Personalizing Your Health and Nutrition: What You Need to Know About Biochemical Individuality

- by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

When it comes to health and nutrition, why are there so many conflicting recommendations?

The answer?  Biochemical individuality.

How well do you understand your unique body chemistry and the choices that make the most sense for you?

I recorded this video earlier in the year.  In the video I describe biochemical individuality and how we all need to discover for ourselves what works best for us.

Click HERE to learn more about the Assess Your Own Body Chemistry program!

Mother’s Day Memories and Wishes

My Mom Mary at age 43

It’s been 20 years since I sent my Mom a card on Mother’s Day.  Of course, I still express my appreciation to her for all she did.  I just wish she was still around in physical form so I could give her a big hug and tell her how much I love her.

If your Mom is still alive, let her know how much you love her and appreciate her.  Give her a hug if you can.   Enjoy her while she’s here.  Don’t leave things unspoken, as you never know if this conversation will be the last.

The last time my Mom and I spoke was on Easter 1991.  It was late and we ended the conversation so we could go to sleep.  My Mom was sharing some childhood experiences and ended with, “There’s so much more to tell you, stories you’ve never heard.  We’ll get all caught up in June when you come to visit.”  I had been planning a 2 week stay after my graduation from chiropractic school.  I never got to hear those stories.  She died just a few days later.

I know in my heart that my Mom’s premature death was preventable. She was only 56!  Sometimes I blame myself, for not finding the right words to convince her to quit smoking and adopt a plant strong diet with lots of raw foods. I told her many times, and often I wasn’t as patient or kind about it as I could have been.  I just so wanted for her to change.  I gave her books to read…the ones written by MDs because they were “real doctors”  in her eyes…to no avail.

I copied articles from medical journals.  I even gave her a bottle of Vitamin C to go with the article that said that each cigarette depleted 100 mg of Vitamin C and asked her to at least take Vitamin C with her cigarettes.  My message fell on deaf ears.  When I found the unopened bottle of vitamins on her night stand and asked her why she wasn’t taking them, she told me she was scared that maybe they would have some kind of side effects.  Yet she smoked cigarettes, knowing the effects!

I graduated and started my practice just a couple of months after my Mom’s death, committed to saving other people’s Moms from my Mom’s fate.  I’ve dedicated my life to educating as many people as I possibly can about the dangers of processed food, smoking and other common unhealthy habits.

The war on cancer is far from being won.  Heart disease and diabetes take a  huge  toll.

At my son Kevin’s baseball game the other day, I watched as small children bought candy and chips from the concession stand, not knowing what danger lurked inside the pretty wrappers.  Parents give this stuff to their kids, thinking it’s safe.    It’s sad to watch these young ones creating the perfect environment for disease.   And the food they eat at home is not much better.  Most kids eat fewer vegetables in a month than I do in a day.

I miss my Mom, and in doing so, I strengthen my commitment to make a difference.  Education is foundational.

Changes are happening.   While we still have a long way to go, as a society, we have so much more awareness today of the diet–disease connection than we did when I first started on this path 26 years ago.  One step, one bite at a time, we can change the health of the world.  It starts with your commitment and dedication to yourself and your family and spreads from there.

If you’re a Mom, I wish you a joyful, healthy day.   Avoid the temptation to eat chocolate and unhealthy “treats” in celebration.  I’ve already put in my request for breakfast in bed!  On the menu is a green smoothie, fresh coconut water and a tropical fruit platter with fresh coconut, mango, pineapple and papaya.

Also on the agenda for the day are a run and a swim, and some relaxing time by the pool with a good book.   My favorite way to celebrate special days is with extra special self care.

Treat the Mom’s in your life to some good food, relaxation and lots of appreciation.

If my Mom was here to celebrate I’d treat her to one of the recipes in my book “Dessert:  Making it Rich Without Oil.”  I might try to somehow gift it to her anonymously, so she wouldn’t realize it was good for her until after she enjoyed it.  Then I would let her know.

With love and appreciation to all the Moms. May you seek health and in doing so, find the joy and fulfillment that vibrant health brings forth.

Love, Health and Happy Mother’s Day!

Dr. Ritamarie

P.S.  Post a comment and let me know 2 things:  Do you see the resemblance between my Mom and I?  What are you doing  to honor your Mom for Mother’s Day?

Why 95% of all Health and Weight Loss Programs Fail and How You Can Succeed

It’s officially summer time.  That means it’s time to have fun…swimming, picnics, vacations to exotic places, amusement parks…you get to choose.  It’s not all that important WHAT you choose to do for fun, but THAT you choose to have fun.

No kidding.  Fun is an important ingredient for hormone balance, good digestion, amazing energy and overall great health. It’s up there with broccoli and sprouts!  And, it’s a lot more  FUN!  Besides, Fun is One of the key ingredients that all health and weight loss programs are missing.

