PEERtrainer

Have You Decided That You Don't Want To Live Past Your 70's?

I did a radio segment yesterday, (KGO in the Bay Area) and I was asked a very interesting question in the interview. We were discussing the latest (jaw dropping) obesity stats, and the host, Gil Gross, presented a theory that I thought was very interesting and worth some further discussion.

His theory was something that people think, but never say. Which is that a lot of people in the US have made the conscious decision that they would rather eat hamburgers and ice cream than live long. He thinks that people have looked old age "squarely in the eye" and made the decision that they don't want to live into their 80's or longer. 

In his view, most people are expecting a period of their life where there is going to be pain and suffering, and they are going to be a burden to others.

My response to this (and you can listen to the segment here) was basically, yes, for people who have not figured out the food formula, they really have given up, and decided on "the path of least resistance."

Key Point:

But for people who have figured out the food formula, they understand that you can live into your 90's AND be healthy and strong. Jack LaLanne came up in the conversation, and Gil responded by saying something to the effect of "but who wants to work out an hour a day?"

While it is true that Jack LaLanne was very physically fit and did work out, he was also a very early adopter of the nutrient dense diet. In fact he was an early fan and advocate of the work of Dr. Fuhrman. So yes, if your only perspective is the "conventional diet" one, you probably have a pretty grim view of your later years.

But when you make the shift to a higher nutrient way of eating, your life literally changes. In fact, we talked about this exact thing yesterday.

Gil's observation builds on this. Not only will your immediate life change, but your perception of how you will age and what the quality of your life will be as you age changes. For the better.

The big question we see at PEERtrainer is "ok, HOW do I do this?" Many people see something like the Cheat System or Eat To Live and can dive right in. Others need a ton of help, which is why we have developed our programs to help put these ideas into practice.

Conclusion: Please tell us what you think about Gil's comment. Do you see this in yourself or people around you? Has your perception of how you will age changed, if you are one of those people who has made "the shift?" Leave a comment here on this blog post, reply to the email that you were sent with this blog post or leave a comment on our facebook wall.

 

Related Resources:

PEERtrainer Point Of No Return (changes how you think permanently)

PEERtrainer Mastermind (lightweight program to keep you on track and keep the progress going)

 

Related Articles:

How To Change Anything

How To Live Without Apology

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Better Digestion Can Lead To More Energy, Some Simple Tips To Get You There

As part of a promotion, Dr. Mark Stengler created some videos to help you get familiar with his work. A lot of you wrote in and said that you didn't want to watch videos, didn't like the promotional aspect and just wanted the information. So we are creating some blog posts to summarize his suggestions, which we think are pretty common sense. Many people are familiar with these ideas and tools, but for many others this is new or something that you have heard about but not put into practice.

The reality is, most people don't have a complete grasp of many simple tools available to them to improve their health and energy. The simple reason is that these tools are not emphasized by most doctors. But as you dig in, you'll find that these tools have been part of healing for thousands of years across many different cultures.

A core suggestion by Dr. Stengler is to improve your digestion. If you do this, you will likely have more energy and better health. This is an important point because digestion is really not something that is emphasized by US medicine. Yet 60% our the bodies immune function is a "function" of digestive processes!

That is a big deal. When your immune system is off, you can experience all sorts of symptoms.

1. The first suggestion Dr. Stengler has is to mix up your sources of grains with the objective of reducing your gluten. You are probably hearing this all over the place, and see "gluten free" options in the supermarkets.

A key reason for this is that a lot of people have a hard time digesting it. Quinoa is an excellent grain to rotate in, and this simple shift can increase your energy and take a lot of burden off your digestive system.

2. Good bacteria help keep a healthy digestive system. Antibiotics do a number on your "intenstinal flora" and you need to help build them back up after any round of antibiotics. This is common knowledge to many, but is new to a lot of us. A lot of fermented foods help to build up your good bacteria.

Another good suggestion here is to take a probiotic supplement.In our house we just started keeping a good probiotic in our fridge. The people at our local Whole Foods recommended a brand called "Mega Flora." If you are not near a Whole Foods or health store you can learn more about them on Amazon.

3. Omega 3 fatty acids. This is something that all hear a lot about. What is important is they they help reduce inflammation in the whole body, as well as help support the digestive system. A family member of ours has been struggling with skin inflammation, and a doctor strongly suggested fish oil capsules which are high in both DHA and EPA. The doctor said the capsules were a much more potent source than simply eating fish, and this is important if you are really struggling with inflammation.

