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Bone Up On Vitamin D

Bone Up On Vitamin D

Weak, fragile bones and susceptibility to fractures-these are some of the painful consequences of the debilitating bone disease, osteoporosis. Currently, 10 million people suffer from osteoporosis in the United States and another 34 million are at risk of developing the disease. The Surgeon General has named osteoporosis a national health threat and estimated that by 2020 one in two Americans over the age of 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis or low bone mass.


There are several risk factors associated with the development of osteoporosis, including inadequate levels of vitamin D, a nutrient essential to the body's absorption of calcium. Recent research has uncovered that over 70 percent of women over the age of 50 have low levels of vitamin D, and even women being treated for osteoporosis have low levels of the important vitamin. To address the need for greater awareness about low levels of vitamin D, Spirit of Women Hospital Network has teamed up with Dr. Marie Savard, an internationally recognized women's health expert, to launch a new vitamin D risk assessment.


"Patients are frequently unaware of the importance of vitamin D in bone health and may not know they have low levels of vitamin D. Given its effect on calcium absorption, vitamin D inadequacy is an important medical concern for women, especially those over 50 or those who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis," said Dr. Savard.


In 2005, The American Medical Women's Association issued recommendations that called for an increase in vitamin D to 800-1,000 IU daily. The risk assessment will enable women to actively address the adequacy of their vitamin D intake and will direct them toward a possible treatment option for osteoporosis to discuss with their doctors.


"Women today want to be on top of their health to ensure their mobility and independence for a lifetime. The vitamin D risk assessment will help women recognize risk factors for osteoporosis and empower them to make important decisions about their bone health," said Tanya Abreu, national director of Spirit of Women Hospital Network. "By spreading the word about the importance of vitamin D, we hope that women would recognize one of the risk factors for osteoporosis and take ACTION to prevent osteoporosis by talking to their doctors."

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How a Simple Detox Help With Weight Loss?

How a Simple Detox Help With Weight Loss?





Today’s refined diets, stressful lifestyles antibiotics or other health problems can deplete the body's natural store of these little miracle workers and upset the delicate balance. There are numerous other methods to detox your body, such as through herbal tea and supplements, in addition to specialized diets and spa programs. Body detox diets vary but typically involve eating or drinking nothing but raw, steamed or gently stir-fried vegetables and fruit, pulses, sprouted seeds, thin soups, juices and plain cereals such as brown rice, millet or buckwheat. Mediterranean diets are low on fat and carbohydrates and they provide us with healthy alternative to the oily food we consume every day.  







If you want a jump start, check out our one of our plans:

21-Day Plant-Based Meal Plan

3-Day Juice Cleanse FREE

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Are the health supplements safe?

Health supplements are now a common addition to our diet and in many situations, they are the only solution to our health problems. However the Internet is simply flooded by SPAM and pop-up advertisements promising a quick relief from various illnesses if only we take this or that, health diet supplement and they are treated more and more like some kind of wonder pills. On the other hand, the benefits and dangers of using them are more and more discussed among physicians. The use of various supplements in the bodybuilding process and the dangers of abusing them do not help.

The point is that health supplements really do work, but not for everybody and certainly they're not for every occasion.

Basically, dietary health supplements were originally developed to help people overcome their nutritional deficiencies. If for any reason, an individual is unable to follow a balanced diet, health supplements help them to keep your organism intact. However, in most cases when an individual eats healthy food (a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. For example), health supplements are no longer needed and taking them will have only little effect (and not always a positive one).  However, with the depleted soil and nutrition stripe from lots of fruits and veggies today, most people do need supplementation.


In short, health supplements are fine, but only as long as people use them for the reasons they were made for - to fight nutritional deficiencies.  Bodybuilding or the general need for feeling healthy is not good reasons for taking those pills (even herbal ones).  Our body is a delicate mechanism and we shouldn't tinker in it too much without a serious reason.

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Do I Really Need B-12?

The B-12 vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. Otherwise known as Cobalamin, the B-12 vitamin is needed for the processes to convert the carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy.  B-12 also, more importantly, helps keep the red blood cells healthy and therefore prevent heart disease as well as keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum level. In addition, B-12 is used to create the protective covering of all nerve cells in the body.

The most important function of B-12 is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need B-12 to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need B-12 to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need B-12 to form their protective fatty layer. This is essential for all of the nerves but is especially so for those in the brain. If there is not sufficient B-12 to create this protective layer then the brain will not be functioning properly. Vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with memory loss, especially in older adults.  The vitamin may play a role in preventing brain atrophy, which is the loss of neurons in the brain and often associated with memory loss or dementia.

