What's up with the Caveman talk?

The Caveman diet, also known at Paleolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet, or stone-age diet, is a dietary regime based on the idea you should consume only what our Paleolithic ancestors did.   My patient's know it as the Duke University Medical Center Lifestyle Diet.   Agriculturally-developed plants such as grains and fruit orchards  have only been around for 10,000 years, so proponents of the diet believe our physical systems are not suited for this “modern” diet. If you want to be a strong, lean warrior like your Paleolithic ancestors, than you should be eating a diet comprised of non-starchy vegetables, lean meat, and fish.  I've said this before, The Nu Beginnings Program is not a weight loss diet but a lifestyle regimen, although if you are carrying extra fat, you will lose this by following this program and eventually reach your ideal body weight whatever that may be. 

So, What did they eat again?

Again, non-starchy vegetables, lean meat,  fish, nuts, berries. And no calorie counting, no measuring, they just ate as much as they wanted and stopped when they were full.

What didn’t these old school ancestors of ours eat?

Obviously pre-packaged, mass-produced foods, but also salt, sugar, dairy, grains, legumes, beans, and Twinkies.

Sure, Twinkies are bad, but whole grains and beans are healthy, yes?

Grains, legumes, and beans were not cultivated in the 2.5 million years our ancestors roamed the world, not until the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago, so by caveman standards, they don’t make the cut. But that’s not the whole of it. These plants might not be as healthy as we think. Grains, beans, and legumes need to be either soaked, boiled, or baked before being rendered edible, and are actually poisonous in their raw states. Even with boiling, we still experience some of the toxic effects after eating a big bean burrito, and wheat and gluten allergies and Celiac disease also seem to suggest we might not be wholly suited to consume these.

Poisonous? Serious. 

These plants coat their grains, beans or legumes with a toxin to discourage predators from eating them. Most of this is neutralized by cooking, but not all, and some individuals are more susceptible than others to the effects of the remaining chemicals. These plants also contain what are known as “antinutrients,” substances known to interfere with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

But dairy is healthy, just look at those Got Milk? commercials. 

Consumption of milk is also wrought with a history of allergies and health problems, from lactose intolerance to glucose intolerance. Entire modern races are lactose intolerant, not just a few wimps here or there who can’t handle their tall cold froth.  Dairy also is loaded with a high insulin index.

Yours in Health!

Dr W

Get Outside and Play! Yes...Even in the Dallas Summer

Play is extremely important and play is NOT just for children.  Even without kids of your own, playing is something we all need to make time for.  What does play do?  Play is a natural part of our existence and playing reminds us that life should be enjoyed and having our noses constantly to the grindstone does not produce the quality of life that we all are striving for.

What does play need to look like?  Whatever you want it to! Be silly, dance, summersault, jump, leap, throw, swing, climb, live! Do not treat play like exercise but like a game – and a way to express yourself and you will accidentally end up getting in a workout without even knowing it.

Next time you find yourself at the playground with your kids, leave your phone in your car and your worries at the gate and really play with your children.  Do not feel inhibited by what others might think about you because honestly, who really cares – most likely others will be jealous of what an awesome parent you are for paying so much attention to your little ones, and you might inspire other families to play!  Suggest an activity for your kids to try that is challenging, fun and new; show them how to do it, and then do that activity with them and make it fun – remember this is PLAY!  It’s so great for your kiddos to see you in action.  Leading by example is the best way to instill the importance of having an active lifestyle.

Challenge yourself by getting outside of your comfort zone.  When was the last time you attempted to swing on the monkey bars?  Do you remember how freeing and fun it felt to simply play a game of tag?  Go for it, don’t hold back, and let yourself just be in the moment.  You will develop a new relationship with yourself and your loved ones that will make your family bond stronger and your life more complete.  Play is therapeutic, essential, and downright fun.

Have a wrestling match with your significant other.  Yes, it sounds silly, but that’s how play should be.  Get some sidewalk chalk out and make a giant game of hopscotch and practice your jumping and balancing all while having a great time outdoors.

I've asked this before, Are you  INSPIRED, ELATED and ALIVE????

Dr W

Stop The Insanity With Weight Loss.