We now keep an Omega 3 Supplement called 'Whole Mega" from New Chapter in our cupboard. New Chapter is one of the highest quality makers of supplements out there because everything they make is whole food based, nothing synthetic. You'll pay more, but you'll likely find the extra price worth it.

If you are a Dr. Fuhrman fan, his company makes a plant based, liquid Omega-3 supplement. His pages are pretty informative and further outline the health benefits of Omega-3.

4. Reduce packaged foods as much as you can. This is an obvious point, but I bet that most of us are not aware of the extra load that junk food can put on our digestive system. If you are on the verge of a binge, this extra bit of self-awareness can help to muster enough "why" to head it off. Maybe...

5. Reduce chronic stress. A very interesting point that Dr. Stengler made was that stress shifts blood flow away from your digestive system towards your muscles and this slows down your digestive system. Stress reduction can really help. This suggestion makes a lot of sense, especially in light of the feedback people have given us over using hypnosis in the weight loss process. There are some who have religious objections to that, and we respect this. But pretty much everyone else who has tried this has given us positive feedback. Our own experience is that any form of hypnosis can be highly relaxing. 

6. Reduce your tap water. The chlorine in tap water helps kill "good bacteria." It could be that a simple addition of a good water filter or making sure to get a fresh cartridge for your existing one, could help your support your digestive system.

7. Find ways to naturally detox on a consistent basis. Dr. Stengler suggests that you don't treat detox as a one time event. You want to find ways of detoxing on a regular basis, which will help to support your digestive system. Here are some ideas he outlines:

• Green supplements. Some of these greens have powerful natural detox effects.
• Fresh vegetable juice with a little bit of fruit. The body is trying to detox constantly, and these food will help support this.
• Focus on giving your liver a break. Liver has to detoxify everything. Anything you do to improve liver detoxification, your mood, energy and health will improve.
• Milk Thistle is an excellent herb to help the liver function. There are several studies which have back this assertion up. This is one.
• Saunas help to accelerate detoxification through the skin. Many people have access to Saunas but don't use them.

Related PEERtrainer Article: What Is The Best Way To Cleanse Or Detox?

Which one of these tips has helped you in your life? Please leave a comment below or leave a note on our Facebook Wall. We love hearing from you! 

Is Coconut Bad For You Because It Contains Saturated Fat?

On the new PEERtrainer Facebook page recently somebody posted something to the effect of "Your vegetable soup recipe is great, but I took out the coconut milk because my friend the cardiologist says that the saturated fat in coconut is bad for you."

We had been thinking about this question for a few days. Then today a box arrived in the mail with 6 books from Dr. Jonny Bowden. He is someone that we have gotten to know recently, and have begun to dig into his work. What we have found so far is someone who has taken all the "health stuff" and made it very understandable.

Anyway, we were flipping through one of the books, titled "The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth." And one page 107 there was a section on Coconut, that answered this exact question! Bowden writes:

"I really looked forward to writing this section, because I felt that it would give me a chance to right one of the greatest nutritional misconceptions of all time: the idea that coconut, because it contains saturated fat, is bad for you."

Summary of Dr. Jonny Bowden's insights on coconut:

• Coconut and coconut oil are superfoods. Coconut is one of the most healthy, amazing things you can ingest.
• People in Asia and the Pacific Islands whose diets are high in coconut oil have low levels of chronic disease- cancer, heart disease etc. 
• The fat in coconut is actually good for you. The book explains the science in detail, but the basic idea is that the fatty acids in coconut are easier to metabolize, and are different from the fatty acids in other forms of saturated fat. 

These fatty acids are called Medium Chain Triglycerides or MCT's. From Wikipedia:

"Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss. However, close to half of the calories in one's diet would have to be from the MCTs themselves. Therefore, consuming medium-chain triglycerides in a regular diet may or may not be beneficial to weight loss; studies are still being conducted" 

Anyway, the bottom line here is that we now have a greater level of understanding now of WHY our soup recipe has been such a hit. Most of the calories in the soup come from the coconut milk, which might explain why so many people have found that it helped them lose weight.

And we have also found a great book, one that that we will be referring to again and again.  Also- if you are interested in our recipes, please keep reading this post for information on how to be sent new recipes from PEERtrainer that meet our criteria of being easy, tasty, cheap, nutrient dense, fill you up, give you energy....

