By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Food prices are going up, across the board — and at levels Americans haven’t seen in decades, according to a very recent U.S. Department of Agriculture update to its Food Price Outlook this year. Food prices are expected to increase on average about 5.5-6.5% this year, the USDA’s Economic Research Service explained.

Unfortunately, some of the biggest increases will include important diet staples such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and some fats and oils. Meat prices are expected to rise 14-16%. Fresh fruits and veggies are expected to go up as well.

If you are trying to eat a healthy diet, what do you do?

Here are a few tips to help you maintain your healthy diet without breaking the bank:

1. Eliminate all processed foods and drinks—Junky foods have no place in your home or your budget, so eliminate all chips, cookies, crackers, and sweetened drinks. Period. This will help to free up your budget for nutrient dense foods. Junk food is a total waste of money and is full of empty calories, sugar, and chemicals.

Processed foods are foods that come in boxes, wrappers, and bags. Not only are processed foods unhealthy, but the packaging is also wasteful as well, and processed foods tend to make you hungrier—thanks to all the chemicals, preservatives, and taste enhancers they contain

Consider, for example, that buying a bag of potato chips costs anywhere between $2 and $5. Some of the fancier, organic or gourmet chip varieties can cost upwards of $6-$8. That’s big savings to cut those out. Snack on fresh cut up veggies instead and save your money.

I do realize that buying meat and vegetables may seem expensive, but when you compare the nutrient density of meat and vegetables to the nutrient density of chips, crackers, or cookies—there is absolutely no contest!

2. Stop with the grains—Breads, whether gluten free or not are completely unnecessary and generally garbage. Bread is not needed in your diet. And if you are planning on eating low carb, there is no room for bread.

What about breakfast cereal? Another grain product that is incredibly expensive, full of air, sugar, and refined grains. And again, no real nutritional value. Breakfast cereals mostly just jack up your blood sugar, create a quick crash and make you hungrier for more.

Have you ever started on ONE bowl of cereal, and soon find yourself gobbling up your second and third bowl? There isn’t anything good or healthy about processed breakfast cereal, despite the encouraging message on the box about how “healthy” or “natural” it is. Cross breakfast cereal off your list.

3. Avoid “Gluten free” as much as possible. Sure, even us gluten free folks wouldn’t mind having a piece of toast with breakfast on occasion, but these foods are just as bad, just as processed—if not more, than regular processed grains. And they are way more expensive! Most gluten free products are made of super refined tapioca starch, rice flour, or other expensive “no-grain” flours like almond flour.

You are far better off finding a ‘real food’ to substitute for those gluten free products. Wrap your sandwich or taco in lettuce. Rustle up some shredded sweet potatoes to go with your eggs instead of toast, or just avoid all those extra carbs. Perhaps now may be the best time start eating lower carb and start reaping the benefits.

4. Do meal prep instead of buying pre-prepared foods—It really doesn’t take that long to do a little meal prep with leftover foods from meals. Just remember to make extra when you are cooking up a batch of chicken thighs or slow cooking that roast. Throw in some extra broccoli or add the meat to some salad greens for a complete meal. A premade meal from home is far healthier, with no additives, no unhealthy oils, no high price, and it’s all there in fridge when you are ready.

5. Frozen fruits and veggies for the win—Yep, frozen veggies can be every bit as nutritious, or even more so than fresh produce vegetables. Frozen vegetables are picked at peak ripeness and frozen to keep their nutrition locked in. Fresh vegetables often have a long trip on a truck or train to get to the grocery store, and can be week or two old when you get them “fresh” in your grocery store.

Instead, grab some nutrient dense fruits and veggies that are frozen and often on sale. Best picks are broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, or frozen kale. I love keeping a bag of organic blueberries or mixed berries in my freezer to throw in smoothies, whip up a quick blueberry sauce, or just add to some homemade buckwheat pancakes.

6. Make your own—A lot of so-called convenience foods are made of just a few ingredients that are easy to make on your own. For example, I rarely buy spaghetti sauce. When you look at the ingredients, you will find that it’s super easy to mix up your own batch in the same amount of time it takes to pour out a bottle of pre-made spaghetti sauce.

Buy a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, add some chopped fresh garlic, a teaspoon or so of oregano and/or basil, and maybe a pinch of palm sugar. Heat and serve. If you want to get really fancy, you can brown the garlic and minced onion in a pan of olive oil, and then add the tomato sauce.

Salad dressing is the same, and it’s most often made of unhealthy, inflammatory omega 6 oils. Salad dressings often have added sugar and preservatives in them as well, turning your healthy bowl of greens into unhealthy glop. Instead, try mixing up some extra virgin olive oil, some apple cider vinegar, a touch of palm sugar, honey or maple syrup, a little bit of Dijon mustard, and some fresh chopped herbs. Mix it all up and keep it on hand for a delicious, healthy dressing.

7. Buy cheaper cuts of meat—Instead of buying steaks, roasts, or brisket, buy ground beef. Good quality ground beef is one of the most versatile foods and can go in many recipes. Buy the chicken thighs instead of the fancy (and lesser nutrition) boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Use ground turkey or chicken if available. Better yet, just pick up a whole chicken, roast it in the oven and use the leftovers for meals the next few days. Chicken salad, chicken soup, chicken on top of your salad greens, etc.

It’s true that grass fed or organic naturally raised meat does have a little bit of nutritional edge over conventionally raised meat, but if you cannot afford to buy grass fed or organic, you are still getting high quality protein with conventional cuts, as opposed to cutting out meat.

One of the best buys in meat is to find a farmer who raises grass-fed meat, and go in halves or quarters with someone. Many cattle farmers will sell their meat this way, and you get some of the highest quality meat without the grocery store overhead.

8. Drink water—Cutting out those sugary or fruity drinks is another great way to create major savings in your grocery budget. Sugary drinks do absolutely nothing for your waistline, or your bottom line. Even the ‘healthy’ drinks like kombucha or probiotic flavored waters are expensive, full of calories and sometimes hidden sugars, and don’t do near as much for your gut health as you think they do. Some of the trendier probiotic drinks can cost $3, $4 or $5 a bottle! That’s a lot of money when a glass of water may do quench your thirst just as well.

9. Prepackaged salad greens—You may be thinking I’m going to tell you to cut out buying the bags of salad greens, but in reality, it may be a better option than buying several different types of fresh lettuce, baby kale or spinach.

Most of these greens are very delicate and can go bad a few days, so unless you can use up all those different varieties of greens, you are probably better off grabbing a bag of mixed baby super greens and eating them while they are fresh.

10. Stick to a list—Changing the way you grocery shop may be a matter of changing your shopping habits. Having a list you’ve thoughtfully prepared ahead of time and sticking to it, will help you avoid grabbing those empty-nutrition foods and drinks that tend to gobble up your food budget. Save your money for the most nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and butter.

Making some changes in your grocery shopping, while adding in more nutrient dense foods will not only make a difference in your shopping budget, but it can also have a major positive effect on your health.

Removing junk foods, processed foods and high carb snacks and drinks will help you stop the munchies, stop the mindless eating, and help you stick to your health and weight loss goals far better. Happy shopping!

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/19-ways-to-eat-healthy-on-a-budget
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/eat-healthy-food-on-a-budget/
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1090086246/grocery-store-food-prices-increase-2022-usda-report

The post Ten Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

What if you were unintentionally drinking multiple medications in your glass of water? Medications such as blood pressure medicine, diabetes medicine, epilepsy medication, birth control pills and antibiotics. All of these have been found in drinking water samples in multiple cities and towns across the U.S. as well as the rest of the world in significant quantities.

Pharmaceuticals can get into water supplies via human excretion or drugs being flushed down the toilet. Runoff and waste from pharmaceutical plants and huge animal feedlots also get washed (or dumped) into rivers and water supplies. While most people would think wastewater treatment plants would get the medications and other sneaky chemicals out of the water supply, many of these, including pharmaceuticals, can easily pass through water treatment systems undetected.

A very recent new study published in Science Daily looked at pharmaceuticals in the rivers of the world, and found potentially toxic levels in almost every area covered in the research!

This study looked at 258 rivers around the world, including rivers that run through major cities such as the Thames in London and the Amazon in Brazil. According to Science Daily’s report, 61 different pharmaceuticals were measured including:

• Carbamazepeine (an anti-epileptic medication)
• Metformin (commonly used for diabetes treatments)
• Propranolol (a beta-blocker for high blood pressure)
• Sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic)
• Ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic)
• Loratadine (an antihistamine for allergies)
• Caffeine
• Sex hormones (birth control pill)

This study forms a portion of the University of York-led Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project with the new study becoming one of the first world-wide investigation of medicinal contamination in the environment.

Some of the shocking findings of this latest study (as summarized in Science Daily) include:

• The fact that pharmaceutical pollution is contaminating water on every continent.
• A significant correlation exists between the socioeconomic status of the population and higher levels of pollution. In other words, lower-level income status = higher levels of medication pollution.
• Higher levels of pollution were also associated with higher median age groups, higher rates of unemployment, and higher poverty.
• Most polluted countries and regions of the world are the areas that have been studied the least—including sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and southern Asia.