Five simple steps to health and proper eating;
1.The calorie theory is wrong.It is NOT as simple as Energy In/Energy Out
2.The current diet advice is the cause of the global obesity epidemic.
3.The ONLY way to lose weight is to work with your body NOT against it.
4.Weight gain and loss also depends far more on carbs consumed, than calories, or fat consumed.
5.Overweight people are not greedy, weak-willed or in need of a psychiatrist. They are victims of the wrong advice.

Take a look at this picture. Absolutely incredible changes happen within your body with fat loss. It's not just about your waistline...  Call us @ 469 727 7246.  We can get you started on your journey.  

Train Like A Caveman

When it’s workout time at Nu Beginnings Dallas, out comes the boulder, club and loin cloth. Ok, maybe Dr W is embellishing a little but if you are looking for a bike or tradmill you've arrived at the wrong office (Yes, we do normal physical therapy with the expected equipment but for weight/fat loss it is very different).   

Nu Beginnings mimics our ancestral (caveman) regimen replacing contemporary "working out" withreal-life movements that our Paleolithic ancestors used to survive: pushing, pulling, lifting, squatting, bending, walking and the occasional high-intensity sprint.  

As a current patient stated the other day. "I feel like if I went back to a regular gym, I wouldn’t see these kinds of results and I’d get burned out," she said

Ancestral exercise, which for Nu Beginnings patients includes a diet component heavy on meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables and forsaking dairy and grain, slowly has crept into the mainstream in recent years.  I  just recently posted a video from NBC here on this facebook page. 

When humans began planting crops and building societies after nearly 2 million years of hunting and gathering, we betrayed our genetic dispositions. And as technology has improved — from elevators to email — we’ve only done ourselves a greater disservice by becoming more sedentary. We’ve made up for it with a misguided exercise industry focused on marketing rather than health.

Forget Cardio.  Toss the treadmill. Ditch the recumbant bike.  Use the elliptical as a clothes rack.

Instead, do as our Paleolithic ancestors did: walk. At least one to three miles a day, plus maintaining a low level of activity throughout the day.

We were born to walk, migrate, climb, forage — all these things that are low-level aerobic activities.  We were not born to be carbohydrate-munching sugar burners.

Ancestral exercise also places emphasis on short bursts of weight-bearing intensity, however, such as pushing a weighted sled or pounding a tire with a sledgehammer. The most dedicated adherents create backyard gyms that can involve carrying rocks, lifting tree branches and using "adult monkey bars" for chin-ups, climbing and dips.

At Nu Beginnings Dallas, little emphasis is put on classic cardio work. Dr Wagle believes in the movements of the past and anything that fits biomechanically with what we do as human beings.  Want to get super strong and lean...ditch the treadmill!

Train Like A Caveman!!!

Exercise is Medicine.

Exercise is Medicine.  Fact.

I actually view exercise as a drug with regard to being properly prescribed and having proper dosage,  And it's one that you can readily substitute for some of the most common drugs used today for things like diabetes, heart disease and depression.  All of these conditions will improve with exercise and with the help of an experienced team like Nu Beginnings.

Nearly one in four people in the US have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, 35% are overweight and it is my experience that most of them could be reversed with the appropriate diet and exercise regimen -- exercise being the crucial key.

How Exercise Changes Your Biochemistry

In a study, the researchers measured the biochemical changes that occur during exercise, and found alterations in more than 20 different metabolites. Some of these compounds help you burn calories and fat, while others help stabilize your blood sugar, among other things.

Essentially, being of a healthy weight and exercising regularly creates a healthy feedback loop that optimizes and helps maintain healthy glucose and insulin levels through optimization of insulin receptor sensitivity.

And as I've explained on countless occasions, normalizing your insulin levels is the most important factor for optimizing your overall health and preventing disease of all kinds, from diabetes, to heart disease, to cancer, and everything in between.

It runs neck and neck with vitamin D3 as the two most important physical elements that you can do to improve your health.

This is also good news for those who are out of shape or overweight, because although it may take a little longer for you to correct your biochemistry, this same positive feedback loop will continue to create ever increasing health benefits as you persist and get fitter and leaner.

Best of all, just 10 minutes of BRISK exercise led to beneficial biochemical changes that were still measurable an hour later. And this is where what I have to say next comes into play.

