Got Milk (and other Dairy Products)?

"If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey!" Deuteronomy 11:9

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I, personally, am not a big fan of milk. I rarely drink milk, but I sometimes use it as a base for some of my protein shakes and to eat with Musli (an organic German cereal that I get at the health food store). However, I have recommended milk to others for various reasons as seen in this blog to get extra protein in the diet or as a mid-day snack.

When it comes to milk and other dairy products (cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese), I would encourage you to shop for raw products (or at the very least - organic). I also don't recommend fat-free versions of dairy products for two reasons:

1. All fats are not bad for you. Your body needs some saturated fats along with healthy fats.
2. Fat is crucial for the absorption of the vitamins and nutrients in dairy products (and other foods, including vegetables).

For example, Vitamins A and D are fat-soluable vitamins. Since dairy products contain Vitamin D, you want fat in order to properly utilize Vitamin D in the body. Most people elect for fat-free products that have been fortified with Vitamins A and D, and they don't realize that it's useless without the fat.

Also, I am against commercial store-bought milk as found in most grocery stores. I highly recommend that if you are going to drink milk, you should only drink raw milk. Store-bought milk is pasteurized (which kills the enzymes in the milk) and homogenized (changing the fat content) and is worthless.

Check out this video about milk by Dr. Jonny Bowden. Also, read this article by Dr. Mercola and this article originally published in 1938 in Magazine Digest.

I've been using raw milk for months (although I did drink it when I was younger and got it straight from the cow). Prior to finding a few places that sold raw milk in my area, I bought organic milk. That's better than most store-bought milk, but it's still not as good as raw milk or even pasteurized but non-homogenized raw milk (I have the choice of both types of milk where I live). However, for cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese - you may only be able to find organic products. That's fine! It's still better than most store-bought products.

A good alternative to milk (for those who are lactose intolerant or can't find raw milk at their local health food stores) is Almond milk. It tastes good, is low in calories and makes a pretty good milk substitute. I recommend Almond Breeze Original. You can drink it, use it in a high-quality and nutritious cereal or for protein shakes.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Benefits of Breakfast

"When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread." - John 21:9

Researchers have found many benefits from eating breakfast and with school underway, now is a perfect time to get into the breakfast habit.

Breakfast Research

Among the recent research:

• Children who skip breakfast make more errors and are slower to recall facts.
• Children who eat breakfast solve math problems more quickly.
• Children who eat breakfast do better on vocabulary tests.
• Children and adults who eat breakfast are more likely to get the vitamins and other nutrients they need.
• Adolescents who eat breakfast tend to have a lower body mass index, even if they have one or two obese parents.
• Adults who eat breakfast eat less calories throughout the day and make better food choices.
• Adults who eat breakfast lose more weight than those who skip breakfast.

The benefits of breakfast apply to grown-ups when it comes to the research shown above (less errors, better math and vocabulary).

Breakfast Guidance

• Dinner leftovers don't have to be dinner again. Heat them for breakfast instead.
• Put together an egg casserole the night before, and slip it into the oven when you get up.
• Make a smoothie containing one cup of milk, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 2-3 tablespoons of raw nuts and 1/3 cup fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) for a quick, delicious and healthy breakfast meal
• Scramble eggs with various vegetables and cheese or make an omlette.
• If you decide to have cereal, choose a high-fiber, low-sugar cereal like Fiber One.

Five On-the-Go Ideas

• Natural peanut butter and banana (or apple) slices on whole-grain toast.
• Cheese wrapped in a whole-grain tortilla and some fruit.
• Raw nuts (almonds, walnuts) and fruit (berries) stirred into yogurt.
• A fruit smoothie blended with milk, cottage cheese and raw nuts (walnuts).
• Two cheese sticks with a piece of fruit.

These tips should help you get into the habit of eating breakfast consistently. It really is the most important meal of the day!

Back-to-School Health Habits!

"Sensible children bring joy to their father; foolish children despise their mother." - Proverbs 15:20

With children returning to school in the next few weeks, it may be hard to keep them from grabbing the burgers, pizza, fries and other snacks in the school cafeteria, even if you pack a nutritious lunch.

Plus, after a long day of school, most kids would rather flop down to play video games than run around playing football or basketball, so it's more difficult to get them moving.

It can be challenging for parents to help their children develop life-long healthy eating and fitness habits, but parents can control how and what their children do during the school day by first fostering healthy habits at home.

