Creating Vibrant Health and Overcoming Fatigue: The Importance of Letting Go
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on August 31, 2010 – -I received an email recently reminding me of a poem that was on my website years ago when I first put up the site. With all the restructure over the years, somehow the page became unlinked and unformatted! This poem was described as “a help to those in pain and suffering loss or other trauma; and it brings a spiritual aspect into the grief process.” As a result, I decided that it needed to be shared. Thanks CG!
In the process of healing, recovering your health, moving from where you are towards vibrant health and vitality, letting go is often required. Letting go of old beliefs is often vital to the healing process. Letting go of controlling the outcome, the rate of recovery and the stages you go through is important too. I believe you’ll enjoy this as CG did and I encourage you to share it with your loved ones.
Letting Go
- To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.
- To let go is not to cut myself off, it is the realization that I cannot control another.
- To let go is not to do for others, but to allow learning from natural consequences.
- To let go is to admit some powerlessness and to recognize that the outcome is not in my hands alone.
- To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it is to make the most of myself.
- To let go is not to care for, but to care about.
- To let go is not to fix but to be supportive.
- To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to effect their own destinies.
- To let go is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.
- To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
- To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
- To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it.
- To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
- To let go is to fear less and love more.
Author Unknown
Love, Health and Joy to You,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, natural consequences own shortcomings grief process spiritual aspect vibrant health pain and suffering powerlessness letting go destinies healing process restructure health and vitality realization de
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7 Simple Strategies for Correcting Hormone Imbalance and Harmonizing Your Life
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on August 5, 2010 – -When you hear the term “hormone imbalance” do you right way think about PMS or menopause? If you’re not suffering from hot flashes or cyclic irritability, you may be tempted to dismiss information about hormone imbalance as “not applicable to me”.
What you may not realize is that your hormones are involved with just about every aspect of your day to day life, including:
- Your metabolic rate, which means how quickly you burn fuel for energy. Imbalances can lead to hard to shed extra pounds and low energy.
- Your response to stress. Hormone imbalance affects your ability to respond to stress without burning yourself out or getting sick.
- How much sugar is in your blood and how much reaches your brain, controlling your mood and your ability to think clearly. Imbalances can lead to diabetes, hypoglycemia and insulin resistance.
- Your mood and attitude, due to the intimate relationship between hormones and neurotransmitters. Hormone imbalance can lead to depression, anxiety and irritability.
- The efficiency of your digestion. Imbalance can lead to ulcers, irritable bowel and chronic infection.
- Your sex drive and ability to enjoy intimacy.
- The quality of your skin and hair.
- Your short term memory and ability to think clearly and quickly.
- The quality of your sleep.
The list goes on and on. This is just a sampling of the widespread and diverse effects of your hormones.
How Hormone Imbalance Effects your Health
Hormones are like members of your family. When they’re in sync, everyone is communicating well, resulting in happy and harmonious relationships. When they are out of sync, you’re sunk. Communication gets disrupted and dysfunction results.
There are over a dozen major players in your hormone family, and your health relies on proper communication and balance between them.
The sooner you get them working in harmony, the happier and healthier you’ll be.
While hormone imbalance can result in unpleasant conditions like depression, dry skin, low energy, irritability, insomnia and hot flashes, what’s more important is that hormone imbalances underlie much more serious illnesses, like osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
So getting your hormones in balance is not just about improving the quality of your life; it’s about actually saving your life.
So how do you get your hormones in balance? Do you need the latest designer drug or exotic supplements? Expensive medical procedures?
Natural Methods for Hormone Imbalance
Fortunately, in most cases, balance can be restored through the application of diet and lifestyle actions combined with targeted and specific supplementation of nutrients and possibly bioidentical hormones, if your body can no longer make them on its own.
There are foods to avoid, foods to include, environmental factors to clean up, stressors to manage, and simple things like the amount and type of movement you do, how much sun you get and the balance between activity and rest.
Here’s a list of seven simple strategies you can get started on right away to get you started on hormone balance. This is a handful taken from the dozens included
in brand new “The Secrets of Being Sexy and Vibrant at ANY Age” course.