Increase Your Exercise Benefits by Ditching Traditional Aerobic Cardio

Walk into any gym and you'll see most of the people crowding around the aerobics equipment, but there's actually a way to exercise that is FAR more effective than aerobic exercises like walking or running on a treadmill or elliptical machine for an hour, and it's called high intensity interval training (HIIT) that we personally tailor and prescribe in the clinic with the Nu Beginnings program.

It has been my personal experience that using this approach is far more effective than traditional cardio for a number of reasons that I will describe below. I was able to use this to help me lose over ten pounds of body fat and get my percent body fat down to 20% (yep, I know I have a ways to go…) , but my goal is single digits.

Exercise to Increase Your Levels of the "Fitness Hormone"

One of the major reasons I am so enthusiastic about HIIT is that it can actually increase your growth hormone level.

Yes, I realize that many athletes are injecting this illegally to achieve fitness, but it is expensive and fraught with side effects.

HIIT, on the other hand, can actually cause your growth hormone to increase naturally, without any of the expense or side effects.

In order to better grasp the benefits of HIIT, you first need to understand that you have three different types of muscle fibers: slow, fast, and super-fast. And only ONE of these muscles will impact your production of a vital hormone called HGH, or human growth hormone, which is KEY for strength, health and longevity.

Currently, the vast majority of people, including many athletes such as marathon runners, only train using their slow muscle fibers, which has the unfortunate effect of actually causing the super fast fibers to decrease or atrophy.

In fact, neither traditionally performed aerobic cardio nor strength training will work anything but your slow muscles. These are the red muscles, which are filled with capillaries and mitochondria, and hence a lot of oxygen.

Next you have the fast type of fiber which is also red muscle, and oxygenates quickly, but is five times faster than the slow fibers. Power training, or plyometrics burst types of exercises will engage these fast muscles.

The super-fast ones are the white muscle fibers. They contain far less blood and less densely packed mitochondria. These muscle fibers are what you use when you do anaerobic short burst exercises.

High intensity burst training is the form of exercise that will engage these super fast fibers. They're ten times faster than slow fibers, and this is the key to producing growth hormone!

As you reach your 30s and beyond, you enter what's called "somatopause," when your levels of HGH begin to drop off quite dramatically. This is part of what drives your aging process.

It has been my experience that nearly everyone over 30 has dramatically abnormal levels of this important hormone because they begin leading increasingly more sedentary life styles. 

Children and most animals in the wild do not run marathons or lift weights, they move at high speeds for very short periods of time and then rest. This is natural and what optimizes the production of growth hormone.

The higher your levels of growth hormone, the healthier and stronger you're going to be. And the longer you can keep your body producing higher levels of HGH, the longer you will experience robust health and strength.

Benefits of HIIT

Once you regularly participate in these 25 minute exercises about twice a week (exactly what we do in the Nu Beginnings program), most people notice the following benefits:

• Lowers your body fat
• Dramatically improves muscle tone
• Firms your skin and reduces wrinkles
• Boosts your energy and sexual desire
• Improves athletic speed and performance
• Allows you to achieve your fitness goals much faster

Dietary Recommendations to Maximize Growth Hormone Release

To maximize your growth hormone release you need to:

• Get a good night's sleep
• Avoid a high fat meal prior to exercising
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat healthy carbs (think vegetables) and high quality protein
• Optimize your vitamin D levels
• Avoid sugar, especially fructose

The last part is absolutely crucial.

If you consume sugar or fructose, especially within two hours post-exercise, you will increase somatostatin which will in turn obliterate the production of growth hormone!

This is yet another example of why gulping down sports drinks that are chockfull of high fructose corn syrup can do your body more harm than good, and will just shut down your body's production of HGH and negate many of the benefits from your exercise.