Here Is One:

Spicy Thai Curry Recipe

 

Calories in Coconut Milk

Interview With Ivy Larson, Who Has Used Diet To Control Her MS And Become A Best Selling Author In The Process

By Jackie Wicks

This is a great story on so many levels. I just met and interviewed a woman named Ivy Larson, and I want you all to hear her story because it is so inspiring. Long story short is that she solved her own health puzzle by taking total responsibility for her own outcome and getting some of the best help and guidance that she could.

Interview Summary and Introduction:

Ivy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at age 22. Up to this point she was a very healthy, athletic person. Summer of 1998 she started having all sorts of very out of the routine medical problems. Many parts of her body just stopped working properly.

Visits to many doctors in Palm Beach County didn't get to the bottom of what was happening. Finally she ended up in the emergency room, and she ended up seeing a urologist in Miami. It was there the doctor realized that the problem was likely neurological.

After a battery of tests she was diagnosed as being in the early stages of MS. She was given three options. 1) trial for medication that was in the human trial phase. 2) Begin one of the FDA approved disease modifying medications. But I was told that there were huge side effects and she wanted to have children. 3) Third option was a dietary overhaul.

She knew nothing about nutrition at this point. She contacted a friend from high school who was at the University Of Pennsylvania Medical school at the time. His immediate reaction to the suggestion of using diet was to look up the credentials of the neurologist suggesting this course of action.

He did and this began a process where he began to understand the limitations and risks of treating MS with drugs as well as the power of treating the symptoms through dietary changes. Down the road, Ivy and her friend at medical school ended up getting married (MS: A Love Story!). They ended up writing a best selling book based on their experience tackling this problem called, The Gold Coast Cure: A Lifestyle Plan to Shed Pounds, Gain Health and Reverse 10 Diseases.

Ivy has also become an amazing cook in the process. You can find many of her recipes on her website.

The interview runs 30 minutes. Talking to Ivy was interesting, uplifting and motivating. We hope you enjoy it!

Click Here To Download/Listen To The PEERtrainer Interview With Ivy Larson

About MS, (From Wikipedia)

"Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata) is a disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females. It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot.

MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons, which are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the body's own immune system attacks and damages the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals. The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses—better known as plaques or lesions) in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin. Although much is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease process, the cause remains unknown. Theories include genetics or infections. Different environmental risk factors have also been found.

Almost any neurological symptom can appear with the disease, and often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. MS takes several forms, with new symptoms occurring either in discrete attacks (relapsing forms) or slowly accumulating over time (progressive forms). Between attacks, symptoms may go away completely, but permanent neurological problems often occur, especially as the disease advances.

There is no known cure for MS. Treatments attempt to return function after an attack, prevent new attacks, and prevent disability. MS medications can have adverse effects or be poorly tolerated, and many patients pursue alternative treatments, despite the lack of supporting scientific study. The prognosis is difficult to predict; it depends on the subtype of the disease, the individual patient's disease characteristics, the initial symptoms and the degree of disability the person experiences as time advances. Life expectancy of patients is nearly the same as that of the unaffected population."

A Vitamin D Test Is More Important Than A Cholesterol Test?? Dr Furhman Explains Why Even People Who Get A Lot Of Sun Should Supplement With Vitamin D

This is something that we have never heard of- that a Vitamin D test is something that 80% of Americans need, and for many of these people this test is more important than a cholesterol test. The test is called the "Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy." Ask your doctor about this. Very interesting discussion, click to view:

>>Further Reading: Why Is Vitamin D So Important?

Thoughts on The Vaccine Controversy From Jim Carrey

It would be interesting to see someone refute the logic of the following comment:

"We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child.

Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar? If you can over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can over-immunize a child?"

This is obviously a complex issue, but I bet most of us know people, or know of people in our communities, whose kids have developed Autism. And who are convinced that this happened after a shot or series of shots.

Eat To Live Diet, Eat For Health: Review, Observations, Success, Doing It With Weight Watchers

Tip Of The Day readers know that I talk about Dr Joel Fuhrman a ton. We met him a couple years ago and really saw first hand his passion for promoting proper nutrition as a tool to lose weight, and also improve your health. In his words "Nutrition Is The Prescription." He showed us, and continues to show us, how certain foods can help you lose a lot of weight but also improve your health. He promotes nutritional excellence as another tool, alongside drugs, to help people regain their health.

