Digestion and Diabetes: The Relationship That May be Damaging Your Inner Miracle Worker

Have you ever wondered what really happens inside your body after you eat?

It’s a complicated process that involves muscles, organs, hormones, enzymes, acids and a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

I am really glad that my conscious mind doesn’t need to get involved to make it happen… it just happens.

Imagine if half way through digesting my food I got distracted by a phone call? The food would likely just sit there until my next meal as I’d be apt to forget I was digesting and move on to other more exciting tasks.

There’s an Inner Miracle Worker Inside You

Your body is a miracle, and it handles all those things behind the scenes so you don’t have to be involved on a conscious level. It’s like having the world’s best personal assistant doing everything you need before you even know you need it.

It all runs smoothly and like clockwork… if you take care of yourself.

When you feed yourself the right fuel, move, sail through the day with joy and ease, and sleep well at night your “personal assistant” inside keeps things running well, so you feel energetic, clear, focused and full of life.

Ideas pop up and you’re able to run with them and create the life of your dreams. You look great. Your tummy is flat, your muscles are toned and strong, and YOU are unstoppable. You are unlimited.

But What If Your Inner Miracle Worker is Run-Down and Ragged?

If what I just described is not your life, then listen up.

It’s not your fault.
It’s not that you’re lazy or unmotivated.

It’s because you learned habits early on that caused you to make choices that basically poison your “feel good” mechanisms.

You were fed processed foods from early in childhood, even just out of the womb in some cases. The processed foods cannot come close to providing the nutrition offered by their fresh counterparts. “Made by nature” is always better than “made by machine”.

The processed foods early on interfered with your body’s ability to choose the foods that nourish your cells rather than excite your taste buds and drain your energy.

By the time you were six, chances are good that you had been on multiple courses of antibiotics and maybe had even begun to put on some excess weight. Like me, you were most likely addicted to foods like M&Ms, Cheetos, cookies, and soft drinks.

If so, you no longer were accessing the inner wisdom that guides you to eat, drink, and move in ways that bring balance.

Fast forward to today.

Perhaps the extra weight is your biggest concern. Maybe it’s your fear of life altering illnesses like heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Or it might be your lack of energy and your inability to really enjoy things the way you used to.

Whatever it is you are striving for in your life, without your health the path will be obscure.

Are You Eating Yourself Sick?

So getting back to digestion…

When you’re out of balance, missing key nutrients, have eaten foods or engaged in activities that disrupt normal intestinal and hormone function, it’s as if you’re in charge and get distracted by a phone call.

Digestive enzymes become deficient or ineffective, your gut lining gets damaged and can no longer absorb all the nutrients in your food. Worse, it also allows foreign proteins to penetrate the disrupted intestinal membrane.

And you start to feel unwell.
Your energy drops.
Your mind gets foggy.

All the sugar and processed starch causes a spike in insulin. Over time, your cells become resistant to the insulin, and almost all the food you eat gets stored as fat.

The high sugar levels make your blood cells more sticky. The high insulin levels thicken the walls of your blood vessel and make them stiffer.

You are now a prime candidate for a heart attack or stroke.

You are on your way towards diabetes.

You May Not Know If You Have Diabetes Until There’s Damage

Diabetes is on the rise and prediabetes is almost an epidemic. Normal blood sugar balance is one of the prime casualties of an out of balance lifestyle.

The sad part is, you won’t be warned by your medical doctor until much of the damage has been done.

The reason?

The methods used to assess blood sugar imbalances, prediabetes (often called “insulin resistance“), and diabetes are based on standards that are too lenient.

There’s an ideal range for you blood sugar and the conventional standards give too much leeway.

The Myths That Keep You From Feeling Miraculous

On January 31st, 2012, I’ll be opening up registration for an all new and very controversial webinar that will address the myths and surprising misconceptions around the metabolic and blood sugar issues that have people confused and chronically ill. The webinar will be part of my updated free video series called Bye-Bye Belly Fat, Brain Fog and Burnout!

We’ll be sharing fresh, newly recorded videos, so even if you participated in last year’s series, you’ll find something new!

I am soooo excited about this.

The truth is so many of my family members have suffered and even died because they were not given the information I am about to share with you. It’s not that I didn’t offer. It’s just that they were afraid to go against the status quo.

I know you’re really open to the latest and greatest health information or you wouldn’t be reading my newsletter.

Registration opens on January 31st at around noon, pacific time. I will send you an e-mail message when registration opens, but if you’d like to get your notice and access a little early, be sure to register for early notification:

http://www.ByeByeBloodSugarImbalance.com

Once the series begins on January 31st, the first video will come to you immediately. Then every day or two, another video will be released until right before my myth-busting teleseminar on Feb 9th, 2012.