Unfortunately, the first thing to fall by the wayside when you get busy is fun.  “I don’t have time for that”  you may tell yourself as you rush from one activity to the next, attempting to “get it all done”.

I’ve found FUN to be such an important ingredient for good health that I even named my website to include it.  Fresh and Fun!   These are the ingredients to vibrant health.  Start with fresh food, fresh water, fresh air.  Add fresh thoughts, fresh feelings, and fresh relationships.  Stir well and top with a big dollop of fun.

Fun is best incorporated into everything you do, including food preparation and eating.  Start with small doses…at least 5 minutes a day.  You’ll find it so addicting, you’ll soon add more.

Do you know that regular FUN is a part of my secret formula for getting off the diet roller-coaster.  As much fun as roller-coasters are at amusement parks, they are down right annoying when it comes to your health plan.

You know what I mean.  You get frustrated with your body.  Maybe you’re more tired than you think you should be, or have annoying –or even downright painful—symptoms, or your tummy is softer than you’d like or your thighs are larger than you you’re comfortable with.

Whatever the trigger, the action plan results in your resolve to a healthy diet and exercise plan to get you feeling good again.  And you do feel better…at least for a little while.  How long do these programs usually last?  A month or two?  Three at most?

What follows is usually a ride down the slippery slope until you feel bad enough to start again.  Then up the hill you go once more, putting in hard work and deprivation, until you hit another high point and head back down again.

The problem with this approach is, just like the roller-coaster ride, you usually get off at the bottom.  What if this time, you could exit the roller coaster at the top, and stay there…and continue to feel the exhilaration of being at the top…long term.

Would you like to know the shocking truth and missing link in every health and diet plan you’ve ever been on—every book, article, program and course you’ve ever followed —-and why you may have failed.?

The real truth is that YOU didn’t fail.  They failed you.

You can have amazing success for many years – never having to look back..when you understand and apply the secret strategies that no one has ever told you about…until now.

Once I discovered the missing link, I began to share it with my patients and clients.  And low and behold, those who embraced it and put it into practice had amazing success.

The same process that I had unknowingly followed myself allowed those I counseled to get truly life changing results.

When I was Back in my teens, I tried diet after diet ever in search of the one that allowed me to indulge in my favorite foods and maintain my slim figure.  That quest lead me to yo-yo dieting, obsession with food and binging to the point of illness.  While I was never more than 5 pounds overweight at any one time, I gained and lost over 100 pounds while I was on the roller-coaster.

What I discovered is that most plans focus on the ACTIONS you need to take without addressing the MINDSET you need to consistently follow through on the Actions.

If  you’ve been struggling with inconsistent follow-through on your health and fitness goals… having setbacks and recoveries over and over again… you owe it to yourself to learn this system.

It’s my secret for going from a wine-guzzling junk food junkie in my twenties  to the vibrantly healthy athlete I am today…with joy and ease.   It’s what allows me to consistently choose foods that nourish me without even being tempted by those that don’t.

97% of health and weight loss programs Fail because they don’t start with the following steps:

• Clarifying Your Core Values – getting in touch with what really matters is the important first step towards consistent follow through in creating the vibrant health you desire.
• Connecting to Your Visions -  stepping into a clear, detailed picture of who you’d like to become is a vital part of creating lasting health.
• Clarifying What You Love – falling in love with your vision allows you to create the environment for consistent joyful follow-through, resulting in ease and energy in your life.
• Setting Your Goals – breaking your big vision into manageable, measurable pieces will take you step by step towards comfort, fitness, energy and vitality.
• Building Your Toolkit – inspire and uplift yourself into the  actions that keep you pointed in the direction of your goals.
• Learning to Negotiate Obstacles – simple techniques to maneuver around barriers between you and the goals you hold near and dear.

To get started on this process and apply it to whatever health or weight loss plan you’d like to follow, check  out the recording of  my FREE teleseminar:  6 Ultra Simple Fool Proof Strategies For Finally Achieving Your Health Goals: A Crash-Course on How to Get in Touch with What Really Matters on a Deep, Core Level and Live the Vibrant, Joyful and Fulfilled Life You Deserve.

http://drritamarie.com/signup/vhm

All health and diet programs need to include an element of fun or they are doomed to failure.  So start today by finding something fun to do and do it.  Then express gratitude for your gifts.  That’s another secret ingredient to health and weight loss success.

Love, Health and Joy to You,

Dr. Ritamarie

www.vibranthealthmindset.com

Cancer, Heart Disease and Chronic Fatigue: It’s Not Worth The Risk

My 16 year old son just got his driver’s license about 2 weeks ago.  It’s a right of passage I guess, and I cried, just as I did when I dropped him off at kindergarten for the first time.