Big Pharma is in Your Nearby Rivers

Cities around the world use rivers for water sources. Unfortunately, those same rivers are often used as dumping grounds as well. The high levels of pharmaceutical pollution in some areas are attributed to the dumping of trash and medical rubbish along riverbanks, inadequate wastewater disposal, and the existence of pharmaceutical companies operating in nearby areas, dumping their waste straight into the water supply.

In a 2004 to 2009 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study, scientists found that pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities can be a significant source of pharmaceuticals in the environment—especially the water supply. This study shows that liquid waste from these two wastewater treatment plants picked up discharge from nearby pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, and had up to 1,000 times higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals than 24 other wastewater treatment plants across the nation—not near pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

Farm Runoff

Pharmaceutical companies are not the only source of pharmaceuticals in your water system. As you may already know, massive amounts of antibiotics and other drugs are used in the livestock industry. Runoff from animal feeding operations (CAFO’s) end up in ground water, streams, and nearby rivers as well. Other pharmaceuticals besides antibiotics including acetaminophen, caffeine, nicotine byproducts, antihistamines, and tranquilizers have also been found in the water as well.

Are You Taking Your Neighbor’s Medication?

Another huge source of pharmaceuticals in the water just happens to be large populations. Any drugs that don’t fully get metabolized in someone’s body will end up in wastewater systems. And unfortunately, these drugs can be detected miles downstream from wastewater-treatment plants, simply because many of these plants just cannot remove the pharmaceuticals from the water.

There are plenty of cities in the U.S. that pump their drinking water directly out of the local rivers in the area, and then purify the water for drinking. The degree to which pharmaceuticals get cleaned out of the drinking water varies greatly across the U.S., but for many cities, a plethora of pharmaceuticals is floating around in your glass of drinking water.

Take Southern California for example, about half of all the drinking water is supplied by the Colorado River. The water from the Colorado River that Southern California is drinking just happens to be downstream of Las Vegas where there are a good number of pharmaceuticals are flushed into the water supply. Southern California also happens to be downstream of several large cattle feedlots and grazing lands that are across the Southwest U.S. These pharmaceuticals just cannot be filtered out of the water.

This same international study shows Dallas, Texas as a “hot spot” with cumulative concentrations of 10,000 nanograms/liter (parts per trillion) of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) showing up in the water system. Las Vegas comes in just behind Dallas at ~5,000 nanograms/liter of APIs.

And yet another study found a whopping 56 pharmaceuticals in the drinking water, in Philadelphia. Antibiotics like amoxicillin and doxycycline, pain killers like acetaminophen and prednisone, anti-seizure drugs like carbamazepine and phenytoin, and addictive substances like nicotine and caffeine, along with 48 others that were present in trace concentrations. Yet another 2008 investigation by the Associated Press found medications in the drinking water of over 40 million Americans.

How Pervasive is This Problem of Big Pharma in the Water?

Fourteen different pharmaceutical ingredients have been found in sampling sites in Antarctica, South America, North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. A pervasive problem, don’t you think? It’s very hard to get away from this.

The drugs included acetaminophen, beta blockers (which slow the heart rate and control blood pressure), epilepsy medication, antihistamines, antidepressants, antianxiety medication, and several antibiotics. Only two areas in the 258 samples were drug-free: Iceland and a small remote village in Venezuela.

In any case, sewage plants are just not designed to remove or treat pharmaceuticals, nor are they required to. So far, the EPA and other agencies have not set any kind of standards for the presence of pharmaceuticals in water, mostly because no one is sure what levels are safe or not. But tell me, do you want to be taking any extra medications? This cannot be healthy. Some of these medications, even in small doses can have the possibility of side effects or even addiction. The effects over time can be cumulative.

What About Fish and Other Organisms?

Research has also been done to discover if levels of drugs could cause adverse effects to organisms living in the rivers–or to humans who eat fish from rivers. Fish are studied to check levels of environmental pollution because of their capability to absorb pollutants from the water.

Researchers found high concentrations of antidepressants in the brains of fish from the Niagara River. Research by Cornell University found pharmaceuticals in the Hudson, and documented antibiotic resistant bacteria in the river, most likely originating with antibiotics that have found their way into sewage systems.

Psychoactive drugs such as antiepileptics and antidepressants, are the most prevalent types of medications that seem to show up in most all fish species. Many studies have reported biological alterations including reproductive, physiological, and behavioral alterations in the fish studied most likely caused by these compounds in the water.

Bottom Line

Besides big Pharma residue, you may be drinking a host of other scary chemicals in your water. These chemicals along with the medication residue may or may not be causing long term health issues—but no one really knows because it is not really being studied as of now. The question is—are you comfortable drinking pharmaceutical and chemical leftovers in your water?

I know, I am not. My best advice is to invest in a high-quality reverse osmosis system or a Berkey water filtration system if you like to drink tap water—especially if you are on a city water system that feeds from nearby rivers and streams. And be very, very wary if you happen to live near any type of pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. You may never know exactly what you are drinking or the long-term effects it has on your health.

References
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/chd-tv-rfk-podcast-gary-wockner-drinking-water-polluted-big-pharma/?fbclid=IwAR1aVfPGX1FGve5asjKSraaHWzmepJkN2ipMd4VHr0BD0qjKxRYvNRM6e6c
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/02/19/high-levels-of-drugs-found-dissolved-in-many-parts-of-hudson-river/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214121254.htm
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/pharmaceuticals-water
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4420942&page=1
https://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/3108
https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/clean-water/pharmaceuticals-personal-care/

The post Big Pharma in Your Drinking Water appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

One of the biggest complaints that many people mention is fatigue. So many of us complain of being tired all the time. No matter how common it seems, feeling exhausted all the time is just not normal or healthy. It’s a sign that something is not right.

It seems to go hand in hand with aging and can sometimes get worse before it gets better. When fatigue begins to interfere with your normal DAILY routine, it’s time to look into why and see if you can remedy the situation.

There are many factors that contribute to fatigue, and the good news is that many of these things are easily ‘fixable’. In addition, many of these health and lifestyle changes affect your overall health for the better, prevent chronic disease and help you feel mentally better as well.

Let’s take a look at some of the hidden (and not so hidden) causes of fatigue:

Sleep Issues

We have all experienced some sleepless nights, for a multitude of reasons. When sleep problems persist, we end up exhausted, dragging through the day, irritable and moody. Poor sleep can lower immunity, raise cortisol levels, cause weight gain, and reduce our ability to think clearly.

There are quite a number of things that can cause poor sleep but let’s consider a few factors:

• Sleep timing — It’s important to do your best to get on a good sleep schedule. Our bodies have something called a ‘circadian’ rhythm that helps us to be sleepy at night when it’s dark and wakeful during daylight.

Going to bed early some nights, interspersed with staying up late will definitely cause problems in your sleep cycle. Our bodies tend to develop a ‘sleep rhythm’ where we tend to get tired around the same time every night. If you ignore this sleep rhythm on a regular basis, it will wreak havoc with your natural sleep cycle of REM sleep and deep sleep.

Traveling through different time zones can often temporarily disrupt sleep cycles. This is where the supplement melatonin comes in, helping you re-regulate your sleep periods.

• Hormones — Hormones can have a huge effect on sleep quality. For women in perimenopause (the ten years or so preceding menopause), plummeting levels of progesterone can cause anxiety, agitation, and loss of sound sleep. Sometimes, just an over-the-counter natural progesterone cream can help women struggling with hormonally based insomnia.

Men too, can have sleep issues due to dropping hormone levels. While loss of sleep is linked to causing lower testosterone, naturally declining levels of testosterone can also affect a man’s sleep quality with fewer deep sleep cycles.

As testosterone levels begin to gradually drop when a man reaches his forties or so, cortisol (our stress hormone) increases. Cortisol contributes to the usual stress response, even during sleep. Increased cortisol can cause more wakefulness, tossing and turning, a faster heart rate and shallower breathing. So for men, feeling tired and fatigued is often a symptom of low testosterone, according to the American Urological Association.

• Sleep Apnea — Many men and women (often another sign of aging) can have sleep apnea. This is where, for a number of reasons, breathing stops for short periods of time. This can be a potentially serious sleep disorder. When the CO2 levels begin to build up in the blood, the sleeper will wake up, take a deep breath, and most likely go back to sleep. Sleep apnea is often tied to loud snoring.

Many people don’t even realize they have sleep apnea, but just complain of feeling tired all the time. Other signs of sleep apnea include awakening with a dry mouth, a morning headache, and difficulty staying asleep.

If this is the case, it’s best to have it checked out by a sleep specialist or a doctor. Sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, high blood sugar, liver dysfunction and mood problems. And you may have a sleep partner who is being deprived of sleep as well.