 

Eat To Live

So it was great to see Alanis Morisette publicly credit Joel and his book Eat To Live as helping her lose 20 pounds, get more energy and feel better physically. The diet of my family- my husband, and two kids- was permanently changed after meeting him. We incorporate his ideas in every aspect of what we write on PEERtrainer. We also show how adopting his focus along side diets like the new Weight Watchers Momentum program can make their good diet a ton better.

When Joel came out with this book, he really was attacked by the medical community. I remember showing the book to a very senior doctor/ healthcare executive in New York City. His response to Joel's work was to literally question his medical credentials.

This man (let's call him Ben) started to surf the internet to find out if Dr Fuhrman really was a doctor, if he really graduated from medical school. What Joel was saying in Eat To Live ran so counter to what the medical establishment was saying that he was branded a quack by many. For Joel to focus on the role of nutrition in health, not just drugs was heresy. And we know from history that heretics get burnt at the stake.

But Mehmet Oz did not think Joel was a quack, and has publicly backed him every step of the way. Joel gave us a copy of his book for feeding children "Disease Proof Your Child"- it is on my desk and the very first quote of "praise" on the back cover is from Mehmet Oz. Here is the quote:

"Dr. Fuhrman reveals the success to long-term, sustainable health using diet choices for growing up smart and growing old happy. Take your doctor a copy!"

It is very important to note that these words written by Dr. Oz challenge the assumptions most of us have. We assume that diets can't work in the long run, and we assume getting fat and sick is part of aging. Dr. Fuhrman is begging us to reconsider those assumptions.

Eat For Health

In April of this year we were sent a copy of Eat For Health, which is Joel's new book that is a bit easier to follow than Eat To Live, is not a strict vegetarian diet, and introduces MANDI points system. This system assigns point values to foods in terms of their nutrient density. It is a very important tool and we immediately had a way of quantifying the level of health promoting foods in our diet. I now use this in combination with portion control in an approach I call "diet fusion." We have developed a simple way to do diet fusion, which we call the PEERtrainer Cheat System.

But what was interesting and important is that the entire first chapter of the book is Joel defending himself from the medical community. He has found some excellent and very well respected voices in the community to vouch for him and he does an excellent job in his defense. 

He has incredible success stories from people who he has helped improve their entire cardiovascular profile, cure lupus, prevent having to undergo dialysis, help asthma, migranes, high blood pressure, sarcoidosis, psoriasis etc etc.

We actually lent our copy to a doctor friend of ours, someone who recommends diets to her patients. Here is what she had to say about "Eat For Health":

"Last month, my friends lent me Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat for Health. Dr Fuhrman has it 100% right. Let me say that again - he has it exactly right. We are all trying to figure out a way to not do what is right, how to get around it. We think that we want to keep eating the over-processed, high calorie, nutrient poor food. He says stop eating the garbage. Eat the good stuff. You will lose weight, get healthier and feel better. 

Dr Fuhrman Makes Optimal Eating Easy To Implement

He comes out and says what we all know is true, but don't say or do. He states the obvious: eat more vegetables and fruits. Eat more fiber. Eat less animal products. The result is that you will be healthier and lose weight. He gives easy to implement strategies for how to do this. Why didn't someone think of this sooner and why isn't it a national phenomena?"

Weight Watchers Now Moving In Joel's Direction

It is really important to point out the struggle Joel has had with the medical community and really highlight his leadership role in bringing them around to a greater focus on nutritious foods. So I was extremely interested in the last couple weeks learning the details of Weight Watchers new momentum program.

I read on their site and in other places that they were adjusting their points system to focus not just on fiber but also in the water content of food. Which means a lot more plants. Now they don't seen to be focused on his MANDI points idea yet which promotes massive greens as part of the daily diet. But they are going in the right direction.

And I was able to get confirmation of this from my mom, who is now on the new Momentum Program. She was able to give me some feedback of their program and did confirm that they have moved away from dairy and low calorie nutrient poor foods towards plant based nutrition. I cannot say for sure that Joel was responsible for this, but I am sure he was a strong influence.

Stronger Diet Recommendations- Some Books, DVD, Free Tools

We pretty much insist you own a copy of either Eat To Live or Eat For Health. (Click on the titles for the exact amazon links.) We do find that people want a "baby step" approach to eating a nutrient dense diet, which is why we created the Cheat System.

