Love the Ocean

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

America's Love Affair With Food

Being in the health and wellness business is trying at times. Sifting through all of the "noise" or should I say the information overload that we see on a daily basis is difficult at best. Advertisers are really good at what they do because they provide information about there products and they make them sound incredible. Only problem is that most of them aren't.

I guess it really doesn't matter as long as they get their message across, that their products are healthy and good for you. Without the public being educated on the real facts, it appears that they are highly successful. The reason I say that is because people in this country can't stop eating food that is not good for them. I believe they are addicted to food and they couldn't imagine giving up their food.

The challenge that most Americans have when it comes to food is the psychological aspects of food. They believe that they can't go into a social setting without eating food. How about you? Could you go to a party and not indulge in all the goodies that are there? Can you resist all the bad foods that are displayed for all to see? Are you a sweet junky?

There is something about food that makes people turn into someone else. If you are having a bad day, but know that you are going to eat your favorite food later, does that change your mood? How about when you know your going to be eating great food, say at a wedding or an event, do you starve yourself all day so you can do some serious damage when you get there? I know we have all been through this before, but for some reason we can't get off this bandwagon. Americans have a love affair with food.

There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one and the most obvious to me is that our food contains NO nutrition. That is why your body is screaming for something to eat after a couple of hours after you had a meal. Eating empty calories is the norm in this country and if there is one practice that should be stopped it is this one. The challenge is to find foods that actually have nutrition and that is no easy task, until now.

I have been on a Protocol of nutrient dense food for almost one year and it has changed my life. It isn't fancy food, but when it comes to my health I don't care. The good thing is that the food I do consume tastes fantastic. I started on the "7 Day Super Food Challenge" almost a year ago and now I have a craving for quality food that has nutrition. My food consumption is the Isagenix food 98% of the time. By putting quality food into my body it has responded better than I could have ever dreamed. Nutrition makes a difference...a HUGE difference. Start a new love affair with food, but make it food with nutrition. If you want to try our shake for free then please go to shake

Monday, October 15, 2012

"I Had A Late Lunch"

Since I have been on the "7 Day Challenge" protocol for almost a year, I have used various excuses for not eating when I go out to dinner. The most common one is, "I had a late lunch". As if I needed to justify the reason I wasn't eating when everyone else at the table was. This is where lifestyle change is evident.

Just because you go out with your spouse or friends doesn't mean you have to eat and drink. I have gone to many parties and didn't have any alcohol or food and guess what, I survived AND I had a great time. It never ceases to amaze me that we live in a society where people consider you strange if you want to take care of your health by not indulging in life's great pleasure...food.

I can't tell you how many times people have encouraged me to eat what their eating because they can't get over the notion that I prefer to consume quality food over empty calories. I don't think it registers with them that there is an alternative to eating polluted food. I realize that they are conditioned to eating the way they do and I don't hold that against them. So why do they insist on me eating what they eat?

I'm not a psychologist, but if I had to guess, they don't want to eat alone and they feel like they are doing something they shouldn't. Only thing is, they are! If you are not careful and watch what you eat, over time it will effect you in more ways than you can count. Just visualize someone in an assisted living facility and know that they had the chance to be much healthier at this stage of their life. That is, if they took responsibility for their health.

I must admit that I am so addicted to eating quality food that it is hard for me to eat any traditional food at all.  As I mentioned several times, I do eat food, but it is rare and it is my choice. I don't think many people grasp where I'm coming from. I have an entirely different view of food than the majority of people in this country. I could go to a wedding and walk right by the buffet table and the dessert table without blinking an eye. The reason? Because I'm so satisfied with eating my nutrient dense super food that I have lost my cravings for empty calories. Go figure, flood your body with quality nutrition and see what happens.