• Other health and lifestyle factors — Other factors that interfere with sleep and contribute to overall fatigue include: poor diet, stress, drinking too much alcohol, medications, depression or anxiety disorders, and being too sedentary.

Thyroid Dysfunction

Thyroid disease is more common than many of us realize. An estimated 20 million people suffer from thyroid disease and up to 60% of those don’t even realize they have a thyroid problem. Thyroid disease occurs more often in women and aging adults.

A thyroid disorder can manifest with many differing symptoms. The thyroid gland is considered a primary gland one that secretes hormones that affect almost every function in the body. For example, thyroid is responsible for regulating body temperature, the rate of your heartbeat, respiration, production of protein, and your metabolism and energy levels.

• Hyperthyroid Conditions – Thyroid dysfunction can be either ‘hyper-’ or ‘hypo-’. When thyroid dysfunction is hyper, metabolism is sped up, the heart races and it becomes difficult to sleep or relax. Even with the excessive amounts of nervous energy from hyperthyroid conditions, the lack of sleep can become very problematic.
• Hypothyroid – More common is the hypothyroid condition. This is where there is not enough thyroid hormone or the body has difficulty in converting the thyroid hormone T4, into the usable T3. A low thyroid means metabolism is slowed, energy is low and fatigue sets in, sometimes extreme fatigue. Other hypothyroid condition shows up as brain fog, depression, and weight gain.
• Hormones — Women are often more likely to have a low thyroid than men (although men can have thyroid problems as well). Low thyroid can easily escape a diagnosis.

Many doctors use the standard and very basic TSH test (thyroid stimulating hormone). While this can help with some thyroid disorder, it doesn’t give the full picture. It’s important to have a full “thyroid panel” done to see T3 and T4 levels, free T3, free T4 and thyroid peroxidase (TPO) which detects antibodies against the thyroid.

For women, declining hormones in the mid-forties and fifties can affect thyroid function as well. As progesterone declines, the hormonal imbalance can negatively affect the body’s ability to convert thyroid hormone into the usable T3. So, while this creates a condition of hypothyroid, the basic thyroid test will not show this. Research shows that adding progesterone can help improve thyroid function.

Everyone can benefit from supporting the thyroid, which is the key to optimal function and energy. If you haven’t had a full thyroid panel, ask your doctor for one. An undiagnosed thyroid condition can be the reason for your fatigue.

Supplements can certainly help thyroid function. These include selenium, which supports our body’s ability to create thyroid hormones. Selenium also reduces levels of thyroid antibodies. Zinc also plays an important role in thyroid hormone conversion, as well as being a great nutrient for skin health and immune health. B vitamins are also essential for people with slow thyroids. B vitamins have many interactions with thyroid function, energy levels and hormone regulation.

Other help for the thyroid includes avoiding gluten, soy, and dairy. These foods can interfere with effective thyroid function.

Diet

While you may not make a connection between what you eat and your energy levels, diet has a huge effect on fatigue, energy–and even your sleep quality and your moods. A poor diet can not only make you feel fatigued all the time, it can bring on insomnia, foggy thinking, irritability, anxiety and depression.

• Sugar and Carbohydrates — We’ve probably all heard that too much sugar causes a crash. Yes, this is true, but even too many carbohydrates—especially in the form of refined flours and processed foods will also cause a crash. So while you may not be actually eating sugar, carbohydrates turn into sugar (glucose) once eaten.

This results in a release of insulin in response to the high levels of glucose in the blood, which then lowers blood sugar. Once this happens, sleepiness and fatigue set in. Many people then reach for more high carbohydrate or sugary snacks. This creates a vicious cycle for fatigue and weight gain.

Of course, the best thing is to avoid sugar of all kinds and avoid most carbohydrates, especially grain-based carbohydrates. This means avoiding consumption of chips, crackers, cookies, and even so-called ‘healthy’ foods like pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes.

Eating healthy carbohydrates like fresh veggies and small amounts of fruit, is far better for your health, your weight, and your energy. You also want to be sure you are getting adequate amounts of healthy proteins like meat, fish, and poultry to balance blood sugar and create more sustained energy.

A diet high in carbs and sugar depletes certain vitamins and minerals. It especially depletes vitamin B1(thiamine). A B1 deficiency causes fatigue. People who have trouble controlling their blood sugar or those who are diabetic, often complain of fatigue and are most likely B1-deficient. Note: B1 also needs magnesium to work in the body. As an added benefit, B1 also helps to reduce anxiety, night sweats, and GERD.

• Food Sensitivities — Food sensitivities tend to increase with aging, especially for women during perimenopause and menopause. Many food sensitivities or true allergies can cause obvious symptoms like rashes, digestive problems, runny nose or headaches. But fatigue is a big symptom that’s often overlooked as a reaction to food. And many times, fatigue is the only symptom of a food sensitivity.

Foods that are eaten every day are often the worst offenders. The most common foods that cause reactions are gluten, dairy, soy, and corn. That’s not to say these are the only foods but this is a good place to start looking.

The best way to check out foods is to do an elimination diet. Cut out entirely one food at a time for ten days to two weeks. Next, reintroduce that food. Eat it several times, noting how you feel. Keep in mind, it may take up to 24 hours to notice a response. Now go back and try eliminating another food and see what happens.

Gluten may be the best place to start. A majority of people with gluten intolerance and celiac disease often complain of fatigue, as well as those who are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

• Not Enough Protein — The vegetarian, vegan trend seems to be gaining popularity as the media tries to tell us this will prevent global warming. (It won’t!) For those of us who may be taking a second look at improving their health, a meatless diet seems to be a healthy choice.

While vegan and vegetarian diets have many redeeming qualities, inadequate protein often becomes a hidden factor adding to blood sugar ups and downs, fatigue, brain fog, and mood changes. The issue is that getting adequate nutrition including B12, essential fatty acids and bioavailable protein becomes increasingly difficult with a meatless or vegan diet.

A lack of protein can lead to a lack in muscle. In one study, older men and women who didn’t eat enough protein were found to have an increased rate of muscle loss.

Protein is a vital component of every cell in your body. Protein is necessary as the raw material used for building and repairing tissues, muscles, bones, and skin. Protein is essential to help produce enzymes that activate metabolism. And, if you are not consuming enough bio-available, high-quality protein, like red meat, your body will have a hard time creating and absorbing essential nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, zinc, and essential fatty acids.

If your body isn’t properly nourished by protein, will not be able to get enough vitamin B-12 and folate. Low levels of these important B vitamins and low iron intake will cause anemia—a condition where your body isn’t able to produce enough red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body. Low protein intake and anemia can most definitely cause low blood pressure, poor immune function, injuries and fatigue.

Eating a high-quality meal with some added protein can go a long way towards helping balance blood sugar, helping you feel more full for longer, and have longer lasting energy with no ‘crash’ after meals.

Consuming high quality protein–especially animal protein—will boost your metabolism and energy far more than any carbohydrates can. In one study, self-reported fatigue levels were significantly lower among college students eating high-protein foods like fish, meat, eggs and beans at least twice a day.

Best sources of protein include grass fed red meat, pasture raised chicken and eggs, and wild caught fish and unpasteurized, (full fat) dairy products. Nuts and legumes offer some protein, but it’s not bioavailable, or usable in the body as animal protein. Protein powders can also help.

Next time you feel sleepy and need more energy, grab some beef jerky, a few slices of deli turkey, or have a hard-boiled egg and see how you feel.

Dehydration

You don’t have to run a marathon across a desert to become dehydrated. Anyone can be dehydrated, even in the middle of the winter. Dehydration can be very subtle—some people may never even feel thirst as a symptom of dehydration. As we age, we are less sensitive to the obvious symptoms of dehydration. Often, by the time thirst sets in, you are already dehydrated.

Dehydration can be brought on from vomiting or diarrhea, being at high altitude or dry environments, air travel, being outside (hot or cold weather), exercise, alcohol, too much caffeine, medications, diabetes, and simply not drinking enough water.

• Water vs Electrolytes — In addition to a lack of water, electrolytes must be in the correct balance in order for fluids to reach our cells. These ions include sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. When electrolytes are out of balance, the body does not hold on to water and you urinate most of it out of your body. A person out-of-whack electrolytes can become dehydrated, even if a lot of water is consumed.

Our electrolytes help your body run on electricity the keeps your heart pumping, your brain working, and your nervous system and muscles working properly. Being dehydrated will actually make your blood thicker, causing your heart to pound as it pumps harder to move the thick blood around your body.