Be Creative

Parents who are more creative often are successful at getting their children to eat well. Here are a few ways for parents to become more creative about making kids' diets more nutritious:

• Offer Vegetables at Different Times of the Day or Evening - Dice tomatoes and put them in scrambled eggs.
• Serve Salads with Most Meals - Use dark, leafy lettuce such as romaine with a variety of colorful, crisp vegetables such as celery, zucchini, carrots and bell peppers.
• Keep Super Foods Around - Never run out of carrots, apples, broccoli, almonds or yogurt.
• Watch It - Monitor the amounts of fat, sugar and salt that children consume.
• Include Your Children in the Decision-Making Process - When kids feel involved, they're more likely to try new things, including healthy food. Never give up. Keep trying new foods and repeat past foods to expose your kids to a variety of nutrients.

Pack It Up

Packing a good, healthy lunch doesn't have to be complicated. Here are a few tips for packing healthy school lunches:

• Reduce the Carbs - Think of ways to get protein into the lunch instead of just carbohydrates. Add a cheese stick, a small cup of tuna salad with pickles, or sliced meat and veggies in a pita pocket. Provide a cup of natural peanut butter for dipping apple slices.
• Prepare on Sundays - Fill small plastic containers with vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries or strawberries and freeze them. On school mornings, place them in your child's lunchbox. At lunchtime, it's a cool, healthy treat. Try cups of green beans, peas or carrots, which can also be cooked, packed and frozen on Sundays. Also, pack treats ahead of time.
• Be Creative - On hot days, make a smoothie in the morning and put it in a Thermos. Include sliced cheese or turkey and almonds as a part of lunch. This sort of creative lunch keeps your child interested in the healthy food.
• Provide Fresh, Raw Veggies - Many children will happily eat baby carrots, broccoli heads and red pepper strips with a dash of salt or a healthy dip (yogurt).
• Shop for Your Child's Lunches at a Natural Food Store - This way, you'll know your child's diet will be lower in preservatives, nitrates, additives or unnecessary sugars and salts. And choose organic whenever possible. With the reported positive impact on the immune system, the usually higher cost is an investment in your child's future health.

Keep Them Moving

Children should spend no more than one to two sedentary hours staring at a screen each day. That time includes watching television, playing video games or staring at a computer screen. Unfortunately, most children spend 4-6 hours a day on these activities. Instead, try these tips:

• Have a Plan - Be prepared to offer alternative activities to TV or video games. You might consider family game night, walking the dog, family bike rides or exploring a nearby park.
• Be Active with Your Kids - What kids want more than anything else is time with their parents. To give them that, don't just send them out to play - go play with them. Take walks, ride bikes, go swimming or just play tag or hide-and-seek outside.
• Remove the Tube - Don't position your furniture so the TV is the main focus of the room. Remove televisions from bedrooms.
• Plan TV watching in Advance - Go through the TV listings and pick the shows you want to watch. Turn the TV on for those shows and turn it off afterward.
• Practice What You Preach - Your kids won't accept being restricted to two hours of TV, video games or the computer if you are vegging out for hours at a time. The best way to influence your kids' behavior is through example.

Hopefully, these tips will help you and your kids prepare for the school year while staying healthy and fit.

Stay-Healthy Super Foods!

"You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness."

- Exodus 23:25

God is truly amazing. He designed our food in a perfect way. It nourishes our bodies and prevents disease and illness. Eating the foods God created for us means less chance of having to use man-made medications and prescriptions that have a slew of harmful side effects.

The right foods can protect against stress, insomnia, obesity, diabetes and more. Here are a few stay-healthy super foods and how they can help you:

Beat Stress With...
Sunflower Seeds - A good source of folate, which helps your body produce a pleasure-inducing brain chemical called dopamine.

Get Energized With...
Almonds or Almond Butter - They help stabilize energy levels thanks to a mix of protein and healthy fat.

Fight Insomnia With...
Yogurt - Calcium-rich foods boost levels of seratonin, a calming hormone that promotes sleep.

Get Glowing Skin With...
Blackberries and Raspberries - Antioxidant-rich berries prevent early signs of aging by fighting off free radicals.

Up Your Odds of Getting Pregnant With...
Walnuts - Having more mono-unsaturated fats (found in walnuts) in lieu of saturated and trans fats may help boost fertility.

Burn Fat Faster With...
Chile Peppers - They've got capsaicin, a compound that may kick-start your metabolism.

Pump Up Your Immune System With...
Cantaloupe - Just one cup gives you more than 100 percent of your daily recommendation for vitamin C.

Combat A Headache With...
Kale - Magnesium-rich greens like kale may help you have fewer migranes by fighting inflammation.