Interestingly, the amount of B12 that the body needs is relatively small but is needed on a regular basis. However, B-12 on its own is not enough as the body cannot absorb it easily. To help the body absorb B-12 the stomach produces intrinsic factor which enables more of the B-12 to be absorbed.  B-12 is only found in animal foods such as liver, eggs, fish and meat but most people consume far more than their recommended daily amount of B-12. This is not a problem as the body can only absorb about half of the B-12 that is consumed. It is also worth noting that the body can recycle the B-12 which cuts down on the impact of a B-12 deficiency. However, strict vegetarians or vegans are likely to require B-12 supplements if they do not eat any animal products that contain B-12.


If the body does not have enough B-12 then anemia is the most obvious symptom. Obviously, this is due to the fact that there is not enough B-12 to make healthy red blood cells. Anemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the B-12 that is available in the food consumed. The body tends to makes less intrinsic factor once a person reaches 50 and this will lead to less B-12 being absorbed and supplements of B-12 may be required. Kids are also at risk from anemia because they may not eat the food that contains B-12. Pregnant women need more B-12 because the baby is absorbing B-12 during pregnancy to grow properly.


Who’s at risk of a Vitamin B12 deficiency? Those whose diet lacks adequate amounts of it or those whose body is unable to fully absorb it from the food you eat.  

  • Older adults
  • People on a strict vegan diet
  • Those who take metformin for blood sugar control
  • Those taking proton pump inhibitors for chronic heartburn


For more information or to purchase B-12, click here.

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The Health Benefits and Uses of Moringa Powder

The health benefits and uses of moringa powder, also known as drumstick or mallunggay powder.

Moringa powder is made from the dried leaves of the moringa oleifera, a drought-resistant tree native to warm climates around the world. This powder has been used as a natural medicine for thousands of years and has many health benefits. This is also known as “The miracle tree”.  This powder contains 46 types of antioxidants, over 92 nutrients and a host of anti-inflammatory compounds, making it one of the most powerful superfoods in the world.   So many benefits of moringa, but I’ll just name a few below:

  1. Destroy Free Radicals. The powerful antioxidants are extremely powerful in destroying free radicals in the bloodstream. This reduces oxidative stress and allows your body to heal from over 300 types of medical conditions.
  2. Regulating the hormone levels in the body, especially for post-menopausal women.
  3. Reduce the risk of heart problems. This plant prevents plaque from building up in the arteries.
  4. New studies are showing that moringa may also work as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, however, more research is required.  
  5. The rich iron content and Vitamin A fights anemia and is therefore recommended for those on a plant-based diet, such as vegans.

There are soooo many studies on this plant so, please do your research and decide for yourself whether adding this supplement to your diet would be worth it.  I do believe you will find it totally is.

Grab a bottle here:


In Health & Peace

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Chlorella the SUPERFOOD: 5 Reasons to Take Daily

Chlorella the SUPERFOOD: 5 Reasons to Take Daily

What is chlorella?  Chlorella is a green algae and green algae is the highest sources of chlorophyll in the world.

Chlorella containing over 60 different nutrients, lots of protein, in fact, more protein than that found in fish, chicken, and even beef. And Chlorella is 100 % absorbable compared to other sources of nutrients that are only be 20% absorbable— that means chlorella is amazing at getting nutrients into the body.

Not only is Chlorella is very rich in protein, it's also extremely rich in vitamins and minerals they probably make up about 10% of its fiber is about another five percent of it.  It's also as stated the world's highest source of chlorophyll and it has a lot of digestive enzymes in it as well.  Here are some of the other benefits chlorella:

  1. Detoxifying. Nutritionally supports detoxification.  This is a big one,  it not only detoxifies your body of heavy metals but also of any other toxins that you may find in it so this is extremely powerful and just naturally by having good detoxification in your body you're going to improve your digestion.
  2. Digestion. Chlorella contains lots of digestive enzymes, it’s unique fiber is great for the digestion.
  3. Immune System. Chlorella has incredible immune-building properties. It has large amounts of nucleic acids (RNA/DNA), which, along with amino acids (protein), are the building blocks of our cells.
  4. Alkaline. Chlorella is extremely alkaline,  because it contains chlorophyll and just due to the nature of it it's extremely alkalizing properties, it's going to help even out your body's natural ph levels as we become more toxic and more acidic in our day-to-day lives something like chlorella can help alkalize your body on.
  5. Normalize blood sugar and blood pressure levels. For anybody who has high blood pressure that runs in the family this is something that can be extremely powerful.

This is truly a SUPERFOOD!

Grab yours today:

In Health and Peace,

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Why You Should be Consuming Turmeric Daily?