• Medications — Many prescribed and over-the-counter medications can actually cause dehydration. Allergy and cold medications often work to dry up nasal secretions and can often be a cause of dehydration. Blood pressure medications sometimes include a diuretic which works to decrease fluids in the body. In addition, these medications often upset electrolyte balance, further increasing the risk of dehydration.
• The Wrong Kind of Fluids — Alcohol, tea and coffee are diuretics and can easily contribute to dehydration. Any excess of these types of beverages will cause excessive urination that will lead to dehydration. Even drinking too much plain water without enough electrolyte intake can lead to being ‘overhydrated’, a condition that is just as bad and dehydration. People have been known to overhydrate with too much water and actually die from it.
• Age — As we age, we lose our ability to sense thirst as well. Older people are definitely more susceptible to dehydration than younger people. Older people don’t always have a good sodium/water balance. Many older people also have various impairments and disabilities or even a lack of access to good drinking water. Aging people tend to be on more medications which may also contribute to dehydration.

Dehydration can cause symptoms like brain fog, confusion, sleepiness and lethargy, inability to concentrate, and weakness. Dehydration can also cause insomnia, further increasing your fatigue.

To prevent dehydration, be sure to get adequate amounts of water, vegetables and fruit (good sources of potassium), and salt in your diet. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty!

Natural thirst-quenching foods and drinks include lemon water, coconut water, celery, watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, pineapple and cantaloupe. In addition, mineral water contains important electrolytes like magnesium, calcium and chloride. Adding a sprinkle of sea salt or Himalayan salt to your water can help your body retain this vital fluid—especially if you’ve been sweating.

Underlying Health Conditions and Fatigue

Persistent fatigue that seems to have none of the above causes can be related to an undiagnosed health condition. These include:

• Anemia, either from a lack of iron or lack of proper B vitamins
• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease or heart failure
• Hormonal issues—cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, thyroid
• Depression, anxiety
• Cancer
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Viral or bacterial infection
• Recovering from surgery or a physical trauma
• Seasonal allergies

It’s important to let your health professional know you are experiencing ongoing fatigue—especially if you have eliminated the above causes.

How often you experience fatigue, whether it interferes with your day-to-day activities and the type of fatigue is important to note. Is your fatigue related to weakness or sleepiness? Does your fatigue cause brain fog? Are you taking a lot of naps? Do you feel like you just don’t have enough energy to make it through the day? How is your sleep at night? Is it constant or just occasional?

It’s important to discuss with your doctor other symptoms you may be experiencing, even if they seem unrelated. A health professional may want to order extra lab work, look over any medications you are taking, and evaluate if you need any further testing.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies are a key factor in fatigue. There are many nutrients that can contribute to fatigue including deficiencies in: B vitamins—especially B1, B6, and B9; vitamin D, iron, magnesium, potassium and certain antioxidants, including glutathione.

Some people do not possess adequate digestive enzymes to fully extract nutrients from the foods they eat, while others may have inflammation in the digestive system, from food intolerances or allergies that makes it difficult to absorb nutrients from food.

• B vitamins — The B vitamins are B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B12, B9 (folate) and biotin. B vitamins are vital to supplying energy for every part of the body, including the brain and nervous system. All the B vitamins are involved in the energy-production system within the cells. When you are lacking in any of the B vitamins, your cells’ mitochondria will not be able to generate energy well and your red blood cells won’t be very efficient getting oxygen to all parts of your body.

A deficiency in just one of the B vitamins can slow down an entire sequence of biochemical reactions necessary for converting food into energy, this results in a loss of energy and fatigue.

People who eat high carb/high sugar diets or those who have trouble controlling their blood sugar (diabetics or those with metabolic syndrome) may feel extreme fatigue. This is due to a shortage of vitamin B1.

Low levels of B9, B12 or B6 are key B vitamins that can cause tiredness and fatigue. A folate deficiency for example (B9), causes a type of anemia called ‘macrocytic’ anemia, whereas people low in B12 have another type of anemia called ‘pernicious’ anemia.

It’s thought that 10 to 15 percent of aging adults have a B12 deficiency, often due to low levels of intrinsic factor which allows B12 absorption. In addition to fatigue, low levels of B12 can cause brain fog, confusion and even dementia. Many vegetarians and vegans are low on this essential nutrient, because B12 is from animal-based sources of food only.

Low levels of B vitamins can cause fatigue, anxiety, numbness and tingling in extremities, a swollen red tongue, irritability and brain fog.

You can try supplementing with a quality multi-B vitamin supplement for a couple of weeks to see how you feel. It’s always better to take the whole B vitamin family, because taking just one type of B vitamin can upset the delicate synergy between all the B vitamins.

Due to a certain genetic defect of the MTHFR gene, some people may not be able to properly metabolize folate and B12, so as a precaution, be sure you are taking B vitamins that include methylfolate (B9) and methylcobalamin (B12).

• Vitamin D — This vitamin is crucial for bone health, immune function, and—surprise—to prevent fatigue—among its many other benefits. The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can be difficult to pinpoint, but they are fatigue, bone pain, depression, and muscle aches and weakness.

If you cannot get outside in the midday sun, or if you live in a northern latitude, you may need to supplement with vitamin D. According to the NIH, most adults need a minimum of 15-20 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D3 each day, and adults older than 70 need 20 mcg. Best source of vitamin D comes from the sun. Your doctor can include vitamin D levels in your lab work and it’s a good idea to see where you are at. Optimal levels are 40-60+ ng/mL.

• Magnesium — Magnesium is a very powerful mineral. It not only supports bone health, moods, and blood sugar regulation, but it is vital for assistance in energy production. Many people (about 80%) are low in this essential mineral, so it is a good idea to add magnesium supplements to your daily routine. Not only will it assist in energy production, but it aids in sound sleep too—so you attack fatigue from both angles.

Low levels of magnesium can cause loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, irregular heartbeat, nervousness and anxiety. Recommended amounts of magnesium are 250-400 mg a day.

• Iron — Deficiencies in iron can be fairly common. Iron deficiency anemia is very common especially for those who do not eat red meat. Iron is necessary for red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body.

Iron-deficiency anemia will cause weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath, pale skin, a fast heartbeat, lowered immune status, and a swollen tongue. Often iron-deficiency anemia is accompanied by B vitamin shortages as well, further increasing fatigue and weakness symptoms.

Iron-deficiency anemia will cause weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath, pale skin, a fast heartbeat, lowered immune status, and a swollen tongue. Often iron-deficiency anemia is accompanied by B vitamin shortages as well, further increasing fatigue and weakness symptoms.

• Potassium — Potassium is a vital electrolyte and mineral that assists the heart, nerves, and muscles to work properly. Plus, it’s also an important nutrient that helps balance sodium in the body. Most people get adequate amounts of potassium in their diet if they include vegetables and fruit on a regular basis.

However, in cases of vomiting or diarrhea, excessive sweating, laxatives, diuretics, or kidney disease, potassium can run low. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, muscle twitching or cramps, tingling, numbness and abnormal heartbeat.

Potassium is relatively easy to replace with diet—bananas, most all vegetables and fruit, squash, and legumes provide plenty of potassium to replace lost stores.

• Antioxidants — Antioxidants prevent oxidative stress and fatigue in our bodies. Oxidation results from many things related to lifestyle. A poor diet, high in sugar and processed foods contributes, as does excessive exercise, environmental toxins, smoking cigarettes, alcohol, stress and many other unavoidable things.

A buildup of free radicals and oxidative stress contributes to tiredness, fatigue and an inability to recover from strenuous exercise. Low levels of antioxidants can contribute to muscle atrophy and fatigue.

Inadequate levels of important antioxidants also increase age-related loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia), weakening the body, increasing fatigue, and causing more susceptibility to injuries. This creates a vicious circle of fatigue, inactivity and further health decline.

There are particular antioxidants that may be the most valuable to supplement. These include glutathione (the master antioxidant), coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, lipoic acid and carotenoids.

Glutathione helps strengthen immunity, and neutralizes free radicals while removing toxins. It also helps to fortify and activate other antioxidants in the body.

CoQ10 supports the heart and cardiovascular function. CoQ10 aids in 95% of the body’s energy and supports the mitochondria in our cells. Mitochondria function as our cells’ energy powerhouse.

And Alpha lipoic acid is a multipurpose nutrient that has powerful antioxidant and blood sugar management actions. ALA increase glucose uptake in the muscles, resulting in increases in muscle energy.

Antioxidants can be found in ample amounts in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Eating a diet high in colorful, nutritious vegetables full of vitamin C and carotenoids will go a long ways towards supplying the antioxidants you need. Organ meats also include large amounts of the valuable antioxidants, CoQ10. There are also many supplement combinations that supply antioxidants for energy and free radical protection.

As you can see from the above, there are many contributing factors that cause fatigue. And often, it is not just one thing but a combination of factors, health conditions, diet and lifestyle that all go together to cause fatigue. Taking a step-by-step approach–beginning with diet and lifestyle, is important.

First, look at diet and remove possible foods that may be causing inflammation, intolerances or sensitivities. Then begin building up a healthy diet that includes lots of organic, fresh, colorful vegetables, a little bit of fruit, naturally raised meats/fish/poultry, and healthy fats. Eliminate gluten, corn and dairy from your diet as these foods often contribute to sensitivities and fatigue.