7 Natural Approaches for Hormone Imbalance
1-Consume at least 32 ounces of green drink daily, made from at least a pound of green leafy vegetables. This may sound like a lot but the greens are so important and drinking them rather than just eating them helps increase the quality you consume. You can make delicious green smoothies, juices or soups. Greens are filled with antioxidants, minerals and the B vitamin folate, which is very important for hormone balance. Be sure to include sprouts and cruciferous vegetables as they’re especially potent hormone balancers.
2- Break a sweat every day, even if just for 30 second bursts. Exercising to exhaustion for 30 seconds at a time, for a total of 4 to 8 minutes is an amazing way to increase testosterone levels, balance adrenal hormones and the hormone insulin, support your thyroid hormone production and overall strengthen your immune system.
3- Get outside for at least 20 minutes, preferably in the middle of the day, for fresh air and sunshine. This supports your body in making Vitamin D and excreting the chemicals you breathe from indoor air.
4- Open your windows, even if just a crack, for at least 15 minutes every day. This brings fresh air in to replace the buildup of hormone disrupting chemicals found in indoor air.
5- Dump the sugar for whole fresh fruits. Sugar disrupts your B vitamins which are essential for hormone regulation. It also affects the balance between estrogen receptors that are protective and those that promote growth. When these receptors get out of balance, your risk
of hormonally induced cancer increases.
6- Drink pure water from glass containers, rather than plastic. Hydration is vital to production and circulation of hormones and chemicals in the plastic have been shown to be hormone disruptors.
7- Take time each day to appreciate your gifts and the people you love. Appreciation has profound effects on your immune system, the level of stress hormones in your system and your ability to cleanse and detoxify the toxic exposures that disrupt hormone balance.
You’ll most likely notice changes right away when you master these 7 simple strategies.
If you’re already suffering from symptoms of hormone imbalance, like depression, fatigue, sugar cravings, excess weight around your middle, menstrual irregularities or pain, hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms, or if you or a family member have had breast cancer, or if you’d just like to circumvent these problems and be vibrantly healthy, strong and sexy your whole life through, it’s worth it for you to invest the time to learn all you can about keeping your hormones safe and balanced.
To bring you the whole scoop on hormone balance, I’ve teamed up with world renown hormone expert Dr. Lindsey Berkson, author of “Hormone Deception”, “Safe Hormones, Smart Women”, “Natural Answers to Women’s Health Questions”, “Healthy Digestion the Natural Way”, and at least 8 other books on natural health. We put together a groundbreaking 5 week course that’s filled with information about hormones that even most doctors don’t know.
We’re thrilled to bring you cutting edge information that will enhance your life and may even save your life. It saved Dr. Lindsey’s! Read her story for details.
It’s such a joy to have steady energy and mood, strength and stamina and the clarity of mind that balanced hormones brings. We experience this daily and we teach our patients to do the same. We’d like you to have the same experience. For the first time ever, we have packaged this material in a way that we can share it with you in a convenient and cost effective manner.
If you’re ready to take charge of your own hormones and create balance and vibrant health, we invite you to check out the course we’ve put together.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/vibranthormones
Tags: bioidentical hormone replacement, dr lindsey berkson, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, hormonal imbalance, Hormone Imbalance, menopause, PMS
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Eating for Hormone Health: New Hope for Hormone Imbalance
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on August 3, 2010 – -I’m excited to be doing a talk in New Jersey this week on Eating for Hormone Health.
Karen Ranzi, author of “Creating Healthy Children” is hosting me.
Here are the details.
If you live in the area, come on by.
Eating for Hormone Balance
The Secrets to Staying Young and Vibrant At Any Age
With Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, MS, DC, CCN, DACBN
How to Nourish Your Hormones and Keep Yourself Strong, Safe and Healthy Your Whole Life Through.
In this Inspirational talk, You’ll learn:
- Who all the members of your hormone family are and how you can keep them balanced and humming
- The role of your digestion,emotions and your environment in keeping your hormones balanced and safe.