Dr Wagle's Six Rules for Injury Prevention

Dr Wagle's Six Rules for Injury Prevention: Injuries used to be an inevitable side effect of exercise. No longer! Learn and adopt these rules and you will never get injured again.
1. Be Balanced; Almost everyone has muscle imbalances when a muscle on one side of a joint becomes too tight while the muscle on the opposite side gets weak. It can be corrected. Focus on stretching muscles that are overactive and strengthen the muscles that are under-active. This week, I will be posting a "DIY" to fix and cure these imbalances.
2. Take the time to recover; Most overuse injuries are a failure to recover from the stress and inflammation of exercise. I personally do ice baths and it makes a huge difference. My patients know I'm a ice fanatic that accelerates muscle repair, reduces oedema, inflammation and improves performance the next day.
3. Practice before you play; Weekend Warriors...I could write a book about you. Here is my advise. Stay active all the time. Minimize unaccustomed exertion until your body is conditioned. Use a program like Nu Beginnings to become lean, strong and flexible so BBall with the guys doesn't land you flat on your back.
4. Know when to call it quits; Know your limits. Seriously. MOST INJURIES ARE PRECEDED BY WARNING SIGNS. Listen to your body. It's smarter than I am.
5. Invest in equipment that fits; Poor shoes, poor exercise equipment causes problems. Fact.
6. Warm up with dynamic moves; NOT FAN OF STATIC STRETCHES. Outdated crap. Stretch like we teach you in the clinic. Dynamic, ballistic, balancing movements prepare your body for the hunt and battle. This is how we were designed so we are properly warmed up with blood pumping movements that increase the body's temperature.

Let's keep the injuries down and prevent costly treatment. Share this with your friends.

Eat Like A Caveman?

The Nu Beginnings program recommends a diet that is actually 60,000-100,000 years old. It is called the Paleolithic, or Caveman diet. Simply, if you can hunt it, fish it, pull it off of a tree or out of the ground, then you can eat it. Simple as that. This is how we ate thousands of years ago and how we have evolved to eat and should be eating now. Back in Paleolithic times there were no processed foods or food manufacturers. Another basic recommendation is, eat what you are. We are primarily composed of protein and fat and very little carbohydrate. We don’t need to spend millions of dollars to figure that out.

On this diet, if it comes in a package, box, bag or can, or if it is passed to you through a window, it’s off the menu. If it’s a plant, you can eat it; if it’s made in a plant, forget it. Paleolithic man pretty much ate at home and did not go “out” to eat three to five times per week. Other requirements of this diet include the elimination of grains, milkand legumes (I can hear the groans now).

There is a clear and significant difference in our ancestral hunter-gatherer (HG) population versus our agriculturalist population. Ancestral skeletal remains demonstrate that HG’s had fewer cavities, less bone malformations consistent with malnutrition and infection, little to no signs of mineral deficiency and a longer lifespan. The anthropological record so clearly demonstrates the health differences between the HG population and the agriculturalist population that it is striking this connection is only now coming to light.

We are nearly genetically identical to our early homo sapien ancestors from 100,000-200,000 years ago, and our dietary habits should reflect this. Grains were not a part of our diet then and really shouldn’t be now. There is much scientific literature demonstrating the harmful effects of grains and their nutrient value is not on par with what most people think or are told. Look up the nutrient profile of grains on the USDA nutrient database website and you’ll be in for a surprise. “Whole grains” are digested more slowly than refined grains but they’re still grains and potentially even worse for you. I would recommend you read the book, “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis to gain more insight into this topic. The elimination of grains from the diet will result in weight loss and often correction of many medical problems that otherwise have not resolved despite optimal medical treatment.

Other food groups that would also be eliminated from a Paleolithic diet would be milk and legumes. What other animal consumes the milk of another animal its entire life? This does not even consider the hormones used and the less than optimal way dairy cattle are raised. Legumes have many of the similar problems that grains do. Grains, dairy and legumes all contain gut-irritating proteins, antinutrients and enzyme inhibitors. Anything that is damaging to the gut can lead to systemic illness, much of which we are currently seeing an increase in America.

A Paleolithic diet consists primarily of whole foods, animal protein — preferably from grass-fed and wild-caught species — fruits in limited amounts, nuts and good oils (olive, fish and coconut oil). Elimination of vegetable oils such as canola, corn, soybean and safflower oil is imperative as these omega-6 oils lead to systemic inflammation, one of the root causes of all illness. Trans fats (hydrogenated oils) are absolutely off limits.

The Paleolithic diet decreases carbohydrate intake and increases fat intake. Fat has been vilified for years as the primary cause of obesity and heart disease, neither of which is true. There are many societies, such as the Inuits (Eskimos) and the Masai (Kenya), which consume approximately 60 percent or more of their diet as fat, and in these cultures, heart disease is nearly non-existent. Carbohydrates are a big stimulus of heart disease as they are responsible for the formation of small particle LDL, which is associated with heart disease. The LDL that fat produces is large particle LDL and is not involved in the development of plaque as small particle LDL is.