March 2011 Update

It is important to note that if you are extremely overweight, or if you have reached a disease state, you need the nutritional intervention that Dr. Fuhrman outlines. The Cheat System will help, but if you are reading this and are scared about where you are, we STRONGLY recommend that you not only read Fuhrman's books, but that you spend a few weeks in his member center.

This is an online forum, which costs about $14 a month to access. You can ask any question you have about your particular situation. There is a deep database of answers to questions, Dr. Fuhrman directly answers questions and you will also get support from others who are using nutrition as part of their plan to get healthy, thin, energized.

We have now known Dr. Fuhrman for 4 years, and we have seen the results in the PEERtrainer community of everything we have outlined in this article. We want to reiterate that if you are sick, please visit the member center. It may be the cheapest and most effective medical care that you'll find.

If you are reading this part of the article and paying close attention to what we are writing here, know that we know what you are going through. You have been to many doctors, and have explored lots of options. You are likely scared and frustrated. In addition to what you are already doing, deeply explore Fuhrman's advice. If you are in the Northeast you can even visit his office and get some one on one. It can be a wait to get an appointment. We have referred people we know to him, and if it is super urgent, mention PEERtrainer, and you might be able to get in quicker. No promises, but we have been able to get people in more quickly.

What Is Unresolved In The Nutrient Dense Diet?

One unresolved issue from our perspective in the nutrient dense diet is the role of organic food.  We remember sitting in on a conversation between Joel's marketing team and a senior statesman in the health care industry. This gentleman was enthusiastic about the focus on nutrient density, and dramatically reducing the levels of animal protein in the diet. As a Phd level scientist he also thought that the protein in milk, casein, was wreaking particular havoc among people and might be a contributing factor to breast cancer. 

This is a big debate right now and there is a lot to figure out. But some influential people have some strong opinions on this subject, and it will be interesting to see how this debate evolves. Even Weight Watchers seems to be tiptoeing away from a heavy dairy emphasis, emphasizing foods like avocado and hummus instead of lowfat cheese. This is based on feedback we are getting from people in their new program.

The other big thing the senior statesman said was the importance of organic food. This man has a masters in Physical Chemistry in addition to having done Phd work in Nuclear Physics and run several health companies. A unique perspective. And he was adamant about eating organic food, going on in detail about the organic garden he had set up in his country house. Given that this was the man who introduced us to Joel, we listened carefully and took what he said very seriously.

Continue This Discussion in the PEERtrainer Community....

Video of My Experience With Eat To Live and Eat For Health 

3 Reasons To Eat Avocados and 3 Ways To Eat Them

In our Tip Of The Day program I often show you what we do in our own life. Avocados are something that I have as a staple in my diet and life and I wanted to take a second to sort of outline in a very practical sense why I do this and how I do this. I will make sure to prepare some specific recipe ideas as well.

(After the introduction of the new PEERtrainer Cheat System, we have further refined this advice. A small amount of avocado, especially in a salad is tasty and also helps your body absorb the nutrients in the other ingredients in the salad. Most vegetables do not contain fat, yet they need some for optimal absorption of nutrients in the digestion process.)

Reasons To Eat Avocados

1. For me they are one of the most satisfying foods out there. 

They are high in good fat, and they take the edge off when I feel like I could eat 5 large pizzas. For me, the edge is gone immediately

If I eat a normal size portion of pasta, and I cover it with butter and parmesean, it will take me three more servings like that to take the edge off that hunger feeling of wanting to eat everything in sight.

If I eat 1/2 of an avocado (or a tablespoon of peanut butter or cashew butter) it 100% takes the edge off so that I can make a healthier choice. I have found nothing to take the edge off. Especially after a workout.

2. They Make Food Taste Great

It is like putting sour cream or cheese sauce over everything you are eating for me. Anything you can think of that "this needs sour cream or cheese sauce" put avocado on it. Even a portion of vegetables. Put a portion of avocado and lemon juice over a plate of spinach and it tastes great.

Instead of eggs and cheese, have eggs and avocado. A block of cheese will never satisfy you like an avocado will.

3. Avocado Is A Transition And Replacement Food Into Your Thin Lifestyle

I used to use it to make the transition from cheese, sour cream and bacon, and now that I have transitioned into a healthier lifestyle it takes the edge off. But I found it a great transition food.