- How balancing your hormone starting as early as in your 20’s leads to improved vitality and strength in your later decades — the untold secret to seeing more life ahead of you than behind you.
- The 5 foods you MUST eat and the 5 foods You MUST avoid for hormone health
- How stress effects your hormones —and techniques for protecting yourself from the dangers of being in fight-flight mode daily
- How nutrients effect hormone balance, and why synthetic nutrients can be dangerous
- The importance of sleep in protecting you from hormone-related cancers.
- How hormones are disrupted by the environment and essential secrets in protecting yourself.
In her fun and exuberant style, Dr. Ritamarie shares her passion for vibrant health and her secrets for creating for herself more strength and stamina in her 50’s than she experienced in her 20’s. There’ll be ample time for questions and answers.
For over 2 decades, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo has been a student and practitioner of natural health and whole fresh food diets as a path to wellness. Her success in recovering from chronic fatigue and lifestyle induced health challenges prompted
As a doctor of chiropractic certified in acupuncture, clinical nutrition and herbal medicine, Dr. Ritamarie empowers powerful transformation and vibrant health in busy people worldwide. Through her coaching programs, nutrition consultations and books, Dr. Ritamarie touches countless lives with her message of self-healing. Visit her website www.FreshnFunLiving.com for lots of resources, recipes and valuable information.
Thursday August 5, 2010 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Ramsey, New Jersey (201) 934-6778
Investment in your health: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
To register contact Karen at karen@superhealthychildren.com
Tags: biology, cell signaling, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, eat, eating, endocrinology, exuberant, Gluten Free Diet, health, hormone, hormone balance, Hormone Imbalance, hormones, karen ranzi, Living Foods, medicine, nature, new hope, nutrition, physiology, ritamarie loscalzo, secret, self care, signal transduction, vegan foods, vibrant, Vibrant Health, whole foods
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My Raw Food Diet: A Hot Date with Myself on a Thursday Night
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 30, 2010 – -I’m at a conference in Boston for the weekend and stuck at the airport hotel without a decent raw vegan meal in sight. Of course I have my staples…seeds, fruits, dehydrated crackers and green powder. I even have a few celery and carrot sticks and a refrigerator to store it all in. But as I looked at the 3 days ahead and the dwindling food stash, I decided to venture out and see what’s hot in the Boston raw food scene.
Unfortunately the two restaurants I managed to find were a $50 cab ride or 2 trains, a bus and a shuttle away so I moved to plan B…I rented a car for the evening! I found a $23 economy car and off I went.
I took myself to an incredibly charming place called Prana Cafe, In Newton, a couple of towns away just west of Boston.
My meal was delicious, the staff was charming and super friendly, and I met a very nice couple who had just discovered raw food in April and were enjoying a date.
I’ll let my photos speak for themselves.
I started with a Creamy Blueberry smoothie made with fresh coconut and dates. I had them add kale!
Next I had a red pepper soup, deliciously seasoned and loaded with sprouts.
For an appetizer, I had nori rolls. The “rice” filling was turnip and coocnut and they were filled with fermented wax beans, avocado and watercress.
My entree was a buckwheat crust pizza, topped with pesto, cashew ricotta, mushrooms and a variety of veggies. It came with a house salad with a light vinegrette dressing.
Finally, I splurged and tried a sundae with vanilla and cinnamon pecan “ice-cream” . The “ice-cream” was made with cashew and coconut, sweetened with dates and used irish moss as a thickener…which also cut down on the fat and added the nutritional benefits of sea vegetables.
Woops…i got so excited about eating the sundae that I forgot to take a picture. Take my word for it…it was beautiful.
There was far too much food for me to eat, so I took some back for lunch.
I stocked up from their take-out area and my refrigerator is now filled with yummy meals.
My hot date with raw foods was an event to remember
Love , health and joy to you,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: boston, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, Living Foods, living foods recipes, Prana cafe, raw and living foods, raw foods diet, raw foods restaurant
Posted in Living Foods, Raw Foods, Raw and Living Foods | No Comments »
Green Smoothie Cleansing for Combatting Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 26, 2010 – -Green Smoothie Cleansing is easy, affordable and very effective if you suffer from low energy, chronic fatigue, aches and pains and even fibromyalgia.