The advantage of the Paleo diet is that it controls and diminishes the release of insulin. High insulin levels promote aging and play a large role in many of the chronic degenerative diseases of aging, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Diabetes is rampant and only growing worse. Restriction of carbohydrate intake and utilization of fats and protein for energy has a positive effect on many bodily systems. It is carbohydrates that are driving our disease-ridden society and the more they are appropriately restricted, the healthier we all will be. Control carbs and you control insulin. Control insulin and you will help control inflammation, thereby taking a huge step in living a healthy life.

I encourage you to explore these topics further by calling for an appointment and being an active participant on the Nu Beginnings Facebook page.  Our destiny is not dictated by our genes but by how we influence them with the daily lifestyle choices we make

Yours in Health,

Dr Wagle

Facebook. Why Yes!

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http://www.facebook.com/NuBeginningsDallas?sk=info

Elated. Inspired. Alive.

Elated. Inspired. Alive.

I know you.  I have met you.  I listened to you.  I offered you a tissue as you cried in my exam room and told me your body is a mess and your life is falling apart.  Lost, scared, ready to change but unsure if you have the personal constitution to make a change.

So what does it really take to step away from what’s familiar, yet unfulfilling?  How do some people make the leap from a life that feels comfortable, though uninspiring, to a purpose driven day that begins with the feelings of Elation,

Inspiration and a sense of being Alive...not "just making it through the day"

I call them The Six C’s.  An important set of guidelines that I have personally used that keeps me purpose driven;

Clarity

By far, the most important principle to master is clarity. Without this, it’s impossible to move forward in life.

Clarity means having a thorough understanding of who you are and what you really want in your life. It means knowing your values and the unique gifts and talents you possess. It means understanding your true purpose here on earth.

Courage

There’s no question that it takes courage to make major changes in your life. No matter what, someone is always going to be disappointed, critical or unsupportive of your decision to make a change. Your decisions will send shock waves into the foundation of other’s people’s lives and will force them to question themselves. Their own discomfort will cause them to discourage you from making any changes that will continue to affect them.

Courage is a combination of desire and faith. Once you know what it is you desire, you must have faith that it is worthwhile and you can achieve it—if it’s important enough to you.  My patients hear me say all the time; faith, confidence and belief.

Creativity

Wanting things to change for the better in your life, having that desire; is the first critical step, but it takes creativity to figure out your path to achieving that better life.

You can look at what others have done before you and decide if any of their paths make sense for you, but if not, there is a new path, an uncharted path, waiting to be carved out by you.

It requires creativity to decide where to step and which tools you will need as you forge this new path toward happiness and success.

Connections

Very few people can successfully navigate a major life change without developing new and meaningful relationships with other people. Whether it’s a mentor, a friend or a physician who is your advocate, they should spark a great new idea and life journey.

Commitment

Things don’t always work out perfectly the first time. The fruits of your labour may not be apparent immediately. The people who succeed in making positive changes are the ones who are committed, and push through the difficult times.  If you’ve chosen to make a major change, chances are you gave it considerable thought beforehand. Stay focused and stay committed once that decision is made, and honor where the decision arose from and the process you followed to make it.

Celebration

You need to celebrate yourself for the victories you make along the way. Rather than wait until you’ve achieved your entire vision to reward yourself, it’s important to set small, achievable goals and celebrate them throughout the journey.  Instead of focusing on the gap between where you are currently and where you ultimately want to be, spend some time focusing on the gap between where you started and where you are now. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, but focus on what you’ve accomplished already and celebrate yourself enthusiastically and frequently. This makes the journey more fun.  After all, it’s really celebrating and being grateful for the journey that’s important, right?

The above can help you.  It takes time, practice and a real desire to better oneself.  As always, I wish all my patients, courageous or scared, all the greatest happiness and success your heart desires.  I am Elated, Inspired and Alive.  Are you?

Dr Wagle

P U T D O W N the soda...It's killing you!

I’m not kidding.  If you are a current patient, you know my stance on soda.  According to the latest statistics, new cases of diabetes have increased by 90 percent in the last 10 years, and diabetes or pre-diabetes now strikes one in four Americans. Those are absolutely astounding statistics to say the least.