It helps you cope when you can't do the vegetable thing all the time. For me it has been a savior.

My 3 Rules For Eating Avocados

1. Never Eat Them Alone

Use them to make other healthy food taste good. If you don't like the taste of spinach, try the avocado and lemon. Like tomato sauce, they can make anything taste good. If you want a "satisfying salad" blend avocado into dijon mustard and lemon juice, throw a cup of beans in the mix and you have something that tastes great and really helps you feel full.

2. Always Squeeze Lemon Juice On Them

I make it a habit to always have lemons handy. For me, the combination of avocado and lemon really makes so many other foods taste good. It is also very quick and easy to prepare.

 

3. I only eat 1/2 avocado at a time. 

There are 380 calories in a hass avocado or 6 weight watchers points. So don't go crazy and use half which is 3 points and 190 calories or so in the avocado. But if you do go overboard know that Avocados are also an extremely healthy food and have been proven to help with your heart, overall health and also help fight breast cancer.

If you want some more "why" some specific health reasons, check out WHFoods page on all the research that is showing benefit after benefit. We have a quick summary here. They really are insanely good for you and really help you in the process of transitioning to a new lifestyle, something that is a huge focus for us in the Tip of The Day and Coaching programs.

In the current version of the PEERtrainer Cheat System, your first 1/2 avocado is a free food. Important to note that we are always refining that document.

What Are Your Rules For Eating Avocado?

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Books That Have Personally Impacted Me

Books can be tedious, especially diet and health books.  I'm more of a fan of doing than reading.  I've learned a lot more about myself just through general logging of my food and thoughts than most books but that said, I don't know everything, right!?

I have a general set of guides to refer back to and learn from when I get down or I need ideas. More importantly, if I'm in a plateau or have been off track and could use the reminders, I have them on hand without much effort.   This set changes depending on my life stage so you'll see it morph over time but here is my current set and the amazon/affiliate link:

Eight Weeks to Optimal Health: Dr. Andrew Weil
This was my first "bible" into the world of health and fitness.  I still refer back to it often and I get inspired by his weekly tasks of buying flowers and experiencing forgiveness

Eat To Live/Eat For Health:  Dr. Joel Fuhrman:  His "prescription" of intense greens changed my husband's health.   They have this really neat MANDI scoring guide, a quick guide to help you understand foods and their nutrient content at a glance.  The link goes to a special PEERtrainer discount.

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Dr. Christiane Northrup
I read this years before she went on Oprah and I experienced my early 30's in a much different way than many of my friends just based on her writings.  Highly recommend this specific book

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People Stephen R. Covey 
This book dives into discipline which I believe is the cornerstone of health and fitness.  I'm not especially passionate about his writing style but the content is a must read.

Health Magazine:
This health and diet lifestyle mags is the one that I most relate to - it isn't about how to get the body to get a guy or nicely posed pictures of fitness routines.  The editorial perspective is a bit more focused on health and diet information

Cabbage Is Cheap And Really Really Good For You

I was reading an article on food allergies in the New York Times just now and came across a great article on Cabbage that serves as nice summary of why it is good for you. They are doing an excellent job covering nutrition overall btw.

"The family of vegetables that cabbage belongs to is called the Cruciferae family or the Brassica family and related vegetables include kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. Johnny Bowden, a nutritionist, calls cabbage “the most important [vegetable] in the world from the point of view of nutritional benefits and cancer-fighting ability.” 

Cabbage possesses phytochemicals including sulforaphane, which studies suggest protects the body against cancer-causing free radicals, and indoles, which help metabolize estrogens. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins K and C, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, manganese and Omega 3 fatty acids.  "

Basically every vegetable you read about has different health promoting properties, different weight loss promoting properties.

 

This is why we place such a heavy focus on vegetables and fruit in our PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day series. 

 

Additionally, we have made foods like cabbage a key part of The Magic Fridge recipe guide that we created last year.

So, next time you are out at the grocery store just throw a cabbage in there, take it home and take the knife to it!

 

 

Half of nation's docs want to quit, survey says

Nearly half the respondents in a survey of U.S. primary care physicians said that they would seriously consider getting out of the medical business within the next three years if they had an alternative. Many said they are overwhelmed with red tape from insurance companies and government agencies.

read more | digg story