Hello!
If you are wondering when it's worth it to pay more for organics, here's the "dirt" on how to prioritize your organic dollars:
Types of produce MOST likely to contain pesticide residue (i.e., try to get organic):
Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
Types of produce LEAST likely to contain pesticide residue (i.e., organic not a priority):
Papayas
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kiwis
Bananas
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Mangoes
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocados
Onions
No matter whether you can afford/find organic or not, remember it is ALWAYS a good choice to eat more produce. Most health and weight problems in America can be prevented by eating more produce and less processed food, NOT by avoiding produce out of worries about chemicals.
Have a good week!
Jill
p.s. The lists above came from the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Go on the Offensive
Hello!
This morning's news included a story about a lawsuit aiming to get cancer warnings on hot dog packages. It's true that processed meats increase the risk of colon cancer. That got me thinking about how a bazillion things--many unavoidable--also appear to increase cancer risk, including...
undercooked foods
overcooked (charred) foods
heated starches
too much folic acid (added to foods, like bread, to prevent neural tube defects)
not enough soy
too much soy
inhaling near a car, leaf-blower or any vehicle
living in a city (smog)
living in the country (farm chemicals)
too much sunlight
not enough sunlight (vitamin D deficiency)
not enough intercourse (for men...prostate cancer)
X-rays
cell phones, maybe
flying at high altitudes (atmospheric radiation)
parking in underground structures
common ingredients in soaps, lotions and cosmetics
sleep deprivation
stress
NOT bearing children (although having them pretty much guarantees more sleep deprivation and stress!)
plastic food containers
bottled water
NOT undereating
and, most of all, aging!
...ok, you get the picture. Almost everything! Life itself is cancer-inducing!! You can't possibly avoid every risk!!! Oh nooooo! What should you do?
For one thing, you can GET PROTECTED FROM THE INSIDE: Eat an anti-cancer food every few hours and you'll be giving your body what it needs to defend itself as best it can. What foods protect you?
PLANTS! Veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, herbs, spices & teas. Work these foods into every meal and snack and your blood will be coursing with an army of protectors.
And, as luck would have it, those are the same foods that protect you from heart disease, diabetes, high blood sugar, obesity and premature aging. It's almost like the "magic pill" has existed all along....in nature.
So get some of these foods at EVERY MEAL and let me know if you manage to live forever.
Have a good week!
Jill
p.s. I didn't mean to scare anyone with that long list of cancer-causers. Keep in mind that DRIVING is a bigger health risk than all those things put together!
This morning's news included a story about a lawsuit aiming to get cancer warnings on hot dog packages. It's true that processed meats increase the risk of colon cancer. That got me thinking about how a bazillion things--many unavoidable--also appear to increase cancer risk, including...
undercooked foods
overcooked (charred) foods
heated starches
too much folic acid (added to foods, like bread, to prevent neural tube defects)
not enough soy
too much soy
inhaling near a car, leaf-blower or any vehicle
living in a city (smog)
living in the country (farm chemicals)
too much sunlight
not enough sunlight (vitamin D deficiency)
not enough intercourse (for men...prostate cancer)
X-rays
cell phones, maybe
flying at high altitudes (atmospheric radiation)
parking in underground structures
common ingredients in soaps, lotions and cosmetics
sleep deprivation
stress
NOT bearing children (although having them pretty much guarantees more sleep deprivation and stress!)
plastic food containers
bottled water
NOT undereating
and, most of all, aging!
...ok, you get the picture. Almost everything! Life itself is cancer-inducing!! You can't possibly avoid every risk!!! Oh nooooo! What should you do?
For one thing, you can GET PROTECTED FROM THE INSIDE: Eat an anti-cancer food every few hours and you'll be giving your body what it needs to defend itself as best it can. What foods protect you?
PLANTS! Veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, herbs, spices & teas. Work these foods into every meal and snack and your blood will be coursing with an army of protectors.