Here are just a few of the results we’ve seen this week:
- My fibro pain has lessened.
- I feel better physically, emotionally and spiritually.
- I have more energy
- I have lost some weight and hope to continue losing
- I feel better and hope to continue with this.
- I feel like I am not stuck anymore and am finally changing!
- The blockage is gone.
- My food cravings are gone.
- I do feel a sense of accomplishment and that I can keep learning and growing and healing.
- I still have trouble falling asleep- but do wake up ready for the day and with a feeling of gratiitude.
- My stress level is less
- no drippy nose; the chronic mucus is gone.
- I feel comfortable in my body now.
- My senses are more acute (except for my eyes; they seem to be a bit blurry still).
- My allergies are clearing up. I don’t have as much mucus/ sneezing.
- Lost about 4 lbs
- Less aches in my body.
- My energy level is improving.
- The fat around my middle has decreased.
- My congestion is gone.
- The ache in my shoulder that has been nagging me since January is gone.
- I am peaceful, calm and joyful.
- My energy is through the roof.
- My mind is clear and focused.
- I am sleeping like a baby and waking up with ease.
These are taken form the participants journals. I’ve enjoyed watching their progress.
We repeat the Green Smoothie Cleanse as a group every 3 months. The materials and support are avaialble to do the program on your own as often as possible. The newest feature we added recently is onlien pre and post cleanse assessments and daily online journals. It helps me offer more personalized support.
Here are a few delicious recipes submitted by one of our participants.
“Orange Sunrise”
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen mixed fruit
4 medium oranges
4 cups spinach
1 tsp whole vanilla bean powder
“Swiss Garden Soup”
3 tomatoes
1 english cucumber
4 cups red swiss chard
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp spirulina
“Garden of Eden Smoothie”
1 cup papaya
1 cup frz mango
1 cup frz mixed fruit
4 cups spinach
3 celery stalks
2 medium oranges
1 tsp dried mint or handful fresh
1 lemon juiced
1 Granny Smith Apple w/ Skin (Organic)
1 ginger nub
Enjoy these recipes. For more information about Green Smotohie Cleansing, visit
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, Cleansing Programs, detoxification programs, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, Green Cleanse, Living Foods, Raw Foods
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Stress Management for Adrenal Fatigue and Hormone Imbalance
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 23, 2010 – -Do you have techniques in place for management of chronic stress, or does your stress manage you?
Are you like I used to be…a stress bunny…always feeling overwhelmed and worrying about this or that?
I have an active mind and I’m always juggling many projects along with my own health rituals. I learned over 2 decades ago how food adds to the stress burden and I healed myself from chronic fatigue, digestive disorders, chronic sinusitis and debilitating headaches by conquering my stress demons. My personal demons were related to food and attitude. Do you know what yours are?
Adopting a plant based mostly raw high green diet, regular detoxification and learning the the attitude of gratitude allowed me to escape the grip of my stress demons and become the healthy, vibrant, energetic and happy person I am today.
Just last week, I was interviewed for the telesummit, “20 Fun, Easy & Effective Ways to Reduce & Manage Stress” and I shared my strategies for transforming stress using cleansing, detoxification and the art of appreciation. It will be aired on Sunday July 25, I’m sharing the stage with 19 other top self help professionals, including Dr. Bernie Siegel, best selling author of “Love, Medicine and Miracles”.
I’m really excited about it because all of the life changing talks are at NO COST to you. Take a look at the lineup and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s worth the time investment. You can pick and choose the events you’d like to hear. Each day between today and next Monday, there will be 3 talks aired and you’ll have 24 hours to listen for free.