These are just a few examples of foods created by God that have many health benefits. If you read the bible closely, you can find all the foods God recommends that we eat. It's amazing how science has recently reported many of the health benefits of various foods even though they have been in the bible and recommended for thousands of years.

It's also unfortunate that man has altered many of the foods that God created making them less healthy for us to eat.

Remember these three principles:

1. Eat the foods God created for us
2. Eat foods as close to what God created as possible (stay away from altered and man-made foods)
3. Don't become addicted to any food

I'll talk more about this in a future blog, as I'm currently finishing a wonderful book that explains in detail the foods God created, which ones we should eat and why we should follow the three above-mentioned principles.

Soda, Coffee Drinks, Cheese, Yogurt, High-Fructose Corn Syrup and More!

“You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, He will bless you with food and water, and He will protect you from illness. - Exodus 23:25

Whenever someone asks about nutrition and training, the first thing I recommend that they do is to make small changes to their daily eating habits. It's not uncommon to see someone lose up to 10lbs in one week just from eliminating soda and other calorie-containing drinks.

Other calorie-containing drinks that I see people frequently consuming include fruit juices (even all-natural juices), sweetened tea, milk, Gatorade and other sports drinks and coffee drinks from Starbucks and other vendors. These drinks tend to be loaded with sugar and fat (even trans fats - something you want to avoid at all costs) and tons of calories. These are health and diet destroyers and will leave you wondering what went wrong when you don't notice any differences in the mirror or with how your clothes fit.

If you are beginning to take steps to get your nutrition, health and fitness on track, I highly recommend that you begin cutting out all soft drinks (even diet) and the coffee drinks (yes, all of them!).

So what should you drink? Water. Yes, get used to drinking water. If you have problems drinking water because there isn't enough taste, try adding a little lemon to your water. Also, cold water tends to be better than warm water or room-temperature water.

If that still doesn't do the trick, I'm okay with using Crystal Light in small quantities. The other thing you should drink more of is green tea. There have been many health benefits reported from those who drink green tea. It doesn't have to be a special brand. From what I've read, Lipton Green Tea is a great brand and good quality. If you need to sweeten it up, I recommend using Splenda or Xylitol.

What about cheese? As for cheese, you should eat it. However, let me tell you that cheese can be high in fat and calorically dense. Even though most of the fat is good fat, it still packs quite a punch. So my suggestion is to be careful of your portion sizes. Typically one ounce is a serving. That's not a huge amount, so you just have to be mindful of that. Avoid non-fat and reduced-fat cheeses and stick with real cheese (low-fat and non-fat cheeses do not absorb nutrients as well because the body needs fat for proper digestion and absorption).

Yogurt is good for you, and I highly recommend that you eat it for the wonderful live cultures it contains. It helps with digestion and has many beneficial bacteria. As for the type and brand, try to avoid all the sugar-filled ones such as "fruit on the bottom." They are packed with a ton of calories and sugar.

Organic and Greek yogurts are best. Try to find a brand that contains less than 20 grams of carbs from sugars. And be sure to avoid any products that contain the most evil sugar substitute in the world: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

That is something you should look for in the foods you buy - HFCS. If it's in the ingredient list, don't buy it. For some products, it's hard to avoid unless you buy things from whole food stores and natural food places (this applies to bread - as almost all store-bought bread has HFCS).

Locally, you can go to Ward's or Mother Earth and get freshly made, natural bread that only has a few ingredients and uses molasses and brown sugar as the sweetener. That is much healthier than high fructose corn syrup. Remember to try and save the bread for breakfast and post-workout when your body can better utilize the carbohydrates rather than storing them as fat.

HFCS has been linked to diabetes and obesity. It is in millions of products and people consume tons of it on a daily basis and don't understand why they are getting fat or having health problems.

Start reading labels when you buy things. The first three or four ingredients are typically the majority of what the item contains. Also, don't forget to look at serving sizes. Many people buy a 20oz Coke or Gatorade and drink the whole thing. If you look at the label, that's typically 2.5 servings so that 150-calorie soda just turned into 375 calories for a 20oz drink. Just imagine the people drinking soda from fast food joints. They are typically 32 ounces and 600 calories!

Diet sodas are not any better even though they contain 0 calories and 0 carbs because there are other ingredients in diet sodas that are bad for you (the enamel on your teeth) and they tend to cause people to gain weight because of the way the sweeteners are structured (chemically altered). So you may think a 0-calorie drink is an okay substitute, but it could cause weight gain nevertheless.

Remember to make small changes each day. Over time, they add up to big changes in the mirror and the way you feel.