So when I go out for dinner with people and I don't eat, I usually use the, "I had a late lunch" line. I could, however, say that I'm using a new food technology that is incredibly effective and I've lost my desire to eat empty calories. By doing that I released 15 pounds, 9.6% body fat and metabolically I'm 21 years younger, but that might prompt a discussion of, "tell me more about this stuff". Now, we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Funerals-Another Reminder

In the last month my wife and I went to two funerals and they were both tough. One was my ex-father-in-law and the other was the mother of a very close friend of Gina's. As we were sitting there at the grave site, I looked up at the sky and saw the sunlight shining bright through the trees as they swayed with a slight breeze, albeit a warm breeze, a breeze none the less. I realized at that moment how wonderful life is and how we often take it for granted.

The difficult part of these two funerals was how these wonderful people spent the last months of their life. There was so much suffering physically, mentally and emotionally that it is not only hard on them, but all the family members as well. Seeing someone you care about going through that type of distress is not fun. As I said it takes a toll on everyone.

Before the ceremony began, I started to reflect on my own situation and how I'm doing what I need to do to avoid suffering as so many people do. Taking responsibility for my health is the best gift I could give myself and if I continue this practice of fueling my body with nutrition and powerful antioxidants then I believe I will have a better chance of living a better quality of life. I realize that we are all going to pass at some point, but why not live life healthy to the very end.

I know for most people it seems like a tall task to say no to the food they love and consume, but at some point they must educate themselves on the dangers of the food they eat. No one really looks at it like that, but I firmly believe that a lot of the suffering people go through could be avoided if they took more responsibility with their food choices. It sounds so simple, but it is one of the most difficult things to do in our society.

We place so much emphasis on food and everything that surrounds the food such as the social setting. If you think about your everyday life, it is surrounded by food. Meeting someone for breakfast or lunch and planning on where your going to dinner. It is all around us and yet no one stops to think about what food is doing to them. Why would they when they are not educated about food and the chemicals in the food that could harm you. GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are very scary, but so many people have never heard of them. In my opinion, since GMOs were introduced in the food supply 20-30 years ago, we have seen a rise in so many illnesses and diseases, but no one is putting two and two together.

I understand that we are not going to escape the inevitable, but why not live a full wonderful life by taking responsibility for your health. During the funeral my mind began to wander as I thought about one day people attending mine. Then I realized that because of my commitment to my health, I will probably outlive most of the people that would be at my funeral. It is not too late for everyone to live a more fulfilling life by being good to themselves. Start today so you can have a better tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Prescription Drugs Out Of Reach For Most Americans

I was reading an article the other day in Natural News about the cost of prescription drugs that are out of reach for most Americans. According to the article 45% of Americans under the age of 65 can no longer afford their medications. Has Big Pharma priced themselves out of the market?

It was bound to happen at some point in our history. The drug companies prey on the American people because they charge unbelievable prices for their drugs. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand there is a huge cost in developing new drugs and medications, but we are seeing the effects of these monopolies on our pocketbooks.

Big Pharma has an agenda and it is to render you helpless without their drugs. The average American must take two different medications every month, but it is not for a short time, it is for the rest of their lives. Imagine paying for prescription drugs every month for life?

I was on that path with high blood pressure medicine and cholesterol medication. When I was going to a traditional Dr. he put me on these two medications and I was on them for several years. I really didn't want to take these drugs, but I felt that I had no choice, but now I do!

I began to look for ways to change this pattern and I'm fortunate because I found Isagenix. I began my journey with this company and these products in Oct 2009. I toyed with them for a couple of years and then in Nov 2011 I got serious. I got on the "7 Day Super Food Challenge" and it has changed my life. I dropped my Cardiologist and found a Naturopathic Dr. that I absolutely love. On my first visit he told me to stop taking my medications because he saw I had taken responsibility for my health with a new diet. I don't mean that I was on a diet, but rather I changed my lifestyle by eating nutrient dense food and powerful antioxidants.