And, as luck would have it, those are the same foods that protect you from heart disease, diabetes, high blood sugar, obesity and premature aging. It's almost like the "magic pill" has existed all along....in nature.
So get some of these foods at EVERY MEAL and let me know if you manage to live forever.
Have a good week!
Jill
p.s. I didn't mean to scare anyone with that long list of cancer-causers. Keep in mind that DRIVING is a bigger health risk than all those things put together!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Weight Loss Challenge Results!
Dear Weight Loss Challenge Participants,
Thank you for participating in such a fun, healthy and inspiring endeavor!
Thanks especially to Adrian, Rion, and everybody at West Coast Boot Camp for organizing an AMAZING party. They worked tirelessly to put on a worthy celebration and wow...was it ever! I was truly touched by the care, commitment, and spirit that the organizers, participants and supporters all brought to the awards party.
Now for your results! If you haven’t already picked them up, you can get them at my office during drop-in hours, listed below. We know you worked hard these past 7 weeks and we hope you are pleased with your progress! Here is some information that may help you interpret your final results.
● Total number of participants who started the challenge: 120 (48 men and 72 women)
● Total number who finished the challenge: 61 (26 men and 35 women)
● The winners were those 5 men and 5 women who had the biggest improvement in their initial body composition, which could happen via fat loss, muscle gain or (ideally!) both. The equation determining the winner was: (starting body fat % - final body fat %)/starting body fat %.
● Best results: -10.1% body fat (men) and -2.9% body fat (women)
● Worst results: +3% body fat (men) and +2.5% body fat (women)
● What are GOOD results? Body composition is not a number that changes quickly! A 0.5% change in 6 weeks is good. A 1% change is great. A 2% change is marvelous. 10.1% (like our top winner) is almost unheard-of. Past challenges have been won with a change of 3-5%.
● How can you lose pounds but increase body fat percent?! This means that you lost more lean tissue or water than you lost fat. It is normal to lose about 50% fat and 50% lean when you lose weight. It would be nice if the body would only give up pure fat, but unfortunately most bodies also give up quite a bit of lean tissue also. This is one main reason that weight loss is difficult to maintain. It is also the reason we used body composition (instead of absolute pounds lost) as the gauge. Extreme weight loss practices (i.e., losing weight too fast, undereating, skipping meals) promote the loss of more lean tissue.
Some participants—despite healthy habits—had this disappointing result, which can also happen because of dehydration at weigh-out, illness, stress, sleep-deprivation, age (older people lose more lean), gender (women lose more lean than men), type of exercise (weight-lifting preserves lean tissue more than cardio), diet, and, of course, genetics. If you were unhappy with your results, please make an appointment with one of us so that we can advise you on a program that will get you the results you deserve!
No matter your results, we hope this challenge helped make the last six weeks healthy, motivating and fun! Keep up the good habits you have developed!
All my best,
Jill Brook, M.A.
Nutritionist & Owner
Drop-in hours:
6:30am – Noon M, W, F
3-5pm T, Th
1-3pm Sat
Thank you for participating in such a fun, healthy and inspiring endeavor!
Thanks especially to Adrian, Rion, and everybody at West Coast Boot Camp for organizing an AMAZING party. They worked tirelessly to put on a worthy celebration and wow...was it ever! I was truly touched by the care, commitment, and spirit that the organizers, participants and supporters all brought to the awards party.
Now for your results! If you haven’t already picked them up, you can get them at my office during drop-in hours, listed below. We know you worked hard these past 7 weeks and we hope you are pleased with your progress! Here is some information that may help you interpret your final results.
● Total number of participants who started the challenge: 120 (48 men and 72 women)
● Total number who finished the challenge: 61 (26 men and 35 women)
● The winners were those 5 men and 5 women who had the biggest improvement in their initial body composition, which could happen via fat loss, muscle gain or (ideally!) both. The equation determining the winner was: (starting body fat % - final body fat %)/starting body fat %.