There are 3 fabulous meditation digital audios given away as free bonuses when you signup for the free Stress Reduction Summit. You can play these in the background while you work to reduce stress. It’s a great way to reduce adrenal fatigue.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/StressSummit
It’s amazzing how quickly you can restore your energy by addressing your own stress demons. I am so excited to be part of the Premier Stress Summit and the gifted authors and healers who are donating their time to sharing their strategies.My interview was filled with valuable tips and I know the others will be too. Conquering the stress demons is a critical part of getting your hormones and neurotransmitters balanced so you can live your life joyfully, youthfully and full of energy.
Love, Health and Joy to you,
Dr. Ritamarie
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/StressSummit
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chronic fatigue, dr Bernie siegel, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, love medicine and miracles, premier stress summit, relaxation cds, Vibrant Health
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress, Hormone Imbalance | 1 Comment »
Hormone Imbalance Video and Self Assessment
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 18, 2010 – -Hormone imbalance is one of the most common causes of feeling “less than good”.
Proper functioning of your hormones depends on the delicate orchestration of a number of key lifestyle factors. When your hormones are in balance, you feel great—energetic, clear headed, strong and joyful. But, when your hormones get out of balance, the opposite is true, You just don’t feel quite right.
You may be suffering from adrenal fatigue, thyroid imbalance, autoimmune disease, digestive problems and a host of other symptoms. Plus you’re at higher risk for hormone related cancers — breast, prostate, ovarian and uterine.
Use the assessment below to determine how well balanced YOUR hormones are:
Mark each one you experience.
1. Fatigue/lack of energy?
2. Distractibility or lack of focus?
3. Memory loss?
4. Anger or irritability?
5. Anxiety?
6. Depression?
7. Mood swings?
8. Headaches?
9. Muscle Aches?
10. Joint pain?
11. PMS?
12. Painful periods?
13. Breast tenderness or swelling?
14. Accumulation of weight around your midline?
15. Weight loss resistance?
16. Acne or oily skin?
17. Dry or thinning hair?
18. Dry or itchy skin?
19. Increased facial hair?
20. Urinary incontinence?
21. Decrease in sex drive?
22. Vaginal dryness, itching or pain?
23. Painful intercourse?
24. Difficult achieving orgasm?
25. Hot flashes/or night sweats?
26. Insomnia or night time awakenings?
27. Osteopenia or osteoporosis?
28. Elevated cholesterol?
29. Constipation?
30. Bloating, gas or indigestion?
Score one point for each positive answer. Score an additional point for each symptom that’s moderate to severe in intensity or you experience it frequently.
**If your score is 20 or higher, you most likely have a hormone imbalance that needs to be addressed ASAP.
**If you scored between 10 and 20, you are likely suffering from a hormone imbalance that’s interfering with your
quality of life.
**If you scored between 5 and 10, your hormone imbalance is mild and should be addressed to prevent it from getting worse.
**If you scored less than 5, congratulations. Your hormones are mostly in balance and you are in a good position to take measures to protect and nourish your hormones to prevent future imbalances.
There’s a series of 5 videos we recorded to show you how to get your hormones in balance. The videos are free at http://www.vibranthormones.com
I teamed up with internationally acclaimed hormone expert Dr. Lindsey Berkson, author of “Safe Hormones, Smart Women”, “Hormone Deception”,”Natural Answers to Women’s Health Questions”, “Healthy Digestion the Natural Way” and 8 other books to create these videos that share the best kept secrets about nourishing and protecting your hormones.
This Natural Hormone Balance Video Series covers the following topics and more:
- How your hormones are like email messages – and the factors that affect their delivery
- Why testosterone is important for keeping women’s hormones safe
- Important vitamins that balance your mood, energy and libido
- The intimate connection between food and hormones, and why living and raw foods can help keep your hormones balanced
- How sleep protects you from cancer
- Why synthetic vitamins may be hurting you
In the very very first video, we share why testosterone is so important for women as well as men and how it keeps a certain body part safe.
http://www.vibranthormones.com
This information is not to be missed if you’d like to be healthy, happy, sexy and vibrant at any age!