I'm not making any claims that if you change your diet you won't have to take medications. I'm just saying that it worked for me. Changing what I ate had a positive effect on my bio markers such as cholesterol and blood pressure. By not consuming sugar, fried foods, fast food, coffee, etc., I was able to come off these medications and now I have controlled these issues with the Isagenix food.

When I put this in terms of costs that I'm saving it is incredible. With insurance my medications were $40.00 per month. Without insurance they would have been over $150.00 per month. Now imagine that you didn't have insurance and had to pay that amount every month. I know there are millions of people out there that pay more than that for their medications. Now imagine everyone spending their money on quality food coupled with a change in their diets. I believe with this combination we could have a lot more healthy people in the country and this would reduce the cost of health care.

We all have choices which is what makes this country great, but it is the choices you make that determine your ultimate health. How many people are going to give up their favorite foods in order to create better health. I believe you can reduce your prescription drug costs with the proper diet, but you will have to sacrifice something along the way. Are you willing to do that? If costs keep climbing you might not have a choice!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Is Any Food Safe To Eat?

The more research I do about our food in this country, the more frightened I get. Every day there is another story of some kind of food being recalled because it caused illness and in some cases death. How scary is that? As Americans, we want to know that the food we are eating is safe to eat.

I subscribe to many health related websites and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't see an article about GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms). What I would like to see is the main stream media reporting on this every day. This is such an important topic that I believe everyone in the country should be aware of. A little knowledge can go a long way.

Since I began this journey to better health, one of the habits I picked up was to become a label reader. Now I'm not a scientist or a doctor, but when there are ingredients on the label that I can't pronounce, I get a bit worried. Today, these manufacturers can disguise many chemicals into nice sounding words, but the truth is that they are very dangerous.

I know there are some people that think I'm overboard with my critique of our food supply, but at this point I would rather be cautious than foolish. Virtually everything you eat today contains some type of chemical. On top of that, most of the food you eat stays in your cell structure for 6 months. So if you want to go crazy one day at a ball game and have a hot dog, plan on that hot dog staying with you for the next 6 months.

I'm not trying to scare anyone about our food supply, but rather to educate them on some of the dangers that these foods could cause. In particular any food that contains GMO's should be avoided. The next question should be, "How do I know if it contains GMO's?" That is a good question! With no labeling laws in this country it is difficult to determine, but I do have a great way of avoiding GMO's. I eat Isagenix food 97% of the time. The other 3% of my food intake is with food that I know doesn't contain GMO's. I have a whole shopping guide list of NON-GMO foods.

The Isagenix food I eat is certified and verified GMO free. To me, that is one of the best reasons to try this food. The benefits of these products go far beyond being chemical free as they actually nourish your body. How many foods that you consume are GMO free and nourish your body? I'm going to guess that the typical American diet has very few products that do that.

So when you come right down to it, is any food safe to eat anymore? Become a label reader and if you don't know what an ingredient is then do what a lot of people do...Google it. You might be surprised at what you find in these fancy words that no one can pronounce. If I were you I would stay away from GMO food like your life depended on it, because IT DOES!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Did I Mention The Quality?

I know I talk a lot about the "7 Day Challenge" protocol that I have been on for over 300 days, but I don't think I do a good job talking about the quality of these products. They are so good that I now have decided to make this lifestyle. I can't begin to tell you how incredible that is because I'm no longer held hostage by food. How many people can say that?

The quality of these products are so good that they satisfy my cravings to the point I am not hungry for food. Now it took me a bit of time to get to this place, but the key was that I was willing to do it. I made up my mind to take responsibility for my health and I'm fortunate that I was asked to join a small group of people to think outside the box. That thinking was the "7 Day Super Food Challenge".

At first I was reluctant because I had to first get over the fact that I wasn't going to eat any food for one week. I don't think people realize that when they go on this challenge it is a commitment to stay true to the protocol. After all, you are going to encounter a weekend during your 7 Days.That is when you know you are serious about making a change in your life. If you make it through the weekend give yourself a high five because that is a sign that you are ready to change.