● Best results: -10.1% body fat (men) and -2.9% body fat (women)
● Worst results: +3% body fat (men) and +2.5% body fat (women)
● What are GOOD results? Body composition is not a number that changes quickly! A 0.5% change in 6 weeks is good. A 1% change is great. A 2% change is marvelous. 10.1% (like our top winner) is almost unheard-of. Past challenges have been won with a change of 3-5%.
● How can you lose pounds but increase body fat percent?! This means that you lost more lean tissue or water than you lost fat. It is normal to lose about 50% fat and 50% lean when you lose weight. It would be nice if the body would only give up pure fat, but unfortunately most bodies also give up quite a bit of lean tissue also. This is one main reason that weight loss is difficult to maintain. It is also the reason we used body composition (instead of absolute pounds lost) as the gauge. Extreme weight loss practices (i.e., losing weight too fast, undereating, skipping meals) promote the loss of more lean tissue.
Some participants—despite healthy habits—had this disappointing result, which can also happen because of dehydration at weigh-out, illness, stress, sleep-deprivation, age (older people lose more lean), gender (women lose more lean than men), type of exercise (weight-lifting preserves lean tissue more than cardio), diet, and, of course, genetics. If you were unhappy with your results, please make an appointment with one of us so that we can advise you on a program that will get you the results you deserve!
No matter your results, we hope this challenge helped make the last six weeks healthy, motivating and fun! Keep up the good habits you have developed!
All my best,
Jill Brook, M.A.
Nutritionist & Owner
Drop-in hours:
6:30am – Noon M, W, F
3-5pm T, Th
1-3pm Sat
Friday, July 17, 2009
Need some Novelty?
Hello!
Food companies are always coming out with the next best thing, to keep consumers from getting bored with their food, but you can do much better: Find your novelty from NATURE!
Try some of these things:
Exotic Fruits
Kumquats
Lychees
Passion fruit
Papaya & lime
Hybrid fruits, like pluots, apriums & papples
Find more at Gelson's, Bristol Farms, Whole Foods or your famer's market
Interesting Grains
Black Forbidden Rice
Quinoa
Wheat Berries
Browse the bulk aisle at Whole Foods for many more
Wild Fish & Game
Ostrich
Emu
Buffalo
Rabbit
Elk
Pheasant
Go to Fish King to finds all kinds of crazy seafood that you've never seen before
Extra Fancy Herbs & Spices--Don't forget these! They are as healthy as they are flavorful!
Lemon grass
Tarragon
Dill
Chives
Rosemary
Turmeric
Cloves, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg
Exotic types of cinnamon (try korintje!)
Other Fun Foods
Interesting teas (Gypsy Tea company makes some doozies--try coconut rum green tea)
Hemp seeds (in small quantities...because of the calories, not the relation... :)
Flavored vinegars, like garlic, raspberry, fig
...And please let me know what other novel healthy treats you find!
Have a good week,
Jill
Food companies are always coming out with the next best thing, to keep consumers from getting bored with their food, but you can do much better: Find your novelty from NATURE!
Try some of these things:
Exotic Fruits
Kumquats
Lychees
Passion fruit
Papaya & lime
Hybrid fruits, like pluots, apriums & papples
Find more at Gelson's, Bristol Farms, Whole Foods or your famer's market
Interesting Grains
Black Forbidden Rice
Quinoa
Wheat Berries
Browse the bulk aisle at Whole Foods for many more
Wild Fish & Game
Ostrich
Emu
Buffalo
Rabbit
Elk
Pheasant
Go to Fish King to finds all kinds of crazy seafood that you've never seen before
Extra Fancy Herbs & Spices--Don't forget these! They are as healthy as they are flavorful!
Lemon grass
Tarragon
Dill
Chives
Rosemary
Turmeric
Cloves, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg
Exotic types of cinnamon (try korintje!)