Be sure to optimize your sleep to get as restful as possible sleep. Stay well hydrated, get outside during daylight hours to get exercise and sunlight, and do your best to eliminate stress.

If necessary, ask for extra lab work and testing from your doctor.

Supplement as needed. I highly recommend starting with a good multi vitamin/mineral supplement, B vitamins with methlyfolate and methylcobalamin, and magnesium.

While it may seem like a daunting task, taking the above steps will most definitely get you moving in the direction of feeling great and having more energy. I can almost guarantee it!

If you found this article interesting and helpful, and you are over the age of 40, take a look at how you can regain that lost energy and start feeling like yourself again….

According to the best-selling author and world-renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Steven Gundry, there’s one fruit people over 40 should never eat.

This fruit can disrupt your hormones. Both sapping you of energy and forcing your body to create “sticky” fat cells that can NOT be “burned off” with normal diet and exercise.

Do you know the fruit I’m talking about? Make sure you do by clicking the one below you think it is, and get the answer from Dr. Gundry himself on the next page:

>> Blueberries

>> Strawberries

>> Goji Berries

References
https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/low-testosterone-guide/good-sleep-low-testosterone/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8541-thyroid-disease
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-24225/7-surprising-signs-youre-not-getting-enough-protein.html
https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/13-negative-side-effects-not-getting-enough-protein/
https://draxe.com/health/always-tired/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-do-i-feel-tired-all-the-time/#ref-6
https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/energy-fatigue/3-top-nutritional-deficiencies-as-fatigue-causes/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/guide-to-essential-nutrients/common-nutrient-deficiencies/
https://www.huffinesinstitute.org/Resources/Articles/ArticleID/439/The-Power-of-Antioxidant-Supplementation-Hype-or-Helpful

The post The Real Reason You are Tired All the Time appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Water, water, everywhere!

The water aisle at the grocery store has grown bigger and bigger. Now you have to make choices between natural spring water, volcanic water, sparkling mineral water, alkaline water, flavored water, ‘smart’ water, or just your basic reverse osmosis purified water. It’s mind boggling, really. Who would have thought it would be so hard to just get a healthy drink of water! Not to mention the prices—some of these bottles of water can cost a fortune! But, are they worth it?

Sure, there’s good ‘ole tap water, but depending on where you live, may not be all that healthy, (unless you have well water) and is often full of harmful chemicals like fluoride and chlorine, as well as toxic leftover medications, glyphosate, and potential pathogens. But what about bottled water?

Let’s take a more in-depth look at some of bottled water choices that appear on your grocery store shelves, so that next time you are faced with that wall of water choices, you will know just what to reach for.

Alkaline water

“Alkaline” water has to do with its pH level. The pH level tells you how acidic or alkaline something is from 0-14, with the lower numbers being more acidic and the higher numbers alkaline.

Alkaline water is thought to neutralize the body. The pH of the human body lies in a tight range between 7.35-7.45, and any minor alterations from this range can cause severe health issues.

It is considered that disease states begin when the human body becomes too acidic, so drinking alkaline water helps to push the body back into the alkaline range.

Whether alkaline water is good for you or not has to do with how it’s made. When water is naturally alkaline, it picks up minerals from coming in contact with rocks which makes it alkaline. So you get minerals and alkalinity, naturally.

Alkaline water seems to be the big new ‘thing’. Alkaline water means that it’s pH is higher and more alkaline. Our body’s own pH generally falls around 7.4. It’s thought that diet and lifestyle factors can make our bodies more acidic, which then makes one more susceptible to disease. The selling factor of this water is if you drink alkaline water, your body will become less acidic and therefore healthier.

Natural vs Artificially Created Alkaline Water

Natural alkaline water comes from springs or wells where there is a lot of minerals. The minerals in the water are what make it more alkaline. This water can be quite healthy and contain magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium, making it not only thirst-quenching but full of electrolytes and minerals.

Artificially created alkaline water comes from a chemical process called electrolysis, which raises the pH in the water with an ionizer. When the acidic and alkaline water molecules are separated, the acidic water is removed and what remains is alkaline. Ionized alkaline water can have pH values as high as 9.5 or higher.

Bottom line: Alkaline water is good for you, but don’t believe all the health claims–they are not scientifically proven. Natural alkaline water comes from minerals which is a healthier version to drink. Use caution with artificially-made alkaline water; it usually has less beneficial minerals in it, and may also contain contaminants, depending on the source and whether the water is purified prior to the alkalization process. Drinking too much artificial alkaline water can actually minerals out of the body and be detrimental to your health.

Examples: Naturally alkaline water includes Icelandic Glacial Spring water and Rocky Mountain Spring water. Artificially ionized alkaline water includes Glaceau Alkaline Smartwater, Essentia ionized water, Talkingrain Essentials, and Alkaline 88.

Mineral Water

Mineral water naturally contains minerals and is often a type of natural spring water. When rainwater filters down deep through rocks, it not only is purified, but it picks up minerals which are good your health. Mineral water, which contains magnesium and calcium can help lower blood pressure, reduce heart disease, and benefit bone health.

There is a wide range of quality when it comes to mineral water, based on the source. Mineral water can also come from different types of rock like bedrock, or volcanic rock—and it makes a great difference in the quality, taste and purity of the water. Some mineral waters have a higher mineral content than others, depending on where they come from.

Mineral water is usually high in essential minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and sodium. This makes mineral water an ideal source to replenish not only fluids, but vital electrolytes in the body. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that to be classified as ‘mineral water’, it must have at least 250 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids from its source. This includes minerals and trace elements. It is not permissible to add minerals during bottling. Gerolsteiner, a well-known mineral water has over 2,500 ppm minerals including calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, potassium, sodium, chloride, and “other minerals”.

Some mineral water has natural carbonation which is fine, if you like the extra fizziness. Carbonation comes from the CO2 in the water. For many, it’s just a matter of personal taste. Sparkling mineral water can also have the carbonation added during bottling. Mineral waters like Perrier, Pellegrino or Gerolsteiner waters are naturally carbonated.

While sparkling water may be slightly more acidic due to the reaction of carbon dioxide and H2O, it is not enough to be significant. Carbon dioxide and water react to produce carbonic acid, a weak acid that’s known to stimulate a burning, prickly sensation that can be enjoyable to some people.

Note, however, that drinking carbonated water does not actually make your body more acidic. It’s really just a matter of taste preference, “still or sparkling?” as waiters often ask.

Bottom Line: Mineral water can one of the healthiest types of water to drink. It replaces essential minerals and electrolytes and is often alkaline as well. Always check the water source on the back of the label.

Examples: Gerolsteiner, Topo Chico, Perrier, Pellegrino and Calistoga.

Spring Water

‘Spring’ water can be a fairly generic term and there is a huge amount of diversity for spring water, its purity and where it comes from. Spring water is water that is filtered through rocks and comes up to the surface.

Like mineral water, spring water also generally comes from an underground source and is usually bottled at the source. It contains minerals, electrolytes and other essential dissolved solids. Spring water comes to the surface, while artesian well water is similar to spring water, but it must be accessed underground by a well.

However, spring water requirements are not as tight as mineral water. While it can have minerals in it, it is not required to contain a certain amount. It’s only held to the same standards that apply to tap water, and there’s no official recognition needed to label your water “spring water”, nor does its composition need to be consistent every time. So that makes spring water ‘iffy’ as far as purity, toxins, dissolved minerals, etc.

Artesian well water is another type of similar water classification by the Food and Drug Administration. Underground water that doesn’t rise to the surface is considered artesian well water. It’s also fancy name for your basic well water that many households have. Again, a wide variation of the content of the water as far as minerals and dissolved solids go—and potential toxins in the water. It all depends on the source of the water.

A good, deep well that has a water source that has been filtered through layers of hard rock will be full of minerals and quite pure. So even well water at your home can have the potential of being as good or better than what you pay top dollar for in a store.

Author’s note: I live up in the Rocky Mountains near a small town in Colorado. We just recently had a well put in that is over 300ft. deep through solid granite and quartz. It is pure, delicious and full of healthy minerals from the rock and quartz.

Bottom Line: Because spring water and artesian well water can contain varying levels of minerals and electrolytes, this type of water can be good for your health and quench your thirst. Again, check the source and whether the water has been tested for any toxins.

Examples: Icelandic Glacial Spring Water, Mountain Valley, Evian, Acqua Panna, Ice Mountain, Rocky Mountain Spring Water, Poland Spring, JUST Water. Artesian water examples include Voss, Fiji, Whistler Glacial, Kopu, and Hawaiian Springs.

Purified Drinking Water

Purified drinking water can come from a variety of water sources; it is just purified through a process called ‘reverse osmosis’. Purified water can even be your basic tap water run through the RO process.

Reverse Osmosis works by using a high pressure pump to force the water across the semi-permeable RO membrane, removing approximately 95-99% of the dissolved salts, particles, colloids, organics, bacteria and other pathogens. It’s important to note, however that an RO system should not be relied upon to remove 100% of bacteria or viruses—especially since viruses are very small.