Love, Health and Joy to you
Dr. Ritamarie
http://www.vibranthormones.com
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, bioidentical hormone replacement, dr lindsey berkson, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, estrogen, fatigue, Hormone Imbalance, lindsey berkson, Living Foods, natural hormones, Raw Foods, ritamarie lsocalzo, video, womens health
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Cancer Nutrition, Hormone Imbalance, Raw and Living Foods, Vibrant Health | No Comments »
Adrenal Fatigue: Tips to Restoring Your Energy and Your Health
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 5, 2010 – -
Do you ever wake in in the morning, even after a long night of sleep, only to feel sluggish and wishing you had another few hours to rest?
This is one of many signs of adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue is a common condition in our fast paced, stressed out society.
Your adrenal glands are your body’s mechanism for responding to stressful situations. In the olden days, this meant getting chased by a tiger or dealing with severe cold without shelter or proper clothing.
Fortunately for us, tigers and lack of clothing are not problems we deal with on a regular basis.
Unfortunately we have our own modern day tigers, and they chase some of us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Modern Day Tigers that Stress Your Adrenals
- Deadlines at work?
- Juggling kids schedules with your own?
- Worry about the economy?
- A sick parent or child?
- An unreasonable boss?
Whatever it is, the response is similar to a real tiger chasing you. Your adrenal glands step into action and do what they do best…shift you into what is often called “fight/flight mode”, and in scientific terms, “sympathetic nervous system dominance”.
In hyper vigilant adrenal state, your heart rate increases, your respiration quickens and the blood supply to your brain and vital organs decreases and is sent to your extremities…so you can run away or fight.
In addition, your digestive track activity decreases and the sphincters– the valves between sections of the digestive tract– tighten. This is to protect you from needing to use the bathroom in the middle of running away from or fighting a tiger.
Translate this into modern life. If you find yourself stressed out and worried quite a bit of the time, you increase your risk of indigestion, constipation, gas and bloating as well as heart and circulation problems due to prolonged increased heart rate.
Oh, and I forgot to mention. In fight flight mode, your sex drive goes away, too.
Doesn’t help to be having lustful thoughts when you’re trying to get away from that tiger. On a biochemical level, the same chemical molecules that make the adrenal hormone cortisol, which gets elevated under stress, are also needed to make estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, all needed for libido and reproductive function.
Another problem with cortisol is that in excess it can cause damage to your mitochondria, the energy producing mechanisms in each of your cells. Cortisol also damages your hippocampus, the part of your brain that helps with short term memory. Ever walk into a room, only to forget what you went there for? That’s likely because your hippocampus has been impeded by the cortisol you produced when you were stressed out.
Yikes! SO if this is you, what can you do to fix things?
In my over two decades of clinical practice, I’ve seem many cases of adrenal burnout and the damages caused by chronic stress.
Fortunately there are actions you can take reverse the damage and repair your adrenal glands. But if you keep getting stressed out, you’ll be a lot like a hamster on a wheel….working hard but never getting anywhere. Repairing your adrenals and transforming your response to stress take some time and retraining, and the transformations you experience when you do can be miraculous.
3 Tips for Combating Adrenal Fatigue
1- Learn stress management and stress transformation techniques. One of my favorites is called Heart Math, and uses a combination of deep breathing, focusing on your heart and feeling appreciation. It completely changed my life. I did a 90 minute stress transformation teleseminar a couple of years ago that guided the participants through the process and the response was dramatic.
2- Nourish your adrenals. Did you know that 80% of the vitamin C used in your body is used by your adrenal glands? Excessive stress depletes your vitamin C stores and can lead to allergies, poor wound healing, easy bruising and increased susceptibility for colds, flu and other infectious disease? Your adrenals also use lots of B vitamins, especially pantothenic acid and B6. That’s why a lot of B complex formulas are called Stress formulas. Eating a whole foods, high raw, high green diet will ensure you have adequate intake of nutrients to maintain your adrenals when they are brought back to normal;however, when you’re in the mode of recovery, supplementation is often needed.