Other Fun Foods
Interesting teas (Gypsy Tea company makes some doozies--try coconut rum green tea)
Hemp seeds (in small quantities...because of the calories, not the relation... :)
Flavored vinegars, like garlic, raspberry, fig
...And please let me know what other novel healthy treats you find!
Have a good week,
Jill
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Let's Get Healthy Red Carpet Event
Hello Weight Loss Challengers!
Congratulations on finishing your grueling 6 weeks of healthy weight loss! We hope you are looking and feeling great for all your efforts.
We are excited to announce the winners this Saturday at the
LET'S GET HEALTHY RED CARPET EVENT!
Details are below. There will be 5 top men and 6 top women (tie for 5th place) announced, along with great food, fine champagne, live entertainment, fun music, prizes and SUR-prises galore.
This will be quite a party!!! I must say that Adrian has gone ALL OUT to make this celebration worthy of all your hard work and fabulous results, so don't miss it!
The party will be:
Saturday, July 18th, 5pm
1039 Foothill Blvd (behind the building)
La Canada, CA 91011
R.S.V.P. 818-952-1333
Again, congratulations and we hope to see you there!
All our best!
Jill, Adrian, Rion & the Healthiest Block in Town
Congratulations on finishing your grueling 6 weeks of healthy weight loss! We hope you are looking and feeling great for all your efforts.
We are excited to announce the winners this Saturday at the
LET'S GET HEALTHY RED CARPET EVENT!
Details are below. There will be 5 top men and 6 top women (tie for 5th place) announced, along with great food, fine champagne, live entertainment, fun music, prizes and SUR-prises galore.
This will be quite a party!!! I must say that Adrian has gone ALL OUT to make this celebration worthy of all your hard work and fabulous results, so don't miss it!
The party will be:
Saturday, July 18th, 5pm
1039 Foothill Blvd (behind the building)
La Canada, CA 91011
R.S.V.P. 818-952-1333
Again, congratulations and we hope to see you there!
All our best!
Jill, Adrian, Rion & the Healthiest Block in Town
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Coffee Lovers Rejoice
Hello!
Good news! You can officially stop feeling guilty about your coffee habit:
Two new studies suggest that coffee can prevent, and maybe even somewhat reverse, Alzheimer's Disease. What's more, many studies show that caffeine can improve mood, alertness and energy, help prevent diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer, decrease the risk of stroke and may help prevent skin cancer and eye damage from the sun. It also increases endurance in athletes.
But BEFORE you rush out to buy a latte & stock in Starbucks, here are some warnings about increasing your caffeine intake too quickly:
1. Watch out for insomnia, edginess, the jitters, diarrhea, etc.
2. It will act as a diuretic for the first few weeks, until your body adjusts to it, so watch out for dehydration and eat extra minerals like calcium to replace what you lose.
3. Keep in mind you'll become addicted--you will probably have headaches if/when you don't have your normal amount.
4. It will probably raise your blood pressure for the first few weeks also, so if you have blood pressure issues, check with your doctor first.
Have a good week,
Jill
Good news! You can officially stop feeling guilty about your coffee habit:
Two new studies suggest that coffee can prevent, and maybe even somewhat reverse, Alzheimer's Disease. What's more, many studies show that caffeine can improve mood, alertness and energy, help prevent diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer, decrease the risk of stroke and may help prevent skin cancer and eye damage from the sun. It also increases endurance in athletes.
But BEFORE you rush out to buy a latte & stock in Starbucks, here are some warnings about increasing your caffeine intake too quickly:
1. Watch out for insomnia, edginess, the jitters, diarrhea, etc.
2. It will act as a diuretic for the first few weeks, until your body adjusts to it, so watch out for dehydration and eat extra minerals like calcium to replace what you lose.
3. Keep in mind you'll become addicted--you will probably have headaches if/when you don't have your normal amount.
4. It will probably raise your blood pressure for the first few weeks also, so if you have blood pressure issues, check with your doctor first.
Have a good week,
Jill
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