Drink to Your Health! – All About Water

Water makes up about 75% of our bodies and is essential to our health and well being. Most of us know that we should drink about 8 glasses of water per day, but do you know what kind of drinking water is best?

Ideally your drinking water should be naturally pure and full of essential minerals necessary for good health. Nearly every function in the body needs minerals such as magnesium, potassium and sodium… especially the adrenals which control immune function. Mineral-rich water includes well water, natural spring water, artesian spring water, and mineral water. Many of us do not have access to natural spring or well water, so let’s look at which options are available and the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Tap water has been treated, processed and disinfected by the city’s water treatment plant. Unfortunately, chlorine is an essential chemical in the purification process and fluoride is usually added as well.

Carbon filters are affordable and can reduce many common water contaminants, but cannot remove fluoride or harsher chemicals like arsenic and perchlorate.

Reverse osmosis filters effectively remove larger particles and pollutants, in addition to all the good minerals. This water is usually very acidic and not optimal for our bodies natural pH balance.

Distilled water eliminates all contaminants but all of the good minerals are removed as well. Similar to reverse osmosis, it leaves the water highly acidic.

Bottled water is unregulated and often comes in plastic that can leach dangerous toxins into the water. One study found more than 24,500 chemicals in the average bottle of water. If you carry a reusable water bottle, it is safer to use stainless steel, glass or BPA free plastic.

Structured Water is a process of rearranging water molecules using vortex technology and light therapy. It restructures the water to match the natural structure of your body’s water molecules, which allows it to absorb more efficiently into the body. This technology has some amazing implications but your water will only ever be as good as its source, so an additional filter is needed to remove harmful toxins from the tap.

Ionized Water is a process that uses electrolysis (electricity sent across medical-grade titanium and platinum plates) to convert water molecules into hydrogen gas (H2). H2 is one of the most powerful antioxidants available, meaning that it is able to enter the body and convert harmful oxidized free radicals into water inside your cells. This effectively turns your water into a powerful anti-aging device. In addition, ionizers address the pH of the water and there are units available with built in filters to remove all harsh chemicals and maintain sufficient amounts of minerals in your water.
Here’s to clean, healthy water for everyone!

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Good Fats vs. Bad Fats

What is fat?

Fat is a rich source of energy. Fat is made up of building blocks called fatty acids and these are classified as saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated depending on their chemical structure. Some of these are essential components of the diet but others can be detrimental to our health if too much is consumed. Let’s start with the good.


Olive oil

Good Fats

The good fats are divided into two categories monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats help to reduce cholesterol in the blood and therefore reduce the risk of heart disease. They are also a good source of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant known to reduce aging.

Polyunsaturated fats are an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty Acid, which lowers inflammation in body and is a known “brain food”, meaning it improves neural function and helps with everything from depression to dementia.

So how do we get more of these awesome fatty friends into our diets? Here is a list of great sources for both types of unsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fat:
Avocados
Olives
Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
Natural peanut butter (containing just peanuts and salt)                          Cold-pressed oils made from olives or the nuts listed above

Polyunsaturated fat:
Walnuts
Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
Flaxseed
Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
Soymilk and tofu                                                                                                            Algae such as seaweed (high in EPA and DHA)
Brussels Sprouts
Kale
Spinach
Parsley


Cheese

Bad Fats

Trans fats, or anything labeled “partially hydrogenated”, are fats that are extracted by processing vegetable oils. They made their way into to the American diet as a replacement for butter or lard in most baked goods and processed foods because they are cheap and easy to make and generally tasteless. As use of trans fats gained popularity in the 90’s, the instance of heart disease began to skyrocket in America. Trans fats have since been “outted” as dangerously unhealthy, and have been removed from most processed foods, but the use of partially hydrogenated oils such as canola, soybean and sunflower oil are still widespread and can be found in most processed or packaged foods.

 

The best way to avoid these dangerous fats is to steer clear of processed foods and always read the ingredients on packaged foods. Look out for modern processed oils such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, and safflower oil which are industrially manufactured—usually from genetically modified crops in the U.S.—using heat and toxic solvents. When buying oil or checking packaging look instead for traditional, cold-pressed oils such as extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil that are rich in monounsaturated fats and made without the use of chemicals or heat.

 

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Self-care is the New Health-care

Nutrition You Can Count On

If you’ve been around the last few decades you’ve probably noticed our societies obsession with calorie counting. From Weight Watchers to Zero calorie soda, we are constantly inundated with the message that less calories and less fat equals skinnier, healthier bodies. But the sale of low calorie products and obesity rates are both on the rise. Here’s the truth about calorie counting and the importance of something called nutrient density.

Quality vs. Quantity

The truth is most empty-calorie foods are highly processed foods that contain added saturated fats and sugar. Examples include baked products such as cakes, cookies, pies and pastries as well as puddings, doughnuts, fries, jams, syrups, jelly, sweetened fruit drinks, breaded fried burgers and ice cream. Empty-calorie foods also make up most of the long shelf life foods and beverages sold in vending machines such as chips, salted snacks, candy, soda, energy and sports drinks. Although empty-calorie foods are cheaper and more readily available than nutrient-dense foods, habitual consumption of these foods can have a negative effect on health.

So what’s the deal with nutrient density? Nutrient dense foods are foods that have a high ratio of vitamins and minerals and healthy fats per calorie content. Nutrient dense foods are easily recognizable as whole foods like vegetables and fruits. What makes these foods so special is their bio-availability, meaning they have a higher degree of nutrients which are available for absorption and utilization in the body. It takes less energy to digest these foods and they produce longer lasting energy levels.