Why You Should be Consuming Turmeric Daily?

There are over 6,000 clinical studies proving turmeric to be maybe the number one healing herb available today. This herb, which most of you can find probably in your own kitchen cabinet, has been used for over  5,000 years. It's used throughout Asia today, especially India and China. It's been found to be probably more beneficial than at least 20 different medications out there today.

The reason why turmeric is so beneficial is it contains an active compound called curcumin.  Curcumin or curcuminoids, which there are many different types, are highly anti-inflammatory.

 If you want to harness the benefits of turmeric, here are 5 benefits and reasons you should be adding to your diet today.

  1. Anti-inflammatory. Can help relieve pain. If you struggle with chronic joint pain, muscle pain, whether it’s fibromyalgia or arthritis, turmeric can help because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
  2. Balance blood sugar. If you have issues like diabetes or low energy levels, we know turmeric, because of its antioxidants, can help balance out those blood sugar levels
  3. Antimicrobial properties. In fact, you can use turmeric as a face mask. You can simply mix a little bit of turmeric with raw honey, rub it on your face, and then wash it off about five minutes later. It has incredible benefits of killing off different types of bacteria like acne.
  4. Aids in detoxification. It supports liver detoxification and boosting two antioxidants in your body called glutathione and SOD, that's superoxide dismutase. These are very important antioxidants for cellular function.
  5. Cleaning out your arteries. If you have high cholesterol issues or high blood pressure, turmeric is helpful for that. If you have a plaque in your arteries, turmeric and curcumin have been shown to be effective.

These are just a few of the benefits of turmeric. There are numerous other benefits. If you go throughout the medical literature, you'll see it's been shown to be beneficial for just about everything. The benefits of turmeric are numerous.  

So, how do you get more turmeric in your diet?

  1. Drink a turmeric tea every day. I take a tablespoon of turmeric with a little bit of nut milk, and sweetener and then make an herbal tea with it. Great nightcap.
  2. Add to recipes.  I love a good curry….Yumm, it’s also easy to add to your daily smoothie.
  3. Take turmeric in a capsule form. This is probably the easiest way to take turmeric. Taking about two capsules a day or 500 to 1000 milligrams a day is another great way to get some turmeric in your diet.Click here to purchase
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Is Your Gut Health Causing Weight Gain?

Is Your Gut Health Causing Weight Gain?

8 steps to a healthy gut, I know this is something so many people struggle with, which is digestive health.  So, how can you create a healthy digestion without supplementation?   

A healthy gut is key, when it comes to metabolism, weight loss, and health in general.  Here are 8 easy ways to get your gut heal back on track.


  1. Chew Your Food. Believe it or not, it's the least expensive, most effective way to boost your gut. Think about this. Now, listen, there's an enzyme in our saliva called ptyalin. You see, carbohydrates are a major challenge with digestion. That's why the low carb diet, the paleo diet, the maker's diet, the GAPS diet, it's all about reducing certain carbohydrates. Specific carbohydrate diet, specific carbohydrates. When you consume starches, the digestion begins in the mouth. So here's the tip. Chew every mouthful of food 50 to 75 times, my aunt always said 100. So chew your food. It will be one of the most important things you do for your gut
  2. Monomeals. So monomeals is a great way of really simplifying digestion. In order for your body to break down starch versus, let's say, a protein, your body has to produce very different enzymes, and it takes a different pH to break down these foods. This is a big principle within Chinese medicine. There are really two things that they follow when it comes to this. They believe in something called, monomeals.  They believe many of the enzymes in the food, they call it one pot not only because everything is in one pot, but because the food's become one. They believe it's easier to digest that way. It's almost like eating like a baby. When somebody's really sick and there are a lot of digestive issues, you want to almost go back to eating like a baby.  Now, I don't agree that combining fruits and vegetables is bad and meats, necessarily. But if you're seriously compromised, consuming monomeals can be great. So if you're someone who's really not feeling well, that's a great way to ease your body's burden and digest quickly.
  3. Fermented food. There are a lot of great fermented foods, first of all, but sauerkraut is amazing. Kimchi, pickled vegetables as they call it, are wonderful for the body. Pickled ginger is great. Wasabi is a fermented food. Miso is really good. Miso is fermented soybean paste, and so many people get hang up on, I don't even want to look at soy. Soy is not your enemy if you consume it in a fermented form, organic, and whole food. Then there's fermented beverages. Apple cider and coconut vinegars are really good. Kombucha is really good. Bottom line, consume more fermented foods. You know what else is fermented that people don't really talk about, olives.
  4. I believe blueberries are to the gut what cranberry is to the urinary tract. Now, blueberries are amazing. We know they have what? Antioxidants. The blue color comes from anthocyanins. Those are really great. Blueberries are good for the brain, but they're great for the gut because of the antioxidant-pectin combo. They have a pectin content and additional soluble fiber that helps carry waste out of the body. They’re great for heavy metal detoxification as well. Blueberries are one of the highest group sources of resveratrol.
  5. Essential oils. No surprise here, I don't think. It's peppermint oil. Peppermint oil has significant research on its ability to calm an angry gut. I think that qualifies for a great benefit. When I say angry, what do I mean? Peppermint oil can benefit your digestive track.  Peppermint tea or herbal infusion is good, but when you think of an angry gut, think of cooling peppermint. There are many other oils that are great for digestion too.
  6. Ginger is the spice of 100 uses as it relates to the gut. We're most likely to hear about ginger's benefits for nausea, particularly morning sickness. Ginger is really amazing. If you're looking for something to calm upper GI issues, a ginger infusion or a ginger tea, ginger syrups are wonderful. Ginger extract. I make an herbal decoction or infusion every day, and ginger is one of the key four spices in there. Ginger and turmeric are cousins, and we happen to love that family.
  7. A rebounder. A lot of people overlook certain aspects when it comes to their digestive health.  So 10 minutes twice a day, a mini trampoline helps to move the lymph, but it also helps to move the gut. If you really want to get your bowels moving, try this. Even our 6-year old loves it!
  8. Hydration, last but most important. You could say water, but it's hydration. A dehydrated gut is a gut that doesn't move. Think about the fecal matter that's sticking there and staying there. It's dehydrated. It sucks in water, and a dehydrated gut is a constipated, slow-moving gut. So consume more fluids, water, juices, fermented beverages, and juicy foods and fruits.