3- Support your body’s detoxification systems by periodic cleansing. Face it, eating on the run, making even occasional poor food choices and being stressed out impair your liver’s ability to do it’s job of cleansing. One of my favorite ways to cleanse my body is with green smoothies. Even though I eat really healthfully, exercise on a regular basis, and do my Heart Math exercises daily, I’m not perfect. I still get stressed out sometimes, I’m exposed to toxins and I eat on the run more often than I’d like.
I personally do a Green Cleanse at least quarterly by taking a week off eating and just drinking green smoothies or juices for 7 days. I am always amazed at how much more energy I have when I do this. That’s why every 3 months, I lead a group green smoothie cleanse. I have hundreds of success stories from people who feel they got their life back after a green cleanse. This time around I’ve added a new component – daily interactive journals. The details about the cleanse, go to my Green Smoothie Cleanse Website.
If you’ve already done a green cleanse or a short cleanse and are ready to take it to the next level, I suggest you do a deep tissue detox like my Six Week Deep Tissue Detox or something similar.
Bedtime and Wake-up Rituals for Adrenal Fatigue Support
One last tip for rebuilding your adrenals – create supportive bedtime and morning rituals that re-establishes
your circadian rhythm. Here’s a starting set that I recommend to my adrenal fatigue patients:
- Shut off all electronics within an hour of bedtime.
- Eat your last meal within 3 hours of bedtime.
- Fill a 16 ounce glass with pure water and the juice of 1 lemon and put it by your bedside.
- Find 3 things to appreciate before you fall asleep.
- Find 3 things to appreciate before you get out of bed.
- Drink the water as soon as you get up.
- As soon as you get up, go outside and get 5 – 15 minutes of sun, even if the sun is not out. Face in the direction of the sun and sip your water.
Get going on these habits, cleanse regularly and master the Heart Math techniques and you’ll soon be bouncing out of
bed in the morning with vim, vigor and enthusiasm for life.
I hope to meet you soon on a green smoothie cleanse.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chronic fatigue, Cleansing Programs, detoxification programs, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, green smoothie, green smoothie. detoxification programs, Living Foods, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, Vibrant Health
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A Quick And Easy Raw Food Living Green Meal- A Great Boost for Adrenal Fatigue
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 4, 2010 – -I’m often asked, “How do I eat more greens? ” and told ” Raw foods recipes are so time consuming to prepare.” Take a look at my latest video and see just how easy it is to get a nutrient dense green raw living food recipe made in under 3 minutes…and with no cleanup!
What’s your favorite healthy fast food? comment below.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chronic fatigue, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, Gluten Free Diet, Living Foods, livingfoods, raw food recipes, Raw Foods, Raw Foods classes, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, Vibrant Health, video, whole foods
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Gluten Free Diet, Raw and Living Foods | 5 Comments »
Green Smoothies vs Green Juice, Fruit Friend or Foe, and Other Controversial Topics
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on July 1, 2010 – -
Green Smoothies have been my friend for close to 25 years now. My daily smoothie habit is a part of my life, just like brushing my teeth. When Dr. Brian Clement spoke here in Austin earlier this month, he brought up a very controversial issue…Green Smoothies vs Green Juices. He flat out said that green smoothies were “a step above soft drinks” because 90% or nutrients are lost through oxidation when the fruits and vegetables are blended.
I personally have a hard time with this. Nutrient destruction can occur as a result of damage by heat, light and air. The amount of damage is a function of severity and It is generally accepted that nutrients begin to be damages when heated above 118 degrees F. I have not found any studies that confirm this. In fact there is quite a bit of evidence that refutes this.
First of all we need to define what we mean by nutrients.
- Macronutrients: nutrients consumed in large amounts , ie protein, carbohydrates and fats.
- Micronutrients: nutrients consumed in small mounts , ie vitamins, minerals, enzymes
Not all are similarly sensitive to oxidation. Take minerals for example. You can leach them out with prolonged heat, but its hard to destroy calcium by blending. In fact, calcium becomes more available after blending because ti’s released form the cell walls, a feat ordinarily accomplished by stomach acid – which becomes deficient as we age and abuse our bodies.