Here’s an example of nutrient density in action: Let’s say you are low in Vitamin E. If you eat 1 slice of whole wheat bread containing approximately 130 calories, the Vitamin E content would come to 0.3mg. Comparatively, if you were to eat 1 cup of spinach, calorie content is only 7 calories which contains 3.7mg of Vitamin E. That’s more than 12x the amount of Vitamin E in 1/18th the amount of calories!

Cravings & Blood Sugar

It seems simple, eat more vegetables and be healthier. But that can be a tall order if you struggle with cravings. So where do cravings come from and what are they trying to tell us? The name of the game is insulin. Here’s how it works, imagine you get up in the morning and have a typical American breakfast: large coffee with cream and sugar, a doughnut and some bacon. Your body quickly digests all the bread and sugar as your pancreas starts producing large amounts of the hormone insulin. You experience this as a spike in blood-sugar which gives you a rush of energy. You’re feeling great as this also stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine in the pleasure and reward center of your brain, but like any high this is short lived as the body can’t sustain the overproduction of these hormones and chemicals.

Suddenly you experience an equal and opposite reaction, you crash. By the time lunch rolls around you’re not only starving but exhausted. So maybe you intended to have a salad for lunch but after eating that you don’t feel satisfied so you also grab another large coffee and cheeseburger with french fries. For most Americans this is a typical day. We are riding peaks and valleys of insulin production, causing intense cravings, mood swings and highly variant energy levels.

What our bodies really want is simple, nutrient dense, high fiber foods. These are things like leafy greens, squash, avocado, carrots, cabbage, etc. When we eat these foods that are high in fiber and nutrients, our bodies take longer to digest them. This means that as the body is breaking them down the pancreas begins to slowly release insulin, and blood sugar levels rise slowly and steadily over time, reaching a peak that lasts hours and sets the body down gently. So if you were to start your day out with a fried egg, some asparagus and cup of raw spinach and an avocado, by the time lunch came that ravenous craving for more insulin and dopamine spiking foods would be greatly reduced.

Keep It Simple

If you’re stuck in a high blood-sugar cycle and not sure how to get out of it, don’t worry! You don’t have to quit the doughnuts and coffee. It’s as simple as starting to crowd out the ‘bad’ with the ‘good’. Before you drink your coffee try drinking a large glass of water. Maybe add a vegetable to your morning routine, then have your doughnut. You’ll be amazed how adding high nutrient foods will dramatically reduce your cravings until the less healthy choices just start to fall away.

If you’re wondering which foods are best to incorporate, its really very simple: eat the rainbow. If it grows from the ground (fruits & vegetables) and has a vibrant color it’s a nutrient dense food. The darker green vegetables like collards and kale are the richest and most fibrous veggies, while everything from eggplant to peaches has value that your body will love. Still everyone is different so try experimenting with new foods to see which ones feel best and produce the most energy for you.

If you want to know more contact The Natural Body Shop and set-up an appointment to learn more about the importance of nutrition and colon health and how colonics help with detox symptoms and cravings.


 Nancy Foss                                                                                                                                              The Natural Body Shop                                                                                                                Boulder, CO                                                                                                                                          720-304-6223

 

Google Review for The Natural Body Shop & Nancy Foss

Google Review for The Natural Body Shop & Nancy Foss.

Google Review for The Natural Body Shop & Nancy Foss

 

Nancy Foss of the Natural Body Shop is the BEST colon therapist in the Denver Metro Area. I have been to several therapists in the past, but no one has ever come close to Nancy’s level of professionalism; cleanliness, gentleness, expertise and positive attitude.

I recommend Nancy to my friends and anyone who is reading this review. You will never be disappointed in the service that you will receive at the Natural Body Shop. Thank you Nancy for being my colon therapist for many years! Please open a wellness center in South Denver or Lone Tree. We need you!

Jackie K – Castle Rock, Co.

 

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From the Inside Out: Rejuvenation Through Colon Cleanse

Colon cleanse is a process that flushes away built up matter in the digestive tract. It helps restore your body’s ability to fully absorb nutrients and efficiently eliminate waste. The clearing of matter within the colon that cannot be eliminated frees the body of toxicity that is linked to illness and disease.

Avoid Unnecessary Ailments

Colonics are an important part of comprehensive health. When your colon is blocked with waste and toxins, the entire body suffers. The nutrients in the foods you eat cannot be fully absorbed, and instead contribute to the buildup of unused matter. This toxicity eventually begins to affect the stomach, heart, lungs, glands, skin and nervous system. Externally this appears in the form of depression, irritability, constipation, headaches, weakened immunity and chronic fatigue.

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A Simple Procedure

A colon cleanse lasts just under one hour. It will increase your body’s ability to metabolize nutrients by restoring the digestive tract to an unobstructed environment. The resulting feeling of rejuvenation is part of the physical act of removing waste that you have been hauling around for a long time. It is as though you are relieved from a burden you forgot you were carrying and suddenly you feel lighter. Filtered water is used during a colonic. It is gently flushed through the rectum with a disposable speculum to break up the trapped material. The body’s natural contractions that occur as a result help eliminate the buildup.

Win from Within

Consuming healthy foods and balanced dietary supplements gives you vitality and energy, especially when your body is in a condition to maximize the absorption of those nutrients. You get more from less, so to speak, with a healthy digestive tract that has been cleansed from the inside out. Your digestive system is not overworked by trying to extract nutrients from food with blockage present. This gives the rest of your bodily systems more energy with which to function and allows you greater overall well being.

To experience the rejuvenating and detoxifying effects of a colonic, contact your local colon hydrotherapy professional today.