Now off to bettering your gut health!  Let us know what you decided to incorporate.


In Health & Peace

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Are You A Good Candidate For Weight Loss Surgery?

Are You A Good Candidate For Weight Loss Surgery?


It may be a case of having tried and tried again, only to find that you are getting nowhere, leading to understandable discouragement. This has led you to ask the question whether you would be a good candidate for weight loss surgery.

First, let’s look at the different types of weight loss surgery.

Gastric Bypass- this is by far the most common weight loss surgery; your doctor may also refer to it as RYGB. The basic idea is that the surgeon leaves you with just a small pouch of the stomach that cannot hold much food, meaning that you will eat less. Therefore, the food that you eat bypasses the rest of your stomach, instead of going from the pouch straight to the small intestine. It requires just several slight incisions and then a camera to monitor the progress inside.

Adjustable Gastric Band- the band is fitted around the top of your stomach, and it has a small balloon inside of it that will control how tight, or lose, it is. That band will limit how much food can go into your stomach.

Gastric Sleeve- after removing the majority of the stomach, the surgeon leaves a narrow section called a gastric sleeve, which is the upper area. It is indeed to curb the hunger hormone.

Duodenal Switch- perhaps the most complicated of the weight loss surgeries, it uses a gastric sleeve to bypass the small intestine and limits how much you can eat. The drawback, however, is that your body does not have the opportunity to absorb the nutrients from what food you are eating. This could lead to vitamin deficiencies.  

Electrical Implant- much like a pacemaker, it works by delivering electrical pulses to the vagus nerve, which is between the brain and the stomach. The vague nerve lets the brain know when the stomach is full.

As with any weight loss surgery, the only way for it to be truly effective is by eating a healthy and balanced diet.


Generally, weight loss occurs for up to 24 months after weight loss surgery. At that point, there are people that will regain some weight, but that will certainly not be the case for all.

Medical conditions related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure; often improve as people begin to lose substantial amounts of weight.

For those who have struggled with their weight their entire lives, have tried every diet possible and have lost weight only to regain what was lost and more over and over again find bariatric surgery to be an effective method of reaching a healthy weight and keeping it off.


As with any surgery, there are risks involved during the actual procedure itself. Following surgery, complications can also occur, including but not limited to:

Vomiting, nausea, bloating, increased gas, diarrhea, dizziness, and excessive sweating when eating too much.

Your doctor can explain in detail all the risks involved.

Requirements Before Surgery Is Approved

Not everybody is eligible for weight loss surgery; however, there are some qualifying requirements from the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery:

  • An obese adult (a BMI over 40, or between 35 and 39
  • An obesity-related condition, such as type 2 diabetes
  • Before Surgery Is Performed These Parameters Must Be Documented
  • You know and understand, the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery
  • You are prepared to adjust your diet once you have had the surgery
  • You are fully committed to adjusting your lifestyle to keep the weight off
  • Most HMO insurance plans require at least 6 months of nutritional counseling with a dietician or a nutritionist.
  • Many times if you are a smoker, you will be required to quit.