RO removes magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium as well, so unless those important electrolytes and minerals are added back in during the bottling process, drinking RO water on a regular basis can actually leach a small amount of minerals from the body. RO water is also slightly acidic. Prolonged consumption of reverse osmosis water can have adverse health effects such as increasing the risk of kidney disorders and gastrointestinal troubles.

Many bottled water companies using RO method will re-mineralize the water, adding back in magnesium, potassium, and salt.

Bottom Line: Bottled purified water is fine to drink, especially if it has added minerals and electrolytes, but keep in mind, it’s usually nothing fancy and can come from just your basic municipal tap water source.

Examples: Dasani, Aquafina, and Nestle Pure Life, Poland Spring water.

Distilled Water

Distilled water is one of the purest forms of water. Water is boiled and turned into a steam then converted into water again. Once the water converts from a liquid into a gas, the heavier minerals and other solids are left behind. The water particles are condensed back into a pure, clean liquid state with nothing else in it.

Because there is nothing else in it, distilled water has a very flat taste and does not provide you with any healthy minerals or electrolytes. Distilled water is very pure, but since it does not contain minerals, it can actually pull small amounts from your body like your bones and teeth, if you drink it frequently. However, if you are eating a healthy diet, full of vitamins and minerals, drinking distilled water won’t really affect your health negatively.

Keep in mind, distilled water will have a tendency to leach chemicals or minerals from any container it is in, so if you are drinking distilled water from a plastic jug, it’s highly likely it has absorbed some of the chemicals from the plastic container.

Some bottled water companies distill their water and then replenish the minerals and electrolytes during the bottling process.

Depending on the tap water where you live, however, distilled water could be better for you than tap water which may contain chemicals, lead, mercury, pesticides and even tiny pathogens.

Distilled water works well for things like steam irons, your car’s cooling system, your fish tank, and certain medical devices like CPAP machines that can get clogged up with minerals from tap water and other types of water.

Bottom Line: Distilled water is not a great choice of water to drink, but may be better than some tap waters which can include contaminants like fluoride, chlorine and may contain other chemicals and toxic substances. Some distilled drinking water has some of the minerals and electrolytes put back in, making it healthier to drink than plain distilled water.

Examples: Glaceau Purfied Smartwater, Arrowhead Distilled Water, Nestle Distilled Water, Arrowhead Springs Distilled Water, Eldorado Distilled Water, Poland Springs, Ozarka

That’s a summary of the most popular water types. New ones come out every day—like probiotic water, antioxidant water, protein water, caffeinated water, and flavored waters. All of these may come from a variety of sources and purifying methods.

As in everything else that you put in your body—read the label and find out how your water is processed. It’s important to always check the source of your bottled water as well.

Consider too, the type of container it comes in. Since water is actually a solvent, water from plastic water bottles is probably leaching some of those not so healthy chemicals from the plastic—chemicals which can be xenoestrogens and disrupt your endocrine system. Choose glass if you can and if it’s practical.

And remember, it’s not necessary to pay top dollar for H20. Just because it comes from a fancy, far-away source, doesn’t make it better. Your tap water that comes out of your well may be just as good.

Skol!

References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/alkaline-water/faq-20058029
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/the-alkaline-diet-myth#what-it-is
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mineral-water-benefits#drawbacks
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carbonated-water-good-or-bad
https://www.absopure.com/blog/difference-between-spring-water-and-purified-water/
https://puretecwater.com/reverse-osmosis/what-is-reverse-osmosis

The post Water: Alkaline Water vs. Mineral Water vs. Spring Water vs. Distilled Water appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Alcohol usage went way up this past year and it’s pretty easy to see why. There was this pandemic that kept us all home, for one thing. Stress levels were high with kids and spouses all at home trying to work and study. And hey, it’s not difficult to just walk a few feet over to the fridge and pull out a beer with lunch or pour yourself a glass, or two, or three of wine. No worries about drunk driving, and hey–it’s a whole lot cheaper than ordering drinks in a restaurant.

I get it. It happens to the best of us. That slow and steady slippery slope. Before you know it, ‘Happy hour’ starts at 3pm and continues as long as you want it to.

According to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, more people than ever used alcohol to cope with career, social, healthy and financial uncertainty and stress.

The study’s researchers found that alcohol consumption among adults increased 14% from 2019 to 2020. And women, in particular, exhibited a whopping 41% increase in heavy (four or more drinks in a 2-hour period) alcohol consumption last year over 2019.

There’s really nothing good that comes from excess drinking. Drinking does nothing good for your health.

With heavy consumption, alcohol can lead to damage to the liver, heart, brain, and many other organs in the body.

But even moderate consumption can wreak havoc on hormones, causing an increase in estrogen in both MEN and women!

In men, alcohol will cause testosterone to convert to estrogen, leading to low libido, ED, weight gain, man boobs, even shrinkage!

Drinking also has negative effects on women’s hormones. In women, alcohol will also cause a rise in estrogen, but this is not necessarily a good thing. Women who are in mid 30s, 40s and 50s, will find they can have an overabundance of estrogen, creating condition called estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance comes with its own problems including:

• Heavy periods
• Weight gain
• Endometriosis
• Depression/Anxiety/Irritability
• Low Libido
• Increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer

Excess estrogen also interferes with thyroid function and can slow the thyroid, creating symptoms of hypothyroid.

And for women who are on Hormone Replacement Therapy, alcohol can increase the amount of estrogen in the body by up to 300%, while decreasing progesterone. If you wonder why your HRT may not be working or why you are still gaining weight, it may have to do with your alcohol intake.

One other thing about alcohol—if you are dealing with menopause symptoms, drinking increases hot flashes and night sweats.

One other hormone that alcohol affects—cortisol. Alcohol consumption has been shown to increase cortisol in the body Cortisol is the hormone released by the adrenals when you are stressed. Excess cortisol comes with another range of unpleasant side effects including:

• Insomnia
• Stress
• Food cravings/Weight gain
• Anxiety and depression
• Increase in blood pressure
• Decrease in ability to focus
• Increase in blood sugar, insulin resistance

Alcohol also interferes with thyroid function, causing a decrease in T3, T4 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) production. This creates a hypo, or low thyroid reaction to alcohol. Hypothyroid symptoms include:

• Weight gain, bloating
• Extreme fatigue
• Depression
• Hair loss
• Slowed thinking
• Decreased libido

Two other necessary hormones that alcohol doesn’t play well with—melatonin, our sleep hormone, and growth hormone. Alcohol inhibits the release of melatonin. And because growth hormone is released during our sleep, alcohol drinking reduces growth hormone release.

Human Growth Hormone or (HGH) is important for growth, cell regeneration, and cell reproduction. HGH helps to maintain, build, and repair healthy tissue in the brain and other organs.

This hormone can help to speed up healing after an injury and repair muscle tissue after exercise. Growth hormone helps to build muscle mass, boost metabolism, and burn fat. And HGH is also said to benefit the quality of the skin to help us look younger. HGH slows down the aging process.

One last thing, drinking not only makes you hungrier, but it also makes you lose your ability to control what you are eating. Before you know it, you are ordering that large order of French fries or mowing through that box of cookies. Not a great way to stick to a healthy diet.

Alcohol adds to depression and anxiety and it messes up your gut microbiome which affects everything–including your immune system!

Drinking makes your skin look pale and sallow. Drinking will also contribute to dehydration while draining your body of important nutrients—especially B vitamins B-l (thiamin), vitamin B-3 (niacin) and folate, as well as zinc and magnesium.

All that being said, I just want to say, it is OK to enjoy a drink now and then, so let’s talk about how to drink LESS and to stay in control if and when you have a drink.

First--Don’t reach for that wine glass as soon as you finish work. Start learning to associate a new ‘reward’ for the end of your day. Go for a short walk to relax. Do some yoga, play outside with the kids, stretch, meditate. It’s important to replace your drinking with something positive. Otherwise, you’ve just left a hole in your routine. Put something you look forward to in that place.

Find an a non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drink. I love mixing sparkling water with kombucha and adding a lime garnish. It’s delicious and refreshing. Or try some of the new hard seltzers or hard kombuchas. They are delicious and light with about half the alcohol of a normal beer or glass of wine.

Here’s an important one—don’t drink alcohol when you really should be drinking water. Often we are just thirsty and need a glass of water or something to hydrate with. So drink a great big glass of water before you have a drink. And when you do order a drink, order a glass of water or sparkling water to go with it. You should end of drinking half as much.

Learn to sip your drink and enjoy it, don’t guzzle it waiting for the alcohol to hit your system. Be mindful. And it helps if you order a drink that you have to sip slowly, like tequila, red wine, vodka on the rocks—anything that isn’t sweet.