Call me a sentimental fool, and I will proudly wear the title.

He and I went out for dinner the other night.  It’s our best opportunity to spend time together. At home, it’s sometimes too busy for us to just sit down together and chat.

As he was driving home – and I was gripping the passenger side strap, working on my Heart Math breathing and appreciation – (I’m not the most relaxed passenger) he said words that are music to any parents ears.  He said “It’s not worth the risk”.

Out of context that statement doesn’t mean very much.  Yet in context, it set my mind at ease about the degree of  “recklessness” I could expect from my newly on the road teenager.

The reason I loved hearing those words is because what he felt was not worth the risk was a road rule that my husband  and I disagreed on and  Eric was doing it the way I suggested was correct…because it wasn’t worth the risk of getting in trouble for getting into the turn lane too soon.

What that told me is that he is ultra aware of the rules of the road and does not want to break any lest he get in trouble with the police.

What excited me about his comment was that this is such a minor thing…one we experienced drivers don’t even think about.  It helped me to feel confident that he was not going to risk the more dangerous driving behaviors that teen drivers often engage in.

Is it worth the risk ? is a great question to ask yourself when making lifestyle choices that affect your health.

What risks do you take on a regular basis?

Driving or being passenger without a seat belt? Riding a bicycle without a helmet? Going to bed without flossing your teeth?

Life is filled with risk / reward choices.  Are you clear  enough about your core values and goals that the choices are easy to make?

Here are 5 risks that most people take on a daily basis:

1.Eating heated oils.  The threshold temperature is slightly different for each oil, yet the result is similar.  Above the threshold, the heat causes oxidation of the fat , making it damaging to your immune system and antioxidant status.  This puts you at risk for cancer, heart disease and a host of degenerative ailments.  Poly-unsaturated oils like safflower, corn, sunflower and soybean are the most risky, and are generally oxidized in the bottle, before you even open them, due to exposure to light, heat and air.

2.Eating sugar.  Sugar not only contributes to poor dental health, it also feeds cancer cells, and its consumption dramatically increases your cancer risk.  Sugar also creates hormonal disruption, contributes to a condition called insulin resistance and its characteristic fat around the waist, and results in impaired energy metabolism and decreased immunity.  As if that’s not enough, sugar contributes to focus and concentration, heart disease, and dozens of other health maladies.

3.Exposure to pesticides, herbicides and chemicals in the air and water.  These tax your inborn detoxification systems, leading to toxic buildup, mental health issues and digestive disturbances.

4.Worrying.  Getting yourself in a tizzy about things that may happen, could happen and would be horrible if did happen is a sure fire way of putting yourself at risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic fatigue.  It puts your body into ‘fight/flight’ mode, creating a cascade of chemical reactions that impairs digestion and absorption of nutrients and can contribute to cancer.

5.Eating processed and refined cooked foods.   These are deficient in nutrients and usually contain harmful preservatives, additives and flavorings, which disrupt hormone pathways, drain your body of B-vitamins and other nutrients needed for energy metabolism and leave you exhausted, toxic and undernourished

Go through the list and determine how much you’re putting yourself at risk.  Then ask yourself when confronted with a food or lifestyle choice, “Is this worth the risk?  Is the momentary pleasure worth long-term disconnection from what really matters?

Making choices consistent with your higher good takes some effort on your part.  You’ll need to educate yourself,  learn  to make different foods and risk being “different” .

As one of my potluck participants said when asked about his food choices and whether he felt deprived, “Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.”

For more in-depth coverage of the food choice and health connection, particularly when it comes to cancer and other serious illnesses, join me and my very special guest speaker, Dr. Brian Clement, director of the world renowned  Hippocrates Institute.  He’ll be speaking in Austin and we’ll broadcast it over the internet.

www.drritamarie.com/cancertalk

Dr. Clement has been working with people with cancer and other serious illnesses for over 30 years, and he’s seen more than his share of miracles.

I hope you can join us.  Every time I hear Dr. Clement speak, I learn something new.  He’s charismatic, informative and  very inspiring.   And he walks his talk.  He’s a living example of the power of food to heal.

We are very fortunate that he’s taking time out of his busy schedule to talk to us.  He travels and speaks world-wide.

Those that show up live will receive a complementary copy of the Hippocrates Institute’s beautiful, full color glossy magazine “Healing Our World’.

Www.drritamarie.com/cancertalk
If you live in or near Austin, come on by to my house Saturday evening to share a meal and connect with some amazing health minded souls.

For information about the events, go to www.drritamarie.com/potluck and see for yourself by watching our video.  To sign-up for the meet-up and get all the details you need to participate, go to  www.drritamarie.com/meetup

Love, health and Joy to You!

Dr. Ritamarie

Creating Vibrant Health…One Bite at a Time.’