Primal Nutrition

Here is a piece of food for thought on nutrition. On Saturday, I went to a lecture presented by Nora Gedgaudas, author of the book, Primal Body, Primal Mind.  Wow! I learned a lot. It took a while to condense 8 hours of information, but here goes... According to Dr. Mark Steinberg, PhD, clinical neuropshychologist and author of ADD: The 20 Hour Solution, Nora's book is a nutritional treasure map leading to optimal wellness, the way nature intended. She provides guidelines for shopping and eating in ways that will eliminate a host of physiological and mental disorders. She began by taking a look at where our dietary requirements originated. Our bodies are 99% genetically similar to those of people from the Paleolithic Era, thousands of years ago. We were designed to be omnivorous, to eat meat, and burn on ketosis. In other words, we need to consume protein and fat...but in today's society, especially as recommended by the US RDA, we consume mostly carbohydrates and way too much sugar! Blood sugar surges are enormously destabilizing! There is nothing more stabilizing to the brain than dietary fat (which is even-burning like putting a large log on a fire) and nothing more de-stabilizing than carbohydrates (which is like putting kindling on a fire and requires constant feeding). Are you hungry all the time? So many people, myself included, scrutinize labels for fat content yet this is not the culprit. We need lipids to synthesize hormones, cell membranes and for other body functions such as nervous system stability. It is critical to brain formation of infants and children, teens, making up almost 80% of the brain's content. Did anyone ever call you a fathead? That's a compliment, sweetie, LOL! You can't have a healthy brain w/o cholesterol. The foods we crave the most are probably causing us the most problems.  She especially emphasized the issue of gluten sensitivity (wheat, semolina, graham, barley, rye, and even in processed oats and many other processed foods). Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease is on the rise up to 400% and go largely undiagnosed,with only about 1% of the population currently identified. Problem is lab testing is quite unreliable. She did, however give us the website of a lab that has reliable results. www.cyrexlabs.com It boils down to this... The best psychological training and counseling, even the best pharmaceuticals (and nobody has a deficiency of Lipitor or Prozac, folks!) will not put a nutrient in your body or brain, WE NEED RAW MATERIALS TO FUNCTION!!! It's no fun being a prisoner in your own nervous system...nutritional deficiencies have been shown to cause numerous issues with cognitive and nervous system function! In fact, most hormonal and glandular issues such as adrenal fatigue and low thyroid have roots in faulty signals and rhythms from the brain, which tells the factory what to do. This is a major shift in thinking folks, but I'm here to tell you there is another way to approach disease...from a holistic perspective! Ok, this is long enough, I must respect your time and attention...so here is a link to Nora's website...www.primalbody-primalmind.com Her background is very similar to mine, her father was a radiologist (I was a CT/MRI tech turned health educator), she studied nutrition, and finally became a neurofeedback practicioner after she found healing which resulted from her own neurofeedback training. I'm not the only one!  I even have her book for sale on my website www.edgeneurofitness.com/suggested-reading I'll conclude with this quote: Emerging findings suggest that dietary factors play major roles in determining whether the brain ages successfully or experiences a neurodegenerative disease. -Mark P. Mattison, Ph.D., "Gene-Diet Interactions in Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders," Annals of Internal Medicine, 2003 I'm in the process of compiling a list of supplements to promote good brain health and function, having consulted with Nora, Dr. Michael Murray, and Dr. Daniel Amen. I invite you to send me a reply and let me know if you are interested in this information or have any questions. And don't forget to check in to http://www.facebook.com/OrganicProduceGals for the latest organic nutrition info and http://www.facebook.com/EdgeNeuroFitness for articles on brain health!

Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! For days I've been trying to draft the perfect healthy Valentine...but struggling! Like what is healthy about a big sugar rush? Rather than depressing you all with yet another study linking what we eat to how we think and feel, I took another approach... YES! I found it possible to be healthy and enjoy a Valentine treat or two! Check out this article on NUTRITIOUS FOODS OF LOVE!!!  Strawberries, dark chocolate, seafood, carrots, pineapple, and almonds may get you into the mood for love!     Here's a photo I pulled out of the archives, does anyone remember seeing this?  It's Organic Produce Gal's version of a healthy Valentine platter:)   More food for thought...  According to Discovery Health, the aphrodisiac qualities of exercise are associated with the endorphins that are released in the brain with vigorous activity -- like the runner's high.  Now here's some good news... (taken from his official press release!) Today, Valentine's Day, marked the official release of Dr. Daniel Amen's new book                  Use Your Brain to Change Your Age Secrets to Look, Feel, and Think Younger Every Day Dr. Amen's breakthrough, easy-to-follow anti-aging program shows you how to: ∙ Boost your memory, mood, attention and energy ∙ Decrease your risk for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia ∙ Eat to live long ∙ Reduce the outward signs of aging and make your skin more beautiful ∙ Promote the healing of brain damage due to injury, strokes, substance abuse, and   toxic exposure ∙ Make better, healthier decisions ∙ Dramatically increase your chances of living longer and looking younger And much more. By adopting the brain healthy strategies detailed in Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, you can outsmart your genes, put the brakes on aging, and even reverse the aging process. If you change your brain, you can change your life-and your age. I ordered my copy today, click here to get yours at half off the cover price! That was MY VALENTINE, I will share with you, because I LOVE to share about health and fitness...                     HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Finding Joy

Just wanted to share two things with you today...

Been out of touch since I got involved with this awesome project, sharing brain fitness with celebrities and the media at the DPA Gifting Suite for the Golden Globes!

Here's a little glimpse of what we did as seen on the NBC News in LA
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/entertainment/television/Stars-Swag-Bags-and-Goodies/137282968

As you know, I am a health educator on a mission to share wellness and that's what I did!
But it's not about me, it's about YOU!

Here's a little something I found on Facebook this morning...
A short 3 minute clip worth the viewing time to share some joy...
www.findingjoymovie.com


We could all use a little joy each day
It's good for your health!

Stay tuned, I have some important news to share about nutrition coming up...