And most importantly, have an accountability partner like a spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend or good friend. Let them know you want to cut back on drinking and have them help you out with that. It’s best to avoid people who are heavy drinkers, because willpower ends up going out the window. It’s tough to stop when everyone else is drinking. Be mindful of the people you hang around with.

It’s not that difficult to cut back on drinking. It’s just a matter of being MINDFUL of what you are doing, paying attention to the health risks, and take the above steps to deal with it. If you find you are drinking out of control, or if it is affecting your family or career, it’s time to ask for professional help. There is no shame in taking back control of your life.

Cheers, to you and your health!

before you go…

5 Warning Signs Your Liver is Damaged:

There are 5 early signals of liver trouble that are easy to spot; IF you know what to look for…

Honestly… these are sorta weird.

What are the liver warning signs?

And how can you overcome them?

Don’t fall victim to liver disease. Especially when it’s so easy to prevent.

>>> Discover the 5 warning signs now (and how to detoxify them)

References
https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-19-higher-alcohol-consumption-5094355#citation-1
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
https://riahealth.com/2019/08/20/alcohol-and-womens-hormones/
https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/how-drink-less
Pollard MS, Tucker JS, Green HD. Changes in adult alcohol use and consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2022942. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22942

The post How to Drink Less Alcohol appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Susan Patterson

Cold water can interfere with a number of healthy bodily processes and actually be detrimental to your well-being in the following ways:

• Cold water robs you of nutrients: The body’s natural temperature is 37 degrees Celcius. When you drink something that is very cold, your body has to spend an exorbitant amount of energy to regulate your core temperature. This takes away from energy that is needed to digest food and absorb nutrients.

• It may cause a sore throat: Extremely cold water may cause respiratory mucosa to build up, resulting in increased chance of infection causing a sore throat.

• It can increase your risk of headache: According to a 2001 study, women who had experienced a migraine in the last year were twice as likely to trigger a headache by drinking cold water.

• Heads up, cold water may contain dirty ice: We recently reported that ice is often dirty, coated with bacteria and fungus. This often is true of your ice at home.

On the flipside, here are some of the amazing health benefits of drinking warm water:

Warm water provides pain relief

Forget cold water, drinking warm water can help prevent constipation.

Drinking warm or hot water has a soothing effect on the muscles of the abdomen. It can provide relief from menstrual and abdominal cramping, as well as muscle spasms.

Boosts your weight loss

By drinking a cup of hot water first thing in the morning, you can jump-start your metabolism. Warm water increases body temperature and increases the rate at which your metabolism burns calories.

Prevents premature aging

Drinking warm water helps to flush compounds from the body that can accelerate aging. It also improves skin elasticity by aiding in cellular repair.

Clears nasal and throat congestion

Hot water is a wonderful natural treatment for colds. It can naturally dissolve phlegm and clear your airways. It not only clears out nasal congestion, but it also soothes sore throat symptoms as well.

Prevents constipation

Hot water can help you to maintain bowel movement regularity. Dehydration is a frequent cause of recurring constipation problems. Not to mention that the movement of the bowel slows down as it fills up. The hot water can finish breaking down food remnants and flush them through the intestines.

Aids your digestive process

It is believed that drinking cold water during a meal might promote hardening of oils in the food and lead to a fat deposit in the intestine. As mentioned previously, warm water boosts metabolism and aids the digestive process.

Detoxifies your body

The act of drinking hot water naturally raises the temperature of the body. As the body temperature rises it activates the process of sweating, which flushes toxins out of the body through the pores of the skin. The extra hydration also helps the function of the kidneys to flush waste material out of the body, along with toxins.

Improves your outlook

According to Dr. Michael Wald, the director of Nutritional Services at Integrated Medicine and Nutrition in Mount Kisco, New York, consuming hot water activates receptors found in the stomach, esophagus, intestines and mouth. This stimulates pleasure regions of the brain.

Maintains balance in the body

Practitioners of Chinese Medicine believe that drinking warm water that is similar to the temperature of the body maintains balance. They believe that extremes of either hot or cold throw off the body’s yin and yang. Imbalances are believed to be responsible for symptoms like chills, depression, thirst, “foggy” thinking, sleepiness, bloating and more.

Enhances blood circulation

Drinking warm water breaks down fat deposits that are present in the body and blood stream. The warmth increases the flow of blood circulation and promotes the removal of toxins. The increased circulation induces muscle relaxation, which can reduce pain.

Try warm lemon water

My favorite way to drink warm water is by adding a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice. This is especially beneficial first thing in the morning. Lemons contain citric acid, magnesium, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, pectin, calcium and limonene, which supercharge our immunity so that the body can fight infection. They also help to lower the activity of free radicals and increase the breaking down of body fat, also known as adipose tissue.

Along with the power of water, combining water with baking soda gives it a super nutritional boost.

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The post What cold water does to your body appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, 

Conventional mindset has always been that drinking pure fruit juice is healthy. We purchase fruit juice smoothies in the store, thinking that will help our health and weight loss, and start our days with a large glass of OJ—for the vitamin C. We ‘juice’ vegetables and fruit for the perfect healthy drink. We think we are giving our kids a healthy alternative by letting them drink box after box of “pure fruit juice”. It’s pure fruit juice, so it’s good for us, right?

Juice, whether it is store bought (the worst), or freshly made at home seems to be a healthy choice. But, contrary to popular thinking, juice, purchased from the store, is not far from a drink made of pure liquid sugar. And in truth, it’s not much better than drinking a soda. So, in spite of the fact that you or your children may be drinking a drink that says “100% pure fruit juice”, it may as well say “pure sugar”. So though you may have thought you were making a healthier choice over sodas or other processed drinks with added sugar, you may be drinking something equally as bad.

The sugar that comes from fruit is fructose. Same as the sugar in high fructose corn syrup. Fructose is not a healthy sweetener, in spite of its natural source. Fructose, unless it is wrapped up in a whole fruit, is bad news for your body and your waistline. Fructose is a non-essential dietary sugar. Fructose is actually known to be a strong contributor to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Additionally, it is thought that fructose has some very definite and sinister ties to cancer. And while it’s okay in fruit, because you are not get large, concentrated quantities of it, drinking in tons of fructose in the form of fruit juice will lead you down a path of poor health.

When you drink a glass of juice, let’s say, for example, a 12 oz glass of orange juice, you hit your system with a whopping 37 grams of sugar in the form of mostly fructose. And when you have a 12oz glass of apple juice, you are gulping down an astronomical 40g of sugar! That’s as much as a can of soda! But wait, that’s not the worst of it—a similar sized glass of grape juice–white or red–contains almost 60g of sugar! That’s like having a can and a half of soda!

Drinking a mixed juice ‘cocktail’ is no better, even if it only contains pure fruit juice. Most often concentrated white grape juice, or apple juice is added for sweetness. That adds even more sugar to the mix! Check out the sugar grams in Tropicana Berry Punch, or Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry Juice. It’s a massive amount of sugar! And don’t be mistaken into thinking the calories and the sugar grams, are worth the vitamins, they are not. There is little vitamin C, antioxidants of anything else of benefit in bottle fruit juice.

One of the biggest problems here is that fruit juice contains NO fiber and is a very concentrated source of liquid sugar—the worst kind. It is extremely easy to consume massive amounts of sugar from juice in a very short time. Fructose gets sent straightaway to the liver for processing and some of it is quickly turned into fat cells. Some of the sugar just goes right into your bloodstream and causes insulin to be released—which stores fat cells. The perfect recipe for quick weight gain.

A lot of those new fat cells are stored in the liver, creating a fast track to fatty liver disease. The rest of those fat cells turn into triglycerides, one of the precursors for heart disease, and due to the release of insulin, many of these fat cells are quickly stored in various parts of the body—i.e., bellyfat, hips, thighs, etc. This particular study shows that just one glass of grape juice a day caused insulin resistance and increased waist size in just three months. Not only that, but 2 servings of juice a day also doubles your chance for developing painful gout.

And the biggest problem with liquid calories is that you still continue to eat as much or more. They just don’t make you feel full—on the contrary, juice just makes you want to eat more, making sugary drinks like juice is one of the most fattening things you can put in your body. Drink juice, eat more.

This study in children showed that the risk of obesity was increased by 60% for each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages. And you are not doing your kids any favors by allowing them to drink juice to their heart’s content. It does the same thing as a sugar-sweetened beverage. If you want to reduce the chances that your child will be obese or develop type 2 diabetes, eliminate the juice drinks, according to this study, and this study. One of the growing problems in the U.S. and other countries is the high rate of childhood obesity, and one of the biggest contributors to this is sweet drinks such as juice and soda. Kids don’t need to be sucking down a box of juice every time they are thirsty, water works fine!

Let’s chat a bit about how most juice is made. It doesn’t get squeezed or pressed straight from the farm into a carton, let me tell you. Most processed juice—even 100% juice–that you buy in a store, undergoes a very UNnatural process to get from the fruit to your glass, and it’s not really even 100% pure juice. As an example, orange juice is picked from the orchards, the juice extracted out, heated and pasteurized, and then stored in gigantic vats, where the oxygen is removed so it can be stored for up to a year or more.