The smoothie vs juice debate is a hot topic these days. Her’s an excerpt from an excellent article written by Kevin Gianni of Renegade Health. Kevin gave me permission to reprint it . Thanks Kevin. You saved me some precious time.
There are 5 important issues to address when discussing the Green Smoothie vs Green Juice debate, according to Kevin.
1. Oxidation
2. Fiber
3. Sugar Content
4. Available Nutrients
5. Ease of Making them.
Number 1: Oxidation
It’s said that high speed blenders can oxidize your nutrients so that when you drink a smoothie you won’t get the health benefit of it.
This is why you should drink juices instead.
This is false.
Victoria Boutenko did a study using potatoes in a blender and in a juicer and found that the potatoes in a blender oxidized much more SLOWLY than the potato juice.
- Fiber actually protects the smoothie from oxidizing quickly.
- Juices should be consumed right after you make them for the highest nutrient profile.
- Twin gear juicers like the Tribest are best for slowing the oxidizing process when you juice. (Sold in the Renegade Health store)
So the bottom line is this…
Smoothies oxidize slower, which means you will be able to preserve more nutrients for longer.
For oxidation, we like smoothies best.
Number 2: Fiber
Don’t we need fiber to prevent heart disease?
Why would we take the fiber out when we make a juice?
These are good questions.
First off, we do need fiber… but if we’re eating a high raw diet we’re getting plenty of fiber. Your body won’t miss the fiber from the juice.
Why take the fiber out of the juice?
For fast absorption (and maximum) of the nutrients.
A juice to me is like a power-packed supplement to your regular healthy diet.
For fiber, the smoothie has more, but the juice has a different purpose.
Number 3: Sugar Content
For sugar content, if you’re using fruits and sweet vegetables for your juices and smoothies you’re going to get sugar. Most people can deal with moderate amounts of sugar in their diet for an extended period of
time. (Higher sugar for shorter periods)
Because there is fiber in your smoothie, your body will absorb the sugar slower. This is good for your pancreas. When you juice fruit, you take away the fiber and this can cause your pancreas to struggle to regulate your blood sugar.
For this reason, I recommend smoothies with sweet fruits and veggies and juices with greens and low glycemic fruits like lemons and limes. This way you can enjoy your fruits without blood sugar spikes and enjoy a nice, clean green juice!
Just to recap, smoothies contain more fiber, don’t oxidize as fast, and allow for slower nutrient absorption.
Juices have less fiber, oxidize quicker and allow for quick absorption.
Now again, this doesn’t mean that juices are bad, they just have their place. We use them as we would a supplement. Drinking an organic vegetable juice is an opportunity to get great nutrients and minerals straight into your system.
4. Available Nutrients
When you juice a veggie, you strip away all the fiber. This makes the nutrients extremely available for your system to absorb. When you blend a veggie, you break down the fiber making the nutrients easier to absorb, but you still have a bunch of fiber that will slow absorption in your intestines.
For sugary foods this is ideal. For greens it’s good too, but not as good as a green juice. When it comes to readily available nutrients, juices take the lead.
5. Ease of Making Them
Smoothies hands down on this. Put your ingredients into a blender and turn it on. Cleaning with a blender is simple too. Rinse it out a bit, add some water and soap, then put it back on the base. Turn it on for a few seconds, then use a sponge to clean out what’s left.
Juicers are harder to clean because they have more moving parts.
To get the best of both worlds, you can use your blender to make juices.
Add your juice ingredients to the blender, add some water, and blend. When you’re done, strain everything through a nut milk bag and you have your juice ready to go.
http://www.renegadehealth.com/smoothieweek
Check out Kevin’s Smoothie Wee Specials…1/2 off Kevin’s “Smoothies for Optimal Health” book, and discounts on Kev’s Super Smoothie Powder.
For the second topic, Fruit friend or foe, we’ll continue tomorrow.
Bottom line: enjoy your smoothies and have juice too, for a powerful nutritional boost.
For a super powerful nutrition and energy boost, check out our Green Smoothie Cleanse as part of our “Drink Green Stay Lean” Coaching Program.
Love, Health and Joy to You,
Dr. Ritamarie
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