I’ve been intently studying blood sugar imbalances and all the hormones and lifestyle factors involved in creating and preventing them so I can bring you the most cutting edge information.

In the videos and on the teleseminar, I’ll share 5 simple strategies you can start to incorporate right away.

An Easy Step To Help Heal Your Inner Miracle Worker

For now, I would like to close with a small piece of one of the strategies you can get started on right away.

It’s from my “Timing is Everything” strategy.

It’s going to sound really simple, and I know you’ve heard it before.

During the Bye-Bye B4 Video Series, I will share the details about how and why this strategy works. Its effectiveness has to do with hormone balance and your body’s detoxification mechanisms.

Stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed.

There should be 12 hours between dinner/supper and breakfast.

Go ahead and try it.

Once we open up registration, we’ll have a blog area where you can post your experiences. Start slowly if this is hard. Increase the time between dinner and bed time by 15 minutes each day until you’ve reached your goal.

Then when you come to the training call and watch the videos, you’ll learn how this affects your hormones, blood sugar, brain chemistry and detoxification. You’ll understand how proper meal timing protects you from life threatening diseases like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

The registration page will be here:

http://www.ByeByeBloodSugarImbalance.com

The Recipes That Will Bring Your Inner Miracle Worker Back to Life

If you act quickly, you can take advantage of another helpful resource.

I’m going to make available a Bonus Recipe Sampler from my B4 Be Gone System for the first 500 people who register for the Bye-Bye B4 Video Series. If you’re among the first to sign up on January 31st for the free series, you can enjoy a taste of my delicious low-glycemic recipes designed to help heal your insulin receptors and restore your blood sugar balance.

You can ensure you receive your notice as soon as possible by registering for the early notification list here:

http://www.ByeByeBloodSugarImbalance.com

It’s Time to Step, Bust, and Break Out of Your Comfort Zone!

As I’ve been spending time getting ready to lead a group through my brand new Food Allergy Spy Program, I’ve been reflecting on how it feels to step outside your comfort zone and master a new skill. I’ve been stepping outside my comfort zone recently when it comes to art, and it’s been interesting to note the parallels between art and health.

Have you noticed that when you’re with like minded people and engaged in things you do well, you’re engulfed in a feeling of comfort? You feel accepted, valued, and confident.

Take the same YOU and put yourself in a situation where people don’t really have the same values and goals, or where you’re in a position of being less of an authority about the subject matter at hand and it’s a whole different feeling.

Why I’m Feeling Very Humble…

I recently started taking a pottery class. I’ve done it in the past, but it’s been a long time. I’ve noticed there’s a huge difference between how I present myself at my pottery class versus how I usually am during the day. 

During the day, I speak with people from a position of being an authority on the subject matter of nutrition. Usually, I am the teacher or I speak to colleagues who are on a similar level. Socially, I am comfortably surrounded with people who are passionate about being healthy and are familiar with concepts of natural healing modalities. It’s a place of confidence that comes easily to me.

At my pottery class, I am in the company of folks who believe in the western medicine model and have very different ideas about the importance of nutrition when it comes to health.

I am also a beginner on the pottery wheel and am humbled by how difficult even the basic things can be. Whenever my instructor gives a demo that appears to be easy and I confidently sit down to duplicate the process, half the instructions become muddled and I lose track of the order of the steps. I very frequently need to ask for help on very basic steps.

You Won’t Believe What I DIDN’T Say…

In this situation, my old shyness emerges and I start to feel self-conscious and inadequate. This is such a sharp contrast to how I feel when I am guiding my patients and students on complex nutrition and health topics.

Even when I overheard a couple of women talking about nutrition and sharing what I know of as blatantly inaccurate comments, I didn’t feel comfortable enough in that environment to say anything.

When I heard one say to the other that it would be better for a nursing Mom whose baby is allergic to cow’s milk to be switched to a non-dairy formula so she wouldn’t have to restrict her own dairy intake, I so wanted to say something. But I was not in the mood for a possible confrontation, so I ignored it.

What is Your Discomfort Holding YOU Back From?

Perhaps you’re feeling a bit outside your comfort zone as you learn and apply new diet and lifestyle habits in your zeal for restoring your health or reaching your ideal weight.

When you step outside your comfort zone, you set the stage for new doors to open up as you learn and master new techniques.

But it takes time and the process is accelerated by having a good mentor you can turn to for questions and guidance.

Why a Mentor Can Make a Difference…

For several years, when my kids were younger, I took pottery classes. I was just getting started on the wheel when my husband’s travel schedule made it difficult for me to continue the classes. So I found a used kiln and wheel and set up a studio in the garage.

Know what happened?