There’s no doubt in my mind that one of the primary fuels for this epidemic is the excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Several studies over the past few years have also come to this conclusion. 

Scientists have clearly linked the rising HFCS consumption to the epidemics of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the U.S., and medical researchers have pinpointed various health dangers associated with the consumption of HFCS compared to regular sugar.

Despite all the evidence, the industry persists in claiming these findings are untrue, arguing that HFCS is the same as sugar. Their campaign also relies on nutritional research, but it should be noted that the funding for many of the major studies in question came from companies with a financial stake in the outcome.

Reminds me quite a bit of the tobacco lobby’s consistent denial that smoking causes lung cancer until they had no choice but to admit it.

How Much High Fructose Corn Syrup is in Your Diet?

The obesity and diabetes epidemics are no surprise when you consider the fact that the number one source of calories in America is high fructose corn syrup in soda.

There are about 40 grams of HFCS per can – more than the American Medical Association’s recommended daily maximum for ALL caloric sweeteners. And that’s without adding in all the corn syrup now found in every type of processed, pre-packaged food you can think of.

In fact, the use of high fructose corn syrup in the U.S. diet increased a staggering 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005, according to the latest USDA Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food Consumption report. That too is no major surprise considering that processed foods account for more than 90 percent of the money Americans spend on their meals. 

All in all, according to the USDA’s report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars – the majority of which comes from high fructose corn syrup.

This is an absolute prescription for disaster. Is it any wonder that we are suffering epidemics of chronic diseases that are contributing to the economic collapse, as they require expensive drug and surgical solutions that only treat the symptoms, but do nothing to address the cause of the disease?

Why High Fructose Corn Syrup IS Worse For You than Sugar

If you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, fructose is one type of sugar you’ll want to avoid, particularly in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. 

Part of what makes HFCS such a dangerous sweetener is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and lead author of a study on fructose, published in the Journal of Nutrition just last year:

"Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose. Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it's hard to slow it down. The bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in your body."

This occurs because most fats are formed in your liver, and when sugar enters your liver, it decides whether to store it, burn it or turn it into fat. Fructose, however, bypasses this process and simply turns into fat.

Additionally, there’s hard empirical evidence showing that refined man-made fructose like HFCS metabolizes to triglycerides and adipose tissue, not blood glucose. And one of the most thorough scientific analyses published to date on this topic found that fructose consumption leads to decreased signaling to your central nervous system from the hormones leptin and insulin.

Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat, as well as your body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased food intake and weight gain.

Decreased insulin and leptin signaling is also a main cause of diabetes and a host of other obesity-related conditions.

How HFCS Contributes to Diabetes

In addition to everything already mentioned -- including these latest findings that HFCS consumption can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, followed by hepatic insulin resistance and then type 2 diabetes -- research reported at the 2007 national meeting of the American Chemical Society, found evidence that soft drinks sweetened with HFCS may contribute to the development of diabetes because it contains high levels of reactive compounds that trigger cell and tissue damage that cause diabetes.

Chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS were found to have ‘astonishingly high’ levels of reactive carbonyls. Reactive carbonyls are undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules, and are believed to cause tissue damage.

By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar because its fructose and glucose components are “bound” and chemically stable.

Reactive carbonyls are elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and are linked to the health complications of diabetes. It is estimated that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls than the concentration found in the blood of an adult person with diabetes.  

How HFCS Contributes to Heart Disease

HFCS is also known to significantly raise your triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol). Triglycerides, the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body, are not something you want in excess amounts. 

Intense research over the past 40 years has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

How You Can Drastically Improve Your Overall Health

If you want to drastically improve your health, the answer is quite simple. To lose weight and reduce your risk of developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease, STOP drinking soda and processed fruit juices. Switch to pure water as your beverage of choice and you will be well on your way to better health.

A Healthy 2011 in 10 Steps

My Top Lifestyle Recommendations for a Healthy 2011

The start of a new year is always a good time to evaluate your past mistakes and make a fresh start. So if you haven’t been leading the type of lifestyle you’d like to be, I give you permission to wipe the slate clean right now.

Today is a new day, and today can be the day you start leading a lifestyle of health and wellness. With that in mind, here are my top recommendations to make 2011 your healthiest year yet.