So back to the quality of these products. In looking at the top selling product in 8 countries,which is the Isalean Meal Replacement Shake, you understand why that is so. The whey protein in these shakes are the top of the line and they come from New Zealand. It is illegal to inject any animal with steroids, hormones or antibiotics in this country which makes the source of the whey the highest grade you can buy. Always check the source of the whey when comparison shopping. Just a little hint, there are no comparisons to the Isagenix whey protein. It is by far the most superior whey protein on the planet.

In addition to the high grade whey protein is the method of extraction. Isagenix uses a proprietary process for extracting the whey without heating it. The majority of the whey protein you buy in a health food store is denatured. That means it is heated. Isagenix whey protein is undenatured. When you heat anything it takes the nutrients out of the product, like when you cook your veggies or steak.

Several of the other products I take on the protocol also contain the whey protein found in the shakes. Quality DOES MATTER!! If you put quality food into your body it will respond in ways that you never thought they could. Most people don't know what "Good" feels like because they have never stopped eating the food in the American diet. It really is an easy choice if you are serious about your health. I know people think about the money, but they think they have to spend extra money on the Isagenix products. If they could just get their head around the fact that they are substituting meals for their normal diet, they would be amazed at how much better they feel while at the same time saving money.

You deserve the best quality food for you and your family. Why settle for anything less?


Saturday, September 22, 2012

I Can See It, Can't You?

When you put two and two together things become more clear. This has never been more evident to me then right now. I'm taking in all the information that is provided and some that is not provided and drawing my own conclusions. The conclusions I am coming up with make it easy for me to see the future and the trends that will shape our lives.

What I'm talking about is the next hot trend to hit the US and it is going to have a profound effect on this country. More importantly, a positive effect that will save lives and reduce health care costs dramatically. I know that seems like a bold statement, but I believe we might be forced into it, which would be a good thing. I'm referring to the Wellness Revolution!

One of the forces in our economy that will move us in the direction I'm talking about is the cost of food. Have you been to the grocery store lately? I actually don't go to grocery stores any longer, but I ran into one the other day for some paper products and I took a look at some of the prices of the food that people buy. What I experienced was what people call sticker shock. I couldn't believe some of the prices of the food.

That led me to begin the process of putting things together. I thought about the government decided to print more money to the tune of $40 Billion dollars a month. That is on top of all the money they already printed which made the prices for staples go up in the first place. So adding additional printed money is not going to help, but rather cause massive hyper-inflation. If you add to that the severe drought the US went through this year, you have a recipe for disaster. Food prices will skyrocket next year and what will the American people do?

You see the effects of it now because more and more people are eating inexpensive fast food because that is all they can afford. It's cheap and it fills them up, but what about the long term effects on their bodies? Most people don't think of it that way because they go into survival mode and will eat what they can afford to eat. They don't think of the health ramifications of their eating habits at the time, but they should. Eating poorly for any length of time will create another expense and I mean a really BIG expense. I think you have heard of it and it's called Health Care.

We are in a vicious cycle that I believe can be broken, but we must make sacrifices. The first sacrifice is to begin feeding your body better nutrition. Since I have been on the Isagenix products my world has changed for the better. Does it cost a bit more to eat quality food? The answer is yes, but what is the alternative? Eat junk that is cheap, but then spend your life savings on your health care as you begin to develop illness and disease due to the food you ate for years?

Isagenix is so far ahead of the curve when it comes to solving solutions for people. They have put together the most complete system for better health that I have ever seen. Now, they are moving into true science with cutting edge products that help your brain and aging. This is the future and the more people that take responsibility for their health, the less they will have to pay for health care in the future. Yes, I can see it moving in this direction as people will need a way to nourish their bodies at a reasonable cost. Isagenix is positioned for massive growth, not only in this country, but many countries around the world. I can see it, can't you?