While teens are not typically accepted for weight loss surgery, if there is an extreme obesity problem (i.e. a body mass index of 35 or greater, which as an example would be a height of 5’6” and 220 pounds) in addition to a weight-related condition then it is possible for them to qualify for surgery, though all insurance carriers are different.

Technically, there is no guarantee that you will be approved even if you fulfill all the requirements above, as all insurance carrier is different.

If you are interested in weight loss surgery and feel that you meet these requirements, you should speak to your doctor about how to take the next steps.

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What You Can Do To Reduce Risks For Stroke

What You Can Do To Reduce Risks For Stroke

Stroke is a condition that falls under the umbrella of heart disease. Most people don’t realize that there are three kinds of stroke and that there are things you can do to reduce your risk of all kinds of stroke.  

The three major kinds of stroke include the following:

  • Thrombotic stroke - This is the type of stroke in which plaques build up on the arterial walls of the arteries leading to the brain. The plaques narrow the blood vessels and clots can form in the narrowed areas, causing a reduction in oxygen and blood flow to the brain stops.
  • Embolic stroke - This is the type of stroke in which there is a blood clot somewhere in the body (usually on a heart valve) that breaks off and travels through the bloodstream so that it cuts off the circulation to an area of the brain, resulting in a stroke.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke -  Rather than an area of the brain being without blood and oxygen, a blood vessel in the brain opens up, causing bleeding to occur within the brain. This can be due to areas of weakness in the blood vessels or to aneurysms in the brain that open up and bleed.

Stroke Statistics In The United States

  • There are 795,000 strokes every year
  • Someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds of each and every day in the US
  • Stroke is the leading reason for serious disability overall, and those who survive are often left with paralysis and speech impairment causing long-term disability, often requiring long-term care
  • After the age of 55 years old, the risk for stroke doubles every decade
  • Almost ¾ of all strokes occur in people age older than 65

(Data source: Internet Stroke Center)

Prevention Of Stroke

There are different ways to prevent a stroke depending on the type of stroke you are trying to prevent. There are some things you can do that prevent a certain type of stroke but that has the potential to worsen another type of stroke.

The following are some things you can do to prevent a stroke:

  • Maintain a normal blood pressure - This holds true for all kinds of stroke. If your blood pressure is too high, it contributes to arterial spasm and increases the risk of thrombotic stroke. If the blood pressure is too high, it can push the blood clot in the heart from the heart valve into the circulatory system of the brain, resulting in an embolic stroke. In a completely different way, high blood pressure can cause hemorrhagic strokes. If there is a weakness in the walls of any part of the brain’s circulatory system, high blood pressure can cause that weak area to open up, resulting in the kind of bleeding you see in a hemorrhagic stroke.
  • Maintain a normal cholesterol - Cholesterol is what makes up part of the plaques that contribute to getting a thrombotic stroke. If you maintain a good level of cholesterol, the plaques don’t build up so much and the chance that a blood clot can form in the arteries is much less. You can keep a good cholesterol level by eating food that is low in cholesterol or by taking medications designed to lower the cholesterol level.  
  • Stop smoking - Smoking has the potential to raise your blood pressure, increasing the risk of all kinds of strokes. Smoking also contributes to plaque formation in the walls of the blood vessels so that the risk of thrombotic stroke increases. The longer you smoke, the greater is the risk of developing all kinds of heart disease, including that of thrombotic stroke.
  • Take a baby aspirin - Baby aspirin is a commonly used medication used to prevent the recurrence of a heart attack in a patient who has already had a heart attack. Aspirin is a platelet inhibitor, which means that it blocks platelets from sticking together and forming a blood clot. This same phenomenon can work in the prevention of both thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes. If the platelets cannot form a blood clot, it will prevent a blood clot from forming on a heart valve so that it can’t travel to an area of the brain, leading to an embolic stroke. In the same way, when platelets are blocked from forming a clot inside a narrowed area of the blood vessels leading to the brain, this thwarts the onset of a thrombotic stroke.

Living a healthy lifestyle so that the blood pressure is reduced, smoking is not a problem, and cholesterol is kept within normal levels will go a long way toward reducing the incidence of all kinds of strokes.

If you are concerned about stroke, or any type of heart disease it is a great idea to see your doctor and get a full physical and relevant screenings to be sure that there is not more than that you can do to ensure you remain in optimal health.

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