1. Learn How to Effectively Cope With Stress

In my past experience treating patients with serious chronic illnesses, the vast majority have previous emotional stress that contributed to their problem. And for most of the serious illnesses, the trauma stems back to their childhood.

But according to at least one recent study, it doesn’t take serious trauma to cause these changes. Even normal “everyday” emotional experiences can have a detrimental impact on your future health.

Meditation, prayer, physical activity and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium. 

2. Get Optimal Exposure to Sunlight

Vitamin D, often referred to as “the sunshine vitamin,” is different from other vitamins in that it influences your entire body. Vitamin D receptors have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones, so its power to optimize your health is truly great.

Please remember that vitamin D will optimize over 2,000-3,000 genes in your body or 10 percent of your total genes!

Studies have shown you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF and lower your risk of many other common diseases simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure.

3. Eat a Healthy Diet That’s Right for Your Nutritional Type

Natural whole foods, is your first step toward increasing your chances of living a longer, healthier life.  A drastic reduction of grains and sugar in your diet, while focusing on the foods that are right for your unique biochemistry.

4. Eat Plenty of Raw Food

One of the most important aspects of a healthy diet that is most frequently overlooked is the issue of eating your food uncooked, in its natural raw state.

Unfortunately, as you may be aware, over 90 percent of the food purchased by Americans is processed. And when you’re consuming these kinds of denatured and chemically altered foods, it’s no surprise we have an epidemic of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Ideally you’ll want to eat as many foods as possible in their unprocessed state; typically organic, biodynamic foods that have been grown locally, and are therefore in season.

But even when you choose the best foods available you can destroy most of the nutrition if you cook them. I believe it’s really wise to strive to get as much raw food in your diet as possible. 

5. Optimize Your Insulin and Leptin Levels

Eating sugar and grains will increase your insulin level, which is one of the fastest ways to premature aging. Leptin is another heavyweight hormone associated with the aging process.

Like your insulin levels, if your leptin levels become elevated, your body systems will develop a resistance to this hormone, which will wreak havoc in your body.

6. Exercise

The benefits of exercise are staggering, and if you think you can achieve or maintain optimal health without it, you’re deceiving yourself. For example, it helps you to:

• Sleep better
• Lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight, depending on your needs
• Improve your resistance to fight infections
• Lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
• Help your brain work better, making you smarter

7. Consume Healthy Fat

The science is loud and clear on this point: omega-3 fats are essential for optimal health.

The omega-3 found naturally in fish and seafood is high in two fatty acids crucial to human health, DHA and EPA. These two fatty acids are pivotal in preventing heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases. Your brain is also highly dependent on DHA -- low DHA levels have been linked to depression, schizophrenia, memory loss, and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Unfortunately most fish commercially available today (even wild-caught varieties) are polluted with mercury, PCBs and other toxic substances, which is why I recommend you take a supplement like krill oil or flax seed oil instead of getting it from your food.

8. Limit Your Exposure to Toxins

The number of toxic chemicals and their sources is so large, addressing them all could easily require an entire library, but I believe you can help you keep your toxic load as low as possible by becoming an informed and vigilant consumer.

This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.

9. Make Pure Water Your Primary Beverage

Every day your body loses water through urine and sweat, and needs to be replenished. You can actually survive without food for months, but without water you’d die after a few days, so needless to say, water is absolutely essential to life.

You can easily tell what your water requirement is by using your thirst and the color of your urine as guides. Your urine should be a very light-colored yellow. If it is a deep, dark yellow then you are likely not drinking enough water.

Further, if you are healthy, then drinking whenever you feel thirsty should be an adequate guide of how much water you need. You can confirm that you are drinking enough water by looking at the color of your urine, as mentioned above.

As for obtaining clean, pure water, installing a water filter in your home is your best bet. 

10. Get Plenty of Quality Sleep

Scientists have discovered that your circadian rhythms regulate the energy levels in your cells. In addition, the proteins involved with your circadian rhythm and metabolism are intrinsically linked and dependent upon each other.

Therefore, when your circadian rhythm is disrupted, it can have a profound influence on your physical health. For example, research has also linked disrupted sleep cycles to serious health problems like depression, coronary heart diseases, and even cancer.