Japanese men and women, ages 40 years and older. The team determined that those subjects who drank five cups of green tea daily reduced their levels of psychological distress by 20%.

A popular beverage worldwide, green tea may help to alleviate mental stress and may promote psychological well-being. To ensure maximum antioxidant potency, be sure your green tea leaves are fresh, and preferably — organically grown.

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Low Carb Clementine Almond Cake

This whole clementine cake is a classic Sicilian recipe, which I adapted from a book by Nigella Lawson. This cake is made using whole clementines that have been boiled until tender, then pureed into a smooth, intoxicatingly flavored paste.

Since it is flourless it’s easy to make this low carb by baking with natural sweetners. The low carb recipe is by Alejandra Ramos of Always Order Dessert.

Flourless Clementine Almond Cake Recipe
Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
4 clementines (about 13 oz)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup erythritol + 1/2 cup granulated Splenda (OR) 1 cup granulated white sugar
2 1/4 cups of ground almond meal (or 9oz of almonds finely ground)
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Directions
Place the clementines in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer 1 1/2 hours, until very tender. Remove from water, then chop and remove seeds. Add the remaining boiled clementine (everything but the pits) to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line a springform baking pan (this is a sticky cake; you NEED a springform pan).

In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs for 5 minutes until very light and frothy. Add the sweetener or sugar, ground almonds, almond extract, salt, and baking powder and beat again for 5 more minutes until very light. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until set. Let cool in the pan, then unmold and serve.
Low Carb Note: Using the mix of sweeteners that I used, the cake works out to about 9g of net carbs per serving, which is fantastic. (The cake has 10 servings.)

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The Virgin Diet; She’s Not That Innocent

By Shayna Robinson, MSPT, PhD
CHICAGO–January is ripe with people trying to sell you something new; how to lose weight in 7 days by standing on your head and eating some obscure fruit one can only attain by trekking through the rain forest in some remote location. Most of these “new” diets have some sort of scientific-sounding “hook” or “secret” that is oftentimes just a re-branding or new packaging of older ideas. Enter The Virgin Diet.

J.J. Virgin–before you make a joke– is a health and fitness expert, and according to her website, “is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, a Certified Health and Fitness Instructor with advanced certifications in Nutrition, Personal Training and Aging and Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition.” She has been a diet and fitness adviser to a number of celebrities including Gene Simmons, Ben Stiller, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tracie Thoms, Janeane Garofalo, and Brandon Routh.

The “Hook”
The Virgin Diet claims that the weight gain is about inflammation; namely that certain foods interact with our system, stressing it to a point of hormonal release and fat storage. It claims eliminating certain foods, from 7 different groups, will alleviate these symptoms.

The Evidence
About a third of the general population believes that they have food allergies. Research shows that only about 5% actually do. Part of the problem is the confusion about the term food allergy, which is different from a food intolerance or food sensitivity:

  • A food allergy is a very specific immune response to a particular food protein. The immune system responds to exposure of that protein by producing an immunoglobulin called IgE. The body responds by releasing histamine which (depending on the severity of the response) causes itching, hives, difficulty breathing, wheeziness and possibly prophylaxis.
  • A food intolerance is when a specific enzyme necessary to digest a food is absent. This is the case with lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance (gluten-sensitive enteropathy). Symptoms can include GI upset, diarrhea or constipation, rash or nasal congestion. They are usually not life-threatening.
  • A food sensitivity is an unpleasant reaction to certain foods, such as getting heartburn, cramps or nausea after eating a particular food. You do not always get the same symptoms when the food is eaten.

It’s no surprise that the 7 foods that Virgin eliminates also happen to be those which are most likely to cause food allergies (peanuts, eggs) or intolerances (soy, dairy, gluten, corn, sugar). If you have a problem with a particular food, eliminating it from your diet will certainly help with the symptoms (like diarrhea or rashes) it is causing.

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Movember: Sex, Food, Exercise

Sex. When I write about sex, I get 25k hits. So you can imagine that I’m all for Movember–the month we focus on Men’s Health–mostly because we get to talk about sex and your prostate.But I’m also here to share the top 3 ways you can reduce your risk. Yes, we’ll talk about sex first…..

1) Ejaculation. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests ejaculation, through sexual intercourse or masturbation, can reduce your risk of prostate cancer and can keep your prostate in check. But not just any kind of sex or masturbation;

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Anti-Aging=Lycopene

Instead of going to Neiman’s and spending $200 on La Mer, consider eating The Perfect Fall Lunch: tandoori tomato soup with fresh cilantro. Great skin is born from the inside out. Lycopene–found in tomatoes–is 100x more potent than vitamin E at reversing cellular damage. And with all that paddle boarding, running and riding you did this summer, your skin is going to need all the help it can get.

“The Perfect Fall Lunch”

Tandoori Tomato Soup with Fresh Cilantro

Heat: 2 cups Trader Joe’s Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Add: 1 tbsp Tandoori Spice or more if you like spicy!

And…..Fresh Cilantro to taste

 

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Want this body? Eat This Food.

As I was thinking about the weekend, the first thing that pops to mind is the bachelorette party and that little dress I have to wear this weekend. To make my body look great I always follow this diet secret:

Watermelon. This week I ate an entire watermelon (which made up for 2-3 midweek meals from tues-thurs). I simply followed a clean diet (protein, veggies and light whole carbs) and then substitute 2-3 of my meals with watermelon. Usually my lunch and afternoon snack. It slims you down quickly because it’s mostly water and simple carbs packed into the fiber of the fruit. This means it regulates your blood sugar and metabolism really efficiently and the water and antioxidants protect against free radicals, aiding in reducing inflammation and making your skin look luminous.

Sweet, juicy watermelon is actually packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause a great deal of damage. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls, where it can lead to heart attack or stroke. They can add to the severity of asthma attacks by causing airways to clamp down and close. They can increase the inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause most of the joint damage that occurs in these conditions, and they can damage cells lining the colon, turning them into cancer cells. Fortunately, vitamin C and beta-carotene are very good at getting rid of these harmful molecules and can therefore prevent the damage they would otherwise cause. As a matter of fact, high intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.A cup of watermelon provides 21% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its carotenoids, 17% of the DV for vitamin A.

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