Removing the oxygen removes a lot of the flavor, so big juice companies hire flavor and fragrance people to formulate “flavor packs” that make the orange juice taste like oranges again. That is why big juice companies like Tropicana and Minute Maid, always taste exactly the same. It is because of a flavor pack added to some virtually tasteless liquid that has been sitting in a huge tank somewhere. Yummy. These flavor packs are made from orange byproducts, although they are chemically altered and those in the juice industry will even tell you the flavor packs don’t resemble anything in nature.

Other juices are no healthier. If they are bottled and sold in a store, they are all heated and pasteurized to kill off bacteria, yeasts, and other pathogens, thus reducing the beneficial antioxidants, enzymes, and other healthy compounds. Then the fiber is removed as well, which further degrades the juice. Fiber slows the absorption of the sugar in the fruit, as well as containing healthy fiber to feed your gut bacteria.

Even if you think you can buy ‘healthy’ fruit juice smoothies, they are still very high in sugar, and heated and pasteurized so they can be bottled. They lose most all their antioxidants and vitamins from the pasteurization process, along with just the amount of time they sit on a store shelf. They usually add ‘filler’ high sugar juices like apple juice and grape juice to make them taste better. Most often, even if it is labeled as a smoothie, it may be more fruit juice (read “high sugar”) than actual whole fruit and fiber. So basically, you get a lot of sugar and a little flavor and not much more in a so-called ‘healthy’ smoothie you buy from the store.

All in all, if you are thirsty, or your kids are thirsty, drink water. You can make your own flavored waters by using spring water, chopping up an orange or dropping in a few raspberries, or even slicing up a cucumber to give the water some added flavor. Try adding a squeeze of a real orange slice to your sparkling water or even a lemon or lime wedge.

And if you just can’t do without lots of flavor, try drinking kombucha tea. This fermented tea is reasonably low in sugar (about 1/8th the amount of sugar of juice), but full of gut-healing probiotics, cancer-fighting compounds, and a good dose of healthy phytochemicals.

Kombucha is gaining in popularity, so most stores sell lots of different flavors to suit every taste. Just watch the sugar content, because while most of the sugar in these drinks has been gobbled up by the fermentation process, some could still have some added sugar.  However, most brands seem to have anywhere from 2 grams to 8 grams of sugar in 1 cup of kombucha, which makes it very low in sugar compared to a glass of juice or soda.

In the long run, you may be shocked at how many sugar calories you and your kids may have been drinking. You and your kids will be far better off if you steer clear of the juices and sugary drinks.

The popularity of kombucha is growing very fast, and it’s not uncommon to find kombucha even at many corner stores and gas stations these days.

Here is another article that I recently wrote which reveals the 7 major health benefits of drinking kombucha (including weight loss, gut health, and more)

Note from our friends at Barton…

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References
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/opinion/sunday/juice-is-not-healthy-sugar.html?utm_source=The+Cultivator&utm_campaign=33790b447c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_07_10_04_07&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a401763ee6-33790b447c-129578531
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fruit-juice-is-just-as-bad-as-soda#section4
https://greatist.com/health/fruit-juice-increases-risk-diabetes-090313
https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/is-fructose-bad-for-you-why-fructose-is-worse-than-sugar/
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/06/fruit-drinks-sodas-evil-twin.aspx
http://civileats.com/2009/05/06/freshly-squeezed-the-truth-about-orange-juice-in-boxes/

The post Drinking These Fruit Juices is Just as Bad, or Even Worse than Drinking Soda appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Today’s blog is republished from my friends at TheAlternativeDaily, and I wanted to share it on our blog here because it combines a few different amazing “tonics” you should add to your regular routine.  You don’t need to do all of them daily, but should definitely figure out how to add them to your regular routine…

By Liivi Hess, TheAlternativeDaily.com

As a nation, we’re fascinated with the concept of miraculous healing. Presumably, this miracle can come in the form of a pill, tea or a fantastically labeled elixir of health. Every day, millions of dollars are spent as people search for cures in the form of mystical pharmaceutical remedies that can banish all ailments and protect from disease.

Sadly, no one ever finds it. It seems that fancy packaging and slick marketing aren’t directly proportional to healing abilities. At best, these mass-produced, semi-synthetic, meticulously labeled products have but a minor placebo effect. At worst, they can actually make our health decrease, unbalance hormones and offset vital bodily functions.

It may come as a surprise to learn the mystical health tonic you’ve been searching for is much closer to home. As with many things in the health world, taking a step back and observing how our predecessors did things can be invaluable. The solution lies in simple, minimally processed, raw ingredients — ones that are selected for their natural health benefits, not as a small cog in a great machine comprised of many altered, unnatural ingredients.

Here are two three-ingredient concoctions that may just provide that miracle of health and healing you’ve been searching for.

Apple cider vinegar, honey and cinnamon super syrup

While very simple to make and with no rare or hard-to-find ingredients, this health tonic is wide-ranging in the benefits it bestows upon those who drink it. It can relieve constipation, reduce inflammation, support kidney function, promote heart health, prevent or fight urinary tract infections, protect against bacterial, fungal or viral attack and keep the common cold at bay. As you can see, it is a heavy-hitter in the realm of health care, helping to boost your immune system and support strong heart and organ function.

The key to success with this health tonic is to source only the highest quality ingredients. Now is not the time to worry about your wallet at the supermarket or health-food store. It’s absolutely a worthwhile health investment to buy high-caliber ingredients.

With this in mind, here are the qualifications for each ingredient:

• The apple cider vinegar must be raw and organic. Raw means it still contains the active cultures that support your gut biome and bolster your immune system. Organic means the apples from which it was made are not coated in pesticides, heavy metals and toxins, which would then pass into your system and offset all your hard work.
• The honey must be raw, preferably organic. Organic just implies the bees have not pollinated flowers or plants which are treated with pesticides, herbicides or other nasty applications. This ensures you get only the highest quality honey from known sources. Raw means that the honey has not been pasteurized, a process to increase its shelf life but can render it biologically inactive by killing off the active enzymes in the honey — the reason it’s such a potent ingredient.
• And of course, your cinnamon should also be organic. As with our other ingredients, buying non-organic cinnamon means you’re at greater risk of ingesting harmful toxins and heavy metals, which can negatively impact your health.

Combine two cups of the apple cider vinegar, one cup of honey and two teaspoons of cinnamon in a jar and stir/shake well. Store your super syrup in a cool dry area, keeping in mind that placing it in the fridge will cause the honey to harden and settle to the bottom. A couple of sips in the morning, and again at night are enough to ensure you enjoy all of the nurturing benefits of this tonic.

Warm water, lemon and apple cider vinegar health-aide

That’s right, we’re once again employing the health properties of our friend apple cider vinegar — it’s just that good! This time it’s a simple concoction you can make in seconds if you have the ingredients ready; all you need is some warm or room temperature filtered or mineral water, raw organic apple cider vinegar and half an organic lemon. Simple as that.

Drinking this each morning, as soon as you wake up and before you put anything else in your stomach, is an excellent way to start your day. It stimulates digestion, expels toxins from the liver and supports your digestive enzymes for a busy day ahead.

Once again, the ingredient requirements are strict: your water should preferably be spring water from glass bottles, but if this isn’t available then filtered water will do. This ensures the base for your tonic isn’t introducing new toxins into your body as you drink it — that would be a bit counterproductive. Next, as above, your apple cider vinegar should be raw, organic and unfiltered. When apple cider vinegar is filtered, the health-giving SCOBY or “mother” (an accumulation of beneficial bacteria and yeast that turns the apples into vinegar) is removed, and we definitely don’t want that.

Finally, the lemon should be organic, to ensure its skin isn’t riddled with nasty pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

Fill a glass with warm water, squeeze in half a lemon, and pour in a rough teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Sip it slowly and let it work its magic!

These health tonics work best if you keep at it — make sure you drink them as directed for at least a week to begin experiencing the myriad of health benefits they offer.

—Liivi Hess

Liivi is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and is training to become a doula. She inspires women to find peace and personal power by taking control of health and fertility naturally. Liivi‘s passion is ancestral nutrition and primal lifestyle design. She and her partner Will live between Toronto, Canada and Queenstown, New Zealand.

(Original article source here)

Some red wines are more powerful at fat-burning than others and help boost your metabolism. Take this short quiz to find out.

Quiz: Which Red Wine Boosts Metabolism?

Although hard alcohol like vodka, whisky, gin and tequila can increase belly fat…

Prominent scientists from Greece have found that one of the following red wines actually increases fat-burning when you drink it a certain way.

But which one? Is it…

Sources:
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/natural-health-benefits-of-cinnamon
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160504002053
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814605003262
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf104912h

The post 3 Ingredient Daily Drink Tonics for Your Best Health appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.