I only used it two or three times over the past 6 years! Without the mentorship of an experienced teacher to guide me, I found it too difficult. Watching the videos and reading the books was just not cutting it and all of what I had learned before was not helping because I hadn’t been practicing long enough to make it a habit.

Now that I am back in class with a teacher to turn to when I am confused or need help, I am making progress.

I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone in attending this class and so far, I’ve thrown 8 very imperfect pots. The more practice I get and the more guidance I receive, the better my skills will be.

Next week I’ll post photos of my pots in various stages of completion to my blog.

You Don’t Have to Struggle Alone!

It’s hard being at the early stages of learning a new skill. Working with a skilled teacher will accelerate my growth.

In what areas can you step outside your comfort zone?

• Maybe you’ve been tempted to join my Food Allergy Spy Program so you can learn how to eliminate the foods that are hurting you.
• Do you use food for comfort and crave certain food items?
• Perhaps you’re feeling scared about the thought of giving up your comfort foods as part of the process.
• Maybe you’ve been struggling for so long that you don’t believe it could help.

Rest assured, the comfort you’ll feel after eliminating the suspect foods is so much greater than the temporary distraction offered by your comfort foods.

And with my support and guidance you’ll get over the confusing parts much more quickly that you would on your own.

In the book, The False Fat Diet by Elson Haas, MD, the connection between food allergies and reluctant fat is explored. In it he describes elimination and provocation. I read many books like this in my years of struggling to regain my health. Finally, I got it all figured out. Yet, had I the opportunity to participate in a program like my Food Allergy Spy Program it would have saved me two years of suffering and countless dollars.

Afraid? Let’s Face Your Food Fears Together.

While the thought of an elimination diet may seem scary for you, it’s well worth stepping outside your comfort zone to do it. The process I have developed for conducting an elimination diet actually has side benefits, too. Most drug approaches to illness have side effects. FAST has side benefits. The elimination phase of the program is also great for strengthening your detox mechanisms and healing your gut.

Just a reminder, the FAST program starts this evening (Tuesday, January 17th, 2012) and it’s filling up fast. I only have a few seats remaining and then it’s filled.

If you can’t make tonight’s live class or decide to wait until tomorrow to register, you can easily “catch up” by listening to the recording, but you run the risk of the class filling up while you’re deciding. Also, the opportunity to get started for just $57 goes away tonight at class time.

There’s No Risk. Only FAST Benefits!

I want your total satisfaction and happiness. You can get started today and participate for a full week. If after next week’s Q&A Coaching call you feel unable to proceed, we’ll refund your money. It’s that easy.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I commit 100% to my program participants. I am invested in your success.

This program is loaded with opportunities to get my personal assistance with the process.

http://www.FoodAllergySpy.com

Since I will be training new coaches to help with the program in the future, this is the ONLY time the program will include so much of my personal attention. So step outside your comfort zone.

You can start with a tiny investment of $57 and there’s no risk.

Magic happens when you step outside your comfort zone. And you’ll be amazed at how much more quickly you’ll make progress with the support of an experienced and caring mentor… me.

I look forward to getting to know you!

http://www.FoodAllergySpy.com

How To Spend Less On Groceries and Still Eat Healthfully

Guest Article by Raederle Phoenix from The Vegetarian Health Institute

Would you like to spend less on groceries, while still eating a healthy diet? If so, this blog post can save you a few hundred dollars over the course of the next year.

Some of my suggestions are only relevant for raw fooders and raw food recipes. But some apply to folks who eat cooked food too.

Recipe Substitutions

The following are recipe substitution suggestions that will work for almost any recipe. But of course, use your judgment and consider the impact the substitution will have on a recipe.

When a recipe calls for…

• Dried fruit: Use the cheapest unsweetened dried fruit, which is usually raisins. Raisins have a much stronger flavor than dates, so if the recipe calls for dates, make it half and half with dates and raisins.
  
• Frozen fruit: Substitute some of the frozen fruit with frozen bananas. To freeze bananas, peel them and break them into pieces and put them in your freezer in a bowl or on a plate.
  
• Fresh fruit: Use what is in season and can be bought at a low price at your local farmer’s market. If it is peach season but the recipe calls for mangoes, use peaches anyway.
  
• Frozen vegetables: Use the least expensive frozen vegetables. The kind of vegetables generally won’t matter much, unless it’s a particular vegetable you dislike. If you prefer organic, select the least expensive organic frozen vegetables.
  
• Nuts: Substitute part of the portion of nuts with coconut shreds. In some recipes, as much as three-quarters of the nuts can be replaced with coconut shreds without much change to flavor and consistency. Make sure you use some of the nuts that the recipe calls for, however. Different nuts may have very different effects. Almonds and Brazil nuts are both unique and offer very particular flavors. Walnuts and pecans are sometimes interchangeable. Macadamia nuts and cashews are often interchangeable.

Avoiding Certain Recipes

Many recipes are out-and-out expensive no matter how you substitute. When selecting recipes, one can scan the ingredients and get a feel for how much it’s going to cost.

When selecting recipes to try out, avoid recipes that call for…

• A large amount of a specific brand-name ingredient.
• More than a quarter cup of nuts. (Unless using coconut shreds to cut the cost.)
• More than four cups of a non-dairy milk.
• More than two cups of a non-dairy yogurt.
• Large quantities of an exotic fruit that is imported from far away.
• More than two spices you don’t already own.

Avoiding Waste

Another way one can save is by avoiding waste. Sometimes when we don’t know how to preserve something we use trial and error and learn the hard way.

How to preserve extra fruit salad:

• Option 1: Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to the fruit salad. Use one lemon for every two cups of fruit salad remaining. Put in a dish with an air-tight lid and store in the fridge.
  
• Option 2: Put in the freezer to turn into pudding, smoothies or ice cream later in your food processor or blender. May also use a masticating juicer using the “blank” to create ice cream from frozen fruit.

What to do with pulp after making juice at home:

• Option 1: Add vegetable pulp to soups, breads, or salsa (add minimal amounts to salsa). Add fruit pulp to muffins, pies, breads, soups or salsa. (Be careful not to add to much. Pulp is almost pure fiber!)
  
• Option 2: Compost. Pulp breaks down fast and makes great fertilizer for your garden or for growing wheatgrass indoors.
  
• Option 3: Add seeds, nuts, oats, coconut shreds, spices and/or oils and blend in your food processor. Spread in your dehydrator at 110 degrees to make raw crackers, or put in your oven at a low temperature with the door slightly open to gently slow-cook crackers.

How to preserve extra cooked grains or grain-like dishes such as quinoa:

 

• Option 1: Store cooked grains in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two days.
  
• Option 2: Store cooked grains in a container in the freezer for up to a week.

To keep nuts, dried fruits and other “shelf-stable” foods fresh and away from bugs:

• Option 1: Store in ziplock bags within air-tight containers.
  
• Option 2: Store in the fridge in bags or containers.
  
• Option 3: Store in the freezer.

Leftovers & Wilting Produce

Another way to avoid waste is to “refurbish” your leftovers or wilting produce:

• With greens, such as chard, kale and spinach, you don’t want them wilted as a salad, but they are fine to throw in soup.
  
• Mushy over-ripe fruits are great in smoothies and desserts. Just cut away any spots that are really bad, and use the rest. Fruit can sometimes be bought “mushy” at a discounted price at farmer’s markets.
  
• Quinoa, rice, millet or other similar foods that have been cooked, stored, cooked again, and stored again can be turned into a new meal in a vegetable stir-fry.
  
• Over-ripe or drying-out citrus fruits may be juiced with an electronic juicer or a hand-juicer. The juice may be enjoyed plain, added to water for drinking, fruit salad for extra punch, or added to a dessert. If using an electronic juice, one may add cucumber, celery and/or carrots. (Carrots and oranges sometimes taste bad together.)
  
• Peppers and herbs that have been left out to dry, or dried in a dehydrator can be crushed and put into spice jars.

Pain and Inflammation From Food Allergies: How to Live an “Itis” and “Algia” Free Life

Dr. Ritamarie’s Food Allergy Spy Training: FAST Relief From Leaky Gut, Fibromyalgia, and More

If you have any of these problems, you should find out if underlying food allergies are the cause:

If you have persistent weight issues that won’t go away
If there are dark circles under eyes
If you ever experience upset stomach and poor digestion
If you’re embarrassed by skin eruptions
If you suffer from fibromyalgia (long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons, and soft tissues)
If you have autoimmune disease (an overactive immune response where the body mistakenly attacks its own cells)
If you’re struggling with hormone imbalance
If you have concerns about your thyroid health
If you’re experiencing fatigue and adrenal burnout
If you struggle with depression
If you need to correct blood sugar imbalances
If you suffer from headaches

These unwanted health symptoms may actually be a “good” thing if they are the early warning signs that your body is trying to get you to hear. The sooner you listen to what your body is telling you, the sooner you can heal the inflammation that’s causing the problems and avoid more serious health risks.

For a limited time, Dr. Ritamarie’s Food Allergy Spy Training program (FAST) is being offered for $100 off the regular price.  You’ll receive 30 days of step-by-step guidance to help you detect your hidden food allergies through a proven Food Elimination-Provocation Process (FEPP) and get a handle on your symptoms.  After, you can participate for two months in the new VITAL Community (Vibrant Ideas and Tools for Awesome Living).

The first live group run of the FAST program begins on January 17th, 2012.

Click HERE to learn more:

http://www.FoodAllergySpy.com